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“Care to try me?” Nat asked smoothly, watching her feet fidget back and forth. She resembled a recalcitrant child with one foot on top of the other and her arms folded across her middle. The oversized red sleepshirt was showing a lot of creamy thigh, to which he was not unappreciative. Perfect pajamas as far as he was concerned—easier to reach his target zone.
“My mother will call the police,” she hissed uncertainly, her eyes wide.
“You’re stalling,” he replied mildly. “The longer you wait the worse it’s going to be.”
“I-I found something last night. Don’t you want to know what it was?” She cocked her head at him and Nat was pretty sure she was going to try bargaining.
“I don’t care what you found last night, not yet. I want your little fanny over here right now. And no, I’m not going to trade a spanking for information,” he warned. “You’ve just added five extra for stalling and trying to buy your way out of it. You have to the count of three before I come and get you and then it’s all bets off. Your little butt will be sore for the rest of the day. One...two...”
“Fine,” April snapped ferociously as she stomped over to stand in front of him. “You happy now?”
“I will be in a few minutes,” he replied reaching out and taking her by the elbows and pulling her between his knees, As he bent her over his left thigh, her t-shirt rose up her back, revealing her perfect cheeks encased in pink satin bikinis. He paused to admire them, sweeping his palm lovingly across the silky surface. “Nice.”
“Nat wait,” April cried as he positioned her upper body across the bed and placed his right leg behind both of hers.
“No waiting,” he said firmly, slipping his hand inside the silky panties and sliding them down to mid-thigh. “Let’s get this over with. You lied to me, April, and I won’t stand for deceit in our relationship.” He immediately started spanking those luscious mounds before him, enjoying the way they bounced beneath his hard hand.
“Oww,” April keened, her body moving from side to side in a useless venture to avoid the slaps that never missed. She kept her hands over her mouth, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“I had plans for this morning,” he told her, his voice disappointed. “I was going to take you out for a nice hot breakfast and talk about the case away from here. I did some sleuthing myself last night.”
“We can still do that,” she groaned between her hands, then gritted her teeth. “I’m s-sorry I lied to you, Nat. Please...s-stop. I-I want to know what you found out too.”
He paused for a moment to let her catch her breath. “Yes, we will still go to breakfast, but you will be tired and grouchy all day because you didn’t get enough rest.” He resumed his spanking, turning the now pink cheeks red with renewed gusto. “Either that or I put you back to bed and we wait until lunchtime to go out. Naughty brat!”
“I’m sorry,” April squealed, bucking against his hand. Tears started to flow in earnest and she couldn’t keep herself from breaking into sobs.
Nat paused again, rubbing the hot flesh as she cried into her quilt. “No more lies, we work together. Agreed?”
She mumbled something into the quilt but he couldn’t make out what it was. He took it as consent so he pulled her up and sat her on his broad thigh. She leaned into his shoulder and hugged him around his neck, still sobbing. “I’m sorry, I really am. I s-should have just t-told you what I was d-doing.”
“Yes you should have, little mess,” he said gently, rubbing her back. “I would have taken you out with me last night to scope out Henry Miller and then we could have come back and worked on your computer together. I do have some hacking skills, you know.”
She leaned back to look at him, her shoulders still shaking, her eyes and face drenched with tears. “You w-went to spy on Miller? In person?” She hiccupped and brushed the tears out of her eyes with the back of hand. “I would have l-loved that. I rarely ever get any field work.” She heaved a big sigh of regret.
He chuckled. If you hadn’t lied, then you would have last night. See what naughty girls miss out on?”
April looked around her and then leaned into Nat’s ear. “I found out something really important though,” she whispered. “Miller is Tina Duncan’s step-brother!”
“Good lord! Don’t talk here,” he cautioned in a low voice, putting his hand over her mouth. “Especially something like that.” He stood her up. “Quick, grab your shower and get dressed. I’ll go downstairs and see what’s happening with your mom right now.” He smacked her backside and pushed her towards the door. “Hurry,” he hissed, his eyes gleaming. “I want to get out of here.”
It was going on 8:00 am when Nat made it downstairs to the kitchen to hunt up some coffee. He stopped abruptly, slightly disgruntled to see Simon and Rebecca were sitting at the kitchen table. Rebecca was supposed to be a night owl and sleep in, but here she was in a fluffy robe and slippers sipping coffee and looking tired.
“Morning,” Nat offered, padding over to the coffee pot and reaching for a cup off the tree. “You’re both up early.”
Simon was looking hostile Nat noted out of the corner of his eye. And uneasy. “How long are you going to be staying with us?” Simon asked, trying for jovial yet failing to pull it off. In fact, it was just short enough to be rude. Rebecca glared at him.
Nat turned with his cup in his hand and took a sip. “Not too long,” he replied easily. “I have to get back to Revere soon, I have some cases there to follow up on.” He studied the older man thoughtfully. His smile definitely wasn’t reaching his eyes this morning. He looked as if he had bitten into a sour apple.
“What are your plans for the day, Nat?” Rebecca asked, sounding slightly apologetic for her fiancé’s rudeness.
“As soon as April is ready, we’re going to breakfast,” he replied with a calculated smile. “Then we’re headed to the police department to follow up on the video footage from the attempted purse-snatching from last night.” He noted Simon’s eyes narrow and his dark eyes turn colder, if that were even possible.
Rebecca gasped. “Did someone steal April’s purse last night?” she choked out, setting her coffee cup down hard. Her eyes were huge and outraged as she stood up.
Nat leaned against the counter in a relaxed stance, although he felt anything but relaxed. “Yes, someone tried, but they didn’t succeed. The teen who attempted it said someone offered to pay him 100 dollars cash to see if he could do it on his bicycle within 30 seconds. He failed because the doorman to the Barnacle stopped him. But there is video surveillance and the owner is supposed to have it available this morning.”
The video was already available, Nat had checked, but he was interested in Simon’s reaction. A light sheen of sweat was appearing on the man’s forehead. He was certainly nervous about something.
“What are you two up to today?” Nat asked solicitously. He noticed Simon never mentioned picking up the safe that he and April were supposed to be getting today. Had he just forgotten to mention it? Or was it because he already knew they had the contents?
“Just talking about wedding plans,” Rebecca replied. “I want to keep it simple, but Simon wants to go bigger. We haven’t decided yet.”
“I just want the world to know you’re mine, darling,” Simon protested, eyeing Rebecca possessively.
Rebecca patted his hand on the table. “I know, dear, but spending all that money isn’t necessary.” She glanced back to Nat. “Don’t forget to pick up the safe from Ray. I’m totally curious as to what Shatemuc had in it.”
“Yes, we are both curious about that,” Simon added, his eyes crafty.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Nat replied. “April and I went by there last night and Ray’s office had been broken into. The safe is gone.”
“Well, for heaven’s sake,” Rebecca exclaimed. “I swear, those offices must be cursed! I wish April would just let me sell that building and be done with it.”
“What a shame,” Simon added through gritted teeth.
Nat was wondering if he needed to rethink Simon’s part in Shatemuc’s death? His money had been on Miller before last night, but now things were changing, especially after Simon’s reactions this morning. Or with April’s revelation about Miller this morning. Could they perhaps be in it together? The thought made him uneasy and he was growing concerned for Rebecca’s safety.
They chatted about nothing consequential for a few more minutes until April appeared in the doorway smelling fresh and clean from her shower. Nat had to give her credit, she didn’t look like she’d pulled an all-niter.
The faint smell of freshly applied Anomaly drifted up his nostrils and his body immediately responded. What was it about that scent that caused such a primal reaction? He wanted to take her back upstairs, rip off those cute jean cutoffs that now matched his, and bury himself inside her luscious little body. The pale blue New England Patriots tank top was low cut enough that the golden key was visible between the lift of her breasts. The bank had let her keep it since it was engraved. Her strappy, lowcut sandals showcased her slim legs and his manhood knocked on his zipper once again.
“Mm...Mom’s fresh coffee,” April gushed.
Nat offered her a cup and she poured herself some of the hot brew.
Rebecca walked over to her daughter and put her arm around her shoulders. “Nat was just telling us that someone tried to steal your purse last night, darling. Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
April took a long drink of the coffee and then replied. “No, Mom, he didn’t touch me. He was quite adept actually, just snatched my bag right out of my hands without even touching me and without slowing down on his bicycle until he hit the light pole.”
“But you got your bag back, right?”
April nodded. “Yes, of course. The doorman from the Barnacle retrieved it from traffic for me.”
“Well, that’s a blessing then,” her mother beamed at her. “Although I don’t know what this world is coming to. Nat just told us Ray’s offices were broken into and your dad’s safe is gone. Now I guess we’ll never know what was in it,” she said sadly.
“Uh...yeah, sorry about that, Mom,” April stuttered, her mouth finally catching up to her brain.
“If you’re ready, honey, let’s get going,” Nat said briskly as he drank the last bit in his cup.
“I’m starved,” April replied setting her cup on the cabinet and kissing her mother’s cheek. “We’ll see you two later, Mom.”
She included Simon but he just grunted. Nat concluded the man just wasn’t a morning person, or he was seriously out of sorts. Either way, he was glad to leave him behind as he urged April out the door.
“Want to take my car today?” April asked as they came out the front door.
“Do I look like I can fold myself into your pregnant roller skate?” Nat asked skeptically. “No, let’s take mine.”
April laughed. “Pregnant roller skate?” she mocked. “Where do you come up with these sayings?” She hissed when her butt hit the seat of his car.
“A little sore, honey?” he ask with a grin.
She shot him a fierce glance. “No need to look so proud of yourself,’ she hissed back.
“Don’t lie to me then,” he replied, dropping a kiss on her mouth and lingering. “Mm...you sure smell nice.”
“So do you,” she breathed against his mouth and her hand stole behind his neck.
Nat slipped his hand inside her tank and cupped one rounded breast to play with the cherry nipple as he deepened the kiss. A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye halted his actions and he looked up to see Miller staring at him from across the lawn. He had the wheelbarrow again, the load of dirt with the spade sticking out of it as usual. “Looks like we have an audience,” he murmured, pulling back.
April’s eyes followed his gaze. “The guilty gardener,” she replied breathlessly.
“Get your seat belt on,” Nat instructed before he closed the door. Nodding at Miller, he made his way around the car and got into the driver’s side.
“That’s just creepy the way he keeps staring at us,” April said with a shiver.
“Guess what I found in the gardener’s shed on Simon’s property,” Nat replied as he pulled away from the curb. He pulled a plastic baggie out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her.
“An eyepatch,” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, there were several new ones in packages, but this one looked used so I took it. Don’t get too excited though, like he said, other people use eyepatches for different reasons; doesn’t mean he was there last night.”
“Come on...like...how many eyepatches do you see in a day’s time?” April mocked. “Or a month, or even a year? The coincidence is too glaring to write off.”
“Unless someone wanted to cast suspicion on Miller if they were seen.”
April frowned. “You mean...someone like Dad’s killer?” she responded slowly. “I don’t think I’m hungry after all. Let’s just go to the police station. Maybe the video will be ready.”
“It is ready, I checked. We can do that first, then get something to eat,” he agreed. “Tell me more about what you found last night.”
“That was really all there was,” April confessed. “I found an obit that listed Henry Adam Miller as a surviving stepbrother to Tina Denton. The other family members fit right in with Tina’s background. No one else had ever mentioned him though. Once I had his middle name, it was easy to trace him here to Clearwater.”
“How long has he worked for your family?”
“That’s the weird thing. He was there long before Tina hired my dad to find proof of her husbands infidelity. He didn’t start working for our neighbor until Simon bought that place. Dad did work for some of his motorcycle friends.”
“Maybe that’s how Tina came to hire your dad,” Nat responded thoughtfully.
April snapped her fingers. “You’re right, that fits.”
“Do you have a gun?” Nat asked suddenly.
April nodded. “I do have one, I just don’t carry it. I only use it for field work, of which I get very little.”
“You are licensed to conceal and carry in Massachusetts though, right?”
“Of course. Dad and I both were for the agency.”
“I think you should start carrying it for now,” he replied.
April wrinkled her nose. “I’ll have to carry my shoulder bag then, it’s too hot to wear a jacket with the holster inside.”
“I just have a feeling things are about to get crazy,” Nat said, his gut instincts kicking in. Whatever was going on with Miller, he knew more than he was saying. And Jason should have something back from the lab by now on those samples April had given him.
He parked in front of the police department and they went inside. The video wasn’t the best as far as clarity, but it did show a man in black stopping the would-be teen purse-snatcher and talking to him.
“Notice anything unusual?” Nat remarked, excitement filling him as he studied the man’s face.
“His shoes are brand new,” April noted. “They don’t have a mark on them and he seems stiff in them.”
“Look at his face,” Nat replied with an eyeroll. Only a woman would notice the shoes first.
She frowned. “What? He has an eyepatch, but you can’t tell if it’s new or not.”
“You really need to get out in the field more,” Nat replied with a grin and shake of his head. “His eyes, little mess. Look carefully at his eyes.”
April squinted and concentrated on the screen. “I got it. I think the eyepatch is on the wrong eye,” she said excitedly. “Miller’s crazy eye is on his right, but in this video, the eyepatch is on the man’s left eye.”
“Exactly,” Nat replied with satisfaction. “You’re so used to looking at a computer screen, that your mind doesn’t process the in-person details as fast.”
“Which means it wasn’t Miller.”
“But it might be someone who wanted us to think it was Miller.”
The officer in charge walked back into the room. “Are you finished? Did you recognize him?” He was munching on a cinnamon role as big as a man’s hand and Nat could tell he wasn’t all that interested in an ID. After all, a purse-snatching wasn’t a big case in the grand scheme of things. To he and April though, the information was valuable. He shook his head at the officer. “No, I don’t have a clue who he is.” Which was true.
April was moving the scene back and forth, manipulating and freezing when something would interest her. “Is there a way to zoom this in?” she asked the officer.
“Yeah, but it messes up the pixelation when you do and you can’t see a damn thing,” he replied over a mouthful of cinnamon roll. “It’s this button here.”
“You finding something interesting?” Nat asked curiously in her ear.
“It’s not Simon either,” she whispered back, then pointed at the screen below the man’s ear. “Simon doesn’t have a huge gnarly mole like that below his right ear.”
“Good girl,” Nat whispered back. “You just earned yourself a reward tonight.”
“Did you find something?” the young officer asked eagerly, dropping crumbs from his roll into April’s lap when he leaned over to see what they were looking at. “Oh...sorry,” he excused himself, blushing.
“Whoever it is, he has this huge mole,” she explained, pointing to the appendage on the screen. “If there’s a next time, you can look for that in the ID,” she explained with a snicker. “That’s all I’ve got though.”
“Wicked pissah,” the officer exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as if he’d just found a treasure. “I’ll make sure the Captain gets this.”
April tried to control her snickering as they left the police station, but she had to laugh on their way back to Nat’s car.
Nat had to chuckle with her. “Hard to believe we were that young and stupid once,” he remarked as he opened the door for her. Her eyes were lit up with laughter, a light blush flew across her cheeks, and she was so beautiful. Heaven would be her laughing up at him all the time, he decided loving the way her merriment lifted his spirits. He’d had too many dark, colorless days in the last few years. He captured her mouth with his, wanting to share her enjoyment with his own soul. Heat spread quickly through his body, making him wish once more that he had a bench seat to lay her back on and strip off those shorts. His hand slipped beneath her tank and found her belly button, her skin warm and soft as silk beneath his cool fingers. He couldn’t wait to claim her as his.
“Nat, your cell phone is ringing,” she gasped, pulling away from his mouth and pushing against his shoulders.
Nat lifted his head, the shrill ring sounding a death knell to his ardor as he fished for it in his pocket. He really needed to change that ring tone, he reflected. It was far too intrusive.
Jason’s voice rang out over the phone as soon as Nat said hello.
“Are you in a secure location?”
“We are in the police parking lot,” Nat returned dryly. “I guess that’s about as secure as you are going to get at the moment.”
“The DNA in those samples April gave me match DNA with the husband of one of those cold cases,” Jason barked into the phone Nat had set to speaker.
“T-then that means James Denton is actually alive,” April stuttered in shock.
“Or at least he was at that time,” Jason replied.
“Is it tied to any other cases?” Nat asked with a frown. “What about the other cold case?”
“They didn’t have a DNA sample of the other husband,” Jason replied in disgust. “It doesn’t tie to any other cases either.”
“So, we think he may have killed the woman in the cold case, but let me guess, we have no proof,” April replied acidly.
“They couldn’t tie the husband to it as a murder, no. But there is one other thing. Your gardener, Miller?”
“Is Tina Duncan’s stepbrother,” April finished for him. “That’s old news,” she taunted.
There was silence on the other end of the phone. “It sounds like you’ve been busy,” Jason finally murmured. “Congratulations, you’re correct.”
“What I’d really like to know is whether or not Simon Trask is James Denton,” Nat added, his nerves on edge.
“I believe that he could be,” Jason said slowly. “Seeker is currently trying to tie him into that, but Trask is coming out clean. He didn’t just appear out of nowhere. He has family ties, a background, and is a solid, stable citizen according to the paper trails.”
April’s face was white, but she spoke up bravely. “Is there any possibility that Denton could have stolen Simon’s life? I mean, what if Simon Trask isn’t the real Simon Trask? Without a body, who would know that the real Simon was dead? Because you know he would have had to murder him to take over his life.”
Both men were silent until Jason finally spoke. “I have thought of that possibility, yes. That’s why I have Seeker researching everything he can about Trask. But I need you, Nat, to make physical contact with some of Trask’s parents and investigate on a face-to-face level. And I really need a DNA sample from Trask. Computers won’t tell me about rifts in the family, or suspicious mothers or different behaviors than normal etc. See what you can find out, and get me that sample. We do know that Simon bought that property out of the blue, then sold the home he’d been living in. Check out his wife too, who he accused of cheating on him, and he subsequently divorced. I’m sending you addresses, get back to me when you know something.”
He rang off and Nat stared at the phone. “I hate it when he does that,” he said testily, running his hand through his hair.
“It’s his whole arrogant demeanor that sets my teeth on edge,” April agreed. “It’s like he’s the Grand Poohbah and the rest of us are just peons that answer to him.” She waved her slender hands in the air.
Nat’s lips quivered in amusement. “Grand Poohbah? I guess that could apply to Jason. I never thought of it that way before.”
“You have to admit, he’s ridiculously pompous at times.”
Nat shouted with laughter then. “Come on, little peon, let’s get something to eat. You can diss Jason later.”
As he got into the driver’s side door, he asked. “So, where’s a good breakfast nook here in Clearwater?”
“Fananys over on 7th Avenue,” she replied, biting her lip. “They have the best pancakes and put anything you want in them.” Her purplish gaze snatched Nat’s. “Do you suppose Simon really is Denton? And if he is, why is he wanting to marry my mom? She doesn’t have any money like those other women did? And what happened to the husbands in those cold cases? Dad never got that far in his research, he was just getting started.”
“Don’t worry, honey, Jason may be the Grand Poohbah, but he’s also very good at his job. If Trask really is Denton, he’ll find him. And he won’t stop looking for evidence to put him away, no matter how deep it’s buried.”
“I think we should warn my mom.”
“Do you think she’d believe you without any proof? She seems pretty hung up on Simon,” Nat replied slowly. “I think we should just keep an eye on her and find the evidence we need to prove it. We don’t want to make any sudden moves and spook him. It might put her in danger.”
April settled back in her seat with a worried sigh. “I hate it when you’re right.”