Pepper, the Highlander & the Dead Guy

“Hey, you,” she said quickly. “I have a client who’s about to walk in the door. I’ll call you back.”

I rushed the words out of my mouth. “Supper tonight, my place, just you and me?”

“Definitely yes. I’ll bring the wine, see you then.”

I smiled relieved. I didn’t want anything to hurt our forever friendship and I’d make sure Amy knew that tonight, though somehow, I think she already knew it and I was just being paranoid. After all, I had seen her last night, had lunch with her just the other day, and talked with her every day. Yeah, I was being paranoid. Or was it that I was upset she hadn’t confided more in me about Beau?

I gave Mo and Roxie some snacks before I settled into my office, a reminder that I really needed to start cleaning out the attic since it was going to take time to go through everything and see what would stay and what would go.

I suddenly remembered Ian mentioning he’d see me tonight. My mind was definitely on overload. I called him.

“Hi, leannan, miss me so soon?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I’m panting for you,” I joked, then realized my faux pas and my face flamed red. “Wrong choice of words.” He was laughing and my face flamed hotter, and I was so relieved he couldn’t see me.

“Are you blushing, Pep?” he asked, laughter punctuating his words.

“Drats,” I said, and his laughter increased. “I called to tell you that I can’t see you tonight.” His laughter died. “I haven’t had a girls’ night with Amy in a while and—”

“Say no more, Pep, have fun with Amy. Besides, the guys have been asking me to go out with them and so ah dinnae lose another night with you, I’ll make tonight a mates’ night.”

“Be good,” I ordered not knowing where the demand came from and heard Ian laugh again.

“I’m always good, leannan,” he said. “And just so you know, you’ll definitely be left panting and more than satisfied when I get done making love to you.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about the image he painted. I shook my head. I had a feeling that the rest of the day wasn’t going to be as productive as planned.

“You haven’t neglected me at all.” Amy flung her hand in the air as if dismissing it. “And as for Beau, it’s spur of the moment with him. Though as I mentioned before, I enjoy talking to him and he makes me laugh a lot. We also have the love of reading in common. He did stay over my place a couple of times, but he slept in the guest bedroom. He even had coffee made and waiting for me the next morning. We’re friends, that’s all.”

I wasn’t too sure about that, especially the way I saw him looking at Amy the night before when we went out to eat. I could have sworn I saw something in his eyes that made me think differently. But not one to recognize that sort of thing, I’d dismissed it as nonsense. Not so now.

I nodded. “Okay, if you say so.”

“I say so,” Amy said. “And enough about guys, I’ve been curious about that key ever since I spoke with Edwina. It all sounded so mysterious. What secret could Max Macgregor have been hiding that possibly got someone killed?”

“I keep thinking the same. I’d love to find what the key opens.”

“Careful, it could be a Pandora’s box, unleashing endless problems,” Amy said.

“True, which makes the mystery even more enticing,” I said, rubbing my hands together.”

“You checked all of the lodge?” Amy asked.

“Ian’s quarters since that was the area ransacked and Max’s office which seemed logical. Otherwise, where else was there? Everything else was in the midst of construction.”

My eyes popped wide along with Amy’s and we both said in unison, “The cellar.”

“I forgot there was a cellar,” Pepper said.

“That’s because it was a creepy place and no one wanted to go down there,” Amy reminded. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Trudy’s honeysuckle bush grew over it years ago.”

“I think you’re right. Trudy loved that bush and Max hated it since he complained about how it forever needed trimming. Ian probably doesn’t even know the cellar is there.”

“I’m surprised your dad didn’t remember.”

“I doubt he even knew it was there. We only knew because—”

“Because you had to go down there when you saw the doors open and you forced me to go with you,” Amy said and shuddered. “The place gave me the creeps.”

“And you screamed your head off when Max accidentally almost scared you to death,” I said with a chuckle and popped forward on the couch. “I got an idea.”

“No! No Way! Amy protested.

“I didn’t even say what it was.”

“You didn’t need to. I know you. You want to go there now and explore that cellar. It’s much too late for that and it’s better done in the daylight.”