by Linda Warren
“Did you eat lunch?” Grace asked.
“No.” He told her what had happened at the Myerses’ home.
Grace wiped her hands on a dish towel. “He’s representing Joel?”
“Yes. And that’s not good. He’s an expert at twisting the truth, and I’m not going to whitewash this for you. If the custody case goes to court, Myers will mangle the truth and you’ll lose Zoe.”
“Oh, Cole, no.” Sadness clouded her eyes, and he could feel it all away to his heart. In that moment, he knew that he’d never had these overpowering emotions for Stephanie like he had for Grace. And he’d only known her for a few days. He wanted to protect her, be there for her to make all her problems go away. He wanted to love her...
As the word resounded in his head, he thought he would never get to that point where he could actually feel love. But it was right there...
“I don’t plan to let that happen,” he told her. “Did you know Briggs was married before?”
She brushed back her dark hair, and he noticed the bruise on her forehead was almost healed. It was only slightly red now. “Married? No. Brooke never mentioned that.”
“I talked to his ex this afternoon, and she told me something interesting.”
“What?”
“That Briggs had a vasectomy.”
Her eyes opened wide. “That can’t be true. There’s Zoe.” He gave her a moment for that to sink in.
“Briggs told Parker that Brooke cheated on him numerous times. Do you know who else she was seeing?”
Fire lit up her eyes. “Brooke wasn’t like that. She was crazy about Joel, and the only person she saw other than Joel was the intern.”
“What was his name?”
“She never said, because it wasn’t serious. It was just a platonic relationship. He was separated from a wife he loved and needed someone to talk to. She was separated from Joel and needed someone to talk to. They were just good friends.”
He didn’t push it because Grace was upset. DNA would prove paternity. He could get the intern’s name at the hospital.
Grace turned toward the stove. “You should’ve eaten lunch with your girlfriend. She must’ve been very upset.”
“We broke up.”
She turned from the stove. “What? Why?”
“She didn’t like my cowboy boots.” He reached out and touched the tip of her nose with his forefinger and left her to figure that out.
* * *
GRACE RUSHED TO put supper on the table. She didn’t quite understand what Cole meant about his boots and his girlfriend, and she wanted to question him more. As they made to sit down, Miss Bertie walked in.
“Hey, Bertie,” Mr. Walt called. “Have a seat.”
“I just came to see if you starved to death.”
“Nope,” Mr. Walt told her, waving a hand toward Grace. “This young lady cooked a fine meal. Sit down and have some.”
“I’m stuffed, but I’ll sit and visit for a while.” She took a seat on the other side of Mr. Walt.
Grace placed a plate and utensils in front of her. “Just in case you change your mind.”
Cole poured the tea, and before they could sit down, the door opened again.
“Hey, anyone home?”
“Come on in here, Bo,” Grandpa called.
A tall dark-haired, dark-eyed man stood in the doorway. At first glance, Grace sensed he was a man who lived life to the fullest. He had a strong jaw with a five o’clock shadow that ramped up his handsomeness. There seemed to be a permanent grin on his face, but she noticed the sadness that rimmed his eyes.
Mr. Walt pointed to her and Zoe. “That’s Grace and Zoe Grace. Take a seat.” The other man shook Mr. Walt’s hand and sat next to Miss Bertie near Zoe.
“I just came by to have a beer with Mr. Walt. I always do that on a holiday.”
“And I have beer,” Mr. Walt said.
Bo glanced at Zoe in her high chair. “Hey, kiddo.”
Zoe pulled away from him, scared of the beard. Her little face wrinkled into a frown.
“You’re scaring the baby with all that hair,” Miss Bertie said.
“Hey, little one, I’m not that scary.”
Zoe pulled farther away and looked for Grace. “It’s okay,” Grace told her. “It’s Bo. Cole’s friend.”
Bo stared at Grace. “You know, Cole, you never mentioned Grace was beautiful.”
“Ah, he doesn’t notice things like that,” Mr. Walt said.
“Have you lost all your marbles, Walt?” Miss Bertie jumped in. “All men notice things like that, even you.”
“Cora would say knockers,” Mr. Walt said in a faraway voice.
“Yeah,” Miss Bertie agreed. “She was one of a kind.”
A moment of sadness lingered in the room.
“Could we just eat?” Cole asked.
They finally started the meal, and Grace listened avidly as Mr. Walt and Miss Bertie told stories about Cole and Bo. They laughed and teased, and at times Cole laughed out loud. It was a joy to hear.
“Bertie, remember that time they tried to make beer?”
“You know, they scared poor Cora to death, not to mention the chickens and the cows.”
“You see, Grace, these two—” Mr. Walt pointed to Cole and Bo “—decided to make their own beer because no one would sell it to them. They were sixteen years old. They ordered the bottles out of some magazine, which I knew nothing about. They were in such a hurry, they forgot to let it ferment. They poured it into the bottles and set them up on shelves in the barn. The concoction started to ferment, swelling inside the bottles, and eventually the bottle caps popped off. It sounded like gunshots. I ran outside to see what was going on. I walked into the barn and saw that mess, and Cole was right behind me. He looked at the bottles and liquid on the floor and said, ‘That didn’t work.’”
Everyone laughed, and then Mr. Walt said, “Jamie—”
“Don’t say it, Mr. Walt,” Grace said. The words came out before she could stop them. She knew he was going to compare Jamie to Cole again.
“I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were.”
“All right, I was, but not in a bad way.”
“What are you two going on about?” Miss Bertie asked.
“Ah, she’s always on me about comparing Jamie to Cole.”
“Well, you shouldn’t.”
It didn’t escape Grace that Cole and Bo shared glances.
“I was going to say that Jamie wasn’t adventurous or didn’t have spunk like Cole. That’s not bad, is it?” Mr. Walt shook his head at Grace, and she tried hard not to smile.
“Jamie was a mama’s boy,” Miss Bertie remarked.
“Yep, he sure was,” Mr. Walt agreed. “After losing two stillborn babies, Cora clung to Jamie, and she never wanted to let him go. Whoever thought it would end so badly.”
There was silence in the room as the sadness returned. Cole sat by Grace, and she reached out and touched his hand on his thigh. He curled his fingers around hers and spared her a slight smile. From the warmth in his eyes, she could see that talk of his father didn’t bother him like it had before.
This was what family was about—sharing, loving, laughing and dealing with the pain when it came. This was what it was like to be part of a family, knowing someone was always there for you. That all-consuming feeling was something she wanted to hold to her chest, this moment in time that she would never forget.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE NEXT MORNING Cole was up early. He showered and changed clothes and went straight to Grace’s room. He heard a little voice that drew him like a magnet.
“Hey, smooches,” he said to Zoe as she leaned over the crib.
He lifted her out, and she rubbed her sleepy face against his. He kissed her cheek. “Are you sleepy?”
; “After all the visiting last night, it was late when I put her to bed,” Grace said from the doorway. She was wearing a bathrobe, her hair was wet from the shower and he stared a moment longer than he should have.
“Do you want me to put her back in bed?”
“No. I’ll feed her breakfast and then she’ll take a nap.”
“I’ll take her to the kitchen and put her in her chair,” he offered.
Grace followed and watched as he poured a cup of coffee.
“Are you leaving early?”
“Yeah. I’m hoping to talk to Amber this morning. I’m also hoping for good news.”
“Cole.” Her shoulders sagged, and she bit on a fingernail. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking that this high-powered lawyer can just take Zoe.”
“Hey.” He pulled her hand from her mouth. “I’m on the case, and we’re not done yet. There are still a lot of questions to be answered. And the autopsy still hasn’t come in. Just keep the faith.”
“I just want to bury my sister.” Her voice cracked, and Cole gathered her into his arms.
“Try to think positive thoughts. We’ll get through this.”
“We?” she murmured.
“Yeah. I started this with you, and I’m not going to stop until it’s finished. If I don’t get much from Amber, I’ll have to make another visit to Deuces.”
“Why?”
“I still need a reason why Brooke took the waitress job, and I have a feeling it has to do with Briggs’s gambling habit. Of course, I have to prove that.”
She leaned back, and he kissed her lips lightly. “Take care of my grandpa.”
“He’s not up yet. He’s tired after yesterday.”
“I checked in on him, and he’s snoring away. Call me if anything comes up. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Cole!” she shouted as he headed for the door. She handed him his cup of coffee.
“Thanks.” Just what he needed. He took one glance at her shining face and forced himself to leave.
On his way into Austin, his cell buzzed. It was Amber.
“I got your message. Where do you want to meet?”
“I’m on my way in. I’ll meet you at the ER.”
Fifteen minutes later he was at the hospital and found Amber. An ambulance had just brought in a patient and paramedics were standing around talking.
“Is this about Brooke?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Tears filled her blue eyes and she pulled a Kleenex out of her scrubs pocket. “I warn you, I’m going to cry. I’m still not over this. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Cole gave her a minute. “I just want to be clear on a few things. Can you answer some questions?”
“Sure.”
“After the first meeting of Brooke and Briggs here in the ER, who made the first move?”
“He did. He came in here the next day looking for her. Heather and I were at the desk, and Brooke was in a room.”
“And it snowballed from there?”
“Yes. She was in love, and nothing anyone said made a difference.”
“Do you know anything about their personal relationship?”
“He hit her a lot, and she continued to stay.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Her answer was always the same—she loved him and he was getting help.”
“This might be a difficult question, but why would she leave her child for him?”
Amber moved uncomfortably in her chair and wiped at her nose. “It was complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it for me. It’s very important.”
“He was always on about Brooke cheating on him, and when she got pregnant with Zoe he said the baby wasn’t his. Brooke was devastated and stayed with Grace. But she started talking to Joel, trying to convince him that Zoe was his, and she talked him into a trial period. So she took Zoe to his place to live as a family. That’s what she wanted most. It lasted about a week before Joel told her to get the kid out of the house. He wasn’t raising someone else’s kid.”
Briggs knew Zoe wasn’t his. But that didn’t explain why Brooke stayed.
“Why didn’t Brooke leave then?”
Amber shrugged. “She loved him, and she thought she could change his mind. And Grace was there to take good care of Zoe. It just went so horribly wrong.”
By the tone of her voice, he knew she meant something else besides Brooke’s death.
“Did you know that Brooke had another job?”
“Yeah.” She sniffled. “She said Joel was in a financial bind and she had to help him. When I asked how she was doing that, she wouldn’t answer me. But I knew she had another job, because she was always late for work. The night before she died, she called me crying, upset.”
“About what?”
“She came home early from her other job and caught Joel in bed with another woman. I think that’s when she knew the dream of being a family was gone. She called me about three in the morning and came over. She was so upset. I’d never seen her that way. I tried to calm her down and started to call Grace, but she wouldn’t let me. She said she could take care of this herself. At six she went back over to Joel’s apartment. I tried to stop her, but again, she never listened to me. She said she was packing her things and leaving and she was done with Joel. The next thing I know, Grace calls and tells me Brooke is dead.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “I should’ve told Grace. I should’ve—” She paused. “I’m getting married in March, and Brooke was going to be my maid of honor. Now she won’t be there because I did nothing. I let that man abuse her, and I didn’t say anything. Joel pushed her down those stairs. I know it. How am I supposed to live with that?”
“There was nothing you could’ve done. I see this in my work all too often. Women claim they’re in love and allow the abuse to go on and try to change the man. It never happens. All you can do now is be there for Grace and Zoe.” He didn’t have any other answers for her. So many people had tried to help Brooke, but you can’t help anyone unless they’re willing to get help. That was a sad bottom line. He saw that all too often, too.
“Did you tell the detectives any of this?”
“Yes, I did, but Parker said I was lying. Joel had told him a completely different story, and he believed Joel. Grace talked to him, too, and he didn’t believe her, either. It was very upsetting.”
Cole hadn’t seen a statement from Amber in the file. He would definitely ask Parker.
“I have one more question, and I want you to think before you answer.”
“Okay.”
“Did Brooke see anyone else while she was separated from Briggs?”
“Of course not. She was besotted with the man.”
“You didn’t think first.”
“Oh.”
He gave her a minute.
“I can’t think of anyone. She and Kevin went out for a drink one night. He was separated from his wife and feeling down, and Brooke was, too. So they commiserated together. She told me she was home by nine. It was just a onetime thing, and they were friends. That was it.”
One time was all that it took. “Kevin Colson?”
“Yes. He works here and is very nice. He’s back together with his wife now, and they’re expecting another baby.” She frowned. “Why are you asking the question?”
“Briggs accused her of cheating, and I’m just trying to find answers.”
“Well, she wasn’t. He was. Enough said.”
Cole took a statement from her, and she signed it. After that he headed for the station to talk to Parker. He found Parker and Tenney at their desks.
He laid a file in front of Parker.
Parker’s eyebrows nodded together. “What’s this?”
“The result of my investigation.”
He lea
ned back with a smug expression. “I don’t have time to read nonsense. I told you the case was all but closed. We’re just waiting on the autopsy. Stirring up controversy isn’t helping.”
Cole poked the folder. “This is not controversy. This is fact. And it’s laid out for you in case you have a problem reading. Briggs did not hurt his wrist in the park playing football with kids. He hurt his hand and broke Allan Hernandez’s jaw in a bar fight. The man had to have surgery and is still experiencing pain. Brooke did not chase Briggs. He was the one who came back to the ER to get her number. He did the chasing. I have witnesses’ statements confirming this. And why isn’t there a statement from Amber Lewis?”
“Oh, she was going on and on about a bunch of nonsense. None of it made sense. She was just trying to cause trouble for Joel.”
“Like Grace Bennett?”
“Well—”
“Your investigative skills are off, Parker, but that’s not my concern. Right now I’m more concerned about Joel Briggs’s hold over you.”
“I resent that.”
Cole let that slide. “I also talked to his ex-wife.”
Parker sat up straight. “He’s been married? He told us he’d never been married.”
“He told you a pack of lies.”
“I told you something was off.” Tenney got to his feet and came to the desk, reading over Parker’s shoulder.
“He’s had a vasectomy?” Tenney asked in disbelief.
“That’s what his ex-wife said. He could’ve had it reversed, but we don’t know that.”
Parker leaned back in his chair, the lines of his face drawn. “Oh, man. He played me.”
“Yes, he did.” Cole didn’t hold back the punches. Parker deserved them.
“Are you with me or against me?” Cole asked.
Parker leaned forward. “I’m with you. Let’s nail this SOB.”
“First, we need to get Briggs’s DNA, and second, I’m going to see if I can find a judge to get a warrant to search Deuces.”
Parker stood. “Whatever for?”
“I know Briggs is a habitual gambler, and I need to prove it. The only way to do that is to talk to someone at Deuces, and they’re not going to talk to me without a warrant. We know Briggs lied about the argument the morning Brooke died. She told him she was leaving, and that meant his cash cow was leaving, too. He had to stop her. I just have to prove it. We may never be able to prove he pushed her, but we have enough to put him away for a while.”