“Lily Masterson? Is that you?”
Maisie knew damn well it was. Lily stopped in front of the entrance to Kelley’s Cookhouse, her daughter beside her.
“Hello, Maisie.”
Maisie turned to May. “And who is this?”
“My daughter, May.” Nothing like stating the obvious.
“Hello, May.” Then to Lily, “I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
Lily smiled because that wasn’t true. Maisie knew well and good she had a daughter. She probably also knew her age and speculated, just like many others, that May was one of Mark Walsh’s children, scattered in a wide radius from Honey Creek County.
Maisie ignored her silent look and turned to May. “She’s so adorable. And she looks so much like you.” Then to Lily, “How old is she?”
“I’m fourteen,” May said.
Maisie’s eyes told Lily all she needed to know. With all the theatrics of a movie star, her eyebrow lifted as she looked at May and then her condescension slid to Lily. She thought Mark Walsh was Lily’s father.
Lily didn’t even try to correct her.
“You left town in such a hurry, I never had a chance to say goodbye,” Maisie said, and Lily sensed May looking up at her.
“I had an opportunity to attend Drexel University in Sacramento,” Lily said. The opportunity had come much later—after she’d been in Sacramento for a while. But Maisie didn’t need to know that.
That seemed to give Maisie pause. Honey Creek’s bad girl had cleaned up her act enough to go to college.
“And now you’re a librarian.” She said the word librarian as if it were beneath her standards. “She’s head librarian,” May cut in, all sass and attitude. It was so sweet to be defended by her daughter.
“Yes, so I’ve heard,” Maisie said, scrutinizing Lily. “I also heard you and Wes are getting to be quite the item.”
She’d known this would come sooner or later, the not-so-subtle queries that would feed the constantly churning gossip mill. “Really? I haven’t heard that.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I ran into him outside town.” Lily couldn’t stop her smile. If it hadn’t been for her purpose for being at the prison, this would be funny.
“Wes told me you got into an accident with him, but he wouldn’t elaborate.”
“I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s so peculiar…you two are being so secretive. Why? Where did the accident happen?”
“It’s none of your business,” May sneered.
“May,” Lily admonished, even though she inwardly cheered. Ahhh, the candor of adolescence.
May looked up at her with all the fiery spirit of a hormonal teenager. “Tell her to back off, Mom.”
“Don’t be silly,” Maisie said. “I was only trying to make conversation. You should try it sometime.”
May squinted her eyes, making it abundantly clear that she didn’t buy it, nor did she like Maisie.
Maisie grunted haughtily before turning back to Lily. “Wes must have been on his way back from the prison to see Damien when you met him. He rarely leaves town for any other reason. I still get so upset about that. Damien and all. But isn’t it just wonderful that he’ll be released?”
“Yes. Wes is happy about that, too.” She could have bitten her tongue for letting that slip.
“You must be getting close to him.”
Lily didn’t respond.
“Who’d have thought…you and Wes.”
Taking May’s hand, Lily squeezed, a silent message to stay quiet.
“Mom?”
“We’d better get going,” Lily said to Maisie. “We have plans after lunch. Good seeing you again, Maisie.” It was a total lie, but she refused to let anyone take her down.
“You, too, Lily.”
“Stop letting these old hags drag you through the mud!” May hissed as they headed for the door of Kelley’s Cookhouse.
“Maisie is my age, May.”
“Maisie who? Who is she?”
“Maisie Colton.”
May’s mouth dropped open and she gaped at her. “She’s related to the sheriff?”
“She’s his sister.”
“Oh, my God. You should tell him to get lost. Is he like her?”
“No, May, Wes is a very nice man.” With no agenda to slander her. At least, not so far.
Wes sat behind his desk reading a background file on Tina Mueller. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she was the only child of a plumber and a waitress. She hadn’t graduated from high school and Wes couldn’t find anything else on her after that. She had a couple of juvenile offenses that suggested her upbringing hadn’t been stable.
His desk phone rang.
“Sheriff Colton.”
“Sheriff, this is Nina Barker from Fulton County Juvenile Court in Atlanta. You called a couple of days ago?”
“Yes. Thank you for calling me back.”
“I found the file you were looking for, but there’s a note with a contact and a request to route all inquiries to a detective Grant Isaac.” The woman gave a number to him. “This note is pretty old, though. He might not even be around anymore.”
“I’ll try to get a hold of him. Thanks.”
He disconnected the call and entered the new number. His gut told him this was going to lead to something. After two rings, someone answered. “Detective Isaac.”
Luck was going his way today. “Sheriff Wes Colton from Honey Creek County in Montana.”
“Afternoon, Sheriff. You’re a long way from Atlanta. What can I do for you?”
“I got your name from Nina Barker over at juvenile court. I’m conducting a background check on someone you were investigating more than fifteen years ago. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Who is it you’re investigating?”
“Tina Mueller.”
The detective’s hesitation said he might be recovering from an unexpected surprise. “Tina Mueller, huh? That case has been cold for so long I thought it’d never see the light of day again. How do you know her?”
Wes explained about the Walsh murder and the tape Jolene had given him.
“And you think the Mueller woman may have killed him?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Do you know if she’s still in Honey Creek?”
“No, not yet.”
“Do you know what name she’s using now?” the detective asked.
“No. Detective, why did you say her case was cold? Which juvenile offense is still open?” As far as he could tell both counts were closed. She’d done all that had been required of her.
“I wasn’t investigating her juvenile cases. She was eighteen when her stepfather was murdered.”
Wes nearly choked on his own saliva. “Murdered?”
“Yep. Ed Mueller was the stepfather’s name. He was stabbed fourteen times while the mother was out with her weekly cards group.”
Wes’s mind filled with too many unanswered questions. He didn’t know which one to ask first.
“You must not have received a full report,” the detective said.
“I guess not. You think she did it?” And did he know why? But he’d save that for later.
“It hasn’t gone to court yet, but a couple of years ago we did some advanced DNA testing on some preserved evidence. Should prove her guilt if we ever get a chance to test for a match.”
Wes started writing notes. “What was the mother’s name?”
“Janet Mueller. There was a long history of abuse in the family. There are hospital reports on both the mother and the daughter. One day Tina must have had enough and waited until her mother left to use a butcher knife to stab her stepfather while he slept on the couch. He drank a lot so he must have passed out first.”
“What kind of evidence do you have?”
“Prints on the knife that turned up in a Dumpster not far from their house. Blood. He must have gone a few rounds with her before he was killed
. His knuckles were bloody and it wasn’t his. I doubt she could have overpowered him if he fought her before she stabbed him, so my guess is she waited until after he passed out.”
“So when she found out you recovered the murder weapon, she panicked and ran,” Wes said.
“Yep. On one hand, I can hardly blame her. On the other, she should have gone to the police. Done things the right way.”
Wes had to agree. “Where’s the mother now?”
“Still living in Atlanta last time I checked.”
“Do you know if she’s been in touch with her daughter?”
“I doubt it. When I questioned her, she was more upset about her husband’s death than the well-being of Tina.”
“What about now? When’s the last time you spoke with her?”
“Oh. It’s been, what…something like five years now.”
“You have a phone number?”
The detective gave it to him and he jotted it down with the rest of his notes.
“Will you let me know if you find her?” the detective asked.
“Yes, I will.”
“Thanks for calling, Sheriff.”
Wes hung up and sat back in his chair. When his mind settled, he looked up and saw his deputy standing in the doorway.
“I knocked,” Ryan said.
“Come in.”
“Sorry to bother you, but I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
More gossip. What now? “All right.”
Ryan didn’t sit down. He stood just inside Wes’s office. “My wife met up with her friends from that quilting group again last night. One of the women there said she talked to Maisie, who I guess ran into Lily on Saturday.”
Wes put his elbow on the arm of his chair and rested his chin between his thumb and index finger, trying not to get annoyed. Why wouldn’t those women leave Lily alone? And Maisie. Why did she have to go and stir up trouble all the time?
“She said Lily got in a wreck with you the same day you went on one of your visits to Montana State Prison.”
Wes dropped his hand and straightened in his seat. Damn Maisie. He’d have to be careful what he told her from now on.
“They’re hyping up the connection to the prison,” Ryan continued. “One of the ladies went so far as to say you probably met Lily there. It’s causing quite a commotion.”
What did they think? That he broke Lily out of jail? This was getting ridiculous.
But what would it do to Lily if word got out that she’d gone to her rapist’s parole hearing? So far it didn’t seem that anyone knew she’d actually gone there, but how long before that changed? This kind of talk might not be good for her. As long as no one talked, it would be hard to prove Lily had been at the prison, much less that she’d gone to a parole hearing. But he’d warn Lily anyway.
“That’s the same day you met Lily, right?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you meet her at the prison?”
Wes stood up. “Thanks for telling me.” He wasn’t going to give away any more than he needed to.
“Sure thing.” Ryan looked disappointed.
Moving around his desk, Wes stopped before Ryan. “I need you to check on something for me.”
“Okay,” Ryan said. “What is it?”
“See if you can get the names of every woman who moved to Honey Creek in 1995.”
“Any particular type of woman you’re looking for?”
“Not sure. Get me every name and I’ll go from there.”
“Will do.”
Wes headed for the door.
“Where you going?” Ryan asked.
He paused and looked back. “The library.” He grinned over his shoulder. He was going to stop by and see Lily today anyway. Ryan had just given him an excuse.
Ryan shook his head and didn’t return Wes’s grin.
Outside the building, Wes climbed into his SUV. He drove the short distance to the library and parked in front. Inside the building, he looked around for Lily, but didn’t see her. Was she even working today?
Her assistant sat behind the main counter and saw him approach.
“Is Lily here?” he asked.
“Yes. She’s in her office.”
He looked where the girl had glanced and thanked her before heading for the hallway.
“I should probably tell her you’re here,” the assistant called after him.
He ignored her. In the open doorway of Lily’s office, he stopped. She looked up, dark hair thick and silky around her face, blue eyes growing big when she caught sight of him. She got more beautiful to him every time he saw her. “Wes?”
“Hello, Lily.” He noticed a bouquet of roses on her desk.
“What brings you here?” she asked, that soft smile of hers emerging. She stood and came around her desk to stand closer to him.
“I was in the neighborhood.”
That made her laugh a little. “Sure you were.”
He grinned. “Would you like to go for some coffee?”
“I can’t. I don’t have time today.”
“That’s what you always say.” It wasn’t, but he wondered if she was avoiding him.
“No, really, today I’m pretty busy.”
“Then you’d go otherwise?”
Her head angled and her eyes sparkled coyly. She didn’t answer. He bet he could have talked her into going with him if she wasn’t so busy. That pleased him.
Looking pointedly at the bouquet of roses, he returned his gaze to her and struggled with an attack of jealousy.
“It seems I have an admirer,” she said.
She went to the flowers and pulled the card from a plastic holder, handing it to him.
He took it and read the cryptic line, looking at her when he finished. “Who sent you this?”
“It wasn’t signed and the florist didn’t know who’d bought them.”
He didn’t like it that someone had shown such animosity toward her. It had to have been someone in town; Brandon Gates wasn’t released from prison yet.
“Mind if I keep this?” he asked Lily.
“No.”
He tucked it into his shirt pocket.
“What would you have done if the roses were from a male admirer?” she asked.
He heard her teasing tone. Wasn’t she worried about who sent her the flowers?
“I’d have bought you lilies.”
And he was rewarded with a warm, flirtatious smile. He’d definitely have to get her some lilies.
“I heard you ran into Maisie Saturday,” he said.
That cooled her mood a bit. “Yes. I know she’s your sister, but…”
“No need to apologize. I’m a little annoyed with her right now myself.” Or maybe he was being overly protective of Lily.
“Why’s that?”
“She knew I went to the prison the day I met you, and now she’s got the town wondering if that’s where our accident occurred.”
She met his gaze and a silent question floated between them. He wasn’t going to say that he already knew the real reason she’d gone to the prison that day. She wasn’t ready for that. But he could see how the prospect of the entire town knowing bothered her.
Wandering to the window behind her desk, she looked through it and didn’t say anything.
He waited a few beats, but when she didn’t move, he went to stand behind her. She looked up and over her shoulder at him when he touched her arm.
“If I could stop the gossip, I would,” he said, and he meant it.
When she turned to face him, he saw how his declaration had eased some of her tension. Moving closer, she touched his face with her hand. “I believe you.”
His cell phone rang.
Really bad timing. “Colton.”
“Sheriff.”
It was Ryan.
“The court order came through.”
Excitement and satisfaction coursed through him. Damien was coming home.
Chapter 6
On her
first day back after suspension, May saw Levi leave school ahead of her and tried to ignore her disappointment. Had he even noticed she was back? He probably already forgot about her. Why did she even care about a jock like him anyway? She didn’t want him to like her, did she? He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t want to risk his reputation. Hanging out with her might ruin any chance he had of becoming class president.
She left the building and stepped out into a clear afternoon.
“You doing anything today?”
Peri Carter jogged to catch up to her and then walked beside her. Peri had been hanging around her more and more lately. She wasn’t very popular in school, either. Everybody teased her about her curly red hair. It was really thick. And really red. Her eyelashes were red, too, and her pale green eyes were almost creepy. But she was smart and nice and didn’t talk about May’s mother.
Her dad was a doctor in Bozeman. Gynecologist. The boys liked to give her a hard time over that one. It was so stupid. Boys were stupid.
“Going home,” May said, looking around for Levi again.
“You want to take our bikes and get ice cream?”
May spotted him leaning against a tree, looking right at her. Her heart jumped and she lost a little breath. He was so cute.
Why was he over there? Was he waiting for her? She tried to stop her excitement.
“Maybe. Let me go home and ask my mom,” she hedged. What she really wanted to do was be with Levi.
“You rode your bike to school today, right?”
“Yeah, but I have to ask her.” Why was she doing this? What if Levi wasn’t waiting for her?
“Don’t you have a cell phone?”
“I forgot it today.” She had, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Okay. Well, call me when you get home.”
May smiled. “Okay.”
Peri jogged toward a waiting line of buses and May stopped walking and looked over at Levi.
He pushed off the tree and started toward her. Her heart hammered faster in her chest. He was coming over to her. Her!
Wearing a white T-shirt and holey jeans, he made her want to drool. Then she realized what she was doing. She’d be dumb to trust him. What if this was some kind of joke? What if he and Sherilynn were having a good laugh over the way he was starting to make her think he liked her?
The Librarian’s Secret Scandal Page 8
