Legacy of Lies

“I’d better take the trash out,” she said as she ran wash water in the sink. No dishwasher in Jan Keller’s house, of course. She held her breath for her grandmother’s response.

“Already done, dear,” the woman answered, face serene.

Nicole ducked her head and squirted dishwashing liquid into the warm water. She hadn’t realized her grandmother was such a stellar actress. What did that say about her claims to know nothing about the bones in the garden?

Outside, the rumble of a truck announced that the garbage truck had reached their alley. Sounds of garbage collection continued as Nicole washed the dishes and her grandmother dried.

“Slow down, dear,” Grandma said. “I know you want to get over to the shop, but it’s early yet.”

Truck noises retreated down the alleyway. Nicole’s grandmother hung her dish towel on a bar over the sink and squirted lotion onto her hands from the bottle on the counter. A wide smile stretched her lips. “I think I’ll go back to bed for a while and join you at the shop later.” The woman stretched and left the room with a sprightly tread.

Nicole gazed after her, frowning. Grandma was way too happy about something. Did she think the garbage bag had been taken by the city truck? If so, where was the bag when Nicole looked for it last night? Had someone removed it from the trash bin after Grandma Jan put it in there and before Nicole went outside? A tiny shiver shook her.

Whoever had disposed of that infant’s remains could still be in the community. Were they watching the house? That person might do anything to keep from being exposed.

A few ticks before 8:00 a.m., Rich pulled his SUV into the alley outside the Keller home with Derek Hanson—a young, rookie cop, but a sharp one—in the passenger seat. Behind him, Terry’s black-and-white cruised to a halt. The little Ford on the parking pad by the garage was just backing up. The car halted, and Nicole got out, staring at the police vehicles.

Rich stepped toward her and pulled a pair of documents from the pocket of his uniform shirt. “We’ve got warrants to search the Keller home and the shop.”

A tentative smile morphed into a scowl. Nicole waved toward the house. “Grandma’s barely stirring, and I was just headed for the shop. What in the world do you expect to find?” Dressed in tan slacks and a print blouse, she came around her car and stopped in front of Rich. Her lips were pressed into a tight line as if restraining herself from saying more.

He gazed into her shuttered face. “The remains were found on Keller property. The judge agreed it would be due diligence to conduct a thorough search of the premises.”

“But why the shop, too?” She put her hands on her slender waist.

The other officers flanked him. Terry stuck his thumbs in his belt and rocked back on the heels of his cowboy boots. “Mornin’, Nicole. We got a job to do. I’m glad we caught you home.”

The inflection on I’m suggested a personal interest without strictly flirting. Rich shot the man a sharp look. Then he turned toward Nicole.

“The fabric from Jan’s store plays into the case. I know it’s a long shot, but that baby deserves every chance for justice.”

Her gaze softened. “I agree. My heart bleeds for that child…for the parents. We need to find out who did this, but I don’t want—” She halted and licked her lips, a wordless dread flickering in her deep brown eyes.

Rich’s gut clenched. She had to have picked up on the fact that her grandmother was hiding something. That put her in a bad predicament—torn between compassion for the dead infant and fear for the fate of her living grandmother.

The deputies moved off toward the back door. Nicole’s expression firmed. Scowling, she darted in front of them.

“Hold it!” She put up a forestalling hand. “I won’t have you barging in on Grandma Jan. I’ll go get her.”

“We’ll accompany you,” Rich said evenly. “But, yes, you can let her know we’re here.”

“You might have told me last night that you were planning this,” she shot back.

Terry sent him a startled look that Rich chose to ignore.

Nicole marched up the sidewalk ahead of them. Striding beside him, Terry’s gaze was glued to her swaying hips. Rich jostled his shoulder, and the man answered with a slick grin. Rich frowned him down. What the guy did off duty was one thing, but they were on the clock. Never mind that he didn’t like anyone eyeing a class act like Nicole with such sleazy eyes.

They went into the Keller house. The kitchen was neat and clean, and smelled like bacon. Rich’s stomach muttered a complaint. He hadn’t felt like eating much breakfast this morning. He’d known this search was going to give him a major black eye with Nicole.

“Grandma,” she called as they neared a doorway. “We have visitors.” The way she spat the last word, she might as well have said intruders.

“Oh, really? Who, dear?” The older woman stepped out of her room, dressed in casual pants and a button-up shirt, and pulling a brush through her thinning white hair. Her eyes grew big, and then she smiled. “I suppose you’re here to search. We’ll get out of your way.”

Rich narrowed his eyes. Janet Keller was as chipper today as she’d been obstructive yesterday. Had he already missed the boat on discovering evidence? If so, then Jan not only knew something about the dead child, she had deliberately destroyed evidence. Rich’s jaw clenched. He hadn’t been able to get in touch with Judge Christy for the warrant before this morning. Yes, he might have tried Judge Becker last night, but he’d just as soon leave Simon Elling’s crony as far out of this case as he could.

Nicole and her grandmother went outside, and he and his deputies got to work. A couple of fruitless hours later, he stepped out to find the women seated at the small porch table sharing coffee and donuts from a convenience store down the street.

Nicole avoided his gaze, but Jan beamed at him. “What did you find?” She nodded toward the yellowed newspaper clippings he held in his hand.

“Nothing I plan to take along. I’ve got copies of these and more in my file back at the office. I thought Nicole might find them of interest.”

Nicole accepted the sheaf of clippings. “What are they?”

“You can draw your own conclusions. We found them in a trunk in the attic.”

Unfortunately, there was nothing incriminating about an older resident of the area hanging on to news clippings about the kidnapping. It was the most sensational event to happen in the area since the railroad came through. Reading those ought to enlighten Nicole.

Terry and Derek clomped down the porch steps. Terry threw one of his lady-killer smiles toward Nicole. If she saw the look, she didn’t respond. Good for her.

“We’re heading for the shop now,” Rich said.

“Wait!” Nicole lunged from her seat. “I’ll go with you to unlock the door.”

“I was going to ask for a key, not use a crowbar.”

She sniffed and turned toward her grandmother. “Just hang tight until I get back. We’ll straighten the mess together.”

“Mess?” Jan blinked.

“Cleaning up after themselves is not in search protocol.”

The woman responded with a faint “oh,” and Nicole headed for her car.

Rich followed her down the steps and caught up with his deputies.

“Feisty, ain’t she,” Terry said out of the corner of his mouth. “That’s the best kind.”

“Don’t push my buttons today, Bender.”

“Okay, Chief. But I was just sayin’…” With an elaborate shrug, he got into his car.

Rich followed Nicole’s little Ford into the alley behind the shop that was located on the corner of Ellington’s brief main street. He stopped his vehicle beside hers. Without a word, she unlocked the back door and stepped aside while he and his deputies went in. She’d admitted him into a combination storeroom and workroom. A sewing machine, a dressmaker’s dummy, and a table laden with bolts of fabric, scissors, measuring tape and other utensils sat on one side of the area. The other end of the long room was occupied by stacks of boxes.

Nicole poked her head inside. “I guarantee you won’t find anything. I’ve been cleaning and sorting and throwing since I got here—practically over my grandmother’s dead body.” She stopped on a little gasp. “Poor choice of words.” She paused. “Anyway, the boxes contain old financial records. I doubt my grandmother ever threw away a slip of paper. If those trip your trigger, go for it.” She closed the door just shy of a slam.

Chest tightening, Rich turned toward the stacked banker’s boxes. If the ransom from the kidnapping was laundered through the shop, he could be staring at the evidence.

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