Truth is in the Darkness (Paynes Creek Thriller Book 2)

by Heather Sunseri

  Thirty-Three

  Coop

  Luke and I walked into the Lexington Detention Center just before nine a.m.

  “Lexington police picked up Linda Thomas at two a.m.,” I told Luke. “She was working at Girlz Next Door, a local exotic dancer establishment.” I tossed a look over my shoulder at Luke. “Spelled with a ‘z’, in case you were wondering.”

  “Nice,” he said.

  We produced our FBI badges for the gentleman working reception. He’d been expecting us. “Wait here. Detective May will escort you downstairs.”

  “Thank you.” I turned back to Luke. “Linda has worked for Girlz Next Door off and on for as long as I can remember, including when I was in high school. She even tried to recruit her daughter when we were seventeen.”

  “What?” Luke asked in amazement. “Seventeen?”

  “Yeah, she’s a real class act. She even accused Lil of asking to be trafficked based on what she wore the night she was kidnapped. And told her at a Fourth of July picnic that she should go into the ‘family business.’”

  “Damn, I’d like to lock her up for that alone. That’s abuse. How did Lil overcome such an unloving mother?”

  “An amazing grandmother. Amazing friends. And she escaped to New York.”

  “And she had you.”

  “She left me,” I said.

  “Special Agent Adams. Special Agent Justice.” A petite woman in a white blouse and black slacks exited an elevator and extended a hand. “I’m Detective Lucy May.”

  “Nice to meet you, Detective,” I said.

  Detective May led us back onto the elevator and down to the level where Linda was being held for interrogation. “She was drunk when she was picked up,” May said. “Said something interesting to the arresting officer.”

  “What?” Luke asked.

  “You can listen for yourself. The officer had enough sense to turn on his body cam.”

  We were led into a room with a laptop already set up. Detective May clicked on a file, and a shaky video began to play.

  “Linda Thomas, you are under arrest.”

  “Under arrest?” a drunk Linda slurred. “Whater you arresting me for?”

  “For stealing Lily Thomas’s luggage from a carousel at the Lexington Airport and defacing that property.”

  The arresting officer’s partner cuffed Linda and led her to their squad car.

  “I did… no… such thing. I would never hurt my baby!” Linda screamed as she stumbled. “I was only trying to keep her safe. She shouldn’t be here.”

  Luke and I traded looks. Linda was almost too drunk to stand.

  “Has she sobered up any?” Luke asked.

  “Yes, she’s sober,” Detective May said. “But she’s still mean as a snake.”

  As the officer placed a hand on Linda’s head and guided her into the back of the squad car, Linda yelled again. “You’re going to regret this when my Calla Lily ends up dead!”

  Linda had an arm stretched across a table in the interrogation room, and her head was leaning on it when Luke and I entered. She reeked of sweat and that distinctive, repulsive sour hangover odor.

  Luke nudged her. “Rise and shine, princess.”

  She slowly lifted her head. Mascara smudges darkened the skin beneath her eyes.

  “Cooper,” she said when she saw me. “You have to help me. I didn’t do the things they’re saying I did.”

  I recoiled from her fetid breath, then pushed play on my phone and turned it to her. “This isn’t you taking Lil’s suitcase, then returning it thirty minutes later with the word ‘slut’ painted on it?”

  She stared at the video. She had to see that she was caught.

  She faced me again. “I know this looks bad. But I had a good reason. Lil needs to go back to New York.”

  I pulled the table away from Linda and pushed it against the far wall. I wanted to see her body language as I questioned her. I set a hip on the table and crossed my arms.

  Luke flipped through a manila folder that I knew held nothing but blank paper. “Why does Lily need to return to New York?” he asked.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Linda asked, turning on the mean.

  He dropped the file to his side and smiled. “I’m Special Agent Luke Justice, FBI. I met your daughter last night.”

  “Are you fucking her too?”

  I stiffened, but remained silent.

  “Why would you ask that?” Luke’s voice remained calm.

  “Because he is.” She pointed at me. “He’s carried a torch for my Calla Lily since they were kids.”

  “Do you like your daughter?” Luke asked.

  “What kind of question is that? I love my daughter.”

  “Yet you painted the word ‘slut’ on her bag, and you told the arresting officers last night that Lily wasn’t safe. Why would you say that? Seems to me she’s not safe from you.”

  Linda twisted her hands, the chain on her cuffs clanking against metal. She lifted a shoulder, but said nothing.

  “Linda,” I said. “Did you know Tricia Hood?”

  She shifted in her chair, sliding her gaze to me. “Who?”

  “Tricia Hood. She lived in Lexington, but she worked in Paynes Creek at Bryn’s Coffee House.”

  “I’ve never been to Bryn’s place.”

  “That’s not what I asked. Did you know Tricia Hood?”

  She shifted again and answered while staring at her hands. “No.”

  “Where were you this past Saturday night between the hours of… let’s say six p.m. and six a.m. the next morning.”

  “I don’t know, Coop. That’s an awful big slice of time.”

  I stepped to her and got directly in her face. “Cut the shit, Linda. I’m asking where you were at the time a woman was murdered. Do you really want to use sarcasm at a time like this?”

  She jerked her head back, and her eyes widened. “I never killed no one. I swear.”

  “Where were you Saturday night?”

  “I was working at the club. You can ask anyone.”

  “And you’re telling me you didn’t know Tricia Hood?”

  She looked down again. “I don’t know no one by that name.”

  “Let’s change gears. How did you know your daughter was coming to Lexington?”

  She shrugged.

  “You knew she was coming to Paynes Creek.” When she didn’t speak, I held up the video again. “You even knew precisely when she was landing at the Lexington airport. And now you’re claiming she’s in danger. Who’s trying to hurt Lil, if it’s not you?”

  Another lift of her shoulders. “I knew she was coming to town, but I’m not trying to hurt her.” She looked up, her eyes pleading with mine. “I only wanted to scare her. Coop, you have to convince her to go back to New York. She’s not safe here.”

  I studied her eyes. Despite the hardness on her face, and the video proof that she’d damaged Lil’s luggage, there was pure fear in those bloodshot eyes.

  “Why do you say that, Linda?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  I looked up at Luke. He gave his head a shake.

  “Fine,” I said. “You’re wasting our time. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be back. For now, I’m going to go see if I can figure out who’s stalking your daughter and who murdered a young woman in Paynes Creek.”

  I lifted my chin, motioning for Luke to follow me out.

  “Wait! You have to fix this! Don’t leave me here, Cooper.”

  Ignoring her, I exited, with Luke right behind me.

  “That was an exercise in frustration,” I said when the door was closed.

  “But we’re not walking away empty-handed,” Luke said. “Did you notice how she reacted to the questions about Tricia Hood?”

  “I did. She definitely knew her.”

  “Yeah. She was nervous as a cat about a dead woman.”

  As we stood there, I checked a voicemail I’d received while we were interrogating Linda. It was the woman from Hopewell Ant
iques, saying she had some information that might be useful.

  I looked at Luke. “Seems the local antique dealer might have information about the knives. Let’s get back to Paynes Creek.”

  “Agents?” Detective May said behind me. “Get anything out of Ms. Thomas?”

  “Not much. Let’s let her sweat it out in a cell for now,” I said. “She still hasn’t asked for an attorney.”

  “Or a phone call,” Detective May added.

  I nodded. “We’re holding a woman at the Hopewell County Sheriff’s Office who’s acting the same way. Sure is strange that two women involved in this case don’t want anyone to know they’re in custody.”

  “Or is it?” Luke said.

  “Can I ask you something else before you go?” Detective May asked.

  “Of course.”

  “My partner and I have conferenced with the chief, and we’d like to get the FBI involved with our missing persons case from over the weekend.”

  “The two eighteen-year-olds?”

  “Yes. Girls going missing from this area slowed down in recent years, but starting several months ago, they’ve picked up again. We’ve had an increase in reports of girls being harassed late at night, men and women attempting to lure teenage girls and boys into cars, and now these two girls going missing. I can’t help but wonder if that’s something to do with the case you worked on in West Virginia, Agent Adams. The timing fits. It’s like you spooked the human traffickers out of West Virginia and into Kentucky. I know you’ve got your plate full, but…”

  I pulled a card from my pocket. “Send me what you’ve got to this email address. We’ll take a look.”

  “Thank you, Agent.”

  Thirty-Four

  Lil

  Jake’s office was quiet when I entered. His receptionist wasn’t at her desk, and by the looks of how clean and orderly the desk was, she had already left for the day.

  “Hey, Lil,” Jake said, exiting his office. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Head on in and grab a seat. Judy had to leave early and you’re my last appointment, so I’m going to lock the front door.”

  “Sorry I’m late,” I called as I walked into his office. “I was in the zone and it was the first time I’d really gotten into my work since landing in Paynes Creek.”

  I heard him locking the outer door, then the hall light went out and he joined me in his office. He walked around his desk and sat. “So, productive day?”

  “Despite everything going on, I feel good about what I created today.” I sat toward the front of my chair. “Which brings me to what I’m thinking.”

  “Let’s have it. Last time we met, we talked about drawing up papers for a new business under a pen name.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry, but I think I’m going to scrap that. Or at least file that away for now.” I stood and paced. “God, Jake. We’ve known each other a long time, so I’m just going to give it to you straight.”

  “Please do. Even if we weren’t old friends, I would remind you that our conversations are covered under lawyer-client confidentiality.”

  “Good. Because I haven’t told anyone else yet—but I’m so done with New York.” Jake nodded, but said nothing. “It was all so much easier when I was in my early twenties. I knew I was supposed to struggle then, you know? But now… now I’m just tired of New York cost of living and New York publishers and… and New York everything, really. And even though I feel like I’m failing a little, I’m ready for a change.”

  “Making a change in no way equates to failure.” Jake sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Would this desire for a change from New York have anything to do with a certain somebody? Because up until this moment, it seems you were ready to run back to New York with your publicist.”

  I cocked my head. “You sound like you don’t like Winn.”

  “I’m sure he’s an okay guy. But Coop is my friend.”

  “Well, today I’m making decisions for me. Not for Winn. And not for Coop.”

  Though who was I kidding? Of course I couldn’t help but think of Coop today. Still, I wasn’t going to be impulsive. I wasn’t making any final decisions about where to live or what to do or who to spend my time with. I’d decided only one thing: I needed to move forward.

  “I want you to form an LLC for me,” I said. “I’m going to use this new company to self-publish the new series I’m working on and to sell my illustrations. I’ve had fans who have requested my illustrations from my first series to frame and put in their children’s nurseries, but I didn’t own the rights once I sold them to my publisher. Now, I’ll own everything I write or draw.”

  “You sound excited.”

  I smiled. “I am. I really am. I want to take control of my own art, and I want to decide what I do with that art. If I want to put my art on a coffee mug, no one can tell me I can’t.”

  “All right then.” Jake leaned forward, grabbed a pen, and prepared to make notes on his legal pad. “What are we calling this LLC?”

  “Lily Pad Publishing and Studios.”

  He smiled. “It fits you perfectly.”

  I crossed my arms and nodded. “Yes it does,” I declared. A rush of good vibes washed through me, and for the first time in a long time, I felt confident. It didn’t even matter where I lived. I could run Lily Pad Publishing and Studios from anywhere in the world.

  Even right here in Paynes Creek.

  “We do have to pick a state for this LLC. And I’ll need an address.”

  “Oh. Well, then, I guess Kentucky for the state. And I’ll text you an address in the morning.”

  Jake went through a series of additional questions, making notes as he went. “I think I have all I need. I’ll get the proper paperwork filed as soon as you’ve sent me a business address.”

  I leaned back in my chair. “Perfect.” I paused. “It is perfect, right?”

  Jake cocked his head. “Lil, you were never this unsure back in high school. And from what Bryn has told me, you’ve done amazingly well in New York.”

  That was what Bryn told him? That I was doing amazingly well? I guess I did ask her to keep my feelings a secret.

  “I did fine in New York. But you’re right, I shouldn’t be insecure about this. I’ve thought about setting up this company for a long time. It’s just scary to start over, you know?”

  Jake stood and came around the desk. “Come here.” He motioned for me to get up, and stretched out his arms. I walked into them and let him hug me. “You’re going to be fine. I’m going to see to it.” He pulled back. “Now, let’s celebrate. Stay right here.” He walked out of his office, leaving me staring after him.

  While he was gone, his cell phone buzzed on his desk. It stopped after a minute, then almost immediately began buzzing again. I remembered what Bryn had said about Jake possibly cheating on her. I had dismissed the thought, knowing how she could be paranoid. Besides, I had seen Jake and Bryn together, and he truly seemed head over heels in love with her.

  But when his phone buzzed a third time, I couldn’t help but wonder. I stood from my chair and started to peer at the screen to see who was calling.

  “Here we go,” Jake sang as he reentered his office. His phone stopped buzzing. “A little sparkling wine I’ve been saving for a perfect occasion.”

  I stepped back, hoping he hadn’t seen me trying to look at his phone. “What exactly are we celebrating? I haven’t even done anything yet.”

  “Yes you have. You’ve made a huge decision. I know you’re not exactly saying it out loud yet, but you’re moving back to Kentucky.”

  I smiled, letting his ringing cell phone fade from my thoughts. “Slow down there, Mr. Attorney Man. I have a lot more to think about before finalizing that decision.”

  “Think all you want, but you’ll stay here.” He smiled. “And Bryn will be ecstatic.” He popped the cork on the bubbly and poured a couple of glasses. “We’ll just have to open another bottle once you’ve told her. For now, I will keep your secret.” />
  I took a sip of the sparkling wine while eyeing Jake. When I lowered the glass, I looked him in the eye and said with a smile, “Now that we’ve gotten business out of the way, I need you to know something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ll kick your ass if you’re setting Bryn up for another broken heart.”

  As I left Jake’s office, I felt pretty confident that I’d put enough fear into him to at least do the right thing. If he was cheating on Bryn—or even thinking about it—I told him he better break things off now and let her go. He assured me that he was doing none of the above, and that he loved Bryn. After a second glass of sparkling wine, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

  Walking down Main Street, my phone buzzed with a call from Coop.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi yourself. Where are you?”

  “Walking down Main Street.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yes, Special Agent, by myself. It’s still daylight out. No boogeymen lurking around here.”

  “You think this is a joke?” he snapped.

  I stopped walking. “Of course I don’t think murder is a joke.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. Can I give you a ride?”

  “Why all the frustration?”

  “Lots of dead ends. And as soon as I think I might get a break, someone stands me up.”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I just stopped by the antique store to get some information on the knives, but Sharon had already left for the day. Does no one keep a regular schedule in this town?”

  I smiled. “The investigation will keep. How about you give me fifteen minutes, then pick me up outside Bryn’s?”