The Stolen Bride

by Jacqueline Diamond

  “Honey, nobody’s chasing me out of my home,” Alice said. “Besides, I don’t feel well enough for all that driving around. Listen, Lance went to play golf. He should be gone for a couple of hours. We’ll have plenty of time to talk here.”

  Erin intended to pry her mother out of there one way or the other, but obviously the direct approach wasn’t working. “Joseph and I will be right over.”

  “Lance is irrational on the subject of that young man,” she said. “He said that if he sees Joseph anywhere near the property, he’ll tell Edgar Norris we’re being harassed.”

  Erin hesitated. She needed Joseph’s help, but they couldn’t risk a showdown with the chief at this point. Not only might a harassment charge wreck Joseph’s career, but further antagonizing Norris would make it doubly hard for Rick to investigate him on the sly.

  “I’ll take a cab,” she said. Across the room, Joseph shook his head, but she ignored him.

  “I’ve asked Chet to pick you up,” her mother went on. “He should be there any minute.”

  “Chet?” she repeated uneasily.

  Joseph’s eyes blazed.

  “I realize it’s awkward, but he does work for us, you know,” Alice said. “Or would you rather I sent Stanley Rogers? Oh, dear. Chet must be halfway there by now.”

  “I’d rather you sent Stanley,” Erin said.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t think of it in time,” her mother told her. “Honey, there’s nothing to worry about. Do you think I’d let Chet drive my daughter if I didn’t consider him completely trustworthy?”

  Erin knew as an article of faith that her mother would do anything to keep her safe. “All right. But…” From outside, she heard a car murmuring up the street. “Oh, my gosh, I think that’s him.”

  Clicking off the computer, Joseph checked out the window. As he watched, he took his holster from a table nearby and began strapping it on.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Alice said. “I’m so glad you’re coming. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.” Erin waited until she heard a click, then hung up.

  “I don’t like it.” Joseph glowered. “I’ll take you myself.”

  Outside, the car made its way up the driveway. Erin marked its progress on the gravel.

  “It’s too great a risk if Lance sees you,” she said. “Besides, Chet’s already here.”

  “No.”

  Following Joseph’s directions had become second nature. This time, she battled her instincts. “My priority is—what do they call it on those spy shows?—making an extraction. Getting her out of there.”

  “We’ll do it together.”

  Inspiration dawned. “Follow us at a distance. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be there.”

  “I don’t want you alone with Dever.”

  “Joseph,” Erin said, “this is my decision.”

  Their gazes locked. Finally, he gave a reluctant nod. “All right. On one condition. Just a minute.” He hurried into the bedroom.

  Outside, the car stopped and the smooth hum shut off. Joseph returned wearing a jacket over his holster and carrying her purse. “I put the other gun inside. If you need it, use it.”

  “All right.” She wasn’t sure she could, but at least he’d agreed to a compromise. The purse, when she took it, felt disturbingly heavy.

  Erin dashed to the bathroom to brush her hair and straighten her slacks and sweater. When she returned, Chet waited stiffly on the front step while Joseph regarded him with open suspicion.

  “Look, this wasn’t my idea,” Chet was saying. “Frankly, I wish I had your security skills, Lowery. If someone takes a shot at us, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”

  “Hit the gas,” Joseph advised.

  “Thanks. I’ll remember that.” Chet started to run one hand through his hair but caught himself in time to avoid mussing its dark-blond perfection. “On the radio coming over, it said the police found another body in the lake. Any idea who it was?”

  “A woman.”

  “Man, that’s terrible.” Chet was so agitated he barely smiled when he spotted her. “I don’t know what’s going on around here. Sundown Valley’s always been such a quiet place.”

  “Not always,” Joseph replied coolly. “You might recall that a jewelry store owner got killed some years ago.”

  “That’s the case your father was involved with?” the CEO said. “I heard he didn’t do it.”

  “Who told you that?” Skepticism colored Joseph’s words. “Most people in this town had him convicted before he even went to trial.”

  “Well, if so, they’ve thought it over,” Chet told him. “I’ve heard a couple of times that he got a raw deal. Maybe it’s because they respect your mother so much. And you.”

  “Me?”

  With a nod as if the matter were too obvious to discuss, the CEO turned his attention to Erin. “We’d better go. Your mother’s anxious to see you.”

  “I know,” she said. “I want to see her, too.” She said a subdued goodbye to Joseph. When his eyes met hers, he gave a slight nod. She was glad he’d be following.

  Chet ushered her into his luxury sedan. Acutely aware of the weight of her purse, Erin slid onto the seat.

  Determination sustained her all the way down the hill and through town. As they headed west toward the lake, it began to fade.

  She saw no sign of Joseph’s battered car in the side-view mirror. If he was tailing them, he was being very discreet about it.

  Worse, as soon as Sundown Lake came into view beneath the overcast sky, she couldn’t help thinking about her aunt. Marie Flanders had lived on her own terms. She’d left Sundown Valley to become an actress, and Erin recalled as a child how scandalized the family had been about Marie’s activities. She’d dated disreputable men, and there’d been rumors about occasional drug use.

  But Erin also recalled their childhood jaunts to the movies and for ice cream or a hamburger afterward. Once, Marie had said she doubted she’d ever have children of her own. “I wish I had a little girl like you,” she’d told Erin over French fries and soft drinks. “I’d be a good mom.”

  Erin wished her aunt had lived long enough for them to establish an adult relationship. Maybe they could have been friends. In any case, Marie deserved better than to die alone in the cold, reedy periphery of the lake.

  At whose hand had she died, and why? Whoever it was, it might be someone Erin knew.

  Not the man sitting next to her, she hoped. She studied Chet’s profile. He’d been quiet so far, lost in thought. Perhaps he was worrying about the impact of this latest grim discovery on his campaign, thanks to the link the newspaper kept making between him and Erin’s family.

  “I appreciate your doing this,” she told him.

  “Doing what?”

  “Chauffeuring me,” she said. “That’s hardly part of the job description of a CEO. I know it’s made Mom feel easier these past months, being able to rely on you.”

  He turned north off the highway and skirted the lake without responding. Erin had never seen Chet so uncommunicative. Usually he was bursting with enough chitchat to fill any gap in the conversation.

  He’d mentioned his fear that someone would take a pot-shot at them, she thought. Erin supposed she, too, ought to be watching the road, but she was more concerned about her mother than herself.

  She checked the side mirror when they reached Aurora Avenue and, far back, glimpsed a familiar car. Although she couldn’t see the driver, she relaxed. Joseph hadn’t lost sight of her.

  It seemed like weeks rather than days since they’d been reunited. So much had changed inside her during these few days. She’d lost her virginity without regret and, at least mentally, begun to move toward asserting herself as half owner of a major corporation.

  Most of all, with Joseph she’d rediscovered what it meant to come home. Or perhaps she’d truly discovered it for the first time.

  As much as her parents loved her, once she passed her early years they’d both b
een busy with their interests and adult friends. Often she’d eaten dinner with just the housekeeper or, later, by herself. As for talking things over, she’d never felt free to spill out whatever was on her mind without tailoring it to their expectations.

  Joseph was different. In a way, Erin wished things could stay the way they were. Except, of course, that she wanted her mother to be healthy and safe, and right now she was neither.

  When the Boldings’ rambling house came into view, intense dislike filled her. How had she tolerated this place for a month? Reminded of what a depressing place it was for her mother to live while battling cancer, Erin resented Lance’s influence all the more.

  As soon as they pulled in, Brandy came out onto the porch. Her pulled-back chestnut hair, stark white blouse and black skirt gave her a severe air. The pouches beneath her eyes were even more pronounced than usual, Erin saw, and realized she must have been crying about Marie.

  “I’m sorry,” she told Brandy as she came up the steps.

  “Why?” The housekeeper opened the screen door for her.

  “I know my aunt was your friend,” she said.

  “Yes,” Brandy said in a dull voice. “Yes, she was.”

  Inside, drawn curtains deepened the late-afternoon shadows. The cancer apparently had made her mother sensitive to light, Erin realized, but surely this stale air couldn’t be good for her.

  Although the glass front of the china cabinet appeared clean, she noted a faint layer of dust on the bell collection inside. Her mother used to enjoy taking them out and using them to summon the family for dinner or simply explain to Erin where and under what circumstances each had been purchased.

  She glanced toward the den where the wedding presents had been displayed. They were gone. At least Alice hadn’t forgotten her attention to detail.

  “I sent them back,” Brandy reported. “Mrs. Bolding asked me to write notes as well, and I did that.”

  “Thank you.” Erin knew that had been her own responsibility. “I shouldn’t have left you that burden.”

  “It’s nothing. I’ll tell her you’re here.” The housekeeper vanished through the dining room. It was the only route to the bedroom wing, a layout flaw that in former times Erin’s mother would have rejected out of hand.

  She’d commented when they bought the place that she wanted a simpler lifestyle. She and Lance had planned to barbecue by the lake, to go sailing and to enjoy the breezy freedom they’d experienced on their cruise. Erin couldn’t recall them barbecuing or going sailing even once during the month she’d spent here.

  Brandy returned. “Mrs. Bolding’s in the study. She’d like you to join her.”

  “Sure.” Erin half turned toward Chet and excused herself.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said. “I’ll wait out here.”

  The study lay at the back of the house, with the bedroom wing jutting off to the left. Although dark paneling and closed curtains left it, too, in obscurity, Erin loved seeing her father’s old leather couch and mahogany desk. She tried not to think about Lance using the gold fountain pen or the brass stapler.

  “Erin!” Alice came to hug her daughter. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Not half as glad as I am to see you.” Erin embraced her carefully, sensitive to her thinness. “Mom, you should have told me about being sick! I’d have come right away.”

  “Lance was here,” her mother responded. “I’m doing very well, honey. The treatments aren’t my idea of fun, but my prognosis is good.”

  “Good?” That wasn’t strong enough to suit Erin. “Did the doctor give you a percentage?”

  “Ninety percent chance of recovery. He said they caught it in time.”

  Erin hoped her mother wasn’t just saying that to avoid upsetting her. “I don’t think this dampness is healthy.”

  “You might be right,” her mother said.

  “Really?” That was the first time she’d agreed with any criticisms of this place.

  Alice gestured her to the couch and settled into a chair. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. I can’t believe Joseph took you out on the lake in your condition, but I’m sure he had his reasons.”

  “We’d heard Todd Wilde was in the area, that he’d been seen spying on your house,” Erin said.

  Alice frowned. “Who told you that?”

  “Jean,” Erin said. “She happened to be out sailing with her husband.”

  “You’ve been talking to a lot of people.” Her mother fiddled with her silver-and-turquoise bracelet. “He’s still investigating, isn’t he, your young man? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s found out more than the police have. Does he think that van hit you on purpose?”

  “We’re still at a loss,” Erin told her. “Mom, about your accident. Are you sure you’re not holding anything back?”

  Her mother interlaced her fingers in her lap. “I can’t talk about it. Not here.”

  So she had been afraid to speak out! “Then let’s discuss it somewhere else.”

  Alice gave her a wan smile. “You and I should go away for a few days.”

  “I’d like that.” Erin mean to remove her for a lot longer than a few days, but she’d deal with that later. “Why don’t you pack a suitcase? We can leave now, while Lance is gone.”

  “That wouldn’t be right,” her mother said. “I’m a Marshall. I don’t have to sneak out of my own home.”

  “But…” In Erin’s purse, the phone rang. She hesitated.

  “Go ahead,” her mother said. “I don’t mind.”

  “Excuse me.” Not daring to risk a conversation in front of Alice, Erin retreated to the hallway.

  “Erin?” It was Joseph on the other end. “I lost sight of you in the house.”

  “Hold on.” She scooted along to her former room and closed the door. “Mom and I were talking in the den.”

  “I got worried,” he said. “Listen, do you have a pocket?”

  She patted her slacks. “Yes.”

  “Leave the phone on and put it in your pocket,” he said. “Unless the service gets cut off, I may be able to hear what’s going on.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Anything else?”

  “Has she said anything?” he asked.

  “No. She’s considering coming with me, but not necessarily tonight.”

  “You know your mom,” he said. “She does things her own way.”

  “That’s for sure.” Anxious as she was to get back to Alice, Erin relished Joseph’s support. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Count on it,” he said. “I’ll be listening.”

  She tucked the phone into her pocket, adjusted it to keep the lid open and pulled her sweater down to cover anything that might protrude. Feeling as if she were walking with eggs strapped to her hip, Erin strolled back to the den.

  Alice greeted her with, “That must have been Joseph.”

  She couldn’t deny it. “He likes to stay in touch.”

  “That’s sweet. You two always were good together.”

  “I didn’t think you were that crazy about him.” Erin re called numerous times when her mother had urged her to see other boys.

  “Wasn’t I?” Her mother tilted her head. “I was a bit of a snob, wasn’t I?”

  “I know better than to agree with that!” Erin joked.

  Her mother managed a smile. By emphasizing the haggard lines of her face, the happy expression drove home how great a toll the cancer had taken. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to arrange for you and me to go on a little retreat, maybe to a spa. I don’t want you to discuss it with anyone, though, not even Joseph.”

  “I don’t keep secrets from him,” Erin said.

  “Really, does everything I say have to become common gossip?” Alice’s sudden sharpness signaled one of her frequent mood changes.

  Erin was trying to figure out how to placate her mother without making a promise she couldn’t keep when she heard the side door in the kitchen slam open. Heavy footsteps crossed the linoleum, marched down th
e hallway and stopped outside the den.

  Her stepfather’s fleshy face stared at her with a distinct lack of welcome. Erin’s heart got stuck in her throat. Her mother’s house had just become enemy territory, and she was deep inside it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In a thicket of trees, Joseph tensed as Lance’s voice snapped out of the phone, “What the hell is she doing here?”

  Although Joseph commanded a good view of the front porch and the lake side of the house, the man must have come in through the back door. Hearing that ugly tone made Joseph long to rush to Erin’s side, but if he did, he might set a spark to an already explosive situation.

  On the other hand, bodies had been turning up around here with frightening frequency. If he waited too long, he’d never forgive himself.

  “Every time my back is turned, you’re up to something,” Lance snarled, presumably at his wife. “I want her out of here!”

  Joseph weighed the value of drawing closer, perhaps finding a window through which he could observe what was happening. However, from what he remembered of the layout, the study was far from any exterior cover and it might well be curtained from view. Moreover, from such a position he’d never make it to his car in time to follow Chet when he and Erin left.

  “I’m afraid you’d better leave now.” Alice’s calm words were, he guessed, intended for her daughter. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Hello?” said a new, lighter male voice. Chet’s, Joseph registered. “Lance! I didn’t know you’d come in.”

  “I’ll just bet you didn’t,” Erin’s stepfather growled. “You brought her here, didn’t you?”

  “Do you—crackle—a problem with that?” Over the phone, Chet’s response broke up a little.

  Joseph shifted position to get a clearer signal. Something wet and sticky brushed his cheek.

  “This stops here,” Lance said. “You watch out, mister. Don’t forget, I know enough to ruin you.”

  Ruin him with what? Joseph lifted his free hand to wipe the sticky thing from his neck. Turning, he came face to face with a huge reddish spider hanging in midair.