No One Knows Part 28

CHAPTER 48.

Josh Six Years Ago Josh woke to the worst hangover he'd had in years. He rolled over, groaning. The light pierced his eyes and he flung a pillow over his face.

He didn't remember coming home, getting undressed. Clearly he'd been sick-there was a trash can by the bed.

It took a moment for the horror of the previous evening to catch up with him.

Derek fucking Allen.

He managed a shower, pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt, and went downstairs to find Aubrey sitting on the couch in the living room, drinking a cup of tea and looking extremely pissed off. Even Winston looked mad at him.

"Hi," he said.

Her head didn't move. "You're alive then?"

"Apparently. I'm a little hazy on what happened."

"Cab dropped you off at three. Poured you onto the doorstep. You could have called."

"I would have. Honey, I'm so sorry. I . . . lost myself last night. The pressure, school, everything, I just-"

Aubrey stood up. "Stow it, Josh. Don't dig the hole any deeper."

He couldn't help the tone in his voice. "What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say? I'm sorry, okay? I had a bad day and I tied one on."

Her eyes were sad, so sad. "You seem to be having more and more bad days lately, Josh. I have to go to work now. I already called you in sick. Try to get some sleep."

She left, and the dog skulked out of the living room behind her, through his doggie door into the spacious backyard.

He rubbed his forehead. Advil, water. Stat. Then he could go on feeling shitty about things.

His cell phone started to trill. He put his hand in his pocket. The number was unknown.

He ignored it. The phone rang again. Same unknown number.

Then a text came in.

Did you have fun last night, lover boy?

There was a photo attached to the text. He opened it, saw the picture, and his heart stopped. He didn't remember. He didn't remember at all. But there he was, clear as day, getting a blow job from a strange woman, in the same clothes he'd worn last night.

"Fuck!"

A second text came in.

Meet me at Dragon Park - Blakemore entrance - 20 minutes, or the photo goes to your wife's phone.

It felt profane to meet Derek Allen at Dragon Park. The park was theirs, his and Aubrey's. He'd courted her there, made love to her in the soft grass, carved their initials into the lovers' tree. They'd played there as children, and as adults. How dare Derek Allen ruin it for him?

He jogged down the street to the park, repeating the same words over and over in time with his feet. What have you done? What have you done? What have you done?

Allen was sitting on the stone wall facing the dragon. Josh walked the last few steps, fists clenched. He wanted to kill this man, wanted to bash his head against the rocks. He had to keep his temper in check.

The park was quiet this morning, deserted. The skies were cloudy and dark. Rain was coming, forcing its way into town, keeping people inside. He stepped over a small pair of yellow rubber boots that had been left behind, wondering if the child who'd left them was barefoot now.

Allen didn't smile. "Have I made my point yet?"

"You have. What the fuck is this? You followed me?"

"Oh, not me. A private investigator. You've been under scrutiny for a while now."

Josh collapsed against the stone wall. "Why? Why me?"

Allen shrugged. "Because no one will ever believe you could do something illegal. You have the face of an angel. You're connected, and you already have a path in. You shouldn't break the law, Josh. Bad things happen."

"And if I don't agree?"

Allen did smile now, wide and amused. "What would Aubrey think if she knew you'd been with another woman?"

"I don't remember anything about last night."

"And you think that will make it okay for her? You'll lose her, and I don't think you want that to happen. I'm not asking for much. A few pills. And you get the money to move into a surgical residency and live the life you want. Simple. Easy." He snapped his fingers, then stood up.

"You'll show up here on Wednesday nights with the product. Eight p.m. You might want to up your jogging program so it will be a regular thing. Drop them in the old oak tree over there, it has a nice hole for them. And don't get caught."

"What about the money?"

"I've opened a bank account for you." He handed Josh a checkbook. "Don't spend it all in one place."

"How am I supposed to explain this money to Aubrey?"

"You'll figure it out. You've been lying to her for years. What's one more?"

"You're a son of a bitch."

Allen smiled cheerily. "I am at that. But one who's going to make you rich. So play nice, there's a good boy."

Josh bit back a retort. "And the picture? Is that the only one?"

Allen just laughed and walked away.

Josh collapsed to the ground. This wasn't happening. He was dreaming. He was going to wake up, snug and toasty next to Aubrey. They'd make love and have breakfast, take Winston for a walk. He would stop taking the uppers, clean himself up. Spend more time with Aubrey.

And in his heart, the lies began to form, and he knew this was the beginning of the end.

CHAPTER 49.

Aubrey Today Aubrey felt like she'd interrupted something when got back to the table. Meghan's eyes were sheened with tears, and Cutter was staring at his lap.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"It's no problem." Cutter gave her a brief smile. She sat back down, toyed with her straw.

"What can I expect from Derek Allen?"

Cutter shrugged. "It's been my experience that he's a dog with a bone. He's not going to walk away, not until he's satisfied Josh absolutely is dead."

"But why now? Why start all this now?"

"The money, obviously. And he's been in jail. He just got out. My guess is this is something he wants to handle himself. Otherwise, he would have told the police about Josh's involvement in his business long ago."

"You said he was shot the night my husband disappeared. Who shot him?"

Cutter didn't answer, just looked at her.

"You think Josh shot him?"

"I think that's a distinct possibility."

Jesus. Josh, what did you do?

She slid the card across the table. "One last thing. Any idea who is behind DC Investigations?"

Cutter picked up the card, then turned white. Meghan said, "Is that you? DC-Daniel Cutter?"

He nodded. "I can't believe he has that. It's an old card. I changed the name of the business years ago." He fished in his overstuffed wallet, pulled out a white rectangle, handed it over. "See?" The card was embossed with a large eye overlaid with a magnifying glass, with the name Sherlock's across the top.

"Sherlock's?"

"Get's business like you can't imagine."

"So why does Derek Allen have your old business card, Mr. Cutter?"

He was still pale, and Aubrey wondered briefly if he'd been the one to take the picture. It made sense. But it didn't matter. None of this mattered anymore.

"Like I said, I had a little problem back then. But I've cleaned myself up. I'm straight now."

Aubrey looked at her watch. She needed some time alone. She needed to think. She needed to batten down the hatches and make sure Derek Allen didn't ruin her life.

Damn you, Josh Hamilton, leaving me with this mess.

She stood up. "Meghan, do you think you can manage the rest of the day without me? I'd like some time to myself, if that's okay. And Chase just called, he's coming in early."

Meghan shot a look at Cutter, then said, "Sure, sugar. I'll go in search of the great mythological son of Daisy. Maybe Daniel here will help. You go home and get pretty for your boy."

Aubrey smiled, trying very hard to make sure it was a sunny, happy grin. "You're the best, Meghan. Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Cutter, for your insights. I appreciate your honesty."

"Watch out for this guy, Mrs. Hamilton. He's trouble."

She nodded and left, mounting the stairs to the grand hall, out onto the street. She didn't feel sunny. She felt overwhelmed. Too many decisions, too much happening. She ran down the street, back to the courthouse parking lot, drove home.

Tyler and Winston were perched on the front porch when she drove up-an eerie reminder of the previous weekend, when Daisy had pulled around the bend and seen Aubrey and Chase in the same spot.

The two were sitting in the sun, both sets of eyes closed. Tyler looked gray and unhappy but sober, and despite the spike of anger at his stupidity, she was glad to see him. She'd need his help to make all this work. Maybe a little deviousness would make him feel better. She wasn't worried about tracking down Daisy's other progeny, if there even was such a person. She needed to get all the pieces together from Josh's puzzle first.

She left the car parked in the driveway and got out. The dog came to her immediately, tail wagging, the whole back end of him moving in time as he snuggled up next to her. "Winston. There's my good boy."

"I'm not your good boy?" Tyler said.

She laughed lightly. "Not even close. But I'm glad you're here."

Tyler nodded in acknowledgment that what she really meant was I'm happy you didn't take the pizza money and fall off the wagon again and get yourself fucked up three ways to Sunday and betray me.

She sat next to him, took a stick from Tyler's hand and tossed it into the yard for Winston. As the dog scampered away, she said, "I need to run something by you."

"Anything. Within reason, of course." He nudged her with his shoulder, and she smiled. God, they'd been through so much. He'd been a part of her life for nearly as long as Josh.

"I'm going to put a call in to my friend Arlo Tonturian. He's with the DA's office. He was a friend of Josh's."

"I remember. Why are you calling him?"

"I need to find out more about Derek Allen. He's involved in Josh's disappearance. I'm worried Allen's going to try and intimidate me, or hurt me."

Winston came back and gave Tyler the stick. He tossed it into the grass. "Allen is a seriously bad dude."

"Badder than you?"

He laughed. "Badder than me. Aubrey, this is a can of worms you do not want to open."

"I know you're trying to protect me, and I appreciate it. But, Tyler, I'm starting to put this together, and if you know anything else, now would be the time."

He scratched his head, his words measured. "Can't you just take the money and get on with your life?"

"No." She showed him the photograph. "I received this last night. The subject line said, 'He's alive.' "

He glanced at the photo, his face tight. "But you know Hamilton is dead."