Best Dressed Lie (The Lies Series) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

His eyes felt gritty as he tried to concentrate on the road ahead, that grittiness you get when you haven’t slept.
He hadn’t been able to go back to sleep so he’d just laid there as the darkness turned from inky black to cobalt blue, signalling the arrival of dawn.

What he had done bothered him but he
would deal with it. What was bothering him more was the thought of losing everything if he got caught. As soon as the sun had appeared over the horizon, he’d got out of bed, gotten dressed, and headed home.

Turning off the main road onto the driveway
, he wondered what he would find. They would have found Ted’s body by now, no doubt. The police cruiser parked outside the house confirmed his thoughts and he took a deep breath to settle his nerves before getting out of the car and going indoors.
Showtime.

“What’s going on?” he asked studiously
, keeping his face blank.

“Ah
, Jake.” His father stood up from where he’d been on the couch in the living room. “This is Officer Casey.” He gestured to the uniformed officer standing next to him. “Something terrible has happened, I’m afraid.” He took a deep breath. “Ted has been killed.”

Jake pretended to be shocked
. He needed this to look genuine.

“Oh
, my god! What happened?” He listened to the details as if he didn’t already know them, making appropriately horrified comments, desperately wanting to ask if the police had any leads.

“Where’s Jamie? Is she ok
ay?” He felt a twinge of guilt as he thought of what this must be doing to his sister, but it didn’t last long. It was about survival now.

“She’s upstairs with her mother.
She’s just been talking to the officer here and it was quite upsetting.
I would leave them alone for now, son.” His dad placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “She’s going to need our support.”

Jake nodded, placing his own hand on top of his father
’s. “Of course.”

“So
, what do you know?” He addressed the question to the police officer.

“Not a lot yet
, I’m afraid,” the officer said, shaking his head. “The bar doesn’t have any surveillance cameras and no one saw what happened. We’re still trying to trace a couple of the regulars who were in earlier, but so far I’m afraid we have nothing.”

“Had he been robbed?”

“No, it doesn’t look like a robbery. His wallet and his car were still there and the keys were in the ignition. If robbery had been the motive, I’m sure they wouldn’t have passed up an opportunity like that.”

Jake quietly let out a breath.
They were clueless!

“So what happens now?”

“Well we’ve spoken to Miss McKay and your parents so now we just need to speak to you when you’re
over the shock. We can’t afford to wait too long, though.”

“No need to wait for me. Y
ou can talk to me now. Anything I can do to help, I will.”

“I’ll leave you to it
, Jake. I’m going to check on your sister,” his father said with a nod to the police officer. “Anything you need, you call me, understood?” Without waiting for a reply he turned and left the room.

“Thank you for your cooperation
. This won’t take long.” The officer gestured to the couch. “Shall we sit down?”

Jake sat, somehow managing to keep his expression blank.

“Now, I apologize, but I have to ask this. Where were you last night after 9 p.m.?”

“Is that when they think he was killed?”

“We haven’t had the time of death from the Medical Examiner yet, but a customer recalls leaving the bar at that time and the lot was empty then.”

“Ah, ok
ay.” Jake made a show of thinking about where he was. “I was at my girlfriend’s house. Carrie Taylor. I was there from about 7.”

The officer made a note. “And what time did you leave?”

Jake smiled conspiratorially. “About half an hour ago.”

The officer responded with a brief smile.
“We’re going to need to speak to her. Just routine, you understand.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, that’s all I need for now. If there is anything else the detectives will be in touch.”

Shaking his hand Jake walked him to the door and watched as he got into his squad car and drove off.
He waited until he was sure he was gone then slid his phone from his pocket, realizing that his hands were shaking. Stepping outside so that he couldn’t be overheard, he dialed Carrie’s number.

He spoke as soon as she answered. “The police were here when I got
home. I told them I was at your place all night from early evening, as agreed.”

“Did they suspect anything?”

“I don’t think so but they said they’d have to speak to you, which we knew was going to happen. You
know what you need to say, right?”

She sighed. “Of course, I’m not an idiot.”

He let out a breath. “I know. Sorry. Just a bit stressed over here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I
t’ll be fine. They’ve got nothing on you. I’ll call you when they’re gone.”

Disconnecting
, Jake turned to look at the house. All this was going to be his one day and nothing,
nothing,
was going to get in the way of that.

Chapter
Ten

It had been three weeks since the murder, three of the longest weeks of her life. Every morning, just for a brief instant in time, she forgot. In that instant, she was happy. But it was all too fleeting and when reality quickly dawned on her, her happiness was once again shattered.

She’d got
ten into a routine now. She’d get up, have breakfast, and then be right on the phone to the police to see if there was any news. For the first few days she’d been hopeful, never doubting that someone would be caught and that she’d be able to see them pay for what they’d done. As the days passed and there was no progress, no miraculous scientific breakthrough like you see in the movies, her fear grew. Fear that whoever did this was going to be able to stay free.

There was no denying that as her hopes faded, her anger grew. Surprisingly, it wasn’t aimed at the killer but rather was aimed at herself. All those stupid doubts she’d had, her anger at Ted for wanting a quick wedding, all seemed so silly now. She’d marry him tomorrow and never worry about the little things again if she could just have him back.

Her family had been incredibly supportive, especially Jake. Those first few days, he’d just sat at the bottom of her bed not saying a word, just keeping her company. He’d gone with her to see the police when she’d wanted to, regardless of whether they had any news or not. Physically going to the station, talking to the officers, helped her feel like she was doing something. He’d sat with her when she’d gone to see Ted’s parents to discuss the funeral arrangements, holding her hand quietly.

And he was by her side now as they followed th
e coffin to the cemetery for the burial. There was no doubt in her mind that this was going to be one of the hardest days of her life but she knew that with her brother’s help, she’d get through it.

***

It was almost over. He’d hardly left Jamie’s side since the murder. He liked to think he was just being a good brother but he knew he was kidding himself. He wanted to be close in case the police came up with anything. He needed to know the moment they did.

So far
, though, they had nothing, and with no further avenues of investigation open to them, they’d finally released Ted’s body for burial.

Looking around
, he frowned when he saw Carrie standing there, her head bowed, at the back of the circle of mourners surrounding the grave. As he watched, she raised her head and met his eyes, smiling. She’d insisted on coming to the wake, but he’d told her to meet him at the house. He’d had no idea she’d turn up here.

The priest had just finished and the mourners started dispersing, making their way to their vehicles to drive over to Ted parents house.

“Go and get in the car. I’ll be there in just a second.” He kissed his sister’s cheek and watched as she walked off in the direction of the black limousine parked a short distance away.

Everyone had left the graveside now except Carrie
, who was waiting for him.

“What are you doing here? I told you I’d meet you at the house.”

“I wanted to pay my respects. It’s a free country, you know.”

“Pay your respects? But you didn’t even know him!”

“Actually, I did.” She looked at him and sighed. “We had a bit of a ‘thing’ a few months ago.”

She said this so casually that for a moment Jake was lost for words. “I’m sorry? A ‘thing’?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry, it was before I met you.”

He couldn’t believe she was telling him this, here, now.

“And you think now is the right time to be telling me this?” He could feel his face getting flushed. “You don’t think maybe you should have told me this before?”

She looked genuinely confused. “Why?
It doesn’t have anything to do with you. I’m only telling you now so you know why I needed to come.”

Jake shook his head, b
ewildered. She was right, it had nothing to do with him really, other than the fact that it was further evidence that Ted was a serial cheater. It certainly didn’t bother him.

“For god’s sake, just make sure Jamie doesn’t find out. She’ll run straight to my parents and, let’s face it, they al
ready have a pretty low opinion of you,” he snapped.

“Give me some fucking credit will you!”

“I’ll see you up at the house.” He glared at her as he turned to walk away.

“Wait! Can I go with you? I got a taxi here. I didn’t bring the car in case I wanted to drink.”

“No, you can’t come with us. We’re in the funeral car. It’s not appropriate. You’ll have to get a ride from someone or get another cab.”

Leaving her standing
there pouting, he headed to the car where Jamie was waiting.

Chapter
Eleven

“I told you, not yet,” Jake hissed.

“When
, then?”

They were having the same old disagreement again. She’d been pushing him to tell his parents about their plans for the past week. Every time they were alone together she’d bring the subject up.

“Jeez, Carrie! We’re at a fucking wake. Will you just quit?” He was getting seriously pissed now.

He wouldn’
t have a choice. He knew that. He’d have to tell them at some point. If he didn’t follow through on his promise then he had no doubt whatsoever that she would go straight to Jamie and his parents and he would lose everything.

He was struggling with the guilt. Every time he saw Jamie’s ravaged, tear
-streaked face he felt sick to his stomach. He had done this to her, he had caused her this pain. It may have been unintentional but the result was the same. There was nothing he could do to change things but he was determined that he would do everything he could to make her smile again.

“Okay, okay! We’ll give
it a couple of days and then we tell them. Agreed?”

With a sigh he nodded. “Agreed.”

That seemed to put a smile on her face and she wandered off happily to pick at the buffet.

***

She was feeling quite pleased with herself. That ring was practically on her finger. She could almost feel it!

She wasn’t naïve. She knew how most of the men she had relationships with saw her. The cheap
whore worth a fuck but not worth anything else. She probably hadn’t helped herself, screwing half the men in town and getting herself a reputation for being an easy lay. But she was determined to marry into money, to escape her life.

Her mom had raised her, if it could be called that, in a trailer singlehanded
ly and she had no idea who her father was. He could have been any one of the trail of men that traipsed through her mother’s life leaving nothing but bruises and heartache.

At the first chance she’d got
ten she’d left, taking her mother’s current beau with her. She’d been sixteen and he’d been forty-four but he had his own car and a job and that was enough for her. She’d stuck with him for about six months until she’d grown tired of his old body on top of hers, then she’d relieved him of his cash and hit the road.

She’d ended up here and somehow she’d stayed.
Ted had been her first chance at marrying well but it hadn’t worked out. Then Jake had come along. She’d done everything she could to make sure that she was the perfect woman. She hadn’t been demanding, had played it cool, and had fucked him senseless whenever he wanted her to.

When he’d come to her that night wanting an alibi
, she’d known that was it. Home run.

And now the end was in sight. Soon
, she would have that damned ring on her finger and people would stop looking down their noses at her. She might even go back and find her mother and buy her a new trailer. She laughed out loud at that thought, drawing glances from the other mourners.
Jeez, relax people!

Filling her plate with food
, she looked around the room as she ate. God, there was so much money in this room! And soon she would be one of them. She only just managed to suppress her grin at this thought. She could see the sideways glances now from people wondering what on earth she was doing here. More than a couple, she knew, were wondering if their wives or girlfriends were going to get a nasty shock.

Spotting Jamie standing alone by one of the room’s many windows looking lost
, she made her way over to her.

“How you doing
? You okay?”

Jamie looked confused for moment, her eyes unfocused.

“Sorry, I was miles away.” She smiled weakly. “I’m okay. Thank you for asking. I was just thinking about how unfair it is that such a good man should die so young.”

“Um. Yeah.”
If she only knew what kind of a man he really was!
“So they still don’t know anything, huh?” She knew the answer but she had to ask.

“No, nothing.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she wrung her hands. “Our whole future, snatched away, and I still don’t know why!”

“What did you say to her?”
The question made her jump. She hadn’t heard Jake approach. “Has she upset you?” He put his arm around his sister, pulling her slightly away from Carrie.

Of course it had to be her fault!
“No, I didn’t!”

He just glared at her.

“She was being really nice, actually.” Jamie sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “Saying what a nice man he was.”

I was
?

“Well
, that surprises me, actually. I didn’t think you and Ted got along that well.” He looked at her quizzically. “When I saw you at the party, it looked like the two of you had been fighting, remember?”

“Why were you fighting?” Jamie was looking
at her also now and she felt like a rabbit caught in headlights.

“Really, it was nothing.” She tried to pass it off. “Look
, I’d better go. I’ve got to work later and I need to go home and get ready. Will you drop me off?” she asked Jake.

“I don’t really want to leave Jamie. Can you make your own way back?”

“I didn’t drive, you know that,” she hissed back.
She’s in a room full of people fawning over her she’ll be fine,
is what she actually wanted to say but that would be rude.

“No, go. Take her home. I’ll be fine.” Jamie smiled at him.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Go.”

***

              They hardly spoke in the car on the way home. Jake could feel the pressure of the last few days starting to lift from his shoulders. For the first time in weeks, he actually felt that everything was going to be okay. He knew that the respite would be brief and that once he told his parents of his plans to marry Carrie he was heading for a shit storm, but for now he was going to enjoy it.

He hadn’t felt like sex for days
, but looking over at Carrie sitting in the car next to him, he felt himself stir. He had to admit, she looked good. She was wearing a simple black shift dress that had ridden up her thighs in the car and exposed her long, tanned legs. Reaching over, he placed a hand on her knee and squeezed.

“Sorry.” He knew he had a bit of making up to do. “I know I’ve been a bit of a prick lately.”

“Yeah. You have.” She crossed her arms over her chest but made no attempt to remove his hand. “It’s about time you started being a bit nicer to me.”

“I know. I’ve just had such a lot on my mind.”

“I’m beginning to think that you don’t really want to marry me.”

“Of course I do
, honey. It’s just that we need to pick our moment. It’s too soon.”

“Too soon for who
, I wonder.” Bitterness dripped from her every word.

“Come on, don’t be like that
.” He ran his hand further up the inside of her thigh, eliciting a raised eyebrow.

“Really? Nothing for days and you pick now?”

“Are you complaining?” He was getting aroused now as his fingers reached her panties, his cock stiffening in his pants.

She didn’t answer so he looked over. She had her eyes closed and a little smile of pleasure on her lips
.

Knowing he didn’t want to wait, he turned down the next dirt road. He drove on until he was sure they couldn’t be seen from the road and stopped the car. Getting out he walked round to the passenger side to where Carrie already
opened the door and pulled her to her feet.

Slamming the door shut
, he pressed her up against it, his body hot and hard against hers. Pushing his fingers into her hair, he gripped the back of her head with one hand and pressed his mouth to hers, exploring it with his tongue.

Her hands were already reaching for his belt buckle and he felt her reach inside his shorts and grab his cock, squeezing it tightly. With a groan, he took her by the hand and led her to the trunk of the car.

Reaching down he found the hem of her dress and lifted it to her hips, exposing her thong. Tugging it down roughly, he lifted her up and put her on the car. Leaning back, she opened her legs wide, exposing herself to him. He could see that she was already wet. She wanted this as much as he did.

Kneeling in the dirt, he pulled her ass toward him and buried his face between her legs, holding her firm as she cried out and wriggled against him as he licked and sucked at her pussy.

It was too much, all the pent up frustration and tension of the last few days was bursting to get out. He stood, pulled her down from the car and turned her around, bending her over the car. Without a word, he took his cock in his hand and pressed it into her, feeling her tighten around him, welcoming him. Panting, he drove his cock deep inside her, getting closer to the edge with every stroke. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to wait for her. He didn’t even bother trying.  He felt himself carried away by the orgasm as it ripped through him.