How Secrets Die (26 page)

“I heard that,” Allison said, right behind him.

He rapped loudly. He could see what had bothered Allison. Lights were on in every room, all the curtains open, and no one was visible. He rapped again and then tried the knob.

The door wasn't locked. He opened it and paused, halfway in. “Kate? Are you here?”

No answer, and all his instincts were telling him something was wrong. He strode inside, calling her name again. Then he made a quick circuit of the rooms. Nothing. A couple of wineglasses stood in the dish drainer, still wet.

He headed back to the living room, where Allison stood looking as if she needed something to do.

“What's going on? Where did she go?” Worry sharpened her tone.

“Allison, look up Lina Oberlin's number in the phone book and call her, will you? If she's home, find out when she left here.”

Nodding, Allison pulled the phone book out from under the landline phone on the end of the table. Mac prowled around the living room, looking, not touching.

Kate's cell phone lay on the floor. Her bag was on the sofa, her keys lying on top of it. The silver dragon seemed to look at him. Reproaching him for his failure. Warning him.

He moved to the table, where Allison had dialed the number. She listened for a moment and then held the phone out so he could hear. It rang over and over, and he could picture it ringing in an empty house.

His gaze fell on papers lying next to the computer. It looked as if Kate had been watching the tapes again. Kristie's notes lay open beside it. On top of the Kristie's report was a pad, with several of the obscure references jotted on it.

Below the notes, a small row of tombstones stood, a dragon coiled around them.

Mac spun, heading for the door.

“Mac, wait! Where are you going?” Allison followed him, hurrying to keep up. “Let me go with you.”

He hesitated a moment, then nodded. Allison would be another pair of eyes, at least.

They ran to the police car and slid in. “Where are we going?” Allison asked.

“Following a hunch.” Quickly he rang Foster. If they ended up searching the cemetery, he needed more people.

If. It was crazy. How would Kate have gotten there? Surely she hadn't set out to walk half a mile in the dark. Not a city girl like her.

But it wasn't just a hunch, it was instinct—instinct that said he'd find Kate where they'd found her brother.

* * *

S
OMEONE
WAS
SHAKING
HER
, pulling at her. Kate struggled to wake up—to find out what the urgent person wanted.

“Come on, I can't carry you.” The voice sounded annoyed. “You can stand up if you try. I'll help you.”

Better to make the effort than let the person keep on shaking her. Kate found she had her feet on a gravel surface. The driveway? Was she home? She pushed herself up and felt an arm go around her.

“That's right. Had to park out here on the gravel where my tires won't leave a trace. That's why we have to walk so far.”

The words didn't make sense to Kate. Of course they wouldn't drive on Mrs. Anderson's nice lawn. She'd be furious if it was torn up. She managed to put one foot in front of the other. She could walk to the house.

“Better. You're doing better.” The voice had become a little breathless, hadn't it? “Right this way.”

“Silly,” she said, pleased she'd gotten the word out. Naturally she knew the way into the house.

“Silly, is it? Well, that's okay. We'll be silly. A little farther now.”

Kate stumbled on, finding it harder and harder. “Tired,” she muttered.

“You'll be able to rest soon. Rest for a long, long time.”

It was a woman with her, Kate realized. Who? She couldn't seem to think. She could only follow the pressure of the arm, leading her on.

“Good thing it's been so dry. We won't leave any tracks in the grass. Keep going now, through the bushes.”

A branch hit Kate in the face, rousing her slightly. She tried to pull back, but the woman's grip was iron.

“Just a little farther. There now.”

They were on smooth grass again. Kate forced her sluggish wits to work. Where were they? Not at the cottage. She tried to lift her head. It was so heavy, but she kept forcing it. Trees. A tower. Tower with a face, looking at her. The moon—full, so big, too big. What was it doing so close?

She cringed away from it, and the supporting hands lowered her to the grass. Damp, chilly. She didn't like it. But she leaned back, too sleepy to get up. Something hard and cold behind her back. She'd just rest for a moment, and then she'd leave.

Her fingers were forced to close around a bottle. “You have a drink. That will make you feel better.”

A face loomed over her, looking bigger and bigger, growing until it was the size of the moon. The bottle was pressed to her lips.

“Drink,” the voice commanded.

Kate tried to shake her head, to get away from the pressure of the bottle. She put a hand behind her to push against the chair and knew that it wasn't a chair. Stone, cold as death.

She was in the cemetery, in the place where Jason died.

Jason seemed to fill her mind, as young and alive as he was the last time they'd been together.
Run, Kate, run. You have to get away from her. It's Baldicer. She's evil. Get away.

Jason's face, Jason's voice, so clear that they compelled her vision to clear, too. She saw the row of rounded tombstones, the full moon shining down with its cold light, the figure that bent over her, forcing the bottle against her lips—

“No!” She lunged out, shoving with all her strength. Surprised, the woman fell backward. Kate struggled, trying to get to her feet, trying to cry out, but the woman was on her, knocking her to the ground again, coming at her. She'd never be able to tell the truth about Jason, never be able to tell Mac what she felt...

Lights pierced the darkness, voices calling out. Then strong arms going around her, Mac's voice telling her to be still. Her vision cleared a little, just enough to make out his face.

“Thank goodness you came.” Lina said. “I found her trying to kill herself, just like her brother did.”

Kate braced herself against Mac's arm. “Liar,” she said, and then she slumped against him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

O
NLY
IRON
CONTROL
kept Mac from running to the hospital room the next morning. Ridiculous, that it had taken him so long to get where he wanted to be.

But like it or not, he'd had no choice but to do his duty. Lina, despite her protestations, had been detained until Kate could make a statement. Of course she'd called an attorney immediately, who was already making noises about suing for false arrest, among other things.

He knew what he'd seen when he'd first glimpsed those figures in the clearing in the cemetery. Lina had been trying to get Kate to drink. And tests had shown that the bottle of wine had been laced with enough barbiturates to be fatal in combination with the wine. It was the same combination that had killed Jason.

Pushing the door open, he hurried into the room. Allison looked up from her position beside the bed, yawning. Kate lay in the bed, so still it was frightening until he realized she was breathing.

“Here you are at last.” Allison stood and gave him a hug. “Stop looking so worried. She's going to be all right.”

He moved closer. Kate's face was relaxed, the lines of stress smoothed out. The hospital gown revealed the yellow-and-purple colors of her bruised head and shoulder.

“She's had a rough time of it since she came to Laurel Ridge.” He touched the bruise on her shoulder gently.

“So someone will have to make up to her for that,” Allison said tartly. “Any idea who?”

Mac shot her a look. “You're just meant to be sitting with Kate, not matchmaking.”

“Hey, you did that yourself. I'm just the first one to recognize it.” She waved her phone. “Nick went down for coffee. You want me to tell him to bring you one?”

“Not now.” He sat down next to the bed, his hand clasping Kate's. “You probably should go home and get some sleep. I'll get someone else to come in when I have to leave.”

“Your mother's on her way.” At his glance, she shrugged. “You didn't think you could keep her away, did you?”

He had to acknowledge the truth of Allison's words. Mom would be here. Well, at least he'd know someone he trusted was with Kate. He didn't want her waking up alone.

Even as he thought it, he felt Kate's hand stir under his. He leaned over her, studying her face. Her eyelids flickered and opened. For a moment her brown eyes were unfocused, and then they turned frightened.

“No, no,” she murmured.

“Kate, it's all right.” He clasped her hand firmly in both of his. “You're safe. You're in the hospital. Do you understand? You're safe.”

The fear faded. Her gaze lingered on his face, and it seemed to him that for the first time, Kate was completely transparent to him, with all her barricades gone. He could only hope that she saw the same when she looked at him.

“Mac.” She said his name softly. Then her brow clouded. “Lina?”

“Safely locked up,” he assured her. “You don't have to worry about her. It's over, and you're safe.”

Her eyes flickered shut. “So tired.”

“I know. You sleep, sweetheart.” It was the first time he'd used an endearment for her, and it felt good. “There will be plenty of time later for talking.”

He watched as her breathing grew deeper and even, her hand relaxing under his.

Plenty of time. He hoped so. But if Kate decided that Laurel Ridge held too many bad memories for her, there might be very little time at all.

* * *

“T
HERE
,
ALL
SIGNED
.”
Kate finished affixing her signature to the statement she'd made and handed it across Mac's desk to him. “Now, please tell me Lina is going to prison for what she did to Jason.”

Mac pulled his chair around the desk so that he sat knee to knee with her. She could read in his face the thing she didn't want to hear. “She's going to jail, all right. But I doubt that we can convict her on Jason's murder.”

“But she did it.” Even knowing the truth of what he was saying, she still had to protest. She wanted Jason's innocence to be established now and forever.

“Yes, she did. I have no doubt about that. But we can't prove it. We can, however, prove that she attacked you with murderous intent. You understand, don't you?”

Kate nodded reluctantly. “I suppose, but I still wanted to see Jason's name cleared.”

“I know you did.” He reached out toward her tentatively and put his hand over hers. “I wish we could, but the DA refuses to bring a case based on so little evidence when we've got two solid charges we can prove.”

“Two?”

“Auditors have combed through the records of the investment company. There was something wrong, all right. Lina has been diverting money from clients' accounts to her own for nearly two years, as far as they can tell. All the clients were Russ Sheldon's. I think she wanted to be able to blame him if things went wrong.”

“She didn't count on Jason finding anything.” Satisfaction went through her at the thought. She wasn't the one who'd uncovered an embezzler. That had been her little brother.

Mac nodded. “I don't suppose Lina ever dreamed Bart would bring in an intern. Or that it would be someone as smart as Jason.” His lips quirked. “Bart now says it was Lina who suggested that Jason was responsible. He may just be trying to make himself look better. Lina knew how he'd react.”

“She manipulated all of them.”

“Yes.” Mac pulled something from his pocket. “We found this when we searched her house. Since it won't be entered into evidence, I thought you should have it.”

It was the silver dragon charm. Kate's heart seemed to stop for a moment. “She took it. Why would she do that?”

“Looks as if the little ring it attaches to is broken. I'm guessing it came off his key ring at some point that night, and she picked it up. Why she kept it—well, that's anyone's guess. You'd need a psychiatrist to answer that one.”

She held the charm against her heart for a moment. The whole story was surprisingly clear in her mind now, and she realized that was because of Jason. Lina had been the shape-shifter of his imagination, the creature playing one side against the other for her own benefit.

Mac frowned. “I should have seen it. If I'd been able to get the story out of Bart or Nikki to begin with...”

He was blaming himself. At one time, she'd have been eager to blame him, too, but she knew better now. She clasped his hand firmly, loving the way his fingers closed over hers in response.

“You couldn't have,” she said flatly. “Don't start accepting responsibility for something you couldn't possibly have known. If it hadn't been for the video journal, the truth would never have come out.”

“In a sense, Jason brought his own killer to justice. With your help.” Mac seemed to study her face, his gaze lingering on her lips. “And I owe him a vote of thanks, because he brought us together.”

“Mac...” she began, half longing to hear what he was about to say and half-fearful.

“Don't.” He squeezed her hand. “Don't tell me about how this can't work, and how you hate cops, and how you can't take a chance on loving me. Just let me tell you what I feel.”

She started to protest and then folded her lips together, nodding.

Now that he had her attention, Mac hesitated. His fingers moved absently over her hands, caressing her skin and setting up frissons of warmth that rippled across her.

“We haven't known each other very long,” he said at last. “But I know you. Bone deep. Better than I've ever known anyone. And I know I love you. For good. Forever.” He raised his hand, cupping her cheek, and the warmth spread and multiplied. “You can tell me it's too soon...”

“No,” she said quickly.

“No?” He looked taken aback.

“No, it's not too soon.” She smiled, feeling the movement of her cheek against his palm. “Anybody who knows me will tell you that I know what I want. I want you. This. Us together.”

“Even if that comes with Laurel Ridge thrown in?” he asked.

She was making a choice between the adventurous life she'd thought she wanted and a real life with someone who cared for her. Someone with whom she could build the kind of family she and Jason had never had.

She answered him with a question. “Do you think the
Laurel Ridge Standard
might have space for another staff writer? I'll cover PTA meetings and parades and Sunday picnics. But I won't write anything critical of the police chief.”

“I think they might.” Mac rose, pulling her up with him. He held her for a moment, studying her face. “You're sure it won't be hard, living here where Jason died?”

“Where Jason lived,” she corrected. “He had a lot of good experiences here, too. And people here will know he was innocent. Jason would be happy, I think.”

The tiny doubt fled from Mac's face, and he drew her against him. She went eagerly, her arms going around him as she lifted her face for his kiss.

She'd come home. She had no doubts at all. And when Mac's lips claimed hers, she knew it was going to be better than her wildest imaginings.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
WHEN SECRETS STRIKE
by Marta Perry.