by Marta Perry
“He can’t force you to do something you don’t want to, can he?” It was a wonder she couldn’t read the guilt on his face. “How did she think he could force you?”
“She didn’t make a lot of sense. I keep telling myself she’s imagining things. But she seemed so convinced. And afraid. I can’t help thinking... I can’t stop thinking he might have some plan to force me into it.”
He took a firm grip on his control. “Fear can be contagious. That’s understandable. But do you logically think there’s any reason the judge can push you into obeying?”
“N-no. I guess not. I’ve just seen so much of him trying to bend Frank to his will that it makes me nervous.” Her voice shook, and she pressed her fingers against her lips. She looked at him, and her eyes seemed to plead for him to deny her fears.
How could he? Judge Morris was already doing exactly what she feared—conspiring to force her and Kevin to move in with him. And he was implicated in that conspiracy. But that didn’t mean he had to continue to be.
Deidre needed reassurance, not more problems, he told himself. “That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly. “And I’ll tell you why. Because you’ll have the toughest lawyer you ever met on your side. Believe me. I learned street fighting from the best. I won’t let it happen.” He touched her cheek, his fingertips carrying sensation right through him. “I promise.” His voice was husky.
He leaned toward her, over Kevin. Slowly, as if compelled, she swayed forward to meet him. Their lips touched, held, and the world seemed to spin away.
Nothing touching except their lips, his dazed mind noted. Nothing else, but it was enough. Whatever doubts he might have had about Deidre burned away to nothing.
He was going to protect her. He’d save her if he had to tear that town apart with his bare hands.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEIDRE PULLED THE car up to the back door, not quite able to believe how things had changed in the course of a few hours. She’d left home annoyed with Jason and determined to keep him at arm’s length. Now...
Now, even though very little had been said between them, everything had changed. They had crossed a chasm in their relationship, and neither of them could pretend it hadn’t changed. Whatever happened from this point, things were now different.
They got out of the car, and Kevin, having gotten a second wind, immediately started badgering Jason to play ball with him.
“Enough, Kev. Jason will think you have no manners at all. Thank him for coming with us, and then you can help carry things inside.”
Abashed, Kev picked up his backpack. “Thank you for coming. But you had a good time, didn’t you? I’m glad you came. Aren’t you glad?”
“Very glad.” Jason ruffled her son’s hair affectionately, and the look he gave Deidre brought the heat rushing to her face. “Now let’s help clean up, okay?”
Between them they grabbed all the bags, leaving her with nothing to do but unlock the back door. She held it while they entered and then let it swing closed.
“Just put those on the kitchen counter, and I’ll take care of our leftovers right away.”
“Okay.” Kevin scurried ahead to swing his backpack up to the counter. Jason reached over his head to deposit his backpack and hers.
Deidre unzipped her bag and started pulling out the contents. Too bad that such a perfect excursion left its supply of cleanup to be dealt with. She eyed the soggy remains of chicken bones and started emptying and rinsing iced tea bottles for recycling. Behind her, she heard Kevin return to the attack.
“Want to play ball for a bit? Hey, Mommy, can Jason stay for supper?”
“You’re thinking about the next meal already?” she teased.
Jason grinned. “Your mother fixed the picnic, Kev. It’s not fair to expect her to make supper, too. How about I go get a pizza?”
The idea of spending even more time in his company was nearly irresistible. “I think...” she began, and abruptly lost the thread of her words as she glanced into the workroom, fear freezing her voice.
Jason was at her side in a moment. His hand closed on her arm. “What is it?” he said softly.
His grip steadied her enough to speak with some semblance of normality. “Kevin, run out back and see if the flowers I brought home yesterday need a drink.”
“I’ll water them,” Kev said, instantly distracted by the idea of messing with water. The door banged behind him as he bolted out.
She met Jason’s eyes, hoping she didn’t look as shaken as she felt. “Someone’s been in the house while we were gone.”
He drew her a little closer to him. “Are you sure? How can you tell?”
Deidre nodded toward the workroom. “That box on the table—it was closed and stowed on the floor when I went out this morning. Now half the contents are strewed on the table. I’ll look...”
His grip tightened, not letting her make a move toward the workroom. “Better not touch anything. Let’s do this according to the book. We’ll go outside and call the police.”
She nodded. That was the smartest course. But...
“I don’t want Kevin to know anything’s wrong.” She clasped Jason’s hand with both of hers. “Please, Jason, you have to help me. I can’t let him become afraid of his own house.”
Jason nodded, already pulling his cell phone out. “Go help him water, or whatever he’s doing. I’ll call. Then I’ll take Kevin out of the way.”
Nodding, she headed for the door. She couldn’t do anything else right now, but she could keep Kevin from being exposed to another police investigation.
She and Kevin were watering the row of white-and-red geraniums when Jason came out of the house, moving with a kind of suppressed energy that seemed to need an outlet.
While Kevin went to fill the watering can, they had time to exchange a few private words.
“The chief’s coming himself. Quiet, no sirens. He wants you to stay so you can tell him what’s missing, but he agreed I could take Kevin away for the moment.”
She could see the struggle in Jason over agreeing to back away. His first instinct was obviously to take over, but it seemed he respected her enough to suppress it. Her opinion of him went up another notch.
“Good. Thank you. If you wanted to drop him at a friend’s house...”
He shook his head. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Hey, Kevin, how about if we go pick up some pizza? You and your mom can come to my house for supper.”
Kevin looked at her for approval and grinned when she nodded. “Super. Can we get extra cheese?”
“Sure you don’t want veggie pizza?” Jason set the watering can on the porch step and took Kevin’s hand.
“Mommy likes olives and mushrooms, and I like extra cheese,” Kevin informed him.
“Okay.” They headed for the house next door. “We’ll get one of each.”
That would probably be more pizza than they could eat, but she was too stressed to call after him. It was unexpectedly lonely when they’d disappeared from view, and after fidgeting for several minutes Deidre walked to the driveway to wait for the police.
Chief Carmichaels didn’t keep her waiting. His unmarked car slipped quietly into the driveway just a few minutes after Jason and Kevin had left.
Deidre realized she was clenching her hands and consciously relaxed them, forcing a pleasant expression as she moved toward the chief. Unfortunately, her thoughts were anything but pleasant. Would this nightmare ever be over?
* * *
SINCE PICKING UP a couple of pizzas was about the only way he could provide a meal a five-year-old was likely to want, Jason had figured this was the best option under the circumstances. He itched to know what Chief Carmichaels had said and done, but that would have to wait until Kevin was out of earshot.
The three of the
m were really pretty comfortable sitting together around his kitchen table. Kevin talked enough to fill in any gaps that occurred when Deidre glanced with anxious eyes in the direction of her home.
How long was it going to be until she felt safe and comfortable there again? If it were him, he’d probably move out, but he knew enough of Deidre to know she wouldn’t desert her family home willingly. He just hoped there were enough good memories to counteract the bad ones.
Kevin had reached the point of toying with what was left of his pizza slice when Deidre reached across to pull the plate away.
“Are you finished, Kev?”
He nodded, then seemed to think more was necessary. “Thank you for supper. May I please be excused?”
“Yes, you may.” Deidre looked gratified that he’d remembered his manners without prompting. “Maybe you can watch cartoons on Jason’s television while we finish up.”
“Sure thing,” Jason said. That was a good thought. They’d be able to talk under cover of the cartoon noise.
Turned out it was more complicated than just switching on the television. Deidre was careful with what Kevin watched, as she’d said, and she checked the schedule before turning on something she considered acceptable.
But finally they were back in the kitchen. Jason started coffee and then hitched his chair close to Deidre’s. “So we can talk softly,” he said, responding to her raised eyebrows. “With your son in the next room, I’m forced to behave.”
That did get a smile from her, but it was a feeble one.
“Okay.” He wrapped his fingers around hers. “What happened with Carmichaels? What did he think?”
“I wish I knew what he thought.” Her forehead crinkled. “At first he didn’t seem convinced there really had been anyone there. But once he saw that only Dixie’s belongings had been touched, he did take it seriously.”
“Was anything missing?” That was the obvious first question.
“That’s what Chief Carmichaels asked, too. The trouble is that I can’t be sure.” Her frown deepened. “I hadn’t gone through everything yet. I’d just tossed in all the stuff that I thought should be gone through. There was a folder of bills, receipts, statements. And some of it had been in a small box in Dixie’s closet—that mostly seemed to be memorabilia.”
“What sort of memorabilia? Any notes or letters?” His voice had sharpened. It was too bad Dixie hadn’t kept a diary. They might be a bit further ahead in understanding why she’d been a target.
“Not that I can remember.” She lifted her free hand, palm up. “Some dried flowers, a matchbook, a couple of souvenir mugs, a couple of those little figures that you get in tourist traps. You know. ‘Souvenir of Ocean City.’ That sort of thing. And she had a collection of china pigs. She’d started that years ago, and I could tell some of them were in the box by their shape, though I hadn’t unwrapped them all.”
“That doesn’t sound like something her killer would be after.”
A shiver went through Deidre, and he was sorry he’d said the word. Still, that’s who he was assuming it was.
“We don’t know that it was the killer. It could have been someone else who wanted something of Dixie’s.”
“What? And who? Either way, it’s a criminal act. If you just wanted something to remember her by, you wouldn’t break into someone’s house to get it. Unless you weren’t capable of coming up with other means.”
“You’re thinking of Billy.” Deidre pulled her hand away. “I don’t believe that. He wouldn’t break into my house. He knows I’d probably give him whatever he wanted if he asked me.”
“What about Dixie’s ex? Would he think that? He wanted something from her place.” The chief had supposedly been going to have a talk with Hanlon, but if he had, he hadn’t confided that information to Jason.
“I suppose not, especially after I refused to let him into her apartment.” Her blue eyes widened. “He knew I had some of Dixie’s things here.”
“How?” Jase rasped the word, instantly alert.
“Judith and I were walking back here from the apartment, carrying boxes, when he happened to drive by. At least I think it was him. His car...” She paused. “He couldn’t know exactly what was in the box, of course, but it would be logical to think we were bringing something of Dixie’s here.”
“Did you tell Carmichaels about that?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think of it until this minute.”
“We’ll have to let him know.” He frowned. “But it doesn’t really lead us any closer to guessing what Hanlon might be after. They’d been divorced for a while, hadn’t they?”
“Close to two years, I think. You’re right—it’s hard to imagine what he could be wanting badly enough after that time to break into my house for it.”
“We won’t know that until we find out what that something might be.” He hesitated, but the question had to be asked. “Is it possible Dixie was or had been involved with a married man? Someone like that might be eager to be sure there was nothing to give him away.”
He expected a prompt denial, but it didn’t come. Deidre seemed to withdraw into herself, as if reluctant to look at the possibility.
“Not that I know of. But if she was, she wouldn’t have let me know. She knew how I felt about that sort of betrayal.”
Jason reminded himself that people sometimes managed to excuse themselves for not living up to their own principles, but he didn’t believed Deidre was one of them. As far as he could tell, there hadn’t been any men in her life other than Frank, despite the judge and the anonymous letter writer.
“But you admit it’s possible?” he pressed.
Her lips trembled for a moment, and he could read the pain in her eyes. “I don’t want to believe it.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper.
There was more here than just the question of what sort of woman Dixie James had been. He felt it. He grasped her hands, wanting her to face him.
“What is it? Tell me, Deidre. You can’t keep things secret in a murder case. Everything comes out eventually, even stuff that has nothing to do with the killing. Tell me, so I can help you.”
She held out against his request. And then suddenly she caved in, pressing her face against their clasped hands. He felt her tears.
He wanted to put his arms around her, hold her close, tell her everything was going to be all right. But he couldn’t, not now. All his prosecutor’s instincts told him she knew something and she had to tell.
Deidre caught a ragged breath. “I...I found it. When I was sorting Dixie’s things.” Another breath, as if to give her strength to go on. “A diamond pendant, very valuable. It belonged to Frank’s mother.”
Whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t that. He grappled with the information, trying to find its meaning. “You think Dixie took it?”
“No, no. She’d never even been in that house.” Her voice gained strength. Whatever else she might believe about Dixie, she was convinced she wasn’t a thief, obviously. “Someone gave it to her.” Deidre raised her head and seemed to force herself to meet his eyes. “Sylvia kept telling Frank that she wanted me to have it, but I never felt comfortable with that idea. I assumed Sylvia still had the necklace, until I found it in Dixie’s bureau.”
He finally managed to connect the dots she was following. “You think that means that Frank gave it to her.”
“How else would she get it?” Deidre’s lips twisted. “Frank didn’t want me to see so much of her after she came back to town. Funny, isn’t it?”
It made a certain amount of sense. If Frank had been involved with Dixie, it made a lot of sense. But not enough for him to accuse Frank of infidelity.
“You’re thinking they had an affair.” He touched her arm gently, almost afraid she’d shatter she was so vulnerable. “There might be some other explanation.
I don’t know what, but if that’s your only evidence...”
“I keep going over and over it in my mind,” she said wearily. “You said yourself that I mothered Frank, and that’s probably true. He’d been in my life forever, and I always loved him. He seemed to need me so much.” Her voice broke a little. “Now...well, now I wonder if he’d started to resent that. Maybe that wasn’t the best basis for marriage, but I loved him, and I was sure he loved me.”
She turned toward him more fully, reaching out almost blindly, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
There was no way he could prevent himself from pulling her into his arms, from holding her, comforting her, while she cried silently against his shoulder. He knew the pain of betrayal. He wanted to tell her that he understood, but that was dangerous territory, because in his own way, he was betraying her, too.
Jason pressed his cheek against her hair, longing flooding his body. She needed him. The reason the judge had brought him here stood between them like a wall. If he told her the truth, he risked having her push him away just when she needed him most.
And if he didn’t... No matter how this turned out, he suspected he was going to lose. By staying in the judge’s confidence, he had some chance of making sure she didn’t lose Kevin. Maybe that was the only thing he would ever be able to do for her.
So he held her close, and murmured soothing, meaningless phrases, and kept the secret she was bound to consider yet another betrayal.
* * *
BY THE NEXT MORNING, Jason had hammered out an approach for himself, and he headed to the office early, hoping to catch the judge before he left. This question of the judge’s intentions had to be settled, but he didn’t want to give away either Deidre or her fragile mother-in-law.
But the judge had clearly told him that he only wanted leverage to persuade Deidre to move herself and Kevin in with him. The more he came to know about the judge and his wife, the less he thought of that idea. And if the judge was using him with the intention of going even beyond that, of suing for custody of Kevin, then it was time for an open break with him.