Under Currents (33 page)

“Just dandy. Since Mr. Vincent likes to play dirty then so can I.” She narrowed her eyes on Devin. “How ‘bout a game of blackmail? I have a copy of Connie’s diary along with some information I’ve dug up on you. I bet your wife would divorce you if she knew about the mistress you keep. Give me the recorder now, or I’ll make sure she knows.”

“You’re bluffing,” Devin said.

“Didn’t your men tell you that I don’t bluff? I also know your wife stands to inherit a fortune after her father’s death. It’d be too bad if she divorces you before she comes into all that money.”

Julie’s information must’ve come from Frank. No wonder he was running scared.

Devin scowled. Rather than hand it to her, he dropped the small electronic device on the floor and stomped it. He picked it up and tossed it to her. “Now it’s yours.”

Caleb realized Devin’s threats to Julie had been on there.

“You’re a thorn in my side just like Jeremy was. If I hadn’t listened to Frank Grear, you’d be resting in peace next to your husband already.”

A moment of reckoning struck Caleb. He didn’t know why or how Devin had arranged Jeremy’s accident. Julie’s disheartened expression revealed that she had drawn the same conclusion, that Devin Vincent was probably responsible for her husband’s death.

♦♦♦

Julie inhaled a deep breath. It took everything she had to remain calm and not run over and beat her fist on Devin’s chest. She wanted to say something that would shake the senator up. “When you killed Connie and Amy, you killed your half sister.”

Devin Vincent frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Amy Edwards was your half-sister. Noreen Edwards is your real mother.”

He stared at her with contempt.

“Don’t tell me that you’ve never suspected you’re adopted.”

His eyes flashed a look of acknowledgement. He knew. “My parents adopted me when they visited Europe. There’s no way she could be my birth mother. That’s bullshit.”

“Aunt Noreen was seventeen and went with them that summer. Your real father is Reece Stanford. He’s serving a life sentence for murder.” Though she knew Reece was innocent, she couldn’t miss the opportunity to jab another needle into Devin. “Maybe being a murderer is in your genes. Maybe you can’t help yourself.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“What’s really upsetting is to think you’re my cousin. Now that’s something to be sick over.”

“I’ll stop anyone who gets in my way. Call Zanbar and tell them you’ve agreed to sell.” He turned to Caleb. “Let the past go or you’ll have Julie’s blood on your hands if you don’t.” Devin left.

Julie wrapped her arms around Caleb and sobbed softly, her body trembling. He placed his hands around her, one at the waist and the other gently stroking her back.

“I don’t know how we’ll prove it, but he’ll pay for what he did to Jeremy,” he whispered, consoling her.

“Why Jeremy? He had already been deceased a year before the casino offer came up. What other reason could there be?”

“What we have to concentrate on now is protecting you and the kids. The sooner we prove Devin killed Connie, the better.”

♦♦♦

For the most part, the drive to Faith had been quiet. He gave Julie the time she needed to come to terms with the fact Devin had played a role in Jeremy’s death. Caleb was adjusting to Julie and Devin being cousins. What a shock that was. Finally Caleb found the nerve to address what had been on his mind most of the way. “Devin wasn’t lying about the prom. Julie, I agreed I’d invite you to the prom and stand you up.”

“Don’t even go there. It doesn’t matter now.”

“But it does. I only said I’d do it to stop him. I knew he was serious and would break your heart. He wouldn’t care if your parents spent money on a new dress and shoes or that you waited by the front door for him to show up. I couldn’t let him do something so cruel, so I pretended I was going to do it.”

“I went to the prom with two friends who were just as dorky as me. I felt so stupid in that dress Mom made me. It was so tacky.” She slowed down as a car crossed in front of them.

“It was bright yellow,” Caleb said.

“You remember it?”

“Yeah.” He grinned as he shifted his weight sideways in the seat to see her better. “You came over to the punch bowl and spoke to me.”

She blushed. “Silly as it may seem, I walked over there, hoping you’d ask me to dance. I was so delusional.”

“Your eyes had a yearning look girls get when they want to dance.”

“I left the house feeling like Cinderella until I reached the dance.” She flicked the signal light and turned onto the highway. “Then I realized how horrendous my dress was compared to all the others.”

“If it hadn’t been for Devin, I would’ve asked you to dance.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Seriously, Devin came up with another plan. Since I didn’t go through with the prom dare, he dared me to ask you to dance. Then he planned to have my date make a jealous scene and throw punch in your face and order you to stay away from me.”

“Are you for real?”

“Yep.” He sighed. “When you were standing at the table, you didn’t see Devin and the other guys egging me on to ask you to dance.”

“I hate that man.” Julie wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. She paused. “Why would you have asked someone like me to dance? Not only was I a dork, I was a year younger. Surely you knew they would tease you?”

“Honestly, I owed you one for helping me with my chemistry test.”

She frowned. “A pity dance. Was there anything about me appealing?”

Caleb grew serious. “Let’s just drop it before you end up getting your feelings hurt again.”

“Don’t be silly. That was ages ago. I’m a big girl. I can handle whatever you have to say.”

If he told her the truth, he’d be treading in deep hot water. “Drop it, please.”

“I promise I won’t be upset. I just want to know. ”

“Julie, forget it. It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does to me. Did you like anything about how I looked?”

“Not really. Your dress was an eye sore, and your shoes were real clunkers that didn’t match. Every time you smiled, all I could see was metal and rubber bands. And you still wore brown glasses that made you look like a damn hoot owl. Lord only knows how many bees considered building a hive in your hair.”

“You bastard!” She pressed the accelerator down and sped up from sixty to eighty.

“I told you you’d get mad. But no, you wanted the truth. Please tell me you didn’t pay anyone to fix your hair.”

“My mom fixed it. She tried to put it up in curls like they do at the salons.” Julie drove a few miles in silence. “You’re right.”

“About what?”

“How I looked.”

“Julie, you weren’t an ugly duckling. You were a swan but just didn’t know it.”

Before returning home, Julie pulled into the Faith City Hall parking lot. She looked at Caleb. “Wait here. I’m going to see if the tax department can tell me who owns the land across from mine. There has to be some reason Devin pushed for the new bridge to go in.”

“Do you really have to ask? Isn't it obvious?”

“Yes, but I just want to verify it. I’ll be right back.”

Caleb positioned his seat back and closed his eyes. He thought about Julie's threat to expose Devin to his wife. If he’d ever considered Julie a fragile helpless female, he was dead wrong.

The woman could hold her own.

The door opened, and Julie climbed into the van, Caleb sat his seat back into an upright position. “What’d they tell you?”

“What we expected. Devin Vincent owns the entire parcel of property on the opposite side of the river.”

“It’s worthless now, but with the casinos and the new bridge, it could be worth a small fortune.” Caleb thought of the desperation Vincent had to be feeling with the August deadline looming ahead of him. Julie and he were both obstacles in his way.

“What will the Zanbar Corporation do if you don’t sign by August?”

“They have several locations they’re targeting. They preferred Faith.”

Julie turned into her parents’ driveway and frowned. “Noreen and Bob are here.”

“I’ll wait in the car,” Caleb said. He hated facing those people. He’d remembered Noreen Edward’s atrocious scowl during his trial. Besides, he was too weak for any kind of confrontation.

“They know I’ve been visiting you at the hospital. It’s no longer a secret. I’m sure everyone in town knows. And one more thing, no one in my family knows about Devin being Aunt Noreen’s son. Don’t mention it.”

“Not a chance.” Caleb put aside his dread of seeing Julie’s family and opened his door and followed her. He couldn’t let her face her family alone. Without knocking, she entered the kitchen through the carport.

“Mom, Dad, anyone here.”

“We’re in the den,” hollered her dad.

Caleb stayed behind Julie as though somehow she’d protect him from her family. Everyone glanced up when they entered the den. Their smiles quickly dropped. Julie grasped his hand in hers and tugged him forward with her.

“Julie, maybe I should wait in the car.”

“Nonsense, you didn’t kill Amy or Connie. I know with all my heart you didn’t. And after what Connie wrote, they should know it too.”

Before another word could be said, Ally and Scott scampered down the stairs.

“Caleb!” they both shouted.

Caleb knelt down and welcomed them into opened arms. Ally dropped her doll and wrapped her little arms around him with her head resting on his left shoulder, and Scott leaned against his right side. Caleb kissed the crowns of their heads.

“I’ve miss you.” Ally picked up her ragdoll and held it up for him to see. “Maggie missed you too.”

“I’ve missed you too, Knothead.” He looked at the doll. “I missed Magpie too. Glad to see her leg has been sewn back on.”

“Her name is Maggie not Magpie.”

“Knothead and Magpie, what a pair,” Caleb teased.

Mrs. Webb scowled, but he ignored her. Instead, he savored this moment with Julie’s children, soaking in their love for him. Caleb held his emotions intact. He looked at Scott. “I’ve missed fishing with you.”

“I’ve missed it too. I was afraid you’d die.” Scott gripped him tighter.

“So was I, sport. So was I.”

“I didn’t want to see Mom sad like when our daddy died,” he confessed.

“Care for any coffee?” Mr. Webb offered.

“About ten miles back, Caleb mentioned how good a cup of coffee would be. He takes it black, and I’ll have just a glass of water. Thanks, Dad.” Julie glanced back to Caleb. “You’d better sit down and put your feet up.” Then she turned to Ally and Scott. “Go pack your things. We’re going home.”

Caleb sat down in the large chair and was surprised when Julie sat on the ottoman beside his feet. He accepted the cup from Julie's dad. “Thank you.”

“We’re no longer working on this alone.” Julie sipped the water her father handed her. “We have Adam, Caleb’s brother helping and we’re pulling Caleb’s case files from before to see if anything was overlooked.”

“I still don’t remember the actual accident, but I do remember Devin insisting I drive his boat. You’ve got to understand, he didn’t let anyone handle that boat but him. It might not seem like much, but it’s the first solid thing I’ve remembered. He wanted people to see me behind the wheel. And people who knew him would take notice.”

“That only proves you were behind the wheel,” Noreen said.

“I think after enough people had seen me zooming up and down the river, he took the helm. From what was said in court, we’d already passed the girls several times. He knew almost the exact spot where they’d be when we sped back through.”

Bob leaned forward and clasped his hands. “But you don’t remember it? That’s just speculation.”

“No, I don’t remember switching places. I dreamt we did, but I guess now it was only a dream.”

Julie rested her hand on his leg. “I suggested Caleb try hypnosis.”

“Even if I remembered something, I doubt it would hold up in court. The prosecutors would say I staged it, and the therapist fell for it.” He sipped his coffee. “Besides, I don’t think we have time for that. We need to end this as soon as possible. Devin came to the hospital and threatened Julie.”

Her family’s face appeared shock and concerned.

“There’s more,” Julie confessed. She touched on the things Frank had said about Devin. Then she told them about the two men who demanded Connie’s diary. “So it’s a good thing you made me take your gun, Dad.”

“My God, I hoped you wouldn’t have to use it.”

“This has got to stop,” her mother said, her eyes filling with fear. “Give him the damn diary and sell out before you or the kids turn up dead.”

“Never. You didn’t raise me to be a spineless coward. There’s something else you should know.” Julie glanced back at Caleb, and he nodded giving her the go ahead. “I don’t think Jeremy’s death was an accident.”

“What?” asked her mother, appearing mortified.

“Well, of course it was,” her father insisted. “Hell, I was at the scene within minutes after it happened. He must’ve gone to sleep at the wheel.”

"Why would he fall asleep after drinking two or three cups of coffee at the diner?" Julie said. "It never seemed right."

Caleb shifted his legs from the ottoman to the floor, then sat upon on the edge of the chair. He placed a hand on each side of Julie’s shoulders and squeezed gently. He cleared his throat. “Devin made a remark about Jeremy and Julie being thorns in his side. There must’ve been some kind of beef between them that no one knew about. And I imagine it had something to do with the casinos.”

“City records verify that Devin owns the property across from Boats and Floats. He offered me double the amount Zanbar did. And he wasn’t happy when I refused.”

“He’s sure mastered the art of murder,” Noreen spoke softly. Tears clouded her eyes. A deep sadness encompassed her face.

Bob placed his arms around her and comforted her.

“Don’t talk about it in front of Scott and Ally,” Julie warned. Before another word was said, her cell phone rang. She reached for her purse on the floor and dug through it, removing the small phone. “Hello.”

Caleb dropped his hands from her and leaned back in the chair, wondering who she was speaking with.