Lullabies & Lies

by Ruby Blaylock

  Annie dipped her finger in the cocoa and licked off the chocolate foam. Well, Everett admits that he had a thing for Kimberly, but she apparently didn’t like him the same way. Then she gets pregnant, packs her bags, and leaves poor Everett pining away for her. Maybe Marlena killed Kimberly to pay her back for breaking Everett’s heart. Or, maybe she wanted Kim’s baby. Annie let out a low groan. Oh, I don’t know. I just know that she’s hiding something. And she strikes me as the kind of person who’s not all that stable, if you know what I mean.

  Rory mulled this over. What about this Everett fellow? The police are questioning him, aren’t they?

  Annie nodded. Yeah, but I’m not sure he’s the kind of guy who could murder someone he claimed to care about and then leave a poor, defenseless baby all alone by the side of the road.

  Rory narrowed his eyes. We don’t really know that much about him, Annie. He could be putting on a great performance for us or he could be telling the truth. Some people are able to change their personalities like they change their clothes. I saw it all the time in prison. I met guys who were so nice, real gentlemen the first time we met. Days later, I find out that they’ve murdered entire families.

  Annie shuddered. That’s awful! I know you’re right—we can’t know what Everett would or wouldn’t do—but I’ll wait to hear from Emmett before I pass judgment.

  But you don’t trust Marlena? Rory shook his head. Are you sure you trust Everett because he’s handsome and rich?

  Annie rolled her eyes. No. He’s not my type. It’s just that I saw Marlena get violent with Gareth outside your cottage. She was very aggressive with him. I’d say that makes her just a little more suspicious.

  Rory sat his mug of cocoa down. I’d say you really need to forget about them. You’re getting all stressed out over these people and it’s not good for you. After all, wasn’t this meant to be your vacation week?

  Annie made a sound like air leaking out of a tire. Pffft…very funny. I don’t think business owners get to take vacations, at least not for the first ten years or so.

  Rory turned in his seat. Turn around.

  Annie looked at him quizzically. Why?

  I’m going to give you a back rub. You need one to get rid of all that tension you’re carrying around in your shoulders. He patted the couch in front of him. Sit.

  Annie did as he told her, placing herself in front of him just between his legs. She felt his hands on her shoulders, warm from the cocoa, strong from years of physical labor. He started kneading her shoulders and she groaned.

  Too rough? he asked, pausing for her reply.

  No, it’s perfect, she replied. I didn’t realize how tense I was, though. Keep going, Doctor Jenkins.

  Rory chuckled and continued to massage her shoulders, working towards her shoulder blades and down her spine. Annie let her head drop forward. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had rubbed her back like this. It was heavenly. She felt her muscles relent under Rory’s strong hands and she melted into the couch as he continued massaging her entire back.

  Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. Do you think Marlena is safe around the baby?

  Rory paused for a moment. He didn’t answer immediately, so Annie knew that he also doubted the woman’s intentions. I think you’d better not leave her alone with Emma. She may mean well, but like you said, she could be a little unhinged.

  He ran his hands up and down her back once again, lightening his touch until it was a playful tickle. And would you like me to rub anything else, Miss Purdy?

  Annie smacked his hands away playfully. Mr. Jenkins, I don’t think that would be appropriate in the sitting room. She turned on the sofa and draped her legs across his, leaning against the back of the couch for support. Then she pulled his head close to her own and kissed him, surprising them both. It was a passionate, spontaneous kiss, unlike their previous kisses in so many ways.

  A voice in Annie’s head scolded her. What are you doing, Annie? She pulled away from him a little, taking a deep breath. I’m sorry, she began, but he shook his head.

  No, you don’t have to be sorry. It was just a kiss. We’re grownups, we get to do things like flirt and kiss. Rory reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. We can even do more than that, if you want.

  Annie closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop pounding inside her chest. She did want to do something more. But she was terrified that if she gave into that desire, she might just ruin the best relationship that she thought she’d ever had.

  Inside her head, Annie played the ‘what if’ game. What if she was clinging to Rory because she was worried about being left all alone? What if Devon went away to college and Bessie moved in with Emmett—would she still want to be with Rory when they were all either of them had? And what if she gave her heart to Rory once again, only to have him break it all over again?

  She felt Rory’s lips brush her eyelids gently. Annie, tell me what you’re worried about. He took her hands in his own and kissed those, too. I want you. I think you want me. But I think you’re worried about us getting together. Am I right?

  Annie nodded, then opened her eyes. Oh, Rory, what if we get together and it’s a mistake? What if you decide… She didn’t know how to finish the sentence. The words just wouldn’t come together.

  Rory smiled reassuringly. Never. Annie, have I ever told you why I broke up with you the first time?

  She shook her head. No. And I wasn’t going to ask, she added.

  I knew you wouldn’t, he replied. I knew you were too proud to ask, and so that made it easier for me, I guess. Annie, when you went away to college, I knew that you had an amazing future ahead of you. You were smart, you were beautiful, and you were going places that I only dreamed about. He looked away for a moment, struggling with how to phrase his next sentence.

  Annie, I didn’t want to hold you back. I loved you then, but I was terrified that if I didn’t leave you, I would ruin your life. If you stayed with me, you never would have gone to Boston for school and you would have regretted it. I couldn’t be a millstone around your neck, even if you thought you loved me.

  Annie shook her head. But I did love you, dummy! And you weren’t holding me back. She laughed. And look how wonderful my next relationship was, she joked.

  But you got Devon, he reminded her. And you found your way back here, eventually. To me.

  To you, she admitted. I guess with all that’s been going on lately—Mama thinking about getting married and maybe moving away, Devon thinking about going off to college—I was worried that I might be clinging to you for the wrong reasons.

  Rory grinned. I don’t care why you cling to me. But I do need you to know that I’m not going anywhere. I let you go once before, but I’m not going to let that happen again. He brushed his lips across her cheek before pressing them to hers. His kiss was both gentle and full of urgency. When he pulled away from her, she could swear that she could hear both their hearts pounding madly.

  I do want to be with you, Rory. But I want it to be the right time, the right way. She stroked his cheek with her palm.

  Whenever you’re ready, he said simply, smiling at her as she pulled her legs from his lap.

  Annie retrieved her cocoa from the end table. She took a large sip, more of a gulp, really, and tried to calm her pounding heart. Cocoa’s just right, she murmured before reaching for the remote control. Rory grinned at her and sipped at his own drink. She switched on the television, certain that if she didn’t find a way to distract herself from Rory’s proximity, she might just end up getting closer to him than she’d ever gotten before.

  18

  Uncomfortable Truths

  Morning embraced Rosewood Place, drenching the old plantation house in amber hues of autumn sunlight. Annie rose early, before her mother, and tiptoed down to the kitchen to make her first cup of coffee. She planned on drinking it down by the pond, where she hoped the distraction might keep her from wandering over to the cheerful little cottage where Rory w
as no doubt starting his own day.

  A gentle tapping at the kitchen window startled Annie. She was surprised to see Everett Marshall staring back at her through the glass above the sink. Putting her coffee mug down on the counter, Annie motioned for the man to come around to the side of the house and the door that led from the kitchen to the outside was located.

  Come inside, Mr. Marshall, Annie told him. I’ve got coffee on and you look like you could use a cup.

  His clothing looked slept-in and a smattering of stubble covered his face. Everett accepted a mug of coffee like a man who’d gone hungry for days. Thank you, he sighed. The motel coffee wasn’t what I’d call potable, he lamented.

  Motel? You stayed in a motel last night? How did you get back here? Annie raised one eyebrow, silently questioning this revelation. There was only one motel anywhere near Rosewood Place and it was several miles from her home. The police station was a further ten or so miles away. Walking was not a likely mode of transportation for someone who had been taken away in a police car.

  Believe it or not, Coopersville has at least one reliable Uber driver, Everett replied before savoring another mouthful of coffee.

  Annie felt foolish for not thinking of that herself. She supposed it wasn’t a service she’d ever needed since she’d been back home, but of course that didn’t mean that others in town wouldn’t want to use it.

  Did you stay at the place down by the interstate? she asked. The place Emmett told Philip to try?

  Everett nodded curtly. I did.

  Did you go looking for him? she asked, sensing that this was the case.

  Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe. But, either way, I didn’t see him. He wasn’t there.

  Annie looked surprised. "What?

  Everett lowered his eyes and dropped his head slightly. I wanted to speak with him after the police told me I could leave. I learned something from your chief of police that made me pretty upset. I guess I wanted to take out that anger on Philip, give him a piece of my mind since I couldn’t yell at Kim.

  Annie frowned. I’m sorry, but what good would that do? She changed her tone, made it gentler and more sympathetic. Having those types of conversations when we’re angry rarely ends well, she pointed out. What did the police tell you?

  Everett took a deep breath. "According to the police, my father was given insider information regarding a property that I was very involved with two years ago. Do you remember how I told you that I sometimes helped historical preservation societies with certain projects? Well, Horley House was one of those. It was a beautiful, but crumbling, old house on the edge of the city proper in Atlanta. It was being used as low income housing, but the historical society and I believed that we could have gotten it approved for a historical preservation grant.

  I even offered to pay to relocate the three families living in the building into one of my father’s other properties. The grant money would have helped with that expense, of course, but I mostly wanted to see that place restored to its former glory because it really was a stunning old building.

  What happened? You said you wanted to see it restored, but I’m guessing something happened.

  Everett nodded. I didn’t tell my father about this place. I knew it was in the same area he was hoping to buy into in order to expand his modern housing project. He wanted to tear Horley House down and build overpriced condos inside a semi-gated community. Property values in that area are getting to be stupidly high. I warned him that it was a dodgy investment at best, but he wouldn’t listen.

  Realization filled Annie’s eyes. He bought Horley House before you could save it.

  Yes. That’s not all. It was almost as though my father had read my mind and acted before I could. I always just assumed it was because he was a savvy businessman, but six months ago something weird happened.

  What?

  Kimberly called me, out of the blue. She told me that she’d seen the writeup in the paper about Dad’s new condos. She told me that she was sorry that he’d gotten to them first because she knew how much I’d wanted to save the place. I thought it was weird that she was calling me, but maybe it wasn’t weird. Maybe she was just feeling guilty.

  For what? Annie asked. She wasn’t working for your father by that point, so what would she have to feel guilty about?

  I think she told my father about Horley House. I think she told him, and then he did everything he could to get that building away from the historical society so he could tear it down. Everett’s jaw clenched. Emmett Barnes told me that the police found correspondence between Kim and my father regarding the Horley House project. She’d been emailing him for months about it, forwarding messages from the zoning department and even sending him information about the preservation grant request.

  Did she know that you were trying to save the building?

  Yeah, she did. He spat the words out as though they tasted bitter. I talked with her a lot about that place, about how we could preserve such a beautiful old building. I think she took that information and gave it to my father.

  But why would she do that? I thought she was your friend?

  Everett shook his head. I did, too. I thought a lot of things about Kim, but now I’m beginning to wonder if she wasn’t just lying to me the whole time.

  I don’t know what to say, Annie offered, but I’m sorry that you found this out now. You can’t know what Kim was thinking or why she gave this information to your father, but I don’t think blaming her will do any good now, she added quietly.

  Oh, I’m not blaming Kim, Everett replied. I blame my father. Whatever role Kim played in this, I’m sure it was nothing compared to my father’s part in it. I know he comes across as all kind and generous, but believe me, that man is a shark. I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow forced Kim to share information with him. He’s not the benevolent benefactor he makes himself out to be.

  Annie stiffened at his statement. Maxwell did seem to be playing the part of a grieving fatherly figure, but she’d seen how both Maxwell and Marlena had kept Gareth scurrying. She wasn’t completely naive. Annie knew that men like Maxwell Marshall didn’t become multi-million dollar successes because they were nice people. Perhaps Everett was right about his father. Perhaps he’d known how close Kim and Everett had become and used that relationship to his own advantage. It would certainly be a shrewd business move for the property mogul, but it would also be a despicable one.

  If you’ll excuse me, Everett said, sitting his coffee mug on the kitchen counter, I think I’m going to go upstairs and have a shower. I don’t want to see my parents—either of them—until later, so if you don’t mind…

  Annie held up a hand. No worries. I won’t even tell them you’re back. Let me know if you need anything. Breakfast is usually served around nine, though admittedly we’ve been a bit off schedule with the baby in the house.

  Everett’s face contorted slightly. Annie thought she detected a look of both melancholy and worry. Don’t worry about breakfast for me, Everett told her. I seem to have lost my appetite this morning. He turned away and started towards the foyer and the stairs that would lead him to his room. He stopped once more in the doorway of the kitchen.

  Annie, thank you for all you’ve done for Emma. You and your mother didn’t have to take her in, but I’m certainly glad that you did. She deserves better than what she’s had, he said solemnly.

  We’re just happy to help. As a mother, I can only hope that someone would have done the same for Devon if anything had happened to me, she replied.

  Everett gave a curt nod, then continued on to his room. Annie stood in her kitchen, her cup of coffee long cold, and considered the terrible situation that brought her current guests to Rosewood Place. Regardless of what actually happened to Kimberly Ashcroft, regardless of who killed her, the Marshall family would never be the same again. Annie just hoped that the police could get justice for the dead woman and hopefully bring peace to those who truly grieved for her.

  19

  Marlena�
��s Moods

  Oh, do let me hold the darling child for a minute. Marlena was slightly more subdued than she’d been the last time Annie had seen her. She had come downstairs and had coffee, though she declined breakfast, claiming that she had no appetite due to the stress of her son being incarcerated overnight.

  Annie didn’t bother to correct the woman. Everett made it clear that he wasn’t happy with either of his parents and Annie didn’t want to add fuel to an already out-of-control fire, so she simply kept her mouth shut.

  Reluctantly, Annie let Marlena hold Emma while Annie folded baby clothes on a chair in the sitting room. Bessie had volunteered to clean up the breakfast dishes and since Devon was at school, Annie was left holding the baby.

  Above them, Annie could just hear the faint tapping of Rory’s hammer. He’d finally gotten around to replacing a few of the loose shingles on the roof. The weather report said that a storm with high winds was expected later in the evening and Rory wanted to make sure that the roof was as prepared as possible for the onslaught. Hurricane season on the coast meant autumn storms for Coopersville, despite the fact that it was several hours’ drive from the ocean.

  Is your handyman on the roof? Marlena asked, propping the baby up on her knee.

  Annie nodded. He’s securing a few shingles. We’re supposed to be in for some nasty weather this evening, so he wanted to take care of it before it gets too windy.

  I must admit, I do love a good storm, Marlena confided, tickling Emma under her chin and eliciting a chuckle from the child. They always seem to clear the air, don’t they?

  Annie nodded. I suppose they do. Still, I could do without all the wind and rain. Maybe just a windless, rainless storm without any hail or lightning, she suggested with a chuckle.

  Well, while we’re imagining things, let’s have a storm that rains down Gucci purses, too, Marlena replied. For the first time since she’d arrived at Rosewood Place, Marlena Marshall smiled an actual, genuine smile. She let out a gentle, easy laugh that made her look suddenly much younger. Annie realized with a start that there was genuine joy on the woman’s face, and it was clear that Emma was the cause of that joy.