She shook her head. “Trouble? How?”
He stared into her face before pushing her one more time into the wall behind her and letting go of her as though she burned his fingers.
“What in hell were you doing at the Fielding Ranch last night?” he demanded.
She felt herself go hot when she recalled the scene in the hallway. “You know damn well. I was asked to work there,” she snapped.
He let out a hideous guffaw. “Is that why you were dressed up in that awful dress? The one I bought for you?”
“With my money!” she added.
She half expected him to yell at her again—hit her even—but he just burst out laughing. It was a taunting laugh, hollow and ugly.
“I chose it,” he told her matter–of-factly. “It showed a good bit of cleavage, which, in those days, was nice to look at.”
She felt an ache deep within her as she considered what he was saying. Had he tried to make her look stupid, or did he think it would impress his friends to see her dressed like that? Until last night she hadn’t thought it too revealing, but perhaps with the extra weight she had gained, her breasts had made the dress sag a little more than she’d imagined. Had she really looked awful each time she had worn the dress, including last night?
“Fuck you!” she yelled at him, fuming that he had managed, yet again, to make her doubt herself.
“You wish!” he taunted her. “I’ve got a much younger, slimmer model to fuck these days, or hadn’t you noticed? One with a lot more money than you ever had.”
“It didn’t stop you fleecing my family, though, did it?” she snapped.
This time she didn’t see his hand coming. It swiftly flew through the air and planted a loud slap across her cheek.
“Ah!” She tasted the iron tang of blood on her lip when she reeled backward, bumping her head hard against the wall as she slid down to her knees.
“Your family was only too happy to offload you onto me, and you know it, bitch,” he snarled vehemently. “They couldn’t wait to get rid of you.”
“That’s a lie!” she protested, her head pounding.
“Is that why they welcomed you back with open arms when you went crying home to Mommy, then?” His teeth were tightly clenched again, and she noticed that his fists were, too.
Bad memories that had never been far from her mind swamped her aching head, and misery engulfed her once again. Although desperate to stop him from tormenting her, she thought it would be better not to retaliate. She’d never been sure just how much he was capable of and she really didn’t want to find out right now. Instead, she just gawped up at him, awaiting his next move with dread. He was standing over her so she couldn’t get up, and she knew he had the advantage. Best not to antagonize him any further.
They stared at each other in silence for a few more minutes. Then her phone suddenly hummed as it vibrated in her purse, and he looked around for it.
“Who’s that?” he demanded.
“How should I know?” She rolled her eyes at him before realizing what she was doing and prepared herself for another blow. With her eyes screwed shut, she felt her heart pounding as hard as her head, but he didn’t hit her. Instead, she heard him take a step past her and she opened her eyes to see him rifling through her purse.
She quickly stood up and took a step away from the wall. She’d read somewhere that it was always best not to have your back to the wall when being attacked, and, right now, she was definitely being attacked. He stared incredulously at the screen. “Aiden? As in Fielding?” He looked up at her, frowning. “Why’s he calling you?”
“M-Maybe he wants to offer me more work,” she stammered, thinking quickly.
The way he narrowed his eyes at her made her even more nervous.
“You haven’t got a thing going with your boss, have you? Is that why you were all tarted up like a Christmas tree last night? To impress him?” His voice was smarmy, and much as she would love to wipe the sneer from his face, she couldn’t risk him knowing her business, especially if he was doing some kind of deal with the Fieldings.
“Ha. As if!” She forced herself to scoff as she pulled a face.
“He didn’t look too happy last night.” He narrowed his eyes again, seemingly unconvinced.
“Yeah, right. That’ll be why he came running after me to take me home, I suppose?” She sneered, her mouth going dry.
He looked thoughtful for a second. “True,” he conceded, “and, let’s face it, he’s way out of your league nowadays, isn’t he?”
She licked blood from her lip as she forced herself to say nothing. Her whole body shook with a painful mixture of fear and anger.
Robert let out another derisive guffaw. “You won’t be doing any more work for them, do you hear? You’ll stay well away from the Fieldings from now on.”
She stared up at him in disbelief. She recalled his patronizing tone from when they had been together, and she’d hated it then, almost as much as she did now. How dare he?
Although every fiber of her being willed her to tell him exactly what she thought of his audacity, the cruel glint in his eye reminded her precisely what the consequences would be. It wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.
“I wasn’t planning on it anyway,” she mumbled.
“Good.” He sneered, evidently satisfied that she was complying with his wishes, clearly oblivious that she was just stating a fact.
With a grimace, he seemed to have difficulty pulling the key from his pocket as he headed back up her tiny hallway. Eventually he yanked it out, swung the front door open and threw the key across the hall. Giving a gloating snort, he glared at her once more before striding out.
It wasn’t until she heard the large door at the bottom of the stairs slam shut behind him that she dared to move, quickly rushing over to shut the cold draft from the apartment—to shut him out! She leaned back against the door then slid down into a heap on the floor, weeping uncontrollably at the helplessness of her situation. She wasn’t safe. She knew that. The pain in her face was already causing her head to ache even more, and the burn in her arms seared through her body. It was nothing, however, compared with the agony that ripped through her heart.
* * * *
Aiden was reeling with the events of the day. He and Frank had taken a trip to the local sheriff’s office where Dyson Shearer informed them that the sheriff at Almondine hadn’t changed in the past ten years.
“I don’t know him all that well,” Dyson explained to them. “Seems to keep himself to himself quite a bit, if you know what I mean. Not the friendliest of guys, either, if I’m honest, but maybe that’s just me.”
“No, I can imagine,” Frank responded. “Can you do me a favor and look up a matter he would have dealt with a couple of years ago over there? I just need a case number at this stage.”
Dyson nodded. “Of course, Frank. What’s it all about?”
They sat around the wooden desk and explained the whole story to him, and he frowned as he checked out the details on his computer. “If it’s been reported, it’ll be on here,” the deputy explained. “All the computers in Cavern County are linked up. That way we can tell if a job is connected to another one nearby or whatever.”
“So you’ll be able to get any intel on the incident?” Aiden’s heart was in his mouth as they stared at the whirring screen.
“Yup. Whatever was reported and what happened about it. Mind you, this information’s all confidential, you understand? I can’t just go and—”
“We understand that, son,” Frank assured him with a pacifying gesture of his hand. “We don’t want to get you into any trouble. We just want the case number so we can verify first-off that it was definitely reported. We’ll take it from there.”
“Can’t you ask the lady in question? I mean, if she went to the cops to ask for some kind of verification that this Rossington guy had actually reported a robbery, they would have given her the case number.” Dyson frowned.
“She doesn’t kn
ow we’re here,” Aiden blurted out.
Dyson looked up in surprise.
“What we mean is… We don’t want to go dragging up bad memories for her if we don’t have to,” Frank interjected. “If the case is genuine, then we’ll follow it up, but if the case was never even filed, we’re looking at a whole different ball game.”
“Have you got a date or an address where this took place?” Dyson asked doubtfully.
“Nope,” Aiden said him with a grimace.
“It’s going to take some time to track down a burglary without the details,” Dyson warned them, sighing.
“I know, son. But it’s not impossible, though, eh?” The older guy winked at Aiden.
Dyson chuckled. “Well, Frank, I can always rely on you to keep me busy in this job,” he told him. “Let me run a few reports to see what I can come up with. The fact that we’ve got the victim’s name should help, and that it was Rossington who reported it. Why don’t you guys go grab a coffee down the road, and I’ll shout as soon as I find something?”
“You’re a good man, Sheriff,” Frank said as they got up to go.
“Yeah, and I’ll be an old one before I get to the bottom of this, no doubt,” Dyson sniggered.
Chapter Nine
“How was she when you saw her?” Aiden asked as he and Frank sat down in the small diner. He couldn’t help wishing they were back at Bracken Ridge right now. Even the coffee tasted better over there.
Frank sighed. “I’m not gonna lie to you, son. She didn’t look good.”
Aiden’s heart sank a little deeper.
“She was sobbing her heart out when we got there. Didn’t notice us at first,” Frank went on. “Said she had a cold or something, but we knew that wasn’t the case. Pretty girl, too.” He took a sip of his coffee.
“Yeah, I think so.” Aiden’s gut wrenched as he thought of Maggie’s soft curves and that beautiful face. “I really like her, you know?”
“Yeah, I see that,” the older guy confirmed. “Judging by how upset she was, I’d say she likes you, too.”
“I don’t think she does right now,” Aiden told him ruefully. “I’ve really hurt her, you know, Frank?”
“Yeah, I know, son.”
“I went back to her place. It was damp. You could see it on the walls. Makes me wonder how people can actually charge rent for places like that.” He seethed as he thought about it.
“So what happened? Josie said you asked her to come do some work for you last night?” Frank looked at him curiously as he took another sip of his drink.
“Josie and I thought we’d found a way to give her some extra money without it looking like a handout,” Aiden answered him, and he went on to explain the whole debacle.
“Ouch.” Frank winced when he’d finished. “I can see that must have hurt.”
“It wasn’t supposed to. I couldn’t just give her money. No way would she accept it.” Aiden knew it sounded feeble. “But she really knows her stuff, Frank. She wrote this book on social niceties—you know, how to entertain guests and things like that. Even how to fold a napkin. I took a look on the Internet. It sold millions.”
“Hmm, that’s why Rossington stayed with her, I suppose,” Frank mused.
“What I don’t get is, why did she stay with him?” Aiden took a sip of his drink as he shook his head.
“Maybe she didn’t think she had a choice,” Frank offered. “Has he got some kind of a hold over her?” He frowned.
Aiden was sick to the pit of his stomach. “God, I hope not.” The thought hadn’t occurred to him before. “I don’t know. She didn’t say, but then, she wouldn’t.” He was sure of that. Maggie Welch was a proud woman and wasn’t about to start telling folk about her problems. Heck, she hadn’t even told him what Rossington had done to her.
Frank shook his head. “No, I don’t suppose she would,” he replied thoughtfully.
They both looked up as Sheriff Shearer strolled over to their table. “Well, it’s not great news, but it’s not all bad either,” he said as he sat down. “The incident was recorded as a burglary, but it seems no fingerprints were found at the scene. It went down as unsolved.”
“Well, at least that’s something.” Frank’s optimism was a great relief to Aiden, who had immediately feared the worst.
“So what exactly does that mean?” Aiden hardly dared ask.
“It means that, according to the county records, there was a burglary committed at the premises, but there’s not much to go on by way of evidence.” Dyson frowned, deep in thought.
“So we can legally look into the case and make inquiries about what was done—or not done—about it. If it turns out the police officers were negligent in their investigations, Maggie will have the right to sue. Either way, Maggie—or her legal representatives—can take action for misconduct,” Frank explained.
Aiden’s heart surged a little. It seemed there was hope, and right now that was all he could wish for.
“The investigating officer was a guy named Campbell Taylor,” Dyson told them. “Not the friendliest of folk, if I remember correctly, but he’s been on the job a long time.”
Frank stood up and shook the sheriff’s hand. “We’ll be careful,” he replied with a smile.
* * * *
Almondine was a real busy town, not like Pelican’s Heath. This place was much bigger and the volume of traffic running up and down the main street made Aiden’s head spin. He certainly hadn’t expected it to be this rammed on a Sunday. Everyone seemed to be rushing about all over the place, and there wasn’t a friendly face in sight.
“What are we gonna do, Frank?” He frowned as he watched the old man take in the scene before them. They were both being jostled by the busy townsfolk as they stood on the sidewalk contemplating their next move.
“We’re just on a fact-finding mission for now, son. Don’t mention anything about Maggie or the missing money. Let’s just see what this guy’s really like.” Frank looked toward the sheriff’s office then his eyes fixed on a small diner not far from it. “Looks like a good place to start,” he muttered, half to himself.
Aiden followed him over. He could see he was certainly going to get his fill of coffee today.
The diner was busy and rowdy, but not in a good way. It wasn’t friendly chatter like they were used to back home. These folks all seemed grouchy about something or other, not least the time it took to get a cup of coffee.
“You harvesting the coffee beans yourself, Ellen?” a scruffy-looking dude moaned over the counter as the guys stood in line.
“I’ve only got one pair of hands, Seth Painter, and you well know it!” The older lady was pouring out some drinks and grimaced at the sarcastic remark.
After that, the woman proceeded to slam down every pot and cup she was using, clearly irked by her customers’ attitudes, which did nothing to welcome the strangers into town.
“Good day, ma’am. I’d like two cups of coffee when you’re ready, please.” Frank tipped his hat and smiled at the woman who stared back at him, agog.
“Coming right up.” She seemed amazed at having a well-mannered customer and clearly wasn’t used to being spoken to so politely.
“Thank you kindly, ma’am.” Frank tipped his hat again as he took the tray from her and turned to where Aiden indicated a vacant table.
“I sure am glad I don’t live here,” Aiden confided once they were comfortably sitting by the window with their drinks.
Frank snickered. “I think it takes a certain type of person to live in a hectic place like this,” he agreed.
They spent a short while soaking in the unpleasant atmosphere. The air was heavy with smoke, and it seemed that Ellen had burned some toast earlier. The food that was carried through from the steamy kitchen looked grease-laden and totally unappetizing, and most of the customers were complaining and groaning about the service—or lack of it. The poor waitress was rushed off her feet, flustered and bad-tempered, and Ellen wasn’t much happier.
A
large guy in a deputy’s uniform grabbed Aiden’s attention when he pushed his way right to the front of the line, demanding today’s special. The other customers seemed resigned to his lack of manners, and Aiden guessed this must be normal behavior for the sweaty dude.
“I’ll be sitting over here.” The guy indicated a table next to where the men were sitting, and they watched in horror as a young girl quickly vacated the table for him, despite not having finished her meal.
Aiden caught Frank’s eye and noticed that he was also watching the guy with interest, but they said nothing.
“Any news on my stolen horse, Deputy?” A portly man in an ill-fitting business suit approached him as he stared out of the window. The deputy didn’t even glance up. “I’m on lunch!” he snarled, and the businessman scurried away, muttering a hasty apology.
When the waitress arrived with his meal, the guy only managed a grunt of acknowledgment as he tore his eyes from the street and picked up his fork.
Something told Aiden that this had to be the man they were searching for, and he continued to watch surreptitiously as the guy gobbled down his lunch. His clothes seemed starched and crisp, but his sandy-colored hair was lank and hung in thin strands around his shoulders. His face wore a constant sneer as he occasionally glanced around the diner, mentally daring anyone to interrupt his break. His eyes were small and mean-looking, and thick gingerish stubble peppered his chin. The atmosphere seemed even more uncomfortable and edgy while the guy sat there, and Aiden noted how many people left the diner. The room became much quieter and even Ellen seemed a little more careful with the dishes, although no less sullen in her expression.
Aiden quickly finished his coffee as he caught Frank’s indication that they should leave, and he stood up to follow him out. On their way past the counter, Frank dropped a bill in the jar and was rewarded with a surprised smile from Ellen as she wiped down the coffee machine.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” Frank leaned over the counter to speak quietly to her. “Is that guy the local law enforcer around here?” He cocked his head in the direction of the scruffy dude, and Aiden watched the woman’s face fall into a disparaging leer.
Maggie’s Man (The Cowboys of Cavern County Book 2) Page 7
