by B. J Daniels
“I’m fine.”
He shook his head. “I’d like to believe that, but clearly you’ve broken open a hornet’s nest. At least you should be safe here, since the doctor is keeping you overnight.”
Lillie started to get out of bed.
“Wait, where do you think you’re going?”
“Home. I told you, I’m fine. I don’t need to stay overnight.” She groaned as the doctor came in and ordered her back into the bed. “Please, I need to get out of here.”
“To find a killer,” her brother said.
“Exactly.”
“Not tonight.” He raked a hand through his hair as he studied her adorable face. “So where is Trask? I’d still like to talk to him.”
She clamped her lips together as he cursed the Cahill stubborn gene. His own included.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TRASK TRIED LILLIE’S cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. He wondered if she even had it or if it had been lost in the wreck. He’d arrived at the creek in time to see Lillie being taken by stretcher to the ambulance. His heart was in his throat until he saw that she was sitting up and arguing with the EMTs. Relief had made him weak as he’d driven on past. If he stopped, he would be arrested or at least detained for questioning, since he saw sheriff’s department personnel everywhere.
As he drove toward Gilt Edge, he passed a vehicle he recognized. Skip Fairchild’s sports car. He slowed, waited until Fairchild’s fancy taillights disappeared around a curve, then flipped a U-turn in the middle of the road and followed. It was late. He couldn’t help but wonder where Fairchild was going on this road. When he turned onto the highway toward Grass Range, Trask followed.
He hadn’t gone far when he saw brake lights ahead. Fairchild turned into the Lazy G Bar Q Ranch. Apparently, he and Caroline were still seeing each other. Fairchild didn’t use his blinker as he turned into the ranch.
Trask drove on past the turnoff until he knew Fairchild could no longer see him before he turned around and drove back.
There was no traffic on the road this late. Hell, there was hardly any traffic on this road most of the time. He switched off his headlights as he approached the turnoff and swung in.
Ahead, he saw Fairchild’s headlights blink off. A moment later, the porch light flashed on, then quickly went out. In those few moments, he’d seen all he needed to.
But it wasn’t Caroline caught in the porch light opening the door and rushing into Skip’s arms. It was Brittany.
He called the hospital to check on Lillie. When he told the nurse he was her brother, she told him that Lillie was being kept overnight for observation. He loved small towns.
* * *
LILLIE COULDN’T BELIEVE she was trapped here in the hospital. She kept seeing the headlights, hearing the crunch of metal, feeling her pickup spinning out of control. Her pickup. Darby was right. She’d loved that pickup.
But right now she was more worried about Trask. She’d lost her phone in the accident and couldn’t remember Trask’s number from the burner phone he’d given her. He’d be worried about her.
Given what had happened to her, she feared he wasn’t safe, either.
What surprised her the most was her brother Flint’s change of heart. Well, not exactly a change of heart, but at least a start. He was now willing to admit that maybe Trask wasn’t guilty.
She’d been run off the road after visiting Caroline Quinn. That couldn’t be a coincidence. But now her brother knew. He would be checking the Lazy G Bar Q. Not that the killer would probably take the pickup back there.
But who had been driving it? Caroline? Or her boyfriend, Skip? Not that she couldn’t have been followed to Caroline’s by someone else. J.T. Burrows. Or even Johnny.
She hoped Trask’s once best friend wasn’t that deep in all this.
At the sound of her hospital door creaking open, she looked up to see Trask slip in quietly, closing the door behind him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Lillie cried as Trask moved toward the bed.
He grinned. “I couldn’t stay away. Are you all right?”
She nodded and reached for him. His arms came around her. He’d been so worried about her. He held her gently, sensing that she was sore from her accident.
As he pulled back, he said, “I was so worried about you.”
She nodded. “Flint was here earlier. He’s starting to believe you’re innocent.”
“That’s good.” He told her about Skip and Brittany.
“I thought he was after her stepmother.”
Trask shrugged. “I’m just glad you’re in here. Lillie, this is getting way too dangerous. We’ve started something and I’m afraid of how it will end.”
“I don’t care about any of that right now,” she said, cupping his face in her hands. “I’m just so glad to see you.”
He leaned down and kissed her, feeling the spark of passion she ignited in him with just the brush of her lips. “I want to be with you so badly without all of this hanging over our heads,” he said when the kiss ended.
“Just stay safe. Promise me you’ll hide out so no one can find you for the next day or so. Flint is trying to find the truck that ran me off the road. Once he does...”
Trask kissed her again, wishing he could climb into the bed beside her.
At a sound in the hallway, they both started.
“You should get out of here before you’re caught,” she said. He could tell she didn’t want him to leave any more than he did, but he nodded.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“So much for hiding out.”
He smiled. “I’ve stayed away from you for the past nine years. I can’t do it anymore.”
With that, he gave her one more long kiss and left.
* * *
“DID YOU HEAR? It’s all over town this morning.” The woman in Maggie’s chair, Shirley Barnes, squirmed as if about to bust if she didn’t tell. It was early and Maggie was tired. She’d cleaned her house until very late last night, half hoping Flint would come back. He hadn’t.
She hated the way they’d left things. But maybe it was for the best. As long as Celeste was—
Maggie realized that Shirley had just said Celeste’s name.
“Wayne Duma was taken down to the sheriff’s office last night and almost arrested for domestic abuse,” Shirley was saying.
Wayne Duma. Maggie couldn’t hide her shock. Was it true?
“I heard he beat the hell out of her,” Karen Matthews said from the next chair. “A friend of mine who works at the hospital saw her when she was brought in. Probably got what she deserved.”
“No woman deserves to be beaten,” Daisy said, and Maggie agreed, although she’d wanted to punch Celeste on more than one occasion.
“Huge deal down at the sheriff’s office. I heard the mayor was even down there because Wayne’s lawyer was threatening to sue the city.”
“On what grounds?” Daisy demanded.
“Wayne swears he never touched her and that she’s lying,” Shirley said.
“Then who beat her up?” Karen said.
“That’s just it, once she got down to the sheriff’s office, she said she was having trouble remembering. At first Celeste said he’d hit her, then she said he’d pushed her down the stairs, then she remembered that she’d slipped and fell.”
“What?” All eyes turned to Maggie, who shrugged. Apparently, they all thought that Flint told her everything. This was the first she’d heard about it. But now she knew why her date had been canceled. Celeste strikes again. She cringed at her uncharitable thought.
“She said she and Wayne were arguing, he pushed her and that’s the last she could remember,” Shirley said. “She’d found herself on the floor, hurt, and called the sheriff’s of
fice.”
Maggie wondered how Shirley knew so much about it. A leak at the sheriff’s office? Or was it possible she’d heard this from Celeste?
“What does Wayne say about that?” Karen wanted to know.
“He swears he left the house after their argument and that she was fine.”
“He’s lying,” Daisy said with such anger that Maggie wondered if the girl had been in an abusive relationship in her past.
“Well, I guess the sheriff is trying to sort it out. What a mess. And with Jenna Holloway still missing. I saw Anvil at the clothing store the other day buying himself a pair of jeans. I’ve never seen the man in anything but overalls. Don’t you think it’s suspicious he was buying jeans?”
Maggie was still thinking about Celeste. Was it just a coincidence that she and her husband had argued that particular night? Did she really believe that Celeste had gotten herself beaten up to keep Flint from making their date?
The thought made her sick to her stomach. When had she become that woman? She felt for Celeste, no matter what had happened that night. The woman was unhappy. Maggie felt sorry for her and felt even worse for the way she’d treated Flint now that she knew what he’d had to deal with.
* * *
“STAY AT MY house tonight,” Flint said as he drove Lillie away from the hospital later that evening. He’d asked the doctor to keep her as long as he could. Tied up with a series of emergencies, the doctor couldn’t sign her out until that evening.
Flint had found her pacing in her room when he arrived.
“Was this your doing?” she’d demanded, narrow-eyed, when she’d seen him.
“You are so suspicious,” he said. The X-rays hadn’t shown any fractures and, pressed by his sister, the doctor had finally had to release her.
“I’m exhausted,” Lillie said, lying back against his patrol SUV seat. “I want to sleep in my own bed, but thanks for the offer.” She shot him a look. “Isn’t Maggie staying over?”
He shook his head. He wasn’t about to tell her that he and Maggie hadn’t gotten that far in their relationship. If he knew Lillie, she’d demand why not. “We aren’t seeing each other anymore.”
“Oh.” She leaned back again and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that. I like her.”
“Me too.”
Flint drove in silence the rest of the way to the Stagecoach Saloon. He’d called Darby earlier to ask him if he would keep an eye on their sister tonight. He didn’t want her to be alone. Darby had readily agreed. Of course, when Lillie found out, she’d be furious.
“What did you do?” Lillie asked, sounding half-asleep.
“What?” He glanced over at her. Did she know about him asking Darby to stay tonight?
“Maggie. What did you do to make her break it off?”
He stared at her for a moment before going back to his driving. “First off, what makes you think she’s the one who broke it off?” No answer. “Second, I didn’t do anything but my job.”
“Huh.”
He groaned. “It’s Celeste.”
Lillie opened her eyes and looked over at him as they neared the saloon. “Do. Not. Tell. Me. You’re. Still. In. Love. With. Her.”
Flint shook his head. “Of course not. She’s married to Wayne Duma.”
“Right. But you must have done something stupid.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said as he pulled up behind the saloon. “I defended Celeste.”
Lillie groaned. “I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Apparently not.” He didn’t want to talk about it. “I’ll walk you up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not an invalid. I can get upstairs just fine.” She got out, slammed the door and walked around to tap on his window. “Thanks for the ride, though. And whatever you did, fix it. Maggie’s worth hanging on to.” With that, she headed for her apartment.
* * *
FLINT SWORE UNDER his breath as he left. Lillie was right. He needed to fix it. But first he needed to straighten something out. He headed for the Duma house.
Wayne answered the door. He looked as if he’d been put through the wringer. “Did she call you again?” he demanded, sounding scared. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Sometimes...” The man raked a hand through his graying hair. “I just don’t understand her. To let everyone think I struck her...”
“She didn’t call me.” He could hear Celeste cursing and throwing things in another room. Something broke. “I need to talk to her.”
Wayne stepped back to let him in. “Help yourself. I have something I have to do at my office.” He headed out the door, closing it behind him.
At the sound of the door slamming, Celeste came storming into the room as if looking for a fight. Flint remembered before their divorce when they’d fought. She would never let him walk away so he could give them a break in their argument. No, Celeste liked fighting to the death.
That was the look on her face as she stormed into the room. But when she saw that Wayne was gone and it was Flint standing in her foyer, she quickly checked her expression.
“If you came to see about me, I’m fine,” she said, leaving enough doubt in her voice to make someone worry she wasn’t.
“I’m not here to check on you. You’re not my responsibility anymore.”
Celeste raised a brow. “You’re angry with me for spoiling another one of your dates with Maggie. I feel—”
“Terrible. Right. Except I don’t believe you, Celeste. I think you delight in making my life miserable.”
She looked coy. “Are you miserable, Flint?”
“Not since I’m no longer with you.”
“That’s a mean thing to say, especially in my condition.” She sat down, wincing as she cradled her ribs in her arms.
“Yes, your condition. Celeste, I’m not sure how sick you are. But if you hurt yourself just to ruin my date, then you’re emotionally disturbed and you need professional help.”
“Oh, I did ruin your date. I knew it. Now I feel worse.”
He shook his head, hating that Maggie might be right. “Celeste, you divorced me. Why can’t you leave me alone? Especially now that I’m finally getting over you?”
She looked amused. “You really think you’re getting over me?”
Flint stared at her. How could he not have seen this? “Get some help, Celeste. You’re sick. And stay away from Maggie.”
She looked up at him with those big doe eyes. “So this is about Maggie,” she said, anger edging her voice. “And here I thought you were worried about me. Well, she’ll never make you happy. She’ll bore you to death. You need passion.” She smiled. “Remember how it was with you and me? Especially after an argument.”
“You feed on drama,” he said, realizing how true it was. “Our marriage was a roller-coaster ride. I never knew who I was coming home to. I don’t miss it, Celeste. I would never go back there, ever. Whatever is going on with this marriage of yours, I don’t give a damn. Don’t try to involve me again.”
Her laugh was like broken glass shards. “Nice speech. But pathetic Maggie could never take my place and we both know it.”
He felt fear form a hard knot in his stomach. “Maggie and I broke up. She doesn’t want you in her life and she thinks I can’t keep coming to your rescue.”
Celeste leaned back, clearly unable to hide her pleasure. He thought again of all the things Maggie had said. He’d argued that she was wrong because he desperately wanted to believe she was. So much easier to believe that Maggie was simply jealous of Celeste.
“Maggie’s wrong, though. I’m done with you.” With that, he turned and walked toward the door.
“I know you don’t mean that,” she called after him. “You’ll be back.”
* * *
; LILLIE STEPPED INSIDE the back door of the bar and leaned against the wall until she heard Flint drive away. She hurt all over from the wreck, but she hadn’t wanted her brother to know how much.
At the sound of a vehicle, she smiled to herself and stepped back outside. Trask.
Moonlight flickered through the pines. She stood breathing in the fresh air, anxious to see him. But after a moment she realized whoever had pulled up on the side of the building had cut his engine. She hadn’t heard him get out. Odd.
Maybe it hadn’t been Trask. She froze, thinking of the driver in the pickup earlier. He hadn’t been trying to scare her. He’d been trying to silence her.
Her gun was in her purse—somewhere in her wrecked pickup. She looked around for a weapon, realizing she’d never be able to reach the door and get it locked before—
A shadow fell across her. Lillie spun around expecting to come face-to-face with a killer. She clutched her chest. “Darby, you just scared the life out of me.”
“You didn’t used to be so jumpy living here,” her brother said as he stepped closer. “Now you’re like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers.” It was something her grandmother used to say when she’d caught them doing something they weren’t supposed to do.
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?”
“Is something wrong?”
Darby laughed. “That would be my question, Lillie, and this time you aren’t going to put me off. Let’s step inside.”
She’d asked Flint not to mention what had happened to her to her brothers. She hadn’t been up to them visiting her at the hospital to lecture her. “You heard about my accident. Look, it’s late. I’m really not up to—”
“He’s back, isn’t he?”
Her brother’s words stopped her cold.
“What?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“He’s been here, hasn’t he? That means you’re jeopardizing your future as well as mine. Either you tell me—”
“Fine,” she said, too exhausted by all of this to argue with him. She’d hated keeping this from him anyway. Also, she wasn’t worried about him telling Flint, who already suspected Trask was back in town. “I’ll tell you everything.”