Page 41 of Tessa's Trust

Chapter 15

“Can you die from sexual tension?” I asked my sister Donna as I finished moving my clothes into her spare bedroom later that afternoon, the phone pressed to my ear.

She chuckled, sounding slightly inebriated. “I don’t think so. You could probably get a heart attack or something.”

I smiled and walked into her kitchen to look for a cabernet in her wine cabinet. She always had the good stuff.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come home?” she asked again.

“No, really, stay and have fun.”

She and a few of her friends had decided to extend their wine tour trip from Napa Valley to hit the wineries in Walla Walla for a few days.

“Thanks for letting me crash at your place,” I said.

“Of course,” she said. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want. Please tell me you’re not in actual danger.”

I carefully opened the wine, trying to be quiet about it. She hadn’t exactly said I could take the good stuff, but it was Donna, and she usually didn’t mind. “As far as I can tell, I’m fine,” I told her. “Nick said Ozzie is in jail and won’t be getting out anytime soon, so we have time to figure out why he targeted both Nick and me. I think it had something to do with Nick’s trial because the brother was put away.”

“But why would Ozzie have your picture?” Donna asked.

I poured myself a generous glass. “I have no idea. Basanelli is looking into it, and so long as the shooter stays in jail, I’m not horribly worried about it.”

Perhaps I should be concerned, but I wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t think I was in any danger at the moment, which was probably naïve. However, everything that had gone down at Silver Sadie’s seemed to have more to do with Sadie and her building than me.

And being shot at by a guy whose brother Nick had put away surely had to do with Nick’s job. It was rumored we were dating, so maybe that explained the photo of me. I suddenly had definite sympathy for Anna, who often found herself in situations like these.

Maybe none of it was her fault.

Donna cleared her throat. “So, if Rudy Brando recorded his deed first, he legally owns the building. Or at least he did, correct?”

I bit my lip. “That’s my understanding from Anna. My recourse would be to sue Sadie for the money back, but we’re not entirely sure the deed is authentic. We’re trying to figure that out now. It could be that Rudy and his so-called wife are trying to commit fraud.” That was my hope. The question remained as to who had killed Rudy. It just didn’t make sense that they’d stabbed him and left that deed for the sheriff to find. Unless the wife had done it.

“Hmm,” I murmured.

“Nope,” Donna said loudly. “Do not become Anna. Do not go investigating your own case. Let the authorities take care of it, for the love of all that is holy and good. Please.”

I laughed, I couldn’t help it. “I’m not going to turn into an amateur sleuth like Anna, I promise.”

“All right,” Donna capitulated. “Engage the burglar alarm and stay safe. Are you packing?”

“Of course,” I said. The compact nine-millimeter was my favorite and fit in any purse. We’d trained since we were young with weapons, so I knew what I was doing and could protect myself if necessary.

She snorted. Whatever wine they were drinking was getting to her, and I was happy she’d made time to have fun. “All right, you know where the safe is if you need anything. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I ended the call and took a deep drink of the wine. The Merlot was dry with a smooth aftertaste, and I hummed happily. Donna’s wine collection was something to admire, and it was kind that she shared.

I wandered over to her comfortable sofa and flicked on the TV. I should probably start thinking about dinner, but right now, just having a nice glass of wine seemed good enough.

Nick and I had been entirely too cozy at our luncheon, and I wanted to believe that I didn’t enjoy his bossy side. But considering he had only wanted to protect me, I figured I shouldn’t lie to myself, and I needed to stop thinking about Basanelli and his fine body.

My phone buzzed, and I answered it absently. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Tessa?” a male voice asked.

“Sure.” I dropped my feet from the coffee table to the floor. “Who is this?”

Shuffling sounded, and the beep, beep, beep of a door before it was shut came over the line.

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