“She’s talking really loud,” I mouthed.
Mia grinned, and her face gained a bit of needed color. “People do that a lot. I never know, though. It really used to irritate Gage. Before he . . .” She hesitated, her smile vanishing, and I knew she meant before he went away because he wasn’t around others with her much these days. If my guess was correct, he’d distanced himself to protect her and Dylan.
“Mia.” I looked at the voice, and Mia followed my gaze.
A police officer in uniform emerged from a hallway. He was of average height, clean-shaven, and nice looking. His hair, so short it was almost shaved, was that indescribable shade between dark blond and light brown. He looked as if he kept fit, probably in a gym, and not because he was vain about his appearance but because he didn’t want lack of preparation to be what allowed a perp to get away. He walked with the confidence of someone you could go to in times of need, knowing he’d be able to help you.
“Hi, Ridge,” Mia said. “This is Tessa.” She looked nervous, and I wondered why when the officer was so personable. I waited for her to add that I was her sister-in-law, but she didn’t, and I felt relieved not to have to lie to yet another person. We shook hands, and I noticed his eyes were the delicious color of milk chocolate.
“So, what can I help you with, Mia?” He was talking to her but looking at me, probably deciding what color of orange to call my hair, or wondering if he’d seen me on a rap sheet somewhere. No, that was just my guilty conscience. Once I extracted myself from this marriage sham, I was never, ever going to do anything remotely wrong again.
For the first time I began to worry about what kind of legal trouble I might get into if anyone official discovered my real motive for marrying Gage. If someone contested my reasons for marriage, and I lost, did I lose everything? Go to jail? I really should plan my fiascos a little more carefully.
“Is this about the children you’ve been working with at Sarah’s House?” Ridge asked. “The counselor says you’ve done a tremendous job with them.”
Mia’s eyes skittered over a couple who were coming into the police station. “Can we go somewhere else to talk?”
“Oh, sure.” He motioned us to follow him down the hall. “So, Tessa, I haven’t seen you around before. How long have you known Mia?”
“Not long.” I wouldn’t say we’d only met today because that would lead to questions about how long I’d known Gage and why he hadn’t introduced me to Mia long before the wedding. “You?” I asked.
“Since we were little kids. We weren’t close growing up, but I was best friends with her husband. Aiden was gone on her even then. He always knew they’d end up together.”
“Sounds like a great guy.”
“He is.” He turned his face more sharply in my direction. “There was a bit of talk when they got together after high school—you know, two misfits and everything—but it wasn’t anyone’s business, and the talk didn’t last. They make a fine couple.”
“What do you mean?” I’d seen a picture of Aiden at Mia’s, and besides being very blond—even his eyebrows were white—he looked completely normal. I knew from things Gage and Mia had said that Aiden could hear just fine.
“Mia didn’t tell you? Aiden’s an albino. Apparently not as severe a case as some, but he’s very pale, and his eyes are sensitive to light. Always wearing sunglasses. Never could be out much in the sun when we were young or his skin would burn.”
“I didn’t know that. He looks normal in his pictures.”
“He is in everything that counts. Just like Mia. She’s the best sign language translator they’ve ever had at Sarah’s House. I recommended her when a mother showed up with three deaf kids claiming her husband was abusive. The kids opened right up to Mia. She knew just what to say. Those kids love her.” Admiration filled in his voice.
“Stop talking about me.” Mia slugged him on the arm.
“What?” Ridge said, looking to her.
“I can always tell. You turn your head so I can’t see your lips.” Her gaze switched to me. “Is he telling you about my work at Sarah’s House or about Aiden being a freak of nature?”
I laughed because she was dead on. “A handsome freak of nature, if he is one,” I added, remembering the picture. Aiden had the kind of smile that made you want to join in.
Mia grinned. “I know. Can’t wait for you to meet him. I already called, and he’s seeing if he can come home early.”
“Great.” That meant I could make sure Aiden knew what was going on with Mia’s investigation and get on my way. If there was something funny going on here in Kingman, it probably wasn’t smart to get involved. I had my own problems to deal with.
We’d finally arrived at a small room, where Ridge had to kick out two officers who were watching a training video on a small screen. They good-naturedly agreed to make a run for doughnuts.
“They have no intention of getting doughnuts,” Ridge said, rolling his eyes. “They always say that to mess with visitors’ heads. You know, the whole cop and doughnut thing.”
We sat down, and almost immediately Mia pulled the note from the small brown purse she carried. “I’ve been looking into the murder,” she said in her direct way. “Asking some questions. I have proof my brother didn’t kill anyone. Look.”
Ridge carefully unfolded the note, and I noticed he didn’t wear a wedding ring. After he’d read the paper, he let it drop onto the desk. “I’ll have it dusted for prints, but how long have you had it? How many people have touched it?”
“Just me and Tessa and whoever put it in my mailbox yesterday.” Mia shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t think about prints.”
“Does Gage know about this?”
“No. I didn’t want to get his hopes up. But don’t you think it means something? If someone didn’t have something to hide, they wouldn’t threaten me.”
Ridge leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Gage entered a no-contest plea, and he was convicted. Only the skill of his attorney prevented him from being in prison a lot longer.”
“He was convicted because no one would look at any other evidence!” Mia said, her voice rising. “It was him or me, and you know Gage would never let me go to prison. This note has to prove something. I was just looking around, asking questions about that night, and then this suddenly shows up in my mailbox. Whoever killed that monster is still here. I know it! And this time I’m going to fight for Gage. I was too young and too scared then, but not anymore. Not since I’ve been at Sarah’s House. Those poor kids are willing to fight for each other and their mom, and that’s what I’m doing for Gage, even if he doesn’t want me to.”
I had to struggle to understand her impassioned words, but Ridge seemed to follow every word. He folded his hands over his lean stomach, elbows on the arm rests of his chair. “But it’s over, Mia. Gage is out and working. He’s bought a house. He’s gone on with his life.”
“It is not over!” Mia stood, her small frame shaking, and her voice becoming high pitched with emotion. “He can’t live here and watch Dylan grow up. He can’t go pick up my son from school or run to the store when he’s visiting unless he’s grown out his beard so no one will recognize him. To everyone in Kingman, he’ll always be a murderer. What about his children, if he ever has any?” Here she cast a sorrowful glance at me before rushing on. “Please help me, Ridge.”
“She’s scared,” I added. “And after reading that note, I think she has a right to be.”
“Of course, I’m going to look into it.” Ridge smiled reassuringly at us. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to discover who wrote this and why. At the very least, I’ll give a couple of pranksters a tour of our jail. Meanwhile, I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high, Mia. A lot of time has passed, and you have to understand that while I want to help your brother, it may not be possible. Even if it is possible, it’ll take a while.”
“But you’ll investigate?” Mia pressed.
“Yes. Of course.” He grinned. �
�I just said I would, didn’t I?”
Mia nodded, the fight seeping from her body. “Thank you.”
“I’d like a list of people you were asking questions and what kind of questions. Any Internet sites you visited or mailing addresses you wrote to. That will help me figure out where to start.” Ridge handed Mia a notebook and a pen, and she sat down again and began writing.
“So where are you from?” Ridge asked idly, his eyes dropping briefly to my hand on the arm rest. Ah, so guys did the ring check like women did.
I felt consternation when I looked at my own hand. I must have left the fake ring back at Mia’s when I’d taken my shower. “I’m from Flagstaff,” I said, “but I’ve been working in Phoenix.”
“Where?”
“Crawford cereals. My father’s company, actually. I was a shift manager until I left a few weeks ago.”
“Going to be here long?”
“A few more days. I’m staying with Mia.”
He nodded several times, and his Adam’s apple move up and down twice before he said casually, “I could show you around a bit, if you’d like. That is, if you don’t have someone already doing that.”
I felt completely flattered. He liked me. Take that, Julian. Ridge was a nice, decent man who would probably ask me for a real date if I encouraged him. Of course I couldn’t do that because I was supposedly married, and I’d have to say no, which was disappointing. Nothing like a little admiration to put a woman to rights.
Mia laughed, apparently catching at least part of his invitation. “No, Ridge, she’s not the girl I want to set you up with. This is my new sister-in-law. She married Gage.”
“Oops.” Ridge made a face that only endeared him to me more. “I thought you—please forgive me, I didn’t see a ring, and Mia told me last week she had a friend she wanted me to meet.”
“I must have left my ring in the bathroom when I showered,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. I’m flattered. Honestly. You’re very sweet to offer.” I wish I could say yes, I wanted to add.
“They only got married yesterday,” Mia explained. “All on the spur of the moment. They haven’t even planned a honeymoon. I can’t believe Gage.” Her voice left no doubt as to her disgust.
“My dress was beautiful,” I said for Ridge’s benefit, “and we had a nice dinner, and we saw a show and went dancing. It’s not as if it was a real—” Oops. My brain finally overcame my motor mouth. “A really long ceremony. We had time to get out and see the town a bit.”
“That’s good,” Ridge said politely, but I could tell his interest had wandered.
Mia bent her head down and furiously scribbled two addresses she copied from an address book in her purse. “There. Finished.”
“Is there anything you want to add?” Ridge asked me. When I shook my head, he said, “Well, if you don’t mind putting down your contact information, in case I think of any questions.”
“Sure.” I scribbled at the bottom of the paper where Tessa had written a half-dozen names, an equal number of questions, several Internet sites, and the two addresses. A few of the names had notes off to the side: angry, didn’t want to talk, happy to help, knows some sign language. I noticed one of the names was Bailey Norris, Gage’s ex-fiancée.
Ridge walked us to the front of the police station. “Thanks for coming in. I’ll do what I can.” He nodded at me a bit sheepishly. “Nice to meet you. Here’s my card, if you ever need to get a hold of me.”
I liked him enough that maybe after this was all over, I would look him up. He didn’t have Gage’s rugged, eye-catching handsomeness or Julian’s aristocratic manners, but he was nice, dependable, and underneath all that, I suspected he was capable of passionate commitment, which looked pretty darn good to me these days.
Mia breathed a sigh of relief as we reached the car. “I’m glad that’s over. Ridge is good at his job. I feel better already.”
“I’m glad.”
I thought we’d go straight back to the house, but to my surprise Mia drove to JCPenneys. “What are we doing?” I asked.
“Spending that fifty bucks Gage gave you. If we come home without anything, he’ll be suspicious. Come on.”
She was good—I hadn’t given our excuse a second thought. As for what to spend the money on, I could use another pair of jeans and a few shirts. I might be able to make the money stretch that far, and if not I could always use my debit card. As soon as I received my trust fund, things wouldn’t be so tight.
To my embarrassment, Mia headed directly to the sleepwear department and began pulling out lacy negligees. “You’re a six or an eight, aren’t you?”
“I don’t need one of those.” I told her. “That’s taken care of.” My face was aflame. All I needed was to go back to Mia’s with something like that. My sweats would do for now.
“My treat,” Mia said. “You didn’t even get a fun bridal shower, and that’s what I would have given you.” Before I could protest further, she turned her back and disappeared between the racks.
Sighing, I went to find a pair of jeans, which fit remarkably well, two fitted tees on clearance, and a dressy purple blouse I could wear with my black pants in a pinch. At the last minute I picked up a black skirt that was on sale, in case Mia went to church on Sunday. I’d attended church every week in Phoenix on my own, though growing up I’d only gone at Easter and Christmas.
The lady in front of me in line offered me an extra fifteen percent off coupon from a small stack she carried, which I was not too proud to use, and that meant only a few bucks ended up on my debit card. Lily would be proud. She was constantly telling me of the bargains she found for Mario and the girls they sheltered.
Mia was waiting for me when I finished paying. She carried a JCPenney’s sack and wore a beatific smile that would have rivaled an angel. If I’d had even a minuscule amount of artistic talent, I would have wanted to paint her in that moment.
“What did you get?” I said, frowning.
“You’ll see.” She hurried to the car, with me lagging behind.
The drive to Mia’s was again too silent for my comfort, but I had to admit she was an excellent driver. I was pondering how I could sneak Mia’s shopping bag away and hide it so Gage would never find it, when Mia began honking the horn madly. The car lurched to a stop on the dirt road in front of her house.
What was going on?
I looked around frantically as Mia jumped out and raced up the walk, waving her hands and screaming.
I hurried after her, my feet stumbling on the road as I realized what was wrong. Standing in front of her porch was a man with greasy brown hair pulled back into a short braid. He had a wispy goatee and a fuzzy little mustache, the kind that men talked themselves into being proud of when they couldn’t grow anything better. He was tall, but far too thin, and he had the worn look of an alcoholic. Not much of a match for Gage, who stood on the porch looking down on the stranger.
Or wouldn’t have been much of a match, except for the gun in his hand.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Get out of here, Charlie Norris!” Mia yelled, her voice high and unnaturally shrill. “Leave my brother alone!”
I could barely understand her, the words having become garbled with emotion, and I doubted the strange man could pick out anything. He turned from Gage, the gun not quite pointed at anyone, but wavering now in Mia’s direction about knee height.
Gage leapt off the porch and placed himself in front of his sister, heedless of the wild look in the man’s eyes. “Go on home, Charlie,” he said. “You don’t want anything to happen here. You’ve seen me fight before. Even if you won, the police would come after you. Believe me, prison is not a pretty place—especially for a scrawny thing like you.”
Charlie lifted his chin. “I didn’t come to hurt no one. I came to tell you to stay away from my sister. I won’t have you breakin’ her heart again. I won’t let you or anyone hurt her.”
“Bailey’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
“She’s gone on you. Always has been. She was all broken up after you went away.”
“We were over before I went to prison, no matter what she might have told you.”
“Yet the minute you’re back, she comes running over.”
Gage shook his head. “She was here to meet my wife. That’s all.”
“She come home crying and yelling and—did you say wife?” The words finally penetrated Charlie’s brain.
“Yes.” Gage gestured toward me, frozen on the sidewalk to Charlie’s right. “This is Tessa, my wife.” I could only hope Charlie didn’t decide to shoot me and clear the way for his sister.
Charlie’s mouth formed an O. “I didn’t know you were married. But you told Bailey you would never marry, not her or anyone.”
“This is different.”
I thought Gage’s words would anger Charlie, but the gun hand slowly fell to his side. “I didn’t know you were married.”
So he’d already said. Obviously, Charlie was not big in the brains department.
Charlie was shaking his head. “So that’s why she was crying. She thought you loved her. How come you never wrote?” He was half crying himself, now.
“I did write twice, but since it was over, it seemed kind of pointless after that.”
Charlie punched the air with his free hand. “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be you and Bailey, and me and Mia.”
Mia shook her head. “No, Charlie. I love Aiden. I’ve always loved Aiden. You know that.”
“You might have loved me if Skeet hadn’t done what he did. I wasn’t ready to be a father, and Skeet messed everything up.”
“I loved Aiden,” Mia repeated. “Skeet doesn’t matter.”
Charlie blinked. “Oh.”
“Why don’t you go home and rest?” Gage said, taking a step forward slowly, as though confronting a frightened animal. “Why don’t you leave that gun with me?”
In a rapid motion, Charlie brought the gun to his chest, hugging it. “You can’t have it. I might need it to protect myself. Besides, it’s borrowed.”
Tell Me No Lies Page 10
