The Black Sheep's Redemption (2 page)

TWO

D
emi took Officer Hughes up on his offer to listen for the kids. She and Keira followed everyone around to the side of the house to see what all the excitement was about.

She saw the garage door and flinched as though she’d been slapped. Her heart shuddered in pain for the man staring in disbelief at the vandalism. Who would do something like that? Demi hadn’t known Charles very long, just long enough to be interviewed and accept the job. She’d heard the rumors. Been privy to the whispers as she walked through town. People wondered how she could work for a suspected murderer. But after meeting Charles, Demi knew in her gut that he hadn’t murdered anyone. If she thought he was capable of that, she wouldn’t be working for him.

Owen stared at the vile accusation and looked ready to snap someone in two. The set of Keira’s jaw said she was right there with Owen.

“What’s going on here?”

Demi turned to see Aiden Fitzgerald, chief of police and head of the Fitzgerald family, stride toward his children. She recognized him from the family photo Charles had sitting on his mantel.

“Dad?” Charles frowned. “You didn’t have to come out here.”

“When I hear someone’s trying to break in my son’s house, I do.” He looked at the garage door and Demi thought she saw him pale when Keira turned her light in his direction. “Someone decided to play dirty tonight, I see.”

It wasn’t hard to pick up on the fine thread of steel lacing his words.

Charles shook his head. “They egged my house last month and just a couple weeks ago I found all of my tires slashed.” He sighed and shrugged. “Don’t stress about it, Dad. Until you catch whoever killed Olivia, this stuff is going to happen.”

Olivia Henry. Demi had heard the story straight from Charles’s mouth. A young woman had come over from Ireland several months ago and Charles had hired her as his nanny. When she’d been found dead on the cliffs at the base of the lighthouse, the town had been rocked.

And then the accusations and rumors had started about Charles’s involvement with Olivia.

He’d told Demi in no uncertain terms that there had been nothing between him and Olivia except an employer-employee relationship.

Demi believed him.

“Maybe so,” Owen stated, “but that doesn’t mean we’re just going to sit back and take it.”

Keira grunted. “I’m going to check on the kids again.”

She disappeared around the corner of the house and Charles simply watched her go.

Demi thought Charles looked weary, battle worn. Not beaten, or defeated, just tired. She ached for him. Wished she could somehow take his pain away. The lump in her throat surprised her. But she couldn’t help it. She cared.

She hadn’t counted on the spark of attraction that had arched between them when he’d interviewed her.

When Fiona, her landlady and Charles’s other sister, had suggested she apply for the nanny position, she’d mentioned he was having trouble finding help because he was a suspect in the murder of his previous nanny. Demi had at first refused. But Fiona had been adamant about her brother’s innocence and Demi had finally agreed.

And she’d been captivated by the hurting father accused of a murder he didn’t commit. After speaking with him, she had no doubts about his innocence or she wouldn’t be there.

Charles’s gaze landed on hers. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she reassured him.

Stepping to her side, he placed a hand under her elbow. “Come on. They’ll take care of all this. Let me take you home.” Right now, she depended upon Charles for most of her transportation to and from his home. She’d love to drive, but had no way of getting a driver’s license. Not without some way of identifying herself.

“After she gives a statement,” Owen said.

Demi said, “I’ve told you everything.”

“Go through it one more time, if you don’t mind,” Ryan suggested as he tucked his phone in his back pocket.

“Sure.”

They walked back into the house where Keira paced in front of the fireplace. She looked up. “The twins are fine. Still sleeping. I told Officer Hughes he could take off.”

“Demi’s going to give a statement,” Charles said. “Then I’m going to take her home. You said you were just getting ready to go off duty. Do you mind staying with the kids until I get back?”

“I can do that.”

Aiden stepped into the house. “I think we’ve done all we can do here. I’ll have a cruiser drive by on a regular basis tonight. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

Charles nodded and Demi saw his jaw tighten. “Thanks, Dad.”

As Aiden left, Owen flipped his notebook closed. “I’ll catch up to you later.”

Demi followed Charles out to his car, her heart chugging with dread. Would he tell her that she no longer had a job?

Then certainty filled her.

No, he wouldn’t do that. He needed her. Just like she needed him. Or at least the job. She didn’t need
him.

When she’d arrived in town, she’d had a small bag packed with clothes and some money provided by the sweet nurses who had cared for her after her accident.

Fortunately, she’d run into Fiona Fitzgerald Cobb who’d had a vacant apartment above her shop and was willing to take a chance on someone who didn’t have a job and couldn’t remember her name.

Getting the nanny job had proven easier than remembering her name. Charles had been desperate. Careful who he hired, but still desperate.

He started the vehicle but didn’t move to put it in gear. “I’m afraid I’ve allowed you to land in a hornet’s nest by hiring you. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to quit.”

Charles’s words jerked her attention back to him as she buckled her seat belt. “Quit? Because there’s a jerk out there trying to intimidate you? Because someone’s accusing you of something for which no one has any proof? I don’t think so.”

The relief on his face made her want to reach out to him, soothe his worry and pain.

She jumped when his palm hit the steering wheel.

“I won’t let whoever is doing this send me running with my tail tucked. I won’t.” Charles turned, eyes narrowed as he drilled her with the intensity of his gaze. “I didn’t kill Olivia Henry. I don’t know who did. I just know
I
didn’t.”

Demi gulped. Olivia had been murdered by a blow to the head. And if Demi understood everything she’d managed to pick up from snatches of muttered conversations, not much had been found to prove Charles innocent.

But nothing with substance had been found to prove him guilty, either.

She let her gaze run over him. Dark hair, flashing blue eyes. Honest blue eyes. Hurting blue eyes. But definitely not the eyes of a cold-blooded killer.

Demi said, “I believe you, Charles. I believed you when you offered me the job and explained your situation. And I believe you now.”

He closed his eyes and leaned back his head against the headrest. “Thank you for that.” He paused. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”

Demi couldn’t help it. She reached out and curled her fingers around his and squeezed. “It’s okay, Charles. I promise. And for the record, I don’t think you deserve it, either.”

He returned her squeeze then let go to grasp the steering wheel. “I’d better take you home and get back so Keira can get some sleep.”

He backed from the driveway and Demi noticed Ryan standing in the doorway watching them leave. The frown on his face made her blink and she wondered what he was thinking.

After the heavy conversation back at his house, she was ready for a lighter topic. But that wasn’t to be when Charles asked, “Any changes in your memory?”

“No.” She glanced out the window. “I just continue to have flashes of some things, but nothing I can put my finger on. And if I try too hard, I get terrible headaches.”

“Then don’t try. It’ll happen when it happens. That scab on the edge of your hairline looks pretty bad.”

Self-conscious, she raised a hand to touch it. It had mostly healed and she thought it was looking better.

He must have caught her look because he was quick to say, “Hey, I’m sorry, I wasn’t saying it looked bad…bad. It was just a medical observation. I just meant that it was obvious that you suffered a pretty traumatic injury.”

“Oh.” She lowered her hand to clasp it in the other one.

The car slowed and he parked in front of The Reading Nook. The quaint bookstore owned and operated by his sister, Fiona. Demi’s apartment was upstairs above the store.

Before she could get out, he said, “Wait a minute, Demi.”

She turned expectantly.

He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel then said, “You know, when I interviewed you, the fact that you had amnesia put me off a bit. I mean, how could I trust my children to someone who can’t even remember who she is?”

She lifted a brow. “Are you sorry you did?”

“No, of course not.” His quick response reassured her. “But I do have a confession to make.”

Her brow lifted. “What’s that?”

* * *

He cleared his throat. “I have to be honest. I had Owen run a background check on you. On the name you gave me, anyway.”

She tilted her head. “I figured you probably had. You’re not the type to just hand over your children to someone you haven’t looked into.”

He nodded. “Nothing came up, of course. But more importantly, your fingerprints weren’t in the system.”

“The nurses in the hospital gave me my last name. I remembered my first name, but that was it.” She let out a deep breath. “When I came to in the hospital, the police also tried running my fingerprints. Again, they came up empty, but assured me that might be a good thing. At least I’m not in the criminal database.”

At the feeble joke, Charles felt himself smiling.

Another shrug. “I don’t blame you for doing a background check on me.”

He let out a long sigh. “Good, because I was going crazy feeling like I was lying to you. Part of me was afraid you’d be furious.”

“No. I would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed.” Her soft voice pulled him to her. Delicate features framed with honey-blond hair drew him like bees to honey. Her emerald-green eyes wanted to ensnare him. Innocence and gentleness radiated from her. He’d definitely made the right choice in hiring her.

“It’s only been a week, and the twins already adore you,” he said.

A gentle smile pulled at her lips. “The feeling’s mutual.”

There was something about her that he liked. Trusted. Wanted to know more about.

But not tonight.

“Come on, I’ll walk you up.” He climbed out of the truck and walked around to help Demi out.

“So, Fitzgerald,” the voice to his left said, “is this your next innocent victim?”

THREE

C
harles whirled. “Burke, what are you doing here?”

“Just enjoying a little walk. Reveling in my freedom, taking in the taste of the night air.” His gaze hardened. “Wondering why criminals are allowed to roam free, given another opportunity to prey on more innocent women.”

Burke Hennessy. A lawyer and his father’s rival for mayor. Burke and Judge Ronald Monroe, who was rumored to be considering a run for mayor, were two peas in a pod. Fitzgerald Bay would be in major trouble should Burke win the election.

Charles held his tongue long enough to get it under control. Then he said, “Knock it off, Burke. This is Demi Taylor. She’s the children’s nanny.”

“Yes, I’d heard you managed to talk someone into taking the position.” Burke smirked and eyed Demi. “Be careful about following in Olivia’s footsteps. Especially if they’re along the edge of some steep cliffs.”

Charles felt his fingers curl into a tight fist. With effort, he loosened it and forced a smile. He would not sink to this man’s level—or do anything to mess up his father’s chances to beat Burke in the election. “Nice to see you, too, Burke. Now if you’ll excuse us…”

He placed his hand on Demi’s rigid back and tried to usher her into the rear entrance of the bookstore.

Burke stepped in front of them, anger smoldering just beneath the surface. Charles felt the tension in his shoulders escalate. Burke jabbed a finger at him. “You know you should be in jail. If the main suspect was anyone else not related to the almighty Fitzgeralds, that person would be rotting in a cell right now.”

“And if there were any proof that I’d killed Olivia, I’d be there, family or no family. But there’s no proof because I didn’t kill her. Get out of the way, Burke. Now.”

Demi walked away from the two of them, pulling her keys from her purse. Charles swallowed hard. Was she scared? Repulsed? Had she decided Burke was right and that she was placing herself in danger by just being in his company?

He remembered the look in her eyes when she’d said she believed him. No, it was something else.

Turning his back on Hennessy, Charles followed Demi. He saw her hands shaking as she unlocked the door and slipped inside.

“You haven’t heard the last of this, Fitzgerald!” Burke hollered.

Charles didn’t bother to turn around and waste any more time or breath on the man. “Demi?” She stopped on the steps and looked back down at him. The fear in her eyes cut him. “Hey, I’m so sorry.”

“No. Don’t apologize. It wasn’t you,” she said with a shudder. “I had a flash of something. Of violence and anger and…and I just had to get away from that man.”

Charles hurried up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I understand. I was in a bit of a hurry to get away from him myself.”

“Is he gone?”

“Yes, I think so. I didn’t stick around to make sure.”

She took a deep breath and lifted a brow. “Too busy trying not to smash his nose?”

Charles jerked then gave a surprised laugh. “You noticed?”

“Oh, yeah. I noticed.” He felt some of the tension leave the shoulder under his hand. She bit her lip then said, “I’m sorry I was such a wimp. I didn’t mean to just walk away and leave you to deal with him, I just…”

He placed a finger on her lips. Her soft lips.

He pulled back his finger and rubbed it with his thumb even as he said, “No need to apologize. Burke’s a pain with a loud mouth, but he’s harmless. The trick is to just ignore him.”

She nodded and finished the trek up the steps. At the top, she turned down the short hallway that led to her apartment.

Charles caught her before she got to the door. “Demi, I want to make something really clear.”

“Sure, what is it?”

He raked a hand through his hair. “The rumor is that Olivia and I were romantically involved.” A frown creased her forehead and he resisted the urge to smooth the shallow lines. “We weren’t. She was my children’s nanny and I trusted her with my children. She was a pretty private person, but I’d like to think we were becoming friends. There were no romantic feelings between us whatsoever.”

Her eyes stayed locked on his for the longest time and he wanted to squirm under the scrutiny, but he didn’t. He just stood there as she decided whether she believed him or not.

Finally, she smiled. “I believed you the first time you told me that. Tonight hasn’t changed anything.”

Key ready, she reached out to unlock the door when Charles stopped her again, his hand on hers. “Wait a minute. It’s open.”

Demi gripped the keys tighter and pulled back. “That’s weird.”

“You probably just didn’t pull it shut behind you hard enough when you left earlier.”

The doubt on her face said she wasn’t buying it.

And after the night he’d just had, he wasn’t sure he was, either.

* * *

Demi stared at the door. “Maybe Fiona needed to get in for some reason.” But why? And why would she leave the door open? “The furniture was delivered last week. Maybe they had something else to bring up…or…or…something.”

And what about Chloe, the stray cat she’d taken in the day she’d moved into the apartment? Chloe had followed Demi up the stairs and sat outside the door meowing until Demi had finally let her in. Chloe had made herself at home and some of Demi’s loneliness had dissipated.

Had Chloe slipped out the open door?

Worry for the cat and other emotions swept through her.

Unexplainable fear.

Breath-stealing panic.

Something flashed in her mind. A clenched fist, a harsh yell. Pain lancing through her head. She blinked, raised a hand to her forehead, felt the scar.

Then the image was gone, leaving a pounding headache in its wake.

“Demi? What is it? What did you remember?”

“Fear,” she blurted out. “Just a horrible fear, but I don’t know the source. I don’t know why!” She lifted a hand to her head and pressed as though she could push the headache out and the memories back in.

He pulled her to him while she shook. His arms held her, comforted her. Offered her shelter.

Swallowing, her breath hitched as she gathered herself and pulled away to face the door once more.

“I’m okay.” Her hand reached out to push the door open. She appreciated Charles’s comforting presence behind her. “You’re probably right,” she said, hating the tremble in her voice, but unable to do anything about it. “I’m sure I just didn’t close the door tight.” From what she could see, all looked normal. Except…

“Chloe?” she called softly. “Here, kitty.”

Demi stepped inside for a better look in the kitchen. “Everything looks fine in here. But my cat usually greets me when I come in.”

She moved to the small living area, Charles right behind her. It was just as she’d left it. The new couch hugged the far wall with the afghan Fiona had given her bunched up against one end. The coffee table held the latest book she’d been reading. Her morning’s coffee cup sat on a coaster on the end table.

Normal.

But where was Chloe?

Her pulse slowed and her breathing evened out. But sorrow hit her. If Chloe was gone, Demi knew she would miss the cat who, for the most part, had been her only company in the evenings for the past week.

She walked the few steps to the bedroom and peeked in. All looked fine. Just as she was about to check under the bed for the missing feline, her gaze landed on the closet door.

It was shut.

“What is it?”

Charles’s voice in her left ear made her jump. He’d picked up on her sudden stillness.

“The closet’s shut.” She pushed her wire-rimmed glasses up on her nose.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“It was open this morning when I left to take care of the kids.”

Why could she remember that and not her last name? Regardless, she distinctly remembered leaving it open. Heart thudding, sweat broke out on her upper lip.

Her front door had been cracked open. Had someone been in the apartment? Someone looking for something? For her?

Go, get away. Run.

Fear resurrected its head and cut off her breath. But why? Why did she feel this fear that seemed to come from nowhere? There had to be a reason.
Why
couldn’t she remember?

“Maybe we should just leave,” she said. “Something’s not right here.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder and the comfort it offered made her shiver. “Let me just check the closet for you.”

“No!”

And the images hit her again. A flash of blood, a heavy hand on her face. Someone screaming. Was that her?

She gasped, her breaths came in pants and that sweeping fear that came from a place she couldn’t explain nearly consumed her.

Shaking with the urge to flee, she stepped back never taking her eyes from the closet door.

“Demi.” His gentle voice forced her gaze to his. Gulping, she saw concern, caring…a warmth that thawed the ice freezing in her veins. “Let me check,” he insisted. “It’s fine. Really. If someone was in there, I feel sure he would have made his presence known by now.”

Pulling in a deep breath, she nodded. Then firmed her jaw.

Walking to the end table, she picked up the lamp and stepped back to the closet door. “All right, I’m ready.”

“What are you doing?”

“If someone’s in the closet, I’m not leaving you to fight him alone.”

The tightness along his jawline that never seemed to ease, finally did. He smiled and nodded. Then his expression turned hard again as he eyed the closet.

* * *

Charles walked to the closet and swung open the door, even as he crouched in a defensive position ready for whatever might come at him. A cat darted out, startling him.

His pulse pounded and he realized how tightly wound his nerves were. Of course after what he’d come home to tonight, it wasn’t a surprise. And then Burke’s confrontation in the alley…

He watched Demi set the lamp back on the table then lean over to snag the cat and hold her close. “Silly cat, how did you get locked in there?”

“Is the window open? Maybe there was a draft and it blew the door shut.”

Demi walked over to the only window in the small room and pushed back the curtains. “No. It’s closed.”

“Well the cat didn’t close herself in the closet.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. It is kind of strange, I’ll admit, but maybe someone from the bookstore wandered upstairs, found your door and opened it to see what was behind it. Seeing that it was an apartment, maybe the person didn’t quite shut the apartment door well enough and the draft caused the closet door to shut.”

Demi lifted a brow at the weak suggestion. Charles grimaced. “Yeah, I’m not really buying that, either.”

Demi’s frown deepened. “I suppose something like that could have happened. But I’m pretty sure I locked the apartment door when I left earlier.” Reaching inside the closet, she flipped on the light switch.

He could see the sum total of her wardrobe. Four or five shirts. Three pairs of jeans, two pairs of shorts and a sweatshirt and a light windbreaker. On the floor, there were a pair of sandals and some pink slippers. She wore her only pair of tennis shoes.

The sparse selection stunned him. He thought about his ex-wife and her bursting-at-the-seams closet. He’d always been tripping over her shoes that seemed to multiply daily.

And then there was Demi.

Charles felt his heart ache for the fragile-looking woman who’d been victimized twice in one night.

* * *

Demi saw the pity in Charles’s eyes and turned away from it. She wasn’t ashamed of her lack of material goods and she didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for her. Straightening her back, she firmed her jaw. Another look around confirmed what she’d originally thought. “Nothing’s missing.”

“You’re sure?”

For some strange reason, Demi felt like giggling. “Trust me, I’m sure. I have no jewelry, no fancy clothes, nothing. There’s nothing worth stealing.”

Charles’s stare made the back of Demi’s neck heat up. Ignoring the sensation and praying the flush didn’t spread to her cheeks, Demi looked around. “Everything looks fine. I guess no one was up here after all.” She frowned, not understanding how this could be when the closet door was shut. “I’ll ask Fiona if she came up here. If she didn’t, then—” she lifted her shoulders in a shrug “—I have no explanation.”

“Is there any reason someone would want to break into your home?”

“No.” She paused. “At least I don’t think so…I mean…” she stammered to a halt. How would she know? “I don’t really know.”

“Of course there is,” he muttered answering his own question. “Someone who might be mad that you’re working for me. Maybe this is just the beginning.”

Demi came to his side. “Stop it.”

He looked at her. She frowned at him and he could see the frustration in her eyes. Charles sighed. “You’re right. I don’t need to be having a pity party. But I hate to think of you being in danger because of me.” He paused. “Will you be all right to stay here alone?”