Forgotten Pieces

by Tyler Anne Snell

  Matt took a step to his right until he was touching the bed. It effectively cut off everyone’s view of the cuffs.

  Billy cleared his throat.

  “I don’t think we’ve met,” he said, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. He moved into the woman’s and child’s sightlines, also blocking Maggie from view. “I’m Sheriff Billy Reed.”

  Matt turned, pulling his handcuff key out. Maggie remained silent as she watched him uncuff her as quietly as he could. She met his gaze and gave one small nod.

  A silent thank-you.

  It, like the boy, caught him off guard.

  He returned it with a nod of his own.

  Like she said, he might have issues with her, but he wasn’t heartless. The boy was probably already freaked out that his mother was in the hospital.

  But where was his dad?

  Matt turned back to the sheriff and his conversation, trying to move past thoughts of Maggie’s love life. He had bigger things to worry about.

  “I’m Larissa. I babysit Cody occasionally.”

  “So then, you must be Cody,” Billy said. Matt watched him kneel down in front of the boy. He nodded. “And I’m guessing you are ready to hang out with your mom for a bit.” Again the boy nodded. “Well, why don’t I make you a deal? You go grab a quick hug from her and then you can walk with me to the vending machine down the hall for an early-morning candy bar while my friend Matt finishes talking to your mom.” Matt didn’t have to be next to Cody to see his face light up at the mention of a candy bar. Billy turned to Maggie. “If that’s okay with you?”

  “Only if you save half of it for me,” she said with a grin. Another expression Matt wasn’t used to seeing from the woman.

  Cody nodded, raced forward and jumped on the bed for a hug. Maggie winced but kept smiling. Even with the meds she was being fed there must have still been some pain from the hit that had knocked her out. She returned the hug with a few words in the boy’s ear Matt couldn’t hear. He giggled and then was off with the sheriff. Larissa followed, still flushed.

  “If you needed a reason to believe I didn’t attack Dwayne, then that boy is it,” Maggie started. “I don’t need to be able to remember the last day to tell you with certainty that I wouldn’t jeopardize his life by suddenly being a violent and callous woman.”

  “Then give me a reason why you were at Dwayne’s,” Matt said. “Because I can’t accept that everything that happened in the last day came out of nowhere. If you weren’t friendly with the man, then you must have been talking to him about something.”

  That crease between Maggie’s eyebrows came back in force. Her eyes unfocused and her normally plump lips thinned. She was thinking. About what, though, he’d pay good money to be in on.

  “I have had no reason to talk to Dwayne in years,” she finally said. “Whatever the reason was, it must have happened yesterday.” Matt was about to open his mouth and vent his frustration when Maggie continued. This time, however, there was a different tone to her words. “But the last time I talked to him, years ago...”

  Her gaze slid up to his. Slow. Almost sheepish.

  Matt didn’t have to be a detective to figure out what she was trying to say.

  “The last time you talked to him was after my wife died,” he inserted. Even as he said it the old ache of loss sounded in the distance. “And then yesterday you tried to tell me you could prove Erin’s death wasn’t an accident.”

  He read surprise clearly on the woman’s face. If she was faking it, she was doing a damned good job.

  “Let me guess, another thing you don’t remember.”

  Maggie shook her head.

  “No but yes,” she said. “I was looking into the accident again but I definitely didn’t have any proof.”

  Maggie sat up straighter. Again her gaze found his. Even with her makeup washed off, there was an almost-open kind of beauty about her. Like she had nothing to hide. But he knew better. Not only did she have something to hide, she’d also hidden it well from him for years.

  “Matt,” she started, unblinking. “I know you have a hard time believing this but I think I might have figured out who killed your wife.”

  * * *

  “I’M GOING TO release you from custody for a few different reasons and with a condition or two.”

  Sheriff Reed had his arms crossed over his chest but didn’t look like he was being pained to talk to her. Unlike the detective. After she’d dropped her bombshell, she’d more than expected him to give her a weighty, anger-filled lecture. Instead, he’d excused himself and gone into the hallway. Now she was staring at the sheriff, wondering if he knew what she’d admitted to the detective.

  “Okay, I’m listening,” she added when she realized Sheriff Reed wanted a confirmation.

  He held up his index finger and ticked off his points as he made them.

  “One, where you were struck with the baseball bat suggests that someone swung and hit you from behind.” He held up his other hand to stop her questions and continued, “Based on the angle of the wound, it would have been nearly impossible for you to have been able to hit that spot with enough force to knock yourself out cold. Which means we’re looking for a third person who was in that house. Detective Ansler is on scene and CSU will get back to us when they find something. For all we know you walked in on a robbery in progress. Two, your doctor has cleared you health-wise so I don’t see a reason to force you to stay in one of these rooms when I know exactly where you live. And some of your neighbors, too. Including a very observant Deputy Carrington.” There was a warning beneath the words. Or maybe it was a promise. It was the sheriff’s way of flexing his connection muscles.

  Basically he was saying, “Don’t try to run or do anything stupid because I have eyes and ears almost everywhere in town.”

  But Maggie had no reason to run. However, doing something stupid was an entirely different ballgame. She preferred the phrase “risk taking.”

  “Three,” he continued, holding up three fingers. “As much as I dislike the digging that you’ve done into the life and pain of Detective Walker, it’s highly likely that the circumstances surrounding your and Dwayne’s attack could be related to you digging into Erin’s death and not just random. That’s too much of a coincidence for me to ignore. I want to see what information you do have on the case. And why someone might want that information, if that’s what they were after.” Sheriff Reed sobered. “But you will not continue to look into Erin’s death, understood?”

  Maggie liked to think she could read people. Or at least, know what they really meant when they said something. That was how she knew that the sheriff meant every word of the command. And there was nothing she could say to him in that moment to convince him otherwise. So she decided to lose this battle.

  But not the war.

  “Understood.”

  Sheriff Reed nodded. His shoulders loosened considerably.

  “And the last reason is your son, Cody,” he said. “I hadn’t realized his father wasn’t in—”

  “He doesn’t have a father,” Maggie interrupted so quickly she surprised herself. The sheriff amended his statement.

  “I hadn’t realized you were a single parent with no immediate family in the area who he could stay with until this is all figured out. A hospital is no place for a kid to hang out unless absolutely necessary.”

  “Normally, I’d agree,” Maggie said after a moment. “But if my being at Dwayne’s was because I was investigating, then what if that third person in Dwayne’s house decides to come after me? Surely I’ve seen their face. Cody will be in danger.”

  “Which brings me to my two conditions,” he said. “I want you to keep to your normal routine, including his, until we have this sorted out. Send your son to school today. I know what it’s like to disrupt a kid’s routine when they’re young. He’ll be safe there and in the
meantime we can make sure your house is safe just in case. I would also like you to not talk about what happened to you until we have a better handle on the situation. That includes the media... And no personal reporting of any kind. This story, you need to keep under wraps. It’ll be a whole hell of a lot easier getting information when we don’t have to sift through a county’s worth of theories on what happened. Not yet at least.”

  “Okay, I can do that, I guess,” she said. Though she could feel the prickling sensation of curiosity trying to expand within her. She wanted to hit the street, ask questions and get answers about what had happened to her. What had she found? How did Dwayne fit in? Or maybe she’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, that left the question of who had attacked them. One she wanted answered, even if it had nothing to do with her personal investigation. Plus, the sheriff was probably right. Lying low might be the best thing for her. Maybe her memories would return if she took it easy.

  Ha. Easy. Like I’ve ever done what’s easy.

  Before the sheriff could read any mischief in her expression, Maggie sat up straighter and cleared her throat.

  “So what’s the last condition?” she asked. “Because I’d really like to leave this charming place as soon as possible.”

  The sheriff definitely wasn’t smirking anymore. In fact, he almost looked hesitant.

  “What happened could have been a case of you seeing something you shouldn’t have by accident, caught as an innocent bystander and targeted for that reason. But we have no proof. Just as we have no proof that your life could be in danger. So for the public’s safety and your own, I am relinquishing you into the custody of Detective Matt Walker effective immediately.”

  Maggie opened her mouth to argue but the sheriff was faster on the draw.

  “Until we find out what happened in that house, Ms. Carson, this decision is final. Arguing with me won’t work.”

  Maggie lifted her chin a fraction. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “No offense, Sheriff, but you’ve never heard me argue before.”

  Chapter Four

  There were a lot of questions but not many answers. At least none that led Matt to a clear picture of what had happened at Dwayne’s house. Although Maggie had admitted to looking into Erin’s accident, she’d gone tight-lipped as they left the hospital. Then again, that might have had more to do with Cody being caught between them as they got into Matt’s off-duty, dark green Jimmy. The six-year-old had kept his eyes wide as Maggie talked to him in the back seat. She reminded him of a lesson she’d already taught him.

  Don’t talk to strangers.

  In the rearview mirror Matt could see the boy took the conversation seriously. He watched Maggie with concentration that furrowed his brow. When she was done that concentration turned to worry. He didn’t understand what had changed. From what they’d pieced together from Billy talking to Larissa before she left for the community college was that everything had been normal the day before.

  Larissa lived near Cody’s school and often picked him up and watched him until Maggie was done with work between four and five. Around four thirty Maggie had texted and asked if she could watch the boy until eight. After that she’d called from the hospital. Larissa had offered to keep him for the night. She hadn’t told Cody why the impromptu sleepover had happened.

  And now, sitting in the back seat, Matt could almost see the boy trying to figure out what had changed their normal routines to include a last-minute stay with his babysitter, a trip to the hospital and a talk about strangers.

  Maggie must have sensed it, too. Matt glanced into the mirror in time to see her press her thumb between his eyebrows. She rubbed the crease gently and smiled.

  “Wrinkles are for me, not you,” she said. “Don’t worry, little dude. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.” Her voice had gone gentle, maternal strength backing up each word. It was such a contrast from the woman he knew that it surprised a smile out of him. Thankfully she didn’t see it. “And if you promise not to worry, I’ll see what I can do about taking you, Josh and Emily to the science museum in Kipsy sometime soon.”

  Matt didn’t have to see the boy’s face to know Maggie had just hit negotiation gold. A quick intake of breath from him was followed by a bigger smile reflected on his mom.

  “I can show Emily the tornado ride,” Cody exclaimed. “And we can play with the burp machine!”

  “And don’t forget the puzzle room,” Maggie added on.

  Cody squealed and launched into his favorite things he’d done the last time they’d been there. Along with the tornado ride, burp machine and puzzle room, he’d had fun in the music house where the floor was a keyboard. Judging by the quick sigh Maggie let out, she had not been a fan of the music house.

  She caught Matt’s eye and shook her head.

  “That place is the devil,” she supplied, in no way stopping the boy’s conversation. He stared out the window, still counting off the different rides, exhibits and interactive experiments the museum had. “Imagine a marching band forced into one room and each one is playing a different, horribly out-of-sync tune. I’d rather take another bat to the head.”

  Despite himself, Matt almost smiled.

  The pleasantries ended after they got to the school. Matt talked to the principal about keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious, just in case, while Maggie sweet-talked the boy’s teacher into dropping the mark against him being late. Or intimidated the teacher. Matt didn’t know. The Maggie he’d met years ago was starting to look like a different Maggie now.

  When they rendezvoused back at the Jimmy, however, it was all business. Another surprise, considering Maggie had been the one to start it.

  “Okay, we need to retrace my steps from yesterday.” She jumped in and buckled her seat belt but gazed straight ahead. “Let’s start at my house and see what we can find there.”

  “You may have been released into my custody but that doesn’t give you the right to issue orders,” he reminded her. Though he agreed with her idea. He navigated out of the parking lot and pointed the SUV in the same direction he’d headed the day before.

  “Sorry, I just assumed you’d want to figure out what happened,” she said. The gentleness she’d used with her son had definitely gone to school with him. “I didn’t realize you had something better to do.”

  Matt muttered some bad things beneath his breath. All of which Maggie didn’t comment on. She was a smart woman. She knew which buttons to press. And when to stop pressing them altogether.

  Or, at least, he thought she had. The fact that she was still trying to make something of Erin’s death proved otherwise.

  “So what do we know so far?” she said when he’d found a more peaceful state of mind. “Has CSU found anything helpful at Dwayne’s house yet?”

  Matt didn’t like that he shook his head.

  “Detective Ansler is supposed to update me when he gets more information on the prints found at the scene but I do know that a partial was found that didn’t belong to you or Dwayne. Other than that, nothing of interest has been reported so far. You could tell a struggle had taken place but other than that I didn’t have a chance to really investigate. I rode with Dwayne to the hospital when the EMTs got there. The sheriff and Ansler took over.”

  “Then why don’t we go now?” Maggie asked, sitting up straighter.

  “You want to go back to the scene of a crime where you’re one of the suspects?” he had to ask. “That definitely isn’t going to fly.”

  “I’m also one of the victims,” she argued. “And how are we supposed to figure out what happened if you just admitted you didn’t even have enough time to really look at the house? Plus, maybe something will jog my memory!”

  It was a good idea, he had to admit, but he’d been burned by Maggie Carson’s enthusiasm one too many times.

 
“How about you just leave the police work to the police? Despite the thoughts that I’m sure fill your head, last I checked you weren’t law enforcement. In fact, last time I checked, you weren’t even a reporter.”

  Maggie bristled. Her lips thinned. The air in the SUV seemed to go arctic.

  And just like that Matt found a way to shut Maggie Carson up.

  * * *

  THE HOUSE AT the end of Birchwood Drive had a yellow door that stood out like a sunflower among a bucket of weeds. The moment they turned on the street, her eye was drawn to the door like there was a bull’s-eye painted across the front. It made Maggie feel a touch of warmth just looking at it.

  Because man, had she fought tooth and nail with the homeowners association about it.

  The memory of fighting for something, even as small as the color of a door, made the detective’s words’ sting lessen. But not enough to press him further about going to Dwayne’s. Instead, she decided to focus on another mystery.

  Like what she had done after taking Cody to school the day before.

  Her thoughts stalled when she realized something she hadn’t even thought about until the house was right in front of her.

  “The sheriff said my car was at Dwayne’s but empty,” she said when he cut the engine in the driveway.

  “Yeah?”

  “Including my purse, which also wasn’t in the house.”

  Matt nodded.

  For the first time that day Maggie let her shoulders sag.

  “So along with my car key, it’s safe to assume my house key is no longer in my possession.” Matt turned to the front door. He hadn’t thought about that detail, either. Maggie sighed. “You said you picked my lock yesterday morning? Another event I can’t remember. Think you could put on a repeat performance?”

  The detective led the way to the backyard and to the back door with notable tension lining his shoulders. He kept his left arm tucked close to his stomach. Ready to unholster his gun, she bet. Something she might have deemed unnecessary under different circumstances.