No One Left to Tell (39 page)

Paige made a mental note to have a chat with that manager. ‘Well,
I
believe you. And it’s always better to be safe than sorry. How about if Joseph takes you to the center next time you go? He could tell those guys to back off.’

Holly shook her head. ‘No, you can’t tell Joseph. He’d . . . he’d be mad.’

‘At you?’

‘No.’ She said it like Paige was silly. ‘At the boys. Joseph would hit them and he’d get into trouble. He could go to jail. That’s why I couldn’t tell anyone. They always tell Joseph. He can’t go to jail. He’d lose his job.’

Bless Holly’s heart
. ‘That would suck,’ Paige agreed. ‘How about if I go with you?’

Holly’s eyes widened. ‘You’d do that?’

‘I absolutely would. I hate a bully.’

Holly considered. ‘Would you teach the other girls too?’

Something fell into place. A sense of completion, the knowledge of what she’d been missing. She’d been focused on herself for months. Had felt sorry for herself. Poor karate master, foiled. Beaten. Humiliated. Now it was time to look outward again.

‘I absolutely would. We’ll figure it out. We need to tell your folks, though. And until we get this sorted out, I don’t want you going there alone, okay?’

‘Going where alone?’

Paige looked up. Judy Smith had just stepped up to the table and she’d been listening. Judy didn’t look much older than the pictures Paige had seen, and for a moment all Paige could think about was the articles she’d read. The sheer hell Grayson’s mother had been through. Then her mind cleared and Paige could see the woman Judy had become. She’d survived. Warmth bloomed, pride for another woman who’d suffered and come out stronger on the other side.

Paige leaned close to Holly and whispered in her ear, ‘It’s up to you. Tell or don’t.’

Judy sat down and gave Holly a motherly chiding look. ‘I will find out. You know that. You also know you can trust me. I hope I’ve earned that.’

Holly blinked, surprised. ‘I trust you, Judy. I just don’t want to make Joseph mad.’

Judy patted Holly’s hand. ‘That boy was born mad. You leave Joseph to me.’

‘Okay,’ Holly told her while Paige watched Judy’s face. The older woman was furious that someone would threaten her child, as she obviously considered Holly. Paige imagined she’d reacted the same way twenty-eight years ago when her little son was in danger. This was a mother bear who protected her cubs, no matter what.

Paige liked her already.

‘We need to stop those boys from coming to the center,’ Judy declared.

‘That’s a place to start,’ Paige said. ‘But there will always be bullies, no matter where Holly goes. Don’t you think it’s better to prepare ourselves – and our families – to face dangers every day?’

Judy nodded, her gaze going faraway for a moment. Then she focused sharply. ‘So what’s our plan, girls?’

Holly’s chin lifted, ready for an argument. ‘Paige is going to teach me karate. Me and all my friends. It was my idea. We’ll be able to beat up the guys that bother us.’

‘Self-defense within karate,’ Paige said. ‘You probably won’t ever be able to beat up a guy. They’re just stronger. But you will learn balance and awareness and ways to get away if you’re attacked. Which is the best defense.’

Holly frowned. ‘Can I still wear an outfit?’

Paige smiled. ‘A
gi
? Of course. You’ll earn belts, too. But you should never forget that karate is a defensive art. Not for beating people up. Even when they deserve it.’

Judy put her napkin on her lap with a snap of linen. ‘I think a self-defense class is a very good plan, Holly. You’re wise to think of it.’

Holly beamed. ‘Thank you.’

‘I might even come,’ Judy said. ‘If Paige can teach this old girl a few new tricks.’

Paige regarded her for a moment. ‘I’d be more than happy to try, but I think you’ve done pretty well on your own. All of these years.’

Judy’s eyes registered shock and Paige could see that Judy knew she knew. Judy recovered, admirably. ‘I still want a
gi
of my own.’ She opened her menu and frowned. ‘I’ve left my reading glasses in my car. Holly, can you be a dear and go get them for me?’ She dug her keys from her purse. ‘You remember where we parked, right?’

‘Sure. I’ll be right back.’

Judy waited until Holly was out of earshot before turning to Paige. In a heartbeat she went from affable to terrifying. ‘Paige, you’ve got about three minutes. Talk.’

‘I know what happened to you and Grayson in Miami. It wasn’t hard to find.’

‘
How?
’ It was an agonized question, incredulously asked. ‘I left no trace.’

‘People always leave
some
trace, Mrs Smith. Yours was a photograph Grayson keeps on a shelf over his computer monitor. He was seven, you two stood in front of St Ignatius Catholic School. It was a simple search. Took me less than an hour.’

‘I didn’t know he kept it,’ she murmured. ‘Foolish of him.’

‘I’d say it’s a moment in time he never wants to forget. His mom, when she was happy. And not afraid.’

Pain tightened Judy’s face. ‘What do you plan to do?’

‘This was what Grayson asked you not to tell me, wasn’t it?’

Anger mixed with the pain. ‘What do you plan to do?’ Judy asked again.

‘I’ll never tell. You have my word. But I got the impression that this was keeping him from forming attachments. Of a romantic nature.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘And you want such an attachment? Of a romantic nature?’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Paige said, with all the longing in her heart. ‘But I want it to be with the right one. That may not be your son, but I want a life with someone. This secret of his is going to keep me from finding out if he’s the one.’

‘You could have waited,’ Judy said, but some of the anger had faded from her eyes.

Not really
, Paige thought uncomfortably. ‘I’ve made mistakes, ma’am. Lots of mistakes. I’m . . .’ She looked down, embarrassed. ‘Um, I’m attracted to your son.’

‘Of course you are,’ Judy said, as if it were expected. ‘Any woman with sense is.’

Okay
. ‘He’s attracted to me. Which, I guess you figured out. Things have moved very quickly between us. I needed to know if we even had the promise of something, before things got out of hand. Because I’ve made mistakes before. Which I think you understand, too.’

Judy looked grimly accepting. ‘Yes, I do.’

‘If he’s the one and I had let him get away because of a secret, one it sounded like you were urging him to tell . . . well, I hope you’ll forgive me for finding out for myself. But I’d still do it all again.’

Judy settled back in her chair, her jaw cocked. ‘You won’t tell anyone?’

‘No one. I gave you my word.’

Judy tapped the table with a manicured nail. ‘His boss knows. That Anderson.’

Paige’s mouth fell open. ‘What?’ She remembered Anderson’s silence as she’d told her story. The way he’d dismissed them to have a word with Grayson. And the look on Grayson’s face when he came back to her.
Oh
. ‘And still he knocked,’ she murmured.

Judy frowned. ‘What are you talking about? Knocked on what?’

‘We confronted Rex McCloud tonight. He’s the grandson of Jim McCloud. He was a state senator in the nineties,’ Paige added when Judy’s brow remained furrowed.

‘Okay. What about the grandson?’

‘A girl was murdered six years ago. It looks like Rex did it, but someone covered it up and framed an innocent man. I told Grayson that knocking on Rex’s door would get back to his boss and ruin his career.’

‘And change his life,’ Judy said harshly. ‘Because his boss threatened to tell about us if Grayson didn’t back off the case.’

‘And still he knocked on that door.’ A new wave of emotion crashed into her. ‘You should be so proud. ‘You’ve raised an amazing man.’

Judy regarded her levelly. ‘Thank you. Will you tell Grayson you know?’

‘I want him to tell me himself. If he never does, I don’t know what I’ll do. But even if it doesn’t work out for the two of us, I still won’t tell. I’m not wired that way.’

Judy nodded her approval. ‘It might be easier for him to tell after tonight.’

‘Why?’ Paige asked, and Judy’s eyes grew shadowed.

‘He’s telling the family. He wanted them to know before his boss leaked it publicly.’

Paige looked at the front door. Holly was back, looking satisfied with herself. ‘The family didn’t know? After all this time?’ That stunned her.

Judy grimaced. ‘There never seemed to be the right time to tell them.’

‘You’re not telling Holly?’

‘Of course we will. But she’ll need to be spared certain . . . details.’

Paige thought of what she’d read. ‘I understand.’

Judy looked over her shoulder to make sure Holly was still far enough away. ‘I think you’re probably all right.’ She met Paige’s eyes. ‘But if you
ever
hurt my son, you will regret it. I don’t care how many black belts you have.’

Paige had no doubt Judy Smith could make her suffer. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘But if you make him happy, I will love you forever.’

Paige swallowed. ‘I’d like the second one better myself.’

‘I thought you might.’ Judy looked up and smiled at Holly, who held out a pair of glasses with a taped bridge. ‘Oh, good. You found them.’

‘These are your old ones. I couldn’t find the pretty new ones.’

Judy took the glasses from Holly with one hand, brushing the pocket of her jacket with the other and Paige figured the new glasses had been there all along. ‘Thanks, honey. I am starving and Giuseppe has the best carbonara in town.’

Wednesday, April 6, 8.15
P.M
.

The incoming call came from the only number he always picked up on the first ring. ‘What do you need?’

‘They visited Rex tonight. Smith and the woman.’

Damn. He’d rather hoped they’d be chasing Brittany’s blackmail victim to Hagerstown. But a visit to Rex was not unexpected. ‘What did they say to him?’

‘They told him the security tape of the party had been switched. They picked up on the Betsy Malone discrepancy. They visited her before they saw Rex.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘I have my sources. Betsy told them everything. A soul-cleansing, as it were.’ The words dripped in contempt. ‘The girl is weak. Always has been.’

That was definitely true. When Betsy was an addict she’d been far easier to control. He blew out an impatient breath. ‘What did Rex tell them?’

‘What you’d expect. That he was innocent. That he wanted his lawyer present the next time they visited.’

That made him smile. ‘Let Rex call his lawyer.’

‘You find this funny? I can assure you that it’s not. You said the prosecutor had been dealt with. You
said
he wouldn’t cause trouble.’

‘He hasn’t done anything major yet.’ And as of around eleven-thirty tonight Smith would cease to be a problem. He’d cease to be much of anything. He’d cease to be.

‘Stop him before he does.’

‘You can count on it. I need to go.’

‘Wait. I have another matter.’

Dread pooled in his gut. ‘What have you done?’

‘Nothing. That’s the problem. This last one is incredibly lucky. She keeps surviving.’

‘I asked you to back away from that.’

‘I can’t now. She knows.’

The dread grew. ‘What does she know?’

‘That I’m trying to kill her.’

Shit
. ‘Wait. Does she know
you’re
trying to kill her or just that someone is?’

‘The second one, I believe.’

He sighed silently. ‘I’ll take care of her.’ He usually did. ‘Where is she?’

‘She left her house with a suitcase about an hour ago. Her husband left with a foul expression earlier this evening. I think they’ve fought. She’s staying at the home of a friend who lives at 3468 Bonnie Bird Way. What a ridiculous name for a street.’

‘Where are you now?’

‘On Bonnie Bird Way, sitting a few houses down from the friend.’

For the love of God
. . . ‘Go home. Now.’

There was an ominous pause. ‘Don’t command me. Ever.’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said contritely. ‘
Please
go home. I can’t have Adele Shaffer putting too many loose ends together. Not right now.’

‘Very well. Take care of her. Fix this.’

‘I will. Wait for my call.’

Wednesday, April 6, 8.25
P.M
.

By the time Grayson walked Peabody and made it to Lisa and Brian’s Party Palace, the family was gathered in Brian’s kitchen and chowing down on pot roast.

The chair at the head of the table was empty and Grayson looked at Jack Carter in surprise. The head of the family always sat at the head of the table.

‘Your meeting,’ Jack said, pointing to the empty chair with his fork. ‘Your seat.’

Jack and Katherine Carter sat together. Katherine had taken them in, all those years ago, but Jack had never said no. Instead the man had taken him under his wing. When Jack took Joseph to play ball in the park, Grayson was automatically included. When there was a game or any school award function, Jack and Katherine had been there, sitting next to his mother, beaming with pride.

When time came for college, Grayson watched Joseph fill out applications to all the best schools. Grayson had enough saved for a local school, grateful for the opportunity to even go to college. But they’d turned his world on end yet again by revealing that they’d been putting money aside in a college fund for Grayson along with their ‘other kids’.

Jack and Katherine had made it possible for him to become the man he was today. Now, Grayson found himself staring at his family, his heart in his throat and his stomach turning inside out as he faced telling them who he really was.

What if they were angry? Or worse, ashamed or repulsed? He wasn’t sure he could handle that. But he knew they needed to hear the truth from him. He knew the news of his visit to Rex McCloud would be reaching Anderson soon if it hadn’t already.