Page 81 of Tangled Up In You

He couldn't help wondering if she hadn't put some of Drew's live-in-the-moment ideas into his head. A lot of what Drew had said sounded like Molly, and they'd been spending a lot of time together.

But he couldn't blame Molly for whatever influence she'd had on Drew, because he seemed like a changed kid. Molly respected him and had built up his confidence, and Cassie had made him see the possibility of a future. That might end as fast as it had started, but maybe it was also just what Drew needed.

Which made him wonder why he was pushing away the one person he needed just because it might not be for forever. Nothing was forever.

He pedaled faster but he wasn't going to outride his feelings for Molly. Every time he pushed her away, he just wanted to go back and get her. Maybe one of these days, that impulse would win out.

As his phone buzzed, he slowed down to grab it. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"This is Brenda Dunn. I got a message from you."

He stopped pedaling. "Yes. I understand you did some cleaning for Ms. Montgomery before she died."

"I did. But I never saw Ms. Montgomery. I only saw her housekeeper, Rebecca Pierce. She told me what to clean and that's what I did."

"Were you involved in packing any of the boxes that were sent to Phoebe Haller?"

"No. Rebecca took care of that. You should be talking to her."

"I can't find her. Did you have any contact with her after she left?"

"The last time I saw Rebecca was the day before Ms. Montgomery died. Phoebe was there that day, too. She was crying when she came down the stairs."

"Did you know Phoebe?"

"Sure. I've lived in Whisper Lake my entire life. Why are you asking me questions? What's the problem?"

"We're looking for a missing diamond. It was supposed to be in Ms. Montgomery's safe, but it's not, and no one knows where it is now."

Brenda gasped. "Well, I didn't take anything out of that house," she said in indignation. "Is that what you think? Is someone saying I did? Because if anyone took anything, it was probably the gardener. He always seemed to be looking in the windows. I'd be making a bed and I'd look out and see him staring in the window. It was creepy."

"That's Reuben Cardoza?"

"I didn't know his name. I think he works out of the north shore."

"Was there anyone else around besides the gardener, Rebecca, or Phoebe?"

"She saw Kim Collins. Kim works at the hair salon. I think she might be related to Caroline in some way."

That confirmed what Kim had told him about her visit. "Anyone else?"

"Not that I saw. I hope I'm not in trouble, because I was just there to clean."

"Did Rebecca talk to you about Caroline, about their relationship?"

"Not really. She only said that Caroline was obsessed with her privacy. She didn’t want anyone to get a picture of her. I had to leave my phone in the car when I cleaned. I saw her that one time, and she looked old and sick. I could understand why she wanted people to remember her like she used to be."

"Has anyone else been in touch with you? Anyone from Caroline's family?"

"As a matter of fact, I got a message from someone named Lance Baylor. But I haven't called him back yet. Who is he?"

"He's an attorney for Charles Weatherly. Don't call him back. If you happen to answer, and he's on the line, tell him to contact me."

"All right. I don't understand why everyone wants to talk to me, but I won't call him back."

"Thanks for your help." He said goodbye, then called Lance Baylor. The call went to voicemail. Not surprising, since it was a Sunday. He left a message with his name and number. He'd barely set down his phone when it buzzed. Molly's name flashed across the screen and anticipation raced down his spine.

"Hello?"

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