Hidden Betrayal (O'Connor Girls Book 1)

by Rhonda Brewer

  “I thought she had more time.” Hannah sobbed.

  “Han, we think …” How was he supposed to say this?

  “We don’t think it was natural.” Kristy covered his arm with her hand.

  “What? You think someone… murdered…” Hannah’s eyes widened, and she started to tremble.

  “Yes.” Dean didn’t know whether to pull her into his arms or wait and see what she did first.

  “I thought that place was secure.” Hannah yanked her hands from his. “You said, it was the best place for her.”

  “I’m sorry, Han.” Guilt bubbled in his stomach.

  “Hannah, this isn’t Dean’s fault. I’m a nurse there, and it is one of the best places in the province.” Kristy reached across the table toward her. “Your brother was right to put her there.”

  “She’s dead. Tell me exactly how she was safe there?” Hannah snapped at Kristy.

  “Don’t do this, Han. Kristy didn’t do anything to you or Pey, but her family is bending over backwards to find out what happened and to find out who the hell set you up.” Dean wasn’t about to let his sister turn on Kristy no matter what emotions she felt at the moment.

  “How the hell are they going to help me? Trevor said I don’t have any other choice but to take the plea and since my daughter is gone, I’m going to do it.” Hannah tried to stand up, but Dean grabbed her hand.

  “No, you’re not. I’ve fired that ass. Jason is your new lawyer, and he’s good. Damn good.” Dean wasn’t sure how good the man was, but he didn’t want his sister to know that.

  “You had no right to fire my lawyer.” Hannah snapped.

  “I’m your power of attorney, Han. You gave me that right.” Dean hated to throw that at his sister, but she wasn’t acting like herself.

  “Only because I needed to do that because of Peyton.” Hannah slapped her hands on the table.

  “Look, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but I will tell you, I work for the best defense lawyer in the province and I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of here. There will be no deal because from the email I got from your brother, you didn’t do this.” Jason interrupted. Dean had emailed him all the information he’d received from Trevor. He was sure Jason didn’t have enough time to go over it, but Dean assumed that Jason was stalling for time.

  “What if I did do it?” Hannah growled.

  “I don’t think you did.” Dean was impressed with Jason's confidence with Hannah.

  “You don’t know me.” Hannah stood.

  “I don’t, but by the end of this week I’ll know more about you than you know about yourself.” Jason stood as well.

  “Will I be able to leave to bury my daughter?” She snapped at Jason.

  “I’ll guarantee it.” Jason buttoned his jacket and picked up his briefcase.

  “You’re pretty cocky.” Hannah narrowed her eyes.

  “You’ve got no idea.” Kristy chuckled.

  “I’ll be in touch.” Jason turned and walked out of the visiting room.

  “How did she die?” Hannah’s eyes focused on where Jason exited.

  “We’ll know after the autopsy.” Dean didn’t want to tell her that her daughter suffocated.

  “I can’t believe she’s gone.” Hannah’s expression softened, and a tear ran down her cheek.

  “She’s in a better place now.” Dean didn’t know if he believed in heaven, but if it existed, he was sure Peyton had a direct flight there.

  “Yes,” Hannah sighed and sat down.

  “Hannah, you don’t know me, but my family will move heaven and earth to find out what happened to your daughter.” Kristy reached across the table and touched Hannah’s hand.

  His sister looked at him and then back to Kristy. She seemed to be debating on what to say, but the only thing Dean had on his mind was to find out how Hannah ended up with a bruised face. There was no way she fell and ended up with a fist-sized bruise on her face.

  “Dean speaks very highly of your family,” Hannah glanced back to Kristy. “And of you.”

  “When you get out of here, you can come to Hopedale and meet them. You’re family now.” Kristy smiled, and Dean fell in love all over again.

  “I’d like that,” Hannah whispered, but something in her expression told Dean his sister didn’t expect to leave the prison.

  Dean wasn’t sure how he would get his sister out for Peyton’s funeral, but he was sure Kurt could tell him. He would have to talk to him and get all the information. It was possible that Jason already put that wheel in motion.

  “Dean, she didn’t get that bruise from a fall,” Kristy said on the drive back to her apartment.

  “I know.” He wanted to find out, but if Hannah didn’t tell him, he was damn well sure she didn’t mention it to any of the guards. He’d never been inside, but he knew that inmates didn’t complain for fear of retaliation.

  “Do you think it was one of the other inmates?” Kristy asked.

  “Probably, but we have no way of finding out unless she’s willing to tell us.” Dean sighed as he pulled into the parking space in front of her apartment.

  “What the hell?” Kristy growled and hopped out of his truck.

  Dean looked up and shook his head when he figured out why she was pissed. Her father stood outside her door with a truck parked in front of the door. Nick and Aaron were carrying her bed out through the door.

  Dean stepped out of the truck as Kristy threw her hands up in the air. Her father didn’t seem the least bit bothered by her rant. As he got in the front of the door, he understood why Kristy was pissed.

  “So who gave you permission to move my things?” Kristy shouted.

  “Kristy Elizabeth, stop shouting. I don’t care if you’re twenty-nine years old. You got away with it last night because of what happened, but you better watch yourself, little girl.” Kurt sounded pissed himself.

  “Fine, but why are you taking my things out of my apartment?” Kristy lowered her voice, but it was apparent she was still fuming.

  “We got here not long after you two left to go see Bull’s sister. I walked in, and the first thing I see is a mouse running out of your kitchen.” Kurt snapped.

  “Really?” Kristy’s dislike for the small rodents seemed to calm her anger.

  “There is no reason for you to live in a rodent infested place. I check around, and there is more than one of them in there. Your work is not that far from Hopedale, and if the weather is bad I’ll drive you there myself if I have to, but you aren’t living here anymore.” Kurt turned toward Dean. “I need to talk to you too.”

  “Dad, don’t start on Dean, please.” Kristy sighed.

  “This is about the case of his sister, but unless you want your cousins packing your clothes, you better get in there and pack it yourself.” Kurt turned away from her and Dean almost laughed when she stuck out her tongue. It was childish but cute as hell.

  “I saw that little girl.” Kurt nodded toward Dean’s truck.

  “Why do I feel this is going to be more bad news?” Dean said when they were inside his truck.

  “How much do you know about your brother-in-law’s death?” Kurt held a folder in his hand, and Dean reached across to take it. “Sorry, Bull, I can’t give you this.”

  “I know he was shot twice in the head.” Dean cringed because he remembered parts of Ivan’s head splattered all over the room.

  “Do you know why they suspected your sister?” Kurt asked.

  “Because she had the gun in her hand and she was next to him on the bed.” Dean had no idea why Kurt was bringing this up considering they were supposed to be investigating Peyton’s death.

  “Yes, but my problem is the investigation has major holes in it. I don’t understand how your sister's lawyer didn’t bring this up.” Kurt turned to face him.

  “What do you mean?” Dean remembered police running up and down the stairs to his sister’s bedroom with evidence bags.

  “First, your sister had the gun in he
r left hand.” Kurt opened the folder.

  “I guess.” Dean shrugged his shoulders.

  “She’s left-handed?” Kurt glanced up at him.

  “Yes,” Dean was also left-handed. He remembered she taught him how to use a pencil because both their parents were right handed.

  “I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen more crime scenes than I care to remember and with their position on the bed, I can’t see how it would be possible for her to shoot him the way she did.” Kurt shook his head. “This is shitty police work, and I’m going to have to check with the officers that were first on the scene because something doesn’t sit right.”

  “What are you saying?” Dean stared at the man as if he was about to give him the best news of his life.

  “I think someone’s going to get their ass fired. Your sister didn’t do this unless she shot him with her right hand and had an umbrella over her head to keep from getting splattered with blood.” Kurt slapped the folder closed.

  “Shouldn’t her lawyer have had a copy of that report?” Dean knew the answer, but he had to hear it.

  “Yes, and I’ll make sure Jason gets this.” Kurt clenched his teeth together. “I’ll try to be civil when I contact him.”

  “You don’t like him?” Dean chuckled.

  “He hurt my daughter. Remember that. You’re still on my list. You better watch yourself.” Kurt opened the door and jumped out of the truck. “You should probably make sure you throw away the condom wrappers in the future.”

  When Kurt slammed the door to the truck, Dean blew out a breath. A wave of hope came over him as he stared out through the windshield. All this could clear his sister. Now they had to find out who killed his niece.

  “Can you believe that man?” Kristy yanked open the door to the truck pulling Dean from his thoughts.

  “He is his mother’s son.” Dean chuckled.

  “I’m moving back to Hopedale.” Kristy waved her hand toward her apartment. “It would have been nice if I’d made that decision, but apparently Dad thinks I’m two years old and can’t make a logical decision to save my life.”

  Her feistiness was one of the things he adored about her. Her cheeks were red with anger, and she was throwing her hands all over the place as she ranted.

  “Why did he make this decision?” Dean grabbed one of her hands and kissed the palm.

  “When he walked in he saw a ….” Kristy shuddered, “mouse run out of the kitchen.”

  “Another one,” Dean had a feeling there would be more.

  “Yeah,” Kristy sighed when he kissed her hand again.

  “He’s looking out for you.” Dean squeezed her hand.

  “You’re making it difficult to be mad at him. Stop kissing my hand.” Kristy sighed when he pressed his lips against her wrist.

  “Good,” Dean smiled. “Where are you going to stay when you go back to Hopedale?”

  “Dad talked to Isabelle about staying with her until I can find something else. I should move into the shack next to her to piss him off.” Kristy laughed.

  “Shack?” Dean linked his fingers with hers.

  “There’s a house next to Isabelle’s. It’s for sale but needs a lot of work. I love that area, and when I look at it, I can see how beautiful the house could be. I even thought about talking to Billie’s brother Matt to see what he thought. He designed Mike’s house.” She flopped back on the seat and turned her face toward him.

  “I thought he was a carpenter?” He knew Matt worked for Keith’s construction company.

  “He is, but apparently he always wanted to be an architect and Keith’s helping him do it. He’s taking night classes and online classes while he works. He has a daughter to raise now so he wants to make sure he can take care of her.” Kristy smiled.

  “Have you checked on what they want for the house?” Dean asked.

  “No, I couldn’t afford to buy it right now anyway.” Kristy glanced at her apartment.

  “Your dad had some interesting information for me.” Dean watched Aaron drop another box into the back of a truck.

  “About Peyton?” Kristy didn’t turn toward him.

  “No, my sister and how he thinks the investigation of Ivan’s death was not handled right.” Dean felt the wave of hope overwhelm him again.

  “Really?” Kristy spun in the seat toward him.

  “Yeah, someone is about to get fired was his words.” Dean rested his head against the back of the seat.

  “If Dad said that, you can be sure the shit is about to hit the fan.” Kristy sighed.

  “Why don’t you drive back to Hopedale with me?” Dean wanted to talk to her some more about that little house.

  “And how am I supposed to get my car home?” She raised an eyebrow.

  Dean started his truck and lowered the window on the passenger side. He waited for one of the guys to walk out of the apartment. When he saw James toss a bag in the back, he called out to him. James jogged over to the truck with a grin.

  “Can you drive Kristy’s car back to Hopedale?” Dean asked.

  “Hey, what if I want to drive it myself?” Kristy grumbled.

  “Kitten, do you want to drive back to Hopedale in your car or my truck?” Dean asked.

  “I’ll drive back with you.” She sighed. “Here’s my keys.” She pulled a set of keys out of her purse and pulled the car key off the link.

  “I’ll get Sandy to drive it. I won’t fit in that damn thing.” James chuckled.

  “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.” Kristy laughed.

  “At least I won’t have to listen to her complain that I drive too slow.” James rolled his eyes.

  “I need to drop by the landlord’s house and hand in the key. He’ll probably give me shit about not giving notice.” Kristy pulled on her seatbelt.

  “I can give him the key.” Dean grinned. “Better yet, tell him to call your father the Chief of police.”

  “I might do both.” Kristy waved to her father as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  Once they left the grumpy landlord, who pulled in his attitude when Dean got out of the truck. They hit the highway toward Hopedale. He had so much on his mind as he drove that he barely heard Kristy say his name.

  “Are you okay?” Kristy asked when he turned toward her.

  “A lot on my mind.” Dean reached over and brushed his knuckle against her cheek.

  “I understand but you know if you need to talk, I have a great ear.” Kristy unhooked her seatbelt and moved to the center of the seat. She pulled on the other belt and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Thanks, Kitten.” Dean kissed the top of her head.

  He was afraid to get his hopes up but no matter what happened over the last twenty-four hours, it was possible his sister could be out of jail sooner rather than later. The problem is, who the hell killed Ivan and set up his sister. Eric’s name was the first one to pop in his head. Could the man kill his brother and try to make it look as if Hannah did it? The other question was, if he did do it, what made him hate his brother so much?

  Chapter 12

  “I can’t believe dad moved your things out of that apartment without even asking.” Jess shook her head as she dropped a box at the foot of the bed.

  “How can you be surprised? You have met Nan, right? She did raise dad.” Isabelle chuckled from the closet where she hung up the last of the clothes they brought in from Aaron’s truck.

  “I can’t believe you guys didn’t say anything.” Jess slapped Nick on the shoulder.

  “What were we supposed to say?” Aaron helped Nick put the bed together.

  “For the record, I did say it wasn’t a good idea.” James was crouched behind the headboard attaching it to the frame.

  “Honestly, I wasn’t staying there much longer anyway,” Kristy admitted. “Dean, caught a mouse last night in my bedroom.” She shuddered as she proceeded to put clothes in the dresser.

  “What was Dean doing in your bedroom, missy?” Isabelle peaked around the do
or of the closet.

  “Has it been that long for you, cuz? You can’t remember what you do with a man in a bedroom.” Aaron laughed but ducked when Isabelle threw a shoe at him.

  “Dean was sleeping in there because your sister took the couch. She wouldn’t sleep in there because she heard the mice but didn’t tell anyone.” Kristy spun around at the sound of his voice and immediately her heart fluttered when he smiled at her.

  “I can’t believe the guy can rent a place crawling with rodents.” Jess wrinkled her nose.

  Kristy barely heard her because her gaze locked with Dean and the rest of the world faded. He braced his shoulder against the door jamb and crossed his arms over his chest. It was the sexiest damn thing she’d ever seen.

  “Dean, I’m sorry about your niece.” Isabelle walked over to him and rested her hand on his arm. “I’m sure that doesn’t help with the loss but we’re all here for you.”

  “It means a lot, Iz, and thanks.” Dean seemed to enjoy giving nicknames to everyone. At least Isabelle’s was from her name.

  Her family quickly completed what they were doing and filed out of the bedroom Kristy had taken over in Isabelle’s house. For a moment Dean didn’t move. He gazed out through the large window across the room.

  “You’re right about the view here.” He spoke after a few minutes.

  “Yeah, my sister is a lucky duck.” Kristy sat on the bed and followed his gaze. “She got this house for a song.”

  “Didn’t know Isabelle sang.” Dean walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

  “Did Dean Nash make a joke?” Kristy feigned shock.

  “Never, I’m too serious for that.” He smiled and plopped down on the bed next to her.

  “Are you okay?” Kristy didn’t get a chance to talk to him about his conversation with Jason after they’d returned to Hopedale.

  Dean had dropped her off and met Jason at the police station. She waited at Isabelle’s house for Aaron and Nick to show up with their trucks filled with her things.

  “I can’t believe how the investigation was botched.” Dean shook his head. “I still can’t believe that I didn’t know at least one of the cops at the house that day.”

  “I guess they were all from town. Most of the police you’ve met or know work in Hopedale or the surrounding communities. Hell, I don’t know if anyone I know is with the city department anymore.” Kristy went through the list of police she knew in her head outside her family, but none came to mind.