by Marta Perry
What was Taylor doing involved in this situation? If he’d known Taylor was the watchman who’d warned her off at the construction site, he might have pursued it. The man had been arrested several times on minor theft charges and a drunken brawl or two.
Not the kind of person he’d like to see anywhere near Libby. For that matter, why would Tom Sylvester hire him? He certainly had to know the man’s reputation.
He glanced at the plate glass window of the office. Sylvester was looking out, watching just as Libby had said. When he realized Adam had seen him, he moved quickly away from the window.
What exactly was going on with Sylvester? He’d give a lot right now to know that.
The tow truck pulled up, diverting his attention, and by the time Adam glanced at the office again, the lights had been turned off. Sylvester was gone.
Once the tow truck had moved off, Adam joined Libby in the patrol car. “I’m sorry that took so long. I’ll drive you home, and the garage will call you later with an estimate.”
“The bad news, you mean.” Libby’s nose wrinkled.
“Jessica’s a nice person. She’s not going to come down on you for something you couldn’t help. Although if you hadn’t been playing Nancy Drew…”
“Don’t bother to give me that lecture again,” Libby said. “I know it by heart.”
“Know it, maybe. Heed it? No.”
“Somebody has to find out what Sylvester is up to. And he is up to something.” Libby stared out the window at the farms they were passing, but he didn’t think she saw the snow-covered fields. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten so nervous when I asked him how he’d gotten approval for that building.”
Obviously it was useless to point out that she shouldn’t have done anything of the kind. “What did he say?”
“He told me I was acting just like my father, butting into things that don’t concern me. Not that Dad ever did that. He just stood up for what he believed in.”
“Your dad cared, and he did something with that care. That had sometimes made him enemies.”
“Yes. He did.” Libby’s voice softened. “If I am like him, I’m proud of that. But why should my questions make Tom Sylvester so mad, if he’s not up to something questionable?”
Maybe, if she knew he was taking this seriously, she’d back off. Adam had a feeling that was a futile thought, but he had to try.
“I’ve been wondering about Sylvester’s business deals myself, although I still don’t see how that could possibly connect with Esther. I’ll look into it, see if I can come up with anything.”
He felt Libby’s gaze on his face.
“You’re trying to make me feel better, so I’ll back off,” she said. “You can’t investigate a respected member of the community without evidence.”
Adam pulled into the lane to the Morgan house. “Not officially, no. But I can do a little quiet poking around.” He drew to a stop, leaving the motor running, and turned to her. “Is there any chance you can accept that?”
“Well, I wouldn’t if I could think of anything else to do,” she admitted ruefully. “I’ve been away too long. I don’t know where to go for gossip anymore.”
“Just take care of Esther, okay? Let me worry about the rest of it. I’ve already talked to the Canadian police about the driver of the van. They’ll follow up at that end and get back to me. There’s at least a chance the van hasn’t been fixed yet, and they’ll be able to pick up some evidence from it.”
“I’m finding it hard to believe in a hit-and-run driver who escaped back to Canada the next day.” She turned in the seat so that she was facing him more fully. “How does that fit in with the things that have happened since?”
“It doesn’t,” he admitted. “Still, if you…”
She touched his cheek as if to stop his words, and that touch went right through him.
“Don’t lecture me anymore, okay?” Her voice was soft. “I can’t stay home with my knitting when Esther is in danger.”
He closed his hand over hers, drawing it slowly away from his face. “I know you care deeply about her. I know you feel responsible.” The truth was that he admired those qualities in her. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Her gaze seemed to be entangled with his, and her blue eyes widened.
“Yes.” He took a breath, unable to come up with a comfortable lie. “I know how you feel about protecting Esther, because that’s how I feel about you.”
Her lips curved slightly. “Not exactly the same, I hope.”
“Libby, I can’t.” He tried to evade her gaze, afraid she might really see what was in his heart. “You’re Trey’s little sister.”
She put her hands on his cheeks, tilting his face toward her. “Take a good look, Adam. I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m not made of glass. And I know you’re attracted to me.”
They’d gone a long way from protecting Esther, but maybe this was what they’d really been talking about all the time.
“It’s pretty obvious, I guess.”
The dimple at the corner of her mouth showed. “The kiss was kind of a giveaway.”
He took her hands in both of his, holding them firmly, resisting the impulse to lift them to his lips. “Look, I admit I’m attracted. But I can’t—”
“You couldn’t when I was fifteen,” she said. “I get that, even though it hurt at the time. But that time in San Francisco…” She paused, as if catching her breath. “Adam, I was afraid you thought I was throwing myself at you. That you looked down on me. And that wasn’t it at all, was it?”
“No. Never.” He felt as if she’d punched him right in the heart. “Libby, I’m sorry. Don’t you see? What happened with Sally showed me that people always hold me to a different standard. They’re always ready to think the worst of me. I never meant to hurt you. That’s what I was trying to avoid.”
She lifted their clasped hands to her lips. “It’s a funny way of going about it,” she whispered, her breath moving on his skin.
“Don’t.” He yanked his hands away from her. “I owe your family too much. You think I can forget what I come from? I can’t, and neither can anyone else around here.”
Libby stared at him, eyes wide. “Adam, that doesn’t matter to me. Or to Mom or my brothers.”
He had himself under control now, and he wouldn’t let go again. Better a small hurt now than a big one later, for both of them.
“It matters to me, Libby.” He reached across her to push the door open. “I’m sorry. More than you know.”
Her lips parted, and that familiar stubborn look came into her face. But maybe she sensed how determined he was.
She shook her head, slid out of the car and slammed the door.
* * *
LIBBY HURRIED INTO the hall, realizing that, as usual, her mother had forgotten to lock the door. Thank goodness no one was home. She didn’t know whether to burst into tears or throw something. Preferably something very breakable. At least no one was here to watch.
She did neither. Sam was barking, the sound muffled. Listening, she took a step forward, realizing that the barking came from the powder room. Sam was obviously shut inside. But why? No one would do that, and he was way too big a dog to have been shut in accidentally.
She started toward it and then stopped, her breath catching in her throat as she recognized another noise. The stairs—someone was coming down the stairs.
Heart thudding in her chest, she glanced toward the door. Race out, try to attract Adam’s attention before he reached the trees that hid the house from sight? Or run the other way, for the dog?
Another step sounded. Did he know she was here? Maybe not, with the noise Sam was making. Somehow that decided her. She ran toward the powder room, trying to hear any sounds from behind her over the dog’s frenzied barking and the pulse pounding in her ears.
She reached the door, grabbed the knob and turned it. Sam bounded past her, showing no signs of his age as he raced toward the intruder.
She pressed back against the
door, fumbling in her bag for her cell phone. Before she could find it, a riot of sounds assaulted her—barking, growling, the thumps of someone falling, a high-pitched scream.
Sam…if he hurt Sam—Libby ran toward the noise in time to see a figure break free of the dog with a kick. He reached the door, pulled it open and ran straight into Adam.
It must have been like running into a brick wall. The man reeled back. Adam grabbed him, spun him around and marched him into the hall. Libby blinked, unable to believe the evidence of her eyes. It was Leonard Smalley.
“Are you all right?” Adam’s tone was urgent. His gaze swept over her as if searching for injuries, and he held the smaller man like a dog holding a bone.
“I’m fine. He wasn’t anywhere near me.” She patted her leg, and Sam frisked over to her, tail wagging, obviously proud of himself. “But Leonard…” Words failed her.
Adam hauled the hapless man to the straight chair against the wall and put him in it none too gently. He stood over Smalley, glaring down at him with an expression even Libby found intimidating.
“If you have an explanation for breaking and entering, now would be the time for it.”
“I…I didn’t. Break in, I mean.” Leonard’s gaze darted back and forth, as if he looked for a way out of the situation. “The door was unlocked.”
“Trespassing with intent to commit a crime, then.” Adam leaned over him. “That’s not much better.”
“But I didn’t intend to commit a crime.” Smalley was nearly crying. “I just had to find…” He stopped then, maybe afraid to go any further.
“It was you in the house that other time, too, wasn’t it?” Hand on the dog’s collar, Libby took a step toward Smalley. “You wiped my computer. You took my bag.”
“Not…not to keep,” he stammered. “I put it back in your room. You look. It’s there. All I wanted…” Again he came to a halt.
“This is a waste of time,” Adam said, reaching for Smalley. “Let’s go. You can call your attorney from the police station. Or your wife, if you prefer.”
“Not my wife.” Smalley gasped the words. He’d been pale already, and now he turned an almost greenish shade.
Knowing Sandra, Libby could hardly blame him. “Just tell us what’s going on,” she said, and the dog growled as if to encourage him. “You’ve been in the house a couple of times, looking for something.” Light dawned, and she could only be surprised it had taken her this long. “You’re the one who took my camera at the inn. This has something to do with the pictures I was taking, doesn’t it?”
Leonard hesitated, looking from one to the other.
Adam gave an impatient shrug. “Let’s go.”
“You can’t arrest me.” Smalley’s hands shook as he held them out to Libby. “Please, Libby. I didn’t mean any harm. Don’t let him arrest me.”
She hardened her heart. This was the only way to get to the truth. “He’ll have to, if you don’t tell us everything.”
Tears welled in Smalley’s eyes. He sniffed, increasing his resemblance to a rabbit. “Friday night. You were at the inn. For the rehearsal dinner, I suppose.”
“That’s right. I was taking pictures.” She began to have a glimmer of where this was going.
“Did Libby catch you with her camera doing something you’re ashamed of, Leonard? Something you don’t want your wife to know about?” Adam’s tone demanded answers.
“I…I…there was nothing wrong.” Smalley stumbled over the words. “I was meeting someone. A young lady. Just for a drink, you understand. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Just a drink?” Adam’s tone dripped disbelief. “I don’t think you’d run the risk of breaking into the Morgan’s house because Libby photographed you having a drink with another woman.”
“It…we were going to a room to have the drink.” Smalley forced the words out. “I don’t even know for sure if Libby got us. I couldn’t find the picture, so I…”
“So you crashed my computer. Unluckily for you, I have everything backed up online.” She stared at him, shaking her head. “For pity’s sake, Leonard, even if I did get a photo of you with another woman, I wouldn’t tell Sandra. What were you thinking?”
He blinked several times in rapid succession. “I was afraid.”
“So you wanted to destroy the picture,” Adam said. “That doesn’t explain why Jason tried to warn me off the accident investigation.”
“Jason?” Smalley looked about as blank as Libby felt. “The accident? Why would Jason do that?”
“That’s what I’m asking you.” Adam leaned over him, planting one hand on the back of Leonard’s chair. “What does the hit-and-run have to do with you?”
“Nothing! I don’t have any idea what Jason was doing, but…” He paused, and then shook his head. “He wouldn’t be acting for me. If he knew about this, he’d think…he’d think it was funny.”
There was an odd kind of dignity in his last words that convinced Libby he was telling the truth about that, at least. She eyed Adam’s expression. Once she got him alone, they were going to have a talk about Jason Smalley.
“All right. But there’s still the matter of stealing a camera, breaking in—”
“But I returned everything.” Leonard turned to Libby. “Please, you understand, don’t you?”
“No. But I won’t press charges against you. Just let him go, Adam. Please.” She was suddenly tired, as if all the adrenaline she’d been running on had vanished.
Adam’s face turned stony. “The law should take its course.”
“We have more important things to deal with right now, don’t we?” She looked at him steadily. Getting involved in Leonard’s peccadilloes would just be a distraction neither of them had time for.
For a moment she thought Adam would argue. Then he stepped back and gestured toward the door.
Leonard bolted from the chair, babbling his thanks as he raced toward the door. In a moment he’d run out, letting the door swing shut behind him.
Libby felt herself sag. “Leonard Smalley. So that’s it. Not a piece of the puzzle at all. Just a terrified man trying to protect himself.”
“You should have let me lock him up. He deserved it.” Adam wore his uncompromising look.
“Really? Maybe you want to spend your time dealing with the Smalley family, but I don’t.” She bent to ruffle Sam’s ears, not sure she wanted to ask the obvious question, and the dog pressed against her leg. “Why did you come back?” Because you regretted something you’d said?
“I spotted his car, pulled off into the woods.” Adam came a little closer. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Fine.” She looked up at him, managing a smile. “But what was all that business about Jason? Why would he care about the investigation into the hit-and-run?”
“That’s what I’d like to find out. He tried to act like the county commissioners thought I was wasting time, but I think he had some other agenda.” Adam frowned. “At least we know now that the break-ins here don’t have anything to do with Esther.”
“There’s still the man in Esther’s hospital room. And the attempt to get me out into the parking lot. And that funny business with Sylvester.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” he said, eyes serious. “I’m going to have a little chat with some people who are in the know about the zoning board. See if I can pick up anything about how Tom got that variance.”
“Good idea. Maybe my mother knows someone.”
“Keep your mother out of it.” Adam sounded faintly horrified at the prospect. “If you ask Geneva, the next thing you know she’ll be starting an investigation of her own.”
She had to smile, because that was exactly like Mom. “You might have a point.”
He started for the door and then stopped and looked at her. “Do me a favor. Try to stay out of trouble for a while, will you?”
She choked back a reminder that he didn’t have the right to worry about her. “I’ll try.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
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nbsp; ADAM HUNG UP the phone and leaned back in his desk chair, staring at nothing in particular as he processed what he’d heard. Since catching Leonard Smalley in the act yesterday, he’d felt as if some of the picture was clearing, at least.
That call from Canadian authorities had muddied the waters again. Charles Bradburn’s van had already been repaired, with no way left to prove it had been involved in the hit-and-run. The man had a good reputation as a solid citizen who’d never had so much as a parking ticket. His counterparts north of the border were happy to cooperate, but it seemed there was nothing left for them to do.
That was it, then. Bradburn’s van might or might not have been involved in the hit-and-run. But since Charles Bradburn had been well on his way home the next day, confirmed by when he crossed the border, he certainly couldn’t have been the intruder in the hospital room or the person who’d tried to decoy Libby out to the parking lot.
His blood ran cold every time he thought of that. Libby just assumed that Esther had been the target, and maybe she was right. But it was equally possible that a person who’d silenced Esther might also want to silence the friend she’d confided in.
Adam moved restlessly, and the swivel chair creaked in protest. If he could put Libby on a flight back to San Francisco right now, he’d feel a lot better, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Shoving the chair back, he rose. The office was too small for his mood at the moment. He’d think better when he was moving.
He grabbed his jacket from the hook and strode through the outer office, raising his hand to the dispatcher. “I’m taking a walk around town, Ginger. If anybody wants me, I’ll be back in half an hour or so.”
“Bring some decent coffee with you,” Ginger called as the door swung shut. “And a couple of doughnuts.”
He shook his head, smiling a little. Hiring an old friend from high school as his dispatcher guaranteed that he didn’t get any respect.
Springville’s main street had been slush-covered earlier. Now it was being coated with a fresh coating of snow. Looked nice, but it would most likely bring on a rash of fender benders.