“Does your house look anything like this?” Shane teased as they made their way back to the main floor.
“Hell no,” Haley laughed. “I definitely do not have a jungle room, but I feel like a lot of music was made right here.”
Shane chuckled. “Oh, I don’t doubt it. From what I’ve read, he sang and made music all over this house. I’m pretty sure his ghost lives on, right here in these walls.”
“I believe it,” Haley said, still feeling the goose bumps covering her skin.
As they made their way back to the main floor, Elvis’ song All Shook Up was playing softly on the speakers. Haley fought the urge to sing along.
“Are you ready to get back on the road?” Shane asked, walking towards one of the tour buses that was about to leave.
Haley nodded, then reached out, grabbing Shane’s hand. “Thank you,” she said softly, meeting Shane’s eyes.
“You’re welcome,” Shane replied with a smile, interlacing her fingers with Haley’s to hold onto the feeling of touching her just a little longer.
“Last call for this bus,” the driver yelled, breaking the connection between them.
Haley quickly let go and got on, finding the only open pair of seats. Shane squeezed in beside her, then the driver slammed the door and took off down the driveway.
Chapter 22
“That was an experience I’ll never forget,” Haley said once they were back in the car and heading down the road. “I can’t thank you enough, and I plan to repay you for my ticket—”
“I already told you, it’s not a big deal. Forty dollars isn’t going to break me. I know you have nothing but the clothes on your back at the moment.”
“And they are not even mine,” Haley muttered.
“True,” Shane said, smiling sympathetically at her before heading up the ramp to get back onto the interstate. “Is there anything you want to listen to? We’re going to lose the Elvis station in about two miles.”
“Not really.”
Shane switched to the next station and Tina Turner’s Proud Mary was just starting. She turned the volume up a bit, and left it there.
“We covered this on my last tour,” Haley said before she started to sing along. The smoky blues sound in her voice was very apparent as she sang the slower lyrics in the beginning.
Shane tapped her hand on the steering wheel and nonchalantly checked the time as she watched the road.
“How much longer?” Haley asked as the radio went to commercial.
“A little over two and half hours. I have to stop in about an hour for gas. We can eat somewhere, if you want.”
“I’d rather just get home.”
Shane nodded.
***
Shane leaned against the car with her feet crossed at the ankle while the gas pump slowly filled the tank. Orange and red leaves were falling from the trees and blowing around in the cool breeze. The small, one light town looked somewhat familiar, causing her mind to wander back to a time she thought she’d forgotten. If she closed her eyes, she swore she could smell the sweet and playful scent of vanilla and lavender, and hear the soft, innocent voice calling her name.
“Shane?” Haley said, repeating herself a couple of times.
“Huh?” Shane said, finally looking at her as the memory faded like a ghost in the wind. She cleared her throat and pushed off the car.
“You were a million miles away.”
“What?”
“The pump stopped two minutes ago.”
Shane exhaled heavily and returned the spout to the pump. Then, she put the gas cap back on. She took a couple of deep breaths and shook her head. She hadn’t had such a physical experience in a long time.
“What happened to you?” Haley asked, staring at her across the top of the car.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
Haley pinned her with a stare and crossed her arms, silently refusing to get into the car.
“Come on. We need to get back on the road.”
“Not until you tell me what the hell that was about.”
“Alright. Just get into the car,” Shane growled, trying not to cause a scene. The last thing she needed was the station attendant coming outside and recognizing Haley. She’d removed the jacket and hat disguise not long after they’d gotten onto the interstate back in Memphis.
Haley got in and pulled her seatbelt on, all the while looking at Shane as she started the car, put it in gear, and headed back down the road towards the interstate.
“This isn’t something I talk about…not ever,” Shane sighed, avoiding her stare and keeping her eyes straight ahead on the road. “I placed someone in a town like this when I was a Deputy Marshal,” Shane said.
“Witness protection?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Were you thinking about her just now?”
Shane nodded.
“Where is she now?”
Shane cleared her throat. “Green Hill Cemetery,” she uttered.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”
“Is that why you left the Marshal Service?”
“Yes and no.”
“Did you love her?”
“Are we going to do this the rest of the way?” Shane questioned, pinning her with a serious look.
“You went somewhere else back there. I’ve never seen you do that.”
“You’ve known me all of three weeks.” Shane’s jaw tightened. “It doesn’t happen often,” she sighed. “In fact, it hasn’t happened in several months.”
“You loved her,” Haley said softly.
Shane nodded. “I shouldn’t have.”
“Why not?”
“She was my first assignment working witness protection.” She paused, changing lanes to go around an extremely slow-moving car, but more so to gather her thoughts and choose her words carefully. “She was young and innocent. Her father was an anti-Semitic nutcase. Long story short, she was placed in protection while he awaited trial. It took three months. During that time, we kept her hidden. I saw her every day. We grew close…too close. I knew better. I made a rookie mistake and fell for her. After she helped put him away for life, she was relocated and given a completely new identity. It was a town like that one back there that I placed her in. I broke it off, knowing it would never work out. I had to let her go live her life. I broke her heart and my own in the process.”
Haley nodded, unsure of what to say.
Shane went on. She’d come this far, she might as well tell it all. “About two years later, she married a local guy who was really good to her. She wanted a family and a real life, something she never had with her father. A little over a year and a half ago, her father broke out of prison. When she found out her father was on the loose, the fear of him finding her drove her to suicide. She left a note for her husband, and a letter for me, thanking me for getting her away from him and giving her the life she’d always wanted, even though she’d always wanted it to be with me. She said death her own way would be easier and less painful than death at the hand of her father when he found her. Then, she took a bunch of pills, went to sleep, and never woke up.”
“Oh my God,” Haley gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. Like I said, it was some time ago. I took it hard. The Marshal Service gave me an extended leave, but I decided not to go back. At that point, I wasn’t even working with witness protection anymore, I’d been moved to criminal investigation and was working my way towards special operations. She was the only person to die out of several witnesses whom I’d placed,” she sighed. “None have ever been located, at least that I know of. During my time in witness protection, I also protected foreign dignitaries, presidential candidates, and ex-presidents when the Secret Service needed assistance. None of them were ever harmed either. Anyway, I was looking for a way to utilize my skills, but change the pace a little bit. I saw Dennis’ add and moved to Memphis,
Tennessee the following week. That was a little over a year ago.”
“I’m sorry I made you tell me. I know how hard that had to have been.”
“It’s fine. I moved on a while ago and came to terms with myself. I know it wasn’t my fault. I also know I couldn’t have prevented any of it. I honestly haven’t thought about her the entire time that I’ve been working for Dennis.”
“It’s strange how things bring up old memories you’d buried so deep, they were all but forgotten.”
“Yeah,” Shane mumbled.
***
Haley casually looked over at Shane from time to time as they changed interstates once again on their drive. Hearing her story had made it clear why she’d kept her distance from Haley. There were so many layers to her profound personality. She’d only seen a few. Turning her head back towards the window, she wondered what the rest were like as you slowly peeled them away, uncovering the woman inside. It was a curiosity she’d have to forget about. Just like the dreams that haunted her at night, making it impossible for her to work, and the kiss…that would be the hardest thing to forget. She was sure the feeling of Shane’s soft lips on hers would be burned into her memory forever. That thought alone made her sigh. I may never write another song. Hell, I know I won’t while she’s still around.
“You okay?” Shane asked.
“Yeah,” Haley replied, giving her a quick smile.
“We’re almost there according to the GPS,” Shane said, looking at her phone.
Haley nodded. She’d been looking out the window and through the windshield for most of the drive, but hadn’t paid much attention to where they were. The somber reason for the return home came flooding back to her. She felt horrible for Fizzy losing his life in the accident and wished she could do more than just pay for his funeral and give his employee death benefit to his family, but she couldn’t bring him back. The sadness of losing a friend was overwhelming. She couldn’t imagine going through what Shane had described.
Recognizing the park nearby as Shane exited the interstate, made her perk up a little. They were still a few miles away, but she was back in Brentwood, a suburb city ten minutes from Nashville, and the place she called home.
“You don’t need that, I know where we are,” Haley said as the GPS told Shane the next step in the directions.
She quickly turned it off and listened as Haley directed her to a country road back behind a bunch of subdivisions. It was pitch black and she couldn’t see much, except cattle fencing and trees.
“Slow down. The driveway is right here on the left,” Haley said.
Shane came to a stop in front of a double iron gate and rolled the window down. She looked over at Haley, waiting for the code to open the gates.
Haley moved to get out of the car and Shane laughed. “It’s not like I’m going to come back and stalk you once this is all over.”
“Zero, eight, one, four,” Haley huffed.
Shane punched the numbers on the key pad and the gates swung open. The exterior lights were on as they drove up the drive, and around the side of the large two-story house, to the attached three car garage. “Wow,” Shane mumbled, trying to get a good look at the place in the dark. It was farm-style with red brick and had a wide front porch with square pillars, and two chimneys.
“I’ll use the keypad to open the last door. You can park in there. I assume you’re staying here and not at a hotel,” Haley said.
“That would be correct. I don’t want to crowd your space, but with the funeral coming, he will assume—”
“I know. I know. It’s all about the mystery letter writer. It’s fine. My house is a hell of a lot bigger than that bus was,” she replied, getting out and heading over towards the keypad on the wall. She entered the code for the empty third bay and the door began to rise up.
Shane pulled the classic car inside and shut it off. When she got out, she noticed a silver midsize SUV in the first bay and a blue gas-powered golf cart in the second bay. She quickly opened the trunk and grabbed her bag, along with her jacket, then followed Haley through the door and into the house.
“The bedrooms are all upstairs,” Haley said, flipping a switch and lighting up the kitchen. It had a modern feel with an island in the middle and dark wood flooring, but it was antique style with crown molding that had a design etched in it. All of the colors were different aged shades of white, the countertops were dark marble, and the appliances were stainless. It looked like something out of a magazine, and certainly like no had ever made a meal in there.
The kitchen looked out over the large living room, where a crème colored couch and loveseat, and two matching chairs were all placed over a massive area rug. The wall at one end had a red brick fire place with a large painting of a light brown and white horse hanging over it. Family pictures from different generations, hung in antique wood frames on the opposite wall. Next to that wall was a wide-open doorway to the dining room. Large windows ran along the entire back of the house, looking out at the expanse of green grass and the horse pasture in the distance, with massive oak trees along the edge of the property just inside the cattle fencing.
“Come on. The bedrooms are this way,” Haley said, leading her through another wide opening that took her to the front of the house where the foyer was located, along with the double front doors and the beautiful wooden staircase.
Shane noticed the crystal chandelier hanging over the foyer as they ascended the stairs that zigzagged left, then right before opening into a small open area in the middle of the second floor. Hallways ran to the left and right, and another went straight ahead to a closet and the laundry room.
“The spare rooms are down that hall to the right. The bathroom is in the middle. Take either, it doesn’t matter.”
“Thank you,” Shane said.
“Hopefully, this doesn’t last long,” Haley replied, walking away.
Shane watched her open the double doors at the end of the opposite hall and step inside the master suite, before choosing a room of her own. She’d picked the smaller of the two, the one on the back of the house that overlooked the pool, but she didn’t have time to take in the view, or lack thereof in the dark. She was hungry, but didn’t want to just rummage through someone’s kitchen. However, it was seven o’clock at night and she hadn’t eaten since that morning. Her stomach had other plans.
When Shane opened the refrigerator, she found a pan of vegetable lasagna and chicken pot pie. Her mouth watered as the scent made its way to her taste buds. Yes!
“There’s probably apple pie in there too,” Haley said from the other side of the island, scaring the hell out of Shane. She nearly dropped the lasagna pan on the floor as she spun around. The look on her face was like the Grinch getting caught stealing presents. Her jaw dropped as she tried to think of a way to back pedal out of the situation. Haley stared at her with a raised brow and her arms crossed at chest level.
“I…” Shane started, then stopped herself. I’m a grown woman. If I want to eat, I’m going to eat. I’m your damn houseguest! she thought, then cleared her throat and said, “I’m hungry. So, unless you have other plans, there happens to be freshly made food in here.”
“My maid, Emma Jean, made the food earlier today. Rich must’ve told her I was coming home. She does this every time I go on the road or leave for more than two days. I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m going to starve to death if she doesn’t feed me. I swear, I pay her to clean my house, not be my chef. She never could have kids, so she treats me like I’m her own. Her husband Marvin takes care of my horse and keeps up with the barn and yard work around here. His nephew helps him out.”
Shane simply nodded, unsure of what to do with the plate of food she was holding, all while the refrigerator was still open.
“Anyway, the plates are in that top right cabinet, and the silverware is in that drawer over there,” Haley said, coming around the island to help her with the food.
“Are you sure you
eat in here?” Shane asked, looking at the spotless kitchen.
“Yeah,” Haley laughed. “I don’t cook much because it’s just me, but Emma Jean believes a house should look presentable, so she keeps the place spotless. The only rooms she doesn’t mess with are my music room and the den.”
“Oh,” was all Shane said, surprised that they were about to sit down and have their first meal together.
“Rich just called. Fizzy’s funeral is tomorrow at ten a.m. He’ll pick us up at nine,” Haley said as she put some food on her plate and shoved it into the microwave. As soon as she was finished, she pulled out one of the island stools and sat down. Shane did the same, saying nothing as she took a seat.
They were a couple feet apart, having their first actual meal together, but the house was eerily silent. Neither woman was really up for conversation to begin with, and until the last twenty-four hours, they’d done nothing but argue.
“This is really good,” Shane said, nearly clearing her plate.
“Yeah, Emma Jean is a great cook. She’s a wonderful maid, too,” Haley replied, getting up and putting her dish in the sink. “Have a good night,” she added, walking out of the room.
Shane had never seen her so sober. It was like the light was gone from her personality. It had been vanishing the closer they got to Nashville, and by the time they’d walked through the door of the house, it was completely extinguished. Shane felt bad for her. Coming home should be an exciting time marking the end of her tour, not a quick trip to bury your friend who died tragically…while working for you no less.
Her cell phone rang in her pocket as she headed up the stairs. She was happy to have the distraction to take her mind off Haley, if only for a few brief minutes.
“We got in a little over an hour ago,” she said as she answered. “It took a little longer than expected.”
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