Tell Me No Lies

by Branton, Rachel

  Ridge shook his head. “We’ve learned nothing new. Mia may have everything wrong.”

  “So you think she made up the note? Or maybe wrote it herself?”

  “I’m not saying that, though I haven’t ruled it out.”

  “Do you really think she’s capable of that?”

  He didn’t answer, but I could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe it either. Today his eyes were darker, the color of bitter chocolate, though it was probably a trick of the light.

  “Well, I don’t believe it,” I said. “She’s scared—enough to convince Gage and me to delay our honeymoon so we can stay here with her.”

  Ridge nodded once, briskly. “There were no prints on the paper except for yours and hers, but we’re taking the threat seriously.”

  “I’m glad. But something else odd happened.”

  “Oh?” He looked past me at the door, though no one was entering. Then his gaze touched on the clock behind the reception desk, and I realized he was waiting for someone.

  “It might be related to the case.”

  “The case,” he repeated, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, as though he wanted to make a joke but realized it wouldn’t be appropriate. The smile made him more attractive, but I was too irritated to give it more than a passing thought.

  “I have a trust fund my grandfather left me. I’m due to receive a lump sum soon and then a monthly fee for the rest of my life.”

  He quirked a brow, apparently interested but not exactly sure how it connected to the threatening note.

  “Someone’s been snooping into my finances. A woman called the trustee’s office wanting to know what happens to the money if I die.”

  Ridge’s eyes had slid briefly past mine, but now they clicked back to me. “And what does happen to the money?”

  “For now it would go to Gage. But soon it’ll go to my sister.”

  “Why the change?”

  “He doesn’t need it. She does.”

  “I see.” He paused for long seconds before adding, “It seems like those fingers are pointing right back at Gage, don’t you think? He could have hired someone to call.”

  My heart seemed to skip a beat. He was right. Gage was the most likely suspect, but he’d seemed sincere in his claim not to want my money. “No,” I said, shaking my head.

  “I’m not saying he did it, mind. I don’t believe he did. I’m just saying it probably isn’t connected with the note Mia received.”

  “It’s connected because it’s suspicious. Look, can we sit down? I’ve been hiking all morning, and I’m a little tired.” Truthfully, the confrontation with Gage had done more to exhaust me than anything. My mind was still replaying the scene, trying to study all the nuances in order to deduce what they might mean.

  “Sure.” He indicated the waiting chairs in the lobby where an older woman with black hair sat with a drooling toddler on her lap.

  “I meant somewhere private.”

  “Then we’ll have to make it another time because I have an appointment in a little bit.” He lifted his shoulders in an apologetic shrug, an endearing gesture that lessened my irritation.

  I wonder if he was waiting for a woman, perhaps the one Mia had mentioned to him yesterday.

  “I need to clear Gage,” I said. “If he isn’t cleared, we aren’t going to make it.”

  Ridge nodded, his eyes focusing on me as though seeing something he hadn’t noticed before. “Aiden told me how Gage feels about marriage and children. That’s why I was so surprised yesterday when Mia told me he’d gotten married. But perhaps if you’ve come this far, you’ll be all right.”

  He didn’t understand, of course, and I couldn’t tell him. Even if I could, I didn’t understand what I felt for Gage, and it was hard to think past that. I took a deep breath, deciding to take another tack. “I know what happened to Mia, and I understand you came to see her after the attack.”

  “It was bad. Really bad.” Another new note in his voice now—anger, helplessness. Exactly what I’d heard from Gage. “Truth be told, in the end Skeet got exactly what he deserved. If Gage and Mia had been willing to come out about the rape, everything in his case might have been different.”

  “Why didn’t they?”

  “Mia was too fragile. We were all worried she’d do something to herself.”

  “But you knew. You were a police officer then. Couldn’t you have made the other officers see?”

  He shook his head, a hint of tears in his eyes before he blinked them away. “No. They were right. She had to be protected. We had no other choice.” He swallowed hard, his words coming rough and heavy. “I’ve seen it happen before. She was too emotionally fragile. She would have—”

  Whatever he was going to say was lost when the outside door opened to reveal Bailey Norris. Today her short hair was slightly spiky, making her look taller than ever, and she moved with the stealth of a predator. Contrasting perfectly with her tan, she wore loose, off-white pants and a matching short-sleeved shirt that opened at the collar enough to reveal a snug brown tank. Her step faltered briefly as she recognized me.

  Ridge’s entire face lit up, turning from mildly attractive to fascinating. Ah, I thought, knowing Bailey didn’t share his admiration.

  “Bailey.” Ridge stepped forward, taking her hand in his. “You look wonderful.”

  He was right—if you liked tanned, well-dressed, and classy.

  Bailey pulled her hand from his and faced me, more like a mother protecting her young than a rival for a man’s attention. “Tessa,” she said coolly, her eyes running deliberately over my jeans and T-shirt.

  I matched her ice. “Bailey.”

  “I see you two have met,” Ridge said.

  “We’ve had that pleasure. So, what brings you to our illustrious police station, Tessa?” Bailey showed teeth as she smiled, which may have added a touch of politeness if she hadn’t looked like a big cat ready to pounce.

  “I’m trying to find out who really killed Skeet Thompson,” I said, more flippantly than I would have if she hadn’t rubbed me the wrong way.

  She nodded, not showing surprise. “Why?”

  “Because Gage didn’t do it.”

  Again no surprise in her face, and that told me she’d believed in his innocence all along. Of course, if they’d been close, she would have known better than I did what kind of a man he was. Why hadn’t she fought for his freedom then? Or encouraged him to fight? “It’s been a long time,” she said. “Why stir it up now?”

  “Because it’s eating him alive.” I knew it to be true as the words left my mouth. Not knowing what had happened that night, or the role he and Mia had played, was something impossible for him to get past.

  An emotion akin to sorrow moved across her face. “He’ll forget eventually.” It was a promise, and I knew instinctively it didn’t include me but rather her own plans for Gage’s future. I felt my mental claws come out. Funny how I had the urge to protect Gage from Bailey when she so obviously intended to help him. Sometimes life wasn’t very fair—or fun.

  Still, in my view, she and everyone in this town was a suspect, and Mia must have felt the same because Bailey had been on her list. “How long have you known Gage?” I asked, aware that Ridge and Bailey were now giving each other looks that indicated impatience. Whatever the reason for their meeting, they wanted to get on with it.

  “Since high school,” Bailey said.

  “You moved here then? From where?”

  “California.” She cast a quick glance at Ridge, who sent her a reassuring smile.

  “I met your brother yesterday,” I said. “We almost had to call Ridge. He was waving a gun.”

  The comment caused Bailey discomfort, if her frown was any indication. “Charlie wouldn’t hurt anyone. He was trying to protect me.”

  “Charlie’s back?” Ridge asked.

  “That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Bailey’s mouth tightened over the words.

  Ridge’s eyes darkened
. “Is he drinking?”

  “Seemed like it to me,” I said when Bailey didn’t reply.

  “You know he’s had a hard life,” Bailey said to Ridge, acting as if I hadn’t spoken, as if I weren’t even there. “I have to help him. I owe him.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean he can come here and do whatever he likes.”

  She nodded. “Will you talk to him?”

  “Of course.”

  It was a conversation I’d bet had been played out more than once: Bailey coming to Ridge for help with her troublesome brother, and Ridge, the dedicated cop with his heart in his eyes, coming to her rescue. Apparently, he was good at rescuing people in distress—Mia, Bailey, me, and likely a host of nameless strangers. But not even he had been able to help Gage.

  “Thank you.” Bailey’s eyes lowered, but not before I caught a glimpse of real gratitude. Whatever her feelings for Ridge, she cared about her brother as much as he apparently cared for her. I found myself liking her for that despite everything else. “I didn’t know who else to go to.”

  “You did the right thing.”

  She gave Ridge a brilliant smile that had no trace of the predator she’d showed me. “Can you come now?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  I knew how she could repay him, and so did he—to look at him for once as a man instead of a police officer—but neither of us would say it. I suspected Ridge was a lot better off because Bailey didn’t strike me as good wife material for an officer, especially one as dedicated to his job as Ridge. She liked bending rules, or perhaps doing away with them altogether, while he would follow them rigidly or pay a heavy price in guilt.

  They started to leave, but Ridge remembered I was still there before he’d finished his first step. He paused and faced me. “I appreciate you coming in, and like I said before, I am going to get to the bottom of whoever sent that note. I promise you Mia will be safe.”

  There was a question in Bailey’s eyes, but she didn’t give it voice. “Thank you,” I said, and watched them go.

  Bailey cast a final stare over her shoulder—a silent challenge. I met her gaze without flinching, but when they were gone, I walked slowly out to the car, limping slightly and feeling as if I’d been through a battle. The muscles in my right calf had seized up on me in apparent protest, my heart hurt, and I was feeling really dumb about how I’d handled everything—from my breakup with Julian to this interview with Ridge. And especially my blowup with Gage.

  I remembered now how Gage had tried to protest about the money at the diner when I’d first mentioned it. At the time I’d thought he’d been trying to elicit more, but quite possibly he’d only agreed to because I was so insistent. Still, that didn’t explain why he’d gone to such lengths to help me, even to the point of suddenly taking the day off work and endangering his job. I shivered when I remembered the man from the night club and how easily Gage had disarmed him. What if I’d been alone looking for someone to sign my insane contract?

  I drove half-heartedly around town before admitting to myself that I had no place else to go but Mia’s. I wondered if I’d be welcome. Maybe Gage would drive me to the nearest car rental place, and I could be out of his life.

  No, I wasn’t leaving. I was going to see this through. Gage had helped me, and maybe I could help him back. Mia’s talk of a private investigator had given me an idea of my own.

  Pulling over to the side of the road, I pushed my grandfather’s attorney’s number. He picked up almost instantly. “Mark Carson.”

  “Hi, Mark, it’s Tessa Crawford again. Look, I need a big favor really quick, and I’m hoping you have the contacts. I know it’s Saturday, but I need to find out everything I can on a Bailey and Charlie Norris. Siblings. She’s probably thirty or thirty-one. He’s a year or two younger, I think. They moved to Kingman from California with their mother when they were in high school. She’s been here ever since, but he served in the navy. I think their dad died, or something, and they had relatives here. I particularly want to know if there’s any connection between them and a guy named Skeet Thompson, who was murdered in Kingman seven and a half years ago.”

  “Skeet Thompson—got it. Is this related to whoever tried to find out about your trust fund beneficiary?”

  “I’m not sure. But this woman knows that my husband was convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, and I want to know why she didn’t try to help him.”

  “You know I have to pay the investigator—if I can find one available this late on a Saturday. Monday would be a better bet, if it can wait.”

  “It really can’t. Is it going to cost a lot?”

  “A few hours’ research time at least. I’ll convince him to give you a discount.”

  “Mark, if I ever become rich—and that’s a big if since my dad is likely to disinherit me completely—I promise I’m going to move all my business to your firm.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  I was smiling when I hung up. I really liked that man. No wonder my grandfather had trusted him and his firm. Given Mark’s age, which I knew to be in the mid-thirties, my grandfather had likely worked with Mark’s father or grandfather before Mark, but helpfulness must run in the family.

  Thinking of my grandfather made me remember his funeral while I was still in high school. How sad I’d been. Despite the heat of the day, I wished I’d brought the quilt my grandmother had made me because I’d curl up into it and feel his comfort—and hers, though I couldn’t remember her. “I’ve made a mess of everything, Grandfather,” I whispered, “but I’m going to fix it. I’ll try to make you proud.”

  I drove back to Mia’s, taking a few wrong turns along the way but eventually finding the house and the green yard, which stood out like an oasis in the desert. How much of the land behind the house did they own? If Gage was cleared, maybe he would build a house there and raise a couple of children.

  With Bailey? I hated the idea.

  Gage was cutting the grass when I drove into Mia’s driveway, parking the Jeep in front of the closed garage. I climbed out rather sheepishly. He killed the motor and strode toward me, his eyes wandering over my face and body, as though searching for signs of a wound. Tenderness filled me. He’d been good to me, and I’d been ungrateful.

  “You okay?” he asked, as he saw me limping.

  “Just a little sore. Sorry about earlier.”

  “It’s okay. So where’ve you been? Out driving? I do that sometimes.”

  I started to nod but realized I didn’t want to lie anymore. “I was at the police station.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I think you’re innocent.”

  A flush rose in his face. “You have to stop. I don’t want Mia dragged into this again.”

  “She’s already in this. Someone’s threatening her.” I hadn’t meant to tell, but it wasn’t right to keep it from him.

  His face stilled, the color leaking from it as fast as it had come.

  “Mia’s much stronger than she was seven and half years ago,” I continued. “She’s been looking into the murder, researching people’s backgrounds, and asking questions. Someone put a threatening note in her mailbox.”

  “Where is it?” His hands fisted at his side.

  “I convinced her to give it to the police, but I don’t know how seriously they’re taking it.”

  “What did it say?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t remember the exact words, but it said something about justice already being done, and if she didn’t want worse trouble than she’d gotten with Skeet, she needed to leave it alone. That’s why she’s been so scared.”

  He turned from me and headed for the front stairs, bounding up them two at a time. I knew he was going to find Mia.

  “Wait!”

  He turned. Everything about him was taut, power seething under tight control. How controlled I had no idea.

  “There’s more,” I said.

  “What.” It was nearly a
growl.

  “Bailey knows you’re innocent, and I think Ridge does, too—and so do I.”

  Something blazed in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell if it was because I believed him or because Bailey did.

  Just as suddenly the something was gone. “It’s over,” he gritted. “Over. I won’t have Mia going through that again. I won’t have Dylan hurt.”

  “So it’s okay to protect them, but they can’t protect you?” I hurried up the stairs. “Sorry, Gage, that’s not how it works. Like it or not, you helped me, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help you. Someone else was there that night, whether you believe it or not!”

  “It’s none of your business!”

  “So my running off to marry someone in Vegas is your business, but your taking the blame for a murder you didn’t commit to save your sister, who didn’t commit it either and has done nothing to be ashamed of, isn’t mine?”

  “There’s no reason to bring it all up. It won’t change the past. It won’t change the six years I spent in prison.”

  “No, but it will change your future, and Dylan and Mia’s futures. Your children’s future.”

  His jaw clenched, and he swallowed noticeably. “I’m not having children.”

  “See?” We were standing close together. “You will never have a child to take camping, a wife to love and care for.”

  “I have Dylan and Mia.”

  “Only if you’re in disguise. Only if no one else is around.” I was angry, more angry than I had a right to be. “If it’s worth having, you have to fight for it, Gage. Or someday it will be too late.”

  His nostrils flared, and his face flushed with emotion—anger, frustration, and something more. His pulse beat in his neck, and the pounding in my heart echoed it. I wanted to tell him to fight for us, as much as he’d fought for Mia. Or maybe I should tell him to fight for Bailey. The thought hurt more than I would ever admit.

  His eyes held mine. Deep, green, endless. I was afraid he’d see the truth there, so I dragged my eyes away, followed the straight nose to his square jaw and up to his left cheek and the web of tiny scars that were barely visible under the hair that had fallen forward over his face. I wanted to ask him how he got the scars, to trace each one with the tip of my finger—or maybe with my lips. He was my husband, after all, and I’d never felt this way about any man. I hadn’t known such emotion was even possible. My parents had never given me any indication that marriage could be so much more.