They walked back into the conference room. One chewing on the pad of his thumb as the other rubbed his forehead. There was a new storm brewing in Riverton Crossing, and it wasn’t a natural disaster…
It was a fucking shitstorm.
3
Rachel watched the two men sit in their original seats. James leaned over and whispered in Sam’s ear. His response seemed to calm James, but her eyes locked on the man at the other end of the table. Ben looked as if he had just relived one of his nightmares. What the hell happened in the last half hour?
She reluctantly turned toward Sam. “Would you please tell us what happened when you met with Matthew last week?”
Sam pulled out the paper Matthew had signed. “I returned the hush money he gave Carrie to go away. He signed this document which all but admits paternity, but I do not want this brought out in court. Beau is my son, and that’s all anyone needs to know. As it states, Matthew was to stay away from Carrie and Beau as a condition of taking the money. He didn’t keep his end of the bargain, so I’m keeping my promise of becoming his worst nightmare.”
Rachel nodded. “I see.” She turned her attention to Carrie. “Did you know about the money being returned and the conditions attached to it?”
Carrie nodded. “I did.”
“Where were you yesterday when Matthew approached you?”
“The grocery store on First Street.”
Rachel looked at Sam for him to continue.
“Carrie had just left the Sheriff’s department,” Sam stated. “She brought her new car by for me to see on my way out to start my patrol. I knew she was going by the grocery store, so I intentionally rode in that direction. As I passed, I saw her car in the parking lot and Matthew walking toward the store with a purposeful stride. It made me nervous, so I turned around and went in search of my family. When I walked up, he had his hand on my son’s head and was asking Carrie if Beau was his. That’s when I intervened.” He squeezed Carrie’s hand. “He told me to take my best shot then I could rot in a jail cell.”
Rachel’s brows rose. “So, he antagonized you into hitting him?”
Sam smiled. “Yes, ma’am, but this isn’t my first rodeo. I knew not to fall for any bait he put out, but he’s made Carrie nervous. Until someone stops him, he’s not going to leave her alone. I’m the man to stop him.”
“Sam, watch the language you choose to use here,” James cautioned.
Sam held his hands up. “I’m not going to touch him, but I am not above using my family’s connections to drive a point home with him and his future father-in-law.”
Ben furrowed his brows. “Just what does that mean?”
Sam winked at Ben. “There are things you don’t know about me, boss.”
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you working undercover for someone trying to root out corruption here?”
“Ben, you know the circumstances of how I ended up in Riverton Crossing. I left DEA, and I’m not reporting to any other law enforcement division.”
“Then, I don’t understand.”
Sam let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, but it needs to stay that way, for now at least.”
“I don’t like getting blindsided, Sam.”
“You’re going to have to trust me, Ben. I can’t tell you any more right now.”
“Does this secret have anything to do with James being here?”
“Yes.”
Ben’s voice brought Rachel out of her thoughts. “Carrie, is there anything else you want to tell us?” Ben asked.
“Before Sam arrived, Matthew asked me if I thought my husband, a deputy, was going to tell him what to do. He knew what he’d agreed to, but he approached me anyway … like he thought he was above reproach, maybe. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Rachel looked at Sam. “Can I keep this letter?”
“I’ll have you a copy made, but I’m keeping the original.”
“Thank you.” She looked at everyone in the room. “Let us look into this, dig a little deeper, and get back to you.”
Ben pointed at Sam. “Keep your nose and hands out of this. I do not want anyone thinking there has been a mishandling of evidence. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll turn this over to the state police to investigate if need be. You stay out of it, Sam.”
“Yes, sir.”
Everyone eased toward the door. “Ben, can you wait a second?” Rachel asked.
Ben shook Sam, Carrie, and James’s hands before closing the door. He slowly turned to face her as she made her way closer to him. “Ben, I know that look in your eyes. What happened earlier? You were as white as Carrie when you and Sam returned.” Her eyes pleaded for him to confide in her as she laid her hand on his arm.
Ben shook his head. “I can’t hide anything from you. You always know where to look for my demons.”
“Because the green in your eyes fades with almost a haunted look.”
A small smiled raised one side of his mouth. “I can’t do this here. Will you stay for dinner? I’ll cook, and we can talk.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
4
Ben spent the rest of the day in his office going over old newspaper clippings, notes, anything he could find on the accident that took Maggie’s life. He found the picture he was looking for—two men were off to the side of a police car, but only one face was somewhat recognizable. Ben enlarged the picture trying to get a better look at the men, but the bigger he made the picture, the blurrier it became. “Shit.” He leaned back in his chair and plowed his fingers through his hair at the same time a light tap sounded on his door.
“Ben?”
He shut down his computer as he turned to greet Rachel. “Hey, are you ready to get out of here?”
Her lips tilted into a soft smile. “I need to get gas before I go to your house so I won’t have to do it later when it’s dark. I just wanted you to know.”
“I can follow and fill your car up for you.”
“No, I can get it. That’ll give you a minute to yourself before I get there. How’s that?”
He locked his office door before he pulled it shut and placed his hand at the small of Rachel’s back. “I don’t need a minute.” They walked toward the front of the building. As they passed the front desk, Ben tapped on the top. “I’m gone for the night, but I have my cell if you need me.”
“Yes, sir,” the young officer said as Ben walked past.
When they were out of earshot, Rachel looked over her shoulder. “Take one. Gather your thoughts on what you want to tell me. I’m not letting this go, Ben. We’re going to talk about what happened today and how it relates to this case. We’ve worked together long enough for me to know how to read your body language. Something happened to you in that room today, and I want to know what it was.”
Ben flexed his fingers, which gave Rachel an almost imperceptible squeeze. That was as far as he would go with any kind of public display of affection. He and Rachel had a long-standing arrangement. They saw each other socially, shared their beds when the need arose, but once they stepped into work, that’s all it was—work. She knew his past, and she accepted he would never be in a position to give her more than he did at the moment.
He knew he loved her and could spend the rest of his life with her, but part of him was scared if he did, she’d suffer the same tragic end as Maggie. He knew this arrangement wasn’t fair to her. Rachel was thirty-five, and he was sure her biological clock was sounding like gongs by now, but this was all he was capable of.
He stopped at the trunk of her car and waited for her to get in before he walked to his unmarked SUV. Following her to the gas station that was on his way home, it took everything in him not to pull over and pump her gas, but she’d asked him not to. He made it home and changed clothes before she pulled into the driveway. He was pouring two glasses of wine when the door closed, and the tightness in his chest loosened with the smile on her face.
“You look more at ease since you left the s
tation.”
Ben met her halfway between the door and kitchen with a grin on his face just before he placed a kiss on her lips. When he broke the kiss, he placed a glass of wine in her hand. “I wanted to follow you to the gas station.”
She entwined their fingers. “Ben, nothing is going to happen to me.”
How did she know that? How could he protect her if he wasn’t with her? Then again, he hadn’t protected Maggie. He lifted her hand to his lips and gently laid them on the back of her hand. “Will you stay the night? Can you stay?”
Affection—or maybe it was compassion?— radiated through her eyes. “I have a bag in the car. The office isn’t expecting me first thing, but I do need to be back by noon.”
He gave her a confirming nod. “You’ll be back by noon.”
She smiled. “I’d like to get comfortable.”
“You know where the bedroom is. All your clothes are clean and put away.”
“You spoil me.”
“Because you put up with me.”
Ben sauntered back to the kitchen while Rachel went to change. The olive oil, onion, and garlic were heating on the stove when she walked in. “Am I on salad duty?”
“Yes, I hope spaghetti is okay with you?”
Her smile broadened. “You know it’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
They moved around the kitchen like two people who had done this dance a few times. They were comfortable in each other’s space, and she knew his kitchen well. While the sauce was simmering, he’d started the water for the noodles. Waiting for it to boil, Ben stepped behind her and placed his hands on her hips, causing the chopping to stop momentarily. When she looked over her shoulder, an open mouth greeted her. She giggled and placed a cucumber slice in it. Ben kissed the back of her head and continued to chew.
“I had a vision in the conference room today.” He moved to the opposite counter with his glass of wine in hand. Leaning against it with his feet crossed at the ankle, he prepared himself to talk.
She didn’t turn around even though he saw her hand hesitate before she made another slice. “I see. Do you want to tell me about it?” Rachel knew the drill—don’t pepper him with questions, don’t stop what she was doing, and just let him talk.
“Remember me telling you about the two men in the car that hit Maggie and me?”
“Yeah, you’ve never been able to make out their faces.”
“Until now. I mean, I know who took the rap and served the time, but Rachel, he wasn’t driving.”
She turned, and he was staring at her. Her mouth gaped open, and her eyes opened wide. “Ben, what are you saying?”
“The person who was behind the wheel of the car when they hit us was not the person behind the wheel of the car when the police arrived.”
She placed her hand on his arm. “Are you sure?”
He nodded several times. “I’m sure.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“Yes, and so do you.”
“This doesn’t sound good.”
“It isn’t, and it may impact Carrie’s case.”
“Are you saying it was Matthew Hightower?”
He shook his head. “No, Senator Martin Pickens.”
Rachel’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Ben, this isn’t good.” She laid down the knife and walked toward the open area between the kitchen and living room. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“For the first time in ten years, yes.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I think that’s why I haven’t been able to let it go. Her death wasn’t truly solved. In my gut, I knew it, but I just couldn’t put the last piece of the puzzle together. Yes, his driver was charged, and yes, someone served time for her death, but it wasn’t the right person.”
Rachel’s hand was on her forehead—her signature move when she was thinking through a scenario. “Did you tell Sam?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He wasn’t happy because he thought he could use the senator to get Matthew under control, but I told him I may use this thing with Matthew to subpoena the senator’s financial records.”
“What? Why?”
“As far as we know, the senator may have given Matthew the hush money, or he purchased the car.”
“Okay, but that’s only three years ago, Ben. You can’t get them for ten years back.”
Ben braced himself against the counter. “I know that, but let me ask you this … if you served seven years for vehicular manslaughter that you didn’t commit, how easy would you let the guilty party off?”
“You think the senator is still paying him?”
“Maybe not now, but three years ago the guy would’ve just been getting out of jail. Either there was a bank account that the senator had been putting money in all along, or a huge payout the day he got out of jail.”
“Okay, but how does this connect to Carrie?”
“Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. All I know is that Matthew and his soon-to-be father-in-law are both dirty as hell.”
“So, you believe Carrie?”
“You’ve seen that boy. He looks just like Matthew. If she kept a copy of the check, which would have been very smart of her, then she’s pretty much got him dead to rights. If she didn’t keep a copy, then she’s going to have one hell of a time proving he used his position to coerce her into sex.”
“I was thinking the same thing in the conference room. The paper that Sam got him to sign is huge, but I don’t know how much weight it’ll pull.”
Ben rubbed his jaw. “I may have something that can help, but I don’t know if we can get in touch with any of these people, much less get them to talk.”
“Who?”
“Maggie was in law school with Matthew. She told me how the female students were disgusted by him. She didn’t think it was ever enough for them to be able to file a complaint, but he would use his position to get close to these women.”
“What year did Maggie graduate?”
“She finished law school in 2008.”
“I’ll dig into it tomorrow.”
5
Dinner ended, and they watched a movie before retiring for the night. Ben reclined on one end of the sofa while Rachel tucked her feet under herself and nestled next to him. Her mind ran through what Ben had told her, now questions are popping up everywhere. Just how entwined were the senator and Matthew, and why would the senator help him cover up an affair, especially since Matthew was dating his daughter?
“You’re too quiet. What are you thinking about?”
“Do you really think the senator would help Matthew hide the affair? I mean, wouldn’t he care about his daughter at all?”
Ben’s fingers ran through her brown hair. It calmed her, but she also knew he needed to move while he thought through possible scenarios. “So, you think the senator would be pissed that Matthew cheated on his daughter?”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
Ben chuckled. “Yes, but I also wouldn’t let someone else take a seven-year prison sentence for me.”
“When you were with the state police, did you hear of the senator having extra-marital activities?”
Ben’s fingers stopped moving. “Damn, come to think about it, wife number two was the mistress.” Ben nudged her, so she moved in time for him to stand and pace. “The scuttlebutt from some of the old-timers was that the mistress got tired of waiting for him to divorce his wife, so she stopped taking her birth control. She popped up pregnant and threatened to go public. Since he was running on a family first platform, he divorced his wife and married his mistress while the Senate was on summer break. All they were told was that when he came back to the State House that fall, there was a new, younger Mrs. Pickens.” He shrugged. “But all of that was before my time.”
“So, I need to find out the new Mrs. Pickens’ maiden name as well, and see if the former Mrs. Pickens would be willing to talk.”
“Rachel, I’ll work that end. You need to focus on
Matthew and Carrie. Hopefully, we’ll meet in the middle and can tie them to each other in some sort of criminal activity.”
She walked to him and cupped his face. Staring into his eyes, she hoped she conveyed how she felt. They didn’t label their relationship, didn’t use the “L” word, but she did love him and hoped he felt the same. She prayed one day he’d be ready to hear her say it. Her hand moved up to play with the edge of his brown hair. “We make a great team, you know.”
His arms wrapped around her before he gently kissed her. “I know.” He took a deep breath and placed his forehead on hers. “Can we go make a great team in bed? Is it wrong that I need to work through this while I’m buried inside you?”
“I need you too. As long as you know it’s me and not Maggie, I think we could both benefit from expending the excess energy.”
“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve your understanding and support, but thank you. And just so you know, I do know it’s you.” The last word had barely left his lips when he found hers. She responded with just as much urgency as he’d started the kiss with. She greedily opened her mouth to him before he cupped her ass to lift her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as her arms encircled his head. He broke the kiss as he walked them toward the bedroom, nibbling on her shoulder.
“Ben…” she sighed.
He let her slide down his body to stand beside the bed before lifting her top and slipping it over her head. “Thank you for not wearing a bra. Your nipples have been teasing me all night, and now I get to taste them.”
She arched her back to give him better access. “Oh, Ben…” A shiver ran through her, and she felt her nipples harden. Her hands fumbled, searching for the hem of his shirt. “Help me,” she whispered.
Ben reached between his shoulder blades and ripped the shirt off. “I’ve missed you, Rachel.”
Her eyes closed with the nibbling of his lips. “I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but it seems like months. Please, Ben, show me how much.”
A growl started deep in his chest and worked its way up. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”
Uncovered Secrets: A Riverton Crossing Novel - Book 7 Page 2
