Christiane Heggan - Where Truth Lies

“Was he sleeping with any of the women?”

For the first time, Denise’s gaze faltered. “No.” She looked away. “He wasn’t.”

Grace gave her a long look. The question had made Denise uncomfortable.

Perhaps sensing Grace’s doubts, Denise turned around. “If you think that I killed Steven,” she said, “forget it. I can’t shoot to save my life. Ask Carmine, who runs the shooting range. He’ll tell you. Fred took me target shooting a few times, before he finally gave up. Besides, like I said, I was at the shop. A lot of people saw me there.”

Like art, people were never quite the way they seemed. There were layers to be peeled and angles to study. Denise’s seemingly forthright manner had taken a different turn. She was hiding something, perhaps to protect herself, perhaps to protect her husband.

“I’m sure a competent attorney will unravel the mystery,” Grace said.

Another pft . “Miles sucks. I wanted to hire someone with clout, a seasoned lawyer, experienced in criminal cases, but Fred won’t talk to me. I haven’t seen him since they took him in.” She sounded resigned, and a little defeated.

Grace couldn’t think of anything adequate to say except, “I’m sorry.”

“That’s all right. I can put up with that. All I want is for Fred to go free. And now for the first time in a little over a week there’s hope.” Her expression brightened. “Matt is on his way.”

“Matt?”

“Matt Baxter, Fred’s son. Lucy—that’s my stepdaughter—called him. Fred didn’t want to bother him. He kept saying that Josh would come to his senses soon enough. When it was obvious that he wouldn’t, Lucy called her brother. He should be arriving today.”

“Does he solve murders?”

“He’s an FBI agent,” she said as if that statement required no other explanation. “One of the best. He and Fred are a lot alike—tough, stubborn, short-tempered, but very smart. Good people.”

Grace smiled. “You sound as if you care for your husband very much.”

“I love my husband,” she said, meeting Grace’s eyes. “I know that sounds weird, considering what I did, but it’s the God’s truth.”

“May I ask a personal question?”

Denise shrugged. “You’ve earned it.”

“Knowing what you knew about Steven, and feeling as you do about your husband, why did you have an affair in the first place?”

“For the same reason every female in this town went a little dopey whenever Steven was around—his charm. He oozed it, as I’m sure you know. And he truly loved women. He loved being around them, complimenting them, remembering their birthdays, or some other special occasion. When he talked to a woman, he made her feel as if she was the only person in the room. And no matter how bad you looked, Steven Hatfield could make you feel like a beauty queen. I was no exception, even though I was happily married. But Fred was always busy, helping someone through a crisis. As a result, there wasn’t a lot of time for the two of us to do anything fun. When Steven started paying attention to me, it went to my head.”

“Even though you knew his reputation with the ladies?”

“I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.”

Once again, the comment seemed to make her uneasy, and this time, Grace chose not to push it. “How old is your stepdaughter?”

“Nineteen.”

“Her father’s arrest must have been hard on her.”

“Terrible, but she’s coping. Fortunately, she and I are very close. We comfort each other.”

Grace couldn’t hide her surprise. “She’s forgiven you?”

Denise gave a slow shake of her head. “No, and I’m not sure our relationship will ever be quite the same as it was, especially if her father is convicted, but right now, she realizes that we need each other.”

She waved her hand, causing the bangles around her wrist to jingle. “That’s enough of me. I want to hear all about you.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to get back to work,” Grace said. “There’s an awful lot to do, much more than I expected. And I still have to go to the cottage to unpack.”

“Okay, I’ll get out of your hair, but how about lunch?”

“Actually, I was planning on skipping lunch.”

“You can’t work on an empty stomach. I’ll make us a couple of sandwiches and we can eat while I give you a tour of the town. Everyone is dying to meet you, or at least have a glimpse of you.”

“How do you know?”

“Lorraine told me. She owns the Everything Goes Café and is the only person in town, except for Father Donnelly, who still speaks to me.”

Oh, what the hell, Grace thought. She could work on Steven’s books after lunch. And Denise did look like she needed a friend, even if the friendship would only last a week.

Six

Matt always had mixed feelings when he came back to New Hope. Not that he didn’t like coming home. On the contrary, after several months’ absence, driving down Main Street and waving to his old neighbors never failed to lift his spirits.

The downside was Josh Nader. No matter how hard he tried not to run into him, Josh was always there, his sixth sense as sharp as a hound’s nose. They would talk for a while, pissing each other off, the way they used to when they were teenagers, then one of them would walk away, tired of the game.

It would be different this time. With Matt’s father in jail and Josh calling the shots, the police chief would take full advantage of the situation and enjoy every minute of it. He was probably sharpening his tongue right now, waiting for Matt to show up at the jail so he could bust his balls.

Matt reminded himself to play it cool. Losing his temper at the first taunt wouldn’t help the situation, or his father.

It hadn’t always been so tense between him and Josh. In fact, there was a time when they had been close friends. In the first grade, Matt, Josh and George Renchaw had formed a bond that had lasted for years. They had called their little trio the Three Musketeers, not a very original name, but they were little kids and they looked up to anyone with a sword and a plumed hat. Together they had done their share of pranks and mischief. George kept them straight. Studious and levelheaded, he was the one who made sure his two buddies never went too far.

Then in eighth grade, everything changed. A new girl moved next door to Josh’s house and all three boys fell head over heels in love with her. When Mary Ellen Sanders chose Matt, George gracefully accepted defeat, but Josh declared war on Matt.

Long after Mary Ellen had left their lives, Josh’s animosity toward Matt kept on growing. Matt and George graduated from college at the same time Josh got his army discharge. That summer, another incident had pulled Matt and Josh even further apart. Matt’s former girlfriend, nineteen-year-old Felicia Newman, disappeared. When foul play was suspected and several young men were interrogated, Josh was quick to point the finger at Matt, claiming he had heard the couple argue. Fred Baxter, the chief of police at the time, had no choice but to bring his son in for questioning. A few days later, Dusty Colburn, a mentally retarded man with a crush on Felicia, was arrested, and Matt was cleared.

The unfortunate incident had left the town bewildered and unsettled, with a handful of people not completely convinced that the right man had been arrested. And while no one believed that the chief’s son was the culprit, Josh’s unfounded accusations had taught Matt one important lesson: New Hope wasn’t big enough for the two of them. When Josh announced that he was planning to join the New Hope police force, Matt decided he should be the one to leave. Two months later, he was entering the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.