Page 41 of Witness To Murder
“Isla—Alyssa. She gave it to me my first Christmas here.”
Their gazes collided.
“She was here.” His words echoed the thought that had just entered Leah’s mind.
“Does the wind chime carry some particular significance?” he asked, not waiting for her confirmation.
Leah shook her head slowly, racked her brain—the one that was still whirling with desire. “No… I…” She thought of the day they’d bought it. A few days before Christmas, at the artisans’ market. “We were shopping at that craft market on Ravenswood. I saw it and fell in love. She bought it and said it was an early Christmas present.”
“Is the market open now—in August, I mean?”
Leah shook her head. “It’s a seasonal thing. It probably won’t open until October.”
“But you know the place,” he said.
She nodded. “We can go there in the morning.” Leah stared at the wind chime for a moment before turning back to him. “Do you think she’s trying to lure me into a trap? Or send me a message?”
He reached for the tee she had torn off him. “Either one is possible. We’ll need to be careful.” He handed it to her. “Thanks for lending me the shirt.”
She hugged it to her chest. Felt the warmth of his body that lingered in the fabric. “You’re welcome. Thanks for helping me get word to her friends that we’re looking for her.” There was so much more she wanted to say, but instead, she asked, “Can we not tell Detective Lambert about this until we see what it means?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I do.” She looked away for a moment before meeting his gaze once more. “I’m sorry. I guess I got a little carried away tonight.”
He reached out, swiped his thumb across her cheek. She leaned into his touch, wanting more, but it was his eyes and that smile that made her hungry to pick up where they had left off.
“If you’re agreeable, we can do this again…soon,” he promised.
“I am most agreeable.”
He smiled. “Good.”
When he’d left the room, she drifted to her bathroom and washed her face, then brushed her teeth. Instead of wondering what her lying roommate had in store for her now, she couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt to be in Owen’s arms. And those kisses. Mercy, the man knew how to kiss.
She tugged on the tee she’d lent him, reveled in the smell of him that had permeated the fabric. Next time, she was not stopping for anything. When she climbed into bed, she hugged herself and thought of how it felt to hug him, to slide her hand over all that muscled terrain.
The idea that he was so nice made her smile. The last time she’d been so taken with a man, he had been a total thug. She shook off thoughts of Chris and how old and weak he had looked in that hospital bed. No matter how he’d gotten himself where he was, she couldn’t help feeling sad for him. He could have done so much more with his life. But what happened to him wasn’t her fault. If Perez hadn’t gotten the truth out of her, he would have gotten it out of someone else. All these years, she had felt guilty about telling Perez that it was Chris who had taken his money and drugs. But now she finally understood that none of that was her fault.
The alarm icon on the digital clock that stood on the bedside table dragged her from the past. The time was correct and wasn’t blinking, so the power hadn’t gone off. But she never used that clock for an alarm. Her phone was her alarm for everything. She sat up and checked the settings. The alarm had been set for ten in the morning. What in the world?
Then she smiled. She understood now. This was Isla’s way of telling her what time to come.
Then her smile faded. Not Isla. A liar. A betrayer. Possibly a murderer.
Leah would see her at ten, and then she would have answers, one way or another.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Thursday, August 14
The Raven Artisans Market
Ravenswood Drive, 9:55 a.m.
As certain as Leah had been about last night and what she and Owen had shared—those amazing kisses and, frankly, almost sex—the harsh light of day had her second-guessing herself.
He probably thought her a fool. Really, she was a cliché. A woman in jeopardy, falling for her protector. How sad was that?
