“Is that your grandfather, Bernard?”
Looking up sharply, Ben asked, “How do you know his name?”
“It’s come up recently. I know that people have been wondering about the woman who died, Charlotte Robinson. I know that she was friends with Corwin Banks, Mr. Gillespie, and your grandfather.”
“The perils of living in a small town,” he groused. “I think it’s in incredibly poor taste for people to make conjectures about my grandfather when he’s no longer living to defend himself.”
“I’m sorry, Ben,” she said, caught off-guard by his defensive tone. “I was not making any assumptions about him. I’d simply heard that they were all friends.”
“That may be, but I know that people talk. And like I said, he’s not alive to defend himself, so that seems unfair.”
Bristling, her gaze snapped as she said, “The same could be said about Charlotte.”
She wondered if her comment struck home as he jerked slightly before sending his gaze back to the computer. She noticed his fingers were no longer clicking on the keyboard and wondered if he was actually reading the screen or if his mind was somewhere else. Sighing, she said, “I apologize, Ben, if I struck a nerve.”
Shaking his head, Ben’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed as he lifted his gaze to look at her. “My grandfather was not an easy man to be around, and I have no idea what secrets he may have taken to the grave with him. But he was still my grandfather, and having lived his whole life in Baytown, I hate to think of his reputation being impugned because of an association that was many years ago. I just feel like the past should stay in the past.”
“I’d just like to see Charlotte be able to rest in peace—”
“Jesus, Rose, listen to yourself. First, it was the woman from the 1800s that you were concerned about. Now, it’s this Charlotte woman. She’s dead. She died forty years ago. I hardly think that anything that gets dredged up now is going to have anything to do with her peace.”
Blinking in surprise at his vehement statement, she was even more shocked when he stood from his desk and said, “I’m sorry, Rose. I really can’t do this right now. Perhaps we can go and look at some of these houses at another time.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, he walked out of his office, and she heard him move through the reception area and out the front door. Uncertain what to do, she felt her face flame hot as she stood and moved toward the door of his office.
Paul came hustling toward her, his hands up in supplication. “Ms. Parker, I’m so sorry, so sorry. I have no idea what got into young Ben. I could hear your conversation from my office and should have interrupted earlier, but I just did not think that he would react the way he did. I have no idea why he’s so prickly about his grandfather.”
Suddenly very tired, she shook her head and said, “It’s fine, Mr. Gillespie. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I had no idea that it would be a sore spot for him. He had mentioned his grandfather when he first showed my shop building to me, so I didn’t realize it was something I shouldn’t ask about.”
“I think it’s discovering Charlotte’s remains that has the town gossips chattering away about life forty years ago. I remember Charlotte fondly and have to admit that her discovery has shaken me up as well.”
She stared into the kind blue eyes of Mr. Gillespie and offered a little smile. “I understand. Not just because I’m the one that found her, but for some reason, I just feel such a kinship to her.”
He leaned forward and patted her arm, saying, “I’m not surprised. She was a very sweet and pretty young woman, much like yourself. If you two had lived in the same age, I think you would have been great friends.”
Warming under his words, she said, “Thank you for that. Well, I should go. I’ve taken up enough of your business’ time today.”
“No, no, not at all. In fact, I heard you talking to Ben about looking for a home. Please let me make up for his brusque behavior by telling you that I have one that I think would be perfect. It’s just coming on the market and is a little north of town. It’s not directly on the beach, but it does have water access on one of the inlets. And, more important, it has an in-law suite for your mother.”
Eyes wide, she asked, “Really?”
Nodding, he said, “Yes. A large master bedroom and two other bedrooms. Family room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, screened-in porch, two-car garage. And behind the garage, still connected to the house, is another nice size bedroom and bathroom on the ground level. That would be perfect for your mother.”
Excitement began to build, and she said, “I’d love to see it, but perhaps I should talk to Jason first.”
“How about I take you to see it right now? If you like it, then we’ll take Jason to see it as well. I confess, the bathrooms and kitchens will need to be updated sometime, so you might not like it. If you don’t, then we haven’t wasted his time.”
Ready to focus on her own future, Rose nodded. “Okay, Mr. Gillespie. I’d love to see it.”
His smile widened, and he said, “Then let’s go. There’s no time like the present to take care of things.”
28
Jason had just finished with the car he was working on when a call came in for a tow. Calling out to his other mechanics, he let them know that he would be leaving. Climbing into the tow truck, he looked over at Rose’s shop, wondering if she was still at Careway with her mom or had already come back. Glad that she had decided to close the shop for the day, he had encouraged her to spend time with her mom and take time for herself.
Her appointment with an obstetrician had gone well, and he was excited to go with her. Other than Belle and Zac, none of their friends had any idea that she was pregnant, and while he understood her desire to keep it secret until the pregnancy was further along, he wanted to shout from the rooftops that he was going to be a father.
Driving down the road, he could not keep his thoughts from sliding to Charlotte. After encouraging Rose to focus on the future, he had to admit it was hard not to dwell on the past. He wondered what Charlotte had thought about being pregnant. He wondered if she had a chance to tell the father. And he wondered if that man’s excitement matched his own or if it was met with disdain. He thought about Bernard and Corwin fighting about Charlotte, and Bernard winning out.
Before he had time to ponder further, he saw the car sitting on the side of the road and the driver in his business suit, standing next to it. Ben. Ben fuckin’ Sommers.
Maneuvering his tow truck into the front of Ben’s sedan, he climbed down and walked over. Ben looked up, a sheepish expression on his face and said, “Thanks for coming, Jason.”
“It’s my job,” he stated, opening the hood of Ben’s car. Ben began describing the noises he heard before his car died, and Jason’s hopes of a quick, easy fix died as well. “I’m going to have to tow it in so we can do a full diagnostic.” It did not take long for him to hook Ben’s car up to his tow truck, and he swallowed his grimace as Ben climbed into the passenger seat next to him.
As they drove back toward Baytown, Ben continually shot him a nervous look, and he finally growled, “What is going on with you?”
Ben heaved a sigh and said, “I was just wondering if Rose had already talked to you today.”
Jerking his head around to spear Ben with a glare, he asked, “Talk to me about what?”
“Oh, I guess not.”
“You want to start making some sense?”
“Rose came in to see me a little while ago, to ask about some houses…uh…for you, her, and her mom.”
Surprised that Rose had gone ahead to talk to Ben, he was nonetheless pleased that she was moving forward.
“I’m afraid I was rather rude to her,” Ben continued. “As soon as we get back to Baytown, I need to go over and apologize.”
Moving from pleased to pissed, he asked, “Rude? What the fuck were you rude about?”
Sighing again, Ben replied, “She saw a picture of my grandfather and me and began asking
about him. I know with all the news coming out about Charlotte Robinson, people have been talking. I became defensive and shut her down, which was incredibly rude, and I feel very badly about that. I know how concerned she has been about the mystery surrounding Charlotte and wondering what happened to her. She actually said something that made a lot of sense.”
“And what was that?” he continued to growl, fighting the urge to either kick Ben out of his truck and tell him to walk back to town or just punch him in the mouth for being rude to Rose.
“I made a comment that my grandfather was no longer alive to be able to defend himself against gossip and she reminded me that Charlotte was also no longer alive and able to tell us what happened to her.” Reaching up to loosen his tie, Ben said, “My grandfather was not an easy man to be around. He had a drinking problem, and I have no idea how long he had battled with alcohol. He also had a temper and could really let loose when he got angry.”
“And you find yourself wondering if he might have had something to do with her death,” Jason surmised, not surprised to see Ben nodding his head slowly.
As they neared the garage, Ben said, “Look, it isn’t lost on me the parallel. I heard that my grandfather was once interested in Charlotte. But it seems she was really into Corwin. When Rose first came to town, I was interested as well. But she’s in love with you, and the difference is that while I really like her, I’m glad she’s happy. And if I can help you all find a house that suits your needs, I’ll be happy to.”
Jason pinned Ben with a hard stare, but only found honesty staring back at him. Nodding, he said, “We’ll get to work on your car.”
“I appreciate it. I can see that Rose’s shop is still closed, so I’ll just walk back down to my office. You can give me a call when my car is ready to be picked up.”
Standing outside the garage, Ben stuck out his hand, and Jason did not make him wait. Clasping it in his own, he gave a firm shake and then turned to head back into his shop.
Rose watched the scenery pass by as she and Paul drove out of town. It was still early spring, but the grass was green, and leaves were just starting to pop out on the trees. So lost in her enjoyment of the peaceful drive, she startled when Paul spoke.
“I know you’ve been very interested in what happened to Charlotte, but it was so many years ago, and some things are best left alone.”
Turning to look at him, she said, “I disagree. She died alone, and I don’t think she did anything to harm herself. If someone hurt her, then I don’t think it matters how many years have passed. I think the truth should come out. And if that includes our Mayor or Ben’s grandfather, then so be it.”
“My dear, your sense of justice is misplaced. Even Chief Evans isn’t going to continue to pursue a case from forty years ago that’s unsolvable.”
Flushing with anger, she lashed out, “Well, I’m not going to stop questioning. There’s no law that says that I can’t keep digging into an old mystery, and I’m going to keep trying to find out how she might have died, pregnant and alone in my cellar.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she inwardly grimaced. With everything else going on in her life, she hardly had time to play amateur sleuth. And the reality was there was no way she’d be able to find out what happened. Wondering why she even said anything, she considered retracting her words.
Paul flipped on the blinker, and they turned off the main road. He drove casually, his left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand tapping on his leg. “Corwin was different back then,” he said. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, he was always self-assured. But he was more willing to buck his dad back then. I knew Corwin’s father had set his sights on Corwin going to college, then law school, then working for a few years, and then running for Congress or the Senate. He had great plans for Corwin and used to confide in me all the time that he was concerned about Corwin’s judgment.”
Surprised at Paul’s description, she asked, “Judgment?”
Paul pulled the car off the road and down a driveway, coming to a stop at a small, two-story bungalow that looked like it had seen better days. Rose looked out the window and said, “This doesn’t look like the house you were describing to me.”
“No, it’s not. But it’s one that someone is selling for the property alone and could be a possibility to build on…like the remodel shows. It’s on our way to the house I was telling you about, so let’s take a look at this one, too.”
Realizing she had not told Jason she would not be back for a while, she sent him a quick text as Paul alighted from the car. Out with Paul. Looking at house. 8 Kipling Dr.
As she followed him up the front walk, he opened the lockbox on the front door and entered. Once inside, he began extolling the virtues of a bungalow remodel, but she could quickly see that it would not suit their needs. It was so ramshackle, the entire thing would have to be gutted and rebuilt. She was nervous even walking on the floors, feeling them give a little under her feet.
Just as she was about to let him know that she was not interested in this house, she heard him sigh.
“Bernard was such a fool, but he may have saved Corwin in ways Corwin could never imagine.”
He did not say anything else, but as she stared at his face, a cold sliver of uncertainty moved through her. Gone was the congenial, always smiling, grandfatherly man. Instead, there was a hard glint in his eye that she could not define. She shivered slightly and stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket, her fingers curling around her cell phone as it vibrated. With Paul facing out toward the inlet, she snuck a glance down, seeing Jason call. Hitting accept, she said, “Paul, why do you think Bernard saved Corwin?”
Paul turned slowly toward her, his eyes boring into her, and replied, “He was so hung up on Charlotte and never could get over that she chose Corwin over him. But when she confided that she was pregnant with Corwin’s child, he decided he was done with her.”
Eyes wide, she asked, “Oh, my God. What did Bernard do?”
A slow smile curved Paul’s lips as he said, “He told me all about Charlotte. And I knew I had to take care of her.” He looked at her and cocked his head to the side before walking back into the small living room. The floor creaked underneath his feet, and he looked down.
“Paul, I want to leave. I don’t think this place is safe,” she said, hoping her voice did not shake as much as she quivered on the inside.
Just then, one of the boards under her feet cracked, and she screamed as the wooden floor splintered around her, opening in a gaping, jagged hole, and she fell through. The fall was only about seven feet, but she landed hard on her hip and cried out in pain.
“Paul! Paul! Oh, my God! Help me!” She looked up but did not see him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “but I can’t take a chance on the floor taking both of us. You were accommodating to step on the weakest part that I avoided. There’s no need to try to use your phone because there’s no signal down there.”
She continued to scream for him but could hear the front door open and close, the lockbox snapping into place once again. Chest heaving, she looked around and saw that she was in a small, empty cellar with no visible means to escape. Oh, my God, this is exactly what happened to Charlotte!
Working to steady her breathing, she stood and winced as pain shot down her hip. Trying to still the panic that was threatening to overtake her, she hoped that Jason got her message. Thank God I told him what street I was on. Looking around at the dark room, she wrapped her arms tightly around her middle and whispered, “He’ll come to get us. Your daddy will come.”
At first, Jason thought that Rose was unable to answer since she connected but did not say anything. Almost ready to disconnect, he could clearly hear a man’s voice say something about Charlotte. Assuming it was Paul, he listened as Rose questioned him more. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he shouted across the street for Ben to stop.
Running across the street, he re-looked at the text she sent a few minutes before. “Paul ha
s taken Rose out to look at houses. What’s at 8 Kipling Drive?”
Ben’s head jerked, and he repeated, “Kipling Drive?” He gave a short shake of his head while thinking, then looked up and said, “Only listing we got on Kipling is an ancient bungalow that’s ready to fall down. That can’t be what he’s showing her.”
His gut clenched, and he growled, “Give me your phone. Now! And get into my truck. You’re going to get me there quicker.”
Ben handed his phone to Jason and opened his mouth to speak when Jason gave a sharp shake of his head. Putting Ben’s phone to his ear, Jason said, “Mitch? Something’s going on with Paul Gillespie. He’s got Rose, and they’re out on Kipling Drive. She called me, and I can hear their conversation. It’s got something to do with Charlotte, but it doesn’t sound good. Ben is going to get me to Kipling Drive. I know it’s county jurisdiction, but I don’t know how to get hold of Colt.”
The two men ran back to the garage where they jumped into Jason’s pickup truck, and he peeled out, ordering, “Tell me the quickest way to get there.”
29
Jason was hurtling down the road when Ben called out, “Slow down! Turn right up here. This is Kipling Drive!” As he stepped on his brakes, he was just making the turn when he saw a gray sedan pass him, Paul Gillespie driving. His heart dropped as he observed no one in the passenger seat.
“Call 9-1-1 again. Tell them that Paul is in his gray sedan and is just leaving Kipling Drive.” His rage fueled him, and he hated that the police were going to get to Paul before he could mete out his own brand of justice.
“Up here! It’s just up here!” Ben called out.
He jerked his truck into a gravel driveway, his tires spinning and kicking up gravel as he tore towards the small, dilapidated house. “What the fuck was he doing taking her here?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew they were ridiculous considering what Paul must have been planning.
Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys Page 23