Midnight Secrets

chapter

TWENTY-EIGHT


Agony in her chest woke her. Willing her eyes to open, she realized that they wouldn’t cooperate. What was wrong? Where was she? Why did she hurt so much? Panic seized her, causing her breath to labor; more intense pain clutched her chest.

“Shh,” a deep, dearly familiar voice whispered. “You’re going to be fine. Just breathe slowly.”

Zach. She tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Questions filled her dazed brain. She dug deep, beneath the pain and confusion, searching for reason. Finally it came. Smoke … a fire. Someone had tried to kill her … had burned down the guesthouse. What about the mansion? Had it burned down, too? Tears seeped from her closed lids, causing them to sting. A sob built in her chest, causing a new agony.

“Savannah, listen to me. You’re going to be fine. You inhaled too much smoke and you’re on oxygen. Your eyes are fine, too. The doctor has treated them and said your vision won’t be compromised. You just need to rest.”

Struggling with all her might, she managed a croaking whisper: “The house?”

“The guesthouse is gone. The mansion is untouched.”

Relieved and grateful, Savannah at last managed to open her eyes. Zach’s red-rimmed eyes and charcoal-blackened face was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. “Thank you,” she whispered.

A smile lifted his mouth but his eyes remained worried and behind that worry was a simmering rage. The fact that someone had gone to so much trouble and risk astounded her. The killer either believed she knew something or there was evidence he didn’t want her to find. The letters … oh God, the letters were gone.

“Letters?” she whispered.

“All gone, I’m afraid. I’m sorry, Savannah.”

She would deal with that knowledge later. “Aunt … Gibby?”

“She’s fine. I hadn’t planned to tell her until she could see you were all right for herself. Unfortunately Hester got to her first. I assured her you were going to be okay and would be by to see her in a day or so, after you’re rested up. I’ve had to turn half the town away from your door. Everyone is worried about you.”

Amazing. With the exception of her family, she’d always felt like such a loner in this town. Having that many people concerned for her gave her a warm feeling until she remembered that one of those people might well be a killer. Had one of them wanted to see her to finish off the job?

She lifted her hand, surprised at how heavy it felt, and tenderly traced the grim lines around his mouth. “Tired?”

Taking her hand in his, he pressed a kiss against her palm. “Scared. So very scared, babe.”

Zach never called her an endearment, it had never been his style. The fact that he did now made her wonder. “ ‘Babe?’ ” she whispered.

A grin lifted his mouth and finally his eyes smiled, too.

“ ‘Sugar’ and ‘honey doll’ just don’t fit the occasion.”

Her mouth twitched slightly in a halfhearted attempt at a smile. Hopefully “honey doll” would never fit the occasion.

His eyes darkened with emotion. “I never want to go through something like that again. We’ve got to find this f*cker before he succeeds in killing someone else.”

“Ideas?”

“Yeah. Remember the call I got about Ethel Mae’s van?”

She nodded.

“It was a fake call.”

She shook her head slowly. No, that didn’t make sense … did it? “A woman?”

“Yeah.”

A woman was doing this? A woman had killed her mother and father? “No … sense.”

“No, it doesn’t make sense, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. I checked with Ethel Mae about who knew she would be out of town. Apparently she’s gone every year around this time and most everyone knows about it. So that doesn’t narrow down our suspects one iota.”

“How long …” She winced, swallowed, and continued, “Stay … here?”

“At least overnight. You were damn lucky. The doctor said you didn’t inhale enough smoke to damage your lungs. Brody’s partner, Logan Wright, is on his way here from Mobile. He’ll alternate with Brody on guarding your aunt. Also, I called Bri and Sammie. They’ll be here first thing tomorrow.”

A thought stopped her cold. She took a deep breath. Wincing, she spoke as quickly as she could, hoping to minimize the pain in her chest and throat. “A woman hung my father? Not possible. He was six feet tall and weighed close to two hundred pounds.”

“She obviously had help. Or maybe a man did this and a woman is helping him for whatever reason.”

So the list she had made was still valid. A man and a woman. A couple? Gruesome and scary, but it made sense. The couples at the party had all been friends with her parents. If one had committed the murder, then the other might have chosen to help. Or it had been a plan between the two of them. Still, what had they hoped to gain by killing her parents? Was it out of spite or envy?

With the attempted murder of Gibby and now Savannah, keeping their investigation a secret was no longer desirable or necessary. Each person on the list of suspects they had devised could be questioned individually. Someone she knew, someone she and her family had trusted for years, had committed the awful crime. And they had made it clear that they would kill again. Desperate people committed desperate acts. If the killers weren’t identified soon, what else would they do and who else would be their target?

Savannah woke on a gasp. Bright sunlight, streaming through the sheer drapes at the window, chased away the remnants of a nightmare filled with smoke, fire, and death. She sat up and hissed at the pain. Her entire body felt as though someone had beaten her. Knowing how lucky she was to be alive made that pain bearable, though.

She had been released from the hospital early this morning. Instead of taking her home, Zach had brought her to his house. She hadn’t questioned why. Her almost dying yesterday had a major impact on both of them. Seeing the abject terror in Zach’s eyes made her want to do whatever she could do to diminish his fear. In turn, Zach was treating her like she was made of spun glass.

After placing her in his bed, he’d lain beside her and held her until she fell back asleep. In his arms, no matter what happened, she felt safe, warm, and cherished. She knew she was loved.

Yesterday she hadn’t had the energy to put a coherent thought to work. Today that had to change. They had to find this maniac before he succeeded in killing someone else. And when this was over, she and Zach were going to have some lengthy alone time.

Losing her grandfather’s letters was a blow, as was losing the guesthouse. Sadness still lingered but a welcome and necessary pragmatism was taking over. It was done; there was nothing they could do to save what was lost. The important thing was to dwell on what they had.

She heard them before she saw them. Running steps and then two beautiful women burst into the room at the same time. Bri ran to one side of the bed, Sammie the other.

Sammie had long, straight blond hair that fell past her shoulders, and perfect makeup that, as usual, looked as though it had been professionally applied. Her white sundress was delicately feminine, emphasizing the natural elegance her sister had been born with.

Seemingly just the opposite of her stylish sister, Bri kept her bleached white-blond hair so short it spiked in places. She wore minimal makeup and had on her usual attire—jeans, a white T-shirt, and running shoes.

Both were beautiful, with almost identical features, and yet they were so incredibly different.

Tears pooled in Sammie’s eyes as she grabbed Savannah’s hand. “My God, Savvy. Are you okay? When Zach called me, I almost freaked out.”

Before she could answer, Bri sat on the bed and put her head on Savannah’s shoulder. Typical Bri move. When something touched her deeply, she had trouble articulating. After their parents’ deaths, she wouldn’t talk for over a week.

Savannah smoothed her sister’s spiky hair with one hand and squeezed Sammie’s hand with her other. “I’m fine. Just still kind of tired.”

“Your voice … will it be okay?” Sammie asked.

Savannah nodded. “It’ll be fine. I just need—”

“To rest. She’s not supposed to talk.”

Three sets of eyes zoomed to the door where Zach stood. Dressed in faded jeans and a black T-shirt that showed off his broad chest and incredible biceps, he made it hard for Savannah to not salivate. She glanced from one sister to the other and had to swallow a giggle at Bri’s and Sammie’s slightly glazed looks. This was the first time they’d seen Zach in over ten years and were most likely having a similar reaction to the one she’d had. He had changed from the handsome boy they’d known to a sexy, gorgeous man.

“Sorry, I tried to catch you before you ran into the house.” His mouth lifted in a grin. “You two are fast.”

“Hello, Zach.”

The cool greeting came from Sammie. Bri said nothing. The glazed looks had been replaced with a hostile wariness. This reaction didn’t surprise her. They still had no clue why Zach had abandoned her. Though she had told them it was justifiable, until she gave them a better explanation, the hostility would remain.

Zach showed no surprise at this change but his eyes flickered with regret. When he looked at her, his expression softened considerably. “I’ll be in my study if you need me.” His eyes went cool again as he took in Sammie’s and Bri’s accusing glares. “Don’t let her talk too much.”

With those words, he disappeared. Savannah wanted to call him back. As happy as she was to see her sisters, she wanted to soothe Zach. Tell him that her sisters didn’t understand.

“Damn, that man looks good.” The awe in Bri’s words broke the tension. All three women relaxed.

“Have you seen Aunt Gibby?” Savannah asked.

Sammie said, “Not yet. Bri and I arranged to fly into Mobile around the same time. We rented a car there and drove straight here.”

“Is Gibby back home yet?” Bri asked.

Savannah shook her head. “I—”

“Wait.” Sammie held up her hand. “You need to rest your voice, which means to find out what’s going on, we need to get Zach back in here. First things first, and you don’t have to go into detail. Zach’s reasons for what he did … they were absolutely valid?”

Emotion clutched her heart. That’s all her sisters needed—one word from her and there would be no more questions, no more hostility toward Zach. Total faith and trust in each other had been theirs from birth. Nothing could ever change that.

She nodded. Then, because she needed them to know that not only did Zach have her forgiveness, but her feelings for him were stronger than ever, she said, “We’re together again.”

“Forever?” Bri asked.

Her chest squeezed tight. She didn’t know the answer to that but everything within her said she hoped for forever and beyond. “I hope so.”

That was good enough for her sisters.

“I’ll go get Zach,” Sammie said.

As soon as her sister walked out the door, Savannah turned to Bri. “What’s wrong with her?”

Bri grimaced and shook her head. “I don’t know. I tried to get it out of her on the way here and she wouldn’t tell me a damn thing. Just said work had been heavy lately.”

Though Sammie was still as beautiful as any cover model, her appearance revealed definite signs of stress. Concern for her sister overrode the pain in Savannah’s throat from talking. “She looks like she’s lost fifteen pounds and hasn’t slept in days.”

“I know. As soon as we find the shithead who killed our parents and tried to kill you and Gibby, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Despite the seriousness, she couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s summation. Quick, concise, and to the point. That was so Bri.

Sammie reappeared and Zach followed behind her, holding a tray of ice-filled glasses and a pitcher of lemonade. Every time he appeared, her heart did somersaults. Only Zach had ever affected her this way. And thanks to him, she was finally alive again. For ten years she had been in a deep freeze, going through the motions of life without actually living it. Zach had brought her back.

About to thank him for the drinks, she was startled when he leaned over and placed his fingertips against her mouth. “Rest. When you want to say something, use this.” For the first time, she noticed that under the tray of drinks was a notepad with an attached pen. Handing them to her, he winked and then proceeded to fill the glasses with lemonade and hand them out.

Relaxing against the pillows, she watched as her sisters sat in the two chairs by the window, leaving Zach to either stand or sit on the bed with Savannah. She was pleased when he grabbed a pillow from the end of the bed, propped it against the headboard, and sat next to her. She scooted closer to him. In an instant, his arm was around her, pulling her even closer. And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she laid her head on his shoulder.

The wide-eyed expression of her sisters made her smile. They might be discussing the murder of her parents, but there was nowhere on earth she’d rather be than right here with three of the most important people in her life.

* * *

Zach released a measured breath, not wanting to disturb the golden head on his shoulder. Having Savannah do that was more than he expected and a hell of a lot more than he deserved. With that one move, she was telling her sisters that she had forgiven him. Earlier their glares could have frozen the balls off a bull. Now that had changed. Though Savannah’s opinion was the only one that mattered to him, her endorsement made him feel like he’d won the lottery.

“Okay. So what do we know?” Sammie asked.

“Not a lot,” Zach answered. “Since the letters were destroyed, all we have left is a half-assed police report, the knowledge that a woman is involved, and a list of suspects.”

“Where’s the list?” Bri asked.

Zach took the tablet he’d given Savannah and ripped out a sheet of paper on which he’d listed all the names of the people who’d been at the Kilgores’ party. He handed the list to Sabrina, who briefly glanced over it and then gave it to Samantha.

“So there were four couples at the party, plus four other people, and you and Savvy,” Samantha said.

“Yeah. Right now they’re all under surveillance and have been told not to leave town.”

Sabrina snorted. “Bet that went over well.”

Zach shrugged. No doubt about it, he hadn’t made any friends today. He’d been called a couple of names and lawsuits had been threatened. He didn’t give a shit. Someone at that party had killed Maggie and Beckett Wilde and had tried their best to kill Gibby and Savannah. If he had to piss off the entire town or state to get to the truth, that was damn fine with him. Savannah had almost died yesterday. He took that very personally.

“I doubt that I’ll be invited to any more of the mayor’s barbeques for a while.”

“So what’s the plan?” Samantha asked.

“We’re going to interview each person individually. Both of you have extensive investigative and interviewing skills. Brody James and Logan Wright are army buddies of mine who own a security company in Mobile. Brody is guarding your aunt and Logan is over at the Wilde mansion going over the guesthouse with the arson investigator. Between the five of us, we’ll interview them all.”

Savannah raised her head and said, “But—”

Zach put his fingers on her soft lips again. Resisting the need to linger and caress her, he said softly, “Use your notepad … babe.”

She smiled at his endearment; something he had never used until yesterday. Then she jotted quickly, I can interview, too.

“Right now you and your voice need to rest.”

Before she could write anything else, he added, “One more day and then you can talk to anyone you want. Okay?”

She nodded and settled back against his shoulder again, seemingly satisfied with his answer. He knew that wouldn’t last long. Savannah wasn’t the type to sit back and let others take charge. She’d throw a fit if he did what he wanted to do, and that was to bundle her and Gibby up and carry them to an undisclosed location. Finding the killer was important; protecting Savannah imperative.

“Where and when do we start?” Bri asked.

“I have the interviews set up at the station starting at four today. If one of you will stay here with Savannah, I’ll go with the other one to the station. We can alternate every few hours, today and tomorrow.”

He expected an argument, but though she stiffened slightly, she didn’t protest. Independent Savannah had suffered a blow yesterday. Zach wanted to kill the bastard for taking away the confidence and self-assurance she’d fought so hard for.

Sabrina stood. “I’ll go with you, Zach. Sammie can stay with Savvy for a few hours.”

He was surprised when instead of agreeing immediately, Samantha glared briefly at Sabrina and then gave him a strained smile. “Of course I’ll stay.”

Deciding the sisters had issues only they could resolve, Zach got to his feet. Not caring that her sisters were watching, he leaned down and gave Savannah a lingering kiss on her soft mouth. When he lifted his head, her eyes were gleaming. Unable to resist, he went back for another taste.

Pulling him closer, she weaved her fingers in his hair as she opened her mouth and took the kiss deeper. Zach groaned, wanting nothing more than to lie beside her and lose himself in her beautiful body.

His breathing slightly labored, he lifted his head and said, “You, Savannah Rose Wilde, are a dangerous woman.”

A smile of contentment curving her mouth, she released him and lay on the pillow again. “Come back home safely,” she whispered.

Knowing if he didn’t get out of the room, he would stay longer, Zach straightened and looked around the room. Apparently Samantha and Sabrina had left to give them privacy.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. There’s food in the fridge if you get hungry. Call me on my cell if you need me for anything. Okay?”

She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes. The doctor had told him she would be drifting in and out of sleep for most of the day. He slipped quietly out of the room and found himself facing two Wilde women with identical looks on their identical faces—determination.

“Okay, Zach, we’re willing to take Savvy on faith. But I swear, if you hurt her again, you’ll be answering to someone a lot tougher than she is. Understand?”

The threat came from Sabrina but Samantha nodded her agreement. Stupid, but he almost hugged them both. He’d always admired how the sisters stuck together.

“That’s one thing I can promise you both. As long as I’m alive, Savannah will never be hurt again, by me or any other person.”

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina gave a nod and said, “Good enough. Now let’s go find out who killed our parents.”