Awakened (Intimate Relations) (22 page)

“You said there was an inheritance, that you think that could have been the motivation for her murder? There’s a lot of money there?”

“More than enough to tempt a greedy man to murder. And I can’t help but wonder if that was also the motivation for marriage. She married him just weeks after her grandmother, the woman who raised her, died. I’m wondering if she was his target all along. In fact, I’ve been wondering what my great grandmother died from. It all feels too convenient. Honestly? I wouldn’t put anything past him.” He glanced at his hand, tightly linked with Mandy’s. She hadn’t let go of him once during the entire discussion with the deputy.

Her mere presence, the fact she was there for him, was an unimaginable gift, something he’d never once experienced. While Jake had been there for him over the years as a friend and someone to bounce ideas off of, it had been so much different than the support he took from Mandy. She strengthened him in ways he’d never expected.

Steadied him, enough that he felt totally in control when he focused on the deputy once again. “Where do you suggest I go from here? I’ve hired an investigator. He’s convinced Steven Reed is a dangerous man, possibly psychotic. I’m certain he was shooting at Mandy today, but now that he knows I’m after him, I’m afraid I’ve put all my friends and employees at risk.”

“At this point, it sounds as if you’ve got enough evidence to get the police interested, especially with the hypnotherapist able to verify what you’ve told me.” Jerry grabbed a card out of his pocket, jotted down a name on the back. “The chief of police in Marin and I have known each other for years. Since the alleged crime happened in Marin County, that’s where you need to start. Give him a call. I’ll see if I can find out anything to help us focus on Reed as the shooter in today’s incident. We really need a good photo of him. Do you know if he’s ever been arrested?”

Mandy interrupted. “I’m sure that’s information Ted Robinson can find for you. I hate to burden your department with putting manpower into finding something Marc can probably get with his people.”

Marc squeezed her hand. “Excellent idea. We’re going to be here just a couple more days at the most, Jerry, and then we’re headed back to San Francisco.” He reached for his wallet, then realized he hadn’t stuck it in the pocket of his sweats. “I don’t have a card with me. Got something so I can write down my contact info?”

“I’ve got it. You gave all of that to me after the shooting.”

Marc shook his head. “I have absolutely no memory of what we talked about then.”

Mandy squeezed his hand. “You might have been just a wee bit rattled, ya think?”

“Yeah. Maybe just a little. And the ibuprofen is wearing off.” He shook hands with the deputy. “I guess I’m not as tough as I thought I was.”

Nate walked across from the house as Deputy Russo was leaving. The two men exchanged a few words and then Nate followed the deputy as far as the front gate and locked it behind him. They all met on the front porch at the main house.

Cassie sat on the big porch swing and groaned. “Folks, I know the plan was to go into town for dinner, but I’m beat.” She glanced at Marc. “And I doubt you’re feeling much like partying tonight, either.”

“You’ve got that right. Why don’t you go in and relax, and Mandy and I can go pick something up. I promise to get something wonderful.”

Cassie sighed. “Really wonderful? Like Italian wonderful?”

“That sounds good.” Mandy turned to Marc. “That place in Geyserville, the one Kaz and Jake liked so much?”

“Lasagna. Definitely the lasagna.” Cassie moaned dramatically.

“We’ve got plenty of stuff to make a salad.” Nate stood behind Cassie, rubbing her shoulders. “You sure you’re okay to drive, Marc?”

Marc laughed. “I’ve got to prove my manliness somehow.” He knew Nate didn’t want to leave Cassie alone right now. Not after what had happened.

“We’ve got a loaf of sourdough French bread.” Mandy glanced at Marc. “Unless the wounded one ate it today.”

“Didn’t touch it.” He frowned at Cassie. “Can pregnant ladies eat garlic?”

“Oh, yeah. And lots of butter, maybe a little parmesan cheese on top? I can do that.”

Mandy stood. “Cassie, you know the owner. Can you call Luke and order a tray of it? By the time we’re cleaned up and go get it, it should be dinner time.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s dinner time now.” Laughing, Nate pulled out his phone. “I gave Luke a hell of a deal on wine this year. I’ll order the lasagna. I want to make sure we have enough for leftovers.”

*   *   *

Dinner was wonderful, but Cassie was exhausted and it was plain to see that Marc was fading fast. The divot across his shoulder blade had been deeper than they’d realized, and he’d lost a lot of blood. Tonight he was hurting and tired, and Mandy sort of enjoyed babying him.

Mainly because it was obvious he still wasn’t certain how to handle it when she did.

“C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go to bed.”

He shrugged his shoulders, probably not such a good idea with a back full of staples, and groaned. “I don’t think I can sleep right now. I’m really sore.”

“Get into bed. I’m going to mix you a hot toddy.”

“I don’t have a sore throat, Mandy.” He rolled his eyes and she laughed.

“Trust me. The way I make them, you won’t have a sore anything.”

She had him sit on the edge of the bed so she could help him get his shoes off. Then she helped him get out of his sweats and carefully tugged the sweatshirt over his head. He left his knit boxers on, and she knew he must be miserable because he wasn’t aroused in the least.

She left him with instructions to crawl into bed and get comfortable. It only took her a couple of minutes to nuke about a quarter cup of honey in the microwave until it was bubbling, add the juice from a fresh lemon, and top it off with a generous double shot of whiskey.

She’d always found the combination to be one of those comfort things that you associated with being a little kid and mom giving you a tablespoon of the sugary stuff that put you to sleep in a heartbeat.

Except it hadn’t been her mom. It had been one of her mom’s friends, a really wonderful man who’d been their surrogate parent for almost two years while dear Mom was roaming the countryside, following the Grateful Dead. She’d probably still be following them if they hadn’t quit performing. Mandy and Lola kept in touch with Ronnie, who had settled in the Castro district in San Francisco back when houses were still moderately affordable. Mandy had thought he was her father for the longest time, until he finally explained that no, he wasn’t, but that he loved both little girls as if they were his own.

Their mother might have been a flake, but she usually found good people to care for her girls. It beat being homeless, and it beat being with a mother who really didn’t want any part of motherhood. But Ronnie made hot toddies whether they had head colds or bruises from playground booboos, and while the alcohol was most likely so he could get some sleep, Ronnie bringing a toddy was a fond memory for both Mandy and Lola.

She took the steaming mug in to Marc. He was sitting up in bed, checking email on his cell phone.

“I’ve got texts from Ben and Jake, asking what’s up and why we’re not checking in or answering texts.” He sighed. “I haven’t been sure what to tell them.”

“Here,” she said. “Drink this.”

“Wasn’t that a line in Alice in Wonderland? And didn’t it get her into trouble?”

“I’m thinking it will knock you on your perfect ass so you can get some sleep. The ibuprofen doesn’t appear to be getting the job done. As far as Jake, Kaz, Ben, and Lola, I suggest a Skype call tomorrow with everyone on board. I’ll send a text and we’ll set up a time. The thing is, you getting shot is probably going to hit the paper tomorrow or the next day, and it might make the evening news. You’re a somebody, whether you want to be or not. People are going to hear about it.”

“Crap. I didn’t even think of that, but you’re right. We need to let them know before they hear it somewhere else.”

“Exactly. So I’ll set up something for tomorrow morning. You okay with that?”

“Hmmm, uh, yes.” He took another sip of his drink. “This is really good.”

“Don’t sound so surprised. It’s supposed to be. Now drink it.”

“Yes, dear.”

Laughing, she sent a group text.
I know we’re all in different time zones, but Marc and I need to set up a group chat for sometime tomorrow on Skype. Does nine Pacific work? There’s a lot going on here, and we want you to be involved. Personally, I don’t want to worry alone.

Before she sent it, she included Theo and Ted. Now that Ted was here, and Theo had protected her from Steven Reed, Mandy figured it was only fair. She looked at the list of names in the group and smiled while Marc sipped his toddy. He’d always said he wanted a big family, and it appeared his was continuing to grow.

She had answers within minutes that the time worked perfectly. Even Theo had replied and said it worked well for both him and Ted. At nine in the morning here in California, it would be noon in DC and six in the evening in Rome, where Jake and Kaz were doing a final shoot Friday morning before flying to Venice on Saturday. She glanced at Marc, intending to tell him they were all set up.

He’d fallen asleep with the empty cup in his hand. Ronnie’s toddy had triumphed again.

She lifted the cup out of Marc’s lax fingers and helped him turn to his right side to sleep. He mumbled a bit, but didn’t awaken. A few minutes later, after straightening up in the kitchen and going through her regular nightly routine, she crawled into bed beside Marc. There was no blood seeping through the bandage, which she figured had to be a good sign.

With a soft pillow against his back so she wouldn’t bump into him, Mandy snuggled close, wondering just how the conversation would go in the morning.

CHAPTER 11

Mandy awoke to the dusky gray of early morning. Marc slept soundly, sprawled on his belly with his left arm tucked under him. The bandage was clean with no sign of blood, which meant he hadn’t torn any of the staples during the night.

She’d been worried. He’d been restless, and she thought she’d heard him getting back into bed at some point, which meant he’d been up, but he must have gone back to sleep. She certainly had.

The doctor had been worried about bleeding because she was pulling skin together over such a wide area. She’d said it would be painful for a while, but should heal cleanly as long as he took it easy. Mandy tried to imagine Marc taking anything easy. He seemed driven much of the time, as if he always had something that needed to be done yesterday.

Of course, he was a very successful man. She was grinning as she quietly got out of bed. That drive probably had a lot to do with all that success. She pulled on her old fuzzy green bathrobe. Lola insisted it was actually her security blanket, and Mandy knew better than to argue the point. Snuggled up in its fuzzy comfort, she padded out to the kitchen to make coffee. As soon as there was enough in the carafe, she poured a cup and took it out on the front porch.

Mornings here were gorgeous. Fog drifted through the redwood trees on the hill across the road. There was a doe with a couple of speckled fawns tugging leaves off an old apple tree just inside the fence along the front of the property, and she heard wild turkeys up on the hillside. Coyotes had been howling during the night, and she’d heard a great horned owl hooting. Now, as the sun rose over the hills behind her, the musical cadence of workers speaking Spanish out in the vineyard blended with the natural songs of the wildlife.

She checked her watch. It was almost seven. If Marc wasn’t up by eight, she’d go in and wake him. She knew he’d want plenty of time to wake up before talking to everyone this morning, and so far, she’d discovered he really wasn’t a morning person. She sipped her coffee and felt herself relax even more. It was so peaceful here, such an idyllic setting.

Hard to believe someone had taken a shot at them yesterday. Terrifying to imagine how close she’d come to losing the man she loved.

*   *   *

Marc rolled carefully to the side of the bed and slid his feet off the edge of the mattress. It was the easiest way to sit up, to stand. He’d tried to get out of bed during the night the usual way, and the pain almost flattened him. Dealing with so much discomfort, from what sounded like such a small injury, left him feeling decidedly unmanly.

He should probably take a look at the thing. If it was gruesome enough, he’d feel better about acting like a wimp.

Once he was sitting, he turned toward Mandy, except she wasn’t there. He caught the faint scent of coffee, incentive enough to get him up and moving. He managed to clean up in the shower without getting the bandage wet, though washing his hair one-handed and keeping the bandage dry was more than he wanted to deal with. He merely stuck his head beneath the spray and got it good and wet.

At least by the time he finished, he was feeling cleaner and a bit steadier on his feet. He carefully stepped over the raised lip of the shower. Mandy was waiting in the bathroom, holding a big towel.

“I would have helped, you know. Lean over.”

“Good morning to you, too.” He leaned over so she could dry his hair and then stood still while she wiped down the rest of him. “I hope you realize I could grow used to this sort of service very quickly.”

She paused and raised her head. Were those tears? “Babe, what’s wrong?” He wrapped his right arm around her and hugged her close.

She sniffed. “I’m sorry. I was sitting out on the front porch having a cup of coffee and thinking how beautiful everything was, when it dawned on me just how easily it could have been me sitting out there planning your funeral. Or you planning mine. It makes me feel a lot closer to what Kaz went through with all those attempts on her life. She’s clearly a lot tougher than me.”

“Nobody’s tougher than you. Help me get dressed, okay? I don’t want to have our conversation with the guys while sitting here naked.

“Good point. I would hate to have Kaz and Lola ogling you.”

He leaned close and kissed her.