“After the night I had? You’re damn right,” Chad muttered, ignoring the look of curiosity she gave him. She wasn’t surprised, which told him that she’d heard something about tonight’s events. “Follow me. I have an old jar of Grandpa’s corn whiskey from a few years back. Unless you like those—”
“If you say foo-foo drinks, I’ll be putting a hitch in your step whilst you get on over to your truck,” Gwen warned him before gracefully folding her gorgeous figure into the seat. He once again had to remind himself that this needed to stay in the friendship zone. “I’ll be on your bumper, Schaeffer.”
Chad had to wonder if Gwen had been thinking the same thing he’d been about the underlying chemistry between the two of them. She’d used his last name as if he were one of the sailors she’d served with in her years in the Navy. That was fine by him. He didn’t need the complications. There were lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and one of those was with a family member of those men he generally considered friends.
It wasn’t long before he pulled around her Jeep in the circular drive, leading the way to his place. He thought back to this morning, when he’d tossed a load of laundry into the washing machine. At least the place was relatively picked up. He lived in town, but that was technically on Gwen’s way back to her father’s house.
His phone vibrated again, signaling an incoming call.
It wasn’t Mitch.
“What?” Chad wasn’t in the mood for any more games tonight, but he also didn’t want to hear his phone going off every five minutes. “I need time to process the fact that you’ve been lying to me for close to a year. A goddamned lawyer? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“If you had stayed around the station long enough after your new special agent friend had gotten done with you, I would have given you an explanation.”
Irish didn’t look anything like a lawyer.
In truth, Chad had him marked for being former special forces or some type of undercover narcotics cop who’d had enough of living life on the edge. His long-sleeved work shirts that he wore when working on cars hid the numerous tattoos that were inked on his arms. He was constantly on alert, tended to avoid any contact with the police, and was inclined to listen a lot more than he spoke to anyone.
Those weren’t characteristics of a typical lawyer.
Then again, this proved that Chad wasn’t cut out for law enforcement himself.
“I don’t want an explanation tonight.” Chad flipped on his turn signal so that Gwen could see that they were headed back into town. “I’m going home right now, having a drink or two, and putting all this crap out of my mind until tomorrow. You know why? Because you and I both know that Agent Thorne isn’t going away anytime soon. He’ll have many more questions and a shitload of other interviews with the inhabitants of Blyth Lake.”
“No, he sure as hell isn’t done. Not by a long shot,” Irish muttered, his tone all but saying that the worst was yet to come. “Stop by the garage tomorrow. I really would like to explain why I kept certain things from my past under wraps.”
Chad sighed in acceptance, knowing that Irish probably had a damn good reason for keeping to himself certain facts. Lately, everyone seemed to have secret skeletons stashed away in some forgotten closet.
Was he the only normal one in this whole damned town?
“Fine. But it’ll have to be later in the day. I’ll be at Gwen’s house most of the morning and afternoon knocking out the floors.”
Chad disconnected the call, coming to a stop at one of the four-way intersections in town. He could barely make out the tavern, but there were a lot of vehicles still parked outside on the main drag. The place was still hopping, and it would most likely stay that way until the two-thirty closing time.
He maneuvered some of the side streets until he pulled into his driveway, not bothering to open the garage. Gwen didn’t need to see the collection of projects he had going on that he wasn’t even close to finishing up anytime soon.
Chad turned the key counterclockwise in the ignition, shutting off the engine. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that Gwen had parked right behind him. The dome light came on as she popped the door, but for some reason she remained inside the Jeep. He got out of his truck to see what was wrong, but he figured it out by the time he was standing outside the driver side window.
She was jotting something else down in that notepad of hers.
“Are you always this organized?” Chad asked after he’d finished opening the door for her. “I swear you texted me three lists during dinner. I can’t imagine what’s in that notepad of yours.”
“Organization is the key to success in business.” Gwen might have believed that once, but he could easily read the doubt in her expression as she sat in the driveway. City life was drastically different than the peaceful slow pace that a small town offered. Her next statement all but confirmed that he’d been right in his assumptions. “This transition isn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be.”
“Why is that exactly?” Chad led the way to his front door, ignoring the fact that Tobias Essinger was peering out his front window next door. The man had a bad habit of spying on his neighbors when his nose wasn’t in those Zane Grey western books he loved so much. “From what I hear, your new office next to the bank is prime realty.”
“Give me that whiskey you promised me, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Chad didn’t miss the way Gwen was surveying the interior of his house. It wasn’t much, but it was all his. He’d purchased this small two-story home when he’d turned twenty-one, after having attended a construction trade school specializing in residential housing. Everyone was always in a rush to go to college, and the trade jobs were becoming harder and harder to fill. An experienced journeyman carpenter could make fifty an hour or better depending on the location of the job.
It was a shame, really.
Some of those kids would be happier with a career in the trades.
There were good jobs out there to be had, but most people wanted a white-collar job that didn’t result in needing a shower at the end of the day to wash away the sweat.
Chad walked through the living room and into the kitchen, wondering what she thought of his simple design. It was relatively humble, but then again, he was a modest man. The décor was pretty much traditional in nature. He wasn’t materialistic, but he did like comfort.
“Did you make this?” Gwen asked after he’d come back with two rocks glasses and an old mason jar filled to the brim with clear liquid. She had one of those loose-knit sweaters over what appeared to be a comfortable t-shirt. It was pulled close around her middle, telling him that he might want to turn up the thermostat. He never liked doing so this soon into the season, but the nights had been rather cold early on. She was leaning over a side table that was up against the back wall. “The craftsmanship is exceptional.”
“It should be,” Chad said with a knowing smile, twisting off the gold metal screw cap on his family’s crowning achievement. “Your father made it for me after I’d seen something similar at Chester and Stella’s house. You know, I’m not a total lost cause.”
Gwen had already taken the liberty of pouring three fingers worth of sipping whiskey into her glass. He raised his own to his lips as he reminded himself of those lines he shouldn’t cross. He considered himself a man of considerable inner strength, but it was becoming apparent that she could be a potential chink in his armor.
“I never said you were.”
Chapter Eight
Gwen had never been the kind of woman who flirted with men in bars, and she’d never crossed that professional line with any of her clients. In all honesty, she was married to her career and didn’t have time for fun and games after hours. What little time she had to herself, she spent trying to decompress rather than wasting it on someone else and complicating her life further.
Maybe it was because Chad reminded her of her childhood when she’d been carefree, capricious, and had never g
iven a second thought to the consequences of any given situation.
Chad made her want that time back, yet in retrospect…she had invested it wisely.
“What happened with you and our newly arrived special agent tonight?” Gwen asked, taking another healthy drink of the homemade whiskey he’d given her in an attempt to cover up her slight misstep. He was a distraction she didn’t need right now, especially when all of her concentration needed to be centered on setting up her new place of business. “You mentioned that you needed a drink as much as I did.”
“The FBI agent who took over for Detective Kendrick decided tonight would be a good night to get to know one of the locals,” Chad replied wryly and with a bit of a shrug. The slight twitch of his shoulder told her that the introduction had bothered him more than he wanted to let on. “He strolled into the tavern a couple of hours before the live entertainment was about to start and decided on me.”
Gwen winced at the obvious error. She might have been gone for many years, but there were certain things that would never change in a small town.
“Let me guess,” Gwen said, turning on the small wedge of her boot so that she could walk over to the brownish black couch that was made of that microfiber she loved so much. She adjusted the throw pillow against her side before offering up her guess as to what had taken place after such an entrance by a virtual stranger. “Jeremy Bell told him in no uncertain terms that he could walk right back through the doors and never come back.”
“He might have done that had Agent Thorne not asked for me by name the moment he arrived.” Chad’s grip on the glass tightened, and his jaw muscle ticked as he continued to share details of his evening. It was beginning to sound as if his had been worse than hers. “Jeremy and my father decided it would be best to say they didn’t know my whereabouts, and then sent the agent over to meet Harlan, Chester, and their wives.”
Gwen winced again in response, knowing full well how those two men loved to play with strangers when they came into town.
“Did you attempt to slip out the back door?” Gwen’s smile faded when she observed his reaction. She hadn’t meant to offend him, but the disbelief that crossed his face told her that he took exception to her question. It was a good thing she didn’t tell him that she thought the residents should accept the help being offered by the feds. She couldn’t imagine his reaction then. She held up her free hand in defense. “I didn’t mean anything by that, but it is a Saturday night. Agent Thorne might be in charge of the investigation now, but this is still Mitch’s town. I never said he shouldn’t be present if one of the residents are questioned by outside law enforcement.”
“I don’t know what kind of man you think I’ve become, but I don’t run and hide from trouble.” Chad finally moved from his place near the side table. He took a seat in the matching overstuffed chair, crossing an ankle over one knee. Gwen had to remind herself to breathe at the intensity in his response. Confidence was on her list of attributes she wanted in a partner. He’d been right earlier about her penchant for lists, but one checked item didn’t make Chad Schaeffer the one. “I offered to meet Agent Thorne over at the station, with Mitch present for the interview. Like you said, this is his territory now.”
“What did Agent Thorne want to know that Detective Kendrick hasn’t already produced?”
“Thorne wanted to hear my account of the night Emma Irwin went missing fresh from my lips.” Chad took a long draw of his own whiskey, his gaze clouding with what appeared to be remorse. “You see, I was the one who had a keg brought out to the old Yoder place for the party that night. I was the one who threw that last bonfire, which ended up getting her killed.”
Chad wasn’t telling Gwen something she didn’t already know. Her mother and brothers had kept her apprised of the horrifying days that had followed Emma’s disappearance. Search parties had been formed, canines had been brought in, and yet it was as if Emma had disappeared into thin air, never to return alive.
Bad things like that didn’t happen in small towns like theirs.
Gwen’s outlook on that had changed quickly after serving in the Navy.
Evil was everywhere.
“I’m sorry,” Gwen replied in her softest tone possible. She would have reached out for his hand in comfort had he been closer. Guilt had a way of devouring a person’s soul. She should know. “I’m sure that is a time of your life that you’d rather forget.”
“No, it’s not.” Chad drained half the contents of his glass. “Truthfully, it was a wakeup call not to end up like my brothers, always in their cups. I stopped partying, concentrated on my grades, and then went to a solid trade school that would allow me to contribute to the family business.”
“Chad, it wasn’t your fault that Emma went missing. She put herself at risk when she decided to walk home that late at night. Evil caught up with her.” Gwen was sure he’d heard the same sentiment over and over again, but she felt compelled to say it once more. “If you hadn’t hosted that last bonfire at the farm, someone else surely would have. It was the go-to party place back in the day, and the property had been sold to new buyers. It was a sendoff, of sorts.”
“Every single teenager in attendance was questioned, but all anyone could remember was that Emma had taken the shortcut through the woods to get back to town. She’d been late for her curfew.” Chad rested the mason jar on his thigh, staring at it like the green-tinged glass had all the answers. “The last glimpse I had of her was when she glanced over her shoulder to wave goodbye to Billy Stanton. He’d strung her along that night, hoping to get lucky.”
“He was always an asshole. From what I hear, he hasn’t changed much.”
“He’s dating Julie Brigham now.” Chad lifted his upper lip in distaste. It was evident he thought Julie was smarter than that. “Such a waste.”
Julie had been best friends with Emma Irwin and Brynn Mercer back in the day. Brynn had said something at dinner last night about how Billy was just using Julie as cover, and that it wouldn’t be a major surprise if it came to light that Billy had something to do with all of these murders.
It was hard for Gwen to imagine a teenager having the knowledge and forethought to not leave a trace of evidence behind in an abduction and subsequent murder. Then again, it was even harder for her to accept that someone like Harlan Whitmore, Chester Mayer, or Calvin Arlos could carry out such horrid acts of violence.
“My brothers mentioned that Calvin Arlos was a prime suspect for a time.” Gwen couldn’t imagine the hardware store owner being anything other than kind. He used to hand out candy to the kids who went into the shop with one of their parents. “I also heard that he suffered a heart attack after being questioned by Detective Kendrick.”
“Calvin’s recovered nicely, but he’s lucky he didn’t have another setback when it was discovered the killer used his boat to try and transport Shae out to the middle of the lake.” Chad lifted his glass in salute. “Nothing like returning home to this whole fucking mess.”
A mass of chills descended over her flesh at remembering the sight of the shadow moving next to the barn. It hadn’t surprised her to receive a call from Mitch while following behind Chad’s truck on the way to his place. She’d all but been reamed out by her older brother for not calling him the moment she’d noticed something was wrong.
“Like I said, I don’t really have anything to do with the investigation. My brothers? Well, they have a hard time not getting involved with crap like this.” Gwen caught sight of a family photograph that only included Chad, his brothers, and his father. She gestured toward the frame with her glass. “We have that in common.”
“Clayton couldn’t successfully steal a piece of candy from a grocery store if he tried,” Chad professed with a shake of his head. “Wes was always the sneaky one, but neither of my brothers could ever take a life of one of their neighbors. Neither could I, just in case you were wondering.”
“I wouldn’t be sitting in your living room if I thought otherwise.”
&nb
sp; “And here I thought you were a risk taker. One of those daredevils. I should have known better after being sent all those lists today.” Chad’s wink caused a surge of excitement where there shouldn’t have been. She had best be wrapping up this impromptu engagement. “It’s your turn, Kendall. Tell me why you think your organizational skills are no longer needed for our mutual project.”
Maybe the high alcohol content had reached her bloodstream, allowing her to relax against the cushions of the couch. It could have been the fact that Chad had opened up to her first, thus letting the floodgates ajar. Did she feel obligated to return the favor? No, not in the least. That alone told her that a part of her trusted him to keep her confidence.
“It’s not so much the organizational skills that I blame for the choices I made in my life. It’s just that I purposefully fit my decisions into a little box that my mind created to be independent of my family.”
Gwen took a healthy nip from her drink, wishing she could have a little more. She wouldn’t, though. She still needed to drive home this evening. And at thirty-two years old, she still had her father sitting in the living room and waiting up for her on a Saturday night. That checkmark she’d made was fading fast, yet she didn’t experience the suffocation she’d fought against all her life.
“I’ll admit that you lost me.”
Chad held up his empty glass as if he’d given a point to her in some fictional game they were playing.
“It’s the Kendall family legacy that we all serve our country,” Gwen explained, though she wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
She took one of her nails and started picking at the uneven bevel in the glass. Once she said the words aloud, she couldn’t take them back.
Is that what she wanted?
“Our mind has a tendency to cause situations to seem worse than they really are,” Chad said somewhat quietly, as if he understood her plight. “It’s similar to what we touched on this morning. We don’t see things as adults the same way we saw them as children.”
Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four) Page 7
