CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Maybe you should bring her home.”
“I think Reese is more comfortable here, Dad.” Noah checked the lock on the back door in the laundry room. Every door in the house was secure, but that left the screened windows as a viable point of entry. Without air conditioning, closing the windows was going to be a problem. “I’ll be home sometime tomorrow. We stopped by the house while you were at the diner earlier. I grabbed a change of clothes, my .45, and a box of cartridges.”
Noah walked past the small bathroom off the kitchen, backstepping once he noticed the small window above the toilet. That minor opening would make no different to the heat level in the house, so he shut it tight and flipped the latch. It would be one less entry point he’d have to worry about.
“The town’s board members haven’t been real happy with Percy lately.” Gus should know the opinions of the sheriff, especially given that Noah’s dad was a member of the township board. “He’s been handing off a number of investigations to the state police that should have fallen under his jurisdiction just to get out of doing the work.”
“Why would the state even take those damn cases? The county gets state funds to pay for a sheriff’s salary.” Noah switched his cell phone back to his right hand as he walked into the kitchen. The curtains were blowing slightly in the warm breeze. The rain that was supposed to hit last night pushed off to the north, leaving behind it a belt of relatively high humidity. “I’m surprised they didn’t push them back on the sheriff and tell him to do his job.”
“Oh, he’s got some buddies up there that owe him some favors, I figure,” Gus informed Noah, the disdain for what had been occurring lately evident in his tone. “I reckon they ought to be running out soon. Did you know the election is next year? Maybe you should think about running for county sheriff.”
“Me?” Noah laughed as he turned off the overhead light, leaving the lone bulb lit over the sink. “That’s more Mitch’s thing, Dad. Seriously, you should let him know the election is coming up so he can throw his hat in the ring. He might actually win the election with his background in the CID.”
His older brother’s picture was next to the word square in the dictionary. He had joined the Marines as an MP and worked his way up as a Criminal Investigator. There were other adjectives that came to mind regarding Mitch, but Noah let them slide as he ended the phone call with his dad and rejoined Reese in the living room.
She’d been quiet since their time up at the lake, which was understandable. He hadn’t let her see the rage that had invaded him upon witnessing her leaning over the sink as blood dripped down the white porcelain and into the drain. It had never even entered his mind that someone might blame her for the body being discovered in his house. The fact that she had been asking questions about her cousin and her friendship with Emma was circumstantial.
“How’s the headache?”
“Same, but I’m more worried about how you’re going to feel come morning sleeping on that old couch.” Reese gave the old overstuffed sofa a sideways look from her location centered in the front door. Noah refrained from telling her she shouldn’t make herself such a targeted silhouetted in the doorframe, but he didn’t want to add to her worries. “I’m really okay here by myself. The deputy has driven past three times in the last ten minutes. I can’t imagine the amount of fuel he’s wasting driving up and down the dirt road like an idiot.”
“Don’t worry about Deputy Wallace. He’s harmless.” Noah wanted more than anything to recommend they go back to his dad’s house, but all she would do was say it wasn’t necessary. This was the only other alternative, because he wasn’t leaving her alone out here where she was unprotected. He could also see that she was itching to go outside. “Come on. Let’s go sit on the porch for a bit.”
Reese reacted faster than he would have thought with that headache blasting away at her temples. She was out the door and sitting on the porch swing before he even stepped over the threshold. He didn’t like to see her so defensive and helpless as she folded her arms across her middle before glancing to the left, but she still had the courage to stay in the open.
The edge of the tree line was dark with the occasional lightning bugs coming out to play. The frogs were deep in conversation and the crickets were dancing in the grass. The wildlife would sense a predator in their midst, alerting him to any danger should someone try to approach the porch in the dark.
Had the man who attacked Reese wanted her dead, he could have easily made that happen today with little more than a pocket knife. Whoever it was only wanted to scare her, which challenged his identity as being the same individual who took the time to hide a body in the wall of a home. That didn’t mean her attacker wouldn’t escalate his intentions at some point if he felt threatened.
Right now, the best thing Noah could do was watch over her until either the sheriff did his job and investigated likely perpetrators or Reese decided to leave town. He wasn’t quite ready for the latter to happen, so he was banking on pushing the sheriff to do what he was being paid to do.
“Spit it out,” Noah urged, nudging her with his shoulder as he joined her on the wooden swing. The chains strained from the hook in the ceiling above, but he was used to that with his solid frame. He doubted he’d have this physique in ten years, but he’d take advantage of his strength should it be needed now. No one would have a chance to hurt her while she was here for the remainder of her stay. “What are you thinking?”
Reese sighed in resignation as she lifted her legs and set her bare feet on the edge of the seat, allowing him to be the one to keep them in motion. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees as she watched the deputy make his way back down the lane on yet another lap. The faint scent of lavender chased away the damp odor of humidity.
“He didn’t say anything other than to warn me to leave town.” Reese paused as she visualized what had taken place this afternoon. “But it was as if he wanted to say more when he was holding me against the tiled wall, almost like he wanted to order me not to ask any more questions.”
Noah didn’t reply, figuring she needed to sort this out herself. She thought her attack had to do with Sophia, but the chances were better that it was Emma’s discovery that prompted the assault. Noah fully believed it had everything to do with the incident at the house, but Reese needed to reach that conclusion on her own.
Noah recalled that Emma’s disappearance had a lot of townsfolk looking at one another suspiciously twelve years ago. The blame game had certainly made the rounds. His family hadn’t been immune to the mob’s accusations either. It hadn’t been a pleasant time, and he didn’t think the situation had changed all that much. The only exception was that the Irwins weren’t around to watch their lives disintegrate into nothing but ash like they had twelve years ago.
“He ran out of time, because the place was crowded. At least, that’s why I think he didn’t say anything else.” Reese tilted her head so that she could see Noah instead of the deputy’s car that had made a one-eighty at the end of the lane just past his house. Wallace was making his way back. The crunch of the gravel and dirt echoed through the darkness of the night. “That girl, Mindy, she said she didn’t see anyone coming out of the restroom. But what if it’s someone everyone knows? What if it’s someone I’ve already talked to during the last week?”
“Did you recognize his voice at all?”
“No,” Reese replied, frowning before wincing as the cut on her forehead most likely pulled against her hairline. She pressed her fingers gently above the butterfly stitch. “I don’t think so, but I’ve spoken to so many people in town. I don’t know everyone, of course, but no one sticks out. He had an edge to his voice, as if he was half-crazy. I tried to be indiscreet in asking about Emma and Sophia this past week.”
“Any mention of Emma would immediately set everyone on edge in this town,” Noah warned a little too late. He didn’t have to tell her that she would have been better off just mentioning Sophia. That point had been proven today. “You’re suggesting that Mindy might have seen who it was and decided to protect him rather than say anything?”
“Am I totally off base?”
Noah considered her theory, but highly doubted Mindy would have done such a thing after seeing how hurt Reese had been afterward. Plus, the girl was quite rattled herself. If she had seen the perp, the only thing he could think of that might keep her from saying so was family loyalty.
“You said Mindy came in the door maybe thirty to sixty seconds after you were attacked.” Noah envisioned the layout of the short hallway where the men’s and women’s restrooms were located. He clenched his hand into a tight fist, realizing now what everyone had missed in the immediate aftermath. Damn it. “Whoever attacked you could have easily been able to slip into the men’s room without being seen. The doors are literally directly opposite of one another.”
Both of them fell into silence. Reese readjusted so she could watch the lightning bugs begin their mating ritual. Noah continued to use his work boot to keep the swing in motion. He’d changed earlier, a hell of a lot more comfortable in a pair of jeans and boots. Should he need to go traipsing through the woods again, at least he’d be prepared this time with a ready firearm for good measure.
“I bet this isn’t what you expected to come home to,” Reese whispered, reaching up and removing the band she’d used to hold her hair in place. The caramel highlights appeared more golden in the porch light, but that wasn’t what took him by surprise. The length of her strands fell around her, almost creating a shield as the waves covered her left arm all the way to her elbow. His fingers itched to see if her hair was as soft as it looked. “I’m sorry that it seems to be me who’s got the streak of bad luck lately.”
“You might have given a family closure, as well as drawn out someone who might be involved in a murder.” Talking about homicide had a way of putting things into perspective. Noah was only here to make sure she was safe. After all, he was partly to blame for the body being discovered. He never should have had her take a sledgehammer to his wall. “As long as the sheriff does his job or maybe the state investigators, you might very well have helped solve a twelve-year-old crime.”
“You’re a glass is half full type of guy, aren’t you?”
“That I am,” Noah confessed, having spent way too much time in places where there weren’t any flushing toilets or running water. “We should be grateful for what we have, and not complain about the things we can’t change.”
“Are your brothers and sister like that too?”
“Hell, no,” Noah laughed, thinking of Mitch in particular. “Wait. I take that back. Lance and Jace don’t complain too much. Mitch and Gwen? Well, those two might have been adopted. They’re very set in their ways and a bit less tolerant.”
“It was sweet of your dad to buy you a home. I’m going to have to keep that story to myself, though. If my mother ever thought such a gift would entice me back to Heartland, she’d most likely figure out a way to buy the entire town.”
“It was actually my mother’s idea,” Noah replied, his tone unintentionally softening at the thought of his mom. She’d been a one of a kind woman. “She died just this side of three years ago. Her final wish was to have all of us home in close proximity.”
“There’s nothing more important than family,” Reese reiterated what was going through Noah’s mind. The time she’d taken out of her own life to find closure for another family member spoke volumes. “Well, then. Welcome home, Noah Kendall.”
Noah could have been at Tiny’s Cavern and enjoying the annual dart championship. He could be getting caught up with old friends. He could have joined his dad at the diner a little bit earlier for a bite to eat. He could have made a call to the state detective to see how much longer it would be before he was able to resume the renovations on his new home. There were a million other things on his plate, but he was at peace sitting next to Reese Woodward for the moment.
“Tell me about yourself,” Noah said, giving them another push to obtain that soothing motion she seemed to like so much. “I know a lot about Sophia, but not so much about you.”
“According to Chad Schaeffer, everyone knows about me,” Reese laughed, although this time she didn’t wince. It appeared the pain medicine she’d taken earlier for her headache was finally kicking in. “I’m a high school algebra teacher in Springfield, Illinois. My mother and aunt have always been close, so they made sure they married locally and stayed in town together. They raised us kids together, alternate Sunday dinner, and will most likely be those two old ladies sitting in their rocking chairs gossiping about their neighbors till the end.”
“And your dad?” Noah didn’t recall Reese talking much about her father. “Is he still in the picture?”
“He is,” Reese responded with affection, her warm smile indicating how much she adored him. “My dad works for the telephone company as a technician. He and my mom have been married for thirty-four years. He still brings her home flowers every Friday with his paycheck deposit stub. It’s earned him a kiss every Friday afternoon for thirty plus years. The local florist has his selection ready by three o’clock each Friday.”
“It sounds like you have wonderful childhood memories.” It was no wonder that Reese considered Sophia more like a sister than a cousin. They had been virtually raised in the same house. “After what happened today, anyone would understand your desire to leave Blyth Lake and go home.”
“I’m not leaving, Noah. Not like this. Not with that animal still out there.” Reese straightened her back and slowly drew her eyes across the darkened landscape. Her determination was visible, but she could likely stoke more fires than the authorities could ever contain. She wasn’t his responsibility, but damned if he didn’t feel accountable for what her future held while she stayed in town. “I believe there’s a connection between Emma and Sophia. I’m going to find out what it is. That man either knows what happened or did the deed himself.”
Noah sighed inaudibly, not wanting her to take his reaction the wrong way. He began telling stories of his own childhood memories, painting a picture of his family and the town. He gave her a better understanding of how close knit this community was and their interwoven lives. This wasn’t a place where dark deeds were done. It was a town that Norman Rockwell could have painted his pictures in. It was Hometown USA, just like the one she’d grown up in.
Time slowly passed, kept only by the consistent trips the deputy made by the cottage every seven minutes. It was an odd measure of time, but it kept up her smile with each lap.
Reese surprised him by gently resting her head against his shoulder while he kept the swing in motion. He reminded himself that she was only here for a short time, regardless of what additional questions she might uncover in her quest to find the truth. She had a life to get back to in Springfield, while he was just beginning a new one here. They both had anchors, but none of that seemed to matter as she rested her palm on the back of his hand lying on his leg.
“Thank you for staying here with me, Noah.”