Aaron kept quiet, staring straight ahead and grateful when the large parking lot of the nursery came into view. Anna stood with her hands waving, gesturing as people unloaded the large black SUV she’d filled with plants. He saw the two guys, one older one their age approaching her from the side.
“Anna Carson?”
“Yes?” Dark eyes turned at her name, blinking and knowing instantly they weren’t customers. “What can I do for you?”
“Detective Mcgee, homicide,” he pulled a photo from inside his pocket, holding it out to her. “Do you know this man?”
“Homicide…” Anna looked at the photo, head tilted slightly and then shaking. “No, I’m sorry. Is he a customer?”
“I don’t know. That’s what we’re here to find out. He had one of your cards.”
Anna smiled patiently, pulled her gloves free and caught sight of her brother and Catherine coming in from the side. “Sorry. My cards sit on the desk there by the register. Anyone can have one.”
“Would you take another look, Miss Carson?”
“McGee…” Catherine glanced at the photo and then at Anna. “You don’t know him?”
“Doesn’t look like a plant person,” she said with a pair of delicately pursed lips. “Sorry.”
“Can you tell us where you were last night?”
“At home…from four-thirty until about seven this morning with Carter. Then I was in Olympia with Leo there…buying plants, as you can see,” Anna swept her hand at the full load of containers inside the SUV. “We just got back.”
“Carter who?”
“McGee, you’re on the wrong track here,” Catherine said evenly.
“Lieutenant…”
“She doesn’t know him. He hangs in alleys and drug houses, McGee. Someone planted that there,” Catherine looked from one to the other. “Get with Bobby Morris. He has some associates you can look into.”
“Yes, sir,” the men grudgingly turned away.
Anna gestured to a couple employees. “Take these all to the holding area, please. I’ll sort them either this weekend or next week…and get them watered for me, Crystal.”
“Can we go to your office?” Catherine shifted to the side with a noticeable wince.
“Interesting watching you work,” Aaron said with a chuckle.
“I got cuffs, too,” she said with a wink, grinning at the giggle from Anna.
“Be still my heart,” Aaron drew one finger along the back of her neck. “I’ll meet you in your office,” he told them, detouring to where he knew the restrooms were.
“So what has you two together on a Friday afternoon?” Anna pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and offered one to Catherine before pushing a wheeled chair across to her. “Sit down before you fall over. I’m not good at unconscious people.”
“Thanks…” she took the water. “I need to know if you could handle meeting the Austins, Anna?”
“Wow…” she slid onto her desk, feet swinging slightly. “I suppose so. I don’t know what to expect from them…what they want from us…do you need to talk to them?”
“I want to talk to them…and having you and Aaron there would be a plus so I can watch and observe,” Catherine said honestly, the sight of him in the corner of her eye making her sigh. “He’s so sexy…”
“He’s a brother…” Anna said with a raised brow. “As for the Austin’s…we don’t know them…I can’t explain why I haven’t wanted us to know them, I just…it’s a feeling that’s hard to label. Just a kind of…” she shivered a little. “Off…just off…I’d say it’s because they’re related to the parents, but we were friendly with the Ellison’s without a problem or eewww factor. They laughed and played with us. Sometimes it felt like they were uncomfortable about it, but they were okay.”
“Carter has a luncheon set up for Sunday with the Ellison’s at their house on Mercer Island,” Aaron said when he entered her office. He watched his sister draw in a long, slow breath.
“Alright…” Anna smiled when he moved to stand behind Catherine, his hands moving over her shoulders. “I suppose we can have him do the same with the Austin’s so you can ask questions, Catherine. You want it public or private? I know there’s a political fund raiser tomorrow night…I bet they’re going to be there.”
“A dress two days in a row…not sure I can handle that,” Catherine murmured, sighing and half closing her eyes. “You have half an hour to stop that, mister.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Guess I better come browse through my closet…lots there for you to borrow, Catherine. We’re the same coloring, but for the eyes,” Anna saw Leo coming toward her. “I can meet you there…I’ll pull a couple to take with me…this multiple closet thing is starting to wear on me,” she grumbled, finding her pack and tapping the light switch as they left the office.
Catherine parked the sports car off to the side, pushed the door wide and tried pulling her brain back from the puzzle. Aaron didn’t seem to mind that she drifted, chewing on her lip as she drove them home. Home. She thought about the little apartment compared to the wide, large open house he owned. But she knew it wasn’t about a place, it was about them, and she smiled when he held his hand out to pull her up from the low riding seat.
Anna went inside, tapping light switches and opening her phone. She’d sent Leo home but she tapped up Carter with a smile in her voice.
“I’m going to go through my closet and help Catherine find a couple dresses and I’m making some dinner…want to join us?”
“How can I possibly refuse such an invitation,” Carter told her, guiding the car into the port before the front door. “Let me change and I’ll be right there. I can bring whatever Deann’s cooked up for us.”
“That’ll be good…it’ll be a nice buffet…see you in a bit,” she told him, opening the freezer and pulling out some good stuff to munch on. She set the oven and dumped things onto trays before sliding them into the oven. Her hands went to the computer without thinking, tuning up some fun music before disappearing into her bedroom.
“She makes it look so easy,” Catherine breathed, having watched Anna buzz around without pausing.
Aaron laughed, his jacket draped over the banister. “You make cop stuff look easy, Catherine. It’s all degrees, trust me. Right now, she’s dancing around in her closet. Go join her and find something you like, if not we can go out shopping in the morning if you intend to make the fund raiser tomorrow.”
“After what you guys did to him, you really think we’d be welcome?” She looked at him with one brow arched. But she already saw distraction in his eyes, his hands came up and took the cane away, leaning it against the desk before folding her against him, placing her hands around his neck as he moved to the music. “Aaron….”
“Shhhh…listen…what do you hear?” He asked, holding her as close as possible as he moved to the modern pop tune.
“Music…” She said carefully, knowing she was missing a clue.
“The words, my sweet beauty…listen to the words,” he told her softly. “You make me smile…that’s what I felt the first time I saw you on the break-way.”
Catherine tilted her head, listening to the words. Forget how to breathe…I see the best of me inside your eyes…she felt her eyes begin to tear up. Dance like a fool…smile like the sun…yes, she knew the feelings in the words.
Carter came in the front at the same time Anna came out of the bedroom with an arm full of long gowns.
“Oh, geeze…you guys…” Anna giggled and dropped the dresses over the back of the sofa before crossing to take the large pan from Carter with a quick kiss. “It’s contagious…”
“I sincerely hope so,” he teased, following her into the kitchen and leaving Catherine and Aaron alone for their dance. “So…that looked pretty good out there…” He said, taking up her palm and swinging her against him, effortlessly guiding her to the new jaunty two step around the kitchen until they were breathless and laughing.
“Well…guess you’re feeling pretty good tonight,” Anna said, taking things to the dining room and getting things set out. “We got wine and a couple sodas…not sure what kind…and juice and water and…I think Aaron has ale in the cooler.”
“I’ll check,” Carter went into the kitchen while Catherine found a chair and sunk down with a long drink of one of the goblets of iced water Anna had set out. “Perfect…you want one, Aaron? Catherine?”
“None for me…water’s good…” She watched Anna and shook her head.
“Just fill a plate and eat…I’m serious about the closet, Catherine. Openings and events…I have tons of dresses in there. Use them, please.”
“I’m going to get your clothes moved next week, Anna,” Carter told her, taking a forkful of the thick stew he’d brought with him. “And anything else you label. Then we won’t be bothering Aaron and Catherine.”
“It’s not a bother,” Catherine said immediately. “It’s your house…”
Anna laughed softly, her hands busy with one of the easy croissants she’d fixed. “No, I don’t think so. Not anymore. It’s Aaron’s and yours now, Catherine.”
“I…”
“Breathe, Catherine,” Aaron filled a plate and sat down at her side, raising his bottle of ale and tapping it against Carter’s. “This is good. You have a cook?”
“Cook, housekeeper…” Carter answered. “Leo’s wife. They live above the garage.”
“We need at least a cook and housekeeper,” Aaron commented, ignoring the coughing from his side. “It’s considered spreading the wealth. Two professional people earn help.”
“We didn’t,” Anna commented, leaning back with her plate in one hand.
“We weren’t a couple. One of us was always off doing stuff, the other was here puttering around,” Aaron pointed out with a shrug.
“Hmm…yeah, I guess so…we crossed at breakfast and sometimes at night. It is really convenient not to worry about stuff but I still like going to the grocery and shopping,” Anna said casually.
“I am so out of place…” Catherine looked from one to the other, her mouth opening when Aaron held up a piece of his croissant.
“Naw…you fit in perfectly,” Anna told her firmly. “Besides, you’ll feel generous when I ask to borrow your car.”
Carter started choking along with Aaron, both of them looking pained.
“Maybe we should go shopping tomorrow…while I still have the flashing light,” Catherine said with a chuckle, nodding at the suddenly paled features on both confident males.
“That would be great…I can always find something to buy at the mall. I’ll show you where to find some good buys,” Anna told her with a laugh, they launched into a conversation about the garden while the men drifted to the patio door.
“You need to fix this,” Carter said through his teeth.
“Me?” Aaron hissed. “It’s not my car.”
“Have you ridden with her?”
“Yes…she’s good,” he admitted grudgingly. “You think I like it any better? I see a ton of speeding tickets in my future,” he rubbed his palm over his neck and drained the ale.
Catherine knew what they were talking about and laughed a little louder. “You know they’re terrified of my car,” she leaned over and chuckled with the nod from Anna.
“I know…payback…ain’t it grand,” she chuckled richly, popping one of the small cakes into her mouth.