A Murder State of Mind Boxed Set Page 35

  “Maybe I just want to see justice done.”

  “Crap!” she snapped. “If that was true, you’d have turned me over as soon as you came out of your big sleep. Or was that a fake too?”

  “Oh, no, I had a good sleep. Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t quite deep enough.”

  “So what do you want?”

  “For starters, tell me how you killed Alex.”

  “Why should that matter to you?”

  “Trust,” Kelly said and grinned. “If I’m going to deal with you, I want enough details—which I’ll write down and put away for safekeeping—to ensure you won’t be sneaking up to my bed with a needle every time I try to catch a bit of shuteye.”

  For a long moment she sat, staring into his eyes and then she shrugged. “It was easy. Alex and I had a thing going. At first I got a kick out of it—driving double so to speak. Then he started to be a pain in the ass. He figured he owned me.”

  “What about the pictures?”

  “They were Alex’s idea. He said we’d split the money but the son of a bitch reneged. When I asked for my cut, he laughed and said he’d tell Lorena that I set the whole thing up. He said she’d believe him too, because he had another set of pictures. Then the bastard showed me a package of snapshots he’d had taken. They were just like the ones he sent Lorena, only these were pictures of Alex and me in Lorena’s bedroom.”

  Kelly whistled. “So you killed him?”

  “Yes. I killed him. So what? He was a slimeball.”

  Jim stepped out of the bathroom, gun in one hand and tape recorder in the other.

  “That’ll be enough, miss,” he said, walking up behind Tanya and placing his hand on her shoulder. “I’m Detective Forbes of the Dallas Police Department and I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of Alex Wyatt. It’s my duty to warn you that anything you say may be used against you in a court of law.”

  While Jim continued the Miranda, Kelly walked over to the bed and picked up the phone. He’d promised to call the motel as soon as it was over.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Okay, listen up everybody.” Stella shouted to make herself heard above the roar of voices. All of Indian Creek had turned out to celebrate Kelly’s homecoming and the Hideaway was packed so tightly the crowd had spilled out onto the patio.

  “I just had a call from Mark,” Stella shouted into the slightly quieter room. “Marcy’s home safe and sound.”

  A loud cheer went up and Cam stepped up beside Stella. “The next round’s on the house!” The cheers increased to a crescendo.

  “That’s great news,” Kelly said when Cam and Stella joined them at their usual table.

  “Yeah, it sure is,” Bubba chimed in. “’Course what did you expect with Kelly on the case?”

  “You’re turning into a one-man fan club.” Kelly laughed and clapped Bubba on the back.

  “It’s the truth, though,” Stella said. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “That big smile on your face will do just fine,” Kelly said. “Not to mention that the check you left on my table is big enough to winter the whole Creek.”

  “You deserve every penny.” Stella leaned over and hugged his neck. “Can you guess what else Mark told me?”

  Kelly studied the twinkle in her eye and grinned. “Have they set the date?”

  “Oh!” Stella blurted. “You’re too damn smart, Kelly McWinter. No, they haven’t set the date but from listening to Mark, I’ve got my money on him having Marcy at that altar long before the baby makes an appearance.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Gillian said. “It must be such a relief to you, knowing she’s going to be okay.”

  Stella nodded. “Mark’s even won over my brother, Bud, which really takes a load off Marcy.”

  “So what about you Stella? Are you going to be leaving us now that Marcy’s out of danger?”

  Stella blushed and turned her head to Cam.

  “As a matter of fact that’s the rest of the news we had to tell. Stella’s agreed to stick around for the winter and come spring, we’re going to tie the knot.”

  “Hot damn!” Bubba pounded the table. “If y’all are gettin’ hitched in the spring, how’s about comin’ to Paradise with Kelly and Gillian and getting’ married there? I’ll toss the biggest shindig they’ve ever seen in Oregon and after the festivities, you two lovebirds can disappear up into the mountains. They’ve got cabins up there so isolated even the bears can’t find ’em.”

  “What do you think?” Cam turned to Stella.

  “I love it. Kelly and Gillian can stand up for us. That is, if you’re willing,” she added, looking at Gillian.

  “I’d be honored.”

  “Good. That’s settled then.”

  Kelly grabbed his mug and held it up. “Here’s to Paradise!”

  “Paradise!”

  They clinked glasses to seal the promise.

  ~The End~

  A Murder State of Mind – Book 3

  Deadly Consequences

  Chapter One

  “Hang on to your hat,” Kelly McWinter warned as he spun the steering wheel and herded his rented Jeep Cherokee into a sharp right turn. Off the highway the road narrowed into two lanes and dropped straight down to the ocean.

  “Breathtaking.” Gillian Tanner, a striking blonde with bright blue eyes and sun kissed skin, pressed her nose against the windshield and laughed with pleasure as they made the heart-stopping descent.

  Texans to the core, Kelly and Gillian were visiting the Oregon fishing resort of Bubba Tate, a longtime friend from their home in Indian Creek, Texas.

  “I think that’s Paradise Lodge.” Kelly pointed towards a cluster of buildings spread along a ledge overlooking the ocean. Minutes later he pulled off the road in front of a log building that gleamed red gold in the afternoon sunlight.

  Kelly had no sooner stopped the Jeep than Bubba, hopping and leaping on his game leg, yanked open the door and grabbed Kelly’s arm pumping it for all he was worth.

  “Hot damn. I’ve about stomped down the deck waitin’ for y’all to git here.”

  “This is some spread.” Kelly extricated himself from the little guy’s clutches and circled the Jeep to open Gillian’s door.

  “Yep, it’s a dandy.” Bubba unlatched the back and grabbed suitcases. “I’ve got you two set up in the most secluded cabin on the place.” He handed a bag to Kelly and grabbed the next one. “I’ll take you down so you can get the trail dust off. But I’ll expect you back at the lodge in a heartbeat. I’ve so much to tell you it'll take days to shut me down.”

  “It’s a deal." Kelly slapped his friend on the back and grabbed another case. "Let’s get this stuff to the cabin. Gilly and I will freshen up and then I'm all ears.”

  At the cabin they'd been working in silence for several minutes, unpacking cases and setting out toiletries, when Gillian turned from the suitcase she'd been unpacking and slanted her eyes in Kelly's direction. “That was some view I had coming up from the lodge."

  "Yeah," Kelly said from where he was bent over the suitcase with a handful of socks in his hand. "Those big cedars are pretty awesome."

  "Actually I was referring to the backside of the long tall Texan I was following up the path. Of course those trees were gorgeous too. Kind of like sentries guarding the ocean. But it's hard to concentrate on the landscape when your eyes are focused on tight butt muscles.”

  Kelly lifted his head and fixed his slate blue eyes on Gillian's baby blues. The socks, forgotten in his hands, tumbled into the suitcase.

  "Sounds like somebody wants to play." He closed the distance between them in two strides and swept Gillian into his arms. "I wonder how long it’ll take Bubba to come banging on that door."

  "Guess we're going to find out," Gillian wrapped her arms around Kelly's neck and murmured into his ear.

  Kelly unbuttoned his shirt, dropped his jeans and stepped out of his jockeys, all the while leading Gillian across the room towards the bed.

 
“Wait,” she said, pulling her t-shirt over her head, wriggling her shorts and panties down her legs and kicking them off her feet.

  “Can’t wait,” Kelly said, wrapping his arms around her waist and falling backwards onto the bed.

  Gillian moaned when he gripped her nipples between his fingers and rubbed. His mouth found hers and she surrendered her tongue. Drawing her in, Kelly plundered, sucking her tongue and licking her lips while his fingers kneaded her nipples.

  "Oh my God." Gillian wrapped her arms around his neck and rolled with him as he flipped her over and came down on top with his legs between hers and his manhood hard and ready. Spreading for him, she rose to meet him, opening herself and inviting him inside.

  They came together, both of them giving and taking, until a thundering climax drove them over the edge and into blissful oblivion.

  “Don’t expect me to move for at least an hour,” Gillian warned.

  “Oh no you don’t. I’d say if we aren’t showered and out of here in the next ten minutes, Bubba’s cane will be banging the hell out of that door.”

  Gillian groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

  * * *

  A half hour later, sporting freshly-showered glows, Kelly and Gillian joined Bubba in the Lodge’s living room.

  “I was about to send out the dogs,” Bubba grumbled, his mile-wide smile letting them know he understood the delay.

  Kelly’s gaze traveled around the trophy-laden room. Leather couches stood in front of a stone fireplace. Across the room, a wall of windows looking straight out to the ocean served as an awesome backdrop for the long leather bar that sparkled with crystal.

  "This is some setup," he said, turning to Bubba and spreading his arms to indicate the room around them.

  “You ain’t seen nothing. Come on over here.” Bubba led them through an archway into an open-beamed lounge where a giant screen TV flashed images of a football game in progress. Tables and chairs cozily circled the gigantic dance floor on one side of the room and four regulation sized pool tables dominated the other side. “It’s a bit roomier than the bait house,” Bubba drawled.

  All three of them shared a chuckle at the memory of the tin and tarpaper shack that had been Bubba’s home-away-from-home at Indian Creek until Anna Davis’ legacy left him rich enough to realize his dreams and buy the fishing resort in Oregon.

  “What time do you expect Stella and Cam?” Gillian asked.

  Stella was the bride half of the reason Kelly and Gillian had made the trip to Paradise Lodge. A year ago she’d hired Kelly, who had his Texas PI license, to clear her niece Marcy from a murder charge.

  During the course of the investigation Kelly had introduced Stella to his best friend Cam Belcher, proud owner of Indian Creek’s Hideaway Bar & Barbecue, and by the time Kelly solved the murder, Stella and Cam were engaged. They made the announcement the night everyone got together at the Hideaway to celebrate Marcy’s freedom, and Bubba volunteered to host the wedding at his newly acquired lodge in Oregon.

  “That’s one damn determined woman,” Bubba said, shoving his cowboy hat back on his head and swiping his arm across his forehead. “She’s been chewing the bit all week to get down here and see to things, but I made Cam promise to keep her outta my hair until tomorrow.”

  “Smart thinking,” Kelly and Gillian spoke in unison.

  Refreshments, consisting of heaping plates of super crispy nachos and frosty longnecks, were brought to the table by a couple of young waiters.

  Kelly’s eyes widened at the sight. "Guess this grub proves the old saying `You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the boy.'”

  The three friends spent the next few hours catching up on news from home and reminiscing about the old days. By the time conversation slowed, the afternoon sun had dipped deep into the horizon. “Look at the sunset,” Gillian called from where she’d strolled out onto the balcony. “No wonder you fell in love with this place.”

  * * *

  Saturday morning a light breeze danced the bedroom curtains and glints of sunlight showed promise of an ideal day for the wedding.

  “I’m going to find Stella and see if I can give her a hand.” Gillian set a cup of coffee on the bedside table and bent for a morning kiss.

  “Coffee. Thanks, but I had other ideas for the morning.”

  “I’ll bet you did.” Gillian laughed and backed a safe step away from the bed. “Bubba’s having a buffet breakfast in the main lounge. You might want to move your buns out of bed and over there before he gets a notion to give you a personal wakeup call.”

  “Yeah. You’re probably right. Can’t take the bait man outta the country boy no matter how many fancy houses he’s got. He gets up with the fish and doesn’t see any reason the rest of us shouldn’t be on the same schedule.”

  “See you later.” Gillian stepped outside and pulled the door shut. Skirting the main lodge, she followed the ridge line up a steep path that led to a large cabin perched on the tip of a high rock ledge and offering a 180˚ view of the ocean below.

  Gillian followed the path up to a flight of steps carved out of the rock. At the top, she stepped onto a wrap-around balcony. Some digs she observed as she stopped in front of a polished oak door and lifted the heavy brass knocker.

  “It’s open.” Stella’s muffled voice came through the door.

  Gillian stepped inside and caught her breath.

  Wow. She gasped out loud.

  The west wall consisted of a solid sheet of glass that gave the illusion the room was suspended in clouds. A sandstone fireplace glinted with specks of gold. Sunbeams played with crystal prisms dangling from a chandelier and spreading a rainbow of colors across the white leather sofa.

  “A girl could get used to this kind of living.” Stella padded into the room, wrapped in a thick terry robe, her bright red hair caught in a matching towel.

  “You are absolutely glowing.” Gillian gave her friend an exuberant hug. “This is breathtaking. Are you excited?”

  “That would be an understatement.” Stella parked herself on the corner of the sofa and pulled the towel off of her hair. “I had to pinch myself when I woke up this morning. Can you believe it? Me, getting married again, and to a true blue homegrown Texas cowboy.”

  Gillian gave Stella a once over and chuckled. “I bet that glow you’re sporting has a lot more to do with your bed mate than this amazing cabin you slept in last night.”

  “Shhh, Bubba assigned us separate cabins until after the wedding.”

  Gillian laughed all the harder. “Silly man if he thought that was going to keep you apart. So tell me, what do you need me to do? This is the first time I’ve been anyone’s maid of honor. I’m not sure I know all the protocol."

  “The only thing I need you to do is keep me company and help me handle the butterflies dancing around in my tummy.”

  “Got that. How about I get us some coffee?”

  “In the pot on the counter. Two sugar, no cream. I’ll finish putting my face on and join you in a minute.”

  Gillian poured two mugs of coffee, slid open one of the glass panels and stepped out into the clouds. Looking down, she swallowed a couple of times to get her stomach out of her throat. Breathtaking. The same glass that made up the walls in the living room also formed the floor on this side of the patio. Gingerly she approached a wrought iron table, set their mugs on the glass top and bent her head to look down. As far as her eye could see, shrub-covered cliffs dropped thousands of feet into the churning waters below.

  “Sure is some sight for a Texas country girl,” she said when Stella joined her at the table.

  “I’ll say. I’ve stayed in some mansions in my time, but this beats anything I’ve ever seen. That Bubba sure knows how to put on the dog.”

  The women shared a laugh and spent the next hour catching up on who was doing what to whom and why in the close-knit community of Indian Creek.

  “It’s amazing how quickly River Oaks has faded off my radar
and how much like home the Hideaway has become.” Stella took a sip of coffee and smiled over the rim.

  “Tell me about it,” Gillian agreed. “I had no idea what was about to happen to me when I accepted that barbecue invitation last summer.”

  “Sounds like I’m not the only one bitten by the Indian Creek cupid.” Stella’s laughter echoed into the open spaces and a couple of red spots appeared on Gillian’s cheeks.

  “I didn’t realize it was that obvious.” She lowered her eyes and lifted her cup to her lips.

  “Hey. Don’t worry. We’re sisters in here.” Stella pointed to her heart. “I know exactly how you feel.”

  The two women chatted amiably while they finished their coffee. Finally, Stella pushed her cup aside. “Guess we’d better get this done.” She rose and invited Gillian to follow her into the bedroom.

  “I feel a bit silly doing the white bridal routine, but it’s the first time around for Cam and it only seemed fair.”

  “This dress is gorgeous.” Gillian lifted the yards of satin and slipped the gleaming white dress over Stella’s head.

  “You think?”

  “I know. My God, you’re a vision. Come over here, look in the mirror.”

  Together they crossed to a full length mirror and Stella caught her breath. “Is that me? Wow, guess I know what they mean about the dress making the woman.”

  “No way. It’s the woman making the dress this time around.”

  * * *

  Standing in front of an altar formed out of thick pines bowed and crossed overhead, rays of light streamed through the trees as the sun beamed its blessing on Cam and Stella. The bride, stunning in her white sheath with fingertip veil, tilted her head and looked into the groom’s deep brown eyes.

  Pride lit up Cam’s face and he smiled down at his bride. He was decked out in a sharp new western tux with a crisp white shirt. His jet black hair had been styled to keep that one particular lock from flopping into his eyes, and he looked for all the world like a romance novel cover model.