Page 50 of Dark Terror
Harry gave him a look that said he was a lost cause before walking out and shutting the door behind her. His partner had nailed it. At least he was pretty sure she had and that this woman wasthe one. Maybe. Hopefully?
He leaned down, putting his mouth close to Cara’s ear. “When all this is over, you and me, we’re going away for a few days—even better, for a week—and really getting to know each other in the most basic of ways. Because, Cara, you’ve been visiting me every damn night in my dreams. And let me tell you, I now have dozens of things I’ve dreamed about doing to you that I want to make real.”
She opened her mouth to speak. He put his fingers on her lips. “Hush. I’m not done here.” He slipped onto the chair next to her and pulled her to face him, arranging them so that her legs were inside his. He darted a sad look at the dog. “Sheri’s sister might decide to take Cricket back home with her, and if she does, it’s because she wants him. Meaning he’ll have a good home. But think about this. Who besides you wants a dog this ugly?”
“He’s not ugly.”
Gabe laughed. “Have you even looked at him?”
She put her hands over Cricket’s ears. “Yes, but we’re pretending he’s handsome. I’d do the same for you if you needed me to.” Her cheeks flushed a delightful pale pink. “I’ve dreamed about you, too,” she said as if just catching up to their earlier conversation.
She was just too adorable. “Have you now? Want to share?”
“Good heavens, no!”
“No?” he said, more amused than he’d been in a long time.
“No, as in not right now, because if I did, we’d be going at it on this table”—she slapped her hand down on said table—“like bunny rabbits.”
“Oh, baby, you just made my fantasy list even longer.”
“Vivian Donaldson is here,” Harry said after poking her head in. “The boss has a meeting over at the mayor’s office about those fires. She said we could use her office to talk to the sister.”
“Be right there.” It seemed they had an arsonist setting fires around town, and people were getting nervous. He stood. “You want anything? Water or a soda?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You sure are. We probably won’t be long.”
“If I’m not here when you come for Cricket, it only means that we ran away. You can find us in Tahiti drinking fancy rum cocktails on the beach.”
He grinned. “Trust me, I’ll definitely come find you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Gabe studied Sheri’s sister, deciding in a million years he’d never have guessed they were
related. Vivian Donaldson’s thin lips were pinched together, her desire to be anywhere but here obvious. Where Sheri had been eye-catchingly beautiful, Vivian was too thin, her mousy brown hair limp, and her brown eyes were a muddy color. And another thing he noted, she didn’t seem to be grieving the death of her sister.
“I’m sorry for the reason you’re having to talk to us.” He softened his voice. “You have our condolences.”
She shrugged as if to say,whatever.
“When was the last time you saw your sister?” he asked. She might not have been close to Sheri, but the woman had been murdered. That should bring some kind of reaction, but she hadn’t even bothered to ask what had happened. Gabe wasn’t liking her much.
“Two years ago at my mom’s funeral.”
“Were you close?” Harry said after glancing at him, both of them catching that she’d saidmymom, not our mom.
“God, no. And she’s not my sister, not really. She’s adopted. She gave my parents a fit from day one. Even at eight years old, when she came to live with us, she was a little bitch. I don’t know why they kept her.”
The woman wasn’t going to be any help, but he asked his next question anyway. “So you don’t know anything about her life for the past few years?”
“No, and I didn’t want to. I went to her apartment this morning. What a mess. I should just light a match to the place. Sheri always was a hoarder, and she obviously didn’t grow out of it. Mom said it was because she’d never had anything before coming to live with us, and I suppose that makes sense. But gracious, piling junk up like that is ridiculous. At least some of it looks like stuff I can sell on eBay.”
As an adult Sheri might not have been a nice person, but Gabe couldn’t help feeling sorry for the child she’d been. He guessed that Vivian hadn’t tried to make friends with Sheri when she’d come to live with the family. He was also beginning to understand her motive if she’d been blackmailing someone. For her, the money would have represented security.
“I looked but couldn’t find any bank records at her apartment. Do you know if she had an account somewhere?”
