Watching Whitney

by Jerri Drennen

  “Did you call Sheriff Gable?” Steve asked from behind her.

  “I did. He’s coming by later to check things out. I’m not holding my breath that he’ll be able to find the culprit.”

  “You were lucky you weren’t hurt, Whitney.” Mason smiled at her.

  “That’s right,” Steve said sharply. “You’d better watch your back. The guy might try to break into here.”

  “I will.” Mason glanced around them. “Where’s Kylie?”

  “She stayed at Bethany’s last night. We’re on our way to pick her up now.”

  “I see. All right, have a good day.”

  Steve led her from the center and out to the SUV. As they drove to Bethany’s, he kept his eyes on the road, probably afraid she’d talk about something he didn’t want to discuss. Bring up her feelings — emotions she was sure he didn’t want to know about.

  He pulled into Bethany’s driveway and killed the engine. “I’ll wait here,” he said, not bothering to even look at her.

  Whitney knew he didn’t want to have a run-in with her friend and she really couldn’t blame him for that. Bethany was insatiable.

  She rushed up the steps and was met at the door by Kylie, who jumped into her arms. “I missed you, momma!” Whitney squeezed her daughter tight, then walked into the house. She called for Bethany, who came out of the kitchen. “Thanks for letting her stay. Dom had a great time.”

  “I’m glad they had fun. I gotta run.”

  “Are you sleeping with Steve?”

  Whitney glanced at her daughter, and then returned her attention to Bethany. “This isn’t the time or the place for this conversation, Beth.”

  “I guess that’s a yes.”

  “I’ve got to go.”

  Whitney turned and left. By the end of the day, everyone in Marble would know that she and Steve were lovers. Bethany would see to that. Whitney’s reputation would be ruined and Steve would pick up and go, leaving her to deal with it. Just like Wyatt had. She’d yet again be the laughingstock of the community.

  She opened the car door and strapped Kylie into her seat, and then got in and looked at Steve.

  “Be prepared for some looks later today.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Bethany guessed that we’ve, well … It’ll be all around town by noon today.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “I’ve been made to look the fool before. I can deal with it.”

  He brushed her arm and her eyes met his. “I don’t want you to feel that way, Whitney. What do you want me to do?”

  “What is there to do? You’ll be leaving and that’ll be that.”

  “I don’t want to go and have you think badly of me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We were just comforting each other. I never expected anything from you.”

  He studied her intently while Whitney held her emotions in check. She didn’t want Steve feeling sorry for her. The whole town of Marble did that already. She didn’t need any more pitying looks from anyone.

  He turned and started the SUV. She had no idea if he believed her or not, but right now she was just glad to have his eyes on the road and not on her. She looked out the side window and fought the tears welling in her eyes. This was her fault for allowing herself to feel something again. She should have done what she advised herself when she first met Steve — steer clear of him. If she had, her heart wouldn’t be breaking right now.

  Live and learn, Whitney. I hope you’re smart enough to never let this happen again.

  “Did Bill mention that the Marble festival and dance was today?” she asked, thinking that the dance would be the perfect opportunity for her to slip away with Kylie. Maybe she’d take a trip to her parents, try to block out everything that had happened in the last week. Take some time to forget about Steve Morgan.

  “No, he didn’t. What exactly is the festival?”

  “A day where we celebrate the founding of Marble and its residents.”

  “Do you have people come from all over or just the townspeople?”

  “It’s open to the public.”

  “I think it’s best we stay away from all the hoopla.”

  “No,” Whitney said sharper than she’d intended. If they did so, she wouldn’t be able to break away. They had to go. “I have to work the dance. I’m helping hand out refreshments.”

  “I don’t like it, Whitney. It’ll be hard to keep an eye out with so many people around.”

  “Like I said, I have to help out.”

  “All right, but I’ll be by your side the whole time.”

  Whitney gritted her teeth. How was she going to get out of town with him hovering?

  • • •

  Steve pulled into the Frys’ driveway and spotted Bill and Patsy carrying chairs out the front door. He jumped out and grabbed Patsy’s. “Where are we taking these?” he asked Bill.

  “To the van. Did Whitney tell you about the festival?”

  “Yeah, she just did.”

  “You’re coming aren’t you? I did manage to talk Flint and Bryan into going to the dance tonight.”

  “I guess we’ll be there too. What time?”

  “It starts at eight.”

  “We’ll see you then.”

  “Bryan and Flint are in the house. Go on in. Remind them to lock up when they come over.”

  “I will.”

  Whitney and Kylie came to join them and Patsy hugged both. “I’ll see you all later.”

  Steve placed his hand on the small of Whitney’s back and motioned her toward the house. “I want you to promise me that you and Kylie won’t leave my side tonight.”

  She smiled brightly. “Of course.”

  Steve didn’t like how quickly she agreed to his demand. He was going to have to watch her like a hawk.

  In the house they found the men in the living room, Bryan on the phone with someone.

  Flint walked over to Steve. “Bryan was able to confirm there are six other possible victims. Missing women that had young children. They were never found but they fit the profile.”

  “This is more widespread than we could have ever thought,” Steve said, worrying even more.

  “Yes it is.” Bryan walked toward them.

  “Whitney and I were talking last night. Why kill women with young children? Could this guy possibly have come from that type of background?”

  “Very good.” Bryan smiled at them both. “And he resented his mother for it.”

  “But to kill all these women because he didn’t like his mother working?” Steve shook his head. “I was raised by a single mother. There has to be more to it.”

  “Maybe she brought someone into his life that messed him up,” Bryan said then added, “Every time he kills one of these women, it’s like killing her.”

  “Then again, maybe he did kill his mother.” Steve glanced at Whitney. “Maybe he’s reliving it every time he kills another woman. Is there any way we could go back thirty-plus years and see if we can’t find a case similar in MO.”

  “You might just have something there.” Bryan slapped Steve on the shoulder. “Let me call and have them run a check on that.”

  “You’re going to this dance tonight, right?” Flint asked after Bryan stepped away with his phone in hand.

  “Whitney’s got to help with refreshments. So yeah. How’d you and Bryan get talked into it?”

  “Patsy took me aside and told me she had the perfect girl for Bryan. I’m going to watch him try to avoid her.”

  “Strange. She never tried to fix me up with anyone,” Steve said as quietly as he could so Whitney couldn’t hear.

  “She didn’t have to. You already knew the woman she’d have chosen for you. She sees y
ou two getting hitched in the next six months.”

  Steve’s eyes narrowed. Why would the woman think such a thing? He lived hundreds of miles from Whitney. Patsy surely knew how she felt about big-city life and how he felt. They didn’t share the same opinion on that. How could she ever think they’d marry?

  “Why wait six months. Maybe I should just get married tonight for everyone to see. I’m sure the mayor would be willing to do the ceremony.”

  A huge smile spread across Flint’s face. “It’s an idea, Steve. Whitney would no longer be a single mother.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Whitney eyed them suspiciously.

  “Steve’s deciding the merits of you and he getting married.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Steve looked at Whitney whose mouth slacked.

  “If you were married, you’d no longer be a single mom,” Flint said to her, arching a brow. “You wouldn’t fit the profile anymore.”

  Whitney shook her head. “Getting married to make that happen is crazy.”

  “Yes, it is,” Steve reiterated, giving Flint an icy glare.

  “Everyone from town would be there, right? Probably even the killer. I mean it wouldn’t have to be a real ceremony. He’d just have to think it was.”

  Steve shook his head. “I don’t like it. It leaves too much to chance.”

  “This could be a way to catch this guy. Lure him into a trap.”

  “No way could we pull all this together and make it look real by tonight,” Steve said, adjusting the collar of his shirt. All of a sudden, he couldn’t breathe.

  Flint placed his arm over Steve’s shoulder. “Sure we could. Bryan and I can handle the mayor and decorations. You and Whitney can go find something to wear for the event. Oh and a ring or two. We do have to make it look as authentic as possible.”

  “This is crazy.” Whitney looked at Steve, her eyes a deeper shade of green.

  “You want to help catch this guy, right?” Flint’s eyes darted from Steve to her.

  “Of course, but I just think that — ”

  “We’ll do it.” Steve knew it was futile to argue with Flint. When he set his mind to something, there was no way to get him to change it.

  “What?” Whitney’s mouth gaped.

  “We’ll drive over to Carbondale and find what we need. Grab Kylie. We’d better hurry if we want to get back in time to pull this off. You’ll take care of everything here?” Steve looked at Flint.

  Flint smiled. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  Steve led her out of the house and helped her and Kylie into the vehicle. The more he thought about Flint’s plan, the more it had merit. Even if they didn’t catch the killer tonight, at least Whitney would no longer be a target and that to him was worth any inconvenience.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Whitney stood in front of the mirror in the hall bathroom and stared at her reflection. The white dress she’d chosen to wear fit her curves and pushed her breast up slightly. She still couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Pretend to marry Steve so they could lure a killer out into the open?

  What if it didn’t work? What if they did all of this for nothing, only to have the residents of Marble find out it had been all a ruse. No one would ever look at her the same again.

  “You look perdy, mommy.” Kylie tugged on the hem of the knee-length dress.

  Whitney smiled at her daughter. “You look pretty spiffy yourself.”

  Her daughter’s green eyes lit up.

  A knock on the door gave Whitney a start. “Come in.” She was surprised that her voice showed no signs of how nervous she was.

  Flint stuck his head inside the door. “We’re ready when you are.”

  What the heck were they doing? It was like a reality TV show. Was she going to step out the door and find out this was all a joke at her expense?

  “Come on, Kylie.” She took her daughter’s hand and stepped into the other room.

  White and red roses intertwined the backs of the seven rows of chairs filled with people sitting on both sides of a long, white runner that led up to where she’d stand with Steve and promise to love and honor him. Only it wasn’t real; it was all for the benefit of one man who had a vendetta against dark-haired, green-eyed single mothers. She looked beyond the seated people to Steve standing next to Mayor Kline, the man who’d marry them in this sham of a ceremony.

  Their eyes met and Whitney’s step faltered. He looked as nervous as she felt, which made her feel a little better. She didn’t want to be the only one wishing they were anywhere but here.

  The wedding march started and Whitney led Kylie down the narrow aisle to the man that literally took her breath away. At that moment, she knew she was lost. The man she planned to meet in front of the mayor was the man of her dreams. Her heart ached for him. Too bad this was all a lie, except that she did love Steve Morgan and would give herself to him forever if he asked her.

  She reached his side, and he took her free hand in his and smiled at her. No man had ever looked so good dressed in a dark suit, crisp white shirt, and gray tie. A sigh bubbled in her chest but she forced it down.

  Mr. Kline opened the Bible he held and smiled at them both.

  Whitney tried to concentrate on what the man said but found herself fixated on Steve, staring into his blue-gray eyes, everything else slipping away as if they were the only two people on earth. “Do you, Whitney Alisha McAllister, take Steven Tyler Morgan to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and keep only unto him as long as you both shall live?”

  What was she supposed to say?

  God. This is crazy.

  Steve squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile.

  “I do.”

  “Do you, Steven Tyler Morgan, take Whitney Alisha McAllister to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and keep only unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” he said without even a second’s hesitation.

  “Do you have rings?” the mayor asked.

  Steve pulled a gold band out of his pocket and took her hand.

  “Repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed.” He repeated the words and then squeezed her hand again. Then Whitney turned to Kylie and retrieved the ring in her child’s hand and repeated the sentiment and slipped the gold band on his finger.

  “As much as you two have promised before God and to us. I can now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Steve leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, his warm breath stirring her body to life. Loud clapping drew her out of her wedded bliss. They were then bombarded with well-wishers and Whitney found herself caught up in it all, thanking everyone for their kindness.

  As quickly as they could fold them, the chairs were removed from the room and music began playing.

  Patsy whisked Whitney to a corner. “Now, I’m going to keep Kylie tonight so the two of you can be alone.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Of course I do. It’s your wedding night.”

  Whitney felt wretched for lying to the people who had always been good to her. How was she ever going to explain why they resorted to something so extreme, especially if they didn’t catch the killer?

  “We’d like the new couple to come up and share their first dance,” the mayor said over the loud speaker.

  Patsy took Kylie’s hand, while Whitney glanced around for Steve. He had started toward her and they met in the middle of the room. She allowed him to wrap her in his arms as they moved to a romantic ballad that would be forever embossed in Whitney’s memory. “I hate this,” she said next to his ear. “Lying to all these people.”

  “I know. Yet even if we don’t catch this guy tonight, at least now you’ll be safe.”
r />   “But how am I going to explain all this to everyone?”

  Steve looked her square in the eye. “You don’t have to. We’ll just say we got carried away and made a mistake.”

  “You mean let everyone believe we got married for real? I don’t know, Steve. That just seems so — ”

  “Look, Whitney, you said Bethany was going to tell everyone in town we were sleeping together. This way no one will think badly of you — in fact, they’ll think it’s downright romantic. You can tell everyone that it was my fault. That I couldn’t stay in Marble and that you didn’t want to move to Denver. You can say we were caught up in the moment and didn’t think about all that before the wedding.”

  Whitney looked away and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her heart ached. She loved this man more than she’d ever loved Wyatt and yet they were going to say goodbye and she’d be left with a broken heart. Steve would go back to Denver as if nothing had happened.

  When the dance ended, she moved out of his arms and headed for the refreshment table. She had never been a drinker, but she’d give just about anything for something to make her feel better right now. Not that anything would. She’d never be the same. Steve had changed everything for her.

  • • •

  Steve stood next to Flint and watched Whitney from his vantage point across the room. For a woman who had just married, she didn’t look very happy. He hoped he was the only one who noticed that. He didn’t want anyone to think this marriage wasn’t real. Whitney had to live in Marble and he didn’t want her life to be miserable. That was the reason he’d said yes to this farce — not because it would be a way to lure a killer. Steve didn’t think it would. This man was smarter than that. He had been evading capture after all these years of killing so many women. A sham of a marriage wasn’t going to fool him. But, they needed to take him down. It was clear he wasn’t going to stop killing. The man was insane.

  A warm hand threaded through his had him looking down. Kylie stood by his side, smiling up at him. “Love you, Steve.”

  Steve’s heart stopped. This little girl had somehow worked her way into his heart as much as her mother and when he left Marble he’d leave half of it with them.