neighbors. One of them said Izzy set the bedroom on fire one night, that she tried to burn down the house for the insurance money.”
Levi jerked his head up and stared across the street. Izzy was just stepping back into One Stop Weddings.
Was Izzy the devious one, not Ray?
There was one way to find out.
He cleared his throat and made a snap decision. “It’s time we move this investigation along.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Call Ray and tell him where Izzy is.” Levi watched Izzy close the door to the store. “If I get the two of them together, we’ll find out the truth.”
“I’ll follow him to Georgia,” Elsa said.
“Good. Then we can set a trap.”
Levi disconnected and punched Ray’s number. He had to find out if Izzy was a crook before he completely fell in love with her himself.
Ray hung up with that PI he’d hired, barely able to contain a hoot of pleasure. The bastard had found Izzy.
Things would be all right now. Once he got his money back and paid off his debt, he’d lay low for a while.
He had to. One of the widows from the club told him some nosy female cop was still asking questions.
A car engine sounded outside, and he checked the window. Blue lights swirled around the yard. Shit. The cops were here now.
Stomach churning, he ducked out the sliding glass doors to avoid having to answer the front door.
Damn that white-haired battle-ax Beatrice for talking to them. He had a bad feeling when he’d left her at her husband’s funeral that she was too nosy to let things slide.
His phone buzzed just as he climbed over the metal fence. The neighbor’s yappy little dog barked and raced toward him, chomping at his pant leg as he dove between the bushes.
He quickly silenced the phone, afraid the neighbor would shoot him for trespassing. Some people were too damn paranoid for their own good. Just because the bastard, knee-walking drunk on brown whiskey, had caught Ray watching his wife over the hedges one day when she was sunbathing, he’d declared war on Ray.
Like he needed another problem.
The phone started up again. Loudon.
He pressed answer. “Listen, I’ll have your money to you day after tomorrow.”
Loudon grunted. “You’d better or you’re dead.”
“No worries,” Ray said, although the police cruiser rolled by and he ducked low again.
Finally when it passed, he slipped from behind the hedges and hurried down the street to Patty Jane Watkin’s house. She might be in her seventies, but she was spry and could still drive herself, and would give him a ride to the airport.
Then he’d collect what Izzy owed him and disappear for a while. Izzy just better not have spent a dime of that money.
If she had, he’d kill her.
CHAPTER NINE
Izzy fretted the rest of the day. Caroline took the kitten home before it could tear into the dresses, while Izzy tried to arrange a window display of a mannequin in a bridal gown.
But she dropped the dummy and its head fell off just as a family with three children walked by.
The kids screamed and ran as if they thought she’d killed someone right in front of their eyes. They’d probably be in therapy for the rest of their lives.
As if that weren’t bad enough, she splattered her café mocha all over a display of white linens.
Daisy looked up from her computer where she was searching want ads. Apparently she couldn’t wait to leave town and start a new job.
Guilt suffused Izzy. Daisy had witnessed her mishap in that kiss.
Daisy probably thought she was always chasing other women’s men.
Rule number nine: Ladies don’t chase men who are already attached .
She should have learned her lesson with Caroline and Blake.
She couldn’t make the same mistake with Levi and Elsa.
Levi spread everything he knew about Izzy and Ray LaPone on the desk in the cabin. Maybe if he studied them long enough he could figure out the truth.
A knock sounded at the door, and he jerked his head up. The only person who knew his location was
Levi jerked his head up and stared across the street. Izzy was just stepping back into One Stop Weddings.
Was Izzy the devious one, not Ray?
There was one way to find out.
He cleared his throat and made a snap decision. “It’s time we move this investigation along.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Call Ray and tell him where Izzy is.” Levi watched Izzy close the door to the store. “If I get the two of them together, we’ll find out the truth.”
“I’ll follow him to Georgia,” Elsa said.
“Good. Then we can set a trap.”
Levi disconnected and punched Ray’s number. He had to find out if Izzy was a crook before he completely fell in love with her himself.
Ray hung up with that PI he’d hired, barely able to contain a hoot of pleasure. The bastard had found Izzy.
Things would be all right now. Once he got his money back and paid off his debt, he’d lay low for a while.
He had to. One of the widows from the club told him some nosy female cop was still asking questions.
A car engine sounded outside, and he checked the window. Blue lights swirled around the yard. Shit. The cops were here now.
Stomach churning, he ducked out the sliding glass doors to avoid having to answer the front door.
Damn that white-haired battle-ax Beatrice for talking to them. He had a bad feeling when he’d left her at her husband’s funeral that she was too nosy to let things slide.
His phone buzzed just as he climbed over the metal fence. The neighbor’s yappy little dog barked and raced toward him, chomping at his pant leg as he dove between the bushes.
He quickly silenced the phone, afraid the neighbor would shoot him for trespassing. Some people were too damn paranoid for their own good. Just because the bastard, knee-walking drunk on brown whiskey, had caught Ray watching his wife over the hedges one day when she was sunbathing, he’d declared war on Ray.
Like he needed another problem.
The phone started up again. Loudon.
He pressed answer. “Listen, I’ll have your money to you day after tomorrow.”
Loudon grunted. “You’d better or you’re dead.”
“No worries,” Ray said, although the police cruiser rolled by and he ducked low again.
Finally when it passed, he slipped from behind the hedges and hurried down the street to Patty Jane Watkin’s house. She might be in her seventies, but she was spry and could still drive herself, and would give him a ride to the airport.
Then he’d collect what Izzy owed him and disappear for a while. Izzy just better not have spent a dime of that money.
If she had, he’d kill her.
CHAPTER NINE
Izzy fretted the rest of the day. Caroline took the kitten home before it could tear into the dresses, while Izzy tried to arrange a window display of a mannequin in a bridal gown.
But she dropped the dummy and its head fell off just as a family with three children walked by.
The kids screamed and ran as if they thought she’d killed someone right in front of their eyes. They’d probably be in therapy for the rest of their lives.
As if that weren’t bad enough, she splattered her café mocha all over a display of white linens.
Daisy looked up from her computer where she was searching want ads. Apparently she couldn’t wait to leave town and start a new job.
Guilt suffused Izzy. Daisy had witnessed her mishap in that kiss.
Daisy probably thought she was always chasing other women’s men.
Rule number nine: Ladies don’t chase men who are already attached .
She should have learned her lesson with Caroline and Blake.
She couldn’t make the same mistake with Levi and Elsa.
Levi spread everything he knew about Izzy and Ray LaPone on the desk in the cabin. Maybe if he studied them long enough he could figure out the truth.
A knock sounded at the door, and he jerked his head up. The only person who knew his location was
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