“Do you want more toast?” Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and back to breakfast.
“No, thanks, I’m good.” He took a sip of his coffee and then set the cup down. “I was just thinking that if you want to make an appointment to get your toenails and fingernails done, then I’ll be glad to take you and sit with you. I know that’s something you wanted to do before the babies arrive.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes wide and suddenly shimmering with tears. “Thank you.”
“Avery, what’s wrong?” he asked in concern as she dabbed her eyes with her napkin.
She waved her hand as if to dismiss him, then released a laughing sob. “Don’t you worry about me. My hormones are just crazy right now. If you really don’t mind, then I’ll make an appointment at my nail salon for tomorrow or the next day.”
“That would be fine,” he assured her. “Now, is there something I can do to help your hormone issue?”
She laughed. “No, but thanks for asking.” She sobered quickly and stood and began to clear the dishes. “Once I’m done here I’m going to spend some more time on the computer.”
There was that distance again. He heard it in her voice. By the time he finished the last of his coffee she was already out of the kitchen. Maybe she was tired of his presence in the house. Maybe she was beginning to start to feel that he was an intrusion. She’d certainly seemed like she was trying to get rid of him, judging by some of their conversations over the past three days.
He was torn. He didn’t want to leave her defenseless to the kind of person who had tormented Lulu and written that threatening note. He didn’t want to take a chance that somebody was lurking around in the shadows just waiting for him to leave so they could strike at her. And that’s why he was reluctant to leave her house, reluctant to leave her.
He finally set his computer up on the table and hoped that thinking about a serial killer would wipe thoughts and worries about Avery out of his mind.
They had been working for about an hour when Avery called him to the living room. “I found a familiar name,” she said. “Corgan, Horace Corgan. Apparently, he was dishonorably discharged from the army thirty-nine years ago. Who exactly is he?”
“If I remember right, he’s a cousin to Elliot and Adam.” Dallas frowned thoughtfully. Adam was a respected rancher and Elliot had died in prison after being convicted of the murders of young women that had rocked the small town forty years ago.
“Horace would have army buttons, wouldn’t he?” Avery asked.
“Yeah, I would think he would,” Dallas replied.
“Is it possible he’s some sort of a copycat who is killing people now?”
“At this point I think anything is possible.” He stared at the name. “I don’t think anyone thought about Horace. He might have been interviewed initially, but I wonder if he was fully investigated.”
“When Elliot was arrested I’m sure nobody else was investigated,” she said. “Everyone believed Elliot was guilty.”
“I need to call Forrest and let him know what you’ve found. I also need to let Chief Thompson know.” Dallas went back in the kitchen to make the calls.
“Horace Corgan...” Chief Thompson repeated the name after Dallas mentioned it. “He’s definitely flown under our radar. And you say he was dishonorably discharged from the army?”
“Yeah. He would have had army buttons, Chief.”
“I’ll be damned,” Archer said softly. “How did we miss this? Let me do a little research and see where he’s living now. I’ll get right back to you.”
Dallas didn’t have long to wait. Archer called back within minutes with the location. “If it’s possible I’d like you and Forrest to handle interviewing him. Hopefully, it can be done tomorrow, but I’ve got my hands full here and can’t get away.”
“No problem. I’ll talk to Forrest and we’ll get it done.”
“Good, I’ll text both of you the actual address. We’ll see what Horace can add to the conversation.”
They clicked off and then Dallas phoned his brother to make their plans. When the calls were completed, he returned to the living room, where Avery had moved to sit on the sofa.
“How do you feel about a ride to Austin in the morning?” he asked.
“What’s in Austin?”
“Horace Corgan. Chief Thompson is good with Forrest and Rae and you and me going to talk to him. According to Chief Thompson Horace is in bad health. If he’s responsible for these latest murders, maybe he’ll want to clear his conscience.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice,” she replied. “I’m definitely in.”
“It’s a bit of a long drive. Are you sure you’re up to that kind of a car ride?”
“If Horace Corgan has some answers that might help, then I’m not about to miss out on hearing them,” she replied firmly. “I can sit in a car just fine.”
“I was also wondering if you feel up to an evening out?” he asked.
She looked at him cautiously. “Out where?”
“I thought we’d go out to dinner at the diner. I’d like to see what kind of gossip I can learn about Horace, and there’s always some old-timers who eat there almost every night.”
He saw the faint edge of fear that leaped into the depths of her green eyes. She might talk a good game about him returning to his own life. She might want to convince herself that the danger to her was gone. But that darkening of her eyes told him she wasn’t quite there yet. He wondered now if fear was what had kept her from making a nail appointment before now.
“Avery, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, but I’ll understand if you don’t want to go.”
Her chin shot up and the fear in her eyes vanished beneath a steely strength. “I refuse to be a prisoner in my own house. I would love to have dinner with you at the diner this evening.”
It was at that moment, with her eyes blazing with an inner strength, that he realized much to his dismay that she was exactly the kind of woman he could fall in love with...if he was really looking to fall in love again. Which he wasn’t...
* * *
This was the first time they’d be out of the house since Joel Asman had stood on the sidewalk and stared at her place with such malevolence it had iced her insides.
Just after five, they left the house for the diner. Thankfully, there was nobody lurking around and they didn’t appear to be followed.
She was clad in a light green blouse that she knew complimented her eyes and brown maternity slacks. She’d taken extra care with her makeup and hair, not so much for Dallas, but rather for herself. She wanted to show everyone in town she wasn’t afraid, that the bad guys weren’t winning and didn’t have her cowering in fear.
Still, it was always a little nerve-racking in the initial moments when they left the house to get into his truck in the driveway.
Once they were safely in his vehicle and on their way, she began to relax. “I have to admit it feels nice to be out of the house.”
“Tonight we’re on a mission, not only to eat a nice meal out, but also to gather as much information as we can about Horace Corgan.”
“We could break the case tomorrow,” she said optimistically.
“Wouldn’t that be nice, but I’m not going to hold my breath.” He angled into a parking space and cut the engine. He unfastened his seat belt and then turned to face her. “Avery, if anyone or anything inside the diner makes you feel unsafe, just tell me. I’ll whisk you back home in the blink of an eye.”
“Dallas, as long as I’m in your company I feel perfectly safe,” she replied. “Now, let’s get inside and see what we can find out. Besides, as usual the twins are hungry.”
They walked in and immediately Dallas leaned into her. “There’s the man I was hoping would be here tonight.” He gestured toward a small, thin man seated alone in a booth.
Avery immediately recognized him: George Severnson, a ninety-four-year-old widower who could still fiddle with the best of them and was the oldest resident in town.
They made their way to his booth. “Hey, George, mind if we join you?” Dallas asked.
George’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he offered them a toothless grin. “Ain’t often anyone wants to sit with an old geezer like me.”
“Actually, we’d like to ask you some questions,” Dallas said.
“Sit and ask away.” He pointed to the seat opposite him.
Avery and Dallas had just slid into the booth when the waitress appeared to take their orders. Avery ordered the meat loaf special, Dallas got a bacon cheeseburger and George opted for a plate of spaghetti.
“George, your dinner is on me tonight,” Dallas said.
“Well, if that’s the case add on a piece of that caramel apple pie that I like so much,” George replied. “Hell, add on two pieces. I’ll take one home,” he told the waitress. He then looked from Dallas to Avery. “Must be some important questions you want to ask me if you’re bribing me with a free dinner.”
“We’ll get to those in a minute,” Dallas replied. “Are you still fiddling?”
The old man’s pale blue eyes lit up once again. “Every chance I get,” he declared. “In fact, I just won first place in a talent contest over at the Elks’ Club the other night.”
“Good for you,” Dallas said.
As the two men shared a conversation about fiddling, Avery gazed around, checking out the other diners, making sure that none of Dwayne Conway’s “friends” were in the restaurant.
Thankfully, she didn’t see any of them. They were probably in a dank dark cave somewhere, plotting her demise, she thought darkly.
She suddenly realized George was looking at her expectantly. “I’m sorry?”
“Your man here just told me you’re carrying his twins. What a blessing that is,” George said.
“Thank you.” She smiled, although she wondered if she should try to explain to George that Dallas wasn’t her man. She decided not to say anything. Besides, her relationship with Dallas was far too complicated for her to even think about at the moment.
“My wife, God rest her soul, couldn’t give me any children,” George said. “But I loved that woman with all my heart and soul.” For a moment the slight man appeared even older than he was as sadness swept over his wrinkled features.
He straightened his shoulders and the sadness fell away. “But that was then and this is now, and I love my fiddle and that caramel apple pie.”
Just then their food was delivered. “So, what did you want to ask this old man?” George sucked in a long strand of spaghetti, the end whipping his cheek with a bit of sauce. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe it away.
“We were wondering what you might know about Horace Corgan,” Dallas said.
“Good Lord, now that’s a name from the past.” George looked at them in surprise. “What on earth would you want to know about that man?”
“Anything you can tell us about him,” Avery said. “It’s really important, George.”
He frowned. “I don’t know a lot about him. We didn’t really run in the same circles. I do know he and Beau Lemmon were fairly tight.” George frowned. “Has there been any word on who killed Beau? Is that what this is about?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Dallas replied. “We still don’t know who murdered him.”
Beau Lemmon was Rae Lemmon’s father, and Rae and Forrest had recently fallen in love. Rae had been devastated when Beau had been found in a grave on her property. Thankfully, Forrest had been there to help her through her grief. But Beau had been murdered, and so far there had been no clues as to who was responsible for his death.
George shook his head and slurped in another mouthful of spaghetti. “Strange things going on in this town. You think Horace is responsible for Beau’s death?”
“We don’t know if Horace is responsible for anything yet. We just wanted to get a general idea of what kind of man he was,” Dallas replied.
“You know he got a dishonorable discharge from the army. I don’t know the details, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t about him flirting with the women. Horace definitely liked the young ladies,” George said with a shake of his head.
“It’s not against the law to like young ladies,” Avery said an hour later, when she and Dallas were headed back to her house.
“True, but I still look forward to speaking with Horace tomorrow.”
“What time are we leaving?”
“Forrest and Rae are picking us up around nine.” Dallas parked in Avery’s driveway and she waited for him to come around to get her. He threw a protective arm around her shoulders as they walked to the front door.
Once inside, they sat on the sofa. “You know it’s very possible Horace has nothing to do with any of this,” she said.
“True, but he would have army buttons in his possession, and we know buttons were found at several of the murder scenes. At the very least maybe we’ll be able to take him off the suspect list for good. He was only interviewed once early on in the case. In any case he needs to be interviewed again.”
For the next half an hour they talked about the case and then, even though it was still relatively early, Avery decided to call it a night.
It was getting incredibly difficult for her to find a comfortable position in bed or anywhere else. She was definitely looking forward to the birth of her babies more and more each day. She couldn’t wait to get them out of her body and into her arms.
She climbed into bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was in the utter quiet of the night that her mind was the most chaotic. And all the chaos was about Dallas and her feelings for him.
Despite everything that had to do with good sense and rational thought, she wished he was in bed with her right now. She wished he had his arms wrapped tightly around her and she could feel his heart beating against her own.
But she had to be smart about things. A good relationship with Dallas was the very best gift she could give her babies, and she couldn’t, absolutely wouldn’t allow her emotions to get in the way of that.
Eventually the threat against her would be resolved and he would move back to his cabin. She would probably see him only when he picked up the twins and brought them back. Despite her physical discomfort, she shoved all the thoughts out of her head and closed her eyes. Then she finally drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Dallas’s arms were tight around her as they gazed into first one crib and then the other. The twins cooed, a chorus of health and happiness.
He turned her around and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I love you, Avery.” As his words warmed her, his lips took hers in a fiery kiss that weakened her knees.
Then they were in her bed, making love with all the passion, all the love they felt for each other. Avery clung to him, certain of her future, of their future together. It was the fairy tale she’d been afraid to hope for, the happy ending she now believed in.
And then she was running. She raced down first one dark street and then another. Behind her Joel Asman and Max Malone chased after her, each of them wielding huge knives that shone in the moonlight.
Her breaths came in short, painful pants as she kept one arm wrapped around her pregnant belly. “Dallas!” She screamed his name over and over again as the two men behind her drew closer and closer.
But her cries for help echoed down the dark streets and nobody seemed to hear them. Tears half blinded her as she realized the thugs were going to catch her. They were going to kill her, and with her death, her babies would die.
“Dallas,” she screamed once again in a final plea for help.
* * *
“Avery, wake up. Honey, you’re having a nightmare.”
Dallas’s deep
voice penetrated through her layers of sleep and vanquished the nightmare. She opened her eyes, sat up and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as sobs escaped her.
“You’re okay. Avery, you’re safe.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
“Th-they were chasing me with knives. J-Joel and Max. Th-they were going to k-kill me.”
“Nobody is going to kill you, Avery. It was just a bad dream.”
Slowly she managed to get her tears under control. She released her hold on him. “I’m sorry, Dallas. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He smiled and used his thumbs to gently wipe the tears off her cheeks. “Wake me? Hell, you scared me half to death. I heard you screaming my name and I thought when I came in here you’d be in the middle of birthing those babies right here in the bed.”
“No birth. I just thought for sure I was going to be killed.” Even though she was now fully awake, the terror of the nightmare still coursed through her. “I’m sorry for waking you and scaring the hell out of you.”
“Are you okay to go back to sleep?”
She started to nod that she was, but then stopped. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you consider sleeping in here with me for the rest of the night?”
“I can do that,” he agreed immediately. She scooted over to allow him room to slide beneath the sheet next to her.
He was clad only in boxers and as he gathered her into his arms, his bare skin warmed her. There was nothing sexual about it; his embrace comforted her and gave her a sense of security as she drifted off to sleep once again.
By the time she awakened the next morning, she was once again alone in the bed. However, the sheets still held the warmth of his body heat, letting her know it hadn’t been long since he’d left.
Thankfully nothing was awkward as they ate breakfast and prepared for the day’s travel. It was approximately one hundred and ninety miles to Austin. Seven hours in the car would make a very long day for her in her condition, but she wasn’t about to sit this one out.
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