But as his visitors had pointed out, no one had seen her or Adam in almost a week.
Ill go to her house, see how shes doing, Luke said.
Please tell her we need to meet with her, Brenna said. We need her help if were going to catch this guy.
Now, ladies, I understand your anger and frustration, but I think youd better let the law-enforcement authorities handle
Oh, yeah, right, Brenna interrupted. If Marvin happens to walk into the House of Donuts and identify himself, maybe the copsll stop him. But I wouldnt count on even that. So far they sent out a couple of faxes, put his name on a list somewhere and went back to sleep.
The law-enforcement people dont care, Sonya agreed. Marvin hasnt murdered anyone. Hes not a bigamist, since he doesnt actually marry his victims. Hes small potatoes to them. But not to us, and not to the next woman hell go after. And believe me, he isnt going to stop. It might be too late to get our money back, but were going to make him pay in ways he never dreamed of.
Never underestimate the power of a woman scorned, Brenna added, sharing a look of solidarity with Sonya.
Luke decided hed rather have Bubba the Bounty Hunter on his trail than these two. They suddenly seemed a little scary to him.
AS LUKE DROVE HIS SUV DOWN Cindys street, his stomach did a little flutter. It was the same little flutter he got every time he walked into the Miracle Café for his morning coffee and biscuit. And it was Cindy Lefler who did it to him.
Hed been crazy in love with her at one time. Cindys naive adoration of him, her pure, uncomplicated emotions, her gentle ways, had gone a long way toward healing the abandoned little boy inside him, and hed never forgotten it. But shed been appalled when, just after high school graduation hed suggested they get married and settle down. That was before hed realized settle down were dirty words to Cindy.
It wasnt long after that when long-haul trucker Jim Lefler had stopped for lunch at the Miracle Café and had become entranced with his young waitress, and she with him. Three weeks later, theyd eloped.
When Adam had come along and theyd bought a house in Cottonwood, Jim had fit right in, and everyone agreed that they made a terrific family.
Even Luke came to like Jim Lefler. His unexpected death was an awful thing, and Luke had mourned the passing of a friend and an essential member of the community.
But then there was Cindy, alone again and apparently here in Cottonwood to stay. Luke had promised himself he would wait at least a year before even flirting with Cindy. Then that jerk Dexter ShalimarMarvin Carter, he reminded himselfhad shown up, taking advantage of a woman not only grieving for her husband but her mother, whod passed not long after Jim. Lukes timing had always been bad when it came to Cindy.
Luke pulled in to the driveway of the tidy little three-bedroom house Jim and Cindy had bought. The grass needed mowing, he noted, and the flower beds were full of weeds. The blinds were drawn.
Before going to the front door, he peeked through a window into the garage. Cindys car was there. He felt a prickle of unease.
He climbed the three stairs to the front porch and rang the bell. He could hear a TV inside, then a childs babble. Adam was okay, at least. But Cindy didnt answer the door.
He knocked loudly. Cindy? Its me, Luke. I know youre in there, so open the door.
Im busy, Luke, she finally called through the door. Youll have to come back another time.
I need to talk to you.
Why?
Would you just for heavens sake open the door?
He heard her unfasten the chain, then crack the door. What is it?
He could see only half her face. Her wavy, honey-colored hair hung limply to her shoulders. Her complexion was too pale.
He couldnt see much of the rest of her, just her shoulder and arm and one leg. She wore faded gray sweatpants and a T-shirt with the Red Dog Saloon logo on it.
She was allowed to look a little grubby, he told himself. But her lack of grooming bothered him.
How are you doing? he asked gently. Everyones worried about you.
Why? ImIm fine. Im just very busy. Making wedding plans, you know. I have to pack
Cindy, give it a rest. Youre not getting married. Dexter or Marvin or whoever he is isnt coming back now that hes got your money. Youve been had by a very slick, very convincing con man. The best thing is for you to face whats happened head-on.
Does everyone know? she asked in a whisper.
Everyone knows, and everyone wants to help any way they can.
Oh, my God. She turned away from the door but left it open. Luke took the opportunity to follow her inside.
The sight that greeted him was alarming, to say the least. The living room was a wreck, littered with empty pizza boxes, dirty dishes, toys, blankets and stacks of videotapes. The sofa cushions were on the floor. It looked as if Cindy had been sleeping in front of the TV.
He would never have classified Cindy as compulsively neat, but normally she wasnt slovenly, either.
Looks like youve been in some kind of funk, girl.
CINDY DID NOT WANT TO SEE Luke Rheems, of all people. Hed warned her about Dex. His lawmans instincts had picked up on qualities Cindy had missed because of her stupid, blind adoration of a man who had pretended to be everything she was looking for. Seeing Luke made her feel even worse, if that was possible.
She wished he would just go away. If everyone would leave her alone, she would be fine.
Im merely taking this opportunity to spend some quiet time with my son, she said, mustering as much dignity as she could.
Luke went around the living room and dining room opening the blinds.
Its like a cave in here. And it doesnt smell too good, either. He opened a couple of windows. There.
What sort of rumors have those two women been spreading?
They havent talked to anyone but me, as far as I know. But, Cindy, its obvious to everyone whats happened. Ed LaRue is not a quiet man. Apparently Marvin Carter made up all kinds of lies about you, the town and the café. LaRue is repeating them.
Is the café still open? Cindy asked. Shed been afraid to call or drive by.
No. Ed closed it up and fired all the employees. He has an extended family he plans to give full employment to.
Oh, no. Poor Kate and Iris and Tonyaand Manson! What will they do?
What will you do?
Im fine. I was going to sell the restaurant anyway. Ill be happy not to ever bake another biscuit as long as I live.
Youre not fine, Cindy. If Marvin Carter followed his usual MO, he wiped you out. He took her by the arms and looked straight into her eyes. Cmon, honey, snap out of it. You have to do something. You have to take action. Its not just you anymore. You have a child to support.
Adam is being well taken care of, thank you very much. She shook off Lukes touch, though in truth it was tempting to just fall into those strong arms, to lean against Lukes muscular shoulder and cry her little eyes out. Okay, maybe Dextersunexpected and inappropriate actions have knocked me a little off balance. But Im taking good care of Adam. Shed bathed him every day, even if shed been less scrupulous about her own grooming, and he always got clean clothes and three healthy meals a day.
Instead of believing her, Luke walked into her kitchen, past more piles of dirty dishes and empty cereal boxes and milk bottles, and opened the fridge.
It looks a little meager.
I need to go to the store. Big deal.
And how will you pay for the groceries?
I have money. But not as much as shed thought. The seven hundred-plus dollars in her checking account had dwindled down to under two hundred once her last mortgage check had cleared. Shed figured she could afford another weeks worth of groceriesanother week she could pretend that Dex was coming back.
Luke looked at her, his disbelief evident in those deep, knowing eyes of his.
Ive got lots of equity in my house. I can get an equity loan to tide me over while I regroup.
I hope youre right.
The chug-chugging of a diesel engine reverberated outside, coming to a pause in front of Cindys house. Curious, she returned to the living room and looked out the window. A huge Ryder truck was in the process of backing over her lawn, the rear headed directly for her front porch.
Oh, my She ran out the front door and up to the trucks cab, beating on the drivers door.
The window slid down and Ed LaRue was behind the wheel, grinning ear to ear. Well, hi, there, sweet thing. Thought youd be long gone to your new house in San Francisco.
What do you think youre doing? Cindy sputtered. But she knew. Oh, Lord, she knew. DexMarvin, dammithad sold her house, too. She was not only penniless, she was homeless. Next thing she knew, the insufferable Ed LaRue would claim her car.
Luke convinced LaRue to give Cindy another twenty-four hours to clear out of her house. To seal the deal, he pulled out his wallet and handed Ed a wad of cash. Dinners on me, okay?
Slightly mollified, Ed took the money. Ill agree to this, you being a lawman and all. But this house by God, better be empty by tomorrow morning, or therell be hell to pay.
He closed the window and the truck lumbered out of the front yard and down the street.
Cindy just looked at Luke. You didnt have to do that.
I want to help. Thats the main reason I got this job, you know. To help people. To resolve conflicts.
How much did you give him? Ill pay you back.
Dont worry about that. The main thing is I bought you a little time, but not much. I get off at three and I can get a horse trailer from my brothers place and help you move.
Where? Where was she going to move? Shed sold her parents house. She had no other relatives in the area. She couldnt possibly move in on Tonya or Kate or Iristhey had enough trouble, what with their sudden unemployment and all.
But she couldnt admit her dire straits to Luke. He was the one whod warned her about DexMarvin, dammit. She was so humiliated, felt so stupid, and she just couldnt bear to rely on his kind, compassionate help a moment longer.
Plus, she was going to have an emotional crash. Shed been holding back a colossal crying jag for days, and she didnt want him to witness that.
I do have a place to go, she said. And Im not going to worry about moving furniture. Its all garage-sale stuff anywaylet Ed LaRue have it. Ill take our clothes and a few personal items, nothing that wont fit in my car trunk. I appreciate your offer to help, LukeI really do. But Ill be fine.
He looked as if he didnt believe her.
She forced a smile and made shooing motions with her hands. Run along. Go catch some criminals. I have a little packing to do.
If I find out youre lying about this, Im coming after you, he threatened. Call me when youre settled someplace.
Sure. When hell froze over.
Oh, and you need to contact those womenBrenna and Sonya?
She sighed. Why? She didnt want to wallow in shared stupidity with these other women, women whod loved Dex or whatever name hed given them, women whod probably slept with him, whod thought they were marrying him. I want to move forward, not dwell on past mistakes.
Well, they want to catch Marvin and get their money back, or at least enjoy the satisfaction of putting him behind bars. Ive agreed to help them. You have the most current information on Marvin. You could help a lot.
Ill think about it, she said, though she hadnt yet managed to summon up enough anger toward Dex/Marvin to want vengeance. She was still in disbelief with more than a hint of denial. Part of her expected Dexs familiar lemon-yellow Porsche to come hauling up the street, the trunk full of presents for her and Adam.
Just one more thing. Without warning, he hauled her into his arms and hugged her fiercely.
Luke!
Hush. You need this.
The security of his embrace, the warmth of his body, felt way better than it should have. She knew she should end it, but for a few moments, all she wanted to do was empty her mind and drown in his warmth, his caring.
Shed always been able to count on his caring. Even when shed treated him not so nicely, back in high school, hed had a seemingly inexhaustible ability to forgive her, even if he couldnt understand exactly what made her tick, what made her want to wander the world in search of new sights, new adventures.
After a few moments, it was Luke who loosened his arms first. She pulled back reluctantly, realizing as she did that hugging her might not be that pleasant given that she hadnt bathed in two days. Thanks, Luke, she whispered, perilously close to tears again as she escaped inside her house.
Which wasnt really her house any longer, she reminded herself. Cindy mentally shook off her lethargy. She couldnt take refuge in inactivity any longer. She had to move, make decisions.
When shed told Luke she had someplace to go, shed thought she was lying. But maybe there was someplace.
Her parents had owned a boat, which was moored at Town Lake. It was an old, twenty-foot cuddy cruiser. Her fathers idea had been that they would fix it up, then take it to Lake Texoma. When Cindy was little, they used to close the restaurant on holidays and spend a day or two on the lake, floating aimlessly on the water while they sanded and painted and sewed curtains. But then their interest had waned. No one had used the boat for years and Cindy had been meaning to sell it.
Shed surely never mentioned the boat to Dex. It might be the one asset hed overlooked. And though it was small, it had a sleeping cabin with a real bed and a tiny galley with a one-burner stove and a marine toilet. Shed recently paid for six months dock fees at the marina.
Maybe it wasnt a great plan, but it beat sleeping in her car.
Cindy started packing. She found a few boxes and suitcases in the attic and filled them with clothesshe didnt have manytoiletries and Adams favorite toys. She did laundryno telling when shed have her next chance. She loaded everything in her car, along with Adams collapsible playpen.
Lastly, she packed up her foodevery crumb. It was enough to last her a few more days. She put the stuff from the fridge in a cooler, along with some ice.
Well, baby, she cooed to Adam, I said I wanted adventure. Guess I should be careful what I wish for, huh?
Adam laughed and made a grab for her earring. She was glad he was too young to understand, too young to share the insidious fear that had crept into every cell of her body.