The destruction was so mindless that it gave Rachel the chills. She turned to Odell. "I have to block off the entrance before the customers start arriving. Tom can tell you better than I if anything's missing up here."
To her relief, he didn't protest, and she fled. But she had just descended the outside stairs when a white Range Rover roared into the lot. Her heart sank. Of all the people she didn't want to see right now, Gabe's big brother headed the list.
Cal jumped out and stalked toward her. "What's going on? And where's Gabe? Tim Mercer heard on his police radio there was trouble out here."
"Gabe's not here. I don't know where he went."
Cal caught sight of the drive-in screen. "What the hell happened?"
"Someone vandalized the place last night after we closed."
He cursed under his breath. "Any idea who did it?"
She shook her head.
Cal caught sight of Odell and rushed up the steps. She made her escape to the ticket booth.
As soon as she got there, she fastened the chain across the entrance, then dragged the sawhorse with the Closed sign into place. She'd painted that sawhorse herself. The same purple as the ticket booth.
When she was done, she stepped inside the ticket booth and stared out at the highway. Had it only been six weeks since she'd come to Salvation? Images began to flip through her mind like a music video of all that had happened.
A shadow fell over the doorway. "Odell wants to talk to you."
She whirled around and saw Jake Armstrong standing there, looking even more insolent than the day he'd tried to arrest her. She felt a prickle of foreboding, then dismissed it. "All right."
Jake was standing too close to the door, forcing her to turn slightly so she could pass through without touching him. She'd barely taken three steps before she realized that the police chief, Cal, and Tom were all standing around her Escort, and the hatchback was open.
Her first thought was that they had no right to be poking around inside her car, but then she remembered the car belonged to Cal's wife. Still, she didn't like it. Her uneasiness increased, and she picked up her pace.
"Is there a problem?"
Cal turned to her, his expression vicious. "There's a big problem, lady. I guess you wanted a little revenge before you left town."
"Revenge? What are you talking about?"
Odell ambled around the hood of the car. In his hand, he held a crumpled white paper sack, the kind they used in the snack shop. It was smeared with what looked like melted chocolate ice cream. "We found the hundred dollars missing from the register. It was stuffed in this sack under the front seat of your car." He jerked his head toward the boxes in the backseat that were filled with her meager possessions. "Tom's small-screen TV was under one of those boxes and that radio you told us was missing."
Her heart kicked against her ribs. "But… I don't understand."
Tom looked hurt and confused. "It was the TV my wife gave me for my birthday. Remember I told you? So I could watch baseball while I was working."
Realization struck. They thought she was responsible. Her skin prickled with alarm. "Wait just a minute. I didn't do this! How could you even—"
"Save it for the judge," Cal snapped. He turned to Odell. "Since Gabe isn't around, I'm pressing charges."
She lurched forward, grabbed his arm. "Cal, you can't do this. I didn't steal these things."
"Then how did they get in the Escort?"
"I don't know. But I love this place. I could never destroy it like this."
She should have saved her breath. With a sense of unreality, she listened as Odell read her her rights. When he finished, Cal stared down at her, his gaze hard-eyed and condemning. "Jane liked you from the beginning," he said bitterly. "And you'd just about won over Ethan. He was starting to believe you really cared about Gabe. But all you've ever cared about was his bank account."
Her temper flared. "I could have his bank account if I wanted it, you idiot! He asked me to marry him."
"Liar." He ground out the words through clenched teeth. "So that's why you did it. Marriage is what you've had in mind from the beginning. You knew he was vulnerable right now, and you—"
"He's not half as vulnerable as you think!" she cried. "Damn you, Cal Bonner, you're—"
She gave a gasp of pain as Jake Armstrong grabbed her arms and wrenched them behind her. Before she could react, he'd snapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists, securing them behind her in the same way dangerous criminals were restrained.
Cal frowned. For a moment she thought he was going to say something, but then Odell slapped his back. "I've got to hand it to you, Cal. I wouldn't have thought to look in her car."
She was going to cry. She blinked back her tears and stared at Cal. "I'll never forgive you for this."
For the first time he looked uncertain, then his expression hardened. "You deserve everything you get. I tried to make it easy for you with that check, but you got too greedy. By the way, I'll be stopping payment on it first thing Monday morning."
Jake Armstrong put his hand on top of her head and pushed her toward the backseat of the squad car more roughly than necessary. Her shackled wrists made the movement awkward, and she stumbled.
"Watch it." Cal caught her before she could fall and guided her into the backseat.
She jerked away from his touch. "I don't need your help!"
He ignored her and turned to Jake. "You be careful with her. I want her locked up, but I don't want anybody playing fast and loose. You got me?"
"I'll keep my eye on her," Odell said.
Cal began to move away.
Edward! What was going to happen to him? Kristy was gone and the sitter wasn't even sixteen.
"Cal!" Once again she had to swallow her pride because of her son. She drew a shaky breath and tried to speak calmly. "Edward is at Kristy's condo. He's with a sitter, but she's too young to take care of him for long, and Kristy's gone." Something inside her gave way, and her eyes brimmed with tears. "Please… He's going to be so scared."
He stared at her for a long moment, and then gave a brusque nod. "Jane and I'll take care of him."
Jake slammed the door and settled in the front seat next to Odell. As the squad car moved forward, she tried to absorb the fact that she was on her way to jail.
Chapter Twenty-Three
« ^ »
It was starting to get dark, so Cal tucked Chip under his arm and hauled him like a sack of potatoes up the steps onto the deck. "You're getting too good with that football, buddy. You wore me out."
Chip giggled as Cal gave him a couple of extra bounces. Cal had hoped playing with the boy would take his own mind off what had happened a few hours earlier with his mother, but it wasn't working.
He looked up and saw Jane standing inside the French doors with Rosie in her arms, and he felt a jolt right in the middle of his chest. Sometimes it hit him that way—hard—the sight of these two females he loved more than anything in the world. There had been a time in his life when he hadn't wanted either one of them, and he never let himself forget that. The memory kept him humble.
Rosie was clutching that god-awful stuffed rabbit, and she started to kick and squeal as she caught sight of Chip. As soon as they were inside the French doors, Cal let the boy down, brushed Jane's lips with a quick kiss, and took Rosie from her.
The baby gave him a big grin, then blew a noisy raspberry, her newest trick. He smiled and wiped his face on her already damp T-shirt. Only then did he notice that Jane looked harried.
He lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "I haven't been outside more than fifteen minutes."
She sighed. "Wait till you see our bathroom."
"The toilet paper again?"
"And the toothpaste. You didn't put the cap back on, and I wasn't fast enough."
As if she knew they were talking about her, Rosie gave him another drooly grin and clapped her hands in delight. For the first time he noticed that she smelled like Crest Tartar Control.
/> "Rosie's got a lot of mischief," Chip said with all the solemnity of an adult. "She's a handful."
Cal and Jane exchanged amused glances.
Rosie kicked again and held her arms out toward Chip, dropping the rabbit in the process. Cal set her on the floor, and she immediately threw herself at the boy's legs. He crouched and tickled her tummy, then looked up at Cal, his forehead puckered with worry.
"When's my mommy coming to get me?"
Cal stuck his hand in the pocket of his slacks and jingled the change. "Tell you what, buddy. How'd you like to have a sleepover right here?"
Jane looked at him with surprise, but he avoided her eyes.
"Is it okay with my mommy?"
"Sure it is. You can sleep in the room right next to Rosie's. Would you like that?"
"I guess." The worry marks didn't disappear from his forehead. "If Mommy says I can."
"It's fine with her."
Cal still hadn't figured out how he was going to break the news to the boy that his mother was in jail. He'd planned on having Ethan's help, but when he called the hotel in Knoxville where his brother was supposed to be staying, the desk said he wasn't registered. He'd asked for Kristy and heard the same thing, so they must have changed their plans. He'd ended up putting a message on his brother's home answering machine and hoping he'd' check it.
He still needed to explain things to Jane, who was giving him one of those looks that said she knew something was going on, and he'd better come up with a few answers, especially since he'd led her to believe he was just bringing Chip by for a quick visit before they put Rosie to bed.
Cal leaned down to ruffle the boy's hair. "Keep an eye on Rosie for a few minutes, will you, buddy?"
"Sure."
The family room was gated off and childproofed, but they still couldn't leave her for long, and he didn't steer Jane any farther than the kitchen. He procrastinated by pulling her into his arms and nibbling her neck. She snuggled closer. It wouldn't take much to distract her, but he'd only be postponing the inevitable.
"Chip's spending the night with us," he said.
"I heard. What's going on?"
"Now don't get upset, but… We need to watch him for a while because Rachel's in jail."
"In jail!" Her head shot up, conking him in the chin. "My God, Cal, we have to do something." She tore herself out of his arms and raced for her purse, "I'm going to her right now. I can't believe—"
"Honey…" He caught her arm, stroked it. "Stop for a minute. Rachel trashed the drive-in. She belongs in jail."
Jane stared at him. "What do you mean she trashed it?"
"Destroyed the kitchen, smashed some equipment, graffiti on the screen. The whole nine yards. Near as I can gather, she wanted Gabe to marry her, and, since he wouldn't do it, she decided to get even with him before she left town."
"Rachel wouldn't do that."
"I saw the drive-in and believe me, you're wrong. Odell found a pair of Greyhound bus tickets stuck in her purse. I guess this was her good-bye present to Gabe."
Jane sank down on one of the counter stools, then reached out and stroked her hand along his forearm. She liked to touch him. Even when they were arguing, she'd sometimes stroke him. "But it just doesn't add up. Why would she do something like that? She loves Gabe."
"She loves his bank account."
"That's not true. She cares for him. All you have to do is see the way she looks at him. You and Ethan are so protective of Gabe that you're blind where she's concerned."
"So are you, sweetheart, or you'd realize she's a money-grabbing opportunist."
Her soft stroking continued. "Don't you find it strange that a money-grabbing opportunist could be raising such a kindhearted little boy?"
"I didn't say she was a bad mother. The two don't necessarily go together."
He glanced into the family room to check on Rosie, but also to keep from meeting Jane's eyes because she'd managed to hit the nail right on the head about what was bothering him. A child didn't come any better than that little boy of hers, and Cal wasn't so blind he couldn't see how much she cared about him. He remembered the expression on her face when she'd cried out to him to take care of Chip. All the fight had gone right out of her, and she hadn't seemed to pose much of a danger to anyone.
Jane shook her beautiful brainy head. "This just doesn't seem right to me. How do you know she's guilty?"
Cal told her what they'd found in the Escort. As she listened, she got a stricken look around her eyes, and Cal's heart once again hardened against the Widow Snopes. He kissed Jane's fingertips. He didn't like it when anybody other than himself upset his wife.
"But how could I be so wrong about her? Gabe must be devastated. Still, I can't believe he'd have her thrown into jail."
Cal and Jane didn't keep secrets from each other, and he had to tell her what he'd done, but he wanted to wait until the kids were settled for the night. He was fairly certain they were going to have an argument about it, and from experience, he knew his best defense when his wife got upset was to get her naked as quickly as possible, something that would be a lot easier without a baby and five-year-old looking on.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's go rescue Chip before Rosie wears him out."
The jail was small, with no separate quarters for men and women, and the loud complaints of a drunk echoed off the barren walls. Rachel paced the tiny confines of her cell and fought to suppress her panic, but it overwhelmed her. Fear for Edward. For herself. And fear that Gabe had fled again, just as he'd done after Cherry and Jamie died.
Gabe… She'd expected him to show up long before now. Surely he'd come back. At the very least, he wouldn't leave without saying good-bye to his brothers, and, when he discovered what had happened to her, he'd get her out of jail.
Maybe it was the night or the fact that she felt so alone, but she couldn't quite convince herself it would be that easy. The proof against her was damning, and there was no guarantee he'd believe her. She certainly had no explanation for how those things had ended up in the Escort.
It might be different if he loved her. Then he'd have to know in his heart she was innocent, wouldn't he? But he didn't love her, and now he might end up thinking as badly of her as everyone else in Salvation.
She bit her lip and concentrated on Edward, only to feel her heart race. His sense of security was so fragile, and once again, it was being destroyed. She wanted to believe that Cal would keep him safe, but she wasn't sure of anything anymore. For the first few hours she'd even let herself hope that Jane might intercede, but that hadn't happened.
She hugged herself against her fear and wondered how her life had come to this. She had no defense against Cal Bonner. He had money, reputation, the town's respect, and he'd let her rot in here if he thought it would protect his brother.
The outer door clanged, and she jumped as a man entered. She stiffened, expecting Jake Armstrong, who was on duty tonight. But the man wasn't Jake, and it took her a few moments to recognize Russ Scudder.
He had a cigarette hanging from his fingers as he came to a stop in front of her cell. It was nearly midnight, much too late for jailhouse visitors, and his presence gave her a chill.
"I asked Jake to let me in." He didn't meet her eyes. "Him and me… We go way back."
"What do you want?" She reminded herself that the cell was locked, but she still felt uneasy.
"It's—" He cleared his throat, took a drag from the cigarette. "I know I owe you, but your bail's high, and I'm a little short right now. That check you gave Lisa has to go into a special fund."
"I know." How could she tell him the check wouldn't be good if she didn't get on that bus on Monday?
"It was nice of you to give us that money."
She didn't know what to say or why he was here, so she kept silent.
"Emily's—She's doing better. Her white-cell count is way down. Nobody expected it." He finally looked at her. "Lisa's mom thinks you faith-healed her."
"I didn't."
"She's been getting better every day since you saw her."
"I'm glad. But it doesn't have anything to do with me."
"That's what I thought at first. But now I'm not so sure." His forehead puckered and he drew nervously on the cigarette. "It's happened so fast, and none of the doctors can explain why. She keeps saying you closed your eyes and your hands were hot when you touched her."
"The room was warm."
"I guess. Still…" He threw down the cigarette and ground it out. "I don't feel right about some things. My little girl…" He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm not the best father in the world, but she means a lot to me, and you helped her." He pulled the cigarette pack from his shirt pocket and looked down at it. "I talked Jake into letting me come in here tonight because I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for some things, and that I owe you. Maybe there's somebody I can call who'll help you. All you have to do is let me know."
"There's nobody."
"If I had the money…" He put the cigarettes back into his pocket.
"It's all right. I don't expect you to bail me out."
"I mean, I would, but…"
"Thanks. I'm really glad about Emily."
He gave a stiff nod.
She had the sense he wanted to say more because he hesitated, but then he moved toward the door. As soon as he got there, however, he turned back to her. "I got something to tell you." He walked to her cell. "I did a couple of things I'm not proud of."
She listened as he told her that he was responsible for the burning cross, the slashed tires and graffiti on the front of the house, her stolen wallet. "I always liked Dwayne, and I liked the job I had at the Temple. It was the best work I ever had, and nothing's gone right for me since then." Once again, he reached for his cigarettes. "I worked for Bonner for a couple of weeks out at the drive-in, but he let me go. Then you showed up here, and when he hired you, a lot of stuff came together in my head that made me start resenting you. I guess I kind of thought that maybe I still owed something to Dwayne, too. But for whatever reasons, what I did wasn't right." He finally lit the cigarette, drawing the smoke deeply into his lungs.