Tessa's Treasures (4 page)

“I saw her last night.” Lucas avoided Mason’s eyes, thanked the waitress as she put his food in front of him.

“No kidding. Where did you run into her?”

“Actually, I went to her shop. Had some old things in the attic I thought she might be interested in.” After dipping a fry into a pool of ketchup he popped it into his mouth.

Mason swiped a napkin across his mouth, crumpled it and tossed it on the table. Arms folded over his chest, he gave Lucas a half smile. “You don’t say.”

Lucas shifted under his friend’s scrutiny. “You’re looking at me like I’m one of your suspects.”

“No reason. It’s just that years ago I had the impression you had a thing for my little sister. She was too young for you, you know.”

“Not anymore,” he snapped.

“Whoa.” Mason threw up his hands in surrender. “Looks like I struck a nerve.”

“Maybe you did.” He shrugged. “And stop smiling like that. She’s single, I’m single. What’s the big deal?”

Mason’s smile collapsed. He pinched the bridge of his nose with an index finger and thumb. “Tessa hasn’t been herself since she came back from California. She dresses like an old lady, never dates. At least as far as I know. Has this friend—guy’s been married a ton of times—so I think in her mind, he’s safe. Anyway, she’ll go out with him once in a while, but when a couple guys on the force took an interest in her she froze them out.”

Lucas pushed away his half eaten plate, sensing his friend wasn’t giving him the full story on his sister. “I guess I’m luckier than most, cause we went to dinner last night.”

Mason let out a low whistle. “You sure move fast. Maybe she doesn’t feel threatened by you cause you’re an old friend.”

“What do you mean
threatened?
” He leaned forward. “Tessa let slip last night that when she came home from California, she had a need to recover. What was that all about?”

Mason stared at him for a minute, then said, “Her husband beat the shit out of her.”

Lucas jerked back as if he’d been slapped. Blood pounded in his head. The instinct to do something, anything, kicked in. He made a move to get up.

“Hold on there.” Mason grabbed his arm. “It was eight years ago, and he’s doing time for it.”

Craving physical action, Lucas clenched his fists.
Like breaking every bone in the bastard’s body
. He took a deep breath, tapped his fingers on the table. “How the hell did you let something like that happen?”

“You think I feel good about it?” Mason picked up his fork and played with the lettuce and tomato left on the plate. “I was busy with the job. Every time I asked if I could come for a visit, she always had a reason why it wasn’t a good time. They were redoing the house, Dean had just started his vacation, they were going away. The couple times they came here, she looked pale and nervous, but she said she worked a lot of hours.”

Lucas opened and closed his fists. “Dammit, you’re a trained cop. You mean to tell me you couldn’t see your own sister was in danger?”

“Look, buddy, there isn’t anything you can say to me that I haven’t said to myself a million times. If it hadn’t been for Jane, I think I’d have torn the miserable bastard apart before he even got to court.”

“How did you find out? About the beating, I mean?”
Dammit.
The tension around his chest tightened.

“One day he beat her particularly bad. A neighbor went to her house for something, found her a mess, and called me. I still don’t know why she didn’t call me herself.”

“Son of a bitch, I can’t believe this. So what happened?”

“The neighbor called an ambulance and I got on a plane. After I made sure she was under good care, I escorted her husband to the San Jose police station. At first they tried to brush it off, which gives me a good idea of how things had been going for a while. You know, the good old boy, we take care of our own thing?”

Lucas nodded, tight-lipped. “Go on.”

“I leaned hard on the District Attorney. He assigned a female ADA who was outraged at Tessa’s injuries.” He took a final suck on the straw and pushed the glass away. “That’s about it. When she was released from the hospital, she came back to Duncan and stayed with us until the divorce settlement. She got enough from the sale of their house in San Jose to buy a small place here. Dean was sentenced to ten years. The judge came down hard on him, said he wasn’t happy the jerk was a cop. Gave him a sermon about the honor of law enforcement officers. I was happy as hell, and honestly think if I hadn’t been Chief here, the department would’ve swept the whole thing under the rug.”

Lucas took a deep breath. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this.”

“One thing.” Mason grabbed the check from the table. “Nobody except me and Jane know about this. I only told you cause you’re an old friend, and frankly, I think you’d be good for Tessa. But don’t say anything to her unless she brings it up.”

Lucas sat staring at the table.

“You coming?”

He waved his hand at Mason. “No, you go ahead. I’ll be here a few more minutes.”

“Okay.” Mason pulled his sunglasses out of his shirt pocket. “See ya around.”

Her husband got ten years. Tessa said she returned about eight years ago. That meant the scum was getting close to parole.

****

Tessa pulled the items from Lucas' attic out of the box and lined them up on the counter. First, she lifted the doll to examine it from various angles. Then a weird thing happened. Goosebumps actually rose on her arm. Startled, she laid the doll on the counter and moved to the other pieces.

She carefully inspected the china and a few small statutes. One item resembled a pipe with Indian writing on it. The next piece she reached for was the journal. It was an old book, with careful hand-written entries from a time when penmanship was important and a sign of education. She flipped through the pages. Maybe she’d take it home tonight and read it after dinner. Or maybe not. The meeting at the church for Vacation Bible School was tonight. She put the journal aside. Some other time.

A Jeep pulling up in front of the store caught her attention. A groan escaped when her heart sped up.
This is not good. I must make my body behave itself.

Lucas walked into the store, his gaze fixed on her from the moment he entered. He strode to the counter, then around it. Tessa backed up, her mouth dry. “Lucas, what’s wrong?”

He put both his hands on her shoulders, then pulled her to his chest.

She tried to pull away. “Lucas!” Her heart took off and sweat beaded her upper lip.

“Shh.” He released her, and leaned his chin on her head, then set her away from him.

“What’s the matter?” she squeaked.

He ran both palms up and down her arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. There’s nothing wrong. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Her own heart finally started to slow. He’d given her a jolt.

He removed his baseball cap and tossed it on the counter. “I just had a scare today. I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

Tessa took a large breath. “What happened? What scared you?”

“Nothing. It’s over now.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek, sucking in a deep breath. “So. How’s your day going?”

“Fine. Quiet now. I had a busload of tourists earlier, sold a few things.” Tessa studied him. He seemed distracted, almost angry. “Would you like a cup of herbal tea?”

Lucas smiled for the first time since he entered the store. “Sure. I don’t usually drink the stuff, but I’d enjoy a cup right now.”

They went to the small kitchen behind the store. Lucas took a chair, turned it around, and straddled it, leaned his forearms on the back.

Tessa glanced at him while she readied cups and saucers, grabbing spoons from a nearby drawer.
What the hell was that all about?
He’d scared her to death, and he looked like death himself.
She poured boiling water over two herbal tea bags in the pink and green flowered teapot, and then sat across from him, smoothing her long yellow linen skirt.

“How about dinner tonight?” Lucas' smile was forced.

“I can’t.” She stirred her tea, the spoon clinking the edge of the china in a steady rhythm that matched the nervous thrum of her heart. “I have a meeting at church.”

He left his chair, strode to the small window and stood with his back to her, hands resting on his hips. “I have some things to finish up in Oklahoma City the next few days.” He turned and leaned against the wall. “But I just picked up my boat today, and I’m anxious to get her out. How about I pick you up Saturday and we spend the day on the lake?”

She fumbled with the collar of her high-necked blouse. “I’ve never been on a boat.”

“Great. Then mine will be your first.”

“Where do you take it?”

He strode to the table and sat again, pushing the cup and saucer away. “I used to have it docked at Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City. Now that I’m down here, I’d like to check out Waurika Lake. Mike Owens at the Marina shop told me it’s a good place for a boat my size.”

Alone with Lucas on a boat? The old fear started to creep up her spine. Nonsense. This was Lucas Raven, Mason’s best friend, the object of her teenage crush. He continued to smile, and warmth spread through her and the tension eased.

“Well, actually, it might be fun. I could pack us a lunch.” Her voice gathered strength as she felt prickles of excitement. Of being normal for once.

“Great idea. You pack the lunch, and I’ll bring the cold drinks.” Lucas stood and pulled her up. She didn’t resist, rising out of her chair as if in a trance.

“I like the idea of us having a picnic on my boat. He wrapped her in his arms, settling her against his warm chest. “I’d like that very much.” With a kiss to her forehead, he released her. “Okay, it’s a date. I’ll pick you up at your house around eight o’clock Saturday.”

“Eight o’clock! Frances works that day. It’s my day to sleep in.”

“Not this Saturday.” He gave her a wink and headed for the door.

He was in his Jeep before she remembered, and raced out the door. “Lucas!”

The passenger side window slid down. “What?”

“You don’t know where I live.”

He gave her a warm smile again. “Yes I do.” He waved and pulled into traffic.

Tessa strolled back into the store. The items from Lucas' attic still sat on the counter. She tagged the pieces of china and the other articles. Her slender fingers caressed the statue of the woman with the baby. A sad smile teased her lips. Once, she’d looked forward to being a mother. Someone to love and love her back. Blinking rapidly, she placed the statue next to the white marble elephant, and returned to the counter.

Slowly she reached for the doll again, slid her fingers down the coarse black hair. The mysterious eyes seemed to shift with Tessa’s movements. The face had been lovingly polished to a high gloss. Smaller bones were wired to the body to form arms and legs. A beautiful rose had been carved into the center of the doll’s chest; Tessa wondered at its significance.

With a shiver, she set it down. She found spots on the shelves for the other items. As she worked, she would glance over her shoulder at the doll. No matter where in the room she stood, the eyes seemed to train on her. She strolled to the center of the room, circling slowly, looking for the perfect place for the doll. Each time she thought she’d found a place, something changed her mind. No place seemed right, and she couldn’t get past the feeling the doll watched her.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Shortly after six, she grabbed her sweater, keys and purse. When the last lamp was turned off, she glanced at the counter where the doll stared at her. On her way to the back, she grabbed an empty box and the doll, then headed for the kitchen. The rack of shelves in the corner of the room would be the perfect spot until she decided the doll’s fate. With determined steps, she climbed the small ladder and shoved the box to the back of the top shelf.

“Sorry, dolly, but you just creep me out.”

After she tucked the step stool neatly behind a cabinet, she locked the back door and headed for home.

Chapter Four

“Come on, Lucas. You can’t really expect me to do that. It’s against regulations.”

Lucas leaned against the closed door of OSBI Division Director Brandon Marshall’s office, arms crossed, a mocking lift to one brow. “I hope you’re not telling me you’ve never broken a rule?”

Bran waved to one of the black leather chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down. You’re giving me a crick in my neck.” He tapped a pencil on the scarred desk. “What you’re asking is so far out there, I get a rash thinking about it.”

Lucas settled back in the chair, one boot-covered foot resting on his bent knee. “You do it all the time here.”

“Not what
you’re
asking.” The heavy-set Division Director glared at him. Even though his bushy beard covered most of his jaw, the tense line of his mouth couldn’t be missed. “We’ve been friends and colleagues for years. I’d bend a lot of rules for you, but I’m not going after out-of-state sealed court records.”

Leaning forward in the chair, Lucas said, “What
can
you do for me?”

“Why don’t you tell me more? Right now all I know is you want me to do something illegal.”

Lucas jumped up, rubbed the back of his neck. “All right. About eight years ago, a friend’s sister was badly beaten by her then husband. You know the old love, honor and cherish routine—he must’ve been wearing ear plugs during that part of the ceremony.”

He felt Bran’s gaze follow him as he paced in front of the desk. “Anyway, the ex-husband, a former cop, I might add, was sentenced to ten years.” He ran tense fingers through his hair. “You get where I’m going? Eight years ago he got ten years. He could be eligible for parole any time now. “

Brandon leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I get it. Go on.”

He sprawled in the chair again. “I need to know his release date. Or God forbid if he’s already out, I want the name of his parole officer.”