Page 18

M ariposa’s anniversary always felt bittersweet. Twenty-two years ago, Annabeth Colton had escaped Los Angeles for Red Rock Country, where she’d purchased the hotel.

Today was cause for both celebration and reflection. As Laura went about her duties, she couldn’t help but wonder whether Mariposa reflected her mother’s vision two decades prior. For Annabeth, it had been both home and a place of hope and renewal.

Laura tried to focus on that and not everything she had learned from Noah the night before.

When CJ Knight and Doug DeGraw crossed her path, however, she thought even Noah would agree the mission verged on impossible.

“Ms. Colton,” the actor called out, forcing her to stop on the path to S Building. “I hear there’s going to be a show tonight.”

“Yes,” she replied. “We’ll have music and canapés in the rock labyrinth from six to seven this evening, with fireworks to follow. Will you be joining us?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” CJ asserted.

Laura looked at Doug. “And you, Mr. DeGraw?”

“If it’s better than the excursion yesterday and today’s massage.” Doug rolled both shoulders back in a discomfited manner. “I wonder why Mariposa is the go-to destination for the rich and famous. I can’t find much to recommend it.”

As Laura’s face fell, CJ cleared his throat. “Come on, Doug. You don’t mean that.” To Laura, he offered an apologetic smile. “I enjoyed the horseback excursion, and my massage was more than satisfactory. We’re booked for lunch at Annabeth. I’ve told Doug your chef never disappoints.”

She returned the smile. “I’m glad you think so.” Uncomfortable, she looked at Doug again. “Is there anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, Mr. DeGraw?”

He raised a discerning brow. “You wouldn’t know what bungalow Ariana Fitzgibbons is staying in, would you?”

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge that information,” she told him when she regained her voice. “It’s against our policy to invade the privacy of our guests.”

“Pity,” Doug drawled. His mouth turned down at the corners, dissatisfied. “I guess I’ll have to find out myself.”

“I’d advise you not to do so,” she cautioned.

Doug gave a small laugh. “Can’t anyone around here take a joke?”

As he walked away, limping slightly on his right leg, CJ’s smile deteriorated. He lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. He isn’t normally like this. I’ve noticed he’s been out of sorts lately. He practically begged me not to come back here.”

She tried to appear as unaffected as possible. “Red Rock Country doesn’t agree with everyone.”

“I’m not sure how,” CJ noted. “I get that Doug’s a city guy. He’s LA to the bone. But there’s nothing I don’t love about this part of the country.”

“I’m happy to hear it,” she said truthfully. “If there’s anything you or your manager can think of to make your stay better, please let me know. I’ll see to it.”

“I appreciate it, Ms. Colton,” he returned before hurrying to catch up with Doug.

Laura rubbed her hands across the surface of her arms. The chill had gone deep into her bones despite the desert sun doing its best to ward off the nip of late winter. Thunder rolled in the distance. She looked out across the ridge.

Steel wool storm clouds converged in the east, washing away everything except the foreboding that had been with her since Noah had kissed her goodbye in the wee hours of the morning. He had thought she was still asleep as he’d bent over her still form and skimmed his lips across the point of her bare shoulder before brushing the hair from her neck to repeat the motion there.

She’d wanted to turn onto her back then, ring her arms around him and roll him into the sheets with her. But she’d kept her eyes closed as he’d kissed her cheek and lingered there, his hand moving down her spine to rest warmly in the curve of her hip.

He spooked so easily when he was like that—tender and unguarded. She’d continued to feign sleep, absorbing the sweetness and tranquility.

It wasn’t a simple thing, giving her heart to a man who could so easily break it. And yet, in that moment, she’d had no choice. She’d given it as she never had before. Freely.

Laura stared those storm clouds down, daring them to intrude on tonight’s festivities. She wanted to follow Doug, track his movements, make sure he stayed far away from Ariana Fitzgibbons and every other woman at Mariposa.

“Come on, Noah,” she whispered desperately before continuing to S Building.

The storm split and spread its quilting across the sky. Sunset burned ombré shades across, so the clouds glowed terra-cotta and apricot one moment, then orange and mauve the next. At last, the day died in a somber cast of mulberry, inspiring a round of applause from the multitude of guests who gathered at the rock labyrinth over steak and blue cheese bruschetta bites and spicy blue crab tapas.

“And that wasn’t even the part we planned,” Joshua said, amused, as he passed Laura a tall glass of champagne.

“No,” she said. She sipped. “You cleaned up well.”

“Thank you,” he replied, running a hand down the front of his blue button-down. He’d popped the first few buttons on the collar, but the shirt was pressed, and he’d combed his hair back from his face, leaving his striking features to be admired by all and sundry. He glanced over at her. “Let’s not pretend I’m the one turning heads tonight.”

She peered down the front of the glittering, long-sleeved cocktail dress she’d donned. Its color brought to mind champagne bubbles, and its open back from the waist up made her aware of the swift decline in temperature. “A girl needs to shine now and then,” she mused.

Joshua’s lips curled knowingly as his champagne hovered inches from them. “If Steele were here, he’d swallow his tongue.”

The thought brought out a full-fledged grin. “Perhaps that was the idea. It might’ve worked if he’d made it on time.”

Joshua raised his wrist to peek at his watch. “He could still make it.”

“I’ve learned not to hold my breath.”

Joshua sipped, swallowed and looked at her contemplatively.

She narrowed her eyes. “What is it, Josh?”

“Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked. “About you and Fender Bender?”

“What makes you think there is?” she asked, tensing.

Joshua lowered the glass. “Because I looked him up. Noah Steele has never played for Fast Lane.”

Her smile fled swiftly.

“How could he when he’s been working for the Sedona police for seven years?”

Oh, no. “Josh,” she began.

He stopped her with “Is he really even your boyfriend?”

She couldn’t miss the light of hurt beyond the forced jocularity on his face. “No. Yes.” Closing her eyes quickly, she shook her head. “I don’t know. I—”

“How could you not know?” he asked, bewildered.

“I don’t know how to explain,” she tried to tell him, but he was on a roll.

“Is this about Allison?” he asked. “Is that why he’s here? Did he manipulate you into being part of his cover?”

“He didn’t make me do anything,” she argued. “It was my idea.”

“So he’s not the reason you’ve been lying to me all this time?” he asked. “You decided that on your own?”

“I’m sorry.” She grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “I couldn’t tell you. He needed intimate knowledge of Mariposa’s staff and guests. He needed to know the resort from the ground up, every operation, inside and outside.”

“I knew he was hiding something,” Joshua muttered. “I just didn’t think you were in on it. We’ve always told each other everything , Laura.”

“I know,” she said, forcing herself to look him in the eye, however much the accusation in his wounded. “I’m so sorry.”

“What’s going on?” Adam asked.

Joshua pointed. “Our sister’s been keeping things from us.”

“About?” Adam prompted.

“Steele,” Joshua said. “He’s a cop.”

“I know.”

Joshua stared, aghast. “You know?”

“Yes,” Adam said.

“So you’ve both been keeping things from me.”

“Mariposa had to continue as usual,” Adam stated, not missing a beat, “with no one the wiser except Laura and myself.”

“Why not me?” Joshua asked. “You didn’t think you could trust me?”

“Of course we trust you,” Laura told him.

“But you have a tendency to wear your heart on your sleeve,” Adam informed him. “You also party and socialize more extensively than the two of us. I’m sure you would have had every intention of keeping Steele’s actual reasons for being here to yourself. But it would have been all too easy to let something slip.”

Joshua’s jaw worked as he digested the information. His accusing gaze sought Laura again. “He spent the night with you.”

Adam shifted uncomfortably beside her. Awkwardness pressed against her. It clung like shrink-wrap. “He did,” she said.

“You don’t think that’s taking your role a little too seriously?” Joshua questioned.

She swallowed when the taste of anger coated her mouth. “I’m not going to take that—from you or anyone else. I don’t have to explain what Noah and I have to either of you.”

“I’m not asking,” Adam pointed out.

“Not now,” she granted. “But you have questioned it.”

“Because I thought you would get hurt.”

“I’m in love with him,” she blurted. “If we’re being honest, I might as well throw it out there. I’ve fallen in love with him and we’re all going to have to come to terms with that.”

Neither of her brothers seemed to know what to say anymore. Laura was relieved by the reprieve, though she sensed this wasn’t over. They would need to discuss this more at another time and place. She and Adam would need to address Joshua’s hurt. He would need to know the full details of Noah’s investigation. There was no going back, no hiding anything from him anymore.

“He’s making an arrest soon,” she told them both.

“When?” Joshua asked. “Tonight?”

“I don’t know precisely,” she said. “I haven’t heard from him since this morning. But he’s gathering evidence to secure a warrant. Soon, he’ll go, and this will all be over.” There was relief and dread in the finality of that. With luck, Allison’s killer would be locked away for good.

But Noah would be leaving Mariposa.

“Who?” Adam asked quietly.

She searched the crowd for the person she couldn’t deny she had been keeping tabs on since the party began. She located him over at the buffet table, not far from CJ. “I’m afraid I can’t say. Not without Noah’s authorization.”

Joshua wasn’t heartened by the news. “Fantastic. I can’t believe I actually liked the guy. I can’t believe I trusted him with you.”

Laura glanced around quickly to make sure no one would overhear. Then she hissed, “Allison was his sister!”

“What?” Joshua exclaimed.

“She was his sister,” she repeated. “He needed help. I gave it—for her.”

Joshua stepped back. He pinched the skin at the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “This is a lot to process.”

“Then take a beat,” Adam advised. “We’ll speak about this, however much you need to. But come back when you’re ready to do so civilly.”

Joshua dropped his hand. He glanced in Laura’s direction but didn’t quite meet her eye. “I’ve said some things tonight I’m going to regret later.”

“Adam’s right,” Laura said. She tried swallowing the guilt and hurt. Together, they formed a knot that was anything but small. “We’ll talk more when you’re ready.”

He lifted his empty glass. “I need another.”

As he moved off, Laura dropped her face into her hand. “Oh, God, Adam. He’s so angry at me.”

“He’s angry at us.”

“I made you keep this from him,” she reminded him. “You didn’t have to take any of the blame.”

“I may not understand all the reasons you did this,” Adam explained. “But I will never not stand beside you. I thought you knew that.”

His ferocity was something to behold. She wanted to tell him she loved him—that she was sorry that he had to weather Joshua’s resentment and accusations, too.

Before she could put any of that into words, Erica said, “Excuse me?” In a black cocktail dress and heels, she looked elegant, but her beauty was subdued by the frown playing at her mouth.

“Yes, Erica?” Adam asked kindly.

“They’re ready for your speech,” she said, gesturing to the stage.

“Right.” Adam downed the last of his champagne. He took the note cards Erica had at the ready, then straightened his collar and tie. “Wish me luck?”

“You always bring down the house,” Laura murmured. “But good luck.”

He gave her a single nod before taking the steps to the bandstand two at a time.

“I was wondering if I could speak to you,” Erica said to Laura. Embarrassment and hesitancy battled for purchase on her face.

“Certainly,” Laura told her, trying to inject some measure of cheer into her voice. It didn’t work as well as she’d hoped.

“I heard a rumor,” Erica said. “About the investigation.”

“What kind of rumor?” Laura asked.

Erica coaxed the words out, paling as she did so. “They say that CJ Knight is a suspect.”

Laura pressed her lips together, wondering what exactly to say. “He may be,” she said, hesitant.

Erica shook her head. “That isn’t right. I mean, you see, I...” Releasing a breath, she lifted a trembling hand to her head. “He has an alibi.”

“He does?” Laura asked, surprised.

“Yes,” she decided. “I lied to you and to Joshua. I’m not entirely sure what came over me that night. The night Allison was killed.”

“You were with him,” Laura intoned.

“I was with him,” Erica agreed with a nod. “CJ and I...were intimate. It happened in his bungalow. So he couldn’t have done it. He couldn’t have killed Allison. And he wouldn’t have. He may be the one-night-stand kind of guy. But he’s not the type of man who would murder someone.”

Laura set her champagne aside. She placed her hand considerately on Erica’s arm. “You need to tell the police. You’ll have to in order to clear Mr. Knight of all suspicion.”

Erica absorbed this news. Her eyes widened, but she nodded slightly. “Of course.”

Laura squeezed her arm gently. “It’s a good thing you’re doing, Erica.”

“Do you think Adam will fire me?” she whispered faintly.

“It hasn’t interfered with your ability to do your job,” Laura noted. “I think we can all vouch for that. I’ll speak with Adam, and we’ll see about moving forward from this once the investigation’s over.”

Erica nodded. “Thank you, Laura—for being so understanding.”

Laura simply nodded. As Erica slipped away, Laura looked around. She found Joshua near the bar, talking to Valerie. Adam was at center stage, cuing the band for his speech. Alexis and Tallulah stood shoulder to shoulder as they chatted with Greg and Tallulah’s nephew, Mato, who held a tray of canapés on an upraised palm.

She spied CJ Knight at last as he spoke with Knox and Kim Blankenship.

If CJ had been occupied with Erica at the time of Allison’s death, Noah was right. Guilt now lay squarely at the feet of...

“Ms. Colton.”

The chill started at the base of her neck. It trickled down her spine as she pivoted on her heels to confront Doug DeGraw. He wore a suit in charcoal gray with a black shirt underneath. He’d gone without a tie, and the shirt was buttoned to his throat. His Adam’s apple jutted over its neat collar and his cool smile turned her blood to ice.

“Mr. DeGraw,” she greeted him. “I see you decided to join us. How was your lunch at Annabeth?”

“Superb.”

She forced a smile. “Mr. Knight is correct. Our chef rarely disappoints.”

“The food was all right,” he said with a wave of his hand. “It was the company that was divine.”

Her brows came together. “The company?”

“I slipped the ma?tre d’ a fifty. He seated CJ and me next to Ms. Fitzgibbons’s table.”

The smugness of his grin...the light that entered his eyes... They made Laura take a steadying breath. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” He took a step toward her while Adam spoke into the mic on stage and those around them quieted. “You needn’t worry. Ariana knows she will benefit from the attention of a man like me. And she’s more than willing to take it.”

Her lips numbed, and she realized she was pressing them hard together. “What did you do to her?”

“Do?” He chuckled. “Nothing she didn’t ask for. In her own way.” With a wink, he slithered off to stand with CJ and the others.

Laura’s heart drummed. She barely resisted the urge to place her hand over her mouth as she searched the crowd desperately for the red hair of Ariana Fitzgibbons.

When she couldn’t find her, she walked briskly to Roland. When he leaned down to hear what she wanted to say, she kept her voice low. “Doug DeGraw. Do you know who he is?”

“CJ Knight’s manager,” he said.

She nodded. “Can you keep an eye on him for me?”

“Yes.”

“If you see him leave the party, I’m going to need you to call me on my cell phone,” she explained. “Immediately. Can you do that?”

“Of course I can.” His wide forehead creased. “Should I be concerned about anyone’s safety?”

“Not at this time,” she said, again looking around, wishing Ariana’s face would pop out of the crowd. “The moment DeGraw exits the rock labyrinth...”

“I’ll place the call,” he finished. “You have my word.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, then walked away as Adam’s speech wrapped to the roused clatter of applause.

“Ms. Fitzgibbons?” Laura called. She knocked again on the door of Ariana’s bungalow, louder this time. “Ms. Fitzgibbons!”

No answer came. The windows remained dark. Laura cupped her hands around her face to peer through the nearest one.

A shaft of moonlight revealed an empty couch and table.

If Ariana had returned to the bungalow before sunset, she would have left a light burning before she’d departed again.

Trying not to panic, Laura sprinted along the path to the VIP bungalows.

When she reached Bungalow Two, where she knew Doug was staying on CJ’s dime, she slowed.

Noah had made her promise not to approach a suspect. That promise made her hesitate on the doorstep.

She wasn’t approaching a suspect, she reasoned. Doug was back at the rock labyrinth, where she knew Roland would watch him.

Raising her fist, she knocked on the door. When she heard nothing inside, she pressed her ear to the door, willing her pulse to stop knocking so that she may better hear a call for help.

When none came, she peered through the window. The blackout curtains had been drawn.

Frustrated, she tore open her beaded handbag and extracted her master key. If Ariana was in there and she wasn’t answering, Laura could only assume she had been drugged, like Allison. That maybe she, too, had been given too much and was...

She swiped the master key. The lock chirped and a green light blinked. Laura pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She switched on the light beside the door.

There was no sign of a struggle. As she shut the door behind her, she peered at the couch. The cushions weren’t mussed. A pair of men’s shoes sat tidily near the door to the patio. There was a glass of wine, unfinished, on the kitchen counter.

Laura stared at the last sips of dark red wine. She saw the faint impression of lips on the rim. No lipstick.

Through the glass door, the pool sat undisturbed. Folded towels lay in the corner on a raised surface, compliments of Housekeeping. Laura counted one, two, three. None of them had been used.

She twitched the curtain back in place. There was no sign of a woman here. No sign that anything nefarious had taken place.

She eyed the short passage to the bedroom and clutched her handbag tighter.

If she could find proof...if she could help Noah nail Doug DeGraw...this would all be over. Allison’s killer would be caught.

Laura stepped toward the bedroom door. It was open. She turned on the overhead light, illuminating the white linens on the bed.

She scanned the space, wondering where to start. Doug’s toiletry bag lay on the dresser. His suitcase was open on the rack near the bathroom.

She searched all the outside pockets first, then lay a hand flat between folded shirts. After running her hand around the inside rim to no avail, she checked the toiletry bag. Careful not to disorganize the high-end men’s products she found inside, she shifted them one by one. Nothing hid underneath them except a sample sleeve of under-eye cream.

She stepped back, making sure everything looked exactly as it had before she’d begun her search. Frowning, she turned a slow circle.

Where else would a guilty man hide evidence of wrongdoing?

She opened the drawer on the nightstand. Nothing there—not a single dust mote.

The corner of the sheet stuck out kitty-corner underneath the coverlet. It had slipped from its holding under the mattress.

...under the mattress...

Hadn’t Fulton found Dayton Ferraday’s drug stash under the mattress or inside it?

She went down on her knees. Like she had with the shirts, she reached underneath the mattress and felt around.

Her hand met something cold. It rolled, then tinkled against something else. She grabbed the thin item and pulled it out into the light.

The vial was translucent, but she could see the liquid within. On the side, there was a label.

Fentanyl.

Holding her breath, she reached underneath the mattress and found the other vial and a ten-milliliter syringe, empty and capped. It looked like the kind used for insulin.

She placed them on top of the bed and dug into her bag. Remembering to breathe, she pulled out her cell phone and stood. When she unlocked the screen to place the call to Noah, she paused.

She’d missed a call—from Roland.

She checked the time stamp. He’d tried calling ten minutes ago.

It hasn’t rung , she thought.

She checked her notification settings and her heart dropped.

After exiting the party, she’d forgotten to take her phone off Silent.

Don’t panic , she coached herself. She’d simply take a picture of the evidence, then replace it and slip safely out of Doug’s bungalow.

Quickly, she framed the vials and syringe in her camera view. She tapped the screen when it tried focusing on the fibers of the comforter underneath and ignored the sound of her heartbeat in her ears.

She snapped a couple of pictures, then stuffed her phone back in her bag. Replacing the vials, she left the covers on the bed as they should be. Then she stood and took two steps to the door before an item on the floor made her stop.

It lay innocently enough underneath the hook where Doug had hung his overcoat. A leather string with an evil-eye pendant.

Laura bent down to retrieve it. She raised it to get a better look and her lips trembled.

It must’ve fallen from the pocket of his coat without his knowing.

A sob rose as she studied the evil eye. Unlike the one she had given Noah, Allison’s was light green. She’d once told Laura it granted her success in dreams, good health and contentment.

Laura felt a whisper of air across the bare skin of her back and the hairs on her arms and neck stood on end.

Before she could turn, he took her down at the waist.

She met the wall with a clatter, knocking the lamp over on the bedside table. The impact knocked the wind out of her.

Fingers raked through her hair and drove her face into the wall.

A dull gray film slanted across her vision. Her ears rang. She blinked, trying to bring everything back into focus as he spun her roughly around.

It took several seconds for Doug’s face to solidify in front of her.

“Ms. Colton,” he said with a sneer.

She saw his fist raised to strike. Before he could swing, she took up the fallen lamp on the bedside table. The lampshade fell. She arced the neck of the lamp toward his face and threw her weight into it.

It hit him. The bulb shattered and he toppled sideways on a shout.

She made a break for it, fumbling for the door.

She slipped in the hall. Her heel came off. She left it, scrambling to her feet as his footsteps chased her.

She ran out of Bungalow Two, screaming.