Dark Water

by Talty, Jen

  “In my car driving down Route 8,” she snapped. “Andy was with me most of the ride. His friend lives in the village right behind the Grand Union. I dropped him off at about ten fifty-five because I was late for work and got reamed out by my boss.”

  “Good to know,” Reece said and then asked. “Do you have your sister’s license?”

  The question was out of the blue and meant to catch her off guard.

  “No. Why?”

  “Someone used her identity to rent a car,” Reese said matter-of-factly.

  I think someone is setting you up, Frank wanted to add. No matter how much Frank wanted to tell her his thoughts, it wouldn’t help her. She’d been able to handle herself well enough with Reese’s questions. Andy had been in the car, her car, and not some rental. Andy was going to have to say that at some point. It would all come down to Chad’s word against hers. Not good in a custody battle. Frank had his work cut out for him. Someone ran Chad off the road. And someone wanted to make it look like Lacy.

  Chapter Seven

  “AUNT LACY?” Andy questioned behind angry eyes. “What was that all about?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I’m going to find out.” She watched Frank and Reese exchange a few words in the parking lot. Reese shook his head a lot and Frank waved his hand in the air. By the tense look on Frank’s face, she figured he was pretty ticked off. She wasn’t sure if that was good, or not so good.

  “Why did Frank come here with that guy? I thought he liked you? I thought he was on our side?”

  “He is on our side, but he’s got a job to do,” she said, turning her attention to Andy. “How do you feel about me really dating Frank? About Frank hanging around here on a more permanent basis?”

  “It didn’t bother me yesterday.”

  “But it does now? Because of what just happened?”

  He shrugged as if he didn’t care one way or another, but she knew better. He was scared and confused.

  Lacy really didn’t want to push the kid’s buttons right now, but in just a few hours, he’d be going to spend some time with Taylor. She really needed to get a good feel for what was going on inside his head and make sure he didn’t say or do something that would inadvertently hurt him or their case.

  “I need you to talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking. Feeling.” She needed to prepare him for the possibility she and Frank would be more than dating. If the cops thought she could have done something to Chad, then having one of those cops as a boyfriend, fiancé, husband, whatever, could only help.

  God, she hoped it would help.

  Andy shrugged again. It frustrated the heck out of her that he could clam up and show little to no emotion.

  “I’m serious, Andy. You’re holding something back from me. Something important. If you can’t tell me, tell the doctor or Ms. Lazzery. Frank. Something happened before Hannah died and you need to tell someone.”

  “Nothing happened,” he said behind a clenched jaw. At least he was showing some kind of feeling, even if it was anger. Or maybe fear.

  She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t supposed to pressure him or put ideas in his head. Anything she said about where he should live could be used against her. “I love you and only want what is best for you. I think that is me and if you want that, too, I need your help.”

  “Thought you said it was up to the judge.”

  What Andy didn’t understand was how much he affected his own destiny. Something she just finally figured out. She knew he was terrified of his father, but she didn’t know why. Her imagination suspected all sorts of things, but she had no proof of anything. She’d seen him hit her sister a time or two, but that was too long ago, and Hannah had never done anything about it. Actually made excuses for it.

  Andy and Hannah were the only people who could prove what a jerk Taylor was, but Andy wasn’t talking, and Hannah was dead.

  The cop!

  She needed to talk with the cop who had walked away from Hannah the night before she died. He had to know something. If she couldn’t talk with him, there had to be reports. Some kind of record. Records Frank had access to. She planned on finding them, even if she had to use Frank’s power to get them.

  “The judge will make the final call, but what you say and do will make a difference.”

  “Doubtful,” Andy replied, backing away from her.

  At least he wouldn’t be alone with Taylor. The social worker would be there as well as Andy’s lawyer. Taylor would have to be on his best behavior. He wouldn’t be able to mess with Andy’s mind too badly. Hopefully.

  Andy’s gaze shifted to the door and then back to her. “He didn’t leave?”

  “I guess not,” she said.

  She pushed back the door for Frank. His face was drawn, and for the first time since she’d know him, he looked as if he didn’t have the answer. “Wasn’t that your ride?”

  Frank took off his hat and tossed it to the table. “He’ll be back in a little while. He’s going to check out your story.”

  “My story? That doesn’t sound good.” She rubbed her temples and then ran her fingers through her hair, stopping at the end and twirling the strands between her fingers.

  “Actually, it’s a really good thing because he’ll find you didn’t have enough time to...well…you know.”

  “I’m going out,” Andy said as he pushed Lacy out of his path.

  “No, you’re not,” Frank said harshly.

  “You can’t tell me what to do.” Andy stood rigid, staring at Frank, but Lacy noticed a slight tremble in his hands.

  “We need to talk.” Frank’s tone softened a bit, but his demeanor hadn’t.

  “I don’t have anything to say to you.” Andy didn’t budge, which was progress. Under pressure, he’d normally run, and run fast. The fact Andy didn’t just haul-ass reminded her of what the doctor had told her, that kids will push those they want in their lives to the breaking point. She hoped that was what Andy was doing with Frank. She prayed Frank wouldn’t break.

  “Let’s all calm down,” Lacy said, closing the door so the neighbors didn’t hear.

  Frank leaned against the counter. “I need to ask Andy some pointed questions, and I need some honest answers.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Andy’s words were laced with venom. His eyes filled with fire.

  Lacy wanted to smack some sense into him. “I don’t think Frank is accusing you of anything,” she said as calmly as possible. The whole situation could explode at any moment.

  “She’s right, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened the other day when Lacy took you to your friend’s house. I need to know the roads you took. What time you left. What cars or trucks you saw on the road. Did anyone see you? What time did you get to your friend’s? What—”

  “Slow down.” She reached out and wrapped her fingers around Frank’s strong bicep. “No point in scaring the crap out of all of us,” she whispered, then retreated to go stand next to Andy. “Come on, let’s all sit down and then you can explain to us what is going on.”

  “Oh, we know what’s going on, all right,” Andy said. “He thinks you ran that guy off the road.”

  “No. I don’t.” Frank stared at Andy.

  “Then why are you here?” Andy questioned.

  Frank turned and locked gazes with Lacy. “I need to talk to you alone for a minute.”

  “Okay.” Lacy tilted her head and looked at Andy with her best everything is going to be okay look. “Take my CD player and go listen to music in your room.”

  Andy shook his head. “No. Not till he tells me what is going on.”

  “I just did,” Frank said sternly. “Now you have to trust me.”

  “Why should I trust you,” Andy yelled. “You only care about getting laid anyway.”

  “Andy! Apologize right now,” Lacy snapped.

  “No.”

  She took a deep breath, blinked her eyes, and started counting to ten as she held her hand out to kee
p Frank from saying anything that would make this situation worse. When she finally got to zero, she studied Andy’s pale face. He stood there, seemingly strong and silent. His small body was erect, but there was a sense of sadness surrounding him. “I’ll let that one slide for now.”

  “Works for me,” Frank said. “But I really need a word with you alone for a moment.”

  “Buzz off, dorkface,” Andy said. “You can’t tell either one of us what to do.”

  “Andy! That’s enough.” She waved her finger at him. “Frank, let me deal with this.” She turned her attention to Frank.

  “We’ll deal with this,” Frank said with a grim expression.

  We’ll? When did this become a we program? She shook her head wanting to keep her mind focused on Andy. “I want us to stay together no matter what. Do you understand? Now just give me a few moments with Frank alone, okay?” He nodded, but she could tell he was wigged out. She was wigged out.

  Andy eyed Frank before turning and heading toward his room. She watched him with sadness as he closed the door.

  “I’m sorry,” she heard Frank say. “I didn’t mean to freak him out like that.”

  “He’s gotta go to Taylor’s today, and this shit just isn’t helping him or our case.” She plopped down on the sofa, tucking her legs up under her. “I don’t know how to help him and I think we’re just making it worse.”

  “I think we’ve got bigger problems.” Frank paced in the small area in front of the sofa.

  She watched his feet as he moved back and forth. In a weird way, it calmed her nerves. “You don’t say.”

  “Chad said he saw a woman fitting your description run him off the road.”

  “That’s a pretty generic description, if you ask me.” One didn’t have to be a cop to see where Frank was going. She was a suspect. Probably number one.

  “There’s more.” Frank sat down next to her. His mere presence made her want to fight harder to keep Andy. That unnerved her. She didn’t like anyone having that kind of effect on her. “And if I tell you, I’d be putting my job on the line.”

  “Then why are you bringing it up?”

  “Can I trust you?”

  “I won’t breathe a word.” Who the hell would she tell anyway? She had no one. When she took off years ago, she didn’t look back, didn’t keep in touch with anyone but her sister. And now she pretty much kept to herself. “You expect me to trust you. That’s a two-way street, pal.” She couldn’t tell if his blink was a blink of agreement or just a blink.

  “We found the car that was used to run Taylor’s truck off the road.”

  Guess that blink meant something. “What does that have to do with me?” Lacy asked, feeling a wave of relief wash though her system. If they found the car, then they must know who did it.

  “The car was a rental,” Frank said so softly she barely heard him. His face contorted as if he were in pain.

  “Now you’re scaring me. Would you just spill it?”

  “The car was rented in your sister’s name.”

  “What?” She whipped her head around. “How can that be?” Her sister was dead. It didn’t make any sense.

  “I think someone is setting you up to take one hell of a fall.” Frank gently stroked her cheek with his finger. His gaze pierced right through her. “Taylor is adamant that he was supposed to be in the truck. He’s telling anyone who will listen that you have been threatening him.”

  “Shit.” She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. Could her life get any worse?

  “Do you have Hannah’s personal stuff? Her driver’s license?”

  “I have a box, but I have no idea what’s in it. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go through it.” Bringing her hand to her face, she pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed deeply. “I have no idea where her license would be.”

  “What about other stuff? Her clothes? Anything?”

  “Most of it was gone by the time I got here.” She let the air out of her lungs, fighting the urge to let go and let the tears stream down her face.

  “What do you mean ‘gone?’”

  She felt Frank shift closer. He slipped his arm behind her head and drew her in. She let him. The comfort he offered would be short lived, but she needed something. Anything. He smelled like a combination of power and pure man. A scent she figured would linger with her for the rest of her life. “Just gone. All her clothes must have been given to the Salvation Army or something.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You’re her next of kin. You’re the only one who could make that decision.”

  He had a point. She was the one who should have made all the decisions. Not Taylor. The only reason she went with some of his funeral arrangements were because they were economical and she’d been too distraught to change them. She stiffened her spine, brushing her hair from her face. “Taylor acted like the grieving widower. It drove me nuts, and then the whole custody thing. I don’t get it. He didn’t care about my sister, and I don’t think he cares about Andy.”

  “Maybe it’s not about them. Maybe he was looking for something.”

  “I shouldn’t have stayed away.” She rubbed her temples.

  “What is it?” Frank questioned.

  “Something Andy said.” Or what Andy hadn’t said. Something horrible had happened. She could feel it.

  “Tell me,” Frank’s voice rang out harsh in her ears. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

  She wanted to hate Frank for demanding she tell him anything. She wanted to wish he would just go away, but how would that help her find the truth? How would that help Andy? Even the problems Frank created, he could probably solve. “He asked me once why Hannah did it, but I don’t know what he’s referring to. Every time we try to talk about what happened in the days before she died, he clams up, gets mad, and usually ends up with the likes of Ricky.” She stood and stared at Andy’s closed door. “By the time I got back here, he was in a foster home and Taylor had started proceedings to get custody. Had Hannah not sent me her will, I would have never known what she really wanted.”

  Frank leapt to his feet. “Wait.” He grabbed her by the arms. “Did Taylor know about the new will? When did she send it?”

  “I got it two weeks before she died, and I don’t think Taylor knew about it.” Her heart pounded frantically against her chest. She could feel her hands begin to tremble. “He accused me of forging it.” Fear flowed through her veins remembering Taylor’s hands on her body the night she’d shown him the will.

  “What happened next?” Franks voice softened as he drew her closer. “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. Taylor had frightened her, but she’d been able to fend him off. Just like before. Just like always. A bolt of anger flashed through her system. “He’s slime and he’s up to something.”

  “I know. The question is what? And why? What was in the will?”

  “The trailer. Some life insurance for Andy. Instructions for me.”

  “How much money?”

  “Andy’s got about ten grand. The money is his. It’s for his future, and if Taylor gets his hands on it, Andy will have nothing.” In the scheme of things, ten grand was still a good chunk of change. While it could certainly turn her life around, Taylor’s business did well. His family lived a decent life. It didn’t look like he had a care in the world. Ten grand wouldn’t do much for him.

  And he didn’t want Andy. So why was he fighting her? “He doesn’t want the money,” she whispered.

  “What does he want then?”

  “I don’t know, but I think Andy does,” she said staring at Frank. “The cop,” she heard herself say out loud. “He knows, too.”

  “What cop?” He took a step back. “Reese?”

  “I don’t know the cop’s name. I mean the cop who came to her house right before she died has to know something. He should have arrested Taylor. There was a restraining order. I know there was, but Andy won’t talk about what happened.”

  “
Was Andy there that night?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “What do you know?”

  She fell into Frank’s arms, her head resting against his strong chest. She concentrated on the sound of his heart beating steadily against her ears. Closing her eyes tight, she wrapped her arms around his waist. His muscles tensed as he dropped his chin to her head. “I wanted to talk to the cop who saw her, but he was put on leave or something. No one would give me a name. I think he knows something—” she cut herself off before adding that she thought the cops might be covering up something. Probably a good thing. Frank would just defend the cop.

  They always stuck together.

  “I don’t think so,” Frank said, pushing her away.

  “He didn’t arrest him. Why?”

  “Maybe he didn’t know he could? If your sister didn’t inform him of the restraining order, he wouldn’t necessarily know it existed.” Frank’s tone had turned dark. His face lined with tension. His eyes hard and his jaw set. “He’d have to either see a perceived threat, something that gave him just cause to intervene, or be asked to.”

  Momentarily, she stopped breathing. He was protecting his own. She suspected that nobody knew Frank was honorable, yet he’d proven that time and again. He said what he meant and did exactly what he said he would do. The nobility of his uniform represented his world. He’d never be able to turn his back on it, or any other man, who wore it.

  She resented him for that.

  And respected him even more.

  “I want to talk to that cop. Can you help me with that?”

  He ran his hand over his face and turned from her, taking a few steps toward the door. “Got any antacids?”

  “Yeah. In the bathroom. You going to answer my question?”

  He cussed something under his breath before he said, “Not sure that would be a good idea. Let me handle it.”

  “You’ll talk to him?”

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Taking tiny steps, she moved closer and put her hand on his shoulder. “You’d talk to him for me?”

  “Yes,” he replied simply, but didn’t turn to face her. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and stared out into the trailer park.