What Lies Beneath: Romantic Suspense (11 page)

Frozen in place, I breathed heavily. Stars danced in front of my eyes. I was on the verge of passing out. A shadow moved at the edge of the car’s headlights. I pressed myself flat against the car as if I could disappear. A figure in black stepped into the light. He had the gun pointed at Mr. Devereaux. He approached slowly, cautious of Mr. Devereaux’s lifeless body. When the man stepped into the light, I gasped.

“Theo?”

20

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Theo knelt down to take Mr. Devereaux’s pulse. Satisfied, that he was dead, he sat down by my side. He ran his hands over my face, arms and legs, looking for a sign of injury.

“Theo?” I said again, not believing he was standing before me.

“You’re going to be alright. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

He wrapped an arm around me. I started to tremble so hard that I could hear my teeth chatter. Theo took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I buried my head in his chest and squeezed him tight. He ran his free hand up and down my back.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe now.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the gun in his hand.

“What are you doing here?” I asked with an edge of hysteria in my voice.

Theo looked off into the dark, then said: “Let’s get you out of here.”

He pulled me to my feet and wrapped an arm around my waist. I closed my eyes and hid my face against Theo’s chest as we passed Mr. Devereaux’s lifeless body.

We walked into the darkness for what felt like a long time. Our progress was slow. My leg throbbed and I had to take it easy. I leaned heavily on Theo for support.

The woods were alive around us with the sound of insects, birds and nocturnal animals. I could just barely make out the sight of a road before us. I trusted Theo to lead me to safety.

The shape of a car emerged before us. It sat at the fork in the road where the dirt path turned to asphalt. Theo opened the passenger’s side door and sat me down.

“Theo, what’s going on? How did you know I was here?”

He took my shaking hands in his own and brought them to his mouth, breathing warm air on them. He rubbed my skin, trying to bring the warmth back, then took off his coat and wrapped it around me. He looked at me gravely.

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” he said.

“Yeah? No shit?”

He ignored my sarcasm and continued to rub my hands.

“I’ll explain everything in a minute, but first I have to go back to check on Devereaux.”

“Wait, don’t leave me.” I grabbed his arm and clung to him like a mad woman. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“I know, sweetheart. You’re safe now. I’ll only be a second.”

“Theo, please-”

He cut off my pleas with a kiss. He held my face in his hands and gently pressed his lips against mine. My hands steadied; warmth slowly spread through my body. I still trembled, but I felt as if a piece of balance had been returned to me. Theo held my face and stared into my eyes.

“I’ll be right back. I promise.”

He helped me settle into the car, then closed the door. We stared into each other’s eyes as he walked back down the road and disappeared into the dark. All of the sounds of the woods vanished inside the car. The night was silent. It was as if the woods were holding its breath.

Sitting still made me feel crazy. I needed to do something- anything. I started to search Theo’s car. I opened the glove compartment and found a map along with am iPad. I turned it on, but it was password protected. I tossed them back into the glove compartment and looked around. I found a stiletto knife underneath the seat. I pushed the catch on the side and the blade shot out. I closed the blade and stuck the knife in my pocket.

I wrapped Theo’s jacket around me tightly and hoped I never had to use the switchblade on anyone.

I fidgeted nervously. I wished I had a watch. It felt like hours had passed since Theo left me, but realistically it had probably only been a few minutes. What if he never returned? How would I get out of here? I’d have to return back Mr. Devereaux’s car and drive it to safety. That seemed like an impossible task in the moment.

There was a loud crash and the car lurched forward. I let out a small scream and turned to find Theo had opened the trunk. He was putting my muddy crutches inside. In his hand, he held a bag. It took me a second to recognize it as my purse. He slid into the driver’s seat and handed it to me. I clutched it to my chest like it was a life preserver.

Theo calmly started the car and we slowly drove back towards town.

“Did anyone know you were going out with Mr. Devereaux tonight?” he asked.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Think hard. Where’s Aiden?”

“He’s staying with Maddie tonight.”

“Did Maddie know you were going out with Devereaux?”

“No.”

“Did anyone else?”

“No.”

“Do you know if he told anyone?”

“I have no idea. I don’t think so. Wait! His wife probably knows.”

Theo took his eyes off the road to consider me closely. A wave of guilt washed over me. Only a few short hours ago we’d been in each other’s arms. Now he knew I’d arranged to go out of a date with his boss.

“He said that she was making him do this… She was the one who wanted me dead. They were trying to cover up the fact that Mrs. Devereaux killed my husband- she killed Tom.”

Saying it out loud gave the idea life. When I heard Mr. Devereaux confess, it felt surreal. I was too scared of dying and never seeing my son again to fully comprehend the consequences. Now that I was safe I felt angry. I started to tremble again, this time with shock and rage. Theo turned up the heat and pointed the vent at me.

“You’re going to be okay. I don’t think you left any evidence behind.”

“What?”

I heard his words, but didn’t understand what he was saying.

“I don’t think they’ll link you to the crime scene. Do you have your cell phone on you?”

“No. I left it at home.”

“Good. They can track your movements through your cell phone. If they discover you were in the general vicinity of his body you’d get called in for questioning.”

“Called in?”

My mind felt sluggish. I was having a hard time following Theo.

“By the police. You don’t want to be accused of murdering him. They already suspect you for Tom’s death,” he explained gently.

“The police think I killed Tom?”

“You were the only suspect. They never investigated anyone else.”

“Wait, how do you know this?”

“I use to work with law enforcement.”

“You investigated my husband’s case?”

“No. I recently quit the force. I’ve been working as a private detective. Mrs. Devereaux hired me to investigate you. Working as the ‘manny’ was just my cover.”

We drove in silence for a time. I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start. I breathed a sigh of relief when the car turned back into town. We drove past my house to a neighboring suburb.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To my place. I’m renting a house nearby. You’ll be safer there, and if anyone should ask were you were tonight you can tell them you spent the night with me.”

The car pulled into the driveway of a small home. Theo walked around to my side of the car and opened the door. He reached in to help me out, but I didn’t move. I had too many thoughts racing through my head that demanded immediate attention.

“Why would Mrs. Devereaux hire you to investigate me?”

Theo looked around the dark neighborhood. It was clear he did not want to have this conversation here.

“When I was first hired, she told me she thought you were having an affair with her husband. She wanted me to find proof. I was supposed to monitor your every move, keep track of who you talked to, and where you went.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know. When I discovered your husband died under mysterious circumstances I started to dig deeper into the case. I called up an old friend on the force and got a copy of the police report of your husband’s death. It looked suspicious, but the more I learned about you, the harder it was for me to believe you murdered him- at least, not without good reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found out he’d been cheating on you for years.”

I took a deep breath and looked away. I knew Tom had cheated, but for years? I wanted to die.

“And there was evidence he had a bad temper.”

“Tom never shied away from a fight but he was never violent with me,” I said, feeling suddenly defensive.

Theo gave me a sad look, like he pitied me. Did he think I was lying? Tom never hit me.

“When I worked in homicide I saw a lot of murders committed by jealous lovers or jealous exes. A woman who suddenly discovers her husband has been living a double life for years has motive to murder. I know now that you didn’t kill him, but at the time... I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. Just tell me the rest.”

“Maybe we should go inside?”

“No. Tell me now.”

“I became suspicious of Mrs. Devereaux. I couldn’t figure out why she was so interested in you, but it was clear she was paranoid about you. Soon she was demanding I get closer to you. She wasn’t satisfied with my surveillance. She wanted to know exactly what you were thinking. I think she was scared you were on to her. She wanted to learn what you knew about her.”

“That’s why you approached me at Aiden’s school? The whole reason you asked me out was to try and get inside my head. You were spying on Mrs. Devereaux’s orders.”

I shook my head. The pieces slowly fell into place. When Theo insisted it was wrong to sleep with me, it was because he didn’t want to compromise his investigation. But we ended up in bed together anyway.

“I can’t believe I slept with you. Why would you do that? Did you think I’d be more willing to give you information?”

“No. Sleeping with you had nothing to do with my investigation. I swear. If anything, it made it harder. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have feelings for you. And I definitely would not sleep with someone I thought was guilty of murder.”

“What a relief,” I said sarcastically. “You’re a real standup guy.”

“Sabine, this isn’t-”

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. Take me home.”

“I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Theo knelt down beside me and whispered: “You need an alibi. If the police ask, it’s important you tell them we were together.”

“Why? Because you want to protect me, or because you’re trying to protect yourself? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Theo looked at me strangely. “I know that, but the police already suspect you of murder. If a second man turns up dead in your presence, they’ll be less inclined to believe your version of events.”

“What about you? You were there. You’re an ex-cop, right? They’d believe you.”

“I may still have a few friends in law enforcement, but that doesn’t mean I’m on good terms with them. They’d have a lot of questions that I’d rather avoid answering.”

I sat in the car stubbornly.

“Sabine, please, it would be easier if we discussed this inside.”

“Fine.” I brushed away his hand and pulled myself out of the car. “Where are my crutches?”

“They’re in the trunk, but they’re filthy. I’ll help you inside then clean them up.”

“I don’t need your help.”

Using the car for balance, I limped around it then attempted to walk to Theo’s front door. When it became clear I needed his help, he didn’t say anything. He simply wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me inside. I was grateful for his silence, but I didn’t like this at all.

“I’m calling the police,” I declared. “I’m going to tell them everything. They’ll see the truth.”

“Do you ever watch true crime shows? Or read the news?”

“Why?”

“People get falsely convicted all the time. They already suspect you. You’d make an easy scapegoat.”

This was not a secret I wanted to carry around, but what Theo was saying made sense. If the cops suspected me in Tom’s murder there was no reason to believe they wouldn’t suspect me in Mr. Devereaux’s death. I had to protect myself and Aiden. If I went to prison, he’d be all alone.

Theo took my hands between his and stared into my eyes. I was amazed at how calm he was. In fact, he seemed in his element. He knew what to do and how to do it. I wanted to trust him to save me.

“You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he said. “You did nothing wrong. Devereaux was going to kill you so you did what you had to.”

“What do you mean? You were the one who shot him. I just sat there, cowering in fear.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as if reconsidering.

“What do you think happened tonight, Sabine?”

The way Theo was staring at me, frightened me.

“You were there.”

“Yeah, but I want to hear it from you. What happened?”

“Mr. Devereaux drove me out to the lake, then he told me he was going to kill me so I didn’t expose the face that his wife killed Tom and that he was involved in the cover-up. He laid out plastic and a cement bucket.”