opportunity closed at that moment. I must say, I’m not impressed with his operative skills.”
“I have this picture of him as a ladies’ man. You know, a smooth-operator type.” I shook my head in disgust. “Maybe he thought he could pull off the job by cozying up to Robin instead of just taking care of business. And that got him killed. I know it’s mean to say this, but I’m not all that sorry he’s dead.”
“Darling, I love it when you’re vindictive.”
“Don’t laugh. I already feel bad for saying it.” I bunched up my fists. “But he just makes me so angry that he endangered Robin. I never even met him, but I want to punch him.”
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “You mustn’t feel bad. You’re being protective of your friend, and that makes you fierce and sexy. It’s quite a turn-on.”
“Oh, please.” I couldn’t help but laugh while heat rose up my neck. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
“Your cheeks are pink,” he said in amazement, and his dark eyes gleamed with laughter. “How charming.” Turning my hand over, he kissed my palm, all the while keeping his eyes on the road.
“You’re going to miss the off-ramp,” I murmured, when I could breathe normally again.
“Never,” he said with a grin. “I’m a highly trained professional.”
We drove to my brother’s house along a road that meandered through the vineyards, rising slowly until we reached the top of the highest hill overlooking Dharma.
“The view is spectacular up here,” Derek said.
“But he’s so isolated.”
“Yes, that’s certainly part of the appeal.”
Austin’s house was relatively small and shaped like an alpine cabin, with a back deck that extended out over a small canyon. I hadn’t been inside in a few years, but I knew it was one large high-ceilinged room with an open kitchen and a sleeping loft reached by climbing up a ship’s ladder. It was cozy and wonderful for one person or a very intimate twosome.
It took them almost five minutes to answer the door when I knocked. They both wore bathrobes and satisfied smiles. I couldn’t help but thank all the gods in the heavens that we hadn’t arrived ten minutes earlier.
“Hey, Derek,” Austin said pleasantly, then looked at me. “Brooklyn, what are you doing here?”
“Where have you guys been?” I demanded.
“We went camping for a few days,” he said with an easy grin. “Just got back a while ago.” He swung the door open and waved us inside.
“Do you want coffee?” Robin said on her way to the kitchen. The swelling on her face had almost disappeared, but the skin around her eye was still bruised. All in all, she looked much better. Rested and relaxed. I guessed Austin was treating her well.
“No, thank you,” Derek said.
I followed Robin into the kitchen. “Camping? You?”
“I know.” Her smile stretched a bit wider. “But it was fun. Did you know there are hot springs up here? I never even knew about them.”
“I’ve heard my brothers talk about them for years, but I’ve never seen them.”
“You should,” Robin said with a serene smile. “It’s so beautiful. But it’s a hike.”
“Yeah, that’s the part where I’m having trouble picturing you.”
Robin laughed, poured herself a cup of coffee, then walked over and sat on the wide, tan leather sofa that faced the rustic fireplace. “So what’s going on?”
Austin stood and leaned one elbow on the sturdy log mantel. The pose was casual but his eyes were watchful.
Derek sat on the brick hearth directly across from Robin and rested his elbows on his knees. “We won’t take up much of your time, but we had some questions to ask you.”
“Yeah, we didn’t want to disturb you,” I said, settling into the bentwood rocking chair Austin had made by hand years ago. “But you people really should answer your phones.”
“Brooklyn, don’t be angry,” Robin said softly. “Austin took me out to get my mind off of things. We didn’t take our phones.”
I left the chair and knelt in front of her. “Honey, I’m not angry. We were just worried. See, after we dropped you off up here the other day, we got back to find my door bashed in and my place trashed. Then yesterday, another guy broke in again and it turns out someone had shot him, so he died right there in my workroom. And the police think it’s a turf war, but then Derek got some information from Interpol that there’s a missing flash drive, and the Ukrainians…”
I stopped talking when I noticed the two of them staring at me in varying degrees of horror.
Robin sat forward, gripped my shoulders, and peered at me. “What is it with you and trouble? I’ve barely been here two days. How could that much happen in two days?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But I’ve got to say, I’m really glad you were here instead of at my place. These guys are playing hardball. We think whoever killed Alex is looking for this flash drive that you might’ve brought back from India. Derek and I are pretty sure it’s connected to the Kama Sutra.”
“The Kama Sutra?” Austin frowned and glanced from Robin to me to Derek. “I’m not following any of this.”
“It’s a long story,” I muttered.
Robin shook her head. “But how could the book have anything to do with Alex? I got it from my mother’s friend Rajiv. I don’t understand.”
I lifted both shoulders in bewilderment. “We don’t know yet, but that’s why we came here. We’re hoping you can shed some light on a few things.”
Robin’s eyes clouded and she sighed heavily. “It’s never going to go away.”
“Yes, it is,” I insisted, hating to see Robin feeling so down. Just a few minutes ago, she’d been all smiles and now… “But look. The sooner we find out where this flash drive is, the sooner-”
“That’s enough.” Austin brushed past me to sit next to Robin on the couch. He enveloped her in his arms and whispered, “Come on, babe. No more worries, remember?”
Then he gave me a fulminating stare and I mentally shrank a few inches. If he weren’t my big brother, the look wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but Austin had always been able to nonverbally smack me down with little effort.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it. “We just really need some answers. But maybe we can come back later and… I don’t know.” Feeling helpless and frustrated, I gazed at Derek.
He patted the brick next to him, and I retreated to the hearth to sit, putting some distance between me and my brother.
Derek spoke directly to Austin. “It’s of the utmost urgency that we talk to Robin. We can give you some time to get dressed; then we can either come back here or meet you in town. Is there a restaurant or cafe you can suggest as a meeting place?”
“I’ve got a good idea,” Austin said, more amenable now that Derek had spoken. My brother could be exasperating and old-fashioned when the mood hit him. “Let us get ourselves together, get dressed, and we’ll meet you at Mom and Dad’s in an hour. She’s expecting us for lunch.”
“And we’ll talk?” I asked.
Robin lifted her head and looked from Austin to us. Her eyes were clear as she nodded at me. “We’ll talk.”
Chapter 12
I knew I shouldn’t have been annoyed at Robin, but I was. She was acting like a twit, trying to pretend nothing had happened. I understood that she’d been through hell, but now wasn’t the time to hide. I needed her to be proactive.
She was my best friend and always would be, so I couldn’t be mad at her forever. But at the moment, having just watched her ignore me while clinging to Austin, I couldn’t help but think she was milking the situation.
Yeah, yeah, she woke up to a bloody dead body in her bed. And yeah, she’d had sex with him the night before, so yes, absolutely, that was a total bummer. But hey, I’d been a witness to murder, too. More than once, but who
