No Safe Secret

by Fern Michaels

  When she got out of the car, she was welcomed home by Detective Bryan Whitmore. Smiling at the memory of her confusion, she went inside with him.

  Tanner had been his usual angry self. Holden was high, and Graham wouldn’t even look at her.

  “You’ve had a lot of people searching for you,” Bryan had said, then proceeded to fill her in on the events of the past three days.

  “You reported me missing?” she’d asked Tanner.

  “No wife of mine leaves me,” Tanner had shouted.

  “And that’s why we’re here, Mrs. McCann. We have reason to suspect that your husband’s first wife’s death was not, in point of fact, an accident. We’re here to protect you while you get your things. You can’t stay here now.”

  “It’s my home,” she whispered, stunned.

  “That may very well be, but when your husband learned that you were returning, he filed a restraining order.”

  “What?”

  “He doesn’t want you in his house. Those were his very words.”

  “You son of a bitch! I don’t need you to speak for me. She’s my wife, I can say and do whatever I please!”

  Bryan walked across the room and got right in Tanner’s face. “No, sir, you lost that privilege when you filed that restraining order.”

  Ace had meowed, and the look on Tanner’s face when he saw him curled up in her arms was priceless.

  “It’s okay, Detective. I wasn’t planning to stay here anyway as I will be filing for divorce,” Molly said. Again, the look on Tanner’s face was priceless.

  Once she started, she couldn’t stop. “I think you killed Elaine, just like you said you did. Oh, you were drunk when you said it, but you admitted to shoving her down the stairs. She wanted a divorce. I wonder if she despised you as much as I do?

  “Detective, I want to report a crime. Twenty-one years ago, I was raped by a boy who is now one of my husband’s colleagues. His name is Dr. Kevin Marsden. We went to high school together in Florida. I might have DNA evidence to prove it, too. There is a teal prom dress in my locker at All Night Fitness. You have my permission to remove it from the locker.”

  “We’ve got the dress, Ms. McCann. Forensics is checking it for DNA as we speak. Just get your things, and you can take care of your legal issues later.” He looked at Tanner as though daring him to say anything.

  “There is something else,” she said. Hating to betray her daughter’s trust, but unwilling to be a part of Holden’s crime, she said, “Holden McCann raped a young woman at Racer’s. Her name is Emily. He laced her drink with roofies.”

  This got Holden’s attention right away. “That’s a lie!”

  Molly walked over and stood right in front of him. “You and your brother have mental issues, deep-rooted, just like your father. I’m sorry, Holden, but I don’t believe you. The girl you raped got pregnant and suffered a miscarriage. I will do whatever it takes to see that she presses charges against you, you son of a bitch!”

  And the accusations and the arguments continued until Bryan walked her to the door.

  Now, two months later, with the divorce behind her, and the division of property from the divorce settlement making her quite well-to-do, as well as ensuring that Tanner would have to pay for Kristen’s college education as he had paid for Holden’s and Graham’s, she had gone on her very first real date with Detective Bryan Whitmore. She’d met Marty last week. She was adorable. And now Kristen was coming home. So many changes—some good, some bad—but her daughter was tough, and like her, she, too, would survive.

  Holden had been arrested for raping Emily. She’d convinced Emily that pressing charges was the right thing to do, going as far as telling Emily her own story, hoping to coax her into contacting the authorities. She had, and Holden was currently out on bail awaiting trial.

  Graham had left Goldenhills when his older brother was arrested. No one knew where he was, and, sadly, Molly thought it was for the best. She would always cherish the memories of the boys when they were little kids, but they had turned into spoiled, mean men, just like their father.

  Vikki Kearns and Sarah Berkovitz were working day and night to reopen the case of Elaine’s death. The last she’d heard, Tanner had hired a high-priced defense attorney. News of this traveled fast. Within weeks, Tanner had to close his dental practice in Goldenhills, and from what she’d learned, his offices in Ocean Orr were next. And he’d thought he was going to garner enough attention to warrant investors in an office in Boston. Hah!

  He’d received enough attention, but it hadn’t been the right kind. Along with his name opening the evening news with stories of the investigation into his first wife’s death, Tanner was also being investigated for arson in the case of his parents’ deaths.

  She cringed when she learned this, but now nothing surprised her where her former husband was concerned. He was almost as evil as her mother and Marcus. Almost. His saving grace: Kristen.

  A voice over the airport intercom announced that Flight 927 from France had arrived at Gate 14.

  “You’ll like her, I promise,” Molly said, as Bryan squeezed her hand.

  “I have no doubts. If she’s like her mother, chances are good that I’ll more than like her.”

  Bryan normally didn’t get involved with the people he met while working on his cases, but there had been something about this case right from the beginning that had drawn him in. When he met Molly, he knew she had been placed in his life for a reason. She was good and decent and kind. Everything her ex-husband was not. She’d been through hell and back, more than once, and looking at her now, he couldn’t believe she was smiling.

  She started waving crazily at a young girl heading toward her. He followed her gaze, and for a minute he thought Molly had a twin.

  Kristen was the spitting image of Molly.

  “Hey, you,” he said, “I have a question.”

  She turned to look at him. “What’s that?”

  “When you changed your name from Maddy to Molly, before you married Tanner, what was your last name?”

  She raised her perfectly waxed eyebrows and swung her newly cropped hair around. “It was Hall.”

  “Sixteen Candles, right?”

  She nodded. “It used to be one of my favorite movies.”

  Though he never would have admitted to anyone, and he meant anyone, it had been a favorite of his, too. “Same here,” he said, laughing at her expression. “We’ll talk more later.” He eyed Kristen running toward them.

  She grabbed her daughter and squeezed her so tight, she thought she might break her. But Kristen was tough as nails. “I’ve missed you so much, sweetie. I can’t begin to tell you.” She stepped out of their hug to look at her daughter. Her long legs were even leaner than they’d been when she had left, her skin was golden from days in the sun, and her long hair was streaked with sun-kissed shades of yellow.

  “I can’t believe you’re finally home,” Molly said, and hugged her daughter again.

  Bryan remained silent as the two soaked each other up. He could see that Kristen was a good soul, just like her mother. Her eyes sparkled, and her hair looked like spun gold. Marty was going to love her; he just knew it. And if their relationship continued in the same vein, he would love her and her daughter. His gut told him that this was highly probable.

  “I’m such a love hog,” Molly said to him. “Kristen, I want you to meet Detective Bryan David Whitmore. Goldenhills’ finest. And I do mean fine,” she added, and they all laughed.

  Kristen reached in and gave him a huge hug. “I’ve heard so much about you, but before I tell you all of Mom’s secrets, I have to thank you for taking this case. Mom says if it weren’t for you, well, you know all the stuff she’s been through. I just think it’s so cool that you two are dating.” She kissed Bryan’s cheek.

  “Me, too,” he said, thrilled with her uninhibited display of affection.

  “Mom told me you have a daughter. Marty. I can’t wait to meet her. Mom says she’s fifteen. I�
��ve always wanted a little sister,” she blurted out. Then when she realized what she’d said, she backpedaled. “Oh crap, I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth. Again. I do it all the time, right, Mom?”

  She glanced at her mother, who was smiling like a happy child. She’d never seen her mother like this. She’d spent so many years on edge, but Kristen was putting all that bad stuff behind, just like they’d discussed over the phone.

  “You’re seventeen, kiddo. You’re supposed to put your foot in your mouth.”

  Bryan stood in the middle and wrapped his arms around both of them. As soon as Marty was with them, he would be complete.

  “What’s that look on your face?” Molly asked.

  “I think he’s in love,” Kristen teased. “Oops! Foot in mouth again.”

  “I think this is the happiest day of my life,” Molly said. “Except for the day I gave birth to you.” They all hugged, and if anyone were watching, they would know people in this trio were as happy as anyone could ever hope to be.

  Dear Readers,

  I cannot know this for certain, but I think all of you out there know someone or have heard of someone who has been sexually abused. I know I have. Way too many, actually. The truth is, one person is one too many.

  On the off chance any of you do know someone who has been abused, I ask you to, if you can, tell them about a wonderful organization called RAINN and to ask for help. As Molly learned in No Safe Secret, RAINN stands for Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. This is a wonderful organization dedicated to helping women and children who have been abused.

  RAINN has a National Sexual Assault Online Hotline. It is open 24/7 for crisis support. It provides one-on-one confidential, support. Staff members are highly trained and are there to help you. The Online Hotline—the nation’s first online crisis hotline—provides free, anonymous, confidential support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has been operational since 1994 and has supported over 2 million people online and over the phone, serving victims and survivors from all over the country. Two million is such a staggering number. I urge you, all my readers, to reach out to anyone you think might need this service.

  Victims can call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). They will be connected to a trained staff member who will put them in touch with a local center near where they live. They can also e-mail info@rainn.org.

  All I ask is that you keep all of the above in mind and if you see someone who needs help, follow through. Don’t turn away because it’s an ugly thing you don’t want to deal with. You or I could make all the difference in the world to someone’s very survival by encouraging victims to seek the help that is available with a phone call or the tap of a computer key.

  My last thought that I want to share with all of you is this: “WE’RE WOMEN!” We can do whatever we set our minds to doing and come out on top. YES-WE-CAN!

  Thank you for taking the time to read this.

  Fern

  Photo by M21FOTO©2006

  FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Men of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.

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  Copyright © 2016 by Fern Michaels.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

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  ISBN: 978-1-6177-3460-1

  First Kensington Trade Edition: April 2016

  eISBN-13: 978-1-61773-461-8

  eISBN-10: 1-61773-461-6

  First Kensington Electronic Edition: April 2016