Declan hated being inside the house. Not a paranoid man, he was sure they would find a dead body somewhere. The police had brought out cadaver dogs when they were investigating Livia ten years before, but the land had a series of underground tunnels that had not been fully explored. No one knew exactly where those tunnels led, but Declan took great pleasure in dynamiting them closed. Livia had recently been hiding inside La Bonne Vie’s underground tunnels and run off the land. Declan would not give her an opportunity to return.
Shutting down each entrance to La Bonne Vie was like tying off a part of the past, closing that section of the town’s history. And it needed to be closed. There was nothing good about it.
Behind the house on the crumbling back porch, the construction crew had laid out items they had found.
Today’s items were a silver photo album, a gold bell and several dusty books. Declan picked them up. They might fetch a small amount of money at auction. Flipping open the photo album, he found pictures of Livia. How narcissistic. Livia with Fabrizio, her most recent late husband. In every picture, he was looking at her adoringly. Declan couldn’t imagine how Fabrizio had married her. Not even her money or beauty could hide how ugly she was inside.
Allison Rafferty Colton joined him on the covered porch. Declan had hired Rafferty Construction to help with the teardown of La Bonne Vie. He liked the pretty blonde. She was no-nonsense and direct. From what he had heard, she was married to, and shared a child with, Knox Colton. Declan didn’t hold that against her. At least, not for now. It hadn’t become a problem and it seemed in Shadow Creek, the Coltons were everywhere and into everything.
“It’s been a productive morning. We’ve removed some copper wiring from the second floor. We’ll take that to be recycled. The crew has been enjoying these treasure hunts. That’s what they call them. Person who finds the coolest trinket for the day wins.”
“What do they win?” Declan asked.
“I buy them their first round at happy hour,” Allison said.
Declan was pleased to hear the crew were at least somewhat enjoying the task. They’d work harder and get the job done faster. “Interesting collection today. Those wine bottles and racks you found sold great at auction.”
Allison glanced at the table. “I keep expecting we’ll find another secret room and it will be filled with treasure. I’ve taken the measurements of the outside of the house and of each room inside, and we could find small spaces stacked with goodies.”
“I was over at Hill Country Farm this morning.” Off topic and not what he’d intended to say. The words had popped out.
Allison nodded. “I thought I saw something between you and Jade at River and Edith’s engagement party.”
The statement made him feel defensive. “There isn’t anything between us. We just met. It was nice of her to host the engagement party.”
“Why were you at Hill Country today? Looking to buy a horse?” Allison asked.
He didn’t have time for a horse and he couldn’t read if she was being sarcastic. “I told Jade I would check in with her. Livia is still out there and seeing this done to her house has to piss her off.” Livia knew exactly what he was doing to La Bonne Vie.
Allison looked back at the house. “I figured that was part of the reason we were doing it. Knox will like seeing this place taken off the face of the earth. Nothing but heartache here.”
It was one of the first times Allison had mentioned her Colton husband. “The town doesn’t want it here. I wouldn’t have torn it down otherwise.” Not exactly true, but it helped that most of the town was happy to see it gone.
Before the town had known about the criminal enterprise Livia had helped run from La Bonne Vie, it had celebrated her and her children. They had been local celebrities. Livia had donated money to build Shadow Creek Memorial Hospital. Her name had been on the chapel inside the hospital, which had been renamed after her conviction. Her generosity had been the veil covering the truth of Livia Colton’s life.
She was a liar, murderer and a thief and used people like disposable lives.
“I’ll let you know if we find anything of major interest,” Allison said. She returned to the house and Declan was left alone with his thoughts.
The finality of destroying La Bonne Vie would be the jewel in the crown of Livia being found and arrested. Staying away from her home was impossible; she had just stayed there for weeks. When she was caught, Declan would campaign for her to be transferred to the most secure prison in the South.
Livia Colton wouldn’t see the light of day again.
* * *
Declan’s nerves were tight. Another conference call with SinCo’s lawyers and another week had gone by since Tim DeVega, SinCo’s former accountant, had taken off with over two hundred thousand dollars, embezzling the money and then disappearing. Declan refused to let DeVega go without pursuit. The authorities hadn’t found him, but Declan wouldn’t give up. He had hired private investigators to track DeVega down.
The money was important, but it was more than that. It had cost Declan a deal in progress when he hadn’t had the cash on hand to close. He was heavily invested in his real estate company. After acquiring one property and finalizing the development plans, he was quick to move forward with another property. Each sale netted him more money, and the more properties he turned over, the better.
He had his eye on three burned-out apartment buildings in Killeen, located in central Texas. The structures had been built in the twenties, renovated over a dozen times, each time cutting a few corners, until a fire had demolished all three. The violated building codes had made the apartments a hazard. Declan wanted to buy the destroyed buildings cheaply, tear them down and construct a luxury condo community with a view of the nearby lake.
Leaving the B and B in Shadow Creek, he stopped at the Cozy Diner. He ordered two meals to go. Though he wasn’t obligated to, he wanted to check in on Jade. Her concerns about her mother were well-founded. Recently, in an absolutely terrifying ordeal, Livia had kidnapped Edith and had almost killed her. Understanding Livia’s motives were impossible, except to say they were selfish.
When he had seen Jade kneeling on the ground, head in her hands, he had been scared and worried, borderline panicked. That reaction was a surprise to him. Caring for someone he knew so little about wasn’t like him. He kept people at a distance for a reason. His father had betrayed their family, his mother had left, and during almost every other experience he’d had in foster care and in the business world, he’d had to watch his back. Keeping a cool distance from others was in his comfort zone.
Carrying the handled plain brown bag from the Cozy Diner, Declan stepped out of the car. He’d parked in front of Jade’s house, which seemed to be the heart of the farm. Across the street was parked a dark sedan with tinted windows. It might have been the same one from the night of Edith’s engagement party. Not very subtle. The FBI couldn’t know how much the Colton children were involved with Livia, and Livia could show up any place, any time. Her connections and access to funds made her hard to catch.
Jade was in the round pen with a horse. She was wearing tan boots and tight khaki pants. Her white collared shirt fit her curves, giving her a casual and sexy appearance. In her hand was a long rope attached to the horse’s halter, and she turned as the horse moved. Watching her, he was captivated again by her intensity and focus. He approached the five-foot-high slatted fence. Not wanting to break her concentration, he waited.
After a few seconds, she turned to him and waved. The smile on her face socked him in the gut. She was beautiful. He motioned for her to come over. She said something to her horse and then approached.
“Hey, stranger,” she said. “Two days in a row. How did I get so lucky?”
“I told you I would come by. I know you’re anxious about what’s been going on around Shadow Creek.”
Jade