When choosing a color for a room, consider the measurements of the space. More wall space makes the color seem deeper.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
Friday night came too soon for Grayson. A dinner party was not his type of event, but having Ellie on his arm made up for his discomfort with the tux. When had he last worn a tux? Probably to his sister’s wedding.
So much was riding on this evening. Ellie looked stunning under the glow of the chandelier. Her light-brown hair was up in some kind of fancy do that left little twists of hair touching her cheeks. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her in makeup, and tonight she wore only a light touch, but skin like hers didn’t need much. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places, and though he knew she felt it revealed too much, she had her shoulders squared and her head up. No one would know how uncomfortable she was.
Guests milled around the expansive room that held a massive marble fireplace soaring all the way to the fifteen-foot ceiling. The ultra-contemporary home had to be fifteen thousand square feet, and this room was easily fifty feet long. The party spilled out through an open sliding wall that connected with an enormous flagstone patio. Bar-top tables had been brought in, and servers offered flutes of champagne and hors d’oeuvres on black trays. Everyone was dressed to the nines. He’d thought about opting for a sports coat, but he would have been out of place, and they wanted to mingle and try to discover something helpful. He wanted to blend in with the sea of black suits.
He scanned the crowd. “Do you know what Terrance Robb looks like? I’ve never met him.”
“Oh, yes, I know both of them. I babysat for them.”
“So we want to know what Mac told him about the flotilla.”
She nodded. “He might have done some digging into whatever she told him. Even if he discounted it, there might be a lead we can use.”
“Hmm. Lots to dig out at a party where it’s going to be tough to get them alone.” He stopped and took her hand. Her fingers closed around his, and he liked the feel of her trusting hand in his. “I think that’s Rear Admiral Hutchinson, Candace’s father.”
Grayson had met the man a few times over the years, and he recognized the leonine head of white hair topping an aquiline nose and chiseled chin. Hutchinson stood talking to a blonde woman who hugged his arm affectionately. “Is that his daughter?”
“Sure is.” Ellie started that way, but Grayson caught her arm. “We probably ought to talk to Candace alone. We don’t want to get thrown out before we have a chance to learn something. Let’s mingle and look for her husband.”
She nodded, and he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. A server passed, and he snagged a couple of tiny pastries for them. His was gone in one gulp, which left him eyeing hers longingly.
“You can have it.” She lifted it to his lips, and he opened his mouth.
Her fingers grazed his lips, and he kissed them lightly before she could snatch her hand away. “Tasty.”
Her cheeks went pink at his forward remark, and she looked away.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I’m not embarrassed.” Her choked voice told a different story.
Why did he like to make her blush so much? And heaven help him, he liked being with her in more ways than he could count. He was in serious trouble. Her business was firmly established here, and his work was in Seattle, hours away.
She inclined her head. “Don’t look now, but there’s Terrance. He’s by himself too.”
Grayson gave a surreptitious glance to the corner. Robb was about six feet tall with blond hair and a rangy build. He had a slight pudge from sitting at a desk all day. “Let’s go talk to him.”
She nodded, and he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “You start the conversation since you know him,” Grayson whispered.
They reached the man, and Ellie extended her hand. “Mr. Robb, so good to see you again. My partner and I just bought your house in Lavender Tides, and you’re going to be so pleased with what we’re doing to it. It will have a wonderful open floor plan when we’re done, and we’re putting in top-of-the-line finishes.”
Robb took her hand. “Ellie, I haven’t seen you in ages. You’re all grown up. And I’m glad you’re pleased with the house. You’ll have to let me know when it’s done. I’m sure Candace will want to take a peek at it.” His smile widened to show perfect white teeth. “Though maybe that’s not safe. She’ll likely want to buy it back for a vacation getaway.”
“She might,” Ellie agreed. “Your wife has good taste. Mr. Robb, have you heard about my sister, Mackenzie? She was attacked and has been missing. There was a lot of blood at the scene, and the FBI thinks she was killed. We haven’t found her body.”
His smile vanished. “I hadn’t heard about it, but I’m so sorry. Any idea what happened?”
Ellie shook her head. “We’re still trying to figure that out. We’ve been researching her last few weeks, and we heard she wanted to cancel the tall ships flotilla. When the committee refused, she said she was going to talk to you because letting them come here was dangerous. Can you tell me what she said to you?”
“She did come to see me. She believed someone named Gun Moon planned to set off an EMP bomb. It was pretty far-fetched, of course.”
And Gun Moon was dead. “Did you investigate it?”
“Just a cursory look. She was very distraught about it. I’m not sure where the notion came from.”
“Mr. Robb, someone killed Gun Moon and left his body in your secret basement room.”
The man blanched. “Murdered?”
“Garroted. An efficient execution method often used by ISIS.”
“If the CIA can be of any help, be sure to let me know.” He looked over her shoulder. “My father-in-law is beckoning me. Good to talk to you.”
Once he was out of earshot, Grayson steered Ellie deeper into the corner. “He didn’t really investigate it. If he had, maybe Mac would still be with you.”
“Now what?” Ellie skirted the patio in the shadows with a glass of iced tea in hand.
The party had started to thin out a bit, and they still hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to Candace. People stood under gleaming lights on the patio, and some had wandered down to the edge of the water.
“Let’s give it a little more time to see if we can catch Candace by herself,” Gray said.
“What do we hope Candace can tell us?”
“Maybe she overheard Mac talking to her husband. He’s trained to spill nothing. She might offer some kind of insight. It’s worth a shot.”
She’d found it hard to keep from staring at him all evening. The tux spanned those broad shoulders without a wrinkle, and the contrast of black and white was an amazing look on him. Tonight was a Cinderella night for sure, but she knew she’d transition back into a scullery maid much too soon.
A group of women began to disband, and she spotted Candace’s blonde head walking down to the beach. “There she is. Let’s go.”
Gray clasped her hand. “Steady. This yard is soft, and one of your heels could snap right off.”
Whatever reason he wanted to give for holding her hand was fine by her. She clung to his strong fingers as they hurried to catch up with the other woman in her flowing pink gown. She looked like a true princess with her shining blonde hair piled high on her elegant head. Ellie could never dream of appearing so beautiful and put together.
The moon glimmered on the waves rolling to shore, and the lights on passing boats added a romantic touch to the scene. She caught the scent of the blazing lanterns. A foghorn echoed across the water and blended with the putt-putt of the engines. The distant murmur of people from the party talking and laughing grew louder, and Ellie knew she had to stop Candace before other partygoers distracted them.
Ellie’s ankle turned under her and she nearly fell, but Gray caught her, and they both stumbled out of the lights from the yard lamps and into the shadows from the trees lining the property.
Gray caught her against his chest as she reached down to rub her ankle. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” She tried to put weight on her foot and winced. “Yikes, I think I sprained it.”
“Let me see.” He knelt and probed the tender flesh with gentle fingers. “It’s already starting to swell. You need to prop it up and put ice on it.”
Ellie glanced out to where she’d last seen Candace and saw that Terrance had joined her. They stood only a few feet away, but the shadows hid her and Gray from view. She opened her mouth to call to them when she heard Terrance say her name.
“Did you see Ellie Blackmore?”
“I thought I saw her here. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her. Why, what’s wrong?”
Gray swooped Ellie into his arms and stepped farther back into the shadows. His breathing slowed, and Ellie matched his light inhales and exhales.
“She came with a Coast Guard investigator. Try to stay out of her way. I think she’s only here to ask questions. You’d think her sister would serve as a warning to let things be, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Ellie’s blood roared in her ears. Was he saying he had something to do with Mac’s death?
Gray pressed his lips to her ear when she started to struggle to be put down. “Quiet.” His breath barely puffed against her skin.
She relaxed against his chest. They needed to get the information any way they could. Now wasn’t the time for confrontation.
Candace’s voice got softer. “Do you think she knows you were told to make sure the flotilla came here?”
“I don’t see how she could. There was nothing fishy about it.”
“You need to get her out of here,” Candace said. “I don’t want to talk to her.”
“The party’s nearly over. You cut the cake, and it’s almost gone. Half the guests have left. Maybe they did too. I haven’t seen them for a while.” He took his wife’s arm.
“What about Mackenzie?”
“I haven’t been able to find her. Her disappearance wasn’t my doing. You thought I had her hauled off?”
Candace shrugged her slim shoulders. “It made sense after she waylaid us with all those demands about stopping the flotilla. Why were you told to get it here anyway? It seems like a small thing.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get through tonight and put it behind us.”
“So who do you think took her?”
“She stole some cocaine. That’s all I know. She’s not our problem.”
Hot tears flooded Ellie’s eyes. Mac wasn’t a problem—she was a living, breathing person. To hear these two discuss her possible death so callously took her breath away.
Someone called Candace’s name, and she turned and waved. “Be right there.” She turned back toward her husband for a moment. “Make this go away, Terrance. This cannot derail us after all these years.”
“It won’t, my dear.” He retreated toward the house, then disappeared into the last of the guests milling in the great room.
“Let’s get out of here,” Grayson whispered in her ear. “There’s a lot to talk about and to investigate.”
“You can put me down. I can walk.”
“You don’t weigh anything, and I don’t want us to be seen. We’ll skirt the side of the house and have a valet fetch my SUV. Hang tight.”
His long legs ate up the yard, and she clung to his neck with both hands. While she’d dreamed of being in his arms, this wasn’t quite the way she imagined.
Terrance had been asked to make sure the flotilla came here. What did that mean?