Southern Romantic-Suspense Boxed Set (Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel Book 0)

by Carmen DeSousa

  He accepted Chad’s outstretched hand; it was clammy. “Mr. Wilkinson, do you mind if I use your office to ask Ms. Reynolds a few questions?”

  “By all means,” Chad said, gesturing that he should make himself comfortable. “I’ll cover the desk, Brandy. Would you like some coffee, sir?”

  Damn, he was polite, too polite. He didn’t like it. “No, thank you.” He gestured with his head to the desktop computer. “Is this Cassandra’s computer? Where you found all her info?”

  “Yes, sir.” Chad leaned over the desk, wrote something on a piece of paper, then handed it to him. “Everything is password protected, but she used the same password. Help yourself to whatever you need.” He removed a ring of keys from the desk drawer, similar to the set Brandy had used, and unlocked the filing cabinet. “These are all the files. I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but you are welcome to check.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Wilkinson,” Bearns said, taking a seat behind the desk.

  “Chad … please … everyone calls me Chad. Mr. Wilkinson was my father.” And he turned and left the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

  Bearns asked Brandy all of the run-of-the-mill questions to begin with. It helped him establish a baseline for her reactions and assuage her so that he would know if she was nervous or being untruthful about something. No one liked to be questioned, even if they were innocent, but he found if he could pacify them with normal, non-evasive questions, they would expound to him later when he threw a difficult question at them.

  The young woman explained her relationship with Chad, how long they’d known each other, and that she’d been the first one he called when he suspected Cassandra had left him. Then she admitted that he’d asked her to come over to the house. Bearns raised his head at that comment.

  Brandy quickly defended herself and Chad. “Nothing happened, Detective Bearns, I swear. Chad and I have been friends for years. He leaned on me when his girlfriend had turned him down in December and then again when his parents died. Chad has a troubled past, and he was just frightened to be home alone. He said he had been having terrible thoughts and wasn’t sure how he would live through Cassie leaving him, especially with a baby on the way.”

  He zeroed in on Brandy’s comment. “What kind of terrible thoughts did he say he was having?”

  Miss Reynolds looked down at her lap. “He didn’t come outright and say it, but … I thought he might try to kill himself. When he was fifteen, he attempted suicide after his mother killed herself. It’s a long story, and it really isn’t my place. I’m sure he’ll tell you if you ask, though. He’s pretty forthright about his past.”

  Bearns nodded and went on to his next question. “Had Cassandra threatened to leave before?"

  She shrugged. “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Have you ever seen Chad lose his temper?”

  It looked as though she were struggling with how to answer. Chad was her friend, and she clearly didn’t want to get him in any trouble. Chad had already told him yesterday, of course, but he’d wanted to see how honest she would be with him.

  “Yes,” she finally admitted, exhaling deeply. “I have.” She relayed the same story Chad conveyed the previous day only with not as much detail. She didn’t know the cause leading up to the attack; she only saw the result.

  Bearns looked at his notepad. “And this Tom Turner … you’re dating him?”

  “Yes … or at least we were … maybe not now, though.” She didn’t seem too upset by her admission.

  “Why would you take Chad to his apartment if you believed Tom wasn’t interested in Cassandra or having an affair? You’ve known them both the same length of time, correct?”

  She sighed. “Yes, but Tom has always been a womanizer, and I couldn’t really be sure he wasn’t interested in Cassie … and, I guess I did notice the way he’d watched her when we went out together and here at the store. But Chad … he’s real. He’s trustworthy. I’ve never doubted anything he’s said. We’ve worked together for six years now, and not once has he ever treated me disrespectfully, as the other men tend to treat me. And he dated Michelle for six years, and she was horrible, yet he never treated her wrong. He just always let her do what she wanted.”

  Bearns listened as Brandy rattled off, as so many people tended to do, believing their friends or neighbors could never commit a heinous crime. “Maybe he just snapped? People tend to do that. Like him punching Tom … had he ever done that before?”

  She shook her head and looked around the office. “Not Tom, but he’s gotten into some brawls over the years. He does have a temper. And from what I hear, won’t back down from a fight.” Brandy looked up suddenly, realizing she was talking too much. “But not Cassie, he would never hurt her. He was crazy about her.”

  He folded up his notebook and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. “Crazy can lead to bad things, miss, I assure you. I’ve seen it too many times.” He handed her his business card. “If you think of anything or see something abnormal, please call me. My mobile, as well as my office number, is there. You can call anytime, day or night.” He stood up and headed for the door. “Thank you for your honesty, Brandy. It actually helps Chad when you’re completely honest, and I can see that you and Chad are very close.”

  She nodded, but he could tell she felt horrible about her honesty. She would’ve rather not have told him the entire truth. She clearly had her doubts about something, even though she claimed he was as close to her as a brother.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  It’d been three days since Cassandra’s disappearance, and Chad still had heard nothing.

  He sat at the dinner table alone. He should have just stayed at the store until it closed, but he always had hope that Cassandra would walk through the door and beg him for forgiveness. He wouldn’t care where she’d been or what she’d done. If he could just hold her again, he’d be happy.

  He found Karen’s number in Cassandra’s address book. He didn’t want to tell her that her best friend was missing, but how else would he find out if Cassandra had contacted her.

  Karen started crying on the phone within minutes of his call. “The last time we spoke … she said she was pregnant. She hadn’t mentioned anything bad … she’s crazy about you, Chad. In all the years I’ve known Cass, she’s never been interested in any guy.”

  Tears pricked his eyes. Her words meant more to him than she ever could have imagined. “Thank you, Karen.”

  Karen sniffed. “Another thing … If she’d planned to leave you, she would have called me. She knows I don’t judge. I wouldn’t have questioned her. Not until she’d got here, anyway. You have to make the police believe. Please … give them my number. I’ll tell them.”

  “Thank you, Karen. I’ll call him right now if that’s okay.”

  “Yes … yes … I’ll be home all night. I’m sorry, Chad. Please call me the moment you hear anything.”

  Well, that was one person anyway. He’d always assumed that he wouldn’t like Karen when they met. After talking with her, though, he realized Karen knew Cassie better than anyone did.

  After he hung up, he called Detective Bearns to give him her number. Not that he could learn anything from Karen, but maybe he could gain enough insight to know that he and Karen were correct … Cassandra would never have left willingly.

  Bearns didn’t answer, so Chad left a message for the detective with Karen’s contact information.

  As soon as he hung up after leaving Bearns a message, the phone rang in his hand. He looked at the ID. Brandy. Probably checking on him again. She’d called him every night.

  “Hey, Bran.”

  “Chad?” Her voice cracked on the other end of the line. She sounded frantic. Oh, God, what had happened? “Have you seen the news?” she continued. “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he went to the living room and clicked the remote. It was on the local station; he hadn’t watched anything but the news in the last few days. A reporter faced the ca
mera, while behind him, a circle of men and women in dark blue jackets with the word ‘police’ written in large yellow letters, watched a tow truck haul a car out of the lake.

  “Chad?” Brandy’s voice shouted, demanding an answer.

  “Oh, dear God, Brandy.” Chills ran down his arms as tears stung his eyes. “Is there … did they say … is there a —” He couldn’t form the word, and Brandy was hysterical on the other end of the line, asking if he was okay. Of course, I’m not okay, he wanted to scream, but he found his senses after a few seconds. “I have to call Detective Bearns. I’ll call you back.”

  He hung up the kitchen phone, found Bearns’ number on his mobile, and then called the detective again. His hand shook as he tried to hold the phone to his ear. His heart thudded so hard in his chest it became difficult to breathe.

  “Bearns,” the gruff voice answered. It sounded as if he were outside.

  Chad couldn’t speak. He gulped down the lump in his throat as he tried to stop the agony thrashing to escape his lungs.

  “This is Bearns,” the detective repeated.

  “Detective Bearns,” Chad mumbled, unable to impede the tears pouring from his eyes as he tried to word his question. There was no doubt it was Cassandra’s car. The TV indicated a live feed. He watched as they pulled his wife’s Mustang from the lake. “It’s Chad Wilkinson … the TV … they’re pulling — it looks like my wife’s car … on the news.”

  “I’m here, Chad. And yes, we’re pretty certain it’s your wife’s car; the tag matches.” The detective’s voice was calm and professional.

  “Is she —” God help him. Please, God, he begged internally, let her not be in the car.

  “No, she’s not inside, but that doesn’t mean anything. The windows are down … she could have tried to escape, or someone could have lowered the windows, knowing it would sink faster. We’ll be dredging the lake to see if we can find her.”

  “So, she could still be alive?” he asked, but then shuddered. She could also be dead. Cassandra hated heights; she could have panicked. He remembered the day he jumped into the lake with her, and she had kicked feverishly to the surface.

  Why had he let her drive to the appointment? So he could raft a river. What was wrong with him? Tom had been right … he didn’t deserve her. Even Tom had said not to leave her alone. But he’d left her, and now she was probably dead.

  “I’m going to need you to come into the station tonight,” Bearns continued, ignoring his question.

  He nodded, though Bearns wouldn’t see his consent through the phone. His throat felt dry, and he was shaking uncontrollably. The phone trembled in his hands, and his vision had gone blurry. “Yes,” he finally spit out. “Call me when you’re ready,” he said, disconnecting the call.

  He walked upstairs, directly to the bathroom and pulled down the bottle of Valium. There were enough. It’d be better if he had alcohol; that’s how his mother had done it, so much easier than hanging oneself. He would have done it correctly the first time if his father hadn’t removed all the drugs and alcohol from the house after her death.

  He emptied the contents of the bottle into his hands. There was no alternative for him, no way to endure the pain. He knew the agony of losing someone all too well and couldn’t tolerate it again. Not Cassandra … he couldn’t live without her; she was his life.

  “Please forgive me, Lord,” he prayed, and then he collapsed.

  “Chad … Chad! Wake up!” Cool hands supported his neck. “Did you take these? Chad, please wake up!”

  Chad’s eyes rolled back into his head, trying to bring her face into focus. “Cassandra?”

  “No, Chad. It’s Brandy. Did you take these pills? Do I need to get you to the hospital?”

  He struggled with his memory. “I don’t think so … I wanted to, but then the room went black. I don’t know. I can’t think. They found her car, Brandy.”

  “I know,” she cried. Her hands shook as she held him … or was he shaking? “Chad, don’t you ever scare me like that again. I was so frightened. It’s going to be all right. I don’t know how, but I swear to you, it’s going to be all right.”

  Chad didn’t see how. Nothing would ever be right. He didn’t know what had happened. He’d wanted to take the pills, he had them in his hand, but then he’d prayed and everything had gone pitch-black. He still wanted to die, but Brandy was correct. It was wrong. She would be hurt. But how could he go on without Cassandra?

  “I don’t want to live, Brandy. It’s my fault. I should have been there to drive her —”

  “Shut up, Chad! Just shut up! Cassie was fine. Do you think I would have let her go if she wasn’t? This isn’t your fault, and I still don’t believe she’s dead. Do you want to be like that stupid Romeo from Shakespeare? They didn’t find her. What if she showed up and then you were dead … .what then? Then it would be your fault … she’d be like Juliet. So just shut up before I have you locked up!”

  He closed his eyes, blinking back tears. “I may be locked up anyway. Detective Bearns thinks I did it; everything points to me.”

  “What?” she shrieked. “What are you talking about?”

  “He said I have to go to the station … that can only mean one thing. They think I did it. They found some proof that makes me look guilty.”

  Brandy stood and helped him stand beside her. “I’ll go with you. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

  “I’m sorry, Brandy. I didn’t mean —”

  “Shut up, Chad! If you value my sanity, just shut up. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. I thought we were family. What would I do without you? Who would screen my potential suitors?”

  Was she really making jokes at a time like this? That was Brandy, never completely serious. It was what made her so easy to get along with. She was always so carefree. Actually, she reminded him of Jasmine. She didn’t have book-smarts, but she was street-smart, and she was quick as a whip.

  She could lash someone to pieces if she so chose. Luckily, she was so kind most of the time, at least to him; she didn’t use her talents on him. He’d seen her lose her temper with others, though. Her mom for one, she hated her mother.

  “Do you mind if I clean up before we go? If the detective plans to incarcerate me, I’d like to start with a hot shower?”

  “Fine!” she snapped, but then reached down and scooped up the Valium that had spilled to the floor. “Do you know how guilty I would have felt if you died taking drugs I gave you? In fact, I would be the one thrown in jail since I was the one who gave them to you in the first place. How would you have felt then?”

  “If I was dead … I guess I wouldn’t have felt anything.” It sounded as though he was joking, but he wasn’t.

  “Nice, Chad,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So I’m gonna have to watch you around the clock now? I do have my own life you know.”

  “I’m fine, Brandy … you can leave now. I’ll be safe in here … I don’t use straight razors.” He pushed her gently out of the bathroom and then closed the door behind her. Once the door closed, he called out to her again. “I’m sorry, Brandy. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

  It was after nine when they finally arrived at the station. An officer directed Brandy and him to a waiting area, but it’d been more than a half an hour, and he still hadn’t seen Detective Bearns or anyone else.

  Chad’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at the ID and sighed. He wasn’t in the mood. He handed the phone to Brandy. “Please …”

  Brandy looked at the ID and sighed as well, but answered. “Hello, Michelle.” Chad could hear the disdain in Brandy’s voice; she hated Michelle.

  “Cassie, is that you?” Michelle’s voice came back abruptly, as if surprised to hear his wife answering his phone. “But they just said on the news —”

  “It’s not Cassie; it’s Brandy.”

  “Brandy? Why are you answering Chad’s phone? Where’s Chad?” she demanded.

  Chad leaned his head back against the wall an
d exhaled loudly. He could hear Michelle’s severe tone from where he sat. As if she still had the right to question who answered his phone.

  “Because he doesn’t want to talk to you,” Brandy snapped. “I think he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to speak to you ever again.”

  “Humph!” Michelle proclaimed. “So his wife has been missing for three days, according to the news, and he’s already got you in his bed, huh?”

  Chad grabbed the phone from Brandy before she could comment. “What do you want, Michelle?”

  “I just wanted to see if you needed anything, Chaddy.” Michelle instantly put on her sweet voice. Oh, she knew how to toss around that southern charm, but he wasn’t one of her city boys or enlisted yahoos she was accustomed to dealing with. It’d stopped working on him years ago.

  “Don’t call me that, and I don’t need anything from you unless you know where my wife is. Do you, Michelle? Do you or your lowlife brother know where my wife is?”

  Brandy glared at him, still refusing to believe that Tom could have anything to do with Cassandra’s disappearance.

  “I warned you she would leave you, Chad. You’re too intense. Just listen to you. If you didn’t kill her yourself, you probably drove her away.”

  “I swear to you, Michelle … if I find out you had anything to do with her disappearance, I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands.” His voice sounded menacing even to him. He hadn’t even known where the words had come from. Brandy flinched beside him. What an idiot. Why did he let the woman incite him? But then he realized he’d really screwed up because standing across the room was Detective Bearns. “This conversation is over, Michelle.” Disconnecting the line, he stood.

  Bearns said nothing as he held the door for him. Chad turned around and looked at Brandy. She looked as scared as a bird perched on a limb. As if she thought a hawk would swoop in and attack.