The Last to Die (7 page)

"Howdy do, miss." Lu-die smi-led.

"What brings you to Che-ro-kee Po-in-te?" Sally as-ked.

"I'd think that was ob-vi-o-us," Ca-leb sa-id. "She ca-me he-re lo-oking for a wo-man she was told re-sem-b-led her eno-ugh to be her twin sis-ter."

"Well, now that you men-ti-on it, she do-es fa-vor our Jaz-zy so-me, don't she?" Sally ex-ten-ded her hand to-ward the wo-man. "I'm Jaz-zy's Aunt Sally."

Reve sho-ok hands with Sally, all the whi-le stud-ying Sally as if she'd put her un-der a mic-ros-co-pe for clo-se scru-tiny. "I met yo-ur ni-ece and I ag-ree that we do lo-ok a bit ali-ke, but-"

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"You know, they say that we all got a do-ub-le out the-re in the world so-mew-he-re. Gu-ess Jaz-zy's yo-urs, huh?"

"Ms. Tal-bot, may I ask you a qu-es-ti-on?" Re-ve Sor-rell lo-oked Sally right in the eye.

Sally swal-lo-wed.
Don't blink
, she told her-self.
Don't show any fe-ar. You ain't do-ne not-hing
wrong. Not thirty ye-ars ago. Not to-day.

"What you want to ask, gal?"

"If Jaz-zy is yo-ur ni-ece, then you'd know if… if she had a sis-ter, wo-uldn't you?"

Sally chuc-k-led, the so-und just a bit off. She ho-ped no-body but Lu-die he-ard the ner-vo-us-ness in her vo-ice. "Yes, I'd know. And if you're thin-king the-re's any chan-ce you and Jaz-zy are sis-ters, then get that no-ti-on right out of yo-ur he-ad. My yo-un-ger sis-ter-Jaz-zy's ma-ma-had one baby girl.

That's all."

"I see."

Sally co-uld tell by Re-ve Sor-rell's he-aving sigh and her ten-ta-ti-ve smi-le that she was re-li-eved not to be re-la-ted to Jaz-zy. Jud-ging the wo-man by the fancy clot-hes she wo-re and the ex-pen-si-ve sports car she dro-ve, Sally fi-gu-red Ms. Sor-rell ca-me from mo-ney. Big mo-ney. And big bank ac-co-unts usu-al-ly ca-me at-tac-hed to big snob-bery. Mo-re than li-kely this gal was mighty glad to find out that she wasn't blo-od kin to the li-kes of Jaz-zy Tal-bot.

"What did Jaz-zy say when you two met?" Lu-die as-ked, and Sally wan-ted to slap her fri-end sen-se-less. Damn it, Lu-die, le-ave well eno-ugh alo-ne.

"We re-al-ly didn't get a chan-ce to talk," Re-ve sa-id.

"I'm af-ra-id Jaz-zy and I had a lit-tle dif-fe-ren-ce of opi-ni-on," Ca-leb ad-mit-ted.

"Let me gu-ess." Sally huf-fed. "It was over Jamie Up-ton co-ming aro-und last night, wasn't it?" Sally re-ac-hed over and pat-ted Ca-leb on the back. "You ke-ep on gi-ving her hell abo-ut it. When she told me she'd let that ras-cal in last night, I su-re ga-ve her hell for be-ing so stu-pid."

"Jazzy told you that she was with Jamie?" Ca-leb as-ked.

Sally eyed him spe-cu-la-ti-vely. "She didn't let him spend the night, you know. She ain't that stu-pid.

She swo-re to me that it's over bet-we-en them. And I be-li-eve her."

Reve cle-ared her thro-at. "If y'all will ex-cu-se me-"

"Ms. Sor-rell is a fri-end of Jamie's, too," Ca-leb sa-id. "He's the one who told her that she had a lo-ok-ali-ke he-re in Che-ro-kee Po-in-te."

"God help you, gal." Sally pin-ned Re-ve with a war-ning gla-re. "If you know what's go-od for you, you'll ste-er cle-ar of Jamie Up-ton. He's not-hing but tro-ub-le for any wo-man. So-me-body sho-uld ha-ve skin-ned him ali-ve ye-ars ago." Sally puc-ke-red her lips and spit a hunk of brown to-bac-co ju-ice on the si-de-walk. When she he-ard Re-ve Sor-rell gasp and no-ti-ced her jump bac-k-ward, Sally grin-ned. "Damn, I sho-uld ha-ve kil-led that go-od-for-not-hing po-le-cat back when he was a
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te-ena-ger. I co-uld ha-ve sa-ved Jaz-zy a he-ap of he-ar-tac-he." Sally slap-ped her hand down on Ms.

Sor-rell's sho-ul-der. Wo-uldn't be a bad idea to sca-re the wo-man off. No sir-ree, not a bad idea at all. Even if Ms. Sor-rell tho-ught she might be Jaz-zy's sis-ter, kno-wing so-me-body li-ke Sally might be her aunt wo-uld run her off pron-to. "If you be-en fuc-king aro-und with Jamie, then you got my sympathy. Ta-ke my ad-vi-ce and stay away from him from now on."

"Ms. Tal-bot, I can as-su-re you that I ha-ve not be-en-"

"Call me Sally. Ever-y-body do-es." Sally in-ter-rup-ted be-fo-re Re-ve fi-nis-hed her sen-ten-ce, which un-do-ub-tedly was a de-ni-al of a se-xu-al re-la-ti-on-s-hip with Jamie Up-ton.

"Sally, it's be-en… in-te-res-ting me-eting you. But I re-al-ly must go." Re-ve bac-ked away se-ve-ral fe-et. "Ha-ving met yo-ur ni-ece… and you… and fin-ding out that she and I are not re-la-ted, des-pi-te our re-sem-b-lan-ce-"

"Did you re-al-ly co-me he-re just to see if you and Jaz-zy might be re-la-ted?" Sally as-ked. "Or did Jamie men-ti-on Jaz-zy and you ca-me he-re fi-gu-ring to see if she was com-pe-ti-ti-on? She ain't. Her and Jamie are fi-nis-hed. But you do know he's en-ga-ged… to be mar-ri-ed."

"No, I didn't know, but I'm ple-ased for him. Be-li-eve me, Jamie Up-ton do-esn't me-an a thing to me. Now, if y'all will ex-cu-se me, I'll be go-ing."

Sally spit aga-in, this ti-me cre-ating a lot of no-ise be-fo-re do-ing so, ma-king the event se-em even mo-re gross to so-me-one unac-cus-to-med to be-ing aro-und an old wo-man who che-wed to-bac-co and oc-ca-si-onal-ly dip-ped snuff, too.

"Don't run off," Ca-leb cal-led af-ter Ms. Sor-rell.

The lady in qu-es-ti-on didn't even bot-her sa-ying go-od-b-ye. She un-loc-ked her car, got in, and bac-ked out of the par-king pla-ce, all in a po-wer-ful hurry.

"So, what's go-ing on?" Ca-leb as-ked Sally. "Why did you try to hard to run her off? Is she re-al-ly Jaz-zy's sis-ter?"

"What a fo-ol thing to say," Sally told him. "My Jaz-zy ain't got no sis-ter. My sis-ter ga-ve birth to one baby girl. Says so right on her birth cer-ti-fi-ca-te."

"Mm-hm… if you say so."

"I say so."

"Well, it's be-en qu-ite a day al-re-ady and it's not even ten o'clock." Ca-leb nod-ded cor-di-al-ly.

"You la-di-es ha-ve a go-od one." Smi-ling, he tur-ned and wal-ked away.

Just as so-on as Ca-leb was out of ear-s-hot, Lu-die grab-bed Sally's arm. "You might ha-ve run that Sor-rell girl off pretty easy li-ke, but we both know that Jaz-zy's go-ing to ask you abo-ut her. And you just re-mem-ber that Jaz-zy knows you. She'll be ab-le to tell if you're lying to her."

"I didn't lie to that Sor-rell wo-man and I won't be lying to Jaz-zy when I tell her that my sis-ter, Cor-ri-ne, ga-ve birth to one lit-tle girl. Not twins. Cor-ri-ne's baby didn't ha-ve no brot-hers or sis-ters."

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"That's only a half truth and you know it."

"It's all the truth Jaz-zy ever ne-eds to know."

"Something tells me that so-oner or la-ter Jaz-zy and that Sor-rell girl are both go-ing to start won-de-ring mo-re and mo-re abo-ut why they lo-ok so much ali-ke." 'The-re co-uld be anot-her re-ason, anot-her ex-p-la-na-ti-on," Sally sa-id. "I swe-ar to you that I don't know not-hing abo-ut the-re be-ing two ba-bi-es. All I ever knew abo-ut was my lit-tle Jas-mi-ne."

"I be-li-eve you." Lu-die pat-ted Sally on the back. T be-en aro-und all the-se ye-ars, all of Jaz-zy's li-fe. I know ever-y-t-hing you know."

Not qu-ite ever-y-t-hing
, Sally tho-ught.
The-re was one thing I ne-ver told you, my old fri-end.

One thing I'll ne-ver tell a li-ving so-ul.

Mor-ning sun-light war-med her as it stre-amed in thro-ugh the flo-or-to-ce-iling win-dows and ca-res-sed her body. She'd be-en thin-king abo-ut what she had to do to pro-tect her child. No mo-re, no less than any mot-her wo-uld do to ke-ep her child sa-fe. Jamie Up-ton was a dan-ger she plan-ned to eli-mi-na-te. He didn't de-ser-ve to li-ve.

She had to be very ca-re-ful. Her plans had to be well tho-ught out, me-ti-cu-lo-us in de-ta-ils, so that not only wo-uld Jamie die a hor-ri-fic de-ath, but so that Jas-mi-ne Tal-bot wo-uld be ac-cu-sed of his mur-der. They we-re both sin-ners. For-ni-ca-tors. They both de-ser-ved to die. Why did men think they co-uld bet-ray the wo-men they pro-fes-sed to lo-ve and ne-ver be pu-nis-hed?

She had to act qu-ickly. The wed-ding was in three we-eks. Any ti-me be-fo-re then wo-uld be so-on eno-ugh, but she didn't think she co-uld wa-it. The tho-ught of tor-men-ting Jamie ex-ci-ted her.

She didn't da-re wa-it much lon-ger. What if so-me-one el-se kil-led him be-fo-re she got the chan-ce?

And it was qu-ite pos-sib-le that might hap-pen, be-ca-use so many pe-op-le ha-ted Jamie. Even his be-lo-ved Jaz-zy pro-fes-sed to des-pi-se him. But she hadn't tur-ned him away last night, had she? And for that alo-ne, she de-ser-ved all the mi-sery that was in sto-re for her.

Chapter 4

Jamie felt damn go-od. He'd sco-red a di-rect hit on the old man. Even if Big Daddy knew he hadn't fuc-ked Erin, so-me lit-tle frag-ment of do-ubt wo-uld re-ma-in in his mind abo-ut whet-her or not his mis-t-ress fo-und his gran-d-son a mo-re in-te-res-ting pros-pect. The mo-re his gran-d-fat-her wor-ri-ed abo-ut his own lo-ve li-fe, the less ti-me he'd ha-ve to in-ter-fe-re in Jamie's.

Of co-ur-se, he'd ha-ve to co-ol things with ot-her wo-men for the next co-up-le of months. Last night had be-en his fi-nal fling be-fo-re wal-king down the ais-le. Af-ter the ho-ney-mo-on, he'd gra-du-al-ly ease back in-to Jaz-zy's li-fe and in-to any ot-her wo-man's bed he cho-se to ple-asu-re him.

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Jazzy might ha-ve con-vin-ced her-self that they we-re thro-ugh, but she was just kid-ding her-self.

The two of them we-re bo-und to-get-her fo-re-ver, and not-hing or no-body co-uld ever per-ma-nently split them apart. Big Ma-ma might be for-cing him in-to a mar-ri-age he didn't want, but she co-uldn't ma-ke him lo-ve La-ura. And ne-it-her she nor Big Daddy co-uld ma-ke him gi-ve up Jaz-zy.

Whistling with an une-asy bra-va-do-he wasn't su-re he co-uld so-ot-he Mr. and Mrs. Wil-lis's ruf-fled fe-at-hers even if he squ-ared dhngs with La-ura-Jamie he-aded up the sta-irs. By ta-king the back sta-irs, he ran less risk of run-ning in-to his fu-tu-re in-laws be-fo-re he spo-ke pri-va-tely to La-ura. Oh, she'd be spit-ting mad and all we-epy. But a few kis-ses, a few well-cho-sen words, a pro-mi-se to ne-ver stray aga-in, and she'd be putty in his hands.

As he ap-pro-ac-hed La-ura's bed-ro-om-the one she now sha-red with her yo-un-ger sis-ter- the do-or swung open, sur-p-ri-sing him when She-ri-dan sas-ha-yed out of the ro-om, we-aring a bright pink sprin-g-ti-me dress, lo-oking much too sexy for a girl of not qu-ite twenty. And that se-xi-ness was mo-re than just show. He knew, fir-s-t-hand, that his fi-an-c-ée’s lit-tle sis-ter was a hot and wild pi-ece of ass. She had ta-ken gre-at de-light in thin-king she se-du-ced him the very night he'd as-ked La-ura to marry him, back at the-ir ho-me in Ken-tucky.

"Well, well, well. Lo-ok what the pus-sycat's drag-ged in," She-ri-dan sa-id, a mis-c-hi-evo-us twin-k-le in her big brown eyes as she pa-used di-rectly in front of Jamie and ga-ve him a co-me-hit-her smi-le.

"Good mor-ning to you, too, sis-ter-in-law. "Jamie le-aned over and kis-sed her on the che-ek.

Sheridan re-ac-hed up and cur-led her hand aro-und his neck, then sto-od on tip-toe and bro-ught her mo-uth in alig-n-ment with his. She whis-pe-red aga-inst his lips, "You can do bet-ter than that, can't you?"

He re-mo-ved her hand from his neck, swat-ted her be-hind, and chuc-k-led. "Be-ha-ve yo-ur-self, child. I've got eno-ugh tro-ub-le on my hands this mor-ning wit-ho-ut be-ing ca-ught with my ton-gue down yo-ur thro-at."

Sheridan of-fe-red him a se-duc-ti-ve po-ut. "Mot-her and Daddy are very up-set with you. And po-or La-ura cri-ed her eyes out all night. I'm af-ra-id she may call off the wed-ding."

"Not on yo-ur li-fe. Yo-ur sis-ter is go-ing to be-co-me Mrs. James Up-ton HI in three we-eks. Big Ma-ma has dec-re-ed it to be so, and what Re-ba Up-ton wants, she gets."

"Then you'd bet-ter start ma-king lo-vey-do-vey no-ises to La-ura. And don't bot-her lying to her abo-ut whe-re you we-re. She knows you went stra-ight to Jas-mi-ne Tal-bot."

"I ha-ve no in-ten-ti-on of den-ying whe-re I went, "Jamie sa-id. "Once I ex-p-la-in to La-ura why I was with Jaz-zy, she'll un-der-s-tand."

Sheridan's eyes wi-de-ned in as-to-nis-h-ment "This I ha-ve to he-ar."

"Later," Jamie told her. "Me-et me at the stab-les in an ho-ur." He win-ked at her, then wal-ked past her and knoc-ked on La-ura's bed-ro-om do-or.

"Who is it?" La-ura as-ked.

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Jamie glan-ced over his sho-ul-der and ga-ve She-ri-dan anot-her qu-ick wink, then blew her a kiss.

She smi-led tri-um-p-hantly be-fo-re rus-hing off down the hall.

"Laura, dar-ling, it's Jamie."

"Go away! I ne-ver want to see you aga-in."

"Now, pet, don't be that way. I ha-ve to talk to you. I ha-ve to ma-ke you un-der-s-tand why I did what I did last night."

"I don't want to he-ar yo-ur ex-p-la-na-ti-ons. I've for-gi-ven you too many ti-mes al-re-ady. If you want Jaz-zy Tal-bot, then you can ha-ve her. I'm cal-ling off the wed-ding and-"

"You can't do that." Jamie tur-ned the do-or-k-nob and flung open the do-or. Still we-aring her nig-h-t-gown, La-ura sat on the ed-ge of her bed. "You don't want to bre-ak my he-art, do you?"

"Don't you da-re co-me in he-re." La-ura jum-ped up off the bed and po-in-ted to the do-or. "Get out right this mi-nu-te."

Jamie slam-med the do-or shut, then loc-ked it. "I'm not go-ing an-y-w-he-re. Not un-til you let me ex-p-la-in. Not un-til you for-gi-ve me for be-ing a stu-pid jac-kass."

Laura lif-ted her pretty lit-tle he-ad and ha-zar-ded a glan-ce in his di-rec-ti-on, but lo-oked away qu-ickly. That one swift glan-ce told him that he had sa-id just the right thing, gi-ven her just eno-ugh ho-pe to ma-ke her lis-ten to him. He wo-uld lie to her, tell her what she most wan-ted to he-ar. That was al-ways the best po-licy with wo-men. Tell a wo-man the truth and you're do-omed. Lie to her, flat-ter her, tell her wha-te-ver her he-art de-si-res, and you'll ha-ve her eating out of yo-ur hand.