Finally Home (Chapter Five)

Finally Home

D. A. Ratliff

Chapter Five

Detective Miles Irvine’s office was on the second floor of the Beaufort Police Department. He greeted Cade with a firm handshake. “Good to see you, Cade.”

“You, too, Miles. This is Amelia Sinclair. Amelia, Detective Miles Irvine.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Sinclair. I only wish not under these circumstances. Please sit down.”

Cade still had Lia’s phone. “Before we get started, I’m here as Ms. Sinclair’s attorney, but only to advise her. She will answer any questions you have.” He held out the phone. “On the way over here, Lia received another text message similar to the first.”

Irvine took the phone, read the text, and hit his intercom button immediately. “Frank, can you come up to my office?” A disjointed voice replied yes, and Irvine leaned back in his chair. “I read Tuttle’s report from last night, and my gut’s telling me a prowler and the first message aren’t a coincidence. Now you get a second message. Any idea who could be sending these?”

“Detective, I only arrived Tuesday. I was aware of my grandmother, but I didn’t know anyone else in the family. Jasper Ellison was the only person I’d had any contact with before coming to Beaufort.”

“You had any contact with any of Mrs. Sinclair’s family, uh… your family, since Tuesday?”

Lia’s eyes darted to Cade, then back to the detective. “Yes, Magdalene Townsend, my grandmother’s niece. She visited me on Wednesday afternoon.” Lia proceeded to tell Irvine about Magdalene’s comments during the visit.

As she was finishing, a man in a lab coat walked in. Irvine picked up Lia’s phone and handed it to him. “Frank, run a quick scan on the text message number on the call log and the last text that came in. I want to give Ms. Sinclair her phone back, so do it now.” Frank frowned but took the phone and left. Irvine continued. “Now, Ms. Sinclair, let’s go over the events from when you arrived until now. I’d like to know who you’ve met and what was said.”

Forty minutes later, with Irvine often interrupting with questions, Lia explained the events up to her arrival at the station. She was discussing getting the text message when Frank returned with her phone.

Irvine took the phone. “Find anything.”

“Sorry, not much. Each text message came from a separate burn phone with local numbers, likely purchased and activated in the area. As for the location of the phones when the texts were sent, I traced the last towers they pinged to but can’t get a triangulation, so all I can say is somewhere in Beaufort.”

“Thanks, Frank.” The tech nodded and left.

“Two burn phones implies planning,” Cade remarked. “Someone knows what they’re doing and doesn’t want to get caught.”

Irvine nodded. “My thoughts exactly, and this leads me to believe this is not an emotional response of a pissed-off family member but one or more people with an agenda. Ms. Sinclair, based on your conversation with Magdalene Townsend, I assume the family is unhappy about the estate. I need to talk to them.”

“I understand, Detective. I need to know who’s doing this.”

“I promise I’ll be as discreet as possible under the circumstances. The thing I’m concerned about is this prowler. Maybe a one-time thing, but too much of a coincidence. Are you staying alone in the house?”

“I was, but Sadie Lee Pickett and her grandson stayed with me last night. They live in the small house on the grounds.”

“It would be a good idea if they stayed, if possible. Someone might be less likely to break in if you aren’t alone.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Sadie was pretty insistent on staying.”

“All right, I’ll talk with Magdalene Townsend this afternoon. It will be interesting to see if she contacts you afterward.”

Cade chuckled. “She’s a gossip hound. She’ll call.”

“Let me know if she does, and call me if you receive another text and call 9-1-1 if anything suspicious happens. Until we think there’s no danger, I’ll have patrol drive by and check out the house regularly. If you see a car parked outside, don’t worry, the officers will likely do a foot search around the house.”

Cade rose, and Lia followed. “Thank you, Detective.”

“You’re welcome. You know we have a great town here. I’m sorry you'0re having such a rough introduction.”

“I must say, for the most part, everyone I’ve met has been wonderful. I suppose there’s always a little bad with the good.”

Irvine handed her his business card. “Keep this handy. Call me if you have questions or think of anything else.”

Lia was silent as they got into Cade’s car. After driving a few blocks, Cade squeezed her hand while stopping at a red light.

“You’re quiet. What’s bothering you?”

She turned her head away from him, unsure she wanted to see his reaction to what she was thinking. “I can understand why Magdalene and the others would be upset. I visited three times before I was five and never again. They lived here, and even if they weren’t close, perhaps I should give them the estate and leave.”

The light changed, and Cade drove through the intersection and abruptly pulled over to the curb. “Lia, look at me.”

She turned toward him. “I…”

“No. First, you and your brother are her direct blood descendants and legally entitled to her estate. If she had died without making arrangements, the courts would have located you and awarded you and Jason the estate. Magdalene and her siblings would have gotten it if you didn’t exist. Your grandmother wanted you to solely inherit her estate as she knew you would take care of your brother. Stop this talk of giving her estate to those people. If you want to give it away, that’s your choice. Give it to charity or people on the street but not to her sister’s children. That is not what Josephine wanted.”

A mirthless smile crossed Lia’s face, and she gazed out the windshield. “Jasper told me you knew what I went through in Paris.”

“A little.”

“I just don’t know if I’m up for this. I don’t have any reserves left.”

“You aren’t going through this alone.”

Lia’s breathing was shallow, her heart racing. “You don’t know what happened… I…”

“Dad told me a little, enough to know what you went through.”

“I need to tell you what happened.”

“Not now. We’ll discuss this later. I need to get you back to your car so you can go home.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to get ready for a client coming in at four, and then I have a date.”

Lia’s head snapped around, and she found him smiling. “Ah. So that did get your attention. Not a real date. I usually work late on Friday nights. My mother calls it my regular Friday night date. You saw all those files and boxes in Dad’s office?” Lia murmured yes as Cade pulled back into traffic. “We have depositions starting next week and need to finish reviewing the documents. So, Dad and I are both working tonight and tomorrow.”

Her nerves were raw. She was more upset about her reaction to Cade saying he had a date than she was with the text messages. The image of the blond Veronica Gibson immediately popped into her head, and the flare of jealous heat coursing through her frightened her. She didn’t expect to feel desire for a man again, certainly not slightly less than a year since her divorce. With his easy smile and piercing olive-green eyes, this handsome man had rocked her core, and she had never felt so confused.

Cade pulled into the alley, parked, and walked her to Bay Street. “Are you going straight home?”

“No, I have some things to drop off at the dry cleaners, and I need gas. Then I’m going home.”

“I’ll let Dad know what’s happened, and I’ll call you later. If anything happens, anything slightly suspicious, call 9-1-1 and then call me if you can.”

Lia smiled shyly. “Are you certain you want me to interrupt your date?”

He brushed back a strand of hair blowing across her face. “Anytime.”

~~~

Lia arrived home to find Lynne Marie and Sherri dusting and sweeping the front parlor. Lynne said Sadie had gone to the grocery store, and Danny was downstairs in the large rec room with four of his friends studying. She climbed the stairs, turned before she entered her room, and glanced over her shoulder to discover Sherri standing in the foyer, staring up at her. A shiver ran down Lia’s spine as Sherri turned and headed toward the dining room. She wasn’t sure why the young woman made her nervous but had felt uneasy about her since she found Sherri in her room. She needed to talk to Sadie about her.

Rhett was stretched across the bench sitting at the foot of the bed. He raised his head as she walked it, mewed softly, and went back to sleep. Lia undressed, hung up her clothes, and slipped on jeans and a purple Henley shirt. She rummaged through the walk-in closet for her slip-on canvas shoes, finally finding them under her suitcase, not where she had left them. Strange, things seemed out of place.

The stress of last night’s events and the morning had worn her down, and she needed fresh air. She stepped onto the balcony and sat in a white-washed wicker rocker in the corner of the porch. Absently, she began to pick faded blossoms from the large pot of pink and white impatiens sitting next to the chair until she was satisfied that she’d tidied up the plant. Lia leaned back in the chair and stared at the sky-blue porch ceiling. She laughed softly. Her grandmother possessed a touch of whimsy, making her feel another level of connection with her. Her thoughts drifted to part of her grandmother’s letter.

After it became clear that Gregory meant what he told Franklin the night you left, that as long as Bradley was allowed to continue his behavior, he wasn’t coming back, your grandfather turned all of his attention to Bradley. I knew it was a fruitless endeavor. Bradley had chosen his path many years before, and despite all the interventions and help we tried to give him, he wasn’t going to change.

Bradley’s favorite pastimes, drugs, alcohol, and gambling, were all more important to him than the shrimping business. He spent as much time as he could in the seedy parts of Beaufort, Savannah, or Charleston and, as often as he could get there, New Orleans. No matter what trouble he found himself in, your grandfather bailed him out, one way or another. Until the day Bradley died, Franklin believed he could turn Bradley into the man he wanted him to be, a man like your father. From then on, my dear Franklin became a shadow of the man he once was.

I’m sure you have questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Bradley’s death. I am confident that you will understand why I chose not to be the one to tell you. The memories are too painful. When you feel you would like to know, talk to Jasper Ellison, He is privy to every detail I know about those last days of my son’s life.

The one thing I don’t want you to do is blame your father for walking away. He already did more than necessary for his brother. I can’t tell you how many times he flew home during college to help us with Bradley. When he was offered a job in Seattle after graduation and met Olivia, his life took a different path. He loved your mother and you, and I am certain Jason, very much. As Gregory told Franklin, the night he left, his own family had to come first. I never doubted he loved us, but he loved you more.

The day we learned Bradley was dead was horrible, but it was not as devastating as when we learned your father died in a traffic accident. Your mother, bless her heart, called me herself. I knew her heart was breaking, but she managed to make that call. I was incredibly proud of her courage. When I broke the news to Franklin, his face went blank, and he turned away without a word. We never spoke of our sons again.

I don’t want you to feel the burden of our pain. My grandmother once told me that if I ever allowed my worst moments to define my life, I must be prepared never to enjoy life again. She reminded me that life is too precious to throw away.

Tears streamed down Lia’s cheeks as her grandmother’s words echoed in her head. Was she allowing the worst moments of her life to keep her from living? She gripped the arms of the wicker rocker until her fingers turned white, waves of pain rushing through her. She wanted the pain to go away. She wanted to live again. She didn’t know how to let go. Every night, she remembered the feel of the cold steel handcuffs on her wrists, the cell door clang, and the other prisoners’ taunts—all as real to her as if they were happening at that moment. The most painful memories came from a meeting with Nigel before she left Paris. Wiping the tears from her chin, she didn’t think she could ever forget what he said. How could she love again?

Love? Cade’s face entered her thoughts, and it frightened her more to realize she was associating him with love. She couldn’t give herself what she needed. How could she ever give him what he needed?

Lia sat quietly rocking until she heard a car drive by, turning the corner toward the front of the house. It was Sadie returning from the grocery. She jumped up, stopped to splash water on her face, and headed downstairs.

When she walked into the kitchen, she dodged Danny and his friends carrying the groceries in, Sadie trailing behind them. He introduced her to everyone, and they headed back downstairs to study. She was helping unpack the grocery bags, knowing Sadie was studying her.

“How did it go with Jasper and with the police?”

“Well, I now officially own the house, and I went to the bank and the police station.”

“Did Jasper go with you to see the detective?”

Lia hesitated. “No. Cade went with me.” She braced for Sadie’s comment, and she wasn’t disappointed.

“Cade went with you. Now that was nice. He’s a good man. You should get to know him better.”

She smiled. “He is a good man, but I’m not ready to get to know anyone better.”

Sadie shook her head. “You know, my dear, sometimes life has a way of making things work.”

“Not my life.” She put the box of crackers she was holding down on the counter. “You should know that as we arrived at the police station, I got another text message.”

“Oh, my child, was it more threatening?”

“Not any more than the first, but Detective Irvine is going to speak to Magdalene and the others. He wants to rule out the possibility anyone in the family might be behind this. Irvine thinks since the messages came from two different cell phones, it’s not just an emotional response but an intentional effort to get me to leave. He also thinks the prowler is too much of a coincidence not to be connected.”

“It’s going to be interesting to see how Magdalene reacts.”

“Yes, it will be. Irvine wants me to call him if I hear from her. Now let’s get these groceries put away. Do you still want to go through the jewelry today?”

“Yes, we should get that out of the way.”

It was six o’clock when Magdalene called. Lia and Sadie were sitting cross-legged on the floor of Josephine’s room, various pieces of jewelry strewn about them. Sadie was closest to the phone. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was, and she quickly passed the handset to Lia. Lia tapped the speakerphone button so that Sadie could hear the call.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Amelia, so glad you answered the phone. This afternoon, I had the most dreadful visit from a police detective who asked if I knew anything about you receiving threatening text messages. I was shocked at who would do such a thing. Are you all right?” Magdalene did not take a breath until the last word.

“I’m fine, Magdalene. Jasper Ellison felt I should let the police know about the text messages as a precaution. But I’m not worried about them.”

“My goodness, I’m appalled that anyone would resort to such tactics. Remember I told you to your face how surprised we were at Josephine’s actions, but I promise no one in the family would stoop to such a disgusting tactic.”

Smiling at Sadie, Lia answered. “I appreciate your concern, but as I said. I’m not worried.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear this isn’t upsetting you. Now, as I told you, I want you to come to dinner, and it turns out my sister and brother are available tomorrow night, so please come.”

“I’d love to join you for dinner. I’m anxious to meet everyone.”

“That’s wonderful. We can’t wait to see you. Oh, and my husband insists you bring Sadie Lee along. He thinks you’ll be more comfortable if you have someone you know with you.”

“Thank you, I’ll ask her.”

“Sadie knows where we live. Come on by at seven.”

Magdalene ended the call, and for a second, Lia and Sadie stared at each other and then broke out laughing. Lia wiped tears of laughter from her face. “I think she’s a tad rattled.”

“Child, I do believe you’re right.”

“Sadie, one question, do you really know where everybody lives in this town?”

“Not everyone, but unfortunately, I know where she lives. Twenty years ago, she used to beg Miss Josie to let me come to her house when she had parties to oversee the ‘staff.’ The staff was whoever she could hire for a party since she only had one girl working full-time. I went several times until she stiffed me, not paying all she owed me after a campaign party she gave for some politician. After that, Miss Josie didn’t want me to work for Magdalene, and my loyalty was to her. Besides, she paid me well enough that I didn’t need the extra money.”

“She was a good person, wasn’t she?”

“That she was, Lia. That she was.” Sadie sighed. “However, I have a conflict tomorrow night. Danny has a banquet for a school organization he belongs to, and he’s getting an award….”

Lia stopped her. “You have to attend for Danny. Don’t worry. I can go by myself.” Sadie tilted her head, her eyebrows rose, and Lia shook her head from side to side. “I’ll be fine. I need to let Irvine know Magdalene called.” She got to her feet. “His number’s in my purse. I’ll be right back.”

Hurrying to her room, she got Irvine’s card from her billfold and called him. As she ended that call, her phone rang. It was Cade.

“Hi, I was getting ready to call you.”

“You were? Missed me, huh.”

She swallowed, choosing to ignore his comment. “I—I wanted to tell you that Magdalene called, told me she had heard from Irvine, and she was appalled anyone would send such messages. She reminded me she had told me to my face what she thought.”

“Not surprised. Did you call Irvine?”

“Just got off the phone with him. He was not surprised and wants me to tell him how dinner goes.”

“Dinner?”

“Oh. Yes. Magdalene invited me to come to dinner tomorrow night. Are you surprised?”

Cade chuckled. “Not in the least.”

‘Seems the family is—surprise—available at the last moment. Her husband suggested I bring Sadie with me. He felt I would be more comfortable with someone I know, but Sadie has a conflict and can’t come. She’s going to a banquet with Danny, so I’ll go alone.”

“Magdalene’s expecting you to come with someone?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll come with you.” Lia remained silent, prompting Cade to add. “You know you shouldn’t go alone, especially if the person sending those texts is there. I don’t want you alone.

Lia surprised herself when she answered. “You’re right, Cade. It would be better if you came with me. Magdalene said to be there at seven.”

“I’ll pick you up around six-thirty. Must go. Mom just brought us dinner. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, you do miss me, don’t you?”

Lia’s entire body flushed with heat as she answered. “Yes.”

He chuckled softly. “Miss you, too. Good night.”

~~~

Lia awoke on Saturday morning to the realization she had just spent the first night in a year not crying herself to sleep. She had awakened once during the night with the same recurring nightmare she had for the last several months, chased by Nigel and the police. This time, however, she escaped. Lia knew it wasn’t easy, but she was learning to cope.

Danny’s friends had stayed over Friday night. She ordered pizza, and Sadie made sundaes for dessert, and they watched a couple of movies. Sadie treated them to pancakes for breakfast on Saturday morning, and soon after, the boys left to play basketball. Sadie went home for a bit, leaving Lia alone in the house. She spent the remainder of the morning putting the jewelry away, selecting a few pieces she kept out.

She decided to wear a black-and-white hounds-tooth dress she had brought to dinner. The dress was a simple sheath, but the jacket was too formal, so she decided to wear the citron sweater she’d worn to the Ellison’s. Her grandmother had a beautiful sardonyx necklace, black gemstones with white veins, which she fell in love with, and she decided to wear with the dress. She set three other pieces aside for Sadie, who had a fondness for them.

As she was putting the necklace in her room, her phone rang. When she saw it was her mother, she felt fleeting disappointment it wasn’t Cade.

“Hi, Mom. What time is it there? Isn’t it the middle of the night?”

“Hello from Hawaii… it is nearly six am, and we are up to watch the sunrise over Diamond Head, darling. How are you? Tell me everything that’s been happening to you.”

Lia decided against informing her mother about the text or the prowler. She knew her mother well enough to know she and Perry would abandon their trip and head straight for Beaufort. They would fear that she didn’t possess the strength yet to deal with the situation, but she did, and she was going to see this through. Besides, she had Sadie and Jasper—and Cade.

They chatted about buying art supplies and her sketching, signing the papers, and having lunch with Cade, her fun Friday evening, and the upcoming dinner at Magdalene’s. Her mother had asked more questions about Cade than she wanted to answer, but she deflected them by changing the subject and asking about Hawaii. Thirty minutes later, they ended the call.

Needing a few things, she changed shirts, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed downstairs, calling Sadie to tell her she would run some errands. A drugstore was her first destination, and she remembered seeing one on her way into town, not too far from the police station.

The drugstore was busy, but she wandered along the aisles, picking up things she needed and a few she wanted. After making her purchases, she was at her car when she spotted Veronica Gibson crossing the parking lot. She hurried her step, not wanting to talk to the blonde, and had opened her car door when a hand grabbed her left forearm.

“Amelia, good afternoon.”

Lia glanced down at Veronica’s hand and tugged her arm away gently. “Hello.”

Veronica smiled, but the smile did not extend to her glacier-blue eyes. “Are you enjoying your stay in Beaufort?”

“Yes, I am. Everyone’s been very nice.”

Veronica offered Lia a slight smirk. “Beaufort is just full of nice people. If you knew Southerners better, you’d know we are famous for our little white lies. Kind and considerate in public, but it’s usually a front for how we really feel. Don’t put a lot of stock in Cade’s attention, my dear.”

“Excuse me, what exactly do you mean?”

“What I mean is I know he seemed interested in you at dinner, and I know he took you to lunch yesterday. You shouldn’t be flattered by his attention, he….’”

Lia interrupted. “Are you keeping tabs on Cade?”

“Cade and I are quite close, very close. I know he’s nice to you. After all, Ellison and Ellison made a lot of money off your grandmother, and now you’re their client. It makes sense that they don’t want to lose that revenue.”

Opening the car door, Lia replied, the thinnest of smiles on her face. “Thanks for the tip about your penchant for little white lies, but that is pretty obvious. I’ll be sure to ask Cade tonight when we have dinner how many billable hours he’s going to charge me.” She tossed her packages into the car. “So nice to run into you.”

Lia got in the car, and Veronica grabbed the door as she closed it. Leaning down, her voice terse. “I’m warning you, stay away from him.”

Lia’s jaw flinched, and she spoke, each word tightly controlled. “That sounds a great deal like a threat, and I’m very tired of threats. If you’re so close to Cade, I suggest you take your concerns to him. Now take your hand off the door.”

Veronica snatched her hand away as Lia tugged on the door to close it. She backed out of the parking place and drove onto the side street next to the drugstore. As she waited at a red traffic light, she sucked in several deep breaths, trying to slow her heart rate.

The light turned green, and as she pulled away, she looked in the rear-view mirror to see a dark-blue sedan following right on her rear bumper. Thinking the car might want to pass, she slowed down a bit. The car whizzed past, allowing her to glimpse the driver as he passed, a bald man with a pale complexion who looked vaguely familiar. She suspected she’d seen him in town. He cut sharply in front of her, and she let her foot off the gas and managed not to hit the car’s bumper, which then sped off.

Lia drove on, thankful the errant driver distracted her from fuming about the confrontation with Veronica. She decided not to think about that until she stopped at the chocolate shop. She bought a box of assorted chocolates to take to Magdalene and, on impulse, a small bag of toffee for Cade and headed home.

At six-twenty-five, Lia stood before the mirror, fussing with her hair. Her thick dark tresses fell below her chin in soft layers, but she couldn’t make one side lay right. In mid-brush, she laughed at herself. She was behaving like a sixteen-year-old, but she was twice that old and needed to act like it. She had to admit she was nervous and unsure if it was meeting her relatives or spending time with Cade causing her anxiety.

Lia picked up her grandmother’s necklace and put it on, pleased with how the chunky gems looked against the square neckline of her dress. She was slipping on a few silver bangles she had made as the doorbell chimed. She took a deep breath and grabbed her sweater, clutch, and the paper bag with the chocolate.

Sadie answered the door, greeting Cade as he stepped into the foyer. She took hold of the railing as she walked down the stairs, her pulse racing as his eyes followed her every step.

Sadie smiled broadly. “My goodness, Amelia, you look lovely. So glad you chose to wear that necklace. It was one of Miss Josie’s favorites.”

“Thank you. I love this necklace.” She smiled at Cade. “Good evening.”

“Good evening to you. Sadie’s right. You look beautiful. Ready to go?”

“Thanks, and yes, I am.” She hugged Sadie, already dressed for the banquet. “You look gorgeous. Are you leaving soon?”

“Right behind you.”

“Hug Danny for me and congratulate him on the award. See you later.”

Cade took her by the arm as they walked down the steps.”

“You like Sadie and her grandson, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. They’ve been wonderful to me. Although I have to admit, Danny scared the heck out of me the other night, or at least I think it was Danny.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I came home from dinner at your parents,’ I thought I heard footsteps when I got out of the car. I couldn’t find the key to the side door, then I dropped the keys, and suddenly Danny came up behind me. His friend dropped him off up the block, and he walked home.”

“Good thing it was Danny.”

“The funny thing is I heard the footsteps, like leather soles scraping the asphalt. I told Sadie the next day that Danny had helped me and told her about the footsteps. She was quite surprised. Danny just purchased a new pair of athletic shoes, and they make no sound. He was having fun sneaking up on her.”

They reached Cade’s car, parked across the narrow street. As he punched the fob to unlock the door, he paused. “You’re sure it was footsteps?”

“That’s what it sounded like, but I could have been wrong.”

As he opened the car door, Cade frowned. “Considering you had a prowler the next night, I don’t want you going out alone after dark.”

Lia got in the car. “Your father warned me you had a knight in shining armor complex.”

He leaned down. “All depends on who’s the damsel in distress.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Coming up in Chapter Six: Lia heads into the lion's den, better known as cousin Magdalen's house where she meets the family for dinner.

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Finally Home is a mystery romance novel being serialized on Vocal.media.

Link to Chapter One: https://shopping-feedback.today/fiction/finally-home-j41pad0zyc