Foundation for Three (23 page)

Chapter Eighteen

A
fter an unsettling breakfast, Zoey hugged Amber goodbye. “I guess I’ll see you at Gloria’s service,” Zoey said.

“I’ll be there.”

Cade wrapped an arm around his fiancée’s waist. “All three of us will be there.”

Amber looked up at him with a mixture of indecision and love. “You don’t need to come. I’ll be fine.”

Zoey thought about Cade’s reasoning, and a shiver snaked up her spine. “Do you think the killer will be there?”

He glanced down at Amber then to Zoey. “Not to bring up bad memories, but the man who killed Amber’s brother gave the fucking eulogy, so yeah, it’s possible.”

Acid bubbled in Zoey’s stomach. Chris’s death, along with several others, had rocked the entire hospital, as well as the town. Zoey would always mourn those who’d died.

Cade never came out and said a person with medical knowledge had killed Gloria Sanchez, but given how her throat had been slit across a main artery, it seemed likely. Zoey might have even passed this murderer in the halls. A chill slid up her spine. She couldn’t help but wonder if Dr. Avery Carson had made love to Gloria then killed her. At the horrendous thought, pressure built in Zoey’s chest.

Too bad HR would never grant her access to hospital personnel files. If they would, she’d spend every waking moment trying to see who was sick enough to want Gloria dead.

Thad moved closer and placed a hand on Zoey’s back. “Pete and I will be escorting Zoey, too.”

She loved that they wanted to protect her, but as much as she appreciated their support, they didn’t need to disrupt their day to go to a wake. “You don’t have to bother. Even if the killer is there, he has no reason to target me. I’ve already outed Avery Carson. Besides, Cade and Stone will be there to make sure nothing bad happens.”

Thad looked at Cade. “I trust when you excused yourself a little while ago, you called the precinct and asked for Carson to be brought in for questioning, right?”

“You got it. Given the sensitivity of the case, Hartwick said he wanted to conduct the interview. And just so you know, before we came to breakfast, I spoke with Gloria’s husband, who claimed he was home all night.”

From what Amber had told Zoey, Cade wouldn’t make any assumptions until he had proof, but Zoey hoped he found nothing to incriminate Dr. Sanchez. He was such a nice man. She’d never forget how after her episode with Garrett McDonald, Dr. Sanchez had checked up on her when he didn’t have to.

Zoey ran a palm down Thad’s chest, absorbing his strength. “Are you coming to the wake because you think Dr. Carson will be so upset at having been brought down to the station that he’ll verbally abuse me?” She refused to think Carson would harm her.

“I don’t know the man, so I can’t say what he’s capable of. What I do know is that we can’t be too careful.” Thad leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You know the old saying. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

She loved his protective nature. Truthfully, she’d feel more relaxed having them close by. “Then thank you.”

Amber nudged Cade. “It’s a shame your boss is interviewing Dr. Carson instead of you. You’d have gotten the truth out of him.” Zoey actually chuckled at Amber’s attitude.

Cade looked down at her with a lot of love. “Like I did to you?”

Amber smiled. “I had nothing to hide if you remember.”

“He might not either.”

After Zoey hugged her friend goodbye again, all six of them left the Valley Café. Once Zoey’s friends left, she was in too big of a funk to sit at home and think about how one minute Gloria Sanchez was making wild, passionate love, and the next she was dead. “You know what saddens me, besides a vital woman being murdered?”

“What?” the men asked in unison. She almost smiled at how both seemed to want to know what she thought. In her line of work, that didn’t happen often.

“To know I work in a place where something like this could happen.”

Pete stepped up next to her and twisted a long strand of her hair in his finger. “Bad things sometimes happen for no reason.”

Zoey had made the same comment after the Garrett McDonald incident. “I appreciate you trying to sugarcoat the terrible event, but I’m betting there was a reason for this woman’s death. If she was found in a room that wasn’t being used, the killer must have thought the body wouldn’t be found for a while.”

“I can ask Cade, but the killer should have suspected the cleaning staff would be through there.”

“I bet you’re right. My mind is fried.” The men escorted her toward the parking lot located behind the Valley Café. “Here’s something else I’d like to know. Was Gloria’s death premeditated or one of passion?”

Pete tugged her close. “Ah, yes. The sixty-four thousand dollar question.”

Thad guided her around a car oddly parked in the lot. “I’m surprised Cade didn’t ask if you had any idea who might have killed Mrs. Sanchez.”

“I didn’t know her very well. Other than the obvious suspects of the lover and the husband, I have no idea. Amber might have a better idea as she hears more than I do. I’m betting she told Cade her suspicions.”

Pete shielded his eyes against the bright sun. “Dwelling on Gloria’s death isn’t going to do any of us any good. What do you say we shelve the topic for a while? Anyone up for an outing?”

Thank you, Pete, for trying to cheer me up.
“That sounds great,” Zoey said. “What do you have in mind?” She glanced between the men.

Pete nodded to Thad. “Got any limitations?”

He hadn’t worn his sling this morning so he must be feeling better. “Other than rock climbing or driving a motorcycle, I’m good with whatever you two want. I have an appointment tomorrow with the doctor, and I’m expecting him to clear me for duty. If I pass my psych eval, which should be easy, I’ll be back on the streets by tomorrow afternoon.”

She was thrilled for him. “Watch out, gang members.”

They both laughed. “Whatever we decide,” Pete said, “do you mind if we first stop by the women’s home I’m building? I want to check that the drainage pipe was installed properly this time.”

“It’s Sunday,” she said. “Are your guys even working today?” Not that she minded, but everyone needed some down time—even Pete.

“No, but the days of the week aren’t all that important to me when I have a project. This is for my mom, and I want to make sure everything is perfect.”

She rubbed his arm. “You’re a good son.” If Zoey had to guess, the project was actually more to impress his dad than to help his mother. Zoey had learned long ago that some people would never change, and she got the feeling that Russell Banks was one of them.

“I try to be.”

“Do you normally work seven days a week?” A “no” came from Pete and a “yes” from Thad. She raised her brows. “You do know the old saying about all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?”

Pete’s face brightened. “I’ll show you dull.”

He tickled her and she let out a shriek then stepped back. Her breath whooshed out, but she wasn’t fooled by his behavior. His sudden change was his way of avoiding something painful—like the reason for being a workaholic.

“You want me to follow you?” she asked. They had driven separately. It might give her time to mull over his need to check on the building.

Thad grabbed her hand. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

He brought back some sanity to the whole dynamics. “Who says I want to get away?” Having someone to watch out for her was a nice change.

“Come on.” He led her to Pete’s truck. “We can pick up your car later.”

Charity work was up there with running into a burning building and saving a child, so Zoey wanted to support Pete. “When you finish this shelter project, will you get to meet the women who will move in?” Their happy faces would be wonderful to see. It also would help Pete realize what a good guy he was.

“Probably not. There can’t be any fanfare since we don’t want their abusers to know where they’ll be living.”

“That makes sense.” Without a lot of thanks, his contribution was even more impressive.

The new digs were about fifteen minutes northwest of town. When they arrived, the area looked like an ordinary construction site. The only sign belonged to Banks Construction. Nothing else indicated its future use. The unfinished building was two stories tall, but no style was evident yet since the outside was wrapped in Tyvek. A large dumpster filled with scraps of building material sat on the east side, next to a white van. Near the front entrance was a stack of planks. No landscaping had been done yet, but she bet the half-acre would look like a park when Pete was done.

“Alex is here.” From the surprise in Pete’s voice, he hadn’t expected him.

Cool. Zoey was excited to meet his friend and learn more about Pete, especially from someone who’d known him since he was eight. “I didn’t realize you demanded such dedication from all of your employees.”

He glanced over at her, but from his serious demeanor, she’d touched on a sensitive topic. Damn. She’d been trying for a more casual tone.

“If he’s here, it might mean there’s trouble. Let’s hope he’s just double checking something for me.” Pete slammed the truck into park and swung out.

She and Thad followed, but as soon as she stepped onto the thick dirt, she sank down a few inches.

Thad immediately cupped her elbow. “Watch your step.” His care meant the world to her.

The inside was framed out, but no one had installed wallboard yet. A man at the end of the building stood and waved. Alex.

“Hey.” With a smoothness to his step, he hustled toward them.

His dirty blond hair was a bit shaggy, but except for the difference in hairstyle, he kind of looked like Pete—broad shouldered and fit.

The man stepped over to her and stuck out his hand. “I’m Alex Hendrix. In case my former partner here failed to mention me, my role in life is to keep Banks Construction’s finances in order and to keep Pete from working himself to death.”

“Good for you.” She liked Alex. He seemed to care very much for Pete. “Zoey Donovan.” She’d love to get some one-on-one time with him.

Pete dragged a hand over his head. “There trouble?”

“Not anymore. Sanders was out here yesterday. Before I call the inspector to sign off on the installation, I wanted to check that he’s finished the job.”

That might have been what the phone call from Alex to Pete had been about when he was at her house the first time.

Pete’s shoulders sagged as he hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets, looking like a huge weight had been lifted. “Appreciate it. That’s why I stopped by, but I also wanted to show Thad and Zoey the progress.”

Alex shifted his gaze from Pete to her. “Try to keep him away from this project. He can’t be everything to everybody.” He looked back at Pete. “Ian was sick for the last two days, which was why things fell by the wayside. He’ll be back tomorrow, so you can concentrate on the two projects that bring in money.”

She liked Alex. He seemed to have a good work ethic and wanted the company to be a success like Pete did.

Pete saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Alex slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Gotta go. See you tomorrow.” He turned to Zoey. “Nice meeting you, and make sure he has some fun.”

“You, too, and will do.”

As soon as Alex left, Pete faced her. “Want to take a tour?”

Of what? It looked like a big empty warehouse with two-by-fours everywhere. Pete claimed his dad never took any interest in what he did, so the last thing she needed was for him to think she didn’t care, especially when she did. “Sure.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Pete would step into a space that looked like the previous one, and paint a picture for her of where the kitchen, bedrooms, living room, and hallways would be. She closed her eyes and imagined a finished apartment. It would be a dream come true for a woman, especially one who had nothing.

Pete Banks might have some anger issues regarding his father, but he’d channeled it for a good cause by pouring his heart and soul into building things. She admired his passion and direction, but sometimes a single focus in life could undo even the best of intentions.

Zoey crossed her arms. “Didn’t you two promise me some fun?” Her goal was to sound enthusiastic. She didn’t want them to think she was complaining.