Wearing dark sunglasses to hide the puffiness under her eyes, Maddie arrived at the country club two hours late. After leaving Dylan early this morning, she’d fallen asleep the minute she returned home and laid down on her bed fully clothed. During her brief nap she had dreamed. They’d been those silly, confusing kind of dreams where nothing made sense. But on awakening, she remembered one main theme in them—Dylan Bridges was a part of her life now and there was no escaping that fact.
Dylan was a man alone, with no one to stand by him and help him. And for some inexplicable reason Maddie longed to be that person, the strong, dependable friend he could lean on. Dylan was a complicated man, one who didn’t trust easily or accept help readily. Breaking through his protective shield would be a challenge—probably the biggest challenge of Maddie’s life. Strange how she now relished a challenge, when as a teenager she’d shied away from challenges and confrontations of any kind.
What made her willing to risk getting hurt, having her heart broken again, just to help a man who had tried to send her away? Maybe because she felt that Dylan and she were two of a kind. Neither trusted easily, both had been hurt and disappointed by life and love, and they were both so terribly alone.
“Morning, Maddie.” As she walked into the outer office suite, Alicia handed her a cup of hot tea. “I’ve been fielding calls for you and there are at least two dozen messages waiting for you on your desk. I’ve been telling people that you’re in a meeting. I hope that was all right.”
Alicia followed Maddie into her private office. “Yes, Alicia, thank you.” Maddie dumped her handbag on her desk, set the cup on the coaster to the right of her computer screen and glared at the stack of bright yellow message slips neatly stacked in the square plastic box she used for that purpose. Maddie had always prided herself on being highly organized.
“Your mother has phoned every thirty minutes since nine o’clock.” Alicia glanced sympathetically at Maddie. “I didn’t write down any of her messages.”
Maddie groaned. “Next time she calls put her through. If I don’t talk to her, she’ll come over here, and I simply cannot deal with Nadine in person this morning.”
Alicia nodded. “Mr. Small has been asking where you are. He needs to speak to you. But I can tell you what he’s going to say.”
“Good. You tell me and then when Harvey shows up, I can get rid of him quickly. That little toad has never been one of my favorite people, and after last night he’s in the top five on my people-I-detest list.”
“I’m sure you noticed all the law enforcement people milling around inside and out.” Alicia waited for Maddie to nod before she continued. “Well, the club is closed today…because of the murder last night. But the temporary grill will be open for the employees. That’s one of the things Harvey wanted to tell you. And the other is that we’re to cooperate fully with the police department and the sheriff’s department. It seems Sheriff Wainwright and Chief Terry have joined forces on this one. Killing a circuit judge is pretty much the same as killing a police officer.”
Maddie sat in her comfortable chair, lifted her cup and sipped the hot peppermint tea. Lack of sleep combined with tension had given Maddie a throbbing headache and even though she’d taken a couple of aspirin before leaving her condo, the ache had dulled only slightly.
“I’ll be eating lunch here at my desk today,” Maddie said. “But I’ll take care of ordering something from the grill. And please continue fielding my calls. I don’t want to speak to anyone, unless it’s absolutely necessary. The only exceptions are my mother and…Dylan Bridges.”
“Dylan Bridges?” Alicia’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Isn’t he a suspect in the judge’s murder?”
Maddie sighed, removed her sunglasses and glared pointedly at her assistant. “No. He is not a suspect.”
“But I thought Mr. Small said that—”
“Harvey Small is an idiot!”
Someone cleared their throat. Not Maddie or Alicia. Maddie glanced past her assistant to the open doorway. There stood Harvey. Oh, great, Maddie thought. Just what I need.
“Good morning, Ms. Delarue.” Harvey marched into her office. “Thanks so much for finally showing up for work this morning. We all had a difficult night, but some of us were able to arrive on time for work today.”
“Stuff it, Harvey,” Maddie snapped.
“I resent your attitude,” he replied.
“And I resent you. So, we’re even.”
Harvey pursed his lips. His round, fat face turned red. “If you weren’t who you are, there’s no way you would keep your job.”
Maddie burst into laughter. When Harvey’s rotund body tensed, he looked as if he were about to explode.
Harvey puffed out his chest and tilted his chin. “You might have me fired for what I’m about to say, but it’s obvious to everyone that Dylan Bridges probably murdered his father and he tried to use you as an alibi. If you weren’t involved with the man, you wouldn’t be defending him.”
Maddie narrowed her gaze, looked point-blank at Harvey and said, “The only reason I haven’t gotten rid of you before now is because, despite your unpleasant personality, you’re damn good at your job. But remember one thing, little man—you can be replaced.”
Snorting, his face red as a beet, Harvey turned and practically ran out of Maddie’s office.
Alicia released a long, pent-up breath and then giggled. “I thought he was going to explode.”
“That would have been a sight worth paying to see.”
“Ms. Delarue?”
“Yes?”
“The police asked me a lot of questions about your whereabouts last night. They seem very curious about your having been with Mr. Bridges. I told them what time you arrived back at the party last night. I hope I didn’t say—”
Maddie held up a restraining hand. “It’s all right. We’ve all got to tell the truth. I was with Dylan, except for about fifteen minutes, and that’s exactly what I told the police last night.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The ringing telephone prompted Alicia’s hasty departure. When she rushed back to her desk, Maddie closed her eyes and huffed out a tired breath. She had a feeling this was going to be a very long day.
Alicia stuck her head in the door. “It’s your mother.”
Maddie groaned.
A uniformed policeman met Dylan at the entrance to the country club. “Sorry, sir, but the club is closed today. There was a murder here last night and—”
“Yes, I know. My father was the victim.”
The young officer blushed and stammered, “You’re…er…you’re Dylan Bridges? Sorry about…The judge was a fine man.”
“Yes, he was.” Dylan glanced around, taking note of the small swarm of law enforcement personnel present at the club this morning. “I’m not here as a club member. I’m here to see Ms. Delarue.”
“Is Ms. Delarue expecting you?”
“Yes, I believe she is,” Dylan replied.
The policeman opened the door and held it for Dylan.
“Thank you.”
The officer nodded.
Once inside, Dylan hesitated momentarily, wondering just where Maddie’s office was located. A couple of staff members milling around in the lobby apparently recognized him. They stared at him, then whispered among themselves. What were they saying? Were they taking odds on whether or not he killed his father? Damn, what a predicament to be in—mourning a parent’s death and having to defend himself against untrue accusations all at the same time. Ignore those people, he told himself. He would have to get used to being stared at, whispered about and suspected.
Okay, all he had to do was remember where the offices were seventeen years ago when he’d worked here as a valet. The memory clicked into place instantly and he took the elevator to the second floor, which he assumed still housed the office space, as well as the guest rooms. A few minutes later he stood outside the closed door with an attached plaque proclaiming the suite within was the private domain of Ms. Delarue, Events Manager. When he opened the door, a wide-eyed, gaping-mouthed young woman nervously stood up behind her desk.
“Mr. Bridges…good morning, sir.”
Dylan offered her a smile. “I’d like to see Maddie, please.”
“Uh…yes, sir. Just a moment and I’ll let her know that you’re here.”
Dylan waited while the girl disappeared into Maddie’s office. She returned instantly, leaving the door open behind her.
“Please, go right in.”
“Thanks.”
Dylan entered Maddie’s office and closed the door behind him. Maddie rose from her desk and came forward, her hand outstretched. He took a good look at her and from the dark, puffy circles under her eyes realized she’d probably gotten no more sleep than he had. But she was beautiful, with her hair neatly secured in a loose bun, and wearing a stylish beige suit.
She motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. “Won’t you sit down?”
He shook his head. “I won’t be here long. I just wanted to stop by to say thanks for the scrambled eggs this morning. And I wanted to tell you that I’ve made tentative funeral arrangements. All we need is the date. I’ll have to wait until the coroner releases his body. They’ll have to do an autopsy, of course.”
When Dylan winced at the thought of his father’s body being opened up like some damn lab experiment, Maddie reached out and squeezed his arm. He looked at her. Sweet Maddie. Genuinely concerned, warmly caring.
Clearing his throat, Dylan asked, “So, Red, have you come to your senses? Are you thinking a little clearer now than you were at three this morning?”
She released his arm. “Meaning, I suppose, have I decided to steer clear of you?”
He didn’t know why her response was so damn important to him. After all, he’d told her to get lost, hadn’t he? He didn’t want her to wind up getting hurt by associating with him. But all the logical reasoning in the world didn’t change one irrefutable fact—the sixteen-year-old kid part of him wanted Maddie Delarue to stand by his side.
Maddie eased back, leaned her hips against the edge of her desk and stared at him. He had showered and shaved and changed clothes, but he suspected the haggard expression on his face plainly revealed the hell he’d been through during the past twelve hours.
“I can’t quite figure you out,” Maddie said. “It’s as if you’re pushing me away with one hand and dragging me closer with the other.”
He grinned. “Yeah, I guess my actions are rather confusing. Believe me, I’m as confused as you are.”
“Why don’t we clear up the confusion?” Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. “I haven’t changed my mind about anything. I want to help you, stand by your side, work with you. But it’ll be a lot easier for both of us if you stop resisting me.”
“Is that what I’ve been doing?”
“Sit down, will you?” She motioned to the chairs again. “I’m going to order lunch for myself and I’d like for you to join me. I don’t think either of us ate much of those scrambled eggs this morning. So, what will it be, sandwich and chips or a salad?”
Dylan took the chair to Maddie’s front left, lifted his leg and crossed it over the other at the knee. “Ham and cheese sandwich.” Only a few nights ago, his dad had prepared him a ham and cheese sandwich. Emotion lodged in Dylan’s throat. He’d been so pleased that his father had actually remembered his preferences.
Maddie pivoted halfway around on her desk, lifted the telephone, tapped in a number and said, “This is Ms. Delarue. I’d like to place a lunch order and I want it delivered to my office.”
While Maddie ordered lunch, Dylan watched her, noting numerous little things about her. The way she tilted her head to one side, how she narrowed her gaze when she concentrated, the way she unconsciously gnawed on her bottom lip when she was impatient.
Placing the receiver back on the hook, Maddie huffed. “That poor girl must be a new employee. She seemed rattled. But I have every hope that we’ll get what I ordered.”
Dylan nodded. “By the way, I stopped by the police station this morning.”
Maddie focused on him. “You did?”
“Yeah, I talked to Chief Terry. Caught up with him just as he was heading home. He told me that they’d found what they believe is the murder weapon. It seems the killer might have dropped it in the pond where my dad’s body was found.”
Maddie raised her eyebrows. “That was rather careless, wasn’t it?”
Dylan shrugged. “Could’ve been carelessness. Or maybe the gun was a plant. Or possibly someone startled the killer and he lost the gun and didn’t have time to retrieve it. There are several possibilities.”
“Did the chief tell you whether or not anyone has come forward to say they saw what happened or—”
“No witnesses,” Dylan said. “But that waitress, Erica Clawson, might have seen something and just doesn’t realize it. After all, the authorities believe she discovered my dad’s body shortly after he’d been shot.”
“Mmm-hmm. So, I assume the gun is being tested for fingerprints and all that other stuff…ballistics or whatever.”
“Yeah, but I was told that it’s rare fingerprints are found on a weapon. Guess that would make it too easy to solve this crime.” Dylan leaned over, dropped his hands between his spread thighs and tapped the tips of his fingers together. “Fingerprints would prove conclusively that I didn’t fire the weapon.”
“You aren’t really a suspect. If you were, they would have held you last night.”
“They did tell me not to leave town.” Shaking his head, Dylan grimaced. “As if I’d leave before I saw my father’s killer brought to justice.”
“Have you contacted a lawyer? If you need a recommendation, I’d be glad to—”
“I called my lawyer in Dallas first thing this morning. And I made arrangements with my partners in our brokerage firm to handle all my obligations for the time being.”
“Then you’ve covered all your bases.”
“I think so.” Dylan lifted his gaze to Maddie’s face. “I imagine the police have already asked—or if they haven’t, they will—but I’d like to see the guest list for last night’s Mystery Gala. Would that be possible?”
Maddie’s expression sobered instantly. He noted a slight tension in her shoulders and a tightening in her jaw. “They haven’t requested the list, but you’re right, I’m sure they will.”
“Would you get in trouble if you let me take a look at the list?”
“I don’t know.” Maddie eased up, went around her desk and sat, then placed her hands at the keyboard and began typing. “If you want to see it, here it is.” She motioned for him to come to her.
Dylan released a relieved sigh. He hadn’t been sure Maddie would cooperate. He rounded her desk and stood behind her. Together they scanned the list of party attendees.
“All the movers and shakers in Mission Creek,” Dylan said. “Do you see anyone on that list who might have had reason to want my father dead?”
Maddie studied the names, putting faces and personal connections to each name. She knew these people. Some were friends; all were acquaintances. “All of these people knew your father and many were personal friends. I can’t imagine anyone on this list being capable of murder. As a matter of fact, other than some of the criminals your father has sentenced, I can’t think of anyone, except maybe the Mercado family, who might have had a grudge against Judge Bridges.”
“That’s something that has me confused. I was too out of it to wonder this morning when you first told me about Dad taking on a case, but since my father was a circuit judge, how was it possible for him to take on a case as a defense lawyer?”
“Didn’t he tell you that a few years ago he thought he wanted to retire, so he didn’t run for reelection? During that time, he taught some college classes and I believe he started writing a book. He defended the men charged with Haley Mercado’s murder while he was campaigning for reelection. Actually after winning that case, he was a shoo-in. With both the Wainwrights and the Carsons backing him, how could he have lost?”
“There’s still so much I don’t know about my father’s life. Things I should know.”
Just as Maddie lifted her hand and placed it on Dylan’s arm, Alicia knocked on the door, then opened it and said, “Your lunch is here. Do you want the waitress to bring it in?”
“Wonderful,” Maddie said. “Yes, please, send her in.” Dylan stepped aside while Maddie cleared off a space on her desk.
The waitress entered with a large tray that held their lunch orders. “Where would you like this? On your desk?”
“Right here.” Maddie tapped the spot.
The waitress set down the tray, then glanced at Dylan. “You’re Judge Bridges’ son, aren’t you?”
Dylan nodded. For a split second he wondered if this young woman was going to lambaste him for killing his father. But her warm smile reassured him that she wasn’t.
“I’m very sorry about your father,” she said. “He seemed like a really nice man. He was one of my favorite customers here at the club. He was always so friendly and…a very generous tipper.”
“Thank you, Miss…”
“Parker. Daisy Parker.” The waitress smiled shyly, then bowed her head and left hurriedly.
When Daisy closed the door behind her, Maddie said, “Let’s eat.”
Dylan pulled up a chair to the desk and sat. They ate in relative silence. Then while they sipped on their colas and nibbled on the huge chocolate chip cookies Maddie had ordered for dessert, they discussed possibilities and narrowed their personal suspects list down to the Mercado family, particularly reputed mob boss Carmine Mercado and Haley’s ex-fiancé, Frank Del Brio, who Maddie told Dylan was reportedly the first in line to succeed Carmine.
“Unless we find out that someone Dad sentenced to prison had a grudge against him, then we don’t have much else to go on. Maybe Carmine or the Del Brio guy wanted to punish my father for getting off the men they believed killed Haley.”
“You do realize that you’re talking about poking your nose into the mob, don’t you?” Maddie shuddered. “I hear those people are bad news.”
“What about the local authorities? What’s your take on their willingness to investigate the mob?”
“The mob had a stranglehold on the local police, but the department cleaned house a few months ago,” Maddie explained. “As far as I know, Burl Terry is a straight-arrow kind of guy. And I know for a fact that Justin Wainwright isn’t intimidated by anyone, mob connected or not.”
“If my father’s murder was a professional hit, then tracking down the killer could get really nasty.” Dylan looked directly at Maddie. “Are you sure you want to—”
“I’m in this with you to the end,” she told him.
“Why?”
“Why? I—I’m not sure. Let’s just say that I’ve learned how to be a better friend than I was when I was sixteen.”
“Is that all there is to it—friendship?” Dylan stood.
Maddie swallowed. “Friendship and…” Dylan rounded the desk, reached down and lifted her out of her chair.
“And?”
“And you and I are a lot alike. I think I understand you, Dylan Bridges. Besides, I’ve had the hots for you since I was a teenager,” she admitted, the words rushing out on one long breath. “Not very smart of me, I admit. But it’s the truth.”
Damn! Of all the things he’d been expecting her to say, this wasn’t it. Maddie had just told him that she had the hots for him. Hell, didn’t she realize that he wanted her so much that he’d do just about anything to get her in his bed?
“I have no doubt that you’d be very good for me.” He pulled her into his arms. “The problem is, Maddie, I wouldn’t be good for you. My life is all messed up right now. I’ve taken a leave of absence from work and left behind a life I thought was just great, but now I’m beginning to realize I was missing a great deal. My father has been murdered, and I’m embarking on my own personal crusade to find his killer and nail the guy’s ass to the barn wall. You don’t want to go along for this ride with me.”
Maddie draped her arms around his neck. “Yes, I do.”
“You’re crazy. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know that you need at least one friend right now,” Maddie said, “one person on your side.”
“And you’re that person.”
“If you’ll let me be.”
“I know I shouldn’t.” Dylan lowered his head until his lips were almost touching hers. “But, yeah, I could use a friend right about now.”
He kissed her. A strong, vital kiss that could easily have deepened and progressed to a more intimate level had someone not knocked on Maddie’s office door.
“Damn,” Dylan cursed under his breath.
They broke apart as if they were guilty of a crime.
“Yes?” Maddie asked.
Alicia opened the door. “Detective O’Brien is here. He wants to take a look at the guest list for last night’s Mystery Gala.”