Free After Dark by Beverly Barton Page A

can be
Johnny Mack. Not after the beating we gave him." Sweat dotted Buddy's
forehead and upper lip. "My guess is that what's left of him is at
the bottom of the Chickasaw River."
        "Then, if this man isn't who he
says he is, find out who he is and what he wants. And get rid of him!"
        "Eavesdropping, Ms. Cummings?"
James Ware asked as he came up behind his stepdaughter's private duty
nurse.
        Jackie gasped and jumped, then turned
to face her accuser. "Mercy, Mr. Ware, you scared the bejesus out
of me!"
        "What's going on in Mary Martha's
room?"
        "Oh, Miss Edith and Buddy Lawler
are visiting with her." Jackie gave James a provocative, come-hither
smile. "I've just come upstairs after taking a smoke on the back
porch. I wasn't eavesdropping. I was waiting. Didn't want to disturb their
visit."
        "Hmm… I see."
        James would bet his bankroll that
Jackie would be more than willing to scratch any itch he had. She had had
that kind of reputation as far back as he could remember. But he wasn't
interested in her. The only woman for him was Arlene. He had loved her
since they were teenagers, but he had been a gutless coward back then.
He'd allowed his family to keep them apart. However, after all these years,
finally, if his plans worked out, they would have the rest of their lives
together. With Edith consumed by Kent's murder, now was the perfect time
to tie up all the loose ends.
        "You're in kinda late, aren't
you, Mr. Ware? Business in town?"
        James searched Jackie's eyes for
any hint that she knew about his affair with Arlene, but her expression
revealed nothing.
        ''A mayor's work is never done,''
he replied, hoping he had infused his words with just the right amount of
humor.
        "Is that so? Would you believe
my beautician says the same thing-that her work is never done? You know
my beautician, Arlene Dothan, don't you?"
        Jackie's tittering laughter sliced
like a razor blade along James's nerve endings.
        "Yes, of course I know Ms.
Dothan."
        "I thought you did." Jackie
snuggled up to James's side. "I'll make you a deal, Mayor-you don't
mention anything about my eavesdropping to Miss Edith, and I won't mention
anything to her about how well you know my beautician."

    Chapter 7
     
        Light from a full moon bathed the
old boathouse with a soft, creamy wash and danced across the river in
shimmering ripples. A fresh coat of white paint on the aged wood and new
hinges on the side door told Johnny Mack that Lane had kept the structure
in tiptop shape. He wondered if William Noble's boat still resided inside
or if it had been sold years ago. Since leaving Noble's Crossing, he had
often thought about this place, about the times he and Lane had met here.
She had been so young. So naive. So innocent. God, how he had wanted her.
And he could have had her. She would have given herself to him without
reservations.
        Johnny Mack tried the door. Locked.
In the old days, Lane had always left the door unlocked for him. This had
been their place, a sanctuary from the real world. Here, he hadn't been
a trailer trash bastard, and she hadn't been the princess of Noble's Crossing.
        Lane sure had been in a hurry to
get rid of him tonight. He'd seen the fear in her eyes. Had she been afraid
that he would ask to be introduced to her son? Surely she knew that he'd
never do anything to hurt her or the boy. Even if Will turned out to be
Kent's son, he would never hurt him. Because he was Lane's child, too.
        Johnny Mack strolled by the river's
edge, the ground soft beneath his feet, the heels of his boots branding
the damp soil. Ancient willow trees dripped their long, feathery branches
into the thick green grass, creating secluded little tents around their
trunks. The one and only time he had ever kissed Lane had been beneath
one of these willows.
        Nighttime insects chortled late
summertime choruses, the sound blending