Page 49 of The Saint

The house was furnished as generically as the exterior had been maintained. Looks were deceiving though, and he bet bells and whistles were staged throughout the space to ensure its occupants’ safety. Beth walked from the living room.

Camden lifted his chin to say hello.

As though her last text message hadn’t said to screw off, Beth smiled like a queen welcoming them into her castle and strode with her hand outstretched. “Amelia.” She was warm and personable and scarily likeable. “It’s really great to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Amelia replied, though she didn’t match Beth’s level of bullshitting bluster.

“Would you like coffee?” Beth guided them toward the kitchen. “I brought pastries from one of my favorite little places. The almond croissants are my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with the coffee cake muffins.” She gestured to a platter awaiting their arrival. “They’re made with oranges and are pretty much an excuse to eat cupcakes for breakfast.”

Amelia hovered by the counter and barely glanced at the spread on the table. “We just ate.”

Beth shrugged happily, playing the part of the happy homemaker putting on a domestic show. “More for me.”

Camden eyed Beth and Amelia. He compared the two women. He shouldn’t have, but his brain categorized them before he could focus. They were both type-A and driven, successful in their arenas, and they were memorably, distinctively attractive, but that was where the similarities ended. If anything, they were opposites. Beth wore fancy high heels and clothes that cost a small fortune. Amelia wore simple flats and jeans that Camden couldn’t steal his eyes from. Beth’s hair seemed to laugh in the face of the recent rain and humidity. Amelia had tied her smooth, dark hair into a low bun at the nape of her neck.

“You worked with Hailey and Jonathan?” Amelia asked, not wasting a moment of time.

Beth angled her head. Her eyes cut to him and back to Amelia when he didn’t meet her inquisitive gaze. “We traveled the same circles, but no. Our assignments didn’t intersect.”

“Do you consider yourself friends?”

“Sure. I did. They were great people.”

Camden noted how Amelia spoke in the present tense and Beth in the past. That made sense, but the distinction made him uneasy.

Mistrust darkened Amelia’s eyes. “I thought I’d met most of their friends. My sister and I are really close.”

A model of patience, Beth nodded with a perfectly crafted empathetic smile. “My job is very different from theirs.”

“How so?”

“I socialize. I flirt. I meet people and establish myself as someone who knows a thing or two about art and history.”

“That’s how you know Hailey and Jonathan?”

Beth nodded. “They taught me a great deal and have saved my ass when I was in way over my head.” For the first time, her expression didn’t look expertly crafted for maximum manipulation. “I’m really sorry for your loss.”

Amelia stepped back and bumped against the counter. He wondered how many times she’d heard that phrase and how many times her mind had kept her from screaming that Hailey was only missing and not dead.

“You okay?” Camden asked under his breath.

She nodded, not keeping her voice as low as his. “I haven’t been sleeping much lately.”

Sympathy registered on Beth’s face. That was the second time he believed her expressions since they arrived. “I have problems sleeping too,” Beth admitted. “Nightmares.”

Amelia’s cheeks paled unevenly. He could see her pulse dance in her neck and didn’t know if sadness or fury was to blame.

She turned toward him. “Could we talk?” With a nod toward Beth, she added, “Privately.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe taking Amelia there wasn’t his best idea. “Yeah, sure.”

“I can step out if you like.” Beth pushed her perfectly coiffed hair behind her ear and smiled reassuringly. “Or, if there’s anything I can do—”

“There’s not.” Amelia backed from the kitchen and beckoned him toward the front door.

Beth remained unfazed, keeping pace with Amelia’s retreat. “I’ll step into the living room and let you two have the kitchen.”

“I’d rather go for a walk.”

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