Dead by Midnight Part 21

"Chief Ballard and I a.s.signed crews from his office and mine to clean up those flyers as best they can. And if anyone is seen putting them out, they'll be arrested."

"That's good." She paused as if considering whether or not to say more. "But you and I both know that the damage has been done. Those flyers have accomplished their purpose."

"Yeah, you're right."

Lorie emerged from the hallway and glanced from Sh.e.l.ley to Mike. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm ready to go now."

Mike stared at Lorie. How was it possible that she was more beautiful now, at thirty-five, than she had been at eighteen? She honest to G.o.d took his breath away. She'd pinned her hair up, leaving dark rust-red curls framing one side of her gorgeous face. Her sleeveless beige dress hugged every voluptuous curve of her hourgla.s.s body and the heels she wore added three inches to her pet.i.te height.

Realizing that he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since she entered the room, Mike hurriedly looked away and said, "We'd better get going if we want to arrive before the bride and groom."

"You two go on outside," Sh.e.l.ley said. "I'll set the alarm and lock up."

Mike escorted Lorie to his truck, opened the door, and gave her a hand up and into the cab. He waited for Sh.e.l.ley, and after she settled in, he rounded the hood and hopped up and into the driver's seat. Lorie sat in the middle, her shoulder brushing his right arm and her hip pressed against his.

G.o.d, give me strength to control my reaction to Lorie's body touching mine. I sure as h.e.l.l can't walk into the party with a hard-on.

The three of them drove into town, a quick fifteen minute trip, in relative silence. Idle chitchat didn't seem appropriate. When they arrived at 121 West Fourth, cars lined both sides of the street. Mike pulled in behind a black Navigator, got out, and helped the ladies from the truck. They barely made it to the front door before Jack's Corvette pulled into the driveway.

"It's them," Lorie said.

The honeymooners emerged from the antique Vette, Jack's arm around Cathy's waist, both of them smiling.

"What's going on here?" Jack asked as he and his bride stepped up on the front porch.

"A welcome-home party that got a little out of hand," Mike replied as he reached out to shake his old friend's hand.

Lorie and Cathy hugged each other and then clasped their hands together, squeezing tightly, before letting go.

"You two look great," Lorie said.

"Apparently married life agrees with both of you," Mike added.

"Honeymoons agree with us." Jack grinned. "You should try it." He glanced from Mike to Lorie.

Ignoring the subtle reference to former lovers reuniting, Mike opened the front door. "We'd better get you two inside before the party moves out here on the porch."

As Jack and Cathy entered the house, Cathy paused and looked at Sh.e.l.ley. "Hi, I'm Cathy Cantrell..." She laughed. "Correction. I'm Cathy Perdue. I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Sh.e.l.ley Gilbert."

"Sh.e.l.ley works with Maleah," Lorie said.

"Where is that sister of mine?" Jack asked.

"On a.s.signment," Sh.e.l.ley told him.

Jack smiled and nodded, but Mike could tell that he suspected something was wrong. "You'll tell me later, right?" Jack whispered, for Mike's ears only.

"Sure thing," Mike said.

Jack clutched Cathy's hand and led her to the connecting double front parlors where most of their guests were congregated. The moment she saw Seth, she hurried toward him, her arms outstretched. Mike noticed the way Lorie watched as mother and son embraced-with a wistful look in her eyes. Did Lorie want a child? Did she regret-?

d.a.m.n it! Don't think about what might have been.

Mike caught a glimpse of Abby on the far side of the room, trapped in a conversation with Reverend Patsy Floyd, who was no doubt trying to persuade Abby to help with the Interfaith Youth Council that Patsy had founded. The idea was for children and teens from various religions to meet once a month in a social setting that fostered understanding of and tolerance for one another's religious doctrines. He knew that Abby didn't totally approve of the fact that he allowed Hannah and M.J. to attend the monthly meetings.

"They're too young to be exposed to false doctrine," Abby had warned him. "You don't want them believing everything they're told."

"I'm not worried," Mike had said. "My children are being brought up in the same church I've attended all my life. I have confidence in their ability to choose the right path. But I want them to learn to be understanding and tolerant of people who are different from them. It's what Molly would have wanted. She had the biggest, kindest, most understanding heart of anyone I've ever known."

Abby had agreed with him, of course. She always did, easily changing her opinions to mimic his. Even though her physical appearance and generally sweet disposition reminded him of Molly, she didn't possess Molly's s.p.u.n.k. If Molly believed in something or someone, you couldn't change her mind easily. In that way, Molly had reminded him of Lorie.

Mike cast a quick glance around the room and noted that Lorie, with Sh.e.l.ley at her side, was talking to his mother. A tight knot formed in the pit of his stomach. What could she and his mom possibly have to talk about? Nothing too serious, he figured, not from the way they were both smiling. He shouldn't stare too long. People would notice. People would talk. It was bound to happen now that the whole town knew the sheriff's department was involved in the Midnight Killer case. He figured people were already speculating as to just how involved he was in personally looking after Lorie.

It's high time you paid attention to your date for the evening.

He made his way across the room and slipped his arm around Abby's tiny waist. She was almost too thin. If not for her well-defined muscles, achieved through a strenuous exercise program, she would look unhealthy.

"h.e.l.lo, sweetheart." She kissed his cheek.

He smiled. "Thanks for bringing the kids."

"As a matter of fact, I didn't bring them," she told him. "It seems your mother decided to come tonight and insisted on the children coming with her."

Mike knew for a fact that his mother had not planned on coming to the party. Only yesterday, she had told him that the arthritis in her hips was acting up and she was having to use her cane again.

"I'll see the doctor Monday and get one of those cortisone shots and I'll be just fine," she had a.s.sured him.

So what had happened to change his mother's mind?

"How are you, Mike?" Patsy Floyd asked. "I guess this Midnight Killer situation is keeping you pretty busy. We've heard all about it, of course, now that the FBI is involved. I'm terribly concerned about Lorie. Thank goodness she not only has a bodyguard, but she has you, too." Patsy looked from Mike to Abby. Her face flushed. "I mean in your capacity as the sheriff, of course."

Mike forced a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm very proud of Mike," Abby said. "He takes his duties as the county sheriff seriously. We can all sleep soundly in our beds at night knowing that he's in charge."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey."

"If you two will excuse me, I want to say h.e.l.lo to Jack and Cathy," Patsy said. "Have you ever seen two happier people in your life? They're both simply glowing. There's nothing like being crazy in love, is there?"

Left alone with Abby, Mike managed to keep his strained smile intact. While she talked to him, he tried to listen and respond, but eventually, he allowed his gaze to casually drift around the room. When Abby said something about their plans for Sunday dinner tomorrow after church, he nodded agreement and kept smiling. Once again locating his mother's whereabouts in the gathering of Jack and Cathy's friends, he noticed how she held on to the handle of her walking stick and leaned slightly sideways, allowing the cane to help support her weight. She smiled broadly as she watched his son and daughter attach themselves to Lorie, one on either side of her. Lorie wrapped her arms around M.J.'s and Hannah's shoulders and began talking to them.

Just when had his children gotten so friendly with Lorie? Last year after he found out that she saw them every month at the Interfaith Youth Council meetings, he had warned her to stay away from them. But he hadn't told his kids to stay away from Lorie. After all, what reason could he have given them? The woman is evil? She wasn't. That she wasn't a proper role model for anyone, least of all his young children? That might have been true at one time, but for the past nine years, Lorie had lived an exemplary life.

Dunmore was a small town. His kids were bound to run into Lorie occasionally. And she had told him quite honestly that if and when she saw his children, she would not ignore them. And during the preparations for Jack and Cathy's wedding-he, his and Lorie both members of the wedding party-he had noticed how much his children liked Lorie. Especially Hannah.

But something else was going on and he felt certain that whatever it was, his mother had something to do with it.

Nell Birkett could be a devious woman when it came to doing what she thought was best for her children and grandchildren. She had always liked Lorie, and as much as she disapproved of the choices Lorie had made in her late teens and early twenties, Nell had never bad-mouthed Lorie. Not to him or anyone else. When Molly was alive, his mother's allegiance had been to his wife. But after Molly's death, when he had started dating again, his mom had suggested he give Lorie a call. If anyone other than his mother had made that suggestion, he would have told them what they could do with it. But he had never spoken disrespectfully to his mother and never would.

"That's not ever going to happen." He had barely managed to keep his temper under control as he'd made his feelings perfectly clear. "And please, Mom, don't ever say her name to me again."

Was his mother using his own children as a means to reunite him with Lorie? He wouldn't put it past her, not if she had decided that Lorie was the right woman for him. But how could she believe that, especially now when the whole town had been reminded of Lorie's sordid past?

"I'm going over to talk to the kids," Mike told Abby.

She laced her arm through his. "I'll go with you."

There was no way to get out of taking Abby along with him. When they approached his mother and children, Lorie slowly dropped her arms from around M.J.'s and Hannah's shoulders.

"Well, there you are," his mother said. "We were just telling Lorie about Humphrey."

"Yeah, and Lorie said she had a pet rabbit, too, when she was a kid," M.J. told him.

"His name was Cottontail," Hannah added.

"Not very original, I admit." Lorie smiled warmly at both children, and then her gaze met Mike's. "Did your dad ever tell you about his pet racc.o.o.n?"

"No, he didn't," M.J. said, a c.o.c.ky little grin on his face.

"Tell us, Daddy, tell us." Hannah tugged on his sleeve.

"Lord have mercy." His mother laughed. "His dad tried to tell Mike that he couldn't tame that wild thing, but he wouldn't listen."

"I'm surprised that you didn't catch a disease of some kind," Abby said. "Most animals are terribly nasty. I'm sure you learned that your father was right, didn't you, dear?" She snuggled against his side. "Wild animals are best left in the wild."

M.J. and Hannah frowned at Abby.

Before Mike could respond, his mother said, "Actually, it didn't take Mike long to have that racc.o.o.n eating out of his hand. He's always had a knack for gentling the wildest creatures."

When his mom gave Lorie a sidelong glance, Mike could have strangled her. Abby's perpetual smile wavered. Lorie looked downright embarra.s.sed. And Mike didn't know what to say or do to ease the tension his mother's comment had created.

"Tell us about the racc.o.o.n, Daddy." Hannah tugged on Mike's arm again.

Lorie glanced around the room as if searching for someone, then said, "If y'all will excuse me, I want to find Cathy and bring her up to date on Treasures of the Past business." Before waiting for anyone to respond, she escaped. Sh.e.l.ley Gilbert, who had been standing nearby and being as inconspicuous as possible, followed Lorie.

Mike watched them until they disappeared into another room. Only then did he realize that not only were his children demanding details about his childhood pet racc.o.o.n, but Abby had been watching him watch Lorie. And his mother stood there smiling, looking as innocent as the day she was born.

Cathy actually found Lorie and not the other way around. In truth, Lorie had used Cathy as an excuse to make a hasty retreat. The last thing she wanted was to cause trouble between Mike and Abby Sherman. Apparently, Mike liked the woman a great deal; otherwise he wouldn't have been dating her and only her for several months now. Neither the fact that his mother obviously felt she was the wrong woman for him nor the fact that his children seemed to dislike her was any of Lorie's business. Mike's personal life was strictly off-limits to her. She had given up any rights she'd had to Mike seventeen years ago.

"There you are." Cathy discovered Lorie hiding out in the kitchen. "What are you doing in here all alone?"

"I'm not alone." Lorie nodded toward the open door that led to the adjacent mudroom. "Sh.e.l.ley's out there. She got a phone call, probably from the Powell Agency."

"Why didn't you call me and tell me what was happening?" Cathy asked. "Jack and I could have cut our honeymoon short and come home immediately."

"That's the reason I didn't want you to know." She looked Cathy in the eye. "How did you find out so quickly? You haven't been home fifteen minutes."

"Buddy Pounders just told Jack. As soon as Jack told me, I started searching for you so we could talk. I'm your best friend and yet I'm one of the last to know that your life is in danger."

"I'm sorry, but I refused to allow this insanity to intrude on your honeymoon. Besides, there was nothing you could have done. There's nothing you can do now."

Cathy grasped Lorie's hands. "I want you to move back in here and stay with us, you and Ms. Gilbert."

"No. I'm fine at home. Really. Sh.e.l.ley provides around-the-clock protection and Mike's seen to it that for several hours around midnight every night, a deputy is stationed outside the house in a patrol car. There's no way I could be any safer. Besides, I do not want to run the risk of putting you and Jack and Seth in harm's way."

Cathy squeezed Lorie's hands. "They will catch him and put him away where he belongs. I'm sure of it."

Offering her friend the best confident smile she could muster, Lorie pulled free and said, "You're absolutely right. Not only is the Powell Agency involved, but the FBI has formed a task force. The killer doesn't stand a chance."

Cathy returned the smile, hers more fragile and uncertain. "I couldn't help but notice that Mike escorted you here this evening."

"It wasn't anything personal. After the press showed up at the house this morning and somebody distributed flyers of my Playboy Playboy centerfold all over town and half the county, Mike thought it was a good idea for him to bring me here tonight." centerfold all over town and half the county, Mike thought it was a good idea for him to bring me here tonight."

"He could have gotten Buddy or one of the other deputies to escort you."

"I suppose he could have, but-"

"If there's a silver lining inside this horrible cloud you're living under, it just might be Mike realizing how much he still cares about you."

A gasping laugh erupted spontaneously from Lorie's lips. "I'm not going there. I will not wish for the impossible or hope for something that can never be. I've wasted too much of my life waiting for Mike Birkett to forgive me."

"Never say never. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have thought that Jack and I would ever get a second chance. But we did. And it could happen for you and Mike, too."

"You didn't disgrace yourself publicly the way I did. You didn't pose naked for a national magazine. And you didn't costar in a p.o.r.no movie that makes it possible for the whole world to watch you s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g a couple of guys."

"No, my sins were different," Cathy admitted. "But nonetheless unforgivable by some standards. I kept the truth about Seth's paternity from both him and from Jack for nearly sixteen years. My son grew up believing that Mark Cantrell was his father. And Jack never knew he had a son. And yet both Seth and Jack forgave me. Mike will-"

"Never forgive me."

Cathy's fragile smile melted away as she sighed quietly.

Sh.e.l.ley Gilbert cleared her throat. Lorie and Cathy glanced at her.

"Am I interrupting?" Sh.e.l.ley asked.

"No, of course not." When Lorie studied her bodyguard's expression, she felt a sudden uneasiness flutter through her. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing to do with your case," Sh.e.l.ley a.s.sured her, then glanced away, but not before Lorie noted the sheen of moisture in her eyes.

Lorie and Cathy exchanged I-wonder-what-it-is? looks, and then Lorie said, "Is there anything we can do? I mean, you seem-"

"I'm okay." Sh.e.l.ley met their gazes directly and her facial muscles tightened in an obvious effort to retain control. "Nicole Powell called. One of the secretaries at the Powell Agency, a sweet kid-Kristi Arians-was killed tonight. The details are sketchy, but Nic said the Knoxville PD is treating her death as a homicide."