CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You know what we need?” Noah pushed aside his empty plate and rested a hand over his full stomach. He hadn’t had the meatloaf special since he’d been home last, and the effects of homestyle comfort food hadn’t changed. He could go home and sleep off this food coma for the rest of the night. He wouldn’t, though, not when there were more important matters at stake—like Reese’s mental state. He didn’t like seeing her struggle with her lack of closure. “We need a night out.”
“A night out?”
At least he’d caught her attention. Her brown eyes lifted from the pecan pie that Cassie had made with a new ingredient. The entire diner had been sworn to secrecy so that Annie didn’t find out that one more of her staple recipes had been altered. The only reason the patrons agreed was because the pie literally melted in their mouths.
“Yeah,” Noah said encouragingly, forcing himself to lean forward in enthusiasm. He ignored the protest of his full stomach. “We spent the morning working our butts off at the house, spent most of the afternoon talking to Annie, and then taking a drive up to the lake to talk to Rose. I think we deserve a night to disconnect. We need to have some fun.”
“Isn’t that what we have every night?” Reese asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a smile. He fell for her a little more. “I’m rather partial to that kind of fun.”
Noah was still laughing when Cassie came out from behind the counter. She was covering Molly’s shift, even though she was also baking in the kitchen. It wasn’t unusual for her to be somewhat quiet when she was overworked, but tonight she’d been unusually so. He was surprised when she made her way over to their table.
“Reese?” Cassie made sure her back was turned when she addressed them. “Mama called the diner earlier. She told me about your visit today, and I just want to thank you for keeping…well, you know…keeping it quiet and not telling everyone around town about what your cousin found.”
Reese shared a surprised look with Noah. Cassie had known about the nude photographs? This was an unexpected turn, because that could mean someone had misunderstood Sophia’s intention.
“The majority of this town are very supportive, but there’s always that ten percent who can cause hate and discontent. Well, you’ve seen it.” Cassie appeared to study the blue dishtowel intently that she was currently wringing with her hands. “My mother had come back home in order to raise me where she had family roots. It was hard enough that she’d returned with a daughter in tow without ever naming my father, but to add on the indiscretion of…those photos? Well, people tend to get rather judgmental around these parts.”
Reese laid her hand over Cassie’s, stilling her nervous motion. She leaned in so no one could hear her reply.
“Cassie, it wasn’t my intention to come to town and expose your mother’s secrets. I only wanted to find out if there was a connection between my cousin and Emma Irwin. They were attached at the hip for an entire week, and yet they never spoke to one another again. That seemed rather strange to me.” Reese shook her head in regret. “I thought maybe your mother might have some answers, but it was only Sophia who walked into the diner. Noah and I can only guess that Emma and Lance didn’t want anyone spotting them here, because they would have gotten caught by Birdie or their parents for sneaking out of their cabin that night.”
“Well, I appreciate your discretion.”
Cassie seemed to want to say more, but Uncle Jimmy chose that moment to enter the diner. She feigned her reasoning for being at their table by slipping their check underneath Noah’s glass.
“You two heading over to Tiny’s Cavern?” Cassie asked, raising her tone to a normal level. “Brynn is officially getting the keys tonight.”
“I was just about to suggest that to Reese.” Noah removed his wallet from his back pocket, taking out the appropriate amount of cash that would cover the bill and a hefty tip. He glanced across the table toward Reese. “What do you say we join in the festivities? I’ll even let you beat me at pool.”
“Oh, really?” Reese smiled, letting that precious dimple show he loved so much. “Ten dollars say I can take you.”
“You’re on, wild one.” Noah pushed back his chair and stood, not expecting his uncle to call him over to the counter. “Reese, let me go and speak to my uncle. I won’t be long.”
“You’ve had an exciting return home,” Uncle Jimmy said, motioning for Cassie to pour him a cup of coffee. “I thought maybe we could get together for dinner one night. You know, talk about old times.”
“That’d be nice, Uncle Jimmy.” Noah half-leaned on the stool, not expecting this conversation to take too long. There hadn’t been a time when he’d visited home where his uncle didn’t extend this same invitation over and over. Noah always accepted, yet the meal never materialized. “It’s been a while since we’ve sat down and talked.”
Jimmy not so casually looked around the diner to see who was present before leaning in close to share something he obviously regarded as important.
“I know what I saw that night. Emma Irwin was alive when she walked out of those woods.”
Uncle Jimmy had barely whispered the words, but he might as well have shouted them through the rooftop. Noah had never once considered a family member might be responsible for something so evil. Had they all been fooled because the man liked to drink a little too much?
“Uncle Jimmy, maybe you should talk to—”
“Sheriff Percy?” Jimmy laughed at the suggestion, casting doubt on the motives of others. Noah didn’t care for Percy, either, and he certainly hadn’t been very helpful these past couple of weeks. Was there a specific reason as to why he’d been that way? “I wouldn’t trust that man for all the money in the world, and that’s saying something, isn’t it?”
Noah didn’t miss the reference to the fact that the homes purchased for the Kendall siblings had come from Earl Lawrence Kittredge. Now wasn’t the time to address old family conflicts. He stuck to the matter at hand.
“Look, we don’t even know if the body found was Emma Irwin,” Noah reminded his uncle, doing his best to keep this conversation between themselves. Cassie had poured Jimmy a cup of coffee before taking a call on her cell phone at the end of the counter. Calvin and Harlan had already headed over to the Cavern, so there wasn’t anyone else sitting on the stools. “There hasn’t been any confirmation, so it’s pointless to try and guess what could have happened to Emma Irwin. And no one is saying they don’t believe you about that night.”
“Sometimes the words don’t need to be said.” Jimmy took a sip of his coffee, giving Noah a chance to check on Reese. Her pretty brown eyes were resting solely on him, so he did his best to give her a reassuring smile. “You grew up in this town and then left before you were truly an adult. You were a child. Your view of these people might as well have been cast from the face of a damned Christmas card. You see everyone the way you want them to be, not for who they really are. Be careful, Noah. That’s all I’m saying.”
Noah wasn’t quite sure what that entire conversation had been about, but he sure as hell wanted to leave the diner now. There were quite a lot of questions building up about the time he’d been away. He made a mental note to have a talk with his father tomorrow morning. Maybe Gus had some idea of what Jimmy was trying to convey about the residents of Blyth Lake.
“Oh, before you go,” Jimmy said, turning the top of the stool so that he was facing Noah. The older man’s blue eyes softened slightly as he shared something quite shocking. “I want you to know there are no hard feelings about the money used to purchase your property. My father was a hard son of a bitch to please. My sister, though, she loved me. I might have been cut out of Earl Kittredge’s will, but don’t think I didn’t appreciate the monthly deposits into my bank account. Your mother was a good woman.”
Noah debated on continuing this conversation, but now wasn’t the time or place. His dad had never once made mention of deposits going into Jimmy’s account, not that it would have made a difference. Money was the root of all evil, unless one went out of their way to make it not so.
“Take care, Uncle Jimmy.”
“Is everything okay?” Reese met Noah in the middle of the diner, falling into step with him as they headed toward the door. “You don’t look too happy.”
“Which is why we’re heading to Tiny’s Cavern.” Noah wasn’t going to damper tonight’s festivities. They both needed this fun escape. Everything else could be put on hold. “Are you ready to get your ass beat at pool?”
“Bring it on, Noah Kendall,” Reese said with a smile, stepping out into the dark of night. He let the door close behind them. The street lights provided illumination, unlike the storefronts. Most of the shops had closed and a lot of the locals were most likely already at the Cavern. That didn’t explain the desolation that hovered over Main Street. “I guess those storms are finally getting ready to roll in.”
No sooner had Reese verbalized those ill-fated words than lightning streaked overhead. Thunder wasn’t far behind. The low rumble from the increase in pressure and temperature was rather threatening.
“It sounds like it’s going to be pretty bad.” Noah rested a hand on her lower back and guided her across the street. He considered going back for his truck to park it closer to the Cavern two blocks down, but the skies were about to open up above them. “We need the rain, but let’s hope the storms ease up to a light drizzle. That kind of lightning is known to cause forest fires and a crapload of damage.”
Noah hadn’t realized that Reese had stopped before she’d stepped onto the curb. His attention had been on the weather and trying to time their arrival before the rain. He caught both of them before they fell onto the sidewalk.
“Shit,” Noah muttered, righting both of them as he looked down at her ankles. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I thought…” Whatever Reese had been going to say trailed off as she carefully and quietly searched the area behind them. Noah looked over his shoulder, but he couldn’t see anything that would have caught her attention. “Never mind. I thought I saw someone.”
“Never mind?” Noah didn’t want to point out all the issues and run-ins they’d had recently, nor did he want to bring up Deputy Wallace’s murder. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that luxury when it came to her health. “Did you see someone? We can always head back to your place.”
“No, I don’t want to do that.” Reese continued to observe the shadows of the night in basically every direction, finally giving up when nothing out of the ordinary happened or came into view. She shook her head as if she could dispel her worries. “Let’s go before we get soaking wet.”
Noah let her get a couple steps ahead before he ventured forth, trusting her instincts. After all that had happened, she might want to believe what she’d sensed was nothing, but wishing didn’t make it so.
Lightning lit up the sky once more, followed by a crack of thunder that wasn’t near as smooth as the previous rumbling. He’d made it known to Reese numerous times that he wasn’t a superstitious man, but that didn’t mean he ignored signs that were right in front of him.
Something menacing was hanging in the air.
It was only a matter of time before it made an appearance.