Secret is in the Bones (Paynes Creek Thriller Book 3)

by Heather Sunseri

  “We’ll consider that. For now, I want to know what you found out from Ethan’s attorney.”

  “The little weasel wouldn’t tell me anything. But I managed to trick his receptionist into admitting that Ethan hadn’t been a client since shortly after he was incarcerated.”

  “So it’s not Ethan behind the company mowing my land.” I waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter. Luke got a lead on who’s been following me around the country, and who might have killed Steven.” I took a generous sip of bourbon. “If Ethan is involved, Luke will figure it out. And if he’s not, he’ll find this other guy.”

  “Who is he? Have you told Penelope?”

  “I haven’t told Penelope because I’m afraid it might be too confusing until we know more about his motive. He was Ethan’s roommate at the Kentucky State Penitentiary. A man named John Paul Matisse.”

  “You think Ethan is involved?”

  I took another drink, then closed my eyes. “I don’t know.”

  “Of course, you don’t. Why would you?”

  “Enough about all that. Let’s talk about something else and let Luke and Coop do their jobs. Tell me what you’ve been up to since we last talked.”

  Myra caught me up on her life while we calmed our frayed nerves with our drinks. She even filled me in on the lives of some of the people who were once in group therapy with the two of us. Like the other night when I spent time with Caine and Bastien, Coop and Lil, and Luke, this felt normal. Like I had multiple friends for the first time in my adult life.

  It felt so normal that when Luke entered my trailer an hour later, I hadn’t even realized that Myra and I had been laughing nonstop for much of that hour.

  We had let go of all the stress that had brought us together again.

  Luke took one look at me and seemed to let all the stress of his day melt away, as well.

  THIRTY-THREE

  J.P.

  J.P. couldn’t stop the smile that touched his lips as he watched the sexy Marla Manfield report on all that juicy information he had spoon-fed her.

  She had made one mistake, which pissed him off, and boy-oh-boy, she’d have to pay for that.

  But until then, his main concern was making sure Faith had heard the report. He wanted Faith to know deep down that she was to blame for her own mother’s death, along with her stepbrother’s wrongful conviction, for the murder of her friend Darren, and for almost killing her best friend. The fact that Penelope’s idiot husband Steven had gotten caught in the crosshairs instead really didn’t bother him all that much. The only regret was that Penelope didn’t join her husband in the black void that he was convinced was all there was after death.

  What he hadn’t realized was how much joy he would get out of killing that obnoxious whore of a woman, Paula Shepherd. He smiled just remembering her feeble attempt to escape, but instead, she barely slid from the vehicle and bled out on the blacktop of the funeral parking lot like the stuck pig she really was.

  Good news was she didn’t have to travel far for her own funeral.

  He texted Ethan.

  J.P.: Did you see Marla’s report?

  Ethan: Yes. Where r u?

  J.P.: Close. I’ll see you soon.

  Ethan: Tonight!

  J.P.: Miss me?

  Ethan didn’t respond. He smiled and typed one last quick text: Don’t worry. We’ll all be together soon, my love. You, me, and Faith.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  LUKE

  Faith had suggested we wait until morning to talk about the case when I had arrived last night. And that was fine by me. I had needed a break after a long day at the prison and seeing her laughing with her friend Myra after the day she’d endured proved Faith needed a break as well.

  But now, the details of what Coop and I had learned at the prison were weighing on me. I woke early. Propped up on an elbow in Faith’s bed, I studied the features of her face—her high cheekbones, her perfectly shaped, thick eyebrows, and her long, dark eyelashes that lay softly against her smooth skin.

  I wanted to run my hand along her arm, the only part of her body besides her face outside the covers. And the desire to touch her perfect, rose-colored lips was strong.

  But I didn’t want to wake her. Not yet.

  I was in love with the woman sleeping soundly next to me. I’d loved her for a while. I think everyone close to me knew it and had accepted it—everyone except Faith. I wanted to wake up next to her for the rest of my life. That was one thing I was certain of this morning.

  The timing of when I might tell her how deep my feelings ran was a delicate situation. I wouldn’t risk running her off, and I wouldn’t let this asshole, John Paul Matisse, run her off either. Or worse.

  If he was our murderer, we would put him away, and then I would convince Faith to listen to me. To accept the reality that she needed me. If she wanted time, I’d give her that, but I would not tiptoe around her feelings any longer. She was stronger than that.

  While she slept, I tried to push away thoughts of the case, even if only for a few minutes.

  But it didn’t take long for the severity of the investigation to worm its way back into the forefront of my thoughts.

  Ethan hadn’t been at the Spotted Cat last night, and none of his employees knew where he was. Nor was he at his house. We wanted to confront him with questions about the whereabouts of his former cellmate and how often he’d seen John Paul since his release from the state pen. One way or another, Coop and I had to locate Ethan today.

  But first, Faith and I needed to talk.

  After viewing his photograph, she had acknowledged seeing John Paul several times over the past year. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that meant—that he’d been tracking her across the country. We just didn’t know why.

  All those times she sensed Ethan was close by, it had probably been John Paul Matisse, a man who’d had some sort of relationship with Ethan inside the prison.

  I closed my eyes at the thought. How would Faith react to the news of how badly Ethan had suffered inside prison? In exchange for his safety, Ethan had been handed over to John Paul Matisse like a stray dog, but with far crueler intentions.

  Deciding to let Faith sleep a bit longer, I climbed out of the bed and made my way into her tiny bathroom. As I showered, I made a vow that I would do whatever it took to get Faith to consider living in an actual house or even in the barn apartment with me.

  I didn’t need a lot, but dammit, I wanted a shower large enough to move around in. And one that the two of us could fit comfortably.

  After wrapping a towel around my waist, I exited the bathroom to find Faith standing in the kitchen. She was dressed in jeans and a hoodie. Her hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head. And somehow, she managed to look fresh and wide awake.

  “Good morning.” She smiled when she saw me, sauntered toward me, and planted a kiss on my lips. Her breath was minty fresh, having just brushed her teeth in the kitchen sink, I assumed.

  When she pulled back, she smiled, her expression mysterious.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I hadn’t expected her to be… peppy… this morning. Yet here she was, smiling at me like a giddy schoolgirl.

  I angled my head. “You’re up to something.”

  She lifted a hand and pointed a finger at her chest. “Moi?” she said. “What makes you think I’m up to something?”

  I narrowed my gaze, letting my brows point inward. Whatever it was, she looked happy, and I wasn’t about to ruin that. “I’m going to put some clothes on.”

  She stepped to me again. A playful gleam twinkled in her eyes. She placed her hands on my waist, then let them slide around to my back. They were cool to the touch, which made me flinch slightly.

  She looked up and met my stare. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Is that why you’ve got that look in your eye?”

  “What look?”

  “The look that says you’re about to play some practical joke on me.”


  “Not a joke,” she said. “Far from it.” She paused at the sound of a vehicle approaching outside. She bent down and looked out a window, then back at me. “Get dressed. I’ll make you a mug of coffee and leave it on the counter. Meet me outside.”

  Once dressed, I found a travel mug waiting for me on the counter filled with black coffee. I was alone in the trailer except for the cat.

  Gus rubbed against my shins. “What’s up, pal?” I asked, bending down to give the top of her head a gentle scratch.

  She meowed up at me.

  When I heard voices, I glanced out the back windows and saw a man dressed in khakis and a barn jacket. He was carrying some sort of smart device in his arm and walking away from Faith.

  She took a drink of her own coffee and looked in the same direction where the man was walking. She looked lost in her own thoughts.

  I stepped out of the trailer, faced the bright sun still low in the sky, and joined her. She jumped when I got close, having truly been somewhere else. “Who’s that?”

  “You know Drew Kaufman, surely.”

  I looked toward Drew. “Of course. Lil’s cousin. I’ve met him a few times.” I had only seen his back from the window, so I hadn’t recognized him. “Why is he here?”

  She turned to me. “Well… Remember the other night when I said I was thinking I might try to make a home here?”

  “I remember,” I said, unable to hide the hesitation in my voice.

  “Well…” She looked away, pausing.

  It was then that I realized she was twisting her hands together. She was nervous. “Faith?”

  She turned those brilliant amber eyes on me, and I swore I saw tears forming in them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She turned, walked a few steps, then whirled back around. “Okay… I’m just going to say it—get everything out. So, don’t interrupt until I’m done.”

  I swallowed the grin that wanted to break out on my face and, instead, took a drink of coffee.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I moved back to Kentucky, and even more since I moved back on my family’s land last week. There are a lot of reasons for me to move away from Paynes Creek forever and never look back. So, I’m not going to lie to you. While I was staying at the horse park, I met people there who constantly moved around, seeing the entire United States as they did. I considered selling this land, knowing that by doing so, along with the money I make on my photography, I could live comfortably enough.”

  I frowned at that thought, but I sensed a “but” coming.

  “But there are even more reasons for me to make a home here.” She paused again, then let her gaze find mine. “It’s no secret that I’m in love with that precious nephew of mine, and I want to be a part of Oliver’s life. And though I know Leah is doing an amazing job of caring for that sweet baby, everyone needs help raising a child. I want to be here for both of them.”

  “So, you’re considering sticking around Paynes Creek for Leah and Oliver,” I said.

  “Yes, but it’s more than that.”

  It better be, I thought. “Go on.”

  “If I’m going to stay, I want to lay down roots—metaphorically and literally. So much has happened in my life—things that have given me many reasons to run from Paynes Creek. But I’m tired of running. I want to build a home here—a permanent home. Right here. Well…” She turned toward and pointed toward Drew. “Right over there, actually.”

  I followed the direction of her pointing finger. “You’re going to rebuild your childhood home,” I said, confirming what I thought she said while drunk at Caine’s the other night.

  She held up a finger. “I’m not finished.”

  I made the motion of zipping my lips closed.

  “You’ve gotten to know me over the past year. I know our relationship has been this on again, off again sort of a thing, but since I met you, I’ve often considered what life would be like without you in it.”

  I frowned again. That was the difference between Faith and me: I couldn’t even entertain a brief thought of not ending up with her.

  She continued. “Every time I considered that I might not see you again, whether it was while I was having coffee with the backdrop of the Colorado mountains or while I sat with new friends around a campfire, I suffered a bit of a panic attack.

  “I tried to suppress the feelings. I ignored your phone calls, because I thought it would be easier for both of us if I just disappeared.”

  My heart tightened at the idea of her disappearing—of shutting me out of her life completely. I stepped closer to her. “I wouldn’t have let you do that. I was already planning to track you down this fall if you hadn’t come back on your own.”

  She smiled at the thought, knowing I had always said I wouldn’t use the resources of the FBI to find her. “I’ve traveled around the country this past year. And it was what I needed. But while I was trying to hide from all of my troubles here and from people who might mean me harm—people like mean gossipy ladies to assholes who insisted on stalking me, something I know we still need to talk about…”

  She was rambling, but I thought it best to just let her until she got it all out.

  “Then there’s the issue of you and Oliver.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What about me and Oliver?” I asked defensively.

  “I just wasn’t ready to see you so close to him. So at home in my aunt’s house and with my family.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “My point is, I want to live in Paynes Creek. I want to build on this land—my land. And I would very much like it if you would be a part of that. I know you might get reassigned somewhere else, and we’ll deal with that when it hap—”

  I rushed her, picked her up off her feet, and covered her mouth with mine. I’d allowed her to blather on long enough. When I released her, I said, “I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking, but the answer is yes.”

  “I don’t really know either. I just knew yesterday when bad news kept coming at me, that life was never going to be perfect anywhere or anytime. But I also suddenly realized that I had people in my life who dulled the pain of my bad memories. And even with everything currently going on, I knew I loved you.”

  I couldn’t stop the shock from hitting my expression. “Say that again.”

  “I love you.” A tear fell down her face, and I swiped it away with my thumb.

  “You know you can’t take that back, right? And there’s no getting rid of me, now.”

  “Okay,” she said with the casual lift of a shoulder. “Then, let’s have a talk with Drew and give him some idea of what we want in a house.”

  I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “We can start with a large walk-in shower.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  FAITH

  Luke and I gave Drew enough information to get started on plan designs for a contemporary farmhouse that would be reminiscent of the house I grew up in but also be a house to call our own.

  It wasn’t a long meeting. Drew had said he didn’t need much to get started with the initial drawings, especially since I said I would email him dozens of photographs that resembled the style of house I thought Luke and I would like.

  If Luke had other ideas after he saw Drew’s initial designs, we’d go back to the drawing board, as they say.

  Taking another moment after the two men left, I hugged myself while I stared in the direction of where I imagined the house would stand. We would have a large, east-facing front porch that would be perfect for watching the sun rise, and I imagined a covered back patio perfect for porch sitting during beautiful Kentucky sunsets or thunderstorms that approached from the west.

  We would keep the fire pit, I imagined. Or maybe I would get rid of it and add a better one behind the house.

  I didn’t have to think about that now. My eyes scanned the property before landing on the barn in the distance at the edge of the mowed section. To the right of the barn was the entrance into
the path that led to Coop’s.

  I had considered razing the barn, getting rid of anything that might trigger memories of growing up here with Finch and Ethan, but then I realized I would also be erasing a structure where I’d formed memories with my mother and father.

  The thought of living with Luke seemed like a huge step, but I didn’t care. It felt right.

  I looked at my watch and realized the morning was getting away from me.

  I wanted to send a few more photos out this morning and reach out to some galleries here in Kentucky. I didn’t have a lot of photographs ready to pitch to Kentucky galleries, but I would soon enough.

  Once I’d taken care of some business, I planned to go shopping for groceries and make Luke dinner later.

  A part of me felt I was avoiding the reality of the investigation going on around me. Another part of me decided that I had good people around me who were looking out for me. Luke would end this. I saw nothing but resolute determination in his eyes this morning.

  This would be over soon enough, and we’d start our lives.

  THIRTY-SIX

  LUKE

  I left Faith’s with a giant, fucking spring in my step, so to speak.

  I had no idea what got into her this morning, or if she’d just finally lost all sanity in the middle of another dark investigation, but she had admitted that she loved me. And I wasn’t about to let her change her mind.

  Not that she could. She’d been in love with me for months, whether she admitted it or not. But hearing the words gave me even more purpose as I started my day—a day where I needed focus.

  I didn’t get a chance to talk to Faith about information that my colleagues on the newly formed task force discovered late last night. I hadn’t even found out until after I left her that Detective Fish had received news out of Colorado that a single partial palm print found at the scene of Darren Murray’s murder matched that of John Paul Matisse.