A Winter Wedding (Whiskey Creek)

by Brenda Novak

  “Problem is, you don’t have to go that deep to figure it out.”

  Still smiling, she was about to say something to tease him—he could tell by the glint in her eyes—but his phone rattled on the counter. He’d silenced the ringer.

  He got up to grab it. He’d been waiting to hear from Chief Bennett about the fingerprints on that broken bottle and didn’t want to miss him.

  Sure enough. The call was from the police station.

  He showed Lourdes his display and then answered. “Tell me you found some prints on that bottle, Chief,” he said once they’d exchanged hellos.

  “Yes. That’s the good news. There are plenty of prints.”

  “Do we know who they belong to?”

  “We do.”

  Kyle felt his breath catch. “So what’s the bad news?”

  “They aren’t as conclusive as we’d hoped. They belong to both Genevieve Salter and your ex-wife.”

  “What?” Kyle leaned on the counter as he tried to digest what he’d just heard. “Does Genevieve have an alibi?”

  “She says she was home, at her mother’s house, asleep.”

  “And is her mother backing her up?”

  “Her mother claims she heard Genevieve come in that night, but she has no idea what time. She was in bed herself and didn’t completely wake up.”

  “So it must’ve been late.”

  “Not necessarily. Marilee went to bed at nine, right after she got Genevieve’s son to sleep.”

  “Was Genevieve working at Sexy Sadie’s that night?”

  “She was, but business was so slow, they let her leave at ten instead of keeping her on until two.”

  “Then it could’ve been her.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. As far as he was concerned, she had even less reason to set fire to his plant than Noelle did.

  “There’s nothing so far that rules her out.”

  Cursing under his breath, Kyle returned to the table and sat down. “So what’s next?”

  “Genevieve says she’s willing to take a lie detector test. She admits she hates Noelle, but not enough to set fire to someone else’s business.”

  “That makes sense to me.”

  “Even if she made Noelle look like the guilty party?”

  “She could do other things, more direct things, to get back at Noelle.”

  “She swears she’d never do either, and she has no record.”

  That didn’t account for much. Noelle didn’t have a record, either, but she would’ve had one if he’d ever reported her behavior. “Are you planning to have someone administer the test?”

  “I’m considering hiring an expert, yeah.”

  “Will Noelle take it, too?”

  “No. Unfortunately, she refused. Said there’s no guarantee it would be right, so she doesn’t see the point.”

  Or, more likely, she already knew she’d fail...

  Kyle remembered Noelle’s panic in the alley, after she’d followed him and Lourdes. She’d sounded pretty convincing...

  But then he thought of the moment he’d spotted her car the night of the fire, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. If she wasn’t responsible, she would’ve stopped and rushed over to ask what had happened. Plenty of other people had been drawn by the sirens. At the very least, she would’ve spoken to the firefighters. She was so obsessed with him that a fire at his plant would’ve been irresistible for her, even if she didn’t want him to know she was in the area. She would’ve figured she could lie her way out of that as she did everything else. Instead, she’d bolted and then she’d acted as if she didn’t know about the fire when Olivia called her later.

  “It’s not Genevieve,” he said decisively.

  “How do you know?” Chief Bennett asked.

  “I know my ex-wife.”

  “I can’t arrest her on your gut instinct, Kyle.”

  “You think it’s her, too.”

  “I do,” he admitted. “Poor Genevieve was in tears when I questioned her, genuine tears. Noelle seemed almost...gleeful. Made my cop’s intuition go crazy. But I need proof, and there just isn’t any.”

  Damn it! Not only would Lourdes soon be gone, Kyle was going to be left with the cleanup and construction at the plant, knowing that the person who’d been responsible could do it again. And because she was a woman, he couldn’t confront her in the same way he would if he was dealing with another man.

  “What is it?” Lourdes murmured.

  Apparently, she’d noticed from his expression that he had an idea. “I’m going to pay Noelle a visit.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Chief Bennett warned, overhearing him. “Leave it to me. I’ll get to the bottom of it eventually.”

  Kyle wanted to believe that, but he had no faith. Noelle was too clever, too good a liar. She’d turned deception into an art she’d spent a lifetime perfecting, and she made it work for her. She’d gotten away with almost everything she’d ever done by twisting, evading or shading the truth.

  But he was going to use what he knew about his ex-wife and her methods to beat her at her own game.

  She wasn’t getting away with this.

  27

  Noelle smiled when she saw Kyle pull up in front of her house. Here he was—at last. And what perfect timing! She’d just gotten home from the boutique where she worked thirty hours a week, so she still had on her nice clothes. He would see her in the formfitting black pencil skirt and sheer top, with her lacy bra showing underneath. She’d bought the outfit with him in mind. He liked classy, understated women. This fit that bill, and yet she looked sexy at the same time. A tourist driving through town had nearly crashed into the hardware store when he saw her emerging from the shop tonight. Size 36DD boobs had a way of catching a guy’s attention, especially in the blouse she was wearing.

  Kyle would notice, too.

  After checking her hair and makeup, she went to the door, where she hesitated so she wouldn’t appear too eager. Only when he knocked for the second time did she answer—once she’d arranged her expression into one of polite confusion.

  “Kyle! What are you doing here?”

  “Do you have a minute?” he asked.

  Although she widened her eyes as if his desire to come inside surprised her, it didn’t. She’d guessed she’d hear from him. For a while there, he thought he’d gained the upper hand by threatening to withhold her spousal maintenance, but she’d punished him for that. Now she just needed to get him back in her bed, to remind him that there’d been some positives in their relationship, too. “I suppose so,” she said. “Now that I’m only working one job, it’s not like I have to rush off to Sexy Sadie’s.”

  He didn’t comment on her job situation, even though she felt he owed her an apology. If not for the way he’d been treating her, she would never have caused trouble for herself there.

  “Come on in.” Instead of leading the way, she stood back so he’d have to brush past her—and made sure his arm came in contact with her breasts.

  “Did you ever get a new water heater?” he asked as she shut the door before following him into the living room.

  “Not yet. My folks are having a friend install one on Monday. I’ve been showering at Olivia’s.”

  “So you saw your sister this morning?”

  “I did. Briefly.”

  “Did she tell you that Lourdes is going back to Nashville?”

  “No, but wasn’t Lourdes always planning to go back?” She gave him a patronizing smile to emphasize her point. “She’s a country music star, Kyle. It’s not as if she’d ever stay here.”

  A muscle moved in his jaw, but his voice remained more pleasant than she’d expected. “I mean she’s going back much earlier than we thought,” he clarified.

  “
For good?”

  “Looks like it.”

  Even better. Lourdes had created a huge problem. It was comforting to know she’d soon be out of the way. Then maybe Kyle would quit wishing for something he wasn’t going to get and settle for a woman who did want him—like her. “I bet you’re broken up about that.”

  “I wish she’d stay. But as long as I’m wishing, I also wish my plant hadn’t been damaged by that fire.”

  She perched on the chair closest to him and leaned forward to allow him an unrestricted view of her best assets. Lourdes had an okay figure, but as far as Noelle was concerned, she could use a little more on top, especially for Kyle, who appreciated that sort of thing. “I had nothing to do with that,” she said.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  She smiled sweetly. “Positive.”

  “Did Chief Bennett tell you that your fingerprints were found on the broken bottle recovered from my parking lot?”

  “He did. He stopped by the shop earlier. But he said Genevieve’s fingerprints were also found on that bottle. And, like I mentioned to him, Genevieve’s are the ones that are out of place, not mine. I’ve been to your plant many times. I was in that very parking lot twice the night A.J. and I picked up that old water heater, remember?”

  “You’ve reminded me of that before. And I do remember, since I was there, too. But nothing fell out of the truck. That bottle wasn’t on the ground when you drove off.”

  “So? Maybe I’ve been to the plant since then, to see what you were up to. It’s not unusual that something of mine would be left behind, including a bottle Genevieve and I must’ve shared. We drank together a lot. I’ve never denied that.”

  “But you are denying that you set the fire at the plant.”

  Feigning what she hoped was a pretty scowl, she said, “Of course I deny it. It wasn’t me, Kyle. I’ve told you that.”

  “Then why won’t you take a polygraph test?”

  She gestured as if the very thought was ridiculous. “I’ve read about those. They’re not reliable. I don’t see any point in wasting my time.”

  “Even if it would reassure me?”

  Could she possibly pass a lie detector test? If so, that would be the best route to go, but just in case, it wouldn’t be wise to take the chance. “Stop trying to talk me into it. You’re hoping I’ll fail so you can convince everyone I’m the guilty party. You know, I don’t really trust you anymore.”

  “You don’t trust me.” He laughed softly. “That’s rich.”

  “You’ve been really difficult lately,” she complained.

  “Is that why you set fire to my plant? To strike back at me? Bring me in line?”

  She folded her arms, fully aware of how that pushed her breasts higher and made them strain against the sheer fabric of her blouse. “I’m sorry you’re so convinced I’d do such a thing, but...it doesn’t really matter what you believe. Chief Bennett told me he wasn’t going to arrest me. He can’t. He doesn’t have any evidence.”

  Kyle leaned close enough that she could smell his scent. It was a scent she remembered well, a scent she craved. She was tempted to put her hand on his arm but held off, hoping there’d be an opportunity to touch him later. “What is it about me?” he murmured.

  This took her off guard. “Excuse me?”

  “What did I ever do to deserve so much of your attention?”

  She wished she knew. She told herself all the time that he didn’t deserve her. What other woman would hang on for so long, knowing he was in love with her sister? “We’re meant to be together, Kyle. Like Phoenix and Riley. Phoenix has always loved him, but for years he believed she killed Lori Mansfield, and he didn’t want anything to do with her. Now he knows that isn’t true. You think terrible things about me, too, but just like Phoenix, I’m not as bad as you’ve made me out to be.”

  He sat back and regarded her coolly. “Are you saying you didn’t abort our baby?”

  She forced herself to maintain eye contact with him even though she wanted to look away. “No! I would never do that! We fought sometimes, and I...I acted immature and demanding. But I loved you. I still love you. And you’d love me, too, if you could see how much I’ve changed!”

  Throwing his head back, he laughed out loud.

  She usually didn’t have trouble convincing people of anything she said when she was trying this hard... “What?” she asked, feeling out of sorts.

  “You’ve changed?”

  “I have!”

  “You just set fire to my plant!”

  He was different these days, more adamant and determined, and it made her uneasy. Somehow, she had to get through to him once and for all. “No, I didn’t!”

  “Yes, you did, so stop lying. I’m here to tell you that you’ll never get another dime out of me, Noelle. The check I gave you on the first of December? That’ll be your last.”

  The dark anger she’d felt when she had the abortion—the desire to hurt him—swelled inside her, making it hard to talk without raising her voice. “Kyle, don’t start this again. I’m getting mad.”

  Seemingly unconcerned, he shrugged. “I don’t care how mad you get. I mean it.”

  She stood up. “You might be able to hold out for a few months, but you’ll have to pay me eventually. We’ve talked about this before. I can force the issue.”

  He came to his feet, too. “No, you can’t. If I have to spend every penny I have on lawyers and litigation, I will.”

  “You say that because you’re assuming I can’t afford to fight back. You’re wrong. I’ve got my parents in my corner now. They won’t let you do this to me. We’ll get our own lawyers.”

  “If that’s the direction they want to go, fine. We can all drain our accounts. But when it’s over, even if you win, I still won’t pay.”

  “What?” He’d been stubborn at times—like when she’d wanted to buy a new house or car and he didn’t think it was practical. Still, he’d never gotten this stingy. “Olivia will hate you if you treat me like that.”

  “I hope not, but that’s the chance I’ll have to take.”

  She got the feeling he didn’t care about Olivia anymore, either, which was another difference she noticed in him. “Then you’ll go to jail!”

  “So be it,” he said flatly. “I’ve finally realized that the only way I’ll ever be rid of you is to accept whatever losses I have to in order to make it happen. And I’ve reached that point. I don’t care about the consequences. You will have no more hold over me. Do you understand?”

  Curling her hands into fists, she stepped closer, got right in his face. “You son of a bitch!”

  He tsked as if she was the most pathetic person he’d ever seen. “You shouldn’t have set fire to my plant, Noelle.”

  When she tried to strike him, he caught her wrist, which just made her angrier. “Let go of me!” she cried.

  “Don’t ever lift your hand to me again,” he said.

  He’d always been a sucker for tears, so she started to blink and sniff. “Things could’ve been different, for both of us, if only you’d allowed it.”

  He remained unmoved. “You can stop the show, Noelle. I don’t love you, I never have and I never will,” he said and let her go.

  “You’re a bastard!” she screamed. “I’m glad I did it. Here I’ve been feeling bad that I let my temper take over, but now I’m mad I didn’t burn your damn plant to the ground! Next time, I’ll make sure you’re in it!”

  His eyes narrowed. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so dangerous. “Did you just threaten my life?”

  “You heard me,” she growled. “You’d better pay me my spousal maintenance, or you’re going to lose a lot more than your plant.”

  He stepped back. “And if I call Chief Bennett and tell him what you said?”

&
nbsp; “I’ll deny it. It’ll be my word against yours—an ex-husband who’s trying to get out of paying his alimony.”

  The smile that curved his lips seemed so incongruous with his anger of a moment before—and with what she’d said—that a sick feeling entered the pit of her stomach.

  “There’s one small problem with that plan,” he said.

  She’d made a mistake. She wished she could take back the past few minutes, but something told her it was too late to even try. “And that is...?”

  “I’m not the only one you admitted it to.” He lifted up his shirt to show her that he had a small microphone taped to his chest.

  “You... You’re wearing a wire? You set me up?” She gripped her throat because she suddenly felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She’d never dreamed backwoods Whiskey Creek would be so high-tech. She’d thought that was something that happened in movies or maybe in big cities like Chicago and LA.

  “I figured it was time for a little honesty,” he said, and the next thing she knew, Chief Bennett was in the living room, handcuffing her.

  * * *

  As soon as Kyle returned, Lourdes put down her guitar. She’d decided to try to make some progress on her album, to help keep her mind off her imminent departure from Whiskey Creek, and surprised herself by making furious progress on the song she’d been writing for him. Somehow it was all flowing and coming together fast. But she didn’t want him to hear it yet. First, she’d finish it, and maybe even record it, so it would sound its best.

  Besides, she was anxious to hear what had happened with Noelle.

  “How’d it go?” she asked. “I’ve been texting you, but I haven’t heard back.”

  “I forgot to charge my phone last night,” he replied. “It ran out of battery about the time Noelle got arrested.”

  Lourdes jumped to her feet. “Arrested? She’s going to jail?”

  “Yes. My idea worked. All I had to do was rile her up, make her mad enough to lose control, and...she admitted it.” He hesitated. “Actually, it was more like she threw it in my face, thinking there wouldn’t be anything I could do about it.”