“Motherfucker.”
“Exactly. As if I’d turn on my mom or lie for that guy.”
The picture cleared in his mind. He could see every step. Imagine her trying to duck out of the limelight. Her father did that to her . . . or the guy who pretended to be her father when it was convenient for him.
Mostly, Hansen loved how all of the stress and tension that held her in its grip as she’d started talking had faded now. She shared with him and he knew how hard unloading family baggage could be.
He felt more secure filling in the blanks now. “So, you came here.”
“Yes.”
“To protect your mom and the life she’s created.”
“And to deny the good senator what he wants.”
Nice try, but Hansen knew this was really about her mom. That’s who Tessa was. She protected. “Can’t he just investigate and track you down again?”
“Maybe, but I tried to make it a bit harder for him to do it by using Ray’s last name and dealing in cash only. The senator is being questioned and hounded, so every day I’m here makes it harder for him to keep his fake persona together.” She rested on his chest with her hands propped under her chin. “Honestly, I came here to buy time, but I fell in love with the place. He needs to fix his mess without me, and the pressure is on him now.”
“You want him to step down.”
“I want him to go back to forgetting I exist.”
“That . . . Okay, I wasn’t expecting any of that.” Hansen didn’t fight the smile. “You’re pretty impressive. Playing chicken with a powerful senator. Damn, woman. You are fierce.”
She shrugged. “Learned from the best. Mom struggled to keep us out of the public eye. He never paid child support, so everything fell to her.”
Of course he didn’t. “There is nothing redeeming about this guy.”
“Not really, no. I can only hope my half brothers, the twins he had with his wife, take after her or, frankly, anyone but my father.”
“You don’t know them, I guess.” A state Hansen couldn’t imagine. He and Connor fought, but they were dead loyal to each other. Surviving losing Alexis without having Connor? Hansen’s mind blanked at the idea.
“I doubt they know about me. That’s the point. No one does. Mom kept quiet. She moved out of the D.C. area, got her teaching certificate. Homeschooled me for a time just to make sure my name didn’t pop up on any records he might trace.”
He flipped back and forth between being sad for all she and her mom had lived through and stunned by the lightness he saw in her eyes. That spark happened when she talked about her mom. Money may have been tight, and parts sounded very odd, but her loyalty to her mom never wavered. Hansen thought that was a testament to her goodness and to the resilience of children.
“Michaelson eventually did find you.” Just thinking about the senator made Hansen want to fly back to D.C. and shake the man.
“We underestimated his desire to make sure we never used his name or spoke about him. He kept an eye on Mom from a distance the whole time, which Mom knew because she’d get a warning from him right around election time to stay quiet.”
“Doesn’t part of you want to go on television and out him?” Hansen had to beat back the instinct to rush in and try to fix this for her. She didn’t need a savior. She needed him to listen, and he concentrated on doing just that.
Her leg waved behind her as she watched him. “I toyed with that. If I thought it would end the stalking, I might. But the reality is my life would blow up. And I’d mess up his wife’s life and his kids’.”
Leave it to her to put everyone else’s needs in front of her own. “You’re one of his kids.”
“By biology only.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair. Loved the silky feel of the strands as they draped over the back of his hand. “Charles Michaelson fucked up every way a person can fuck up, but missing out on knowing you was his greatest mistake.”
She turned her head and kissed his palm. “Sweet-talker.”
“But sincere.”
“Okay, I take back what I said earlier.” The playful tone moved back into her voice.
That fast, she morphed from serious to the Tessa he knew. So full of life. But he saw underneath her sunny smile now. Pain lurked there. A tiny bit of the lonely and abandoned girl she once was.
But she clearly wanted to move on from this conversation, put the serious moments behind her tonight, and he didn’t try to pull her back in. “Which part?”
“You can get inside me.”
Air sputtered inside him and he coughed. She never ceased to surprise him. “Such sexy talk, Ms. Jenkins.”
She shot him a smile filled with the promise of a very exhausting next few hours. “It’s a limited time offer.”
He rolled them over, putting her beneath him. “I’ll take it.”
Chapter 19
Tessa and Hansen crowded into Ben’s office the next morning. Beams of light peeked through the gray clouds and brightened the plain room. Ben had stacks of files and all sorts of clippings spread out on his desk. He’d tacked a few to the whiteboard that spanned half of one wall.
“We have the pieces.” Ben pointed from his seat on the edge of his desk. “Like the Taylors’ stolen clothes, which might be related.”
“What sort of clothes?” She didn’t know if it mattered, but she wanted to know.
Ben shuffled through the paperwork beside him. “Men’s gray utility pants and a black long-sleeve T-shirt.”
“Not helpful,” Hansen said as he studied the board. “An outfit most people on the island own. And probably not relevant since Judson was found in the same suit Tessa saw him wearing on the beach. He didn’t change.”
Phones rang in the background. Not in Ben’s office but out in reception. Tessa counted, expecting the noise to stop at two rings, but today it continued.
“No sign Judson was attacked for money or anything else. He still wore his expensive watch and had money in a clip in his pocket.” Ben kept flipping through pages, putting them in an order only he understood.
Hansen glanced at Ben. “How much?”
Ben just smiled, or he did until the phone in the outer office rang for a fifth time. “I haven’t released that information.”
The rough topic didn’t stop her mind from wandering. Last night, she’d told Hansen things she’d never told anyone. Things she only shared with her mother because they both lived it. Maybe not the specifics about the dragging loneliness at being trapped in the house while other kids played outside. Over time, her mother’s restrictions eased, and Tessa went to school and made friends, but not at first. The confusion and the weight of all the secrets, most of which she didn’t understand at that young age, took a toll.
She’d locked away most of those feelings—the insecurity, the loss, the pain of being unwanted—and pretended they didn’t exist. Wiped her birth father out of her mind and her life and moved on. She shared them with Hansen because she ached for someone to help her carry the emotional load.
They both wrestled with things other people had done. Those things shaped both of them. Being able to confide in someone other than her mother, someone who didn’t have a list of explanations and a few excuses for past choices, lifted a pressure Tessa hadn’t even realized rested on her chest.
It was gone now. And Hansen was still here.
He hadn’t panicked and bolted. Hadn’t acted weird or tried to defend her father’s actions. He’d listened and sided with her, unconditionally. Forget not wanting to get involved or be in a relationship or insisting what she felt for him amounted to nothing more than a crush. The last few days shifted everything.
Ben glanced up at the whiteboard. “Judson was stabbed somewhere other than on Tessa’s front lawn and brought there. But there are no tire marks or drag marks and no blood nearby.” He glanced at Tessa. “We’ve done three forensic sweeps of the area around your house and found nothing to explain how Judson got there.”
When she focused again, the photos and slips of paper Ben had collected, the heaviness of the information spread out around her, hit hard. From everything Hansen said, Judson was a terrible man. But he’d had a life and people who cared about him. Clients and a wife. Tessa assumed family. Judson deserved to be in prison, but the rest of this mysterious mess turned him into a victim. She hated that circumstances meant she should feel sorry for him when she couldn’t.
She lifted her head and saw Hansen. He watched her. His expression managed to be both knowing and soothing. Not a smile but a look that told her he understood the thoughts running through her head.
“It also rained that night, so we don’t know how much evidence we lost,” Hansen said.
“And someone pounded on my door.” She’d forgotten to highlight that earlier. She’d been terrified that night, convinced someone wanted to break in, but now it amounted to one horrible piece of a big horrible puzzle.
Ben’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you blamed the storm or—”
“It was a person.” She refused to let that fact get lost. It might, or it could be unrelated. She didn’t want to prejudge.
“Not Judson.” Ben shook his head. “The waterlogged state of the body messed with the temperature, but Lela thinks he was killed within an hour or so of you two seeing him on the beach. That explains why he didn’t come find me and set off his grand plan against Hansen. It also means he was not the one knocking at your door.”
“Exactly,” Hansen said.
“And that’s all we have.” Ben stood up and walked around the back of his desk with a hand resting on his chair.
“Plus, Cliff’s insistence he heard a fight.” Hansen took out a pen and wrote that on a notecard.
“Was that even the right night?” she asked.
“It was the night Judson showed up on the island.” One more round of musical files and Ben had a new one on top. “And then we have Arianna and Ellis.”
After a quick glance at the board Hansen looked at Ben again. “How are they related to this?”
“They’re so weird I want them to be guilty of something,” Tessa said. “And they’re way too interested in this case.” She tried not to be that person, but there was something off about the couple. They were too nosy. Too quick to pop up where they shouldn’t be. Too fake.
Ben held up a hand. “Some might—and don’t get upset here—but there are those who would say the same thing about you.”
“All that hedging didn’t help you sound nicer.”
Ben smiled at her but kept talking as if she hadn’t dropped that. “But I do need to take a deeper look since I’m having trouble tracing their background.”
“Meaning?”
“They don’t have a paper trail.”
From Ben’s smile she guessed she’d accidentally proved his point about her being nosy as well. “The dead guy was on my lawn and my boyfriend is the lead suspect. Anyone in my place would ask questions.”
A groan started on Hansen’s side of the room.
Ben’s grin grew. “When did you hit boyfriend-girlfriend status?”
This was Hansen’s fault. He used the word last night. It rolled around in her head now. It was only logical she’d latch on to it. “Is that what we should be focusing on?”
Ben snorted. “Definitely.”
“Excuse me.”
They all jumped at the sound of Kerrie’s soft voice. She’d tiptoed in or something because she hadn’t made any noise. Tessa even stood facing the door and hadn’t seen Kerrie come in. “When did you—?”
“Sorry for stopping by. I tried to call first but the phone just rang and then the answering machine picked up.” Kerrie slipped into the room and stopped right next to Hansen. Her gaze went to the whiteboard, then back to him. Without any warning, she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze. It happened so fast, but she didn’t move away from him. She leaned into him with a hand on his forearm. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Uh, okay.” Hansen stood frozen with his arm in the air and that notecard he wrote still dangling from his fingertips.
Ben shifted around his desk and pushed the board just enough that Kerrie didn’t face it head-on. The small office space didn’t allow for more. “Did Lela release you?”
“She said later today and that was good enough for me, so I left.” Kerrie glanced into the outer office when the phone started ringing again, then back to Ben. “Now that the rain is slowing down and the phones work, I need to make arrangements.”
Tessa noticed Kerrie still touched Hansen. That seemed to be a thing with her. She also noticed Kerrie. Styled blond hair fell in waves to her shoulders. Those big blue eyes. Petite and beautiful in a way where it was hard not to stare at her. Flawless skin. Trim and compact in her slim dark jeans and dark purple V-neck tee. Perfect without looking as if she put any effort into it. Tessa had no idea where Kerrie had found clothes while in the hospital and felt a little guilty for not offering to collect some for her.
She also wore lipstick. Tessa tried to remember if she’d even brought a tube to Whitaker. “Is there anyone we can call for you?”
“My brother is on his way.”
Hansen tapped the notecard against his palm. “To Whitaker?”
“There are details about releasing the body and the boat that I’d rather he handle for me.” Kerrie visibly shuddered.
“No to both. The investigation is ongoing,” Ben said.
“Hello.” Doug rushed to the doorway, then slammed to a halt when he saw all the people. “Oh.”
“Doug?” Now this was interesting. Tessa still wanted to lecture the kid, but even she could admit this was not the time.
“Tes . . .” He blushed and glanced at his feet. “Ms. Jenkins.”
For a second he looked younger. Vulnerable and uncomfortable. Teen anxiety she knew all too well. “Why are you here?”
Doug looked at Ben, who nodded, before answering her. “I’m working here. You know, for credit.”
Ben frowned. “You’re not supposed to start this week.”
“I thought you might need help.” Doug looked around as he drew out what sounded like a long ahhhhhh. “I could get the phones or photocopy stuff.”
Exactly the topic Tessa wanted to mention. “Speaking of that, what’s going on with Maddie? The phone keeps ringing.”
Ben shook his head. “I have no idea. She’s always been dependable but she’s missing most of the calls right now.”
“She usually answers on the second ring.” The fact she wasn’t today pricked at Tessa’s curiosity. She had never seen Maddie. Several times Tessa had arrived somewhere—the lodge or the market—and been told she’d just missed meeting the other woman.
“Not today.” Ben nodded in Doug’s direction. “Since you’re here, can you pick up and take messages? Check the messages already left as well.”
“Sure.” Doug looked around the crowded office. “I’ll handle that out in reception.”
Tessa waited until he disappeared and then she whispered, “You forgot to tell me you were making him work here.”
“Seemed like a good solution.” Ben shot her an I-told-you-so look. “I’m not totally useless as the law enforcement on the island.”
Yeah, she’d figured that out. “We’ll see.”
Kerrie shifted until she stood in front of Hansen, half shielding him from the rest of the room, as if they were having a private conversation. “I was hoping we could have coffee and discuss how I can help undo some of Judson’s damage.”
Okay, no. That struck Tessa as a bad idea. It was just common sense for Hansen not to be alone with the woman who had a protective order against him. And then there was the other problem. Tessa couldn’t kick the sensation that something was off with Kerrie. She chalked the uneasy feeli
ng up to the role Kerrie played in making Hansen’s life difficult in the past. Fair or not, the whole situation had Tessa on edge.
“You need to talk with me about your husband,” Ben said, not even trying to lower his voice.
By the time Kerrie turned around again she wore a sweet smile. “Hansen and I share a bond on this issue. I’d feel more comfortable with him.”
“You should rest. You’ve only been out of the clinic for a few hours.” Hansen answered her but shot Tessa a help-me, wide-eyed stare.
The poor guy held his body stiff, not touching the woman who had jammed her body next to his. Tessa felt a spark of compassion for all of it—for Hansen for being stuck and for Kerrie for all she’d been through and her misfire in attaching herself to Hansen. “He’s right. This is the time for napping.”
“I’m going stir-crazy.” Kerrie’s voice sounded strained as her hands dropped to her sides. “Does the sun ever shine here? Not just for five seconds at a time like today, but all day?”
Hansen shook his head. “No.”
“Two or three times per year,” Ben said at the same time.
Tessa took pity on Kerrie and walked over to her. “They’re not exaggerating as much as you want them to be. Where are you staying?”
“I . . . uh.” It was as if the thought had only just occurred to her. Kerrie glanced around, looking as lost as she had back at the hospital. “Have no idea. I thought the boat, but . . .”
“No.”
Tessa didn’t find Ben’s curt response all that helpful, so she took over. “Let me take you to Berman’s Lodge and we’ll get you a room.”
“It’s getting crowded there,” Hansen mumbled under his voice.
Yeah, she got it. He wanted them to go back to his place. So did she, but she had to get Kerrie settled first.
“I can go back home when my brother comes.” Kerrie didn’t ask. It was clear she had a plan.
Tessa appreciated the way the other woman fought to take back some control, but she wanted Kerrie to be realistic. “He’s not here yet. The storms might delay him another day.”
Her Other Secret Page 18