Feeding the Fire (18 page)

Pat lifted an accusatory finger at her. “You’re the peeper, aren’t you?” he said.

Pepper’s jaw dropped open, an expression mirrored by his wife. She turned and put her hand on Logan’s forearm. When she looked at him, her brother looked equally stunned by the charges Pat had just leveled at his wife.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jeanette scoffed.

“No, it makes perfect sense. That’s why my boot prints were found outside Colette’s house . . . You’re the only person with access to those shoes. That’s why the peeper has been striking on the same nights I’m working late . . . And why the Chamberlain boy couldn’t chase down the peeper on foot—you’re a cross-country runner. Now it all makes sense why you’re so certain I’m not the peeper, and you even went out of your way to hire Logan Anthony to prove it. You know I’m not guilty because it’s been
you
all this time.”

A small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk, easily twenty-five witnesses to the public meltdown. Jeanette scanned the crowd, the wild look of a cornered animal in her eyes.

Pepper remembered running into Jeanette the same day she saw Pat at the grocery store. She’d told her about the new window and the other work they were doing. Was it possible that Pat was right?

She leaned over to Logan. “Shouldn’t you stop her from self-incriminating on the street?”

Logan shrugged. “Maybe, but technically I’m Pat’s attorney, not Jeanette’s. If she confesses, Pat’s off the hook and my job is done.”

Pepper frowned at her brother, but before she could respond, Jeanette stepped closer to her husband and spoke again.

“Patrick . . .” Jeanette said in a softer, sweeter tone. “Honey, please. Those aren’t the kind of accusations you throw around publicly.”

“I thought you said that was just a college phase, Jeanette.”

“I am
not
a lesbian, Patrick Kincaid!” Jeanette’s lips twisted in anger and her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. “What I
am
is a scorned woman! All right, fine. Yes, it was me.
I
am the infamous Rosewood Peeper!”

An audible gasp rose up from the crowd, but the two of them could’ve been alone for all they cared. “I started wearing your work boots after the police got involved. I tried not to leave footprints, but if I did, I certainly didn’t want to leave a woman’s shoe print. I never thought they’d track your freakishly narrow boots back to you.”

“Jeanette, what were you thinking? Why would you do any of this?”

“I was thinking that my husband was cheating on me. If you were out with one of the single women in town, I wasn’t about to just sit on my rear end at home and wait for you to return. I was looking in the windows of women to catch your sorry, cheating ass in the act!”

Pat’s expression crumbled as his face fell into his hands. “I’m not cheating on you,” he insisted. “You did all this for nothing.”

A look of concern flickered across Jeanette’s face for a moment, but it was quickly wiped away with a stern frown. She was a woman who was far beyond believing her husband’s stories any longer. “I just can’t make myself believe you.”

“You didn’t find me in any of those women’s windows, did you? No. Because I’m not cheating.”

“Then why are you lying to me about it? Where are you going at night?”

Pat looked around. It was obvious he didn’t want to do this publicly, but the crowd wasn’t going to scatter just to suit him. If he wanted privacy, they should’ve started this fight after they got home.

“I’ve been working a second job for extra money. I didn’t want to tell you that.”

Jeanette frowned, not expecting the answer she’d gotten. “Extra money? Why? Has something happened at work? Are we in some kind of financial trouble?”

“No, nothing like that.” Pat planted a hand on his hip and shook his head. “It was supposed to be a surprise, which is why I was keeping it from you. I was trying to earn extra money to give you a special present for our anniversary.”

Jeanette stiffened. Her hand flew up to her mouth, muffling any words she might manage to say. This was obviously not what she thought he was going to say at all. At one time, Pepper would’ve said that a white lie to surprise a loved one couldn’t hurt anything. She would’ve been wrong. This surprise had gone horribly awry.

“While you were out prowling around in the dark looking for me in the arms of another woman, I was shoveling chicken shit so I could take you to Hawaii for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

Jeanette swallowed hard, her brows knit together. “We’re going to Hawaii?”

“No!” he shouted, waving his arms in the air in exasperation. “Now I’ve got to pay the damn lawyer’s fees and court fines. I told you we didn’t need an attorney, but you wouldn’t listen. I won’t be able to take you to McDonald’s for our anniversary now.”

“Surely Logan’s rates aren’t that stiff. He’s barely had time to represent you.”

“I’m not talking about
my
legal fees, Jeanette. I’m talking about yours.”

That was the last straw. Apparently through all of this, Jeanette had not quite grasped that she had publicly confessed to a crime and might go to jail for it. Pepper had no idea how serious it was and how much she could face in fines, but she imagined that it could easily eat up the couple thousand dollars Pat had squirreled away for their trip. Jeanette made the same connection, disintegrating into hysterical tears.

Even though he was angry, Pat rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. “Shhh . . . Jeannie . . .” he soothed, brushing his hand over her dark hair. “We’ll figure this out.”

“I’ve ruined everything!” she wailed.

Sheriff Todd came around the corner a moment later. Someone must have reported the disturbance, and possibly even the confession. Pepper elbowed her brother. “Do something.”

With a nod, Logan approached the sheriff and they spoke quietly for a few minutes. When it was done, Logan gestured for Pat and Jeanette to come with them back to the Sheriff’s Department.

Pepper felt awful for the two of them. A lack of communication and trust had ruined Pat’s plans and just might land Jeanette in jail. Hopefully Logan could get her a good deal, or plea-bargain her down to some community service or something. She wasn’t out there to get her jollies; she was trying to hunt down her missing husband.

Either way, it was over. There were no more weirdos prowling the streets of Rosewood at night. All things considered, Pepper was relieved that the person watching her wasn’t a creep. She didn’t particularly want Jeanette Kincaid spying on her, but she didn’t find what she was looking for, so no harm done. At least to Pepper.

It seemed plenty harm might have been done to the Kincaids’ marriage, though.

Chapter Seventeen

Grant opened the front door of his apartment, surprised to find his sister Maddie standing there. He thought at first maybe it was just a delusion caused by his pain medication, but he could smell the sweet spice of whatever baked treat she had in the box she was carrying.

“Maddie?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

She wrinkled her nose, quickly erasing the frown lines with a dismissive smile. “I know you don’t think much of me, Grant, but you are my brother and you did almost get yourself killed the other day. I came to check on you and bring you some treats.”

Grant shrugged and took a step back so she could come inside. He couldn’t remember the last time his sister had been at his apartment.

Maddie marched past him and sat the box of baked goods down on his kitchen table. “How are you feeling? You looked pretty rough yesterday at Sunday dinner.”

He hadn’t felt like going out, but he ran the risk of his mother coming to visit if he didn’t go. Blake picked him up, then brought him home the minute the meal was done. “I hurt. I take pills. I stop hurting. I sleep. It’s a vicious cycle. But you’re in luck, I haven’t taken a pill recently, so I should be fairly lucid.”

Maddie nodded, turning to search through his cabinets. “Have you eaten today?”

“Yes.” It was three in the afternoon. He would’ve starved long before now if he hadn’t managed to call Pizza Palace for delivery. “I had pizza.”

“Ugh,” Maddie groaned. “You know, I used to like that place until I moved into that house across the street. Now, I can’t stand it. Every time I go outside, it’s all I smell.”

Grant watched her take two plates down from the cupboard and carry them over to the table. The white box was sealed shut with the Rosewood Bakery sticker he was used to seeing on treats around town. “Is the bakery open again?”

“Not officially,” she said. “For now, Robin has asked me to keep up with existing orders. I had a wedding cake to do over the weekend, but the shop is closed.” She popped the seal and lifted the lid, exposing the glazed Bundt cake inside.

“What kind is that?” he asked.

“It’s an orange pound cake.” Maddie used a knife to cut two slices of cake and place them on the plates. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?”

Grant tried not to frown as he sat down at the table. That was his favorite, but he couldn’t believe she knew that. His older sister was never, ever this nice to him. He knew that he’d hurt himself in a pretty serious and spectacular way, but Maddie wasn’t the most nurturing person he’d ever met. “Milk, please,” he said, remembering that Pepper wanted him drinking it.

Maddie poured him a glass and got herself a bottle of water out of the fridge. She handed him a fork and sat down beside him. She watched expectantly as Grant took a bite. It was excellent—a mix of creamy butter cake, sweet icing, and tart orange flavor.

“It’s great,” he said with a smile.

Maddie stopped holding her breath and smiled back at him. “Oh, good. I changed the recipe up a little and I was hoping it turned out.”

“So you’re not just being nice, you needed a guinea pig?”

Maddie’s brow drew down in a frown. “Of course not. I knew you liked this recipe, though, so I thought you would be the best judge of the changes. I’m hoping . . .” She hesitated. “I’m hoping to buy the bakery.”

Grant swallowed a second bite and quickly chased it with milk. “Really?”

She nodded. “Robin wants a fortune for it, of course. Daddy is in negotiations with her, though, so I’m hopeful. If it goes through, I’m going to owe the man until the end of time. But . . .” she said with a hopeful expression lighting her face, “I’ll own my own bakery. That’s what I always wanted.”

That was true. Grant remembered the Christmas Maddie got an Easy-Bake Oven. She made him eat her creations, which at first were quite dreadful. Soon, she retired the pink oven and clung to Cookie’s leg until she taught Maddie to bake for real. By junior high, Maddie had an array of desserts in her repertoire and none of them tasted like feet the way the first few had.

“I’m sure it will go through. You’re a great pastry chef. The stuff you make is better than anything I’d ever eaten in Estelle’s shop before you came. Hell, it’s better than most of the things I’ve eaten, period.”

Maddie beamed, tasting her own cake and nodding thoughtfully. “This could use a little more orange zest, but you’re right, it’s great.”

They sat quietly for a moment eating their cake. There was an awkwardness between them as they ate. Although they were close in age, Grant and Maddie had never been close. Even then, she could fill the silence with her endless prattle about herself and whatever nuggets of gossip she’d collected. Today, she sat anxiously twirling her fork in relative quiet.

“Listen,” Maddie said at last, “I didn’t just come over to bring you cake.”

Grant figured as much. “Okay.”

“I came . . . to apologize.”

He sat back in his chair, stunned. Maddie had never apologized for anything as far as he knew. At least, not without their father making her do it. “Pardon me?”

“I know sometimes I can be . . . harsh and a little judgmental.”

“A little?” he choked.

Maddie frowned. “Are you going to let me do this or are you going to get all your digs in first?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ve been unkind to Pepper in the past. I know that the two of you have gotten pretty serious and I wanted to apologize for things I’ve said about her. I don’t want that to become a problem between the two of us if you and she stay together.”

That sounded nice, but he knew his sister too well. “Does that mean you’re really going to be kind to her or are you just not going to say aloud the nasty things you’re thinking about her?”

Maddie’s mouth dropped open, at a loss for words. “I-I’m . . .” she stuttered. “I’m going to be nice to her in thought and deed. I promise.”

“And what about the rest of her family?”

Maddie sighed. “Yes, okay. I will not say anything bad about her or her family. I’m going to try to be more open-minded to people in town.”

“And you’re going to apologize to Pepper personally,” he added. “Apologizing to me doesn’t mean much.”

Maddie flung the brown waves of her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest. “This isn’t blackmail, Grant. Stop negotiating what I’m going to do.”

He shook his head. “You can say whatever you want to me and it doesn’t make a difference. It’s not just what you say about Pepper that bothers me, Maddie. It’s your whole attitude about people and how you think you’re better than everyone else. You think Blake appreciates the things you’ve said about Ivy in the past? She’s a big star now, but the way you treated her in school wasn’t cool. They’re getting married, so I can assure you he remembers your cruel taunts with Lydia Whittaker at your side. And so do I.

“Right now Pepper and I are just dating, but I want more. Who knows? She might be your sister-in-law someday, just like Ivy. If you’re really worried about things coming between all of us, you need to take a serious look at how you treat everyone, not just the people you feel are good enough. If you’re going to open your own business in Rosewood, you can’t alienate any potential customers with your attitude. And making that happen is going to take a hell of a lot more than a Bundt cake and an apology to me.”

“You mean it was Jeanette the whole time?” Their mother, Kate, looked aghast to hear the news as she sat across the dinner table.

Logan knew how she felt. This had been one crazy day, but in the end, he was pretty pleased with how everything had turned out.

“Yep. She was looking in all the windows of single women in town hoping to catch her cheating husband. All she got was a stiff fine and community service.”

Logan was able to negotiate a deal for submittal to the judge. Jeanette would provide a full written confession, detailing all the houses she watched and why. She wouldn’t serve any jail time or receive a sex offender designation, but she had to pay a forty-five-hundred-dollar fine—three hundred for each incident—and serve fifteen days of community service. When she went to court, the judge would hear her statement and decide where Jeanette would serve.

It turned out that Pat had saved exactly forty-six hundred dollars for their trip, so after they paid the fine in court, they would have a hundred dollars left for a nice anniversary dinner. Considering everything that happened, that was a satisfying ending for everyone involved.

“That’s just awful,” Pepper noted. “None of that needed to happen.”

“You’re right,” Logan agreed. “I never realized until today just how much a secret can undermine a happy family. Even well-meaning secrets. I’m sure Pat never dreamed that Jeanette would go to such lengths to find out what he was hiding from her. Twenty-five years together and they can’t trust each other. Pretty sad.”

He watched as the expression on Pepper’s face changed. She suddenly looked a little pained. Before he could ask about it, her eyes met his and the look faded away.

“Well, congratulations on your first criminal case in Rosewood!” Pepper lifted her glass of sweet tea. “Hopefully you made enough off the whole ordeal to pay your light bill.”

Logan smiled and accepted their praise, but in truth, he didn’t have the heart to charge the Kincaids for his services. He hadn’t really done much. The publicity from the case would hopefully bring in more clients and he needed that more than he needed a couple hundred dollars from them.

“It’s been quite the eventful week,” Vince pointed out. “They had that warehouse fire, the peeper was caught, and one of the Chamberlain boys set himself on fire.”

“He’s a fireman, Daddy,” Pepper corrected. “He didn’t set himself on fire, a car blew up.”

“I’m assuming he’s all right,” Kate said with a flat tone.

Logan didn’t like the Chamberlains any more than their mother did, but even that sounded a little harsh. He felt really awful about Grant’s accident. He couldn’t even imagine the pain of catching on fire. Just because he didn’t care for that family didn’t mean he wished them ill. Mama might feel otherwise. He’d gotten an earful from her when she found out he knew about Pepper and Grant and didn’t say anything. He’d gotten yelled at for nosing into his sister’s romance and yelled at for minding his own business. He couldn’t win.

“He’ll be fine,” Pepper answered. “I’m taking good care of him. His arm is healing nicely.”

Kate frowned over her mashed potatoes. “I still don’t like you spending time with him, Pepper.”

Pepper didn’t even bother to suppress her irritation as she spoke. “We’ve been over this, Mama. Anyway, we’re here to celebrate Logan’s case, not to rehash my sex life.”

“I just think that—”

“Let it go, Kate,” their father said with a resigned sigh. “Pepper is a beautiful, intelligent, and
grown
woman who can make her own decisions. I happen to think Grant is a fine boy.”

“Vince . . .” Kate warned, but Vince seemed unaffected by it. Instead, he turned to look at his daughter.

“Is he treating you well, Pep?”

Pepper looked at their father and nodded. “He is, Daddy. I know he has quite a reputation, but he isn’t at all what I expected. He’s funny and thoughtful and brave . . . Did you know he got hurt in the fire after saving a puppy? I think it’s pretty hard to find fault in a man willing to risk his life for a defenseless animal.”

Logan wasn’t exactly thrilled with his sister dating a Chamberlain, but he had to admit that she did seem happier lately. Her house was finally coming together, and as much as he hated to admit it, she and Grant did make an attractive couple. He would bite his tongue for now, but the minute Grant hurt his sister, Logan would see to it that he got to break a second Chamberlain’s nose in his lifetime.

“He’s still a Chamberlain,” Kate noted, as though that explained everything.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a Chamberlain, Kate,” Vince snapped, tossing his napkin on the table in irritation. “Just like there’s nothing wrong with being an Anthony. Your family and your blood don’t dictate who you are or what you’ll be. It’s just a name.”

Logan’s fork paused in midair. His parents rarely, if ever, argued. Their father was extremely laid-back; a feature that made it possible for peace in a household with a high-strung woman like their mother. Normally, their dad just let things roll, but for whatever reason, their father was irritated with their mother tonight.

“I don’t think that—” Kate started, but he cut her off.

“You know, Logan was right. He said secrets can destroy a family. I, for one, have had enough of them.” Vince got up from his half-finished plate and reached for his cane. “Logan, could you help me with something in the garage, please?”

Putting down his fork, Logan got up from the table and followed his father out into the garage. He wasn’t entirely sure what his father was talking about or what was going on, but he knew better than to question his dad when his tone was so sharp. When they got to his father’s domain, Logan shut the door. He was surprised to find his father choosing to sit on his rolling seat.

Logan glanced around, looking for a project in process, but the room was amazingly clean. “What did you need help with, Dad?”