Nearly Departed in Deadwood (21 page)

      My neck warmed at his compliment, but my pride still smarted. “Thanks.”

      Six cars.

      “If we have sex,” he continued, “I’ll have to find another Realtor, and I’m tired of living out of hotel rooms.”

      “I never said I wanted to have sex with you.” That came out more defensive-sounding than I’d have liked.

      “You don’t have to say it.”

      My ears blazed. What was that supposed to mean? I’d had a couple of flesh-filled thoughts about him, but that was it. It didn’t mean I planned to follow through on anything ... probably. “You’re not irresistible to all of the female species, you know.”

      Five cars.

      “I know, but you date your clients.”

      Damned Harvey and his motor mouth! “Not usually. This is an exception. A one-time deal.”

      “Are you sure?”

     
Yes! No! Maybe
. “I’m positive.”

      “So you say.”

      I drummed my fingers on the wheel, my focus now deliberately fixed out the front window. “Just because that crazy redhead couldn’t keep her ...”

     
Panties on
.

      “Her hands to herself,” I continued, “doesn’t mean I can’t.”

      “Sure.”

      I snuck a peek at him. He was watching the last three cars coming our way, his lips curved with a hint of a grin. Damn him for turning this around so that I was the one hopping in the embers again.

      Damn me for letting him.

      “Besides, I’m seeing someone.” Sort of, but not really—yet.

      “You’ve had one date.”

      “I have another one planned for this week.”

      “Congratulations.”

      One car to go.

      “I’m not going to sleep with you.” My statement sounded feeble at best.

      “Good.”

      The rest of the ride back to the office was quiet. I’d had one more house to show Doc, but after the fireworks and post-show, I decided to pass for today. I needed space and time to cool down and get my head back in the game.

      We ran into Mona in the parking lot. She was nearing her SUV, which I’d parked next to, as we climbed out of the Bronco.

      “Did you hear the news?” she asked, unlocking her door.

      I glanced at Doc to see if he knew what she was talking about. His brow was wrinkled as he looked at Mona, his left cheek still angry from Tiffany’s slap.

      “What news?” I shielded my eyes from the unrelenting sun.

      “About last night’s kidnapping.”

     
Chapter Fourteen

      Later that afternoon when I parked the Bronco in Aunt Zoe’s drive, Addy and Kelly were kneeling on the front porch. Between them sat one of the moving boxes we’d used this spring, “Layne’s Books” scrawled on the side. Addy looked up from the box and waved as I killed the engine.

      I shoved open the door, but stayed in my seat, letting my head fall back against the headrest as the aroma of warm pine and sun-cooked gravel filled the cab. Spending the last four hours listening to Ray schmooze his clients and reel in two new deals had renewed the pounding in my head.

      I had two weeks until Jane pulled the plug on me, and the one person who could help take my job off life support kept turning his nose up at every house I showed him. The Sea of Failure had me trapped in its riptide, dragging me out beyond the buoys. It was only a matter of time until the sharks picked up the scent of fresh blood and had a frenzy on my sorry ass. 

      The slam of a screen door across the street interrupted my Life-Sucks monologue. I frowned at the sight of Harvey scurrying toward me down Miss Geary’s front walk.

      I hopped out of the Bronco as he crossed the street. Had the dirty old buzzard already worked his mojo on Aunt Zoe’s neighbor? “Where’s your truck?”

      “In Beatrice’s garage.” Harvey scowled away my raised brows. “Did you hear about that little girl from Spearfish?”

      “Mona told me.” I kept my voice low, glancing at the kids to see if they were listening. The flood of giggles flowing our way put my gut at ease. “I’m still shocked the girl escaped.”

      “You should get your kids a couple of those alarm-whistle dealies she used.”

      I closed my door and leaned against it. “I tried on my way home, but the Piggly Wiggly didn’t have anything like that. They recommended a couple of hardware stores down in Rapid.”

      “Ever considered mace?”

      “No way. They’d spray each other with it.”

      The creak of Beatrice Geary’s screen door turned both of our heads.

      “Willis?” Beatrice stood on the porch in a hot pink satin robe that reached her calves and showed off her high-heeled slippers topped with red fuzzy puffs. She smiled when she saw us. “Oh, hello, Violet. I almost didn’t recognize you with your hair down. You look very smart in that shade of green.”

      “Thanks, Miss Geary.” After my night of spinning in the sheets, mentally retracing my steps through the Hessler house ad nauseam, I’d dragged my hind end into the bathroom and found Medusa aping me in the mirror. The extra hour I’d spent ironing my shirt and skirt, trying to tame my hair, primping here and there, had made me late for work. In the end, Doc had barely noticed any of my hard work. That’s what I got for dressing to impress.

      Harvey squinted at me. “You don’t usually leave your hair down. What’s going on?”

      I ignored Harvey’s scrutinizing stare.

      “Did you have an appointment with an important client?” Beatrice asked.

      “Uh, yes.”

      “Who?” Harvey pressed.

      “None of your beeswax.”

      “As your bodyguard, I’m making it my beeswax.”

      “Supper’s ready, Willis,” Beatrice said.

      Whew! Saved by the dinner bell. As Beatrice sashayed back inside, I grinned at Harvey. “Willis, huh? You never let me call you by your first name.”

      “Yeah, well you never bake cherry pies for me.”

      “Baking is against my religion.”

      “Or let me butter your muffin.”

      I grimaced at a disturbing image of Harvey and Beatrice in a compromising position. “My muffin is off-limits.”

      Snickering, he patted my head. “I’ll be over after supper.”

      After watching him bustle up Miss Geary’s walk, I trudged through Aunt Zoe’s front yard toward the girls.

      “Hi, Mom. How was work?” An empty M&Ms wrapper lay behind Addy.

      I propped my shoulder against the porch post and drudged up a smile—and a lie. “Pretty good.”

      “Did you meet any nice men?”

      Kelly had yet to look up from the box, which had three of the four flaps closed.

      “Nope. Where’s your brother?”

      “Gluing teeth into his horse skull.”

      Of course. “What’s in the box?”

      “Nothing.”

      I leaned over, catching sight of something that resembled a coiled up rope. “What is that, Adelynn?”

      She reached in the box and pulled out the rope. Only it wiggled.

      “Jesus!” I jumped back.

      “It’s just a baby, Mom.” A forked tongue shot in and out as Addy held the green snake by the neck area.

      “I don’t care. Get rid of it right now.”

      “But, Mom!”

      “Take it over there by those trees.” I pointed to the edge of the forest that divided Aunt Zoe’s yard from Mount Moriah cemetery. “Now!”

      Grumbling, Addy stomped across the yard toward the pine trees, the wriggling snake dangling out in front of her. Kelly watched Addy’s progress with a frown on her lips.

      I decided to use this moment alone with Kelly to dig for some details about her mom and dad.

      “Kelly.” I paused trying to use some delicacy in forming my question. “Was your mom going on a trip somewhere for a couple of days?”

      She shrugged her bony shoulders.

      “Do you know where your dad is?”

      The Wymonds’ house had been closed up when I cruised by this afternoon, the yard and drive empty of vehicles that still had all four wheels intact, the front door shut.

      “Of course.” Kelly shielded her eyes as she peered up at me. “He’s at work.”

      I hadn’t noticed any road crews out and about today. “On a Sunday?”

      “Uh-huh. He needs to make more money.”

      “Is that what he said?” Or had Donna said that? Kids were excellent eavesdroppers and mimickers—mine in particular, especially when it came to swear words and finding-a-man conversations.

      She nodded. “Mom can’t work because of Johnny, so Dad works on the weekend now, too.”

      “That must be why he wasn’t home when I picked up your clothes yesterday.”

      “Oh, he’s never home on the weekends, anymore.”

      “Because he works so much?”

      “No. Because he spends Saturday and Sunday night at Uncle Peter’s place.”

      She made it sound so clear and simple, yet here I was in a fogbank. “Why does he stay there?”

      “Because Dad’s working on the new bridge they’re building by Uncle Peter’s house.”

      I didn’t remember seeing any new bridge going in around town. “Where does your Uncle Peter live?”

      “In Spearfish.”

      I took another step back, my chest winded like I’d been walloped in the bread basket with a frying pan.

      Spearfish—where the girl was almost abducted last night. What a freaking coincidence. I needed to talk to Natalie.

      “It’s gone, Mom,” Addy returned to her spot on the porch.

      “Thank you.”

      She sighed. “Now what are we going to dissect tomorrow?”

      Whatever happened to doll houses and playing dress-up? “How about you don’t dissect anything?”

      “That’s boring.”

      “I thought Aunt Zoe was taking you hiking out by Custer Peak.”

      “Yeah, in the morning. We were going to cut open the snake in the afternoon.”

      “But the snake wasn’t dead.” While reptiles weren’t my idea of cuddly calendar candidates, the idea of Addy slaughtering an animal just to examine its guts inspired a whole rash of parental-alert goosebumps. If memory served me right, Jeffrey Dahmer started off his serial killer career with harmless pets.

      “Kelly knows how to kill snakes.” Addy had missed my point.

      Kelly’s smile beamed. “My dad showed me. You just hold ‘em down with your heel and chop off their heads.”

      “Okay.” I was beginning to think Kelly was a few French fries short of a Happy Meal. Addy really needed to make more friends. “How about instead of playing Operation with a poor snake, we go out to Pactola Lake tomorrow after lunch.”

      “Really?” Addy hopped to her feet, her smile wide, the snake apparently forgotten. “Will you come swimming with us?”

      I’d sooner share a sleeping bag with Addy’s snake than don a bathing suit in public, but how could I say ‘no’ to the excitement in her eyes. “Sure.”

      “Mom didn’t pack my swimsuit,” Kelly said.

      “You can borrow one of mine.” Addy grabbed her hand. “Let’s go pick one out for you.”

      “Wash your hands, Adelynn,” I yelled at the girls’ backs as they ran inside the front door and clomped up the stairs. I followed them, minus the clomps, and detoured into the kitchen, where I found Aunt Zoe standing at the sink, staring out the window into the backyard.

      I joined her and looked out at where my son’s butt stuck up in the air. He looked like a turtle digging a nest in the sand as he widened the hole where he’d found the horse remains. “I thought he was gluing teeth in the skull.”

      “He was.” Aunt Zoe pointed at where the skull sat on the picnic table. “But he’s four short and determined to find them.”

      “Then what?”

      “I guess the spine comes next.”

      “He’ll tear up your whole yard before he’s through.”

      She smiled. “I know.”

      “You want me to stop him?”

      “No way. Who knows what else he’ll find? I’m rather enjoying seeing what I’ve been living over all these years.”

      I hoped to be as open-minded as Aunt Zoe when I grew up. “I’ll buy you new sod when he’s done.”

      “Don’t bother. Trying to keep grass green in these dry hills is a waste of water. Besides, I’ve always wanted to experiment with raised flower beds, just never had the time or energy to tear up the lawn.”

      Crossing the room, I opened the fridge and snagged a cold can of diet soda. “How well do you know Kelly’s dad?”

      “Only from the sports page back when he played football.”

      Cracking open the pop’s top, I gulped down a mouthful of sweetened soda. I really needed to talk to Natalie. “Any more calls about my singles ad?”

      “Not so far today.”

      “Good.” Grabbing the phone, I punched in Natalie’s number. Her phone rang four times before her answering service picked up. I hung up without leaving a message. “Damn. Where is she?”

      My question pulled Aunt Zoe’s gaze from the window. “Who?”

      “Natalie.”

      “Oh, she called this morning. Her mom fell and hurt her hip. Natalie was heading down to Hill City to spend the night and then take her mom to the clinic in the morning.”

      “Falling must be contagious. Did she say when she’d be back?”

      “Tomorrow night. She said something about a big date on Tuesday that she wasn’t going to miss.”

      Her appointment with Doc. A tiny green monster stirred in my belly.

      “Did you hear about the little girl in Spearfish?” Aunt Zoe asked.

      Nodding, I dipped my finger in the yellow creamy sauce simmering on the stove. It was hot and tangy on my tongue. “It has to be the same guy, don’t you think?”

      “Probably, but the other girls were from Lead and Deadwood. And blonde. Why Spearfish? Why a brunette?”

      I shrugged. “Maybe he’s branching out.”

      “Or maybe it’s a trick.”

      “What? Why?”

      Aunt Zoe knocked my finger away as I started to double-dip and shooed me away from the stove. “So that people here will let their guard down. If the Boogeyman has left town, they’ll let their kids play outside after dark again.”