The Chain of Lies

CHAPTER 10



Emily undid the plastic wrap on the baby back ribs she had brought home from Goodwood for her welcome-home dinner for Colin. She figured she could do an adequate job of baking the potatoes and making a green salad herself, but she knew that man loved his ribs. She rewrapped them tightly in foil and set them in the oven at a low temperature to stay warm.

She had borrowed a box overflowing with strings of white twinkle lights from Camille and strung them around the deck and the garden. This was the first time she had invited anyone out into her backyard since Evan’s death. Until now, she couldn’t bear to be out there in the garden they had designed together, planted together, and lovingly tended together. A beautiful white gazebo sat at the end of the garden, the gazebo that Evan had built for her as a wedding anniversary gift one year.

When Evan was killed, she could not bring herself to spend time out there anymore. It brought back too many painful memories. She had hired out the care and maintenance of the lawn and the flowering bushes and trees. For the past year, it had been meticulously maintained by The Green Thumb, but no one except the landscaper ever took the opportunity to enjoy it.

A couple of hours earlier, Colin had phoned to let her know when he thought he’d be there. After stopping by his apartment for a quick shower, he promised to rush over to her house. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, he had said.

As she dashed around her house, finalizing last-minute preparations before dressing for dinner, Emily daydreamed about her man walking through the door and sweeping her up in his arms. Thoughts of everything else going on in her life would have to be put on hold. She wanted this evening to be perfect.

She pushed open the kitchen window over the sink to let the cool fresh air into the bungalow before assembling the salad and storing it in the refrigerator. She had already scrubbed a couple of plump baking potatoes, rubbed them with olive oil and sprinkled coarse salt on the outside before setting them on a cookie sheet, planning to pop them in the oven as soon as Colin arrived. Already sitting in the refrigerator was a decadent chocolate torte Camille had prepared for them, as a surprise, garnished with a swirl of whipped cream and a handful of fresh raspberries. Camille had presented it to Emily when she stopped by to nab the twinkle lights.

She set the round patio table with a crisp white-linen table cloth and her best dishes. In the center was an array of tapered candles of various lengths, which were seated in a mixture of different styles of crystal candle holders set among fresh greenery, waiting until the last minute to be lit. The sky on that early September evening was clear with a few wispy pink and gold clouds, compliments of the warm glow of the setting sun.

“Perfect,” she sighed.

She kicked off her flip flops by the back door and padded down the hall to her bedroom to change. A shiver of excitement feathered up her back.

On her shopping trip with Molly the other day, Emily had picked up a new dress to wear for this evening—a short, off-one-shoulder number in a beautiful shade of aubergine. Molly had told her she looked fabulous in it and she had to agree as she studied her reflection in the full-length mirror. She pulled her soft golden curls up into a twist, held it in place with a pearl-studded comb, stuck her dangly silver earrings in her ears, and took a moment to admire her handiwork.

The sun was going down and the house was beginning to get dark. Emily flipped the front porch light on, then turned on lamps in the living room, which cast a warm glow out to the wide front porch. She peeked out the big living room window to see if Colin was coming yet and noticed a black BMW across the street pull away from the curb as soon as she spotted it.

Though it was close to dusk, the street lights had not come on yet. The dim lighting made it difficult to make out the driver of the car, but Emily had a good idea who it was.

Jethro’s back in town. She thought about checking the GPS monitor, but decided it could wait until later, being pretty certain she already knew what it would read. Emily traipsed through the house and out the back door to the deck to plug in the twinkle lights and light the candles. She was not going to let that man ruin her perfect evening with Colin.

She ambled back inside and stuck the potatoes in the oven to start baking. She turned her favorite instrumental music on low to fill the house with a romantic ambience, and she lit the sandalwood candle in the entry. The mood was set. Now all she needed was her man.

A light rap on the front door sent her heart racing. She flung the door open and there stood Colin smiling with a thick bouquet of chocolate roses in one hand. Pure joy spread across her face as he stepped in and drew her into his arms. In an instant, his soft warm lips covered hers in a long, slow kiss. She floated off to heaven. His arms held her passionately against him and she melted into his embrace. She pushed the door shut with her foot and let his kisses close the emotional distance between them.

“I love you, Emily Parker,” he whispered in her ear as he let her take a breath. He tenderly kissed the curve of her neck as it flowed down to her bare shoulder. She was sure his lips could feel the fine layer of prickles that shimmered across her skin, responding to his words and his touch.

“I love you, too,” she answered. What more was there to say? They held each other for the longest time, or at least that’s how it felt. He kissed her again, then released his embrace.

“These are for you.” Colin held out the bouquet of chocolate roses he had brought for her. “I could have gotten red ones, but these will last a lot longer.” There were three dozen of them.

Emily grinned with delight at his thoughtful gift. He knew of her fondness for anything chocolate. She would smile and think of him each time she stuck one in her mouth and thoroughly enjoyed it. She took the bouquet from his hand and pushed up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss of gratitude, but as soon as her lips touched his, his arms enveloped her once more.

When he let go of her, she drew in a deep breath to steady herself. “As much as I would enjoy kissing you all night, there’s something I want to show you.” She stepped out of his hold and took him by the hand. She led him through the kitchen, laying the roses on the table as they passed by, and took him out the back door to the deck and the garden.

“Is that ribs I smell?” Colin asked, craning his neck as he glanced back toward the kitchen, while she pulled him out the door.

“Yes, but that’s not the best part.”

Holding her hand, he stood still, in quiet awe, gazing across the garden. “Oh, Emily, this is beautiful.” He slowly looked around at all she had done. The table was set for dining, with candles lit, and the garden sparkled with twinkling lights. “You’ve never brought me out here before.”

“You’re right, I haven’t. I couldn’t before. But now, well, I thought it was time.”

“You even put some lights on the gazebo.” He gazed down at her with a glint of recognition in his eyes, and she was certain he understood what she meant by that gesture.

“I see you decided to get a man instead of a dog to protect you, Emily.” Mr. Cooke, her neighbor, was peeking over the fence at them. “That’ll keep those peeping Toms away.”

“What peeping Toms?” Colin asked, glancing from Mr. Cooke to Emily.

“Thank you, Mr. Cooke, for watching out for me. Now, go and have a good evening.”

“It is going to be a pleasant night tonight,” the elderly man replied, glancing up at the sky.

“No, really, go.”

“Emily,” Colin lightly scolded.

“I can take a hint, young lady.” The neighbor chuckled. The sound of the door closing told them he went back inside his house.

“What did he mean about the peeping Tom?”

“You know how someone has gotten into my house a couple of times, looking for something related to Evan’s death? At least that’s what I believe it is.”

“Yes.” Colin crossed his arms as he stared into Emily’s face, apparently waiting for the rest of the story.

“My neighbor saw some guy peeking into my windows one morning and he yelled at him and scared him off. That’s all.”

“That’s all? You say it like it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, but I didn’t want you turning it into a big deal, especially since there wasn’t a thing you could do but worry from so far away.”

He gathered her in his arms. “Well, I’m not in California now.” He kissed her neck and leaned his cheek against her temple. “We’re going to figure out who this character is and put a stop to him.”

“Mr. Cooke saw the guy get away in a black car with Virginia plates, which Isabel and I think must belong to our mysterious FBI guy, Jethro.” Emily told Colin about Isabel’s lunch with Jethro that day and how she was able to stick a tracking device on his car while they were in the restaurant.

“Have you been tracking his movements since this afternoon?”

“Yes, but he went straight home.” Emily leaned her head on his shoulder, but pulled it away as she remembered having seen Jethro after that. “Well, that is, until right before you got here. I did see a black BMW on the street when I peeked out the front window, looking for you. I’m pretty sure it was him.”

“But you didn’t see if the tracker showed it was him?”

“No. I’ve been so busy getting everything ready for this evening, then you showed up. You know, this didn’t all happen on its own.” She gestured toward the deck and garden with a sweep of her hand.

“It looks wonderful, Emily, and I appreciate it, but we will have to check that tracker.”

She nodded her agreement. “Later.”

His lips turned up in a mischievous smile as he snaked a hand around her waist and planted another kiss on her lips. “By the way, did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?”

“No.” She dipped her chin and looked up at him through her lashes.

“Well, you do. I can’t take my eyes off of you, Babe, or my hands.” He pulled her into another passionate embrace, standing in the faint glow of the tiny lights and the sun setting at twilight. He kissed her so deeply her knees went weak.

A loud blast emanated from the kitchen, sounding like a small bomb going off.

“What on earth?” Mr. Cooke’s voice could be heard from over the fence.

Emily and Colin shot each other a look of surprise, dropped their hold on one another, and ran into the house.

“What do you think that was?” she asked, her gaze bouncing around the kitchen as they walked through it, making their way through the rest of the house. She ran to her bedroom and checked the nightstand for her gun. It was there, undisturbed.

Colin checked the living room, then the front porch.

Emily looked in the guest room, then met him back in the entry. “I can’t imagine what that was.”

“A car backfiring, maybe?” Colin shrugged his shoulders.

“It sounded like it came from inside the house.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Colin planted his hands on his hips. “We’ve checked everywhere.”

“Well, before they burn, I’d better check on the ribs and the potatoes. Maybe having dinner will calm us down. Why don’t you pour a couple of glasses of wine? The food should be ready in a minute.” Emily meandered back to the kitchen to see about the food, with Colin close behind.

She opened the oven to take the ribs out. “I found it!” she exclaimed.

“Found what?” Colin peeked over her shoulder.

“The source of the explosion.”

A deep belly laugh roared out of Colin. Emily had forgotten to pierce the baking potatoes and they’d exploded all over the inside of her oven.

Emily grimaced. “I guess we’ll be having ribs and salad tonight.” She began to laugh too, but her laughter soon turned to tears. She had wanted the evening to be perfect and she’d messed it up.

“Emily,” Colin said tenderly as he put his hand gently under her chin and lifted her face, kissing her cheek where a tear had trickled down. “I can have potatoes anywhere, any time. The only thing I want tonight is you.” He encircled her with his strong arms and held her close.

They stood in each other’s arms for a prolonged moment.

“Sorry to be such a cry baby.” She leaned her head against his chest and listened to the beat of his heart, feeling safe in his arms. “I’m so glad to have you back.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He lightly kissed the tip of her nose and let her go.

Colin poured two goblets of red wine and took them out to the deck. Emily plated the dinner and carried the dishes to the patio table.

“Mmm, the ribs look amazing. I didn’t know you knew how to barbecue ribs.”

“I don’t. Remember your suggestion for take-out?”

Colin laughed. “Either way, they look delicious.” He licked his lips and grinned at her.

“Maybe later we can have dessert.”

Colin’s eyes perked up.

“Down boy. I meant Camille’s chocolate torte.”

~*~

After dinner, they went inside and settled on the sofa. He stretched his arm across the back of the couch and she curled into the curve of his arm. They talked about his starting his job again as the detective for the Paradise Valley Police Department, about some of the cases she had been working on, and what they hoped for the future.

She reminded him of the story she had previously shared about the Asian girl she and Molly had found crying in the restroom of the hotel and the suspicions they had that maybe the girl wasn’t just a rebellious teenager, but something far worse.

“Let’s not talk about prostitution rings my first night back.” Colin kissed the side of Emily’s temple. “This evening is about us.”

“Yes, you’re right. No more shop talk tonight.” She smiled and looked up into his eyes and put her hand gently on his cheek.

He dipped his head down and kissed her softly. “I’m so glad to be back.”

Before she could respond, he moved in for another kiss, this time more forceful, more urgent than the last. His arm came off the back of the sofa and drew her closer to him, pressing her body against his.

Colin’s cell phone began to ring. Emily started to pull away so he could answer it. “Leave it,” he said. “They can leave a message if it’s important.” He kissed her again.

After five rings it stopped, but only momentarily. Again it began to ring, but he did not try to answer it, instead letting it go to voicemail. However, the third time the ringing started, Colin looked at Emily and shrugged apologetically. He dug the phone out of his pocket.

“Hello, Colin Andrews.”

“Colin, this is Ernie.”

“Hey, Ernie.” He looked at Emily, with one arm still around her, as she listened to his side of the conversation. “This isn’t a good time to talk.”

Ernie was an older officer that had temporarily taken over as detective while Colin was on his leave of absence. He had been a friend of the Andrews family for a long time and had helped Colin secure the job in Paradise Valley in the first place.

“I’m not calling just to chat, boy, I need your help. I know you’re not officially starting back as police detective until tomorrow, but we have a situation.”

Colin disengaged his arm from Emily and stood up. “What is it?”

“A guy walking along the green belt by the river found a dead body.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah, about an hour ago. A young Asian woman, maybe fifteen to twenty years old, beaten pretty badly.”

Colin’s gaze shot to Emily and she stood up and listened.

“Where’s the guy that found her?”

“In the back of my vehicle. I thought you’d want in on this.”

“You’re at the scene?”

“Yeah.”

“And the body?”

“The medical examiner and the CSI team just arrived. They’re going over the area where the body was found. We have the place cordoned off.”

“Don’t let them touch the body until I get there.”

“The doc doesn’t always listen to me, but I’ll do my best.”

“We’re on our way.”

“We?”

“I’m at Emily’s.”

“You sure you want to bring her down here? It’s pretty grizzly.”

“As if you think I could stop her.”

Ernie snickered. “Guess you’re right about that, boss.”