Secrets Kept

by Allie Everhart

  "My guests don't like being interrupted. You know how quick tempered those men are. That's why there's a rule forbidding people like you from being around us."

  "Yes. Of course. I understand. I'll leave. I'll...I'll leave right now." He turns and starts running off.

  "Too late," Niles says. I see his arm raise. He's holding something in his hand.

  I hear a loud pop.

  The drunk man falls to his knees.

  Wait—what just happened? Was that a gun in Niles' hand? Did he just shoot that man?

  That can't be right. Niles wouldn't do that. But then why did that man fall down? And what was in Niles' hand?

  The drunk man is mumbling something, whimpering as he tries to crawl away on the grass. Niles slowly walks up to him. His arm raises again, and this time I can see what he's holding. It's definitely a gun. And it's aimed directly over the man's back, over his heart.

  I need to do something. Run out there and stop him. But I can't. I'm frozen in place. Too stunned to move. Am I really seeing this? How is this possible? Why would Niles do this?

  I hear another loud pop. Another shot going off. But it's not as loud as it should be. There must be a silencer attached to the gun.

  The drunk man collapses to the ground. His body doesn't move and his mumbling has stopped.

  Oh my God, he's dead!

  A loud thud startles me but I ignore it, my eyes still on Niles. He suddenly turns and looks in my direction.

  "Who's there?" he calls out.

  I'm frozen in place, afraid to move or make even the slightest sound. I start shivering from the cold night air and the ice that I'm holding. Except I'm no longer holding the ice. I look down and see the bag next to my feet. That must've been the loud thud I heard. I dropped the bag. And Niles heard it fall. That's why he looked over here. But does he know I'm the one who dropped it? It's dark so maybe he can't tell it's me.

  "Niles!" someone yells from the house. It's a deep voice. I can't see who it is but it's someone tall and wide. I can see the outline of him in the door.

  "Yes." Niles looks away from me and turns to whoever was calling him. "I'm coming."

  When he's gone, I hurry back to the house and sneak in the side entrance. The kitchen is empty and I shiver again, this time from fear not the cold.

  What did I just see? Did Niles really kill that guy?

  Gavin told me his dad is opposed to guns. It's even on his freaking campaign ads! So why the hell does he have a gun? And why is he shooting someone in his back yard? With a party going on just a few feet away?

  "Where's the ice?" I hear Carol ask. I look up and see her hurrying to get something from the fridge.

  "I um..." Do I tell her what happened? I have to. A man has been just shot and I'm almost positive he's dead. So what am I doing just standing here? I need to call the police!

  "So?" Carol asks, coming over to me. "Where's the ice? Are we out? Because I could've sworn there was a bag left in the freezer out there."

  "Yeah, there... there was..." I'm stammering, my mind racing, my heart pounding.

  I feel Carol's hand on my shoulder. "Kate, is something wrong?"

  My eyes meet up with hers and I suddenly wonder if I can trust her. I wonder if she knows things she's not telling me. Does she know the truth about Niles? That he owns a gun? That he's a killer? She's always telling me to stay away from Gavin. Is this the reason why? Because she knows the truth about his father?

  No. Of course not. She couldn't possibly know. She wouldn't work for someone if she knew he was capable of murder. And what if tonight was the first time Niles had done that? Although the way he shot that gun, it didn't look he'd never done it before. He had perfect aim and shot to kill, not to injure.

  "Kate." I hear his voice and a chill goes through me. "There you are." I turn and see Niles walking toward me, a big grin on his face.

  My eyes do a search of his white dress shirt, his tie, his designer suit. There's not a single speck of blood. How is that possible?

  Carol smiles at him. "Mr. Bishop. I hope everything met your expectations this evening."

  "It certainly did." He puts his hand on her shoulder. "As always, you did a wonderful job. Celeste and I are very pleased."

  "That's good to hear." Carol continues to smile at Niles.

  He keeps his eyes on hers. "If you don't mind, I need to speak with Kate. Celeste and I are trying to decide what to do for Gavin's birthday this year. And given that Kate is such a big part of his life now, we wanted to include her in the planning."

  "I'll let you two talk." She gives us both a smile, then returns to the party.

  I want to yell at her to come back. To protect me from Niles. But it's too late. She's gone, leaving me alone with Niles.

  "Kate." He puts his hand on my arm and my muscles tense.

  "Yes, Mr. Bishop?" I hear my quivering voice and clear my throat. "Sorry, I mean, Niles." I nervously laugh. "About Gavin's party, I was talking to your wife earlier and—"

  "This isn't about the party," he says, gripping my arm. "This is about what happened outside just now."

  "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Don't play games with me, Kate. I know it was you. I saw you by the pool house. I saw you drop the ice."

  I swallow. "Mr. Bishop. I...I really don't know—"

  "Quiet!" He grips my arm even harder.

  I'm trying to breathe but my heart's beating so fast I'm gasping for breath.

  "Listen to me," he says. "Are you listening?"

  I nod and manage to say, "My arm. You're hurting me."

  He eases his grip on my arm just a little. "That man you saw out there...he was a criminal. Been in and out of prison his whole life. He's been out on parole for a few months now and been trying to blackmail me for money."

  "Blackmailing you how?" I ask, trying to pull my arm from his grasp but it just makes him hold on tighter.

  "He claimed to have photos of me and some woman. It's a complete lie. I've never once cheated on Celeste. I told him that but he said the photos show a man similar enough to me to make people believe it actually is me. If I didn't give him two million dollars, he threatened to give the photos to the press. Ruin my political career. And my marriage."

  He's lying. The conversation I heard before Niles killed that man never mentioned, or even hinted, that blackmail was involved. I don't know what exactly the two of them were talking about but it had to do with more than just Niles. He kept saying 'they' and mentioned something about rules.

  "Blackmail isn't a reason to kill someone," I say, my voice shaky. "Rich people get blackmailed all the time. You could've gone to the police and told them what was going on."

  "And have that story in the press just before the election?" he scoffs. "You obviously know nothing about politics."

  "So you killed him to save your political career?"

  He narrows his eyes at me. "Don't even attempt to assume you know what's going on here. You have no idea what that man has put me through. He didn't just demand money. He also threatened my family if I didn't pay up. He was determined to get that money by whatever means necessary. Even if it meant killing my son."

  He's trying to scare me. Trying to make me think Gavin's life was in danger. Trying to defend what he did. But I see right through his lies. He's giving himself away. His pupils are dilated. He keeps glancing to the side. All signs of a liar. All things my father taught me.

  "That's not what it sounded like," I say. "When I heard you talking to that man, it didn't sound like he was blackmailing you."

  As soon as I say it, I regret it. I want the truth, but confronting a murderer is not the way to get it. I know better than that. I've listened to my dad talk about his cases and I know for a fact he would never do what I just did. He'd go along with whatever the killer says and then get out.

  Niles smirks. "What did it sound like? What exactly did you hear me say?"

  "I don't—" I stop and clear my throat. "Actually, I cou
ldn't really hear. I was far away so I really only caught a few words."

  He grins. "Then I take that to mean you understand my dilemma. You understand that I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands."

  I nod. "Yes, I understand."

  "And you understand that this is not a matter for the police, correct?"

  I nod again. "Yes."

  He inhales a deep breath through his nose and lets it out, then leans in close to my face. "And most importantly, you understand that this must be kept confidential. Telling someone would only cause more problems. For both of us. And I don't believe either of us wants that. I certainly don't. How about you, Kate?"

  I swallow. "No. Of course not." I try to back away but the counter is behind me.

  "Very well, then. I think we're done here." He straightens up, finally giving me some space. "For your own sense of well-being I think it would be wise for you to forget what you saw tonight and never speak of this again."

  I just nod.

  He smiles. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

  He turns and walks away.

  I'm shivering again and when I rub my hands over my arms, I feel that they're cold as ice. The rest of my body is numb from shock, but my mind is racing.

  What am I going to do? I saw a man get killed tonight. I saw who did it. Can I really keep that a secret?

  Do I have a choice?

  Chapter Twenty

  "I talked to Carol," Gavin says as he comes into the kitchen. "She said you could leave early." He smiles and wraps his arms around my waist. "I might've had something to do with that."

  "Gavin, you—"

  "Don't worry. You'll still get paid." He gives me a kiss. "C'mon. Let's get out of here." He takes my hand and his brows furrow. "Why are your hands so cold?"

  "I was outside getting ice." I glance out the window. "But then I dropped it."

  He laughs a little. "Why do you look so worried? It's just ice."

  "I know, it's just that I..." My words trail off as I try to figure out what to say. Do I tell him? But Niles warned me not to. He threatened me.

  But what if Gavin saw it for himself? Then he could be the one who calls the police, not me. And maybe then, with the police involved, I can say what really happened. Or maybe that's too risky. Even so, getting Gavin to see the body is at least a start.

  "Kate? You all right?"

  I nod.

  Gavin's hands are now cupped around mine, warming them. "What were you saying before? About the ice?"

  This is my chance. If he goes out there, he'll see the body.

  "Um, I was just saying that I dropped the ice and never brought it inside."

  "Why not?"

  "It was heavy. But we still need it. Would you mind going out there and helping me with it?"

  "Of course I don't mind." He kisses my forehead. "Let's go."

  We walk out the door and follow the path to the pool house. It's dark and hard to see, but I continue toward the place on the lawn where the guy was killed.

  "Kate, where are you going?"

  I turn back and see Gavin waiting at the pool house.

  "I need to show you something."

  "What do you need to show me?" he asks, catching up to me. "We can't even see back here."

  We should've brought a flashlight. But even in the dark, I know where the body is. That image is burned in my brain. I'll never forget what I saw tonight.

  I stop and look down. "What the hell?"

  "What?" Gavin asks. "What is it?"

  My eyes begin a search of the area. Right. Left. A few feet ahead. A few feet back. But it's not there.

  "How could it not be here?" I say.

  "What? What are you looking for?"

  "There was a—" I stop before I say 'body'.

  "A what?" Gavin comes in front of me and holds my shoulders. "Kate, what's going on here? What are we doing out here?"

  "I...I thought I..." I swallow and feel myself shaking. The body was here just minutes ago and now it's gone. Where'd it go? Who took it?

  "Kate, look at me," Gavin orders, sounding worried.

  My head lifts and I see him watching me, my eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.

  "Tell me what's going on," he says. "And why you're shaking." He rubs his hands up and down my arms. "Are you cold?"

  "No. I mean, kind of." I shake my head. "Never mind. I thought I saw something but...I guess I didn't."

  "Saw what? Like an animal?"

  "Yeah. I think so. I'm not really sure. It's so dark."

  "Let's go in the house." His puts his arm around me. "It's cold out here."

  As we're walking back, Gavin stops at the pool house. "I'll grab the ice."

  I look down and see the ice is gone. The bag I dropped has disappeared. Someone took it.

  "Wait," I say to Gavin.

  "What?" he asks as he opens the pool house door.

  "There's no more ice. I checked and there's no more."

  "But isn't that why we came out here? To get the ice?"

  "I dropped it." I point down at the paved path. "Right here. I dropped it and probably broke the bag. Someone must've come out here and cleaned it up."

  He's staring at me like I've lost my mind. I'm starting to think I have. This is all so strange. I can't explain it. After seeing that man get killed, I was in the house not more than five minutes. How did everything get cleaned up in five minutes?

  There's nothing out here. No evidence that anything happened. So did it? Or was I just imagining it?

  It had to be real. If it wasn't, Niles wouldn't have threatened me.

  "Gavin!" a voice yells.

  We look over at the house and see Niles standing on the patio, right under the light.

  "Come inside." He's smiling and waving us over. "Your mother wants to have a toast before you leave."

  "What are we toasting?"

  "Come over here and I'll tell you."

  My heart's pounding out of my chest. Niles knows what I was up to. So now what happens? Is he going to do something to punish me?

  When we reach the patio, Niles pats Gavin on the back. "Good to see you home again."

  "I can't stay long."

  "Regardless, we're always happy to see you." He glances at me. "So what were you two doing out there?"

  "He was helping me with the ice," I blurt out.

  "And?" He looks at us both. "Where is it?"

  "We're out," Gavin says. "So what are we toasting to?"

  "I received a rather large donation tonight. Almost a million dollars."

  "That's great, Dad. Who was the donor?"

  "It was anonymous, so unfortunately I'm unable to thank the person properly. So instead, we'll have a toast to celebrate. Gavin, could you go inside and pop the champagne?"

  "Sure."

  We start to go inside but then Niles says, "Kate, could I have a word?"

  "Um, what about?"

  He smiles. "Gavin's mother has been so understanding during this long and rather difficult campaign of mine that I'd like to thank her with a gift. I thought you might offer me some suggestions."

  I look at Gavin, who's beaming at the fact that his dad is asking me for advice. If he only knew the truth.

  "See you in a few minutes," Gavin says as he goes in the house.

  Once the door is shut and we see Gavin disappear into the kitchen, Niles steps closer to me. "What exactly was your plan? Were you hoping Gavin would see something?"

  "I wasn't going to tell him anything." I feel myself shaking and focus on calming down, taking deep breaths.

  "You wanted him to see it for himself. But then what? What was your plan? To tell him I did it?" He huffs. "And you think he'd believe you?"

  "Where'd it go?" I ask, getting a sudden surge of adrenaline that makes me want to fight this man and not back down. "Where's the body?"

  "What body?" he asks, cool and relaxed, a smug grin on his face.

  "Where is it?" I demand.

  "I have no idea
what you're referring to." His eyes narrow, his smile gone. "And neither do you. Because you never saw anything. Nothing happened here tonight. And if you even hint that something did, bad things will happen."

  I meet his cold, hard stare. "Don't threaten me."

  "My dear, Kate. I believe it's the other way around. You're the one threatening me. Threatening to tell a secret that's not yours to tell." He rubs his hand over his jaw. "I see this going one of two ways. One. You forget what you saw here tonight. Your relationship with my son continues. And your family remains safe. Or two..." He pauses. "You open your pretty little mouth, blurt out some ridiculous story that no one will ever believe and that you have no proof to support, Gavin breaks up with you for going against his father, and you live in a constant state of fear, wondering what will happen to you and your family because of your disobedience." His lips curl up. "Which would you prefer?"

  "Neither. Because it's not right." I glance around to make sure we're alone then whisper, "You killed someone. How can you not feel even the tiniest bit guilty about what you've done?"

  "Because it was done to protect my family. Protect my future. Protect Gavin's future."

  "Don't bring Gavin into this. He has nothing to do with it. I don't know why you killed that man but—"

  "Quiet!" he yells at me. "Stop talking about it. It never happened. Do you understand?"

  The door to the patio opens and Gavin pokes his head out. "You guys done out here?"

  Niles smiles. "Kate and I are still talking but we'll be in shortly."

  "Just come to the dining room when you're done." Gavin goes back in the house.

  Niles waits a moment to make sure Gavin is gone, then looks back at me and grips my arm. "Perhaps you need to be offered a little incentive. How much will it take? How much to keep you quiet?"

  "Let me go," I say, trying to get my arm free.

  He holds on tighter, his mouth rising into a slight smile. "I like you, Kate. I always have. You're strong. Independent. And I can tell you're someone who speaks her mind. But sometimes that can be to your detriment. Because sometimes, you need to do as you are told and keep your fucking mouth shut."

  I lift my eyes up to his. "You can't tell me what to do."

  He chuckles. "Is that so?"