A Killer Christmas Wish Page 3

  “I don’t need your kind of help. You don’t really think it’s that bad, do you?” She searched his face for an answer and the way he looked at her made her swallow. Hard.

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t think there might be an issue.” He glanced at his phone and slipped it into a pocket. “If you change your mind, just call me.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m hosting a writer retreat this week. There will be tons of people in the house. I’ll let Uncle Pete know your concerns. But, Dante, no one can make me say anything I don’t want to say.” Cat wasn’t sure she even knew what she wanted to say about Michael’s death. But she knew she didn’t want to stir up the past. Not a second time.

  He nodded and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you for your time, Catherine. And congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.”

  She stayed at the table long after he left. One of the baristas came by and warmed up her coffee.

  “Can I get you anything else?” the barista offered. “He said to charge anything else you ordered on his card.”

  “I’m fine. Thanks for the coffee.” She gave her a weak smile. “He’s a big personality.”

  “He’s a fine specimen of man. I don’t see him often, but I’m lucky that he typically comes in on my shift. The guy tips like no one I’ve ever met. And he’s not bad to look at either.” She considered Cat carefully. “You two aren’t dating, are you?”

  Cat shook her head. “I’m engaged.”

  “To him?” The barista’s eyes widened. “Lucky girl.”

  “No. Not to Dante. To a normal guy. One who stole my heart years ago.” She pulled out her phone and texted Shauna, letting her know she’d be leaving for home in a few minutes. The barista had taken the hint that Cat didn’t want to talk about Dante anymore. What was this woman writing about and why was she asking about Michael? Cat just wanted that door to her past to shut and stop swinging open. Every time it did, someone got hurt.

  She finished her coffee and put on her layers for the walk home. Coat, scarf, hat, gloves on and her phone tucked in the inside pocket of the coat. Cat needed to focus on her real life. The retreat and this book she needed to finish. Maybe if she hurried home, she could finish a chapter before the writers arrived and she went back to playing hostess.

  The only thing good about performing the role for a week to this group was most of the guests felt the same way as she did about small talk. They’d rather be writing.

  Shauna had cabbage roll soup cooking on the stove when she got home. Cat took a whiff and almost cried. The smell overwhelmed her and made her think of home and cuddling up under a warm blanket. Maybe she was coming down with something. “I’ve had way too many sweets today to be hungry, but I need some of that soup.”

  “No problem. It’s just what the doctor ordered. The soup should stabilize your blood sugar before you burst into tears. What did the handsome criminal want?” Shauna dished out a bowl of soup and set it and some garlic bread at Cat’s normal spot at the table.

  “What do all handsome criminals want? To warn me about other, worse, less handsome criminals.” She took a spoonful of the soup and sighed in pleasure. “I really needed this.”

  “Are you saying someone’s after you?” Shauna stood taller, taking her shoulders back in a protective pose.

  “Don’t go all Wonder Woman on me. We don’t know if it’s an issue or not.” Cat went on to tell Shauna about what Dante had told her about the writer and their interest in Aspen Hills and Cat’s former life. “He’s just worried that they are going to keep digging until they get some juicy gossip. Gossip sells books, even when it’s untrue.”

  Shauna dished up a bowl of the soup and sat with Cat. She pointed at her with a piece of the garlic bread. “Maybe you should talk to your uncle. Pete’s probably dealt with situations like this in the past. There had to be others who tried to break the Covington seal of secrecy.”

  “Maybe.” Cat took a bite of her bread. “Either way, it has to be put on the back burner until the retreat is over. I need to talk to Seth as soon as he gets back.”

  As if she’d called him, Seth came in through the back door. “Your guests are gathering in the parlor. Anyway, can I get a bowl of that soup before I take their luggage up? One of the writers has five suitcases. For a week. Who does that?”

  Shauna stood and dished up a bowl for Seth. Then she shared a glance with Cat. “I’ll go get everyone checked in. You come along when you’ve finished your lunch.”

  Cat got the message. If she wanted time to tell Seth about her coffee non-date, this was it. And she needed to move fast. “Sounds good. Thanks, Shauna.”

  Seth ate some of the soup, then grabbed bread, tearing off a bite. He leaned back in his chair and waved his hands toward himself. “Go on. Tell me.”

  “Tell you what?” Cat couldn’t figure out how he’d determined that Shauna was leaving them to talk.

  “Seriously? I know when the two of you have a secret. No one in this house has a poker face.” He ate more soup.

  “Maybe she just wanted to give us time together. Before the retreat business starts up?” Cat hedged around the real reason.

  He finished the soup in his bowl and went to get more. At the stove, he looked at her. “So that’s your story?”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Cat felt like she had a knife in her stomach. There was no way she could backtrack now.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you had coffee with Dante this morning?” He didn’t look at her. “You know I have friends in town, right? If you were going to have a clandestine meeting, you should have had coffee in Denver. But of course, I was in Denver this morning, wasn’t I?”

  “If you knew about me meeting with Dante, why were you messing with me?” Cat rubbed her face. This was definitely not how she’d rehearsed this whole discussion. “Besides, it wasn’t a clandestine meeting, and nothing happened. I’m sure your spies told you that as well. Dante was a perfect gentleman.”

  He didn’t answer, just sat back at the table and ate more of the soup.

  “Look, I’ve been meaning to tell you about his text since yesterday. But the timing wasn’t ever right. That’s why I asked Shauna to have you come to my office this morning. Give me a break here.” She set down her soup. She was over-explaining. The meeting with Dante hadn’t been a big deal. Why was Seth overreacting like this? She tried again. “The meeting was completely innocent.”

  “So you kept an innocent meeting secret? What else aren’t you telling me?”

  Cat shook her head. “Nothing. I tell you everything. Dante said it was important.”

  “Of course it was. Why else would you meet with the head of the biggest crime family in Boston?” He stared hard at her.

  Shauna stuck her head into the kitchen. “Sorry to bother you, but Dan Lawrence has some questions about the schedule. And can you keep it down? We can hear you in the lobby.”

  “Sorry. I’ll be right out.” She didn’t break her gaze with Seth. “Can we table this argument until after the retreat? We can go to Denver on Sunday and spend the night at that B&B we found last fall. Just the two of us.”

  Seth didn’t answer; instead, he focused on eating his soup.

  Shauna sighed and left them alone.

  Cat tried again. “Okay, here it is. Dante called me last week and said he had to see me. When I got there, he told me someone is writing a book about Aspen Hills. About me and Michael.”

  That made Seth frown. “Who’s writing the book? Do they have a death wish? There’s no way anyone will get a book finished, much less published before Dante’s organization would take care of them. Why is he telling you this now?”

  “I guess he thought the writer already knew too much.” Cat sighed. “You’re right, I should have told you I was going.”

  “I never said that.” Seth’s face looked like it was made of granite.

  “But I should have. I was going to this morning, but you left before talking to me
.”

  He stared at her. “I didn’t want to wake you. Maybe next time you’re meeting with the head of a crime family, you could just give me a twenty-four-hour advance notice.”

  She watched as he stood and put the soup bowl in the sink. “Seth…”

  “I need to get the luggage for your guests.” He waved two fingers like he was tipping his hat. “I’ll get right on that, boss.”

  Cat sank back into her chair. With their history, she’d known he was going to be mad but this was overkill. He was as bad as her mother trying to keep her away from the Covington crew. It was just coffee. If he was like this when they were just engaged, what would happen when they were married and she forgot to tell him something?

  But in her heart, she knew it was different. The issue wasn’t that she forgot. The problem was she’d hidden it. She’d hidden it because she’d thought it would be easier to ask forgiveness than permission. She’d been wrong there too. She took a deep breath and then stood, putting her bowl in the sink. She wasn’t hungry anymore. She had a job to do. She didn’t have time to salve over Seth’s hurt feelings.

  But she knew this wouldn’t go away quickly.

  Cat moved into the lobby area and six heads turned her way. Seth wasn’t in the house.

  “There she is, your author hostess, Cat Latimer.” Shauna put on a fake smile. “Cat, meet our guests. Eliza, Teri, Julie, Dan, and Andrea, our Covington student. We were just talking about today’s plans.”

  Cat stepped over and greeted the group. Then she gave what had become her standard opening for the retreat. “I’m so excited about having you all this week. We’ve never done a non-fiction group, so that’s the only thing that brings you all together. But writing is a process, a habit, and a discipline that doesn’t change based on what you’re writing. So we’ll have a meet and greet tonight at six in the living room. Then tomorrow, we’ll head over to the library. You’ll have a meeting with the head librarian, then the rest of the day is yours to do with what you want. Research, read, write, or just walk around Aspen Hills. We have a lot of great restaurants in the area. Shauna has a map of town in your welcome packets. We’ll supply the breakfast and all day and night treats and drinks to fuel your writing sessions. Coffee is available 24/7.”

  “Well, that answers my question.” Dan leaned on the wall and glanced around the room. “I’m dying to get into the library and do some research on the area. I’ve got an article contracted for a travel magazine that basically paid for my trip and the retreat. I’m hoping I can spin the rest of the time into working on supplemental Colorado info for my files. I attended school here, but I’ve never been in this house. It’s full of charm, isn’t it?”

  “The house used to be a part of the college. It was the school president’s home. Then someone turned it into a frat house. We’ve been remodeling for a few years now, trying to modernize, but bring back some of the original look. You should talk to Seth if you’re interested in the remodel.” She glanced at the other writers. “Well, it sounds like Dan has a plan. Why don’t we let you all get settled in and tonight we’ll discuss what the rest of you are thinking about and set goals for this week. I find participants who set specific goals reach them and more when they’re here. The living room is always available for writing sprints if you want some friendly competition. We’ll keep a running list of the sprint words and at the end of the week, the winner will get a prize of unspeakable worth.”

  Laughter filled the room and any of the unease she’d felt from the group after hearing her fight with Seth dissipated. It was hard to have a life while random people were sharing your home for a week. She could be professional for that long. Then she and Seth would settle this tiff and she’d go look for another wedding dress.

  As the writers moved upstairs to find their rooms, Cat noticed Andrea and Dan had paired up and were already chatting. That was a good sign. Typically, the Covington student took time to settle into the group. Most of the writers who attended Cat’s retreats were older and some even established in their careers. They had little in common with a graduate student, beside their love of writing.

  She stood by Shauna and reached out to touch the two dozen roses that Linda Cook sent every month on the first day of the retreat. Her husband had been killed at the first retreat and now Linda’s flowers were a symbol to his memory as well as being a thank you for their hospitality. “I can’t believe Linda still sends flowers.”

  Shauna leaned in and smelled the flowers. “I called to thank her when they came yesterday. She’s doing great. Excited about an upcoming trip and I think she’s seeing someone. She didn’t want to go into detail, but she’s happy. Sending the flowers makes her happy too, so we should be grateful.”

  “I am.” She watched Seth bring in the first set of bags. “Do you want some help?”

  He didn’t look at her, but his tone was pleasant if not warm. “I’m good. I’m going to take all of these upstairs, then knock on everyone’s doors so they can come claim their luggage. Of course, I’ll have to help out the over-packer. I can’t believe anyone would bring five suitcases for a week.”

  Shauna crossed the room and peered at a label on one of the matching sets. “And the winner is Eliza. I guess being a wedding planner means she’s covered for any situation.”

  “Maybe she was a Boy Scout when she was a kid.” Seth headed back out the door. “I’ll get this done then I’m running into town to finish up some work over at the Diner. I’ll be late so don’t wait up for me. I’ll make sure the sidewalks are clear for your walk into town tomorrow.”

  When he left, Shauna patted Cat’s arm. “He’ll get over it.”

  Cat wasn’t so sure.

  When she was setting up the living room, Andrea was the first one to come down for the meet and greet. She had her computer, a notebook, and a bunch of colored pens. She took a place in one of the large wing-back chairs and curled her feet up underneath her. Seth had set a fire in the living room and Cat had arranged the chairs around the glowing fireplace. “Welcome to our first event. How’s your time at Covington going?”

  “I love it,” Andrea gushed. “My mom was a student here, so I’m a legacy. But with the divorce and well, things, I didn’t think I’d be able to go somewhere so amazing, but the financial aid packet they gave me made it affordable. I thought I’d be in community college for a couple of years, then move into a state university.”

  “I attended Covington too for the same reasons. I didn’t have any student loans for my entire six years. I got my MFA there too. I taught during graduate school, so that helped.” Cat put the box of scented markers down on the table along with the blank paper and pens. She even had a few extra notebooks, just in case. “We can get coffee or soda from the dining room before we start if you want something.”

  Andrea chewed on a pen. Then realizing what she was doing, she quickly set it down. “Actually, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. That’s what I’m here for.” Cat sat down on the couch and scanned the room. Everything was done. Now she just had to wait for the other guests. She turned and focused on Andrea. “What can I help you with, Andrea?”

  “Andi, I go by Andi.”

  Cat made a mental note to remember to tell Shauna and Seth. “Sorry, Andi. What’s on your mind?”

  “This house, it used to belong to an economics’ professor, right? A Michael Latimer?” Andi watched Cat closely. “Was he your brother?”

  Cat laughed a bit awkwardly. “No. Actually, Michael was my ex-husband. When he died, he left the house to me.”

  A frown came over Andi’s face. “Oh, I didn’t realize he was married.”

  Cat got an uncomfortable feeling from Andi’s questions. “Yep. We were married when I graduated and started teaching at Covington. Are you working on a project about the houses on Warm Springs? This used to be the house that held Covington’s president’s family. But I mentioned that earlier. We did a lot of renovations, which I’ve continued since I came back from Cali
fornia.”

  “What? Oh, yeah, I was thinking about a paper on the old houses,” Andi said, agreeing with Cat’s supposition.

  “I thought you were working on a memoir of your grandmother?” Cat asked but before she could dig into the issue, Shauna ran into the room.

  “Cat, I need to talk to you.” She shot Andi a glance. “Maybe you’d like some warm chocolate chip cookies? I just restocked the dining room.”

  “Sound great.” Andi bounded up, leaving Cat and Shauna alone.

  “Okay, that was the weirdest thing,” Cat started but Shauna held up her hand.

  She glanced at the doorway and dropped her voice. “Your uncle is on his way. I was upstairs on the second floor and saw one of the doors open. I reached over to close it, and he was just lying there on the bed. I thought he was asleep, but something looked off. I called out, but Cat, I think he’s dead.”

  4

  It took a few minutes for Cat to get more out of Shauna. Dan Lawrence, the man who’d had his entire trip paid for with an article he wouldn’t write now, was dead in his room. Cat flashed back to her first retreat when Tom Cook was found stabbed in his room. “Maybe this retreat is cursed.”

  “Stop it. You don’t believe in superstition.” Shauna stood next to her at the doorway as they waited for Uncle Pete.

  Cat glanced at her watch. The meet and greet started in ten minutes. Should they reschedule? Or should they gather so Uncle Pete would have free rein of the second floor? Dan had been so nice, so full of life. And now, he was dead.

  “Maybe it was a heart attack,” Cat said to Shauna, her gaze not leaving her view of the driveway.

  “And I would know that how?” Shauna asked. “Wait, Pete’s here.”

  They both ran downstairs, throwing on coats before going outside to join Pete on the front porch. He studied Shauna. “Are you sure?”