Chapter 21
21
Landon wrapped his arm around Noel, his touch protective as he guided her into the house. Around them, worried faces were frozen as the red lights of the ambulance vanished down the drive.
Leaning close to her ear, Landon said in a low, urgent whisper, “Don’t say anything to anyone about Mike speaking to you.”
Her gaze shot to his face, her eyes wide. “I… um… okay.”
He started to turn, his focus shifting back to the others, but her hands clung to the fabric of his shirt. “Landon,” she whispered, her voice trembling with unspoken questions.
Landon paused, his full attention snapping back to her. To anyone watching, it might seem like a comforting embrace, but within the cocoon of his arms, the world fell away. His gaze locked on hers, steady and unwavering.
“He was talking on the phone just before he collapsed. I thought it was to the Fugates, but I don’t know.”
“What did he say?”
“Just that the kids were safe, and he would stick to the original plan. He said it would be good to get back to Montana.”
Landon’s gaze never left hers. “Anything else?”
Her brow furrowed, and she blew out a shaky breath. “Um… oh, he said that it would be good to take care of it once and for all.” She tightened her grip on him. “What did it mean?”
His jaw tightened. “I have no idea, sweetheart.” The endearment had slipped out, something he never did. Landon wasn’t in the habit of calling any woman sweetheart, babe, darlin’, honey, or anything other than their name or title. But seeing the fear on her pale face, the word sweetheart fell from his lips. If she was offended, she didn’t react, but then he wondered if she’d noticed. “I don’t want Pamela or the kids to know what he said. I’ll talk to my people to trace his calls. He had his phone in his pocket.”
“Okay,” she said, sucking in a deep breath. She straightened, and he could see the instant she steeled her spine. Patting his arm, she said, “I’ll see to the kids.”
Nodding, he watched with pride as she moved around him and walked directly to Tad and Penny. Pamela stood to the side, probably too shocked to begin her dramatics, and Noel took advantage, pulling the kids gently into the house. He followed their progression, seeing the trio headed up the stairs.
His eyes tracked their progress until they were out of sight. The tension in his chest eased only slightly as he turned back to Devil and Frazier. Pamela had retreated into the house, but he shifted his stance, ensuring their conversation remained private.
Devil groaned. “This should have been the easiest mission, and has turned into nothing but a fuckin’—”
“Tell me about it,” Landon agreed. “But there's more.” He watched as the other two Keepers' eyes flared with interest. “When waiting for the ambulance, Mike managed to speak to Noel. He told her that he was here to kill Pamela?—”
"You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Frazier bit out.
“He also said to ‘tell him I didn't get a chance.’”
“Him? Who him?” Devil asked. “Does he mean somebody sent him here to fucking kill Pamela?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I want to see what he’s got in his overnight bag.”
“Did he bring a bag with him when he came?”
Landon nodded. “I’m going to find what room he stayed in last night. That's got to be where his bag is.”
“He sure as hell needed a way to kill her that wasn't going to be messy or loud,” Devil said, his eyes narrowing as he thought of the possibilities.
“I wonder if he planned on doing something when you, Noel, and the kids were leaving. Something he could do that wouldn't immediately be traced back to him,” Frazier pondered aloud. “Couldn’t be loud or messy.”
“And who sent him? Stan Fugate? Or Stan’s father?” Devil asked.
“Had to be someone who had complete trust in Mike, knowing he was loyal to the family,” Landon said.
“I’ll call it in and tell Todd to check his phone records. There’s got to be a trace,” Frazier offered.
Landon nodded before he requested, “Make sure Pamela stays away while I go search.”
Frazier clapped him on the back. “You got it.”
With no one around, he bounded up the staircase and heard Noel comforting Tad and Penny in Penny’s room. Glancing across the hall, he spied a pair of Tad’s jeans lying across the bed and assumed that was his room. At the end of the hall was the apparent owner’s bedroom with Pamela’s clothing strewn about and an empty vodka bottle on the nightstand.
No other bedrooms were upstairs, so Landon headed downstairs. A hall bisected the living room and dining room, going by the kitchen and leading toward the back of the house. Horticia was standing in the kitchen, so he asked, “Where did Mike sleep last night?”
“He stayed in the downstairs guest room, sir. Uh… Roger's room is the first one on the left, and Mike was at the end of the hall.”
“Is Roger still in his room?”
Horticia’s eyes widened. “Uh… I’m uncertain, sir.”
Dipping his chin, he glanced over his shoulder and caught Devil’s eye. Without saying a word, he indicated that the other Keeper should stop Horticia from leaving the kitchen.
Devil moved forward and smiled at her. “Ma’am? I think we can all use a cup of tea if you don't mind.”
Horticia’s eyes were wide, and her hands shook before she clasped them tightly. Nodding, she moved over to the teakettle.
Landon slipped down the hall, went to the farthest room, and opened the door. Shutting it behind him, he looked around at the guest room. The bed was made, and a small overnight bag sat on the covers. Next to the bag was Mike’s jacket. Glancing around, he saw no other personal items belonging to the man. He stepped into the en suite bathroom, but it was also void of anything personal. “It looks like he was all packed up and ready to go,” Landon murmured.
He moved over to the bed and unzipped the bag. Not wanting to stick his hand into the unknown, especially if there was a weapon, he pulled a penlight from his back pocket and peered into the bag.
Two pairs of boxer briefs, socks, khaki pants, and a denim shirt were inside, along with a toiletry kit. Upon examination, he found nothing untoward, even after unscrewing and sniffing the shampoo and toothpaste. It wasn't until he sniffed the small travel bottle of generic aftershave that his eyes widened. He didn’t know how to identify poison by scent, but he’d bet his left nut that whatever was in the bottle wasn’t aftershave unless a musty odor was what Mike wanted to smell like.
It wouldn't have been hard for Mike to slip something into Pamela's drink after the rest of them had gotten into the vehicle to head to the airport. By the time she drank and then died, the kids would be off the island and on their way to Montana. Once there, the family would have been able to control the narrative of how their mom died.
He returned the bottle to the toiletry kit and settled it into the overnight flight bag. Zipping it, he grabbed the bag and the jacket and carried them out of the bedroom. Instead of returning to the kitchen, he moved through the laundry room and hustled around the house while making a quick call to Frazier. “Meet me at the SUV.”
He stowed the bag and explained what he'd found. “I want the vehicle locked at all times.”
Frazier agreed and checked the doors once the key fob was clicked. “By the way, Todd checked Mike’s phone records. His phone wasn’t used close to the time he had his heart attack.”
Landon let out a muffled curse. “Burner. He must have had a fuckin’ burner.”
“Think it’s in the garden or patio?”
“I’ll check. Has Cole been notified?”
Frazier nodded. “He’s on standby.”
Landon looked around. “Where the fuck is Roger? He wasn’t with us when Mike was taken away.”
“Shit, man, I don’t know,” Frazier groaned.
“Goddammit!” Landon cursed, walking back into the house to look for the burner phone Mike may have been using. Noel and the kids were still upstairs. Pamela stood on the path leading to the beach, chatting with a silver-haired man who appeared enamored with her. Landon slipped to the patio and searched the garden surrounding the area closest to where Mike had fallen. It wasn’t hard to find a mobile phone lying just under a palm plant. It also wasn’t difficult to determine it was a burner. He pocketed the phone, then walked inside.
Devil walked to Landon. “What’s up?”
“Where is Roger?”
Devil jerked. “I thought he was in his room.”
“He’s not.” Landon grabbed his phone. “Sadie, can you check the cameras now that they are working? Tell me if you see Roger leaving the area.”
“Give me a second.” After a pause, she said, “He left by the back door when the rest of you were on the patio dealing with Mike. He was alone and disappeared into the jungle with a case in his hand.”
Landon scrubbed his hand over his face, wondering if the mission fuckups were ever going to end. “Okay, see if you can discover when and where he was picked up. I’ll contact the police commissioner, and they can search for him. Get Todd to check any correspondence between Roger and Horticia. They’ve been chummy yet noticeably scarce since the kids came back. And I have the burner.”
“Give it to me, and I’ll at least send what information I can to Todd,” Devil said.
“Think they arranged the kidnapping?” Sadie asked.
“The kidnappers asked for half a million, the exact amount that I had for Pamela. It was an inside job. I want to know all about him. We’ve got Horticia here. I’ll have the police lean on her.”
Disconnecting, Landon then called the police commissioner. After giving him the information on Roger and Horticia, the chief agreed that they would search for Roger. Walking back to the kitchen, he watched as Horticia appeared to fade into the background, but the officer who’d been assigned to the house stayed right with her.
Landon’s phone vibrated. When he looked at the caller ID, his brow knit as he answered. “This is Landon Sommers.” He dropped his chin to his chest as he listened to the news. It just kept getting worse and worse. Thanking the caller, he looked up at Frazier, then at Devil, who walked over. “That was the hospital. The police commissioner gave them my number when Mike was taken in as the person to notify. He didn’t make it.”
“Goddamn,” Devil cursed, shaking his head.
For a long moment, the three stood in silence. Finally, Landon said, “I’m going in to talk to the kids and Noel. We may need to stay the night. No way do I want to upset Penny and Tad any more by pulling them away when they’re this upset.”
“Do you want me to call the Fugates?” Frazier asked.
Landon nodded. “Tell them only what happened and who they can contact at the hospital. I had already talked to Stan to let him know that Pamela had changed her decision to sign any new paperwork. I’m now leaving that between them and their attorney. Our assignment is to get the kids home safely. Devil, talk to Logan and let him know what’s happening. Then get ahold of Cole.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Jesus, what a mess.”
With Devil and Frazier heading off to take care of calls, Landon walked back into the house. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with unspoken tension. In the family room, Pamela sat rigidly on the sofa, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Her lips were drawn into a tight line, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze.
“I suppose you think I should be upset, right?” she bit out, her voice sharp.
Landon’s expression remained unreadable, but his tone was firm. “Pamela, you always seem to believe the world revolves around you. Let me assure you, I don’t care how you feel about this situation. What I do care about is talking to Tad and Penny about a man they’ve trusted their entire lives.”
He didn’t wait for her response, his patience already worn thin. He turned on his heel and headed up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. He hated the burden of the news he had to deliver.
Stepping through Penny’s door, he observed Tad and Penny sitting on the edge of the bed. Noel sat on the thick-cushioned window seat directly before them. Penny was no longer crying, but her pale face and red, swollen eyes gave way to shock. Tad’s fallen expression gave him the appearance of someone with the weight of grief on his shoulders, and he swiped at his nose and eyes. Landon ached for them but steeled himself, knowing he was going to make things worse.
Noel watched him carefully as he made his way into the room. He wished he could convey everything to her in a glance to help prepare her for what was to come. Though they had only known each other briefly, she seemed to grasp the weight of what he was about to say. Her shoulders slumped slightly, bracing herself for the inevitable.
Hesitating wasn’t in Landon’s nature, but now, faced with the enormity of this moment, he faltered. Noel extended her hand toward him in an unspoken offer of solidarity. He took it gratefully, her touch grounding him. Sitting beside her on the bench, he turned to the children.
“Tad, Penny… there’s no way I can say this easily or try to sugarcoat what I need to tell you. You witnessed Mike having a heart attack earlier, and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect you from that. I need to let you know I just received a phone call from the hospital. Mike did not survive the heart attack. I'm sorry, kids. He died on the way to the hospital.”
Noel’s grip on his hand tightened, her fingers digging into his. The intensity of her hold mirrored the helplessness coursing through both of them.
Penny's wail sounded out, her anguish spilling over, and she began to sob again. Loosening her grip on his fingers, Noel moved to sit between the kids. She wound one arm around Penny, and the other reached for Tad.
Landon lost track of time as he sat quietly, allowing the children to deal with the initial grief. He let his thoughts wander to Mike. He was a familiar face they had grown up with—a friend, a mentor, and a surrogate family member. And now, someone who had admitted he’d come to commit murder.
He sighed, pushing those thoughts aside as Noel took Penny’s weight. Tad leaned to the side and rested his head on Noel’s shoulder.
Landon’s mind wandered to the women he had known in the military and the FBI—strong, capable, and fierce. They could take down opponents twice their size, shoot with deadly precision, and handle high-stress situations with ease. Yet looking at Noel, he realized that strength came in many forms.
Here was a woman who had chosen a path of compassion and care. She bore the weight of others’ grief, offering them a safe space to fall apart. She listened, she understood, and she validated their pain, giving them a chance to heal.
And at that moment, Landon knew—he wanted to be the one she could lean on. The one who would carry her burdens when it was her turn to break. He wanted to be the person who gave her the strength she so selflessly offered to others.