Met Her Match

by Jude Deveraux

  “Nate,” Terri whispered. “We can—”

  “Yeah,” he answered as he rolled on top of her. “We can do anything. Do it all.”

  As he entered her, she felt the freest she’d felt in her lifetime. With Nate’s slow, long, deep strokes, she felt something else rise in her: hope. It was not an emotion she was familiar with. Her life had always seemed to be preordained. She had to always be good to atone for her mother’s sins. She’d had to...

  She bent her leg and pushed on Nate so he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

  When he looked up at her face and saw the beginning of a smile, he understood. For all the tragedy of the situation, it meant he and Terri could be together. With the infidelity of the past removed from Terri’s life, all that was wrong was a broken engagement. Not a reenactment of the past, just a normal thing.

  They knew that the future belonged to them. They were conjoined beings who no longer had to face the world separately.

  They made love for an hour, until exhaustion and hunger made them stop. Nate would have to go back to the crime scene, but he needed a shower. Terri joined him. “You know I can’t resist water,” she said.

  By the time they got out, it was midmorning and Nate finally checked his phone. He had thirty-two messages—none of which he read. “I have to go,” he muttered.

  “Oh?” Terri dropped the towel to the floor. “Sure?”

  Nate stepped back to look at her nude body, rosy pink from the hot water. He remembered her long, long legs around him, her ankles on his shoulder. “I’m the sheriff now so I have to—”

  “You’re what?”

  “Jamie gave Frank a tranq and put him in the hospital, so Frank temporarily gave me his badge. I need to—”

  Terri threw open a closet door, pulled out a blue robe, put it on and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make you a sandwich and you can eat it in the car. What’s Rowan doing to find out who...who did it?”

  Nate hastily pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. He picked up his shoes and socks and followed her to the kitchen. “Why the change of heart?”

  “I thought you were just a bystander, getting in the way of the FBI, but as sheriff they’ll have to let you in on this. You’re clever. You can figure out things.”

  Nate took a handful of corn chips. “When you thought I was a civilian, you wanted to spend the day in bed with me. But now you want me gone?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Jamie will probably release Frank today and I’ll give his badge back.”

  Terri stopped putting mayonnaise on bread and stared at him. “I retract the clever part. If you think Frank Cannon will ever take that badge back, you are dreaming. And as for getting out of the hospital, I’ll bet you twenty grand—which I don’t have—that he’s on his way to his fishing cabin—and no one, not even Dad, knows where that is. Since I won’t lose, I’ll add five to the bet that he left his phone behind so no one can reach him.”

  Nate was staring at her.

  She piled the bread high with cold cuts, tomatoes, pickles and lettuce. “You have the badge with you?”

  Silently, Nate pulled it out of his pocket and pinned it to his shirt.

  “Looks good, and you’d better get used to it.”

  “Terri,” Nate said with great patience, “I am not into law enforcement.”

  “What about your years with Kit?”

  “That was a fluke and Kit was there overseeing it all. I’m good with numbers. My degree is in business.”

  “Isn’t that what you ran away from to go with Kit? But your degree will help you organize that mess Uncle Frank has in his office. He hires secretaries but they quit because he won’t tell them anything and because he’s an all-round pain to work for.” She held out the sandwich with the bottom half wrapped in a paper towel, and a can of lemon-lime soda. “No beer on the job.” She was smiling happily.

  Nate hesitated.

  “You meet your deputies yet? Nice boys, aren’t they? Uncle Frank could never stand anyone challenging him so he tends to hire boys with no spirit. Don’t yell at them or they’ll cry.” She shoved the sandwich and drink into his hands, then got behind him and pushed him toward the door. “Go help Rowan and hire a secretary who does some work. Uncle Frank tended to hire them by how good they look in a bikini.”

  Nate stopped by his car, opened the door and started to get in. Terri was smiling at him in a way that said she was quite pleased by it all. “Actually, I did hire a secretary,” he said.

  “If it’s some beach bunny, I’ll fire her.”

  “No, she’s a friend of yours.” He got into the car and smiled back at her. “I hired Della Kissel.” When Terri’s face changed to shock, Nate closed the door and backed out of the driveway.

  The first thing Nate did when he was out of sight of the house was call Jamie and ask how Frank was doing.

  “I have no idea. The hospital said he woke up about 2:00 a.m., put his clothes on and left. Brody said Frank probably went to his fishing cabin. I left you two messages asking if you knew where he went. Where have you been all morning?”

  Nate gave a deep sigh. “Talking to someone who appears to be smarter than I am.”

  “That would be Terri. My dad said that if we men keep marrying women who are smarter than we are, how come the next generation of males isn’t any brighter?”

  Nate wanted to laugh but the way he was feeling, it seemed to be a valid question. Sheriff? He did not want to be a sheriff! “If you hear from Frank, tell him to get his butt back to Summer Hill.”

  “I will, but the rumor around town is that his cabin is in Wyoming. Rowan said he’s driving and he left his phone behind.”

  “I owe Terri twenty-five grand.” Nate’s voice was heavy.

  “Should I ask what that means?”

  “No. Definitely not. Talk to you later.” He clicked off.

  Nate hadn’t actually hired Della. He’d just entrusted her with one simple task. She was to work with Brody’s secretary, Anna, to try to find out who rented cabin twenty-six in the year Leslie Rayburn disappeared. He didn’t have any belief that the two women would be able to do it since the records kept at the lake didn’t go back that far. But maybe they could find out enough that Rowan could use the US government files to fill in the rest.

  Anna wasn’t in the office, but Brody’s door was half-open. Nate pushed it wide. Inside, the room was in chaos. File drawers had been opened and emptied, with all the contents on the floor. Hundreds of papers were taped to the walls. Sitting on a rug in the middle of the mess, her usually tidy hair tangled, her clothes rumpled, was Della.

  Nate’s first reaction was to yell. But his years with the foreign service had taught him to stamp the anger down and think before letting go.

  As he calmed himself and looked about, he saw order in the chaos. Each of the many piles of folders had a piece of paper on top and a character description. Troublemakers. Suspiciously Nice. Sneaks. Adulterers. Flirts. Teenage Misfits. Hiding secrets. Former Big Shots. Spies. Good People.

  There were about twenty piles, each with multiple files under them. He noted that the Good People stack contained only three folders.

  Della looked up at Nate standing in the doorway. “Brody may be as beautiful as a Greek god, but he can’t organize anything.”

  Nate sat down on a wooden chair, one of the few empty surfaces in the room. “I think most people put files in order by numbers. Dates or account numbers, something like that.”

  “What use is that?”

  Nate could see that she was genuinely asking a question. He wanted to answer it but damned if he could think of an answer. “Did you find the man?”

  “Oh sure. I found him two hours after you asked me to. Six phone calls, a computer search with a bit of a hack, three more calls, and I got him. He—” She looked around her, searching for s
omething, then gave a little smile and pulled a piece of pink paper out of the inside of her bra and handed it to him. She batted her lashes at Nate. “I do so love a man with a badge.”

  Nate took the paper and looked at the name and phone number on it. “If you’re this good at research, maybe Frank should deputize you,” he joked. “Did you call this number?” When she didn’t answer, he looked at her.

  Della’s eyes were wide, as though she’d just seen something alarming.

  “What is it?”

  “Really?” she whispered. “Me? A deputy?”

  Frank is going to go back to hating me, Nate thought. If he ever returns, that is. No! He couldn’t think that way. When Frank returned.

  He listened as Della told him that Leslie Rayburn was at cabin twenty-six because she’d been visiting the widower’s twenty-year-old daughter. She’d been dumped by her boyfriend and was sure her life was over. “Leslie was like a mother to her,” the man had said. “So kind and caring.”

  When Nate left the office he was torn between hearing more good about Leslie and having his only lead crushed.

  Chapter 22

  Nate was sitting behind Frank’s big oak desk when Rowan walked in. He looked around at the wood-paneled walls, the worn wooden floor. There were ledgers on the four desks, but no sign of a computer. “This place looks like a set for a 1950s movie.”

  “I think there’s an abacus around here somewhere,” Nate said, frowning.

  Rowan sat down on a wooden chair. “How’s Terri?”

  Nate’s frown deepened. “Great. She’s decided I’m going to be the town sheriff and arrest bad guys—after I find a murderer, that is.”

  Rowan nodded as though he agreed with that. “What’s down the hall?”

  “Three jail cells. I think they were used on the Andy Griffith set.”

  “The town gossip is that Della is going to be your head deputy.”

  “I’m not the sheriff. If Frank doesn’t come back, the town will elect someone else.”

  Rowan was looking at Nate in speculation. “You look good behind that desk. Maybe you should consider—”

  “Shut up,” Nate said. “You hear anything from forensics yet?”

  “Not a word and I couldn’t tell you if I did.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you’re not officially the sheriff until the mayor swears you in.”

  Nate groaned. “In that case, I never will be. He wouldn’t let me be the town road sweeper.”

  “Nevertheless, you need to get his say-so before I can tell you anything.”

  Nate knew his cousin was lying—or twisting the truth around. “Your dad tell you this?”

  “Yeah,” Rowan said with a sigh. “It’s blackmail. No expedited forensics report until you make up with your former fiancée’s father. And I’m to go with you to hold your hand or let her hit you. Not sure which.”

  “I’d rather face men with guns,” Nate muttered as he stood up.

  Rowan walked to the door. “So what are you going to do to decorate this office? And will you get new uniforms? Hey! I know. Isn’t your ex a designer? Get her to come up with some new uniforms.”

  “Right,” Nate said as they walked toward the town hall. “She hates me so much she’d do pink with purple trim. But it doesn’t matter because I am not going to be a sheriff. Not here or anywhere else.”

  “I thought you said Terri liked your being the sheriff.”

  “Yeah, well, after I make it clear that that’s not what I want to do, she’ll see reason.”

  “I bet you’ll have as much success as Dad does when he stands up to Mom.”

  This statement started them making declarations about how they would rule their own households. And both men truly believed what they were saying.

  It was Rowan who told the mayor’s secretary that they needed to see the man.

  “He’s in a meeting,” she said. “And you don’t have an appointment.” Her eyes were on Nate and her distaste was evident.

  Rowan held out his credentials. “We do need to see him. If you haven’t heard, there’s been a murder.”

  “With that woman who ran away with some man? She—”

  Nate stepped forward, but Rowan put himself in front. His face was serious.

  “Go on then,” she said, and nodded toward the closed door.

  Lew Hartman was sitting behind a mahogany desk the size of a dance platform. He nodded at Rowan, but sneered at Nate. “What is it?”

  “The town ordinance says you have to swear a sheriff in,” Rowan said. “Frank Connor turned the office over to Nate, so we need to make it official.”

  “I’m not sure this man is right for the job,” the mayor said. “I think I should appoint—”

  The door burst open and Stacy came in, her blond prettiness filling the room. She had half a dozen shopping bags in her hands. “I am exhausted!” She sounded happy. “I bought four new outfits, including shoes, and I found the perfect gift for you to give Mom for your anniversary. It’s a necklace with a single pearl and—” She became aware of the silence in the room, then turned to see Rowan. “Hello. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

  “I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time.” Rowan’s voice was not that of an FBI agent on official business. “You grew up quite well.”

  “That’s not what you thought in DC.”

  “Touché.” Rowan’s eyes were sparkling.

  If she noticed, she didn’t show it. “I guess you’re here because of...”

  “The car.” Rowan stepped aside so she saw Nate.

  “Oh,” Stacy said. “You.”

  All Nate could do was nod.

  Lew Hartman stepped forward. “I don’t think I should do this. This man is not what we want for our town.”

  Rowan’s face lost its flirty look and grew hard. “Sir! Do you realize that there is a murder investigation going on? Nathaniel Taggert is more than qualified to be the sheriff. He—”

  “Like hell he is!” Lew yelled. “He broke my daughter’s heart.”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake,” Stacy said. “My heart is not broken. I’m much more upset over losing the Stanton house than I am about my fiancé. No offense, Nate.”

  “None taken.” His eyebrows were raised.

  “You know what’s come out of all this?” Stacy said. “Nate opened my eyes to some awful things going on in this town. Things I never thought about. Dad, do you remember years ago when Terri attacked those boys in high school and she was suspended?”

  “Yes. Hector’s back has never been the same, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Everything,” Stacy said. “When I was a teenager I was like everyone else and took the side of those boys. I saw them as victims. As an adult, I see it all differently.” She looked at Nate. “They went after Terri, didn’t they? And she defended herself.”

  “Yes,” Nate said.

  “And we all blamed her. I think it was because of what we believed Terri’s mother had done. But now we know her mother was innocent. That poor woman. It has all come down onto Terri. What she’s been through because of us, I can’t imagine. Father! You are going to help Nate with whatever he needs.”

  “I—” Lew looked at his daughter. “All right.” He turned to Nate and Rowan. “What do you need? My time and whatever I can do to help is yours.”

  After Nate had been sworn in, he and Rowan were walking back to the sheriff’s office.

  “I like her,” Rowan said.

  “I feel bad about what I did to her,” Nate said. “I think I was mad at your dad and—”

  “No,” Rowan said, “I mean I really, really like her. Are you sure it’s over between you two?”

  Nate was beginning to smile. “Absolutely over.”

  Rowan stopped. �
�Listen, I, uh... They’ll call me when forensics finds anything, so I’m going back. I have, uh, some questions I’d like to ask her.” Turning, he started walking backward. “From what I’ve seen, you need to hire some new deputies. How much is your salary and what’s the town’s budget for your department?”

  “How would I know? I’m not the sheriff.”

  “You’ve been sworn in now, so you are until someone else takes over. I—” Rowan’s phone buzzed and he looked at it. “It’s Dad. I’ll meet you later.” He put the phone to his ear and turned back to the courthouse, but Nate could hear him. “Yeah, Dad, I met her. Yes! I like her. What about the forensics? Yes, I think she’s quite spunky. Is that a word today? What about the case?”

  Smiling, Nate went back to the sheriff’s office. His office.

  Chapter 23

  The sun was barely rising and Rowan was already at Terri’s house. “I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t know how we’re going to investigate this. The time is overwhelming.”

  “Our one lead was based on Della’s snooping,” Nate said. “We—” He broke off as his phone buzzed and he looked at it. “It’s one of my—” he swallowed “—deputies.” He declined the call and looked back at Terri. “My guess is that it was caused by something that happened in a single moment. Maybe your mother saw a robbery or a—”

  “Or a murder,” Rowan said. “We’re running everything through a database to see what went on in this area at that time.”

  “He made her write a note?” Terri was skeptical, disbelieving.

  “Maybe,” Nate said. “She could have—Holy hell.” His phone had started ringing, then buzzing. Two texts, three emails and a call came through. At the same time, the doorbell rang.

  “That will be food and a plea for info,” Terri said. “You two better go or you’ll never get out.”

  “You can’t stay here alone,” Nate said. “Your dad—”

  “Is a mess,” Terri said. Her phone started ringing, then Rowan’s. Nate’s had never stopped. “Go! Now. Out the back, around the side.”