Seth scratched his head. “Did I miss something here?”
West looked down at the notes in his hand but Jason could still see the shit-eating grin on his brother’s face.
“Jason has a girlfriend,” West whispered, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Aww, hell,” Jason growled. “It’s like we’re back in junior high or something.”
If only that was the case. Things had been a whole lot simpler back then. His biggest concern was getting to second base. As a grown man he had more complex desires.
And he could only hope Brinley was his girlfriend. She was the most interesting woman Jason had met in years. Maybe ever.
Now that she was out of the line of fire it was time to turn up the volume on the wooing. Dazzle her with some real romance. She deserved better than he’d given her so far.
Jason was ready to take a chance on Brinley Snow.
*
Jason was flipping burgers at the grill flanked by West and Logan while Brinley relaxed and sipped a glass of wine. A drink she’d desperately needed after hearing about Jason’s day and what he had found. The best news being that she wasn’t a target. Roger Gaines had her address in his hand because of the house. Not because of her.
Of course now her dream home was the scene of some horrific unsolved murder.
That sucked.
It made Brinley want to call that real estate agent up and give her a piece of her mind. Except that if Brinley hadn’t moved into the house then she probably wouldn’t have met Jason. She couldn’t have one without the other.
Brinley took another fortifying sip of her wine. “So she was shot in the hallway? By her husband? I wonder if the house is haunted.”
Jason paused from adding cheese to the hamburgers. “Have you seen any ghosts or had anything strange happen?”
“No.”
Jason grinned and took a big bite out of a slice of cheddar. “Then it’s not haunted. And we don’t know that it was her husband. He said it must have been an intruder because some jewels and money were missing.”
“That makes sense.”
For some reason Brinley didn’t want to think the poor woman had been shot by a man she loved.
“Except that the jewels never showed up in any pawn shops or guys fencing stolen goods. If they stole the jewelry they didn’t do anything with it,” West pointed out. “Why steal something if you’re never going to use it?”
“People steal art paintings just so they can possess them.” Logan plucked a potato chip from the bowl on the table. “It’s what it represents more than the money.”
“So you think the husband did it then?” Huck plopped his head on her knee and she gave him a scratch behind his ears.
“The police seemed to think so but they didn’t have much evidence to go with their theory. At this point I could go either way.” West paged through the file folder he’d brought from police headquarters. “It’s really kind of sad that there’s so little here. It doesn’t reflect well on the detectives working twenty years ago.”
“No witnesses. No murder weapon. Conflicting statements and a victim others really didn’t like much. A cop’s worst nightmare,” Logan mused. “Add in the fact that small town cops didn’t have much in the way of DNA back then. You might want to cut them some slack.”
West’s lips twisted and he shut the folder with a snap. “You’re right. They talked to the neighbors, friends, everyone they could think of. They went over the house with a fine-tooth comb. No fingerprints or hairs that shouldn’t be there, which is one of the reasons they were leaning toward the husband. The whole thing is sad. It tore the family apart from what I can see.”
“Family?” Brinley frowned as Jason piled burgers on a platter and set them in the middle of the table. “Did they have children? What happened to them?”
“One child. A son from Wendell Barnes’s first marriage.” Jason waved a spatula toward the file. “Damian Barnes was a teenager when it happened. Out with friends at a movie. He’s the one that found the body.”
Brinley shuddered. “Ugh. I imagine that would stay with you the rest of your life. Did you know him?”
West frowned and shook his head. “Jason and I were older. In college when he was in high school.” West scribbled something on a piece of paper. “We’ll need to talk to him and the father. And of course Gail Denton. I know she’s over at the assisted living place but I have no idea where the other two ended up.”
Logan piled his burger high with pickles, lettuce and tomato. “Follow the money. From what I read the family is loaded. Would your parents know the Barnes or remember them?”
Jason sat down and joined the rest of them around the table. “That’s a good question. Maybe I should show up at Sunday dinner tomorrow and find out.”
West groaned and slumped in his chair. “Don’t even say that. If you go and start asking questions they’re going to ask where I am. Shit.”
“Why don’t you want to go?” Brinley asked, although she couldn’t keep from smiling at West’s comically tortured expression. From the little she’d heard from Jason the Anderson family was close-knit and quite happy.
“They ask him when he’s going to settle down and give them grandchildren,” Jason laughed and winked at Brinley. “Mom is always trying to fix him up.”
“The only reason she’s given up on you is–” West’s grin immediately died and everyone fell silent, the levity from only moments ago completely gone, leaving a grim tension in its wake.
Jason looked around the table, his expression somber. “We all know why so there’s no reason to pretend. Let’s get back to the case. That’s what is really important.” He turned to West. “Can you find the Barnes family or should I put Jared on it?”
“We can find them. Logan’s right. We’ll follow the money. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask Mom and Dad what they remember about the case.”
Jason shook his fork at West playfully. “We’ll both ask them. Together.”
West took a long draw from his beer. “I hope it’s pot roast. That would make it worth it.”
“Then maybe tomorrow while you two are with your family I’ll go over and give my house a good top to bottom cleaning. I haven’t had a chance since the break in.”
Three sets of eyes swung toward Brinley and she squirmed under their incredulous gaze. Finally Jason spoke.
“Absolutely not. Someone broke in. Why we don’t know, but it still isn’t safe for you to be alone over there. You’ll come with us tomorrow.”
Go with them to meet Mommy and Daddy?
Absolutely not. No way. Not going to happen.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
Brinley looked ready to bolt back to the car. Her usual sunny smile was replaced with a frown of worry despite Jason’s assurances that his parents were friendly people. Hell, if they thought he was serious with Brinley they’d probably fall all over themselves to welcome her into the family. Jason’s mother was desperate to see him happy and settled after everything he’d been through.
Brinley looked lovely today in a flowered sundress that showed off her golden skin and luscious curves. She’d left her long brown hair loose and it hung in waves to the middle of her back, making his fingers itch to run his hands through it. He had a distinct memory from the other night regarding how silky it felt.
Jason hugged his mother and shook hands with his father but both his parents were paying attention to the woman behind him. He stepped aside and wrapped an arm around Brinley’s waist, pulling her forward.
“Mom. Dad. I’d like you to meet a good friend, Brinley Snow. She moved into the house next to mine. Brinley, this is my mother and father, Marie and Peter Anderson.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Brinley shook hands with his parents while Jason’s mother kept giving him excited sidelong glances. Marie Anderson thought this was the big introduction. That Brinley was the one. Jason would have to pull his mother aside today and let her know as gently as he could that Brinley had only come into his life a short time ago. It was much too soon to be declaring anything serious. Although if he were going to get serious, Brinley would be exactly the kind of woman he’d want.