Trail of Lies (10 page)

His hand still covered hers. Heat scored her cheeks as she slipped hers into her lap. She'd seen the questions behind Jorge's congenial expression. When it became known that Daniel was staying at the house… Melora stared at her plate. She was glad that her uncle was out of town for a few days. He would demand answers to some very personal questions, and she wouldn't lie to him.

 

Returning to the Bustles and Spurs on the Riverwalk brought back memories of her marriage with Axle—not all bad, at least not at first. But over the years something had changed with Axle. He became driven. Getting more money had become the most important thing in his life to the exclusion of her and Kaitlyn. The thought saddened her as Melora left the kitchen and went through the large dining room, decorated in Texan style with an adobe interior, massive blond wood tables and chairs and chandeliers made from the long horns of steers.

“I wish something had panned out here.” Melora glanced back once more at the exit to the kitchen.

“It would have been nice if the man who broke into your house worked here or we'd found something illegal back in the storage area, but I didn't think we would.” Daniel opened the door for her.

She stepped outside into the crisp December air, the river only feet away from her. “Then why did we do this?”

“I have to check out all possibilities, and just maybe you would have recognized someone who would trigger a
memory that could help us. What you told us today about the man in a coma will help. We're a little closer today than we were yesterday to identifying him.”

She wanted to be optimistic, but right now she couldn't be. The warmth of the sun beaming down on her lured her. Lifting her face toward it, she closed her eyes and let it bathe her for a few minutes as she listened to the sounds of the people around them on the Riverwalk. Aromas from different restaurants' food spiced the air, enticing people to try their dishes.

“We'd better go. I don't want us out here long.”

Daniel's words wrenched her back to the situation she found herself in. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Someone on the bridge several yards behind Daniel caught her attention.

The same young man who had been across the street when she'd left the Alamo Planning Committee meeting. Although his face was hidden partially from her, she recognized the protruding jawline, the thin lips. He brought a cigarette to his mouth and took a puff. It had to be him.

“Daniel, I think we're being watched.”

“Where?” Daniel didn't move or indicate anything out of the ordinary was taking place.

The young man shifted, and she felt his gaze boring into her. “Behind you to the left on the bridge.”

“Look at me. Play along.”

She did as he said, pulling her attention from the man.

Daniel moved closer and slung his arm around her as though they were dating. “I'll slowly turn like we're going to stroll along the Riverwalk in that direction.”

She smiled up at him. “He's wearing jeans and a brown shirt and cowboy hat.”

Daniel pulled her even closer, his expression intense as if she were the most important person to him. Her heart
reacted to his nearness and the threat that loomed on the bridge.

Casually, they began strolling toward the left. “I see him. Medium height, the same build as your assailant.”

“The same man?” She hadn't thought about that. She swung her gaze toward the young man again as he flicked his cigarette into the water below.

He straightened from the railing, spun on his heel and darted down the other side of the bridge. Daniel took a few steps forward to go after him but stopped and twisted back toward Melora.

“Why didn't you go after him?”

“Because my job right now is to keep you safe. What if someone had set this all up to get me to do just that?”

An icy shroud wrapped about her. She surveyed the area and wondered who else was watching.

L
ater that day, Melora placed another drawer full of Axle's belongings into a box then marked what was in the container as she sealed it. “Do you think that sketch I gave of the young man will help you all?”

Daniel started on a new row of books on the shelves. “I didn't get that good a look at his face, but what you told the sketch artist was what I saw.”

“The problem was his face was not totally visible today, and the last time I saw him he was a distance away.”

“All we can do is run with what we have and hope something happens. That man might be the same one who broke into your house so he's definitely a person of interest.”

And he was watching her. If she heard him talk, she could identify him for sure, but right now she needed to focus on finding Axle's flash drive—if it even was here at the estate. “That's it for the desk. It's cleaned out and no flash drive. In fact, nothing that remotely looks like information someone would murder to get.” She was still afraid that Alicia Wells would be found dead. Although it appeared the woman had betrayed Melora, she didn't want her killed for it.

“When we're through in here, we'll at least be able to
rule out this room.” Daniel took another book from a shelf, flipped through it then put it into a carton.

Melora sat back in the desk chair, tired from spending all afternoon working on boxing up Axle's possessions while searching for the elusive flash drive that Daniel hoped would lead to who was behind his captain's murder. Going through her deceased husband's belongings brought forward all those memories she wanted to forget and move past.

Daniel completed going through the shelf of books, ones that Axle had loved to read about war and violence, and closed the carton. Melora wished she could shut the door on her past as easily as it was to box up Axle's possessions.

“After we finish up in here tomorrow morning, where do you think we should look next?” Daniel walked to the desk and hovered over her.

His presence gave her comfort. For a few moments she felt safe, protected. Then she glanced at the stacked containers along the wall and knew she wasn't safe. “His bedroom. We slept in separate ones those last six months.” Admitting the failure of her marriage out loud didn't bother her as much as it would have a month ago. But she couldn't shake the feeling that Axle had fooled her for years. Why hadn't she seen what kind of man he really was?

He held out his hand to her. “C'mon. We deserve a break. I've been smelling dinner for the past hour.”

She allowed him to tug her up, the feel of his touch zipping up her arm and through her body. “Juanita is fixing her Mexican casserole. It's delicious.”

“I haven't had anything she's made that isn't wonderful. I just wish she would relax around me.”

She should move away from him, put the room between them, but Melora stayed rooted to the floor right in front of Daniel. His dark eyes lured her in, tying her to him. “She's
that way around most new people. It takes a while for her to warm up. It took her a year with Axle.”

Still clasping her hand, he inched closer. “A year! Let's hope I'm gone by then.”

He said it lightly, referring to his investigation, but his words reminded her that their “partnership” was short-lived. She stepped back to reinforce that.

“This case has lasted long enough. I don't want you living in fear,” he said in a husky drawl that enticed her to come nearer.

“Mommy. Daniel. I've drawn you a picture.” Kaitlyn rushed across the room, waving two sheets of paper.

Melora scrambled back, nearly collapsing into the desk chair behind her, while Daniel whirled around and held out his hand for his drawing.

He took the paper Kaitlyn thrust at him and grinned. “This is beautiful. You're gonna be the next Picasso.”

Kaitlyn's forehead wrinkled. “Pisa—so? Who's that?”

Melora skirted around Daniel. “A famous painter. Let me see.”

Kaitlyn gave Melora her sheet.

“I love dogs. I used to have a brown one like this,” Daniel said.

The little girl giggled. “That's not a dog, silly. It's a horse. Like the one in the stable.”

“Oh, now I can tell.” Daniel turned a nice shade of red and threw Melora a “help me” look.

“This will be perfect up on the refrigerator.” Melora drew Kaitlyn to her and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks, hon.”

“Can we show Daniel the stable?”

Melora looked toward him, not sure how to answer.

He drew in a deep breath. “I smell dinner and my stomach has been rumbling for hours.”

“We'll take Daniel to the stable another day. Go wash up for dinner.”

Kaitlyn spun around and raced from the room. “I'll draw him a picture of the stable then.”

“That whirlwind was my daughter just in case you couldn't tell.”

Daniel chuckled. “I haven't had someone draw me a picture in—” he cocked his head and thought “—come to think of it, never.”

“She loves to make pictures. I have a whole scrapbook of them. I put them up on the refrigerator for a while then they go into the scrapbook. Something for me to look back over in my old age.”

“I wish I had something like that with Clay. If only I could have do overs—with my son and father.”

Melora responded to the sadness flashing into his eyes and laid her hand on his arm. “We can't exactly, but we do get second chances. Think of tonight as one of those.”

Their gazes connected, and she wanted to help erase the vulnerability she saw in his expression. She moved closer. “I know your dad is dead, but what's stopping you from asking your father to forgive you now? It's how you feel that is important. If you regret what happened to your relationship with your father, then ask his forgiveness then move on. That's all you can do.”

Juanita appeared in the dining room doorway. “Melora, do you want to eat in the dining room or kitchen?”

“Kitchen will be fine. I'll be in there to set the table.”

“Kaitlyn is spread out all over the table, drawing a picture for Señor Riley.”

“We can wait until after Kaitlyn finishes her picture, then eat. I know you're planning on going to church tonight. Go ahead and I'll take care of whatever else needs to be done.”

“If you're sure.”

“I am.” Melora waited until Juanita left before continuing, “She usually takes this evening totally off, but since you're here, she offered to stay and fix dinner. I accepted when I thought of my cooking versus hers. There is no comparison.”

“She goes to church every Tuesday night?”

“Yes.”

“Which church does she go to?”

“Lone Star Christian. Why?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.” He started for the kitchen.

Melora grabbed his arm and halted his progress. “Are you going to check up on Juanita?”

His stare, as though they had never talked about personal issues just minutes before, drilled into her. “I already have some.”

“Juanita is like a member of my family. She would never do anything to harm me or Kaitlyn.”

“Often murders are committed by friends or loved ones so excuse me if I don't take that as a reason not to look closely into Juanita's activities.” His professional facade firmly in place, he shook off her grasp and continued his trek toward the kitchen.

Was he regretting their earlier connection? There was a part of her that saw the wisdom in that. But a small piece of her clung to that link she'd experienced with Daniel for a short time this evening. She'd felt as if her opinion mattered, something that had been lacking in her marriage.

 

Later that evening, Melora entered the third floor circular tower, darkness beyond the large windows that, in daylight, afforded her a view of the surrounding landscape.
But rays of moonlight streaked across the wooden floor, illuminating her way toward Daniel. “There you are.”

He stood at the west window that faced the front of the house, his hands stuffed into his jeans, his shoulders hunched. “I came up here to check the door to the deck. Although not the most likely way for someone to get into your home, it could happen.” He turned from the window and faced her. “I like it up here.”

“It's my favorite room in the house. I've done a lot of thinking up here. I could look out and feel as though I was on top of the world while I wasn't.”

He closed the space between them. “I'm sorry for all that's happened to you.”

“I just want my daughter safe. I want a normal life again. I haven't had one in years.”

“Normal? What's that?”

“I noticed you were awfully quiet tonight at dinner and afterward. Did Kaitlyn nagging to play a game bother you?”

He shook his head. “On the contrary, I enjoyed playing Candy Land.”

Melora laughed. “That's a first. I don't think I've heard that from a man. Axle never…”

“I'm not Axle.” The words were bitten out between clenched teeth.

She didn't want to talk about her deceased husband, she suddenly thought. She wanted to put that part of her life behind her. How was that possible with all that was going on right now? “I know, but she could never get Uncle Tyler, either.” She forced a lightness to her voice. “And believe me, she tried some of her best whining with Uncle Tyler.”

“I have succumbed to your daughter's vast charms.”

“How about her mother's?” The question came out in a
breathless rush that sent her heart hammering against her rib cage.

His mouth spread in a smile. “From the first time I came to your rescue.”

She shivered. “I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't.”

He took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her palm. “No matter where we are, I'll do my best to protect you.”

“I know because that's the type of man you are.” Nothing like Axle.

He leaned toward her and brushed his lips across hers before settling his mouth on hers in a deep kiss. She melted against him as though her legs couldn't support her anymore. His arms held her to him while he continued to lay claim to her heart. When he finally lifted his head, his embrace still caged her against him.

“I shouldn't have done that,” he murmured in a husky voice that renewed all those tingling sensations his kiss had generated.

“Probably not.” Melora circled her arms around his neck.

“We need to keep this business between us.”

“Yeah, I'm sure you're right.” She dragged him down for another kiss. It had been years since she'd felt this cherished. Actually, it had been never. Certainly not with Axle.

He murmured something against her lips, but this time she was the one who initiated the deepening of the kiss. With all that happened to her in the past few years, she wanted—needed—this feeling of femininity—of closeness.

When they parted, their shallow breaths filling the void
between them, Melora finally let her arms slip to her sides and took a step back.

In the sliver of light Daniel's expression, full of his own needs and wants, transformed into a neutral one. “We'd better call it an evening. Tomorrow we have a lot of house to cover.”

Stepping another pace away from him, Melora nodded, not even sure if he saw the gesture as she let the shadows swallow her up.

He cleared his throat. “We'll finish the office then start on your husband's bedroom.”

Another room she avoided when she could. Axle kept the master bedroom downstairs while she'd moved to the second floor to the room next to Kaitlyn's. Even from the grave he was influencing her actions.

Now that she was no longer in Daniel's embrace, she saw the folly in getting involved with him. They had come from the same world, but he'd left it behind. His work was his life—like Axle. At least Daniel was on the side of good, but at one time she had thought Axle was a good guy, too. And she had been very wrong. Could she ever risk falling in love with another man? That mistake with Axle could cost her her life—or her daughter.

 

After escorting Melora to her room, Daniel made another round to check the doors and windows. His body felt charged, restless. He shouldn't have kissed her, but the connection he sensed with her overwhelmed him. He'd been able to talk to her as though they had known each other for years. She'd tried to make him feel better about his relationship with his son.

But the fact his relationship was so rocky with Clay was the very reason he needed to stay away emotionally from Melora—and as far from her as possible physically when
she was safe again. He needed to keep reminding himself that she deserved a man who could give her one hundred percent. She deserved a man who could be a good father to her child. That wasn't him.

The kiss was nice. No, it was great. But that was all they would share. He was here for two things—to protect her and Kaitlyn and to find Axle's flash drive. Nothing else.

 

Kaitlyn raced into the office as Daniel finished taping up the last box. “Mommy just told me you wanted to play another game of Candy Land tonight.” The little girl threw her arms around Daniel's waist and hugged him.

Surprised, he looked up to see Melora entering the room. “You've gotta give a guy a rematch.”

Her daughter had a way of overwhelming a person and the expression on Daniel's face illustrated that right now. Melora slid her look away, taking in the almost empty room, void of most of its personal touches. “That's only if you pick up your room.”

“Ah, Mommy.” A pout puckered her mouth. “I'll just mess it up again.” Kaitlyn leaned back and stared up at Daniel. “Don't ya think so?”

“Well…” He sent a “please help me” glance toward Melora.

“Honey, your room first, then later a game of Candy Land. Daniel and I need to finish cleaning up in here and putting Daddy's things away in his room.”