Chapter 4
This was the first time Paradise had been inside the Websters’ home. She wandered the inlaid wood floors and admired the stained-glass
windows before following Blake and his cousin out to the back deck overlooking Mobile Bay. Waves lapped at the pier, and she
smiled at ten-year-old Simon shooing away gulls trying to get his bait as he walked toward the water to fish from the shore.
Hez and Savannah had recently adopted him after the death of his mother.
The salty breeze lifted Paradise’s hair and she batted strands out of her eyes. She and Blake dropped into Adirondack chairs.
The sun made her head pound, and she dug sunglasses out of her purse.
Blake noticed. “You want to go back inside? Is your head hurting more?”
“I’m all right. I’d rather be out here smelling the bay and listening to the gulls.” She smiled at Hez. “Thanks for letting
us barge in like this. Blake is a worrywart.”
The smile in Hez’s blue eyes vanished. “He’s not, you know. Things could have turned out much worse, and he can’t be everywhere at once. A little help was all he needed, and it’s what family is all about.”
Her chest warmed at how accepting he was that she was family. “Well, thank you. There’s something about the sound of the waves
that sapped the tension right out of me.”
“It’s a special place.” Hez nodded.
Blake checked his phone. “Drew is about two hours away.”
“I really should be at my apartment getting things ready for him.” She winced at the thought of old leftovers in her fridge
and the sheets that needed changing in the guest room. The boys had likely left crumbs in the bed from their last sleepover.
“Mom is taking care of it. She’s doing it right now while Abby has the boys.”
A car door slammed, and Isaac’s and Levi’s voices rang out from the front yard. Blake rose. “I’ll let them know we’re back
here.” He bounded down the steps to the yard and waved to attract their attention.
Abby waved back and came toward them with his brothers. Her auburn hair was up in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were narrowed
with concern.
The boys threw themselves at Blake’s legs in a boisterous hug before they spotted Simon at the water’s edge. “Can we fish
too?” Levi asked.
“Sure,” Hez said. “Simon has extra fishing poles there for you. Stay with Simon and don’t go on the pier. The water is just
right for fishing from the shore.”
“We aren’t babies,” Isaac scoffed. “Mommy says we swim like fishes.”
“That’s true, but we don’t want you in the water today,” Blake said. “It’s a fishing spot, not a swimming spot.”
Isaac spotted Paradise, and his eyes widened. “You’ve got some scratches, Paradise.” He came up the steps to her side and examined her face. “Does it hurt?”
“Not so much.” She embraced him and pressed her lips against his soft cheek. “I missed you and your brother.” She pulled him
onto her lap and inhaled his little boy scent.
Levi ran up to hug her, too, then jabbed his brother. “Let’s go fishing.”
“Go ahead.” Seeing them had assured Paradise that they weren’t traumatized by what had happened to her. Jenna had probably
downplayed it so they weren’t frightened.
Blake walked toward them. “I’ll help you bait your hooks.”
Paradise watched his little brothers run ahead of Blake’s tall, stalwart figure and marveled at his patience with them. They
loved him so much, and so did she. She might have wanted to be consulted before he’d called Drew, but Blake was all heart
and a fierce protector of those he loved. She was a blessed woman.
Abby reached her and studied her face. “Your poor face. Does it hurt?”
“My head aches.” Paradise gestured to the chair beside her, and Abby settled in it.
Abby had been through so much too. Her father, Roger Dillard, had died in the swamp while in the process of trying to cover
up his part in a plot to force Blake and Jenna to sell The Sanctuary to investors who wanted the rare-earth elements under
it. Together they’d all figured it out and stopped the plan, but Abby’s eyes still radiated hurt.
The boys reached Simon, who welcomed them with fishing poles. The three children knelt around the bait pail, and Blake put
worms on his brothers’ hooks. If her head didn’t hurt so badly, she would have gone down to join in on the excitement.
She dug out the meds the doctor had given her. “I’m going to get some water,” she told Hez and Abby.
Hez started to rise. “There are cold bottles in the fridge. I’ll get you one.”
She put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “I’ll get it. I’d like to get out of the sun for a few minutes.” She went
inside and found the kitchen. It had been recently renovated and gleamed with stainless steel and clean white counters contrasting
the gray cabinets. She instantly loved it.
After plucking a bottle of water from the fridge, she walked into the dim coolness of the living room and settled on the sofa
while she waited for the med to calm the pounding in her head. The clock on the mantel ticked, and the distant sound of tires
on the road outside filtered into the room.
Someone didn’t want Drew here, yet yesterday’s action was bringing him to town sooner rather than later. Was it because Drew
was a police detective and the perp feared he’d have more luck finding the killer than Paradise by herself? They already suspected
the murders of her parents were somehow connected with the death of Drew’s father. If Drew discovered who his father was,
would that lead to the killer?
There was enough worm goo on Blake’s jeans to choke a swamp gator and make it spit up its lunch. But his little brothers were
all smiles, which made the mess worth it. They’d each caught two fish, and he promised to clean them and fry them up for dinner.
They moved from the bay to Simon’s tree house in a tupelo tree on the east side of the property. The cool shadows held the
scent of old leaves and moss.
Isaac clambered up the makeshift ladder without a qualm, but Levi eyed the slabs of wood dubiously. Blake touched the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll be right here to catch you if you slip. You can do it.”
Levi placed his right foot on the first rung. “Stay right there.”
“I will.” Blake didn’t help his brother because he wanted him to gain confidence by doing it himself. And sure enough, the
seven-year-old managed to reach the platform with Simon and Isaac on his own.
Smiling, Blake started toward the house. A rustle of dead leaves and the crack of a footfall on twigs caught his attention.
He could see Hez still on the deck, but there was no sign of Paradise. “Paradise?” he called.
A flurry of movement and the sound of someone running through the woods followed. Blake took off in pursuit. Paradise wouldn’t
have run. He caught a glimpse of a green shirt that nearly faded into the canopy of leaves. Blake spotted a blue ball cap
on the man’s head before the guy reached a rusty brown pickup parked along the ditch by the neighbor’s house. A billow of
black smoke belched from the truck muffler before it rattled out of sight around the curve in the road.
Panting, Blake stopped to catch his breath. Who had been watching them? Had Paradise’s attacker already found her? He retraced
his steps and reached the driveway in time to see a muscular man slide out of a blue truck. Drew had arrived, and his biceps
indicated he’d intensified his workouts.
Drew spotted him and waited for Blake to reach him. Blake shook his hand. “You made good time.”
Drew gestured to the removable light on his truck. “I decided the attack warranted the siren. Where’s Paradise?”
“I think she’s inside. Someone was skulking around though.” Blake told him about the trespasser. “It could have been innocent, but my gut says it wasn’t.”
“My gut is speaking the same language. I don’t like it.”
“She’s a little miffed I called you.” Blake beckoned for Drew to follow him to the house. They went up the steps to the door,
and he let Drew go ahead of him into the house. Paradise would be thrilled to see her brother.
They found her curled up on the sofa sleeping. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her color hadn’t improved much. Her head
probably hurt. Blake put his finger to his lips and gestured for Drew to leave the living room, but Paradise opened her eyes
and spotted them.
She sat up. “Drew, you’re here.”
Drew went to her and settled beside her. He put his arm around her, and she tipped her head to rest it on his shoulder. “I
didn’t let any grass grow under my feet. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. My headache finally let up. I’m just a little groggy from the pain med.” She lifted her head. “You didn’t have to change
your plans, but I’m glad you came.”
“I only moved them up a few days. We need to figure out what’s going on. I’m glad Blake called me.”
Her gaze locked with Blake’s. “I am too. Someone doesn’t want you here, which means that’s exactly where you should be. I
think you know more than you think you do, and all the deaths are going to tie together.”
“Maybe. One thing I’ve learned is never assume anything. We’ll take it one step at a time and figure this out.”
She sent an appealing glance Blake’s way. “Can we go home now? I just want my own bed. I’m hoping I’ll wake up tomorrow and
feel totally fine.”
“That’s a little too optimistic with a concussion,” Blake said.
“But you might be at 50 percent.” The plan had been for her to stay here for a few days, but after the discovery of an intruder, he’d made the instant decision to get her out of here.
Maybe there was no place she’d be truly safe, but at the park at least a lot of people would be around.
He left them and went out the back door to thank Hez and gather the boys. Once the fish were cleaned, he’d help his mom with
dinner and maybe they could have a normal evening. He’d almost forgotten what one of those felt like.