Deceit

man could be so knuckle-headed. “Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but—”

“Sure sounds like it to me.”

“Well, what do you want, Baxter? You want her telling her friends at church?”

“She’ll never do that.”

“Don’t be so sure. Linda’s a volcano waiting to erupt. The right moment with the right friend asking what’s wrong with her lately, and she’ll blow.”

“Melissa. Shut up.”

“Don’t tell me to shut up! That’s the way you talk to Linda, not me.”

They hit a red light. Baxter braked hard, jerking Melissa’s body against her seatbelt. He turned on her, his expression black as coal. “You listen to me. Nobody tells me what to do in my own house.” His finger pointed at her, stiff and thrusting at air. “You’re just a sixteen-year-old kid without a home. I let you in mine, and I can kick you out tomorrow. Got that?”

Shock and pain spun through Melissa. She stared at Baxter, open-mouthed. Speechless.

He swiveled back to glare at the stoplight, fingers drumming a mad beat on the steering wheel.

Fine, then. Act like a two-year- old.

The silence in the car pricked.

A minute later they turned a corner. Far ahead the Jackson mansion came into view. The moment she’d first seen it flashed in Melissa’s mind. Had that really been just two months ago? Seemed like a lifetime.

She would not lose this house. This life. Baxter.

Just a sixteen-year-old kid. Oh, really. In some ways she knew more than Baxter Jackson. At least she wasn’t lying to herself.

The driveway approached. They had little time left. Like a wind goddess Melissa swept around inside her body and gathered her whirling emotions. Shoved them down into a hole.

“You won’t kick me out, Baxter.” Her voice shifted low and soothing. She stretched her hand across the seat and grazed his thigh. “I’m on your side, remember?”

He threw her a look, not quite so dark. Melissa’s hand pressed against his leg. He shook his head as if in defeat, air seeping from his throat. Slowly his right hand found hers and squeezed.

“It’s been too long.” He turned into the graceful driveway.

Melissa flicked a look at the windows and pulled her hand into her lap. “I think Linda’s done having church meetings for a while.”

“We have to find another way.”

Melissa gazed at the front porch. The beautiful carved wood door that symbolized entrance into the splendid and shining Jack-son world. “You have any ideas?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“When?”

His expression turned smug. “Tonight.”

FORTY-FOUR

FEBRUARY 2010

“Hey!” Melissa launched off the couch and lunged for her purse. Perry clutched it to his chest and twisted away from her. She screamed a curse and swerved around him, hands scrabbling for it. He jerked away again and bent over it. Melissa pummeled his back with her fist.

“Melissa, stop!” I jumped up.

Dan was on his feet, head swiveling from me to Melissa. “What’s going on?”

“She has a gun in there.”

Dan strode to Melissa, grabbed her arms, and pulled her away from Perry. She turned on him like a banshee, arms and legs flying. Dan fought to hold her off. Perry turned to help, still holding the purse. I ran to take it from him. He pivoted toward Melissa, captured her from behind in a bear hug. She screamed and squirmed, but he held tight. He pushed her forward until her legs hit the couch, spun her around and forced her down.

Dan stood to one side of Melissa, Perry on the other. Their faces were flushed. “Don’t you move.” Perry pointed a finger at her.

Melissa glared up at them, teeth clenched and trembling. She was outweighed, outnumbered, and betrayed. Her glare cut to me, glistening with hatred. And a telltale glint of something else she would never admit.

Fear.

“All right.” Dan held up a palm. “Let’s just all calm down. I need to hear this from the beginning.”

“There’s nothing to hear.” Defiance pinched Melissa’s face.

“Joanne says there is.”

“Joanne’s a liar.”

Dan looked to me and spread his hands. Baxter Jackson was no stranger to him. They may not be close friends themselves, but Chief Eddington provided a strong link. Baxter was a prominent citizen in Dan’s county—and no DA would pounce on such a person without good reason.

My legs felt suddenly weak. The last twenty-four hours had been the longest in my life. Now that my ploy had worked—so far—what energy I had left seemed to drain right out of me.

I still held Melissa’s purse. I didn’t trust her anywhere near it. I backed up and sank into the armchair Dan had left. He and Perry continued to guard Melissa. I set her handbag in my lap.

“It started last night on a road near my house…” Quickly I related the story of Hooded Man, the break-in at my home, finding Melissa, the gunman in her house, Perry’s rescue. Perry listened as intently as Dan, equally amazed at the parts he didn’t know. Melissa pressed back against the couch, head down, arms folded. Even in her silence I could almost smell the burning gears of her mind. She would not give in easily.

“So I brought her to you, Dan. I told her I was bringing her to my brother’s house.” I dared a glance at Melissa. She shot me a look of pure venom. “She can tell you everything about Linda’s murder. Baxter has to be caught quickly. Now he’s after both of us.”

“I’m not telling you anything.” Melissa leaned toward Dan. “’Cause guess what? I lied to her. I don’t know anything about Linda’s death.”

“Then why is Baxter after you?” Perry retorted.

“Maybe he’s not. Maybe it’s someone else, who knows? She has no proof it’s Baxter.”

Dan raised his eyebrows at me. “Do you?”

“I…no. You’ll have to find the gunman. Make him talk. Baxter will never admit to anything.”

Dan ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s put that aside for a minute.” He regarded Melissa, two fingers at his lips. The stance of a prosecutor pondering argument. “So you don’t know about Linda’s death.”

“No.”

“But someone told Joanne you do know. And now that someone may be trying to kill you. Mere coincidence?”

“You can’t make me stay here.”

“You want to call the police?”

Melissa seared him with a look.

Dan walked two steps toward me, turned back, and pointed at Melissa. “Stay there.” He approached me. I held up the purse. He peered inside until his expression indicated he saw the handgun. “You got a permit to carry this?”

“It’s a friend’s. I just borrowed it a few days ago.”

“I take it that means no.”

No response.

Dan focused again inside the purse. “Unlawful carrying and possession of weapons. That could get you a year in state prison.”

Melissa shoved upright, her eyes wide. “You can’t do that to me! It’s not my gun!”

“That’s the point.”