Chapter 5

5

U nease crept up the back of Jenna's neck. She might be thrilled Calvin had agreed to help her uncover what happened to Stella, proving her innocence in the whole mess. But she'd never pictured him sitting in her home, pouring over details of her life that may assist him with his investigation.

Calvin sat on a stool at the large island that separated the kitchen from the living room. She couldn't get over how big he was in her space—a space most often filled with only herself and her laughing baby boy.

"In order to figure out what happened to Stella, I need a better picture of who she was. What she did, how she spent her time, who she hung around with."

How many times had she imagined him there? Sitting with a cup of coffee and scruff lining his jaw after a night spent together. His bare feet propped on the stool beside him while she made breakfast and they talked about their upcoming day.

The dream hadn't ever included him with a tight set of his shoulders and pinched face as he fought to keep his gaze on his phone while he typed his thoughts.

Jenna fetched a glass from the cherry wood cabinet and filled it with water from the tap. "Do you want something to drink?" She kept her back turned, chugging half the cool liquid in her cup before facing him again.

"I'm fine. What can you tell me about Stella?" His voice was brisk and all business. Gone was any hint of humor he'd always carried with him.

Setting the glass down, she braced her hands against the smooth marble of the countertop. "I don't know much. Especially recently. It's been almost two years since I saw her."

He finally glanced up, surprise lifting his left eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded, wishing she had something stronger than water for this conversation.

Calvin kept his face passive but couldn't hide the spark of interest in his eyes. "Why did you part ways?"

She worked her jaw back and forth, knowing the answer would bring up more old wounds for her and Calvin. "She got pregnant."

"And?"

Sighing, she pulled one of the stools to the opposite side of the island and sat. "And I watched her like a hawk. Made sure she was clean and took care of herself. Went to all the doctor visits with her. I drove her to the hospital when she went into labor, prepared to continue helping both of them when the baby arrived."

"Let me guess," he said with a snort. "She slipped back into her old ways, putting both her and her child in danger. Was that finally the last straw for you? Obviously, Stella needed to hurt more than just me to open your eyes."

His anger churned her stomach. She'd underestimated how hard it'd be to discuss anything pertaining to her sister with Calvin. But she didn't have a choice now so she might as well finish the story. "Yes, she went back to her old ways, but she didn't hurt the baby. She actually left him in the hospital. Said she wasn't ready to be a mom."

Calvin's mouth dropped open for a beat before snapping it closed. "What happened to the baby?"

"I adopted him." She couldn't help but smile at the mention of her sweet Oliver. "I hadn't seen Stella since the day she signed the papers and left us both behind. Until last night."

A chill swept over her. Stella had been so angry. So obstinate and full of spite. The determination in her sister's threat of taking away Oliver had filled her with a kind of terror she'd never experienced before.

"Why did she show up?" Calvin asked, breaking into her thoughts.

She swallowed the bile creeping up her esophagus. "She wanted Oliver. Said she was ready to be a mother now and was taking back what was hers."

"Shit." Calvin tossed his phone on the counter. "Anyone overhear this conversation?"

"Mrs. Collins, the woman who runs the women's shelter, interrupted us when the conversation escalated. Another volunteer was in the kitchen and heard the yelling. I talked with them both after Stella left, explained everything."

"Any chance either of those women would tell the police what they heard?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. If the police asked them, they wouldn't lie."

"Police could see that as a motive for murder," Calvin said. "Even if the law is on your side as far as parental rights go. Stella couldn't sweep in and take back a child she gave away, but emotions were high, and people react rashly in those situations."

A lump lodged in her throat. Mrs. Collins and Elsie wouldn't have accused her of anything if asked, but that didn't mean Stella hadn't mentioned their argument to someone else. She had no clue who'd been in Stella's life these last couple of years. No telling who the police had spoken with or the picture they'd painted of Jenna.

"So you have no other information about where Stella lives or what she's been doing the last couple years?"

Overwhelmed, Jenna's ears buzzed. She blinked in rapid succession, struggling to remain focused. "Umm, she mentioned moving to Pine Valley and starting her own business. I'm over there a couple times a week, but rarely stop anywhere other than the shelter. I've never seen her around town."

"Shouldn't be too hard to figure out where she lives and what her business is. That'll be a good start. From there I can find friends, possibly employees, who may have a little more insight into her personal life."

The dang tears came back, clouding her vision. "I failed her."

Calvin's pinched face melted into an expression filled with compassion, even as a hardness stayed firmly in place. "You gave up almost everything for Stella. Did whatever you could to help keep her life on track. She's the one who screwed that up. Not you."

A lump lodged in her throat. "My head knows you're right. But I'll never get a chance to be her friend again, to see her happy and laughing. Finally free of all the demons that refused to let her go…I just?—"

The front door swung open and interrupted the conversation.

"Hello! We're home." Mrs. Franklin's jolly voice rang inside the house, followed by an excited squeal.

"My babysitter and son," she told Calvin. "We'll need to finish this away from tiny ears. He's not even two yet, but I don't want him to be around any talk about Stella."

Calvin stood and slipped his phone into the front pocket of his jeans. "Okay. I'll get started."

"Will you let me know if you find anything?"

"Sure."

"Mama!" Oliver toddled into the kitchen with his arms stretched high and drool pooled at the corner of his mouth. "Uppy!"

She scooped him into her arms and held him tight, inhaling the scent of baby shampoo that never went away. She kissed his chubby cheek as joy coated the fear refusing to let her go. When she was with Oliver, he was her main focus. She'd need to figure out how to ignore all the turmoil boiling in her gut.

Calvin started for the front door, facing her before reaching for the handle, his eyes wide and lips downturned. His gaze flitted to Oliver for a second before he nodded at Mrs. Franklin and disappeared outside.

Pressure squeezed her chest and a part of her yearned to see Calvin come back inside and join them. To lower his walls and play the role she still pictured in her dreams.

But she didn't deserve that dream. She'd cast him aside years ago, dismissing their relationship and his career all in one fell swoop. Calvin agreeing to help her didn't mend any of their broken past, and she couldn't blame him for that. She'd simply accept his help, get the hell out of this mess, then continue loving the only man in her life who mattered.

Oliver.

Calvin knocked on the door with the name of Stella's business etched in the glass. Pinning down Stella's business hadn't taken much time. He'd called and lucked out to find an employee willing to speak with him, but he'd wanted to do this interview in person. No telling what he might learn about Stella within these walls.

The stand-alone building sat off the main road, tucked into a cluster of trees. High bushes with bright red leaves lined the side of the building. If Stella had hoped to gain attention with her office, she'd picked the wrong space.

The door swung open to a petite woman in her twenties. Red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips showcased the grief on her oval face. Her black hair was secured in some sort of large clip on the top of her head. "Calvin?"

"Yes. You're Amy?"

A small smile cracked through the woman's grim expression. "Yeah. Sorry I locked the door, but I've been a nervous wreck since Stella was killed." Tears filled her hazel eyes, highlighting the green that outshined the yellow in her irises. She yanked the door open wide.

"Understandable," Calvin said and stepped over the threshold. "Thanks for agreeing to see me."

Amy wrung her hands. "I'm not sure how I can help. I talked to the police, and they already searched the office."

He stepped into the square room, and the overpowering scent of bleach and lemon disinfectant stung the inside of his nostrils. He strode to the metal racks that took up the room like bookcases in a library and scanned the items. The office was more like a giant storage unit. The open space housed cleaning carts and supplies. The desk in the front of the room was neat as a pin, not even a computer taking up space. He nodded in Amy's direction.

"I just want some more information about Stella and her business. Just the basics—how many employees did Stella have, was there anyone she worked with who wished her harm? Anything at all you can think of could be helpful."

"Well, I've worked with Stella the last two months and Suzy was brought on a few weeks ago. We took on two clients recently that are pretty time consuming. Stella took care of them both but needed someone else to help cover what she couldn't do anymore. Mainly the single-family households Stella could never refuse."

Calvin's gut tightened. A lot seemed to happen in the last few months since Stella relocated back to Pine Valley. It had to be connected somehow. "Who were the two new clients?"

Amy licked her lips. "Umm, a local law office and one of the churches in town."

"Which church?" Calvin asked.

"The Catholic Church."

"Why did these two clients demand more attention than others?" Calvin asked.

A light blush stained Amy's pale cheeks, as though she were afraid to speak badly about a client. "The lawyer expects his office to look a certain way and always insisted Stella take care of the cleaning personally. I helped a few times and couldn't believe how particular he was. And the church is huge and has a ton of activities throughout the week. We only serve our clients once, maybe twice a week. Both businesses needed Stella five days a week."

"Did Stella complain about being needed so much? Did it bother her?" Calvin asked.

Amy shook her head. "No. It was a great boost to the company. Stella had big plans. Working for two prominent places in the community helped promote the business. The little jobs that came as a result of word of mouth, Suzy took care of."

Calvin strolled toward the meticulous desk. No notes gave away numbers, no photos showed friends. His fingers itched to peek into the drawers. "Can I have the contact information for these places? I'd love to speak with them about their relationship with Stella."

"Sure. Give me a second." Amy met him by the desk stuffed between metal racks filled with an assortment of cleaning products. She pulled open the top drawer, and Calvin spied a keyring with three keys attached.

"Did Stella use the office a lot?" Calvin asked. He flicked his wrist to the area behind Amy, hoping to divert her attention long enough to snatch the keys. "Doesn't look like a lot of free space."

Amy glanced over her shoulder and he snatched the keys from the drawer, shoving them in his pocket before she turned back around and scribbled on a piece of paper. "We store everything we need for the jobs here. We both kept supplies in our cars, so we only needed to stop by when something ran low."

He crossed the room, peeking into all the corners. "Did she keep her records on a computer? What about paper files or contact information regarding all the clients? I don't see a filing cabinet or anything."

"She did her paperwork at home. She had a laptop she always kept with her. I'm not sure about paper files, but I'd assume they were at her house as well." Amy handed him the slip of paper then crossed her arms over her middle. "The police confiscated the computer we kept here, but I couldn't say for sure what was on it. Stella handled all the paperwork."

If Stella had a laptop with business information, the police would have already taken that as well. If there was anything useful on it, or the computer from the office, hopefully they'd uncover it.

Calvin slid a business card on the desk. "If you think of anything else that could be useful, please call. I know the police are working hard to find out what happened to Stella, but it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes looking into things."

Amy gave him a watery smile before he headed out the front door and hurried toward his borrowed truck. He settled behind the wheel and pulled out the key ring he'd snatched from the desk. Three keys nestled in his palm, all neatly labeled.

Office. Car. House.

Jackpot.

An internal struggle waged inside him as he started the engine. He'd told Jenna he'd keep her informed of everything he'd found. Maybe he'd wait to give her an update until after he poked around Stella's home. No need to interrupt her more than necessary when he really didn't have anything important to share.

But a quick call would be enough to hear her voice again.

Shit. This was exactly why he shouldn't have agreed to help her. Their connection had always been so damn strong, and now that he'd had a little taste of Jenna back in his life, he wanted more.

Picking up his phone, he dialed her number, anticipation constricting his chest. Stella might have had her share of troubles, but she wasn't the only one with a vice. Jenna had always been his drug. He just hoped he'd be able to quit her when the case was over.