Tarnished Soul: A Nine Minutes Spin-Off Novel

by Beth Flynn

  “I’ll be in touch about coming over to check your locks and tightening your bedroom fan.”

  “Thanks again,” she mouthed before walking up the front steps and letting herself in the front door. Chaos greeted her before she could turn on a light. “Hey, Chaos. It doesn’t look like Jonas dropped any food off for you yet. Let me see what I have in the kitchen.”

  She switched on the foyer light and dropped her purse on the table. She was walking toward the kitchen when a familiar voice from the darkened dining room announced, “I already fed him.”

  “Jonas!” she screamed while placing a hand across her chest. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”

  He walked toward her. “For someone who’s afraid of the dark, I’m surprised you came home to a pitch-black house.”

  “I left the front porch light on. Besides, Chaos was here, and as you can see, I turned on the light in the foyer as soon as I came in.”

  He returned her nonchalant expression with a dark scowl. “Chaos?”

  Ignoring him, she took a step back and asked, “And what are you doing here? I didn’t see your truck out front.”

  “I didn’t bring my truck, and my motorcycle is in your garage next to that piece of shit you now drive.”

  She suppressed the smile that resulted in her enjoyment in knowing he was irritated about her rejection of the BMW.

  “Did you bring Chaos’ things with you on the motorcycle?”

  “Of course I did. How much shit do you think he has? I threw his bowls, bones, and a bag of food in a knapsack. I’ll give you some cash for whatever else he needs.”

  “I don’t want your money, Jonas. Just like I didn’t want your car.” She puffed out her chest in a feeble attempt to look authoritative. “You gave me back the spare housekey you had made, so how did you get in here?” She tapped her foot on the floor impatiently.

  He looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Seriously, Lucy?” he asked with a snort. “How do you think I got in? I broke in.”

  Chapter 45

  Lucy looked heavenward and replied, “Of course you did. I forgot what a master criminal you are.”

  Ignoring her comment, he gestured toward the front of the house. “What’s the real story behind the milquetoast you’re supposedly dating?”

  She swiped at her leaky eyes before answering. “You made it very clear that I wasn’t your type due to my lack of experience. So,” she said with a lighthearted tone, “I decided to do something about it.” She held up a hand before adding, “Oh, and don’t get any ideas. I’m not doing it so you’ll accept me. That ship has already sailed and won’t be invited back to the harbor.”

  With fists tightly balled at his sides, he accused through slitted eyes. “I was watching when he dropped you off. He didn’t even kiss you goodbye, so I’m assuming you’ve not made much headway in that department.”

  Without missing a beat, Lucy declared, “Brad has a sore throat. We’re keeping our distance for a few days.” The half-lie slid off her tongue easily and was executed to such perfection it hit the mark. She smiled inwardly when Jonas’ scowl deepened. Even though it wasn’t the reason they hadn’t kissed, Brad had been complaining of a sore throat recently. There was an awkward pause which Lucy interrupted. “I don’t know why you had to let yourself in my house, but give me a minute. I have to get these contacts out of my eyes.” Without waiting for him to answer, she ran to her bedroom.

  Jonas’ eyes caressed her as she left the room. He’d missed her so damn much over the past month, the perpetual ache in his chest became his new version of normal. He paced the living room in her absence. He didn’t know what it was about Brad that bothered him so much. When he’d shown up earlier, and despite the age difference, he could buy into their relationship. Sort of like a student/professor attraction. But after being in the man’s presence for only a short time, it just didn’t feel right. Yet, when he’d mentioned their lack of a kiss, Lucy didn’t hesitate with an explanation. He could see by her expression she was telling the truth. A truth he didn’t want to face.

  Lucy came out of her bedroom smelling like soap and wearing her pajamas and glasses. Sitting down on the couch, she crossed her legs in front of her and pointed to an overstuffed chair. “So, why did you feel the need to break into my house to deliver Chaos’ things? And before you ask, I renamed him.”

  Jonas sat and leaned forward, one hand on his right knee. “I like it. It suits him.”

  Lucy tilted her head sideways. “Is that blood on your shirt?”

  Jonas looked down before answering. “Yeah, but it’s not mine. I just came from work. I took off early so I could bring you something besides Carlos’…umm, Chaos’ stuff.” He reached behind him and pulled out some papers that were folded in half and tucked in the back of his pants. He stood and walked over to her. “I know you didn’t ask, but I also know it’s important to you, so I had someone do some digging on your father.” He handed her the papers and went back to his chair.

  Lucy blinked owlishly. “My father? Is there anything here that might explain what happened to him?”

  Shaking his head, Jonas replied, “Not exactly. If anything, it only adds to the mystery. Is it possible your parents were in something like the Witness Protection Program? The WPP wasn’t established until earlier this decade. But, I don’t know…” He scratched at his chin, his brows furrowed. “Maybe there was some kind of secret program before that. Is that possible?”

  “What?” Lucy shot him a confused glance. “Why would you ask that?”

  Jonas pointed to what she was holding. “It’s all there. Or rather it’s not there. According to my contact, Melton Renquest didn’t exist before 1952, and why that never came out in the local police investigation doesn’t make sense. Unless whoever was assigned to his case did a half-assed job. I’m guessing a call to your mother might prove useful.”

  Lucy jumped up. “Impossible. This can’t be true. I’ve seen his birth certificate. Their marriage certificate.” She looked around the room as if expecting both documents to appear out of thin air.

  Standing, Jonas gestured toward the papers she was now holding. “Anybody can have documents forged. And if your parents were in something akin to the WPP it, would make sense that your mother would never mention it. She might be too scared.”

  “Scared of what?” Lucy wanted to know.

  Jonas absentmindedly tugged at his beard. “I don’t know if there’s anything to it, but for your father not to have a traceable existence before 1952 is extremely questionable. Your parents were hiding from something or someone. Maybe that someone found your father.”

  Lucy crossed her arms and rubbed them as if to ward off a chill. “Nine, six, four, four, eight, two, two.”

  Jonas didn’t think it was possible, but he was almost certain she turned a whiter shade of pale. Sensing her anguish, he approached her and gently grabbed her shoulders. “Whoa, Lucy. I’m not trying to scare you, honey.” He couldn’t stop himself from focusing on her lips. Lips he longed to comfort. Lips he longed to taste once again.

  The deep timbre of his voice interrupted her memory game. She took a step back and willed herself to be calm. “I need to call my mother.” Her voice was steady and even.

  There was an awkward silence before Jonas finally asked, “What is it, Lucy? Did I do something wrong by telling you about this, sweetheart? Sorry if that’s the case. It just seems important.”

  Recalling his brutal rejection at the cabin, she decided to turn the tables by way of his own harsh words. “No, Jonas. You didn’t do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, you did everything perfect.” She paused to look at her watch before adding, “Just like you said over a month ago, our time is almost up. And you’ve told me what I need to know, so we’re done here.” She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked Jonas up and down. “And frankly, you’re really not my type,” she lied. With that, she ran to her bedroom. Before slamming the door behind her, she turned to face Jonas. “And let’s
get something clear. I stopped being your sweetheart the moment you chased me away. Don’t ever call me that again.”

  Chapter 46

  Lucy emerged from her bedroom less than twenty minutes later. She wasn’t surprised Jonas hadn’t left and followed the sounds coming from her kitchen. She found him bent over with his head buried in her refrigerator.

  Closing the door, Jonas leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “You need to make a trip to the grocery store.”

  Ignoring him, she pulled out a chair and sat. She placed both hands between her knees and pressed them closed. She looked up at Jonas and shook her head. “My mother denies being on the run. She said whoever did the investigation for you was completely misinformed.”

  “I know.”

  She stood and scooted the chair back in. “What do you mean, you know? How do you know?”

  Jonas nodded toward a telephone on the kitchen wall. “I’ve been listening.”

  “You are so, so—oh, I don’t know what you are! Wait.” She held up a hand. “I take that back. I know exactly what you are!”

  He raised an inquisitive brow.

  “You are annoying and intrusive and I don’t even know why you’re here. You sent me away, Jonas. You didn’t want me. Remember? I guess the BMW was some sort of pity gift. Guess what? I don’t need your pity. I don’t need you looking into my father’s mysterious disappearance. I’m getting ready to start a new life in a few short months. Away from here and the supposed Peeping Tom.”

  “Away from Brad?” he asked, his voice low.

  “What do you care?” she snapped back. “Do me a favor, please. Just go. Please.”

  Ignoring her question and request for him to leave, he calmly asked her, “Tell me about your grandparents.”

  The question caught her off guard. “My grandparents?” She looked confused.

  “Yeah, your grandparents. Tell me what they’re like.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what they’re like. I’ve seen pictures, but I never knew them. They died before me and Lenny were born.”

  Jonas pushed off the counter and opened a cabinet. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the kitchen tap. “Okay, tell me about your aunts and uncles. What are your parents’ siblings like?” He took a slow slip while gauging her response over the rim of his glass.

  There was another slight shrug of her shoulders. “Like their parents, both of mine were only children. “

  Jonas lowered his drink. “So not just your parents, but all four of their parents were only children. So it sounds like you have no living relatives. Not unheard of but unusual.”

  “Is that so?” She placed both hands on her hips. “What about you? You’re an only child whose parents died and you didn’t have any living relatives.”

  “Who told you that?” he asked.

  “You did. You said after your father died you lived with your stepmother.”

  He gave a dismal laugh. “Yeah. I lived with my stepmother because it was a stipulation of my father’s will, not because I didn’t have living relatives. My father has a brother who lives in Seattle, and my mother had an older sister who lived in New York. She died about ten years ago.” He could see the mental calisthenics behind Lucy’s eyes as she tried to make sense of his insinuations. “The report I gave you said your mother’s maiden name was Tucker.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “I asked for a background check on your father. I can either walk away from this like you asked, or I can have my guy run a background check on your mother too.”

  Lucy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the floor. Bobbing her head, she looked back up at Jonas. “Do it. If for no other reason than to prove your guy was wrong about my father.”

  He nodded his assent. “You didn’t mention the Peeping Tom to your mother. Why?”

  Lucy blew out a tired breath. “Why would I? It has nothing to do with my father vanishing eighteen years ago. Besides, there’s nothing she can do from Maine except for worry, and then she’ll start nagging Lenny to move back in here with me.”

  “I agree,” he told her before adding, “I’m going to sleep on the couch tonight. I have a guy coming here at nine tomorrow morning to install an alarm system.” He could see the irritation behind her eyes. “Before you go off on a tirade about not needing me or my money, know this: things may not have worked out between us at the cabin, but that doesn’t take away what you did for me six years ago. It was a kindness that I never forgot. And maybe I’m feeling like I owe you for dragging you out there and realizing too late our worlds weren’t meant to intersect. We’re too different, Lucy. So, I’m asking for a truce. Let me thank you and apologize with the alarm system and the background check on your mother. And whether you like it or not, I have another car on its way for you.” She started to object, but he cut her off. “It’s not flashy like the Beamer. But it is safe, and I’d like for you to graciously accept it. Especially since I can’t imagine that beat-up station wagon making its way to Georgia in a couple of months without breaking down.”

  It was everything Lucy could do not to cry. His apology was almost her undoing. She’d been right about his reason for chasing her away. It had all been an act to make her think he didn’t care when, in fact, the cars, the alarm system, the background check on her father, and the obvious jealousy about Brad, told a different story. Jonas hadn’t rejected her because he didn’t love her. He’d rejected her because he did.

  That night after climbing into bed, she reached into her nightstand and quietly pulled them out. Clutching them tightly between both hands, she offered up a silent prayer like she’d done every night since her return home. When she was finished, she placed Jonas’ keys under her pillow and thanked God he’d shown a softer side of himself tonight. An apology from him might not be the declaration of love her heart longed to hear, but it was a start. And she’d take it.

  In the pitch-black of Lucy’s living room, Jonas stationed himself in a chair that faced the picture window affording himself a decent view of her street. It was as quiet as one might expect in a neighborhood that was filled with retirees and hardworking families trying to eke out a living. He stood and walked closer to the window when a cab pulled up to a home that was across the street and two houses to the right. A well-dressed woman, whose features he couldn’t make out, paid the driver and strolled to the front door. There was something about the way she carried herself that seemed familiar to Jonas, but he shook it off. Before she could knock, the door was opened by a man who took her small bag and ushered her inside. Must be the disabled guy with the visiting wife that Lucy casually mentioned, he thought. After Lucy had agreed to accept his truce, they’d settled down in the living room and made small talk before she turned in for the night. When Jonas refused the offer of a bed in one of the spare rooms, she’d promptly returned with a sheet, blanket, and a pillow for him to use on the couch. He stood now, looking down at the pile she’d placed on an armchair and knew he wouldn’t be using them. There was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep while the aroma of peaches and cream permeated the air. It would be impossible for him to close his eyes knowing she was in the next room. He quietly made his way around the house, doing his best not to knock into things as light from the full moon found its way through the slats on some windows with blinds. He came to her room and paused. He carefully turned the knob, and grateful it wasn’t locked, let himself in. He felt a stab of sadness when he was reminded of her fear of sleeping in the dark and saw not one, but three nightlights casting a glow over her room. Chaos raised his head from his spot beside Lucy, and seeing it was Jonas, lowered it with a disinterested snort. Jonas silently checked her sliders and windows, but he’d already known what he would find because he did the same thing while he was waiting for her to get home from her supposed date with Brad. If he was going to be honest with himself, he just wanted to see her. To remember her like she’d been at the cabin. He awoke most mornings b
efore she did, and he would watch her face as sunlight made its way into their room. Lucy smiled in her sleep and it became an important staple in how he started each day. Waking up to her warmth and secret smiles every morning moved him in a way he’d never thought possible. It gave him something he’d never had. Something to look forward to. He now stood over her, anticipating the moment he’d relived in his mind every single day since they’d parted. The slight squeak from the ceiling fan appeared to be keeping rhythm with the gentle rise and fall of her perfect breasts. And when that smile finally came at the end of a loud contented sigh, Jonas slipped out of the room as quietly as he’d slipped in. Only this time, he locked her door behind him as a reminder that Lucy needed protecting. Not just from the Peeping Tom, but from him.

  Chapter 47

  Two weeks had come and gone since Jonas had spent the night. As promised, an alarm system had been installed and the old station wagon had been replaced with a brand new version of her old car. Apparently, the automaker had worked out the kinks that had originally concerned Jonas.

  Even though Chaos had developed an immediate love for little Bella, it took a little prodding for him to warm up to Brad. Early on, Brad insisted on taking Chaos on his daily walks with Bella as a way to win the dog over, and it appeared to have worked.

  Lucy had expected Jonas to show up with news of the background check on her mother and his absence resulted in two schools of thought. The first she found comforting. He didn’t find anything questionable and therefore, had no news to share. The second caused her heart to ache. He’d been emotionally released of his guilt for how he’d treated her at the cabin. And he was done with her. So much so, he couldn’t even bother to come around to tell her that her mother checked out. He’d given her his pager number with a code identifying her as the person trying to get in touch with him. But, she hadn’t used it. If he’d wanted to see her, she would have heard from him by now. The thought pressed heavily on her chest as she made her bed and glanced at the empty spot where her Sam and Sally dolls normally stood vigil over her bedroom.