Shut up , so she did.
“You’re all set,” Tina said after processing the credit card and Gabe signed.
Gabe led her to the door. Before she knew his intention, he scooped her up into his strong arms again. She eyed him. He gave her a lopsided smile, pushed the door open with his back, and took her out into the cold again.
“Can’t have you traipsing through the snow with no shoes.”
The cold hit her like a slap in the face. She wiggled her freezing toes.
“Snow stopped. That’ll be on our side getting back to the house, but the roads will be icy, so we’ll have to take it slow.”
Gabe set her in the front seat of the truck, not winded in the least from carrying her. He closed the door and went to the back of the horse trailer and disappeared from her sight in the side mirror. She waited several minutes for him to come back and get behind the wheel.
He stared down at the stack of money she’d left on the seat.
“You carry around this kind of cash everywhere you go?”
“Not really. That’s what the platinum cards are for.” She tried to smile, but it never really touched her lips. “Is your horse okay?”
“He’s cranky, but fine. He’ll be happier once I get him into a warm stall.”
“I’m sorry I delayed you so long. You could have just left me here.”
He started the truck, but didn’t drive away. Instead, he turned that penetrating gaze on her again and stared at her for a long minute. “I’m not sure I can leave you anywhere.”
Chapter 5
P hillip sat on the sofa in the living room, staring at the yellow police tape across the closed library doors. He didn’t need to be in the room to remember the scene. The image of Lela dead on the floor was burned into his mind. The blood and Lela were gone, but he saw both clear as day.
The wave of fear and fury that swamped him when they discovered Lela’s phone beneath her body rushed through him again. The call lasted eleven minutes. Ella heard everything. But how much did she really know? What could she prove? Does she have Lela’s so-called evidence? Where the hell was she? Not knowing the answer to those questions twisted his gut.
Damn it, Lela, you’ve ruined everything.
And now he had to clean up the mess. He would, and everything would be fine again.
Where the hell did Ella go?
The plan only worked if they found Ella and staged her overdose.
The detective set the scene perfectly. Mary discovered Lela’s body early this morning and called 911. Officers came to the house. Detective Robbins took over the investigation and would mold the evidence and reports over the next couple days to fit the scenario Phillip outlined.
Phillip was properly shocked in front of the staff when he arrived home. Full of grief and disbelief and outrage that such a terrible thing could happen to his niece. Yeah, he’d yelled and ranted that whoever did this to his niece would pay.
When the detective raised questions about a possible motive with him in front of the staff, he’d hinted about their upcoming birthday and coming into their inheritance. That Lela had worked so hard for her spot in the company, while Ella had done the bare minimum to meet the requirements for her to inherit.
Phillip played his part when he was called down to the medical examiner’s offices to ID the body after he spent the night with the woman he kept, who catered to his specific needs. He had an alibi for the time of the murder. Everything would soon point directly to Ella.
Mary let Detective Robbins into the penthouse. He walked into the living room. Phillip waited for him to take a seat in the chair beside the sofa, so no one overheard them. Detective Robbins’s smile encouraged him that the man finally had good news.
“Where is she?” Phillip asked, keeping his voice low, despite the fact Mary retreated back into the kitchen past the dining room.
“I don’t have her exact location, but she used her debit and credit card at the airport
“You’re all set,” Tina said after processing the credit card and Gabe signed.
Gabe led her to the door. Before she knew his intention, he scooped her up into his strong arms again. She eyed him. He gave her a lopsided smile, pushed the door open with his back, and took her out into the cold again.
“Can’t have you traipsing through the snow with no shoes.”
The cold hit her like a slap in the face. She wiggled her freezing toes.
“Snow stopped. That’ll be on our side getting back to the house, but the roads will be icy, so we’ll have to take it slow.”
Gabe set her in the front seat of the truck, not winded in the least from carrying her. He closed the door and went to the back of the horse trailer and disappeared from her sight in the side mirror. She waited several minutes for him to come back and get behind the wheel.
He stared down at the stack of money she’d left on the seat.
“You carry around this kind of cash everywhere you go?”
“Not really. That’s what the platinum cards are for.” She tried to smile, but it never really touched her lips. “Is your horse okay?”
“He’s cranky, but fine. He’ll be happier once I get him into a warm stall.”
“I’m sorry I delayed you so long. You could have just left me here.”
He started the truck, but didn’t drive away. Instead, he turned that penetrating gaze on her again and stared at her for a long minute. “I’m not sure I can leave you anywhere.”
Chapter 5
P hillip sat on the sofa in the living room, staring at the yellow police tape across the closed library doors. He didn’t need to be in the room to remember the scene. The image of Lela dead on the floor was burned into his mind. The blood and Lela were gone, but he saw both clear as day.
The wave of fear and fury that swamped him when they discovered Lela’s phone beneath her body rushed through him again. The call lasted eleven minutes. Ella heard everything. But how much did she really know? What could she prove? Does she have Lela’s so-called evidence? Where the hell was she? Not knowing the answer to those questions twisted his gut.
Damn it, Lela, you’ve ruined everything.
And now he had to clean up the mess. He would, and everything would be fine again.
Where the hell did Ella go?
The plan only worked if they found Ella and staged her overdose.
The detective set the scene perfectly. Mary discovered Lela’s body early this morning and called 911. Officers came to the house. Detective Robbins took over the investigation and would mold the evidence and reports over the next couple days to fit the scenario Phillip outlined.
Phillip was properly shocked in front of the staff when he arrived home. Full of grief and disbelief and outrage that such a terrible thing could happen to his niece. Yeah, he’d yelled and ranted that whoever did this to his niece would pay.
When the detective raised questions about a possible motive with him in front of the staff, he’d hinted about their upcoming birthday and coming into their inheritance. That Lela had worked so hard for her spot in the company, while Ella had done the bare minimum to meet the requirements for her to inherit.
Phillip played his part when he was called down to the medical examiner’s offices to ID the body after he spent the night with the woman he kept, who catered to his specific needs. He had an alibi for the time of the murder. Everything would soon point directly to Ella.
Mary let Detective Robbins into the penthouse. He walked into the living room. Phillip waited for him to take a seat in the chair beside the sofa, so no one overheard them. Detective Robbins’s smile encouraged him that the man finally had good news.
“Where is she?” Phillip asked, keeping his voice low, despite the fact Mary retreated back into the kitchen past the dining room.
“I don’t have her exact location, but she used her debit and credit card at the airport
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