by Becki Willis
Madison was duly chastised. “You’re right, of course. I’m sorry. I’m just saying that I have had more than my share of persistent reporters, trying to find a story when there is none. They even ran a segment in Dallas this morning, rehashing old news about Gray’s failed business and his ‘sudden death.’ The way they said it implied there was something more to his accident than a blowout on a slick road. I just don’t want to give them something else to talk about. It would be like pouring gasoline on a blazing fire.”
“Shh. Come here, sweetheart.” He gathered her gently to him for a hearty hug. “I understand. I don’t like it, but I do understand.” He gave her another quick squeeze. “And while I’d love to stand here and prove to you what an understanding man I can be, we need to get out of here. There still may be someone in the house.”
Worry sparked in her eyes. “So what are we going to do?”
Brash pulled out his phone. “Call for backup.”
Chapter Fourteen
The last of the customers cleared out of the café. Genesis wiped down the counter as she called out a friendly goodbye.
She normally did not work on Saturday nights, but Shilo Dawne had asked for the night off. Even though Genesis had been here since early morning, it was the least she could do for one of her most dedicated employees.
“Here, Genny, let me get that for you.”
“Thanks, Cutter, but I can get it.”
“I insist.” With no effort at all, the young man took the heavy tray from her and carried it into the kitchen. He stayed for a few minutes to talk with the kitchen crew, and then came out with a pleased smile, nibbling on an apple turnover.
“I see Thelma tipped you,” Genny teased.
“Yep.” He swallowed the rest in one big gulp and licked his lips. “That was good, but you didn’t make them today, did you?”
“As a matter of fact, no. I let Shilo Dawne make them this morning.”
“I can tell. Yours are the best.” His blue eyes twinkled conspiratorially.
“You have a little something right here,” she murmured, touching the corresponding place on her own face.
Unabashed, Cutter’s tongue made a swipe for the sugar still dusting the side of his mouth. Genny’s traitorous eyes followed. He made slow work of it, licking his lips slowly, his eyes tracing the same curves of her own mouth.
Genny turned away, fire burning in her face. It seemed to be spreading to other parts of her, too, but she steadfastly ignored it. It was humiliating, being caught drooling over him like a silly schoolgirl!
She was thankful when the busboy came out from the kitchen for the final round of dirty dishes. “Hey, man,” he spoke to Cutter. “What are you doing here on a Saturday night? No hot date?”
Cutter’s reply was smooth, if not vague. “The night’s still young, man.”
“I hear ya. Well, have a good one. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Genny saw the men bump knuckles as she turned back around. It suddenly dawned upon her why the young firefighter was here on a Saturday night. “You thought Shilo Dawne was working tonight. Sorry, I took her shift. She had a paper to finish.”
“Yeah, she was complaining about that yesterday. Says your professor gives too much homework.” He sounded somewhat resentful. Genny supposed it was because college classes took too much of the waitress’ time.
“My professor?” she asked, eyebrows arched.
“Yeah, the one that hangs around here all the time. The one with the crazy ties.”
“You mean Professor Calloway?”
“That’s the one. Shilo Dawne says you two are dating.”
Genny laughed aloud. “We are not dating. He’s asked me out a time or two, but I haven’t said yes.”
“But you’re considering it.” His tone was slightly accusing.
She shrugged as she untied her apron and plopped it onto the counter. “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t have time for dating right now.”
Before Cutter could make a comment, his phone rang. “Montgomery,” he said brusquely.
“Cutter? Brash. I need to ask a favor. You busy?”
“Nah, man, whatcha got?”
“I need you to swing by the Big House. Maddy and I are here, and I think someone may be downstairs. Perry is on a call and Schimanski isn’t answering his phone.”
“Sure, Brash, I’ll be there in five.”
“No sirens. Come in on foot, if you can. Text me when you get here.”
“Miss Maddy okay?” Cutter asked in concern.
Genny immediately tuned into the conversation. She pecked at his arm as he hung up with the chief of police. “What’s wrong? What’s happened to Maddy? I haven’t heard from her all evening. Something’s happened, hasn’t it?”
“I’m not sure. I’m headed over to the Big House to find out.”
“I’m coming with you.” She hurried to the door of the kitchen and called, “Thelma? Can you lock up if I’m not back?
“Sure thing, Miss Genny. Everything okay?”
“I hope so.” She followed Cutter out the door. “I hope so.”
***
“I wish you had stayed in the truck, Genny,” Cutter complained. They slipped among the shadows of the old mansion’s yard, working their way to the front entrance. Cutter had texted the police chief, telling him they were on the premises.
“No way. That’s my best friend in there, and you thought it was serious enough to bring a gun. I’m coming with you.”
“Stay behind me when we go in,” he instructed firmly. “Hook your finger in my belt so I’ll know you’re there.”
“What’s going on, Cutter?”
“I’m not sure, but one thing I do know; there are no such things as ghosts.”
Through coordinated efforts, Brash and Madison came down the grand staircase as Cutter and Genny came through the front door. After a brief greeting, they broke apart to search the house. The men ventured out on their own, while Maddy and Genny worked as a team. They met back at the foot of the stairs.
“Nothing,” Cutter said, keeping his voice low.
“In a house this size, they could move from one room to the next and we would never know it,” Genny interjected.
“I’m guessing they’re gone by now,” Brash said. “Although I have no idea how they got in or out. The doors were still locked, the alarms engaged.”
“Brash, what is it this person wants?” Genesis asked, her blue eyes sharp with worry.
“I have a pretty good idea. Which reminds me, I need to bring down the sheets.”
“You’re doing laundry at a time like this?” She forgot to keep her voice low as she propped her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think there are a few more important things to worry about right now, like keeping my best friend and her children safe?”
Brash merely winked and jogged up the stairs. He unlocked the library door, grabbed up an armful of extra sheets so that the journal-filled pillowcases could not be seen, and came back down while Madison whispered an explanation to their friends.
Knowing there could be a covert mic in place, Maddy spoke louder than necessary as the men carried the pilfered journals toward the front door.
“I appreciate your help, guys, carrying out the dirty laundry for me. That fingerprint dust left such a mess, and I don’t want it to set in on these sheets.”
“It’s the least I can do, since I made the mess,” Brash replied. “I’ll even carry these to your house for you. Ready?”
She locked the door and set the alarm, wondering for a moment why she even bothered. So far, this person was able to bypass all their efforts.
“I’ll call you later, Gen,” Madison said as she hugged her friend. “Thanks for coming. You, too, Cutter.”
“I’m glad it turned out to be nothing,” the young man said.
“You need a ride, Genny?” Brash offered.
“I’ve got it,” Cutter was quick to say. “My truck’s over there.”
As they
waved goodbye to the departing couple and started for Cutter’s truck, he grinned down at the café owner. “Did you see what I just saw?”
Genny made a blind guess. “She locked the gate remotely?”
“No. The way he put his hand on her hip. Low, like this.” He moved closer, sliding his large hand along the small of her back, just low enough to suggest intimacy.
“I-I missed that.”
His hand remained in place as they walked. “I think it would be cool if they got together,” Cutter said. “They make a good couple.”
“I think so, too. And so does Maddy, she’s just afraid to admit it.”
They reached his truck and his hand fell from her waist. As he opened the door for her, he asked suddenly, “It’s a nice night. Wanna go for a ride?”
Knowing she should say no, Genny heard herself agreeing. “Sure, why not?”
Cutter jogged around to the other side of the truck, but instead of starting the motor, he sat staring at the house they had just left.
“What?” Genny asked, following his gaze.
“Just watching for lights. Movement of some kind. Something is going on in there, I just don’t know what.”
“I just hope Maddy will be comfortable living there, once the remodel is done. This has to be disconcerting, knowing someone can slip in and out of your home at will.”
“We’ll catch him,” he said with confidence, including himself in the team. He started the motor and began backing out.
“So where are we going?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I guess we could do what all the kids do, grab a couple of beers and hit the back roads.”
“Driving around drinking, even on dirt roads, doesn’t seem like a very good idea,” Genny said. “And it’s not quite my style.”
“Mine, either. At least, not anymore. I’ve made my share of back roads, though, back in the day.”
Genny laughed. “What? Five years ago?”
“Nah, I gave that up with high school.”
“So, what, six or seven years ago?”
He looked at her sharply. “How old do you think I am?”
“I don’t know. Twenty-five, twenty-six?”
“Not sure if I should be flattered or offended,” he mumbled. He turned the truck onto Naomi’s main street, driving right past New Beginnings. It was soon obvious that they were headed out of town.
“So?” Genesis finally asked. “Aren’t you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“How old you are.”
They passed Genny’s modest little house, the one she had inherited from her parents. “You really should leave your lights on, Genny,” he scolded. “It’s not safe to go into a dark house at night.”
“It’s fine.” She dismissed his worry with a wave of her hand. “I have those motion detection lights that come on when I get out of the car.”
“That’s good. Never can be too safe.” A mile or so down the road, he pointed to a house on the right. “See? I even left my lights burning.”
“You live there? I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. Right here on the edge of the ranch.” He turned into a cattle guard entrance that carried them onto a gravel road. “My parents live toward the back of the property. Cooper and his wife live over there.” He pointed to a house lit up in the distance.
“So you’re close enough to help out on the ranch, but far enough away to have a little privacy,” she guessed.
“Having three brothers and two sisters didn’t offer much privacy growing up.”
“No, I guess not.”
They chatted about his family and the different paths the Montgomery children had taken. They wound their way through the ranch, until they took a questionable path up a steep hill.
“Are you sure this is a road?” Genny asked skeptically, bracing herself against the dashboard as they rocked back and forth among the rutted lanes.
“Haven’t gotten around to getting it rocked yet, but yes, it’s definitely a road.”
They reached the crest of the hill, and by light of the moon, Genny saw the flat field sparsely dotted with mature trees. “I bet this is gorgeous by daylight,” she said. “Can you see a long way?”
“All the way to the river in that direction, back to town in that,” he pointed. He looked over at her hopefully. “Want to get out?”
She glanced down at her shoes. If they were good enough for waitressing, they were good enough for traipsing through an open field. “Why not?” she shrugged.
Cutter walked slowly for her benefit, knowing her legs weren’t nearly as long as his. Nor was she accustomed to the terrain. He took her elbow twice, helping her over a clump of grass and an unexpected dip. They rounded the ridge of trees and she saw it. The skeleton of a house.
“Going up or coming down?” she asked.
He laughed. “A little of both. This was my grandparents’ house. I’m gutting it down to the frame, then building it back up to suit my needs.”
“This is yours?” she asked in surprise. “But that house is huge!”
“They had a houseful of kids,” he shrugged.
“You’ll need a half dozen kids of your own to fill it up,” she predicted.
“I wouldn’t mind. I like big families.” He led her into the gutted house, through an opening she assumed was the front door. “What about you, Genny? You ever thought of having kids?”
A familiar pain squeezed her heart, making it difficult to breath. “Of course I’ve thought about it. What woman doesn’t?” She moved ahead of him, using the watery light of the moon as her guide. “I like the stairs.”
“Not as fancy as the ones at the Big House,” he allowed. “This is just an old farm house, but it raised a happy family.”
“I guess this is the kitchen.”
“When it’s time to plan it, I’d like to get your input in here.”
“Aw, how sweet. I’d be honored, Cutter.”
“Tell me what you’d do.”
“Well, I’d put a bank of cabinets along this wall. Double ovens over here. A huge commercial refrigerator here. Oh, and a big working bar right in the center. With stools on one side, cabinets and appliances on the other.”
“Appliances?”
“You know, a second dishwasher, warming drawers, that sort of thing.” She could see it in her head. Her dream kitchen.
“Warming drawers?”
“Sure. You know how I love to bake. I’d have those babies full of all sorts of breads and pies and cookies.” She laughed at her own silly notions. This wasn’t her house.
“Apple turnovers, too, I hope.”
“Of course. And I won’t tell Shilo Dawne that you said mine were better than hers.” Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“I’ll tell you another secret, too. Did you know there is a cave beneath us?”
“A cave?”
“Yep. About forty feet down, there’s a huge open cavern. It’s a little tricky getting to it, but once you’re down there you’ve got plenty of room to walk around.”
“Maddy and I were talking about the caves the other day. I remember some of the kids used to claim to explore them, but I thought they were just full of it.”
“Nope, there really are caves around here. I can take you down there one day, if you like.”
Genny laughed. “No thanks. When we were down in the basement that day, I realized I might be a tad bit claustrophobic.”
“Maybe it was just the skeleton,” he suggested.
“Maybe. Still, I think I prefer to stay above ground.”
“Then I won’t bother showing you the tunnels,” he grinned.
“What tunnels?”
“There are actually a few tunnels around here, as well. Some natural, some man-made.”
“Like I said, I believe I’ll stay above ground.”
They wandered through the rest of the house. Cutter told her a few of his plans for the re-build. Genny made a
few suggestions of her own, most of which he liked. They argued good-naturedly over one of her suggestions, until Genny finally threw her hands up in defeat.
“Hey, it’s your house, your money. I think my way is more economical, but that’s for you to decide. If you like throwing away your hard-earned money, far be it from me to stop you.”
“I think it’s worth the splurge,” he said confidently.
As they wandered back to the front of the house, Genny asked, “So how long do you think this is going to take you?”
“Probably a year or so. I’m not in a particular hurry, since it will just be me living here. I’m saving my money, so I can build it out of pocket, no mortgage.”
“That’s a very wise plan, but I’m not sure how practical it is.”
“What, you don’t think I can afford it?”
She sputtered with her answer. “Well, uh, I, uh, I know how expensive everything is these days. And without a college education…”
“Who says I don’t have a college education?” he asked sharply.
“I-I meant no offense. A lot of people don’t go to college these days. There’s nothing wrong with that, Cutter.”
“I agree. None of my brothers went to college, and they are all quite successful. One has a taxidermy business, one is part owner in the feed store, one helps Dad run the ranch. I, on the other hand, am the lone son with a snazzy little college diploma hanging on his wall. Two, as a matter of fact.”
“I-I didn’t mean to offend you, Cutter. I just assumed…”
“You assumed I had a go-nowhere job like welding. A second job as a volunteer firefighter that doesn’t even pay. So naturally I must be uneducated.” His tone was defensive.
“Actually, it was more of the fact that you were still here in The Sisters. Most kids that go to college move away.”