Alaskan Courage: Silenced Part 19

"She claims Conrad never broke things off with her."

Vivienne crossed her legs. "She's lying."

"How can you be certain?" Kayden asked.

"Because Conrad gave me his word."

Jake almost laughed out loud. How could the word of a cheater hold any weight? "I don't mean to be insensitive, but how do you know Conrad wasn't lying to you?"

An expression crossed Vivienne's face-a mixture of consideration and rejection warring for purchase. "He wouldn't do that."

Jake leaned forward. "I hate to be blunt, but I have to ask. Were you having an affair?"

Vivienne stiffened. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

That pretty much answered his question.

"It's pertinent to our investigation."

"Vivienne," Stuart said, entering the room freshly shaved and showered. "I insist you refrain from speaking with them without your lawyer present. This has gone far enough."

"I believe I will take Stuart's advice." Vivienne stood and walked toward the door. "This conversation is over."

As soon as they exited the Humphries residence, Kayden said, "She might as well have admitted she was having an affair."

"The fact that she refrained from lying is wise on her part." Jake hesitated and looked back at the house.

"But . . . ?"

"I don't know. There's something lingering beneath the surface, but I can't put my finger on it." Something was off.

"With Vivienne and Stuart?"

"With this entire case."

20.

Kayden settled on the loveseat in the family room, and to her surprise, Jake sat down beside her. Not that she was complaining, but it was the first time he'd done so when other seating was available. He was getting as comfortable around her as she was with him, and while a part of her loved it, it was scary. She needed to be careful. It was obvious Jake had strong feelings for her, and as much as she wanted to reciprocate those feelings-even if she did on the inside-she couldn't pursue them. She'd made her decision years ago, and she needed to stick to her resolution.

"How are the suspects looking?" Landon asked. The house was abuzz with all the siblings there, except the honeymooners.

Jake reclined. "To cover everyone . . . we have Brody-who is doing his best to look guilty, even though he most likely is not-Stuart, Vivienne, her and Conrad's two boys, the maid, Patty Tate, and possibly her son, if he was home with access to Conrad's chalk when Conrad visited Patty."

Kayden shifted to face him. "You can't possibly think Conrad's own boys or Patty's teenage son had anything to do with his murder, or the maid, for that matter, do you?"

"We can't rule anyone out without fully investigating. Conrad and Vivienne's boys don't climb, according to Vivienne, so they seem unlikely. Patty's son works at Rocktrex, so he'd have the knowledge, I suppose, but what possible motive could he have?"

"None that I can imagine," Kayden said.

Jake exhaled. "What we need to account for is Conrad's lost hour."

"Lost hour?" Landon asked, sitting on the couch beside Piper.

"According to Vivienne, Conrad left the house at around nine o'clock for an hour or hour and a half. He told her he was going to work. . . ."

"But he didn't?"

"His secretary says he wasn't at the office."

"So where was he?"

"Not with Patty Tate, according to her. And I can't imagine why she would lie about the timing," Jake said, shifting so he was even closer to Kayden.

She knew she should move, but she really, really didn't want to.

"Maybe Conrad went back to Rocktrex for another practice run," Jake said. "If so, then everyone present at Rocktrex at the time would have had access to his chalk. We never checked the logbook for that night. Only that afternoon."

"But why would Conrad go back?" Her brows arched. "You think he was nervous about the climb?"

Jake nodded. "He probably knew he was pushing his limits."

He had to have. She couldn't imagine someone with his level of experience being confident about a route as dangerous as Stoneface.

Jake set his coffee mug on the table as Darcy offered him a tray of chocolate-chip blondies. He grabbed one and placed it on his napkin. "Thanks. They look delicious."

"Kayden?" she asked.

She didn't want to hurt Darcy's feelings, but she didn't do desserts unless it was fruit or sorbet or had only natural ingredients. "I'm good, but thanks. They do look delicious."

Darcy smiled and moved on to Reef, who politely handed one to Anna before taking one for himself. Piper was right. He was changing. It was good to see and good to have him home. He was more like the sweet kid she remembered than the sullen young man he'd been for years. Anna was obviously good for him.

Gage s.n.a.t.c.hed three blondies from the plate before Darcy sat down. "What?" he said, about to swallow one whole. "I'm a growing boy."

Kayden left off her usual "You got the boy part right." She was too focused on the case at hand and on Jake by her side. "So, now what?"

"We'll be paying Brody another visit, to see if Conrad went back to the gym that night."

"Brody will love that."

"We've got a warrant. He can balk all he wants."

"Speaking of warrants . . ." Landon swallowed his bite of blondie. "I got mine too. We can go through Vivienne's and Stuart's credit-card records."

Kayden shook her head. "Still seems dumb to me that they'd use their credit card to buy the Dodecanol. They had to know it would be traceable."

Jake rested his arm along the couch back. "It's not like you can order something over the Internet or phone with cash, and it's too obvious to purchase it anyplace local."

"I suppose you're right." She'd always given him a hard time about his surprising knowledge of criminal behavior, but after Darcy's revelation, Kayden now knew the story behind it. She didn't plan on questioning his knowledge ever again.

The rest of her family occupied in a lively game of Pictionary, Kayden snuck out to the porch swing with her cup of homemade all-natural cocoa.

She sank down onto the swing, always feeling closest to her mom there. It was the same weathered porch swing her mom had swung on with her when she was little. And it was the last place they'd had one of their talks before her mom's pa.s.sing. It was an evident reminder of her mom and the close relationship they'd shared. She treasured it and spent a little time out on it each evening, weather permitting-though she wasn't one to mind a little rain or snow.

She pumped with her legs, getting the swing going.

"Mind if I join you?" Jake asked, stepping onto the porch.

She jolted, hadn't heard the kitchen door creak open. The man was stealthy. Too stealthy. If she wasn't careful he'd completely steal her heart-if he hadn't done so already.

She slowed the swing to a stop and scooted over.

He sat down beside her, the swing moving under his motion. "Nice night," he said in his luscious baritone voice.

Heat flushed her cheeks with a sudden rush, and she glanced up at the stars beaming bright overhead. "It's beautiful."

Feeling his intent gaze on her, she turned to stare at him, but he didn't look away.

"Not up for Pictionary?" she asked, trying to ease the tightness in her belly that seemed to come whenever Jake was near, or when someone brought up his name, or even when she smelled his cedar aftershave. . . .

He grasped the swing chain with his left hand, propping his elbow on the armrest. "I'm not into games."

Why didn't she think they were still actually talking about board games? "None at all? Maybe cards are more your style?"

"Directness is more my style."

"Now that your truth is finally out?"

He exhaled. "I'm sorry about that. About not being upfront with you all before. I was just trying to put the past behind me, to . . ."

"You don't have to explain." Certainly not to her. Not after the way she'd treated him for so many years.

"But I want to be upfront, with you."

"I appreciate that." But she knew he hadn't been hiding things as much as trying to keep painful memories at bay.

"I'm sorry about your wife and baby." She shifted to face him better. She couldn't begin to imagine the loss. She'd dealt with plenty in her own life, but losing a child . . .

She'd witnessed the agony Gage had endured at the loss of his son. To think Jake had gone through that depth of pain-it physically made her heart ache.

Jake swallowed. "Thank you."

She had so many questions she wanted to ask, more cropping up each day. Right now the most prominent was whether he saw himself ever getting married again, but it seemed far too personal a question and way too inappropriate for the moment.

Besides, would his answer really make any difference one way or another? She was only fooling herself with hope. Yes, she had growing feelings for Jake. Strong feelings, but that didn't change the facts or her situation.

Laughter and yelling flooded out the open windows.

Jake smiled. "Sounds like some game."

McKenna games were hardly a spectator sport.

He inclined his head to the front path. "Want to take a walk?"

No. Say no. "Sure." Sure? What are you doing?

Jake moved down the front porch steps and paused, waiting for her to join him. She half wanted-okay, wholeheartedly yearned-for him to offer his hand the way he had last night when they'd danced, but he didn't. Instead he slipped his hands into his jean pockets.

Why did that make her so incredibly sad?

See. That was exactly why she refused to fall in love. Nothing good came of it. Unfortunately it appeared her heart hadn't gotten the message.

21.

Rocktrex was crowded with every top line in use. Climbers waited on the blue mats for their turn, giving the usually open s.p.a.ce a strongly congested feel. Kayden spotted Brody by the bouldering section and lifted her chin in greeting. He waved without an ounce of friendliness.

She blew a loose strand of hair from her face. This ought to be fun.

He held up a finger, indicating he'd be a moment.

She nodded and turned her attention to the small shop at the front of the gym. She scanned the racks while Jake surveyed the crowd. It mainly contained climbing clothing and gear, but Brody had also put in a natural remedies section, homemade products for climbers' ailments-lotions for rough, cracked skin; pumice stones for calluses; soaps for soothing tired hands. She picked up a bar. Tate's Homemade Healers. Soothing sensations for cracked hands.

She picked up another. Moisturizing Madness for repairing wear and tear to climbers' hands.

"Whatcha got there?" Jake asked so close behind her, she couldn't believe she hadn't heard him coming, even above the noise of the gym.

"Homemade products for climbers," she said, reading the label on Moisturizing Madness. "Didn't Booth say Dodecanol could be used as a moisturizer in soaps?"

"Yeah, he did." Jake smiled. "You think Tate is Patty Tate?"

"We can ask Brody."

"Shane told Patty another box of supplies arrived the first time we were at their house."

"Right, and she told him to put it in her workshop."

Brody had excused himself from his conversation and was moving their way.