Hearts On Fire (6 page)

Chapter 11

    
How could she live
with herself
now? How could she? Julie stared out her bedroom window, which
overlooked a large pond, frozen over now. The frozen water reminded her of him.
Of her visit with him earlier in the day. Of what he’d done. For her. He
claimed to have done it for her out of love.

     Julie squeezed her eyes
shut but the tears fell anyway. The image of Katy Waring, laying unresponsive
in her hospital bed, was burned into her mind. The marks on her throat had been
a vivid purple. And her face… God, it had been black and blue. Her friend had
confided to her that Katy had bruises all over her body. As though she’d been
beaten with something.

     A sob wracked her. He
hadn’t just tried to kill her. No, she knew that now. He’d tortured her first.
In an effort, she was sure, to make Katy tell him where the money was hidden.
Had she told him? she wondered now. Had she told him and now he was keeping it
for himself? Which begged another question. Was he with her just for the money?
Had he killed Ken so that he could take his place? She remembered the talks
they’d have sometimes. About how they could be together some day. How she would
stand up to her mother and just leave Ken. But her lover had always talked her
out of it, reminding her of what she would be losing. It was telling, wasn’t
it? Now that she looked at it, at him, for what he was.

     A knock sounded at her
door and like the first five or six times today, she ignored it. No one loved
her for what, for who, she really was. Everyone wanted her to be someone else.
Wanted to mold her to their liking. Even him. Even her lover.

     “Julie, damnit, will you
please open up?”

     JD. Her heart wrenched.
Maybe there was someone who loved her after all. JD never judged her. And he
was always there for her. And he knew what it was to bend to their mother.

     “Julie, come on. Talk to
me, will ya? I don’t know what’s going on with you, but whatever it is we can
work it out.”

     There was no working this
out. On a weary sigh Julie turned from the window and walked to the door. She
threw the lock and returned to her spot at the window.

     Cautiously, JD opened the
door and stuck his head in. “You’re scaring me, kid,” he told her.

     “I don’t mean to. I
just…” She shook her head. He wouldn’t understand.

     “Try me,” he told her.
When she started and turned at his comment he smiled. “You were going to tell
me I wouldn’t understand, right?”

     “Maybe.” She hugged
herself tightly.

     “Does this have anything
to do with Katy Waring?” He closed the door at his back so they would have the
privacy he knew she required.

     Her nod was hesitant.

     “You want to tell me why
her coming home and landing in the hospital sent you into a tailspin?”

     “I can’t,” she whispered
miserably. No, she couldn’t. JD would come unglued and he would hurt him. Even
after what he’d done she couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt. Which
really left her only one choice, didn’t it?

     “You can tell me
anything, you know that.”

     “I’ve done some things…
some things that may have gotten her hurt.”

     “How could you have done
anything to get her hurt?” He came forward and took her shoulders gently. “You
don’t even know her very well.”

     “What happened to her is
my fault, JD.”

     “If you know anything
about what happened—”

     “Someone tried to kill
her. They hurt her badly first though.”

     “Do you know who did it?”
His heart wanted to stop in his chest at the thought of his sister being
involved in a potential attempted murder.

     She hated lying to him.
Especially to him. “No, I don’t know.”

     “Then how can you have
done anything that would have gotten her hurt? I don’t understand.” He wanted
to shake her now because he knew she was lying to him. She knew something.
“Julie, if you know anything about what happened to her you have to come
forward. Go to Matt.”

     She snorted and turned
from him, ripping herself from his grip.

     “Julie?”

     The breath she took was
heavy. “I can’t go to the police, JD.”

     He cocked his head.

     “Why not?” He wanted to
know. He dreaded the answer.

     On some level she needed
to come clean. Just how much she could tell him was the question. “Katy was
blackmailing me.”

     He opened his mouth to
respond then snapped it shut.
“What?”

     “Oh, God, this is such a
mess.” She turned back to the window, unable to look into his eyes as she said,
“I was having an affair and she found out about it. She threatened to tell if I
didn’t give her the money.”

     “An affair?” His head was
spinning.

     “You’re not the only one
who can have one.”

     Her reference wasn’t lost
on him. Lizzie. God, this was a mess. “Who, Julie?”

     “Oh, no. That I won’t
tell you. I’m not letting him get hurt.”

     “Is he the one—”

     “I’ve said more than I
should have anyway. But now you understand why I can’t go to the police.”

     “Actually, I don’t. You
claim someone tried to kill Katy. You have to tell the police what you know.”

     “I paid her off to keep
quiet about my affair because she told me how bad it would look, coming out
right after my husband’s death. They’ll think I hurt her because of the
blackmail. Or worse, they’ll think he did it. My lover.”

     “Did he?” JD asked
harshly. He waited for an answer and when he didn’t get one from her his heart
sank. “Damnit, Julie!”

     She turned on him. “I
love him, JD.”

     “He tried to kill her.”

     “For me. He did it for
me. He found out what she was doing to me and lost his head.”

     “No, Julie, he did it for
himself.” God he wanted to shake her again. “Where is the money? I’m assuming
that’s why he did it.”

     “I… I don’t know where it
is.”

     His smile was telling.
“Yeah. He did it for you but he’s keeping the money. C’mon, Jules.”

     Jules. That’s what
he
called her. “He says he doesn’t have the money either.”

     “He could be lying about
that. He very probably is.”

     “I know you’re right,”
she whispered. And she did. In her heart she did.

     “You told me about this
because you want me to help. I’m trying. Let me.”

     “It’s not that simple.”

     “It is. Let me take you
to see Matt. He’ll handle this. He’ll take care of it.”

     Yes. Matt would take care
of it if she let him. “Not now, JD. Not tonight.”

     Relief flooded him.
“Tomorrow morning then? Will you come with me tomorrow?”

     Without hesitating she
nodded her head. “Okay, JD. Okay.”

    
How could this have
happened?
He just didn’t understand how this could have happened! That conniving
little bitch was supposed to be dead and buried in the woods. Yet she had
managed to stumble her way home. And alive she posed a serious threat. So far
she had not woke. But when she did all hell would break loose.

     So he had to get to her
before that happened. He had to finish what he’d started. Put an end to her
wretched life once and for all. Because as long as she was alive his own life
was in jeopardy. Christ what a mess this had turned out to be. What a mess! And
all in the name of love. Well… and money. He couldn’t forget about the money.
He hadn’t really cared one way or another about it before. Until he’d had a
chance at a quarter million dollars. That was a lot of money. More than he’d
know what to do with. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. He’d know what to do
with it. He’d leave this place. Hopefully with Julie. If not, if she couldn’t
get herself together, then he’d go without her. But go he would. As soon as he
found the money…

     A buzzing in his pocket
broke off his thoughts. It was the cell phone only Julie had the number to. He
pulled it out of his pocket and answered right away. Sometimes he would let it
go into voice mail. Not now. She was much too fragile to put off right now.
Ducking behind a corner he whispered, “Yes?”

     She sighed, sniffling. “I
can’t take this anymore. I just can’t.”

     His blood ran cold. Was
she going to crack on him? Would he have to… No. Not her. Please not her. He
loved her but he was not going to spend the rest of his life in prison for her.
“Jules, please, get a hold of yourself.”

     “I can’t. You… you killed
Ken, didn’t you?”

     She couldn’t handle the
truth before, she sure in the hell couldn’t now. “Of course not. It was an
accident. I told you.”

     “But Katy wasn’t. You
beat her. You tried to kill her.”

     “I did what I had to do
to protect you. To protect us. You need to understand that.”

     Her sigh was long.
Forlorn. Defeated. “Lies and secrets. They always bring about destruction and
pain.”

     “Julie…”

     “I won’t tell on you. I
won’t. I’ll take your secret to the grave with me because I love you. But I
can’t go on like this.”

     To the grave? What the
hell was she talking about? “Julie, please, whatever you’re thinking of doing,
don’t.” Now he felt panic flood him.

     “It’s too late.”

     And he heard it. The slur
of her words. The sighs. The yawn. “What have you done?” he nearly bellowed. But
God, he thought maybe he knew. Because he knew her.

     “What I had to do. I love
you. Don’t ever forget that I love you.”

     He heard the line between
them go dead. “Julie?” But she was gone. With a shaking hand he replaced the
phone to his pocket. Christ. She was gone.

     He dragged in a breath.
Then another. He needed to think. He needed to come up with some sort of plan.
Blinking, he stared across the street at the hospital.

Chapter 12

    
“Your sister needs to
come down for dinner.” Arlene crossed her arms under her breasts and stared
down her oldest son. “I tolerated her flightiness this morning when she missed
breakfast. I won’t tolerate it again tonight.”

     JD looked up from the
magazine he’d been leafing through while they waited for dinner to be served. He
noted the smirk his little brother wore and scowled at him before addressing
his mother. “I wouldn’t call her behavior flighty, mother. Her husband died ten
days ago. It could be she’s grieving.” This he was explaining to a woman who as
far as he knew hadn’t shed one tear when her husband of fifty-four years had
dropped dead of a heart attack in the north pasture. He didn’t know why he was
bothering.

     “There’s more to it than
that and I know it. Besides, hiding up there in her room alone isn’t going to solve
a damn thing. She needs her family.”

     JD sighed and set the
magazine aside. Unfolding his long frame from the chair, he said, “Fine. I’ll
go see if she’s okay. If she won’t come down maybe she’ll take dinner in her
room.”

     Arlene tilted her head at
him. “She’ll take dinner down here with the rest of the family. I raised all of
you children with manners.”

     JD nearly snapped at her
then stopped himself. Arguing with her never worked. Not even for a lawyer, he
mused. No, arguing didn’t work. He’d have to handle her, if it came to it. And
that he’d gotten much better at over the years. It gave him a whole new respect
for his father. Growing up he’d never known just what it was the old man had to
put up with.

     Going up the steps he
thought of Julie. Poor Julie. What a mess she was in. And it would all come to
light tomorrow. Julie was nothing like their mother. She didn’t have the starch
Arlene did. Or the indifference to what other people felt and thought of her.
No, Julie would not weather this scandal very well. And a scandal was surely
just what this would become. Even with Matt at the helm. Word would leak out.
Word always leaked out. Especially in small towns like White Pigeon.

     “Julie,” he called
through her closed door. “Hey, mom is fit to be tied down there. She wants you
to come to the table.” He sighed. “I know this is rough on you, but maybe you
should just give her what she wants.”

     Nothing. Not a peep.

     “Okay. I’ll fight her off
for you.” He smiled. How many times had he stepped between mother and daughter?
In fact, Julie had even come to live with him the summer after she had
graduated high school because of the fights. Once she was in college and living
in the dorm she would be free, she’d told him. Which was of course what the
fights with Arlene had been about. It had taken every bit of his skill as a
lawyer to win that one. “I’ll have Leanna bring up a tray for you since you’re
being obstinate.” He turned from the door, already thinking of how he would
handle his mother when he heard it. The smallest of moans. The sound sent his
heart into overdrive. “Julie?” This time he didn’t let the door stand in his
way. He grabbed the knob and twisted as he shoved. When it resisted he put a
little shoulder into it, forcing it open. And what he saw nearly stopped his
thundering heart.

     His sister lay on the
floor, her skin as white as the snow, an empty pill bottle clutched in her
hand.

    
Matt had been
absolutely right.
A nap, a shower and some food had Lizzie feeling human
again. She smiled a little to herself. Of course he’d been right. Being a
police officer he was sure to know all about exhaustion. Just as she knew all
about it. She’d just been too overcome by fear for her sister to see it in
herself.

     “Oh, Katy, if only you
could have seen me. You would have been proud of yourself for making me worry
like that.” She squeezed Katy’s hand. “Why won’t you wake up?” she asked,
brushing a strand of blonde hair away from her brow. “The doctor says there’s
no reason for you to sleep like this.” But Lizzie knew it happened sometimes.
Likely Katy’s body was healing itself after the trauma it had suffered. Her
gaze went to her neck and lingered there on the bruises. “Who did this to you?”
she whispered. “And what did you do to make them so angry?” No matter what Katy
had done Lizzie didn’t think she deserved to die because of it. Righteous anger
flared in her. So did her protective nature. “Well, they won’t get away with
it, that’s for sure.”

     “Just like Grady Summers
didn’t?”

     She whirled at the voice
behind her, her hand going to her heart. Fear for her sister’s life was still
mingling with the anger over what had happened. “Matt, you scared the devil out
of me.”

     A crooked grin appeared
on his face. “Nah, you’ll always have a little of the devil in you.” He stepped
into the room and peered at Katy. “No change?”

     She shook her head but
could not forget his sly mention of Grady. “He left all on his own, Matt,” she
reminded.

     “Yeah.” He dragged his
hand over his snow dampened hair. “Sorry I brought it up.” Looking into
Lizzie’s eyes he said, “It just seems like trouble has a way of following her
around.”

     “Grady wasn’t her fault.”
And that was all she would tell him or anyone else regarding that.

     “No?” He lifted a
shoulder. “Opinions vary on that one.”

     “Mine doesn’t,” she
replied stiffly.

     “I know that too. You’d
protect her to the end, no matter what, wouldn’t you?” He sighed and held up a
hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be an asshole. I’m just tired and cranky. The
reason I bring up Grady is because it seems he’s gone missing.”

     “Missing?” Now she felt a
stab of fear. “What do you mean missing? The last I knew he lived in California
somewhere and had to check in with a parole officer.”

     “Just so,” Matt agreed.
“However, with that being said, he didn’t check in with his PO today like he
was supposed to.”

     “What… what are you
saying?” She looked down at Katy. “Are you saying you think he may have had
something to do with this?”

     “I don’t know, Lizzie.
All I know is he’s missing and Katy is in the hospital.” He walked to her and
put a finger under her chin to lift it. Meeting her gaze directly he said, “You
need to start talking to me, Lizzie. Now.”

     “I don’t—”

     “Don’t give me that shit.
You came here looking for Katy because you were afraid something had happened
to her. Because you knew she might be in danger. Am I warm?”

     He was and she didn’t
like it. But now, with her sister laying there, with her almost losing her life
to someone… “She called me the night before she was supposed to show up. Just
like I told you.” Backing out of his grasp, she licked her lips and looked at
the floor. She felt like she was betraying Katy. But she had to this time. “She
called to ask if she could crash at my place for a couple days. And she
indicated to me she’d come into a lot of money. She told me she was going to
pay me back everything she’d ever borrowed from me.” She looked back up to Matt
with the ghost of a smile on her lips. “Which is not chump change, by the way.”

     “So she said she’d come
into money. She say where she got it?”

     Lizzie shook her head.
“No. I asked her if she’d come by it illegally and she started her usual song
and dance, acting like I’d hurt her feelings. So I knew she probably had ripped
someone off.” Reaching out, she traced the bruise at her sister’s throat. “The
wrong someone as it would seem.”

     Matt closed his eyes and
groaned. “You should have told me this from the git-go.”

     “I suppose I should have.
But I didn’t think it mattered much. You just needed to look for her. And if I
told you she had robbed someone of money I didn’t think you’d look too hard for
her. I know what you all think of her.” She frowned. “She made it sound like a
lot of money. So I don’t know how Grady could be involved. He never had two
cents to rub together.”

     “No. But he sure knew how
to take it from someone else. Maybe they teamed up together and he decided he
didn’t want to do the split with her.”

     Her heart tripped in her
chest. Could she? Would she? “No. Katy would never hook back up with Grady. Not
after what happened before. Not after what he did to her and my mother.”
And
me,
she thought.

     “Money makes people do
the damnedest things, Lizzie. You’d tell me if you knew who, if anyone, she
partnered with, right?”

     “Of course I would.”

     “And you don’t know who
she swindled the money out of?”

     “No. I don’t have a clue.
We didn’t discuss her dealings. She knows how I feel about it.”

     “And yet you stay close
to her.”

     She wasn’t going down
that road again. “I want to know who did this to her Matt. If it was Grady… if
it was him, you have to catch him. He’s…” Dangerous, she wanted to say. And not
just dangerous to Katy. Dangerous to Lizzie as well. He’d proven that. “He’s
the reason she does what she does.”

     “She does what she does
because she likes it, Lizzie.” He put up a hand to stop her protest. “I’ve put
out a watch for Grady and I’ll keep a deputy on Katy’s door. I’m worried about
you too though. He threatened you before he went to prison.”

     “I’ll be okay.” She
lifted a corner of her mouth. “He threatened a lot of people before he went to
prison.”

     “I don’t want you staying
up on the hill alone anymore. Not until this is over.”

     She probably shouldn’t.
“If it was Grady and he did this to get the money then he’ll be long gone with
it.”

     “We don’t know that.”

     “I do. He’s a coward. He
won’t risk himself by sticking around here.”