by DJ Jamison
There was a click, and when Reid pulled the handle, the door swung open.
“Whoa,” he breathed.
I leaned over his shoulder to get a better view. It was dark inside the safe, but I could make out stacks of something. I pulled out my phone, clicked the flashlight app, and shone it inside.
“Holy crap.”
Stacks of money. I had no idea how to even guess how much. The bills were tens, twenties, hundreds, all mixed together.
“What’s that paper?” I asked, glimpsing some white toward the back.
Reid pulled it out. “It’s an envelope.” He held it up for me to see. “It’s made out to Sherri Winters.”
“Holy crap,” I said again. “Should we open it?”
Reid was already ripping it open, so he didn’t bother to answer. He pulled out the note, reading it aloud.
“Dear Sherri, I’m sorry I couldn’t be strong for you when we lost Aaron. He was my heart, and it lay cold and dead in my chest when he was gone. I told you I’d gift you this house, as I would have Aaron if he lived, but that would be more punishment than you deserve. This house became my prison, and you should be free to live your life. I heard you remarried. I’m glad you did. Don’t come back here, to be haunted by sad memories. I’m bequeathing the house to my great-nephew, who won’t be troubled by its past and can perhaps breathe new life into it. Maybe he’ll live here himself or sell it to a family who can put some love into these rooms again. You, Sherri, were precious to my Aaron. I want you to have this money. Though it can’t make up for the life and experiences you lost with him, it can perhaps be a token of my appreciation. Use this money for something happy. Live your life, Sherri, and remember Aaron and me fondly. We both loved you. Robert Winters.”
Reid and I stared at each other. “Well, that’s surprising,” I said.
He refolded the note and slid it into the envelope. “Looks like I better go have a chat with Sherrilyn.”
I gaped. “You’re going to give her all that money after what she did? Do you even know how much is in there?”
He moved the stacks of bills around, trying to get a sense of how much money there might be. “I’d estimate somewhere around $30,000.”
“That could help pay your medical bills,” I said hesitantly.
Reid seemed to mull that over. Then he shook his head. “Nah, this is what Robert wanted. It’s his money to give, and Sherrilyn lost her husband. I want her to have it.”
“I figured you’d say that,” I said, leaning over to kiss him. “You’re the noble type, aren’t you?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Me? You’re the one who wouldn’t let me cheat on Lee.”
I laughed and slapped his thigh. “Would you have respected me if I had?”
His look turned more serious. “Always, Cam. But it didn’t surprise me in the slightest that you stood by your principles.”
“Well, now it’s your turn, I guess. How do you want to get this to Sherrilyn?”
“In person. It might be a good opportunity for us to clear the air. In a way, she’s family. I hated how all this ended.”
“Then let’s do it.”
***
Reid
Sherrilyn wasn’t in jail. She’d received community service in lieu of jail time since she was a first-time offender and no one had been hurt. Her plea deal had ensured she would be charged only for arson, not her break-in attempts. It also knocked what would have been a felony arson charge — due to the several thousands of dollars in damage it did — down to a misdemeanor.
She was tasked with volunteering for the city. She picked up roadside trash, helped clean parks and cleaned up graffiti art in public spaces. It was difficult to imagine Sherrilyn doing any of that work. I was pretty certain she wouldn’t be allowed to take a break to talk to me, and she would probably prefer not to meet me while sweating out the consequences of her actions anyway.
Her house was in the foreclosure process. Her husband was in jail awaiting his own trial. So, I turned to the lawyer who handled Robert Winters’ estate and he agreed to contact Sherrilyn and set up a meeting.
We all met in a conference room with glossy tables not unlike the one where I’d first seen Huy Pham. That felt like a year ago instead of just a couple of months.
The lawyer, Edward Reese, ushered Sherrilyn inside. “Thank you for taking the time to come in,” he said as she stepped inside.
Sherrilyn dressed much as she did on other occasions. She wore a fitted black skirt and a white blouse with pearl buttons. Her hair was neatly arranged and her makeup carefully applied. Her eyes were clearer than they’d been in the snippet of the police interview I’d seen, but she didn’t look at ease.
Camden and I were already seated on one side of the mammoth table. A nervous-looking Sherrilyn took her seat opposite us.
“Now then,” Mr. Reese said, as he took a seat at the head of the table. “As you know, Sherrilyn, I asked you to come in regarding Mr. Winters’ estate.”
She nodded. “Was I right, then? There was a second will.”
“Not a will as such,” Mr. Reese said. “I’ll let Mr. Bishop explain.”
Her gaze shifted to me, and I felt unaccountably nervous. I hadn’t committed any crimes, yet I felt like the embodiment of Sherrilyn’s disappointment and downward spiral.
“Uncle Robert did leave something for you. It wasn’t in the will.”
I slid the envelope across the table. She picked it up, studying the handwritten name on the front. “This is his handwriting.”
“Yes. There’s a letter. Go ahead and read it. I think it’ll be easier to talk about the rest of our business after you do.”
She pulled out the slip of paper with trembling fingers. Her eyes filled with tears as she read his heartfelt words. I’d gotten a bit choked up myself when I read it. Robert hadn’t forgotten Sherrilyn. He’d loved her, even if he hadn’t been able to show it while he was alive.
Sherrilyn gasped, and I knew she’d reached the end where he mentioned the money.
She looked up at me. “Money?”
I nodded. “We found the letter in the old safe in the basement.”
“He used to keep his savings there,” she said faintly. “He was eccentric even before Aaron died.”
“I know he stashed things around the house,” I said.
“Yes, Aaron told me about it but the only hiding spot I ever saw in person was in the closet of the main floor bedroom. He had a bit of flooring that came loose and underneath he kept a box full of his wife’s jewelry.”
“That’s what you were looking for the day you toured the house?”
Color rose in her cheeks. “I found it, but I didn’t have time to take it. You walked in and I had to quickly slip the floorboard in place and pretend to be looking for something else. It really wouldn’t have been enough to solve my problems anyway. I’m so sorry. Robert and Aaron would both be ashamed of me if they could see me now.”
“You can have the jewelry,” I said. “You can come look through the house. Take anything of sentimental value.”
She looked surprised. “You’d let me do that? After what I did?”
Camden tensed next to me, but he continued to let me do the talking. It was my inheritance, so it was my decision, but I still wanted to know his thoughts.
“Within reason,” I said. “You’d be supervised, and I’d ask that you only take things with sentimental value. Well, anything but the baseball cards. I’m reserving those for a special collector.”
I looked pointedly at Camden, who shook his head at the notion of accepting such a gift. But I wasn’t going to take no for an answer and maybe he knew it, because he didn’t argue.
“Tell her about the money,” Camden said.
I slid a cashier’s check across the table with my left hand. My right arm remained in a sling, and would for a few weeks yet. Then I had physical therapy to undergo. Only time would tell if I would fully recover all the strength and fine motor skill I had before th
e shooting.
“I took the cash to the bank to be counted and had them give me a cashier’s check for the amount. It seemed easier than carting around bundles of cash, even if it’s not Uncle Robert’s preferred method for dealing with things.”
Sherrilyn looked down at the check. “Forty-one thousand dollars?” She blinked. “That’s …”
“It’s not the value of the house, but the house needs a lot of work.”
“Especially after the fire,” Camden said.
Sherrilyn kept her eyes locked on the check in her hand. Slowly, she placed it on the table and slid it across to me.
“Camden is right. You should keep the check to pay for damages.”
I placed my hand over hers, and she looked up.
“Sherrilyn, the insurance will take care of the damages. Take this check. Robert wanted you to have it, and that means something to me.”
I lifted my hand away, and she hesitantly took the check and put it in her purse. “I’m sorry for what I did, but I’m especially sorry for the fire. I don’t even know what I was thinking anymore. That house just represented everything wrong in my life. From the moment I realized I wouldn’t get it in the will as expected, things started falling apart. My marriage, my finances. I was desperate for a solution, obviously. Mr. Reese will tell you that I contacted him several times, trying to understand why I wasn’t in the will. I was so hurt and angry. It wasn’t all about the money. It was about Robert’s promise to me. I felt so betrayed, but in the end …” She motioned to the letter. Her voice grew thick with emotion. “He didn’t betray me at all. If anything, I betrayed his memory. And Aaron’s. I hate that I did that.”
“Sherrilyn, we’re family,” Reid said. “You’re my cousin. Aaron’s death doesn’t change that. I don’t want resentment between us. I’d like to get to know you, to move on from this. If you think you can handle that. I’m not going to give you the house because it wasn’t what Robert wanted. But I hope the money will help your situation a bit.”
“It will. Thank you, Reid. You’re being very gracious.”
Camden’s leg pressed against mine, a comforting touch. I was on the wrong side of him to hold his hand, but I laid my knee against his and exchanged a look with him.
“I do have one last question. For Camden’s sake.”
“Yes?”
“Did you break into his apartment during all of this?”
She looked surprised. “No, I didn’t.”
“That’s what I thought. Thank you.”
Chapter 26
Reid
Camden placed his hands on his hips, squaring off with me in my hotel room where we’d both been staying since I was released from the hospital. I’d treasured every single night of sleep with this man, even when his restlessness caused me some pain.
I admired him, even as we argued over Camden going to confront Austin. I didn’t want him anywhere near his ex, but failing that, I didn’t want him going into harm’s way without me. Austin had taken a swing at him once already.
“Reid, you’re in no condition to be anyone’s muscle.” His eyes lingered on my shoulders and chest. “Though it is such pretty muscle.”
“Muscle’s not pretty, Camden.”
“Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,” he teased. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you were shot only two weeks ago. You’re not in any shape to manhandle Austin.”
Camden was probably right. I still couldn’t use my right arm for much. I had limited movement and no real strength without severe pain. I knew because I’d tested my limits as soon as I got home. I’d be doing physical therapy, and unfortunately, you couldn’t force that to work any faster than the therapist recommended without doing more harm than good. But if Camden was going to be an idiot and refuse to send the cops to Austin’s place, then he was going to take me with him for this little interview.
“You want your baseball cards, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re going to confront Austin to get them?”
“Yeah, but I can handle it. You should focus on recovering.”
I grabbed Camden’s arm with my left hand, pulled it behind his back and used my body to pin him face first against the wall.
He gasped. “Reid, what—?”
I kissed the back of his neck. “I can handle Austin one-handed if need be,” I said, before pushing my hips tighter against Camden’s ass and smiling as his breath hitched. “You’re not going over there without me.”
Camden went rigid under me and I relaxed my hold, concerned I was hurting him. He turned to face me, and his eyes burned with anger. I almost took a step back, and I wasn’t easily intimidated.
“You don’t make decisions for me. I’m not helpless. I’m an adult, and I am in control of myself. No one else. Never again.”
“Oh, babe—”
“If that’s what you want, we can end this right now.” He deflated, most of his anger gone, replaced with resignation. “I really like you, Reid, and I’d like be with you for as long as you’re here. But I won’t be treated that way ever again.”
I raised my left hand to his cheek, and brushed my knuckles over his soft skin. The man barely had to shave.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just a little overprotective, you know? Like you said, it hasn’t been long since the shooting.”
“You were the one hurt.”
“You were the one with a gun to your head!”
Camden flinched, and I felt bad for bringing the memory to the surface.
“Come here,” I said softly, extending my good arm. Camden allowed me to draw him into a hug. He sank into it, resting his cheek against my chest.
“God, Camden, that terrified me, you know that? I might have been shot, but I thought you were a dead man when I walked in that room. And it would have been my fault.”
“No, Reid,” he murmured. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I brought Lee to Fields. Those men never would have been in your life if it weren’t for my choices. So, yeah, I blame myself for that.”
Camden pulled back and looked up at me. “We’re both alive, and we’re safe now. Right?”
I nodded. “But we’re not the same, Camden. You realize that? You had a gun to your head. You shot a man. You confronted death, and you survived, but that kind of thing affects you. You can’t just shrug it off and move on.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to focus on the silver lining here.”
I kissed his lips softly. “You’re doing a great job. But on the job, they make us see someone when we’re involved in a shooting, and it’s a good policy.”
“You think I should see a therapist?”
“Maybe. You’re suppressing your feelings when you’re awake, but you can’t hide them at night.”
“I haven’t woken up screaming or anything.”
That was true. We’d been sharing a bed since I left the hospital, so I knew it was true. But I knew more than he did how it was affecting him at night.
“You cry while you’re sleeping, Cam. Lots of tears, and sometimes a few words. Sometimes you’re seeing me die. Sometimes you’re talking about dying yourself. Those memories and fears are in there, messing with you, and you can’t ignore them.”
He looked surprised, then worried. “I don’t remember it.”
“It’s in you,” I said, tapping his heart. “You may be blocking it out while awake, but you can’t live that way indefinitely.”
“Will you see someone too?”
“Yeah.” I’d see someone not because I needed to do it. I’d dealt with this sort of situation enough times that I could cope. But I’d gladly see someone if it encouraged Camden to do the same.
He nodded. “Okay, I’ll make an appointment. Now, can I call Miguel and go get my baseball cards from Austin? I really want them back before he decides to throw them out or cut them up to spite me. Assuming he hasn’t already.”
“I know, babe. Please let me g
o with you. I can handle him if I need to, but I think just seeing me there will be enough to keep him from trying anything.”
Cam frowned. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself trying to be some macho bodyguard.”
It was a fair concern. I’d wanted to punch Austin in the face since the day I met him. Knowing how he treated Camden when they dated, I’d envisioned all the ways I’d kick his ass if we ever met on the street. But that’s not what Camden needed from me, and I was in no condition to do it anyway.
“I won’t touch him unless he tries to hurt one of us, okay? But if he sees you with me, he might accept you’ve moved on.”
“Maybe,” Camden murmured. “He hasn’t bothered me since that day at the café with you. I think he gave up when I didn’t come crawling home.”
“Still.”
He sighed. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.” He stuck his pointer finger in my face. “No heroics, though.”
I kissed the tip of his finger. “Deal.”
***
Camden
Seeing Austin again was surreal. Unlike during my visit with Miguel to question him about the break-in at Ivy Lane, Austin was sober. His green eyes were clear when he opened the door and looked from me to Reid, standing just behind me.
“Camden,” he said nervously, rather than the smug way he’d greeted me last time. “What brings you here?”
“I want my baseball cards,” I said.
A wave of fury crashed over me. Austin was more lucid than I’d seen him in months, and that somehow enraged me more than if he’d been a drunken mess. Maybe because I knew he’d understand me and remember what I said. “You’re an alcoholic and an asshole, Austin. You treated me like crap. But to break into my apartment and take the one thing that you knew was precious to me?”
I shoved him in the chest, and he stumbled back a step.
“Whoa, Camden,” Reid said. He slipped a finger through my belt loop, pulling me up short when I attempted to follow Austin inside. “Take it easy.”
Austin didn’t bother to deny it. “I’m sorry! It was a stupid idea.”
