Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 06 - The Harbor of Lies (14 page)

He pulled her tight against him and kissed her thoroughly. She began to melt from the heat of it.

Honeymooning in New York City was her idea. Colin had wanted to go somewhere warm, preferably Hawaii. But she had spent her honeymoon with Evan in Hawaii, and this time around, she wanted to go somewhere totally different. Although she didn’t tell Colin that was why. How could she?

Instead, she had sold him on the idea of seeing the Statue of Liberty, taking in a show or two on Broadway, enjoying a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park, and a whole host of other fun and exciting things to do. Of course, he let her have her way. That’s how Colin was—strong, chivalrous, and loving, not to mention honest to a fault—the one thing Evan was not.

Evan had lied to her the entire time they had dated, and all the years they were married. It wasn’t until after he was killed that she had begun to learn the truth of who he actually was, and what he really did for a living.

With a crisp breeze swirling around them, Colin and Emily clung to each other, staring out over the dazzling marina and shoreline, listening to the water lap against them. However, as much as she enjoyed nestling in Colin’s warm embrace, it hadn’t been sufficient to keep her mind from floating back to thoughts of Evan, and all the lies he’d harbored.

That’s enough!
Emily gave her mind a mental shake. She had spent far too much time on this trip thinking about that man. She tightened her hold around Colin’s torso, enjoying his well-defined muscles and the strength of his body. She could only imagine the feeling of him against her soft curves.

Her heart belonged to this solid man, and there was nowhere else she would rather be than here with him.
Simply close your eyes and enjoy snuggling in his arms.
That was a nice thought, but she knew it wasn’t possible, for, soon, their friends would be phoning them to find out where they were.

At least they were able to steal a few nuggets of time together, here and there, to enjoy these days in Rock Harbor. Before long, they would find themselves standing under the wedding arch, reciting their marriage vows, surrounded by the people they cared about the most, trying not to notice the passersby watching them as they wandered about.

The thought of their impending wedding warmed her heart and she gave Colin a little extra squeeze, laying her head against his chest, hearing his heart beat rhythmically, strong and steady, just like him.

She relaxed and her mind drifted back to the case. As much as she tried to block it out and enjoy the few precious moments with Colin, it kept floating back into her head.

Sure, the investigation was getting in the way of their enjoying all the area had to offer, but they couldn’t lose sight of the fact that it wasn’t
their
case, it belonged to Chief Taylor and the town of Rock Harbor. They would do what they could to assist him, but when it came time for their wedding and the ensuing honeymoon, if the case wasn’t solved, then the chief was on his own.

With any luck, they could get the investigation far enough toward a conclusion that he and his staff could finish it when they were gone, but Colin and Emily couldn’t let themselves get so involved that they couldn’t walk away.

However, Emily had not expected to feel such a kinship to Whitley—a young woman grieving the loss of the man she loved, who’d turned out not to be the person she thought he was. It seemed to keep Emily emotionally tied to this case, pushing her to continue digging for the truth.

And then there was Colin, with his strong ex-Marine sense of justice and honor. Once he began pursuing a murderer, he would have a hard time dropping the case before it was solved. But what choice did they have? They were quickly running out of time.

Wrapped in Colin’s embrace, Emily silently renewed her resolve—case or no case, come hell or high water, they were getting married this Saturday.

~*~

Colin held the door for Emily as they entered the inn. Maggie and Camille were seated on one of the cushy sofas, chatting away. The girls turned when they saw their friends come in.

“There y’all are!” Maggie called out from across the room, jumping up off the sofa. “Oh my gosh, Emily! We were about to send out a search party for y’all.”

“No need to shout, Maggie.” Emily was a little embarrassed by her boisterous display.

The hotel manager strode over to them from the check-in desk. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, fine.” Camille said, shooting Maggie a sideways glance. “Just a little excessive exuberance, I’m afraid.”

Maggie blushed. “Sorry.”

“I hope you’re enjoying your stay.” The manager’s gaze bounced around to each of them, a polite smile spread on his face. “If there’s anything you need, just let us know.”

He sounded sincere, and his expression seemed to match his voice. Was he as on-the-level as he appeared? Wearing a handsomely tailored black suit with a rich, burgundy tie, and his wavy brown hair neatly combed, he didn’t look like any drug runner Emily had seen before. Could Whitley have misunderstood?

“Oh, we sure will.” Maggie returned his smile. Her eyes followed him as he walked back to the counter.

“Now, who wants to go for dinner?” Camille asked, tugging on Maggie’s arm to draw her attention back in.

“Me.” Emily waved her hand around. “I’m starved.”

Colin chuckled. “We just need to round up Alex and Isabel.”

“I’ll call them,” Maggie offered, pulling out her cellphone.

“Okay,” Colin agreed. “Then why don’t you girls ask the manager for a recommendation. Emily and I need to go and change our clothes.” He checked his watched. “We’ll meet back here in about ten minutes.”

Camille and Maggie made a beeline to the front desk and Colin and Emily wandered off down the hallway toward their rooms.

Susan had made reservations for Colin to have a room down the hall from Emily’s. “No hanky-panky until the wedding night,” she had jokingly warned him.

“I don’t really need to change,” Colin said as they stopped at Emily’s door. “I just figured you’d like to.”

She unlocked the door and turned back to him. Slowly, she slid a hand around his neck and pulled him down to her. “That was thoughtful of you.” She kissed him, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers.

Colin snaked a hand around her waist, pushing the door open with his other one. His lips were still on hers as he backed her into her room.

“I would like to change out of this sweater,” she told him between kisses.

“Need help taking it off?” He grinned down at her.

A couple of loud knocks sounded from the door and they froze momentarily. Emily’s surprised gaze was reflected in Colin’s eyes.

“Emily, it’s Isabel,” came the slightly muffled voice through the door. “Are you ready for dinner?”

She shrugged at Colin. “Coming.”

His mischievous expression fell to resignation.

Emily hurried to the door and pulled it open. “Almost ready.” There stood Isabel, with Alex waiting behind her.

Colin peeked playfully over Emily’s shoulder and grinned. “I’m ready.”

“She meant for dinner,” Emily whispered over her shoulder.

“Sorry,” Isabel said, her brows raising a bit, “did we interrupt something?” A rosiness bloomed in her cheeks.

“Oh, Isabel,” Alex murmured, “they’re about to be married. I remember when we ran off and got married, we could hardly keep our—”

Isabel jabbed her elbow into her husband’s gut.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Colin spoke up. “Why don’t I let you change, Babe, and I’ll wait for you in the lobby.” He squeezed past her, toward the open door. “I need to talk to Alex about the fishing trip tomorrow anyway.”

“Wait.” Emily longed to be with Colin as much as he desired her, and she didn’t want him to walk away without knowing it. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt while he was still within her reach. She ran her hands up his firm chest and laced them behind his neck. Pushing up on her tiptoes, she planted a long, wet kiss on him. She didn’t care who was watching, she needed to show him that he was all she wanted.

Alex cleared his throat. “We’ll wait for you in the lobby, Colin.”

When Isabel and Alex were gone, having left the door hanging wide open, Emily and Colin broke into laughter.

“You showed them.” Colin gave her a wink and a satisfied grin, and left her to change.

After a quick wardrobe transformation, a fluff of her hair, and a dab of lip gloss, Emily joined him and their friends in the lobby.

They were seated on the various plump chairs and sofas, strategically placed to face the roaring fire blazing in the ornate fireplace. A pleasant warmth swirled in her chest as she watched them chatting and laughing with each other as she approached, happy to be part of this close-knit crowd.

“I thought you guys were hungry.” Emily skirted Colin’s chair and relaxed into his lap.

“Ravenous,” Isabel responded, rising to her feet. “The restaurant is only about a block or so away. Let’s roll.”

~*~

The group decided to walk, since it was such a short distance to the eatery. The hotel manager had suggested The Lobster Shack, perched on pilings down on the water. “The best lobster in town,” Eric Malone had said.

Emily zipped up her jacket as a chilly breeze whipped by them. She linked her hand through Colin’s elbow and strolled with him, alongside their friends, down the long driveway.

Maggie sidled up to her on the other side. “I meant to ask, how are the final weddin’ plans comin’?”

“Great, according to Susan.” Emily smiled. “The rest of the guests should be arriving by tomorrow night, and then we have the wedding rehearsal—although, I don’t know what there is to rehearse. The music starts, I walk down the aisle, then meet Colin and the minister under the arch. We exchange our vows and,
voila
, we’re married. I have nothing to worry about—my sister keeps telling me—she has everything under control.”

Maggie grinned and her blue eyes twinkled as they approached the glow of the streetlamp marking the roadway. “It’ll be so nice to have Peter here, finally.”

“And my folks too,” Colin added.

Emily nodded. “Now, if only Susan has found someone else to marry us, since the murder victim turned out to be the minister.”

“Speakin’ of murder victims, how’s the case goin’?” Maggie asked.

“Slowly,” Emily replied. “Too many possible suspects.”

“We’ve got to focus on narrowing the field tomorrow,” Colin said, “because it’s the last day we can assist the chief with working this case.”

“Anythin’ I can do to help?” Maggie offered.

Emily linked her other arm through Maggie’s. “As a matter of fact…”

As they walked to the restaurant, Emily explained her plan to Maggie. “The point is to get the tracker on the boat without anyone seeing you do it. Can you accomplish that?”

Maggie gave her a nod and a smile.

Emily dug the tiny tracker out of her pocket and handed it to her friend, who promptly stuck it in her handbag.

“No problem, Em, you’ve given me much harder assignments than this before. Flirtin’ with a man is like a piece of good ol’ southern peach pie.” Maggie winked at Emily and tossed her long blond waves over one shoulder for emphasis. “God didn’t give me these baby blues for nothin’.”

Chapter 14

Emily and her entourage arrived at The Lobster Shack, and music and chatter drifted out as Alex opened the main door, allowing the women to enter first. The place was teeming with customers—talking as they ate and drank—clustered around small wooden tables with a glossy resin finish. The place vibrated with a fun feeling of merriment.

“Something smells good,” Isabel declared over the din as they crowded around the hostess stand. The air was heavy with the scent of fish and freshly baked bread.

The walls were covered with lacquered, knotty-pine paneling and casually dotted with framed photos of celebrities that had visited the popular establishment over the years. Above the bar were colorful license plates from all over the country, set end-to-end in neat rows, nailed to the wall over an interesting array of liquor bottles in all shapes and sizes.

“How many?” a reed-thin young woman asked over the noise as she took her place behind the hostess station, her long, dark hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

“Six,” Alex answered her loudly.

“Name?”

“Alex.”

She wrote his name on her list. “It’ll be about twenty minutes.”

Alex looked to Colin with a questioning expression, as if wondering if they wanted to wait that long.

“No problem,” Colin called out above the noise. With arms spread out, he corralled the girls, who were trying to chat over the din, and herded them to a corner where a few wooden chairs were lined up. “Come on, ladies, have a seat.”

“You don’t have to be so pushy.” Camille shook her glossy, manicured fingers through her spikey red hair as she sank down onto a chair with a slight huff.

“Please?” Colin said politely, a slight edge of sarcasm coloring the word.

“Like herding cats,” Alex muttered to his friend.

“I heard that,” Isabel quipped, leaning against the wall.

“Y’all know what today is, don’t you?” Maggie took a seat beside Emily.

“Thursday?” Emily answered.

“That’s right, and you know what that means?” Maggie smiled at Camille, who was seated on the other side of her.

Camille’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Girls night. I’d almost forgotten with the trip and all.”

For the past six years, the four girlfriends had met every Thursday night for a girls-only potluck dinner. Each one took turns hosting it in their homes, with a dinner theme for each night. These get-togethers had become a sacred ritual for the girls, something they looked forward to each week, a time to catch up and stay connected. No one ever missed it, except for something extremely important.

“I’m guessing the theme for tonight is seafood?” Camille joked.

“Give the lady a prize,” Alex teased.

“In case any of you girls forget,” Emily jumped in, “I won’t be able to come for the next two Thursdays.” She playfully batted her eyes at Colin as he stood across from her. “I’ll be on my honeymoon.”