"Thanks," she mumbled as she crossed into the room. The one king bed took up a lot of space, but there was a table with one chair where Darren had his computer set up. The old, boxy television also added to the closed-in feeling. "How've you been?"
Gabrie squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. What a stupid question. His father just died and he found out he got hardly any of the family fortune thanks to her. How the hell did she think he was?
"I've been better," he said politely. "What about you? Jack said you weren't seriously hurt, but I can't imagine how horrible this has been on you."
She cracked a smile. "I think it's safe to say we both had a few terrible days." Not that Darren looked any worse for wear. He wore a pair of pressed black slacks and a white button-up shirt that was undone just the right number of buttons for Gabrie to see his toned chest. He really did look exactly like Jack.
Damn, this was strange.
He motioned to the one chair in the room. "Have a seat. You said you had some questions about your mother?"
She lowered herself into the chair as Darren sat on the bed. She shifted her weight as she tried to get comfortable, but nothing seemed to help. It wasn't the chair, just the conversation she was dreading. "You knew her, right? Lily Moss. She worked at Cross Falls about fifteen years ago."
Darren took a deep breath. "I remember her."
"And you didn't tell me this? Why wouldn't you say that we'd met before? This isn't some sick game!"
"Gabriella, I have to tell you something. I swear to you, I'm being a hundred percent honest, but I can't guarantee you'll believe me."
She tightened her lips as she stared him down. "Just say what you have to say."
"As I said, I knew your mother. But I never paid attention to her, I swear. She was just the help." Gabrie started to tell him what she thought about his word choice, but he held up a hand to stop her. "I was seventeen and a dick. I was too interested in football and my government class I was flunking out of."
She kept quiet, waiting for him to get to a "but."
"When your mother quit, she told Philip that she found stuff in my bedroom. Things that belonged to her."
"What, um, what stuff?"
"Pictures. Clothing. Things that must've come from the room she was renting out in town. But, I'm telling you, I didn't take those things. Lily quit and my father thought I was a pervert ever since."
At least one thing made sense now. "That's why your father didn't want me in the house alone with you." A deep fear settled in her gut. "He didn't just think you were into her in high school. He thought you followed her into the city. He thought you killed her too."
Darren reached for Gabrie's hand, but she jerked away from him. "Damn it, Gabriella. I didn't do anything to her."
She eyed the door and wondered whether she could make it past Darren. "That's exactly what someone who did it would say."
"That's why I never told you. When I started working with your firm, I knew who you were immediately. So I just decided to keep out of the way. As soon as my contract was up, I'd move on and we'd probably never run into each other again."
"But then I asked you out," she breathed.
Darren looked into her eyes, and the sincerity there caused some of her fear to subside. Though she couldn't be sure whether she was stupid for even entertaining the idea that Darren wasn't dangerous.
"I wanted to say no. I really should've said no." This time when he reached for her hand, she didn't pull away. "But I liked you. You're funny and smart and I can't take my eyes off you whenever you're in the room."
"Darren," she said carefully. "The pictures I found in your attic weren't from when she worked at Cross Falls."
"I've tried to figure out who framed me for years. Because of your mother's personal items planted in my room, Philip thought I was not only a perv, but a killer too. But he never believed me and refused to talk about it. My father died believing I was a monster, Gabriella. Trust me, I want to catch this son of a bitch more than anything. I just don't know what to do."
"Why didn't you say anything when she was murdered? Why didn't you tell the police?"
"Tell the police that there's evidence I was stalking her? If my own father thought I was a killer, what chance did I have of convincing strangers I'm not a sociopath? Even if I wanted to, I didn't know what happened to Lily until years later."
Gabrie stood; the paperwork fanned out around her feet. "Damn it!" She fell to her knees as she tried to pick everything up.
"Let me—"
"No! I think you've done enough, Darren."
But he ignored her and they both snatched the paperwork off the ground. If she thought Darren knew who Lily was all along, she never would've brought the damn file. She thought she could shock some memories out of him with the pictures. They could brainstorm together.
Instead, he'd known the entire time.
Darren paused as he handed her one of the photocopied pictures of the crime scene. "Shit," he muttered. "I never realized it was so..."
"Yeah." She snatched the paper from his hand. It was horrible and bloody and would probably give her nightmares for years, and Darren could've helped years ago and did nothing.
She stood to leave, but he caught her wrist. "I have a question for you."
She pulled out of his grasp and once again held the paperwork in front of her like a shield. "What?"
"Obviously things are over between us now."
"I'd say so." She glared at him.
"But you didn't know that when you fell for Jack."
A deep rage burned within her. "After everything you told me today, you're trying to shame me?"
He shook his head, and Gabrie didn't see any anger or resentment in his eyes. Just a resignation and sadness. "I just—what does he have that I don't? What do you see in him? I'm assuming you don't think he's more attractive," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Gabrie's mouth dropped open as she struggled to find the words. Hadn't she been asking herself that same question all week? "When I first, um, kissed him, I thought he was you." Maybe it was best if Darren didn't know exactly how far that kiss went. "But then...I don't know. There's no one thing that you did wrong. For all intents and purposes, you're perfect. Okay?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and she had a feeling he thought she was full of shit. Well too bad, because she was still mad and she didn't think she could ever truly forgive Darren for what he'd kept from her.
"Thanks for telling me," he said weakly.
She nodded as she tried to think of an applicable goodbye. When she drew a blank, she simply shook her head and turned to leave.
"Gabriella," he called.
She stopped, but didn't turn around. The whole thing had gotten much too awkward.
"I didn't mean for anything bad to happen."
"I know." She pulled the door open and left Darren alone in the room.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gabrie glared at the pictures spread in front of her. They were splayed in a huge arc around her on the floor of the living room.
She jumped up as Tank meandered into the room. "Whoa there, buddy." She hooked two fingers in his collar and tugged him into a sitting position next to her. He happily rested his considerable weight against her, and she leaned her head against the short fur on top of his head.
She'd arranged the photos to the best of her ability in order of when they were taken. When they first moved to the city, Lily had been vibrant and as beautiful as ever. But as the years went on and the bills got harder and harder to pay, she'd found solace in any drug that would get her dopamine pumping.
Which, of course, only made it more difficult to pay the bills.
So based on the clothes and hairstyles, it wasn't too hard to set up a timeline. Based off what she was looking at, whoever this creep was, he'd followed Lily over three years. It was rather depressing to see the slow regression of someone who'd meant so much to her. Sure, toward the end, Gabrie and Lily b
arely spoke to each other. But in the years since her murder, Gabrie had focused on the positive. The happy Christmases they'd had. The picnics they packed in a spare plastic bag and ate in the park. They didn't have money, but they'd been happy for a while.
Her cell phone rang and jarred Gabrie from her thoughts. "Hey Chris," she answered.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
Gabrie hugged Tank a little tighter. She was getting really sick of people asking her that. "Feeling fine. Even ran a few errands today."
"I heard you paid Darren a visit."
She tensed. "Seriously? That was like three hours ago. How did you possibly find out? Oh my God, it was the desk worker at the inn, wasn't it?"
"I heard it from Cheryl down at the station, but who knows where it started."
Gabrie tried to remember what the woman at the inn looked like so she could give her the stink eye the next time she saw her.
"So what happened with Darren? I thought we agreed it would be best to talk to him together."
Well, Chris agreed. Gabrie never actually responded to that suggestion. "I thought your presence might be too intimidating. The subject matter is so personal, it seemed best to go in alone." She could only imagine how much eye rolling was happening on the other end of the phone.
"So did he tell you anything interesting?"
She sighed. Gabrie still wasn't sure how much of Darren's story was bull, and if she sounded skeptical, Chris probably wouldn't believe a word of it. "He said that my mother found a few of her personal items in Darren's room back when she worked here. She told Philip about it and quit. So when she ended up murdered, Philip thought Darren did it and his guilt is probably the reason he left me the house."
"Oh wow," said Chris. "So Darren is saying he was framed? Who would do that?"
"Someone who was in the city a lot in the years leading up to Mom's murder and lived here back when I did. These pictures I found at Cross Falls span at least three years as far as I can tell. Maybe longer."
"Where are the things that Lily found?"
"Beats me. I've been through every nook and cranny of this place. Maybe Philip destroyed them."
"Tell you what. I'm going to do some digging into the Cross family. See who would've had the opportunity to take those pictures of her. Jack travels a lot for work, so it's possible he was in the area, and I don't remember where Darren went for college."
Gabrie bit her bottom lip. Her gut told her that the brothers were innocent, but it would be nice to have some sort of concrete proof.
The sound of a motor coming up the drive caused Gabrie to push Tank away and stand. "I think someone's here." She crossed to the window.
"Who is it?" asked Chris.
Gabrie pulled the curtain aside and glanced out. A familiar blonde head came into view as the driver's door was pushed open. "It's Penny. I have to let you go. Let me know if you hear anything else."
"Will do. Keep safe." He hung up.
Gabrie opened the front door and glanced to where Tank still sat patiently in the living room in front of all the pictures. Deciding she didn't want to explain the years' worth of surveillance to Penny, Gabrie stepped out onto the porch and pulled the front door shut behind her. "Hey."
"You have some explaining to do, missy." Penny stopped at the foot of the porch steps.
Gabrie's mouth dropped open in shock. "Um, what?" She hadn't even seen Penny since before the Drake incident. And the woman had been perfectly pleasant then.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Your mother was a nice, gentle soul. How did you get so bitter?" She crossed her arms over her ample chest and glared at Gabrie.
Gabrie held her hands up. "What could I have possibly done to get you so pissed?"
"Well, Jack is living above Jim's Tavern because you kicked him out. The second Philip goes and gives you everything, Jack is suddenly out on his ass. Then, like you want to rub salt in the wound, you're having afternoon delight visits with Jack's brother? What kind of woman are you?"
And there was the damn guilt again. "Oh, God. Is Jack mad at me?" She knew it was mean to kick him out, but he'd seemed so understanding at the hospital.
"Why wouldn't he be? You've been nothing but horrible to him."
Gabrie set a hand on her hip and stared Penny down. "With all due respect," which she wasn't even sure Penny deserved, "you don't know what you're talking about. Now please get off my property."
Penny narrowed her eyes. "I'll leave, but you better remember this is a small town. If you really want to make your home here, it would be nice if at least a few people liked you."
The words felt like a bucket of cold water dumped on her head. It wasn't just Penny who felt like this? The entire town was gossiping about the trollop running around with both Cross boys and taking Cross Falls out from right under their noses? "I think you've said your piece," she bit out through a tight jaw.
Penny practically vibrated with the need to say more, but she seemed to finally comprehend that Gabrie was in no mood to be preached to. "You stay away from the Cross boys, you hear me?" She whipped around to stride back to the car.
Gabrie remained silent. Hell if she was going to be making any promises. She didn't move until Penny's car was well down the driveway. "Son of a bitch," she muttered as she stormed back in the house. She didn't know what upset her more: the fact that the entire town was talking about her or the fact that half of what they were saying was probably true.
No. She didn't owe anybody an explanation. Jack agreed to leave. Well, maybe not at first. But he did agree to give her space. What kind of man would be so sweet to her face and then turn around to complain about her?
She paced back and forth through the entryway as she got angrier and angrier. He wanted her to trust him, and then he went and stirred up all this trouble for her? She didn't need anyone else hating her. She'd already been nearly killed by one town member. Was any more hostility really necessary?
Tank let out a long whine and Gabrie only then realized the dog had moved to sit right at the foot of the stairs and watched her endless pacing. Great. Now Jack had pissed off the dog too.
Well, she'd be damned if she was going to just sit back and take this. Tank had been through enough and didn't need to have her acting like a crazy person, getting him even more worked up. It was Jack's damn dog anyway.
No. They were both adults. She'd assumed reasonable adults until five minutes ago. If he wanted to say something, he could say it to her face, damn it.
Resolved, she quickly piled up all the pictures she'd been studying and put them on the coffee table. Then she snatched the keys to the truck and headed out to Jim's Tavern.
The entire short drive, she fumed. This whole thing felt like a betrayal. But Jack didn't really owe her anything. She'd done nothing but bring mess into his life.
But damn it, she'd wanted to trust him. Even resolved to keep him at a distance, she'd never truly been afraid of him.
Before she knew it, she was pulling off the main road and parking haphazardly in the closest spot to the door. She jumped out of the driver's seat and was relieved she'd managed to fit into the parking lines despite her rage.
Then she turned to the bar and slammed her palms into the door so hard they swung open and clattered against the walls.
Of course, the few early evening patrons all stared at her with perplexed expressions. Since Penny obviously wasn't working that day, Gabrie didn't recognize any of the cute waitresses wearing tight black t-shirts. She looked to the closest one, a brunette with bright red lipstick. "Do you know where Jack Cross is?"
The girl stammered, clearly not sure if she should say anything.
"I know he's here. But if you tell me where, I'll raise much less of a fuss looking for him," said Gabrie.
"Um, he's upstairs."
"Thank you." Gabrie brushed past the waitress. She had no idea where these stairs were, but she just made her way to the back of the bar until she saw an unmarked closed door. Taking her chances,
she pulled it open to see the stairs.
As she climbed them, she realized that Jack might not even be there. She didn't know what car he was driving these days, and even if she did, it wasn't as if she had paid attention when she flew into the parking lot. She was lucky she hadn't killed anyone the way her focus was.
This wasn't her. She was normally so logical and focused. It was Jack. The thought of him turning his back on her was somehow enough to make her lose capacity for rational thought.
But then she reached the top landing and the closed door at the top of the stairs. Without letting herself hesitate, she pounded on the wood loud enough that they could probably hear it downstairs.
She didn't pause between knocks. She just kept on pounding until the door swung open ten seconds later. Jack glared down at her, a mixture of confusion and annoyance on his face. "Gabrie? What the hell?"
"That's what I was going to ask you," she blurted out as she barged past him. She paused as she took in his temporary living space. It certainly wasn't the nicest apartment, but it seemed to have everything necessary. The ceiling was tall in the center and sloped down on each side, so the very edges of the room only had about four feet of clearance. The furniture seemed as though it was a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down, and Gabrie got the feeling that the townsfolk too drunk to make the short drive home would make this their home for a night.
She turned back to Jack, who softly shut the door. "Penny just paid me a visit."
He raised a brow. "What does that have to do with me?"
"She told me what a horrible person I am for kicking you out and that the entire town is talking about it."
"It's the South, Gabrie. They talk about everything. And after what happened with Drake, you happen to be a popular subject. That's not my fault."
Gabrie crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, you must've said something to Penny, because she's mad as hell. What happened to giving me my space? What happened to trusting you?"
Jack clenched his jaw and took a step forward. "Hey, I'm not the one having secret meetings with Darren in his hotel room."
Cross Falls Saga - Southern Suspense Box Set Page 15
