“What’s happening to me?” she whispered.
Marly was no virgin, but she realized now that was a mere technicality. Deacon Cage had opened up a whole new world for her, one she could never have imagined.
And it scared her. Frightened her as nothing ever had. Not even her worst nightmares.
Rolling onto her back, she watched the flicker of lightning through the window. The storm drew steadily closer, but Marly knew that whatever bad weather the night might bring would pale in comparison to the tempest raging inside her.
A silent storm, she now realized, that had been building for years.
DEACON FROWNED AS HE WATCHED Marly’s car tear away from the curb, and he caught his breath when she momentarily skidded out of control. Only when he lost sight of her taillights did he realize his hands were clenched tightly at his sides. He relaxed them, but it didn’t ease the tension inside him.
He should never have let her go racing off into the rain as upset as she was, but under the circumstances, there wasn’t much else he could have done. He’d already gone too far with her. He’d frightened her so badly he might not be able to repair the damage. He might never gain her trust.
But he hadn’t been able to help himself, and that was the scariest part of all. He’d made her want him in order to prove a point, but in proving that point, he’d found himself wanting her. He’d almost done the unthinkable. The unforgivable. He’d almost lost control of the situation, and that was a very dangerous thing.
He started to turn from the window, but in a flash of lightning, he saw something move in the yard below him.
Deacon watched the spot for several long moments until another flicker of lightning convinced him that his eyes were playing tricks on him. No one was there.
But as he continued to stare into the rainy darkness, he felt it. A gentle probing. A tentative exploration inside his head. In the split second before Deacon became fully aware of the danger, an invisible tentacle had almost penetrated his mind’s defenses.
He’d let down his guard for too long. He’d become distracted by his attraction to Marly. That couldn’t happen again.
Because Deacon knew, with a dreaded certainty, that the killer was here. Close by. And he had just thrown down the gauntlet.
Chapter Eight
Marly knocked on Navarro’s door the next morning, then stuck her head inside his office. “You wanted to see me?”
He waved her in. “Come in, Deputy, and close the door.”
Max Perry was seated across from Navarro’s desk, and he rose when Marly entered. But the third person in the room was the one who made her stomach sink. Joshua Rush leaned against the wall, arms folded, as he gave her an insolent once-over.
With his dark blond hair and baby-blue eyes, he had the clean-cut, all-American good-looks that made people want to trust him. His magnetism was undeniable, but what most people didn’t see—or chose to ignore—was the cruelty behind that dazzling smile.
Marly glanced nervously at Navarro, feeling as if she were about to be ambushed.
He gestured to a second chair across from his desk. “Have a seat.”
Marly complied, folding her hands in her lap and keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. But she could feel Joshua’s gaze on her, and reluctantly, she stole a glance in his direction. He gave her a smile, that slow, charismatic smile that had once fooled her so utterly. The same smile that now had the power to chill her blood.
She glanced back at Navarro. “What’s going on, sir?”
“Max here tells me the two of you talked at some length last evening about the recent deaths in Mission Creek.”
She nodded. “We had a discussion, yes.” Had Max mentioned her interest in cults and mind control? Was that what this meeting was all about? Did Navarro think she’d gone off the deep end?
After the incident in Deacon Cage’s apartment the night before, Marly wasn’t so sure she could put up much of an argument in her defense. She still got cold chills when she thought about her loss of control.
“He tells me that you have an interest in the suicide hotline that he’s proposed.”
“Well, yes,” Marly said, breathing a little easier. “I’ve always thought it was a good idea.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Navarro leaned back in his chair. “I’d like you to assist Max in any way you can to get it up and running. We’ve already arranged for a special number from the phone company, and for now, we’ll use the conference room as headquarters. The next step is making sure word gets out to the community. That’s where you come in.”
“What is it you want me to do?” Marly asked.
“For one thing, we’ll need to get flyers printed and passed out. You can help with that. Max has also been conducting a series of after-school meetings that he wants to open up to the public. He’s holding the first one tonight in the high school auditorium, and I’d like you there as the police department’s representative. We have to make sure the community knows that we’re deeply concerned about these deaths and fully committed to finding some answers.” Navarro paused, his gaze meeting Marly’s. “Any questions so far?”
Yes, Marly thought. She had plenty of questions. She wanted to believe Navarro was giving her this assignment because he had complete faith in her, but somehow she wasn’t convinced that was his true motivation. She couldn’t help wondering if he’d somehow found out about her visit from Lisa Potter and if he was assigning Marly busywork just to distract her.
“Max has also arranged for the two of you to be interviewed on the Phil Garner radio program this afternoon,” Navarro was saying.
“Interviewed?” The mere thought of having to answer questions on a live broadcast made Marly’s palms sweat. “I don’t know that I’m the best person—”
“Relax,” Max murmured. “I’ll do most of the talking.”
Marly flashed him a grateful smile, then her gaze shifted back to Joshua. What was his part in all this? Had he somehow convinced Navarro to give her this assignment because he considered it more appropriate to her gender and capabilities than, say, investigative work? Or even handing out traffic citations? He’d always harbored certain expectations for his future wife, and on the day she’d called it quits, Marly had told him exactly what he could do with those expectations.
Their breakup hadn’t been amicable, and Marly had no wish to interact with her former fiancé now, even on police business. She’d successfully avoided him for months, and now here they were, in the same room, only a few feet apart, and he was smiling that smile.
He’s up to something, Marly thought with an unexpected shiver.
“You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.” His blue gaze taunted her.
“We’re calling on the leaders of all the area churches to get involved,” Navarro explained. “We asked Reverend Rush to attend this initial meeting because his church has been the most affected by these suicides.”
Joshua’s face was the perfect mask of concern and sorrow. “It’s been a very trying time for our congregation, as you can imagine. You may remember, Marly, that David and Amber were very involved in our youth group, and Miss Gracie not only sang in the choir—and did so beautifully, I might add—but was also one of our most devoted Bible schoolteachers.” His eyes moistened right on cue. “Naturally I’m anxious to do whatever I can to help the community cope with these tragedies.”
Plus, the suicides were bad for business, Marly thought cynically. If people lost faith in him, the attendance would drop at the Glorious Way Church and so would the Sunday collections.
The meeting went on for several more minutes, and then finally Navarro drew it to a close. Marly got up to follow Max and Joshua out, but before she could exit, Navarro called her back in.
He gestured toward the chair she’d just vacated. “I get the feeling you’re not exactly thrilled about your new assignment.”
His comment caught her off guard. “It’s not that,” she said, dodging. “It’s just…I’
m not sure I’m the right person for the job. I haven’t even been working for the police department all that long, and I certainly don’t have any public relations experience. To tell you the truth, I’m not even much of a people person.”
“This is new territory for all of us,” Navarro said. “No one in the department has any real PR experience that I’m aware of it. But you do have a college education, and you know how to talk to people without stepping on any toes. That’s more than I can say for most of my deputies.”
“But my degree is in education,” Marly pointed out.
“All the more reason why you’re qualified for this assignment. When you were teaching, you had to be able to deal with difficult people in difficult situations, didn’t you?”
Yes, Marly thought. Which was why she’d only lasted a year in the classroom. Aloud she said, “I’ll do my best.”
He nodded. “That’s all I ask.” When Marly started to rise, he said, “Just one more thing.” He leaned forward, folding his arms on his desk. His eyes were very intense, Marly noticed, and she had a strange feeling that he was somehow testing her. “I heard Deacon Cage came by here to see you the other day.”
Marly’s backbone tingled at the mere mention of his name. “Yes, he did.”
Navarro toyed with a pen on his desk. “What did he want?”
“He has a theory about the suicides,” Marly said hesitantly.
“So does everyone in town,” Navarro muttered. “What’s his?”
Marly wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell Navarro, or anyone else, about her conversations with Deacon Cage. Last night was still too fresh in her mind. “He said something about the suicides…not being suicides.”
Navarro glanced up. “He said what?”
Marly shrugged. “I know it sounds crazy. In fact, I thought he was crazy at first. Some nutcase who’d heard about the suicides on the news and decided to come down here and try to interject himself into the investigation. Now I think he’s here for another reason.”
Navarro’s gaze narrowed. “Such as?”
“I think he’s either a tabloid reporter trying to create a new angle on the story in order to sell more papers, or else he’s been hired by one of the families to dig up something that could be used in a lawsuit, maybe by discrediting the police department.”
Navarro seemed to mull that over for a moment. “Have you run a background check on him?”
“Yes, but so far nothing’s turned up.”
“Well, keep digging,” Navarro said grimly. “Whatever scam he’s trying to pull, he seems to have marked you as the target. See what you can find out about him, but watch yourself. For all we know, that guy could be dangerous.”
Tell me something I don’t know, Marly thought as she rose and exited Navarro’s office.
WHEN SHE CAME OUT OF THE station a little while later, Joshua was waiting to see her. He called out her name, but Marly ignored him. Hurrying down the steps after her, he grabbed her elbow to stop her.
She whirled and jerked her arm from his grasp. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He raised both hands, as if to prove he wasn’t a threat. “I just want to talk to you, that’s all.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about.”
His expression turned remorseful. “You’re wrong, Marly. You can’t sweep everything that happened between us under a rug and hope it’ll somehow go away. It won’t. Not until we sort things out.”
Marly gave a bitter laugh. “I think everything was pretty much sorted out in your office that day. I don’t need to rehash it. That chapter of my life is over. I don’t even think about it anymore.”
“Liar.” He smiled knowingly, making Marly’s blood run cold and then hot with fury. The man’s ego knew no bounds.
“You have the nerve to call me a liar?” she demanded. “Your whole life is nothing but a lie.”
“Now, Marly,” he said, in that condescending tone she’d come to despise. “It’s time to let go of the bitterness. It’s not becoming, and besides, if we’re going to be working together—”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” she cut in. “You and I are not going to be working together. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
He gave her his wide-eyed, innocent stare. “Didn’t you hear what Navarro just said? He wants all the church leaders to be involved in his community outreach program. And since you’ll be acting as liaison for the police department, we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Which, I have to admit, I’m looking forward to. It’ll give us a chance to straighten out some of our differences, and who knows? We may even be able to rekindle our romance.”
“When hell freezes over,” Marly said through gritted teeth.
He just laughed. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not wise to burn bridges?”
“Some bridges are best blown to smithereens,” Marly said coldly. “You were always so concerned about your image. I wonder what would happen to your reputation if your congregation knew about your affair with Crystal Bishop while you were still engaged to me.”
Suddenly the innocence was gone and the true Joshua Rush was revealed by the gleam of anger in his eyes, by the cruel set of his mouth. He grabbed Marly’s arms, catching her by surprise, and hauled her against him. “Who would believe you? It would be your word against mine, and everyone in town knows how pathetic you are. Here you are, twenty-eight years old, and you can’t even muster enough courage to crawl out from under your father’s shadow. He says jump, you still say how high.”
Before Marly could pull away from him, a male voice said from behind her, “Is everything okay here?”
She recognized that voice and groaned inwardly. The last thing she wanted was to be rescued by Deacon Cage.
Joshua’s smile was angelic as he released her. Every trace of anger had miraculously vanished. Even the lock of blond hair that fell across his forehead made him look boyish and charming. “I’m sorry,” he said, extending his hand toward Deacon. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Joshua Rush. Reverend Rush.”
Deacon ignored the outstretched hand as his gaze swept over Marly. “You okay?”
“Of course.” With an effort, she tried to keep her demeanor cool and professional. She didn’t want his assistance, nor did she need it. She could handle Joshua Rush. She’d done it before and she could do it again. “Was there something you needed?” she asked pointedly.
“I’d like to have a word with you.” Deacon glanced toward Joshua. “In private.”
Joshua frowned, not accustomed to being dismissed. “Do you want me to hang around for a bit?” he asked Marly.
Oh, this was great. Just great. Joshua wanted to protect her from Deacon, Deacon wanted to protect her from Joshua, and Marly didn’t trust either man as far as she could throw him.
“No,” she said to Joshua. “I don’t need you to hang around. You and I are finished.” There was no mistaking her meaning, and Joshua’s mask slipped for one brief second, revealing his anger and annoyance, before the smile settled firmly back in place.
“Well, in that case, I should probably get back to my office. I’ll see you soon.” He bent, brushing his lips against hers before Marly could protest. “I can hardly wait,” he whispered.
Suppressing a shudder, Marly waited until he was out of earshot before she turned back to Deacon. And as their gazes met, she felt her nerve endings jump to attention. She suddenly remembered in graphic detail every tingle, every touch, every nuance of his kiss. She remembered the way she’d kissed him back, the way she’d touched him—
Marly tore her gaze from his as her face went hot with embarrassment.
“We need to talk about last night,” he murmured.
She lifted her chin. “No, we don’t. The only thing that needs to be said about last night is that it won’t happen again.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Marly.”
She clenched her fists at her sides. “If you’re trying to tell me you somehow
manipulated me into…doing what I did, then you’re wrong. No one can make me do anything I don’t want to do. You can’t control my thoughts. You can’t get inside my head.” She forced herself to take a deep breath and lower her voice. “Last night just happened. It was a mistake. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Do you really believe that, Marly? Is that the way you normally respond to a first kiss?”
She had never responded to any kiss that way in her life. But it wasn’t because Deacon Cage had controlled her mind and manipulated her thoughts. No one could do that. Not her father. Not Joshua Rush. No one.
For some reason, Marly had been vulnerable last night. Needy. Perhaps even a little sexually frustrated. But Deacon Cage hadn’t made her respond to him.
“I meant what I said last night. I want you to stay away from me.”
“Why?”
The moment she glanced at him, his dark gaze captured hers. His eyes held her imprisoned, enthralled, and Marly couldn’t seem to look away no matter how hard she tried.
“If you don’t think I manipulated your response last night, then why are you afraid of me?” he challenged.
Isn’t that obvious? Marly wanted to scream. She wasn’t terrified that he’d made her respond. She was terrified that he hadn’t.
PHIL GARNER WAS A DIMINUTIVE man whose placid, bookish demeanor was at complete odds with his rich baritone radio voice and his gregarious, sometimes abrasive, on-air personality. He was something of an institution in Mission Creek, having been on the air for as long as Marly could remember. He was not only the owner and general manager of KBRT, but also director of programming, news-reader, talk show host and disc jockey.
He’d agreed to devote the last thirty minutes of the Phil Garner Show that day to Max Perry and Marly, and had, in deference to the serious subject matter, toned down his brusque interview style. Nevertheless, he asked probing and insightful questions, which Max handled with professional aplomb.
Marly had to admit that both men were thoroughly prepared, and she felt more than a little inadequate sitting between them in the soundproof booth. It was a relief when the on-air sign went off and she was able to remove her headset. While Max gathered up his notes, Marly turned to Phil. “Do you have a minute or two? I’d like to talk to you.”
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