Home to Whiskey Creek (27 page)

“A lot of people aren’t shy once they get some alcohol in them,” she pointed out. “And why would she keep her panties?”

“As a trophy. What else? Or...” He hesitated, purposely being dramatic to pique her interest.

“What? Say it.”

“In case anyone ever tried to hold her responsible for Cody’s death.”

There. He’d dropped the bomb. And he saw that she was reacting with the appropriate shock when her face went pale.

“The last thing Cody said to me was that he was going back to make sure she was okay,” he added.

“Why wouldn’t she be?”

“We were in a different part of the mine when we were...you know, fooling around. He wasn’t sure she’d be able to find her way out. And she didn’t have a ride. She’d come with Sophia, but Sophia went home with someone else.”

“It wasn’t his coat he went after? You’re saying Cody wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t gone back for
her?
”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kevin lowered his voice to give his next remark the proper emphasis. “He was fine when he turned around to go back.”

She clutched his arm. “But it was an accident, right?”

“Who knows what it was? She might’ve gotten angry, regretted what she’d done and tried to blame him. Or he wanted to do her again, she refused and that caused a fight—”

“Ick! No!” Shania wrinkled her nose. “What would he want with
her
when he could have me?”

Kevin held up his hands. “Maybe it was the other way around. It’s just a little strange that she walked out of that mine and he didn’t. I’ve always wondered if...if she had something to do with his death. And if she
did
, she might’ve kept her panties in case she ever faced that accusation. Then she could twist everything, make herself the victim.”

Shania leaned against the cinder-block wall of the liquor store. “That’s unforgivable....”

“For all we know, she hit him over the head with a rock and buried him in all the rubble that was lying around. Stranger things have happened.”

“Noah should be told what type of person he’s getting involved with,” she whispered.

The commitment in those words made Kevin fear he’d gone too far. He couldn’t have her flapping her mouth. “He won’t believe you, even if you tell him. And if you speak up, my wife will know I was with someone else after she left that party. She’ll never forgive me.”

“That was before you were married.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’ll be a betrayal all the same. You and Cody weren’t married, either, but do you really want everyone to know he cheated on you the night he was killed?”

He was banking on the fact that she wouldn’t. She’d always been so proud of her status as Cody Rackham’s girlfriend. If word got out that he’d been with someone else, it would suggest he didn’t care that much about her, after all. She’d lose the image of a perfect love tragically ended, the image she still used to garner sympathy.

“No, I don’t want anyone to know,” she admitted. “I still can’t believe he did it. He wouldn’t have if she hadn’t initiated it.”

“We all took a turn with her. It was just sex. It didn’t mean anything.”

“Just sex?”
she snapped. “He wouldn’t have liked it if I was spreading my legs for anyone else.”

Kevin knew she was struggling with jealousy but this reversal almost made him want to strangle her. He’d been under so much pressure since Addy returned to town. For his sake, Shania couldn’t give in to those emotions. “How can you even be worried about
that
now that he’s gone?”

She gaped at him. “He was the love of my life! And Noah’s his twin brother. I don’t want her walking off into the sunset with Noah if it was her fault Cody was killed.”

Kevin could believe that. After Cody’s death, she’d made play after play for Noah but wound up empty-handed. He’d never been interested. “Noah will move on soon enough. The last thing you want is to force him to choose sides.”

Her sullen expression reminded him of a child. “He wouldn’t choose her, not if he knew what happened on grad night.”

“But he won’t know! We could tell him, but he wasn’t there, and she’ll plead her case, too. Trust me, you’ve got to keep your mouth shut.”

With a grunt of exasperation, she stomped off but pivoted after a few steps. “It’s not fair that she gets exactly what she wants when she cost me everything.”

“Their relationship won’t last,” Kevin promised her. “You’ll see.” He bent his head to catch her eye. “So...are you with me?”

She didn’t answer.

“Shania?”

“I’m with you,” she said, suddenly more glum than angry. “But only because I don’t want Addy to tell the world that what she put in that letter to Cody’s parents is true. It would hurt them so much.”

“There you go,” he said, and hurried to his car. He had to get home before his wife finished making dinner. But as he was pulling away, he saw a flash of movement.

Had someone been close by, possibly in the alley, while they were talking? And, if so, had they heard what was said?

Heart thumping, he slammed on his brakes and got out to check. He’d seen something—a woman’s coat? But he couldn’t find anyone.

“Who’s there?” he called, just to be safe.

Satisfied when he received no answer, he got back in his car. He must’ve been imagining things. He was getting paranoid these days.

28

A
ddy was at Just Like Mom’s, tallying the receipts for the day when someone banged on the door. Because the restaurant was closed and all the employees had left, she’d locked up. She hadn’t wanted to risk having someone who frightened her walk in and catch her unawares, like Kevin had on Thursday.

Hoping it was her mother—that Helen had returned even though she’d said she was heading home to bed—Addy peered around the corner and found Noah standing there. She would’ve been excited to see him. She was
always
excited to see him. But he looked upset.

He banged again before he realized he’d caught her attention.

“I’m coming,” she called.

He waited, hands on his hips, as she brought out the keys and turned the lock.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as he brushed past her.

“I need you to be honest with me,” he said.

She swallowed hard. She couldn’t make any promises about honesty, not with everything she was hiding. “About what?”

“Did you ever sleep with my brother?”

Addy could tell he didn’t believe she had. He was expecting her to confirm it. He’d asked as if the very thought was outlandish.

Only...she
had
“slept” with Cody. Maybe not in the way Noah meant, but that night at the mine had changed everything and would forever stand between them.

She wanted to tell him. She was tired of the self-recrimination, the resentment, the regret. She didn’t feel she could hold back the truth any longer, no matter what the fallout might be. Ever since she’d returned to Whiskey Creek, one thing after another had shoved her back into that damn mine—literally and figuratively—until the rape and Cody’s death felt as if they’d happened yesterday.

But she had more than herself to consider. At this point, she was afraid that what she had to say would hurt Noah more than it would hurt her. So she tried to keep carrying the cross she’d picked up at that graduation party fifteen years ago.

Except the words to convince him wouldn’t come. Tears streamed down her face instead.

He stepped closer. “Addy, what’s wrong?”

Before she could decide how to deflect his concern, Darlene walked in, eyes shining, face flushed. She looked excited, which confused Addy.

“I thought that was your truck, Noah,” she said.

Noah didn’t want to be distracted. “Addy and I are having a conversation,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. “Would you mind giving us some privacy?”

“Not at all. But I think you’re going to have a lot more to talk about after you hear what
I
have to say.”

Adelaide couldn’t imagine where Darlene was going with this, but there was a coldness about her that told Addy something terrible was about to happen.

“You’ve been looking for
me?
” Noah said.

She smiled. “I have.”

He shifted his attention to her, but Adelaide could hear the impatience in his voice when he said, “What is it?”

“I just heard Kevin Colbert and Shania Carpenter talking behind the liquor store.”

The mention of Kevin Colbert sent ice through Addy’s veins. She lifted her hand in a futile attempt to stop what was coming next, but Darlene merely glared at her.

“So?” Noah said.

“Darlene, no,” Addy murmured, but it didn’t do any good. Gran’s ex-manager didn’t even hesitate.

“They said Addy screwed half the baseball team on grad night and that she’s the reason your brother didn’t make it out of the mine alive.”

Noah scowled at her. “What are you talking about? Cody was caught in a cave-in when he went back to get his coat. That could’ve happened to anyone, anytime. The mine wasn’t safe.”

“He wasn’t getting his coat, Noah. He was cheating with your new girlfriend. But she was the only one who survived. Maybe he tried to tell her he was already in a relationship.”

A bewildered expression brought Noah’s eyebrows together as he turned to her. “Is that
true?
”

Addy’s mind urged her to say no, to insist that she hadn’t been there that late. Who’d refute it? Kevin, Tom and the others were as eager as she was to keep the door closed on the past. But something else had already caused Noah to ask her if she’d been with Cody. That lent Darlene’s words enough credibility to make him wonder. And Addy had reached a point where she could no longer bring herself to deny it.

“I was with him.”

Darlene looked as stunned as Noah did, but Noah ignored her. “What are you saying?” he asked Addy.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

* * *

Noah sat up alone the rest of the night. He wanted to shut out the thoughts swirling through his head, but sleep was too far away. He hadn’t even bothered to undress or go into his bedroom. After making Darlene leave the restaurant, he’d heard what Addy had to say. He’d heard what his parents had to say when he went back there after. And he’d heard what Kevin, Tom, Derek and Stephen had to say, following that. He’d hauled them out of bed, one after the other, so he could compare stories.

But what Addy told him was so different from what everyone else had said. She claimed she was gang-raped by Cody
and
his friends on graduation night. She said that when Cody came back, she panicked, thinking he might hurt her again. He was so wasted he could hardly stand, and yet he tried to drag her out of the mine. He claimed he was going to take her home, but she couldn’t trust him, couldn’t be sure. They fought until she managed to shove him into a support beam that gave way. The next thing she knew, the ground was rumbling and she couldn’t breathe for the dust, but she ran and kept running and never looked back. Kevin found Cody the next morning.

But could Cody’s death really have happened in that way? Kevin, Tom, Stephen and Derek denied the rape. His own parents refused to even entertain the possibility that Cody could have been involved in anything like that. Noah didn’t want to believe it, either. No one could’ve loved Cody more than he did. But he kept going back to the moment when Adelaide had approached him on the baseball field to congratulate him on a good game. He didn’t see how it was possible that such a shy girl would want to have sex with the whole team. Maybe some girls were that aggressive at sixteen, but not Addy. The image others painted of her was contrary to everything he knew her to be.

Problem was, so did the crime she accused Cody, Kevin and the others of committing. The people she claimed had raped her were his friends. He’d grown up with them, hung out with them over the years. He’d never known them to hurt anyone.

Still,
someone
had put her back in that damn mine. He’d found her there himself, saw how frightened and hurt she was. He’d also found that threatening note on her car:
Stay away from Noah or that mine will be
your
burial place, too!
And what about the night he caught Kevin outside her house?

He wished he could discuss the situation with Baxter, so he’d have someone he trusted to talk to, someone who’d known Cody almost as well as he did. Baxter’s opinion would be helpful. But for all he knew, Baxter’s parents had disowned him and Baxter would never speak to him again.

His phone rang just after dawn. Noah didn’t feel like rousing himself, but when he saw that it was his father, he answered. “What are you doing up this early?” he asked.

“Checking on you,” came the reply. “We might have a rough day ahead. I’m pretty sure Adelaide Davies has called Chief Stacy.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He’s already tried to reach me twice.”

“You haven’t called him back?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“I wanted to talk to you first.”

Noah massaged his temples. He could feel the beginning of a headache. “About...”

“About what’s going on, of course. I’d like to know where you stand on this. We have to be united. There’s no way I’ll let Adelaide Davies ruin Cody’s memory.”

“How do you know she’s lying, Dad?”

“Because Kevin, Tom...all of them agree.”

Noah stared down at his feet. “They have good reason to agree! Do you think they’d admit to a gang rape? A couple of them are married, have families. They all could go to prison.”

“Nothing will happen to them.”

“How do you know?”

“She can’t prove a thing, Noah.”

“Prove.”
Noah didn’t like that word. It didn’t say anything about true culpability. As a matter of fact, it smacked of ducking responsibility. “Are you only interested in what she can prove? Or what really happened?”

His father took a second to respond. “Cody was a member of the family. Unless she has some way to convince me, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he acted so...reprehensibly, I’m going to maintain my faith in him. I won’t let some...
whore
destroy my respect for him.”

If it was anyone but Adelaide, Noah knew he’d probably feel the same—family first. Cody was his brother, his
twin
brother. He didn’t want to learn that Cody was capable of being so selfish and callous.

But Adelaide wasn’t a whore and no one knew that better than he did.

“Wouldn’t you want the same level of commitment from me if it was you?” his father asked.

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got to go.”

“Where? The bike shop doesn’t open until ten.”

Standing, Noah pulled his keys from his pocket. “To Davis.”

“What’s in Davis?”

“I’m not quite sure, but I’m going to find out.”

“You’re not making any sense,” his father said, but Noah didn’t try to explain. He hit the end button and went to brush his teeth.

* * *

Adelaide was actually glad her mother was in town. With Darlene no longer working at Just Like Mom’s, someone had to help manage the restaurant. She simply wasn’t up to it today. She’d told Noah the truth last night. She’d gone home and told her mother and her grandmother the same, and they’d called Chief Stacy. Gran had put him off when he wanted to come over, but Addy had an appointment with him this morning.

She wasn’t all that keen on having him press charges against those who’d attacked her. She knew how ugly it would get if others didn’t believe her. And why would they believe
her
when they knew the men she was accusing so much better than they knew her?

Still, she was relieved that the truth was out. She hadn’t realized just how difficult it had been to harbor such a terrible secret. No matter what happened to her from here on, at least she didn’t have to live with the threat of someone learning about that damn party anymore.

Fifteen years was a long time to fear discovery.

“Addy, would you like a cup of coffee?” Gran stood in her doorway.

“No, thanks.”

“Chief Stacy is on his way.”

“I guessed as much. The alarm on my phone went off a few minutes ago. I’m about to take a shower.”

“Do you think—do you think we should have an attorney present?”

“No.”

Gran didn’t seem convinced. “It might be smart.”

“Maybe we’ll need one later, if he decides to press charges against me. But my story won’t change, Gran. Not one tiny bit. Because I’m telling the truth.” She was reconciled to facing the consequences, whatever they might be. Nothing could be worse than knowing she’d never get to be with Noah again, anyway. She’d understood all along that they didn’t have a future, but those few stolen moments were precious, and now there’d be no more of them.

Gran nodded. “I’m so sorry, honey. What they did to you...it was a dreadful thing—”

“I shouldn’t have disobeyed you and gone out,” she said.

“You were sixteen years old! Do you realize how young that is?”

Too young to go through what she had. But she’d survived.

“Which one of them came here with Aaron’s knife and threatened you, Addy? Which one took you back to the mine?”

Addy shook her head. “Whoever it was had a white truck.”

“How do you know it was white?”

After she explained in detail what had really taken place the night she was abducted, Gran said, “We’ll have to remember to tell Chief Stacy about that.”

Addy smiled for the first time since Noah walked into the restaurant last evening. “Yes, we will.”

* * *

Tsunami was an upscale restaurant that served lunch and dinner and didn’t open until eleven. Noah had been banking on Clyde Kingsdale having to get to the restaurant early to prepare for the lunch rush. Clyde was the manager, after all. But Addy’s ex strolled in right at eleven, looking a little rough around the edges.

Thanks to the hostess, a girl wearing a name tag that said Becka, Noah had been allowed to wait inside. When Clyde walked past the register, she pointed and mouthed, “That’s him,” but she didn’t stop her manager or introduce them. Noah got the feeling she knew Clyde wouldn’t want to be interrupted regardless of his reason for coming. Since Clyde’s parents owned the restaurant, maybe he didn’t have to worry about being fired so he was just putting in time.

Noah followed him halfway across the dining area before Clyde noticed he had company.

“Whoa, who are
you?
” he said, looking over his shoulder when he heard Noah behind him.

“Noah Rackham.”

Addy’s ex halted in his tracks and they sized each other up. Clyde wasn’t quite as tall as Noah, but Noah could see that he was handsome.

“What are
you
doing here?” he asked. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“How do you even know who I am?” Noah replied.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m
not
kidding. You told Addy I’d tried to call you, but I have no idea how you realized I was from Whiskey Creek. To my knowledge, we’ve never met.”

Glancing toward the kitchen as if it offered refuge, he sighed. They could hear voices calling out about getting this item or that item ready. The restaurant was open but there were, as yet, no customers. “I’d heard your name before, okay?”

“From where?” Noah asked.

When someone rushed out of the kitchen and nearly collided with them, Clyde pulled him off to one side. “From Addy, of course.”