In Memory's Shadow Page 14

  “Mrs. Harper.” He greeted her with a pleasant smile that showed nothing more than an official meeting one of the people he protects.

  “Sheriff.” She inclined her head in his direction. “You said to be here at ten.”

  “That I did. I’ll be with you in just a moment.” He returned to his office to get his hat and immediately wished

  he’d been faster as Freda crowded in and closed the door behind her.

  “And you claim there’s nothing going on?” she scoffed. “When are you going to learn to tell me the truth?”

  “There is nothing going on, Freda,” he informed her, as he snagged his hat off the coat rack. “I’m merely helping Mrs. Harper with a problem.”

  She narrowed her eyes with a suspicious glare Sam always hated seeing. The woman was just too damn smart for her own good!

  “No woman in here on official business wears the perfume she’s wearing,” she argued.

  Sam ducked his head to whisper in her ear, “I promise to be careful and keep my handcuffs out of her reach.”

  She frowned and swatted at him. “Maybe you’d be better off giving her the handcuffs and seeing what she’ll do with them.”

  Sam was chuckling as he walked out of his office. A chuckle that almost dried up when he saw Keely standing near Freda’s desk. He gestured for him to precede her and they exited the front door under the curious gaze of two deputies and Freda.

  “Perhaps my coming in wasn’t such a good idea,” Keely commented as Sam led her over to his truck emblazoned with the sheriffs seal. “I seemed to give your staff a bit of excitement in there.”

  “It’s not often we get lovely ladies visit us,” he told her.

  Within minutes, they were driving away, and Sam realized Freda as right. Keely’s perfume was most definitely something to remember. He felt as if the fragrance were already permeating the air and would never dissipate.

  “We’ll visit Nan Cooper first,” Sam said. “You were parked in front of her house and I know for a fact she hasn’t attended the picnic for the last fifteen years.”

  “Is she an invalid?”

  “No, just someone who had a fight with Wendy O’Connell, who’s in charge of the craft booths and declared she wouldn’t step foot on the park grounds if Wendy was there.” Sam turned right at the stop sign and cruised. He occasionally raised a hand in an answering wave when someone shouted his name, and he was amused by the curious looks his passenger received. “But that doesn’t mean she misses anything else that goes on outside her living room window. That means you will remain in the background and not say a word.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “So, I’m to act the part of the good little woman and stay out of the way?” she cooed.

  He knew he was treading on dangerous ground. “That’s right”

  “We’ll see.”

  Sam would have dearly loved to argue with that comment but they had already arrived at Nan’s house. He parked in front and walked around the truck to help Keely out. When she stepped down, he noticed her toes were painted the same coral as her lips. The woman definitely had the gift to send his senses reeling.

  He kept a respectable distance as they walked up the concrete pathway edged with a brick border and colorful flowers. Window boxes lined both front windows with even more color.

  “Her garden is her pride and joy,” he explained as he advanced the three steps leading to the front porch and rapped his knuckles against the screen door. “Miz Nan,” he called out “It’s Sheriff Barkley.”

  “Heaven’s sake, Samuel.” A tiny voice was heard just before an even tinier figure appeared at the door. “What brings you out here?”

  Silver hair was braided into a coronet on top of her head and her blue-flowered housedress looked as if a wrinkle wouldn’t dare mar the fabric. Faded blue eyes viewed Keely from behind a pair of spectacles.

  He instantly took off his hat and held it between his hands. “We were hoping we could ask you a few questions.”

  “No use in you two standing out there when you can come in,” she told them, although it had the sound of an imperial command. “Have a seat. Would you care for some iced tea?”

  “That would be very nice, Miz Nan,” he replied.

  She frowned at him. “Why haven’t you introduced me to the young lady, Samuel? You were taught better manners than that”

  Keely hid her smile at Sam’s chagrined look.

  “Miz Nan, this is Keely Harper. She moved to Echo Ridge a few months ago,” he explained. “Keely, Miz Nan Cooper is one of our leading residents. She taught school for more than forty years and was our principal during her last ten years with the school district.”

  “Would have been longer if that blasted school board hadn’t stepped in and said I was too old,” she huffed. “I always knew Darren would be a pain once he got on the school board, and I was right” She turned to Keely. “The boy was nothing but trouble in school. He would have flunked English if his father hadn’t done most of his homework. You’re Charles and Alice Davis’s daughter, aren’t you?” She nodded decisively. “Yes, I can see the resemblance to Alice and Evelyn.”

  Keely perked up. “You knew my parents?”

  “Of course, I did, dear. I taught both of them, although your father was a much better student than your mother. She tended to daydream too much.” She glanced at Sam and smiled as if receiving a silent message from him. “Now, you two have a seat while I get our tea.” She bustled out of the room, leaving behind the soothing scent of lavender.

  Keely looked around at the highly polished but shabby furniture brightened by intricately tatted lace doilies. Crystal bowls filled with fragrant potpourri were scattered on various small tables. A wall covered with photographs captured her interest and she wandered over there to-study them. They turned out to be group class photographs with the year and class grade neatly printed underneath. She did a quick mental calculation in her head and finally located the appropriate photo. She traced her forefinger across the rows of smiling children until she discovered the one she was looking for. She suddenly giggled.

  “No offense, but you were a very homely kid,” she blurted out, pointing to one of the photos.

  “Samuel was a late bloomer, but a sweet boy from the first day I knew him,” Miz Nan explained as she stepped into the room carrying a silver tray. Sam quickly rose to his feet and took it from her. She sat on the couch and picked up the crystal pitcher, pouring golden tea into three ice-filled glasses. A plate covered with cookies was also set out along with three coasters. She beamed at Sam. “And he turned into a very nice-looking man and has a heart of gold.”

  Sam shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.

  “We’re hoping you can help us with a problem, Miz Nan,” he said, accepting the glass she handed him.

  “What kind of student was Sam?” Keely asked at the same time.

  “A very good one, attentive, finished his assignments,” the older woman said. “But once he started noticing girls—” she shook her head in exasperation “—he turned into a regular dreamer. After more than a few afternoons in detention, he soon toed the mark.”

  Keely walked over to take the chair next to Sam. “What was his best subject?” She picked up her glass and drank the contents.

  “We’re here to get some answers,” he growled in an undertone.

  Keely smiled at him and patted his arm as if he was ten years old. “It’s always best to start out with a pleasant conversation,” she explained.

  “Samuel always had excellent communications skills,” Miz Nan replied. “That’s what makes him such a good lawman. He knows enough to listen when it’s applicable.”

  Sam sighed and sat through ten more minutes of Miz Nan reminiscing about his much younger self. Now he really wished he hadn’t brought Keely along. She was sitting there looking so damn beautiful and sincerely enjoying herself. He wasn’t sure whether to wring her neck for prompting Miz
Nan’s stories or kiss her senseless for being so kind to a lady he’d admired ever since he could remember.

  “Miz Nan, I’m sorry,” he interrupted without an apology in his heart, “but we actually came here to see if you might be able to help us. Mrs. Harper parked in front of your house the day of the Pioneer Days Picnic. It seems someone broke into her truck.”

  “Oh, my dear!” The elderly woman covered Keely’s hand with her own tiny one. “I sorely miss the days when the worst crime we had was boys stealing fruit off trees. I do hope nothing important was taken.”

  “No, she was lucky.” Sam spoke before Keely could. “Maybe someone came by before they could steal anything. But we were wondering if you happened to see anything that night. Anyone lurking around the truck. Anything suspicious going on.”

  The older woman tapped her forefinger against her chin as she looked thoughtfully into space.

  “I do remember seeing a truck parked in front and people stopping by it, either to talk to someone or by themselves. Of course, if they looked as if they were going to try some mischief I would have called your office immediately,” she assured him.

  “Do you happen to remember who you saw out there?” he pressed.

  She looked down her nose with the stern expression he uncomfortably remembered from school. Only Miz Nan could take him back to feeling like a ten-year-old again.

  “Young man, my memory has not failed me yet.” Her lips pursed together. “I recall John by the truck for several moments. He appeared to be lighting a cigarette. Also the doctor. She also stood there for some time.” She thought for a moment “And there was that rude Mr. Rainey standing around. Let me see. Your deputy. The young one who acts like a cock of the walk.”

  “Rick,” Sam interjected.

  She nodded. “I also recall that lovely Chloe who owns the bookstore standing there for some time. I thought she was waiting for someone, but no one else approached her.” She shook her head. “I do believe they were the only ones who stood there for more than a moment”

  Sam silently cursed. He received a list he didn’t expect He shared a glance with Keely and guessed by the expression on her face she hadn’t expected this, either.

  Chapter I2

  At the rate she was going, I thought she was going to name half the townspeople by the time she finished,” Keely said with a dejected sigh when they left the house a half hour later. Miz Nan wasn’t about to allow them to leave too soon and she even extracted a promise from Keely to bring Steffie by for a visit

  “If she’d seen them there she would have named them,” he said, climbing into the truck. “Miz Nan might be ninety-three, but she has a mind sharp as a tack.” He chuckled. “When she was my teacher, I thought she was older than dirt, but none of us boys ever got anything past her.”

  “I liked her.” She cast him a sideways glance. “I just bet she has some interesting stories about her teaching days.”

  “I wouldn’t suggest you ask her about those days,” he warned.

  She leaned back and smiled. “Then I’ll just let her talk.”

  Sam put the truck in gear. “I’m sorry she couldn’t help you more.”

  “She gave you something to work with, didn’t she?” she asked hopefully.

  “I have a place to start,” he replied.

  Keely slumped down in her seat “I just wish I knew who would leave such a horrible note.” As she said the words, her mind suddenly backtracked to the note she’d received when she first moved here.

  “Sam,” she said hesitantly. “Not long after we moved up here, I received another note like that one.”

  His head whipped around then he quickly turned back to watch the road. “And you didn’t remember until now? Why didn’t you tell me about it when you first got it?”

  “I told you. It happened when we first moved here and I just thought it was someone playing a nasty trick on me,” she explained.

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, that’s it.” He jerked the wheel and made a hard right turn.

  “What are you doing?” Keely asked, holding on to the door handle to keep her balance in the seat

  “We’re going somewhere for a talk where there are no ears,” he said grimly, making several more turns until they were headed out of town.

  Keely felt uncomfortable at the idea of Sam’s idea of a talk. She didn’t need to be psychic to figure out he was going to demand answers to questions she wasn’t going to like to hear and others she might not even know die answers to.

  Sam drove several miles out of town then turned onto a dirt road. By the time he stopped his vehicle, they were parked alongside a lake.

  “A popular fishing spot come next month,” he explained, climbing out

  She didn’t wait for him to come around to her side. She got out on her own and followed him toward a splinter-topped picnic table. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the idea of sitting down on it Splinters in her behind weren’t her idea of fun. She opted for standing.

  Sam walked down to the water’s edge and looked out. One hand was wrapped around the back of his neck, massaging the area. He spun around.

  “Just how bad was your divorce?” he asked in clipped tones.

  She was surprised by his question, although she told herself she shouldn’t have been.

  “It was nasty. I want to think he wouldn’t send me threatening letters and drive all the way up here to leave a note inside my truck, but it’s not easy. But as it happened more, I decided he wouldn’t go to all this bother.”

  “Why did you divorce him?”

  Keely took a deep breath. She knew if she was to get involved with Sam, the subject would come up, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  “He was unfaithful,” she said quietly.

  “Did you consider counseling?”

  Her smile held no humor, only remembered pain. “Jay was unfaithful many times and when he finally got a case of the guilts he decided he wanted to shift the blame over to me,” she said, clasping her hands tightly in front of her. “The best way to do that was to claim Steffie wasn’t his.”

  Sam looked stunned by her reply. “So he accused you of having an affair.”

  Keely nodded. “I threw his betrayals at him, he threw Steffie’s parentage back at me. It didn’t matter that she is his mirror image and that she looks just like his sister at that age. He decided she wasn’t his and that was that. During the divorce proceedings, he declared he would not pay child support for a child that was not his. My attorney assured me a blood test would prove him wrong, but I told him I didn’t care.”

  Sam shook his head violently, unprepared to accept such a thing. “My God, what kind of man had you married?”

  “One who didn’t grow up,” she said bluntly. “He hurt his only child in a way that will never go away. Steffie flat out told him as far as she was concerned she preferred he wasn’t her father because his genes were not something she’d care to share. After that, she never called him by anything but his first name. Daddy’s little girl grew up very quickly as she realized just how a flawed human he was,” she said softly. Her eyes were shadowed with the pain from those days. She mustered up a smile. “But she’s come a long way since then and I’m proud of her.”

  “And what about you?” he asked.

  She lifted her head, hearing the challenge in his question. “Jay lost my love and my respect when I learned he was unfaithful,” she said candidly. “If he couldn’t keep his pants zipped when he was around other women, I knew I didn’t want him around-me. He fought back with the accusations I’d had affairs also and that Steffie wasn’t his. I told him what a fool he was and that I only hoped he could live with his lies. But he’d rather convince himself how much of a fool I was for moving up here than try to frighten me. Believe me, he wouldn’t consider that kind of harassment.” She sank down onto the bench with her hands clasped in front of her. She lifted her head. Her lips trembled as the enormity of what was going on finally hit her full force. “Why i
s someone doing this to me?”

  Sam had a vague idea why it was happening, but he didn’t dare say it aloud. Not just yet. He’d have to have a talk with Melanie. See if she had any answers for him.

  “Has there been anything else?” He had to remind himself he was a cop first He couldn’t help her unless he kept his mind on his work.

  Keely hesitated. “Feelings,” she said reluctantly. “Just a sense of someone outside late at night watching the house. Some nights I think I smell cigar smoke and I feel as if someone’s at the edge of the woods watching the house. I get up in the middle of the night and look out my window and imagine I can see a shadow among the trees beyond the house. And I’ve gotten phone calls.”

  “Why didn’t you call the station? Have it checked out?” he demanded.

  Her lips twitched in a wry smile. “Because I was afraid it was nothing and I’d be branded a hysterical female.”

  “Next time you feel someone’s out there you don’t hesitate in calling me,” Sam ordered. “I don’t care what time it is.”

  Keely shook her head as if the action would banish it all. “I also have these horrible dreams about a child who is so afraid,” she murmured. “Sam, I’m so terrified that I’m that child.”

  He looked at her downcast head wishing he could offer more than words. In the end, he walked over to her and lightly placed his hand on her hair. She looked up, and then stood, moving so close to him he could feel the rise and fall of her breasts brushing against his chest. He put his arms around her at the same time her arms circled his waist. Sam wasn’t content with that. He rested his head against her head as her cheek lingered against his shirtfront.

  “I’m not a coward, Sam,” Keely whispered. “I don’t believe in the bogeyman and I don’t look under my bed at night because I think someone might be hiding there. I came up here because I wanted peace.”

  “You’ll have that peace, Keely. I promise,” he said in a low voice.

  Except they both sensed that peace just might come at a high price.

  Sam watched Keely drive away from the station parking lot. So many questions filled his mind and he wasn’t sure where to begin.