The Past Between Us

by Kimberly Van Meter

  THOMAS STARED AFTER HER and he realized he was shaking. He hadn’t meant to say those things but they just fell out of his mouth. Now he wished he could reel them back. It was a knee-jerk reaction to her teasing, and he’d just made himself look like a complete ass without provocation. He bounced his head against the headboard with a growl at himself. Way to go, Ace.

  He climbed out of the bed and went to salvage whatever was happening between them before he destroyed the first chance he’d ever had at satisfying the ache in his heart since the day they’d parted ways.

  He didn’t know where this was going—he didn’t dare think beyond the next twenty-four hours—but he knew that he’d unleashed something that wouldn’t return to its cage nicely. He could already feel the scratches across his heart and he knew with certainty that before this was done, he’d be lucky to walk away at all.

  THEY PULLED UP TO TRAILER space No. 15 in the Dogwood Acres trailer park. Since Cassi had dyed her hair and had donned a low-brimmed hat to wait in the car, he figured neither lady would recognize their sticky-fingered friend.

  He walked up the three steps to the door and took careful note of his surroundings. Barbara Hanks wasn’t living large, that was for sure. The trailer was of the ancient variety, though the stairs looked fairly new in comparison. He gave the door a knock and waited.

  The overcast sky mirrored the turbulent waves that he could hear rolling into the shore, and it was cold enough to warrant a jacket. He glanced around, looking for signs of life, and when a second knock elicited no answer, he walked the perimeter. In the back, he found a woman sweeping the walking stones that led to a withered garden.

  “Hello?” he called out, causing the older lady to squint at him in wary confusion. He flashed his badge. “Do you know where I can find Barbara Hanks?”

  “This here is her place,” the woman answered with a strong Virginian accent, still eyeing him with faint suspicion. “What you want Barb for?”

  “Just looking to ask her some questions,” he said mildly. “Do you know where I can find her?”

  She pursed her lips and returned to sweeping. “She can’t answer your questions. She done passed last night. Bless her soul, she’s gone to Jesus. I was just cleaning up a bit before they come to get her things.”

  It could be coincidence that Barbara Hanks kicked the bucket soon after receiving a nice payout from someone for filing a false report against Cassi. Then again…in his line of work, coincidences were few and far between.

  “You’re a friend of Ms. Hanks?” he asked.

  “Best and only friend,” she said, lifting her chin. “My trailer is just two spaces down.”

  “Are you Winifred Jones?” he surmised, and she nodded, a crinkle in her brow.

  “How’d you know my name? What’s going on here, lawman?”

  “I’m investigating a case that you might be familiar with from a few years back…Lydia Proctor…name ring a bell at all?”

  She thought for a minute then nodded slowly. “I might’ve seen the name somewhere, can’t recall where, though. Why?”

  “Lydia may have been poisoned by her husband,” he answered, watching for her reaction. If his suspicion was right and the money in Winifred’s account was also a payout, then it might serve to reason that Winifred wasn’t safe, either. He needed to know how much she knew about her benefactor and if anything she knew could lead him back to Lionel Vissher. “Winifred, I’m going to cut to the chase. A few days ago there was a significant deposit into your account. Mind if you tell me where it came from?”

  “I reckon that’s my business, son,” she answered coolly but her eyes registered nervousness. “I think it’s getting too cold for these old bones. Good luck with your case.”

  “If my hunch is correct, you and your friend were offered a considerable amount of money to make false charges against someone you both knew. And now your friend is dead. Don’t you find it interesting that a few days after the check clears, your friend dies? If I were you I’d be worried that someone is cleaning up loose ends.”

  She stopped, fidgeting with the broom handle, her thin lips pursing with consternation…or was it fear? Then she shook her head and shooed him away. “Barb died of natural causes. And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Winnie.”

  Cassi’s voice bringing up the rear made him curse under his breath. When she was by his side he muttered, “You were supposed to stay in the car.”

  She ignored him and went to the old lady. Winifred’s eyes reflected something that looked a lot like shame, and she almost couldn’t meet Cassi’s gaze. That said a lot in his book. The woman was guilty, which he figured anyway, but she felt bad about it and that was going to work in their favor.

  “Winnie…what happened when I left?” she asked softly.

  Winifred looked away, her mouth buttoning up as if she had no intention of answering but then she exhaled slowly and gestured for them to follow her. “Come on, it’s too cold to stand out here and freeze. I’ll make some coffee and we’ll talk.” She turned to give Cassi a short look. “And you, missy, owe me an explanation, too.”

  “I know,” she said simply and that was enough for the old woman. She nodded and showed them the way to her trailer, which, aside from the bleached plastic flowers, was nearly identical to Barb’s.

  He watched as Cassi helped Winnie up the short stairs, her touch gentle and sure in spite of the fact that this woman had helped set bad things in motion for her, and he was struck by her innate kindness. That was Cassi to her core. He should’ve questioned the facts in the investigation from the beginning but he hadn’t been willing to open that door for fear of what he might find.

  Well, it was too late to stop now. And he didn’t want to, either.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CASSI HELPED WINNIE INTO her favorite recliner and then grabbed the throw blanket draped along the faded sofa to tuck around her. “Why were you out in the cold, Winnie?” she asked. “That’s not good for you. You’ll catch pneumonia again and who will take care of you?”

  Winifred waved away Cassi’s concern but accepted the ministrations, her gaze taking in all the changes in Cassi’s appearance as she and Tommy took a seat on the sofa.

  “The brown doesn’t suit you, you know,” she announced critically. “Too harsh for your fair skin tone. Washes you out.”

  “Well, complementary wasn’t what I’d been going for. I just needed a change and I needed it quick. Seems someone told the police I’d stolen a bit of money from them,” she chided Winifred lightly, and the older woman lifted her chin.

  “Well, you did,” Winnie said.

  “True. But not as much as you said. And I’m in a lot of trouble because of what you and Barb told the police. Tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand why you did that. I was going to pay you back as soon as I got things figured out. And you know I would never empty your bank account like you said I did. Winnie…I cared for you.”

  “But you stole from me. Used me for my money.”

  “Be realistic. You’re not exactly living high on the hog. I only took enough to get me to my next destination. And look.” She pulled her date book from her pack and flipped it to the page where she’d written every person’s name to whom she owed something. “See?” She pointed to Winifred’s name and the amount she took. “I wasn’t going to forget.”

  Winifred grabbed her reading glasses and peered at the ledger. She swallowed and removed her glasses, her expression dimmed and her shoulders bowed. “I was so hurt. Why didn’t you just ask for the money? I’d have given it to you.”

  “If I’d have asked I would’ve had to explain how I wasn’t who I said I was. My stepfather is a dangerous man. He killed my mother. I’ve been searching for a way to prove it and he’s been trying to silence me since the day he had me arrested in my family’s home for assault. My name is Cassandra Nolan. I come from a very wealthy family but my stepfather has control of the family fortune since my mother’s
death. He’s a very bad man and I think he’s been killing women for a very long time. Remember when I had your daughter look into the death of Lydia Proctor? That was one of his wives. I think he killed her, too.”

  “That’s where I knew the name,” Winifred exclaimed softly. “I was going plum crazy trying to remember.”

  “Lionel is trying to get me put away so he can have full control of the money without anyone getting in the way. Winnie…who paid you to lie to the cops?”

  Winifred looked away but didn’t answer right away. When she did, it was with a slight tremble. “It seemed a small thing…I was so hurt you’d stolen from me. A man came to me and said that if I made out like you stole a lot more than you’d taken he’d give me thirty thousand dollars. Same with Barb. He said no one would find out and he’d take care of everything. That you were a bad person and this would help bring you to justice. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should’ve known better. But, I was behind on my taxes and was about to lose my trailer…. I thought it was a small thing, seeing as how you were a criminal and all.”

  “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known. I did lie about who I was and I did take money from you. I don’t blame you for thinking the worst of me but you put yourself in danger not only from whoever offered you the bribe but from the law, too.”

  “I don’t want to go to prison,” Winnie said fearfully. “I just didn’t want to lose my trailer. It’s all I’ve got in the world anymore. Susie is busy with her own life and her husband is a bear of a man, besides. I couldn’t imagine being nowhere but in my own bed, in my own house.”

  “It’s okay, Winnie,” Cassi murmured, sharing a look with Tommy. “Tell me about the man who offered you the money.”

  “Well, he was nice enough. Seemed real sincere. I didn’t catch his name.” She frowned, trying to remember. Suddenly her face lit up with something and she gestured for Cassi to grab her purse from the kitchen counter. Cassi did as she asked and Winnie rummaged around until she found what she was looking for. She exclaimed, holding a card. “Here it is. He gave me a business card. Told me to call if you came around again.”

  Cassi took the card and then handed it to Tommy as she said, “I don’t recognize the name but I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface of the lives Lionel Vissher has lived.”

  “How would Lionel know to look for you here?” Tommy asked, thinking out loud.

  Cassi winced. “Well, I sort of sent him a message when I was here.”

  “What?” Tommy did a double take. “Why would you do that?”

  “I wanted him to be afraid,” Cassi answered, feeling sheepish. “I mean, I wanted him to know that I’d uncovered one of his deep, dark secrets and I was going to expose him. In hindsight, it doesn’t seem very smart.”

  “At least you said it so I didn’t have to,” Tommy grumbled. “Anything else you might like to share?”

  “Okay, I’ll give you it was dumb on my part but you don’t have to rub it in,” Cassi retorted, looking away from Tommy. Like he never made mistakes. Yeah, right. She returned to Winifred. “So, tell me how Barb died. You said it was natural causes…how do you know?”

  “Oh, she got real sick, honey. I know you’re chasing after a bad man but it seems unlikely he did her in. She came down with some nasty bug…throwing up and whatnot. The doctors, they weren’t sure what went wrong.”

  Cassi felt a chill. “Did they check for poison?”

  Winifred looked aghast. “Poison? Whatever for? You don’t think…” She paled. “Oh, heavens. That’s a terrible thought.”

  Cassi got to her feet and went to the small kitchen. “Have you received anything lately? Candies? Or chocolates? Anything in the mail?”

  Winifred took a minute to think it over and then she nodded slowly. “Come to think of it, I got a package of fruit bars but they had nuts so I didn’t eat them.” She leaned toward Cassi and said as if it were a secret, “I’m terribly allergic you know. They’re over there on top of the Frigidaire. I was going to give them to Susie. That husband of hers is like a garbage disposal. The man will eat anything reasonably seasoned or sweet.”

  Tommy was up before Cassi said anything. He found the box and, grabbing a big, yellow latex glove from the kitchen sink, he opened it carefully. “Did this come sealed?” he asked.

  “Well, sure it was,” Winifred said, frowning. “Why?”

  Tommy examined the box gingerly, careful to touch it as little as possible. He peered at the carton. “Yeah, this was tampered with. There are two seals here. The first one is taped over to make it look like it wasn’t touched. I’m willing to bet my pension that there’s a nasty surprise waiting for you in this box.”

  Winifred swallowed and her hand fluttered to her chest. “Oh, dear,” she said, watching as Tommy found a plastic bag and put the contaminated box inside. “Why would someone want to hurt me? I’ve never done anyone any harm. Been a good, taxpaying citizen my whole life. Why?”

  Cassi’s answer was grim. “You’re a loose end. I’m sorry, Winnie, for getting you mixed up with this. You’re not safe here. Can you stay with Susie for a few days until we get things figured out?”

  Winifred nodded but didn’t look too happy about it. “Susie’s husband isn’t going to like it and I won’t much neither but I don’t much like the idea of dying so I guess I’ll go pack an overnight bag.”

  “Sounds good,” Cassi said, helping Winifred from her chair as she shambled to the back bedroom. Cassi turned to Tommy. “Do you have any friends who can analyze these things?”

  “Yeah. But I can’t continue to stay off radar with that kind of request.”

  Cassi nodded, understanding what he was really saying. She could put her trust in him and go with him to the authorities and possibly clear her name as well as put Lionel away where he belonged—assuming anyone believed her—or she could continue to skulk in the shadows, alone and afraid, with little hope of finding justice for anyone. Well, when she laid it out like that it didn’t seem like much of a choice. She exhaled a deep, heavy breath and prayed she wasn’t making a huge mistake. “Make the call,” she told Tommy. “Time to see just how big an influence Lionel has in the circles that count.”

  “It’s going to be all right,” Tommy assured her, but somehow she felt as if she’d just signed her own death warrant. Hopefully, she was wrong.

  THEY RETURNED TO THE HOTEL room with the plan to drive to Pittsburgh the following day so that Cassi could turn herself in and Thomas could help exonerate her.

  The old lady had been safely deposited with her none-too-happy son-in-law, and Cassi seemed marginally relieved that her friend was secure for the night but she was still on edge and he knew why. He couldn’t blame her.

  Two years on the run with no contact with family or friends was hard on a person.

  When Thomas exited the shower, he found her curled in a chair beside the window, staring out at the darkened water.

  He went to her and threaded his fingers through her hair. Her eyelids fluttered closed on a breath but he could feel the tension coiling in her body.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he promised. “With the new information the charges will be dropped and we can get on with the business of actually catching this guy.”

  “I just can’t shake this feeling that there’s something else waiting in the wings, some other nasty surprise, like what was waiting for Winnie in that fruit bar box.”

  He understood her fear. She’d become conditioned to trust no one. It was natural that she’d mistrust the idea of going home without the force of an armed escort.

  “Tell me what you know about Lionel,” he suggested, if only to keep her mind occupied. She was skittish, and while he wanted to believe that she’d given up her deceptive ways, skittish people did desperate things when they felt cornered. He’d already seen that firsthand with Cassi.

  She shook her head and waved away his suggestion. “I’ve already told you most of it. The fact is, two years worth of my life searching for
clues resulted in very little real evidence. Mostly, I was just trying to stay alive and out of jail. I only found two names, Lydia Proctor and Sylvia Williams, aside from his first wife, Penelope Hogue, who died from cancer. She’s the only one I think he didn’t kill.”

  “What did you find out about Penelope?”

  She shrugged. “Not much. She was also the only one who didn’t come with a sizable bank account. He did get a life insurance payout, though.”

  “How’d you get that information?”

  Her cheeks pinked. “Isaac. He worked for the same insurance company where Lionel and Penelope held the policy. It was also the only marriage where Lionel used his real name.”

  “Maybe he loved her.” Cassi made a sour face and he lifted his hands. “It’s possible. What did you learn about them through Isaac?”

  She shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, but she answered, “Actually, Isaac knew Penelope pretty well. They were shirttail relatives or something. Isaac said Lionel was heartbroken when Penelope died and that the payout was only about $250,000. Not a lot of money when it was all said and done. Isaac also said Lionel left town shortly after she died, saying he couldn’t bear to be surrounded by all the memories.”

  “Isaac never suspected any foul play?”

  “No. In fact, he spoke pretty highly of the guy.”

  “So what led you to New York?” he asked, trying to connect the dots of her travels.

  She sighed. “One of the things I found from Isaac after meeting with his family for the engagement party was that Lionel had family in upstate New York. I was following a lead. All I knew was that the Visshers were upscale socialites but Isaac said that side of the family didn’t have much to do with Lionel’s. Some kind of family feud.”

  “What were you trying to find?”

  She lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug, fatigue showing. “I don’t know. Just something I could use to link him to the other women.”