“Did she say why?” Quest was asking Samuel Bloch two mornings later when the group met at Ramsey for its weekly meeting.
Sam’s light blue eyes reflected concern. “She said something came up and she just couldn’t be here. She sounded tired, though. Too tired. I couldn’t get her to tell me there was anything wrong.”
Quest grunted in response, stroking his jaw as he listened. He, too, was growing concerned.
“Anyway,” Sam sighed, glancing back at his crew, “it’s been two days so we’re gonna head out to her mom’s place and check on her after the meeting.”
“Good idea. Maybe you’ll get more out of her with a face-to-face meeting,” Quest figured.
Sam shrugged. “I hope so,” he said doubtfully.
“Listen, keep me posted,” Quest urged, slapping the side of Sam’s arm before nodding toward the breakfast buffet across the room. “You better get over there before they clean it out,” he teased.
Sam grinned, then shook hands with Quest and went to rejoin his team.
Quest turned and found his twin standing a short distance away. “What did you do?” he asked, knowing his brother had been listening in on the conversation with Sam.
Quay didn’t bother to play dumb. “I did what had to be done.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Quest snapped.
“Dammit, Q, don’t you ever talk to your wife about this case?”
Squeezing his eyes shut tight, Quest hissed an obscenity. “Not this damn case again. I’m sick of hearing about that thing,” he muttered, massaging the bridge of his nose.
“You and me both,” Quay muttered, folding his arms across the gray plaid wool suit coat he wore. “It’s keeping me away from Ty even after all these years, so how the hell do you think I feel?”
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Quest argued softly.
Quay waved his hand. “As long as that fool’s runnin’ loose this is exactly how it has to be.”
Quest stepped closer to his twin. “I can’t believe you of all people, runnin’ scared.”
“Listen, Q, the only thing that kept Ty safe before was that Wake didn’t know I cared about her that way.”
“I’ll buy that,” Quest said, pushing his hands inside the deep pockets of his brown tweed trousers, “but how do you explain Sera? You never made a play for her.”
Quay cleared his throat while slanting his brother a coy look. “Actually, she approached me quite a few times. I told Wake about it.”
“You told Wake, but not me?” Quest complained, fixing his twin with a wounded look.
Quay couldn’t resist smiling at his brother’s jealousy and shook his head. “Nothin’ personal, man. It just wasn’t somethin’ I wanted the family to know. Especially when Sera and De were such good friends,” he explained, referring to their cousin Dena. “Hell, Uncle Houston walked in and almost caught us at their house once. I was this close to kissing her,” Quay shared, positioning his index finger above his thumb. “That made me think, Q. I knew if things didn’t work out between us—which they probably wouldn’t—I’d be in for it from the family since she and De were so close. Besides, Sera was a sweet girl. She deserved better than me. So does Tyke.”
“There’s just one problem,” Quest began, bringing one hand to his brother’s shoulder. “Ty loves you, fool.”
“Hell, Q, I love her!” Quay swore in a vicious whisper, his black eyes sparkling with emotion. “I love her with everything in me, but that doesn’t matter here since two days ago I did everything I could think of to make her hate me.” He took a deep breath, his gaze faltering. “I’m positive I succeeded,” he said finally.
“Quay—”
“Let’s get this meeting started, all right? I’m ready to get the hell out of here,” he grumbled and left his brother staring after him.
“Just a few moments, Ms. Red. He’s very weak,” the petite Asian nurse warned as she escorted Jill to Raymond Patillo’s room in the stately Savannah mansion he called home.
“I’ll be very brief,” Jill promised, just as the nurse opened the door to the bedroom suite.
Raymond Patillo had served a lengthy term as county medical examiner in Savannah. Jill could still detect the passion in the man’s voice when they’d spoken over the telephone. It was obvious he still missed his former position very much.
“Ms. Red!” a large, intimidating man greeted in a surprisingly warm and friendly voice. From his appearance, she could never tell how great a toll the lung cancer had taken on his well-being.
“Mr. Patillo, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me,” Jill said, reaching out to shake hands. “This is about the Sera Black case,” she announced, recalling the nurse’s instructions to be brief.
The glow in Patillo’s eyes dimmed a little. “Sera Black,” he recited. “She seemed to have been a lovely girl. At the scene, I remember thinking that she was a smart young woman,” he smiled in spite of himself. “I don’t know how I knew that, I just had the feeling there was great potential there.”
“You were the C.M.E. when the accident occurred,” Jill confirmed, taking a seat in the armchair near the bed.
“It was no accident,” Patillo corrected quickly, his warm expression fading completely. “That poor girl was murdered and those people covered it up.”
“The Ramseys?” Jill probed, crossing her trouser-clad legs. “Did you have any thoughts on who may’ve been responsible?” she asked.
Patillo’s smile was sour. “Someone in that family covered this up and I’m still certain that someone in that family was responsible. But not the boys,” he added.
Jill’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Patillo rested his head back against one of the oversized pillows behind him. “I met them, spoke with them at length. Every boy at that party was tested and questioned. They were confident, very sure of their appeal and their capabilities. But murder…I never saw them as murderers.” He shrugged. “A hunch, Ms. Red. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” Jill nodded, understanding those feelings quite well. “I’ve been a cop for many years. Forensics was my specialty,” she shared.
Patillo nodded slowly, his dark eyes gleaming with deeper respect for her. Suddenly the look grew troubled as his cough reasserted itself.
“I’m sorry,” Jill whispered, already standing from the chair. Patillo grabbed her hand before she could move too far.
“Check the body,” he said, amidst the roaring cough.
Jill’s brows drew close. “Mr. Patillo? The body, I don’t—”
“The evidence will be there!” he insisted, struggling to smother his coughing. “Please, I’m an old man and I’ve prayed the girl’s killer would be brought to justice. I took the Ramseys’ payoff…first there was a phone call from someone saying he represented certain parties in the family. A few days later, a wad of cash was mailed to my office. I let the child’s killer get away scot-free. This is an injustice that must be corrected.”
Jill moved close to pat his back when the coughs once again roared to life.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Red, I’ll have to ask you to leave now.” Patillo’s nurse hurried in issuing the order.
Jill offered no argument. “Thank you both,” she said, patting Raymond Patillo’s hand before she moved back from the bed. She returned his wave and nodded at the determination in his eyes.
Construction on the railcar for Holtz Enterprises began one month after Tykira and her crew finished the designs—a record. Everyone raved. The people at Holtz had already approved the final layouts via satellite conferencing. Still, vowing the importance of communication, the group decided to meet Ramsey’s team about a month and a half into construction.
The group of forty-something businessmen arrived one afternoon and toured the site. Then, it was off to Gabron’s for an authentic French meal. During the entire affair, Louie Danoue, CEO of Holtz, kept Tykira close to his side. He raved as boldly over her creativity as he did her beauty.
Quay had no intention of attending the lunch, but knew he’d draw Quest’s wrath if he tried to back out. Additionally, once he’d discovered Ty would be in attendance, he knew he wouldn’t want to be anyplace else. A clear wall had been raised between them. While a wall of some form had always existed where they were concerned, this one was different. Ty was openly cordial and responsive to everyone in attendance accept Quay. She treated him as though he weren’t even there—directing her questions to Quest or any other member of Ramsey. Her mood was so cool, no one except Quest really noticed how she’d tuned out his twin.
Still, Quay didn’t mind letting his agitation show over Louie Danoue’s interest in Ty. She certainly wouldn’t notice, neither would any member of her crew. The five men appeared just as agitated by Danoue’s adoration as Quay.
Lunch was a lively affair. The executives of Holtz had the opportunity to review color layouts of the project firsthand. They also enjoyed a video presentation via laptop featuring a computer animated replica of the finished railcar making its way up the majestic mountainside to the towering sky village in Banff.
“Exquisite!” Louie Danoue raved while his colleagues clapped. “We are greatly anticipating your arrival at the resort. It will be quite the celebration,” he boasted, and then favored Ty with a meaningful smile. “I look forward to showing you the village firsthand,” he told her.
“It sounds wonderful,” Ty replied, gracing Louie with a dazzling smile before she cleared her throat. “If you gentlemen would excuse me for a moment,” she said then, pushing her chair away from the table and smiling as every man stood.
Quay’s onyx stare followed her until she left the dining room. That stare narrowed with murderous intent when Louie Danoue excused himself from the table less than a minute later.
Tykira and Louie had only been gone a short time. It was far too long for Quay, who went after them without so much as a word to anyone who remained at the table.
Ty was on her way back then, having stopped to speak with one of her mother’s church friends. She was inspecting the chic pinstriped skirt she wore and literally slammed right into Quay on her way back to the main dining room.
“Sorry,” she whispered, before realizing who she’d run into. Rolling her eyes, she went to move past him but felt his hand on her forearm.
“What?” she snapped, keeping her eyes on his hand.
Quay’s features were drawn into a closed mask. “Just wanted to see where you and Lou disappeared to,” he admitted.
“Why?” her voice rasped as she looked up at him finally.
Quay shrugged. “You’ve been gone awhile.”
Ty had the strongest urge to connect the tip of her spike-heeled black leather boot to his shin. “What are you getting at?” she inquired knowingly.
His hand flexed around her forearm. “I think you know,” he said, tugging her just a bit closer.
“What do you want?”
Quay’s smile was devilment personified in response to her question. “I think I already got it,” he sighed, appraising her breasts, outlined so prominently against the black turtleneck she wore.
The slap she sent to his cheek turned the heads of the servers who whisked along the corridor. Quay barely felt the sting to his face, but in his heart the blow vibrated a thousand times.
Quest had witnessed the scene, but waited for Ty to storm off before making his presence known. Quay turned when he heard the “tsking” sound across his shoulder.
“Don’t start, Q,” he groaned, preparing to walk away.
“Not so fast,” Quest coolly requested, drawing his twin toward a quiet corner of the corridor.
“What, Q?” Quay snapped, tugging at the cuffs of his mocha suit coat in an agitated fashion.
“I can’t afford to have her distracted by this drama, Quay.”
Quay hissed a foul curse. “There’s nothin’ goin’ on,” he said finally.
Quest folded his arms across the hunter-green shirt he wore with burgundy suspenders and almost laughed. “Nothin’s goin’ on? Then why the hell are you always up under her?” he challenged, walking away when he saw that his brother had no comeback.
“I honestly don’t have a clue,” Mick was telling Jillian, who had just told her about the meeting with Raymond Patillo. “None of my research turned up any other evidence, but then I’m not privy to every bit of legal documentation,” she noted.
“Check the body, check the body,” Jill was repeating, hoping it would force some sort of clarification.
She heard Mick gasp. “What?” she demanded.
Mick hesitated only a moment. “Do you think he could’ve been telling you to check her body—that the evidence was buried with her body—actually buried with it?”
“Impossible,” Jill breathed, “are you serious?”
“It’s a possibility, Jill.”
“But why would Patillo risk his career that way?”
“Jill, you have no idea the kind of power the Ramseys wield down there,” Mick shared, crossing her legs at the ankles while relaxing on her bed. “I got a healthy taste of it when I was in Savannah trying to connect pieces of this damned puzzle. Money is a powerful temptation and Patillo pretty much admitted he’d been persuaded by them right after the murder.”
“Murder,” Jill repeated, massaging her forehead. “So you’re certain that’s what it was?”
“That’s what I believe and I think after what Mr. Patillo said, it’s safe to say it’s been confirmed.”
“So what’s next?” Jill sighed, grateful to have someone to bounce ideas off. Almost the entire station had deemed her a pariah for delving into the case.
“We’ll have to contact her family to get an order to have the body exhumed. After such a long time, they may not be willing to have her grave disturbed. It could be quite a burden.”
“It may not be as big of a burden as we think.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“I think it’s time to give Johnelle Black another call.”
At Gabron’s restaurant, the meeting was nearing its end. The members of Holtz Enterprises, who had flown down from Canada, were a sociable bunch. Ty was very pleased since she needed something laid-back and easygoing to keep her mind off Quay, who unfortunately had decided to rejoin the meeting following their episode in the hallway.
“How long do you all plan to stay?” Jeffrey Naven, one of Ramsey’s chief architects, was asking.
“We hadn’t decided before leaving,” Louie said, “but now I think maybe a longer stay might be a nice idea,” he added, focusing an appraising look toward Tykira.
Quest slanted his twin a warning look when he heard the heavy sigh Quay uttered.
“We hope to take another tour of the train before its completion,” Louie announced.
The Ramsey group was delighted and plans were discussed to nail down a date and time.
“This is fantastic,” Ty was saying, especially pleased by the plans. “We really want to get your input on every phase of the project, but right now at the beginning is the most critical stage. I really want to be sure you get exactly what you’re looking for.”
“That sounds nice and I’m sure we will,” Louie replied.
Quay could tell by the way the man’s eyes traveled over Ty’s upswept hairstyle and exquisite face that he wasn’t just referring to the train. He felt Quest’s hand close over his knee and gritted his teeth while praying for an end to the meeting. His prayers were answered when everyone began pushing their chairs away from the table. His cellular chimed and he smiled when he saw the number on the face plate. “Mick, Mick, Mick,” he drawled and chuckled when he heard her voice. He shot Quest a devilish grin when the man heard his wife’s name. “For me,” he informed his brother in a wicked tone. “Yeah, Mick?” he said, tuning in to her voice. “Yeah, he’s here…what? Do I have to?” Quay groaned, rolling his eyes as he looked over at Quest. “She says she loves you and can’t wait for you to come to bed.”
Quest’s hearty rumble of a laugh roared to life. He clapped his brother’s shoulder then joined in on a conversation with a few of their people and the Holtz executives.
“Listen, my contact in Savannah just had a meeting with a man named Raymond Patillo. He was the county medical examiner when Sera was killed,” Mick shared.
“Mmm-hmm,” Quay said, leaning back in his chair as Mick told him about the call. “What did you just say…? With her body? Dammit.”
“Now calm down,” Mick urged. “This is really great news. We may be on our way to catching a murderer.”
“Until we hit another brick wall and the bastard continues to enjoy his freedom.”
“Sweetie, cut yourself some slack. Please? You’re giving this guy too much power. Try to make things right between you and Ty, all right?”
“Yeah,” he said, smirking at the suggestion. “Thanks, Mick,” he said, before their call ended. Remaining seated, he simply watched Ty as she laughed off one of Louie’s remarks and gathered her things to leave. She caught Quay staring and, for a few moments, their gazes held. Then Ty shook her head and walked off.
Quay clenched his fists, fighting the urge to go after her. He was glad when Quest called him over to speak with one of the Holtz VPs.
Ty didn’t allow the mask she wore to slip until she’d driven out of Gabron’s parking lot and had taken the ramp onto the expressway. She cursed herself for being a fool—a weak-kneed, emotional woman swooning over a man’s attention.
But Quay wasn’t just any man, he was the only man she’d ever loved—her first lover. She cursed herself again and asked why she loved him. She was a smart woman in virtually every other aspect of her life. Why couldn’t she pull herself, her heart, away from this man—the only man who had ever truly hurt her?
If anything, the scene a month prior should have changed her opinion of him. But, the encounter only made her want him more. She could admit that to herself. Quaysar Ramsey wasn’t simply the only man she’d ever loved, he was the only man she’d ever made love with. Knowing that it was only for physical gratification on his part was killing something inside her.
She was on a mission now to work harder than ever to complete the project and get back to Colorado. It would be suicide considering what a large undertaking it was, but she knew that to stay and let herself be wooed into bed again would be just as dangerous.
“Oh, not tonight,” Ty groaned when she pulled into her mother’s driveway. She spotted Quay’s foreboding black SUV parked a few feet away. “What is it, Quay?” she called once she’d left the SUV and he was walking toward her.
He smiled as he raised his hands defensively. “I swear that I only wanted to make sure you got home all right.”
“No, you wanted to make sure I got home alone,” she corrected, folding her arms across the front of the black turtleneck she wore.
Quay simply nodded, not bothering to argue her accuracy.
Tykira’s brown stare narrowed. “What is it with you? One minute hot, the next minute cold. Is this still about Wake? Or do you still just enjoy playing with my head? This isn’t high school, Quay. You don’t have to play that game anymore, you know.”
“Ty—”
“It’s confusing and it’s cruel and I don’t have time for it. I’m here to work and then leave,” she huffed, pointing one index finger toward the ground.
Quay bowed his head and cursed himself. In his desperation to see her, he hadn’t stopped to consider how she would perceive his actions. Nice, Quay. Nice as always.
“Why don’t you use your Casanova skills on one of the many women ready to be wooed by you?” she muttered, turning to open the passenger-side door and collect her things.
“And you’re not one of those women?” Quay said, speaking more to himself than to her. No, she wasn’t one of those women—she had never been. She was so much more and she’d never heard him tell her that.
“No, I’m not one of those women, Quay, so stop. Just stop, all right?” she pleaded, resting her forehead against the Cherokee. “There’s no need,” she told him. “I didn’t come here to win a spot in your life. In spite of my…eager participation, I didn’t even come here to sleep with you.” She ended on a whisper, sighing as exhaustion claimed her.
“Jesus,” Quay hissed, mistaking her sighs for sobs and stepping close to console her. “Ty, please, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”
“Snake,” she snapped, stiffening against him. “I’m not crying over you, Quay. I’ve done way too much of that.”
Quay nodded, but made no move to back away from her. Instinctively, his hands smoothed across her slender form, moving up to fill his palms with the fullness of her breasts.
Ty blinked, her body beginning to tingle with the desire for Quay that always simmered just below the surface. Helpless to deny its power, she let her head tilt and she arched deeper into his touch.
Keeping one hand curved seductively across her bosom and the other at her hip, Quay trailed his nose across the nape of her neck. The scent of her perfume brought to mind the naughtiest acts of seduction that he ached to subject her to. His perfect teeth found the zipper that secured the chic turtleneck and tugged it down, hungry to expose more of her silky dark skin.
How she wanted him, Ty thought as his mouth traced her neck. That’s all it would ever be, unfortunately—want, desire, sex-satisfying and craved, yes, but nothing more. Dammit, she hissed silently. All these years she’d felt fulfilled and successful without him in her life. Now he was here again and torturing her mind and body with his attention. With a strength she conjured from someplace deep, Ty slipped out of his embrace and headed toward the front door.
Quay seemed to snap out of his pleasure-driven state of mind as well. Leaning against the SUV, he kept his back turned until Ty had disappeared inside the house.