Tightrope (Burning Cove #3)(80)

She folded her arms on top of the desk.

“What?”

“The rumors of my mob connections are not going to go away,” he warned, “probably because they are true. I really do have mob connections, remember?”

“Luther Pell?”

“There will always be talk, speculation, and gossip about us, Amalie. Neither Luther nor I can wave a magic wand and make it go away. The cover Luther developed for himself and his consultants has worked too well. It’s become real.”

She considered that for a beat, and then a great sense of certainty swept through her.

“So what?” she said. “You’re not the only one who has to live in the shadows of speculation and gossip. There are rumors that I once murdered a lover. These days I am said to be the girlfriend of a mob guy. And, last but not least, I own and operate a mysterious inn that caters to psychics, gangsters, and Hollywood stars. I’ll put my reputation up against yours any day of the week.”

Some of the cold tension that had whispered in the atmosphere around Matthias evaporated. His eyes heated.

“What are you trying to tell me?” he asked.

She came out from behind the desk, stopped directly in front of him, and gripped the lapels of his jacket.

“What I’m telling you,” she said, “is that this is Burning Cove. Everything here is larger than life. Everyone here has secrets. Nothing is quite what it seems. I think that people like you and me fit right in here.”

He put his hands on her waist. “Are you inviting me to stay for a while?”

“Yes.”

“How long do you think you might want me around?”

She took a deep breath. “As long as you want to be here.”

He tightened his hands around her waist. “That’s good, because I’d like to stay here for a very long time.”

A thrill of joy whispered through Amalie.

“Do you have a plan to do that?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do. It all depends on you, though.”

He pulled her toward him.

The phone rang. Amalie sighed and reluctantly freed herself. She picked up the phone.

“Is Matthias there?” Luther asked, his tone low and urgent. “I need to talk to him.”

“He’s right here.” Amalie handed the phone to Matthias without another word.

“What’s wrong?” he said. “. . . All right. I’m on my way.”

Amalie watched him hang up the phone.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Matthias said. “Luther said he got a coded telegram telling him to expect a call from the head of the Accounting Department this afternoon. He wants to talk to me first.”

“Why?”

Matthias flashed one of his rare grins. “First rule of intelligence work. Get your cover story straight.”

He was enjoying himself, Amalie thought. He was no longer drifting. He was a man with a plan.

“What about your scheme to stay in Burning Cove?” she asked.

“Why don’t we go to the Burning Cove Hotel for dinner tonight and discuss my future? How does that sound?

“That sounds lovely,” she said. “Like a real date.”

“About time we had one of those.”

Matthias pulled her close and kissed her hard and fast, and then he was out the door.

A man with a plan.





Chapter 56


Amalie returned from grocery shopping just as Hazel and Willa ushered the last members of the afternoon tour out the door. She brought the Hudson convertible to a stop in the driveway in front of the entrance to the inn and got out from behind the wheel. There was no sign of the Packard. Evidently Matthias was still meeting with Luther.

“Another successful tour,” Hazel announced. “Slapping that big gold star and Vincent Hyde’s name on his room was a stroke of sheer genius, by the way.”

“Everyone loved knowing that they were walking past a room that was currently occupied by a real movie star,” Willa added. “We need to work on getting more famous actors to stay here.”

“That might not be easy,” Amalie warned. “We’ve got stiff competition. The Burning Cove Hotel is the first choice for most of the Hollywood crowd.”

“Sure, but there will be times when the Burning Cove will be booked solid. We can grab the overflow,” Willa said, undaunted.

“Or we could push the gangster angle harder,” Hazel said. “I can see the ads now. Vacation at the inn that is the first choice of celebrity mobsters.”

Amalie glared at her. “That is not funny.”

Hazel and Willa both looked at her in surprise.

“I was just joking,” Hazel said.

“I know.” Amalie opened the trunk of the coupe. “Guess I’m still a little tense. It’s been a stressful week. Why don’t you two make yourselves useful and give me a hand with the groceries?”

“Sure,” Willa said. She hurried to the Hudson and scooped up one of the paper sacks. “The good news is that while you were gone this afternoon we got a bunch of new reservations.”

Amalie hoisted the second grocery sack and closed the trunk. “For the tour?”

“Nope,” Hazel said. “Actual room bookings. Evidently our little inn has become fashionable, thanks in large part to Lorraine Pierce.”