Chapter Nine: Trust
The frenzy of reporters waiting outside the courthouse earlier today had rattled Amy Trammel’s normally composed demeanor. Evan wasn’t surprised by the negative press. Of course the media would jump on the story of a Californian debutant accused of the murder of a sleazy pornographic film producer. A man she was having a clandestine affair with... a man who left her in his will…
The better part of the morning was spent in a remote diner several miles fromL.A.at her insistence. Evan felt sorry for Amy, but at the same time, he felt concerned.
Everything she had told him would only strengthen the prosecutor’s defense. Not theirs.
After dropping Amy off at her grandfather’s estate, Evan went to meet the private detective and share with him new information. Something about this case had him baffled. Given the line of work Ashford was in, he could have had many enemies. But what tied Amy to the murder, other than her affair with him, and why had someone gone to great lengths to frame her?
When Evan returned the office later that afternoon, he didn’t see any sign of Beth. He noticed her computer off and her purse wasn’t where she normally left it beneath her desk. Where could she possibly have gone when there was so much work that needed to be done?
Picking up the phone, he rang Melissa’s extension. “Have you seen Beth?”
“No, I thought maybe she was with you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“She got an anonymous phone call from a man who said he had information concerning the case you two are working on. The man asked Beth to meet with him. I offered to go with her, but she said no. I thought she would have called you.”
“Give me the address,” he said grabbing a pen from Beth’s desk. Jotting the number down, he kept his voice deliberately calm when he asked, “How long has she been gone?”
“I don’t know, maybe a couple of hours.”
The trip to the hotel wasn’t a complete waist of time. Evan described Beth to the bartender and the young man did remember seeing her there earlier. He said she came in a sat with a man for only a few minutes and then left without ordering anything. Placing a call to the office proved mute. Iris told him she hadn’t returned, so where could she be? He had already tried her cell several times, but she wasn’t answering.
When he pulled into the parking garage of her apartment, he spotted her car and felt instant relief. Slamming his car in park, he pushed open the door. He had every intention of finding out what she was up to.
His heart gave an unsteady jerk when he saw a man crouched in front of Beth’s door using a tool to pick the lock.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Evan called running.
The man glanced up with a startled look at the sound of Evan’s voice before jumping to his feet. Running hard and fast, the stranger fled around the corner, disappearing from view. By the time Evan reached Beth’s apartment, he could see the door slightly ajar. Fear gripped him. Pushing on the door, he started to step inside only to stop cold when he saw Beth charging in his direction, wielding a baseball bat aimed for his head.
“Whoa,” he called, reaching out in an attempt to block the moving stick.
“Evan,” she said and then froze. Dropping the bat to the floor, she flung her arms tight around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “My God, I was so scared.”
His arms automatically came around her back, pulling her closer to him. “It’s okay. I’m here and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I…I,” she stopped on a sob. “I thought someone was following me when I left the hotel, so I took a different route home. I should have listened to my gut and went somewhere crowded.”
“Did you get a good look at the car or the driver?” he asked, running his hand down silky chestnut strands that smelled of cherry almond bark.
“It was a black SUV, but I didn’t get a license number.”
The scent of her, the feel of her warm body pressed into his had him thinking about things he shouldn’t. He had to resist the urge to bury his face in the soft tuft of curls
But when he felt her tremble once again, he had to wonder if it was completely from fear, or was she thinking the same thing? He placed his hands on her shoulders and pried her from his chest.
Looking into beautiful, wide eyes, he said, “I’ll call the police, and while I’m doing that, I want you to pack your things. You can’t stay here.”
She gave him a numb nod. “I guess I could stay at Melissa’s for a few days.”
“No. We don’t need to involve anyone else. You’re coming home with me. My parents’ house is likeFortKnoxand it would be virtually impossible for someone to get to you there.”
“But…” she started.
“No buts. Get your things together before the man decides to come back.”
She removed her hands from around his back, and gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for showing up when you did. I don’t want to think what might have happened if you hadn’t.”
Evan’s heart beat heavy in his chest. He didn’t want to think about the consequences either. Pulling his cell from his pocket, he and said, “Go pack, I’m going to get you out of here just as soon as we talk to the police.”
