Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
What with Earl in the hospital, they’d been short-staffed in the service center. Appointment times had backed up from the get-go. There’d been the usual roadside emergencies. Lots of people upset with the inconvenient situation. To top everything off, there were the usual just plain cranky people.
Steven had called early that morning to let her know his dad had had a severe reaction to whatever the drugs had been laced with. The doc thought he’d pull through, but for now Earl was hooked up to a breathing machine. Steven planned to stay with his mom at the hospital.
Betsy told him family was his number one priority right now. And not to worry about his dad’s lost wages, she’d make good on every cent, whether Earl worked or not. The job would be waiting for him when he recuperated. No one deserved the phone call that family had received last night.
Finished for the day, she set the alarms for the main showroom, then headed down the hall to the conference room and the police.
JB had called a few hours ago asking if they could get together for a talk after Peyton’s closed.
She’d said sure, but still asked why. All he’d say was that there’d been a number of drug calls last night.
By that time, she’d already heard five versions of the past eight hours from five different customers.
Walking into the conference room, she was surprised to see not only her brother-in-law, Acting Sheriff JB, dressed in all his spit-and-polish police uniform, and Deputy Evans, but also Cain Connery.
Upon seeing her, he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Guess he wasn’t happy about being there either.
“Why is he here?” She stared in Cain’s direction as she made eye contact with him, then moved to the chair at the end of the table. “I didn’t realize there’d be anyone except the police.”
“He’s working on the drug case with us, so we wanted him to be here,” Evans said.
“Is that a problem?” Cain braced his hands on the armrests of the chair and started to rise. “Because I can leave.”
She wouldn’t let him get to her, but if it weren’t for the fact he might be of help to the police she’d ask him to leave. Her business was her priority at any meeting. “No problem. If JB wants you here, there must be a reason.”
One of Joanie’s pizza boxes sat on the table in front of him.
He paused, lowered back down into the chair, and crossed his arms again.
A bristling vibe floated between them, one she had no one to blame for but herself.
Her rejection of dinner last night must have done the trick because she had the distinct impression there’d be nothing between them today but business.
Probably every day for the rest of the time he was in town, too.
She’d tossed and turned most of the night, so any good news would be a bright spot in her day. Now she turned toward JB. “You said you needed to talk to me about Earl. Has there been a change this afternoon?”
“None that we’ve heard of,” Evans said.
“Maybe no news is good news.” Her statement didn’t even make sense to herself. “Anyhow, you said you had a proposition for me. What’s up?”
JB leaned forward. “As it stands right now, we have no idea where Earl got his dope. But one of the people at the house party last night said the owner got the goods from a salesman passing through town early that morning.”
“How’s the man from the party doing?” Betsy asked.
“He and the other two at that party ended up lucky. They got them to the ER in time,” JB said. “Thankfully, no one else at the house party had used.”
Closing her eyes, she let the implication wash over her.
A feeling of déjà vu of words spoken over four years ago came rushing in.
Difference was the bearer of the news. Today JB.
Back then the news had come from her uncle, Sheriff Cal Davis.
She noticed JB had paused as if giving her time to process what he’d said and come to grips.
Much as she grumbled at him, JB was a good man.
She glanced at Cain and was met by his noncommittal expression. What had he seen in her expression? If he thought he saw weakness, he’d be badly mistaken. That flaw of hers had been crushed years ago. She’d never be a moth drawn to an inferno ever again.
Kennett walked in and took a chair. “Sorry I’m late. It’s been busy on those streets. Don’t think I’ve eaten all day.”
The patrolman reached toward the pizza box.
“Not yet.” Cain double tapped his fingers on the lid, then leaned back once again.
“Well, since you said you had a proposition for me,” Betsy said, “I take it you want something. And since we’re meeting at Peyton’s, I take it this has something to do with my dealership.”
JB nodded.
“Then get to it. You know I’ll do whatever’s needed. What is it this time?”
Evans cleared his throat. “We’d like to—”
“Stop right there. What haven’t I been told?” Cain uncrossed his arms and swiveled the chair in her direction. It wasn’t as if he looked angry, but he sure as hell didn’t look happy. “If one of you doesn’t tell me what the elephant in the room is all about, then I want no part of this plan.”
JB leaned forward in his chair. Rested his elbows on the table in front of him. “Let it be.”
Cain stood, bent just enough to brace the palms of his hands on the conference table. “Not this time.”
In a split second, both men were standing straight and strong. The look that passed between them held a challenge, and Betsy got the feeling neither was going to back down. Even the deputy and patrolman didn’t appear to be ready to step between them.
She could swear the room had become smaller…shorter…hotter. Felt like they were all under a magnifying glass. A group of five people in a still-shot photo with only one of them in charge. Question was, who? Might be her conference room in her dealership, but she sure wasn’t in charge.
“You can leave now, Cain,” JB ordered.
“I could. But I’d rather talk about my pizza.” He pointed toward the box sitting on the table. “The one Joanie made bright and early this morning as a special request from someone I know. Someone I trust. Someone who saved my life once, and I’ve saved his a time or two.”
Cain flipped open the lid to reveal a large half sausage and pepperoni/half jalapeno pizza. “You may notice that it’s double boxed. I’ve passed many a message using this technique in my career. So has my friend.”
He paused, looking at JB. “Now, should I stay or go?”
“I’m listening.” The acting sheriff sat. Settled back in his chair.
Carefully, Cain lifted the carton containing the pizza from the one below. Set it in front of Kennett, who immediately grabbed a slice and took his first bite. Meanwhile everyone else at the table stared at the bottom box. Nothing there but an envelope with “Cain” written on it.
Slow and easy, he looked each person in the room straight in the eye. Seemed to be snapping each one’s expression into his mind. Evaluating. Deciding. He gave Betsy an extra-long appraisal, then glanced at JB.
Cain picked up the envelope and showed them that he’d already opened it, then pulled out a folded piece of paper. “There’s only one word written on here. And I’m the only one besides my friend who knows what that is.”
Unfolding the note, he flipped it upward and watched it land print side up on the table. “Now I want some answers. Who is Phillip?”
Betsy tilted her chin up, then focused on the picture hanging on the wall at the end of the table.
The one of a beach and clear blue water and colorful cabanas.
Key West? St. Thomas? Barbados? Didn’t matter as long as she felt the sun’s warmth through the painting and heard the crash of the waves in her mind.
Because she for sure didn’t like the direction this conversation had headed.
“I figured you’d kept up to date on Crayton while you were gone,” Betsy said.
“Nope. I’ve been a little busy working deep cover for years at a time.” Cain quirked the side of his mouth. “What with staying alive and everything, Crayton was the furthest thing from my mind. “Who’s Phillip?”
JB leaned back in his chair. “The short version is that about four, five years ago, a kid OD’d at a party here in town.”
“Maybe it’s the same dealer.”
“Can’t be. Sheriff Davis caught the guy and sent him to prison.” JB spoke like a man proud of the outcome. “I was part of that sting before I left town and joined the FBI. Got a lot of bad stuff off the streets that night.”
“He could have got parole by now. Old haunts are hard to leave if he’s dealing again.” Cain pulled a small notebook from his back pocket. “If you give me his name, I’ll check him out.”
“That won’t be necessary.” JB glanced at Betsy.
“Why?” Cain asked.
Breathing in deep, she realized he really didn’t know her past. Of course, not everyone knew, but she figured he’d have pulled up her profile on the Internet. Evidently not. For some reason that made her feel good. He’d given her privacy and asked her out no matter what.
The past hadn’t been easy, but she’d survived. And she wasn’t ashamed of what she’d done. Not one bit. Now she needed to be the one strong enough to tell him her secrets…or at least one of them.
Betsy cleared her throat. “The man died.”
Cain turned to face her. “How do you know?”
“His name was Phillip Carrington. Papa Carrington’s son.” She sat up straighter in her chair. “He was also my husband.”
* * *
The elephant in the room landed on Cain like a two-ton brick. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but certainly not that Phillip had been her husband. “I’m sorry, Betsy. I didn’t know.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” Betsy pushed an escaped curl back behind her ear. “Life is what it is. Now tell me about this plan you and the police have devised.”
“We may need to rethink this, since your informant has mentioned Phillip,” JB said. “Especially when you couple it with the info you got dropped on you the other night.”
Cain nodded.
Kennett reached for another slice of pizza. “I would not make light of this clue. In the drug arena, names, dates, places, everything means something.”
“I agree.” Cain grabbed the last slice. “I’ll try to get more info, but sometimes passing info is risking your life. How long has Phillip been dead?”
“Almost two years.” Betsy sighed. “In fact, after his death, Papa Carrington started stopping by the Peyton’s more and more. Guess it finally sank in that he didn’t have much left in life, so he turned back to the business he’d previously owned.”
A light went off in Cain’s head. All along there’d been something throwing him off when he thought of Peyton’s Automotives. The place had opened when he was still in grade school, just two or three years before Sadie, Marcy and Betsy moved to Crayton permanently, after her own dad had been killed.
Used to be called Carrington & Son New and Used Cars. He’d always found the original name strange since there’d been three partners in the beginning. Started small. Stayed small. And then suddenly expanded into an overnight success.
“What do you mean?” Playing one of his who-do-I-trust questions, Cain just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page of information. He noticed she’d returned to staring at the beach picture, just as she had been a few minutes ago.
“He still owns a tiny percentage of Peyton’s, but not enough to make business decisions” She turned her attention back to him.
“And he still has keys to the service center and this building. That way he can come and go whenever he wants. I think it gives him something to do. Of course, when he does stop by, he spends most of the time in his old office or tinkering in the service center. He’s big on walking around the lot and inspecting the car trunks, also. ”
“Anything else?”
She shook her head slightly in aggravation. “Always carries a trash bag with him because, and I quote, ‘Never know what you’ll find in the crevices of the trunk. Just consider me your double-check cleaning valet’.”
Cain got the impression she didn’t appreciate the intrusion. “So how—”
The three cops’ pagers vibrated at the same time. Within seconds they were all on their feet and headed to the door.
“There’s been a major accident out on Highway 54. We’ll have to do this another time.” JB shook his head. “A hell of a lot going on around here for it being winter and no tourists.”
Cain motioned to get the man’s attention before he left, then stepped into the hallway with him. “Why don’t I fill Betsy in on the plan? I’ll give her the layout. See if she’s still willing to help after she knows all the details. If so, you can call her later to finalize the arrangements.”
“That’d be great. I appreciate all the help you can give us on this.” JB cocked his head to the side. “And yeah, I know I should have told you about her and Phillip. But…”
“Anything else you’re not telling me about Betsy?”