Best Dressed Lie (The Lies Series) (5 page)

“Ok
ay. You’re right. But before I pay you a dime, what guarantee do I have that you won’t show Jamie the pictures anyway?”

Jake laughed. “There are no guarantees
. But if I showed them to her, what motivation would you have to keep paying?”

He had a point. “Ok
ay. Meet me back here tomorrow night and I’ll have the cash.”

Jake stood up. “Nice doing business with you. Oh, and thanks for the beer.”

Ted watched him leave, then drained his glass, his hand shaking as he raised it to his lips. What was he going to do?

Chapter Seven

He’d had to scrape together every bit of cash he could find, emptying his accounts in the process. It wasn’t as i
f he could go to his folks and ask for the money. They didn’t have it in any case.

He couldn’t believe h
e was in this position. He didn’t even want to marry Jamie, but he refused to let his family’s troubles get out, and they would if they didn’t do something soon.

Pulling into the lot
outside the bar, he saw that Jake’s car was already there. Parking his Porsche next to it, he saw that he was sitting inside, waiting for him. Getting out, he walked around to the passenger side and slid in next to him.

“You got the money?”

Ted nodded. “Yes,” he replied, taking out an envelope from his jacket pocket and showing him. “It’s all here. $10,000, as agreed.”

Jake reached for it.

“Not so fast.” Ted put the envelope back in his pocket, out of Jake’s reach. “I can’t afford to do this every month. This is a one time deal. Take it or leave it.”

Jake
’s jaw clenched and his eyes turned to steel. “No. That’s not what we agreed. $10k every month or my sister sees the photos.”

“It’s not up for negotiation.” Ted’s insides felt as if someone was stirring them with a stick. He had to bluff this out
. There was no more money, and if Jake didn’t back down he was finished.

Taking the money out of his pocket again
, he handed it to him. “This is it. Done. Don’t bother me again.” Opening the door, he got out of the car. He was sweating and his skin felt clammy. Determined not to look back, to look weak, he strode to his car.

The hand on his shoulder, spinning him around, came as a surprise. He hadn’t heard
Jake come up behind him. Losing his footing, he fell back, leaning on his car for support.

“Don’t fucking walk away from me!” Jake screamed in his face, spittle flying from his mouth. H
is red face and bulging eyes were inches away. “I
own
you, you piece of shit!”

“Why are you doing this? She’s your sister! Why would you want to hurt her?” Ted tried to reason with him.

“
Me
hurt her? You’re the one fucking around!” The veins in Jake’s neck looked as if they would burst, and Ted tried to back away, almost sliding up on the hood of his car.

Ted could see his plan
wasn’t working. If anything, Jake seemed to be getting even more out of control. “
You
get my fucking job and
I
get fired! Seem fair to you?” He was breathing really heavily now.

Ted raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I’ll turn the job down if it’ll make you happy. I don’t want to get between you and your dad.”

“Just pay the damned money,” Jake hissed.

“I can’t!”

Ted saw in Jake’s eyes the moment he lost it and everything that came after appeared to happen in slow motion. He watched as Jake pulled his arm back, fist clenched, and swung a punch at his face. Even though he could see it happen, he wasn’t able to avoid it and he felt the bones in his cheek crack as Jake’s fist made contact. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet and he fell like a dead weight to the ground, hitting his head on a rock as he did.

In the last few seconds before the life left him
his thoughts went to his parents.
Who would help them now?
After that, there was nothing.

***

Fuck!
What had he done? For a moment, Jake stood stock still as he came out of the fury that had overtaken him. His mind flashed over the last few minutes, and he remembered feeling completely enraged and out of control. Now, as the fog lifted, he saw Ted’s body on the ground, bile rising in his throat as panic swept over him.

Quickly glancing around, he checked the parking lot to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened.
All clear.
Crouching down, he checked for a pulse. Nothing.
Fuck!
He’d never meant to lose his temper like that, let alone punch him.

He couldn’t stay here
. He needed to get far away, and fast. Going back to his own car, he quickly got in and drove out of the lot. Hands sweating on the steering wheel, he quickly turned things over in his head.
Was there anything that would tie him to this?

The only thing he could think of was the bartender seeing them together the night before.
Think!
He needed an alibi. Just in case. The only person he could think of that would give him one without question was Carrie.

Carrie lived in town in an apartment above the hardware store. Parking
around the back, he climbed the outside staircase that led to her front door. Banging on it, he waited.
Come on! Be home!
He was relieved when she opened the door.

“Jake. What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.” He walked past her into the apartment.

Looking confused, she closed the door and followed him. “What’s wrong?”

Dropping down onto the threadbare couch, Jake dropped his head into his hands. “I fucked up.”

She knew about the photos but not what he had planned to do with them
, so he told her now. When he got to the part about what had happened that night, she gasped and raised her hands to her mouth.

“Oh
, my god! What have you done?” She looked utterly horrified. “Are you sure he was dead?”

“Yeah
, I’m sure,” he snapped.

Turning to where she’d sat down next to him, he took her hands in his. “I need you to cover for me.”

She looked stunned. “What?”

“If the polic
e come asking questions, I need you to cover for me. There’s nothing to link me to this so I’m sure they won’t.” He needed her to agree to this.

“I don’t know
, Jake. That’s a lot to ask of me.” She chewed on her bottom lip, not looking him in the eye.

“I know it is
, darling, but you know I love you and wouldn’t ask if I didn’t know you love me, too.” He knew exactly what buttons to push and he had to use it to his advantage now. She’d never refused him anything before.

“You truly love me?” s
he asked him, wide eyes pleading.

“You know I do. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else
,” he lied glibly.

“Ok
ay. I’ll do it.”

Jake felt a rush of relief.
Thank god.

“On one condition.”

The relief vanished.
What did she want?
“What?”

“When this all dies down you tell your parents you want to be with me, that you want to marry me.”

Not in this lifetime!
That was never going to happen. She was great for a fuck and a bit of fun but marry her? No, when he married it would be someone from the right background, not this common piece of trash. “Of course, darling. Absolutely.” He was prepared to agree to anything at this point as long as it got him out of this mess.

“Promise?”

“You have my word.”

Seeming satisfied with his answer
, she smiled. “Okay. So what happens now?”

“I don’t know, I really don’t.”
He shook his head. “I guess someone will find him and call the police and then all hell breaks loose.”

It didn’t seem real. A few days ago the only thing he’d had to worry about was getting a promotion. Now he was a murderer.

***

He’d been lying there all night, just staring at the ceiling. Though it was the last thing he’d wanted to do, he’d had no choice but to spend the night at Carrie’s place. All he’d really wanted was to go home and be alone, to try and absorb what had happened.

Turning his head slightly
, he watched Carrie as she slept, on her side with her back to him. He could hear her slow and steady breathing in the silence of the room. She had really surprised him tonight, and not in a good way. He’d expected her to be much more upset than she had been. He’d just told her he’d killed a man, but she’d taken it in her stride. There had been no disgust, no anger, not even any compassion for Ted or his sister.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, staring blankly at the television screen while they watched a movie
. He had hardly spoken at all, just waiting for the police to arrive and drag him away.

When they’d decided to go to bed and she’d wanted sex
, he’d had to physically push her off him. Had she really thought he’d feel like fucking after what he’d just done?

As he watched her chest rise and fall now
, he realized that, actually, he hardly knew anything about this woman. He hadn’t wanted to but maybe he should make it his business to find out. He had a feeling there was a lot more to her than met the eye.

Chapter Eight

The pounding on her bedroom door woke her. Fighting off sleep, she reached for the clock on her bedside table. Who on earth was making that racket at 2 a.m.?

“Hang on, I’m coming!” she shouted
, as she slipped out of bed and grabbed her robe. Putting it on, she opened her bedroom door.

“What’s going on
, Mom?” she asked when she saw her mother standing there. “Are you okay?”

“Oh
, Jamie! It’s awful!” It was obvious she’d been crying as she took her by the hand and led her back into her room, sitting down on the bed and pulling her down next to her.

“Mom, I’m getting worried. What’s happened?”
She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach now.

“I’m so sorry
, Jamie. It’s Ted. He’s dead.”

Shocked
, she just looked at her mom for a moment. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“He was found tonight in the
parking lot of a bar outside town. It looks like he was in a fight. I’m so sorry, darling.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she reached for a tissue.

No. This was insane. There had to be some mistake. Pulling her hand out of her mother’s she stood up.

“No you’re wrong. I’ll just call him and we’ll clear this up.” She walked over to her dresser and picked up her phone.

Her mom followed her and gently took the phone from her hand. “Jamie, there’s no mistake. I’m so sorry.”

It hit her then, all of it.  Her knees gave way and she crumpled. Her father, who’d been standing in the doorway, reached her just before she hit the floor.

***

As light filtered through her eyelids
, Jamie remembered.
No!
Her eyes flew open and, as they focused, she saw her mom sitting in the chair beside her bed watching her intently. She’d obviously been sitting there all night without sleeping. Her eyes were puffy and she had dark circles under her eyes.

“You’re awake!” she got to her feet and came to sit on the bed.

“What happened?” She felt groggy and her head felt as if had been stuffed full of cotton.

“You fainted
, darling. When you came around you were hysterical so we had the doctor come by and give you something to help you sleep.”

That explained the fuzziness. “
It’s true then?” she whispered.

Her mother
nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

“What happened? D
o they know yet? Who found him?” She had so many questions.

“The police don’t know yet. Someone leaving the bar found him
on the ground next to his car. They want to talk to you, darling.”

“Who does?”

“The police,” she said gently.

Ja
mie nodded. Of course they did, and she wanted to talk to them too. “Okay, give me five minutes to get dressed.”

She pushed the covers back and swung her legs
around to get out of bed. A wave of dizziness stopped her and, putting her hands on her knees, she lowered her head and breathed deeply.

Her mom looked horrified.
“You’re not speaking to them now! They can wait until you’re feeling a bit stronger.”

“No. I want to talk to them.” She knew that it hadn’t sunk in yet and that when it did it would destroy her and she wouldn’t be able to function. She wanted to talk to them before that happened.

“No, darling, I simply won’t allow it!”

“Mom, please. Let me do this.” Her sigh told her that she knew there was no point arguing with her any more.

“Okay, but I’ll be there with you. There’s an officer downstairs who’s been here waiting for you to wake up. I’ll go and tell him you’ll be down when you’re dressed.” She stood up. “Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?”

“I’ll be fine
,” she assured her. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

She didn’t move until her mother had left the room and closed the door softly behind her.

The pain came then. In great crashing waves it washed over her, leaving her gasping for breath. She couldn’t do anything but grip her sheets tightly in her fists, sucking in air as if she were drowning. She could feel the tears stream down her cheeks and drop off her chin but she didn’t try to stop them. Couldn’t have if she’d wanted to.

She stayed like that for a few minutes until she felt the waves start to recede and she was able to catch her breath again. Gradually
, her head started to clear and she was able to get control of her grief. At least for now.

Standing up on wobbly legs
, she went to the bathroom and washed her face, allowing the cool water to wash away the tears and sooth the puffiness around her eyes. The sight of herself in the mirror startled her. To anyone else she would look exactly the same but she could see it. She had been dealt a cruel blow and it showed in her eyes. Part of her had died.

Taking a long deep breath
, she made a promise.
When I find out who did this to you, I will make them pay.

Calmer now, she got dressed and went downstairs to speak to the police.