Justice for All (12 page)

“Come on in, Kay. It’s unlocked,” Van called out when he heard the doorbell. He was just in the process of cutting up some carrots for the salad. He heard her step inside and glanced over his shoulder quickly to smile at her. “Chiller’s right there on the counter. Tonight’s dinner is presented to you by Ginny Sue Van Buren. Her favorite baked garlic and parmesan chicken.”

“Van…”

The cracking of her voice drew his immediate attention. He set the knife down and turned around quickly. She was standing in his foyer, her face ashen. When he looked down he saw that her stockings were wet and she looked to be bleeding.

“Jesus, what the hell happened?” he demanded, rounding the bar and coming to her side immediately. He knelt to examine her ankle and saw several small nicks that weren’t serious.

“I dropped the wine,” she murmured, and when his eyes met hers, tears welled in them.

He stood and drew her close. She was trembling and all he could think to do was to rub arms. “I have some red. It’s okay. What’s really going on?”

She handed him her phone, and when his fingers touched hers, he found they were freezing cold. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living area, forcing her onto the couch and then covering her with a blanket.

“How did he find me? I would know if someone was watching me, right? I don’t know what I’m so scared of, but it’s just creepy.”

As she mumbled, he turned on the phone and glanced at the messages from Thomas. Fury bubbled up from his gut, and he had the urge to throw the damned phone across the room. Instead he reached over to his coffee table and grabbed his cordless.

“Yeah, this is Audrick Van Buren. Give me Detective Jamieson.”

Kay gasped, grabbing his arm with her ice cold fingers. “The police? You’re calling the police?”

“This isn’t funny, Kay,” he held the phone out to her, “This is more than just some punk guy being stupid. This is stalking.”

“No, he…” She shook her head, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as if she could deny the truth she clearly saw before her. Finally she drew back and clasped the edges of the blanket, pulling it around her so that she was ensconced.

“Jamieson, I need someone, your best someone, at my house now. It’s a stalking charge. No, not me. My girlfriend.” Van cut his eyes at Kay to see what she might think of that moniker, but she just stared at him unflinching. “Okay, thanks.” He hung up the phone and looked to Kay. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“He came at me out of nowhere…”

Van stopped her with his fingers on her lips. “Just wait. I want you to explain to all of us at the same time instead of having to repeat it. Okay?”

She nodded, and he kissed her gently on the lips before standing. Then he went to the front door and check the bolts, glancing out the side window to be sure no one was outside. After that, he turned to the kitchen, switched the oven temperature to warm and placed the salad back in the refrigerator.

“Do you want anything to drink? Water?”

Kay shook her head, saying nothing. He really wanted to pop open one of the beers in the refrigerator door, but instead he closed it and made his way to his bedroom. He found his handgun safe in drawer beside his bed. Unlocking it, he checked the clip and then placed the gun back into the box and carried it into the living area.

His hackles were up. Kay was upset, but probably not nearly as afraid as he was. There had always been something about Thomas that rubbed him wrong. An instinct that the guy had some serious issues. He should have told Kay how he really felt instead of being so subtle about it.

The doorbell rang, and they both looked at the door simultaneously. Van rushed over to open it.

“Hey, man,” Rick Jamieson said, putting out his hand to shake it.

“I thought you were going to send one of your guys?”

Rick leaned close. “And miss the chance to check out your girlfriend? Hell no.”

Van rolled his eyes and smiled in spite of the situation. He hadn’t had a steady woman in his life for a while. It was a running joke with some of his friends, and he hadn’t said a word about Kay to them, so it wasn’t any wonder Rick was curious. Motioning with his hand, he directed the cop into the room.

While he and Kay made their introductions, Van moved into the background so as not to distract her.

“I knew he liked me. He made some serious passes at me in the beginning, but I told him I wasn’t interested, and he backed off. He flirts with me, but he flirts with all the women. I guess I knew he still thought of me differently but I blew it off.”

Rick was taking notes on a little note pad, all business now. “So did things escalate when he found out you were dating Van?”

Kay’s head swung around, and she glanced over at him, eyes wide. “He doesn’t know that. Well, I guess he does, but I didn’t tell him. I didn’t even tell him we kissed, Van. We spent a lot of time together after Christmas, after the thing happened with Mrs. Faucett, but I never said anything about us.”

“What thing? With Mrs. Faucett?”

Van came back into the living area, sitting down in a chair across from them. “Office issue. Kay and I weren’t really together at that time.” He flicked his gaze to her. “Tell him about the office party.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deep, then explained about Thomas crashing the firm Christmas party. He knew this must be hard for her. She’d been nursing along this friendship with the guy for a long time, and in her heart she didn’t want to think badly of him. Also, he knew more now about how tender Kay was about protecting people. He suspected a lot of her friendship with Thomas was based on sympathy.

“So you spent the night here? He didn’t ask where you were that night?”

She shook her head, letting go of the blanket at her shoulders and instead tucking it around her legs. “I didn’t tell him.”

“Anything else?”

“I was going to tell you,” Kay said to Van. “Tonight I was going to tell you about what happened New Year’s Eve. Tamara, from work, came with me to this big party he has every year. I thought maybe they would hit it off and that would take some pressure off me. But when it struck midnight Thomas snuck up on me and cornered me. He … he kissed me and he wouldn’t let me go. I had to fight to get away and he was really pissed off about it.”

Van gritted his teeth, willing his anger in check. He wasn’t normally a jealous man, but the idea of that man putting his hands on Kay made him want to ram his fist into something. She was looking at him, apology clearly in her gaze, and he smiled a little and nodded his head. “It’s okay, darlin’.”

She licked her lips and focused on Rick again. “I’ve been staying with Tamara since then. I thought I’d let him cool off, and then when Van got back, I could talk to him about what to do. I’ve already started looking for other apartments.”

Rick chewed his lip and considered his notes. “All right. Are you fairly certain it was him who drove past with his brights on?”

“No, I’m not. All I could see were the lights. I might just be paranoid.”

“Those texts are not paranoia,” Van interjected, his tone firmer than he intended.

Rick stood. “No, they’re not. We’ll go talk to him, try to scare him off. Might not work since he’s as rich as Croesus and will think money can buy him out of any legal problem. I can post an officer here at the house tonight, but we don’t have the budget to make it a long-term thing.”

“Maybe you should go see your family again. Get away until they get this straightened out with him.”

Van watched her consider that, and he could see there was something else she needed to tell him but for whatever reason wasn’t ready at that moment. “No, I can’t go home. My family doesn’t need this right now.”

“Alrighty.” Rick started for the door. “You two just discuss your options and let me know. I see the black and white pulling up now so I’ll be leaving. Van, come on out, and I’ll introduce you and then you guys can get on with your evening a little safer.”

When he came back into the house, he found Kay in the kitchen, putting together plates of chicken and salad. She smiled when he approached, but it was forced, the light in her eyes dampened. “There’s certainly plenty here.”

“Well, when I told Mom I was bringing it home for you, she went all out.”

Kay laughed and sat down at the bar, holding up the bottle of beer she was drinking. “Probably isn’t quite the same as what you imagined, but I just didn’t feel like wine now.”

“I never complain about beer.” He retrieved one for himself and took the stool next to her. “Hey…”

Her knife and fork make a little clattering sound when she put them back on her plate and focused her eyes on him.

“It’ll be okay.”

“You know, until this it was actually a really good day. The telephone conference with Mrs. Faucett and seeing you. Oh…”

“Oh?”

She rested a hand on his knee and used it for leverage as she leaned in to kiss him. Her lips were soft, tentative, and the movements she made against his mouth were sensually intoxicating.

“I intended to kiss you as soon as I walked in the door tonight. The best laid plans.”

“I think so far our plans have turned out pretty well when we didn’t follow them,” he replied, pecking her lips one last time and then letting her slip back into her seat. “What’s going on with your family? Why are you afraid to tell them about this?”

She chewed her food and her words. “I’m not afraid to tell them. But they’ve got their own issues and focusing attention on them could hurt them.”

That answer was so vague she might have just said no. He grunted and then took a long pull on his beer.

“I’m not trying to be difficult, Van. And I can’t tell you because it could get you into trouble too if you knew.” She laughed. “Or I could just hire you to represent them and then you’d have attorney client privilege to protect you.”

He breathed a sigh, accepting her answer.

“Geez, Van, this chicken is so good. Tell your mom that I would love to have the recipe, but I don’t cook.” She giggled, and he could tell she was probably a bit punch-drunk with anxiety.

“Would you like to meet her?” he asked, taking a big bite while he waited for her answer.

Kay drew back and watched him a moment. “You want me to meet your mom?”

“I do want you to meet my mom. We can leave in the morning.”

When she started choking, he slapped her on the back until she could breathe correctly again. She swallowed down some beer, then narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s a little sudden, don’t you think?”

“He followed you here, Kay. He knows where you live. You won’t go to your family. I don’t want anything to happen to you. At least there won’t be any direct connection to you there.”

She didn’t answer right away, pushing her food around on her plate. His heart was thudding in his chest, and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. He’d known this woman for a few years, as a student and now as an employee. He’d dreamed of being intimate with her and finally having her in his bed had been everything he could have imagined. The “L” word seemed out of the question considering the infancy of their new relationship. But the very thought of something happening to her made his chest burn and his hands go clammy.

His cell phone rang, and he slipped it out of his pocket while Kay took a bite and avoided looking at him. “Yeah.”

“Hey, it’s Rick. I’m at her apartment complex. Jesus, man. This guy’s crazy. He’s totally ransacked it, painted profanities on the walls. Took all of her lingerie and cut it up, put it in a big pile and then pissed on it.”

“Do you have him?”

“Hell no, man. He’s nowhere to be found at the moment.”

“It’s beautiful here,” Kay said, leaning forward, elbows against knees to look at the scenery as Van took his truck off the highway and onto a farm-to-market road. The trees overhung the street. The sun bled a golden glow over everything and made the place seem untouched and magical.

“I enjoy my work, and Dallas is the best place to build the career I always wanted, but coming back here to touch base with my roots is important. I’ll come back here for good eventually. I own about five acres adjacent to my parents’ property, and one day I’ll build a house there.”

They crossed a bridge over the Neches River and a sign announced they were entering Smith County. “You said your mom’s house is pretty big. Won’t you inherit that one day?”

“Yes, but in my mind mom’s going to live forever so I don’t really think about that.”

Kay smiled and glanced over at him, reaching a hand out and rubbing it along his arm. Van took her fingers in his and brought them to his lips. He pulled off the road and onto a long gravel drive. The house ahead looked massive. Certainly nothing compared to Arrington Manor, but huge by most standards.

Cone-heavy pines and barren oak trees dotted the expanse of grounds surrounding the home. There was a garage just a few yards from the house and a large storage building off a ways behind that. No sooner had Van gotten out of the truck then a caramel and white beagle bounded across the yard and nearly knocked him to the ground.

“Hey, Ralphie. I’m glad to see you too, boy.”

The dog cried and whined his enthusiasm. When Kay hopped down to the ground and shut her door, he finally took notice of her. His tail began to wag so hard that his entire backside moved with the force. He started to run to her, but slowed down when Van issued a warning for him to be nice.

“Hey there,” she murmured, putting out her hand for him to sniff her. After a time, she leaned over, rubbing his ears and down his back to the spot right around his tail. Ralph began to twitch and groan, then stuck his head up to her and licked her cheek.

“You’ve made a friend for life with that one.” A woman spoke, and when Kay looked up, she saw a slender woman in her mid-to-late sixties standing on the porch. She was wearing sweatshirt that said, “In Tyler We Stop and Smell the Roses.”

“Hi.” Kay extended her hand and approached. “I’m Kay Rawley.”

“Yes, you are.” The woman grinned, then stepped one foot down so that she could take Kay by the elbow. “Now let’s get you inside. Cold front is making its way through, and that wind’s a biting one. Don’t you have a coat?” Ginny Sue eyed her son. “As long as he isn’t toxic, Ralph can come in, too.”

A giggle she couldn’t suppress popped out of Kay’s mouth when she saw Van roll his eyes at his mother before leaning down to give the beagle a sniff. He’d told her the story of giving his dog a bath over Christmas because his mother wouldn’t allow him indoors.

They all stepped inside, and she was immediately assaulted by the scent of cookies. “Mmmm … are you and the hens baking?”

Ginny Sue glared at Van a moment, and then her face broke into a huge smile. “You really do like this girl. You’ve told her about us.”

Remarkably quiet for the moment, Van gave Kay a wink and then stepped into a room just off the foyer with their bags.

His mother began to guide her in the direction of the heavenly scent of cinnamon and sugar. “Now, dear, will your parents mind at all if you and Van sleep in the same room? I understand people your age do things differently than we did in my time, but I don’t want anything inappropriate going on.”

Careful not to laugh, Kay nodded very seriously at her. “No, ma’am, I think under the circumstances my father won’t mind at all. My mother passed away almost two years ago.” She almost said that her mother would have been the one to object to any such sleeping arrangements, but she was afraid that even the mere suggestion would have Ginny Sue setting up a separate room for her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. How did it happen?”

“Cancer.”

Ginny Sue nodded sympathetically, wringing her hands with her head bowed as if saying a prayer. “The ugly ‘C’ word. Would you like to help me with the cookies?”

“Ohhhhh.” Kay drew the words out almost in a whine. “I’m absolutely no good in the kitchen, Mrs. Van Buren.”

“Now, young lady, if you don’t agree to call me Ginny Sue we might have real problems here.”

“Ginny Sue, I’d be afraid I’d really mess things up here if I get involved. Aren’t Van’s aunts around?”

“First, you can’t mess things up. I’m an excellent teacher, and I’ll show you everything you need to know. Second, the baking is done. We’re going to decorate and box, and just about anyone can handle that. And third, the hens only invade my kitchen for holidays and special events.” She leaned in close as if it were a secret. “They don’t actually live here, dear. I know the house is big enough for them, but everyone needs their own space, right?”

“Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I grew up on a huge estate, and I was pretty possessive of my private space.”

Ginny Sue was in the process of laying out boxes on the island in her kitchen when she stopped and clapped her hands, then covered her mouth with them. “Van told me that you’re royalty!”

Kay rolled her eyes. “Well, Van is given to exaggeration. I’m not royalty.”

“Don’t ruin this for me, dear. We don’t get much royalty here in East Texas.”

“Well, what’s going on in here, ladies?” Van grinned, entering the room and looking over several pans of sugar cookies.

“Touch those and you’ll lose a hand, son. Now either leave the room or sit back at the counter and watch. You know the rules.”

The woman handed Kay a container of sprinkles and then picked up a pastry bag. Quicker than she could even register, Ginny Sue began putting little snowflakes on the cookies with blue icing, “Just sprinkle that on them as we go along, dear.”

Kay nodded her head and did as she was told. “What are they all for? Are you having a party?”

“Didn’t my son tell you? I have a business. Aunt Ginny’s Delights. I’m working towards retiring. Gets in the way of the Red Hats. But I still have some regular clients. These are for the newcomers group in Tyler.”

“Red Hats?”

“Oh, missed one, dear.” She pointed to one of the iced cookies, and Kay quickly backtracked and sprinkled the top of it. “Yes, would you like to see my collection of hats? I have some really lovely ones. Speaking of, I really need to go into town to get a new purple shirt for my luncheon tomorrow. Van, do you think we could run to the mall? And Kay could get herself a suitable coat for this cold snap.”

She looked up at Van, standing at the bar with his arms spread wide and his palms on the counter. His eyes sparkled with mirth and tender affection for his mother. Kay’s chest constricted and for a moment she forgot to breathe. Her relationship with this man was growing from moment to moment.

“Of course, Mom. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go.” He cut his gaze to Kay. “Okay with you?”

“Sure. I could definitely get a few things. Living out of that duffel bag hasn’t been ideal.”

“Oh!” Ginny huffed. “It’s just horrific what that man is putting you through. Absolutely terrible. I hope they catch him and Van nails his ass to the wall!”

Kay burst out laughing before she could help herself. The forceful exclamation from this sweet woman’s lips seemed so foreign that for a moment she thought someone else must have entered the room.

“Mom, I’m not a prosecutor. He’ll meet justice, but it won’t be at my hands.”

The woman lifted her almost empty pastry bag and wagged it at Van. “Arguing with your mother in front of company isn’t proper, son. Honestly, I thought I raised you better than this.”