Cody sat at Erin’s dining room table, his computer in front of him. A TV played in the background, the sound coming from the slightly open door of the mother-in-law suite. Except for dinnertime, which they all shared together, Mimi and Opa stayed in their quarters. Alcee had the run of the place and hung out with whoever would give her the most attention.
As he’d promised Erin, Cody had spent the day yesterday coming up with kitchen ideas. Last night they’d gone to Lowe’s together and picked out appliances and selected several flooring samples. They’d also planned meals for the next week, and since Erin had the day off today, she was at Publix tackling the lengthy grocery list while Cody worked on cabinet design.
He made several clicks with the mouse, typing in intermittent commands, and a drawing took shape on the screen. Erin had chosen a style she liked from the photos in his portfolio, and he’d taken measurements and done rough sketches. But the two-and three-D renderings he was doing in AutoCAD would let her visualize the image he already had in his mind. It would also give his cabinet guy something easier to work with than the scribbles on the legal pad sitting next to his computer.
Once he finished the kitchen remodel, Erin wanted to modernize the bathrooms, then the rest of the house. The mother-in-law suite would be last, long after Mimi and Opa returned to their home in LaBelle.
The way things were going with the investigation, he’d be living at Erin’s indefinitely. Everything was at a standstill. Police hadn’t found the Camry, and the traps they’d laid yesterday getting his truck to Erin’s had come to naught. No one had showed the slightest bit of interest.
Tracing the phone number of the alleged Detective Roland had led nowhere. The call had come from a burner phone. They’d interviewed the developer also, and none of his associates matched the description of the guy in the hospital.
Alcee slipped through the open door, announcing her presence with the tap of her claws against the linoleum floor.
Cody looked away from his work. “Hey, girl. Are you coming for another visit?”
She tilted her head and lifted an ear.
“Mimi and Opa aren’t giving you enough love?”
She tipped her head in the other direction, and that ear lifted. Erin had said she was smart. Cody had no idea how much she understood, but she made it look convincing.
He scratched her neck and jaw, and she pressed her head into his hand. When he stopped, instead of lying next to him, she put a paw in his lap.
He checked the time on his computer. Eleven. She wasn’t due to eat for another hour.
“What do you want, girl? Do you need to go out?”
She barked once and trotted to the sliding glass door. He rose to let her into the fenced backyard. She would paw at the door when she was ready to come inside again.
After completing his drawing, Cody lifted both arms and arched his back over the chair. He’d slept well last night. After the previous night, he’d been too exhausted to do anything but. Erin had slept well, too. At least, she claimed she had. But even if her nightmare had returned, she wasn’t likely to tell him about it. The Erin of old had been an open book, guard down, the world her playground. That Erin no longer existed.
He clicked the mouse and sent what he’d done to the printer in the middle bedroom. With his tools in his truck, his blank invoices and estimate forms in his computer bag, and his laptop connected to Erin’s printer, he was ready for business.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Erin’s name displayed on the screen.
“I’m getting ready to check out. Anything else you want me to get while I’m here?”
“I don’t think so. That list we made last night was pretty extensive.”
“Tell me about it. My cart’s heaping. Food preparation for four is a little different from food preparation for one.”
A lot more expensive, too. But they’d all agreed to do an even four-way split—half the bill paid by Mimi and Opa and a quarter each by him and Erin.
“Sounds like you’ll make it home before I leave.” He was meeting Bobby for lunch at Zaxby’s, then stopping by Sherwin-Williams for paint chips. “You’re welcome to join us.” He laughed. “If I bring a woman along, maybe Bobby will stop trying to match me up with his coworker.”
Her laughter joined his. “Thanks for the invite. Although I’d love to be able to bail you out, I think I’ll just have lunch with Mimi and Opa. Since your friend’s a cop, I’d say you’re in good hands.”
As he disconnected the call, Alcee scratched against the sliding glass door frame. He slid the door back on its track. “Come on, girl.”
She bounded in, tail wagging. Lunchtime was close, and she knew it. The dog had a built-in clock. Cody walked into the kitchen and picked up the porcelain bowl. The white dish with a big blue paw print in the bottom was licked clean.
“Are you ready to eat?” Her head tilted again, and her ear lifted when he said eat. That was a word she did understand, like almost every other pet in America.
He took a can of Purina ONE from the pantry and popped the top. After he’d dumped the contents into the dish, he glanced at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He was feeding her fifteen minutes early. If it was a problem, he’d stick to a stricter schedule in the future.
A short time later Erin arrived home with the back of her RAV4 filled with groceries. He met her outside and, after looping several bags over each arm, nodded down at what he held. “You can start putting everything away, since you know where it goes. I’ll tote the rest in.”
When they finished, it was time for him to leave. He picked up his keys and stuffed his phone into his pocket. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“If you see anything suspicious, or are even slightly uneasy, call the police. Then get a hold of me.”
He grinned. “You are the police. So is Bobby.”
“Someone on duty whose sirens and lights can get them there in a hurry.”
When he arrived at Zaxby’s, Bobby was already inside waiting near the door. The larger man clapped Cody on the shoulder in greeting, and he winced. He was still sore, as much from slamming into the concrete barrier as spending the night trapped in the collapsed building. The dive in the parking lot hadn’t helped, either. Neither had being blown halfway across his front yard.
But Bobby knew none of that. Cody had gotten a hold of him yesterday to let him know he’d relocated to Fort Myers and wouldn’t need the ride from his house. He would fill him in on everything else over lunch. Soon, they were seated at a table, two plates of wings and fries in front of them.
Cody picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup. “Did you hear about the apartment building collapsing in Bokeelia, on Pine Island?”
“Not only did I hear about it, I was on duty, keeping people who didn’t belong from venturing back there. I didn’t see the story air, but I heard the collapse was intentional.”
“It was. I was inside when it went down, even spent a little time in the hospital with a concussion and some broken ribs.”
“Whoa. I had no idea that was you. What were you doing there?”
“Trying to convince my stubborn grandfather to evacuate.”
Bobby shook his head. “You don’t look much worse for wear. How about your pops?”
Cody pressed his lips together. “He didn’t make it.”
“Ah, man, that’s rough. Sorry to hear that.”
Cody nodded his thanks. “What have you heard about the case?”
“Nothing. Being in patrol, I’m not involved in homicide investigations.”
As they ate, Cody filled him in on everything that had happened. Finally, Bobby sat back and shook his head. “You’ve gotten yourself tangled up in a mess.”
“I know.” He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. “I’m not used to having people out to get me. I get along with everybody.” At least, once he’d gotten through his troubled adolescent and early teen years. “The last time I had an enemy was in ninth grade when someone tripped me in the cafeteria and I spilled Kool-Aid on Jimmy Thompson’s new Izod shirt.”
Bobby laughed, then grew silent, thinking as he finished off the last of his chicken. “Have you checked with the planning department to see if the developer sought approval for anything there?”
Cody picked up one of his wings and took a bite. His plate was still half-full. He’d been the one doing almost all the talking.
“I don’t know if anyone has thought of that. As a contractor, I know the people there pretty well. I’ll see what I can find out. If he’s already been to the planning people, he’s pretty serious about buying.” Of course, the offer Erin said the developer had made to Whitmer showed some pretty strong determination.
“So where are you staying? You said somewhere here in Fort Myers.”
“Yeah. I’m staying with someone I just reconnected with, who also happens to be one of the detectives working the case.”
“That’s convenient. He’s letting you live there until this gets wrapped up?”
“Not he—she. And yes, she’s letting me stay until this is over. Actually, she’s not giving me a choice. Everything that’s happened has her pretty worried.”
Bobby grinned. “Hmm. Sounds promising.”
Cody shook his head. “It’s not like that. There’s no romance going on. I’ve got my own room and so do her grandparents.”
Bobby had been around for the implosion of Cody’s marriage and had been on a mission ever since to secure him a happily-ever-after. Cody had made it clear he wasn’t interested, but his friend still hadn’t given up. The man wasn’t dense, just determined.
Bobby shrugged. “No romance now, and grandparents to chaperone. But you never know where things might lead.” He waggled his brows, which looked more silly than anything. Knowing Bobby, the effect was intentional.
Yeah, one never knew where things might lead. But some paths were so unlikely it didn’t make sense to even consider them. Neither he nor Erin had any intention of letting down their guard. He didn’t know what was behind her resistance, but he understood his own. He’d had enough people he loved walk away that he wasn’t interested in going another round. Life alone was pretty good, as long as he stayed busy and never dwelled on what he’d lost.
Bobby crumpled up his napkin and dropped it on the empty plate. “Well, if things don’t work out with this lady, I can always introduce you to my cute coworker.”
“Sorry, I’m going to pass on both.”
Bobby’s brow creased. “Actually, if you were conscious when they pulled you out of the rubble, you might have already met her. Cute lady about this tall.” He held up a hand. “White German shepherd dog.”
“Erin? That’s who I’m staying with.”
Bobby bellowed with laughter, slapping the table and struggling to catch his breath.
Cody frowned. “You wanna tell me what’s so funny so we can both enjoy the joke?”
Bobby gradually got control of himself. “Erin Jeffries is the woman I’ve been trying to introduce you to.”
“You told me she was in patrol with you.”
“She was. Then she moved to detective. I guess I didn’t tell you that part.” He chuckled a couple more times.
“Do you work with somebody named Joe?”
“You got a last name?”
Cody shook his head. “He’s been trying to match Erin up with a friend of his. She keeps turning him down, but the guy’s persistent.”
The laughter bubbled up again.
Cody waited, his frown deepening. “I’m glad you’re finding this so entertaining.”
“Sorry, I can’t help it.” He made a valiant attempt at seriousness, but his lips quivered with the effort. “I’m Joe.”
“Huh?” He and Bobby had been friends for four years. How would Cody not know that?
“My given name is Joseph Robert Morris Junior. With my dad being Joe, it was too confusing having two of us in the house, so I was Bobby. Everywhere I’ve worked, though, they’ve called me Joseph or Joe.” A couple more chuckles escaped. “As much as I wanted to introduce you guys and got nowhere, your paths still managed to cross. God does work in mysterious ways.”
Cody’s frown returned. God probably didn’t have anything to do with it. But crediting the coincidences of life with the intervention of God was what he’d expect from Bobby. His friend had invited him to several of his church’s activities over the years. Cody had turned down those invitations the same way he’d rejected the matchmaking attempts—with a good-natured but firm no.
He didn’t need church. He was doing all right. He had his work, his hobbies, his friends and his home. But he wasn’t just wrapped up in his own life. He’d always been generous with his money, making regular donations to several charitable organizations, at least until his ex-wife wiped him out. That generosity had to rack up some brownie points with the man upstairs. If some people needed more to feel fulfilled, he understood. But the whole religion scene wasn’t for him.
Cody had almost finished his meal when a buzz notified him of an incoming text. He held up an index finger. “I need to take this, in case it’s Erin.”
At least now Bobby would leave him alone about the pretty fellow law-enforcement officer. Or maybe not. Now that they were living under the same roof, he’d probably be even more relentless.
Cody pulled out his phone. The notification wasn’t from Erin. “Finally. I’ve had protein powder on back order since two days before the storm. It just got delivered an hour ago.” He pocketed the phone. “Would you mind running me by there to grab it? Then you can drop me back by here.”
Erin wouldn’t like it, but he couldn’t expect Lee County or Cape Coral PD to act as errand boys.
Bobby’s eyebrows dipped toward his nose. “You sure it’s not a trap? It’s definitely your package?”
“Yeah. The notification came from the company.”
Bobby nodded, but deep vertical lines still marked the space between his eyebrows. “I think you should check with Erin.”
Cody scowled. He hadn’t asked for permission to go somewhere since he was a kid. But Bobby was right. Erin was doing everything in her power to keep him safe. She deserved to know if he was getting ready to do something reckless. Besides, he’d already vowed he’d listen to her from now on.
He pulled his phone back out and dialed Erin. Her “hello” sounded anxious. Of course it would. She’d told him to call her at the first sign of danger.
“Everything’s all right. I just wanted to let you know about another stop I need to make.”
“O-kay.” The anxiousness had turned to hesitation.
“My protein powder finally arrived. I was going to have Bobby run me by to pick it up.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
He ignored the sharpness in her tone. “We’ll be in his truck. I’ll even stay inside. Bobby can jump out and grab the box.” He paused. “No one knows I’m going over there.”
“No one except whoever might have seen that package being delivered.”
“Do you really think someone’s watching my house twenty-four/seven?”
“Can you guarantee someone isn’t?”
No, he couldn’t guarantee anything, except that less than two weeks had passed since the destruction of his grandfather’s apartment building, and he already couldn’t wait to get his life back.
“Don’t forget, Bobby’s a police officer.” His arguments were losing their conviction.
“And he’s bringing along an explosives detection dog?”
The last of his resistance fled like air escaping from a balloon.
“I didn’t think so.” She paused, but not for long. “Some guy blew the supports out from under your grandfather’s apartment building, then blew up your rental car. You know how easy it would be to cut open your package, put something inside, rig it to explode the moment the box is opened, then seal it back up?”
He nodded, his lower lip pulled between his teeth. Okay, he was properly chastised.
“Go on to my place. I’ll call it in and have a dog check it out before anyone touches it. If it’s clean, we’ll have it delivered here.”
Cody agreed and disconnected the call. Two wings still sat on his plate, but he’d lost his appetite. He said his farewells to Bobby, promising to keep him posted, then walked to his truck. As he slid into the seat, a bolt of panic shot through him. His neighbor Jack was keeping an eye on his place. If he noticed the package on his porch, he’d pick it up and take it home for safekeeping.
He brought up Jack’s number and pressed the call icon. After Jack’s voice-mail message played, Cody left his own message and then sent a text as backup. All he could do was hope Jack saw the text or missed call before noticing the package. Or that the police arrived there first.
Cody stopped at Sherwin-Williams and gathered paint chips in the color combinations he and Erin had discussed. Then he headed for her house. Three blocks away the light in front of him turned red, and his phone buzzed with an incoming text.
It was from Erin. Just two words. But they sent a waterfall of dread crashing over him.
Dog alerted.
Cody held open the glass door leading into the building department, and Erin walked through with a nod of thanks. It was her investigation, but Cody was a gentleman.
Friday’s package situation had turned out all right. The authorities had evacuated the surrounding houses and defused the bomb without incident.
Since then, she’d thanked God several times that Cody had called her instead of heading over there. Cody probably hadn’t. She’d invited him to go to church with her and Mimi and Opa, and he’d declined, saying he needed to get some estimates finished. That was all right. Cody was in the same place she’d been four months earlier. Courtney hadn’t given up on her, and she wouldn’t give up on Cody.
The killer had acted fast. In the less than two-hour time frame between when the package was delivered and the police arrived with the bomb detection dog, he’d sliced the tape on top, inserted the bomb and taped it back up.
If Cody had opened it, he’d have been killed instantly. If he’d waited until he got to her house, he might have taken Mimi and Opa out, too. Or if he’d opened it in Joe’s truck, they’d both have been blown to bits.
At the thought of the Lee County officer, a smile threatened. All along, Cody was the friend Joe had hounded her about meeting. What would’ve happened if she’d given in and agreed to meet him, if they’d both given in? Where would they be today, enjoying a solid friendship, having moved past their history and settled into an easy camaraderie? Or would their relationship have grown into something more serious? The latter seemed like nothing but a fantasy, far out of reach, but a part of her wanted to believe it was possible.
Some relationships made a lasting impact, causing change that endured for a lifetime. She’d experienced the negative side of that. But what about change for the good? Could a man like Cody undo all the damage of the past, or was she beyond that point? Would he even want to try? He’d suffered his own wounds.
She squared her shoulders and shook off the thoughts. Right now they were at the Lee County Building Department, seeking out details on the plans Donovan Development had for the land the apartment building had occupied. As they walked toward the planning department, Cody greeted each of the employees they passed. Then they sat to wait their turn. Erin didn’t expect any surprises. Donovan had already given them the abridged version of what he’d hoped to do, plans he’d scrapped when Whitmer hadn’t been willing to sell.
A short time later one of the clerks called Cody by name. After the woman made introductions, they both sat.
Cody leaned forward to rest an arm on her desk. “I talked to Sheila yesterday. She was going to pull the preliminary plans for the project Donovan Development had planned on Pine Island.”
The woman rose—Tamara, according to Cody’s introduction and her nameplate. When she returned, she handed him a roll of blueprint-size pages. He spread them out on the desk and began reviewing them.
Erin turned her attention to Tamara. “How well do you know Donovan?”
“Just on a professional level. He’s been in here a few times for different projects and things he’s doing.”
“What’s he like to work with?”
“He’s all right. A little pushy sometimes, but he’s a powerful man. Probably used to getting his own way.”
Cody rolled up a page, and Erin looked at what was beneath. It was an artist’s rendering of what appeared to be a resort. A hotel rose from the center, eight or ten stories tall, with a pool, a couple of restaurants, miniature golf and walkways that curved through tropical plants and a water feature.
Erin lifted her brows. “All that on one acre?”
“No.” Cody rolled that sheet around the first. “This incorporates the properties on either side, too.”
Erin nodded. “Then he’d own everything from Charlotte Harbor on the north end of Boca Vista to Back Bay on the south.”
“With nothing across the street except marshland bordering Charlotte Harbor to the west.”
Erin leaned back in her chair. “That’s if all three property owners agreed to sell.” The owners on either side of Whitmer’s apartments hadn’t mentioned being approached. Of course, no one had asked. Law enforcement’s focus had been on what those owners may have seen the day of the storm.
Cody finished reviewing the plans and handed them back to Tamara. After they thanked her for her time, they made their way back to the front of the building.
Erin stepped into the parking lot and clicked her fob. “Donovan put a lot of time and money into his plan. I agree with your friend in there. Men that powerful are used to getting their own way.”
Cody slid into the passenger seat. “If the two owners on the end agreed to sell, Whitmer would have been the only thing holding up a lucrative deal. And if those offers were as good as the one made to Whitmer, they wouldn’t have been happy about him throwing a monkey wrench in the thing. Looks like motive to me.”
“But would they have the means or incentive to go to this extent?”
“Money is a good motivator, especially if someone is desperate enough.”
“True.” Erin cranked the car and backed out of the parking space. “How well do you know the neighbors on either side of your grandfather’s apartment building?”
“I know the couple on the left pretty well. They’re older. Not as old as Pops. Maybe in their sixties. But they befriended him, even had him over for meals several times.”
“What about the owners on the other side?”
“According to Pops, the other neighbor’s a single guy. I saw him in passing a couple of times. I waved, and he waved back.”
“I think I saw him the day you were getting your pops’s things. Dark, short-cropped hair, clean-shaven, drives a red Tacoma?”
“Yeah. Looks nothing like our suspect.”
But that didn’t mean he didn’t hire someone to set the charges. She pulled into traffic, then glanced over at Cody. “I’m going to drop you off at home and go talk to them.” By the end of the afternoon, she hoped to find out just how desperate those neighbors might be.
A short time later she backed out of her drive, a grilled cheese sandwich and a plastic container with apple slices lying on the seat next to her, a travel mug of tea in the cup holder, all prepared by Cody. By the time she reached Pine Island, both the food and the tea were gone. She made her turn onto Boca Vista Court and drove to the end.
The red Tacoma she’d watched roll past a couple of weeks earlier was sitting in the drive. She rang the bell and the door swung inward.
“Jordan McIntyre?”
“Yes.”
She introduced herself to the man she recognized as the Tacoma’s driver. “Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure.” He motioned her inside.
As he led her to the living room, she took in her surroundings. A leather sectional occupied two walls, and heavy oak bookcases framed a large picture window. Interspersed among the books were vases, figurines and other collectibles.
Pictures graced another wall, an eleven-by-fourteen wedding photo in the center. Judging from the hairstyles and the yellow tint, the picture was at least forty years old. Many of the others were studio portraits, their subject a boy, infant to high school age. Nothing about the space said midthirties single guy.
He swept his arm toward the sectional. “Have a seat.”
She complied, and he sat at the other end.
“How long have you lived here?”
“This time? Four years.”
“Before that?”
“Wisconsin. But this is where I grew up.”
She nodded. “Your parents transferred the house to you five years ago, right?” She knew the answer. She’d already looked up the information on the property appraiser’s website.
“Yeah.”
“Is there a mortgage?”
“No. Mom and Dad paid it off before they retired.”
“Where are they now?”
“Montana, I think. They bought a motor home and have been traveling the continent for the past four years.” He grinned, showing straight white teeth. “Spending my inheritance.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“Framing carpentry. I work for Coventry Construction.”
Hmm. One of the contractors who did work for Donovan Development. “How long have you worked for them?”
“I just started ten days ago.”
Okay, maybe not.
“They offered me two dollars an hour more than I was getting with Gersham Contracting.”
“Why aren’t you working for them today?”
“I was this morning. Finished a job, and the next one won’t be ready to start till tomorrow. There was a glitch on getting materials delivered. The hurricane has everyone backlogged.”
“What year is that Tacoma out there?”
“2017.” He smiled again, his demeanor personable. “Three more payments and it’ll be all mine.”
She returned his smile. “That’s always a good feeling. Did anyone from Donovan Development ever contact you about buying this place?”
“Yeah, Donovan himself. He offered fifty percent over market value. Even though it’s mine, I didn’t think I should unload it without talking to Mom and Dad. But they were good with it, so I told Donovan I’d take his offer.”
“What happened with the deal?”
“It fell through, or at least got stalled. The people on the other end agreed to sell, too, but the guy in the middle didn’t. It was all or nothing, so the sale never happened. Or hasn’t yet.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“I was okay either way. I like it here. It’s comfortable and quiet. My boat is right out there, tied to the dock on Back Bay. And the place is paid for. What more could I ask?”
By the time Erin left, she’d eliminated Jordan McIntyre as someone likely to be behind the setting of the charges. He had a good job, a house free and clear and a decent truck almost paid for. Nothing about the man seemed desperate.
The other stop didn’t provide any likely suspects, either. As soon as Dave and Margaret Smith opened the door, Erin recognized them from her church, though she didn’t know them well. That in itself didn’t kick them off the possible suspect list. After all, serial killer Dennis Rader not only attended church but was also president of his church council.
But the conversation Erin had with them assured her they shouldn’t be on her list of suspects. Dave had retired two years ago from his job as an engineer in upper New York State. He and his wife were enjoying their dream of living near the water in a warm climate. When Donovan had added another $50,000 to his already generous offer, they’d agreed to sell, but they’d been relieved when the deal had fallen through.
Erin made her way off Pine Island and headed toward Fort Myers. She wouldn’t eliminate either of the neighbors as suspects completely until they’d been thoroughly checked out, but in the meantime, it seemed she’d just hit two more dead ends. Which meant investigators had been working on the case for almost two weeks and had no solid suspect.
A killer was still on the loose, one who had Cody in his sights.