Midnight Secrets

chapter

TWENTY-THREE


“Chief Tanner!”

At the sound of a woman’s squeal, Zach slammed on his brakes. Seeing Inez Peebles on the sidewalk waving her thin arms to flag him down, he pulled over to the curb and hit the power button to roll down the window of his patrol car. “What’s wrong?”

The oldest citizen and biggest gossip in Midnight leaned into the window. “Did you hear the news?”

Backing away slightly from the strong scent of garlic, Zach said, “What news?”

She leaned in closer, her head almost inside the car. Zach had no choice but to hold his breath. The woman was convinced that eating a clove of raw garlic once a day was the key to a lengthy life. Since she was going on ninety and still walked into town four days a week for her card games, he wasn’t sure she wasn’t right. Didn’t make the smell any easier to take, though.

“Harlan Mosby died last night.”

He hadn’t heard but wasn’t surprised by the news. Last time he’d seen the man, Zach had figured it wouldn’t be long. Ashen-complexioned and bone-thin, Mosby had looked close to death even then.

“I’m real sorry to hear that.”

Inez cackled like a crazed hen. “Now, don’t you be lying just ’cause the man’s finally gone on to hell. Mosby was a mean old fart and the world’s a better place without him.”

Not only did Inez have odd eating rituals, she also believed that reaching ninety years of age gave her the license to say what she thought. She rarely spared anyone’s feelings.

Since he couldn’t deny that Mosby had been a mean old fart, Zach changed the subject. “How’s your son getting along?”

Usually the subject of what she called her “no-account, ungrateful son” was a safe bet. She could complain about him for hours. Today she had more interesting things to discuss. “Guess you heard that Savannah Wilde’s been digging around for information about her parents’ deaths? She was at Faye’s Diner at the cracka dawn this morning, asking all sortsa questions. Some folks say that’s the real reason she came back home.”

A lifetime of not revealing his thoughts kept his face expressionless as he said, “Is that right?”

Her eyes blinked like an ancient owl; she was apparently startled that he hadn’t taken the bait. Undeterred, she pressed on. “Reckon she thinks there were some shenanigans going on?”

That was an odd observation. He’d never heard about any doubts that the crime had happened differently. “You were here during that time. What do you think?”

She cackled again. “I think lotsa things, Chief Tanner. Problem is, nobody pays me no mind.” Inez stepped back onto the curb. “I gotta get to my bridge game. I like getting there early ’cause that’s when I pick up the juiciest news.”

Zach pulled away from the curb and continued on his patrol. There should be nothing unusual in Savannah wanting to know more about her parents’ deaths. There were any number of reasons she might be curious about the night they died. But when they’d been dating, that was one event she never wanted to discuss. So what had changed?

Her going into Faye’s Diner by herself was on the odd side. Had she just woken up hungry and decided to treat herself to a big breakfast, or was there another reason?

He gave himself a mental shake. Inez Peebles had a reputation and a knack for making something out of nothing to stir something up. This was an apparent attempt to do just that.

Besides, ten years makes a huge difference in a person’s life. Healing came with the passage of time. Maybe that was the reason Savannah could talk more easily about it now. If she had any suspicions about their deaths, she would have mentioned it to him. Last night would have been the perfect opportunity.

Their evening together had been good but frustrating. There was no one he enjoyed spending time with more than Savannah. Every smile or sigh she gave him made him want her all the more, but he hadn’t pursued anything other than those simple kisses when he left. Hell yeah, he’d spent a rough night, hard and aching and wanting her with every breath. He’d known he needed to take it slow, he just hadn’t realized how careful he needed to tread. For every step he took forward, Savannah seemed to move further away from him. He had hurt her and asked her forgiveness, but that didn’t mean their way would be easy. But never had he been more determined to win.

The radio squawked. “Chief, you there?”

Zach picked up the radio mic, answering, “What’s up, Hazel?”

“Got a hysterical call from Gibby Wilcox. Hard to understand what she’s saying. Something about somebody being dead over on Wildefire Lane.”

His heart stopped and then kicked into overdrive. Clicking on the siren, Zach stomped the accelerator and zoomed through town as if hell itself were racing to consume him. If anything had happened to Savannah, that’s exactly what would happen.

MOBILE, ALABAMA

COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL

Shocked and unsure of her next move, Savannah sat in her car in the hospital parking lot. Nothing had gone as planned. After spending much of the night tossing and turning, a raging river of questions gushing through her mind, she’d woken before dawn and headed to Faye’s Diner.

The early morning crowd at Faye’s was always the older residents of Midnight. They were the ones most likely to have been around at the time of her parents’ deaths. She had told Gibby she could ask questions without seeming to want to know the answer, and that’s what she had intended. Somehow the Fates had worked against her. Maybe it was the humid, overcast day or the thunderous-looking clouds that promised an upcoming torrential rain. Whatever the reason, the diner was almost empty. The only person who could remotely have been around at the time her parents were killed was Faye herself. Not known for her verbose personality, Faye had grunted out a few yeses and nos to her vague leading questions and then walked away.

Savannah had left the diner with no answers to her questions and a slightly queasy stomach from Faye’s corned-beef hash special. To make matters worse, the instant she walked out the door, she’d run into Amy Andrews, an old friend from high school. The conversation had only lasted about five minutes, but Savannah felt as if she’d been grilled by a skilled prosecutor. The central theme of Amy’s questions had been centered around Savannah’s reasons for coming back to Midnight, interspersed with questions about Zach. Wishing for Faye’s knack for noncommittal replies, Savannah had kept her answers as vague as possible. Still, when she had finally managed to escape with a promise to call Amy soon, she still felt as though she’d given too much information.

Her day had gone from not so good to rock bottom the moment she’d walked into the hospital and asked to see Mosby. The man had died last night.

Was she being über-paranoid for thinking someone had hurried along his demise? Her job as a prosecutor had taught her to be wary, that coincidences were rare. Yes, they could happen. Mosby had been on his deathbed … she’d heard that news even before she had arrived back in Midnight. Still, she wondered. Was it mere coincidence that on the very day she started looking into a possible cover-up surrounding her parents’ deaths, the man who had investigated and closed the case on those deaths had died?

The doctor in charge of his case hadn’t bothered to hide his amusement when she had questioned him about hospital security. The idea that someone had come in and made sure Mosby died was ludicrous. The man had died of lung cancer and for no other reason. Requesting an autopsy was out of the question. Only hours after he died, Mosby was cremated. He’d had no family; his body had been disposed of in that manner per his wishes.

Other than Aunt Gibby, no one even knew that she suspected anything. And considering how upset Gibby had been, she wouldn’t have mentioned it to anyone. Since Mosby had died last night, her vague questions at the diner didn’t even come into play.

Savannah tried to push the idea of Mosby’s murder from her mind. It was too ridiculous to contemplate. So why couldn’t she stop thinking about it?

What now? Did she now go to Zach? What proof did she have yet? Absolutely none, of course. All she had were her grandfather’s vague suspicions, her own vaguer doubts, Aunt Gibby’s faint memories, and a dead former police chief. She had no doubt that Zach would listen to her concerns, but he couldn’t act on anything. Hell, there was nothing to act on. The only way she was going to uncover the truth was to keep digging.

If there was anything to her grandfather’s suspicions, someone knew something. They had to. The police and autopsy reports would be helpful, but she wasn’t going to get them until she told Zach. Why she was avoiding telling him wasn’t something she could clearly define. She knew there was still a distrust, but was it something more? After letting Henson and Clark Dayton go without charging either man, would he perhaps not bother to investigate her suspicions?

She simply had to have more proof. If she gave him irrefutable facts, he’d have no choice but to open up an investigation. But there were two people who needed to know right away. They would be as heavily invested in the truth as Savannah. On top of that, their input and expertise would be invaluable. Pressing speed dial on her cellphone, Savannah placed a call to Samantha.

“Savvy, hey,” Sammie said. “I was going to call you later. I wanted to apologize for—”

Savannah cut her off. “I need to talk to both you and Bri together. Can you hang on and let me get her on the line?”

Apparently recognizing the serious edge in her voice, Samantha answered, “Yes. I’ll wait.”

Savannah put her sister on hold and then hit speed dial for Bri.

Sabrina answered on the first ring. “Hey, Savvy, I’m headed out the door right now. Can I call you back tonight?”

“No, Bri. I’ve got Sammie on the other line. I need to talk to you both, right now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Hold on.” Pressing the key to get Sammie’s call back, she said, “Okay, both of you there?”

Her sisters answered in unison, “Yes.”

“I was in the guesthouse yesterday and found something disturbing.”

“What?” Sammie asked.

“Did you know that Granddad wrote letters to Grandmother?”

“Yes,” Bri answered. “Remember he said he started them the day they met?”

“Yes, but he apparently didn’t stop until he died. I found letters all the way up to the day before he passed away.”

“I’m not surprised,” Sammie said. “He missed her so much.”

“But why is that disturbing?” Bri asked. “As cynical as I am, I think it’s sweet.”

“That’s not the disturbing part.” She took a breath. “In the letters, Granddad said he believed that someone else killed Mama and then killed Daddy to make it look like a murder-suicide.”

The silence that followed told her that both sisters were as shocked by the news as she had been. Finally Sammie asked hoarsely, “Did he have any proof? What were the reasons for his suspicions?”

“That’s the problem. He’s really vague about things. Apparently he had doubts that it went down the way they said and started asking questions. I think someone threatened him, or maybe us, if he pursued it.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t just hoping that was the case?” Bri asked.

“I’m not sure about anything. I talked to Aunt Gibby yesterday. She knew about his suspicions but said he stopped talking about them and she figured he just finally accepted the truth.”

“What about the police chief? Have you talked to him?”

“I was going to but he’s dead.”

“What?” Sammie and Bri screeched together.

“He’s been sick for a while. It wasn’t unexpected.”

“Hell, Savannah,” Bri said. “We thought you were talking about Zach.”

“Good heavens, no. I was talking about Harlan Mosby. I came to the hospital this morning to talk to him and found out he died last night.”

“You’re thinking someone put him down?”

Savannah winced at Bri’s less-than-delicate words but answered, “I don’t know. Seems oddly coincidental, but no one knows about my suspicions other than Gibby.”

“You think she told someone?”

“I don’t know why she would. She got really upset when I was talking about it yesterday, telling me I shouldn’t stir up trouble.”

“Maybe she told someone she trusted and they told someone, like the real killer.”

Savannah had had the same thought, but why would Gibby tell others when she was so concerned that Savannah didn’t upset anyone with her questions?

“I spent most of yesterday reading the newspaper accounts. Do you guys remember anyone ever saying that things might not have happened the way we were told?”

“I never heard anything like that,” Sammie said.

“Me either,” Bri added. “All I ever heard was the bad stuff about Daddy.”

Savannah knew exactly what she was talking about. People had come out of the woodwork to share their dislike of Beckett Wilde. Every questionable thing he had done had been built upon and expanded for entertainment of the town gossips.

“What does Zach say?” Sammie asked.

“I haven’t told him yet.”

“Why not? He could get you all the records on the investigation.”

“I want to make sure I have something besides just these vague suspicions.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to start asking around. I went to Faye’s Diner this morning but couldn’t find a soul to talk to about it. Nesta Kilgore called last night and invited me to dinner next week. She always invites Mama and Daddy’s friends. I’ll be as vague as I can be and just feel everyone out.”

“Why not just ask the Kilgores outright?” Bri said. “They were Mama and Daddy’s friends. I’m sure they’d tell you if they knew anything.”

“Because I’m going with Zach.”

If things hadn’t been so serious, Savannah would have laughed at the shocked silence. Though Sammie’s shock wouldn’t be as great as Bri’s. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you two and get your input. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“No,” they answered together, and then Bri added, “Daddy doing these horrific things never made sense, but we believed what we were told.”

“You guys …” Sammie’s voice was just above a whisper. “What if Daddy was really innocent? My God …”

Sammie didn’t need to finish the sentence. If this were true, everything they had believed about their father was wrong. Almost every aspect of their lives had been colored by this one event. What if it had all been a lie?

“Can you fax us copies of the letters?” Sammie asked. “Let us take a look at them?”

“I’ll do that as soon as I get home.”

“So you and Zach are seeing each other,” Bri said.

A lot had happened since she’d talked to Sammie about kissing Zach. Telling them that she’d done much more than kiss him was out of the question. They’d want to know everything, and right now, she couldn’t articulate her feelings. She really wasn’t sure what she felt other than this intense need driving her whenever Zach was around.

“Let’s just say we’ve seen each other a few times.” She cleared her throat. “He told me what happened … why he did what he did.”

“Can you tell us?” Sammie asked.

Even to her sisters, she couldn’t reveal Zach’s pain and humiliation. That was his secret to share with whomever he wanted, not hers. “Let’s just say he had a good reason.” She sighed raggedly. “And you guys were right. I should have pursued it further.”

“You were hurting, Savvy. No one could blame you,” Bri said.

“Have you told him what happened?” Sammie asked.

“Not yet.”

“You know you’re going to have to. Right? Even if this goes nowhere, you’ve got to tell him.”

Savannah swallowed around a sudden lump. “I know. I’m just taking it one day at a time right now.”

“You know we’ve got your back, don’t you?” Sammie said.

“Whatever you decide, we’re a thousand percent behind you,” Bri added.

“Thank you, guys. I love you.”

“We love you, too,” Sammie said.

“I hate to cut this party short, but I’ve got a lead to run down ASAP,” Bri said.

“Let’s talk about this again tomorrow,” Savannah said. “That’ll give you and Sammie a chance to read the letters and put your thoughts together.”

After saying goodbye and disconnecting from her sisters, Savannah dropped her cellphone on the seat beside her but didn’t move to start the car. As she stared out the window, her mind whirled with doubts and fears. Was this just a wild-goose chase? Should she ignore her grandfather’s letters and let this go?

Loving memories of her mother were always with her, but rarely did she allow her father to enter her mind. Avoiding thoughts of Beckett Wilde was, for Savannah, a matter of self-protection. She had learned to cope with his awful betrayal by simply refusing to acknowledge he had ever existed. And if by chance a stray thought emerged, hatred and bitterness were the only emotions she felt.

But what if he was innocent? What if it had all been a big cover-up? Didn’t she owe it to him and to her mother to find out the truth? Didn’t she owe it to herself and her sisters? And to her grandfather, who had grieved every day for his son and daughter-in-law? The answer came back a resounding yes. She had no choice—she had to find out the truth. And if it turned out that her father had indeed committed the awful crime, then nothing would be different than it had been. But if he hadn’t …

Pulling out of the hospital parking lot, Savannah headed back to Midnight. Her grandfather’s letters had to have more information than what she had read yesterday. She had rushed out to see Gibby having read only a dozen or so. Her urgency showed her just how upset she had been. Usually she picked through evidence with meticulous concentration. She had a reputation for finding invisible needles in mountainous haystacks. If there were any clues to be found, she would get them.

Which reminded her. Had Gibby talked with anyone yesterday about their conversation? Even though Harlan Mosby had been expected to die, she couldn’t get it out of her head that his death too conveniently coincided with her investigation.

She pressed a speed-dial key on her cellphone. As soon as Gibby answered, Savannah said, “Hey, Aunt Gibby, it’s Savannah. I—”

“Savannah Rose, where in heaven’s name are you? I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.”

“You have?” Pulling the phone away from her ear, for the first time she noticed that not only had she put the ringer on silent, she had five missed calls.

The phone back at her ear, she said, “Is something wrong?”

“There certainly is. I went by your house a little while ago and there was a dead possum on your doorstep.”

She had left by the side door this morning and hadn’t opened the front door. “How sad. Did it crawl up on the porch and die?” She wasn’t usually squeamish but the thought of a poor dead animal dying on her front porch wasn’t a pleasant one.

“So you haven’t talked to Chief Tanner?”

“Zach? No, I haven’t. I left for Mobile early this morning.”

“Mobile? What for?”

“I wanted to talk to Harlan Mosby.”

“But he’s dead.”

Savannah rolled her eyes. She probably could have saved herself a trip if she had bothered to wait until later. The news of Mosby’s death would have reached Midnight quite early. If anyone had been at Faye’s this morning, his passing would have been the main topic of conversation.

“I didn’t know he’d died until I got to the hospital.”

“You need to come on home and soon.”

Admittedly, having a dead animal on her doorstep wasn’t pleasant, but there was a strange tension to Gibby’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Just come home, honey.” The energy and liveliness in Gibby’s voice was missing. For the first time in Savannah’s memory, Gibby actually sounded like an old woman. Something was definitely up but she was apparently not going to find out till she got home.

“I’m only about half an hour away.”

“I’ll see you soon. Be careful.”

Her aunt’s evasiveness was worrisome. Gibby was known for spitting out rapid-fire chatter, and the fact that she didn’t want to share what was on her mind was unprecedented.

Savannah checked her voice mail, and sure enough, there were three missed calls from Zach and three abrupt messages.

First: “Savannah, where the hell are you?”

Second: “It’s me again. I don’t know where you are but call me as soon as you get this message.”

Third: “I traced your cellphone location. What the hell are you doing in Mobile? Call me, dammit.”

Why was he so angry? She pressed the return-call key; Zach answered before it finished the first ring. “Where the f*ck are you?”

She jerked at his obvious fury. “I’m about twenty-five minutes away from Midnight. What on earth is going on?”

The ragged breath he expelled told her more than his angry words that he was way past upset. “There’s a dead animal on your doorstep.”

“Yes, I know. I just talked to Gibby and she told me about it. Is that why you’re so angry?”

“Hell, Savannah. Is that not enough?”

“It probably just got disoriented and came up on the porch by mistake.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

“Why?”

“Because, dammit, it’s headless.”

Her stomach clenched. Okay, that did put a new spin on things. “Why would someone do something like that?”

“That’s what I intend to find out. I’m headed your way.”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”

As if she hadn’t spoken, Zach continued, “I’ll flash my lights as soon as I see your car. Pull over.”

Before she could even answer, he disconnected the call.

Her head shook in disbelief. This day just kept getting more and more bizarre. And now she felt guilty for worrying both Gibby and Zach. Living on her own for so long, she hadn’t even considered that not telling anyone where she was going would be a problem. She wasn’t usually so thoughtless.

She kept a careful lookout for Zach’s car. The very minute she spotted the patrol car, he flashed his lights at her. She watched in her rearview mirror as he made a U-turn in the middle of the road.

Since they were on a two-lane highway, Savannah drove for a few seconds more till she spotted a small clearing. It had apparently once been a roadside picnic area, but all that remained was a rusted old garbage can and a dilapidated picnic table. She pulled to a stop, lowered the driver’s-side window, and unbuckled her seat belt. Before she could move, Zach jerked the car door open.

Savannah looked up into his face and froze. Holy crap, his eyes were glittering and his face was almost ashen. “Zach, are you okay?”

Instead of answering, he pulled her out of the car and into his arms. Holding her tight against him, a shudder went through his body.

Savannah was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Besides, having her body molded to his was pure pleasure. In fact, she was literally melting into his arms, her softness against his hard, muscular frame. Arousal came swiftly … and unfortunately at the wrong time.

When his arms finally loosened, she pulled away slightly and said, “What’s this all about?”

“If you ever go off without telling anyone where you’re going, I’ll—”

Her brows raised. “You’ll what?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just don’t do it again. Okay?”

“For the last time, what is wrong?”

“We got a 911 call from your aunt. My dispatcher couldn’t get anything out of her other than someone was dead at your house. Then, when I get there and am reassured it’s not you, I can’t find any trace of you. That’s what’s wrong.”

Cupping his face in her hand, she gently caressed his cheeks, soothing him. “Oh, Zach, I’m so sorry.”

He took her hand and held it against his face, then leaned into her and captured her mouth with his. Savannah rose up on her toes and opened, inviting him inside.

Zach groaned as he delved into her sweetness. He’d gone through hell in the last two hours. Seeing her alive and well was as if every wish in the universe had come true. She tasted familiar and wonderful and he never wanted to stop kissing her, holding her.

In the distance, he heard a semitruck headed their way. Regretfully he loosened his arms and stepped back. Savannah looked as dazed as he felt.

“Follow me home.”

She nodded slowly and slid back behind the wheel, Zach closed the door and then leaned over into the open window. “Buckle up and drive carefully.”

She nodded again and started the engine. Zach jumped into his car, checked for traffic, and then headed back to Midnight. Half his concentration on the car behind him, he grabbed the radio mic and switched it on. “Hazel, you there?”

“I’m here, Chief. Did you find her?”

“Yeah, thanks. She’s fine. I’m taking the rest of the day off. Tell Bart Odom he’s got patrol and to call me if anything comes up.”

Though Hazel’s voice was as rough as gravel, he had no trouble hearing the smile in her voice as she said, “Have a good afternoon, Chief.”

Switching off the radio, he looked into the rearview mirror and muttered, “I intend to, believe me.”