Chapter 25 #2
“Let’s not get distracted by focusing on the wrong guy.
” Treese held up a hand like she wanted everyone’s attention.
“What about Ryan’s temper? He attacked our sister.
He totally would’ve conked Thomas on the head and killed him without a thought.
” Treese extended a hand toward Victoria as if her presence proved the point.
“That’s the thing that makes me think it wasn’t Ryan.
” Lines creased Robert’s forehead. “He’s an aggressive man, someone who gets in the face of anyone he feels threatened by and anyone who disagrees with him.
If he’d somehow learned Thomas had chosen to leave his fortune to Victoria, Ryan would have confronted him.
He wouldn’t have snuck around and surprised Thomas from behind.
He would have faced him and attacked him head-on. ”
“That does sound accurate.” Victoria moved her gaze to include everyone.
“All of my interactions with him never led me to conclude he was calculating or strategic. He was emotional. If he was happy or flirtatious, you were fine. If he had a problem with you…well, he made that very clear and didn’t hold back. ”
Ryan had flirted with Victoria? Irritation crawled upward through Cillian’s torso. Of course he had. She was gorgeous. But there was no way she would’ve responded or fallen for a guy like that. She was much too sensible. An advantage, in this case.
“Clinton Glenn, on the other hand,” Robert lifted his index finger straight up, “seems to be exactly the sort of person who would ambush Thomas from behind. The crimes we know he’s guilty of already involve deception, manipulation, and self-preservation.
They also indicate he has a calculating, strategic mind that would enable him to think of moving Thomas’s body outside to the mailbox to make his death look like an accident. ”
“But what if Ryan teamed up with Brenda, and she convinced him it was better to make it look like an accident, so they wouldn’t be blamed?” Spring glanced at Torin beside her.
“Could be.” He smiled slightly as he looked down at her, almost like he couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t be more obvious he and Spring were a couple in love. “But they would normally be the first suspects in any case since they stood to inherit. Or at least thought they did.”
“And that leads me to two more reasons I don’t think they did it.
” Robert walked to the coffee table and bent to grab a handful of chips.
“One, it’s clear they did think they were going to inherit.
That’s why they were hanging around all the time and acting friendly with Thomas.
And two,” he held up a chip in the air, “if they did find out Victoria was the heir that last day before Thomas was killed, they wouldn’t have motive to kill him.
They would have wanted to kill him before he changed his will.
And if they missed that opportunity, their next strategy would be to change his mind.
Killing him only means cementing his new will and spending a fortune trying to combat it in court. ” He popped the chip into his mouth.
“Okay, I’m convinced.” Hank stretched his legs out in front of him, swinging them to the side to bypass the end of the coffee table.
“But maybe Brenda is some kind of criminal mastermind.” Treese folded her arms over her low-cut V-neck sweater. “We haven’t talked about her yet.”
Robert grinned. “Can’t stand that I’m right, can you?” He crunched another chip.
Treese rolled her eyes.
“I wasn’t able to talk to Brenda yet.” Spring accepted the small plate of chips and salsa Torin brought her from the table. “I have an appointment to see her next week for a fundraising meeting.”
Torin grabbed a chip for himself off Spring’s plate on her lap. “Brenda’s background check was clean.”
“But she did threaten Victoria on the phone.” Cillian thumbed toward Victoria.
“She did what?” Spring visibly swallowed down her chips, her eyes widening. “You guys, you have to tell us these things.”
Cillian liked the sound of that, Spring grouping him with Victoria. He squashed the smile that wanted to reach his face.
Victoria shot him a glance that did not share his pleasure. Kind of the opposite, actually. “It wasn’t a serious threat. Nothing like Ryan. She called me to inform me they were having their lawyers file an injunction that would prevent me from using the assets Thomas left me.”
Cillian reached across the space between them and gripped the nearest wooden spindle in the back of her chair as he shifted toward her. “It was a little more than that. She ordered you not to go to the house.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t a physical threat.” She met his challenge with that adorable chin tilt.
“What aren’t you two telling us?” Robert’s question jerked Cillian’s attention to him. Was he talking about their relationship? The fact that Cillian loved Victoria and hoped she loved him back?
Robert moved his focus from Cillian to Victoria. “Is there another threat or attack you may have forgotten to mention?”
Oh. Not their relationship. Now that Robert mentioned it, Cillian had been surprised Victoria hadn’t mentioned the drive-by shooting when she’d told everyone about their visit with Judy Kline.
She pressed her lips together now, looking like she wasn’t going to say anything. Wow, she really did not want her siblings worrying about her. Why, Cillian couldn’t quite figure out.
“Come on, sis.” Hank sent her a small smile across the room. “You know he’ll keep using his superpower on you if you don’t fess up.”
She looked up at the ceiling, then let out a sigh. “Oh, very well. When we were in front of Mrs. Kline’s house, someone drove by and shot at us.”
“Victoria!” Spring’s shocked exclamation stung Cillian’s ears. “You can’t hide someone trying to kill you from us. We’re your family.”
“We were fine. Cillian made sure Mrs. Kline and I ducked in time.” Victoria’s gaze found him. “He protected us very efficiently.” Something warm lit her hazel eyes, accelerating his pulse.
“Did you see the car or the driver?” Torin didn’t waste any time getting to the helpful points.
“Not the driver, unfortunately.” Cillian looked at Torin. “But I caught a glimpse of the truck as it drove off.”
“Truck?”
Cillian nodded. “Black pickup. I think it was a Ford, but I can’t swear to it.”
“So that wasn’t the curator?” Treese’s tone didn’t hold any triumph this time, and her eyebrows lowered with what looked like concern.
“I’ll see if he has a pickup registered under his name as well as the silver Mercedes.
” Torin took out the notepad he seemed to carry with him at all times, and Spring handed him a pen.
“I’ll also run down the vehicles owned by Ryan and Brenda.
Maybe we’ll find a match.” He glanced up.
“Did the responding officers find any evidence to ID the shooter?”
Cillian lifted his shoulders. “Well, considering McCully showed up when they were investigating, I don’t think we’ll ever know.”
“That snooty detective?” Treese paused with a carrot halfway between the bowl and her mouth. “Didn’t that make him see Victoria isn’t guilty?”
“One would have thought so.” Victoria answered in her calm tone. How she didn’t sound the least bit frustrated was beyond Cillian. “But he hypothesized Cillian and I may have hired the shooter to make me appear innocent.”
Her siblings scoffed and voiced their frustration while Cillian smiled at Victoria. There it was again, pairing him with her. Did she notice they were sounding like a couple?
She didn’t look his way, but a hint of pink colored her cheek in profile.
“This has gone too far.” Treese set the bowl beside her on the ottoman. “Dad would be furious if he knew the police were letting you be in danger.”
Victoria stiffened. “No one will tell him about this, is that clear?” She held up a finger as she stared at her siblings.
“He doesn’t need to know at this point, and his interference would only make things more difficult for me with the police.
He won’t be told unless he asks or a situation arises in which it’s necessary to inform him. Understood?”
Her siblings slowly nodded, reluctantly but like they didn’t dare cross her. Pretty obvious how they’d turned out so well. Victoria had been a strong leader for them and still was when needed.
“There’s one thing we need to take care of ourselves then.”
All eyes swung to Robert as he dusted chip crumbs off his hands.
“Vicki shouldn’t be alone until we figure out who the killer is, especially at night.”
Cillian lifted his fist in triumph. “Thank you. I’ve been trying to convince your sister of that. Now maybe she’ll listen.”
Robert exchanged a smile and glances with his siblings.
“That’s ridiculous.” The rigidity seemed to fade from Victoria’s posture and voice, despite her protest. Seemed like there was more room to negotiate on this one than her stance about her father.
“I will not have you disrupting your lives for some ill-conceived notion that I’m unable to take care of myself. ”
“Then I’ll do it.” Cillian leaned forward to catch her attention. “I’m already planning to stay with you until this is over.”
The siblings’ attention latched onto him. Some with eyes widened.
“On the sofa.” Cillian gave them a Duh look even as a grin sneaked through.
Victoria turned her head toward him, pinning him with a disapproving stare.
“Or in my jeep.”
“Great.” Robert jumped in before Victoria could respond. “But you can’t cover every night. Hank and I will take shifts.”
Victoria opened her mouth, likely to protest.
A musical tone stopped her.
“Excuse me.” She narrowed her eyes at Robert before she reached for her purse on the floor and pulled out the phone. “It’s Sydney. I need to take this.” She stood and walked to the dining table as she answered.
“Sydney?” Treese lifted her eyebrows.
“A teen girl she mentors at the pregnancy center.” Satisfaction filled Cillian’s chest as he answered. He could get used to this, knowing Victoria even better than her siblings. Or at least some of them.
“I need to go.” Victoria hurried toward the group as she lowered her phone.
Cillian’s pulse picked up speed at the hint of urgency in her tone and the worried set of her mouth. “What is it?”
“Sydney’s mother finally evicted her.” Victoria glanced at her family.
“The pregnant teen I’ve been helping. Her mother was threatening to banish her from their home for some time.
I’d hoped she wouldn’t go through with it.
” Victoria landed her focus on Cillian as she lifted her purse.
“But she did, and Sydney needs to stay at my house. She has to move her belongings right now.”
Cillian got to his feet. “I’ll help.”
Victoria gave him a quick nod.
He had to hold back a pleased smile. She wanted him to come.
If things kept coming along this well, it was looking like she would want him to be by her side for more than helping Sydney move.
Looked like he might not need to use the leverage against her father after all. The future he dreamed of with Victoria might soon be theirs. Now all Cillian needed to do was keep her alive and out of jail.