Page 47 of Cornered

He formed a plan for how he wanted to proceed, then walked back outside. Bronwyn and Cassie leaned against Bronwyn’s BMW. When he joined them, Bronwyn made eye contact. Cassie did not.

He pointed back to the kitchen. “I need to document the scene first. Then I’ll need to talk to both of you.”

“Of course.” Bronwyn looked around. “Do you mind if we come inside with you? The two of us hanging out on the sidewalk might generate questions I don’t want to deal with.”

“That’s fine.”

“What would you like us to do, ma’am?” The question came from one of the security guards and was directed at Bronwyn.

She turned to Donovan. “Do they need to stay?”

Before he could respond, Bronwyn’s phone beeped. She apologized and answered. She hadn’t put it on speaker, but it didn’t matter. He could hear every word.

“Are you okay? Is Cassie okay? We’re headed your way.” He recognized the voice of Cal Shaw.

“Cal, we’re fine. You don’t need to come. Donovan’s here.”

Cal said something that Donovan couldn’t make out, but the tone hadn’t been complimentary. Bronwyn handed her phone to Donovan. “Cal wants to talk to you.”

He took it. “Bledsoe here.”

“Officer.” Cal’s voice was as chilly as Gossamer Falls in January. “Bronwyn called Landry.” Of course. Landry Hutton Shaw, Cal’s new wife, was the artist in residence at The Haven and good friends with Bronwyn. “Landry called me. I called Gray. Now Mo and I are headed to The Haven.”

“I—”

“I don’t care if you want us there or not. We told Gray we’d help.”

“I—”

“Unless you’ve found a way to clone yourself, you need help. We’re not interested in taking over the investigation.” A muttered sound that might have been Mo disagreeing with Cal’s statement filtered through the air, but Cal didn’t acknowledge it. “And as soon as word spreads to the family, you’re going to need help keeping everyone from storming the castle.”

Donovan pinched the bridge of his nose. The Quinns invading the Pierce stronghold? Wouldn’t that just be pouring fuel on the fire.

He didn’t like bringing civilians in, but Cal Shaw and Mo Quinn, Cassie’s cousins, were both former military and were paid consultants with the Gossamer Falls Police Department. He could use them to secure the sceneandthey could keep the Quinn family in line without hurting feelings. “Fine. Come to Hideaway.”

“We’re ten minutes out.” Cal disconnected the call.

Donovan handed the phone to Bronwyn. “The cavalry’s coming.”

Cassie and Bronwyn groaned in unison.

“You’re loved.” Donovan’s words came out more sharply than he’d intended. He tried to soften his tone. “It’s a gift, ladies.”

Cassie made true eye contact with him for the first time since he’d arrived. She knew about his family, and the smile she gave him was far more tender than he deserved. “You’re right.”

Donovan turned to the security guards who continued to wait. “I’ll need to talk to you later. For now, put everyone on high alert, and keep guests and staff away from this area.”

“We’ll do that.” The men shook hands and left.

Bronwyn’s phone rang again. She looked at the screen and sighed. “Excuse me.” She answered the call and then took several steps away.

Donovan turned in the other direction to give her additional privacy. Cassie did the same.

Filling the silence would be a mistake. But he hadn’t spoken to Cassie in months. And he had questions. So many questions. But he couldn’t ask any of them, so he went with something safe. “How’s Chef Louis?”

“Good. I went to see him yesterday. He’s showing off his scar to anyone who walks in the door. Tells everyone he’s a walking miracle. Says God left him on this earth for a reason and he’s going to figure out what it is and do it.”

“He wasn’t already doing it? I’ve heard that his food is an almost spiritual experience.”

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