Dangerous Inheritance

by Barbara Warren

  “Why was that?”

  “I have no idea. Opal was rather picky. Maybe Neva was slacking off on the job or something. I know Opal would want it done her way. Have you had any more trouble with Anita?”

  “Not yet, but I wouldn’t put anything past her.” That woman was walking trouble on the hoof.

  “Neither would I. Watch your back where she’s concerned. And as usual, if you need me for anything, you call me.”

  Macy promised, knowing she wouldn’t be likely to call. Her problems were her own, and since they might turn dangerous, she wouldn’t want to involve Hilda or anyone else.

  Hilda left and Macy went back inside. She paused, staring up at the staircase, the way she did every time she stood here, waiting for a memory that never came. Would she remember anything else? The silence overwhelmed her, but nothing happened. As she stood listening, a scratching, rasping sound pinned her to the floor. What was that? Someone—something in the house?

  Macy stood frozen, straining to hear. The sound came again—from the living room. She tiptoed toward the doorway, striving to be quiet. A quick glance revealed an empty room. The sound came again, from the window behind the love seat. She crept forward, heart pounding, determined to see what was going on.

  FIFTEEN

  When she was halfway across the room a stick rose into sight scratching on the window. Someone was making that noise.

  Macy rushed toward the window just in time to see someone whipping around the corner of the house. She ran to the kitchen window, but no one was in sight.

  Why was someone working so hard to drive her from this house? And would she live long enough to find out?

  Later, Macy thought about what Hilda had said concerning Nick. She really should call and apologize. Maybe she would do that later today. Right now she had some questions for attorney Raleigh Benson.

  She drove to the office not sure if he would talk to her again, but she was ushered into his office with no problem. Macy sat down across the desk from him and decided to demand some answers.

  “I’d like to know why you don’t want me in that house. Why you want me to sell it.”

  He frowned. “Why would I care where you live? And as for finding a buyer for you, I was simply trying to help.”

  Okay, let that one go.

  “I’ve been reading the trial transcript. The evidence against my father was very flimsy to say the least. If you’re such a great attorney, why couldn’t you get him off?”

  He sat in silence, and then after a moment he shoved his chair away from the desk and got up, moving to gaze out the window with his back to her. She was getting ready to demand he turn around and look at her when he started talking.

  “You’re right. I didn’t really work that hard to help your father. I was angry at him for the way he had treated Garth Nixon, and I had a feeling he was actually guilty of killing his wife.”

  “If you weren’t going to defend him, why did you take the case? And it sounds like you let your politics get in the way of defending an innocent man. That’s contemptible.”

  “Yes, it is. But Garth had promised me a job on his staff if he won the election. I was going through a rough time. My wife was sick. Medical bills were piling up and my son was into drugs. I wanted that job. I needed it. But I was a fool to trust Garth. I’d know better now.”

  Macy stared at Raleigh’s back, willing him to turn around and face her, so she could tell him what she thought of the things he had just said. He had let an innocent man go to prison over a job. No matter how badly he needed it, how could he justify his behavior?

  Raleigh continued. “I never should have been Steve’s attorney. There was evidence against him, all right, but not a lot. If I’d done my job the way I should have, I probably could have got him a better deal. The jury found him guilty, mostly on Anita’s testimony, I think.”

  Okay, she had to ask, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. “Was my father having an affair with her?”

  He turned around and looked at her, and she was stunned by the compassion in his expression. “I don’t know for sure, but I doubt it. Anita is a piece of work. She wanted Steve. He didn’t want her, and she couldn’t handle it. Some people like Garth and Anita believe they’re so important they deserve everything they want. They’re both trouble. Stay away from them.”

  She couldn’t believe his sudden honesty. “So she probably lied and let him go to prison. I understand she hated my mother, too.”

  Raleigh nodded. “Apparently so. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. But don’t go jumping to conclusions. Just because they didn’t get along doesn’t mean Anita killed her.”

  “Well, someone did, and I’m sure it wasn’t my father. I thought you and Garth were friends.”

  “Not any more. Garth likes to walk on the wild side and I don’t want any part of that. I messed up once because of him and I’ve had to live with it. If you’re successful in proving Steve was innocent, then I’ll know for sure what I’ve come to suspect. I let him and Megan both down. What can I do to help you?”

  Macy wasn’t sure she could trust him, but he was her best chance at learning new information. “Would it help if you reviewed the evidence again?”

  “It might. I’ll pull it up and see what I can find out.”

  “I’d appreciate it. Will you let me know if you learn anything?”

  “Yes, and I’ll make sure Nick knows, too. Whatever the truth is, it’s time we got some answers.”

  Macy left his office, feeling encouraged. As soon as she reached home she headed for the living room, pulling out her cell phone. She had to restore her relationship with Nick. Her step quickened, even as she prayed God would give her the right words to say—and that Nick would listen.

  She’d punched in half of the numbers of Nick’s cell phone when the doorbell rang. Frustrated, she ended the call and marched to the front door. This had better be someone she wanted to talk to. She needed to call Nick before she lost her nerve.

  She swung open the door and stepped back, surprised to see Nick standing there. He nodded at her, his expression serious. “May I come in?”

  “Oh. Yes, of course. Sure.” Macy clamped her mouth shut before she could babble any more. Why did this man have such an effect on her? Just seeing him like this, unexpectedly, turned her into an emotional wreck.

  He entered, looking down at her, and she motioned toward the living room. “Let’s sit down.”

  Regardless of why he was here, she was going to apologize. She had to do it not only for Nick, but also for herself. It was only right. Besides, she needed him. Needed to work with him, to learn what he had found out. She tried to ignore the fact that she needed him even more on a personal level. That was something she’d have to deal with later, but right now she had more important things to concentrate on.

  He waited, eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. Macy took a deep breath and began. “I was out of line the other day. I realize you loved your father the same way I loved mine.”

  She stopped to think about that. Yes, she had loved her parents. She hadn’t been sure about that before, but from living in this house, she had gradually come to know more about the relationship among them. At least she had received one benefit from being here. There had been love. Not only her parents’ love for her, but she was confident they had loved each other.

  Nick sat quietly, just looking at her, and Macy heaved a sigh. She was trying to make amends. He could at least act interested. “Look, I shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to a conclusion about the police. I don’t have proof anything was off center with them, but my grandmother Douglas was so sure, and you have to admit there was some room for doubt. It wasn’t just something I made up.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, well, before this goes any further, let me say that I was too quick to fly off the handle, too. The fact is, we both had fathers, they’re both gone. It’s normal that we would want to defend them from any hint of wrongdoing.”

&
nbsp; “I realize that, and I’m trying to apologize here.” And heavy going it was, too. If she had known it would be this hard, she’d have kept her mouth shut.

  Nick grinned. “And I’m trying to tell you that we both need to apologize, so let’s call it done and move on. I’ve got something to tell you. I wasn’t sure how it would go over, but now I think it will be all right.”

  It was Macy’s turn to wait. She wondered what he had in mind, but whatever it was, she would listen to the end instead of interrupting him with her own version of the facts. Right now it was enough to be sitting here with him again, seeing the seriousness of his expression, the curve of his lips...

  She jerked herself up short. This wasn’t the time to be thinking like that. She needed to get her emotions under control.

  Nick leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I dropped by to talk to Clyde Jackson. He was the chief of police here when all this happened. He’s also Garth Nixon’s cousin.”

  “And you wonder why I’ve been thinking something fishy is going on?”

  He held up his hand. “Wait, then you can talk all you want, but I’m going to get this out in the open, so just try to have patience.”

  Macy frowned at him, but she had to admit he had a point. And what had happened to her vow to be quiet and listen? The last thing she wanted to do was start another battle between them.

  Nick waited a minute and then continued. “He admitted that he didn’t try to find anyone else. The evidence pointed to Steve, and he was still upset over the editorials your father had written and the fact that Garth had lost the election. He says it has bothered him ever since.”

  “And you believe him?” She wasn’t gullible enough to accept anything said by someone who had helped send an innocent man to prison. If it had bothered him so much why hadn’t he come forth and told the truth years ago?

  “Yes, I do. You didn’t see or hear him. I did, and I believe he was telling the truth.”

  Macy pressed her lips together, determined not to say anything more until she heard him out. Let him convince her, if he could, that this Jackson could be trusted. She wasn’t all that gullible. Nick could give him the benefit of the doubt if he wanted to. She needed proof.

  Nick waited, apparently giving her time to respond, before going on. “He said Garth was family, and you stood by family. Sound familiar?”

  Macy nodded. Both she and Nick were committed to family—that was part of the problem—but that was beside the point. Police corruption was something else again. “So Clyde Jackson put his cousin ahead of doing his job. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “That about covers it. He did mention Anita and the things she was saying, and that there was evidence that pointed to your dad. But he also said neither you nor your mother deserved what had been done to you, and he offered to do anything he could to help.”

  “And you think we can trust him?” She could feel Nick watching and tried to calm down. If she wasn’t careful she’d drive him away again, and she didn’t want to do that. She clamped her lips together, asking God to help give her patience.

  * * *

  Nick watched Macy, realizing she was upset. He wasn’t sure how she would accept what Clyde had said about his father, but he guessed he might as well try. If she took it the wrong way, he’d have to deal with it. “He said some things about my father, too.”

  Macy raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? What?”

  “According to Clyde, my father didn’t like what was going on. He tried to do something about it, and Clyde admitted he made it so rough on Dad he finally left the police force and started working at the sawmill. That’s where he died. A stack of logs rolled and fell on him. I was sixteen years old. I’ve missed him every day since then. Clyde said he had always felt it was his fault.”

  Macy stared at him for a moment with a compassion that almost undid him. After a long pause, she asked, “You mean what happened that night cost both of us our fathers?”

  Nick hadn’t thought of it that way, but he realized she was correct. They had both paid a high price for something they had nothing to do with. “I guess that’s right.”

  Macy looked thoughtful. “Which gives us an even greater reason to learn the truth. You think we can do it?”

  “I’ll bet we can. Working together and with God’s help, we’ll be a tough team to beat.” She sat looking at him with those sea-green eyes and he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her it would be all right. But before he could follow through on that idea, she started talking.

  “You know, Raleigh Benson said almost the same thing when I saw him.”

  Nick sat up a little straighter. “You talked to Benson? What did he say?”

  Macy shrugged. “He admitted he could have done more to help my father and could probably have gotten him a better deal. He said Garth had promised him a job on his staff if he was elected. He was going through a hard time and he wanted that job.”

  “So he didn’t work too hard to get Steve off, I guess.” How could these guys live with themselves, knowing they had let an innocent man go to prison? They hadn’t even tried to find the murderer. Just turned their backs and let him walk free so they could get back at Steve Douglas for writing those editorials. And they had thought that was all right? Didn’t they have any sense of right and wrong?

  “Is that all he said?”

  “He’s supposed to go over the evidence, looking for anything that might point us in another direction, and he said he’d be in touch with us.”

  “I see. Well, maybe they both mean it. And I guess he did have a hard time back then. His son was on drugs. I believe he died of an overdose. I think that was his only child.”

  “He didn’t tell me that. And his wife was sick back then. I don’t want to feel sorry for him, but when I hear things like that, I just can’t help myself.”

  Nick grinned. “You know what? We’ve pretty well eliminated two of our suspects. Maybe if we keep on like this we can find the killer because he’ll be the only one left.”

  Macy smiled and patted his arm. “It’s good to have you back on a friendly basis. I’ve missed you.”

  The touch of her hand was warm, intimate. It was good to be sitting here with her again. Hopefully after this they could keep their emotions under control and work together. At least he wouldn’t be torn apart, thinking his father might have been involved. He felt better over that.

  “I’ve missed you, too. We’ll have to see that nothing else comes between us.” And friendly wasn’t what he wanted. He had more of a permanent relationship in mind, one that involved the two of them growing old together. This wasn’t the time to talk about it, but he’d hold that thought and do what he could to make it a reality.

  Macy’s eyes twinkled with humor. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll try to be a little easier to get along with, and not be so quick to mouth off.”

  Nick laughed. “I like a spunky woman. You say whatever you want to. I’m big enough to handle it.”

  That was one of the many reasons he cared about her. She was a fighter, willing to take a risk if she had to. More and more he thought of what it would be like to have a strong woman like Macy standing beside him, facing whatever life threw at them. Two hearts bound together by the kind of love his father and mother had shared, raising a family together. Was that in their future? Or was it an impossible dream?

  Macy interrupted his musing with a question. “Seriously, Nick, who do you think could have killed my mother?”

  He puffed out a breath of air. “I don’t know, but I’m beginning to think it might not have anything to do with your father. It might have been someone with a grudge toward Megan. Have you learned the name of anyone who might have had something against her?”

  “No, but there’s something else you don’t know. I had another phone call. He said that two women had died in this house. I would be the third.”

  Nick’s blood ran cold. She would be the third? He wanted to get her out of her
e, but he knew it would be a waste of time to try to persuade her, and she wouldn’t let him stay. He knew better than to ask. She was obsessed with learning the secrets of this house, thinking it held the key to her mother’s death, and maybe she was right. Regaining her memory could be their best chance to find the killer. If only it wasn’t so dangerous. He pulled his attention back to Macy.

  “He said two women had died? He must have meant Opal and Megan.”

  “Which makes me wonder about my grandmother Lassiter. Was there anything suspicious about her death?”

  Nick shook his head, trying to think. “Not that I know, but it’s something to look into.”

  “Will you check into it?”

  “I sure will. And I’ll talk to Sam and see where we go from here. Talk to her doctor, see what he has to say. I’ll get on it right now.” At least he had something to work on. But if there had been anything suspicious, why hadn’t anyone said so? He remembered what Hilda had said, that Opal had changed. She seemed to be thinking someone other than Steve had killed Megan. Had she found something that had pointed to a killer? If so, had she been murdered, too?

  “What about an autopsy? Would that help?” Macy asked.

  “Not really. After a body has been embalmed, unless there’s an obvious reason for the cause of death, like a gunshot it might not show what we need to know.”

  “Well, it was just a thought,” Macy said. “But if it won’t work, then it would be an expensive waste of time.”

  Nick got to his feet and she stood to face him. Almost automatically he reached out for her. She took a step toward him, and he caught her in his arms, pulling her against him. She was so warm, so alive. He had to keep her that way. The thought of her being here alone, of anything happening to her, made him sick to his stomach.

  She raised her face to look at him, and his lips met hers, soft, tender, so sweet. He held her closer, hating to let her go. Nick felt a surge of emotion, so strange and sweet it almost overwhelmed him. Macy. She’d walked into his life and changed it in ways he had never imagined would happen. She snuggled closer and their lips met again. He wanted to stay here with her but there were things he needed to do, people he wanted to talk to.