Suspicion of Guilt

by Tracey V. Bateman

  “I figured out where I’ve seen Leigh before.”

  “Is it relevant?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  “I’m working tonight and a call came in from the Glass Slipper.”

  Reece’s gut tightened with dread. Surely Leigh wasn’t…

  “Brandt and I headed over there to break up a pretty big fight. And then I saw her.”

  Reece groaned. “Dancing?”

  “Actually, she was in the middle of the fight,” Sean said glumly. “A guy had tried to do more than watch her dance, and she hit him over the head with a bottle.”

  “In the weeks you two have been dating, she didn’t bother to let you in on the minor news that she’s a stripper?”

  “Guess not. And she’s not apologizing.”

  No, Reece didn’t figure she’d be the type.

  “But remember how I thought she looked familiar?” Sean said. “I’ve broken up fights at the Glass Slipper before.”

  “Sorry, Sean.”

  “Anyway,” Sean said. “Is there any way you can come down here and get her? She needs a ride back to her car, and I can’t get away from here.”

  Picking up Leigh was about the last thing Reece wanted to do with the remainder of his evening. But the poor rookie sounded so blindsided by tonight’s event that he didn’t have the heart to suggest putting the girl in a cab.

  “All right. I’ll do it, but I have to say goodbye to Denni, first.”

  “Thanks, Reece. I owe you one.”

  “Nah, call us even. You’ve helped me out a lot lately.”

  “One more thing. Maybe you shouldn’t say anything to Denni about this. Leigh might get kicked out of the house if Denni knows about the stripping.”

  After disconnecting the call, Reece went back inside. He found Denni in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a mug of coffee.

  “Duty calls,” he said with a smile.

  Denni nodded and stood. “I’ll walk you out.”

  He said his goodbyes to Ruth and Mac and snatched Denni’s hand once they reached the living room. He laced his fingers with hers and led her onto the porch. The dusky night smelled of freshly cut grass, and cicadas broke the stillness of the quiet street with their grating call.

  “I’m sorry to cut our night short,” Reece said.

  “It’s all right.”

  Was it his imagination, or did she seemed relieved?

  “About what I said earlier…” Reece swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean to assume anything about our relationship.”

  Denni smiled. “Let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”

  “I’d better go.”

  She nodded.

  Unable to resist the temptation, he leaned forward and brushed her lips in a quick kiss. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay,” Denni replied softly, obviously caught off guard.

  Reece hopped into his truck and sped off toward the police station. His attention shifted from Denni to Leigh, and anger began to build. How could Leigh take Denni’s kindness and then do something she knew would humiliate Denni if anyone found out? Not to mention the fact that it would break Denni’s heart to discover Leigh was stripping in the first place.

  So, if she was this good at keeping secrets, was she keeping others as well?

  Maybe he’d been right about this one all along.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Reece’s gut clenched at the sight of Leigh wrapped in a blanket. She leaned against a wall, staring at the waxed tile, trying to ignore the stares from a group of teen boys milling around the waiting area.

  The sight of her crestfallen face touched something in Reece’s heart. She looked as if she’d happily sink through the floor. “Leigh.” He kept his voice soft. No use antagonizing her any more than her situation had already done. In a fair fight, Leigh was a worthy sparring partner in their verbal war, but her humiliation put her at a disadvantage. And Reece wasn’t about to give in to the temptation to humiliate her further. There was no satisfaction in that.

  Leigh’s chin rose and her shoulders squared, her body language signaling she was more than ready for anything Reece wanted to dish out. Her lips curled into a mocking sneer.

  “Save it, Corrigan.”

  “I’m here to take you back to your car.”

  She gave a short laugh. “Yeah, right. I’d rather walk.”

  Reece glanced down at the five-inch spikes on her shoes. “Okay, walk then.”

  A pair of the teen boys sauntered past, and sized her up and down. “How much for an hour, baby?”

  Leigh came off the wall, fury blazing in her face. “What did you say to me, you little jerk?”

  Grabbing hold of her arm before she could knock the tar out of the little runt, Reece fixed the teen with a sharp glare. “Do you want to be arrested for solicitation, punk?”

  The kid’s face blanched. “Just kidding.”

  Reece jerked his thumb at the pair. “Get out of here.”

  Leigh’s face glowed red with what Reece assumed was a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Leigh followed without a struggle. Once in his truck, she turned to him. “Don’t say anything to Denni. You know what this would do to her.”

  “Not to mention that it’ll get you kicked out of the house.”

  She snorted. “Forget it. Tell her whatever you want. I’m not begging you.”

  “Let’s say, for instance, that I keep my mouth shut…”

  He felt her shift, obviously listening, although she didn’t respond.

  “Are you going to stop dancing at the club?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I got fired.”

  Relief shifted through Reece. “How long have you been doing it?”

  “A few months.”

  Months. The girl was sneaky. Suspicion burned through him. Sneaky enough to rip off her benefactress and pretend to be the most caring of the bunch? Denni was too loyal to suspect her. But Reece wasn’t about to let it go.

  “What else are you hiding from Denni?”

  “None of your business.”

  He stifled a growl. The girl was a closed book. Worse than that, she’d call his bluff at every turn without batting one of those fake eyelashes, just so he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing her cave. But there had to be a crack in her armor somewhere. And he was just the man to find it.

  “Let me ask you this…how have you been able to keep Denni from finding out? I assume even the other girls don’t know?”

  “Only Shelley.”

  “Okay. So neither of you can be trusted.”

  “Hey. Just because I’m dancing so I can graduate from college doesn’t mean I had anything to do with the stuff going on at the house.” She slammed her fist against the dash and though he hated to admit it, Reece jumped. “Why can’t you get off my back?”

  “Why can’t you graduate without taking off your clothes?”

  It wasn’t a fair comeback. Reece knew that. But his mind had zeroed in on that little comment and he had no intention of going another round with her about whether she did or didn’t lift the computer and stereo from the house. Although a need to pay a tuition bill might explain things.

  “My scholarship was cut off because I had to drop below half time last semester.”

  “Why?”

  “Personal reasons.”

  “Does Denni know about that?”

  “She knows part of it. And I don’t intend that she find out the rest.”

  “Then come clean. Convince me you’re not a thieving little user.”

  She heaved a sigh. “All right. This goes no further than this truck. Do you hear me?”

  “Unless it’s criminal, you have my word.”

  His words obviously touched a chord and she sent him a raking scowl. “I was dating this guy last year and I ended up pregnant.” From the corner of his eye, Reece could see her scrutini
zing his reaction. Years as a detective had taught him to remain coolly detached from shocking pieces of information. This was no different.

  “So you got pregnant. Then what?”

  “I had a miscarriage before I could even decide what I wanted to do. Abortion, adoption, keep it and be a decent mom.” Reece recognized a crack in her shield. But only for a second. She shrugged. “Anyway. I got depressed, started using a little to feel better.”

  “So you dance to support your habit.” He almost laughed. And he’d been starting to feel sorry for the little druggie.

  “I quit using. And that’s the part Denni knows about. She helped me check into a clinic. I don’t have a problem anymore.”

  “Sure. Denial is the first indication you have a problem,” he baited.

  “Ask your little friends down at the bat cave, super-cop.” She sneered. “Do you think the cops would have let me go if I’d tested positive for drugs?”

  She had a point there. “All right. So you stopped using.”

  “While I was using, I skipped too many classes. If I hadn’t dropped out of one—which is what put me below half-time—I would have failed. I can’t afford to have a failing grade on my record if I want to get into a decent med school.

  “A friend of mine from school worked at the club to pay her way through school. So I hooked up with her.”

  “So, how have you managed to keep it from Denni for so long? I heard her call the barbecue shack the other night to check up on you.”

  “Yeah, that’s a rule. She has to do periodic checks.”

  “So?”

  “I worked there for a long time. They cover for me.”

  Reece whipped the truck into the parking lot of the Glass Slipper, hoping no one would recognize him.

  “Look, Corrigan. I don’t like lying to Denni. And believe me, if there was any other way, I’d have quit that rat hole of a job a long time ago.”

  “What are you going to do now? Find another place to dance?”

  A heavy sigh escaped her. “No. I don’t think so. Getting hauled down to the police station sort of cured me of that.”

  Reece nodded his approval. “Good for you. What then? You still have to pay for school.”

  A shrug lifted the slim shoulders. “I guess I’ll have to work two jobs until next semester. I should be able to apply for loans by then.”

  “One question. Why didn’t you just apply for the grants and loans already? Surely with your circumstances, you qualify.”

  “It was too late for this year. Next year is a different story. Until then, I have to do whatever it takes to stay in school.”

  The determination in her voice struck a familiar tone. And even after he watched her walk to her car and slip inside, he couldn’t get the pleading out of his mind. Oh, Leigh had too much pride to ask for help in a blatant manner, but he recognized a cry for help when he heard one.

  He’d given that same cry himself as a kid. He had just needed someone to believe in him. To give him a break so that he could better himself. Thomas and Lydia Ide had answered that call. Had given him the benefit of every doubt society in general had about him. They were that kind of people. But look where it had gotten them—dead. They had believed in all “their boys” and they were dead because of one kid who couldn’t be saved.

  Jonathon was locked up tighter than a nut in a shell. Fifty years to life for the double homicide. It was a good thing he’d turned eighteen a week before slicing their foster parents’ throats while they slept, otherwise he might have ended up in juvie and been released a long time ago.

  Reece’s cell phone buzzed, effectively pulling him from the downward spiral of darkness that this line of thinking always led to. Reece sucked in a lungful of air and exhaled, pulling the phone from his belt.

  “Yeah.”

  “Reece?”

  Denni’s sweet tone spread over him like warm oil, relieving the tension in his gut. “Hi, I’m glad you called.”

  “You are?” The surprise in her tone sent a shard of guilt through him. Did she really have to wonder how he felt about her?

  “I’m more than glad.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. I was afraid having dinner with my dad and Ruth might have scared you off.”

  Not a chance. Her brand of spicy-sweetness had wrapped him like a cozy, freshly washed comforter. And he had no desire to break free. He heard her hesitate, and he spoke up quickly, “What are you wearing?”

  She gasped. Heat shot up the back of his neck like a fire updraft. “I’m not being perverted. Just wondering if you’ve already dressed for bed. I thought we might go out for coffee. I know an all-night doughnut shop.”

  “All right.” Her simple acceptance of his invitation made his heart soar.

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Denni sprang into action, slinging open her closet door. “Ten minutes, ten minutes!”

  Where were her button-fly Levi’s? Where were they?

  Rissa! She had asked to borrow Denni’s favorite jeans last week. She must not have returned them. “Rissa!”

  She continued to riffle through the closet at breakneck speed. She could hear the sound of footsteps bounding up the stairs. Seconds later, the door flew open. “What’s wrong?”

  Dad stood, breathless, worry lines creasing his brow.

  Rissa peeked over his shoulder.

  “Rissa, where are my jeans?”

  “Jeans?” Disbelief flooded her face.

  But Denni didn’t care. Reece would be here in five minutes, and she needed those jeans!

  “You mean to tell me you screamed bloody murder over a pair of britches?” Mac shook his head in disgust.

  “Yes I did. Reece will be here in a couple of minutes to get me, and I need my jeans.”

  “What do you mean he’s coming to get you?”

  “That’s wonderful, Denni, darlin’. Your jeans are in my closet. I’ll just go get them.”

  “Oh, Mac,” Ruth said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Leave her alone so she can get dressed. After all, it’s our fault they had to cancel their date.”

  “Well, I don’t think it’s a very good idea for her to be going out this late.”

  “It’s only ten o’clock.” Ruth chuckled. “Come on let’s go so she can get ready.”

  Cate and Fran wished Denni a nice time and wandered back to whatever they were doing before Denni’s outburst. Shelley remained, her face twisted in disapproval. “Why are you going out with this guy, Denni? He’s only dating you to try to pin the robbery and all the accidents on one of us.”

  Stung, Denni slowly nodded. “I guess that’s possible, Shell.” After all, what could he possibly see in the likes of her?

  “I didn’t mean it like that, Denni. You’d be a good catch for any lucky guy. I just mean that he’s playing you. Don’t fall for him.”

  “Here’s the jeans.” Rissa showed up at the door and tossed Denni the jeans. “Put them on. I’ll get you a shirt.” She stopped and surveyed their faces. “What’s wrong?”

  Shelley pushed past her, knocking against Rissa’s shoulder. “Nothing.”

  “What was that all about?”

  Denni slipped the jeans over her hips and sucked in to fasten all five buttons. “Shelley is concerned about Reece’s motives.”

  Rissa tossed her a green pullover top with a V-neck and short-short sleeves. “Wear this. Green brings out the hazel in your eyes. His motives for what?”

  “I’ll freeze in that shirt.”

  “Take a jacket. Here.” She handed her a faded denim jacket that exactly matched the jeans. “His motives for what?”

  “Dating me.” Denni shrugged into the jacket and surveyed her image in the full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door. Shelley was right. What was Reece’s motive?

  “Oh, Denni. Don’t listen to her.” Rissa slipped her arm about Denni’s shoulders. “There are lots of reasons Reece, or any other guy for that matter, would want to spend time with
you. Your gorgeous eyes and auburn hair are only two of those reasons. Your goodness balances out his suspicious nature. Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.”

  “No. It isn’t. Reece isn’t a Christian.”

  “Oh.”

  They both knew the implication of that. Denni made a face in the mirror. “What am I doing? I can’t date Reece. Shelley’s probably right, anyway.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with Shelley lately. But don’t let her get to you.” Rissa drew a deep breath. “As to dating Reece. That has to be your decision.”

  The doorbell chimed below. Rissa headed for the bedroom door. “I’ll leave you alone.”

  Denni gave herself one more critical glance and grabbed her purse. She had only one real choice. Reece would have to understand that they could be friends, but nothing more. She would have coffee with him and break off any chance of romance between them.

  Feeling right about her decision, she descended the stairs. He looked up when she walked into the living room. His eyes roamed over her, appreciation written on his face.

  Denni’s heart jumped.

  Oh, Lord. Give me strength.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Staring into Denni’s pale face and misty chocolate-brown eyes, Reece felt as though he’d been sucker-punched. Suddenly the warm doughnut on the table in front of him held no appeal and the one he’d already consumed sat anchored like a ball of lead in his stomach.

  “You’ve got to be kidding. You’d really let something like religion stand in the way of whatever this thing is between us?”

  “What exactly is this thing between us, Reece?”

  He shrugged. Closing off his heart seemed to be the only sensible option considering she’d already made her intentions known. “Maybe nothing. Probably nothing.”

  Denni didn’t look any happier than Reece felt. Reece could have kicked himself for allowing his heart to get involved. He knew better. He’d sort of known Christians didn’t go for guys who didn’t go to church, and still, he’d allowed himself to fall for this one-of-a-kind woman sitting across from him.