When Noonday Ends: A Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel - Nantahala - Book Two

by Carmen DeSousa

  Andy’s bloodshot eyes connected with hers, looking confused. “What?”

  “All of this. If you’d just told me…If he’d told me. If someone had told me. God! Money? Why? Why would Momma hide this? Why would you?”

  Her brother ran his hands through his hair. “Shelby…” He took a deep breath. “I’m tired, Shell. And all I care about is getting to our father. Can you save the beat down till later?” Andy shook his head and leaned against the seat as a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “Everything I’ve ever done has been for you and Justin. I asked you to come home so many times…” An attempt to conceal the tears choked out his words.

  Shelby returned her head to his shoulder, letting him know she understood. She didn’t, but she couldn’t blame Andy. He’d always been there for her. “I love you, Andy.”

  “I love you too, Shell.” He brushed his hand through her hair and squeezed her tighter. “Just keep prayin’, Sis. I’m not ready to lose him yet.”

  She felt a warm river of tears slide down her face as she held her audible cries, but nothing would stop the tears.

  Tom fumbled beside his seat, then handed her a couple of fast food napkins. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I’m so sorry, baby.”

  The brown paper napkins were rough, but it was better than nothing. She reached behind her for her husband’s hand, and he wrapped his hand around hers, his fingers immediately going to her ring.

  For better or worse, she thought. She certainly hoped they were through the worst part.

  Tom pulled to a screeching stop directly outside the ER doors. Andy opened his door and hopped out, pulling her with him, his arm immediately going around her waist. Shelby leaned against him gratefully, as her legs felt like rubber beneath her.

  Andy moved so fast he had to pause at the automatic doors, but then he rushed her to the counter at the opposite side of the room. “My father just came in by ambulance. Clayton Castle,” he said to the woman behind the long counter.

  The woman pressed a few numbers on her keyboard. “A nurse will be right with you.”

  Her brother nodded and directed her to a line of chairs by the ER doors. As soon as he helped her to her seat, though, he was up near the tiny windows, pacing the floor. Andy never could sit long.

  Tom walked through the doors a few seconds later and made a direct path to her side. “Anything?” he asked, sitting next to her, pulling her against his side.

  Shelby shook her head as she tried to retain more tears. Now she wasn’t just crying for her father, but because of all the love she felt from the two men in her life, not to mention the fact that she had a father who was dying after taking a bullet for her.

  In a matter of a week, she’d gone from feeling as though she didn’t have anyone, to having men who would die to protect her or save her.

  “Shell,” Andy stopped his pacing for a second, “Why don’t you call Momma. She’ll want to be here.”

  She inhaled a deep breath. And she wanted to see Justin, since the police would be here to arrest her soon. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, but her fingers shook too much to push the numbers.

  Tom took the phone from her. “Let me.” He tapped a few keys, then held the phone up to his ear. “No, it’s Tom Turner, but she and Andy are with me.” He listened for a second. “They’re both okay, but Shelby’s not capable of talking right now. Could you bring Justin to the hospital? Clayton has been shot and we haven’t heard word on his condition yet.”

  Shelby could hear her mother’s shrieks come through the phone, as Tom held it away from his ear.

  “Patricia, on second thought…I don’t want you driving with Justin. I’ll come and get you.”

  Instantly sobering, Shelby sat up. She reached for the phone, and Tom relinquished it to her without a fight. “Momma. Don’t move. Okay? Andy said Clayton would be okay.” Her brother whipped his head around, as if he didn’t believe his own words. “And Andy and I are fine. I can’t lose Justin.”

  Her mother released a few more wails, but then sniffed back her tears. “Okay, honey. Call me as soon as you know. I love you, Shell, and I’m sorry. I know you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you, Momma. I don’t have enough room in my heart for hate right now. Just take care of my baby, okay?”

  “I will, honey.”

  Shelby pushed ‘end’ and fell into Tom’s arms. The last few days had zapped all of her energy. She didn’t have enough strength to feel any emotion.

  The doors opened and a nurse walked out. Andy ran up to the woman, as if intercepting any bad news. Shelby stood up on weak legs as she tried to decipher the woman’s expression as she spoke with Andy.

  Tom steadied her when Andy turned to them, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  Chapter Forty-two

  Emotionally and physically exhausted, Andy slouched in the chair as Detective Wilson Meare asked him the same question for the hundredth time.

  “I don’t know how many times you want me to repeat this, Detective. I called Clayton after that son-of-a-bitch beat my sister for the last time. Shelby did nothin’ but protect herself. That’s why Carlin bailed her out of jail. He knew she’d done nothin’ wrong. He obviously couldn’t get it up any other way than beatin’ on women. He probably would have raped her too, if she hadn’t stuck up for herself after all these years.” He shook his head. “We dragged Carlin out of the house to the docks. My pop learned how to waterboard during his military stint in the seventies. He had me hold Carlin’s arms, and he put a towel over his face while he had the hose on low, ready to pour over his mouth. But we never got a chance. That Hale guy come runnin’ ’cross the lawn, screaming for us to let his son up.”

  Andy laughed. It wasn’t really funny, but he couldn’t help it. It was such a messed up situation.

  Before the detective nudged him on again, he continued, “I knew Carlin wasn’t Clayton’s son; he’d told me years ago. But Carlin never had a clue. Now this old, out-of-shape bald guy, who was drunker than a bum on the street, grabs Clayton. ’Course, as much as I hated Clayton, he was still my father. I let Carlin go and went to protect my dad. The man was a typical drunk, stronger than a mule and slippery as a hog. Both of us got a hold of each of his arms, but then we heard a gunshot.”

  The detective sat there as Andy repeated the identical story for the tenth time. “Go on,” Meare prodded.

  “June Castle shot Roger Hale. As soon as she shot him, she dropped the gun and screamed that it was our fault…that she was only trying to protect Carlin and Roger. Remembering Carlin, I turned to look for him, but he was gone. I knew he hadn’t gone past me, so the only option was that he jumped in the water. We looked for him, but he never came up. At least not until Shelby found him the next mornin’.”

  The detective still hadn’t uttered a word. He just sat and listened. Maybe he was looking for holes in his story. But since it was the truth, Andy knew he wouldn’t find any.

  Tired, but knowing he wouldn’t back off until he finished, Andy continued, “Clayton snatched up the gun with the towel and tossed it into the water. Then he yelled at June to get inside the house, and he’d clean up everything.”

  Wilson Meare leaned forward, both arms perched on the desk, supporting his upper body. “That’s where I get lost, Andy. Why? Why did you go along with it? Why didn’t you just turn them both in?”

  Andy shrugged. “Dad said they’d immediately suspect us. Since we’d dragged Carlin out of the house. And who would take our word over June’s? She’d never confess. Then, he suggested that maybe Shelby had done something to Carlin. Told me about how she’d been planning to leave earlier, and he wondered why Carlin was out cold so early in the evening when he was a partier.” He sighed. “I’m a simple man, detective. What the hell was I supposed to do?”

  Meare scratched his head. “This is some messed up situation all right. In all my days… So, Shelby was nowhere around?”

  “No, sir,” he answered immediately. “Shelby didn’t know a thing.” />
  “The only reason you haven’t been charged with anything, Andy, is because you’ve been cooperating with us. But you so much as get near the county line and I’ll drop every charge on your ass I can think of, starting with obstruction. You understand me, son?”

  “Yes, sir. Are you gonna keep my sister and Tom Turner locked up?”

  “Turner’s bail has already been set. He’ll be out by this afternoon. Evidently, his father posted bail in minutes. The magistrate denied Shelby’s bail because she skipped town while out on bail. Not sure how long they’ll keep her, but right now, we don’t know what to charge her with other than skipping bail.”

  Andy nodded and started to stand.

  “One more thing, Andy.”

  Andy plopped down again.

  “Why did Belcher defend Shelby?”

  He snorted. “That’s easy. Control. If he could get Shelby released of any suspicion, you’d never look further. You never would have found Hale, Carlin’s cause of death came back as from the original injury, so no one would have looked further at June. They wanted the money. It’s always been about money with the lot of them.”

  Andy shook his head, not understanding. Yeah, he’d like it if he didn’t have to work from sun up to sun down, but he wouldn’t trade his soul for a fancy house and car. His little trailer and old pickup worked just fine. He was thankful that his father had learned that family was more important than anything else and had been willing to give his life for his daughter.

  “Can I go now, sir?” Andy asked.

  “Yeah, but remember, don’t leave town.”

  He snorted. “Where would I go, Detective? Everything I love is right here.”

  Epilogue

  Shelby stepped around the corner and regarded all the faces watching her. Some with tears, some with soft smiles.

  She peered through the crowd and saw Tom. He smiled at her, but even from this distance, she could see a few tears in his eyes. His best friend Chad was right beside him, and he too looked a little touched with emotions.

  She scanned the faces to her left and smiled at her mother, as she held Justin in her arms, and then Shelby spared a glimpse at the man beside her and smiled. He gave her a reassuring smile back, and she knew that everything would be all right.

  As she approached the end of the aisle, the nice man she’d met only a few weeks ago stepped toward her. “Who gives this woman into marriage?” he asked.

  Shelby felt the tears roll from her eyes as she glanced beside her.

  “Her mother and I,” Clayton answered, passing her hand to Tom.

  Tom smiled and helped her up the couple of steps, while her new best friend, Cassandra, fixed her train and took her place beside her on the stage. After knowing her only a few months, there was no doubt in Shelby’s mind that she wanted her to be her Maid of Honor. Michelle stood beside Cassandra, and they were both breathtaking in the lilac colored dresses they’d decided on for her June wedding.

  Andy peered around Chad and smiled at her. She’d been thrilled when Tom asked him to stand up with him also. And wow, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome her brother was in his black tuxedo. Of course, she’d always thought he was good looking.

  Since he’d started working for their father, he’d even cut his hair. She didn’t agree with that move, but he said if he was going to start working as a businessman, he’d better start looking like one.

  “Well, hello, Mrs. Turner,” Tom said, drawing her eyes to him. “About time you re-said your vows when you remember saying them, huh?”

  “Yes, Tom Turner, it sure is. Of course, if you didn’t need all of this…” she gestured her hand to the dress, the church, and the hundreds of flowers and people around them, “we could’ve done this months ago.”

  “Can’t blame just me. Your father and mother insisted on most of it.”

  The preacher cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved…” and the rest of his words took on a fairy tale, dreamlike state in Shelby’s head as she glanced around the room at the hundreds of faces that she knew and didn’t know.

  She snapped her head to attention when he turned to her to recite the vows. She repeated his words, knowing she meant every one of them, and answered with a simple, “I do.”

  Tom stared into her eyes and repeated the same set of words for the third time, even though she didn’t remember the first time. His eyes filled as his mouth opened to confirm the final words that linked them together until death. “I do.”

  The preacher imparted a warm smile. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Tom stepped forward and sealed his lips to hers. He promised not to embarrass her, even though she’d been making him wait until after they remarried to move in together. They’d tried the abstinence thing too, but they slipped up once, reminding themselves they were already married, even though she didn’t remember it.

  The limo ride was short as they were just heading to the most popular place in Ashville for their reception. Shelby stared in awe as the limo traveled the tree-lined drive leading to the Biltmore Estate. She’d passed the Renaissance style French Chateau hundreds of times over the years, but she’d never graced the grounds. Even taking the tour had been something she’d never imagined. Though she’d lived with Carlin’s money for years, she’d never used any of it other than enough to get an occasional pedicure and the SUV he’d bought her. Now that she was working for her son’s company, she had her own income and would never have to ask for money again. Though Tom had also given her a credit card and told her she could buy anything she wanted, she never did.

  After all, she’d questioned him…he was now working as a whitewater guide and supposedly starting to learn the ropes of being a private investigator. According to Bearns, he would be a great addition, since he understood criminal law. But it wouldn’t pay much money. He had smiled and assured her that neither of them ever had to work, even though he always would. Evidently, his grandmother had left him a small fortune. Once again, Shelby sighed at her fairy tale life that seemed to be unfolding before her eyes.

  Tom held out his hand to her and helped her out of the car. Two men opened the grand doors leading to the Biltmore and a woman immediately greeted them, directing them to the South Lawn, according to her.

  “You look absolutely stunning, Shelby Turner,” Tom whispered in her ear as they followed the woman through the grand hall.

  Turning her head, Shelby smiled and examined the wonderful man who’d been so incredible to her over the last three months. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Tom Turner.”

  Tom puffed out his chest and squeezed her hand that rested on his arm.

  The place the woman directed them to, once again, made Shelby feel as if she were in a fairy tale. She reached under her arm and secretly pinched herself. She was positive that she would wake up any second, alone in a jail cell, dreaming this all up after seeing Tom for the first time after he’d offered to defend her for hitting her loser ex-husband over the head with a frying pan.

  She closed her eyes and opened them, but when she did, she saw a roomful of people with expectant gazes. A wedding table was to her right with high back chairs, cushioned seats, and white gossamer trimming the seats. The tent she stood inside didn’t look like a tent at all. The floors were solid wood with a swirled design inlaid into it. The sun had just dipped behind the trees, leaving behind streaks of pinks and purples, almost as if heaven itself were complementing her wedding colors.

  Soft music started up from a band, and Tom directed her to the center of the room where a dance floor sat between linen-covered round tables. “You know I can’t dance worth a darn, but I can hold you and never let you go.”

  Shelby stared up at her husband, feeling her eyes fill. “You sure know how to do that, Tom Turner.” She sighed and rested her head against his chest, allowing him to move her slowly around the floor. About a minute or so later, her father escorted her mother out to the floor. “That’s a nice sight.”
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  Tom peeked in the direction she indicated with a nod. “Yes, it is. I’m so glad they finally got married. He told me he never loved anyone but your mother.”

  Shelby shook her head. “So sad.”

  “Shh…baby…” He pulled her head back to his chest.

  She couldn’t help but smile at the next sight. “Tom, look.”

  Tom turned so he could see in the direction she was looking. “Oh, boy.”

  Shelby covered her mouth to keep from laughing when she saw Detective Bearns and Andy approach her sister-in-law Michelle at the same time from opposite sides. Both men stopped and eyed each other, but neither backed away. They both landed in front of Michelle’s line of sight simultaneously. Michelle glanced between both men, smiling, seemingly not the least bit uncomfortable. The men were starkly different in their looks, but both men were attractive. Bearns with his bulldog-like chest, tapering to a slim lower half. His dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and always scruffy-looking chin commanded attention. And her brother, well, he looked like a prince, especially today. His body was lean and strong and his sculpted facial features lent power, even under his light hair and pale blue eyes.

  “Who do you think she’ll choose?” she asked.

  Tom shrugged and turned away. “Not my concern. They’re both great men. I’d have either of them as a brother-in-law and father for Samantha.”

  “So how long do we have to stay at this reception?”

  “Until the fireworks.”

  “Fireworks?”

  Tom laughed. “Yeah. I couldn’t talk Clayton out of them. But you know…we have a room, so we could sneak away. We are married…” he trailed off.

  Shelby smiled. “Let’s do that. Right after I see who Michelle chooses—” Tom swung her around just as Michelle stood up. “Dang-it, Tom!”

  “Pay attention to me, Shelby. This is our day.” But then Tom peeked around her head and smiled as he looked at his sister. “Ooh…I was wrong. You’ll never guess.”