All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [105]
He frowned. "You don't think she was afraid of Dylan, do you?"
Natalie shook her head. "Absolutely not. I saw them together in Santa Cruz. There was no fear in their relationship. Not a speck of it. Emily made Dylan smile. And he made her laugh. And she loved to talk to him. It wasn't weird at all."
"I want to believe that."
"Then believe it. We have other things to worry about."
"Like what?"
"Madison and I sat down and compared notes. This is what we know. Emily had a crush on someone right before she died, someone she thought was unattainable. The only person we can think of that Emily might have put in that category is Drew, because of his relationship with Laura."
"Drew?" Cole echoed. "You think Emily and Drew had something going on? Are you serious?"
"I don't think we can rule it out. We know that Drew was in L.A. at the same time as Malone." She paused. "Isn't it interesting that as of today both Drew and Dylan are nowhere to be found?"
"It's not interesting. It's damned frustrating."
"Could Drew and Dylan be working together?" Natalie asked. "Dylan likes to write. Drew is conniving enough to keep this book just out of lawsuit reach. And they both share a passionate dislike of me."
Cole didn't reply. He just stared at her for a long moment, and she could see the wheels turning in his brain. "It's possible, I suppose."
His cell phone rang again. "This is my investigator. I better take it."
Natalie watched his face change dining the course of the short conversation. He went from angry, tense, and sad to excited and eager.
"We've got a break," he said, as he ended the call. "My investigator found Malone. He traced his corporation back to someone named Jerry Williams."
The name didn't ring a bell. "I don't understand. Who is Jerry Williams?"
"I have no idea, but he has a Santa Cruz address. I think we should check it out."
"I don't know," Natalie said, hesitating. Did she really want to go back to the place where Emily had died? Where she'd spent the worst night of her life?
"What don't you know?" Cole asked forcefully. "This is our first real lead. We have to follow it up." His eyes softened as he gazed at her. "I know it will be difficult, but I don't think we have a choice, not if we want the truth."
"Are you sure you want me to come with you? After what your parents said yesterday? The last thing I want to do is come between you and your family, Cole."
Some emotion flashed through his eyes, but it came and went so quickly she couldn't read it. "We're in this together until we get our answers. That's all I can think about right now."
Until we get our answers. At least he was offering a time frame this go-around.
"All right," she said, making a quick decision. "I'll come. Santa Cruz is where it began. With any luck, that is where it will end."
* * *
Madison tapped her fingernails impatiently on the top of her desk. She really needed to work, but she was having trouble concentrating. She couldn't get her mind off the past, and especially off Dylan. He would be furious when he found out that everyone now knew about his infatuation with Emily. He'd probably never speak to her again, especially since she'd been the one to blow his cover. For some reason, the thought made her feel more sad than angry. She'd begun to see a different side to Dylan in the last few days, and what she'd seen had impressed her. There was more to the man than the bad-boy image, a lot more. She just wished he'd open up to her. There was probably no chance of that happening now.
Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the details of the masquerade party that thankfully her staff was handling quite capably. But even as she read, her mind drifted and the words blurred in front of her eyes. She was grateful when her office door opened and her secretary, Theresa Myers, entered, several message slips in hand.
"You had some calls while you were in your meeting earlier. The first was from a Detective Robert Boland with the Santa Cruz police Department. He asked that you call him back as soon as possible," Theresa