Cranberry Point (Cedar Cove #4)(29)

On that point he was wrong. "I didn't stop you from using protection, Ian."

"You didn't remind me, either."

"Is that my job or yours?" she asked, keeping her voice as level as she could make it.

Her husband whirled around and glared at her. "You made sure I forgot all about it!"

Despite the seriousness of their conversation, Cecilia smiled. "You're right, I didn't remind you. But at the time I had other things on my mind."

"A baby," he said angrily, accusing her with his eyes.

"Well, yes," she admitted. "But you know that."

Ian's eyes narrowed. "I just hope to God you don't get pregnant, Cecilia."

"That's n-not fair," she stammered, shocked by his vehemence.

"Fair or not, I don't know how I'm going to feel about any child conceived out of your deception."

With that, he stormed out of the bedroom.

Fourteen

Roy McAfee waited until late afternoon to call Hannah Russell. He'd tried earlier and learned the young woman's phone had been disconnected. When he mentioned that to Beldon, Bob had supplied him with Hannah's cell number. Apparently, for whatever reason, she'd kept in touch with the Beldons.

He dialed, leaning back in his office chair.

"Hello?" a tentative voice answered.

"Hannah?"

"Yes, this is Hannah Russell." Her response was a bit more confident now. "Who's this?"

"Roy McAfee from Cedar Cove. We met at the Beldons' Bed and Breakfast when you came to collect your father's ashes."

She hesitated again as if she was having trouble placing him.

"I'm sorry, I don't recall meeting you."

Roy could understand her lapse in memory. It had been a traumatic visit for the young woman. He didn't envy her the task of dealing with her father's death and, more than that, the mystery surrounding it.

"I'm a private detective. I was at the house during your visit," he said.

"Oh, yes, I remember now. The Beldons hired you to find out what you could about my father's murder."

"That's correct."

Roy felt her warm up a bit. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

He straightened and glanced down at his list of questions. "Is this a convenient time to talk?"

"Yes, I'm not doing much of anything at the moment."

"Where are you?"

"In Oregon. I suppose the Beldons told you I've sold everything. I decided to move. The problem is, I'm not sure where I'm moving. I suppose that sounds odd. I loaded my car with everything that was important to me and took off. I'm hoping to make a fresh start somewhere."

"Bob did say something along those lines." Roy sympathized with the girl's need to escape the horrors of the past year or two. Briefly he wondered about friends and acquaintances but didn't want to distract her with personal questions when there were other, more pressing ones.

"I'd like to ask you about your father."

A short silence followed. "All right. I'm not sure what I can tell you, though."

"You can help me verify some facts."

"I'll try, but I'm as much in the dark about this as everyone else. I didn't even know he was going to Cedar Cove, let alone why. Then when he died like that..." She choked up for a moment. "That was a shock but learning he was murdered—that was so much worse. I don't know anyone who'd want my father dead."

"I appreciate your willingness to help. I promise I'll do everything in my power to find out who did this."

"Thank you," she said, her voice quavering with emotion.

While doing investigative work, Roy had discovered that family members often held crucial answers but were unaware of it. The key to solving a mystery was asking the right questions.

"What would you like to know?" Hannah murmured, recovering quickly.

"First, tell me about your father's relationship with Stewart Samuels."

Again there was a pause, as though she required time to formulate her thoughts. "Really, there's not much to tell. I never heard my father mention his name until after the car accident. Dad was badly burned and was in the hospital for quite a while. His medical insurance was limited. When it became obvious that he was going to require extensive plastic surgery, he asked me to get in touch with Colonel Samuels. Dad said Colonel Samuels owed him, but he didn't say why."

Roy made a notation indicating when Russell had contacted Samuels. He'd assumed the two men had been in communication since Vietnam, but apparently not.

"What were you supposed to ask the colonel?"

"Dad seemed to think Colonel Samuels would be able to help him get into a veterans' hospital. Which he did."

"How responsive was Colonel Samuels to your call?"

"He was... helpful." It seemed she was about to add something, but changed her mind. He'd question her later about her impression of Samuels; he had more important matters to discuss first.

"Was there anyone else your father asked you to contact?"

"No one. My father was a private person. I don't think he would've gone to Colonel Samuels if there'd been any other way."