Three strikes, p.8
Three Strikes, page 8
“Had he been in town long?”
He shook his head, propping one shoulder against the doorframe. “He was at Gracie’s last night. Never seen him before that.”
“I should have known this wouldn’t be easy.” Neve sighed and shook her head. “Well, I’ll need to talk to Yancy and your guests.”
“Why?” Why the hell was he asking? He knew why.
“Because someone might have seen something—or one of them might have been the one to shoot him. You let your guests hunt on your land, right?”
“Yeah.” He did. Guests were the only people he allowed to hunt on his property. Christ, could this really have been an accident? It was a happy one if it was. No, a happy one would be the guy falling off a cliff and not being found for ten years. “I’ve got a couple of parties staying here.”
“For now we’ll treat it like an accident until we know otherwise. Shit, this is going to ruin somebody’s vacation if it was a guest that shot him.” She glanced from the body to him again. “You don’t seem very shocked at finding him. Lincoln lost his breakfast, but you’re cool as a cucumber.”
Dumbfounded, actually. “I can go into histrionics if it would make you feel better. And I was surprised when I found him. The shock has worn off a bit.”
“How long did you wait to call me?”
“I didn’t.” It wasn’t that much of a lie. “Actually, I’m surprised to have found a body and Audrey not be around.” Maybe a joke would make her stop looking at him like she thought he had something to do with Ratchett’s death. She ought to know better, that he wouldn’t be so messy.
The cop smiled. “Yeah. It does seem strange that she’s not with you. Where is she?”
“Took the girl grocery shopping.” She wasn’t going to believe this when he told her. His grandmother used to say he had the luck of the shithouse rat. As a kid he hadn’t understood, but he was starting to. What were the odds on a guy who’d come to town to extort money from him ending up dead? On his land?
Neve nodded. “Right. Okay, you don’t need to be here. In fact, it would be better if you and Lincoln left so we can process the cottage.”
“Sure. Call if you need anything.”
“Will do. Can you have Yancy print off a guest list for me?”
He said he would and then went in search of his brother. Lincoln was on the porch, out of the way of the cops going in and out of the cottage. He still had the beer bottle in his hand. Neve had given him a hard time for it when she arrived, but he told her he needed something to settle his stomach. “Let’s go.”
His brother didn’t argue, but followed him toward the main building. There was no one there who shouldn’t be—not even curious guests. They were probably all out hunting still. When news did get out, hopefully it would sound like Ratchett died of a heart attack, or other natural causes. He’d lost guests when Maggie had been murdered on the nearby beach, and he really didn’t want to lose more because of another corpse. Maybe it was cold, but he had a business to run.
“What the fuck happened?” Lincoln demanded when they were a safe distance from the cops. “Did she say anything? Does she suspect something?”
His brother was pale. Jake didn’t like it. It made him look spleeny—or guilty. “Neve thinks it might have been an accident. Stray bullet from a hunter.”
Lincoln snorted. “Right. Men like Ratchett often die accidentally.”
“I don’t care how he died so long as it doesn’t touch me or anyone I care about.” That wasn’t necessarily true. He was curious. It was just that his protective instincts and self-preservation outweighed his nosiness—unlike Audrey.
“You’re a stoic bastard—just like Gran. Nothing ever shook her either.”
“Plenty shakes me.” Like when Alisha had been used by a serial killer to get at Audrey. He’d thought he was going to lose the kid—and Audrey too. That had been enough to almost drive him insane. It was not a feeling he’d enjoyed or planned to repeat anytime soon.
“Well, you do a fine fucking job of hiding it.”
“He was shot late last night or early this morning,” Jake remarked, coming back to the unfortunate topic of the dead man in his cottage rather than his lack of feeling. “Maybe he pissed someone off after Gracie’s—someone other than me.”
“It should have been one of us,” Lincoln remarked as they stepped out of the woods.
“With a bullet in our throat?”
His brother frowned at him. “What? No. It should have been one of us who killed him—at least then no one would have ever found the body.”
“Mm. What would you have done with the truck?” he asked out of curiosity. He had contingency plans for almost any scenario, but he wondered if his brother shared his preparedness.
“Take it back the Ridge, hide it, and tear it apart for scrap. Probably burn the rest. Or bury it in parts. I have a friend that has a scrapyard.”
“That would do it.” He opened the door and stepped into the warm interior of the reception area. His sister sat at the counter looking at a computer screen. Her face lit up at the sight of them.
“Hey, boys. Did I see the police drive back the lane?”
Jake leaned over the counter to kiss her forehead. Yancy favored Lincoln more in looks, and she favored their mother with her unfortunate taste in men, but she and Jake were the closest of the three. He’d been there when she gave birth to Alisha at age fifteen, even though he hadn’t been many years older. He’d taken care of her and her kid for years, and he didn’t mind the burden one bit. When he’d built the resort she’d asked to help him run it—and took a business course at the nearest community college so she could do a good job. She was always learning new things—studying up on tourism texts and websites. He didn’t know what he’d do without her.
“That guy in Twelve—Ratchett—we found him dead outside his cottage.”
Her face dropped. “Shit. The big guy that hit on me? Really?”
He nodded, and Lincoln did too. “Found him out back. Neve’s taking a look now.”
“Any idea who shot him?”
“None.”
“At least you don’t have to deal with him anymore,” she remarked with a shrug. Maybe Linc would like to comment on her stoicism. “What did he want from you, anyway?”
Jake hesitated. There was no way he could explain putting a hit on her abusive former boyfriend. “No idea.”
“Not likely to find out either,” Lincoln joined in.
Yancy tilted her head. “No, I guess not.” That was the end of the questions about Ratchett, thank Christ. “That girl who picked up Lish this morning, who is she?”
He looked at her. “I don’t want you gossiping about it, Yance.”
She frowned—all defensive. Yeah, she and Lincoln really did look alike. “I won’t.”
He looked at her a little longer.
“Jesus, Jake! I won’t gossip!” She actually looked offended.
He hoped she was telling the truth. She hadn’t been as bad lately, but goddamn, the girl had a hard time keeping a secret. Regardless, he supposed news would get out soon enough. “Maggie’s daughter.”
Her hazel eyes widened. “Maggie had a kid?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. God, he felt tired all of a sudden. “After she and Audrey killed Clint.”
“Wow.” Yancy shook her head, wisps of her fine, light hair brushing her cheeks. “And I thought I was a young mom. What’s she doing here?”
“Looking for her father. Audrey’s helping her.” He watched to see if she grimaced at the mention of Audrey—she didn’t.
“That’s good of her. Tell her to talk to Dwayne Dyer. I remember a few years ago he came up to Maggie at Gracie’s and said something to her she didn’t like. She told me later they had a thing once—before she was sent to the hospital after what happened with her father. I hadn’t really thought about how young she must have been until now.”
Dwayne Dyer was an asshole. He used to be a real bully back in school, though he seemed to have mellowed since. Jake hated bullies. And he believed that was a trait that never really went away. “I’ll tell her, thanks.”
His sister shook her head. “Maggie had a kid and there’s a dead guy behind one of our cottages. I swear, the longer I live in this town, the more messed up it gets.”
Jake’s gaze drifted to the door—Neve was coming up the flagstone walk. For the next little while, he expected the sight of her was going to set his teeth on edge. “Tell me about it.” If he managed to keep the cops from digging too deep into his business it was going to be a goddamn miracle.
Audrey’s phone buzzed as she got out of the car. She checked to see if it was another text from Jake, who had asked to meet her at the main building if she was still at the resort. He’d caught her just as she and Mackenzie were headed out the door. The text wasn’t from him, however; it was from Angeline, her boss, asking when she might have a free moment to talk about her facility proposal. If Angeline was asking about it, then she was definitely interested. Audrey sent a quick text back with some times she was free and then walked into the resort office. All three Tripp siblings—and Neve—looked up at her arrival.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Neve had her cop face on. Yancy looked tense, Lincoln looked nervous, and Jake … Jake looked tired. It was an expression that made her want to protect him.
“Dead guy at one of the cottages,” Jake explained, his gaze meeting hers. There was nothing secretive or discernible in his eyes, but she knew it was Ratchett who was dead, and she knew Jake hadn’t killed him. Had Lincoln?
“One of the hunters?” she asked with a frown, easily pretending ignorance.
“We’re not sure who he is,” Neve replied. “And let’s try to keep it quiet for now. We haven’t spoken to the other guests yet.”
“Mackenzie’s in my car,” Audrey informed her, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the door. “She never said anything to me about hearing any noises this morning, but you might want to talk to her.”
“I will.”
The four of them watched her go. Audrey resisted the urge to immediately start questioning Jake, but Yancy didn’t know what he’d done regarding Matt, and he wanted to keep it that way, since part of his reason for having Matt killed was that he’d beaten Jake’s sister.
“Any idea how it happened?” she asked.
Jake’s lips lifted in an ironic twist. “Looks like it was probably a hunting accident.”
Audrey raised a dubious brow. She didn’t really have a reply to that. Probably a hunting accident?
Jake continued: “I know you’ve got stuff to do with Maggie’s girl, but I wanted to tell you before the gossip got out.”
Behind the counter, Yancy stiffened. “I told you I wouldn’t say anything.”
He ran a hand over his face. Yeah, he was tired. “I know you won’t, Yance. I meant I wanted to tell her about the dead guy.”
“Oh.” His sister actually looked a little embarrassed. “Well, I won’t say anything about that either.”
It was obvious that no one in the room was going to bet on that.
“You should go home,” Audrey told him. “Take a nap or something.”
He frowned. “Are you fucking crazy?”
Her shoulders straightened. “It’s obvious you’re exhausted, and the cops are going to want to talk to you more, and you’ll probably have to deal with press. You want to be on TV looking like hell?”
Behind his brother, Lincoln smirked. Jake fixed her with a narrow gaze. “Using your mind powers on me is low. My vanity’s a fragile thing.”
She snorted, then slipped her arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. “Go get some rest. I’ll meet you at home later.”
Something shifted in his expression. It was the fact that she’d called his house “home.” She knew it. He was such a domestic animal. “I have to open Gracie’s. Donnie’s not in for a few hours.”
“Call Dad. He’d be glad to do it. Jess was taking Mum out shopping, so he’s probably bored.” Normally she wouldn’t suggest putting her father in temptation’s way, but Jake really did look wiped. “He and Donalda should be able to look after things.”
That he didn’t argue was proof of just how tired he was. “Okay.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you later.”
She started to leave with him and Lincoln, but Yancy stopped her. “Audrey, can I have a minute?”
Audrey and Jake exchanged surprised glances before Audrey turned. Jake and his brother kept going. Lincoln gave her a light tap on the shoulder as he passed. “Sure.” She walked up to the counter. “What’s up? Lish mentioned you wanted to talk.”
Yancy looked uncomfortable. The Tripps weren’t real big on appearing vulnerable. “Look, I’m not sure you’re the safest person to be around, but my brother seems to think you’re worth the risk, and my kid has barely spoken to me since I told her I didn’t want her to see you.”
“I haven’t encouraged that.” Just for the record, of course.
“I know you haven’t.” The younger woman had no trouble giving Audrey the benefit of the doubt. “I also know she’s seen you behind my back.”
“I haven’t encouraged that either.”
A casual shrug—not calling Audrey a liar, but not believing her either. “I’m not very good at this mother thing. I didn’t have the best teacher, but I’m grown-up enough to admit that part of my problem is jealousy. I blamed you for that bitch taking Lish, but I was angrier that you got to be the one that saved her. You’re her fucking hero. I can’t fight that.”
Audrey’s stomach fell. “You’re her mom.” Like Yancy needed reminding. And Audrey was nobody’s hero—or at least she oughtn’t be.
“Yeah, I know.” God, sometimes she looked like Jake, and now was one of them. “What I’m saying is that even if I think you’re trouble, I know you’ll do anything for my kid—like risk your own life. That means something. So, if you don’t mind her hanging off you, I’m going to stop trying to keep her away.”
The relief Audrey felt at those words … well, it was more emotion than she’d been prepared to feel. It burned her eyes and clutched at her throat. “I don’t mind at all. She’s an awesome kid.”
Yancy smiled—small and lopsided. “That’s more Jake’s doing than mine.”
“You sell yourself short.”
“I let her see me with a man who hit me. How can she respect me when I don’t even respect myself?” Audrey opened her mouth, but Yancy waved her off. “Never mind. I’m not asking you to be my therapist. I’m trusting you with the most important thing in my life. I just need to know that you’ll be there for Alisha if she needs you.”
Audrey smiled, despite the weight of what Yancy was asking pressing down on her shoulders. “Always.”
Yancy visibly relaxed. She’d been young when she had Alisha—forced to grow up way too early, like Maggie. But then, Audrey had grown up fast too. Too many kids became adults before their time in Edgeport. It was the way it had always been. Probably it would always be that way. Maybe Maggie had wanted to spare her daughter that fate. And yet the girl had found the place on her own. Mackenzie wouldn’t be the same by the time she left. That was an unfortunate truth. Because no matter what had happened to Maggie, it didn’t change the fact that she’d grown up to be a monster, or that she’d hurt someone as surely as Clint had hurt her. Mackenzie was going to learn a lot of ugly truths, and there was nothing Audrey could do to prevent it, just like she hadn’t been able to save Maggie. It wasn’t within her power to stop the girl from trying to find out where she came from.
“Hey, I found something I thought you might want.” Yancy brought up her purse from underneath the counter and began digging through the huge fake-leather bag. She pulled a photo out of her wallet and held it out to Audrey between her index and middle fingers. “You guys look like babies.”
Audrey took the picture. It was of her and Jake sitting on the front porch of his grandmother’s house—the one he now called his own. They had their arms around each other and were grinning at each other, heads close together. She couldn’t be any more than eleven or twelve in it. On the back, written in Gracie’s neat script, was Two halves of the same fool whole.
She smiled. “We were babies.” She raised her head to look at Yancy. “Where did you find it?”
“It was in her jewelry box. Jake gave all of her jewelry to me and Lish. Anyway, I thought you’d like to have it.”
“I would, thank you.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neve through the window. She’d already finished talking to Mackenzie. “I’d better get going.”
“Can you come by the house later?” Yancy asked. “Maybe have a drink?”
Was Yancy wanting to bond with her? “I don’t know …”
“Jake’s coming by. I thought maybe we could all have dinner together. Like a family.”
Jake might accuse Audrey of knowing just what buttons to push, but Yancy was pretty damn good at it herself. “Sure. What time?”
“I’m done at five. Any time after that.”
“Okay. I’ll give you a call.”
“Oh, and you might want to talk to Dwayne Dyer. He and Maggie were close, I think.”
Audrey nodded her thanks. Dwayne was in that photo she’d found in Maggie’s things. There had to be someone in that crowd who knew what happened back the Ridge that spring. As she walked out, Audrey met Neve just outside the door. “Did Mac hear anything?”
Neve shook her head. “She told me you’re going to see Barbie, though.”
“Yeah. She and Dwayne were both in a photo I found of Maggie taken back the Ridge. Yancy said they used to date.”
Neve’s striking features were tight. “They still do. He hasn’t knocked her up yet, which is amazing. He’s got like fourteen kids scattered around the county. Sometimes things can get a little heated between him and Barbie. If there’s trouble, call me. I’ll be around all day sorting out this shooting.”
