Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

“I’d like that.” Julia smiled. The expression was beginning to come to her more easily. “Thanks.” Turning her attention to Sophie, Julia asked, “Have you already been trick-or-treating on Main Street?”

“We have.” Sophie reached into her bag and withdrew a pink toothbrush. “See what the dentist gave me? I love toothbrushes and this has sparkles.”

“I love sparkly toothbrushes, too,” said Luis. “Can I have that one?”

“Mr. Martinez,” said Sophie with a giggle. “You have to go trick-or-treating and get your own.”

“It looks like there’s pumpkin decorating,” said Holly, pointing to a conference table filled with small pumpkins, paints, stickers and markers. “Want to go and try it out?”

“Oh boy, I do!” Sophie held Holly’s hand and skipped across the lobby.

As soon as Holly and Sophie walked away, Liam swatted his friend on the arm. “Where’s your costume, man?”

“Me? What about you?”

Opening the front of his coat, Liam revealed his outfit. “See?”

“A shirt that says This Is My Costume doesn’t count.”

Julia laughed. “I have to side with Luis on that one, but nice effort.”

“Speaking of effort, have you heard anything about the Carpenter case?”

Julia nodded. “I just got the lab results back from the cans and wrappers found in the abandoned apartment. The DNA matches Robert Carpenter’s. There were hair samples collected from the room at the Pleasant Pines Inn that match Carpenter, as well. Combined with his confession to Peter Knowles, the evidence is clear. Carpenter was the copycat killer.”

“And what about Travis?”

“He’s in the hospital for the next couple of weeks. Once he’s out, there’s rehab. But his girlfriend is a nurse, so I think she’ll take good care of him.”

“Christopher Booth is still at-large, but the rest of the Transgressors go on trial in a few weeks,” Luis added.

Julia continued, finishing the story, “I don’t know if Travis will be back at work full-time until after the holidays. Still, he’s hoping to be well enough to testify at the trial.”

“You know, Holly and I were talking about Thanksgiving this morning. It’s coming up. You’re both welcome to join us for dinner. We’ll have turkey. Gravy. Football. All the works.”

“Thanks for the invite, man. I appreciate it.” Luis slid his arm around Julia’s waist and pulled her close. Her heartbeat raced. Julia wondered if there would ever come a time when Luis’s touch didn’t excite her. She hoped not. “But we’ve already got plans that weekend.”

“Great. What’re you two doing?”

It was Julia who answered. “Luis’s sister invited us to her house for dinner.”

“Your sister?” Liam echoed.

“I haven’t spoken to her in years. I have a baby niece I’ve never met.”

“That’s awesome. You should definitely go. Maybe you can come over for dessert on Friday night.”

“Count on it,” said Julia.

Then Liam went to Holly, Sophie, and pumpkin decorating. Luis inclined his head toward the trio. “They’re a nice family.”

“They are.”

“I miss seeing my sister. I’m glad this is working out.” He paused and pivoted so he faced Julia. “Thanks for opening the lines of communication.”

“You’re welcome.” Pride and contentment warmed Julia’s chest—along with a tinge of relief. Her call could’ve easily caused more problems than it solved. She continued, “Besides, what’re friends for?”

“Friends? I hope that we’re a lot more than just friends.”

“We are.” Scanning the crowded lobby, Julia wondered if now was the best time to have this conversation? Then again, why not? “You are my best friend, but you’re more. You’re my cheerleader.” She paused. “Luis, you’re my everything.”

“Julia,” he whispered, pulling her to him. “I love you. I’ve loved you from the beginning, I think.”

She turned to face him. “Luis, I love you, too.”

“Tell me that you’ll stay with me. I don’t care if we’re in Wyoming. Or Connecticut. Or anywhere else.”

“Just try and get rid of me.” She gave a flirtatious smile. “I’m with you for the long haul. I promise.”

He placed his lips on hers. For half an instant, Julia hesitated. The sheriff shouldn’t be kissing someone in public. Then she threw caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around him, barely registering the cheers from the crowd in the room.

Yeah, she was in love with her best friend—and she wanted the world to know.

EPILOGUE

Darcy Owens sat in her jail cell and read a newspaper that was a week old. The story was simple but left her nauseous. Robert Carpenter had posed as a blonde woman in order to kill two men. According to the article, DNA evidence linked Robert to the other crimes, as well.

There had been a standoff in the woods between Carpenter and local law enforcement. In the end, he’d died.

Julia McCloud, the sheriff, was quoted, and she said, “An employee of the White Winds Resort has confessed that Robert Carpenter, while a desk manager, placed Darcy Owens on the payroll and hid the killer’s identity. There are other connections between Carpenter and Owens. Both have been implicated in the death of Owens’s parents more than a decade prior. Charges for those deaths will be added to the long list of crimes that Darcy’s been accused of committing.”

The Pleasant Pines Gazette praised its recovering editor as well as the quick-thinking Sheriff McCloud. The story ended with a quote from the district attorney, Chloe Ryder. “Justice may be blind, but she’s not stupid. Darcy Owens will stand trial for all the murders she committed and I’m confident that we’ll get a conviction. She’ll spend the rest of her days in jail, just where she belongs.”

Julia McCloud. Chloe Ryder. They were to blame for Darcy’s downfall. But they hadn’t done it alone. Despite the fact that the operatives from RMJ hadn’t been mentioned, she knew that they were involved, as well.

The Darkness coiled around Darcy’s heart and squeezed.

It was then that she recalled a poster on a classroom wall. It been a poem by Robert Frost, with a misty lake in the background. She didn’t recall the other lines, but there was one that she’d read again and again about only being free if she was bold.

She was