On long, sleepless nights, the image had often haunted him until he finally left the house and walked aimlessly through the dark streets of Detroit, half wishing that some carload of cocky young punks would pull over and challenge him with a .44 Magnum…and half wishing that he would lose. In the early days, it might have been a blessed relief to leave his guilt and pain behind.
The child was the image of what he’d always imagined his little girl would’ve looked like—if she’d lived.
DR. WALT STOOD on the front steps of the clinic and watched Joel’s pickup roar out of the driveway and head out into the country.
“Who set that boy’s tail afire?” Loraine Gilbert, who’d been in Walt’s high school class back in the dark ages and who was one of his longtime clients, stood next to him holding a squirmy black Lab pup in her arms. “You’d swear the devil was after him.”
“Maybe he is.” Walt tipped his head toward the place next door, where a little girl and her mother were climbing into an SUV hitched to a trailer, both with out-of-state plates.
The young woman appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and she was a hard worker, lugging much of the stuff out of that trailer alone, until Joel stopped over to pitch in. “And maybe it’s time he got shook up a little.”
Loraine snorted. “I thought you wanted to buy the place and get rid of that mess. Now you’re in for another siege.”
“Take a good look.” He nodded toward the woman next door. “Now who does she remind you of?”
Loraine squinted into the late afternoon sun as the SUV pulled away. “Same red hair.”
“Same skinny build.”
“Shorter, though. Not so tall and gangly.” Loraine shot a quick glance at Walt, as if trying to read his thoughts. “Though I guess you sort of liked ’em that way, back in the day.”
The wistful note in her voice caught him by surprise. “Crystal was just a friend. A good friend, Lorrie. You know I never looked at another woman after my wife passed on.”
“You should have, you know.” The pup pedaled its paws wildly until she finally put him down. He bounded to the end of his leash but then spun around and barreled back to collide with her jeans. “You would’ve had a passel of kids, and by now, you’d have a whole herd of grandkids.”
“I just didn’t have the heart. But Joel here isn’t going to make the same mistake.”
Loraine harrumphed, though there was now a twinkle in her eye. “I hear it’s not going so well just yet.”
“Stubborn. That boy is plumb stubborn, but no one can outlast pure temptation—not when Texas grows the prettiest little gals you’d ever hope to see. Like you, for instance.” He chuckled at her faint blush, thankful for their years of deep, comfortable friendship. “So what about that granddaughter of yours? She available?”
“Sissy’s only seventeen, you old goat. As you well know.” She elbowed him in the ribs, then shot a quelling glance at him as she scooped up the puppy and headed out to her truck. “Your nephew is a loner, and he’s carrying a load of trouble in that heart of his. He’s the last thing any girl needs.”
CHAPTER TWO
“IT’S A BIG SPIDER, Momma. Hurry!”
With a rueful shake of her head, Beth set aside her dust mop in the bedroom and followed the sound of Sophie’s voice.
It was hard to believe how radically life had changed. Twelve months ago, Beth had chaired a meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary League, with community beautification as the number one topic on the agenda. Afterward, she’d driven her new Escalade home to prepare steaks on the grill for Patrick’s boss and his wife. They’d dined out on the deck, where Beth had lit dozens of candles for just the right ambiance.
Given the events between then and now, those days might have been a century ago and on a different planet.
“Where is it, sweetie?”
Sophie pointed upward. “In the wall. I heard him.”
“Um…I think it’s probably another mouse.” Though she’d been setting mousetraps and sweeping spiderwebs for two days, there still seemed to be a plentiful supply. And she didn’t even want to think about the fire ants that might be outside, lying in wait on that dusty patch of grass in the backyard. “Just don’t touch anything that moves, okay?”
Sophie nodded solemnly, her doll clutched at her chest, and a fistful of crayons in her other hand. “Do we have to sleep here tonight?”
“Tonight’s the night, now that the new mattresses have arrived. It’ll be fun.”
Well, maybe not fun, but after a gallon of Pine Sol and countless hours of scrubbing, at least it would be clean. Beth turned slowly around and surveyed the upstairs apartment.
It was rather quaint, really, with its fanciful windows and hardwood floors. Just the basics—two bedrooms, a sitting room, a small kitchen and a tiny bathroom. But it seemed oddly bare without Aunt Crystal’s endless collections of dolls and curios filling every nook and cranny. And empty, without her raucous laughter and boundless joy over the smallest things.
Sophie settled down at the kitchen table with her coloring books. “Did you come here when you were little?”
As always, Beth turned so Sophie could see her speak. “Maybe once a year. I just loved running up the front and back sets of stairs.” She smiled, remembering. “And I loved all the little storage areas tucked away under the eaves. Some of them connect, so my sister and I used to play hide-and-seek.”
Sophie looked down at her coloring book and industriously scribbled orange on a page. “I wish I had a big sister.”
Saying that maybe she’d have a sister “someday” seemed so far-fetched that Beth couldn’t form the reassuring words. After her husband’s betrayal, remarriage wasn’t something she’d ever contemplate. “I know you do. But we have each other, right? And come fall, you’ll meet all sorts of kids at preschool when we finish fixing up this house and move to Billings.”
“Where Auntie Melanie lives.”
“Right. And she can’t wait until we get there. She’s already looking for a nice place for us to live—”
The sound of someone knocking at the door echoed throughout the first floor and up the stairs. “Oops, we’d better run down and answer that. Could be the curtains I ordered for us.”
“With My Little Pony?”
“My lace curtains and your pretty ones, too.”
But the man at the door wasn’t from UPS. He was the gray-haired veterinarian from next door, who waved every time he saw her, and had sent his office girl over with a cake yesterday. But friendly waves and treats would not soften her toward a lowball bid on this property, if that was his intent.
“Howdy.” He grinned at her and offered his hand as soon as she opened the door. “Walt Sherbourne.”
She wavered, then opened the door wide. “Beth Lindstrom.”
“Who has to be the spitting image of her…aunt?” He clasped her hand warmly, his broad smile deepening the crinkles at the corners of his bright blue eyes. “Seeing you brings back some good memories.”
“Crystal was my aunt, yes.” Beth felt some of her tension ease. “You knew her well?”
“She was a good friend of my late wife’s, when they were youngsters, and she ran the café for years. She must’ve had the biggest heart in the county.” His eyes took on a faraway expression. “I swear, she could make a statue laugh.”
“That was my aunt, all right.” Reassured, Beth smiled. “Won’t you come in? I’m afraid we’re not ready for company, but I’m working on it.”
He stepped inside, then surveyed the café with an approving gleam in his eye. “Planning to reopen? This town could sure use a place to eat, and you’d do a good business.”
Startled, she shook her head. After talking to his nephew, she’d expected him to disparage her efforts, then casually offer some ridiculously low figure—something she could not afford to consider.
“I’m here to fix up the place, so it can go on the market by August. Then we’ll be leaving for Montana.”
/> “Montana?” He appeared taken aback. “Now, why would you want to leave a dandy place like this? Friendly town.” He winked. “Nice neighbors.”
His words surprised her, but before she could form a reply, little footsteps came running across the floor behind her, then Sophie wrapped her arms around Beth’s waist.
Walt pursed his lips, his eyes twinkling. “You know, I thought I saw a bunny come hopping across the room—but it disappeared.”
Sophie giggled and peered around Beth’s side.
“Well, look at this—it’s not a bunny.” Walt rocked back on his heels. “It’s a girl!”
Sophie came out a little farther.
“And a right pretty one, besides.” He smiled down at her, then shifted his attention back to Beth. “I’m sorry I didn’t get over sooner to say howdy. My office manager went off and got married last weekend and left me high and dry, so things are a mite wild over at the clinic.”
Here it comes. He’ll assume I’m completely naïve, and…
“First, I want to loan you a cat.”
She felt her mouth drop open.
“A cat,” he repeated. “I know how these older houses are, and this place has been empty for quite a while. Figured you could use a good mouser, so I brought you a loaner.” He retrieved a small cage from the front steps. “Unless you have allergies or a strong aversion to cats, Darwin is your man.”
Darwin?
Sophie squealed with delight when he put the cage on the floor. “Black-and-white spots! He’s so pretty, Momma!”
“Yes, indeed,” she said faintly, oddly touched by the unusual favor. “That’s nice of you. But I don’t have litter, or a box, or food…”
“I’ve got all that next door in the clinic. Figured I wouldn’t haul it over until I knew you wanted help.”
Beth closed her eyes and thought of all the traps she’d set without catching a single mouse. “We do. Oh, my—do we ever.”
Walt glanced fondly at the cage. “He’s sort of the clinic mascot. He’s had all of his vaccinations, of course, and he’s declawed and fixed. So don’t let him outside. If you want to give him back, just say the word. I’ll take him back in a minute.”
“This is so nice of you.”
“The other thing is that my housekeeper has wanted to welcome your family to town. Maria thought about bringing over a basket, but she—and I—wondered if you might like to get out of here for a little while, and join us for supper on Saturday night.”
“Well, I—”
“The house is just on the other side of town—105 San Angelo. There might even be a batch of puppies to play with, if any young ladies are interested.” With that gentle grin and shock of pale silver hair, he reminded her of a kindly Santa Claus who’d managed to lose his belly. “And just so you know I’m not some crazy old coot—you can talk to the sheriff, or you can ask about me down at the bank.”
“I’m sure I don’t need to worry. But I have so much to do….”
“Please, can we go?” Sophie tugged on her sleeve. “Puppies! Please?”
Feeling as if she’d just been expertly outmaneuvered, Beth laughed. “I guess we’d better.”
A simple dinner. A nice old man who’d been a friend of her aunt’s. Puppies. It all sounded like a pleasant break from the endless cleaning and growing list of expensive repairs that would need to be hired out—if she could come up with enough money. So why did she have this odd premonition that Walt Sherbourne had something up his sleeve?
Before setting foot in his house, she would definitely be checking him out with some people around town, just to make sure it was safe.
Safe.
A chill slid through her. It was a word that meant a lot more to her now, after the fear and worry of the past six months. But here, she and Sophie would have a fresh start, far away from the troubles that had dogged them in Chicago. Luckily, that was all over, and who would ever bother to follow them to tiny Lone Wolf, Texas, anyway?
No one. Absolutely no one at all.
“I HAVE NO IDEA how you can find anything in this mess.” Joel shook his head, looking at the piles of papers on the receptionist’s desk. “You’re sure it’s here?”
“To the right, by the phone,” Walt called out from the back room, where he was castrating an Australian shepherd. “Blue paper.”
Slips of paper fluttered to the floor while Joel searched that stack, then the amorphous pile in the center of the desk. “Nothing. How come you didn’t hire a replacement when Elena told you she was leaving?”
Long silence.
“Walt?”
Concerned, Joel hurried down the hall. He found Walt standing beside the surgery table, his palms braced on the stainless steel surface and his head bowed. The dog in front of him was still out like a light. “Are you okay?”
Walt lifted his head and gave Joel a tired smile. “Fine. Just…thinking.”
“You know this is too much for you.”
Walt shrugged as he reached over to turn off the gas on the anesthesia machine, then finished up a few more stitches. “I’ve got another vet starting in December, and your cousin Liza will be done with vet school next spring. I’ll be able to slow down, then.”
“If you make it that long. What about office help? A vet tech?”
“You find one who’ll come out to this town, and she’s got a job. Want to help me move this guy to the floor? You take the hips—easy, now.”
They gently positioned the dog on a soft bed of blankets.
“What about hiring some high school girl? Someone who loves animals.” Joel studied the sleeping dog. “Someone who can lift fifty pounds of dead weight and not suffer the next day.”
Walt’s eyes gleamed. “Sorry, maybe I should have moved him myself.”
“I’m talking about you. Next thing you know, you’ll be in traction.”
Walt stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve advertised. I’ve asked around. Town this size, the labor pool is more like a puddle, and half the people I could think of were ones I wouldn’t trust with my animals or my books. But there is someone…she’s new around here, and she looks like she could use a job. Got a little girl to feed.”
“Not the new neighbor.”
“Why not? Looks like she’s a hard worker.” The dog twitched. Coughed. Walt bent down to remove the trach tube, then he straightened and watched as the dog started to wake up. “Lord knows, fixing up that place of hers will cost a fortune, and I’m guessing she doesn’t have a lot to work with.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Pretty little thing like her can’t do it all, but she sure hasn’t hired anyone to help her out. And that SUV of hers looks like it’s about to breathe its last. Sounds like it, too.”
Walt was right—she was definitely pretty, and Joel had found himself thinking about her way too often since he’d helped her move in. But he’d picked up on some bad vibes—and after fifteen years in law enforcement, he’d learned to listen to them. When he said he’d like to ask her a few questions, she’d gotten skittish. Wary.
It was nothing he could put his finger on, exactly, but until he knew more about her, she wasn’t someone who ought to get her hands on Walt’s books. It was sheer common sense.
“I think you should hold off a while. What do we know about her? Nothing.”
“Her aunt was Crystal Mae, and that’s enough for me.”
“Right. But even serial killers have normal people in their family tree.”
Walt snorted. “That’s what you think of that sweet little gal? That she’s a serial killer?”
“Of course not. But you need to be cautious. Remember telling me about how your dentist lost nearly everything to that accounting firm?”
“I hardly think—”
“And Beth plans to leave town in a few months, at any rate.” Joel thought fast. “Think of all you’d have to teach her. And,” he added after a deep breath, “I’d guess she needs time to work on that place of hers and get it done.”
“Consider it professional advice. Steer clear.”
“Evil isn’t hiding behind every shadow, Joel,” Walt murmured as he started writing in the dog’s medical chart. “Maybe you worked at that detective job of yours too long.”
Okay, so maybe he was just a tad cynical. Burned out. He’d been through hell in more ways than one back in Detroit, and he wouldn’t even be in this town if that weren’t the case.
Beth Lindstrom might be the most honest person on the planet, but she’d seemed oddly edgy, and Walt was far too trusting. That recent asphalt scam wasn’t the only time he’d been taken in the last couple years. With just one crafty, light-fingered employee, everything he’d ever worked for could go up in smoke.
Joel was going to make sure that didn’t happen.
CHAPTER THREE
AFTER SPENDING the day with a calculator, a legal pad and two local contractors, Beth felt too overwhelmed to even think straight.
The house had termites, black mold starting in the café storeroom, and a cracked foundation, for starters—nothing unusual in this part of Texas—but together they represented more money than she’d been able to salvage from selling her heavily mortgaged home in Illinois.
And that didn’t begin to touch the cosmetic projects that would enhance the café’s curb appeal for future buyers.
Once the walls were patched, the house would have to be painted, inside and out. The deeply scarred oak floors needed stripping. Several windows and doors had to be replaced, and if the stains on the upstairs bedroom ceilings were any clue, the roof had serious problems, too.
And the plumbing—she closed her eyes, trying not to remember the plumber’s look of shock that soon brightened to an avaricious gleam as he’d studied the antiquated pipes. A new water softener and iron filter alone would be over five hundred.
Her sister, Melanie, on yet another marriage and perpetually broke, had given Crystal’s property little thought since they’d received the inheritance five years ago. Beth had been equally guilty, caught up in her own world, and they’d let a careless Realtor manage both the upkeep and the rentals. No wonder the house had attracted just low-end types.
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