Buried Truth by Jannine Gallant (11)

Leah parked beneath the carport awning and glanced in the rearview mirror as Ryan pulled into the driveway behind her. Rain came down in a steady torrent, pinging like shrapnel off the metal roof. At least the sheet of plastic he’d taped across the broken window kept his upholstery from getting soaked. They’d stopped at his mom’s house first so he could shower and change, and then had picked up groceries on the way home. After an exhausting bike ride, neither of them had felt like eating out, but she hadn’t been ready to end the evening, either.

Even if Ryan had been unusually quiet for most of the afternoon.

She stepped out of the car, grabbed her tote bag from the passenger seat, and slammed the door, wondering what was on his mind. A frown formed when Barney didn’t run out to greet her.

“That’s weird.”

“What’s weird?” Dampness and gloom closed in around them as Ryan locked his Jeep with the remote then hurried to get undercover, carrying the sack of groceries.

“Barney. Usually he would have tried to flatten you against your front bumper by now.”

“Maybe he went down to the beach.”

“That’s a possibility, but he’s not a big fan of rain. Thank heavens we made it back to your house before this started.” She led the way to the back door, pushed it open, then flipped on the light. Her jaw sagged as she stared in horror at the kitchen. She loosened her grip on her bag, and it fell to the floor with a thump. “Oh, my God!”

Ryan peered over her shoulder. “You’re not the tidiest person I know, but even for you . . .” He dropped a hand to her shoulder as she let out a ragged breath. “Someone else did this?”

She nodded. Mail that had been stacked on the end of the counter littered the floor. A basket of odds and ends that usually sat on a bench in the corner had been dumped out on the table. Cupboard doors were open, and the pantry was a jumbled mess with a couple of broken jars of home-canned tomatoes smashed on the floor. Jackets from the pegboard beside the door were in a heap on the tile, a few pockets turned inside out.

“Why?” Her voice broke. Advancing into the room, she stiffened when frantic yelps and scratching echoed from the rear of the house. “Barney!”

She ran through the kitchen, avoiding the tomatoes, and dashed into the living room to flip on a light. Couch cushions were upended, and books had been swept off the shelves. The doors to the cabinet below the TV were open, and CDs and old VHS tapes were scattered out onto the rug. Ignoring the mess, she followed the weak barks. Nails scraped wood again as Barney hit the bathroom door. She jerked it open, and her quivering dog knocked her back against the wall, whining as he licked her neck and face. Leah held on tight and forced herself to breathe.

“He looks okay, just scared.”

Tears slid down her cheeks as she glanced over at Ryan. “Thank God. He sounds like he’s been barking for a long time.”

“Whoever did this must have locked him in there while they ransacked the place. I wonder what they took. The TV and your laptop were both still in the living room, so it wasn’t electronics they wanted.”

After a final hug, Leah pushed Barney off her and ran up the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she flipped on the light in her bedroom, then let out a moan. Every dresser drawer had been emptied and the bedding tossed. With her dog pressed against her legs, she moved through the mess to the small walk-in closet. Not a single hanger or item of clothing had escaped and lay in a heap on the carpet.

“Your jewelry box is open.” Ryan’s voice, calm and matter-of-fact, steadied her nerves. “Come see what’s missing before we call the police.”

Turning away from the closet, she wiped the tears off her cheeks and complied. “I don’t have anything really valuable.” She tried to focus. “This is a genuine ruby, my birthstone.” She touched the small gem on the necklace her parents had given her for her sixteenth birthday. “My pearl earrings are still in there, and a gold bracelet. I don’t think anything’s missing.”

Ryan slid one arm around her and reached for a heart-shaped silver pendant. “I gave you this.” He glanced down at her. “You kept it?”

She nodded. “You fastened it around my neck after we, uh, slept together on the beach. I stopped wearing it when we broke up, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.”

His hold on her tightened. “We’d better check the other rooms.”

“I suppose so.”

Her bathroom was a disaster, but not much damage had been done in the spare bedrooms. She finished the inspection tour and headed back downstairs, straight to the landline phone sitting on the end table. “I need to call the police.”

“You’re sure nothing’s missing?”

Leah slumped onto the couch, thankful for Ryan’s presence as he moved in behind her and threaded fingers through her hair to knead the tense muscles at the back of her neck. “I honestly can’t think of anything. I have no idea what this person was looking for.”

“Maybe the cops will find prints.” He paused his massage. “Go ahead and make the call. We should report the break-in.”

Over an hour later, Leah thanked the officer who’d responded to her nine-one-one call and was about to shut the back door when headlights flashed on the puddles in the driveway.

“I wonder who that is.”

“I’ll go see.” Ryan dropped a hand on her shoulder as he passed. “Go sit down. You look wiped out.”

“I am. Thanks.” She turned around to stare at the disaster area that used to be her kitchen and let out a sigh. No way could she rest until she’d made at least some effort to clean up the mess. She’d lost her appetite, but Ryan probably still wanted dinner, and she hadn’t even put away the groceries they’d bought not two hours before. It seemed like an eternity. Glancing down at her sweaty jersey and bike shorts, she grimaced. A shower was in order, but that would require clearing away all the supplies dumped out of bathroom cabinets. The dirt coating her skin from their ride would have to stay for a while longer.

She was squatting on the floor, picking glass out of the puddle of tomatoes when Ryan returned. “Hey, I’ll do that.”

Leah dropped the shards into the trash can and glanced up. “I’ve got it, but you can hand me a few paper towels to soak up this mess.” She gave him a tired smile as he bent to help her. “Who was outside?”

“The police chief, Stackhouse. I guess he heard about the break-in on the scanner in his living room and drove out to get an update from his officer. Technically, this wasn’t a break-in because you hadn’t locked your door, just unlawful entry. At any rate, he told me he’d follow up with you tomorrow.”

“The man must think I’m a real problem. I’ve lived in Siren Cove my whole life, except for college, and never once called the cops. Then today, I report two incidents inside twelve hours. Un-freaking-believable.”

“Not your fault.” He took her arm and hoisted her to her feet.

“And don’t forget someone broke the window in your Jeep.” Her voice rose. “Crap like this doesn’t happen in Siren Cove. I don’t get it.”

“Honestly, right now all I care about is you. Sit down, or heat up a can of soup or something. I’ll finish this.”

She caved in to his firm tone. “Fine, but you don’t want to eat canned soup. We bought ingredients for stuffed portabella mushrooms.”

“Which you’re way too tired to cook. Cut yourself some slack, for heaven’s sake.”

“All right, I’ll put together a couple of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches and open a bag of chips.”

“Sounds perfect.” He dropped the wad of soggy paper towels in the trash and ripped off a couple more to finish the mop-up. “I’ll go make your bathroom habitable while you cook. My guess is you’d like a shower.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Are you a mind reader?”

A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Remind me to look for my crystal ball later.” He squeezed her arm. “I’ll be back by the time those sandwiches are ready.”

“Okay.”

After he left the room, Leah sat for a minute and simply breathed. She had no idea who’d ransacked her house or why, but her skin crawled just thinking about someone going through her clothes.

First, some loser had taken advantage of her grandma, and now this. A single whimper slipped out before she squared her shoulders and forced back a bout of self-pity. She’d suck it up and deal since she didn’t have any other option. At least she wasn’t fighting this battle alone.

Tears surfaced again. Thank God for Ryan.

* * *

Leah focused on not losing her temper while her grandma signed forms to transfer the meager amount left in her old bank account to a new one. The manager, Leonard Wilkinson, was throwing in checks for free.

“This will insure the party who transferred your funds won’t have access to any new deposits. Your money is safe with us, Mrs. Grayson.”

“Easy to say now that he’s wiped out her life savings.” Leah eyed the man sitting opposite them with the same degree of mistrust she saw reflected in his dark eyes.

“We’re doing everything we can to trace that transfer, Ms. Grayson. These things take time.”

“If your tech guy was as good at hacking bank records as the criminals—”

“There are procedures to follow. Rest assured, we intend to exhaust every avenue to recover your grandmother’s funds.”

From what she’d learned in the last forty-five minutes, she had little hope they’d ever see that money again. “Terrific.” Leah rose to her feet. “I’m afraid I need to get back to work. Are we finished here?”

“Absolutely.” The manager gave her grandma a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he held out a hand. “I can’t express how sorry we are here at Central Coast Bank that you’re experiencing these difficulties.”

“Not as sorry as we are,” Leah muttered beneath her breath. She pasted on a smile. “I appreciate your help.”

Her grandma shook the hand he offered then patted his arm. “I know this isn’t your fault, Mr. Wilkinson, and I trust you’ll fix the problem shortly. Have a nice day, young man.”

The “young” man, who had to be pushing fifty, had the grace to look more than a little contrite. “As I said, we’ll do our best.”

Once they escaped the manager’s inner sanctum, Leah hurried her grandmother through the lobby and out to her car. Rain drizzled down the windshield as she started the engine. “I’ll drop you at home, and then I need to get back to my classroom. One of the office staff is filling in for me. I told the kids I wouldn’t open the time capsule today unless they behaved for her.”

“Bribery is a wonderful tool.” Her grandma glanced at her watch and gave her blue curls a shake. “Actually, you can just drop me off at Flo’s. I have an appointment in twenty minutes.”

Leah pulled out onto the street. “How will you get home?”

“Magnus said he’d pick me up.”

“You’ve mentioned Magnus a couple of times now. Who is he?”

“A very nice gentleman who lives in my complex. Magnus Lindgren.” She giggled. “I call him my Viking.”

Leah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Is he a competent driver?”

“Good heavens, Leah, I’m not a teenager on a first date. I assure you Magnus has all his faculties and drives his Bentley with skill and aplomb.”

“His Bentley?” She parked in an empty spot in front of Flo’s Beauty Emporium and set the brake. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope. The man has style.”

“You’ll have to introduce me to him sometime soon.”

Her grandma nodded. “I’ll make a point of it.” She stepped out onto the sidewalk and leaned down to look through the open door. “What do you think about purple?”

“Huh?”

“For my hair instead of blue.”

Leah grinned. “Go for it, Gram. You’ll rock purple.”

An answering smile creased her lined cheeks. “I will, won’t I? Thanks for straightening everything out at the bank.”

Leah let out a sigh. “We’ll see how it goes. Bye, Gram.”

With a little wave, she slammed the door and headed into the shop. Leah let off the brake and pulled onto the street. All she wanted to do was go crawl in a hole, but instead she turned up the road toward Siren Cove Elementary and parked her car in the main lot. The rain was still falling as she wrestled the time-capsule box, which she’d picked up early in the morning from Nina, out of the back seat and lugged it and her purse toward the building through the light drizzle.

“Leah, let me help you with that!” Edgar Vargas dropped the lid of the dumpster with a clang and hustled toward her.

She relinquished one end to carry the box between them. “Thanks. I probably would have strained my back. This thing weighs a ton.”

His lips curved beneath his thick moustache. “Are you showing your kids all the treasures you buried?”

Leah nodded and huffed a little as they climbed the front steps. When they reached cover, she swiped her free hand across her damp hair and shook. “The whole class is super excited about the time capsule.”

“I bet.” He hesitated. “I heard you had a little trouble at your place last night.”

Her eyes widened as she waited while he opened the door. “That’s right. Someone ransacked my house, but how did you hear about it?”

“My wife’s cousin is on the force.”

She waved to the school secretary behind the front counter as they headed down the hall. “The way gossip spreads around here, I imagine half the town knows about my break-in by now.”

“Did they steal much?”

Juggling her purse, she pulled her keys from her jacket pocket. “Actually, they didn’t take anything. The police officer who responded thought whoever was responsible must have been looking for something specific, though I can’t imagine what. If it was drugs, they were out of luck, and I don’t keep cash lying around the house.”

“Strange that someone targeted you.”

“My house sits alone on the bluff. All I can think is they took a chance and failed.” Leah unlocked the classroom door and pushed it open to a burst of excitement from her students. “Settle down, and stay in your seats,” she called out as she and Edgar lowered the box onto her desk. She turned to him with a smile. “Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime.” With a nod, he left the room.

The office assistant and sometime sub laid a hand on her shoulder. “The kids behaved very well for me. Impressive.”

“That’s because I bribed them with the time capsule.” She pointed at the box. “Thanks for filling in, Sandy.”

“Sure. I hope you got your grandma’s business all straightened out.”

Leah stuffed her purse in her bottom desk drawer then straightened to shrug off her coat. “We did what we could.” She raised her voice to be heard over the commotion as the kids literally bounced in their seats. “I’d better open this thing before they completely lose it.”

Sandy grinned. “All they could talk about is that time capsule. I hope the contents don’t disappoint. I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks again.” Leah waited to address her class until the other woman shut the door. “This isn’t going to be a free-for-all, but everyone will have an opportunity to check out the items we buried twenty years ago.” She held up a hand as half the kids sprang from their seats. “Hold it. Remember, you’ll each pick one object to write a compare and contrast essay describing the similarities and differences to the item you plan to bury in our time capsule.”

When a groan went up, she smiled. “Hey, this is a learning opportunity in addition to being fun.” She pried off the lid. “Okay, here we go.” She held up a purple Beanie Baby. “This was my contribution. Show of hands. How many of you have Beanie Babies? No one? Geez, I feel old.” She passed the bear to one of the girls in the first row and dug back into the box.

It was nearly time for the bell to ring before the last item, one of the VHS tapes, was returned to the box. When a hand shot up and waved wildly, she nodded. “Yes, Carina?”

“Is that everything, Ms. Grayson?”

“I’m afraid so.” Leah smiled. “Well, there was a diary in here, but the author refused to let me share it.”

“Aww, no fair.”

“Would you let a bunch of strangers read your journal?”

“No way! Mine’s password protected.”

“Exactly.” Her brows drew together. “Wait, there was also a roll of film, but I need to get the pictures developed before I can show them to you.” Her frown deepened as she tried to remember where she’d put the film. It had been in her purse, but she was nearly certain she’d taken it out.

“Why can’t you just print the pictures on the computer?” Boyce asked from the back row.

“Because the photos aren’t digital. In the old days when I was a kid, pictures had to be processed from film. If anyone wants to write their paper on the differences between film and digital photographs, they can.” When the bell rang, she spoke over the clang. “Don’t forget to do your math homework. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

As the kids bolted out of the room, Leah dropped onto her desk chair and rubbed her temples as the beginning of a headache took hold. Where had she put the film? Undoubtedly it would turn up somewhere, and when it did, everyone would get a kick out of seeing the pictures the roll contained.

She’d look for it when she got home. Right after she finished cleaning up the giant mess waiting for her at the house. Tears burned behind her eyelids just thinking about the evening ahead. But feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t get the job done.

“Suck it up, Leah.” Standing, she dropped the lid on the time capsule box with a thump. As her grandpa had been fond of saying, hard work never killed anyone.