Accused (Troubled Boys, Strong Men #1)

by Wendy Byrne

  “It sounds like you hate to disappoint your mom.”

  He nodded. “Not my dad though. He’s an asshole.” He shrugged before continuing, “sorry, but it’s true. He was never very nice to my mom, and almost always had a girlfriend while they were married. He was mostly nice to me even though he never did those things that other fathers do, like take their son to ball games and that kind of thing. He never hit me or anything. But when I got into trouble it was like I was a piece of shit stuck on his shoe that he couldn’t wait to get rid of.”

  “Your parents are divorced?”

  “Yep. At first I was mad when my mom moved us away, but then I started to like it. She seemed more relaxed and I liked my new school—well, technically it doesn’t start until this week—but the guys on the football team and the girls that hang around and watch the practices are different. None of them are braggarts. They don’t talk about what their fathers do or how much money they have, like at my old school. Nobody pulls into the school parking lot in a Mercedes convertible or a Lexus. They all drive old beaters like me. It’s a lot less pressure. ” It seemed so easy to talk to her even though he’d met her like ten seconds ago.

  “Are you and your mom close?”

  He nodded. “That’s why I feel so bad I disappointed her.”

  “Did she tell you that?”

  “No, but how couldn’t she not be disappointed? I screwed up. Bad.” Tears started to creep in. Man, he hated when that happened. “I don’t know why she comes to see me.”

  “I suspect it’s because she loves you and wants to help in any way she can.”

  “Yeah, probably.” Travis drew in a breath. “But I worry about her now that I’m in here. She’s all alone.” Could he tell her about the elusive thought that kept running through his mind? Dream or reality, he still couldn’t be sure. Would this new shrink think he was crazy? Should he wait and tell Dr. Stern who already knew he was crazy?

  “You look like you want to say something, but are afraid. I’ll share my impressions with Cole as your defense lawyer based on the release you signed. But as for anyone else what you say is confidential, unless you tell me something about harming yourself or someone else. Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking about Travis?”

  Man, now he felt a little weird because she thought he was holding back a big dark secret when in reality…“Do you know how to hypnotize people?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Because I had this really strange dream and I kinda think it’s more than a dream. I think it might be about what happened that night.”

  ***

  The cold seemed to creep into her bones as Jillian reached down to pull the cover tighter around her. When her fingers struck wood rather than mattress, she bolted upright.

  Nerves tingled and popped along her extremities as she tried to keep her acrophobia at bay. She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, terror close at hand. “Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.”

  How had she gotten here? The narrow ledge jutted out on the side of the deck and offered both a breath taking and terrifying view of the canyon below. Afraid to move too quickly, she slid off the ledge, landing on the deck. She didn’t even breathe until her butt hit the solid decking. While she knew she needed to get over her paralyzing phobia, she had more important things to worry about. Why was she out here where she never would have chosen to sleep?

  She wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees and looked at the sun position. It must be around nine or so.

  Geez, she’d taken half a sleeping pill around four o’clock and had slept until a few minutes ago. While she could relish the fact she’d slept longer than she had since this whole mess started, the gaps in memory were disturbing, and this apparent sleepwalking was over-the-top crazy. With this kind of adverse reaction, thank God, she’d destroyed the rest of those pills yesterday.

  Her legs felt wobbly as she stood and walked slowly to the slider. A cup of coffee might help to clear the cobwebs and fog from her brain.

  She slid open the door and shuffled inside, then stopped. Why in the hell was the front door wide open?

  ***

  Maybe being around teenagers so much had rubbed off on him because heading to Jillian’s place—just because—didn’t make any kind of damn sense. Sam had left a message on her cell yesterday but she hadn’t called him back. Big deal, even if she normally answered right away. He had no reason to believe she was in danger. Maybe she hadn’t had the time or had lost her phone or, more likely, thought he was some kind of crazy stalker.

  Then again, the seed planted by Cole yesterday burned inside him. Addictions, he knew all about. Was he looking for confirmation she wasn’t on some kind of binge to cover her hurt and disappointment? In the old days his mother could be incommunicado for days at a time. He’d been left alone so many times he had learned self-sufficiency at a very young age. Old memories raised the hackles on his neck. Was he going there to check out Cole’s suspicions, or was he seriously scared for her well-being?

  He was a grown ass man, so why was he thinking of excuses for showing up at her door? And why was he giving in to this attraction between them when her son’s life hung in the balance. He felt like such a slimeball.

  When he was being clear-headed he could count all the other kids and families he’d helped throughout his time at Valley High. Jillian Beckett was really no different. The obvious bonus was that he was insanely attracted to her. The angel sitting on his right shoulder told him not to take advantage of the situation; the devil sitting on his left shoulder pointed out the attraction. But it appeared to be one sided attraction. She hadn’t even shown so much as a scintilla of interest in him except as a friend. He needed to keep on the right side of that invisible boundary between being helpful and being despicable.

  He slowly made the turn to her house and stopped the car. From this angle, she couldn’t see his car coming so it wasn’t too late to save his pride and back out. Instead, he eased slowly into the drive and hoped she wasn’t home. That might be the only thing that could temper this crazy obsession.

  Instead, he found her half-naked pacing the front porch of her house. Cole’s told-you-so mantra rattled around his brain as he threw the car into park, and got out. Based on the bewildered look on her face, he suspected she didn’t know what to make of his sudden appearance. She crossed her arms over her chest, more than likely to cover her flimsy top, and gave him a polite smile as he approached.

  Once he got closer, he noticed the subtleties in her appearance and forced himself not to react too strongly. He’d seen that look many times in the past before. It was more than a just-got-out-of-bed-disheveled look as memories struggled to the surface, while his mind cautioned him not to be too quick to judge.

  “What’s going on? You look…” He couldn’t quite capture a polite word to fit what he saw. Her hair looked as if she’d frantically run her fingers through it a million times, and her nightclothes had smudges of dirt. Scratches ran along her face, arm and neck. For a second or two, he wondered if she’d been attacked. On closer inspection he saw the scratches were superficial more like she’d tangled with a rose bush. He sniffed the air for a whiff of alcohol to confirm or deny his thoughts. Nothing except clean mountain air. Still there were many legal as well as illegal substances that could explain her appearance. Damn Cole for putting the thought into his head in the first place.

  “I’m sorry…I…” She started to speak, then as if suddenly remembering her state of undress, re-crossed her arms over her chest once again. “I was trying to decide if I should call the police or chalk the whole thing up to me going crazy.” She forced a smile.

  He pulled off his fleece jacket and handed it to her. “You look cold.”

  She stared at him for a second, as if trying to process what he’d said. “Thanks.” After slipping her arms inside the too long sleeves, she yanked the lapels over her chest. “I’ve had a very strange morning.” She chewed on her lip for a few seconds. “Maybe you can help me m
ake sense of it.”

  “What happened?” He tempered his reticence and tried to keep an open mind. Hard-fought lessons collided with an elusive sense of trust.

  “I had a rough day yesterday which I’m sure you heard about. First there was Travis’ confession and then I learned he’d taken advantage of an old neighbor, and it…” She shrugged. “I guess for the first time, it made me second-guess my conviction about his innocence.” She chewed her lip as if she struggled not to say more.

  And he wanted her to say more, though he didn’t know if he could count on it being the truth. Past experience came to his mind. ‘Mom, where were you?’ He’d asked the question, even when he knew she’d lie.

  He gulped back the old feelings of disbelief clogging his throat. “Just as with adult prison, it’s not unusual for kids to set up other kids if they’re going to get something out of it.”

  “Intellectually, I know that, but it’s ...” Once again she brought her fingers through her hair. “I guess it’s an old script that keeps running through my head.”

  “Old script?” He couldn’t help wondering if she’d tell him about her parents or whatever it was that was bothering her.

  She let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” She gave him a reluctant smile. “Judging by the state of my house and myself, I guess taking that sleeping pill wasn’t such a good idea.”

  Sleeping pill? He couldn’t help being taken aback by her admission. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if that was a regular habit of hers, but he resisted. None of his business. He wasn’t her sponsor, counselor or lover. “You don’t remember what happened?”

  “Not really. I had some weird dreams and woke up outside on the deck, freezing my ass off, and lying on the part of the deck that overlooks the canyon, which I’d never do if I was awake. My fear of heights is debilitating at times.” She forced a chuckle. “Except apparently when I’m sound asleep.”

  “You were sleepwalking?” He searched her face for clues she was bull shitting him. Normally, he could see the signs a mile away but when emotion came into play, he wasn’t so good at ferreting out the truth.

  “That’s the only explanation I can think of.” She motioned him inside.

  “Holy crap.” He wouldn’t call it destruction or devastation or anything that dramatic. But it certainly wasn’t what he’d expected.

  The house was a breath-taking architectural masterpiece, with vaulted ceilings, timber beams and an open view from the front door to the back, exposing the incredible setting. But right now the place looked as if it had been tossed. Papers littered the floor, cushions had been thrown off the couch, all the cabinet doors in the kitchen were open.

  “I know.” Her fingers shook as she went to close the cabinet doors as if embarrassed what the insides might reveal.

  “Stop.” He grabbed her wrist. “Are you sure nobody was in here? You might want to get the police involved and have them take some fingerprints.”

  “That’s what I was thinking about when you showed up. But since nothing of value was taken—like the TV, stereo, computer—I have to believe I did it when I was sleep-walking or sleep-hell-bent-crazy in this case.”

  “Have you ever sleep-walked before?” He didn’t want to press too hard, but at the same time needed to satisfy this unquenchable thirst for the truth.

  She shook her head. “But I’ve heard some sleeping pills produce weird side effects, one of which is sleepwalking.” She smiled and held up her hands. “Don’t get me wrong. If I thought for one minute there was an intruder here last night, I’d call in a heartbeat, despite all that’s going on in my life right now. But to be honest, the last thing I need is to cast more suspicion on Travis and me.”

  “Then let me help you get things straightened up.”

  “Maybe we’ll find a clue as to what I was so all fired up looking for.” She shuffled some papers together and shook her head. “Looks like I was writing down random thoughts—books, computer, water bottle—geez, I must have been on a tear last night.”

  “Maybe you were thirsty, bored and looking for some diversion?”

  She laughed, “maybe.” Suddenly, she stopped and pointed toward a paper she’d just picked up. “Pool guy. Maybe my subconscious was talking to me after all.” She showed him the paper. “Remember Aaron mentioned something about a pool guy organizing the parties when people were on vacation?”

  “I forgot about that.”

  “Me too. Until I was sleeping.” She shook her head and for the first time looked right at him. “I should ask why you stopped by this morning.”

  Sam figured if he were the blushing type, he’d be doing that about now. “Cole and I spotted Jeremy yesterday but he got away. I tried your phone a couple of times to let you know he’s at least in the area, but I guess you were too busy sleep-walking to answer.”

  “I’ll never try one of those pills again. I feel like I lost a whole day. I’m going to take a shower and head into town and see if I can track down the elusive pool guy.”

  “I’d come with you,” he glanced at his watch, “but we’ve got two-a-days this week, so another practice in about two hours. Maybe we can meet up at Cole’s afterward? He can run some names for you.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll put on some coffee and see if I find any more gems from your subconscious while you’re in the shower.”

  Without another word, she headed off down the hall. He waited until she was out of sight and he heard the shower turn on before he began a search of his own. Cleaning up and looking for something she’d been keeping a deep dark secret wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his time but he needed to be sure. And he had tons of experience to help him out.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The whole experience of last night and this morning seemed downright weird. Even Sam seemed weirded out by what she’d done, even if he was too polite to say anything. His face told the story. No doubt by now he thought she was half crazy.

  Rather than dwell on it, Jillian surveyed the target area. She knew the neighborhood well, having lived there for the last fifteen years of her life. Most of the homes offered at least the illusion of privacy with gates or bushes hiding the home. For folks in this income bracket, normally that meant somebody to service their pools.

  A couple of months ago she wouldn’t have dreamed of taking a ride through the area fearful one of her ‘friends’ might spot her and give her the aren’t-you-pathetic-look. Now, with Travis’ future on the line, she didn’t give a crap. She drove up and down streets hoping to spot a pool service van.

  She went past her old home without even a smidgen of regret. At the stop sign, she was trying to decide whether to go straight or turn when one of her old neighbors spotted her and waved.

  “Ah shit.” Despite her earlier resolve, Jillian didn’t relish the idea of coming face to face with Candace or anybody else from her former life.

  Since there weren’t any cars behind her honking for her to move, ignoring the busybody would only add more fuel to the fire. She decided to woman-up and take the heat. The driver’s side window of the Bentley went down as Candace pulled even with Jillian.

  “How are you?” No doubt she didn’t really care about Jillian’s state of affairs except to maybe pass along the gossip.

  “Pretty good. In fact, I was looking for a pool guy for my new place and thought I’d drive through the neighborhood to see who everybody’s using.” Jillian figured she might as well play the game to the hilt and pretend her life was perfect, just as they did.

  “Casey’s Pool Service is great. And his crew is not bad on the eyes either.” No doubt Candice was having a torrid affair with one of them as her husband was at least thirty years older than her. “There’s this one guy, Juan, who I swear has a six pack on top of his six pack.”

  “Sounds interesting.” Jillian stifled the groan.

  “I’d better get going. Miss you.” Her window slid up then suddenly came back down again. “S
orry about Travis.” Without skipping a beat, she moved on to her own world. “I’m glad my Malcom is away at boarding school. Keeps him out of trouble.”

  Six months ago that kind of comment would have been debilitating, cutting her to the quick. But now it didn’t faze her. Instead, she thought, ‘stupid gold-digging bitch,’ put on her best fake smile and moved on, leaving Candace wearing a quizzical look.

  Two blocks over she spotted her first pool cleaning service van. She parked across the street and waited for the guy to return. Jillian drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and waited. And waited. Until she thought she might go crazy. When the pool guy finally came back to his van, it looked like the owner of the home walking back with him.

  Crap.

  While she didn’t know the woman’s name, she’d seen her around town. Two run-ins within an hour would be too much for her ego to bear right now, besides the fact she would have no way to explain her curious behavior.

  Jillian slid down further in the seat and waited for the moment to pass. The two were definitely having a thing, as evidenced by the guy’s hand on the woman’s butt. Her gag reflex hit when they did their PDA at the back end of the van.

  Seriously? The guy had to be in his early twenties.

  Indiscriminate affairs were one thing, but did pool guys also get side money by spreading the word about vacationing homeowners?

  ***

  “Asshole.” Sam strode into Cole’s office and plopped into the chair. Guilt had been weighing heavily on him since he’d rummaged through Jillian’s cupboards. It was a shitty thing to do, especially since she trusted him.

  “What’s got your boxers in a twist?” Cole leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

  “You and your paranoia.”

  Cole motioned with his hands. “You’re going to have to give me more. I’m not a mind reader.”

  “You had me acting like an asshole, looking through Jillian’s cabinets this morning.”