Shadow of Doubt

by Abbie Zanders

  “Kylie, this is ...” Kate hesitated.

  “Brian. Brian Sheppard.”

  “Nice to meet you, Brian,” the younger woman said, moving closer. “I’m Kylie, Kate’s sister.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to Kate. “Thanks for the rock salt and for the cookies.”

  Her eyes brightened again. “You’re very welcome.”

  Mad Dog turned to go, and the sister, Kylie, stopped him with a hand on his arm.

  “Since you’re in a giving mood, maybe you’d like to buy some tickets to tonight’s spaghetti dinner at the fire hall? Ten bucks a ticket, all you can eat. And I’ll bet you can eat a lot, can’t you?” Her hand moved up to his bicep and squeezed. “Wow.”

  “Kylie,” Kate warned in a low growl. The sound skittered happily through his chest.

  Kylie dropped her hand. “Kate’s cooking, you know. If you think her brownies are good, you should try her meatballs.”

  “In that case, I’ll take two tickets.”

  Kylie smiled triumphantly, and then a horn sounded out front, drawing her attention. “Oh, there’s Chad. I have to run. Later!”

  She scampered off, leaving him at the counter with an embarrassed-looking Kate.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “My sister’s ... well, she’s ...”

  He laughed. “No explanation necessary.”

  “You don’t have to buy tickets, you know.”

  “I know. I don’t mind donating to a good cause. I won’t be able to make the dinner though, so maybe you can give them to someone who can?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Thanks.” He slid another twenty on the counter.

  “Do you want help getting the salt to your truck?”

  His eyes flicked to the storefront window where he could see Smoke approaching. “We’ve got it covered, thanks. Just head around back?”

  She nodded and handed him the receipt. “Anything else I can set aside for your next visit, Mr. Sheppard?”

  “Most people call me Mad Dog.” He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

  Rather than be put off, however, she grinned. “I bet that’s a story.”

  “See you soon, Kate. And as for setting something aside? Surprise me.”

  “You’re on.”

  Mad Dog once again left the shop, feeling lighter than he had all week.

  Chapter Six

  Kate

  “Where’s your guard dog today?”

  Kate looked up from restocking the shelves to find Luther smiling at her. He appeared freshly showered, the scruff on his jaw somehow managing to look as perfect as the rest of him.

  Scruff on a man shouldn’t look that perfect, as if it had been Photoshopped on there.

  She wondered how long ago he’d had to shave to achieve the effect. Knowing him, he had the timing down to an exact science.

  “Out and about,” she answered.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Ready for what?”

  “To head over to the fire hall. Spaghetti dinner, remember?”

  She had forgotten. Admittedly, her mind had been in somewhat of a fog since Brian Sheppard—aka Mad Dog—left a few hours earlier. She alternated between theorizing how he’d gotten the nickname and marveling over the fact that he’d all but ignored Kylie’s not-so-subtle flirting. That had been unexpected. Most men tended to forget Kate was around when Kylie set her sights on them.

  It wasn’t that Kate had poor self-esteem; she was quite comfortable with herself. Kylie was just that gorgeous. In physical appearance alone, she and Luther would make the perfect couple. They were similarly self-absorbed as well. Still, Kate hoped that didn’t happen. Kylie was a spoiled brat and a pain in the ass, but she deserved better than a serial cheater like Luther.

  Speaking of Kylie, Kate glanced at the clock on the wall. One thirty. Kylie was supposed to have been back at noon to take over the register so that Kate could take care of a few things and be over at the fire hall by two. She’d thought an hour-and-a-half cushion was enough, but obviously, she’d been wrong.

  “I can’t leave. Kylie’s not here yet.”

  “Yes, you can,” her father said, joining them. “I’ve got this. Luther’s going to head over with you.” He beamed at Luther as if he were the prodigal son.

  “Why?”

  Her dad’s gaze shifted to the new display. Luther’s smile was both innocent and calculating. Collusion was clearly afoot.

  “Dad, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?”

  “Sure, Katy-belle.” He smiled, but the look in his eyes suggested he’d rather do anything but. He gave Luther a manly slap on the back and shepherded her toward the door.

  “What are you up to, Dad?”

  “Me? Nothing.”

  Unlike Luther, her father was not an accomplished liar. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and refused to look Kate in the eye.

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “Dad.”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m worried, okay?”

  “Worried?” she asked, confused. “About what?”

  “Kylie told your mother that one of the Sanctuary guys has been sniffing around.”

  “Sniffing around?” She laughed. “Dad, he bought rock salt, just like half the people in town.”

  “She also said he bought a couple of tickets to the dinner tonight.”

  “It’s for a good cause. So?”

  “So ... I’d feel better if someone I trusted was around, just in case there’s any trouble.”

  Kate blinked. “What kind of trouble?”

  Her father shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. “Look, honey, Matt Winston’s father and I were friends; you know that.”

  She nodded.

  “And I think what his boy is doing up there is a good thing in theory, but some of the things I’m hearing have me concerned.”

  She had a few ideas who had been spouting some of those “things.” Jerry Petraski had been coming by a lot lately, and it was no secret that he and his brother-in-law, Daryl Freed, weren’t big fans of the Sanctuary project.

  “It’s not like you to listen to gossip, Dad. Aren’t you the one who’s always told me to judge a person based on his actions, not on hearsay?”

  “Yes,” he said, drawing the word out. “But ...”

  “No buts. The man was very respectful and polite. He only bought those tickets because Kylie had put him on the spot. In fact, he was adamant about not being able to attend and asked me to give them to someone who could.” Kate raised up on her toes and kissed her father on the cheek. “I love that you worry about me, but I’m a big girl.”

  “I know. Just humor your old man for one night, all right?”

  She glanced over to where Luther was pretending not to be watching and listening. “All right. But we are going to talk more about this later.”

  He nodded, looking relieved. “Fair enough.”

  She patted his arm, and he opened the door for her.

  Not only was she irritated that her father was allowing some of the local big shots to color his opinion about the Sanctuary guys, but she was also annoyed that he’d enlisted Luther as her escort.

  Her steps were quick.

  Luther caught up when she was halfway across the street. “Don’t be angry with him, Kate.”

  “I’m not angry with him.”

  “You’re angry with me? What did I do?”

  They reached her porch. Jabbing her key in the lock, she twisted and opened the door with more force than necessary.

  Once they were inside and away from prying eyes, she let him have it. “This has to stop, Luther.”

  “What does?”

  “You pretending to care about me.”

  He straightened his spine. “I do care.”

  “As a friend? Yeah, okay, I’ll accept that. But stop making my father and everyone else think that you want more than that.”

  “What if I do?”
>
  Luther was good; she’d give him that. The way he hung his head and looked at her with soulful eyes, she could almost believe he was sincere. But she knew him. Better than everyone else did, apparently. His dashing good looks weren’t the only thing that made him a candidate for Hollywood. His acting skills weren’t too shabby either.

  “If you did want more, sleeping with half the women in town while you were seeing me wasn’t the best way to show it.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Ancient history. And don’t act like I’m the only one at fault for what happened between us, Kate.”

  “Excuse me? I wasn’t the one who cheated.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe if you’d made more of an effort, I wouldn’t have—”

  The irritation she’d been feeling instantly turned to something darker. “Get out,” she commanded, pointing her finger at the door.

  He clamped his lips together to halt his protest when he saw the tears welling in her eyes. She wasn’t hurt; she was angry. The waterworks threatened every time she felt strongly about something, whether it be hurt, outrage, or happiness. It was probably the most girlie thing about her, and she hated that she couldn’t control it.

  “I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean that.”

  “Yes, you did. And so did I. Please leave now.”

  His jaw clenched, and he squared his shoulders, stubbornly remaining in front of the door. “I promised your father I’d look after you tonight, and you agreed.”

  She growled under her breath. He was right. She would be having a talk with her father about this, but it would have to be tomorrow. She was already running late.

  “Fine. But I’m driving.”

  She changed quickly, then put out fresh water and a bowl of kibble by the doggie door she’d installed in the kitchen, just in case Duke made it back before she did.

  Any hopes she had of Luther changing his mind and bailing were dashed when she found him wandering around her living room, looking at her stuff. Pictures mostly. She was old-fashioned that way. Despite having thousands of digital images on her phone, she liked having framed pictures around, too. Just as she had hundreds of books on her e-reader but took great satisfaction in displaying her favorite paperbacks and hardcovers on her bookshelves.

  “What happened to the pictures of us?” he asked.

  “I burned them.”

  He smirked because he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t actually do that. She’d taken them out of their frames and put them in an album she kept in her bedroom closet. Not because she still had feelings for him, but because she kept pictures of everyone who had played a significant role in her life over the years. They’d led her to where she was in one way or another, and she thought it was important to remember the good and the bad.

  Luther wisely remained silent on the short drive over to the fire hall. Once they got inside, Kate made her way to the kitchen, and he joined some of his buddies at the bar.

  Over the next couple of hours, more people arrived. The Meals on Wheels crew was there, but because it was such a huge event, plenty of others were, too, including some of the cooks from Franco’s Italian restaurant. Kate remained in the kitchen, her head down and her hands busy for most of the night.

  Thankfully, the dinner went well, and the evening progressed peacefully without any incidents. She wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t really thought there would be despite her father’s concern.

  By the time the clock hit seven, things were beginning to slow down in the kitchen and get rowdier in the banquet hall, and Kate was ready to call it a day.

  “Do you mind if I make up some meals to go and deliver them before it gets too late?” she asked Martha, who had become the unofficial leader of the kitchen crew. “I can come back afterward and help with the cleanup.”

  “Not at all,” Martha assured her with a smile. “That’s very kind of you, taking food out to the folks who couldn’t make it in. And don’t worry about coming back. We’ve got plenty of people to help with that.”

  “Thanks, Martha.”

  Kate assembled about a dozen takeout meals and put them into a box by the door, ready to go. She’d used the last of the containers in the kitchen in the process, so she decided to run down to the basement and restock in case someone wanted to take some leftovers home. She stopped by the bar on the way to let Luther know, but he wasn’t there.

  “Hey, Lenny. Have you seen Luther?”

  Chief Petraski’s son looked over the tap he was manning and shook his head. “Hey, Kate. He was just here a few minutes ago. Must have gone to the men’s room.”

  “When he comes back, tell him I’m going to be heading out soon, okay?”

  “You got it.”

  Kate went back to the door that led to the basement and made her way down the stairs. As the spirited commotion from above grew fainter, other sounds became audible. They were spirited sounds, too, but of a decidedly different nature.

  Heavy breathing. Soft moans. The quiet slap of flesh on flesh.

  Thankfully, the audio porn was coming from behind steel shelving units on the right, and what she needed was on the left side of the room, away from the happy couple. She kept her steps light, though the way they were going at it, she doubted they would hear much of anything short of a stampede.

  Good for them. Kate sure wasn’t getting any. She was glad someone was.

  She grabbed a stack of takeout containers and was halfway up the stairs when a female voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Oh, Luther! Yes! Yes!”

  Kate quickened her steps, no longer concerned about making noise. She took the takeout containers to the kitchen, said a quick good-bye to everyone, and then grabbed her coat and the box of to-gos before leaving.

  Less than ten minutes later, her phone rang. Through the wonders of Bluetooth, an automated voice informed her that Luther was calling. She ignored it and let it go to voice mail. He called twice more before she made her first stop. That was when she shut off her phone.

  Kate was seething. Not because Luther had been with another woman—a leopard didn’t change his spots—but because he was lying to her family and making fools of their faith in him. She wasn’t sure what he was playing at or how it benefited him, and at that point, she didn’t really care. She just wanted it to stop.

  If she was honest, she never had understood Luther’s sudden interest. It didn’t make sense.

  In high school, he’d dated the entire cheerleading squad, plus prom queens—junior and senior year—and the homecoming court. It was quite a shock when, a few years after he returned from college, he started calling her.

  Sure, his father had recently died, and as a result, Luther hung out at her parents’ place more. She was a good listener, but she was no dainty size two. She was a fit size ten, pushing precariously close to a twelve after the holidays. She preferred outdoors to indoors, loved camping and fishing, and could change a tire in ten minutes flat.

  Not Luther’s usual type.

  Her parents were thrilled with his sudden interest, however. They’d always liked Luther. And Kate was ashamed to admit, she was rather flattered, too. She even told herself that it was a sign of his maturity. That Luther had evolved to the point of looking beyond the superficial facade to see the person beneath.

  She’d been so, so wrong about that. Worse, she seemed to be the only one who saw it.

  Kate pushed Luther from her thoughts. She’d already wasted enough energy on him. Instead, she chose to think about a large, handsome man with a great smile who had purchased entire plates of brownies and tubs of cookies and tickets for a fundraiser he had no intention of attending. Those thoughts were far more pleasant.

  As she left the last stop on her list, she saw a familiar figure waiting patiently beside her Jeep.

  “Hey, Duke. Where have you been, buddy?”

  He got to his feet and greeted her as if he hadn’t seen her in days instead of hours.

  She opened the passenger door, and he
jumped in. As she climbed in her own side and put on her seat belt, he lifted his nose and sniffed and then looked at her.

  “You know, you speak better with your eyes than some humans do with their words. Yes, you smell meatballs, and yes, I have plenty left over.”

  Apparently pleased with her answer, Duke smiled a doggy smile and got comfortable. He liked her heated leather seats, too.

  Kate pulled out onto Main Street to head home, fully aware that Luther was probably there, lying in wait with some ridiculous story. As she’d decided not to waste any more thoughts on him, she really wasn’t in the mood to listen to his lame excuses, and so she hung a U-ey and went in the opposite direction.

  Despite the dire predictions, the roads remained clear, and the snow had yet to start falling. She thought about the spaghetti dinners she had in the back and had a crazy idea.

  “How do you feel about taking a little detour?” she asked her canine copilot.

  Duke woofed, which she loosely translated as, Let’s do it.

  “Well, all right then.”

  She saw the first flakes falling as she was heading up the mountain, becoming heavier and steadier the farther she went. She wasn’t overly concerned. She had four-wheel drive and more than ten years of experience with driving snowy mountain roads. It was everyone else she was worried about. Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of people out and about.

  Still, she breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the turnoff to the old Winston resort. She popped the Jeep into 4WD High and made her way along the entrance road. Visibility was limited at that point, but she could make out tall trees on either side that kept her on the right track.

  She continued until the long drive ended in a circular roundabout and parked in front of the stately-looking manor. Bright lights blazed, illuminating pine wreaths hung around the exterior and making the place appear both imposing and welcoming at the same time.

  Now that she was actually there, she was second-guessing her impulsive decision to take a ride up and drop off the spaghetti dinners that Brian—uh, Mad Dog—had paid for. The old resort was now more of a compound of sorts, residence to an unknown number of former military men who might or might not take kindly to her uninvited presence.