Colby Agency: Small-Town Secrets Part 13

"Is that why you're meeting this morning? To make sure you have your stories straight?"

Ginger and Lorie started talking at once. Each adamantly denying his ridiculous theory. Patty just stared at him, her face pale with disbelief.

"One of you," Spence interrupted the chaos, "or maybe all of you, knows something. Don't think this is going away. I won't stop digging until I know exactly what happened. So, if you're hiding anything, I would come clean soon. Trust me, if I can't find the answers I'm looking for, I will take this to the FBI, the way Gerard should have done sixteen years ago."

Before either of the three could speak, Spence added, "You know where to find us." He touched Dana's elbow and gestured toward the car. "Let's go."

Not one of the three said a word as Spence and Dana walked away.

That was good. The exact reaction he'd wanted. Now they would seethe and worry. One would break.

His money was on Patty.

Chapter Sixteen.

Dana's mind was still reeling with the clash of emotions in the park when the blue lights appeared in the rearview mirror.

"That took longer than I'd expected," Spence commented as he pulled his rented car to the side of the street. He turned to Dana. His dark gaze settled on hers. "Don't worry about this. There's only so much he can do. Just stay calm, and don't let him get to you."

Dana nodded her understanding. She tried to slow her breathing, to calm her racing heart but that wasn't happening with Chief Gerard striding toward the driver's side of the car.

Not once in her life had she gotten into trouble with those in authority. She'd been accused of trouble as a kid back in school, but it had never amounted to anything more than talk. Even after Donna's murder, she had been treated as a victim...not as a criminal.

That was no longer the case.

For years Dana had suffered with the nightmares...with the questions and fears that she was responsible for her sister's death. But for the first time in all those years she realized that, as Spence said, something was very, very wrong with the way the investigation of her sister's murder had been conducted.

Chief Gerard was hiding something or covering for someone.

Maybe it was her.

Maybe it wasn't.

Either way, she needed to know the truth.

Spence powered his window down. "Good morning, Chief."

"Mr. Spencer." Gerard pushed the brim of his hat up his forehead. "I'll need you and Miss Hall to follow me down to the station house."

"Are we under arrest?" Spence asked bluntly.

The chief scratched the forehead he'd bared. "I guess that depends on whether or not the three of my citizens you keep hara.s.sing wish to press charges."

Dana bit her lip to hold back a gasp. Surely he wouldn't arrest them. This was insane. She'd been treated like a monster since she got here. Her family home had been vandalized and burned to the ground. She was still the victim and no one seemed to get it.

Spence acquiesced with a nod. "We'll be right behind you, Chief."

Gerard stalked back to his cruiser, climbed in and whipped back onto the street. He was not a happy camper. Dana wrung her hands. She'd taken two weeks' vacation from work. Maybe she was going to need a lot longer.

"He'll growl, make a fuss," Spence said, drawing her attention back to him. "But we haven't crossed the line yet. We'll be fine."

For the first time in a long time, Dana wasn't afraid. She trusted Spence. He knew what he was doing. Most important, he was on her side.

AT THE POLICE STATION, Dana held her head high as she and Spence followed the chief down the long corridor to his office.

Chief Gerard paused before reaching his office. He turned back to Spence. "We're going to need a statement from each of you." Gerard reached for the door to his right. "Mr. Spencer, if you'll have a seat in here." The chief gestured toward the end of the corridor. "Miss Hall, you can follow me to my office."

What was this? That old, too familiar fear trickled into her veins.

"Miss Hall is my client," Spence challenged. "We'll give our statements together."

"This is my town, sir, and we'll do things my way here."

Dana stepped forward. "That's fine." She glanced at Spence. "I'll be okay."

"Of course you will," Gerard a.s.sured her. "This is just a formality."

Dana didn't give Spence time to argue. She walked directly to the chief's office. She wasn't afraid of what he might say. She was way past that. This had gone on too long...way too long.

She settled into the chair in front of his desk and waited. Crossing her ankles to prevent her foot from tapping, she arranged her hands in her lap.

Stay calm. Remember, you're after the truth.

Whatever that might be.

Dana sat up straighter when Chief Gerard entered his office. He closed the door. She jumped before she could catch herself. Thankfully he didn't appear to notice. When he'd taken the seat behind his desk, he braced his elbows on the chair arms and steepled his fingers. Then he studied her at length.

She didn't look away. He represented the authority in this town. She was attempting to find the truth. He should be helping her not fighting her.

"Miss Dana, we have ourselves quite a dilemma here."

He paused for her to respond.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Chief." Whatever he wanted to know he would have to ask. She wasn't giving anything voluntarily.

"Your mother's home burned. You and your friend, Mr. Spencer, have been going around upsetting the citizens of Brighton." He moved his head side to side. "I truly don't know what to do. I've issued verbal warnings and Mr. Spencer appears determined to ignore them."

"Talking to Lorie and the others this morning was my idea." Dana clamped her mouth shut. She'd said it. Let him think what he would. Spence was helping her. She intended to help him.

"I see." Gerard tapped his lips with his fingertips. "So, you're the one who's responsible for all the trouble."

The way he said the words...the way he looked at her. Fear crawled up her spine.

"Dana, I think it would be best if you went back to Chicago and put this behind you once and for all, just as I've told you already."

A blast of fury kicked aside the fear. "I'm not leaving until I know what happened." Okay, two could play this game. Dana leaned forward, braced her forearms on the edge of his desk. "You know what happened, Chief. Why don't you just tell me who you're covering for? I can't imagine why you'd conceal the ident.i.ty of a killer, but somehow it feels exactly as if that's what you're doing."

Gerard pushed back from his desk and stood. "One of my deputies will come take your statement." He adjusted his utility belt. "The fire marshal wants to speak with you about the house." He stepped around his desk. "Get comfortable, Miss Hall, this might take a while."

EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS later, Chief Gerard allowed them to leave.

Dana felt ready to explode with frustration. She'd been questioned over and over about the fire...about every move she'd made since her arrival back in Brighton. Gerard hadn't even allowed her to eat lunch with Spence. One of the deputies had brought a sack lunch to her in the chief's office. That was where she'd stayed for the duration.

"Tell me about yours," Spence said as he started the car, "and I'll tell you about mine."

Dana smiled her first smile since waking up in his arms this morning.

She was getting entirely too comfortable with having him around.

"He asked me the same questions over and over. Who have we spoken to? What did we talk about?" She closed her eyes and tried to calm the whirlwind of questions and answers still ravaging her thought process. "What happened in the house prior to the fire? Etcetera. Etcetera."

"Ah," Spence said with an understanding nod, "I got that same script. Same questions asked fifty different ways."

All that and they didn't know any more than they had before they got here. No, that wasn't true. They knew there were secrets and lies...even in a small, refined town like Brighton.

Dana had to admit she was glad to see the motel. She was exhausted. A shower and sleep would be amazing.

"Get what you need from your room," Spence told her. "I'll order a pizza or something."

They'd decided she would be staying in his room, but she hadn't taken the time to get the rest of her stuff from room twelve yet.

Dana fished for the key in her purse. Spence waited for her to go into twelve before entering his room, eleven. She'd just closed the door when her gaze collided with a wild one staring directly at her.

She told herself to scream, but no sound came from her throat.

"Uh...sorry." Samuel Henagar, the former school janitor, pointed to the bathroom door. "Your toilet was running. I just came in here to fix it." He sidled around her to reach the door. "Wastes a lot of water running like that."

Dana remained frozen until he'd exited the room and she heard his footsteps echo all the way to the office.

The pathetic squeak that issued from her throat then made her want to kick something. A serial rapist could have been in here and Spence would never have known unless the rapist had made noise.

Dana had totally freaked.

She scrubbed her hand over her face and reminded herself that a shower would make her feel like a new woman.

She hoped so. She was getting pretty sick of the old one.

The telephone on the table beside the bed rang insistently. Dana pressed her hand to her chest. She was sick of being startled. She was sick of everything about this place.

She picked up the receiver. Prayed it wasn't her mother. "h.e.l.lo."

"Meet me alone, and I'll tell you everything."

Female...Lorie. "Lorie?"

"I want this over."

Dana would have to be out of her mind to meet this woman alone. They'd known each other as kids, but they were all grown up now. Not to mention she never cared for Lorie's better-than-you att.i.tude.

"Sorry, I can't meet you alone." Antic.i.p.ation whipped through Dana. She wanted to know what those women knew. But she couldn't be stupid. "Mr. Spencer will have to be with me."

"Then I guess you'll never know the truth."

The simple statement echoed through Dana's soul.

"Why do we have to meet alone?"

Hesitation.

What if she'd changed her mind? Dana might have had a chance to know and blown it.

"I'll tell you everything, for your own information. Not for anyone else's. Alone. No negotiations."

"I'm not sure I can get out of here without him knowing," Dana confessed. There was only one door and that was right next to his.

"Climb out your bathroom window," Lorie ordered. "I'll pick you up in the back alley."

Two thoughts collided in Dana's brain just then. First, Lorie had definitely been the one to break into Dana's motel room. Second, this could be the biggest mistake of her life.

But she had to know.

If she learned the truth, it would be worth the risk.

Chapter Seventeen.

Dana stared at the window for a whole minute before she could touch the lever that would open it. If she didn't hurry, Spence would be knocking on her door. She'd locked the door, but it wouldn't take him long to get the key and be inside. Or to knock it down.

She had to do this.

She had to be strong. This once.

Do it.