Best-Kept Secrets

“Good. Don’t.”

“I couldn’t if I tried,” Jake said softly. “But I want you to believe one thing. If I had known about Kelsey I would have done everything in my power to take care of both of you.”

Amy gave a ladylike snort. “I didn’t need anyone to take care of me, Jake. I managed just fine on my own.”

“Of course you did. You were always stronger than you thought you were.” He glimpsed the reflection of flashing lights in the living-room windows. “The police are here. I’ll speak to them, but this conversation isn’t over.”

“Yes, it is.”

He walked past her through the house, heading for the front door. Officer Derek Jackstone was just mounting the porch steps.

“Officer,” he greeted Jackstone.

“Hello, Mr. Collins. I didn’t expect to see you here. We had a report of a prowler?”

Jake explained the little he’d seen, then nodded toward Amy who watched the exchange in silence. “I’ll be at the Perrywrinkle if you need me for any reason.”

“Thank you.” Officer Jackstone stepped past him and Jake headed down the steps without looking back. “Ms. Thomas,” he heard Jackstone greet Amy.

“Derek, you may wear a uniform now, but I’m still the same Amy who sat next to you in biology,” she told him.

Yes, she probably was, Jake thought. She was still the same Amy he’d fallen in love with nine years ago. And she was more out of reach now than she had been then. He sighed and wondered if it was too soon to take another pill for his back.

ONCE DEREK LEFT, Amy paced the house nervously, trying not to think about Jake or the past or anything else. The attempted break-in didn’t disturb her as much as their conversation.

She didn’t want to feel sorry for Jake. She didn’t even want to believe him.

But she did.

Amy turned off the lights, double checked the doors and windows, and headed upstairs. Her parents must have fallen asleep early because even the flashing lights of the police car hadn’t brought them downstairs to investigate.

Ronnie had never sent her letters to Jake. All this time she had thought he didn’t care and Jake hadn’t known the truth. Not that it changed anything. Jake was Kelsey’s biological father, but he had no place in their lives. Amy had only wanted to show him what he’d given up.

Yet he hadn’t given her up if he never knew of her existence.

Amy shook aside that thought. Walking away without any explanation was proof enough that he wasn’t the sort of stable influence she wanted in Kelsey’s life. One day they were lovers in every sense of the word, then next he’d left on a mission for the navy. When he’d returned, he’d announced he was being sent overseas—indefinitely. And he’d thanked her—thanked her!—for the past few months and left.

The hollow feeling returned along with the memory. She’d been so desperately in love with him she would have followed him anywhere.

And in a way she had. She eyed her reflection as she finished brushing her teeth. After all this time she could finally admit to herself that the only reason she’d taken the translator’s job was that she’d known they’d send her overseas on military contracts. Overseas, where Jake was.

But it hadn’t mattered. She’d never seen Jake again.

“Spilled milk,” she told her reflection. She and Kelsey didn’t need Jake. They didn’t need anyone.

She turned off the lights and slipped between the sheets of the big double bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to every creak the old house made. Had the house always made this much noise? It wasn’t as if there was a lot of wind or anything tonight.

Finally she had to admit that she wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. While Derek Jackstone had assured her that the prowler had probably been some kid looking for easy money, Amy realized the incident had unnerved her more than she’d thought.

Even with Derek’s promise that he would drive past the house frequently tonight, she was uneasy, jumping at every sound.

Though Jake’s presence had distracted her right after the attempted break-in, she now began to wonder. Derek’s explanation of some kid made no sense. Any local teens would know she was staying here with her parents. Why would they risk breaking into an occupied house when the living-room light had clearly been on? That made no sense.

What would have happened if Jake hadn’t come by in time to scare the intruder away? Amy shuddered.

Resigned to a sleepless night, she got up and walked over to the window. No moonlight or streetlight broke the darkness. Not even the flicker of fireflies relieved the stillness. She watched intently while her thoughts roamed wildly.

And something moved in the shadows across the street.

She tried to calm the flutter of fear that captured her breath. She stared until her eyes ached with the effort. But she still couldn’t decide if someone lurked in the shadows of the gnarled old maple tree or not.

FINGERS FISTED, the watcher stared at the old house. Anger flared at the unfairness of the whole thing. So much was at stake. Too many people knew the truth. People who could no longer be trusted to keep the secrets of the past. The parking lot had picked the worst possible time to collapse.

She was still the biggest danger of all, of course. If it hadn’t been for the restaurateur’s interference…but he had interfered and now the situation would require some thought. She’d been alerted to her danger.

At least the gravel spill would delay things for a while, but not indefinitely. Still, putting the truck in gear had been a stroke of genius, even if the laboratory tests would eventually reveal the truth. Chief Hepplewhite wasn’t like his fatuous predecessor. He’d move on the crime scene with care…and unfortunate speed.

There was no choice. Fools Point would have to bear witness to a fatal accident. Possibly, an entire series of accidents. She wasn’t the only danger—just the most immediate one.

Too bad the dump truck hadn’t knocked her into the hole and buried her beside the others. All the problems would have been solved neatly then.

The next accidents would require careful planning and strategy. No more leaving things to chance. But in the end, all of them would be as dead as the bones in that old root cellar.

Chapter Three

“Chief Hepplewhite?” Amy said as she opened her front door. “I wasn’t expecting you. Did you catch our intruder from last night?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Amy? Who is it, dear?” her mother called. “Oh, hello, John. Come on in. Amy, don’t just stand there. Let John come inside and sit down. In fact, come on back to the kitchen. We were just sorting through some old photographs. How about a glass of iced tea? Did you catch our brazen housebreaker from last night? We went to bed early and never heard a thing. I couldn’t believe it when Amy told us this morning. He totally destroyed the door screen.”

Amy stepped back and allowed the officer entrance to the house. As her mother turned and led the way back to the kitchen, Hepplewhite motioned for Amy to precede him. “I’m afraid we didn’t catch the person, Mrs. Thomas. Officer Jackstone said Mr. Collins chased him off.”

Amy tried to hide a grimace. She didn’t want her mother asking a lot of questions about Jake’s part in the events of last night. The police chief took a seat at the table while her mother bustled around the kitchen setting out another glass of iced tea and a plate of cookies.

Self-consciously, Amy returned to her seat, setting aside the box of snapshots she’d been sorting with her mother. She pushed the photo albums to the center of the table, now glad that Kelsey had gone to school with one of the neighboring children today. The school year had begun before Amy could return to the States so she was home schooling Kelsey until she located a new job and more permanent housing arrangements for the two of them.

“I understand you never got a clear look at the intruder?” Chief Hepplewhite asked Amy.

Amy shook her head. “He was just a shape through the window.”

“Good thing Mr. Collins stopped by then.”

The words begged the question, and Amy was prepared. “Jake wanted to check on my mother to be sure she was okay after that incident at the restaurant yesterday.”

“And I am so thankful that he did,” Susan added, handing the police chief a tall glass of iced tea. “What with all the strange things going on in town anymore.”

Hepplewhite thanked her, took a long swallow and sat back in his chair. “Please, sit down, Mrs. Thomas. Actually, that brings up another subject I’d like to discuss with you. We’re trying to identify the bodies in that old root cellar.”