“So what happened, Zoe? What was he involved in?”
She flashed him a rueful smile. “Do you think he would ever have told me what was going on with his business or anything else?” she asked. “I was there to cook, clean, have babies and keep my mouth shut. I didn’t do so well on the babies—we only had the one. But Jimmy was such a great kid...and then I saw what Caleb was doing to him.”
“Jimmy will grow up to be a good man, Zoe.”
“Now that his father is dead.” She suddenly appeared to be furious. “Whatever he got himself into this time, he nearly killed Jimmy and me, too. What kind of father does that?”
“I’m sure Caleb didn’t know you’d be at risk. He loved his son, Zoe, even if he misdirected that love sometimes. Caleb’s killer probably thinks you knew something about what was going on.”
“Sloan, they could try for us again.”
“I’m going to have an officer watch over you two while you’re here,” he said.
“And then what?” Zoe asked.
“Then I’ll have an officer watch over you when you’re out,” he said. “I promise, Zoe. I’ll see to you and Jimmy.”
He bade her good-night. He was the only one in the hospital by then. Newsome still had people at the Hough house, and he had people in town.
He called the county detective and told him he needed an officer at the hospital.
“You really think whoever’s doing this would risk trying to kill the Hough family in the hospital?” Newsome asked.
“I think we’d be irresponsible if we don’t keep guard over them.”
“Yeah,” Newsome said wearily. “We’re getting stretched pretty thin here, but this kind of thing requires the county to be in on it. I’ve got men on overtime as it is, but you’re right. I’ll get someone over there.”
“Do we have any news yet?” Sloan asked him. “From forensics?”
“About the basement at the theater? They’ll be going through what they lifted from that place for weeks. We haven’t gotten a damned thing from the mine shaft, and I had those men try everything. It’s blocked by solid rock about fifteen feet from where you found Caleb Hough’s body. They sifted for anything they could find, but the place was clean. What he was doing in there when he was murdered is a total mystery to me.”
“What about the old corpse in the desert?”
“The medical examiner’s office cleaned down to the bone. No identity yet. Ms. Everett could give us a likeness of the man, although I imagine he was dug up as a scare tactic. I wish we had more, Sloan, but we just don’t.”
“Maybe finding out who the dead man is will be important,” Sloan said. “Anyway, I’ll wait until you can get someone down here.”
He went to tell Zoe that an officer was on the way, but she was sleeping again.
He returned to the waiting room.
He figured Jane might have fallen asleep on one of the chairs. She hadn’t. She was sitting very straight, looking beautiful and composed as always. He smiled when he saw her. “Ready?”
“Yes. By the way, I checked in with Logan. He asked for you to call him.” She was looking at him strangely—almost as if she expected him to tear into her for some reason.
“He’s still awake?”
She nodded.
He called as they left the hospital.
“Jane’s kept me up on events in your town. Seems it hasn’t been easy for her to get the work done.”
“She’s done it already, for all intents and purposes. We know who the skull belonged to.” Sloan went silent for a minute. Logan, he thought, was going to ask for Jane to come back. He winced inwardly. She was only on loan. He’d been a fool to get used to her being there, on both a personal and professional level.
“But, yeah, it’s kind of rough here right now,” he said.
“I wondered if you could use some help. I have some of the team working at a historic hotel in the capital now, but I can bring Kelsey, and the two of us can come out. Are you willing to let us give you a hand?” Logan asked.
Sloan looked at Jane and then he understood. She’d been afraid that she’d stepped over the line by bringing in more federal help.
He smiled slowly, shaking his head.
“I’d be delighted, Logan. I was just talking to the lead detective at the county force. We’re stretched thin, so if you can get here by tomorrow, that would be great.”
Logan said he’d make it by eleven.
Still grinning—almost stupidly, but he was dead exhausted—he told Jane, “I don’t know who said what and I don’t care. We can use the help. Come on, let’s get some sleep.”
He was surprised that at his house he suddenly felt awkward. Their day had included the hospital for Jane and another dead body, and two attempts at murder. And they were no closer to solving the mystery.
Cougar appeared as soon as they entered the house, demanding attention. As he’d already discovered, Jane was an animal lover. She crouched down to play with the cat.
Johnny had left food, a pot of goulash, in the refrigerator. They sat down to eat, but neither was very hungry. When they’d finished, he said, “You can sleep in my grandfather’s room. There’s actually a bell on the bedside table in case you need anything.”
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why would I sleep away from you?” she asked. She offered him a rueful grin. “I thought the sleeping-together part went really well.”
He stood and came over to her, kneeling down and taking her hands. “I thought it went more than well,” he said. “It’s just—”
“If you need to be alone, that’s okay. I understand. But don’t do it for me. The doctor said to take it easy. He didn’t say that I had to stop any kind of physical activity. Although, frankly, I wouldn’t mind a long hot shower first.”
He rose. “You know where it is. Although you did have a concussion. You could fall in the shower or...I can wait to have mine until you’re finished.”
“Or we can just shower together,” she suggested.
In a matter of minutes, she’d undressed. Her thigh holster and gun were placed in the bedside table in his room; he brought his into the bathroom. After today, he wanted it within arm’s reach—no matter what. Jane didn’t question the gun on the towel rack. She stepped into the shower, turned on the water and they both took a minute to luxuriate in the hot steam before finding the soap.
The day seemed to evaporate with the steam and with her touch. Her fingers moved dexterously over his body while he returned the sensual ministrations. Soap bubbles slid down her breasts and they were slick to the touch. It was incredibly erotic.
And yet, he realized, she only had to smile to arouse him.
Her fingers ran down his back and curled around his growing sex, and he knew it was time to leave the water.
“We need to get out,” he said thickly.
“I’m not going to fall,” she told him.
“I am!”
Jane turned off the water. They got out of the shower and picked up towels, drying each other, pausing for deep, wet kisses that increased his desire to the breaking point. They started to leave the bathroom; he went back for his gun.
He laid it on the bedside table, then pulled her to him and they fell on the bed together. Their bodies were silky clean, caressed by the cool sheets. She straddled him, damp hair trailing over his shoulders and chest as she stroked him and delivered more wet kisses to his naked flesh. He took her in his arms, fascinated again by the scent and feel of her, his lips straying along her arms, her thighs, her sex. She rose against him and he felt her warmth envelop him. Her eyes were on his as she moved slowly and then with a sensual rhythm that sent his libido soaring. They switched positions so that he stared into her eyes as he moved over her. Far too soon, he felt the urgency of his climax overtake him. Then he felt her shudder in his arms and they lay together, trembling, seeking breath and still entwined.
In the same position, he slept.
But in his dreams he saw Longman again, up high on a plateau. Jane was talking to him, and he could see the dark cloud, evil rising around them.
And heading for Jane.
He awoke with a start. She still slept peacefully at his side.
He rose carefully, dressed and took out a notepad. He had all the pieces, he thought. He just had to put them together.
He started writing down a timeline, including everything that had happened, everything he knew.
Then he went to get the books he’d bought at Desert Diamonds to read through them.
Caleb Hough hadn’t been a nice guy. He’d argued with just about everyone. Including Grant Winston.
And he’d gotten the history books from Grant Winston’s Desert Diamonds. Jay Berman had the same books.
There had to be something in the books. Something to do with the infamous gold heist?
Two people—one a man, one a woman—had attacked Zoe and Jimmy Hough.
A stranger, Jay Berman, had been killed, and so had a local, Caleb Hough.
Just how many people were involved in what was going on?
10
Jane came out of Sloan’s room, wearing the same robe she’d worn before, to find that he’d already brewed coffee and had apparently been working for several hours. He had the books from Desert Diamonds on the table, along with sticky notes, a poster board and a long list of notes for himself.
“As we started to discuss earlier, I think there’s a clue in the books,” he said. “I’ve skimmed them both. The one by Sheriff Fogerty talks about the town around the time the stagecoach filled with gold disappeared. So, I’m beginning to suspect that Sage knew something about the robbery—and that’s why she was killed. She charmed everyone who came to the bar after her performances. And while a lot of the rougher clientele preferred the saloon, I’ll bet Sage had her share of admirers who came to the theater. She might have heard something from one of them. And I don’t believe she was having an affair with Red Marston. From what I’ve been reading, they were friends from back east and he came to town with a reputation for being a playboy.”
