“It’s tricky,” he said. “I need to do some pruning with a chain saw and machete, but I’ve grown accustomed to the privacy.”
She nodded absently. “It is private. I almost missed the house. Anyway, I knocked on your door. When you didn’t answer, I took a chance you might be down here.” Her gaze dropped to the phone he still clutched in his hand. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
As if on cue, the ringtone jangled. He didn’t bother glancing at the screen.
“You can get that if you need to,” she said. “I’ll wait for you up at the house.”
He pressed the decline button and slipped the phone in his pocket. “It’s not important.”
She came down the rest of the steps. “I should have called first. I didn’t even think.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m not busy. I was just sitting here watching Dr. Nance’s cabin.”
The dock rocked gently as she stepped onto the platform and edged along the railing to peer across the darkened lake. “Have you seen anything?”
“All clear so far.” He moved up beside her, glancing at her profile and thinking to himself that he shouldn’t be so happy to see her. He was restless enough tonight to want to act on his attraction, but cautious enough to know that a rebound hookup probably wasn’t such a great idea. Assuming, of course, she’d even be open to his company.
The insistent chime of his ringtone was like a splash of cold water. He took out his phone, pressed the decline button once more and silenced his ringer.
Nikki turned to glance up at him. “Someone’s persistent. Are you sure you don’t want to get that?”
“I’m sure.” He leaned his forearms on the railing as he stared out over the water. Across the way, he could just make out the silhouette of the cabin. Moonlight glinted ghostlike from the windows. Something stirred inside Adam. Excitement? Anticipation? The thrill of the hunt? He’d gone too long without a case to solve. Too long without getting laid, too, he reckoned. He turned back to Nikki. “What brings you out here tonight? Have you considered my proposal?”
“No,” she said bluntly. “I mean, yes, I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t had time to make a decision. Something else has happened that I think you should know about.”
He straightened at the somber note in her voice. “What is it?”
“I went to see Dessie Dupre a little while ago.” She told him about her visit to Dr. Nance’s house, the shock of finding a nude man on the diving board and the overheard conversations by the pool and in the study. Her brow creased as she relayed the evening’s events. “It was surreal. Dessie seemed so different. Younger and more vibrant. Womanly, I guess would be the word.”
“You don’t have any idea what she and her companion were looking for in the study?” Adam asked.
“Not a clue, although at first, I thought they might be searching for Dr. Nance’s journal since that’s why I was there. But in hindsight, I wonder if they were looking for a copy of his will. The man, Clete, seemed certain that Dessie would inherit the house and maybe a good deal of cash. He said in a few weeks, they would be sipping drinks on a secluded beach in the Caribbean. Of course, if they already know Dessie is inheriting the house and some money, I don’t know why they’d need to find his will.”
“I take it you don’t know this Clete person?”
“I’ve never seen him before. He’s a big guy, though. Tall with broad shoulders. Looks like he works out a lot. It occurred to me that he might be the person who attacked you last night. You said the assailant was strong, right? I didn’t get a good enough look to see if Clete had bruises, but I had the impression he was considerably younger than Dessie. She seemed...smitten.”
Adam smiled at her word choice. “Smitten?”
Nikki shrugged. “Besotted. Enamored. Whatever you want to call it, she was clearly under his spell.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard to find out who he is,” Adam said. “I’ll do some digging. If we can connect him to that old panel truck, we’ll be in business.”
“I wouldn’t count on that.” She raked back her hair, letting moonlight settle on her cheekbones. “He didn’t seem the type to drive a truck. I’m guessing he’s more the sports car type. Something flashy. Although I admit I’m basing that on a very brief, overheard conversation.”
“Sometimes that’s all it takes. I wouldn’t discount your instincts.”
She stared down into the water as the night sounds vibrated around them. The lake seemed almost mystical tonight. Adam studied her profile, wondering how he could have ever found her less attractive than his former fiancée. Stephanie was as hot and sultry as a summer day, but Nikki Dresden belonged in moonlight.
She turned and caught him staring at her. Their gazes held for a moment before she glanced back out at the water.
“Clete isn’t the only reason I drove out here tonight,” she said.
Adam leaned against the rail and turned into her. “No?”
She paused as if detecting something in his voice that unsettled her. “I found something in Dr. Nance’s study tonight. Maybe something more important than his journal. I only thought to look because of what you’d told me earlier about the note rolled up in the book spine. I remembered what you said about Dr. Nance’s use of the phrase ‘tilting at windmills’ during your last conversation and how he left that copy of Don Quixote in the cabin for you to find. It was a clue that only you would recognize. Earlier I found a clue that only I would recognize.”
His scalp prickled a warning as he ran a hand through the clipped strands. “Go on.”
“He left a copy
