Barrett, Julia Rachel - Anytime Darlin' (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Anytime Darlin' (20010) (lit)

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” Mary put her arm around Devlin’s shoulders. “I understand. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Do I have money? Do I have the money to pay for a lawyer? My aunt told me I have money in a trust. How do I get it?”

  “You have money, Devlin. Your aunt Carolyn called a lawyer and wrote a new will, the day after you ran away. She left everything she owned to you. For some reason, the house was in her name. She had a savings account that your uncle didn’t know about. I guess when everything’s released by the police, it’s yours.”

  “Not my uncle’s business,” Devlin said, a look of horror on her face. “I don’t want anything to do with him. I don’t want anything he touched. And I don’t want the house. I just have to get my—the photos of my family. They’re in my bedroom. I don’t want anything else. It can burn to the ground for all I care!”

  Devlin buried her face in her hands and began to cry. She hated crying in front of people. It made her feel vulnerable. Vulnerability was a weakness. Her uncle had exploited any show of weakness. Devlin had learned not to cry, no matter what he did to her or her aunt. It hurt even now, to let the tears flow even though she knew she was safe from him.

  * * * *

  Mary stood beside Devlin, one arm around her, the other hand rubbing her own pregnant belly, comforting her baby and herself at the same time. She hated what had happened to Devlin and her family, mourning the loss of her neighbors and childhood friends all over again. Her impulse was to protect Devlin if she’d let her, but she understood and respected the girl’s need for independence. She had already decided to help her in any way she could. She knew she could count on her mother and her husband to support Devlin’s decision, and she was pretty sure Jake would be close by regardless.

  His fondness for Devlin was obvious, and Mary knew better than anybody how stubborn Jake could be. Mary’s only concern was that Devlin seemed to be equally fond of Jake, and it wasn’t just the age difference that worried her. Despite what had happened and despite her obvious intelligence and maturity, Devlin still possessed a child’s innocence. One look in those big eyes said it all.

  Jake was only twenty-four, but he’d grown up quickly on the ranch. He was experienced in ways that were far beyond Devlin. Mary knew Jake would never take advantage of the situation, but she worried for Devlin. She didn’t want her hurt any more. It amazed Mary that Devlin had managed to survive at all, let alone with her psyche intact. She’d make a point of talking to Jake before Devlin’s feelings got out of hand. She was vulnerable right now, and that vulnerability might make her dependent upon Jake. Mary knew he had plans, and those plans didn’t include Devlin. Yes, she would definitely talk to Jake as soon as things calmed down.

  Chapter Six

  The months of February and March flashed by in a blur. Devlin was discharged from the hospital and allowed to go home with Mary and Kenneth. With Kenneth’s assistance, she found a well-respected attorney. A sympathetic judge listened to the entire story and, with very little deliberation, declared her an emancipated minor. She now had legal control of her finances and her life.

  Jake fought her tooth and nail when she insisted upon going to her aunt’s home to get her few possessions. Though he lost the argument, he never left her side as she removed treasured family photos and a few articles of clothing. He stood right behind her through her aunt’s short memorial service at the hospital chapel, arms protectively draped around her shoulders, ready and waiting for the moment when she leaned back against his hard chest and sobbed her heart out. He shielded her through the crush of reporters outside the hospital as Kenneth and Mike escorted Mary and Mary’s parents, Delores and Frank.

  Devlin was grateful for Mike’s continued presence, along with her former teacher, Beth Ellis. Over the past few months, she had grown close to both of them. Shauna, Scott, and Cherie attended the memorial, as did Amy and Dr. Walters and many of the ICU staff. Devlin felt like she owed every one of them a portion of her life, especially Jake and Mary and Mike. They’d all been with her since the morning she was found in Kmart.

  Testifying before the grand jury had been torture. Devlin was forced to relive, in excruciating detail, the accident and every gut-wrenching event since. The suspected murder of her family and the tragic death of her aunt became public fodder, as did her uncle’s illegal financial dealings. Shauna and Cherie had prepared Devlin, but that didn’t make it any easier when she was confronted with constant headlines about the case. Some of the less responsible papers even referred to the story as the “Lolita Murder,” as if Devlin had solicited her uncle’s attention, insinuating that he had killed for her.

  What Devlin found more distressing than anything was the fact that her uncle actually had help. He had a lover, Rebecca “Bitsy” Matheson, a married, wealthy mortgage broker and local socialite. She was the one who told him Devlin had been found. She was the reason her aunt had been shot. According to Shauna, Mrs. Matheson’s daughter, a nurse in the emergency room, had inadvertently mentioned Devlin’s name that first morning, and her mother had dutifully reported Devlin’s location to her uncle.

  One afternoon, a beautiful woman walked out of the courtroom, approaching Devlin where she stood with Jake and Mike. Jake turned to intercept her. To Devlin’s surprise, she slapped him hard across the face. Without a word, she turned and walked away, hips swaying, her high heels clacking against the tile floor. She disappeared around a corner. Jake made no effort to stop her or follow her. He turned on his heel and headed the opposite direction, leaving Devlin staring after him, shock evident on her face.

  Her impulse was to follow him, to see if he was all right, but Mike stopped her. Without asking, Devlin knew she had been Jake’s lover. Jealousy warred with pity in her. The woman had lost more than just Jake. But a sudden vision of her in bed with him overcame any sympathy Devlin felt. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked Mike if she was the reason Jake and the woman were no longer together. Mike looked a bit taken aback, reassuring Devlin that their breakup was a separate issue.

  Jake reappeared a short time later, a scarlet welt on his left cheek. As he rejoined them, Devlin avoided eye contact, but slipped her hand into his and squeezed. He squeezed back. She knew he looked over her head at Mike, but she pretended not to notice.

  On the last day of testimony, an overly aggressive photographer shoved Devlin, nearly knocking her headlong down the granite steps in front of the courthouse. Jake’s fist connected with the guy’s jaw in the blink of an eye. The man sprawled on the stairs, stunned. His camera bounced downward, shattering on the sidewalk. Ignoring the man’s loud threats, Jake plucked Devlin up in his arms and whisked her back into the building to demand a police escort to his pickup.

  The indictments were handed down the next day. William Franz was indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, one count of rape, one count of assault and battery, and, based upon the testimony of his clients, ten counts of fraud and money laundering. After listening to new evidence, the grand jury also recommended that the district attorney in Iowa reopen the investigation into the accident that killed Devlin’s parents, her brother, and her grandparents. Rebecca “Bitsy” Matheson was indicted on ten counts of accessory to fraud and money laundering. A warrant for her arrest was issued that afternoon.

  Devlin listened as the indictments were read. Mary and Kenneth sat on one side, Jake, Mike, and Beth on the other. She knew she should feel relief and vindication, but instead, she felt numb. It didn’t matter that her uncle had been indicted. He’d vanished. Even if the authorities in Asia managed to find him and arrest him, Devlin wasn’t sure she’d feel any better. Her uncle was the worst kind of thief. He hadn’t merely stolen money. He’d stolen lives, the lives of all those she loved. He’d shattered her visions of the future.

  She felt like a tree in the forest, and the old saying applied specifically to her—if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Devlin wondered if she ac
tually made a sound. Did someone exist if they weren’t being perceived? Was she perceived? She was no longer related to anyone. There was not a single soul who could define her and nobody to define herself against. Devlin worried that, one day, she might glance in a mirror and see no reflection. The thought terrified her.

  As the weeks passed, Devlin became more and more aware of how her friends worried. They watched what she ate. Even though they didn’t say much, they noticed when she didn’t eat. When she wasn’t in court, or meeting with a lawyer or her court-recommended therapist, Devlin slept. In her dreams, she could undo the events of the past two years and live them again the way she wanted to live them. Only in her dreams did Devlin find some measure of happiness, so she clung tightly to them. She found she had to drag herself out of bed in the morning, reluctant to wake up.

  Devlin’s biggest concern was the stress her continued presence had on Mary and her baby. Mary had already begun her maternity leave. The baby was due in less than a month. While Devlin looked forward to the birth, she didn’t want to become dependent upon Mary and Kenneth. They had their own lives to live. She knew Mary would urge her to stay, afraid Devlin couldn’t survive on her own.

  Devlin had given much thought to survival. Money wasn’t an issue. She had plenty of money. Thanks to the morbid publicity about her aunt’s murder, after the police released the house, it sold quickly. Her aunt’s bank account had been transferred into her name. Devlin had been in contact with her grandparents’ lawyer in Iowa, and she’d agreed to continue the lease arrangement with Mary’s brother, Mark. The farm, with its two thousand acres of rich black Missouri River soil, was thriving under his careful management. Regardless of her feelings about the land, it was the only thing that made sense. She was in no position to run a farm.

  Grinnell College had been leasing her own home for visiting professors. She instructed the lawyer to donate the home to the college, complete with the furniture. Her family’s belongings, however, she decided to keep in the storage unit where they’d been moved after the accident. Devlin’s heart was still too fragile to put her hands on the gossamer threads of the lives she’d loved and lost.

  Devlin was tempted to walk away, but she feared she would hurt too many people. She had to do something. Beneath the lethargy, Devlin was desperate to feel alive, to feel as though she still existed in her skin. As it was, she felt like she’d become a walking ghost.

  There was Jake to think about. He’d stuck around, but he’d been noticeably distant for weeks. She worried she’d asked too much of him, her dependence wearing thin. The only time in recent weeks he’d seemed to really care was when the photographer had shoved her. Then he’d floored the guy and snatched her up so fast and held her so close, she could barely breathe.

  Perhaps he’d withdrawn because of that woman, Rebecca Matheson’s daughter, the beautiful, statuesque, sophisticated woman who’d been Jake’s lover. Despite Mike’s explanation, Devlin couldn’t help but wonder if Jake resented her because she’d come between Jake and the woman he really wanted. Jake never said a word to Devlin about the encounter in the courthouse. He’d just squeezed her hand. That was the last physical contact they’d had. Two days after the indictments were issued, Jake left for Montana. Mary informed her it was to help his folks with calving. Devlin knew that was the truth. Jake had talked a great deal about his family’s ranch. She knew the cows would be dropping their calves soon. But his presence had filled the emptiness inside her, emptiness that, without him, threatened to overwhelm her.

  Devlin couldn’t shake the feeling that Jake was running from her. She wondered why. She wondered if it was because she’d said she loved him. Devlin prayed that wasn’t it. She knew she should let go of him and move on. She felt vulnerable and afraid, but she also had very little choice. Hiding behind Mary and Ken wasn’t a solution. The problem was that, right now, Devlin couldn’t seem to wake herself up enough to come up with another plan.

  * * * *

  The wind blew cold on the ridge. Jake turned his collar up and hunkered down on his horse. The cattle appeared and disappeared in the swirling snow. He, his father, and his older brother were attempting to get the cows moving, to drive them lower. His father and brother had taken advantage of warm weather to move the cows to the open meadows where young spring grass grew. If there was one thing you could count on in Montana, it was a blizzard, or two, or four, in April, and this one had come up fast. An extra pair of hands was always welcome, and Jake knew without being told when to show up. Driving had been rough, a slog on snowy highways for sixteen hours. His mother greeted him with a hug and a hot cup of coffee, then he headed to the barn to saddle up his gelding.

  Once he reached his dad, it was slow going. As the snow grew heavier and the winds increased, they discussed leaving the cows to fend for themselves until the blizzard blew over, finally deciding to get the herd to the shelter of the trees on the far side of the ridge. It was tough work, driving them up and over the ridge, directly into the worst of the wind in order to get them out of it.

  By late afternoon, as the gray light faded, the three of them felt confident they’d accounted for most of the herd, and they headed for home. The men rode single file, keeping their horses close in the deepening gloom, heads down, eyes peeled for landmarks. By the time they passed the old summer cabin on Wolf Creek, it was full dark, but the snow had decreased and the wind had softened, giving Jake time to reflect, something he hadn’t allowed himself to do much of for the past two months.

  Since the indictments, he’d been avoiding Devlin. Mary asked him to give her space. She was concerned the girl was becoming too attached to him.

  When Devlin was released from the hospital, Mary had pulled him aside. “Devlin’s been through too much, Jake, to depend upon you and then lose you too. I know there’s something…What I mean is, I know there’s something between the two of you. Everybody knows it. But she’s too young. She may not understand, but you do. I don’t want her falling for you and then have to watch you walk away when somebody else comes along. You know exactly what I mean. Besides,” Mary teased, her voice lightening a bit, “you’ve always had a thing for older women.”

  Jake felt a rueful smile tug at his lips. It was true. From the first time, he realized that there was more to girls than just playmates and friends. He’d been interested in those who were the most mature. Jake never lacked for female companionship. Like any other healthy red-blooded male, sometimes the girls he wanted were the most mature physically, but often, it was emotional maturity that attracted him.

  Mary was a good example. She was six years older than he was, and she was wise beyond her years. Even Janice was two years older. Something about Devlin defied age. Whenever Jake looked into her eyes, he didn’t see a seventeen-year-old girl. He saw the woman she would become. Reluctant as he was to leave her, Jake respected Mary’s honesty, and he wanted to avoid any misconceptions on Devlin’s part. He distanced himself. He sat beside her, he stood beside her, but he’d withdrawn from her emotionally. If Devlin sensed it, she never questioned him. When she’d put her warm hand in his after the scene with Janice in the hallway of the courthouse, he almost forgot his promise to Mary. He was tempted to pull Devlin into his arms and hold her close, brush his lips over hers, and taste her. Jake was almost desperate to taste her. He stopped himself.

  It had been torture, hiding his feelings. The photographer who shoved Devlin bore the brunt of it. Jake put everything he had into his fist. If it was up to him, he’d hide her away from the world. When he’d held her against his chest, his heart pounded, out of control. He wondered that Devlin didn’t say something. But he had her pressed so close, it was possible she couldn’t breathe. He had enough trouble catching his own breath.

  Jake learned to hate the press. After titillating, but patently false testimony from Bitsy Matheson was leaked to the press, some of the tabloids characterized Devlin as jailbait. Photographers hounded her. And she had no idea why.

  The reaso
n was clear. Devlin sold papers. One shot of her, one candid shot of those wide aquamarine eyes, the lush lips, translucent skin, and angular cheekbones visible behind a curtain of waving auburn hair was money in the bank.

  Devlin didn’t have a clue what she looked like. She never wore makeup, she dressed conservatively, and though she’d put on a few pounds, she was still thin. It was as if she never looked in a mirror. Jake was beginning to think she avoided mirrors like the plague, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. In his experience, most women checked out their reflection regularly. Janice certainly had.

  Jake remembered how floored Mike appeared that morning when he repeated the conversation he’d had with Janice about her mother. Mike grasped the implications, and his grim expression matched Jake’s. He said he’d already discussed Jake’s suspicions with Shauna. Scott would be checking into Franz’s whereabouts the weekend Devlin’s family was killed.

  The story began to unravel like some film noir murder mystery. The last week in August, William Franz had left for a golf trip in Vail. He met six friends, all of them well-heeled bankers or lawyers. Some of them drove together. Franz came alone. He golfed and drank with his buddies for two days. Then, according to his friends, he claimed he wasn’t feeling well, and he decided to head home early. Only he didn’t head home. He drove himself to Stapleton, parked his BMW in long-term parking, and bought a one-way ticket on Frontier Airlines to Kansas City. Once he landed, he took a cab to Overland Park, where he rented a 1979 brown four-door Oldsmobile sedan from Rent-A-Wreck.

  * * * *

  Because of Colorado’s grand jury findings, a new forensic report, and new evidence regarding a rented brown sedan, a warrant was issued for Franz on five counts of murder in the first degree and one count of attempt to commit murder in the first degree. William Franz had done it. He’d, caused the accident that killed Devlin’s entire family. As the horror story was revealed, piece by piece, Devlin grew quieter. Jake couldn’t even imagine her shock. Her uncle had deliberately and methodically planned the cold-blooded murder of her entire family. The only time she showed any emotion was when she finished her own testimony.