Chapter Twenty-one
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
While Keeley used the bathroom, Owen carried the bag with their lunch to a picnic bench in the shade of a giant pine tree. Chipmunks darted around the tables and scurried over rocks, searching for crumbs. The temperature had dropped as they’d climbed in elevation, and with the light wind Keeley was glad she’d brought her coat. A family sat at another picnic table where two toddlers chased each other as their parents unpacked large bags.
Owen uncapped a thermos and filled the cup lid with coffee, handing it to Keeley. She sipped and smiled at him. “You added creamer.”
“ That’s how you like it.” He made it sound matter of fact, like of course he added creamer. He didn’t use creamer himself, but he’d made the coffee the way she liked it.
She was beginning to realize even while claiming they were nothing more than friends, he did little things for her without making a big deal of it. It made her heart ache.
He pulled open the bag of chips, shaking out a pile on Keeley’s napkin before grabbing a handful for himself.
While she munched on her sandwich, she focused on the endless sky where the glint of silver shone from a plane flying overhead. Below, canyons cut into steep mountains, and spindly trees clung to outcroppings of rock.
“ It’s so beautiful here. The eastern slopes are drier than the western side, and there’s a wilder look.” She studied him. “You ever think of hiking the John Muir Trail? It’s a dream of mine. ”
“ I’d like to, but it’s hard to take that much time away from the bar. Some day.” He filled the cup with coffee for himself. “You in the considering stage, or the making it happen stage?”
“ I’m not in the making it happen stage yet, but I want to explore the backcountry.”
He nodded. They ate in silence until Owen remarked, “You think Romero and Demaris were seeing each other after you broke up with him?”
She munched on a Frito. “It’s possible. Pam made her interest known at that staff holiday party. Jax was flattered, so maybe.”
“ I agree. What if he’d hid the drive in your purse and was counting on you not discovering it. You break things off with him so he gets Demaris to go after your purse so he can get it back.”
“ Why wouldn’t he simply ask for it?”
“ He didn’t want you to know anything about a flash drive. He didn’t want you suspicious.” Owen sounded like he was thinking out loud as he reasoned through the evidence.
“ So first try is with a kid Demaris knows and it goes south and the kid’s arrested. He’s a juvenile so it’s not a big deal. She tries again, and that time is successful. She’s killed that night and your purse was found nearby.”
“ Do you think the Ravagers killed her?” The thought brought a chill to her bones.
Nero had seemed reasonable, almost friendly, but it wasn’t much of a stretch for members of outlaw motorcycle gangs engaged in drug trafficking and guns to commit murder.
She didn’t like knowing the caring grandfather could also be a cold-blooded killer.
“ I don’t see the motive for them. I’m not saying it isn’t something they would do, but murdering a schoolteacher and leaving her body in a Dumpster? That’s going to get a lot of attention.”
“ What if Nero and his crew confronted Jaxon and he told them the flash drive is in my purse, and by the way, my new girlfriend is stealing it for me tonight. They wait until Pam has my purse and grab her and get what they’re after. They kill her so she can’t identify them.” Whatever Pam had done, she didn’t deserve to be killed in cold blood.
“ Possible,” Owen said, frowning. “But it doesn’t fit. Whoever killed her would’ve taken the flash drive, but it doesn’t sound like it was in your purse. If it had been, Romero wouldn’t have been at your door, and the Ravagers wouldn’t have stopped us today. Romero thinks you found it, and the Ravagers, at least before today, think you’d found it.”
She swallowed hard, not liking the direction of his reasoning. “Then who killed Pam?”
Owen’s gaze leveled on hers. “Romero. He lets her send the kid for the purse. That’s illegal shit, but he’s plausibly clear of it. When that doesn’t work, he gets Demaris to go after it herself. Her motivation? Residual jealousy, and a desire to please a new boyfriend.
“ But there’s no flash drive. He’s pissed, she’s used up her usefulness, and he’s afraid she’ll be arrested and point the finger at him.” He shrugged. “So he kills her.”
“ But remember she wanted to meet for lunch? That was after Fernando tried his hand at armed robbery. How does pretending to be my friend fit?”
“ My guess is she wanted to orchestrate a scenario where she’d have access to you and your purse. She might’ve thought you’d invite her to your house and she’d have the opportunity to search for the flash drive.
“ If Romero told her where he’d stashed it, she’d know exactly where to look. That’s easier than tracking you down and assaulting you to get the purse.”
“ From her end, it might’ve seemed worth a try.” She shook her head. “But I can’t see Jaxon murdering Pam.”
“ That’s because you’re too sweet and think the best of people. Reality is, you can never tell. ”
She stared at him as he stuffed the remnants of their picnic lunch into the bag and walked it over to a trash can. She needed to keep reminding herself that he didn’t want to be with her.
Back on the road, they descended the eastern slopes, and were soon using the Bronco’s GPS to navigate around South Lake Tahoe to the address of the short-term rental Owen’s cousin had given him.
They pulled into a driveway next to a hybrid minivan.
A tall, lanky man with dark hair stood in the driveway. He had a little boy perched on his shoulders, and another smaller boy clamped around his leg like a starfish. A short curvy woman with a mass of dark curls turned at the Bronco’s approach, a huge smile on her face.
That smile brightened even more when she spotted Owen. They exited the vehicle, and she launched herself at him with a fierce hug.
Keeley smiled at the man. “Hi, I’m Keeley. You look like you have your hands full.”
He smiled in return; the two little people attached to him looked at her owlishly.
They had matching dark hair and striking blue eyes that had been handed straight down from their father.
“ Hey. I’ve got a niece named Keeley. Levi Gallagher.” He stuck out his hand to shake. After letting her go, he gestured to his shoulder. “Monkey number one is Henry.” He pointed down. “Monkey number two is Lucas.”
“ Nice to meet you, monkeys.”
Henry smiled and leaned over to peer at his dad upside down, saying clearly, “Not a monkey,” while Lucas only held tighter to his father’s leg.
Owen approached with a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Zoey, this is Keeley.”
“ Happy days, a female. I’m so glad to see you. I’m surrounded by humans with penises and need a break.”
Keeley noticed Zoey’s rounded belly. “It looks like you’re adding another monkey to the circus. ”
“ Circus is right.” She rested a hand on her baby bump. “This one’s a girl, thank goodness. She’ll help even out the testosterone in this family. Come on in. We’ve got sun tea, and we’ve got beer. I made my own hummus dip and chopped some veggies for a snack.”
“ Good thing I picked up Doritos,” Levi said cheerfully as he limped to the door with one leg weighted down. “I’ll let Keeley choose ranch or original.”
“ Original,” she responded.
Zoey rolled her eyes as she led the way inside the house. They arranged themselves in comfy chairs on a deck that looked out over the stunningly blue lake. Ice tinkled in Keeley’s tall glass as she drank the refreshing iced tea and enjoyed carrots and cucumber slices heaped with tasty hummus.
Levi eyed her food choices. “Don’t tell me you’re crunchy granola like this one.” He nodded to his wife.
“ Nothing wrong with crunch granola.” Keeley smiled at him as she snagged a chip. “Even so, I’ll occasionally indulge in the Dorito.”
“ Awesome,” Levi pronounced.
“ How long have you guys been together?” Zoey asked, gaze shifting between Keeley and Owen.
“ Oh, we’re not together. Owen and I are friends . ”
Zoey’s brows rose to her hairline. “I don’t believe that.” She pointed an accusatory finger at her cousin. “I’m not blind. There’s something going on. Plus, when have you ever introduced me to a woman?” When Owen didn’t answer and took a pull from his beer, she went on. “I’ll tell you, it’s never. Not even the one you married.” She turned back to Keeley. “Whatever’s going on with you two, it’s more than friends .”
Keeley let the comment pass. What could she say?
Cruising from furniture to people, Lucas toddled his way to Keeley and clambered up. She boosted him onto her lap where he promptly gave her a wet kiss on the cheek and began playing with the ends of her hair .
“ That one’s a lady’s man,” Levi said. “Watch out for him.”
“ He’s fourteen months and on the verge of walking without holding on to something.”
Keeley breathed in the sweet scent of baby powder, her cheeks warming when she caught Owen watching her, his gaze narrowed.
He set his beer on the table to swing Henry onto his lap. The little boy leaned back against Owen’s chest and stuck a thumb in his mouth.
Keeley looked away when the yearning for exactly that, except with Owen holding their child, slammed into her.
“ Since we’re changing the subject,” Owen said, “what brings you to Tahoe? You live in a mountain town by a lake, so you vacation in a mountain town by a lake? And where’s the monster dog?”
Zoey laughed. “Sounds strange, doesn’t it? We live in Hangman’s Loss, which is a two-hour drive south of Tahoe,” she informed Keeley. “We bought a new house because we’re tripping over each other as well as the monster dog at our current place, and when baby girl arrives, there’ll only be more tripping.”
“ Mountain dog?” Keeley questioned.
“ Lucy is a Bernese Mountain dog. She takes up a lot of room,” Zoey replied. “We bought this house and it’s really cute and I love the windows and the view of the lake, but we wanted to paint the interior before moving in. I can’t stand plain white walls.
“ Our lease was up in the old place and we needed to be out of there and I didn’t want everyone exposed to paint fumes, so the cop arranged for us to come here while the work is being done.”
“ The cop?”
She tilted her head toward her husband. “Levi is with the Hangman’s Loss police department. His brother Brad is police chief. Lucy is hanging out with Uncle Brad and his family while we’re gone.”
“ Added bonus,” Levi chimed in. “My brother and brothers-in-law volunteered to move the furniture into the new house. Zoey drew out a plan of where she wants everything, and as soon as the paint crew is done, the furniture gets moved in. Should be done tomorrow and we’ll head home the next day.”
“ Sounds like a win all around.” Keeley looked at Zoey curiously. “Owen said you’re cousins?”
“ We’re something. Our mothers were first cousins.” Zoey looked at Owen. “That makes Charlie and me your second cousins. Or is it first cousins once removed? I can never remember which.”
“ It’s simpler just to say we’re cousins.”
“ I adored Owen’s grandparents, who were my great-aunt and -uncle. They invited me and my brother to visit when Owen was in Sisters. His grandma wanted us to know our family and because of that, Charlie and I got to hang out with Owen, and that way we got to know him. We wouldn’t have, otherwise.”
“ It worked. We’re family.” Owen’s simple statement had Zoey beaming.
Henry’s eyes had drooped shut and Levi rose to his feet to gather the boy from Owen’s lap. “I’ll settle him for his nap.” He pointed at Lucas. “He’s almost out too. It’s a win when they both nap at the same time.”
Zoey moved to push up from her seat, but Levi shook his head. “Relax, babe. You’re doing the hard work of growing a human. I’ve got the monkeys.” He took Henry and a couple minutes later came back for Lucas. When he returned to the deck, he set a baby monitor on the table.
He dropped a kiss on Zoey’s lips. “You need anything?”
“ Just you.” She pulled him down to sit beside her on the loveseat.
Levi draped an arm behind her and Zoey leaned her head against his shoulder.
Keeley thought there might as well be twirling cupids and hearts over their heads like in cartoons because they so obviously adored each other.
“ I can’t believe we’re adding another to the mix,” Zoey sighed. “I feel like we run at borderline chaos as it is. ”
“ You and Levi seem like you have things figured out,” Keeley commented. “You’ve got a good vibe. I’m betting you’ll be fine.”
“ We will. I have a minor freakout every once in a while when I think of managing three kids.” Zoey smiled. “We’re a good team. We’ve got four months to get settled in the new house and then baby girl arrives and we’ll be back to breast feeding, and we’ll have two kids in diapers again. That’ll be exciting. But enough about us. Catch us up with what’s going on in your life, Owen.”
While the little boys slept, Owen filled Zoey and Levi in on the case swirling around Keeley.
Levi sat up, interest in his eyes as he leaned forward in his seat. “Let me get this straight, both the Ravagers and the douche boyfriend think Keeley’s hiding the flash drive.”
“ That’s ex-boyfriend,” Owen growled. Ignoring the grins from Levi and Zoey, he went on. “Nero’s demeanor changed when Keeley recognized him as the grandfather of one of her students. He seemed to believe she didn’t know anything about it but asked her to look for it.”
Levi turned to Keeley. “You never saw it?”
“ If it was in my purse, I—” A thought struck, and she could feel the blood drain from her cheeks. “Oh my god.”
Owen’s gaze drilled into Keeley. “What’s is it, princess?”
“ My purse. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I got a new purse, when was it? Maybe January? Was I still going with Jaxon then?” She wasn’t making sense. She stared wide-eyed at Owen. “The purse Pam stole was my new one. I hadn’t had it long and the police kept it as evidence.”
“ Connect the dots for me. You’re saying if Romero hid the flash drive, it wasn’t in the purse Demaris stole?”
“ That’s exactly what I’m saying. It could be in my old one. They look similar.”
“ Where’s that purse? Do you still have it?”
“ It’s here. I’ve been using it since the other was stolen.”
“ Here as in Lake Tahoe here? ”
“ Yeah. I left it on the side table in the entry way.”
Levi was across the deck and in the house in a flash, returning a moment later with Keeley’s purse dangling from his fingers. He plopped it in her lap. “There you go. Test the hypothesis.”
She stood and set her bag on the table. With Owen looking over her shoulder and Zoey and Levi across the table watching with avid interest, she unzipped the main compartment. She found the zipper tab to the inside pocket and pulled it open. Slipping her fingers into the pouch, and with heart pounding, carefully extracted the contents.
“ Holy shit,” Owen muttered.
Holding it between her thumb and forefinger, Keeley showed the others a flash drive with a shiny aluminum housing.
Levi disappeared, reappearing seconds later with a clear plastic zip baggie. He held the bag open. “Drop it in here, sweetheart. It’s possible the forensics guys can get fingerprints.”
Keeley dropped the device into the bag, glad to be rid of it. “I’ve had it with me all along. I feel like such an idiot.”
“ Cut yourself some slack, princess.” Owen cupped her chin and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. “You put it together and figured it out.”
“ I knew it,” Zoey crowed. “There is something between you two.”
“ You’re nosy,” Owen muttered.
Levi handed the baggie to Owen who slipped it into his pocket.
Keeley stepped back and took a fortifying breath. Zoey might think she and Owen were together, but Keeley knew better. He’d been caught up in the moment, that’s all.
“ It’s hard to believe Pam Demaris might’ve been murdered because of this,” she murmured.
“ Makes me wonder what the motorcycle gang was up to if they are so interested in getting it back,” Zoey said. “Is it safe to plug in and view the contents?”
Owen shook his head. “Word is it’s encrypted. If that’s the case, it’s password protected. ”
“ If we turn it over to the sheriff’s department, would they be able to see the contents?” Keeley wondered.
“ Not likely. Even with a warrant it’d be near impossible to access the contents without the password.” Owen took out his phone. “I need to call Sawyer and let him know we have it.”
Owen leaned against the deck rail as he spoke on the phone.
Keeley helped clear the chips and veggies from the table while Levi grabbed the empty beer bottles. A cry came over the baby monitor now clipped to Levi’s pocket.
“ That’s Lucas.” Zoey zipped across the living room.
“ She wants to get him before he wakes Henry.” Levi stowed chips in a cupboard.
“ Henry sleeps longer than the little guy?”
“ Yeah, go figure. But Lucas will sleep longer at night. Henry’s our morning dude and is up with the sun.”
Zoey returned with Lucas in her arms, the boy rubbing his eyes with a chubby fist.
Owen came in. “We need to get going. Sawyer wants the flash drive asap. It was good to see you all.” He dropped a kiss on both Zoey’s and Lucas’s heads.
“ Let us know how this turns out,” Levi said as the men shook hands.
Zoey pulled Keeley in one-armed. “Don’t give up on him,” she whispered. “He’s had it rough, but I can see you’re good for him.”
Keeley gave her a searching look. “I’d like to think so,” she said in a quiet voice. “But, more importantly, he has to think so.”
Zoey gave her another hug, little Lucas staring at Keeley with big blue eyes. “He’ll come around. I know he will.”
She nodded. “Give Henry a kiss for me. You have a beautiful family. I hope to see you again someday.”