Secrets and Lies (Hearts Of Braden Book 4)

by Susanne Matthews

  “No, just take me home.” She turned her gaze out the side window, hiding her face from him.

  Damn it, she was crying and yet, he was the wounded party. Frustrated, he started the truck, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed back to Braden. He could hear her sobs and turned up the radio to block the sound. He was being a jerk, but he couldn’t help it. Women were all the same, saying one thing and doing another. Most likely, the decision to keep him out of the loop hadn’t been hers, but he felt the way he had when Naomi had confronted him and called off the wedding. All she’d wanted was the rich lifestyle she thought he’d provide for her. In his mind, the scene replayed itself.

  “You don’t honestly expect me to stay in this hick town?” she said, and turned to encompass the living room of the homestead. “I could put up with your playing at being principal for a while, but once we’re married, I expect you to come to your senses. We’re young. We’ve got money, we can travel, but if you insist on staying in this dump with that creepy, crotchety old man, then you’ll do it without me. It’s crunch time, Jack. You have to choose. Me or this place.”

  He’d chosen Braden, and she then packed her bags and left. A few weeks later, he heard she’d followed some rock star to New York. He’d thought himself in love with her, but the woman he thought he knew was a figment of his imagination. She had broken his heart, but even worse had been the blow to his pride. Naomi was nothing more than a gold-digger, her greedy, cold heart hidden beneath a pretty face. Was Emily really that different? She was lying to him, he was certain of it. Keeping secrets and telling lies.

  Within thirty minutes, he pulled up in front of the main doors of the apartment complex and helped her out of the truck, carrying her inside to her doorway and setting her down.

  “Jackson, I know you’re angry with me because you think I’ve deceived you, but I’m doing what I have to do to protect people.”

  “That didn’t work out so well for those boys, did it? I’ll call you about taking you over to the school on Monday. Until then, maybe you need to think about what you’re doing, and why you’re really here. I won’t have any more lies, Emily.”

  She looked like a puppy who’d been kicked, her hazel eyes, filled with hurt, but she nodded, turned and unlocked her door, going in and closing it behind her without another word.

  Walking back out to his truck, hurt, angry, and frustrated, he got in and sped out of the parking lot, laying down rubber as he did. Instead of heading home, he drove back toward town and Buddy’s. He was in no mood for his own company, and he was hungry. Maybe once he got something to eat he could re-examine the situation, but right now, he felt used. Less than five minutes later, he parked his truck next to Micah Thomas’s sports’ car.

  Entering the bar, it wasn’t hard to spot his newest staff member. She sat at the table with an elderly couple he hadn’t seen around town before and Kevin, who looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked, walking up to the table. He thought Kevin might be about to say something, but Micah spoke up.

  “Not at all Jackson. Let me introduce my family.”

  * * * *

  Emily leaned against the closed door letting the tears trickle down her cheeks listening to the squeal of Jackson’s tires as he drove away. After ten minutes of standing in the dark, letting tears fall uselessly, she flipped on the light switch. The faint aroma of his aftershave lingered in the room, and angry with the way the evening had ended, she pulled open the patio door, hoping the cooler night air would remove the scent.

  Limping into her bedroom, she undressed, removed her prosthesis, and put on her robe. With one of her crutches for support, she went back into the other room then closed and locked the sliding door once more. Taking her cellphone out of her purse, she turned it off and attached it to the charger. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk to anyone. Kyle and Rick would have to be brought up to speed, but she would do it on the computer in the morning in case the compromised phone was hers. She needed to pick up a burner phone tomorrow when she was with Mike. He needed to be briefed on everything that had happened today, including the fight with Jackson. Maybe he did need to be brought in on this, but was that really her decision to make? Right now, she had a huge problem. Someone had tried to scare her away twice. The next time they might not be so subtle with their warning.

  Opening the fridge, she reached for the milk and poured some into a mug, which she placed in the microwave to heat. While she should probably eat something, her stomach was so tied up in knots she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep whatever food she ate from coming up again. When the oven beeped, she removed the cup, added cinnamon sugar to it, carried it into the bathroom, and set the mug on the small table she’d placed near the tub. She plugged the drain and filled the bath, adding lavender-scented bath salts to the water. Removing her robe, she used the special bar on the wall to help herself into the tub and sank beneath the warm soothing liquid.

  What was she going to do about Jackson’s demand? He could certainly make good on his promise and shut down the Healthy Living Initiative. BCR would still be part of the National School Lunch Program—that wouldn’t change—but she wouldn’t be here to implement it. But it might not even come to that. Kyle could easily decide to pull her out himself, and at this very moment, she felt like suggesting he do just that. She’d been useless this afternoon in the face of those bullets, and if she’d fallen into the river, she would’ve been helpless to save herself. Kyle’s fears had been prophetic, and she shivered despite the heat of the water.

  Reaching for the warm milk, she took a long drink, savoring its sweetness. Jackson hadn’t mentioned his offer to take her riding, so no doubt that invitation had been rescinded. She closed her eyes, and replayed the argument they had in her head, letting the tears sliding down her cheeks mix with the bathwater. Hopefully, AK would have her car back to her before the end of the week. Maybe until then, she could make other arrangements to get around.

  Fifteen minutes later, cup empty, she released the plug and allowed the cooled water to drain from the tub. She dried herself, pulled on the oversized T-shirt she wore to bed and applied more lidocaine to the stump. Using her crutch, she returned to the bedroom and got into bed. Turning off the bedside lamp, she nestled into the blankets, and let the tears of loneliness flow. It wasn’t the first time she’d cried herself to sleep and it wouldn’t be the last.

  Chapter Twelve

  The buzz of the alarm filled the room, dragging Emily out of the deep sleep that had been a long time in coming last night. She reached over to stop the irritating sound. Between the threats Monday night and the attempt to kill her yesterday, she flitted through one bad dream after another, all of them ending with a faceless individual trying to push her over the edge into a black abyss. She’d awakened around three, crying like a baby over God knows what.

  The emotional storm had gone on for what seemed like hours, and had left her drained and empty, but the rest she needed had eluded her. When she finally drifted off, nightmares of the explosion two years ago had awoken her, leaving her cold and shivering, the phantom pains in her leg making the episode more real than dreamlike.

  Groaning, she rolled over and stared at the LED display. Rain pounding against the windows told her she wouldn’t be going anywhere in this weather, but Cal had promised to come over later. Since it was only seven, she could probably stay in bed for at least another hour. Dr. Hazlet had suggested she rest the stump, and staying here a little longer was really only following doctor’s orders. She rolled over and closed her eyes. The next time she opened them, the clock said eleven ten.

  Getting up as quickly as she could, she donned her robe and then, using her crutches, went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. It was amazing how quickly the body adapted to its altered state. Her balance on one leg was impressive, but she wasn’t ready to bunny hop around the place all day. She combed her hair, feeling glad she had it cut since
it was so much easier to maintain, and creamed her face.

  Since the only one she expected to see this morning was Cal, there was no need to put on her prosthesis, but the sight of an empty pant leg tended to disturb most people. With that in mind, she put on her favorite caftan, the one that brushed the floor and hid the evidence of the missing limb, and went into the kitchen to scavenge some breakfast and make coffee.

  While the coffee brewed, she turned on her cell. As she expected, there were several messages. The first was from Cal telling her his old friends had responded to treatment and would be staying in a long term care facility for the time being. He had to cancel plans to have breakfast with her since he’d been up late and needed to rest a few hours. The man who was supposed to be on duty in Braden was at the hospital with his wife, so Cal would be pulling a double shift instead of having the day off. He would call later. That message had come in at seven ten. She guessed the sheriff had probably spent the night at the hospital, but the fact the boys had responded to the treatment was good news. They weren’t out of the woods, but she was optimistic they’d pull through.

  The second message, time stamped two hours ago, was from Mike. He apologized, but he wouldn’t be able to make their date this weekend. He had a family emergency to deal with back east and would contact her when he returned. Emily frowned. If her phone was being monitored, the bad guys knew she had no backup, but surely the FBI would send a replacement for Mike. Message number three was from Kyle asking her how things were going, and reminding her to call in when she had a chance.

  After texting Mike wishing him a safe trip, she poured herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and carried it into the second bedroom she used as an office. Booting up her computer, she opened a new document, and began a complete report on the activities to date in Braden. She wouldn’t underplay what had happened, because realistically, she wasn’t sure she could manage on her own any longer. Asking for back up wasn’t being a quitter. It was accepting that sometimes…you needed help.

  Two hours later, she ended the report with Jackson’s request to be brought up to date on what was going on, and his threat to shut them down if he wasn’t. Satisfied she’d explained everything as well as she could, hoping Kyle wouldn’t decide to pull her off the case, but would see she’d need help at least while Mike was away, she encoded the message and sent it to him, copying Rick in the process. She hadn’t mentioned Mike leaving town, assuming they’d know that little nugget of information already.

  Picking up her coffee mug, she went back into the kitchen to make herself something to eat.

  When her cellphone rang, she’d been trying to lighten her mood by singing along to Don’t Worry, Be Happy while whipping up a batch of scrambled eggs. Turning down the volume on the speaker connected to her IPod, she checked the display and saw that it was Cal. “Good afternoon, Uncle Cal,” she said, “How are your friends doing?”

  “They’re holding their own and are expected to make a full recovery, but they have a long road ahead of them yet. How are you?”

  “Tired and sore. With my car in the garage, I’ve got limited options as far as leaving the apartment goes. Jackson said to call if I needed anything, but with the rain, I’ll just stay put and relax. Doctor Hazlet suggested I take it easy, so I think I’m just going to sit on the couch and veg in front of the television. Mike has been called home for a family emergency, so we’ll have to take it one day at a time.”

  “If you need help, I can send Kevin to you any time. Just say the word. As far as staying put today, it’s a good idea. The rain is supposed to last for a couple of days. I have a man coming in to replace me later, so I can get more rest. Hang onto those things you’ve got until I decide who to trust about this. By the way…the coroner in Des Moines thinks he’ll be able to identify our corpse from some pins he found in his hip. They were numbered.”

  “That’s good news. Knowing who he is will help us find his killer.”

  “I should. Now, you stay safe. No doubt, Kevin and I will have our hands full with fender benders and idiots trying to drive across flooded roads and getting caught. At least one traveler thinks he can make it each year, and the poor schmuck learns the hard way that he can’t. Given the number of strangers in town, accidents are just waiting to happen. We’re short-staffed because of Sergeant Gromly’s wife who’s in labor. I’ll wait until the weather clears to check out the area you mentioned last night, and I want to talk to AK about that dent on your car…see if anyone’s come in with a corresponding one. I’ll put the word out to other body shops in the area. Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Be careful out there. Talk to you tomorrow.” She ended the call, grateful Cal had remembered not to say anything specific on the phone and moved to the stove to serve the eggs. She was halfway to the table when someone knocked at the door. Damn. She couldn’t pretend not to be here. She had the speaker up pretty loudly, and had been singing along off and on.

  Maybe it was Joey. He’d taken to stopping by to ask if she needed anything when he ran an errand for his mother, and she wouldn’t mind getting those prescriptions filled. He could probably pick up the moleskin, too.

  “Who is it?” she called. The one problem with the door was that it didn’t have a peep hole. She’d have to ask Elias if he could put one in.

  “It’s me, Em,” Jackson called out. “I was in town getting supplies and stopped by to see if you needed anything.”

  “I’m fine,” she answered defensively, not wanting to argue again today. She’d come to the realization that she shouldn’t feel as if she’d lost her best friend. After all, theirs was a working relationship, and that was it. He probably wasn’t involved with the Chef, but it really didn’t matter since he’d pretty much written her off.

  “Emily, please let me in? We need to talk. I was out of line, and I know it.”

  “Just a minute,” she said resigned. It didn’t look as if he’d go away until he had face time with her. “I’m not dressed.”

  Rushing back to the bedroom, she hurriedly attached the harness and her prosthesis, wincing when it came into contact with a tender spot and then, still dressed in the caftan, she let him in.

  He seemed tired, as if he had a difficult night.

  At his appearance, her heart melted. Damn, tired or not, he looks good.

  This afternoon, his resemblance to Alex was less pronounced. His short, black hair was wet and slicked back, as if he’d run his hands through it repeatedly, and he carried a box from which oozed the delectable aroma of freshly baked banana muffins. “I’ve come to apologize and brought a peace offering,” he said shyly, smiling just enough for his dimple to decorate his unshaven cheek.

  “My mother warned me to beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” she answered warily.

  “That’s okay. You’re safe with me. I’m not Greek. Italian on my mother’s side and Scottish on my father’s. I might be a bit of a geek though. I was on the debating team in college.”

  She burst out laughing. How could she stay angry when he looked like a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar? “Come on in. There was no admonition about watching myself around Scot-Italian-geek-debaters.”

  “Are you expecting someone?” he asked shoving his hands into the pockets of his wet jacket and leaning against the closed door.

  “No. Cal was going to come by and let me know how the boys were doing, but he called instead, and Mike got called out of town on a family emergency. He’ll be away for a couple of weeks, so since those two and you are the sum total of those who might drop by…Won’t you stay for a bit and share this? I’ve got scrambled eggs and a fresh pot of coffee.”

  He smiled, the dimple deepening. “Never let it be said I passed up Merryn’s banana muffins, scrambled eggs, and coffee.” He removed his jacket and hung it on the doorknob and then slipped his feet out of the loafers he wore. “Where do you want these?” he asked raising the white cardboard box. “They’re still warm, and Merryn says they’ve got
a cream cheese filling she wants your opinion on.”

  “I suppose Daryl knows you were coming over here,” she noted and frowned.

  “He does, but I mentioned the reason I was picking up baked goods for you was because someone had shot at you, and your car was in the garage. I thought the news would get back to the guilty party, and maybe whoever it was would back down. Summer, she’s one of our students who works for Merryn was really concerned about your safety.”

  “That’s nice. Well, let’s hope the person gets the hint and stays away from me.” And any other innocent kids. “Put the muffins on the table, and I’ll get you some eggs and coffee.” She turned toward the kitchen, but given the tenderness of her stump, her limp was more noticeable than it had been last night.

  “Let me get it,” he said. “I think you hurt yourself far worse than you’re letting on.”

  “It’s nothing, really, and happens quite often. I have a prescription to fill that will help, but—”

  “Give it to me, and I’ll go and get it after we eat. It’s the least I can do.”

  “I’d appreciate that. I need some moleskin, too. I have a tender spot on my heel…” She hated lying to him like this.

  “I’m sure Gary and Mary Jo carry that at Kassel’s Drug Store. Since Mike won’t be available on Saturday, if the weather clears up, I can drive you around to look at old dilapidated farms.”

  She chuckled. “That won’t be necessary.” The purpose of taking the tour of the area was to look for potential sites for a drug kitchen, so without Mike, there wasn’t much point to it. Besides, since the Chef was behaving so uncharacteristically, they probably shouldn’t do anything until they got this puzzle figured out. “Cal says the roads will be a mess with two days of rain. He even mentioned flash floods and people getting stranded.”