Christmas Witness

by Aimée Thurlo

  “Paul was in excellent shape.”

  Now, he saw disapproval in her eyes. He could almost hear her unspoken words telling him he would have known exactly what physical shape his father had been in if he hadn’t stayed away for so long. But, like many others, she had no idea why he’d really left.

  “So what’s your theory?” he said.

  “I wish I could give you and Captain Mora an idea of who might have killed Paul,” she added, “but I just don’t know. The Santa hair and beard covered the killer’s face well and, at the time, I really thought it was Ralph.”

  “Then tell me this. Who were my father’s enemies?” He saw her flinch. She didn’t like talking about his father in this dispassionate way. Whatever feelings she’d had for him were real and went deep.

  She paused, lost in thought. “Your father wasn’t an easy man to deal with. He had his own way of doing things and that probably annoyed some people.”

  She wasn’t hard to read on this, Jake thought. He could see that it had been difficult for her to say anything negative. “He played by his own rules, I know, even if it meant others would get hurt in the process,” he said, then took a long breath. “Can you give me some idea of where I should begin looking for this evidence? Mora suggested that someone had been going through the house looking for it and that’s why my father had put locks on the doors.”

  “That’s true,” Annie said. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful on that score, but what I can do is help you search. After he fired his last housekeeper, I sometimes gave him a hand with the cleaning and I know where he kept almost everything, including his private papers. We could start in his office.”

  “The police have given me limited access to the downstairs portion of the house. We can go over now, if you’re free.”

  “First I’d like you to answer one question for me.”

  Intrigued, Jake watched as boldness crept into the woman’s eyes with the same assuredness she used to brush the fall of soft brown hair from her shoulder. “Go ahead.”

  “You’ve been gone for years, so I’ve heard. What brought you back home so suddenly?”

  He gave her a surprised look. “I assumed you already knew.”

  “Paul never said a word about it to me,” she admitted honestly. “Your father was my friend, but we respected each other’s privacy. I knew something had been troubling him for the past month or so, but he never offered to talk about it and I didn’t ask.”

  Jake nodded, looked toward the carving once again, then met her eyes square-on. “Everyone close to my father learned to respect his privacy. He’d have it no other way. But now I have to do the unthinkable—go through all his personal things. It’s become my duty.”

  Too many unanswered questions added weight to his sorrow now, and at the center of everything was this young beauty who had clearly been a part of his father’s life. No matter what it took, he’d find answers soon. And, if the gods were merciful, learning the truth wouldn’t add to the pain he already kept hidden in his heart.

  ANNIE TOOK THE tea cups back to the kitchen and washed them out in the sink. Although she’d known this would be hard on her, she could understand why it was even more difficult for Jake. Yet it was impossible for her to read the feelings that lay behind Jake’s hooded eyes. From everything she’d seen and heard of him so far, she knew Jake was a man whose emotions ran deep—a man who was unaccustomed to opening himself to anyone.

  Instinctively, she knew that Jake had secrets no woman would ever coax from him. She silently noted that he still hadn’t told her why he’d returned. She wasn’t going to let the matter drop, but getting that information from him would be tricky. Jake didn’t seem like the sort who could be forced into doing anything.

  Annie returned to the living room where Jake waited, picked up her coat from the back of the sofa where she’d left it last night and followed Jake Black Raven to the door.

  “There’s something you need to know,” she said, stopping in midstride. “I have every intention of finding out what happened to your father, and not because I was there when he was murdered. The fact is, he was a very kind, loyal friend who helped me out when I needed someone. I won’t forget that. Paul deserves to have his killer brought to justice and I’m going to do all I can to see that it gets done. It’s the least I owe him.” She paused, as Jake turned from the door, then added, “But there’s more to it than that I have to do this for myself, too. The killer knows I saw him. Though he was in costume, I have no way of knowing how threatened he feels by me, and I won’t have something like that hanging over me and my baby.”

  “Maybe it would be better for you to leave town for a while.”

  “I’m safer here surrounded by friends, and with my nurse midwife nearby, than I would be in an unfamiliar place filled with strangers.”

  “You have a point,” he agreed, taking her coat from her.

  Holding Jake’s gaze, she continued. “Even though you don’t know me and have no reason to trust me, the fact is we need each other to find out the truth. As I’ve heard it, you haven’t been back here in over a decade. That means you’ve lost touch with many people you’ll want to question. You could use my help getting those doors open again.” She placed her hand over her stomach. “And I can use your help doing some of the legwork, like tracking down whatever leads we manage to uncover.”

  “You’ll have many other things to worry about with the baby coming and all,” he said, helping Annie on with her coat, then following her out the door. “I think you’d be far better off not getting involved in the investigation and letting the police handle it.”

  She could sense he was trying to protect her, but she didn’t need that from him—or anyone else. She could take care of herself. “It was your father’s last wish that I help you and that’s exactly what I’m going to do—with or without your consent,” she added pointedly, letting him know precisely what to expect from her.

  “So I have no choice?”

  “No, not really. But I thought it would be impolite to not warn you,” she said with a tiny smile.

  Standing beside his truck, Annie braced herself by holding on to the open door. She carefully put her foot up on the running board, but the ground was slippery with mud and she lost her footing.

  Jake gripped her waist, quickly supporting her. “Easy there,” he murmured close to her ear.

  For one heart-stopping moment, Annie was filled with an awareness that was purely feminine and wildly exciting. His touch, so gentle yet so strong, made her pulse race.

  Desire. The knowledge stunned her. “Thanks for the help,” she mumbled, stepping up into the cab and settling herself onto the seat. She felt his gaze on her as she worked the seat belt around herself, positioning it low on her hip and below her stomach.

  “You’re very welcome, Annie,” he said quietly.

  It was the first time he’d called her by name. The way he’d said it, with that deep, masculine drawl, sent a delicious shiver up her spine. Unable to resist the temptation, she looked up at him. The intensity of his gaze ribboned around her like a gentle embrace, though it took her a moment to recognize the look in his eyes for what it was. It was the sensually charged appraisal a man gave a woman he found attractive.

  Her breath caught in her throat and a purely instinctive response made all the sensitive nerves in her body dance. For the first time since Bobby’s death, Annie felt suddenly beautiful and vibrantly alive.

  Chapter Three

  Jake drove carefully, aware of the woman beside him. Annie Sandusky was quite a looker. Soft brown hair framed her face and cascaded around her shoulders. Even in last night’s muted light, he’d known she was a beauty. Her features were delicate and well-defined.

  Yet nothing had prepared him for seeing her standing in front of him clearly in the full light of day. Her pregnancy and, in particular, all the questions her condition raised, had taken him completely by surprise.

  Late last night he’d had a few moment
s to speak to Martin, his father’s ranch foreman. He’d learned then that Annie Sandusky had lived at the bunkhouse for several months. Had his father, who was more than twice her age, fallen in love with this white woman and brought her here to his pueblo? It didn’t seem likely. His father had been a deeply religious Tewa who had always felt marriage outside the tribe was a mistake. If the child had been his father’s, Jake was certain Paul would have married her. Thoughts circled around his mind like a hawk searching for prey, but he had no answers.

  “Your father spoke about you often,” she said, interrupting the silence between them. “He was proud of you.”

  “Did he actually say that to you?” he asked skeptically.

  “Not in so many words, but believe me, he was.”

  Annie’s eyes shone with a gentleness he’d never seen in anyone before. He felt the tug on his senses and quickly looked away, disciplining his thoughts. Despite what common sense told him, it was possible Annie was carrying his father’s child. The thought sobered him. The attraction he felt toward her was, at best, totally misguided.

  “Your father was a good man,” she stated defensively.

  He glanced over at her, but didn’t comment. He could see the disapproval in her eyes as she looked back at him. It was clear that her loyalty to the father had already affected her perception of the son. In Annie’s eyes, Jake suspected he was viewed as nothing more than the ungrateful son who’d turned his back on his father and his Tewa heritage.

  Somehow, he seriously doubted that his father had told her the entire story. It was ironic that the firmness of her belief was founded in the one person who had shattered his own ability to trust.

  “You know what had been bothering your father, don’t you?” Annie observed thoughtfully. “Did Paul ask you to come back because he wanted your help?”

  Her steady gaze seemed to penetrate through him. Annie was steel and velvety softness all rolled into one devastating package. “Yes. He contacted me. I almost didn’t come, but it was the first and only time in his life that he ever asked me for anything.”

  “So you came back to help him.” She nodded in approval.

  “I did it for myself, not for my father. I wanted to show him the value of a son he’d cast aside.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t claim to understand what happened between you, your brother and your father, but I know that Paul loved you and Nick deeply. His last thoughts were of you.”

  “Guilt isn’t the same as love,” Jake countered quietly. “You probably don’t know this, but he was the one who sent us away.”

  Annie said nothing for a moment. “Paul once mentioned that he’d always worried you two would never get out of his shadow—or each other’s—unless you left the ranch and went out on your own. If he drove you two away, I’m sure that was the reason.”

  He shook his head. “My father wasn’t that noble. Simply put, he was a tyrant. His opinion was all that counted, as far as he was concerned.”

  “The Paul I knew wasn’t like that at all,” she protested. “I think the problem is that your memories are a teenager’s, a boy at odds with his father. I’m sure your opinion would have changed had you come back home years later and met him as an equal—man to man.”

  Jake shook his head. Annie couldn’t have known his father that well if she truly believed all that. People didn’t change. He wanted to tell her the truth about his father and how he destroyed the people he professed to care about most, but changed his mind. There was no point. She had enough to contend with already.

  Out of the comer of his eye, he saw Annie place one hand over her stomach. Even the possibility of his father having a relationship with this woman, young enough to be his daughter, made his chest tighten painfully. But he couldn’t really blame his father, if it were true. Had the situation been different, Jake knew he would have tried to get close to Annie himself. Her gentleness and her courage drew him.

  “Tell me about your baby’s father. It doesn’t seem right for you to be alone,” he said, unable to suppress his need to know.

  Anger flashed in her eyes. “I’m a widow,” she said flatly. “And I’m not as alone as you think. I have friends at the pueblo, like Martin, and Elsie, my nurse midwife. My baby and I have each other, too.”

  It was obvious she’d resented his question. Her tone made it clear she had no intention of discussing it further with him. But, more importantly, she hadn’t actually answered him...

  “Do you know if Ralph Ortega was able to give the police a description of the man who attacked him?” she asked, forcing the conversation back to the more immediate problem at hand.

  “Not as far as I know,” Jake answered. “All I heard was that Ralph told Captain Mora that he was hit over the head and then, when he regained consciousness, he discovered he’d been tied up and almost stripped bare. The only thing left of the Santa outfit was the toy sack. Ralph was suffering from hypothermia when he was found, and he’s now listed in guarded condition.”

  A few minutes later they’d parked the truck and made their way up the walk to the front door of the main house.

  Annie hesitated at the entrance.

  “Will you be okay coming back in here so soon after what’s happened?” Jake asked. “If you’d rather, I’ll take you back to the bunkhouse.”

  “No, I can handle it.” Taking a deep breath, Annie stepped inside. “This house will never be the same again without Paul,” she added sadly.

  Jake felt a heaviness in his chest. Annie was right. His father was gone, and no matter how hard he tried to deny it, a part of him mourned the loss. Tearing his gaze away from the yellow tape blocking the stairs, he headed for the study.

  Annie walked in behind him and sat. Jake couldn’t help but notice that her rose-scented perfume was the only thing that softened the austerity of his father’s domain. He looked around, wishing he were any place but here.

  “You never told me why your father asked you to return home,” she pressed. If they were going to be in this together, Jake was going to have to be more up front with her. She couldn’t allow him to duck the issue any longer.

  He paused and, with obvious reluctance, sat in what had always been his father’s favorite chair. “Have you considered the possibility that my father was trying to protect you by not telling you about this? If that’s the case, I’m not sure I have the right to say anything now. Your condition... is delicate,” he finished at length.

  “Being kept in the dark seldom helps anyone,” she said sharply. “I can take care of myself a lot better if I know what I’m up against.”

  Annie had a point and he knew it. But a part of him still felt the need to protect her. She was extremely vulnerable right now, whether or not she wanted to admit it.

  “Let me tell you something you may not be aware of,” she said. “There has been a lot of speculation and gossip about my relationship with your father ever since I moved into the bunkhouse and my pregnancy became obvious. People have made a lot of assumptions based on hearsay, and it’s totally unfair. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Annie looked directly at him and, as she did, Jake felt the pain and frustration behind her words. The sudden connection between them stunned him. He’d never responded to any woman in this way before. A link he neither wanted nor understood was forming between them.

  “Some people are convinced that I know every detail of your father’s life,” Annie continued. “And that’s where the problem lies. If the death of your father hasn’t satisfied the killer, if there’s something else he wants or needs, he’s going to come for me next.”

  “You’re right.” Jake stared at his father’s desk pensively, before deciding to tell her what she needed to know. “I received a letter from my dad last week,” he confided. “He told me that he was being cheated by a close friend and, for that reason, wanted to handle the matter himself instead of turning it over to the cops. He said the situation was serious and asked if I would come and help him out. He said
he needed to talk a few things over with me.”

  Jake let his breath out in a hiss. “I told Captain Mora about my father’s letter, and he asked to see it. Unfortunately, I threw it away, and it’s long gone. Once I made the decision to come, I didn’t think it was necessary to hold on to it.”

  “Did your father tell you who he suspected?”

  “No. I figured he was planning to let me know when we met in person. My father wasn’t the kind to lay all his cards on the table.”

  “What about your brother Nick? Did your father contact him, too?”

  “I don’t know. Nick and I don’t talk much these days.”

  “We have to find out. He also needs to know what’s happened, if he doesn’t already.”

  “I’ve tried calling, but I haven’t been able to reach him so far. By the way, does he know about you?”

  “What exactly do you mean?” she asked, her unflinching gaze on him. “What’s to be known about me?”

  Annie wasn’t going to give an inch, Jake could see that. She’d mentioned unfair gossip and, he had to admit, it seemed unlikely that she’d been his father’s lover. “That you were our father’s friend, and that you live at the bunkhouse here on the property,” he said. “By the way, the last time I saw the bunkhouse, that place was in shambles. When was it fixed up?”

  “After I moved in. I did the work. I put in shelves, repaired the adobe walls and stained the wood. The rest of the hired help, Martin and the part-time wranglers, all live in their own homes, so it was just sitting empty and dilapidated. Your father hated waste, and figured that allowing me to live there while I fixed it up was a good solution all the way around.”

  Jake’s memories came crowding to the forefront of his mind. The bunkhouse had been their mother’s artist studio. One evening his father had gone in there and, in a rage, destroyed all her work. His mother hadn’t touched her paints and easels again; she’d never been the same after that.