by Dana Mentink
The fingers felt cold there against her skin, her own feet rooted to the floor. It was as if he’d stepped inside her, peered into the cold dark place in her heart where she herself dared not go.
“I know what it’s like to be lied to. I’m so sorry, Mia,” he said, pupils glittering in the dimly lit office. He leaned toward her and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m dense, sometimes. I didn’t realize. I can help you.”
Standing this close she realized how strong he looked. Her fingers clutched her car keys, and she raised them in front of her.
“I want to leave. Now.”
He laughed and moved a step closer. She was acutely aware of how empty the clinic was, how dark the outer corridors. “You’re a beautiful woman, you know that?” His gaze flickered up and down her body. “You deserve more. I can help you get your life back.”
She pressed back until she bumped into the file cabinets, a metal handle digging into her spine. He put his hands out, kneading her shoulders.
She jerked away from his grasp. “I want to go,” she whispered, gripping the keys. “I will scream the place down if you touch me again.”
He chuckled. “You came here after hours, almost as if you were looking for me.”
The implication was clear. Who do you think they’ll believe?
She gripped the keys, palms clammy, readying herself to gouge and bite and kick. Unsure.
“You’re not seeing things clearly, Mia. You don’t know what’s right and wrong anymore, do you?” The words were almost a whisper, his mouth curved in a soft smile. “You need help.”
Help? Was that what he offered? Her gut told her to run. Should she trust that instinct?
From somewhere far away, she heard herself say, “I want to go. Now.”
“Maybe you don’t know what you want,” he said, eyes glittering.
“Yes, she does,” said a low voice. The doctor was jerked back and dumped in an unceremonious pile on the floor. Dallas Black looked down at Elias, his dark eyes blending with the shadows.
She realized Dallas must have been expecting her to act stupidly and visit the clinic and her cheeks burned, but relief overrode any other sensation.
“I was just fired,” Mia announced. “And now I’m going to leave.”
Dallas didn’t move. “Good. Doesn’t pay to work for dirtbags.”
“Trespassing and assault,” Dr. Elias snapped at Dallas, scrambling to his feet. “I will have you arrested.”
Dallas ignored the comment completely. “Ready to go?” he said to her.
“Get off my property,” Dr. Elias snarled. Gone was the genial smile, any vestiges of warmth, fire blazed in his eyes.
Mia gripped her bag and walked to the door on shaky legs, grateful to have Dallas looking over her shoulder at the doctor. She was desperate to end the situation. Dallas had a complete disregard for rules and she wanted to finish the whole confrontation before anything worse happened.
“You are turning away from someone who wants to help you, Mia,” Dr. Elias said, nostrils flared. “And look what you’re walking into.”
“Goodbye, Dr. Elias,” Mia said.
“Don’t forget your flowers,” he yelled.
“Keep them,” she said.
* * *
Dallas’s truck was parked at the curb, and Juno sat next to it. When he saw her his tail went into overtime, and he whined until she gave him a cursory pat. He licked her face.
“If a man approached my ride, Juno would bark up a storm, but with you he’d hand over the keys,” Dallas said. Smart dog.
Juno was once an aggressive shelter resident after having been beaten and starved by a cruel owner. Dallas had spent six months tracking down that negligent owner on his own dime, until the man was charged with animal cruelty and subjected to hefty fines. It wasn’t enough in Dallas’s view.
Mia straightened in spite of Juno’s disappointment and gave him a tight smile. “He must know I’m a cat person and he’s trying to help me see the light.” She paused. “I would have handled the situation, you know. No one will keep me from Gracie.”
“No doubt. I’m just glad I was in the neighborhood.” In truth he’d been driving around town, too restless to stay home, checking the clinic lot every so often in case Mia showed up like he suspected she’d do. “I’m not sure...” She bit her lip. “I don’t know if Dr. Elias was going to hurt me. He said he wanted to help.”
Help? That wasn’t what Dallas had heard in the good doctor’s tone when he put his hands on Mia. “What did your gut tell you?”
“To leave.”
“Then you did the right thing.” Dallas clamped down on the anger that ticked at his insides. His own instincts told him Dr. Elias was interested in much more than Mia’s well-being. He despised the thought of Elias being anywhere near Mia. Or touching her. Or looking in her general direction.
Overprotective, Black.
Overprotective? How could that be when she kept him at arm’s length and he wasn’t interested in a relationship anyway? Whatever the reason, something about her, her strength perhaps, stayed in his mind like a lingering fragrance.
It made him pretty sure that if she knew the real reason he’d come to Spanish Canyon, to protect her without her consent, she’d let him have it with both barrels, but the roses on her desk indicated there was ample cause for him to keep an eye on her.
He’d met Mia at the wedding of her sister, Antonia, to Hector’s brother Reuben Sandoval after the two barely survived a hurricane. Oddly, he’d befriended Antonia three years prior in the wake of a massive earthquake that struck San Francisco where he assisted his brother, Trey, in rescuing Antonia and Sage Harrington, now Trey’s wife. At least Antonia and Trey had both found love matches in the midst of disaster. A memory from that wedding stayed sharp in his mind. Mia’s face torn with sorrow, or was it guilt, cradling Gracie in her arms. Hemingway said people healed stronger where they were broken. Mia, though she didn’t ever discuss her past, was like that, he figured. Sometimes it takes more strength to ask for help than to go it alone, Mia.
He snapped out of his reverie when she sighed heavily. “Go ahead and say it. I was dumb to come here, after hours, in light of all that’s happened.”
He considered. “Yeah.”
“I have good reasons for doing things my own way.”
“Don’t we all.” He tried to catch her eye, but she avoided his gaze. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
“Sure?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” she said with a little too much bravado. He caught the tremble of her lips in spite of the dim light. It made his stomach tighten.
“I’ll follow you home again.”
“I’m fine. There’s no reason.”
“It’s dark, weather’s bad and you were harassed. That’s three reasons.” He opened the door for her.
She rolled her eyes and started to get into the car when the bag slipped from her hands. She snatched it up but not before Cora’s Italian book plopped out. It fell open, and she saw something stuck inside. Picking it up hastily, she said, “What’s this?”
From between the pages she pulled out a four-by-six photo, and Dallas shone his penlight on it.
“We’ve seen this woman before,” she said grimly.
Dallas felt a stir of foreboding flow through his belly. “Running away from Cora’s burning house.”
THREE
Sleep eluded Mia. Though she felt like throwing herself on the floor and sobbing at the loss of her dear friend, she would not allow Gracie to witness such an outburst. The best thing she could offer now was a heavy dose of mothering in between scouring the want ads and internet sites for employment opportunities. A breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast cut into a heart shape, and a half dozen stories later, and Gracie was
content to go into the soggy backyard and hunt for snails. Unless the snails had teeny scuba suits, Mia didn’t think she’d have much luck.
She sat on the couch and considered the facts.
The little house they now occupied was rented. Cora had helped her find the place, and though she received a settlement when she divorced Hector, she steadfastly refused to take any child-support money. Dr. Elias was right. Hector Sandoval was involved in the drug trade, and she did not want a single penny of tainted money to find its way to Gracie.
Hector claimed in every letter that he’d repented, but she did not believe him or any other man for that matter. The most important person in her life was Gracie, and Mia would not fail her. So how could she tell her daughter about Cora? Images of the fire raced through her memory, especially the moment when the red-haired woman had appeared through the smoke. Whoever she was, she had answers. Hopefully, the police chief could help ferret out the truth, though he’d not been able to grant her an audience until the following day. Dallas had advised her to bypass Stiving, and she’d agreed. It was best to talk to the chief. For now, the picture was tucked safely in an envelope in the back of the top desk drawer.
The doorbell rang.
Tina stepped inside, chewing madly on a piece of pink gum with a stack of books under her arm to be perused during Gracie’s nap time. Mia greeted her warmly. The stick-thin college sophomore babysat for Mia during the day and took community classes at night. Since Mia’s nursing school was off due to a semester break, she’d been logging as many hours at Dr. Elias’s clinic as she could and Tina had been invaluable. The two exchanged a quiet talk about Cora’s death, news of which had already spread all over the quiet mountain community.
“Have you told her yet?” Tina asked, discarding her gum into a wrapper and snatching a leftover piece of toast.
“No.” Mia sighed, eyes misting. “I haven’t had the courage.”
Tina gave her a hug which almost loosed the flood gates of emotion until Mia stepped back. “I’m glad you could come today. I’ve got to find another job.”
“Yeah? What happened to the gig at the clinic?”
“I was...let go last night.”
Tina swallowed the last bit of toast. “Oh, bummer. What are you going to do now?”
“Go into town and beat the bushes if I have to. Anything to make the rent.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Mia nodded. “There’s got to be somebody looking for a hard-working gal like me.”
“We are women, hear us roar,” Tina cried, pumping a fist. “Go get ’em!”
Wishing she could share some of Tina’s enthusiasm, she grabbed her bag. After they’d made arrangements for Tina to deliver Gracie to Mia in the late afternoon, she headed for the car.
“Time to hit it,” she murmured to herself. “Hear me roar.”
Fearing that her roar was more like a pitiful mew at the moment, she headed to town.
* * *
After a full day of walking the main streets of Spanish Canyon, Mia had nothing to show for it but sore feet and a rumbling belly. She’d already gobbled her peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich, and at a little past three, her stomach was demanding attention, as it seemed to do no matter what diet she was doing her best to adhere to. Besides, a sign on Sam’s Sammies advertised for “help wanted.”
I’m a master of the peanut butter and fluff, she reminded herself as she entered and introduced herself to the owner.
Sam Shepherd, a massive man with sprigs of white hair sprouting from the top of his head met her inquiry with enthusiasm. “Sure thing. Why don’t you fill out an application?” He pushed over a greasy piece of paper affixed to a clipboard. “Say, I was sure sorry to hear about Cora.”
She nodded. “Me, too.”
“You know her well?”
Mia only managed a quick yes.
He raised a bristly eyebrow. “Heard talk that it wasn’t an accident.”
She hadn’t noticed Detective Stiving sitting in the corner booth until he spoke up. “Looking more and more like that’s the case,” he said.
A moment later, Dallas strolled in, surveying the group with quiet amusement and causing Mia to wonder about the timing.
“Well, Sam, seems like business is picking up,” Dallas said.
Stiving chewed a pickle spear. “What do you want?”
Dallas arched an eyebrow. “A sandwich. Isn’t that why you’re here?” He smiled at Sam. “The usual, my good man.”
“Vegetarian with extra mustard and no eggplant, heavy on the jalapenos,” Sam rattled off.
Dallas slouched into a chair, long legs extended. “Don’t let me interrupt.”
Mia felt the twin pangs of affection and irritation at seeing Dallas there. She wanted the man out of her life, yet why did something inside her warm up whenever he appeared? Was he keeping tabs on her? The thought both infuriated and tantalized her.
Focus, would you? “I’ll just fill this out,” she said to Sam, making her way to a chair well away from Dallas.
Stiving followed her. “You might not want to take a new job, just yet.”
Something about the gleam in his eye worried her. “Why?”
“Because it seems you’re an heiress.”
She blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Just got word that Cora left her house and property to you. Of course, the house is pretty messed up, but the twenty acres of property, well that’s worth a nice tidy sum, I’ll bet.”
Mia realized her mouth was hanging open. “Cora left her property to me?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Of course it does. I had no idea.”
“That right?” He wiped his thick fingers on a paper napkin. Graying chest hair puffed out at the top of his uniform shirt. “No idea at all?”
“None. What are you implying?”
“Cops, you know, look at these things called motives. Inheriting a nice chunk of land is motive.”
“For what?” Mia managed to squeak out.
“For murder,” he said with a smile.
* * *
Dallas moved closer when it seemed as though Mia was unable to marshal a response. “What do you have that points in that direction?”
Stiving leveled a derisive look at him. “Not that it’s your business, but the coroner’s initial take is that Cora didn’t die from the fire.”
Mia let out a little cry, her face gone deadly pale.
Dallas tensed. “Cause?”
Stiving stretched against the upholstered booth. “That’s as much as I’m going to say right now. You all have a great day. I’ll be in touch. Soon.”
He left. Dallas realized that Sam had been standing just behind them holding a sandwich on a plastic plate. “Uh, well, I’m real sorry and all that, Mia, but maybe Stiving is right. With everything going on, it doesn’t seem like a good time to have you start working here.”
He shoved the plate at Dallas and waddled back to the kitchen.
Dallas dropped money on the counter, no tip, and left the sandwich on the table. By the time he’d finished, Mia had made her way outside, sinking onto a brick planter, oblivious to Juno, who had been watching through the window the whole time, swabbing an eager tongue over her hand.
Dallas sat next to her. Dark clouds overhead promised more rain and dulled the soft brown of her eyes. Or maybe it was the shock that did it. What to say to comfort her in the present situation eluded him, so he went with his gut.
“They don’t have any proof. He’s trying to rattle you.”
The words seemed to startle her. “He thinks she was poisoned with the pills I got for her.”
“Speculation and proof are two different things.”
“Juno knew
there was something in those pills.”
“Doesn’t mean you put it there.”
She pressed shaking hands to her mouth. “I can’t believe it. He wants to put me in jail. I can’t go to jail, Dallas.”
Her voice broke and it killed him. “You won’t.”
“But my past...isn’t lily white.”
“Whose is?” He wanted to smooth away the furrow between her brows, the agony in her expression. “It was self-defense before. Totally different. Your ex admits that now.”
Her eyes rounded. “Have you been studying my past?”
Smooth, Dallas. Why don’t you explain how you know every detail of her life? He went for casual. “Heard it somewhere.”
She was too upset to think more about it. “Maybe I should leave here,” she whispered. “Go back to Florida.”
His pulse accelerated the tiniest bit. He said as gently as he could, “Thought you wanted a fresh start.”
“Away from the Sandoval name,” she finished. “I do, but my past seems to have followed me here.”
And did her husband’s past have anything to do with her current situation? He did not see how it could, but it was his job to find out. He’d made a promise. “There was someone else at Cora’s house who could have tampered with the pills. We just have to figure out who the woman in the photo is.”
Mia chewed her lip. “This is a nightmare.”
“We’ll fix it.”
Her eyes flickered at the pronoun.
We? When had loner Dallas Black begun to think of them as partners? The only partner he’d ever really trusted was the kind covered with fur and with a tendency to slobber. “Look who’s just hit town,” he said as Gracie broke away from Tina and ran to them, splashing through the puddles on the sidewalk.
“Hi, Mr. Dallas. Hi, Mommy. I’m here,” she announced, heading straight for Juno to give him an ear rub. “Tina said we could get ice cream.”
Mia recovered herself to give Tina a stern look.
The girl shrugged. “Sorry. I can’t say no to those dimples.”
