Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2)

by Lenfestey, Karen

  “It’s none of my business.”

  “Yeah.” Parker cracked his knuckles and took another breath. “So, what do you think of Beth?”

  Jim turned around with the spatula in his hand. “She’s nice. I’m not trying to steal her away from you, though. The last thing I want is a relationship.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because women are evil. They seduce you, then make you wish you’d never been born.”

  A laugh burst from Parker. His whole relationship with Ivy had been built upon great sex. In the end, that wasn’t enough to sustain the marriage of two mismatched people. “Sounds like you’ve met my ex-wife.”

  “You’re divorced?”

  “Yep.”

  “Me, too. I learned my lesson. I don’t ever want to get married again.”

  Parker paused. How could this guy not want to be with Beth? She was beautiful, smart and generous; she was the whole package. If he were healthier, he'd snatch her up in a heartbeat. “I’ll set the table if you tell me where the silverware is.” After Jim pointed to a nearby drawer, Parker went to work placing the forks and knives. If Beth married Jim, she'd have an instant family, just what she always wanted. “What about for Kaylee’s sake? She could use a mother, don’t you think?”

  Shaking his head, Jim slid another omelet out of the pan. “Kaylee and I are doing just fine.” He set the plate down hard on the table.

  # # #

  Beth sat on Kaylee’s unmade bed and showed her how to work a yo-yo. She even showed her a few tricks like rock the baby, shoot the moon and Texas Star. “Yo-yos are the perfect toy for an only child.” As soon as she said those words, she cringed. Kaylee wasn’t supposed to be an only. “I played with a yo-yo all the time when I was a kid.”

  Kaylee tried to do one of the tricks, but the string got tangled. She let out an exasperated grunt.

  “It takes practice is all. Here, let’s start with the Sleeper.” She got off the bed so it would be easier to do the maneuver. Holding the yo-yo in her upright palm, she flicked her wrist down. When it reached the end of the string, she gave it a slight tug to bring it home. “Now you try.”

  Standing up, Kaylee tossed the yo-yo slightly to the side, so it didn’t work.

  Beth corrected her and tried to be patient while she tried over and over again. What she really wanted was to look in the closet to see if any snacks were still hidden there. She decided to make small talk. “Are you happy to have your cast off?”

  “Yeah. In art class, we’re making ceramics and it’s hard to do with only one hand.”

  “What are you making?”

  “A coffee cup for our moms for Mother’s Day.” She stopped playing with the yo-yo. “I guess I’ll give it to my dad.”

  Beth studied her sullen face. “It must be hard not having your mom around.”

  Tears shone in her eyes as she nodded. “I really miss her sometimes.”

  “Will you show me her picture again?”

  Dropping the yo-yo on the bed, Kaylee dashed to her closet. She pulled open the door to reveal her usual stacks of groceries.

  Beth’s hopes fell. “You know your dad will always have plenty of food for you. You don’t need to keep any in here.” Perhaps Kaylee needed some professional counseling to deal with her traumatic background. A mother who starved her, tormented by the older kids in foster care, losing both her mother and sister. The girl had had more than enough stress in her eight years.

  Eight years old. Kaylee was eight. The Facebook post said her missing daughter was seven. So it definitely couldn’t be her. Beth nodded to herself.

  Shrugging off Beth’s comment about the hidden food, Kaylee sat cross-legged on the carpet and opened the Chutes & Ladders box. She set aside the turquoise earrings and her eyes focused on the small, damaged photo. “I hate Mother’s Day.”

  “I bet you do. Hey, maybe we could spend it together this year. The church always has a special Mother’s Day tea after the service. Would you like to go with me? I bet Maria will be there.”

  “Dad won’t let me. He hates religion.”

  She wasn’t big on religion, either, but the tea was an important tradition to her mom. “Well, maybe you and I can do something afterwards.” When Kaylee handed over the ripped photo, Beth studied it. Kaylee’s little sister did look like the photo she’d seen on-line. “What was your sister’s name?”

  “Willow.”

  Not Skye. Hoping something was written on the back of the photo, Beth flipped it over. Nothing. “What about your mom? What was her name?”

  “Mommy.”

  Beth let out a little laugh. “Of course. But do you remember her real name? What grown-ups called her?”

  Kaylee pulled the picture from her grasp. “Dad said not to talk about her.”

  It made sense he didn’t want to discuss his ex, the one who’d neglected Kaylee. The one who couldn’t be bothered to make sure the girl had three meals a day. “It’s hard for him, I’m sure. But you can tell me.” Her heart seemed to be beating in her ears. She didn’t want the internet kidnapping to be about Kaylee, but something compelled her to ask. “What was your mom’s name?”

  Her mouth twisted in a funny way and then she blew a bubble with her gum. She took the pink glob out of her mouth for a quick look at her accomplishment “I did it! I did it!” She shoved it back in her mouth and clapped her hands.

  Beth decided to try another approach. “Do you remember your mom’s funeral?” Obviously if there’d been a funeral, the woman on-line couldn’t be Kaylee’s mother. The woman was using a kid’s picture to run some kind of get-rich-quick scheme. That’s what it probably was.

  Chomping her gum, Kaylee blinked back tears. She stashed the photo and covered the game box with its lid.

  Jim’s voice boomed from the kitchen, sounding as if it was on edge. “Come and get it!”

  Feeling guilty for upsetting Kaylee, Beth reached out and gave her a hug. “If you ever want to talk about them, sweetie, let me know. I’m here for you. I always will be.”

  “Mommy’s name was Gola. It means winter in Cherokee.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Beth sat on the edge of her seat at the kitchen table, anxious to get out of there. After a few bites that she didn’t really taste, she noticed there was some kind of weird rivalry going on between Parker and Jim. They glared at each other and ate in silence. It was as if there was too much testosterone in the room. What didn’t make sense was that neither of them wanted her to be their girlfriend. Anger percolated inside of her about that, but she’d deal with it later.

  She had to figure out what was going on. Kaylee lied about things, like her dad working as a police officer or being a professional baseball player, but it was starting to look as if her mom really was Native American. Maybe not a princess, but still. Was Kaylee the liar or was Jim?

  Taking a drink of her orange juice, she tried to form the right question. “Jim, how long did you say it had been since Kaylee’s mom died?”

  “About two years.” He buttered his toast and took a bite.

  “Kaylee told me she had a sister. Was she your daughter, too?”

  He scowled at Beth. “No. Kaylee’s mom and I divorced soon after Kaylee was born. I moved away and didn’t stay in contact. It’s something I regret now, but at the time, I was young and self-centered. I wasn’t ready to be a father.” He took a quick bite. “Not that her mom was ready to be a mother, either.” Disdain tainted his voice. “I have no idea who Willow’s father was.”

  “How did you find out about the car accident?” She noticed Jim rolling his shoulders as if he were tense. “I mean, if you moved away, how did you know Kaylee was in the hospital?”

  “I had friends in the area. One of them called and told me Kaylee needed me. I drove all night to get to her.” He made eye contact with Kaylee and gave her a tight-lipped smile.

  Could he have lied about her mother’s death just to gain custody? What kind of a monster would lie about something
that big? She studied his gray eyes in hopes of seeing into his soul. As usual, he was a closed book.

  Beth cut her eggs into bite-sized pieces. “So Kaylee was the only survivor?”

  “Yes. I try not to bad mouth the woman in front of Kaylee, but she’d been driving drunk. She crossed the center line and not only killed herself, which was doing the world a favor, but unfortunately, she killed her second-born and an innocent man on vacation with his family.” Jim sighed.

  “I assume it was a closed casket funeral?” Beth caught Parker raising his thick eyebrows at her.

  Jim got up and grabbed the pan off of the stove. He placed it in the sink and started running water inside to soak it. “This isn’t exactly polite dinner conversation.”

  Even though she’d just taken a bite of egg, Kaylee opened her mouth. “It’s not dinner, Daddy. It’s breakfast.” She giggled.

  “Whatever!” He kept his back to them while the pan filled with water. He scraped the spatula across the bottom, causing a raking sound. “What’s with the twenty questions?”

  Beth took a breath. “Sorry. Kaylee showed me a picture of her mom and sister and it made me wonder about them. That’s all.”

  Dropping the spatula, he faced Kaylee. “I didn’t know you had a picture of them.”

  Her gaze hit the table as if she were in trouble.

  The water overflowed the pan and gurgled as it went down the drain. Jim turned the faucet off, then ran his hand through his hair. “After the accident, I brought Kaylee to live with me. We didn’t have time to pack up the house because I had to work the next day. I just bought her new clothes and whatever she needed. We started fresh.”

  Kaylee stopped eating. “I kept the photo in my shoe so I’d always have it with me.”

  Probably because she’d been whisked off to foster care in the past. She knew she had to keep her prized possessions close. Beth looked at Kaylee. “How did you get your mom’s earrings?”

  The little girl chewed on her thumbnail.

  Jim stepped closer to Kaylee. “You have your mom’s earrings?”

  “The nurse gave them to me.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “She said to give them to Mommy when she got better. I swear! I didn’t steal them.” The tears spilled down her chubby cheeks. Her lower lip jutted out and Beth felt horrible.

  Jim put his hand on Kaylee’s shoulder as if to comfort her. “It’s OK. It’s OK.”

  Kaylee turned and buried her face into his stomach. He hugged her and a moment later, gave Beth a stone cold glare.

  Realizing she’d crossed the line, Beth put her napkin beside her plate. “I’m sorry, Kaylee. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Tapping Parker on the arm, she rose. “I think we’d better go. Thanks for breakfast. Again, I’m so sorry.” Her focus travelled from Kaylee, who had her eyes clenched, to Jim, who didn’t appear to have forgiveness in his heart.

  She and Parker made their escape as quickly as possible.

  Once she closed and locked her apartment door, she leaned against it and took several quick breaths.

  Parker cocked his head at her. “What was that all about? 'Was it a closed casket funeral?' Who asks something like that?"

  With her hands trembling, she spoke in a whisper. “I’m not sure Kaylee’s mom is really dead.”

  “What?”

  “I have to show you something.” She flipped open her laptop as they sat on her couch. A minute later, she pulled up the webpage and showed him the pictures. “Do you think this girl looks like Kaylee?”

  He squinted at the photos. “Kind of. I guess. But not exactly.”

  “That’s because none of them are current. Even though Kaylee would’ve been six when Jim took her, none of these photos show her much older than three. Kids change a lot in just a few years.”

  “So why aren’t there any pictures of her at age six?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe her mom wasn’t too keen on taking pictures. Plus the page says her daughter would be seven now but Kaylee is eight. I wish there was a good picture of the girl’s eyes. If they did, it would be obvious that it’s someone else’s kid and I could forget about it.”

  “Wouldn’t her own mother know exactly how old she is?”

  “True. Then I thought maybe this wasn’t her mom, but someone else pulling a scam. That would explain why the photos are so old. But I asked Kaylee her mom’s name and she said Gola. That’s a pretty unusual name. This can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

  He shook his head and read the entire narrative. “None of the other names match.”

  “I figure Jim would’ve changed Kaylee’s name if he took her. She told me once her middle name is Skye, though.”

  His square jaw fell open. “This is crazy.” Squinting, he examined the photos some more. He leaned his six foot frame back against the couch cushion. “If they’re on the run, that would explain why they move around all of the time.”

  She nodded. “But what if Jim’s right? That the mom was driving drunk and caused the accident? Then he acted in Kaylee’s best interest by taking her away.”

  “Surely the courts would agree. There wouldn’t be any reason for him to kidnap her.” He made air quotes with his fingers when he said kidnap.

  Apparently neither of them figured Jim for a kidnapper. But then she remembered how he answered the phone that one time defensively with, “Who is this?” She thought about how he assured Beth that Kaylee’s mom “ain’t no angel.” What about this aunt that was supposed to babysit Kaylee? Beth had never once seen any trace of her. Was Jim weaving truth and fiction together as he went along? “What if Jim made up everything bad about Kaylee’s mom to help his case? We don’t know anything except what he feeds us.”

  Parker’s chest rose and fell. “You’re right. He’s very secretive about where they’ve lived, but then he offers all sorts of details about what a horrible mother his ex was.”

  “He’s covering his bases. Who would go look for Kaylee’s mother if she was abusive?”

  “Or dead.” He scratched his chin. “Well, Jim Stein is probably an alias, but let’s search the internet for Gola Moon and see what pops up.”

  She typed in the name and hit “enter.” In addition to the website they’d already seen, a couple of articles in a Tennessee newspaper were listed. Beth clicked on one. It was about the accident. It said that Gola Moon had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit when she crossed the center line on the Cherohala Skyway and struck oncoming traffic, killing a man and a four-year-old girl. The next article followed-up with the fact that Gola was in a coma. The prosecutor said if and when she recovered, she would stand trial.

  Beth checked Parker’s expression. “Do you think Jim knows she came out of the coma? Maybe he thought she did die.”

  “I don’t know. What doesn’t make sense is why is he hiding? What he told us about her mom is true. She was an alcoholic.”

  “What if he isn’t quite as law-abiding as he seems? What if the courts wouldn’t have awarded him custody for something we don’t know about?” She remembered Kaylee saying she was placed in foster care for a while. Had Jim been abusive, too? “I wish we could get a hold of more records.”

  “Like what?”

  “Child Protective Services records. Jim was awfully nervous when CPS investigated Kaylee’s broken arm. I’d like to know why Kaylee was taken into foster care.”

  He cracked his knuckles. “Could your mom find out more?”

  “I’m sure the records are supposed to be confidential, but maybe Mom could find out something because she works at legal aid.”

  He nodded. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

  “Good idea.” She put down the computer and reached for the phone. No one answered. She checked her watch and realized her mom would still be busy with post-church activities. “Hey, Mom. Call me when you get in. It's important." After she disconnected the call, she turned to face him. Hands on hips, she said, "Now I want to know why you don’t consider me your girlfriend.” She slapped his arm pla
yfully.

  "You're the one who goes on and on about your neighbor. You talk about him and Kaylee as if you wish you were part of their lives."

  Her mouth opened to protest when the telephone rang. Hoping it was her mom, she grabbed it. Someone was crying on the other end. "Hello?"

  "Beth, it's me," a girlish voice sobbed. "Hannah."

  Adrenaline shot through Beth's body. "What's wrong?" She clutched the phone tight.

  Hannah had trouble speaking through the tears. "Oh, Beth. It's terrible. It's the worst thing that could happen."

  "What?" Was she hurt? Did Ryan cheat on her again? "Tell me what's wrong."

  "I did something stupid."

  Those were the exact words Hannah had used the night she'd gotten drunk. "Hannah, you can tell me anything. I won't judge."

  "I'm. . . I'm pregnant."

  Beth's jaw went slack. She struggled to breathe normally. "Are you sure?" It was a dumb thing to say, but she didn't know what else to say. She could see Parker’s concerned face, but she could fill him in later.

  "Yeah. I took three tests because I couldn't believe it." She cried softly.

  "Hannah, it'll be all right. You have options, you know." Thinking that Hannah might choose to have an abortion, Beth cringed. There was her religious upbringing again, popping up unexpectedly.

  "I'm keeping it. I've already decided."

  "What about school?"

  "I don't know. All I know is I can't get rid of it."

  "I understand. But you're young. You have your whole life in front of you." Ah, the same pep talk she'd given herself sixteen years ago. Things hadn't exactly turned out the way she'd planned, but she bit her tongue. This was about what was best for Hannah. "Have you told your mom?"

  "No. She's gonna kill me."

  Beth nodded. Poor Connie. She'd done her best to raise Hannah after her adoptive father died, but her strict rules had backfired. "What about Ryan? Does he know?" Parker's eyes grew wide, but she ignored him.