Echo of Danger

by Marta Perry

  “Mr. Glassman, of course. I’m Evelyn Lincoln. Welcome to Echo Falls. The judge is waiting for you.” Not pausing for a reply, she led the way to a paneled oak door bearing Franklin Morris’s name in gilt letters, tapped lightly and opened it. “Mr. Glassman is here, Your Honor.”

  He followed her in, not sure what welcome to expect.

  “Jason, I’m pleased to see you again.” Morris’s smile was polite but restrained, suggesting that it was up to Jase to be sure this was indeed a pleasure. “Come in.” Without rising from behind the massive cherry desk, he nodded to the leather client’s seat.

  “Thanks. And thank you, as well, for lining up the apartment for me.”

  Judge Morris waved the gratitude away. “Evelyn took care of all that. You’ve met her already. Trey Alter, my associate, is out of the office today, dealing with another matter for one of our clients.”

  “I look forward to meeting him.” He’d been wondering how Alter would react to the judge’s hire.

  “You’ll want to take some time to move into your office and get up-to-date on the cases we have in hand,” he continued briskly. “Trey will be relieved to have someone to share the load, since my judicial responsibilities keep me from taking a more active role.”

  Jase nodded. Judge Morris couldn’t be involved in anything that might conceivably appear before his court, but that still left plenty of work. It had been assumed that the judge’s son would take over, but his death had changed things. There was obviously a need here.

  He just wasn’t convinced that he was the right man to deal with it. He suppressed a grimace, thinking that old sayings became clichés because they were true most of the time. Beggars can’t be choosers.

  “I’ve gone over the case material Alter sent me, and I’m ready to dive in right away.” He hesitated, but it had to be said. “As for the other matter we discussed, it’s not going to be easy to investigate your daughter-in-law in a town this size, not without making people suspicious.”

  Morris’s jaw tightened. “I don’t expect you to mount a stakeout. Something a little subtler is required.”

  “I see that, but I’m not sure what you think I can do.” Jason tried to keep his distaste for the strings that had been attached to the job offer from showing in his voice.

  Swinging his chair around, the judge reached out to grasp a framed photo from the shelf behind him. He thrust it across the desk so that Jase could see it clearly. “My son. And my grandson.” The boy was hardly more than a toddler in the picture, face still round with babyhood curves. Frank hadn’t changed much from law school, still a good-looking guy, attractive to women, but with an ominous weakness about his mouth and chin.

  Judge Morris paused, emotion working behind the facade of his judicial face. “Deidre was never good for Frank, never. He had a brilliant future here, could have become the youngest county court judge we’ve ever had. But she didn’t encourage him. From the day they married, she tried to separate Frank from his family.”

  Not that unusual a story, was it? In-law relationships were notoriously dicey. Jase sought for a way to deliver an unpalatable truth. “Even so, I’m afraid that’s not a basis to file for custody of your grandson...”

  “I do know something about the law.” Morris’s tone was icy. Maybe he realized it, because he shook his head quickly. “Of course not. My goal isn’t to take Kevin away from Deidre. She is his mother, after all. But she’s always been rather unstable, subject to irrational likes and dislikes, making quick decisions that end up hurting someone. If Frank were alive, he could serve as a balance to that...but he’s not, and I’m determined to do what I can to protect his son.”

  This was becoming more unpalatable every minute. But how did he say no to someone who’d just given him his future back? “If you don’t intend to sue for custody, then what?”

  “Leverage.” Judge Morris pronounced the word heavily. “I need leverage to convince Deidre that she and Kevin should move in with us. Once that happens, we’ll be able to provide the stability and the good life the boy needs. Without a father, subject to his mother’s whims... Well, I’m concerned about what will become of him.”

  It sounded like the kind of messy, emotional case that had sent him into specializing in financial fraud, where the only emotion involved was greed. “Naturally you’re worried about your grandson. But I’m not sure what I can do.”

  “Deidre is having an affair with a married man.” His expression was harsh with condemnation. “At least, that’s what my son thought. For all I know, that might have been what sent him speeding into a concrete wall. Find me proof, and I’ll know what to do with it.”

  “If you’re sure of your facts...” he began.

  Judge Morris stood abruptly, the framed photo in his hands. He stood at the window, staring down at the photo and then setting it back on its shelf, centering it carefully.

  “In my position, I have to be careful. It wouldn’t do for a county court judge to be seen as collecting evidence against his own daughter-in-law. I don’t expect you to shadow her or sneak around taking photographs. You’re close to Deidre in age, living right next door. It shouldn’t be hard to gain her confidence and keep an eye on the situation.”

  He caught Jase’s expression and gave a thin smile. “It wasn’t a coincidence that Evelyn rented the apartment in the old Moyer house for you. Deidre’s family home is the white colonial to the left as you face the house.”

  “The place with the swing set in the backyard.” He could hardly help noticing it. His bedroom windows overlooked the property. Obviously the judge’s staff work was excellent. “There’s no guarantee that I can find anything to help you,” he warned.

  Judge Morris gave a curt nod. “I accept that. Don’t imagine that your position here is conditional on success.” A muscle in his jaw worked. “Deidre is a manipulative woman who betrayed my son. I have to keep her from damaging my grandson.”

  Manipulative. Betrayed. Did Judge Morris know that those words would strike fire in him? Maybe, maybe not, but it didn’t really matter. He already knew what his answer had to be.

  “All right. I’ll do my best.” Now his jaw clenched. He didn’t have a very good track record when it came to outwitting a manipulative woman. But this time, at least, he was forewarned.

  * * *

  DRESSED FOR HER evening meeting, Deidre peeked into Kevin’s room. He’d been determined to stay awake until the arrival of Dixie, her neighbor, who’d offered to babysit tonight. But he was already sound asleep. She tiptoed to the sleigh bed that had been hers as a little girl and bent to kiss his smooth, rounded forehead. Kev slept with abandon, as always, one arm thrown over his head and his expression concentrated.

  “Sweet dreams,” she whispered.

  She’d told him that the bed, with its curved headboard and footboard like an old-fashioned sleigh, had always brought her good dreams. Maybe it worked for Kevin, too. Although he sometimes woke up in the middle of the night, he never seemed frightened, going back to sleep as quickly as he’d wakened.

  Leaving the door ajar so Dixie would hear him if he called out, Deidre hurried downstairs, glancing at her watch. This first meeting of the Echo Falls Bicentennial Committee would probably be a fractious one, with representatives of every segment of town life in attendance. She’d promised to arrive early at the library and start the coffee—one of the inevitable chores falling to the only person on the library board who was under seventy.

  A tap on the front door heralded Dixie’s arrival, and she came in without waiting for Deidre to answer. “Am I late?”

  She slung her jean jacket over the nearest chair and pushed her black hair over her shoulders with a characteristic gesture. She eyed Deidre’s tan slacks, blue shirt and camel sweater with disappointment. “You look as if you expect this meeting to be boring. Why don’t you spice things up a little?�
��

  Dixie herself wore a scarlet tank top that clung to every curve of her body. Her voluptuous body, Deidre amended. When they’d been kids together, and every other twelve-year-old girl had been straight as a board, Dixie had seemed to mature overnight into someone who’d befuddled the boys in their class and even drawn covert looks from a few male teachers.

  Even though Dixie had returned after years away, divorced and apparently ready to start over, some things hadn’t changed. She still attracted males like a magnet. After all, single women their age were a rarity in Echo Falls.

  “I’m representing the library board, remember? Besides, I don’t have the figure to wear something like that outfit.” She nodded to Dixie’s bright top and formfitting jeans.

  Dixie tossed her hair back, laughing. “Sure you do. And I’d like to see the expressions on the old girls’ faces if you turned up in this.”

  One thing about Dixie...she never apologized for anything she wore, said or did. It must be nice to feel that confident. Deidre never had, and she’d settled for an updated version of her mother’s style, typically small town, middle-class and designed not to raise a single eyebrow.

  “I’m almost ready, and Kev is sleeping. I promised him you’d come in and kiss him good-night, but I didn’t promise you’d wake him up.” She retrieved her cell phone and tucked it into her bag.

  “Okay, will do.” Dixie picked up the television remote but didn’t switch the set on, a sign she had something to say. “Did you see the new tenant next door yet?”

  “Someone moved into the second-floor flat at last?” The old Moyer place had been converted into three apartments, with Dixie renting the top floor. “I hope they’re not going to be noisy.”

  “Not they, he. Thirtyish, single and sexy. Just what we need in the neighborhood.”

  Deidre gave her a look. “Had a long chat with him, did you?”

  Dixie grinned. “We barely exchanged two words. But believe me, I didn’t need conversation to make up my mind about him. Lean, dark and tough-looking. He’s the brooding, dangerous type, and that suits me fine.”

  She could only hope Dixie didn’t intend to launch herself headlong into a new romance. Her past was strewn with the guys she’d been convinced were the real thing. Needless to say, they hadn’t been.

  “Who is this paragon? And what brings him to Echo Falls? Maybe you’d better be sure he’s going to hang around before you make a dead set at him.”

  “That’s the thing.” For a moment Dixie looked uncertain, an unusual expression for her. “I hear he’s actually the new lawyer in your sainted father-in-law’s firm.” Dixie gave her a sidelong look. “You hadn’t heard?”

  No, she hadn’t heard. Silly, to be bothered by the news that someone was taking Frank’s place. After all, it had been almost a year, and the firm was constantly busy.

  “I knew they needed someone, but didn’t know they’d made a decision. Funny that the judge didn’t mention it when he was here today.”

  She didn’t think her expression had changed at the mention of that visit, but Dixie knew her well.

  “What’s he up to now?” She held up a hand to stop Deidre’s protest. “Don’t bother denying it. The judge is always up to something, isn’t he?”

  Deidre shrugged. It would be a relief to vent to someone, and she and Dixie had been friends long enough for her to know Dixie was safe. “The same conversation we had before. I thought it was settled, but apparently not. He wants us to move in with him and Sylvia.” A chill slid down her spine at the thought.

  Dixie abandoned her lounging posture on the sofa to sit bolt upright, anger flashing in her dark eyes. “You can’t be considering it. Move into that mausoleum? I’d rather be dead.”

  “No, of course I’m not considering it. If I wouldn’t move in there when Frank was alive, I’m certainly not going to do it now. I couldn’t raise Kevin in that...” She couldn’t find a suitable word that was compatible with her sense of politeness.

  “Mausoleum,” Dixie repeated. “Good. Don’t you even think of giving in to him.”

  “I’m not,” she protested. “But you know what the judge is like.”

  “He’s a boa constrictor.” Dixie spat out the words with more than her usual emphasis. “Get caught in his coils, and the next thing you know you’ll be digested, just like that poor wife of his.”

  “Sylvia has other problems. I’m not sure her husband can do much for her.”

  “He’s probably the one who drove her to alcohol to begin with,” Dixie muttered. “And you know how he treated Frank when he was growing up. You can’t let him get his hands on Kev.”

  “I’m not going to.” She didn’t know when she’d seen Dixie so passionate. “All I have to do is keep saying no. He can’t force me. Honestly, Dixie, there’s no need to get so upset about it.”

  “You’re too trusting, you know that? You think everyone’s as nice as you are. They’re not.”

  Dixie’s reaction was fueling her own, and she had to look at this sensibly. “I’ve got to get going. Again, thanks so much for staying with Kev. And don’t worry about the judge. I’m not. Really.”

  Deidre reminded herself of those brave words as she drove to the public library, just off the square in Echo Falls, and pulled into the parking lot behind the building. No worrying. Obsessing about Judge Morris’s plans wouldn’t do any good.

  She shifted her focus firmly to the upcoming meeting. At least she wasn’t the first arrival. The lights were already on, a welcome given the fine mist that was forming.

  She picked up the tote bag with the coffee and doughnuts and ducked through the mist to the back door, hurrying inside. In the flurry of greeting people and getting the refreshments ready, she managed to shove Judge Morris firmly to the back of her mind. Like Scarlett, she’d worry about that tomorrow.

  The meeting was being held in what was normally a quiet reading area in front of the fireplace. Folding chairs had appeared to supplement the sofa and love seat donated by some library patron who’d probably been redecorating. Concentrating on refilling the doughnut tray, Deidre didn’t notice that someone was coming toward her until he spoke.

  “Hard at work as always, I see.” Adam Bennett, the pastor of Grace Church, was mature enough to be aware of the status his collar gave him and young enough to be made a bit uncomfortable by it. He flushed now, as he often seemed to when he spoke to her.

  “Not very,” she said, smiling. “Will you have a doughnut?”

  “No, no, thank you.” He shied away as if his wife had lectured him about the dangers of fatty foods. “I wanted to introduce someone to you. Deidre, this is Jason Glassman, the new associate in Judge Morris’s office.”

  For an instant Deidre could only stare at the man who’d come up behind Adam. Brooding and dangerous-looking indeed, as Dixie had said. His tailored suit and tie would be more at home in a big-city office, and his lean face gave one the impression of a man stripped down to the essentials and ready for action. There was nothing casual about the assessing look he turned on her, and she was suddenly aware of the sticky icing on her fingers.

  When in doubt, take refuge in good manners, her mother always advised. Deidre wiped her hand on a napkin before extending it.

  “Mr. Glassman, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure my father-in-law is relieved to have someone to...” She’d started to say assist, but this man didn’t look as if he’d ever been an assistant to anyone. “To take over the extra caseload. I know the office has been very busy.”

  “Please, call me Jason.” His deep voice held nothing more than conventional courtesy, but the clasp of his hand lingered a bit too long, and his dark eyes studied and probed, as if to warn he’d know everything about her before he was finished. “I’m just getting settled in. I understand we’re neighbors, as well.”

  “W
e’re all neighbors here in Echo Falls.” Adam glanced from one to the other as Deidre pulled her hand away, his voice uncertain. “I was just telling Jason how happy we’ll be to have his help with planning the celebration.”

  “Not planning, just listening. I understand no one else was available tonight, and the judge thought the office should be represented. I’m just holding a watching brief.” The way his eyes held hers made it sound as if she were the one he was watching.

  Deidre gave herself a mental shake and took a step back behind the protection of the coffee urn. Jason Glassman would have better luck turning his measuring look on Dixie. She’d know just how to respond.

  “I see the chairwoman is ready to begin.” She nodded toward the fireplace, where Enid Longenberger was shuffling through her notes. “Maybe we’d better take our seats.” Busying herself with the arrangement of trays, Deidre gave the two men plenty of time to find chairs before she slipped into one as far away from Glassman’s disturbing presence as possible.

  What had the judge been thinking? Surely he couldn’t picture this man settling into a quiet career in Echo Falls. He looked as if he’d be bored to death in a week. Certainly he did nothing to dismiss that opinion as he sat, eyes half-closed, through the inevitable suggestions, ranging from the mundane to pie-in-the-sky ideas that would only happen if a benevolent billionaire decided to lend a hand.

  The meeting dragged on even longer than she’d expected, with Enid obviously determined to give everyone a chance to offer an opinion. Deidre found herself taking surreptitious glances at her watch. Dixie claimed to enjoy staying with Kevin, and she’d never let Deidre pay her, so she made a special effort not to keep Dixie out too late.

  Finally, the subcommittees had been assigned, a general outline of ideas approved and the last grumbler had been satisfied. Enid banged down her gavel with an air of decision, and people started filing out the doors, some lingering to rehash the meeting with their friends, as they often did. Deidre kept herself busy clearing up the coffee service as the room slowly emptied. She didn’t think Jason Glassman would approach her again, and she didn’t want to give him any excuse to do so. Something about the man set her nerves on edge, and she didn’t think it was the attractiveness and underlying masculine sexuality that Dixie had obviously noted.