He laughed shortly. “Yeah? Why would you want to? What could there possibly be in this pissant little town to interest you?”
Nell had learned patience in those dozen years, and caution. So all she said in response to that harsh question was a mild “Maybe nothing. We’ll see.”
Max drew a breath and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, gazing off toward the center of town as if the bake sale going on there fascinated him.
While he was deciding what to say next, Nell studied him. He hadn’t changed much, she thought. Older, of course. Physically more powerful now in his mid-thirties; he probably still ran, still practiced the martial arts that had been a lifelong interest. In addition, of course, to the daily physical labors of a cattle rancher. Whatever he was doing, it was certainly keeping him in excellent shape.
His lean face was a bit more lived-in thin it had been, but just as with so many really good-looking men, the almost-too-pretty features of youth were maturing with age into genuine and striking male beauty—beauty that was hardly spoiled at all by the thin, grim line of his mouth. The passage of the years had barely marked that face in any negative way. There might have been a few threads of silver in the dark hair at his temples, and she didn’t remember the laugh lines at the corners of his heavy-lidded brown eyes. …
Bedroom eyes. He’d been known for them all through school, for bedroom eyes and a hot temper, both gifts from a Creole grandmother. Maturity had done nothing to dampen the smoldering heat lurking in those dark eyes; she wondered if it had taught him to control the temper.
It had certainly taught her to control hers.
“You’ve got a hell of a nerve, I’ll say that for you,” he said finally, that intense gaze returning to her face.
“Because I came back? You must have known I would. With Hailey gone, there was no one else to … take care of things.”
“You didn’t come back for the funeral.”
“No.” She offered no explanation, no defense.
His mouth tightened even more. “Most people around here said you wouldn’t.”
“What did you say?” She asked because she had to.
“I was a fool. I said you would.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Max shook his head once, an almost violent negation, and his voice was hard. “You can’t disappoint me, Nell. I lost ten bucks on a bet, that’s all.”
Nell didn’t know what she would have said to that, but she was saved from replying when an astonished female voice exclaimed her name.
“Nell Gallagher? My God, is that you?”
Nell half turned and managed a faint smile for the stunning redhead hurrying toward her. “it’s me, Shelby.”
Shelby Theriot shook her head and repeated, “My God,” as she joined them beside Nell’s car. For a moment, it seemed she would throw her arms around Nell in an exuberant hug, but in the end she just grinned. “I thought you’d probably show up here eventually, what with the house and everything to take care of, but I guess I figured it’d be later, maybe summer or something, though I don’t know why. Hey, Max.”
“Hey, Shelby.” He stood there with his hands in his pockets, expressionless now, dark eyes flicking back and forth between the two women.
Nell kept her own gaze on Shelby’s glowing face. “I thought about waiting until fall or until storm season was mostly past,” she said easily, “but it worked out that I had some time now before beginning a new job, so I came on down.”
“Down from where?” Shelby demanded. “Last we heard, you were out west somewhere.”
“Heard from Hailey?”
“Yeah. She said you were—well, I think the word she used was entangled, with some guy in Los Angeles. Or maybe it was Las Vegas. Anyway, out west somewhere. And that you were taking college courses at night. At least, I think that’s what she said.”
Rather than commenting on the information, Nell merely said, “I live in D.C. now.”
“Did you ever get married? Hailey said you came close once or twice.”
“No. I never married.”
Shelby grimaced. “Me either. Matter of fact, half our graduating class seems to be single these days, even though most of us have hit thirty. Depressing, isn’t it?”
“Maybe some of us are better off alone,” Nell offered, keeping her tone light.
“I think there’s something in the water,” Shelby said darkly. “Honest, Nell, this is getting to be a weird place. Have you heard about the murders?”
Nell lifted an eyebrow. “Murders?”
“Yeah Four so far if you count George Caldwell— remember him, Nell? ’Course, the sheriff hasn’t been eager to put this latest death on the list with the others, but—”
Max cut her off to say, “We’ve had killings here before, Shelby, just like any other town.”
“Not like these,” Shelby insisted. “People around here get themselves killed, the reason why is generally pretty obvious, just like who the killer is. No locked-room mysteries or other baffling whodunits, not in Silence. But these deaths? All fine, upstanding men of the town with reputations the next best thing to lily-white, then they’re murdered and all their nasty secrets come spilling out like a dam broke wide open.”
“Secrets?” Nell asked curiously.
“I’ll say. Adultery, embezzlement, gambling, pornography—you name it, We’ve had it. It’s been a regular Peyton Place around here. We haven’t heard anything about poor George’s secrets so far, but it’s early days yet. The other three, their secrets became public knowledge within a couple of weeks of their deaths. So I’m afraid it’s just a matter of time until we find out more about George than we ever wanted to know.”
“Have the killers been caught?”
“Nope. Which is another weird thing, if you ask me. Four prominent citizens killed in the last eight months, and the sheriff can’t solve even one of the murders? he’s going to have a hell of a time getting himself reelected.”
Nell glanced at Max, who was frowning slightly but didn’t offer a comment, then looked back at Shelby. “It does sound a little strange, but I’m sure the sheriff knows his job, Shelby. You always did fret too much.”
Shelby shook her head but laughed as well. “Yeah, I guess I did at that. Oh, hell—is that the time? I’ve gotta go, I’m late. Listen, Nell, I really want to catch up—can I give you a call in a day or two, after You’ve settled in? We can have lunch or something.”
“Sure, I’d love to.”
“Great. And if you get lonesome in that big old house and want somebody to talk to in the meantime, you call me, okay? I’m still a night owl, so anytime’s fine.”
“Gotcha. See you later, Shelby.”
With a wave to Max, the redhead rushed off, and Nell murmured, “She hasn’t changed much.”
“No.”
Nell knew her best bet would be to get in her car and just leave, but she heard herself saying slowly, “These murders do sound pretty unusual. And to go unsolved for so long … Doesn’t the sheriff have at least a few suspects?”
Max uttered an odd little laugh. “Oh, yeah, he has a few. One, in particular.”
“One?”
“Yeah, one. Me.” With another laugh, he turned on his heel and walked away.
Nell gazed after him until he disappeared around the next corner. Then she looked at the busy little town that seemed oblivious to the storm clouds moving in and, half under her breath, murmured, “Welcome home, Nell. Welcome home.”
AMANDA
A Bantam Book
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Copyright © 1995 by Kay Hooper.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 95-10949.
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