South, p.7
South, page 7
“Jesus, how are you not deaf?” he asked.
I set down the torch, removed my thick gloves, then tugged off the mask.
“What are you doing here?”
West glanced around. “Where the fuck’s your phone? Jed’s been trying to get in touch with you.”
“I’ve had my cell off since you left.”
“That was three days ago.”
I shrugged. Time blurred when I was working. And when I was trying to forget Maisey. I remembered showering, but I wasn’t sure when. I’d hoofed it to my bed since the leather couch was out. Literally.
West had talked me out of setting the thing on fire, but he’d agreed to help carry it outside and to the back of the barn where I couldn’t see it.
I focused on my project. Mostly. It was hard to get over Maisey being such a… guy.
She’d offered. Given promises. Shared falsehoods, a hard fuck. Then moved on.
Men did that shit to get in a woman’s panties. Told her what she wanted to hear and after he bagged the babe, he went on to the next conquest. Forgot she even existed.
I didn’t do that shit. I was a sad monogamous idiot who’d let a perfect ass and nerdy glasses distract me.
“What if she called?” he asked.
I rubbed my eyes, then met his gaze. He meant Maisey. “You were there. You saw her with those dudes. She wasn’t selling them Girl Scout Cookies. Would you want her back?”
“Don’t you want to hear what she has to say?” He tucked his fingers into the front of his jeans.
I continued to glare at him and he conceded. “Fine. You’re right. I would want to burn the couch too.”
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Let Jed and North know. I’ll surface sometime soon.”
Eventually. I let a woman I’d been with for a couple of hours get under my skin, which was the most depressing part of this whole thing. I’d had one night stands before, but the woman had known the score. A one-time deal. A little fun, that was all. But Maisey—
“You’ll surface now,” he countered.
I took a step closer, suddenly on high alert. “What’s happened? Is North okay? East?”
He raised his hand. “They’re fine. I’m here to tell you—since Jed couldn’t get through—that Maisey’s been arrested.”
I would have been less surprised if he’d said the zombie apocalypse was happening. “What the fuck?”
“Caught stealing at the big house,” he explained. “Mrs. Sanchez called Jed and he hauled her down to the police station to scare the shit out of her.”
Mrs. Sanchez was the housekeeper. She took care of everything inside the huge mansion. The cook, the cleaners. Repairs. It was her turf. She’d know if something had been taken.
I thought of Maisey alone and panicked in jail, then I remembered her cozying up to the two guys at the bar. “Why should I care?”
He shrugged. “Maybe you shouldn’t after what we saw at the bar. Jed says something’s not right though. Wants you there.”
“Now?” My hands had little nick and cuts from my work. I was covered in soot and dirt. I probably smelled.
“Shower, then I’m driving. I’m not missing this.”
MAISEY
* * *
“What are you doing here?”
I looked up, then froze at Nancy’s words. My boss stood in her office doorway, arms crossed over her chest. While she didn’t have a storefront, she had a small building that looked like a small converted gas station on the edge of town. She stored her van in the old service bay along with the cleaning supplies. There was a small office to the side, which she stood in front of now, barring my path.
“I’m here to load up my supplies for tomorrow,” I replied, my hands full with my cleaning caddies.
“I thought you were in jail,” she said. Her voice held none of the warmth I was familiar with. Her arms were crossed over her chest and if it wasn’t cold out, I’d think the wintry breeze was coming from her.
I blinked. Jail?
“Um… no.”
She sniffed, then glared. “Well, if the Wainrights didn’t arrest you, that’s their prerogative. But if you think you still have a job after what you did, you must be dumber than a box of rocks.”
What I did? I’d cleaned three houses today and had no issues. Nothing that would have me arrested or fired. My mouth fell open. Oh no.
“I trusted you, Maisey,” she continued.
I could do nothing but stand there and let her scold me. I had no idea for what.
“Took you in when I thought you needed work. Desperate, you said,” she continued. “What were you doing? Scoping out all the places?”
Her eyes narrowed and she stepped up to me, anger buoying her. “Did you steal from the others too? Things they haven’t realized have gone missing?”
“What?” I asked, confused. “No!”
“I don’t believe you.” She pointed at me. If she stepped any closer, she’d poke my chest. “Probably everything you told me was lies. No money. Crazy family. I know crazy and it’s right in front of me.”
I swallowed hard. “I—”
I tried to get some words out, anything, but she cut me off. “I have to call all of my clients where you worked and tell them what you did. Apologize. Hope they don’t drop me. Do you have any idea what your selfishness has done to me? My business?”
Oh.
Holy shit.
Tears filled my eyes. I knew what happened. It had been Paisley. She’d gone to Billionaire Ranch and stolen something. As me.
Nancy was right to be angry. What Paisley had done affected her business. Her livelihood. It wasn’t just a trinket or a piece of jewelry or whatever it was that Paisley had stolen. Paisley thought billionaires wouldn’t miss a few hundred or thousand dollars. But Nancy? This town was small. News of hiring a thief… me, would spread. Especially since her employees went into people’s houses, often when they weren’t there.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” I whispered, setting the supplies down on the pavement. I couldn’t tell her it was my identical twin. Well, I could, but she wouldn’t believe me, not now when she was angry. It was a far-fetched story. I’d tried to explain before in a similar situation, when Paisley had gotten me in trouble for something she’d done. It didn’t matter anyway. I couldn’t make this right, not when Paisley wasn’t the least bit sorry. I didn’t even know what it was she took, or if I could even get it back.
“There is no work for you in this town. If it hasn’t already, I’ll be sure to spread the news that you’re no good. A thief. A liar. A swindler. Leave town. I never want to see your face again.”
She spun on her heel and slammed the door shut behind her.
Tears streamed down my face. Paisley had done it. Ruined me.
I had no choice but to leave now. God, people would probably throw stones at me if I walked down Main Street. I had no doubt I would never get hired at any business in town, no matter the type of work. Probably the county. On top of that, I wasn’t going to get paid for the past week’s work. All that hard work and nothing to show for it. And Nancy thought the absolute worst of me.
God, so did the Wainrights. North and Jed were probably mad. They’d been nice to me. Saying hello every time I saw them when I was working at their house. Making small talk. They didn’t pretend I wasn’t there. Or that I was the help, which was what I’d experienced in the past.
They trusted me and it was my fault Paisley had shown up. Had seen them as a mark. While she pretended to be me and use me for whatever she wanted often enough, I never imagined she’d steal from someone else. As far as I knew, I was the only one she took from. Now, my family’s mess had touched the Wainrights.
Then there was South. Whatever his reason for not calling didn’t matter now. He’d never want to be with me after he learned what I’d supposedly done. Sure, fucking a mousy house cleaner was one thing, but a thief? Never happening. Not after the little bit he’d shared about his father.
None of them deserved Paisley. I had to go, to steer her away. To protect them from whatever scheme she came up with next. She would plan something else, but I’d make sure it was far from South, North and Jed. All the Wainrights. If they knew I’d moved on, then Paisley couldn’t remain either. Her cover would be blown.
I drove across town to my little house, swiping at tears as I went. It was easy to pack. I only had the clothes and other few items I’d brought with me in July. None of the furniture was mine. Not even the dishes. I was packed within the hour and headed down the two-lane highway before the sun even set.
This time I had to go somewhere big, like Salt Lake City, where I could get lost and have plenty of job opportunities. Tucked in my purse I had the meager money I’d been saving from the job with Nancy.
With one hand on the wheel, I set my fingertips over my breast, felt for the little lump. Dread filled me. The cash was the start of what I needed to get checked out. Now I’d have to hope it would last until I could find someplace to live. Find a new job where no one knew me—or Paisley.
A new life. One where a handsome cowboy wouldn’t call me beautiful. One where, for the first time, I hoped Paisley followed. I could at least save the Wainrights from me.
11
SOUTH
* * *
The nice thing about growing up in a small town was that everyone knew everyone. West and I said hello to the sheriff as he pointed us down the back hall to the observation room. Inside was Jed, drinking a cup of coffee. He leaned against the two-way mirror and eyed us. Jed had grown up here as well, even though he’d lived out of state working for the FBI since college. He had no jurisdiction to hold Maisey here, but I assumed it was a favor from a current law enforcement officer to a retired one.
I glanced from Jed through the glass to Maisey, sitting in the interview room at the metal table.
“Got ‘em,” West said, shutting the door behind us as if I was going to sneak out.
“Why isn’t Smokey in here?” I asked, referencing the sheriff who was big and round and hairy. He’d had that nickname as long as I could remember. While it might be somewhat of a joke, the man was all business and a good officer.
“She’s not under arrest,” Jed replied.
I turned and glared at West. “That so?”
“North hasn’t pressed charges,” Jed explained, which made sense.
The big house was North’s. As owner, she was the one who decided to have Maisey arrested or not. Jed wasn’t her husband. He had no legal say in the matter, but I had no doubt if he told her to throw the woman in jail, North would take her man’s advice.
“Then why are we here?” Seeing her sitting there, all fucking forlorn and shit, wasn’t helping me move on.
“The Wainright name offers a few perks. I asked to bring her here to scare her straight.” He glanced through the glass. “The Maisey I know would be panicking.”
I stared at her. My heart did a flip. My fists clenched and I wanted to not only go to her and wrap her up in my arms but throttle her.
She looked small sitting in the chair. Her arms were folded over her chest, her head tipped down as if looking in her lap. Her long hair curtained her face. I could see her eyes were puffy and her face red. She’d been crying.
I wanted to feel sorry for her, but then I remembered the cowboys licking lime juice off her chest.
“West said something was off,” I said, glancing at Jed. He was far too relaxed with shit like this. Petty larceny was probably nothing for him. Of course, he also hadn’t fucked the woman.
“Yeah. Take a look at her.”
I flicked my gaze her way, then back at him. “I did.”
“And?”
“And what?” I countered.
“I know you slept with her.”
I turned and looked to West. “Are we going to braid each other’s hair now too?”
He ran a hand over his neck. “He needed to know.”
“Why the hell does it matter where I get my dick wet?”
“It’s like that?” Jed asked. “I thought it was more serious.”
I frowned. “So did I. I assume West told you about seeing her at the bar.” He nodded. I sighed. “I’ve spent the past three days trying to forget her. If this is to help me with closure, this little reunion wasn’t necessary.”
I gave Maisey one last glance. Tipped my head and studied her when she shifted, after tucking her long hair behind her ear and setting her hands on the table. Fuck, even sitting in a sterile interview room with the chance of being arrested looming over her, she looked good. I remembered how that soft skin felt. Tasted.
“Fuck,” I growled, then left, Jed calling after me.
I made it as far as the lobby, setting my hat back on my head, before it hit me. What I saw.
I spun on my heel, pushed the door open. Jed and West looked my way. They hadn’t even moved.
“That’s not Maisey.” I said, pointing at the woman in the other room. I set my hands on my hips and stared at her, trying to figure it out.
“I know,” Jed said.
I whipped my head in his direction. “If you knew, why the fuck didn’t you say so? Oh, you weren’t going to tell me, were you?”
He looked at me as if he was dealing with a troublesome child. “You don’t give a shit about Maisey Miles. You left.”
“Why did you bring me here then?” I asked, tossing my hands up. Since Maisey, or whoever the hell she was didn’t look our way, the room was clearly soundproofed. I wasn’t quiet.
“Because I thought you’d want to hear the truth,” he countered.
I practically growled. “Fine. Tell me how you know that woman in there isn’t Maisey.”
“Tell me how you know it’s not her first.”
I stared at him, then ran a hand over my face. “Jesus. I didn’t realize we’d returned to second grade. Fine. Maisey had a cut on her finger. She might have ditched a Band-Aid by now, but the cut would still be healing. Unless she’s fucking immortal, there would be a wound.”
Jed and West both looked at the woman’s hands.
“I worked for the FBI for over twenty years,” Jed said, giving his take. “I can read people. Unless Maisey has multiple personalities, that’s not her. She’s behaving nothing like the woman who’s been in the house the past few months.”
“And?” I asked.
“And our initial employee background check—”
“The one you said made her a good person,” I cut in, reminding him of what he’d told me.
“—listed her having a mother and a sister, but we didn’t look into them any further.”
“She mentioned both,” I said, remembering how much she hadn’t liked either of them.
“She’s an identical twin,” West guessed, his voice filled with surprise.
What? “What?”
Jed nodded. “Paisley Miles. Same birth date as Maisey. Haven’t fingerprinted her, but that would prove who she is.”
“They’re identical,” West added, then frowned. “Wouldn’t they have the same?”
Jed shook his head. “I looked this up online while I was waiting for you. While identical twins share the same DNA, they have different fingerprints.”
“Then who did I fuck?” I asked, running a hand over the back of my neck. I’d fallen for the woman with the cut on her finger, but who was that? Maisey or Paisley?
“Time to find out,” Jed said, moving toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder. “I assume you’re staying?”
I glared and he gave a rare grin as he went out into the hall, then into the interview room.
Maisey—Paisley—sat up straight.
“Are you Maisey or Paisley?” Jed asked.
I watched as the corner of her mouth tipped up. Like she was pleased he was fooled.
“Not going to tell me?” Jed asked. “I can fingerprint you and we can wait for the results, which will take some time. You’ll spend that time here in jail, at least a day or two, or you can tell me, and we can move things along.”
She pushed her hair back, lifted her head and sniffed. As if she was favoring Jed with the answer. “Paisley.”
“Want to tell me why you were stealing from the Wainrights?”
“Maisey made me.”
“Holy shit,” West whispered. We stood shoulder to shoulder watching this shit show through the two-way glass.
“She made you?” Jed repeated.
Paisley shrugged her slim shoulders. She wore the same outfit I’d seen Maisey wear. Her cleaning company t-shirt and jeans. Except her hair was down and she wasn’t wearing glasses.
“She was the mastermind behind the whole thing,” Paisley continued, clearly getting into the story. While her cheeks were tear stained, she seemed eager to share. “Scoped out the family. The house. Moved here and got a job with the cleaning company.”
“You’ve been cleaning this whole time?” Jed asked.
Paisley looked shocked at the possibility. “No. I’m a terrible housecleaner. I’d have been fired. She got the Wainright family’s trust the past few months and then I was the one to come in and steal. Since we look the same, I could get in, no problem. She… she made me do the part that was against the law.”
She made no indication she’d met Jed before, which jived with her story. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Oh, brother,” West murmured.
Everything she said was spinning in my head. Maisey planning all this out. Using her sister for her dirty work.
“Where’s Maisey now?” Jed asked.
Paisley shrugged. “No idea, but it only proves my point. I’m the one in jail and she’s gotten away with it.”
“Why didn’t you do it in reverse if you didn’t want to be caught holding the bag. Literally.”
I had no idea what she’d tried to steal, but it had to be something to fit in a backpack or purse. It wasn’t like she was able to sneak out my grandmother’s grand piano.
“You don’t know Maisey. She uses me all the time. Always has.”
“You’re saying you’ve done this before,” Jed clarified, steering the conversation where he wanted it.
