Concealed (14 page)

“Sydney,” he turned her, and tipped her chin up so he could look her in the eye, “let me help you.”

Something about his eyes made her want to spill her guts, but she bit her lip and refused to cave. “I don’t need any help.”

“Really?” He caged her against the counter with his massive arms, holding her in place to hear him out. “A strange man was in your house last night. You’re running around here with a knife. Someone left a picture of you with your throat slit in my car, and the person who killed a woman and dumped her body behind the diner may have been carrying a picture of Faith. I think you need a lot of help, but you have to talk to me.”

She was in a world of trouble, there was no denying it. If he was to blame for all of this, it might be too late. He’d been in her home, he’d followed her daughter. Maybe it was time to lay all her cards of the table.

“Mommy, I can’t find my other sparkly shoe!”

“Coming,” Sydney called, ducking under Wade’s arm and running from the kitchen.

She knew it was the coward’s way out and he’d still be standing there waiting for an explanation, but for now, she hustled upstairs and busied herself with getting Faith ready for school. She had to get to Pete’s, and didn’t want to be late or Hailey might try and make coffee again, something that could end in a catastrophic coffeemaker explosion if they weren’t careful.

Fifteen minutes later when she returned to the kitchen, Wade was gone. On the table was a note that said
I’ll be by the diner for lunch. We’ll talk then.
Sydney crumpled the paper and buried it deep in the trashcan as if somehow that would make it go away.

Avoiding Wade was going to be harder than she thought.

THE EARLY BIRDS WERE
already at the diner when Sydney pulled in just after eight. Mrs. Whittman’s car, as well as Luke’s, were both in the parking lot beside Reverend Jacob’s ugly, white, conversion van. Sydney hurried in before Pete noticed she was late.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Pete’s voice boomed from behind the grill. The acrid smell of charred something filled the air.

“Did you let Cara cook again?” Sydney teased as she hung her jacket on the hook.

With a growl, Pete waved the spatula at her. “Hailey almost burned down the place. She’s grounded from the toaster now, too.”

“That’s gotta be a record.” Sydney laughed as she tied her apron around her waist and grabbed a pad of order tickets and a pen and headed into the dining room. The minute she hit the counter, every head in the place turned to stare at her.

“Morning, Sydney,” Hailey said in a singsong voice as she put a plate on her tray.

“Hi,” she said cautiously, feeling like she had somehow stepped into an alternate reality with half the restaurant still staring at her.

“You’re in late,” Cara said, barely containing her laughter.

“I’m sorry. Faith couldn’t find her shoes and we woke up later than usual. Spent the whole morning playing catch up.”

“Mhmmm,” Cara smirked, not making eye contact.

“What’s going on?” The way people were looking at her, watching her every move kicked her paranoia into high gear.

Had Wade told them what happened? Did one of his deputies spill the details about the man in her house? What else did they know?

God bless Agnes Whittman, but she didn’t beat around the bush. When she cleared her throat at the counter, Sydney knew she’d finally get some answers.

“They’re all snickering because of your
houseguest
last night.” She motioned to her mug.

Cara brought over some fresh creamer and hissed, “Spoilsport.”

None of it made sense. How had Agnes found out about the man? Who told her? What did they think about it? Her face turned red and her palms started sweating. “W-What are you talking about?” She scanned the diner and saw Luke sitting at a booth nearby, but he refused to make eye contact. Instead he fixated on his omelet like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Oh, come on!” Cara’s hands flew up in the air. “We all know!”

“Know
what
, exactly?” she asked, genuinely confused. They were all too giddy to be talking about the intruder.

Agnes smiled like the cat that swallowed the canary and Sydney’s pulse raced. “That Wade’s cruiser was parked in front of your house all night. Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

Oh, hell.

“Figure
what
out?” Her only defense was to keep throwing questions back at them. It was like she was talking to Wade all over again as she dodged their assumptions.

“You and Wade,” the gray-haired Agnes said as she speared a potato chunk with her fork and popped it into her mouth, “and your illicit all-night rendezvous.”

“My illicit what?” Her voice rose to near hysteric pitch. Everything suddenly made sense, the looks, the stares, the glares and the giant smirk on Cara’s face. They thought she and Wade had slept together, and they wanted details.

This was bad.

“His car was there when I walked Diablo at midnight, and it was still there when we went for our walk at dawn.” Cara stood off to the side, wide eyed, nearly holding her breath in anticipation. “Cara thinks you were up all night talking.” Agnes actually made air quotes on the last word, which made it that much worse. “Hailey thinks you screwed like bunnies.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “The reverend’s wife over there is praying for your soul, and Luke is busy pouting.”

“Shut up, Agnes.” Luke barely glanced her way as he said it.

“Personally, I’m betting you made Faith a big sister, but only time will tell.” She eyeballed Sydney’s waistline for good measure and nodded.

“You have all lost your minds,” Sydney muttered from behind her hands. She had covered her burning cheeks and closed her eyes, hoping it was all a bad dream.

“Did you kiss him?”

“How does he look naked?”

“Did he let you hold his gun?” At Agnes Whittman’s question everyone burst out laughing, except Sydney who did her best to remain straight faced.

“Agnes,” Cara gasped between laughing fits, “you’re a hoot!”

“What are you all laughing at? I’m serious. He had a really nice piece.”

At that comment, even Sydney couldn’t hold back her laughter. Agnes’ hands flew up defensively. “I didn’t mean it like that, you bunch of dirty perverts!”

When that laughter died down, Sydney poured her neighbor more coffee. “Between you and Cara, I guess I’ve got some competition, huh?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “You betcha.”

Cara’s head snapped around. “So you admit he spent the night? I thought maybe his cruiser broke down.”

There was no point denying it. Sooner or later they’d know everything, and the truth wasn’t pretty, but she might be able to sugar coat it a little and lessen the questions. “No, he stopped over.”

“Why?” Hailey asked, hopping up to sit on the counter, all ears now.

He never had explained it to her. “I’m not exactly sure. But when he got there, he saw something in the house.”

Luke had sauntered closer and that caught his attention. “What did he see?” he asked suddenly interested.

“A shadow.”

“A shadow?” Luke asked, skeptical.

“Yes, he said he thought a man was in the house.”

“Did you ever see this man?”

“No,” she said, sensing where he was going with this. “But he knocked over a table as he was climbing out the window. And the door was broken into.”

“You saw this? With your own eyes?”

“I saw the open window and the toppled table if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No. I’m asking if you saw a man, a shadow, or any proof, other than things that Wade
told
you? He could have done all that stuff to make it look like this
intruder
existed.”

There was a strained silence between the two. Both of their body languages screamed tension and everyone around them had gone silent, not daring to get in the middle of their heated exchange. Arms crossed, Sydney growled, “No. I didn’t.” Luke gave her an ‘I told you so’ look that flared her temper. “I trust Wade.”

Three little words, the complete truth, but said in anger, were like a visible blow to Luke. He gave her a slow nod of understanding before patting the back of the chair he was standing beside two times. “Just be careful. Everyone in this town forgets his sins too easily. They make like he’s perfect, but he’s not. And they all know it. Be careful. He’s not the man you think he is.”

When he turned to walk away, Sydney stormed into the kitchen. She liked Luke. He was a nice guy unless the topic of Wade came up, then he turned into a raving lunatic. She had been planning to ask Melissa what the story was between them, but never got the chance.

It was time to do a little research of her own on Wade, and see what she could find.

LATE THAT AFTERNOON, WHEN
her shift ended, Sydney walked outside feeling relieved. Wade hadn’t come into the diner to interrogate her, and other than her uncomfortable run-in with Luke, things had been pretty laid back once they fixed the flaming toaster. With a smile on her face, she pulled around to the front of the diner, but what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

Wade’s truck was off to the side of the parking lot and he was standing in front of it talking to a woman. She was very pretty, with perfectly styled dark brown hair. Sydney had never seen her before, but there was something about the way she stood there touching him that she didn’t like. Which was ridiculous, because Sydney had no claim on Wade. From the way they were standing, she couldn’t get a good view at his face, only hers, and from the looks of it, she was having the time of her life, petting him like a giant cat. When the woman went up on her tiptoes to kiss him, Sydney’s hands tightened on the wheel. Her foot slammed down on the gas and she pulled out of the parking lot faster than she should have, sending an arc of stones into the air behind her. Only then did Wade turn his head and she could see him frowning at her as she sped away.

I dare you to give me a ticket for speeding,
she thought as her car raced down the road. She decided it was time to get some answers about Wade.

There was no denying she was jealous and it annoyed her that she would react in such a childish way to what she saw. It was her own fault for letting herself fall for the guy without knowing more about him. Melissa had thought he was perfect, but she always saw the best in everyone, something Sydney knew first-hand could come back and bite you in the ass. Luke definitely didn’t like Wade and maybe she should have paid more attention to his concerns instead of staring into Wade’s eyes like some lovesick schoolgirl.

She had trusted Wade. That was the hardest pill to swallow. For the first time since that awful night almost six years ago, she had allowed herself to trust someone to look out for her and to keep her and Faith safe. But maybe Wade wasn’t worthy of it. And if that was in fact the case, then there was no way they could stay in Elton. She knew that now. It was time to make some difficult decisions.

So she went to the one person who couldn’t help but bluntly tell her the truth.

“SYDNEY.” AGNES GREETED HER
with a welcoming smile like she did every day. “Faith started some art project a few minutes ago. It’s something for her birthday party, but she’s not quite done. Why don’t you come in and have some chicken. I’ve got plenty left.”

“Thanks,” she said as she scooted inside. From the outside, Mrs. Whittman’s looked like any other home in Elton; modest, neat and well-maintained. It was only when you were inside that you saw the world Agnes lived in. To most people the multiple locks and security monitors inside might be off-putting, but to Sydney they were a comfort. If that wasn’t enough, the 150 pound German Sheppard named Diablo was enough to stop the toughest heart. When Faith was here, Sydney knew she was safe.

“How was the rest of your shift? Did Luke stay all afternoon with that sour look on his face?” An enormous pile of potatoes and a chicken breast were placed on the plate before her. Sydney smiled appreciatively.

“Thank you.” Her hunger had her digging into the potatoes within seconds. “He stayed a while after you left, but didn’t really say anything. He just read the paper.”

“Mommy!” Faith said with a smile as she ran into the kitchen, an empty roll of tape in her hand. “I’m making a new creation. Can I finish it before we leave?” When Sydney agreed, Faith turned to Agnes, her expression becoming serious. “I have a code red.” She waved the plastic packaging in the air. “No more tape.”

With a laugh, Mrs. Whittman went to a drawer by the phone and pulled out a new spare. Faith’s eyes lit up at the sight. “To be clear, Faith, my dear, lack of tape is not a code red. It’s not classified as a matter of life or death or national security. A code yellow, or maybe it could be a code orange if you were wrapping a gift to give someone, but not a matter of life or death. Understand?” The little girl’s head bobbed up and down in understanding, but her eyes never left the circular roll in her hand.

“You go finish up your project while your mother eats.” Without another word, Faith sprinted out of the kitchen and went back to work in the other room. “Whiskey or wine?” Agnes held up both, her standard offering at the end of the day. She swore the whiskey was the key to longevity, but Sydney wasn’t up for immortality. She did however need some form of liquid courage for the conversation she wanted to have, so she didn’t refuse.

“Wine, please.” Sydney thanked her as she placed a very generously filled glass of red wine beside her plate. Agnes had her traditional two fingers of whiskey, neat.

“Long day?” Agnes asked as she slid into the chair across the table. “Or is the late night finally catching up with you?” For a mature woman, she certainly enjoyed teasing Sydney.

Sydney wadded up her napkin and launched it over the table at her. “You’re as bad as the rest of them.” Agnes took a long sip of her whiskey. Sydney could see that she was mulling something in her head.

“Do you believe Wade when he said there was someone in your house last night?”

The perfect opening had been given, so she took it as she played with the chicken on her plate. “Should I?”

Mrs. Whittman shrugged her shoulders. “That’s for you to decide.”

“I had decided, until I saw him in the parking lot of the diner kissing some woman. Now I’m not so sure.” It was Sydney’s turn to take a long sip of her wine while Agnes sat wordless across the table. The corners of her lips pulled down into a deep frown.

“Kissing someone you say?” Sydney speared a piece of chicken and nodded her head. “Did she have dark hair and kinda look like the devil incarnate?”

“She was definitely thinking about sin when she was stroking his chest, if you ask me.”

“Damn that girl,” Agnes spat the words out with a sudden burst of anger. “She won’t leave him alone.”

“He didn’t seem to mind her attention,” Sydney grumbled, taking another drink. She was starting to warm from the inside out as the alcohol took effect. She leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me about Wade.”

Agnes played her cards very close to her chest. She thought of Wade like a son, and was going to protect him if necessary, it seemed. “What do you want to know?”

“Why does Luke hate him?”

“Why didn’t you ask Luke or Wade?”

“Because I didn’t think either of them would tell me.” Sydney had considered cornering Luke, but he was always so emotional when it came to Wade, she knew no good would come from it.

“Why not?”

“Will you stop answering my questions with questions?”

“Sorry. Those two have a long history and I think it’s their story to tell. Why is it so important to know?” Again, Agnes cautiously avoided answering.

“Luke’s a friend, I guess, but sometimes it’s hard because Wade…”

“Might be something more?”

Sydney didn’t answer right away, instead pausing to organize her thoughts before she spoke. “You know there’s a lot I can’t tell you, right? I’ve kept my secrets since we came to town. And I trust you to watch Faith when I’m not around. I can tell you that trust doesn’t come easily for me.” Her eyes drifted to the other room where her daughter played happily, making decorations for her birthday party. One Sydney hoped she’d be able to have in Elton, if it was safe. “I trust Wade. At least I did until today. Things are… catching up with me and, right now, I need to make a choice between leaving Elton or staying. But I can’t stay if I can’t trust Wade to keep his word. Right now, after seeing him in the parking lot, I have to say, I’m more inclined to run so if there’s something you can tell me to change my mind, please do. I’m begging you. Our lives might depend on it.”

“Both of those boys are as trustworthy as they come. Their problems are between them. Pride and jealousy are powerful emotions that are hard to let go. For everyone involved, that is.” When Sydney didn’t say anything but looked at her imploringly, Agnes tossed back the rest of her whiskey. “Screw it. Whole town knows anyway. It’s public knowledge. I was hoping you’d talk to Wade about it, then maybe share whatever it is you’ve been hiding. Now don’t look at me that way, child. I wasn’t born yesterday. Your confession doesn’t surprise me at all. I know evasive techniques, and you’ve been practicing them so long I bet you don’t even think about it anymore.” Sydney’s head dropped. “But since I can see you’re as stubborn as an old mule I once had,” Mrs. Whittman said with a cheeky smile, “I’ll tell you what I can.”

“Thank you,” Sydney said softly, still plagued by guilt for always being the one asking for things from people but never willing to give anything in return. It was a difficult way to live and she was getting tired of it.

“Luke and Wade grew up together and were never close friends. But their dislike of one another grew deep when their hormones kicked in and they began chasing skirts.”

Faith ran in for some juice then disappeared back into the living room. “They’re opposites, as you’ve noticed. Luke was the outgoing one and Wade was more of the quiet, mysterious type.”

The picture was becoming clearer for Sydney and she knew exactly how the girls would react to them. Luke would be charming and pursue girls constantly and Wade would give off the air of danger that would attract girls like flies. Then the conflicts would arise and the posturing, probably mostly on Luke’s part. His insecurity, his distrust of Wade made a lot of sense, but he was so vehement about it. There had to be more.

“After high school, Wade went into the military. The female population around here wore black for a month when he was deployed. His parents were so proud of him for going into the service. Bragged about him to anyone who would listen – which was just about the entire town. Drove Luke crazy.”

“That’s still not the end of their story, is it?” There had to be more to it and whatever it was, Agnes was reluctant to tell her. That had all her internal alarms ringing.

“No. When Wade came home, he met this girl, Tara. I’m pretty sure she’s the one you saw pawing him in the parking lot today. The girl was either an unidentified mental patient or Lucifer’s niece. One of the two.”

“Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think.”

“She was rotten, but a skilled liar. Her family had moved to town a few months before Wade got back and she’d been
dating
a number of the men in town but the moment she saw Wade, she was like a heat-seeking missile and wouldn’t let go.”

Green’s so becoming on you, Sydney,
she told herself as her gut churned. “Let me guess, Luke had his eye on her before Wade came home?”

Agnes’ nodding head confirmed it. “He had more than his eye on her—they were pretty serious. At least Luke thought they were. Then Wade came back and you have to understand, Wade had been in the thick of it in Iraq. From what I heard from my husband, he saw some horrible stuff and he wasn’t himself those first few months.” She took Sydney’s empty plate to the sink and went to refill her glass. “George talked to him a lot. Being a veteran, he understood some of what Wade was going through. The two of them became close.”

“That’s why Wade is so important to you.” She smiled in confirmation and before coming back to the table Agnes looked in on Faith and checked her monitors.

“Yes. While he was getting his feet back under him, Tara swooped in and dug her claws in deep. He was hurt and lonely and she took advantage of that. Worm that she was.” The nasty tone Agnes’ voice took on when she mentioned Tara spoke volumes.

Tara was scum.

“How she got him to marry her was anybody’s guess.”

The air in the room seemed to vanish as Sydney sputtered for breath. “M-Married? Wade’s married?” Not only was Tara scum, she was Wade’s scummy wife.

Great.

“You don’t like the idea of Wade married, do you?” The smug grin on Agnes’ face made Sydney’s heart pound. “Good. Then you’re really gonna hate the next part.” She grabbed another glass and poured Sydney some whiskey of her own, which she quickly sipped. “Tara became pregnant.”

Sydney gripped the table when the room began to spin, either from the whiskey burning a hole in her stomach or the thought of the baby.