Rebels and Roses (Winslow Heights #2)

Chapter 19

19

C ooper and Jane met with Zack, Lucy, and Tate when they returned to town. Sitting in a corner booth, Cooper recounted their visit with Cassie. He also told them about his second visit to the hotel to speak to the clerk.

Erica was lying.

He’d been assured again that she’d checked in the night before. Theoretically, she could have been the one who called Tom that night when he’d been with Amanda. She could have been with him when he’d taken the drugs that had killed him.

“Her motive is weak,” Jane argued. “She’s pregnant with his child. She might be pissed at him if she knew about Cassie, but she’d still want him alive to pay child support.”

“Erica’s family is wealthy,” Tate pointed out. “She doesn’t need money. From what Cooper said, she can hire a team of nannies to raise the baby without a dime from the father.”

“To be fair, it doesn’t sound like Tom was worried about money either,” Jane replied. “He told Cassie that there would be plenty of money. He didn’t sound like a man who owed money to a loan shark.”

“He was paranoid,” Zack said. “He thought someone was following him. That doesn’t sound like someone who isn’t worried. Coop, did Tom say that he feared for his life?”

“No, he was questioning why someone would follow and watch him.”

“Maybe it was the daddies of these women,” Tate offered. “They had good reason to want to know more about him.”

“I doubt that they would have been the one that called him that night,” Jane said. “If so, I think Amanda would have seen a far different reaction from him.”

“Would one of their fathers try and poison Tom with fentanyl?” Lucy questioned. “If they were worried for their daughters, I would think they’d want Tom alive and kicking. Not dead.”

“From my experience,” Cooper said. “Rich men don’t do their own dirty work. Also, as pointed out before, they didn’t need Tom alive to support the babies.”

“Is that where we’re going with this now?” Jane asked. “We’re talking about murder and not a tragic accident? I’m not sure I’m ready to make that leap yet.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Tate replied. “Even if the person who called Tom that night was with him when he died, that doesn’t mean that it was intentional. It could have been an accident, but the person panicked. Didn’t know what to do. Now they’re scared to say anything.”

“We have to be prepared for the possibility that more is going on here than we can see,” Cooper argued. “Tom was on the wagon according to both Erica and Cassie. Then he comes to Winslow Heights, and he starts to party and drink. Then he starts on cocaine again and ends up dead. I know that anything is possible when it comes to addiction, but I can’t rule out that someone wanted him dead. Not yet.”

“I think we’re open to the possibility,” Zack said. “But I know that I don’t want to jump to conclusions. If Erica was here earlier than she said, she might have been the one watching Tom. She might have been the person who called him. She might even have been there when he died. But I can’t yet say that she helped him into the hereafter with a hit of fentanyl.”

“We don’t have any proof that Erica knows about Cassie, or anyone else,” Lucy said. “For that motive to work, she would have to have knowledge of Tom’s philandering.”

“How could she not?” Cooper asked. “Tom left all the time; he had a drug problem. Wouldn’t she be suspicious?”

“Let’s just say that a woman can fool herself completely if she’s in love,” Jane sighed.

“Men, too,” Tate replied with a nod. “Humans in general can convince themselves of all sorts of things to make themselves feel better.”

“But deep down they know something is wrong,” Lucy said. “But if they admit it, then they have to admit that their own judgment was wrong. Some people cannot admit to mistakes.”

“You sound like you’re talking about our dad,” Cooper joked. “I’ve never heard him say that he’s made a mistake.”

“For Joel, he has levels of rightness,” Zack said. “He’s always right, of course, but sometimes he’s less right than other times.”

“So what happens now?” Lucy queried. “What’s left to look into?”

“I need to call the Kemp family attorney and give him a heads up as to what is going on,” Cooper replied. “I don’t know if Tom made any financial arrangements for his children, but they need to be taken care of. I think the Kemps will step up to the plate.”

“What about Finn? Will you tell him?” Tate asked.

“I will, but I’m not sure that it changes things for him. As far as he and the coroner are concerned, this case is closed. I don’t have any hard evidence to give him, just a few hunches. My gut feelings aren’t admissible in court, unfortunately.”

A strange look crossed Tate’s face, and his brother nodded toward the door behind Cooper.

“Heads up. Your ex is here, and she’s heading this way with a very determined look on her face.”

Inwardly cringing, Cooper rubbed at his temple where a headache would surely bloom quite soon.

“I need to talk to you.”

For once, Fiona wasn’t bothering to pretend to be friendly or loving. Her tone was clipped and abrupt.

“What about?”

Fiona’s gaze drifted to where Jane was sitting next to him. Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of the woman Cooper was now with.

Tough shit.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, what do you want to talk to me about?”

Fiona crossed her arms over her chest, giving a narrow-eyed stare to Jane who was wisely staying out of it. If only he could, too.

“Tom. Now can I talk to you?”

He didn’t really want to do this. Fiona was obviously in one of her moods, and he’d learned the hard way years ago that he needed to vacate the blast zone. Nothing good was going to come from this.

“Okay, fine. Let’s talk.”

Fiona looked at Jane and the others again.

“Can we do this in private? This is about my family, Cooper.”

Questioning many of his life choices when he was younger, he agreed, and they stepped outside of the tavern and into the alley beside the building where it was quiet.

“I need your help. Erica is holding Tom’s body hostage, claiming that her baby is the next of kin. It’s probably not even his. I need you to talk to her, get her to back down so I can take him back home to Miami.”

Whoa. This was not something that Cooper wanted to be involved in. His guilt was pushing him to investigate Tom’s death, but intervening in the disposition of his remains seemed a step too far.

“This needs to be decided by the courts, Fi. This situation is far too complicated, and I don’t know anything about the laws that apply here.”

He didn’t mention Cassie and her baby. Fiona would find out soon enough since the family attorney would be notified of the impending new heir.

“Mom and Dad are so upset about Tom. They can barely function. I have to take charge here,” Fiona said. “This is heartbreaking for them.”

“Then take charge. Talk to your attorney. If he can’t help with this sort of law, hire a different one. Get him to recommend someone.”

“Going to court will take too long. You can talk to her,” Fiona pressed.

“So can you. I’m not a family member, and I shouldn’t be involved in this.”

Fiona was angry, enraged really. Her face was red, and her lips were pressed together so tightly they’d almost disappeared into her face. It was clear she wanted to call him a nasty name but was trying to hold it in. She might as well let it fly. He was sure he’d been called worse at some point in his life.

Frankly, his life had been turned upside down the minute Tom had hit town using Fiona’s phone to trick Cooper. He hadn’t asked for this; he sure as hell didn’t want this. Yet here he was being pulled further and further into their orbit. Again. It had been bad enough the first time. He was older and wiser, but he wasn’t smart enough to keep himself out of all this mess. The minute he’d met Tom that first night at Tate’s, he should have told his former brother-in-law to kick rocks. He’d let himself get talked into being involved.

Now, I’m involved.

It didn’t mean that he had to get more involved, though. This was a classic Fiona move. Get him to do a task that was unpleasant, and that she didn’t want to make any effort. From his perspective, if getting Tom’s body released to her was important, she’d make time for it in her busy schedule.

“This has gone past a simple conversation,” Cooper continued. “The courts are now involved. Call your attorney, they’ll know what to do. I won’t be of any use here.”

“Now that she’s in your life, you don’t give a shit about me anymore,” Fiona shot back, her face twisted with anger. “You don’t care about me.”

To be fair, when they’d mutually decided to divorce that was a public declaration that they weren’t going to be responsible for one another any longer. That they weren’t in love anymore and didn’t want to be in each other’s lives. That’s why they hadn’t seen each other since the divorce was final.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Cooper replied, keeping his tone even but firm. “But this is not something I can help you with.”

“You mean you won’t help me. You could, but now that you’re with her, you won’t. I guess she’s more important now, huh?”

Cooper wanted to make it clear where he stood.

“If you’re asking if I prioritize Jane over you, the answer is yes. Every time. But she’s not the reason I’m saying no. I’m telling you that you need to call a lawyer. You just don’t want to do it. You want me to call one. But I think you’re a big girl and can manage this all by yourself.”

Furiously, Fiona turned on her heel and stomped down the block, disappearing around the corner. Cooper stood there for a while, watching her leave and wondering what she would do next. The woman he’d been married to all those years ago didn’t give up easily.

Honestly, in the time they’d spent arguing about him helping, Fiona could have called her attorney and had him on the case. She just didn’t want to do it. She wanted him to do it.

It was all about control with her. If he did it, then she could tell herself that he still had feelings for her and so on. Somehow, she’d spin it in her mind that she was in control of him. Right now, she was having a temper tantrum because he wasn’t cooperating with her little life fantasy.

She’d looked especially pissed off when he’d told her that Jane was his priority. He hadn’t planned to say it like that, but he wasn’t sorry. Jane was that important now. He was beginning to wake up and realize that she was his future.

He should have been running in fear at the realization, but all he felt was happiness and contentment.

Maybe falling in love with the right woman wasn’t all that scary after all.

“Does this bother you?” Zack asked Jane after Cooper left the tavern to speak with Fiona. “You know he doesn’t care about her anymore.”

“I know, and no, it doesn’t bother me,” Jane replied. “At least not much. I know he doesn’t love her anymore.”

Frankly, Fiona didn’t look like she was in love with Cooper either. But she sure as hell wanted him. That was two different things. Luckily, Cooper understood the difference.

“No one would blame you,” Zack said. “He’s spending a lot of time working on this.”

“I just feel badly for him. He’s letting his guilt drive him to find out more details about Tom’s death which might very well be an accidental overdose. His feelings of paranoia might have been well-founded considering his life decisions, but that doesn’t mean they had anything to do with his death.”

“And now Fiona is trying to pull something, too,” Tate said. “That woman had a determined expression when she walked in. I can only imagine what they’re talking about. I do know one thing…Cooper’s got a spine of solid steel. Whatever it is that she wants him to do or say, he won’t do it unless he agrees with it.”

“What makes you say she wants something?” Lucy asked.

“I’ve heard enough stories about her to know that if she came here looking for him, she wants something.”

What on earth could Fiona be asking of Cooper? He was already digging into her brother’s untimely death. What more was there that he could do?

“Just don’t think that he’ll get back with her or anything,” Tate said. “We can see how he feels about you. He’s not going to get caught up in her again.”

Lucy was nodding in agreement, and Zack was smiling so they seemed to agree with Tate’s sentiments. It felt good that they could see the feelings that Cooper had, but it was also uncomfortable in a way. Everyone was looking at them, evaluating them. These were her friends, and she knew they weren’t judging in a bad way, but it was still unnerving.

For the longest time, she and Cooper had been under wraps. It had been their secret together, and it kept the rest of the world out. It had been just the two of them in their little bubble. Now it was burst wide open, and they were exposed to the public. Everyone in Winslow Heights was going to have an opinion about their romance. Luckily, Jane didn’t give a hoot about most people’s opinions, and neither did Cooper.

And you know what they say about opinions…

“Is everything okay?” Tate asked when Cooper returned to the table after speaking with Fiona. “She didn’t look happy.”

“She’s not,” Cooper confirmed. “She wanted me to talk to Erica, try and convince her to drop the lawsuit for Tom’s body.”

“What did you say? Did you say yes?” Jane asked.

“Not in this lifetime,” Cooper assured her. “I gave her an unequivocal no, which pissed her off, of course. Fiona doesn’t like to hear that word. Her parents did warn me, but I didn’t listen. I thought she’d grow out of it.”

Sometimes, Cooper could be an unabashed optimist.

“Clearly, she didn’t,” Tate laughed. “Where is she now?”

“I hope she’s on her phone calling her attorney which is exactly what I told her to do. I don’t have a law degree, and I was going to be no help at all in a courtroom arguing in front of a judge. She was just being difficult and didn’t want to do it.”

Jane’s husband hadn’t ever done anything for her, so perhaps she had a skewed perception of relationships. It would never have occurred to her to ask anyone else - even Cooper - to make a phone call for her. She’d been independent for a long time, and frankly, she wouldn’t want to be any other way.

“If you’re not planning to talk to Erica about Tom’s body, what about asking her again about when she arrived in town?” Zack queried. “You said the hotel clerk was firm on her getting here the night before. That’s still suspicious behavior.”

“I do need to talk to her,” Cooper agreed. “I just hope I can convince her that there’s proof she’s lying.”

“Let me try and talk to Erica,” Jane suggested. “She might open up to a female. If she felt like Tom was making a fool of her, she would understandably be reluctant to admit that. I have some experience with that.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Cooper said with a shake of his head. “I know this is my problem. I’ve been dragging you into it, but I may need to back off. So far, nothing has come from this.”

He sounded so defeated she could hardly stand it. Cooper was pushing this because he cared about people. Fiona might make him crazy, and he didn’t know Tom all that well, but he gave a shit. Others would have blown off any suspicions or doubts they had, but he wanted to keep going until there wasn’t anywhere else to go. It might be dumb, but she couldn’t help but admire his persistence.

“You haven’t dragged me anywhere that I haven’t wanted to go,” Jane replied. “We still have an open question about Erica. I’d like to get an answer, too.”

After chatting for a few more minutes, Jane decided that there was no time like the present when it came to talking to Erica. She had a shift at the bookstore later, so she might as well go to the hotel now. Cooper walked her out to his car, handing her the keys. It would be quicker than driving to her apartment to get her vehicle.

“Thanks for this. I hope Erica opens up. You do have a way with people.”

“So do you. After all, you managed to charm me.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Cooper grinned before leaning down to brush her lips with his.

She’d kissed him many times, but she still felt an electric tingle up her spine when their lips met.

“Careful, someone might see. We’re in public,” she warned.

It was bright daylight outside, and people were milling about. Someone had surely seen them.

“Fuck ‘em,” he said, still smiling but there was something in his eyes, too. A tenderness that she hadn’t seen before. “I don’t care who knows we’re together.”

“I don’t either.”

It was a huge leap of faith for both of them. The importance of this moment couldn’t be underestimated. He leaned down closer, his lips next to her ear.

“I’m falling in love with you, Jane Taylor. So, if this isn’t what you want, you better run fast.”

“I’m not running anywhere.” She swallowed a lump in her throat that barely let her speak. “I’m falling in love with you, too.”

The confession didn’t scare her nearly as much as it should have. She should be hiding in her apartment, not answering her phone. Instead, she wanted to just be in his company even when they weren’t doing anything special.

“Thank goodness, because I didn’t want to have to kidnap you, and keep you prisoner in my basement.”

“You don’t have a basement.”

“To keep you, I’d dig one.” He opened the car door for her with a flourish. “Drive careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you just as I trapped you into a relationship with me.”

She reached up and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. A better and longer one. Fuck those gossipy biddies at the hair salon down the block. They could talk all they wanted.

“I don’t feel trapped,” she said when the kiss finally ended. She sounded far more breathless than she had just moments ago. “Now let me go before we give this whole town a show.”

That had Cooper throwing back his head and laughing loudly enough to have heads whipping around at the sound.

“Babe, with the two of us as a team, this town is never going to be the same. They’ll be talking about us generations from now.”

As long as they were together, this town could talk about them all they wanted.