Holding the Truth

by Calle J. Brookes

  Murdoch had no doubt about that. His brother had taken great delight in showing him the new ultrasound of the little gray blob that was the next generation of Cam Lake. Then he'd whipped out a color image Murdoch still hadn't been able to identify. It had looked rather like an alien to him. Apparently, after everything Kyra had been through recently, her physicians were taking routine ultrasounds. No doubt Cam would show him every single one. "I hope you warned Kyra about what to expect with you? Isn't there a series of books with what to expect in the title?”

  Cam just started whistling as he grabbed his duffel from the back. "Thanks for the lift; you're free to go now if you like."

  "You think they'd at least let me use the bathroom? It was a damned four-hour drive, in case you’ve forgotten.” He’d known Bailey Moore was connected to Cam’s fiancée, of course, but he hadn’t realized she lived with Kyra’s family. Murdoch wasn’t certain he wanted to see her again. If he had just stopped Charlie all those years ago, she might not have almost died. That was hard to forget.

  "I never forget anything. Now...what's your name again? Are you Murdoch or Anthony? I never can tell."

  "Ha-ha." Murdoch slammed the door shut on his TSP Chevy Tahoe. "We're not identical, you ass."

  "Stay a while. I'm sure Bailey will be around somewhere eventually. She should be exactly what you need to soothe that savage beast. Although as surly as you are, I may not risk her with you."

  "I think Addy will have a problem with that.”

  The front door opened. A man around their age came out leaning heavily on a pair of forearm crutches. Murdoch recognized him from the news. Jake Dillon, Kyra’s older brother.

  But it was the blond woman beside Dillon that caused Murdoch's heart to freeze. She was easily recognizable to him.

  Celia.

  Chapter 78

  Celia knew exactly who it was walking toward her. Cam was unmistakable, but the man walking next to him looked enough like her brother Anthony to be his twin. Which was exactly who it was. Murdoch. And he didn’t look happy.

  She didn’t realize she was shaking until Jake’s warm hand covered hers on the rail. She looked up at him. He represented safety at the moment, and she was smart enough to recognize that. There was no baggage with Jake.

  At least not yet, anyway. Baggage was most likely inevitable. He shifted closer.

  “They’re just your brothers. You don’t have to be afraid.”

  “I’ve not seen Murdoch in twenty years, Jake. I don’t know whether to be afraid or not.” Honest. It was so easy to be honest with Jake. “He hasn’t exactly been in a hurry to reconnect.”

  “He’s got his own hang-ups about the night you went missing. Or at least Kyra told me that he did. She’s met him, I think. And if he acts like too much of an asshole, I’ll shove my crutch up his...nose...until he gets the message. Consider me your Great Protector.”

  Celia felt some of the tension winding her up loosen. Jake was the first friend she’d made since coming back to Value. Everyone else walked on eggshells with her.

  It was nice to know she wasn’t alone at the moment.

  Her brothers stepped up on that first step.

  Celia shifted to meet them. “Cam, it’s great to see you again.”

  “Hey, Silly. I didn’t realize you’d be here today. You hanging out with Kyra’s evil brother now? Something going on we don’t know about? Do I need to go big brother on his ass? I’m good at it; just ask George and Lamar.”

  “Jake’s a client...and a friend.” She shot the man in question a smile. Maybe that was exactly what he was becoming—a friend. She needed that right now. “We just finished up. I’ll need to be going soon. My next appointment is in Barrattville in two hours.”

  “Great. So you have time for lunch with your favorite brother. And your least favorite brother?” Cam squeezed her again. Celia just hugged him back. He was telling the truth; at this point, since she now knew him the best, he was her favorite brother.

  She’d named her son after him and their sister Veronica, after all.

  “Where?”

  “Here, of course. Come in, guys. Dad has plenty of food in the fridge. He always cooks for an army.” Jake seemed so at ease with Cam. He liked him. She easily sensed Cam felt the same. Jake held out a hand to Murdoch. “In case Cam forgot to mention it, I’m Jake Dillon. Town librarian and historian, evil brother, part-time college professor, and soon to be favorite uncle.”

  “He’s also very modest,” Cam said.

  Jake just laughed. He had a good laugh. She’d noticed that before.

  It was easier to focus on Jake than on the brother who hadn’t said so much as a word to her since he’d arrived.

  Celia firmed her resolve. She wasn’t going to be a coward. Not any longer. Like it or not, Murdoch was her brother. She’d lost twenty years with him. She wasn’t prepared to lose any more. “Murdoch, it’s wonderful to see you again.”

  He just grunted. “Yeah.”

  He always had been her most taciturn brother. She studied him, cataloging the changes time had brought. She had a child’s memories of him, but even then he’d shown signs of the man he’d become. His shoulders had widened—all of her brothers were built well—and his hair had darkened to a shade or two darker than Cam’s. It was more like Ronnie’s warm blond than Celia’s own lighter blond. The eyes were the same as Cam’s. And hers, and even her son’s.

  In fact, her Cameron looked more like Murdoch than he did his uncle Cam. There were scars that he hadn’t had as a child. No doubt he’d earned them in his job.

  He was a man now, not the sixteen-year-old boy he had once been. And she didn’t know him. At all.

  He wasn’t exactly open like Cam was. Or even Anthony. Anthony had held her tightly the first time he’d seen her as an adult. Murdoch just looked...awkward. Like he didn’t know what to say. A part of her smiled—he’d always been that way.

  “Ok. Enough staring. Food time.” Cam broke the tension—something her eldest brother was extremely good at. “Silly Celia, you know better than to stand there looking so pretty when men want food.”

  “Cam, you will never change.”

  Liam chose that moment to send up a loud wail. Jake immediately turned. “The king has awakened.”

  “Oh. Nephew time! Speaking of, where’s Cam II?” Cam headed inside before she could answer.

  “He’ll need changed, Cam!” Jake yelled after Celia’s brother. She had to smile. It always warmed her to see how Jake was with his son. He was a good father.

  Cam would be a good father, too.

  Jake led the way into the kitchen with its wide farm table that had a bunch of intriguing nicks and scars that spoke of years of family meals. “Dad defrosted lasagna for tonight. I’d already put it in the oven, so all we had to do was microwave it later. It’s hard to predict when Bailey will be in and out. Dad’s worried she’s not eating enough lately, so he’s going overboard.”

  “Poor little chickie,” Cam said, as he came back into the kitchen. Jake’s son was giggling in his arms. Celia smiled again. She couldn’t wait to see what Cam’s child would look like in about seven months. Probably a whole lot like the little man he held now. “I’m supposed to check on her while I’m down here.”

  Her fingers itched. She’d only held Liam once or twice. It had been four long years since her Cameron was that small. Celia wouldn’t mind more children in her life, but since she had no intention of getting involved in a serious relationship anytime soon, that probably wouldn’t happen.

  Cameron was her world. No doubt Jake felt the same about Liam.

  Murdoch sat in the corner chair, still looking awkward and out of place. Cam saw it too. He dropped Liam into the other man’s arms. “Here. Practice. Uncle duties, and all that.”

  “I know how to handle kids, Cam. Did you forget how many nieces and nephews we have?” Murdoch shifted the baby easily. Murdoch and Cam always had snipped and snapped at each other. “I have birthday presents for Ronn
ie’s kids in the car.”

  He looked at her. “There’s a present in there for Cameron as well. I can give it to you today.”

  Well. She hadn’t expected that. “Would you rather give it to him yourself? He’s at Ronnie’s now. I was going to pick him up after my next appointment. Will you be at Ronnie’s around four?”

  “I should. I’d like to meet him.”

  Celia pulled in a deep breath. It was a start.

  Chapter 79

  This time when she pulled in to Kevin Beck's driveway, Bailey almost turned around and left. There was a limousine parked nearby, and it was obvious that there were people everywhere. She had spoken with Dr. Holden-Deane personally—he’d asked how she was recuperating as well—and he’d gotten her all the personnel files he’d been able to have some of his minions find. She’d grabbed a quick lunch at Mamaw’s Place down on Seventeenth Street, then reviewed the files in her car for a few hours or so.

  She had a handful of questions she wanted to run by Kevin one more time. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude at a family get-together.

  She had just about made it back to her car when Kevin called her name. He waved her over. He wore an apron with a pig barbecuing on the front of it. It reminded her of the one with a cat that Bert loved so much. "Bailey, the guards told me you were here. You have more questions."

  “I can come back tomorrow. I don't want to intrude.”

  A tall, dark-haired man stepped out on the porch after Kevin spoke. Bailey recognized him quickly. Clay’s cousin and Mel’s husband was rather distinctive. He grinned. “Hey, Bai. Where’s Clay?”

  Bailey bit back the urge to growl. The last thing she needed was a man with the same smile as Clay questioning her about Clay. She couldn’t escape him, apparently. “I’m not sure. Last I heard he was serving warrants on a seventy-year-old grandmother.”

  For drug smuggling.

  “Always a busy man, that cousin of mine.”

  Before she knew it, Bailey found herself ensconced at the Beck family dining room table. Mel was there as well as her youngest sister Syd. Brynna and Jillian and their families were missing. Mel had taken the time to reassure her that she was more than welcome, that her dad had a more-the-merrier philosophy. And then Mel had hinted she wanted to know what was going on with Bailey’s case. Mel was intrigued and had heard about the murdered woman on the news sites.

  Even the tabloids had picked up the story. The Snotty Garlic, a local tabloid, had been at the forefront of the reports.

  The former detective missed the TSP lifestyle. Bailey would bet good money on it. Even though Mel was married to one of the wealthiest and hottest men in the country. Bailey couldn't imagine any of it. Being married to a Barratt, or a huge family dinner like this. The only family dinners she'd ever partaken in had been with Bert and Jake and occasionally Kyra and Cam.

  While she was sitting there, Elliot Marshall and his wife, Gabby, strolled in. Elliot nodded at her after taking in the fact that she was wearing her uniform. Technically, Clay was her immediate supervisor. Elliot was his.

  "Bailey's got questions for me about an old case. We’re going to go over it in a few moments after dinner. You are free to join us. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. I think your father might have worked on one of the missing persons cases briefly at one point. There may be something in his notes.”

  “I’ll check tonight. It's good to see you again, Bailey. How is Clay? We heard about what happened to him. Any leads on who is responsible?”

  "He’s doing well. He only took the one day off. He’s got Deputy Tolvert trying to find the Chrysler responsible.”

  "Stubborn. Let me guess: Denying he was hurt at all?” Mel smirked. “He's always been like that." Mel turned toward her father. "Clay and I worked together for my first year in homicide. Before he was transferred to the Value post. An extremely stubborn man.”

  "The TSP can be its own small world,” Kevin said. “Lots of connections within connections.”

  Houghton patted Mel on the hand. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him for so long. He’s the worst of us Barratts. Of course, if I had known he knew you, I may have found you faster.”

  “I hadn’t even met you yet, sweetie. It was another year before that benefit. If I had known Clay was your cousin, I probably would have stayed miles away from you. What if that kind of stubbornness is hereditary?”

  “It isn’t. I’m sure. But the urge to carry our women off—well, that’s one instinct every Barratt possesses.”

  Mel just shot Bailey a look that increased the urge she had to growl.

  She didn’t. Bailey knew how to behave herself.

  Mel and Houghton didn’t. They kept teasing her about Clay. Houghton apparently knew exactly how his cousin felt. About her.

  Talk about disconcerting.

  Thankfully, the dinner didn't last too long. By the time it was finished, Bailey had lost some of the awkwardness that she felt. She followed Kevin into his office.

  “Sometimes I miss the puzzle aspect of being with the TSP. I found you a list of names. Women who went missing over that time period, but we never found their bodies. It’s possible your Jane Does match. And a list of men we spoke with. I tried to find any with connections to anyone in the medical field. But what I found was minimal—and tenuous. Odds are good the perp is one that we already made contact with. We just weren’t able to put the dominoes in place. Maybe with the bodies, and better forensics, you can make something of what we found back then.”

  They spoke for a little while longer. He was a clever man, and he brought up several avenues for her to pursue. He had been a good detective; she had no doubt of that. But during the era of TSP corruption that had existed back then, she could see where his hands had been tied in quite a few ways.

  Could see why he’d made it his mission back then to clean up the corruption.

  Now that mission was Elliot Marshall’s. Bailey didn’t envy the chief his job at all.

  Bailey thought about what they’d discussed on the drive back. When she pulled into the parking lot, Clay's new TSP vehicle was in the parking spot next to hers. Thunder clapped overhead as she slammed her door shut. Bailey grabbed her bag and hurried inside.

  Clay was at his desk, takeout containers in front of him while he read a report.

  How many times had she found him just like this? Alone.

  Even though he had a family that apparently knew him well. Welcomed him. She’d just spent the better part of the evening with his cousin. A man who had spoken of Clay with respect and liking, even with the jokes Houghton made about him.

  But how did Clay feel about him?

  Did he spend holidays with his cousins? He didn’t spend them with Jake and Bert that she knew. In fact, as far as she knew, he worked most holidays and gave his deputies the day off. When she realized she was dwelling on thoughts of him again, Bailey blew out an irritated breath and told herself to just stop it. So what if he looked so alone there through the window.

  The desks in the small bullpen were empty. Deb, the night dispatcher and receptionist, was at her desk, eyes trained on an e-book. There were long lulls for her every night. As long as she was at her desk, Clay never said a word if she read on the job.

  Except for Deb, they were alone. Even Main Street, just outside Clay’s office window, had been nearly deserted when she’d driven through. Because of the storm and the later hour.

  Value always rolled up the sidewalks around eight at night. Earlier when the weather was bad.

  She and Clay were almost completely alone.

  Clay was far more alone than she was now.

  And he didn’t have to be. Damn him. Just one word, one promise, and she would take a chance on him.

  He looked up. A flash of heat went through his eyes. One that had her shivering, and not from the rain. "Bailey, I was waiting for you.”

  "You didn’t have to. Kevin insisted that I stay for dinner. Houghton and Mel were there. He’s funny."
>
  "I hoped he behaved himself.”

  "Mel can handle him. I love how he treats her. It's hilarious to see how exasperated she gets when he acts like she's the most gorgeous woman in the world. They are so much in love. She's very lucky."

  Chapter 80

  There was a longing look in her big blue eyes that went straight through Clay’s gut. "Houghton’s the lucky one. After what he did to get her."

  "So he did it, then? The rumors are true?" Bailey unzipped her rain jacket and hung it on the back of her chair to dry. Clay just watched the graceful way she moved. “They made jokes about it tonight, but I wasn’t completely certain.”

  She fascinated him. She probably always would. No doubt exactly how Houghton felt about Mel.

  "Yes. Like an idiot. He could have asked anyone in the family for help with what was going on with his father, but he chose to go it alone. I was halfway to his place when I found out he’d taken off to Mexico. I didn’t know he had Mel with him. If I had, I would have taken Kevin down there and gotten her back myself that day. I have a key to his place down there. If she hadn’t already had a thing for him, Mel probably would have annihilated him. He would have deserved it.”

  Houghton wasn't exactly the first of Clay's relatives to carry the woman he wanted off. Family legend made a big deal out of it. As Bailey passed close enough to him to put the stack of files from the cardboard box she’d lugged in on the corner of his desk, Clay caught the scent of her skin. He understood what his ancestors had felt. He understood why his cousin had acted the way he had. Condone it, no. But damned if he didn't understand it in that moment.

  For one crazy moment, he imagined doing that with the woman in front of him. He'd give anything to be able to just scoop her up and cart her over to his house. His lair. He’d keep her in his bed until she understood the way he felt but could never put into words.