Jennifer Morey - Hometown Detective

Then Kaelyn had killed herself. Or so everyone thought.

At first, Kendra had believed her sister had committed suicide. The devastation had overwhelmed her. Why would Kaelyn do such a thing? Her sister ending her life didn’t make sense. The Kaelyn she’d met hadn’t seemed to have reached that point. She’d seemed to have been keeping something troubling from Kendra, but she’d had too much life in her and far too much excitement over reuniting with her twin sister.

Only after her sister’s death had she realized Kaelyn had told no one about her. When she’d shown up at the funeral, no one recognized her, not by name or appearance. They were fraternal twins, not identical, so it hadn’t been surprising that no one had identified her. What she did find surprising was that she and Kaelyn had been corresponding for months. They’d even talked about the possibility of moving to Chesterville. Kaelyn said she would leave her husband and asked if Kendra would relocate. That had been a big request and Kendra had needed time to think on it. Kaelyn had died before she could agree to the fabulous idea. Kaelyn’s parents were in Chesterville. Her daughter had still been in high school so Kaelyn would have taken her with her. Kendra would have a family again. But then Kaelyn had died.

Why had Kaelyn kept her twin a secret from those in her life? There could be only one explanation. Kaelyn must had intended to use Kendra as an escape route. She would build a new life in Chesterville that didn’t include her abusive husband. Plus, if he’d known his wife was talking to her twin, he may have felt threatened enough to stop her from corresponding, especially if he knew Kendra planned to move to Chesterville, where the two of them could see each other much more often.

She’d confirmed her own suspicions when she’d learned Kaelyn’s husband had been abusing her and Kaelyn’s plans to leave weren’t just talk. Kaelyn would have moved back to Chesterville. Kendra had no proof, only a certainty that her twin would not have committed suicide.

After learning Kaelyn’s daughter, Raelyn, had moved to Chesterville after she’d graduated from college, Kendra had decided to move here. She had felt so robbed after Kaelyn had been taken from her when she’d only just begun to get to know her again. Being close to her daughter was all she had left now. They could make a fragmented family but a family nonetheless.

Raelyn had moved in with her grandmother until she’d gotten her own place. Adoptive grandmother notwithstanding, Raelyn must have come here not only to get away from her horrible father, but to be close to the only family she felt she had.

Kendra had spoken to Raelyn on several occasions, first shortly after Kaelyn’s funeral, then when she followed her to Chesterville. The twenty-two-year-old was uncomfortable welcoming her mother’s twin. She harbored a lot of anger, Kendra presumed, because by killing herself, Kaelyn left her daughter alone with an abusive dad. Kendra decided to leave her be, telling her to call when she was ready to talk. That had been a year ago. Kendra had lived in Chesterville for two years so far and Kaelyn had been murdered almost five years ago.

Kendra remembered the man outside and decided not to stay too late. Getting her things, she went downstairs and left through the back door. Searching for any sign of someone lingering, she walked down the alley toward her house.

* * *

After watching Kendra close her shop, Roman Cooper walked down the street toward the historic hotel where he’d checked in earlier. He planned to meet with Kendra in the morning, write his report and head back to Wyoming. The redheaded beauty moved in her element like a fiery angel. Tall and slender, thick hair left down and natural, she smiled at everyone and spent most of her time ringing in purchases. A zombie apocalypse could be happening all around her but she would go on and continue prospering. Just watching her agitated him enough to light up a smoke. Too bad he’d quit.

He could spot people like her a mile away. Life’s bounty fell at their feet. They had charmed, sheltered childhoods, lacked neither money nor imagination, and they only had to reach out and take anything they decided to have. Career. Money. House. Business. Whatever they desired. Nothing bad ever happened to them and they lived in denial that anything ever would. Maybe nothing bad would until the day they died. Roman didn’t live that way. He had no illusions of how awful life could be for some people. Not following a dream—or even knowing what to dream about—only made it worse. That was the biggest unfairness for him, not knowing his true calling. Meeting people like Kendra reminded him of that. She probably lived with the happy satisfaction that she had found her calling.

Ambition. Failure before success. Yeah, he got all that. Ambition had gotten him where he was today. What he could never grasp is how people like Kendra Scott knew what they wanted in life. How did anyone know that? Did an idea drop into their brain one random night or were they born with it already implanted?

Roman wasn’t a hopeless pessimist. He could relax and have a good time with anyone. He just couldn’t live in a cushy bubble that blocked reality.

He passed familiar shops along his way, reminded again of Kendra’s graceful yet wild attractiveness. Okay, he had to admit her striking beauty did have something to do with his reluctance to meet her. She might lasso him into sticking around too long.

Damn Kadin for sending him here. He’d done that on purpose.

* * *

Kendra left Lund’s Bakery as she did every Wednesday morning with a box of scones. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she collided with someone who had just appeared in the opening of the bakery. Bouncing backward, she bumped against the still-open door, and with her hand still gripping the handle, her arm wrenched.

“Ah!”

The man moved back quick enough. Supporting her arm, he steadied her so that she could free her hand from the handle.

Holding her fingers, she looked up from legs to hips to impressive chest to the face she’d seen last night. Although he’d been across the street, there was no mistaking his build and the general way he held himself. Tall and imposing, he held an aura of fearless confidence and something darker.

She took two steps back. “You.”

Light gray eyes changed from concern to questioning. “Me?”

“I...I saw you outside my...my shop...last night.” Maybe she shouldn’t reveal that. What if he was a killer?

She took another step back.

Taking note of her reaction, he grew shrewdly alert. “Were you looking for someone?”

Why would he ask her that? “No.”

“You’re just observant?”

“Who the hell are you?” She’d hardly tell a stranger his impressive build had drawn her attention to him, a peppering of sexy along with a dash of danger.

A half grin almost softened the hardness in his eyes. “Roman Cooper. Dark Alley Investigations. Didn’t anyone let you know I was coming?”

No one had called her. Maybe Jasper Roesch thought Roman could introduce himself. He had promised to send someone.

She took in Roman’s appearance, rugged but not unkempt. He was quite good-looking in a less than soft way. He was a detective? Although clean and lean, he carried the air of a rebel, a darkly handsome one. No reserved gentleman stood before her. He struck her as the type who let nothing stand in his way. She pictured detectives as more refined, caring more about appearances than their service to humanity.

“Why were you spying on me last night?” she asked.

He hesitated and that gave him away. “It was late.”

Why did he lie? “Jasper said he was going to send a detective. I was hoping he’d change his mind and take the case himself.”