“Leslie said she and Brian had only known each other a short time. Takes a while to know what a person is capable of, and Chief Nolan told us he had a criminal record.”
“No assault, nothing like that. He didn’t say attempted murder or any other violent offense.”
“True, but Leslie admitted Brian had been drinking.”
“A little more than normal. They had just started dating, and Brian was nervous. That doesn’t account for his totally erratic behavior. The thing is, Leslie’s story is very close to what Mary Dennison wrote in the journal.”
“And?” Cain pressed, knowing there was more going on in that pretty head than Jenny had told him so far.
“And both couples were staying in room ten.”
Irritation trickled through him. “Tell me you don’t think your uncle closed that section of the hotel because there was a demon in room ten.”
“I don’t know why he did it. I don’t even remember exactly when it happened. I was a teenager back then. I’m betting it wasn’t long after the incident Mary wrote about in the journal.”
“So you’re going to . . . ? What? Close part of the hotel down again because some nut tried to strangle his girlfriend and instead wound up dead?”
“What if being in that room is the reason Brian Santana died?”
Cain’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Surely, you aren’t blaming yourself.”
“I opened that section of the hotel. I wanted to make more money. Maybe by doing that, I put people in danger.”And Brian ended up deadwere the unspoken words.
“Keep talking that way, and you’re going to wind up in a humdinger of a lawsuit.”
“Maybe I deserve it.”
“Bullshit.” Cain forced himself under control. “Be reasonable, honey. Whatever happened between Leslie Owens and Brian Santana was not your fault. Even if there is something evil in the room that affected Brian’s behavior, you weren’t aware of it.”
Jenny fell silent. As the car rolled along, a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, zigzagging toward the horizon. “I’m going to close down room ten. I probably should close the whole section the way Uncle Charlie did, but—”
“But if you want to stay in business, the hotel has to support itself. That’s just the way it is.” Cain pulled into town, but didn’t stop in front of the Copper Star, just continued up Main Street, turned on Hill, and drove toward the Grandview.
“It’s getting late,” Jenny said.
“You have to eat. Even if Opal’s gone home, there’s plenty of food in the kitchen.” He flashed her a look. “I’ve been a bachelor for a long time. I’m not a half-bad cook.”
Cain pulled the truck to a stop in the parking lot behind the hotel and turned off the engine.
“I don’t have any clean clothes.”
“You can change when you get back to the Copper Star in the morning.”
“I’m not in the best mood,” Jenny said. “Are you sure you want me to stay?”
Cain’s gaze touched on her sweet curves, and his groin tightened. He wanted her. He couldn’t seem to get enough. He also wanted her safe. “We’ll eat first, then go to bed. I guarantee I can put you in a better mood.”
For the first time that evening, Jenny laughed.
* * *
Warmed by the sunlight spilling in through the curtains, Jenny awoke early the next morning. The storm had passed during the night, but bad weather was expected to return this week. She glanced around Cain’s bedroom. Though it was barely seven o’clock, Cain was already gone.
Jenny yawned as she climbed out of bed. A quick shower, and she would head back to the Copper Star. She needed to make sure everything was running smoothly before she returned to the Grandview that afternoon.
She smiled to think that Cain had kept his word. She hadn’t gotten as much sleep as she needed, but after his skillful lovemaking, she was definitely in better spirits than she had been when she had left Leslie Owens’s hospital room last night.Better spirits.Smiling at the pun, she headed for the bathroom.
Her smile faded as her thoughts returned to the murder in room 10. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Nell, but she planned to, and she would rather do it when she came back that afternoon. She didn’t want Cain’s grandmother speculating any further about Jenny’s involvement with her grandson.
