Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Front door, right?” Ford inquires. “Because your garage is a mess?”
This is the story she told us in the hospital.
“Yes. And you’ve seen my house before.”
She’s talking to Ford, who was on a domestic call-out with Ace last fall.
“I’ve seen the entryway and living room,” he confirms.
“My hallway wall is shared with the garage. When I came in and the door slammed, it startled me and I turned with my back to the living room. That’s when I was attacked.”
“The assailant overpowered you from behind.”
“That’s what I thought. But in my flashbacks, there’s a dark blur coming at me from the side, which could mean they were in my hallway.”
It’s my turn to straighten. The officers assigned to the case did a walk-through of the house with Rowan. She confirmed nothing was missing. The only thing out of place was an open hall closet. They dusted and found no prints. The file is pretty thin. “Is there something valuable in your hallway?”
“No, I mean there was, but not anymore. That’s where I used to have my safe until I moved it to my room. I opened it for the officers and nothing was missing, so it didn’t click. But this week it clicked. I never leave my hallway closet door open. It freaks me out. This morning, Mom and I went to get the safe and move it to the apartment over the salon.”
“What do you keep in there?”
“My jewelry, mostly.”
“Nothing missing, though?”
“Nothing.” Her voice teeters.
“Rowan?” I step forward, placing my hand on hers. “What exactly clicked?”
“The only people who knew about the safe in the hallway are my parents and my ex, Craig.”
“Would Craig go after your jewelry?” Ford asks.
She takes another gulp of the beer and shrugs. “It sounds crazy because he has an alibi, but he was always telling me to sell it at auction. It was my grandma’s collection. It’s antique.”
“Worth anything?”
She lets out a nervous giggle. “A quarter of a million dollars.”
Ford whistles low, catching my eyes. “Rowan, is the jewelry in the apartment now?”
“Yes, and the alarm is on.”
“Would Craig go there looking?”
“He doesn’t know about the studio apartment. Few people do.”
I feel there’s more to the story. “What else?”
“Everyone thinks I have a business partner, but I have two. My parents are my silent partners, and we own the building.”
“And Craig didn’t know that?”
“No, I kept it from him. After a few months, it was obvious he was obsessed with wealth and status. Me being a cosmetologist was a point of contention. He reminded me frequently how lucky I was to be with a banker.”
“Pretentious motherfucker,” Ford spews.
Rowan’s face heats and she steps back. “I should have ended things earlier. The signs were always there.”
“Don’t do that, Rowan. Don’t take that on. He’s the one who should be feeling the heat.”
“But we know it wasn’t him.”
“Can I come over tomorrow, look at the jewelry?”
Her eyes go wide and she nods to him.
“I’ll bring someone with me if it makes you more comfortable.”
“No, I trust you.”
I swear the air crackles between them as her statement sinks in. They hold each other’s stare long enough for me to back away, feeling like I’m intruding on something personal.
Rowan breaks the stare first, pasting on another smile that does nothing to hide the blush on her cheeks. “Thank you. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She barely gives me a glance, rushing to the group at the cabana.
I give it a second before grinning at my friend, who is gawking after her.
“Let me know if you want help.”
“I got this,” he grates out.
“Message received, loud and clear.”
20
Jewls
I concentrate on the road, trying to beat back the overactive nerves zinging through every molecule of my body. My senior year of high school, my brothers dared me to go bungee jumping, knowing my fear of heights. I took them on, not willing to concede to being a chicken. The moment the harness was secured, anxiety took over as I looked at the drop, and I almost passed out.
This is worse.
“I’m going over it one more time. Ford’s mom is Celia, his sisters are Addie and Carson, Talon’s mom is April, and Ace’s mom is Sandy. Of course, I already know Harley’s mom, Amanda. I’ll never remember all the girls you mentioned, but I’ll try once I put faces to names. Then, of course, there’s Major’s mom, Cindy. I hope you remembered to send her a thank you note after she hosted you for the weekend.” The ringing in my ears drones out Mom’s prattling.
At the mention of Cindy, reality crashes back over me. As if Mom meeting Major isn’t stressful enough, she’s meeting him and Cindy. All in one swoop.
“Did you hear me?”
“I sent flowers to Cindy and Jim.”
“That was appropriate.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Julianna, are you okay? Your face is the color of Doobie.”