Paradise Disguised Read online

  “What?” Anna said confused.

  “When you mentioned the driver of the car you said he,” Dylan repeated. “Did you actually see a man behind the wheel of the car?”

  “No, now that you mention it, I didn’t. I was just using a generalization,” Anna said. “The windows were a really dark tint, and I couldn’t see through them. To tell you the truth, the only thing I was really paying attention to was staying on the road.”

  “Shit,” Dylan said as the visual of what could have happened to Anna went through his mind. “I’ll check into this, Anna. I’m not on bad terms with anyone I’ve dated in the past. I can’t think of one single person that would do something like that.”

  Anna stewed a little. She really wanted to keep up the hope that Veronica Fox was the culprit. The woman was just too perfect. Surely she had some schizophrenic tendencies to take away the flawless edge.

  “And I can’t imagine that your incidences and the fire at the Willis place are related,” Dylan said. “More than likely it was a couple of punk kids looking for something to destroy.”

  Dylan slowly pulled the truck onto the graveled lane that led to the house and watched the pandemonium taking place around him. The house was a total loss. He could tell just by looking. They’d have to bulldoze away the remains and start from scratch. It looked like he was going to be spending another ten months with the Willis’s.

  He could see Mitchell talking to Chief Russ Davies, a look of irritation on his face.

  “Looks like this is going to be fun,” Dylan said. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay in the truck.”

  “No, but I appreciate you making the concession so graciously,” Anna said, patting his hand and opening the truck door.

  The ground was muddy with soot and debris, and she had to watch her step to avoid nails or other sharp objects from piercing the soles of her shoes. She followed closely on Dylan’s heels as he headed in Mitchell’s direction.

  Mitchell looked weary in her opinion. His eyes were drawn and worried and the tie he usually wore knotted crisply at his throat was shoved in his front pocket, but he still put on his charmer’s smile for her benefit and kissed her hand.

  “Good to see you again, Anna,” he said. “No wonder Dylan didn’t want to be interrupted.” He gave her a wink and turned his attention to Dylan.

  “What’s going on Mitchell?” Dylan asked. “Have they found the cause of the fire?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “It’s nothing too complicated. Gasoline and matches. It works the same way every time. With all the raw insulation lying around, the place went up like a tinder box.”

  Anna was watching Chief Davies out of the corner of her eye. The man was collecting every scrap of information he could find and you could practically see the wheels turning in his head. She’d known him since birth and always thought he looked like a comfortable sort of man, if not overly bright or terribly thorough.

  His family was considered new to the area—since he and his wife had moved to Paradise some forty years before when they were still newlyweds—instead of being third or fourth generation like a good majority of the town’s residents.

  She couldn’t imagine him rummaging around in the ashes looking for clues to the fire. It would take far more effort than he was willing to expend. He was the kind of man that ate jelly donuts behind his desk while his feet were propped up on a growing stack of files. No, she didn’t think this case was one that was likely to be solved.

  Chief Davies cleared his throat and got both men’s attention. “I need to ask you some questions for the investigation, Dylan,” he began, wiping the sweat off his brow with the red handkerchief he always left hanging out of his back pocket.

  “Can you think of anyone that would do something like this?” Chief Davies asked. “Someone who maybe has a grudge against you? Previous employers, old friends, old lovers?” The chief looked apologetically at Anna about mentioning the word lovers in a ladies presence.

  “No,” Dylan said. “I haven’t had any problems with past clients or friends. There’s no one that I can think of that would do something this juvenile.”

  “I understand that you’ve been working on this house for almost a year?” the chief continued. “Isn’t that a little long for building a house?”

  “My clients are just a little harder to please than most,” Dylan said, smiling grimly at the thought of the Willis’s. It was not going to be fun starting this project over with them. “They find something new they like almost every day and want us to add it or rip out what we’ve already done and start anew. That’s the only reason it’s taken so long. We would have been finished with it in the next six weeks if this hadn’t have happened.”

  “I understand that this house was pretty heavily insured,” Davies said, waiting patiently for Dylan’s reaction.

  “All of my houses are insured while we’re working on them,” Dylan said. “It’s how we keep from losing our shirts if something like this happens.”

  “It just seems coincidental to me that a couple that caused you as many headaches as the Willis’s did end up having their house burned to the ground.”

  “Chief Davies,” Dylan said, shortly. “This home cost us a little over a million dollars to build. If it costs us that much to build you can imagine the retail value of the home. It is definitely in my best interest to see it finished. We get a large percentage of the total cost. I would not cut my own throat financially speaking by burning down my next paycheck. I have been described as a lot of things but never stupid.”

  Anna gasped at his words. It had finally dawned on her what the chief had been insinuating. Dylan could have no more done something like that than she could have.

  “Chief Davies,” Anna said, her voice scolding. “You should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking for one minute that Dylan had anything to do with something of this nature.”

  “Now Anna,” the chief stuttered. “I have to check out all the avenues to get this investigation solved. In most cases, the easiest answer is usually the right answer.”

  “Well it’s not the right answer this time,” she said. “Dylan has been with me all morning, so it is impossible that he did what you’re suggesting. Martha would be as disappointed as I am to know that you think someone like Dylan could be responsible for this.”

  Martha Davies was not a woman you wanted to mess with. Formidable was the first word that came to Anna’s mind when she thought of her. She could put the fear of God into every man, woman and child in Paradise at just the mention of her name, and Anna took a little satisfaction to see the pallor of the chief’s face pale considerably at the mention of his wife.

  “I’m sure it’s all a big misunderstanding,” the chief hurried to assure her. “I’m just trying to be thorough and do my job. The citizens of Paradise are my first concern, but I’m sure Dylan had nothing to do with this mess.”

  He was sweating profusely at the thought of the skinning he’d get if his wife ever found out that he’d upset Anna Hollis.

  The Hollis’s were practically royalty in the town, and his wife was determined to run in the same circles. Hollis Tools had single handedly kept the town afloat during the Depression, and small towns had long memories. He didn’t want to give them the chance to be angry at him for the unforeseeable future.

  ***

  Dylan had to cover his mouth and look down at his shoes to keep from laughing at the cornered expression on the chief’s face. Anna was giving the man hell, and if he didn’t step in soon things were liable to get ugly. Mitchell made no effort to cover up his smile and grinned from ear to ear.

  “It’s all right, Anna.” Dylan said, taking her by the arm. “The more information the chief has the sooner he can find out who did all this.”

  “That is still no reason to treat a prosperous, tax paying citizen like a common criminal,” Anna said.

  “You’re right, Anna,” the chief jumped in, trying to make good on his earlier blunder. “I apologi
ze for the insinuation. More than likely it was just a couple of kids fooling around looking for trouble.” Anna looked mildly appeased at his apology and decided the matter was settled.

  “Dylan, you’ll need to meet with the insurance agents and file a report. Looks like you’re going to have to start over. I know the Willis’s, and I don’t envy you having to break the news to them.”

  The truth was, in a town the size of Paradise, the Willis’s had probably had a dozen phone calls already. Everybody knew everybody else’s business in the small town, and secrets were hard to come by.

  Dylan shook Chief Davies’ hand graciously, and they all watched, huddled in a tight circle, as the chief hefted himself into his two-ton pickup truck.

  “Anna, it is always a pleasure,” Mitchell said, giving her an affectionate slap on the back. “And always entertaining. I’m out of here you two. I’ve got to get back to the office and get to work on your house,” he said to Anna. “I take it you won’t be in today?” he asked Dylan.

  “It’s okay,” Anna interrupted, turning to Dylan. “I know you’ve got a lot of things to take care of. We can meet later on if you like. I can get someone to swing me by the house on their way through town.”

  Anna looked around at the dozens of officers and firemen that were milling around the scene. The crime rate was low in Paradise, so when something of this nature occurred they all felt they should make an appearance and take part in the investigation.

  “You have no idea how badly I want to go back to your place and finish what we started.” He moved in close so he held her in a loose embrace. “Even now all I can think about is being inside you.”

  Anna shivered at his words. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that things were very one sided before.” She leaned up and nipped at his ear, uncaring of the curious stares and whispers of the city officials around them. “You’ve left me in a very tenuous position. All it would take is a small touch to make me come. Maybe I should just go home and finish what you started by myself.”

  Dylan growled. “Don’t you dare. In fact, I forbid you from touching yourself until I can watch you.”

  “And what’s the punishment if I disobey?”

  “Torture. I’ll see how many hours I can bring you right to the edge without giving you release. You’ll be begging me before it’s over. Promise me you won’t touch yourself. I’ll know if you do.”

  “I promise,” Anna said shakily.

  “Good. Why don’t we meet at Shiney’s tonight? Where something sexy. I’ll teach you how to play pool. And then…we’ll finish what we started.”

  “Why can’t we just get right to it? Are you determined to torture me no matter what?”

  “I’m afraid if I don’t give myself enough time to cool down, then I’ll just take you wherever we’re standing. If there are people around I can at least get control of myself. I don’t want to hurt you. Or scare you.”

  “You could never hurt me, Dylan,” she said, touching his cheek. “I’m stronger than you think. And I’m willing to be a little adventurous with you. Only you.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Anna gave him a quick kiss and moved away to catch a ride with one of the deputies leaving the scene. “Try to take it easy on me at pool. It’s my first time.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Are you sure you don’t mind coming with me?” Anna asked Mel as she checked her appearance in the mirror of her bedroom. She was more nervous now than she was the first time she stepped foot in Dylan’s office. Her body was primed, and any touch against her sensitive skin was its own kind of torture. The last place she wanted to be was in a room full of curious eyes. But she’d play Dylan’s game. And by the time she was finished with him he’d be begging.

  “Of course I don’t mind,” Mel said, stifling a yawn. “I’m always happy to watch you trounce some poor sucker at pool. I just hope Dylan’s a good loser.”

  Anna watched Mel lounge back across her bed, her feet crossed and a magazine spread open on her lap, with envy. She wished she could have some of the natural spark that Mel exuded. She was just a fun and bubbly person, and you could tell by looking. Her dark hair was tousled and her ripped jeans showed off her curvy body. She wore another t-shirt that exposed the gold dangles in her belly button. No one but Anna knew that Mel had matching dangles in each of her nipples as well.

  Men were always attracted to Mel. And she was always happy to flirt, but that’s as far as it went. Mel was dead set against saving her virginity for the one man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. So far she hadn’t found him.

  “We’re both going to win tonight,” Anna said to her reflection in the mirror.

  She jumped as thunder rumbled softly in the distance. The storm would be upon them before the night was over. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and rain. It would be the first spring storm of the season. Anna only hoped it waited until she could drag Dylan to a more private place. Wet hair and runny mascara were not a good look for her.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Mel said. “Wearing that dress and beating Dylan at pool is likely to send him into cardiac arrest.”

  “Great,” Anna said. “That’s the reaction I’m looking for. My hope is that the combination of the two will put him into lust overdrive, and we can stop all this cursed foreplay and get down to the main event.”

  Mel laughed aloud at Anna’s naivety. She had no idea how much power she had over that man. He was crazy about her.

  “I think my biggest problem is going to be avoiding any wardrobe malfunctions. I feel like I’m about to pop out of this dress,” Anna said, pulling the spandex down again.

  The black, halter style dress left no secrets to the imagination, and she felt anything but comfortable in the contraption. The dress was like a second skin, and there was no way she could have worn underwear or a bra without every line showing.

  “Well, you are,” Mel said. “I’d be more worried about the gossip your father’s likely to hear tomorrow when half the town sees you in that dress trying to seduce Dylan Maguire.”

  “Well, he told me to wear something sexy. I figure the more indecent I am the less he’ll want to play pool and the more he’ll want to get down to business.” Anna grabbed her bag and slipped her feet into sky high heels. “Let’s get out of here.”

  ***

  “Oh, yeah. Your dad is definitely going to hear about this,” Mel said as Anna parked in the last available parking spot.

  “It does look awfully busy for a Tuesday night. I didn’t realize there would be so many people here.”

  They made their way to the big oak doors and slipped inside the crowded bar. The bass of the music thrumbed in time with the beat of her heart. Bodies moved in syncopated rhythms on the dance floor, the overheard TV’s blared ESPN, and drinks were passed around heartily.

  The people she’d known her whole life stopped what they were doing and gawked openly as she made her way to the bar, chin held high. Wide eyes and open mouths led way to whispers and pointed fingers until she felt the hot breath of gossip sting her ears.

  Anna hated being the center of the gossip mill. She’d done her best to live a forgettable, quiet life for the last ten years, and she was about to throw it all out the window for one night of crazy sex. She’d think about the repercussions later, and she’d avoid her father in the mean time. She’d never needed a drink so bad in her life.

  “Hey Brian,” Anna said. “Looks like a busy night tonight. I’ll have one of those,” she said, pointing to the picture of the tall drink with the cherries and lemons on top. She was sure her face was tomato red, but she was going to play this scenario out if it killed her.

  Brian couldn’t even answer her question, the look of surprise so apparent across his face. Brian had always been a good friend to her and Mel, more like a brother to both of them.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Brian hissed under his breath. “Your father is going to kill you when he hears a
bout this. You’re practically naked.” He looked at Mel imploringly, trying to get her to second his opinion, but she just shrugged her shoulders at him and mouthed “I tried.”

  “Brian Shiney, it is no business of yours or anyone else in this town how I dress or who I date,” Anna whispered back furiously.

  “But you’ve never dressed this way before. And what did you do to your hair?”

  Anna scowled at her childhood friend and prepared to blister his ears when she remembered they weren’t alone in the bar.

  Mr. Howard was perched on his favorite bar stool—more of a home away from home—and no one ever said there was anything wrong with his hearing. His ears were glued to the conversation just like everyone else’s.

  “Can I have my drink please?” Anna asked again. Brian just frowned and went off to make the concoction.

  “Easy on the alcohol,” Mel murmured, when she saw Anna had ordered the Long Island Iced Tea. “You want to be able to remember the greatest sex of your life.”

  “It looks like a fairly harmless drink,” Anna said. “How bad could it be if it has iced tea in it?”

  Mel shook her head and closed her eyes. The situation could only get worse from her perspective. She took the Bud Light Brian had set on the bar for her and put the cold glass to her forehead.

  “What’s the matter,” Anna asked.

  “I just keep seeing my life flash before my eyes,” Mel answered. “I’ve created a monster and the only person I can blame is myself. It’s because I made you buy all of that sexy lingerie. It’s the only explanation for why you’ve lost your mind.”

  “The only reason this is a big deal is because we’re in Paradise. If we were in Dallas no one would think anything of a single young woman trying to seduce a sexy man.”

  “That’s because everybody’s crazy in the big city. It’s like a rule or something,” Mel said. “Mary Ann Marsdon said the last time she was in Dallas a pimp tried to sell her in the lobby of an Albertson’s.”