Read Online What Lies Beneath: Romantic Suspense by Lila Moore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lila Moore
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tea.
“How is that worse than what they say about me? Sounds like we’re two peas in a pod.”
I didn’t want to say it, but I felt like there was the distinct possibility the rumors about Jillian were true whereas the rumors about me were nonsense.
“Well?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I didn’t kill my husband.”
“But you don’t remember.”
“No. But I know I would never-”
“You’d be surprised at the things I swore I’d never do when I was your age.”
This kind of talk made me uncomfortable. “I just want to know what you saw the night my husband died. You said I was with him? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It was raining, but I saw him from my back porch on the bridge talking to a woman.”
“So, you’re not sure it was me?”
The woman sighed and crossed her hands in front of her chest.
“Okay,” I said, trying to placate her. I didn’t want her to kick me out, or refuse to answer my questions. “For the sake of argument, say that it was me. Were we fighting, or…?”
“I don’t know. It was dark, but I thought I saw you kiss. You were wearing a scarf around your head.”
A scarf? I don’t wear scarves.
“The wind grabbed it and sent it over the edge into the water. Your husband tried to grab it and missed.”
“Is that how he ended up in the lake?”
“No. I didn’t see him go in. I went back inside. A few minutes later I heard you screaming. I ran up to the bridge and found you there alone. I wasn’t sure what had happened. I couldn’t get a straight answer out of you. You were shaking so bad… I knew something had happened. I dried you off and took you home. The next morning I woke up to sirens and cops crawling all over my backyard. I kept my mouth shut. I don’t get involved with the police.”
I nodded. “That’s all? You didn’t see anything else that night?”
“Not that night, no.”
“But you saw something suspicious?”
“The next night I saw a man underneath the bridge with a flashlight. At first, I thought he was part of the search crew, but he was out there alone.”
“Who was it?”
“Your friend, Mr. Devereaux.”
12
Not for the first time, Jillian drove me home. She told me all she knew about that night on the bridge. I went over it again and again in my head: Tom was with a woman wearing a scarf; Mr. Devereaux searching for something under the bridge.
It didn’t make sense. How did he fit into this? Tom didn’t know the Devereauxes, did he?
We pulled up to my house. Theo’s car was sitting out front.
“Great,” I muttered.
“Your boyfriend?”
“No.”
“He’s new in town, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He works for the Devereauxes.”
I watched Jillian’s face carefully, but she gave no indication of what she was thinking. She simply said: “Be careful.”
I stepped out of the car. Jillian didn’t make a move to help me, though I could have used a hand. I managed to pull my crutches free from the backseat before she took off without so much as a goodbye. I hobbled up to my house. Theo was sitting on the front steps waiting for me.
“I came to check on you,” he said. “I was worried when you didn’t answer the door.”
“An old friend invited me over for tea.”
He watched Jillian’s car leave. As soon as I was out of the car she floored it like a woman fleeing a crime scene.
“Who’s your friend?”
I wasn’t sure whether to be honest or not. It was bad enough Mr. Devereaux knew I was talking with Jillian. I decided there was no harm in telling Theo the truth.
“Jillian. She lives down by the lake.”
His body was tense. The muscle in his jaw flinched tightly. Every muscle in his body threatened to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The sudden shift in his body language made me take a step back. Why was he so troubled by my talking to Jillian?
“Have you been friends long?”
“Not long. Do you think you could help me inside?”
“Of course.”
He seemed to relax a
“How is that worse than what they say about me? Sounds like we’re two peas in a pod.”
I didn’t want to say it, but I felt like there was the distinct possibility the rumors about Jillian were true whereas the rumors about me were nonsense.
“Well?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I didn’t kill my husband.”
“But you don’t remember.”
“No. But I know I would never-”
“You’d be surprised at the things I swore I’d never do when I was your age.”
This kind of talk made me uncomfortable. “I just want to know what you saw the night my husband died. You said I was with him? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It was raining, but I saw him from my back porch on the bridge talking to a woman.”
“So, you’re not sure it was me?”
The woman sighed and crossed her hands in front of her chest.
“Okay,” I said, trying to placate her. I didn’t want her to kick me out, or refuse to answer my questions. “For the sake of argument, say that it was me. Were we fighting, or…?”
“I don’t know. It was dark, but I thought I saw you kiss. You were wearing a scarf around your head.”
A scarf? I don’t wear scarves.
“The wind grabbed it and sent it over the edge into the water. Your husband tried to grab it and missed.”
“Is that how he ended up in the lake?”
“No. I didn’t see him go in. I went back inside. A few minutes later I heard you screaming. I ran up to the bridge and found you there alone. I wasn’t sure what had happened. I couldn’t get a straight answer out of you. You were shaking so bad… I knew something had happened. I dried you off and took you home. The next morning I woke up to sirens and cops crawling all over my backyard. I kept my mouth shut. I don’t get involved with the police.”
I nodded. “That’s all? You didn’t see anything else that night?”
“Not that night, no.”
“But you saw something suspicious?”
“The next night I saw a man underneath the bridge with a flashlight. At first, I thought he was part of the search crew, but he was out there alone.”
“Who was it?”
“Your friend, Mr. Devereaux.”
12
Not for the first time, Jillian drove me home. She told me all she knew about that night on the bridge. I went over it again and again in my head: Tom was with a woman wearing a scarf; Mr. Devereaux searching for something under the bridge.
It didn’t make sense. How did he fit into this? Tom didn’t know the Devereauxes, did he?
We pulled up to my house. Theo’s car was sitting out front.
“Great,” I muttered.
“Your boyfriend?”
“No.”
“He’s new in town, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He works for the Devereauxes.”
I watched Jillian’s face carefully, but she gave no indication of what she was thinking. She simply said: “Be careful.”
I stepped out of the car. Jillian didn’t make a move to help me, though I could have used a hand. I managed to pull my crutches free from the backseat before she took off without so much as a goodbye. I hobbled up to my house. Theo was sitting on the front steps waiting for me.
“I came to check on you,” he said. “I was worried when you didn’t answer the door.”
“An old friend invited me over for tea.”
He watched Jillian’s car leave. As soon as I was out of the car she floored it like a woman fleeing a crime scene.
“Who’s your friend?”
I wasn’t sure whether to be honest or not. It was bad enough Mr. Devereaux knew I was talking with Jillian. I decided there was no harm in telling Theo the truth.
“Jillian. She lives down by the lake.”
His body was tense. The muscle in his jaw flinched tightly. Every muscle in his body threatened to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The sudden shift in his body language made me take a step back. Why was he so troubled by my talking to Jillian?
“Have you been friends long?”
“Not long. Do you think you could help me inside?”
“Of course.”
He seemed to relax a
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