Grave Secrets

by Trout, Linda

  “Dumb bitch!” he yelled as he wiped blood out of his eyes. “I wasn’t going to do this, but I’ve had all the crap I’m going to take from you.”

  ****

  Morgan pulled into the driveway, slapped the gear shift into park, and bolted from the car. Just as he headed up the porch steps, a loud thud and a soft cry came from the house. Heart plummeting to his stomach, he broke through the door and rushed inside. Sara lay face down on the floor, just beyond a couch. Please don’t let her be dead! She stirred, then looked up at him, fear and relief in her eyes. He turned his attention back to the more pressing issue. He wouldn’t do her any good if he got himself killed. Blood dripping from his head, Martin’s jaw momentarily went slack at the sight of him.

  “Morgan, be careful! He’s got a gun,” Sara shouted over a crying baby.

  Pointing his Glock directly at Leo, he said, “Give it up, Martin. It’s over.”

  His eyes wild, Leo shook his head with a mock grin on his face. “You people just don’t get it do you? I’m the one in charge. I made sure of that. I’ve got it all. First the company and now the woman, so you can just go to…” He raised his gun in Morgan’s direction. He wasn’t fast enough, Morgan fired first.

  Sara screamed, looked up to see Morgan still standing, then scrambled to her feet. He quickly moved to Leo and kicked the gun to the other side of the room, although, he didn’t think Martin would be going anywhere, except to the morgue. Not with a bullet hole between his eyes. Morgan turned in time to catch Sara as she rushed into his arms.

  He stuffed his weapon back into the holster as she clung to his shirt. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He raised her chin, then swore at the bright red mark on the side of her face. Before she could react, he gathered her to him tightly. “God, I thought I was too late. I couldn’t get to the house fast enough.”

  Sara didn’t say anything as she trembled in his arms. Until the baby’s cries drew her attention. She turned toward the playpen to pick up the child. He didn’t give her a chance. The way she was shaking, she might drop the kid.

  He plucked the crying child out of the pen, cradled her in one arm, caressed her tummy, kissed the top of her head, then cooed softly, “It’s okay, punkin. I gotcha.”

  He wrapped his other arm around Sara and led her outside, away from the two bodies and gory scene in the house. Sirens blared in the distance. In no time at all, the baby quieted. He couldn’t blame the kid for screaming her lungs out, though. Once the waterworks had stopped, the kid even smiled at him. He turned his attention to Sara, who was still shaky.

  “I’m a damn fool.”

  “You came,” she said at the same time he spoke.

  “Almost a bit too late, but I got here.” He might as well have been talking to the wind. Sara’s entire focus had shifted to the baby. Okay. He could take a hint. He slid the baby into her outstretched arms.

  Cuddling the child close, Sara looked up at Morgan. Only a blind man would miss the resemblance.

  “Is this…?” He forced his mouth closed.

  The brightest smile he’d ever seen split her face as tears spilled down her cheeks. Stroking a trembling hand across the baby’s cheek, she gave a weak nod.

  “Well, I’ll be.” Even the baby gurgled and cooed as if she knew Sara was her mom. He was glad a squad car, lights and sirens blaring, pulled up right then because he was close to tears himself. He swallowed the lump in his throat and reluctantly stepped away from the pair to fill the officers in.

  He sent Sara and her daughter another longing look before he turned away. Kaycee was home where she belonged.

  In her mother’s arms.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It had been two days since the shooting—since Sara’s world had finally turned right side up. She had already packed what she wanted out of the house—which wasn’t much—and had talked to a realtor about putting the house on the market, contents and all, as soon as the police investigation was complete. The sooner she could move out, the better.

  Kaycee was seldom out of her sight and always within monitor range. Sara slept in the nursery, both to give her daughter a security blanket, and for Sara’s peace of mind. The soft, steady breathing of her daughter never failed to bring a lump to her throat.

  The one thing to be said of Melissa Long—she had taken good care of the baby. Except for those few terrifying minutes when Melissa had nearly smothered her. Every now and then Kaycee whimpered, as if she missed her “other” mother. Sara couldn’t let herself feel sorry for the woman, though. The six months Sara had been without her daughter had been pure hell. Soon Kaycee would forget all about Melissa, and, luckily, she was too young to remember the shooting.

  Snuggled in the cherry rocker in the nursery, a sleeping Kaycee curled up in her arms, Sara almost jumped when the doorbell rang. Must be Goodwill. After she laid the baby in her crib, she hurried downstairs. After a quick check through the peephole, she opened the door to Detective Cannon.

  “Morning, ma’am.” There were several men behind him.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We don’t have a search warrant, but we’d like to search your house. We found evidence Leonard Martin was keeping surveillance on these premises.”

  Shock splintered through her. Surveillance? “As in bugs and cameras? How…?” Her stomach rolled, thinking of Leo watching her every move, listening to everything she said. Oh, God! Where? For how long? Did he watch her bathe, dress? What about the night Morgan had made love to her? Taking a shuddering breath, she focused on the detective.

  “He had monitors at his home as well as his office. He also had audio feeds.”

  She waved them inside, then walked to the stairs and slumped on the steps. “That certainly explains a lot,” she said once she’d regained her composure. She looked at the detective. His features remained impassive, reminding her of Morgan. Briefly she wondered who gave lessons to whom to keep such a straight face.

  She sighed and resumed her train of thought. “During the night I’d hear Jason’s voice. I even saw him once. Things started disappearing—being moved. I thought I was losing my mind.”

  “He probably had a key made, found the security code, and let himself in whenever he wanted.”

  Good grief. She’d thought she knew the man. Obviously not. But then, the episode at the other house should have taught her better.

  “I have nothing to hide. Do you have any idea where the bugs might be?”

  He gave the go-ahead to his men who swarmed out like bees. “Yes, ma’am. It won’t take us long.”

  She wanted to know the specifics. However, when one of the men went upstairs, all thoughts of where the devices might be were instantly forgotten. Kaycee. She forced herself not to run, but she quickly followed the officer until she reached the nursery. Of course he wasn’t there. She still crossed to the crib and needlessly fussed with the cover before settling in the rocker. Paranoid or not, Sara intended to ensure her daughter’s safety. They could tear the house apart for all she cared.

  A half-hour later, Detective Cannon gently tapped on the nursery door. “Except for the one in here, we’re done.” He quickly found a tiny camera positioned behind a macramé hanging located next to the door and removed it. Just seeing it made her mad. How dare Leo defile her daughter’s room?

  She checked Kaycee before following him downstairs. The other men had already gone outside. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. “Is it still running? Can you see what’s happening?”

  Grim-faced he nodded. “Until they were removed, yes ma’am. There were a dozen surveillance units located in all the main rooms, and the safe room as well as a stuffed rabbit.”

  Horror, then anger ripped through her. “Kaycee’s rabbit? I took it everywhere. I—I didn’t have a clue.” She felt as if her daughter had been violated.

  “It was hidden behind one of the eyes. I’m sorry, but the toy’s pretty well destroyed.”

  The once treasured animal no longer held an emotiona
l tie. “Just as well, detective. I don’t need it anymore. I have my daughter back.”

  For the first time, he smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Sure am glad about that, too.”

  “Not as glad as I am.” Glad didn’t come close to how she felt. Thrilled, ecstatic, overjoyed, and thankful were a few of the words she could use.

  He cleared his throat, taking a moment before he spoke. “It doesn’t appear as if there are any other units in the house so we’ll dismantle the feeds now. We used them to help find everything.”

  Wrapping her arms around her waist to suppress a shudder, she said, “It’s hard to believe he was capable of such a thing. I thought I knew him. I thought he was my friend. How could he do this?” She looked expectantly at the detective.

  “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t have an answer for you.” He turned to go.

  “Wait! What can you tell me? You can’t leave me hanging like this.” No way was she going to let him walk out the door without telling her something.

  He paused and quirked a smile. “I can tell you that besides needing a new CEO, you’ll be needing a new company doctor, as well as a few other employees.”

  “Oh…” Her mind raced as comprehension set in. “You mean to tell me Doctor Weatherby was involved?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  It took her a moment to accept the implication. “I suppose that explains a lot.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “You can’t give me any information, can you?”

  “Sorry.”

  “That’s all right. I have my daughter and you have the people responsible for the men’s deaths.” She walked him to the door.

  “By the way, what will happen to the remains of the other baby?”

  “If none of Ms. Long’s family steps forward, then both the mother and baby will be cremated.”

  Sara couldn’t let that happen. “No. I want her buried with Jason, in his coffin. Is that possible?”

  He looked at her skeptically. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. She was his child, after all, and an innocent in all of this. Even though I don’t agree with what Melissa did, she had the right idea. Alice deserves a decent burial with her father.” It was the least Sara could do. Jason hadn’t spent much time with his daughter in this life. Now he could spent eternity with her.

  “I’ll see to it,” Cannon said with a brisk nod.

  “Also, we’ll be moving tomorrow, so if you need to contact me, you can reach me on my cell phone.” It hadn’t taken her long to find a nice apartment in a neighborhood with several young couples. Kaycee needed playmates, and Sara needed the companionship of other young mothers.

  He glanced around the vast interior before focusing on her. “Can’t say as I blame you. Will you be taking over the company now?”

  She shook her head.

  He gave a slight nod, as if he understood. “If we need you, we’ll be in touch.”

  Sara closed the door behind him. She’d been so happy to have Kaycee home she hadn’t thought about what was happening with the company. She was more than ready to walk away from everything associated with the place. The Board would run things for a while, until she figured out what she was going to do. She wanted to ensure the employees were taken care of, but retaining her shares of the stock held no appeal what-so-ever.

  With Kaycee asleep, Sara decided to have some tea. As she pulled the tin from the cabinet, she stopped. This was tea Leo had given her…with supposed “soothing” ingredients. Soothing, indeed! More than likely, this was the cause of her hallucinations. Disgusted, she slammed it against the countertop and left the kitchen. She’d turn it over to Detective Cannon just in case.

  As she reached the stairs, a knock at the door caught her off guard. She hesitated. What now? With a heavy sigh, she checked the peephole, then took a step back to get her suddenly accelerated pulse under control.

  Morgan.

  What did he want? Maybe he needed to discuss the payout on the insurance policy. That had to be the only reason why he’d be here. Once the police had determined neither she nor Kaycee had been injured during the shooting, they’d been taken to the police station so Sara could make a statement. She hadn’t seen Morgan since, and he hadn’t called, leaving her to wonder.

  During the hours when Kaycee slept, Sara thought about him, about what he meant to her. She’d wanted to see him, to talk to him. To find out if she meant anything him. She’d picked up the phone to call him several times, but had never hit Send. Call her old-fashioned, she wanted him to come to her. When Kaycee would wake from her naps, the memories of Morgan’s kisses, his caresses were relegated to the back of her mind. Now, with his solid build standing on the other side of the door, Sara decided to revert back to business mode—to leave her emotions out of this meeting. He’d take care of whatever paperwork there was, then be gone. Probably for good.

  With a neutral expression plastered on her face, she swung the door open. He stood on the step, looking as dark and menacing as ever. Except for the white lop-eared rabbit in his left hand.

  “Um, I thought Kaycee should have a new one. No offense, but the other one looked like it was on its last leg. So to speak.” A smile touched the corners of his lips as he lifted the toy into the air briefly, then let it slide to his side.

  The gift touched Sara. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Morgan, about them. All of her emotions were still so raw, so fresh. Despite what she’d just told herself, the sight of him warmed her heart. She stepped back, allowing him entrance,

  “How have you been?” he asked as soon as the door closed.

  The polite question chafed. After all they’d been through, practically the first thing out of his mouth is a generic how-are-you question? “If you wanted to know, you could have called. Or asked Charlene to find out for you. She’s quite efficient, you know.” The frost in her voice should have sent him running.

  His shoulders drooped. “Believe me, I wanted to camp out on your doorstep, but I figured you needed time alone with Kaycee. You didn’t need anyone hanging around interfering.”

  She frowned. He was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear. Simply saying the right words at the right time didn’t necessarily make those words true. All the men in her life had said what they needed to in order to keep her in line—to do what they wanted. And gullible, trusting sap that she was, she’d fallen for them. Wiser, she intended to protect her heart better.

  Seeing Morgan here, so close, looking and smelling fantastic took a toll on her resolve, though. Best to get the paperwork over with and let him get on with his life so she could get on with hers. Hers and Kaycee’s. Just the two of them. Sara had always thought that would be enough. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  “What do you need, Morgan?”

  “You.”

  She stared at him several long moments, trying to absorb what he meant. He didn’t blink, didn’t back down. Typical Morgan. Unmoving. But unlike the first time he came into this house, heat radiated from him as desire flared in his eyes. Her heart thudded. Warmth spread throughout her body, pooling in her stomach.

  For the first time since she met him, she was afraid. Not of him—of herself and her reaction to him. He had too much power over her. A power she couldn’t control. No. She couldn’t do this.

  Kaycee’s soft cry came through the monitor next to the door, breaking the spell.

  Relieved and flustered, she said, “Excuse me while I tend to her. She’s just waking up from her nap.” Sara didn’t wait for his response. Instead, she turned and hurried up the stairs.

  She hummed as she changed Kaycee, the tune the same one she’d carried in her mind all this time. She’d missed so much of her daughter’s first few months, but they were together now and Sara couldn’t seem to stop smiling. She lifted the baby into her arms and hugged her, inhaling the baby shampoo. For once, Kaycee didn’t want to be cuddled. Sara turned to find Morgan standing on the other side of the door. Wonder and longing had replaced the stoic expression he normally wore. F
or a moment, she thought she could see all the way into his soul.

  “I hope you don’t mind. Thought I’d go ahead and give little bit her toy.” He raised the stuffed rabbit.

  Kaycee squealed in delight and kicked to get down, then promptly scooted toward the doorway. The last time Sara had seen him standing in a doorway like that, he’d killed for her. There was something about knowing a man would kill for you, do anything for you, apparently. The willingness touched her in places she wasn’t ready to explore. Not yet, anyway.

  To her surprise, he took a couple steps into the room, then sat on the floor cross-legged. Kaycee crawled right to him. Scooping the baby into his arms, he set her on his lap. Once there, he handed her the toy, which Kaycee immediately stuck in her mouth and started chewing.

  Laughter bubbled out of Morgan. “Hey, there, kiddo. Guess you like that, huh?” He ran his hand up and down her back as she squirmed, then slobbered all over him. He turned his dark eyes on Sara.

  “I was a total as…um, jerk,” he amended as he looked down at the child, “the other day. I’m sorry.” Holding out his hand, he invited her to sit beside him, which she reluctantly accepted.

  The sight of the man lovingly holding her very contented child melted a chunk of Sara’s heart. He was cold and ruthless and warm and sharing, and he had Sara’s emotions in a tailspin.

  “Have you ever gone to an ice cream social?” he asked.

  “What? Um, no, I don’t think so.” Of all things she expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them.

  He bounced Kaycee as she continued to slobber on the stuffed rabbit. “Aunt Nona had them all the time. She’d invite all the neighbors—which felt like half the county. Uncle Pete made the kids take turns sitting on the ancient ice cream freezer, refused to use the more modern ones. Said the ice cream tasted better. You know, I think it did. Especially after you’d frozen your butt off in the making.”

  She smiled. “How old were you?”