Her Secret, His Duty

Chapter 16


Trey stared at Debra for a long moment, trying to make sense of the earring she held in her hand. They were an unusual design and unmistakable. He specifically remembered purchasing them five months before and surprising Cecily with them over dinner at La Palace. Since that time she had worn them often.

Had she worn them when she’d set the fire in this house? Had they adorned her ears when she’d been moving cups and shifting around items to make Debra doubt her own sanity?

Cecily?

His mind boggled with the irrefutable evidence that she’d been inside Debra’s home. Cecily had been behind everything. He couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it.

“I understand if she was angry when she found out I was pregnant with your child, but most of the terrible things that happened occurred before anyone knew I was pregnant by you,” Debra said thoughtfully. “Why would she try to hurt me when she didn’t know anything about us?”

“I need to call Thad,” Trey said as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. “If she’s responsible for everything that’s happened to you then she needs to be arrested and charged.”

As he punched in the number to connect him with his brother, Debra moved the saucepan and turned off the stove. “Thad.” He was surprised that his voice shook with tension as he heard his brother answer the phone. “Can you get over to Debra’s townhouse? I think we’ve found the source of the attacks on her.”

With Thad’s assurance that he’d be right over, Trey sank down at the table, still stunned by this new development. Debra sat down next to him, the earring on the table between them.

“I’m sorry, Trey,” she said softly.

He looked at her incredulously. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because I know you cared about her, that you had intended to make her your wife. I’m sorry because I know that if what we believe is true you have to be hurting.”

“Hurting?” He stood and slammed his hands down on the table. “I’m so angry right now she’s lucky she isn’t here in front of me. I knew she had a cold streak inside her, but I had no idea the evil that she has to possess to do what she’s apparently done.”

“She must have known about that night we spent together,” Debra said.

Trey drew a deep breath and once again sat down at the table. “I don’t see how she could have known. I certainly never said anything about it to anyone and I’m sure you didn’t, either. It was spontaneous, neither of us planned for it to happen. How could she have known about it?”

He closed his eyes, trying to recreate that night in his mind. He’d called Cecily and had invited her to join him in his celebration, but she’d been at a charity event and had told him she really couldn’t get away.

Was it possible she had decided to show up at the restaurant anyway? Had she seen him and Debra and watched them as they left together to get the room in the nearby hotel?

Why hadn’t she confronted him at the time? Why hadn’t she told him that she knew about his tryst with Debra?

The doorbell rang and Trey got up, indicating that Debra should stay seated while he let his brother in. “I figured you’d be tied up with the shooting at the house,” he said as Thad stepped inside.

“Right now the Secret Service is in charge of the crime scene and investigation, but if they think I’m going to leave it to them, then they don’t know me,” Thad said grimly. “So what’s this about you believing you know who is behind the attacks on Debra?”

“Come on into the kitchen,” Trey said. As Thad followed him Trey realized the stunned surprise he’d initially felt had transformed into a cold hard knot of anger in his chest.

Cecily had tried to kill the woman he loved, the woman who carried his baby. He’d sat across the table from her a hundred times at special events and in restaurants. He’d held her in his arms and gazed into her eyes and considered a future with her and yet he’d never seen the evil that had to dwell inside her.

As he and his brother entered the kitchen, the sight of Debra seated at the table made him realize just how superficial his feelings had been for Cecily.

The woman he truly loved sat in the chair with big green eyes and a touch of worry on her face. Debra might not love him, but he knew without a doubt she cared about the man he was, not the man he might someday become.

It took only minutes for Trey to explain about the earring that Debra had found beneath the lower cabinet. Thad immediately called Lieutenant Al Chase, who agreed to meet them at Debra’s house and then Thad placed the earring inside a small plastic bag and joined them at the table as they waited for Al to arrive.

“I have no idea how she might have gotten a key to my house,” Debra said.

Thad gave her a rueful smile. “I’ve got news for you, Debra. There are key rings all over the estate that somebody could have plucked up and brought to your house, found the appropriate key, had a copy of it made and then returned the original to the key ring.”

“And she could have hired some thug to crawl beneath my car on the night of the dinner and cut my brake lines.” Debra shook her head as she stared at the earring encased in plastic on her table. “She smiled at me that night, thanked me for everything I’d done for Trey. She was so nice and all the while she’d plotted my death.”

Trey reached across and covered one of Debra’s hands with his. “It will be over soon,” he said. If Thad hadn’t been present he would have told Debra what was in his heart, that obviously Cecily had seen her as a threat because somehow Cecily had known Trey was deeply in love with Debra.

“It’s definitely possible that sniper in the tree this morning had nothing to do with Mom, but was somebody Cecily hired to kill Debra,” he said instead.

Thad frowned thoughtfully. “That would definitely be nice for the Secret Service who are not only investigating but pointing fingers at each other as to who was responsible for that area.”

At that moment the doorbell rang again and Lieutenant Chase arrived. Once again Trey told the story of the earring and everything he now suspected Cecily of being responsible for, including the possibility of her being behind the shooting that morning at the estate.

“Sounds to me like we need to speak to Cecily,” Al said. “Do you know if she’s home?”

Trey pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I can find out.” He punched the number he’d dialed a hundred times before and when she answered he was pleased that his voice betrayed none of the rage that had built up inside him with each moment that passed.

“Cecily, it’s me,” he said when she answered.

“Trey!” She was obviously surprised.

“I was wondering if you were going to be around for a little while this morning. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Yes, certainly I’ll be here. What time do you want to come by?”

“Right now.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be waiting for you.”

He could tell by the slight purr in her voice that she was expecting a reconciliation.

He was looking for reconciliation, too. He hoped that by the time they finished talking to her they would finally have the answers as to who had been behind the attacks on Debra.

And once he knew she was safe, despite the intense love he felt for her, it would be time for him to give her the space to go on with her life, a life that would include him only as the father of their child, not as the husband, the lover, the life mate he wished he could be.

* * *

Debra knew that neither Al nor Thad were particularly happy that she had insisted she go with them to Cecily’s house, but she wanted to be there, she wanted to look into Cecily’s eyes as she attempted to deny what Debra knew in her heart she had tried to do.


Trey and Debra were in his car, followed by Thad and Al in a police car behind them. They drove in silence and Debra absently rubbed her lower abdomen as she stared out the passenger window and thought about the coming confrontation.

Even if Cecily lied about having done anything, the evidence of her earring in Debra’s kitchen at least indicated that she’d been in Debra’s house without an invitation.

She wasn’t sure why a little bit of anxiety dwelled within her, but it was there, along with a huge hope that this truly was the end of all the madness for her.

She just wanted to get back to her work, back to a normal life. She wanted to focus on the baby, on transforming her guest room into a nursery and interviewing potential nannies.

She just wanted her life back—a normal, sane life that made sense. Was that too much to ask?

Her anxiety mounted as Trey drove up the long driveway to Cecily’s large home.

Cecily had been born wealthy and it showed in the house she lived in. Although not as grand as the Winston Estate or Trey’s home, it was a two-story colonial with massive columns and a sweeping veranda.

It was a perfect backdrop for a beautiful Southern socialite who spent most of her time attending charity events and getting her photo in the society pages.

It had already been agreed that Trey would greet Cecily at the front door and then the others would follow him inside. It would be a surprise attack that would hopefully catch the woman off guard and allow her to make a mistake.

When Trey knocked on the front door, Thad, Al and Debra stood out of sight on one side. Debra’s heart thudded rapidly in her chest. Was she about to come face-to-face with the woman who had tried more than once to orchestrate her death?

The door opened and Cecily’s voice drifted out on the cool air. “Trey, darling. Come in.”

Thad and Al stepped up behind Trey. “Oh, I didn’t realize you’d brought company with you.” Her voice remained pleasant until Debra showed herself. “What’s she doing here? Trey, what on earth is going on?”

“We need to talk to you, Cecily. May we all come inside?” Trey asked.

Cecily was dressed in a chocolate-brown dressing gown with jeweled buttons running from her breasts to the floor. Her hair and makeup were perfect and Debra would guess that she’d expected something far more intimate to happen when Trey had called to visit her.

“Of course,” she replied with a new coolness in her voice. She ushered them all into a formal living room that was a mix of white furniture and mirrored coffee tables.

Debra’s discomfort level immediately increased. The room was cold, almost sterile, the only color coming from a large painting of a younger Cecily that hung on the wall.

Introductions were made between Al and Cecily, who had never met, and then Debra and Trey sat on the sofa while Cecily sank down in a nearby chair. Al and Thad remained standing. “So what’s this all about?” Cecily asked. “I don’t believe I’ve ever had one of Raleigh’s finest in my home before, although I contribute heavily to the Wives of Fallen Officers charity.”

“And we appreciate that,” Al replied. “But I have some questions to ask you that have nothing to do with your charitable contributions,” Al said.

“Questions about what?” Cecily’s gaze met Trey’s, Thad’s and then Al’s, but she refused to acknowledge Debra by even glancing at her.

“We’d like to know where you were on the night that Debra’s living room was set on fire,” Thad said.

Cecily released a tinkling laugh. “I have no idea. I’m not even sure what night she had the fire.” Al told her the date. “I’d have to check my social calendar,” she answered. “I stay so busy, off the top of my head I can’t remember that specific night.”

“We’ll wait for you to get your calendar,” Al replied, his deep voice filled with a firm resolve.

The pleasant smile that had curved Cecily’s lips fell as she rose from her chair. “My secretary usually takes care of this, but I have a copy of my calendar on my notebook. I’ll just go get it.”

She left the room and as she did Trey reached over and lightly touched Debra’s hand, as if to offer silent support, a hint of protection against the woman everyone had thought he would one day marry.

Cecily returned with her electronic notepad in hand. She sat back down and touched the screen to flip pages until she came to the one that held her calendar. “Ah, that night I was at a birthday party for a girlfriend.”

“And what time did this birthday party end?” Al asked.

She frowned. “I think it broke up around ten.”

“And then what did you do?” Al asked.

“I came home and went to bed...alone.” She shot a quick glance at Trey and her brown eyes darkened to black. “Just tell me what this is all about. I’m an important woman and I have things to do. I have no idea why you’re asking me such silly questions.” There was a definite edge to her voice. “And I still don’t understand what Debra is doing here. She’s nothing but Kate’s assistant and if you’re here on some sort of official police business, then she has no place here.”

Debra opened her mouth to respond, but Trey once again placed a hand on hers to halt anything she might be going to say. “Debra wanted to be here because she doesn’t understand what you were doing in her home when she didn’t know you were there,” Trey said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never been in Debra’s house before. I don’t even know exactly where she lives,” Cecily protested.

“Then maybe you could explain how this got beneath her kitchen cabinet.” Al pulled the earring in the clear plastic bag out of his pocket.

Cecily stared at it and then looked at Al. “I’ve never seen that earring before in my life.”

“I have,” Trey replied and got up from the sofa. “I bought them for you. I still have the sales receipt for them and I distinctly remember you wearing them when we went to the Christmas ball. I’m sure we can dig up a photo from that night.”

When Cecily looked at Trey her lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “I came to the restaurant that night. I was late and saw the two of you together... You and that slut leaving the restaurant and going to the hotel. I sat in my car all night at the hotel and then I saw you put her in a taxi the next morning.”

Debra gasped. “It was just a stupid mistake, Cecily. It would have never happened again, and you and Trey could have stayed together.”

“You’re having his baby!” Cecily’s voice was a near screech of outrage.

“And I didn’t intend for him to ever know about the baby,” Debra replied.

“He’s in love with you, you stupid cow.” Cecily jumped up from her chair, the notepad falling to the floor and she glared at Trey.

“You think I didn’t know? You think I didn’t see the way you looked at her? The way you look at her now? You were supposed to love me. I was the woman who was going to help you achieve greatness. She’s nothing, and yet you even stopped sleeping with me after you had her that night in the hotel room.”

“So you tried to kill her,” Trey said flatly as he stood to face her.

Cecily appeared to have lost all consciousness of the presence of anyone else in the room except herself and Trey. She took a step closer to him. “I did what was best for you...for us, Trey. At first, I just wanted her to think she was going crazy, believe that she was no longer capable of doing her job with Kate. I thought it would protect you if she decided to go public. Who would believe a crazy woman who couldn’t even keep track of things in her own house?”

“But that didn’t work.” Trey’s voice was emotionless.

“I had to do something. I couldn’t just let all of your dreams and all of mine slip away.” Cecily gazed at him as if she didn’t understand why he would be upset with her.

“And so you hired somebody to tamper with her brakes.”

Cecily stepped closer to him, her gaze softening as she toyed with one of the jewel buttons on her gown. “Don’t you understand, Trey? She had to go.” Her eyes took on a pleading look. “You might think you love her, but she isn’t right for you. I’m what you need to get you where you want to go. She was nothing more than an obstacle that had to be removed so that we could build your future together, the way it is supposed to be.”

She’s insane, Debra thought. She’s crazy as a loon, first in believing that Trey was in love with Debra and secondly in believing that by killing Debra she was assuring him the bright future Cecily saw herself in with him.

Debra held her breath as Cecily placed a hand over Trey’s heart. “Don’t you understand?” Cecily said. “The brakes...the fire... Everything I did was for you, for us. We want the same things; we are the same kind of people.”

Trey grabbed her hand by the wrist and threw it off him. “We aren’t the same, Cecily. We aren’t the same at all. At the very least the difference between us is that I have a conscience.”

Cecily stared at him and then threw back her head and laughed. “A conscience? You stupid fool, you’ll never make it in the world of politics if you have a conscience.”


“Cecily McKenna, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Debra Prentice,” Al said, ending the confrontation.

Cecily gasped as he pulled her hands behind her and cuffed them. “I was only doing what had to be done,” she replied and then laughed again. “You have no real proof that I’ve done anything wrong. I have a reputation as a charitable, law-abiding citizen. I’ll hire the best defense attorney in the United States!” She screamed the words as Al led her out of the house.

“You haven’t seen the last of me, Trey. We were destined for greatness. We’re the power couple and you belong to me.”

“Shut up.” Al’s voice could be heard just before the slam of his squad car silenced Cecily’s voice.

“Is that earring enough to build a solid case against her?” Debra asked worriedly as she got up from the sofa.

Thad smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Debra. They’ll build a rock-solid case against her, and you and Trey will never have to worry about her again. Can I catch a ride back to your place with you guys? It appears Al forgot that I rode with him. He’s already gone.”

They locked Cecily’s front door and minutes later were on the road back to Debra’s place. As Thad and Trey talked about the case they would build against Cecily, Debra stared out the window and thought about what Cecily had said about Trey loving her.

How ironic was it that she’d nearly been killed by a woman who was under the mistaken impression that Trey loved her when nothing could be further from the truth. Trey cared about her as the mother of his child and he certainly loved the baby she carried, but Cecily had been twisted by knowing about the night Trey and Debra had shared together, a night that had just been a terrible mistake.

Then how do you explain the second night? The question whirled around in Debra’s head, but she dismissed it as they pulled to the curb in front of her house.

It was over now. Cecily was arrested, the threat was finally gone and it was time for her to get back to living a new kind of normal life and planning for a baby and shared custody.

Her momentary worry that Trey would want to fight her for full custody seemed silly now. She knew Trey’s heart and she knew there was no way he would do anything like that to hurt her.

They would co-parent well together because despite the fact that he didn’t love her, they respected and genuinely liked each other and that’s what was important.

Trey parked in front of her house and they all got out of the car. If felt like it had been a lifetime ago that they’d all been seated at the table in the Winston backyard about to celebrate with a toast when the gunfire had erupted.

“She never said anything about hiring somebody to shoot me,” Debra said as they all got out of the car.

“We’ll figure it all out, Debra,” Thad assured her. “As it stands right now we can’t be sure if she was responsible for the shooter or if somebody else was, but we won’t stop digging until we have all of the answers. We know for sure she was in your house and she admitted to being responsible for the cut brake lines and the fire. That’s enough to hold her on attempted murder charges even without what happened this morning at the breakfast. I’m out of here.” With a lift of his hand in a wave, he hurried toward his car.

Trey walked with her to her front door. “Can I come in?” he asked. “As I remember, there’s soup meant for the two of us waiting.”

She smiled at him, her heart filled with both love and relief. “I think I could even rustle up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches to go with that soup.”

“Sounds good to me.”

It felt far too comfortable, him following her into the kitchen. “I still can’t believe she did everything she did because she thought you loved me,” Debra said as she opened the refrigerator door to get out slices of cheese.

“I do love you.”

She ignored the slightly faster beat of her heart as she closed the fridge door. “You love me because I’m the mother of your baby.”

“No, I’m in love with you, Debra.” His blue eyes held her gaze. “I would be in love with you whether you were carrying my baby or not, but I know you don’t love me. When I proposed to you, you made it clear you weren’t interested in me in that way.”

The slices of cheese slipped from Debra’s fingers and fell to the floor. “I thought you were proposing to the baby... I mean, I thought you were proposing to me because you thought it was the right thing to do and you always do the right thing.”

“Then let me make it perfectly clear to you,” he said as he took a step closer to her, his eyes lit up with a warmth, with a promise as he reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m in love with you, Debra Prentice, and I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you by my side.”

“But I’m not good material to be a politician’s wife,” she protested, finding it hard to think, to concentrate as she stared up into the bottomless depths of his eyes. “I don’t know how to help you make your dreams come true. I don’t know how to dance and sometimes I can be quite clumsy...”

His hands squeezed her shoulders with gentle pressure. “Just love me, Debra. I don’t need you to work my campaign for me. I have Chad to do that. I don’t need you to be the perfect political asset. I just need you to be my wife, to cook me special meals on Sundays and listen to everything that’s in my heart. I just need you to love me and no matter what else happens in my future, my dreams will come true.”

Debra’s heart swelled so big in her chest she couldn’t speak. She could only nod like a bobblehead doll. He seemed to understand as he pulled her tight against his chest and captured her lips with his in a kiss that stole her breath and lifted her heart to a place it had never been before.

Love my baby. Love me.

“I love you, Trey,” she finally said as his lips left hers. “I’ve loved you since the moment I first met you. I don’t care if you’re a senator or you empty the garbage pails at the Senate. I just want to be your wife, to be a soft place for you to fall after a long day. I want to sit in front of a fire snuggled in your arms and watch our baby play.”

“Babies,” he replied and took her mouth once again in a kiss that banished loneliness, healed wounds and promised a lifetime of passion and love.