“I know that, Shirley. Not for one minute did I ever think Lissa would be a permanent fixture in my life. I may do something questionable in a weak moment, but I’ve never been an idiot.”
“No comment. Seen Edgar?”
“Yeah. Pick another topic.”
“Whoops! Too bad. See you in a couple of days.”
“By the way, has Montgomery been back to Fort Lauderdale?” He wasn’t sure about the guy. Who knew why the man decided to court Shirley?
“I’ve no idea. I’ve been on the cruise, so if he came here, he didn’t come to see me.”
Hmmm. He didn’t learn anything from that question, and it looked as if she didn’t plan to volunteer any information about the man. But he’d keep an eye on the guy.
That afternoon, he went to his doctor for a checkup and got a tongue-lashing. “Another week’s rest would have done you some good. Be careful that you don’t have a relapse.”
“I see.” He didn’t like to hear that, but he’d deal with it. Maybe he should have kept Frieda a week longer.
However, having released Frieda, Gunther had made possible a phenomenal change in her life. Mirna sat at the ironing board with the hot iron resting facedown on the board while she talked with Frieda on the phone. “You go way from here. Child, you get outta here. You mean you gon’ take care of her yourself? Honey, you can’t take pay for nursing your own mother, no matter what she done.”
“I’m not taking any pay. Eric needed someone to look after her, and I told him I could do it for a month. After this, I’m gon’ relieve one of the nurses at the hospital when she goes on maternity leave.”
Mirna jumped up, got a wet towel, and put it on the burning ironing board cover. “Now, you just look at that. I was about to burn up the place. Our pastor’s always saying there’s order in the universe. I guess this is an example of it, ’cause I heard Mr. G say Miss Shirley’s moving back for a while. She’ll be here today. Three women in this place would be one too many for me. How’s your mother doing so far?”
“Her temperature’s elevated and her blood pressure is up, but that’s not exceptional, since she just came home. She’ll be all right.”
“I sure hope so. I gotta go. I want to make a lemon cake for supper. Mr. G loves that cake. Be sure and take Thursday afternoon off so we can go to the movies. Bye.”
Less than half an hour after she opened the door and welcomed Shirley, Mirna looked through the peephole of Gunther’s front door and saw Carson Montgomery. She opened the door. “Well, how d’you do? It’s nice to see you again.”
“Thank you,” Carson said. “I want to see Ms. Farrell.” Mirna thought her eyes betrayed her when she looked up and saw Shirley sliding down the banister of the steep stairs. Shirley seemed to take wings as she sped to Carson and into his arms. “Well, I guess that answers the question I was gon’ have,” Mirna said to herself and headed for the kitchen.
“I looked everywhere for you. Didn’t you go to the baggage claim section?” Carson asked Shirley. “Baby, I was afraid you’d missed the plane, so I checked with the airline and learned that you hadn’t. You gave me goose bumps.”
“I only brought a carry-on. Aren’t you going to kiss me? I’ll do what I can to get rid of those goose bumps.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’ll do your best, but not right here. That’ll take more than one kiss.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I know you’re planning to start looking for an apartment or a house, but I’d appreciate it if you’d go with me to your father’s house tomorrow morning. If we don’t go tomorrow—”
“I know. Edgar will be home, and I don’t think we want to run into him. I think he and Gunther just had a set-to of sorts.”
“That’s too bad. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine.”
“What are you going to do with the nineteen hours between now and then?”
His stern expression slowly dissolved into a grin. “If you want to share all nineteen of them with me, I’ll be as happy as a squirrel in a barrel of acorns.”
She pulled his ear. “Oh, you know what I meant.”
“If you’ll have dinner with me, I’ll be here at six in a jacket and tie.”
“Why don’t you dine with us?”
Shirley’s head whipped around. She hadn’t heard Gunther come down the stairs, and she said as much. “You forgot that I don’t wear shoes in the house,” Gunther said. He shook hands with Carson. “I’d be happy to have you join us.”
Shirley studied him carefully, and after a glance at Carson, she said, “Thanks, dear brother. We’ll take a rain check on that. I haven’t seen Carson in ages, and I have so much to tell him.” She looked at Carson. “But it’s up to you.”
Carson eyed Gunther with an expression that said
Help
. “You know I don’t have the guts or the faintest desire to turn her down, don’t you?”
What man could?
“Thanks for the invitation.” He pulled her gently into his arms, pressed his lips to hers, and, as if they were alone, smiled as he looked down at her. “I’m so happy that you’re back here to stay. I’ll be here at six.” He looked at Carson. “See you later, man.”
Shirley closed the door behind Carson and turned to her brother. “Gunther, what do you mean by pulling that trick? Hadn’t I told you minutes earlier that I hadn’t seen Carson in three weeks?”
“You two are pretty close.”
“That’s right. We are. And we will definitely get closer. If you’re planning to supervise my behavior, I can stay at a hotel. Try to remember that I work every day, take care of myself, and vote during local and national elections. I don’t break the law, and though my father is dead, I’m old enough, at age thirty-two, to go out with boys without your permission.”
He held up both hands, palms out. “Look, sis, we don’t know enough about this guy. We’ve had no results from his searches. Hell, he could already have found the will. Why should you be so trusting?”
“Why? I’ll tell you. Because I put on my bikini in his hotel bathroom, and not only did he sit in the suite’s living room while I did it, but he also didn’t attempt to touch me after I came out. Furthermore, he then changed into that nothing-of-a-swimsuit he wears, and if anybody threatened to get out of line, it was me. So back off. The man’s a gentleman.”
“Okay, but you’re my sister, and it’s my duty to look after you.”
“I know, honey. But please don’t smother me. I like Carson. Your suspicions are unfounded.”
She got a book and a handful of peanuts and went out to the park, a small oasis of trees, grass, shrubs, and water fountains in the midst of urban concrete, and sat on a bench beneath a purple ash tree. She stayed on the water so much that the sturdy earth beneath her feet gave her feelings of solidity and security. She opened her book but couldn’t concentrate on the story, because the squirrels soon came to investigate her, running across her feet, standing up, and begging for nuts. She put one nut in her right hand and reached down, and the squirrel took it from her. She stayed with the squirrels until they’d taken all of the peanuts, and with the sun still high, she went inside, showered, took a nap, and then began to dress.
“My, don’t you look good,” Mirna said when Shirley came downstairs. “You work on that, ’cause he a fine man. I’m gon’ leave two slices of my lemon cake in a bag on the kitchen counter, and you be sure to give it to him. Little gestures like that endear you to a man. You hear?”
She hugged Mirna. “Thanks. I think he’s wonderful, but Gunther’s ready to pull the big brother act.”
Mirna stuck her fists to her hips. “Now, I think Mr. G’s the cat’s pajamas, but what he see in a man and what you should be looking for definitely ain’t necessarily the same.”
“That’s part of the problem. I don’t know what Gunther sees in Carson. Maybe he refuses to take a close look. Anyhow, it won’t cause me a drop of sweat. Growing up without a mother and with a father locked up in himself, I’m lucky to have any values at all.”
“I hear you, but don’t lean too far in that direction. Some lousy parents have fine children, and some really good parents have very bad luck with their kids. Lots of things other than parents influence children. Parents have to try and control those influences. Did Mr. G give you a key, or does he want you to ring the bell so he’ll know what time you come in?”
Shirley couldn’t help laughing. “If Gunther knew how well you understand him, he’d be shocked. He likes to think he’s complicated. I’m going up there right now and ask him for a key.”
“Well, all right, if you insist,” he said when she asked him. “This takes some getting used to. It’s like you’re not my little sister anymore.”
She leaned down, braced one hand on the back of his chair, and kissed his forehead. “That’s right. I’m not. I’m your younger, thirty-two-year-old sister, and I love you. There’s the doorbell. Bye.”
“One of these days when you greet me looking like the queen that you are, I’m going to give in to my gut feeling and let out a sharp whistle. You are one gorgeous woman,” Carson said. “For two cents, I’d take you to my lair and keep you there.”
She looked at him from beneath lowered lashes and added a slow wink. “Couldn’t you at least spare a nickel?”
Laughter poured out of him. “Come on, woman. You’re temptation enough without adding suggestive remarks.”
After dinner at an upscale restaurant in Baltimore, he asked if she’d like to dance. “Of course I would. I love dancing with you.”
“A place for good dancing is hard to find in this town. I hope you like Wilson’s. The music is ... well”—with his palm down, he moved his right hand like a rocking boat—“comme ci, comme ça.”
“If I’m dancing with you, I won’t know the difference.”
He stared down at her. “If you mean what I think you mean, I may begin to walk on air.”
“I meant what you think I meant, but for goodness’ sake, stay down here where I can reach you.”
He hugged her, helped her into his car, and headed to the nightclub. They danced until the band stopped and the musicians packed their instruments, and then they left the club with their arms tight around each other.
“Are you still willing to go with me tomorrow morning?” he asked her. “It’s after midnight.”
“I’ll be ready at nine as we planned.” He parked in front of the building in which Gunther lived and walked inside, holding her hand.
He opened Gunther’s apartment door with her key, returned it to her, and didn’t wait for an invitation to go in. He stopped just inside the door and gazed down at her. Wordless. She stared into the dark desire of his mesmerizing eyes, fully aware that she would be a willing victim of the onslaught of passion in which he was about to engulf her.
“I’ve waited weeks for this,” he said, locked her body to his, plunged his tongue into her waiting mouth, and possessed her. “Give it to me. I want your nipple in my mouth. I want to taste your flesh.”
With so much cleavage showing, she slipped her right breast out with ease and held it to him. He pulled the nipple into his mouth and sucked it until she could no longer restrain her moans. After adjusting her clothes, he eased her feet to the floor.
“I don’t apologize for that, sweetheart. After looking at them all evening, I had to taste them.” He cradled her head against his shoulder. “I care a lot for you, Shirley. I’m in pretty deep. If it isn’t this way with you and if you think I can’t be special to you, please tell me now, and I’ll cut my losses.”
“I know you were disappointed once, but I’m not planning to do that, Carson. I care a lot for you, too, and I trust you to be fair and honest with me.”
“And you can always do that. Kiss me ... but just a little bit. I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
She kissed his cheek. “See you at nine.”
“What’s the matter, Carson?” Shirley asked him the next morning as he parked in front of her father’s house. “You’re a blast of north wind compared to the Carson I was with last night.”
He turned off the ignition and looked at her. Why hadn’t he anticipated her response to the Carson Montgomery who was focused on his work and nothing else? “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve had a relationship with a client, and I suppose I’m not handling it well. When my mind is on my business, I think of nothing else. Sometimes I don’t get hungry or sleepy. I have to find that will, and I’m no closer to it than when I started. Can we agree that when we’re dealing with this case, I’m the detective, and when we’re not, I’m the man who cares only for you?”
Her eyes widened, and for a few seconds, she gazed steadily at him. “I’m sure this is why you’re good at what you do, but don’t make a habit of it. Okay, how can I help?”
Inside the house, she followed him up the stairs. “I want you to go into the room that was your bedroom. Take yourself back to the time when you lived here with your father and your brothers, and try to recall what your father did while you were in your room alone or when you played with your brothers. Try to remember what we’ve missed. I’ll be in the basement.”
As he passed Leon Farrell’s den, he stopped. Why would a man have two wood-paneled walls in his personal office/den when walls in the remainder of the room were painted white? He shrugged. The man probably didn’t want to spend any more money on expensive wood paneling. No point in attaching anything to that, considering that the man either hid or destroyed his will. Nothing he did would surprise him. Once in the basement, he began a methodical check of the laundry room and the closet in which the linens were stored. After about an hour, he heard Shirley’s footsteps on the stairs.