We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) (12 page)

Ken’s wife was petite
with short, silver blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. Her gaze darted between
Ethan and Sam, a satisfied smile lifting her lips. She slid onto the vacant
chair pulled up to the patio table and sipped her own glass of wine.

“Speaking of bodies, did
they identify the one we found?” Sam dabbed at a damp spot on the glass
tabletop with her napkin, gaze lowered.

Ken leaned back in his
chair. “As a matter of fact, I talked to the sheriff a few hours ago. The
woman’s name is Iris Jansen. She was a student at UC Davis when she disappeared
seventeen years ago. The authorities are notifying her family now.”

Sam’s lips tightened.
“What a waste of a young life, but at least her parents will have some
closure.”

“More so when they find the
bastard who killed the poor girl and buried her in the woods,” Ken growled.

Ethan set down his beer.
“Do the police have any leads?”

“Not that I’m aware of.
After all this time, it won’t be easy to get answers. Hopefully her family will
be able to give the authorities a place to start searching.”

Ethan nodded, and the
conversation became more general. They ate grilled chicken, pasta, and a green
salad studded with vegetables while they watched the sun set. When darkness
crept across the patio, Sam went inside with Lenore to wash the dishes.

Leaning back in his
chair, Ken gave Ethan a narrow eyed glance. “Are you treating my girl right?”

“I’m trying to. It isn’t
easy to break through her protective wall.”

A sigh fluttered Ken’s
moustache. “Sam doesn’t trust easily, but once she does, there’s no one more
loyal.”

Quiet talk and
occasional laughter floated through the kitchen window. Just the sound of Sam’s
voice made his pulse race. With an effort, he pulled his attention back to the
conversation.

“I can see that, and I
would consider myself lucky to be included in her inner circle.” He shifted in
his chair and smiled. “I think I’m making progress.”

“Excellent. Sam deserves
to be happy, and you’ve put a sparkle in her eye I haven’t seen there in a long
time.”

Satisfaction filled the
hollow places in his chest. Knowing Ken thought he was good for Sam boosted
Ethan’s determination to ease her into a committed relationship. The warmth
spread when she opened the patio door, stepped through, and rested her hand on his
shoulder.

“We should probably be
going.” She cast the older man a teasing glance. “It’s getting late, and Ken
needs his beauty sleep.”

“You bet I do.” Rising
to his feet, he gave her a hug. “I’ve never been a night owl. I like to be up
before the dawn.”

Lenore came out and
patted her husband’s arm. “I was quick to teach him the value of a silent house
at five in the morning.”

Ken chuckled. “Lucky for
me, I’m a fast learner.”

After thanking their
hosts for the meal and exchanging goodbyes, Sam and Ethan walked through the
yard to the driveway.

“Those two have such a
wonderful relationship,” she said on a sigh.

“They have mutual
respect, which forms a solid base to build on. I always admired that in my
parents, too.”

They stopped beside his
pickup. Little furrows creased Sam’s brow. “Respect is key.”

He laid a hand on her
arm and stroked it with his thumb. Tiny tremors quivered beneath the warm skin.
“Never think for a minute you’re not worthy of any man’s respect.”

She stood on her toes
and kissed him, her soft lips igniting an instant spark. When she stepped back,
it took an effort not to reach for her.

“The women around here
are either blind or stupid to have let you stay single this long.” She smiled.
“My good fortune.”

He grinned back and
opened the truck door. “My house or yours?”

She slid onto the seat
and raised a brow. “Assuming, are you?”

After shutting the door,
he strolled around to the driver’s side and climbed in. “Just that you have a
computer.” He started the engine. “We have research to do.”

“Of course.” She leaned
into the corner of the seat. “Now that we know the victim’s name, where she
lived, and when she disappeared, the Internet should cough up an abundance of
information about Iris Jansen.”

Turning out of Ken’s
driveway, Ethan drove into the moonless night. “I’m counting on it.”

****

“You’ve gotta love
social media.” Ethan scrolled through the comments left on Camilla French’s
home page. “And the fact that some people will friend a total stranger.”

Sam leaned over his shoulder,
her gaze glued to the screen. Disgust tightened her stomach. “Iris’s sister has
only known about her death for a few hours and already has it plastered all
over her news page. Who does that?”

“Just be thankful. It
makes our search a whole lot easier.”

“I suppose so. Stop!”
She stabbed a finger at the computer screen. “That one looks promising.”

“I can’t believe they
found poor Iris after all these years. It weighed heavily on me that I was
probably the last person she spoke to before she left town that weekend. My
condolences to your family,”
Ethan read aloud.

“Jennifer Reed. Go to
her info page.”

He clicked on the
woman’s icon, a trio of cats, and let out a crow of triumph. “She lives in
Placerville. That’s only a couple of hours from here.”

“Occupation, ER nurse.
Graduated from UC Davis, class of ’96. She loves 80’s rock, cats, and reality
TV. Status, single.”

“Bet we can find her
address in fifteen minutes or less.”

Ten minutes later Sam
shook her head. “Her home is on Walnut Street. That was way too easy. No wonder
online predators flourish.”

“Yeah.” He closed the
laptop and leaned back in his chair. “Do you think Jennifer will know who Iris
was dating before she disappeared?”

Elbow planted on the
table, she rested her cheek in her palm. “I hope so.” Blinking eyes determined
to droop, she suppressed a yawn. “It’s two o’clock. I need to get some sleep
before we leave in the morning.”

He frowned. “Before
I
leave. You aren’t going anywhere.” His scowl deepened. “I’m not willing to risk
your safety. We talked about this, Sam.”

“That was before some
cretin spray painted a warning on
your
windshield.”

“Doesn’t change
anything.”

She took a calming
breath. “He’ll be watching you, too.”

“Then I’ll take a dog
with me and spread the word I’m headed out of town to meet with a potential
buyer. One casual comment to Mavis at the snack counter in the gas station, and
the whole town will know what I’m doing.”

Frustration simmered.
“Damn it, I want to do something, too.”

“Didn’t you tell Lenore
you’d help her with the fall festival tomorrow afternoon? Actually, today now.”

Teeth gritted, she
glanced over at him. “Do you always have an answer for everything?”

He stood, pulled her out
of the chair, then wrapped his arms around her waist. “You mean too much to me
to take chances. Who knows what this creep will do if he feels threatened?”

She relaxed against his
chest. “You’re right. I know you are, but I’ve always been a hands on sort of
person.”

“You can put your hands
on me.” His breath whispered across her ear.

Her heart fluttered then
beat a little faster. “You’re a funny guy.”

“I should go.” He bent
and kissed her, his lips lingering.  “You’re tired.”

“Probably because
someone kept me up last night.”

He kissed her again. “Neither
one of us will get any sleep if I stay.”

She ran her thumb along
the stubble on his jaw. When he pressed closer, the strength of his desire
prodded her stomach. Her need for rest dissolved in a surge of passion.

“Sleep is overrated.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes
clouded with emotion.

Desire, certainly, but
there was concern, too, and caring in their depths. Mixed together, they looked
a lot like love. Sam’s chest tightened. Words stuck in her throat, and she
could only nod in response. Taking his hand, she led him to her bedroom.

****

“I’m in trouble,” Sam
said.

Juliette’s eyes widened.
“Did that—person—do something else?”

“No, it’s Ethan.”

She dropped her tuna on
rye back on the paper plate in a shower of lettuce. “What’s wrong? You two
didn’t have a fight, did you?”

The other tables in the
deli were unoccupied, though a pair of teenagers and an older man stood in line
at the counter. The strong scent of onions and vinegar permeated the air.
Soothing new age music drifted from hidden speakers but failed to calm Sam’s
jangled nerves. She’d been going crazy waiting to hear from Ethan and had
talked Juliette into meeting her for a quick lunch to take her mind off what
might be happening in Placerville.

“Did you?” Juliette
repeated.

She shook her head.
“Just the opposite. He’s the sweetest guy, always thinking about me. But he’s
not
too
nice, if you know what I mean. Ethan has a confidence and
strength of character I admire.” She sighed and poked at the pickle spear on
her plate. “I’m falling in love with him.”

“That’s great, Sam. How
does he feel?”

“He cares—a lot. I know
he does, though he hasn’t exactly said the L word yet.”

“Have you?”

Glancing up, she briefly
met her friend’s gaze before looking away. She forced out a breath. “It’s not
something I say easily.”

“I know it isn’t.”
Juliette took a bite of her sandwich and studied her.

When the scrutiny didn’t
waver, Sam squirmed. “What, do I have mustard on my nose?”

“I’m just trying to
figure out why you look so glum. I’d think you’d be happy. I know I would be if
I had a great guy giving me his undivided attention.”

“I am, really. When I’m
with Ethan…” She closed her eyes for a moment as memories of the night before
crowded in. “It’s going to kill me when it’s over.”

“It doesn’t have to
end.” She laid her hand on Sam’s arm and squeezed. “You’re ready for a change,
a commitment. Take a leap of faith. You may regret it forever if you don’t.”

“You’re right. You’re
always
right. That’s why I come to you with all my man problems.”

Juliette’s big, brown
eyes clouded. “I don’t know about that. My marriage turned into a huge
disaster.”

“Through no fault of
yours.” Sam bit off a hunk of pickle and chewed furiously. “I still wish you’d
let me kick that ex of yours where it’ll hurt the most.”

“Sam!”

She shot over an
innocent look. “In his overinflated ego. Where did you think I meant?”

The shadows faded from
her eyes with her smile. “Talk to Ethan. Be honest with him about your
feelings.”

Sam polished off the
pickle and wiped her hands on a napkin. “I will, just as soon as this threat
we’re all living under is neutralized.”

“Who knows how long
that’ll take.”

“Maybe not as long as
you think.”

Juliette paused with her
sandwich halfway to her mouth. “What have you done?”

She wadded up the
napkin. “Not as much as I’d like. They identified the body. The woman was Iris
Jansen.” Her voice lowered as the silver haired man in a button down shirt
walked by with his takeout order. “Ethan drove to Placerville this morning to
talk with one of her old college friends.”

“How did you—”

“Social media is a
treasure trove of information.”

Her companion's lips
formed a round oh. “This friend agreed to speak to him?”

“Not exactly, but I’m
counting on Ethan to charm her. She’s single and loves cats.”

“Now I see why you’ve
been so twitchy. I swear you’ve checked your phone for messages at least five
times since we got here.”

“I don’t understand why
he hasn’t called yet. I hope nothing went wrong.”

When the phone she’d set
on the table vibrated, she lunged for it and knocked over her ice tea glass.
Ice cubes slid by on a river of pale brown liquid. Both women leaped to their
feet.

“Is it Ethan?”

Sam nodded as Juliette
pulled paper napkins from the dispenser.

“Talk to him. I’ll clean
up the mess.”

****

“Jennifer Reed isn’t
home.” Ethan leaned against the thick trunk of an oak tree and eyed Ebony, who
sniffed a fast food bag stuck in the lowest branches of a bush. “I made
discrete inquires at the hospital. Shift change for ER nurses isn’t for a few
hours.”

“Well, that bites.” The
frustration in Sam’s tone was obvious. “I’ve been a nervous wreck waiting to
hear from you. Ask Juliette. I nearly poured my ice tea in her lap.”