When Darkness Falls (20 page)

“
T
hanks for coming
,” Lila said, motioning for Chloe to sit across from her in the overstuffed chair. Chloe glanced around the living room, making a mental note of the neutral palette. Lila had once said that she wanted to add pops of color to the room, and Chloe was inclined to agree. As Lila mentioned, the space had been done by a designer and possessed all of the textbook elements necessary to make it presentable; however, it lacked originality and personality. Lila’s living room looked like a ho-hum showroom in a furniture store. Adding stylish window treatments, new pillows, and a few unique accessories would take it from ordinary to extraordinary.

She realized that Lila was studying her. “I’m sorry. I was doing an assessment of the room, so that I’ll know what to recommend for the window treatments.”

She waved a hand of dismissal. “Oh, don’t worry about that right now. I want to talk to you about something else.”

“Okay.” A sense of foreboding crept over her as she turned her attention to Lila who was shifting around on the sofa like she was sitting on a pincushion. There was a strained expression on her round face, and her hands were fidgety. “Is everything all right? You didn’t sound like yourself on the phone earlier.”

Lila’s robust complexion was one of her best features, but today, her skin was pale like someone had added a gray filter, and the lines around her eyes were more prominent. She cleared her throat. “How are things going with work?”

“Fine,” Chloe said mechanically. “I like my job. I have some great projects that I’m working on and …”

“Are you still dating the younger Singleton brother?”

“Garrett?”

“No.”

Relief swept over Lila’s features. “Good.”

She leaned forward. “Do you know Garrett?”

“No.”

Confusion swirled around Chloe, and she tried to figure out where Lila was going with this. “I don’t understand. If you don’t know Garrett then why are you relieved that I’m not dating him?”

Lila trailed her fingers through her short dark hair before letting out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know Garrett … but I know Hank.” The words were spoken deliberately, and she paused, giving Chloe a piercing look.

There was a hidden meaning in Lila’s words, a clue that Chloe was supposed to grasp without Lila having to come right out and say it. A shadow came over the room as the sun went behind the clouds. Pete was in the jewelry business. Had he crossed paths with Hank? Apprehension snaked down Chloe’s spine. A thought came rushing back—something Lila had said when they first met. “When you learned that I had an interview with Marsh Interiors, you said that you had some sort of problem with them of a personal nature.” Her throat felt thick and sticky like it was suddenly filled with glue. She swallowed. “What did you mean by that?”

“Did I say that?” She let out a half laugh. “I don’t remember.”

“Yes, you did.” Chloe locked eyes with her, not backing down an inch. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me about Hank?”

“You’re involved with him, aren’t you?”

The words were spoken like an accusation. Chloe drew in a swift breath. “Would that be a bad thing?”

“Yes, I’m afraid it would,” Lila said quietly, a look of sympathy in her eyes.

Blood began to pump furiously through Chloe’s veins. “Why?” she croaked. Then she realized she was gripping the arms of the chair for all it was worth. She let go and clasped her hands tightly in her lap.

Lila scooted back in her chair. “Let me tell you a story.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “As you know, Pete has worked in the jewelry industry for most of his adult life. For years, he ran an actual store. That all changed a few years ago when he got into a bit of trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Chloe began chewing on her bottom lip, bracing herself for the worst. Just as she suspected, Pete had crossed paths with Hank.

“I really shouldn’t be telling you this,” Lila said, lowering her voice and looking over her shoulder as if she were afraid someone might overhear them. “I don’t want to drudge up the past, and I certainly don’t want to cause Pete any legal problems. But I feel like I need to tell you … for your own safety.”

A furrow appeared between Chloe’s brows. “If you’re trying to tell me about Hank’s past, I already know that he was a jewel thief.”

Lila drew back, surprised. “He told you?”

She nodded.

“And you’re still dating him?”

“Yes.” Irritation pricked over Chloe. The cold hard facts of Hank’s past life belied the changed man he’d become. In that moment, she had an inkling of the prejudice he must face on a daily basis as he tried to outlive his reputation. “Hank’s a good guy. He’s not the same person he was before.” She hated the doubt that crept into Lila’s eyes. “You don’t believe it,” she said flatly.

“I didn’t call you here today to talk about Hank’s qualities. I called you here because I’m concerned for your safety.”

“But I told you, Hank’s no longer a thief!” Her voice raised a fraction as she sat up taller in her seat. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m a big girl! I know what I’m doing!”

“It’s worse than I thought. You’re in love with him. Oh, boy. This is bad.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead.

Chloe made a face. “I’m not in love with him! I care a great deal about him, but I’m not in love,” she repeated, her face growing warm.

Lila gave her a knowing smile that was tinged with concern. “Call it what you will, but it’s obvious that you are.”

Was she? She tried to think! She had strong feelings for him … but love? She couldn’t stop thinking about him and longed to be with him 24/7. Admittedly, she’d been pretty miserable when she thought they were over. But love? She wrinkled her nose.

“Let me get back to my story, and this will make more sense.”

“Okay,” Chloe said dully.

“Pete ran a good business—an upstanding business for the most part. What I didn’t realize until much later is that he supplemented his income by acting as a fence for a few transactions that weren’t exactly above board.”

All of the dots came together. “He was Hank’s fence.”

“Yes.”

Chloe processed that bit of information. Of all the people to be her neighbors … It was a turning out to be a very small valley. She thought of something else. “Did Pete have a nephew named Guy?”

“Yes.”

The distraught look on Lila’s face said it all. No wonder she didn’t like Hank. Chloe could hardly blame her. A wave of sympathy came over her. “Hank told me what happened. I’m sorry.”

Lila nodded, her lower lip trembling. “When Guy died, Pete took it hard. He felt like the whole thing was his fault because he’d talked Hank into taking him along on the job.”

“Yes, that’s what Hank said.”

“Pete’s sister was completely devastated. Guy was her baby and the only boy. The poor woman fell apart and had to go to counseling. For a while, I was afraid she might have to be hospitalized.” She shook her head. “It was bad for the whole family. I thought Pete was coming to terms with it—getting better—until one afternoon.” Her voice caught. “I was out shopping, and out of the blue, I had the strongest impression that I needed to get home immediately because Pete was in trouble. I tried to call his cell phone, but he didn’t answer. I was standing in line, waiting to check out, and the feeling became so intense that I left my items and rushed home.” Her eyes filled with tears. “When I got here, Pete was sitting on the back deck with a gun to his head. He said he could no longer live with the guilt. Had I gotten here a minute later, it would’ve been too late.” Tears filled her eyes.

Chloe felt moisture form in her eyes as well. “Wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” Even as the words dribbled out, Chloe was struck by how futile they sounded. She knew from personal experience that mere words did little to mend a broken heart. Lila was still torn up about it, and she obviously held Hank responsible, which is why she’d called her here today to discuss it. Even though she understood where Lila was coming from, she felt the need to defend Hank. “It was Guy’s death that prompted Hank to turn his life around. I can understand why you don’t care for him, but he’s a good guy. Hank carries the guilt of Guy’s death as well. He told me.”

Lila sighed in frustration. “You’re missing the point here, Chloe.”

Chloe’s jaw tightened. “Okay, then why don’t you come right out and tell me whatever it is you’re trying to say because I’m having a hard time figuring it out.”

Lila wet her lips and looked Chloe in the eye. “All of my life I’ve known things. Premonitions about things that are going to happen. Sometimes it comes to me as a feeling … other times it comes as a dream. When I had that feeling about Pete, I knew I had to get home immediately.” She brushed back a lock of hair with a shaky hand.

It took effort for Chloe to prevent her face from showing the shock she was feeling. Lila was crazy! She knew she was eccentric, but this was madness.

“You don’t believe me.” Disappointment sounded in Lila’s voice.

She spread her hands. “I don’t know what to think.” Chloe glanced at the clock, hanging on the wall. The faint ticks coming from it sounded ominous like they were counting down the time until disaster struck. “You know, I need to be going. I have some things to take care of this evening.”

“Chloe,” Lila urged, “look at me.”

Chloe peeled her eyes away from the clock and fixed them on Lila.

“I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me.”

This was a sticky business. Lila was a good neighbor and had been uber kind to her since her arrival. She tried to phrase the words in a way so as not to offend her. “I can tell that you’re sincere and that you think you’re telling me the truth but …”

“From the minute we met, I sensed a deep sadness in you. I knew that you’d been through a difficult time.” She locked eyes with Chloe. “I didn’t know for sure what that sadness was … until I saw your soldier out by the swing.”

Chloe began blinking rapidly. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” An invisible vice clutched her chest, and she had to fight to get a good breath. It was an episode similar to what she’d experienced in the canyon, but this time, it had nothing to do with the altitude.

“I’ve seen him, Chloe. He visits you often.”

“No,” she sputtered. “This is insane! Darbie told you about Dan!”

“Did you tell Darbie that Dan has been coming to you? Did you tell her he was by the swing? That night that you ran outside, frantically looking for him?”

The chair seemed to fall out from under her as Chloe clutched the arms for support. “No,” she squeaked. “I’ve never told anyone!” She had the feeling that she’d left earth and was on some alien planet where the basic rules that governed life didn’t apply.

“Take a deep breath,” Lila urged. “Calm down.”

“This is impossible,” Chloe sputtered.

“I told you, I know things that other people don’t. Some call it a gift … others a curse.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “Lately, it’s starting to feel more like a curse. I haven’t seen your soldier lately. That’s how I knew that you’d fallen in love with someone else.”

Tears began spilling down Chloe’s cheeks and splattering over her shirt like a thundercloud that had been gutted to release the rain. Her mind whirled, trying to make sense of this. “If you’ve seen him, then that means that Dan is real.”

“Yes, he’s real. I mean, he’s a ghost or spirit or whatever you want to call him, but he’s real.”

She let those words sink in, her rational mind trying to come to terms with it. “All this time I thought I was …” The words came out in a choke, and she bit her lower lip, shaking her head. She began again. “I thought I was …”

“Crazy,” Lila inserted. “You thought you were crazy.”

Chloe nodded, her eyes wide. “You’ve really seen him?”

“Yes.” Lila waved a hand. “But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” She blew out a breath. “Unfortunately, there’s more.”

She shook her head. “More? How could there be more?”

“I’ve been having dreams about you, Chloe.” Her face drained, and she had a tortured look in her eyes. “Terrible dreams. You’re trapped, and you can’t breathe. Water is gushing in.” Lila closed her eyes and put a shaky hand to her mouth. “I-I’m sorry. I’ve debated about whether or not to tell you, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t warn you.”

A cold, insidious fear slithered over Chloe making her feel weak. She had the impression that the chair in which she was sitting was some crazy merry-go-round, going at warp speed, and she couldn’t get off. This whole conversation was utterly ridiculous, and yet Lila knew about Dan. She wanted to jump up and start screaming at the top of her lungs until everything returned to normal.

“You’re in danger,” Lila whispered. “I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but something horrible is going to happen to you. It’s connected with Hank. You need to get as far away from him as you can get. That’s your only hope for survival.”

L
ater that night
, Chloe and Darbie were sitting on the couch, watching an episode of CSI when Chloe casually turned. “What’s your take on Lila?”

“My take?” Darbie frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“She called me over to her house today and told me some personal things about her and Pete.”

“Really?” Interest kindled in Darbie’s eyes. “What?”

While Chloe didn’t relish the thought of sharing details about Lila’s personal life, she desperately needed to get a second opinion on the situation. And Lila had not asked her to keep a confidence. Chloe told Darbie about Lila’s prompting to return home and how she’d saved Pete from committing suicide. As she finished the story, she could tell from the look on Darbie’s face that she wasn’t the least bit surprised. “You’ve heard this before.”

Darbie rolled her eyes. “About a million times.”

“Do you believe her?”

A thoughtful expression came over her face. “I guess so. I mean, it’s a good thing that she was in tune enough to receive a prompting on his behalf. Pete’s her husband. They should have a strong connection. Do I think Lila makes it out to be something more than it was? Yes, I do. Lila’s kind of superstitious, if you haven’t already figured that out.”

“That’s an understatement,” Chloe muttered. She was starting to feel better about things. She let out a half-laugh, keeping her voice light. “She told me that she keeps dreaming that something terrible is going to happen to me.” As her eyes met Darbie’s, she knew the fear she was feeling was being broadcast on her face.

Darbie blew out a breath of frustration. “I love Lila, but she’s a few short of a dozen, if you get my drift.”

Chloe made a face. “Do you think I should be concerned? She told me that the danger concerns Hank, and that I should stay away from him.”

A trace of amusement came over Darbie. “Really?”

“That’s what she said.”

“Hank seems like a great guy to me.”

“He is a great guy. That’s what I tried to tell Lila.” She wasn’t about to tell Darbie about Hank’s past. Nor was she going to tell her about how Lila had seen Dan. She still couldn’t explain that one, but there had to be some rational explanation. There just had to be! She realized that Darbie was talking and focused on what she was saying.

“Now if she’d told you to stay away from Garrett, I might be persuaded to believe her.”

Chloe laughed. “Yeah, me too.”

“But Hank …” She shook her head. “I think she’s wrong on that one.”

Something in the way she phrased the words caught Chloe’s attention. “Has Lila ever been right about any of her predictions?”

“Well, she did tell me about three months before you moved in that I would be getting a new roommate …” she hesitated, an uncomfortable look coming over her “ … and despite the fact that we come from two different worlds and have absolutely nothing in common, we would end up becoming the best of friends.”

The feeling of tenderness that flooded over Chloe caught her completely by surprise. “Thanks,” she said quietly. Then the fear returned with a vengeance. “Lila was right about us … maybe she’s right about Hank too.”

Darbie shook her head. “Lila likes to act like she knows more than she actually does. She has a keen sense of intuition that allows her to pick up on people’s feelings and fears. If you want my opinion, I think that’s the secret behind her predictions.” She waved a hand. “Of course, she’s wrong about as often as she’s right. She told me that I would unknowingly be the key that solved a high-profile case.”

“Really?”

“That obviously hasn’t happened, nor do I think it will.”

Chloe was starting to feel better about things. She loved Darbie’s practical take on life and how it helped restore a measure of sanity.

“Look, it’s obvious that you’re crazy about Hank, and he seems to feel the same way about you.” She gave Chloe a probing look. “Am I right?”

She nodded. Tears pressed against her eye sockets, and she blinked to keep them at bay.

“Guys like Hank don’t come around every day.”

“No, they don’t.” Of that Chloe was certain. Hank was one in a million.

“Take my advice. You’d better hold onto him.” A smile stole across Darbie’s lips. “If you don’t have sense enough to keep him, then I might have to go after him myself.”

Chloe laughed. “I don’t think so. Don’t worry. I have sense enough to recognize a good thing when I see it.”

C
hloe was standing
near Yvette’s desk when the woman came sauntering into the reception area of Marsh Interiors like she owned the place. Dressed to the nines in a short skirt and sweater, she was tall and willowy with shoulder-length, glossy hair the color of sable that bounced on her shoulders as she walked. She had the languid look of a pampered model that expected the world to fall at her feet simply because she was beautiful. When she reached the desk, she slung back her hair and moistened her pouty lips. “Hi, Yvette. It’s been a while. I need to see Hank. Would you tell him that I’m here?” she said in a sultry voice that was more of a command than a request.

A strange light came into Yvette’s eyes. “He usually doesn’t see people unannounced, but for you, I’m sure he’ll make an exception.”

The woman laughed. “Of course he will.”

Yvette went to pick up the phone. “I’ll call him.”

She leaned over and put a hand over the phone. “Oh, don’t do that. You’ll spoil all the fun.”

By this point, Chloe was starting to dislike this haughty woman who was acting like she had some claim on Hank. She arched an eyebrow and straightened to her full height. The woman seemed to notice that Chloe was standing there. She looked her up and down, a quiet challenge in her eyes. Chloe jutted out her chin. “Have we met?”

“No, I don’t think so,” the woman smirked, dismissing her with a flick of her hair.

“I’ll show myself in,” she said, eyeing Chloe once more. She pushed her purse strap back up on her shoulder and strode in the direction of his office.

Chloe put a hand on her hip. Even though they’d barely spoken, some instinctual part of her detested that woman. She was clearly on the make and had Hank in her sights. Was she a client? She certainly didn’t like the idea of him working closely with someone like that. Then again, Hank worked with myriads of clients. It wasn’t like she could police them all. If she and Hank were to have any hope of building a lasting relationship, then she would simply have to trust him.

She looked over and realized that Yvette was studying her, an amused expression on her face. She glared at Yvette, hoping her eyes would convey all that her tongue wasn’t allowed to say. “What?”

A crafty smile formed on Yvette’s lips. “Aren’t you going to ask who that was?”

“Why should I do that when it’s obvious that you’re going to tell me anyway?”

Her face fell a notch. “Okay, I won’t tell you,” she harrumphed.

Yvette’s petty games were grating on her last nerve. “Who was it?” Chloe demanded.

Excitement tinged her voice as she went in for the kill. “That was Veronica Grant or V as Hank calls her, Hank’s old girlfriend.” Her lips formed a mock pout. “He was crazy in love with her, but she broke his heart.”

I
t took
all of the intestinal fortitude Chloe could muster not to tromp into Hank’s office and drag that long-legged hussy out by the hair of her head. Knowing that wasn’t an option, she did the only other thing she could—sat behind her desk, fuming! It took her all of five minutes to decide that she was not going to sit by and let someone swoop in and steal her man, right out from under her nose. She glanced at her phone. She and Hank were scheduled to have lunch at noon, which was about ten minutes from now. She’d wait until then before going into his office to get him.

H
ank was so engrossed
in the house plans he was studying that he didn’t realize she’d come into his office until she was standing in front of his desk. His eyes went round as he rocked back. Then his mouth formed a hard line. “V—what’re you doing here?”

She leaned forward, her eyes sparking with mischief. “Can’t an old friend even stop by and say hello without being given the third degree?”

He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, his eyes taking in her flawless appearance. She was as beautiful as always. Beautiful and dangerous. “Old friend, huh? What do you want?”

She trailed a red fingernail over the top edge of the building plans. “Hard at work, I see. Still pretending to be an honest business man.”

Her voice was soft and taunting. There was a time when he would’ve taken the bait and played right into her hands, but she no longer had any control over him. He let out an impatient sigh. “I’m on a deadline. What do you want?”

She batted her eyelashes and gave him her best come-hither expression. “I’ve missed you,” she purred, reaching across the desk and caressing the top of his hand.

Hank wondered how many other men had been snared by that same line. “Really?” he said in a bored tone, removing his hand. “I doubt that.”

Her face fell. “You don’t believe me.”

He looked her in the eye. “No, I don’t.”

She let out an uneasy laugh and sat down. Just like that, she dropped the pretense and smirked. “I never could fool you, could I?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, you fooled me pretty good … once.” His voice went hard. “But then I came to my senses.”

She trailed her long fingernails through her hair. “Always so serious. Remember all of the good times we had?” She chuckled. “That night we had dinner on the rooftop of your apartment building. You brought me flowers, and we danced under the canopy of the stars.” There was a wistful expression on her face. “You were my first love, Hank. I fell hard for you.”

“Yes, you made that perfectly clear when you dumped me. Speak of the devil, how is Sam?”

“That’s not fair. I was scared and alone. Sam was there when I needed him—a shoulder to cry on.” Tears misted her eyes. “I never cared for Sam like I do you. Why can’t you get it through your thick skull that I made a mistake? How many times do I have to say it?”

“The mistake was mine for ever trusting you. You and Sam deserve each other.” As he sat there, looking at her, he wondered how he could’ve ever been taken in by her wiles. True, she was devastatingly beautiful and said all of the right things, but there was no substance. She was an elaborately wrapped box that was empty inside. An image of Chloe, warm and expressive, flashed through his mind, and he was so grateful for her. He rubbed his neck. “Like I said, I’m busy, so if there’s nothing else …”

“I came to talk to you about Garrett.”

His head shot up. “You’ve seen Garrett? When?” Even though he kept assuring Chloe that Garrett was fine, he was worried about him. He’d been calling and texting him repeatedly and had even stopped by his house the night before, but Garrett wasn’t there. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

“He came to me two nights ago. He’s in trouble, Hank, and he needs your help.”

His muscles went rigid. “What kind of trouble?”

“All I know is that he owes a truckload of money to Sam’s boss. They’re wanting him to do some job to square the debt.”

Hank swore under his breath. It was his worst fear. He balled a fist and put it to his mouth.

“I’m worried, Hank.” Her voice trembled. “Sam’s doing all he can to hold off his boss, but it’s not looking good.”

“If Garrett’s in trouble then he needs to go to the police.”

She scoffed. “The police? Right! A lot of good that’ll do him. You know better than anybody how these people are.” She gave him a meaningful look and lowered her voice. “What he needs is your help. The job involves a safe—a very sophisticated safe from what I hear.”

He gave her a dark look. “Did Sam send you here? I’ve told him! That part of my life is over! I’m clean, and I intend to stay that way!”

Her eyes turned to circles. “No, Sam doesn’t even know I’m here. I told you, I came of my own accord because I’m worried about Garrett.”

“Well, that’s mighty magnanimous of you to be so concerned about my little brother. This is a first for you, isn’t it, V? To show concern for another person?”

Fire brimmed in her eyes. “Don’t mock me. After all we’ve been through, I think I deserve better than that.”

He leaned forward, clutching the arms of the chair, his knuckles white. “Then don’t you come in here—batting your eyes—in a poor attempt to manipulate me into doing Sam’s dirty work!”

“It always goes back to Sam. You’re pathetic! So blinded by your jealousy for Sam that you can’t see that I’m crazy about you!” Her voice broke, and a single tear dribbled down her cheek.

“Contrary to what you think, I’m neither blind nor jealous. Whatever we had in the past is dead and buried. The sooner you get that in your head the better.” He sincerely hoped that she would be able to tell from the disinterested tone of his voice that he was serious.

She stood. “You’re a fool, Hank Singleton. A stupid fool. I’m here on Garrett’s behalf. When he came to you for help, you threw him out on his ear.”

He let out a disbelieving laugh. “Is that what he told you?”

“Knock, knock,” Chloe said as she stepped into the room. Her presence had the effect of snuffing out the conversation. When she gave Hank a questioning look, he forced a smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey, I just came to see if you’re ready to go to lunch.”

V spun around, her cold eyes looking Chloe up and down. “Now, I’m getting the full picture,” she said, acid coating her voice. “This must be the famous Chloe that Garrett told me about. I thought that was you earlier.”

Chloe met her gaze full on. “You have the advantage of knowing who I am when I haven’t heard a single thing about you.”

A look of fury swept over V as she let out a harsh laugh. “Well, aren’t you the little dish? A southern girl with wit. No wonder you have the guys fighting over you.” She smirked. “Hank always was a sucker for brunettes,” she finished with a flip of her hair.

“V was just leaving,” Hank cut in.

“Yes, I was.” Her eyes bore into Hank’s. “Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you about Garrett.” As she walked by Chloe, she paused. “Better enjoy him while you can because he transfers his affections quickly.”