Chapter Twenty
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Some days were more productive than others and this one was shaping up to be a complete waste of time. In the morning, Zach had questioned Nicole Quincy about why her fingerprints were on the murder weapon and now he had to speak with Colin Simpson for the same conversation.
Nicole’s answers had been short and to the point. She’d been on the committee that helped organize the reunion and had assisted a group of people unloading the booze after it had been delivered. She swore her fingerprints would be on many other bottles as well. As for her alibi, her husband vouched for her saying she was at home with him. Zach had never put much stock into spousal alibis but he’d definitely felt the “innocent” vibe from Nicole. No matter what Jenna said, he didn’t think Nicole had any motive. She looked happy and content in her own life and her husband appeared to adore her. Zach had seen women trolling for their next husbands and Nicole didn’t display that sort of behavior.
Colin, on the other hand, was not on the reunion committee so his prints were going to be harder to explain. Zach wasn’t ready to call Colin a suspect yet. Darrell’s prints had been on that bottle too, and he was still missing.
Simpson sat across from Zach in the conference room, unsmiling. “I can’t believe you’ve asked me here. I had no reason to kill those people.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Colin Simpson had been picked on in high school by Drew Marshall, although that didn’t explain Bitty and Carole. Instead of debating motive Zach went straight to the heart of why they were sitting there.
“Your fingerprints were found on the champagne bottle that killed Drew Marshall. I need to know how they got there.”
“Simple.” Colin shrugged, his body language as relaxed as someone’s could be while being questioned. “After Darrell left I went to make a phone call and saw him out in the hallway when I was heading back to the party. He apologized and we shared a drink of champagne as a sign of peace between us. He drank straight from the bottle and so did I. That’s why my fingerprints are there. I guess my DNA will be there too.”
“What time was that?”
“I have no idea but I can check my phone’s call log. I called my girlfriend right before I saw Darrell.”
Technology was sometimes a good thing. “Let’s see it.”
Colin pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and scrolled to a spot in the call log before handing it to Zach. “Twelve-thirteen.”
Drew’s estimated time of death was between twelve-thirty and one. That put the murder weapon in Darrell’s hands right before the incident.
“What did Darrell do after you shared a drink?”
“He was flirting with the girl at the front desk. I went back into the party.”
“Did you see him again?”
Colin shook his head. “No, I left about thirty minutes later. Are we done here?”
“Can anyone corroborate your story?”
“Jesus, you’re not kidding?” Colin looked thoroughly disgusted with the entire process. “That girl from the front desk saw me go back into the party. You can talk to her.”
Zach would have to. It was part of the job.
“I will, thank you. If I have any more questions I’ll be in touch.”
The legs of the chair scraped against the tile as Colin pushed it back and stood. “I’m going home at the end of the week whether you like it or not. I didn’t hurt anyone.”
“I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Simpson. Thank you for coming in today.”
Colin stood but paused when he opened the door.
“If you want Drew’s killer, you need to find Darrell and leave the rest of us alone. He had that champagne bottle.”
“I’m trying to find him but it would seem he doesn’t want to be found.”
Colin smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Then you have your answer right there.”
* * *
Zach grilled a mean steak. Tender, juicy, and just cooked to medium. To go with it he’d prepared scalloped potatoes and asparagus, and for dessert he’d picked up a chocolate cake at the local bakery. Every single bite of dinner was incredibly delicious. After helping clear the table, he shooed Leann out on the back patio with a glass of wine.
“Relax and enjoy the nice weather. I’ll join you in a minute. I just need to rinse these dishes.”
“I could help,” she offered again but it was mostly half-hearted. He wasn’t going to let her and the evening really was lovely. She settled onto the glider and sipped her wine, letting the peacefulness of nature wash over her.
She could get used to this. Dinner and conversation with Zach, sharing their thoughts about the day. Intelligent and funny, he challenged her without being overbearing and he made her laugh without acting like a clown. There were so many wonderful things about him.
That was worrying. If he was truly this perfect he was going to get tired of her darn quick. She had a plethora of faults – some she was aware and probably many more she didn’t.
He joined her after the dishes were done, sitting close with his arm around her shoulders. The night air caressed her skin but it was his fingers trailing lightly up her arm that raised goosebumps.
“So what’s wrong with you?”
Awesome. Wonderful. I’ve taken blurting to a whole new level.
“Um…lots of things,” he chuckled as she buried her face in her hands. “I’m not sure where you’re going here, Leann.”
Fidgeting in her seat, she still couldn’t make eye contact with him. She was mortified.
“It’s just…you’re so perfect. You’re mature, understanding, a good cook. Heck, you even kiss well. There has to be something deeply wrong with you or you would be married by now. Why are you single?”
Chuckling warmly, he asked his own question. “Why are you single?”
It was a fair question, although she hadn’t given it much thought. She’d been concentrating on what was wrong with the men in her life, not why she hadn’t been ready to settle down.
“I haven’t met the right man yet, plus I was very involved building my career. But if I’d met the right man, I would have made time for him.”
Still smiling with amusement, Zach shrugged. “That’s my explanation too. Meeting the right person plus timing. But in answer to your question, I have many faults. I can give you some names of my ex-girlfriends and they’d be happy to list them for you. Mostly they’d tell you I’m a workaholic that was commitment shy.”
She could have applied that description to herself. Seems like they were two peas in a pod but where did that leave them? If she’d had a brain in her head she would have taken his explanation and just dropped the entire subject. But no…she was a glutton for punishment. They were already well down the rabbit hole so why not go for broke? It was better to know now than later.
“Do you not want to get married?”
Stroking his chin, he pondered her question before answering. “I do, but I haven’t been in a hurry to get there. I was engaged once but it didn’t work out.”
Leann almost choked on her wine. That was a big detail he’d just revealed.
“Engaged? What happened?”
“She wanted to marry someone more conventional, someone who left the house in the morning for his commute and came home in time for dinner. That wasn’t me at all. At the time I was doing personal security for a big movie star and would be gone for long stretches. She didn’t like being alone and she sure didn’t like me being around all the pretty girls that hung around my employer. We broke up soon after. She ended up marrying a doctor. I’m told they’re very happy.”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. “I was hurt at the time but looking back I can see she had a valid reason. It’s hard to have a relationship when only one of you are there. I was focused on my work and finding Gigi and Aubrey. I didn’t make her a priority. She wanted a more settled life with a man who could make her feel secure and special. She’d had a rough childhood like I did and she wanted the fairytale. I’m glad that she’s happy.”
Leann could understand the other woman’s doubts but it was hard to imagine anyone leaving Zach for that reason only.
“What about you? Have you ever been engaged or close to it?”
“No, I haven’t.” Leann shook her head, a little sad at the thought. “I did have a long-term relationship that lasted four years but surprisingly we never discussed marriage. He was proud of the fact he was a live-in-the-moment kind of guy. At the time I was fine with that. I was young and not looking to get tied down so it wasn’t a problem. Later as I became more involved with my career it was harder to nurture a relationship. I dated but the longest relationship was about six months. Wow, that makes me sound like a giant loser. It’s just that as I grew older it was easier to see when it wasn’t going to work out with a man. There was no reason to keep dragging things out when it was only going to end. Probably badly too.”
Maybe this honesty stuff wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
“It think it’s the same for me. I can tell by the first date if there’s going to be any spark.” Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips, sending a bolt of lightning to her curled toes. “So I’ll ask you the same question. What’s wrong with you? What would you hope that I never find out about you?”
Wrinkling her nose, she took a sip of her wine for courage. “I snore. I’m impatient. When I want something I want it now. I like the house to be clean but I hate actually cleaning it. I’m addicted to chocolate and caffeine, and I can be moody. Oh, and I have a temper. According to my brothers, it’s a nasty one.”
“All of that doesn’t sound too bad. I think we can all be moody at times and I love chocolate too. I don’t like to clean either. As for a temper, I think I’m rather easygoing but I can get angry. Your brothers might be exaggerating.”
Sadly, they didn’t.
“No one has ever described me as easygoing.”
Zach wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. Snuggling into his chest, she could smell his scent mixed with the aroma of cut grass. “There’s nothing wrong with being intense as long as you know when to relax.”
She could feel the steady beat of his heart under her palm lulling her into a serene state. “I’m relaxed now.”
“Then just lie back and enjoy the peacefulness of the night. Can you hear the crickets? They’re playing us a song.”
“I didn’t realize you were a romantic.”
One more thing that made him wonderful.
“It’s hard not to be when I sit out here and look up at the stars with a beautiful woman in my arms.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“I’m counting on that.”
It felt like forever until his lips touched hers, but her reaction was instantaneous. Leann couldn’t seem to get close enough, straining to press her body to his. Despite the coolness of the evening, the blood swept through her veins bringing with it a sizzling heat that burned her flesh. Her palms rested against his chest before winding around his neck, her fingers carding through his short, dark hair.
The beating of her own heart pounded in her ears, perfectly in sync with his. At some point he’d moved her onto his lap and his hands stroked her back, her neck, her hips, anywhere he could reach while his lips traveled from her mouth down to the spot where her pulse beat at the base of her neck. Melting into each other, Leann had to hold onto his shoulders while they kissed. The earth had sped up on its axis, seeming to steal the breath from her lungs.
When he finally pulled away, both their breathing was ragged and labored. Torn between throwing herself at him and being cautious, her mind argued back and forth regarding the virtues of both of those plans. She didn’t want to rush into being intimate with Zach but already she felt more for him than she had any man in a long, long time. He seemed to understand her dilemma as they gazed into each other’s eyes, their emotions stripped bare for the other to see. She wanted him, and it was clear he wanted her too.
It would be so easy to take his hand and lead him into the bedroom, make love with him. She wasn’t hesitating because she didn’t feel anything for him; she was hesitating because she felt so much. If she was intimate with him it was going to mean something, there was no doubt about that. She hadn’t expected this when she’d come home to Tremont. She hadn’t expected to maybe…fall in love. It was scary, far scarier than someone who wanted her dead.
Apparently he’d taken her silence for a negative answer, pulling farther away but his arms were still around her, strong and warm.
She wasn’t saying no.
They were adults. The attraction between them was off the charts hot. But mostly she knew that Zach was a good and kind man. The fact that he was sexy as hell didn’t hurt but surprisingly, it wasn’t the main attraction. He made her feel beautiful, special, and cared for, something she hadn’t experienced with a man in far too long.
Trailing her fingertips across his strong jaw, she ran them down his neck and across his broad shoulders. Her lips captured his again, their tongues playing a game of tag as his strong hands glided down her spine to her hips.
“Baby…” he breathed softly against her shoulder. “We don’t have to–”
“We do,” she laughed, her fingers caressing his lips. “I can’t think of one good reason not to.”