Carson's Choice: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 27) Read online

  Seeing the house from the outside was one thing; seeing it and being with them on the inside was a completely different thing. Yet now? He felt almost an eerie feeling to it.

  As soon as Flora left, Aida turned and looked at him expectantly.

  He nodded, then pulled out his notepad and began. “I have the file from Ice and Levi. I’ve also read the police file and the threatening email and the letter you shared with them, plus saw the photos of the dead birds found on your doorstep. And, while that is good to a certain point, I do need to hear, from your perspective, just what you think is going on here.”

  “I think somebody is trying to kill me,” she stated immediately.

  “How so?”

  She stopped, considered him, and asked, “I presume we’re talking motive?”

  “Yes. What motive would someone have for killing you?”

  “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I have made a few enemies over the years. I didn’t think I had any who were intent on revenge or whatever until recently, but, then again, no one was trying to kill me before.”

  “Okay, that’s a good place to start. How have you made enemies?”

  “It’s my work. I have a charity that I run,” she murmured, “and a lot of money passes through my hands.”

  “Money is always a great motivator, for good and for evil.”

  She nodded. “The thing is, I don’t have any particular suspicions of who it could be,” she added. “I handed over the files of anybody we’ve had complaints from to the police and to Levi and Ice.”

  “Good. I know that both the cops and Ice are working on that angle, running background checks on everything they can get their hands on. But, so far, nothing major has been found, so we’ve nobody to go after at this point. That is a problem, and it’s always distressing because we need a clear-cut idea of who’s doing this, if possible.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she agreed bitterly, with more strength than he expected. “So, that’s your job now, young man.” She picked up her coffee cup. “Next question.”

  “Here we go then. Who is set to gain from your death?” he asked bluntly. “Have you made any recent changes to your will?”

  Her eyes widened. “You are a sharp nut.” She nodded. “I like that.”

  Slowly he let out a breath, trying not to let her see that he was happy that at least he’d made the right call. “I tend to be clear and direct,” he told her calmly. “No point in doing this if we’ll only have half the information.”

  “No, you’re quite right there,” she agreed. “You should know that I have made recent changes to my will. Basically the bulk of my estate goes to my granddaughter.”

  “Are there other family members or friends who would not like that dispensation?”

  “Not any close relations. My only son was killed in a car accident quite a few years ago,” she murmured, “and my granddaughter has been living with me ever since.”

  “And when you say quite a few years, are we saying your granddaughter has been here since she was a child?”

  “Since she was a teenager, I guess,” she replied, thinking hard. “Well, maybe when she was about ten or eleven, I think, when she started living with me.”

  “So, your son died, Eva’s father, but what about her mother? Your daughter-in-law?”

  “She was in a coma for a very long time. And, yes, I did pay all the medical bills associated with her care.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Any particular reason for that?”

  “Because she was my daughter-in-law,” she stated equally bluntly. “I had the funds, and my son was a fool who didn’t have enough medical insurance. The costs of keeping her alive all those years … were pretty expensive,” she admitted. “She passed away a few years ago.”

  “Was there any animosity from her—or Eva’s other grandparents—that you still looked after your granddaughter for all these years?”

  “Eva’s maternal grandparents died long ago. So, if my daughter-in-law didn’t like the arrangements I had made, she never said anything to me,” she murmured. “But, of course, how do you ever really know what’s in the back of somebody’s mind?”

  He had to admit that she had a point there. “Okay, and who else gets part of your estate at your passing?”

  She looked at him and shrugged. “Obviously Flora, who was just here, is getting something. I mean, she’s been in service with me for a very long time.”

  “And is it enough for her to retire on?”

  She looked at him and then slowly nodded. “I guess, if she’s frugal with it.”

  “Is that so?”

  “No, I might need to change that,” she stated, looking thoughtful.

  “Change what?”

  “Well, you’re right. I don’t know if it is enough for her to retire on, and she needs to retire in peace. She’s done nothing but look after me for the last two decades—and has been taking care of my granddaughter since she came here. It would only make sense that she probably doesn’t have a whole lot of other money.”

  “She might, or she might not,” he noted. “That’s not necessarily your responsibility.”

  “No, it’s not, but you make a good point. That is something I probably should spend a bit of time considering in a little more detail. I would want her to live the time she had left, without scrimping.”

  “And certainly now would be a better time to do it, if you seriously think that somebody is out there, trying to kill you.”

  She stared at him directly, as she pulled down her reading glasses from atop her head, the chain dangling around her neck. “Young man, let’s get this straight. Neither of us would have gotten so far down this pathway if I didn’t firmly believe that someone was intent on killing me.”

  “Good. I needed to hear you say that.”

  She regarded him for another long moment, then nodded. “So that question won’t ever arise again, will it?”

  He shook his head. “As long as you are objective, it won’t. No reason we should go there, but I can’t promise you will always like what I have to say.”

  “We should be good there as well.”

  And Carson realized then that, of all the things he’d said so far, she did believe that. “Your granddaughter doesn’t seem to think she is in any particular danger.”

  “She’s young.” Aida gave an airy wave of her hand. “She also spends most of her time caught up in her art.”

  “I understand that she’s a student.”

  “Not for long,” she added. “She’s just completed her degree. Not that she ever needed a degree, and I did find it odd that she went ahead and got one.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t so much to have a degree as much as to be on a path with some structure and to learn what she could out there in the world.”

  “I don’t know, but you may be right,” she admitted. “Regardless, my granddaughter is very talented.”

  He reserved judgment on that. In his lifetime, he’d certainly heard more than a few people raving with unapologetic bias about their talented someone, only to reveal ordinary results.

  She looked at him, first with a laugh, then a smile. “You’ll see,” she stated serenely.

  He nodded. “I suspect I will. What about any of her boyfriends?”

  Aida rolled her eyes. “I have them thoroughly vetted by Levi. Even with that precaution, I find I can’t tolerate any of them. Luckily Eva is too devoted to her art to give them much time, so they don’t last long. Thankfully. However, I do believe Eva needs a social life outside of watching me work and Flora manage the household. So, in that vein, college was good for her.”

  “Other than Flora, who else do you have in your bequests who I need to know about?”

  “Just the charities. I run one huge nonprofit that involves many charities within its umbrella.”

  “And, out of your estate, what percentage do the charities get?”

  She stopped, thought about it, and shrugged. “Less than half.”

&
nbsp; “Are there any particular charities that you think would potentially disapprove of that dispersion of your estate?”

  “They should be glad they’re getting anything at all,” she snapped, looking at him over her glasses again.

  “True, but that doesn’t mean someone doesn’t think they should have a bigger piece of the pie,” he argued, “particularly if there are those you’re personally involved with and who have no one else set to look after them, once you are gone.”

  She thought about it, shrugged, and noted, “That might be something else I should look at as well, but I’m only really concerned about my granddaughter at the moment.”

  “You don’t have any suspicion that she is the target here, or one of them, do you?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I do.”

  “I presume you have a reason for that.” He spoke cautiously, wondering why Aida would jump to someone trying to kill her granddaughter now.

  “She’s my only living relative,” she said simply. “And I know that, when she’s off in her art, she can …” Aida stopped, hesitating, then continued. “She can lose track of time.” Worry now etched her features. “Eva can get very wrapped up in what she’s doing—to the point that she’ll often forget to eat, forget to do anything really.” Aida raised both hands. “I am very much a business-oriented person, and my granddaughter is … I don’t want to say the opposite of me, but, in that particular sense, she is definitely different from me.”

  “Isn’t it nice that there’s room in the world for both?” he mentioned smoothly.

  She looked at him and then started to laugh. “Very nicely stated.” She chuckled. “I didn’t realize diplomacy was an art of yours as well.”

  “I don’t think Levi and Ice would ever consider that to be true.” He grinned. “Yet I can manage sometimes.”

  She smiled, obviously enjoying their conversation. “Well, maybe I’m just being an overly protective mother hen when it comes to Eva. However, she must not be harmed in all this mess targeting me.”

  Carson easily understood that perspective and nodded.

  “We’ll show you to your room for now. I presume being on the first floor is the best option for you. Plus, you have access to the entire estate and whatever you need. However, please be aware that my granddaughter’s studio is out of bounds.”

  “That’s not a problem,” he replied, “as long as I’ve still got access, when I need it.”

  She stopped, frowned. “That could be a problem.”

  “No point in having me here if I can’t access each and every inch of this place. I must check it all as I search for potential problems. If I can’t enter …” He stopped, only to continue after a moment. “If I need to see some room in this residence, I must have the freedom to do so.”

  “I understand that, but she wants her privacy, and she wants nobody in her space,” Aida stated.

  “I’m all for giving her that,” he noted, “and I have no intention of barging in on her, but I can’t have any doors off-limits. I can inspect her area while she is there, if that is the only way I am allowed to.” He needed to make Aida acknowledge the importance of this, and he would not give an inch. The conversation continued for a while but had diverted to the main charity she ran.

  A few minutes into the conversation, Eva walked in, noticed the coffee, and smiled. “I do love that there’s always coffee,” she stated warmly, as she stepped over, kissed her grandmother on the cheek, and then poured herself a cup.

  “As if you need anything else to stimulate you,” her grandmother murmured, with an eye roll.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a bit on edge over my first show,” she admitted. “You know that’s big for me.”

  “It is big,” Aida murmured.

  At that, Carson turned and addressed Eva. “What’s big?” Eva frowned, and he shook his head. “No, no secrets,” he declared. “I don’t know if this part of your life affects your grandmother—and neither will you—until we sort it out.”

  Eva glared at him, and Aida chipped in a bit sharply, her facial expression soft, but her voice took on an almost pestering tone. “Come along, Eva. Be nice.”

  Eva groaned. “I still don’t like the idea of having anybody in the house.” She looked back at him and glared, but Carson just smiled.

  “I am fully vetted,” he shared. “I guess I can understand you not wanting strangers living here, even temporarily, but, if not me, you might want to consider having somebody else or even the police.”

  She shook her head immediately. “I’m just not comfortable having strangers around.”

  “Understood,” he murmured, “and I’ll stay out of your way as much as possible, but that won’t be an option all the time.”

  She snorted at that. “Just having you around will make life difficult.”

  “I’ll try not to disrupt your work as much as I can.”

  At that, she stopped and stared. “You better not disrupt my work at all.”

  He was somehow amused by her antics, tried not to laugh out loud, and didn’t say anything more, just sipping his coffee as he looked from one woman to the other.

  Aida smiled at her granddaughter and asked, “So, did your delivery arrive?”

  “No,” she replied crossly. “I just phoned the courier company, and apparently they wrote down part of the address wrong.”

  “Oh dear,” the older lady murmured. “Isn’t that frustrating?”

  “It’s a contract for my first showing.” She looked over at Carson. “Since it really doesn’t apply to you, no need to worry.”

  He stared at her, his gaze flattened, dark, and then he gave a quick nod. “Right. I may well not need to see the details of the show, depending on when and where it’s happening and who might be attending.”

  She stared at him in shock. “That has nothing to do with this. I don’t have anything to do with my grandmother’s world at all.”

  “Except that part about you being her only living relative and that you are a major part of her life and that you have lived in the same home with her for sixteen years or so,” he argued smoothly, “and are the major benefactor in her will.”

  “That’s a low blow.” She glared at him.

  *

  Something was intensely disturbing about having this man around. Eva didn’t want anyone here, but this one was too large, too dominant, too … just too much male.

  She had tried hard to talk her grandmother out of having anybody here, but, when it came to her grandmother’s security, Eva didn’t want to buck the system too much because what if she were wrong?

  She sighed, then looked over at her grandmother. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Not at all,” Aida admitted, “which is why we have help.”

  Eva nodded at that. “I understand that. It’s just very distressing to think that anybody could ever want to hurt you.”

  “And you’re living in denial,” her grandmother teased. “And I understand that too. I really do. It’s much easier to live in denial, but, when something goes wrong, the shock can be really devastating. Followed by the guilt.”

  At that, Eva winced. “You mean too much to me to have anything like that happen.” She walked over and gave her grandmother a gentle hug. “You know how that would completely devastate me, right?”

  “I know that, child,” she said, patting her awkwardly. “And that’s why Carson is here.”

  Eva nodded, looking at him. “I sure hope you are good at your job.”

  “I am,” he stated smugly, studying her. “Yet I’ll also need your cooperation.”

  “Of course you will,” she said. “However, I’ve already given the police my cooperation. So I’m sure that anything you need from me, you can get from their files.”

  “I already have that,” he noted, “but some information is lacking.”

  “Like what?” she asked, not liking his tone.

  “Your personal life.”

  “And what’s that got
to do with anything?” she asked.

  “If somebody removes your grandmother, there’s just you left to inherit,” he explained. “And money is a very powerful motivator.”

  She stared at him, nonplussed. “And what? You actually think somebody would kill my grandmother so that I could inherit more?”

  “I don’t know if you would inherit more,” he replied immediately, “but you would inherit whatever you’re set to inherit. Would you not?”

  “I don’t know if I would or not,” she stated crossly. “I really don’t like discussing anything like that.”

  “And like your grandmother just noted, denial won’t work in this instance.”

  Eva placed down her coffee cup and faced him. “I’m out of here.” She gave him an awkward wave. “You do your investigation, but you better stay away from me.”

  Carson couldn’t contain his laughter. “I’ll be up to check out your studio in a little bit.”

  Chapter 2

  Eva stopped, then spun around to look at him. “What?”

  “I need to be familiar with all corners of this property,” he explained. “There are no locked doors while I’m here, and I need to know the nooks and crannies, the panic rooms or secret places that others would be most likely to hide in.”

  Her jaw dropped, and she turned and stared at her grandmother. Aida, however, dropped her gaze to the desk. “Seriously, Grandma?”

  Her grandmother looked up and nodded. “Yes. Seriously. If this is what we must do for one week to ensure our safety, then so be it.”

  Eva stared, shaking her head. “That doesn’t put me in a very good spot, does it?” She turned and looked at him. “Nobody goes in my studio.”

  “I will be going in your studio,” he declared, with no easing of his inflection. “No way to do my job properly otherwise. I must map out all rooms in this place. I don’t know where the threats are coming from, but, in my experience, most come from within,” he explained quietly. “I have no interest in your art and certainly not in your life—except to the extent that it becomes part of my investigation. It’s not my intent to interfere, yet your life holds the key to solving this as much as Aida’s life. So I need to determine the origin of the threats. And, while we’re at it, as I mentioned before, I also need to know everything about your personal life.”