by Rebecca Deel
She frowned. He might laugh at her, but she had a hard time walking out with something that didn’t belong to her. Perhaps she wasn’t cut out for private investigations after all. But then, Nick would give the envelope to Ethan as evidence.
She thought of several ways to pilfer the envelope, but discarded all of them. Too complicated. She held out her hand. “Give it to me. You go to the kitchen and stall her for a minute. I’ll stuff this into my handbag.”
Nick handed her the envelope, then latched the briefcase and shoved it in the closet. He squeezed her shoulder and walked downstairs. A minute later, she heard Nick thanking Jenny for allowing him to search Bates’ room and complimenting her on the beautiful house. By the time Madison completed her mission and joined them in the kitchen, he was relating to Jenny their visit with Martha Lawrence and her Tara-like house.
“You would love their home.” Madison smiled her thanks for the cold, bubbling soft drink her hostess handed her. “It’s a replica of Tara, down to the green velvet curtains Scarlett used for a dress.”
“I’d like to see it, but I don’t know Mrs. Lawrence very well.”
“I’ll call her and set a time for us to drop by one day.” Madison grinned. “And I’ll introduce you to two special friends I met at their place.”
“Sounds great.” She led them to the small oak table with matching chairs in the breakfast nook. “Would you like some cookies?”
“No, thanks.” Nick set his empty glass on the table, ice clinking as it settled to the bottom. “Jenny, how did you get involved with Scott Bates? Or maybe I should call you Lynne.”
The question startled her, as he’d intended. Madison believed some other explanation existed for Bates’ and Jenny’s relationship, but from the evidence, at the very least they were lovers.
“You don’t waste time, do you?” Jenny tucked her hair behind her ear. “I suppose that’s fair since I accused you of murder. Lynne’s my middle name.” She folded her arms. “We met at a bar in Knoxville a few months ago. I didn’t want to use my first name in case he was a creep or something.” She grimaced. “Found out too late he wasn’t what he appeared.”
“Which bar?”
“O’Riley’s.”
He nodded. He knew that place, had arrested several patrons of O’Riley’s for DUI while on the police force.
“I went once or twice a week, just to unwind from work before I headed home. We struck up a few conversations. After a couple of weeks, we started meeting on a regular basis.” She stared at the amber-colored liquid in her glass. “One night I invited him home.” She glanced up, defiance in her eyes. “He lost his family and couldn’t keep a job. Nobody gave him a chance in Knoxville, so we moved here, hoping for a new start. And then you, or somebody, killed him.”
“I didn’t kill Bates,” Nick said, his voice soft.
“But you were there.”
“Someone knocked me out and shot him.”
“So you didn’t see anything?” Her voice sounded incredulous, skeptical. Dark eyes revealed nothing.
He shrugged. “I woke up in the emergency room.”
Her laugh rang hollow. “So I thanked you for nothing, then. Well, I owe someone a debt.”
“How can you say that?” Madison said. “You had an affair with him. You must have cared something for him.”
Jenny drained her glass before she replied. “I believed he was a nice guy with a sad story of loss and heartache. Like a fool, I thought I could heal him, make him whole. I was wrong.”
She gathered their empty glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. Jenny turned, her face devoid of expression. “Scott hated you and Luke Ryder, blamed you both for his marriage falling apart and losing his kids.”
“You still haven’t explained why you’re glad he’s dead,” Nick said. “You thought he was a nice guy with baggage. Why the sudden change of heart?”
She returned to the table, sat. “He was sweet, perfect until we started sleeping together. He turned out to be cruel and possessive, obsessed with porn.”
“Why didn’t you leave him?” Madison asked.
“I thought he’d kill me.” Her brown eyes pled for understanding. “Someone did me a favor.”
Nick sensed Madison’s growing revulsion and changed the subject. “I’m looking into the fire at Madison’s shop. The police think it was arson. I heard you were near The Bare Ewe close to the time of the fire.”
She looked confused for a moment. “My shift at the drugstore ends at 9:00. Why?”
“Did you notice anything unusual, see anybody?”
Jenny waited a beat. “You know, I did see Mrs. Anderson at the library steps and that hardware guy, Howard, with another man. I didn’t recognize him.”
“You drove, right?”
“Scott picked me up and brought me here, but we had a fight in the car. He left as soon as my feet hit the concrete.” She pressed her lips together.
“What did you fight about?”
“Madison. He was obsessed with her.” She looked apologetic. “I told him to leave her alone, that she was my friend. He shoved me out of the car and left me standing in the driveway.”
Madison moved her arm a fraction. With her tender heart, he knew she wanted to comfort Jenny. Under the table, he reached over, caught her hand in a tight grip. “Did Bates give you flowers?”
A wry smile curved her lips. “He gave me a dozen white roses a few weeks ago. An apology for a black eye in the heat of another argument.”
Madison’s hand jerked in his. Nick changed his grip, interlacing his fingers with hers. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb to distract her, bleed off the intense emotions racing through her. “Did you hear about the dead flowers delivered to Madison?”
“Sure. I read about it in the Gazette. People at work talked about it.”
“Know what kind of flowers they were?”
She glanced at Madison, then at Nick, frowning. “That red-headed detective questioned me when he searched Scott’s room, but he didn’t mention the kind of flowers. What kind were they?”
“White roses,” Madison said.
“White . . .” Jenny’s voice faded. “You think Scott stalked Madison?” She covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know.”
“Why did you move to Otter Creek, Jenny?” Nick said.
She let her hands drop. “I told you, he wanted a fresh start. He said he had a few loose ends to tie up so he sent me ahead to locate a place to live, find a job.”
“Did he find a job here?”
Her sharp laugh grated. “The first place he visited was Hank’s. Said he was trying to make some contacts. The only contacts he made were his lips to the shot glass.”
Madison’s brain registered the trees, houses, and mailboxes passing in a blur, but she didn’t dwell on them. Nick changed the CD to one of his earlier classical recordings. The flowing melodies from Recuerdos de la Hombre seeped into her troubled thoughts and soothed the tension from her muscles. Though it untied the knot in her stomach, the music’s beauty didn’t erase the nausea or an urge to take a long shower and wash away the dirt.
Nick squeezed her hand. “You all right?”
“Sure.” Her laugh sounded hollow. “Except I have an overwhelming desire to wash with lye soap.” She twisted in her seat. “Why wouldn’t you let me comfort her, Nick? She was hurting.”
“A good investigator maintains several degrees of separation from blinding emotions.”
She flushed, anger welling inside. “You’re human, too. You must have felt something listening to all that tragedy and emptiness.” Anger burned inside her. Bates left behind ugliness and horror, and Nick showed none of the devastation she felt listening to the sordid tale.
“Remember one thing, Madison. Everybody lies. Some people try to be honest, but fail to get the facts correct because they see things from their own perspective. Others hide things. They either flat out lie or mislead interrogators.” A streetl
ight illuminated his set jaw for a few seconds.
“You think Jenny lied?”
“Her story doesn’t ring true.” He turned right and headed into town.
Where was he going? He should have turned left to take her home and she didn’t feel ready for more investigation. “Are we headed someplace special?”
“To get the best cup of coffee in town.” A few minutes later, he turned into a familiar driveway.
Madison smiled. “Does she know we’re coming? Might be embarrassing to catch the police chief in a heated clinch with my sister.”
Nick chuckled. “I called while you said goodnight to Jenny.”
A warm, welcoming light poured from the open front door of Serena’s house. Her sister stepped onto the porch and waved. For the first time, Ethan resting an arm around her sister’s shoulders didn’t trigger a stab of envy or pain. She slid from the Jeep into Nick’s quick embrace. He locked the car and walked hand-in-hand with her to the porch. “I came to beg a cup of coffee.”
Serena laughed. “It’s ready along with some of Julia’s favorite cookies. Come to the kitchen with me, Madison, and we’ll put together a sampler tray.” She grinned. “We have to make sure I didn’t forget any ingredients.”
Madison rolled her eyes. Like her sister, best chef east of the Mississippi, ever forgot an ingredient. She followed Serena into her gourmet kitchen with its stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and ceramic tile floors. The aroma escaping from the oven made her mouth water. Something with cinnamon, maybe oatmeal raisin cookies.
Serena pulled out a silver platter from the island cabinet in the center of the room. “Let’s use this. Ethan’s been pestering me to try one of everything for the last couple of hours. This should hold several of each type of cookie.” She opened a drawer, pulled out a packet of large paper doilies, and laid a couple on the tray.
“What’s that for?”
“Presentation’s everything when you cook.”
Madison laughed. “Not everything, sis. Looking good won’t cut it if the food tastes like baked roadkill.” She wrinkled her nose. “I ought to know.”
Serena chuckled. “We’ll change that, Maddie. You and I have a date with your kitchen. And from what I saw outside, we better get busy.” She smiled, nudging her sister with her elbow. “Things look good with Nick?”
Madison darted a look over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry.” Serena lowered her voice. “Ethan will keep him busy a few minutes. So, am I right?”
“Maybe.”
She sighed. “Don’t overwhelm me with so much information.” She stopped arranging cookies on the tray and said, “Give. He’s crazy about you. Even Dad’s noticed.”
Madison’s hands shook as she continued selecting cookies and laying them on the tray. It was easier to talk with her hands busy. “He says he loves me,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
“That’s great!” Serena spun her around and drew her into an enthusiastic hug. “Maddie, aren’t you excited?” A broad smile perched on her mouth.
Madison tried to smile, but her lips quivered. She bit her bottom lip and turned away from her sister’s searching gaze.
“Maddie, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?”
“I’m afraid, Serena.” Sick with fear. What a ridiculous state for a woman her age to be in. She’d fallen in love before. Fallen in love? She shivered. Why couldn’t she discover earth-shaking truths like that without company?
“Why are you afraid?” Serena stepped into her line of vision, her mirror image, minus the scar.
“What if I’m making a mistake? Luke was a wonderful husband. I loved him so much. I still love him.” Madison turned away, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill rolling through her. “How can I fall in love with Nick? He’s so different from Luke.”
“Madison.” Her sister gripped her arms and held her still. “You’ll always love Luke. He was your first love, your high school sweetheart, but he’s gone. He wouldn’t want you to be alone. And there wasn’t another man he trusted more than Nick.” She tightened her grip. “You and Luke sort of grew up together. You married right out of high school. If he’d lived, you would have grown old together.” She let go, her gaze on Madison’s expressive face. “But you’ve changed in the last 14 years, Maddie. You’re more confident, capable of running a successful business. You wouldn’t choose the same man today.”
Stunned, she stared into her triplet’s eyes. With those few simple words, Serena tapped into her deepest concerns and swept them aside. Madison’s lips curved. “How did my baby sister grow up to be so wise?” she said, the words squeezed out of a tight throat.
Serena burst into laughter, turned back to the tray, and finished arranging the cookies. “You’re only five minutes older than I am. Come on, let’s take the tray into the living room before moochers stampede us looking for free handouts.”
Madison carried a smaller tray with three mugs of hot coffee, a carafe, and one mug of hot tea, and set it on the coffee table in front of Serena’s cream and maroon couch. She handed out the mugs, saving Nick’s for last. He took the drink from her hand and quirked his eyebrow, as if asking if she was all right. She smiled at him and winked.
Serena curled up on the couch beside Ethan. “What did you find at Jenny’s?”
Madison reached into her handbag, pulled out the crumpled brown envelope, and handed it to Ethan.
“She gave you permission for the search?” He reached inside and pulled out the contents.
“Yes,” Nick said. “She left me in the room for at least twenty minutes. I found this wedged in a false bottom in Bates’ briefcase.”
Ethan scanned the contents, sifting through newspaper clippings. His jaw tightened at the photos on the bottom of the stack. Serena gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth. He turned over the photo. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“I’ll get the Coke.” Madison scrambled to her feet and rushed to the refrigerator. The pictures must be gory or Serena wouldn’t have reacted that way. Her sister’s weak stomach had been the butt of Cahill jokes for years. She grabbed the 2-liter Coke from the top shelf, tossed some ice in a glass and poured as fast as she dared.
She thrust the glass into Serena’s hand. Her sister took several swallows. Faint color returned to her cheeks. “Better now?”
Serena nodded. “Sorry.”
Madison grinned. “Can’t wait until you and Ethan have kids. Morning sickness will take on new meaning.” She turned to Ethan. “So, what upset Serena so much?”
“Newspaper clippings of the accident two years ago and Nick’s shooting. Photos from your accident.” His dark eyes clouded with emotion.
She frowned. “How did Bates get the crime scene photos? I didn’t think anyone but cops working the case had access to them.”
Nick rose and grasped her hand, urging her to sit beside him on Serena’s loveseat. “Madison, they aren’t crime scene photos taken by the police.”
Puzzled, she stared into his burning, intense gaze. “Then what are they?” From the look on his face, she knew whatever he told her would be devastating.
He tightened his grip on her hand. “They appear to be pictures taken by the hit-and-run driver, after the accident.”
She broke into a cold sweat. The nausea she’d fought off earlier returned with a vengeance, the muscles in her face frozen. “I want to see them.” She forced the words past her stiff lips.
“Maddie, no.”
From a distance, she heard Serena’s plea, but her focus remained on Nick’s face, his steady gaze. Madison lifted her chin. Would he support her decision or shield her from the stark reality of death?
He raised their clasped hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Without taking his gaze from hers, he extended his other hand to Ethan. Nick grasped the photos and handed them to her.
Her gaze lingered on his for a moment, then dropped to the photos in her hand. Shock rattled her resolve. She stared at a close-up ph
oto of herself, pinned in the car against a tree, blood covering her face. Despite her attempts to squash any verbal reaction, the next picture elicited a moan. Another close-up, this time of Luke with the devastating head injuries that took his life.
Madison gritted her teeth and thumbed through more pictures, all taken from different angles. Her emotions roiled in a storm of distress. She could do this. The last picture couldn’t be any worse than what she’d already seen. With trembling hand, she uncovered the last photo, a picture of a stone angel and a small headstone inscribed with the name Malachi Aaron Ryder.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“How much more can she take?” Nick swung away from the window. Madison sat in a rocking chair on Serena’s front porch, staring at nothing, unresponsive to any of her sister’s overtures. Her devastating pain ripped a hole in his gut. He wanted to go after her when she tore herself from his arms and dashed outside, but Ethan stopped him with a shake of his head.
“Give Serena a few more minutes.” Ethan squeezed his shoulder and stepped away to refill his mug. “The triplets respond to each other when no one else can reach them. Can’t say I understand it since I was an only child, but I’ve seen their close relationship over the last few months.”
Nick nodded, his gaze once more drawn to the sisters rocking side-by-side. He witnessed the same connection between the triplets when they kept vigil at Madison’s bedside after the accident. Outside, Serena reached over and clasped her sister’s hand. He drew in a relieved breath when Madison turned her head.
“I’m surprised Rod missed that false bottom.”
Nick shrugged. “Almost impossible to see. I found the compartment by feel.”
“Jenny cooperated without protest?”
“Yeah.”
“She didn’t want to help Rod.”
“Must be my charming personality.”
“Those clippings and pictures do two things,” Ethan said. “They shovel more suspicion on Bates as the stalker and support Jenny’s claim that he was obsessed with destroying you and Luke, and terrorizing Madison.” He turned his head, his stare hard. “They also point to a motive for you murdering Bates to keep him quiet or for revenge.”