In This Town (15 page)

“I hope Captain Sullivan doesn’t plan on warning Ken that he’s
a suspect in a murder case.” Although if Ken hadn’t figured that out when Walker
had questioned him earlier, the older man needed to put away his lawyer
shingle.

“She won’t. Layne doesn’t do anything that gets her into
trouble. Actually that’s pretty much what I said the first time I met Ross, too.
Seems I’m always setting you men straight on my older sister.”

“Chief Taylor was worried about Captain Sullivan?”

“Worried? Nah. At the time he was just pissed off. Layne and I
had a little…disagreement at the police department that concerned him.”

Walker shouldn’t be surprised they’d fought at the station.
He’d witnessed countless fights between his sisters everywhere from birthday
parties to high school basketball games to church.

“Don’t look so suspicious,” Tori continued. “The only person
Layne will tell about our conversation in here is Ross. She’s not how you
think.”

“And how do I think she is?”

“You think she’s some sort of liar. Someone who’d break the
rules but she’s not. As a matter of fact, Layne’s spent all of her life proving
she’s nothing like our mother, who broke all the rules.”

“And why would she do that?” he asked, knowing Tori was
vulnerable and only opening up to him because of what she’d discovered about her
uncle and mother. But he wasn’t about to let an opportunity pass to get to know
her.

For the case, he assured himself.

But Tori shrugged. “I still can’t believe Uncle Ken fell for my
mother. I’d thought more of him.”

“Your father fell for your mother, too.” Walker couldn’t
understand how Tori could hold it against her uncle when her father had married
her mother. Had, by all accounts, loved her above all else.

“Dad had no choice. He and Mom were high school sweethearts and
when she got pregnant with Layne before graduation, they got married. I remember
them arguing about it one time.” Tori’s tone was thoughtful, her gaze over his
shoulder as if looking into the past. “She accused him of being happy she’d
gotten pregnant because then he’d been able to convince her to marry him. He
didn’t deny it.”

“He also didn’t force her to marry him.”

“True. But he couldn’t resist her. She was so beautiful, so
alive. Even after all these years I can still hear her laugh. She had a great
laugh, all low and husky.” Tori slid him a grin that held a sharp edge. “It made
people stop in their tracks.
She
made people stop,
made them take notice of her.”

Tori looked so sad, so lost for a moment, his resolve to keep
his distance from her waned. His good sense, the one that told him she was a
heartbreaker, a cold and ruthless woman, seemed to fade when, more than ever, he
needed it to stay solid and in focus.

“Layne looks just like her,” Tori continued. “Sometimes, when
she talks, when she smiles—and as you may have realized, my older sister doesn’t
smile nearly enough—it about knocks me on my butt. The resemblance.”

Walker couldn’t read her, not fully and that pissed him off. He
had more questions than answers and that frustrated him. She intrigued him and
that scared the hell out of him. “You loved her. Your mother.”

“Of course. Oh, don’t look so shocked, Detective. She was my
mother, after all. And despite her faults and failings and weaknesses, despite
her vanity, she loved us. All of us, even my father…the best she knew how. The
best she could.”

“That makes it all right? The things she did, the lies and the
infidelity?”

“It makes it understandable. She couldn’t change who she was.
None of us can change who we are, how we are, on the inside.”

He edged closer, couldn’t stop himself, her skin, her scent,
beckoning him. And that made him a fool, one of the many men who fell at her
feet. “From all accounts, your mother wasn’t the nurturing type.”

“No, she was the fun type. The ‘let’s have a party’ type. She
cared more about taking care of herself than her kids.”

“You and Layne took care of Nora.”

“Layne took care of all of us. Me, Nora, Dad. She always
carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.” Tori shifted, glanced out the
window. “Layne loves nothing more than being the boss.”

But her words lacked heat; instead they sounded respectful. And
Walker knew there was more to the story than Tori let on. He’d seen how she’d
been with Nora, how Nora had leaned on both of her sisters, not just Layne.

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” he said.
“Nora looks up to both her sisters, that much was clear back there. Do you want
to know what I think?”

She smirked. “Not particularly.”

“I think you’re not as hard, as cold, as you want people to
believe. You love your son and your sisters, told Nora she was a blessing.”

“She is. She’s the best of us.”

“What does that make you?”

Tori grinned but it was so sad, it made his chest hurt. “Just
like our mother.”

* * *

H
IS
MOTHER
HAD
been crying.

That was what Anthony noticed when he walked into the kitchen
and saw his parents and sister. Erin hurried over to hug him. “Thanks for coming
so soon,” she whispered.

“What’s going on?” he asked, mimicking her soft tone. Their mom
wiped the spotless counter. Their father sat at the table, his face pale, his
fingers twisting and untwisting the tablecloth.

“I don’t know. All I know is what I told you over the
phone.”

What she’d told him was that there was an emergency and he
needed to come home tonight, now. Luckily traffic was light and he’d made it
back to Mystic Point in record time.

“Hey,” he said to his parents, feeling as if he had to somehow
take care of Erin even though she was his older sister. “You two okay?”

“Could you…could you and your sister sit down?” his dad asked,
indicating the empty chairs at the table.

Anthony and Erin exchanged a look then crossed to the table and
sat.

“Astor?” Ken said to his wife.

She flinched, exhaled heavily then set the dishcloth down and
in stilted steps, walked to the table. Sat next to her husband.

“You’re scaring me,” Erin said. “What is it?”

Anthony gently squeezed her hand. He was scared, too, but he’d
never admit it.

Ken looked at Astor but she stared straight ahead, her
shoulders rigid, her face a mask of pain. As always, they were side by side. A
unit. A team.

Side by side. That’s how Anthony pictured them, thought of
them. Not his mom, Astor Sullivan. Not his father, Ken. They were Mom and Dad.
And they needed his help, needed him to be strong.

“Whatever it is,” he said, “we’ll get through it together.”

They had to. His parents had always been there for him and Erin
and he knew he and his sister would be there for them no matter what.

“There’s no easy way to start this conversation,” Ken said,
looking weary and much older than his years, his face drawn. He rubbed a hand
over his eyes. “No easy way to say this so I’m just going to say it. Years ago,
before you both were born, I had an affair.”

“What?” Erin asked while all Anthony heard was a roaring in his
head. He looked at his mother, his lovely, wonderful mother. She seemed
broken.

“It was a mistake, a huge mistake, one I’ve regretted ever
since,” Ken said, sounding guilty. As he should. He should drown in his
guilt.

Erin sat back, her face white. “I don’t understand.” She looked
at their mom. “Did you know?”

“No.” Astor cleared her throat. “Your father told me this
afternoon.”

“Okay,” Erin said with a heavy breath. “It happened a long time
ago, right? And like Dad said, it was a mistake. You can get past this.”

Her voice wobbled, her eyes filled. Anthony knew how she felt.
He’d never imagined his father hurting his mother this way, never imagined them
not being together.

At the moment he couldn’t picture them at all. Could only see
his family being ripped apart.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Astor said.

“No, not simple.” Erin leaned forward and covered her mother’s
hand with one of her own. “It’ll take time.... Maybe you could attend marital
counseling or talk to Pastor Rick—”

“Tell them,” Astor said to Ken, sounding so unlike herself,
sounding demanding and angry and hurt. “Tell our children the rest.”

Anthony didn’t want to hear the rest. Already he felt disgusted
and angry. He knew too much about his parents’ marriage. By admitting the affair
his father had dragged him and Erin somewhere they had no right to be.

Ken rubbed his forefinger up and down his coffee cup. “Like I
said, it happened a long time ago. I was an idiot. Your mother and I had a
fight…I can’t even remember about what…and I left, went out to get some air and
I ended up at the Yacht Pub, thought I’d have a few drinks, calm down.” He
cleared his throat. “But I had too much to drink—”

“Are you trying to excuse this?” Anthony asked, incensed.

“Not excuse it, no,” Ken said, his mouth a thin line, “just
telling you the truth. I had too much to drink and I made a mistake. I cheated
on your mother, the only woman I’ve ever loved. I broke our marriage vows and
have now lost your trust and faith in me. I betrayed your mother and my
brother.”

“Oh, Daddy,” Erin said, her words ragged. “No.”

Anthony couldn’t catch his breath. Beside him, Erin cried
softly but he couldn’t reach over to comfort her. All he could do was stare
across the table at his parents. The kitchen table had always been the place for
family discussions, over a meal or not. Family meetings, his mother had called
them. When Erin had told him he needed to come home, that their parents had to
talk to both of them right away, he’d been terrified. Had thought for certain
someone had died or was sick.

Not sick, he thought numbly, trying to process what his parents
had just told him, not dead. And he couldn’t help but think that somehow, this
was even worse.

“You slept with Aunt Val?” Anthony asked, so disgusted he could
barely look at his father, his anger threatening to overtake him.

He didn’t remember her, had only been three when she’d
disappeared but he’d heard about her his entire life, knew his family had lived
with the repercussions of her life and disappearance.

“I regretted it immediately,” Ken said almost desperately.

Of course he was desperate, Anthony thought. He should be.
“Does Uncle Tim know? And the girls?”

His cousins, all of whom he loved like sisters.

“The girls know but I’ve asked them to let me tell Tim.”

Anthony sneered. “Big of you.”

Ken’s face lost color but Anthony refused to feel sorry for his
words, for how angry he was.

“I’m taking responsibility for my mistake,” Ken said. “And part
of that is to admit the truth, the whole truth. Dale York and Valerie
blackmailed me eighteen years ago, threatened to tell Tim and your mother about
the affair if I didn’t give them half a million dollars. They wanted to leave
town, to start a new life together.”

“You knew Aunt Val was leaving her husband and daughters and
you didn’t say anything?” Anthony asked incredulously.

“I couldn’t, I was too afraid of my secret coming out so I paid
them. All these years I thought he and Val had done what they’d set out to
do—start new lives with new identities. When Val’s remains were found, I was
certain Dale killed her and took the money, but I had no proof and couldn’t
admit what I knew without incriminating myself. I was selfish and wrong. And
when Dale returned to Mystic Point two months ago, he wanted more money to keep
my secret. I told him no. I knew I had to come clean.”

“But you didn’t,” Erin said.

“Until now.” The back of Anthony’s neck itched with
apprehension. “You’re telling us now. Why?”

“Dale spoke with Nora,” Ken said. Something in his tone, in the
way he seemed to have aged ten years, warned Anthony what his father was about
to tell him would destroy them all. “He told her about the affair. I had no
idea.” Ken gazed beseechingly at him. “You have to believe me, I had no
idea…”

Why would Dale talk to Nora unless… Anthony slowly got to his
feet, a sick feeling in his stomach. “You didn’t know what?”

But his father hung his head, his shoulders shaking.

“When did you sleep with Aunt Val?” Anthony slammed his hands
onto the table causing his mother and sister to jump. “When? How long ago?”

“Twenty-seven years ago.” Ken raised his head, and for the
first time that Anthony could remember, he saw his father cry. “I’m Nora’s
father.”

Everything inside Anthony froze. His father, the man he’d
trusted, had looked up to and practically worshipped was nothing but a liar and
a cheat. Ken had taught him right from wrong, had lectured Anthony his entire
life about honesty and integrity and taking responsibility for his own actions.
But it was all bullshit.

And for that, Anthony would never forgive him.

CHAPTER TEN

“Y
OU
SHOWING
UP
when I’m finishing work
is becoming a habit,” Tori said Friday as she opened the café’s door to find
Walker on the other side.

She was less than thrilled to have him show up at the end of a
double shift, one that had been nothing but torture. Thank God it was late
enough that everyone else had gone home.

“A good habit or bad one?” Walker asked in that way that told
her he didn’t really care which one it was. He was there for a reason and what
she thought or felt didn’t concern him.

“I haven’t decided yet. I need more time to make
a…well-informed decision.” She knew her flirtatious tone would bug him. Good. He
bugged her, kept her guessing so why shouldn’t she give him a little payback for
it? For not being like other men?

That seemed to give him pause and Tori knew that even though he
was the one who’d come to her, he was thinking everything through, his thoughts
and actions. Wondering if he’d made a mistake by showing up there.

She could respect that about him. She liked to think things
through, too. Liked weighing her options before making any decision.

“This is the closest I can get to a homemade meal,” Walker
said, peering over the top of her head at the dining room. Most of the chairs
had been set on top of tables so the cleaning crew could mop the floors.

“Well, homemade meals are hard to come by, especially this
late. It’s a shame we’re closed.”

“Sign on the door says you’re open until ten.”

“Kitchen closes at nine and when all the customers are gone, we
shut— Hey,” she said when he brushed past her, forcing her to step back.

Tori told herself she didn’t care one way or the other what he
did; he could go or he could stay. She was still in control.

She held the door open. “Look, the past few days have been
really crappy.” She’d tried to ignore the gossip, the knowing looks she’d
received from customers, had pretended it hadn’t bothered her when her coworkers
suddenly stopped talking whenever she approached them. “And I’m not in the best
of moods,” she continued, gesturing for him to walk his sexy ass right back out
the door again, “so maybe you could be a nice guy, just this once, and not give
me a hard time.”

“I hadn’t realized it was so late.” He frowned, looked around
again. “I was working. Lost track of time.”

She made a tsking sound. “Luckily the fast food places are open
late.”

“I’ve had my fill of fast food.”

Not her problem, she told herself as she let the door shut. She
set another chair onto a table. She was tired. Irritable. She didn’t want
company, but wasn’t sure she could handle being alone. Had never liked being
alone, had always wanted to be surrounded by people. Unlike Layne who’d needed
that time and space with her own thoughts.

Tori was afraid she wouldn’t like what she found if she dug too
deep into her psyche, if she delved too far into her soul, into what she really
was inside.

But Walker was watching her in that steady, patient way that
made her feel keyed up and on edge and out of control. As if he held some power
over her when it should be the other way around.

“You here alone?” he asked, which, coming from any other guy,
she would’ve taken as a pickup line or, worse, aggression. But she wasn’t scared
of Walker. Not physically, anyway.

“I told Celeste I’d close up.”

“I thought you worked days.”

What was with all the questions? The man really was an
interrogator, always probing, trying to see inside people’s heads. “Brandon’s at
his father’s so I offered to work tonight to give Celeste a break.”

Celeste deserved it. She’d been rock solid through it all,
there for Tim after Ken had confessed his sin to his younger brother. An
intermediary the night Tori and her sisters gathered with their father at
Layne’s house—the home they grew up in—for dinner.

Tori’s throat tightened just thinking about it. The beginning
of the evening had been tense and awkward with the huge, unspoken question
hanging over all of them.

How would Tim treat Nora, his youngest, his joy, now that he
knew she wasn’t his biological child?

Tori had been certain he’d turn his back on her, had been ready
to jump to her sister’s aid, to help her through her heartbreak. But their
father had taken a hold of Nora’s hands and, in front of everyone, had looked
into Nora’s eyes and told her in no uncertain terms that she was his daughter.
His. Always.

Nora had said only one word: Daddy. Then she’d thrown her arms
around Tim’s neck and as they’d embraced, something inside Tori had warmed.
She’d been relieved, sure, but more than that she’d been proud. For the first
time she’d been proud to have such a good man for a father.

For the first time, she’d started to forgive him for being so
much less than perfect.

The truth may set you free but from Tori’s perspective, it
usually hurt first. Enough that she would rather avoid it and stick with
subterfuge.

But they were surviving it. Their family was cracked, but they
weren’t broken. Not yet.

“What are you doing?” Tori asked when Walker picked up a chair
and set it on a table.

“Helping you.”

“Why?” He wanted something from her and, unlike most men, it
wasn’t her body. Probably was going to try to use his quick mind to trick her
into answering more of his questions about her family.

“Because it’s late,” he said as if she’d scrubbed her brain
with bleach, “and you’re alone.”

“You want something from me,” she said. “Just tell me what it
is so I can get on with my life.”

“Why do you think I want something from you?”

She laughed. “Honey, all men want something from me, the same
something.”

“You don’t trust anyone, do you?” he asked softly.

Tori cocked her hip to the side. “Let’s see… My father spent
more time on the sea than with his own kids. My mom cheated on her husband—once
with her brother-in-law—and left us to start some grand new life. My uncle, a
pillar of town, slept with his brother’s wife and got her pregnant and paid her
and her other lover off. My own sisters think I’m incapable of anything other
than waiting tables and flirting.” She slammed a chair down. “Why on earth
wouldn’t I trust people?”

She didn’t need help. Didn’t want it. Didn’t want to count on
someone else to be there for her because that made her weak, left her vulnerable
to the whims and feelings of others.

It was too risky.

“You want something to eat?” she snapped, knowing it would be
the fastest, easiest way to get rid of him. “Fine. But you’ll eat what I cook so
don’t even think of placing an order from the menu.”

“Deal,” he said so quickly she blinked.

Guess the man was really hungry.

“Come on,” she said, grumpy and tired. Her feet hurt. Her legs
and back ached. All she wanted was to go home and soak in a nice, hot, scented
tub where she could plan what to do now that Greg was marrying someone else.
That her son didn’t want to be with her.

Where she could plan her escape.

Not waiting to see if Walker followed, Tori walked across the
dining room, pushed open the swinging door that led to the kitchen. She went to
the refrigerator and checked the supplies, pulled out the makings for her
favorite sandwich.

“Did Brandon get in trouble with his coach for the fight?”
Walker asked as he came up beside her.

She almost didn’t answer, but he had helped her kid that day so
she bit back her impatience. “Both boys did. They’re each suspended one game and
had to run extra laps all week at practice. They’re also both on probation and
if they mess up even once, they’re off the team.”

“Tough coach,” Walker said.

“He is but it’s a fair punishment.” She heated the grill and
took out two bagels, sliced them.

“Most parents would be upset their darlings got punished,” he
said. “My sister Kelly took on the entire school board because my niece got into
trouble one day at school and had to stand in the corner.”

Tori added four slices of bacon to the grill. “Brandon has to
realize there are consequences to his actions—both good and bad.”

“I agree that’s a good lesson for kids to learn. I think Kelly
sees her kids as too close an extension of herself and if they get into trouble
or make a mistake, she takes it personally.”

“Yeah, well, that’s hard not to do. Our children
are
extensions of us and it can be frustrating.
Brandon is stubborn, it’s a trait he gets from me and maybe that’s why it bugs
me so much.” She flipped the bacon. “He wants to live with his father,” she
heard herself admit.

Walker crossed his arms and leaned back. “You share custody
now?”

“Sort of. Brandon stays with me during the week and spends most
weekends with Greg. He’s getting married.”

“Seems a little young for such a big step.”

For the first time all week, Tori smiled. “Not Brandon.
Greg.”

“How do you feel about that?”

She cracked four eggs onto the grill and sprinkled them with
salt and pepper. “Well, Dr. Freud, I feel fine about it.”
Sort of.
“I was the one who wanted the divorce,” she said, knowing
she sounded defensive and bitter. “He wants her, that’s fine. But my son should
be with me.”

Should want to be with me.

“You’re jealous,” Walker said.

Tori whirled on him, the spatula in her hand. “Jealous? Of
Colleen? Have you seen her?”

“I’m not talking about what she looks like. I’m talking about
the fact that your son likes her.”

Her hand shook so she lowered it. “I just don’t think Brandon
should get his own way just because he’s mad at me for the divorce.”

“Fair enough.”

“Damn right it’s fair enough.”

* * *

S
HE
WAS
HURTING
, Walker realized. Tough, cynical Tori Mott was heartbroken
over her son.

It made her seem more human. Vulnerable and softer than when
she was flirting and trying to get men to fall at her feet. It made her more
enticing.

She wanted her son to choose her.

He watched as she assembled his sandwiches—bacon and avocado
slices on the bagel topped with two eggs. “Like you said,” Walker told her,
feeling inadequate and clumsy in how to address her problems with her son,
“Brandon’s a kid. He’s pissed. He’ll get over it.”

She handed him a sandwich and cut the other one in half. “I’ve
been telling myself that for a year now and he’s still mad. He gets angrier with
me every day.” She swallowed, stared at the food in her hands. “He hates me. My
own son hates me. God, when he was little he used to look at me like I was the
most important thing in the world. His sun, you know?”

Walker took a bite of his sandwich, swallowed. “Kids grow up.
They realize their parents aren’t infallible.”

“I knew that from the time I was little. But when you have a
child of your own, you don’t realize how big of a love you’re capable of. I sure
didn’t.”

“You were barely a kid yourself.”

“Eighteen, the same age as my mother when she had Layne.” Tori
smiled sadly. “I was so scared, had no idea what I was doing or getting myself
into. All I knew was that I’d followed my mother’s footsteps—gotten pregnant by
a good guy, my high school sweetheart just like she had, got married and dropped
out of school. Layne was so angry with me, so disappointed. She’d wanted me to
go to college.”

“You sound as if that’s a crazy idea.”

“Of course it is. I’m not known for my brains,” she said with a
wink. “Besides, I knew what my future held. Marriage. Maybe another kid or two.
My life spent waiting tables right here in this town. I gave up my dreams as
soon as I held Brandon for the first time. Looking at him, feeling his warm
body, the slight weight of him in my arms, I felt…complete. And I couldn’t
understand how my mother never felt the same when she looked at her babies. How
she could turn her back on her own children. I vowed that day to be the best
mother I could for my son, to give him everything I didn’t have. But it wasn’t
enough.”

“If you knew how upset Brandon would be by the divorce, why did
you go through with it?” he couldn’t help but ask. Walker knew he was skating on
thin ice, being alone with her again, the setting somehow intimate despite the
size of the kitchen. Her cooking for him, talking to him so openly, was a
problem.

One he had to be wary of.

“Part of your investigation?” she asked with one of those
unreadable looks.

“Just curious.” More curious about her than he had any right to
be. “Your ex-husband seems like a decent guy.”

“That aptly describes him. Greg is decent and kind. He was the
captain of the football team and I was head cheerleader. We were completely
cliché and totally clueless about life. He loved me and I…I wanted desperately
for someone to love me more than anything. And he did. No matter what I threw at
him, no matter what kind of drama I stirred up or fights or arguments I started,
no matter how much I flirted with his buddies he was always there. Steady, you
know?”

“Sounds like most high school relationships.”

“I was a brat. Worse than that, I was a bitch. Selfish and
vain. I outgrew it, for the most part. Becoming responsible for someone else
forces you to grow up, to see outside yourself. Or it should. But a year ago, as
we were in bed, Greg leaned over and kissed me good-night—like he did every
night—and told me he loved me. Like he had every night.” Using the spatula, she
scraped the food from the grill, her movements rougher than Walker thought they
should be for the job at hand.

She lifted her head, met Walker’s eyes. “I couldn’t say it
back. I wanted to, but it wouldn’t come out and I realized that for all those
years, I’d been lying—to Greg and Brandon and to myself. I cared about Greg, I
considered him my best friend but I didn’t love him the way he deserved. The way
he loved me. And it wasn’t fair to any of us. I told him I wanted a trial
separation. He didn’t argue, didn’t fight, just agreed. The next day we told
Brandon together and Greg moved out.”