Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(56)
“Caroline, how about you and Aubrey go downstairs to the spa and have a nice relaxing massage? Aubrey has been saying she’s wanted to go but I haven’t had the time to go with her. She’d love the company.”
Alana clapped her hands together and smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Some girl time never hurts.”
Caroline opened her mouth to object but Travis tried his best to give her a side eye that silently told her to trust him. Instead she acquiesced, her gaze still on Travis. “I guess I could do that. I really liked talking with Aubrey the other day. She and I got along really well. And I’d like a chance to thank her as well for finding the photo.”
Travis stood and gave Caroline a meaningful look. “Why don’t you come to our suite when you’re ready? In the meantime I’ll call down to the spa and make the arrangements.”
Nodding, Caroline’s gaze rocketed between him, Tom, and Alana before finally settling back on Travis. “I just need to freshen up a little.”
“No hurry. We’ll be waiting. Tom. Alana. Nice to see you. Tell Martin we’re thinking about him.”
“Of course we will, Travis. I know my husband is grateful for everything you’ve done.” Alana opened the door for him and he had a feeling she was glad to see him go.
“Call me if you need anything.”
Travis had a feeling that call was never going to come.
As he walked down the hall to the elevator he couldn’t help but think there was something very strange about the dynamics of those three people. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but in his gut he knew there was something that wasn’t right.
He just needed to figure out what it was.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
?
Aubrey and Caroline were down in the spa so that left Travis and Shane to try and find out more about the relationship between Caroline, Alana, and Tom. Travis only had one word for it.
Dysfunctional.
There had clearly been an undercurrent of some kind of history between them and knowing about it might give Travis some insight into Bruce’s murder. He and Shane were in the elevator hoping to catch the resort maid that serviced Tom’s room. Travis wanted to know if Caroline had been seen anywhere in the vicinity. He didn’t want to believe that she was someone capable of murder but he’d ignored her motive for far too long.
“You’re pissed.”
Shane certainly had a way of summing up f*cked up situations. But he was wrong. Travis wasn’t pissed off, he was livid.
“Yes, and your point is?”
Shane reached around Travis and slapped the emergency stop button on the elevator and the car came to a shuddering halt.
“My point is you better pull your shit together and fast. I get that you wanted to clear Aubrey’s name because you’re in love with her and now you want to clear Martin because he’s been like a second father, but you’re letting this case get to you. Ultimately it is not your job to find this killer. It’s Prather’s job and while he might not be doing everything you want, he is investigating from what that reporter told me. You just don’t like what he’s found.”
Anger and frustration churned in Travis’s gut. He’d never felt so helpless in his life.
“It’s a good thing it’s not my job because I’m piss poor at it. If it had been Aubrey would be on death row about now.”
“Is that why you’ve got your knickers in a twist? Because you’re not good at catching criminals? You know that’s not your real job, right? You’re a businessman and a damn good one but honestly, Travis, you’re an amateur detective and no, it doesn’t make any difference that two of your brothers are cops. If they were musicians would you book a concert hall for yourself and sell tickets? Give yourself a f*cking break.”
Travis’s jaw tightened and he had to swallow a not so pleasant retort. Shane didn’t understand.
“Fine, consider me lectured,” Travis growled. “Can we go now?”
Shane insinuated himself between Travis and the elevator button. “No. In fact, hell no. We are not done here. You’re still being a dick and not listening to me. You’re doing the best you can. That’s all you and I can do. The fact you need to face is that Martin just might be guilty. That’s the eight-hundred pound elephant in the room you’re ignoring.”
Travis slumped back against the elevator wall with a groan. “I just can’t believe that. Not Martin.”
“I don’t want to believe it either. I like Martin. He seems like a good guy but I’ve always believed that anyone is capable of murder if motivated enough. If a mother was protecting her child, you would think she could kill. So if Martin were protecting Caroline he might kill Bruce. All I’m saying is that it is possible and we can’t pretend it’s not true.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Travis nodded in defeat. He couldn’t fight this much longer and it was making everything more difficult than it needed to be. “Fine. Martin might have done it. He’s capable of it. But so are a lot of people.”
Shane pushed the red button and the elevator lurched as it began its descent once again. “Luckily we aren’t looking at a lot of people. We’re only looking at a few. Right now we want to find out if Tom and Caroline have some sort of relationship that we don’t know about. Something more than friends. Then we can go back and talk about Martin as a possibility.”