Safe From the Dark (23 page)

Candace
sputtered.

“This
is preposterous! I could never kill anyone, much less Alan!”

“She
was with me.”

The
whole room gasped as Dreyer Morton stepped up to take Candace’s arm. The moment
was almost theatrical. Candace permitted the support for all of thirty seconds,
taking in the shocked and curious looks of the people who had known her her
whole life, and then she stumbled toward the door.

Evie
stood, intent on going after her, but Dreyer blocked her path.

“Leave
Candace alone.”

“Get
out of my way.”

“The
woman just lost her husband. Show some respect!”

He
sneered down at her.

“You’ve
been nothing but a blight on this town since the day you arrived. Not
surprising. Do you all remember Laura Asher?”

Evie’s
heart sank as a dozen heads nodded eagerly.

“A
promiscuous girl. A drug addict. Ultimately, a murderer. This woman who is
supposed to serve as a role model for our community was raised by a drunk who
couldn’t remain faithful to his wife, who had no respect for the sanctity of
marriage. You would know something about that, too, wouldn’t you Ms. Asher?”

“Don’t
– ” Evie began, but the words got stuck as Dreyer thundered on.

“She
had an affair with her married police captain, lured him away from his wife. Why
do you think she came back up here? They clearly didn’t want her in New York.
And now I have it on good authority that she’s been attempting to seduce Colin
Daniels when she should be focused on catching the murderer that threatens our
graceful shores.”

The
murmurs of disapproval were like shards of glass in Evie’s heart. She tried to
formulate a rational argument, but all she could see were eyes glaring at her,
heads shaking in disapproval, and Millicent Grayson, who looked her over with
hatred and disgust. She couldn’t bear to look at Mary, knowing that the
disappointment in her eyes might kill her.

The
doorbell clanged, but Evie didn’t see Tony until he was gripping her arm,
sympathy and anger warring for dominance in his eyes.

“Go
home, Evie,” he said gently, “I’ll take it from here.”

“She
doesn’t even deny it!” crowed Dreyer, until Tony stepped up to face him.

“You’ll
want to sit down, Dreyer.”

“You
don’t order me around, Sheriff. My taxes support your department, and – ”

Tony
said nothing, but the look in his eyes must have been enough, because Dreyer
trailed off, and with as much dignity as possible, returned to his booth.

Tony
nodded to Evie.

“Go.
I’ll call you later.”

Numb,
Evie nodded and headed for the door as behind her, a swarm of locals descended
on Dreyer’s booth, anxious for all the gory details.

THE
SLUT COP WAS finally getting her due, and while it wasn’t exactly as she had
planned it, the shattered look on Evie Asher’s face was enough to fill one with
satisfaction. Now Colin would see the error of his ways as the town voiced
their disapproval. He’d no longer feel the urge to slide between the slut cop’s
thighs and gorge himself on her toxic flesh. He’d finally be the man she’d
dreamed of, the one she’d watched grow up, a better man than his father. Clean
and wholesome and pure, just for her.

It
was all coming together.

COLIN
HUNG UP THE phone for the fifth time and cursed the fact that his number was
listed in the local phone book. He felt a little dazed by the onslaught of
worried calls from Bright’s Ferry residents – the preacher, the mail carrier,
his third grade schoolteacher Mrs. Taylor. So many people who had listened to
Dreyer spewing the worst of Evie’s life out to the public and offering nothing
but judgment and condemnation. Suddenly running off to Rome seemed like a
fantastic idea.

 Rationally,
he knew that Evie had support, too. Tony knew her past and didn’t seem to care,
and Colin was sure that Grace and Jocelyn would stand by her, no matter what. But
the timing couldn’t have been worse, and now the town would spend less time on
the lookout for anything out of the ordinary and more time second-guessing
every move Evie had made since she came to town.

Tony
had called a little while ago to explain everything, and Colin waited in vain
for Evie to show up. After an hour, he realized that she wasn’t coming, and
that just pissed him off. She wasn’t answering her phone.

A
couple of antsy phone calls later, Colin was reaching for his keys. It irked him
to discover that Evie had chosen to go back to her cabin instead of coming to
him, but at least she had had the presence of mind to commandeer Zeke and a
volunteer from his security detail to watch her house. He wasn’t going to let
her weather the storm alone, sitting at home wallowing in self-pity, or worse, packing
her things to leave Bright’s Ferry behind.

He
opened the door…to find Candace on the other side.

“Colin,
we must talk.”

“This
isn’t the best time, Candace.” He wasn’t thrilled with her, but attributed her
outburst to grief over Alan’s death. Colin couldn’t process the idea that she
was sleeping with Dreyer Morton – the idea was off-putting, like realizing that
your parents still slept together.

He
scooted around her and headed for his truck, turning back as the three guards
scrambled around him.

“I’m
just going over to the Asher cabin. There’s already a detail up there, so why
don’t you go on home, guys? I’ll call when I’m heading back this way.”

“Uh,
Colin, you’re kind of under house arrest,” one of the guards muttered,
scratching his neck.

“And
I’m going to sleep with the deputy who arrested me. Anybody have a problem with
that?” Colin’s temper was frayed, and the blunt words did the trick, because
the guards slunk back in a chorus of sheepish denials.

Candace
wasn’t so accommodating. She hurried up to him, moving stiffly.

“So
it’s true? You’re actually having an affair with that woman?”

Colin
wrenched the door to his truck open.

“It’s
hardly an affair, Candace. We’re both single. An affair implies that someone is
being cheated on, which is not the case.”

“You
were with Deirdre Small!”

“What
Deirdre and I had was casual. Either one of us could have broken it off at any
time. And you’re one to lecture me on infidelity, Candace. This is – ” He
paused, trying to think of a suitable definition.

Candace
reddened, but pressed on.

“The
woman is a menace, Colin. What would your parents say?”

“I
think they’d be glad that I’ve finally found someone I think I can be happy
with.”

Candace
practically snarled.

“There
are better women out there for you, Colin. You don’t want to waste time on
someone so corrupt.”

Colin
stared at her, surprised. Candace was a stern and prudish woman – that was no
secret.
Maybe not so prudish
, he amended to himself, thinking about her
dalliance with Dreyer Morton.

You
never really know what’s under the surface.

“I’m
sorry you feel that way. If you need me for anything, I’ll be up at the Asher
cabin, comforting my girlfriend. She’s had a crappy day.”

He
left her standing, shocked, in front of the house as he drove away.

EVIE
COULDN’T STOP CRYING. It was as though a dam had burst, and all the stress and
pain of the last few months –
Hell, of her entire life
– had gushed out,
leaving her a watery, washed out mess. She sat in the living room with a pint
of ice cream, wallowing in all the ways she’d screwed up, and wondering if
leaving town might not be best for everybody.

Her
words from this morning came back to her and she thought of all the lives that
would be in danger if the killer wasn’t caught – Jocelyn, Grace, Tony, Colin. The
thought of Colin had fresh tears welling up.

He’s
probably trying to explain to his adoring population why he got mixed up with a
useless cop with bad judgment and a giant red SLUT painted on her house.

Evie
scooped another bite of butter pecan, knowing that her time to drown in
self-pity was limited. At some point, Colin was going to show up, and things
would just go downhill from there.

Can
you break up with someone you weren’t technically dating?
she wondered, morose.

A
glob of ice cream dropped to her shirt and Evie stared at it for a moment
before putting the ice cream down and yanking the shirt over her head. She
carefully undid the dressing on her side, assessing the stitches.

“Fuck
it,” she murmured, “I want a bath.”

COLIN
JERKED THE TRUCK to a halt in front of Evie’s house, pleased to see Zeke and
one guard standing watch outside the house.

Zeke
shook his head as Colin approached.

“Heard
some awful things about Deputy Asher. Amazing how folks’ll pry into things that
are none of their business. She’s a fine person.”

The
tension coiling in Colin’s stomach eased a fraction.

“Yes,
she is. And she’s lucky to have you watching her back, Zeke Biggs.”

Zeke
reddened, pleased by the compliment.

Colin
hurried up to the door, a shiver of revulsion snaking up his spine at the
painted slur that marred the front of the cabin. He’d have to take care of
that. Not bothering to knock, he stepped inside.

“Evie?”

The
half-eaten pint of melting ice cream on the counter made him smile for a
moment, but he put it in the freezer and looked around, the sound of running
water drawing him upstairs to the master bathroom.

She
was a vision, lying partially submerged in the old-fashioned clawfoot tub that
was slowly filling with water and bubbles. Colin acknowledged that the vision
didn’t usually include a swollen nose and eyes and tearstained cheeks, but she
was still beautiful to him, and his heart rolled over. Her hair was piled high
on her head, and tendrils escaped, sticking to her skin in the steam that
rolled through the room.

He
cleared his throat, and she cracked open an eyelid, glaring at him.

“Go
away.”

“I
don’t care what they think.”

“Of
course you do.”

“Okay,
fine, I do, but this isn’t the answer. Stand up to them. Show them that all of
their stupid preconceptions about you are wrong.”

“They’re
not wrong.” Evie swiveled to prop her elbows on the side of the tub, hiding all
that glorious flesh from view.

“They
are completely wrong,” snarled Colin, “Dammit, Evie.”

He
closed the door, shutting them into a world of honeysuckle-scented steam.

“Forget
what they think. Here’s what I think. You’re brave, you’re loyal. You’re tough
as nails, but you’re nice to kids and anyone who doesn’t seem to fit in. You
are the most frustrating, stubborn, prickly woman I’ve ever met, and you turn
me inside out with just one look.”

She
was staring at him, her eyes bright with tears.

“Shit,
don’t cry, because I’m barely holding it together as it is, and I’m either
going to smash something or fuck your beautiful brains out.”

His
fists clenched at his side, but his cock jerked hard as her gaze traveled down
his body to focus on it. She licked her lips.

“So
you didn’t come over here to fuck me?”

“I
came over to offer comfort.” It sounded weak, even to him, but he meant it.

“And
you can’t do both?”

Colin
struggled for control, but she wasn’t making it easy. Sex was a great way to
make the world go away for a while, and he could comfort her with his body, but
he didn’t want her mindless and lost to physical pleasure – she could get that
from a good vibrator. He wanted her engaged, involved, giving as well as
taking, shaking with pleasure because it was
him
, and nobody else.

“Let’s
try something new.”

“There’s
something we haven’t done yet?”

“Oh
baby,” he rumbled, “there’s a whole list.”

He
moved closer to the tub, but not close enough for her to reach.

“Drain
some of the water,” he ordered, “Just leave a couple of inches.”

She
did as he asked and then resumed her position, leaning forward against the wall
of the tub.

“The
way this works is that you get something you want, and then I get something that
I want. No fighting for world dominance.”

“We
take turns,” she whispered, her voice heated, and he nodded.

“Since
you’ve had a bad day, you get to go first,” he insisted, amused by the
eagerness in her expression.

“Take
off your shirt.”