“I was looking forward to catching up with Teresa. But these things happen.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful stay all the same. Well, I have a few other guests to remind, so I’ll see you at lunch.”
Tony closed the door, calculating the pros and cons of continuing without a partner. His not-so-legal surveillance of Sterling’s credit card charges had shown the man had arrived at the resort day before yesterday.
Tony had monitored Sterling’s accounts regularly and this was the first time in months the weasel had gone anywhere resembling a vacation destination. Since the Treadways said Eunice had met Sterling at a resort in Texas, Tony figured he was planning to target a new victim. Smart man to vary his hunting grounds.
Even without a partner, Tony intended to stop Sterling and collect enough evidence to convince the authorities a series of felonies had been committed. Fraud, at the very least. Legally, Sterling hadn’t murdered Eunice Treadway. Morally, he might as well have administered the fatal dose of pills.
Because Tony had no doubt Eunice would have continued to sing in the church choir, help shuttle her granddaughters to activities and chair a few Red Hat Lady committees if she’d never met Sterling.
KAT MONROE FELT HER reservations fade as she strolled down the gravel footpath to the lodge. The days were cooler up here around Jasper, at nearly five thousand feet, than in Phoenix, where the spring temperatures already topped one hundred degrees.
She watched birds flit from a juniper tree to manzanita shrubs. Tucking her long auburn curls behind her ear, she shielded her eyes from the glare and saw a red-tailed hawk soaring high in the sky.
Feeling the tension ease from her shoulders for the first time in months, Kat was glad she’d splurged on the pricey resort.
It seemed as if June Marsh, her best friend’s mother, had been spot on in her recommendation of Phoenix Rising. Already Kat’s messy life in Tempe seemed strangely removed, as if it had happened to someone else. She sighed, hoping Annie hadn’t told her mother all the sordid details of Kat’s breakup with Zach. It was humiliating to think everyone knew she’d picked the totally wrong guy again. As a thirty-two-year-old, established accountant, she should be well past picking losers. Or allowing them to choose her.
“Beautiful, isn’t he?”
Kat started.
A tall, muscular man leaned against a wooden pole that supported a kerosene-style lantern, his silver hair held away from his face with a leather band. Most men couldn’t carry off the gray ponytail look, but on him it seemed both masculine and…elegant, she decided. His skin was weathered from long hours in the sun, and his eyes were an unusual shade of gray.
She returned her attention to the sky. “Yes, it is. Solitary, yet powerful.”
“He’s got a female nesting nearby. Red-tailed hawks mate for life.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You’re going to the luncheon?”
“Yes. Are you?”
The man pushed away from the pole and shuddered, his eyes sparkling. “Hell, no. The social stuff is more my wife’s domain. You probably met Linda at check-in. I handle the art workshops and drive the excursion van. Don’t miss the glassblowing exhibit after dinner tonight. It’ll knock your socks off. But then again, I’m biased.”
Kat raised an eyebrow, smiling at the affection in his voice. “Linda is your wife?”
“Yes. Don’t look so surprised. She’s not nearly as refined as she likes to pretend. And I don’t always wear flannel shirts and jeans. We manage to go with the flow pretty well.”
Kat realized why he seemed slightly familiar. “You’re Garth Fremont. The brochure says you’re famous for your blown-glass art.”
He shrugged. “I’ve done okay.”
“The next Dale Chihuly, I think Wikipedia said.”
“My wife probably wrote that. She thinks I’m a genius.” He winked. “That’s the secret to the success of our relationship. If she ever discovers I’m just a dumb guy who likes to melt glass, I’m toast.”
Kat laughed. “I seriously doubt that. But I better get to the luncheon or they’ll send out a search party. Your wife said so.”
“She will, too. Tenacious is her middle name. Don’t forget the exhibition tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Kat was still smiling as she rounded the corner to the lodge, realizing it had been a long time since she’d tried something new or done anything besides what her boyfriend of the moment wanted. Now that she’d forced Zach to move out, it was time to discover what interested her, rather than jumping into another doomed relationship. This vacation was her chance to start a whole new way of living. The thought was both exhilarating and scary.
TONY’S STOMACH GRUMBLED as he stepped into the private dining room, a large space decorated in South western style, with a stucco, beehive fireplace in one corner. The smell of food was enough to remind him he’d subsisted on coffee and power bars since hitting the road early this morning, after renting a motorcycle in Phoenix. The Harley was as much for his enjoy ment as it was part of his cover playing Teresa’s brother, a man facing a middle age crisis. His baggy Tommy Bahama tropical shirt was supposed to complete the impression.
He gave the buffet table a longing glance as he passed by to reach one of the two long pine tables, where several people were already gathered. He wished he’d had time to get at least the bare bones of a new plan worked out before meeting Sterling.
“Tony, why don’t you sit there.” Linda gestured toward the far end of the table, where there was a card with his name. There were no chairs, just a long bench on either side. “We’re not formal, just trying to encourage mixing. Starting this evening, you choose your own seat in the main dining room. The round tables there seat eight—it’s a good way to strike up a conversation.”
“No problem.”
See, I’m flexible. I can adapt to not being in charge.
He could almost hear his ex-wife, Corrine, refuting that statement in counseling, where she’d made him sound about as warm and cuddly as Attila the Hun.
“He treats me like one of his rookie officers. As if I should accept his word as the ultimate authority on everything. Having him home all the time during his…career transition…has been eye-opening.”
Apparently so eye-opening that she’d asked him for a divorce after a few short sessions. No, not asked. Demanded. As if she couldn’t stand to be with him one more second. Yet she still called to chat with him or ask for tips on fixing something around the house. He would never understand women. Maybe that was why he hesitated to jump back into the dating scene.
“Excuse me.”
He turned to see a redhead waiting expectantly. She was medium height, her turquoise tank top revealing toned arms and plenty of cleavage. A purple skirt of lightweight crinkly fabric covered her from hips to calves.
Her eyes narrowed and he realized he was staring.
“My seat’s back there.” She gestured behind him, silver bangles jangling on her wrist. “I need to get by.”
“Sure.” He stepped to the side, wondering if he should help her maneuver around the bench. Judging from her stiff posture, he figured probably not.
Two older ladies were already seated at the table. Heads together, they whispered to each other, nodding toward the door, where a distinguished gentleman with silver hair had entered.
So far, no sign of Sterling.
Tony