Family Skeletons Page 16

  Her gaze settled on Sunny. “So she talked to you. How about Tom? What...”

  “They’re okay. She’d told him, and they’ve dealt with it.”

  “The only reason she talked to you was because her name, and Tom’s, might be coming up now. If Franklin was murdered, they each have an excellent motive, don’t they?” She shook her head again. “What a mess. What a hellish mess.”

  She looked at the floor, lifted her hand to briefly massage the back of her neck, then she looked back at her guests. “Okay, enough of the past. We’ve got plenty going on right now that needs our attention. Such as who pushed you off the cliff and fired at you, Sunny? That’s two violent acts too many. Are you thinking, specifically, of any of the people we’ve talked about? Langley, Bev, Tom, Mavis...”

  “Any of the above,” Jonathan said.

  Her gaze flicked to him. “A man with an open mind. It should serve you well.” Her attention returned to her daughter. “And you, Sunny? What are you thinking?”

  “The bullet was a stray, unrelated to anything else. And one of the Bowers boys pushed me off the cliff. But not to harm me, just to keep himself out of trouble.”

  Jonathan looked at the ceiling. “Save me from...”

  Sunny sent a fast frown his way. “And what are you thinking? That whoever killed Franklin for whatever reason also wants to kill me for the same reason? And what reason is that? What could he and I possibly have in common other than the same name and bloodline? And in that case, you’d also be a target.”

  His gaze snapped to hers. “I don’t profess to know the mind of a killer. But we have too many coincidences to continue to call them coincidences.”

  “Okay, then, let’s look at it your way.” Strain put a bite in her voice, and she also heard a hint of the sarcasm that she knew he didn’t like. “Someone killed someone with a baseball bat, and at some point also killed Franklin with a different bat. Seven years later this person saw me on the beach, just happened to have a rifle handy so fired off a shot, then a couple days later found me standing conveniently on the cliff’s edge and gave me a shove. Did this person plan all this, or does he kill on impulse and all of us—the missing victim, Franklin, me—just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

  Jonathan’s manner was as stony as his voice was clipped. “The next time you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, where is it going to be? And who will it be who finds you there?”

  Sunny held his stare. Of course there was no answer to that, which is exactly why he’d phrased it that way.

  Roberta’s attention had been darting from person to person as if she were watching a tennis match. Now she looked at her daughter. “Your turn.”

  Sunny’s eyes flashed at her mother instead of at Jonathan. “That’s not funny.”

  “You bet it’s not. It’s your life. Now that you’re back down here, will you stay put? Jonathan can drop you off at home, and then he can go back to Chester and close up the house.”

  “No.”

  “Sunny—”

  “Stop it, Jonathan. We already had this conversation.”

  “No sense arguing with her.” Roberta appeared relaxed as she sat back and crossed her legs. “Hasn’t worked since the day she was born. Just keep an eye on her. If we have to, we’ll hire a bodyguard.”

  “No way. No bodyguard.”

  “You’re right, Roberta,” Jonathan said, sitting so straight his back didn’t touch the sofa’s fabric. “We’ll do what we have to do.”

  Sunny glared at the ceiling.

  Roberta’s look turned thoughtful as she studied Jonathan. “I bet that drives her up the wall. When you get uptight, you have a tendency to become stuffy.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “It’s beautiful,” Sunny said with feeling. She stood next to Jonathan as he rested on his knees in front of the Victrola that now shone like a mirror. When he leaned back on his haunches to regard his handiwork, his eyes gleamed along with the cabinet.

  “Amazing what a little bit of lemon oil and an old t-shirt can do,” he said.

  “A whole lot of lemon oil,” she corrected. “And umpteen t-shirts.”

  He chuckled. “Okay.”

  “And time, patience, and elbow grease. What did Ryan call it? A labor of love.”

  He looked up at her. “I’d prefer not to talk to an antique dealer about it. If you agree, I’d like to make a gift of it to Roberta. That only seems right.”

  “You can offer, but I think she’ll turn it down. It seems more right to me, and probably will to her, too, that you keep it. Like I said, it’s been a labor of love.”

  She smiled, nudged his shoulder with her hip, then nudged harder until he stopped resisting and toppled over onto his side and then onto his back. She followed him down and covered his body with hers, as much of it as she could stretch to. He was long. She folded her arms across his chest and placed her chin atop her hands. Her eyes were scant inches from his.

  “You don’t take no for an answer,” he observed.

  “Are you telling me no?”

  “No.”

  Their lips met. When she raised her head, he said, “But I can think of a softer surface than the one I’m lying on.”

  “Yeah, but that softer surface is pretty far away.” Again she lowered her mouth to his.

  “You’ve got a point,” he said, when next given the opportunity to speak, and he made a move to change their positions.

  “Well, wait a minute,” Sunny said. “If it’s going to be my back on the floor, maybe that softer surface isn’t that far away after all.”

  He flashed a quick smile, showing off bright-white teeth any dentist would be proud of, and then jumped to his feet. He pulled her up, tossed her over his shoulder and carted her up the stairs. Now that they were becoming more familiar with each other, he was constantly surprising her with some very agreeable and very sexy moves.

  * * *

  Late the next afternoon, Sunny stood alone in the kitchen, staring into space while steaks sizzled under the broiler. Fat snapped and made her jump. She turned the steaks, checked the potatoes, drained them and got out the masher. It was a simple dinner, the kind Jonathan liked, for their last night together.

  “Five minutes,” she hollered.

  How had he become so important to her so quickly?

  Well, it didn’t exactly sneak up and bite you on the butt, Sunny. You walked right into it.

  It wasn’t necessarily the end of their relationship, she reminded herself; he’d be back for the memorial service. But there’d be a lot of other people around then, too. So, yes, this was the end of something very, very special.

  Realizing her eyes had again become unfocused, she gave her head a couple of quick shakes, washed and dried the masher, put it away and hollered for him again. She drained the green beans and put the lid back on the pot to keep them warm.

  Where was he?

  The outside hose turned on, answering that question. He was washing the SUV. Well, if she could hear the rush of water, couldn’t he hear her voice?

  Apparently not. She stared at the porch door. Her eyes burned.

  “Okay. Enough.” She splashed cold water on her face, dried off with a paper towel, and then walked outside to drag Jonathan inside.

  * * *

  The atmosphere at breakfast was strained. Jonathan seemed to eat in slow motion. He’d also packed slowly and had set a snail’s pace traveling up and down the stairs.

  With a loud exhale, Sunny pushed away from the table and got to her feet.

  Talk about a couple of lovelorn lovers. We’ll just have to wait and see what the test of time and distance tells us.

  Taking his empty plate and hers, she looked down at him. “Please don’t take this wrong, but would you please hurry up and get out of here?” When he looked up she gave him a real smile, not forced, and then she crossed to the sink. “You’re not making this any easier,” she said, grateful for the mild tone she’d managed. “If yo
u’ve got to go, then go.”

  She stooped to get the dishpan from the cabinet beneath the sink, put it in place and turned the water on. “Just don’t take Cat with you. She stays.”

  At the sound of his quick, unforced laugh, she relaxed. His chair scraped back, and then she heard his steps in the hall. Clearly for her benefit, he made a clicking sound with his tongue and patted his leg to call Cat. Sunny acknowledged the act with an amused nod but didn’t look after him.

  An hour later he was still upstairs. She sat outside on the back porch stairs, hugging her knees and waiting. A slow man, meticulous, deliberate, reserved, not at all her type, and she’d fallen for him like a collapsed skyscraper. Cupid had a sense of humor.

  He finally showed, passed her on the porch stairs, and deposited his suitcase in the rear of the SUV. He looked up, and showed her his back as he gave the road leading to the highway a long study. He came back, sat down beside her, gave her a small smile and then checked the road again. His eyes sharpened. He leaned toward her, pecked her once on the lips, rose to his feet and was in the driver’s seat of his truck before she got past her first blink.

  “Huh?” She got to her feet, staring at him as he drove past. Then she noticed the dust storm on the road and the sporty black coupe that led it. Ryan’s shiny little car. The vehicles’ horns exchanged greetings.

  Sunny leaned against the house wall, folded her arms, and watched the new arrival.

  “Hi, doll.” Ryan exited the car and walked around to the trunk. Then he stopped and gave her a longer look. He turned his head to follow the retreating SUV, then looked back at her. “Something tells me you weren’t expecting me.”

  “Something tells me someone else was expecting you. What is this, the changing of the guard?”

  “Hmm,” he mused. “How about that. He didn’t tell you.”

  “There are two people I could cheerfully strangle right about now,” she said conversationally. “And you’re one of them.”

  He opened the trunk and withdrew his suitcase. “Got any coffee on? I could use some. And if you’ve got the makings, I could go for lasagna tonight. And a tossed salad with lots of tomato in it.”

  She pushed away from the wall. “How did you get away from your practice? I know there are people you’re concerned about.”

  He frowned, not looking at her. Clearly he didn’t like this part. “They’ve got my cell phone number, and I gave them this number as well. And I want to sleep downstairs, in order to be closer to the phone. Just in case. But nobody is, er, in a danger zone right now.”

  “And if somebody does need you and you have to return quickly?”

  When he didn’t respond, she repeated the question, voice still mild and still insistent.

  He met her eyes straight on. “Marcus said he could get a couple days off if he has to.”

  She swore softly.

  “It’s okay, Sunny. Don’t—”

  “No, it’s not okay,” she snapped. “I’m not a child who needs babysitting or rescuing. I made the decision to stay up here, and that’s my right. And I resent you and Jonathan and anyone else rearranging their lives in order to interact with mine. That’s the same thing as taking over my life and arranging it for me. Think about it, Ryan. Am I right?”

  “I think I understand why Jonathan didn’t tell you I was coming.”

  “Am...I...right?”

  He gave her another straight on look. “Yes, Sunny, sweetheart, you’re right. But I’m not going to back off and neither is he. You’re stuck with us. Now can I have that coffee?”

  She held his eyes for a long moment. Marcus was in on it, and unless snowballs now thrived in hell, so was Roberta.

  Dammit anyway, they did it. You got a bodyguard.

  So...roll with it. What the hell else can you do?

  She showed him her back and stomped up the porch stairs.

  At the kitchen table, she worked on a grocery list while he drank his coffee and unwound from his time behind the wheel. He’d never liked long driving trips, and anything over twenty minutes was a long driving trip to Ryan.

  “Actually,” she admitted once she’d also unwound, “your presence allows me some freedom. I was planning on sticking pretty close to the house. Because, uh...well...anyway.”

  He grinned, but said nothing.

  She put the grocery list aside. “Why don’t we take lunch down to the beach and go shopping later? Looks like a nice day. No need to spend it inside if we don’t have to.”

  He agreed, got up to put his empty cup in the dishwasher, then must’ve remembered there wasn’t one because he stood in the middle of the floor with an I-don’t-know-what-to-do look.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. Put it in the sink.”

  While he unpacked, Sunny made tuna salad sandwiches, including one for Cat. The kitten also liked bread, pickles, and mayonnaise. Both Cat and Jonathan had unusual eating preferences. She added two oranges, four cookies, and two bottles of water to the tote bag.

  Halfway to the beach, Ryan stopped. “Sunscreen. If I spend five minutes down there without it, I’ll turn into an overdone hamburger.”

  He went back for suntan lotion while Sunny continued alone. Cat hadn’t yet caught the aroma of tuna and was wandering around on her own somewhere. The naked bluff, lacking its berry bushes, was an eyesore. Sunny wondered if she’d ever get used to it. And the new trail was too tame. Half the fun of a walk to the beach had been negotiating the precarious trail down the cliff. Deputy Tim Joyce had also recognized that fact.

  The sound of approaching voices surprised her. Other than the recent police presence, she’d never met anyone else on this section of shore. When she reached the bottom of the path the sand slowed her down. Whoever they were, they were male and were still on the firmer, wet sand at the tide line, not yet parallel with the cove. Once she emerged from the horseshoe, she saw them.

  She recognized Matthew Wilkes, but he wasn’t the first to notice her. His two companions were tall, possibly six feet or more. But they were no older than Matthew, perhaps sixteen or seventeen at the most. Their hair and features were as similar as their height.

  Toby and Langley, Jr., I presume. You’re certainly taller than your father. Do your social graces also surpass his?

  The one on the inside was slightly ahead and saw Sunny first. When he stopped, his companions passed him then looked back, and then followed his gaze to her.

  “Oh. Hi, Sunny,” Matthew said. “We just wanted to see where the skeleton was found.”

  He seemed ill at ease, and she wondered why.

  “Sunny,” said the one who had seen her first, probably the oldest. He was the one most full of himself. “The famous Sunny Corday herself. Except your name’s supposed to be Laurel, isn’t it?”

  She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, exaggerating her thought processes. “Toby is the oldest, and Langley, Jr. is the youngest. You’re Toby, right?”

  “Smart, too.” He crossed behind his companions toward her, not just taking his time but actually swaggering as he moved across the sand. “Cute, built, and smart. Good combination.”

  “Uh, Toby,” Matthew said.

  “And you’ve got a mouth on you, too. You’re not shy. What else is your mouth good for, Sunny?”

  “Toby,” Matthew said. His voice had tightened. He now appeared more commanding than tentative, but each of the others was several inches taller and several pounds heavier.

  Toby was trouble. She wasn’t sure about Junior yet, but his brother was a born bully, and if presented with a hard choice, the younger guy would probably side with his kin.

  Ryan, I hope you’re not having trouble finding your suntan lotion. I might get in one good swing with this lunch bag, but that’s about it.

  Matthew walked faster across the sand than Toby had and caught his arm before he reached Sunny. “Come on, it’s time to head back.”

  Toby’s eyes moved down to Matthew’s fingers on his arm, then up to his face. “You do what you wan
t to do. I’m gonna stick around here for a while.”

  When Matthew didn’t move, Toby raised his voice. “Junior, you come on over here and help this do-gooder get back to town with you.”

  If Sunny had been on her own, as Toby undoubtedly thought she was, she would’ve headed back up the trail a long time ago and trusted that Matthew would hold Toby Bowers at bay long enough for her to get out of sight. By not moving, she now realized she’d prolonged a difficult situation for Matthew.

  “Well, hello, everybody,” said Ryan’s voice.

  Trying not to be obvious about it, Sunny drew in a deep breath.

  Toby frowned, losing much of his bravado, as he looked up at the cliff and the newcomer.

  Ryan started an easy descent. He’d apparently gotten a handle on the situation and he wasn’t trying to hide his contempt. “I recognize Matthew, and the role he’s playing, and I can’t miss the bully and his role, of course, but I’m wondering what your part is?” He looked pointedly at Junior.

  “Hey, man,” Toby said. Clearly he was working hard at being belligerent, but he wasn’t quite able to pull it off. Junior, apparently not happy about being singled out for attention, explained his role by turning around and heading back toward Chester.

  Ryan looked at Toby. “Yes? Did you want to talk to me?”

  Toby glared at his brother’s retreating back, then directed the scowl at Ryan, then wordlessly he turned and followed his brother. There was very little substance in any one of the Bowers men. Sunny thought fleetingly about Louise. Was this a result of her leaving, or was this the reason that she’d left?

  The brothers tramped back to the wet sand where the walking was easier. Remaining where he was, Matthew looked after them.

  “Thanks,” Sunny said with feeling, her gaze on the young boy.

  He looked at her, then Ryan. “You didn’t need me.”

  She uttered an unladylike snort. “Think again.”

  He looked down at his feet, appearing embarrassed. “Yeah, well...” Then he looked back up. “I saw your cousin heading out of town. I’m glad you’ve got somebody else with you. You shouldn’t be alone all the way out here.” He turned to leave.