Shine On (34 page)

She crossed her arms over her chest tucking the small book firmly under her arm as she spoke. “What kind of deal?”

“You probably haven’t noticed but I have a soft spot for you Emma.” His creepy smile gave her goose bumps. “If you agree to take me as a woman takes a man in front of God and everyone, I will erase your name from my calendar before I turn it in.”

He was seriously off his rocker.

“Mr. Thomas what on earth makes you think the U.S. Government is going to believe what you wrote in your diary?” she spit.

“Oh, I’ve got more than the book.” He moved close to her again and grabbed the envelope and the small camera. “It is amazing what you can get for under six dollars. I got the camera and these twelve film negatives,” he said, holding up a tiny row of negatives. She took the negatives and held them up to the light. Was that a picture of the pig?

“They will never be able to make these out,” she said.

“You’re right,” he nodded his head, “it would have been challenging. Which is why for three dollars I could also get an enlarger.” Her reached inside the envelope and pulled out a stack of postcard sized photos and handed them to her. It was a series of photos showing the same people arriving at the door she’d walked through yesterday. One was the delivery she’d witnessed yesterday afternoon. Anyone who had entered that door in daylight was captured on film. When she got to the last one her breath caught in her throat. It was one of she and Silas talking yesterday on her lunch break.

“See, I knew in time you will be proud of me. Like I said, I really am the only one doing the honorable thing here. Emma, it would kill me for you to be a part of this ugly scene that is going to unfold very soon but the choice is yours, my dear.”

Emmie slid the negatives and the calendar back in the envelope. After one last slow flip through the photos she put them in, also.

“You know I cannot marry you, Mr. Thomas. My heart is somewhere else,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, tucking the envelope in tightly as she did so.

His face darkened. “You must be talking about Silas McDowell.” He took a step closer to her. She could feel his breath on her face. He gritted his crooked teeth. “They will use you and put you out, Emma. He can’t give you what I can.”

He grabbed her hair and pulled her face to his. His face was all mouth and teeth. Emmie picked up her heel and stomped his foot as hard as she could. She held the envelope tight and grabbed the small black box that held the camera and ran across the store. She slid on the marble tile near the door. His feet were closing in behind her. She felt him grab her shoulder and jerk her back, pushing her against a display of cans near the entry.

His breath was ragged from running after her. He pulled his hand and smacked her hard. Emmie could taste the blood from her lips.

“I’m sorry,” she lied. “I panicked when you came at me.”

His anger softened. When he reached up to touch her hair she took a step toward him. He wrapped his hands around her back. All at once she jerked her knee up as hard and fast as she could. He fell to the ground screaming and cursing.

Emmie flung open the door to the shop so hard the little chime flew off its rest. She ran across the street, past the fountain in the center of the square, and into the entrance of the law firm. The receptionist of the firm looked up startled. “My God, Miss Emmie, what on earth is going on?”

“Is Silas here? Trick, Gabe, anyone?” She asked, panting. She didn’t know if Mr. Thomas would have the guts to follow her but she didn’t want to wait around and find out either.

Chapter Forty-eight

“Y
es, let me just call and let them know you are here,” she said, picking up the phone.

Emmie had been in this building with Ava enough to know her way around. She bet Silas was using Al’s office while he was away. She ran up the three flights of stairs. When she reached the last landing Silas was standing there waiting for her. At first he looked angry but as she drew nearer it turned to fear.

“What’s happened?” he asked, grabbing her by her arm and leading her into an office. He sat her in a chair and propped himself up on the end of the desk.

“Emmie, you’re bleeding.” He reached out and touched her lip.

“Mr. Thomas.” It was all she could get out. She was panting from the attack and her run. She thrust the envelope at him. “Forgot to tell you.” She tried to catch her breath. “He’s how I knew about the pig. He and his brother had a fight over watching it and something about money.” She paused again. “Revenuers.”

Without talking Silas pulled out the contents of the envelope and flipped through the pictures, nodding as he looked at each one. His face had set into a deep frown.

Beginning to compose herself, Emmie reached up and pulled the diary calendar from the envelope and turned to yesterday. His eyes were wide as he read the name of each person who entered and exited the joint. His finger stopped at her name and he looked up at her.

“And he did this,” he pointed to her lip, “to you?” He kept his voice calm and gentle.

Emmie nodded.

“Because you were trying to leave with his evidence?” he asked.

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t take his blackmail…” she said the last part quickly.

His eyes widened. He nodded to himself as if he was thinking through everything he had just learned.

“Well, you don’t need to worry about this.” He held up the envelope and calendar. “This is an easy fix.” He smiled.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I promised not to lie to you. So, please don’t ask me questions you really don’t want answered.” His voice had a bite to it. “Just trust me, he is not the first asshole I have dealt with.”

“Just don’t overreact because you’re angry and get yourself in trouble okay?” she said, wiping her hands on her skirt.

“Overreact? This,” he held up the envelope, “this makes me angry. It pisses me off.” He nodded his head. “But this,” he brought up his hand, touched her cheek, and ran it down to her mouth, looking sad, “this crosses the line. For this he will pay.”

Silas knew he was playing with fire by pissing off the shopkeeper that had a thing for Emmie but he didn’t think he was dangerous. He had seriously misjudged that man but all of that would be corrected in time.

“Has anyone else seen these that you know of?” he asked her.

Emmie shook her head, “Maybe Will, his brother? But I really don’t think he wanted to be involved.”

Silas nodded, put the envelope and camera in his briefcase, and locked it.

“Will you wait for me one second?” he asked walking toward the door.

She nodded.

Silas was only gone for a minute or two and when he returned Trick was with him. “I see our little ball of trouble has returned.” He smiled down at her.

Silas grabbed his brother by the arm. “Not the time, brother.” He let go and walked out of the office. He tossed the keys to Trick and climbed into the back seat with Emmie.

“I’m taking you home to Ava’s. Gabe is there and Vince is due back sometime today. I’m going to go take care of some things,” he said, looking down at her.

“Other than this,” he touched her mouth, “are you okay?”

She nodded, “I’m fine.”

He leaned down closer to her face. “Did he do anything else?” He was hanging on the balance of control here. He looked down at her skirt and touched a spot where the fabric was ripped. Emmie hadn’t noticed that. It must have happened when he grabbed her to pull her back from the door.

“No, honest. He just tried to kiss me. And I kneed him,” she said.

This brought a huge grin to his face. He pulled her in close and cradled her head to his chest. Thumbing the hair down at her temple like you would a child. “Why does that not surprise me?” He actually laughed. Trick looked back in surprise.

Silas leaned forward and kissed her nose, her cheeks, her mouth. “I’m sorry this happened.”

She shrugged brushing it off, “It is what it is, right?”

Emmie reached up and touched the scab over his eye. “Now we do look like fighting Irish.”

***********

When they got inside the house Gabe was waiting. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” he asked.

“No. I won’t be long. Emmie, let’s get you cleaned up.” He threaded his fingers through hers and led her to the bathroom.

“I will be okay,” she said, trying to take the cold washcloth from him.

“Emmie let me take care of you,” he said quietly.

She drew her hand back and nodded.

“I need to tell you something but being as you have had a rough morning, I’m not sure if I should,” he said honestly and she appreciated it.

“Tell. You have to now that you’ve said that,” she said.

“Trick got a confession. I called him from your house and he went straight to the jail where Sam was. He and Sheriff Drake got him to make a full confession.”

“Why was he in jail?”

“Well, after an anonymous person wrote a letter saying they saw someone shoot Ronnie and then set his car on fire, the case was reopened.” He smiled.

“Really, you’ve gotten all of that done in the hour since I saw you this morning?” she asked.

“More or less. Some of it may be happening right now or will happen very soon. Didn’t I tell you once that timelines are subjective? And since Sam has confessed to robbing and murdering him it will be a very quick trial. Open and shut. Minimal stress on you. Walter and I talked after he dropped you off. He seemed to think this is the way you would want it handled.”

She didn’t really want to think about the alternative. Which made her think of Mr. Thomas.

Emmie nodded to agree with the trial. “Don’t hurt him too bad, okay?”

“Is the him you’re talking about Paul Thomas?” he asked, getting tense.

“Yes,” she said.

“Define too bad and I’ll see if we can compromise. I was thinking slow and painful death. Your turn,” he said.

“Silas, really… I’m thinking don’t hurt him past the point of recovery.” She raised her eyebrows at him.

He grabbed his chin and rubbed his jaw thinking it over. “I’m not making promises but I’ll try to go somewhere in the middle of those two things.”

Emmie sighed.

“Okay. I’ll try. I promise,” he said.

When Emmie walked out of the bathroom door Ava was standing there. “I’d just let him kill him, honestly Emmie, that man has been a thorn in your side for years,” she said nonchalantly then smiled.

By the time Silas made it back to Trick he was all business again. He could turn that off and on better than anyone Emmie had ever seen. She walked to the door to tell him goodbye.

“Be careful.”

“I’ll be fine.” He smiled. “Will you be here when I get back?”

She nodded. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss then reached on the table behind her, grabbed his other gun he’d left there this morning, and secured it in his holster.

Chapter Forty-nine

A
fter Emmie had showered and changed she went to find Ava with the box from her house tucked into her arm. Throughout everything she’d been through last night and today, that letter was still on her mind. Last night, she thought she didn’t think too much about the short note from her father. What did it matter who he was anyway? He’d never been there for her before so why should it matter now? But for some reason, she couldn’t let go of it. It mattered that he sent her money she never knew about. It mattered her mother had kept it from her all these years. It mattered that Ronnie knew who he was. It mattered there were pictures hidden in her barn she had never seen. It mattered he was still close enough to someone she knew to “hear through the grapevine” she wanted to go to college. It mattered. All of it.

If there was one thing she’d gotten out of the last few days, it was keeping things to herself led to trouble. So, she decided to start by sharing it with Ava. She found her sitting on a couch. Gabe was standing behind her pacing like a tiger in a cage. He obviously didn’t like being left behind to watch the girls.

“Whatcha got?” Ava asked, noticing the box right away.

“Well, Silas helped me find this.” Okay, so that was a little half-truth.

She opened the box to find a stack of cash had been returned to the box. The stack looked thicker than before. As she reached the bottom she noticed there was a new note taped to one of the bills.