by Kate Young
“Hey, Bets,” I whispered down the hallway.
“Yeah? Find somethin’?” Betsy popped her head around the corner, chewing.
I narrowed my eyes. “What are you eating?”
She paused and mumbled around a mouth of red goo. “Hot Tamales.”
“You’re eating Alex’s candy?” I hissed. “He’ll know we’ve been here.”
Her face reddened. “But I love Hot Tamales.”
“So does Alex.” He kept boxes of those things everywhere. I shook my head and focused on the task at hand. “Go into the kitchen and get that snake Alex keeps under the kitchen sink.”
She nodded, looking a bit sheepish about her blunder. In these older houses, clogged drains were always an issue. Especially in the bathroom sinks.
Betsy returned and began the task. She didn’t even argue about how gross it was or that she was too pretty for such a job, like she normally would. When she pulled the contents from the drain, we both made a face and put a hand to our noses. I leaned forward and felt deflated. A couple of strands of hair looked to be the length of Alex’s, but maybe a strand or two could be longer. I bagged it anyway.
Betsy and I had gone through everything, and the three of us sat at the kitchen table. Not much belonging to Lucy remained. Other than several articles of clothing, a couple of designer bags, and a bag of makeup. Sadness crept over me. They’d planned to begin their lives together here, only for someone to cut short their chances of happiness. Sure, their union hadn’t had a perfect beginning, especially with Lucy’s deception. Nor had she made many friends on the island. Still, I couldn’t help but mourn her. I let out a cleansing breath. What did this recon give us? Nothing. Well, a few strands of black hair. My first thought when I found it was the person’s reflection caught on the video. The one they believed was Alex. Perhaps the person in question frequented Alex’s home. Colored their hair in his bathroom? Mrs. Myers colored her hair. Could it be? Had her whole reaction to Lucy and all her finger pointing at Betsy been a ruse? No, surely not. A hard reach, for sure. Desperate even. Ergo, nothing.
“I don’t know what to think, y’all,” I said after I relayed my thoughts to Aunt Vi and Betsy. I left out the what-if about Betsy’s aunt Regina. I wouldn’t add fuel to that fire. Plus, as flawed as the woman was, she loved her son. “Maybe we should move this discussion to my house. We’re pressing our luck here.” I checked my watch. In a little under half an hour, we’d done all we could do here.
“True that,” Betsy said as we all rose from the table.
I snapped the gloves off and shoved them into my cross-body bag.
“Well, you gals satisfied now?” Aunt Vi shook her head.
Betsy sneezed. “Not really. We didn’t find a thing.”
“That’s the point. If Alex was involved, you’d have found some evidence. Y’all even looked through his shed.”
Nothing inside there had changed. It held nothing but the same old lawn furniture and broken-down riding mower Alex had insisted he’d repair. And I didn’t argue the point that technically, since he was in law enforcement, he’d know not to hide anything in his house. This was a fishing expedition to clue us in more on Lucy.
Keys rattling at the side door startled us. Betsy and I ran in place before turning and bumping into each other. Aunt Vi waved for us to go and hide. Before we could even get out of the kitchen, the door swung open and Alex stood there gaping at the three of us.
“Now, honey, before you go bursting a blood vessel, let your aunt Vi explain.” Alex’s gaze narrowed and zeroed in on me, and I froze where I stood. “We just wanted to come by and clean up the place.” Aunt Vi went over to her nephew and wrapped an arm around his waist. “You’ve been hurtin’, and we just wanted to do our part. Show our kindness without getting you all riled. We all love you.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, Aunt Vi. You know I love you, but I want y’all out of here before I say something I might regret.”
“Alex,” Betsy whined.
“Out.” The single solitary word, gritted out between clenched teeth, was all we needed to excuse ourselves.
Alex barely moved aside to let Betsy and Aunt Vi pass. I didn’t make eye contact as I started to scoot by.
His hand closed softly around my arm. “Not you.” His face was close to mine, and his breath hot against my neck.
Bets and Aunt Vi stood, appearing unsure of how to respond.
Aunt Vi was the first to act. She rushed forward. “Son, Marygene rode with us. She doesn’t have any way of gettin’ home.”
“I’ll drive her.” His burning gaze sizzled my skin.
Aunt Vi placed a hand on her nephew’s back. “Honey, let the girl come with us. You’re not thinking clearly.”
Alex released my arm and turned around to face his aunt. “You think I’d actually hurt her?” The pain in his tone caused a knot to develop in the pit of my stomach. Of course he wouldn’t hurt me. All this craziness had addled my thinking.
Aunt Vi put her hand on his cheek. “Of course not, honey. But maybe it’s best if she comes with us.”
“Yeah, and Marygene don’t want to stay. Do you?” Betsy waved for me to slide through the small opening between Alex and the doorway.
I started to leave, but then he swung his head around and faced me, his nose mere inches from mine, and I couldn’t do it. The pain written all over his expression was too much.
“It’s okay. I’ll let Alex drive me home.” My tone was only marginally shaky.
“Have you lost your mind? He might be the one—” Betsy shut up the second Alex’s gaze swung to her.
“Not you too! I’m your damn cousin. The one who beat up that boy for picking on you in the third grade. The one who always comes when you call with a flat tire or need your oil changed in your car. And now”—he flung an arm toward them—“my own family makes sure I’m away so my house can be snooped through! And believes me capable of the most horrendous acts . . .” His voice caught in his throat.
Betsy smiled sheepishly and her face flushed red. “You’ve been acting crazy since Lucy, and your mom has completely lost it. We just want to find out who’s doing all this and get life back to normal. I didn’t mean to turn on you.”
Alex ran a hand through his untamable hair. “Yeah. I get it. I’ve been a little on the unhinged side. I think I deserve a little slack. I’ve kind of had a lot to deal with here. And you know Mom, always looking for the conspiracy. I think she likes all this.” He glanced toward me, and I turned away, still hurt. It seemed we’d all suffered in one way or another.
“Okay.” Betsy blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. Of course you had nothing to do with this. But someone sure wants me to believe you’re involved. I’ve had a lot to deal with too, you know. First, we were bombed and in the hospital. Then they put Marygene and me in the slammer.”
Aunt Vi rubbed Betsy’s back.
“Not that we’re not tough chicks who can handle it, but still. Plus, I don’t feel good.” She leaned her head onto Aunt Vi’s shoulder. “I’m going home to take a hot shower and get some sleep.” Betsy started for the car, yawning loudly.
“Finally seeing reason. I’m glad to hear it.” Aunt Vi looked pleased that her niece and nephew had made up.
“All right then. Y’all be sweet.” Aunt Vi wagged her finger in our direction and she followed Betsy toward the car.
I stepped out the doorway and watched them slowly back down the driveway. It took Aunt Vi three tries to fully back out onto the street. Betsy waved and Aunt Vi blew the horn as they drove off.
I turned and followed Alex back into the house. Butterflies took up residence in my midsection when he shut the door.
CHAPTER 27
A lex stood at one side of the kitchen, leaning against the counters, and I stood on the other. The silence that stretched between us deafened me. It also made me keenly aware of even the most trivial things. The clock on the oven blinked. The whirling of the ceiling fan in the living room. The slow drips
from the faucet in the sink caused by Betsy leaving the valve partially open. It was so quiet I could almost hear Alex breathing. The silence overloaded my senses.
“The house looks great.” Small talk. Alex hated it, still it’d slipped out.
To my surprise, he smiled. “Thanks. God. How did we get here?” He turned and opened the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. He opened mine and handed it to me and then sat down at the table.
A second later, I did the same.
“Sorry I don’t have any lime.”
“This is fine.” I swigged from the bottle. Strangely, even under these circumstances, it felt nice sitting here with someone who knew me so well. I’d need to bring this up in therapy. The emotion couldn’t be healthy. I sighed and set the bottle on the table. “Alex, we have a serious problem.”
He finished his bottle in a few long, loud gulps. “Don’t I know it. The woman I married lied to me about being pregnant with my child. Lied to me about loving me. Lied to me about everything. God, I don’t even know if I was in love with her. She was like a hurricane, you know. One minute we’re dating and having fun with glorious peaceful skies and the next she swarms over me, engulfing and destroying everything. She dropped the baby news on me after we had a huge fight. Even showed me one of those test thingies. I don’t even want to know how she got a positive one of those. Then she said we had to get married, for my child’s sake, knowing I’d do the right thing.” He got up and got himself another beer. “Now, she’s dead and I can’t even be pissed off with her. And the kicker is, I was about to end it before the baby, and she knew it.” He sat back down hard on the chair. “I don’t know if I’m coming or going anymore. And the fool who took her life decides to infect all the areas of my life by dumping her body on my ex’s porch.”
The lump that developed within my throat felt like a stone. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for from me, and I didn’t have the luxury of time to figure it out. “Alex. This situation goes way beyond you being tricked into marriage. I mean, I’m brokenhearted about you losing your wife. I wouldn’t wish any harm to come to you or yours. Ever. But something really odd is going on here.” I debated divulging what I knew. Sharing it with Alex could blow up in my face.
He was in a real raw place, and I needed to heed the warning within my gut. Plus, I saw the flicker of Mama behind him. She kept shaking her head, and that settled it for me. Not the time.
I reached across the table and took his hand. “Alex, someone terrible is wreaking havoc on our island. They’ve taken your wife, flawed as she was. That was heinous, and I’ll be darned if I’ll stand by and allow her to go unavenged.” The strength in my tone no longer surprised me. When it came to the wronged deceased, I was empowered by the level of vengeance that overtook me.
Alex, however, appeared surprised. “I thought you hated Lucy.”
“Hon, she wasn’t kind to me, and I wasn’t her biggest fan. None of that matters. She didn’t deserve her end. And I won’t stand by knowing she isn’t resting peacefully. Her voice has been silenced. Mine has not. And I will speak for her. Stand for her. And do whatever is necessary to bring her killer to justice.”
Alex held tightly to my hand. “My Lord. You look like an avenging angel. You mean that, don’t you?”
I squeezed his hand. “I do. And as God as my witness, neither Betsy nor I had anything to do with her death or the robbery. And we certainly don’t have Paul stashed somewhere with a bomb around his neck.”
He stared into my eyes for a long few moments. “I know I should care that Paul was abducted. If not for him, for you. You love him.”
“Paul and I were finished before someone decided to use him as leverage. And I never said I loved him.” I waved my hands in the air in an erasing motion. “Not that it matters. We need to rescue him. Save him, no matter what it takes.
Alex’s eyes hardened. “The Carmichaels think I had something to do with it.”
So does Detective Thornton.
“They’re probably just hurting and looking at the most obvious.” It came out wrong, and I wished I could take it back. I’d opened my mouth to utter an apology when he snorted and let go of my hand. “That’s not what I meant. They don’t know you.”
“If I were investigating this case, I would take a hard look at me too. I don’t know who or why someone is trying to lay this at your doorstep.” He picked at the label from the bottle. He knew something, and he was having one of his inner debates on whether to tell me. “I’ve been in a bad place. Making sense of all of this hasn’t come easy, and I’m still doing my best to figure it out. I’m not allowed back on the job until the case is solved and—” His eyes went wide. “Oh hell, I didn’t even ask about the sheriff.” He went to his knees in front of me and wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened as he held on tight. “I’m sorry. So sorry. You know I love Eddie. He’s been like a father to me, and I’ve been lost in the minutiae of this nightmare. Is he doing all right? Since you’re here, I take it he’s going to make it.”
Alex held on as if I were his lifeline. Mama’s head dropped as if she believed I was going to be sucked in again. I wasn’t, and I shook my head to attempt to signal such as I wrapped my arms around one of my oldest friends. “He’s doing well. I won’t lie, I was terrified, but he pulled through, and he’s on the road to recovery. I came down with a cold and thought it wise to keep my distance.” I patted his back softly, the way I did to sooth Olivia.
“Alex, did someone dye their hair in your bathroom? Your mom perhaps?”
He let go and leaned back to face me. “What an odd question to ask.”
I shrugged. “When I went to use your restroom, I noticed hair dye on the floor. I was just curious.”
“I can’t believe y’all searched my place.” He retook his seat. “Like I could do any of this.” He shook his head, as if his brain was misfiring. “I don’t know about the hair dye. Maybe Lucy did.”
“Did she ever color her hair dark? Because I’ve never seen her as anything but blonde.” I treaded carefully.
“No.” He folded his arms and glanced away. “This is like a nightmare I can’t wake up from. If they’d let me work this case, I’d find out who was behind this, and I’d kill the bastard.”
“Then the wisdom behind you staying out of the investigation should be crystal clear.”
Detective Thornton would be watching Alex. And how ironic that was. Since he’d enlisted the man’s help in the first place. I slumped down in my chair and realized he was probably watching me too. He’d know I was here if he had surveillance on this house. Probably betting on me coming here. Darn. Stupid, stupid mistake.
“Hey, did Lucy talk about ex-boyfriends, childhood friends, her life before moving to Peach Cove?” I kept my tone placating, bordering on soothing.
He shrugged. “Not really. She didn’t like to think about her past.”
“Not even her parents? From what I saw on the news, they were wrecked by her death.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that part doesn’t make much sense. They’re both devastated beyond belief about losing her. It doesn’t fit the image Lucy portrayed. Her parents loved her. And her mom is the most docile woman I’ve ever met. And I’m a good judge of character.”
I refrained from pointing out he might not be the best judge around. It seemed he and I both struggled in that area.
“This whole case is riddled with holes. Who would want to murder Lucy? What’s their motive? And I know they’re linking the crime with the robbery, that someone used it to throw the authorities off their scent. I don’t buy that.”
“What about the bombs at the wedding? Someone knew enough about them to use them in both crimes.”
He thumped his elbows on the table and massaged his temples. “People are saying the man on a Harley that showed up at the wedding was a disgruntled ex of Lucy’s.”
This was all too much for him. I shouldn’t have said anything. I kept silent. He picked a girl who got around.
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��If we took a hard look at the biker, with the working theory that he killed Lucy because she chose to marry me, he had to be onsite to take her body after we found her. And we all saw him drive away. But say we missed it and he came back. Why leave her to be found, only to take her minutes later? And how would he know the tent would be cleared? And there’s no way he could haul a body away on a Harley.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense. This sort of crime takes planning. That profile fits more of a crime of passion. A man gets angry and lashes out and someone dies. That I get.” He held out his index finger. “Add to the case the attempt on your life and the attempted robbery at Lucy’s place of employment. A lousy botched attempt.” He scratched his head and his eyes widened. “Don’t forget, someone would have to inform the guy that Lucy was marrying me in the first place. That didn’t happen. Lucy was a private person. She didn’t even tell her parents about me.”
I chewed on my bottom lip but said nothing.
He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I see what y’all are thinking. And no way! If Lucy wanted me bad enough to trick me, why would she take up with an ex?”
I sighed and decided he needed to know. I decided to use Miss Glenda’s account over Trixie’s. It would carry more weight with Alex. “Miss Glenda said she saw the biker and Lucy kissing.” Alex bristled as his dark eyes flashed hot. Jealousy proved he had deep-rooted feelings for his late wife, whether he believed it or not.
“When was this?”
“Not long before the wedding.”
“Then he has to have something to do with all of this! God! I’m such a fool. What else am I missing?” Alex hit his forehead with the heel of his palm.
“That’s not all. Detective Thornton said she had something going on with Paul too. While he and I were together. Paul confirmed they had toyed with the idea.” I rubbed my brow.
