the doorway. “Bettina, bring me my smoothie.”
Her last sentence was screamed and Josie didn’t miss the slight roll of Tanner’s gorgeous eyes. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the door to leave.
With pleasure. Josie didn’t mind getting down to business and putting the dramatic, temperamental Whitney behind her. As Josie followed the hunk out of the parlor, she couldn’t help but notice his slightly faded jeans looked awesome on his taut butt, as did his T-shirt, which was pulled tight across his broad shoulders.
Get a grip. The very last thing she wanted or needed in her life at the moment was any kind of a romantic connection. Besides, Tanner Grange looked old enough and was definitely hot enough to already be married.
He led her back into the foyer, where he stopped and turned to face her. His handsome, chiseled features formed a slight frown across his forehead that did nothing to detract from his attractiveness. “I’m afraid I have no clue exactly what I’m supposed to help you with. Whitney didn’t explain it very well.”
“She was worried about her guava-kale smoothie,” Josie said drily and then bit her tongue. She had no idea what this man thought about his boss and the last thing Josie wanted to do was make a bad impression or alienate the man who had been tasked to help her.
She was relieved when Tanner offered her a wry grin. “Whitney does love her smoothies, among other fairly superficial creature comforts.” His smile fell into a gaze of curiosity. “So, she mentioned something about a buried watch?”
Josie nodded. “My siblings and I were told our father buried a watch here years ago on this property. My father is a second cousin to Eldridge and spent some time here when he was younger. He’s dying now and the watch has sentimental value to him and he’d like to be buried with it, so I’m here to hopefully find it.”
There were a million things Josie didn’t say, like that her father was in prison, convicted of killing nine men and Josie’s own mother. She also didn’t mention that she and her siblings believed the watch might hold a map that could possibly lead to her father’s stash of money from old bank heists he had committed before he went to prison twenty years ago.
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Thanks,” Josie replied. “He’s been sick for a long time.”
“This is a big spread. Do you have any idea where this watch might be?”
“It’s supposed to be at the base of an old oak tree with some kind of carvings in the trunk and the tree is near a brook or a stream.”
Whitney’s strident voice drifted out to them. “Moira, wake up Eldridge. He needs to get ready for the fund-raising breakfast downtown.”
Tanner frowned. “I think I know that particular tree. It’s in a pasture a bit of a distance away from the house. Do you ride?”
“Ride? You mean like on a horse?” Josie shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ve never had the opportunity.”
“That’s all right. We can take one of the ranch trucks. Shall we?” He gestured toward the front door.
Josie was just about to step outside when a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.
* * *
Adrenaline pumped through Tanner as he recognized the scream as coming from the housekeeper, Moira. “Excuse me,” he muttered to Josie and turned to race down the hallway toward the master suite.
He was vaguely aware of Aaron, Whitney and the pretty petite Josie following right behind him. Dread coursed through him as he saw Moira standing just outside of the doorway of the bedroom.
She held a trembling finger to her lips and looked every day of her seventy-five years. As she saw Tanner she pointed into the room, horror gripping her features into a tight mask.
At his age, Eldridge wasn’t in the best of health and Tanner’s first thought was that the old man had probably passed away in his sleep.
He flew into the large room and then froze in his tracks in stunned surprise. In an instant his brain registered several things. The window to the gardens was open and the screen had been removed. The lamp on the nightstand was overturned. The covers on the bed appeared to have been dragged off and something that looked like blood was both on the windowsill and on the floor next to the bed.
Eldridge was gone.
“Oh, my God!” Whitney screamed from behind Tanner. “Where is he? What’s happened?” She pushed past Tanner and ran into the adjoining bathroom. “Eldridge honey, where are you?” A wail ensued, letting Tanner know the old man wasn’t there.
Whitney stumbled back into the bedroom, and at the same time Fowler Colton, Eldridge’s eldest son, ran into the room. He was followed by his sister, Alanna.
Bedlam ensued as more of the Colton family appeared on the scene. Zane, Eldridge’s adopted son and head of security, shouted to be heard above Whitney’s hysterical screams.
Within minutes all of Whitney and Eldridge’s children and stepchildren were in the room except one. Aaron held on to his wife, Moira, his eyes misted with tears, and Josie cowered against a wall as if attempting to disappear.
“Everyone out of the room,” Reid Colton yelled above the din. “We need to preserve the evidence.” He attempted to herd everyone back out into the hallway.
“I just called Sheriff Watkins,” Fowler replied. “He’s on his way. In the meantime, I need to take a look around.”
“No, you don’t. You need to get out of here like everyone else,” Reid replied tersely.
“Don’t act like you’re a cop. You just used to be one,” Fowler replied with a raise of his chin. “As I remember, brother, your badge was taken away from you.”
Reid stared menacingly at Fowler and one of his hands tightened into a fist. “Don’t go there, brother.”
“You two, don’t even start,” Whitney cried. She started out of the door and then stopped and stared at Josie. “You! You did this. You brought evil into the house. It’s all your fault. You’re the devil!” She covered her eyes and wept as her daughter Piper placed an arm around her shoulders and quickly led her from the room.
Josie’s hazel eyes were wide and her lower lip began to tremble. Tanner fought the crazy impulse to shelter her with his arm. Instead he motioned for her to follow him out of the bedroom and fought against his worry for the old man he’d looked on like a father.
“Everyone into the parlor,” Fowler instructed. “Sheriff Watkins will want to question everyone when he and his men get here.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for Josie to be in the parlor with Whitney,” Tanner said. “I’ll take her into the dining room and we’ll wait there for the sheriff.”
Josie gave him a grateful glance. He didn’t wait for permission from anyone, but took her by the arm and led her in the opposite direction from the rest of the people. The last thing needed at the moment was Whitney’s histrionics directed toward Josie.
As they walked toward the formal dining room Tanner
