by Jenna Harte
Tess winced. She knew it was Daniel's way to get back at Jack for the kiss. She chanced a look at Jack. His face was unreadable.
~~~~
Tess took a seat, safely behind her desk. During their trek back to her office, Jack said nothing. She felt she owed him an apology, yet at the same time it wasn't unreasonable to consider the facts as Daniel had presented them. Someone tried to kill her. The thought of it terrified her. Even when she worked in the public defender's office, she'd never had her life threatened. It wasn't a good feeling. She could use one of the chocolate confections Jack brought to settle her nerves, but she thought she might have to offer them back to him as a bribe to get on his good side.
He stood in the middle of her office looking formal, professional. "Besides making an apology, I had planned to talk to you about looking into other suspects as we discussed last night." He spoke to her as his lawyer, not someone he'd kissed senseless the night before. "But considering your accident, I'm thinking it's not a good idea to ask for your help with that. It will be safer for you to stay out of it."
"I’m already in it," Tess said. She had an odd panicky feeling that Jack was going to leave, taking both his business and his affection away. Isn't that what she wanted? To have him think of her only as his lawyer and maybe a friend, but nothing more? "My looking into things won't make a difference if I'm already a target. In fact, I'd feel better, more like I could protect myself by taking action to get to the bottom of it."
"You thought I tried to kill you."
"No."
One dark brow arched indicating he didn't believe her.
"I considered it for maybe two seconds," she admitted.
"More like ten minutes." But she noticed that some of the tension had left his face.
"You have the worst luck, Jack. Daniel's facts do look bad for you. The question is, is that on purpose? Is someone setting you up? Or is it really bad luck?"
He came around to sit on the side of her desk. "Maybe it’s a little of both. Maybe I wasn't originally set up to take the fall, but circumstances have made it that way and the killer is using it."
She nodded. "Maybe."
He reached into his coat pocket to retrieve his checkbook. Writing a check he handed it to Tess. "Will this cover the retainer?"
She looked at the check with several zeros and secretly sighed in relief. Solvent for a little while longer. "I can have Regina draw up the contract if you want to wait."
"I can sign it later. I have to go."
"Go?"
"I have business in Washington and Cora wants to get back to her canasta buddies."
"The yoga didn't work out?"
His lips twitched. "They asked her to leave."
Tess found herself smiling at the thought. Even yoga couldn't contain Jack's surrogate grandmother. This was a woman Tess wanted to meet. "I won't cash the check until you sign the contract."
"I trust you, Tess." She knew the words were about more than just business. She felt a stab of guilt that for a moment she hadn't given him the same trust.
"I appreciate that, but I'd like to keep this professional."
"And how about the personal?" he asked. "Is your aversion to me because of what happened the last time we were together?"
"No," she lied.
It was a conversation she'd hoped to never have. Planned to never have. Her aversion was this conversation.
"You're afraid I'm going to hurt you," Jack said.
"I'm just not interested in having a relationship."
"Liar." He made his move then. He leaned over her, putting his hands on the arms of her chair, caging her in. "You're interested. You just don't want to be."
"The end result is the same." She knew her breath had hitched and was mad that he would have seen it. This was a situation that required an outward control of emotion.
"No it's not. Denying your feelings has its own consequences."
Yeah, Tess thought, not getting your heart broken.
As if he'd read her mind he said, "Of the two people here, I'm the one at the most risk of getting hurt."
He'd moved his face closer to hers. "Did you really feel so little when I kissed you last night?"
He was doing it again. His nearness fogged her brain, stole her voice. She gave a small shake of her head. He stayed where he was, knowing his effect. He was so close, millimeters. She could feel the warmth of his breath. The mint chocolaty scent of it. She waited for him to make good on his intension, but he didn't move.
Just do it, she thought. But as the seconds drew out, she realized that he'd given her the control of the next move. She would either go to him or push him away. More than anything she wanted to respond, and yet the voice in her head was screaming all sorts of warnings. The tension built until she could feel his nearness on every one of her nerve endings. The air was heavy with anticipation and ... lust if she was honest with herself. She had always had a secret crush on him, but he'd rejected her, so this turn of events was confusing. Still, it was Jack Valentine. Funny, sexy, and waiting for her to make a move.
"The hell with it," she said as her fingers clutched the lapels of his coat and pulled until his lips met hers. She could feel his mouth curve under hers, but it did no more. He was going to make her work for it; to show him. So her lips parted, invited, and only then did he respond, rewarding her with his clever mouth.
When he pulled away, he smiled, but thankfully didn't look smug. "I'll call you tonight."
She nodded. He gave her one more quick kiss and then moved away. At the door he stopped. "Think of me tonight when you're out with Daniel."
Chapter Seventeen
Tess sat at her desk with her head back and eyes closed, waiting for her heart to slow and her brain to defog. Then came the thoughts. What had she been thinking? What was she going to do now? Damn, he was a good kisser.
"Ahem."
She looked up to see Regina sitting in the chair across from her desk. She had a look that indicated she was expecting details. But Regina was her employee, not her girlfriend.
"I need you to do some research," Tess said grabbing a pen and writing notes on a yellow legal pad. "I want you to get death certificates for Delia Jackson and her infant son, Brady. And anything else you might be able to find. Here's what I have so far.” She handed the file to Regina.
Regina waited a beat and Tess thought she was going to press for information. Instead she said “That's really sad. A mother and her baby?"
Tess nodded.
"Where's the daddy?"
"There is no mention of a daddy."
"You know as rotten as Duane is, at least my kids know they got a daddy."
Tess wasn't sure of that logic since Duane was in prison for robbing a bank. On the other hand, he said he'd held up the bank to get the child support money that Tess had helped Regina go to court to collect.
Tess finished giving Regina instructions and was relieved when she didn't ask about Jack. The questions would come, Tess knew. Maybe by then she'd have answers.
Taking her pen again, Tess began writing notes about Jack's case. The first notes were mostly for herself; her memories of that night. Daniel leaving her to go to work. The Cheshire cat grin Asa sported during the evening, as if he anticipated something exciting. Lauren crashing the party and confronting Asa who threatened to have her removed. His ill look when the confrontation was over. Her resting in the library next to Asa's office. Hearing two men talking, one with a strained, assertive tone she understood to be Jack. But was it Jack? She couldn't swear to it. She'd been so out of it she couldn't be sure she hadn't dreamed the argument. Next she remembered Walter checking on her then leaving to get Jack. She'd tried to make her way back to the parlor, but ended up in Asa's office. His door was wide open. He was slumped over his desk, his computer to one side, his blood pooling on the other side. Then it was dark again until Jack found her.
Once she finished writing down her recollections, she wrote down what she knew about the other
people in the house. She didn't have the details of everyone's account, but she had enough that she was able to draw a schematic of the house and position everyone at the time of the murder.
All she knew for sure was that she had been sleeping. Jack said he was in the parlor. Shelby and Philip reported being upstairs, which contradicted Jack's account that he'd seen Philip enter the foyer from the dining area, not the stairs. Tom had gone to his car, but for what? Tess remembered the open door in Asa's office, but it seemed inconceivable that Tom would kill Asa. Tom was the only one there that night who wasn't angry or annoyed at Asa.
And where was the Senator during all this? Was it possible he'd kill his son? Not that great political men never killed their sons. Royal families were littered with murder. Could Asa have been planning something that would threaten the Senator's position or power?
She wondered where Sarah had been. Jack seemed to believe that Philip had been with her, not with Shelby. The looks between Sarah and Philip did suggest that she was more than just a maid. Her youth and being in love would account for her giving a false statement to protect Philip. Or perhaps she was threatened. Jobs weren't easy to come by these days. Tess realized she wasn't sure what Walter or Agnes had said in their statements. If anyone knew what was going on in the house it would be them. But they were also in a position to be threatened. Both were getting on in years and would likely have difficulty finding new jobs.
All this put Jack at a disadvantage. Part of it was his own fault. Even by his own admission, he'd argued with Asa shortly before his death and taken information from his computer. Plus he was alone during the time of the murder. The Worthingtons had each other and the ability to threaten the people who depended on them. And they had the respect and power in Jefferson Tavern. While nearly everyone knew the relationships within the family were volatile, it could be argued that no one had killed anyone within the family so far, thus making Jack the top suspect. He had a home in the county for a few years, but he wasn't considered a local. So despite his own wealth and power, he would be viewed as the outsider and the most likely candidate for murder.
Tess knew she had her work cut out for her. And she had to consider that the tension she was feeling from Daniel regarding her working with Jack would only worsen. Would it spread to his parents? Would she be risking relationships with people she loved? Was Jack's case worth it?
Chapter Eighteen
Tess knocked on the door to Helen and Tom Showalter's home. While Helen had shunned the opulent lifestyle of her Senator father and wheeling, dealing businessman brother, that didn't mean she abandoned all signs of money. Tom earned a good income in his law practice much in part because of Asa. But Tess suspected that Helen's trust had something to do with the two story brick tutor home complete with a turret in the heart of the university area of town. Tess couldn't blame her. The house was perfect in location and style. And the rest of their lives were fairly modest by comparison.
"Hey Brat," Daniel said as he opened the door.
"How are they doing?" Tess asked as she entered the foyer and Daniel took her coat.
"Pretty good considering. Mom's cooking up a storm. It's helping her somehow."
"I brought dessert," she said handing him the plastic container. She knew she was supposed to bring lasagna or something, but she wasn't able to cook anything that didn't have chocolate in it.
"Is it the caramel chocolate stuff?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Dad will like that."
He led her to the kitchen where Tess could smell ham cooking.
"Oh Tess, there you are."
"Helen." They embraced, Helen holding her a little closer, a little tighter.
“My family is all here,” Helen said.
For a long time Tess had adopted Helen and Tom as surrogate parents, but when they returned the sentiment and treated her as a daughter, was the first time she'd ever felt part of a family..
"My goodness, what happened to your cheek?" Tom said from over Helen's shoulder.
Tess instinctively put her hand to her cheek. She'd nearly forgotten about it and was surprised Daniel hadn't mentioned it to them.
"I meant to tell you," Daniel said. "Tess was jay-walking and a car hit some ice and nearly ran her off the road." He left out the part about his suspicion that her near accident was on purpose and related to Asa's murder. She wondered if it was to protect his mother's already fragile emotions or to satisfy their pact to stay away from the topic of Asa's murder.
"It looks awful? Do you need some ice for it?" Helen asked.
"I don't know," Daniel said. "It's an interesting color of green. Matches your bathroom mom."
"Har har," Tess said rolling her eyes. "I'm fine. I hardly feel it. Unless I smile."
Satisfied with the answer, Helen went back to chopping vegetables.
"What are you cooking?"
"Ham and scalloped potatoes. It's you and Daniel's favorite and it seemed like the right thing to make…considering. Family is so important."
"Tess brought the caramel chocolate things," Daniel said as he moved towards the refrigerator door.
"With double chips?" Tom asked.
"Yes."
He had the container out of Daniel's hand before he could get the refrigerator door open.
"You'll spoil…" Helen started. "Oh what the hell. You only live once, right?"
"Hors d'oerves anyone?" Tom said with a mouth full of caramel and chocolate.
Helen went back to her chopping while Tom and Daniel coveted the dessert at the kitchen table.
"Can I help?" Tess asked.
"You can just stand there and keep me company. I'm sure those boys won't have anything decent to say until the chocolate is gone."
Tess was glad to see that despite the grief, there was some levity in the home.
"Is the Senator coming?" Tess asked.
"No, he went back to Washington this morning. He'll be back Wednesday for the funeral. Oh Tess, you'll come to the funeral won't you? I know you didn't think much of Asa, but it would mean a lot to all of us if you could be there."
"Of course."
"It will be hard on dad. I think he'll stay a little bit after. He and Asa didn't get along that well … not at all really. But he was his son. And I think deep down dad was proud of some of what he achieved."
"It must be strange to have the house so empty," Tess said feeling awkward. She wasn't sure how to act or what to say. Was it okay to talk about Asa? His death? Or would that be too painful. And would it lead to talk of murder, which she'd agreed to not discuss.
"Oh it's not empty," Helen said with a venomous undertone that had Tess raising her brows. "I swear that Shelby is… well I shouldn't talk like that."
"What happened?"
"She wants the house."
"It doesn't go to Philip?" Tess asked.
"The house is dad's," Helen said getting particularly rough with a carrot stick. Tess clasped her hands behind her back just to make sure her fingers wouldn't get too close to the chopping block. "But he's in Washington all the time, so Asa made it his home. But it wasn't his."
"I see."
"You know," Helen said turning and waving the thick knife in the air. "I have half a mind to live there. Dad asked if I wanted to. It would show her, wouldn't it? My brother's not even in the grave and she's worming her way into my house."
"She does seem like she doesn’t have much in the way of human emotion," Tess agreed.
"Snake. I think I will live there. We all can. You and Daniel can come live there too."
Tess felt the dread in the pit of her stomach. Was this going to be another attempt to get her and Daniel together?
“The house is big enough. Everyone can have their own rooms. Hell they can have three rooms.”
"Can we roller skate in the foyer?" Tess asked.
Helen stopped and looked at her. "How'd you know about that?"
"When you first took me in and I was telling you how awful my hom
e was, you wanted me to think of one good memory."
Helen nodded. "Mine was roller skating in the foyer." She smiled and some of the grief left her eyes just for a moment. "I hated that house as much as you hated yours," she said. "We're alike in many ways Tess."
Except for the fact that Tess still couldn't think of one good memory of her home. The closest she could think of was the day she left at the age of 16 to attend boarding school in Jefferson Tavern, Virginia.
"Ah, I guess I should just let Philip and Shelby live there. The house has such good bones, but bad karma. It's perfect for them."
Tess couldn't help but laugh. The description fit Shelby to a tee. "Do Philip and Shelby owe money to anyone?" she asked.
"Tess." She looked up to see Daniel give his head a quick shake, but she didn't understand why. She wasn't talking about Asa's murder, at least not directly.
"I don't know. Asa gave them a pretty good allowance, although it was never enough for Shelby. Why?"
Tess turned her back on Daniel in case he'd say something further. "I was thinking that you'll want to make sure that the Senator or you retain ownership if they live there."
"So they can't mortgage it or something?"
"Right."
"That's a good point. It’s a good thing we have a lawyer in the family."
"Hey!" Tom said.
"Sorry darling," Helen said.
"She is right though," Tom said. "As hard as this tragedy is, it will be important to watch out for your interests."
"My interests? If I cared about my interests, I'd be like the rest of them," Helen said going back to her chopping.
"But you do have interests now," Tom reminded her.
"What do I want with majority ownership of the company? I'm an English teacher for goodness sake."
"Perhaps now isn't the time to discuss this," Daniel said. Tess turned to see him give his father a look that she took to mean 'not in front of the company'.
Too late, she thought. Her curiosity was peaked. Had Asa given Helen his share of the company? It sure sounded like it.
"But you'll take care of it all, won't you dear," Helen continued apparently not hearing Daniel. "You've got half of it and I trust you with my half."