She stepped outside into the hallway. There was a fine line between what she could tell Carter and Weezer regarding the case and what she planned on doing. Even then, it might not work. She ran the risk of spooking whoever was behind the setup, but it was a risk she believed she had to take.
Time to play ball.
14
NOIR
“Wow.” Noir stood in the middle of the cottage and stared at the most intoxicating woman in the world.
Tamsyn wore a red dress that came down to the middle of her shins. It was low-cut, showing off way too much of her cleavage. He liked it, but he didn’t want the rest of Candlewood Falls enjoying it. The sleeves were off the shoulders and quarter-length.
Her heels were sparkly and at least three inches.
She wore her hair partially up. The rest was in big curls, falling over her bare shoulders.
Stunning was an understatement.
“You like it?”
“Um, yeah, but I’m wondering if we have time for me to rip it off your body and—”
“No. We don’t.” She laughed. “Besides, we’ve already had our fun this morning, or have you already forgotten?”
“Oh, I haven’t. But that makes me want to do it again.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a horndog.”
“I won’t deny it, but it’s your fault. You’re too sexy.”
“Oh my God. That’s such a line.” She held out her hand, her mother’s feather pendant dangling from her fingertips.
“What the hell are you doing?” He took it and glared. “Why on earth would you wear this?”
“To see what kind of reaction I get from people in town.” She turned. “I’m guessing my biological father might react to it. Now, could you please help me put it on?”
“That’s a dangerous game. Someone planted that in our cottage.”
“I love how you call it ours.”
“Don’t be cute,” he said as he clasped the necklace. “Does your wearing this have anything to do with asking my parents to meet us before the showcase?”
“Yes and no.” She took his hand. “That box your parents found with my mother’s things. They only knew one item.”
“The bracelet my mom gave to yours.” Noir fingered the pendant dangling close to Tamsyn’s breast. “There was also a picture of you and your mom in that box. That clinched it for them, because that bracelet wasn’t one of a kind. It wasn’t expensive.”
“That’s true. But my mom didn’t wear that bracelet often. As a matter of fact, almost never. She was saving it for me. She told me that someone special had given it to her the day I was born and she figured it was meant for me.”
“You didn’t know it came from my mom?” Noir had never seen it before, nor had he ever known of its existence. But it did sound like something his mom would do. She would even ask not to be mentioned.
“Nope. But here’s the thing. I would have known about that bracelet and every other item in that box. I also would know about this pendant, though no one else would because my mom almost never wore it and she told me not to talk about where the necklace came from. It was our secret. I started to get excited on the days she wore it because I believed she was going to see my father. She was wearing it the day she went missing.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“I’m positive.” Tamsyn pursed her lips.
Noir ran his hand up and down her arm. “My dad told me she emptied her bank accounts.”
“I struggle with that one, because it makes it look as though she was leaving me. My mother was a lot of things, but she’d never abandon me.” Tamsyn took her coat off the rack. “I was only ten. However, I remember her acting strange. Not bad strange, but nervous. And a little giddy, which looking back, seems so off because of that fight with Weezer and the accusations my mom hurled at Carter, which weren’t true.”
