Autumn Secrets (Seasons Pass Book 4)
Page 25
“Detective Daugherty? I’m Sheriff Guerra. I read about your Sanitizer case and wondered if you could help me. We had a rash of missing women four years ago. A couple of bodies turned up strangled. It seems a Richard Bachman worked for a local construction company around that time.”
An hour later, the sheriff left with an armload of file copies. Noah felt like banging his head on his desk. He couldn’t take time off. The Sanitizer case wasn’t over. It was just beginning.
If he planned to sort out his own life, he better get to it. Avoiding his problems wasn’t working.
Noah glanced around the squad room.
No matter how often he saw it, the sight of Lefty Bob’s empty desk caused a rope to tighten around his chest, cutting off the ability to draw a deep breath.
A thousand Lefty Bob jokes swirled in his brain, but he’d never tell another one.
Did some of the responsibility for Lefty’s death fall on him? He had involved a civilian in a murder case then sent Lefty Bob to protect her. Or was Laurel right and he tended to blame himself for things that weren’t his fault?
He risked a quick peek over his shoulder at Jansen’s office. The blinds were closed. His boss was either working or napping.
Earl, now a part-time civilian clerk, was on a coffee run.
Lincoln Montgomery had called earlier to offer Noah a job with the FBI. Noah had managed his first good laugh in two weeks—what idiot thought he’d be a good fit for the Feds? He told the agent he’d reached the wrong partner and handed the phone to Conner. After five minutes spent encouraging his partner to accept, Conner had gone home to discuss the possibility with Jeannie.
That left the room as quiet as it was ever likely to get.
Decision time. How badly did he really want to know?
He could have looked any time since he transferred to Homicide, but he hadn’t. Why? Because he didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to see the crime scene photos.
Didn’t want to face what he’d done.
Noah’s chair squealed when he pushed it back and he froze, waiting to see if anyone noticed, but the sound was muffled by daily office noises.
For a nanosecond, he almost changed his mind. Then what? Keep living half a life?
He strolled past the break room and down the hall to Records where he pulled out the murder book for his last case and the one before that. A quick glance around the area showed he was alone.
Holding the two thick case files in the crook of his arm, he moved farther down the line until he reached books from sixteen years ago. They were thinner—there were fewer scientific tests available at the time—and dustier, but worked on the same principle.
His hands shook as he reached for the book labeled Charlie Avondale.
The door to Laurel’s townhouse was painted bright blue. Pansies filled terracotta planters on either side, their colorful faces smiling up at Noah as they bobbed in the autumn breeze.
Was it an omen? Would Laurel smile when she saw him? He eyed the bouquet of yellow roses he clutched in one hand. What a lame idea.
A surprised smile flitted across her face when she opened the door, then disappeared almost before it registered. She reached up to smooth her hair and then her T-shirt. “Oh, Noah. I wasn’t expecting you.” She glanced back into the room.
Does she have company? Should I have called?
“Come on in. Harvey and I were watching a movie. He seems to prefer the old classics because they don’t have as many shootings or car crashes.” She stepped aside and he could see her sofa with an afghan thrown back as if she’d just gotten up. An oversized mug sat on the floor beside a pair of fuzzy slippers.
There was no sign of the cat. Maybe he really was invisible.
“I felt bad about how I acted last time we met. I brought these by way of apology.” He thrust out the flowers.
“You didn’t have to do that, but…”
But it didn’t hurt.
She offered a weak smile as she took the flowers and headed for the kitchen. “I don’t think I have a vase, but this might work.” She placed the roses in the bowl of a blender and carried it to the coffee table.
“I wanted to tell you that you were right.” He stumbled over his words.
“Well. That’s always a good way to start.” Her smile was genuine, reaching her eyes as well as her lips. She even offered a small chuckle which felt like a warm blanket on a cold night.
Maybe he did have the nerve to get through this. “First, I didn’t kill Charlie Avondale. It was a drug deal gone bad, although the perps heard a rumor he had a valuable violin. One of the men responsible confessed and testified against the other two for a lighter sentence.”
“I’m so glad you found out and could let that go.”
“That’s why I had refused to see the department shrink. I couldn’t talk about one killing without talking about the other. Once I got going, it all spilled out. Charlie’s death wasn’t the only secret I’ve been hiding. Betsy and I had been trying to get pregnant when she died. When we saw the plus sign on the plastic test stick that morning, we were both elated. Seeing her all excited turned me on and I started kissing her and…stuff. Even knowing I’d make her late for work. An hour later, she was speeding through a yellow light when an eighteen-wheeler hit her. The driver was asleep, but still, I’ve always blamed myself.”
“Oh, honey.”
“No. I need to finish this. You have a right to know. I’ve been trying to make up for killing Charlie Avondale so I’d be allowed in heaven with Betsy. I’d picked the date, fourteen months after she died. October 26th.”
He hadn’t realized how tightly he was gripping her hands until she yanked them away. “Three days from now? What am I supposed to do with that information?” The anger in her voice was like a slap in his face.
“That’s just it. You encouraged me to talk to the department shrink and she helped me admit I’d already decided not to go ahead with it. I was hesitant to face it because I felt disloyal to Betsy. My parents’ death, Charlie’s death, Betsy. The baby. I’ve held it all in so long it turned toxic. I’ve had three sessions with her so far and each one makes me feel like I’ve lost twenty pounds. She wants to see me one more time in about a month. You said you were willing to give me a try at a relationship. I hope I haven’t waited too long or scared you off.”
“Nothing scares me. Not anymore. Not after I faced down a poisonous snake, two of them if you count Dick Bachman.” The teasing tone to her voice was a ray of light.
“You got the best of Dick Bachman, no doubt about it, but I think the snake was a lucky break.” If she could tease, so could he.
“Are you kidding me? There wasn’t any luck involved. I hadn’t taken my eyes off that snake for ten minutes. I knew exactly what I was doing when I pushed that creep back against the tree. As for you, I sure hope Harvey approves and you like classic movies.”
Wow. She was tougher than he thought. And he already knew she was plenty tough. She might be more than he could handle. But it sure would be fun trying.
Ten minutes later, they were cuddled on her sofa watching Gary Cooper in High Noon.
A tiny black cat-face peeked around the corner, whiskers twitching. Before the final credits rolled, Harvey was standing on Noah’s chest, purring. Looked like he’d passed the ultimate test.
Despite monumental screw-ups, he’d been accepted by both Laurel and her cat.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Laurel had given him a second chance at life and he didn’t plan to waste it. He’d learned his lesson.
No more secrets.
A special Thank You to my son, Ron Muller, for answering questions ranging from “Do kids still chase Pokémon?” to “Who is in charge of foreclosed buildings?” and “Where would I find legal records over ten years old?” or “What’s the fastest way to get through downtown?”
To my daughter, Angela Rehm, my son-in-law Jason, my daughter-in-law Karen Muller, and my grandkids, Andrew, Sam, Caroline, and B
ode. You are in my heart at all times.
Thank you to J.E. Handcock for teaching me how to use Google maps.
Thank you to Jami Crumpton for showing me how to use Instafreebie and other things.
Thank you to Shauna Allen and Christie Craig for many insightful comments.
Thanks to Delma, Mary, Paula, and all my friends.
Thanks to Marti for you-know-what.
Thanks to B.N. Squire for your friendship and encouragement.
Thanks to Carla Rossi and Kimberly Dawn. You made the process easier and better in every way.
Thanks to all the members of Susan’s Clue Crew. You’re the best!
Thank you to the members of Northwest Houston RWA, Kiss of Death RWA, Houston Northwest Medical Center Auxiliary, my fans and supporters, and to you the reader.
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please consider taking a moment to leave a review. Authors live and die by reviews. Reviews don’t need to be long. A single paragraph works better than a long retelling of the story. Just say what you liked about the book. How it made you feel. Did it offer heart-racing excitement or heart-tugging emotions? Did the characters come to life? Were you invested in the outcome? Did the villain give you the creeps?
If you are interest in seeing what else Noah and Conner are up to, check out the rest of the books in the Seasons Pass series. Remember: Murder is always in season.
Homicide detective Noah Daugherty is on a mission: solve cases, lock up murderous scum, and get on with what’s left of his life. He’s on the clock, and his time is steadily ticking away. His path leads him to an icy Houston street, where a car has careened out-of-control and crashed, its driver, a beautiful young socialite, is dead. All the clues lead straight to her husband, but Noah’s intuition screams the case is more than meets the eye.
Not willing to give up until he solves this cold-blooded murder, he finds the unthinkable . . . a hitman no one saw coming, with a chilling personal agenda that now targets Noah.
Can he solve the case and save himself before winter is finished singing her song?
Read Winter Song now
Homicide detective Noah Daugherty finds purpose in solving the most horrendous of crimes. The last thing he wants is to babysit some spoiled country singer, but that’s exactly what his lieutenant demands.
Posing undercover as a member of the singer’s band, he makes it his mission to protect her from a stalker whose ominous threats have become increasingly personal. As things heat up, she hides a piece of her past that is key to solving the case, ashamed of the part she plays.
Can Noah unearth the painful truth before spring casts its dark shadow?
Read Spring Shadow now
It’s a scorching Houston summer, and homicide detective Noah Daugherty’s only consolation is his life’s work: solving crimes to atone for the sins of his past.
When the high-powered CEO of Beneficial Products, a company dedicated to the production of healthy foods, is discovered drowned in her hot tub, what appears to be either an accident or suicide, quickly escalates into something much more sinister. As the body count rises, the link between victims becomes all too clear.
Can Noah find a killer bent on vigilante justice before the storms of summer strike?
Read Summer Storm now
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Happy reading, and remember:
Life is a Mystery
Reading is the clue
Susan
Autumn Secrets
Copyright © 2017
Susan C. Muller
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events, businesses, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America by
Stanford Publishing Company
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