Lies That Bind

by Willows, Caitlyn

  “I’m sure Mike planned a softer way to tell you,” Rex said.

  “Did the two of you know?” She’d accused them of it before.

  “We didn’t.” Rex caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Nothing could ever compel us to keep that type of information from you. You were the most important thing in our lives.”

  Were. Tessa took note of that. He’d made it pretty clear yesterday the ranch they’d poured their hearts and souls into was their top priority. How they must have felt, knowing it was in her hands.

  “Before I leave, I’ll be signing the ranch over to the two of you. We might even have time to—”

  “No,” they said in unison.

  Rex pulled to the shoulder of the road. They turned as one.

  “Nate’s right. Think about what you’d be giving up,” Tyler said.

  “Think about everything you’ve put into the place,” she replied.

  “We do this together.” The heat in Rex’s eyes slithered to her belly.

  “But—”

  “We’ll find a way to make it work,” he said.

  “Together,” Tyler added.

  Stubborn cowboys. “All right.” What else could she have said? She didn’t have the energy to argue the point. That didn’t stop her from picking apart the conversation during the ride to town. Or from trying to find a logical argument to bend them to her will. Like that worked in the past. She’d tried to subtly force them to leave it all behind before and come to her. What a disaster that had been. No more battles. She might not know what they meant by together but was content enough to let them show her the way. It might not be the relationship they’d once had, but it was better than the hell of this last year. She’d take it.

  “We’ll stop at the bank first.” Rex pulled onto the main thoroughfare. Tessa had been so lost in thought she hadn’t realized they’d reached town.

  “Derek might have left information in the safe-deposit box that will let us know what his wishes are for…”

  Yeah, Tessa couldn’t say it either. She placed her hand over the lockbox. There was nothing damning in the letters, only answers. Not all the answers but a good portion of them. There seemed little point in locking them away. Still, something nagged at her to safeguard them.

  She passed the box to Tyler when they stopped, and he got out and opened the door for her. Then she clutched the hand he offered in assistance. Tessa had to admit, she loved the princess treatment. No one made her feel more like a woman than these two. Rex and Tyler flanked her as they walked inside the bank and right into Kevin Drummond. He was dressed casually today. Without the trappings of business attire, there was a familiarity about him Tessa couldn’t quite place. The almost ruffled hair, the quick smile, the way he walked… Something that kept eluding her. Whatever it was, she still had misgivings about him. The man was hiding something.

  “Taking care of business, I see.” Kevin pointed to the box under Tyler’s arm. “Anything I can do for you? Been to the funeral home yet? I understand the medical examiner has released Derek’s remains.”

  “Thanks.” Rex pressed his arm against her lower back. “If we need anything, we’ll let you know.”

  “I’m heading out to Austin and expect to be gone the rest of the day. Still, don’t hesitate to call if you need something.”

  “Will do.” Rex steered her around Kevin and toward the service counter.

  “He is ever helpful, I’ll give him that,” Tyler mumbled under his breath.

  “I don’t trust him. There’s something about him that feels off to me. How long has he been in practice?” Tessa dared a glance over her shoulder. Kevin still watched them, but he turned and walked out when he saw her look back.

  Tyler gave a small shrug. “Don’t know. He arrived a while back. Derek hired him. The lawyer Mike used retired.”

  Rex plucked an index card for the file box on the counter, filled it out, and dinged the bell for assistance.

  Ethel scurried over, her smile bright. She’d been the one who had handled their bank transactions when Mike died. Efficient as always, Ethel missed nothing. She would be running this bank one day because it’s what Turnbauers do. Tessa fought a cringe. The phrase was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

  “I suspect you’ll be wanting into Derek’s box.” Ethel punched information into the nearby computer with long, nimble fingers.

  “Yes.” Tessa watched her work. “I heard you cleaned house in the archery competition at Dog Days.”

  Ethel paused, then smiled. “Sure did. It wasn’t easy either. I thought Derek had me.” Her smile faded. “Shame what happened. Damn pigs. I’ll need ID and the key, Tessa honey.”

  “We have the key, Ethel. And here’s my ID.” Rex showed her both. “Tessa’s not on our box, but we would like to add her.”

  Tessa frowned up at him. “Didn’t we do that last year?”

  Ethel gave her an indulgent smile. Tessa braced herself for a hand pat. “Rex, that key’s for the box you, Derek, and Tyler have. I meant Derek’s box. Used to be Mike’s. That’s the one you were added to last year, sweetie.”

  With everything else going on, the fact clearly zipped over her head. “I don’t have a key.”

  Tyler placed his hand over her forearm. “I’m sure we’ll find it. For now, we need into ours and to add Tessa.”

  “Sure thing.” She extracted a form from beneath the counter and slid it his way. “Just fill this out. You know, Tessa, if you ever decide to sell, my daddy sure wouldn’t mind finally buying. He’s been wantin’ the property for as long as I remember. Even more so after Dog Days.”

  Wanting it bad enough to kill?

  “And where would that leave us, Ethel?” Rex asked, never looking up once.

  “Sugar, you can still work the ranch. Daddy loves how you’ve turned it all around. No way he’d want to give up good help.” Fingers splayed against her throat, she giggled.

  Tessa felt storm clouds brewing. “I have no wish to sell. Are we done here yet?”

  Ethel’s humor faded. “We are.”

  It didn’t take long to get things squared away. Shorter still for them to place the letters in Rex and Tyler’s safe-deposit box. A box void of anything directly related to Derek. Maybe it had never been there in the first place, considering he had a separate box. Tessa was relieved to put some distance between them and Ethel. She dreaded having to return later.

  They drove the few miles to the funeral home in silence. Death and final instructions were something none of them had ever discussed. Robert might have had some clue what Derek wanted. Maybe not, since he hadn’t told them. She took it as a sign that Derek expected them to do the right thing, much in the same way he’d ask that of them where Robert was concerned. Honestly, planning a funeral would be easier than figuring out what he meant about Robert.

  Rex pulled into the parking apron of a two-story brick building shaded by towering elms. The mortuary had been there for generations, owned and operated by the Simpkiss family. The old man himself greeted them at the front door as they left the car. Even in this blistering heat, he was decked out in a black suit. His smile assured them all would be well—kindness personified.

  “My sympathies on your loss.” He inclined his head in a slow bow of respect and swept his hand before him, inviting them in.

  Brightness surrounded them, light and cheer in a place where darkness and despair threatened to swallow a person whole. Mr. Simpkiss didn’t hesitate. Taking them under his wing, he led them to the consulting room and away from those rooms dedicated to viewings.

  “Derek was a fine young man. So much more so than his father. Such a tragedy. It doesn’t matter that it was inevitable, given his condition. It’s still sad. The three of you did a wonderful job of turning that ranch into a respectable place the town could talk about with pride.”

  What? She glanced at Rex and Tyler to gauge their reactions. Both were poker-faced.

  “The tales you could tell?” Tyler asked with a small la
ugh.

  Mr. Simpkiss chuckled. “Goodness, yes. That old inn had quite the reputation in its day. From cathouse to playpen, if you get what I mean. Goodness, the stories that came out of that place. We thought it would never end. Started when Mike and Mary took over the ranch and just went on and on for years. That all came to a screeching halt when… Well, it’s no matter. You two and Derek took charge and turned it all around. Made it a place to be proud of.”

  No, Tessa wasn’t going to let that one slide. “It does matter. It never hurts to hear about the good someone did while they were alive.”

  Mr. Simpkiss motioned to a nest of chairs, then sat with them. “Rumor mostly, since I never took a notion to get involved with those types of shenanigans. Some say it was because of the AIDS epidemic. Some say it got to be where no one was sure whose baby someone else carried. Not too many pregnant women delivered healthy babies. A lot of miscarriages and a couple stillbirths. Proof of the abominations those poor little souls were, in my opinion. Others say it’s because the kids they had got older and the adults didn’t want them to know how badly they’d sinned. No child should have to bear the sins of their parents. And sin it most definitely was. Mary taking sick like she did scared the bejabbers out of a lot of people. She took ill young and only got worse as the years passed.”

  Rex cleared his throat. “Considering Derek’s diagnosis, she could have had cancer too. Could be a little of all you mentioned brought an end to all that carrying on. Until now, no one’s said a word to us about the history of the place. As you know, we met Derek in college. He talked about how great he’d heard the ranch and inn once were and that it had fallen not exactly on hard times, but that there was a lot of potential to make it great again. The more we talked, the more we felt it was something we wanted to make work. So we formed a partnership.”

  “You did a darn fine job of it too. The grandkids love playing cowboy, and the inn is beautiful. The missus and I have picnicked in the aviary more than a few times. We were just there last week, in fact.” Mr. Simpkiss beamed a smile their way. “Along with half the town. First time in a long time my whole family got together outside work. Goodness, that was fun. Nothing pleases me more than seeing Tito Llano bested by a woman.”

  Tyler slipped his hand over Tessa’s knee. “The inn and aviary are beautiful, all thanks to Tessa’s sharp eye and skills.”

  Simpkiss’s smile swept her way.

  “So I understand. Well done.” A flush crept over his face. “That’s right. Mike Ford left the place to you.”

  And just like that, he’d realized his faux pas in telling stories about the place.

  Tessa didn’t care anymore but also wasn’t going to address her parentage. People could make of it what they would. “Judging from your earlier comment, I’d guess the autopsy on Derek revealed his cancer. He and Mike had apparently known for a while. Rest assured, the ranch and all it entails will remain in good hands. Nothing will change.” She added a smile that was more genuine than she anticipated. It lifted her heart.

  “Good to know.”

  Too bad his tone didn’t reflect the sentiment. Tessa was afraid to ask why.

  Simpkiss retrieved a portfolio from the desk behind him. “Derek’s personal effects are in the back room. The sheriff’s department took his clothing and the weapon. All things considered, I would suggest a closed casket.”

  Rex cleared his throat again. Emotion must be getting to him. “I think cremation would be best,” he said.

  “Me too,” Tyler added. “He’d prefer his ashes scattered.”

  “And a memorial service at the ranch rather than a stiff funeral. Something to celebrate his life,” Tessa said.

  “Donations in lieu of flowers.” Rex frowned into space. “We’ll draw up an obituary and provide more information about that then.”

  Simpkiss nodded while he made notes. “Very good.”

  Yes, it was very good. Odd how simple and right it felt to make those decisions, as if they’d somehow channeled Derek.

  “I’ll have my daughter prepare the contract and be right back with Derek’s personal effects.” A nod, another kindly smile, and they were left alone.

  Rex and Tyler draped their arms around the back of her chair as they turned her way. Hands cupped her knees. Tessa laced her fingers with theirs. Connected. One. This was all that mattered.

  Lifting her hands, they kissed her fingers and returned to their former positions. But the tie remained. She felt it deep inside. Did they?

  A cough alerted them to Simpkiss’s return. Tessa remembered that tactic from when they’d made funeral arrangements for Mike. It was Simpkiss’s polite way of warning the bereaved he was about to enter the room.

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” He walked in carrying a clipboard and a light blue photo box. “Margaret had everything nearly complete. I was delayed with another call. I presumed there would be no urn, since you indicated you would be scattering Derek’s ashes.”

  “Correct,” Rex said.

  “Very good.” Simpkiss passed the clipboard their way. “I’ll need you to review this and sign at the bottom.”

  Tyler accepted the clipboard and started to read.

  “And here are Derek’s things.” The box came in their general direction. Rex accepted it.

  “I’ll give you some privacy. Take your time.” He gave a nod and started to walk away.

  “Did the medical examiner indicate cause of death?” Tyler asked.

  Simpkiss crossed his wrists loosely before him. “He surmised it was an arrow at close range, not a gunshot. There were feathers in the wound left from someone pulling the arrow through. However, by the tumors throughout his body, he had about two months left. Medical examiner said the killer saved him a lot of agony. Not that he or I condone murder.”

  “Thanks.”

  He nodded, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him.

  “Odd that Tito didn’t keep his effects as evidence.” Rex caressed the box.

  “Nothing Tito doesn’t do surprises me anymore.” Tyler scrawled his signature at the bottom of the form, then set the clipboard aside. “Are we going to talk about this?”

  “Does it matter?” Tessa ordered her mounting tears to stay away. “He was killed. Deliberately, purposefully murdered.” At close range. “Open the box, Rex. Please.”

  Tessa and Tyler craned their necks for a look as Rex lifted the lid. Wallet, cell phone, keys. Her relief at seeing the safe-deposit key was usurped by the Galveston key ring shaped in a heart.

  Grief slammed into her full force. Derek was dead. Murdered. She pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry. It didn’t help. Tyler and Rex flanked her from both sides, leaning in while she cried, and adding tears of their own.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rex didn’t expect it would be this rough. Grief had hit him hard. He’d tried to be strong for Tessa. In the end, he was as vulnerable as she. Tyler too, for that matter. He felt like he’d been wrung out and put up to dry. Opening yet another box wasn’t something he looked forward to. But here they were, tucked away in a cubby outside the bank vault yet again, staring at Derek’s safe-deposit box.

  “Ready?” Tessa’s hands shook as she reached for the lid.

  “Let’s just get it over with,” Tyler said.

  Rex silently echoed that sentiment. Breath held, Tessa pulled the lid free. A white envelope with their names on it stared up at them. She picked it up, revealing two life insurance policies inside. Tyler took those. That still left quite a stack of envelopes in the box—all from a laboratory in San Diego. Rex scooped them up.

  “Let’s start with the easy stuff first.” Tyler opened the life insurance policies. “He left one hundred thousand dollars to the ranch. The other one is newer and leaves twenty thousand to Robert Baron.”

  “That’s probably what he meant when he asked us to do right by Robert.” Tessa stared at the unopened letter in her hand. “Unless this gives us more instruction
s.”

  Tyler refolded the policies. “I know how much that ranch meant to him, and now we know how much Robert meant to him.”

  “He couldn’t acknowledge him openly without outing him, so he left it in our hands to do the right thing.” Tessa sighed and tore the envelope open. “Here we go.” She positioned the letter so they could all read at the same time.

  Hey y’all,

  Cut me some slack here. I did what I had to do. I love y’all, but you hover and smother, and I didn’t want to live like that. It was bad enough, having to deal with Robert’s emotions. I didn’t want to have to deal with yours too. I wanted normal.

  Now y’all are lookin’ in the box and wonderin’ what the fuck. That was my reaction too when the full impact of my parents’ lifestyle hit me. Yeah, still my parents, even though I know Mike ain’t my real dad. Trust me, Tess, I was pissed too when I found out. I met your mom and dad this year. Great people. Very hurt by Mike’s betrayal. Cut them some slack too. At least they got out early on. Can’t say the same for Mike and Mary. Yep, you and I weren’t the only ones who were screwed.

  That’s what the DNA reports are about. You’ll be relieved to know I found no half brothers and sisters anywhere yet for either of us. Wish I could say the same for others in town. God only knows who is related to who. I never went that far. All I cared about was who else Mike fathered. I kept reports on everyone I had tested (in secret, of course, which took some doing) whether they matched or not. I worked off a list of people Mike gave me. Let me tell you, that was a battle, and I know he left people out. At the time you read this, I’m still searching. It’s why there ain’t much left in Mike’s old room. I took everything I could to use for DNA. Then I realized I couldn’t explain ripped-up clothing, sheets, mattress—so I put it all in a storage locker in Austin with the rest of my parents’ personal effects. Key’s on the ring. Hell, if I’d had the energy, I would have purged the whole house.

  Gettin' DNA on other people has been quite the trick. I’ve had coffee and beers with more people than I really cared to. Getting their cups, cans, or bottles after the fact… Let’s just say I’ve learned the art of misdirection well.