Suspicion of Guilt Page 5

  “Aren’t you?”

  “We work and contribute to the household.”

  “Really?”

  Denni cringed at what she sensed was about to come.

  “And where do you work?” Elizabeth asked, her lips twisting into what Denni could have sworn was a smug smile, as though she knew the answer to the question before she ever asked. Pity welled up in Denni’s heart as Fran sputtered. “Well, I…I’m trying to find a job.”

  “I see…”

  “I don’t think you do see, Miss Wilson.” Leigh leaned forward in her chair and fixed the pinched old maid with an intimidating glare. “Fran is right. We all work to pay our way here. Fran is pounding the pavement every day trying to find a job. We’re a family and we’ll stay together even if it means you and your kind can’t find it in your hearts to see the merits of this sort of program.”

  Pounding the pavement was a bit of a stretch, but maternal pride at Leigh’s loyalty to her “sister” nearly caused tears to rise to the surface. Denni held them in check.

  “Are there any other questions before we begin the tour?” Denni asked, deliberately focusing her attention away from Elizabeth. She breathed a heavy sigh when the woman fixed her gaze on Cate. The sweet girl grew red and placed a protective hand over her growing belly.

  “What would be the screening process to determine who is allowed to live in the centers?”

  “First of all. These are homes, not centers,” Denni replied. “Second of all, the only criteria I find necessary other than the obvious one of being out of the foster-care system and in need of mentoring, is that the girls be willing either to work full-time or go to school.”

  “Surely you aren’t suggesting college?”

  Leigh was bristling again, and Denni spoke up swiftly. “As a matter of fact, all five of my girls are in school and doing a great job.”

  Elizabeth’s brow rose and her gaze darted once more to Cate’s stomach.

  “Cate takes classes over the Internet,” Denni said, smiling broadly at the girl. “Next year she’ll register for classes at the university.”

  “And how will she pay for these classes? Will part of the funding you’re requesting go toward that?”

  “No.” As far as Denni was concerned, this was the first reasonable question Elizabeth had asked so far. “Our Cate received a scholarship that will cover all expenses, including books. And for the others, there are also scholarships or government grants, and if necessary, student loans. These girls want it badly enough that nothing will stop them from getting an education.”

  Elizabeth nodded, but her gaze hadn’t left Cate. “I assume the child will be placed with a family?”

  Cate frowned and shook her head. “I’m keeping my baby.”

  “Do you think that’s wise? How will you take care of a baby when you need someone else to take care of you?”

  It was a deliberate jab, and Denni felt like decking the nasty woman. How could anyone call themselves a Christian and be so mean?

  Mr. Terrie cleared his throat. “We are not here to judge the girls, Miss Wilson. I’m sure you’ll agree that society does enough of that.”

  Denni could have hugged him on the spot.

  Mr. Clark, who had stuffed himself with three chicken wraps and avoided the entire unpleasant scene, now came up for air. “These are wonderful.”

  “Thank you.” Denni couldn’t resist a grin and a nudge on Reece’s arm. “But you should be complimenting our cook. The detective, here, saved the day when the caterer failed to show up.”

  “Fabulous.” The pudgy liaison kissed the tips of his fingers Italian-style.

  “Thanks,” Reece said. “It was my honor to rescue a damsel in distress.

  Leigh snorted and muttered under her breath. Reece’s brows narrowed in obvious anticipation as he waited for her to take the offensive in a verbal battle. Denni breathed a silent prayer that Leigh would just for once keep it together where Reece was concerned.

  The girl cleared her throat and plucked at her napkin, clearly willing to save her barb for another day.

  “I can’t imagine the caterer not showing up. Didn’t you cancel?”

  Surprise lifted Denni’s brows at Elizabeth’s question. “No, we didn’t. But coincidentally, that’s exactly what the caterer claims happened.”

  “How did you know about it?” Reece asked sharply.

  For the first time, Elizabeth’s composure faltered. “I just…Linda is my sister.”

  Reece scowled. “Linda?”

  “The caterer,” Denni murmured. “I see. You thought the luncheon had been cancelled, according to your sister, but you showed up anyway?”

  “I—” She shrugged. “I suppose so.”

  Reece opened his mouth to speak again, but Denni sent a hard kick in his direction, hoping to make contact beneath the table. A pained expression covered his face, and he snapped his mouth shut as he clearly got the message.

  Now was not the time for Reece to give in to his cop nature and start interrogating her guests. The guy had all the instincts of a guppy. How he’d ever made it on the police force this long was a mystery to her.

  Elizabeth…

  Of course. The woman had once been turned down as a potential foster parent because of a felony drug conviction. Denni had been the one to break the news. And Elizabeth had been furious, had insisted the arrest had been a mistake. But that was five years ago. They’d seen each other at church since then, and Elizabeth had always been cordial. Surely she couldn’t be holding a grudge…

  Oh, criminy. I’m getting as suspicious as Reece.

  She glanced up to find Elizabeth looking at her, resentment marring her features. “I believe we’re ready for the tour now, Miss Mahoney. If we dare tour an all-female house.” Mr. Terrie’s teasing grin and fatherly tone effectively smoothed out the rough tension that seemed to have everyone on edge.

  He placed an arm about Cate’s shoulders. Fear sprang to the girl’s eyes, and Denni held her breath.

  “When is the blessed event to take place, young lady?” he asked.

  A tentative smile touched Cate’s lips as he dropped his arm as though nothing were amiss, but Denni knew he had to sense Cate’s resistance. “In about a month.”

  “Parenting is the most precious gift God granted to his human creation,” he said. “He’ll guide you as you raise this child up to love Him.”

  Elizabeth clamped her lips together and brushed past the rest of the group.

  Tears welled in Cate’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Denni sent a silent praise heavenward. Sweet, sweet Cate. You see? Not all men are out to hurt you. A lump formed in her throat as she followed the group, while the girls led the way through the dining room into the kitchen where they had agreed they would begin the tour.

  A warm hand wrapped hers and she looked up, immediately captured by Reece’s gentle gaze. He leaned in close to her ear. “You handled the luncheon superbly. The men were eating out of your hand. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Joy rose inside her, but crashed before reaching her lips as Mr. Jordan’s voice carried through the kitchen from the deck just outside. “There may be a bit of a problem, Miss Mahoney.”

  Denni closed the door behind the last guest. She plopped onto the large rust-colored sofa with a defeated groan. “There’s no way I can get all those things fixed within a month.”

  Reece’s heart went out to her. After facing down Elizabeth and pretty much overpowering her objections, to have structural and repair problems crop up and threaten to keep the sponsors from committing just seemed cruel.

  “You’re in luck.”

  Leigh turned to him, not bothering to mask her contempt. “Are you hallucinating again, Corrigan? How can you get luck out of rotten boards and bad plumbing?”

  Reece returned Leigh’s glare. Apparently the brief truce was over. But that was okay. Let the little twerp insult him. One look at the pained expression on Denni’s face and his mind
was made up. No more arguing with the girls. He was taking the high road on this one.

  “It just so happens that I work with a group of amateur carpenters and plumbers.” Most of the guys on his shift were married with families and tinkered around their houses on their days off. They’d love the chance to try out their tool belts. The ones their wives tried to hide just before calling professionals to take care of household repairs.

  “How about it?”

  Denni’s brow furrowed and the right side of her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. “I don’t know…”

  Reece drew a sharp breath at the longing filling him. When had he become so chivalrous? As a cop, he was sworn to serve and protect, but he’d never had the impulse to protect and serve one single woman before.

  “What you’re trying to do here is important, Denni. If you succeed with only one out of these five girls, it will make our job easier. Make society better by one person becoming educated and stopping the cycle. So consider it our contribution.”

  Leigh snorted and, this time, didn’t hold back her retort as she had during lunch. “If you want to make a contribution, how about giving us the cash to get someone out here who knows what he’s doing?”

  “Leigh!” Denni’s face glowed with embarrassment, as though Leigh’s rudeness was somehow her fault.

  “It’s all right. Leigh’s got a point. I could pay for part of the repairs, or I could spend that money on supplies and get all the repairs finished.” He gave Leigh a look that caused her nose ring to move with her flared nostrils. “What do you think would be the smartest course of action?”

  She shrugged. “Twist it all you want, Corrigan. But we both know you’re not doing this for the betterment of society or to help the needy. You’re just trying to find evidence to pin on one of us.”

  “You scared?” Reece shot back, rattled by her astute accusation and forgetting his resolve to take the “high road.”

  A sneer marred her face. “Of you? Not in a million years.” She glanced at Denni. “I have to get ready for work.” Without another word, she stormed out of the room.

  “Well, I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Fran offered.

  Reece figured her opinion was more a desire to take the opposite position from Leigh. Still, he pounced on the fragile support. “You see? That’s one of your girls with a little common sense. What about the rest of you?”

  “I think it’s a good idea, too,” Cate said timidly. “We really can’t afford it otherwise, even if everyone pitches in extra. And it’s not like any of us are really around much anyway, so he can’t bug us that much. So I vote yes.”

  Reece smirked “All right. That’s two votes yes, one vote no.”

  “I’m with Leigh.” Shelley walked to the couch and sat next to Denni. “Don’t let him fool you, Denni. He’s playing you just to get information. First he fixes lunch, now he wants to fix the house? Why this sudden interest? Huh? Leigh’s right. He’s just trying to get something on us.”

  “So…that’s two and two,” Reece said, deliberately choosing not to respond to Shelley’s accusation, which was only partly true.

  Holding his breath, he looked at Rissa, the tiebreaker. “Well,” the chubby faux-Southern belle said, a twinkle lighting her eyes, “I think it’s a marvelous idea.”

  “Well, we’ve never voted on anything before.” Shelley’s biting tone shot down Reece’s optimism. “It’s Denni’s decision, anyway, not ours.”

  Denni looked at the girls. “No. Shelley, you’re wrong. This is a decision we all have to make. This is a good thing. I’m adding my vote to Fran, Cate and Rissa. I can’t think of a solid reason to refuse Reece’s offer.”

  “How about the fact that he thinks one of us ripped you off and flooded the basement?”

  Denni took Shelley’s hand, but her eyes were fixed on Reece and he got the message loud and clear, even before she spoke.

  “No one here has anything to hide, so if Detective Corrigan is just trying to weasel his way into our lives in order to find something to incriminate one of you, he’s going to be working hard to repair the deck and the plumbing for no reason.”

  Rissa let out a giggle. “And it would serve you right.”

  Reece couldn’t resist a grin. He had to admit, the drawl was growing on him more each time Rissa turned her friendly smile in his direction.

  “So, it’s settled then?”

  “Whatever.” Shelley pushed up from the couch and followed Leigh’s example, stomping from the room.

  “We accept your offer,” Denni said. “Thank you. But we can pay for supplies. You and your friends providing the manpower is more than generous.”

  Reece wasn’t going to argue with her about it. But he had no intention of ever letting her see a bill for materials.

  Only one question remained. How was he going to break the news to the guys?

  Chapter Six

  “Remind me why I’m up at seven in the morning on my first day off in two weeks.” Joe’s gravelly voice spoke of a guy who had just not-so-willingly crawled out of bed. He slammed the door of Reece’s truck and belted himself in.

  Reece tossed him a thermos of coffee, shifted into Drive and navigated the Avalanche away from the curb, heading toward Denni’s street. “Because I’ve saved your carcass at least a hundred times. Besides I introduced you to Kelsey. You owe me.”

  Joe’s sigh wasn’t lost on Reece. “Kelsey’s still sleeping.”

  Reece could pretty well figure why Joe didn’t want to leave the warmth of his bed. At least the guy had a cute little pregnant wife to come home to at the end of the day.

  “Can you two keep it down?” Sean, a rookie cop of six months, complained from the back seat. He’d been the only other sucker Reece could find to help out for the day. And if he’d had another few months of experience, Reece doubted he’d have been game. But lucky for Reece, the kid was still in that eager-to-please phase of his career.

  Joe filled a disposable cup with the coffee and tossed the thermos back to Sean. “Here, this garbage Reece calls coffee is thick enough to wake you up and put hair on your chest.”

  Sean mumbled his thanks and turned back to Reece. “So what is it with this woman that you’re giving up all your free time—and ours—to help her out? Is cracking this case really that important to you? Or is it the girl?”

  Reece could feel his partner’s eyes upon him, those scrutinizing baby blues that had forced a testimony from more than one reluctant witness in his seven years in the Rolla PD.

  “Hey, maybe I’m just a nice guy.”

  Joe chortled. “Since when?”

  A black figure darted out in front of the truck, breaking off all conversation.

  Reece jumped on the brake and the Avalanche came to a screeching halt.

  “What the…” Joe sputtered as hot coffee spilled down his front.

  “Buffy!”

  Reece recognized the name of the Doberman and slammed the gear shift into Park right in the middle of the street. He got out and strode toward the old lady. The woman trembled, her face red and her lips pushed out in indignation. “You almost killed my dog! Are you all right, my little sweet ’ums?” The dog had initially cowered in front of the truck as though realizing its mortality. But now, secure in the presence of her mistress, Buffy bared her teeth and growled as Reece and the other two guys approached.

  “Why is Buffy running around without a leash?” He fixed the woman with a stern, albeit respectful tone.

  “I was just coming to get her with this.” The old lady shook a pink leash at him.

  “I thought I told you last time we met that she has to be restrained at all times.”

  The woman gaped. “Even when she’s just going out to do her business?”

  “Yes, ma’am. At all times.”

  “I put her out the back door and she keeps getting over her fence. I don’t see what I’m supposed to do about that.”

  “That’s for you to figure out, ma’am. It’s against t
he law and punishable by a fine for Buffy to roam free.”

  She pulled herself to her full height, which couldn’t have been more than four-nine. “I don’t believe you’re really a police officer. I’ve never seen you in a police car or uniform. What are you trying to pull?”

  Reece rolled his eyes and showed her his badge…for the second time.

  She sniffed. “Anyone can get one of those fake things. I saw it on America’s Most Wanted.”

  Sean’s low whistle prevented a reply as Leigh Sommers jogged toward them.

  “Hey, Corrigan. Harassing the local elderly, now? Watch it, Mrs. James. The detective’s a real crackerjack. Better not be hiding anything.”

  “You just watch yourself, missy, and don’t worry about me,” the woman shot back. “I can take care of myself.”

  As she passed, Leigh gave the old lady a salute. “You got it. See you in a few, Corrigan. If you can find your way out of the middle of the street.”

  Reece scowled after her, then wheeled back around at the sound of Mrs. James’s outraged voice.

  “I’m calling the police and checking on your credentials. For all I know you’re a drug dealer. Or a pimp!”

  Joe and Sean let out simultaneous hoots of laughter.

  “That’s enough, guys,” Reece muttered, before turning his attention back to the elderly woman. “Mrs. James, was it?”

  “I’m not telling you a thing until I verify your identity.”

  With a sigh, he pulled a notepad from his pocket and jotted down his name and badge number. “Here, this should make it easier for you.”

  She harrumphed and tugged on the Doberman’s leash. “Come along, Buffy.”

  The dog gave one more warning growl and followed her mistress.

  A horn blared and Reece turned to find a line of four cars behind his truck. With a groan, he called out to the guys, “Go on up to the house.” He pointed to Mahoney House. “I’ll be there in a sec.”

  A minute later, he turned into the driveway and parked. He sat alone in the truck, staring at his partners seated on the step. This day wasn’t starting off very well. Maybe he should just cut his losses and leave Denni Mahoney to her own devices. So he failed to crack one case in dozens. What would that matter in the grand scheme of things?