Raleigh made a turn and headed out of town. He took a long, worn asphalt road into an area that she remembered being completely desolate. But there was construction going on now, signs for a shopping center. Beyond that, though, it grew lonesome again.
She wrapped her fingers over his on the gearshift. “I remember when you first brought me out here.”
“You were thinking, What the hell am I doing?”
She shoved him. “No. I was nervous, though. I knew what I was doing. Or what I was going to do.”
Make love with Raleigh for the first time. A stolen afternoon when she was supposed to be at the beach.
“Well, you should be asking yourself ‘What the hell am I doing?’ now.”
He turned onto a gravel road with NO TRESPASSING signs warning of imminent death and destruction. Off to the right a newer road cut in, one she didn’t remember. “That’s where they were doing the construction?”
“Yes. And where my dad was found.”
The brush grew high alongside the road. As they rounded a bend, sun reflected off the windshields of two police cruisers parked by the cabin. Mia glanced in the rearview mirror. A T-Bird with a front license plate that read BIRDIE followed close behind. Grace gave them a wave as she pulled up beside them. Within seconds she was stalking over to Sheriff Sullivan, crooking her fingers.
He handed the warrant to her, smug as could be. They traded words as Raleigh remained by the car, letting her do her job. He watched Cassidy and another deputy walk out with sealed paper bags.
Grace came over, her cheeks red with rage. “I will be talking to Judge Crandall about this.”
“What are they looking for?” Mia asked.
“Blood evidence. The murder weapon. They’re taking all knives found to check for blood.” Grace eyed the deputies setting the stapled paper bags in the car. “Is there anything inside that might cause us trouble?”
Mia bristled. “You think he’s guilty?”
“Calm down, honey. No, I do not. But things can be misconstrued, and, with Sullivan after Raleigh, he’s going to be grasping at straws. We also have to think about what it’s going to look like to a jury.”
A jury. Grace thought this might go to court. The idea of it clamped around Mia’s stomach.
“I have a couple of hunting knives,” Raleigh said. “Every guy who hunts and fishes does. But there won’t be any of my dad’s blood on them. And they won’t find any of my father’s DNA inside my cabin, either. He’s never been inside. But if one of my knives is close in size to the knife marks,” Raleigh said in a low voice, “it’ll be one more thing the prosecutor will present as evidence, right?”
“Afraid so, circumstantial as it is. Of course, I’ll move to strike it.”
The crime-scene analysts didn’t take long, since the cabin wasn’t that big. The officers exited without any more bags, and Mia swore that Sullivan looked disappointed. Jerk. On the other hand, that was a positive sign.
“I’m going to dog Sullivan for information on what they took.” Grace patted Raleigh’s arm. “Stay calm. And positive.”
Raleigh didn’t look the least bit positive even as he nodded. A few minutes later, everyone had cleared out.
Mia slid her fingers between his. “The sheriff didn’t find what he wanted.”
“But all he needs is a few pieces of the puzzle, even if it’s not the right picture. I know, I know, I’m not being very positive.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the tension clear on his face. “I wish Pax had been here. Then again, he got in trouble for warning me about the arrest.” He pulled out his cellphone and sent a text: Sorry that you were reprimanded for giving me a heads-up.
“Let’s go back to the cottage. We can work on the yard, burn off some of this restless energy.”
A few seconds later, a text came in. It’s gonna work out just fine. Will call you in a bit. BTW, Cass went ballistic. He’s fired. TTYL
“Holy…” Raleigh shook his head and laughed.
“What?”
“Cass was being his usual dick self when he retrieved me from my cell. I might have incited him just a little when he didn’t know that the captain of the jail was standing a few feet away.”
She grinned. “Just a little?”
He indicated an inch between his finger and thumb. “Didn’t take much. He tried to hit me. According to Pax’s text, he got fired. In my defense, the captain indicated that Cassidy had been a pain in the ass for a while.”
Mia snorted. “Serves him right. As long as Pax doesn’t get fired, too.”
“He said it was going to work out fine. And his daddy wants him there, so he’ll no doubt pull strings.”
A few minutes later, Mia’s cellphone rang, and she answered.
“Hi, Mia, it’s Marta. I wanted to let you know that we just hit the four-thousand- dollar mark for the legal fund.”
“That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for telling me.”
“Please pass my thoughts on to Raleigh. I know this must be very hard on him. Poor guy can’t swing a break.”
Mia glanced over as Raleigh opened her door for her. “You’re right about that. But we’ll take all the good news we can.”
“Good news?” Raleigh asked.
“That was Marta, at the bank. People are donating to your legal fund. Four thousand so far!”
He dropped into the seat a minute later, his puzzled expression adorable. “My what?”
“I set up a legal fund yesterday and asked Marta and Peter to spread the word.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “See, not everyone thinks you’re guilty.”
“Four thousand dollars?”
“And counting.”
It was the first glimmer of warmth she’d seen on his face in a while, but it didn’t last long. He started the car and backed up.
Mia studied the area. “So Hank’s murderer drove here.”
“Or Hank drove here with his murderer.”
“Did your dad ever come here? To fish, maybe?”
Raleigh shook his head. “He knew he wasn’t welcome. The lake was never open to the public; George was too concerned about liability. Whoever came with Hank or brought him knew the property. Another fact to seal my fate.”
“So it’s more likely that his killer drove here, because that person—”
“Was welcome?” Raleigh finished.
“Not necessarily. But they knew about this lake. Let’s check it out. How do you get to the lake from the road?”
Raleigh pointed to the road leading off to the left as he came to a stop.
“Which is within sight of your cabin. You would have heard a vehicle coming, right? I don’t suppose you have a lot of traffic out here.”
“Hardly any. And I sure would remember seeing my dad’s truck. It was a piece of crap, with a headlight duct-taped into place and a bent front fender. But, honestly, with me working at the garage until one or two in the morning and most weekends, I’m not around all that much.”
He took the road, passing through a thicket of trees and then back into an opening, where yellow crime-scene tape barred them from driving farther. There was no one in sight. In the distance sat the half-finished barn that George was having constructed for the horses.
“We could take a look around,” she suggested.
“Better not. What if they put cameras in place, thinking to catch me digging up the murder weapon or something.” He stared at the lake, following the gouges in the mud where the tow truck had wrenched Hank’s vehicle out of its watery grave.
She let him have a few minutes of silence, but her mind spun. “Cody came to you at the garage, told you what happened. You called Rose, and she came over.”
He nodded. “I left Cody with her and drove to the beach where it happened. By then, though, some time had passed, so it was no surprise that Hank was gone. Then I drove to his mobile home, but I didn’t go up to the door, since his truck wasn’t there, either. I checked his usual haunts, and still no sign of him. I’d say about three ho
urs elapsed from the time Cody arrived until I gave up trying to find Hank. I stopped by Rose’s and let her know that I hadn’t found him. Talked to Cody a little more; the kid was pretty wrecked, as you can imagine. Then I went back to the garage for another two hours to work through my rage. By the time I returned home, it was two. I couldn’t sleep, though. I would definitely have heard something.”
“So he met up with his murderer either at the beach or somewhere between there and here.”
“Maybe he figured he’d better run, so he hit all his money sources to see if he could borrow some. And maybe one of those sources, pissed because he already owed them money, blew his gasket.”
“Look how mad Lola was at him. Probably not enough to kill him, but someone else might have been. Let’s retrace the direct path backward.”
He took her in for a moment. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you. Thank you for believing in me.”
“I’ve always believed in you, Raleigh. I’ll never stop.”
He took a stuttering breath, but his gaze flicked to their surroundings. “I bet if a camera caught me kissing you at the scene of the crime they’d make it into something sick and twisted.” He squeezed her hand instead, then backed up.
Mia let out a sigh, knowing that he was right. She’d seen the media and the police turn a consoling kiss into something sinister or callous.
Raleigh stopped where the gravel met the road and leaned over to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight, all that desperation she’d felt when they made manic love sweeping over her. She needed to be the positive one, enough for both of them. Inside, though, she was terrified of losing him again.
She blinked hard to hide the tears before she backed up enough to hold his face in her hands. “Don’t you dare give up, Raleigh West. Do you hear me? Life can hand us a lot of shit, but we are stronger than any of that. We have to believe in ourselves, though. It won’t work if we give up.”
He gave her a soft smile. “I won’t. I have a lot to fight for.”
“Me, too.”
Chapter 17
Raleigh watched Mia in the passenger seat jotting down times and distances like a detective as they drove to the beach. Like a woman who loved him and was determined to exonerate him. He wished he could be as optimistic as she was. All he saw was her digging herself into his grave, the dirt clinging to her as it did to him.
“We have a six-hour window during which the truck could have come to the lake.” She frowned, scratching her forehead. “It seems odd, him being murdered within hours of trying to molest Cody.”
“And suspicious. For me.”
“Maybe someone saw Hank do it and went all renegade on him.”
“You mean a stranger?”
“Or someone who knew Cody. Or Hank. Someone with a history of abuse who would be severely affected by witnessing such a thing.”
“Still sounds like me.” He sighed. “I can’t think of anyone, but it’s not like people go around talking about their personal histories.” His phone rang, and he was happy to see that it was Pax. “Hey, bud.”
“Where are you?”
Uh-oh. This was reminiscent of the call where Pax had warned him that he was about to be arrested. “Heading to the cottage.”
“Be there in fifteen.” He disconnected.
“Hell. Pax is on his way over, and he sounds terse again, like he’s about to drop another bomb on me.” His stomach hurt, the stress winding it tighter and tighter. Then Mia stroked his arm, that simple touch easing the tension a bit.
“Maybe he’s going to give you the juicy details of Cassidy’s firing.”
“No, he’d sound eager and happy about that.”
Pax was due any moment when they stepped inside the cottage. Raleigh pulled Mia into his arms, planting a kiss on her lush mouth. “Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything that deserves thanks. I’m here because I love you. Because I believe in you.”
“Then thank you for loving me. For believing in me.”
“Raleigh, I couldn’t do anything else. You deserve love, and you deserve people’s belief in you. No matter where you came from or what you’ve gone through.”
“I love you.” His mouth found hers just as someone pounded on the front door.
She stole a quick kiss and stepped back. “I’ll pour lemonades for everyone.”
Pax burst in the moment Raleigh opened the door. His hair was disheveled, his face flushed. He scrubbed his fingers through his hair, making it even more of a mess. He wasn’t in uniform.
“Pax, what the hell is going on?”
His friend planted his hands on Raleigh’s shoulders. “I quit.”
“What?”
Both Raleigh and Mia said it at once, she joining them with a glass in each hand. “Maybe we should add some vodka to this?” she said, handing one to Pax.
He took a quick gulp and set it down. “Rose brought in a list of possible suspects. I volunteered to run them down—on my own time, even. Dad told me to leave it alone. I accused him of railroading you, of violating his oath as a lawmaker. I thought he was going to hit me. Man, I haven’t seen that look on his face since we were all busted for the racing. He told me to back the hell off. That I was letting our friendship—one we shouldn’t have, he pointed out—interfere with my objectiveness. I told him he was doing the same. The opposite, but the same.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to be a cop anyway. But that’s not the reason I came out here.”
Raleigh’s chest tightened. “More bad news?”
“Yeah.” Pax’s gaze flicked to Mia. “It’s pretty personal, though. About Cody.”
Hell. Raleigh knew what was coming, though he didn’t know how it had come. “It’s all right. Mia knows everything.”
“They found pictures on your father’s computer. Kid porn. Most of it looks like crap he downloaded from those depraved sites, but…there were a few shots of Cody.”
Rage and disgust roared through Raleigh. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. “Posed?”
“No, he probably didn’t even know he was being photographed. Looks like they were taken through a window. Sick son of a bitch had pictures of him getting undressed, taking a shower.” After Pax let that settle, he said, “You don’t look shocked. Sickened, but not shocked.”
Raleigh wrestled with how much to tell him. “Are they going to question Cody?”
“Sounds like it. That sort of thing is a good motive for murder. And I mean good because anyone who does shit like that deserves to be stabbed and dumped in a lake.”
Mia gripped Raleigh’s arm. “They don’t think Cody killed him, do they? I mean, that would be ridiculous. He doesn’t have the strength, much less the aggression, to wield a weapon like that against a grown man.”
“Kids his age and size do commit murder, Mia,” Pax said. “It’s sad but true. But my dad’s not going for that angle.”
“He’s going for me,” Raleigh said.
Pax nodded grimly. “You told the sheriff that Cody came over to the garage that night, and then Rose came by. Hank did something to the kid, didn’t he?”
Raleigh sank to the sofa, his face in his hands. It bombarded him, how everything was unraveling. “Can I tell you in confidence?”
“I’m not a cop anymore.” Pax sat down across from him. “I’m on your side. And if you went off on Hank because—”
“I didn’t. That’s just it, Pax. I couldn’t find him. Maybe I would have, though I wouldn’t have killed him. Beat the hell out of him, sure, but not kill. Then I would have hauled him to the police, where he should have been put in the first place. I hunted him, but he’d already disappeared. Mia and I have been working through the timeline.” He told him what they’d come up with. “None of us could have done it. I know Cody didn’t, because he would have been covered in blood, and more freaked than he already was.”
Mia, ever his support, sat down beside him, her thigh pressed against his.
Pa
x nodded. “But you know it’s a big coincidence that Hank died within hours of molesting Cody.”
“Yeah, we know, we know. But the cops have no idea what happened that night.”
“They know Hank picked up his son for his birthday. That they hung out at the beach for a while, then Cody came your way. You told them the truth, right?”
“Yes. I just left out the attempted-molestation part. I didn’t want to put Cody through that. And I didn’t think it was related at the time. Now I’m wondering.”
Mia put her hand on top of Raleigh’s. “Cody won’t tell them.” But she remembered them talking about his fear giving him away if he was questioned about that night. Her mouth turned in a frown.
“We’d better call Grace and tell her about this can of worms.”
Mia stood. “I’ll call. She should be there when he’s questioned.”
Pax met his gaze, eyes a moss green now. “Did he ever…”
Raleigh wanted to say no. To keep that dark secret to himself and Mia. “That’s how I knew to warn Cody and Rose.”
Pax gripped Raleigh’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. About that, about everything. You never told me. Never even let on.”
Raleigh shook his head. “I stuffed it all down.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help, y’hear? I’m going to run down the people on that list as a civilian.”
“I already talked to Lola at the park.” Raleigh filled him in on their conversation.
There was more pounding on the front door. Rose shouted, “Raleigh! Mia!”
“Come in,” Raleigh said, meeting her halfway as she dashed into the house.
“They took Cody to the station! The sheriff—” She came to a halt when she saw Pax.
“It’s okay,” Raleigh said. “He’s not a cop anymore. He quit over this. Wait. What do you mean, they took Cody?”
“My client said the sheriff came by and asked Cody if he could come down to the station and answer some questions. Assured him he wasn’t under arrest or nothing, just wanted Cody’s help in tracking down who killed his dad.” Rose’s wide eyes went from one person to another before landing on Pax. “I didn’t think you could drag a kid in without having a parent there! That can’t be legal!”
Falling Fast (Falling Fast #1) Page 22