Deception in the Truth

by A. B. Medley

  He crinkles his nose at me. “What do you mean, V? You didn’t attack me.”

  “No, but I’m sure you were attacked because of me. They were coming after me and did what they could to hurt me, by hurting the people I love.” He reaches for my hand. “Don’t be hard on Sterling. He’s grieving right now. So am I. I never stopped,” I almost whisper as another tear drizzles from my eye.

  “I’m here for you, V, in whatever way you need.” He pulls me to him as we stare out from the edge of the outlook.

  Somehow getting that out in the open with Dean takes a weight off my chest. I just hope he doesn’t throttle Sterling the next time he sees him.

  “V, you still didn’t tell me what he did to upset you.”

  “He didn’t just upset me, I upset him too. We have some issues to work on,” I admit.

  “I’m not the same guy I was back then. I would rather walk through fire than to ever hurt you or make you cry.” He rubs my back as he talks.

  I sit upright. “I know you’ve grown and changed. We all have. I don’t doubt that you’d never hurt me intentionally, but you have to know that I love him.”

  He pulls his hand back. “And you don’t love me, is what you are saying.”

  “I do love you, Dean. I always will. You were my first love. My first everything. You will always hold that place in my heart, no one else. But I love him in a different way. We’re linked by a child. Even though we never got to hold that child, that connection is still there.”

  “I’m going to sound like such an ass when I say this, but how do you know the baby was his and not mine?”

  I blink a few times, looking at him to see if he’s serious. “I’m one hundred percent sure it was Sterling’s baby. We hadn’t even slept together at that time for about two months. I knew something was up, and you’ve just explained what. Now it makes sense. But yes, the baby was Sterling’s.”

  I stand. “I, uh, I need to go home. Thank you for stopping to check on me, and I truly hope you can forgive me and Sterling for the past.”

  He stands too. “I do forgive you, and it was nothing, I just happened to be driving by and saw your Jeep. I’ll be here at least through the weekend, so I’ll get to come to the party for your dad. I’m still weighing my options on coming back home for good.”

  “That’s good, Dean. I’m glad you’ll get to come to the party, and I hope whatever you decide, about staying or going, is what makes you happy.” I smile at him. “I’ll see you later. Thanks again for checking on me.”

  He smiles another sad smile. “Anytime, V. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  I hop in my Jeep and take off toward home. A feeling of dread settles in my stomach. I can feel the danger drawing near. A chill runs down my spine. I look in my rearview and see nothing but the haunted look in my own eyes. I feel as though I’m being chased, and deep in my heart I know I am.

  Briella’s waiting for me when I walk back to the office in my house. She’s still sitting at my desk with her leg bouncing, nervous energy. “Oh, Sterling. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know, Bree. I want to say yes, but I honestly don’t know. She’s mad that I told you about the baby. She said she wasn’t ready to talk about it. She says I betrayed her trust, and she wasn’t happy that you suggested I might not be able to trust her.” I run my hand down my face.

  “Sterling, I’ll go talk to her. It’s my fault you were talking about it anyway. I kept pushing you. Let me try to fix this. You know I’d never tell anyone.”

  “Bree, I get that you want to help, but I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. I appreciate the offer. We obviously have some issues to get through if this is going to work. As bad as I want this, I can’t make this happen if she’s not in it with me. We’ve never had a chance to just be us. It shouldn’t always be this hard, and don’t be sorry for me telling you. You and Tate are my family. I was going to tell you anyway. It just hasn’t been a good time to talk. There’s so much going on right now.”

  Bree gets up and walks to me. “I’m here for you, no matter what. Everything will work out, I’m sure. For now, why don’t you let me help you go through this case? If you get that solved, you can focus on you and Ivie, yeah?” She slips her arms around me for a hug.

  I hug my little sister back. “Thanks, Bree. Thanks for always having my back.”

  She lets me go. “I do. I always will, and I’m really sorry about the baby. Really. If Ivie is what makes you happy, I hope you can work it out with her. Get a second chance, or a first real chance.”

  She walks back to the desk and sits in the chair beside it, leaving the desk chair for me. I pull out the flash drive Ivie brought over from Rhett. There are so many names on here, all lawyers and political figures.

  Over the next few days, we do our research on them as much as we can. Most, we weeded out immediately. Some warranted a closer look. Bree helped me get it narrowed down to a handful, someone who would hold a grudge against Rhett for being the judge all these years, others who wanted that position. My attention falls on one in particular. Harlan Lancaster. Jade’s father. It seems he’s always wanted Rhett’s job. I guess I’ll need to check this out closer. Unfortunately, that means interviewing Jade, too, for some background.

  Tomorrow is the surprise retirement party for Rhett. I haven’t talked to Ivie in four days. Not since she left here so upset. I want to reach out, but Bree’s right—we don’t have much chance making things work until this case is resolved.

  I’m looking at my phone, getting ready to call Jade so I can ask her some questions, when my phone dings.

  Unknown number: Look what your girl’s been up to since you saw her last.

  Attached are two pictures. One is of Dean kissing Ivie in a house. The picture is taken from the outside looking in. The next is of her in his arms at the outlook, wearing the clothes she had on when she left here so upset. Bile comes up in my throat. Anger courses through me. “What the hell?”

  We have one argument, and she runs back to him? Let him kiss her? Touch her? So much for fighting for us. She clearly doesn’t want to. I was a fool to believe we had a chance. I get up and slam my fists on my desk. Bree comes flying back in the room. She had gone to use the bathroom.

  “What’s wrong, Sterling? What are you doing?” She raises her voice, but still has a calm tone to it. Her eyes are wide, searching mine.

  “I guess you were right, Bree. I shouldn’t have been so trusting of her,” I spit out.

  “Tell me what happened. Why are you saying that? We’ve made so much progress the last few days. We’re getting close to the truth, Sterling. It’s not even my case and I can feel it. Just hold out a little longer.”

  “To hell with that. I’ll finish this case, then I’m done. We were never meant to be. I’ll never be her first choice.”

  I start to stalk out of the room, and Bree grabs my arm stopping me. “Sterling, talk to me. What’s going on?” She’s pleading with me to tell her.

  I pull out my phone and open the pictures. “I just got this from the unknown number. This is the creep who’s been stalking us all. They want to rub it in my face that she ran back to Dean. If that’s what she wants, then so be it. I’m not fighting anymore. Maybe I never should’ve tried to. She was his first, anyway.”

  “Sterling, you don’t know what these pictures mean. Do not throw in the towel based on assumptions. Things aren’t always as they seem. You’re a detective, you know that. Talk to her. Let her explain before you let her go and give up. Just because he dated her first in high school doesn’t mean she’s his now.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything to explain. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. I see clear as day that she’s kissing him, in his arms instead of mine. Whether a stalker sent it or not, it is what it is. This person may be malicious, but they have also been correct about all these secrets.” I pull my phone back and slide it into my pocket, grab my keys, wallet, and badge and start for th
e door.

  Bree is on my heels. “I think you’re wrong about this. Don’t do whatever it is you’re about to do. You’re too upset. You need to calm down.”

  I turn on her just as I reach the front door. “I’m doing my job, Briella. I’m going to interview people and follow leads for the case; that way, I can solve this once and for all, and everyone can just move on. I’m fine.”

  “Sterling!” Bree shouts behind me as I walk to my unmarked cruiser.

  I get in and start it up, gripping the wheel and let out a string of cuss words. I pull my phone back out and look at the pictures again. What the hell was I thinking? Trying to love Ivie is like trying to hold a butterfly. They’re beautiful until you touch them. Touching them steals some of their beauty. It rubs off on you, but it doesn’t look good on you, and it mars them. They’re delicate. If you hold them too tight, you’ll crush them. It’s better to admire them from a distance and let them fly.

  I dial Jade’s number, and she picks up on the second ring. “Jade, we need to talk.”

  Four days. It’s been four days since I’ve talked to Sterling. Four days since I’ve touched him. He hasn’t even tried to text me. I know I’ll see him tomorrow at the party for Dad. Should I reach out to him? I don’t know what to do. When I left his house the other day, I felt like we needed space. Maybe I was wrong. I’ve never seen him cry, and that day he did. Maybe I should have stayed and talked to him.

  I’m pulling up to the coffee shop on the square to meet with Jake Boyd. He went to school with me. He’s also the son of the one and only Dr. Boyd, who treated me after my attack and my miscarriage. He wants to meet with me to talk about me working for him at the Greendale Press.

  I’m just about to get out of my Jeep when I see Sterling come out, followed by Jade Lancaster. My stomach sinks. What the hell is he doing with her? I open my door ready to confront him, both of them, when I see her reach up on her toes and kiss him on the lips. He stiffens, but he doesn’t move to push her away. He just stands there like a statue.

  I throw my purse back in the seat, putting my keys back in the ignition and start it up. I throw it in reverse, and just as I look up, I see him looking at me. Jade turns and looks too, smiling like she knows what she’s just done. Angry tears start to fall as I shift the Jeep into drive and speed away. I don’t know where I’m going; I just know I need to go.

  My phone rings and I see that it’s Jake. I press the answer button on my steering wheel since my phone is connected to my Jeep. “Hey, Ivie, I’m here at the coffee shop waiting on you. You almost here?”

  I take a deep breath and force myself to sound normal and cheery. “Hey, Jake. I’m so sorry but something came up last minute, and I won’t be able to make it. I was just about to call you to let you know.”

  “That’s okay. I’m really interested in your talents. I want you to work for me. The meeting was more for you to ask questions than for me to ask you questions. I know how good you are at your job. I’ve done my homework on you, not to mention I’ve known you a long time. The job is yours if you want it. We can iron out details later. What do you say?”

  I blink the tears away, and I take a deep breath and again force myself to sound normal. “I appreciate that, Jake. Can you give me the weekend to think it over? That would mean picking up my life and moving back home if I accept.”

  Jake laughs lightly. “Yeah, Ivie, that’s fine I understand. Although, I was under the impression you were wanting to move back home anyway. If you have any questions, you can call me or email me. I truly hope you say yes. I’d love to have your talent here.”

  “Thanks, Jake, I’ll be in touch.” I click off just as I’m getting on the interstate, without realizing what I was doing. I’m heading home. Home. That’s a relative term now. Where is home?

  I drive the two hours to my little house in Camden Springs. I left all my things at my parent’s house, but I can get by on what I have here. I go in and throw my purse and keys on the couch. Looking around, I still don’t know what I’m doing. Suddenly the bile I pushed down earlier is coming back up. I run to my bathroom and throw up what little I had on my stomach.

  I flush the toilet and lay down on the cold tile of my bathroom floor, staying close to the toilet in case I need to get sick again. I’m so tired, physically and mentally. I start to close my eyes when I hear someone knock on my front door. Whoever it is can go the hell away. I don’t need to see anyone. If they need something, they can call or come back later. Hell, they can leave a note.

  I close my eyes again, then I hear it. My front door opens and closes. Crap, I forgot to lock it when I came in. I’m instantly on high alert. I sit up slowly and strain to listen. I hear footsteps moving through the rooms.

  “Ivie?” a familiar voice calls out. What the hell is she doing here? I sit up a little more as another wave of nausea hits me, and I hug the toilet again. She’ll have to wait.

  “Ivie? Are you okay?” She finds me in my bathroom. It’s not easy to be quiet when you’re throwing up. I hear my bathroom closet open and close, followed by running water. She wrings out what I assume is a washcloth. Then, I feel her pull my hair back and clip it, and she lays the cool washcloth on my neck.

  I wipe my mouth and flush the toilet again and lay back down on the floor. “What are you doing here, Briella?”

  “I need to talk to you, before you and Sterling mess everything up. Again.”

  “What in the world are you talking about, Briella? Why are you here? You’re a long way from home.” I try to sit up again.

  “Ivie, Sterling got some pretty bad pictures sent to him this morning. He showed them to me. I have to tell you…they don’t look good for you.”

  “Again, Briella, I have no clue what you’re talking about. Get to the point. I’m not in the mood to figure out riddles right now.”

  She slides down and sits on the floor with me, propping her back against the wall. “Sterling got a message from an unknown number about you, with two pictures. One is of you kissing Dean, and the other is of you and him at the outlook, in each other’s arms. They look pretty damning. Sterling left upset, and I don’t know where he went. I came into town to try to find him, and that’s when I spotted your Jeep and decided to follow you. Granted, I didn’t think I’d be following you this far.” She laughs a little.

  “I’ll tell you where he went, Briella. I saw it with my own eyes, not some picture from a psycho. He walked out of the coffee shop in town with Jade. She kissed him, right there on the sidewalk for anyone to see, and he didn’t stop her. That’s what I saw.” I feel hot tears running down my cheeks again as I choke back a sob.

  Briella looks shocked. She runs her hand through her blonde hair and sad, brown eyes meet mine. She scoots closer. She motions for me to lay down on her lap and I do. She brushes the hair out of my eyes and rubs my back as I cry.

  “Dean kissed me Thanksgiving night after I went home. He came to my house to confront me about Sterling. He kissed me, and I pushed him away. He told me he was going to fight for me, but I told him there was nothing to fight for. I love Sterling. The same picture was sent to me. This person is taunting me. I was coming to tell Sterling the day I walked in on you talking about the baby, but I was so mad and hurt that I left. We haven’t spoken since.” I sniffle.

  “I figured a little space would be helpful, because everything’s been happening so fast. The day I left, I went to the outlook, just to think. It’s kind of the place where everything seems to center. Dean drove by and saw my Jeep. He stopped, and yeah, he hugged me, because he saw I was crying. Nothing happened. In fact, I told him everything about me and Sterling, including the baby. It went better than I thought it would. It hurt him, but he accepted the truth, and I think it gave him a better understanding. I haven’t seen or talked to him since then, either.”

  “I told Sterling not to jump to conclusions. I told him he needed to talk to you first. But Ivie, he was so upset. I’ve never seen him like that, even when you left the firs
t time. As for Jade, I don’t even know what to say about that other than she’s desperate. She’s been trying to get her hooks in my brother since puberty, but he’s never given in—to her or any other female that’s come knocking. We’ve been looking over the flash drive you brought that day from your dad, and I do know he’s looking into her dad. Seems her dad has always wanted what your dad has. It may not mean anything, but it kind of explains her personality.”

  I guffaw. “You have no idea. We’ve always been friends, and I use the term loosely. She’s always been competitive with me. Oh, and Dean admitted he cheated on me with her in high school. Something apparently Sterling knew, but never told me. Which is just lovely.”

  “Wow, Ivie. I don’t even know what to say to that. That’s so messed up, and now she’s after Sterling too?” Briella shakes her head. “He’d never be with her, Ivie.”

  “I didn’t think so, but now I’m not so sure. He should’ve come to me. Instead, he went to her. I don’t care if it was about the case or not. If he was that upset, he should’ve talked to me. Instead, he talks to her and let her kiss him.” I feel sick again and crawl back to the toilet. This time I just dry heave.

  “I’m going to ask you again, Ivie, are you okay? Is this your nerves or are you sick?” She looks at me with concern.

  “I don’t know. This is the third time I’ve been sick since I got here.” I sit down and wipe my face with the washcloth.

  Briella stares and then sighs. “Are you pregnant?”

  I swallow against a lump forming in my throat. I look back at her, teary-eyed. “It’s possible. We’ve been together several times over the last few weeks. I’m on the pill so we didn’t use protection, but I’m not always the best at remembering to take it every day at the same time like you’re supposed to. Obviously, that can decrease its effectiveness, but over the years it hasn’t mattered, because I haven’t been with anyone. I took for granted it would still be in my system enough I guess.” I hang my head at the idea that if I am pregnant, it’s my fault for being so careless in taking the pill correctly. What will Sterling say now? Will he think I lied to him about being on the pill when he took me bare?