Hidden Legacy

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Fifteen minutes later, Caroline left Henry in Mama Drake’s capable hands and stepped onto the back deck. A tiny, screened room where at any time Mama Drake might have a pie cooling, a pitcher of tea that wouldn’t fit in the fridge, or even a slow cooker bubbling with her famous mac and cheese.

Today, a pound cake tempted her from a pretty plate, and Caroline snagged a slice.

Jason had always been embarrassed about his home. Starting in middle school, he always wanted to go to her house instead of having her come to his. He’d started apologizing about the lack of channels on the TV or the lack of options in the kitchen.

Caroline wasn’t so naive not to understand why. No, the Drakes weren’t as well-off as her parents. But it hadn’t mattered to her ever. The Drakes’ home was always warm and welcoming, and while Caroline loved the sprawling home she’d grown up in, there was a coziness about the Drakes’ tightly grouped rooms that couldn’t be duplicated in five thousand square feet.

Jason hadn’t seen it that way. He’d make little comments about money or status. If she dared to indicate that those things weren’t important, he’d ask her how often she’d tried to live without them.

She’d refused to apologize for the life she’d been born into. They weren’t wealthy by national standards, but they had more than most. Her parents had always stressed how fortunate they were compared with the majority of the people on the planet. She’d been trained to be thankful, and to feel a sense of responsibility to help those less fortunate.

But she’d never seen Jason as less fortunate. Their homes hadn’t been similar in size, but they’d been similar in environment. He had two parents who loved him. Granted, there were plenty of problems with his birth father, but after his mom met Papa Drake, he’d always had a warm, clean home filled with light and laughter. A home she’d always been welcomed in. A place she’d never felt like she had to perform or pretend in. She didn’t blame Jason for wanting more, but she wished he could see how much of what truly mattered was already here.

Caroline leaned against a porch support and closed her eyes. She had to pull it together. Had to find a way to make some sense of this mess. Someone wanted her dead. Why? How could she protect herself and her son?

“You okay?”

She turned at Jason’s words and found him watching her through the open kitchen door.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“I know.”

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to see you swipe my dessert.”

She laughed. “There’s plenty more.”

He joined her in the small space. “What’s on your mind?”

She stepped toward him and caught herself. What was she doing? This was a bad idea. She could not let herself get emotionally entangled. Not with anyone, but especially not with Jason Drake. She’d gone down that path.

She knew how it ended.

She knew how much it hurt.

Caroline rocked back on her heels. “Just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Jason stared out over the backyard. “Me, too. I need to head out for a little while.”

“You’ve been with me all day. I’m sure you have other responsibilities, other cases you need to be working on. Go. You don’t have to babysit—”

“I’m not babysitting you.” His face darkened. “I’m doing my job. You’re a citizen of this community, which I have sworn to protect, and someone is trying to kill you. It is, in fact, my job to be sure that doesn’t happen.”

He was right, of course. She tried to keep her expression neutral. “I understand, and I appreciate that.”

He stepped closer, and when she tried to back up, she slammed into a porch column. “Ow.” She rubbed the back of her head.

Jason didn’t back up or give her the space she’d been seeking. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, avoiding eye contact. But he didn’t allow that, cupping his hand under her chin and tilting it up until their eyes met.

“It’s my job to protect you, but it’s also my privilege. I’d be doing it whether I had the badge to make it official or not.” His eyes flashed with intensity as he spoke. “I need to check on a few things and run by the office to get some files that might help us figure out what’s going on.”

“Okay.” She didn’t trust herself to try to say anything else.

“Try not to worry. Mom’s thrilled you’re here. Dad’s on alert. There are uniformed officers patrolling the perimeter of the property. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He stared into her eyes longer than she wanted him to. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears. One of his eyebrows ticked up, and she had to wonder if in the silence of the porch, he could hear it.

She needed to get a grip. This wasn’t high school. He wasn’t the best friend she wanted to be more. Given their history, she’d trust him to protect every part of her.

Except her heart.

He stepped back, breaking the moment. He winked and turned back to the house.

She heard him speak to his mom, then his dad.

Then...Henry?

Jason’s fondness for Henry was a surprise. He’d never been a big fan of kids, and he’d always said he’d never have any of his own. Said he wouldn’t risk being the kind of father his own birth father was.

She doubted that had changed.

He was being kind to Henry because he was a kind man, but that didn’t mean he wanted children. Just like he didn’t want to live in North Carolina.

She’d built her whole life around her home, her family, her community—and now, her son. She couldn’t let herself forget that it was the kind of life Jason didn’t want. Then, now or ever.

SIX (#u6fc7dc54-6373-5bd8-b88a-1e8a31c54c99)

Jason walked around Caroline’s house. Again. This was his third pass. Each time he moved out another fifty feet. Michael joined him.

“What are we doing?” Michael asked.

“Looking.”

“Fine,” Michael said. “Let’s talk about the case while we walk.”

“Okay,” Jason said. “Start with Caroline’s work.”

Michael pulled out a small notebook. “She’s changed a few suppliers, like she said, but no one I’ve spoken to at the plant believes any of them would be angry enough to come after her. Blake agreed with that assessment when you talked to him?”

Jason nodded. “He did. He insists everything is business as usual at HPI. He said Caroline drives a hard bargain and is a great negotiator. Part of her job is to keep their expenses down, and she takes that seriously, but she treats everyone fairly and the business community respects her for it.” He stopped and looked back at the house, trying to see what an intruder would see from here. “She claims she doesn’t have a boyfriend and hasn’t had one in a while.”

“Not for lack of trying,” Michael said under his breath.

“What?”

Michael’s grin had a taunting edge to it. “She’s the most eligible bachelorette in the county. She’s gorgeous, smart and rich.”

Was Michael trying to push his buttons?

“Of course,” Michael went on, “she’s also funny, kind, has a great personality, and—”

“I get it, Michael.” Jason returned to walking. “She’s a catch.”

Michael smirked. “People assume she is, of course, but given that no one has caught her since college, she’s more like an urban myth.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Michael grabbed a branch and pushed it out of his way. “You know exactly what it means. If you don’t, you’re an idiot.”

How much could Michael possibly know about his past with Caroline? He’d been a grade behind them in school. They’d been friends, played sports together, but he had never confided anything about his feelings for Caroline to anybody.

Jason tried to keep his tone neutral when he replied. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about, nor do I see how any of this relates to the case.”

Michael laughed. “I know a dozen guys who’ve tried to get close enough to ask her out. I know only five who succeeded in asking her, and she turned them all down.”

“Your point?”

“You’ve made more progress in twenty-four hours than anyone has. Ever. Makes a guy wonder.”

Michael was like the annoying little brother who wouldn’t stop pestering you until he’d made you mad. “The only progress I’ve made is on this case, and it isn’t much progress at all.”

That wiped the teasing look off Michael’s face. “I disagree that there’s no progress. The problem isn’t that we don’t have anything to go on, it’s that we don’t like where it’s taking us.”

Jason stopped under a pine. From here, he had a decent angle on one of the windows. Could the intruder have watched Caroline from here? The thought made his blood boil. There were a few broken branches, a piece of trash—

He knelt beside the paper. Up close it looked more like a photograph. He pulled a glove from his pocket and used it to pick up the faded page. He tried to keep his voice calm. “What can you tell me about Henry?”

“Not much. I worked the car accident when Steph died. It was...” Michael shook his head like he wanted to shake away the memories. “We went over that car thoroughly. Heidi helped. That was before she and Blake married.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Heidi is great, but she has a tendency to assume the worst. She tried to hide it from Caroline, but she was concerned about foul play.”

“Was there any?”

“Not that we could find. It was one of those senseless tragedies you hear about on the news. ‘Mother of young child fatally injured in car wreck on I-26.’ We see it all the time, but I never get used to it.”

Which was one of the reasons he’d always liked Michael. The guy could be annoying, but he had a soft heart. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but we’re going to have to review that case again,” Jason said as he flipped the paper in his hand over. There was no mistaking it. The photo was of Caroline and Henry. Both of their faces were circled. He handed it to Michael.

Michael’s eyes widened.

“Caroline doesn’t have any enemies, and the only skeleton in Stephanie’s closet was her husband. Whatever reason someone has for targeting them has got to do with that man. And that means we need to figure out who the father is. Discreetly. I’ll talk to Caroline about it again tonight. Pick her brain for any details Stephanie might have let slip.” He glanced back at the house. “We won’t be able to do much over the weekend, but we need to get a fresh set of eyes on Stephanie’s accident, just to be sure. All the county offices will be closed, but let’s shoot for having a list of places to call by Monday morning.”

Someone had already tried to kill Caroline and Henry twice in the past twenty-four hours. Was there any chance they could make it through the weekend without someone trying again?

He and Michael returned to the station and spent the next three hours going over everything on Stephanie’s accident. He couldn’t find any fault with the investigation or the conclusions.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jason finally said. “Want to come to the house? With Caroline there, I’m sure Mom has outdone herself for dinner.”

Michael raised his hand. “Sorry, man, I’m picking Cathy up around eight. But call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

Jason’s phone rang as he walked through the parking lot. He took one look at the number and declined the call. He slid into the seat of his Explorer, anxiety scratching its way through his mind.

He’d been back in town six months. This was the first night he’d been in a hurry to get home.

* * *

Caroline had a new appreciation for the way the tigers at the zoo must feel. She’d tried to sit but couldn’t keep from fidgeting, so she’d switched to helping Mama Drake in the kitchen.

Henry was having a grand time playing with a huge pot and a wooden spoon, but his joyful cacophony couldn’t drown out the terror pulsing in her heart. She stirred the green beans and kept up a light banter with Mama Drake, but even the lush aroma of pot roast and made-from-scratch biscuits couldn’t settle her nerves.

Jason would be home soon. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her or Henry. She knew that. Well, she knew he would try to keep them safe. Maybe even die trying. What if someone came after her here? What if everybody she loved wound up dead?

All because of her. The thought nauseated her.

Papa Drake had smiled and welcomed her in, but she could sense a level of alertness permeating the air that she’d never experienced in this house. Jason’s home had always been safe. Fun. Light.