Ben puttered past the alley entrance between Fourth and Fifth Avenue and glanced through the dim light of the morning sun to see if he could catch Jessica Benoit doing the backyard shuffle. Why wouldn’t she be? It was Tuesday. This was her routine.
With as slow as the street sweeper moved, there was no need to brake. He wouldn’t miss a thing. He craned his neck. Nothing. No movement. A quick glance at his watch let him know the time was right. She should be moving across the lawns. To be sure, he looked again. Nothing.
An eerie sensation coiled in the pit of his stomach. This wasn’t right.
He swung the sweeper around on the wide road, then glanced down the alley again. No Jessica, no backyard shuffle. Spinning around again, with the new angle, he caught a glimpse of an unusual heap on the edge of the alley, bordering the Benoit’s garage. Curiosity pulled him down the alley to get a better look.
His heart seized at the sight of Jessica’s tiny body lying on the pavement. He stopped the sweeper and leaped out. In a few quick strides, he was crouched down at her side. Her smashed-in, bloody face was nearly unrecognizable. Her lifeless eyes stared at the dim, overcast sky. He swallowed hard and touched her shoulder with shaky fingers. She didn’t move.
Fear gripped his spine, as he sprang to his feet and spun in a circle, looking for the bastard who’d done this to her. Had her husband come home early from work and caught her with her lover? A quick glance at her house showed no lights, no activity. Snapping his head to the right, he noticed lights on in Brian’s house. Had he done this to her?
Ben yanked his phone from his pocket and tapped nine-one-one.
“Nine-one-one. What’s the address of your emergency?”
What was the goddam address? Having driven this route hundreds of times he should know the address, but suddenly, he hadn’t a clue.
“Jessica Benoit’s house. In the alley, between Fourth and Fifth, by Delaware Street.”
“What is your emergency?”
“I just found Jessica in the alley. It looks like she was beaten.”
“Is she conscious?”
A lump clogged his throat.
“Sir. Help is on the way. Is she conscious?”
Ben swallowed hard. “No.”
Sirens sounded in the background.
He couldn’t stomach looking at Jessica yet he couldn’t leave her side. Even though she was dead, he felt the need to stay by her, watch over her until help arrived.
Sirens grew louder. It didn’t take but a couple of minutes for Officer Bartz to be standing across from him on the opposite side of Jessica’s tiny, lifeless body. The husky cop’s dark blue eyes zoned in on him as he talked to him, but Ben couldn’t seem to make out the words. Everything was a blur. Even the two EMTs who had joined them and were now crouched down by Jessica were fuzzy. One looked up at Bartz and shook his head.
Chief Mertz appeared and edged his way into the conversation. The man’s light brown eyes focused intently on him. “What happened? Tell me exactly what happened?”
Ben looked at the tall, slim man as he tried to process his words. He’d known Chief Mertz his entire life and the man normally spoke clearly, but right now, his utterances seemed jumbled.
“Just tell me what you saw?” Mertz’s speech cleared.
“I was coming up on Delaware Street and looked down the alley and saw…” He swallowed hard and pointed at Jessica’s body. “…her lying here.”
“Did you see anyone else around?”
Ben shook his head.
“What time did you come through?”
“Right when I called nine-one-one. I pulled into the alley when I saw her. Got out. I realized what was going on and called right away.”
“Chief,” Bartz said.
Mertz looked at the officer and then swung his gaze back to Ben. “Why don’t you just wait by the sweeper for a minute.”
Ben hadn’t taken but two steps before he caught a glimpse of Brian running through his yard. He watched as Officer Bartz stepped between the distressed man and Jessica.
“Whoa,” Bartz said with his hands in the air.
The distraught man tried to push through him, but the burly cop held him off.
Brian’s chest heaved. He threw his hand over his mouth as tears ran down his face.
Down the alley, Ben saw Jessica’s husband walking toward them, a lunchbox gripped in his hand. Mike lived close to work so he typically walked. The man’s pace picked up. He dropped his cooler and moved into a full-blown run.
“Chief, Chief,” Ben called.
Mertz looked at him as he pointed down the alley. Jessica’s husband closed in. Chief put himself between Jessica and her spouse. The anguish on Mike’s face was pure torture to witness. He turned his gaze to Brian. Daggers shot between the two men.
So, her husband knew of her affair.
“You did this!” Mike yelled as he made a break toward Jessica’s lover.
Brian stepped back with his hands in the air. “I love her,” the man’s voice cracked.
Chief grabbed Mike. He twisted to tug free, but Mertz held him back until he ran out of steam and fell to his knees.
Ben’s heart ached for both of these men. The pain in their eyes let him know they both loved Jessica. Guilt riddled him at how he and the other department of public works employees gossiped about this affair at the lunch table. No more. That was it. He would no longer gossip about the things he saw during his route. It was nobody’s business. These people were real with feelings and flaws, just like him and everyone else. Who was he to judge?
Ben’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket.
How in the hell did he know already? Ben shook his head. He and the rest of the card-playing gang possibly heard it on the scanner. He and his coworker would have a lot to talk about, compare notes on—if he were still a gossiper, which as of a few minutes ago he was not.
First Todd, with a dead body in his garbage truck and now him with a dead body on his route. Who would be next to find a body? Who would the next victim be?
Sweat beaded on his brow. Scarlett, now Jessica. Would Clyde’s sister Julie be next? Those were the three women he routinely witnessed cheating on their husbands, and now two of them were dead—murdered. But, when it came to Julie, he didn’t talk about her with the guys at work because of her brother. Would she be safe? Other than him, did anyone else know of her affair with Spike?
Ben’s heart thudded. Someone needed to watch over her. He should tell the Chief.
But if he did, would it look like he knew too much?
His cell phone buzzed again startling him out of his spiraling thoughts.
It didn’t take but thirty minutes for every on-duty officer and the entire command staff to arrive on the scene. Investigator Markie Pearson zoned in on him. Her pinning emerald gaze bore into him as she grilled him with questions about what he’d seen and how he’d come upon the scene. The thin woman was several inches shorter and about sixty pounds lighter than him, yet he felt intimidated by her. Her line of questions came faster and her accusing tone made him nervous. He worked hard to maintain his composure as he responded to her and did his best to make sure he answered them the same way he’d answered the Chief earlier.
It was difficult to concentrate on the investigator’s question with the echo of muffled voices coming from all directions. Ben glanced around to see where all the noise was coming from. Spectators lined the perimeter of the area the police had cordoned off.
He heard Captain Tomie barking orders to officers to canvas the neighborhood. Chief still talked to Mike Benoit, and Officer Bartz talked to Jessica’s lover. Two prime suspects, Ben supposed.
Pearson inched closer to him. “Ben, did you hear me?”
He hadn’t. He was so unfocused.
“Huh?”
“I asked what day you normally sweep Eighteenth Avenue, up by Scarlett Jansen’s place.”
His stomach flopped. Bile surged into his throat. She thought he did this.
Her accusatory, pinning gaze stayed on him as she waited for an answer.
He swallowed down the acidic bile. “I sweep up there on Thursdays.”
The woman nodded.
“Pearson!” Captain yelled as he motioned for her.
She looked at the Captain then back to him.
“Why don’t you just get back to work. We’ll talk more later.”
She’d cut him loose. So he wasn’t a suspect after all? Perfect, he wanted as far away from this disaster as possible. “Okay.”
“And, Ben.”
“Yeah.”
“I’d like you to think more about anything you saw or heard. And, don’t talk about it with anyone.”
“Okay.”
Ben climbed into his sweeper and hightailed it out of there, of course, hightailing in a sweeper was about six miles per hour. Though the speed was slower than he’d like, the important part was that he was headed in the right direction. Away.
His phone lit up and chimed non-stop the entire morning. He ignored each and every text and call. Part of him was surprised some of the guys didn’t chase him down as they moved from job to job.
Like the prior Tuesday when Scarlett showed up in the garbage truck, Ben hoped to sneak into the shop unnoticed, punch out, and go home. Maybe he could park the sweeper, jump into his truck, and leave without punching out. Later, he could just say he forgot to clock out.
Several hours later, the plan he’d put into place worked, at least somewhat. He returned to the shop about ten minutes later than normal, hoping his co-workers would already be inside eating lunch. He parked the sweeper and slipped into his truck. In the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of Clyde, hands-on-hips in the service doorway at the back of the building. Now the whole group would know he intentionally avoided them. Oh, well. Investigator Pearson had told him to zip his lips, and that’s what he’d intended to do.
He parked in his garage and entered his house through the back door. His phone continued to ding non-stop. The noise drove him crazy. He turned it off then, in need of a distraction, sat in his recliner and flipped on the television.
A knock on his back door startled him out of the rerun he’d been watching. Ben groaned. He couldn’t even get through a thirty-minute television program before they hounded him in person. Would they just leave him alone already? He didn’t want to talk about his day—Jessica.
Peeking through the slit between the curtain panes, he found Cori standing on his back porch. Her, he’d let in, whenever she wanted.
He’d barely opened the door before she flung herself through, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She knew. Why wouldn’t she? She’d probably just come from work at the police department.
She inched back but still kept her thin arms around his waist. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I just can’t believe it. This kind of thing doesn’t happen here,” Cori said. Her eyes watered.
He pulled her to him, resting her cheek against his chest. Her comforting lavender scent both soothed him and caused his heartbeat to ratchet up a notch.
“This is why people choose to live here. Because it’s safe. We see this on the news, not here. Not in our small, safe community.”
“I know.” He stroked her back in hopes to calm her.
She eased back a bit and placed her tiny hands on his cheeks. “And for you to have to see it firsthand.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. No worries.” He lied his ass off. He wasn’t fine. No matter how hard he tried to suppress the image of Jessica’s smashed-in face, it still spooled through his mind. Watching television had been somewhat of a distraction, but he kept drifting back to the haunting visions.
The concern emitting from her gaze let him know she was onto him.
Cori stretched up onto her tiptoes and lightly pressed her lips to his. A soft, comforting kiss. She lingered, and he moved in for more. It had been five days since they shared their first kiss, their first, sweet kiss. The kiss he’d waited for so long. The memory of that kiss had become part of his daily life. He’d talked to her a couple of times over the past several days, but she was always too busy to come over. It wasn’t an excuse on her part, between her two jobs and her sons, she was busy. But here she was now, in his arms, kissing him sweetly.
Ben pulled back and gazed into her lovely, almond-shaped eyes. “Do you have to work tonight?” he asked.
“No.”
“Do you and the boys want to grill out?”
“No.”
The corners of her maroon lips curled up. “Eli has to work tonight, and Holden has a team dinner at the coach’s house.”
The enchanting gold flecks that dusted her chocolate eyes brightened as the brown darkened. She tugged him back to her lips, her mouth hot and moist.
Shock and desire ripped through him at the speed of light. He wove his fingers into her silky strands, pulling her tighter to his body. Good Lord that felt good. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, probing, absorbing her tantalizing flavor.
She moaned in response.
Blood sizzled in his veins.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders.
At first, when she’d kissed him, he thought it was out of empathy, but now he realized from the amount of passion pouring out of her, she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Reaching down, he gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Then he returned his lips to hers and cupped her small breasts. Sexy, little whimpers released in her throat sending an insane amount of lust raging through his body. He couldn’t think, just do. He squeezed her breasts, then tugged the satiny material covering them down until those sweet little bumps popped out over the top. His mouth watered at the sight of those hardened, raspberry-colored nipples. He sucked one into his mouth. Her throaty groan echoed in the kitchen. He sucked harder.
Her fingers tugged his shirt from his waistband, then she worked the button of his jeans, then the zipper. Fire roared between his ears when her fingers brushed against his shaft.
It pained him to pull his mouth from that rosebud nipple of hers, but the need to rid her of the rest of her clothes took precedent. Gripping her hand and guided her to his bedroom where he tumbled her onto his king-sized bed. She released a sexy-as-sin chuckle when he yanked off her pants urging him to move quicker. He pulled his shirt over his head, kicked off his jeans, and dove onto the bed alongside her. He skimmed his hands and mouth over her heavenly body.
Her tiny hands worked with the same enthusiasm.
“God, I want you,” Ben stated after pulling his mouth from one breast and latching onto the other.
“Me, too. I’ve wanted this for so long,” Cori whispered huskily.
That was all it took for him to reach over to the nightstand, tug open the drawer, and pull a condom from it.
Cori propped herself onto her elbows and watched as he sheathed himself. Her hungry gaze was erotic as sin.
When he finished, he moved toward her. She eased back down, held her arms out to him, and spread open. With all the groping and lusty need that had occurred in the few minutes prior to this moment, Ben willed himself to move slowly toward her as she held his gaze. He steadied himself above her, and though his whole body tingled with anticipation, he kissed her softly, wanting to savor this moment.
Her hands floated over him, lightly. Unlike minutes earlier. Sweet caresses.
He pulled his mouth from hers and stared into those desire-filled brown eyes of hers. Then he slipped inside her warmth.
Her breath hitched, and she arched toward him. He pumped long, slow strokes, pulling soft little groans of pleasure from her. Those sexy sounds were the sweetest he’d ever heard.
She moved in rhythm with him as if they’d done this together a hundred times before. Reaching down between their bodies, he circled her swollen bud. Her breaths quickened, so he applied a little pressure. Her flesh heated beneath his fingertips, and she cried out as she convulsed around him, urging him to pump more and harder to find his release. His body tensed, then jerked, and let loose.
Ben floated down, melting to her. Her quivering muscles stilled beneath him. His hammering heart eventually calmed, and he rolled off, pulling her along with him. She tucked into the crook of his arm, her hand languid on his chest, her head on his shoulder. Silky strands of dark hair tickled his chin as her lavender scent relaxed him.
Complete satisfaction sifted through him.
Cori resumed her curled position at Ben’s side when he returned from the bathroom. At one time, lying beside him was a place she’d sworn she’d never be, but now it thrilled her to be there. Soaking up his heat and love. She’d held romantic feelings for him when she was a teenager, hell, she’d always held them. But, a small part of her worried about allowing him into her life that way. He was such a flirt—a player. Why would he change for her? That, coupled with her failed marriage, reminded her of the mistake she’d undoubtedly just made.
But it felt so good, both the mind-boggling sex and being in his arms right now. If only her heart wasn’t so into it, she’d be better off. Or, if only he’d waited for her years ago maybe they would have married each other first, and he’d be the father of her children. Doubt clouded over her if they had married back then—would they still be married or would he have bailed on her by now, too. Judging from her track record with men, that’s probably what would have happened. He’d be long gone.
“Hey, you okay?” Ben asked.
Was she? She lifted her head from his broad chest and looked at him. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You seem tense all of a sudden.”
So, he’d felt her body go rigid as she did when she thought of her ex leaving her.
She drew in a slow, deep breath and let it out, hoping the anxiety tightening her body would flow out with it. Having just shared a beautiful, intimate moment with Ben, after having wanted it for so long, made her want to bask a bit longer before she returned to the hectic reality of her life.
His arm tightened around her, and he kissed her forehead.
“I’ve wanted this…you for so long,” he assured her.
“Me, too,” she replied, then inched up to kiss him.
His lips brushed lightly over hers, moving slowly, sensually. His large, calloused hand floated up and down her back. With his other hand, he stroked her hair and face. His touch was gentle—light as air as he kissed her endlessly.
The taste of him seeped into her. She could do this all day—night, if not for the fact she’d eventually have to leave to get home before her sons did.
With every light brush of his lips, her body temperature rose a degree. The slow burn of pleasure built with each stroke of his hand to her heated skin. She skimmed her fingers down the hard muscles of his abdomen, then farther. He was already hard. Perfect.
She straddled him and reached toward the nightstand in search of another condom. His eyes lit up, and he smiled knowingly. After sheathing him, she took him in, setting her own pace. Slow, steady strokes had her climbing the ladder to ecstasy.
Ben slid his hands up her stomach to her breasts, kneading lightly at first, then squeezing harder. The mocha eyes staring back at her darkened to almost black as he slid one hand down and circled her swollen bud until she exploded with pleasure. Convulsions made from pure pleasure rocked her body.
In one quick motion, he flipped her onto her back and pumped fast and hard. His body tensed. His eyes went opaque. His pleasure-filled groan echoed in the bedroom.
He rolled off of her onto his back and pulled her tight to his side. She basked in the warmth of his body and the comfort of his hold.
“Hungry?” Ben asked.
Oh, she was indeed hungry, but for far more than just food.
Her lover smiled perceptively.
Heat rose in her cheeks.
Ben grilled some chicken breasts and asparagus. She wasn’t surprised at his choice of food; she knew he was a healthy eater. He was in good physical shape, not too bulky, just right.
Every time he caught her gaze from across the table, her heart fluttered like a teenager in love for the first time. There weren’t many words exchanged while they ate but a lot was said through his gaze. Dinner like this every night would be fabulous. Afternoons, like they shared today, would be even better.
“What’s that smile for?” Ben asked as he stood to clear the dirty plates off the table.
She could hardly tell him what had brought it on or they’d likely wind up in bed again. Though she’d like nothing more, she couldn’t; she needed to get home before the boys did.
The knowing look in his eyes told her he knew the answer before he asked. The wink he followed up with solidified it. Her cheeks heated, and she hoped they weren’t as red as she imagined.
Cori eyed the clock on the wall.
“You have to go?” he asked.
She sighed, “Yeah, Holden will be home soon. Eli gets done with work at eight.”
Cori stood and walked over to the sink, thinking she’d rinse the dishes and load them into the dishwasher first.
Ben lifted his hand, palm facing her. “I’ll get that.” Then he reached for her and pulled her into an embrace.
She lifted her chin slightly and tucked her face into the crook of his neck and breathed in his stimulating clean, soapy scent. His five o’clock shadow rubbed enticingly against her cheek. Enjoying his hold, she wished she could stay longer, but mom duty called.
Against her will, she inched away. “Big plans tonight?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, big night planned.” He pointed to the overly large television set in the living room, “Brewers start at seven.”
She nodded, knowing he was a huge baseball fan. “Well, I’d better get home,” Cori said as she turned toward the door.
Ben’s hand caught her wrist, and she spun to face him.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked.
Disappointment rippled through her. She had to work both jobs tomorrow, city hall until one o’clock and then waitress at four o’clock. “I’ve got a double tomorrow.”
“So we can sneak in an hour or two between your shifts?”
Fire flamed her cheeks at the thoughts rolling through her mind. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “See you at one-thirty.”
Cori wasn’t home but ten minutes before Holden arrived, having walked from the coach’s house, which was only a couple blocks away. They chatted a bit about his final homework project for his Civics class, then he flipped on the television to watch the Brewers game.
Seeing the game triggered warm memories of her afternoon with Ben. She imagined him in his recliner viewing the game as he said he would be. She’d like it better if he were here with them watching it. Maybe she should have invited him over. Holden would have loved it. Ben always gave him the attention he needed when her son talked to him, and she appreciated that, especially since he had no father figure.
Her heart warmed at the thought of Ben as a father figure for her sons.
A loud commercial knocked Cori out of her pleasant reverie. Why were the commercials always so loud compared to the game or whatever show they were watching?
She looked at her watch. It was a quarter after eight. Eli should be home from work any minute.
The game resumed. Another half-inning passed and still no sign of Eli.
“Was your brother going anywhere after work tonight?” she asked Holden.
He shrugged. “He’s grounded,” Holden said as if that actually would mean anything to Eli.
Cori puttered around the house in an attempt to calm her building anger. It was now nine o’clock, and still no word from Eli. No response to her calls or texts. Nothing to Holden even. She was sick and tired of his defiance—his complete disregard for her.
She yanked her purse off the counter and thrust the strap over her shoulder. “I’m going to find your brother. Call me if you see or hear from him.”
Holden nodded without taking his gaze off the television.
Cori stormed out the door, hopped in her car, and headed toward the grocery store to see if Eli was still there. Maybe he had to work longer for some reason tonight, and perhaps it was her fault he wasn’t answering her calls or texts because she’d told him time and time again not to use his phone when he worked.
Circling the parking lot, she found no sign of Eli’s car. Where could he be? She decided to drive past his friend’s houses, starting with Luke.
She turned down Eighth Avenue and drove slowly in the darkness as she passed by the home. Several cars were parked along the curb but none of them were Eli’s. She pulled over to pull a U-turn to head back into town, having to wait for a truck to pass by first. The truck moved slowly. Her heart slammed in her chest when she realized it was Ben. Where was he going? He was supposed to be home watching the game. What the hell?
Cori cut her lights and watched as he drove past the two vacant lots and then backed into the driveway of the wooded lot across the street from Julie and William Spencer’s home. What was he doing there?
Curiosity got the best of her, and rather than turn around, she drove in the direction Ben disappeared. She sped past the wooded lot driveway, hoping he wouldn’t recognize her car if he saw it. Sure as could be, his truck was tucked just inside the tree line.
Down the road a bit, she pulled over, cut the lights, and watched out her back window. Nothing. No activity from the wooded parcel. Across the street from the lot, lights were on in the first floor of the Spencer home. The garage door was open, and Julie’s car was in its stall. No sign of William’s. He was probably working late. She knew from her job at the police department that he was a busy lawyer and kept late hours, so that wasn’t a surprise. It was also rumored he kept late hours with Assistant District Attorney Stacy Kennedy.
Reality hit her like a punch to the gut. Was Julie made from the same mold as her husband? A cheater?
Cori’s heart plummeted to her stomach. Was Ben parked across the street in the woods in an attempt to hide his truck while he…bile rose in her throat. Were the two lovers?
With shaky fingers, she pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed Ben’s number. It went to his voicemail.
She redialed him.
“Hi there.”
The asshole sounded chipper. She could play this game.
“Hi. Enjoying the game?” she asked as she worked hard to keep the anger out of her tone.
A couple of beats passed. Was he on to her? Did he know she knew he wasn’t home watching the game like he said he’d be?
“Yes.”
“Maybe I could sneak over after the boys go to bed?”
“Um…”
“Not that I wouldn’t love that, but I have to be up by three o’clock for work, and I…well, what kind of message will that send to the boys if they found out.”
With what he was doing right now, he was going to play the high and mighty role?
“I suppose that wouldn’t be good.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then, as planned?” The hint of unease in his voice indicated he worried she may be changing her mind.
“Sure,” she replied and disconnected the call before she blew her cover of strength.
Her heart ached. He’d just lied to her, proving they were all the same. She should have never let her guard down.
Ben leaned his head against the steering wheel, feeling like a total jackass for lying to Cori. He hoped she hadn’t seen through him, but there was no way he could tell her where he was. He feared he knew too much about the murders, and the cops would question him—accuse him of murdering Scarlett and Jessica if he informed them of his concern for Julie’s safety.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as he recalled the story of his grandfather murdering his mistress. He kept that story to himself, the best he could, but living in a small town, everyone knew everyone’s business, and he was sure at times people still looked at him in disdain, doubting his moral character because of it. It had become especially evident a few years back when James Franklin wrote that book about a handful of murders that occurred in the city. The stories dated back to prohibition and included his grandfather’s story. That book seemed to refresh everybody’s memory of his lineage.
If that wasn’t bad enough on its own, he had to go and blab to the guys at the lunch table about what he’d witnessed in the wee morning hours while on his route. Looking back, he wished he hadn’t done that. It made him look like he knew too much. That, coupled with his grandfather’s story, made him look like a prime suspect.
He lifted his head and focused on Julie Spencer’s house across the street. He’d keep an eye on her until William returned home, hoping he wasn’t working late—doing Stacy Kennedy tonight—because if he was, Ben wouldn’t be getting any sleep. It had crossed his mind to tell Chief Mertz Julie could be next on the killer’s list, but how guilty would that make him look, and what about all the other people whose indiscretions he’d noticed. Sweat beaded on his brow. Who would be next? At his last count, there were possibly two or three more on the list he could think of, but those were men, and so far only women had been murdered.
Staring at the house, he wished Julie would shut the garage door to eliminate that point of entry. Likely, her doors weren’t locked either. That’s the way people rolled in a small town.
Ben watched Julie’s shadow through the closed drapes as she flipped off the living room light and walked into the kitchen. The garage door began to close. Looked like William wouldn’t be home for a while. She left the outside light on though. Within a minute, she’d turned off the kitchen light. The house looked quiet. She must have gone to bed.
The stillness, lack of activity, gave him too much time to think. His chest tightened. He’d lied to Cori, the last person he wanted to hurt. He hoped she’d never find out. On the other hand, maybe it was best she did. She’d be better off without a guy like him. He couldn’t seem to say or do the right thing when it came to women he loved. His ex was a prime example. He had loved Lisa, and he knew she loved him, but he just couldn’t seem to hold his marriage together.
He recalled the beginning of the end. It was eighteen years ago when that awful book featuring his grandfather and the man’s murdered mistress was released. The general public hadn’t made mention of his family’s immoral lineage for quite some time, then boom, that stupid book caused everything to resurface.
He just hadn’t been able to deal with it, the way people looked at him—the way his ex looked at him. It was too much to bear.
Lisa knew the story before they married, though they never really talked about it. But, after the book came out, he’d caught her talking to a friend about the incident, and the pitiful, speculative look they’d flashed him when he happened upon their conversation felt like a sucker punch. From the friend it was okay, but from his wife, the woman he shared his life with—pledged to love and stand by through thick and thin with for his entire life—the woman who’d pledged the same, about killed him right there on the spot.
It was that very moment he figured out he’d never escape the horrific history of his ancestors. That was the turning point in his marriage. The end. Sure, Lisa had told him his grandfather’s actions were of no consequence to her, and that he should not own the actions of another man, but he just couldn’t seem to shake it and pushed her away—closed his heart so the pitiful look she and her friend had both flashed him that day would never matter so much to him again.
But then Cori resurfaced, and his heart begged him to let her in.
Ben placed his hand over his aching chest. Cori. Here he went again, failing miserably, lying to the woman he loved, but there was no way he could tell her where he really was, let alone why.
He stretched and yawned as he watched William finally pull into his driveway. He glanced at his watch like he’d done several times already while he’d waited for the man to get home. Crap, one o’clock. Well, the main thing was Julie was safe and sound. At least he could still get about two hours of sleep before he had to get ready for work.
Once William flipped the lights off, Ben started his truck and headed for home. His sluggish feet carried him into his house. He was too old for this—staying up past ten o’clock, especially since he had to be to work by four.
He flopped onto the bed, and his weary body melted into the mattress, but his overactive mind reeled, keeping him from sleep. The sight of Jessica Benoit’s bloodied face haunted him when he closed his eyes. A shiver raked through his body. He’d never seen anything like that. This was stuff in crime shows, not in small-town Wisconsin. The image of her bashed-in skull would forever be entrenched in his brain.
Ben pulled the bedcovers up and tucked the soft material under his chin. The scent of lavender—Cori’s lovely aroma—floated into his nose. He inhaled deeply to draw in every bit of that comforting scent his nostrils would allow. After letting the air out of his lungs, he took another drag of the fragrance embedded in his quilt.
What he’d give for Cori to be in his bed right now, and to be drawing that tantalizing smell from her rather than his blankets.
His chest tightened at the thought of lying to her. He hadn’t wanted to, but it was best for everyone. He simply wanted to keep an eye on Julie—make sure she was safe, and telling anyone of that was out of the question. Between knowing too much about the victims and his family’s history, he’d be treated as a suspect. The belt around his chest gripped harder. In light of all this, and his track record with women, Cori was probably better off without him.
