Chapter 4
“Let’s get out of here,” Cole said as he steered Tori toward the door by the elbow.
“I thought you wanted to talk to your father,” she protested, hurrying to keep up with him.
“I already did.”
His voice was filled with so much pain that Tori’s heart went out to him. Obviously, their conversation hadn’t gone well; and just as obviously, Cole didn’t want to discuss it. His heart-wrenching silence shouted the fact more loudly than his words ever could.
Not knowing what to say, Tori rushed with him to the Rogue and got in when he opened the door for her. After he slammed it shut, he rounded the back and slid in behind the wheel. As soon as he closed his door, he laid his head back on the whiplash protector and sighed heavily.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned by his behavior.
He turned his head toward her and grinned boyishly, but even though it was night, Tori could tell his heart wasn’t in his deception. If it were, his eyes would be sparkling brightly in this well-lit area of the parking lot. Instead, they were clouded with worry and anger.
“Stay with me at my beach house,” he suggested lightly.
“I can’t, Cole,” she said. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“Then agree to talk to me there.”
It was tempting. They would have privacy plus the ocean’s seductive waves to relax them. Unfortunately, those waves were part of her reason for not wanting to go. She was terrified that more than just talking would happen if they went to the beach house. Determined to keep her emotional distance, she answered him shortly. “No.”
When he turned his head back, she almost regretted her answer. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so badly if she explained. “I think I understand what you’re feeling right now, Cole. You had an argument with your father, and you don’t want to be alone because you’re afraid you’ll dwell on it. I feel the same way after I argue with my mother. Maybe it’s a normal reaction.”
Cole sighed again then said, “You don’t understand at all. This isn’t about Dad and me, Tori. It’s about you and me.” Turning in his seat, he met her gaze. “We’ve known each other three days now, although it feels more like three centuries. And in those three days, you’ve run away from me three times. Why?”
Tori felt a lump grow in her throat. Every time she thought she had her emotions under control, he did or said something that made her heart go out to him. Why did she always feel like an unconcerned witch because she refused to let herself experience his emotions? She didn’t even know this man—while at the same time, she felt like she’d known him forever.
Not sure how to respond, she spoke in a soft voice that she hoped would relay the message she couldn’t express. “I’m only aware of having done it once. That’s tonight, and it was because our conversation was just plain too personal.”
“What about yesterday?”
“I told you then that I was running away to prove that I could.”
“What about the evening we met?” he reminded her. “You took off like a light without even drinking your margarita.”
“In that case, I was running to make an appointment.” Pausing, she smiled to lighten the conversation. “With you if you’ll recall.”
But her attempt to cheer him failed, because he grasped both of her hands and gazed over at her as he spoke in a somber tone. “Don’t run off again, Tori. If you want me to take you back to the mansion, you have to promise not to leave.”
“Is that why you want me to stay with you?” she asked incredulously. “Because you’re afraid I’ll run away?”
Instantly, he released her and resumed his former position. When he responded several seconds later, his voice lacked all the passion it had carried only moments earlier. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. Will you promise not to leave the mansion?”
“On one condition,” she agreed. “Once we’re there, you have to tell me what your father said to upset you like he did.”
“Will that get you to stay?”
“Absolutely.”
“All right then. I’ll tell you—but only after we get to the plantation. I need time to think about what happened and decide how to explain.” Sliding his key into the ignition, he gazed over at her. “You know something, Tori? You’re very understanding, and I appreciate you all the more for it.”
Unsure what to say, Tori fell silent. She’d never met a man who was so honest about his feelings. Every other one she’d known hid his emotions, and she didn’t know how to react to Cole’s openness. At least, she didn’t have to worry about him hiding things from her like Paul had. Cole would communicate, and that was very important in a relationship.
What was she thinking! She didn’t want a relationship with Cole Marshall. He had hired her to do a job, so she had to keep their growing closeness at bay. Remembering that would serve two purposes: it would keep her from getting hurt again, and she could do her job better. But the intimacy was already growing stronger. She could feel it as surely as she could feel the tension that coursed through her body every time Cole came near, as surely as she could feel the security of being in his arms when he’d held her after she found the skeleton that afternoon. Had it only been that afternoon? It seemed decades ago.
If he knew she wanted to run to him rather than away, he never would have accepted her decision not to stay at his beach house. Worse still, if he knew, he would probably sweep her into his arms and kiss her. And if that happened, she would lose every ounce of logic she so desperately clung to.
Cole glanced at Tori as she watched the scenery pass. He should have kept his mouth shut about being afraid that she would run away, even if he hadn’t admitted that the mere thought of losing her terrified him. Now he was anxious about her reaction to their brief conversation.
She wasn’t saying anything—not even about the restoration job. He’d said too much before they left the parking lot, but he couldn’t retract his words now. He’d shown her that his vulnerability lay in her, and he didn’t know what to say to validate his trepidation where she was concerned. Why couldn’t he be as aloof as she was? Why did he have to let his heart take over his words? He’d tried to cover the truth, but she’d understood everything he hadn’t said.
Why was his life suddenly so complex? Why couldn’t it be nice and simple like it was just four days ago? Because his life wasn’t uncomplicated four days ago, that was why. Even then he’d had an odd feeling about the mansion. He just hadn’t realized what it was. Now he’d unwittingly involved Tori in his tangled life.
An astute man would tear up the contract and send her away before she got hurt. His unsubstantiated fear that Tori could get hurt because of what she’d found, however, was nothing compared to the fear that Tori could hurt him by simply walking away. These feelings of attraction to her were so strong he couldn’t deny them. He’d only given his heart to one woman, and she’d left him with only a note of explanation. He couldn’t bear it if that happened a second time.
It had taken years for him to come to terms with his mother leaving. To this day, in fact, that sense of desertion still haunted him. Maybe, if he worded it right, he could find out what Tori thought of his mother’s actions. He had to be very careful, though, to see that she didn’t suspect he was testing her reaction.
“Tori?” he asked, abruptly ending the silence.
She turned her gaze to him. “What is it?”
“Could I ask you a personal question?”
“I suppose.”
“I came to terms with Mom’s leaving years ago. For all I know, she could even be dead by now, although I don’t want to believe that’s true. I want to believe that she’s out there—somewhere—wondering how we kids turned out, wishing she could see us again. But one question still nags at me. Maybe you can answer it. I don’t feel right asking my sisters because They’re personally involved. Why would a mother leave her children with a note telling them that she would keep in touch then never do it? Why would a loving mother like mine leave her children in the first place?”
Her expression told him everything. She didn’t want to answer this question, but he desperately needed to know how she felt about what had happened.
“Well, Tori?” he prompted when she didn’t respond after several seconds. “You told me that I could ask.”
“I know. I’m just not sure how to answer. You said it was a personal question, but I’m not sure if I should answer in my perspective or your mother’s.”
“I want to know from your perspective.” Cole was stunned by his response. He’d planned to be careful in this and had unintentionally admitted that he wanted her perspective. But how else would he get it? “Could you ever do something like that?”
“If you were thinking about your mother, why do you want my perspective?”
“I just do. Please, Tori. I really need the opinion of an objective person.”
Tori studied him for a moment. Even in the dark she could see that his question stemmed from years of speculation and pain. But why did he want her to answer in her view, not his mother’s? And should she? After all, doing so could give him the impression that she didn’t mind him wondering about her ability to stay with a man. And she didn’t want to leave that impression since she had no intention of staying around after the renovation of his childhood home.
Maybe she should avoid the subject altogether and tell him about the letter from Carl to Lucinda. No, now wasn’t the time for that. She should probably wait until they were at the mansion where she could show the letter to him.
“Come on, Tori,” he pleaded. “Answer me.”
“Well,” she replied, unsure how to word her explanation, “I know how much it hurts a child when a parent leaves. I also know it isn’t easy for the parent. Dad always had a terrible time dropping us off at home after visitation. He always hugged us so tightly that you would have thought there wouldn’t be a next time. It’s possible that she wanted to get in touch with you but kept putting it off because of the circumstances. Maybe time slipped by so fast that she doesn’t know how to contact you. It’s possible that she’s too embarrassed to or maybe afraid that you and your sisters will reject her after all these years.”
“You’re speculating on Mom’s reasons for not contacting us, Tori. You didn’t answer what you would do.”
“I don’t know what I would do. I’m not in the circumstances, and one should never speculate on what he or she might do. It isn’t possible for one to know how he would react in a given situation.” Nervous about the topic, she decided to change it. “Now wouldn’t it be better if we discussed something more productive than this—like my restoration ideas?”
He studied her silently for what seemed like an eternity then said, “You think she killed my uncle and ran away to hide, don’t you.”
“I didn’t say that!” But she wondered how he could have known what was in her mind.
“It isn’t possible, you know. Mom was a gentle person. She never even raised a hand toward my sisters or me. And I gave her plenty of opportunities. How could she have killed somebody? Besides, she could never have boarded up that wall alone.” Horrified by what he was saying, Tori stared over at him, but he kept his eyes on the road, effectively avoiding her gaze. “No way! Dad and Mom in cahoots over a murder? It’s not possible. Okay, Dad’s temper is even worse than mine, but he would never murder anybody. I don’t care what you think. And there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. I don’t care what the circumstantial evidence is. Dad just couldn’t do it, and I’ll do everything I can to keep him out of jail.” Cole turned his sorrowful gaze on her again, while Tori stared at him in shock. His rambling was starting to worry her more than she cared to consider. Then he looked back to the road and spoke again, his voice filled with determination. “We said we were going to talk about this at the mansion. Let’s wait until we get there.”
Cole was obviously trying to deny his own suspicions, but now wasn’t the time to suggest it. She would just let him consider his words until they got home.
***
By the time they arrived at the mansion, Tori had a massive migraine from the stress of the day. Digging the keys out of her pocket, she hurried to unlock the house while Cole followed her. She went straight to the front parlor, but stopped short in the doorway when she flicked on the light.
She’d been sure that she left her purse on the Chippendale side table by the door, but it was gone. When she glanced around the room, it was nowhere in sight. Turning around, she bumped into Cole. His hands tenderly grasped her upper arms to steady her then slid to her shoulders.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she replied. “I thought I left my purse in there, but I must have left it in the kitchen.”
“No,” he replied, peering around her, “you left it right here on the … Well, I’ll be darned. I could have sworn you left it right there. Maybe it is in the kitchen.” As they started through the dining room, Cole stopped and grabbed her elbow again. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” she asked.
“That scuffling sound.”
Shaking her head, Tori chuckled. “Cole Marshall, how do you expect to live in this house if every noise you hear makes you skittish? There are rats and squirrels in the barn, and there are probably a few here. The little varmints always find their ways into empty houses.”
“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed with his crooked grin. “We’ll get an exterminator out here as soon as we get that skeleton out of the apartment.”
Tori’s purse was sitting on the antique bucket bench in the kitchen. After taking out her bottle of fiorinal, she got a glass, drew some water, and swallowed the capsule. Then she sat down on a long bench at the large, sawbuck table dating from the Eighteenth Century. While she watched silently, Cole got a Coke from the refrigerator. Sitting down on the opposite side of the four-foot wide table, he leaned forward on one of his forearms.
“Okay,” she said as he sipped his drink, “out with it. Explain that strange conversation you had with yourself in the car.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he returned.
“Oh, yes, you do,” she declared, irritated by his denial. “You were trying to convince yourself that your parents didn’t have anything to do with murder. What happened when you talked to your father?”
“Nothing.”
“Coleman Marshall,” she said maternally.
“Okay, you win.” He shook his head. “Either you sound just like Mom, or I’m imagining it because of where we are. Anyway, a lot happened. He said he didn’t know anything about the skeleton, and I accused him of lying. He was, too. I could tell by the way he was acting. He was real fidgety. That’s when I accused him of killing Carl.”
“What did he say?” she asked, trying to conceal her own nervousness.
“He denied it, of course—but not until after I assaulted him.”
Tori gasped in shock. “You hit your father?”
“Naw, I just grabbed his shirt.” He reached across the table and grasped her hands, rubbing the backs with his thumbs. Wild desire exploded in her. Did he know what he did to her every time he held her hands? Probably not, she decided as he finished his explanation. “But that wasn’t enough for me. I accused him of killing Mom and Claire, too.”
“You should apologize,” Tori said.
Cole shook his head. “I can’t, Tori, because I believe my accusations. I don’t want to, but I do. Dad knows everything about that skeleton, too, right down to who it is and why it was in the alcove. I know he does.”
“That doesn’t make him a murderer.”
“Maybe not, but it does make him an accessory, either before or after the fact. And that’s still a serious crime when murder’s involved.” He paused a moment, gazing at her longingly as he rose to lean against the counter and sip his Coke. “What do you think, Tori? Could it be Carl? Could Dad be involved in his murder?”
“We should call the police, Cole,” she answered. “Let them come up with evidence. All of your presumptions are eating you up inside. You have to stop speculating before you make yourself sick.”
“I can’t call the police until I know how Dad’s involved. And before you say anything, that’s not speculation. His body language is a dead give-away. I can tell by the way he’s been acting that he knows everything. He just won’t tell me.”
“You still have to contact the police. If you don’t, you’ll be in as much trouble as your father if he’s involved. And if he’s not, you’ll be in trouble all by yourself.” She wandered to stand directly before him. “No, not by yourself, Cole. You’re getting Jack and me in trouble, too. Is that really what you want? To involve a friend and a business associate?”
“You’re not just an associate, Tori.” He set his Coke on the counter and caressed her shoulders. “I haven’t thought of you like that for one second. And no, I don’t want to involve my friends.” Then he released her and started toward the door in the short hallway off the kitchen. “I’d better get the hell out of here before I try to convince you to let me stay. You need your sleep, and you probably won’t get it if I don’t go home.”
“Don’t worry. The fiorinal I took for my headache puts me out pretty quickly.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone out here?” he asked in concern as he unlocked the door. “I could stay in my old bedroom if you want.”
“And have a skittish man on my hands?” she teased with a wink.
“I don’t feel right about leaving you here alone. I should do everything I can to protect you.”
“From a skeleton?” She smiled up at him in an attempt to relieve his mind. “You go on. I’ll be fine.”
“Tori?” He gazed down at her with desire gleaming in his eyes and licked his lips slowly. Oh, how she wished he would kiss her! But instead, he simply smiled. “Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. I know it’s Sunday, but I want to see if I can dig up some dental records on Carl. Don’t forget to be up in time for Jack.”
“I will be,” she agreed. “Good night.”
“Night, Tori. Lock the door after me.”
When she could no longer see his SUV, she leaned her head against a pane of glass and sighed in disappointment. He’d left without a kiss.
***
Tori woke with a start and glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside the antique canopy bed. It was nearly three in the morning. And that was no squirrel or rat she’d heard. It was a bump, like something falling over. She listened carefully. Those weren’t the scuffling sounds of a rodent, either. Those were footsteps!
She padded silently through the house, following the footsteps. As she made her way down the main stairs, the shadow of a man wearing a trench coat moved slowly along a wall illuminated by moonlight. She’d suspected that she hadn’t seen the last of Cole that night, and apparently, she’d been right. He’d probably decided to come back to the mansion so he could protect her without her suspecting. Maybe he’d knocked something over trying to sneak in.
“What do you think you’re doing here, Coleman Marshall?” she called out as she hurried down the rest of the stairs.
The footsteps sped into a run. Still unfamiliar with the house, Tori couldn’t keep up with the man. By the time she reached the kitchen, he was gone. So much for telling Cole that she didn’t want his protection. He’d gotten out of the house without her even hearing the door close.
***