Skeleton's Key (Delta Crossroads Trilogy, Book 2) (33 page)

“Let’s wait and see what the toxicology reports come back with,” Cage said. “Sometimes what initially looks like natural causes can be caused by drugs. Killer could have administered something.”

Still, if one of the men
had
died of natural causes, the case was even more complicated than he’d thought. Why had he been buried?

“So what now?” Dani rested her head against the back of her seat and then turned to face him. Her smoky, blue-gray eyes mirrored the building storm clouds. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and her cheekbones glowed with a spattering of pink.

Leaning across the console, he slipped his hand around the back of her neck. Her skin burned against his palm. She didn’t resist when he brought her face to his, her mouth moving eagerly against his own. Her hands snaked over his chest and then his shoulders before burying themselves in his hair, tugging just enough to make his body ache with need for her.

Unable to resist, he traced the smooth skin of her arms, trailing his fingers down her body until he reached her legs. Hand on her lower thigh, he cursed the console that dug into his stomach and prevented him from pulling her onto his lap.

Dani broke away for air, resting her forehead against his. “I want to go inside.”

A new kind of heat filled him. Embarrassed, he started to move away. “Sure. I should probably–”

She grabbed his shirt. “No. I want go inside…with you.”

The coil of need burst, turning every nerve in his body into fire. He tried to speak, but lightheadedness rendered him mute. He glanced at the house.

As if reading his mind, Dani’s lips touched his ear. “Jaymee is at work.”

That did it.

He half-staggered out of the car, adjusting his pants, grateful they were baggy. Blood pounding at his temples, he followed Dani up the expansive stairs of Magnolia House, eyes on the curve of her neck and his hands resting on her hips

The obnoxious squeal of tires shattered the blaze. An Adams County Sheriff’s cruiser slammed into the driveway, coming to a halt less than an inch from Cage’s vehicle. Landers was behind the wheel, and his hard smirk drained every ounce of desire from Cage.

“Dani. This isn’t good.”

Landers stepped out of the car, grinning so widely his face looked in danger of splitting open. His shirt once again looked a size too small. Twisted smile never leaving his face, he strode to the steps.

“Cage. I’ll be needing you to come with me.”

Dani clutched his arm, her fingernails digging into his skin. “Why?”

“New evidence. Need to discuss it with Cage.”

“You can do it right here.”

The investigator’s cold eyes honed in on Cage. “Afraid we can’t. You can come willingly, or I can cuff you. Your choice.”

He knew his rights. Going with Landers didn’t mean he needed to say a word until the public defender showed up. But silence would make him look guiltier. Then again, Landers already had him convicted.

“I’ll go with you.” Cage handed Dani his keys. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

She held firm to his arm. “You can’t go with him. They’re going to railroad you.”

“I don’t have a choice.” He turned his back to Landers. “You need to find that room. Make Lee talk.”

“Foster, we need to go.”

“I’m coming.” He kissed Dani hard, gathering as much courage as he could muster. “And tell Jaymee to call Nick. He’s looking into Ben. We need that information.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes. “This isn’t fair.” She sidestepped him and pointed at Landers. “You’ve been focused on Cage as a suspect the entire time. You haven’t bothered to look any further. Someone snuck around Ironwood looking for treasure and got killed for it. Someone who’s got the missing keys. Not Cage. If you bothered to do your job–”

“I’d stop right there.” Landers ground the words out. “You’re not a cop, and looks to me like you’re a little biased.”

“It’s called common sense.”

“Yeah? Well new evidence trumps your deluded version of common sense.”

Cold fear rippled down Cage’s spine. He kissed the top of Dani’s head. “Remember what I said. I’ll call you when I need a ride.”

“If he’s not locked in a cell.”

He didn’t respond to Landers. Defeat circled, leaving him hollow. He gave her one final glance before getting into the back of the patrol car.

Landers slammed the door and then got behind the wheel with a grunt. “It’s time to end this mess, Foster.”

Again, he said nothing, keeping his attention on the woman standing on Magnolia House’s front porch, arms wrapped around herself and shivering despite the heat. The sky had turned a darker gray, and lightening flashed through the gathering clouds.

He watched Dani until the cruiser drove out of sight. Only then did he turn back to the man driving the car.

“So let’s hear about this evidence.”

R
ising panic sent
Dani to the diner. By the time she parked the car and rushed the two blocks to the entrance, her wild thoughts had jammed her heart into her throat. She burst into the diner, scanning the room for Jaymee. An elderly couple stared as Dani rushed to the counter where Jaymee was refilling the jars of creamer.

“What’s wrong?” Jaymee sat the glass jar down and grabbed Dani’s fidgeting hands.

Dani wiped the moisture off her upper lip. “It’s Cage. I think they’re going to try to arrest him.”

Jaymee glanced at the plump, older woman working at the end of the counter. “Sallie, you mind if I take a quick break?”

“Go ahead.”

Dani followed Jaymee through a set of swinging doors to reveal a small but efficient kitchen. A man Sallie’s age stood behind the grill and gave them a friendly wave.

“Am I supposed to be back here?”

“Small town perks.” Jaymee walked past a large freezer to a cluttered office. “Come in and tell me what the hell’s going on.”

She shut the door behind Dani, who fell into the nearest chair. Her legs were suddenly weak, head spinning and chest heavy. Her breath came in short huffs.

“I think I need a glass of water.”

“Did you run down here from the house?” Jaymee grabbed a paper cup and filled it with water from the cooler in the corner. “You’re sweating and red as the burning end of a cigarette.”

“Just the last couple of blocks. Couldn’t find a parking spot.” Dani greedily gulped the water, willing her pulse to slow down.

“Not smart in this heat. Why do you think they’re going to arrest Cage?”

“Landers showed up looking cockier than the Cheshire Cat.” Dani told Jaymee everything, including what she and Cage had found out from Jeb and Landers’s arrival.

“Did he say what the evidence was?”

“No.”

Jaymee paced the small room, her shoes clacking against the tile floor. “Well, we both know Cage didn’t do this, so it can’t be anything that will stick.” She spoke as though she were trying to convince herself.

“But what if it’s enough for probable cause?” Dani breathed deeply, the air burning her throat. “Until the medical examiner gives us an more accurate time of death, with Cage living there and the stupid fight with Robertson, the circumstantial stuff might be enough if Landers pushes it. And then they
will
arrest him.”

Jaymee closed her eyes and tugged at her ponytail. “And the other man died of natural causes?”

“Cage thinks the toxicology report will show otherwise.”

“This whole thing stinks worse than the bodies.” Jaymee pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and punched in a number. “We need a fresh perspective. I’m calling Nick.”

She put the phone on speaker, and the rings filled the office. “Hey baby.” A male voice filled the room. “Aren’t you at work?”

“Cage is in trouble, Nick,” Jaymee said. “I’m here with Dani. Damned Landers says there is new evidence and hauled Cage in.”

“Has he been arrested?” Nick spoke with less of an accent than anyone else around Roselea. His voice was silky smooth, but his baritone was tinged with urgency.

“No,” Dani said. “But Landers will do it if he can, and I have no idea what the evidence is.”

“Do you think they would have enough for probable cause given everything else?” Jaymee said.

“Depends,” Nick answered. “If Adams County P.D. plays by the rules, then everything else is circumstantial. Unless your DA is an idiot–which he’s not–they aren’t going to formerly charge until they’ve got physical evidence that’ll hold up in court, especially since the accused is a cop. But they may get a warrant.”

“What kind of physical evidence?” Dani asked. Cage had been in the cellar. What if the police had some of his DNA? What if the evidence had been contaminated, or worse, planted?

She knotted her hands together and tried to keep a grip on her imagination. This was real life, not some embellished television show.

“Cage’s DNA on the victims,” Nick said, “the victims’ prints in Cage’s house, his skin under the victims’ fingernails. Fingerprints.”

“Martin Robertson broke into Ironwood to scavenge it,” Dani said. “He could have done the same to the carriage house. If Martin’s fingerprints are there–”

“Then Cage is going to need a lawyer.”

“I should call Oren, have him contact someone.” Jaymee’s face was tense but calm. She chewed on her lower lip, nodding in thought.

“Let Cage do that,” Nick said. “He knows how to handle the situation. You jumping the gun and bringing in a lawyer isn’t going to help him look innocent.”

“So we just have to wait?” Dani crushed the paper cup between her shaking hands.

“I’m sorry, but for now, yes. You’ve got to have some faith in Cage. He usually leads this dance. He knows how it works.”

Jaymee looked as disgusted as Dani felt. “Please tell me you have some information on Ben Moore at least.”

“Actually, I do. Was planning to call you shortly. I’ve got a buddy who works in real estate,” Nick said. “Keeps his eye out for all the deals going down above and below the table. He did some digging, talked to one of the girls who works in Ben’s brokerage. Grace called the morning after you and Cage found the bodies. Girl remembered because she took the phone call, and Grace couldn’t stop chattering about the awful news. Ben spent an hour in his office on the phone with Norton Investments. Then he said he was taking the week off to conduct some business in Roselea.”

Dani wasn’t surprised, but the confirmation of the news felt like a swift kick in the kidneys. She gritted her teeth. “So he talked to Norton about buying Ironwood from me.”

“That’s what I wanted to know,” Nick said. “So I visited Ben’s office, chatted up the girl. She’s young, new to the real estate game. Likes to gossip. Finally got her to admit that before he left for Roselea, Ben bragged he’d just made a deal with Norton that would make him millions.”

“How is that possible?” Jaymee asked. “Ironwood isn’t going to bring that much, and he’s only getting a broker’s fee, right?”

“Norton investments wants to combine the Ironwood and Semple lands together and create a Southern theme retreat for tourists. A hotel that looks like a big plantation, but with all the amenities of a Hilton. Rumor has it they planned for a recreational center, too. Something to target locals. A new place to bring their kids.”

“And a great place to appeal to the tourists’ need for creature comforts,” Jaymee said.

“Plenty of people like to come to the Old South for just that–the
old
South,” Dani argued. “Staying in a plantation that’s a bed and breakfast and being able to tour the old home appeals to them.”

“Yeah, but those places only have so many beds,” said Nick. “And kids don’t love it. Their parents do. So if you’ve got a couple of whining kids, are you going to stay in the restored plantation that has to charge a pretty penny to keep up, or go down the road to the historic land with the new resort that charges reasonable rates?”

The bratty kids from the diner flashed into Dani’s mind. “All right. But how would Ben Moore make millions?”

“Because in exchange for commission, he’s getting a percentage of ownership of Ironwood and a cut of the profits of the new hotel and resort.”

T
his time, he
wasn’t in Gina’s office. Instead he sat in the station’s singular interview room. Windowless and painted a dingy brown, the room resembled the inside of a shoebox. An aged table and two chairs were the only furniture in the room, and they were purposefully uncomfortable. Cage sat in the hard chair, hands folded on the table, and smiled at Landers. “Where’s your boss?”

“Gina’s busy. I’m handling this myself.”

Which meant Gina may not even know of the new evidence, let alone that Landers had hauled Cage in like he was ready to make an arrest.

“All right. Let’s get to it, then.”

“You in a hurry?” Landers’s square face beamed. “Did look like I interrupted something. Sorry for any discomfort.” He smirked.

Cage matched his arrogance. “Not at all. I’m happy to help.”

Landers inhaled sharply. He rested one hand on the table, reclining in the chair so that the buttons on his shirt prepared for launch. Cage idly wondered if those suckers could take his eye out if they came shooting across the table.

“So, after we finished searching the carriage house, we moved to the rest of the grounds.”

“How’s that going? And I hope you were careful. What’s left of the icehouse and dairy are pretty unstable.”

“What about the well?”

“The one out front? Covered.” Cage worked hard to keep his tone even. Now wasn’t the time to have a pissing contest with the investigator. “Matter of fact, I think it’s about dried up.”

“It’s still got some water.”

“You opened it?”

“We did. Took two men. Of course, one was me, forty pounds overweight with a bad back, and the other was the size of an overgrown kid, so we were a bit handicapped.” Landers made a show of sizing Cage up. “But you…what are you? Six feet four? 190? Clearly, you’re a strong guy.”

“Thanks for noticing.”

Landers huffed a laugh. “I figure you could have opened the well on your own. Just a cement slab with a crude handle.”