One Little Lie Read online

  “You’ve never even thought of Will in all these years, have you?”

  She shrugged. “He’s not really mine. Have you ever thought about why I left? There was an unspoken wall between us, and it was her.”

  “Her? I never looked at another woman while we were married.”

  “Don’t be obtuse. Will’s mother. She was always there because you’d never talk about her. If you’d even once brought her out into the light of day, we might have gotten past whatever was binding your heart to hers.”

  “I-It’s not what you think. There was no real bond to her. It was always about Will.”

  She lifted a perfect brow. “I don’t believe you. I lived with her ghost between us the whole time we were together.”

  She made it sound like an eternity. “It was your imagination. It wasn’t any kind of real marriage.”

  “You weren’t married to her?” Lauren shook her head. “You’d never live with someone outside of marriage. I tried everything I knew to get you to move in with me, and you wouldn’t have it. I should have run right then. You’re a cold fish, Reid.”

  She dropped her lipstick back in her purse. “See you around.”

  Was it true what she’d said? It might explain the pull he felt toward Jane even now.

  Twenty-Six

  Jane would give anything to sense Reid’s steadfast presence beside her behind the viewing mirror. She reached out to put her hand on Parker’s neck. She could watch this play out. She had to.

  Her dad sat at the same small table where he’d interrogated countless suspects. He seemed smaller somehow. It wasn’t so much his lack of uniform as it was the way he looked deflated. Diminished.

  Brian sat across from him, and Paul was in the chair at the end of the table. Paul had seniority—and the most animosity—so he would take the lead and be the most unpleasant to deal with. He’d barely kept his contempt for Dad in check throughout the last year he’d worked for her father.

  Paul put his palms flat on the table. “Let’s start by talking about your relationship with Gary Dawson. How long have you known him and how did you meet?”

  Her father’s eyes were rimmed in dark circles. “We met at a sporting goods store up in Mobile. I was getting a new fishing rig.”

  “How long ago?”

  Her father shrugged. “Time slips by, and it’s easy to forget, but I’d guess three years ago. Could have been a little longer or shorter. I was taking down the rod I wanted, and a whole bunch of them came crashing down on my head. Gary was at the end of the aisle, and he ran to untangle me. He had a rod just like I was buying in his cart, and we started talking. He told me about his job and that he likes to fish to get away from the stress.”

  Dad turned and looked directly at the glass. Even though he couldn’t see her, Jane knew he had no doubt she was there watching the interview. And why wouldn’t he? He’d spent years in this small room observing other interrogations.

  “I didn’t kill Gary,” he said quietly. “If someone saw my boat out, it wasn’t me in it. Gary often took friends out.”

  Paul tapped his fingers on the table. “Where were you Sunday, Charles?”

  Her dad looked away from the glass to face Paul. “Elizabeth and I were shopping in Mobile. She wanted to buy a new rug for the living room. We were at Lowe’s and a couple of carpet stores.” He listed off a couple of familiar names.

  “That’s not what she says.”

  Jane barely noticed her nails biting into her palms. Was her dad lying—or was Elizabeth? This made no sense.

  Dad lifted a brow. “She might have the day confused or something. That’s where we were.”

  “Did you buy a rug and have a receipt?” Brian ignored the glare from Paul.

  “We bought one at Lowe’s. Elizabeth should have a receipt.”

  “She says you took the boat out and told her you were meeting Gary.”

  “That’s a lie.” Her dad’s tone was even, but his eyes were narrowed.

  Jane gasped and leaned toward the glass. What was going on and who was telling the truth? She grabbed a notepad and jotted down a reminder to check store cameras in Mobile.

  “Tell us more about your relationship with Gary,” Brian said with a swift glance at Paul.

  Dad shrugged. “Not much more to tell. We had a lot of the same likes and dislikes. I care about the bay and our environment, and so did Gary. I love to catch flounder, and so did he.”

  “Did you ever go gambling with him?” Paul asked.

  Her dad paused. “I don’t like gambling. Gary never mentioned he liked gambling. You mean at casinos or what?”

  “Looked like he was more into betting on races and that kind of thing. Some online stuff too. He was in hock for a lot of money. You guys were best buds, yet you knew nothing about it?”

  “Nothing. He knew I thought gamblers were stupid sheep. Maybe he was ashamed to tell me. I wish he had. Maybe I could have helped him.”

  “We already know he owed you money—a lot of money. Didn’t you wonder why he needed to borrow it?”

  “He told me it was for repairs on his house. His basement flooded, and he didn’t have insurance to cover it.”

  Paul’s face showed his disbelief. “Let’s get back to Sunday. We have a witness telling us you took your boat out, yet you claim you were shopping with that same witness. I’m not sure how we are going to reconcile those two stories. Did Gary ask to take out the boat?”

  “No. I tried to call him that morning to let him know I couldn’t go out, but he didn’t answer. I left a message telling him to take the boat if he wanted. You should be able to call it up when you retrieve his cell information.”

  Jane did a fist pump. Yes! Her dad knew how all this worked, and he’d know Paul had nothing. The pings should show where Gary’s phone had been when the call came in from Dad and if they were together. The biggest questions were why Elizabeth would lie—and why she’d moved out of the house.

  They’d been together for years, and Jane had thought Elizabeth really loved Dad. So what was happening here?

  Paul leaned his chair onto the two back legs. “You have any idea how that blood got on your boat?”

  “Nope. You don’t even know what kind of blood it is yet.”

  “I’ve got probable cause to throw you in a cell, so don’t play games, Charles. You’re telling me that boat sat out in the barn all week and you didn’t so much as look at it and see that blood?”

  Her dad gave him a level stare. “You have a boat, Paul. How often do you look at yours unless you’re taking it out? The answer is not at all, just like me. I have better things to do than to examine my boat for no good reason. I don’t even do the maintenance on it. I take it out and fish from it. It’s not like it’s a prized race car.”

  He rose and rotated his neck. “I’m done talking without an attorney. Unless you’re arresting me, I’m going home to get something to eat.”

  Paul’s face reddened, and Jane didn’t think he’d capitulate, but he jerked his thumb at Brian. “Let him go. But it won’t be for long. The blood is going to be your ticket to jail.”

  Her dad gave him a long look but said nothing as he exited the room. Jane sagged into the chair and put her head in her hands. She had to have some help on this, but who?

  * * *

  The sun had set just over the trees by the time Reid heard the swish of Will’s paddle. As he waited on the back deck, he’d rolled around how to address all of this, and he still hadn’t come up with a good plan of action or even where to start.

  Bees buzzed through the flowers, and he heard the distant chug of a fishing trawler making its way to Mobile Bay as he rose to face his son.

  Will had his head down as he strode up the hill from the river. He was pale, and Reid thought his eyes were red. Poor kid. This should not be happening. He hadn’t seen Reid yet, and he took a moment to let his gaze linger on his son. He was a handsome young man, but even more attractive on the inside. His care for kids and other peo
ple had always brought Reid pride and joy. He should have known better than to keep the truth from the boy.

  He’d been so wrong.

  “Will.”

  Will looked up at the sound of Reid’s voice, and his steps slowed. His gaze darted past Reid. “She still here?”

  “No, she’s gone.”

  “Good. I don’t want to talk to her.”

  “She claims she’s contacted an attorney to sue for custody.”

  Will’s chin jutted up. “I’m not going with her, and no one can make me.”

  “I don’t think the court will even try, not with what she did.”

  “Why’d she come back now? She’s ruined everything. I was happy. I’m going to play football, and everything was great. Then she had to come along.”

  Reid wanted to hug his boy, but Will wasn’t ready for that. He swept his hand toward a lawn chair. “Have a seat, and we can talk. Want something to eat or drink?”

  “I’m not hungry.” Will dropped into a chair and crossed his ankles.

  “We’ll get through this, son. I hope you can forgive me.”

  Will looked up, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped back the tears in his eyes. “Why, Dad? Why would you keep something like this from me? I’m almost fifteen! For fifteen years you’ve lied to me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He’d been so wrong to hide all this.

  “Why would she leave a baby? Was she like M—I mean, Lauren? Just didn’t want a screaming kid around her?”

  “It wasn’t like that at all.” He inhaled and prayed for guidance and strength. “She was very young, Will, about your age now. Her father forced her to go with him right after you were born.”

  Will’s brows rose. “You robbed the cradle, Dad?”

  “I wasn’t much older, son. There were . . . circumstances beyond our control.”

  “Where is she now? Does she keep up with me at all?”

  Dread churned in Reid’s stomach. “She thinks you died, Will.”

  Will gaped. “You never told her I was alive?”

  “I didn’t know where she was for a long time. This was fifteen years ago, and it wasn’t that easy to track someone down. I was mad, too, and didn’t think she deserved to know anything. I didn’t trust her either.”

  “You sound like you hate her.”

  “I did for a while.”

  “You know where she is now?”

  Reid nodded. “And she’s a better person than I thought she was.”

  “Have you told her about me?”

  “No. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a mistake to allow her into our lives. I think it’s okay to do it, but I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “I want to meet her and make up my own mind.”

  Reid moved restlessly. “Think about what a shock that will be, son. I need to handle this carefully. Can you trust me just a little? Give me some time to figure out how to break this news? I don’t want you hurt either.”

  Will chewed on his lip. “What’s her name?”

  Reid forced a grin. “I’m not going to tell you yet because you’ll google her. Can you give me a week? That’s not too much to ask. Let me figure out how to tell her.”

  Will held his gaze. “I know I’ve been mad at you, Dad, but I forgive you.” He exhaled. “I don’t like how I’ve been feeling. So yeah, I’ll try to give you a week. Are there any pictures of her or anything?”

  “I’ve got a couple of faded, blurry ones.” Reid rose. “Come inside. I’ll get them, and we can have some dinner after.”

  Knowing Will would ask, he’d gotten out the pictures to be ready. He led Will to the master bedroom and picked up his Bible. There were four pictures inside the front cover, and he handed them to Will. “You can’t see much.”

  The first one was of Will and his mother in the bed right after Will’s birth. His hair was still matted, and a bit of blood smeared his face. Her hair fell over her face, and only the curve of her cheek could be seen. The second was of her outside in the trees. She wore a dress that went to her ankles with long sleeves. She was squinting up into the sun, and her long light-brown hair tumbled around her face. It wasn’t a clear shot either.

  Will frowned. “You can’t really even see her. This is all you’ve got of her? And who’s the dude in the other two pictures?”

  “Those other two are me. I’m sorry, but those are all I have of her.”

  “Whoa, Dad, you look totally different. All that beard, and your hair is clear down your back. You can’t even see your face. And you’re pretty chunky.”

  “You can say fat.” Reid grinned. “I wasn’t very happy and ate a lot. I think I wanted to hide behind all the hair too.”

  Will stared at the first picture again. “I think she loved me.”

  “I’m sure she did.” Reid turned toward the door. “Let’s get some dinner. You can have the pictures.”

  He didn’t want to explain the circumstances of Will’s birth, but he would have to eventually. Just not today.

  Twenty-Seven

  When Reid left his house after dinner, Will was watching TV with the pictures on his lap. Reid had an irresistible compulsion to talk to Jane and see how it had gone with her dad. He grabbed the last few beignets he’d bought and took them with him.

  Strains of jazz music played softly from Moreau’s Seafood down the street, and the wind brought the aroma of their famous grilled oysters to his nose. He stood with the beignet box under his arm and looked up at the wrought-iron railing on Jane’s balcony. She wasn’t outside tonight, but he thought he saw a shadow pass in front of the window, so she was likely home.

  He dug out his phone to call her, then put it away. No, he’d just show up at her door. He had a sense that she needed to talk, but she was so reserved she might not realize it. He didn’t want to take the chance of her turning him away.

  The iron stairs clanged and wobbled under his feet as he went up to the second floor. He pressed the ornate doorbell and waited. Parker woofed, and he heard light footsteps coming.

  “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Reid, Jane. I hope it’s not too late, but just in case, I brought beignets so you’ll forgive me.”

  The dead bolt scraped, and the door opened. Parker thrust his head out and huffed. Reid rubbed his ears. “It’s okay, boy, it’s just me.”

  The door opened wider. She was in yoga shorts and a T with her light-brown hair up in a ponytail that made her look about twenty. Perspiration dotted her forehead and chest, and her cheeks were red.

  She stepped aside and reached for a paper towel that she dragged over her face and chest. “I’m a sight.”

  He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but he could sense how skittish she was by the way she avoided his gaze. The last thing he wanted was to be tossed out. “I tried yoga once, and I kept falling over in the triangle pose.”

  She shut the door behind him and slanted a grin up at him. “That’s why it’s called yoga practice. One time isn’t enough to prove to yourself that you can do it.”

  He set the box of beignets on the kitchen island. “I suppose beignets are out of the question since you were doing yoga.”

  “I’m famished. Yoga destresses me, and so do the carbs.” She lifted the lid and grabbed one of the raspberry-filled ones. “Yum.” She devoured it in three bites, then licked the powdered sugar from her fingers. “What’s up?”

  He selected a beignet and glanced at the coffeepot. “Coffee fresh?”

  “I made it before I started yoga. I’ll get it while you tell me why you’re here.” She grabbed two mugs and the coffeepot, then returned to the island.

  “Nothing like making a guy feel welcome.” He polished off his beignet and grabbed a paper towel. “Did your dad get arrested?”

  “No, but it’s only a matter of time. I talked Paul into waiting until we have the DNA back, but I’m not hopeful.” She poured coffee in the mugs and handed one to him. “Elizabeth is contradicting his alibi. I can’t believe she’d do that.
”

  He listened while she went through what the interrogation had revealed. “Store video should tell the truth of all that.”

  “I’m going to contact the Mobile police tomorrow to see about looking at the video. But it’s weird. I tried to call Elizabeth, but I got her voice mail. She hasn’t called me back yet either. I don’t think she wants to talk to me.”

  “You think she’s trying to punish your dad for something?”

  “Seems that way.”

  He didn’t want to point out that her dad could be lying. It wasn’t like he had never told her a lie—but she didn’t know about that yet.

  “Mind if I sit down?” Without waiting for an answer he went into the living room and settled on the sofa. Parker pressed against his leg, and he rubbed his head. “Sorry, buddy, my beignet is gone.”

  There was a file of papers in the armchair across from the sofa so she sat beside him. He caught the coconut scent on her hair and wished he could lean in for a sniff.

  She pulled her legs onto the sofa under her. “What’s up with you and Will?”

  “He found out the truth about his mother.” Reid looked up to catch the surprise in her eyes. “Lauren isn’t his real mother, and I never told him. I think we have it all worked out now. But it’s shattered his trust of me a little bit, I think.”

  “I’m sorry. So he’s lost two mothers. Poor kid. I hate that he’s hurting.”

  “You could see the tension between us?”

  She nodded. “Hard to miss.”

  “I suppose so.”

  Was she going to ask about Will’s mother too? He rushed into a different topic. “Lauren says she’s contacted an attorney to sue for custody, but Will says he’ll refuse to go with her. You think a judge would make him?”

  She shook her head. “Doubtful at his age, especially given the circumstances. Though she’s legally his mother and has rights, she deserted him. You have any proof she tried to blackmail you?”

  “My phone automatically records conversations. I put an app on it some time back to help me keep track of research calls. Is that admissible?”