The Lawman's Legacy (Love Inspired Suspense) (13 page)

“Not have to go it alone anymore.”

“You aren’t. I’m here, and I’m going to stay.”

She didn’t respond, and he pressed his advantage. “I did a little research while I was waiting for you to run.”

“You were waiting for me to run?”

“How do you think I got here so quickly? I was sitting at the corner of your street, waiting to stop you when you tried to leave.”

“I… Thank you. You saved my life.”

“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d listened.”

“I know.”

“So, tell me what you’re running from.” He took house keys from her shaking hand, opened the door, Tyler’s arms wrapped firmly around his neck. Solid and warm, the little boy reminded Douglas of what he’d wanted for so many years. A wife, kids, a house in the town he loved so much.

He’d thought he’d meet a local girl. A smart, funny, uncomplicated woman who’d fill the empty place in his heart, complete him in a way no one else could.

Funny. Walking into the house with Merry, feeling Tyler’s sleepy body draped against his shoulder, he felt more complete than he had in a long time.

“I need to get Tyler in bed. Come on, sweetie.”

“Avoiding the question won’t make it go away.” Douglas released his hold on the little boy, let Merry take him.

“I’m not avoiding it. I guess I just figure you already know the answer. I hoped that leaving town would keep Tyler safe. I was wrong. I’ll be down in a minute.” She hurried up the stairs, not giving him time to respond. She’d said as much as she planned.

He planned on getting more.

They were at an impasse, but eventually he’d break through it. Get through to her.

He walked into the kitchen, plugged in the coffeemaker, dug through cabinets until he found coffee and started a pot. A note sat on the kitchen table, a stack of money beneath it, and Douglas did what any self-respecting police officer would do, he picked up the note and read it.

Dear Ida, thank you so much for being a wonderful landlady and a great caregiver to Tyler. I can’t tell you how much knowing you has meant to me. I’ve left a half-year’s rent to make up for leaving you without a tenant. Please know that you will always be in our hearts and prayers. Best, Merry.

Six months’ worth of rent?

That had to be a few thousand dollars. He lifted the stack of money, started counting it.

A thousand dollars.

Two.

Twenty-five hundred.

Three thousand.

“Don’t you know better than to touch things that aren’t yours?” Merry walked across the room and snatched the money and the note from his hand.

“About as well as you know not to leave money lying around where an intruder could find it.” He poured coffee, handed her a cup.

“I—”

“Wanted to make sure you didn’t leave Ida hanging?”

“You read the note,” she accused.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t think I’d still be here to know one way or another.” She dumped sugar and cream into her coffee, took a quick swallow.

“You are, and I’m really curious about how a single mother living on a modest salary can afford to leave several thousand dollars in cash sitting on a table.”

“I’ve always been good at saving money.”

“Probably, but here’s the thing, Merry. I’ve been sitting in my car, watching for your car since I left this afternoon. You never left the house, couldn’t have gone to a bank. That means that you had thousands of dollars in cash just lying around your house.”

“It wasn’t lying around. It was hidden.”

“Like your past? I told you I did some research while I was waiting. You got your first driver’s license in your name four years ago.”

“I lived in the city. I didn’t need to drive.”

He ignored that. “Here’s what I want to know, Merry. If I were to subpoena your bank and get your bank records what would they show? A sudden influx of cash in the past week?” He shot out the question more to rattle her than anything else.

“What are you implying?” Her eyes blazed with fury, and he moved into her space, crowded her so that she couldn’t run from the conversation. He could feel her harsh, uneven breath, sense the tension in her muscles.

“A woman is dead. You have more cash in your house than most people have in their savings account. Anyone can connect the dots and see what that means.”

“What it means is that when I sold my parents’ house, my siblings and I split the proceeds of the sale. I keep the money hidden in the house. It’s my emergency fund. I have the paperwork from the sale if you need to see it.”

“That might be a good idea.”

“I’ll dig it out in the morning. Hopefully, I can find it.”

“Why do I have a feeling you won’t?”

“I don’t know, Douglas. Why don’t you tell me what you think I’ve done, why you think I tried to run, why you think I have a pile of money in my house?” She dropped into a chair, her shoulders slumped, her face pale. She took a sip of coffee, the liquid sloshing onto the table and her hand. She didn’t wipe it away, just stared down at the brown splotch.

“I think Tyler’s father is after you. I think you’re afraid of what will happen when he finds you.”

The mug dropped from her hand, fell onto the table and broke, dark liquid rolling across the table and onto the floor. She jumped up, grabbed a handful of paper towels, and sopped up the coffee, her hands shaking so violently, he grabbed them, squeezed gently. “Who is he, Merry? Was he your husband?”

“No.”

“A boyfriend then?”

“I don’t want to talk about this!” She yanked away, grabbed the trash can and swept the broken mug into it. Blood dripped onto the table, but she ignored it, grabbing more towels, wiping it up with the rest of the mess.

“You cut yourself.” He lifted her hand, examined the cut at the base of her thumb, felt her pulse thrumming rapidly in her wrist.

He pressed a paper towel to the wound, and she pulled away. Turned away.

“Please, go.”

“Did you see the guy who shot out your tires?”

“Not his face, but I think he was the same guy who was here the other night.”

“Tyler’s father?”

“No!” She nearly shouted, then took a deep breath. “Please, just go, Douglas. I’ve told you what I can.”

“It’s not enough.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, so am I. Because, I’m not going to let this go, Merry. I’m going to find out what’s going on. With or without your cooperation. Set the alarm and lock the door. We’ll have a patrol car outside your house for the rest of the night.” He walked out of the kitchen, stalked to the front door, angry with her and with himself.

“Douglas.” She put a hand on his arm before he walked out the door, looked up into his eyes. “If I were going to trust anyone, it would be you. I want you to know that. You’re the only one who has ever made me think there was a chance to have…”

“Mommy!” Tyler called out, and Merry’s hand dropped away.

“I need to go to him.” And, she ran up the stairs, left him to lock the door from the inside, walk outside and walk away. From Merry and Tyler and the secret that haunted their lives.

He’d meant what he said.

He’d find out what he needed to know.

He just hoped he didn’t destroy Merry’s life in the process.

THIRTEEN

F
ifty dollars to get the station wagon towed to the mechanic.

Four hundred dollars for three new tires.

A skull-splitting headache.

Victorian-era skirt and starched white blouse that itched and pulled and made Merry feel like she was suffocating.

Those things were not a good combination.

Especially not when she’d been afraid to bring Tyler to preschool. He rolled his toy fire truck up and down the aisle of the Reading Nook as she finished the second story hour of the day. Thank goodness Fiona had understood her need to have Tyler around. She had heard about the attack the previous night.

Of course she had.

More than half her family worked for the Fitzgerald Bay police department.

Merry ran a hand over her pulled-back hair to go with her costume, wishing she could loosen the heavy locks from the bun she’d fashioned that morning. The weight of it only added to her headache, made her stomach churn more. Made her want to sit down in a dark corner somewhere and cry.

Or maybe it was Douglas’s words that made her want to do that. His words, his actions, his compassionate blue eyes.

He was begging to be let into her life.

And she wanted to let him in so desperately she could feel it in every breath she took. Heaving out and in and pulsing through her. The need to confess it all, because he was going to find out anyway.

He would.

He already knew the name she’d grown up with. He just didn’t know it belonged to her.

Lila Mary Kensington.

Mary to her family, because she’d shared her mother’s first name. Now she had her mother’s maiden name, as well.

Douglas would find out. Maybe, he already had.

But that wasn’t the only reason she wanted to confess everything to him.

There were other reasons. Reasons that had more to do with the way she felt when he touched her hand, looked into her eyes, than with her fear that he’d find her out.

“Merry, are you okay?” Fiona touched her arm as the third-grade class Merry had been reading to dispersed.

“Just tired.”

“You’re pale as paper. Did you eat anything today?”

“I…”

“If it takes that long to answer, then you didn’t. Why don’t you take an early lunch break?”

“We have another group coming in a half hour. Fifth grade, and they’re going to expect me to be here, dressed like a character in
Little Women.
I wouldn’t want to disappoint them.”

“A little disappointment won’t hurt any of them, and I can handle the class.” Fiona ran a hand over her auburn hair, then grabbed a cloth from her back pocket and dusted one of the tables that sat against one wall. Cozy reading areas were everywhere in the book store, and the Reading Nook had become as much a place to gather and talk as it was a place to purchase books. Merry had loved it from the moment she’d walked into the store. She still loved it. She just wasn’t sure she’d be working there much longer.

The sick feeling in her stomach intensified as Fiona stopped dusting, looked straight into her eyes. “Douglas called me a few minutes ago.”

“Did he?”

“He asked a lot of questions about you that I couldn’t answer.”

“If you want me to leave—”

“Why would I? You’ve been a good employee for a year. I trust you. I just wish you trusted me and my family.”

“Fiona—”

The bell over the front door jingled, cutting off her words. Good. She didn’t know what she would have said. What she
could
have said. She didn’t trust anyone. Lately, she didn’t even trust herself.

She turned to greet the customer, her smile tight, her head throbbing, Tyler’s high-pitched imitation of a fire truck siren ringing in her ears.

“Please, Merry, tell your son to quiet down. Georgina is already fussy. The last thing I want is his incessant whine setting her off again.” A tall blonde walked across the store, hair perfectly coiffed, trim figure encased in an immaculate pantsuit.

“Tyler, you need to quiet down. Ms. Christina—”

“I prefer that children call me by my last name. It just seems more proper and respectful,” Christina Hennessy interrupted, and Merry bit back a sigh.

“Mrs. Hennessy wants you to quiet down, Tyler. Her baby might be scared by the noise.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Henny.” Tyler looked up from his truck just long enough to offer an apology, then went back to his play.

“Hennessy,” Christina huffed as she smoothed her hair, her diamond bracelet sliding along her too-thin wrist. Behind her, a nanny juggled one-year-old Georgina. Chubby-cheeked and adorable, Georgina gurgled and smiled as she watched Tyler push the fire truck.

“What can we do for you, Christina?” Fiona asked, and Christina frowned.

“I was wondering if the book I ordered is in.”

“You have several on order, Christina. Which one are you asking about?” Fiona’s tone was smooth and polite, but Merry sensed her tension. Like Merry, Fiona didn’t much care for the spoiled wife of the town’s premier lawyer.

“The child development book.”

“The First Three Years?”

“Did I order another one about child development?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Then that’s the one. Is it in?” Christina snapped, and Fiona frowned.

“There’s no need to be rude, Christina.”

“Sorry. It’s just been a long morning. The baby has been fussing since she woke up.” Christina fingered her gold heart necklace and offered a brief smile.

“Maybe she’s teething. Tyler fussed every time he cut a tooth,” Merry offered, and Christina’s gaze darted to Tyler.

“I’m sure he did.”

“If Georgina
is
teething, a little teething gel will help with the pain,” Merry continued, and Christina motioned for the nanny to bring over the baby. She lifted Georgina gingerly, frowning at the blond-haired, blue-eyed cherub.

“Do your gums hurt, darling?” she asked in a syrupy sweet voice that made Merry want to gag.

“I can run to the drugstore and get something for teething, Ms. Hennessey,” the nanny offered, and Christina nodded.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Do you want me to take the baby?”

Christina hesitated, and then shook her head. “It’s too cold to take her on a four-block walk, and it’s too short a distance to drive. I’ll keep her with me. We’ll meet you at my husband’s office when you’re done.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The nanny hurried outside, and Georgina began to whimper.

“Hush. You’re fine, darling.” Christina bounced the baby on her hip, a tinge of impatience in her voice. “About the book, Fiona…
is
it in?”

“Not yet.” Fiona typed something into the computer. “It
has
shipped, though. We should have it by Thursday.”

“That seems like a long time to spend waiting for a book. I probably could have ordered it online and had it in by now.”

“You’re welcome to do that if you’d like.”

“You’re missing the point, Fio—”

The doorbell jingled again, and a blond-haired man walked in. Over a decade older than his wife, Burke Hennessy carried himself with authority, his sharp gaze jumping from woman to woman before it landed on his wife. “I thought you were coming to my office, Christina.”

“We were on our way, but I wanted to stop in and pick up a book.” She handed the baby to her husband, brushed invisible lint from her shoulder and arms.

“If we’re going to go to lunch, we need to do it now. I have a meeting in a couple hours, and I need time to prepare for it. I explained that to you this morning.”

“I remember. The nanny is picking up something for Georgina’s teeth. I told her to meet us at your office.” She pulled her coat sleeves down, adjusted the collar, and didn’t seem at all intimidated by her husband’s overbearing manner.

“Let’s drive down to the pharmacy and pick her up, then. I really do have to get moving.” He took his wife’s arm and led her to the door, but stopped before he walked outside, his gaze bypassing Merry and settling on Fiona.

“Heard your grandfather was retiring from his mayoral position.”

“That’s right.”

“I guess your father thinks he’s a shoo-in for the job.”

“We haven’t discussed it.” Fiona fiddled with the end of her hair, her green eyes flashing with irritation.

“I’m surprised. I thought the Fitzgerald clan discussed everything.”

“We’ve been a little busy lately.”

“Right. Unfortunately for your dad, he’s not the only one who is considering running for office, and the people of Fitzgerald Bay might be happier to have a man like me in office than someone like him.”

“Someone like him? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone knows your brother Charles is responsible for Olivia’s death, and we’re all wondering why he hasn’t been arrested. The way I see it, it all goes back to your father. He owns the police department. He arrests who he wants and allows people to go free when he wants.”

“That’s a lie!”

“Don’t listen to him, Fiona. He’s just trying to stir up trouble.” Merry stepped between her boss and Burke, but there was no need. He’d said what he wanted, and he walked out the door without another word.

“I can’t believe the nerve of that man!” Fiona muttered, her body vibrating with anger.

“He’s a blowhard. Everyone knows it.”

“A blowhard who wants to cause trouble for my family.” She took a deep breath, shook her head. “But it’s okay. His accusations are groundless. My brothers, sister and father will prove that.”

“Of course they will.” At least, Merry hoped they would.

“I’m glad we agree. That makes me feel so much more confident.” Fiona smiled, nudging Merry toward the door. “You go on ahead and take your lunch break, okay? I’m sure Tyler is getting hungry.”

“Fiona—”

“I’m fine, okay? Just go have lunch and be back before the preschool class comes in. I can handle fifth graders, but I’m not sure I’m up to corralling twenty-two little ones.” Fiona smiled gently and grabbed Tyler’s coat from a chair where he’d left it, handing it to Merry.

“All right.” But Merry didn’t want to eat. She didn’t want to take a break. She wanted to do what she’d been trying to do the previous night—run.

“What are we going to eat, Mommy?” Tyler asked as she led him outside.

“I don’t know. What do you want to eat?” she asked, her gaze on the marked police car that sat across the street from the Reading Nook. It had been outside her house when she’d left for work, had followed her to her job. The officer waved, as she helped Tyler into the station wagon, and she nodded in response.

An armed guard keeping her safe.

Merry wasn’t sure if she should be thankful or frustrated.

She wanted safety, security, a feeling that she could go where she wanted, when she wanted, without having to look over her shoulder.

But she also wanted freedom to come and go as she pleased. No scrutiny. No silent police officer watching her every movement.

She finished buckling in Tyler, patted his hand. “Well? You didn’t tell me what you want to eat?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re not hungry?”

“Nope. Just want to take a nap.” He
did
look pale, his eyes shadowed from a restless night. Though he’d settled into bed quickly, he’d come to her room before dawn, climbed under the covers with her and cuddled close.

Bad dreams, he’d said.

Merry knew all about those.

She’d been having them for four years.

Had been living in one for all that time.

“Well, you have to eat something. You’re a growing boy.”

“But I’m not hungry, Mommy.”

“I bet I know what would make you hungry.”

“What?”

“Chicken fingers.”

“We’re going to Connolly’s Catch?” The seafood store and restaurant served Tyler’s favorite chicken fingers and fries, and he never turned down an opportunity to go there.

“Is there any other place to get chicken fingers?”

“No! Let’s go!” He bounced in his seat, and Merry smiled. At least she could do
this
right. Bring him to his favorite restaurant, feed him his favorite food.

Not because it was the last meal they’d have together before her secret came out and she lost him.

No. She wouldn’t even entertain that thought.

She’d bring him because they’d both been through a lot the past few days, and a little comfort food might be just the thing to get their minds off their troubles.

If only getting their minds off it could make it go away.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, saw that the police car had pulled onto the road behind her.

It kept pace behind her as she drove to Connolly’s Catch and got out of the car. Cold wind speared through her coat as she grabbed Tyler’s hand and led him across the parking lot and into the restaurant and seafood store. Warmth and the scent of fresh fish and homemade rolls enveloped Merry, and she slid out of her coat as she led Tyler to a small table in the corner. Fishnets draped from the ceiling and fishing rods crisscrossed the walls. Not a place she would have been interested in visiting when she lived in Boston, but she’d grown to love the casual atmosphere and the fun vibe of the place.