The Secret She Keeps

by HelenKay Dimon

  Ben looked like he’d gotten dressed in the dark. His shirt was half unbuttoned and he didn’t have a jacket despite the biting night cold. Evan wasn’t much better. He yawned as he looked around the front area of the house.

  “You two okay?” Ben asked as he looked at Connor and to Maddie behind his shoulder.

  “Yeah.” The way she grabbed on to Connor’s arm and twisted suggested otherwise.

  Ben raised a flashlight and scanned the room behind them. “Anyone get in?”

  “Not that we can tell.” Connor figured they’d already know if that happened, but so much of Whitaker was a mystery to him, so who knew?

  Evan nodded. “I’ll do a walk-around.”

  He took off around the side of the house before anyone could stop him. Connor didn’t really want to. Right now he appreciated the law enforcement expertise that both Ben and Evan brought to the situation.

  Ben looked from Connor to Maddie. “What’s going on?”

  “We heard noises.” Maddie reached around Connor to flip on the lights. The living room filled with brightness but the porch light stayed off. “It was probably an animal. No big—”

  “Wrong.” Ben stepped inside but held the door open. He pointed to a spot along the edge of the door next to the knob. “It looks like someone tried to force the lock.”

  “What?” She stepped around Connor and bent down to study the damage.

  “Look here.” Ben outlined the area in question. “The cracked wood. Probably from a tool of some sort.”

  Connor wasn’t any kind of expert but he could see the dent and the divot. It looked like someone gouged out a piece of the wood around the dead bolt, which explained the strange noises.

  “It would have taken a lot to get through all of the locks.” Maddie sounded calm but her chest rose and fell on harsh breaths.

  Connor watched her demeanor change. All the effort tonight to relax her was wasted. Her shoulders tensed and her movements turned jerky.

  Evan emerged out of the darkness at the side of the house. “Nothing.”

  “Maybe she just wanted to scare me,” Maddie said, sounding doubtful of her own theory.

  The unwanted island guest had tools and the will to get into Maddie’s house even though she wasn’t alone. That was good enough to convince Connor that this was more than a game to the woman. “That’s not really the point.”

  “For once I agree with Connor.” Evan holstered his weapon. “Daria isn’t playing now. She’s coming in hot, and you know what that means.”

  Maddie nibbled on her bottom lip. “This still feels wrong.”

  “What else has to happen before you stop taking chances?”

  “That’s enough.” Ben sounded weary and exhausted and didn’t look much better. “We are not having that argument again tonight, Evan. Stay focused.”

  “You know it’s not safe for her.” Evan looked from Maddie to Connor. “Hell, it’s not safe for you either.”

  He was right and, for once, he hadn’t flipped into full asshole mode. But Connor’s patience was long gone and the sound of Evan’s voice was enough to push him past what he could reasonably take. “Maybe if you put more effort into solving this and less into lecturing, she would be safe.”

  Evan’s expression switched from neutral to furious. His cheeks flushed with rage but his voice remained deadly even. “Are you telling me how to do my job?”

  “I’m out of the program. I’m not your job right now,” Maddie said.

  “That argument is asinine.”

  Ben took his cell out of his back pocket but not before shooting Connor and Maddie a quick look. “You should go to the Lodge.”

  “No.” Maddie shook her head. “If danger is following me then I’m not spreading it around any more than I already have. Sylvia, the other people eating in the Lodge dining room. The people who live there. It’s too dangerous for them.”

  “But not for you?” Connor asked because he really wanted to know the answer. For some reason she still viewed herself as immune to what could happen here.

  Ben talked to someone in a low voice, then hung up and looked at the rest of the room. “I need to do some forensics on the door, but you two can head back in and try to get some sleep.”

  Evan’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Yeah, that’s not very likely.” Connor wondered if he’d ever be able to sleep again. They were running out of houses and bedrooms.

  Ben kept talking as if the room hadn’t burst into chatter at his suggestion. “We’ll regroup tomorrow morning.”

  “There’s no reason to put this off. I’m going to work.” Evan headed for the porch without saying another word.

  “What does that mean?” Maddie asked.

  Evan stopped just as he crossed the threshold to the outside. “Someone needs to investigate Daria, collect the evidence. I’ll do it.”

  “You don’t have jurisdiction here. Remember that and take the night off.” Ben didn’t sound as if he welcomed a fight. “I’ll watch the house tonight. I have officers on patrol. We’re covered without you.”

  Evan shook his head. “I guess I’ll just hope that everyone will still be alive by morning.”

  “He’s dramatic tonight.” Connor watched the other man climb into his car and back out of the driveway. He didn’t stop or even flick on his lights until he was well out of the residential area.

  Ben continued to study the door. “I think hyperspeed is his only speed.”

  Maddie sighed. “You’re not wrong.”

  “Neither are you.” Ben’s head popped up and he pinned Maddie with his stare. “This does feel wrong.”

  Every single piece of this. Every minute. Connor agreed. “That sounds like an understatement.”

  “If Daria hired Owen, why kill him? If she wants to come after you, why do it this way? You’ve been out in the open, around town. Your house is on a busier road than Connor’s. There are streetlights.” Ben shifted to the side and something crunched under his foot. “It looks like the person who wanted inside took care of the light first. Smart move.”

  “So, not an amateur.” That was Connor’s nightmare. He stood a chance at running down an amateur. They’d be on equal footing. But someone trained, someone who knew how to shoot more than a target at a range, that person would have an advantage he might not be able to overcome by pure adrenaline.

  “She could have been planning this for a long time.” Ben shrugged. “She might not be alone. We have to allow for that possibility.”

  Connor saw movement in the yard a few feet behind Ben. White and paws. A leash dragging along the grass. “Mr. Higginbotham.”

  The barking started again and Maddie smiled. “You can’t tell that’s him from his bark.”

  “No, there.” Connor pointed at the spot where Mr. Higginbotham disappeared into a clump of trees to the left of the house. “By your neighbor’s car.”

  The barking grew louder and the neighbor’s kitchen light flicked on. Much more of this and the whole neighborhood would be up and roaming around, asking questions.

  Ben must have sensed that danger as well because he rolled his eyes. “Oh, hell.”

  But the real problem hit Connor. The dog but no owner. That couldn’t be good. “Where’s Winnie?”

  Ben was already out the door and headed for the yard. “At this time of night, Paul walks him.”

  Maddie gasped. “Then where’s Paul?”

  They all ran now. Ignoring the night and the quiet, they called out for the dog. Ben whistled and Mr. Higginbotham barked louder. Connor searched the ground for the stray leash. He finally found it right as the sound of the barking cut off.

  The return to quiet had Connor running. He reached for the leash, thinking the dog could bolt and send them all on another chase. He didn’t have to waste the energy. Mr. Higginbotham was sitting down now, staring at something and not making a sound.

  Connor bent down to pick him up when he saw the slipper. “Shit.”
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  “Don’t touch anything but the dog.” Ben shifted past Connor.

  Maddie caught up a second later. “Paul!”

  Ben reached for his radio but he didn’t have it on him. Next, he pulled out the cell. The whole time he kept moving, checking for a pulse and searching the ground around the body.

  His voice broke into the relative silence as a few neighbors filed out of their houses and hovered nearby. “I need an ambulance.”

  Chapter 27

  An hour later they crowded around the reception area in Doc Lela’s clinic. Maddie said every prayer she’d learned as a kid and half forgot long ago. She wasn’t a religious person but she would do anything—ask for anything—if it meant Paul would be okay. If it saved everyone else on Whitaker from her messed-up past.

  Her life swept through town, taking out everyone in its wake.

  How could anyone hurt Paul? That was the question she kept asking herself. He was a nice old man. A little bossy and nosy even though he claimed not to care about what other people did. He loved the dog and felt something for Winnie, though Maddie didn’t try to put a name on it because it wasn’t her business.

  They were cute together, always meeting in groups and rarely seen in public, just the two of them, unless it was to walk Mr. Higginbotham. It was as if they tried to hide their relationship. Forget that everyone rooted for them. They wanted privacy and their fellow residents let them have it, pretend though it was.

  She blew out a long breath, trying to shut down all the questions bombarding her brain. All the what-ifs and possibilities about what to do next. Evan’s orders. That talk with Connor.

  She sat next to Connor, holding his hand, but even that didn’t calm her mental frenzy this time. Standing up, she started to pace. She’d burn the energy off however she could.

  It was the two of them in the room and Ben by the door. Evan had stayed behind to secure the scene with one of Ben’s volunteer assistants. An older couple waited in the chairs by the window. Maddie couldn’t remember their names but the man’s hacking cough had been steady since they arrived.

  The building buzzed with activity, which seemed wrong for the time of day and where they were. An early-morning car accident kept all of the medical personnel jumping. Ben reported everyone was fine but a pregnant woman was in one of the cars on the way to deliver, so everyone rushed in—family and friends—to check on her. She and her baby boy were now resting somewhere in the building along with the usual variety of broken bones from the accident and respiratory infections from the weather.

  Poor Captain Rogers, the fire chief, ran around checking on people. More than once he stepped into the room to talk with Ben then left again. The captain did double duty, racing to help whenever needed. This morning he handled the emergency baby delivery.

  He and Ben worked well together, but nothing prepared anyone for seeing Paul wheeled in. He hadn’t woken up since they found him.

  When the captain left the room again, Ben seemed to relax. “He’s going to check on Winnie and bring her in. Everyone agrees Paul would want her here and no one wants her to be alone.”

  Maddie felt sick. It didn’t dawn on her that Winnie should be here. Grand love affair or not, and Maddie suspected it was, Winnie cared about Paul and deserved to be by his side. But then other thoughts entered Maddie’s mind. Horrible ones. “She has to be okay.”

  Ben shook his head. “There’s no reason to think she isn’t.”

  Maddie didn’t agree with that. She could be hurt or worse. Mr. Higginbotham went wild for a reason.

  Connor stood up right as Doc Lela walked in. She looked rushed and harried but totally in control, as usual. A nurse raced in beside her, handing her a form of some sort to sign.

  When she finished with the administrative stuff, the doc looked up. “Paul is okay.”

  The relief sweeping through Maddie almost dropped her to her knees. She forced her lungs to inhale. “What happened?”

  “A serious contusion. Looks like someone hit him in the head.”

  Connor shot Maddie an unreadable look.

  “Paul took a harder whack than you did, Connor. He has a concussion. He’ll be staying.” She tucked her pen in the pocket of her coat. “Has anyone gotten in touch with Winnie?”

  “Captain Rogers is getting her,” Connor said.

  “And Mr. Higginbotham?”

  Maddie hadn’t even thought about the poor dog until Lela mentioned his name. The loyal pup’s bark had tipped them off to trouble. Paul could have been there for hours, at least until the sun came up and people started moving around, before anyone found him. Maddie didn’t want to think about that. She concentrated on Mr. Higginbotham instead. He deserved nonstop treats for life.

  “Evan put him in Maddie’s house for now,” Ben said.

  That was news to her. “My house?”

  “The good news is the rest of you can go home and catch some sleep.” The doc looked at her watch. “But I’d hurry because people will be moving around soon. Once they do, they’ll want answers.”

  “We don’t have many.”

  She frowned at Connor over his comment. “Then you’re about to have a long morning.”

  Watching Ben talk to the residents of Whitaker about possible danger was like watching a person walk into fire. He stood in the middle of the packed Lodge dining room and fielded questions about Paul and then about Owen. He never tied either to her, but Maddie felt the angry heat of every gaze in the room.

  Lin, the island’s one reporter and the owner of the local newspaper, took notes. “Is there any connection between Owen Pritchard, the dead man, and anyone on the island?”

  What felt like a hundred sets of eyes turned to her.

  “We don’t have anything to share on that at this time. We’re still collecting information, but we do have a few leads,” Ben said, then quickly moved on to the next person when Lin tried to follow up.

  Maddie watched the whole thing while holding her breath. Having Connor right behind her helped. His hand on the small of her back kept her standing. She feared she’d turn into a big pile of useless goo without his support.

  Evan hovered in the background and Jenna stood with Sylvia behind the bar. The addition of those two was a lot of new people for a small, insular island. The room was awash with head-shaking and harsh whispering.

  The guy who ran the grocery store, the same one she stayed away from because his nervousness around women was legendary. He shook and stumbled over his words. She didn’t want to add to his distress now, so she tried not to stare.

  He raised his hand. “One thing, if you could clarify.”

  Ben waited for him to continue and when he didn’t Ben dropped a hint. “Go ahead.”

  “Who are all these people?” He glanced around and his gaze fell on each newcomer as he went.

  Maddie was relieved that, for once, no one seemed to be talking about her.

  Ben didn’t waste time on details. Instead, he pointed as he went around the room. “Evan. Jenna, and you know Sylvia.”

  “Risky answer.” Connor whispered the insight loud enough for only her to hear.

  “Look.” Ben’s voice vibrated through the room. “We’ve had a series of incidents on the island. Paul is going to be fine and he might be able to give us some insight into what happened—”

  “Winnie said he’s still asleep.” The comment came from the back of the room.

  “That’s true, but Doc Lela says he’ll be fine.” The low level of grumbling continued but that answer seemed to satisfy most. “The bigger issue is Owen Pritchard. He was visiting, came on and off the island a few times according to Dom.”

  “Don’t suck me into this,” Dom yelled from his seat at the bar.

  Ben kept on talking. “Owen is dead.”

  The harsh words rang out. Maddie felt the surge of tension. A wild energy spun around the room. Something about hearing the truth, even when the man’s death had been revealed in Lin’s newspaper, made it more real.
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br />   “We don’t know exactly what he was doing on Whitaker. We’re not sure who he talked to or where he was staying.” Ben glanced at Dom, who remained quiet. “But we know someone stabbed him.”

  The mumbling started again. Maddie heard a lot of sympathetic noises. When she looked at Dom she saw something else. He watched her, not spilling what he knew and her ties to all of this, but his expression said he might do so later.

  Great. Something new to worry about.

  “On the tables and on the papers being passed around is a photo of a woman named Daria.”

  “Who’s she?” Someone called out the question and a few others repeated it.

  Another person said something about her being pretty. Dom passed the flyers without taking one.

  “It’s possible she came onto the island with Owen,” Ben explained.

  Dom crossed his arms over his chest. “She did.”

  Maddie felt Connor’s hand brush against hers before he whispered in her ear, “This is ten seconds away from turning into a yelling riot.”

  “No kidding.” That was exactly her fear.

  When the voices grew louder, so did Ben’s. “So, I want to talk with her.”

  “Did she stab the guy?” one of the yarn shop ladies asked.

  “She is not a suspect right now. In fact, I want to make sure she’s safe.”

  “How does he stay so calm when he does this? I’d tell everyone to be quiet and leave.” Connor kept his voice low enough that only she could hear.

  She wondered the same thing. Gossip churned in the room. People whispered and nodded. Some talked loud enough for everyone to hear and didn’t care who did. More than one person gawked at her. A few pointed.

  Panic. She understood. Their orderly lives had been spun upside down. Again. The fear and frustration from last summer spilled over into winter and they didn’t like it. They wanted their quiet island back, or most did. So did she.

  “I need two more minutes of your attention.” Ben held up two fingers. “If you see the woman on the flyer, call me. Don’t be a hero. Don’t try to trick her.” Ben looked at the librarian. “I’m specifically talking to you, Mary. This is not a cozy mystery. It’s real life.”