by Stewart, Anna J. ; Sasson, Sophia; Carpenter, Beth; Jensen, Muriel
For an instant, she could see the same shadows that had hovered in his eyes after what had happened at the beach.
“For the record, I’m not going to push you or Charlie into anything you’re not ready for. If pizza is as far as this goes, fine. You know me well enough by now to recognize when I’m telling the truth about something.”
“Yeah, I do.” And that’s what worried her. There weren’t a lot of people who wore honesty and integrity like a badge of honor. She’d wager she could see Fletch’s from outer space.
“Whatever issues you have, whatever is holding you back, I’m willing to work through them with you, Paige. I promise you can trust me. I like you. But then I guess you figured that, too.”
She smiled as he sat in what was normally Charlie’s chair. “I had a feeling.”
“And I’m betting, quite a bit actually, that you like me a little, too.” He circled a finger in her direction.
Her lips twitched. “Maybe.”
“Yeah, see, your kissing me the way you did kinda gave you away. But hey. I’m not greedy. Most of the time.” He pointed to her plate. “Now, let’s eat. The sooner we get over to Willa and Nina’s, the sooner we can put this whole Jasper thing behind us.”
She dropped into her chair, swallowed around the lump in her throat. “And then what?”
“Then we see what else we can find to argue about.”
* * *
“EVENING, WILLA.” FLETCH wished the sight of him didn’t put fear in the young woman’s eyes. All the more reason he wanted to make this visit as unofficial as possible. Not coming in uniform seemed to be the best way to convey his intention that he was only looking to help.
Standing on the O’Neills’ front porch, listening to the boards creek under his feet, he was ashamed to admit he hadn’t realized just how much work needed doing to their home. So many houses needed to be repaired, and while a lot of the properties were gaining interest from potential new owners or renters, those providing shelter seemed to have fallen by the wayside. “Paige and I wondered if you and your mom have a few minutes to talk.”
“About what?” Willa hugged the door against her.
“It’s about Jasper, Willa. Please.” Paige stepped forward and pulled open the screen door. “We’re both here as friends. Friends who want to help put an end to all this.”
“Willa, don’t you let our guests stand out there. That’s rude. You let them in, you hear?”
Willa’s eyes narrowed. “We’re packing for San Francisco.” Her voice was soft, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would scare any good vibes away. “Please don’t upset my mom,” Willa whispered as he stepped inside. “Not now.”
“It’s not my intention at all, I promise.” He dropped a reassuring hand on Willa’s frail shoulders. “Or you either. I know you’re all dealing with a lot. If anything, I want to help.”
Willa nodded, but he could see she didn’t trust. Not entirely. “Come on in. Would you like tea or coffee?”
“No, thanks.” Paige answered for both of them with a spring in her step and a gleam in her eye, no doubt from the two sodas she’d guzzled at dinner. He’d bet she’d be flying off the caffeine buzz for hours to come. “Nina, how are you doing? You all ready for your big trip?”
Nina’s strained smile stretched her gaunt face. “As ready as I’m going to be.” She motioned Paige and Fletch toward the overstuffed sofa and held out her hand for little Maisey, as fair-haired and blue-eyed as Willa was dark. Made sense given they had different fathers. Willa’s had died serving in the first Gulf War. Maisey and Jasper’s…well. Not all men were as honorable.
As decrepit as the house appeared on the outside, Fletch was relieved to see the inside had been well taken care of. Comfortable, cozy and warm, exactly what was needed to help Nina get through whatever treatment she needed to save her life.
“You must be Maisey.” Paige smiled at the young girl, who blinked her overly wide eyes in their direction. “You’re a bit older than my Charlie. Do you know each other?”
Maisey shook her head. “I don’t go out much.”
“We’ve been trying to convince her to go to some of the events at the community center,” Willa said, pulling Maisey onto her lap as the older sister settled into the easy chair by the fireplace. Nina, from her seat on the other end of the sofa, beamed at her daughters with as much pride and love as Fletch had seen Paige bestow on Charlie.
Powerhouse single mothers. Fletch shook his head. Was there anything stronger on this earth?
“You know Jason Corwin has been talking about starting up some children’s cooking classes at the Flutterby in a few weeks.” Paige leaned her arms on her knees. “Maybe you’d be interested in those.”
Maisey’s eyes brightened a bit. “Maybe. I’ll have to see how Mom is.”
“Doesn’t make any difference how I am, young lady.” Nina tugged the afghan tighter around her legs. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. In fact, I’m going to insist you take part.”
“Mom.” Maisey shook her head and looked far older than her ten years. “I don’t like making plans that far ahead.”
Fletch’s chest constricted as he saw Willa’s arm tighten around her little sister’s.
“Then we’ll play it by ear. Tell you what. I’d like some hot chocolate. Do you think you can fix some for me?” Willa brushed Maisey’s blond hair back from her face and kissed her cheek.
“Sure.” She stood, bent down to pull up the white kneesocks that disappeared under her long flowered skirt. “I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“Thanks, honey.”
Fletch watched Maisey vanish into the kitchen down the hall. “Quite the little adult.” He made sure to keep his voice low.
“She’s had to grow up faster than I would have liked,” Nina said. “Now, what brings you two by? Can’t be good news if you’ve decided to team up.”
“On the contrary,” Fletch said before Paige could answer. “We decided it would save time and make it easier on everyone if we worked together. The more information we have, the sooner we can get this case closed and everyone back to where they belong.”
“Exactly.” Paige shot him an uncertain look. “I actually saw one of the buildings that has been vandalized. Kyle Winters’s old house. Do you know it?”
“Certainly.” Nina nodded. “And I know Kyle, too. He’s had a rough go of things over the years, but I always thought there was more to him.”
“He’s a tough kid,” Willa agreed. “But I always liked him. Never heard a young man say thank you quite so much.”
“So Kyle and Jasper were friends?”
“Definitely. Kyle sort of looked on Jasper as a big brother. Until things changed.”
“What changed?”
“Well, Fletch knows this already, but Jasper was a pretty good kid up until his father left. That’s when the trouble started. He became very solitary. Stopped hanging out with Kyle and his buddies.”
“He was always a help around here, though,” Willa added. “I still think he’s just had a really bad string of luck.”
“You honestly don’t believe he’s responsible for the break-ins, do you, Willa?” Fletch kept his tone even and kind. Now wasn’t the time for accusations.
Willa sighed. “Like Mom told Paige the other day, I don’t want to believe it. But he’s just so angry. And I’m not even sure what he’s angry about anymore. Everything seems to set him off. But I can’t let myself believe he’d go so far off the rails he’d resort to something like this.”
“Is that why you’ve been helping him hide?” Fletch ignored Paige as her head shot up. “I know you had his prescription refilled a few days ago, Willa. Even though you’d told Paige you hadn’t seen him in over a week.”
“Willa?” Nina asked. “Is this true?”
Willa’s eyes filled. “I couldn’t let him think we didn’t care about him, Mom. Yes, I did. I’m sorry I lied about it. But I’m not sorry I did it.”
“Of course you aren’t.” Paige held out her hand across the narrow coffee table and waited for Willa to take hold. “He’s your brother. You care about him.”
“Where did you meet to give him his medication, Willa?” Fletch asked.
“Far end of Skipper Park. You know, over where they had that cooking competition this summer? On the other side of the playground.”
“So he’s all right.” Nina’s sigh of relief punctured a hole in Fletch’s determination for more answers. “Thank goodness.”
“He was as of a few days ago.” Willa sighed. “I took him some food, too. And gave him what money I could. He looked a little pale and he was limping when he left. I told him we were taking you for treatment soon. That seemed to upset him.”
“He hasn’t done well with all this,” Nina explained. “He can’t fix it, you see, and Jasper’s always been a fixer.”
“No, I understand.” Fletch nodded as he recalled an energetic boy who’d always been willing to help. “Willa, do you have any idea where he’s staying? Any friends he might call?”
“I’m sorry, no.” Willa shook her head. “I swear, I’m telling the truth this time. He made me promise not to tell anyone I’d seen him. He said he’d be in touch when he could. Almost as if…” She trailed off, bit her lip, as if uncertain whether she should share what she’d been about to.
“Willa, he needs help. You’re not going to be here, and neither is your mom. Please trust us.” Paige squeezed her hand so hard Fletch almost felt it himself.
“You’re going to be fair with him, aren’t you, Fletcher?” Willa asked him point-blank. “You aren’t just going to lock him up without evidence.”
“With Paige watching my every move? Absolutely not.” Fletch attempted some humor to lighten the mood. “But I can’t promise it’s going to be easy. Finding him is the first step. Beyond that, all I can promise is I’ll get to the truth.”
“Okay.” Willa took a long deep breath. “Okay, I wasn’t sure at the time, but when I spoke to him, it was almost as if he was on some kind of mission. Like he was investigating something. I thought maybe he knew who was behind the break-ins, but when I asked, he took it to mean I was accusing him and I wasn’t. It’s probably why he hasn’t been in touch since.”
“That’s something to consider.” If the kid didn’t think he had anyone to rely on…he could be even more difficult to locate.
“Would it be possible for us to look at Jasper’s room?” Paige asked as she pulled her hand free from Willa’s trembling one. “It’s asking a lot, but I promise we’ll be respectful.”
“If it will help.” Nina nodded, and it was then Fletch noticed she’d lost even more color in her face since they’d arrived. No wonder Paige was so protective. “Since the two of you have put yourself on this case, I’m going to state this here and now. I’m trusting you with my boy. Whatever the truth might be, I know you’ll find it. This treatment I’m going to start will likely throw me for a loop, and I need to know I can trust someone to watch over this. Keep my head in the game, so to speak.” Nina patted Paige’s hand.
“This treatment they’re giving you is very promising, Nina,” Paige said. “I’ve seen it do wonders for late-stage cancer patients. And you’re right. A positive attitude going in is absolutely your best weapon.”
Fletch didn’t know how Paige could talk about something as serious as Nina’s diagnosis with such empathy and understanding. She slipped into the conversation as easily as if he was talking about the latest fingerprint results. Speaking of fingerprints…
“I’m going to head on up to Jasper’s room. Which door is it?” He pushed to his feet.
“I’ll show you,” Maisey said as she carried a mug of hot cocoa to her sister. “Is that all right?”
“That’s more than all right, Maise. Thanks.” Willa accepted the mug with a smile and nodded her encouragement.
“After you.” Fletcher waited for her to climb the stairs, and before he followed, he looked back at Paige, who continued to surprise him with her utter and complete dedication to making anyone—and everyone—feel better.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“WAS THERE ANY particular reason you didn’t tell me Willa lied about the last time she saw Jasper?” Paige closed and leaned against the door, her eyes following Fletcher around Jasper’s bedroom like a laser beam. “I don’t appreciate being blindsided, Fletch. I thought we were working together.”
“We are. I needed to see her honest reaction.” If Fletch picked up on the irritation in her voice, he didn’t show it. He was more methodical than she expected, wearing another pair of latex gloves and examining everything from the stack of books on Jasper’s desk to under his mattress. “No offense, but I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t give her a heads-up.”
Paige started to argue, but one skeptical glance from Fletch had her snapping her mouth shut. Yeah, okay, she had to give him that one. “Is there anything else you aren’t telling me?”
His hand froze on the edge of the mattress. He sat back on his heels. “Does this room surprise you as much as it does me?”
“What?” Paige stepped farther inside, turned in a circle and scanned the contents. Giant posters of space and machinery were meticulously lined up on the wall. An oversize version of the periodic table had notes scribbled around various elements. His bed was made, his clothes put away. She walked forward and peered into the highly organized closet. The entire top shelf was filled with DVDs of crime shows, forensic documentaries and true crime books. “It’s certainly not your average teenage boy’s room.”
“I’ll attest to that. It’s neat. Compulsively so.” Fletch frowned. “Why is it every time I think I get a handle on this kid, he surprises me? This isn’t anything like what I expected.” He pushed to his feet and returned to the desk, shuffled through the stack of receipts peeking out from under a stack of reference books. “Closest Brayden’s Book Store is over in Durante. These are from a couple months back. What’s Jasper doing with textbooks on crime scene investigations and forensics?” Not to mention the microscope and box of lab strips on the desk.
“Matches what’s in his closet. Willa and Nina said he’s a fixer.” Paige joined him and flipped open the largest of the texts. “Well, they aren’t for show. He’s made notes here in the margin.” She drew her finger down the side column. “What-ifs and reminders about other books and authors. Okay, everything I’ve heard about Jasper, none of this fits. Look. This one’s on survivalist techniques.” How to live out in the wilderness with limited supplies.
“Willa said Jasper was talking as if he was investigating a mystery.” Fletch reached for the remote control and turned on the TV. He checked the DVD player, closed it again and hit Play. “Well, I think we know why we found his ID at one of the scenes.” They watched as a video of someone wandering through a darkened, vandalized house appeared on screen. The calm, clear voice of a teenage boy dictated exactly what he was seeing…from the damage to the structure to speculating over the type of paint that was used. “He’s playing crime scene investigator.”
“And somehow managed to get himself incriminated.” Paige let out a relieved breath. “Thank goodness.”
“Hardly,” Fletch said. “Why on earth wouldn’t he have come to us with his suspicions about the break-ins? Me or Luke or Ozzy or Matt? Why let us continue to believe he was responsible when he had evidence to the contrary?”
“Gee, I don’t know.” Paige raised both eyebrows. “It isn’t as if he’d be judged on his past behavior or record or anything, would he? Trust isn’t an easy thing to have in people, Fletcher. It’s also one of the easiest things to break. We need to find him, Fletcher. And the sooner the better.”
Fletch nodded, and she had to give him credit. He seemed to be fully embracing the idea he’d completely underestimated the young man. “Yeah. And you know what?” His mood seemed to lift as he met her gaze. “This gives me a better idea of where we can start looking for him. I’ve got a list Matt brought back from when he saw Kyle.” He snapped off his gloves and headed to the door.
Paige cleared her throat. “We can compare it to this one I’ve already made up. With Willa’s help. The other day.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the sheet of paper. “I was planning on checking them out when I had time, but since we’re working together now, we can either divide and conquer or whittle down our choices.”
He looked down at her list. She braced herself for a less-than-positive reaction, but seeing the smile spread across his face eased any trepidation she might have felt in offering her first sign of trust. “These are great. And I can mark a few of them off already. I checked these here.” He dug out a pen and drew a line through some of the abandoned stores just off Monarch Lane. He frowned briefly. “The caves? You think he’d hide out there?”
“Willa said he loved them when he was a boy. Something about the mystery of them. That they’re not the easiest to find.”
“Not to mention one of the more dangerous areas of town.” Did Paige imagine it or were his hands shaking? “Let’s say we keep that idea in reserve for now.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s after seven. You have to pick Charlie up at eight, right?”
That he’d remembered felt like the brush of a feather against her heart.
“We can knock a couple of these off the list on our way to Abby’s. Then we can pick up where we left off tomorrow.”
We can? She wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip out of her grasp. “I start at the diner at nine and I’m off at four. Charlie’s spending tomorrow evening at the inn with Simon. You can have me the rest of the night.”
