by T. L. Haddix
“I’m not finished here, Sheriff. I want to hear what she has to say about this.” Holding the package up, he shook it and some of the contents spilled out into the clear evidence bag.
As she recognized the underwear, Beth felt the blood drain from her face. She sank back into her chair. “Where did you get that?” She raised her gaze to meet Ethan’s and was surprised to see a flicker of pain run through his eyes. “Those are mine. Where’d you find them?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Wyatt reached out and picked up the evidence bag, studying it with a frown.
“Do you know Mick Helton?” Ethan asked.
Beth nodded. “Of course. He works at the thrift store in the strip mall on the hill. Did he find them?”
Ethan shook his head. “Not exactly. He says you brought them to the thrift store as a donation the day before your apartment was vandalized.”
“What?” Chase exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous, and you know it. He’s lying.”
“He’s willing to lose his job over a lie, then.” Ethan’s voice was quiet as he stepped away from the table. “He’s willing to sign a statement that says Beth brought this bag in and dropped it off. I also have a witness who has heard you bragging about how you’ve been leading everyone around by the nose, how you’ve planned this whole thing.”
“Let me guess - it’s this Ruby person?” Gordon spoke for the first time since Ethan had entered the room. Ethan’s face grew even stonier, if that were possible, and he nodded.
“Between what has gone on between the two of us, this underwear, and that article, and Beth showing up everywhere I go these days, I’m sorry to say I believe her.” Turning to Chase, he spoke in a low voice. “I’m sorry, but you need to get your sister some help before she hurts someone.”
Chase started around the table toward his friend, but Sampson stepped in front of him. “Sheriff, please get Detective Moore and his ‘evidence’ off my property.”
Wyatt nodded and grasped Ethan’s arm. This time when he tugged, he found little resistance. “I’m going. I’m going.” With that, he turned and headed back down the hall, with Wyatt close on his heels. For a very long moment, no one in the boardroom moved, then Chase edged around the table toward Beth. Before he could reach her, though, she held a hand up, stopping him. She knew that sympathy now would break her carefully maintained composure apart.
“I’m sorry. I need some air. Excuse me.” She brushed past Chase on her way out the door and almost ran down the hall toward the stairs to the roof, letting the door that led outside close with a slam behind her. The pain, the anger and the humiliation burned in her chest, and she wanted to get outside before her control shattered. It was the second time Ethan had confronted her in public, and she’d had enough.
~ * * * ~
Back in the boardroom, no one seemed to know what to say. With a weary sigh, Marshall took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. “She warned me that article would cause trouble, but that was certainly more of a reaction than I was expecting. What the hell is going on?” They all looked to Gordon, who shrugged.
“Beth doesn’t strike me as having the personality of someone who would invent a stalker just to gain attention. I’d like to know more about this Ruby who seems to have all the answers.”
Stacy agreed with his assessment. “It doesn’t fit that Beth would be responsible for all the things that have happened. Everyone in this room is trained to read people, and one of us would have seen something. Gordon, you haven’t known her very long, and you have more experience with this type of thing than any of us. Just being an outsider, I think you would have seen something. I’d bet my badge that she’s not behind it.” They all turned to the door as Wyatt came back in, clearly upset.
“Folks, I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into Ethan these days. I’ll be having a talk with him after I leave here. Where’s Beth?”
Sampson answered. “She headed onto the roof for some air. One of us had better check on her.”
“I’ll go,” Chase said, already heading out the door. When he stepped out onto the flat roof and glanced around, he saw Beth standing on the opposite side of the building, gazing out over the river. He walked over to stand next to her and studied her carefully. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and though her eyes were red, she wasn’t crying. After a few minutes, he spoke.
“You want me to go skewer Ethan for you?”
She chuckled, a soggy sound that was more sob than laugh. As she accepted the handkerchief he handed her, she answered. “No, but thank you for the offer. Lauren and Annie made a similar one the other night. One of these days I might take you all up on it, but not today. I guess the meeting’s pretty effectively derailed now.”
Chase shrugged, hands in his pockets. “Well, it’s disrupted, but I wouldn’t say derailed. Not yet, anyhow. I think we still have quite a bit to discuss.” He bumped her shoulder with his. “Come back in and we’ll finish this up.”
Beth nodded jerkily and drew in a deep breath, moving away from the wall. “No comments about my sex life? Or about the fact that I’m apparently stalking myself?”
He held the door open as she walked through. “No, ma’am. I’d really rather not even acknowledge that you have a sex life, if you want the truth. It’s like knowing Mom and Dad have sex.” To his relief, his grimace made her smile a little, despite her obvious upset. “As to the stalking - I know you better than that, and so do most people with a rational, thinking brain. Which apparently isn’t Ethan right now. Whatever is going on, we’ll get to the bottom of it. Enough said.” Taking the handkerchief back, Chase wiped her face where the tears had tracked down her cheeks.
“He needs help,” she whispered.
Chase felt a piece of his heart break, knowing she was right. “I know. And as soon as I get over the urge to beat the living crap out of him, I’ll talk to his folks, see if I can organize an intervention. I’m afraid that’s what it’s going to take.”
“Do I have to go back in there and face everyone?”
He pulled her close for a quick hug. “You’ll be just fine.” He kept his arm around her as he guided her back inside the boardroom. Everyone looked up as they came back in, but no one commented on the scene with Ethan.
“Let’s get back to where we were before we were interrupted,” Marshall said.
They resumed their seats, and the discussion continued as to the nature of the disappearances. Theories were discussed, and the meeting wrapped up shortly thereafter, with Wyatt and Marshall handing out assignments to their respective employees. With everything said and done, Marshall declared the meeting adjourned. He stopped as he left the boardroom, and spoke to Beth. “If you want to take the rest of the day off, that’s fine.”
“I may do that.”
Sampson gave her a quick hug before also leaving, and Stacy followed him out the door. Beth turned to Wyatt. “I imagine you have some questions for me. I’ll answer anything you want to ask me. I don’t have anything to hide, not anymore.” She grimaced as she remembered Ethan’s revelations.
Chase spoke. “I’d like to stay for any questions. No offense, Wyatt, but I don’t think my sister should be without legal representation after those accusations.”
“I don’t have a problem with it as long as Beth doesn’t. What about you?” Wyatt looked at Gordon. “You want to stick around to hear this or not?”
Beth held a hand up when Gordon hesitated. “I’d like both of them to stay. Go ahead and ask me whatever you need to.”
“I don’t know what bug Ethan has up his butt this time, Beth. I’m sorry for the way he acted, though. I’m going to sit him down and have a nice long talk with him, I promise you that.”
She summoned up a smile and shook her head. “It’s okay, Wyatt. I’d guess the bug is named Ruby, and she’s there because Ethan wants her there. You know he and I have been rubbing each other the wrong way, especially in the last few months.”
“That d
oesn’t give the boy an excuse to barge in here like he did and make a scene,” Wyatt countered. “I can’t have him acting like that. It reflects poorly on the department, and it makes me question his judgment.”
Chase looked at Beth with a grimace, then told Wyatt, “We think he has a serious problem with alcohol.” He went on to explain their reasoning. Wyatt was quiet as he processed the theory. Chase could see the older man’s disappointment and concern.
“Damn it to hell. Are you sure?” Wyatt asked.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Okay. Thanks for telling me. I’ll look into it, I promise you.” Wyatt turned his attention to Beth. “Is there any truth to what Ethan said? About the stalking?”
She shook her head and looked Wyatt straight in the eyes. “Not a single word. I’ve had nothing whatsoever to do with this stalking. I’m not making it up, and I certainly haven’t bragged about what I’ve done, because I haven’t done anything.”
“What about this underwear? Is there any chance this Helton fellow could be right, that you were there on that Friday?”
Without speaking, she pulled her day planner close and flipped through the pages to find the right one. She showed him the day in question. “There’s no way I was there that day. I had to go to Louisville to pick up some things for Lauren’s wedding, and then once I got back here, I was with Annie and Lauren most of the rest of the day, working on flowers and balloons. Depending on what time this guy says I was there, I might be able to prove definitively that I wasn’t.”
Wyatt rubbed a hand down his face, and sighed. “I don’t think you’re behind all this, Beth. That said, I have to do my job. If this guy really does come in and make a statement, it’s going to look bad. I just want to warn you now.” Looking at Chase and Gordon, he frowned. “As soon as I get back over to the office, I’ll have Stacy start looking at Ruby Sloane. It’s just a little too convenient that she suddenly pops up out of nowhere with all these allegations.”
“I think that’s a good idea, Sheriff. Let me know if I can do anything. I can pull some strings if you need me to, and I’ll be glad to do it.” Gordon offered his hand, and Wyatt shook it.
“I know better than to tell you to stop looking for puzzle pieces, Beth, but promise me you’ll be careful out there?”
She promised him she would, and he left. As he walked down the hall, she looked from her brother to Gordon, and started pulling her papers together.
“Well, that was an interesting meeting. Not the least bit embarrassing, either.” After shoving everything into her briefcase, she turned to face them.
“Do you still want to have lunch?” Gordon asked.
She shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t think so. You guys go on without me, and have fun. I think I’m going to head home for the day and crawl under my bed.”
They stood back to let her pass, exchanging a worried look behind her. Quiet, they all went out to the parking lot. To Chase’s surprise, Gordon pulled her in for a hug.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will,” she told him.
As she drove away, the men stood there staring after her.
“Think she’s okay?” Gordon asked.
Chase shook his head. The last thing he’d expected when he’d gotten up that morning was watching his best friend break his sister’s heart, in public, no less. “No. Not by a long shot.”
Chapter Twenty Six
By the time Ethan got home late that evening, his mood was vicious. He had spent an hour in Wyatt’s office, getting yelled at over the way he had handled the situation in the boardroom, and then several more hours trying to track down Mick Helton with no success. He headed straight for the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, twisted the top off, and drank it where he stood. Opening a cabinet, he grabbed a glass and the whiskey bottle, went back into the living room, and flopped down on the couch. After pouring a good amount of liquor into the glass, he took a long swallow. When he felt the alcohol hit his bloodstream, he relaxed against the cushions and kicked off his shoes.
“What a pisser of a day.” When his cell phone rang, he cursed. Ruby’s name came up on the screen, and Ethan debated long and hard whether or not to answer. Guilt getting the best of him, he flipped the phone open. “Hey, Ruby. Are you feeling better?”
She had called him early that morning, hysterical after having read Julius’ article, absolutely convinced Beth was out to ruin her life. On top of the sleepless night he had endured as he tried to figure out what the bag of underwear meant, her emotional tirade had set his off his temper. He had stormed out of the courthouse and straight to the newspaper, where he had proceeded to make an ass of himself. His cheek still stung from where Beth had hit him, and the fact that he was aware of how stupidly he’d acted didn’t help his temper.
“I’m doing alright. Did you talk to Beth?”
“Yeah. I found her in the boardroom at the paper with half the sheriff’s department, and I lost my temper a little bit. I thought Wyatt was going to take my head off. He chewed me out but good, threatened to put me on suspension.”
Ruby drew in a breath. “He didn’t, did he?”
“No, I managed to talk him out of it.” He told her more than he normally would have, the alcohol loosening his tongue. “I had to go see him after he got out of there, and I’ll be in the doghouse for a while. He’ll come around, though, especially once you and Mick come in and make those statements.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before she responded, ignoring what he had said about the statements. “What was everyone doing there at the paper?”
He frowned as he thought back to the scene in the boardroom. “I’m not sure, really. I think it had something to do with that devil worshipping thing. They had a bunch of names up on the board, a timeline. Probably something Beth came up with, if I had to guess.” He refilled his glass with whiskey and sipped it. “Nothing to worry about, I’m sure. Anyhow, Wyatt knows about the underwear, and he’s got Stacy looking into it. Do you mind if we change the subject?”
Ruby heartily agreed, and the discussion moved on to the plans they had made for the evening.
“I know you mentioned doing something earlier, but would you mind if we didn’t? I think I just want to stay here and get drunk, to be honest.” Ethan missed the relief in Ruby’s voice as she replied.
“I’m okay with that. It’s been a pretty rough day all around, and staying in sounds like a good idea. I’ll talk to you soon.”
As Ethan sat on the couch drinking, he kept thinking about Beth’s face from earlier and the way Chase’s college buddy had moved to defend her. He laughed, a humorless sound, and touched his cheek where she had hit him. He knew he was lucky it hadn’t left a bruise. All that righteous anger, he thought, snorting.
A thought niggled somewhere in the back of his head, his subconscious trying to tell him things weren’t fitting together the way they should, but he ignored it. After pouring more whiskey into his glass, he raised it to his lips and was glad he had a few days off. With the mood he was in, he might not let himself get sober until Monday.
~ * * * ~
Across town, Ruby picked up the cigarette she was smoking, took a long draw, and held the smoke in her lungs until it hurt. As she exhaled, she cursed and flicked the ashes into the ashtray on the table in front of her. Tapping on the screen of her cell phone, she thumbed through the call log until she reached the number she was looking for. She took another draw on the cigarette as she waited for the call to go through. Ethan Moore might not have any idea of the importance of the meeting at the paper, but Ruby certainly did, and she knew someone else who would, as well.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Jackie Hudson was worried. Sunday dinner was almost ready to be put on the table, and Beth still hadn’t shown up. She picked up the phone and called her daughter’s cell phone for what felt like the hundredth time, a frustrated growl escaping when it went to voice mail just like her other c
alls. She hung up as Jason and Chase came into the kitchen from the hall, both looking concerned. Sampson and Richard weren’t far behind.
“I don’t know where she is. She’s still not answering her cell phone.”
Chase frowned. “I talked to her last night around nine thirty. She was going to turn in early. She’s still pretty raw about the whole Ethan thing.”
“You don’t think she would have done something…” Jackie’s voice trailed off as Richard walked over and put his arms around her. Her arms slipped around his waist and she held on tightly as he smoothed his hands up and down her back, trying to reassure her.
“No, not Beth. She probably just forgot to charge her phone, stayed up later than she thought she would, and didn’t set the alarm clock.”
Jason pulled his keys out of his pocket and pushed Chase toward the back door. “We’ll go check her apartment. She may have had car trouble between here and there. Shoot, any number of reasons she isn’t answering her phone, and not all of them are bad.” He wasn’t quite able to hide his concern, though, and the speed with which he and Chase headed out the door belied his words. They all knew that Beth wasn’t the type of person to miss an appointment or date and not call, especially if it was a family event.
Sampson grabbed the cordless phone. “I’ll go call Marshall. He may have her off working on some story.” He went back to the living room, giving Jackie and Richard some privacy.
“Richard, something’s very wrong. I feel it in my gut.”
To his credit, he didn’t try to convince her otherwise, just held on tighter, and that scared Jackie more than anything.
~ * * * ~
As soon as Jason and Chase reached Beth’s apartment, it was obvious that something was wrong. The door was slightly ajar, and Jason held his hand up as he drew his gun from the holster at the small of his back. He knocked and called out Beth’s name, but got no answer.