The Fire Still Burns (7 page)

She’d loved him enough to go against her nature and let the town think her a whore when she’d been violated.  He should have loved her enough to know something was wrong…to know she wouldn’t willingly do something so low.  Fury coursed through her veins as, she figured, the thought had never crossed his mind.

“I'd tell you Adam, but you didn't want to hear why the first time I offered.”  She dropped the stick, no longer seeing the angry tension in his body.  “And you're too much like your mother.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you expect perfection in people who can't achieve it.”

She turned and walked away, having no intention of getting back in Adam's truck.  She didn't trust herself not to let the truth slip.  Not when she was this tired of keeping the dark secret to herself.

“One more thing…” she paused to yell over her shoulder, “…no matter what your mother says now, you were always the better of her two sons.  Zeke has died and she feels guilty for always comparing you, and for pointing out how you were always just a bit smarter, just a bit more athletic…she's making him out to be perfect because of her own guilt.  I know how she works.  I know she's still comparing the both of you, and she's making Zeke out to be the better son.  It's hard to compete with a dead man's memory, Adam.  Don't waste your time.”  

“Now you're complimenting me?”  Adam's brows drew together in confusion.  He stood still, his head cocked to the side.

Brynn stopped and shook her head.

“No.  I wouldn't waste my breath complimenting you.  I'm just stating the truth.”  She stared at him, weighing the consequences of her next words.

To hell with it.  She might not be able to tell him the whole truth, but she could erase his suspicions he’d done something to cause her to stray.  He deserved that much.  “And yes, Adam.  You were better.  Cal couldn't compare.”

She ignored the surprised relief that showed on his face and walked away.

Chapter Five

Cigarette smoke engulfed Brynn as she stepped through the double doors of Red's Tavern.  For a brief moment, it looked as though she'd stepped inside a burning building, then the thick, filmy wall lifted enough to allow a view of the room.

The tavern was in full swing during the early evening hour.  Couples cuddled together in darkened corners, men on the prowl leaned against the bar ogling the women who came looking for company while old-timers sat by themselves, nursing their beers.  Folks out for a good time, danced in the middle of the room, moving their bodies to the beat of a Travis Tritt tune blaring from the jukebox.  Brynn squinted her eyes, perusing the darkly lit bar.  It didn’t take long to zero in on the man she'd come for.

Chuck Davis sat by himself in a booth, one beer in his hand, three empty bottles lined up in front of him.  Except for the extra twenty pounds he'd picked up over the years, he looked the same as he did in high school, which wasn't necessarily a compliment.

“I'd say it's great to see you again, but that wouldn't really be true and we both know it.”  Brynn paused by the booth, studied the man.

Chuck glanced up, his heavily freckled face ruddy and damp with sweat.  “Well, surprise, surprise.  Brynn Har…, I mean Wylie.”

“You nearly had it right the first time.”  She slid into the opposite side of the booth.  “You're looking exceptionally sweaty there, Chuck.  Nervous about something?”

The air conditioner was on at full blast.  Despite several bodies being packed together in the small tavern the temperature was comfortable.

“Maybe.  More than likely I'm just madder than hell.  Your little boyfriend already pinned his brother's murder on me.  I guess it's your turn now.”  His hands shook as he took a swig of his beer.

Brynn left Adam at Lover's Loop hours ago, but his words had haunted her every moment since.  The onslaught of memories slammed through her, and she clenched her teeth to concentrate.  He'd thought she'd slept with his best friend to hurt him.  He actually thought she could be that evil.  “Adam Good hasn't been my boyfriend in a long time.”

“Oh, that's right.  Not since you screwed him over and got knocked up by his best—”

Brynn grabbed her keys and stood.  “You know what, Chuck, I came here looking for you in order to help.  I thought maybe you'd like me to catch the person who really killed Zeke, but now that I remember how much of an ass—”

Chuck slammed his beer down on the table, a little liquid sloshing out of the bottle.  “Whoa there, girlie.  Back it up.  The person who really killed Zeke?  You don't think I'm the one who set the fires?”

“No, I don't.”  Brynn waved away the waitress who’d come to take her order and eased back into the booth.

“Why not?”  Chuck’s eyes narrowed warily.

“Call it a hunch, or women's intuition.”

Chuck leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his burly chest.  “Yeah, well, if you don't think it was me, why you still sniffing around me?”

“The fact still remains you and Zeke had a memorable fight shortly before his death.  What was the fight about?”

“I already told your boy—, er, Adam.”

“Humor me, Chuck.  I want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.” She honestly didn’t believe he’d killed Zeke.  Her gut wouldn’t allow the thought to take root, but he was an ass, had always been an ass.  She wouldn’t be surprised to hear Adam had barely let the obnoxious man speak during his initial interrogation.  That mistake could have cost them valuable information.

“Good didn't tell you what I told him, did he?”  The smirk on his face indicated he already knew the answer to his question.

“What was the fight about?”

He let out a bitter laugh and took a long gulp from his beer.  “I knew it.  The jerk came at me already pointing his finger.  Didn't give a damn about the truth.”

“He lost his brother,” Brynn reminded the ex-jock.  The need to defend Adam twisted her stomach.  She was sure he hadn't defended her against the town gossips.

“Yeah, then he should be looking for the killer, not hounding me.  I got into a fight with Zeke that night, sure, but I didn't kill the bastard.”

“You know who did?”  Brynn leaned forward, her voice low.

“Nope.  Believe me, I would have said something.  Do you know what it's like having people stare at you everywhere you go, snickering and whispering…oh yeah, I guess you do.  It's a real bitch, Brynn.  Why'd you come back to it?  I'd have stayed gone.”

“Why have you stayed here if the false accusation is getting to you so badly?”  Brynn chose to ignore his remark.  She didn't think he meant any harm from it, though his reminder had still cut deep.

Chuck laughed.  “If I left now, the whole town would convict me without a trial, just like they did you.  You should have stayed, Brynn.  You just made yourself look worse.”

“We're not discussing me.”  She tightened her hands into fists.

Chuck raised his hands in the air in mock surrender.  “Fine.  We're discussing me and Zeke and what went down.  Fire away with the questions.”

She let out a breath and sat back.  “What was the fight about?”

“What were all fights with Zeke usually about?  Women.”

“He stole a girl from you?”

“It wasn't about that, Brynn.  It was what he did to her.”  Chuck's gaze swerved to the right and hardened as he reached for his beer.  “Looks like sharing time is over for the night.”

Brynn turned to see what made Chuck stop talking.  Adam was nearly upon them, his face almost as red as Chuck's, his lethal expression not the least inviting.

“I thought we were working this case together?” he snapped, stopping by the booth to loom over its two occupants.

Brynn gulped, sneaked a glance at Chuck.  The man's hand was wrapped tightly around the long neck of his beer bottle, no doubt either pretending the bottle was Adam, or thinking about busting Adam over the head with it.  “You've already interviewed the suspects, Adam.  I'll meet you outside when I'm through here.”

Adam scoffed.  “The hell you will.  I've already interviewed this creep and heard all his lies.”

“If you can't handle the truth,” Chuck cut in before Brynn could respond, “maybe you ought to do what the little lady says and step outside for a spell.”

Adam moved toward Chuck, and Brynn jumped from the booth to prevent the two from sparring.  Grabbing a fistful of Adam’s T-shirt, she managed to pull him away from the booth before he could land his fists upside Chuck Davis's head.

“Cool down,” she growled, keeping her voice low so the onlookers couldn't overhear.  It hadn't slipped her attention that several of the bar's patrons had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold before them.

“Look, I know this case is hitting you close to home and you don't want to believe anything bad about your brother, but this man argued with Zeke shortly before his murder.  He could have very valuable information, information which could lead us to your brother's killer.  Don't you want that?”

Adam let out a frustrated sigh.  “Of course I do.”

“Then stop harassing Chuck Davis.  Just because you want the killer captured, it doesn't mean you can just accuse anybody.  There is no proof Chuck did it.  I'm not saying he didn't…” she quickly added when Adam started to protest, “…but we need evidence.  Just give me a chance to see what I can get out of him…alone.”

Adam delivered one last heated glare to Chuck before nodding his head.  “You get your way this time, Brynn, but only because I know I can't look at him longer than five minutes without wiping the floor with his smug face.  I'll be outside.” 

“That went well,” Chuck deadpanned as Brynn returned to the booth.  They both watched in silence as Adam strolled out of the bar, his fists clenched at his sides, neither of them willing to resume their conversation until he was gone.

“It went a lot better than I expected, no bloodshed.”  Brynn twisted around to face her interviewee again.  “Before we were interrupted, you were saying something about what Zeke did to your girlfriend.”

“Rachel wasn't my girlfriend.”  He shook his head.  “I may be a womanizer, Brynn, which is why you probably keep looking at me like I'm something you'd find on the bottom of your shoes, but I don't do anything I couldn't live with myself for.  The last time I did a teenager, I was one myself.”

“You're saying Zeke slept with an under-aged girl?”  Brynn leaned forward, excitement hummed through her body.  If Zeke had been sleeping with under-aged girls, it could be the lead she was looking for.

“Slept is too gentle a word.  He had an affair with her for two years, starting when she was just seventeen.  He took pictures of her and used them against her.”  Chuck took a swig of beer, his nose scrunched in disgust.

Brynn's stomach did a somersault as she struggled to keep her face blank, repressing the anger threatening to rise to the surface.  She was all too familiar with Zeke's talent for deception and blackmail.  “What did he make her do?”

Chuck began ticking off tasks on his fingers.  “Be available at his beck and call.  Sleep with his friends.  Deal his drugs—”

“Zeke was dealing drugs?”  Her words came out louder than intended and she glanced around, relieved to see no one had overheard.

“Zeke always dealt drugs,” Chuck answered with a laugh.  “The guy was slick, I'll give him that.  He used to get weed for us back in school, yet he was still the golden boy as far as the teachers were concerned.”

“What was he dealing before he was murdered?”

“Hell if I know.”  Chuck shrugged his shoulders.  “I'm not as much of a lowlife as you think I am.  I get drunk, I sleep with lots of women and I get into the occasional bar fight, but other than that, I stay pretty clean.  Yet, I have the bad rap and even with that bastard being found the way he was, nobody would believe he'd ever done a bad thing.”

“I believe you,” Brynn said, a bit too passionately judging by the subtle narrowing of Chuck's eyes.  “So…what do you think happened?”

“Did good ole' Zeke do something to you, Brynn?”  He peered closer at her, suspicion in his narrowed eyes.

“I'm the one asking the questions, Davis.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Chuck said, once again raising his hands in surrender.  “What do I think happened?  I think ole' Zekie screwed with the wrong person and got his smug ass killed, that's what I think.”

“Who do you think could be violent enough to do it?”

“Hell, Brynn, if I knew that, I'd be out getting answers too.  All I know is he dealt drugs and screwed around with young girls, married women, you name it.  He could have been killed by a scorned woman, a jealous husband, or the whole thing could boil down to a drug deal gone bad.”

He ran a large, stubby-fingered hand through his hair.  “I just don't know.  You're the P.I.”

“That's right, I am, but I've been out of the loop for a good decade.  I could use your help.”  She watched Chuck raise an eyebrow curiously before continuing.  “I need you to be my one-man research team.  Do you think you could get me a list of people Zeke had bad dealings with?”