Don't Trust Me

by Jessica Lynch

  He raised his voice. “Believe me instead! You’ve gotta know that I didn’t do this. I would never hurt Caitlin!”

  “You handed that gun over yourself, you told them it was yours. The bullets matched.” Tess paused, taking a second to compose herself. It didn’t work. When she spoke again, her voice wavered. “The rope matched, too.”

  “It’s imposs—”

  “You strangled my husband.”

  “Tess, I never—”

  “They found the rope. Detective Rodriguez showed me the photo. Did you know that I remember every single detail about what he looked like dead? It was burned into my mind so bad, I’ve been branded with the memory. I’ll never forget. You could show me a hundred different ropes and I would know it again if I saw it.” Her chin wobbled. “You had that rope in your garage, Deputy.”

  “It wasn’t mine. I don’t know how—”

  She never rose her voice. “You gave them your gun. You had to know they would figure it out. Did you want to get caught? Tell me. What reason did you have to hurt them?”

  “I didn’t! You have to believe me!” In desperation, he yanked the bars again, rattling them. “I’m innocent!”

  Spit flew from his mouth. Despite the distance she imposed, the spit hit her dead in the face. Tess took a hurried step away from him. Wiping her cheek, her nose, she shook her head, wrung her hands. And she wondered, if it were possible, would she take back any of her actions that led them to this point? What would she change?

  Since she knew the answer to that question, Tess glanced up. She met his gaze straight.

  “You have no idea how much I wish that was true, but it can’t be. I’m sorry, Mason.” The name slipped out. His eyes lit up. She took another step away from him. “So, so sorry. But not as sorry as you’re going to be.”

  With those parting words, she nodded at the deputy waiting to escort her back through the jailhouse.

  Mason shouting her name was the last thing she heard before the first corridor separated them.

  23

  Caitlin De Angelis’s wake was held on Monday. She was buried on Tuesday. By Wednesday, Tess was ready to grab her luggage and walk out of Hamlet if she had to.

  She was willing to climb the mountain, leap over the gulch, hitchhike as far as she could go, buy a new damn car with Jack’s life insurance. Anything.

  As if answering her prayers, the intercom rang early that afternoon.

  “Yes?”

  A rush of static, then Maria’s apologetic voice. “Tessa, sweetie?” Her voice sounded as throaty as normal, yet tinged with sleep. She must have just woken up. “Someone’s here to see you. They’re waiting at the front door for you. Do you want me to send him to your room?”

  She had no clue who it could be. Lucas wouldn’t wait on the porch. Mason—her stomach twisted in guilt. It couldn’t be him. She hardly met anyone else in Hamlet, secluded as she had been since the night Jack died.

  Maria had been shooing nosy neighbors away for days, using the time to process and grieve and, well, sleep all the tragedy away. Whether she meant to or not, she kept them all away from the outsider who brought death into their small community. There was no way she would let someone in to see Tessa without vouching for them first.

  Caitlin’s murder hit her hard. Though her brother divorced Caitlin years ago, Maria still thought of the sheriff as her sister-in-law. Seeing her get killed had broken something in the upbeat, positive woman. Even worse, knowing that her childhood friend was responsible for pulling the trigger. Tessa didn’t blame her for coping this way. Some people drowned their sorrows in hot showers. Others slept the pain away.

  Curiosity got the better of her. That, and boredom. The Lavender Room might be beautiful, but it seemed more like the holding cell in the sheriff’s station as another day passed.

  Tess nearly tripped over her half-packed duffel in her haste to dash over to the intercom. “That would be great. If you don't mind, let them in.”

  She couldn’t deny the butterflies in her belly as she waited for the inevitable knock. Except for infrequent meals and whenever Lucas stopped by, she stayed locked inside. With Mason behind bars, she knew the threat was gone. That didn’t make it any easier.

  Maria no doubt understood. Why else would she suggest sending an unknown man down to the Lavender Room?

  The knock, when it came, was assertive and brisk. Bang. Bang. Tessa took a deep, calming breath and, with a hint of a smile, opened the door.

  Sylvester Collins was standing on the other side. He had his hat in his hand, his closely shaved head gleaming like a billiard ball. Standing straight and tall, his eyes dark and alert, she could almost ignore the tired frown lines bracketing his severe mouth or the bags under his eyes so deep, she could use them to pack the rest of her clothes.

  She felt another twinge of sympathy. Just like Mason, Collins didn’t look like he had slept at all since the sheriff was killed.

  “Mrs. Sullivan. A moment of your time?”

  “Deputy Collins.” She was surprised to see him standing there and didn’t even try to hide it. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “Afternoon, ma’am.” He jerked his chin at the pile of clothing on the bed, at the open duffel. “I heard you were looking to leave. Seems that’s the case.”

  Tess couldn’t imagine where in the world he could have heard that. The only person she had told was Maria and that was only because she thought it fair to settle up with her when she finally checked out of Ophelia. She supposed Maria told him.

  It didn’t matter. The speed with which any news traveled the cobbled roads of Hamlet no longer surprised her.

  She nodded. “Yes. I was wondering if I could go. With everything that happened, I didn’t know who to ask.”

  Collins blinked. “I guess that would be me. It’s just me and Willie left now, with Rick Hart helping out here and there. We’ll have to get a new sheriff eventually but…”

  “I’m so sorry.” More than she could ever say.

  “Can’t be helped, but thank you kindly. You’ve had your share of loss, too. These have been some dark days here. I don’t blame you for wanting to go. The sooner, the better, I’d wager. That would be best for all of us.”

  She didn’t think he meant to do it on purpose. That didn’t stop Tess from feeling like she was crumbling under the weight of the mountain of guilt on her shoulders. Her bottom lip trembled. “I just want to go home.”

  “That’s why I’ve come. You’re free to go whenever you wish it. In fact, I wanted to let you know that your car is waiting for you down at the station. Seems Mason arranged for the tire to be fixed before… well, you know.” Collins pressed his hat to his chest. His features softened as he looked down on her. “I feel like I should apologize.”

  A lump formed in Tess’s throat. “You don’t have to do that—”

  “Please,” Collins said, holding out his free hand. “Hear me out. You came here for help and one of our own stole so much from you. That’s not who we are. That’s not what Hamlet is.”

  She gulped. With a shaky smile, she said, “Hamlet helps?”

  “We will continue our best to do so. In your husband’s memory. In Caity’s.” He took his hat, put it back on his head. Reaching into his pocket, Collins pulled out a very familiar set of keys. He handed them to her. “You go on, get home safe. The car’s ready to go whenever you are. Don’t worry about Mason. He’ll pay for what he did.”

  She took the keys from him, cradling them to her chest. “I appreciate you telling me that, Deputy. Thank you.”

  “You’re a good lady. For an outsider.”

  She was touched. The fact that his blunt words affected her that way told Tess one very important fact: it was time to get the hell out of Hamlet.

  There was one person she wanted to see before she left.

  Before Deputy Collins called in with the report that Mason was arrested, they spent those two tension-filled days together in Ophelia. Maria slept most of the ti
me which left Tess and Lucas alone together a lot. And while he never once came out and said that he thought she was to blame for Caitlin’s death, she wasn’t stupid. He had to be thinking it.

  Since Maria was still awake following Collins’s visit, Tess asked her hostess if she would mind taking her to the station house so that she could pick up her car. She then tried to broach the topic of paying for the room she rented in Ophelia during the ride.

  Maria wasn’t having any of it. With red-rimmed eyes that still seemed to glitter with unshed tears, she gave her one glorious glare that killed the conversation before Tess could even tactfully ask how much she owed.

  As Maria helped her unload her luggage from the trunk of her coupe into Tess’s car, Tess impulsively reached out and gave the other woman a hug. Maria towered over her by more than a head, swooping down to return the squeeze.

  “I know you have to go,” Maria said, her voice throatier than usual, “and I know that Hamlet is my home, not yours. Still, I’m sad to see you go, Tess. Everything aside, you were a perfect guest, mia amica. Ophelia thanks you. She’ll stay open now, for anyone who needs a good bed and a better breakfast.” Pulling back, she took Tessa’s hand in hers. “Local or outsider, it’s all the same to me.”

  Tess swallowed roughly, trying to get past the lump in her throat. “I’m glad I got to know you, Maria. And I will be sending you a check for payment. I’m told mail really works here, if it just takes a little bit longer. I’ll give it a shot.”

  Maria shook her head grandly, her long dark hair swaying with the motion. “When it does arrive, I’ll burn it. I’ll take no money from a friend.”

  “I left you my e-mail address. I hope you'll use it.”

  “We’ll talk.” A husky chuckle. “I’m sure you’ll be glad not to have to use our radios anymore.”

  A small smile tugged on her lips. “Between you and me, I’d sell my firstborn for cell service. The second I leave Hamlet, I’m looking for a charger. Maybe one day you guys will finally get a reliable tower.”

  “Perhaps.” Maria reached over Tess’s head, made sure the smaller woman was safe, then closed the trunk. “All set, sweetie. Buon viaggio.” She tapped Tess on the cheek. “And when you say goodbye to my brother, let him down gently. He’s a good man, just one that’s meant to stay in Hamlet.”

  Tess knew that very well. She also didn’t even bother denying that she was going to stop and see Lucas on her way out of town. “I will,” she promised.

  It might have been her imagination, but she could’ve sworn the car smelled like Jack. Someone with much longer legs than hers had driven the car last and it took her a minute to move her seat and reset her driving mirrors. The entire time, she felt like Jack should be in the car beside her.

  Once she strapped herself in and fastened her seatbelt, Tess rolled down the windows. The chill didn’t bother her. She had to air out the car.

  As soon as she was home, she would sell the damn thing. There were just too many bad memories attached to it.

  For now, though, she needed it. With a final wave to Maria, she backed out of her spot, almost ecstatic that she was leaving the dreaded station house in her rearview mirror. She never wanted to see that place again.

  Not even the small pang of guilt she felt at not saying goodbye to Willie was enough to compel her to set food inside. Just like the way Jack’s presence was still in the car, Caitlin De Angelis would be haunting the sheriff’s station.

  She couldn’t do it. No.

  Instead, Tess strained to remember the path to Lucas’s office. She was willing to bet that she would find him there. She had to. With him spending all of his spare time at Ophelia, there was no reason for her to discover where his home was. But she knew he was a workaholic—he had to be at his office.

  The candy apple red Mustang in the driveway was a pretty big clue that she was right.

  Tess parked behind his car. She left her purse on the floor of the passenger seat, making sure to grab her car keys before she climbed out. There was no way she was letting those babies out of her sight any time soon.

  Her eyes flickered to the chipped brick on the front of the building. Six days ago she’d been walking down this same driveway, visiting the doctor in his office for the first time. It was amazing how drastically everything could change in less than a week. The sheriff was still alive then. Lucas hadn’t been shot yet, either.

  No one had ever been charged for that crime. Mason adamantly denied shooting at Lucas and Tess. Of course, he also tried to convince her that he had nothing to do with Jack and Caitlin’s murder so there was that.

  Tess strode forward. She thought about knocking, then decided against it. With a deep breath, she let herself in.

  He wasn’t in the waiting room—she didn’t expect him to be—and after looking for him for a few minutes, she found Lucas in his lab. He was sitting at a low table, bent over a microscope, staring intently at something on a slide. If he heard the echo of her heeled shoes against the tile, he didn’t act like it. His attention stayed on his work.

  Tess tried not to let his lack of reaction sting. She cleared her throat. “I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in.”

  “I thought you’d be by sooner.” Lucas kept his eye pressed against the microscope. His voice was curiously empty as he added, “The funeral services were yesterday.”

  “I know.”

  Tess had almost gone. Just because she signed off on having Jack’s remains cremated immediately, it didn’t mean that Caitlin wasn’t going to have a funeral befitting of her status in Hamlet. According to Maria, the whole town had shown up to pay their respects to the fallen sheriff. It wouldn’t have been out of place for Tess to go, if only because she was tied to Caitlin through the tragic circumstances of her death.

  Which, in the end, was the precise reason why she stayed away. No matter which way she looked at it, she was the reason why Caitlin De Angelis was in a casket.

  “You didn’t show,” he pointed out needlessly.

  “It didn’t seem right.”

  “But you took the time to visit Walsh.” He lifted his head up from the microscope, pushing it away. The chair swiveled so that he was facing her. “Maria buzzed me when you came back that night. Why didn’t you tell me you were going?”

  Looking back, she should have. She knew it. Lucas was just as involved in this whole mess as she was. When his first instinct had been to go after Mason Walsh, she was the one who convinced him that it wasn’t worth it. When Detective Rodriguez returned to Hamlet with the news that the deputy was responsible for both deaths, she had honestly thought it was over. Case closed.

  But the more she thought about it, the more determined she was to face him herself. So she didn’t invite Lucas, and it never occurred to her that Maria would go running to her brother the same way she told Deputy Collins that Tess wanted to go home. Even though she should have. Maria was sweet, but she could always be counted on to pass along anything she was told.

  Hmm. Maybe she wouldn’t send that check after all.

  His eyes were a blast of arctic chill, his beautiful face set in unforgiving lines. She’d obviously upset Lucas by not telling him about Mason. But for all the apologies she’d been handing out, this was one she wasn’t going to give.

  “I couldn’t leave without seeing him one more time. You didn’t have to be there.”

  He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. She could tell from the clenching of his hands and his cold gaze that he wasn’t only upset. He was absolutely furious.

  “I should’ve been.”

  “Doctor—”

  “Is that all I am to you? The doctor?”

  She blinked. “You want to do this? Now?”

  “No. No, you’re right.” Lucas sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I was out of line. Forgive me, Tessa. I’m sure you didn’t come all the way here for me to snap at you over Walsh. I don’t like that you went without me, but I get it. You had to have your peace.”

 
Tess didn’t think she would ever really have peace. It had seemed like such a good idea to go see the deputy. If she was being honest, though, it only made her feel worse. It was one of the reasons she wanted out of Hamlet so bad. Besides the whispers, the prejudiced eyes and constant stares that made her feel like the only motive behind the double murder, she couldn’t stand that she had some part to play in putting Mason Walsh in jail.

  “I did,” she told him, without mentioning that she hadn’t found it. “It was the only chance I had. I— I’m leaving, Lucas. I’m going home.”

  “When?”

  “Maria helped me pack up my car already. Deputy Collins told me I could pick it up from the sheriff’s station and go.” Her laugh was hollow as she remembered how quick he was to basically kick her out after Caitlin’s funeral. She didn’t blame him, but still. “I think the rest of Hamlet wants me out of here more than I want to go. I’m happy to oblige.”

  Lucas ticked his jaw. “Not all of Hamlet. I’d like it if you stayed.”

  It felt nice to hear him say that. She knew his goodbye would be that hardest of all, and she remembered Maria’s request that she let Lucas down gently. At the time, she thought it was ridiculous—Lucas De Angelis was the type of man who never let anyone see what affected him. But she thought she knew him as well as he seemed to know her by now. He would appreciate her blunt honesty.

  “I know. But I can’t. I’m sorry, Lucas. I’m driving home tonight.”

  “Do you— would you ever come back?” he asked.

  Tessa’s smile was sad yet firm. “I think we both know that I was never made for Hamlet.”

  Lucas thought about what she said. He couldn’t argue with her, so he didn’t. Instead, he said, “Do you ever think things happen for a reason?”

  “Like fate?”

  “If you like.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I think things happen because they do. One person gets an idea in their head, and they act on it. Did Jack have to be strangled? Maybe. Did Caitlin have to be shot? I don’t know. But someone made the decision and it happened and, well, I can’t take it back. All I can do is get past it. If there was one thing I learned in the last two weeks, it’s that life is for the living. Maybe, one day, I’ll be able to do just that.”