Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 (36 page)

Lacey turned away from Wade to answer Roni. “Jeff's killer is around somewhere. He can't hide forever.”

* * *

“What a way to spend Christmas Eve, wouldn't you say, Miss Phillips?” The older gentleman Lacey had thought was Wade's father, but turned out to be an uncle, entered the room again. Wade and Roni were seeing the lawmen out, so that left her alone for the time being.

“It's Lacey, and I'm sorry I messed up your holiday. You must think I'm so rude coming here tonight.”

When the police had questioned her earlier, Wade's uncle had leaned against the wall and heard why she'd made this trip. She'd left out the part of Wade's confession, but told them about her brother's so-called accident in the army and how she'd come to talk to her brother's friend.

The uncle stepped up to where Lacey sat on the edge of the bed. He offered his hand for a warm shake. “Clay Spencer. The kids' dad, Bobby, was my little brother. And don't you worry about what we think. You're hurting. We all feel your pain and frustration, especially with your car being taken in to be processed as evidence. You probably won't make it back for Christmas dinner with your family.”

The realization lifted her chin. The older man offered a sweet, supportive smile as though he understood her dilemma, but he also wore a very nice suit with a festive holiday tie and a red silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. He'd come here tonight to spend Christmas Eve with his family, and she had intruded.

Lacey cringed at her impulsiveness to jump into her car and head north without any thought to what day she would be arriving on Wade Spencer's doorstep. What had she thought he would do? Welcome her in to celebrate with his family?

No. The fact was she didn't think at all. At least nothing but what she'd come for.

“You stay as long as you need to,” the uncle invited warmly.

Lacey gave a weak laugh. “You seem to have a better grasp at this hospitality thing than this Southern girl does.”

The man smiled big. “I do love a good party, and the more the merrier. But seriously, the kids have plenty of room. Plus, I don't think Wade's going to let you go anywhere tonight. He told the chief of police he would take care of getting you home. He feels responsible for you since this incident happened on his family's property.”

“This gigantic place is his family's?”

“Technically his and Veronica's, Roni's, now. They lost their parents years ago. Only Roni lives here, though. Wade lives on base in Virginia. He's only home for the holidays. I used to live here after their parents died, but once Veronica was of age, I moved to the empty caretaker's house on the pond, a little ways into the property, then eventually I moved into town. Let's just say Veronica and I don't always get along, even in ten thousand square feet. Even on thousands of acres. Moving off the property was best. Besides, I like it better in town. Great house for social gatherings with my friends. And speaking of friends, I have a few in influential places who might be able to help you uncover some information about your brother.”

“What kind of friends?”

“Lawyers, politicians, PIs, you name it. One can never have too many circles, I say. I'm sure one of them could look into the possibility of a cover-up.”

A spark of excitement ignited but quickly died out. What if those people were Wade's friends? Who would they be loyal to then? “No, I've talked to enough official people to know they're not much help to me, but thank you.”

“Just let me know if you change your mind and want to talk privately with someone. I can make it happen.”

“For now, I just want to talk to Wade. I'll wait here for him. I don't dare try to find him in this place. I'm directionally challenged and might get lost.”

Clay laughed. “You don't know the half of it. Bobby married well, but his wife, Meredith, was also a bit paranoid. When I moved in after the accident to care for the kids, I found all these secret passages she had built. Creepy, for sure.”

Lacey checked the adjoining room and saw no one approached. She was really only looking for Mr. Secrets before she asked for more pieces about his past. She would need all the details she could round up. “Roni's scars. She mentioned something about an accident causing them. Is that how their parents died, too?”

“Yes, it was a horrifying accident. Just a horrible accident. Bobby and Meredith perished, as well as their eighteen-month-old son Luke.”

Lacey frowned at the thought of the baby dying, too.

“Veronica was scarred in the fire and would have died as well if Wade hadn't pulled her out and away from the car before it fully exploded. They'd gone over the ledge on the road out front.”

“Ledge?” Now Lacey sounded the way Wade had when she'd told him she'd nearly gone over it. All snooping came to a halt. What was left of her blood ran cold. Wade and his family had gone over the same ledge she had just brushed death with. “When?” was all she could ask.

“It's been twenty-eight years now. Hard to believe, but Wade was eight and Veronica was three. He got her to safety, but being this far out from town and so far from the house, there was nothing else he could do for the rest of his family.”

“Of course not. I doubt an adult could, never mind a child.” Lacey thought this was possibly why Wade had told her to go home when she said she'd nearly gone over the ledge. It had probably brought back horrible memories of his accident. Had that been why he'd told her he killed Jeff? To get rid of her before she saw him fall apart? His bouncing legs could have been an indication that the crash affected his PTSD just as much as his years in combat did. “And you stepped in to raise them.”

“Moved right in. There was no reason to take them from the only home they knew. I also helped with the business Bobby and Meredith started. It seemed only right to keep that going for the kids.”

“The racetrack?”

“Spencer Speedway. How'd you know?”

“Roni mentioned it. My family owns a reconstruction race-car shop, so that's probably why Jeff and Wade hit it off as friends. They had racing in common.”

“I don't think so. Wade wants nothing to do with racing. He asked me to stay on as CEO for him so he could leave town and be an army man at eighteen. There had to be something else that brought them together, because it couldn't be racing.”

“Huh, I just figured.” She shrugged, then inhaled sharply from the pain.

Clay gave a slow whistle. “Painkillers kicking in yet?”

“Slowly.”

“Here, you should have that in a sling.” Clay withdrew his red handkerchief from his suit-coat breast pocket and knotted it into a quick sling. Gently he placed her injured arm in it. “That should hold it still and cause less pain. You up for a walk?”

Lacey stood from the bedside and tested her head. No light-headedness, a good sign she'd live to ride another day. “Where are we off to?”

“Just to the garage. You being a track rat and all, I thought you might like to see the collection we have in the showcase.”

“Showcase? That sounds intriguing. What might I see in your showcase? Any roadsters?”

Clay broke into his big comforting grin again. “Right this way. Your chariot awaits.” He took his suit coat off and draped it over Lacey's shoulders. He led her through the kitchen, but in the other direction from where she'd entered. Out the door and across a snow-covered patio, a glass-enclosed building stood. One flick and the structure illuminated. The gray-painted concrete floor shined so clean and bright one could eat off it. A priceless collection of cars from vintage to modern were parked at various angles. Clay or Roni obviously had added a few, like the stunning cherry-red Ferrari F40 front and center.

“If only Jeff could see this...” She stuttered on the ripping pain through her chest that usurped the one in her arm tenfold. She wondered when she would stop forgetting her brother was dead.

“Are you well, Lacey?” Clay asked as he searched her face.

“I've been better, but it's got nothing to do with my arm.” She blew out a breath. “So where's that roadster?”

“Right over here.” He led her around back to where a small black British roadster sparkled clean and restored.

“Do you ever take her out? On the track, I mean.”

“The speedway offers certain days of the year when people can unleash their babies. Come spring, you must give her a spin.”

“Me? Is she yours?”

“Technically, she belonged to Meredith. Like I said, Bobby married well. Meredith's father gave them the land for the track as a wedding gift as well as this side of the mountain for a home. But now the kids own it all. Including the cars you see here. Veronica drives them, but Wade doesn't touch them.”

“So he doesn't like racing or cars?”

“Hey, Questions! What are you doing out here?” Wade stood in the entrance, a sandy camouflage army coat half on, half off. His chest rose and fell as though he'd run out to her. “Are you
crazy
? You were just shot at. You up for another round?”

Clay stepped up with his hands raised. “Don't yell at her. It was my idea. We got to talking about cars, and I thought...well, I guess I didn't think at all.”

“The conversation's over,” Wade said to his uncle, but his eyes locked on Lacey.

“I'll just go in and see if Veronica and Cora need some help with dinner.” Clay escaped the room without a reply from anyone.

“Hey, Secrets, you didn't have to be so rude,” Lacey spouted. “Your uncle was just trying to take my mind off my pain. What are you so hushed up about anyway?”

“The walls have ears, and you never know who's listening. You want to know what happened to Jeff?
That's
what happened to him.”

Her first clue had come when she least expected it. Lacey snapped to attention, nearly sputtering when she asked, “What was he saying? Who was listening?”

Wade's eyes jumped from window to window as though he was trying to see out into the darkness beyond the glass. If Lacey hadn't been shot at and nearly pushed over a cliff tonight, she would say this man was paranoid and uttering conspiracy-theory nonsense. But under the circumstances, she looked out the windows, too.

“I'm sending you home on a plane tomorrow,” he said. “You are not to come back. Ever. Live your life. It's what your brother would want you to do.”

“Shows you what you know. My brother left me something with a note with your name on it. That tells me I'm doing exactly what he would want me to do. Find the answers.”

“What'd he leave you?”

“This.” Lacey reached into her blouse and pulled out a long chain with the small key dangling from it.

All in the same breath, Wade yanked her arm toward him as the glass around them shattered into millions of pieces.

Lacey landed on a thud and realized it was Wade's hard chest. He'd brought her down with him in a maneuver that had saved her life. It was as though he knew she'd made herself a target...again. She looked up to see the shattered windshield of the British roadster behind her, right where she'd been standing.

Another blast and more shattering deafened her ears. Lacey covered her head with her arms as Wade moved her to the floor. He dragged himself along the concrete on his elbows to the wall and a safe. After a few turns of the lock, the door opened to show rows of keys. He grabbed a set and shimmied back to her as Promise came through the door, crouched low on her haunches, as well. As soon as she saw her handler, she took up her post beside him.

“Stay low and get to the Ferrari,” he ordered.

Lacey followed without complaint.

Bullets came from both the front and back. Car windows exploded around them. Whoever the goons were, they had the house surrounded and didn't plan on leaving anything or anyone in one piece.

Wade opened the door and Lacey crawled through, keeping her body down as she crossed over the driver's seat. Promise found her place on the floor of the front seat, and Wade got behind the wheel. As soon as he had the car started, he had it in gear and flying out through the broken glass.

Bullets hit the car, but he tore down the driveway and out onto the road in a flash. He couldn't have picked a better vehicle, Lacey thought. It went sixty miles an hour in 3.9 seconds. They would be out of these woods in no time.

Except when they hit the road, Wade actually slowed down.

He reached into one of the many pockets on his army combat coat and pulled out a cell phone. One tap of a number dialed someone, and immediately Roni could be heard yelling.

Wade stopped her and said, “We're okay. Stay in the safe room and call the police. Don't worry about us. You got this, Roni.” He clicked off and pocketed the phone.

He drove in silence, obviously not willing to elaborate about what a safe room was...and why he had one. Lacey could only figure it was one of those secret passages Clay had mentioned to her. At least Roni, Clay and Cora would be safe, if the room lived up to its title. That only left her and Wade out in the open.

She searched through the rear window, but it remained dark and empty. Even still, she asked, “Can't you go a little faster?”

“It's not always about speed,” he replied.

She sputtered. “Yes, it is.”

After a quick, tacit look her way, he went back to giving the road his full attention, conversation over.

As they passed through the quiet little town of Norcastle, Lacey noticed the sparkling colored lights strung from some of the old storefronts and homes. In her nervous ride into town earlier, she hadn't paid much attention. Now she speculated with the huge factories along the river that Norcastle had once been an old mill town. The mill buildings looked to be lit up as apartments now. The town obviously had seen some reconstruction after a period of low economic times, but they seemed to be flourishing better now. Before Lacey could ask about it, Wade took a turn for the interstate.