***

        After Cole introduced Dr. Jack Ramos to Tori, Jack knelt in the rubble and examined the skeleton while Tori and Cole watched from the sofa across the room. Cole remained silent as he sat with his arm behind Tori on the couch. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Twenty-one years ago, he’d been a devastated boy who had lost his mother and his home in a matter of two weeks. Now he wondered if things had moved so fast because his father had lost his temper once too often.

Jack sat back on his knees to face the couple. “Well, Cole, I can tell you one thing for sure. This is a man.”

“Oh, God,” Cole groaned. Could his father have flown into a rage, lost control, and taken out his uncle? Tori caressed his free hand reassuringly. With a smile, he patted her hand in response. “Thanks, Tori, but I’m okay. I already suspected as much.”

“Does that mean you know who it is?” Jack asked curiously.

“Let’s just say that I have an idea.” Rubbing his whisker-stubbled chin, Cole considered his next question. He didn’t really want to ask it, but he had to find out all he could. Cole glanced at his watch. Seven-forty-seven. Richard’s plane should be landing within an hour. By ten o’clock he would be at the Folly Beach Tides, where he always stayed when he came to town. Thank God, there was a free room when Cole called for reservations. Otherwise, Richard would have had to stay with him, and right now Cole had even less patience with his father than he normally did.

“So who do you think it is?” Jack prompted.

“Let me ask a few questions first.” Cole drew Tori closer. Her very presence gave him more courage than he suspected it would have under normal circumstances, and he flashed her a smile before returning his gaze to Jack. “Can you tell me how old those bones are?”

“I can give you a general idea,” Jack replied, “but without specific tests, that’s all I can give you.”

“General’s good enough for me. What is it?”

“I’d say he’s been here for twenty years or so.” Jack paused then asked, “You’re not thinking what I am, are you, Cole?”

Cole shrugged. “I don’t know what the hell to think, Jack. This whole thing is absolutely insane.”

“Don’t give me that crap,” Jack said irritably. “You know as well as I do that the dates add up.”

“Look. Dad and I have been at odds for years. I’ve never made any bo… secrets about that. But until somebody comes up with concrete evidence, I refuse to believe that he’s a murderer.”

“I don’t recall saying anything about him committing murder.”

“Then say it,” Cole demanded, tired of their verbal jousting.

“Okay. It probably was murder, but I didn’t mention your father. There’s no other reason a body would be boarded up in an alcove. But there aren’t any visible indications that was the cause of death. I won’t know for sure until I can run some tests. It could have been asphyxiation or poison. Do you think this is your uncle?”

“We both know it’s likely.” Cole slid his other arm around Tori and hugged her closer. “I know dental records will give us a positive ID, but is there anything else that can? I’d like to avoid going to a dentist about this.”

“The police will …”

Cole cut off his words in a firm tone. “No police, Jack. That’s why I called you. I talked to Dad last night, and he was adamant that I not renovate the mansion. He tried to get me to wait a year when I first inherited it, but I didn’t think anything about it then.  After last night, … Well, let’s just say he sure sounded nervous about me doing this. Before I tell the police what Tori found, I have to confront Dad.”

“Do you know what kind of trouble you’ll be in if you don’t report this?” Jack replied. “And I’ll be in just as much trouble. More. I could lose my license.”

“We will report it—just not right away. I need some time, Jack,” he explained as his friend dropped into the contemporary overstuffed chair near the couch. Dust flew around him, adding to the ominous aura. “I need to see what Dad says. He could be a suspect, so he should know what happened. If he knows anything, maybe I can convince him to tell the cops. He’s my father, for God’s sake. I can’t just let him go to jail. I have to talk to him first.”

Jack shook his head. “You’re not making this easy for me, Cole. There’s only one body here, and your mother disappeared the same time your uncle did. Why can’t you admit what happened?”

Cole jumped to his feet in a rage. “Are you accusing my mother of murder now? It’s not possible, and you know it. She was never a violent person. She never even spanked us kids.”

When he balled his hands into fists, Tori rushed to intervene. Scrambling to stand before him, she laid her hands on his chest and spoke calmly in an attempt to diffuse the tension. “A fight isn’t going solve anything, Cole.”

“But he’s accusing my parents of conspiring in some sordid crime. And my mother would never do something like that.”

“He’s not saying that. He’s just considering all the angles.” She glanced over her shoulder at the doctor. “Isn’t that right, Dr. Ramos?”

“Jack, and I’m just bringing up the same points the cops will. We have to call them—soon.”

As friendly as Jack sounded, his dark eyes conveyed his suspicions concerning her presence. Maybe if she kept her voice calm, he would relent in his distrustful attitude.

“He only wants to talk to his father, Jack,” she said in Cole’s defense. “Is that really too much to ask? Mr. Marshall’s supposed to be here tonight. Why not give Cole a few hours to find out what’s going on?”

“What happens if he wants days, not hours?”

“I’ll call the police myself if he doesn’t.”

Jack studied her for several moments then said, “I’d like to talk to Cole alone for a while. Would you mind taking a walk?”

“Not at all,” Tori agreed as she headed toward the door.

“Tori, no!” Cole called after her. “There’s nothing we’ll talk about that you can’t hear.”

She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him with her half-smile. “Actually, there’s probably quite a bit you can say that I shouldn’t hear. I’ll wait by the cars.”

As soon as Tori closed the door, she wandered toward the cars. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Jack standing at the window. Then he turned and left. Jack didn’t trust her, although she didn’t know why, and she wanted to know exactly what he said to Cole. Determined to find out what the men said, she rushed back to stand out of sight near the open window.

“How dare you send her away like that,” Cole demanded. “She’s my friend.”

“I didn’t hear her complain,” Jack countered. “Now sit down. I have a few questions.” Glaring at his friend, Cole dropped back onto the couch as Jack asked, “Who is Tori, anyway? Why’s she here?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s restoring the mansion.”

“Is that what she was doing poking around in here? Is that what made her decide to tear down this wall?”

“She was curious.”

“Yeah, right. And I have some land in Florida to sell you if you buy that. Come on, Cole. You’re too smart to be that gullible.” Jack paused a moment to study Cole. Shaking his head, he asked, “How much do you know about her, anyway?”

“As much as I need to if she’s going to restore my mansion.”

“Where did you get her name?”

“She contacted me. She said her architect friend that I’d written to for an estimate couldn’t do the job so he suggested that she put in a bid.”

“Listen to yourself,” Jack snapped. “She contacted you. She knew to knock down that wall. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

“It tells me that she needed a job.”

“Damn it, Cole. The woman knows exactly what she’s doing.”

“How?” Cole demanded. “She’s only been in town a couple of days. She couldn’t know anything about this.”

“Maybe she’s related to your uncle.”

“You’re grasping at straws, Jack.” Wanting to at least see Tori, Cole wandered to the window. To his dismay, she wasn’t by the cars like she’d said she would be. That could only mean one thing. She was listening to their conversation. Why? Could Jack be right? No, he didn’t believe that for a second. Tori had no reason other than curiosity to have broken down that wall. Turning back to face Jack, Cole questioned him curiously. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“I don’t know what to believe. It’s awfully convenient, though. The first thing she did was tear down a wall that has a body behind it. Surely, you can agree that that’s an awful big coincidence.”

Cole dropped back down onto the couch. “Why can’t you accept that she’s just a curious person?”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Jack said in exasperation. “I don’t trust the woman.  There are too many coincidences surrounding her.”

“Well, I trust her. And since it’s my neck on the line if I’m wrong, I’ll thank you to drop the subject.”

“Is it your neck, Cole?” Jack asked suspiciously. “Or your heart?”

Stunned, Cole stared at his friend. His heart on the line? That wasn’t possible. Jack knew he would never get that involved with a woman, so he must have misunderstood Jack’s meaning. “What are you talking about?”

“The way you look at her; the way you can’t keep your hands off her. If I weren’t here to stifle your feelings, you’d probably be hitting on her this very second.”

“That’s nonsense.” Again Cole wandered to the window. Thank God, Tori had gone back to the cars. She couldn’t have heard the last couple of sentences, so she wouldn’t suspect that Jack could easily be right, especially considering that he himself had doubts about his response.

Turning back to face his friend, Cole said, “I wouldn’t be hitting on her, either. Besides, she was too upset over finding that skeleton. You should have seen her, Jack. She was terrified. She was shaking and crying like you wouldn’t believe. It took me a long time to calm her down. No, I don’t believe for a second that she knew a body was there. She was probably more shocked than I was.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I had a gut feeling that she would find something if she tore down that wall, Jack. I didn’t know what it would be, but I knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant surprise.” Cole paused a moment. “So, what do you say, doc? Will you give me twenty-four hours?”

“Oh, all right,” Jack agreed. “Not a second more than twenty-four hours. In the meantime, I’ll take some samples right here. I can at least start to determine the cause of death. I’ll meet you in my office tomorrow night, and we’ll go to headquarters together.”

“Fine. I’ll walk you to your car.”

 ***

        Cole waited with his arm draped around Tori’s neck until Jack was gone. Then they got into his SUV, and he drove back to the Tides, where they waited for his father in the lobby.

“I don’t know why you insisted that I come with you,” Tori said as they sat together on a couch.

“One reason is that I don’t want you out at the plantation alone,” he confessed, lacing his fingers with hers, “and it’s too expensive to stay here for an extended period. That’s why I want you to stay at my place. I have two bedrooms, and we can store your things in my basement. High tide doesn’t even come close—unless there’s a hurricane.”

“Why shouldn’t I stay at the mansion? It’s not like there are ghosts or anything.”

Tori inhaled sharply as he stroked the underside of her wrist with his thumb. How could a simple, unconscious act spark the strong surge of desire that raced through her? The only thing that kept her logic in control was the rapidly fading memory of a painful relationship. She had a job to do and couldn’t get involved with Cole—no matter how much she would enjoy it.

“Tori?” he asked, bringing her back from her introspection.

Her face heated in embarrassment. “What?”

Grinning boyishly, he said, “I love to see you blush. It’s very old-fashioned, very feminine. You normally have such a cool façade that I forget you’re a capable of expressing those things.” His green-eyed gaze scanned her before he continued. “Then there are times like this afternoon when you were so scared. Beneath your tough exterior lies a soft core that I doubt many people get to see.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she admitted. “But what does that have to do with me staying at your beach house?”

“It’s safer here on the island,” he explained.

“Safer!” she repeated with a laugh. “For heaven’s sake, Cole, you’re by far the most skittish man I’ve ever met.”

“Except for a fear of heights, I never had a skittish muscle in my body until you walked into my life. Now every muscle I have itches constantly—in more ways than one. Why don’t you relent and scratch one little itch by staying at my house?”

Unable to stifle her irritation at his offensive insinuation, she chastised him. “Because I know how men are. If a woman scratches one itch, men think she’s obligated to scratch every last itch they have until they’re satisfied. Then they find another woman to scratch their new itches.” Rising, she glared down at him. “I’m going to watch the ocean. Let me know when you’re done talking to your father. Then you can take me back out to the mansion, because I have absolutely no intention of scratching you. Unless, perhaps, it’s to claw your eyes out the next time you make an asinine, chauvinistic remark.”

She stalked toward the door that led to the ocean’s edge.

Cole rose slowly. She was right, of course. His wording hadn’t been the most appropriate given the situation.

“You sure can raise a woman’s fury, son,” a man said from behind him.

Stunned, Cole spun to face his father. There was a mocking expression on his deeply tanned, wrinkled face, and his green eyes sparkled. Looking at Richard that night was almost like viewing him for the first time. The man had aged a lot over the past six months. Richard was the same height as Tori, but he looked smaller as his shoulders began to stoop. His blond hair was much whiter; his already large nose had become bulbous. What startled Cole the most was the nervous expression that lay hidden behind the smile on his father’s lips.

Could this man have committed a murder? Cole wondered. When he spoke, however, he kept cheer in his voice. He didn’t want Richard to suspect how much it hurt to have Tori walk away. And it did hurt, even though he knew she would be available later.

“I like to keep them guessing,” Cole replied with a fraudulent grin. “Why don’t you check in, and we’ll talk in your room.”

“Don’t you want to make amends with your friend?” Richard asked.

Cole couldn’t restrain the bitterness that crept into his tone. “If you heard what we said, you know that she’s waiting for me. Besides, what I have to discuss with you is much more important.”

While Cole waited impatiently at his father’s side, Richard checked into a room. Following his father to the elevators, he stared at Tori through the corridor windows until he could no longer see her. When had they met, anyway? he absently wondered. It was just two nights ago, but it already seemed like years. Hell, the afternoon seemed like years. It was amazing how quickly one could become attached to another when something tragic happened.

 ***

        Tori stared at the ocean, watching the waves roll in. She didn’t mind that she was getting wet again. In fact, the cool ocean water refreshed her.

It had been unexpectedly devastating to leave Cole alone. He needed her support right now, but she couldn’t give it to him. She’d already embarrassed herself by misinterpreting his words. He’d just wanted to protect her by having her stay in his beach house, and she knew he wouldn’t ask for more. Why didn’t she just agree and save everybody a lot of hassle? Because she was afraid she would lose what was left of her heart to a man she barely knew, that’s why.

But she didn’t feel like she barely knew him. She felt like years had passed since they met. Decades seemed to separate the minutes when they had torn down the wall to expose the tomb.

A new question had arisen, too. Should she tell him about the letter she’d found in the hidden compartment of the antique Queen Anne secretary? She hadn’t wanted to be alone with that skeleton while he went for food, so she’d gone into the mansion to explore. In the library, she’d found the secretary, the hidden compartment in the center finial, and the stack of letters.

It was only the top one she considered telling him about—the last one from Carl. It was the one telling Lucinda that they couldn’t run away together after all. It was the same one explaining that he couldn’t break Claire’s heart.

She’d put the letters back the second she saw Cole driving up the lane. That was awfully incriminating evidence. At the time, she’d thought that the skeleton in the wall could have been Claire. After all, she’d also left the plantation the summer Cole’s parents had divorced. Lucinda and Carl could have conspired to dispose of Claire.

Now everything had changed. Instead of being worried that the skeleton was Claire, she was concerned that Lucinda had murdered Carl in a jealous rage. Tori didn’t know what to do anymore.

***

From the eighth floor, Cole gazed down at Tori as he and his father chatted. He wanted to be with her, not confronting his father about a pile of bones. That’s why he was avoiding the topic.

“Is she still down there?” Richard asked as he joined his son at the window.

“Yeah,” Cole replied. “She won’t go anywhere, either, because I’ve got the car. Was your flight okay?”

“Fine.”

“What about Grace?” Cole asked to be polite.

“Your stepmother’s fine, too. Is that woman somebody you want me to meet? Is that why you called me to come here?”

“I want you to meet Tori, all right,” Cole admitted, wandering away from the window. In the middle of the room, he stopped and folded his arms across his broad chest. “But she’s not the reason I told you to come. She’s the woman restoring the mansion, Dad, and you’ll never guess what she found in the apartment today.”

Richard shifted nervously from one foot to the other and stared out the window. “What?”

“A skeleton boarded up in the alcove.” After a gasp, Richard stared intently at his hands, as though he could find a response there. Suspicious of the reaction, Cole narrowed his eyes. Richard knew something; he was sure of it. “I don’t suppose you have any information concerning that.”

“Absolutely none.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Cole demanded. “Was that man—and it is a man’s skeleton because Jack checked it for me. Was he Carl Lucas?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Coleman.”

“The hell you don’t. Did you kill Uncle Carl?” Furious that Richard didn’t respond, Cole grabbed him by the shirt and glared down at him. “Answer me, damn it. Did you kill him?”

“I’ve never killed anybody in my life,” Richard said. “I know you’re upset, but I didn’t kill anybody. I swear it.”

Cole released his father slowly, studying him as he stepped backward three strides. Judging from the guiltless expression on his face, Richard was telling the truth. Now what did he do? Suspect his mother? No, she was too sweet, too innocent, too gentle to commit murder. Besides, she loved Carl. So did Claire. That came back to only one person who could have committed the crime—Richard Marshall. Unless, of course, the body wasn’t Carl’s as he suspected.

“You did it, Dad,” Cole declared. “I don’t know who else could have. If you’ll admit it, maybe I can help you get out of this mess.”

“I’m not in a mess, son. I don’t know anything about a skeleton.”

“I get my temper from you, Dad. So I know what can happen when you’re mad. You could easily have gone into a blind rage when you found out Mom and Carl wanted to run off together. You could have killed him. Hell, you could have killed both of them. And Aunt Claire, too—to keep her quiet. That’s probably why we haven’t heard from them in all this time.”

Cole moved to the door and opened it. He couldn’t bear to stay with his father for another moment. In his heart, he didn’t believe any of them were dead—except maybe Carl, which Jack could determine. He probably shouldn’t have accused his father, either. But he was so frustrated that he didn’t know what to think or do anymore.

 ***

        Stunned that Coleman believed him to be such an evil person, Richard said nothing as his son slammed the door. How could his own son think so badly of him? He needed to make another phone call. If he didn’t, Coleman was going to bring the whole world crashing down on their shoulders. But nobody answered. Something happening that he really didn’t want to know about. Too many coincidences were stacking up, and he had to find out what was going on. It was the only way he could stop the disaster about to strike his family.