Chapter 6 Secret in the Cistern #4
She sidestepped the question. “We had Bo with us the whole time. No unnecessary risks were taken.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Fine. Yes, Kaya and I were discussing the case and followed a hunch.”
He gave her a knowing look. “Right after your church rendezvous with Bear. The case is getting personal, isn’t it?”
Her face grew warm. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
His eyes widened. “Do you really need me to spell it out for you?”
“No, thanks.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “I wouldn’t mind having a run at the women’s clothing we found in the last file box. If you could have it delivered to the lab—”
“Today?” He looked aghast. “If I do, you’ll spend the rest of your Sunday working on the case, won’t you?”
“Well…yes.” What if the dress and shoes belonged to Tiana Dakota?
“I think not! It’s time to call it a day,” he insisted firmly. “You need to eat and rest. Even forensic pathologists have to stop and be human once in a while.”
Her chin came up. “This is important, Gil. And personal, just like you said.”
“You’re important, too, April.” He took out his phone and fiddled with it. “I’m saying this as a friend. You need to rest. What you did here today is vitally important, but the work that comes next will be waiting for you in the morning.”
“We’ll order room service,” she pleaded. “That counts as resting, right?”
“With you? Probably not.” His voice was dry. He gazed around the room again, shaking his head. “Who would’ve imagined a setup like this beneath a barn that looks like it’s about to cave in?”
“As the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving.” She was thrilled that he was making noises about allowing her to examine and test the old clothing in the morning. She didn’t want to be shut out of the rest of the investigation, now that they’d moved beyond identifying bones.
Gil angled his head at the stairs, inviting her to mount them ahead of him. “Assuming you don’t require any further Sunday afternoon interventions, I have a pair of toddlers waiting for me to get back to operating a bubble machine.”
“Bubbles!” Mortification flooded her. “What kind of person interrupts a father blowing bubbles with his kids?” she wailed.
He waggled his eyebrows at her as they reached the top of the stairs. “A dedicated forensic expert. For that, I am grateful.” He escorted her to the armored SUV.
Bo was already behind the wheel with the motor running. He glanced over his shoulder as she took her seat. “Is the Royal Bubble Party Pooper ready to head back to the hotel?”
“Not funny,” she pouted, sending Gil a wounded look. It sounded like she was the last person to find out what all he’d sacrificed in the way of family time to come to her aid again today.
“It kind of was,” Kaya snickered.
“I feel like everyone is ganging up on me!” April pretended to whimper as Gil shut the door for her, looking amused.
She was enjoying her trip to Heart Lake more than she’d ever imagined.
Bear’s niece was especially fun to be around.
April found herself relaxing and letting go in ways she’d never done in her life.
Maybe Gil was right. Maybe it was okay to be human and rest for a few hours instead of working her way through what little remained of the weekend.
Kaya broke into another jig, this time while seated. “I hope you weren’t kidding about the room service. I’m so hungry I’m about to start gnawing on my own hand.” She mimed chomping down on her fingers.
“Ouch! How about you do the ordering, then?” April pulled up the number for room service and held her phone out so Kaya could type it into her phone.
While Kaya handled the food, April dialed Bear to update him on their latest find.
“Sounds like it may be the breakthrough we’ve all been hoping for.” His voice was low and husky. “You’re amazing. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Thank you!” She was accustomed to receiving awards and bonuses. His warm acceptance was so much better.
“You’re welcome.” His baritone rumbled deliciously through her. “Can you describe the women’s clothes you found?”
“It was a dress and a pair of shoes.” Her heart raced at the realization that he might be able to identify them. “A very old, very faded blue dress with white daisies printed on it.”
He let out a labored breath. “Let me guess. The shoes were a pair of blue suede loafers with hand-sewn uppers and beadwork over the toes shaped like eagles.”
“Oh, Bear!” It sounded like he’d been looking over her shoulder at the contents of the box, and she knew what that meant. “I’ll let Luke and Gil know you’ve positively identified Tiana’s clothing.” They were getting so close to the truth.
“The blue dress with daisies was what my sister was wearing the day she disappeared.” His voice was rough with emotion.
“I’ll never forget it. It was the same day she told me her secret.
..that she was dating a Haywood. I got upset with her.
We had words.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “It was the last time I saw her.”
Her heart wept for him. “We’re going to find her, Bear.” She believed it with all of her heart.
“Thanks for staying involved.” He was silent for a beat. “I honestly didn’t expect you to stick around as long as you have.”
“I gave you my word that I would.” Her word wasn’t something she gave lightly.
“I know, but you have a whole life outside of Heart Lake.” He sounded sad. “A career you can’t keep on hold forever.”
It almost sounded like he was trying to get rid of her, even though she was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant. “And yet I’m still here, just like I said I’d be.” Her word meant something. He would soon find that out.
“I’m glad you’re here, April. Sorry for rambling. Guess I’m still in shock about you guys finding Tiana’s clothing.”
Was he truly glad she was still in town? Doubts slammed into her.
“How’s my niece holding up?” he asked suddenly.
“She’s in her element.” April drank in Kaya’s animated expression while she ordered a late lunch for them.
“I wish you could’ve seen her digging through the barn like a trooper earlier.
Apparently, she worked up an appetite, because she’s threatening to gnaw on body parts if we don’t feed her soon.
” April’s report earned a rare chuckle from Bear that made her heart sing.
“To preserve said body parts, I put her in charge of ordering food. I’ve discovered she can handle anything you throw at her. ”
“That’s my Kaya.” Pride infused his voice. “You must be heading back to the hotel.”
“We are. I’ll continue to keep you posted about everything.” She would use literally anything as an excuse to call him these days. “I wanted to return to the lab today, but Gil is making me wait until tomorrow.”
“As he should.” Bear’s voice grew husky again. “Sleep isn’t overrated, you know.”
“You sound just like him,” she complained in a mocking voice.
“With one very big exception,” he retorted. “I’ll be the one counting the minutes until your next phone call.”
Oh! Wo-o-ow! Her heart grew as melty as a pat of butter on a hot, steamy baked potato.
“You still there?” he inquired after an elongated pause.
“Just reminding myself to breathe,” she informed him breathlessly.
“Bye, April.” His voice was as intimate as a caress.
“Bye, Bear.” She hung up and immediately missed the sound of his voice and the way it made her feel.
Bo drove into the parking garage and escorted April and Kaya to their hotel suite. “If you need anything else, ring me.”
A yawn caught April by surprise. “The plan is to not need you for the rest of the day.” He was probably ready to call it a night. She was getting there herself. “Thanks for everything.”
“Just doing my job,” he made it sound like it was all in a day’s work for him, which it probably was, “sticking to you ladies like Velcro until this case is closed.”
“Both of us?” That was news to her. She’d been under the impression he was guarding Kaya alone.
He curled his upper lip at her. “How about I let Gil answer that?”
“Gil, huh? You can be sure I’ll take it up with him.
” She was unsure whether to be grateful or offended by his highhandedness.
However, his sneakiness in no way detracted from what Bo had helped them accomplish.
“Regardless, you were a rockstar out there today.” He’d made it possible for her to do her job without constantly looking over her shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” He gave her a mock salute and lumbered down the hallway toward his room.
She stepped inside her suite and shut and bolted the door behind her and Kaya. Moments later, room service knocked at the door. The delivery smelled so delicious that her mouth watered.
Kaya had gone overboard again, but April was too famished to complain. She’d ordered pizza, cheese-filled manicotti drenched with meat sauce, salad, breadsticks, and tiramisu. It was an Italian-lover’s paradise.
Kaya sniffed and sampled the entrees, making little moaning sounds of appreciation as she laid them out. “This will fuel our investigation and then some.”
As Gil had predicted, April found a way to work while she ate, and Kaya was her willing partner.
They perched on stools at the bar in the kitchenette, surfing through the Haywoods’ social media accounts online.
Including in-laws and distant cousins, there were dozens of Haywoods living in Heart Lake.
Every last one of them resided on the family compound at Haywood Ranch.
It was a lot to digest and kind of creepy.
“I have an idea.” April climbed off the stool. “It’ll take me a few minutes, but I’m going to head downstairs to the business center and print out the unofficial snapshots I took today.”
“You didn’t!” Kaya looked amazed. “When?”