16
Jackson rang the front doorbell and waited
expectantly for Ally to appear. It was only ten in the morning, but
she’d told him she’d be back from the diner and ready for him. Rob
was already at work and, judging from the expression on his face
over breakfast earlier, wasn’t in a very good mood. It wasn’t hard
to figure out why. Getting involved with Ally again was never going
to be easy.
Ally opened the door, and Jackson
smiled at her. She wore her usual outfit of shorts and a skimpy
top, both covered in drips of white paint. “Hey. You ready to take
some of that stuff to the dump?”
“Absolutely. Come through to the
kitchen,” Ally said. “I don’t have to go back to work until nine,
so we have plenty of time to get it done.”
Jackson followed her into the kitchen
and inhaled the welcome smell of coffee. Ally held up a mug. “You
want some?”
“Sure. Thanks.” He accepted the mug and
leaned back against the countertop. Taking his first really good
look at Ally, he frowned. “You okay, Ally?”
She sighed. “I’m not sure. This town
seems to bring out the worst in me.”
He felt himself tensing. She wasn’t
going to leave again, was she? “What’s up?”
She touched a black book that lay open
on the table. “I’ve been reading my mom’s diary.”
He grimaced. “That bad, is
it?”
“Worse. She turned out to be a nice
person after all.”
“And what’s wrong with
that?”
She turned away from him, her shoulder
hunched. “Don’t you get it, Jackson? She became a nicer person
after I left, which seems to indicate that I was the problem all
along.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” He
regarded her closely. “Your leaving probably shocked her into
making some major changes.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.
She started volunteering for stuff, attending AA meetings, making
friends. . . .” Ally tucked her hair behind her ear and dumped her
coffee mug in the sink. “Everything’s different here now—my mom,
you, Rob. . . .”
“And you.” She met his gaze, her gray
eyes startled. “Don’t forget, you’ve changed, too, Ally. We all
have the ability to start again and make things
right.”
“Even my mom.”
“Yeah, even her.”
Ally sighed. “I’ve put up with a
shitload of attitude from half this town, and I’ve held my tongue
and just let them have their say.”
“I know.”
She put her hands on her hips.
“And?”
“And you must’ve known that was part of
the risk of coming back.”
“It doesn’t exactly encourage me to
stay, though.”
“You’ve thought about that?” Jackson
asked carefully.
She avoided his gaze and fiddled with
the coffeepot. “As you said, I’m entitled to change my mind as
well.”
He let out a slow breath. “I’d like you
to stay.”
“Really?”
Her skeptical tone stung. “What’s that
supposed to mean?”
“Surely it would be better for you if I
left again so that you could bring Rob around to your way of
thinking?”
“It wouldn’t work, Ally. I tried that
once before, remember.” He heard the bitterness in his voice and
winced.
“We both tried to get away from him,
didn’t we?” Ally paused. “And we both came back because we realized
he wasn’t going to come after us.”
Jackson stared at her. “I never thought
of it like that before, but you’re right.”
“Do you think Rob wants me to
stay?”
“You’d have to ask him.”
Ally came around the table and kissed
his cheek. “You’re a good friend to us both, Jackson. I suppose the
only person I can ask that question to is Rob.”
“He probably thinks you’re going to
leave because that’s what you told him.”
“This is all such a mess.” Ally put
Ruth’s diary in one of the drawers and headed for the door. “Let’s
move some boxes.”
Jackson was quite happy to follow her
out. They’d come way too close to the heart of the problem for his
comfort. Rob definitely needed to talk to Ally and straighten stuff
out. But would he do it when he’d been kicked in the teeth once
already? Rob liked to fix stuff for everyone; but it seemed that he
struggled to know how to fix himself.
Jackson was no longer sure either. He
felt like his teenage self again, stuck between Ally’s and Rob’s
emotions, always trying to make things right for them—usually at
his own expense. No wonder he’d gotten resentful, but what had that
achieved? Ally had left Rob, and nothing had been the same
again.
On that depressing thought, Jackson
opened the front door and then went to his flatbed truck. Ally was
right—a bit of hard physical labor lugging boxes was much better
than thinking about anything.
By the time they got back, Jackson was
sweating in his black T-shirt and Ally’s face was flushed. They’d
shifted about fifty boxes from the dining room and the spare
bedroom to the recycling facility, and the sun was setting behind
the garage. Jackson parked in the driveway, and Ally opened the
front door.
“I think we deserve a cold drink after
all that work, don’t you?”
Jackson wiped at the sweat on his
forehead. “We sure do.”
Ally was walking ahead of him and he
almost fell over her when she abruptly stopped by the open door of
the dining room. “What the hell happened in here?”
Jackson looked over her shoulder and
went still. Someone had ransacked the few remaining boxes and
opened up all the drawers in the desk. The contents spilled out
onto the floor. He grabbed Ally’s arm and stopped her from walking
into the room.
“Don’t go any farther. I’m going to
call Rob.”
He found his cell phone and punched in
Rob’s number. “Hey, Ally’s house has been broken
into.”
He snapped the phone shut and nodded at
Ally. “He’s on his way. Now stay behind me and I’ll check out the
rest of the place.”
He moved cautiously down the central
hallway, checked the bedrooms, and ended up in the kitchen. Nothing
had been disturbed there. He rattled the back door, but it was
locked.
“I don’t see any signs of a break-in.
Did we leave the front door unlocked or something?”
Ally shook her head. “We didn’t. I
lived in New York for years. I would never forget to lock
up.”
“And I’m a cop.” He studied the
unbroken glass panels of the door. “So how did the person—or
persons—get in?”
The doorbell rang and Ally went to
answer it. Jackson heard Rob’s voice and then Jeff’s, the other
deputy. He walked up to meet them. Ally stood in the doorway, her
arms folded across her chest, an anxious expression on her face as
Rob carefully entered the dining room.
“Do you think anything has been stolen,
Ally?”
“I can’t tell yet.”
“How about from the desk? Did you keep
any financial stuff in there?”
“My mom did, but I took all the
important stuff out of there, and I’ve been keeping it with
me.”
He beckoned her into the room.
“Anything else that appears to be missing or
different?”
“It’s hard to tell when we only just
moved all those boxes out. But I don’t remember leaving the
computer on. Why didn’t they steal that?”
“Maybe you and Jackson interrupted
them.”
Rob crouched down to survey the mess
and touched one of the black books. “What are these? Account
books?”
“They’re my mother’s journals.” Ally
squinted at the handwriting. “At least I think that’s what they
are. I haven’t been through them all yet.”
Rob caught Jackson’s eye and nodded.
“How does the rest of the house look?”
Jackson answered him. “I can’t see any
other damage, and none of the windows or doors were open
either.”
Rob frowned. “Hey, Jeff, can you go and
grab the paperwork from my car? I might as well get started on
it.”
Ally shifted her stance to allow Jeff
past her. “Aren’t you going to call in your forensic team and a
detective?”
Jackson smoothed a hand down her arm.
“This isn’t New York. We don’t have those kinds of resources in
this small town. It’s basically up to us to investigate everything,
and to be honest, there’s not a lot we can do here.”
Ally looked up at him. “Why would
anyone want to do this?”
Rob stood up and walked toward them.
“Let’s have something to drink and talk this through in the
kitchen.”
Ally tore her gaze away from the pile
of books and papers and went into the kitchen. Despite her shaking
hands, she fixed a fresh pot of coffee and retrieved some ice from
the freezer to add to the water glasses. Rob and Jackson sat at the
table, their expressions grim as they waited for Jeff to
return.
“Let me do that. You’ve had a
shock.”
Ally almost jumped when Rob took the
glasses out of her hands.
“Why would anyone want to break into my
house and go through my stuff, Rob?” she whispered.
He put the glasses on the table and
squeezed her shoulder. “Give me a minute to write up this report,
and then I’ll be more than happy to answer all your
questions.”
Ally took a seat, aware that Rob had
his professional face on and that she would get nothing more out of
him until he’d completed his job to his satisfaction. That was one
thing she’d always both admired and hated about him—his ability to
compartmentalize his life.
Of course, it took more than a minute
to survey the damage and write the preliminary report. Ally stayed
put at the table as the three officers divided up the tasks and got
on with it.
A knock at the back door made her jump.
Jackson rose to answer the door, and Jane came in, her face
flushed. She ignored Jackson and came to stand in front of Ally. “I
came by to retrieve my pie dish. What’s going on? Are you
okay?”
“Someone broke into my
house.”
Jane gasped and pressed her hand to her
chest. “Oh my word. Have you called Rob?”
“He’s here with half the sheriff’s
department.”
Jane glanced across at Jackson. “I can
see that.” She hesitated. “I won’t keep you, then, but can you just
show me where my pie dish is?”
Ally pointed at one of the cupboards on
the wall. “It’s in there, Jane. I’m sorry I didn’t get it back to
you sooner.”
“It’s not a problem, Ally, honestly.”
Jane opened the cupboard and went up on tiptoe to try and reach the
dish. Without a word, Jackson came up behind her, plucked the pie
dish from the shelf, and handed it to Jane with a flourish. She
continued to ignore him, her mouth pinched, her expression
outraged. “Thanks, Ally. Let me know if you need any
help.”
She shut the kitchen door behind her
with a bang.
“You’re welcome,” muttered Jackson, and
Ally turned to look at him. “You know she only came over to nose
around. If I hadn’t been here, she would’ve gone straight into the
dining room trying to prove I’d committed a crime.”
“I know.” Ally held her head in her
hands. “I’m just glad you were here when I came in. Maybe I
should’ve told Jane that and set her mind at rest.”
Rob came back into the kitchen carrying
a clipboard. “That’s about it, Ally. Jeff’s gone back to cover the
office. I need you to read through this and add anything you think
might be missing.”
While Ally read and checked the
details, Rob helped himself to a mug of coffee and sat down with
them at the table. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not like your normal burglary for
cash, is it? Nothing appears to have been taken. It’s more like
whoever it was, was searching for something.”
Ally looked up to find Rob’s keen gaze
on her. “Like what?”
“You tell me.”
“But I don’t know! Maybe it’s someone
who still thinks there are drugs in the house and doesn’t know Mom
has passed away.”
“That’s a possibility.”
“Why do you sound so
skeptical?”
“Because whoever it was had a key,
Ally. That puts a whole new slant on things.”
“I don’t imagine my mom ever changed
the locks, so I suppose it could’ve been someone from her past. Is
that what you are trying to say?”
Rob sighed. “It’s a
possibility.”
Ally shivered and gripped her coffee
mug. “It’s as if my coming back has shaken everything up. Someone
doesn’t want me here, do they?”
Rob’s gaze met Jackson’s and Ally
stiffened.
“It might not be directed at you, Ally.
It’s far more likely to have something to do with your
mom.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” Ally
knew her voice was rising, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“You told me she was a different person, so why are you still
treating her like a suspect?”
“Because . . .” Rob took her hand.
“Look, this may be about drugs, but there’s also the matter of what
happened to Susan Evans on the night you left town.”
“She killed herself.” Ally felt bad as
Jackson winced. “Everyone knows that, apart from Jane, who thinks
Jackson murdered her.”
“Ally, the last time anyone saw Susan
alive, she came into this house and was seen leaving with another
person.” Silence fell over the table, and Ally couldn’t seem to
break it. “Afterward, your mother wouldn’t allow the sheriff’s
department to search the place without them getting a warrant. Then
the coroner decided Susan’s death was a suicide, and the police had
to move on.”
Sick realization dawned in Ally’s head.
“But you didn’t move on, did you, Rob? You’d never allow any
department you worked for to have an unsolved case.”
“It wasn’t unsolved, Ally. The verdict
was suicide,” Rob said.
“But that wasn’t good enough for you,
was it?” She slowly stood up and gazed at his hard face. “I know
why you’re so interested in what’s in this house. You’re hoping to
find some evidence that my mother went out with Susan and pushed
her off the bridge, aren’t you?”
Rob didn’t say anything, but she saw
the truth in his eyes.
“My God, you really are a piece of
work. Was this all about your case? Fucking me? Convincing me that
you really were a nice guy after all? Was the ‘stuff’ you wanted to
discuss with me all connected to convicting my mother of
murder?”
“Ally . . .” Jackson’s low voice
intruded on her rage.
She waved it aside. “That’s it, isn’t
it, Rob? Revenge and sex. You even told me that!”
Rob shook his head. “You’ve got this
all wrong. I—”
Ally pushed in her chair. “I get it.
Now get out of my house.”
She turned on her heel and walked out,
shut her bedroom door, and locked it firmly behind her. Nausea
churned in her gut, and she wanted a drink so badly she knew she
had to call Jill right now. Instead she curled up into a ball and
let herself cry.
Jackson stared across at Rob, who
remained sitting at the table, his hands clenched in front of him.
“Do you want to go talk to her?”
“You think she’d be interested in
anything I had to say?”
“At this moment, probably not.” Jackson
stood up. “Let’s take this back to the station and work out what we
need to do to fix it.”
“The case or Ally?”
Jackson opened the back door. “Both.”
He glanced back at Rob, who had the look of a man who’d just been
punched in the gut. “Rob, come on. There’s nothing else you can do
here.”
Rob slowly rose and used his hand to
push himself away from the table. “I get that.”
There was nothing else to say. Jackson
knew it wasn’t the time for recriminations. Rob knew he’d fucked
up, and Jackson had no intention of reminding him.
It took all Rob’s concentration to
drive the short distance from Ally’s house to his office at the old
courthouse. Jackson had offered to drive, but Rob had curtly
refused. What did Jackson think he was going to do? Cry like a
baby? Rob swallowed hard. There was nothing to cry about. Ally had
a right to be pissed, but he had just been doing his
job.
Jackson followed him into his office
and left the door open. Jeff appeared with a sheaf of papers
relating to the break-in, which he passed over to Rob to fill out.
It always amused Rob that he could reach anywhere in Spring Falls
and deal with a crime quicker than he could fill in the resulting
paperwork. He concentrated on the mundane, let Jackson bring him
some coffee, and waited for the sick feeling in his stomach to
settle down.
“So what do you think is going on,
Rob?” Jackson asked.
“With Ally?” He shrugged. “I think
she’s right. Something sure stirred up the waters around here, and
she walked right into it.”
“But what?”
“I’m hoping it’s
drug-related.”
“But I thought you were intent on
solving the mystery of Susan’s ‘murder’?”
Rob glared at Jackson. “What is it with
everyone? What I feel for Ally and what might have happened with
Susan are two completely separate matters.”
“You can’t fool another cop, Rob. There
is no way in hell that you didn’t even consider that Ally or I
might have killed Susan.”
“Of course I fucking considered it! But
I knew from the timing that neither of you could’ve done it. The
only other possibility is Ally’s mom.”
Jackson looked unconvinced. “You’re
shouting at the wrong person. Ally’s the one you need to convince,
not me.”
“Ally’s the one I’m trying to protect,
although no one seems to give me any credit for that at
all.”
“Why the hell should they? You’re like
a man obsessed, and I just don’t get it.”
Rob set his jaw. “Look, that night, I
was the one who found Susan’s body.”
Jackson blinked. “You did?”
“I was heading for Ally’s house.” Rob
shrugged. “I just wanted to see her and make sure she was okay. But
I didn’t get that far. I found Susan first, draped over the rocks
in the creek. The water was really low, so I was able to work out
that she was dead before I ran like hell to call the
police.”
Jackson nodded. “No cell phones for
teens then, right?”
“Right. I tried to tell the cops and
the medics that it looked like she had bruises on her upper arms,
but as far as they were concerned, I was just a kid who didn’t know
shit about anything. They reckoned all the bruising was the result
of her fall from the bridge. I could tell from their conversation
they’d already decided it was suicide.”
“Well, shit. Why didn’t you mention
this before?”
“Because I didn’t want to stir up even
more crap for you and Ally.”
Jackson shook his head. “So this is
something of a personal quest for you too.”
“If you want to put it like that, then
yeah.”
Jackson sat forward in his seat, his
expression all business. “Then listen to this. The way I see it,
there are three reasons for anyone to target Ally’s home. One, it’s
related to her mother, and maybe there’s a drug connection. Two,
someone just wants to drive Ally out of town. And three, someone
wants to cover up something about Susan’s death. Do you agree with
me?”
Rob let out a slow, steadying breath.
“Yeah, I do.”
Jackson rose and headed for the
whiteboard on Rob’s wall. He wrote Ruth,
Ally, and Susan and looked
expectantly at Rob. “So whose names need to go down in each
column?”