Playing with Fire (26 page)

“Well, chew on this, Cyrus.” Anger built inside her again. “When I came here, my plan was to get out as fast as I could. Maybe if you all had left me alone or not been so adamant about making Griff a murderer, I might have done so. But now, I find there are still so many questions about Diane’s death—and my father’s—there’s no way I’m leaving until I have all the answers and know the truth.”

“Cassie,” he began again, “I just—”

“Maybe if everyone hadn’t been so quick to hustle me out of town,” she snapped, “and cover everything over, I’d be long gone. You can pass that along to all your very good friends.”

“Your father?” A different tone came through as he picked up on that reference. “Your father committed suicide. Don’t go making problems where there aren’t any.”

This time it was Cassie who hung up first. She couldn’t wait to get away from these people who refused to leave her alone. A headache was building again so she dumped the coffee and poured a fresh cup. She went out in the backyard to lie on one of the lounges when a thought popped into her brain.

Was there something more to this besides Griff’s reputation and her unwillingness to be led around by her nose? Was she missing something here that should be obvious? Surely none of them could have anything to do with what happened, but did they know something they didn’t want her to find out?

“You didn’t answer the bell, so I thought I’d check out here.” Harley Graham’s voice behind her almost startled her out of her skin.

She jumped. “Oh, my God.” She bolted upright and clapped a hand to her chest. “Damn, Harley. You scared me half to death.”

“Sorry, honey.” He smiled down at her. “I didn’t mean to surprise you. Okay if I sit down?”

“As long as you’re not here to lecture me about Griffin Hunter or tell me I need to get out of town.”

Harley chuckled. “That bad, is it?”

“Worse,” she groaned. “I’m just so sick of everyone telling me what they think is good for me.”

“I guess that’s what some people consider the charm of this town. What they like to call closeness.”

She snorted. “Too damned close for me. Excuse my language.”

“No problem. I’d bet by this time you’ve got plenty to swear about.” His eyes dropped to her hand. “Nice ring, by the way. I guess that means you and Griffin are serious.”

She nodded. “Serious about getting out of here, too.”

“Okay, let’s hear it all.”

He leaned back in the other lounge chair and listened while she described the day’s phone calls. He was the least judgmental person she’d ever known and easy to talk to. Just being in his presence cheered her up.

“Cassie, not much has changed here since you left,” he reminded her. “Griffin Hunter isn’t ever going to live down his reputation. Barry Dangler isn’t going to stop trying to hang Diane’s death on him. The upright folks around here aren’t going to stop giving anyone who’ll listen a piece of their mind, either. You just do what you need to do and forget about them.”

“Hah! Forget about them? That would be a neat trick.” Sitting up again, she looked over at him. “Harley, I need to tell you about some things I’ve found out, strange things, and some stuff that’s happened, and ask you some questions. Is that okay?”

“Fire away, kiddo. I’m all ears.”

Trying to remember all the details, she told him what she and Griffin had found out about Diane, about the things that hadn’t been in the police report, and the surprises that had been, such as the baby’s parentage. She told him about the notes she’d found, and the jewelry. Last, she told him about the report on her father’s so-called suicide and the note she’d found in his clothes.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, when at last she wound down.

Harley shook his head. “That’s some story, Cassie. Have you talked to Barry Dangler about it?”

“That idiot?” she spat out. “All he wants to do is find one piece of proof to lock Griffin up and throw away the key. He’s not interested in anything else.”

Harley sighed. “Still singing the same song, it seems.”

She leaned toward him. “But this is evidence of something. Harley, I didn’t mention this to anyone else, but Diane was seeing someone, a person who needed to keep his identity secret. I’d guess the baby’s father. And the jewelry? It sure looks like she was trying to get money out of him. That’s what the warning note to my father was all about.”

“You know, I signed your father’s death certificate,” he told her.

“Did you examine him yourself?” she demanded.

“I guess I took what Barry said and didn’t bother looking for anything else.” He sighed. “I had no reason to. Everything seemed so cut and dried.” He paused. “Did you know I had been treating him for clinical depression?”

“No, I didn’t.” She tried to get past the shock of the news. “But I do know my father was not a person who would take his own life. Diane’s death may have upset him, but he would never have just left my mother alone like that. I’m positive about that.”

“You may be chasing shadows,” he pointed out. “Diane had a vivid imagination and loved to conjure things up. Did you ever think she might have written those notes herself?”

“No.” Cassie shook her head. “She wouldn’t go that far. Someone killed her, Harley, and it wasn’t Griff.”

“Forgive me, honey, but I can’t see any decent person getting involved with her. She was your sister, and I’m sorry to have to tell you, but she was trouble walking. If there is someone lurking in the shadows, it would more likely be one of that wild bunch she ran with.”

“But they wouldn’t have any money,” she protested. “Someone was giving her expensive gifts. Keep in mind, none of the men Diane ran with would have much that she could blackmail them about. Also, it had to be someone who’d kill my father to keep his secret. Griff had no reason to do that. Neither did anyone else in that crowd.”

“You never can tell what someone will kill to protect. Be careful,” he warned her. “If you’re right, that means there’s a dangerous person out there who thinks he’s safe. He won’t like having things disturbed after all these years.”

“Don’t worry. Griff’s taking very good care of me.” She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t going to give me grief about that like everyone else has, are you?”

He sat up and grinned at her. “Not a chance. I figure you’re old enough to know what you’re doing, and if you don’t, it’s your problem. That doesn’t mean I don’t care, but I’m not your self-appointed keeper.”

Cassie leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you for that. At least I have one person I can count on.”

“Just call me if you need me,” he told her, and headed off to his car.

Deciding she needed to cook again and give Griff some real food, Cassie made a quick trip to the grocery store, picking up three bottles of wine along with everything else. When he got home, she was in the kitchen, basting a roast and halfway through one of the bottles.

He raised an eyebrow at the wine. “Having a tough day, are we?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” she told him.

He sniffed the air. “Dinner sure smells good. I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”

“It’s pretty basic, but I decided I’m letting you eat way too much takeout.”

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. She leaned back against him, thankful for the feel of him.

“I’m dirty and sweaty and I need a shower, but I can’t wait to do this.” He turned her around and kissed her with such tenderness she almost cried. Ignoring his disheveled condition, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body to him.

“I love you, Cassie,” he murmured. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of telling you that.”

“Love you, too.”

Then he was gone up the stairs, and, soon, she heard the shower running. It felt so good to be with him like this, at last. She hummed happily as she finished dinner.

He came into the kitchen as she served the food, scrubbed clean and carrying the delicious scent of spicy aftershave. He stooped and kissed her again.

“So, did the news get out today?” He lifted her hand with the ring on it.”

“Enough so they won’t have to print a paper this week.” She grinned.

“Good. I just wish I’d been able to tell everyone myself.”

They ate slowly, talking about this and that but avoiding the topic that was the elephant in the room. After they finished cleaning up, they took a bottle of the wine out to the yard and sat in the lounge chairs. Cassie gave him chapter and verse on the telephone calls and on Harley’s visit.

“Whatever campaign’s going on,” she said, “it seems to be stepping up in intensity.” She paused to take a sip of her wine. “I’m curious as to why everyone is trying so hard to get me to drop what I’m doing and get out of town. I’d hate to think there’s some big conspiracy going on, but it sure seems like someone’s pulling some strings.”

“No one knows about the notes we found, or the jewelry,” Griff reminded her. “They think you’re just looking for someone to pin everything on because of what’s going on with you and me. Remember, it would make everyone sleep better at night if I just confessed and Dangler could close the file.”

“The notes aren’t quite the secret they were,” she apologized. “I told Harley about them when he was here, but he’s the only one.” She chewed her thumbnail. “I’m trying to attack this as if I were after a story, but it’s a lot different when it’s personal. When I mentioned there might be something suspicious about my father’s death, you would have thought I’d cursed the pastor.”

“If they discount the suicide decision,” Griff pointed out, “that means they have to look at Diane’s death again because they might be connected, and that’s not going to happen. Your questions are making people nervous, so they want you to go away.”

“We’ll just have to keep searching for the diary.” She sighed.

“I agree. That could be the key to everything.”

They batted ideas back and forth, dissecting every conversation she’d had and going over the notes again. The sun disappeared, and, soon, bright stars twinkled in a clear sky overhead. For a change, a faint night breeze stirred the sultry air.

Griff stood up and reached for Cassie. “I think we need to discuss this with fewer clothes on.” He grinned. “We’ve given the neighbors enough to think about for the year. Let’s go upstairs and see what comes up.”

He leered at her and wiggled his eyebrows. She burst out laughing then followed him into the house.

They left the house before nine Saturday morning. Cassie wanted to be long gone before Carol showed up with her clients.

“I don’t think we have to worry about another break-in,” Griff told her. “Too much commotion over the last one. If someone still wants to get in here, they’ll figure something else out.”

“What a comforting thought.” Cassie bit her cheek. “Maybe I should just buy a gun.”

“You’d probably shoot yourself instead. No, I think what we need to do instead is try to see if anyone follows us around. Whoever it is may have decided it would just be easier to let us find what they’re looking for and go from there.”

“And what, kill us, too?” She was incredulous. “You don’t think we’d be two deaths too many? Suicide wouldn’t work this time.”

His eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened. “No, but they could make it look like I’d killed you, just like Diane, then killed myself in a sudden fit of remorse.”

“My God!” Her jaw dropped. “But that’s unbelievable.”

“Whoever we’re looking for has managed to kill twice and get away with it,” he reminded her. “By this time, they’d have great confidence in their ability to get away with anything.”

She shivered and reached across the seat for Griff’s hand. She remembered when all that that bothered her was her dark, erotic dreams about him.

They still hadn’t gone through the carton of papers from her father’s desk. Griff suggested bringing them along and looking at them over a picnic lunch. But first things first. They spent most of the morning at the nursery, talking to the owner. Cassie was impressed with Griff’s knowledge and business sense, and she could tell the owner was, too.

Griff shook hands with the man. “Thanks for all the information. I think my fiancée and I need to discuss this, but we won’t waste any time. I’ll give you a call Monday or Tuesday, okay?”

The owner nodded, although he seemed reluctant to let them get away.

“What do you think?” Cassie asked when they were back in the truck.

“I think tomorrow we should sit down and do a financial projection. Then, Monday we can call him with a formal offer.”

“How soon could we close?” Suddenly, she was eager to get this taken care of.

“I’d say no more than ninety days, which gives us time to wind up everything else.”

In Marble Hill, they found a deli where they could buy sandwiches and drinks for lunch then drove out to the property Griff had taken her to the other day. They had an hour before the agent was to meet them, so they let down the tailgate on the truck and spread out their food. Over lunch, they took their first good look at the papers from the desk. Most of them were run-of-the-mill, but, underneath the jumble, they found a tiny envelope with a key in it.

“Griff, this is a key to a safety deposit box.” She held it up, staring at it, hardly able to contain her excitement.

“You’re right. You think it’s just been in here all this time?”

She nodded. “It could have belonged to my father, but I have an itchy feeling Diane stuck it in here. She wanted a safe place for it, figuring no one would open this envelope. She was right.”

“Your mother wouldn’t have found it?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m guessing that after Dad died, all my mother did was shove papers in the drawer and forget them. She left everything for Neil to deal with.”

Griff studied the items on the truck bed, forehead creased. “Why do you suppose he never asked her what she kept at home, or where she kept personal papers? I’d have thought he’d want to get his hands on them.”

Cassie shrugged. “I’m guessing he never gave it a thought. He was too sure my father had given him everything important. Unless he’s the one looking for the diary, why would it even occur to him?”