And Marlee finally got a good look at her.
“Stella?” Marlee asked in surprise before she could stop herself.
Stella stood in shock for a heartbeat before she blinked and smiled. She was in her late fifties but looked years younger. “Marlee Frampton? Is that you? What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Working.” Marlee’s mind was in overdrive as she pulled up as many memories of Stella as she could. Stella had been a neighbor for five years before she moved away for several more and then returned. For some reason, Marlee’s mother had taken an instant liking to Stella, and the two had become friends.
But there had always been something about the woman that didn’t seem right to Marlee. Macey had said she was crazy, so Marlee had let it go. Yet when she tried to remember the last time she had personally seen Stella, she realized it had been right after Macey died. And not since.
“How long have you been here?” Marlee asked.
Stella laughed and shrugged, but the sound was forced. “Awhile, actually. Oddly enough, I like the quiet. Your mother called yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to call her back yet. How is she doing?”
“She’s fine. What is it that you do exactly? I asked Mom once, but I don’t know that she ever told me.”
“I’ve got the best job. It allows me to move anywhere I want and still get paid. Thank goodness, because I’ve got wanderlust.” Stella laughed.
Marlee didn’t join her. She waited for Stella to give her an answer.
Stella cleared her throat. “I work for a law firm. They like to keep tabs on their clients who feel they’re in danger as well as others who might cause problems for them. I hire men,” she said and jerked her chin over Marlee’s shoulder, “to ensure all that happens without incident.”
Marlee turned her head just enough to spot the man from the door standing a few feet behind her. “And I suppose if there is an incident, your men know how to take care of it.”
“That they do.” Stella moved closer as she adjusted her purse and bags. “Perhaps while you’re in town, we can have dinner together. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I’d like to get an update on your parents.”
“You could get that by calling my mom.”
Stella’s smile tightened, and her blue eyes turned cold. “I could, but we both know your mother glosses over things. They’re both getting on in years. I’m surprised you aren’t there helping to care for them. It would be a shame if anything happened.”
“Is that a threat?” Marlee demanded as she took a step closer.
Stella smiled. “Not at all.”
“I hope not.”
“It was nice seeing you, Marlee. Be sure and tell your mother hello for me.”
Marlee turned as Stella walked past her and into the house. The older gentleman stood his ground for several minutes until he walked backward into the home. Only then did Marlee turn and make her way to the truck. She was shaking by the time she got inside. It took her a moment to realize that Cooper wasn’t with her. She started to get out to find him when she saw him peek around the corner of the house. As soon as he spotted her, he made his way back.
Once in the truck, he said, “What was that?”
“The house we’ve been looking for. Drive. We need to get everyone together because we have to move fast.”
Chapter 34
When Marlee finished her story, the room was quiet. Cooper twirled a toothpick between his fingers and looked at everyone standing in the middle of Clayton and Abby’s kitchen.
“The house was purchased twenty years ago,” Danny said as he read from his computer. “By a Stella Pearson.”
Clayton ran a hand down his face. “Twenty years? How long have they been operating in this territory?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is bringing her and the business down,” Ryan stated.
Jace leaned his hands on the island and shook his head. “I’m all for going in like we normally do. But this time, they’re going to be waiting for us.”
“So?” Caleb asked.
Brice shot his brother a dry look. “We all want to kick their asses, but not at the expense of casualties.”
“Brice is right. We should call in the FBI,” Danny said.
Cooper’s gaze slid to Marlee, who stood beside him. Other than telling everyone what had happened at the house, she had been quiet and seemed lost in her thoughts. Something was bothering her. Something she hadn’t mentioned to the others.
He touched her arm, causing her to jump. She looked at him and gave him a small smile. He pulled her against him, and to his surprise, she allowed it. He hadn’t been sure she would. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“The other person in the house,” Marlee said loud enough to get everyone’s attention. She looked from the others to Cooper. “I told you I got a call from Stephanie.”
Cooper nodded in agreement. “Your FBI friend.”
“Something about that call didn’t sit right.”
Ryan raised a brow. “You mean besides her not being able to give you Kate Sommerset’s real name?”
Marlee shifted her feet. “Besides that. You see, I could hear a can being opened through the speaker of the phone. While talking to Stephanie, I could see into the house through the window. The shadows prevented me from seeing if it was a man or a woman, but someone was sitting at the table, drinking a canned drink while on the phone. When Stephanie and I finished our call, the person in the house lowered their phone.”
“You think Stephanie was in the house,” Cooper said.
Marlee nodded. “I do.”
“I saw someone when I went to the house,” he told the room. “They walked toward the back when Marlee knocked on the door. I didn’t get a look at them, but they made sure to move away from the front so they couldn’t be seen.”
Marlee released a long breath. “I’m telling you all of that to say that I don’t think we should call in the FBI. If that was Stephanie inside the house, then she’s working with Stella.”
“Dammit,” Clayton said as he slammed his Stetson down on the island. He turned and paced away.
Ryan looked at Danny. “We could ask the judge for a warrant to search the house, but I’ve got a feeling we won’t find anything there.”
“I agree. They’ll be using this time to get rid of everything,” Danny said.
Caleb squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Please tell me someone has eyes on the house?”
“Two of my men are undercover,” Ryan answered.
Jace widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s the plan? Because sitting here and talking about it isn’t getting anything done.”
“I have nothing but gut instinct,” Marlee said. “There is no proof of anything. Stella moves a lot. She’ll use that as an excuse. We can’t just go in there and arrest her. We have to have something on her, or she’ll slip through scot-free.”
Cooper smiled as an idea came to him. “Then we make sure we have something.”
“As in?” Brice asked.