One Little Lie

by Colleen Coble

  “Harry,” Jane called. “Your grandmother is here.”

  Footsteps rushed down the stairs, and a small Harry tornado burst into the entry with Parker on his heels. He flung himself at the senator, who scooped him up and held him close. The way he nestled his head against her shoulder told Jane that Senator Fox was a safe haven for the boy. Whatever his mother felt about Harry’s grandmother, the little guy hadn’t been tainted by it.

  Senator Fox’s eyes were wet as she looked at Jane. “Is there somewhere we can talk?” She set Harry back on the floor. “You want to finish your game before I take you home with me?”

  “Yay!” Harry darted away and ran up the stairs shouting for Will. Parker followed him.

  “We can speak in private in the living room.” Jane led her into the spacious open living room and indicated she should sit on the leather sofa. “Coffee or something else to drink?”

  The senator sat and clasped her knees as she leaned forward. “No thank you. Any word on my daughter?”

  “I’m sorry, but no. We verified the abandoned car was the one you rented for her. Harry says the abductor asked to use her phone as a ruse, then he grabbed her and put her in his trunk.”

  “So he must have her, just like he said,” the senator murmured.

  “You’ve had contact from the kidnapper?”

  The senator’s dark eyes held desperation. “A man called my personal cell and said he had Fanny.”

  “Ransom?”

  “Not yet. He is supposed to call with his demands at nine o’clock tonight.”

  “Did he mention Harry?”

  Senator Fox shook her head. “I didn’t either. The last thing I want is for him to try to snatch my grandson too.”

  “Harry said his mother told him to run. The man was looking for him too. Harry said he hid.”

  “I suspect the ransom won’t be a request for money.”

  Jane raised a brow. “No? What do you think he wants?”

  “I’ve been threatened by supporters and haters of Ray Stone. Some want him executed and others want his sentence commuted to life. One of them might have taken Fanny to try to get me to talk to the governor to commute his sentence.”

  Jane knew the case. Ray Stone had been stopped in a routine traffic stop. High on drugs, he’d killed two cops in a horrific shootout several years ago. The media coverage had been on every station in the country for weeks. Some said the cops were harassing him because of his skin color, and others railed against his quick propensity to pull his gun. He’d been convicted for armed robbery fifteen years ago and hadn’t been out of prison long.

  “You look dubious,” the senator said.

  “Taking your daughter seems an extreme reaction to the case. And it has to play into Gary’s death somehow. This can’t be coincidence.”

  “Maybe so, but if the kidnapper wanted money, why not lay out the demands when the call first came in? It feels like he wants me to worry and fret so I’ll do whatever he says.”

  Jane nodded. Did the senator expect her to continue the case? The state police would be working on it too. There weren’t many good options for finding Fanny. Blind luck maybe.

  Jane rose. “I’ll get Harry for you. Reid bought him some clothes.”

  “How nice of him. I’ll be happy to reimburse him for the expense.”

  “He and his son already love Harry. I’m sure he won’t want your money.” It would do no good to try to tell the senator how to handle the ransom demand. “Would you let me know what the kidnapper demands tonight? It might help me find Fanny.”

  “Of course. I want as much attention on finding my daughter as possible.”

  Jane heard the finality in the senator’s voice and went to get Harry. The state boys would think her tiny police department couldn’t offer much help, but they were here on the scene. And she had great detectives. She’d continue to dig until Fanny came home.

  After the senator left, Jane’s phone dinged with a message. Seeing her dad’s face on the screen made her pulse blip.

  I’m home. I need to see you.

  * * *

  Fanny sucked the blood from her fingers and choked back a gag at the taste of iron. Her fingertips throbbed from the effort to try to dismantle the door hinges. No matter how hard she tried, nothing had budged them.

  A sound came by the door, and she jumped to her feet with her heart trying to pound out of her chest. “Please help me!”

  There was a scraping sound, and before she could reach the door, it opened and quickly closed again. Waving her hands in front of the darkness before her, Fanny made it to the door and stumbled over a tray on the floor.

  “There’s some food.” The disembodied voice sounded as though it was coming through a distorter. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female.

  “Please let me out.” Ignoring the tray of food, Fanny yanked on the door. “My baby needs me. Do you have Harry?”

  “If your mother complies with our request, we’ll let you out. We’ll have Harry soon too. In the meantime, you’re not going anywhere.”

  Fanny pressed her ear to the door and heard retreating footsteps. “Harry, I want Harry!”

  A door slammed from somewhere, and she collapsed onto the floor and covered her face with her hands as sobs tore from her throat. Her poor baby. He had to be so confused and scared.

  Twenty-Two

  Why had she let Will and Reid come with her? Jane parked her vehicle and stared at her dad’s house. Something about Reid bolstered her courage and made her feel she could do whatever she had to. Facing her father’s charges wouldn’t be easy, but Reid might have an idea of where to look. At least that’s what she told herself about his presence.

  She unbuckled her seat belt. “My dad can be a little brusque. Don’t take it personally.” She opened the back door to let Parker out, and he barked happily before he ran off to the woods.

  “I won’t. This is some place he’s got here. Must have cost a lot.”

  “He got the land for a song from his best friend, but yeah, the other stuff cost a lot of money. He brought a nest egg with him when we came.” She’d often wondered if he’d taken the money from Mount Sinai. He was the treasurer, and the whole place was burning up when they fled. He might have thought it was better to take it than to see it all destroyed.

  Not that it was right.

  Reid nodded and got out with her into the looming twilight with the cicadas sounding off. The wind brought the scent of pine, and the woods were coming alive for the night.

  Will trotted along behind her with his camera. He was such a good kid. She liked him a lot. After mounting the porch, she went to the door, but it opened before she could twist the knob.

  Her father frowned when he saw Will and Reid with her, but he stepped out of the way. “Mr. Dixon, I didn’t expect to see you.”

  Reid shifted and looked down. “Hello, Mr. Hardy.”

  Jane glanced at Reid’s guilty expression over to her father’s impassive one. “Y-You two have met?”

  “Mr. Dixon paid me a visit a few days ago.”

  “Why?”

  “For my documentary. Questions about patrolling a small town.”

  It sounded routine, but why did Reid look so defensive? Jane glanced around as she entered and didn’t see Elizabeth.

  Her dad answered before she could ask. “Elizabeth left me. She’s embarrassed, and I think she believes I’m guilty.” His hazel eyes blazed with fury. “After all I’ve done for her over the years. The minute her parole is over, she deserts me. Typical woman.”

  Jane recoiled at the venom in his words. Did he really hold women with such contempt? Was that the real reason he kept her at arm’s length?

  She stalked to the kitchen with the men following behind her and began to make coffee. “I saw pictures of you with my murder vic, Gary Dawson. You seem to be friends, but I’ve just now heard about it.”

  Her dad pressed his lips together. “We’ve been fishing buddies for some years n
ow.”

  She took a step back. “And you’re just now telling me?”

  He lifted a brow. “I’ve been a little occupied, Jane. When would I have had a chance to tell you? It’s not like I know anything about the murder. If I had any evidence, I would have mentioned it to you, but you’re the chief now. It’s your job to nail the killer, not mine.”

  “You could have told me when I saw you and Scott. It’s clearly not a surprise to you that he’s dead.”

  Reid touched her arm. “Give your dad the benefit of the doubt.”

  She jerked her arm away. “I feel like I’m surrounded by people keeping secrets. You made not a single mention of knowing my dad. And now this news.”

  Her dad heaved a sigh. “Something is going on in town. Something deeper than what we see. I don’t know what it is yet, but you’re going to have to figure it out. It feels like a personal vendetta.”

  This was all too much for her. What made her think she could unravel something this complex? She turned her back on the men and poured coffee to try to regain her composure.

  It felt like the waves were crashing over her head nonstop, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Why did she even take this job—who did she think she was that she could handle something this big? She couldn’t even come to grips with her childhood, so how could she deal with this much pressure?

  She could feel Reid’s gaze on her like a physical touch. Did he have as many doubts about her ability as she did? She dared a quick look at him, then, unable to absorb the kindness in his eyes, she diverted her attention to the coffee.

  “There’s more than you know. Gary’s wife, Fanny, has been abducted.” She told him about finding Harry and how the bookie was a dead end. “Paul is convinced you killed Gary. He’ll be sure to think you have Fanny too.”

  “Someone is building a case against me. This charge by the FBI is false, and I suspect it’s related too. I told you I was following some leads about it—the theft has to have been done by someone in the department. Someone had to have access to the evidence room. I think Paul might be behind it.”

  Paul had seemed obsessed with taking down her dad. More than just her detectives had access to the evidence room. There were several part-time employees who manned that desk, her two forensic techs, and Olivia. She trusted Olivia implicitly, but she didn’t know the others all that well. Could any of them have a vendetta against her dad? It was entirely possible in their small town that someone had simply broken into the evidence room during the night when only one employee worked.

  “Who would have the most to gain by taking you down, Dad?”

  “It’s a long list.” He reached for a tablet on the island. “I wrote down everyone I could think of—people I’ve busted and sent to jail as well as personal enemies I’ve made along the way.”

  She took the paper he offered and scanned it until a familiar name caught her attention. “Daryl Green. He’s out of jail?”

  She knew him well—he was another Paul in the flesh. Arrogant and bent on his own way. That attitude had led him into providing “security” for a whole host of drug dealers in the area. He raked in so much money he bought a big boat that ended up being his downfall. Dad noticed he was living above his means and investigated. Daryl was sent to jail for five years for extortion.

  Her dad took a sip of coffee. “He got out about two months ago. He’d have the connections to frame me.”

  “Maybe. I’ll go talk to him.”

  “He lives out on the peninsula. I tried to go see him earlier today, but his truck wasn’t there and no one answered the door.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “But work on finding Fanny first.”

  “That’s out of my hands. The state boys are working on it.”

  “You could still be involved.”

  “I could, but they have better resources. And I’ve got two other homicides to solve. If I focus on Gary’s death, it might lead to whoever is behind Fanny’s abduction.”

  If her dad was right about it all leading back to his trouble, Gary might be the key there too.

  * * *

  Reid sat across the table from Jane at Jesse’s Restaurant at Magnolia Springs amid the clink of silverware. She’d left Parker sleeping in the shade in the SUV with several windows halfway open. The white tablecloth was already marred by crumbs from the bread Will had wolfed down. Though Will had eaten all the bread, Reid had no doubt the boy could eat every bite of the filet he’d ordered. That kid had a bottomless pit.

  Reid watched her study the list of possible suspects again. “Anything jump out at you?”

  Even with the dark circles under her eyes, she looked beautiful. A lock of light-brown hair had come loose from its side barrette, and the wisps grazed her cheek. He needed to feed her and insist she get home to bed. The whole town seemed to be blowing up around her, and he wished he could take some of the burden from her.

  She took a sip of water. “My dad had a lot of enemies. I still think Green looks good for it.”

  “Want me to take a look?”

  She glanced at his outstretched hand. “The names probably won’t mean much to you, but have at it.”

  He glanced at the list, but the only thing that jumped out at him was Liberty’s Children. “Why would your dad list a cult as a possible suspect?”

  She shrugged. “He hasn’t had any contact with them in nearly fifteen years. I think it’s more of his paranoia. Did you interview anyone from Liberty’s Children for your documentary?”

  How did he even talk about this with her? Every time the subject came up, he wanted to sink into the floor. He valued honesty and transparency above everything, and keeping such important truths from her felt as much like a lie as a blatant falsehood.

  His gaze slid to his son. But Will meant more to him than life itself. All he could do was walk this tightrope and hope not to fall.

  “No, I had plenty of other people to talk to.” Not to mention he hadn’t wanted to see any of them. He knew where they were, but he hadn’t wanted any contact.

  He glanced at the list again. “That cop he sent up seems a likely suspect. He was in line for a promotion when he was accused of providing protection for a drug runner. He’d know the right people to give as witnesses against your dad.”

  The frown between her brows flattened, and she nodded. “I wonder if he’s already skipped town. Dad couldn’t find him. I’d like to run out to the peninsula after dinner and see if we can find out anything.” She glanced at Will. “You haven’t had much of a spring break.”

  “It’s been fun so far.” Will’s gaze went over his dad’s shoulder. “That woman you spoke to in the street earlier is staring at you, Dad.”

  Reid dropped his napkin as he whipped around to look out the plate-glass window onto the covered patio seating. Sure enough, Lauren was staring through the glass. She appeared to be looking right at them, but could she even see him in the dim light? He half rose to try to get rid of her, then sank back into his seat when she turned and walked toward the parking lot.

  Will looked thoughtful, and a frown crouched between his brows. “She sure has been turning up a lot. I feel like I should know her.”

  Reid curled his fingers into his palms. How did he get to this place of subterfuge and lies? He didn’t even recognize himself any longer. Even more importantly, he was letting God down. He’d wanted to be the kind of man who stood for truth and what’s right, not a man who did what was convenient to make things easy. He’d always thought he could stand up to any temptation, but this one had felled him in one blow.

  He wasn’t the man he thought he was.

  The truth sat like a rock in his throat, blocking his airway and choking his clear thinking. He had to tell Will the truth. Lauren wouldn’t let this go—she just wouldn’t. And Will already knew his mother had been in contact by phone.

  He opened his mouth just as the server brought their food. The sizzle and aroma of the steaks turned the mood at the
table instantly, and he could suddenly breathe again. This conversation shouldn’t be in front of Jane anyway. When they got home tonight, he’d spill it all and ask Will to forgive him.

  He glanced across the table at Jane, who wore a contemplative expression as she stared back. Would she look up Lauren like he’d asked? There had to be some way to combat the woman. His biggest fear was losing Will. While it was unlikely Lauren would try to take his boy, Will might be tempted to ask to visit her, and if he didn’t give her the money, Reid could see her deciding to disappear with him.

  The sizzle of garlic and butter on the steak suddenly didn’t smell very appetizing, and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to eat. If he didn’t, though, it would be a sure sign to Will that something was wrong. Reid forced himself to cut a bite of steak and chew it. The steak almost lodged in his throat, but he took a sip of water and swallowed it down.

  He’d get through tonight and see what tomorrow held after he was obedient to what God clearly was telling him to do.

  Jane put down her fork. “Tomorrow’s Sunday. I-I’m going to church with a friend, but I have the rest of the day off. Would you want to take me to the Liberty’s Children compound?”

  He nearly choked on his bite of food. He nodded. “I have all afternoon free too. We’ll get back late. Is that okay?”

  “I don’t sleep much anyway. Maybe after the visit I’ll find I can.”

  Or it would bring her nightmares. He shut his mouth and took a sip of water.

  * * *

  The blooming magnolia trees outlined in the setting sun made for a pleasant drive out to the peninsula after dinner. Jane’s thoughts churned too much to make conversation as she directed Reid to Daryl Green’s house. He lived in a small community known as The Rookery off Fort Morgan Road. A porch fronted Green’s small cottage, and a light was on inside.

  Reid parked in front of the house. “Looks like someone is here.”

  She nodded and shoved open her door. “Will, you stay here. I’m not sure how safe it is.”