Page 42 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

“Stay here with Aiden while I’m gone.”

I shook my head, indulging him. “Where would I go? We’ll be working numbers, and you know that’s my favorite thing.” Shane beat his chest. “My second favorite thing.”

He gave me another kiss, hungry and wonderful.

“It won’t be long. A hardware run in Gainesville.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Thank you for not taking me along.” I kissed him again.

“I still might.” Kiss.

“Okay, you can stop now. There’s decent and upstanding, and then there’s you two.” Aiden inserted his hands between us and gave a gentle push.

Shane grunted his annoyance. “I’m saying goodbye to my wife.”

“No, a goodbye is a handshake or a wave. You’re trying to offend my innocent eyes.”

The sound of Shane’s truck horn drifted through the storefront’s open door.

“Don’t go anywhere alone. Stay with Aiden the entire time. You understand me?”

I didn’t protest as he wasn’t wrong, and I’d lose the inevitable battle. “We’ll meet you at home later.”

“I’ll stay if you aren’t there,” Aiden promised.

We sent Detective Moore the video footage two nights ago and received a single thumbs-up emoji in response, which was expected. He indulged me because it was easier than arguing.

“Enjoy your numbers,” Shane said, and kissed me one last time.

“So you two are in love now, huh?” Aiden made a heart shape with his hands. “You’re good for him. Hell, you’re good for the entire town.”

I appreciated his compliment, but it wasn’t true yet. “Tell me that once we get the grant approved. How’s business?”

“My sixty-year-old model train hobbyist hasn’t opened shop yet, which is annoying. Also, I put together those receipts like you wanted.” Aiden handed over a smashed-up shoebox. “These are from the renovation work. I saved them all.”

I removed the lid, hoping to find a neat stack of receipts and invoices. “Aiden, there’s gum smeared across this one.”

He peered inside. “Oh, yeah, that’s my bad. Let’s hope it doesn’t trigger an audit because that would end horribly for me.”

To a mere acquaintance, Aiden might appear immature, but I quickly learned why his friends cared so deeply. He made it impossible to dislike him, to the point you became a fan. Well, for everyone but Emma, whose perfectionist personality didn’t match his easygoing ways.

“I’ll save you from the audit. Let’s get to work.”

“New plan. How about you do that while I rebuild a carburetor?”

“Deal.” I had the better part of the bargain.

*****

“I knew you worked on classic cars, but this isn’t what I pictured.” A dull gray steel box didn’t resemble any sports car I recognized.

“It’s just a shell. I’d say wait until it’s painted, but the owner wants white on white. No accounting for taste.” He noticed the purse over my shoulder and a laptop in one hand. “Are you done already?”

“It’s been over two hours.”

“Has it?” Aiden checked his nonexistent watch. “Time flies when you’re living the dream. Is Shane on his way?”

“He’s still in Gainesville with Jack.”

“Then allow me to serve as your personal escort and temporary bodyguard.”

I smiled at his easy charm. “Any updates on your model train hobbyist?”

“It’ll happen. Keep the faith. If Shane can find you, my new tenant will find me. Shall we go?”

I took his offered arm, and we left, locking the storefront door behind us.

“It won’t be a long wait,” I said on the drive home.

“It doesn’t matter. You aren’t to be left alone,” he said, as we turned into the driveway.

“I’ll stay until Shane is here.” Aiden’s stern tone reminded me of Shane.

His sharper expression, devoid of humor, was equally effective.

“Who is that?” He crossed his arm over my waist to prevent me from exiting.

My heart thundered at the unfamiliar car, and then slowed to its typical beat as the familiar driver climbed out.

“Oh, that’s Detective Davis, the nice one.

I wonder why he’s here.” I double-checked my phone and found no missed calls or texts.

“Oh, I know. We sent a video of our burglar. They found him.”

Excitement filled me. His presence meant they located the actual killer, and maybe even had him in custody.

Davis waved at us and smiled.

Aiden responded with a frown, reminding me of Shane a second time. “I’m not leaving you alone. I don’t care who he is. Let’s go meet Detective Dick.”

I should have expected that Shane told his friends about the detectives’ previous visit. One hopes Aiden is more polite than my husband. “Detective, it’s good to see you. This is my friend, Aiden. Do you have any news?”

Davis’s lips tightened as he greeted us. “There’s a lead I’d appreciate your assistance with. Can we go inside?”

*****

We ended up in the front living room, the same as the first visit.

“I expected your husband to be with you after your recent sleuthing. That was some fine detective work you two pulled off,” Detective Davis said in his familiar soft drawl.

I blushed. “Thank you. Shane will be here soon. He isn’t far behind us. Does this mean it isn’t Wilson Skane? Did you clear him?”

“Whoa, slow down.” He raised his hand. “I admire your sense of justice. Let me show you some pictures first. Can you tell me if you see anyone familiar?” He placed five pictures on the coffee table.

“That one.” I didn’t hesitate. “The second picture on the left. That’s the man who killed Sandy Cooper and attacked me. He’s the same guy in the video.” I showed him one of the saved images on my phone. “Does this mean you found him?”

“You can confirm this is the man who attacked you and Sandy Cooper? Please take your time. There’s no rush. ”

“I’m sure. Absolutely positive.”

“We’ve linked him to three cases so far. Since there is an alternate suspect in the Sandy Cooper case, it’s essential that we have corroborating evidence before making an arrest. You’ve done well, Ms. Mayberry. I wouldn’t be speaking to you now if it weren’t for everything you’ve done.”

“This means an innocent man won’t be sent to jail,” I said.

Detective Davis stared down at the photo I picked out. “Yes, it’s disappointing.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“You’re the only witness who insisted it wasn’t Wilson Skane. I had it all set up, and then you inserted yourself into the whole mess like some crime-fighting superhero.”

Detective Davis’s soft drawl grew harsher and more pronounced.

“What the hell does that mean?” Aiden stood, placing himself between me and the detective. “It’s time for you to leave. Did you notify local authorities of your presence?”

“Why do that when they’d get in the way? But don’t worry, we’ll leave soon. On that part, I couldn’t agree more.” Detective Davis drew a gun. “It’d be better if you were the husband, but she’s here, and that’s enough.”

He fired, and Aiden’s left shoulder jerked before he collapsed on the floor and went still.

Someone cried out.

“Aiden? No.” I reached for him, but the detective aimed his gun at my chest, and I froze. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you don’t know when to shut your damn mouth. I pushed you to leave this alone, but you didn’t listen, and now I’m cleaning up all over again.”

“You know who killed her. You knew it all along,” I said.

The killer’s voice didn’t match Wilson Skane’s.

He spoke with the same soft accent as Detective Davis.

They spoke with the same tone, the same pitch, and the same lilt.

My mother commented on it, and I noted it that night.

I knew it didn’t match from the beginning, but I didn’t listen.

“You sound like him.” How did I miss it?

The detective only gave me a rancid smile.

“My husband will be here any minute. If we don’t help Aiden, you’ll be wanted for murder.”

“Look at all that blood. He’s already dead.” He waved his gun toward Aiden’s body and whistled. “Nelson, get in here.” The detective waved the gun toward me. “Meet my younger brother, Nelson. I don’t think you two have been formally introduced.”

“But that’s impossible,” I said.

Nelson Davis. In all this time, his name never occurred to me. He was always Sandy Cooper’s killer or the man who attacked me.

I studied him. “The goatee is missing.” Otherwise, he was the man in my picture. His black hoodie matched the one he wore the day he tried to run Sophie and me over. It was the same one he wore that night. “I don’t understand.”

“You will. Now, where is your phone?” he asked.

I pulled the phone from my purse and tried to dial, but Nelson grabbed and threw it first.

“You won’t need that. Not where you’re going. Hurry and get what you need, Matty,” he said.

“No, we need to find out what she knows and who she told before we clean up your mess, and we can’t do that here. It’s time to go, before that husband of hers gets back.”

I once read that if an attacker takes you to another location, you’re as good as dead. “What about Aiden? We can’t just leave him here.”

“He’s not your problem. It’s time to go. Back out the front door.”

Shane would be here soon; all I needed was more time. He’d see an unfamiliar car and immediately grow alert. “Wait. Where are we going? This is a small town, so there aren’t many places to hide.”

Davis laughed. “I already thought of that. Do you think we’d leave without a place to go? I planned this all out.”

But where? “There are people all over this town. It’s tourist season. If you tell me where we’re going, I could help you,” I tried again. “Plus, construction workers are everywhere, and people are fishing. We could stay here. Shane won’t be home for a long time.”

“Do you think we’re dumb?” Nelson asked me. “If it were up to me, you’d be dead already, so do what he says before I get bored and use my knife on you.”

Something sharp poked my back.

With a silent apology to Aiden, I did what he said.