Bitter truth, p.26
Bitter Truth, page 26
“Is he alive?” Her hands clenched.
“Unconscious but breathing. You want to tell me how he fits into this? And what exactly this is?”
She scrubbed her palms against her scratchy sweater. “Tait brought me here to kill me. Zander killed him. Zander also killed Gord, but Tait killed Orran. Clear?”
Zerkowsky shed his wet overcoat and scuffed the worst of the mud from his boots. “It will be. Is Tait’s body on the premises?”
“I’ll show you.”
Turning, she caught Bobby in an open-mouthed stare. He snapped his lips closed.
“Hold one minute.” Zerkowsky keyed his radio and updated the others.
Dylan’s voice carried across the connection. “Ambulance is here. Ingerson’s going to meet them at the hospital. I’ll see you soon.”
“Let yourself in.”
Landon coaxed Moxie into her arms and led the constable to the basement stairs. “There’s an open passageway to a hidden art collection Orran and Tait have stolen over the years. He’s in there, on the floor. Could I stay up here?”
“For now. Point Dylan my way when he comes.”
She’d have to experience the scene again, describe the movements in the underground room. Show them how to work the secret door. But not yet.
Back in the living room, she set the dog on the claret accent rug. Mouth wide and tongue lolling, he seemed to laugh at them as he wove in and out under the coffee table.
Landon curled up in a corner of a loveseat, throw pillow clutched to her stomach. Bobby took the other end, his body angled toward her. She squeezed the pillow tighter. “You have a million questions, and you’re being so patient.”
“Two million. But I’m trying not to make you tell the story more than once.”
“Until I get home. They’ll want to hear it all again.”
The front door opened, and heavy boots sounded on the tiles. Landon jumped up. “Dylan?”
His head poked around the edge of the wall. “Both of you. Landon, you need to put this guy on salary if you’re going to keep dragging him into places like this.”
Bobby stood beside her. “I’m paid in ice cream. And Anna’s baked goods.”
“Man, winter’s coming. Hold out for burgers.” Dylan focused on Landon. “You don’t need medical attention?”
“No. Zerkowsky’s downstairs. He said I could wait up here.”
“I’ll check in with him. One of us will come for your story. You can walk us through the crime scene after that.”
By the time Landon arrived at the inn, she’d answered Bobby’s two million questions and more. Zerkowsky, Dylan, plus two more officers who arrived later, wanted details on top of details. Nuances, inklings.
The art expert who drove out from the city had all but swooned over the vault’s contents. Landon extracted a promise from Dylan that they’d bring Nigel in to consult on the hidden room. She pitched it as the possibility of finding yet another hiding place, but they both knew it was a perk for the one local resident with a bunker of his own.
They’d taken the dog carrier from Tait’s SUV to transport Moxie. Landon hoped Shaun would take him to Ciara’s apartment tonight. Or maybe Ciara would want to sleep in her own bed now that the danger was past. Unfastening him now in the inn parking lot, Landon crooned, “Good boy. It’s over now.”
Despite the rain, Anna, Ciara, Shaun, and Roy crowded onto the deck to welcome them home, Ciara squealing at the sight of her pet. Anna herded them into the kitchen to two heaping plates of lasagna and salad and shooed everyone else out. “Eat fast—before they explode.”
As Landon sank into her chair, exhaustion fell like a weighted blanket. Her head drooped. “Will you say grace?”
“Jesus. Thank You. For everything.” The words dropped like rocks into sand, landing heavy and inert.
“Amen.”
The spicy tomato-cheese scent and the vibrant colours hit like a carnival of overload. Landon’s brain had no space for this. Her stomach, empty though it must be, felt numb. When she’d forced down as much as she could, Bobby’s plate was empty. He tipped a half-smile. “Nobody does comfort food like Anna. Ready?”
In the common room, Bobby waved Landon toward the empty club chair. She groaned. “If I sit there, I’ll be asleep.”
Shaun transferred to the soft leather embrace in one fluid movement. He gave a cheeky wink. “Taking one for the team.”
Lowering into the seat beside Ciara, Landon couldn’t help a smile. Thank God Shaun had recognized Tait’s vehicle to know he’d been at the park that day. If not… Her gaze flicked to the oval clock on the bookshelf. She could be dead by now. Drowned, submerged wherever Tait chose to dump her for an innocent local to find.
Gulping air, she clasped her palms to her elbows, pressing into her sweater’s rough weave. Anchoring on the physical sensations. The firm upholstery beneath her. The people around her.
Ciara clapped her hands. “Don’t keep us in suspense. Spill it.” In her lap, Moxie sat up with a little yip.
Somehow the sight of the tiny amber and white dog, who couldn’t tell his story of imprisonment, released Landon’s words.
When Landon finished, Ciara’s cheeks were parchment white. Biting her lips, she cradled her dog close.
Shaun reached out and bumped his fist against her arm. “Happy ending, remember? Landon’s safe, and your menace is over.”
She shuddered. “Ken lost his business because of me. Now Landon nearly died. It’s all my fault.”
“You’re not responsible for the actions of others—Ken or Tait or Zander.” The grim cast of Roy’s jaw dared anyone to argue.
Sniffling, Ciara pressed quivering lips into the top of Moxie’s head.
“And it’s not about you.” Bobby’s scowl matched his grandfather’s.
Roy coughed. “We almost lost Landon today. Twice. Betrayed by one of the people she trusted most.”
Shaun bounced his palm against the leather armrest. “Zander thinking he can fast-track people to hell—or to heaven—man, that’s twisted.”
Zander’s resolute stare, the pistol pointed dead at her. Landon’s heart lurched. “I’m so glad the tree branch stopped him.” He couldn’t pull the trigger on himself. Desperate as he was, would he have tried to force the police to shoot him?
Blinking away tears, she focused on each person here, absorbing the unspoken. Love and concern from Anna, Bobby, and Roy. Confusion from Ciara. Curiosity from Shaun. Silently, she blessed each one. “Thank God for His care today. And that this is over.”
“Amen.” Roy’s voice rang the loudest, but even Shaun joined in.
Anna stood and took Landon’s hand. “Let me help you upstairs. You look like a puff of air could blow you over.”
She could have walked alone. Maybe. Although her hands didn’t have much strength to grip the banister as she trudged upward.
As she climbed into bed and drew the sage duvet up to her chin, she whispered, “Thank you, Anna. You don’t have to stay. I’ll be all right.”
“I know you will. But something else is troubling you.” Anna’s chair rocked slowly beside the bed. “It’s hovering right over your head like a heavy grey cloud about to dump.”
Groaning, Landon rolled onto her side. “I don’t know how to say it.”
“Then let it dump.”
Landon folded an arm and tucked it beneath her head. “It’s Zander.” Tears roughened her throat. “He taught me to drop my grudges and let God into my hurts. To forgive. But he was killing people at the same time. He also connected the dots for me to find Jesus. If he was that off-base, what does it mean for my faith? Was it all a lie?”
Anna’s chair creaked as she leaned forward. “God can speak through someone who’s seriously off the rails. It doesn’t mean He’s blessing or affirming their current situation. He even spoke through a donkey in the Bible.”
“I guess.”
“This blindsided us all. But God’s got you, Landon, and His love is true.”
Tears slipped sideways from Landon’s eyes, dripping down onto her bent arm. “I’m wiped out, but I’m afraid to go to sleep.”
CHAPTER 25
Sunday
LANDON DIDN’T EVEN try to get out of bed for church Sunday morning. Every muscle felt like she’d wrestled a bear, and her brain was a thicket of brambles. Even the brilliant sunshine after yesterday’s storm couldn’t energize her.
In part, it was the emotional toll from being abducted. Threatened. Facing death—again.
But, as she dragged herself into the shower around noon, she knew the root was Zander. How could he do what he’d done and justify it? What would happen to his soul?
Hot water provided no answers and minimal comfort, but it engaged her autopilot to go downstairs to eat.
Meaghan was elbow-deep in sudsy dishwater. She whipped her hands from the sink for a hasty dry on her apron, then crossed the flagstone-patterned vinyl. “What can I get you for brunch? We pamper you today—Anna’s orders.”
“Where is she?”
“Church. And I think an errand. She’ll be back soon.” Meaghan took Landon by the arm and steered her to a chair at the table. “This wasn’t what anyone wanted to happen. But thank you for finding out who killed Dad.”
He’d died because of Landon. Or because Zander wanted revenge for Gord’s treatment of Landon. She clenched her teeth. She could not wear this. Like Roy had said to Ciara last night, what Zander did was not her fault.
Meaghan stood looking down at her, compassion in her blue eyes. Wisps of red hair framed her forehead. “I can sleep at night now, knowing there’s not someone from his old gang coming for me next. And that it wasn’t Hart.”
“Did you really think it might be him?”
Meaghan’s full lips flattened, and she nodded. “I know you don’t like him, but he’s better without Dad leaning on him. We’re going to be okay.”
“I’m glad.”
A motor sounded outside, and soon Anna bustled in, hands full of cloth grocery bags. “You’re up! I’m not a fan of Sunday shopping, but today, we celebrate.”
She unpacked while Meaghan made Landon a simple omelette and toast.
Landon was still finishing her coffee when Anna answered a tap at the back door. She returned to the kitchen with Dylan in tow. “He promises it’s a social call.”
Dylan’s soft brown suede jacket paired with a collared shirt. Jeans and glossy brown cowboy boots made Landon check his hands for a cowboy hat. A grin softened his lean cheeks, and he touched fingertips to temple in a sort of salute. “You doing okay?”
She hiked a shoulder. “Still processing, I guess. But you must have been half the night at Orran’s. What are you doing up and out?”
“Heading for the station to finish the paperwork. But until I get there, I’m off duty, and I thought Anna might have better coffee than I’ll get at my desk.”
He accepted a double-sized porcelain mug from Meaghan. “Thank you. Landon, the sun feels good. Come outside for a bit? I promise, if I say anything work-related, you can have my coffee.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She topped up her cup and followed him out onto the deck.
Bypassing the patio table, he descended to the grass. “All the times I’ve come here, those chairs in front have called me. How about we sit out there and watch the water?”
With the sun warming their backs, they trailed along the edge of the driveway and across the still-damp grass to settle in the twin wooden Adirondack chairs on the lawn.
Landon set her mug on one of the broad armrests. The grass sloped toward the inn’s signature green fishing dory, its orange marigolds and yellow pansies battered after yesterday’s storm but still vibrant. Across the narrow strip of pavement, ocean waves danced far below.
She rested her head against the chair and inhaled the fresh salt air. “Good idea. I tend to leave these for the tourists.”
Dylan drank, then held his mug at chin height as if filling up on the aroma. “Much better than I’ll get at the station. Especially on the weekend.”
“Thank you for yesterday.”
“I’m sorry we took so long to process you. But we’re not going there today.”
“Shaun’s leaving in the morning. He’ll be in the States by dark. Just so you know.”
“If you bring up work, it doesn’t count.”
That brought a small giggle. “Fair, but he wanted me to tell you. He and Ciara are out on a day trip. He’s a self-proclaimed jerk, but he’s been good to her. He even kept Moxie last night.”
“Well, that qualifies him for sainthood right there.”
The rhythmic swell of the waves and the glint of sunlight on each one made Landon’s eyelids heavy. When Dylan left, maybe she’d nap right here. She drew in a lungful of sea air and sat straighter in the chair. Swallowed more caffeine. “Can you tell me how Zander’s doing today?”
“Hey, you’re not getting this coffee. End of story. And no, I haven’t heard. I left instructions with the hospital last night that if you called they could update you on his condition. You’re sort of family. You’re not permitted to visit or communicate with him, though.”
His mug clunked on the armrest farther from Landon. He extended both arms overhead, then dropped his palms to his jeans. “Faith isn’t my thing. Can you help me understand why a Christian would want to kill people to keep them from God? Isn’t that kind of the opposite of what you believe?”
“The why’s easy—ultimate revenge. On the victims and maybe on God.” She shivered. “This one’s on my no-fly list for today, okay? I owe Zander so much, and to find out he’s done this—I think my faith’s okay, but I’m a mess.”
“I hope you can work it through. Anna seems like a good one to field those questions. Maybe I’ll come ask her later.”
“Or talk to our pastor. Dylan, I know Jesus is real and He makes all the difference in life. You’d love Him. It’s just, right now, the people. I don’t know.”
“People. Maybe this isn’t a good time.” He braced his forearms on his knees, fingers laced. “I’ll say it anyway. Before you find your way into another active investigation.”
“Can I not?”
“You tell me.” He tapped a pointed toe in the grass. “I’d like to take you out for dinner one night. Not snacks as friends, but an actual date.”
Landon’s head whipped sideways. Bobby had laughed at her assurance that Dylan’s attention was big brotherly. “Dylan… I’m not date material.”
“Maybe let the guy asking be the judge of that.”
“I like being single. And I don’t want to saddle a good man with my baggage.”
“So… friends for now. Maybe when you heal more…”
She couldn’t help a rueful laugh. “I am healed. And I’m healing. And I will be healed. It’s complicated. But it means a lot to know someone like you could be interested. Thank you.”
He sat back with a slow smile, brown eyes steady. “Tell me I’m not the first man to make a move on you since you got here. Your getaway driver sure doesn’t seem to be pining for his girl in Ontario.”
“They broke up, but he knows I’m not open to a relationship. So, yeah.”
His nearer shoulder lifted. “I’ve been trying to test the waters, but you’re good at redirecting.”
“I thought you were playing the big-brother-slash-cop-protector role.”
“I can do that. And if you decide you want more, one date isn’t a marriage contract. I know a sweet Italian restaurant in the city.” He winked at her, then pushed his palm against the chair arm to stand. “I’d best take my empty mug in and get on to the station.”
When she started to rise, he held up a hand. “Stay put and relax. You’ve earned it.”
She was dozing in the chair when Shaun’s motorcycle ripped the silence. He stopped in the driveway, and his passenger hopped off the back.
Ciara removed her helmet and shook her short hair free, happiness radiating from every line of her body. She ran to Landon. “I’m going to have a sister—and a brother.”
In the background, Shaun sent Landon a gauntleted thumbs-up.
Ciara dropped the helmet and perched in the chair beside Landon’s. “That’s why they wanted my stuff out of the house. To make a nursery. And Mom’s been so hard to reach because she’s high-risk. They’ve poured everything into getting pregnant for years, and I never knew. Now she is, and Phil’s gone uber-protective.”
She sprang up and twirled in the grass. “Babies I don’t have to birth myself!”
“That’s great, Ciara. Do you think your folks will want you to stay now that their secret’s out?”
“Free babysitting. They need me.” Her round cheeks glowed. “Kimi told me I had to go see Mom and not take no for an answer. She and Ken called last night while we were waiting for you. They’d had Mom and Phil in for dinner, and Kimi noticed the baby bump.”
The rapid-fire words had Landon’s head spinning. “So that’s good, then.”
“Yes, and I know why Ken and Kimi were hanging around so long too. He’s buying a business in Bridgewater. He wanted a few weeks to assess it because they’ll be staying in BC where their grandkids are.”
“I hope I see them before they go. They’re a nice couple.”
“They’ll be here tonight. Anna invited them.”
Landon squinted at Ciara’s silhouette against the electric-blue sky. “Tonight?”
“It’s a celebration. The cops are invited too. Because even though it’s sad about Orran and Tait—and weird about Zander—you and I are safe, and we have our lives back. I’ll even get my bangle and the rest of my things once they’re processed. Think of how many people will have their lost treasures come home! You might even get a reward.”
Astride the motorcycle, Shaun revved the engine. Ciara ducked her head into her helmet. “Gotta go. This bike beats Bobby’s Corvette any day. And Shaun’s more fun.”
Shaun had texted Landon a promise to reveal his identity to Ciara before leaving—but after he gave her a day with the man he might become.
They sped away, Ciara clinging to his waist.
