by Terri Reed
She set the half-empty mug on the coffee table. She was obviously too upset to drink anything. She’d barely eaten as it was, and the little she did manage to get down hadn’t wanted to stay down. All the stress lately had really done a number on her digestion.
A few minutes later, Liv returned to the living room and sat on the recliner. She had a small leather book in her hands.
Heather’s heart bumped against her ribs. Was that Seth’s journal? “Liv, what do you have there?”
Liv held it up with a sad smile. “I found this in one of the boxes Seth had moved into the town house’s garage.”
Heather’s mouth went dry. She placed a hand over her roiling stomach. “Have you read it?”
Liv shook her head. “Just the first page.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I couldn’t bring myself to read any more.”
Needing to get the book to Tyler, Heather extracted herself from Colin and rose. For a moment the room tilted. She braced her feet apart, chiding herself for getting up too quickly.
Colin jumped to his feet. “Mommy, can I have a snack?”
“Of course.”
Colin raced into the kitchen.
As Heather made her way to Liv’s side, she struggled to keep the dizziness from overcoming her. She didn’t have a cold, so she wasn’t sure why her equilibrium was off. “May I see the book?”
Liv handed the notebook over. “If you discover why he—” she lowered her voice to a whisper “—started using again, you’ll let me know?”
Grateful for her consideration of Colin, Heather touched Liv’s shoulder. “Of course.”
Liv’s mouth twisted. “I hope it wasn’t because of me.”
Seeing the hurt on Liv’s face, Heather crouched down and took her hand. “Liv, you aren’t to blame. Seth loved you. His death—” She clamped her lips together to keep from spilling out the truth.
Once Tyler arrested the person responsible for Seth’s death, then Heather would reveal the whole story to Liv. But until then it would be wiser, safer, to keep Liv in the dark. “Please, don’t think that you had anything to do with his death.”
“I keep wondering if I wasn’t enough for him.” She darted a glance at Colin as he skipped back into the living room with a bowl of animal crackers. Liv’s face softened with love, but her eyes were sad as she looked back at Heather. “I was so looking forward to being a part of your family.”
“You’ll always be a part of our lives,” Heather assured her and meant it. Spending this time with Liv had given Heather a chance to get to know her better. Heather liked how generous and caring Liv was to both her and Colin. Which only made the loss of Liv becoming Heather’s sister-in-law more distressing.
Liv squeezed her hand. “Thank you for saying so.” She released Heather’s hand and stood. “I’m going to go lie down. It’s been an emotional day.”
Heather understood the feeling. She’d like nothing more than to crawl beneath her covers and forget the past few weeks. But hiding from reality wasn’t her style. With the notebook in hand, she went to the kitchen and called Tyler.
He answered on the first ring.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She leaned on the counter. For some reason her legs were wobbly. Her head had stopped spinning though. That was good. “Yes. Liv found a small journal in Seth’s things at the town house.”
“I’ll be right over,” he said and hung up.
Heather waited for him at the back door. When she heard his boots on the stairs, she opened the door. “Blake and the truck are gone?”
“Yes. I was headed over here when you called.”
His grim expression caused a riot of anxiety inside her. “What’s wrong?”
“The other truck is missing.”
“How can that be?” She knew Tyler had held on to the keys for both trucks and replaced the padlock on the refrigerated boxes.
“Someone else had a set of keys.”
She groaned. “Seth’s missing keys.”
He nodded. “The new padlock had been cut off by bolt cutters.”
Her stomach sank. “That’s weird. Why would someone take an empty truck?”
“No clue. Though I plan to question Rob and Don. See if either of them have an explanation for the missing truck. Last I’d heard the trip east had been canceled.”
She wanted to come to her employees’ defense, but she just couldn’t be sure of their innocence. Ernesto’s warning not to trust anyone rang through her mind.
“But the good news is we’d set up a surveillance camera,” Tyler informed her. “I’ve sent the picture of the guy who stole the truck to my boss. He’ll run it and see if we can get an ID on him. Thankfully he’s not one of your employees. He doesn’t match any of the IDs we have already on file. And all law enforcement agencies will be looking for the truck.” He gestured to the book in her hands. “That’s the notebook?”
She handed it to him. “I haven’t looked at it. I wanted to wait for you.”
“Let’s sit, and we can read it together,” he said.
After checking that Colin was occupied with one of his favorite animated movies, Heather and Tyler sat at the dining table. Tyler cracked the book open.
Heather read the date of the first entry with surprise. “He started this when he was in high school.”
They flipped through the pages. As Heather read the words written in her brother’s neat and precise handwriting, sadness descended on her like a heavy cloak. The picture unfolding on the pages chronicled Seth’s downward spiral into drugs. He’d started using to fit in with a certain crowd of kids. Kids he felt accepted him for who he was, which didn’t make sense to Heather. If he’d felt the need to adopt a drug habit to fit in, then those kids hadn’t truly accepted him. Acceptance came with no conditions. She wished she’d been around to explain that to him.
The deeper they went in the book, the sadder and angrier Heather became. Seth talked about the drugs and his dependence on them. He talked of the rehab centers their parents had dragged him to. If only he’d been able to get clean and stay clean. It wasn’t until after their parents’ fatal car accident that he’d been able to conquer the addiction.
He talked of meeting Liv in his last rehab center. Stunned, Heather met Tyler’s gaze. “I didn’t know that she had an addiction.”
Tyler’s eyes were soft with compassion. “Seth writes that she successfully kicked her habit. He clearly admired and respected her as well as loved her.”
Grief ravaged Heather’s heart. “Liv needs to read this. She thinks maybe he started using again because of her.” Heather lowered her voice. “It was all I could do not to tell her the truth.”
Tyler covered her hand with his. “You’ll be able to soon.”
Taking comfort from his touch, she continued to read. The words on the pages didn’t make sense. Seth wrote that he felt guilty for their parents’ death. Why? Farther down the page she had her answer. She read the entry with dawning horror.
Seth had been driving the car. He’d caused the accident that had taken her parents’ lives. “No. This can’t be true.”
“You didn’t know?”
Tyler’s question pierced her to the quick. “No. Seth never said a word. I never dug into the accident. I took what I was told at face value. Dad lost control of the car and hit a tree, killing them both.”
“There’s nothing about it in the police report,” Tyler admitted softly.
Her vision was blurry with tears. “You read the police report?”
“As part of my investigation. The report cited your dad as the driver. Seth had pulled your parents out of the car before emergency vehicles could arrive.”
“So Seth lied to the police, too.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. When would this madness end?
“If what he writes here is true, then, yes, he did.”
“How could this happen?” She spread her hands out. “What made Seth into this person?” Blame clawed at her throat. “I let him down. I let my parents down. If I’d been a better sister—”
“No.”
The sharpness in Tyler’s tone startled her.
“You are not at fault for your brother’s choices. He was an adult, capable of knowing right from wrong. As much as you’d like to believe you’re in control, you’re not. Only God has that kind of power, but He gives each of us free will to decide our own fates.”
Tyler touched her cheek, his fingers so gentle and warm. Tears filled her eyes. He was right, of course. Berating herself for something she had no control over was a waste of time and energy. She wasn’t a martyr. Releasing the burden of regret that she hadn’t been there to help her brother and her parents wouldn’t come easily, but acknowledging the need to was a start.
She forced back her tears. Her gaze dropped to the book. She didn’t want to read any more about Seth and his lies. She wanted to know about the drugs. Nothing mattered except making the farm safe for Colin. For herself.
Flipping through the pages, she skimmed the words for anything that would tell them who on the farm was responsible for the drug trafficking. But there was nothing. The journal ended without providing any clues.
“Ugh!” She slammed the book shut. “This is useless.”
Tyler put his hand on her shoulder. “Heather, we’ll find the right notebook. It has to be here on the farm somewhere.”
“But where?”
“We haven’t completed our search of the village.”
“True.” There was still a chance they would find the incriminating evidence Tyler would need to bring down the drug smugglers and put an end to her brother’s deceit. And then Tyler would no longer have a reason to stay.
There was nothing she could do about the fact that Tyler was leaving.
* * *
The next morning, Tyler stood at Heather’s back door. She’d invited him for breakfast with her, Colin and Liv before heading over to the Christmas Village to open for the public. As an added precaution, Tyler had arranged for a couple of sheriff’s deputies to have a presence at the village today. Tyler and the guys could have eyes on every person and every nook and cranny, so the added security for Heather and Colin was more than welcome. Last night, after the disappointment of realizing that the notebook Liv had found wasn’t the one they needed, he and Heather had made a plan to spend the day in the village and covertly search for Seth’s missing journal.
He could only imagine how shocking it had been for Heather to learn the truth that Seth had been the one driving when their parents were killed. It had taken all Tyler’s self-control not to pull her into his arms.
He wanted to soothe her hurt, protect her from the painful reality that her brother hadn’t been the man she’d thought he was. Instead of an embrace, he’d settled for touching her shoulder.
Even that simple, innocent touch created sparks and fueled his yearning to be the one to comfort her. As more than an assignment. As more than a friend.
What was wrong with him?
He knew better than to become emotionally involved. Right. He mentally snorted. His head may know, but his heart wasn’t cooperating. Time to backpedal and gain some much-needed distance. Both physically and emotionally.
He turned to go, and the door opened.
“Mr. Tyler!” Colin ran full speed at him.
Tyler caught the child and lifted him high in the air. Colin’s laugh settled in Tyler’s chest. Tyler realized with a heavy sigh he would miss the boy. Setting Colin back on his feet, Tyler found Heather watching him with a look that made emotion clog his throat. There was tenderness in her gaze but also resignation, as if she, too, were aware how brief this time together would be.
Despite his mental lashing for letting his emotions off leash, it made him sad to think of the day when he’d no longer be at the farm. But he wanted that day to come because it would mean Heather and Colin were no longer in danger. There was no room for sentiment here. Only action.
“Eggs?” Liv called from where she stood at the stove.
Though he had no appetite—his stomach was tied up in knots from his conflicting thoughts—he nodded. It would be out of character and draw unwanted attention if he refused. He only wished he could hide the truth from himself as easily. “Please. Thank you.”
Colin climbed off a chair at the table and dragged the chair next to him closer. “Sit here, Mr. Tyler.”
Unable to refuse the kid, Tyler sat down. Heather brought over a mug of coffee for him. “Thank you.”
She smiled, though her eyes didn’t sparkle. He missed seeing the sparkle.
“You’re welcome,” Heather managed to say without her voice trembling with suppressed emotions. “As soon as we’re done with breakfast, we need to hurry to the village. The gate opens at nine.”
That gave them a little under an hour to eat and hoof it across the property.
After they ate and cleaned up the breakfast dishes, Liv announced she was going into town. “I have clients,” she explained before heading out the door.
Once Heather had Colin dressed and ready to go, they made the trek to the Christmas Village, which was abuzz with activity. She was grateful to see two of Boundary County’s sheriff deputies walking around, keeping an eye on things. Tyler had mentioned he’d asked for the help. She hoped their day was quiet and boring.
She waved to Deputy Daniel Potter. They’d gone to high school together. He nodded a greeting.
The Thanksgiving snowstorm had left a nice layer of white powder on the rooftops, but the sidewalks had been cleared. The graveled lot in the middle of the village showed faint tracks of the large gold-gilded horse-drawn sleigh that waited near the bakery. A man dressed in a Santa suit stood in front of a building labeled Santa’s House and waved at them.
“Santa!” Colin cried and ran for the man.
“That’s Don,” Heather explained.
“Now’s a good time to ask about the missing truck.”
Heather shielded her eyes from the morning sun as they strode over to where the bearded man in the red suit had bent down to hand Colin a candy cane.
When Don straightened, Heather put her hand on her son’s shoulder. Noticing Deputy Potter, she waved him over and introduced him to Tyler, Don and Colin. “Daniel and I were in the same grade growing up. He married one of my high school friends.”
Daniel grinned at her. “Betsy says hi. She and the kids are planning to come out on Sunday after church.”
“Wonderful.” Sensing Tyler’s impatience to talk to Don, Heather said, “Colin, do you want to see if Mrs. Theid needs more help?”
“Yes!”
Daniel stepped forward. “Would you like me to take him to the bakery?”
Grateful for the offer, she said, “That would be fabulous. Thank you.”
“Sure thing.” Daniel directed his attention to Colin. “Lead the way, young man.”
“Thanks, Santa, for the candy cane.” Colin raced away, and Daniel hurried after him.
Heather appreciated that Colin had his own deputy sheriff watching over him.
As soon as Colin was out of earshot, Tyler faced Don. “One of the refrigerated trucks went missing last night. What do you know about that?”
Behind his white bead, Don frowned. “It’s not missing. The truck headed east to bring back a load of imported trees from Canada’s northeast region.” He turned his gaze to Heather. “Didn’t Seth tell you this?”
Heather frowned. “I knew the truck was headed east, but since trees were never loaded into it, I assumed that meant it wasn’t going to be used. Seth never mentioned anything about importing trees.” Of course there s
eemed to be a great number of things her brother had neglected to share with her. So why was she surprised? “When did this start?”
“We tried it last year as an experiment,” Don answered. “And it went so well that Seth had arranged for another load this year.”
“Why would you import trees when you grow trees?” Tyler asked. The whole thing sounded suspicious.
“Because we don’t grow balsam fir, which is pretty popular, as it turns out. I think it’s the novelty of having something different.” Don shrugged. “The balsams grow in the northeastern part of the United States and Canada. Seth found a grower willing to bring the trees halfway. The trees in the shipment coming in are already spoken for. When the truck rolls back in on Saturday, there will be a line of folks coming from as far away as California waiting to pick up their tree.”
That definitely set Tyler’s senses on alert. He’d make sure to get a look at the trees that came back. “Can you get me the contact info for the supplier of these balsam trees?”
“Sure. I won’t have time until noon when I take my lunch.” Don’s gaze moved past them to the front gate. “Oops,” he said. “I better get to my post. It looks like the gate’s opening.”
“Thank you, Don,” Heather said. When he’d gone inside, she turned to Tyler. “I need to check on Colin and then the front to make sure everything is running smoothly.” She shook her head with self-mockery. “I shouldn’t worry. Everyone here knows what they’re doing.”
“It’s okay to be concerned, considering what’s happened this week.” Tyler didn’t blame Heather for expecting the worst. One of these people could potentially be Seth’s killer. And was definitely involved with the illegal drugs stuffed inside the Christmas trees headed to Calgary.
At the bakery, they found Colin wearing a small apron and kneading pastry dough. Mrs. Theid was in the process of putting out a batch of warm scones and cinnamon rolls in the display case. Deputy Potter had taken up a position near the door where he could keep an eye on Colin and on the activities outside.
Heather put her hand to the mouth. Her face had gone white.
