Whispering Springs. Amanda Stevens
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fall? I don’t know, Dylan. Even if we accept that premise, there’s no way you can deny that doll’s resemblance to Lily.”
So there it was. The name hovered in the room like an old dream, and the knot in Dylan’s chest turned into a different kind of pain. “The doll looks just as much like Blair.”
“Maybe. But I still have a hard time believing this is about a business deal. It feels too personal.” Her gaze turned cool and assessing. Whatever feelings Lily’s name had evoked now lay hidden beneath Ava’s lawyerly facade. “I can’t help wondering if there’s something you’re still not telling me.”
“Even if that were true, I’m not at liberty to discuss my client or her situation. You know that better than anyone.”
“Yes, but as Blair pointed out, how am I to help you keep an eye on things if you leave me in the dark?”
Dylan straightened from the dresser, anxious to bring the conversation to an end. He remembered only too well Ava’s persistence. No good could come from a prolonged confrontation. “You don’t need to keep an eye out. That’s my job.”
“And now it’s also mine. I can’t unsee that doll, and I can’t go blithely about my business knowing what I know.”
“You could try.”
She gave him another look. “I have a question for you. You don’t have to answer if you feel it violates your ethics.”
“Go on.”
“Are you sure you know the whole story?”
She’d surprised him. “Meaning?”
“You don’t find it even a little strange that Tony Redding refuses to call the cops when his house is broken into?”
“Blair explained his reasoning.”
“Yes, she did. But she couldn’t explain the message that was left on the bathroom mirror, could she? ‘Tell the truth.’ What truth?”
Dylan said nothing.
She scowled at his silence. “Was a photograph taken of the mirror? What was used to write the message?”
“Ava.”
His admonition merely emboldened her. “I can always go ask Blair.”
He sighed. “The message was scribbled in lipstick.”
“Blair’s?”
“Apparently.”
“The tube was left behind?”
“Yes.”
“Cursive or printed?”
He paused. “Printed.”
“Was a photograph taken?”
“Yes, but I would need Blair’s permission to show it to you.”
Ava nodded absently. “How did the perpetrator enter the residence?”
“Through an unlocked patio door.”
“The alarm wasn’t tripped?”
“They live in a gated community with round-the-clock security guards, so they weren’t in the habit of setting the system.”
“That’s convenient. What can you tell me about Tony Redding’s firm?”
“I’ve already told you too much.”
She waved off his concern. “I can always do an internet search, but it’ll be a lot easier and faster if you just tell me. It’s not a secret, is it?”
“You haven’t changed a bit,” he said.
“Oh, I have. Believe me, I have. But we’re talking about Tony Redding.”
“He’s the cofounder and CEO of Redding Technologies. They develop apps for the military. Everything from navigation to beacons to handbooks and probably a whole lot more that they don’t advertise. It’s a competitive field, and from what I gather, they devour start-ups for breakfast.”
“He’s made enemies, then.”
“I think that’s safe to say.”
Ava turned once more to stare out the window as she pondered his revelations. He was irritated with himself for succumbing so easily to her interrogation, but he’d told her nothing she couldn’t have found out on her own. The trick now was to keep her at arm’s length from the case. That wouldn’t be easy. She’d always been single-minded to a fault. With her intellect and ambition, she’d been a force of nature even in college. He’d meant it earlier when he said she hadn’t changed. If anything, she was even more driven.
He studied her profile now as memories assailed him. He’d known her for years, but their time as a couple had been brief and mostly clandestine. Her choice. She’d thought it best to keep their feelings secret until Lily had had time to process the breakup and move on. Looking back now, Dylan realized that had been a mistake. They’d done nothing wrong, but keeping their relationship from the others made it seem as if they had. They’d both learned the hard way that trust built on a foundation of secrets and lies could too easily crumble away.
Still, he’d never been able to forget her even in the fog of war. He’d spent many a sleepless night looking up at the stars in a desert sky and longing for the familiarity of her touch, her smile. The feel of her body against his. For a while, it was all that had kept him going. Eventually he’d put all those memories aside, buried them in the deepest recesses of his mind while he’d concentrated on the task at hand. On surviving. When he finally came home, he’d had too many other things to think about. Too many monsters to vanquish.
But now here she was, mere inches from his arms.
He skimmed her hungrily, admiring the way her sweater and slacks molded to her soft curves. She wore heels and the subtlest of perfumes, something woodsy and exotic, and he thought, damn. How could he have forgotten Ava North even for a moment?
“Did you hear what I said?” she demanded.
“What?”
“You’re a million miles away,” she accused.
“Nope. Right here with you.” He tried to shake off his bewitchment. “You said something’s not right.”
“Okay, so you were listening.” She rested her hand on a chair back. “I don’t know how to explain it, but earlier I had the strangest feeling while we were in that room with Blair. She was obviously distressed and she said all the appropriate things, but something was off. Something wasn’t right. Am I crazy?”
“You’re not crazy.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “You felt it, too?”
“You’re not crazy.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ve been standing here thinking back to our college days.”
A dangerous journey, Dylan knew only too well. “In general or something specific?”
“Both. Tony Redding was never really part of our group, but he was around a lot because of Blair. He seemed like a good guy on the surface, but for some reason, I could never warm up to him. I always had a feeling there was a lot more going on inside that he didn’t want anyone to see.”
Dylan gave her an ironic smile. “You used to say the same thing about me.”
She trailed a finger across the back of the chair. “That was different.”
“How?”
“It just was. Tony’s ambiguity seemed nefarious. Like he had something to hide. He was charming and solicitous until he reeled Blair in, and then he changed. She did, too. Don’t you remember what she was like before he came along? So happy and outgoing. Once Tony entered the picture, she faded somehow. It was like she disappeared