Page 64 of Pepper, the Biker & the Vanishing Body

“Reverend Hebert will never allowus to search for a hidden door to a secret tunnel and if word got out about a possible secret tunnel you just might see a swarm of treasure hunters descend on Willow Lake,” Ian said as I rested against him on the sofa.

We beat the rain, and the chill it brought with it, home and when Mo parked himself in front of the fireplace to stare at us, we got the hint. Ian saw to setting a fire and Mo stretched out in front of it to sleep. Roxie curled herself up against him after she ate and slept just as soundly as Mo.

A sudden thought hit me, and I sat up fast, wincing, feeling the aftereffects of my tumble down the stairs.

“You’re the one who needs protective armor, Genevieve,” Ian said, teasingly but there was concern in his eyes. “I’ll get you something for the pain.”

“First, a thought struck me. The key my aunt left me could unlock the door to the secret passageway.”

Ian nodded. “A possibility.”

I rested my head back against the sofa my thoughts drifting to the vanishing guy. If only he would wake. He could solve the mystery or a good portion of it. Another thought struck me, and I wondered if falling down those stairs rattled something loose in my head and it bothered me that I hadn’t thought of it right away.

“We, meaning not only you and I but my dad as well, figured the vanishing guy was meeting someone in the parking lot of the restaurant. But who and why the restaurant?”

Ian handed me two pills and a glass of water then sat beside me. “I assumed he was secretly meeting someone since he did a good job of avoiding being seen in public.”

I swallowed the pills followed by a generous amount of water.

“Right, but who?”

“Good question.”

I smiled. “Don’t you see? We have a list of suspects now.”

Ian’s brow shot up. “Stone. He was at the restaurant.”

“So was Professors Anderson and Swatcher and they left before us.”

“My money’s on Stone.”

“That’s because you don’t like him.”

“You’re right I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him, and I bloody hell don’t like that he makes no bones of showing that he’s interested in you.”

I’ve seen Ian get annoyed, but I never heard him sounding as angry as he did now.

“Sorry, Pep, but it irritates me that Stone thinks he even has a chance with you and is so blatant about it. I so badly want to?—”

“Easy, Lancelot,” I cautioned, resting my hand on his chest. “I have no interest in him and my heart belongs to you and you alone.”

“I never doubted that though I do like hearing it. It’s a territorial thing with guys. You’re mine and he should respect that.”

“Women too,” I said. “I don’t always like seeing the women paw you like cats in heat. If you noticed I said women, not woman. There are a bunch of them out there that would surrender to you in a heartbeat.”

“It’s part of my job, but that doesn’t make it any easier for you to deal with and you have been so understanding about it. I really appreciate it, Pep, and just remember,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “You are and always will be the only woman I love and want with all my heart.”

He kissed me and odd as it was, I swore I could feel how much he loved me. I almost shook my head thinking for the hundredth or more time that I was in one of Amy’s cherished romance novels and this time I realized it wasn’t a bad place to be.

CHAPTER 18

Ian and I waited outside the church after the last Sunday mass hoping to catch Reverend Herbert and have a brief word with him.

Millie Robertson spotted us and stared for a moment, then shook her head and left her husband talking with a couple to join us.

“I thought I was seeing your Aunt Effie when I spotted you, Pepper. You are the spitting image of her.”

“That is quite a compliment, Millie, thank you,” I said and since she had been at the church longer than the reverend and probably knew its history better than him, I decided to see what I might learn. “By any chance do you know if there are any documents or information about the original section of the church, the one that would have existed when the Willow Mausoleum was built?”

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