Caught in the Frame (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by ReGina Welling (novel24 .TXT) 📕

small space, sliding into the chair next to him. One way or another, she needed to get Remy back to the suite so this could all go down in a private setting. On the other side of the door connecting Chloe’s bedroom to Lila’s suite, Nate would be waiting to ensure her safety once she had Remy in there. For Dalton, being half a castle away, even while she was amid the crowded dining room wasn’t good enough. Disguised by a hat pulled low over his face, a pair of thick glasses, and enhanced with makeup applied by Chloe’s skilled hand, he would be sitting several tables away from where EV and Remy were to meet.

“It’s just that there’s something you need to know about Remy and me before I can go through with this. Something that’s bound to come up, and I’d rather you hear it now than be surprised by it later.” EV spoke quietly, but with heavy intent. Nate gave her his full attention.

Each telling of the story of her final days with Remy became easier. By the cold fury that leapt into Nate’s eyes, EV could tell Chloe had kept her secret—this was the first Nate had heard of her history. He called Remy a spate of names that were vicious enough to slap an admiring grin on EV’s face, and release the tension she held inside. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how do you want me to play this?” Nate’s indignation on her behalf had lightened her mood considerably.

“Javier spent some time with the head of security for the castle. The staff here uses handheld communication devices, so it wasn’t that hard for the two of them to rig up a couple of wired microphones and transmitters. We can follow your conversation with Remy in real time.” Nate held up a smallish piece of electronic equipment. “I’ll be on the other end, recording everything.” He spun the laptop so she could see the program open and ready.

“I’ll be wearing the same gear and sitting behind Remy—far enough where he won’t hear me, but close enough so you can see me. I won’t let you out of my sight,” Dalton assured her.

“Javi and his team have a set of handheld radios, which I will also be monitoring, but you’ll only be able to hear Dalton or me through the ear piece. Your hair covers your ears, so Remy won’t see it, and we’ll tape everything down so you won’t have to worry about it coming dislodged when you move. I’ll be here to guide you, but we’re relying on you to pull a confession out of him.” Nate patted her shoulder awkwardly, then turned back to his typing.

“Now, Dalton will do the honors of getting you fitted out with the equipment.” Nate’s face burned red at the thought of touching EV intimately enough to run the wires and tape them where they would stay concealed by her clothing. His embarrassment brought a smile to her face.

Gentle on her skin, Dalton’s hands sent tingles of electricity shivering across it when he tucked the thin, black strand into her bra. His eyes lifted to hers, held there for a moment to speak promises for their future when this was over. He leaned in to whisper, “I believe in you.”

Pulling her eyes away with difficulty, EV checked her watch. Five minutes and counting before she had to leave in order to meet Remy in the cafe; her heart kicked in her chest. Never before had the weight of caring for her town—for Ponderosa Pines and every soul who lived there—pressed so heavily on her shoulders. Concern for Baylee’s safety only added to the burden. If she couldn’t figure out a way to lead Remy into confessing his reason for targeting her town and committing crimes in the process, he would feel free to continue on with his vendetta.

More, she had to time this right in order to give Lila, Chloe, and Javier a chance to find Baylee in case she failed. If Remy decided they were on to him, there was no telling what he might do to Javi’s sister-in-law before they could stop him. Or what he might have already done to her, which was EV’s biggest fear. She was going on the assumption that, even after all this time, she was at the heart of his motive. If Baylee got hurt because of her, EV would never forgive herself.

A second laptop sat on the table—this one Dalton’s—linked to Javier’s, which currently displayed the castle’s security camera feed. Feeling like a guillotine hovered above her neck, EV watched Remy leave his room. Once upon a time, this man had been the boy who she loved with her whole heart. Looking at him now, all evidence of that boy seemed tarnished and jaded—and she mourned their loss even as she burned with fury at everything he had done. The pedestal she had set him on at fourteen had obviously been formed from wet sand, tempered by time—not into cement, but into a crumbling foundation that toppled him to the ground. The time for mercy was long past. She reached for Dalton’s hand; let his strength course through her one last time before he left the room to find his place in the cafe.

* * *

In the cramped security room, Javier slammed his fist down on the table, jarring the state-of-the-art laptop resting there. He’d split the display into four separate video inputs: one replaying security footage of the hallway outside Baylee’s suite, one of the hallway outside Lila’s, and a third showing the perspective from the only camera close enough to have caught any extraneous images at the time of Baylee’s disappearance.

The final quadrant—the camera nearest Remy’s room—played in reverse, from now to the time of Baylee’s disappearance, so Javier could watch his movements during the period in question. “There, he’s headed in that direction after leaving his room three separate