Read Between the Tines

by Susan Sleeman

  I moved closer. "How are you today, Olivia?"

  Her eyes locked warily on my face. "Fine, why?"

  "Well, it's just that I was at the hospital yesterday and heard about your beating."

  Her hand shot out. "Stop right there. You seem to imply that you know what's going on in my life, but you don't have a clue. So just back off."

  "I know Nathan is beating you."

  She jumped to her feet clad in spiky pumps. "You know nothing of the sort."

  "I overheard the nurses talking about it."

  "Oh really. The same way they talked about the bruise on your face. Oh, yeah, they thought you'd been beaten, too. Am I right?"

  I nodded.

  "And no man touched you."

  Okay, she didn't have to say that with such vehemence as if it was nearly impossible for a man to want to touch me.

  "It's all a misunderstanding." She marched toward Uma, her heels clicking on the vinyl tiles.

  "I know I'm right, Olivia. If you ever get to the point that you want to do something about Nathan, I'll help you with whatever you need."

  She scribbled her name on the receipt sitting on the glass countertop then picked it up. "I don't need your help, Paige Turner. My life is perfect. Isn't it, Uma?"

  Uma glanced between us as if watching a tennis match and finally said, "If you say so."

  "See, Uma knows the truth."

  "Whatever you say, Olivia," I said with a tone that told her I still didn't buy her story. "I'll see you at the funeral."

  Her eyes flashed wide, and she glared at me before storming out the door. Ah, maybe I hit a nerve. I had meant Gary's funeral, but she seemed to take it as if I meant her funeral if she didn't stop Nathan's attacks.

  The funeral turned out to be a memorial service. Gary's body hadn't been released like promised and since all the arrangements had been made, the service would go on and hise interment in the cemetery would follow at a later date.

  Though Pastor Stephens emphasized this was a time to celebrate Gary's new home in heaven, he left me feeling bereft for Karen and Yolanda, whose grief seemed to consume the air in the room. I sat three rows behind Adam and mourned my loss of our relationship, too. Here was a living, breathing male that I could have had a future with where Karen sat weeping in the front row and had no choice.

  I was an idiot of the highest level. Plain and simple, I'd blown it.

  Pastor Stephens ended the service with a reminder of the light lunch to be served in the fellowship hall, and, after the family was ushered out, we waited for our turns to be dismissed. I watched Nathan Jacobs exit demurely with his hand clamped onto Olivia's wrist as if he couldn't trust her not to run away from him. How I wish she would fling off his massive hand and bolt for the door. I gave her a sympathetic smile when she passed, but either she didn't see it or she was ignoring me.

  Rows of people followed them out the door when suddenly Verna spun around and motioned for me to slide forward.

  "That's her," she whispered and frantically stabbed her crooked finger at a stunning blonde making her way down the aisle.

  "Her, who?" I whispered back.

  "The lady Karen cut out of the picture."

  Surprised, I pushed back onto the padded seat and watched the woman pass by. She was a beauty all right. Soft blond waves of hair caressed shoulders held back in perfect posture. Her doe-sized eyes were emerald green, a startling and surprising contrast to the platinum hair. She wore a long red coat over a pencil thin black skirt and crisp white blouse. At my pew, our eyes connected and for some reason I felt like I was in the presence of Cruella Deville. She passed, and I shivered.

  Verna pivoted again, arching her eyebrow as if asking, 'Well?'

  I shook my head. We needed to postpone this conversation until after we exited the room. I settled in to wait for my turn to leave and reran a picture of this woman through my head.

  So who was she? Gary's memorial bulletin didn't list any siblings so she wasn't a sister. He had two aunts, but this beauty wasn't old enough to be an aunt. No way would I ask Karen to identify the woman on a day like this. I had to get out there and talk to her myself.

  Bouncing my leg, I counted down the rows until my turn. Four. Bounce, bounce. Three, bounce harder. Two, Verna struggled to her feet and gave me a knowing look. One, I hopped up like a jack in the box, and caught up to Verna in the foyer. She stood to the side, staring at the blonde who, surprise of all surprises, was chatting with and had laid her long fingers on Nathan Jacobs. The pair hovered outside the women's restroom. Since Olivia was missing, I figured they were waiting for her.

  Nathan seemed enthralled by the conversation and didn't make a move to take her fingers off his lapel.

  Verna reached out and dragged me into the shadows.

  "That's her I know it," she said, her gnarly fingers still clutched in my sleeve.

  "How can you be so sure?" I asked.

  "Those eyes. You never see a blonde with such green eyes."

  She had a point there, and even without the unique feature, this woman would be unforgettable.

  "Who's that man she's talking too?" Verna asked.

  "A manager at Pacific Pickles." I extricated myself from her grip. "Excuse me, Verna. I have to find out who she is."

  "Good idea," she whispered and shoved me in their direction as if I needed help getting started.

  But I needed no help. I marched right up to the pair. "Nathan," I said. "Lovely service." Hoping for an introduction, I glanced pointedly between the two of them. No luck. I shot out my hand. "I'm Paige Turner."

  Blondie took my hand in hers with a grip so firm I almost cried out in pain. "Cara Long," she said.

  Normally in control of my features, I felt my mouth drop to the floor, revealing all my dental work for the lady to see. I gaped, gawked, and otherwise stared for I don't know how long. This was Fatal Attraction woman. The affair. The woman Nathan claimed not to know.

  She laughed a quiet unassuming little sound. "Don't worry. I get that all the time. And in answer to your question, yes I dye my hair, and yes, I'm a true redhead. But blondes have so much more fun."

  Saved by her error. Thank goodness she thought my cavernous-mouth-open stare was because of her looks. And I would take full advantage of my recovery to grill her for information.

  "How did you know Gary?" I asked, though I had a pretty good picture of how she knew him.

  "From work."

  "Oh, really? I've never seen you around town."

  "Not here, sugar. We worked together at the Texas plant."

  "Wow, he must have meant a lot to you to travel all this way."

  "He was a good friend, but," I detected an honest to goodness sadness in her voice, "I'm in town on business, too."

  In my peripheral vision, I saw Nathan tense. I swiveled and found his eyes fixed on Olivia, exiting the restroom. She didn't dawdle but marched straight to Nathan whose hand circled her wrist again.

  "Oh, hi, Olivia," I said as if I had no idea about their abusive relationship.

  "Paige," Olivia's voice came out soft and timid, very unlike the woman I'd encountered before.

  Nathan jerked her to face him. "You know each other?"

  Olivia's face blanched. "We met at the Crazy Curl. I must have forgotten to mention it."

  "If you'll excuse us," Nathan blurted out. "We need to move on." He dragged Olivia away. I hoped it wasn't so he could pummel her for not telling him she'd met me.

  "Whooee. He's some kinda task master, isn't he?" Cara said.

  "Do you know much about Nathan?"

  "Can't work in the same office with him and not learn about his controlling ways."

  I wanted to shout, amen, sister, but kept quiet out of respect for Karen. "He and Gary were good friends, too."

  "We all were. We did everything together." He eyes turned sad. "Then Karen came along and broke up the Three Musketeers."

  "How's that?"

  "She got Gary thinking about this religious stuff
, and he changed. I lost him." Her voice cracked, and I spotted her eyes moistening before she controlled herself and shook it off. "You never said how you knew Gary?"

  "We went to church together, and I was redoing his backyard."

  "Oh, so you're the little landscaper."

  My eyes flashed open. "Huh? You know about me?"

  She wiggled her fingers in an offhand gesture. "Nathan and I went over to the house to offer our condolences. We saw the backyard, and Karen told us about the project." Her words rang true but her face screamed, 'Liar, liar pants on fire.'

  "If you'll excuse me, I really need to be going." She stuck out her hand. "It was nice meeting you."

  Not buying her line, I shook her baby soft hand and watched her leave.

  Verna hobbled into the space Cara had vacated. "So who is she?"

  "Someone who worked with Nathan in Texas. No big deal," I said, trying to play it down.

  Hah! No big deal. This was the biggest deal I'd found since Gary was murdered. Now all I had to do was figure out what to do with it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  In the fellowship hall, where the lunch was laid out in vivid colors on a long table covered in a spotless white cloth, I pondered my next step and scanned the room. Adam, my long-lost love, moved through the room greeting people as if I didn't exist. I tried to keep my eyes from following him, but I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

  I forced myself to look away and spotted Karen and Yolanda in the receiving line by the door. I'd already given my condolences to both of them when I'd arrived and Yolanda had asked me not to leave today until she talked to me. But what did she want to talk about? Could she know who Cara Long was and wanted to warn me about her, too?

  As if my eyes summoned her, Yolanda broke away from Karen and headed my way. Her eyes were rimmed with the red. She dabbed at tears that trickled down her cheek. Her movements were stiff and jerky as if she was forcing herself to move. How I wish I could take the pain from this woman. From Karen. Actually, from everyone in the room. Scratch that, the town.

  Yolanda stopped before me and offered a brief smile. "I don't want to leave Karen alone for long, but I needed you to know that I didn't have time to check out their finances." She dug in her pocket, and her hand came out holding a key. "Here's a key to the house. Karen confirmed that Gary was seeing a counselor. She's certain there will be records of payments to the doctor, and you're free to look at the banking records. They'll be in Gary's desk. Middle drawer."

  I took the key and pocketed it. "Thank you for remembering to check at a time like this."

  "Karen wants the killer found. She'll do anything to make sure that happens."

  "About that. I hate to ask this, especially here, but did a Cara Long stop by the house to offer her condolences?"

  "No, why would that woman come to see us? She's always been so mean to Karen as if she'd stolen Gary from her." Yolanda's eyes flashed angry. "And then she shows up here to day? Just shows the kind of a woman she is."

  "That's what I thought, but she told me she and Nathan Jacobs had stopped by so I wanted to check."

  "She's obviously lying." Yolanda glanced at Karen who was standing woodenly in the receiving line. "I better get back."

  I watched her rejoin Karen just as Adam approached and gave Karen a warm hug.

  Lisa came up next to me with Perry, his arm snugged around her waist. "You might want to talk to him instead of staring."

  "If it helps, I think he's ready to talk to you," Perry added.

  I nodded. "Yeah, thanks, it does help. Not sure if I have the courage to approach him, though."

  Lisa pulled away from Perry and clamped her hands on my arms forcing me to face her. "You made a mistake, Paige. You know it was wrong, and you deserve the chance to ask for his forgiveness. If he refuses to talk to you then he's not the man we thought he was."

  "Says my best friend. You have to be on my side."

  Perry snorted. "Since when has Lisa ever sided with you when you're way off base?"

  He was right. She'd support me no matter what, but she'd also tell me the truth.

  "Okay, I'll talk to him before we go."

  Lisa released my arms. "That's my girl."

  I glanced at Adam one more time, but cringed when I saw Nathan Jacobs take his place with Karen. Nathan may not be guilty of killing Gary, but he was still a wife-beater.

  "That's Nathan Jacobs approaching Karen," I said. "And that's his wife with all the hidden bruises."

  Both Lisa and Perry spun to stare at them. Olivia wore a black suit over a silky blouse that circled her neck like a clerical collar, probably covering up bruises. Nathan still had his hand clamped on her wrist, dragging her with him as he moved. He briefly let go to shake Karen's hand, but grabbed Olivia again as he headed our way.

  We were standing near the buffet table where Nathan now focused. I hoped he was hungry for food, not for making a scene with me.

  I stepped closer to Lisa. "I wish Mitch can do something to help her."

  "It's not likely," Perry said. "He has to follow the law."

  "Well, I don't," I said. "I talked to Olivia this morning and tried to convince her to turn him in. She didn't bite, but I'll keep after her."

  "Are you sure you want to get in the middle of this?" Lisa asked, her face taking on a here-we-go-again look.

  "Someone has to," I said and let my heated gaze lock onto Nathan and burn him with my frustration.

  But he was oblivious to my look and arrived at the table with a broad smile. He picked up a plate and handed it to Olivia then nudged her toward the food. It took all my willpower not to rush over and nudge him back. Hard, really hard.

  "So did you find anyone to help you on the project?" Lisa, bless her heart, must have sensed I needed a distraction.

  "Uma's nephew, Lyle. He runs a small lawn mowing service to save up for college. He's going to work with me today. I can handle the rest of the job by myself."

  "When do you think you'll be done?"

  "I hope to finish by the weekend." I stepped closer to Lisa and Perry to let Nathan and Olivia squeeze behind us. I forced my thoughts off pushing him into the large bowl of potato salad and back to the project. "Karen wants the house listed like yesterday, so the project has been scaled back. I'll replace the patio with one that has the proper slope and finish the beds we started then lay some sod and call it quits."

  "I can help this weekend if you need me to," Lisa offered but her voice wasn't all that enthusiastic.

  "I shouldn't need you. If Lyle and I finish hauling off the concrete today, I'll be in good shape." I glanced at the odd couple again to see if they'd moved on.

  Lisa's gaze joined mine. Nathan's smile had turned ugly, and he scowled at Olivia. What could she possibly have done to make him mad? She dabbed at a spot on the tablecloth. Was his anger over spilled food? Not a reaction the average non-wife beating person could understand. I took a step to intercede, but Lisa grabbed my arm and held me in place.

  "Leave it, Paige. This isn't the time or the place."

  I fisted my hands and nodded. She was right, but I wouldn't forget about it.

  "Here comes Adam," Perry announced in the tone of a professional sports caster. I could just see him giving a play by play of my upcoming conversation with Adam as if he were announcing a boxing match.

  As the words 'knock out' darted around my brain, I shook off the vision and turned to Lisa. "Don't leave me alone with him. Please."

  Lisa slipped her arm under Perry's. "Hey, you were just willing to duke it out with Nathan Jacobs. Surely you can handle Adam all alone." She waved at Adam then dragged a bewildered Perry to the line forming at the food table.

  It took all the strength I had not to stare at my feet, but I let out a shaky breath and kept watching Adam. No need to panic. He stopped to talk with a couple from our Bible study group. But I did panic. What if he wasn't coming over to talk to me? What if Perry was wrong and Adam never wanted to talk to me again?


  "Paige." My name was called from behind.

  I turned to find Mary Stills. "Mary. How are you?"

  She shook her head. "I didn't think this would be so hard. I mean, I knew Gary, but not that well."

  I felt the same way and it seemed as if many people around us did. "There're a lot of Pacific Pickle folks here today."

  Mary looked around as if she hadn't noticed her coworkers. "Gary was a good guy. Guess we all just had to say farewell."

  "Hey, speaking of Pacific, I met Cara Long this morning. You know her?"

  "Sure. Everyone in the company knows Cara. She comes into town for meetings all the time."

  Say what? This was news to me. "All the time, like once a year? Twice a year?"

  "Oh, no, at least every month."

  Well tie me up and call me stupid. How did I miss learning about this? "Any idea how long she'd been here this time?"

  "I'm not sure exactly when she arrived, but I had a meeting with her early Monday morning, so I guess she flew in Sunday night."

  I felt my face drain of blood. Had Cara come to town and killed Gary? Had they continued their affair even after he married Karen? And why hadn't Irene told me Cara was a frequent visitor to the corporate office?

  "Paige," Mary said. "Is something wrong?"

  "Oh, no, no. Nothing."

  "You know about the affair Gary had with Cara, don't you?"

  I nodded woodenly.

  "I'll bet you were wondering if it was still going on. Well, if it was, no one at the office knew about it. She was just as cold to him as she had been since he moved here."

  "She could be cold in public, but that could just be a cover up." I opened my mouth to ask another question, but I caught sight of Adam coming my way and all thoughts about Cara drifted away.

  His eyes met mine, and surprisingly, he didn't look away as he sauntered closer in a self-confident swagger that I found so attractive. The sparkle that I could usually find when we first saw each other was missing, but he seemed as if he was trying to smile and that gave me a smidgeon of hope.

  "Mary," I said as if in a dream. "There's someone I need to talk to. I'll catch up with you later."