SATURDAY, 6:30 P.M.
TRINITY HISTORY THEATER AND MUSEUM
DALLAS, TEXAS
Harper and Heath stood in the lavish foyer of Trinity History Theater and Museum with hundreds of others. Emily and James held hands. Dawson stood close and held his father’s other hand as they slowly made their way inside the theater. The place reminded Harper of a cathedral, with its vaulted, arched ceilings. Intricate plaster and elaborate murals depicted images from history.
Harper took Heath’s proffered elbow, a flurry of emotions leading her heart in too many directions. For too long she’d been camping, taking pictures, and then hunted by a killer, and now in this elegant setting, she felt like she was in an alternate universe.
Heath grinned down at her as though he was perfectly comfortable in his black suit. His bright blue eyes had lost the shadows. He was clean-shaven, and he’d trimmed his hair. She tried not to think about the kiss they’d shared, but memories and sensations hit her like a straight-line wind. Her legs shaky, she was glad to hold on to his arm. As good as he looked, she wouldn’t tell him that she preferred his scruffy cowboy look. Still, Heath looked good no matter what he was wearing, and she breathed in his subtle musky cologne. He was a good man, through and through.
“Have I told you lately how beautiful you look?” With the open admiration in his eyes, she had to wonder if Heath viewed this as a date.
“Not in the last fifteen minutes, but I’m good with that.” Maybe she should view it as a date too. “Heath, is this? Are we on a—”
“In all my life, I never dreamed I’d be at a fancy gala with the most beautiful woman in the world on my arm.”
He’d cut her off before she finished her question. On purpose? She shouldn’t have asked. Of course this wasn’t a date. Heath was here because Taggart had instructed him to take her far away from Grayback and protect her. But—the most beautiful woman in the world?
He stepped around in front of her. “I understand better than you know how much caring about someone costs. I’m willing to take that risk with you, Harper. I care deeply about you.” The emotion in his searching blue eyes confirmed his words. “But there’s time for exploring that when this is over. Not before. I need to stay focused. Are you with me?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
She longed for her uncle to be taken down, then she and Heath would have a chance to explore a future together.
Heath and Harper followed Emily and James as he carried Dawson, who was trying to escape, to a row reserved for honorees and their guests. Emily was right about Dawson. He was a cutie and could have the potential to be a heartbreaker one day. She hoped for Emily’s sake that his dad wouldn’t break Emily’s. Her sister was clearly smitten. Harper couldn’t have been happier for her.
After a company of actors and artistic dancers performed, the emcee officially opened the event honoring several artists for showcasing the museum and also bringing attention to the Holocaust. The next hour was filled with short documentaries about both the museum and the Holocaust, and in between, the honored guests spoke.
Finally, Emily’s moment to address those gathered at the event had arrived.
The presenter read Emily’s bio. “We’d like to honor Emily Reynolds, aka L. E. Harper, for her latest work, Fire and Ash.”
“Congratulations, Em,” Harper said. “You deserve this.”
As the crowd applauded, Emily rose from her seat. She looked graceful and polished as she sparkled blue all the way up to the stage, an iPad containing her speech in hand.
The audience couldn’t have known what Emily had endured in recent days, nor would she have wanted them to.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Harper said. Heath nodded, an appreciative grin on his face, but he seemed on edge.
Anxiety pinged through her.
Please . . . Harper needed to stay in this world for a few minutes more.
On stage, Emily tapped the iPad screen and began to read her acceptance speech. “It’s such an honor to be here in the midst of those who have received lifetime achievement awards”—she smiled and nodded at another artist honored there tonight—“and I’m truly humbled that you chose Fire and Ash—a mystery about a woman who sets out to solve a murder related to the bombing that happened here twenty-three years ago this week. Through her research, she learns of her family’s experience in the Holocaust. I love to uncover the truth about history, even as my protagonists solve murders wrapped up in lies. I’m often asked how I come up with story ideas.” Emily stared down at her iPad, pausing as if to gather her composure.
Then she lifted her head with a tenuous smile. “But this story is more personal to me.”
Harper stiffened and sat taller. Light-headedness wrapped around her.
“You see, twenty-three years ago this week, my mother lost a dear friend when this museum was destroyed, as you already know, by someone the authorities believed was a Holocaust denier and part of an anti-government domestic terrorist group.” Emily gestured at the theater. “But it’s been rebuilt into something much bigger, much grander. They did a great job, don’t you think?” Like a pro, Emily waited as if she expected applause, and she received it as the audience took in the surroundings.
“Mom died three years ago, and as I was going through her things, I came across a shoebox with articles about the bombing. I had all but forgotten about it. After reading the articles, I knew I had to write this story as a memorial to those who died here and the millions who died in the Holocaust. I’m not going to give the story away, in case you haven’t read it, but in real life, things don’t always end so well. Still, there’s always hope. There can still be redemption. Second chances. This building got a second chance . . .” Emily continued, but Harper couldn’t listen.
Emily’s words were like thick, hardening cement. Harper barely pulled her gaze away to look at Heath as he listened intently to Emily.
How could I have missed that?
Emily had written a mystery based on the articles Mom had kept about the bomb. Harper hadn’t read the book, of course, because she’d been trying to escape death and crime. This was the last place the Firebomber had bombed.