It was past midnight when the telephone rang.
Cassidy was still awake, so she answered after the first ring. Melinda had finally fallen asleep and she didn’t want anything to wake her. She was a real mess. Falling apart a little more each day.
Considering how Lacy was behaving, that was not a good thing. The last thing she needed was both of them going off the deep end on her.
“Hello.” Cassidy rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger and hoped it wasn’t bad news related to the kids. She didn’t want anything else tipping Melinda closer to that edge both she and Lacy teetered on.
“Cassidy Collins?”
Cassidy felt her brow draw into a pucker. “Who is this?” The voice sounded strange, gravelly and distorted. She glanced at the caller ID: Blocked Call. Realization dawned at the same instant that the voice came across the line again.
“I’m the one who knows the truth. You’re all going to regret what you did.”
Cassidy smiled. This son of a bitch thought he could scare her? He was out of his mind. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but this is harassment. Fair warning, as soon as I hang up I’m calling the telephone company and requesting that this number be monitored, so maybe you’d better not call again.”
The silence that radiated across the line for the next three or four seconds had just about convinced her that she’d gotten through to the jerk, then he or she said, “I’ve been watching all of you. I know where you are every minute of every day. I know the
truth.
”
The words reverberated through Cassidy as if one of those California earthquakes she hated had just rocked Ashland, Alabama. She bit back the first response that rushed to the tip of her tongue. She knew what this person was up to. She also knew, he, she, whoever the hell, wouldn’t stop until he’d gotten what he wanted. She needed to know exactly what that was.
“I know you’re dying to learn my identity,” the distorted voice taunted. “You don’t have to say it. I’ll be at Sydney’s for another hour. You come in person and I’ll tell you what I want…and don’t worry, you’ll know who I am the moment you lay eyes on me.”
The click echoed in Cassidy’s ears, made her jump. Her own reaction bothered her big time. She stared at the receiver until the recorded warning that the phone had been off the hook too long snapped her out of the trance of disbelief. She pushed the disconnect button and dropped the receiver back into its cradle.
Whoever this caller was, he or she appeared to know something. But that was impossible. No one could possibly know. Lacy’s ridiculous suggestion that someone had been in the house besides them all those years ago flitted through Cassidy’s mind but she dismissed it. Anyone who’d actually known anything would have come forward years ago. The senator had offered a huge reward. This didn’t make sense.
She got up from the sofa and glanced down at herself. She’d already changed for bed, but she could slip back into her clothes. If Melinda was still sleeping she would be fine long enough for Cassidy to check this out. She knew where Sydney’s was. A sleazy bar on the outskirts of town.
She shouldn’t. Dammit. She shook her head. This was not the move she needed to make. What she needed to do was call Lacy and Kira and demand to know who they had told.
Fury whipped through Cassidy. As much as she loved her friends, it annoyed her that they couldn’t be stronger. Like her. No matter what happened, she always kept her composure.
Realizing that you were a lesbian at age thirteen in small-town Alabama definitely toughened a girl up. Cassidy shook off that thought. She wasn’t going there. She’d left all those feelings behind when she’d gone off to college fifteen years ago. She’d outgrown that kind of small-minded thinking. Being home again wasn’t going to drag her back into redneck mentality.
A new burst of fury erupted inside her. If this dirtbag wanted to play hardball, Cassidy would show him how it was done. Blackmail was a crime. She would just have to call this smart-ass’s bluff. It could be that lowlife Bent Thompson who had followed Lacy that morning. Well, she knew how to deal with deadbeats looking to make a buck.
Cassidy tugged on her clothes before checking on Melinda just to be sure she was still sleeping. She considered leaving her a note, but this wasn’t going to take long. As soon as she set this jerk straight she’d be back and the freaky calls would stop.
As tough as she was, Cassidy had never in her entire life taken foolish risks. She checked her purse to make sure the handy, compact .9mm she carried was where it should be. She smiled. A girl should always hedge her bets. No matter where she traveled, no matter the airline hassles, she always carried her weapon. She was licensed and trained in how to use it.
She carefully closed and locked the front door behind her and walked briskly down to her rented sedan. She depressed the unlock button on the remote and slid into the driver’s seat. After shoving the keys into the ignition, she fished her weapon out of her purse and placed it on the seat beside her. She was ready.
As she reached for the gearshift to put the car into Reverse, she automatically glanced into the rearview mirror. The face reflected in there startled her at first, then recognition flared. Realization abruptly dawned but it was too late to change her fate.
Chapter 11
H
alf the night passed with Lacy just lying there wishing she could sleep another hour, another minute. But she’d awakened well before dawn and that had been the end of any possibility of rest. Her brain simply refused to stay shut down.
She’d played yesterday’s events over and over. The call the night before, the man—Bent Thompson—following her, and then that hateful reporter Renae Rossman had rescued them from.
Closing her eyes, she allowed Rick’s words and the way he’d looked at her when he’d ushered that reporter away to filter through her mind once more. He’d warned her about Bent Thompson. As prepared as she had been to look into who the guy was and why he might be following her around, she couldn’t deny being a little afraid.
Thank God, Kira had talked some sense into her. She’d expertly avoided the subject of her and Deputy Brad Brewer and, for now, that was okay. From the way Brad had spoken to her, Lacy had a sneaking suspicion that the two had a secret similar to the one she kept to herself where Rick Summers was concerned.
Lacy closed her eyes again and let the past seep into her thoughts. She knew it wasn’t smart, but she just couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened.
She’d first noticed Rick when she was a freshman and he was a sophomore. Something had happened between his final year in junior high, where she’d last seen him, and her first day of high school. He’d gotten far taller. His shoulders had widened considerably. He’d looked strong and incredibly handsome…too handsome to ignore. His face had taken on those lean, chiseled manly qualities that marked the guys who would grow up to have their choice in women. The strangest part of all, she realized now, was that he hadn’t seemed to recognize his own power over the opposite sex. Rick Summers had been quiet and studious. Not at all the sort of guy one would expect with a build and look like that.
Maybe that was why she’d been so damned attracted to him. She’d watched him every chance she got. The only class they’d ever had together in high school had been art and that was the only opportunity she’d needed. She’d taken the seat next to him before anyone else could and it was in that room with the smell of oil paints and prepared canvases surrounding them that desire had exploded like an angry volcano. Every accidental touch, every stolen glance had played a part.
They’d lived in two different worlds. She’d enjoyed the forbidden fantasy, but the rules of society had kept her from going there. Rick worked at a supermarket after school while she went to cheerleading practice. He drove an old beat-up truck while she drove the sleek convertible two-seater her father had purchased for her. She attended all the right parties, he didn’t. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
But the year he graduated, the summer before she started her senior year, she knew she couldn’t let him get away without tasting those amazing lips…touching that awesome body just once. Rick Summers, she had decided, would be the one to make a woman out of her. She was sick to death of being the good girl who wasn’t having any of the fun all her friends appeared to be enjoying.
She and Rick had made love.
And nothing else she’d ever experienced had even come close to matching the experience.
That night had cost her far more than she’d imagined was possible to lose during the course of a single sexual interlude. He’d been her only lover for several more years to come.
Lacy threw the covers back and sat up. She hugged her knees to her chest and ordered her traitorous body to relax. Need hummed inside her. Right now, the way she was feeling, she would love to feel those strong arms around her again. Would love to feel the weight of his lean body pressing down against hers.
But that would be such a huge mistake. The murder investigation aside, she had burned that bridge long ago. He didn’t have to spell it out for her to know that she’d hurt him. Walking away had hurt her, as well, but it would never have worked. She’d known it. So had he. Maybe that was why he’d joined the army. Left. Without even saying goodbye.
Just like now, she’d seen him watching her, and she’d ignored what she had known his eyes were telling her.
She had to stop this! Determined to get her mind off the subject, she got up and went down to the kitchen. Maybe a big breakfast would do the trick. Her appetite hadn’t been that great since she’d gotten here. A little bacon and eggs and maybe some toast would be just the enticement she needed. Nothing like a protein high to get a girl going.
But, first things first. She dumped some ground beans into the brew basket and poured water into the reservoir. The rich smell of coffee drifted up from the carafe and she inhaled deeply and moaned. Oh yeah, she could use a couple of cups of joe. Her parents had always bought only the best blends of coffee beans.
She pilfered through the fridge until she rounded up the bacon and eggs.
“Damn.” There wasn’t any sliced bread. Her parents had likely let their fresh supplies dwindle those last few days before they left for Bermuda. She should have asked if they wanted her to restock when they called last night. She shuddered at the memory of freezing when the call had come in. The very first ring had sent sheer terror roaring through her veins. She’d been sure it would be the same caller as the night before. But the second ring and the accompanying display on the caller ID had allayed her worries. Out of Area. Not a local call.
Of course she couldn’t say for sure that the threatening caller was local. The caller ID always showed “Blocked Call.” She just assumed.
It was nice to hear from her parents. She missed them more than she wanted to admit sometimes. If the truth be known, she missed living near them. But she was pretty sure she could never be happy in this town again.
The telephone rang, making her jump. She closed the refrigerator door and took a deep breath before walking over to check the caller ID on the phone hanging on the wall next to the back door.
Melinda Ashland.
Lacy frowned. Melinda? A new kind of fear slid through her. She snatched up the phone. “Hello.”
“Lace, is Cassidy over there?”
Lacy glanced at the clock. Six o’clock. “No. Isn’t she with you?” Lacy wasn’t supposed to relieve Cassidy until seven.
“She’s gone. Her car is gone and she didn’t leave me any sort of message. I tried her cell phone, but it’s apparently not turned on or maybe she’s in a dead zone.” Melinda sighed. “I don’t mind. You know I told you guys that I’d be fine. But this…this is weird.”
Lacy bit her lip for a second and mulled over the situation. “Don’t worry,” she said then. “Knowing Cassidy there’s a perfectly logical explanation. I’ll change and come right over to wait for her to come back. Maybe she told me to come earlier and I forgot. Is that okay?”
“Don’t do that, Lace. I’ll be fine. Take your time.”
“No.” Lacy pushed a hand through her uncombed hair. “I insist. I’ll go through Mickey Dee’s drive-through and pick up breakfast, okay?”
“Well, okay. I’ll get in the shower. If I don’t answer when you get here, you know where I keep the spare key.”
“Under the rabbit in the flower bed to the right of the steps.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”
She disconnected and Lacy did the same. She stared at the phone a moment. Why would Cassidy, of all people, leave Melinda alone?
Something was wrong. Dread trickled through Lacy. Very wrong.
She hung up the phone and put what would have been her breakfast back into the refrigerator. Good thing she’d showered last night, because she sure didn’t have time now.
As she headed for the stairs, she mentally ticked off the things she needed to do that morning. There were a couple of projects at the office she needed to check on. Find out what the hell had happened to Cassidy, and avoid Rick Summers and anything else related to this investigation.
She had a new attitude this morning.
No more obsessing about the past. Cassidy was right. This would all blow over. What difference did it make who had actually killed Charles? He was dead and no amount of shattered lives would bring him back.
The doorbell rang as Lacy rounded the newel post at the bottom of the stairs.
If Cassidy was at her door, she was going to give her a piece of her mind for making her worry unnecessarily. She’d already worried enough for two or three lifetimes. She was due some relief.
Lacy opened the door. The idea that she should have checked to see who was there before she did so occurred too late. Another leftover habit from small-town life. Never expect anyone bad to show up at your door.
Chief Rick Summers stood on her porch.
“Rick—” She cleared her throat. “Chief Summers, what’re you doing here at this time of the morning?” She tried her best to pull the hem of her skimpy tank top down to meet the waist of the hip-hugging sweat-pants she used for sleepwear. It wasn’t happening. Too many washings and dryings made the soft cotton fit as though it were a size or two too small.
“I need you to get dressed and come with me, Lacy.” His gaze roamed over her body but his expression remained unaffected when those gray eyes settled back on hers.
“Are my parents all right?” Fear banded around her chest. She’d just talked to them last night.
“This isn’t about your parents.” He stepped through the door, forcing her to move back to accommodate him. He closed the door firmly and repeated, “Get dressed. I’ll explain everything on our way.”
There was something in his eyes, something about the set of his mouth that told her not to argue. She nodded and rushed up the stairs to do as he’d instructed.
As she stripped off the tank, her thoughts whirled in confusion. Was this about Charles? Had they found something else? Some new evidence? Damn. She needed Cassidy.
Lacy tossed the tank to the bed and reached for the phone on her night table. She entered Cassidy’s cell number and waited through unanswered rings until her call rolled over to voice mail.
“Damn.” She dropped the receiver back into its cradle and quickly snapped on a bra and picked through her open suitcase for a pair of jeans and a blouse that wasn’t too wrinkled.
After running a brush through her hair and quickly taking care of other essential needs, she pulled on her sneakers and returned to the foyer, where Rick waited.
He looked as if he hadn’t moved, still in front of her closed door.
“Can you tell me what this is about now?” The time it had taken to change had bolstered her courage. She had a right to know why he’d shown up at her door like this.
“I turned off your coffeemaker.” He opened the door to go. “There’s no time to waste.”
That he would completely disregard her questions ticked her off. She grabbed her purse from the hall table but didn’t budge. “Tell me where we’re going and I won’t give you any trouble, but don’t expect me to just walk out that door without knowing where I’m going.”
“To the lake, Lacy.” He indicated that she should precede him out the door. “We’re going to the lake.”
If he’d said any other place on earth she might have been able to hold her ground. She walked out of her parents’ home and straight to his truck without looking back. The idea of what he might be about to show her rendered her mute, defenseless.
She heard the front door close, heard him behind her, but she didn’t speak again. She climbed into his truck, snapped on her seat belt and just sat there.
Panic had taken root in the pit of her stomach. Whatever had happened, it couldn’t be good. If she opened her mouth now…she might say the wrong thing and Cassidy would kill her.
He drove in silence as he made the turns she recognized all too well.
The lake that bordered her hometown covered a fairly large area but, despite the passage of ten years and the inevitable changes, she knew exactly where he was taking her. Exactly what it looked like…the image was indelibly imprinted on her soul.
As they neared their destination, she got antsy and couldn’t just sit there. She had to demand some answers, didn’t she? “What’s this about?” she finally worked up the nerve to ask as he took the final turn onto the narrow thrust of land that had haunted her dreams for more than a decade.
“Recognize the place?” He cut a look in her direction that made her stomach turn over. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”
Before Lacy could dredge up a credible response, she looked toward the place where they’d pushed Charles’s Mercedes into the water that night ten years ago. The air she’d only just drawn into her lungs evaporated, taking the oxygen she needed along with it.
Several official-looking vehicles were jammed into the narrow space that led to the water’s dangerous edge. Everyone knew this part of the lake was too dangerous…no fishing, no swimming…
A police car, a tow truck and a van—white van…with red letters spread across the side.
CORONER.
Why would the coroner return to a crime scene after the body had been taken away?
Why did they need a tow truck? And all those cops?
Her movements on autopilot, as if she were watching herself from a distance, she climbed out of the truck and walked toward the cluster of vehicles.
A morbid grinding sound came from the tow truck as it pulled a dark sedan up onto its flat hauling bed. A frown furrowed Lacy’s brow, but she didn’t recognize the generic-looking car.
That was good, wasn’t it?
Rick’s fingers abruptly curled around her upper arm and she felt herself being ushered forward, toward the group of cops standing a few yards away. As they approached, the men separated, revealing what looked like a hospital gurney.
It was a gurney.
Lacy stalled.
Rick held her tighter in his powerful grip, urged her forward.
Her heart banged against the wall of her chest.
What had happened here?
She looked up at Rick but he avoided eye contact. He just kept dragging her toward the gurney, where a large black plastic bag lay. It looked almost like a garment bag, but deep down she knew what it was.
“Give us a moment.”
No one argued with Rick’s request. They scattered before the cold words stopped echoing in the damp morning air.