She smiled. “Pretty much. I mean, there’s only so much fish, lemonade and strawberry shortcake a woman can take.”
He reached for her hand and linked their fingers together. “That strawberry shortcake was really good. It’s one of my mom’s twelve things she can make,” he teased.
“It was so good, I wouldn’t care if she could make eleven other things or not. I’m going to tell Gabe to make it next time he gets a deal on strawberries.”
“Seriously, I’m glad you came. I know my parents loved you.”
“I loved them.” Realizing how she sounded, she quickly added, “I mean, I’m sure everyone does.”
His thumb ran across her knuckles, warming her, even though she hadn’t thought she was cold. “I don’t know if they do or not. All I cared about was that you looked happy.”
She needed to be honest. “I was. Being with them and you, well, it made me feel like I was part of a real family. It was nice.”
“I thought you were close to your brother and his family. No?”
She shrugged, hating where his mind was drifting, and hating that as much as she liked Kent, she couldn’t trust him with her deepest fears about Mason. “I am. We drifted apart after my mother died but got close again after Dad passed on and he married Jeanie.” And then talked less after Billy went missing.
“I’m sorry about that. I’m an only child, but I’ve heard that it’s hard for siblings when both of their parents are gone.”
She swallowed, knowing that wasn’t the whole reason for their distance. “I think you’re right.” When he glanced at her again, Liana knew that she needed to say something more. “Losing both of our parents has made us feel adrift, but some of our distance is simply logistics. He’s busy with his job and family and I’m busy with my job and my artwork.”
“Does he have a child?”
“One. A little boy who’s five. Cooper is in kindergarten and playing soccer and T-ball. They’re busy.” That was true, too. It just wasn’t the whole truth about why she and Mason were no longer close.
“Hey, I want you to know that my parents meant what they said. They’d love to see you again.”
Realizing they were almost at her house, Liana knew it was time to go back to reality. “And you?”
He looked surprised. “Me? You know I want to see you again.”
“I mean, do you want me to see your parents again?”
“Liana, of course.”
Though it was tempting to simply smile, she knew that she needed to remind them both of why they’d met in the first place. “Even if the case never gets settled?” Or if he found out something that might change his mind about her?
“What are you talking about? Liana, I meant what I said the other night. I’m serious about you. I’m fine with taking everything slow—but what you and I are discovering is special. It doesn’t have anything to do with my job.”
She wasn’t sure about that. “If you change your mind, let me know, okay?”
He chuckled like she was being ridiculous. “I will, but you don’t have anything to worry about. As much as I’d like to solve this case and get out of the basement, I’m working hard to sort out Billy’s death for you, too, Li.”
“Me?”
“Of course. I want you to be able to sleep at night without worrying that whoever attacked him is going to attack you.”
The words were hard to hear because she knew how wrong Kent had it. She’d been worried about Billy coming back, maybe even taking his revenge out on her. Never about getting attacked.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
They were in her driveway. His headlights cast twin beams on her garage door. Their light, combined with the lights she always left burning by her front door, illuminated his expression. “I want to worry about you. I like it.” Squeezing her hand once more, he said, “Wait here. I want to get your door.”
She sat tight and let him walk around, then help her out. “Keys?”
She held up her purse. “Right here.”
“Get them out and I’ll help you inside, ’kay?”
He was being bossy but she knew he wasn’t trying to control her, just keep her safe. And, because she wouldn’t mind not walking into an empty house after dark for once, she got out her keys, then handed them to him when he held out his hand. After unlocking her door, he turned on her entryway light and glanced around.
“Want me to do a walkthrough, just to make sure you’re safe?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“All right.” He reached for her hands. For the first time since she’d known him, he looked almost unsure. “Liana, when I told you that my parents loved you, I didn’t tell you something else. Something a lot more important.”
“What’s that?”
“That they aren’t the only ones who are falling in love.”
Her heart expanded. Honestly, she thought her whole body had turned to mush. But she still wasn’t ready to say those words back to him. Not yet. “You say the sweetest things.”
His smile faltered. “You aren’t sure yet?”
“Don’t you remember that we’re supposed to be taking things slowly?”
“I haven’t forgotten.” Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll give you all the time you need. I’ve got nothing but time.”
She might need time, but there was no way she was going to let him just kiss her on the forehead like Liana was his little sister. “I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that even people who are still figuring things out can kiss good-night.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Kent pulled her toward him. When their lips touched, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. It had been so, so long since she’d been kissed so tenderly. So long since she’d even been interested in kissing another man. But with Kent, everything felt so fresh and new. Untainted by all the bad that had been in her marriage.
As Liana sought his comfort, she thought about two things. She didn’t just think she was falling in love, she was pretty sure.
The second? When he found out that she was withholding information from him—and that it might cost him everything—he was never going to forgive her.
Everything that they’d built would come tumbling down and he would vanish, just like Billy had all those years ago. And then all she would have were another set of memories that she wished were better than they actually were.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kent hated to be questioning people around Adams County without telling Liana that he was nearby, but it couldn’t be helped. He needed to get some information, and he needed to get it without Liana either preventing people from speaking or swaying his decisions and choices. Not that he thought she would...but if he was wrong, it would jeopardize this case and he couldn’t allow anything to do that.
But even though his intentions were good, Kent was starting to wonder if he was ever going to be able to do anything without thinking about Liana Mann first.
It was official. He was a goner where she was concerned. No doubt about it.
The only thing standing in their way was this case. Even though their relationship didn’t depend on his success, his failure could make things a lot harder for them. Kent feared that if she never got closure with her husband’s death, it would always haunt her.
He didn’t mind her being hesitant to commit to him. He actually didn’t even blame her. How could she move forward with so many unanswered questions in her past?
That was why, after rereading Officer Grune’s careful notes, he took a chance and visited a resale shop on the edge of Peebles. The store was large and well organized, and the shop’s owner obviously took a lot of time to care for the store’s appearance and upkeep. It was bright and cheery inside, and had a good number of customers in it, even though it was barely ten in
the morning.
Within five minutes of entering, a well-dressed woman in her mid-to-late-fifties walked up. “Hey there,” she said with a friendly smile. “Something I can help you with?”
“I hope so. I’m looking for Janice Rodina. Any chance you’re her?”
“I am.” Pale green eyes looked him over. “Who might you be?”
“I’m Officer Olson. Kent, ma’am.” He held out a card and flashed his badge. “I’d like to speak to you for a few minutes.”
She didn’t budge. “What’s going on?”
“I have reason to believe that you might be familiar with the case I’m working on.”
Her eyes widened but she didn’t show any other reaction. “I guess we’d better go visit in my office. Hold on a sec.”
He watched her speak to the pair of women behind the counter, grab her cell phone, then turn back to him. “Follow me on back, Officer.”
Her office looked like any other back office of a retail manager’s. Besides a desk and chair, the space was filled with metal shelves containing excess merchandise, sales tickets, tags, markers and a metal lock box. A fold-up card table on the other side of the room was obviously the employees’ lunch space and coffee bar.
Watching him scan the area, she said, “I would apologize for the mess, but it actually looks pretty good in here today.”
“Nothing to apologize for. I appreciate your time.” He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “I hope I won’t take up too much of it.”
She gestured to the two metal chairs next to the folding table. “Have a seat, and don’t worry about my time. We had a violent woman in here about a year ago. She wandered in and asked to use the bathroom, and when we told her no, she proceeded to throw a fit. The cops got here in less than ten minutes and saved the day. I’m still grateful.”
“Glad we could help.”
“Me, too.” She crossed her legs. “So how can I help you?”
“I’m working on an unsolved case from ten years ago. A man went missing, practically without a trace.”
“Oh? What was his name?”
“Billy Mann. Did you know him?”
She hesitated. “I think a lot of people knew him, Officer.”
“What do you remember about Billy?”
“What do I remember?” She blew out a breath of air. It caused her bangs to flutter slightly on her forehead. “Well, let’s see. He was loud and had a great smile.”
“Anything else?”
“Sure I do. Off the top of my head, I’d say Billy Mann was a real jerk, and I’m only using that particular word because you’re a cop and I don’t want to tick you off.”
He smiled. “I appreciate that, but feel free to use whatever words you want to describe him.”
“Let me put it this way. Billy was the kind of guy you might run into at the convenience store. He might catch your attention because he was cursing at the soda machine or because they didn’t have the chips he wanted or because there were too many people in line or because the sky was still blue. So your first impression might be to give him a wide berth because it was obvious that he was strung kinda tight.” Janice glanced at him. When he nodded, she continued. “After that, maybe you’d give Billy a second look because he had a good smile on him.”
She folded her hands on her knee. “But then, after you get that second look, you try to stay clear of him. Because he wasn’t reasonable, you know? Like, the soda machine worked just fine, the store never had the chips he was looking for, there were only two people in line, and no matter how much he ranted and complained, the sky never had been green.”
“So he made up things to fuss about.”
Her gaze hardened. “No, Officer. He made up things to get crazy about.” She leaned back and folded her hands together. “There’s a difference, right?”
“Right.”
After another pause, she muttered, “I never understood why his wife stayed with him.”
“So you knew he was married.”
“Of course I did,” Janice said. “Everyone around here knew that Liana only married Billy Mann because her father encouraged it. Adams County’s a fairly good size, but we’re all real small-town.”
“Did you ever talk to Liana about her husband?”
She looked surprised that he’d asked. “Of course not.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t because no matter how bad I thought her husband is, a woman doesn’t say any of that to the wife. Marriage is tough enough without other people stepping in where they don’t belong.”
He kept his expression carefully blank. “I see.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t regret that, though,” she blurted.
“Why is that?”
Janice looked away as she replied. “One day Liana came in here with about a pound of makeup on her face. She was moving slow, too. Said she’d fallen on a patch of ice on the driveway. But she wasn’t fooling anyone. We all knew Billy had beaten her up bad.” Still looking haunted by the memory, she murmured, “I was tempted to call the cops right then and there.”
It was incredibly hard to not react to her words. Kent hated the thought of Liana being so hurt and no one ever wanting to step in. “Why didn’t you?” he asked before he could stop himself. “Because it wasn’t your business?”
Janice lifted her chin. “No, sir. I didn’t call the cops because when Liana and I were talking about the cold weather, she mentioned something about her brother stopping by her house and getting so mad at her appearance that he drove off in a hurry. That was good enough for me.”
“What was good enough, Janice?”
“Come on, Officer. We both know what she meant.” The woman’s striking green eyes sharpened. “I figured Liana’s kin was going to look after her.”
“What day was that? Do you remember?”
She shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
“I realize that,” he said impatiently. “But all I’m looking for is an idea of time. Was it a couple of days or a week before Billy Mann went missing? After?”
Janice pursed her lips. “I don’t remember the exact date, but I do remember that it was the day Billy Mann went missing.”
He went cold. “Are you sure about that?”
“Oh, yeah.” She paused a moment, then added, “I remember thinking that Mason likely caught up with old Billy. Uh, not that I ever knew that for sure.”
“Did you call the cops about your suspicions?”
“Of course not. I never said nothing to anyone about it.” Her tone was almost belligerent. “And before you act all surprised, you’ve got to try to see things from the outside.”
“Which was?”
“That I was glad Billy Mann was out of Liana’s life. I don’t hold with a man beating up his wife. Say what you want about a person’s rights and such, but it ain’t right. As far as Liana was concerned, I thought she was better off without him.” Janice looked at Kent steadily. “Anyone would’ve been better off without him.”
She stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “And don’t you go telling me that the cops would’ve done all kinds of good, either. You and I both know that some dumb-as-rocks patrolman could’ve gone out to Liana’s house and made things worse.”
He didn’t know if that would’ve happened or not. All he did know was that if he hadn’t sworn to uphold the law, he might have felt the same way Janice did.
Now all he did know was that he was going to have to go talk to Mason, and he was dreading the conversation already.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Liana, you’ve got company,” Angel announced as she walked into the vast commercial kitchen of Dig In Diner.
Liana looked up from her spot at the small table in the back corner of the room. Gabe had made her a burger and she’d opted to eat it in his compa
ny instead of sitting by herself in the small break room.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Who do you think?” Angel quipped as she chomped a fresh piece of gum. “Mr. tall, dark and detective.”
“How does he look?”
“Fine.”
Ignoring both Angel’s saucy smile and Gabe’s chuckle, Liana said, “I meant, does he look happy? Upset?”
“Hmm. I don’t know...maybe anxious to see you?”
Gabe looked at the clock above the door leading to the dining room. “You might as well clock out now, Liana. It’s dead in here and you’re only on for another two hours, anyway.”
“Do you mind closing, Angel?” Liana asked. Leaving early to spend time with Kent sounded wonderful, but not if it put her girlfriend in a bind.
“Nope. I need the hours. Go on.”
“All right. Will you tell Kent that I’ll be right out?”
“Sure thing.” She was out of the kitchen in a flash.
Gabe playfully winced. “You’re a brave woman, Liana Mann. There’s no telling what Angel is going to find time to tell Kent before you get to him.”
“You’re right.” Frowning, she wrapped up the other half of her burger to take with her.
“You aren’t going to take that with you, are you?”
“Of course I am. You make a great cheeseburger, Gabe.” Plus, some old habits were hard to break. Even though she didn’t have money problems anymore, it was hard not to let good food go to waste.
Gabe waved her compliment off. “I’ll make you another one anytime. It’s just half a burger, child. Besides, it’s only six. I’d wager that your man has shown up to try to take you out to eat, anyway.”
After hesitating for another few seconds, Liana did as Gabe suggested and tossed the last of it into the trash, rushed to the washroom to get off some of the diner smell, pulled her purse out of her locker, then walked out to the dining room.
Kent was sitting on one of the bar stools at the counter, sipping coffee and chatting with Viv. When he caught sight of her, he got to his feet. “Hey, that was quick,” he said.
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