Deception in the Truth

by A. B. Medley

  His eyes shadow with pain and he says, “I lost my temper when I found out what she was hiding, and it messed me up. And because of that, I was charged with domestic assault, even though I didn’t touch her. I was charged with DUI because I was drunk and got in my truck to drive home after being at High Road.”

  He looks down at his clasped hands. “What was this big secret you found out that night?” His lips press together tightly and then flicks his eyes at Ivie. “It’s a private family matter. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”

  I can tell it was something big. But what? “Okay, I understand, Mr. McCree. Could you tell me why you left as soon as your probationary period was up?” He looks back up.

  “I couldn’t deal with the truth I found out that night. So, I left. End of story.”

  This time Ivie speaks up.

  “Have you even spoken to Lucy at all since you left? I understand things can go wrong in your marriage, but she’s your daughter. What did she do to deserve you walking out on her?” I can hear the anger in her voice for her childhood best friend.

  He looks at Ivie and says, “First off, it’s none of your business. Second, I have talked to her. There’s nothing more to say.” Ivie scoffs but closes her mouth.

  “Just one more question, why do you think Judge Davis gave you a harsher sentence than one would normally get—your time in jail and your subsequent probation—considering you never had trouble with the law before?”

  He looks at me, and this time I see rage in his eyes. “How should I know the answer to that? Maybe you should ask the judge yourself.” I plan to, I think to myself. I get up and Ivie follows suit. “Thank you, Mr. McCree. I think I have all that I need.” I head toward the door first and step out, but he put his arm out to stop Ivie. What the hell?

  Steve stops me before I can follow Sterling out the front door. “Be careful, Ivie. Everyone has secrets. And some secrets can destroy everything you think you know. You better be mindful of who you trust.”

  I look at him like he’s gone mad. “What are you saying?” I demand.

  “I’m just telling you to be careful who you trust. Sometimes the people closest to you are the ones who keep the biggest secrets, the ones that can rip your heart out.” I just stare at him for a minute as a chill slides down my spine. I turn on my heel and walk out the door to where Sterling’s waiting on me.

  I hear the front door shut and lock. Sterling looks at me and raises his eyebrow in question. “What was that about?”

  I walk alongside him to the truck. “I have no idea. None.”

  We both get in the truck, and Sterling fires it up. He turns to me. “He knows a lot more than he’s letting on. I think he knows exactly why your dad gave him that sentence. The answer may be in whatever that family secret is and exactly what your dad may know about it.”

  I don’t want to think my dad knows anything about it. But deep in my gut I know he does. “I’m going to do some more digging when we get back and see if he’s been in Greendale,” Sterling tells me. I look out the window, thoughts weighing heavily on my shoulders.

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” I pick up my phone and open my photos to a shot of me and Lucy smiling at the camera, without a care in the world. She’s always had my back. I hope she’ll let me have hers with whatever’s going on here. I wonder if she even knows what this family secret is. Sterling breaks me out of my reverie.

  “What did Steve say to you, Ivie?” I still look out the window. “He said to be careful with secrets. That everyone has them.” I look at Sterling, and he glances back at me with his eyebrows furrowed before looking back to the road. I don’t tell him about the part where he said sometimes the people we care about the most, have the biggest secrets and end up being the ones that will hurt us the most.

  My mind races a hundred directions with that thought. My own secrets hurt Sterling and could hurt Dean and my parents, even though they’re from years ago. Betrayal is betrayal, no matter when it happened. I also think about my dad. I know there’s a lot he hasn’t told me over the years. What did you do, Dad? I close my eyes. What did you do?

  We pull back up to the ranch and see Tate on the tractor. He waves as we get out.

  Ivie tips her head toward Tate. “Who is that?”

  “That’s Tate Marks. He’s my foreman and partner. I’d be lost without him on this ranch. He’s about my age, and his family’s always been close with mine. He loves this place. He used to come in the summers to help out. To be honest, he’s kind of like my little brother. He lives in a cabin on the other side of the property. When my grandpa passed, he was taken care of just like my parents and me and my sister. He’s one of us, always has been.” I smile at her.

  “I see. I didn’t know that. I do remember seeing him with you some in the summers back then, though,” she says as she grabs her bag and I grab mine.

  “Do you want to come in for a bit?” I ask.

  “Sure.” She smiles sweetly. “Just let me throw my bag in my Jeep, and I’ll be right in.” I wink at her.

  “Okay I’m going to head on in with my bag, just come in when you get done. I need to go check in with Tate, too.” She nods and heads to her Jeep. I run into the house and drop off my bag in the bedroom. I start to head out the door and get a text message.

  Blocked number: Can you handle your competition? Do you think she’ll choose you? Time will tell.

  I glance around but just see Tate still on the tractor and Ivie locking up her car and heading toward the house. I lock my phone and head to where Tate is pulling close to the barn. He waits for me by the fence.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  “Hey, Tate. Everything go okay while I was gone?” He looks down at me. “Yeah, everything with the ranch is fine. All the livestock are good. Fields and fences are good. But…” He hesitates.

  “But what, Tate?” He shakes his head. “You’ve had a few visitors today.”

  “Visitors? Who?”

  “Lynn came by asking where you were. Jade drove by but never pulled in. I guess she could see your truck wasn’t here. And your buddy from high school, Dean Warren,” Tate replies.

  That catches my attention. “Dean stopped by? What did he say?”

  He looks up at the house. “He asked where you were and who’s Jeep that was, then he asked when you’d be back. I told him I didn’t know, and if he needed to reach you, he could just call you.”

  I look back up to the house and see Ivie step on the porch in search of me. “Thanks, Tate. I’ll take care of it.” I walk back to the house, frustrated. Jade and Lynn just can’t seem to take no for an answer. But Dean… What would he be doing coming out here already? Did he figure out it was Ivie’s Jeep? He must’ve seen her get in it the other night at High Road. I don’t know how he’ll take me and Ivie getting closer.

  I walk up to Sterling’s house and start to go in when I feel my phone vibrate. It’s a text from a number I don’t know. But it’s not blocked.

  Hey V. It’s Dean. I just thought that maybe we could grab lunch or dinner tomorrow…

  How’d he get my number? I didn’t give it to him, and I certainly had changed it from when we dated, so it’s not like he had it saved or remembered it.

  I send back: Sure. We can grab lunch if you want. Noon at Frank’s Diner?

  He responds almost instantly: It’s a date.

  I pocket my phone and blow out a breath. Not a date, Dean. Should I even be having lunch with him? Especially after last night and this morning with Sterling? It’s just lunch. He’s an old friend. Guilt slides through my mind. Yeah, an old boyfriend. I’ll tell Sterling about it. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

  I smile nervously as I watch Sterling finish talking to Tate and head this way.

  “Hey, everything okay?” he asks as he reaches me.

  “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” His eyes bore into mine. “I’m a detective, Ivie. I tend to pick up on body language, and you’re putting off some uncertainty.” />
  I tuck my hair behind my ear. “I’m good. I promise. What about you? Everything okay here on the ranch?” He nods and opens the door for me.

  “Do you want me to cook for you? It’s close to dinner time, and I’m starving.” He winks as I walk past him. My stomach starts to growl just thinking about food. We drove straight back from Murfreesboro after filling up with fuel and didn’t stop.

  “What are you cooking for me, Brigg?”

  “I have some steaks I can throw on the grill for us. And some asparagus. Would you mind mashing some potatoes while I do the other?” I follow him to the kitchen.

  “Sure, just tell me where everything is, and I’ll take care of it.” He walks over to me and kisses my lips, taking my bottom lip between his teeth gently before releasing me. He shows me where everything is and then grabs the steaks and asparagus and heads to his grill out back.

  It takes about forty-five minutes, but we get it thrown together and eat in his dining room. I sip on some red wine while he has a beer. Everything is delicious. “I didn’t know you could cook, Sterling. You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” I grin at him over the rim of my glass.

  He smiles back, and I notice the stubble on his face. If it’s possible, he looks even sexier than ever. I feel heat wash up to my cheeks, and my smile gets bigger.

  “What? I have to know how to cook so I can eat, don’t I?” He sits his bottle down. “What are you smiling so big about?”

  I sit down my glass too. “Nothing at all, Detective. You just make me smile. What can I say?” He stands and reaches for my hand. I give it to him and stand as well. He pulls me to his chest and runs his finger over my lip.

  “Do you know how beautiful you are?” I can’t answer because he closes his lips down on mine, parting them with his tongue and claiming my mouth as his own.

  My phone vibrates again, but this time it’s a call, not a text. I break the embrace. “Sorry, let me see who this is.” I look down and see Lucy’s name. “It’s Lucy, let me catch this.” He steps back and starts putting things away in the kitchen.

  I walk out onto his back deck. “Hey Lucy. What’s up?” I shut the back door. “Ivie, I got a call from my dad that he saw you today. What were you doing, going after him?” That’s strange for him to call her, when both of them were pretty clear that they weren’t in touch with each other.

  “We just had some questions to ask him, Lucy, that’s all.”

  I hear her huff. “We? Who exactly is we, Ivie? What’s going on?” I turn and see Sterling still moving around in the kitchen.

  “Listen, can we just meet up and talk about this?” She takes a minute to answer.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. Where do you want to meet?” My parents went out of town for the weekend and won’t be back until tomorrow. “Why don’t you just come to the house? I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” She agrees, and I start back for the door. “I’ll see you then.”

  Sterling stops and looks at me as he puts the last dish in the dishwasher. “Is everything all right?”

  I pocket my phone. “Uh… I don’t know, honestly. Lucy told me her dad called and told her I was there today. I can tell she’s upset. I’m going to tell her what’s going on. She’s coming to my parent’s house in about twenty minutes.” His eyes become guarded.

  “Be careful telling her too much. We still don’t know who this is or why they’re targeting you and your dad.”

  I put my hand on his face. “Sterling, this is Lucy we’re talking about. She’s always been my best friend, more like a sister to me. She’s fine.”

  He puts his hands on either side of my face and kisses me. “I just don’t want you taking any chances, Ivie. You’ve been attacked before, and we still don’t know by who.” I lean into his hand. “I know. But I’ll be fine. I promise. I’ve got to go. Thanks for dinner.” I kiss him once more before heading to the front door.

  I watch as Ivie pulls out of my drive. There goes my evening of wanting to show her how I feel about her. I need to see if I can find out if Steve’s been in town recently, anyway. I walk into my office and open my computer.

  I search everything I can about his coming and goings the last month. Nothing leads me to believe he’s been here recently. I close my computer, empty handed, after an hour or so. I pull out the pictures and message that landed on my desk that started this whole thing and study them all. “Who are you and what do you want?” I say to myself again.

  My phone rings. “Brigg,” I answer without checking the caller ID.

  “Hey, man it’s Dean. What are you up to?” I put the pictures back in the envelope and push back in my chair.

  “I’m just working, buddy. How about you?”

  He chuckles. “Ah not much. It’s the weekend. What you mean you’re working?”

  I run my hand over the stubble on my jaw. “Yeah, man, I don’t keep bankers’ hours. When I’m in the middle of a case it doesn’t stop till it’s done.”

  He shoots back, “Can you take a break? I thought we could catch up?” I look at the clock on my desk. It’s only six. “Sure, you want to just come out to the ranch?” I stand and put the envelope in my desk drawer.

  “Sounds good. I’ll be there in about ten.” He clicks off, and I go back into the kitchen and can still faintly smell the steaks from dinner. I walk out to sit on my porch and wait on Dean.

  A few minutes later his white Silverado pulls down the drive. He gets out and heads up to the porch with me. He flashes that cocky grin he’s always had.

  “Sterling Brigg.”

  I grab his hand and slap his back. “In the flesh. You want a beer?” He walks with me through the front door.

  “Heck yeah.” I grab two out of the fridge.

  “How have you been, Dean?” I ask as I take a pull from my beer and wait as he does the same.

  “I’ve been staying busy, myself. You went the law enforcement route. I went the fire and rescue route. I took off this week to come and see my folks. It’s been too long since I’ve taken time off. And I live close enough but just don’t make it back here much. I love being a firefighter, but every now and then you need to recharge. Am I right?”

  I lead him to the living room so we can sit down. “I know the feeling. I just don’t really get to take breaks. Someone’s always breaking the law. I haven’t had a vacation in…well, ever really. My parents still live close by; they wanted to downsize when I took over the ranch. And Briella is still here too, finishing school. She has an apartment in town. She’s following in my footsteps, studying criminal justice.”

  He laughs. “I’m glad your parents and your sister are still close by. I can’t believe Briella would chase after you—or maybe I do. She always tried to hang around us when we were in school. She always seemed like one of the guys, in a way. You were always her hero.” He chuckles.

  “But come on, dude. You’ve got to be doing something besides working all the time. I know we both have a sense of duty with what we do, but you have to have a life too.”

  I tap the side of my bottle. “I just haven’t really had the time. What about you? What personal life are you living these days?” He slides back in the chair a little more. “I don’t have time for a lot of things either. But I have to admit seeing Ivie again the other night got me thinking about what I want.”

  My gut tightens, and I feel jealousy shoot through me. “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “I don’t know exactly. I mean, I’ve had women through the years but never a real connection. Not since Ivie. I guess seeing her again made me realize I want to find that connection again.” I can almost see red I’m so angry.

  “What are you saying, Dean? You want to find a connection with someone in general or are you saying you want to find it again with Ivie?” He just looks at me.

  “I do want to connect with her again. Seeing her again was a wakeup call. I’ve really missed her. I just didn’t know how much until the other night.” I’m trying hard to rein in my temper.
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br />   “Dean, weren’t you the one who was messing around behind her back? Who was it with, anyway? You told me you had cheated on her back then but never told me with who.” He puts his elbows on his knees and leans forward.

  “I’m not proud of it, Sterling. I never was. I was close to ending it when I was attacked and then I never got a chance, because Ivie broke up with me and left before I could make it right. I was going to come clean with her.” He looks up at me before hanging his head. “It was Jade Lancaster. But I’d already told her I was done, that I loved Ivie. She was furious. But I never told Ivie since she left me anyway.”

  I run my hand over my face. “Damn, Dean, why haven’t you already told me this? Years ago?” Dean sighs. “I don’t know, man. I had lost Ivie anyway, so I figured there was no reason for anyone to know about Jade. After Ivie left, she finally got the message loud and clear after that I didn’t want anything else to do with her. I haven’t seen or talked to her since. There was really no point.” He pauses.

  “Why was Ivie’s Jeep here last night and this morning? Are you two…?” I stop him. “I’m working a case for her and her dad. We had to follow up on a lead.” His eyes narrow as if he’s trying to catch me in a lie.

  “Is she okay? When she was attacked after I was, I wanted to be there, but I was still recovering myself. Is this related? I know our attacker was ever found.”

  I size him up, too. “I can’t discuss the case, Dean.” I get up and walk back in the kitchen to grab us another beer each since we both drained ours.

  He followed me into the kitchen. I turned and handed him the new bottle. “It’s me, Sterling. I was your best friend growing up. And you know I’d never hurt Ivie.”

  “Wouldn’t you? Really, Dean? You’d never hurt her? You just sat in there and told me who you cheated on her with. Were you thinking about not hurting her then?” I bark at him.