Finn sounded and looked defensive when he said, “If you’re here to arrest me as a runaway, you can’t. I’m old enough to leave home.”
“You’re right,” Candace said. “You’re an adult in the eyes of the law. A few things have happened I need to talk to you about, though. I came here as part of an investigation and need to ask you a few questions. As I said, I’m Deputy Candace Carson. I came here with Mr. Brennan from the county district attorney’s office.”
“Hold on. What kind of investigation?” A touch of panic tinged Finn’s voice.
Yoshi squirmed to get closer to Finn and licked his cheek.
“Something bad has happened,” Tom said as he and Liam joined us in the living room.
“Tom. You’re here.” Finn smiled and his pale cheeks took on some much-needed color. Then he focused on Liam and the flush drained away. “Is this guy a lawyer? Is he planning on turning me over to my mother? Because he can’t. I’m legal.”
Candace nodded. “We all understand you were free to leave a bad home situation. But right now, we need to sit down and talk. Will you do that?”
Finn shrank back, clutching his dog to his chest.
Liam walked over to Finn and offered his hand. “I’m Liam Brennan, and yes, I am a lawyer. We just want to talk to you.”
Finn simply stared at Liam’s hand.
Thank goodness Tom took over then. He walked to Finn’s side and put an arm around his shoulder. “Liam’s a good guy. A friend. So is Deputy Carson. These people want to help and you must know Jillian and I do, too.”
“I—I do know. But this is kinda freakin’ me out,” Finn said.
Merlot sat in the middle of the living room, a silent observer of this tense human interaction. Syrah went to his scratching post near the entertainment center to sharpen his nails and, I decided, to convey his lack of interest in this gathering. That didn’t mean he was disinterested, just that he wanted us—or should I say Yoshi—to think so.
The little dog was trembling. Too many strangers for him, it would seem.
“How’s the head?” Tom brushed aside a lock of Finn’s sandy hair to examine the cut and bruise on his forehead.
“Ouch,” Candace said. “How did that happen?”
“I told you last night—or was it this morning?—he doesn’t remember,” Tom said through gritted teeth.
Uh-oh, I thought. The last thing we needed was for Tom to get tense and overprotective right now. I looked at Candace when I said, “Finn’s probably hungry, and though I know you have lots of questions, maybe we can get some food in this guy first?”
“Sorry,” Candace said. “You’re right. Guess I was hoping Finn recalled more details now that he’s had some rest.”
“I don’t get it. Details about me coming here?” Finn looked at Tom. “Tell me what’s going on. I left home, sure. And I didn’t tell my mother. It’s not a crime.”
He thought this was about him leaving home. I wanted the poor kid sitting down when he heard the news this wasn’t about running away. I said, “You’re right, Finn. It’s not a crime. Before we talk about why these people are here, you need to sit down, maybe eat something.” I glanced around the room. “Is that okay with the rest of you?”
Liam nodded and Candace said, “Sure.”
Tom led Finn, who still clutched his dog tightly, to the sofa.
“Tom makes some mean peanut butter toast,” I said. “What about something to drink? There’s fresh coffee, but—”
“No Dr Pepper, I guess?” Finn said as he and the dog settled back on the couch.
“Sorry,” I said, watching from the corner of my eye as Liam and Candace took the chairs opposite the sofa. “After we’re done talking, I intend to fix that problem.”
Finn gave a small smile. “Milk is cool.”
Liam said, “Your dog’s name is unusual, but it sounds familiar.”
Finn told him about the little dragon in the Mario Brothers game and Liam smiled.
“I used to love playing Mario Brothers,” Liam said.
While they talked about video games, I could tell by Candace’s tapping foot and her grip on the chair’s arms that she was getting impatient. But to her credit, she allowed the guys to bond a little.
After Finn had his toast and milk and we were all on our third round of coffee, Tom took a deep breath and said, “These folks coming here? It’s about Nolan, not about you leaving home.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s with him?” He bit into the toast.
“He died yesterday,” Tom said quietly.
Finn’s eyes widened in surprise and he quickly swallowed his food. “But he’s, like, younger than you, Tom. Did he get sick or something?”
“Someone killed him,” Tom said.
“Wow.” Finn blinked several times and repeated, “Wow.”
Yoshi, who’d been curled up next to Finn, sat up and nuzzled Finn’s neck and began licking his face again. This was certainly a perceptive dog. Almost as perceptive as a cat.
“We know you were injured yesterday,” Candace said. “We understand you can’t remember part of the day. Do you recollect seeing Nolan at all?”
“Easy question. Since Nolan’s in North Carolina and—”
“He came here,” Tom said. “Probably looking for you.”
“Nolan died in this town?” If Finn had been surprised before, he now seemed stunned.
Candace leaned toward Finn, her hands between her knees. She spoke reassuringly when she said, “Finn, do you remember being in Tom’s car yesterday?”
Finn looked up at me. “Tom’s car? No way. I was in Mrs. Hart’s van. She can tell you. She and Tom picked me up. I saw a white car in Tom’s driveway when we got to his house. Is that the car you’re talking about?”
Tom went into protective mode again, saying, “Like I tried to tell you back at the station, he’s never even seen my car before.”
Candace ignored Tom, her focus remaining on Finn. “Sounds like you remember part of yesterday, which is good. But there’s a big problem and it’s bothering me. I was told there was a gun in your backpack.”
“Oh yeah. That was, like, so weird. I have no clue where the gun came from.” Finn went silent then, his expression changing. A realization was taking hold. He slowly put his unfinished toast on the coffee table, wrapped his arms around Yoshi and drew him close. “Nolan was shot, wasn’t he? And you think I did it.”
Candace said, “We aren’t sure what happened. We’re just gathering information.”
Liam added, “The police have a job to do, Finn. They need to find out what happened to Nolan. Anything you can remember might just help us straighten out this mess.”
“I didn’t see Nolan. At least I don’t think I did.” He stopped and I saw uncertainty on his face. He couldn’t remember.
Finn went on, saying, “I came to this place to be with someone who gives a rat’s ass about me. Tom said I could come anytime I wanted.” Finn stared straight at Liam. “You want to know what I remember? I remember how Nolan treated me. And I’m not sorry he’s dead.”
Oh boy. Not the best choice of words when the police had reason to suspect him of a crime. I was sitting on the floor with Merlot, whose keen interest in Yoshi had not waned, and my body tensed after Finn said this. My cat’s claws dug into my knees and then retracted in response to my body language. Merlot looked up at me with concern.
Tom’s uneasiness was evident, as well, and he said, “You didn’t kill him, though. No matter what you can or cannot remember, I know you didn’t.”
Candace said, “Maybe we should let Finn talk.”
Finn raised his chin. “Tom’s right. I may have hated Nolan, but I wouldn’t kill him. I wouldn’t kill anyone.”
I believed him and I hoped Candace felt the sincerity that seemed so evident to me. I said, “The doctor said you will never remember parts of yesterday.” I glanced around at the people in the room. “You can check with the doctor if you want, but those were his words. It doesn’t mean Finn hurt anyone during that period of time. Concussions don’t change who he is.”
“You can take that to the bank, Candace,” Tom said. “This is a good kid who had the courage to leave a bad situation.”
Candace said, “I understand. Doesn’t change the fact we need answers. A man has still been murdered, and I need to find his killer. If Finn can’t remember anything, I need to do more investigating, find out if anyone saw Finn during the hours he seems to have lost. I sure as heck want to find out how he got the head injury.”
Liam stood, and Candace followed his lead. He said, “I think we’re done here. You’ve had a long trip, Finn. So far, we don’t have any evidence indicating you harmed your stepfather, so don’t—”
“Stepfather? I never called him anything that included the word father. He was just Nolan.” Finn paused before saying, “Does my mother know what happened to him?”
Candace nodded. “She’s on her way from North Carolina.”
Finn hung his head. “Great. Just great.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Maybe you won’t have to see her.”
Liam said, “Tom, we need the gun. Should Candace get a warrant, or will you hand it over?”
Tom’s jaw tightened. “I said I’d cooperate as long as you give this kid a chance. He’s not your bad guy.” Tom’s gaze hadn’t wavered from Finn. He sounded more than a little testy, and I noted that his eyes were still bloodshot. He hadn’t gotten any rest last night aside from the nap he mentioned—or in the nights before when he was trapped in North Carolina, for that matter.
“There’s something else.” Finn looked at me. “Did you tell them about the blood on my shirt?”
I shook my head. “To be honest, I forgot.” Too many things happening too fast had my brain muddled. But the blood on Finn’s shirt could be important.
Tom said, “Maybe you got a nosebleed or something when you hit your head.”
“Maybe,” he said. “I’m not sure where it came from, and I was thinking the police could figure it out. Help me remember, ’cause not knowing is kind of freaking me out.”
Candace cocked her head when she looked at Finn. “Thanks for telling me about the shirt. It could help us understand what happened to both you and to Nolan. Do you get my meaning?”
“I’m not stupid,” Finn said, a hint of defiance returning. “You’re a cop and you want evidence. You don’t know me; you don’t trust me when I tell you I wouldn’t hurt anyone. So take the shirt, okay? I know you’re not going to leave me alone until you find the real killer.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Candace said quietly. “Not for a minute. You willing to give me DNA, too, then? I can’t do anything with the blood unless I can compare it to your DNA.”
“Sure. Whatever,” Finn said. “Make sure and compare it to Nolan’s DNA, too. But you were gonna do that anyway, right?”
Candace nodded. “Yup. You seem to know that’s how it works.”
Liam turned to Tom. “A more complete statement about Nolan Roth’s assault on you before your ex-wife arrives in Mercy might help. She’ll probably have an alternate version of the events, if what you said about her is true. We need every bit of information you can give us.”
Finn said, “What’s he talking about, Tom? Did Nolan mess up your face?” He had no idea Tom had been held by Nolan. Now he was surprised again.
Tom avoided Finn’s gaze, looking uncomfortable. “I’ll explain later.” He turned to Candace. “Let’s get this gun business over with.”
“Sure. I’ll collect the shirt and the DNA and we’re on it. I’ll need my evidence kit from the patrol car.” Candace hurried out through the kitchen.
“What if it is Nolan’s blood on my clothes?” Finn said to Tom. “Does it mean I did something I can’t remember?”
Tom said, “Finn, don’t worry. We both know you didn’t hurt Nolan. Like you said, let’s just help them figure out who did. I’m turning over the gun, you’re giving Deputy Carson the clothes and we’ll see what happens from there.”
“Okay. I’ll get the shirt.” Finn started toward the foyer.
Liam said, “Wait. Deputy Carson will want to handle the shirt while wearing gloves and put it in the evidence bag herself. Blood is—”
“Dirty. Yeah.” Finn came back toward us. “I know about blood. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water. I’ve learned that’s not true, thanks to my mother.”
“Did you leave home because of a recent argument?” Liam said.
“You wouldn’t get it even if I explained,” Finn said.
“Try me,” Liam said.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Finn said.
Tom said, “He’s being cooperative, but he’s been through a lot. Give him time on this one, will you, Liam?”
“Sure,” Liam replied.
Tom looked at Finn. “It’s all good, man. We’ll work this out.”
Candace returned with the brown paper sack and Finn, with Yoshi by his side, led the way to the guest room to show Candace where his clothes were. They returned less than a minute later. First she marked the bag containing Finn’s shirt and hoodie as evidence. Then she swabbed his mouth for DNA. Everyone stared at this procedure in silence.
The air seemed to have been sucked from my home. My chest tightened and I felt the need to wrap Finn in my arms when she was done. Though both Tom and I couldn’t hide our concern, Finn’s attitude and posture spoke volumes about his character. He believed he had nothing to hide.
“Finished and ready to go,” Candace said, after what seemed an eternity. “Let’s get over to your place, Tom, and open your safe.”
“I’ll go with you,” Finn said eagerly.
“Not sure it’s a good idea for you to come along,” Candace said. “I got a concussion last summer and the doctors told me to take it easy for a couple days afterward.”
Something you did not do, as I recall, I thought. “He won’t be gone long,” I said to Finn, and then turned to Candace. “Tom can come back after he gives you the—the… gun, right?” I didn’t want to call it evidence.
Candace looked at Liam. From the glance passing between them I thought I understood why Liam was here. This wasn’t about Morris’s day off. She was probably worried about legalities. When you have to deal with a crime connected to close friends, the boundaries might get blurred. Candace would never want to do anything to compromise an investigation. Gosh, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.
She said, “Tom still needs to tell us more about—” But she stopped when she saw Tom glance at Finn. “Sorry, I forgot. We can discuss all this later,” she finished.
Finn said, “Tell you more about what?” He turned to Tom. “What did Nolan do to you, Tom?”
I said, “I can explain a few things while they’re gone—if it’s okay, Tom?”
He smiled sadly and my heart ached for all the trouble both Tom and Finn had been through in the last few days. He said, “I’d appreciate it.”
Liam, Tom and Candace left.
“Okay, tell me about Tom. Tell me why he never called last night,” Finn said, once the back door closed. He sat back down on the couch and picked up a piece of cold toast, but just stared at it.
Yoshi pressed close to his side.
I explained how Tom had to stay at the police station last night, mostly because processing a crime scene doesn’t take an hour like you see on TV. Tom’s car had been involved, not to mention a man he disliked intensely was dead, so naturally they needed his statement. I decided going into the details of what Nolan Roth did to Tom could wait—for now. Between the concussion and being considered a suspect in a murder, Finn had enough to deal with.
When I was finished explaining, Finn said, “But Tom didn’t do anything wrong. Why keep him at a police station practically all night? That’s not right.”
Oh, to be eighteen again and think the world should be fair. I said, “This is a small town with very few officers. It just took a long time to find out exactly what happened to Mr. Roth. Deputy Carson wasn’t being intentionally mean to Tom.”
“I guess that makes sense.” He finally looked at me. “Are you for real?”
“For real?” I gathered coffee mugs and set them on the breakfast bar.
“I mean, you act like you believe me when I say I can’t remember how I got hurt, but are you just being nice?”
“I’ve learned to trust my instincts now that I’m an old lady,” I said with a laugh. “Those instincts tell me you, my friend, wouldn’t shoot anyone.”
“You’re not an old lady,” he said. “Okay, not that old.”
I smiled. “I’m old enough to ask for help. Help me with the clean up?”
Finn gathered mugs and dishes while Yoshi passed out on the throw rug near the utility room. Poor dog had been on high alert for a good long while.
I noticed Chablis slink into the living room. The kitchen and living room area was the sunniest place in late morning and she wasn’t about to miss a sunbath. She joined Merlot and Syrah on the window seat. So funny to see them banded together. They never hung out so close to one another for nap time. It must be the dog’s presence.
Finn poured the last of the milk into his glass. Then he sat on the window seat next to the cats and petted each one while he drank. Merlot turned his big body over for a belly rub, a move that practically shoved poor Chablis right off the cushions.
Meanwhile, I sat at the mosaic-tiled table in the kitchen nook and started a shopping list that included clothes for Finn as well as groceries. I hadn’t planned on restocking the fridge since I was committed to one more craft show this coming Friday. It would only be an overnight trip, but I’d wanted to delay the dreaded grocery shopping until I returned. Not now. I might be able to live on yogurt and toast and frozen meals, but not this kid.
I’d just finished writing “dog food” when I heard a quick knock at the back door. Before I could even get halfway across the kitchen, my stepdaughter, Kara, walked in and stopped in her tracks when she saw the dog.
Yoshi came to attention and barked repeatedly. Already playing watch dog, I thought. His barks sent my three cats running for cover.
“Who’s this?” Kara knelt to greet the dog. Her dark, shoulder-length hair hung loose and she wore jeans, an oatmeal-colored sweater and brown knee-high boots. Yoshi sniffed her boots and then put a paw on her knee in greeting.
“This is my house guest, Yoshi.” I made a sweeping gesture toward Finn. “He belongs to Finn.”
Finn offered a “Hey,” but didn’t make eye contact.
Once I’d introduced Kara to Finn, he said, “Mind if I lie down?”
“Is the headache back?” Maybe Finn needed a follow-up visit to a doctor sooner rather than later.
“Nah. I’m just tired,” he said.
“You’ve been through a lot. Good idea to get some rest,” I said. He had to be overwhelmed by one new person after another coming through my door.
Finn tapped his chest with his palm and said, “Yoshi, come.”
The dog raced to him and Finn opened his arms. Yoshi jumped up into them and they left for the guest room.
“He’s Tom’s stepson, huh? He looks like he could use some serious z’s.” Kara walked to the fridge and opened it, then looked puzzled. “What? No tea?”
“Haven’t had a chance to make any more. But who told you about Finn?” I said.
“I do own the newspaper, Jillian,” she said with a smile. “Anyway, I was a little on edge after your call yesterday and I tried to reach Tom myself. He never answered his cell, but some guy at his house picked up on the landline.”
I closed my eyes. “You talked to Bob.”
“Yup. If there’s no tea, how about coffee?” She peered toward the pot and seeing there were still a few inches of coffee, got herself a mug. As she poured, she said, “Tom never mentioned any brother. I wasn’t sure I believed the guy I talked to. But he told me there’d been an accident and Tom left to go help or something. He mentioned Finn being with you two. I started to ask him more questions, but I had to hang up because Shondra was on the other line. She told me she’d heard about a wreck on her police scanner, just like Bob said.”
“He’s a half brother, by the way,” I said. “He was a secret; Finn was a secret. Tom apparently can compartmentalize his past. Kind of a guy thing, I’ve decided. But who’s Shondra?”
“Thought I told you about her. I’ve gotten so tired of listening to the police scanner spew information about fender benders or cows in the road or Jet Ski thefts, I hired her as an assistant at the paper. One of her jobs? Listen to the scanner. She’s young and just started out at the community college in communications. You’ll like her.”
“Maybe we can all have lunch one day.” What a dumb thing to say, I thought. “Will you listen to me? All sorts of bad things are happening and I’m talking about having lunch.”
“You want to share these bad things?” she said.
“I do. But only as your stepmother and friend, not as a source for a story,” I said.
Kara frowned. “You know I’ve changed since moving here from Houston. I would never expect you to be a source.”
“I didn’t think so, but I’m pretty rattled by all that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. Tom’s had all sorts of trouble, Finn got hurt, a man was murdered.”
“Murder, huh? I was pretty sure Candace was leaving out something about the wreck. She’ll only be able to keep a murder under wraps for another few hours. This town is never far behind the truth.” She walked around the bar, into the living room and sat in her late dad’s recliner. How we both loved that chair.
I followed, settling on the sofa. Chablis was in my lap in an instant. The scary dog was gone for now and she would take full advantage. I stroked her and she began to purr.
“Finn is the reason Tom went off the radar. Talk to me about him, Jillian,” Kara said.
I explained that Finn ran away and how Tom ended up being abducted and beaten up by Nolan, who thought Tom was hiding the boy. Then I told her how, after Tom had gotten away from Nolan, he and I had found Finn walking in the direction of Tom’s house. I also mentioned Lydia’s visit last night. “She told me the driver they found in Tom’s car was Nolan Roth—the very same man who grabbed Tom and beat him up. He didn’t die in the accident. He was shot to death.”
She said, “Tell me again why this guy was in Tom’s car.”
“Tom escaped from Nolan and left everything behind—his car, his phone, his wallet—everything but the clothes on his back.”
“Wow. Bet Tom is mad at himself for letting this guy get the jump on him,” Kara said.
“You should see his poor face,” I said.
“I caught a glimpse of him at the scene yesterday when my photographer and I were there for the story. But Morris was keeping us so far away from the accident, I didn’t notice any injuries. Will he be okay?”
“He’ll be fine—or so he says. I’m more worried about Finn and any post-concussion problems. Worried about why he had blood on his shirt, too.”
“Could this kid have had something to do with the murder, then?” Kara asked.
“You know Candace,” I said. “She has to run down every lead and every bit of evidence. You ask me, Finn doesn’t have a criminal fiber in his being.”
She set her coffee on the end table beside the chair. “What you believe in your heart and what the evidence will show might be very different. No matter what, I’ll help you and Tom and Finn any way I can.”
I felt the tight muscles in my neck relax and smiled. “Thanks. Both Tom and Finn have been through the mill.”
“Are you including the arrival of his brother, Bob the Perv, as part of going through the mill?” she said.
My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. If you’re giving him that name, you’ve met him in person,” I said.
“Oh yes. I stopped by Tom’s house this morning to talk to the house guest. Turns out, Bob’s a chatty guy. As a reporter, I do appreciate the talkative ones, but as a female, I do not appreciate him. He wouldn’t stop flirting, or making comments that he thought I might find charming. Boy, was he wrong to think I was the least bit charmed.”
“The man got on my bad side right away, too. He allowed Tom’s cat to get out and poor Dashiell nearly died.” I felt in my pocket for my phone. “Speaking of Dashiell, I need to find out how he’s doing this morning.”
“And I need to make tea. Coffee just isn’t enough.” She rose and went to the kitchen.
After I learned Dashiell was doing well and could go home anytime, I disconnected. Go home? Not yet. Not with Tom there delivering a gun to the police. I’d have to talk to him about his cat—and soon.
“Maybe you can enlighten me,” I said while Kara boiled water and filled pitchers with tea bags and cane sugar syrup. “I don’t know much about the wreck. Where did it happen?”
Kara cocked her head. “You haven’t read the paper? I am shocked and dismayed.” She smiled. “Out in the boondocks on Brown Road. Pretty nasty accident. Car hit a telephone pole. Hard to tell if the driver even braked. Of course, if the driver was already dead…”
“And you couldn’t get close enough to see much?”
“Nope. We were so far from the scene my photographer stood on someone’s shoulders to get the photo of Tom’s car we ran in the paper.”
“You didn’t see the dead man?” I said.
“Nope. Glad I didn’t, too. Chief Baca spoke to me and said, and I quote, ‘The driver died at the scene.’ They wouldn’t release his name, which is routine until family is notified. When I get the official word on his identity, we’ll print it.”
“I’ll make sure and get a paper, or… since you offered to help, you could get me a copy and do something else for me—for us,” I said.
“I’m game,” she said.
I handed her my shopping list.
She glanced at what I’d written. “This is easy enough, but can it wait until after I stop by my new house? I have to make sure they’re earning the pretty penny this home is costing me. I’d love to be in by Christmas.”
Kara’s house was being built on acreage at the edge of town. She’d used the money she’d inherited from John to buy the newspaper and build her first house.
“I’ll take Finn out for lunch, so there’s no rush on the groceries,” I said.
“I could pick up Dashiell if you and Tom are tied up,” she said.
“Thanks. I’ll call you for help if Dashiell needs to leave the clinic by a certain time and I can’t make it,” I said.
She finished making the tea, took a travel mug from the cupboard and filled it with ice. She poured herself the tea she’d been craving and was ready to go. I hugged her tightly at the back door and again thanked her for everything.
I’d no sooner closed the door than my cell phone rang. I felt like I was living in Grand Central Station instead of my own little house in rural South Carolina.
It was Candace. Seemed Hilary just arrived at the police station and wanted to see her son.
“Bring Finn here, would you? Because I’m not telling this woman where her son is until I’ve asked her a few more questions.” She sounded like one unhappy deputy.
“Getting Finn to the station to see her might take some serious convincing,” I said.
“Tom came with me after we got the gun at his house. He was talking with the chief when I learned she’d arrived. You want to talk to him and see if he has any ideas on how to get Finn to talk to his mother?”
“No. I’ll tell Finn the truth and say Tom will be around as a buffer.”
“Thanks, Jillian. I’m so tired I can hardly think straight,” she said. “Come as soon as you can, okay?”
After she disconnected, I stood in my kitchen wondering how Finn would react when I told him his mother was in town.
No, I had a pretty good idea how he would react.
My fear was what he might do.