Burned by Deception (The Dark Side of Springwood Book 2)

by Jennifer A. Brown

  Toby set the tower back behind the counter, putting a Post-It on it. “He’ll be back for this.” He said, writing Sanders on the paper.

  Dan nodded. “I’ve gotta go finish updating the software on that laptop in the back.” Toby said, going into the back room.

  Dan sat behind the counter, mindlessly clicking on links on the computer monitor there, which had the home page of Cyber-Fix’s website on it. He glanced at the site counter which stated there were twenty-two guests online.

  Dan was on the verge of taking a bathroom break since no one was coming in until the last person he ever expected to see entered the store.

  Sarah Long.

  ****

  Justin listened to the garbled and frantic voice on the other end of the line, unsure of what to make of it. It wasn’t until after he put the phone down that he realized Tammy had left the room.

  He cautiously made his way through the hall. “Tammy?”

  She appeared in the doorway of his brother’s room, wearing undies and a form fitting pink tee. Before he could utter another word, she partially hid herself behind the door. “I thought you were your father, Justin. I’d really like to know what’s keeping him.”

  ****

  Jacob clutched his chest and gasped. “Oh, dear God. I need to sit down.” He collapsed into a nearby chair as Robin quickly grabbed a bottled water in the mini fridge under her desk. She opened it up, handing it to him. He was turning pale.

  “Are you okay?”

  He took a big gulp of water before finally rubbing his eye and nodding. “Yes. I think it was another panic attack.”

  Robin eased down across from him, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jacob. This is why I dreaded telling you.”

  He sat back, closing his eyes. “I honestly should have seen this coming, if Tammy has indeed been around that long. Oh, my God…an abortion…”

  Robin sighed. “It’s scary to think of everything her alter might have possibly done.”

  Jacob remained silent for a little while.

  “Are you feeling any better?” Robin finally asked.

  He slowly released a sigh. “No. Not really.” He went on. “So, tell me…is there anything else I should know about?”

  ****

  Once at the hospital, Leslie paced on the phone, trying to dial Jacob’s cell once again. “It’s me again, Jacob. Please call; Ami’s been hurt.” Ending the call after leaving that brief second message, she put the phone back in her purse.

  As a doctor was being paged on the intercom, Leslie put her hands over her eyes trying to regain her bearings. But she couldn’t erase that image of Ami crumpled over John Barnes’ grave.

  She wondered what Jacob could be doing to keep him from calling back. She took another huge breath, trying to calm herself.

  ****

  Fifteen minutes later, Jacob was leaving Robin’s office after reassuring her he was fine. He’d been on the verge of firing her, he was so mad. But with his sister’s trial date looming so close, he felt that may have been too big of a risk. Robin was a good lawyer; he just didn’t like being kept out of the loop. Her teary eyes had been enough to keep him from firing her, but he didn’t think they’d be spending any time together real soon. Unless it was connected to the case.

  Digging his cell out, he started to dial when he noticed two missed calls from Leslie, along with two voicemails. Apparently he had accidentally bumped the phone into silence mode earlier in his anger. Turning it back on, he hit the button to listen to Leslie’s messages as he got into his car and turned the key in the ignition.

  ****

  “Hi.” Dan said, once the shock wore off.

  “Hello.” She replied. “I need a computer. Mine got fried last night. I hear you guys got the best deals so here I am.”

  Dan got up. “Well, you came to the right place. What kind you looking for?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing fancy. Something used if you have it.”

  He nodded, directing her over to the corner display case. After several moments of talk and debate, she went with a used Dell desktop that was only a few years old. As Dan put her order information in the store computer, she spoke. “So, how did—I mean…How are you doing?” she stuttered.

  He looked at her. “I’m managing, I suppose.”

  She nodded, looking down. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to intrude. It’s…well, it’s just that…I felt like an idiot before, getting teary eyed while I told you what happened that night. I really enjoyed talking to you before all that, even if it was only for a short time.”

  Dan got up to grab her receipt that had come out of the printer. He headed back over to her with it. “I should be the one apologizing to you. From the way it sounds, you really got the shaft that night.”

  She managed a smile. “I’m used to it.” She said, taking the printed receipt page from him. “So, can you help me out to my car with this?”

  ****

  Justin froze in his brother’s hallway. “What the hell?”

  “Justin, now what have I told you about using that language?” he heard her say in a scolding tone from behind the door.

  A chill raced through him. Those were their mother’s words.

  He stood there motionless; his eyes trained on the door in horror.

  Chapter 28

  Allen Harrison sat at his desk at home the next day. His laptop sat before him, open to the website for The Springwood Daily Newspaper. The headline for that day was about the credit union which was celebrating their grand re-opening that weekend. It was a story he’d approved only twenty-four hours before.

  But his mind was not on the newspaper or any of the stories before him on the web page. His mind was on the untold story which had unfolded at the cemetery the previous day.

  He couldn’t help but wonder just how many secrets the Barnes family had.

  ****

  Jacob awoke that morning and showered before Lyn awoke. He promised Leslie he’d be there at the hospital today. After calling her back yesterday evening to find out how she was, he told her he was in no shape to deal with it that night. Not after what Robin had confessed to him.

  His head spun even after he got home to find his brother pacing in the front room, freaking out over their mother’s personality apparently showing herself to him. Jacob had ended up yelling at Justin, telling him to get out, that he couldn’t deal with any of it right then. Justin of course had left pissed, muttering curses.

  After that, he had briefly checked on his sister to find her laying on his bed sound asleep. He’d crashed on the sofa, tossing and turning all night before finally getting up to go shower.

  As he dried off, he could hear the phone ringing. Figuring it was probably Leslie with news on Ami, he quickly wrapped a towel around himself and hurried out to answer it.

  ****

  Allen Harrison waited patiently on the other end of the line as it rang. On the fourth ring, Jacob picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Jacob. Um, if you’re not too busy today, I’d like to get together and talk.”

  ****

  Tammy rolled over, stretching in bed. She opened her eyes, gazing at the wall across from her. Her stomach growled loudly with hunger.

  She blinked. She didn’t remember eating anything last night. Did she? She remembered Justin stopping by and interrogating her about Leo. The thought of Leo made her smile, remembering his touch yesterday as he had taken her hand and kissed it.

  She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and trying to get her bearings. She took a deep breath, getting up and stepping out of the room.

  ****

  Justin awoke that morning…alone.

  He had come back last night after fighting with Jacob to find a note from Camryn stating she was going to be staying with her brother for a while. He expected it to come to that at some point. Nothing had been right since she lost the baby.

  Justin used the bathroom before going into the kitchen to tr
y to make some coffee…only to find none in there. He settled for milk and a peanut butter sandwich, annoyed at how fast the food supply had went down.

  Most of his anger was at his brother at the moment, though. His careless and useless brother. He wanted to keep their sister in that house but not lift a finger to uncover things to try and help her. He was mayor now. He could do whatever he wanted. He had the power to really pull through for Lyn. That pissed Justin off even more.

  In frustration, he threw his empty glass against the wall where it shattered.

  ****

  Tammy made her way out to the kitchen, pausing as she heard Jacob’s voice.

  “Sorry, Allen, today’s not going to be good for me. What’s this about?”

  She walked over to the entranceway of the front room, gasping a little, seeing Jacob in only a towel. A few moments later, Jacob sighed, running a hand through his damp hair.

  “Um…look, I’ll give you a call when I leave later today, and we’ll set something up. Yeah. Bye.” He put the phone down, holding his head and standing still.

  She bit her lip as he turned around, spotting her. “Oh, hey, Sis. Sorry, I didn’t know you were up.”

  ****

  Dan sat at home on his computer, viewing the invite he’d been sent online for a New Year’s Eve party one of his and Jacob’s old friends were having. He hadn’t even thought about what he’d be doing on New Year’s Eve. Last year, he spent it with Jacob downing wine coolers and throwing darts at a bar in town. He shook his head, amazed at how much had happened in just the past year.

  Dan glanced at the Cyber-Fix business card near his mouse which had Sarah Long’s number on the back of it. She hadn’t given it to him personally, but they had to take down every customer’s information like that. After he’d helped her out to her car with the computer, he’d helped himself to her number, not really knowing if he’d ever actually call it.

  New Year’s Eve was less than five days away, and she could already have plans. Hell, she could be working.

  Danny clicked on the Maybe icon on the screen as it refreshed.

  ****

  Tammy smiled, trying to turn herself back into Lyn, but it was hard. She’d never seen Jacob in a towel before. “Who was that on the phone?”

  He shook it off. “Just some business I need to handle.” He went on, noticing her trepidation. He paused by her in concern. “You doing all right?” he asked, gently touching her shoulder.

  She closed her eyes, willing her hormones to calm down. “I’m okay.”

  He gazed at her with concerned eyes as she opened hers. “Okay.” He continued as her stomach growled loudly. “Get yourself a bite to eat.”

  He patted her shoulder gently, disappearing down the hall. She released a breath she had no idea she’d been holding.

  ****

  Leo was lying back playing a game on his PlayStation console…trying to forget kissing Jocelyn Barnes’ hand. It was all part of the plan, but it still made him sick, knowing she was not only his sister but a murderer.

  He just had not planned on Justin Barnes showing up. Jocelyn had directed her attention away from him briefly after he had kissed her hand, and when he turned to see what the distraction was, he momentarily freaked. He had turned to her saying he had to get going and would call her soon. He heard her try to protest, but he wasn’t about to stay any longer than he had to and risk Justin getting a good look at him. And he was pretty sure Jocelyn would tell him his real name, since he had been careful not to reveal to her there was a reason to keep it a secret.

  He had not told her because there was no need. If things went as planned, she wouldn’t be around long enough for it to matter.

  ****

  Four hours later, Allen Harrison sat at a booth at the new restaurant near the newspaper offices. He was pushing the ice cubes in his drink down with his straw when Jacob arrived. “Thanks for meeting with me, Jacob.” He said, clearing his throat before continuing. “How are things coming along with Lyn?”

  He nodded. “Actually, they’re better. She gets her bandages removed Monday.”

  Harrison’s eyebrows rose. “Did she lose much hair in the blaze?”

  Jacob bit his lip, looking down. “I don’t know.”

  Harrison kept his gaze trained on Jacob. For the first time, Jacob felt uncomfortable under it. A silence fell between them before a waitress came over for his order.

  Harrison then sat back and took an envelope out of his coat pocket, setting it on the table between them. Jacob frowned as Harrison removed some folded sheets from it.

  “This came to my wife in the mail today. She asked for a list of doctors accepting new patients.” He showed the page to Jacob he had highlighted. “This Dr. Havash? He is the same one who prescribed Tammy Cauley birth control.”

  Jacob peered at the highlighted information before turning back to Allen. “Yeah, but what are the odds this is the same guy? All these foreign doctor’s names are alike.”

  Allen closed his eyes and sighed huffily. “Jacob, I know you don’t want any of this to be true—neither do I, okay? I operate the newspaper it’s all eventually going to end up in. But you have to look into this. If you don’t, I will.”

  Jacob sat there not saying anything for a while. He stared at the paper in front of him before releasing a heavy sigh.

  Finally he spoke.

  “Ok. I will.”

  ****

  After having waffles and frying some bacon, Tammy got dressed. She pulled on a hoodie of Lyn’s and a pair of sweats.

  She took a deep breath, looking through Lyn’s cell phone a few minutes later. She paused on the number Leo had given her just yesterday. She smiled, remembering his face. She was so drawn to it, yet still had no idea why.

  She was about to press the call button when the phone vibrated with an incoming call. She beamed, answering it. “Hey there. I was just about to call you.”

  “Were you?” he replied. She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Yeah,” she replied, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush. With a dreamy smile, she wandered around the room, narrowly missing one of Jacob’s tennis shoes.

  “I was wondering if you have any plans for New Year’s Eve.”

  She stopped at the other end of the room where Jacob had a framed photo of him and Dan sitting together in a bar or restaurant. They each smiled at the camera, Dan looking like he may have actually been laughing when the picture was taken.

  “You still there?”

  Tammy blinked, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “Do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?” he repeated patiently.

  She sighed. “My brother hasn’t said anything about it, so no.”

  “Then let me be the first to ask you out for dinner and dancing,” he went on. “What do you say?”

  ****

  Jacob went directly to his office at City Hall after leaving the restaurant. He was sifting through paperwork on his desk, feeling like sweeping it all off the desk.

  Harrison was right. So right, it made him mad. He didn’t want to look into any of this because it would all make it more real. He wasn’t ready to do that, but he had no choice except to be ready for it.

  He stopped sifting through papers when he finally came to it. The piece of mail he had received from The McGregor Women’s Clinic. With a few moments of hesitation, he tore into the envelope.

  It was a letter from the director asking for the mayor’s support in putting a levy on the ballot in November. The letter had been written only a week before the clinic shut down in August. He grimaced, putting the letter down and holding his head.

  Chapter 29

  Robin lay back on her sofa, with her laptop before her, working. As she saved the document she was working on, her cell rang. She quickly picked it up, pausing shortly to glance at the number. It was Lyn’s landline.

  “Hi. Justin?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.” His forlorn voice replied.
“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you; I know it’s a weekend. I just don’t know who else to turn to.”

  “It’s okay, Justin. What can I do for you?”

  He sighed heavily. “I am just really worried about Lyn. I don’t think staying with Jacob is the best idea in the world.”

  Robin frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  He proceeded to tell her the latest incident. She sat up, moving the laptop. “Well, Justin, you do need to take into account your brother is dealing with a lot. I’m sure he didn’t mean to be so harsh.”

  “Robin, you’re not getting it.” He went on. “I don’t care how he is with me. He could have slammed me against the wall for all I care,” he continued. “I can deal with Tammy a lot better than he can. I just think it would be best if Lyn came back to her apartment. I’m here now, and I’m not mayor with a hundred more important things on my plate to deal with. I can keep a better eye on her than Jacob.” He concluded after a short pause. “The question is, can she move back here?”

  ****

  Monday arrived so quickly. The weekend never lasted very long, Dr. Havash thought as he finished going over a patient’s file before setting it back in the re-file bin.

  It had been quite a busy day. He had seen new patients all morning. Apparently, the flyer that the Springwood Medical Association had printed and sent out for him had done wonders.

  He smiled to himself as he went to see his next patient. Everything was working out much better than he could have hoped for or planned. It really did seem like The McGregor Clinic mess was truly behind him, thanks to the great work of his lawyer.