CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The morning after the fire, the dank smell of smoke still permeated Vaughn’s office just as it did in his dreams. The officials pinpointed the source of the fire as a lit cigarette, and if not for the previous incidents of sabotage, this would merely be classified as an unfortunate accident. But it was anything but an accident.
Meanwhile, nobody was admitting to smoking or seeing anyone light up on the premises. They didn’t have to. Detective Ross had just turned to Vaughn and asked one question. Did Laura smoke?
She hadn’t when Vaughn had met her. She’d started later on. The detective had immediately set out to find Laura’s whereabouts last night and it turned out she didn’t have an alibi. Agitated from the credit problems she was having, Laura said she’d taken a sleeping pill and crawled into bed. Alone. All night long. The police continued to follow up leads but Ross was convinced Laura was the culprit.
Vaughn couldn’t buy into the theory. Divorce and ugly words were one thing. Outright destroying him was something else and Vaughn just felt sick.
“Earth to Vaughn.”
He turned to see Annabelle standing in the office doorway, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sooty, smelly place. She wore her trademark miniskirt but, thanks to the combination of construction and fire damage, she’d traded her flimsy sneakers for bulky sheepskin boots. In pink to match her bright lipstick and skirt. Enjoying the combination, he let his gaze travel downward. Damn, but she had sexy legs no matter what she wore.
And he vividly remembered those long limbs wrapped around him as he drove deep inside her body. He shivered at the memory and a sudden realization struck him. He’d never have enough of her.
Ever.
Though he recognized his obsession with Annabelle had taken him away from the lodge at a crucial time, he couldn’t deny he was glad to see her now. So much so that even Laura’s potential betrayal didn’t affect his trust of or feelings for Annabelle.
“Hi there.” He welcomed her with a big grin.
“Mind if I come in?” She didn’t smile in return.
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Where is everyone?” she asked as she stepped inside and glanced around the otherwise empty office.
“Nick’s with the insurance guy and Mara’s home sick today.”
She placed her purse down on Mara’s desk. “I dropped Boris off at the house. I didn’t want him inhaling the smoke.”
“Not a problem.”
She seated herself at the desk farthest from him and he suspected she was taking her cues from him. His biggest one being that he’d left her alone in New York City after promising he’d be there for her after her family meeting. He’d gone over that move in his mind and still wasn’t sure whom he’d been protecting, but he suspected if he looked deeply enough he wouldn’t like what he saw.
“Look, Annie—”
“What’s the damage assessment and what do the police say?” she asked, briskly cutting him off.
He cleared his throat. Talking about the lodge hurt badly, the pain slicing through him each time he thought about it. It hurt almost as much as her cool demeanor did now. “The bad news is that the north section is completely destroyed.”
“Oh, Vaughn.” She reacted instinctively, the sympathy and caring in her gaze and in her tone overwhelming. Touching. Comforting in a way he needed badly. She rose from her seat and he could almost feel her arms around him. Then, just as suddenly, she sat down, obviously rethinking her decision as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.
Something inside him froze as he realized he’d caused the change. He’d pushed her away. Leaving her in New York had seemed prudent at the time, but he hadn’t expected to feel so empty now.
“What’s the good news?” she asked, all business.
Thrown by his emotional reaction to her distance, he decided business was best. “As you can see, no damage to the main part of the lodge. We’ll have to rebuild what’s been destroyed and we’ll lose a good number of bookings as a result, but because there are rooms in the main section, too, we can still open on time.”
“That’s fantastic!” she said, her voice rising, her pleasure obvious.
He was nearly drawn in by her enthusiasm until he realized she’d grabbed a pad and a pen and had begun to take notes and scribble down ideas. Deep in PR mode, she’d found a damn good way of avoiding discussing anything personal between them.
She glanced up. “Any solid leads on who might have started the fire?”
“The police think Laura’s the best suspect. She has no alibi.”
Annabelle frowned. “I don’t know. That sounds like an awfully flimsy tie in to me.”
“Yesterday I’d have agreed with you. Today I’ll grasp any lead or possibility if it means this being over.” He swept his arm around him.
She nodded in understanding.
“It’s like this person is either a genius or so damn lucky it defies description. Either way he—or she—is winning.” He slammed his hand against the desk as he’d done too many times before.
“Interesting analogy.” She cocked her head to one side. “Do you look at everything in terms of win or lose?”
“Pretty much.”
“Do you think the person responsible views things the same way?”
“Meaning?”
She tapped the pen against the desk. “Well, it’s similar to Detective Ross’s theory. Laura wouldn’t want you to win while she’s suffering defeat.” Annabelle paused in thought. “I just wonder if whoever’s doing this thinks maybe you took something away from them and so they’re trying to take something from you in return.”
He frowned. “If that’s the case, Laura or not, I’m definitely being hit where it hurts.”
As she listened to Vaughn’s reply, she wondered if the lodge wasn’t just his most obvious weak spot, but his only one. Certainly, nothing else in his life mattered to him as much as the lodge.
Did anyone matter as much? Could anyone?
She licked her glossed lips, trying not to let her emotions show as she performed her job. After all, her reasons for being in Greenlawn revolved around Vaughn’s need for PR support. When that need ended, she would return home to New York since any supplemental work could be accomplished from there.
She’d waited until this morning to return because professionally, that was the smartest time to begin work. Though she’d taken Micki’s advice and not run from her feelings, the initiation of anything personal between them would have to come from Vaughn. She’d met him halfway by coming here at all.
She reached into her bag. “I’ve prepared a press release I need you to okay.” She handed him the paper with the words she’d come up with while working late into the night. “If you have any changes, let me know.”
“I will. Thanks.”
She rose from her seat and pulled her keys from her purse.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“I assume you’ve done no food shopping since I’ve been gone?” The fridge was near empty before she’d left for New York.
“That would be a good assumption.”
“I figured as much. So even though it’s not in my job description I’m going to see to it you’re well-fed.” She could also use some breathing space that didn’t include the smoky air and Vaughn’s imposing presence.
She couldn’t be surrounded by the devastation from the fire and not be compelled to take him in her arms and tell him she understood his pain. That she’d be there for him always. Suddenly she understood why Lola had decided to pack up and leave. Except Annabelle refused to devote a lifetime to unrequited love.
Vaughn made her want on so many different levels she couldn’t name them all. He also knew how to withhold, thereby deepening her yearning. His parents had taught him not to count on anyone and to withdraw when things were tough. She hadn’t had parents to teach her a damn thing.
She wondered where that left them now.
* * *
After leaving the lodge, Annabelle stopped at Vaughn’s to pick up Boris. She placed him in his carrier and headed for town. Now that she had her car, she also had the freedom to explore and she took advantage.
She passed the high school and its legendary football field, since renamed Brandon Vaughn field. She drove by Vaughn’s parents’ house and was struck by the fairy-tale quality of the house and its surroundings, the white picket fence, daisies blooming all around and the veranda with a porch swing built for two. How could two people, two parents, live in such a perfect place to raise a child and turn his life into an unhappy, unhealthy nightmare, she wondered sadly.
Instead of making a right turn, which would take her directly into town, she drove the long way around the outskirts just so she could pass Vaughn’s present residence. The house he’d purchased so he could have peace, quiet and space. But the house gave him none of those things and merely reinforced all that was lacking in his life—unlike the warmth of the lodge, which filled at least a portion of the aching emptiness he had deep inside.
She thought she understood him a little better now. The desire to keep himself apart from the family that hurt him had led him to buy on the outskirts of town. The never-ending hope that those parents would come around kept him from making his home somewhere far away. But he’d chosen the most unwelcome home he could find and had done nothing to make it warmer. Not, she suspected, because he didn’t know how, but because never having experienced love, he was too afraid to embrace it. She pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket, no closer to figuring out how or if Vaughn would ever come around.
Before she’d barely stepped out of the car she heard someone call her name. She glanced over her shoulder, shocked when she realized Estelle Vaughn was waving and striding toward her, a welcoming smile on her face.
“Looks like things are about to get interesting,” she whispered to Boris, whose head stuck out of the carrier so he could look around.
“Miss, um…Annabelle, I’d like to have a word with you.”
Annabelle turned and waited for the other woman to walk over. “What can I do for you?” she asked Vaughn’s mother.
“Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” she asked, taking Annabelle by surprise. “There’s a place just around the corner. My treat.”
She added the last quickly, as if she was afraid Annabelle had been about to say no.
“I suppose food shopping can wait.” She treated his mother to a welcoming smile, hoping to ease her obvious discomfort. “I hope you don’t mind Boris here.” She swung around to show the dog’s sweet face.
“Oh! Well, no. Not at all.” She reached out tentatively.
“Go on. He doesn’t bite.”
Mrs. Vaughn patted Boris on the head and he responded by attempting to crawl out of his carrier.
“Stay,” Annabelle said.
Five minutes later, she found herself seated in Cozy Cups across from Estelle, as she’d asked Annabelle to call her. Joanne was obviously attempting to listen shamelessly but incoming customers kept her too busy to remain near their back table.
Annabelle wrapped her hand around the frozen Macchiato she’d ordered and waited to hear what Estelle had to say, but the other woman merely sat and unnecessarily stirred her coffee, staring into the dark liquid.
Annabelle decided she had no choice but to break the ice and begin conversation. “Nice weather we’re having,” she murmured politely.
“Is Brandon okay?” Estelle asked right after. “I woke up this morning and heard the news of the fire. I’ve been trying to reach him all morning. Nobody’s picking up the phone at the lodge and I’ve left half a dozen messages on his answering machine at home. I’ve been worried sick and so has his father.”
You see, Annabelle silently said to Boris. I told you this was going to be interesting.
“He’s fine. In fact, he was nowhere near the fire because he was in New York City at my firm’s party last night,” she assured Vaughn’s mother.
“Oh, thank goodness.” She looked visibly relieved, her shoulders relaxing and her tension easing a bit.
“If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Vaughn’s been home much since last night and the lines are down at the lodge. The phone company hopes to have things up and running by tomorrow at the latest.” Though Annabelle doubted Vaughn would make any effort to return his parents’ calls regardless.
The other woman nodded, obviously grateful for any information.
“Have you tried his cell?” Annabelle asked.
Estelle shook her head. “I don’t have the number.” Obviously embarrassed, she didn’t meet Annabelle’s gaze.
Annabelle poked her straw into the creamy liquid in front of her while she tried to figure out how much to pry into Vaughn and his parents’ relationship. Since his mother had sought Annabelle out, she decided to dig deeper than she probably should.
“Pardon me for commenting on something so personal, but it seems to me you care about Vaughn a lot more than you let on.”
“Of course, I care!” Estelle said. “He’s my child.”
“Then why not show it?” Annabelle couldn’t help but challenge Estelle’s assertion, but she softened the blow with a personal revelation of her own. “My parents died when I was twelve,” she began.
“How awful!” Estelle patted Annabelle’s hand awkwardly, then withdrew her touch.
Obviously maternal caring wasn’t her forte. Annabelle wondered if she even realized her shortcomings.
“I’d have given anything to have my parents around while I was growing up,” she continued. “Instead I had my Uncle Yank and Lola, two people who did their best to compensate for my loss and give my sisters and I lots of love and attention.”
Estelle’s eyes brightened with curiosity. “You have sisters?”
“Two. We’re all very close.”
“Theodore and I couldn’t have any more kids after Brandon.” Estelle’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Annabelle wasn’t sure whether to offer condolences or thanks that they couldn’t subject another child to neglect the way they’d done to Vaughn.
“I’m not used to explaining myself to anyone, but you seem genuinely fond of Brandon and for that reason, I’m going to try.”
“I do care about your son.”
Estelle drew a deep breath before beginning to talk. “I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m what you’d call from the wrong side of the tracks. My father ran off and my mother cleaned homes for a living. When I met Brandon’s father he was studying to be a professor. Imagine my shock that he fell in love with me! I was so grateful I promised myself I’d do everything I could to support him and make certain he succeeded.”
“Because if he succeeded, you succeeded,” Annabelle guessed without much difficulty.
“Exactly. With Theodore I have respectability, a solid home, and the love of a good man. Everything I was denied growing up.”
Annabelle noticed she didn’t mention a loving family or a wonderful son, but she refrained from commenting.
“Then Brandon was born and he was the most wonderful child.” Love sparkled in her eyes at the memory.
“Until he started school?” Annabelle guessed.
Estelle blushed and at least had the grace to look ashamed. “I didn’t know anything about dyslexia or learning disabilities. The teachers said he was antsy, that he didn’t pay attention. As he got older, his grades were poor.”
“And he was a disappointment to his father.” Annabelle pushed aside her cup. The sweet drink would only make her feel sicker.
Estelle inclined her head. “Theodore never understood Brandon. He was an academic while his son was an athlete. The two never mixed.”
“Did Theodore even try? Did you try to find a common bond between father and son?”
She shook her head. “I’d carved out my path a long time before. I was the supportive wife. I guess I let being a mother come second and I failed at it.” Her voice dropped an octave, her ever-present pride nowhere to be found.
On impulse, Annabelle reached out and took the woman’s hand. “Look, it’s not my place to judge the past. But you seem to care now. Maybe it’s not too late to take steps to repair your relationship.”
Heaven knew, Vaughn would benefit if his mother took even baby steps toward a normal family life and offered some sort of acceptance from at least one of his parents. Not that Annabelle expected him to welcome any overture immediately, but anything good in life took time.
“Every time I try he closes me out.”
“I’m going out on a limb here, but did you ever think of accepting who he is and what he wants out of life?”
Estelle leaned back in her seat, silently thinking for a moment, and then sighed. “You’re a wise woman, and I hope my son realizes how lucky he is.”
Annabelle murmured a thanks and opted not to touch the statement. Her problems with Vaughn weren’t anything a conversation could solve.
As Estelle rose to leave, Annabelle popped the top off the drink and let Boris lick the frothy top. As she was getting ready to leave, she caught sight of the construction crew from the lodge coming in for their coffee, Roy at the head of the pack.
“He wasn’t at the party,” Annabelle realized aloud.
“Excuse me?” Estelle turned.
“Oh. Nothing important. I just realized that Roy wasn’t at my firm’s party in New York City.” She explained to Estelle why she’d invited Vaughn’s work force and the woman seemed impressed with her way of thinking.
“Would you like to walk out with me?” Estelle asked.
Annabelle shook her head. “I think I’ll let Boris finish the drink while I talk to Joanne for a bit.”
“Well, I’m so glad we had this opportunity to chat. And I appreciate your honesty, young lady.”
Estelle walked off, leaving Annabelle alone.
She patted Boris on the head. “Will wonders never cease?” she asked aloud. She’d never thought Estelle would come around and she prayed Vaughn could find it in his heart to do the same.
Not in the mood to talk to Roy, Annabelle started for the door but he called out her name, giving her no choice but to acknowledge him.
“Hi, Roy.” She waved and kept walking.
“Don’t go. At least let me buy you a drink for the road. The boss would never forgive me if I wasn’t nice to his lady. Besides, it’s hot out there and something cold will wet your whistle.”
Annabelle had no desire to have a drink or anything else with Roy, and since the rest of the men had been served and since left, she wasn’t about to hang around with just him.
She shook her head. “No, thanks, I just finished an iced coffee.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t take a hint and strode up to her, getting into her personal space. “So, how’s it going?” he asked.
“Fine.” She forced a smile. “Why did you miss our party last night?”
He glanced from side to side and looked uncomfortable as he fumbled for an answer. “I—uh—”
“Was your wife under the weather?”
“My son, actually. Injured his wrist playing ball at the last practice,” he said, warming to his subject. “Vaughn said Todd’s a natural, just like Vaughn would be a natural college coach. He’d guarantee my boy entry into the pros, that much I know.”
“Vaughn’s the best,” she agreed, but she was unable to get his first statement out of her mind. His reason for missing the party was a bald-faced lie. “I saw the last football practice. Nobody got hurt.”
Roy paled and glanced at his watch. “I gotta get going. Work calls.”
She nodded in understanding. “You must be busier than ever between the last break-in and now the fire damage.”
“Like I said, busy, busy.” Roy stepped backward in a sudden rush to leave.
Since she hadn’t been the one to initiate the conversation, Annabelle let him go. She stopped at the counter for a brief conversation with Joanne before heading outside.
Just in time to see Roy puffing on a cigarette beside his car. And for a brief second, his gaze met hers. Right before he dropped the butt and ground it out beneath the toe of his boot.
* * *
Annabelle’s thoughts spun more quickly than the tires on her hooker-mobile. Roy. Cigarettes. Fire. She needed to talk to someone about her suspicions, but immediately dismissed Vaughn from her list.
He had enough on his mind without having to cope with her half-baked assumptions about his head foreman, too. And surely that’s all they were—ridiculous assumptions about a lecherous but otherwise harmless man. Still, needing someone to bounce things off of, she drove directly to Mara’s apartment and began to bang on her door.
She heard sounds from inside but nobody answered. She knocked louder.
“Okay, okay, maybe I should just give you a key after all.” Mara yanked the door open wide. “Annabelle,” she said, clearly surprised.
“I guess you were expecting Nick?”
Mara ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “Yeah. Well, no, I wasn’t expecting anyone, but with all the banging, I thought he’d come back. Never mind. Come in.” She waved Annabelle inside.
She walked into the small but pretty apartment with enough windows to provide lots of sunlight and enough plants for Annabelle’s liking. “I’m sorry to barge in when you’re home sick, but it’s important.”
Mara shook her head. “It’s just a cold. I woke up with it this morning. But between the fire, the smoke and all, I thought I could get more paperwork done here. What’s up?”
Annabelle twisted her hands together, feeling ridiculous. “It’s about the fire. The marshals said it was caused by a cigarette, right?”
Mara nodded.
“Let me ask you something. Did you know Vaughn’s ex-wife?”
Mara shook her head. “They didn’t live in town, but from what I understand, she was a mistake he hates to talk about. Why?”
“The police think she could be a suspect but I have another idea I need to run by you.”
“Shoot.”
“If you count everyone we sent invitations to, who didn’t show up last night?”
“Hmm. Let’s sit down a minute so I can think. Want something to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Mara poured herself a large glass of orange juice and joined Annabelle at a small, white kitchen table. “It’s hard to know since it was so last minute. There were no place cards and no official RSVP was required. Off the top of my head, the only two noticeably missing were Roy Murray and Fred O’Grady. Fred’s wife went into labor and the only time Roy’s predictable is when he’s hitting on women or pushing his son’s athletic agenda.”
Annabelle nodded. “See? That’s motive right there,” she said, her voice rising.
“What’s motive? And for what?” Mara sneezed.
“Bless you.”
“Thanks.” Mara grabbed a tissue from the box she’d been carrying around with her. “Have Kleenex will travel,” she said laughing. “Now talk to me. What are you thinking?”
“You have to promise not to laugh.”
Mara nodded. “Swear.”
“Well, I ran into Roy at the coffee shop. I wanted to leave, he tried to buy me a drink, I said no, but he made me stay and talk. Until I mentioned he’d missed the party. Then he couldn’t wait to be gone.”
Mara rolled her eyes. “There’s no doubt about it, Roy’s an odd duck.”
“But there’s more. He lied about why he wasn’t at the party, and when I walked outside he was grinding a cigarette butt into the ground.” Her stomach jumping, her nerves rioting, Annabelle tapped her fingers against the Formica tabletop.
“Look, I understand why you’re upset, but with Roy it could be as simple as the fact that he was cheating on his wife last night and doesn’t want to get caught.” Mara paused to blow her nose. “Rumor has it Roy’s wife told him if he strayed again, he’d be out on his ass and she’d file for sole custody. And you know how much his son means to him.”
Once again, Annabelle’s hunch was strengthened. “That’s just it! If the lodge were destroyed, Vaughn would be free to take the coaching job. It’s Roy’s dream for his son to go pro and he thinks the boy needs Vaughn to do it.”
Mara frowned. “Even without the lodge, Vaughn wouldn’t take that job. He’d rather help in his own way.”
“You know that. I know that. Any sane person knows that, but is Roy sane?” Annabelle pressed her fingers against her pounding temples. “I just don’t know what to do with this theory of mine. I’m afraid the police will laugh me out of the building, and Vaughn and Nick have enough on their plate without me adding stupid ideas to their list of problems.”
“Obviously, you don’t think it’s all that stupid or you wouldn’t be this upset,” Mara said softly. “And really, how much more lame is your idea than blaming Vaughn’s ex-wife?”
Annabelle bit down on the inside of her cheek. “If I do something about it and I’m wrong, I’ve accused an innocent man. Innocent of arson, anyway. His cheating is a foregone conclusion. But if I’m right about the fire and I say nothing, the lodge is still at risk.”
Mara touched her hand. “The lodge is at risk until whoever it is is caught,” Mara reminded her.
She rose and shook her head. “It’s probably my imagination acting overtime. I’m going to go.”
Mara stood. “Annabelle, wait. You’re upset. Let’s talk some more.”
“You need your rest. Besides, Roy was going back to work. I can talk to him there. I need to get a feeling one way or another before saying anything to Vaughn. Besides, both Vaughn and Nick are watching everyone right now. It’ll be okay,” she said as much for Mara’s benefit as her own.
“Well I’m here if you need me.”
“Would you watch Boris for me?”
Mara nodded.
“Thank you. And don’t worry.” Annabelle forced a smile. “It’ll be okay,” she said, hoping to convince herself and relieve the gnawing gut feeling that just wouldn’t disappear.