7 Brides for 7 Bodies (35 page)
Chapter Thirty-five
RUNNING LATE, meet you at the restaurant.
Carlotta hit the send button. A few seconds later, Peter texted back.
Ok...can’t wait to see you. xox
She sat in the rental car in the driveway of the Buckhead house.
Home
. The curved flagstone walkway was the same, and the front door, with stained glass accents. But the landscaping was overgrown, a few shingles were missing, and the corners appeared to be sagging a bit.
For the fifteen minutes she’d been parked there, she’d seen no signs of activity. The house appeared to be empty.
So why was she still sitting here?
Because she was afraid of what she might find inside?
The idea that Randolph had been monitoring them from here still seemed too fantastic to believe. But there was only one way to find out.
Carlotta opened the car door and stepped out, instantly recalling details she’d forgotten, like the tiny flecks of blue glass in the pebbled driveway, and the curve of the covered entryway. She had the strangest feeling of déjà vu and realized it was because she’d acted out this very scene only a few nights ago when she’d traveled to an alternate universe.
Now she was thinking her subconscious was telling her then what she had only just figured out—that everything came back to the house where the Wrens had been a happy family.
She walked tentatively to the front door and rang the doorbell. The chime echoed inside, a familiar tone. How many times had she heard it and bounded down the stairs to greet a school friend or Peter?
With heart pounding, she stood for a while, expecting any minute for some stranger named Bill Randolph to open the door and ask what she wanted.
But he didn’t.
She rang the doorbell again, and waited, but still no answer. Trying to appear casual in case a neighbor was watching, she bent over and felt along the stack stone steps until she found the loose stone where they’d kept a spare key.
And found it.
As she inserted the key into the lock of the front door, her heart was in her throat. Was she about to walk in on some poor, unsuspecting family?
Or Valerie?
She pushed open the door and walked inside. “Hello?”
Nothing.
“Hello?”
The house appeared to be empty of furniture, except for barstools in the kitchen. The electricity was on, and there was some food in the refrigerator. The milk was expired by two weeks, so the timing was right for Randolph to have been here. The garage was empty, so if he’d been using a car, it was parked elsewhere.
She soaked in the familiar details of the house, moving from room to room, looking for...she didn’t know what.
On the second floor, she found it.
In the room that had been her father’s den was a sleeping bag and a few men’s clothes in her father’s size. On one of the built-in bookshelves sat a small device that looked like a walkie-talkie...the receiver for the bug in their kitchen? It seemed likely.
There was also an accordion file of papers associated with the house contract. She scanned them for some sign of the buyer’s original address, but she couldn’t find one. She scanned the room for any other bits of information that might tell her where Randolph had been, and where Valerie might still be, but came up empty.
Then she went back to the clothing and was rewarded with a wadded up receipt stuffed in the corner of a shirt pocket—for a post office box...in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So her mother, it seemed, was in Vegas.
Dead or alive, she didn’t know, but at least she had a place to start looking.
Carlotta sat in the floor and let the feelings of relief and wonder wash over her. What an amazing day.
And she could think of only one person she wanted to talk to. She pulled up Jack’s number and connected the call, not yet sure how much she would share, but just wanting to hear his voice.
“Hi, Carlotta.”
She smiled into the phone. “Hi, Jack.
How was your first day back?”
“Fine. I think Detective Salyers and I will be working together some.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Sure...Salyers is a sharp detective, and I’m happy to have the help. Tying up the loose ends of this case alone will take weeks, if not months.”
“You’re welcome, Jack.”
“Listen, I’m glad you called,” he said, lowering his voice. “I have something to tell you.”
“And I have something to tell you.”
“Just let me say this—”
“If it’s about my dad—”
“It isn’t. Liz is pregnant.”
She gave a little laugh. “I know...I’ve known for a while. But good news—Wes isn’t the father after all.”
“I know,” he said. “Because, well...I’m the father.”
Pinpoints of bright lights sparkled and buzzed in her head, as if something in her brain was shorting out. Just when she thought she might be having a stroke, the noise stopped and the lights went out, leaving a dark emptiness. It was as if her future had just been switched off.
“Carlotta? Are you there? I’m sorry—”
She punched the “End” button on her phone. It seemed fitting.
Chapter Thirty-six
“HI, THERE,” Peter said, smiling wide.
“Hi,” Carlotta said, proud of herself for sounding normal when inside, she was still reeling from her discovery...and Jack’s announcement. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic snag.”
“You’re worth the wait.”
He looked handsome and successful in slacks, a lightweight sweater, and polished accessories. Peter was always so well put together. And calming. Everything about him was stable and reassuring and dependable. She could almost feel her blood pressure coming down.
“I ordered a bottle of malbec,” he said. “I hope that’s okay.”
She nodded and observed his body language as he filled her glass. Elegant, confident, accomplished.
“How was your day?” he asked.
She gave a little laugh. “Eventful.”
He held up his glass. “Then here’s to your eventful day.”
She clinked his glass, humbled by his sensitivity and chivalry. When the wine flowed into her mouth, she hummed with pleasure.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, reaching across the table to clasp her hand. “I’ve missed you so much. I got spoiled having you around the house and being able to talk to you every day.” Then he gave a little laugh. “Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Gush...crowd you...all those things that men aren’t supposed to do. But I can’t help it. I want you in my life, Carly. I went along with this idea of yours to pretend we broke up because I wanted to please you. But I don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t care if anyone at work questions my loyalty to the firm...all I care about is being able to tell and show everyone how much I love you.”
In five minutes Peter Ashford had said everything that Jack Terry hadn’t said in a year...and she’d never have to worry about Peter getting someone else pregnant.
Peter was so good, she didn’t deserve him. Then she stopped herself.
Was that her problem—she thought she couldn’t measure up?
Which was absurd. Hadn’t she just helped the police solve a big murder case? Figured out her father’s riddle? She suddenly felt empowered, as if she were about to embark on a new phase of her life.
Peter sighed. “There I go again...gushing.”
“It’s fine.” She squeezed his hand. “In fact, it’s more than fine. I’ve had some time to think while we were apart.”
His expression was hopeful. “And?”
“And my boss gave me some paid days off, so how would you like to take that trip to Vegas we postponed?”
He grinned. “I would love it.”
“So would I.” And she meant it. “Just one favor?”
“Anything.”
“Would you mind if Wes came along?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. He kissed her back with surprising passion. Maybe in Vegas they could rekindle the flame.
When she pulled back, she laughed. “This is going to be fun. Can I let Wes know?”
“Sure.”
Carlotta picked up her phone, pulled up Wes’s number and texted
Pack your bags, we’re going to Vegas!
-The End-
A note from the author
Thank you so very much for reading 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BODIES! This book marks a personal and professional milestone for me because I’m thrilled to be able to continue a series my former publishing house lost interest in, but that I loved writing. And if not for readers like you asking for more books and spreading the word about the Body Movers gang, this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you for being so patient as I worked to make this book happen. I hope it made you laugh and groan and sigh...and want to read more! Rest assured I’ll be continuing the Body Movers series—I’ll keep writing as long you keep reading.
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Stephanie Bond
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