After the Storm
By Gay N. Lewis, Carlene Havel, Bonnie McCune, Trinity Hart,
Penelope Marzec & Kimberly B. Jackson
Copyright 2012 Prism Book Group
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover Art by Joan Alley
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are the product of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Published by Prism Book Group
First Edition, 2012
Published in the United States of America
Contact info:
[email protected] www.prismbookgroup.com
FOREWARD
Thank you for downloading After the Storm, a continuation of Lightning Strikes . If you haven’t read Lightning Strikes yet, please download it from our website. This short story was written in round-robin style by numerous Prism Book Group authors during a promotional event. The authors had lots of fun writing this story and we hope you enjoy it as well. Visit our website for Rachel and Luke’s next free short story!
www.prismbookgroup.com
CHAPTER ONE
A fresh change of clothes and a sponge bath had never felt so wonderful. The water, cold due to the power outage, was fresh and clean and her lavender soap helped remove the smell of the sewer. Now in comfortable sweats, Rachel smiled at the deep, velvet-smooth singing that drifted in through her open patio door from the apartment above.
This time, rather than annoyance, warmth spread through Rachel. Now that her opinion of Luke had changed, she realized he had a spine-melting voice. Who would have guessed her annoying neighbor was actually a great guy?
Perhaps it was his easygoing ways and seemingly never-ending contentment that grated her nerves previously. All her life, especially since her father’s death, Rachel had dug in her heels and persisted through challenge after challenge. First through high school, then college, then in her career. All work, no play.
Tonight’s events shifted her perspective ever so slightly, but enough that she was now prioritizing rescued cats over the column her career hinged upon.
Besides, still without electricity, the only way she was writing was in longhand. Perhaps after an hour or two they’d have power restored.
Grabbing her keys, she trotted upstairs, unsure how to act once she encountered the door. Did she knock? Or go right in? Really, their acquaintance was a short one, Luke having rescued her from starving when a storm took out their electric. They’d shared a candlelit steak dinner, great conversation, and a walk that resulted in a harrowing rescue of a mama cat and her litter.
She felt as if she’d known him all her life, rather than the truth—until today she’d complained frequently to friends and other coworkers of his annoying music, singing, and constant presence on the deck above hers.
Rachel’s hand hovered, about to knock, when Luke swung open the door. “Welcome back!”
“How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t,” he chuckled, “but mama cat did. She was meowing at the door.”
Feeling at home, Rachel took up residence on Luke’s couch. For light, Luke had ignited numerous candles, which created a relaxing ambiance. They chatted back and forth as he fried Shadow, the cat they’d saved together, her very own steak. After a bit, he served chopped up bits of meat to the feline on delicate china.
“Hey!” she protested with a laugh. “You didn’t treat me to such finery!”
“My mother raised me to treat guests like royalty.”
“What I am? Chopped liver?”
His gaze drifted over her intently, his voice a fraction lower than normal. “Actually, I think you’re a very special guest, Rachel. A lovely guest.”
“You do?” Nervous tendrils wound through her, accompanied by the strangest warming sensation. Was he flirting with her? Unfortunately, he wasn’t just her neighbor, as she’d learned tonight, but also her new boss!
“I do think that.” He gestured to Shadow. “But without power, it seems all my regular dishes are dirty, and I don’t want to feed the cat on a paper plate. She’d likely shred it.”
“All right…I forgive you…”
What was happening here? Were they becoming friends? Or was something more passing between them?
It certainly felt like the latter.
But Rachel wasn’t convinced developing a crush on her boss—or vice versa—was a healthy choice for her career. No matter how much her brain protested the idea of abandoning his couch at the moment, it was time to head back to her apartment.
“Now that I see the cats are settled in, I really should get home. My column and all that.”
“Didn’t you mention your laptop battery was drained?”
“Looks like I’m stuck writing the old-fashioned way. Blood, sweat and fingers. I’ll scratch it out tonight and type it up tomorrow. Hopefully.”
“Stay, Rachel.” He turned, lifted a laptop from a nearby end table, and handed it to her. “Use mine. The battery is fully charged.”
“Oh…” How could she say no to that?
Settling onto the couch with the computer, she opened up his word processing program and began typing. Ten words in, she faltered.
No good.
Suddenly, she realized the column she’d planned wasn’t as great as she first thought. In fact, it stank.
She glanced over at Luke and found him sitting in his side chair, a Bible in hand. He read by candlelight, looking as handsome as ever with shadows playing across his face.
Rachel turned her attention back to the computer. Work, she commanded herself.
Nothing came. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and worries, but no ideas. None, at least, that seemed adequate.
Again, she stole a peek at him. The sight shifted something within her. Tingled her straight to her toes.
Made her wonder with a sharp ache how he managed to be publisher, and a Christian, and a great cook, and a kitty hero—amongst many other respectable things—and still carry that look of tranquil peace and happiness.
Rachel herself usually spent more days than not fighting the urge to yank her hair out. Just as she opened her mouth to ask him what his secret was, a loud knock sounded abruptly at the door.
“County Police!”
Jaw dropped, Rachel looked to Luke, then to door, then back to Luke. Surely this wasn’t over the cats—granted, pets weren’t allowed in the building. But calling the police would certainly be overkill on her landlord’s part.
Luke set aside his Bible and stood, crossing the room with long strides. Rachel listened in shock as the policeman explained two dead women had been found in the basement of the building. Apparently, some flooding had driven the landlord downstairs to check on matters, and that’s when he stumbled across two bodies hidden behind the furnace. As the cops began questioning Luke, he became visibly stressed—so not like him.
Face grim, hands threading his hair, he apologized. “Officers, I assure you, I can explain.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Um, this is a surprise to me,” Luke stumbled. “The…the power emergency disrupted all my plans for the evening. And then, uh, I had a rescue to make. Someone I didn’t even know.”
Rachel wondered what he felt he had to explain. The police were probably questioning all the tenants in the building. Fumbling for various excuses and explanations only made Luke seem suspicious.
The police evidently agreed. “Mr. Ashton, we’re asking you to come downtown with us,” the tall one directed.
“What?” Rachel couldn’t choke back the exclamation. Her mothering instinct, aroused by the cats’ rescue, went on the alert. “Why? Luke’s been with me most of the evening since the power went off.”
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“And you are…?” asked the shorter officer.
“Rachel Harman. I live in the building, too.”
“Ms. Harman, I need to ask you to make yourself available to be interviewed later. How can we reach you?”
“This sounds like we’re suspects. I resent that,” Rachel said. Over the policeman’s shoulder she spotted Luke shaking his head and frowning a warning. A subtle thumb movement indicated Shadow and her kittens in the corner. Luke couldn’t possibly be concerned about the apartment rules at a time like this.
“I’m happy to give you my phone numbers,” she said. “But I’ve got to make a confession.”
The police officers swapped knowing glances.
“I saved a cat family earlier this evening, and I brought them back here, in direct violation of building regulations. Mr. Ashton is trying to protect me.” Rachel put on her very best youthful and innocent smile. “We both live in terror of the landlord. He’s a tough cookie. Evicts tenants for the slightest infraction.”
The tall officer took off his hat and rubbed his balding head. “Sounds reasonable. I’ve met the man. But we do need to question everyone in the building because of the gravity of the situation. So Mr. Ashton still needs to accompany us.” The shorter officer was doing a good job of hiding a grin.
Luke seemed much calmer now, and he asked, “Rachel, can you feed the cat later if I have to stay at headquarters very long? Here’s a spare key. And feel free to take my laptop to your place to finish.”
* * *
The next morning, without a word from Luke all night, Rachel dialed his number and left a message. Then she headed to the office. The first person she saw was Gage loitering around her desk. Had he been snooping among her papers? She didn’t know for sure, but she quickly began stacking and shoving them in a drawer.
“Yes, Gage? May I help you?”
“Just wondering how you made out last night.” Gage imbued the phrase with ambiguous overtones.
“You mean with the cat and her kittens? They’re just fine, thank you.”
“Don’t be dense. I mean with the new boss.”
Rachel pretended to be very busy turning on her computer. “And don’t you be offensive. I worked for a while at Mr. Ashton’s apartment because my laptop was out of steam. And after only a few minutes, the police came by and interrupted us.”
“Police! Why?”
Rachel considered if she should fill Gage in on the situation. The idea of a possible murder would at least deflect his attention from her new acquaintance with the boss. “They said the landlord found two bodies in the basement when he was checking for flooding. Luke—Mr. Ashton—accompanied the police to fill them in about the apartment building.”
“Really?” Skepticism colored the word. “You mean he’s not a suspect?”
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
Gage sat on the corner of her desk. “What I’d love more is a crack at the major story that this could turn into. Although—” His eyes flicked at the door to the suite behind Rachel. “Speak of the devil. Here’s the man himself. And he looks a little worse for wear.”
Rachel spun in her chair to see Luke entering the office. Although he was shaved and neatly dressed in a navy blue suit and striped tie, the circles under his eyes and his rumpled hair indicated a less than peaceful night. Rachel decided to be cautious about revealing her acquaintance with the new boss. Taking a deep breath, she stood and walked to his side. “Mr. Ashton, on behalf of the staff, I’d like to welcome you to This Week.”
“Well, thank you, Ms. Harman, is it?” Luke shook her hand as impersonally as a politician running for re-election. “Could you poll the staff about a good time for an all-staff meeting? You can let me know when I meet with you after I talk to Gage Winter. I believe I ran into him informally last night.”
“Yes, the storms and power outage were quite an introduction to our city,” Rachel babbled, uncertain how she should react to Luke’s remoteness.
Without a word, Luke crooked a finger toward Gage and strode into the publisher’s office. Gage smirked in Rachel’s direction as he followed.
Fifteen minutes later, he was no longer smirking. He exited the publisher’s office without a glance at Rachel.
Luke came to the door and motioned Rachel inside. She stood, smoothed her skirt over her thighs and gulped. The gold star Luke had promised her last night was nowhere in sight.
With her heart pounding, Rachel did as she was asked.
Luke strode to his desk, sat down and then shuffled a few papers. He said nothing.
The silence was maddening, but what could she say? Where were witty remarks when she needed them? Nothing to do but wait.
After what seemed an eternity, Luke took his eyes off the stack of files. Her heart leapt to her throat when he gave his seductive smile. Her dry mouth prevented a swallow.
“I take it you didn’t tell any of your coworkers that I’m your neighbor, and we spent last evening together in the sewer.”
Her eyes widened and a raspy chuckle escaped her lips. “Well, no, I didn’t. That information would provide too much gossip around the water cooler.”
Luke leaned back in his chair. “I followed your lead and acted like I didn’t know you, and that puts me in an awkward position. The response I gave you belies our relationship.” He cocked his head. “We do know each other, and I prefer the truth.”
She clinched her fist so hard that fingernails bit into her palm’s flesh. So much for that promotion. She just hoped she could keep her job.
“After all the circumstances of last night, I didn’t know what to do or say. I’m sorry if I offended you.” Her mind was whirling like leaves in a fall windstorm. What should she say next? “You said you met Gage informally last night, and that statement was truthful. Leaving out my presence with you was an omission—not really a total dishonesty. We were both acting professionally today—that’s all.”
Luke nodded. “Okay. I’ll accept that. And speaking of Gage—I dismissed him.”
With a hot face, Rachel felt as if she’d been slapped. Was she next on the list?
Luke interlaced his fingers and put elbows on the desk. “He had submitted his article by email. Remember when he said he’d write about two heroes who went out in the storm and saved the world? He wrote the piece, and it was unflattering to both of us. I will not work with a subordinate who doesn’t treat me with respect.”
“I thought he was kidding.”
“I thought so too until I read the article. His attitude last night was less than desirable, and the column he submitted proved his surly arrogance.” Luke shook his head. “There’s something unsavory about him—he seems a bit on the shady side to me.” Luke placed folded hands on his desk. “Are you and he in a relationship?”
Rachel shook her head. “We had a couple of dates—nothing serious.”
A crooked, sexy smile—and her heart skipped a beat.
“Glad to hear it. Are you upset that he’s no longer employed here?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry he lost his job, but I agree with you about his attitude. I’d never noticed it before, and he does seem kind of sneaky. The guy sort of unnerved me when I came in and found him snooping at my desk today.” Pain made her realize she had bitten her lip. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“What is it you want to know?”
“I was worried about you last night. What did the police want?”
“They found one of my credit cards in the basement near the bodies and they wanted to know how it got there.”
“Oh no.” She covered her mouth with her fingers and then put her hand down. “Do they think you are a suspect?”
Luke shrugged. “I don’t think they’ve taken me off the list.”
“How did your credit card get in the basement?”
“I don’t know. I lost it sometime last night. I had it in my back pocket when we left the building for our stroll. I didn’t know it was missing un
til the police came to the door. When the officers showed me the card, I checked my jeans and that’s when I discovered it missing.”
“Maybe you lost it when you pulled me out of the sewer.”
Luke shrugged. “Maybe, or I could have lost it in the building when we brought the mama cat and kittens back to the apartment. We had our hands full, and it could have slipped out anywhere.”
“I’m your alibi. You were with me all evening.”
“I guess it will depend on when the ME sets the time of death for the deceased. If the women died earlier in the day, I may not have a defense.”
Rachel brought both hands up in an open palm gesture. “Yes you do. I can testify that I heard your music.”
“Thanks, but music doesn’t prove I was in the apartment.”
“Did the police tell you anything about what happened to the women?”
Luke rubbed his jaw. “Not much. The ladies didn’t live in our building. So far, it looks like they were robbed, murdered and dragged downstairs into the basement.”
“How awful!”
“The police have questioned most of the residents in our building. No one claims to have heard anything unusual.”
“They haven’t questioned me.”
“They will. In fact, I’m to send you down to headquarters at two o’clock this afternoon. The cops are interviewing others from the third floor right now.”
What time was it now? She glanced at her watch. “That gives me time to submit my article. What are you going to do?”
“Pray and trust the Lord. He knows I’m innocent.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes as she studied him. His night and morning had been harrowing. He’d spent time with law officials and circumstances didn’t look good for him. After a long night, he’d come to work—his first day on the job—and he’d had to fire an employee. Such composure—how did he manage it, after all he’d been through?
Dark circles and droopy eyelids made her yearn to comfort him. The desire to place her arms around him and hold him was like a magnet pulling her out of the chair. How would he react if she did just that?
She stood and hesitated before moving forward.
Her head told her this was not the appropriate time to be hugging her boss. She smiled. “If we’re finished, I’ll go and get my column ready to submit.”
“Okay. Before you go, I’m going to need to assign someone to cover the story of the murder. Any suggestions?”