Page 28 of Small Town Secrets

“Wh… what now?” A useless creaking noise preceded her bumbling attempt at a question, her gaze darting aimlessly about his face, as she snatched her hand out of his. “Why would I want that?”

“Answers, I guess.” He gave a tight shrug, his gaze falling momentarily away. “I don’t mean to upset you, and I’m sorry if I already have, but you wouldn’t have to talk to him, and he won’t even know that I’m looking for him. What you might get out of this is that you’ll finally know what happened. You’ll be able to give Whitney some answers when she’s older. Maybe contact him should you really need to one day.”

Though her mouth hung loose, at least the fear of being post-sex dumped faded. Now her mind worked through the repercussions of what he’d just proposed. Truth be told, she didn’t know if or when she’d ever need to contact Mike again. Nor did she ever want to. But Adrian had a point. She had next to no family medical history for Mike’s side, and maybe, for Whitney’s sake, she would need that information. And yes, it would be nice to have at least something to share with Whitney when she got older and developed a potential desire for more details on her father.

“Go for it.” She snapped her mouth shut, a little surprised at the certainty in her tone.

“Are you sure?” Deep lines formed between his brow, hinting at his own doubts. “I’ve done investigative jobs before and sometimes the news isn’t what the client wants to hear.”

She shrugged, his warning still working to weigh on her. “Can’t be much worse than being ditched with a baby and not knowing why.”

His eyes narrowed just a little, again suggesting reluctance to believe her, his hand sliding across the table as if to console her, just before he stopped short of touching her, his attention snapping to his left.

“Look!” Whitney bound into the room, her voice an excited shriek as she waved the big, pink bear from the photo in her hand. “See, I am the baby in the picture!”

Ramos peered back to Laila with a somber look, before pasting on a smile and turning to Whitney. “Well, now, so you are.”

Whitney grinned and skipped over to her seat again, placing the teddy in the chair next to her and lifting her glass of orange juice to the bear’s mouth in a pretend sip.

Just then, a knock came from the front door, startling Laila even though she was quick to get up and answer it, the entire time regretting the broken moment. A beautiful woman stood on her landing dressed in what appeared to be an expensive emerald and white dress with a floaty, knee-length hem.

The woman looked vaguely familiar, and Laila tried not to squint in a quest to place where she’d seen her before. “Can I help you?”

The woman held a long pause, her stare scrunching with confusion, before a frown took over and she peered about her. “Hi, I’m sorry. I’m Rochelle, Emilia’s friend from out of town. I’m told a man lives next door to you, Ramos, but he’s not answering and I wondered if you’d know where he might be. I really need to speak with him.”

The lady met Laila’s gaze again, lips twisted in a small sign of nerves, though she shrugged one shoulder as if to hide the fact. “I see a car in his drive, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Rochelle?”

Though Laila took the chance to be the one to frown, Adrian squeezed in at her side, his quick familiarity with this woman tweaking something within her.

She didn’t want to fall into stereotypical jealousy, except here she stood, still looking ruffled from Whitney’s hurried awakening this morning, and there Rochelle stood, so well put-together and a little too eager to speak to Adrian…

Rochelle’s gaze rose to Adrian’s taller frame beside Laila, then dropped to Laila again. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

Laila grumbled and made to leave. “It’s fine. You two talk.”

“No, stay.” Rochelle’s voice shot out, and when Laila turned back, the woman extended a hand but didn’t go so far as to touch her. “Everyone will know soon enough.”

Her brows squeezed together, and she refocused on Ramos. “I came to apologize for snapping at you the other night at Maynard’s. The conversation you were all having about the syndicate freaked me out, and something you said compelled me to do a bit of digging. It seems... it seems... Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to say this…”

She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut, as though whatever she had to say couldn’t be said while looking anyone in the eye. Except, just at that moment, Adrian’s phone began to ring, and when he pulled it out from his jeans pocket, Dean’s name appeared on the screen.

Adrian cradled the phone in his hand, but his deep frown stayed on Rochelle. Though she still gnawed on her lower lip, she jutted her chin toward him, before saying, “Go ahead, answer it. I’ll wait.”

Adrian did just that, his brows drawing tighter together, as he mumbled a few words of understanding back at Dean, his attention veering up and to the distance, in the direction of town.

Laila followed his line of sight, to a point where the otherwise clear sky looked hazy, though she formed no real thought about that because by then, Adrian had ended his call, his attention still fused on Rochelle.

“Can this wait? I’m needed elsewhere.” He pulled Laila in and landed a quick kiss to her forehead, before brushing past Rochelle on the landing. “Seems the general store is on fire.”

Seventeen

Ramos gathered with the other bystanders outside the aftermath of the fire at the Coopers’ store. Smoke still twisted in small spirals in the air and an oppressive smell wafted from the century old wood and brick structure, now reduced to a pile of charred beams and collapsed metal shelves. Maureen clung to her husband’s arm, her unblinking gaze fixed on the rubble, while tears glistened over her age and grief-weathered face.

The townspeople around him were similarly shaken, some silent in their staring, others sniffling back tears, a few offering words of comfort to those nearby. Meanwhile, for some reason, Rochelle had followed him here. As if what she’d come to his house to tell him simply couldn’t wait. Only now, even though she didn’t really know the Coopers, she seemed just as shellshocked. Her face was a mix of wide-eyed terror and her cheeks about as gray as the smoke wafting from the decimated store.

Though he had little doubt the fire had something to do with the syndicate and the Coopers’ refusal to sell, his mind still raced for more answers. Unfortunately, investigating these things took time. Time he didn’t have. The kicker in this whole thing was that there remained no telling how many more lives would be ruined in the process.

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