CHAPTER 12
Natalie Lyons sat at the bottom of Ryan’s Road, positioned in the perfect spot to be able to see Aiden’s cabin. How the hell that woman got to the top of the driveway in this weather was beyond her. Lily must have been more than a little desperate to see that hunky PI.
After tucking her phone away in her jacket pocket, she checked her gas gauge. The needle dipped lower than she was comfortable with, but it was either keep the car running or freeze her ass off, so she opted for warming her ass. She could see that a light was on in the lower level of the cabin. A quick glance at her dash revealed 3:34 shining in a peaceful blue glow. “Guess it’s an all-nighter,” she said in disgust, then glimpsed herself in the rear-view mirror—mousy brown hair hung limp and lifeless across her face, making her hate herself all the more. Natalie turned, slipped the SUV into gear, and drove away.
Tomorrow she’d plant another seed.
* * *
“Where the hell were you?” Zander asked when she entered the house. Her dad was sitting on the steps at the bottom of the large, winding staircase waiting for her to come home, a ragged copy of Stephen King’s The Stand in hand.
“Out.”
“Out! I almost called the sheriff. And do you know what it would take for me to call that bastard?” She knew but ignored the question.
“Mommy sleeping?”
Zander grunted. “Of course. Do you think she’d be worried enough about you to stay up till all hours of the morning? Your mom’s not concerned about your welfare like I am.” He sighed and shook his shaggy head. “Remember what happened almost a year ago? When you ran your car off the road?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “You broke your collarbone and ended up with a concussion.”
Natalie did remember and despite her best efforts to look disinterested, she let her head hang. She’d done it on purpose, wanting the attention, and was well aware her dad knew this. He was acquainted with the demons that lived inside her. She also knew her mother couldn’t have stayed up for her even if she tried. Her nasty habit of “a sleeping pill a day keeps the nightmares away” took care of that.
“Goddamn it, Natalie.” Zander slammed the dog-eared novel down beside him, a lock of brown hair falling across his eyes, and stood. “I’m gonna ask one more time. Where…were…you?”
She tossed her keys into the bowl on the foyer table and tucked an errant strand of hair behind an ear. “Just got things on my mind is all. I needed some alone time.” She strode past him without so much as glancing his way.
Never the perfect child, she knew she was a worry with her moodiness, her instability, and the things she did to shock people, like the piercings and tattoos. Doctor after doctor was unable to help. In her most private thoughts, she wondered if something was wrong with her and if her dad thought the same thing. Something that couldn’t be fixed.
Zander let out a frustrated sigh. “Nat, you’re the only one who believes I’m innocent of that awful crime.” He was trying to win her over, pull her out of her mood. Swinging the conversation back to him—her poor old dad. She could almost read his mind. Gabby, his ice queen of a wife, thought he was capable of murder and she, his ever-loving daughter, was all he had left.
Natalie noticed the ten-carat canary-diamond ring with matching earrings he’d bought her mother after the Sara Valier murder. She’d also heard their fight. Her dad begging her mother not to leave. Probably cheaper than a divorce she figured. Still, she was glad when her mother stayed despite the continued chill in the air.
Zander followed her into the great room. He wasn’t really angry with her anymore. She could feel it. Natalie lay down on the couch and flicked on the TV.
“Are you looking for Sara’s killer?” he asked, his tone softer.
She turned the volume to mute and rolled over to face him. “No.”
She knew that lie as well as he did. Zander moved her legs over to sit beside her. “Let the cops do their job.”
Natalie sat up. “If I don’t do what I can to help, they might come after you again.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and he pulled her into an embrace.
“Honey, I’ve been cleared.” He held her at arm’s length and studied her. “You know I didn’t do it, right?”
She was quick to nod. “I know. But what if they can’t find out who did it? They’re going to want to pin it on someone, and you’re the most…logical.”
Zander smiled. “Now how are they going to do that without any evidence?”
She hesitated, then answered with a weak smile of her own, “I guess you’re right.”
“I don’t want you out at all hours of the night. You’ve got to let go of this. As long as I’m in the clear there’s nothing to worry about, OK?”
The words “there is something to worry about” lingered on her lips, but she swallowed them. How could she tell him all she knew?