‘She’s just a little girl, Gideon. What if he’d grabbed her?’
‘He didn’t,’ Gideon said firmly. ‘And we’re going to make sure he doesn’t. I have a few friends in Florida. They might like a little side pay.’
‘Bodyguards? You trust them?’
‘With my life. They’ve had my back over the years when it’s counted. I’ll call John later for more information about their plans, and then I’ll make the calls to Florida. You worry about you and Farrah.’
All the good feelings were swept away by despair. ‘Poor Aunt Quill. I know in my head that it’s not my fault, but . . .’
‘I get it. But you can’t let the guilt take over. Farrah needs your strength, not apologies for something you didn’t cause.’
He was right. So was Rafe. ‘Got it. I’ll be who she needs.’
Gideon pulled her to her feet and dropped a kiss on her head. ‘I know you will.’
Granite Bay, California
Sunday, 16 April, 6.30 P.M.
Rafe could count on one hand how many times in his life he’d felt so helpless. He stood in the doorway of his father’s office, watching as Mercy held Farrah close, rocking them where they stood.
‘I’m sorry,’ Mercy whispered. ‘I’m so damn sorry.’
Farrah shuddered. ‘This isn’t your fault, Mercy. It isn’t anyone’s fault except the bastard who did this to her.’
‘I hate this,’ Captain Holmes hissed so that only Rafe would hear.
‘I know,’ Rafe murmured, his breath hitching when Mercy looked at him over Farrah’s shoulder. Her sad smile broke his heart and he wanted to go to her, but he respected her wishes when she mouthed, Give us a minute.
‘Come on,’ Rafe told Holmes. ‘You’ve got to be starving. My mother wants to feed you.’
Holmes reluctantly followed him from the office and into the kitchen, where Gideon sat with Sasha and Daisy. Irina buzzed around the stove, stirring something.
Some people drank when they were upset. Some people picked fights. Others cleaned obsessively. His mother cooked. Obsessively.
Luckily, they were all big eaters. Holmes looked like he could hold his own with any and all of the Sokolovs when it came to chowing down. Holmes was a big guy, tall and broad.
‘Captain Holmes, have you met these guys?’ Rafe asked, gesturing for him to sit.
‘I met Agent Reynolds and your mother when I first got here.’ Holmes dipped his head in a respectful nod as he sat between Gideon and Rafe. ‘Ma’am. Thank you for the tea. I don’t know how much of it Farrah drank, but I know she appreciated the thought.’
‘She is a good person, your Farrah,’ Irina answered, already dishing up a plate of the lamb she’d served for Sunday dinner. ‘You are hungry, yes?’
Holmes’s lips twitched up into a small smile. ‘Yes, ma’am.’ And he must have been, because he cleaned his plate before Rafe had blinked twice.
Irina gave him seconds before he could ask or refuse, patting his arm as she took her own seat. ‘So, is Farrah—’ She sighed, cutting herself off. ‘She can’t be okay. That is a foolish question.’
‘She will be,’ Holmes said, digging into his second plate. ‘Thank you for this. I haven’t eaten anything since last night. Except airline peanuts.’
‘Pah.’ Irina shook her head. ‘Traveling is hard enough without the airlines starving the passengers.’
‘Sitting in economy is worse. I’m still sore from having my knees in my chin for seven hours.’ He ate the second helping more slowly, looking around the table. ‘Hey. I’m André.’
Rafe did the introductions. ‘This is Gideon’s girlfriend, Daisy Dawson; my father, Karl; and my sister, Sasha. Where is Erin?’
‘She went outside to check with the agents,’ Irina told him. ‘She wants to know when they’re changing shifts so that she can supervise.’
That made sense, Rafe thought gratefully. Erin paid attention to details like that. ‘Erin’s my partner on the force. You can meet her later.’
‘André, we were hoping to ask you some questions, when you’re finished eating,’ Gideon said.
‘Go ahead and ask now. I’m used to eating around conversations.’ André’s chuckle was subdued. ‘I’m marrying into Farrah’s family. They . . . well, they talk a lot.’
‘I knew she and I were sisters of different misters,’ Sasha said lightly, and then her shoulders sagged. ‘I’m so sorry about her aunt. Can you tell us what happened?’
‘I’m surprised that it took us so long to find her, honestly.’ André nodded his thanks to Irina when she placed a plate of freshly baked bread at his elbow. The kitchen counters were filled with baked goods, marinating meats, and finished casseroles. It smelled like home should smell. ‘The Romeros are very close. That she didn’t show up for Mercy’s going-away breakfast should have raised red flags with all of us, but she’d texted the night before that she had already invited a friend over and didn’t want to be rude. She said she’d forgotten about having plans. None of her friends showed up, or they would have found her sooner. Her killer might have sent the text himself. We didn’t think a thing about it because Quill was getting forgetful and she’d said her goodbyes to Mercy on Friday afternoon. Mercy stayed with Farrah at the Romeros’ overnight on Friday,’ he explained. ‘That way they could have breakfast with the family before heading out to the airport.’
‘How did you discover her?’ Rafe asked.
‘Anonymous phone call,’ André said, then raised a brow. ‘Made from a phone here in Sacramento.’
Everyone at the table stared at him in surprise. ‘Where in Sacramento?’ Gideon asked.
‘Near a place called Carmichael. Probably a burner phone.’
Rafe and Gideon shared a puzzled glance. ‘Burton wouldn’t have called to report a murder he did,’ Rafe said, as sure of that as he was of his own name. ‘Can we listen to the 911 call?’
‘Yep. Thought you might want to hear it. The call came in at about three thirty central time this morning, so one thirty a.m. here.’ André pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen, and a high-pitched, nervous voice began to speak. The caller was young. Male. And he sounded nothing like Ephraim Burton’s growl.
‘Hi, um, I need to report a death. Probably a murder. Maybe a murder? The lady’s name is Miss Romero.’ The young man blurted out the address. ‘I, uh, I found her. It was Friday evening, maybe seven thirty? And . . . well, I might have touched her body. Okay, yes, I did touch her, but only to lift her off the floor and onto the sofa. I thought I was gonna need to do CPR, but she was already dead. She was a really nice lady. So, please go get her and tell her family. Um, thanks, bye.’