Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls)

by Leigh, Melinda

  Joining them, Victor offered a hand. He was a head shorter than Grant, maybe fifty years old or so, with a fit body and salt-and-pepper hair cut as short and sharp as his black eyes. “Victor Church.”

  “Major Grant Barrett.”

  “That was impressive, Major.” Victor smiled, the expression sharkish on his angular Slavic features. “Do you play hockey?”

  Grant smiled. “Not since I was a kid.”

  Victor shook his head. “Too bad. We could use another coach who can handle those boys.” He paused, sadness dimming his eyes. “I assume you’re here for Kate’s things?”

  “Yes.” Grant glanced back at the girls twirling on the ice. The blond, Corey’s daughter Regan, reminded him of Kate. She’d been twenty and still skating competitively when he’d met her. He’d been on leave and had gone with Lee to Los Angeles to watch her skate in her one and only national competition. He imagined her gliding on the ice, her pale blue costume and golden hair giving her a princess air. He’d known then that Lee was a goner. His brother hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. Grant still couldn’t believe she was gone, that someone had fired a bullet into her head. A quick vision of the insurgent’s face exploding in a red mist flashed into Grant’s mind. His pulse quickened, and anger simmered in his chest. He blinked the image away and, breathing deliberately, turned back to the coach. He couldn’t let his nightmares intrude on his day.

  Victor gave him a tight-lipped nod. “Please accept my condolences. Let’s go to the office.” He turned toward Corey and Josh. “You’re both staying for the meeting, right?”

  “We’ll be there,” Corey said. He and Josh walked back to the rink.

  Grant followed Victor away from the ice and down a corridor. They passed the locker rooms and entered a small, dusty office. A brawny bald man scanned a grid on a clipboard. He looked up as they entered.

  “Major Barrett, this is Zack Stuart, the hockey coach.” Victor gestured between them, then gave Zack a brief rundown of the fight.

  Zack shook his head and tucked his clipboard under his arm. “Maybe an hour of power skating drills will drain off some of that hostility.”

  Grant laughed. “I like to run new recruits long distances with heavy packs to keep them out of trouble.”

  “Excuse me while I go do my best to wear them out.” Zack grabbed a jacket off a peg and left.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to coach hockey?” Victor asked. “Our coach has his hands full. His assistant coach quit last month to play for a minor league team.”

  “I’ll pass, but thanks,” Grant said.

  Victor moved behind the desk. “We’re all sorry about Kate.”

  “You worked closely with her?”

  “Yes. She was in charge of beginners through preliminary level competitors. I handle the advanced skaters.” Church crossed his arms over a lean chest.

  “Were you a competitive figure skater too?”

  “I was a national champion, but that was a long time ago,” Victor said.

  Grant scanned the half dozen trophies lined up on a row of shelves behind Victor’s head. “Have you been coaching here long?”

  “Almost seven years.” Victor’s gaze followed Grant’s. He pointed to a golden trophy. “Kate’s had several preliminary skaters place in a local competition last season. She was thrilled. Building a good team takes time. This year will be my year. I have the best skaters I’ve ever coached.” Pride filled his voice. He cleared his throat, as if suddenly realizing, again, that Kate was gone.

  Grant understood. He had moments of happiness with Carson and Faith, laughs that burst out of his chest before he remembered he should be sad because Lee and Kate were dead. All positive emotions felt inappropriate and selfish.

  A few seconds of awkward silence followed.

  Clearing his throat, Victor turned to a shelving unit behind him. He lifted a nearly empty cardboard box and, turning, transferred it to the desk. “Here are Kate’s things.”

  Grant took the box from him. “This is it?”

  “That’s what was in her desk and locker.” Victor shrugged. “I don’t keep much here either. A lot of people come and go here at all hours. Things tend to go missing.”

  “Well, thanks.” Grant hefted the box. Like Lee’s, Kate’s personal effects seemed too light given that she’d worked here for eight years.

  “No one’s going to forget her,” Victor said as if he could read Grant’s mind. “The kids are devastated by her death, especially the girls she coached.”

  “Thank you.” Grant turned toward the door, a connection in his mind stopping him. “Do you know anything about the Hamilton case? The girls all skate here, right?” He’d watched the clip on the news. The media had speculated on a connection with Lee and Kate’s murder. Lee’s public life was short on dirt, and the press had focused on the more controversial bullying story. Grant had spent some time on the computer learning about the case.

  “Sure. Everyone here does, but we aren’t allowed to discuss it.” Victor’s friendly demeanor vanished. “There’s still a civil case pending. Plus, the whole thing was a nightmare.”

  “Any time a kid dies it’s horrible,” Grant said. “Did you coach Lindsay?”

  Victor nodded. His gaze dropped to the desktop. “I’ll just say one thing. She was a nice kid.”

  “You coach the two accused girls too?”

  “Yes, which is why I can’t say anything.” Victor’s sigh was full of regret and maybe a touch of anger.

  Grant waited, sensing something was coming.

  Victor’s eyes rose to meet Grant’s. “You just met their fathers.”

  “Really?”

  The bullying case had been summed up, but the accused girls hadn’t been mentioned by name because they were minors. Grant didn’t know why the news came as a shock. The arena had been named. He’d known the girls involved skated here. But Corey and Josh seemed too normal to have children who would torment another girl into taking her life. Maybe the police hadn’t found any evidence because there wasn’t any. Maybe the case was blown out of proportion.

  But given the murder and break-in, it seemed unlikely.

  “I’ve said too much.” Victor rounded the desk and escorted him to the hall. “Good luck, Major.”

  Grant held out a hand. “Thanks for getting Kate’s things together for me.”

  Exiting the office, Grant headed for the main room. He passed the rink. Corey’s daughter had come off the ice and was talking to her father. Beyond them stood Josh and his daughter. Grant saw them all with fresh eyes. The teens looked more spoiled and arrogant than pretty now, and Grant didn’t know what to think of their fathers. The hockey team surged onto the ice and flowed into a warm-up skate, blocking Grant’s view. Uneasy, both with the foursome and his own reaction, he turned away. According to the police, the case was unsubstantiated by solid evidence. He shouldn’t judge, but deep breathing didn’t dispel his growing need to break something. Like those young hockey players, he needed a hard run to burn off his tension.

  A hand on his elbow jolted him. He whirled, a hand raised on instinct.

  “Oh.” An attractive brunette woman about his age pressed a palm to the center of her chest.

  With a throbbing yet relieved heart, Grant forced his mouth into a smile and lowered his fist. “I’m sorry. You startled me.”

  “I didn’t mean to.” She smiled back. “It’s just that you look familiar. Did you go to Scarlet Falls High School?”

  “No. Sorry.” Grant edged toward the exit, but she fell into step beside him. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete. Guilt slowed his steps. Blowing the friendly woman off would be rude. He sighed. “I went to the military academy, but my three siblings went here. Maybe you know Hannah or Mac.”

  “Could be. Is Hannah tall and blond like you?”

  “She is.”
r />   They reached the front door.

  The woman dipped her chin and glanced at him through her lashes. Was she flirting with him? “I think she graduated a year behind me. Tell her Lisa Shayne said hello.”

  “I will.” Grant ducked out. Cool air hit his face.

  First pretty Ellie Ross piqued his interest. Now a cute skating mom flirted with him. If he wasn’t headed back to Afghanistan, he’d have some interesting options in Scarlet Falls. But he was going back. His whole career—his whole life—was based on being an army officer. He didn’t know what else he’d do. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember making an active decision to join the army. He’d been raised to be a soldier.

  The civilian suburban life wasn’t so bad, though, full of kids, parents, friendly people not actively trying to blow him up. Maybe if he lived like this for a year or so, he wouldn’t reflexively react to a stranger’s touch with violence.

  He’d nearly struck that woman.

  His realization settled into his lungs, choking him like Afghan dust. There was no getting around it. After this deployment, he needed some downtime from combat.

  Shifting the box into one arm, he dug his keys from his jacket pocket. A vehicle pulled into the space next to him. Ellie Ross was behind the wheel. He dumped the box in the cargo bay and walked around to her car door just as she swung her legs out of the vehicle. She was still in her work clothes. Her coat was open and her skirt rode up a few inches, treating him to an inch of thigh. The skating mom a few moments ago might have been cute, but she didn’t make Grant’s chest expand the way it did when Ellie was nearby.

  “Grant.” Ellie stood, tugging her skirt down with a surprised frown. Leaning back into her van, she lifted a box from the passenger seat. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had to pick up Kate’s things. You?”

  She avoided eye contact, and her face was pale. “I’m supposed to be at a parent meeting, but I’m going to have to just drop off these programs for the spring carnival and run.” She closed the van door and shoved a piece of long, dark hair behind her ear. Her hands and voice were shaky. “Now that Kate won’t be coaching her, I’m not sure Julia will even stay with the club.”

  She’d been nervous at the hospital, but she should have calmed down now that she knew her grandmother was fine. She almost seemed more upset.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Fine.” Still avoiding his gaze, she faked a smile and glanced at her watch. “I have to hurry. I dropped off Nan’s prescription at the pharmacy. It’ll be ready in twenty minutes. I don’t want to leave her for long.”

  “How’s the ankle?”

  “Painful.” She sidestepped toward the arena.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  “Thank you.” Ellie turned away. “Bye, Grant.”

  “Bye, Ellie.”

  Returning to the minivan, Grant watched Ellie hurry across the pavement and disappear inside the building. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ellie Ross was hiding something.

  And he had every intention of uncovering her secret.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ellie glanced over her shoulder. Grant was folding his big body into the minivan. Once again, she was tempted to tell him everything. He radiated capability. But this morning’s text and the package on her doorstep reinforced Hoodie Man’s assertion that she was being watched. She scanned the salt-dusted parking lot. Her neck tingled, and her stomach clenched. Hoodie Man could be anywhere. He could be staring at her through a windshield right now.

  Once her initial panic had passed, she’d realized the heart he’d sent her was far too large to be human. Still nasty, though. She’d hidden the box with its bloody contents in the chest freezer in her garage until trash day. Seeing the bloody organ pinned to her daughter’s picture made his point clear. Hoodie Man wasn’t screwing around. She swallowed her fear and pushed through the door into the building, then walked back to the meeting space. Even away from the ice, cold seeped from the concrete floor into the soles of her shoes. She hadn’t taken the time to change since leaving work. Normally, she’d wear thick boots and a heavy sweater to the arena. She walked past the rink, the temperature dropping with each step.

  Voices drew her into the long, narrow all-purpose room. Two dozen adults, a mix of coaches and parents, packed the small area. She only recognized a few faces. Two rectangular laminate tables were set up end to end to form an impromptu conference table. Plastic chairs surrounded it.

  Victor Church greeted her. “Hello, Ellie.”

  “Hi.” Ellie set the programs on the table. She glanced at the clock above the door. “I can’t stay long. I’m sorry. My grandmother is ill.”

  “No problem. We can get started now, and it will only take a few minutes.” Victor went to the front of the room and raised a hand. “Hello everyone. I want to thank you for coming in for this emergency meeting. I know many of you have jobs and need to get back to work. There are also a number of parent volunteers who couldn’t make this meeting, so I would appreciate if you could spread the word.”

  Ellie moved to the side of the room and put her back against the wall. The chairs around the table were all occupied.

  “As you all know the spring exhibition and carnival is scheduled for next week,” Victor continued. “Coach Barrett ran this event, and we’re all sorry about her death. But we think the carnival should go on as scheduled. We can’t get our deposits back from the vendors. If we cancel, we’ll lose a large amount of money.”

  People murmured. Parents already paid steep fees for instructors and ice time. Figure skating and hockey were expensive sports, especially at the more competitive levels. The skating club depended on a few large events in the spring and summer to raise money for fall/winter competition season.

  Ellie scanned the faces seated at the table. She recognized the tan face and blond-streaked hair of Corey Swann. His surfer looks didn’t blend in with any crowd. Corey’s IT company heavily sponsored the club. Josh Winslow sat next to Corey. Every time she saw Corey, Josh, or their daughters, her stomach curled up. They went about their business as if nothing happened. They should all be deeply affected by Lindsay’s suicide.

  At the front of the room, Victor was talking about the event timetable. Ellie kept one ear tuned on his speech as he reviewed the carnival planning agenda for the next week.

  She couldn’t blame parents for supporting their children. The Hamiltons’ position was easy to understand. But if someone accused Julia of tormenting another student, Ellie would stand up for her daughter too, especially if there was little concrete evidence and if Julia said she was innocent. Ellie couldn’t imagine Julia being deliberately unkind. But then, she hadn’t expected her daughter to sneak out in the middle of the night either. She still couldn’t believe that had happened.

  Perhaps Corey Swann felt that way about his daughter. Julia’s foray had taught Ellie that, as a parent, it was often hard to accept that your child lied or made a bad decision. Even teenagers without prior disciplinary issues made mistakes.

  Thinking about her daughter’s deception still sent fear skittering through her belly and made her wonder how any parent could know what was really going on inside a teenager’s mind.

  Victor picked up a program from the box Ellie had brought. “The event agenda is in the program, and we’ll be adding a moment of silence at the event opening for Kate. We don’t want to focus on her death, but the kids expressed that they wanted to honor her in some way.” His voice grew clipped as he listed a few last-minute details that required attention. Parents raised hands to volunteer, and Victor assigned tasks.

  Ellie pressed a knuckle to the corner of her eye. She wished they’d just cancel the event. It was Kate’s project. It seemed wrong to continue without her, but Victor was right about the financial risk. The club couldn’t afford to take the loss.

 
“Does anyone else have any questions or concerns?” Victor asked. Heads shook. “All right then. If you have any questions this week or next, please feel free to e-mail or call me.”

  Chairs scraped as people stood and moved toward the door. Shuffling toward the front of the room, Ellie said a quiet hello to the other parent volunteers.

  An elbow brushed her ribs. She turned and looked up at Corey Swann.

  “Excuse me,” she said pointedly.

  Standing far too close, he glared down at her. “Do you work for Peyton, Peyton, and Griffith?”

  Ellie took a step back and reestablished her personal space. “Yes.”

  “I can’t talk to you.” He frowned, lines etched in his tan face.

  Not knowing what else to say, she went with, “All right.”

  Her gaze dropped to his black sweatshirt. The logo on the chest read Computer Solutions, Inc. His brown eyes glittered with anger. He pressed closer and lowered his voice. “Your firm is involved in the lawsuit.”

  “Not a problem.” Ellie raised a hand to his chest and firmly pushed him six inches away. “I’m not the one who bumped into you.”

  He leaned away. Regret washed the anger from his face. “You’re right. I was totally out of line. I’m sorry.”

  Ellie nodded.

  “Hey, Corey.” Giving Ellie a polite smile, Josh Winslow tugged on Corey’s arm. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Corey let his friend pull him to the back of the group.

  How did Corey even know where she worked? This morning’s news report had identified Lee and given the firm’s name, but Ellie certainly wasn’t mentioned. One of the other parents could have mentioned her job, she supposed. Julia had only been skating since they’d become neighbors with Lee and Kate. Some of the kids had been skating at the arena their whole lives, moving up from team to team as their skills advanced. Ellie didn’t have time or desire to work her way into the gossip chain. Discomfort stirred in her as she realized she’d likely been the subject of a few of those hushed conversations.