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  Michael pulled back slowly, keeping his eyes on Nicole’s. “Ran into Sadler this morning while I was with a business associate. He introduced us to two women interested in buying your rentals in Tampa. Since I’m executor, he has to keep me informed about what he’s doing in regards to the estate. He needs my signature for every deal.”

  “If they’re the same ones, I met those women at the club the night you tossed Greg over the railing. Ellis told me he had a couple of other interested buyers.”

  “What else do you know about them?”

  “I let Ellis handle everything. He said it was a project he and Grandmother had started. Why?” she asked.

  “My friend remembered the women. She saw their mug shots splashed across the front page of the Herald. They were arrested on charges brought against them in a local land-fraud scheme. Apparently, they bought quite a lot of property on a no-money-down scheme and falsified records, setting up a system where they controlled every step of the process. They would buy and resell the properties using straw buyers—people who acted as buyers and applied for loans to purchase the properties. As soon as they obtained the mortgage and title, they sold the property to another straw buyer, keeping the money. In most cases, no one made any payments.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she gasped. “That’s impossible.”

  “Afraid not,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Is there any chance you could be wrong about this? And why would they be here?”

  “I wish I were. As for why they’re here, that I don’t know.”

  Angry spots of color burned on her cheeks. “Michael, what should I do? Ellis only met the women at the club, and they came with Greg.”

  The last bit of news surprised him. “Have you signed the final papers?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good, don’t. You don’t have anything to worry about. We’re very lucky to have stopped this in time.” He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be digging and hopefully come up with some more information. Keep all of this to yourself. Most importantly, don’t tell Sadler.”

  “I won’t tell anyone. I appreciate your telling me.”

  “I’m keeping my eye out for my favorite neighbor.” He laughed. “I want you to come to me and let me help you with any problems that come up. After all, I know all the players.”

  Michael’s phone rang, and he answered it. By the tenor of his side of the conversation, she knew he’d be leaving, on his way to put out another fire from the sound of it. Finally, he hung up and turned to her with a rueful expression.

  “I know.” She put her finger on his lips. “I’ll take care of Ellis, and you take care of your problem. We can meet later.”

  They walked together to their cars. He kissed her softly, only fueling her desire for more. She waved as he drove away, a silly smile on her face. Then she climbed into her car, nerved herself, and called Ellis. Her body was tight with tension, the phone shaking in her hands. As she listened to the phone ring, she realized she hadn’t shared everything with Michael. Finally, Ellis picked up. “Ellis, this is Nicole.”

  “You were on my list to call later,” Ellis said. “I just got back and have great news. I closed a deal on four pieces of property. Pretty damn good, huh?” his voice boomed triumphantly. “The papers are drawn up and ready for your signature. Then they need final approval from Edwards. Can you come by my office tomorrow?”

  “Those sales can’t go through.”

  “What are you talking about?” he spluttered. “Can’t go through? Why the hell not?”

  “We have to meet and talk before you sell any more property.”

  “I just told you, I closed all the deals,” he snapped. “It’s too late.”

  “I will not sell my property.” Nicole hoped her tone would end the discussion.

  “You wait one second, young lady. You agreed to this. You can’t treat people this way. You gave me authority to handle these deals, and they’ve been made. There’s no changing your mind at this late date.”

  “Ellis,” Nicole said firmly, “I have no intention of selling any property right now. That’s final. If you don’t care to do business my way then let me know now.”

  “You’d take it out of my hands?” he gasped. “You win for now, Nicole. But at the very least, you owe me an explanation for why you’re backing out on the deal—and without any warning. You do realize that you’re leaving yourself open to financial repercussions should the parties decide to sue?”

  Nicole could hear his labored breathing. “There was no time for a warning if the sale was supposed to go through immediately,” she pointed out.

  “May I ask why you changed your mind?”

  “I’ve just discovered that these prospective buyers are not the kind of people I want to do business with.”

  “What are you talking about?” he yelled through the receiver.

  Nicole quickly pulled the phone from her ear; she could hear his voice from a foot away. When he quieted down, she put the receiver back.

  “Where did you hear such a story?” he asked.

  She remembered Michael asking her to keep quiet. “I’m sorry, but the information came to me confidentially.”

  “We should talk before I tell these people the deal is off. I can stall for a few days,” Ellis said. “This is very embarrassing for me. My reputation is on the line. I’d like to talk to you about this as soon as possible.”

  “You can come by the house later this afternoon.”

  “I have a calendar full of appointments. How about dinner this evening?”

  That was the last thing she wanted, but she felt she had no choice. “I’ll see you then.”

  “We’ll talk over everything then and get things straight between us.” His voice was strained, trying hard to keep up a pretense of friendliness, as though his emotions hadn’t been put to the test by going from shocked surprise to raging anger to startled protest to submission, and finally ending in defeat after only a few minutes of conversation. Without saying anything further, he hung up.

  Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. What had Michael told her about Ellis when they first met? Oh yes, “Watch out for Sadler.”

  Ellis had sounded genuinely shocked. Though perhaps that didn’t mean anything; he’d naturally be upset at her threat to take her business away. The loss of Grandmother’s estate could be a serious financial loss for him. She hoped that finding another lawyer wouldn’t be necessary.

  “I hope I wasn’t too hard on him,” she said aloud, putting her phone away.

  Nicole sighed, her eyes filling with tears from the exhaustion growing out of sleepless nights, the fears that haunted her every move as darkness fell, and the lack of anyone to talk to. Thank goodness Michael had come back and she’d get a chance to talk to him later.

  Chapter Seventeen

  NICOLE PULLED HER car into the driveway and parked at the front door, surprised to see Victoria Peters sitting on the steps in workout clothes.

  “What right do you have to treat Greg the way you do?” she demanded, jumping up and tossing back her long blond hair. “You’ve been spreading malicious lies, trying to drive him away. What a mistake people made in accepting you. I’m telling you now, neither you nor anyone else is going to pressure him into leaving.”

  “Victoria,” Nicole began gently, “you don’t understand.” She couldn’t believe the venom and anger coming out of Victoria’s mouth.

  “I understand more than you think,” she declared. “You and the Edwardses have ganged up on Greg. You’re going to be very sorry if you don’t stop, and stop now.” She raced down the stairs and stormed off down the street.

  Ava came out the door. “I thought Victoria and Jake Edwards were all googly-eyed for one another. Poor Jake will be getting his heart broken.”

  “Are you leaving for the day?”

  Ava grinned. “See you tomorrow.” She bounced down the steps to a car that sat waiting at the cur
b.

  Nicole scanned the street in hopes that she might see where Victoria had gone off to; she needed to set things straight between them before they got any worse. But the girl had disappeared.

  This latest problem was too much. Could Greg have been involved in a land-fraud scheme with her property? And now Victoria was defending him… Maybe it was time to use her grandmother’s tactics and have Greg investigated. It might answer some of her questions about him.

  The air smelled of rain. The sky darkened, black clouds hovering overhead as Nicole grabbed her purse out of the car and raced up the stairs. Chester, who’d been talking on his phone, ended the conversation abruptly when he saw her cross the threshold.

  “Ellis will be here for dinner, Chester. Would you tell Rena I’d prefer fresh fish to be served?” she said, racing on upstairs

  She stood in the doorway to the terrace and stared as the storm clouds burst, covering the landscape with giant raindrops. A thick marine layer descended over the water, blurring it from view.

  Some afternoons seemed to crawl by, and this was one of them. She didn’t bother going into her studio since she knew she’d find it impossible to concentrate on her painting with so many unanswered questions haunting her every waking thought.

  On impulse, she snuck into the room next to hers, looking for any sign of the woman whose crying she’d heard the night before. It surprised her to see the bedspread rumpled where the woman had apparently lain sobbing. How had the unknown woman gotten into the house? Nicole hadn’t heard her come through the window, the way the man had. More importantly, where had she disappeared to and was she still in the house?

  Nicole wandered through the house, turning on lights as she entered rooms, trying to dispel the darkness and drive the shadows into hiding. She thought about Rena and felt a tad guilty that she hadn’t bothered to check on her or offer her any well-wishes. She disliked the woman and found it difficult to work up any sympathy for her, but felt immediately ashamed of her thoughts. She really ought to ask after the woman, and besides, she hadn’t had the opportunity to see the Greys’ quarters the day of the tour; Rena had deliberately steered her away.

  The Greys’ rooms were at the far end of the house, the door slightly ajar. As she neared, Nicole heard female voices drifting out. Normally, she might have come back at another time, but she recognized the voices. The harsh one belonged to Rena and the other one was the voice of the woman who’d cried in the room next to Nicole’s last night. Without hesitation, she pushed opened the door and went in.

  Chapter Eighteen

  RENA SAT ON a chaise, dressed in somber black, her hair pulled severely away from her face in an uncompromising bun. There wasn’t a single sign of illness that would necessitate her spending any time in bed but plenty of evidence that she couldn’t contain her foul mood.

  The other woman appeared to be in her late twenties. Her perfume was so overpowering that it made Nicole want to cover her nose and open the windows to ward off the headache rapidly approaching. The woman’s black hair fell freely down her back in an array of undisciplined curls. She stood out in sharp contrast to Rena; her face was overly made-up, her bright red lips highlighting her sulky mouth, and she was wearing diamonds and emeralds—not usual daytime wear. She looked very much at home as she lay on the couch, the silk bathrobe tied securely around her waist draping open to reveal plenty of cleavage.

  When Nicole appeared in the doorway, the conversation in the room ended immediately. Rena looked up, anger flooding her face. She opened her mouth and then closed it, rising to her feet and smoothing down the front of her dress. The dark-haired woman sat up with a grace about her and nervously covered her earrings.

  An awkward silence hung in the air as they all stared at one another.

  “Do you want something?” Rena asked, clearly irritated by the interruption. “If you’d called, my husband would’ve taken care of anything you needed.”

  “I came to see how you were doing,” Nicole said. “Chester told me that you weren’t feeling well today.”

  Rena looked from Nicole to the woman in the silky robe. Nicole noted that the woman’s expensive earrings had disappeared.

  With a touch of defiance, the younger woman said, “You might as well introduce us.”

  There was more silence, and then Rena said, “This is my daughter, Lucia. She’s come for a visit.”

  Nicole looked in surprise at the woman. The Greys’ daughter? “Nice to meet you,” she said, trying to hide her shock.

  “That’s not all. I’m also Mrs. Kirkland Alexander.” She smirked.

  “Silence!” Chester hissed at her from behind Nicole. Startled, Nicole turned to face him, her heart pounding. He glared, first at his daughter and then at Nicole, clearly angry at finding her in his room. Nicole thought he looked like a caged animal waiting to pounce. Only he wasn’t caged.

  Lucia shrugged. “She was bound to find out sooner or later.” She turned to Nicole. “None of this has been fair to Kirkland. He wouldn’t have wanted me to be sneaking around, keeping our marriage a secret as though I was ashamed of it when, in fact, I loved him and was proud to be his wife. It’s about time I tell whoever I want.”

  Lucia Grey...Kirkland’s wife and now widow. Nicole wished she had a moment alone to digest all this. Is that why the Greys barely tolerated her existence, the reason Rena had frightened the wits out of her the first night? Images floated through her mind of a woman crying, a threatening man, hints of blackmail.

  “Congratulations. Of course you’d want people to know,” Nicole said. “Why wait until now to announce it?”

  Lucia told her about her marriage to Kirkland and how they’d kept it a secret from Caroline. “I was confused! I wanted the best for Kirkland and Mrs. Alexander and didn’t know how to make that happen.”

  Nicole sank into a nearby chair, not because she wanted to stay but because, quite frankly, she was shocked and wanted to hear the rest of the story. She eyed Lucia closely; she’d noticed that her voice was devoid of emotion while she told her story. Nicole was convinced that there was more to this woman than met the eye. How long would the Greys have kept this secret if Nicole hadn’t walked in on Lucia in her mother’s room? The secrecy and lies appalled her.

  “I wish you’d known Kirkland,” Lucia said, momentarily lost in thought. “He was an amazing man and a fine writer.”

  “How long were you two married before he died?”

  “One year.” Lucia stiffened her spine. “But we were in love long before that, and I know Kirkland would have wanted me to be taken care of after his death. Mrs. Alexander agreed. She promised to give me a check for Kirkland’s life insurance policy before she died.”

  “I don’t know anything about this,” Nicole said. I need to talk to Michael before making any promises.

  Rena spoke up. “Mrs. Alexander wanted Lucia to have the money—Lucia’s own husband’s insurance. It wouldn’t mean much to you; you could write the check.”

  “This is a matter for my lawyer,” Nicole said. “He’s having dinner with me tonight. I’ll discuss it with him then. I’m sure he’s going to want to see proof of the marriage and the insurance policy.”

  “Weren’t you listening when I told you I left my marriage certificate with Mrs. Alexander?” Lucia asked. “No one’s been able to find it. It’s disappeared.”

  Nicole stood up, tired of being talked to like a small child. “Mr. Sadler will get in touch with you.” At the doorway, she stopped. “Chester, someone broke into the house last night.”

  The words dropped like a bomb. Rena paled and drew in a breath. Chester glared.

  “It was probably me you heard,” Lucia said. “I arrived quite late last night, and Father let me in.”

  “It wasn’t you I saw, unless you used the window instead of the door,” Nicole said.

  “Saw?” Lucia’s face drained of color. “Were you able to see a face?”

  “I saw a man climb out the dining room window and fall into
the plants,” Nicole said. “I’m sure I could make an identification. You did report the break-in, didn’t you, Chester?” She wasn’t going to mention that she’d seen the man’s ring clearly: large and ornate.

  Chester looked ill at ease. “I saw the broken plants, but no evidence that anyone broke in.” He drew himself up in a defensive posture.

  The faster she got the Greys out of her house, the better. “Please call the police now to report the break-in.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Chester said.

  “I’m glad to see that you’re feeling better,” Nicole said, nodding to Rena. “Nice to meet you, Lucia.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The rest of the day, the world outside was blocked from view by grayness and the unrelenting rain, which beat angrily against the window panes, the force of the wind shaking the house.

  Nicole changed into a pair of black pants and a cashmere cowl-neck sweater. In spite of the storm, Ellis arrived promptly.

  He greeted her as though no angry words had been exchanged between them. “We get heavy storms sometimes, and this is a good one. The streets were flooded with water, and a couple of times, I wondered if I should turn around and go home, but here I am.” He looked her over. “You look good tonight. You gave me quite a shock this morning.”

  Chester appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is served.”

  “We’ll eat first and talk business over dessert,” Nicole said. Ellis took her arm to escort her to the dining room.

  The table, bathed in soft light, held a small vase of bright hydrangeas to counteract the raging of the storm outside. If she’d thought of it sooner, she would’ve thrown together the dinner herself and served it at the large kitchen island. She found it pretentious for two people to eat at a dining room table that sat eight. She’d requested fish and they’d been served steak, but the dinner was delicious. Chester hovered every moment, sinking into the shadows but always within earshot. Nicole noticed the danger signal—the vein in Chester’s temple throbbing—and concluded that her decision to wait until after dinner to discuss business had been a good one. They could close the doors to the library and talk freely.