Falling for the Suspect (Book 3 in the Smalltown Superstars

7

John had called Taylor on her cell phone that afternoon and informed her that due to preparations for the upcoming rodeo Steve was running behind schedule and would be late getting home. John would do his best to delay Steve further giving Taylor the opportunity to search his property before their date. Taylor drove over early parking her car in the driveway up behind some tall trees so people could not see it from the road.

The sun was still up but not for too much longer. She needed to search the grounds while the light was still favourable. She began with a quick walk about the immediate general area near the house. She checked the garage since the doors were open. He had so many tools, half of which she could not possibly guess their purpose. Lots of pointed and sharp tools any of which could have been used to kill a man.

Perhaps the murder weapon had not been a kitchen knife. The victim did not own a knife block nor did he have a matching set of cook knives or cutlery. The responding crime scene units found no weapon at the scene. They had always just assumed the killer had taken a knife from the scene to kill the victim and took it with them when he or she left. It was entirely possible that had the murder been premeditated that the killer had brought the weapon with them and took it when they left.

Taylor stared at all the tools. If that were the case, any one of these could have been used to kill Sam Griffin. They all looked clean, but blood remained even after someone cleaned it up. They would have to spray it all down with luminal to detect any latent blood stains. A task that would require a warrant and probable cause, none of which she could get until she could tie someone to the murder. So far Brook and Dawson Archer looked better for the murder then Steve Giles. Unfortunately, they could not yet eliminate him as a suspect either.

The real question was though if Steve or the killer, as she would like to believe it had not been him, had committed this brutal crime would he be foolish enough to hold on to the murder weapon or would he dispose of it? Steve Giles struck Taylor as far too meticulous to hold on to the weapon. It was far more likely that he would have disposed of the weapon as soon as possible. He confessed to knowing every tree and rock, he could have gotten rid of the evidence, and no one would have been the wiser.

Of course, if his sister had been the killer that still did not let Steve off the hook. If Liam Archer was covering for her, and Dawson Archer had staged the scene to protect her, it was possible that Steve Giles might have disposed of the bloody weapon for her someplace it would never have been found. Still, she should check the surrounding brush.

Taylor spent almost two hours trudging around in the trees and bushes. Pushing aside branches and leaves to get a better look. She checked for any disturbed land or displaced rocks. Anything that looked even slightly off or out of place. She found nothing, as far as she could tell everything was as it should be and there was nothing hidden on his land. Coming out of the trees, she took a look at the shed, and the padlocked. She wondered why he would keep the shed locked and kept his garage door wide open. She could pick the lock as she had back at their trailer.

Taylor returned to her car and popped open the trunk. She reached into the black bag within and removed her lock picking tools. They were small, light, and easy to use. She shut the trunk and nearly jumped out of her skin to find Steve leaning against her driver’s door his arms folded lazily on the roof as he stared at her. Taylor dropped the tools behind the car and kicked them underneath.

She had not heard him drive up, and she wondered just when he had arrived and how much he had seen. “Oh my god, you scared the hell out of me.” She gasped trying to slow her pulse.

He c****d his head curiously, still dirty from head to toe from a hard day’s work. His handsome face smudged with dirt, and his clothes covered in mud. His worn a tanned hat slanted on his head; his blonde locks tussled and unruly beneath. “What are you doing?” He asked.

She swallowed hard and forced a smile. “I got here, and you weren’t here yet. I would refill my washer fluid; these country roads make the windshield so filthy.” She lied.

“So where is the bottle?” He asked calling her bluff.

Taylor glanced at her trunk. He was referring to the fact that she did not take a bottle out of her trunk as she suggested had been her motivation. “Um, I thought I had a half bottle in here, but I was wrong. It was empty.” She smiled. “I’ll just have to buy some more.”

He stared at her for a moment without saying a word, and she was afraid he wasn’t buying her lie. Steve stood up suddenly and headed toward his truck. “No need.” He said reaching into the bed. He lifted out a mostly full bottle of washer fluid and headed back toward her. “I got some right here. You can use it.”

“Oh no.” She said abruptly. “I couldn’t; I’m sure you will need it.”

“No, I can always buy more it is only four dollars.” He said tapping his hand on her hood. “Pop it.” He ordered with a smile.

Taylor took the bottle from him. She didn’t want to pop the hood and have him see that the container was full. He would know she was lying. “Well if you insist. I will fill it and meet you inside. You look like you could use a shower.” She smiled breathing in the distinct smell of a hardworking man. A heavy musky smell that was oddly arousing.

He stared into her eyes and then offered her a smile. “Alright, I’ll only be a few minutes. You can just put what is left back in the bed of my truck and make yourself comfortable in the living room.” He said as he headed for the door.

Taylor watched as Steve went inside. She breathed easier and returned the bottle of blue fluid to the back of his truck. Why hadn’t John called her and given her a warning that Steve was on his way home? Had he come in slightly later he would have caught her picking the lock to his shed and how on earth would she had explained that? Taylor took her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at it. There were no bars. She had no reception here. Steve’s land was a perfect dead zone. John could have tried to call and never get through.

It didn’t sit well with her that she was spending the evening alone with a suspect and had no way of contacting the outside world unless she used his landline but that would be far too conspicuous. She crouched down behind her car and reached under to pick up her tools. Retrieving them, she popped the trunk once more and returned the tools to the bag within.

Shutting the trunk, she headed inside. Taylor looked around. The cabin was wide open. The living room was rustic with an old-style wood stove heating space. There were framed pictures on the wall and a shelf full of rodeo awards. The living area opened into the small country style kitchen with a stackable washer and dryer beside the back door. The washroom was beside the washer. In the living room was a staircase that went up to and overlooking loft above which served as his bedroom she was sure.

There was a big screen TV against the wall beneath the stairs. The couch was dark brown and old but all in one piece. The coffee table was old an oak finish she was sure with a chip in the right-hand corner. The table in the kitchen was small and round seating only two. Taylor looked around for a landline and found none. Above the back door was a double barrel shotgun mounted on the wall.

Taylor strolled over to the shelves and studied the awards and buckles. He had a lot of prizes for rodeo stunts. Roping, riding and some pictures of him and his friends enjoying themselves at the rodeo. She had to admit the man took a good picture. In everyone, he was stunningly handsome. He and his sister were the very definitions of beauty. Reverend Giles and his wife certainly knew how to grow them. She could imagine that given their wilder natures it had been trying at times to keep their children for getting into trouble.

She went over to the small iPod player on top of the TV. The device mounted to some iPod speakers which she had great range. It was incredible how small a thing could be and still sound amazing. She picked it up and scrolled through the selection. He had all the great country artist programmed on it. “If you like any of them feel free to turn it on.” She heard Steve say.

She looked over and saw him leaning against the corner drying his hair with a white towel. He dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a dark wine coloured shirt, which draped his sculpted from flawlessly. Taylor smiled and placed it on its mount. “I was just looking.” She said as he headed back around the corner. She followed and watched him toss his dirty clothes and wet towel into the washer and shut the door.

“It is no problem.” He smiled. “I’m sorry I was so late. I intended to be here in time to start this wonderful dinner but time just got away from me.” He said opening his fridge freezer.

“It is not a problem.” She said as he pulled a frozen pizza out. “Yum, great bachelor cuisine.” She teased as he snickered and put it in the oven.

“In twenty-five minutes, we will have the best-frozen pizza I could buy at the general store.” He said with good humour. His smile was disarming and alluring. “I did, however, have the time to go into Manna Berry last night and pick up special party favours.” He said opening the fridge and removing a bottle of Dom Perignon. She was impressed at the expense. He reached up onto the cupboard and took down two champagne glasses. “Don’t normally do this. More of a beer and whisky guy myself, but I thought you might like it.” He said pouring them each a glass and handing her one.

“Well, you certainly selected a good brand of champagne.” She smiled taking a sip. The bubbles danced over her tongue. It was spectacular.

“I hear so many good things about it. I figured I would give it a try.” He smiled placing his hand at the small of her back and leading her into the living area. They sat down on the couch facing one another. Their legs touched, and he placed his hand on her knee staring into her eyes. She felt her cheeks flush; his eyes were incredible and his lusty gaze was hypnotic.

“I see you have a lot of rodeo awards.” She said sipping her drink and placing it on the coffee table.

“Yeah. I won a few more buckles for riding but gave them away.” He didn’t say it, but she understood what he meant. He was a handsome cowboy, and she was sure he had his fill of buckle bunnies in the past.

She smiled flirtatiously. “Are you going to give me one?” She asked as she scratched her arm.

“I tell you what you come to watch me ride at the rodeo next week and if I win, I will give the buckle to you.” He said gently brushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear.

“You are competing?” She asked with interest.

“Yeah, Liam signed me up. I’m going to ride the bull.”

Taylor scratched her leg. “Is not the bull dangerous?” She asked.

“No worse than riding the Broncos.” He assured her. “Don’t worry about me I can ride just fine.”

“I bet you can.” She smiled scratching her arm once more. She couldn’t understand why she was so itchy.

“Is something wrong?” He asked taking note that she was unusually itchy.

“I’m just a little itchy.” She said scratching. Taylor pulled up her sleeve to better relieve her itch and gasped when she saw a horrible red blotchy rash. “Oh my.” She reached down and slid the hem of her skirt up and found the same rash spreading across her leg.

“You got a terrible rash no wonder you are itchy.” He said placing his glass on the table freeing his hands to get a better look at her irritated skin. He took her wrist in his hands and pushed up the sleeve to get a look at her other arm. “It looks like poison oak.” He observed. Steve’s diagnoses did not sit well with her; she was so itchy she began to scratch everywhere. “What were you doing that you encountered poison oak?”

Her mind flashed to her search through the brush surrounding his house. She must have contracted the rash then. Taylor thought up a quick lie. “I was clearing some of the brush; I must have got it then.”

“That is strange I don’t recall Brook’s place having any poison oak.” He muttered to himself. “You are going to have to get out of those clothes so I can wash the poison off them.” He said standing up. “I will lend you something to wear while they are in the wash. I’ll get you a towel.” He said heading for the washroom.

“Why?” She asked standing up.

“Well, you have to shower and scrub the poison off. I have some ointment you can apply to relieve the itch.”

Taylor sighed. She was not comfortable showering in his place or wearing his clothes, but the itch was so terrible. She followed Steve into the washroom and watched as he placed a clean folded towel and a folded shirt and pair of shorts on the counter and opened the medicine cabinet. He took out a tube of ointment and handed it to her.

“Just apply this to the rash when you get out of the shower, and it will soothe your skin.”

“Thank you.” She said watching him leave the small room.

“Dinner should be ready soon.” He said with a sympathetic smile as he shut the door. The washroom was small and outdated with a huge old claw tub. The itch was terrible. Taylor could hardly stand it. She should have been more careful. Taylor removed her clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned on the cold water. The icy water is soothing the irritation numbing the skin as she scratched and scrubbed her body with the soap in the bath basket hanging on the side of the tub.

She didn’t take long. Getting out, she rubbed all the affected areas with the ointment Steve had left for her. The itch finally quieted Taylor took the t-shirt he had left her and pulled it down over her head. It was far too big for her and as long as her dress had been. The shorts he had left were way too baggy, but Taylor pulled the drawstrings as tight as they would go to secure the garment on her hips.

She gathered up her tainted dress and opened the door to see Steve placing the sliced pizza on the table. He looked up at her and burst out laughing. She covered her arms self-consciously across her chest. “I am sorry sweetheart; it is just… you look like a drowned rat in my clothes.” He smirked crossing the room to take her clothes from her. She watched as he tossed them in the washing machine along with his own and turned it on. “Your dress will be right as rain in a few hours.” He promised. “Now come and let’s eat.”

Steve pulled out the chair for Taylor, and she took her seat. Steve took the seat next to her, and they dug into the pizza. “I must look a sight.” She frowned; she had meant to look flawless, beautiful and charming to have his mind completely focused on her so she could try leading the conversation while his guard was down. Instead, she had to have been the worst date he had, her beauty tainted by a horrible blotch red rash from head to toe.

“Well I’m not going to lie to you, you have looked better.” He teased drawing a glare from her. “But I think I can forgive it.”

“You are so understanding.” She smirked.

“The company is still favourable.” He said offering her a disarming smile.

“You will have to give me a make-up date.”

“Do I?” He grinned wickedly.

Taylor grinned. “Yes.”

“I will have to pencil you in then for some time after the rodeo.” He said taking a bite of his pizza and a sip from his glass.

“What is wrong with this week?”

“Too busy prepping for the event. It is a lot of work for that eight-second ride.” He said. “If you are not ready you could break a bone.”

“That would be terrible.” She agreed.

“After the rodeo through the guys and I are heading out for a four-day fishing trip. We do it every year. Head down to the Pembina River and camp out. Once upon a time, it was just us boys, but over the last two years they have been marrying off. So, Liam is bringing Raven and Dawson is coming with Brook. Even Josh is bringing out this girl he has been seeing. Maybe you would like to come out to the river with us?” He offered. “We fish and raft and swim, and have a great big cookout. It is a lot of fun.”

Taylor nodded; it would be the chance to spend time around her many suspects and observe them. A perfect opportunity to learn something. “I would love to go.” She grinned.

They talked about his role in the upcoming rodeo and the work he would have to do to prepare. Once the pizza was gone, the conversation moved to the couch where they shared another glass of bubbly and the conversation evolved into their family and childhood. Taylor told the rehearsed lie and steered the conversation so that he would have to do most of the talking.

He told her what it was like growing up a reverend’s son. How he and Liam would get into trouble. How they both had annoying siblings that followed them everywhere. How it had been when Dawson and Brook fell for one another and the stir it caused. He confessed that he hadn’t liked the idea of Dawson showing interest in his baby sister, but then he wouldn’t have liked anyone she dated.

He told her how in his lifetime he had dated many women. A good timing cowboy he had never had a serious relationship with anyone. He had regretfully broken many hearts even though he had never meant too. How the last relationship he had been in had to end when he found the girl getting far too obsessive with him. How to this day she both hated him for breaking her heart and yet still made attempts to win him back.

“It is getting worse. Maggie is almost everywhere I go. I swear she has made friends with everyone I know so that she can have an excuse always to be there.” He complained. “She is like a bloody stalker. If I thought she was dangerous, I would have gotten a restraining order, but frankly, she is just annoying.” He said lounging comfortably beside her. Her body tucked in close against him with his arm around her shoulder. His eyes had never left hers once all night. It was easy to be sucked in by his lazy country boy charm.

“You break a lot of hearts.” She smiled playfully.

“I would wager you break your fair share of hearts as well.” He said with his crooked little grin. His fingertips lightly caressed her face, sliding under her chin and tipping her lips up to his. His kiss was feather light and magnetic, drawing her in. A slow, tantalizing kiss that made the world around them fade away. She had never been kissed so tenderly, so magically. The butterflies in her belly were all aflutter as a warm glow wrapped around her.

When Steve pulled back, they both gave a breathless sigh, and her heated gaze held his. Wow was the only word formed in her mind. She had completely forgotten her objective for having been there. The buzzing sounding from the dryer broke the spell lingering between them and brought Taylor back to reality.

“I believe your dress is ready.” He said quietly.

“I should probably get dressed then.”

He flashed a wicked grin. “Why to bother, I like the way you are right now.”

She smirked and looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting late. “I should probably head home.” She said regretfully.

He groaned quietly and then released his hold on her. “I suppose the poison oak did somewhat put a cramp on our evening.” He said getting up and strolling over to the dryer.

It most certainly had. As well as that ointment had worked, Taylor was starting to get itchy again. “I really should be heading home,” Taylor said with regret when he handed her dress back.

“Alright.” He said.

Taylor got dressed in the washroom and gave him back his clothes. Steve walked her out to her car and opened the door for her. His smile was warm. “I’ll see you around.”

She nodded. “I’ll see you at the rodeo.” She smiled. “You owe me a buckle.”

“Then I best get practicing.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her good-night.

Taylor loved the feel of his lips on hers, the way he smiled, the way he smelled. Everything about him was addictive. Taylor got into the car, and he shut the door. She watched him watch her drive off through the rear-view mirror. He was incredible, which only caused a new problem; Taylor was falling for a potential killer.

When she walked through the door a few minutes later, John’s jaw dropped, and he stood up from the couch where he had been watching TV. “Oh, dear lord Taylor, what happened to you?”

“I got poison oak when I was searching the grounds surrounding his place.” She confessed.

“Did you at least find anything?” He asked.

She didn’t want to tell him what she had found. She didn’t want to believe that Steve could brutally kill a man. He was too wonderful. Too kind to be cold-blooded murder. Unfortunately, she had a duty to report what she knew. “Well his garage was open, and he has a lot of tools, something in there could have been used to kill the victim. We never found a knife, only assumed there had been one. But many tools in there could have been used and made the same wound. We should have them each tested for blood.”

“We would need a search warrant.” He said reminding her of what she already knew.

“He has got a locked shed too. Which is strange since he leaves his house and garage unlocked.”

“So, what is he hiding in the shed?” John asked coming to the same conclusion as she had.

“I don’t know he showed up before I got it opened. Not that we could use anything in it as evidence without a warrant.” She sat down and began to scratch her leg. “We talked for a while. I didn’t learn much new. They all grew up together, and from day one Griffin has harassed Giles’ sister. It sounds like they never got along ever.”

“Well, I’ll see what I can get out of them at work over the next week.” He said watching her scratch again.

“I don’t think he did it. He doesn’t strike me as the violent type. I can’t imagine him killing anyone.” She said.

“Really?”

“Really.” She said scratching once more. “Do we have any ointment?”