Speak No Evil (11 page)

Something in his gaze softened. “You took advantage of your position,” he countered. “Jesus, Caroline, you put words in my mouth!”

“I’d say you were taking advantage of yours!” Caroline waved a hand in protest over his traffic stop. “What the hell is this?”

“I guess we’re even.”

“No, we aren’t!” Caroline exclaimed. “You still have one hell of a lot to make up for if you were so inclined!”

“Is that what this is about?” His blue eyes glittered with renewed fury. “Because you believe I fucked your best friend ten years ago?”

“God, no!” That he would reduce all this to
that
was intolerable. Caroline was trying desperately to do the right thing, and while she was still angry about that long-ago betrayal, that was
not
what this was about. This was about one dead girl and a missing child and lives that might soon be damaged forever.

“I don’t believe you,” he said. “I think that’s exactly what this is about—tit for tat!”

“Really, Jack? You think I would publish a story that affected the lives of thousands just to get back at you? I got over our bullshit years ago,” she lied. “This isn’t about us!” At least part of it was true. Caroline would never stoop to revenge and she would never, ever, toy with the lives of others. Her sense of responsibility was too great. She was an oldest child, driven to take care of her sisters, driven to take care of everything and anybody whose lives might be impacted by her decisions.

“Like I said, I don’t believe you. I think you’re still angry and you might as well admit it.”

Caroline felt heat infuse her face.

She wasn’t about to admit a damned thing!

His car sat smack in the middle of traffic and one look in the rearview mirror revealed annoyed expressions on the faces of passing drivers. “Is this the place and time for this discussion?” She smacked her steering wheel with the butt of her hand, losing her temper, losing her mind. “We’re in rush-hour traffic, for God’s sake!” She couldn’t deal with this. Her entire day had gone to shit and ninety-nine percent of it was her own damned fault.

Jack’s expression was unrepentant. He looked down at her driver’s license. “I don’t give a shit where we are. How long have you been in Charleston now?”

Caroline blinked, feeling a little like a deer caught in headlights. Too many things were happening all at once. “You know how long I’ve been here, Jack. Stop it!”

He studied her Texas driver’s license, turning it over; his previous anger appeared to have melted from his features. “Do you intend to remain a permanent resident of the State of South Carolina?”

Caroline simply looked at him, suddenly understanding the direction he was going with this line of questioning.

“Do you?” he persisted.

She resented having to answer. “Reluctantly.”

He held out her license. “You have forty-five days from the time of residency to transfer your registration,” he said in his most authoritative tone, “ninety days to obtain a new license and surrender your old license to the State of South Carolina.”

Caroline gritted her teeth. “Thank you so much for that info. Now do you mind telling me why you pulled me over in the first place?”

“Out-of-state plates,” he stated—unlike Caroline, his voice was now completely devoid of emotion. “It’s our responsibility to check the status of driver insurance and vehicle plate information, but as you know, there has also been a homicide in the area and it’s also my duty to stop suspicious nonnative vehicles.”

Caroline felt a pulse tic at her temple. “You are
still
an ass!”

His gaze met hers and whatever emotion he had managed to keep out of his tone was visible right there in the depths of his sapphire blue eyes. “And you’re still a spoiled little rich girl who can’t quite fill her mommy’s shoes and doesn’t know any better than to stop trying!”

Caroline gripped the steering wheel, forcing a breath through her lungs. She turned away, tears pricking her eyes, hiding the telltale burn. “Is that what you think of me?”

He didn’t hesitate before answering. “Have you known me to ever say things I don’t mean?”

Caroline narrowed her eyes accusingly. “I can think of at least three words!” At this point, drivers were no longer quite so annoyed by the police car blocking traffic. She imagined them all with bags of popcorn in hand, looking on with interest as cop and offender argued like lovers. Even Pam drove slowly by, craning her neck to see what was going on. Caroline was mortified. She pretended not to see her. “Are we done here? I see things much more clearly now.”

“No. You don’t. Your head’s still crammed too far up your mother’s ass to grasp the big picture here! For better or worse, you haven’t just betrayed
my
trust. I told you that shit because
I love you
more than I do my fucking badge! But never mind that! You haven’t just risked my life’s work over a half-baked story; you’ve scared the shit out of these people. Do you understand that, Caroline?”

Caroline blinked, her brain zeroing in on three little words. “There is a killer out there,” she said without quite the same resolve. “I believe people have a right to know to look over their shoulders!”

“You can be damned sure they will, because you’ve just set the mood for this entire city. Next time you sit in your mother’s chair, remember that! You’re not just a reporter. Mommy can’t fix your mistakes. Everything you do and say makes an impact now! That’s something your mother understood clearly and apparently you do not!”

Caroline’s head began to ache.

So did her heart.

She couldn’t even counter him, because deep down, she was coming to the realization that maybe she had truly made a career-shaking mistake. And the question wasn’t whether she would survive it, but would the paper survive it.

Would she and Jack survive it?

“I have news for you,” he said, adding insult to injury. “You’ve got a long way to go before you fill your mother’s shoes. I don’t care if she was Mommy Dearest behind closed doors. Out here, she did the right thing. Always.” He dropped the license back inside the window. “Drive safely,” he concluded and walked away, leaving Caroline’s head hammering. There was an even bigger ache in the region of her heart, but she couldn’t afford to focus on that right now.

She had to fix this awful mess.

J
ack slid into his car, turned off his blue lights and pulled into a mob of rush-hour traffic. Like lemmings charging to a precipice, people would follow wherever the media led them.
That,
he told himself, was the true source of his anger—
that,
and not the fact that he had trusted Caroline and she had betrayed his trust too easily.

The truth was that he was angrier with himself than he could ever be with her. He should have told her nothing. Fortunately, he hadn’t revealed anything that might endanger the case.

Hopefully that little bit of info had gone right over her head, although judging by the disoriented look in her eyes after he’d said it, he didn’t think she’d missed a single word. For better or worse, he’d said too much already.

The ball was in her court.

 

Somewhere out there Caroline thought her mother must be enjoying the show. Point made! No more stone throwing from her quarter. Everyone was human. Everyone made mistakes. And Caroline seemed to be making way more than her share. But apparently, her bad day wasn’t nearly over.

She pulled into the driveway to find a young blond woman in police uniform seated on the back end of an old red Jeep Cherokee. Caroline parked behind her, concerned that something might be wrong. From the minute she had come back to Charleston, it seemed there had been one drama after another. She bolted out of the car, shoving the door closed. “Can I help you?”

“Not really,” the woman said calmly, looking Caroline over as she approached. “I just came to get a few things off my chest.”

And an ample one it was, Caroline couldn’t help but notice. She extended her hand. “I’m Caroline Aldridge.”

The woman didn’t bother to uncross her arms and all that was missing to complete her belligerent attitude was a wad of chewing gum in her mouth. “I know who you are.”

There wasn’t much patience left after the ordeal with Jack, but Caroline waited for her to speak—something the woman didn’t seem inclined to do until she was good and ready. “How’s the back window ?” she asked.

Confused, Caroline’s brows collided. “You’re here about the break-in?”

“No,” she said. “Though I hope you got it fixed. Apparently, there’s a serial killer on the loose . . . have you heard?”

Annoyance ripped through Caroline. “I told Chief Condon my sources are confidential. I won’t reveal them. I don’t have anything more to say!”

The woman looked Caroline up and down, sizing her up, eyes smoldering with what Caroline interpreted as anger. “I’m not here to find out who leaked that info. I already know who leaked it and so does every other cop on the force. The only reason he hasn’t been suspended at this point is because no one wants to see a good guy get a bum rap, but I can tell you this . . . showing up at his ex-girlfriend’s house over a broken window with half the police force didn’t help his cause any. But, like I said, I’m not here about the break-in. I’m off duty.”

Caroline was through playing games. “
Why
are you here?”

“Because I needed to see the high and mighty Caroline Aldridge for myself! You never gave a shit about Jack back then. You still don’t and he doesn’t seem to care that you drag his heart around like an abused puppy on a leash!”

Caroline’s hackles rose. “You must be Kelly,” she surmised aloud. “I’d say it was nice to meet you but for obvious reasons I’d be lying.”

Caroline started toward the house and Kelly shot off the car. “Why did you come back here?” she asked. “Jack and I were doing fine until you showed up!”

“Fine is not the word I would use,” Caroline contended. “But if it makes you feel better, Jack and I are not together—haven’t been for ten years and I don’t see that changing. Whatever is going on between the two of you has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you! I held on patiently for ten years! Ten years while he pined over you!”

Suddenly, Caroline felt a rush of pity for the other woman. But she didn’t trust her. The last thing she needed right now was to get into a catfight with a police officer—off duty or not. She could picture those headlines now. She made her way toward the house, escaping. “If you’ve been with him that long, it’s not my problem—it’s yours for hanging on to a man who obviously doesn’t love you. And frankly,” she added, hurrying toward the steps, “if he was sleeping with you that soon after we broke up, he didn’t love me either!”

Thankfully, Kelly didn’t follow and Augusta opened the door abruptly, coming to Caroline’s rescue. “What the hell is going on out here?”

“Nothing,” Caroline said, hoping Kelly would go now.

A backward glance reassured her that their unwelcome guest was leaving. “Bitch!” Kelly exclaimed, as she opened her door and slid into her Jeep.

Augusta started out the door, but Caroline pushed her back. “What the hell is that all about?” her sister demanded.

“Nothing! Everything!” Caroline said and bolted up the stairs, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She’d been holding it together for far too long and it took every bit of fortitude she had to make it into her room—her mother’s room.

Outside, she heard the sound of the Jeep driving away and she threw herself on the bed, staring at the ceiling as tears streamed silently down her cheeks—every last one that she had denied since the moment she’d gotten the news about her mother’s death.

She cried for every second she had missed out on with her mother. Cried for the harsh words and lost opportunities to mend fences. Cried for the memories that were already gone and those that were fading—smiles her mother had once bestowed upon them and laughter that hadn’t rung through the house for far too long. She cried for the years she and her sisters wasted running away from the pain and sadness—for all the years they spent running away from each other, because facing each other was just a reminder of things that would never be. And most of all, she cried because she knew that no matter how many times she’d assured herself that she hated her mother—and Jack—the opposite was true.

For about ten minutes, Caroline cried with unrestrained emotion until Tango jumped up on the bed. Whining sympathetically, he peered down at her, dropping her mother’s shoe on her face. Caroline laughed.

And then she cried some more.

There was a tentative knock on the door and Augusta peeked in when Caroline didn’t answer. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

Caroline sat up, swiping at her eyes. She ran a sleeve across her raw nose. Tango whined and licked her lashes and she pushed him away. “Not really, but I’ll give you the short version.”

Augusta came in and sat on the bed, reaching out to pull Tango away from Caroline’s face. “I’ll settle for that.”

Caroline sighed. “It’s been a shitty day. Half the city is pissed off at me. The other half is scared shitless—thanks to me. Frank is probably going to quit. Jack hates me. And so does his horrible ex-girlfriend!”

“Wow, and I thought I had it rough taking inventory of this stupid place.”

Caroline had a moment of genuine confusion. “Why are you taking inventory?”

It was Augusta’s turn to sigh. “Because if we’re going to restore this stupid house, I guess we have to keep tabs on everything.”

Caroline snorted. “You mean, you want to give the cat burglar you’re paying to wipe out the house a to-do list, right?”

Augusta laughed. “That’s right. You’ve found me out.”

“Yeah, well now I’m wondering if the break-in wasn’t that psycho out there looking for Jack. He was here that night, you know, and she asked about the window tonight. It sounded a little like a threat.”

“She threatened you?” Augusta’s eyes widened with indignation. “Only I get to do that!”

Caroline choked on laughter.

“I suppose we owe CPD a phone call,” Augusta said. “That stupid cow had a lot of nerve coming here!”

Caroline shrugged. “No, I don’t want to do that.”

“But you will,” Augusta demanded. “Or I will. And I will make it sound way worse than it was, so if you want justice to be served, you’ll do it yourself.”

“Jesus,” Caroline said, but grinned. “You’ve become quite the watchdog, Augusta!”

For the first time since coming home, Augusta smiled a genuine smile. “You’re my sister,” she said sincerely and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from Caroline’s face.

It was the first tender moment Caroline could recall between them since their childhood.

She wanted to hug Augusta, but too many years of separation kept her from reaching out. Still, her tone was softer when she spoke. “All right, I’ll call. Are you seriously going to restore this monstrosity?”

Augusta’s smile turned up at one corner and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Unless I find a way to burn it all down and still walk away with the money.”

Caroline chuckled. “Well, read the fine print first, or we’ll all end up with nada. Seems Mom planned for everything, except the stupidity of her daughters.”

She was talking about herself, but Augusta misinterpreted. “Don’t worry, Caroline. I won’t do anything stupid. I can feed a lot of Haitians for twenty-seven million dollars.”

Caroline lifted a brow, attempting a smile. “With your third of it, anyway.”

Augusta smirked. “What . . . you don’t want to donate your part of the inheritance to earthquake victims?”

Caroline sighed, grabbing the shoe from under Tango’s chin and tossing it onto the floor. Not that she cared any longer that it was perpetually on the bed. She had already accepted it was the dog’s way of dealing with her mother’s absence, but their conversation was wandering into uncertain territory. “We have natural disasters here too, you know.”

“I know,” Augusta replied, and lapsed into a moment of silence.

Her sister seemed so distant lately, so ready to disappear somewhere far, far away. Caroline wondered how to reach her.

Augusta changed the subject abruptly. “Whattaya say we take that crazy mutt for a walk?”

“Nah . . . not in the mood.” Caroline lay back on the bed.

Augusta stood. “But I am,” she countered. “And you’re not going to let your little sister go wandering in the woods when there’s a killer on the loose.”

Caroline’s brows collided. “God! Not you, too!”

Augusta’s grin returned. “Come on, a walk will do us both good. Look at that poor doggie,” she suggested. “If that isn’t a hint, I don’t know what is.”

Tango stood in front of them, the running shoe dangling by its laces from his mouth. He whined pitifully and Caroline forced herself up. “All right, all right,” she relented.