Long Simmering Spring (25 page)

“Don?”

“I honestly don’t know. We need to do some digging into his personal connections, pronto. In the meantime, I’m going to get Julie out of here. Can you wrap up?”

Hank nodded, cool as ever. “No problem, boss.”

Cole returned to the front of the house. Before he started up the stairs, something made him turn toward the shed. He skimmed the ground with his flashlight. When he reached the shed, he immediately went to examine the interior. There were no fresh marks in the dirt; the footprints were still there, but they didn’t look any deeper. So no one had been skulking around the shed—at least, not recently.

When he got back to the house, Julie was just coming down the stairs holding a small overnight bag. Cole nodded approvingly. “Good. You just need enough for a few days. I’ll come back with you later in the week to help you clean up, and we can get some more clothes for you then. Let’s get to the boat.” Ushering her to his waiting car, he took her bag, placed it in the trunk, got Julie safely situated in the passenger seat, and drove down to the pier. He parked next to the water in one of the spaces reserved for boat owners. Cole retrieved Julie’s bag from the trunk and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go,” he said. The wooden planks of the pier creaked underfoot as they walked toward Val’s boat. Tiny lights from the docked boats lit the way. Aromas of the water and the pier, briny and musty, drifted up toward them. Waves lapped against piling and rope rubbed against wood as the boats strained against their moorings. “We’re here.”

Julie looked up at the darkened boat. Val stood on the deck, one arm wrapped in the rigging, a hand tucked into the pocket of his low-slung jeans. His black hair and lean figure blended into the shadows. Then he flashed a smile, white teeth glinting in the dim light, and unfolded his rangy frame from the rigging he’d been holding.

He looked dangerous, but in a different way from Cole. The danger that Cole exuded was palpable, present, while Val’s was more subtle. But it was there nonetheless. Val crossed the deck and reached out his hand to Julie, steadying her as she stepped over the threshold of the vessel.

“Doctor,” he said in greeting. His hand felt slim and cool. So unlike Cole’s large, warm ones. “Sorry you have to be here under these circumstances.”

Val’s prominent cheekbones stood out more as he set his lips in a determined line and met her gaze with an implacable expression. Despite his leanness, there was strength, great strength, within him. Cole had made it clear they protected their own.

And now Cole was treating her as his.

“Thanks, Val. I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

Val nodded. “I’ll put your things in Cole’s cabin,” he said, before slipping below deck.

The solid weight of Cole’s arm was around her shoulders. “You’ll be safe here,” he said, his voice echoing hollowly in the night air. “Val knows the score. He’ll pick up the slack when I’m not around. You shouldn’t go anywhere alone from now on. Not until we figure out what’s going on.”

Julie bristled a little at that comment. “I’m not used to people telling me what to do.”

“I know. But I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”

“So now what do we do?”

“Now we try to get some sleep,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him down to the cabins.

She made her way down the staircase until she was below deck. Val had disappeared. A short corridor stretched out in front of her with doors on either side, and one at the end. “I’m really not sure if I can manage that.”

He opened the door on the right. “We’ll try.”

She stepped into the room. There wasn’t much to the cabin. A pair of bunk beds were on the far wall, and there was a tiny closet tucked away to the right.

“Val probably put your bag inside.”

She opened the closet door and was unsurprised to see all of Cole’s clothes, neatly folded and stacked. Two uniforms were hanging up, and his shoes were compartmentalized in a shoe hanger. No fuss. No mess. Typical Cole.

They washed up in the small bathroom at the end of the hallway and got ready for bed. Then, they squeezed together into Cole’s snug bottom berth. To conserve room, Cole tucked his arm around Julie’s shoulders, turned her on her side, and rested her head in the crook of his arm.

“I like my bed better,” Julie said a bit petulantly, her voice muffled into the side of his chest.

Cole let out a brief chuckle. “I do, too. But it’s only temporary. We’ll figure everything out soon.”

“I
am
grateful to Val for letting me encroach,” she offered.

“I told him how important you are to me. He understands.”

“Val doesn’t talk much, does he?”

“Not around people he doesn’t know well. But around anyone with the last name of Grayson, he can talk with the best of them.”

“It must have been nice, growing up with three brothers.”

“
Nice
isn’t exactly the word I’d use,” Cole said wryly.

“What I mean is that you had each other.”

“We looked out for one another. Especially after Dad died.”

“You had your brothers. I didn’t have anyone looking out for me,” she said in a small voice.

“You do now.”

She tipped her face up to him in the dark cabin, seeking his lips with hers. When they touched, she pressed her mouth against his gently. “I’m glad it’s you.” Then she tucked herself back against him so that she was comfortable.

Cole kissed the top of her head. “Try to sleep, Doc.”

Julie closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. The hell-bent-on-trouble boy was long gone, and in his place was a man of strength and character. “I love you,” she whispered, before relaxing into his warm, firm body. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

She loved him.

What had he done to deserve someone like her? Someone who gave and gave—of her body, of her soul, of herself—and who saw him as he really was.

It was humbling. It was exhilarating.

It was petrifying.

That night, when he became aware that she’d been threatened again, a cold fury had swept through him. He would kill anyone who harmed her. The thought scared him. How would he have reacted if something had happened to her? That loss of control wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate. It was frightening, and yes, dangerous, to those around him.

The smartest thing he’d done as of late was to coax his way into her life. At first, he’d been doing better than he had in a while. She’d kept his anxiety and fear at bay, simply with her cool, calm presence. But it was still there, because the moment she was in danger, he felt it creeping up again. And as the danger to her had increased, every one of his emotions had heightened. Going back to the shrink in Boston played in his mind, but if he did end up going back, then he’d have to admit he was broken.
Broken.
The word grated on him. Why was it such a big deal? He already knew he was messed up, but somehow, having to admit that to Julie and the shrink, and backtracking on work he thought he’d already done was just demoralizing.

Keeping his weaknesses hidden had come back to bite him in the ass. Julie, with her positive outlook on pretty much everything, had flipped something inside him, skewed his perspective. Now, going back to the shrink wasn’t just “a good idea.” It was a necessity.

Cole held her closer and heard her sigh gently in her sleep as she cradled against him. It had been too long since he’d thought about himself as a person. He wasn’t paid to think about himself; he’d been a machine—working and fighting for others. But he couldn’t ignore the fact that she’d stripped him bare—seen what lay beneath the façade—and she still wasn’t running away. In fact, she was getting closer. He owed it to her to try the shrink again. And more than that, he owed it to himself.

Cole felt himself drifting to sleep, the rocking motion of the boat getting him there faster than if he were on dry land. Cue nightmare.

And when it came—all blinding light and hard fear and cold sweat, his woman grounded him once again, clinging to him and refusing to let him fall down the abyss.

Even though he was already gone.

CHAPTER 20

“This is the perfect day to skip town.”

Given everything that had happened over the past few weeks, Julie was happy to be heading out of Star Harbor, if only for the day. She was in the driver’s seat of her station wagon, the windows rolled halfway down, the wind in her hair, the aromas of freshly cut grass and blooming trees wafting in. Cole sat silently beside her in the passenger seat, his posture ramrod straight, his bearing softened only by his tousled black hair. The sun was shining and the day was warm, clear and bright. The scene was so idyllic that Julie could almost forget she was on a long-overdue trip to visit Margo and Quentin Rathbone in Providence.

Cole only grunted in response to her comment and stared out the window.

Since Don had been released, Margo and Quentin hadn’t set foot on the Cape except for the bail hearing. They’d kept to Margo’s aunt’s house and the surrounding area while they waited for the legal issues to be resolved. True to her word, Julie had referred Margo and Quentin to her friend Dr. Tucker in Providence, and had heard from her colleague that the two were physically doing much better—especially Quentin, whose ear had completely healed.

Thank goodness for Quentin. He’d been a beacon of light in this whole affair, refusing to kowtow to Don’s demands and bullying, and supporting his mother unreservedly. Quentin was a strong kid, and she hoped he’d come through without too many emotional issues.

Julie stole a quick glance at Cole. He had a resigned but calm expression on his handsome face. Only if she looked closely could she see the subtle strain—the slight clenching of his jawbone, the tiny line of concern between his eyebrows. Of course Cole had seen domestic abuse cases in Boston; she’d seen them herself during her rotation in emergency medicine. But somehow for her, incidents of abuse always seemed worse, less anonymous, more
devastating
, in a small town.

Don’s abuse hit home especially hard because she had grown up with Margo. They were close in age, and they’d shared a lot of the same goals in high school. They’d even gone to the same college. But something had happened between then and now.
Why
it had happened was complicated—domestic abuse had many causes, and Julie could only hope that Margo would eventually get her life back together after being dependent on Don for so long.

She glanced over at Cole again, his face a mask of impassivity. Was this what his “doing his duty” expression looked like? Maybe it was something else. Neither of them had been sleeping well. Over the last couple of nights, he’d woken from sleep more than once. She wanted him to go back to the psychologist, but any time she brought it up, he’d change the subject.

Considering everything going on, she was glad he’d offered to accompany her. She was going to have a hard enough time today, and his presence would help to keep her grounded.

They made good time on the road and arrived in Providence in just over an hour, pulling up to the old Victorian home in the Edgewood district and parking on the street. Julie and Cole walked up to the porch, and Cole rapped briskly on the door. While they waited, Julie took the opportunity to look around. The house was painted a pale pink with white trim. In the front yard, dozens of rosebushes of every shape and size were clustered together in a big mass. Some early roses had begun to bloom, and their odor was heady.

After a few moments, they were greeted by Margo’s aunt, a petite, spry seventy-year-old who ushered them inside. The smell inside the house was as flowery as it was outside, as if the place had been doused in thick perfume. Looking around, Julie saw the source of the aroma. On one side of the large front hall were pots and pots of indoor plants of every size and shape. It was clear that the woman loved plants and especially favored the flowering variety.

They stood in the hall and exchanged pleasantries. “Good to see you again, Sheriff Grayson,” Margot’s aunt said, shaking his hand. “And you must be Dr. Kensington. Well, I must say it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Quentin.”

She shook Julie’s hand with a surprisingly firm grip. Julie smiled at the woman’s infectious warmth. “It’s wonderful to meet you, too, Mrs. Doppel. And please call me Julie.”

The older woman smiled at her, the apples of her cheeks growing rosier as she beamed. “Lovely, my dear. Only if you promise to call me Angie. Come into the parlor. I’ve just made some tea for everyone. Margo and Quentin are already inside.” Julie followed her small form into a lavishly decorated room. And then simply stared at her surroundings.

Chintz patterning covered almost every inch of the place, from the plump love seats to the throw pillows to the wallpaper. The curtains were done in another floral pattern that did not quite correspond with that of the chintz on the sofas. A large painting of a rosebush hung on the wall, flanked by smaller watercolors of flowers of every kind.

Angie turned to Julie after noticing her taking in the décor. “Do you like it?” she asked. “I do so love flowers and can’t resist having them everywhere. This house is my love letter to them.”

“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Julie said honestly, watching as Cole tried to keep a straight face. Margo and Quentin were seated on one of the love seats and rose to greet them. They both looked noticeably better. Quentin had put on some weight and had a rosy glow to his countenance; he was no longer the awkward, skinny boy that Julie remembered. Even better, the light in his eye was no longer sparked with anger. It was the natural, curious light of an adolescent boy, and that, more than anything, made Julie happy.

Margo, too, looked much improved. Her haunted, frightened look was gone, the dark circles under her eyes had faded, and her skin looked much less sallow. She still seemed reserved, but Julie knew that aspect of her personality would take a while to change. Best of all, Julie noted that although she didn’t approach Cole, she didn’t shrink away from him, either.

Quentin rushed over, the small boy looking up with unchecked admiration at Cole. “Hi, Sheriff Grayson. I’m glad you came.”