Lullabies & Lies

by Ruby Blaylock

  Rory groaned. If I get sent back to prison because you broke into someone’s car…

  Annie had the door opened and was looking for the trunk release button. She saw it, pushed it, and closed the door as quietly as possible. I’ll look, you just keep an eye out for Emmett or Philip. Or Gareth, she added quickly.

  They hurried to the trunk of the car, pausing long enough to check that no one was watching from outside. Thankfully, the guests’ rooms all had windows that faced to the rear of the house or the front. Since the cars were parked to the side of Rosewood Place, Annie felt protected enough to risk her sneaky endeavor.

  She lifted the trunk lid quickly and carefully. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find, but at first, she was disappointed. On one side there was a tire iron and jack tucked neatly into a small indention in the trunk. Beside them sat something shiny, black, and round, shaped like a helmet of some sort.

  The other side of the trunk was only slightly more interesting. There was a suitcase with what looked like several days’ worth of clothes in it. There was also a bag with baby things—diapers, formula, a few articles of clothing—but not much else. Annie’s stomach felt like it had dropped out of her stomach. She was certain that she would find something incredibly damning in the car, but it appeared to be filled with the debris of an everyday life.

  Wait, Rory said as she moved to close the trunk. What’s that?

  ‘That’ was a small accordion wallet, the type used to store receipts and other small pieces of paper. It was grey, the same color as the carpet lining the trunk, and very easy to miss. Annie scooped it up and flipped it open. Her jaw fell open as she pulled out the three passports and confirmation receipts for three airline tickets inside. They were the type of receipts you printed at home, but they definitely looked legitimate.

  There was a passport and a plane ticket for both Philip and Emma. Annie expected the third passport to belong to Kimberly, but the face smiling back at her was definitely not the dead woman’s, and neither was the name on the third plane ticket receipt.

  Is that? Rory asked, not quite finishing his question.

  Yep, Annie replied, shoving the tickets and passports back into the wallet. That’s Gareth Higgenbotham. I wonder if the Marshalls know that their personal assistant is planning to run away with the man they hate? She replaced the wallet and closed the trunk. "And what would they say if they knew he was planning to take the baby

  that they think is their granddaughter?"

  28

  Showdowns and Confessions

  Annie and Rory hurried back to the house, afraid to push their luck in case someone came outside. Annie slammed her fist into her palm in frustration. Okay, I get that this is all very weird, but what exactly does it mean?

  Rory let out a small snort. Well, I think it means that Philip might like guys, he suggested sarcastically. Annie thought back to what Everett had said about his surprise at Kim’s engagement to Philip. He hadn’t pegged Kim as Philip’s type. Had Everett known that Philip wasn’t strictly interested in women? Or was Annie getting it all wrong altogether? Could there be any logical explanation for why the Marshall family’s current personal assistant would be heading off to France with someone they claimed to hate?

  Those tickets were dated for a departure two days from now, but did you see the date the receipt was printed? Annie waited for Rory to reply, but he simply shook his head. The print date was a week ago, before Kim was killed.

  So Philip knew he was going to France with Gareth while Kim was still alive, Rory said, putting the pieces together. Emmett needs to know this.

  Annie nodded. Yeah, but I was hoping we wouldn’t have to tell him that we broke into Philip’s car to get this bit of information, she replied. I think we need to find a way to trip Philip up, catch him in his lie.

  Why don’t we just get him to confess, too, while we’re at it? Rory asked, suppressing an eyeroll. I think we should just fess up to Em and let him take care of it.

  You’ve been to prison once. Do you really want to go there again? Annie planted her feet firmly on the floor of the sitting room and placed her hands on her hips. I don’t want to go to jail.

  Now Rory laughed out loud. No one is going to prison or jail. You didn’t steal anything and I didn’t touch anything. And the most senior member of law enforcement in this town is about to become your stepfather, so I think he’ll let us off the hook, he reminded her.

  Annie knew he was probably right about it all. Well, she wasn’t entirely certain that her mother was going to say yes to Emmett’s proposal, but her gut told her it was a pretty likely scenario. Still, she wanted to solve Kim’s murder herself. Annie liked to think that she’d become something of a sleuth since she’d moved to Rosewood Place. She hoped that she’d become a better judge of character, too, though she’d nearly been fooled by Philip’s grieving fiance act.

  We need to know if he’s even that baby’s father, Annie said suddenly. He’s lied about everything else, why wouldn’t he lie about that, too?

  You think the birth certificate he brought in was fake?

  Annie hesitated. I don’t know. I do know that they can be altered after they’re issued. If Kim declined to list the baby’s father initially, she could have added him later.

  That doesn’t seem likely to me. Why would she leave him off just to add him on there later?

  Annie’s eyes widened. That’s it.

  What?

  What if Kim was going to meet with Everett to tell him that he was Emma’s father so she could put his name on the birth certificate? Or she could have been asking him to waive his rights as the baby’s father so she could move to Europe.

  Only Philip had no plans to take her to Europe because he was taking Gareth, Rory interjected.

  We need to get Everett to take a paternity test, Annie declared.

  I already have.

  Annie spun to find Everett standing in the doorway of the sitting room. He had a strange look on his face, a mixture of sorrow and wonder.

  Did you get the results yet? she asked him gently.

  Your Chief of Police just told me. He took a deep breath, held it for a long moment, then let it out. She never told me. She told me that she was pregnant before she left, but then when the baby was born, she let me believe that Philip was the father. I didn’t want to believe it, but I never thought that Kim could have lied to me.

  Do you mean—

  Yeah, according to the test results I am Emma’s father. Everett didn’t quite manage a smile.

  Not sure how to feel about that? Annie asked. I know you’ve been through a lot these past few days. It’s okay to not know how to feel.

  I’m just so…angry, he admitted. I’m angry at Kim for not telling me sooner. I’m angry at whoever took her away from me before I could get a chance to tell her how I really felt. And I’m angry at myself for not fighting harder for her.

  Man, you can’t beat yourself up over any of this, Rory interjected. Regret will eat you up. But you have something amazing upstairs. You’ve got a daughter, a part of Kim that still lives on. You’ve got a second chance, he said solemnly. Those don’t come often, so grab on to it.

  Annie was touched by Rory’s statement. She knew he was right—second chances were hard to come by—but thankfully she’d found her own second chance at happiness under the roof of Rosewood Place.

  What are you going to do? About the baby, I mean. Annie didn’t want to seem too pushy, but she knew that they would have to confront Philip sooner rather than later and she wanted to know that Emma would have a safe place to go once the dust had settled.

  I don’t know. I mean, just this morning I was a bachelor with no plans to settle down thanks to a broken heart. Now, I’m a dad. He shook his head and let out a chuckle. Can you imagine my mother as a grandmother?

  Annie bit her bottom lip. Actually, I can. I think she sort of wanted Emma to be your baby anyways. She thought about the letter that Marlena claimed to have intercepted fr
om Kim. I think you and your mother need to have a long talk about being open and honest with each other. Oh, and your father, too.

  Everett’s smile faded. My family is just so messed up. I don’t know if my parents know how to be truthful anymore.

  Annie sighed. Maybe they need a second chance, too?

  Everett nodded, but before he could reply, Bessie’s voice cut him off.

  Annie, are you in the sitting room? Bessie’s head appeared in the doorway, followed by the rest of her. There’s a man here about the tree. He says you need him to remove the pine tree from the driveway. I suppose the Marshalls will want to be leaving soon, she added, nodding towards Everett.

  And that horrible Hutchens man is chomping at the bit to leave. He’s already packed up Emma’s things and put them in the foyer. I swear, he’s the rudest person I have ever met. Bessie let out an exasperated breath. Poor little angel is napping again. I think she must be hitting a growth spurt, Bessie suggested.

  Mama, don’t let him leave with that baby! Annie rushed to her mother. Didn’t Emmett tell you? Everett is Emma’s father, not Philip.

  Everett? But Philip is on the birth certificate. Doesn’t that make him the legal parent? Bessie looked at Everett as though she was seeing him for the first time. Did you know that you’re her father?

  No, ma’am. I only found out today. He lowered his head sheepishly. I know how this all must look, but I’m sure that Kim had her reasons for not telling me.

  I don’t like this, Bessie scowled. I don’t like this one bit. Who is this baby’s legal guardian if his name is on the birth certificate but you’re the real father?

  I am. Philip’s voice carried down the stairs ahead of him. He was carrying something in his arms, a bundle of pink blankets and chubby legs. The baby barely stirred as he carried her down into the foyer.

  What on earth… Bessie turned to face the man who had dared enter her bedroom and take the sleeping child from her travel cot. She reached into her front pocket and retrieved the baby monitor’s receiver. I didn’t hear a thing, she said to Annie. He just snuck right in there and took her and I didn’t hear a thing!

  Bessie appeared to be both stressed and flustered, which Annie knew was a bad combination. Angry usually came next, and if the look Bessie was giving Philip meant anything, it meant that he’d better get out of Bessie’s line of fire pronto.

  "Give me that baby, Mr. Hutchens." Bessie’s voice was firm and full of fire. Annie had never seen her mother so angry before.

  I will not. She’s my child, you saw the birth certificate, and I will be taking her with me as soon as your man removes the tree from the driveway. Philip narrowed his eyes at Bessie, not backing down in the least. "Your

  hospitality has been noted. I’m sure the Marshalls will tip you all generously."

  A sour taste filled Annie’s mouth. It was one thing to walk into her mother’s room without Bessie’s permission, but it was quite another to insult the woman’s hospitality. Annie could see a tiny vein in Bessie’s forehead beginning to throb. She thought, for the briefest of moments, that her mother would dive onto Philip and physically remove Emma from his arms.

  Will Mr. Higgenbotham be leaving with you? Rory asked.

  Annie spun her head around and smiled at Rory. He grinned back at her. Philip reacted quite differently.

  Why would he possibly accompany me? Philip asked, shifting Emma in his arms.

  Well, I couldn’t help but notice how close you two seemed out by your car earlier. And you can’t tell me that you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you, Rory added. The man’s got a major crush on you.

  Annie could see Philip struggling to keep his breathing even. He jostled the baby again, waking her. She began to cry. Philip’s composure began to crack.

  Sssh, he whispered loudly to Emma, but his tone wasn’t the least bit soothing.

  Why don’t you hand her to my mother, Annie suggested gently. Emma just woke up, so she probably needs a diaper change," she added, keeping her tone as soothing as possible.

  Between Rory’s taunts, Bessie’s anger, and Annie’s sympathy, Philip didn’t know how to react. He glanced around the room expectantly, as if he’d expected to see something or someone in the room but didn’t.

  Bessie moved to leave the room, but Philip was blocking the doorway. I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mrs. Purdy. Philip shouldered Emma, hoping to stop her crying with a change of position. Why don’t we all just stay right here until I can leave, okay?

  Annie stepped forward. Mr. Hutchens, I know how much you want to leave, but if I don’t go out there and tell the tree man to start cutting, he won’t lift a finger. Nobody can leave until that tree is gone, so I suggest you let me go and take care of that.

  Much to Annie’s surprise, Philip stepped aside. He glared at her as she passed him, and Annie could see that he hated not being in control of the situation. She wasted no time in going out to the old pine tree, but she had no plan to tell the tree man to start working any time soon. She just needed to buy Emmett some time to get a police car to the inn. But first, she’d need to explain to him why they’d need one.

  *****

  Annie’s heart was racing when she returned to the sitting room. For the most part, everyone was where they had been when she’d left. In the back of her mind, Annie wondered what would happen if Everett and Rory just rushed Philip and took Emma from him. Would he fight back? Would he try and hurt the baby? She suspected that he might do both, though he may not mean to hurt the child.

  Annie thought that Philip really did care about Emma, but she knew that he couldn’t be left alone with her. She waited only long enough to be sure that backup was on the way, then she returned to the scene unfolding in the sitting room.

  How long did he say it will be? Philip asked, pacing with the baby in his arms. Annie could see that he wanted to put her down. He’d been holding her and standing for at least fifteen minutes. That was the longest she’d seen him spend with the child since his arrival and Annie could tell that he was not used to being a very hands-on parent.

  Annie hesitated to answer. It may take a while, she replied. It’s a complicated situation we have here, she added. Annie had stopped in the doorway of the sitting room, forcing Philip to step further inside. She could see that this agitated him, but apart from a scowl, he said nothing.

  I don’t see how complicated it is to remove a fallen tree, he quipped.

  I saw Emmett while I was outside, Annie added. I asked about the birth certificate. I explained that you are anxious to leave.

  Ha! That’s the understatement of the year! If I had to leave a review for this place, Mrs. Richards, I’m afraid it wouldn’t get very high marks.

  Bessie turned to her daughter. What did Em say? Is he letting Mr. Hutchens take the baby?

  Annie squared her shoulders. I think you know the answer to that question, don’t you, Mr. Hutchens?

  Philip’s face turned a dark shade of scarlet. You have no reason to keep me from my child!

  I think murder is a very good reason to keep you from her, Annie replied. Why would we send that baby home with the man who killed her mother?

  Bessie let out a little gasp. I knew you were a bad man.

  Philip shook his head vehemently. You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Let me guess, I must have done it so I can cash in on Kimberly’s huge life insurance policy. Oh, but wait—she didn’t have one. She had a tiny policy that should just about cover the cost of a cremation, that’s all.

  Annie shook her head. "She only had a small policy on herself, but what about the one that you took out for her?" Annie watched Philip’s eyes grow large. He had no idea that anyone other than himself knew about the policy.

  I wondered why someone would go out of their way to kill that poor private investigator, Mr. Preminger. When Emmett told me that he received a package from that very same PI at his office last night, I realized that poor Mr. Preminger must have known something about you
that the police didn’t. Actually, he knew a lot.

  Philip snarled. This is all just a pack of lies.

  Like the lie about you and Kim moving to Italy? Or the lie about your relationship to Gareth Higgenbotham? Annie narrowed her eyes. Whose idea was it to kill Kimberly, yours or his?

  You have no proof, not for any of this, Philip growled. You can’t prove anything and you can’t stop me from taking my daughter.

  I may not have proof, but I think there’s enough circumstantial evidence to keep you in this country for a while, so you might want to cancel those tickets to France. Philip stepped towards the door, but Annie put her hands up to stop him. I don’t think you want to do that. You can’t get out of my driveway until that tree’s gone and I’m sure the police are going to have more than a few questions for you and Mr. Higgenbotham.

  Everett had been silent during the entire exchange, but now he spoke. Why? Why did you kill her? For money? He shook his head and wiped away a renegade tear that had escaped his eye. Was it to get back at my family? Is that why you killed her? I want answers, dammit!

  Rory held Everett back, but Annie could see that the younger Marshall had no fight in him. He looked broken and lost. She pitied him terribly. She knew exactly how he felt because she’d felt the same thing when her husband died and she discovered his infidelity at the funeral.

  The motorcycle speeding down the road after Kim’s car—that was you. Annie had thought it odd that Philip would have a motorcycle helmet in the trunk of his car, but now it made perfect sense. You couldn’t possibly take the baby with you on a bike, so you dropped it off somewhere and then came back in your car. And I really should have realized that something was off when you described exactly where Kim’s body was found, she added. I’m fairly certain that the police wouldn’t have given you such a detailed description of where they found her, yet you knew she was down by the creek.

  Philip’s face paled slightly. He didn’t respond to her statement, but looked down at Emma instead.