Lillian Duncan - Until Death Do Us Part (2 page)

CHAPTER 4

After her shower she stood in front of the mirror, using her fingers to untangle her long black curls. Dylan had taken a second shower and disappeared—as usual. The man couldn’t sit still for more than a minute at a time.

She opened her closet wondering what to wear for their surprise road trip. He wouldn’t tell her where they were going. Her eyes landed on her “lawyer clothes.” It had been a long time since she’d worn them.

A farmer’s wife didn’t need power suits.

Most day
s she wore jeans and sneakers. Sighing, she closed the closet.

Her lips quivered as she remembered the doctor’s words.
It was time to find something useful to do since motherhood wasn’t going to be happening any time soon.

She walked out to the kitchen expecting to see her handsome husband. No Dylan. Her gaze dropped to the floor, all clean and shiny, reminding her of another messy kitchen floor he’d cleaned when they first met.

The phone rang. Must be Dylan, somewhere out on the farm using his cell phone to tell her he’d be right back. No doubt, some emergency to take care of first.

Her hand shot out and grabbed it. “Hello.”

“Hi, Regina.” Billy’s booming voice came through the phone. “I hung up on Dylan a minute ago. Didn’t want him to be worried about me. Everything’s fine. Tell him I’m sorry I hung up on him and I’ll talk to him later.”

“He’s—”

“Just give him the message.”

“Bill—” The line clicked off. She stood staring at the phone.

Dylan’s best friend wasn’t usually so abrupt. In fact, he loved to talk. Billy’s phone calls always lasted fifteen to twenty minutes and that was with her, then Dylan would be next on the phone.

The door opened and Dylan walked in with a smile. Standing over six feet tall with curly brown hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, he could still take her breath away after more than a year of marriage.

“Who was on the phone?”

Still holding the phone, she shook her head and put it back in the cradle. “Very weird. It was Billy. He said he was sorry he hung up on you.”

A look of confusion crossed his face. “What else did he say?”

He reached out and put his arms around her. She didn’t move away
. Instead, she sank into those strong dependable arms. God had been so good to her when He’d brought Dylan into her life.

He pulled away fro
m her and looked into her eyes. “Sweetie, can you tell me Billy Clyde’s message again?”

As she repeated it word for word, Dylan nuzzled her neck and said nothing for a few moments. His body tensed. Then, he moved several inches away but still kept his arms around her.

“I’m going to need to cancel our road trip.”

She blinked at the sudden change in his voice and demeanor. “What do you mean?”

“Something came up. I’ve got a problem here, but I want you to go have some fun for a few days. Go up to Cleveland with your friends, visit some museums, and go to some of those fancy restaurants that buy my ridiculously expensive morels.” He pushed her away and stepped back. “Have a good time.”

Her insides turned to gelatin. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They’d never spent a day apart since being married let alone a night.
Maybe, Dylan wasn’t handling the news as well as she thought. Her lips trembled. “You want me to go without you?”

He nodded. “I do.”

“Are you upset with me?”

“Don’t be silly. Something came up
and I’m going to be busy for the next few days. But there’s no reason you can’t go spend time with Alexis and Jeffrey.”

“What do you have to do? A few minutes ago you were free to go away for a few days and now you’re not.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of it and see you in a few days.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen.

She stared after him, wonde
ring what he wasn’t telling her

CHAPTER 5

This place would do. All she wanted was a room. Reggie pulled into the motel parking lot halfway between Fredericksburg and Cleveland off of I-71, not far from her old condo.

The condo she’d lived in when she met Dylan.
Where she’d pretended to be happy until Dylan charged into her life like a knight in shining armor, rescuing her from all her sadness and loneliness. Not to mention a crazed killer.

She took a deep breath and opened the car door.

After registering, she took her key card and her small suitcase to the room. Then she went back out to the car for her the food she’d picked up on the drive. Taking care of her diabetes was second nature to her. Happy-sad-sick-healthy-however she felt, whatever was going on in her life, the diabetes always came first.

The one constant in her life.

It used to be the only constant, b
ut her life changed so much since she met Dylan. Not only did she have Dylan but his wonderful family. Not to mention the teeny town of Fredericksburg.

Sure, she didn’t exactly fit in with them all the time, but they were good people.

The lights flashed green as she slipped the key card into the slot. Reggie opened the door and walked in the room. She sniffed—a slightly stale odor. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and it would be perfect for what she had in mind.

Dylan wanted her to go have fun with
friends, but she had another idea in mind. She had a lot of questions and some time alone with God might give her the answers she needed.

She loved
Dylan and loved being his wife, but it was a different sort of life than she’d envisioned for herself. It had never occurred to her that she’d be an unemployed farmer’s wife.

God must have a plan for her and she wanted to discover it.
Her plan had been to be a lawyer and enjoy the amenities of big city living—fine dining, theater, and art openings.

S
ome days, she felt like a fish out of water in her new life in Fredericksburg.

****

A carp jumped up beside Dylan. His hands tingled and he wished for a fishing pole instead of the gun he carried in his waistband as he motored down the Potomac River toward Paw Paw, West Virginia—toward Billy Clyde and Theresa.

Billy Clyde’s message had bee
n clear. Reggie hadn’t heard the hidden message in his friend’s words, but he had. Something was wrong—he just didn’t know what it was yet.

But he aimed to find out.

Trees hovered on both sides of the river forming a canopy to keep the brutal heat of the day away. They hid the towns and cities he knew were there. He took a deep breath, enjoying the rich earthy smells of the woods and the river. The scene would have been perfect except for the fact he was sneaking down the river to find out what was wrong at Billy Clyde’s.

Not to mention he’d just sent his wife away from their home and she had no idea why. He’d seen the confusion in Reggie’s eyes when he’d told her to spend a few days in Cleveland, but it was better for her to be up there while he checked out the situation down here.

If he’d told her he hadn’t called Billy Clyde and hadn’t hung up on him, Reggie she would have insisted on coming, and then she’d be in danger. This way, she might have hurt feelings but she’d be safe and having fun with her friends in Cleveland.

Hurting her to keep her safe was the right thing to do.

He only hoped she’d forgive him. The vision of his wife’s sweet smile came to mind. Of course, she would forgive him. Reggie loved Billy Clyde and Theresa as much as he did. She would want him to help them.

Knowing that eased his guilt—a little
.

The rented speedboat was the perfect way to sneak in.
Driving up to the gate and ringing the buzzer to announce his arrival didn’t seem like the best idea under the circumstances.

No way
was he busting in with guns drawn into the isolated log cabin without knowing what waited for him. It was hard to imagine someone was able to breach his friend’s security around the hidden cabin nestled against the edge of the state park. Billy Clyde had pulled out all the stops when he’d designed his safe haven.

Some might describe Billy Clyde as paranoid,
but Dylan knew it wasn’t paranoia but a healthy sense of reality. The old saying, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you, was a perfect fit for Billy Clyde.

Mr. Genius managed to get himself hired as a consultant to a government agency he refused to name. His job gave him access to very sensitive information and since he worked from home that meant he wanted his home to be safe and secure.

Billy Clyde had designed and built a log cabin on an acre of property abutting the national forest. From their home it looked as if they were deep in the woods a million miles from civilization.

But it was an illusion.

An illusion that made both Billy Clyde and Theresa happy. Theresa could have her volunteer jobs, her friends, her church, and community while Billy Clyde could have his privacy. It worked for them.

Billy Clyde and Theresa were as much in love as the first time he’d met them years ago. Billy Clyde had been his commanding officer in the Marines and took pity on the homesick newbie. He’d invited Dylan and the other bachelors to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family.

First time he’d spend Thanksgiving with An African-American family but not his last. He definitely loved the extra food choices-mac and cheese, greens, and sweet potato pie—his favorite.

He rounded the bend in the river and a
small wood cabin came into view. It was Billy Clyde’s dog run and kennel and a miniature of the actual log cabin.

Needing to scout the area first,
Dylan continued downstream past the kennel. Hopefully, anyone keeping watch would think he was a lone fisherman enjoying the afternoon. After he’d gone a half-mile or so downriver, he turned the boat around and passed the area again, even more slowly and more vigilant.

Not much
was visible from the middle of the river, but there were no indications of a problem. Everything appeared peaceful but his time in the Marines had taught him looks could be deceiving.

Several h
undred yards above the dock, he turned the boat around once again, but this time turned off the motor. The sudden silence was eerie.

He took a deep breath.

The sloshing of the water against the boat sides soothed his nerves. As he neared the wooden dock, he allowed the boat to drift closer. The dogs’ barking became louder, almost frantic.

H
e planted his feet and grabbed for the rope knotted to the pylon. After grasping it, he pulled the boat alongside the dock. He stepped out of the boat onto the wooden slats. His body swayed with the movement until his equilibrium steadied itself.

After he tied the boat to the mooring, h
e eased over to the dog kennel, being careful to stay out of the line of sight from the cabin. He glanced at the house. Were Billy Clyde and Theresa in there— in trouble?

The dogs had
n’t noticed him yet. Too busy barking. They were charging from one end of the run to the other, biting at the thick wire that enclosed them. Their only focus was on the house.

Not a good sign.

Something was definitely wrong up there.

He bent low and whispered. “Hey, Snappy.” The shepherd’s ears perked up, and he stopped in mid bark. His head swirled to where Dylan knelt. The dog looked back up towards the house and then trotted to Dylan. His nose jutted through the chain link fence.

“
What’s going on up there? Is there a problem?”

Snappy’s
brown eyes gazed at him reflecting the same anxiety Dylan felt. He wanted to pat the dogs head, but the dog was called Snappy for a reason. “I know. I’m worried, too.”

Not to be outdone
Patches, the other shepherd, nudged Snappy aside with her humongous nose and pushed forward to be comforted by Dylan. When the dogs calmed, Dylan stood and moved into the woods. He was careful to stay hidden from the house.

H
e circled the kennel moving toward the cabin.

As soon as he was out of the dogs
’ sights, the barking started up. Even more frenetic than before. Using the trees as cover, he moved closer to the cabin, praying Theresa and Billy Clyde would be inside safe and sound.

They’d have a good laugh
about his own paranoia, and then sit down to lunch. He’d call Reggie and the world would be right again.

He inspected
the area outside of the house.

Noth
ing wrong as far as he could tell.

Dylan stood in the shadows of the trees—
waiting and watching. When he was satisfied, he sprinted toward the house but his feet slowed as he approached.

The garage doors were
open.

Dylan reached behind him and slid his gun out of the band of his jeans.