Chapter 9

9

C alvin hopped in his truck and headed straight for Stella's. He'd have to figure out how to get his borrowed vehicle back to the rental place, but that was a problem for later. A police cruiser sat in Stella's driveway. He parked behind it, shut off the engine, and climbed out the driver's door. Jenna was already ahead of him, bounding up the front stoop.

How the hell did she get here so quick?

Cruz stood in the doorway and scowled. "I didn't call so you'd run over. This is a crime scene."

"What did you expect us to do?" Calvin asked, fisting his hands at his sides. "Besides, Jenna might recognize certain things in the house that could mean nothing to you. She's an asset here, not a criminal. Let her help. At least right now."

Cruz sighed then stepped back, allowing them access.

Jenna gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth.

Anger seized him. The place was a mess. Photos ripped from the walls, the glass frames smashed on the carpeted floor. Torn cushions lay in front of the couch. The kitchen drawers pulled open, dishes and silverware dumped from their shelves.

"The whole place is trashed," Cruz said. "Hard to tell if anything was stolen. I'm not sure Dr. Simon can be of assistance at all in this situation, but what the hell."

Jenna kept her hand to her mouth and stayed in the entryway. Tears hung in the corners of her eyes. "Why would someone do this?"

Cruz scrubbed a palm over his face. "It looks like someone was looking for something specific and didn't mind making a mess in the process."

Calvin's gut twisted. He'd found something yesterday and returned it to their hiding spot. Maybe someone else had been looking for the same thing. "The cards," he said, dashing across the living room and down the hall.

Cruz's boots pounded behind him. "What are you talking about?"

Calvin flipped on the light in Stella's room and waded through the mess of strewn clothes to the bed. The mattress lay off center, as if it'd been moved, the blankets wadded in a heap at the corner. He dropped to his knees, fished his arm under the box spring, and pulled out a fistful of crumpled papers. He stood and thrust his hand forward. "They're still here."

Cruz snatched the cards. "What is this? How did you know they were under there?"

Calvin shrugged. "Lucky guess."

Frowning, Jenna hovered in the hallway. She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to meet his eye.

Cruz clenched his jaw. "Lucky guess my ass. How did you know these were in the mattress?"

Calvin sighed. "I found them yesterday."

"You what?" Cruz barked out the question.

Jenna winced and dropped her gaze to the carpet.

"Listen, we had a key. No breaking and entering. Nothing illegal done. I poked around a little and found those cards. I snapped a few pictures, but as you can see, put them back. No harm, no foul."

Cruz all but growled as he studied the cards. "These are from flower deliveries. Why would Stella hide them?"

"My guess, so no one found out who was sending them," Calvin said.

"You should have told me about this." Cruz waved the cards. "This is evidence. A possible lead that could point to a killer. You didn't do anyone any favors by keeping this hidden. If you want me to keep you in the loop, you need to do the same with me." He dipped his chin at Jenna then disappeared down the hall.

Jenna studied Calvin, irritation clear in her blue eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about those?"

He winced. He'd planned to tell her about what he'd found after she spoke with Cruz but hadn't gotten the chance. "They were cards saved from a florist. Like the little notes tucked into a floral arrangement. All proclaiming love and strong feelings, but none of them signed."

Jenna ran a hand through her hair and surveyed the damage cluttering Stella's room. "I understand that you're the professional, but I need you to keep me in the loop, too. I have to know what's going on. I need you to trust me."

"I don't know if I can." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

Jenna's face fell.

Not knowing what else to say, he blew out a long breath. "This place is a mess. Let's go somewhere else and talk."

"Okay," she said, voice small and filled with pain.

He hardened his heart to her reaction. Yes, transparency about what he'd found regarding Stella was important, but he owed her nothing more than that. If he didn't trust her, that was her fault. Not his. Spending a few days with her wouldn't change their past, wouldn't erase the damage that was done when she'd turned her back on him and shattered his life.

His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten today. "Wanna grab lunch?"

She lifted a shoulder. "Sure. But can we head back to Water's Edge? I'll need to get home to Oliver as soon as we're done."

"Sounds good. Let's go to Lulu's Café." He threw out the recommendation without a thought, instantly regretting the choice but unable to take it back.

Nodding, she widened her eyes. "Okay," she said, drawing out the word. "I'll meet you there."

The clatter of silverware and chatter of the lunch crowd filled Lulu's Café. Red vinyl covered retro-styled booth seats and hundreds of photographs of the town cluttered the walls. Jenna studied her menu. Not like she'd keep much down with her nerves jumping around like a bunch of damn Mexican beans.

Calvin set his menu to the side and the heat of his gaze warmed her cheeks. "How are you?"

Could he ask a more loaded question? Pushing away her own menu, she tilted her head, lips pursed. She could play it close to the vest, but what was the point? She was tired and the emotions simmering under her skin were bound to erupt soon. "I feel like I'm trapped in someone else's life. Like none of this can be real. My sister was murdered. I'm destroyed by her loss and have no clue how to move forward. Hell, I need to plan her funeral but can't even wrap my mind around the fact that I'll never see her again. Then there's us. Sitting at our old hang out where they're still serving the same chocolate malted milkshakes we had as kids." She dipped her chin at the propped-up paper advertisement next to the window.

He snorted. "We did spend a lot of time here when we were younger. We didn't have many other options."

She couldn't stop the smile curving her lips. "I don't know how I stayed so small in high school."

A wistful expression overtook his face. "You couldn't have been more perfect, no matter what."

She struggled not to shut her eyes against the torrent of nostalgia. Choosing to eat here was a mistake. Too many memories had already assaulted her since she'd shown up at Calvin's house and asked for his help. Sitting in the booth where they once snuggled and shared a hundred meals was too much.

A middle-aged server with her hair swept into a high bun and a wide smile glided over to their table. "Good afternoon. What can I get you?" A spark of interest twinkled in her brown eyes.

Jenna bit back a groan of recognition. Of course their server would be the biggest gossip in town. "Hi, Alicia. Can you grab me a chopped salad and water?"

She scrawled on her ticket pad. "Sure thing, sugar. What about you, Calvin?"

"Burger and fries with a cola, please."

"Give me a second, and I'll bring your drinks." She hurried toward the long counter at the front of the restaurant, casting a curious glance over her shoulder.

Folding his hands together, Calvin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I hadn't told you about the cards yet. I didn't mean to blindside you. I wanted to wait until you spoke with Cruz this morning so you didn't feel like you were hiding anything. I should have been more open."

"I get that," she said, hating the sting of his words from earlier. He didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame him. "I'm sorry if I overreacted. My emotions are all over the place, constantly building like I'm about to explode." Her voice caught and she fought against the pressure squeezing her chest, demanding more stupid tears.

Leaning over the table, Calvin rested a hand on hers. "You have nothing to apologize for. You've been through a lot the last couple of days with no resolution in sight."

The heat of his hand on hers caused tingles of excitement to dance in the pit of her stomach. Her pulse raced. She could just let this lay, keep silent about the mistakes she'd made in her past and the part she played in the destruction of his dreams.

But that'd make her a coward. And if nothing else, she'd learned the last couple of days that life was short. "I have a lot to apologize for. Especially to you. I never told you how sorry I was about everything that happened between us. How much I regretted standing by Stella's side, even when I knew she was wrong."

Swallowing hard, he slid his hand out from under hers. "I appreciate it, but that's not why we're here. We're here to talk about Stella's murder and everything I've uncovered so far."

The server waltzed over and slid a full glass of water in front of her.

Jenna shoved a straw in the liquid and took a long, cooling sip, hoping it would extinguish the flames of humiliation flaring inside her. She waited for Alicia to give Calvin his soda and walk away. "You're right. No more talk about us or the past. What's done is done. Now. Let's focus on why we're here."

Calvin nodded, although a hesitancy in his eyes gave away his reluctance to move forward. "You know about the cards from the florist. I also talked to a man named Ryan Billings. He'd been in a relationship with your sister. He claims Stella ended things with him because she had gotten too busy with work, but he thinks there was another man. Claims he still loves her."

The sentiment fisted her heart. Unrequited love was the worst, but Mrs. Collins had been right. At least now she knew where she stood with Calvin.

No, she wasn't still in love with Calvin. She was just swept up in a windstorm, needing to find that safe spot to land. That safe spot used to be Calvin until a stupid twist of fate had her slamming the brakes on their relationship.

She cleared her throat, forcing herself to focus on what was most important. "If he's right, do you think whoever she was involved with is the one who sent the flowers?"

Calvin swiped at the screen on his phone and brought up the pictures he'd taken of the cards. "If we're lucky, the florist will have records of their deliveries. If we're really lucky, someone left information that can be traced back to the sender."

Jenna snorted. "Luck hasn't exactly been on our side."

An emotion skittered across his face she couldn't quite put her finger on. Choosing to ignore the butterflies swarming her stomach, she pressed on. "Could it really be so easy to catch the murderer?"

"Chances are whoever killed Stella was smart enough not to leave such easy breadcrumbs to their doorstep, but I'll check anyway."

"And if it leads nowhere?"

"Then we check into the law office and the church she cleaned. Something pushed Stella to your doorstep—pushed her to try and get Oliver back. I think that reason could point to her real killer."

Alicia sauntered to their table with a plate in each hand. She set the full plates down, aiming a wide grin at each of them. "Can I get you anything else?"

Jenna forced a smile. "No thanks." She speared a cherry tomato with her fork and popped it in her mouth.

Calvin bit his thumbnail and stared past her shoulder, as if seeing something in the distance.

She glanced over the shoulder then back to him. "Everything okay?"

Calvin dotted ketchup on his plate then swiped a fry through the red glob. "Jenna, could someone be after you ?"

"What do you mean?"

"Stella being killed is tragic. Stella being killed right after showing up and threatening to take away your child is suspicious. I can understand why Cruz would question you."

"Are you kidd?—"

"Just hang on a second and listen." He held up a hand to quiet her. "Someone used a scalpel—the same weapon used to kill Stella—to leave me a threatening note and broke into my house. Why come after me unless everything is connected to you. Jenna, maybe digging into Stella's past isn't the key to finding the killer. Maybe the killer's real target is you."