A Question of Honor (11 page)

Adam shook his head as he unbuttoned his jacket. “What in the—”

“Talked to Moses about an hour ago and heard about Brandon Sage, then the doc ratted you out about the lady. The whole town knows about you coming back for Jack. But it’s the lady I was interested in.”

“Why are you interested in her?”

He sat back, clasping his hands behind his head and putting his boots back up on the desktop. “You know I saw you at the party alone with her. Then you were dancing with her. What I want to know is, did you figure her out?”

“Not even close,” he admitted on a gruff chuckle. “Why do you want to know?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked. “I stopped her for speeding, merely warned her to slow down. I told you she seemed upset, and the next thing I know, you’re with her, and now you’ve been running her around town for medical help after you ate at my table and never even mentioned her.” He shrugged. “It got my curiosity going.”

The town was a hotbed of gossip, always had been. He exhaled and stared at a spot above John’s head, in the vicinity of one of the many certificates he’d earned at the shooting range. “You’re the one who thought she was upset or maybe afraid.” He met John’s patient gaze and filled him in on his short story with Faith. He finally admitted that he’d made contact at the party because he thought she was attractive and then realized there was something going on with her. “I thought she looked shocked or scared when she saw you in the doorway.”

“She looked uneasy,” John amended.

“At the least. Since then, we’ve talked a bit, and although she won’t tell me much about herself, I’m almost certain that she’s running, not sure from what, obviously not from anything good. I offered to help, to listen if she needed to talk, but she isn’t having any part of that idea.”

“She’s pretty determined if she won’t talk to you,” he said with a grin. “Most women crumble when you smile and flash your Carson dimple.”

Adam waved that off. “I know her name’s Faith Arden, and she claimed there was no one to call when she was in the hospital with Moses. She’s probably from Illinois, from the license on the car, but maybe not, and she gets migraines.” He wouldn’t go into her crying when she mentioned home or how the look in her blue eyes cut right through him when she looked so incredibly sad. He certainly didn’t admit to John that he’d wanted nothing better than to kiss her and not stop. That was gut-wrenching.

John listened, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Midnight. This Cinderella has to get home.” He stood and stretched. “Sounds like you do know quite a bit about her.”

Adam spread his hands palms up. “Sure. Add all that to a nickel and two dimes and you’ll get a quarter.”

“Well, add this to your list. She’s from Rockford, Illinois. I remember that from the license she gave me at the stop. Also, she’s twenty-six, going to be a year older in a few days,” he said as he put on his heavy jacket. “Mallory told Bobby Ray that her guest stays in her room most of the time, seems to be doing work on the computer and her car’s over at Dent’s. The electrical circuits were fried.”

“You’re just a mine of information, aren’t you?” Why had he called Connor, his partner, instead of just waiting for John to get the facts? And of course the car was at Dent’s. There were only a couple of mechanics in town, and Dent was the best. He stood, too. “What about the people she bought that car from?”

“I checked there, after the fact, actually, after I talked to Moses tonight. Found out they’re an older couple, downsizing and moving to Florida, but on some cruise for four weeks, so they’re out of contact.”

“Anything else?”

“The only reason she went to your family party was so Mallory wouldn’t have to go alone. She didn’t want to go, to be around people, but she did it for Mallory, who’s pretty much a stranger to her. Now, tell me something?”

“What?”

“What’s your guess about what’s happening with her?”

“I’ve got one or two, but nothing I’d want to bet on. And she’s not talking about it at all.”

“But you’re going to find out, aren’t you?”

He answered immediately. “Yes, I’m going to try.”

“That’s why you’re such a good cop. You’re like a dog with a bone when you get onto something.”

Adam shook his head as he redid his jacket. “Now I’m a dog, huh?”

“No, just a born worrier,” John said with a grin.

Adam followed him out, crossed to the truck through the falling snow, while John went for his own car parked off to one side. He opened the door, calling to his friend, “John?”

“What?”

“Can I come by in the morning and use your computer?”

“Sure. I’ll be in around noon.”

Adam waved a thank-you, then got into the truck and headed out to the ranch.

Faith Arden, from Rockford, Illinois, almost twenty-seven and alone in the world. Meager information that didn’t include incredibly blue eyes, midnight curls and porcelain skin. Or that she felt soft and warm in his arms when they’d danced. Or fragile when she’d been crying.

He flipped on the car radio, turned up the volume of an ’80’s music station and let the noise drown out his thoughts while he drove through the snowy night. But it didn’t blot out anything about Faith. Memories would surely fade, but he wasn’t sure they would ever be completely forgotten.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

W
HEN
F
AITH
WOKE
the next morning, feeling as if she had been hit by a truck, she didn’t even think about getting out of bed. She took two of the pills the doctor had given her, washed them down with water, then nibbled on the end of an energy bar. She used her cell phone to make a call to Dent that only proved frustrating, since her car still wasn’t done. The wires he’d put in were working, but he was still waiting on delivery of a part to complete the job. She didn’t care what it was; she just wanted the car done.

She hung up, knowing she was here for another day at least, so she lay back down and pulled the covers up over her head. She stayed very still as she waited for the medication to kick in and give her some relief.

She tried not to think about anything or anyone. But that was impossible. Flashes of the night before came to her and she pushed them away as quickly as she could. But one kept coming back, one of Adam, though she realized it had to be wrong. He’d never held her to him, never brushed his lips across her forehead. Never. Surely she would know for sure if any of that had ever happened.

“Stupid,” she muttered. But it came again, the safety she’d felt in the dream, the shocking easiness with which she had leaned into Adam. Not a memory, not real. She rolled onto her side, and as the throbbing started to diminish, she felt sleep tugging at her again.

There might have been a knock on the door and someone saying something, or she dreamed it. She didn’t know.

“She’s so alone. I want to help, that’s all.” More words drifted around her before fading away.

Faith eased her eyes open a slit, not sure if she’d slept or not. The room was quiet. She assessed her headache and was pleased that the pain was barely there.

Footsteps on the stairs meant someone was coming closer, then she caught sight of Mallory stepping cautiously into the room. She smiled as soon as she realized Faith was awake. “Well, hello, there. Good to see you’re up.”

“Sort of.”

Mallory came to the bed carrying a small tray with a pitcher of fresh water and a glass on it. She poured the water and offered the drink to Faith. “You might need this.”

Faith reached for the water, sipped the coolness, then handed it back to Mallory, who was hovering over her. “Did I sleep very long?” she asked.

“Awhile. When I came to check on you, you didn’t answer and then Moses came, and he said you were just in a deep sleep from the medication. You were exhausted from everything.”

She could feel the weariness lifting. She so appreciated Mallory’s kindness, Moses’s, too, and...Adam’s. “Thanks for being concerned,” she said.

“No problem.” She studied Faith after she set the water glass on the nightstand. “You’re still pale, but you look ever so much better. How do you feel?”

“The pain is pretty much gone.”

Mallory smiled down at her. A holly-wreath necklace woven with tiny red and green blinking lights accented a deep red cabled sweater she was wearing. “That’s good to hear.”

“I need to rent the room for another night,” she said, knowing even if the car was finally ready, she wasn’t in any condition to drive right away. “I haven’t paid to stay any longer than this morning,” she said. “Last night was crazy with the E.R. and things. I haven’t had a migraine like that since college.”

“It was crazy, but your hospital experience was two nights ago,” Mallory said without blinking.

Faith frowned. “What?”

“You slept all day yesterday and most of today.” Mallory glanced at the nightstand clock. “It’s almost three in the afternoon.”

“What’s the date?” she asked, confused and vaguely afraid of the answer.

“It’s three days to Christmas, December twenty-second.”

Faith exhaled. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

She closed her eyes to hide the panic she was afraid would show. She had no idea what had been going on here, let alone back in Chicago. December 22. Her birthday. She took a deep breath and said, “Let me get my wallet, and I’ll pay what I owe you and take care of tonight.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Mallory said, but Faith motioned to her purse on the chair by the door.

“Please, I need to pay you. My wallet’s in my purse under my jacket. Could you get it for me?”

When Mallory handed the purse to Faith, she immediately felt that something wasn’t right. Then she knew. It was the weight. It was far too light. She pulled it open and looked inside. Her heart lurched. Her wallet wasn’t there. She turned the purse over and dumped the contents out onto the rumpled comforter. A pen, a map of Texas, a few pieces of makeup, tissues, the receipts for the payments she’d made on this room, the envelope with the picture her dad had given her and the box with her bracelet. But no wallet.

She quickly looked around at the dresser and side tables, then over by the computer. She couldn’t see it. “My wallet. I had it. I...” She remembered grabbing it when she’d left for the room, then having it in Adam’s truck, on the seat by her. She’d used it when she’d paid the bill at the hospital. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to envision getting back in the truck, and she thought she remembered it being there along with the pills.

“Could you see if my wallet fell out of my purse on the chair?” she asked Mallory, trying to hide her growing panic.

It took less than a minute for Mallory to say, “It’s not there.”

It had been on the truck seat, or maybe she was imagining she’d seen it. Either way, it was gone, and so was a huge chunk of her cash, not to mention her real driver’s license along with a few credit cards.

What if she’d dropped it, and what if someone found it and went through it to find information about the owner? Sickness rose in her throat. She spoke to Mallory with as much calmness as she could muster. “My wallet isn’t here and I think I left it at the hospital.”

Mallory held up a hand. “Just stay put and I’ll be right back.”

When Mallory returned minutes later, she said, “I spoke to the nurse who was there when you checked out, and you definitely left with it in your lap in the wheelchair with the pills. They checked with security, in case someone found it in the hospital, or in case it fell when you were getting into the truck, but nothing’s been turned in.”

Faith tried to think what to do, and then her world crashed with a thud. Adam, his truck. “I...I must have left it in Adam’s truck, but I don’t remember.” If Adam found it and opened it... She willed herself not to scream in frustration. “I have to get to him.”

Mallory shook her head. “First, let’s check around downstairs in case it fell out when you got back.”

Faith hadn’t thought of that, and she let hope grow as Mallory hurried off. The chime sounded, and the door closed. After what seemed like forever, Mallory came back inside and up to the room. She looked cold, rubbing her arms and stomping her feet. “Boy, it’s freezing out there,” she said. “But no wallet. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks for trying,” Faith said and made some quick calculations in her head. She had enough in her suitcase to pay Mallory, and probably enough to pay Dent for the car repairs, but after that she’d be nearly broke. There was no way, without leaving a trail, that she could get money out of any of her other accounts. “I can still pay you now.”

Mallory scoffed, “Don’t worry about that now. It’s more important to find your wallet.”

Faith sat forward. Surely after two days, Adam would have found it. If he opened it, which anyone would to figure things out, and if he looked through it, there was no way he wouldn’t know who she really was, short of a miracle. The one man who could destroy her life had it in his hands right now. She had to contact him.

As if Mallory read her mind, she said, “I have Adam’s cell-phone number downstairs. Do you want me to get it for you? Or I could drive you out to the Carson ranch so you can talk to him?”

Mallory had already done so much for her, Faith couldn’t imagine asking Mallory to drive her out there. Besides, it would be easier to contact Adam by phone. Who knew? She might need to get her car from Dent and leave without ever seeing the wallet again. “The phone number, please,” she said as she dropped her hands and sank back against the headboard again. “It’s faster.”
And safer,
she added to herself. One more chat with Adam, then that was it.

Mallory came back with a number written on a slip of paper topped with the inn’s logo. “I knew I had it,” she said as Faith took the paper from her.

Faith entered the number into her cell phone and hit Send. There was no ring before there was a click, then Adam’s recorded voice saying, “I’m not available, but if this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911. If you want to talk, just leave a message.”

She hesitated, heard the beep. “Adam, it’s Faith Arden. I just needed to ask if by any chance you found my wallet in your truck. If you could call me at the inn, I would really appreciate it.”

She closed the phone and laid it on the bed beside her. “It went right to voice mail.”

“I can still take you out there,” Mallory offered quickly.

“Oh, no, I’ll wait for him to call,” she said. Or for Dent to call and say the car was ready.

Faith glanced at the window, where gray light was peeking through the narrow opening between the curtain panels. The longer the wallet was gone, the more chance there was of disaster. Waiting would be so hard, but if it wasn’t at the hospital or outside, it was either gone forever or with Adam.

Mallory obviously sensed the growing distress in Faith. “Don’t worry. You’ll make yourself sick again. If it’s still at the hospital, the staff will find it, and if it’s with Adam, it couldn’t be in a safer place.”

Faith looked up at Mallory. “I guess.”

She chuckled softly. “Hey, what’s more safe than a cop finding your wallet? And a great cop at that.”

“Yes, he is, isn’t he?”

“You got lucky, I think.”

Faith heard the words, understood the words and barely kept from flinching. Lucky?

She couldn’t just sit here while Adam might already know about her, already be in touch with the police in Chicago or with the federal prosecutor. The worst-case scenario could already be in motion. Her course of action was crystal clear. She was going to get her things together as soon as Mallory left, figure out her money situation, then try to get out of here in one piece...alone.

The nausea was growing, and she pulled back the covers. “Thanks, Mallory, for everything. But right now, I really need a shower,” she said as she stood, heading to the bathroom, surprisingly steady on her feet.

“Okay, I’ll let you know if I hear anything from anyone, including Adam.”

Under the stream of hot water in the shower, Faith tried to think, tried to plan, and she told herself not to expect the worst, but just make sure she got out of there as soon as she could. She thought of calling Dent while she dried off, but pushed that away. She needed to go there and speak to him in person.

When she was dressed in a heavy sweater, fresh jeans and her boots, she took a few dollars out of her remaining bankroll, grabbed her jacket, her cell phone and the room key.

She had a glimmer of hope as she left her room. If Adam had her wallet, he would have found it two days ago, but he hadn’t done a thing about it that she knew of. Why wouldn’t he bring it to her, ask for an explanation, go from there? Because he was figuring out how to handle her arrest. Him and John Longbow. She shivered, pushing that awful idea away. On to her first priority. Her car.

She set off for Dent’s.

* * *

A
DAM
FELT
FRUSTRATED
as he sat in the police station behind John’s desk and stared at the computer. No one could walk on this earth and not leave a trail at all. But Faith Arden had no trail. Nothing in Illinois, nothing in any other jurisdiction he could search on John’s computer. No wonder Connors hadn’t found anything under that name, either.

John had left an hour ago, going to make rounds while Adam searched. Now Adam was done. Frustration didn’t sit well with him. He wasn’t used to coming up with absolutely nothing to show for his time doing a background search. As far as the criminal world was concerned, no one by that name had been an offender or a victim in the past year, or owned a home, a car or even owed library fines.

He put on his leather jacket, his Stetson and left the office, passing Bobby Ray behind the front desk. “Tell John I came up with a goose egg,” he said and kept on going.

“Yes, sir,” the young deputy called after him.

Adam stepped out into the late-afternoon chill. The sky was gray, but no snow, except for the icy remnants from the storm that had passed through two nights ago. He’d heard that Brandon Sage was doing well, and Jack had called again to let Adam know he was coming back soon. No one knew what that meant. To pack for good or to stay? They’d have to wait.

He got into the truck, turned it on and switched the heater to full blast. Faith’s condition wasn’t as easily summed up as Brandon’s or Jack’s, at least not for him. He’d been by the inn two or three times, once actually going up to her room with Moses when he’d insisted on seeing her for himself. She’d been sleeping, her skin cool to his touch, and the sight of her had knotted his stomach.

He’d gone back again, but didn’t go up. He’d asked Mallory about her, heard that she was doing okay, just sleeping a lot, and today he’d stayed away. He’d never felt the protectiveness for anyone that he did for Faith, apart from his family. The feeling was focused and intense. And it hadn’t lessened with time.

He put the truck into gear and intended to go back to the ranch, but Bobby Ray came out of the station and jogged over to him.

“What’s going on?”

“Sorry, sir,” the deputy said, offering him the cordless phone. “A call for you. I thought you’d need to take it.”

Adam felt his chest tighten, not sure what to expect when he put the phone to his ear. But his first thought was of Faith. Maybe something had happened to her? “Hello?”

He was surprised to hear his mother on the other end of the line. “Oh, Adam, thank goodness. Your phone’s dead or turned off.”