Murderous Lies (18 page)

Rose shook her head. “Not really. He beat her up pretty bad. Her face is all swollen, but she didn’t want me butting into her business. After she left the store, I got to thinking about it more though, and I wonder if he...”

“What?” Max prompted when she didn’t continue.

Rose looked up, her hazel eyes filled with confusion. “Bryant told me Bill came home early in the morning on Sunday. Kelsey had called me in a panic, telling me she had to get Bill cleaned up because he was too drunk and she was afraid she might have to take him to the hospital. I watched the boys until I heard about Julie.”

Max twirled his hand around, hoping she’d get to the point soon. He didn’t see what her babysitting had to do with murder.

“What if...what if Bill killed Julie, and that’s why he was gone from their house?”

“Isn’t that kind of a stretch?” Max asked, surprised she’d made that connection. “Did he even know Julie?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, but if he was the one who killed Sage, he would know Julie was searching for the real killer now. Officer Jet said Jimmy’s body was posed, just like Julie’s. Posed...it made me think that the killer is trying to convince everyone this is you doing this. What better targets to kill than Jimmy, who everyone knows you hate, and Julie, who would have stopped at nothing to find Sage’s killer?”

She had put a lot of thought into it, and it made an odd sort of sense. “But he never leaves his house, pretty much. How would he have found out about Julie wanting to find the killer, or even Jimmy and me fighting for that matter?”

“Kelsey. She loves him so much, even if I can’t figure out why. She would share town gossip with him, just to have something to talk about when he was halfway sober. She wouldn’t know she was giving him clues about who to kill.” Rose picked up a piece of bread and bit into it, chewing with a thoughtful look on her face. “The boys said he was leaving more often lately, and I didn’t think much of it. I figured he was just drinking more, or doing drugs, but maybe he isn’t content to sit back and be a house husband. Maybe Kelsey and the boys aren’t enough for him, and he has the urge to kill again.”

It was as good a theory as any. “You should tell Calvin and Officer Jet,” Max said. “They can check it out discretely, and if you’re wrong, no harm will come of it.”

“But I promised Kelsey I wouldn’t tell anyone about him hitting her.”

Max stifled a sigh. “If he’s beating her, then it’s even more likely he beat all those other girls.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” Rose reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “Thanks, Max. I knew I could count on you to help me.”

He squeezed her hand. “Forever and ever, love. Now, let’s eat before it gets too cold.”

A smile touched her lips and she nodded. “It really does smell delicious. A girl could get used to this.”

Max laughed. “Better taste it before you get too carried away.”

D
inner was wonderful, and then Max insisted she shower while he cleaned up the kitchen. As she was rinsing the conditioner from her hair, chilly air passed over her and she swiped water from her eyes.

Max stood outside the shower with the curtain pulled open, showing his erection off with evident pride. “I thought you could use someone to soap up your back.” He stepped into the tub, running his hands down her slick chest and belly. “And maybe I can do something about this front.”

He took her puckering nipple into his mouth and pressed her against the shower wall.

“A girl could definitely get used to this,” she repeated when Max’s hand reached between her legs.

***

C
lean, satiated, and snuggled into Max’s arms, Rose felt more complete and whole than she had any right to when people where dying all around them and her best friend’s husband might be a killer. She didn’t want to think about all that. At least not for a while.

“So, what’s this about a possible job in Beaverton?” she asked.

“I got the feeling you weren’t interested in hearing about it.” He didn’t quite sound grumpy, but he also didn’t sound happy.

“I am. It was just a surprise to hear you wanted me to move. I thought we were finding a better place for Mom to live.”

He stood from the bed, flexing his arms in a strong man pose with a goofy grin on his face. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m going to be your hero. Hang on.”

He walked from the room but returned in a few seconds, carrying sheets of paper. After crawling back into bed, he circled his arm around her shoulder and handed her the papers.

“I didn’t just research recipes today. Check this place out, Rose. They have some kind of counseling session every day, whether it be group counseling or one-on-one with a therapist. They have arts and crafts and tailor most of the program around helping patients regain their independence. They specialize in grief counseling, and the assisted living portion would be perfect for Ginger.”

Rose flipped through the pages, browsing pictures of happy-looking people playing chess and checkers in a game room. Another group sat in a circle, apparently having group therapy. Then there was a page with pictures of the smiling nurses and doctor on staff.

“Where is this place?” she asked.

“It’s in Portland, so we’d be really close to Ginger and you could visit as much as you wanted.” He grabbed the top few pages from her hands, revealing what looked to be an apartment listing beneath it. “I have an appointment to look at this place tomorrow night, and the psych facility Wednesday morning. Think you can get off work?”

Rose shook her head. She couldn’t even find someone to cover her shift for a few hours. No one was going to cover for two days. “Max, there’s no way I can get off from the gas station. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to afford a place like this for Mom, especially not when I’ll have to find another job if we move.”

“That’s the beauty of it.” He kissed her cheek, his excitement obvious. “The job I’m looking at is three times the pay of what I’m making at Uncle Frank’s. They want me to start as soon as possible. I can afford the apartment
and
the place for your mom.”

“It sounds too good to be true,” she said.

Also, he wouldn’t be able to be quite as obsessed with the investigation here if they were three hours away. That had to be a good thing.

Max flashed a smile. “It gets even better. You have time to check out the community college and enroll before fall semester. You can be a music teacher like you always wanted.”

“What?” Rose’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about? I can’t go to college. There’s no money for that.”

“There are all sorts of loans and programs, Rose. You can get scholarships too.” He stroked her shoulder. “Just think, once you’re a teacher, we’ll pay the loans back in no time, and you can live your dream. Everything can be what we always wanted, only this time, we’ll be together.”

Rose felt like her head was literally spinning. Just a month ago, she’d hated Max’s guts for ruining her life. It was too much to take in.

“Come on, love,” he said, his tone wheedling. “Let’s get the life back we should have had. This job is too good for me to pass up. Come with me and let me be your sugar daddy for a while.”

That finally provoked a laugh from her, quite surprising her. “You really think we can do this? Just pack up and start over?” It was what she wanted, but he had seemed so against that before.

He nodded. “As long as that facility is as good as it looks for Ginger, it’s doable. The apartment isn’t the biggest or nicest place in the world, but it’s affordable. And if it’s worse than advertised, I looked up a couple other places to check into.”

Hope filled her for the first time in a very long time. Was it actually possible they could get everything they wanted? No one in Beaverton would know about Max or his past history. He was exonerated, so it shouldn’t be a problem for him getting the job. He was a great mechanic, working in Frank’s shop since he was old enough to hold a wrench. The new company would be lucky to get him.

“But what about Kelsey?” she asked, her happiness dampening some. “I can’t just leave here knowing she might be in danger. What if she and the boys need me?”

“She’ll have your phone number, Rosemary. Just think, if she decides to leave Bill, it would be better for her to get far away. She could come to Beaverton and we could help her there.”

“True,” she conceded. “Plus, if Bill is the killer and Calvin can prove it, Kelsey will be fine anyway.”

Max’s face twisted in a grimace. “Maybe not fine...”

He had a point. Kelsey obviously loved Bill a lot, even if Rose couldn’t see the allure.

“But she won’t get beat anymore,” she pointed out.

“And neither will any other girls in the area.”

“Or guys,” Rose said, twisting the paper in her hands as anxiety flooded back. “I can’t get the time off work, Max, but I think you should go check everything out and decide if that place is good enough for Mom.”

“You trust my judgment?” He sounded awed.

“Of course I do. You won’t put Mom anywhere that isn’t good.” Besides, she wanted Max out of Calvin’s line of sight for a few days. It’d be hard to arrest him if he wasn’t around.

Unaware of her dual reasoning, Max drew her face to his, kissing her tenderly. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you trust me again.”

She kissed him back. “I never should have stopped, but now everything can get better. Go to Beaverton. Plan our new life. Just as soon as you know you’ve got the job, I’ll hand in my notices here and we can start packing.”

He drew away from her, lines of worry creasing his face. “I don’t want to leave you here with a killer still on the loose. I don’t think he’s after you, but there was that threat to Gizmo.”

She glanced to the end of the bed where the cat sat regally, looking as though he were king of the bedroom. “We can have cats at that apartment, right?”

“Don’t distract me,” Max said. “I’m sure I have the job. Just quit your jobs and come with me tomorrow.”

One thing Rose had learned in life, nothing was a sure deal. She shook her head. “I can’t.”

He frowned, looking mulish. “Then I’m not going.”

“Don’t be that way.” She caressed her hand up his chest. “You can’t pass up this opportunity, but I can’t quit my job until I know everything is okay. I have my mom to think about. I want to be with you, but I can’t make rash decisions.”

His gaze softened. “I know you’re worried about Ginger. Fine. I’ll go, but you have to promise to stay away from Calvin and Bill. Either one of them could be the killer.” His eyes narrowed again. “For that matter, stay away from Kevin too, or any of the rest of Jimmy’s posse. I’ll only be gone one night, and I’ll rush home just as soon as I’m done checking out the facility for your mom.”

“Deal.” She snuggled against him. “I’ll call Calvin and tell him my suspicions about Bill, but I won’t go see him. I promise I’ll be careful while you’re gone.”

The tension in his body melted away and he ran his hand through her hair. “Okay. I leave early in the morning, so we’d better go for round two again tonight. I need to have enough memories to fuel my dreams while I’m gone.”

She giggled, her former happiness returning. Rose pushed the papers aside and jumped on top of Max’s stomach, straddling him. “Well, my love, I can certainly provide that.”

***

A
n hour later, Rose turned to face the wall. Max spooned her from behind, kissing her shoulder.

She murmured something incoherent, but happy sounding.

He didn’t like leaving her alone with a killer on the loose, but she was right. He couldn’t waste the opportunity. Life would go on once the real killer was caught, and he wanted to provide the type of future Rose deserved. He needed a good job to do it.

“Hey, Rose, you awake?” he asked.

“No,” she mumbled.

He smiled, rubbing his hand across her stomach. “I want to tell you something. Wake up a little.”

She let out a long sigh. “Hmmmm?”

“I just wanted you to know that I
did
think of everything.”

“Max...I’m tired.”

He chuckled and kissed her ear. “The apartment I’m looking at will take the little fur ball. Your baby’s coming with us. I spent all evening looking for places that take pets.”

“Oh...good,” she murmured. “You know, he’s
our
baby now.”

As though he knew they were talking about him, Gizmo jumped lightly onto the bed and curled up on Rose’s hip. He purred loudly, but kept his unblinking eyes on Max.

Their baby? He didn’t know if he would ever claim the cat as his own, but he’d do anything to make Rose happy.

R
ose dropped drinks off at the newcomers’ table, and quickly walked away. Max would be angry if he found out, but she couldn’t refuse to serve Jimmy’s posse.

The five men had come in and headed straight for her section, sitting at their usual table. The normally boisterous group was eerily quiet, and they’d left Jimmy’s chair empty, as though he might walk in the door to claim it.

It seemed word had reached the town of Jimmy Durant’s death.

Everyone in the diner talked in hushed tones, falling quiet whenever she approached. Rose knew what they likely talked about—speculating whether or not Max killed Jimmy. For a change, no one wanted to give her advice or warn her to stay away from Max. They didn’t want to talk to her at all.

Rose sighed, wiping down a recently emptied table and pocketing the small tip.

Even though she tried not to get her hopes up, she really wanted Max to get the new job so they could leave Clarkston. It was too small of a town. She wanted to live happily with Max for the rest of their lives—without worrying what people said about them.

It was sweet of Max to say he wanted her to go back to school while he paid the bills, but Rose wondered if she could find any job listings in Beaverton. While she couldn’t afford internet at home, her boss sometimes let her use the computer in his office during lunch break. Maybe she could line up some interviews before moving.

The phone to the restaurant rang, and Rose crossed to the counter, picking it up. “Francine’s,” she said. “This is Rose.”