A cop came forward on Uncle Carrick’s direction and handcuffed Randy.
“What is this?”
“You have the right to remain silent . . .” The arresting officer rattled off the familiar rights as he guided Randy down the stairs.
“You tell me what I’m being arrested for.”
“Murder,” Dan said, following behind.
“Who did I kill?”
“A woman named Honey Rhodes,” Uncle Carrick said.
“Who? I never heard of a Honey Rhodes.”
“That’s because you thought you were killing our mother,” Lacey informed him.
Randy’s face froze in a weird sort of sneer. “You’re out of your mind.” His tone morphed to one soft as butter. “Darla. Darla, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart.” She pulled her wedding ring off her finger and threw it at him. “I’m glad we never did it.”
Everyone but Randy laughed as he was shoved out the door.
Thirty-nine
DAN WATCHED THE officers press Randy into the back of the squad car.
“You’re making a mistake,” Randy growled.
Jake suddenly appeared beside him. “That’s what they all say. Right, Officer O’Donnell . . . Dan?” Jake grinned.
The two men watched the car pull away. Jake waved.
Dan eyed Jake. The man was as happy as he’d seen anyone. Dan was happy, too, that things had worked out. But what if they hadn’t? What if Randy had discovered that the gun was filled with blanks? What if he’d thrown Lacey down the stairs or killed her with his bare hands? What if he’d held the gun directly against her head when he fired it? Even with blanks in the gun . . .
As relieved as Dan was, he was upset more. Lacey had managed to pull this off, but what about next time? Not that she’d be facing a killer again, but what about the way she drove her car and her recklessness in general? He didn’t want to always be worried about her in the back of his head. He didn’t . . .
His cell rang. He checked. It was Lacey. He rejected the call.
“She might need you right now,” Jake said. Obviously he’d seen his caller ID.
“I doubt that.” Dan turned away.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Dan turned back. “That was some stupid stunt they pulled.”
“Sometimes drastic situations call for drastic actions. You’re a cop. You should know that.”
“Lacey’s not a cop.”
“No. She’s a regular person who found herself in dire straits.”
“She should have confided in me.”
“And what would you have done?”
“Stopped her.”
“Now you know why she didn’t tell you.”
“But she should have.”
“Yeah. In an ideal world she’d rely only on you. And you on her. Don’t forget that part. And no one would ever screw up or do something the other person didn’t like.”
Dan frowned.
Jake continued. “You’re a motorcycle cop. You think Lacey won’t have to worry about that?”
“She didn’t have to put herself in this situation.”
“Randy put her in this situation. She dealt with it. Maybe Lacey was protecting you. Did you ever think of that? This isn’t the dark ages, pal. Sometimes women have to save themselves. But not always. She’ll need you. She needed you now. To talk to. To know you’re still there for her. To comfort her. And what did you do? You hit reject. So really, you’re just thinking about protecting yourself. Lacey’s Lacey. She has faults like anybody else. And she’s young. So a lot of things will change. But not who she is at her core. She’s a good person. She’s strong. She always has been.”
“You sound like you’re in love with her.”
“No. I love her, but I’m not in love with her. There’s a difference. I respect her. But Darla’s the one I’m in love with. And that’s tricky because she’s really still a baby. She needs to grow up. I’m going to be there for her, though. And I’ll do my best to stand back when I have to and let her find her own way. Love isn’t controlling and smothering someone. It’s caring about them more than you care about your own ego.”
Jake walked away and Dan thought about what he’d heard.
Forty
LACEY SAT ON Darla’s bed, Darla’s hands in hers, both girls freshly showered with hair still wet. They were dressed in pajamas. With all evidence of the day’s events washed away, they looked into each other’s eyes and Darla started to giggle.
“What are you laughing at?” Lacey asked, a bit of a giggle forming in her own throat in response.
“Everything. You. Me. Cadmium red watercolor blood. Outfoxing Randy. It’s not funny really.” She put on a stoic face for all of a second before she burst out again. “But I can’t help it. Right now the whole thing’s hysterical.” She wiped a tear from her eye.
Lacey burst with laughter, too. “It is funny. It’s so, so funny.” She laughed harder and could barely get the words out. “Did you see the look on Randy’s face when I stood up?”
Darla spewed more giggles. “I saw. ‘Duuuuh! What happened?’” She mimicked what must have gone through Randy’s head.
Lacey joined in. “‘Duuuuh. I thought I put a bullet in her brain.” She tried to sound like Tweety Bird. “I did. I did put a bullet in her brain.’” Lacey laughed some more. Her stomach contracted and started to hurt. She put her hands on it, but she couldn’t stop the giggles.
Darla waved her hands at her sister. “‘No, wait! Wait, everybody. Darla did it.” She deepened her voice. “Darla you twit, tell them you shot your sister. You must have missed. How could you miss after all I’ve done for you?” She put on a serious face, then burst out laughing again.
Lacey laughed, too. Then, as she eyed the clock, she hugged her stomach and tried to catch her breath. “Three twenty in the morning. No wonder everything’s funny.”
Darla cocked her head, swallowing air to stop from laughing. “Three twenty? Isn’t it time for my nightmare?” She laughed again.
“Nightmares are over, baby.”
Darla looked at her sister with a smile. “The biggest one, anyway.” The smile disappeared. “I can’t believe I thought he loved me.”
“Why not? You’re the most lovable girl on the planet.” Lacey stroked Darla’s cheek with her index finger.
Darla pursed her lips, covering a smile. “How long does it take to get an annulment?”
“Not long, I think. Let’s call Henderson and find out.” Lacey stretched for the landline on the table beside the bed.
Darla laughed and pulled her back. “Not now.”
“But we’re spoiled, rich girls. Everyone expects us to behave bad . . . badly.”
“We’re good, spoiled, polite, rich girls. And now, after this, we’re smart, too.”
“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
Darla looked at Lacey, and Lacey saw the love there. It was back. Her sister was back. That scared, lost look was gone.
“I can’t believe I even thought about shooting you for one second. Or myself,” Darla said.
“You had two devils whispering in your ear. Randy and the ever resourceful, Reverend Irene.”
“And one angel. You.”
Lacey smiled, took her sister’s hands again. “I just told you what was really happening. You had the good judgment to believe me.”
“Randy didn’t make sense anymore. You did.”
Yes, thought Lacey. What doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger. Darla isn’t the same person. The change is amazing.
“Jake’s going to have to get a new name for you,” Lacey said.
“What do you mean?”
“No more rabbit face.”
Darla scrunched her nose.
“Or, maybe he can still call you that.”
Darla grinned. “I like Rabbit Face.”
“Jake likes Rabbit Face. Jake loves Rabbit Face. Jake loves you.”
Darla’s gr
in faded to a thoughtful smile. “He really followed us on the motorcycle?”
“Yep. And screwed up his back sleeping outside your motel room. Put that in one of your books and read it. That’s love.”
“That’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not. It’s romantic.”
They were both quiet, smiling at each other.
“Tomorrow I meet Mom?” Darla said.
Lacey motioned at the clock with her head. “Today you meet Mom. And Uncle D is coming over.”
“Uncle D?”
“Dan’s uncle. The detective. That’s what I call him. He’s got more 411 for us.”
“I don’t know if I can handle more 411.”
“You can handle anything, Darla. We both can.”
Darla smiled and yawned. “You think so?”
“Absolutely, undeniably, positively.”
Darla’s smile faded. “Because Randy will lie.”
“But we’ll tell the truth. We’ll make sense.”
“We will, won’t we.” It wasn’t a question. It was a confirmation.
“Okay. Scoot over,” Lacey said.
Darla did and they scrambled under the covers. Lacey turned out the light and they snuggled. She heard Darla yawn again as she said, “Good night.”
“Love you, little sis.”
“Love you, big sis.”
Lacey put a hand on Darla’s hand resting on her arm. It felt good to lie next to her. To be close sisters again. She heard Darla breathing rhythmically.
Softly she said, “Yes, my darling sister, we can handle anything.”
Lacey sighed inwardly and thought of Dan. She’d called him twice and neither time had he answered. She’d left messages and he hadn’t called back.
We can handle murderous sociopaths, but I can’t seem to handle one ethical Ticket Master, Mr. Dan-the-Man.
The doorbell rang at ten in the morning.
“That can’t be Uncle D already,” Darla called, still in her pajamas. She sat cross-legged on the bed, a sketchpad and pencil in her hand. “You said this afternoon.”
Lacey, fully dressed, poked her head in from the hall.
“Get some clothes on and I’ll go answer. I have a feeling it’s for you.”
“What?” Darla put the pad aside and looked at Lacey.
Her sister smiled. “Just get dressed. And then come downstairs.”
Lacey disappeared and Darla hurried into a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She checked herself in the mirror and smiled. That anxious, scared, watch-out feeling that had lived in the pit of her stomach all her life seemed to have disappeared. She wasn’t even fighting it. It had vanished all on its own.
“Darla!” She heard Lacey yell.
“Life is good.” She glanced at all the books in her bookshelf. “So are all of you, but I’m thinking real life is going to be a whole lot better.”
She rushed out.
Halfway down the stairs she spotted Jake in the foyer, a big bouquet of red roses in his hands. She slowed her step. “What’s going on?”
She glanced at Lacey standing to one side of the door and then looked back at Jake.
He came forward and handed the flowers to Darla. “Do you like them?” he said.
Darla put her face close to the blooms. “Aromalicious.”
“That means, yes?” Jake said.
She lifted her head. “That means definitely.” She giggled and crinkled her nose.
“There’s the rabbit face I love.” Jake laughed.
Darla smiled.
“I have something else for you.” He reached into a pocket. “Part of this whole mess is my fault.”
“What? How do you figure?” Darla said.
“I never told you how I feel.” He held out a gold, two-heart ring enhanced with rubies. “I hope I’m not being presumptuous. Lacey says I’m not.” He glanced at Lacey. Then he looked in Darla’s eyes and slipped the ring on her finger. “I’m giving you this as a promise. I’ll be there for you. Forever. No more hiding how I feel, waiting for a better time. I want you in my life. I love you. And, if I’m lucky enough . . .” His words stuck in his throat and his eyes glistened.
Darla felt her heart tug with joy. Jake? Was she hearing what she was hearing? She felt tears in her own eyes. She’d hoped and yet she’d never dared to hope. Not fully. Not really. She’d chalked up her feelings toward Jake as baby feelings. And just when he’d returned, all grown up, Randy had appeared in her life and sidetracked her.
Hijacked.
Yes. That was a better term. She’d been an idiot, but Jake didn’t care. Here he was saying he loved her.
“You love me?” Darla said.
“He loves you,” Lacey said.
“I love you,” Jake said.
With the bouquet of roses clutched in one hand, she threw her arms around him and kissed him with all her might.
Forty-one
DAN WALKED INTO his bedroom with a roll of thirteen-gallon, drawstring kitchen trash bags. He looked at his watch. This shouldn’t take long.
He ripped off the first bag and whipped it open. Then he entered the walk-in closet. Sally’s clothes took up two-thirds of the space. With a steady hand he removed blouses from the hangers one by one, folded them and placed them in the trash bag. It filled quickly and he opened a second bag. He removed skirts next and folded them neatly. Slacks, dresses, and sweaters followed. When finished, he had sixteen bags of clothes ready to give to the Veteran’s Association. He stood with hands on hips and stared at the pile of ready-to-give-away goods. Sally’s wardrobe would be put to proper use. It would raise money for a great cause and people would wear the clothes again. Sally would be pleased.
This is getting to be a habit. Gathered in the dining room once again. At least no one’s dead this time, Lacey thought.
Uncle D sat at the head of the table.
Any minute now, he’ll be taking out his bottle of Tums.
He did and Lacey smiled.
Darla sat next to Jake, fingers entwined in his. She looked happier than Lacey had ever seen her. Henderson sat stiff and proper at the other end of the table.
Lacey wondered how she looked. Lonely? Where was Dan? What had she done so wrong? Why wouldn’t he even talk to her?
A deputy appeared in the doorframe, stared at Uncle D and shook his head.
“Excuse me.” Uncle D pushed his chair back and left the dining room. Everyone eyed each other and shrugged.
Lacey sighed. Henderson laced his fingers and placed his hands on the table. Darla admired the promise ring on her finger and then gave Jake a look of love. He gave her one back.
“Where’s Henry?” Lacey asked.
“My dad?” Jake mooned at Darla.
“No. Your Irish Wolfhound.”
“I don’t have— oh.” He looked at Lacey. “He found this nice little classic just begging for restoration. He’s negotiating a deal. We’re going to make a project of it.”
“Cool,” Lacey said. “That takes time. Years, in fact.”
“Sometimes.”
“Very cool. You’re not leaving at the end of the summer, then?”
“He’s not going anywhere.” Darla squeezed his hand and pulled him toward her.
Jake kissed her cheek. “I’ll find a job around here. Maybe, eventually, start my own restoration business.”
Henderson snapped open his briefcase and cleared his throat. He removed some pamphlets and forms, then slid them toward Lacey. “Read that over carefully. Both very good colleges. Fill out the application of your choice by Thursday.”
Amused, she looked at the sell-jobs for the business departments of each school, and a wry smile came to her lips. She would have loved it if her father had taken charge of her like Henderson just did.
Or would she?
She frowned. Yes. Definitely, yes. But she would have given him a hard time. She would have resisted his every effort. And how would he have known that parenting was what she really wanted? Why had she acted that
way?
She looked at the lawyer, so stern and stiff. “Henderson. Do you have kids?”
He looked startled. “I do.”
“Daughters? Sons?”
“Two boys and a girl.”
“Are you proud of them?”
“Very proud.”
“Really? Why?”
“Well. Jarrod started kindergarten and wants to be a lawyer like his dad. Kenton is three and recently stopped wetting the bed. And four-month-old Emma sleeps through the night.”
Lacey laughed. “Little Hendersons. Well, tell them you’re proud of them every chance you get.”
Henderson nodded and his face turned a little red.
Uncle D’s voice carried in from the foyer. “Bring her down here. We need her. We can’t find the way in from the house. It’ll save time if she shows us how she got in from the outside.” He entered the dining room, closing his cell phone.
“What was that about?” Lacey asked. It sounded like Crystal was on the way.
“Something I’ll get to.” Uncle D took his seat.
A deputy poked his head in. “We found it. Ten seconds after we said we couldn’t.”
The rotund detective smiled. “Isn’t that always the way? Okay.” He seemed very pleased, but took a Tums anyway. “Go on in, but just glance around. Then take a break until I finish in here. I want to be there.”
The deputy saluted with one finger and disappeared.
“Now we’re cooking with gas.” Uncle D patted his tummy.
Dan walked in and Lacey felt her heart jump. When he took the chair next to her, it jumped again. He glanced at her and she saw a glimmer of a smile. At least she thought she did. Or was it wishful thinking?
She turned away from him, even though what she really wanted to do was grab him and hustle him out the door and get things straight. Why hadn’t he called? Why the silent treatment? Had she torpedoed their relationship by getting him to sleep with her?
She realized she was avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t like her to be so obsessive about a man. She had it bad. She had it real bad. Here she was about to learn more about her father’s murder and she was worrying about her relationship with Dan. Where were her priorities?
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