Not What She Seems (19 page)

Steven smiled. “That is the best news I’ve had today. Tell her I’m on my way. I’ll make some calls and get down there as soon as possible.” He disconnected and then started pushing buttons on his phone. After thirty minutes, he had enough money transferred to one account to cover Emily’s bail. Moments later, he was bundling Connor up, and then pulling on his own hat and gloves. The weather was bitter cold in
Minnesota
, and Steven was not used to it.

“Are you ready to go see your mom?”

“Yes!” Connor started jumping up and down.

“Okay then, let’s go get in the car.”

Connor chatted continuously on the drive to the Stapleton police department where Emily was being held. Steven was amazed he could find so much to talk about. He was usually quiet.

Steven felt a sudden nervousness as he pulled into a parking stall. There was a crowd of people outside of the station, and he could see at least two television cameras.
Shoot. The local news stations found out he was here.
He unbuckled Connor and pulled him up into his arms. He stepped onto the side walk.

“There he is!” someone yelled. The crowd inundated him. Microphones were thrust into his face while flashes of light went off around him.

“Mr. Ashton, are you here to post bail for Emily Grant?”

“How do you know Emily, Mr. Ashton?”

“Is it true that this boy is William Grant’s son?”

“Are you and Emily romantically involved?”

Steven elbowed his way through the reporters and spectators, his face feeling hot. “No comment. Please let me through.” He held Connor close, and pushed through the doors of the station. All eyes were on him as he went to speak to the dispatcher behind the counter.

“I’m here to post bail for Emily Grant.”

She smacked her gum, her eyes traveling up and down his face. “Yes, Mr. Ashton.”

Thanks a lot, Edna
. He sighed. At least she waited until after he left the diner to start talking about him.

After what seemed to take forever, they brought Emily out. Connor squealed and ran into her arms. She looked like she hadn’t slept for days, even though it had only been one night since he had seen her.

“Emily, are you all right?” He shifted his weight.

“I’m fine. Thank you for...” Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, seemingly trying to decide what to say.

“No problem. Let’s get you out of here.” He stepped forward and took her hand, warmth spreading through him. Emily followed him outside, where more cameras flashed and questions were thrown at them.

Steven led the way through the crowd, but stopped short when he came face to face with Theodore Grant. Mr. Grant’s jaw clenched tight. He folded his arms across his chest, and planted his feet firmly apart.

Steven straightened his back and squared his shoulders. “Excuse me, Mr. Grant.”

“Mr. Ashton, I would like a word with you.” It was not a request, but a statement.

“Perhaps some other time.”

Theodore blinked, and took a step back. “No. I need to speak with you now.”

Vincent came out of the crowd and put his arm around Emily. “Go ahead Steven. I’ll take care of Emily.” She let go of his hand, and clung to Vincent. Steven frowned, but kept his mouth shut. It was obvious Emily wanted to get away from Theodore Grant. He watched them head down the street, Connor being tugged along by Emily.

“Mr. Ashton, if you could come with me.” Theodore guided him to a silver car with tinted windows, and motioned for him to get inside, while the reporters trailed behind them and shouted more questions. He didn’t necessarily want to speak to Mr. Grant, but he was curious to know what he wanted, and it would take him away from the reporters. He slid into the car and shut the door.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere private, where we can talk.”

Steven watched Theodore’s face as he drove. His eyes never left the road, and his lips were pressed together in a thin line. A few moments later he pulled up to one of the downtown businesses. He stopped the car and put it in park, but left it running.

“I have heard that you are helping Emily.” He did not turn to look at Steven.

“Yes, she is innocent, Mr. Grant. Richard Hamilton killed your son, not Emily.”

Theodore turned his head at that, his eyes penetrating. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Richard kidnapped Emily and was holding her against her will.”

He seemed to take that information in. He nodded his head slowly. “So that is Richard’s son?”

“No, Connor is William’s son. Emily found out she was pregnant right after William was killed. Richard used this to manipulate Emily into running with him.”

“I’ll need a paternity test. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yes, of course.”

Theodore shifted his weight in his seat. He reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a bulging brown envelope sealed with tape.

 “Give this to Emily. I trust she’ll know what it is for.”

Steven raised one eyebrow and took the package. “What is–
”

“She is not to contact me in any way. I do not want to speak to Emily or to have her come anywhere near me or my wife. Is that clear?” He grabbed the gear shift and threw the car into drive.

“Now wait a minute–”

“I do not want to discuss this any further, Mr. Ashton.” He pulled the car around and started back.

“You can’t blame Emily for what happened. It was your son who was abusing her.”

“William had no right to treat Emily the way he did. He didn’t have the right to do many of the things he did, but that is private family business, and should stay that way. I am a very influential man in this town. Frankly, I am shocked that you would be seen with her, Mr. Ashton.”

“Emily is innocent.”

“Regardless if she was the one on the other end of that hammer, Emily is
not
innocent. I suggest you put some distance between the two of you before you find out the hard way.”

He stopped the car and motioned for Steven to get out.

******

Emily hugged Connor close while he wiggled on her lap.

“Would you like something to drink?” Vincent asked.

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Emily glanced around at Vincent’s home. His walls were bare, except for the large plasma television hanging opposite the couch. The leather furniture looked expensive and it was quite comfortable. The windows were covered with simple vertical blinds. Typical bachelor, Emily thought.

“I can’t believe that mob outside of the station. That was crazy.” Vincent sat down on the couch and spread his arms over the back.

“I was mortified, but I felt even worse for Steven. He’s in the public eye all the time. This is the last thing he needs.”

“Yes. I can imagine. What’s he doing here, anyway?”

“I met him several months ago. We became… friends.”

“You sure know how to pick friends. With his connections, everything should work out fine.”

Emily looked down at the seat cushion.
“Yeah.”
She lifted her eyes to the bare walls. “You have a nice house. It reminds me of the apartment you had when Will and I got married; at least, it’s similarly decorated.”

Vincent’s deep laugh filled the room. “It could use a woman’s touch, huh? I thought about hiring a decorator. I might still. Right now I just don’t see the point. I never have anyone over.”

Connor wiggled out of Emily’s grasp and onto the floor, where he crawled around acting like a dog. She slipped her hands in between her knees. “I bet you miss William, don’t you?”

He took a deep breath. “Yes, I suppose I do. We did a lot together.”

“You were over at our house practically every Saturday.”

“And somehow he always managed to con me into cleaning the drain pipes or fixing the washing machine for him.” A wide smile spread across his face.

Emily laughed. “He did have a way of getting out of any kind of manual labor, didn’t he?”

The smile faded from Vincent’s face. “Did they tell you that the police put Samantha through the ringer five years ago? Apparently they thought she was a suspect.”

Emily’s mouth dropped. “Why did they suspect Samantha?”

“I think the neighbors told the police she was seen with William earlier that day at the house, yelling and cussing up a storm.”

“
My gosh
, you’re right. She came over that morning, all hot under the collar about something. What was going on between her and William anyway? He wasn’t having an affair with her, was he?”

Vincent leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know. I don’t think they were having an affair. William would say she was just bitter about their breakup, but I always thought he was lying about that.”

“Yes, I don’t think he was telling the truth either. Maybe I should go talk to her.”

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Vincent made a face, his eyebrows knit together.

Connor picked up the remote control and started playing with it like it was a rocket ship. Emily frowned. “You’re right. She hated me from the time I started dating Will. She probably won’t be too happy to see me.”

“Samantha and Will had a short but fiery relationship. They were inseparable for three or four weeks, and then boom, it was over and she was hysterical.”

Emily sucked in her breath. “The police photos show a woman’s bloody shoe print by William’s body. Do you think Samantha is capable of murder?”

Vincent sat back against the seat. “Emily, I know William was hurting you. I understand. What happened to you was inexcusable, and someone should have stopped it before you snapped.”

Emily’s heart sank. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I didn’t kill him, Vincent. We had a fight, but I didn’t hit him with a hammer.”

Vincent sat silent, and she couldn’t read his expression. “I’m sorry, Emily. Of course you didn’t.”

Emily rubbed her temples. “I don’t know. I was so sure Richard killed him. I sent him over there to talk with William. He had the means, and the motive. He was furious at William when I showed up looking like a punching bag.”

The doorbell rang, and Vincent hopped up to answer it. Moments later Steven walked in, and Emily’s heart went into overdrive. A slight smile played on his lips, and he had a brown package tucked under his arm. He pulled it out and handed it to her.

“This is for you. It’s from Theodore Grant.”

Chapter Twenty Four

Steven held out the package, and Emily’s mouth gaped. She took the bulging envelope, staring at it.

Vincent came into the room. “Steven, would you like to sit down?” He motioned to the end of the couch farthest from Emily, which did not go unnoticed.

Irritation rubbed at Steven. He nodded and took a seat. “Thank you.”

“What’s in there?” Vincent asked, sauntering over to where Emily was seated.

“I don’t know.” She tugged at the tape, ripping the envelope open. She put her hand inside and immediately withdrew it. Peering into the envelope, the color drained from her face. “It’s money.” Turning the envelope upside down, a large bundle of cash slid out onto her lap.

A tingle worked its way up Steven’s spine, and he shifted in his seat. “Why is Theodore giving you cash?”

Emily’s eyes widened. “I have no idea. What did he say to you?”

“He handed me the package and said you would know what to do with it.”

She furrowed her brow. “Do you think he knows I’m innocent and wants to help pay for my defense attorney?”

“I don’t think–”

Vincent stepped forward. “You know, Priscilla is quite bitter. She would never allow him to help. But if he thought you were innocent, he might have felt compelled to sneak you some cash.”

Emily appeared so relieved that someone else might believe her, Steven decided not to say anything,
even
though he was sure something else was going on. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Emily was in a lot of trouble.

Emily flipped through the stack of bills. “What else did he say to you? You were with him for a while.”

“He, um...” Steven cleared his throat. “He said he didn’t want you to contact him.”

Her gaze fell to the floor. “Oh.”

“He also asked about Connor.”

At the mention of his name, Connor came bounding up to Steven and threw himself on his lap. “That’s me.”

“Yes, it is.” Steven rumpled his hair, and Connor climbed down to the floor again.

Emily frowned. “What did he say about Connor?”

“He would like to know if Connor is indeed William’s son. He would like a paternity test,” Steven said, repositioning himself on the couch.

The surprise was evident on her face. “What? He thinks I’m lying about William being Connor’s father?”

Vincent put his hand on Emily’s shoulder. “No, I’m sure he doesn’t think that. He probably is just protecting himself.
And Connor.
Maybe he’s thinking about getting involved with him, but wants to be sure he is the biological grandfather before seeing him.”