Buried Truth

by Jannine Gallant

  She was squatting on the floor, picking glass out of the puddle of tomatoes when Ryan returned. “Hey, I’ll do that.”

  Leah dropped the shards into the trash can and glanced up. “I’ve got it, but you can hand me a few paper towels to soak up this mess.” She gave him a tired smile as he bent to help her. “Who was outside?”

  “The police chief, Stackhouse. I guess he heard about the break-in on the scanner in his living room and drove out to get an update from his officer. Technically, this wasn’t a break-in because you hadn’t locked your door, just unlawful entry. At any rate, he told me he’d follow up with you tomorrow.”

  “The man must think I’m a real problem. I’ve lived in Siren Cove my whole life, except for college, and never once called the cops. Then today, I report two incidents inside twelve hours. Un-freaking-believable.”

  “Not your fault.” He took her arm and hoisted her to her feet.

  “And don’t forget someone broke the window in your Jeep.” Her voice rose. “Crap like this doesn’t happen in Siren Cove. I don’t get it.”

  “Honestly, right now all I care about is you. Sit down, or heat up a can of soup or something. I’ll finish this.”

  She caved in to his firm tone. “Fine, but you don’t want to eat canned soup. We bought ingredients for stuffed portabella mushrooms.”

  “Which you’re way too tired to cook. Cut yourself some slack, for heaven’s sake.”

  “All right, I’ll put together a couple of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches and open a bag of chips.”

  “Sounds perfect.” He dropped the wad of soggy paper towels in the trash and ripped off a couple more to finish the mop-up. “I’ll go make your bathroom habitable while you cook. My guess is you’d like a shower.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “Are you a mind reader?”

  A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Remind me to look for my crystal ball later.” He squeezed her arm. “I’ll be back by the time those sandwiches are ready.”

  “Okay.”

  After he left the room, Leah sat for a minute and simply breathed. She had no idea who’d ransacked her house or why, but her skin crawled just thinking about someone going through her clothes.

  What the hell is wrong with people?

  First, some loser had taken advantage of her grandma, and now this. A single whimper slipped out before she squared her shoulders and forced back a bout of self-pity. She’d suck it up and deal since she didn’t have any other option. At least she wasn’t fighting this battle alone.

  Tears surfaced again. Thank God for Ryan.

  * * *

  Leah focused on not losing her temper while her grandma signed forms to transfer the meager amount left in her old bank account to a new one. The manager, Leonard Wilkinson, was throwing in checks for free.

  Whoopee!

  “This will insure the party who transferred your funds won’t have access to any new deposits. Your money is safe with us, Mrs. Grayson.”

  “Easy to say now that he’s wiped out her life savings.” Leah eyed the man sitting opposite them with the same degree of mistrust she saw reflected in his dark eyes.

  Probably because he’s afraid I’ll sue his ass.

  “We’re doing everything we can to trace that transfer, Ms. Grayson. These things take time.”

  “If your tech guy was as good at hacking bank records as the criminals—”

  “There are procedures to follow. Rest assured, we intend to exhaust every avenue to recover your grandmother’s funds.”

  From what she’d learned in the last forty-five minutes, she had little hope they’d ever see that money again. “Terrific.” Leah rose to her feet. “I’m afraid I need to get back to work. Are we finished here?”

  “Absolutely.” The manager gave her grandma a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he held out a hand. “I can’t express how sorry we are here at Central Coast Bank that you’re experiencing these difficulties.”

  “Not as sorry as we are,” Leah muttered beneath her breath. She pasted on a smile. “I appreciate your help.”

  Her grandma shook the hand he offered then patted his arm. “I know this isn’t your fault, Mr. Wilkinson, and I trust you’ll fix the problem shortly. Have a nice day, young man.”

  The “young” man, who had to be pushing fifty, had the grace to look more than a little contrite. “As I said, we’ll do our best.”

  Once they escaped the manager’s inner sanctum, Leah hurried her grandmother through the lobby and out to her car. Rain drizzled down the windshield as she started the engine. “I’ll drop you at home, and then I need to get back to my classroom. One of the office staff is filling in for me. I told the kids I wouldn’t open the time capsule today unless they behaved for her.”

  “Bribery is a wonderful tool.” Her grandma glanced at her watch and gave her blue curls a shake. “Actually, you can just drop me off at Flo’s. I have an appointment in twenty minutes.”

  Leah pulled out onto the street. “How will you get home?”

  “Magnus said he’d pick me up.”

  “You’ve mentioned Magnus a couple of times now. Who is he?”

  “A very nice gentleman who lives in my complex. Magnus Lindgren.” She giggled. “I call him my Viking.”

  Leah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Is he a competent driver?”

  “Good heavens, Leah, I’m not a teenager on a first date. I assure you Magnus has all his faculties and drives his Bentley with skill and aplomb.”

  “His Bentley?” She parked in an empty spot in front of Flo’s Beauty Emporium and set the brake. “Are you kidding?”

  “Nope. The man has style.”

  “You’ll have to introduce me to him sometime soon.”

  Her grandma nodded. “I’ll make a point of it.” She stepped out onto the sidewalk and leaned down to look through the open door. “What do you think about purple?”

  “Huh?”

  “For my hair instead of blue.”

  Leah grinned. “Go for it, Gram. You’ll rock purple.”

  An answering smile creased her lined cheeks. “I will, won’t I? Thanks for straightening everything out at the bank.”

  Leah let out a sigh. “We’ll see how it goes. Bye, Gram.”

  With a little wave, she slammed the door and headed into the shop. Leah let off the brake and pulled onto the street. All she wanted to do was go crawl in a hole, but instead she turned up the road toward Siren Cove Elementary and parked her car in the main lot. The rain was still falling as she wrestled the time-capsule box, which she’d picked up early in the morning from Nina, out of the back seat and lugged it and her purse toward the building through the light drizzle.

  “Leah, let me help you with that!” Edgar Vargas dropped the lid of the dumpster with a clang and hustled toward her.

  She relinquished one end to carry the box between them. “Thanks. I probably would have strained my back. This thing weighs a ton.”

  His lips curved beneath his thick moustache. “Are you showing your kids all the treasures you buried?”

  Leah nodded and huffed a little as they climbed the front steps. When they reached cover, she swiped her free hand across her damp hair and shook. “The whole class is super excited about the time capsule.”

  “I bet.” He hesitated. “I heard you had a little trouble at your place last night.”

  Her eyes widened as she waited while he opened the door. “That’s right. Someone ransacked my house, but how did you hear about it?”

  “My wife’s cousin is on the force.”

  She waved to the school secretary behind the front counter as they headed down the hall. “The way gossip spreads around here, I imagine half the town knows about my break-in by now.”

  “Did they steal much?”

  Juggling her purse, she pulled her keys from her jacket pocket. “Actually, they didn’t take anything. The police officer who responded thought whoever was responsible must have been looking for something
specific, though I can’t imagine what. If it was drugs, they were out of luck, and I don’t keep cash lying around the house.”

  “Strange that someone targeted you.”

  “My house sits alone on the bluff. All I can think is they took a chance and failed.” Leah unlocked the classroom door and pushed it open to a burst of excitement from her students. “Settle down, and stay in your seats,” she called out as she and Edgar lowered the box onto her desk. She turned to him with a smile. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime.” With a nod, he left the room.

  The office assistant and sometime sub laid a hand on her shoulder. “The kids behaved very well for me. Impressive.”

  “That’s because I bribed them with the time capsule.” She pointed at the box. “Thanks for filling in, Sandy.”

  “Sure. I hope you got your grandma’s business all straightened out.”

  Leah stuffed her purse in her bottom desk drawer then straightened to shrug off her coat. “We did what we could.” She raised her voice to be heard over the commotion as the kids literally bounced in their seats. “I’d better open this thing before they completely lose it.”

  Sandy grinned. “All they could talk about is that time capsule. I hope the contents don’t disappoint. I’ll see you later.”

  “Thanks again.” Leah waited to address her class until the other woman shut the door. “This isn’t going to be a free-for-all, but everyone will have an opportunity to check out the items we buried twenty years ago.” She held up a hand as half the kids sprang from their seats. “Hold it. Remember, you’ll each pick one object to write a compare and contrast essay describing the similarities and differences to the item you plan to bury in our time capsule.”

  When a groan went up, she smiled. “Hey, this is a learning opportunity in addition to being fun.” She pried off the lid. “Okay, here we go.” She held up a purple Beanie Baby. “This was my contribution. Show of hands. How many of you have Beanie Babies? No one? Geez, I feel old.” She passed the bear to one of the girls in the first row and dug back into the box.

  It was nearly time for the bell to ring before the last item, one of the VHS tapes, was returned to the box. When a hand shot up and waved wildly, she nodded. “Yes, Carina?”

  “Is that everything, Ms. Grayson?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Leah smiled. “Well, there was a diary in here, but the author refused to let me share it.”

  “Aww, no fair.”

  “Would you let a bunch of strangers read your journal?”

  “No way! Mine’s password protected.”

  “Exactly.” Her brows drew together. “Wait, there was also a roll of film, but I need to get the pictures developed before I can show them to you.” Her frown deepened as she tried to remember where she’d put the film. It had been in her purse, but she was nearly certain she’d taken it out.

  “Why can’t you just print the pictures on the computer?” Boyce asked from the back row.

  “Because the photos aren’t digital. In the old days when I was a kid, pictures had to be processed from film. If anyone wants to write their paper on the differences between film and digital photographs, they can.” When the bell rang, she spoke over the clang. “Don’t forget to do your math homework. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  As the kids bolted out of the room, Leah dropped onto her desk chair and rubbed her temples as the beginning of a headache took hold. Where had she put the film? Undoubtedly it would turn up somewhere, and when it did, everyone would get a kick out of seeing the pictures the roll contained.

  She’d look for it when she got home. Right after she finished cleaning up the giant mess waiting for her at the house. Tears burned behind her eyelids just thinking about the evening ahead. But feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t get the job done.

  “Suck it up, Leah.” Standing, she dropped the lid on the time capsule box with a thump. As her grandpa had been fond of saying, hard work never killed anyone.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ryan hung the last rumpled shirt in the closet and stepped back to scan the room. Barney lay sprawled on the rug, twitching now and then in his sleep. Everything was neat without a single sign of the break-in left to greet Leah when she returned home. He’d spent the last five hours cleaning up the mess, only taking a break to pick up his repaired vehicle, and every minute was time well spent. She’d been a bundle of nerves the previous night until she’d fallen asleep on the couch out of sheer exhaustion. He’d covered her with an afghan and quietly left, taking her spare key with him.

  A glance at his watch told him she’d be home anytime now. He’d hang around until then, maybe offer to take her out to dinner. After the fiasco the previous evening, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about where their relationship was headed. He’d made up his mind on the bike ride he needed to know what she was thinking, even if it turned out not to be what he wanted to hear. Like it or not, his emotions were firmly engaged, and he couldn’t let Leah blindside him again.

  The crunch of tires on gravel in the driveway drew his attention as the dog scrambled to his feet. Ryan glanced out the bedroom window and smiled, then hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. Pushing open the screen door, he followed Barney into the carport and waited for Leah to step out of her Audi.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” She rubbed her dog’s ears before standing on her toes to plant a kiss on Ryan’s lips. “This is a nice surprise.”

  “I thought I’d straighten up a little.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her back, taking his time.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” She was breathless when he finally released her.

  “I know, but I wanted to.”

  “Well, thank you.” She walked beside him toward the back door, then stopped a few feet into the kitchen and turned in a circle. “Oh, my God, Ryan. You didn’t just pick up. You cleaned. I can practically see my reflection in the floor. The place hasn’t been this spotless since my mother moved out.”

  “What’s the point in doing a half-assed job? The tile was still sticky from the tomatoes.”

  She pressed a hand to her chest as she moved from room to room with him trailing behind her. Finally, she stopped next to her bed. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you seems so inadequate.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. You’ve been under a lot of stress between your grandma’s problems and the break-in. I was happy to take on some of the load.”

  “This . . .” Her voice broke as she leaned against his chest. “I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the huge mess that cretin left. This means a lot. Thank you.”

  He slid his arms around her. The light floral scent of her shampoo tickled his nose as he rested his cheek on her hair. “You’re welcome. How was your day?”

  “Not so good at the bank. I sincerely doubt my grandma will recover her money. I spoke to my parents after school let out, and they’re as worried as I am. Gram may have to move back in with me since her retirement checks won’t cover her rent along with living expenses, and I don’t know that our family can make up the difference for more than a few months. It’ll be an adjustment for us both.”

  He opened his mouth, then shut it and cleared his throat. “It’s early in the police investigation. Don’t give up hope.”

  “I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s hard.”

  He tightened his arms briefly before letting her go and changed the subject. “Did you share our time capsule with your class?”

  “Oh, yeah. They got a huge kick out of all the treasures—and I use the term loosely—we buried. Which reminds me . . .” She glanced up. “Did you find a roll of film while you were cleaning? I remember taking it out of my little evening bag, but I can’t recall what I did with it.”

  “I didn’t notice one anywhere.”

  “Weird. Not that I haven’t misplaced things before.” She frowned. “I’m sure it’ll turn up somewhere.”

  “Unless Barney buried it.” He glanced over
at the dog, who lay beside the bed gnawing a ragged chew toy. “He was digging in the yard earlier.”

  “Probably going after a gopher. They make him crazy.”

  Ryan followed her down to the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she filled the kettle with water.

  “Would you like a cup of tea?”

  “I’ll pass.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Do you have anything going on this evening, or can I take you out to dinner?”

  “Dinner out sounds lovely if we can go a little later. I have science reports to finish grading since I didn’t get them done this weekend.”

  He pushed away from the counter. “Does seven thirty work? That gives you three hours.”

  “Perfect.” She turned on the burner beneath the kettle, then crossed the room to meet him in the middle. “You’re unbelievably wonderful. I can’t imagine why some woman hasn’t snapped you up already.”

  “A few have tried.” He grinned. “But then I’d do something stupid to turn them off.”

  “Doubtful. They all must have been shy on brain cells. Kind of like I was. Hopefully, I’m smarter now.”

  “I’d like to believe we’re both a little wiser.” He dropped a quick kiss on her upturned lips. “I’ll see you in a while.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  He sincerely doubted the promise but realized he didn’t mind—not much, anyway. Tardiness probably wasn’t the worst flaw a person could have. As he climbed into his Jeep and backed up to turn around in the driveway, he gave Leah’s comments some hard consideration. What had he done to screw up his previous relationships? Expecting 100 percent compatibility and feeling disappointed when he didn’t find it probably didn’t say much for his intelligence. No one was perfect... or even perfect for him. He needed to remember that.

  When he reached town, he swerved into a parking spot near Castaways. He’d have a beer and chill before going home to give his mom a hand with dinner, since it seemed like he’d been neglecting her lately, then shower and change for his date with Leah. Maybe if he made a conscious effort to relax more instead of being so uptight all the time, he wouldn’t blow it with her.