“Hey, kid.” Darla’s hand closed over hers. “You look beat. I’ll wash the dishes.”
“You will?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.
“Of course. You go on to bed.”
Beat didn’t even begin to cover how exhausted she felt. For the first time since she was a little kid, Lilah had begun taking afternoon naps. “I’ll take you up on that offer,” she said.
Darla slipped off the leather bracelet and clasped it around Lilah’s wrist. “And you keep this. Stand up for yourself now and then, girl.”
Unexpected tears gathered in her eyes, and she blinked them back. Every once in a blue moon, Darla surprised her. Nodding, she got up from the table and went to the bedroom. Without bothering to change into her nightgown, she slipped between the covers and fell into the black abyss of sleep.
* * *
COLD.
Lilah rubbed the goose bumps on her arm. Wind rustled through the pines and whooshed into the cabin. Darla must have opened a window, she surmised, clambering out of bed.
The scrape of a heavy boot on the wooden floor brought her to an abrupt halt. The back of her neck prickled. Another step creaked in the hallway, and her mind raced. The shotgun was by the front door, so that was of no use. She hesitated, torn between locking her door or opening her bedroom window and hightailing it into the dark night.
But she couldn’t leave Darla alone to face the menace.
Lilah unplugged the lamp on her nightstand and wrapped her hand around the base like a club. Not much of a weapon, but it was better than nothing. She stepped into the hallway and flattened herself against the wall, letting her eyes adjust to the dark.
Moonbeams cast a silvery glow in the den, and the shadows shifted, forming the silhouette of a man in black. He wasn’t aware of her presence and crept from the rocking chair to the coffee table, picking up magazines and searching for...something. Did others know about the large amount of cash her father had stockpiled in the cabin? This could get ugly, deadly even. Maybe someone who’d been searching for the money had murdered her dad. Damn it, Harlan was right to warn her away from this place. Darla spending the night calmed her fears, but unless her sister was packing heat, she was of no help.
Lilah peeled herself away from the wall and stepped into the hallway to warn Darla of the danger. At the slight sound, the man straightened and spun around.
He had no face. Where eyes and nose and mouth should have been, there was nothing but inchoate blackness.
Lilah’s pulse pounded furiously in her taut body. It was a nightmare come to life—paralysis rooted her feet to the floor and she could hardly breathe. The scream in her throat choked her lungs, refusing to unloose in the deathly quiet.
Suddenly, the intruder turned and ran for the open window.
A piercing cry vibrated her ears and brain. It took several seconds before she realized it was her own voice screaming. She stumbled to the front of the cabin on numb feet and dropped the lamp on the sofa, exchanging porcelain for the cold steel of the shotgun’s barrel. A bolt of courage rippled down her spine, and she raced to the window and slammed it shut.
“What the hell is going on?” Darla rushed into the room and flipped on the light switch, revealing her baby doll nightie with its feathered neckline. Her mouth was devoid of the usual red lipstick, but pink sponge curlers dangled loosely in her brown hair. Oddly enough, the scanty attire only made her appear like an adolescent. A vulnerable, confused teenager.
“Somebody broke in. Did you open the window in here before you went to bed?”
“No. Is that how they got in? Did you get a good look at him?”
“He wore a mask.”
“Oh, my God. I’m calling Ed to get out here.”
“No sense rousing him and your kids out of bed. The man’s gone.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not staying here.”
“We could drive into town and stay at a motel. But I don’t relish the thought of going outside to get in the car.”
“Call your Harlan. Tell him to get here ASAP.”
Her Harlan. She wished he was. Not the mean, stupid Harlan who’d dumped her but the old Harlan who couldn’t keep his hands off her and whose kisses had made her feel wild and cherished. She lifted her chin. “No. I won’t bother him.”
“Bother him? Isn’t responding to break-ins, like, his job?”
She could call someone else in the sheriff’s office, but Harlan would get word and come immediately. Lilah thought fast. “We could call Uncle Thad.”
Darla grumbled. “Okay. But the only reason I’m not calling Ed is ’cause I don’t wanna put my kids in danger.”
“I’ll make the call while you get dressed.”
Darla sped to the bedroom, mumbling under her breath—something about the crazy gene in their family, Lilah thought.
Lilah grabbed the cell phone and punched in her uncle’s number with her left hand, still clutching the gun in her right. She turned off the overhead light and stood by the window. Was he out there in the darkness, waiting for another night, another opportunity?
She would never feel safe here again. Maybe Harlan was right. Maybe Dad had gotten mixed up in some new dangerous scheme. A new gamble, a new adventure—one that had cost him his life. Who knew what desperate secrets lived in another’s heart? She had to think about her own future, her own sad secret.
As soon as she’d settled her dad’s affairs, she would leave Lavender Mountain.
Chapter Three
This was going to kill Darla.
She’d put off bringing up the matter of the missing money, imagining Darla’s furious reaction at the news. For the past couple of days, she’d stayed tied up with all the paperwork concerning the robbery and fixing up Dad’s old place. Darla was much too busy to be bothered. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true or fair—she’d been avoiding this scene with her sister.
Tired as she was from the drama and all her duties, Lilah couldn’t up and leave the mountain without letting her sister know the money was gone. She sped down Dark Corners Road to the homestead where Darla, Ed and their three children lived. Her sister would be devastated about the stolen money. If only she’d just let her have it that morning like Darla had begged. And she could kiss goodbye that sisterly chat she’d planned on. After the news, Darla would be in no mood to offer advice and comfort over the matter that had weighed on Lilah for weeks. It wasn’t like there’d been much chance of Darla being supportive, anyway, if she was being honest with herself.
At the last sharp bend before hitting town, she pulled into Darla and Ed’s gravel driveway. An unfamiliar red pickup truck was parked near the side porch. Maybe Ed had traded in his old clunker. She picked her way through a barrage of mangy dogs and mewling cats that barked or hissed their displeasure at the invasion of their territory.
Old toys and broken furniture almost barricaded the doorway, and she impatiently scooted a rusted table out of her path. Through the screen door she heard Darla talking on the phone.
“Yes, I’ll hold. But only for a minute. Longer than that and I’ll take my business elsewhere,” Darla huffed.
Lilah pushed open the door and entered the kitchen where her sister held a tape measure stretched across the lower cabinets. “You back, sir? I want mahogany,” Darla said. “Only the best. And I want it pronto.”
Lilah blinked. Wow. This was a change. Ed must have been working overtime.
Darla retracted the tape and scribbled on a scrap sheet of paper, her face puckered in concentration.
“New cabinets, huh? Nice.”
Her sister snapped her head up, pencil poised. “What are you doing here?”
Not the welcome she’d expected. But then, she and Darla had never been particularly close. The ten-year age difference was large enough so that shortly after their parents’ divorce, a pregnant Darla
had married Ed while Lilah had moved over a hundred miles away with their mother.
“Well, I’m leaving, and I thought I’d say goodbye first.”
Darla colored slightly. “Right. Sorry I couldn’t help out more with the estate stuff. Ed Junior’s been down with a tummy ache.”
“No problem.” Lilah shrugged and waited awkwardly.
“I’ll just, uh, get off the phone. Want something to drink?”
“Water, thanks.” Lilah plopped down on a chair in the den.
The TV blared, although no one was watching it. Where were her nephews?
Darla returned from the kitchen and tossed her a water bottle. “Where are the kids?” Lilah asked.
“I started them in daycare yesterday. I needed more peace and quiet ’round here.” She shuddered. “I’m still recovering from that intruder scare.”
“Me, too,” Lilah admitted. “I meant it when I said I’m not staying. I’ll come back when there’s papers that need to be signed when the cabin sells, and for the meeting next week in the probate office.”
Darla tossed back her hair. “Both stupid formalities. That cabin’s not worth much, and I doubt Dad had more than a few hundred dollars in the bank. A complete waste of time.”
“But he had thirty thousand dollars lying around the house,” she pointed out.
“Dad didn’t trust banks. Besides, I bet he was just holding that money for someone.”
Lilah suppressed a shudder. If that was true, was that why the intruder had been in the cabin? Would he return?
“Anyway, do you think you could take care of all the paperwork for me?” Lilah asked hesitantly. “I only got involved with everything because Jimmy was overseas and you said you were too busy with the kids to fool with it. Now that they’re in daycare...maybe you could take over?”
“You handle it. You always were good with all that complicated kind of stuff.”
Irritation flared between her temples. “But I live over a hundred miles from here, and I’m busy, too.”
“You?” Darla scoffed. “You don’t have other people depending on you to feed them and watch over them. Or a demanding husband. What else do you have to do?”
That about hit her last reserve of patience. “I have a j-o-b. Remember? I also take college classes in whatever spare time I have.”
“Pfft.” Darla waved a hand dismissively. “Why you wasting time getting a fancy degree...”
But Lilah tuned out her words. Instead, she was mesmerized by the huge diamond flashing on Darla’s left hand. “Ed upgraded your wedding ring? It used to be on the small side.” Rinky-dink was more like it.
Darla abruptly lowered her hand and crossed her arms, hiding the ring from view.
The new pickup, ordering new cabinets, fancy jewelry. Well, that little mystery was solved.
“It was you!” Lilah stood and pointed her finger. “You’re the one who stole the money.”
“It wasn’t stealing. That was Dad’s money, and I’m sure he meant for me to have it.”
Of all the selfishness Lilah had witnessed over the years with her sister, this was the most outrageous. “All for you, huh? What about me and Jimmy?”
“Jimmy’s making plenty of money in the army.”
“And me?”
“You’re about to become a teacher. You’ll be rolling in dough. I need it more than you. I have a family. You don’t.”
Lilah closed her eyes, thinking of how much thirty thousand dollars would have helped in paying off her college tuition and upgrading from her clinker of a car to something more reliable. Rolling in dough on a teacher’s salary? Not hardly.
She drew a long steadying breath. “We’ll see what Jimmy thinks about all this when I call him tonight.”
“Do you have to tell him?” Darla flushed and bit her lip. “We ain’t spent it all yet. I could give you each a few thousand.”
She’d never been so angry. Lilah trembled from the injustice. Careful, careful. Don’t say something you’ll regret. “I’ll see you later, after I’ve spoken with Jimmy,” she said past numb lips.
“Ah, come on, LayLay,” Darla cajoled, using her old childhood nickname. “Don’t get all mad on me.”
Lilah strode past her, eager to avoid more confrontation. “We’ll settle up after I talk to Jimmy. I’ll be speaking with Harlan, too. He knows that money was stolen from the cabin. I’m sure he’ll want to question you about the theft.”
Darla paled. “Now, look here...”
“Save it for the cops,” Lilah said, marching out of the house and back to her car. Of all the nerve. Of course, she wasn’t going to press charges, but let Darla sweat it a little.
Inside her car, she backed out of the driveway and then paused. Go left or right? Left meant leaving the mountain, right meant having “The Talk” with Harlan. She dreaded it, but her conscience demanded she tell him. Besides, he’d already called, wanting her to sign the missing money report.
Digging deep into her reserves of courage, Lilah turned right.
* * *
THE MOMENTARY LULL in the crowded, noisy sheriff’s office alerted Harlan that something was off. He glanced up from his paperwork and followed the gaze of his coworkers to the front door.
Ah, yes. Lilah Tedder had that effect on the opposite sex. She turned her head, scanning the room until she zeroed in on where he sat. Her blond hair glowed like a halo under the harsh fluorescent lighting, but her eyes burned like two flames, hot and flickering.
She was no angel.
Lilah beelined to his desk in determined steps. He hoped J.D. wouldn’t come out of his office anytime soon this morning and witness them together. She stepped up to his chair.
“So you’ve already drawn up the report on the money?” she asked, cutting to the chase.
“Yep.” Harlan picked up the printed document. “Just need you to sign it.”
She sat down next to him and primly placed her purse in her lap. He slid the paper toward her, and she glanced down. “I’m not signing it. There’s no longer any need for a report.”
“Why? You found it?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
He was missing something. People didn’t “misplace” thousands of dollars of cash. “That’s good. Where was it?”
“I forgot I’d moved it from under the mattress to the bottom dresser drawer.”
She was lying, but why? Truth was, he’d been reluctant to write up the report, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to her newfound wealth. At least not until the money was accounted for and safely deposited in the bank. Besides, her family’s name was mud as it was. This report would drag more fodder and speculation about Chauncey’s questionable activities.
“Are you sure about this? What’s really going on?”
“I’m more worried about intruders than...”
She stopped, obviously flustered about blurting out that tidbit.
“Intruders?” he honed in quickly. “You have any more men showing up to buy moonshine?”
“No. Never mind about that. I’m leaving today, anyway.”
“Sure you won’t change your mind?” He’d secretly hoped she would hang around long enough for him to try to win her back.
“It’s for the best.”
“You’re scared. Tell me what’s going on. Has someone hurt you or threatened you in any way?” If they had, he’d hunt them down like a dog and make them pay. He lowered his voice and took her hand. “Tell me.”
She jerked her hand away. “There’s nothing to tell. Forget the report.”
“Sure, never mind that I wasted an hour writing this up,” he shot back, hurt and annoyed.
Lilah shrugged. “Sorry.”
Her tone implied she was anything but sorry.
“For God’s sake, Lilah, what the hell is going on here?”
He was conscious of his fellow officers glancing their way. He lowered his voice. “First, the missing money, then you hint at an intruder and now you deny anything’s wrong?”
“Don’t badger me, Harlan Sampson,” she said, glaring. “I didn’t come here today to talk about the report, anyway. That’s not important.”
“Not important?” he asked, incredulous. “Are you for real? I demand to know what’s going on.”
She jumped to her feet, her face flushed and her voice raised. “You have no right to demand anything from me. Never did. I just dropped by to tell you that I’m—I’m...oh, never mind. I won’t bother you with the news.”
The room was the quietest Harlan had ever witnessed. From deep in the recesses behind their administrative offices, an inmate could be heard cursing in a holding cell.
This wasn’t happening. His mind spun in circles. Surely Lilah wasn’t about to say she was pregnant, was she? They’d been careful. Except, well, there were a couple of times they’d been too impatient. He felt like he’d fallen down into a deep well and couldn’t catch his breath.
Lilah raised her chin and strolled away, her back ramrod stiff. From the corner of his eyes, he caught Sheriff Bentley shaking his head in an I-told-you-so way.
Instead of heading to the front door, she made an abrupt turn to the right and entered the women’s restroom. Jolene Smithers, a fellow officer, rose from behind her desk. “I’ll check on her,” she said, eyes wide with equal measures of pity and curiosity.
To hell with J.D.
He found his feet and followed Jolene, aware that every eye in the room was upon them. Someone snickered, and the back of his neck flushed with heat.
* * *
LILAH PULLED BACK her hair and leaned over the toilet, gagging. A few deep, shuddering breaths later, she straightened, bracing her hands against the stall’s cool metal siding.
That’d been close. For a moment back there, she’d been ready to upchuck all over Harlan’s carefully prepared report. One that was no longer needed.
“Get yourself together and get the hell out of Dodge,” she muttered.
Appalachian Prey (Lavender Mountain Book 1; Appalachian Magic) Page 3
