opened the car door. “I’m
fine. Want to come in?”
“Sure.”
The minute Kit opened the front door Pepper jumped two feet
off the floor to greet her with a sloppy, wet tongue.
Jake followed her and the dog into a small but tastefully
decorated rectangular living space with walls painted buttercup yellow and
floors of polished hardwood. The space felt cozy, homey. Pepper ambled off to
his bed in front of a rounded kiva fireplace in the corner. To complete the room,
two red loveseats sat facing each other separated by a blanket box that doubled
as the coffee table.
Jake looked around. She’d taken advantage of every square
inch of space by turning the area underneath the staircase going up to the
third floor into her office. Here a mahogany desk held an assortment of books,
a laptop computer, and a printer.
It was then Jake noticed the framed artwork on the walls.
Her work, he realized, staring at the signature and a collection of beach
scenes done in everything from acrylics to watercolors to charcoal. He’d known
she could draw and paint. When she’d been younger she’d always taken the time
to create her own funny little greeting cards to hand out. But the paintings on
the walls showed real talent.
An old upright piano in the far corner of the room caught
his eye. He went over and started thumbing through several sheets of music
messily propped up and remembered one musical recital in particular from the
past. Alana had shown up and embarrassed Kit with a slew of insults in front of
everyone. She’d been drunk..
Jake racked his brain. A lot of Kit’s past clicked into
place. Had Alana ever had a good word for her daughter? Skimming through the
stack of music, he finally found what he was looking for. “I always liked
this.”
Kit walked over to the piano. “Let me guess.” Without even
glancing at the sheet music he held in his hand, she sat down and began playing Cliffs of Doneen . She smiled broadly, and added, “You and my father.”
But after a brief rendition she abruptly stopped and headed
for the kitchen. “I need coffee. What about you? If St. John has his way, my
arrest could be imminent. Perhaps I should plan on getting blitzed tonight.”
Following her, he laughed. “Not a good idea. You want to
talk about it?”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. “No.”
Just then the phone rang. One glance at caller ID told her
the call was from someone at BBG&G. “Great. Just what I need. Jessica
already told the police I did it. She isn’t my favorite person to talk to right
now.” She let the answer machine take the call.
Seconds later, Connor Boyd’s authoritative voice held court
in the small house as his message filled the air. “Kit, we need to talk. I’m
handling Alana’s probate. It seems you’re a very wealthy woman. You’ve
inherited Alana’s entire estate. Call me. I’ve got some papers you’ll need to
sign so we can move this forward.”
Suddenly shaking, she lost control. “God, I can’t handle
this right now. They’ve made a mistake. Alana would not leave me a dime, let
alone her entire estate.”
And one more reason they’ll think she killed her mother,
Jake thought sourly, as he wrapped his arms around her while she cried her eyes
out.
From his vantage point on the beach, he considered Kit
Griffin.
From the beginning, the plan had been for her to get the
blame, at least initially. So far, everything was going according to plan, but
for some reason, for the first time in years, maybe for the first time since
he’d been doing this job, he didn’t like the taste it left in his mouth.
What would they think when the others fell? Would they
figure it out then, let the daughter off the hook? How long would it take the
police to take off their blinders, maybe start thinking outside the box? What
if that didn’t happen?
He’d underestimated Jessica Boyd. And that he would correct.
CHAPTER 5
To get her mind off St. John, Jake took Kit to
fine. Want to come in?”
“Sure.”
The minute Kit opened the front door Pepper jumped two feet
off the floor to greet her with a sloppy, wet tongue.
Jake followed her and the dog into a small but tastefully
decorated rectangular living space with walls painted buttercup yellow and
floors of polished hardwood. The space felt cozy, homey. Pepper ambled off to
his bed in front of a rounded kiva fireplace in the corner. To complete the room,
two red loveseats sat facing each other separated by a blanket box that doubled
as the coffee table.
Jake looked around. She’d taken advantage of every square
inch of space by turning the area underneath the staircase going up to the
third floor into her office. Here a mahogany desk held an assortment of books,
a laptop computer, and a printer.
It was then Jake noticed the framed artwork on the walls.
Her work, he realized, staring at the signature and a collection of beach
scenes done in everything from acrylics to watercolors to charcoal. He’d known
she could draw and paint. When she’d been younger she’d always taken the time
to create her own funny little greeting cards to hand out. But the paintings on
the walls showed real talent.
An old upright piano in the far corner of the room caught
his eye. He went over and started thumbing through several sheets of music
messily propped up and remembered one musical recital in particular from the
past. Alana had shown up and embarrassed Kit with a slew of insults in front of
everyone. She’d been drunk..
Jake racked his brain. A lot of Kit’s past clicked into
place. Had Alana ever had a good word for her daughter? Skimming through the
stack of music, he finally found what he was looking for. “I always liked
this.”
Kit walked over to the piano. “Let me guess.” Without even
glancing at the sheet music he held in his hand, she sat down and began playing Cliffs of Doneen . She smiled broadly, and added, “You and my father.”
But after a brief rendition she abruptly stopped and headed
for the kitchen. “I need coffee. What about you? If St. John has his way, my
arrest could be imminent. Perhaps I should plan on getting blitzed tonight.”
Following her, he laughed. “Not a good idea. You want to
talk about it?”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. “No.”
Just then the phone rang. One glance at caller ID told her
the call was from someone at BBG&G. “Great. Just what I need. Jessica
already told the police I did it. She isn’t my favorite person to talk to right
now.” She let the answer machine take the call.
Seconds later, Connor Boyd’s authoritative voice held court
in the small house as his message filled the air. “Kit, we need to talk. I’m
handling Alana’s probate. It seems you’re a very wealthy woman. You’ve
inherited Alana’s entire estate. Call me. I’ve got some papers you’ll need to
sign so we can move this forward.”
Suddenly shaking, she lost control. “God, I can’t handle
this right now. They’ve made a mistake. Alana would not leave me a dime, let
alone her entire estate.”
And one more reason they’ll think she killed her mother,
Jake thought sourly, as he wrapped his arms around her while she cried her eyes
out.
From his vantage point on the beach, he considered Kit
Griffin.
From the beginning, the plan had been for her to get the
blame, at least initially. So far, everything was going according to plan, but
for some reason, for the first time in years, maybe for the first time since
he’d been doing this job, he didn’t like the taste it left in his mouth.
What would they think when the others fell? Would they
figure it out then, let the daughter off the hook? How long would it take the
police to take off their blinders, maybe start thinking outside the box? What
if that didn’t happen?
He’d underestimated Jessica Boyd. And that he would correct.
CHAPTER 5
To get her mind off St. John, Jake took Kit to
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