A Hard Man to Forget (16 page)

His eyes met hers. His stare challenged her to say something more.

She couldn’t make excuses for Meredith. She didn’t even
know if she was Meredith. So she said the only thing she was sure
about.

“She loved you, you know. That much was clear from the
diaries.”

His stony gaze skittered away. “Maybe in the beginning. But not
enough to last.”

She didn’t have a response for that. Not that he gave her the
opening for one. He reached forward and turned on the radio. Loud
music poured from the speakers, banishing the silence.

She watched him for a long moment. His face was locked in a hard
expression, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He was only a few feet
away, but he’d never seemed more distant.

Discomfited, she turned and peered out the window at the scenery
flying by. He was a complicated man, and just when she thought she
was getting a fix on him, he seemed to drift farther away. She
wondered if Meredith had ever figured him out, if she’d managed
to get to the heart of the man.

Or maybe she’d gone mad trying.

AS THEY ROLLED DOWN the driveway to the house, Laura couldn’t
control the urge to shiver. If the town had seemed gloomy, the house
was even more so. The windows reflected the murky grayness of the sky
and the tangled branches of the trees. It looked drab and sad, with
the steel lines bracketing the windows as stark as prison bars.

If Meredith had designed the house, she’d seriously
miscalculated. Laura tried to imagine coming home here everyday.
She’d be depressed too. Maybe it looked different on sunnier
days. Somehow she doubted it. The melancholy seemed pervasive,
seeping into the house, its owner, and the surrounding area. Laura
felt like suggesting an exorcism. The place had some serious bad
vibes that needed to be cleansed. Moving would have been easier.

Simon pulled the car to a stop out front. The music filling the
vehicle was silenced when he cut off the engine. She breathed a sigh
of relief. Listening to upbeat music was not what she needed with her
current mood.

“It doesn’t look like the sheriff’s here,”
she noted, scanning the empty driveway.

Simon checked his watch. “It’s after twelve. See what I
mean? The man’s incompetent.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here.”

“Yeah, when he finally feels like it. Do you want to go
inside?”

“Do you think we should?”

Simon was already unbuckling his seatbelt. “I’m not going
to sit here forever waiting for him. There are a few more boxes of
Meredith’s things in the attic. We can load them into the car
to take back to the hotel.”

“We’re not going to stay here?”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to.”

She cast a wary glance at the house. It looked even darker and more
shadowed up close. “Good thinking.”

He reached for his door handle. “I can go by myself, if you
want.”

“No, I don’t feel like sitting out here either.”

They both stepped out of the car. Laura cringed as her foot sank
directly into a mud puddle, a lingering reminder of last night’s
storm. “Damn it.” She glanced down. “I should have
looked—"

An echoing explosion cut off her words. She snapped her head up, just
as a loud pinging sound struck close by her ear.

A bullet, she recognized dully, thudding into the roof of the car.

Another shot exploded at the same time Simon yelled, “Get back
in the car!”

The order wasn’t needed. She was already diving back inside,
wrenching the shoe out of the mud. She slammed the door shut behind
her and ducked her head down beneath the windows. Simon followed a
split second later.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes.” Another shot echoed through the trees. “Where
are they coming from?”

“I don’t know. There’s too much echoing. He could
be anywhere in the woods.”

Slouching low in his seat, he jammed his key in the ignition and
turned. The engine turned over but didn’t catch. He immediately
tried again. “Come on. Don’t let me down now.”

Laura felt the car lurch and begin to sag on his side. “I think
he hit a tire.”

“Damn. We might be stuck.”

He’d probably flooded the engine anyway. She didn’t
bother mentioning it. Instead she held up a hand. “Wait.
Listen.”

He froze and did as she ordered. They both listened.

Over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears, silence reigned.

The seconds ticked off, each one feeling like an hour. Neither of
them moved.

After an eternity, Simon finally spoke. “He’s waiting for
us to get out of the car.”

“Or else he’s making his way closer for a clear shot.
We’re sitting ducks.”

He reached toward the ignition again. “I’ve got to get
this car moving.”

Laura was looking in his direction, so she saw what he didn’t.
The trees on the far side of the vehicle swayed as someone came
through them, pushing the brush aside. “Simon.”

The urgency in her voice must have grabbed his attention. He glanced
at her, then over toward whatever she was looking at.

Just as Aimee stepped out from the trees.

“She doesn’t have a weapon,” Simon noted
automatically. Aimee’s hands were at her sides as she stumbled
forward, bewilderment etched across her face. It could have been an
act. Somehow he didn’t think so. The emotion seemed too real.

“She could have stashed it somewhere to make herself look
innocent,” Laura pointed out.

“And if she didn’t, she’s making herself an open
target.” He made his decision in a split second and reached for
his door. “Wait here.”

Laura grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

“She needs to take cover. Stay here. You’ll be safer.”

“You won’t be.”

He reached down and tried to peel her fingers from his arm. She
didn’t let go. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Obviously somebody has to.”

A bemused smile tugged at his mouth. “I’m glad you’re
so concerned about my safety.”

She shot him a glare. “Don’t be. I’d do the same
for anyone who’s clearly lacking in common sense.”

“Look, I don’t like her either, but I’m not going
to leave her out there to get shot. And if she is the shooter, she’s
unarmed now. Either way, I’m getting out of this car.”

Her face darkened with anger, but she released his arm a split second
before he would have pulled it free.

Swallowing a sigh, Simon pushed the door open and stepped from the
car. Self-preservation made him keep his head lowered slightly. Laura
was wrong. He did have some common sense.

Aimee had already spotted him and was heading straight toward the
car. “Simon, what were those sounds? Was that gunfire?”

“As if you don’t know,” he heard Laura scoff.

Startled, he turned to find she’d stepped out of the car too.
Anger rushed through him. He opened his mouth to tell her to get back
in where it was safe. She cut him off with a look.

“I decided you were right. The threat must be over since she’s
no longer armed.”

Aimee blinked with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Simon drew in a breath, barely holding on to his temper. “Yes,
Aimee, that was gunfire.”

“Hence the bullet holes in the car,” Laura said. “Know
anything about that?”

Aimee glanced between the two of them, outrage sparking in her eyes.
“You think I was shooting at you?”

Laura jumped in before he could. “Someone starts shooting from
the woods, then a minute later, you appear. Pretty interesting
timing, don’t you think?”

Aimee’s upper lip curled back in a snarl. “I don’t
care what you think. Simon knows I wouldn’t shoot at him.”

“But you would at me, right?” Laura tossed back.

Aimee didn’t reply, staring at her with such open enmity there
was no doubt to her answer. Not that she could voice it without
incriminating herself. For the first time, Simon felt a flicker of
suspicion where the woman was concerned.

Trying to break up the silent standoff, Simon stepped between the two
women. “What are you doing here, Aimee?”

The anger slowly melted from her face. She practically batted her
eyes as she peered up at him. The gesture was so phony he could have
laughed. “I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

She sniffed daintily. “I wasn’t comfortable with the idea
of you out here all alone.” She glanced in Laura’s
direction. “With her.”

“So you decided to go for a walk in the woods?” Laura
said.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I went around
the back of the house to check if I could see why no one was
answering the door. On the way back up, I heard those noises. They
caught me off guard and I got all turned around.”

He’d always thought the woman was all talk. He’d even
defended her to Laura just yesterday. But standing there listening to
her, for the life of him, he couldn’t quite bring himself to
believe her. Too much didn’t add up.

“Where’s your car?”

She smiled coyly. “I had someone drop me off. I figured you
could give me a ride back to town.”

One thing he had to give Aimee, she was creative. There was a
surefire way to guarantee he’d be forced to spend some time
with her. The low-cut top, tight skirt and high heels she was wearing
left no doubt how she wanted to spend that time. He was surprised she
hadn’t tried it before.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I just lost a tire. I’m not
going anywhere soon.” He decided to omit the fact that there
was another car—Meredith's Volvo—inside the garage,
hoping she wouldn’t remember it.

If she did, she didn’t seem inclined to mention it either.
“Then I guess I’ll have to stay here.”

“Don’t count on it,” Laura said. The comment earned
her another glare, one she had no trouble returning.

“I’m going to call Coombs,” Simon said. “It’s
about time he got down here and started doing his job for once.”

“Actually, Randall, I’ve been doing my job for a while
now.”

The sudden sound of another voice made them all jump. Coombs stepped
out of from the trees on the opposite side of the driveway from where
Aimee had appeared.

The timing was too unlikely to be believed. Simon couldn’t hide
his distrust. “How long have you been here, Coombs?”

“About a half an hour. Hard as it might be for you to believe,
I do take my job seriously. You said you didn’t see a car last
night, so I parked at the access road down the lake and walked up to
see if there were any signs anyone came up that way.”

“And were there?”

“Nope. If anyone used the road, the tracks were washed away in
the rain.”

“Of course,” Simon muttered. It couldn’t have been
that easy to prove. Nothing had been from the day this nightmare had
started.

“What about the shooter?” Laura asked.

“I couldn’t get a read on his location. I came down here
as fast as I could, but obviously it was already over by the time I
made it.”

“Obviously,” Simon echoed.

Coombs scowled. “You implying something, Randall?”

“Not at all, Sheriff. It’s just that you’re the
only person who knew we were supposed to be out here at this exact
time.”

“Believe me, Randall. If I wanted to shoot you, I wouldn’t
have missed.”

“Enough,” Laura cut in before Simon could deliver the
retort that was clearly on the tip of his tongue. “What do we
do now?”

“I already called in the shooting. My deputies were already on
their way in to collect the evidence from the house. I’ll have
them check the area to see if there’s any trace of the
shooter.” He nodded toward Aimee. “You need a ride back
to town?”

“Yes, she does,” Simon answered before she could. He
didn’t miss the way her mouth turned down. He also didn’t
care.

“I’ll have one of my guys take you back. After I hear
what it is you were doing here.”

“I came to visit Simon.”

“Still sniffing around Meredith’s leftovers, I see.”
Aimee’s face went red. He lifted a hand to cut off her protest.
“Save it. What do you say we all get in the house? I don’t
know about you, but I’d feel a whole lot better if we weren’t
out here in the open.”

For once, Simon found something to agree with Coombs on. That didn’t
stop him from casting a wary eye in the man’s direction, or
wondering whether the sheriff’s sudden appearance had really
been the coincidence it seemed to be.

“AND THEN YOU came out of the woods. You know what happened
after that.”

Laura leaned back in her chair and shot an impatient glance over her
shoulder. The living room was empty except for her and the sheriff.
She couldn’t see any of the deputies and she had no idea where
Simon had disappeared to. She itched to find out. It seemed like
she’d been giving her statement to the sheriff for hours.

Coombs didn’t even glance up from his notepad. “And you
didn’t see anyone else in the woods?”

“Just you and Aimee.” She almost smiled at the thought of
the other woman. Aimee had made no secret of the fact that she wasn’t
happy to be sent away. The deputy had practically had to drag her to
his car.

She sobered. “Did you check her hands for gunpowder residue?”

Coombs sighed heavily. “Damn TV. Everybody thinks they know
better than the real law enforcement.”

“She was one of the few people who knew I was here before the
attack last night, and the only one I can think of with a motive.”

“Really? And what would that be?”

“I know for a fact she wasn’t happy to see me back.”

The sheriff’s brows knit together. “’You back?’”
he repeated. “Don’t tell me you’re buying into
Randall’s garbage.”

Laura hesitated. She wanted to believe it had been a slip of the
tongue. “I don’t know yet. But Aimee made it more than
clear to me that she didn’t appreciate my presence, whoever I
was.”

“Yes, she said as much when she came by my office yesterday.
That’s a long way from trying to kill someone.” He held
up a hand to cut off her protest. “To answer your question,
yes, I had one of my deputies do a test on her hands.”