Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies (An Adams Grove Novel) Read online

  ALSO BY NANCY NAIGLE

  Sweet Tea and Secrets

  Out of Focus

  Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2013 Nancy Naigle

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Montlake Romance

  PO Box 400818

  Las Vegas, NV 89140

  ISBN-13: 9781612186986

  ISBN-10: 161218698X

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2012943221

  To my husband, Mike, who gives me the leeway to chase my dreams, and who still, even after all these years, sends my heart on a race every time our eyes meet

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  A convoy of antique tractors sputtered down Main Street in Adams Grove, a tradition for the last day of the kids’ summer vacation. Kasey Phillips focused her camera on the bright green equipment and took a picture, then lifted her hair from her neck. The air was sticky, not uncommon for late August in southern Virginia, but she didn’t mind standing out here in the heat in exchange for the joy she saw on Jake’s face. Her son bounced at her side like a jack-in-the-box. She captured another shot of the parents and children who lined the parade route catching up on the local goings-on between squeals of excitement.

  Riley leaned in toward Kasey. “Who knew a parade could be this much fun as an adult? I’m so glad you talked me into coming up for it. I totally get why you love this town.” Riley’s glance swept the crowd, then settled back on Kasey. “But I miss you like crazy.”

  “I miss y’all too. If I could just talk you and Von into moving up here it would be perfect.”

  “Von’s already been looking. If they switch up the Oceana flight patterns like they’ve been threatening to, those Navy jets will go right over our house. If that happens, we’ll be outta there so fast.” Riley snapped her fingers. “We may not even pack.”

  “I hate to hope for that, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t—just a little. I guess that’s the great thing about Von being a private investigator—he can work just about anywhere.”

  “Look, Mom!” Jake shouted. “That tractor is just like Daddy’s.”

  Kasey stooped next to him and followed his line of sight. She doubted anyone else would notice the light that seemed to shine behind those eyes when he spoke of Nick, but she saw it and it tore at her heart every time.

  The old putt-putt tractor chugging down the street was just like the John Deere Model B that Nick had restored.

  “You’re right,” she said and gave him a squeeze. Jake had been only two years old that winter before Nick died—that kid didn’t forget a thing. Nick was still so alive in Jake’s mind. She wished her memories were as vivid, but she felt Nick’s absence every single day. A big void that nothing seemed to fill.

  “I can’t believe Jake is starting school,” Riley said. “It seems like it wasn’t that long ago when you were pregnant with him.”

  Kasey glanced down at Jake. His face beamed as the homemade floats celebrating the end of summer break passed by. In Jake’s case, that meant his first day of kindergarten would be Monday and he hadn’t stopped talking about it since she took him to register.

  “I’m not as excited as he is.” Putting Jake’s abduction behind her hadn’t been easy. Even leaving him in Sunday school class had been so hard that she nearly always slipped back down the hall to peek in the window and check on him.

  Even now, over a year later, the fear that something might happen to Jake again ran strong.

  Kasey reached for Jake’s tiny hand.

  Riley gave her a nod of encouragement. “It’ll be okay.”

  “It’ll have to be.” Kasey wrestled with the worry and tried to garner strength from the smiling locals who filled the sidewalk two and three deep as far as she could see. She was thankful she’d landed here in this little town—a place she’d never even heard of a year and a half ago. Nick’s death had left her hurt and empty, but this town had tugged her into a hug that helped her get through the tragedy. She was finally finding a new routine, a new home—finally in focus.

  Jake tipped his face to hers and grinned. No matter how bad things had seemed, Jake was the light that led her through every day.

  You’re the best thing I ever did in my life, sweet boy.

  Nick would have loved this parade. For a moment she drifted away in the memory of his warm touch. How it would feel with him standing here next to her. One arm around her and hugging her close.

  Who am I kidding? He wouldn’t have been by my side. He’d have been in the parade.

  That made her smile, and her heart lift. You’ll always fill my heart, Nick.

  Jake let go of her and threw his hands in the air, then darted into a group of bobbing school-aged kids, nearly disappearing from her view.

  Kasey’s heart lurched. She pushed away the desperate feeling that invaded her sensibilities more often than she liked to admit. Fighting the urge, she folded her arms to keep herself from grabbing Jake and holding him close.

  Although Riley didn’t say anything, Kasey felt her friend watching her reaction. I know you’re worried about me. I wish I could tell you I’m okay.

  High school football players in full gear walked the edge of the crowd handing out candy.

  Jake swerved to the outside of the clump of kids at the sidewalk’s edge, then ran back toward her with his treat. He opened his hand to show her the surprise.

  “Our favorite,” she said as she eyed the red licorice candy.

  “It’s like he knew!” He dropped the bounty into the plastic Piggly Wiggly bag she held for him. “This is the best parade ever!” He turned toward Riley. “I can get you one too!” He darted into the crowd, then came back to deposit something else in the bag.

  “Thanks, Jake.” Riley raised her hand and Jake high-fived her then dropped his hands to his hips. “This is fun work.”

  Riley nudged Kasey. “Wouldn’t it be awesome to be that young and naive again?”

  The Adams Grove Fire Department truck rumbled by with the volunteers hanging precariously from it. Right behind that, Scott Calvin cruised by in his sheriff’s car with his blue lights flashing and a whoop of the siren.

  “It’s Mr. Scott.” Jake waved frantically. “Look, Mom. Look!”

  “I see.” She waved at Scott. He looked like a movie star version of a cop with his deep tan and mirrored s
unglasses.

  He slid off his glasses and winked as he waved.

  She felt the heads turning in her direction. Great. Now the whole town will be talking again. It had taken months for people in Adams Grove to finally quit trying to make more out of her friendship with Scott after he’d talked her into partnering with him for the chili cook-off. All she’d done was stir, but folks around here seemed to think their relationship had more fire than the chili—and that simply wasn’t true. He’d brought her joy she didn’t think she’d ever feel again, but she wasn’t ready to explore that kind of relationship with him.

  Kasey ran her fingers through Jake’s sandy blond hair as a shiny burgundy antique woody towed a small flatbed trailer for the local veterinarian. Four vet technicians in blue scrubs wore Elizabethan collars around their necks as they marched alongside with dogs from the local shelter on leashes.

  “Are they wearing those cones that keep dogs from scratching?” Riley asked. “I bet those dogs think it’s karma day. Hilarious!”

  Click-click. “You can’t make this stuff up.”

  The thump, thump, thump-thump of the street beat filled the air. The high school band marched toward them in perfect step, lifting and lowering their instruments in unison. As they passed by, the school mascot cartwheeled and spun holding a sign that read THE END.

  The crowd started peeling away as the band continued down the street and the music began to fade.

  A line was already snaking out from Mac’s Bakery as they walked by.

  “Mom, can we get cupcakes for your birthday?”

  “Sure,” Kasey said.

  Riley shook her head. I’m going to pick you up Friday, and we’re going to make your mom a birthday cake and bring it back with us on Saturday.

  Jake clapped his hands. “I love your cakes. You’re the best cook ever.”

  “And I thought all little boys loved their mom’s cooking best,” Kasey said.

  “Well, I am one heckuva cook,” Riley said.

  They walked hand in hand back to the car in the primo parking spot Scott had saved for them behind the sheriff’s office.

  Kasey unlocked the car with a click of her fancy new key fob, and Jake whipped open the door to climb into the backseat and buckle himself into his booster. She’d finally parked Daddy’s old Porsche and bought the new car. Being alone, she couldn’t risk the unpredictable nature of that car, and Jake’s safety in the two-seater worried her too. So now she was a four-door-driving single mom. Who would have ever thought?

  “I got lots of stuff.” Jake dug through the bag of treats. “School things too.”

  “Are you excited about starting school?” Riley asked.

  “Yeah! It’s going to be so cool. I’m going to put all this stuff in my lunch box.”

  Kasey slid into the driver’s seat. “Where will you put your lunch?” She glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

  “I’ll put this in the backpack Aunt Riley gave me. Then I can have lunch in my lunch box.” His head bobbed as he planned. “That’ll be good.”

  Sometimes he looked so serious that it was hard to believe he was just five. A tap on the driver-side window glass startled Kasey. It was Scott.

  She pressed the button to lower the window. “Great parade. You’re a good waver.”

  “Thanks. They give us a lesson on proper parade waving. I got an A.” He winked at Jake.

  “I waved to you!”

  “I saw you, buddy.” Scott nodded to Riley, and patted Kasey on the arm.

  “Mr. Scott.” Jake lifted his bag. “The parade was so fun. Look at all this stuff.”

  Scott leaned his forearms on the window opening. “Adams Grove has the best parades in the world.”

  “We all enjoyed it. I got some really good pictures too,” Kasey said.

  Scott glanced down at his watch. “Can I talk you into letting me come over and cook you lovely ladies burgers on your grill tomorrow for lunch?”

  He hadn’t bothered to put her in the position of cooking a meal for him since that bad Crock-Pot incident.

  Jake yelled from the backseat. “Cheeseburgers!”

  “Of course,” Scott said. “Is there any other kind?”

  You know Jake’s “like” buttons.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Jake chanted.

  “Sounds like a yes to me,” Scott said.

  “Not for me. I’ll be heading back to Virginia Beach, but thanks for the offer,” Riley said.

  “So, the three of us? Tomorrow?” Scott looked hopeful.

  Kasey was reluctant, but Jake was already excited and it would be the day before his first day of school. “How can I say no?”

  “You can’t. I’ll see you later.” He gave a thumbs-up to Jake, then hesitated and for a second Kasey got the feeling he might lean in and kiss her. She held her breath and leaned back in her seat.

  Scott stepped back from her car. “Have a safe drive home, Riley.”

  “I will.” Riley waved as Kasey started the car and backed out of the parking spot.

  “I thought he was going to—”

  Kasey stopped Riley midsentence. “I thought so too. Sometimes he tries to sneak that stuff in out of the blue.”

  “Out of the blue for you, maybe. He’s nice, and he really likes you. What’s wrong with that?”

  Kasey motioned toward the backseat. “Little parrots,” she said in a singsongy voice.

  Riley nodded. “Got it. Later.”

  Jake hummed as he dug around in his bag of goodies.

  This was the most traffic she’d ever encountered in Adams Grove. Usually it only took a few minutes to get back out onto the main road, but today it took two cycles of the stoplight. Once Kasey turned onto Route 58 it was back to smooth sailing the rest of the way to her turn onto Nickel Creek Road.

  The corn was so high on either side of the road that it was like driving through a tunnel to the house. The tassels on the large ears were browning, a sign they were beginning to dry out and would be harvested soon. Last year, she and Jake had sat outside on the front porch swing and watched the local farmers harvest late into the night as they tried to get the crop in before the rain. Hopefully, they’d have more cooperative weather this year. Besides, she wouldn’t be able to let Jake stay up that late now that he’d be going to school, and pulling him away from the sight of tractors and combines in action was nearly impossible.

  As soon as she pulled the car into the driveway Shutterbug, their yellow Lab, bounced up and down on the other side of the fence, and welcomed them with her high-pitched hello bark. The little butterball of a puppy Scott had given Jake last year was now nearly eighty pounds of lean and lanky muscle.

  “That dog is in perpetual motion,” Riley said.

  “Compared to Von’s basset hound, I bet Shutterbug looks twice as crazy to you, but that’s fine with me. At least she can keep up with Jake. I swear that child has more energy than a hummingbird on sweet tea.”

  “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “I know. I think Scott’s mom is rubbing off on me with all those Southernisms. Sometimes living here feels like another planet.”

  “Your prim and proper Grandma Emily would die if she heard you talk like that.”

  “Grem practically dies every time I talk to her anymore. I never realized she was such a fussbudget until the last few years. If I’m still in the will it’ll be a shock.”

  “I remember her giving me a lecture about not going out without my toenails painted when we were in your backyard at the pool one summer. Scarred me for life. I still can’t stand to have my toes naked anymore. Her voice haunts me.” Riley pressed her lips together in a tight line. “You know she loves you in her own special way.”

  “You mean her own special old crabby way.” Kasey turned and looked over the seat. “Need help with all your stuff?” “No, ma’am.” He unlatched the seat belt and waited just like she’d taught him for the okay to open the car door. “I’m ready.”

  She took her keys f
rom the ignition. “Let’s go.”

  Still clutching his Piggly Wiggly bag, he jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind him. “Can I go play with Shutterbug, Mom?”

  “Sure. I’ll get us something to drink and meet you out back.”

  “Okay.” Jake ran full speed to the back gate. Shutterbug jumped in the air and then the two of them ran through the yard toward the swing.

  Kasey’s thoughts drifted to Libby Braddock and her role in Jake’s abduction. Thank goodness his captor had been good to Jake. In fact, Jake still talked about Miss Libby whenever Kasey pushed him on the swing. Other than the loss of his dad, which they were both still healing from, Jake didn’t seem any worse for wear.

  Her own recovery wasn’t as complete. She wondered if it ever would be.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Just like on a hundred other nights, Cody Tuggle tossed his guitar to the roadie stage-left then made a dash for the makeshift dressing room. Nearly seventeen years ago this bar had felt like the big time. The funny thing was that after playing outdoor arenas in front of forty thousand screaming fans, he’d take this three hundred–seat joint any day of the week.

  As soon as Cody was offstage the lights dimmed, and the noise from the crowd grew.

  In the dressing room Cody tugged off his sweaty bandanna and turned the blow-dryer on his hair for some quick relief. With his free hand he tugged the snaps on his black Western short-sleeve shirt, peeled it off, and tossed it on the table. The cool setting felt good against his hot skin. He had the routine down to a science after all the touring he’d done. He guzzled a small bottle of water and tossed it into the recycling bin across the room.

  He toweled off, combed his fingers through his hair, and put on a black T-shirt. The rest of the band came off and grabbed towels.

  Cody dug into his duffel bag, only the bandanna he’d planned to wear wasn’t where he’d put it earlier. He hated it when fans helped themselves to his stuff. He picked up the black Stetson he’d planned to wear after the show and put it on instead.

  The crowd cheered, chanting for more so loudly that it sent a vibration through the whole space. In the dressing room, no one spoke. Everyone stayed in the zone, feeling the building excitement of their fans and getting ready to reenergize them one last time.