Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book One) (20 page)

Chapter 24

Belinda sat
between Kyle and Bennett on the boat as they chugged back up through the bay to
Portside Harbor. It was such a clear, perfect day that
Sea Stud
was
still visible on the horizon as the police worked to deal with the aftermath,
namely Lily's dead body.

Belinda wanted to
feel sorry that she'd died, but the few horrible seconds she was trapped
underwater because of Lily successfully killed any hope of that happening. Not
to mention Lily had admitted to killing Mark, and Belinda shivered at what
she'd put Jeff through in his final moments alive. No, this was better.

Belinda wrapped
the blanket tighter around her shoulders and turned to Bennett. "Did I
kick you in the head?"

Bennett held the side
of his head, trying to ignore the stabbing pain on the side where the chain had
flogged him. His mouth creased almost imperceptibly. "Yes, you did."

"I'm really
sorry." Belinda placed her hand on his head gently. "I—"

Bennett placed
his fingers on her lips. "You have nothing to apologize for.
Nothing."

Belinda relaxed,
but kept patting his hair. "Actually, I do. I haven't been completely
straight with you. You asked me if I was involved with Mark and I never gave
you an honest answer." Belinda inhaled. "We were involved, though not
for very long. Technically, we had one official day together, but it started
long before that. I...I was embarrassed when you asked. But that's the
truth."

Bennett nodded.
"Okay."

Belinda bit her
lip, working up her courage. "What was her name?"

Bennett seemed to
snap out of some reverie, his hair still dripping down the side of his face to
his neck. "What
her
are you talking about?"

"Her—the one
who biased you against women of fortune."

Bennett licked
his lips.

"Come
on," Belinda said, slapping his knee with the back of her hand. "It's
only fair since you know...you know."

Bennett
hesitated, but the look in Belinda's eyes...this could work. Why not just
surrender? "Alexa Dupuis."

Belinda's eyes
went wide. No wonder he'd gotten jaded. "You went out with her?" she
whispered. "Oh, Bennett. No wonder you hate us."

Bennett's eyes
glinted. The first time in a while.

"She has
issues. Big time." Belinda rolled her eyes. "She did anything and
everything to annoy her parents in high school. Whatever she knew they hated,
she went after with a vengeance. She went Goth for a semester because it sent
her father into a rage just to see her with black nail polish one time. And she
never dated anyone for the right reasons. At least, that I know of."

"So you're
saying I was one in a long line."

"A very long
line."

Bennett's whole
face started to turn down.

"No,"
Belinda said. "No frowny face. You didn't know. And, well, Alexa is
awfully pretty and charming when she wants to be. And it happened a while ago,
right?"

Bennett nodded
slowly, his jaw twitching.

"So, there
you go. Hindsight and all that."

"You
shouldn't feel bad," Kyle said, squished up next to Belinda in the seat.
"Even knowing all of this, the guys in our school were still dumb enough
to date her."

Belinda jammed
her elbow in his ribs and shushed him.

He rubbed his
side. "Why did I want to save you again?"

Bennett's lip
curled up on one side. "She's not nearly as pretty or charming now that
I've met you."

Belinda's face
softened, her doe eyes twinkling. "I hate to toot my own horn, but one of
the hottest guys in our class did say once that if he had to choose between us,
he would pick me."

"He was also
one of the dumbest," Kyle muttered.

Belinda ignored
him.

"He had good
taste," Bennett said.

"I see where
this is going," Kyle said, sliding off the seat, "so I'm just gonna
go over here." He slipped to the other side of the boat, leaning over the
side. Belinda watched him stick his nose into the wind for a second, then turned
back to Bennett.

"So I guess
I have to forgive you now," Belinda said. "For insinuating that
because I'm rich, I'm a spoiled, rebellious snob who toys with a man's
feelings."

Bennett raised
his eyebrows. "In that case, I forgive you too."

Belinda whipped
her head around. "For what?"

"For making
me the least rational I've been in a very long time."

Belinda's snarl
instantly spread into a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Then Bennett
kissed her, and for once it was a thousand times better than her daydreams. At
least.

~ * ~

Belinda stood in
her bedroom just cradling the knot pendant in her palm. She didn't want to let
go of it completely, not yet. But it was time to put it all to rest. There was
no going back to the night Mark was killed and saving him. If that had even
been possible. Nothing made that okay, but at least they knew what had happened
and the one responsible had officially paid for it.

She let the
necklace rain into a silk pouch and locked it away in a compartment of her
jewelry case, whispering a good-bye to Mark. It was time to go meet her
friends.

Cleaner,
breathing easier, and much more at peace, Belinda trotted outside to join Kyle,
Jonas, and Bennett, gathered around a crumpled piece of metal that used to be
Jonas' bike.

"What
happened to it?" Belinda put her hands on her hips.

"I promise
I'll pay for a new one," Kyle said to Jonas.

"You ran
over his bike?" Belinda said.

"I was in a
panic to get to you and I didn't realize it was behind my Jeep."

"I parked it
in the grass," Jonas said forlornly. "I thought it would be safe
there."

Bennett and
Belinda exchanged amused glances. Bennett held an ice pack to the side of his
head, looking a little woozy. Belinda frowned. "What will happen to
Jarrett?"

"Well, he's
guilty of breaking and entering and setting the basement on fire..." Jonas
rocked on his feet.

Kyle glanced at
him. "You forgot the so-called car accident."

"Byrne
actually confessed to driving the car. However, Jarrett has admitted to being
an accomplice."

"So is there
anything I can do to help him?" Belinda said. She figured Jarrett's future
was rocky now, but she also knew the right connections could make a difference.

Kyle looked at
her in disbelief. "Help him? Sis, he tried to kill you!"

"No, he
didn't. He was trying to rescue me. I know he was a little misguided—"

"A
little?" Kyle stepped toward her. "Yeah. I'd say he was a little
misguided locking you in the basement and rigging the circuit board to light
up." Kyle's chest stiffened. "You're the Queen of Misguided Lovers,
you know that?"

"Kyle,"
Belinda said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want this
poor kid to end up like Jeff. He needs help."

Jonas glanced
from one to the other. "I'm sure we can find a way for you to help
out."

"Thank you.
I want to do whatever we can to make things right." She patted Kyle's
shoulder. If he wanted to go cold on her after everything that had happened,
fine. She could go visit with Bennett while he defrosted.

"I know Mr.
Trebor's family appreciates Carmichael's legal assistance," Jonas said.

"Pro bono."
Bennett looked at Belinda significantly.

"Carmichael's a decent guy." She smiled at Bennett. "For Trebor's sake, though, I
just wish he hadn't gone to Lily's."

Jonas sighed.
"It's a two-edged sword. On the one hand, he saw you in your bedroom on
Lily's computer when he delivered those flowers and recognized that it was some
sort of surveillance. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have known she was
using your computer webcam to spy on you. On the other, ignorance is safer—for
some of us."

"Not for
Stellan."

"No, not for
him." Jonas crossed his arms. "He should have called the police and
let Jeff tell them that he saw Lily leaving Mark's sailboat the night before.
If he had...well, this whole thing would have been over with about ten years
ago."

"Are we
going to help him too?" Kyle said sarcastically.

Belinda pinched
him, but not with much gusto. "He has his own set of lawyers for that.
Even with Byrne willingly giving him up, I don't think Stellan will fall too
hard for that or over the illegal immigration papers scheme they have going. I
foresee him slipping right through the noose and back into his comfy New York City penthouse. But, I do have to say, I actually like him better now than when
we were kids."

"And
Byrne?" Jonas said. "Will you follow through on your promise to him?
Even if he was Lily's right-hand man?"

Belinda had
actually forgotten about that. And she knew more about his involvement now than
when she'd thrown that out there, but no matter. Her word was her word.
"He did cooperate as it turns out, so I guess I don't have a choice. I
suppose I can do something so he doesn't take all the blame. Stellan did accept
a payout from Lily when he discovered
Sea Stud
in his warehouse, and
that was after he told me about Mark. He should have learned his lesson and
called the police."

Jonas smirked.
"You're quite the woman, Ms. Kittridge."

Belinda gazed
over at Bennett. "As my nana always tells me, status is only as good as
what you use it for."

Chapter 25

Belinda and Kyle
squished up together on the same chair in front of Belinda's laptop. What had
been used as an evil spyware tool was now a way to talk to their parents
face-to-face across the Atlantic. All four of them waved to each other, talking
all at once.

"There's the
other one!" Belinda's mom pointed at Kyle. She gripped her chest, her
golden brown eyes getting watery. "My twin babies are both okay."

"I'm sorry
about the house," Belinda said despondently. She wanted to hug the
computer monitor. She hadn't realized how much she needed them through this
whole ordeal until they appeared on the screen. "You're going to have to
fix the back door too. And the bar glass..."

"We're in Europe," her father interjected, sticking his nose up to the webcam like a curious
puppy. "Maybe we'll find a replacement."

"And if
not," Rosalind said, "I'll come home to my house in shreds, but not
my children."

Her father,
Spencer, shrugged. "You have the information. Take care of anything you
need."

"Bennett
already recommended someone for the circuit board issue," Kyle said.
"He's coming tomorrow."

Rosalind squinted
into the webcam, flicking back her reddish-brown hair. "Who?"

"Some guy
named—"

"Not
that!" Rosalind rolled her eyes. "Who's Bennett?"

"He's a
friend," Belinda said quickly before Kyle could open his big mouth again.

"Have we met
before?"

"Oh, no.
He's new. I mean, I only met him when I got back." Belinda could feel her
face start to flush.

"Well,
that's very nice of him to help out, considering you just met." Rosalind
set her knowing eyes on her daughter.

"Bennett
helped us out a lot, especially Bels." Kyle leaned across his sister.
"The circuit board's kind of a minor thing in comparison." Belinda
knew he was trying to help, but she wished he would just stop.

"You'll
thank him for us?" Spencer said. "And the police officer who did so
much for you?"

Belinda nodded,
relieved. Saved by her father's obliviousness.

"So will the
two of you survive in the carriage house?" Rosalind said.

Kyle grinned.
"She'll keep me in line."

Their parents
laughed. "We have no doubt," their father said.

"Whatever
you do, keep the security system activated from now on. That's why we have
one!"

Belinda lit up
and opened her mouth, words pouring out before she could really stop herself.
"Bennett's coming to help with that later." Rosalind raised her
eyebrows and Belinda's face grew warm again. "Kyle did something to the
system, and I can't get it to work now. Bennett's in security." Belinda
faltered, now gripping her knees. "That's what he does for work."

"He sounds
handy."

"Oh, he's
very handy," Kyle said in an exaggerated voice. "He was a police
officer and did some private investigating, and now he's in event security. His
range of expertise has proven invaluable through this whole situation."

Belinda glowered
at him.

"Oh, and he
loves pancakes. Especially Belinda's."

Kyle would pay
for that last remark. Oh, would he pay.

"Kyle ran
over your tomato plants with his dirt bike."

"Hey! We had
a deal!"

Belinda smiled
sweetly. "All bets were off when you said Bennett likes my pancakes."

"Are you
done now?" Spencer said, his eyes crinkling around the edges in amusement.

"You
destroyed my tomato plants?" Rosalind looked back at her husband with sad
eyes.

"Oh, honey.
That was never going to work out. I think we established that last year."

Rosalind wrinkled
her nose. Belinda and Kyle laughed. There was nothing like a family reunion via
video conference, even if they were crazy.

~ * ~

A dance song
blared from the carriage house when Bennett drew up in his truck. After
knocking several times with no response, he finally just opened the door. Kyle
wore a black fedora angled on his head and he and Belinda danced around each
other.

Belinda finally
saw Bennett and grabbed his hand, dragging him over to their mini dance floor.
He stood there while she hopped around and lifted his arm to twirl under it,
and she and Kyle shouted the lyrics to the song. Bennett knew they were a lot
alike, but this just clarified that their similarities went beyond appearance.

"We earned
the title best dance duo by our class," Belinda said proudly.

"You danced
together?" Bennett held his ground while Belinda yanked his arms around.

"We went doe
and stag to a lot of parties," Kyle said, tilting his fedora so it covered
his eyes.

"Doe and
stag?"

"Yeah, well,
it can't really be just stag if my sister's with me."

Belinda laughed
again and held her hands up behind her. "We're celebrating because Kyle
just put the last box on top."

Bennett gazed up
at the pyramid. It was hardly the most efficient way to organize their stuff,
but with little time to move everything and the chaos that had erupted, it was
the best Belinda could do. At least the boxes were out of the way so they
wouldn't constantly trip over them.

"All Kyle
has to do now is haul in our suitcases and we're done," she said, powering
down the stereo when the song ended.

"All I have
to do?" Kyle huffed. "What's happening to you?"

"I have to
go help Bennett." Belinda smiled, twirling over to the door. "And you
owe me. Big time."

Kyle opened his
mouth to protest but then just nodded agreement.

"Don't
forget to sign the card for Nicole. It's on the island."

"What did
you and Victoria end up buying?"

"Bar
glasses." She smiled. Kyle's face lit up and Belinda led Bennett to the
main house. He followed her inside, their footsteps echoing louder without any
furniture in the house.

"I think
this is the paperwork for the system, but it's just a guess. I forgot to ask
Mom and Dad and it's a pain to contact them—the time difference and all."
Belinda rolled her eyes at Europe's audacity to be in a different time zone.
"But it looks right, don't you think?"

Bennett looked at
the crinkled piece of paper and studied the keypad for a minute, already
familiar with that type of security system.

"Even Kyle
won't be able to argue now, and I don't care if he does. We're using it."
Belinda folded her arms over her chest as if that made it a done deal. After
hovering around him expectantly, Bennett finally shooed her away. He could
reactivate it in seconds, but not with her interrupting him.

Once that was
taken care of, Bennett met Belinda on the back porch, bearing two sugar cookies
he'd picked up from a bakery en route. Belinda bit into hers, closing her eyes
as the cookie melted right on the spot. Bennett enjoyed his with less drama, but
he did enjoy the show. "That's a good cookie," Belinda said after she
swallowed. Bennett agreed.

"I can
resist most sweets, but not sugar cookies."

"So now I
know how to bribe you." Belinda's eyes sparkled as she chewed off another
piece.

Bennett half-smiled,
tilting his head down. "Never give away your tactics."

"Well, I
don't think I'd ever actually bribe you, though it might be tempting." She
licked sugar off of her fingers. "Though not as tempting as the cookies
themselves. I'd probably eat them before I ever got to you."

Bennett munched
and they both watched the ripples on the water beyond, the sound of a hammer
banging carrying on the wind. Soon enough, Belinda would hear plenty of that
racket right there.

"Are you all
right with how things turned out?" he said.

Belinda shrugged.
"Yes and no. I have a lot of pesky 'what-ifs?'"

"Like
what?"

"This may
sound far-fetched, but I started to wonder if Jeff's issues were just tied up
with what he knew about Mark. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to."

Bennett frowned.
"I don't think I would say it's far-fetched, but pointless to speculate
now. If he did hope to tell you, he could have taken a much better approach.
Or, better yet, spoken to someone who could have actually helped him."

"I could've
helped."

"Let me
rephrase then. He should have spoken with someone older. You were too young to
become his confidant about a potential murder case."

Belinda had to
agree with him there. "I still feel terrible about it. Worse knowing that
Lily tried to put the blame on Kyle for the whole thing."

"Kyle,
Stellan. Whoever was convenient I think."

"One
positive development has come from all of this though."

Indeed
,
Bennett thought. "What's that?"

"Kyle is
refurbishing Mark's old sailboat and getting back to sailing himself this
summer." Belinda beamed. "It's been so long and I was beginning to
give up hope that he would ever sail again."

"Ever is a
long time."

"True. But
he did have legitimate reasons to stay away."

"I guess he
now has legitimate reasons to return to it."

Belinda glanced
at him shyly. "Maybe you can come out with us sometime. If you have room
in your schedule. I know you're busy."

"I'll make
room." Bennett smiled. That true smile that she'd seen once while they
fished on the rocks and his eyes turned velvety gray.

Belinda's face
did that glowing thing it did a lot when she was pleased, her heart fluttering
at the thought that Bennett Tate would make room for her, and she took another
bite of her cookie. If he kept bringing her sweets, he might have to make room
for her in more ways than one.

~ * ~