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Of course he was. Don’t start doubting him. He’s not the kidnapper or a drug dealer like half the town thinks. Shauna’s behind the kidnapping. You just have to prove she’s guilty.
“Here you go, dear. I have dinner for you both whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Mabel. I’m not really hungry.” Alicia took a cool wet cloth and placed it over her eyes. She was so tired of thinking. So tired of trying to decide how or where to start.
“Did you find out anything?” John asked.
“Well, that silly receptionist or whoever they have answering the phones said they won’t let anyone talk to Brian until after he’s been formally charged.” Mabel continued to move around the kitchen as she spoke. “I wanted to send Dave Krueger over for representation, but they told her Brian didn’t want a lawyer and then mentioned your brother was being cheap and stubborn.”
“I can’t believe Brian refused a lawyer or that the situation has spun out of control so rapidly.” Cheap and stubborn. She totally understood those two words. She heard Johnny grunt from the doorway. “Did they arrest him based on an anonymous tip?”
“That’s why they initially pulled him over. Then they found Lauren’s toys behind the seat,” Mabel said, patting her shoulder once and moving away.
Alicia used her palms to keep the cloth in place. Her eyes were swollen and burning from the constant crying. “We told her not to play in the truck. This is all my fault he’s in jail.”
“No, dear, it’s not,” Mabel said. “And tomorrow morning he’ll be charged or free. I’ll make certain he has a good lawyer whether he wants one or not.”
“I’m so glad you’re here for J.W.,” she told Mabel, removing the cool cloth and feeling calmer just sitting at the old dining table. Her insides still shook, but she could talk rationally again. The anxiety wouldn’t leave until Lauren was back safe and sound.
“I am, too.” John’s deep voice rumbled softly through the room. “Thanks for calling the police station. I moved Dad back to bed. I’d like to see Brian ASAP. Can you stay? I hate to ask, but I’ll probably need to be gone tomorrow as well if he’s not released.”
“Not a problem.” Mabel folded the kitchen towel and laid it on the dish drain. “Let me run home and feed the dog. I believe the jail opens at eight in the morning. I’m an early riser but I don’t think you’d want me at five, so I’ll come at seven-thirty. Be right back.”
Alicia replaced the washcloth against her face while Mabel gently shut the door and left. Hot air from outside drifted across the room. She didn’t know how to look at this man. Or how to talk to him. Or how to apologize or explain her behavior. So much had happened since he’d left home, and he seemed to be clueless.
Where did she begin?
By looking at him.
She wiped her face one last time and set the cloth aside. He’d put a shirt on. His hair was still wet, but she’d heard the shower while Mabel had washed dishes.
“You doing okay?” John asked.
She watched by peeking through her fingers as he turned one of the old metal dining chairs away from the table, sat and leaned across the back.
“Brian sits exactly like that. But I’d never think you were him.”
John’s bland expression subtly switched to annoyance as he tapped the table. Easily spotted on a man who didn’t really show much emotion.
“You and Brian a thing now?”
“No. It’s not anything like that.”
“Why don’t you explain just how it is? If you’re up to it.” John didn’t move. He was tall enough that when he sat in a chair he still seemed to tower over her. “You should probably start with why the police booked him for your daughter’s kidnapping and why the first person he told was you.”
“Shauna’s responsible for the anonymous tip. I’m certain she’s trying to frame Brian and me. Sheriff Coleman thinks so, too, even though he can’t say that to anyone else.”
“Did he say it to you?” John remained steady, his arms crossed over the top of the chair. His eyes constantly moved between her and his dad.
“No. But he didn’t disagree when I said it. You need to take care of Brian. I just came to see if you wanted to buy the car.”
“Shauna who? And why do you need money?”
“Shauna Weber was Dwayne’s stepmother and the reason my accounts are frozen.”
“Why would his stepmother freeze your assets?”
“Because she’s a money-hungry bi— Sorry, I can’t talk rationally about her. Look, Johnny, can you buy the car? I need money for a private investigator. It’s the only way I’ll ever find Lauren before Shauna pretends to find her and takes her away from me.”
“That’s quite an assumption, Alicia.”
“I’m not assuming anything.” Shoving the chair backward, it hit the kitchen wall. She was losing it. She forced herself to sit and take cleansing breaths before she babbled again. She couldn’t look at him to see what he thought of her outburst and couldn’t imagine why he wasn’t lecturing her, like anyone else she’d tried to confide in. “It’s the only explanation. Shauna has frozen Dwayne’s assets, including Lauren’s trust fund, and I...I just need the cash for the car. If you still want it, that is. Then I can get out of your hair.”
“You mean the court froze everything,” he corrected.
“Shauna took me to court. As if she has a right to any of that money. It belongs to my daughter. I hate having to use it, but it was our only support while the will was being contested. Now there’s nothing except a few home-care clients who stuck with me.”
Would he remember the same friendship they’d had as kids? Be sympathetic enough to give her more than the car’s estimated value? She gathered her courage to make eye contact with him. But his gaze was toward the living area and his father.
“The house wasn’t built for wheelchair access.” She attempted to draw his attention again. “Brian set J.W.’s bed there so he could work here at the table and still see him.”
“Back to Brian’s arrest,” he said, lowering his voice. “Why my brother? If you’re just friends, what does he have to do with your daughter?”
“Shauna and Patrick Weber have made several accusations that we’re having an affair. That we kidnapped Lauren for ransom.”
“We. Meaning you and Brian. But there hasn’t been a ransom note.”
“One showed up last night at the Weber show barns. They tried to blame me, but didn’t know I had a solid alibi. The sheriff was at my house. So they immediately accused Brian of working with me.”
“That’s ridiculous. He was out with the horses until after dark.”
“The note was left at their stables that back up to your property line.”
“You mean Pat Weber owns old man Adams’s stables? He used to work there.”
“Shauna married him four months after Dwayne’s father died. If that doesn’t prove she just wanted the money, I don’t know what does. Marrying Roy Adams was another way she could get close to Dwayne after high school. With both of them gone, she’s selling off everything.”
“Wait. Are you talking about Shauna Tipton, the cheerleader a couple of years older than us? Didn’t she date Dwayne? This sounds like a damn soap opera.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve been living this nightmare for years. Brian’s a good man. Shauna will use anything that can be taken out of context.”
“Right. I still don’t see why the police would arrest my brother. If there’s nothing between you guys, how did they connect Brian to the kidnapping?”
“I’ve always been his friend and I stayed here with J.W. while Brian worked his four-day shift in Fort Worth last week.”
“Shift?”
“He’s a paramedic. Wasn’t that where he was headed this morning when they arrested him?”
“He didn’t mention where he was headed. Just that he’d be gone four days.”
Spoken just like his brother. Same attitude, tone, inflection. If they tried to fool people, not many would be able to tell them apart. But she could. She also recognized the stubbornness that kept them from speaking to each other after Johnny left for the navy.
“I’m not reprising the role of mediator between you two. You can talk to him at the police station.”
He nodded once. Curt, not rude. Just like he accepted her words and there was no need for any more. “That still doesn’t explain why they’d think Brian kidnapped your daughter.”
“Lauren. Her name is Lauren, and I want her home. She needs to be home with me.” Fear blocked the last words, cutting them short.
“Do you know why they’re assuming he took Lauren, tried to kill you and then just hung around the ranch until he was arrested?” He’d raised his voice just a tad and looked toward J.W., who still appeared to be sleeping far enough away not to hear the conversation. “It isn’t a logical plan of attack and would mean that you involved a third person to hide Lauren somewhere. It doesn’t make sense.”
“They don’t need a reason. There are townspeople who have been trying to send him to jail for twelve years.”
John’s brows drew together. He shook his head, compressed his lips and appeared genuinely confused.
“You don’t know? You’re Brian’s twin and you’re telling me you don’t know what happened after you left?”
“Would I be asking if I did?” He sounded very annoyed.
Technically, he hadn’t asked, but she saw the visible tick in his jaw muscle. He was obviously upset. She could barely believe her two best friends had grown so far apart. Identical twins who had shared secrets and pranks all through school.
“Brian admitted to starting the fire that killed Mrs. Cook.”
“I know. He thought I caused the accident and took the blame.”
There was some emotion Johnny couldn’t hide. He stiffened and blinked his eyes a smidgen too long. They’d both changed over twelve years, but some things never would. The man sitting with her was just as hurt as the eighteen-year-old boy had been when his brother had believed the lies spread about the fire.
“They’ve never forgiven him.”
“Who?” He looked genuine asking his question, like he really didn’t have a clue.
“Everybody. Other than the sheriff, Mabel and me, no one talks to him. Ever. No one ever told you why he didn’t go to A&M?”
“I assumed he changed his mind. Neither of us were good in school.”
“But you knew he lost his scholarship, right?”
John’s poker face melted.
“Your dad never said anything?”
“He didn’t talk too much about Brian.” John dropped his gaze to the tabletop.
“In other words, you didn’t ask because you didn’t want to hear.”
“I’m listening now.”
“The town was upset about Mrs. Cook’s death. It didn’t matter that it was an accident. They wanted Brian punished. So there were outcries and editorials demanding consequences. Teachers withdrew their letters of recommendations.”
“They could do that?” he asked in a hurt whisper.
“The university suddenly didn’t have a full scholarship. They reduced it to about a thousand dollars. He couldn’t finance the rest.”
Disbelief, astonishment, anger—a ton of emotion took charge and marched across his face. “You can count on my help. Whatever it takes. We’ll find your daughter and clear Brian.”
“I don’t know what you can do, John. The police and rangers have an Amber Alert. No one saw anything, no clues, no prints, no way to find her. It’s like she just disappeared.”
Alicia saw his fists tighten, ready to do battle to defend his family. It had been a while since she’d felt someone was completely on her side.
“I can help. Trust me.”
The harsh tightness across his face softened. His hand took hers and she saw a glimpse of a friend. It had been a while since she’d depended on anyone. She nodded, realizing that trusting him was second nature. She’d run to the Double Bar because he was home.
Chapter Five
“Tell me what happened after I left and what we’re up against.” John paced the kitchen, keeping his dad’s napping form in his peripheral vision. He didn’t want him upset.
After the first couple of stories, John barely listened to Alicia’s recounting of how the town had treated Brian. He was still stuck on his brother’s arrest. Instead of calling a lawyer, Brian had phoned Alicia.
What was up with that? Was it his way of keeping his family informed without talking to John? Warning Alicia? She thought they were being framed. “Do the police know who Brian called?”
“I’m not sure.” She looked as confused as he felt.
Cute and confused, with that worry line emphasized between her brows. Now wasn’t the time for an attraction, and neither was the future. Alicia claimed there was nothing between her and Brian, and she thought they were only friends. They were clearly closer than either wanted to admit. They always had been.
“What did Brian say, exactly?”
She put her fingertips to her temples, concentrating. “They pulled him over, found Lauren’s bear and crown behind his seat—the one I said she had with her when they...when they took her. The Aubrey police would be coming to the house to talk to me.”
“You sort of buried the lead, Alicia. I think Brian called to warn you not to go home.”
“Do you think they left something at my house?” She shook her head and her long hair fell forward, covering her face. “The media has already taken Shauna’s side and is insinuating that I arranged for Lauren’s kidnapping to get the ransom money. Do you believe they’re going to arrest me? I haven’t done anything.”
He didn’t have time to be sensitive, so blunt would have to work. “If Shauna’s gone to the trouble to frame you for faking a kidnapping, don’t you think they’d plant evidence to implicate you?” He let that info take root. “You’ve got two choices. Turn yourself in and hope it can all be sorted out legally.”
She looked up, eyes wide with fright. “If I’m in jail, no one will be looking for Lauren.”
John didn’t correct her. Everyone had looked for her daughter. To clear Brian, he would do more than just look. He’d find her. “Then hide.”
“How can I hide? I don’t have any money and I can’t go anywhere. Dad’s car is fairly easy to spot.”
“I can help with that.” He stood, glancing to the living room to verify his dad was still asleep. When he turned back, she stood touching distance in front of him. But she didn’t reach out, and neither did he.
“Johnny, I can’t ask you to help more than just buying the car. Your dad needs you.”
“Don’t bother, Alicia. You need my help. More important, the only way to clear Brian is to find your daughter. And I need you to make that happen.”
“Thanks isn’t enough.” She launched herself and hugged him. “What should I do?”
