A Growl, a Roar, and a Purr Page 24

  “That does leave us with a couple of loose ends to tidy up,” Hashtag informed him.

  “Like what?”

  Hashtag pointed to the window. “Those two loose ends out there, the car and the RV. As in, what do we do with them? I can sell them, but not that fast. We’re gonna need to store them someplace for the moment and come back at a later date for them.”

  Rael came back into the room. “Okay, we’re going to have a visitor.” He seemed pissed.

  “The owner?” Dellan inquired.

  Rael nodded. “Because we want to leave after less than a week, he seems convinced we’re pulling out early because we’ve trashed the place. He wants to check on it before we go.”

  “Okay, boys. Operation Cleanup,” Horvan announced. “Let’s not give him anything to complain about. We’re just six guys enjoying a vacation together. Six very tidy guys.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll break out the cleaning supplies.” Crank headed for the cabinet beneath the sink.

  “I’ll spirit away anything we don’t want him to see,” Roadkill added. Then he paused. “And you’ve just given me an idea. Dellan, can you and Rael give the RV a once-over?”

  “What are you up to?” Dellan was intrigued.

  Roadkill grinned. “Hopefully tying up one of those loose ends.” He glanced at Rael. “How long have we got until he gets here?”

  “He’s in Salmon at the moment, so he said maybe an hour.”

  Roadkill nodded. “That’s plenty of time.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Hashtag demanded.

  “You’re booking flights, remember?” Horvan reminded him. His gaze flickered to Dellan. They’re a great team, aren’t they?

  The best, Dellan assured him. He was counting on them to have his back.

  “Er, guys?” Crank paused, a bottle of cleaning fluid in his hands. “Maybe you need to clean up outside too?”

  Horvan frowned. “And what are we cleaning, exactly? The snow?”

  Crank stared at him pointedly. “I was thinking more about paw prints. You know, lions and tigers and bears? It hasn’t snowed since you all went out to play.”

  Dellan smiled at Horvan. Like I said, the best.

  MR. LANE hadn’t stopped smiling since he walked into the cabin. “I think you’re leaving it in a cleaner state than it was when you arrived.”

  “That would be his fault,” Crank said, indicating Horvan with a flick of his head. “He’s very house-proud. You should see him with a feather duster.”

  Dellan bit his lip, trying his damnedest not to laugh. Rael’s shoulders were shaking too.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed your stay,” Mr. Lane said brightly. “Perhaps we’ll see you around here again?” He glanced at the rifles. “How was the hunting? There was some talk of a bear in these parts, not that I’ve ever seen one.” He glanced toward the window.

  “A bear? Wow.” Roadkill kept a straight face. “I’ve never seen one outside of a zoo.”

  Mr. Lane was staring at the RV. “That’s a beauty, isn’t it? I was after one of these myself. The kids would love it. How many does it sleep?”

  “Well, there was room for all of us,” Hashtag remarked.

  Mr. Lane’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, perfect. We’ve got four kids. That’s why I have to drive that bus out there.” His expression grew wistful. “When we first got married, I drove the sweetest little Miata. Of course, the first kid came along, and my baby had to go.” He coughed. “Listen to me, running on like this.”

  “Actually, we were going to ask you a favor,” Roadkill said suddenly.

  Dellan blinked. Do you know what he’s talking about?

  Before Horvan or Rael could respond, Roadkill pressed ahead. “Would it be possible to keep the RV and the car somewhere on your property for us to pick up at a later date? We’d pay you, of course. And you’d be free to use them.”

  Mr. Lane stilled. “Seriously?”

  Roadkill nodded. “We’re flying out of Missoula tomorrow morning. It would be a big help if we had a place to store them.” He smiled. “And that kinda guarantees we’d be back, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it does.” Mr. Lane smiled broadly. “I think we can come to an arrangement.” His brow furrowed. “But if you’re leaving the car here, how will you get to the airport?”

  Roadkill gave a casual shrug. “Oh, we’ll call a taxi.”

  Dellan had to admire the nonchalant act.

  Mr. Lane snorted. “Yeah, no. I know most of the taxi drivers around here. They’ll fleece you. Of course, I could drive you all.”

  “Really?” Rael stared at him. “That would be a four- or five-hour round trip.”

  Mr. Lane waved his hand. “What’s four or five hours? Besides, I’ll be taking your RV out on the weekend with the family. Everyone gets what they want.” He grinned. “And it gets me away from the mother-in-law. She’s visiting right now.”

  Dellan watched as Roadkill, Rael, and Mr. Lane worked out a price for storing the vehicles. Hashtag gave him the time of the flight, and they arranged when Mr. Lane would be at the cabin to pick them up. Then he thanked them again, and Rael walked him outside to his people-carrier.

  Horvan’s hand was gentle on Dellan’s back. “See? Sometimes things have a habit of working out fine,” he said quietly.

  Dellan glanced around the cabin’s interior. “I won’t forget this place.” His gut felt like it was in knots.

  “We have one more night.” Horvan slipped his arm around Dellan’s waist.

  Dellan turned to look at him. “And if all I want is to be held all night long?”

  Horvan’s smile sent a slow pulse of warmth through his body. “That was precisely what I had in mind.”

  Rael stepped back into the cabin. “Hashtag, did you finish laying a false credit trail for Dellan?”

  “About two hours ago.” Hashtag stilled. “Why?”

  “Because we might need it. There’s a police car coming down the road.”

  Horvan let go of Dellan and went over to the window. “Yup. It’s pulling up here.”

  Dellan’s heartbeat slipped into a higher gear, and Rael was at his side in an instant. “Of course they’re here. It was inevitable.”

  Roadkill nodded. “Just keep calm, okay? And stick to the story you told the Chicago cops.”

  Dellan nodded, breathing deeply.

  “You remember what we discussed?” Hashtag asked him.

  “Yeah.” Outside, a car door slammed, and Dellan straightened in his chair.

  Roadkill went to the door and opened it. “Good afternoon, officer.”

  “I believe Dellan Carson is staying here?” The cop sounded young.

  “Yes, he is. Please, come in.” Roadkill stood aside and the cop entered the cabin, glancing around. His gaze alighted on Dellan, and he came over, taking a notebook from his breast pocket.

  “Mr. Carson? I’m Officer Logan from the Salmon police department. I’m following up on a call you made this morning to the Chicago PD.”

  Dellan nodded. He gestured to a chair. “Please, have a seat.”

  The cop took it and peered at the others. “You’re all here on vacation?”

  “Since last Thursday,” Horvan told him. “We rented the cabin from Mr. Lane. You just missed him.”

  “Did they check on my brother?” Dellan blurted out. It wasn’t an act. Part of him hoped against hope there’d been nothing to find, that it had all been a nightmare.

  Officer Logan opened his notepad. “Can you tell me exactly what happened, leading up to your call to Chicago?” He gave a slight smile. “I know you’ve already gone through this with the Chicago PD, but I have to check.”

  Dellan swallowed. “This morning after breakfast, I placed a Skype call to my brother, Anson Prescott. My half brother, if you want to be exact.”

  “Why did you call him?”

  “To say I was coming home. I’ve been away for over a year.” His stomach clenched at the lie.

  “Was Mr. Prescott surprised t
o hear from you?” Officer Logan made notes.

  “I think he was surprised my sabbatical was finally over.”

  Officer Logan frowned. “Sabbatical? If he knew that, then why did Mr. Prescott have you declared missing last year?”

  Dellan did his best to feign astonishment. “That’s news to me, officer. We discussed my taking time away from the business after New Year’s last year. I have no idea why he’d do such a thing.”

  “I’ll come back to this in a second. So… you placed the Skype call. What time was this?”

  Dellan glanced at Hashtag, who peered at the laptop. “Ten this morning, officer. Dellan made the call on this laptop.” Hashtag turned it around, and Officer Logan looked closely at the screen, scribbling in his notepad.

  “The call didn’t last long,” he noted. “Just over three and a half minutes.”

  Dellan nodded. “I told him I was coming back to Chicago within the week, and that I was ready to take back the reins. He’s been running the company in my absence.”

  “How did he react to that?” Officer Logan gazed at Dellan. “Was he unhappy about the news?”

  Dellan shrugged. “I couldn’t tell. He knew when I left he’d be the CEO temporarily, until my return.”

  “Then what happened?”

  Dellan fought to maintain some degree of calm. “He said he heard a noise, and he got up from the laptop.” He shivered. “That was when the screaming started.”

  “Then who disconnected the call? Did you see anyone else?”

  Dellan shook his head. “The screen went blank. I called the Chicago police.” He leaned forward. “Now can you tell me about Anson?”

  Officer Logan put down his notepad. “I’m not at liberty to reveal any details about the case. I can only tell you that Mr. Prescott is dead.” His face tightened. “You have my condolences.”

  Dellan closed his eyes. “It sounded so awful from here. And when the call got disconnected….” He swallowed again and opened his eyes. “Is there anything else you need to know?”

  Officer Logan glanced at his notepad. “Can we go back to where you’ve been for the last year?”

  Dellan recalled his conversation with Hashtag. “I make regular large donations to several conservation groups, located in different states. I decided to get away from it all and spend some time checking on my investments.”

  “Conservation groups?”

  Dellan gestured to the window. “National forests, for example.”

  “Did you inform any of these groups that you’d be visiting?”

  Dellan smiled. “I didn’t want to make a fuss. I kept my visits quiet. That way, I got to see how my money was really being spent.”

  “You can prove these visits?”

  “Yes, there will be credit card receipts showing where I went. Do you want to see them?” Dellan reached into his pocket for the phone Hashtag had gotten for him, praying he’d read the man correctly.

  Officer Logan smiled. “Not at this time, sir. You told my colleagues in Chicago that you would be going to your office. They might ask to see your records.” He tilted his head to one side. “Can I ask why you decided to take a sabbatical?”

  Dellan didn’t have to lie. “We’d just lost Tom Prescott, my stepdad. Then my mom died too. I lost my own dad when I was seven. It felt like I’d lost everyone I’d ever loved. I’d been Tom’s manager since I was in my late twenties, and losing him was….” He yearned to feel his mates’ arms around him, but that would have to wait.

  Says who? No sooner had Dellan heard Horvan’s words than a feeling of warmth and comfort flowed over and through him, and he knew it came from his mates.

  Dellan took a deep breath. “Anson assured me he was more than capable of running the company if I decided to take a break, and I knew if there were any problems, he would contact me. When no frantic messages came, I assumed all was well.”

  “Then you have no clue as to why he would declare you as missing.”

  “None at all, Officer Logan. It’s a complete mystery.” Dellan frowned. “What confuses me, however, is if he declared me missing, why didn’t it make the news? The CEO of a successful pharmaceutical company disappears? That’s a national headline right there. And seeing such headlines would have brought me right back to Chicago.” He was amazed at how easily the lies rolled off his tongue.

  “It is a mystery,” Officer Logan admitted. “Mr. Prescott was only twenty-three. Wasn’t he a little young to be left in control like that?”

  “The board obviously didn’t believe so.”

  Officer Logan closed his notepad, and Dellan heaved an internal sigh of relief. “When do you plan on returning to Chicago?”

  “We’re all booked on the first flight out of Missoula tomorrow morning,” Hashtag said smoothly.

  The officer frowned. “All of you?”

  Dellan nodded. “These are my friends. They’ve kindly agreed to accompany me.”

  Officer Logan got to his feet. “It sounds like they’re a good bunch of friends.” He gave Dellan a single nod. “Thank you, sir. I’ll inform Chicago PD to expect you sometime tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll be able to give you more information about Mr. Prescott’s death.” He held out his hand. “Again, my condolences.”

  Dellan rose to his feet and shook. “Thank you, Officer Logan.” He waited until Logan had left the cabin, gotten into his vehicle, and pulled away before dropping onto the chair, all his energy gone.

  “Wow. You were amazing.” Crank applauded him. “You even had me believing you.”

  “But did he believe me? That’s what matters.” Dellan wasn’t convinced.

  “You played it just right,” Horvan said, slipping into the empty chair next to him. “You didn’t hesitate about providing proof. Your reasons for taking off were totally understandable. And you spoke calmly and clearly, looking him in the eye.”

  “Horvan’s right.” Roadkill nodded approvingly. “You came across as honest. Upset about Anson. And he was just making sure what you told him matched up with what you told the Chicago cops.”

  “So I get to do this all over again tomorrow?” Dellan wanted to be sick. “I don’t think I’m cut out for all this.”

  “Just wait until the Chicago police are satisfied with your story. They can’t believe you’re involved, not unless you conspired with a gorilla to… you know.” Hashtag went into the kitchen and returned with a glass. “Here. Drink this. I think you need it.”

  Dellan took the whiskey gratefully. The fiery liquid warmed his belly.

  “Okay.” Horvan glanced around the table. “Roadkill has tied up the loose ends, Mr. Lane is picking us up in the morning, and the police have confirmation about the Skype call. Let’s pack up, and then Roadkill and I will run into Salmon for pizza and beer. No cooking tonight, boys.”

  Crank beamed. “Now that sounds like a good evening.” His eyes gleamed. “Hey. We could watch porn.”

  Roadkill arched his eyebrows. “Really? So you’d be okay with gay porn, if that’s what Horvan wants to watch?” His lips twitched.

  Crank shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time. A hole is a hole, right?” He headed for the bathroom.

  Roadkill flicked a glance in Horvan’s direction. “Gay,” he whispered. “Or bi. But straight?” He waved his hand in a kind of “meh” gesture. “That boy would bust Maury’s lie detector in a heartbeat.” Beside him, Hashtag was holding his belly, clearly trying to muffle his laughter.

  Rael stood behind Dellan, rubbing his shoulders. Try to turn your mind off for one night? I know that’s asking a lot with everything that’s happened, but you need to relax.

  Dellan reached up and covered Rael’s hand. I just want to curl up on the couch with you two.

  Rael kissed the top of his head. Sounds like my kind of night.

  Think of it as the calm before the storm, Horvan told him.

  Dellan’s instincts told him the storm was going to be bigger than any of them anticipated.

  Chapter Twenty-Fi
ve

  THE UBER pulled up outside the Global Bio-Tech building, and Roadkill, Crank, and Hashtag got out. Dellan hesitated, his pulse racing and his stomach churning. The time since their flight landed had passed quickly. They’d dropped their bags off at Horvan’s apartment, done a quick change of clothing, and then headed for the office. But now they were there….

  It’ll be fine, Horvan assured him. We’ll meet with the police as arranged, they’ll ask more questions, and that will be it. We can get out of here and take you home.

  Dellan swallowed. I don’t want to see inside that office. Time had done nothing to dim the memory of that final call. Right then he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to step foot in there again.

  They probably won’t let you anyway. Rael took his hand and held it. It’s a crime scene, remember?

  Dellan froze. He… he won’t be here, will he? Dellan could still see his cruel smile as he watched Anson’s slaughter.

  Unlikely. Rael squeezed his hand. And even if he were, I don’t think he’d come out of it well. Not with this bunch and in their present mood.

  You know it. Horvan covered Dellan’s other hand with his own.

  The Uber driver coughed loudly.

  I think that’s our cue to get the fuck out of here. Horvan pushed the seats forward and squeezed through the gap, Dellan and Rael following.

  “Here we are again,” Roadkill said cheerfully, staring up at the glass-fronted building.

  “Yeah, but this time without the mob in the lobby,” Hashtag added.

  “Aw, crap.”

  Dellan glanced at Crank. “What’s the matter?”

  “I just realized what yesterday was. Yet another year when I missed out on my St. Patty’s Day corned beef.”

  Roadkill narrowed his gaze. “And like I tell you every year, you can have corned beef anytime.”

  Crank jutted out his lip. “But it tastes better on St. Pat’s.”

  Hashtag pointed to the building. “Eyes on the prize, numbnuts. Newsflash—today is not about you and your stomach.”

  They followed Dellan through the main doors, Horvan and Rael flanking him.