Euphoria Lane (22 page)

Can I convince him that it isn’t horrible to be keeping this secret?

“I would hate to be the president of the United States, wouldn’t you?” Andi resisted the urge to slap herself on the forehead. She knew better than to speak without a clear-cut plan.

He cut his lasagna with the side of his fork. “Where did that come from?”

“Oh . . . the red-and-white tablecloth and . . . my blue dress.” She glanced down at the sundress she’d chosen because it slimmed down her hips.

“I forgot how funny you are sometimes.” He smiled, lifting a forkful of lasagna to his lips.

“You didn’t answer my question. Don’t you think it would be difficult to be president? You know, deciding who gets assistance and who doesn’t, which turkey gets pardoned on Thanksgiving and which ones get the . . . you know.” She imitated slitting her throat.

He lifted a shoulder. “I guess.”

“Sometimes there are no good choices. You simply do what you believe to be right under the circumstances.”

“Okay . . .” His brow furrowed with obvious confusion.

“I’m glad you see my point, because speaking of not having a good choice, I have something to tell―”

He pulled off a tiny piece of breadstick and fed it to her. “Haven’t you heard you aren’t supposed to talk about politics or religion when you are trying to have a relaxing evening?” He eyed her over the rim of his wine glass. “I was impressed with the way you handled yourself with Doctor Owens. You could be a real detective if you wanted.”

She thought about the way her knees buckled every time she passed by the dumpster. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to teaching. I’m helping out only because Lenny is in Hawaii.”

“Oh?” He played with his fork. “I didn’t know you and Lenny were friends.”

She needed to tell him the truth; she just didn’t know how. “Lenny recently sold the agency. I’m helping out the new owner.”

Luke paused as the wheels turned. “You know the new owner?”

“Yes . . .” she admitted, agonizing over what to say next.

“Your sister is a police officer, she’s busy working undercover, and you suddenly have to help a detective who owns an agency?” Obviously still putting the pieces together, he narrowed his eyes and then took a swig of his wine. He swallowed and stared at the half-filled glass. “In all the time I knew you, I never saw you go way out on a limb for anyone other than a relative.” He set the glass down and then met her gaze. “Jessie isn’t a cop anymore. She works for a detective agency, doesn’t she?”

There was no point in denying the truth. It would only make matters worse later. “She
bought
Lenny’s Detective Agency, but she can’t resign from the police department until she finishes her undercover assignment. You can’t tell anyone, Luke.”

“It’s not your secret to tell.” He rubbed his brow. “How many times have I heard that?”

“This is a matter of life and death. Harry once frequented the diner where she’s working undercover. He might go back there and tell everyone she’s a detective. We’re talking about drug dealers here. If her cover is blown, they could kill her.”

“Some secrets need to be kept.” He frowned, understanding registering in his eyes. “This is why you were asking those presidential questions that made no sense.” He tapped his finger on the rim of his glass. “Okay, I will keep your secret. I also won’t hold that secret against you.”

Andi’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.” Comparing her other sisters’ secrets in the past to Jessie’s made them pale in comparison. “I should have trusted you back in college. We had plans to marry. That should have meant treating you like family. I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.” He shoveled the lasagna into his mouth in silence.

She watched his strong jaw move as he chewed. An emotional wall had been erected between them. She didn’t need to see it; she could feel its presence. Up until that moment, she hadn’t been positive she wanted Luke back in her life. Now that she might have lost him, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

Luke took several hesitant steps forward. Charred wood and blackened steel lay in a heap on the abandoned lot while families resided in homes on either side. The house before him had completely burned to the ground. Only a birdbath, placed in the center of the gravel yard, had escaped the flames.

Andi stepped onto an abandoned brick and he protectively placed a hand on her arm to keep her steady. When she called him earlier that morning, asking for another ride, his first instinct was to claim he was too busy. Scanning the grounds, he was glad he had given in. His curiosity was getting the better of him.

He glanced down at the numbers Andi had hastily scrawled on the back of an old envelope and confirmed the address. This was indeed the last known residence of Doctor Owens and his missing wife, Tess.

“Can I help you?” A young woman in the neighboring yard lifted a tricycle by the handle. The smudge of food on her pale-pink tank top and faded jeans said she might not mind an adult conversation.

Luke forced himself not to answer; this wasn’t his case. He hadn’t realized how often he took control of situations until he started driving Andi around.

“I was looking for the woman who used to live here,” Andi explained.

“Tess?”

Andi gave her best I’m-a-nice-person smile and walked toward the young mother.

“What do you want with her?”

“Her husband hired me—us—to find her.”

“Sorry, can’t help you.” She turned abruptly, swinging the tricycle wide with the sudden move.

Andi stepped closer. “Please. She could be in danger.”

If she isn’t the killer
, Luke mused.

“Danger?” It came out more a whisper than a question. The woman eyed the both of them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

“Tess is missing and . . . there was a murder in her neighborhood.”

The woman gasped. “Who are you? You don’t look like cops.”

Andi pulled one of Lenny’s cards from her pocket. “Andi Stevenson. I work for the detective agency searching for Tess.” She glanced back at Luke. “This is my associate.”

“I’m Stacey. Tess is my friend. At least, I
was
her friend before they moved.” She gestured toward the house. “The kids are inside. Come on in. I have a pot of coffee brewing if you want some.”

Andi paused as if unsure.

Coffee meant conversation. That meant they were making progress. “Thanks,” Luke said, gesturing for Andi to follow the woman. This young mother was no threat.

Entering the ranch-style home, Luke noted the dusty oak furniture and wall-to-wall toys—enough to fill a store. A toddler with wispy blonde hair dragged a stuffed bunny by the ear. Then, twirling the rabbit in circles, she smacked the chair of a young school-aged girl holding a porcelain teapot. Water sloshed over the side, landing on the miniature cup and saucer neatly arranged on the table below.

“Mom, make her stop!” The older girl, with the height and rounded face of a first-grader, stomped her foot. “I’m having tea with the queen of the mermaids and we need peace and quiet.”

Luke suspected the child’s mother begged for “peace and quiet” often.

Stacey grabbed the stuffed rabbit and tossed it onto the sofa. “Play nice or I’ll put you both in the naughty chair.”

Both girls pouted. The older one stomped her feet while the younger one ran to retrieve her toy.

Luke followed the women into the kitchen. He stood behind Andi and in front of the sliding glass door. Glancing out back, he searched for signs of Tess. If they were friends, she could be hiding on the premises. What he did find was a backyard full of children’s toys: swings, sandbox, colorful hula hoops, and dolls. The only sign of adult existence was a gas grill that needed to be cleaned.

Stacey swept a purple plastic cup into a sink filled with dirty dishes and then took three clean mugs down from a cupboard. “Tess and I used to share a pot of coffee every weekday morning after her
husband
left for work.” Her voice dripped with disdain on the word. “My George always left earlier. He works in Mesa, on the other side of the valley.”

“You sound like you don’t like Doctor Owens much,” Andi noted.

“Not much is right. The man’s a control freak. He demanded a spotless house, his dinner waiting for him the moment he walked in, and sex whenever he felt the urge.” She lifted her brow in Luke’s direction as if he might be guilty of the same. She poured the coffee and set both steaming mugs, along with the sugar bowl, onto the table.

Luke glanced into the sink and spotted two coffee mugs, two juice cups, and four plates. No coffee mug for Tess today. Luke waited until Stacey and Andi sat before joining them at the table.

“If he was so horrible, why did Tess stay with him?” Andi asked.

“She said it was her duty to obey her husband.” Stacey rolled her eyes. “Tess grew up in an extremely religious family that believed the husband ruled the home. Glad my parents were more interested in sleeping in on Sundays. No one tells me what to do.”

Luke did his best not to show any response. He swallowed a sip of coffee and was pleasantly surprised by the rich, smooth flavor.

Andi noticed his reaction and lifted her mug. “Did Tess love her husband?”

“At first, but it didn’t last long.” High-pitched arguing and shrieks came from the other room. “Warning two! Pipe down out there!”

Silence filled the air.

Glad the young mother wouldn’t have to stop talking to deal with the girls, Luke glanced out the window toward the charred remains of the Owens’s home. The chain-link fence provided an unobstructed view of the destruction. “What happened to their house?”

“I have my suspicions, but I don’t know for sure. The morning before the fire, Tess came over with a bruise on her face. He had slapped her because she refused to make him breakfast. She thought she had morning sickness. If I were her, I would have thrown up all over his spotless suit.”

“Did her husband know she might be pregnant?”

“No. He didn’t give her a chance to explain. He slapped her up against a wall and then stomped out of the house. I would have chased him out the door swinging a chair, but Tess was too nice for her own good.” Stacey sighed. “Tess was sure he brought on a miscarriage. I tried to get her to go to the hospital, but she refused. I held her for the longest time while she cried hysterically. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped and got a wild look in her eyes. She swore she’d never carry a child of his again and she would get even with him no matter what it took. I figured she’d finally lost her mind. Frankly, I was surprised it took her that long. If he were my husband, he would have died violently—many times over.”

Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew Doctor Owens was uptight, but he never dreamed the man could hit his wife. He also knew Tess was quiet and easily led around by Bernice, but he never suspected she had deep mental issues. He rubbed his chin, trying to digest this new information. Studying Andi, he could see the story had disturbed her as well.

Andi cleared her throat as if needing the assurance she could speak after hearing the woman’s story. “Did Tess tell you what she meant by ‘getting even’?”

Stacey shook her head. “No, but that night I woke to sirens and the smell of smoke. There were firefighters everywhere, but no sign of Tess. At first I thought she’d died in the fire. I tried to run into the house to search for her, but two firemen held me back. They swore the house was empty.”

“Did Tess confess to setting the fire?” Luke asked, earning a surprised look from Andi.

Stacey shrugged. “I never saw or heard from her again.” She leaned close to Andi, as if wanting to make sure the kids couldn’t hear. “I always wondered if she set the fire to kill her husband.”

“Did you see Doctor Owens that night?” Andi asked, taking back control of the conversation.

“No.” She resumed a natural sitting position. “He was gone, too. I assumed he went searching for Tess. You know, when they first moved in next door, they looked happy. It just goes to show how any marriage can tank. I think he sucked the life out of her. She knew she could never meet his expectations.”

The topic of marriage had Luke thinking. He took in Andi’s appearance. She wore a black skirt with a teal blouse that looked professional, yet her tender smile revealed empathy. He admired her—even when she kept her sisters’ secrets. He admired her integrity. Their marriage wouldn’t have tanked if she had risked taking him into her confidence.

Andi placed both hands around her mug as if she needed the warmth of its contents. With the air-conditioning blasting, she could be cold. “Do you think Tess suffered from depression?”

“Anyone married to him would be depressed. Don’t you think?”

Andi lifted a noncommittal brow. Wise move, considering Doctor Owens had hired her.

All this time Luke was thinking the reverend had lost his mind and gone over the brink, but maybe the vet was right and it was Tess who had jumped the ship of mental stability. If so, her husband may have pushed her off the plank.

Luke studied Stacey’s face, prepared to read her reaction. “Has Tess contacted you lately?”

Stacey locked gazes with him as if wanting to make sure her answer would be believed. “No. I wish she would, but then, if she did run away from her husband, my house would be the first place he’d look for her.” Her eyes grew wide. “Ohmigod!”

“What?” Andi leaned closer.

“I found my back door open two days ago. I thought my husband forgot to lock it. Do you think it was Doctor Owens looking for Tess?”

Andi shrugged. It was a definite possibility.

Luke told the young mother that they would show themselves out. They walked in silence until they reached the street. “That wouldn’t have been us,” he told Andi.

She glanced over her shoulder, back toward the house. “What wouldn’t have been us?”

“Tess and her husband. Their marriage. I would never have expected you keep a spotless home and . . .”

“I know.” She cupped her palm on his cheek. “You’re one of the good guys.”

Her touch melted the tension from the night before. He didn’t know what to think any longer. He wanted to be with her, but he didn’t know if they could make it work. She did keep her sisters’ secrets, but then she had told him about Jessie despite the fact her sister’s life would be in danger if he told anyone. It was a major step in the right direction. A flame of hope ignited.