Софи Келли - Paws Аnd Effect

I nodded. “I know.”

“She wasn’t sleeping with Travis. That’s why he was so angry. He thought we’d done what they weren’t doing.” His arms were propped on his legs and his hands hung between his knees. “She really did try to end things with him. Like I said, he was pressuring her for one more chance and her grandmother, who was like mother and father to Dani after her parents died, was pushing her to try to work things out. Dani adored her grandmother but the woman has very rigid beliefs. If she’d known the truth . . .” Marcus shook his head. “I don’t think Dani wanted to take the chance of losing the only family she had left. You saw for yourself what Travis can be like when he’s angry. He would have gone right to her grandmother.”

“Does John know?” I asked.

Marcus shook his head. “How did you find out?” he asked.

I told him about the comment Tanith Jeffery had written online. “It seemed pretty clear she and Dani were close. When I did a little digging I discovered that Tanith was gay. After that it was good research skills and a bit of luck.”

Marcus still looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“I found a photo of a dinner at which Tanith Jeffery received a design award. She was at a table of what I take were her friends. Dani was one of them. The look on her face . . . It just didn’t feel like much of a leap to think they were involved.”

I reached over and linked my fingers through his. “I’d seen the same look on the face of one of my sister’s friends when Sara won an award for volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. It was a mix of pride and love. When I told Sara she thought I was crazy, but I turned out to be right.”

Marcus leaned back until his head was against the wall. “Her grandmother was funding American Land Trust.”

“I know.”

He smiled at me in the near darkness. “I should have guessed you’d figure that out as well.”

“I didn’t,” I said. “Your father did. I have everything he’s come up with so far. I think you should give it to Brady.”

The smile disappeared. “My father?”

I nodded. “He’s trying to help.”

“I went to see him. I told him to go home.”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that,” he said.

“Do you think Dani was afraid that if her grandmother knew who she really was she’d cut off the money?” I asked.

He nodded. “Her biggest worry was losing what she had left of her family, but yes, she was afraid that if her brother found out he’d use the information against her. He had no idea their grandmother was basically funding everything Dani did. Dani said he wasn’t exactly the tree-hugger type.”

“Did she know you were here—in Mayville Heights? Or was meeting you at Eric’s just something that happened by chance?” Travis, at least, seemed to believe Dani had come to town to see Marcus.

Marcus turned his head to look at me. “I wondered about that, you know. She said she needed to talk to me but she hadn’t known I was here. It was just a coincidence.”

“What did she want to talk about?” I asked.

He put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned against him with my head on his shoulder. “I wish I knew,” he said.

12

Marcus stayed for a little longer then he headed home. I went upstairs, ran a bath and tossed one of Maggie’s herbal soaks into the water. I was brushing my hair when the phone rang. It was Brady Chapman.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Kathleen,” he said, “but Maggie is helping Ruby chaperone some kind of overnight thing at the high school and I didn’t think it was a good idea to call Marcus with this.” He sounded . . . rattled, which was really unlike Brady.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s my father. And Elliot Gordon.”

“What about them?”

“They’re at the bar at the St. James Hotel. Right now they should just be wrapping up their rendition of ‘Sweet Home Alabama.’”

I started to laugh. “I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

“I really wish I was,” he said drily. “The manager called me. If I pick them up in the next half hour she won’t call the police. The problem is, I’m in Minneapolis. I couldn’t get Lita, either.”

“I’ll go get them,” I said, kicking off my fuzzy slippers.

“Thank you,” Brady said. “Like I said, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to call Marcus.”

“I agree.” I felt a little guilty. After all, I had, in a way, suggested to Elliot that he get in touch with Burtis. “Don’t worry. I’ll get Elliot up to his room and I’ll take your dad home.”

“I know my father’s reputation,” Brady said. “But the truth is, he doesn’t drink very much himself.”

I laughed again. “Then he’ll probably just sleep it off and wake up with a really big headache in the morning. Don’t worry about this. I’ve been around my parents’ theater friends all my life. This won’t be the first time I’ve had to rescue someone who had a bit too much. At least they’re just singing Lynyrd Skynyrd. Be grateful they’re not reenacting Hamlet and Laertes’s duel with real swords.”

“I owe you, Kathleen,” Brady said.

“No, you don’t,” I said. “I’m on my way.”

I pulled on my jeans and a sweater, yanked my hair back into a ponytail and grabbed my purse and keys.

Brady must have called the hotel manager back, because when I walked into the hotel a woman came from behind the front desk and walked over to me. “Ms. Paulson,” she said, offering his hand. “I’m Melanie Davis.”

She was about my height, and curvy with smooth brown skin and gorgeous dark eyes. I’d heard Lita mention her name.

“I’m here to get Mr. Chapman and Mr. Gordon,” I said.

“I think they’re just finishing their encore,” she replied drily. She led the way to the bar. The hotel had been experimenting with live music on Friday and Saturday nights but I didn’t think this was what they had in mind.

Burtis Chapman and Elliot Gordon were an incongruous pair at best. Burtis made me think of something carved from a block of stone, strong and solid. His face was lined and weathered from so much time spent outdoors. He’d lost most of his hair—all that was left were a few white tufts that were generally poking out from under his ubiquitous Twins ball cap.

I knew that not all of Burtis’s business dealings were on the up and up, but he had a generous soul and he was deeply loyal to the people he called his friends. And that was more than enough for me and had been long before he’d helped rescue me from a burning building.

I had no idea that Burtis could sing. Or Elliot, for that matter. They were rocking out to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.” The jazz trio—guitar, bass and snare drum—looked like they were having just as much fun.

“They’re good,” I said softly. The manager gave me a look that told me I shouldn’t have said that out loud.

I wasn’t the only one who liked what I was hearing. The song ended and people began to clap enthusiastically. Burtis and Elliot bowed, acknowledging the applause. I made my way over to them, skirting around the tables. Burtis smiled when he caught sight of me.

“Kathleen, girl, what the hell are you doing here?” he asked.

“I thought you might need a limo driver,” I said.

“Are you tryin’ to say I’m too drunk to walk home?” he asked. I knew he wasn’t angry. I could see a devilish gleam in his eyes.

“Yes, I am,” I said.

He laughed, a deep booming sound that seemed to bounce off the walls. “Well, you’re right.” He turned to Elliot, gesturing at me with his free hand, his other arm still around Elliot’s shoulders. “That son of yours is a fine man,” he said. “And he’s a damn fine police officer, which I know you don’t wanna hear but I’m gonna say it anyway. But he was dumb as a glass of water when it came to her. Almost screwed it up big-time.”