Tarnished Soul: A Nine Minutes Spin-Off Novel

by Beth Flynn

  Jonas’ eyes blazed with fury.

  Lucy knew it was wrong but couldn’t help herself. “However, if you insist on knowing, yes, he’s older than me. But like you pointed out to me more than once,” she jabbed him in the chest with a finger, “I’m highly intelligent. And thanks to you, I recently realized that I’m attracted to more mature men like Brad.” She felt guilty when she caught sight of Brad shaking his head in terror.

  “I think I should go,” Brad announced.

  “Yes, you should,” Jonas barked at the same time Lucy demanded, “No, you stay right here, Brad.” She then turned her wrath on Jonas. “And you stop being a bully. You made this bed, Jonas. You need to sleep in it!” She swiped at her eyes. The contacts were irritating and causing her tear ducts to leak.

  Her last comment caught Jonas up short long enough to realize she was right. He’d rejected her. And although older, Brad was definitely more suited to be with someone as bright as Lucy. He felt his heart shrivel in his chest. Swiping a hand through his hair, he blew out a breath and said, “You’re right, Lucy.”

  Lucy tucked away the disappointment at how quickly Jonas had acquiesced. She composed herself and asked, “Why are you here?”

  Jonas didn’t answer but reached into his pocket and retrieved the note Shasta had written two months ago. He handed it to Lucy and watched her expression change from curiosity to shock. “I have a Peeping Tom?”

  “Shasta slipped that note in my pocket when we saw her at the Waffle House. I shoved it in the ashtray of my truck and forgot about it. I didn’t read it until twenty minutes ago.”

  Brad stood up. “A Peeping Tom? And who is Shasta?”

  “None of your fucking business,” Jonas informed him.

  Lucy looked at Brad. The lie easily slipped off her tongue when she replied, “Shasta is a friend who checked on the house while I was on my cruise.” She glared up at Jonas. “Why do you need to be so rude?”

  He didn’t answer but posed a question of his own. “Where’s the BMW?”

  “Do we need to get into this now?” she asked.

  His answer was a clenched jaw.

  “If you must know, I gave it to my brother. He drives more than I do, so I thought he should have the safer car.”

  “Bullshit,” Jonas countered. “He lives on campus.”

  Lucy crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’ll drive the station wagon until the police find my car and return it.” She tried not to smile when Jonas muttered under his breath something about being as stubborn as an old wet hen.

  “Excuse me,” Brad interrupted. “I don’t mean to get in the middle of whatever is at the heart of your car conversation, but can we get back to the Peeping Tom thing? It’s obvious this guy cares about your well-being, Lucy. Maybe we should be talking about the someone who has been looking in your windows.”

  Jonas’ shoulders relaxed. “Do you live around here?” he asked Brad.

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” Brad pointed toward the picture window. “I’m the next block over. You can see my backyard from here. And I walk my dog down this street but only during the day. I’m assuming a Peeping Tom would be doing his peeping under the cover of darkness.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe Mrs. Hancock’s nephew has seen something. When I dropped you off the other night, Lucy, it was dark and I could see him sitting on her front porch smoking a cigarette.” Brad finally stood up and shrugged his shoulders. “Just a thought.”

  “Who is Mrs. Hancock?” Jonas asked before adding, “And don’t make the assumption it only happens at night.” Remembering what he’d found at Doug Thacker’s house he continued, “You’d be surprised how many perverts get their rocks off by getting away with something in the light of day.”

  Lucy shook her head. “I’ve met her nephew. He doesn’t seem like the type.”

  “Do Peeping Toms have a type?” Jonas asked sarcastically.

  Lucy threw up her arms in exasperation. “I don’t know, Jonas. But what I do know is that this is not your problem.” She waved her arm around the living room and then brought her hand to her chest. “I am not your problem. Thank you for warning me, but it’s time for you to leave. Besides, come January it’ll be a moot point.”

  Jonas gave her a pointed look. “What does that mean?”

  Without meeting his gaze, Lucy gulped before announcing, “I’ve accepted a job with a highly respected company in Atlanta. I’ll be moving.”

  Jonas felt like a tidal wave had slammed into his chest. Composing himself, he replied through gritted teeth, “Is that so?”

  Lucy could feel the fire that was blazing behind Jonas’ heated stare. She gave him a level look. “Yes, that’s so.”

  Brad cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to break the tension. “I guess the best thing we can do now is keep our guard up. I’ll mention it to as many neighbors as I can. He may be targeting other homes as well.”

  Lucy wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill. I wonder if this is connected to that eerie feeling that someone had been in my house? Shaking off the thought, she looked at Brad, then Jonas. “Yes, we’ll mention it to some of the neighbors. Maybe we should even report it to the police.”

  Jonas nodded. “I’ll handle the police.” Without another word, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

  Brad plopped back down in the chair and heaved out a relieved sigh. “I have to be honest. That was the closest I ever came to shitting myself, Lucy. That guy’s hands are the size of car batteries. If he’s only an old family acquaintance, why did you want him to think we were together?”

  “It’s a long story and not important,” she replied with a slump of her shoulders.

  Thirty seconds of silence was followed by the front door flying open and Jonas stomping in with a leashed Doberman at his side. “This is Carlos,” he informed them. He saw the recognition in Lucy’s face.

  She pointed at Carlos and asked, “Is that the dog from—”

  She didn’t get to finish her question when Jonas explained Carlos was a friend’s dog he’d agreed to keep an eye on for a while. He didn’t want her asking anything about the prick from Walgreens who’d insulted her that day.

  “So, where is this friend?” she asked with a tone of skepticism.

  “In jail. He should be getting out about the time you leave for Atlanta, so this is a good fit. You have a fenced-in yard with lots of shade for when you’re not home.”

  “Actually, there’s a doggie door in the side access door that leads out to the backyard,” Brad volunteered. He looked sheepish when he added, “I guess you used to have a big dog, Lucy?”

  Lucy huffed out a breath. “Yeah, my mother had an Irish Setter named Paddy. He died when I was around ten. It broke our hearts so bad we never had another dog.”

  “A doggie door is even better,” Jonas added. “Carlos can guard the inside of the house too. He’s a good dog, Lucy.”

  Carlos picked that moment to bound happily toward Lucy. She squatted down so she was eye level with him. “You sure are a pretty boy,” she told him as she stroked his dark coat.

  “I’ll drop his things off later,” Jonas announced.

  Lucy stood and stiffly announced, “I’ll be out later. You can leave his things on the front porch.” She looked down at Carlos and snatching up his leash, steered him toward the back sliders. “You want to see your new playground, boy?”

  After she’d closed the door behind them, Jonas stalked toward Brad. Yanking him up from his seated position, he dragged him toward the front door. He got close to his face and growled, “I don’t know if I buy this whole older guy thing with Lucy. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling things aren’t exactly what she wants me to think.”

  Brad’s vocal cords decided to take a vacation as he stuttered. “Uh, um, uh…”

  “So no matter what this is or isn’t,” Jonas continued, “if you don’t do right by her, I will use both my hands to squeeze your head so hard,
your brains will leak out your ears. Got it?”

  Brad’s head furiously bobbed up and down.

  Jonas roughly shoved him away. “Good,” he said before letting himself out of the front door.

  Lucy picked that moment to come back inside. “I’ve decided to give Carlos a new name,” she happily told Brad. Without noticing his discomfort she added, “If he’s going to be my dog for the next few months, I think I should be able to name him. And I’ve already decided on something that sounds similar to Carlos, so it won’t be a difficult adjustment for him.”

  She squatted so she was eye level with the Doberman. “I’m going to call you Chaos from now on,” she whispered in the dog’s velvety ear. Because that is what my life has been since I fell in love with Jonas Brooks. Complete and utter chaos.

  Chapter 43

  He’d been on edge for two months. Ever since the cop drove off with Lucy in the middle of the night, and the slender ponytailed woman had let herself into Lucy’s house, he’d been in a state of agitation. The earlier predictability of Lucy’s routine had disappeared, along with her cookie jar, bedspread, and dolls. Those damn dolls had been nagging at him and they were to be his next target. He’d known about Lucy’s upcoming cruise but couldn’t fathom why she’d take bedding and a cookie jar with her. It was all too puzzling.

  Maybe she’d taken the bedspread and dolls to be dry-cleaned while she was gone.

  Maybe she’d broken the cookie jar.

  Maybe she’d loaned her car to the woman. After all, he remembered seeing the girl let herself into Lucy’s house with a key.

  He chewed on a toothpick and stared out the window from a space far enough back so as not to be seen.

  He’d spent the entire month of Lucy’s absence finishing up his sleuthing of all the family’s paperwork. And there had been a ton of paperwork. That woman must’ve saved every scrap of paper since the day her children were born. There were boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling in the attic and on the side walls of the garage. Not to mention the household crap she’d hoarded away in the childhood bedroom closets of both kids. It was obvious that Lucy had taken over the master bedroom when her mother and brother moved out. He’d found her closet to be void of any unnecessary sentimental heirlooms or boxes of old paperwork. Lucy didn’t appear to accumulate stuff. He’d heard her father had been the same way. Neat to a fault and precise in his actions and decisions. He wouldn’t have hidden something where it could be mistaken for junk and thrown away. He would’ve hidden it in plain sight. In or near an object of some importance. Which is why those dolls kept nagging at him. Every time he let himself into Lucy’s home, he’d make a sweep of the house before he started exploring. And those damn dolls always sat front and center on her bed. Smiling at him.

  He could’ve kicked himself in the ass for not reasoning out a better plan of action. But he was working for himself and with no set completion date. So there was no hurry. And Lucy was such an easy target, making his work all the more enjoyable. It reminded him of the old days. When assigned to invade a home or business undetected, he didn’t go in with a knife and rip apart every mattress, pillow, or cushion. His logic was simple. If he didn’t find what he was looking for, he wouldn’t get a chance to return. When the owner found that their home or business had been ransacked, the law would be called in and there wouldn’t be another opportunity to continue his explorations. No, he preferred to do his work meticulously and at his own pace, sometimes having to visit a property several times before he found what he was looking for. His specialty of leaving no trace that a crime had been committed had earned him a lot of dough back in the day.

  He downed a shot of whiskey and exhaled slowly, enjoying the burn of the liquid as it found its way to his stomach.

  Lucy had been home for almost a full month and although she was back in school, his instincts had warned him to be patient. And what had his patience gotten him? Two big complications.

  She now had a black Doberman that would just as soon take a bite out of him as it would piss on him.

  And the biker with the tattoos? He may have pulled up to Lucy’s in a pickup truck, but he knew a biker when he saw one. He’d certainly spent enough time with them while serving out his prison sentence. Not to mention, he was pretty sure he’d seen Lucy talking to the same man in front of a gas station a couple of days before she left on her cruise.

  The dog was going to be a problem.

  The biker was going to be a bigger problem.

  He took a relaxing breath and exhaled away the angst he’d been feeling for the past two months. He reminded himself how much he liked fixing things. He could patch up a disagreement between two inmates as easily as he would patch up those dolls after ripping them open.

  He smiled to himself and downed another shot of whiskey.

  Chapter 44

  The visit from Jonas had shaken Brad but not as much as Lucy’s new roommate’s growls. It was hours later and Lucy and Brad were enjoying the dinner he’d promised.

  “Don’t take it personally, Brad. Chaos just doesn’t know you. I’m sure he’ll get used to you,” she reassured him. Lucy was referring to the nasty growls Chaos had aimed at Brad right before he’d left for home to get ready for their fancy dinner out.

  Shaking his head, Brad confessed, “I’ve yet to meet a dog who doesn’t like me, Lucy.”

  “He will. He’ll come around. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I love him already. When you went home to get changed, he followed me around like a little puppy.”

  Brad took a sip of his wine and changed the subject. “Did I detect a little something between you and that Jonas guy? Something more than him being an old family acquaintance?”

  Lucy had just swallowed a bite of salad. She laid her fork down and delicately patted her mouth with the linen napkin. “I told you the truth when I said we go back years. Right before I left for my cruise, I ran into him at a restaurant. He didn’t know that my mom and Lenny moved out years ago. And when he heard from our mutual friend, Shasta, that she saw a Peeping Tom when she was checking on the house for me...” She picked up her wine and took a sip. “He kind of freaked out, I guess. And that’s just Jonas. He’s like this big force that blows into a room like a tornado. You know, unannounced and uninvited. It’s just his way.” She gave an apologetic smile and said, “Enough about him. Can we get back to our list?”

  Since arriving at the restaurant, they’d been making a mental inventory of the neighbors on Lucy’s block.

  “I haven’t even seen the couple who are renting from the Spindalls, have you?” she asked while buttering a piece of bread. “They moved in months ago and I don’t even know their names.”

  Brad nodded. “Mike and Delia—wait, no—I think it’s Celia. Mike and Celia Kelly from Cincinnati. I’ve met him and have only seen her from afar. From what I’ve gathered, she hasn’t made the move down yet. I think we can rule him out though. He was in a bad car accident and is still going through rehab for a hip and knee replacement. I can’t imagine a guy with a bad limp peeping in houses. I’d think he’d have to be quick on his feet.”

  “Me too,” Lucy agreed. “What’s the deal with his wife? “

  Brad shrugged. “Apparently, he moved down because the warmer weather agrees with him. He collects disability. She works in insurance and they still haven’t sold their house in Ohio. She manages to come down about twice a month. I’m surprised he doesn’t insist she move down.”

  “Why is that?” Lucy prompted.

  “You know I don’t like women, but if I did, I wouldn’t let this one out of my sight. Even from far off I could tell she is drop-dead gorgeous. Kind of high-priced classy-looking hooker gorgeous.” He laughed.

  Lucy giggled. “Maybe she’s not really in the insurance business,” she teased.

  “Maybe she’s not,” Brad concurred while wiggling his eyebrows. He took another sip of wine and concluded, “I think we can rule out the Prices.”

  The Prices were a family of
seven that had lived on Lucy’s block for over ten years.

  Lucy sat back in her chair and looked pensive. “Their only boy is about eleven years old. I’m sure it’s not him. And Mr. Price is one of the hardest working men I’ve ever met. With five kids to raise, I can’t imagine him having the energy to spend his free time peeping in windows.”

  Brad removed his glasses and used his napkin to clean them. “We’ve ruled out every family on your block. Still, in my opinion, if it is someone on your block, it’s probably someone who’s newer to the neighborhood. Especially if no one has ever reported a Peeping Tom before. Mrs. Hancock’s nephew got here about the same time as the Kellys.” He put his glasses back on. “About the same time I moved into the neighborhood.”

  Lucy shook her head. “People are always coming and going, and besides, what if Shasta didn’t see what she thought she saw?” She picked up her water glass before adding, “This could all be for nothing.”

  “Possibly, but it can’t hurt to err on the side of caution. I know you said you don’t want me doing any more for you, but it can’t hurt to let me take a look at your locks. Make sure the house is secure.”

  Lucy started to object when Brad interjected, “It’s not a big deal. I still want to tighten your ceiling fan. It won’t take long for me to inspect your door and window locks too.”

  Lucy reluctantly agreed. They finished their meal and Brad drove her home.

  “No need to walk me to the door, Brad,” Lucy insisted as she jumped out of the car before he could put it in park mode. “It’s late, and I think we can both agree it’s been one heck of a day.” Slamming the door closed, she walked around to his side and leaned down to face him through the open window. “Thank you for a lovely dinner.”

  “I’m not leaving until you’re inside. And I’m going to drive a few laps around the neighborhood before I go home.”

  She stood up and adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Thank you, Brad. For everything. You’re a true friend.”