Lost Cause (A Daisy Dunlop Mystery ~ Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Solomon glanced at the woman steaming with anger in the passenger seat of his SUV. How long before she stopped being pissed and started crying because Paul had upset her? He needed to invest in a dry-cleaning business if he was going to keep hanging around with Daisy. If she was really intent on being in his line of business and helping solve a murder, she was going to have to toughen up.

"Are you okay?"

She glanced at him and nodded.

"Good."

"I know you don't want me to stay with you. Just drop me at a hotel."

"Can't do that, Princess. I fucked up, and now we all have to be punished."

"Is that how you see me, as some divine retribution being heaped upon you?"

Solomon smiled. "No. Not really. Well, not all the time."

"Today?"

Not the response he'd hoped for. "Today was a total mess. I'm sorry about you and Paul arguing. He only got angry because he loves you. Once he's sure you're out of danger, and has time to cool off, he'll get over it and be begging for your forgiveness."

"I'm not sure I want to forgive him. He schemed against me-with you of all people."

"I know, Princess. If he'd sold his soul to the very devil it would have been more forgivable."

"You are the devil."

Solomon lifted one side of his mouth in a lopsided smile. The Daisy he knew and loved was still in there. "That I am, darlin'."

"I know you're trying to cheer me up, but even the thought of you with horns, a forked tongue, and tail isn't enough to make me forget what Paul did."

"He did what any man would do for the lady he loves. He worships the very ground you walk on. And look on the bright side. You finally get to find out where I live."

Daisy sighed. "As much as I want to see your lair, I would have preferred to have found it on my own. It's a hollow victory when the enemy sweeps you into his castle with open arms."

"Well, I guess we're both disappointed, then."

"Why?"

"Once you know all my secrets, what fun can I have at your expense?"

"I thought you flopped most of your secrets out in my kitchen. Not that you need have bothered if that's all you have to hide."

Solomon raised an eyebrow. "I think your present state of upset is affecting your memory. Besides, it was cold in your kitchen."

"I don't recall it being that cold, but if it makes you feel better I'll believe you."

Solomon slowed as a pony crossed the road in front of them. Dropping his pants had been juvenile. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Not half as sorry as I am. I'm going to need eye bleach to cleanse my vision, as well as toothpaste."

He glanced at her, and she gave him a wan smile before turning her attention to the group of ponies they were passing by.

"Do you have other secrets?"

"Everyone has secrets, Princess."

* * * *

Daisy fisted her hands in her lap and stared out the window. The forest was a strange place. The landscape was filled with acres of tall majestic trees reaching for the sky. The patches of ancient woodland were interspersed with areas where there was hardly a tree in sight; instead the ground was blanketed with heather, bracken, and gorse. Solomon slowed as the rich red of the sky heralded the arrival of dusk.

The car vibrated as he traversed a cattle crossing designed to keep the wildlife from the enclave of houses ahead, and then they were swallowed up by a tunnel of oak and beech trees. Leaves danced in the headlights as the hint of autumn began to tug the trees' summer coats free.

She chewed her bottom lip, determined not to cry. If she went back and told Paul she'd give in to his demands, then she lost more than a job. She wanted to prove to Paul that for once in her life she could succeed at something. Solomon was right; the man loved her, perhaps too much. She had to do this, not only for herself but for their future. The last few days had allowed her to see that she could grow to love investigating things, and she had a feeling, given a chance, she could be good at it.

"You doing okay over there?"

She glanced at Solomon and attempted a smile. "Fine."

"Good. We're almost home. Perhaps I should pull over and blindfold you so that you won't ever be able to find your way back."

"Blindfold women a lot do you?"

He chuckled. "Now that would be telling, Princess."

They turned off the main road and followed a narrow lane that snaked between the trees. The tall oaks thinned out before finally giving way to grass. A tiny hamlet of white-walled, thatch-roofed cottages stood in the clearing. If she didn't know better she would swear she'd stepped out of real life and into the pages of a fairytale. She wondered which one was Solomon's. As the SUV drove on it appeared none of them. Just beyond the last cottage they slowed down and took a hard right, pulling onto a hidden driveway. Gravel crunched beneath the tires. The headlights pierced the thickening shroud of night as they were once again swallowed up by the trees.

A flash of metal caught her attention, and she sat forward, agog, as a steel gate slid open to allow entrance through a high stone wall that disappeared into the darkness in both directions. Paul hadn't been wrong about Solomon's home being like Fort Knox. How on earth did he get permission to build his very own gated community in the middle of a National Park?

Solomon glanced at her. "It used to belong to a man of mystery."

"007?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge who it was that needed such security. However, fortunately for me, he found new accommodations."

"Why do you need so much security?"

"Keeps me from having nightmares."

Daisy turned her head and stared at the dwelling Solomon called home. After such a grand and imposing entrance she'd imagined a castle, or a stately home, but instead she was looking at a two-story black-and-white Tudor house like dozens of others dotted around the countryside. He pulled the SUV to a stop outside the front door.

"Is that it?"

"Is that what?"

"Is that the lair?"

"Are you not impressed?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"I just don't want you to be disappointed after you've been so desperate to see it."

"Are we still talking about your house?"

Solomon chuckled. "It's good to see you bouncing back. Now how about I show you to your room and introduce you to the delights of my spa bath. You can soak until you're a prune while I make dinner."

"Paul made dinner."

"That he did, Princess."

Daisy swallowed the lump that filled her throat. She refused to start crying. She'd have a bath, and then she'd call Paul. They had a rule that they didn't go to bed on an argument. Besides, she needed to know he'd arranged somewhere safe for Sherman to stay, and that he was all right.

"What if the murderer goes to my house and I'm not there? They might kill Paul."

"Now he knows what he's up against it's not going to happen, Princess. Your old man is one of the best. I should know. I trained him. Now let's get inside and get you comfortable."