Lost & Broken (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 2) Page 14

  If she lost Julian, she’d never be okay again.

  God, what had she done?

  Soothingly, Julian began rocking her. He pulled the blanket around their naked bodies and held her in his arms. In her ear, he began whispering peaceful words to lure her back into control. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here. You didn't hurt me. I’m fine and safe.”

  The last thing Tori wanted was to be blacking out and hurting her husband. He wouldn’t ever put his hands on her, and she couldn’t face the possibility that she had done it to him. The vicious scratches flashed through her mind and made her want to retch.

  “Think hard, honey. What do you remember?”

  “I was sleeping and heard music. It woke me up, and you didn't move, so I thought it was just my brain. Then, I went back to sleep again, and that’s it.”

  Julian was scared out of his mind.

  It was official, he had ghost on the brain.

  “And you don’t remember having sex at all?”

  She shook her head. “How bad did I hurt you?” she whispered, wanting nothing more than to heal what damage she had done.

  The tone of her voice broke his heart. At that moment, he honestly believed that telling her was a bad idea. Maybe he should have pretended nothing happened. This was something that he should have borne alone.

  “You didn't really hurt me, Victoria. You scratched me and there was some really enthusiastic sex. Nothing more, honey.”

  She stared up into his eyes with tear filled ones. “I didn't mean to hurt you, Julian. I wouldn’t ever put my hands on you in violence.”

  He was well aware.

  Okay, it was time to tell her what he was thinking, and go from there.

  “You may think I’m crazy, but I think the ghost of our dead woman made a visit.”

  She stared at him with her mouth agape. “What?”

  “You heard music, and then you don’t remember having sex with me in the room that used to belong to the man who was having an affair with Bethany Duvaul. That’s a bad sign.”

  Tori was skeeved out.

  No, that was putting it mildly.

  Julian tried to figure out a way to say this gently. “During sex, it didn't feel like you. You didn't tell me you loved me at first, and you pulled my hair.”

  She was getting scared. “I never pull your hair,” she whispered, reaching up to tuck it behind his ear. If anything, she never felt violent toward him. His hair was sacred to her, and she would never tarnish his identity by roughly pulling on it like it was nothing.

  “I know, honey. When you didn't tell me you loved me that was my first clue, but then the hair yanking was the deciding factor.”

  Tori buried her face in his neck and clung to the man she cherished. “I’m so sorry. I do love you, Julian. I treasure and adore you more than anything in this world.”

  He left little kisses on her face. “I know, and you eventually told me toward the end.” This was the tricky part, and the final piece of the story he dreaded even bringing it up. “And, your last words to me were odd.”

  Tori was almost afraid to look into his eyes. “What did I say, Julian?”

  “Give me a child.”

  Okay, now she was going to be sick. Tori knew that she would NEVER say that to Julian. In fact, she rarely brought up pregnancy because it tended to damage them both. Saying it during something so intimate and personal was very unTori-like.

  The worry and fear overtook her, and she simply couldn’t hold it in anymore. What he was suggesting was just too much for her to bear. So, for that one moment, she let herself fall apart and trusted her husband to help her work through it all.

  Victoria Littlemoon lost it.

  And just cried.

  * * *

  It had been a long night of searching. He had dug through all of his stacks of files, books, and journals. Finally, he found exactly what he was looking for.

  William Macavoy proudly held the only book that he owned, which was once part of the private collection of Joseph Hesser. It had, at one time, been the crown jewel in his possessions. Now, he was willing to let the Littlemoons borrow it, in an attempt to solve the hundred year mystery.

  He was giddy in anticipation. He was dying to know how it all worked out. In his line of work, you learned from your mistakes. History could always repeat itself.

  There was a little worry about lending it out, but overall, he truly believed that he would get it back. Besides, this would make an excellent legend to share with all who wanted to know the truth.

  When it came to history, only one thing truly mattered.

  Keeping the truth from dying.

  Pulling out his pen, he quickly scribbled a note and tucked it into the front cover. Remembering where he told them he would put it, William headed out to leave it in the spot.

  Today was going to be a busy day, and he wasn’t going to be around much. There were obligations, and he needed to make sure that they were handled.

  As he placed the book on the little table, beside the reading chair, he began going over his plans for the day. First, he would head upstairs to his private quarters and grab a shower. Then, maybe he’d make some coffee to get refocused on his hectic schedule.

  In the back room, he stretched and was lost in his own thoughts. What he didn't hear was the creak of the floor from behind him.

  Before he knew what was happening, something slammed violently into his skull, and he fell. The room spun and the man gasped in horrible pain.

  Something was wrong.

  There was no reason he should be feeling this way.

  Then, he saw who had hurt him. “What…?”

  But, he didn't get to continue.

  The only thing that he could focus on was the person pulling the bookshelf forward and the tumble of hundreds of books and ancient wood.

  As it landed on his body, he felt more pain, and then a graying around the edges as life ebbed away.

  Breathing became impossible as the weight crushed him. Suddenly, he wished he had walked out the door and to his meeting, instead of coming back to his office.

  There was laughter as he lost consciousness. William only prayed that someone would find him soon.

  Maybe there was hope.

  “You should have put a bell on the back door,” taunted the voice. “Then, maybe you would have heard me coming.”

  William couldn’t answer, because he was already on his way out. Life was over.

  Death was imminent.

  It was funny, since this was one lesson that he clearly wouldn’t be able to learn from.

  Unlike history, there would be no repeat performance.

  He was dead.

  * * *

  Two Hours Later

  For a while, Tori wasn’t sure that she was going to be able to head down to breakfast. Her stomach was still sick over what she had just learned. Deep inside, she hated that she had hurt Julian, and that this was causing issues between them. Unfortunately, there was a job to do, and they needed to get it done.

  So, Tori put on her big girl panties and opted to face the people downstairs.

  Once at the table, everyone was already eating. When they arrived, Bruce the butler seated them and brought Tori toast and coffee. That was really all that she could handle at the moment. There was uneasiness was still rolling through her.

  Julian didn’t feel like eating either, but he tried to get in some food as he put on an appearance. For now, it was about keeping their cover.

  He wasn’t sure everything was going to be fine.

  Already, he could feel Tori sliding into the melancholy, and Julian was wholly aware of why it was happening. He really wished that he had just let this entire thing go. Now, he needed to watch her and make sure that she wasn’t going to slip into a blackout. That was going to be a bitch to have to explain.

  Then again, if it happened, he probably would deserve it. This was, after all, his mistake.

  As they ate, he noticed that the other half of h
is team was missing. Sending a text, he got the reply that Christina had morning sickness, and they would be down as soon as they could.

  Okay, well since it was Kane who sent it, Julian believed that it was safe to assume that the man was now aware. He handed his phone to Tori, wordlessly, so she too could read the message.

  “I’m glad,” she said, emotionlessly.

  Yeah, it was going to be a bad day. Her voice held no life, and she looked ready to cry. Julian could already feel it brewing in his gut. He had made a tactical error, and wished that he could take it back.

  He was the biggest idiot to walk the face of the earth.

  As everyone was chattering away at breakfast, Kane and Christina finally made their appearance. Julian was a little taken aback at how pale the woman appeared. It was obvious that the morning sickness was kicking the shit out of her.

  When they sat, he whispered to her. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

  Tori even glanced over.

  “Yeah, as long as I can stay close to the bathroom, I should be perfectly fine. Tonight, I’m sleeping in there,” she muttered.

  Kane was having a hard time not looking supremely happy. Here his girl was going to marry him, and she was having his baby. Maybe he shouldn’t be so damn smug, but it was hard. Dropping his voice low, he whispered, “Chrissy is going to marry me.”

  That made Tori smile. “Congratulations, guys. We’re happy for you.”

  When the butler placed some dry toast in front of Christina, she smiled wanly. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, ma’am.”

  Lorelei interrupted all the conversation with the plans for the day. “Ladies, I’m cordially inviting all of you to join me at the local milliner to get our finery for the derby!”

  There was excited talking around the table.

  Tori knew that Christina wasn’t going to be up for it. She glanced over and mouthed, ‘I’ll hook you up’.

  The woman actually looked grateful.

  “We’ll be taking one of the estate vehicles, so be outside in ten minutes and ready to get your shopping on!”

  None of that sentence excited Tori in the least. She hated shopping, and she had the design skills of a rock. For her, there were two patterns.

  Camouflage and black.

  That’s about as far as she went.

  “Christina, what do I do?” she whispered.

  The woman came to her rescue. “Pick something neutral. What color dress did you bring for the derby?”

  “Dark blue.”

  “Okay, then get a navy blue hat and have them use white flowers,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go?”

  Tori couldn’t do that to her. Besides, they would then have two people tossing their cookies.

  “I got it.”

  Christina somehow didn't think that was going to be the case. “Okay.”

  Could this day get any more miserable? Tori was ready to pack it all in. Here, she thought that the derby would be fun, and now she was haunted, literally, and having to shop.

  Well, shit!

  It looked like the men were going to be free to wander around. That made Julian incredibly happy. Now, he wanted to find this book and get the hell out of Hesser House.

  His and Tori’s sanity depended on it.

  Unfortunately, his luck wasn’t going to get any better. Just as he prepared to tell Kane to meet him outside, one of the other husbands chimed in.

  “What will the men be doing?” Lawson asked, hoping that they weren’t going to be shopping all day too.

  Fredrick replied, “While the ladies buy things, we men are going to do what we do best,” he stated. “We’re smoking cigars and clay shooting out in the field.”

  That sounded like Julian got the better end of the deal on this one, even if it interrupted his plan of snooping.

  When Tori rolled her eyes, he hid a grin behind his napkin.

  Kane wasn’t leaving Christina’s side, and already he knew Julian was up to something. “I won’t be joining you,” he stated.

  The men all glanced over.

  “Is something wrong?” Lorelei asked.

  In this case, it was simply easier to just go with the truth, since they didn't know when Christina was going to run from a room to toss her cookies.

  “My wife isn’t feeling well. We just found out, before this trip, that she’s pregnant. I’m afraid that today is a bad day for her, and I can’t leave her side.”

  All the women at the table nodded sympathetically.

  Yeah, this was going to work out for Julian perfectly. His plan was immediately revamped.

  “I’ll make your hat for you, Christina,” offered Lorelei. “What color is your dress?”

  “Pink,” she replied. “I would appreciate it.”

  Tori was off the hook on that one.

  Thank God!

  As everyone began disbursing, Julian corralled Kane and the women outside in the foyer. “I will keep the men busy, Tori will keep the women busy, you and Christina need to search the Snyder’s room. I want to see if they’re who they say they are, and we may luck out. We’ll stay in contact via text, so make sure your phones are on.”

  Kane assumed as much. He didn't expect to have a full morning off, lying around.

  It would have been nice.

  “We’re on it. Send me a text when you get all the men to the location. Have Tori do the same.”

  Julian leaned in. “Good job on getting the girl to marry you,” he said grinning.

  “Yeah, I should have done this sooner.”

  Julian just looked at him. “Yeah, we all know.”

  Christina simply giggled. Her stomach was settling and she was feeling a little better.

  “I’ll swing over to William Macavoy’s office and see if he has anything for us,” Tori offered, since she was going to be in town anyway.

  Why make two trips?

  Julian dropped his arm around her shoulders and gently laid a kiss on the side of her face. “Will you be okay?”

  Tori knew that he wasn’t talking about the hat making.

  “Yeah, it’s just another day in my life,” she answered, walking away.

  Christina didn't know what to say, other than the obvious. “Is she going to be okay?”

  Julian wasn’t one hundred percent sure. “We just had a rough night sleeping,” he offered.

  That wasn’t the half of it. They had a ghost with a fondness for husband molestation.

  Awesome…

  Chapter Nine

  Today was simply torture. Tori couldn’t possibly think of a worse way to spend her time. She would honestly rather be on a crime scene with a burning corpse, than here at a milliner’s designing a hat for the derby. Yes, she loved the idea of watching horses, but what the hell did it have to do with wearing some frou-frou, cotton candy, hat-like confection?

  Nothing.

  In her mind at least.

  Unfortunately, this was part of the job, so while she was there, it was best to just suck it up and put her big girl panties on. The highlight was later when she could head over to the local historian and hopefully get some good news from William. That was the only way she was getting through this horrific experience.

  Tori felt bad that she was being such a downer. In her mind, she knew why she was miserable, and it wasn’t the hat’s fault. If anything, it was distracting her from what was really plaguing her mind.

  Last night was still haunting her.

  Deep down in her heart, she knew that Julian wasn’t blaming her, but still, she didn't like how this put fear between them. They had a really amazing relationship, where they were each other’s best friends. Now, it felt strained.

  In a way, she wouldn’t blame him if he was scared.

  She knew that she most definitely was.

  Now, top it all off with having to try on hats and design something that she would never wear again, and it was simply wearing her patience thin. Tori was pretty sure that bei
ng away from Julian and the rest of the team was a good thing.

  She was just too cranky today.

  Refocusing on the task at hand, Tori went to the blue hats and picked one that matched her dress. Placing it on her head, she stared into the mirror and noticed that it looked pretty good.

  Or she figured it did.

  What the hell did she know about hats? All hers had camouflage, a gun, or sporting team logo on them.

  When Lorelei came to stand beside her, she glanced over.

  “You look like this is torture. You would think for a designer, you would be having a grand time.”

  Tori knew she had to cover and fast.

  “Oh, I’m just thinking. This is part of my process. I was picturing the hat in my head and going from there. I guess I am tortured, if you think about it. I want this to be indicative of my style.”

  The woman smiled. “Okay, what are you thinking of doing with the hat?”

  This felt like a test to her, and she only prayed that she had enough girl DNA in her body to pull it off.

  Wandering over to the ribbons and the accompaniments, she stared at the thousands of choices on the wall. Finally, she went with her gut.

  “I like the white ribbon with the subtle polka dots. It’s classic and something that you’d find at the derby.”

  Lorelei agreed. “I like the way you think. What’s next?”

  “Then, I would toss in some white flowers, and to make it all stand out, I would place one wispy black feather in the center as a statement.”

  Lorelei thought about it. “Why black?”

  Tori prayed that she didn't just screw up. “Like every woman needs a LBD, I think that the simple touch of black is cohesive and makes a statement when used properly. In my lingerie, I often use black lace or embellishments. So, that feather is like my calling card.”

  The hostess laughed. “I like your style,” she answered. “It’s nice to see people who make up the rules they want to live by. I think I’ll do a big black feather too. It might start some crazy fad.”