His Deception

by Patricia Rosemoor

  He didn’t like lies, either, but he’d done what he’d had to so he could keep her safe. Nothing he’d shared with her had been a lie. He thought about the ring of fingerprints around Joey’s arm—a grim reminder of his own past. And in avoiding details about where he lived and what he did for a living, even in the tale about the cabin’s owner, he’d simply had to juggle some facts around.

  His feelings for Katelyn were no lie, though he’d kept them to himself.

  He would take what he could get of being with her. For his sake, that would be for as long as he could have her. For her sake, he hoped the hidden dangers came to an end soon.

  Which is exactly what he thought was about to happen when his cellphone rang and he saw the ID on the screen. “It’s the medical examiner,” he told her before answering the call.

  “Weaver here. I called Ms. Wade, but she didn’t pick up.”

  “She’s here now. I’ll put you on speakerphone.”

  “Did you finish the autopsy?” Katelyn asked.

  “Not exactly. We still don’t know if Sam Gilbert died from drowning or if he was already dead when he was put in the water. As I said before, it’s a complicated determination.”

  Katelyn frowned. “Didn’t you suggest it might have been accidental?”

  “I did. He actually had bruises all over his body that appeared to be from a fall. At first, I thought that could be how he got the head wound, but it looks fresher than the bruises on his body. And there was nothing around the pier to indicate he took an accidental fall. Nothing to prove that he hit his head there or we would have found blood or hair.”

  “But nothing to indicate he’d been killed there, either?” Thorne asked.

  “Correct, Mr. Hudson. The forensic team found no evidence of a struggle, either. If he was murdered, it wasn’t there. Gilbert’s body contained lake water, but that can happen even if he was already dead when he went in. We’re conducting a diatom test. If we can match specific lake-water microorganisms found throughout Gilbert’s body, that will tell us that he drowned and wasn’t dumped in the water after he died. There’s no way for a dead person to circulate the microorganisms found in the water.”

  “But even if he did drown,” Thorne said, “it might or might not have been accidental.”

  “Still could go either way. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It takes about forty-eight hours to get the results from the diatom test. We’ll go from there. I just wanted to update Ms. Wade, because the press has been itching to find her. If you’re cornered when you return to Lakeside, refer them to me or Detective Cole for answers.”

  “Thank you.” Katelyn’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’ll do that.”

  After Weaver signed off, Thorne held her close for a really long time, offering her enough comfort that she was able to slip back into sleep.

  —

  The next morning, Katelyn woke to find the bed empty again. Had hunger pulled Thorne out of bed in search of food once more? Or had he awakened with Sam’s death on his mind, just as she had more than once during the night?

  Suddenly hearing a burst of water from the bathroom, she realized he was about to take another shower.

  Hmm. Maybe a shower was exactly what she needed to brighten her morning, make her forget about the conversation with Weaver the night before.

  By the time she’d stretched and slid out of bed, the waterfall had stopped. The only sound coming from the bathroom was the insistent ringing of a cellphone.

  She hesitated at the door, open a crack, only to hear Thorne say, “No, she doesn’t suspect anything.”

  Her eyes widened. Who didn’t suspect anything? Was he talking about her? Surely not. But if he was, what didn’t she suspect?

  “Don’t worry,” he went on, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her here.”

  He was talking about her!

  “Of course. I understand fully what’s involved here.” He paused. “Yes. I won’t let that happen.”

  What in the world was going on? She had half a mind to storm into the bathroom to demand answers.

  Katelyn then heard Thorne say, “I’ll subdue her if necessary,” and froze where she stood.

  Who the hell was he talking to? He meant to subdue her?

  Let him freaking try!

  The conversation was over. The shower was running again.

  Her heart pounded and her stomach whirled as she realized something weird was going on here. Thorne was making some kind of play behind her back. She’d made a really big mistake, perhaps the worst of her life. Thorne Hudson obviously wasn’t the man she’d thought he was.

  She’d given him her trust.

  Had slept with him.

  Had feelings for him.

  Right now, she was feeling like her heart was going to explode.

  A slight tremor snaked through her.

  And her knees threatened to crumble under her.

  Pulling herself together, she focused. Acted on instinct. Tore into her clothes while her thoughts raced ahead.

  So who was Thorne Hudson really, and what did he want with her? Why was he determined to keep her here? Her mind whirled dizzily, and she had to take a minute to get her breath. She thought back to when he’d shown up at Lakeside. An awfully convenient time, just when Sam had disappeared and she’d needed a new bartender. He’d volunteered himself. Even though the ME hadn’t concluded that Sam was murdered, she now suspected that was the case.

  Had Thorne been involved in whatever happened to Sam Gilbert?

  That he would do something so awful seemed unbelievable, but so did his being wrapped up in some kind of a plot concerning her. She knew he had the capacity for violence, even if he normally kept it well hidden.

  And she knew he carried a gun in his truck.

  What else?

  What didn’t she know?

  That was the part that scared her.

  What she did know was that she’d been a fool to so easily trust a virtual stranger. An actual stranger, she reminded herself. One who had sought her out purposely. Thorne had been playing a part all along. Was there anything real about him?

  She had to get away from him. Go someplace where she could think. Get back to Lake Geneva. Alone. Find Detective Cole and bring him up to speed. With his police contacts, Cole should be able to find out exactly who Thorne Hudson really was.

  With Thorne in the shower, she had a few minutes’ head start. She left her bag and clothing scattered around the bedroom. Hopefully that would help keep him from realizing she was gone. Then Katelyn grabbed her purse and her cellphone and, as silently as possible, moved to the front door. Thankfully, she’d memorized the access code on the alarm, which had been set for the night. Punching it in, she then beat it out of the cabin. The truck parked out front mocked her. If she had had the keys, she could have made a fast getaway and been back in Lake Geneva in a half hour or so. But that would have meant going back into the cabin and looking for them. Thorne could catch her. Besides, she didn’t even know if she could drive the damn thing. He would probably be onto her before she figured it all out.

  So she ran.

  Headed for the trees where she’d first spotted Joey Lawson.

  Followed the trail they’d taken searching for the dog.

  Found the country road that they’d taken into town to bring the kid home.

  Out of breath by the time she reached the road, she slowed down and kept to the trees that ran alongside for cover. Peering over her shoulder again and again, she expected to see Thorne behind her at any time, ready to do whatever was necessary to keep her there.

  What did he want with her?

  Embarrassment and fury flooded her as she thought of what he’d gotten from her so far. Had that been planned, too? Sex to keep her distracted? So she wouldn’t recognize the truth if it bit her in the ass?

  That’s how she felt right now. Like a stupid, naïve fool.

  Which didn’t make her feel good about herself.

  And then it h
it her. The threats to her father. Rather, the threats to her father’s children. Threats that involved him losing someone he loved…

  She couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to believe it. But she had to consider it or be an even bigger fool.

  Had Thorne been hired by someone to make her disappear?

  —

  Thorne took his time shaving and dressing. He’d been surprised to find the bed empty when he left the bathroom. He’d figured Katelyn must be in the kitchen scaring up breakfast, but detected no wafting coffee or bacon smells. She must not be cooking yet, so he took his time.

  When he went into the kitchen, he found it empty. Hmm. Odd.

  “Katelyn, where are you?” he called, walking through the house.

  No sign of her. Frowning, he checked the alarm. Disarmed. She must have remembered the numbers he’d punched. Must be outside. Early-morning swim perhaps? He opened the door and stepped outside to check. Nope. Not in the water.

  “Katelyn, where are you?”

  No answer.

  He didn’t see her anywhere. Maybe she’d gone for a walk. Finishing that walk around the lake they’d started?

  Okay, that sounded like her. And when she returned, she would be starving. More than a little hungry himself, he called her cell. She didn’t pick up, so he left a message.

  “Hey, Ms. Adventurous, I’m putting on a pot of coffee and I’m going to get breakfast started. If you’re not back in twenty, I’m eating for both of us.”

  That should get her back fast enough, he thought, grinning as he returned to the kitchen.

  As he set up the coffeemaker, Thorne realized having a little quiet time would give him a chance to think. He had a lot to consider, especially with Hamilton’s call. Katelyn’s father had gotten another threatening email. Something about separation making the eventual loss crushing, which led Hamilton to believe that Katelyn was the target. He’d wanted assurances that the child who’d removed herself from his purview would remain safe.

  Even as Thorne had told Hamilton what he’d needed to hear, his gut reaction to his own assurances had left him conflicted. He knew he couldn’t force Katelyn to stay here, at least not without telling her why. Her father had forbidden him from enlightening her, but Hamilton had no clue about what had been going on between his daughter and her bodyguard.

  No clue that Thorne would go beyond his pay grade to protect Katelyn.

  He would do anything to keep her safe.

  He would even die for her.

  Dramatic, much? Maybe. But he’d put his life at risk time and again to save the lives of fallen comrades in Afghanistan.

  He could do no less for the woman he loved.

  —

  Ignoring another text from Thorne, Katelyn could actually see Prairie Springs ahead by the time she realized she should have called someone to come pick her up. But whom? Sam would have been her “go to.” She really didn’t have any other friends in town. Beyond Lake Geneva, her father was the logical choice, but she didn’t want to call him until she knew what was going on. He already had a lot on his plate, and she wasn’t about to give him even more reason to worry. Besides, this situation would take a lot more explaining than she wanted to do. If she even could explain.

  The logical choice was ME Weaver or Detective Cole—that was probably what she should do. But they didn’t run a taxi service, so what did she expect of them? To arrest Thorne? For what? He hadn’t kidnapped her. She’d gone with him of her own volition.

  She might be suspicious of his timing—arriving at her doorstep the day after she realized Sam was gone—but that didn’t mean he’d known Sam or had had anything to do with his death.

  It also didn’t mean that Thorne had been hired to make her disappear.

  So why did she have this overwhelming feeling that that’s exactly what had happened?

  Maybe it was the gun he carried in his glove compartment. Or the fact that he had a burner phone. That he’d refused to identify himself to the authorities when he made the call about the Lawsons. All were good reasons to be suspicious of him. Not that she’d given any of that real credence before overhearing his phone conversation that morning.

  I’ll subdue her if necessary….

  She couldn’t forget that threat.

  About to enter the town of Prairie Springs, Katelyn fought the lost-little-girl feeling that was enveloping her. She pulled out her cell and called Tansy, hoping the waitress would have the time to come get her. The call went directly to voicemail.

  “Hey, Tansy, if you get this, please call me right away. It’s important.”

  She didn’t want to leave further details. But if Tansy didn’t call her back, what then?

  She could try going out to the main road and hitching a ride back to Lake Geneva. Not exactly a stellar solution, but what other choice did she have? She couldn’t walk to the curb and flag a taxi, as she could have in Chicago. There was a taxi service for Walworth County that operated out of Lake Geneva. But if a car was available, it would take a half hour or more to get here.

  And she didn’t think she had that much time. Thorne could find her quickly once he realized she’d left the property. She needed to get out of town fast.

  Maybe she could hire someone to drive her back to Lake Geneva. She had enough cash on her to make it worth someone’s while. But where to look for that someone? A restaurant or bar where people gathered immediately came to mind. Too early for a bar. She spotted something called The Egg and Me straight ahead. A breakfast place—perfect.

  Passing the town park, she saw it was being set up for Hot Summer Days. Small towns in this area hosted lots of these celebrations during the season. A minute later she entered The Egg and Me and headed for the counter, where she forced a big smile for the red-haired waitress who was setting plates before two bearded men.

  “Sorry, honey, we’re full-up right now. If you can wait about ten minutes, I can seat you.”

  “Actually, I’m not here to eat. I’m kind of in a bind.” Katelyn realized she had to get creative with what she told the waitress. “I was with a friend and we got separated.” Which was true, though she was the one who’d done the separating. “He’s not answering his cell”—okay, that was a necessary lie—“and I really need to get back to Lake Geneva as soon as possible.” True, true, true!

  “You want the number for the taxi service?”

  “That’ll take longer than I have. I was wondering if you might know someone around here I could hire to drive me back.”

  “Hire.”

  “Yes, I’ll pay the person.”

  “That’s a far piece to go,” one of the bearded men at the counter said. He sucked his teeth and she could see a gap where he’d lost a couple. “You gonna pay how much?”

  “How much would you want to drive me there?” she asked, a bit uneasy.

  “A hundred bucks,” he said, and he and his bearded buddy snickered at the idea.

  Katelyn had more than a hundred dollars on her, but she wondered if it would be wise to dish out so much. In fact, she wondered if it would be wise to go with the stranger in the first place. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go anywhere with him, but she was desperate to get out of town before Thorne caught up to her.

  Thinking that he was the lesser of two evils and she could simply get out of the vehicle if he turned out to be a problem, she asked, “How about fifty?”

  “How about free?”

  The familiar voice came from behind her. Startled, she turned. “Gerard, what a surprise.” A surprise, indeed. She would never have expected to find her fussy customer in a small eatery like this. It gave her kind of an odd feeling that they would end up in this restaurant at the same time. Had he followed her? Her pulse raced, but she forced mistrust from her tone. “So, what are you doing here? In Prairie Springs, that is.”

  “Hot Summer Days,” he said. “You know I work for Lakeshore Bank.” He fumbled in his pocket for something.

  Actually, she hadn’t known he wo
rked for the bank that handled her mortgage for the guest house and café.

  “We have a booth and ran out of the sunglasses we were giving away,” he said, “so I brought another box.” He pulled a bunch of plastic pairs from his pocket and handed her one. “Here. You need to protect your eyes out there. Sun is bright today.”

  Taking the sunglasses from him, she felt her pulse even out again as her overactive imagination settled down. “Uh, thanks.”

  “I was just thinking about picking up some coffee for the ride home when I saw you come in here. Would you like a to-go cup?”

  She shook her head. “I’m good.”

  He signaled the waitress to pour just one.

  The guy at the counter said, “Hey, what about that fifty?”

  “She won’t be needing your services,” Eklund told him, then turned back to her and said, “What a coincidence that we ended up here at the same time.”

  “Right,” she agreed.

  Gerard Eklund of all people. His showing up right when she needed a ride really was a weird coincidence. But he was here on business, she reminded herself, slipping the sunglasses from their plastic sleeve and putting them on.

  He said, “I would be happy to escort you back to Lakeside.”

  “I appreciate that. Very kind of you.”

  The guy at the counter grumbled a bit, but then shrugged his shoulders and chowed down without further comment.

  Eklund paid for his coffee and escorted her out to his new black Cadillac sedan. Acting the gentleman, he helped her into the vehicle before rounding the front to the driver’s side. Getting in, he set his coffee in a holder and took his time buckling up. Anxious to get on the road, Katelyn turned to sweep the street behind them. No sign of Thorne’s truck, thankfully.

  She took a deep breath and relaxed into the leather seat as Eklund fired up the engine.

  “So how did you end up in Prairie Springs without a car?” he asked.