rummaging through one of the boxes filled with decorations.
Tugging out a string of garland, followed by a plastic grocery
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bag of candy canes and bows, she said, "Better get started.
This room isn't going to decorate itself."
Nicolette dug into another box and found lights and bulbs
for the tree. Donovan would be here later to help erect the
twelve-foot tree, so for now, she set those aside.
They continued to open box after box, and before long, the
room began to look like a winter wonderland.
Marla paused and wiped her brow on her sleeve. She put
her hands on her hips and examined their progress. "I think it
looks great."
"It does." Nicolette brushed a hand full of hair back from
her face with a nod. "We've worked our tushies off but I think
it's gonna turn out perfect. The kids will love it."
"Yep. But we deserve a break." Marla pulled a coin purse
out of her handbag. "I'll run to the vending machine and get
us a Diet Pepsi."
"Sounds good. Thanks."
Nicolette sank into one of the settees arranged near the
spot where the tree would stand. Marla returned with their
drinks and passed a can to Nicolette as she settled in a chair
across from her.
Marla peered at her shrewdly, then smiled with a wicked
glint in her eye. "That Heath guy, he's something, isn't he?"
At the unexpected mention of his name, a slow flutter
started in the pit of Nicolette's stomach. She forced a
nonchalant shrug. "Yeah. He's a good friend."
"Friend? Guy looks like that, he should be much more than
a friend. He's hot."
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"Oh, well. I never really thought of him that way,"
Nicolette said, then wondered if her pants would catch on fire.
"How could you not?" Marla asked, her eyes rounded in
surprise.
"Because. Rudy and I have known him since college. He's
like a brother to me. He was Rudy's best friend."
"Maybe so." Marla's tone turned serious. "But Rudy's gone
now. I'm not sure how you feel about him, but the way Heath
looked at you, he's not thinking about what good friends you
guys are."
Nicolette took a gulp of the soda and shook her head.
"You're crazy. Heath never thought of me in any way other
than friendship." Except maybe for that one night just before
Rudy died. But then, I was the aggressor, and Heath was the
one who had stopped anything from happening. There, Marla,
what do you think about that?
Marla reached out a hand and patted Nicolette's knee. "I
doubt that. I'm pretty good at reading people. Maybe Heath's
not who you should use to heal your grief, but don't close
yourself off to opportunity, okay? Remember, Rudy's the one
who died, not you."
Nicolette nodded and stood, signaling an end to the
conversation. She finished her Diet Pepsi and tossed the can
in the bag of trash they'd accumulated. Going to the one
remaining box of decorations, she bent inside and took stock
of what was left.
"Hey, didn't we pack a few of those singing, dancing
Santas?" She rose and turned to Marla. "I can't find them."
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Marla rolled her eyes. "If my Christmas wish came true,
someone chopped them into tiny pieces and buried them
where they'll never be found."
Nicolette laughed, then triumphantly brought out one of
the three Santas from the bottom of the box. "Guess your
wish didn't come true, Scrooge." She flipped the switch on the
plastic stand and Santa started shaking his hips while the
tinny sound of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" issued from
his smiling lips. Marla groaned as Nicolette lifted out his two
companions and had the trio happily belting out three
different tunes.
It was nearly six in the evening by the time Heath returned
to Nicolette's. Once more, a strange car sat in the driveway.
This time, a Mercedes. Not the cops.
Nic answered his knock. She'd changed from the jeans and
sweater into a white, long-sleeved shirt-dress that came to
just above her knees. She looked casual and elegant all at
once. Heath wanted to pull her against him and run his hands
along her backside, feeling her warmth through the soft,
cotton material.
Her face still held that pinched look as she stepped back to
let him inside.
The couple he'd met the night of the benefit sat on the
couch in the living room. They stood when Nicolette and
Heath walked in, and Heath shook hands with them.
"Heath, you remember Donovan and Marla Sussman.
They're having dinner with us this evening," Nic said, as
though she and Heath already had dinner plans together.
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"Great." Heath tried to make his voice pleasant, although it
wasn't great at all. He wanted to be alone with Nicolette. He
told himself it was so they could go over notes she might
have made on her copy of the phone records.
"Nice to see you again." Donovan settled back onto the
sofa, careful not to spill the drink he held. From the color, it
appeared to be whiskey. "Glad to meet a friend of Rudy's.
Marla and I thought the world of him. Think the world of our
little Nicolette here."
"Yes," Heath said, looking at Nicolette, who stood in the
center of the room, hands clasped in front of her. "Who
doesn't?"
Nicolette's eyes met his. She smiled, and the haunted look
went away for a few seconds. Heath pretended it didn't make
his heart skip a beat as he smiled back.
For dinner, Nicolette served a chicken casserole with salad
and crusty French bread.
"Sorry, it's not much," she apologized. "I sort of threw it
together last minute."
"It's great," Heath assured her, shoveling a forkful of
casserole into his mouth.
"Rudy spoke of you often," Donovan said. "It's a shame we
never met while he was alive. You golf?"
"Yeah, but not all that well."
"Then I definitely wish we'd have played a round
together." Donovan laughed. "I might have finally won a
game."
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"Donovan's been a life-saver since Rudy passed." Nicolette
favored Donovan with one of her dazzling smiles. "I don't
know what I would have done without him."
"So, how did you and Rudy meet?" Heath asked.
"We met on the golf course a few years ago. My buddy
canceled out on me, and Rudy invited me to join him and a
couple of his guys so he'd have a foursome. We hit it off. Not
long after, he brought me into the charity."
"Rudy did love to golf."
"I found out we had a great deal in common. Golf, fishing,
a desire to help others." He frowned. "We became very close
in the two years we'd known one another before Rudy's
death. Marla and I both feel the loss deeply."
Heath looked at Marla. Her eyes were moist, her mouth
drawn into a sad frown. Donovan cast her an unreadable look,
and she seemed to shake off her mood, then swiped at her
eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said with a small smile. "His death was
difficult on everyone who knew him."
But a little more difficult on Marla than her husband, it
seemed. Interesting.
"Yes, yes it was." Donovan nodded, then in an obvious
attempt to lighten the mood, he said, "Rudy and I also shared
a love for beautiful women." He winked at Nicolette and
squeezed his wife's hand.
Marla flashed a brief smile then turned her attention back
to her plate, unobtrusively slipping her hand out from under
Donovan's.
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Heath wondered if the subtle rejection was indicative of
trouble in the marriage or if he was reading too much into it.
It was his nature to be investigative, and with everything that
had gone on lately, he was becoming suspicious of everyone.
Finally, after dessert and coffee, Donovan stood and
announced it was time to leave. Heath thought it was way
past time, but he didn't voice his opinion as Nicolette saw the
couple to the door.
"I'm sorry I sprang them on you," Nicolette said when she
returned. "They stopped by, and I thought it would be rude
not to ask them to stay for dinner."
"No problem. They seem nice."
"They are. I've gotten very close to them. I suppose
Marla's my best friend now. I've lost touch with a lot of the
friends I had in the early years of my marriage. And I've lost
touch with the few people I knew in Green Bay. It's difficult to
maintain a friendship over so many miles."
"I know. Had it not been for my family being here and all
the trips, Rudy and I might have drifted apart."
Nicolette smiled. "No. That would never have happened. As
close as you two were, you could have maintained a
friendship from separate continents."
Heath grinned at that. She was probably right.
"Marla seemed quiet all evening," Heath said. "Is that her
normal demeanor, or was she upset about something?"
Nicolette shrugged. "She seemed more reserved tonight
than usual. Actually, she's been that way for the past few
months. She hasn't confided in me. I don't know if it's marital
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difficulties, or what. She's had a hard time with Rudy's death.
The four of us were really close."
"Rudy was a good guy. Everyone he met cared about him."
Nicolette's face drew into the pained look again. "If the
police's theory is correct, not everyone."
A pall hung over the room as he considered the enormity
of someone wanting Rudy dead. Unthinkable.
In the silence, Heath wandered over to a cocktail table that
held a Santa's workshop crystal figurine he'd bought for
Nicolette one Christmas before she and Rudy married.
He picked it up, hefting the ridiculously heavy knick-knack
in his hand. "Wow, can't believe you still have this."
She smiled. "I put it out every year. It's my favorite gift
I've ever gotten."
He turned to her and lifted his brows. "You're kidding!"
"No. I love it. Makes me think of the old days." Her gaze
turned pensive, and she gave him a small, sad smile.
Heath replaced the figurine, then moved to a shelf that
held a group of photos. There were pictures of Rudy and
Louisa, some with Nicolette and some without. There were
others of people Heath didn't recognize. He picked up a photo
of the wedding party. Rudy looked like the happiest man on
earth, as well he should. Nicolette was smiling and beautiful.
Standing next to Heath was the maid of honor, a girl whose
name he couldn't recall in spite of the flirting they'd engaged
in. That, he recalled vividly. He'd drank too much and tried
too hard to pretend he didn't care that the woman he loved
had just pledged her undying devotion to his best friend.
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"That's a great picture." Nicolette walked over and stood
beside him. "The reception after was lots of fun. Remember
when Rudy did the Macarena?"
Heath laughed. "I think the alcohol had something to do
with that."
"Maybe, but he was a goof ball even when he was sober."
"True. We had a lot of good times in college."
Nicolette nodded. "Funny how well we all hit it off right
away. In the beginning, I never dreamed I'd end up dating,
let alone marrying one of you."
"Yeah. You guys had a great marriage. I guess you picked
the right one."
Her eyes latched on to his, and she said softly, "I never
knew I had a choice."
Heath held her gaze, suddenly finding it difficult to
breathe. His eyes drifted to her lips, and he wondered what
she'd do if he kissed her.
Nicolette's face heated. She couldn't believe she'd said
those words. Heath stared at her, his expression unreadable.
She swallowed nervously, trying to think of a way to fill the
replacing the photo on the table. When he was a safe distance
away, he asked, "Did you get a chance to make those notes
on the phone records?"
So, he was back to business. Cool. That's the way it should
be. "Yeah. Let me go get them."
When she returned, Heath lounged in the easy chair, one
jean-clad leg crossed over the other. His shirt was open at the
neck and a few dark chest hairs peeked out.
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Sexy. God. He's still so sexy.
Nicolette handed him her copy of the phone records with
the familiar numbers highlighted. He studied it, along with the
paperwork she'd already given him, then thumbed through
the pages, seemingly unaware of the effect his nearness was
having on her.
He withdrew one of the blackmailer's notes. She
remembered that one. It was the first. She'd found it on top
of her desk at the office. At first, she thought it was a joke.
The follow-up phone call made her realize it wasn't. She
couldn't mistake the threat in the caller's voice.
Heath's jaw clenched as he read the note. "Bastard."
"Yeah. Tell me about it." She pointed to the other papers.
"Like I said, not much there. The other notes. Bank
statements. Rudy's calendar for the few months before his
death. Not sure it will be any help."
"It's a start. I wish you hadn't handled the notes. Did
anyone else besides you touch them?"
"No. No one else knows about this. They came in
envelopes."
"You have those? We can check for DNA, although only if it
ends up going to trial. I have no way to compare, nothing to
compare it to. Not to mention, DNA tests take a long while to
get back."
"I didn't keep the envelopes."
He sighed heavily, and she knew he was irritated with her.
It was stupid, even she'd admit that, but she hadn't planned
on it going to trial. Still didn't. She didn't intend to tell the
authorities. Or anyone other than Heath, for that matter.
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"Do you recall any strange, new people Rudy began
associating with, maybe right before his death?"
"No. Not that I know of."
"Did you notice a change in his behavior? Sums of money
vanishing that he couldn't explain?"
"No. Not really. I mean, now that I know what he was
doing, I think back on times that I wondered if he was hiding
something from me. Nothing specific pointed to drug use,
especially not heavy drug use. The thought that he was
having an affair crossed my mind, but I never had any proof,
any real reason to suspect. Then, after the blackmailer called,
it all started to make sense. I even realized Rudy's mood had
been a little, I don't know...off from time to time."
Heath stood and went over to his duffle bag. Opening it,
he pulled out a notepad and pen. He returned, this time
settling on the couch next to Nicolette. He scooted forward
and laid the paperwork on the coffee table, then made notes
on the pad as he sifted through the stack.
"Do you have a way of checking fingerprints?" Nicolette
asked.
"I do. I can eliminate yours and mine, see if there are any
unknown, but any blackmailer that's worth a damn wouldn't
leave fingerprints."
As he continued making notes, she fell silent, watching as
he bent his dark head over the table, watching the muscles in
his forearm jump as he wrote. After several minutes, he
dropped the pen and leaned back into the couch, kneading his
neck with his fingers.
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"Here," she said, taking his shoulders and turning him
around where she had access to his neck. He was compliant
as she massaged him. She tried to ignore how warm his skin
felt, how touching him sent tingles through her body.