As Brie walked into the bar in the midafternoon she found her brother had removed all the glasses and liquor bottles and was giving the mirror and glass shelves a good cleaning. This was the sort of chore Jack liked to do during the time of day there were few patrons.
“Sparkling up the place, Jack?” she asked.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to drop a load of old clothes off at the church. They’re getting ready for another rummage sale.”
“Haven’t they sold enough rummage yet?” Jack asked.
“It’s only disguised as a rummage sale. They hold back a lot of stuff they can just give away as needs arise, and what they sell, they sell so cheap it’s the same as charity. But the women’s group gets a little something for their kitty. Ness is playing with your kids, or hopefully taking a nap with your kids, and I thought I’d let you buy me a Diet Coke.”
“My pleasure,” he said, leaning over the bar to give his sister a little peck on the forehead.
“I’m not interrupting your cleaning binge, am I?”
“You are, but I don’t mind. I don’t get to visit with you that often.” He poured and served her the drink. “Seems like you’ve been busier than usual lately.”
“The county has kept me really busy. My part-time job is taking more than full-time. Just as well,” she shrugged. “There aren’t enough cases around here for a private practice anyway.”
“But that’s how you like it,” he said. “The days of the overworked A.D.A. are not all that far behind you. You’ve always loved to work.”
“As a consultant for the local D.A., I usually don’t have such a full plate. It’s usually just here and there.”
“I haven’t seen much of you, that’s for sure. You must be over in Eureka all the time.”
“Plenty of domestics and sexual assaults right now for some reason, my unfortunate specialty. Anything interesting happening around here? Anything more upbeat than my line of work?” she asked.
“This is an upbeat kind of place,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like frickin’ Cupid. I think we got ourselves another romance, and man, I never saw it coming. But now that I think about it, it makes sense.”
“Oh?” she asked, taking a sip.
“Yeah. That friend of yours, Conner. And Paul’s old/new secretary, Leslie.”
Brie sputtered and choked. She tried to recover, but she coughed until her eyes watered; the cola went down the wrong pipe. It took her a couple of seconds, and then in a weak voice she said, “Really?”
“You all right?” Jack asked.
“Swallowed funny. Tell me about the new romance. You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. They were in here for lunch today with Leslie’s parents. Her folks drove down from Grants Pass for a quick visit and, I assume, to meet Conner. And it was a pretty cozy lunch. Conner had his arm around Leslie the whole time and the four of them seemed to hit it off. Another one bites the dust.” And then he laughed.
Brie cleared her throat and tried to appear nonchalant. “You said it made perfect sense. Why is that?”
“Oh, they seem right, but that’s just me talking. But here’s the gist—he’s here alone for work and she’s here alone to put some distance between her and her ex-husband. I assume they met at work and boom—hormones. Those really fun hormones—remember those? And there was the definite scent of satisfaction in the air. Those two are getting it on.”
“And that’s it? You saw them together and you assume…?”
“No, Leslie stopped by for takeout for two a couple of times and so did Conner, so I knew they were seeing some action with someone. I just didn’t realize it was each other. Seeing them together? It looks just right. I’ve always had a good eye for that sort of thing.”
Brie was stunned silent for a moment. Then she recovered and said, “Oh, gee, look at the time. I better get going.”
“You haven’t been here ten minutes! What’s the rush?” Jack asked.
“If I get home before Ness wakes up from her nap, I might get a couple of things done without the constant interference. Thanks, Jack. You’re a dream brother.”
“Oh, yeah? You could stay ten whole minutes if I’m such a dream.”
“I know you want to get back to your spring cleaning…”
“Oh, yeah, I was dying to do some more clean—”
But Brie wasn’t listening, she was on the move. She barely knew Leslie; she’d run into her a couple of times at the bar, but on neither occasion had Conner been with her.
She wasn’t quite sure where to go. To Leslie’s? She didn’t know where Leslie lived. She headed for the Riordan cabins, though she knew on a Saturday Conner might be spending his day off with his new girlfriend!
She was going to kill him!
When she pulled into the Riordan compound, it was just after four, and she saw him fishing in the river with Art. She pulled in, parked and plastered a cheerful expression on her face as she approached the two men.
“Hey,” she called. “Hi, Art. Hi, Conner.”
“Hey, Brie,” Art said. “You wanna fish?”
“Gee, thanks, Art, but I’m gonna pass. I wanted to talk to Conner for a second.”
“You sure?” Art asked. “I have another rod….”
She smiled at him. “You’re so generous, thank you. Not today.”
“I never seen you fish, Brie,” Art pointed out to her.
“But you’ve fished with Mike many times.”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “He’s good, too.”
“Conner,” Brie asked. “A minute?”
“Sure.” He reeled in his line and turned to exit the river. “Save my place, Art.”
He stood on the riverbank looking at Brie.
“Your cabin, please? It won’t take long,” she said, smiling the whole time. And then she turned to walk slowly back toward the cabins.
He caught up with her, his waders making a scrunching, squeaking sound with each step. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said. “Which one is yours?”
“Number four,” he said. When they got there, he leaned the rod against the outside wall and took off the waders. He opened the unlocked door and held it for her.
When they were both inside and the door closed, her expression went south in a hurry, and she punched him in the shoulder. It was not the force of the blow but her angry expression and surprise that caused him to take a backward step. “Hey!”
“Have you lost your mind?” she snapped. “You have a thing going with Leslie? Didn’t we talk about this?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “If you’re referring to telling me this wouldn’t be an ideal time to hook up with someone, I heard that. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, when you get down to it, it’s not an ideal time for anything!”
Brie got right in his face. “What are you thinking? You’re supposed to be flying under the radar as much as possible!”
“Yeah? Then you brought me to the wrong place! I’ve been helping erect the school, finish a friend’s house, hang out at the bar with your brother and work overtime for your friend Paul. I’ve been fishing with Art every week. Art depends on me fishing with him. And that’s the tip of the iceberg. This isn’t the kind of place where you stay a stranger for long.”
“But a girlfriend?” she said, an accusing tone to her voice.
“I didn’t plan that,” he said.
“Where’s this going? You going to just leave her high and dry when it’s time to testify?”
“No,” he said. “At the very least I’m going to tell her. Everything.”
Brie palmed the top of her own head and dug her fingers into her scalp, massaging. “Oh, God. And make her collateral damage, too?”
“How?”
“If the other side ever finds out who’s important to you here—”
“The list would be long,” he said flatly. “And it might even include you.”
“No. No, you don’t understand. The rest of us have a lot of other links—like for example, I’m married to a cop. Jack’s not exactly someone you love even if you like him. Lots of people worked on the school. But Leslie is alone….”
“No, she’s not. Paul and Dan look out for her, too. She’s not that alone and I’m not going to leave her stranded and like a sitting duck. Not going to.”
“You shouldn’t tell anyone anything until your testimony is complete and you’re finished with the court!”
“You know where I am, so what if the bad guys snatch your daughter? Would you tell them?”
“I’m not going to know where you are after then, which makes what I’m putting out for this effort the ultimate sacrifice!”
“You’re going crazy,” Conner said. “Stop it, it’s my job to go crazy.”
“Can you break it off?” Brie asked. “Before it gets any more serious?”
“No.”
“Conner, this could be bad for you. Emotionally bad, if you have to cut and run. It could be bad for her if anyone on the other team ever figures out there’s someone here you really care about. They could leverage her to get to you.”
“Then maybe we should change the game plan….”
“Huh?” Brie said, startled.
“Just thinking out loud, maybe Danson Conner disappears forever and Conner Danson grows a new life in Virgin River. I have a hard time believing any of Mathis’s connections are going to figure out I’m here.”
“People will make the connection when you testify….”
“Maybe I won’t testify, then,” he said. “I can’t believe they won’t make a conviction without me—they have the car, the murder weapon, forensics…. Max said there’s other evidence, he just wouldn’t tell me what.”
“And an eyewitness, who led them to all the other evidence! Max will pull the plug on you! He’s not going to help you maintain this cover—he can’t. It costs the state money.”
“I’m working. I’m paying the rent on this cabin,” he argued.
“You think transferring all your identity and bank accounts was free? You think that truck you’re driving is free? And if you try to sell your Sacramento properties without a middleman like the D.A., Mathis is going to find out. At least we have to assume he knows how to get that information, even though it wouldn’t be through legal channels. Besides, you know it’s the right thing to do! If you don’t testify, you’re setting a murderer free, and even though he looks upstanding, if he’d kill once… Conner…!”
“Settle down. I know it’s the right thing to do. It also might be right to stare him in the eye while I do it.”
“And what the hell does that mean?”
“Hey—didn’t you tell me you looked the man who almost killed you in the eye and said, ‘He’s the one’? And did you change your identity? Hide in Virgin River? No, you pointed at him, put him away and got on with your life.”
She was shaking her head. “There was no evidence he was connected to dangerous people, people he could commission to come after me for revenge!”
Conner chuckled. “Don’t you watch TV? He’s been in prison for years now. If he wanted to, he could make a partnership. I doubt he will, but he could. Revenge is a hot poker, kind of hard to forget. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to scare you or anything. I bet I’m not telling you anything you haven’t already thought of.”
“I’m just trying to help keep you safe. And you’re making me very nervous.”
“You’re not the one who should be nervous. I’ve been thinking a lot and I think maybe what I’ll do is ask Max to unload all that property. Sell it. The furnishings and personal property in the two houses. He can launder the money, so to speak, so the proceeds of the sale aren’t made out to Danson Conner. We’ll liquidate, make a fresh start. It’s what we were going to do anyway. When it’s time, I’ll go to Sacramento and testify and come back here. I’ll start over here with my new name and my family.”
“Your family?”
“I don’t know what Katie wants for herself and her boys, but we’ve talked. We know we’re not going home. But I want them here. This is the right kind of place for them. Maybe I’ll work cabinetry for the rest of my life. Maybe I’ll do something else.”
She took a step toward him. “And Leslie, as well? Mathis had your store burned down! Your life was threatened!”
Conner looked down. When he lifted his eyes, they were blazing. “I never saw it coming. He won’t take me by surprise again.”
“Conner, what you’re proposing is dangerous to you and your ancillary connections, like Katie and her boys. Like Leslie. I think what we should do is move you. I’ll call Max and tell him we have a complication and have to get you away from here before anyone can make the connection.”
“No. I’m not going.”
She shook her head. “If you care about her, you have to reconsider.”
“I care about her, and before I make any moves, I’ll give her the choice.” He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Maybe she’ll tell me to be on my way. She’s not here to find the right guy, she’s here trying to get her idea of the right guy out of her head—that ex-husband who cost her so much. Besides, she’s close to her family—no way she’s going into hiding. I wouldn’t even ask her to.”
“You love her.”
“Don’t get ahead of me. We’re enjoying life. We haven’t said those kind of things to each other.” He swallowed. “I don’t want to crowd her.”
“You’re talking about just ignoring the threat Mathis and his people impose.”
“No, sir,” he said. “I’m talking about defending my loved ones, something I never knew I had to do before, something you and the D.A. have made a point of suggesting is impossible for me to do. I have a gun and I have—” He broke off and laughed cynically. “I have the Virgin River posse. Even though all I’ve done for these good people is help out here and there, I have no doubt they’d back me up.”
Brie was quiet for a long moment. Finally she said, “They deserve better than that.”
“I haven’t done anything yet,” he reminded her. “I haven’t told anyone. I haven’t changed our game plan. But if you push this, I will. Because Les and I deserve a break. Just a break to see if maybe we found something worth the risk. That’s all I’m saying.”
“You’re not in charge,” Brie said forcefully.
“Yes,” he said. “I am.”
That night, as Conner held Leslie, the temptation to tell all was overwhelming. He didn’t, but he wanted to. He wanted to say, This thing happened and testifying is the right thing to do and I can keep you safe. I know I have to keep the people I love safe.
Instead he said, “Your parents are nice.”
“Yeah. The fun couple. They’re wonderful. Sometimes their antics are a little embarrassing, but I have to remember how supportive they are.”
“Antics?”
“Oh, they love dressing up funny, getting into fundraising things like pie-throwing contests or dunking booths. For their fortieth anniversary they went bungee jumping off a bridge in Oregon. They’re kind of Where’s the party? all the time. But I have to say, they’ve never let me down. Maybe I’ve let them down….”
“That’s hard to imagine.”
“I’m just realizing… I was pretty caught up in…other things for the past few…okay, for the past decade or so. I might’ve kept them at arm’s length. I’ll never do that again.”
“You shouldn’t, Les,” he said. “You don’t know how much time you’ll have with them. They’re a little wacky, but in a good way. Enjoy.”
“Do you understand everything?”
He laughed. “Oh, hell no. But I lost my parents when I was young. And even though yours are a lot more fun than mine were, there are times I still miss them. And my life would be totally different if they hadn’t died prematurely. Just be glad you have a chance to spend some more time with yours.” He coughed. “That dye job, though…”
“I know….”
Conner sat in front of The Loving Cup in his truck and phoned Katie. He talked to Mitch and Andy for a few minutes, but, with the typical attention span of five-year-old boys, that didn’t last long. Then Katie was back on the phone.
“I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest.”
“I’m always honest,” she said.
“Are you afraid of what’s going to happen after I testify?”
“We’ve been over this, but if we have to go over it again, okay. I know life will never be the same, Conner. I knew the morning the store burned down that life as we’ve known it is over. I knew then—I can’t live in Sacramento again. I’ll look over my shoulder like I never have before. I’m doing it already. But it is what it is—there’s no changing it. It happened to us—and you have to follow through. You can’t let that man win. You know what the worst part is? Having no choice. There’s no choice, Conner. We have to go on. Forward.”
She was brave. She’d always been brave. “I’ll be honest—I’ve been giving a lot of thought to not going to court—”
“Your woman,” she said immediately.
He just grunted. “Not her. Me. But she’s like you. I haven’t told her anything, but she’d expect me to do the right thing even though it might cost her in the end.”
“I like her,” Katie said.
“I’m in a good place. I don’t know where you are emotionally, but I’m in a sweet little town off the grid. I want you and the boys here.”
Dead silence filled the space in the conversation.
“Katie?”
“Because of the new girlfriend?” she asked softly.
“No, honey. Because of the town. Because of the kind of place it is, because of the people. The woman might not even be here long. But this is the place to settle. I feel more strongly about that every day. The only downside is—it limits your prospects for a new man in your life. But the boys would do well here. And it would be easier to keep a close eye on them and you.”
Again, silence.
“Katie?”
“Little complication,” she said. She took a deep breath. “I think I have a crush on the dentist.”
“You mentioned that before….”
“Yeah, but… Seriously.”
“Are you involved?” he asked.
“Not romantically, not yet. But we spend more and more time together and gosh, Danny… Oops, sorry. Conner. I like him so much. He wants the same things I want—a stable home, kids, family. He’s so sweet and smart and ethical. I think he’s trying to maintain a professional relationship, but I swear if he even leans toward me like he wouldn’t mind being kissed, I’m going to devour him. I’m sorry, but I am.”
“This is happening at work?” Conner asked.
“At work, after work, at lunch and we’ve done a little extra time on the weekends. He’s wonderful with the boys. He’s gone to some of their soccer games, and they think he’s so much fun. I cooked him dinner one night. He had us over for hot dogs and burgers on the grill one Sunday afternoon.”
And now the silence was his.
She was in Vermont. Could she get any farther away? And they had both met people of interest, to put it lightly. Of course, she was working up a crush while he was in all the way, though he had no idea the degree in which Leslie was committed.
“Danny?” she whispered.
“Yeah. Here.”
Those boys meant the world to him. Hell, Katie meant the world! When their mother died, Conner had tried to fill the gap. When their father died, Conner had tried to be both mother and father to her. Katie’s husband hadn’t even seen the boys enter the world, but Conner had been there, at the hospital, spending the night there to help his sister with these newborn twins when they’d been less than a day old.
“I was kind of fantasizing you’d come here,” she said. “I really like it here. I know, I know—we couldn’t get farther apart and be in the same country.”
He laughed. “We could if you were in Florida.”
“Maybe this will work out….”
He’d always known that this could happen one day. He hadn’t expected it to happen like this, with Katie moving away and meeting the man of her dreams because he was an eyewitness in a crime. But he’d always known she could fall in love with a man who could take her away, making the end result the same. And by damn, she deserved to fall in love again! Her short marriage to Charlie had been filled with intense love lost too soon.
“It’ll work out, honey,” he said.
No matter what he had to do, it would work out.
