CIARA’S APARTMENT BUILDING was a tidy blue four-storey near the town limits. Outside the main door, Landon hefted a cardboard box of food from the rear of Anna’s sedan. “If she still can’t think of any suspects, I don’t know what to do.”
“I wish you’d leave it for the police.” In the driver’s seat, Anna twisted to make eye contact. “Text me when you’re ready to go. I might stop in to see Maria instead of going home.”
Once a groggy-sounding Ciara buzzed her in, Landon found the elevator. She and Ciara had spent time together the past month or so, but always out somewhere or at the inn.
A fist-sized polyresin hedgehog with a pink bow rested on a shelf outside the apartment door. Only Ciara… Landon knocked, and the door swung open. A weak hello floated toward her.
Elbowing the door wider, she edged inside, then closed it with her foot. Beyond the galley kitchen, Ciara lay curled on a pale grey loveseat, a tangerine throw covering her. She flopped a hand toward Landon’s left.
“Just put the food in the fridge. I can’t eat anything right now.”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“You have no idea.”
With the soup and other perishables refrigerated, Landon unscrewed the lid of a Mason jar smoothie and popped in a green silicone straw. She set it on the floor beside Ciara. “You need nutrients.”
Ciara’s effort to sit drew a sharp gasp. “Tonight’ll be brutal.”
Landon scooted the armchair nearer and took a seat. “I have classes in the morning, but I could stay until then.”
“No, I need to be able to do this myself.”
“Keep your phone close. If you need help, the superintendent could let 9-1-1 in.”
“Hello, hot firefighters. I’ve got your number.” Ciara’s giggle trailed off.
So pale… Landon leaned closer. “Why did they let you go?”
“If my stepfather hadn’t insisted, they’d have kicked me out yesterday. My injuries aren’t ‘significant enough to merit long-term admission.’ Yes, that’s a direct quote.” Her voice shot high, tinged with hysteria.
Landon frowned. “Ciara, you’re not mixing alcohol with your pain meds, are you?”
“Of course not! Someone tried to kill me. I am not going to help him.”
“Good. Another way not to help him would be to keep your door locked.”
“I opened it when you texted you were on the way.” Her lower lip poked out. “So I have Phil to thank for the extra night’s hospital bed, but he and Mom want me to clear out my things from the house. Tomorrow.”
“Why so soon? They know you’re not recovered yet.”
Faint pink lit her cheeks. “I may have set the deadline myself to undercut his power play. Bobby and Tait are coming after work.”
“I can help after school. If Roy’s not coming, Bobby will have space. I assume you want Roy’s truck.”
“And Tait’s bringing Orran’s van.”
Landon spread her fingers on the chair’s broad charcoal armrest. “Did you ship all this from BC or buy new?”
“It followed me across country. My place in Vancouver was bigger, so I sold some things to downsize. I was lucky to get this spot.” Gingerly, Ciara reached for the jar Landon had moved to the coffee table. “Mmm. Tasty.”
“I made smoothies for Anna when she came home from the hospital. She didn’t have much energy for meals at first.”
“She’s okay now, right?” Ciara took another sip.
“About ninety-eight percent. You’ll be up to a hundred soon. And we’ll find the man who did this.” Saying it stoked the fire in her heart.
“How? I have no idea who could hate me so much.”
“Are you sure your ex-boyfriend couldn’t be behind it?”
Ciara tossed her head, then clapped a palm to her forehead. “Concussion headache. The ribs make me forget.” She dropped her hand and blinked pain-dulled eyes. “No, he got what he was after. He’s still on the West Coast, enjoying his revenge.”
Landon bit back her questions. “Do you need me to go? Sleep might be the best thing for you. We shouldn’t be talking about this tonight.”
“Well, I’m thinking about it now. Anyway, Tait’s bringing Moxie for a little while. I can’t keep the little guy yet, but I miss him so much.”
“I’m sure he misses you too. He was really upset at the park.”
Ciara took a slow sip from the creamy pink drink. “Moxie is the best thing that happened to me out west. Ken was a great boss—he and Kimi sent those orchids over there.”
She waved toward the table. Orran’s glads and the arrangement from Ciara’s parents were there too, with a bright cluster of Gerbera daisies.
“They’re beautiful.” Especially the daisies’ orange and red palette.
“People have been so kind.”
Ciara’s phone chimed. She answered, brightening as she listened. “Come on up.” She dropped the phone beside her on the loveseat. “They’re here.”
Landon stood. “I should go so we don’t overstimulate you.”
“I barely know Tait. I’d be a lot more comfortable if you stayed.”
At a light rap on the door, Landon hurried to open up. Tait stood bouncing the little amber and white Chihuahua in his arms. “Visiting hours.” Moxie’s open mouth looked like a happy homecoming grin.
She squeezed against the wall to let them pass, the spicy scent of Tait’s cologne teasing her nostrils.
Ciara’s joy-filled squeal pulled a matching bark from the dog.
Landon caught one of the high bar stool chairs from the charcoal-washed dining table and pushed it into the conversation circle. Tait had already claimed the lounge chair. Moxie danced a tight loop from Ciara’s lap to the cushion beside her.
Contentment glowed on Ciara’s face as her fingers tried to keep up with the dog’s wiggling back. “Tait, this is so good of you to look after him and to bring him to see me.”
He leaned into the chair, khaki-clad legs stuck straight out to cross at the ankles. The toe of his top loafer wagged side to side. “Couldn’t let Orran take him. And the Boss here is a nice little fella.”
Moxie planted his forefeet on Ciara’s chest and lunged to lick her. Laughing, she squeezed him into a hug. “I love you too, little boy.”
At the Chihuahua’s wriggling bliss, Landon smiled. The feral marmalade cat at the inn preferred to keep his distance. Anna’s cat, Timkin, was far more approachable, but if he was ever pleased to see her, he hid it well.
“Oh, yeah.” Tait rooted in his jacket pocket and drew out Ciara’s keys. “Don’t want to forget and take these home. Your car’s outside in your parking space. We dropped it off this afternoon.”
The key ring jingled as he set it in an intricately carved green dish on the coffee table. “Is that jade?”
“Yup. Moxie’s too little to reach it, and I don’t have kids—so I can leave my treasures out on display.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Like wearing high-end bracelets on a hike.”
“Like that. Yes.” Ciara shook her right wrist, jingling thin silver bangles. “What’s the point of having something if you can’t enjoy it?”
“A little prudence goes a long way, but I take your point.” He roamed across the open space to a curio cabinet tucked in the corner where the kitchen wall met the dining nook. “I saw these when I picked up Moxie’s things. Beautiful stuff. Looks like you’ve been collecting for a while.”
“Since Mom married Phil.” She sniffed. “My middle name is Jade. It amuses him to buy me a piece each birthday and Christmas.”
Landon hadn’t paid attention to the cabinet earlier. Now she went to stand by Tait. The simple case probably came from a big-box store. But the glass shelves showcased carved jade figurines from tiny turtles to a mountainscape the size of a coffee mug. Scattered among the standard green were other greens, glossy whites, and even a few stripes of violet and orange. “They’re lovely, Ciara.”
“Thanks.”
Tait kept the conversation flowing with anecdotes about the unusual security challenges he and Orran had tackled—and some of the neurotic clients. As they chatted, Ciara slouched lower on the loveseat, one hand resting on the dog in her lap.
After about fifteen minutes, Tait stood. “Time for me to get out of your hair. I’ll bring him tomorrow night before going to your parents’ place to load up. They’ll know what you want brought?”
“Yes. I’ll have to figure out what to do with it once I’m better. I can’t think about it right now.”
He reached for the little dog, who whined as he was lifted from Ciara’s hold. “Concentrate on healing first.”
“For sure. While I’m off work, I hope I can reconnect more with Orran.”
Tait settled Moxie in the crook of his arm. “Orran’s situation isn’t as straightforward as he portrays. Be careful not to bring up anything that would worry him or cause him stress.”
Ciara squinted as if trying to read the reasons behind the warning. “Okay.”
“Good. We owe him too much.”
Palms on the upholstery, she levered herself upright against the back of the loveseat, breath hissing through her teeth. “You heard part of my story the other night. I’d like to hear yours.”
He clasped one of the Chihuahua’s front paws and waggled it like a human wave. “That’s a tale for another day. Sleep well.”
After Tait and Moxie had gone, Landon rinsed the empty smoothie jar in the tiny kitchen. “I should go too. I’ll text Anna.”
Grimacing, Ciara braced hands on knees and stood in slow motion. “Let me get ready for bed before you leave. Then, once I set the deadbolt, I can crash.”
A few gasps penetrated the bedroom door before she reappeared in burgundy pyjama bottoms and a loose tee shirt. “I’ve never hurt this much in my whole life.” The movement had drained what little colour she’d had, and she swayed on her feet.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“I’ll be fine once I get down. One of the nurses showed me how to roll to get out of bed.” She sighed. “I wish I could have kept my little buddy.”
“You’ll have him home soon. He seems to like Tait.” Landon grinned. “Tait seems to like you too. Cologne, and he was wearing his ladies’ man smile.”
Instead of Ciara’s standard flirtatious comment, she bristled. “The smooth ones are the ones you can’t trust. Especially when they make the first move.”
“Your ex?”
Her countenance softened, not in warmth, but in wide-eyed, wounded hurt. Betrayal. “I trusted like a fool. A blind one. He was so attentive. Considerate and caring. Right up until his true motives were revealed.”
A buzz on Landon’s phone said Anna had arrived. She collected her purse. “I’m sorry that happened, Ciara. And I pray that, as your body mends, your heart will too.”
Ciara would never expose such loneliness. Or vulnerability. This attack had split her broken heart wide open. Her pain followed Landon to the car.
Finding the attacker wouldn’t undo the damage. But it could be an important step toward healing.
~~~
With Ciara’s former boss staying at the inn, Landon might find out about the ex-boyfriend. The guests were still out when she and Anna arrived home, so Landon brewed herself a cup of jasmine tea and took it upstairs to finish the last of her reading for tomorrow. She settled in one of the club chairs in the conversation nook where she had a view of the driveway.
She’d slogged through the rest of her chapter when the guests’ mid-size sedan returned. Either they’d taken it through a car wash or last night’s rain had been even heavier than she’d thought.
The entrance chime sounded. Landon drained the cold dregs from her mug and closed the digital textbook as Kimi Sanu ascended the stairs. The petite woman started for the Schooner Room before catching sight of Landon. She angled toward the cluster of chairs.
Ken followed. “How is Ciara today?”
They made no move to sit, so Landon stood and filled them in. “Once she can have her dog home, she’ll be okay.”
“Little Moxie. She kept a photo of him on her desk. I’ll text her in the morning. We’d like to see her before we leave.”
“I think she’d appreciate that. The flowers you sent were beautiful.”
“Kimi’s choice.” He tucked his arm around his wife’s waist. “I defer to her expertise.”
“Did Ciara have a photo of her boyfriend at work too?”
His expression blanked. “No.”
Short. Clipped. Discussion closed.
Time to reopen it. Landon anchored her weight in her heels. “She said he betrayed her, but she won’t say more. Do you know anything about him? Was he abusive, or do you think he might have followed her here? Attacked her?”
Glancing between them, Kimi stepped to the side.
“He orchestrated a hostile takeover of my former company. He hurt us both.” Ken passed a hand in front of his eyes as if to wipe away the warrior she’d seen there. His posture softened. “Spencer Costain is a lot of things, but I can’t see him attempting murder.”
“Kenjiro—”
“What’s done is done. This kind young woman is trying to help her friend. If reading about my shame helps her rule out a suspect, the price is not too high.”
“All I need is a name and description. The police will do the research, and whatever happened, they’ve seen worse.” Landon caught her breath. Heat swept her from head to toe. “I’m sorry—I didn’t want to minimize your situation. I meant, don’t worry about what they’ll think.”
Although Kimi still radiated tension, Ken’s genial expression was back in place. “Understood.” He drew his wallet from his light jacket’s breast pocket and extracted an ivory business card. “If you have a pen, I’ll give you what they need.”
Landon had been taking notes on the laptop. She’d stepped toward her room to find a pen when Kimi supplied one.
Ken wrote, then passed the card over. Spencer Costain. With a website and a social media link. “My contact information is on the other side, should they need to reach me. But physical assault isn’t his style.”
Kimi’s lips thinned. “He wouldn’t get his hands dirty. But would he hire it out?”
He returned the slim gold pen. “My love, he takes far more satisfaction in leaving us alive. Good night, Landon.”
Once the Schooner Room’s door clicked shut, Landon texted Dylan the information. Despite what Ciara and Ken said, a partner or ex-partner were often prime suspects for a reason. She keyed Spencer’s social media link into her browser. If he showed up, she wanted to recognize him.