Page 19

A ndy smelled Denny and Helen had been there—naturally, when the kidnapping scheme happened. But why were Wendell, Teague, and Lionel’s scents at Pierre’s front door? “Yeah, the whole lot of them have been here,” Andy said to Monica.

He’d never heard of a case where the kidnappers seeking the ransom money would go to the victim’s house. They always made the transfer secretly so they wouldn’t get caught.

"It appears they came here to get the money from Pierre." Monica called the agents she'd spoken with about telling Pierre what had happened. "Hey, did you get hold of Pierre?" She put the call on speakerphone.

"No. He never answered his phone. We dropped by there, but he wasn't home. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, and his car wasn't in the driveway, so we figured he was out. His phone went to voicemail."

"Thanks." They ended the call, and she turned to Andy. "Okay, I don't like this. Since Wendell and his cohorts all came here, maybe they killed Pierre and took the money."

Andy cupped his hands and peered in through the living room window, but it was covered with drapes, and he couldn’t see anything. "Then we have probable cause to check inside Pierre’s home to ensure he’s safe."

"If we're asked how we thought he was in peril, that would justify us breaking in, we can't tell them what we know—that we smelled Wendell and his men had been here, and they had the ransom money with them. Why wouldn't they have had Pierre drive to another location to exchange the money?”

“That’s what I was thinking. It’s too easy for someone to catch sight of them.

Why didn't he wait longer to pay the ransom money? I mean, most people couldn’t afford to pay out a substantial amount of money in a matter of hours.

If he had delayed paying them, that would have given you more time to catch up with Denny and Helen," Andy said.

"I was thinking the same thing. Unless he didn’t want me to really catch up to them." She glanced around at the outdoor security cameras. "He has cameras."

"Yeah, I noticed them right away."

They went around the whole house, looking through windows, but drapes covered most of them, so they couldn't see inside.

A couple of uncovered windows only gave them the view of a laundry room and an exercise room, and he was in neither of those.

No lights were on in the house, and no electronic or appliance sounds were being made.

They knocked on the windows. "It's me, Monica O’Connell."

"I've got a tool we can use to get in through the back door to check on him." Andy pulled out the tool attached to his keychain and used it on the lock. He managed to unlock the door with a click and opened it. "Police officer! Is anyone home?"

"It's me, Pierre," Monica said again. "We're worried you might have come to harm. Are you here?"

No one responded, and Monica grew more worried about him by the second. On the other hand, she didn’t smell a dead body or blood anywhere in the house, indicating they had severely injured or killed him.

They checked the entire house and didn't find him anywhere. No signs of a struggle or cleaning solution had been used to cover up a crime scene. It looked like he was just out running errands.

She peeked into the garage. “His Mercedes is gone. I guess he has gone out, and it doesn’t look like he has had any difficulty with anyone.”

“We had a good reason for breaking in.” Andy sounded a little worried that they shouldn’t have been in there. “We can check here later. We’ll keep calling him periodically.”

“That sounds good. Let’s go to your place so we can sleep. I’m ready to take some of that medicine the doctor prescribed and crash.”

They relocked Pierre’s back door and returned to Andy’s SUV. “I’m ready for it.”

She laughed. “Absolutely. Do you have a phone charger that works with my phone at your place? Mine was in my car. Maybe whoever grabbed the stuff from my SUV put it in my bag.”

She searched for it and pulled it out, dangling it. She plugged in her phone just as he pulled into his driveway.

“We can charge it in the house.”

“Sure.” She put her charger back in her bag. When they walked into the home, she felt warm and welcome at once.

He removed her coat and hung it in a coat closet near the front door, and then he did the same with his. He also took her hat and his and hung them on a hat rack. He put their gloves on top of a chest. Both removed their boots.

Large windows covered one wall, and a fireplace was featured on an adjacent wall.

A high pine paneled ceiling met the off-white walls, the floor covered in a lighter pine that reminded her of a Scandinavian home.

Really pretty, light and airy. A bookcase was framed by two windows and filled with children’s books.

She smiled. “I like your reading material.”

He chuckled. “Edward and Robyn’s older kids, Garrett and Bryan, are six so when I’m off if Robyn needs a break I have them over. Edward and Robyn also have twin boys, Lucas and Sawyer, who are seven months old.”

“Do you take care of the babies too?” She raised her brows. She would really be surprised if he did.

Smiling, he shook his head. “Grandma, my mother, takes care of them every chance she gets. And my dad too. Rob and Alicia’s children are nearly two, a girl and a boy, Jenny and Daniel. I’ve sat for them for a few hours, any little thing to help when I’m off.”

“That’s so sweet of you.”

“The kids are fun to be around.”

“You do have two bedrooms, right?”

Andy laughed. “I have four bedrooms. You can sleep in any one of them. One is the kids’ room, if you don’t mind sleeping on a bunk bed. The triple bunk bed combines three twin beds arranged with one up top against the wall and the two down below coming out from the wall with drawers in between.”

“For the boys? You keep them overnight also?”

“Yeah, I’m a pushover. But the older they get, the more fun they are.”

“I’ll have to see which of the beds makes my back feel the best.”

“Like in The Three Bears .”

She chuckled. The house smelled of cinnamon and cloves, and she breathed deeply. “Wow, it smells so nice in here.”

“I’d made wassail the night before I had to rescue victims from all the accidents during the snowstorm.”

“Hmm, do you still have some?”

“I sure do.” He pulled a container from the fridge, poured some wassail into two polar bear mugs, and then placed them in the microwave. Once warmed up, he took them into the living room.

She pulled a glass out of the cabinet. “I’m going to take some of the medicine the doctor prescribed me right now so it takes effect by the time I lie down.”

“That’s a good idea.” He hooked up her phone to a charger station. “Your phone will be charged up in just a little while.”

“Great, and thanks.” She sat on the soft gray sofa, and he took off her boots and set them next to the door leading out to the garage.

“So none of this is making any sense.” Andy pulled off his boots and left them beside hers.

“What?”

Andy sighed. “You knew the guy who received the ransom demands. The men who took the money from him went to his house to get it from him, but they didn’t hand over Helen—though we know why that is, but did Pierre? And your car brakes were mysteriously tampered with.”

“We need to get a look at Pierre’s security videos.”

“To see if they revealed who they are even though we know them?” He took a drink of his wassail. “We should have looked at them while at the house.”

“Well, if we have to return there, we can do it. I had hoped the video would show how Pierre responded to them. Were they wearing ski masks? Were they already known to him? Did he greet them, or was he scared of them?”

“Was he in collusion with them?” Andy asked.

“Right.”

“Okay. The thought had briefly crossed my mind that they could be together in this because the men went to his house to get the money.”

She finished her wassail. “Yeah, well, I truly thought Helen was a kidnapped victim. So who knows what else is true in this whole mess?” The medicine was beginning to work, and she loved how it took the edge off the pain from her injuries.

“But what if they told him where to pick up Helen, and that’s why he’s gone. ”

“Okay, so if he’s not in collusion with the whole kidnapping scheme, that could be a possibility. Why would he give them all that money if he is in league with them?”

She pondered that while she drank her wassail. “He got the money from some source, and it’s insured somehow, and he gets a big share of it to keep?”

“Yeah, money makes the world of crime go around.”

“Show me the way to the most comfortable bed in the house. I’m ready to lie down.”

“Mine is the most comfortable mattress in the house.”

She laughed. “I’m too tired to try out beds so I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Is the muscle relaxant kicking in?” He drank the rest of his wassail and helped her from the couch.

“Yeah. I will pass out on the couch if I don’t retire to bed soon.”

“Good. That means you’ll be able to sleep well.” He carried her bag down the hallway, and she followed him.

When she looked inside the bedroom, she saw it was all in aqua and beige. “Hmm, I love the color scheme.”

“Thanks. Some snow leopard friends flip houses, and they recommended their interior designer. She said it was perfect for couples if I ever found a significant other.” He pulled down the covers for her.

“She has good taste.” Monica sat on the bed. “Wow, this feels good.”

He removed her socks. “I’ve got a long-sleeved T-shirt you can wear if you don’t have any sleepwear.”

“I’ve got some sleepwear in my backpack.” She pulled out pajama pants featuring sleeping polar bears. The top had two polar bears nuzzling each other.

“A fan of polar bears, I see.”

“Yeah. They are super lovable.”

“Some more than others. I will grab a couple of things and sleep in the guest bedroom. If you need anything from me, it’s the first one on the left on the other side of the house.”

“I wouldn’t think of chasing you out of your bedroom. We’ve already slept together on a couch at Denny’s friend’s cabin. So you can sleep in your own bed. I won’t even notice you’re here once I fall asleep. Which will happen soon.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, if someone really cut my brake lines, hoping I would have an accident, you can continue to be my backup.”

“You got it.” Andy quickly removed his clothes, threw them in a white wicker laundry basket, and entered the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“I would take a shower too, but I don’t want to fall asleep it.”

“You can join me, and I can hold you up.”

She chuckled. “Now if that isn’t a guy line if I ever heard one.”

“Yeah, but it’s sincere. A hot shower would be good on your back, nice and relaxing.”

“That sounds heavenly.” She climbed out of bed and joined him in the bathroom.

It was so bright and spacious. The commode was in its own separate room.

There was a large bath big enough for two, giving her ideas of joining a hot bear in it when she wasn’t hurting.

A double sink for two was backed by a large mirror and lighting, covering one wall.

The shower was glassed in, a walk-in variety that she loved.

She removed her pajamas and put them on a warming rack in one corner. “Now I love this feature.”

“Yeah, it’s great to keep towels from being damp after showering. They’re nice and warm when you get out of the shower.”

“That’s what I need.”

Then he removed the ace bandage from her hand, and she walked into the shower, and he joined her.

“I’ll get your back.”

The steam of the shower felt delightful.

His hands, covered in body soap, gently slid down her back, making her feel heavenly.

She breathed in his fresh bear scent and his masculinity.

She would soap up the rest of herself after he finished with her back, but then he began soaping up the front of her.

She had to take her turn soaping him up, eager to do it.

They had already seen each other naked several times while they were shifting.

Touching him was so much different than just seeing him naked.

All those planes of muscles were fabulous, and his buttocks were so firm.

They started kissing, his tongue intertwined with hers.

Their bodies slid against each other, but she couldn’t do this right now. Not with her hand and back hurting so much.

“I’ve got to sleep.” She didn’t want to stop their sensual caresses, but she knew she had to.

“Absolutely.” He kissed her forehead, finished rinsing off, and then they dried off. “Are you sure that you’re going to be okay with me being in bed with you?”

“Yeah. I need my injuries to heal before we go all the way.”

He smiled, appearing glad that she wanted to continue their relationship.

He helped her into her pajamas, pulled on his own, and then they climbed under the covers.

“Night, Andy, and thanks so much for letting me stay here.”

“I’m so glad you are staying with me, or Ben would be after you.”

She laughed and then curled onto her side to sleep.

They had slept through most of the night when Andy got a call from Roger. He hurried out of bed so as not to disturb Monica, who looked like she was sleeping heavily, probably from the medicine.

“Yeah, Roger?” Andy headed out to the kitchen and started the coffee. “What’s up?”

“Monica’s brake lines were definitely cut. Not enough that she would run out of brake fluid right away while traveling through White Bear and could get help, but just nicked enough to drain the brake fluid once she was out in the middle of nowhere.”

So who knew what she planned to do and needed to stop her?