Nora could hardly breathe. Mom had left on occasion. Sometimes a weekend. Sometimes a week. Maybe Nora had blocked out the truth to cope. “And Hailey? Is she yours?”
“You’re both mine. It doesn’t matter.”
Hailey might be some other man’s child too. But she couldn’t be mad anymore. Not knowing the unimaginable terror and abuse her mother suffered from childhood.
She stood and came around the table and fell on Dad’s neck. “I love you, Dad. You are my hero. And I’m sorry for being angry with you over the years. For not fighting to discover the truth.” She looked him in the eye. “Do you think Scott Rhodes had anything to do with Mom’s accident, that money that was in her trunk or the attacks on me? Is that why you kept so quiet?”
Dad touched her cheek. “Scott Rhodes threatened your mother. If she didn’t get rid of you, he would get rid of her. She wanted you desperately so she ran and she feared he’d find her, find you and kill you both.”
Nora couldn’t fathom it.
“I don’t know how much was truth or paranoia, so to put her and myself at ease, I met with Scott. I made the deal and I’ve honored it and so has he. I don’t think he’d rock any boats now due to his upstanding career and the fact that the money was coming in. I have no idea why he might want more money from her. It makes no sense.”
“He’s not getting any more money. I made it clear. Dad, you’re done paying him. But I’m grateful for the lengths you were willing to go to keep me safe. To keep Mom safe and give her a measure of peace.”
Dad hugged her. “I’d do it again.”
“What do you think will happen now? Do you think he’ll come after me?” Two possible killers coming for her? The thought weakened her knees.
“I think he’s going to live in a huge amount of fear and paranoia. I think he tried to scare your mother into doing his will. I don’t think he’d have ever actually gone through with it. At the end of the day, he’s a coward, a liar and a hypocrite.” Dad kissed her forehead. “We’re all going to be okay.”
She wanted to believe that. Wanted to come clean and tell him she’d racked up debt and needed help. After all he’d done for her she couldn’t end this conversation with disappointing him. Her mother never had a voice. Never saw justice on earth. She died a victim. Something or someone had her running. “Did you two have any discussions or fights prior to that night that might make her take off?”
“No. Things seemed to be right with us and I’d like to remember that.” Dad smiled. He didn’t know about the male mask and cuff link in the car. Nora couldn’t tell him. He needed the happy memories. She’d give him that. Besides, the mask and cuff link didn’t prove she’d had another affair. Only that someone had been in there. Maybe Ward tried to woo her back and that had sent her into making a break for it out of guilt.
“I’d like you to remember that too. Should we tell Hailey? Last we talked she didn’t want to know.” Nora was sick of keeping secrets—though she was still keeping hidden what had truly brought her home. “I can tell her or we can tell her together.”
They decided to tell her together. Not about the possibility that she might not be Dad’s biological child either, but all the rest. Rush called and said he’d be over in five minutes. Dad left and Nora’s cell phone rang. She answered to the Tampa Bay news station and a job offer at the first of the year, which she accepted. A sliver of regret niggled its way into her chest. Even through the pain and the threats, Splendor Pines was once again feeling like home. But this job was necessary. Dad had forked out enough money on her behalf. She would pay her own debts.
After a few more pleasantries, she hung up and Rush knocked on the door. He wasn’t dressed in his uniform but a red-and-gray sweater and dark denim jeans. “How did it go?”
“Better than expected. He doesn’t believe Scott Rhodes is behind these attacks or what might have happened with Mom, but he can’t be sure. None of us can. Did you get in touch with your private eye friend?”
“I did. She’s going to check into it.” He searched her face. “Anything else?”
Rush had been pushing her to open up, but she didn’t even know where to start, and if she let all her emotions surface, the feelings for Rush would come flooding out too and she was leaving soon. “No. That’s it.”
The disappointment was visible. It hurt her to see it, but in the end she was sparing them all heartbreak.
“What’s your plan today? Staying in your pajamas all day?”
Nora looked down at her reindeer fleece pants. “Wouldn’t that be nice. I’m supposed to help Hailey with masquerade inventory. Never was my favorite. You on call?”
“Always. Thought I’d ride out to Mac’s and talk to the owner and manager about who Marilyn might have been meeting with.”
“I’d like to go with you if you can wait until I’m finished helping Hailey. I can’t bail on her.”
“No problem. I’ll drive you up to the lodge.”
Nora paused at her bedroom door. “There is one thing that might be relevant to the investigation. My dad said that during the time leading up to Mom’s disappearance they were happy, which is why he wasn’t sure why she’d want to run off. She usually did that when things got...difficult.” Exactly what Rush said to her last night. She was more like her mother than she wanted to be.
“They were?” Rush asked with a hint of skepticism.
“Yeah. So, let’s not tell him about the mask and cuff link. We can’t be sure it was there from a man she had an affair with—could be from a man who had a former affair like Ward McKay.”
Rush stayed silent.
“I mean, you’re the king of not speculating or ruining reputations and lives. Has that changed?”
“No. Nothing’s changed.”
Except for the fact that she was leaving right after the New Year.
* * *
Rush stewed while helping Hailey and Nora unpack boxes. He was good for heavy lifting, but not leaning on for emotional support.
With each hour, the day grew darker, colder. Yet shuttles arrived one after the other with excited tourists chattering about the masquerade ball coming up and how wonderful a snowy Christmas would be. Icy more like it. Like the way Nora reacted to his prompts to open up to him. He couldn’t deny feelings surfacing; they were like unwanted weeds in a garden. Rush would pull them but couldn’t get to the root. He wasn’t looking for a one-sided relationship.
“You ready?” Nora asked, and brushed her hands on her jeans.
“Yep. Might take a while with the road conditions.” Rush led her to the Bronco.
“I haven’t even thought about a dress and mask,” Nora said as she buckled up. “You coming?”
“I’m sure I will. You’re gonna be there, right?” Pulling onto the main road, he slowed. The snow had been dozed away but it was still slick. Barely any traffic. Good.
Nora chewed on her bottom lip.
“What’s eating at you? And don’t say it has anything to do with something to wear to the masquerade.”
Nora wrung her hands. “I was offered the job in Tampa. I have to be there after the New Year.”
Rush’s heart sank. “I see. Well...good for you, Nora. I hope you enjoy the sand and sun. I’m sure you’ll be great.” He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look at her. He shouldn’t be this upset about her leaving. “I imagine your family will miss you, especially since they’ve had you home longer than usual.” More like he was becoming used to having her here. Knoxville wasn’t too far away, but it wasn’t like he could see her every day.
“Yeah. I’ll miss them too.”
Why did she need a change? What happened in Knoxville?
“Hey, I was thinking. Harvey Langston’s wife moved with their daughter too. Remember how upset Dan was over that?” Nora asked.
If Tina Langston hadn’t moved, Dan might be m
arried to her and not Ainsley. He’d been crushed. Sheriff Parsons had been pretty worried about him, and let Rush spend a lot of school nights over at their house. “Yeah, I remember.” Tina hadn’t wanted to move away. “We can talk to Dan. But he’s stayed close with Harvey over the years. I doubt he believes Harvey would have had anything to do with hurting Marilyn. And again—”
“We don’t know she was hurt by foul play. We don’t know she wasn’t either. Look, maybe it was all an accident. I still want to know what happened that night. Who was in the car with her and why did she have all that cash? Where does Scott Rhodes fit—if at all?”
“I don’t know, but Dan’s office is on the next block. He works for Ainsley’s dad.” Rush pulled up next to Dan’s Ford truck and went inside.
Lenora—the receptionist—gave a welcoming smile. “Hey, Rush. What can I do for you?”
“Dan in his office?” he asked.
“He is. Go on back.”
Rush led Nora to the offices and knocked on Dan’s door.
“Come in.”
Rush entered, Nora behind him.
Dan stood when he saw Nora. “I heard you were back in town.” He came around the desk and hugged her. “How ya doin’, Nora? Heard you left the news station in Knoxville. Where you planning to go?”
“Florida. How are you?”
“Fair to middlin’. What can I help you with?” he asked and looked at Rush.
“Information hopefully. We’re trying to trace Nora’s mom’s steps that night she disappeared. And the days before.”
Dan frowned. “Dad said it was an accident. You find something new?”
“Nothing I can divulge, you know that. Did Tina ever talk to you about her dad having an affair with Marilyn?”
Dan shifted his gaze to Nora, discomfort twisting his lips.
“It’s okay, Dan,” she said. “I’m aware of my mother’s indiscretions. Whatever you know will be helpful.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Tina said her parents fought about it. Got real heated and her mom threatened Harvey and your mom, Nora. Just words, though. I seriously doubt Sheila Langston hurt your mom. She said Harvey promised to end it, but it was too late. Sheila filed for divorce and y’all know the rest.”
Sheila might not have hurt Marilyn, but what about Harvey? “Do you remember seeing Harvey the night of the masquerade ball?”
“Yeah. Can’t say what time or anything, but he was there.”
“What did he have on? You remember?” Rush asked.
Dan laughed. “How can I forget? He tripped over his stupid cape on the stairs, spilled his drink and cussed. I don’t think I’d ever heard him cuss before. Pretty funny.”
A cape? Rush’s gut twisted. “Mask?”
“White. Covered half his face.” He shrugged. The Phantom of the Opera.
Harvey could be the man Rush saw kissing Marilyn that night. And now that Nora clung to the hope that Joshua and Marilyn were in happy at that time, Rush couldn’t tell Nora the truth and ruin her last image.
“How long you in town for?” Dan asked Nora.
“First of the month.”
“Well, don’t be a stranger.”
They left the office and climbed back inside the Bronco. Rush pulled onto the street. “Harvey could have been the man in the car.”
“I know. He may have promised his wife it was over, but when she left him anyway it made him angry. Harvey may have at the least been in the car to have a heated conversation. At the most, he had something to do with the accident. I wish the striations weren’t inconclusive! At least we would be piecing the night together to follow the money in the trunk, not possible murder.”
If Harvey was the Phantom of the Opera, his mask and cuff link weren’t in the car over a heated conversation. Keeping the secret needled him, but he remained silent.
Ten minutes later, they pulled into Mac’s Bar and Grill parking lot, which was mostly empty. Inside there were only a few patrons at the bar. Three couples in booths. The air smelled of grease and smoke. Rush’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since the toast. “You want to order. If we buy something the owner might be more apt to talk with us.”
They sat in a red leather booth near the bar. A young girl with a swinging blond ponytail approached. “What can I get ya?”
“Is the owner in?”
“Mac? No. He’s in the Bahamas for Christmas. Wish I was.”
“Me too,” Nora said.
She’d get warmer weather soon enough. They placed their orders—burgers and fries. “What about the manager?” Rush asked.
“Joe?” She laughed. “He’s been around since the dinosaurs. He’s in the back. You need him?”
“We do,” Rush said, and she disappeared. “I hope she means he’s been here for a long time and not that he’s old.”
Nora chuckled. “Same. After this, we should go see Harvey. I’d rather talk to him in person than over the phone. I want to see his face. Faces are so much more telling than voices.”
“I agree.”
An older man with a large bald spot and frail arms approached. “I’m Joe Rooney. Can I help you?”
Rush shook his hand. “I hope so. Did you by any chance work here seventeen years ago?”
“I’ve been here for almost thirty years.”
Rush glanced at Nora. “Do you remember a woman named Marilyn Livingstone?”
His eyes softened and he shook his head. “Rotten shame to hear she’s been gone all these years, dead in the lake. She was a lot of fun.”
“What kind of fun?” Rush asked, hoping it wasn’t the illegal kind.
“Lot of laughs. She always had a new joke. Cheesy but funny.”
Nora remained silent, but Rush recalled all the jokes she’d tell him that her mother had told her. She had a big joke book Nora had bought her one year as a Christmas gift. He’d helped her pick it out. “Did she come in here often, and do you know who with?” Rush showed him his deputy badge.
“Yeah. About once or twice a week.” He sniffed and pointed to the booth in the corner. “Sometimes alone. Sometimes with a friend.”
“Any particular friend?” Rush asked.
Joe shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t like ratting out people, but I liked Marilyn and if something bad happened to her I want to help. Langston. Harvey Langston came in with her often, but he’s not the only one.”
“Who else?” Nora asked.
“I don’t know...”
“It would be helping Marilyn, I promise,” Rush said. “You can trust me to be discreet.”
“Can I trust you to keep my name out of it?” Joe asked.
“I’ll do my best.”
Joe licked his lips and leaned down. “Right before she went missing she came in several times with...Troy Parsons. Your boss—the sheriff.”
NINE
“Rush, my mom was seeing Troy! What are we going to do about that?” Nora buckled her seat belt. The hits kept coming.
Rush pawed his face. “I don’t know. Let’s not jump to conclusions. It could have been anything.”
“Then why not admit it then or now?”
“It might not have been pertinent to the case.”
“Or it might have. That would give him motive and a front seat to your investigation.” Troy would have a lot to lose if he’d been involved with her and he’d have a lot to protect now to make sure it didn’t get out. “Rush, I know he’s a mentor to you.”
“He’s more than that, Nora.” Rush leaned his head against the steering wheel. “He’s been a father to me. Especially in the past several years.”
Nora laid a hand on his back, soothing him. “What does that mean? You’ve been acting strange about your dad since you put off talking to him about the investigation, and he didn’t go to church with your mom, which y
ou never gave a real reason for. He isn’t pastoring anymore. Talk to me, Rush.”
He lifted his head from the wheel and laughed hard and humorlessly. “You can’t expect to bottle up every single emotion and hide things from me, then demand I talk to you. That’s not fair.”
“You’re right. You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to.” And neither did she, but she felt the sting and knew it was the same one Rush endured every time Nora refused to talk intimately with him.
Rush started to say something but his phone rang. “I gotta take this. It’s my mom.” He answered. “Hey, Ma. Everything okay?...Yeah.” He grinned. “Okay. Can you give me an hour or so? I need to take Nora home...Uh...” He glanced at Nora, his neck flushed. “Sure.” He hung up. “My family have made it in. I’m shocked they even tried. People don’t have the sense God gave them.”
She could testify to that.
“You don’t have anywhere else to be, do you?” he asked.
“We have somewhere to be. The police station talking to Troy and finding out why he was meeting up with my mom outside of town. Don’t let this slide, Rush. He could be impeding the investigation if he’s guilty. From the weather to—”
“Not everyone can remember weather facts from twenty years ago.” Rush’s face soured. “And I never said I’d let it slide. But will a few hours kill us?”
“Maybe! Maybe they will.” Nora’s frustration rose to stroke levels. “Someone wants me dead. Every second is critical. But let’s go have some Christmas festivities.”
Rush ground his jaw. “I need to think about my approach, Nora. I need the time, and while I’m figuring it out, I’ll keep you safe. You have my word.” He headed onto the main road.
Nora studied his face. Rush wasn’t just upset, he was rattled and broken. She heaved a sigh, her heart reaching out. A small breather might do them some good. She’d needed time to process everything; Rush did too. “I’m sorry. For my actions and that someone you care about might not be who he lets on to be.” She understood completely. “Let’s go visit your family. Take a beat.” And while she was there, she’d talk to Pastor Buchanan herself. If he had to look her in the eye, he might offer up information that he hadn’t to Rush.
Cold Case Christmas Page 10
