Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) (11 page)

“You do?” he asked.

I sensed his intense stare, but chose to continue studying the clouds in the sky rather than meet his gaze. “Yes, but it’s complicated. I really don’t want to tell you…‌”

“Heather, I don’t think I need to stress the importance this information is to the investigation.”

Although I wasn’t looking at him, his deep, penetrating stare went straight through me. I closed my eyes, bringing my hands up to my face again. I just wanted to hide.
Why did I have to see that? Why did the stupid police chief touch me?

“Heather, please,” he demanded again.

I removed my hands and turned toward him, feeling remorseful. “Her name is Jillian, Jillian Chandler. Barry’s mother,” I whispered.

His eyes widened as his mouth opened. A slight moment passed before his mouth closed into a frown. He swallowed, then murmured, “Shit.”

~11~

Deception

With my mood spiraling into somberness, conversation was pointless, and Tanner and I stayed silent on the way to my house. I stared out the window, not observing anything in particular. Acknowledging Barry’s mother as a prime suspect saddened me, overshadowing any lingering pleasure from finding Nicholas alive. I felt like a kid whose balloon had been popped. It wasn’t a small pop. No, this was an all–out bang‌—‌a massive pin prick, straight to the core.

The detective must have picked up on my melancholia because he remained quiet. For the most part, anyway. He did make sure I was fully aware that this was an ongoing investigation and therefore it was important I keep all the details confidential. If I talked, not only would I be putting myself in danger but I’d face legal consequences for compromising an investigation. Tanner warned me that I’d become an accomplice if I told Barry that his mother was a suspect. What a position I had placed myself in! Tanner wasn’t trying to be a jerk; he just wanted me to understand the importance of keeping quiet, so he said his spiel and then let it go. Although he had a no–nonsense persona, there was a decent guy underneath his rough exterior.

Tanner pulled up to my house, and my gaze fell immediately on Barry’s car parked in his grandma’s driveway. Just the thought of him waiting for me made me nervous. He knew how anxious I had been to see him, but that excitement evaporated after having the vision with his mother.
What am I going to do?
There wasn’t any way we could hang out tonight; he would definitely know something was up.

“I’m sorry I involved you in all of this,” Tanner said, his gaze on Barry’s car. “I just wanted help finding Nick.”

I tilted my head toward Tanner as I grabbed the door handle. He glanced back at me, and his wry expression tugged at my heartstrings. “That’s all right. Nick’s safe now, that’s what’s important.”

I told Tanner good–bye and then walked straight to my bedroom. I slammed the door and leaned against it. Man, what a mess I created! I didn’t know the outcome, but I knew it wasn’t going to end prettily. I hadn’t even seen Barry yet, and guilt had already laid claim to my conscience. Not knowing how long the investigation would drag out, this guilt would just keep escalating until it was finished.

But when the details became public, the tension wouldn’t magically disappear. Until I found out how much Barry would hate me for my deception, I wouldn’t be able to calm down. The words “I love you” kept spilling from his mouth, but would his love be strong enough to withstand my deception? I wasn’t sure.

With a low moan, I sauntered over to my bed and plopped on my back and stared, searching for answers in the popcorn–style ceiling. I have to tell Barry I can’t see him tonight. Heck, in my agitated state, one glance into his greenish–specked eyes would be like truth serum and I would end up telling him everything. With a sigh, I tore my eyes away from the ceiling and pulled my phone out of my front pocket. Barry’s contact name appeared, and I stared at it. The temptation to call him and confess what I had seen in my vision overwhelmed me. I hated keeping secrets from him‌—‌we shared everything. Ever since the beginning of our friendship, we had disclosed everything between us. Not being allowed to share this information would kill me, and I wouldn’t be able to hide that something was wrong.

I clenched the phone tightly and forced myself not to throw the damn thing against the wall. Why did this happen to us? I squeezed tighter and pounded the phone against my head. How quickly things changed. Earlier, before my last vision, all I had wanted was to come home and be with him; to have him hold me. That wasn’t going to happen now. Not tonight anyway.

With a deep breath, I summoned enough courage to swipe across his name. It barely rang before he answered, “Hey babe, you ready for me to come over?”

I paused and squeezed my eyes shut. “Barry, I’m sorry, but I’m too tired. I think I’m going to lay down for a while before Mom gets home.”

“You need me to come over and tuck you in?” he offered suggestively.

An image of his mom sprawled on top of the police chief appeared unbidden in my mind. I shuddered and opened my eyes. God, that vision better not have ruined any future promiscuous plans I had for Barry and me.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. Not sure how much rest I’d get,” I playfully added, trying my best to be casual.

He chuckled. “Okay, I’m sure you’re right. But what about my gift?”

“Your gift?”

“Yeah, my gift. You said earlier you would make it up to me when you left,” he answered, rather seductively.

Groaning, I said, “I suck. I’m the worst girlfriend ever.”

“Nah, you’re actually pretty great.” The thickness in my throat was choking, and I bit my lower lip to keep from confessing. “You can just owe me later, how’s that?” he added.

“I owe you big time.” More than you know, I silently added. My vision blurred as the tears threatened to spill over. I blinked a few times, rolling my eyes toward the ceiling in the hopes of staving them off. I hated lying to him, and once my role in arresting his mother was unveiled, he would hate me too. I hated that the most.

“Hmm, I think I’ll hold you to that. Do something tomorrow then?”

I swallowed hard to prevent my voice from cracking. “Okay, that sounds great. I’ll see you then.” I clamped my jaw shut to keep from wailing. I had to end this conversation. The thread I dangled from was about to unravel, and he wouldn’t understand my breakdown without an explanation.

“Okay. It’s a date. I’ll call you tomorrow at nine–o’clock. Oh, and Heather?” After pausing for a second, he added, “I love you,” before hanging up.

The prevailing silence in the house made me slump further into my bed. A hint of a sad smile crossed my mouth while I stared at the darkened display on the phone. Barry snuck in his “
I love yous”
whenever the opportunity presented itself. Those three little words usually impassioned me, but tonight sadness trumped any excitement. I’ve actually betrayed him twice. The news about his mom and my feelings toward him weighed equally on my heart. I’d yet to tell him that I loved him back, and I questioned my reasons. Confessing your love to someone was stressful, and I didn’t want to get hurt. I’d survived people shutting me out and ignoring me, but I didn’t think I could handle Barry’s rejection.

When the news about his mom came out, he would be so upset I doubt he’d ever talk to me again.
Please let him understand the situation I’d been placed in.
This certainly would come as a surprise. An underlying reason existed behind Barry’s evasiveness about his mom, and he clearly didn’t want me to meet her. Was it because of her illegal wrong doings? Surely he didn’t know. If he did, would he have let on to me that he knew?
Would I if it was my mother?
I wasn’t sure, but I’d definitely be embarrassed if people found out. At least I knew his embarrassment wasn’t about me. Yet, anyway.

~12~

Discretion

The sweet scent of fluffy goodness tantalized my tastebuds as I walked into the kitchen the next morning. My mom stood by the stove, pouring batter onto the griddle.

“You’re making pancakes?” I asked. The microwave beeped, and when I opened the door, my mouth watered at the scent of hot maple syrup.
Yum!

“Yes, thought I’d surprise you,” Mom said. “So how did it go yesterday?”

I placed the warmed container on the table, screwed the lid on, and smiled. I had always been fond of this syrup dispenser.

“It went all right. There was a missing college student named Nicholas, and Detective Tanner thought my abilities might help find him. I wasn’t much help at first, but then I finally had a vision that showed his truck sliding into a ditch. He had rolled several times and was suspended upside down for awhile, but we were able to get to him in time,” I said, grabbing a mug.

“Yeah, I spoke with the detective last night. He told me that you helped save that boy’s life.”

I stilled, holding the coffee carafe mid–air. “What else did he have to say?” I asked, holding my breath.

“Nothing much. He claimed to have called for you, but we ended up talking for awhile.”

The breath I had been holding escaped through my parted lips and I finished pouring the coffee. I snuck a peek at Mom. Her grin gave her away. She liked the fact that he had called.
Good!
Maybe something would become of it. Mom deserved a nice guy like Detective Tanner.

“Anyway, I came home last night and you were asleep. When he called, I didn’t want to disturb you. You must’ve been exhausted, since you never came out of your room,” Mom said, flipping the pancakes.

“Yeah, I was.” I sat down at the table and waited for breakfast. That was one conversation about yesterday completed, now I only had one left. The one I dreaded the most. As if he knew I was thinking about him, my phone lit up and displayed Barry’s name.

“Hey,” I said. I quickly scooted out of my chair and darted into the living room.

“I have an idea,” he said excitedly. “Why don’t we spend the day in the park? Pack a picnic, maybe toss a ball around?”

I glanced at the clock with the phone up to my ear. He normally doesn’t call this early, but he must’ve wanted to secure our plans before anyone interrupted them.

“Toss a ball?” I asked, scrunching my nose. The picnic part sounded nice, but baseball?

“Yeah, you know…‌play catch.”

“That sounds good, but won’t it be a little cold outside?”
That sounds good? Really?
I hate anything sports related.

“Nah, it’s going to be warmer today. Pack a light jacket, wimpy,” he said.

I laughed. “Okay, I’ll be waiting.” The brightness of the sun did promise a beautiful day. I swear, these wild temperature swings were the official calling card of the Midwest.

“Sweet…‌ I’ll be over to pick you up in a half hour.”

I maneuvered my way into the living room, going directly toward the front window. The suspicion that Barry had stayed at his grandma’s house was confirmed the moment I knelt on the chair and peered through the panes. Just the sight of his car created a smile on my face.

“Barry, I can just walk over when I’m ready,” I said, hinting at the absurdity of him picking me up. “There’s no need for you to have to drive twenty yards to get me.”

He laughed. “Fine. I know it makes more sense, but it isn’t right. You’re a lady and deserve to be treated as such.”

The widening smile couldn’t be stopped as the heat rose on my cheeks.
What evoked this sudden surge of pleasure?
His way with words always made me feel special so why the sudden change?

“Well, nobody could ever say chivalry is dead with you around,” I teased, trying to make light of the situation. He was a gentleman, though.

“Hey, what can I say? Call me old–fashioned,” he said with amusement. “Ah, I know you secretly love the affection.”

My insides warmed to the playful inflection of his voice. “Yeah, I do.”

“All right, come over as soon as you can and we’ll take off.”

“I’ll be there. Give me at least an hour.”

After pressing the end button, uneasiness crept through my conscience, erasing all happiness. The playful smile shifted into a frown as I turned away from the window, flopping into the chair. Wanting to feel secure, I drew my legs into my chest and wrapped my arms around them. My chest tightened as the investigation weighed heavily on my mind.
How am I going to make it through the day?

Remorse consumed my every thought. The phone, still warm in my hand, mocked me. I continued to stare, my thumb hovering above Barry’s number.
Should I call him back and cancel?
Although tempting, he’d question my reasoning if I cancel again, bringing forth questions I couldn’t answer.
This couldn’t be over soon enough
.

Disgusted with myself, I squeezed the phone and banged it against my forehead. “Why…‌ Why…‌ Why?” I repeated. Tossing the phone, I sprang up to go eat my pancakes. If I didn’t hurry, his impatient self would pick me up despite our plans.

~~~~~

“Hey. I was just about ready to come and get you, slowpoke,” he said as I stepped onto his grandma’s porch. He was sitting in an old wooden rocking chair, apparently waiting for me.

He rose when I reached the top of the wooden slats and wrapped his arms around me despite the small cooler I carried. His hands slid over mine, grasping the cooler handle and sitting it on the ground.

“What do we have here, Miss Riding Hood?” he asked in a deeper, flirtatious tone, closing the distance between us. His smile widened mischievously, revealing his pearly whites.

My insides clenched from his velvety voice. He wanted to play a game? I’d play along. Shifting my eyes toward him, I whispered, “My my, what big teeth you have.”

His eyes dilated. As he leaned down, he nestled his face against my neck, planting a few kisses in the sensitive area below my ear. He inhaled as if sniffing me. “You better watch out for me, little girl. You smell edible.”

Shivers shot through my body and warmth spread throughout my insides. Too dazed to offer any rebuttal, I stood there with my mouth partially open while he continued kissing my neck. My hormones kicked into overdrive, and I tried to keep from visualizing what he meant by “edible.” Incapable of holding back, I surrendered to the emotions, leaning into his body as his strong arms tightened their hold.