Arresting Developments (14 page)

He gritted his teeth. “How am I supposed to focus when I’m worrying about you out there with me?”

Her face softened and she pressed her hand against the side of his face. “The same way that I will. I care about you, Dex. And I don’t want you hurt any more than I think you want me hurt. But I, too, am not going to sit around while your friends need help.”

He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Damn it, Amber. I don’t like you being in danger.”

“Neither do I. I’ll be careful. We’ll both be careful. And we’ll get through this together.”

He nodded. “All right.” He quickly told the others what they were going to do. “Don’t let anyone else in this library, no matter what.”

“What if Derek comes back?” Amy’s concern for him was obvious in the worry lines on her young forehead.

“I suppose you’ll have to use your own judgment,” Dex said. “But I’d feel a lot better if you kept that door closed until either Amber or I return. We’ll search the house in a grid pattern and check in once an hour, which means that our first check-in will be—” he looked at his watch “—three o’clock.”

Buddy rose from the couch where he’d been sitting with Freddie. “What are we supposed to do if you aren’t back by three?”

Dex took Amber’s hand in his and exchanged a long look with her before answering. “Pray.”

Chapter Fifteen

Amber held up her thumb, silently letting Dex know that the bathroom connected to the bedroom he was searching was clear. He nodded and headed into the walk-in closet while she waited against the wall by the door, her hand poised on the top of her knife sheathed at her waist. This was the last bedroom to search in the east wing, and they were bumping up against the one-hour mark so they’d have to hurry back to the library for their check-in if they weren’t going to worry the others.

She wished they hadn’t agreed to the one-hour check-in since it would disrupt their search. But she tried to imagine herself sitting in the locked library, waiting, and realized she’d probably go nuts if hours passed without any word if someone else was out searching. Dex knew what he was doing when he’d told them he’d come back. It was as much for the others’ peace of mind as it was for her and Dex’s safety. Because she had no doubt that if she and Dex didn’t check in, Aunt Freddie would be pushing Buddy to go search the house for them.

Dex emerged from the closet, shaking his head. He met her beside the door and pointed to his watch. She nodded, and they looked out into the hall, then hurried back toward the library, watching every table, every alcove, every door as they passed. She and Dex had made a point of closing and locking each door after they searched a room. So if any of them were open, they’d know that’s where someone else had gone.

Their quick trek down the hall was uneventful. Aunt Freddie must have been waiting at the door, because as soon as Amber announced that it was her and Dex, the door swung open.

While Dex spoke to Freddie and Buddy, Amber hurried to Amy, who was staring out the front window at the water below. Amber was just about to speak when she saw Amy’s reflection in the glass and hesitated. Instead of the pale, scared-looking young girl that Amber was used to seeing when she looked at Amy, the reflection against the dark windowpane seemed much older, harsh, angry. Her brows were drawn down and her lips were compressed into a tight line.

Amy raised her hand and pressed it against the glass.

Amber’s eyes widened and she leaned forward to see what Amy might be looking at.

Amy suddenly turned around, her eyes wide, her face looking frightened like usual as she pressed a hand against her chest. “Amber, my gosh, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” She forced a tight smile. Had she only imagined the angry expression on Amy’s face reflected in the window? Was it just a trick of the light?

Amy’s brows drew down in confusion. “Amber? Is something wrong?” She raised her hand to her throat. “My God. Please tell me you didn’t find Derek, and that he’s...he’s...” She bit her lip and made a small sound in her throat as if she was trying not to cry.

Guilt rose inside Amber and she pulled the other woman into a hug. “I’m so, so sorry. I’m tired and on edge. I should have been more careful and shouldn’t have worried you. No, we haven’t found Derek.” She pulled back and took Amy’s hands in hers. “We have to believe that he’s okay.”
If he isn’t the killer
.

“Everything all right over here?” Dex asked from behind her.

Amy’s shy gaze darted away. “I’m fine. I overreacted, thought maybe something had happened to Derek.”

Dex smiled. “You really like him, don’t you?”

Her face flushed. “He’s okay.”

“We’re doing everything we can to find him. Don’t worry.”

She bit her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Amber? Ready to search the east wing?”

“The east wing?”

“Yes. The one we haven’t searched yet. Ready?”

Something in his gaze told her to go along with what he was saying, even though she knew they’d already searched that wing. “Yes, yes, of course. Let’s go.”

Dex led her to the door, then stopped and spoke in low tones to Buddy, before pulling Amber out into the hall.

When they were in one of the bedrooms in the west wing a few minutes later, Dex closed the door.

Amber swung around to face him. “Okay, spill. What did you say to Buddy? And why did you lie about where we were going?”

“I told Buddy the truth about us searching the west wing next. But I didn’t want Amy to know. I warned Buddy to keep an eye on her, that I didn’t trust her. And that if he got a chance to get her gun away from her without openly confronting her, he should take it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because if Amy is our enemy, instead of an ally, and she sneaks out of the library to come after us, I don’t want her to know where to search. There was something...creepy...about the way she looked at you when you talked to her. For a moment, it almost looked like she...hated you. I hurried over as soon as she turned around.”

Amber’s eyes widened. “I thought the same thing. Only I noticed her reflection in the window, that she seemed...different, harder, angry. But that doesn’t make sense. And why would she hate me? I only just met her.”

“I don’t know, but since we both got the same vibes, I say we be careful not to turn our backs on her.”

“Good grief, is everyone after us now? Do we have to be afraid of all of them?”

“I’d rather be alert and stay alive than take any chances. Come on. Let’s get through this wing as fast as we can. I have a feeling we won’t be any more successful than we were on the other side.”

Sure enough, their search yielded nothing new. No clues. No more passageway doors that they could find or trap doors in the floors. And no sign of Garreth, Mitchell or Derek.

“After the next check-in,” Amber said, “I think we should search the only two rooms we haven’t been in yet. They’re both locked, but the killer may have been able to get inside through the passageways and panels.”

“You’re talking about your grandfather’s bedroom, which has been sealed for years, and my old bedroom—where Mallory was...killed.”

She nodded. “I don’t like the idea of going in either room. And I know we wanted to keep the crime scene pristine for the police. But we’re running out of places to search.”

He glanced down the dimly lit hallway toward the closed and locked door where Mallory’s body had been found, not looking any more excited about the prospect of going inside than she was.

“How much time do we have?” Amber asked. “We searched faster this time, now that we’re in a routine.”

He checked his watch. “You’re right. We have fifteen more minutes.”

“Do you still have the keys?”

He patted his pants pocket. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

She followed him to his old bedroom door and they both pressed their ears against the wood, listening for any sounds from within.

Dex very carefully and quietly put the key into the lock and slowly turned it. As soon as the lock clicked, he shoved the door open and ran inside, sweeping his gun out in front of him.

Amber ran in after him, holding her knife out. When she saw what was on the bed, she pressed her hand to her throat. “Oh, no.”

Dex was already shoving his gun into his waistband and hurrying to the bed. He bent over Garreth and pressed his fingers against the side of his neck, checking for a pulse.

Amber stopped beside him. “Is he...” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. There was blood all over his shirt and his face was incredibly pale.

“No, he’s not dead,” Dex said. “But his pulse is very weak.” He leaned closer. “Garreth, can you hear me? It’s Dex.”

Garreth moaned, his eyelids fluttering then opening. “Dex?” His voice came out a bare whisper of sound.

“Where are you hurt?” Dex asked, as he opened Garreth’s suit jacket. “Oh, no.”

“He’s been stabbed,” Amber said. “Twice, that I can see. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.” She ran into the adjoining bathroom and came back with some towels. Dex was pressing his hands against both wounds. Garreth writhed beneath him, alternately cursing and begging him to stop hurting him.

“I’m sorry,” Dex gritted out. “I have to keep the pressure, Garreth.”

“I don’t think he can hear you.” Amber felt his forehead. “He’s hot, but I don’t know if it’s from the blood loss or if he’s already got an infection.”

“You can help him, though. You helped me.”

She gently pushed his hands away and laid the towels on top of Garreth’s abdomen, then stepped back for Dex to press down again. Garreth wasn’t struggling anymore. He’d passed out from the pain.

“Amber?” Dex’s tortured voice called to her. “Please. You have to help him. I don’t know what to do, but you do.”

She bit her bottom lip. “You don’t understand. I don’t...do that anymore.”

“Amber, you’re not responsible for your grandfather’s death, if that’s what this is about. I know you tried to save him with your tonic, but you couldn’t save him. It was the cancer that took his life. You did everything you could. It wasn’t your fault.”

She clenched her hands at her sides. “I know. Logically, I know that. But in my heart, I can’t help wonder if there was something else that I could have done.”

He bent down, capturing her gaze. “You can do this. I know you can. What do you need? Tell me. How do we stop the bleeding? How do we bring his fever down? There have to be medicines around here for that, right? A needle? Thread?”

She could do this. She could do this. “Yes, yes, there should be headache powders in my grandfather’s bathroom.” She swallowed hard at the idea of going in there without Dex. Not because she was scared, but because facing the ghosts of her past would be so much easier with him there to support her. “And I’ve got needle and thread in my bedroom.”

“Take the gun with you. And the keys, so you can get into your grandfather’s room.” He put his hand on hers. “Be careful. If the crime scene seal from two years ago is broken, don’t go in. And even if it isn’t, be extremely vigilant.” He frowned. “It could be dangerous. I should go. You should stay here.”

“No. Stay with your friend. I’ve got this.”

She grabbed his gun and ran before he could stop her.

* * *

D
EX
SWORE
,
REGRETTING
that he’d let her go. But he couldn’t do anything about that right now. He’d just have to hope she was okay, as much as it killed him not to chase after her.

He lifted the towel, cursing again when he saw how much blood had saturated it. He tossed it to the floor and grabbed the second towel that Amber had left with him. One of the wounds seemed to be clotting, but the deeper wound wouldn’t quit seeping. And Garreth couldn’t afford to lose much more blood.

He looked up at the door. Amber had locked it on her way out. He hadn’t meant for her to do that, but he understood why she had—to protect him and Garreth if the killer came back. Everything she did seemed to center around others—keeping them safe, nursing them back to health, protecting them in every way possible. She never put herself first, no matter what. It was the main quality, that and her never-ending courage, that astounded him. He was used to working with people who always put themselves first, who put making a dollar above everything else, including relationships and families. And since almost dying in the plane crash, and then realizing that one of the people he’d trusted every day at his company was also trying to kill him, he’d had to reevaluate his own life and how he treated others.

And he didn’t like what he saw.

He’d known Garreth, Derek and Mitchell for years. And yet, faced with the knowledge that one of them was a killer, he had no real gut feeling for which one it might be. How could he work with them, even double-date with them in the case of Derek, go to football games and supposed team-building events, and never really, truly know them? The longer this debacle went on the more he despised himself and the more he realized that Amber was a better person than he could ever be. She deserved so much more than she had, and he vowed if they survived he would do everything he could to make sure that she never wanted for anything ever again.

Garreth groaned, drawing Dex’s attention.

“Dex?” he whispered, sounding groggy. For the first time since they’d gotten there, Garreth’s eyes were clear and focused. “What happened?”

Dex laughed with relief. “Hey, man. You tell me. You’ve got a pair of nasty cuts on your belly.”

Garreth winced. “Hurts like hell. Did I get shot?”

“Stabbed. You don’t remember?”

He shook his head. “Last I remember we were putting that freezer on top of the island in the kitchen.”

Dex frowned. “You must have gotten conked on the head.” He chanced lifting one hand off the towel and felt along the back of his friend’s head. “Yeah, you’ve got a huge goose egg back there, but it’s not bleeding. Not anymore at least.” He put both hands on the towel and kept up the pressure even though his arms were starting to ache.

Garreth looked around. “Where are we?”

“My bedroom. Or what was my bedroom, until Mallory went in there and...” He shook his head. “This was where we found her earlier. Amber and I searched this wing for you and the others and decided to look in here. Glad we did.”

“The others?”

He winced. “Derek and Mitchell are missing. I have to assume one of them killed Mallory. I just don’t know which one.”

Garreth closed his eyes. “You thought I might be the killer, didn’t you?”

“Sadly, yes. I have to admit I don’t really know you or Derek or Mitchell like I thought I did. Hell, I don’t even know if you have a girlfriend.”

A small smile played on Garreth’s lips. “Yeah. Her name is Veronica Walker. One of the many women you’ve dumped on your way to someone else. We’re madly in love and plotting our revenge against you for how you treated her.”

“Don’t make me press harder,” Dex joked. “I’m not proud of my past and am only now beginning to realize what a jerk I’ve been.”

Garreth laughed, then groaned. “Damn, that hurts. And I was kidding. No girlfriend. No time. My boss is a real pain in the ass, and the belly, apparently.”

“Your pain-in-the-ass boss is going to give you a month off with pay if you promise not to die on him.”

“Careful what you promise. I might take you up on that.”

“I’m counting on it.” He looked toward the door. “Where the hell is Amber?”