The Perfect Bride - By Kerry Connor Page 0,63
mind Grace knew about her and Adam. And if Zack had told Grace, it was likely he’d told Rosie, too, and it was only a matter of time before Ray and Ed found out, too, if they hadn’t already.
Which left the question of what the killer would think—or do.
“Mr. Sutton.”
The voice was like a clap of thunder in the stillness, nearly making Jillian flinch. Everyone in the room turned toward the sound.
Ed stood in the doorway, water dripping from his clothes, his normally smiling face even more serious than the last time Jillian had seen him.
“Ed?” Adam said, already pushing away from the table. “What happened?”
“I was checking the upper floors in the west wing. We’ve got a tree down. It busted straight through a window in one of the back bedrooms on the second floor. I tried dislodging it, but it’s pretty well stuck. The rain’s coming straight in, and it’s hard to tell, but I think the tree might have done some damage to the wall.”
His face grim with purpose, Adam moved to join the man. “Where are Ray and Zack?”
“I don’t know. I’m looking for them, too.”
Grace rose from her seat. “I’ll help find them.”
“Thanks, Grace,” Adam said. “Please send them up when you do. I’m going to head up with Ed to see how bad it is.”
With a nod, Grace moved toward the kitchen.
“Is there anything I can do?” Meredith asked.
“No,” Adam said. “You and Jillian stay here. We can take care of it.”
“I can help, too,” Jillian suggested.
“No,” he said, a little sharper than necessary. “Just stay here with Meredith.”
Jillian didn’t take offense at his tone, reading the warning in his stare too clearly. She understood. In the middle of a chaotic situation, with everyone dealing with the mess and both of them distracted, it might be too easy for somebody to try to do something to her. She couldn’t exactly be on her guard if she was focused on trying to help, and she wouldn’t be much help if she was trying to watch her back at the same time. She was better off staying with Meredith, where she’d ostensibly be safer.
“All right,” she murmured.
She didn’t miss the flash of relief that briefly passed over his face. She waited, expecting him to turn and leave. He paused, and she sensed his sudden reluctance to go, his eyes sending her an unmistakable message.
Be careful, they seemed to say.
Jillian gave a tiny, barely perceptible nod. I will.
A heartbeat later, he turned back to the other man. “Okay, Ed. Show me where it is.”
The two men quickly made their way out of the room. Jillian watched Adam go, her heart feeling uncommonly heavy in her chest. It was a strange feeling having someone looking out for her. She was so used to being on her own, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at her with any concern that was more than mere politeness.
There was nothing polite about the worry in Adam’s eyes. He genuinely cared about her well-being. Jillian understood the feeling. Even though she knew he wasn’t really facing a dangerous situation, she couldn’t deny the flicker of unease that struck low in her belly as he disappeared from view.
“I’m sure they can handle it, especially with Ray and Zack to help,” Meredith said, perhaps misreading the worry on Jillian’s face. “Why don’t we go into the living room? We can talk about ideas on how to use the outdoor space.”
Jillian forced a smile. “Great.”
As they prepared to leave the room, she did her best to put Adam out of her mind. He had a job to do, but so did she. Solving Courtney’s murder.
That was what she needed to focus on.
* * *
ONE GLIMPSE IN the room Ed had led him to was all it took for Adam to see the situation was even worse than he’d imagined. The tree was massive, practically filling the entire space of what had once been a sizable window, a mess of branches and leaves jutting several feet into the room. Adam didn’t doubt that an object that huge must have done some damage to the wall beneath the window when it had crashed into it, though it was hard to tell how bad it was with the tree in the way. Rain seemed to pour in through every spot that wasn’t taken up by the tree, water drenching the floor and spraying across the room. Beyond it, the sky was so dark it might as