Buried Truth

by Jannine Gallant

  “Got it.” He kept an eye on Leah as he stood. “You look exhausted.”

  “The pain pills are pretty strong, and they’re making me a little sleepy.”

  “Then go home.” His mom shooed her toward the door. “What you need is a good night’s sleep.”

  “I won’t argue with that. Thank you for dinner, Mrs. A.”

  “You’re welcome here anytime.”

  Ryan covered the lasagna with foil and placed the dish in the refrigerator. He squeezed his mother’s shoulder as he passed. “Don’t wait up. After that knock to the head, I think I’ll stick around in case Leah needs anything tonight.”

  “Excellent idea. Good night, dear.”

  “Night, Mom.” He met Leah at the front door where she’d slipped on her pink jacket and boots. Tucking her hand into his, he stepped out into the chilly evening air. “We don’t have to go get your car right now. I can drive you to work in the morning.”

  “Thanks, but with all the crap that’s happened to me lately, I’d rather not leave it at the school overnight.”

  He nodded. “Okay, but are you sure you can drive?”

  “Yeah. It’s only for a couple of miles.”

  “Fine.” He opened the passenger door of the Jeep for her, then got in on his side and started the engine. “Uh, sorry my mom was so blatant about her expectations for us.”

  “Your face was priceless when she mentioned kids.” Leah patted his thigh and left her hand resting on the worn denim. “Don’t worry about it. I know how moms can be. When I discussed the option of Gram moving in with me, my mother told me I might as well sign a death warrant for any chance of hooking a new husband.” She sighed. “In Mom’s defense, my grandma’s brazenness can be a tad off-putting until you get to know her, and her presence probably will put a crimp in my sex life.”

  He backed out of the driveway. “Serious? Your mom said that?”

  “Yeah, ever since my divorce, she’s made it clear she believes I’m doomed to live life as an old maid. More importantly, I won’t produce the required grandchildren.”

  “What, is thirty too old to attract a man?”

  “I think it’s more about being a bad risk. If I couldn’t hold on to Brock . . .”

  “Give me a break. You dumped him.”

  “Yeah, but apparently I should have tried harder to make it work.” Her grip on his thigh tightened. “Make the best of a bad situation.”

  “That’s total BS, and you know it.”

  “I didn’t say I agreed with her.” She turned to face him when he pulled into the school parking lot and stopped beside her car. “Are you coming back to the house with me?”

  “I’d like to. Rest is your top priority, but I need to know you’re safe tonight.”

  “Thank you.” Stretching across the center console, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I appreciate that.”

  “I’ll follow you home.”

  With a nod, she climbed out and bent to scoop something off the ground. “You ran over a few papers.” She held a white sheet with a tire track across it in the glare from his headlights. “Hey, this is one of the homework assignments I stuffed in my bag earlier. There’s another one just out of reach under the Jeep.”

  He turned off the engine but left the headlights on and opened his door. “Those weren’t in the lot earlier.”

  “Definitely not.” She took a few steps then bent to pick up another sheet. “What the heck. There’s a whole trail of papers.”

  “A few more are caught in the bushes over by the woods. I wonder . . .” He headed in that direction, grabbing papers as he went.

  Leah hurried behind him. “What are you thinking?”

  “If the homework was in your bag, maybe whoever took your purse ditched it nearby.”

  “Oh, geez, I hope so. I’m not looking forward to going to the DMV for a new license, or canceling all my credit cards. If I can remember which ones I have.”

  He plucked two damp papers out from under a giant fern. “You should keep a list of those numbers in a file.”

  “There are plenty of things I should do.” Her tone was dark as she used the flashlight app on her phone to illuminate the woods. “A few more pages are caught . . . hey, my bag!” She sprinted through the trees. “Damn. The asshole who hit me scattered stuff everywhere.”

  Ryan hurried after her. “What the hell? Why spread everything out on the ground like that? Can you tell what’s missing?”

  Leah opened her wallet. “About twelve bucks in cash. My credit cards are still here, though, and my driver’s license. That’s a relief.”

  Ryan retrieved the canvas bag crumpled beneath a tree and stuffed the math homework into it. Dropping to his knees, he gathered together a ruler, a Phillips screwdriver, a box of matches, and a flat container he suspected held birth control pills. Thank God they’d found those, not that Leah would be in the mood . . .

  She dumped Post-it notes, glue, sunglasses, a bottle of lotion, and a tube of toothpaste into the bag along with her wallet and a checkbook. “I think that’s all I had in there.”

  “So some moron knocked you over the head to steal twelve dollars? Seems unlikely.”

  “Maybe he or she—whoever—thought I carried around more cash. If that’s the case, the person obviously doesn’t know me very well.”

  “We may have lost a few of the math papers.” He flashed his light over the needle-coated floor of the forest. “But, I’d say we retrieved everything else. We’d better call the police to report you found your bag.”

  “I’ll do it when I get home.” She rose to her feet. “My head is starting to hurt again. Shall we go?”

  He stood to slide an arm around her. “Sure. It’s been about four hours since the doctor gave you those pills. You’re probably due for more.”

  “Plus, I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to go to bed.”

  He smiled. “Lucky for you, I won’t take that the wrong way.”

  “Good thing, because tonight you’d be doomed to disappointment.”

  He waited while she unlocked her car with the keys Edgar Vargas had found on the floor in the school, and then followed her home. Thankfully, the house was exactly as they’d left it that morning, with no unpleasant surprises. Barney’s greeting, however, made it clear he’d been abandoned for far too long.

  “I’m sorry, baby.” Leah headed straight toward the dog food container in the pantry. “I’ll feed you right now.”

  “He probably isn’t wasting away from malnutrition.”

  She scooped kibble into his bowl. “He thinks he is. I meant to come home earlier, but after hanging around at the doctor’s office, then meeting Chris Long to give him a formal statement . . .”

  “Your dog survived.”

  “I suppose.” She clenched her fists at her sides. “I just want life to get back to normal.”

  “It will.” He went to the sink to pour a glass of water. “Take another pain pill and go to bed.”

  She pulled the bottle out of her jacket pocket. “Excellent idea. Right after I shower. I still have blood in my hair, even though the nurse sponged most of it out.”

  “Fine. While you’re doing that, I’ll call to report we found your bag with the contents intact. Minus twelve dollars.”

  “My wallet must have been a serious disappointment to the thief.” She swallowed the pill, set the glass on the counter, then wound her arms around his neck. “One problem solved, at least. Now if only I could make my grandma’s issues go away.” Standing on her toes, she kissed him. “Thanks for helping me out. I’ll see you upstairs in a few minutes.”

  He stared after her as she walked away. He knew Leah better than to think she’d been hinting that he could solve her—or rather, her grandmother’s—financial problems easily enough. Guilt ate at him, along with the knowledge he had more money than he knew what to do with. Sure, he gave a lot of his wealth to charity and made certain his mother didn’t lack for anything she wanted, but if he started handing out cash t
o everyone he knew . . .

  Not just anyone. Leah.

  He ignored the voice. Money and friendship didn’t mix. Greed had destroyed his relationship with his former roommate and business partner. Uneasiness slithered down his spine. Leah wasn’t like Jay. He shook his head. No way. She didn’t have a mercenary bone in her body.

  Thrusting the disturbing thoughts aside, he pulled out his phone to call the number on Chris Long’s business card. After reporting Leah had recovered her purse, he let Barney outside and strolled into the yard behind the dog. A crescent moon rode high in the sky, shedding a glimmering light over the waves rolling into shore. He’d stood in the same spot with Leah countless times in the past. Nothing about the view had changed, but anxiety destroyed his calm. Something . . . or someone. . . with a sinister edge had tainted the tranquility of his hometown.

  A chill shook him. Whistling for Barney, he herded the dog around the house to the back door, where a pool of light welcomed them inside. After locking up, Ryan left his shoes in the kitchen before heading upstairs. He brushed his teeth in the bathroom, steamy warm from her shower, using the spare toothbrush Leah had given him, and took out his contacts. He padded into her room in the dark. After stripping off his clothes, he draped them over a chair and slid beneath the covers.

  Leah rolled over and curled against his side.

  “You aren’t asleep yet?”

  She shook her head, soft hair brushing across his bare chest. “No, I was waiting for you.” Her voice slurred. “Now, I feel . . . safe.” Slow breathing followed.

  Ryan held her close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, but it was a long time before he was able to relax into sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Leah sat across from her grandma and Magnus Lindgren, sipping the last of her coffee and feeling like a third wheel. She was pretty sure the two were holding hands beneath the table, and Gram had made several suggestive comments indicating they held a whole lot more than that in private. Leah wasn’t sure if she should be shocked, offended, or give them both an A for effort. Admiration for her grandma’s spunky determination to live life to the fullest filled her. She should take lessons.

  “You’ve been quiet, dear. Are you missing that nice young man, Ryan? Maybe you should have brought him along with you to brunch.”

  Leah pushed aside her empty plate and planted one elbow on the table. “He took a quick trip up to Portland on Thursday. Some problem at his company headquarters, but he called earlier to tell me the complication had been ironed out, and he’s on his way back now.”

  Magnus set down his cup. “Evie mentioned the man you’re dating is the founder of Crossroads. That site is far superior to its social media predecessors. Much smoother to navigate and more functional. Your friend must be a genius at coding.”

  Leah smiled at the man who, it seemed, knew his way around a computer. “Ryan is a genius, period.” She paused as the waitress approached the table with their check. “The pancakes were delicious.”

  The woman shot her a quick grin as she cleared their plates. “I’ll be sure to tell our chef her efforts were appreciated.”

  “We all like to hear that.” Gram wiggled her brows, sending color rushing to Magnus’s cheeks.

  He slicked back his silver hair and coughed. When Leah reached toward the bill, he swooped in to grab it from the tray. “No, no, brunch is my treat.”

  She withdrew her hand. “Well, thank you. The meal was lovely, and I certainly enjoyed meeting you.”

  “The same. Evie talks about you all the time.” He pulled out his wallet. “Shall we go? We don’t have much time before our scuba session.”

  Leah slung her bag over her shoulder as she rose to her feet, then turned to stare at her grandma. “You’re taking scuba lessons?”

  “This is our third one. At my age, squeezing into a wetsuit is no easy feat, but the view underwater is worth the effort.”

  “I’m impressed.” Leah followed the pair to the cashier at the front of the coffee shop. “Sounds like fun. By the way, I like the purple. Very chic.”

  Her grandma patted her curls. “Flo did a terrific job.” She hooked her arm through Magnus’s after he returned his wallet to his jacket pocket, then led the way outside. “Oh, that nice policeman came by with sketches the other day to see if I recognized the other two men who robbed foolish seniors like me.”

  “Not foolish, Gram, just a little too trusting.” Leah pulled her bike out of the rack near the door. “Did you?”

  “No, just Thomas Woodward. I told Officer Long one of the other names sounded familiar, but I can’t put my finger on why.”

  “Which name?”

  “Anthony Benedetto. I looked in the phone book after the officer left, but no one named Benedetto lives in Siren Cove. Maybe he used to and is dead now.” Her grandma shrugged. “When you get to be in your eighties, old acquaintances start dropping like flies.”

  Leah winced at her matter-of-fact tone. “I suppose so, but the man who swindled you was around my age.”

  “Could be a relative of the one I’m remembering.” She patted Leah’s arm. “Well, I won’t worry about it since I know everyone is doing their best to find that asshat Woodward and recover my money. I have great faith in the system.”

  Which is a whole lot more than I have. Leah smiled despite her doubts. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed. At this point, we’ll take all the luck we can get.”

  Magnus gave her a sympathetic look. “I know you’re worried, but everything will work out for the best.” He slipped an arm around her grandma’s waist. “Come along, Evie, or we’ll be late for our class.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Gram. Bye, Magnus, and thanks again for brunch.”

  “You’re very welcome.” He opened the door of his smoke-gray Bentley for her grandmother and gave a toot on the horn a minute later as they pulled away.

  Leah couldn’t help grinning, even though she wasn’t nearly as optimistic about the future as her grandma and her new beau seemed to be. Straddling the bike, she pushed off and headed for home, enjoying the breeze blowing off the ocean as she rode.

  Life wasn’t all bad. No one had tried to brain her or rob her in the last few days. Definitely a plus. And Ryan would be back soon. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him in the forty-eight hours since he’d left. Imagining what it would be like after he went home for good made her chest ache. She forced the thought away and pedaled harder. By the time she reached her house, she was breathless.

  Barney greeted her with shrill barks of joy as she wheeled her bike into the carport. Pushing the dog away when he continued to dance around like a lunatic, she dug her keys out of her bag to unlock the back door. Her lips tightened at the reminder that leaving her home unsecured was no longer an option.

  Once inside, she dropped her bag on the counter and rubbed her dog’s ears. “I love you, too. We’ll go for a walk later, but first I need to work in the garden.”

  With a moan, he followed her up the stairs and waited while she changed into old jeans and a sweatshirt. Amusement curled her lips at his woebegone expression while she braided her hair into one long plait. Returning to the kitchen, she glanced around and frowned. Dishes filled the sink, and somehow a pile of junk mail, jackets, and shoes had accumulated in the corner. She really should clean up . . .

  “Later.” With a smile at the dog, she sorted through a basket of odds and ends to locate her gardening gloves. “Got them. Let’s go, Barney.”

  The sun shone warmly on her shoulders as she knelt in the dirt to dig up potatoes, but there was a bite to the wind. The weatherman was forecasting a hard freeze. She needed to get the tubers out of the ground, not to mention hauling in the squash and pumpkins. Beside her, Barney dug furiously and stuck his nose in the hole.

  “If only I could harness all that energy into productive gardening.” She unearthed the first hill of potatoes, then glanced over at her dog. “Hey, what do you have there?”

  Barney
clamped his jaws around something small and black and scurried backward. Making a lunging grab, Leah caught hold of his collar and pried his mouth open.

  “Ha, got it!” She held up a plastic container dripping slobber. “Oh, good grief. So, that’s what happened to the film from the time capsule. You buried it!”

  When an engine rumbled louder before cutting off, Leah stood and stuck the container into her pocket. A car door slammed, and footsteps crunched gravel.

  “I’m back here,” she called out.

  A few moments later, Ryan rounded the side of the carport. His smile grew when she jerked off her gloves and ran toward him.

  “You’re back!”

  He caught her in his arms and swung her around, then bent to kiss her. She responded with enthusiasm, turning a simple greeting into a whole lot more.

  “I missed you.” He cupped her face and kissed her again. “You taste good. Sweet.”

  “Probably maple syrup. I had brunch with my grandma and her . . . gentleman friend.” She grimaced. “What the heck am I supposed to call the man my eighty-two-year-old grandmother is sleeping with?”

  Ryan grinned. “Go, Evie. Does this dude have a name?”

  “Magnus Lindgren.” She leaned against the hands he linked behind her back. “He seems nice. I’m just thankful you’re here because it would be downright embarrassing if Gram was getting more action than me.”

  “You crack me up. What else have you been doing?”

  She shrugged. “The usual. Work and . . . I guess just work. Right now, I’m bringing in the last of my fall vegetables. If you like, you can help me dig potatoes and gather squash.”

  “Sure.” He glanced down at his button-up shirt and khakis. “Am I going to get filthy?”

  “You do look a little dressier than your usual jeans and a T-shirt.”

  “I had a breakfast meeting with my management team before I left. I guess it wouldn’t kill me to get dirty, but—”

  “Are my less than tidy habits rubbing off on you?”

  He grimaced. “I wouldn’t go that far. Dirty knees are one thing. Clutter, on the other hand—”