The Caspian Wine Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Series

by Maggie Thom

  Graham winked at Bailey. She pursed her lips in acknowledgement. Guy tried to catch her eye but she refused to make eye contact with him. Something had changed. She sat ramrod straight, her fists clenched on her thighs.

  “Again pretty sketchy but it seems that Donna Zajic was leaving her abusive husband that same night. She came across the crash, found the baby and took her with her. Cassidy became Bailey Saunders and lived...”

  Bailey’s face hardened and she shook her head firmly. “I lived okay. As you can see, I came out of it all right. It had to have been the good genes I started out with.”

  Gina and Daniel both broke down. Bailey took on the parent role and held them close, murmuring it was okay now they were together. She was fine. She’d had a good life.

  The pain and agony descended like a thick fog, the weight of which was having a devastating effect on his grandmother, who sat slumped in her chair. Kneeling in front of her, Guy took her cold hands in his.

  “I love you, Grandma.”

  Huge tears rolled down her cheeks but she refused to look at him.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  It was crazy and she knew that but something was pulling her back there. It had only been two weeks since it had all occurred. Following the cobbled path, she looked at the devastation. The petals from the ruined flowers had already been swept up but the tortured plants still remained. She barely paid them any attention as she limped her way down the winding path toward the field.

  Staring at the debris spread across the meadow and the black hole left by the explosion, she realized that was as close as she wanted to get. So much destruction and it looked so much like her life—charred and broken. It had been a long time since she’d felt sorry for herself. But this... this was so much more. This resembled her existence; an existence which had meant nothing.

  Numb from all that had happened, not sure what she wanted or where she wanted to go, she stood there. Her parents had agreed to leave her on her own for a few hours. She’d asked them to give her some time to come to grips with it all. It had hurt them but they’d accepted it, at least for a short while, promising to come back for her. Bailey was mixed about that. She wasn’t sure she could be what they wanted. She had no social skills. She didn’t know one fork from another—you pick one up, stick food on it and shovel it in. No couth, no manners and no class. She may have had the right blood but she didn’t feel she fit into their world, only she didn’t know how to tell them. The scariest part was that she didn’t want to disappoint them.

  As she shook off her thoughts she realized she’d stayed for one reason and she was avoiding doing anything about it. Her shoulders drooped as she turned to head back to the house, knowing she had to stop postponing the reality of what she needed to do. She stopped when she saw Guy standing a few feet behind her, watching her.

  “How long?”

  “Long enough. You look like you’re carrying the world.”

  She shrugged half-heartedly as she moved past him. He fell into step beside her.

  “Laying ghosts to rest?”

  “Something like that.” She still hadn’t been sure why she’d needed to see that the building and all Geoffrey’s evil were gone but she had. That at least gave her a sliver of reality to hold onto.

  “Thank you for giving me some space. Some time to get to know... my parents. For all you’ve done—”

  “Whoa.” Guy stopped, touching her arm, waiting for her to stop and face him. “What’s this formal crap?”

  “I—look—you—we—it’s just not—Jesus. Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Like what? Like I’m falling in love with you?”

  “Wh-what?” Her brain threatened to shut down. She couldn’t have heard him right. She strode down the path, and he fell in step beside her. When she reached the gardens, she knelt down and tucked one of the sickly, ripped plants back into the soil.

  “Don’t worry about those; they’re all going to be replaced. Grandma’s just been a little distracted. Emilio has already ordered new ones. I’m sure they’ll be even more impressive.”

  Still kneeling and focusing on what she was doing, she asked, “What were they going to do with me?”

  He offered his hand, urging her to stand. “Let it go. It’s not worth thinking about anymore. All of them were sick and evil. They’re all getting their just rewards.”

  “No. Not them. I mean Mary and John. What were they going to do with me as a baby? Why did they take me?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  She nodded, the lump in her throat preventing her from talking.

  “They’d sold you on the black market. You were headed to a family in the States. I don’t think they knew you’d been abducted. I’m sure they were a loving family, one that would have been good to you.”

  She smiled sadly as she thought about all the people who’d been hurt. “They lost too. I wonder whatever happened to them.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Guy slipped the backpack off his shoulders. “I have something for you.” He unzipped it and pulled out a cassette player.

  Bailey gasped. “The cassette. I forgot.”

  “Here. I think you should listen to it. I’ll give you some time alone and I'll come back later.”

  She stared at the machine but made no move to take it. “I—”

  He hit play.

  “Bailey, I hope you never have the opportunity to listen to this but I feel it is important to make it. You’re such a beautiful child. One any woman would be proud of. You’re so bright. So quick. You’re my shining star.”

  There was a long pause. Bailey looked at Guy but he shook his head.

  “I only wish I had the right to call you mine. I found you; of all places, in a plane crash near Turner Valley, Alberta. I don’t know how you survived but I couldn’t leave you. I couldn’t go to the police. Doug, my husband, would just get one of his government buddies to get him off. He was a mean, abusive man. I’m sure he had every police officer after me, every border waiting for me. I never meant to keep you. But after a few days of holding you... you filled something within me I didn’t even know was missing. You gave me such hope. Such love. You looked at me with those baby blue eyes, so trustful. So happy. No one had ever given me that. Not freely. I couldn’t let you go. You were my angel. You saved me.”

  There was a slow, indrawn breath.

  “You’re seven now. I’ve loved every single day we’ve been together. The cabin that Mr. Lund lets us use has been our sanctuary. Mr. Dresling, who looks after the place for Mr. Lund, has taken a shine to you. He’s the grandfather you’ll never know. I don’t even know whose child you are...”

  There was soft sobbing and silence for a time. Bailey reached to hit the stop button but Guy grabbed her hand and gently held it.

  “That’s not really true. Forgive me Bailey... I guess I should say Cassidy. That’s your real name. If you look in the body of Miss Piggy, you’ll find some newspaper clippings and a photo, one I’d been hiding from Lund on his own property.”

  Bailey heard the voice continue on. The voice she’d always believed was her mother. The woman now confirming she really did belong to someone else. Her life had been a lie. None of it made sense. Bailey wanted to slap her hands over her ears and run but she forced herself to focus on all Donna had to say.

  “It’s a photo of Lund. I hope you never have to use it, but I want you to have some security. Don’t trust him. He’s a junkyard dog dressed up in silk. Don’t be taken in... I had no choice, Bails, I had nowhere else to run...”

  She talked more about how he’d helped her to hide from her husband was all those years. He’d kept them safe but at a price.

  “I love you, Bails. I hope life has treated you well. If you’re listening to this, then you’ve learned a lot about your life—your real life. I never meant to hurt you, Bails. I was just selfish. I did love you. And I tried to protect you.”

  Donna shared details about her life with Doug Zaji
c and how abusive he’d been. She’d kept them moving so he would never find them. Lund had been their look-out, warning when Doug might be getting close. She was sure he’d have killed her and it had frightened her to think what he would have done to Bailey.

  Bailey bowed her head, unable to hold it up any longer. She wasn’t aware of the tears streaming down her face until Guy’s fingers brushed them away. Jerking back, she looked at him. “I don’t know how to deal with any of this.” She pulled her hand out of his. “I keep thinking, why me? I was a baby. What did I do wrong? All these people conspiring for their own means and I’m the pawn caught in the middle? Dammit, it’s not fair.” Bailey stopped when she realized Guy wasn’t responding. “Nothing to say?”

  “Not about that, nope. But I do want to tell you a few things. I want to make sure things are up front, so there are no surprises.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a possibility that Geoff is still alive.”

  “WHAT? How?”

  “They found a body in the explosion—or I should say human parts. Not enough to ID the person. The interesting thing is his gaudy garnet ring survived; found on a charred, barely recognizable finger. The police are ready to say it’s him but it’s too suspicious to me. It’s my theory, not anyone else’s. They’ll do DNA but that takes time. I haven’t shared it with many people, but I wanted you to know.”

  Bailey knew that meant he hadn’t told his family. She thought about what he’d said. “You know I didn’t know the man long but...” She stared into space. “I could see him planting a body, planning out everything, right down to his escape. I bet he fled the country.”

  Guy nodded. “I think so, too. I just wanted you to know my hunch.” He reached for her hand. “Your life may not have started out the way you would have wanted. The way it should have. You have every right to be angry—but is that going to change anything?”

  Turning her back to him, she looked at the destroyed gardens; so symbolic of her life. Several men were scurrying around, digging up and removing the damaged plants. All would be replaced. She took in a deep breath, wishing her life could be replaced so easily.

  “No. But it won’t be easy to let it go, either.”

  “I know. But I’ll help.”

  “Thank you for not sharing my life with Gina and Daniel. I don’t think they could handle it. I’m not sure what I’ll tell them. I—” Shaking her head, she looked away. “We spent the last few weeks together. They’re wonderful people. I’m just not sure they could handle how my life was, up until now. I can’t tell them.”

  “Gina and Daniel are lucky and very happy to have you back. They never had children after you were taken. I don’t know if they tried, but Grandmother said Gina never stopped searching for you.”

  “Look. You don’t really know me. I’m not classy. I don’t know the difference between when to serve a red wine or a white. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Renoir and a Picasso. That week was... it’s not me. I’m driven. I work twenty-hour days, hundred-hour weeks. Okay, well I don’t anymore. I’ve... it’s been... I don’t do well at relationships. I’ve tried. I have nothing to offer you.”

  “Oh. So you’re going to charge me for the sex?”

  “What the hell are you talking about? See, I swear. I swear a lot when I’m stressed. I move. A lot. Five years that’s the longest I’ve been anywhere.”

  “You still have your place in Victoria, right? Can I ask what happened to the TV show?”

  She scrunched her face, not sure what to tell him.

  “My TV show. Well...” she shrugged. “They were very understanding when I tried to explain about my week and why I couldn’t be there by their deadline. They did, however, wish me well in the movies. They didn’t believe a word I said; not that I can blame them. So we agreed to part ways. However, yesterday, I got a call offering me the same TV show at double the income. I smelled Grandma in that one. She didn’t admit nor deny it.”

  “So did you take it?

  She shook her head. “No. It was wrong timing, wrong circumstances... just wrong.”

  “You still have your business in Victoria?”

  She looked away before answering. “No, I took down that shingle as well.”

  “And so now you are?”

  “Unemployed?” She giggled and danced out of his way, when he growled at her and shook his fist.

  “Look, I’m broke. I’ve been busy paying off bills for my mother. I can’t enter into a relationship with someone who comes from money.” Waving away his look of get used to it, she continued, “You’ve got money, I don’t. I could clean out your bank account and wipe you out faster than termites could eat through a wood house.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. She groaned. “You’re not playing fair,” she murmured against his lips.

  “I don’t intend to. If you can play dirty, so can I; enough of the excuses. I get your being scared. I’m frightened beyond belief. I never thought I’d find someone. I never thought I was worthy. I’ve always been the outsider. The person who never quite fit in, never quite belonged.”

  She cupped his face in her hands, feeling his pain.

  “We both have skeletons. All I’m asking is you give us a chance. Move east. Start over. Let me love you.”

  Holding herself rigid was all she could do to hold out against the nibbling of his lips across her face and his hands roaming south.

  “Damn you. Don’t tell me I can move in with you. I need my own space. We need to spend time together and apart.”

  He kissed her hard and fast. As he pulled back, his smile was so full of happiness. Her mind was telling her to be rational, to think it through but her heart fluttered and then settled into a steady, determined beat. It was slow in coming but it blossomed into a full grin that could not only be seen on her lips but felt throughout her body as well. Looping her arm through his, she leaned against him.

  He brushed her hair from her face. “Bailey, it’s time to let go of the past. This is a new adventure for you. It doesn’t have to be bad like so many past experiences. This is up to you how it plays out. Just give it a chance.”

  She looked at him and then glanced away. The vision of the charred trees Geoffrey had blown up was still very vivid. Sometimes she awakened and could have sworn it was happening all over again. Geoff had kept hatred in his heart and look where it had landed him. She knew how tough it could be to let go of all that was unfair, to really believe there was something more for her, something good. She only had to look at Guy’s big blue, honest eyes, to know she had a chance.

  The one thing that did come clear was she didn’t want the life she’d had. She didn’t want the life her moth—Donna—her mother had. She loved me. She tried to protect me. If she hadn’t come along when she had, where would I be?

  Turning her palm upward, Guy instantly put his hand into hers. Smiling, she looked up at the heavy black clouds that were moving in. She couldn’t help but laugh.

  “So... care to help me move?”

  ####

  Thank you for reading Captured Lies. On the next page is Deceitful Truths book 2 of the Caspian Wine Series.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Deceitful Truths

  Caspian Wine Suspense/Thriller/Mystery Series

  Book Two

  By

  Maggie Thom

  A week of her life is missing... And now somebody is trying to steal the secret, she’s desperately protecting.

  Doing whatever it takes to protect her family, Tarin abandons her abusive marriage, rescues her son and flees across country. Using her new cyber-security job with a Private Investigator company, she plans on using their connections and resources to find answers. Seven days of her life are missing, she doesn’t know why but the consequences are undeniable.

  Graham’s company, Knight’s Associates, has been hacked, they are being inundated with false leads. The past is coming back to haunt them but how does the new assistant they hired, play into it? Is she truly
helping them solve cyber-crimes or is she selling off their high-security information?

  Tarin and Graham discover that although they don't trust each other, they are forced to work together to solve several seemingly unrelated crimes that may lead to one disastrous conclusion. Can they figure it all out before Tarin's nightmare plays out? An eighty-year-old woman pays with her life? Or before Tarin learns a truth that may seal her fate and be the one secret that will keep her and Graham apart as neither one of them may be able to forgive or forget...

  “An intriguing double mystery!... Well written with a good story line.” Evonne Hutton

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine