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“Come on, Jayden, it wasn’t like that. After the police report and lab work went missing, there was no case.”
“And I’m to believe he didn’t have anything to do with those things mysteriously disappearing.”
“Of course he didn’t. Luke’s a nice guy. He and Pete have agreed to disagree on a few cases, but in the end, he’s only doing his job.”
“And what a paycheck he must be getting to afford this place, the pool, the property, the barn.” Jayden swung her arm, indicating their surroundings.
Leigh made a face. “Remember, this is your nephew’s baseball coach we’re discussing. Besides, this house had been repossessed by the bank because the guy who owned it went to jail for drugs. Luke happened along at the right time to buy it, cheap.”
Jayden murmured, unconvinced. She wanted Leigh to stop defending him. As long as she could continue to dislike him, and continue to hold him responsible for the injustice of her sister’s killer being set free, she could ignore the rush of excitement she felt every time she saw him. Luke had way too much sex appeal. Through half-closed eyes she studied him while he laughed with Pete and the boys by the pool. What she honestly meant was that he had way too much sex appeal to ever be interested in her. This was a man she couldn’t trust, but she also couldn’t deny being attracted to him. Guys like Luke went for women with perfect makeup and stylishly clipped hair, probably even big hair. One of the single moms in tight-fitting shorts and an even tighter tank top joined the men, her hand sliding along Luke’s bicep as she talked. Luke listened attentively, and Jayden sighed. Yep, big hair and even bigger…
“She never quits. See that, Jayden?”
Glancing at Leigh, she pretended not to know what her friend meant. “See what?”
“Karen Singley has been chasing Luke since the day he came to Cypress Landing. You’d think she’d get the message. If he hasn’t asked her out in two years, well, he ain’t gonna.”
Jayden smothered a giggle. “I guess I can depend on you to let me know if I’m ever making a fool of myself over a man, Leigh.”
“Of course I will. Not that I’ll ever have to. You aren’t the type to do that, at least not anymore. I guess that one time you learned your lesson.”
Jayden clutched the side of the chair. She concentrated on the other end of the pool, this time not seeing Luke or Pete. Leigh touched her hand, but she had to ignore her for a moment longer, had to nail the lid on the nightmares that surrounded her last months in this town years ago.
“I’m sorry, Jaybird.”
Jayden nodded. She might have gotten angry if the comment had come from someone else, but not from Leigh, who’d been her constant support through their teenage years.
“I’m expecting uncomfortable moments now that I’m at the scene of the crime.”
“You don’t expect your best friend to trigger them. And there was no crime, either. No one thinks that.”
“Everyone thinks that, but I know what you meant and you’re right. I’ve learned plenty of lessons.”
Leigh gazed past her, eyebrows arching. “Here’s one lesson you won’t want to miss.” She inclined her head, and Jayden turned to see Pete and Luke stripping off their shirts to leap in the pool with the kids.
“I’ll tell you, my Pete is a looker—and he’s the only man I’m interested in—but Luke’s awesome, don’t you think?”
That was the understatement of the century. Pete was muscularly slim, like a model you might see in a men’s magazine. Luke’s body was much thicker, though not bulky, and tanned to perfection. She imagined his bare chest had captured the attention of every female here, but she couldn’t stop ogling him long enough to verify that. He tossed a water gun to one of the boys, then went under. When he surfaced, rivulets of water streamed down his face and he thrust the wet hair away from his forehead. His gaze locked with hers, and she felt herself blushing like a teenager. She hoped it was the sun. A slow smile curved his lips and he winked at her. A foam ball flew through the air, hitting him above the ear and he spun to attack the offender.
“Jayden, he winked at you. Did I miss something in the last few days?”
She still couldn’t stop contemplating the spot where he’d been and she racked her brain for a cure to calm her galloping heart. “No, he’s being ridiculous because I’m not fawning over him like I imagine half the women in town are.”
“He’s gone from that spot, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Her friend wore a wide grin. “You’re right. The single women, and a few married ones, are on the prowl for him. But Luke has never been ridiculous and he’s damned sure never winked at a female during one of his pool parties.”
Jayden poked Leigh’s leg. “Don’t get matchmaking ideas. I could never be with a man I don’t respect and I don’t have a high opinion of a guy who’s going to work hard to put Duke Swayze back on the street after he killed Eric Walsh.”
Her friend let loose a slow breath. “It is kind of difficult to get past the idea of him doing that, even though it’s what he’s paid to do. He doesn’t get to pick his clients. But the idea of Swayze killing Eric and getting off makes me sick to my stomach. Are they certain it was Eric’s body?”
“They did find his watch on one of the bodies.”
Leigh shivered. “That’s gruesome.”
Jayden stretched her legs and tried to relax. “Let’s change the subject, okay? Tell me what’s been happening in Cypress Landing for the past ten years or so.”
Leigh snorted and launched into an account of their high school classmates, while Jayden made the appropriate replies. Raising the boys and rebuilding her life here were of vital importance to her. People in town would expect her to make mistakes, to fail, but she wouldn’t. She watched her two little men bouncing in the water. They were good kids. She couldn’t mess up, not this time.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE TWO-BEDROOM HOUSE Eric had been renting was a stone’s throw from her home. Jayden could remember when she’d been a teenager, a young couple bought this property and built the big house and the smaller one with it. They’d intended for the woman’s mother to stay near them when she got older, but the couple had relocated long before that. The property was next door to her aunt, so her sister and Robert bought the place the minute it became available. Now Jayden lived there. It was the boys’ home. The smaller house had become a source of extra income when her sister rented it, a simple act that had eventually led to an enormous problem for Jayden.
Things at the clinic had been slow, so when the sheriff’s investigator called and wanted to search the place, she came in person to unlock it. The sheriff’s car, a city police car and a van from the state crime lab sat in the drive. Jayden waited on the porch, unwilling to watch them trash the interior as they rummaged for evidence. She couldn’t imagine what clues they hoped to find. Certainly Eric wasn’t killed here, or at least she prayed not. The thought of that would keep her awake at night.
She rocked back and forth in the hanging swing on the tiny porch. The front door opened and the sheriff’s investigator joined her. Unlike most of the sheriff’s force, Jackson Cooper hadn’t grown up in Cypress Landing. He’d taken the investigator’s job and married a hometown girl not long before Jayden left, so she didn’t know him that well. He was a huge man and a little scary. As he walked straight for her it was obvious he intended to sit with her. She squeezed to one side and prayed the swing’s chains would hold both of them.
He eased against the slats. “Have you been in the house since Eric went missing?”
“No, I was waiting to see if his family might come for his things. And I knew you guys would be around.”
“Have you seen anyone go inside? Anything suspicious…noises over here at night?”
She tilted her head, trying to see his face. “What are you asking, Officer Cooper?”
“I think an intruder’s been in the house already. They didn’t tear it apart, but a few things seem strange. There’s no computer. Didn’t he work on a computer?”
“Yeah, he had a laptop. But maybe it was with him.”
“Could be, but we’re not seeing notes or any sign of research. His kitchen and bathroom are so perfectly straight, they could be ready for a photo shoot.”
“Eric was so messy. I find it hard to believe he’d straightened the place.”
“Then I’m probably right. We’re not the only ones who’ve been searching the place.”
“What would anyone else want?”
“Same as us, detailed information on the story Eric was working on. Did he ever mention his work, tell you what he’d found?”
She groaned inwardly. Not this again. “He was doing an exposé on the Militia.”
“The Acadian Loyalists, I knew that.”
Her fingers tightened on the swing’s chain. “What a joke. That’s a significant historical name for the Acadian people. But this group has nothing to do with history, though they might like to think they do.”
“So did you and Eric ever discuss the Militia?”
Past her house, through the trees, she could see her mother’s house. A truck was parked in front of her beauty shop. Jayden rubbed her thumb over a rough spot on one of the wooden slats.
“Not much. He asked a few questions, since I’d grown up here…but I’ve been gone a long time. He never mentioned finding anything important. Do you think they’re involved in his death?”
“Maybe. What do you think?”
“I think Duke Swayze is a psychopath and he’s openly proud of his membership in the Loyalists.”
She didn’t look at Jackson, but out of the corner of her eye she could see his head turning as he inspected the area.
“We might want to question the boys. They’ve been around Eric.”
“No. They’ve dealt with enough lately.”
“But they might have heard or seen something.”
Jayden shoved the swing backward as she got to her feet. “I said no. If they mention the least thing to me I’ll call you, but I won’t have them questioned by the police. They’ve lost their parents and now this with Eric. It’s too much.”
She tossed the keys to the house at him. “You can lock it when you’re done. Leave the keys with my mother.”
The wooden steps echoed with her footfalls as she stomped off the porch. Scrambling into the battered truck, Jayden tried to suppress her anger, which had begun to feel more like panic. She just wanted her life to be simple again, but she didn’t see that happening any time soon.
AS MUCH AS SHE’D HOPED to forget about Eric and the Militia for the rest of the day, the clinic had remained slow and she’d hidden away in her office to try to distract herself with computer work.
At a tap on her office door, Jayden looked up from her computer to see a familiar face. She felt a rush of mixed feelings as the man held out his arms. Slowly she got to her feet.
“Mr. Arneaux—or am I supposed to call you General?” She came around her desk and stepped into his grasp.
“Mister is fine. I retired from the army.”
“I heard.”
“It’s good to have you home, Jayden.”
He released her and she sat in a small wooden chair and positioned another one for him. “It’s good to be home.”
He sat and patted her knee. “Is it?”
She gave him a wry smile. “Not really, but I need to be here. California wasn’t home anyway.”
“You certainly stayed there long enough.”
Her chest tightened so that her next words came out in a whisper. “Too many things here were hard to face.”
He squeezed her leg with his large hand. “My son chose to be where he was, and what happened wasn’t your fault. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Jayden.”
She stared at the floor, a knot in her throat—what seemed like the millionth since she’d come home. “I still feel it, whether I should or not. Louis was a good friend. I don’t think he knew Mark Dubois any better than I did. I know Louis didn’t want to be in the army as you’d hoped, but he would have made a wonderful doctor.” Her eyes burned and the tears she thought she’d finished crying years ago ran down her cheeks.
His hand on her knee tightened. “I’m sorry, too, but it happened and you weren’t responsible. It was the Militia that caused his death.”
When she looked up, he smiled. “That’s enough tears. You have two nice young men to raise and you’re going to do a good job. I came by to drop my dog off. I’ll let you get back to work.”
She stood with him and he gave her one more hug then left. Stumbling back into her chair, Jayden gripped the wooden arms. She was glad to have seen former General Reginald Louis Arneaux, but the memories that came with him weren’t happy ones. His son had been best friends with her boyfriend, Mark. Now they were both dead.
CHAPTER FIVE
JAYDEN PULLED INTO a parking spot shaded by the branches of an enormous oak. She sat waiting with the engine off as the light fall breeze fluttered the ends of her hair. In a few more seconds she’d be ready to go into the sheriff’s office. The place brought back as many bad memories as General Arneaux but she had a responsibility to Eric and she needed to know more.
With a sigh, she got out of her truck and crossed the lot. The sun reflected off the metal trim on the door and she squinted in the bright light. She reached for the knob, just as the door opened.
A young man stepped aside with a smile and paused. Did she know him? His face seemed familiar, but she wasn’t sure why. His dark hair was clipped close to his head but he ran his fingers through it as if it had once been longer and he’d forgotten it wasn’t there anymore. His smile abruptly disappeared. But it was the look in his eyes that made her stomach churn.
“Hey, Kent. I kept digging and found that paper you needed. Good thing I caught you before you left.” Sheriff Wright came out through the door Jayden still held open. He glanced between the two of them as the younger man took the paper. “Jayden, you need to see me?”
“Yeah.”
The young man Matt had called Kent turned away, half wadding the paper as he weaved his way through the parked cars.
“Who was that?”
“What?”
Jayden didn’t realize she’d been whispering. She cleared her throat. “Who was that?”
“You don’t remember him? I guess he’s changed a lot over the past ten years. That’s Kent Raynor.”
She leaned against the edge of the door and closed her eyes.
“Oh, relax. It’s been a long time, Jayden. Let’s go to my office.”
She followed behind Matt, wishing ten years could feel as long as it sounded and wondering how some things could change so much and others not at all.
Matt eased into his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. “You’re going to have to deal with people like Kent now that you’re back.”
“I was hoping he might have left.”
“He did, but he’s home now doing an internship while he’s finishing law school.”
“Great. He’s a lawyer. He’ll probably try to find a way to bring me to trial. He hates me.”
Matt nodded. “Yep, he does. But that could change.”
“If it hasn’t changed in ten years, it’s not likely going to.”
“Ah, but you haven’t been here for ten years to prove anyone’s beliefs wrong.”
“It’s impossible to change the opinion of everyone.”
Matt shrugged. “Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I bet none of that is why you’re here.”
“You’re right. I’d like to know the latest on Eric’s case.”
“Jayden, I can only tell you what we’ve already told the reporters. We’re still trying to identify those bodies.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Duke Swayze did this, Matt. I know it, and so do you.”
“It doesn’t matter what we know, only what we can prove.”
She leaned forward in the chair. “What can I do? I want to help bring Eric’s murderer to justice. He lived on my property, and I feel responsible.”
Matt swung his feet to the floor. “You’re a private citizen. There’s nothing you can do but answer questions when we ask them and answer honestly. At the moment, we don’t know Eric’s dead, at least not conclusively.”
Jayden stood, fists knotted at her side. “I wouldn’t lie to the police, Matt.”
“I don’t want you to keep anything that could help the investigation to yourself so you can go off on your own private search. I know how you feel about the Militia and I know you’re probably still angry. Don’t try to get rid of it in the name of aiding Walsh’s case.”
She crossed her arms and didn’t even try to deny Matt’s statement. It was too close to the truth. “I want to work with you, not against you.”
Matt came around the desk, closer to her. “I believe that. I also know you’ve got a stubborn streak, have had since you were a kid. I want you to stay safe.”
She nodded and hurried to the door before he could see her watery eyes. “I’ll check back if I think of anything.”
She didn’t wait for Matt’s answer and didn’t slow down until she was behind the wheel of her truck. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a community of people believe taking care of you was their job, even when they thought you’d done a terrible thing.
“THIS BACKPACK IS ALMOST bigger than you. Why don’t you get another one?”
“Because I like this one,” Garrett said.
Jayden tried not to groan. After her meeting with Matt at lunch, Jeffrey had left her in charge at the clinic so he could take care of family business out of town. She hadn’t been thrilled to be left alone this soon. Naturally, after he’d been gone an hour, a farmer called, and she’d had to go help a cow give birth to what was expected to be a prize calf. Thankfully, she’d made the right calls and the cow and new calf were fine. But facing a situation she hadn’t dealt with since vet school had left her too frazzled to fight with Garrett over a backpack.
“Put it on and wear it here in the aisle while I get paper towels. Then you can decide if you still want it.”
She left the two boys and rounded the corner to the next aisle, trying to keep the tiny shopping cart with one bad wheel from veering into the shelves. The errant cart jerked to the right and bumped the hip of a girl with blond curls hanging down her back.
“Sorry.” Jayden whipped the cart on course, trying not to stare, but the profile of the girl tickled a memory for her. She’d know Amy Dubois anywhere. She dug her fingers into the plastic of the eight pack of paper towels and tossed it in her cart. The cart skittered to the side as she tried to push away without looking back.
“I know it’s you, Jayden Miller, even if you don’t say a word to me. I heard you were back, and you haven’t changed a bit.”
Jayden tried not to chew her lip as she turned around. “Hi, Amy.”
The blonde snorted. “I knew you recognized me.”
She caught herself unconsciously wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “You’ve changed—grown up a lot—but I could still see it was you. I didn’t figure you’d have anything to say to me.”
The other girl took a step toward her. “Oh, I’ve got plenty to say to you. But this isn’t the time.”
“Aunt J., your idea worked. After Garrett saw the backpack was gonna bang him in the back of the knees all day, he picked a different one. He—” Elliot’s voice tapered off as he looked between his aunt and the woman in front of her.
Jayden glanced at him and smiled, though her lips felt tight. “That’s good. Run back and stay with him. He shouldn’t be alone in the store.”
Elliot trotted to the end of the aisle then made the corner.
Amy shook her head. “I heard you were raising your sister’s kids. Crazy, huh? Wonder what my brother would have to say about that?”
Jayden had asked herself that question before and still didn’t have an answer. She’d always imagined she and Mark held the same beliefs, but one horrible night had changed everything. Amy, she realized, was waiting for a reply.
“I don’t know. I guess I never knew your brother, at least not like I thought I did.”
“Yeah, and nobody knew you, either. My dad’s not too happy you’re back. No one is. So you better watch yourself and those kids, too. Be sure to stay clear of my family.”
The girl’s hip bumped the shopping cart again as she passed, but Jayden didn’t turn to watch her go. She sagged against the shelf next to her. A thump in the next aisle caught her attention and she left the cart behind in a mad dash to check on the boys. A small pile of backpacks and an entire box of pens lay on the floor. Elliot stood in the middle of the mess, his fists tight and his face cherry-red. Garrett stared at his brother with saucer eyes.
“What’s the matter, Elliot?” She knelt in front of him and could see his nostrils flaring, but he didn’t answer.
“That big, mean man said something to him,” Garrett volunteered.
“What man?”
“He just left.”
She raced to the front of the store and peered through the large windows. In the parking lot, Amy stood by a huge new dual-wheel truck. The man beside her had a grip on her arm and was nearly lifting her off the ground. He released her suddenly and walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle while Amy crawled into the passenger’s seat. Jayden knew the man’s face, but not his name. It didn’t matter. He was Militia. That was enough to know.
Back in the school-supply aisle, Elliot had calmed down and was on his knees gathering pens and placing them back, while his brother stacked the backpacks.
“What did the man say to you, Elliot?”
The boy shook his head.
“You can tell me. It’ll be okay.”
He dropped the last pen in the box before looking up at her. “It doesn’t matter what he said and it won’t ever be okay.”
She knelt and hugged him. “You’re right. It won’t ever be okay for anyone to not be nice to you, because you’re a good person and that’s all that matters. There are people in this world who are simply narrow-minded. Do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, stupid.”
She smiled. “Good enough. Now, what if we go to Ray’s Fish House to eat?”
Elliot brightened. “Really?”
“Yes, is that strange?”
“Mom didn’t like us to eat out during the week, only on special occasions.”
“Well, we’re buying Garrett this backpack, and I think that’s a special occasion, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, a new backpack is super-special.”
“Can I get shrimp and frog legs?” Garrett asked, pulling her toward the front of the store.
Both boys bounced up and down while she paid, and she wondered if they might run to the restaurant rather than wait and ride in the car with her. On her way out the door she glanced at the empty parking spot where the white truck had been. Idiots, all of them, but now that she was here she might get the opportunity to put some Militia members in their place. The idea put a smile on her face.
She was still smiling when she slid into a seat at the family restaurant. She lifted her hand to wave at one of their neighbors then flipped through the menu, trying to decide what she wanted while she and Garrett waited for Elliot to return from the bathroom.
“Look who I found.” Elliot made a running slide into the chair across from her and it wobbled onto two legs.
“Elliot, be careful!” Jayden half rose from her seat.
A hand gripped the boy’s chair to keep it from toppling over. The deep blue eyes of Luke Taylor settled on her, and she felt her skin tingle. She nearly frowned but caught herself. She didn’t want the boys to see her agitation.
“Coach was about to get an order to go, but I told him he should eat with us.”
“If that’s okay?” Luke towered above her and she wished she didn’t like the sound of his voice quite so much.
She glanced at the boys, who were thoroughly excited at the idea of eating with the baseball coach.
“It’s fine if you want to.”
He nodded, still pinning her with a look she couldn’t quite read. His eyes seemed to lighten and he smiled. Unable to stop, she smiled back. She could’ve kicked herself for giving in to his charm. His yellow shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and the collar was unbuttoned as if he’d recently pulled loose a tie. The shirt stretched across his chest when he moved, and he seemed to take over their table with his presence.