Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
WEST
“ W est, glad you’re here,” Edgar said. “Saves me a trip.”
“Yeah?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Something I can do for you, Edgar?” Considering his offices were a short walk from the police station, I didn’t figure he’d been doing much work to track me down.
As one of the town’s leading citizens, he had all my numbers, but we could play this his way to start.
“I want to know what progress you’re making on that break-in at Sawyers Bend Brewing,” Edgar said.
“Edgar!” Avery protested. “Don’t badger West.”
“Hush, girl,” Edgar said with a wave of his hand.
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a girl. I’m thirty-one years old, and West isn’t some kid you can boss around. He’s the Chief of Police.”
I squeezed her knee under the table. When it mattered, I wouldn’t let Edgar push me an inch. But for now, I wanted him to talk.
“You know I can’t give you information about an ongoing investigation,” I reminded Edgar. Everyone knew it, and nobody cared. They could ask. Didn’t mean I’d tell them anything. I knew how to keep my mouth shut, even if no one else in this town did.
“You don’t have any fingerprints. They didn’t leave any evidence. How do we know she’s safe there?” Edgar asked.
“I have her covered,” Hawk growled from the far end of the table. “And when I don’t have her, West does,” he finished. “She’s as safe as we can make her.”
“Not safe enough,” Harvey said, his eyes going to her arm.
“That wasn’t about me,” Avery said, lifting a hand to trace the almost healed wound running down her arm. “That was about Ford.”
“Was it?” Edgar asked, his eyes shifting to Ford, sitting at the opposite end of the table from Griffen, observing us in silence.
This was the Ford who’d come back from prison—watchful, quiet, seemingly content to let his brother run the family as he’d always been meant to.
From everything I’d seen, it looked like Ford had learned his lesson.
Envy and greed had led him down a path that sent him to prison for a crime he hadn’t committed.
I would have guessed that if he got out of prison, he’d have been long gone.
The strictures of Prentice’s will didn’t apply to Ford.
Ford had been disinherited. There was nothing for him here.
Nothing except home and family. A family that had welcomed him back even as he remained withdrawn from them.
The distance with Griffen hadn’t been healed, might never be.
But Ford was fiercely protective of his younger sisters.
He’d been fighting for them even when Prentice had still been alive.
I didn’t know if he was hanging around to watch over them or because he couldn’t move forward while the cloud of murder hung over his head.
Finally, Ford asked, “What makes you think Avery was the target?”
Harvey munched on his salad, his eyes on Edgar, waiting. Edgar’s focus on me, he said, “Because whoever broke into the brewery stole Avery’s file on Prentice’s murder.”
“What do you know about that file?” I asked, quashing the surge of irritation at Edgar’s interference.
He was so like Prentice, stirring the pot, manipulating everyone around him until he got what he wanted.
I didn’t think he’d killed Prentice, and I didn’t think he was the one who’d gone after the rest of the Sawyers, but that didn’t mean I trusted him.
“I only know what Harvey told me,” Edgar answered smoothly.
“Bullshit,” Avery whispered beside me.
I agreed but squeezed her knee again, half to warn her to be quiet and more because I loved the feel of her leg under my hand and the casual intimacy of sitting next to her at a family dinner.
How the fuck had I missed this my whole life?
We’d practically grown up together. Granted, I’d been just old enough that she’d seemed like a kid for far too long, but she wasn’t a child.
Far from it. As she’d reminded Edgar, she was a grown woman—one I was realizing I wanted at my side, not just in bed or for a beer.
I pushed that thought aside for the moment .
“What are you getting at?” Sterling asked, leaning forward, bracing her elbows on the table. Harvey winced at her lack of manners, but Sterling could not have given less of a shit.
“Do you think Avery had something in that file that pointed to the killer?” Sterling asked.
She sat up straighter, sliding her elbows back, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.
She flashed a look at Avery. “Damn, I wish we had a copy of your file. I wonder if you saw something and didn’t know what it was.
You know, like proof. And if we had more pieces to the puzzle, maybe we’d know it was proof. ”
“Don’t get too excited, Sterling,” Avery reminded her. “I don’t have a copy of the file they stole, and whoever broke into the brewery isn’t going to give it back.”
Sterling let out a breath, deflating. “Yeah, good point. Too bad you don’t have a photographic memory.”
“Believe me, it would make a lot of things easier,” Avery said, and I knew she was thinking of the recipe. I squeezed her leg again, leaning close to whisper, “The new one will be even better.”
The smile that flashed across her face made my chest tight.
“What was that?” Harvey said. I looked up, expecting to have his attention on us, but he was looking at Sterling.
Sterling flipped her hair off her shoulder. “Nothing, just that we have another lead, so you know, it’s not a complete dead end.”
“What do you mean you have another lead?” Harvey asked. He set down his fork on the edge of his plate with a clang. “You girls need to let this go. Avery and Ford could have been killed, Sterling. For what? Ford’s out of prison, and he doesn’t want you hurt.”
Everyone turned to look at Ford. He set his fork down on the tablecloth with a quiet thunk and swallowed, wiping his mouth before saying, “I’ve made my feelings clear to everyone.
We’ve been through enough. I appreciate all the help to get me out of prison, but this is dangerous.
I don’t need you to save me. I’m here, I’m free. Let’s just move on.”
The table erupted in protests, Avery and Sterling’s being the loudest. From beside me, Avery said, “You may have given up, Ford, but that doesn’t mean we will. I want to clear your name. You shouldn’t have to live like this.”
“Live like what?” Ford shot back. “In a castle surrounded by my family? Eating Finn’s cooking every day? Believe me, this is heaven compared to where I spent the last year. I’m not complaining. Let it go.”
“Listen to your brother, girls,” Edgar said.
“No,” Avery shouted. “I will not.” She leaned past me to spear Ford with a hard glance.
“You don’t want to clear your name, fine.
Maybe I want to know who killed our father.
Did you ever think about that? I don’t want you living with this for the rest of your life, but you’re an adult.
You don’t want to pursue it. I can’t make you. But I want to know who killed Dad.”
“Why, so you can thank them?” Royal asked.
“No,” Avery shook her head, then paused. “If it hadn’t ended up with Ford in prison, then maybe.”
“I can’t believe you would say such a thing about your father,” Edgar said, his words falling like stones in the center of the table.
“Edgar, get real,” Sterling said. “You and Harvey, and West’s dad are pretty much the only people who are sorry Prentice is gone.”
For a second, I thought I saw real grief flash across Edgar’s face before he set his jaw and shook his head. “I’m glad he doesn’t have to hear this disrespect,” Edgar said. As monstrous as Prentice had been, it was easy to forget he’d been someone’s friend.
“Uncle Edgar,” Hope’s clear, strong voice filled the room.
She was one of the kindest people I knew, but when she was pissed, watch out.
Edgar had rescued her from a tough childhood and brought her up as his own.
For most of her life, she’d been an obedient niece until Edgar had figured out a way to marry her off to Griffen.
It could have been a disaster, but those two had been in love before they understood what love was.
In the end, they were like our own personal fairy tale.
And over the last two years, I’d seen Hope grow a strong spine, especially when it came to her uncle.
She loved him, but she was done taking his crap.
“This is Griffen’s house now,” she continued. “We’re done with the worship of Prentice Sawyer. I know he was your friend, and I know you miss him, but no one here wants to hear it.”
He pointed a finger at his niece. “Disrespectful,” he said again.
“I don’t really care. Can it or go home.”
They locked eyes for a long moment, then Edgar gave a short nod and took a bite of salad. Harvey picked up the baton, focusing back on Sterling.
“So, what lead will you be following next? Did you finally track down that jewelry designer?”
To her credit, Sterling didn’t give anything away. “Oh, you know, we’ve been asking questions here and there. Losing the file is a blow for sure, but we’ll figure it out.”
“It sounded like you had something specific,” Harvey said. “If you tell me what it is, maybe I can help.”
“Help?” Sterling said, her tone innocent despite the wicked gleam in her eyes. “Like you did when you let the necklace get stolen from your office? No thanks, I don’t think we need that kind of help.”
Harvey flushed. “I told you I was sorry about that.”
“Not sorry enough to report it to the police,” Sterling said. “It wasn’t yours to lose.” Her last words had an edge.
Harvey shifted to face Griffen. “Can’t you put a stop to this?” His gaze flicked to me. “You’re the police chief. Tell them you’ll arrest them if they interfere with your investigation.”
“I would if they were,” I said, keeping my tone mild, “but they’re not.”
“Edgar, Harvey,” Griffen said, waiting until he had their attention. “Drop it. As Hope said, change the subject, or you can go. Avery and Sterling are fine. They don’t need you to step in for Dad.”
“Your sister got stabbed,” Edgar erupted. “She could have been killed. I don’t understand?—”
The silverware jumped and clattered as Griffen smacked his hand on the table. “Drop it, or leave,” he said. “Those are your choices. I would hate to rescind your welcome at this table, but we’re done talking about this.”
Edgar and Harvey exchanged a glance, seeming to conduct a whole conversation in silence. Edgar shook his head and stabbed a lettuce leaf with his fork. “Fine. I’ll drop it.” And he did, at least for the rest of dinner.
Not that we finished the remainder of the meal in peace—conversation touched on everything and nothing.
The food was amazing, as it always was, but when I wasn’t puzzling over Edgar and Harvey’s behavior, all I could think about was getting Avery alone.
I’d rather have taken her back to my place, but staying at Heartstone was a solid second choice.
We’d only spent one night together, but I wasn’t interested in going to bed without her.
The second we finished dessert, Avery grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my seat. “Come on, I want to show you something,” she said.
“Really?” I asked, following her from the dining room, jogging up the stairs beside her. We took a right into the family wing, stopping at her bedroom door.
“Come on,” she said, pulling me inside.
“What did you want to show me?” I asked.
Her eyes bright, a smile curving her full mouth, she whipped her t-shirt over her head, taking her tank top with it. A second later, her jeans and underwear hit the floor around her feet.
“This,” she said brightly.
“It’s the best thing I’ve seen all year,” I said, reaching for her. I had enough presence of mind to flip the lock of the door behind me before scooping her into my arms and heading for her bed.