Chapter Seventeen
Scott Keys was wearing his Italian leather.
That’s how Eve knew that he had come to the department for blood.
“What the media will never tell you about Scott Keys is that he actually dislikes people calling him rich.”
Eve stepped back from her spot next to the window in the break room door, no longer able to see Scott after he disappeared into a meeting room down the hall. She had only seen a sliver of him but could have spotted that outfit from space if given a glimpse.
She explained her statement to Darius and Theo, both behind her with coffees in hand.
“You can’t earn respect if you pay for it, and he believes the same goes for any reputation worth having,” she continued.
“He wants people to see him as the charming philanthropist and not the bored trust-fund baby who likes attention. So when it comes to what he wears in public, he’s always been careful to pick clothes that look nice but aren’t too flashy or too easy a reminder of his inherited wealth. ”
Eve tapped the door, pointing in the direction of the meeting room where the sheriff was waiting.
“What he’s wearing right now is more expensive than the department’s salaries combined. And that’s not even factoring in the shoes. Those were custom-made in Italy.”
“Which means he’s not trying to be humble right now,” Darius guessed.
Eve shook her head.
“No. Right now I think he’s trying to remind us that we’re not on the same page as him. Not even the same book.”
It had been another hour since they had arrived at the department and gone over their initial statements.
The woman who had attacked them was under lock and key at the hospital, while the man who had been killed had been identified as Brae Lee, a frequent flyer at a jail two counties over for offenses that ranged from drunk-and-disorderlies to a smattering of petty thefts.
He hadn’t had a history of violence, but his ex-wife had been quick to let them know that in the last two years his entire personality had seemed to change.
“The man stumbled through life with nothing but cheap beer and excuses until he lost his job, our house and me,” she had said on the phone, voice clear even on Speaker.
“Then one day he disappears only to show up with his back straight and his pockets lined with cash. Said he found some good luck and would keep having it as long as he did some traveling and kept his mouth shut.” There had been a pause.
Eve had imagined the woman had shaken her head.
“He never got into the details past that, and honestly, I didn’t want to know.
He gave me some of the worst years of my life.
So I didn’t want to give him anymore of my time.
That was the last time I spoke to him, and I haven’t had contact since. ”
She was sad for the loss of life and maybe a touch regretful, but she had nothing left for them to use other than the theory that whatever he had gotten into two years ago had probably led him to die in Darius’s house now.
It had been enough for Darius, though. Rose and Deputy Gavin had already agreed to deep dive into the man’s life to try and look for some kind of connection to the Keyses. Something Darius had officially requested in Rose’s office just before they had come to the break room.
“I can’t give you details, but if I were doing the looking, I’d be staring at Scott Keys and his close friend, Toby Sanderson,” Darius had said. “But I’d also be a bit discreet about it too.”
Eve had expected the piece of advice to get a reaction out of Rose or, at least, a question or two. Instead, she had run a hand over her pregnant belly and nodded. She had already been moving behind her desk to the computer before they could leave the room.
“He’s either confident or he’s trying to be intimidating,” Theo said now, speaking about Scott. “Which could mean he’s prepared for what happened, or he’s trying to send us a warning to not involve him in it at all.”
Eve nodded.
Darius shook his head.
“Or he could be here to see how much we know—or don’t know—about everything that’s happened.”
Theo conceded.
“To be fair, at this point I’m not even sure I know what we do or don’t know.” He touched the butterfly bandage on his cheek. “It’s been a pretty wild last week or so.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Coming to Seven Roads had felt like a lifetime ago. Wearing a wedding dress, standing in the middle of the road and staring at the now-grown Darius had felt even further away.
And everything that had happened since?
She’d had more questions than she had answers since arriving.
It was…frustrating, to say the least.
A frustration that they all shared, even as a silence fell over them. Eve glanced over at Darius. Her cheeks heated slightly. She wanted to talk to him in private, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Or even if she should say anything at all. They were in a mess.
A mess because of a man in Italian leather.
A man with a wrath that she had yet to see come out.
Even now Eve could still feel the fear of watching Scott unleash on Mitchell in that hotel room.
The hired men and woman who had come after them so far were truly scary, but there was something about the socialite that put fire ants beneath Eve’s skin.
Scott Keys didn’t only have rage as a weapon. He had money.
A lot of it.
When the sheriff came to see them a few minutes later, he let them know that anger hadn’t been a part of his discussion with the Keys brothers. Instead, his gaze had landed squarely on Eve.
“Scott Keys wants to see you. Both of you.” Then he looked at Darius. “And I’ll be frank with you here—he’s not asking.”
FINALLY, DARIUS MET Scott Keys.
He’d seen him, sure, nodded to him and watched as deputies had taken his statement. Darius had read the news articles too, googled him and seen enough press about him during his hospital stay to feel like he had met the man already.
Yet now he was in the same space. Within the same four walls.
Now he could see the expensive suit and shoes.
He could see the winning smile and movieworthy appearance.
And none of it mattered because all Darius cared about was Eve.
Scott wanted to hurt her.
So Darius wanted to hurt him.
But first they had to do some dancing.
Eve took the seat across from Scott. Darius didn’t sit at all.
He stood at her shoulder instead, gaze settling on the man in Italian leather.
Scott waited in silence, eyes sharp and suit wrinkle-free.
If the sheriff hadn’t already given them a heads-up, Darius would have traced every detail about the man at his side to try and get more information.
He would have also showed a hint of excitement.
Before they had been attacked in his house, the plan had been to find a way to talk to Toby Sanderson and, if Darius was right, the nerve that Eve and Mitchell’s secret investigation had hit before the wedding had been arranged.
So to have him already seated next to the man of the hour, wearing a suit that was notably less expensive and an expression that was also notably less calm, was like hitting the jackpot.
The man they had planned to seek out had come right to them.
And he didn’t seem that enthused about it either.
Toby was fiddling with a pen between his hands as Scott finally addressed them.
“Detective Williams, I’m sure you know who I am, but who would I be if I didn’t introduce myself?
” Scott didn’t stand. He didn’t reach his hand out.
He didn’t make to move to at all. “My name is Scott Keys. My brother is Mitchell Keys, and I currently run the Keys Foundation. Next to me is my friend, Toby Sanderson. Typically my lawyer would be in his spot… However, he’s currently a part of a homicide case file that I’m sure is still on your desk. ”
Scott’s gaze slid down slowly to Eve.
“I also happen to be the former employer of one Miss Evelyn Myers, who I am sad to say was terminated via email before arriving at the department just now.”
The silence was immediate.
It fell like a guillotine had dropped between them.
And there was a tone.
One Darius didn’t like being directed at Eve.
Darius gave it right back.
“I’m Detective Williams and can confirm that, along with the people who shot me and Eve and then tried to kill us again, I am currently investigating the homicide of a Gary Whittaker.
” Darius put his hand on the back of Eve’s chair.
He wanted to seem relaxed despite the anger growing inside of him.
“And while I can appreciate you keeping track of my work, I should use the same reminder to point out that my time is limited. So is this a social call, or is there a specific reason you need to talk to us?”
Toby wasn’t a cool cucumber. At least not like his friend. Toby’s lip curled up like he was ready to snarl at them.
Scott was more eloquent with it.
His smile was picture-polite.
“Other than my brother calling me here because he’s afraid that this—” he pointed at Eve and then Darius “—new development might spell out more trouble for him, I thought it might be a good idea to come in and make a few statements to the two of you. With a witness.”
Toby put the pen down.
An air of self-importance seemed to expand around him.
His restrained snarl turned into a sneer.
In any other context, Darius would have mentioned that a good witness would be a third party with no clear side in mind.
But he was awfully curious.
Scott’s stare settled on Eve again.
“To become an adulteress is already a questionable choice, but to leave a Keys at the altar at the first sign of trouble is an extremely disappointing thing,” he said.
“One of the reasons I hired you in the first place was because of your ability to think quickly and pivot in a high-intensity situation. Both traits I appreciated in your work over the last year. However, now I’m not so sure those truths still hold. ”
He paused. Not too long or too noticeably, but with enough space in between to change his expression slightly.
If Darius hadn’t suspected Scott Keys of being a cruel, calculating man already, the subtle shift in his demeanor would have aroused suspicion. He wasn’t outright threatening them when he spoke again, but there was an edge to every word.
“Starting next Monday there will be an investigation into your involvement with the Keys Foundation, the personal lives of the Keys family, and any and all connections to our beloved late Gary Whittaker.” Scott cut a quick look to Darius.
“Since we aren’t sure where the law enforcement priorities lie, we will make sure that you will answer for any wrongdoings that you have committed for your own personal gain.
And then you will pay for everything you have done. ”
The last statement hit hard.
Darius’s body reacted faster than his brain.
His fist balled into the fabric of the chair back, rage no longer rising but instead crashing across his entirety.
Scott was back to looking at him again. He must have seen the change.
A whisper of a smile seemed to cross the rich man’s lips.
Not only had he just clearly threatened Eve, he’d come into Darius’s domain to do it.
And not only that—he’d done it in front of Darius too.
It was nothing short of infuriating.
It was also about to earn Darius’s not-so-composed wrath.
He opened his mouth to say something—he wasn’t exactly sure what—when another voice unexpectedly joined the chat.
“Fair enough.” Eve’s voice wasn’t small or weak. It was loud and steady. She waited for the men across the table from her to focus before she continued.
Which is how Darius was able to read the absolute surprise in them when she spoke again.
“And when they investigate, they’ll find my investigation into you.”
Instead of looking at Scott, Darius could tell by the turn of her head that Eve was staring right at Toby.
His eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water for a moment.
“Me? What do you mean investigation into me? Investigation into what?”
She shrugged.
“Oh, you know, just the whole you visiting small towns before some kind of calamity happens, only to then pave the way for our White Knight here to ride in and save the day. At first I wondered if it was just a coincidence—your bad luck—but then I saw the pattern and understood that you’re either one of two things, Mr. Sanderson. ”
Eve tapped the table’s top between them.
“You’re either a man who brings the plague, or you’re the man who tells others to bring it. Then, after it spreads, you get to sit back and watch as your best friend, with all his resources and money, cures what you helped infect.”
Toby shook his head, anger and shock deepening his frown.
“That’s ridiculous,” he exclaimed. “You think I have been—what?—sabotaging random towns through the years? That sounds like a bad plot to a bad movie. Can you believe this, Scott?”
The man in question hadn’t moved a muscle.
His face was like stone.
As he answered, his words were just as hard.
“That’s quite the accusation there, Miss Myers,” he said. “If I had known you had such an imagination, I wouldn’t have wasted your talents by simply hiring you as my assistant.”
Most people might have heard the cold in his words—the edge that was there too—and decided against continuing to push.
But most people weren’t Eve.
She pushed her chair back and stood.
Compared to the White Knight of Small-town Living, the woman dressed in plain jeans and a fuzzy sweater seemed to suddenly tower over them all.
It only added to the sudden change in demeanor when she lightly laughed.
“What can I say? You were right about me, Scott. It turns out I am good at thinking on my feet. That’s how I found your flight logs, Toby. All of them.”
Without waiting for a reaction, Eve turned and walked right out of the meeting room.
It gave Darius full view of the men sitting across the table from him.
Toby was confused, quiet with it too. The pen he had been fiddling with lay forgotten beneath his hands.
Scott was also quiet.
But his stare was burrowing a hole into Darius.
Whatever the White Knight of Small-town Living was feeling…it wasn’t good.