by Jen Talty
“I really need a lawyer?” The only lawyer she knew these days wanted her out of the picture completely. She rubbed her hands across her jeans and fixed her gaze on the darkness. A thick layer of fog settled across the night like a blanket, but she didn’t really need to see anything. Either she was going to jail for something she didn’t do or she was going to die for something she did do.
The patrol car rolled to a stop outside the police station. Well, it wasn’t much of a station. Just a small building that housed, from what she could remember, the Chief, his assistant, and possibly three or four other officers. This part of the world was still half in the dark ages, but maybe that would turn out to be a blessing. Maybe Nino didn’t even know Thief Lake existed. Maybe she was safe.
Blaine stepped from the car and strolled to the other side, opening the door. She took the hand he offered. His warm skin heated her body. “Official statement? Or official interrogation?”
“It’s a statement, for now. Just tell us what you know. What happened from the time you pulled into the driveway until I found you.” He opened the station door and motioned toward a hallway. “My office is the last door on the left. Wait there for me.”
“Sure. A statement.” She glanced around the well-lit, tiny lobby. The lights glared, but somehow the place felt dark. “Where are you going?” Fear rippled down her spine. She didn’t want to be with him, but she didn’t want to be alone. “You’re going to arrest me, aren’t you?”
He stopped and stared at her for a moment. “I’m going to get us some coffee and snag someone to take your statement since…well, our past. It wouldn’t be professional, and I could be accused of clouding the case. Covering something up.”
“You have to be kidding me. I found my father…” She sniffled. “You can’t think I kill—”
“Kaylee,” he said sternly, “We need to know your side of the story, officially. I’m just doing my job.”
“I’d like my coffee black, please.” She turned away. ‘Officially,’ her ex-husband could shove it.
She knotted her fists and rolled them into her lower back as she walked down the hall. Maybe she had a muscle relaxant in her purse.
Crap. Her purse was in her father’s house. She stretched her back and rolled her hands again across her aching, burning muscles. She stopped briefly at the edge of the door that had Blaine’s name on it before entering.
“Kaylee, I’m so sorry,” a male voice echoed in her ears.
“Hadley? What are you doing here?” Hadley Danks, her father’s business lawyer, stood in the middle of the white office with his arms stretched wide. She hesitated for a moment. Ever since she’d left Thief Lake, she’d been alone. No one to protect her. No one she could trust. Besides, the last time she’d seen Hadley was the day she found out her father wasn’t her father after all.
“How did you know I was here?” The need to feel as though someone out there gave a damn overtook her desire to protect all the walls she had created. She walked into his arms and rested her head on his strong shoulder. Regardless, Hadley had been a source of comfort during her teen years.
“I got a call from Chief Whitcomb saying you might need me.”
“Shit,” she cursed, stepping back. The whole town was going to think she killed her own father. Not that anyone thought fondly of her anyway. “I found Daddy dead; I didn’t kill him.” Looking around the office, she realized how bad things were. Under the circumstances, if she were Blaine, she’d think the same thing.
“Let’s sit.”
The muscles in her back twisted and tightened. Sitting would hurt, so she paced instead. “Who’d want to kill my father?”
“He wasn’t the easiest man, Kaylee. He did make an enemy or two over the years.”
Blaine entered his office carrying a tray of coffee and doughnuts. “Don’t say one word.” He eyed them both as he took one of the white powdered jelly ones. “I’ve heard it all before.”
“Must be nice to be able to eat whatever you want and not have an ounce of fat on your body.” Kaylee forced her gaze to the floor. She knew firsthand what that body looked like. Six-pack abs, thick biceps, and strong, lean legs. The mere sight of his bronze-colored skin sent a wave of desire through her bloodstream. Her fingertips itched to touch and caress every inch of his supple body. Nope, she didn’t want to remember.
The sound of shuffled papers echoed as Blaine sat behind his desk. “Williams, could you come in here, please?” he asked into the speakerphone. “Deputy Williams is going to ask you some questions, record them, and then we’ll need you to sign the statement. Do you understand?”
She stared out the window. It had started to rain. She watched the fat raindrops hit the puddles in the parking lot. Nothing in her life had ever gone right. “Don’t you have to read me my rights or something?”
“You’re not under arrest, but if you choose not to cooperate, you will leave me no choice,” Blaine said.
“Kaylee, as the attorney present, I advise you just to answer his questions and tell him what you can remember. If I think there is something you shouldn’t answer, I’ll let you know,” Hadley cut in. “But if this comes down to you really needing a criminal lawyer, I’ll get you the best.”
Well, that didn’t make her feel any better.
“Sit down,” Blaine said. “We’re going to be here a while.”
“Wonderful.” She let out a long, slow breath, forcing the muscles in her back to relax as she settled herself in a hard wooden chair across from Blaine’s desk. Somehow, she didn’t think her life could get any worse.
“Ready, boss,” a young man in uniform said. He took a seat with pad and pen in hand.
“Go ahead,” Blaine said.
“Did you notice what time you arrived?” Williams asked.
“Around eleven,” she replied, trying to tell herself she had nothing to hide but the truth.
“Did you notice anything unusual?” Williams continued.
“Yeah, all the lights were on.”
“Why was that unusual?”
“My father hated waste. Leaving unnecessary lights on cost money. He hated wasting money more than anything else.”
“Anything else seem out of the ordinary?” Williams looked too serious, only adding to the tension lingering in the air.
“Not really.”
“How did you get into the house?” William’s asked.
“The kitchen door.”
“Why not the front door?”
“Dad never liked leaving the front door unlocked because it’s too hard for him to hear anyone entering the house from his office. He said he’d be working late and I should come in through the kitchen.” She sat straighter in her chair and glanced toward Blaine. He sat back in his chair, hands folded in his lap, just listening. He’d always been good at his job, she just didn’t like being on the other end of it.
“Then what?” Blaine interjected, his tone unemotional and detached.
“I poured myself a glass of water, drank it, and then went to go find him.”
“Where did you put the glass?” Williams asked.
She shifted in her seat and glanced toward Hadley. “I put it in the dishwasher.”
“Anything else in the dishwasher?”
“Dishes?” She shouldn’t expect Blaine, or even this Williams guy, to have any compassion for her, but they were both cold as stone, and that didn’t help her growing fear.
“Then what?” Williams’s voice echoed.
Her pulse beat so fast it felt like she had just run a marathon. “I called his name a few times. When I didn’t get a response, I headed toward his office. You have to go through the main foyer to get to that room.”
“Is that when you noticed your father?” Williams asked.
A flash of her father’s limp, cold body sprawled out on the floor in a pool of his own blood filled her mind. She nodded, unable to use words.
“I need a verbal response,” Williams said.
“Yes.”
“What happened next?” Williams questioned.
“I screamed, and then Blaine was there,” she replied. Her skin tingled as though she was being pricked by thousands of tiny needles, precisely at the same time.
“What did you touch?” Williams’s voice sounded bland, almost like a robot. As if her answers didn’t matter because he’d already decided she was guilty.
“Some things in the kitchen. The door. Maybe the table in the hallway. The phone.”
“Do you own a gun?”
“No law that says she can’t own a gun,” Hadley said. “She’s told you what happened. I think we can be done here.”
Kaylee glanced toward Blaine. He scowled. “We’re not done just yet.”
“Miss Mead. Do not leave town,” Williams said. “If you do, this department will issue a warrant for your arrest.”
“Understand that a crime has been committed and right now you are our only link to solving that crime,” Blaine said.
Kaylee opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Not even a gasp. She didn’t know what to say, much less what to do. Nino had men everywhere. If an arrest warrant went out, she’d be as good as dead.
“I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
“That’s good to know,” Blaine said. He pushed back his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Keep going, Williams.”
“Miss Mead, would you be willing to give us your fingerprints, hair strands, and let me check your hands for gun powder residue?” Williams said.
“You don’t have to give them anything right now,” Hadley added, patting her shoulder.
“I’ll do it. What else?”
“Nothing until we hear from the ME.” Blaine stood. “Thank you for cooperating.” His tone was detached, but when she caught his gaze, a sudden softness filled his eyes. “Williams, why don’t you go type up the report and bring it to Kaylee to sign.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Williams rose.
“Then the real fun begins, huh?” She shifted in her seat, causing a sharp pain to shoot up her spine. She did her best not to wince as she stood. “I didn’t kill my father.”
“Thanks for coming, Hadley,” Blaine said, ignoring her. “I’ll be in touch.”
Hadley gave her a warm smile and a kind hug. “Don’t talk to them. Blaine included. If they want to interview you more, make sure you call me.” He handed her his business card. “I know a great criminal lawyer.”
The two men shook hands, and Kaylee leaned her hip against the cool window. Steam from rain hitting the cold pavement slowly rose and then dissipated a few inches from the ground. The severity of her life hit her full-force. She fought the tears.
What a mess she’d made of her life. Now she didn’t even have the chance to right a wrong with her father. Or find out what her father had wanted to share with her. Another condition of his help. She had to listen to him no matter how it made her feel. He’d said it was important. “What now?”
“I’m sorry about your father,” Blaine whispered.
She hadn’t realized he was standing so close to her. His arms wrapped around her shivering body.
She needed the healing powers of human contact, but she couldn’t let it be him. “Leave me alone,” she snapped.
The tender touch of his thumb across her cheek soothed her. And angered her. “I’m sorry I had to put you through this, but it’s my job.”
“I resent the hell out of you and your job.” She batted his hand away.
“My job can be tricky, but right now,” he ran his long fingers through his hair, “I’m just an old friend.”
“Yeah, right.” Friends didn’t betray friends like he had betrayed her so many years ago. “Will you take me to my car so I can go to the motel, friend?” Sarcasm had always been her greatest defense and worst enemy, especially where Blaine was concerned.
“We’ll get your car in the morning.”
“I need my overnight bag,” she protested as she followed him out of his office and through the main door toward the parking lot. “I’m not going to run off. Honestly, I have no place to go.” Not unless she wanted to end up dead, just like her father.
“I’ll take care of everything in the morning.” He opened a truck door, waiting for her to get in.
“I can take care of myself. Just take me to my car. And I need my purse.” All she wanted was to sink into a hot bath and cry her eyes out. Her body ached. A million thoughts raced through her mind, but she couldn’t focus on anything other than her father. She may not have been close to her father, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love him.
“Get in the truck, Kaylee.” Blaine gave her a little push.
“Fine.”
The raindrops thumped against the windshield as the wipers sloshed it onto the road. His truck smelled like new leather and cheap perfume, not a good combination. Kaylee glanced out the window. “Hey, this isn’t the way to the motel.” The town had only one, and they were definitely heading in the wrong direction.
“I know.” He slapped the blinker on.
“No way, Blaine Walker. You turn this hunk of steel around and take me to the motel.”
“No. You are staying with me tonight,” he said, then punched the gas, making the tires squeal. “Someone may have just murdered your father, and on the night of your return.” He pulled his truck in front of his parents’ garage. A garage she remembered well.
“If your father was murdered, and I think he was, technically you’re a potential suspect.” Blaine reached across the truck and put a finger over her lips. “But you could be a target, too. Especially if whoever did this thinks you saw them.”
The intensity in his near-black eyes, along with his words, stunned her. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. “I didn’t see anyone,” she managed. But she knew who was out there, waiting. Maybe staying with a cop wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“They may have seen you.”
Panic set in. She wouldn’t be able to hide much longer. If at all.
2
“YOU STILL LIVE HERE?” Kaylee asked as she looked to the staircase going up to Blaine’s parents’ garage apartment. The one they’d lived in together during their short marriage. Puffy, dark clouds floated across the sky, partially covering the half moon. The rain had let up some, but the cold, crisp air chilled her skin.
“I moved back when Dad died. I wanted to be close to Mom, but I didn’t want to live with her.” He glanced over his shoulder with a scowl, like she should know all this.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She wanted to reach out and touch him. He’d always been close to his father. “How? When?”
“Few years ago. Car accident.” He turned. “A lot has changed around here.”
A loud clicking noise echoed as he unlocked the door at the top of the stairs and pushed it open. The familiar small space did nothing to ease her growing discomfort, and Blaine’s physical effect on her only added to her confusion.
She stepped in and glanced around. He wasn’t kidding when he said a lot had changed. The apartment she remembered had bare walls, old, blue matted-down carpet and a sagging couch. He’d always been good with his hands, but the new galley-style kitchen she stared at was beyond anything she remembered he could do.
“You do all this work yourself?” She slid her fingers across the log-style chair-rail that set off the soft-blue walls in the main room.
“Gives me something to do when I’m not working. You should see the kitchen in Mom’s house. Took me nearly three months.”
“I’m sure it’s beautiful.” A chocolate-colored leather sofa sat in front of a wood-burning fireplace. A bearskin rug hung on the wall. “You have great taste.”
He shrugged. “Can I get you some hot chocolate?” He kicked off his boots and made his way into the kitchen. “I think I’ve got marshmallows.”
“Marshmallows?” As a little girl she had loved to go out and play in the snow, and then when she’d come in all wet and cold, her f
ather would meet her in the kitchen with hot chocolate and marshmallows. The big ones. She’d poke at the white, puffy object floating in a sea of steaming milk chocolate, making sure the marshmallows were totally saturated. That had been the best part.
The realization that her father was actually gone forever sent tears streaming down her cheeks. “Sure,” she managed through choking sobs. Her eyes were already puffy from hours of crying over the past few weeks. At twenty-eight, she’d made nothing but one pathetic mistake after another.
“Sit down.” Blaine’s strong hand pressed gently against her lower back and helped her to the couch.
The soft leather conformed to her body. “Please tell me this is all a bad dream.” She clung to his strong frame for support, something she hadn’t felt in years. “Please tell me my father didn’t die before I had a chance to fix all the wrongs between us,” she cried, wrapping her fists in Blaine’s T-shirt.
“Let it go,” Blaine whispered, stroking his fingers through her hair.
Being in his embrace brought back memories she’d been trying to pretend didn’t exist. She’d barely gotten used to the idea of coming home, and to be reminded of what could have been, what had been taken from her, was more than she could handle.
A sense of dread engulfed her as she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She pushed herself from his welcoming arms. “I’m just tired.” She reminded herself the comfort he was offering wasn’t real. Perhaps it had never been real.
He turned sideways on the sofa, his arms no longer around her. “When did you decide to come back to town?”
Dropping her head back on the sofa, she closed her eyes. If he only knew the half of it. “I called him two weeks ago.”
“You called him?”
She nodded. She’d give Blaine what little information she could without getting herself into trouble. She knew him well enough to know he’d use whatever information he could pump out of her to get the bad guy. Right now, that could mean her. “We’d been in touch a few times over the last few years. We both wanted to put the past behind us.”