Rebels and Roses, page 4
“I don’t think she does know, but now I’m convinced I need to find out,” Tom replied, sighing loudly. His expression was glum, and his shoulders drooped. “I could just end things with the girl in Chicago. I was sleeping with her just because…you know…I could.”
This is why women say that dogs and cats make better companions.
“Cooper, do you have a minute that we can talk? I have some information for you,” Finn said when they’d all stood. The meeting was over.
“Sure,” Cooper replied. “Tom, can you wait for me in the lobby? We can go for a coffee and pastry when I’m done.”
“Excellent plan,” Tom said, rubbing his hands together. “I’ll wait outside. I need to call a friend.”
“What are you thinking?” Finn asked after Tom had exited the office.
“I wish to hell that I knew,” Cooper admitted. “Tom’s always leaned toward the dramatic but never like this. I’ve never thought of him as delusional. He’s a trifle self-centered, but he’s always been a pretty decent kind of guy.”
“In other words, you don’t think he’d make up the story for the attention?”
“I don’t think so. He wouldn’t need to. In his mind, he’s getting most of the attention anyway. He wouldn’t feel the need to get more.”
“Ah, he’s the star of his own play?”
“And we’re all just bit-part players, yes.”
“Do you think it’s the girlfriend Erica?”
Cooper had also given that a great deal of thought.
“Maybe. Tom isn’t James Bond. He might not have covered his tracks nearly as well as he thought he had. But…”
“But?” Finn prodded.
“Sure, some women will pretend they don’t know. They want a big, dramatic moment. But most women…they won’t wait. They want to confront at the earliest opportunity. The question is, which is Erica?”
“Do you speak from experience here?”
“I’m always clear and honest with a woman,” Cooper replied firmly. “At least in my adult years. I learned early that it’s easier to be truthful up front. But I cannot deny a few missteps in my teenage years.”
An image of Jane floated through Cooper’s mind despite his efforts to concentrate on the conversation at hand. This was happening far too often. He was thinking of her at the most inconvenient moments.
He’d been honest with her, though. He respected the hell out of her, and he didn’t want to be a lying cad to a nice person. She didn’t deserve another asshole in her life. She’d already had that when she was married.
Cooper might be a terrible romantic partner, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a decent friend.
“You gave him some good advice,” Cooper said. “I hope he hires someone to look into the burglary, and maybe follow him around. If anything, it will make him feel less helpless.”
“I figured it would help him if he was taking some action,” Finn agreed. “This is a good segue to why I wanted to talk to you. The private investigator firm reached out to me this morning. They’ll be here in a few days to start looking around. I know they’ll want to talk to you and your brothers and sisters.”
The news was like a punch in the gut. It was good, but it still brought up painful memories. His mother’s mysterious disappearance was still an open wound for the family.
Not for their father, of course. But for Cooper and his siblings.
Joel Winslow didn’t give a fuck. Had he ever? Cooper didn’t think so.
He despised his father for being such a jerk - a terrible parent, an awful and neglectful husband, and a shady businessman. And through it all, Joel Winslow walked around like he thought he was a god. The sun shone out of his ass, and the sun rose and set because he told it to. The sheer hubris in the Winslow house was mindboggling.
“I’m going to give them all the cooperation that I can,” Finn continued. “But the fact is that we don’t have much in terms of hard evidence.”
Law enforcement in Winslow Heights at the time of Lily Winslow’s disappearance had been sloppy at best and downright negligent at worst. He couldn’t say for a fact that his father had discouraged any actual investigation, but he wouldn’t be shocked to find it true. Joel Winslow had wanted to “move on” practically hours after his supposedly beloved wife had vanished into thin air.
“I know,” Cooper replied. “I’m hoping they can turn something up after all of these years. I know that you don’t want to raise my hopes. This could all be for nothing.”
“Time is the enemy when it comes to an investigation like this. Memories fade. Witnesses pass on. Physical evidence is lost or degrades. It’s an uphill battle, for sure. Do you or your siblings want to be there when I go over the case with them?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Cooper said. He didn’t even need to think about it. “I know Tate will want to be there, too. Zack is heading out of town for some business, but I’ll check with the others. Can I give you a call later?”
“That’s fine.” Finn appeared to hesitate for a moment, which was unusual. The man rarely had trouble with words. “I have to ask this. Do you want me to do some digging around in your brother-in-law’s life and business? There might be something he’s not telling us.”
“I think we may not be hearing the whole story,” Cooper agreed. “I think researching him would be an excellent idea. If you don’t have the resources, I can call up one of my…friends.”
Cooper kept friendly ties to law enforcement due to needing advice on occasion when working on his books. He knew a few people - now retired - who would jump at the opportunity to do some background work. He’d already been thinking about making that call when Finn suggested it.
“It’s a slow week in our little town,” Finn laughed. “I got this. Just give me twenty-four hours, okay?”
“You’ve got it.”
Were there any skeletons in Tom’s closet? Was the younger man telling them the truth?
Most importantly, just how long was Tom Kemp planning to stay in Winslow Heights?
Cooper wasn’t a man who liked looking in the rearview mirror when it came to life. Fiona - and the Kemp family - were part of the past.
He wanted to keep them there.
4
Jane wasn’t sure what she expected the next time she saw Cooper. But she hadn’t expected him to walk into the bookstore with a nice-looking younger man with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. He was about the same height as Cooper but slighter in build. He had a boyish smile that he immediately used on Jane the minute he saw her. Clearly, he was the type who loved to flirt. She’d seen his type many times.
With a roll of his eyes, Cooper guided the unknown man to a table in the coffeeshop portion of the store, silently mouthing the word “later” as an explanation. Jane didn’t have a clue as to what was going on, but he hadn’t brought in his ex-wife Fiona for a latte and a slice of pie.
At least I was spared that.
“Who’s that with Cooper?” Lucy asked, a stack of books in her arms. She’d been in the back unpacking new merchandise.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
Lucy shrugged and went back to shelving books on an endcap display for a new thriller writer. Jane manned the register but was keeping one eye on the men who were now drinking coffee and eating from a plate of macaroons - courtesy of Piper this morning. She’d also brought a lemon loaf and some cinnamon rolls. One of the latter Jane had eaten for breakfast after she’d arrived.
After the first morning rush of customers, Jane’s practice was to go into the office area and work on the books for an hour or two. Lucy was glad not to have to do it herself, and she liked being with the customers more than she liked spreadsheets.
Jane, on the other hand, adored spreadsheets and pivot tables. That was one of the big reasons she’d gone into accounting and finance. Numbers were her friend. They always made sense even when her life didn’t.
“I brought you another coffee.”
Jane looked up from the computer to see Cooper standing in the doorway, holding a steaming mug. She couldn’t help thinking that he made a handsome as hell barista.
“Did Lucy see you come back here?”
“I made up a story about needing to talk to you about bookkeeping services for the theater. Which isn’t made up, to be honest. Zack and I were talking about it the other day, and we both want to hire you for that. We sure as hell don’t want to do it.”
Cooper entered the backroom, closing the door behind him before sitting down on another office chair next to hers. He held out the mug, and she accepted it gratefully. She’d brought a healthy glass of water with her, but she really needed the caffeine.
I’ll drink the water right after this cup.
“It wasn’t Fiona who sent me that text. It was her brother Tom.”
“Oh. But then why did you think it was her?”
“Because the idiot stole his sister’s phone. He didn’t think I’d answer a message from him.”
“Was he right?”
Cooper chuckled, a smile playing on his well-shaped lips.
“Probably.”
“So, he stole her phone, sent you a text, and you went to meet him last night. I assume that’s who you came in the store with?”
“It is. I let him sleep on my couch. He snores.”
“So do you.”
Not that she’d ever spent an entire night with him. She hadn’t, of course. But they’d napped, and Cooper was definitely a snorer.
“Not like this. He needs to see a doctor.”
Jane didn’t reply, waiting for Cooper to continue telling his story. But he didn’t say anything else.
This was so like him. She had to pull information out of him bit by bit on a regular basis. She was sure that he acted this way because he liked being difficult and ornery.
“What did Tom want?”
Clearly, you want to tell me. So…just tell me.
“Now that’s the strange part of this. He says he’s being watched and followed.”
“Why would he come to you for this? Shouldn’t he talk to the police?”
Cooper was a man who could get things done, but he wasn’t a cop or a detective. He just wrote about them.
“He has, and apparently, they haven’t taken him all that seriously. He doesn’t really have any evidence, just a feeling that he can’t shake. As for why he messaged me? He remembered that Fiona said that I’m friends with cops and detectives. He thought I could help him. He said he didn’t know where to turn. And yes, I’m as surprised he did as everyone else.”
“A feeling?” Jane echoed. “He has a feeling that he’s being followed?”
“He said his apartment was broken into. He thinks that’s proof, I guess.”
“You don’t seem to be taking his claims all that seriously.”
“He’s not making it easy for me,” Cooper replied defensively. “If he had a shred of proof… But he doesn’t. Just hunches and gut feelings. I can’t go to any of my contacts in law enforcement and tell them that my ex-brother-in-law thinks he’s being followed but can’t point to anything concrete. They’d tell me that he needs psychiatric intervention.”
“Does he?”
“No, he’s not crazy. At least, I don’t think he is. I’m not a mental health professional, though.”
“Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean that they aren’t out to get you,” Jane joked. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe someone is following him.”
“He might be.”
Cooper outlined how Tom was cheating on his girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancée Erica.
What a lowdown, dirty dog. Erica shouldn’t bother watching him. She should just throw the whole man away.
“In other words, he’s paranoid, and he should be.”
“Yes, and I’ve basically said that to him. Finn, too. He swears that Erica doesn’t know, but this morning he seems more open to the idea. To be honest, I’m not sure he gets it. His first question when we arrived was if there was coffee here. His second was about you.”
“At least he has his priorities in order,” Jane snorted. “What did he say about me?”
“He said you were extremely sexy, and he asked if you have a boyfriend.”
“What did you say?”
“I said that you were out of his league, which is the truth.”
Cooper’s simple statement had Jane laughing out loud. She’d never thought of herself as all that good-looking, although she knew she wasn’t ugly either. She was fine. Just okay.
Sometimes, when she and Cooper were together, and he was looking at her with his molten hot gaze…she did feel sexy and beautiful.
“I think he’s still going to try and flirt with you,” Cooper warned. “You don’t need to feel like you need to let him down easy. Let him have it with your usual no-nonsense charm.”
“I don’t coddle cheaters,” she shot back. “And that’s what he is.”
“That’s what I like about you. You don’t suffer fools.”
“Neither do you. You’re just more subtle about it.”
“Years of living in the Winslow household. Passive-aggressive was the name of the game. Speaking of my family, the private investigator that we hired is on the way here.”
Jane’s stomach tightened, as it did every time he mentioned his mother’s disappearance. Despite not living in this town her whole life, she’d have to have been blind not to see the toll it had taken on Cooper and his siblings. They were in a world of hurt not knowing what had happened to Lily Winslow.
All they wanted was the truth. Something that seemed in short supply in the Winslow household.
Courtesy of Joel Winslow. Try as she might, she simply hadn’t been able to find any redeeming qualities in the man. But surely, there was one? Did he like puppies and kittens?
“I’m glad. I hope they can find something for you.”
She didn’t want to raise his hopes too far. After all these years, it would be a miracle if they found anything. Perhaps Lily Winslow’s mystery was destined to never be solved.
“Maybe we’ll finally get some real answers,” Cooper replied, his lips a hard line, his gaze flinty cold.
He only looked that way when he was thinking about his father.
“Zack’s going out of town for a few days.”
Cooper’s abrupt change of subject had her playing his words over in her head before she understood his meaning.
The coast would be clear. Zack wouldn’t be hanging around the theater they were renovating. She could come and go without worry. Except for one thing…
“What about your brother-in-law?”
“Ex-brother-in-law. I’ve given him some help. I’m not sure why he would hang around. Small towns with no nightlife aren’t his cup of tea.”
“You sound very sure.”
“The Kemp family doesn’t do boring and quaint.”
His sentiment only made Jane’s thoughts go back to the ex-wife. It was a good thing it hadn’t been Fiona, of course. Cooper clearly hadn’t been happy to hear from his ex-spouse last night.
But Jane still couldn’t help but be curious. Just what did Fiona Kemp have that had somehow persuaded the biggest hound dog to become a one-woman man and commit to marriage?
She must be one amazing woman.
“I’m sending Tom back to the apartment to get out of my hair, and then heading to Tate’s for lunch with Lucy and Zack. Did you want to go?”
Cooper’s question dragged her back to the present. It was just as well since thinking about his ex probably wasn’t the most productive use of her time. It didn’t matter anyway. Fiona was long gone, according to him, living halfway around the world.
“I’ll have to check with Lucy. It’s hard for both of us to be out of the store at the same time.”
“Katie’s here.”
Katie was a part-time employee who also attended the university. She did fine on her own as long as none of the customers became upset. If someone yelled at her, she’d tell them to go fuck themselves.
It wasn’t the sentiment that Jane disagreed with…she’d wanted to do the same on multiple occasions. Working in customer service, however, requires a person to keep their temper even when they wanted to let it fly. Katie was aware she had a short fuse and was actively working on it, but they still didn’t like to leave her in the store by herself too often.
“I’ll talk to Lucy. In the meantime, you might want to get back out there with your brother-in-law. You don’t want him trying to steal Lucy from your big brother.”
Cooper grimaced but reluctantly levered from his chair.
“I need to get that kid on the next flight out of town.”
Jane didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that getting Tom to leave wasn’t going to be as simple as dropping him off at the Departures doors of the nearest airport. He’d come to Cooper for help. If he thought someone was following him, he had to be scared.
In her experience, frightened and paranoid people didn’t want to be alone. Tom Kemp might be hanging around far longer than Cooper thought he would be.
Getting both Lucy and Jane out the door of the bookstore at the same time took a bit of finagling, but with Zack’s help Cooper had been able to make it happen. To be fair, the part-time employee Katie looked jubilant to be put in charge, if only for an hour or so. Almost like when a teenager’s parents go out for the evening, and they get the house for themselves for a change.
Tom had agreeably headed back to the apartment, claiming he needed to call Erica, or she might worry. Cooper told him that he’d bring him some lunch from the tavern. Tom had asked for one of those gigantic cheeseburgers he’d heard about from Katie. He’d been flirting with the young woman while Cooper had talked with Jane in the back room.
Even though he’d said that he needed to phone his fiancée, he’d still been sitting in the coffee shop of the bookstore when they’d left.
“We can’t stay long,” Lucy said as they sat down at a large booth in the corner of Tate’s. “I don’t want to leave Katie on her own for too long.”
