Page 80 of Bit's Bliss
I didn’t know Decker well and had only interacted with him a few times. However, he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would admit when he was wrong. Not that he did much beyond conceding I’d made a fair point.
“Eberly thinks it was Tiernan Burke.”
“I agree. What I want to know now is what he was doing here. If he was looking for something, best guessis he found it, given how quickly he left. Let’s see if Eberly notices anything missing.”
We returned to the living room, but neither she nor Snapper were still there. Seconds later, I heard her voice from the other side of the house.
“Who would do this?” she shouted.
I raced over and saw her standing by a set of French doors. Through the window, I could see that what had once been a small garden, maybe no more than ten-by-ten feet, was destroyed. Pots were broken, plants ripped from the ground, and a bench was lying in pieces.
I stood beside her, and she turned to face me. “Enough!” she shouted. “I don’t care what any of you think I should or shouldn’t do. I’m calling Tiernan today. I’ll find out what he wants in order to leave me and my family alone. If it’s money, he can have it. All I want is for my father to come home and to live my life in peace.”
I understood Eberly’s anger and even her desire to “settle” with Burke. My fear was that he’d demand every last cent she had. Particularly if she conveyed the same message to him, which essentially was, “I don’t care what it costs.”
When my cell rang with a call from Zin, I excused myself and answered. “What’s up?” I asked.
“The bank found the missing page from the loan documents. Their attorney is requesting an immediate hearing so they can proceed with the foreclosure.”
“What about the Intent to Cure?”
“If they’re able to get in front of the judge, he’ll insist they issue it regardless. Once they have, the fifteen-day countdown commences. As soon as I receive a response from the courts, I’ll let you know. But be prepared. Eberly will need to appear.”
“Gotcha,” I said before ending the call, hesitating before rejoining the others. Part of me hoped Decker had already convinced Eberly that contacting Burke would be a mistake. Whether he had or not, her plan to confront him would have no impact on Zin’s call. The bank’s intent to foreclose was an issue on its own, one her former fiancé had no influence over.
As I approached where they stood, my footfalls got heavier in the same way they did when I had to walk past the room where I was attacked. I wished it was in my power to make the shit she was dealing with go away. Then, instead of having to show up for another hearing where she’d once again be slapped in the facewith her father’s betrayal, we could return to Poppy Hill Ranch and divide our time between mind-blowing sex and planting gardens, both of which put a smile on my little dove’s face.
“That was Zin,” I began when she, along with Decker and Snapper, turned to face me. I explained what he’d told me about the bank requesting the second hearing after locating the missing page from the loan documents. Like me, Eberly asked about the Intent to Cure, and I passed on Zin’s response.
“I’d like to clean this up now if that’s okay,” she said, motioning outside the door.
My eyes met Decker’s, and when he raised a brow, I told him to go ahead.
“Bit mentioned you identified the person in the surveillance footage as Tiernan Burke,” he said.
“I said it could be him,” she responded. “I’m not certain, though.”
“I have a strong suspicion you’re right. Based on what we saw, he was in and out of the house in approximately ten minutes. That indicates he may have been looking for something that he was able to locate quickly. I’d like to ask you to look around and see if anything stands out as being missing.”
“I already know.” She walked toward her father’s study, and we followed. “While I don’t have a list or a recollection of the contents of the safe, whatever it was must’ve been in it,” she said, pointing to its open door.
When I stepped closer, I saw it was empty.
“Would there have been cash or other things of value? Maybe jewelry?” Decker asked.
“I wouldn’t know for sure, but I doubt it.”
“Any other ideas?” I asked.
She looked at me with wide eyes. “My trust documents.”
“That’s probably what it was,” said Decker, pulling out his phone. “I’m trying to track the sonuvabitch, but he’s a wily fucker,” he added under his breath. “Surest sign of an experienced criminal.”
If that was what Burke got his hands on, it would mean he’d know Michael Oliver was the trustee. Both him and Zin needed to be updated on that development.
23
EBERLY
