Letters from Peaceful Lane (New Americana 3)

“What do you think of her?” he said at last.

“She’s breathtaking,” Allison said. “And I agree with you. She deserves better than to sit here alone, out of the water.”

Burke circled the boat slowly, inspecting every inch of the hull for any cracks or chips. “She looks sound,” he said. “Tonight when Brianna’s home, we’ll make some plans.”

“Will you be all right climbing in and out of the boat?” Allison remembered his telling Brianna that his back needed time to heal. But maybe he’d just been making excuses.

“I’ll be fine. I’m getting stronger every day.” He glanced at the Rolex watch Allison had given him last Christmas. “I guess it’s time we were getting you home to change, unless you’ve come to your senses and changed your mind about going to the agency today.”

“You know I have to go,” she said. “Maybe today I’ll find that contract, or overhear some secret that will make a difference.”

“Just be careful,” he said. “And remember what you promised me—that you’ll get out of there at the first sign of danger.”

“I’ll remember.” Allison wasn’t looking forward to going back to the agency and pretending to cooperate with people who were out to steal her husband’s business. But she would do whatever it took to get to the truth—and that included breaking her promise to run if things got dangerous.

They were walking toward the car when a thought struck her. She hesitated, then decided to speak her mind. “Where is Kate buried? I’d like to visit her grave sometime, just to leave flowers and pay tribute. Does that sound strange to you?”

He gave her a slightly puzzled look. “Actually, it sounds very nice,” he said. “But—” He paused.

“But what?”

“Kate wasn’t buried. She was cremated. That was what she wanted. She asked to have her ashes scattered in this lake because she loved it so much. She was never happier than when she was on the water. So, in a way, you’ve already visited her grave. And now you know.”

She walked beside him in silence for a moment. “And the boat? Is that why—?”

Burke nodded. “The last time Brianna and I took the boat out on the water was the day we scattered her mother’s ashes.”

* * *

Burke swung the small Honda back onto the main road and gunned the engine. It felt good to be in the driver’s seat, even though the car wasn’t exactly a thrill ride. And it felt invigorating to be out doing something, even if it was only inspecting the boat, and even though, by now, his back hurt like hell. Maybe he’d stopped the opioids too soon. But he wasn’t about to go back on them. With luck, he could find some ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet to take the edge off.

He glanced at Allison, his eyes tracing her fine-drawn profile against the side window of the car. She was everything a woman should be—beautiful, brave, tender, and passionate. He remembered last night, holding her in his arms, feeling her move against him as he’d kissed her. He’d begun to feel like a whole man again when that damn fool slip of the tongue had ruined the moment. He couldn’t blame her for walking out. What he feared was that one of these times, he might push her too far, and she wouldn’t come back.

He had loved Kate. Despite the rough patches over the years, they had fit each other like a pair of comfortable old shoes. But his love for Allison was something almost akin to worship. She was so elegant, so perfect, that sometimes he found it hard to believe she was his.

She hadn’t signed on for this present mess. But even when he’d told her to leave, she’d stuck by him like a champ. And now she was playing a dangerous game to help him win. The need to pull her back and charge into the fight was driving him crazy. But much as he hated to admit it, she was right. As long as Garrett trusted her, she was the only one who could do what needed to be done.

Still, the thought of her in that place, with those people, was like a waking nightmare. He would rather lose everything he owned than cause harm to come to the woman he loved.

Keeping his eyes on the road, he reached across the console, found her hand, and clasped it. Don’t go, he wanted to tell her again. But he knew that Allison wouldn’t listen.

* * *

That afternoon, dressed for work in tailored slacks and a black blazer with an inside pocket, Allison drove to the agency and pulled into an empty parking spot. Garrett’s Escalade was parked between her Honda and the front entrance, but the big white rented Lincoln, which would have been parked right in front, was nowhere in sight. Were Kaplan and Zacharias at lunch, or had the creepy pair left town? She could only hope they were gone. They reminded her of a lion and a jackal—powerful, alert, and deadly. And she was certain that they didn’t trust her.

In the car, she took a moment to transfer her phone from her purse to the inner pocket of her blazer. If the chance came to photograph the fake contract, or any other document, she might have only seconds to take a picture and get the phone out of sight.

Fixing her face in an impersonal smile, she opened the front door and walked into the front office. Monica, wearing a low-cut pink angora sweater, was checking her makeup in a small compact mirror. She snapped it shut as Allison approached the desk.

“Hello, Monica,” she said. “Do you know if Mr. Miles left me more work?”

Monica shook her head. “He said there were still plenty of files left from yesterday. He and the Edgeway people should be back from lunch soon. You can let him know if you run out of things to do.”

“Thanks. I will.” Allison walked past the cubicle area and down the hall. Garrett’s door was closed. A tug at the knob confirmed that it was locked. Burke’s office was open. Nothing to hide in here, Allison surmised as she walked into the room and sat down at the desk, which was stacked with files.

Burke’s key ring was still in her purse. Yesterday she’d removed the keys to the wrecked Porsche, lessening the bulk. The remaining keys—to the house, to the office, and to what she’d discovered was Garrett’s file cabinet—would fit in the pocket of her slacks without a telltale bulge.

She was about to sit down and start work when a distressing thought struck her. Hoping she was wrong, she walked over to the file cabinet, took the key ring out of her pocket and inserted the small key in the lock.