That Unforgettable Kiss (Kissed By Fate Book 1) Read online

  Closing his eyes, Jeff sighed. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, he twisted the knob. “I haven’t even been inside here since my daughter was killed,” he whispered unsteadily. “Sandra and I just could never do it – go through Anna’s stuff.”

  Despite the healthy coating of dust covering the surface of every item in the room, the room was in surprisingly good shape. Most of the interior water damage had occurred on the opposite end of the house where a tree had fallen onto the roof during a storm almost ten years before. Kate had discovered that the repair work on the roof afterwards had been shoddily done.

  Jeff blinked back tears as he strolled through the room. “Her favorite colors were pink and green,” he muttered. “And she loved flowers.” Reminiscent of the decades gone by, a chenille bedspread was embroidered with dainty white daises and leaves of green.

  “Well.” Kate studied the oversized canopy bed, along with the matching bureau and nightstand. All were painted in creamy shades of white. “I know that it might be difficult for you to make this kind of a decision – but you may want to hold onto Anna’s furniture. This bedroom set is really lovely.”

  He nodded. “Maybe, I will. Surprisingly, being in this room is bringing back a lot of good memories,” he added, moving over to the window. “We had a huge garden at home. I kept promising Anna we’d have a garden here, too.” Jeff’s voice was unsteady as he continued, “But, as always, I was way too busy with work. Anna and her mom spent most of the summer here by themselves.” He sighed wearily, as he turned in a circle to study the contents of the room. He stared at the long row of shelving, still lined with Anna’s favorite dolls. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this by myself.”

  Kate started, suddenly recalling another conversation she’d had years ago. What was it, Christina had said? Anna’s...unsettled. Her parents were divorced only a few years after her death. Kate was hesitant to make the suggestion. Had Anna’s mother ever remarried? According to Kate’s father, Jeff Ivers never had.

  “I...I know it’s none of my business. But maybe your ex-wife might want to help you go through some of Anna’s things?” Kate shrugged. “It might bring closure to your situation – especially since they’ve finally caught up with Anna’s murderer.”

  Jeff appeared startled when he met Kate’s eyes. “Actually, that’s a great suggestion, Kate,” he said quietly. “Sandra and I haven’t kept in touch. But ...maybe?” His eyes searched the room in silent contemplation.

  Moving over to stand before the bureau, Jeff studied some snapshots which had been slipped into the frame of its mirror. Absentmindedly, he nodded, seeming to make up his mind. “Yes. I’ll call Anna’s mother.” Moving over to the bed, he ran a hand over a teddy bear, which was tucked in between the pillows. “I remember this,” he said. “I brought it for Anna the last time I saw her.” With a shaking hand, he brushed a few tears from his eyes.

  Kate could feel the enormity of Jeff’s grief. Giving him a moment of privacy, she turned to stare at the clearing, visible through the window.

  After taking a final look around the room, Jeff sighed, and cleared his throat. “Well. Why don’t you show me what you’ve got going on in the kitchen, Kate?” he asked, gruffly.

  Kate nodded, understanding his desire to escape from this room and the memories it invoked.

  Fifteen minutes later, she and Jeff were standing next to a makeshift plywood table set up in an area near the kitchen.

  “I’ve chosen this material for your countertops.” She pointed out a sample of quartz, patterned with an interesting swirl of jades and creams. “I’ve tried to modernize but incorporate a lot of the original features of the home that made it unique. After all, this place is almost a hundred years old.”

  “Yeah.” Jeff nodded, searching through the samples. “Love the countertops, for sure, Kate. What are you using these smaller tiles for?” The pre-cut sheets of oblong tiles featured extended lengths of assorted shapes and sizes. “You’ve picked out some beautiful colors.”

  “Those are for the backsplash – lots of pops of color in different shades of green. Maybe I’ll install them vertically for a little more interest?”

  With an all-compassing gesture of his hand, Jeff shrugged. “Do what you want, Kate. I’m really pleased with your decisions, so far.”

  “I’ve tried to integrate some modern elements, which complement the original flooring and paneling.” Kate hesitated. “I went with the greens – not only because it seemed to be a color used on several of the original walls in the house – but because I noticed it seemed to be one of your daughter’s favorite colors in her room.”

  Jeff nodded absentmindedly. “My wife and I picked out the paint colors.” He smiled wryly. “Unfortunately, my parents balked at anything Sandra attempted to change in this place – even though my parents rarely spent any time here. Sandra always thought this place was drab. She had so many great ideas about how to turn this place into a home.” Wearily, Jeff sighed. “She always loved it here – we were even planning on retiring here.” He strode over to the window. “It’s great how you’ve opened up the outdoors to the inside, Kate, by clearing all the brush from the lakefront. What a view.” For a long quiet moment, Jeff stood staring out the window, apparently absorbed in his thoughts.

  Until the sudden hammering from the family room woke Jeff from his reverie. “So, I’ll be able to move in at the end of the summer?”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem. We seem to be back on target with our deadline.”

  “Will I be in the way if I move into the guesthouse before then?”

  “Of course not,” Kate responded. “Dad said he worked on the updates there, himself, about eight years ago?”

  “Yeah. I have a friend who actually lived there for a couple of years. I’ve been vacationing here off and on again for the last eight years, though. And then last year, I realized that life is just too short. Why not just retire here, as my wife and I once planned?”

  Kate nodded her agreement. “Personally, I can’t even see myself anywhere but Crystal Rock.”

  “Well. You’re young. If you get the opportunity to travel, you should do it. Don’t do what I did – get so wrapped up in your work that you don’t have a life otherwise.” Jeff’s eyes met hers. “It’s something I’ll always have to live with, neglecting my family.” Once again becoming emotional, Jeff turned his gaze back out through the window. “If I’d have just been here that day, Anna might’ve never been abducted.”

  It was obvious to Kate that Jeff’s visit into the house had dredged up a staggering load of buried memories – as well as an immense amount of guilt. Offering reassurance, Kate covered his hand with hers. “Before long, we’ll have the place looking beautiful. I promise.”

  Jeff answered, hoarsely, “Thank you, Kate. You wouldn’t believe how much I really appreciate that.

  CHAPTER

  FOURTEEN

  After reviewing the surveillance tapes in Jake’s office with Cal at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, Murphy, Kate, and Dan had adjourned to Kate’s cabin. While relaxing outside on the porch, Dan and Murphy were throwing out their thoughts while Kate flipped the burgers on the grill. Since they’d been going over the tapes on a nightly basis, Cal and Jake Loughlin were now focusing the majority of their attention on Luke Arnett.

  Too much attention as far as Kate was concerned. “I still don’t think he did it guys.” She efficiently scooped the burgers onto a plate from the grill.

  Halting their conversation mid-stream, both Dan and Murphy turned to Kate.

  Dan spoke first. “But we have him on video, Kate, going back and forth to the campgrounds at all hours.”

  Kate frowned. “But if he’s stealing that lumber, when’s he doing it? And how in the heck is he getting it out of there?”

  Murphy raised a brow. “Yeah. I see what you mean. Your dad is a little too eager to put the blame on Luke – although Jake Loughlin seems to be withholding his own opinion.”

  Kate motione
d for Dan and Murphy to follow as she carried the burgers into the cabin. Resting the platter of burgers on the kitchen table, she began gathering paper plates and utensils.

  “Anything I can do?” Murphy asked.

  Kate smiled distractedly as she laid out the hamburger buns and condiments. “Maybe grab the potato salad from the fridge?”

  Once they were settled around the table, they resumed their conversation. “I know that Jake’s planning on installing extra surveillance, but I still think we need to come up with a backup plan. I can’t imagine Luke sneaking out from the trailer to spend half the night ripping out lumber from the cabins. And then he’d have to load it up and haul it away, too.”

  Dan sighed. “It’s obvious that the lumber is being transported by water. Maybe Luke has a partner?”

  Kate snorted. “And who would that be, Dan? All of his friends are from work. I haven’t noticed him getting chummy with any one person in particular, either. How about you – have you noticed anything odd about Luke’s behavior, Michael?”

  Swallowing a mouthful of potato salad and quickly sipping on his water, Murphy responded, “Like I said earlier, Kate, Luke and Brian have pretty much been keeping me isolated working inside one of the other cabins. They’re actually beginning to trust me with the painting now, but I’m not really getting the chance to observe what’s been going on around the site.”

  “So, at the very least,” Kate said, returning her gaze to Dan, “we need to come up with a plan to give Michael access to all of the cabins – unquestioned access, that is. That way, he might be able to observe if any one person is going in and out of those specific cabins.” Frowning, Kate turned back to Murphy. “You haven’t been behaving like you’re any more competent than you were six weeks ago – have you?”

  Murphy grinned. “I’m still occasionally giving everyone my clumsy routine when they’re around. I have to appear to be a little more skilled now – especially with the painting. But don’t worry – my skills haven’t improved much observably.”

  Kate nodded distractedly, considering the plan that’d been formulating in her mind. “Good – cause I’ve got an idea. I happen to know that the final coat of poly is supposed to be applied to the flooring in a couple of the finished cabins tomorrow. Here’s what we’ll do...”

  * * *

  An hour later, after Dan had departed, Kate and Murphy were still seated at the kitchen table, finalizing their plans for the next day. “How about I help you clean up?” Murphy said, rising up from his seat.

  Kate chuckled. “Sure. There’s not a whole lot to clean up, though.”

  Working in companionable silence, Kate and Murphy began clearing the paper plates and silverware from the table. As Murphy put away the remaining potato salad and condiments, Kate ran some water into the sink. While Kate washed the glasses and silverware, Murphy picked up a towel and began to dry.

  “You’re awfully good at this,” Kate said.

  Murphy grinned, studying Kate. “When you grow up in a household with two working parents, you try to do what you can to keep the peace. Me and my brothers learned early in our lives to clean up after ourselves.” Turning back to the kitchen counter, he picked up his empty mug and poured himself more coffee.

  “It was actually the same for us – except that my older sister Lucy loved taking care of everything.” Kate chuckled. “Mom would sure get aggravated with Dan and I, after Lucy moved out. She’s still probably frustrated, too. Lucy used to do practically everything around the house for her – cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Mom was lucky to keep her hair salon operating with the economy so poor, here in Crystal Rock, while we were growing up. Not only did Mom have to pay rent on the building, she still had to come up with a way to pay her employees.”

  Murphy nodded. “I don’t think it was quite so difficult for my mom. She was already working at an elementary school – teaching math. She used to get a kick out of doing her own home improvement projects. When she got it into her head to begin her own business, it took off right away. She sure has an eye for picking up really unique items from flea markets and garage sales.” Gazing over at Kate’s coffee table, Murphy lifted a brow. “Which reminds me?”

  “That’s right,” Kate said. “With everything that’s been going on, I forgot – I meant to check out my old collection of mosaics that were gathering dust up in the attic.”

  “Do you mind if I go ahead and snap a few pictures of your tables to send off to Mom?”

  “Sure – go right ahead.”

  “I can’t believe I have to go home in a couple of weeks. I’m really gonna hate to leave.” Reaching into his back pocket, Murphy pulled out his phone. After making some adjustments, he took an assortment of snapshots from different angles.

  Once he was finished, and he’d slipped his phone back into his pocket, he crossed his arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

  When Murphy’s eyes met hers, tension suddenly filled the air.

  Kate was suddenly uncomfortable, so she shifted her gaze to the fireplace. “How about we go through the attic tomorrow night – immediately after work?”

  Murphy nodded. “I’ll skip driving to work tomorrow. Dan can drop me off at the campgrounds once we’re finished with our work-out in the morning.”

  Kate nodded. “I’ll pick you up from the campgrounds and drive you back to the house afterwards. That’ll give us a chance to regroup after carrying out our plan, anyway.”

  Murphy picked up his coffee. His expression was thoughtful as he stared at the row of framed pictures lining the fireplace mantel. “Lots of cool pictures,” he announced, sipping his coffee. “All faces that I seem to recognize.” Strolling over to the fireplace, he picked up one of the pictures. “Except for this pretty girl, here, in this picture with you.”

  Kate stilled. After a long silence, she cleared her throat, and gazed at the picture Murphy was holding. “That’s my best friend, Christina. She and I were inseparable when we were growing up.”

  “I’m surprised that I haven’t met her, then.”

  “Yeah. I only wish that was possible.” Kate blinked back sudden tears. There was another long silence before she finally managed to continue, “Christina passed away – when she was only fourteen.”

  Murphy froze momentarily. But after carefully returning the picture to the mantle, he turned back to Kate, with understanding written all over his face. “Oh, Kate – I’m so sorry.” For an instant, Kate thought, he meant to take her into his arms. But Murphy returned his gaze to Christina’s picture instead. “So – did she know she was gonna die?”

  Imperceptibly, Kate nodded.

  “She seems to be so...at peace. Ethereal, almost,” Murphy observed.

  Kate was startled. She took a closer look at Christina’s picture. She did seem to be at peace. Obviously, Christina had been acceptant of her fate. But why hadn’t Kate ever realized that, before now? “I...I guess I spent so much time focused on my own grief, that I never even noticed. I kept thinking that, if I wished it hard enough, she wouldn’t actually die. It was so tragic, her dying at such a young age.” And Christina had always been the most special person Kate had ever known. “I still miss her...you wouldn’t believe how much.”

  Murphy’s eyes met hers. “It must’ve been really difficult – watching her fading away.” He cleared his throat. “I really am sorry, Kate,” he whispered, gruffly.

  Kate nodded emotionally.

  For the next few minutes, they were quiet, as they finished up their coffee.

  Kate hesitated. “Would you like another cup?”

  “Just one more.” He sighed. “Then I suppose I’d better get back to your parents’ house and get some sleep.”

  When she reached for Murphy’s coffee cup, their fingers accidentally brushed.

  And Kate stilled, gazing into Murphy’s eyes.

  It’ll happen with one single kiss. Until this moment, she’d completely forgotten about Christina’s silly prediction. Was it just a co
incidence that she’d actually remembered Christina’s words here – and now?

  Kate stared at Murphy oddly. For several long moments, their eyes remained locked as their fingers touched.

  Until finally clearing his throat, Murphy broke the silence. “Maybe I’d better take a raincheck on that coffee,” he announced, handing over his mug.

  Silently, Kate nodded.

  With his hand on the door, Murphy turned back and glanced at Kate. “Tomorrow, then?”

  “Tomorrow,” she answered.

  Absentmindedly, she rubbed her hand over her stomach as she continued to stare at the screen door after it slammed behind Murphy. “Man,” she muttered under her breath. For the first time in her life, Kate felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “I am so in trouble.”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

  Kate peeked at her watch. Showtime, she thought, snatching up her clipboard from the seat of her truck. Timing was crucial for her and Murphy to succeed in pulling off their plan.

  Kate strolled down the path from the parking lot and halted before approaching the work zone. In fifteen more minutes, Murphy should be in place in the furthest cabin. Since she was still a little early, she might just as well check on the inventory. It was her excuse for being here, after all.

  With an unconscious air of authority, she made her way swiftly over to the materials tent. Skimming her eyes over the inventory, she began counting out two by fours before wandering over to the roofing materials.

  And then she frowned, counting again. Crap. Not again, she thought, studying the numbers on her clipboard. It was little enough – the amount of materials disappearing – two rolls of roofing paper, twenty odd two by fours, twenty packs of shingles – but the fact that the items missing were disappearing by an easily divisible number was definitely a big clue that some of the building materials were being stolen once again. She sighed. Now, besides stripping reclaimed lumber from the cabins, the thief had apparently decided to resume ripping off construction materials as well.