Hazardous Homecoming Read online

  He grimaced. “This is about justice.” He held out his palm. “Cell phones.”

  “Why should I give you my phone?”

  “Because I don’t want you calling over and alerting your brother that we’re coming. Wouldn’t want him to suddenly need to go on a long, out-of-town errand or something, and it’s better if your father doesn’t have the heads-up to prepare a tidy, well-reasoned statement for his son.” Pickford’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Oh, yes I can. I’m conducting an investigation and I can prevent you from obstructing that investigation, so give me your cell phones. Now. You’ll get them back as soon as Mick’s been secured.”

  Ruby put her phone on the table, and Cooper did the same.

  He smiled. “You can stay in the waiting room if you’d like, but you won’t be able to speak with your brother for a while. Make yourself comfortable. There’s some bad coffee near the front desk. Free refills.”

  Ruby stumbled out with Cooper’s help and found herself sitting, staring at the drab beige walls of the outer room with Hank and Heather close by. Vaguely, she heard Cooper trying to deflect Heather’s questions.

  “But why are they arresting Peter?” Heather demanded. “What did he say?”

  “He knew about Lester’s body,” Cooper finally told her. “He’s known Lester was dead all these years.”

  She gasped. “He didn’t kill Lester.”

  “That’s what he says, too.”

  Fury pounded so hard in Ruby’s head she could hardly hear their chatter. After what seemed like an eternity, an officer handed Ruby and Cooper their phones.

  “I want to talk to my brother,” Ruby said. “As soon as possible.”

  The officer shrugged. “Gonna be a while. We’ll let you know,” he said over his shoulder as he left.

  “Your brother?” Heather blinked. “They’re bringing Mick in for questioning because of something Peter said?”

  Cooper sighed. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough anyway. He says he found Mick’s wallet with Lester’s body.”

  “Mick’s wallet,” Hank repeated. “I did not see that coming.”

  Ruby whirled on him. “He didn’t kill Lester. He lost that wallet years ago.”

  Hank raised an eyebrow. “I just find it ironic. Perry is so good at piecing together evidence, constructing a case against people and now, the police will be doing the same thing to his son. It must gall him.” He chuckled.

  Ruby nearly screamed. “You hate my father for revealing your own mistakes.”

  “No,” Hank said, thin lips in a tight line, “but I can’t help feeling satisfaction that the Hudsons are now the ones under the microscope. Maybe it’s true what they say, what goes around, comes around.”

  “Enough,” Cooper said, a warning in his voice. “Time for you to leave.”

  “Every single detail,” Hank continued. “Every tiny moment, every secret you ever had is going to be unfolded and laid out for all the world to feast on.” He smiled. “Now your father can see how it feels.”

  Cooper moved closer, but Hank took Heather by the arm. “We won’t be able to see Peter now. I’ll bring you back later if he can see visitors.”

  “Or if he’s released,” Cooper said.

  Hank nodded and led Heather out.

  Ruby sank down on a chair and Cooper sat next to her. “This isn’t happening.”

  He took her hand. “I can’t believe it either. All these years Peter knew Lester was dead and he never said a word.”

  “And my brother...” She swallowed against a thickening in her throat. “How did his wallet get there? Lester must have had it in his pocket and now it looks...” She turned to him. “It looks like my brother killed Lester, doesn’t it?”

  He didn’t answer, and his silence spoke volumes.

  She pulled her hand away. “He didn’t do it.”

  Cooper nodded.

  “You believe it, right?” She was desperate to hear him say so. “You don’t think Mick is a murderer?”

  Cooper fixed sad eyes on her. “Ruby, for what it’s worth, I don’t.”

  She took immense comfort in the words. “It’s worth a lot.”

  “But the truth is sometimes less powerful than the accusation.”

  “What are you saying?”

  He stood and paced back and forth. “People will convict you and your family in their minds, in their hearts.” His tone hardened. “Doesn’t matter what the truth is. I know. I’ve lived it, and so has Peter.”

  “And you blame me. I’m one of those ‘people’ you’re speaking about.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” She shook her head, bitterness creeping across her features. “I can see it in your face. We’ve gotten so close, come so far, but you still hold me guilty along with the town for condemning Peter.”

  “Am I wrong?” he snapped. “If I hadn’t come back and we hadn’t shared this week together, wouldn’t you still judge me and my brother because of what happened all those years ago?”

  She stared at him, cheeks burning, stomach constricted. Was he wrong? Hadn’t she and her family cut themselves off from Peter and Cooper like the rest of the town? Was she not at that very moment stepping back from the closeness she’d felt, the love she’d experienced with Cooper because those lines had just been redrawn? Closing the Hudson fortress against anyone who would threaten, anyone like Peter and his brother? “No, you’re not wrong.” The words burned like acid on her throat. “I learned long ago not to trust anyone except my family.”

  “I know.” He sighed. “But you can’t live like that.”

  “Yes, I can,” she said. “I will do what I have to do to protect them.”

  He reached for her hands. “You don’t have to shut me out to do that.”

  She snatched her hands away. “Yes, I do. You’re right, I’ve condemned you and your family and held on to it all these years. You’re right about me. I don’t trust people. I never will.” She swallowed. “And I can’t let myself trust you.”

  “You got hurt, badly hurt, and it wounded you.” His eyes searched her face. “I want to stay with you through this, whatever happens with our brothers.”

  “But one of our brothers has to be guilty, Cooper. Don’t you see that? How can we survive together knowing that one of our brothers will destroy the other?”

  He took her then, by the shoulders, and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “That doesn’t affect how I feel about you, Ruby.”

  Her heart fractured into tiny pieces, bitter anguish blotting out the pleasure those words should have created in her heart. “Cooper,” she whispered. “You can’t have feelings for me. Not anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because if one of our brothers must be destroyed...” Tears ran down her face. “I want it to be Peter.”

  He stiffened and stepped away. “Ruby...”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Something happened to my heart when Alice was taken. It hardened over. You made me feel like I’d gotten past that for a little while, but I haven’t. I’m trapped.”

  He pulled her close again. “Listen to me. God made you to love. If it’s not me—” he paused and sighed “—then someone else, but He didn’t want you to live your life trapped in anger and fear.”

  For a split second, she wanted to throw off the bonds of fear and anguish, to let it all dissipate into the vast expanse of sky and grasp instead the sweet freedom Cooper spoke about. To let go of the past, to open up her heart again to faith and love, how tantalizing, how exquisite. But the drab walls pushed in on her, the smell and sound and sights of the place that now imprisoned her brother pressed the hope away. The warmth of Cooper’s body seemed to collect the heat from hers, drawing out
all that was good and gentle and leaving a cold crust behind. What was happening to her?

  I’m afraid to love you, Cooper, she wanted to shout. Please don’t leave me in this terrible place. Stay with me, in spite of it all. But something born long ago rose up inside her, a chilled stone took the place of her heart, forcing away thoughts of love and a future with Cooper. Instead, she rallied a calm tone, confident and in control. “God’s not here, Cooper. Just me, and I’m going to protect my brother, no matter what the cost.”

  “By cutting yourself off from me?”

  She didn’t answer.

  His eyes shone gold in the waiting room, the only warmth in that horrible, dank place. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

  “Yes,” she said, the last piece of her heart dropping away, “it does.”

  * * *

  Cooper could not penetrate the wall that rose between them. Ruby would not look at him, nor could he get her to engage in conversation. Those beautiful brown eyes gazed stonily ahead, glimmering with tears that she tried desperately to keep from falling. The tremble in her lower lip made him want to grab her up and whirl her away, to return to the forest where things were pure and simple, where his feelings for her had seemed as clear as the cobalt sky.

  Hands balled into fists, he held himself still. He had nothing of comfort to offer since it was clear she had locked him out, as if her fondness for him had never existed. Perhaps he’d been wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d assumed a woman felt something deeper for him than she actually did. He’d told her he cared about her at the worst possible time, and managed to make things worse, so much worse. Something burned deep inside as he contemplated her cold profile.

  Ruby, he wanted to yell out. Don’t let what happened to Alice cut you off from your own life, cut you off from me. But how could he offer such advice when his own experience was colored so profoundly by what had happened that day?

  He closed his eyes. Lord, you showed me there was still life to be lived, people that You put here for me to love. Please show her that, too.

  They remained locked in that terrible silence until Pickford shuffled into the waiting room with Perry Hudson. Ruby sprang into her father’s arms, the tears finally trickling down her face. Perry held her, his expression so torn with tenderness that Cooper had to look away.

  “Dad,” she said. “What’s going to happen?”

  Pickford answered as he scribbled something on his clipboard. “We’re holding both Peter and Mick for twenty-four hours while we finish combing the crime scene. Then we’ll decide how to proceed.”

  “You can’t just keep him here.” Ruby glared at him. “My brother is innocent.”

  Pickford cocked his head. “Actually, I can and I’m going to. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go light a fire under the county medical examiner.” He disappeared into the back again.

  Cooper didn’t bother to speak up to Pickford. While he believed his brother had not killed anyone, he had certainly covered up evidence of a crime. The best thing Cooper could do was call around and see if he could locate a lawyer and figure out how to pay for it. There wasn’t much left in his bank account after Peter’s many stints in rehab and his mother’s medical needs. Worse yet, how would he break the latest news to his mother? Worry clawed at his insides.

  Perry was saying something about legal counsel when he tuned back in. “I’m going to take you home and make some calls.”

  Ruby’s phone buzzed, and she checked her texts. A frown creased her forehead. “You go ahead, Dad. I’m going to stay here for a while.”

  Her father shook his head. “No. They won’t let you see Mick anyway, Bee, and it’s better for you to come home. Nothing you can do here.”

  “I’ll be home in a little while, I promise.”

  “Why...?”

  She kissed him. “I promise.”

  His look was hesitant, but his body language said he was eager to go, no doubt to start rounding up a legal support team. Cooper did not think the Hudsons had unlimited funds to work with either, but they were probably in a better position than Cooper and his brother. He tried to tamp down a flare of resentment.

  When Perry finally moved toward the door, he offered only one further comment, directed at Ruby, though he looked straight at Cooper. “I told you the Stokes family would bring trouble, Ruby. Keep that in mind now that Peter has made his revelation. Look where it’s gotten us.”

  The heat of both anger and shame curled inside Cooper. He had no reply. Peter’s actions had implicated Mick, but it was possible, too, that Peter had allowed Mick twenty years of freedom that he had no right to. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to believe Mick had murdered Lester either.

  Maybe you’re just a naive sap, Cooper told himself severely. Wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you on the chin. Believe everyone who gives you an honest line. Maybe after blindly believing his brother so many times he’d lost all judgment. The door closed behind Perry, and Ruby stared at it for a while.

  “I’ve got to go now,” she said, without making eye contact.

  “Where?”

  She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “It does, and I think it has to do with the text you received.”

  She jerked. “How did you know that?”

  He tried for a roguish smile. “My mad detective skills. Was it from Jane?”

  Not a glimmer of a return smile. Ruby’s shoulders slumped. “Yes. She said to meet her at Sparrow Valley Junction in forty-five minutes.”

  “An out-of-the-way spot, isn’t it? And you’re all set to go running after this lady whom you know nothing about?”

  She folded her arms and gave him such a ferocious look that he almost smiled. “I told you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to save my brother. If this woman knows something about Alice, then she might be able to shed some light on what happened to Lester, too.”

  “And telling the police is out because they already suspect your brother and father and you don’t want to make anything worse.”

  She tipped her chin up. “Yes. So what are you going to do about it?”

  He went by and held the door. “Go with you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Unless you’re calling a cab, you don’t have a ride that I’m aware of.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll call Molly. She’ll take me.”

  “Maybe, but not without a lot of questions and probably a call to her husband.”

  She blew out a breath. “Cooper, things between us have changed.” Two pink flames kindled in her cheeks. “I can’t allow you to help me.”

  His heart squeezed. “Fine. I’m not interested in helping you, how’s that? I know my brother didn’t hurt Alice and this is my chance to help him out, maybe my only chance.”

  She wavered. “She may not know anything. Maybe she’s one of those crazy people who follows a story and gets obsessed with it.”

  He checked the time on his phone. “If we don’t get going, we’ll never know. It’s twenty miles to Sparrow Valley Junction.”

  “Okay. We’ll do this together.”

  Her tone said it all. And then I’m out of your life for good. Ruby Hudson, childhood friend, his brother’s enemy, would walk out of his life one more time. Why did it pain him so much to think about it? He’d loved several women over the years, and he’d gotten over each one of them eventually. Why did he have the sick feeling he’d never get over Ruby?

  She passed him out the door, her hair brushing against his bare forearm, sending little bursts of excitement through his body. He wondered how long it would take him to stop yearning for the joy that Ruby seemed to have awakened in him.

  It’s over, Cooper. The sooner you accept that the better.

  EIGHTEENr />
  Outside, Hank sat on the edge of a stone retaining wall, talking on the phone with one hand and working his iPad with the other. Probably looking for a new dishwasher, Ruby thought wryly. Or maybe helping his daughter get out the next installment of her hard-hitting online news story. Had her loyalty to Peter disappeared with this latest revelation? Was her fondness for Cooper’s brother just a ruse, a way to get close to him to write the story that might garner her the attention she craved?

  Did everyone have ulterior motives, or was it her own rampant paranoia?

  Hank gave them a curt nod. Ruby kept her eyes glued to her feet until they got into the truck.

  Cooper gunned the engine and they drove away from town, toward Sparrow Valley Junction. The place was not really a destination as much as a turnoff, a shortcut across a mountain meadow that eventually led to the main highway. There was nothing at Sparrow Valley Junction but a long stretch of road in disrepair, bordered on one side by a thick copse of trees and on the other by a steep drop-off down into Sparrow Falls Creek.

  “Weird meeting place,” Cooper said, pulling the truck to the gravel-covered shoulder. Trees provided shade from the brilliant sunlight. Rolling down the window he could hear the burble of water from the creek.

  Ruby drummed fingers against her thigh. “Not so odd if you were leaving town and you didn’t want to take the main road.” The thought did not comfort her. It was also a good spot if you wanted to get someone alone.

  Cooper checked to be sure his cell phone had reception.

  They waited fifteen minutes, Ruby growing more and more agitated. “She’s not coming.”

  “Let’s give it another fifteen minutes.”

  “Why? She’s not coming, is she? This is another false hope.”

  He reached for her hand then, but she pulled away. Her hateful words floated back to her.

  If one of our brothers must be destroyed...I want it to be Peter.

  “Is there anything else you could be doing to help, other than waiting a few more minutes here?” he asked quietly.

  She gathered her hair into her hands and twisted the auburn strands. “I don’t think so.”