Embracing Danger (11 page)

Patting her chest, Arden coughed to clear her throat. “Um, can I help you?”

The well-dressed woman appeared to be in her late fifties or early sixties, with gray shot through her light brown hair and a few crinkles around her bright blue eyes.

“Arden?” the woman whispered as if she was afraid to speak up. “Is that you?”

Reaching across the table, Arden grabbed for Shane’s hand, suddenly desperate for his calm strength. Her heart accelerated in her chest and it took all her effort to answer.

“Yes, I’m Arden. Do I know you?”

The woman’s eyes filled with tears and her hand flew up to her mouth as a sob escaped her throat. “No, but I know you. You’re the very picture of your mother.”

Arden’s gaze darted to Shane and then back to the woman. “Did you know my mother?”

Maybe she would finally find out the truth and that scared the hell out of her.

The older woman blinked a few times and then smiled. “Honey, I’m your Auntie Lydia and your mother’s best friend, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see you after all of these years.”

‡

L
ydia’s hand gripped
Arden’s tightly. “Child, you have no idea how many times a day I’ve thought about you and wondered how you were. You look so beautiful. Are you happy? Is this your husband?”

Her “aunt” had joined them at the table and Arden hadn’t found the words to explain what they were doing in Hemingdale, but she had to try. Lydia might have the answers she wanted so desperately.

“Shane is my…friend.” Arden felt the heat in her cheeks and didn’t dare glance at him. “We were actually coming to see you but when we knocked on your door earlier you weren’t there.”

“Errands and things. I stopped in here to say hello to the owner who is a good friend of mine.” Lydia smiled widely and shook her head. “My goodness, can you imagine if I hadn’t? I would have missed you!”

“We were planning to come back by tonight,” Shane replied smoothly. “There’s no way we would have left without seeing you, Mrs. Tate.”

“Please call me Lydia and I’ll call you Shane. Is that all right?”

“Absolutely. Lydia,” Shane began, casting an inquiring glance in Arden’s direction before continuing. She was happy to let him take the lead here as words seemed to be stuck in her throat. “We’re here because Arden’s father has disappeared and when we went to investigate we found that he’d changed his and Arden’s last name and moved to Tremont. We also found out about how her mother died and you can imagine what a shock it was.”

Eyes wide, Lydia sucked in a breath. “You didn’t know? But Ben said he’d tell you when you grew up.” The older woman snorted and her lips pressed tightly together. “But then he also said he’d send us pictures and updates of your life and that didn’t happen. He cut us out like a surgeon and told us that it was for the best and that we’d just upset you.”

That sounded like Benjamin Cavendish, always having to be in control of every detail and every person right down to their emotions. When she saw him again they were going to have a long talk.

“We were hoping you could tell Arden about her mother and her life here. According to the investigation, Arden also has an uncle?”

The color drained from Lydia’s face and she clutched the edge of the table. “Yes, that’s true but there’s time to talk about that later. Why don’t you come over to the house and we can relax and talk? I have so many things to tell you and I want to hear all about your life, child.”

Thrilled and scared at the same time, Arden nodded in agreement. She wanted to know and that’s why she was here. What was that saying?

The truth will set you free.

*     *     *

Shane stood by
the back window of Lydia’s living room watching as the two women pored over photo albums. Arden had shed a few tears but seemed to be holding herself together well as Lydia pointed out pictures from their childhood and told stories of backyard barbecues, summers at the lake, and building snowmen at Christmastime.

His heart ached that she’d missed out on all this with her own mother but she’d never once complained the entire time he’d known her. She’d taken her motherless status as a simple fact of life and thrown all her love and admiration toward her father.

Sometimes too much.

Lydia pointed to a large eight-by-ten photo. “This was Susie on her prom night. Her daddy was quite scandalized that her neckline was cut so low but Susie wouldn’t have any other dress. The minute she saw it in the store she knew it was the one.”

Arden giggled as her fingers traced the lines of the picture. “Father looks so young in this photo.”

Lydia raised her stricken gaze to Shane and her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak but didn’t quite know what to say. Her face had paled again just as when they were in the restaurant and his intuition was going off like a car alarm. There was much more to this story than what he’d seen in the file from Jason.

Easing himself onto the sofa next to Arden, he pressed his hand over hers in a comforting gesture but knew it wasn’t going to be nearly enough. Whatever had Lydia so upset was bad. Very bad.

Licking her dry lips, Lydia took a shaky breath before speaking. “That’s not Ben—that’s David, his brother.”

He hadn’t seen that coming at all.

Frowning, Arden leaned closer to study the photo. “David? That’s my uncle?”

“Your mother and David dated for a few years.”

His eyes met Lydia’s and he saw the anguish in their depths. Clearly this part of Susannah’s story was painful for all involved.

“But she married my dad.” Shane could practically see the wheels turning in Arden’s head. “How did that happen?”

Lydia sighed and patted Arden’s knee. “I’m not sure where to start. It’s hard to explain but I’ll try. I guess I’ll start at the beginning.”

“Where is the beginning?” Arden asked, moving closer to Shane and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“David was the older brother,” Lydia began. “He was good-looking and wild. Exciting, I guess is how he would have been described. He liked to drink, take drugs, drive fast, and party until the wee hours of the morning. Susie loved him but after high school he would disappear for days at a time and his explanations when he came back left something to be desired. She was afraid that David was cheating on her and they started to argue quite a bit. Eventually they broke up and Ben was waiting in the wings. He’d had a crush on Susie for years and he took that opportunity to sweep her off her feet. Within six months they were engaged and a year later they were married. It was a good thing too, as David’s behavior became increasingly more erratic and there were rumors that he had a secret girlfriend and baby in Indianapolis.”

Arden leaned into him, her head on his shoulder. Her breath was shallow and her skin appeared pasty and gray. “That’s why he never spoke about his own brother. He stole David’s girlfriend.”

Lydia stood and walked over to the fireplace, running her fingers over the framed photos on the mantle. “That isn’t why he didn’t mention David.” She sighed heavily and briefly buried her head in her hands. “God, I never thought I would have to tell you this. I thought Ben would have told you.”

Shane didn’t imagine the bitterness in Lydia’s tone. Apparently Ben could piss people off here in Hemingdale as well as in Tremont.

“Please understand that your mother’s life wasn’t always easy. Her marriage to Ben wasn’t working and the strain was showing. They fought all the time and usually when David was back in town. She still loved him.” The older woman whispered the last four words.

Stiffening in his arms, Arden sucked in a breath. “She was in love with David?”

Lydia nodded, tears shining in her blue eyes. “She tried to be a good wife to Ben but he wasn’t an easy man to love. While David was wild he was also charming. Ben was moody and difficult, plus had a nasty temper. When he traveled on business, Susie would visit with David. At first I think it truly was innocent but later…”

The implication was clear. Susannah and David were having an affair. Had Ben known?

“How did my mother die?” Arden asked softly, obviously still in shock from her aunt’s revelation.

Her hands wrung together, Lydia allowed a few tears to streak down her cheeks. “Ben was out of town on a business trip and Susie was home alone with just you. According to the police, somewhere between eleven and midnight someone entered through the unlocked back door and shot her twice in the chest as she exited the bathroom. Neighbors heard the shots and you crying and called 911.”

Arden drew a shuddering breath, her trembling hands reaching for Shane’s. He pulled her more tightly against him, feeling her entire body shake in reaction to the story.

“Who did it?”

Wiping away the tears, her aunt shook her head sadly. “They never caught the animal. A few people said they saw David running away from the scene but after they questioned him they didn’t have any evidence. There were others that swore he was across town drinking in a bar and playing pool when the murder happened. Eventually David left town under a cloud of suspicion, never to be heard from again.”

“And Daddy changed our names and moved away,” finished Arden in a choked voice. “I wouldn’t even know any of this if he hadn’t disappeared last week. I’d be completely clueless.”

“However misguided it may seem now, at the time, we all agreed it was the best thing for you. We didn’t want you to grow up in this little town being the daughter of the woman who was murdered and the killer was never found. It would have followed you your entire life and we wanted to spare you that. What we didn’t realize was that Ben was going to cut us out of your life completely and that we would become strangers to you here in Hemingdale. That was never part of the plan, Arden—please believe me. Even though you weren’t here I never stopped loving you or being your honorary aunt. You’ve had a Christmas gift under the tree every year in this house. I still have them all.”

Pale and trembling in his arms, Arden laid her head on his shoulder. “I think…I could use a drink.”

“I think we all could,” replied Shane. “I don’t suppose you have some brandy or whiskey, Lydia?”

The older woman smiled and stood. “Actually I do have a nice brandy and you’re right, I think we all could use a snort. It must be five o’clock somewhere.”

Lydia disappeared into another room and Shane tipped Arden’s chin up so she was looking into his eyes. “Are you okay, princess? What do you need from me?”

“Don’t let me go.”

Her stark admission cut straight to his heart. He’d be there for her in any way she needed him, at any time. She might not be his to love but she was his to care for and protect. At least while they were here.

‡

“I
want to
hire your cousin Jason and his partners.”

Arden had waited until she and Shane had returned to the hotel after spending the afternoon and evening catching up on the last thirty years with Aunt Lydia. Immediately, she’d felt close to the older woman and vowed to stay in touch no matter what. In fact, Lydia wanted to throw a party in Arden’s honor so she could meet the residents of the small town she would have grown up in.