Tears blurred her vision and she suddenly felt a wave of loneliness so great and vast she almost cried out. A hand on her shoulder had her looking up.
“Sweetie, you need to take a break.”
Keeley could only smile at her friend. “You’ve been here the same amount of time I have.”
“I’ve been in and out of this office half a dozen times, and you haven’t even noticed.”
Taking a trembling breath, Keeley stood and stretched. The pop in her neck told her she did indeed need a break.
“Why don’t you get something to eat?”
“I’m not—”
“Keeley, your clothes are practically hanging off you … your body’s not designed to be thin.”
Even though her friend’s comments were said out of love, Keeley couldn’t help the inward wince at her words. Stephen had often made pointed comments about Keeley’s flaws, particularly when it came to her body. Her ongoing weight issue was one of the reasons he’d built a running trail for her. Having her stay in shape had been important. Why, she had no idea, since his interest in her had waned only a few months after their marriage.
Jenna continued, “If you don’t start taking care of yourself, you’re going to get sick.”
“You’re right … I know. It’s just hard to—”
“I know it is, but you have to take care of yourself first. Okay?”
“I’ll go make myself a sandwich or something. How’s that?”
“Use extra mayo.”
A surge of affection went through her. This nightmare would have been so much worse if she hadn’t had Jenna standing beside her. Leaning down, she enveloped the smaller woman in a big hug. Jenna stiffened as she always did, but that didn’t stop Keeley. She was a hugger; Jenna wasn’t. Everyone needed hugs, whether they returned them or not.
Leaving her friend ripping into a stack of mail, Keeley headed to the kitchen. A motion outside caught her attention. She walked toward the double doors that led to the front porch and looked out the window.
Cole Mathison was getting into his car in the driveway. Now dressed in tan khakis and a royal blue shirt, he once again did that something to her heart he’d been doing since she met him. What was it about him? Admittedly, he was a handsome man, but there was something else there … something she couldn’t place. Something that told her this man had more to him than just good looks. There was depth there. Dependability. Trustworthiness. Characteristics her handsome husband had sadly lacked.
How she knew there was more to Cole Mathison, she couldn’t really say. Other than the interview and the illicit peeps she took when he was outside for his run, the most she’d seen of him was the back of his head. After saying a brief good morning, he left each day. Where he went and what he did during those hours was a mystery. She’d mentioned his absence to Eden, who’d said that Cole was talking to the townspeople. She’d assured Keeley he was working very hard on her case.
The citizens of Fairview had been questioned extensively already. Just how much more could Cole learn by talking to them? Though she’d told him of Elizabeth Fairchild’s antipathy and influence, he was no doubt getting the full flavor of it. The townspeople wouldn’t talk. Most of them worked in businesses owned by the Fairchild family and would be too fearful to speak out.
If they spoke out against anyone, it would be Keeley. Would Cole understand this? She told herself what he thought of her personally shouldn’t matter. Getting her children back wasn’t predicated on anyone having a good opinion of her.
Usually she could shrug off the negative stuff people thought about her, but she couldn’t this time. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Cole Mathison’s opinion did matter. She told herself it was because he was searching for her babies.
Her babies. Nothing had happened. It had been almost two months and there had been no reliable sightings, no clues. She’d stopped watching the news. Couldn’t bear to see their faces flashed on the screen while strangers speculated on where they were, who had taken them, and whether they were alive. She knew they were alive! A mother would know these things about her own children. It was all she had to go on … the only hope she had. They had to be alive.
No one needed to tell her that the longer they were missing, the lower the chances of her ever seeing them again. But she would never give up hope.
Someone, somewhere, had her children. It was still so hard to believe that not only were they gone, but that someone could be doing this to hurt her. Why? Who could she have angered so much?
If only this person would identify themselves, tell her what she’d done wrong, she would apologize profusely, literally beg if only they would return her children. Whatever it was they wanted, she would gladly give it.
eight
“So you’ve known Keeley most of her life?”
“Yep.”
The clink of silverware and the hum of low-key conversation from the patrons of Lilly’s Diner shouldn’t have been able to drown out Dwayne Henderson. However, the man’s apparent discomfort in talking to Cole made him mumble his monosyllabic answers.
Cole leaned forward, hoping if the guy thought no one other than Cole could hear him, he’d be willing to say more. “You went to school with her?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How well did you know her?”
A halfhearted shrug.
“Do you know her children?”
“No.”
“Do you know anyone who dislikes Keeley?”
A headshake.
“How about her husband? Did you know him?”
The first enthusiastic nod. “Oh yeah, he was a fine man. Such a shame what happened.”
Maybe if he could get him talking about Stephen Fairchild, the man might open up more. “What did happen?”
Dwayne mumbled as he looked down at his plate. “You know … he died and all.”
Since it was a bit more involved than just a mere death, Cole had to add, “He was abducted … no one was ever charged with that.”
“Yeah, that was a real shame.”
“Do you know anyone who disliked Stephen?”
His head shot up with a rapid headshake. “Oh no, everyone liked Stephen. He was a good man.”
Wondering if the shock factor would work, Cole leaned back into his chair and said, “Couldn’t have been too good and fine … he cheated on his wife.”
His lips pursed like he’d eaten something sour. “Yeah … well. That’s what she said.”
According to the reports Cole read, just days before Stephen was abducted, rumors of the man’s numerous infidelities had run rampant. His wife had not been responsible for those rumors. They’d spread like wildfire and not a soul had been able to tell him where the information had come from. Cole was getting a grim picture of what Keeley had faced most of her life. Arrogant self-righteous idiots.
“Several women admitted they’d had affairs with him.”
Another halfhearted shrug.
Cole ground his teeth in frustration. Getting information from the citizens of Fairview, South Carolina, was like chiseling granite with a plastic spoon. Southerners were known for their hospitality and openness. Fairview had apparently never gotten that memo.
Either the South had changed since he’d lived in it, or this town was an exception to that rule. Someone was keeping them from talking. His number one and only suspect was Elizabeth Fairchild.
“Were you in the same class as Keeley?”
“Yeah.” Dwayne looked at his watch. “Look, I got to get back to work. Nice talking to you.” He stood, put a small tip down for the waitress, and walked away.
Cole clenched his jaw to keep from snarling out a sarcastic reply. Making the townspeople angry would get him nowhere. Hell, what was he thinking … he was getting nowhere.
“I went to school with Keeley, too.”
Cole looked up into the worst bloodshot eyes he’d ever seen. His clothes ragged and torn, the poor guy looked as though he’d had a hell of a life. He
also looked years older than Keeley.
“Oh, I know I don’t look like I went to school at all, but I did. Keeley was a couple of years behind me. But it was a small school. Everybody knew everybody.”
What the hell, no one else would talk to him. Cole pulled out a chair for the stranger and watched as he plopped down with a tired sigh.
“So tell me about Keeley.”
He smiled, showing that it had been years, if ever, since he’d visited a dentist. “She was the nicest and best-looking girl in the county. Of course, she was the poorest, too. Even poorer than me. Kids used to make fun of her … wearing hand-me-downs and the like. She was always neat and clean as a pin, but she was dirt poor. There was no hiding that. People used to say all sorts of bad stuff about her mama, too. You know, her not being married when she had Keeley. But neither one of them ever let on that any of that bothered them.”
As Cole listened to Myron Gurganus, he became convinced not only that Myron had indeed gone to school with Keeley, but that the man might well be the fount of information he’d been digging for.
“Keeley didn’t have many friends in school. Jenna was about the only one who’d have anything to do with her. They went everywhere together, like two peas in a pod. Keeley was always so sweet and pleasant. Never had a bad thing to say about anybody. Of course, when she got to be a teenager and started looking like she does now, the boys took a shine to her.”
Despite his determination to avoid the thought, a vision of the dark-haired and curvaceous beauty appeared in his mind. Keeley Fairchild had the kind of exotic looks and figure that made grown men drool. If she looked like that in school, he knew exactly how the teenaged boys of Fairview County High School had reacted. Like ravenous wolves.
“She didn’t pay them no mind, though. Even when she started winning all them awards, she never got the big head.”
“Awards?”
Myron nodded. “For running track. Won several state finals … mostly long-distance running. Paper only printed one little article about her, though.”
“Why’s that?”
“Don’t really know. Made the excuse they had too much news that week or some such thing.”
That seemed odd. Why would the town’s newspaper not write an article about a local student winning a statewide award? Keeley didn’t have a lot of friends because of her poverty, but would that have made a difference to a newspaper? Had someone perhaps pulled strings and prevented them from publishing the article? Someone like Elizabeth Fairchild? But why would Elizabeth hate a teenaged Keeley? From what he’d been able to glean from the few people who would talk to him, Stephen only started seeing Keeley well after she’d graduated from high school.
“Can you think of anyone who would hate Keeley enough to want to take her children?”
Myron’s face drooped with sorrow. “I wish I could tell you something about that. I’d do just about anything for Keeley, but I don’t know anybody who’d hate her that much. Townsfolk might not like her, but I don’t know of anybody that hates her … other than old lady Fairchild, that is.”
“Do you think she’s capable of doing something like this?”
“Oh, she’s capable all right. She’s ’bout as mean as they come.”
Cole had yet to meet the woman, but he already shared Myron’s opinion of her.
“You’re the first person to open up about Keeley. Most of the people act like they know nothing about her.”
Myron snorted. “That’s ’cause old lady Fairchild thinks she owns everybody in town. She don’t own me, though.” His eyes gleamed. “You got a pen and some paper?”
Cole pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket and handed them to Myron.
“I’ll give you some names of people who’ll talk to you. A lot of them have been down on their luck at one time or another…. Keeley’s one of the few people who’ll give them some work or a helping hand. Not a lot of people know about her doing stuff like that, ’cause … well, that’s just the way she is. But these people here … you tell ’em Myron sent you. They’ll tell you what kind of lady she is. They ain’t beholden to Elizabeth Fairchild, so they’ll talk and tell you the truth, too.”
Myron scribbled several names on the pad and handed it back to Cole. Then, with a dignified nod, he stood and shuffled away. Several people in the small diner glared at him, which, by the small chuckle Cole heard as Myron went out the door, seemed to amuse him.
Cole got to his feet. As he made his way through the diner to pay for his meal, he could feel the stares boring a hole into his back. Elizabeth Fairchild had to be very pleased with how the townspeople kowtowed to her. Fear of losing your job was a powerful motivator.
He pushed open the diner door and took a moment to survey the small town of Fairview. No doubt about it, the town was thriving. Businesses were open, people were bustling here and there, and the many cars parked up and down the street indicated a steady and healthy clientele. With the economy, most people were struggling these days. The people in Fairview probably felt they had it good. They might have to pay homage to the town’s matriarch, but they had jobs, food to eat, and a roof over their heads.
List in hand, Cole went searching for the few people who obviously didn’t have to feel beholden to the Fairchilds.
By the time he drove through the gates of Keeley’s home, he’d talked to three people from Myron’s list. The picture they’d given him was of a young woman who’d suffered prejudice and poverty as a child. And, as an adult, had used what she’d learned to help others.
Lila Atkinson, a young pregnant teen, he’d found working at a daycare center. She explained that Keeley had helped her find a job where she could bring her child with her after it was born and was also paying for her prenatal care.
At the local body shop, he found Buck Stafford, a mechanic who’d lost his other part-time job at a yard service. Keeley had hired him to take care of her grounds. Buck also explained that because Keeley owned several acres, he’d been able to hire two of his friends.
And he’d talked to Myra Redmond, who’d lost her job at the Fairchilds’ mansion after she’d missed a day of work. Keeley had called her the very next day and asked her to help her around the house.
His last meeting had been with Miranda Fairchild. This morning, before he’d left Keeley’s house, he’d called her and she had agreed to meet him at a coffee shop on the outskirts of town. He hadn’t suggested meeting her at her house, since her mother would no doubt be in attendance.
With the exception of her blond hair, Miranda Fairchild looked nothing like her brother, Stephen. She was petite and delicate-looking, with fair skin, light brown eyes, and a serious, somewhat anxious demeanor. At twenty-six years of age, she seemed too young to be so solemn. Perhaps it was her concern for her nieces that made her appear so sad.
She’d offered little information that he didn’t already know, but the statement she’d given him right before he left her was the most telling. He’d thanked her for meeting him and then, hoping to catch her off guard, asked, “Do you believe your mother had anything to do with the children’s disappearance?”
Her soft eyes had hardened. “If I were running the investigation, she would be my only suspect.”
When he’d asked why she thought that, she’d shrugged and said, “Talk to her … then you’ll see.”
Cole had walked away oddly unsettled. Though Miranda seemed sincerely concerned about her nieces, she was also evasive about the day they had disappeared. When he’d mentioned that her daughter, Maggie, had been sick and was unable to go on the picnic as they’d planned, something had flickered in her face that told him that wasn’t the reason they hadn’t gone that day.
The woman was hiding something, but other than accusing her of an outright lie, he could only bide his time and keep a watch on her.
Elizabeth Fairchild was an entirely different kettle of fish. After careful consideration of how he would approach Keeley’s nemesis, he had an idea he planned to implemen
t soon. Even if the woman wasn’t responsible for her grandchildren’s disappearance, she damned well needed to learn some lessons. Cole was of a mind to be her teacher.
Tonight he would be meeting Jenna Banks for the first time. She was having dinner with Keeley and promised to stay until he got there. Just in the five-minute conversation he’d had with her yesterday, he got the impression that Jenna was one of Keeley’s staunchest supporters.
He was beginning to get the idea that Keeley was actually very well liked in Fairview, with the exception of those Elizabeth could influence and buy. The question was, had she paid someone to abduct her grandchildren?
Getting out of his vehicle, he scanned the large, well-manicured lawn. Despite his knowledge that the security system was state-of-the-art and working fine, Cole felt a sudden uneasiness. One he hadn’t felt before.
Standing in the middle of the drive, he made a slow 360-degree turn, inspecting the perimeter. Nothing. Birds continued to twitter as a light spring breeze fluttered the budding flowers of a nearby dogwood tree. Still the feeling lingered.
An urgent need to see Keeley had Cole running toward the house. Jordan was probably still out, but he knew Eden was inside with her. Despite this assurance, he had to see for himself that she was all right.
He unlocked the door, swung it open, and promptly lost his breath. Keeley stood in the middle of the giant foyer. She was dressed casually in jeans and a pink, sleeveless cotton shirt. There was nothing remotely sexy about her clothing. But somehow Keeley made them sexy.
The jeans emphasized her long, shapely legs, and the fitted shirt was just snug enough to hug those luscious curves. Thick, lustrous, shoulder-length hair gleamed blue-black under the large chandelier. A sudden image of that hair spread out on a white pillowcase had him swallowing a groan. Why the hell this woman?
He’d spent as little time in Keeley’s presence as he could. Any information he didn’t get in their initial interview, he could pick up from Eden or Jordan. Spending time with her wouldn’t help him find her children. She was the only person he knew for sure was innocent. But that was only half the reason why he stayed away from her.
Last Chance 05 - Second Chance Page 8
