She folded her arms. “Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t know how he feels. I’m not the same girl I was when you left. This experience changed me. I try to act normal and go about my life, but I’m stressed all the time and things aren’t as easy as they used to be.”
“Things haven’t been easy on me either,” he pointed out.
Her eyebrows rose and her face reddened. “I’m sorry you spent time in prison for a crime you didn’t commit, but you still have your family. You can move on and get over this, start somewhere fresh. I will never get my family back, so please don’t tell me how hard things are for you, Max.”
Damn it. She was right, and there wasn’t much he could say. They both had issues to work out.
“I do love you, Rose.”
“And I love you, but is that enough?”
He shook his head slowly. It wasn’t. As much as he wished things were different, love wasn’t a magic cure to fix either of their lives. “Maybe once I prove that I didn’t kill anyone, maybe then. I don’t mean to keep pulling away from you, but I can’t just start over, no matter what you think. I have to stop whoever killed Sage and clear myself. It’s the only way I’ll ever be able to live a normal life and be happy.”
“Then I guess we’re at a stalemate, because I can’t keep sitting around hoping you’re going to be with me and as committed to it as I am. You are obsessed with this case. We might never find out who killed Sage for sure, and if you can’t move on with me until you know the truth, maybe we’re wasting our time.”
It hurt so bad, hearing her say that. Rose used to be so full of idealism and innocence. She was always the optimist, sure things would work out for the best and never really worried about anything. She was right when she said she had changed. Sage’s death killed her trust and her joy. It wasn’t fair of him to put more pressure on her.
He just had to know one thing. “Are you going to date Calvin if we aren’t together?”
Her mouth opened, then shut again, and she looked away from him. Her fingers twitched in jerky movements and the silence was deafening.
Maybe he shouldn’t have asked, but he really needed to know. When he got his life in order, he and Rose would be together—he’d find a way to win her back. He couldn’t handle the idea of her being with Super Cop in the meantime.
She faced him again, raising her chin in defiance. “That’s really none of your business now. Go away and stop toying with my heart.”
None of his business? “Fine.” He wouldn’t grovel to anyone. If she ended up going to Super Cop, maybe they really weren’t meant to be together. “Look after yourself, Rosemary.”
***
Rose watched Max walk to his car, waiting until he pulled away to allow her tears to fall. So much for a boring night. She wished it had stayed that way.
Max was obsessed with clearing his name. Rose could understand when the killer was making threats against her that Max would want to figure out who it was and stop them, but it had been weeks and they hadn’t heard anything else. It was a tactic to get Max in trouble with the police. The killer wasn’t really after her.
Why did Max care so much what other people thought? It should be her opinion that mattered to him, if he really loved her and wanted her back. She knew he didn’t kill Sage.
She would leave Clarkston for him. Move to a new town and find another place for her mom to live. She’d go anywhere with him, but that didn’t seem to matter. He pushed her away when she offered him herself, and he pushed her away again tonight when she issued an ultimatum. It seemed a future together wasn’t what was most important to him, even if it was all she cared about.
Rose grabbed a tissue and blew her nose loudly, glad no one was in the store to see her break down. Life had been so hard for so long, and when she let herself start falling for Max again, she assumed things would get better. She should have known they wouldn’t.
All she could do now was keep moving along and do her best to avoid him. It would hurt far too much to see him around town, but she wasn’t about to back down from her convictions either. He didn’t chose her. She wouldn’t chose him.
***
Rose woke up all at once, her heart thudding loudly.
Gizmo was snuggled against her side in his usual sleeping position, but purred loudly, signaling that he knew she was awake.
But what woke her? Rose tried to quiet her breathing, listening for any sound in the house that seemed out of place. After several moments of silence, she glanced at the clock. 2:13. She hadn’t been sleeping long.
Moving slowly, she reached for her cell phone that was sitting on the nightstand next to the clock. She didn’t know why, but she had the eeriest feeling someone was in the house.
Her first instinct was to call Max, which irritated her past her fear. She couldn’t lean on him. Calling Cal seemed like a bad idea too. There were three other officers in town. Maybe she should call dispatch and have someone sent over.
The house was still silent, but Gizmo had woken up fully and quit purring. His small body was tense and he kept his eyes fixed on the bedroom door.
She had always scoffed at horror films when people asked ‘who’s there’ like an intruder would answer, but she was so tempted to call out. She’d feel like a fool calling the police if it was all her imagination.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated in her hand. She choked down a scream and dropped it onto the bed.
Gizmo hissed and shot to the end of the bed, looking ready to attack.
A glance at the screen revealed it was Kelsey on the line. Odd.
She connected the call. “Hello?” she whispered.
“Rose, is that you?” Kelsey sounded as tense as Rose felt. “I had the most horrible dream. Are you okay?”
“I think someone’s in my house,” she hissed softly.
“Damn it. I’m on my way.”
“What?” Rose talked louder than she meant to in her surprise. “No. I’ll call the police.”
“I have a gun, Rose, and I’ll be there a lot faster than the cops. Lock your bedroom door and don’t come out until I tell you. I’ll use the hide-a-key.”
Kelsey disconnected the call before Rose could respond. Locking her bedroom seemed like a good idea.
She rolled swiftly off the bed and tiptoed to the door, glad she normally slept with it closed. After turning the locking mechanism, she slumped against the bedroom wall with relief. Kelsey was on her way. There probably wasn’t anyone in the house, but Kelsey had a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it. It would be fine.
The sound of the front door opening a few moments later was a relief, until the thought crossed Rose’s mind that perhaps the intruder was in the bedroom with her already. Him reclosing the door could have been what woke her and Gizmo.
No sooner had she thought it, than she pulled up the flashlight app on her cell phone. She did a quick sweep of the room, not seeing anyone. But that didn’t mean they weren’t in the closet or under her bed.
From her position at the edge of the room, she crouched down, flashing the beam underneath the bed. Her heart constricted when the light fell onto a black shoe. Hardly daring to breath, she swept the light upward, revealing only empty space.
Rose felt weak as the realization hit. That was one of the hideous shoes she’d bought for work and had only worn once because they pinched her feet. She was going to donate them but forgot.
That didn’t rule out the closet.
As quietly as she could, Rose tiptoed to her nightstand, wondering if there was anything inside she could use for a weapon. Slowly she slid the drawer open, though it scratched loudly and the sound seemed amplified in her heightened state.
Gizmo ran up along the bed, bumping his head against her shoulder when he reached her.
She carefully pushed him away and looked inside. A flash of metal glinted in the flashlight, and Rose nodded to herself. She was glad now that she’d stuck a screwdriver in there after using it a few weeks earlier instead of putting it where
it belonged. It wasn’t very long, but better than nothing. Rose found the plastic handle and pulled it out of the drawer, gripping it tightly and holding it like a knife in front of her.
She took another deep breath and crept for the closet. As she moved, she heard the sound of her front door closing again, and she wondered if Kelsey had left.
Listening intently at the closed closet door, she didn’t hear movement or breathing inside. If someone was in there, they likely already knew she was standing in front of the closet. She’d only have one chance to blind them with her light and stab them with the screwdriver. She’d never done anything violent in her life, but if someone was in her closet, they weren’t planning anything good.
Forcefully, Rose pushed back the sliding door and shined her light inside at head height. The beam fell across hangers and her clothing. It took a minute for her brain to register that no one was inside, and then her hands shook so hard with reaction that she dropped the phone and the screwdriver.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door and Rose screamed.
“It’s me,” Kelsey said. “Open up.”
Rose ran for the door, fumbling with the lock and yanking it open. “Kelsey? Was anyone here?”
Her friend shook her head. “This is the only room I haven’t checked.”
“I checked it. It’s empty,” Rose said in a small voice. “I’m a freakin’ wuss. I need you to teach me how to use a gun or something.”
Kelsey flipped the light switch on, and the room seemed less ominous. She reached out and grabbed Rose into a hug. “Yeah. I think we should plan that sometime. I was so scared when you thought someone was in here.”
Rose choked out a laugh. “You were scared? Ha. I about pissed myself.”
“Me, too.” Kelsey admitted with a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“What made you decide to call?” Rose asked. Sure, Kelsey was her best friend, but she’d never called in the middle of the night before.
Kelsey chewed on her bottom lip. “I had a dream that Max attacked you and you were bleeding to death. I could see you, but I couldn’t get to you. When I woke up, I was so afraid that I had to call. I decided you would forgive me for disturbing your rest.”
“Max wouldn’t do that,” Rose said automatically, defending him once again. “It’s Jimmy we have to watch out for.”
Kelsey’s eyes widened and Rose wished she hadn’t blurted that last part out. She shouldn’t spread stories, especially not when Calvin was investigating Jimmy.
“Funny thing,” Kelsey said, “Max came into the diner this evening and threatened Jimmy pretty bad. Told him to stay away from Julie Barns.”
Rose nodded. “I know. He told me.”
“So you saw him?” Kelsey frowned. “I wish you’d be careful.”
Even though Kelsey’s disapproval still annoyed Rose, she bit back her impatience. After all, Kelsey had rushed over in the middle of the night, gun blazing, in order to protect her. “Max won’t be a problem anymore, I don’t think. We had a falling out.”
“Uh, oh. What happened?”
Yeah, right. Kelsey must be really broken up with grief by that news. “He and I basically agreed that we’ve changed a lot of the years and maybe we aren’t compatible anymore. I told him to leave me alone.”
“Are you okay?” Kelsey patted Rose’s shoulder. “I know I’ve been hard on Max and don’t really like him, but you love him. I hate to see yet more sorrow in your life.”
Rose shrugged and smiled when Gizmo hopped off the bed and wound around her legs, purring loudly. “I have you to talk with and Gizmo to cuddle. What do I need with a boyfriend?”
Chapter Twelve
The week passed uneventfully. Max worked hard in his uncle’s garage, and even though a few people had expressed disapproval at Max being back on the staff, business was steady enough that they opened Saturday morning. Uncle Frank had been worried about bringing Max back in, afraid he’d just have to let Max go if people stopped coming by. Luckily, Clarkston’s residents weren’t willing to drive to another town to have their oil changed and their car troubles looked at, no matter who worked in Frank’s garage.
Although Max had driven past Rose’s house a few times over the week, he hadn’t stopped. She’d been clear about her feelings, and he needed to focus on finding the killer anyway.
His cell phone buzzed inside his pocket. Max wiped grease off his hand on the cleanest towel he could find and pulled it out. Julie’s number showed on the caller ID. “Everything okay?” he answered.
“Hello to you too.” She giggled. “I’m fine, just checking in.”
“Jimmy’s still staying away?” It was their routine every day. So far, Jimmy hadn’t shown up on Julie’s doorstep since Max talked to him. In fact, he’d been fairly scarce around town.
“I haven’t seen him,” she replied. “I did, however, hear an interesting rumor while I was at the diner this morning.”
Interesting, huh? Max was learning to hate interesting. “What’s that?”
“Jimmy’s little posse said he’s certain you’re going to kill him next, and that’s the reason he’s been hiding out.” She laughed. No wonder she sounded so pleased today.
“I’m really not surprised. I did my best to scare him.” However, that meant Jimmy was still spreading around the idea that Max was, in fact, the killer. He wondered if people were getting tired of listening to it yet. They brought their cars to the shop for him to work on, so it looked promising.
“Well, it worked.” Julie cleared her throat. “Um, I don’t know if you want to talk about this, but there’s something else I want to tell you about that conversation this morning.”
Julie had become fairly confident and open with Max over the week, so it alarmed him slightly that she sounded out of sorts now. “You can tell me whatever you think I need to know,” he said, picking his words carefully.
“Okay. It’s just that Rose was working and overheard Jimmy’s posse talking. She got really pissed and kicked them out of Francine’s for spreading lies about you.”
Max smiled. No matter how she might fight it, Rose couldn’t stop the feelings she had for him. “Have you heard whether she’s dating anyone else?” He’d told Julie about the fight he and Rose had, but maybe her sticking up for him changed things somehow. As long as she wasn’t dating Calvin, that was.
Julie sighed. “You’re so exasperating sometimes! Why don’t you swallow your pride, tell Rose she’s right about everything, move in with her, and start making babies? Calvin’s watching Jimmy now, so you should move on with your life. Rose loves you. You don’t have to prove your innocence to her.”
Didn’t he? “But what about her mom? Ginger deserves closure, and she’s not going to accept me back into the family until she knows I’m innocent.”
“You left that night and Sage was with me. You were acquitted. Maybe that’s enough proof for Ginger to realize you’re innocent.”
How could he find out if it would be? He was fairly certain Rose hadn’t told her mom about his return. From what he could tell, most days Ginger didn’t even know what year it was or who Rose was. Rose probably wouldn’t want to upset her by telling her Sage’s accused killer was released.
“I don’t think Ginger knows I’m here,” he finally said.
A loud puff of air came over the line. Julie was losing patience. “If you think it’s so important, go see her. Tell her the truth and see what happens.”
“No.” Max shook his head and leaned against the Chevy Malibu he was supposed to be working on. “She’s too fragile for that.”
“Fine. Spend your life in unhappiness if that’s what you want. If it were me and my life, I’d crawl back to Rose and beg forgiveness, but I guess that’s just me. Talk to you tomorrow.”
The line went dead in his ear. Apparently Julie thought he was being an idiot. Maybe he was. Did proving his innocence really mean more to him than having a life with Rose? That was insane.
He pulled her n
ame up on the phone, but hesitated before hitting send. She had expressed concern in the past about how Ginger would handle the news of Max’s release. Maybe Julie was right. He should tell Ginger himself.
If he talked to Ginger and it upset her, he’d leave quickly. But maybe he could get through to her. Let her know he didn’t kill Sage, and that he was in love with Rosemary and wanted to be with her.
The worst that could happen was he wouldn’t be allowed into Brentwood to see her. But it would be better if Rose didn’t know he was going.
Then she couldn’t stop him.
***
Max pulled up at Brentwood Asylum around 6:00 that evening. He didn’t know anything about the schedule for Brentwood’s patients, but hopefully Ginger wouldn’t be at dinner. He had to work later than planned when two cars showed up for an oil change right before closing time.
Walking up to the door of the asylum, Max could understand why Rose was so upset about leaving her mom in this place. The outside was rundown and in need of a fresh coat of paint. The yard was overgrown and gave Max a creepy vibe.
Shouldn’t mental patients be kept in a relaxing atmosphere? This was anything but relaxing.
Trying the front door of the complex, Max found it unlocked and walked inside. A large reception desk dominated the room, but no workers were in sight. Max searched for a call bell or something to alert someone to his presence, but found nothing. How did they keep an eye on patients with an unlocked front door and no nurse guarding it? Residents could get out anytime they wanted to.
A small giggle came from behind him. Max whirled around, expecting to see a child.
An elderly lady stood in the reception area, her hands clenched over her mouth as her eyes danced with joy. She giggled again through her fingers.
“Hi.” Max smiled at her, trying to seem open and friendly. “I wonder if you can help me?”
She giggled, but nodded her head.
“I’m looking for Ginger Spelling. Do you know where she is?”
The woman grabbed his hand, and without a word started down the hallway at a brisker pace than Max expected. Before long, she stopped at a doorway and dropped his hand, pointing to the door. She giggled, waved, and walked away.
Murderous Lies Page 9
