Steal My Heart

Chapter 7

“DO YOU want a beer or something?” Hilliard asked Brian once they were back in town. It was well after dinnertime, and Hilliard was more than a little hungry. He led the way inside, and Brian flopped down on his great-aunt’s fussy sofa. The old piece of furniture groaned but stayed in one piece.

“I could use one… or three about now.” Brian held his head. “Sorry for being a downer.”

Hilliard got two bottles from the refrigerator and handed one to Brian. “For a guy who didn’t think we had much chance….”

Brian nodded. “I guess I was putting more hope into finding something than I thought. I guess I had really wondered if there might be something to help me. And the answer is there might have been at the time, if anyone had looked. I had no idea what I should do, and my appointed attorney—”

“Didn’t do his job,” Hilliard interjected. “And now the information that could have proven your innocence is gone. At least to the south. You said that you went north too.”

“We did. We went south first and then continued past Mendocino on the way back and headed north for a while. But we can’t do that today.”

“My question is, how did you do all that in a single day?”

“Gramps was always an early riser, so we left first thing in the morning, and Gramps slept part of the way on the return trip north, so by the time we got back here in the afternoon, he had energy and wanted to keep going.”

Hilliard leaned forward. “When was the burglary supposed to have happened?” He was trying to build a more accurate picture of the day’s events.

“They said between approximately twelve thirty and three in the afternoon.”

“So the burglary likely happened while you and Gramps were north of town.” He mentally chastised himself for not seeing that sooner. He should have been more in tune with the details. Proving his presence at Point Arena or Point Reyes might not have provided Brian with a rock-solid alibi. Still, it would have proven that Brian’s story was true and helped bolster his case.

“So…?”

“The trip south is less important than what you did afterwards.” He couldn’t help smiling. “Don’t worry. We aren’t beaten yet. But I think we need to be smarter this time.” He jumped up and grabbed a pad of paper, then sat next to Brian. “Write down everything you can remember about that day, including where you stopped and anyone you might have seen.”

“But is this really going to do anything?” Brian asked.

“Going north is closer to home. You live here, but I’m sure you spend time in Fort Bragg—everyone seems to. It’s got the only full-service grocery store. Maybe you saw one of Gramps’s friends, or someone you knew from high school. All we need is one person to remember you with your grandfather and we’re home free.” He sat back with a smile. “Just try to think about it.”

Brian began writing, and Hilliard watched as the dejected set of his shoulders lifted. “And what if we do find someone?” He paused, intense eyes once again filling with hope. Hilliard wished he could make him look that way all the time. Seeing Brian downtrodden tugged at his heart and made him angry at the same time. If the appropriate people had done their jobs, Brian would not be in this position.

“Then we get them to make a statement and go from there.” Hilliard knew he needed to put in his request to the California bar to complete their process for membership. He had already researched it and had the materials he needed to prepare.

“But what if we don’t find anything?” Brian asked.

“Then we keep looking. There’s something out there that will lead us to proving your innocence and to the real thief. We just have to find it.” He lightly bumped Brian’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to give up.” Those words sent a chill running through him.

“You look pale,” Brian said softly. Hilliard tried to wipe his expression clean but obviously failed. “What is it?”

“Nothing you can help with, I promise.” Everyone had regrets, and one of Hilliard’s biggest was one of his first clients. He had given up, thinking there was nothing else to find. But there had been, and if he had looked further, he could have spared his client and their family a great deal of heartache. The facts came to light eventually, but Hilliard always regretted that he hadn’t dug deeper and uncovered them sooner. “Just an old regret that I can’t do a damned thing about.”

“We all have those. I don’t regret taking Gramps on that road trip. He enjoyed himself, and that was what was really important, no matter how things turned out. If I had a choice, I’d probably do the same thing again. Regardless of what happened to me, Gramps had a good time, and we had a final great day together.”

Hilliard put an arm around his shoulders, and Brian leaned closer. Turning toward him, Brian smiled slightly, and Hilliard kissed him, unable to restrain himself. As much as he kept telling himself that he needed to take things slowly and that he was just getting over the crap show that was his relationship with Alan, being with Brian felt right.

He pressed Brian back against the cushions, shifting his weight so their kiss deepened. It was so easy to get lost in a moment like this with Brian, especially when he slipped his hand under Hilliard’s shirt, warmth spreading around him from where his hand slid over his belly.

Brian broke their kiss, both of them breathing deeply, Hilliard’s eyes a little unfocused. “You know, this may be the wrong thing to be doing.”

Hilliard held still. “We can stop if that’s what you want.”

“No.” Brian groaned and pulled him back down, their lips crashing together in a frenzy of need. Hilliard tugged at Brian’s shirt, pulling it upward. As soon as it was high enough, he stroked his belly, then sucked at a pert nipple while Brian arched his back, pressing his chest forward, groaning deeply. Brian tasted of fresh air and sunshine mixed with a heady hint of sweat and man. It was perfection, and Hilliard licked his way to the other pec, growling as he swirled his tongue around the stiffened bud. He slipped his hands around Brian, holding him tightly as heat and desire built.

A vibration between them made him pause. “Is that your heart?” Hilliard asked. Brian groaned and shook his head. “I didn’t think so.” He sat back, and Brian pulled his phone from his pocket.

“It’s Gran.” Brian answered the call. “Okay. Stay calm. I’m on my way.” Brian hung up and got to his feet. “Gran isn’t feeling well. I need to take her into the hospital in Fort Bragg.” He headed for the door, the beers they had barely touched sitting on the table.

“Come on.” Hilliard led Brian out the front door and to the car, pulling away just after Brian had closed his door. It wasn’t far, but he got Brian there fast and followed him inside.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked.

“I’m really cold,” she said from her chair, under a blanket. The dogs huddled nearby. “And my head is a little spinny.”

“Okay.” Brian took Gran’s hand. “What did you have for lunch?”

“I wasn’t very hungry,” she answered.

Brian nodded. “Hilliard, there’s some apple juice in the refrigerator and some crackers on the counter. Can you bring them?”

He hurried to the kitchen, poured a glass of juice, and grabbed the crackers. Brian took the glass as soon as he returned and helped her drink. He also handed her a cracker, which she ate and washed down with more juice.

“Do you feel like you’re going to be sick?” Brian asked, and Beverly shook her head once, then stilled with a soft sigh.

“Then eat a little more,” he told her. Beverly finished the cracker and the glass of juice. Hilliard got some more and returned as Beverley finished the second cracker and started eating a third. He handed Brian the glass, and she drank some more. “Are you starting to warm up?”

“Yes.” She breathed deeply before settling more quietly in the chair.

“I’m going to heat up something for us to eat.” He and Hilliard left her with the crackers and headed to the kitchen. “She skipped lunch, and her blood sugar went too low. It’s happened a few times before.” He pulled out a container of pasta from the refrigerator and put it in the microwave. “I left this for her to reheat.”

“Maybe she just forgot,” Hilliard said.

Brian nodded as he took the pasta out of the microwave, stirred it, and put the container on a plate. He took it all to the living room and handed it to Beverly, who began eating right away.

“I hope you’re feeling better,” Hilliard told her.

“I am.” She took a bite and sat back while she chewed. “I hate getting old. You know?” She ate some more, and some of her sparkle returned. Her cheeks had more color, and she settled the blanket over her lap. “In my mind, I’m still thirty and can do all the things I did then. But I can’t anymore. I get up and look in the mirror, wondering where the old lady came from. And now that I’m over eighty, I wonder where the time went.” She took Brian’s hand. “You two are young, and you need to make the most of it. Go out and do all those fun things I can’t anymore.”

“Gran, you just need to rest.”

“Yeah, and tomorrow I’ll bring the car over and all three of us can go for a Sunday drive with the top down,” Hilliard offered. “It’s supposed to be nice.”

“You young people don’t need to include an old lady in your fun,” she said.

“You’re only as old as you want to be,” he told her and got a smile in response. “It will be fun.”

She patted Hilliard’s arm and went back to her dinner. Hilliard figured he’d get himself something to eat on the way out and leave them to their dinner. He said good night to Brian, knowing he was going to need to stay with Beverly. “I’ll come by late tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good,” Brian said, opening the front door. “Hurry before the dogs decide to make a run for it.” He closed the door behind them and stood on the front stoop. “I’m sorry about all this.”

“You need to take care of her. It’s perfectly okay.” Hilliard lightly cupped Brian’s cheeks and kissed him, not holding anything back. “Just a taste for next time.” He smiled and headed down the walk, keenly aware of Brian watching as he made his way home.

“ARE YOU ready to go?” Hilliard asked late the following morning. He’d had a largely sleepless night where his mind refused to turn off, alternating between dreams of stripping the handyman naked and how he was going to prove him innocent. It was a weird combination that only added to his restlessness. He’d only managed to get some rest once the sun began making an appearance.

Beverly approached on Brian’s arm, and he opened the door and brought the seatback forward before moving the passenger seat as far forward as it would go. “I’ll sit in back,” Beverly said as Brian began to climb in. “I’ll be perfectly comfortable and can spread out if I need to.”

“No. I’ll get in back and you sit in the front.” Brian got in back, and she slowly got in and settled. Brian handed her a blanket, which she put over her legs, and then Hilliard went around to the driver’s side. “Where are we going?”

“Well, I thought we’d head toward Fort Bragg. We can go out to the lighthouse there. I understand you can drive most of the way out, so we should get a really nice view. Then we can continue north a little and take in the rugged coast. Maybe get a late lunch at Noyo River Grill.”

“Their shrimp is amazing,” Gran said. “Or it used to be. It’s been a while since I’ve been there.”

“They moved to the top of the bluff, but last time I ate there, it was the same,” Brian said as Hilliard pulled out.

“If the wind gets to be too much, we can put the top up,” Hilliard offered as they headed through town and out toward the highway.

“Don’t you dare. It’s a beautiful day, and I haven’t been in one of these since Chester and I had one in the seventies. There is just something very California about a convertible.” They shared a smile as Hilliard made the turn north with the sun just peeking through the clouds.

Hilliard loved riding with the top down, and Brian seemed in better spirits today. Beverly seemed happy too as they crossed the river and rounded the curve that led down to the Pacific. “I love this drive,” Brian said. “I make it more often than I probably need to, but it has a great view.”

“You bet it does,” Beverly said. They continued through the roundabout before crossing the river gorge that signaled the beginning of Fort Bragg. Hilliard continued past the Skunk Train depot and out north, continuing into the coastal redwoods.

“How far do you want to go? This part of the coast is pretty rugged, and there isn’t a lot up here.”

“It’s okay. We have a full tank of gas and nowhere we need to be for a while.” After about forty-five minutes, Hilliard pulled to a stop at an overlook to let everyone take in the view of the ruggedly rocky coast with cliffs that went over a hundred feet down to the sea.

“Now, that’s a view,” Beverly said softly. “I used to like to take a swim every now and then in the Pacific.”

“Isn’t it too cold?” Hilliard asked.

“We didn’t have much choice. It wasn’t like there were other good places. So we’d swim… and yes, I almost froze my butt off.” She led the laughter, with Brian and him joining in. “When I got older, I got a wetsuit and we’d go surfing. Your grandfather was quite a sight on a board.”

“Gramps surfed?” Brian asked. “I didn’t know that.”

“Sure. Why do you think I fell for him? He was so handsome and every bit a surfer when he was young, with long hair and a body that would stop traffic.” She hooted. “He and I used to take our vacation time and follow the waves. Went to Hawaii a few times, riding waves on the North Shore. Big waves sometimes. But as happens with everyone, we got older, developed responsibilities… and we settled in Mendo where he could be close to the ocean.”

“Gramps was always good with his hands. He made a number of the furniture pieces in Gran’s house, and he worked on a number of the places in town to help restore them over the years. It’s possible he worked in your house at some point or other.”

Hilliard liked that his house had a connection to Brian’s family.

Beverly nodded. “Probably. In his later years, he was always helping friends out. Chester was a good man, and I miss him.”

Brian took her hand. “I do too.”

Hilliard was quiet for a little while, letting the two of them have their moment. “I hate to ask, but I need some information. Brian and Chester were out together all day. Could someone have planned the burglary and decided to pin it on you because they knew you were gone? Who had advance notice of the trip?” His mind churned over the little they knew.

Brian and Beverly looked at each other. “No one, I don’t think. Gramps had been feeling tired, and we had talked about going, but he got up that morning saying he felt good and asked to go, so we got in the car and off we went. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.”

That told Hilliard a little more, and he turned to Beverly. “Did you tell anyone about the trip?”

“It was a Sunday, so people asked me why Chester wasn’t in church, and I said he was out with Brian. Then, later that afternoon while Violet was at her ladies’ circle meeting, someone broke into the house and stole what they could carry.” She seemed down.

Hilliard took her hand. “You did nothing wrong. But it sounds to me as though we should definitely be looking closer to Violet for the real thief, because it seems like whoever broke in knew that she wasn’t going to be home.” His mind was already churning over possibilities, even though he had zero suspects and still no way to prove that Brian hadn’t committed the burglary. “What also bothers me is how they planted the evidence with your fingerprints on it.”

“They could have lifted the print from somewhere. That’s always possible, and the evidence wasn’t in my truck until afterwards. I know it wasn’t there on that Sunday, but by Tuesday, suddenly the police are finding a stolen item in my truck and I’m being arrested for burglary. I can’t prove where I was, Gran was dealing with Gramps’s funeral, and….” He lowered his head. “I don’t ever want to feel that lost again,” Brian added roughly, his voice scratching.

Beverly reached for his hand. “I never thought you were guilty for a second.”

“I know.” He placed his hand in hers, and Hilliard gave the two of them a minute.

“So what are we going to do next?” Beverly asked. “This shit can’t stand.” God, he loved her steel backbone.

“You were going to find me a way to talk to Violet, and we need to get a copy of the original police report. We need to know what they found at the scene of the burglary and what they might have overlooked. Then we can talk to any suspects we have and see if we can rattle one of them.”

“How?” Beverly and Brian asked together.

“What is their worst nightmare?” Hilliard asked. “We let them know that Brian has been proven innocent—that there is new evidence and that he was elsewhere at the time of the burglary. That is the guilty party’s worst nightmare. And we can use the Mendocino grapevine to do that little bit of work for us. Especially if Beverly is willing to start the ball rolling.” He might not know much about the town yet, but Beverly certainly did, and he had an idea that she would know exactly who to talk to in order to get tongues wagging.

“But we haven’t proven where I was,” Brian said.

“That’s the beauty. They don’t know that. We’ve made a bit of a show of going up and down the coast. We rode through town with the top down past some of the ladies.”

“Yeah. I loved that. Violet is such a bitch sometimes.”

“Gran,” Brian groaned almost comically.

“Well, she is. Those grandchildren of hers are such entitled brats, and her children are no better.” Beverly snapped her pocketbook open. “I made a list of all her relatives in town. We can start with these. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to go in and take what they wanted. They’re a greedy lot, just like Violet. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, if you ask me.” She passed it over, and Hilliard took a look at the list, with its small, wavering script. “Now, where else did you and Chester go on your trip?”

“We stopped at the Point Cabrillo Light. I drove him out, and we spent some time in the shop looking at the lens and other fittings. That was most fascinating to Gramps, being able to see it up close.”

“Then let’s go,” Beverly said. “I know it’s a slim chance, but we need to find out if they can tell us anything or remember either of you. God, I feel younger than I have in years.”

Brian reached forward. “Try not to overdo it, okay?” He seemed pale, and his eyes filled with worry. Hilliard could only imagine how he must be feeling at that moment.

“I’m not going anywhere, so you can let that worry go. I’m not going to die like Chester. He had a bad heart, and the last I checked, the doctor said mine was just fine.” She patted his hand. “Now, let’s go.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Hilliard said as they headed south back toward Fort Bragg. He drove as quickly as he dared, and they made the turn out to the lighthouse. He slowed to a crawl as pedestrians filled the roadway. Beverly waved and smiled like she was the queen in a parade.

“What if there’s no help here either? What do we do?” Brian asked.

“Then we look deeper. Proof is out there somewhere, and we’ll find it,” Hilliard told him as they passed a large group of kids. He went by them slowly before pulling into a small parking area near the lighthouse.

The light was very traditional, the tower in front, with the small keeper’s residence attached, painted light yellow with tan trim. It wasn’t very tall, but it stood on the high bluff, and Hilliard imagined it could be seen for miles out at sea.

Beverly said, “You go on inside. I’m going to stay here and enjoy the quiet.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Hilliard asked.

“No,” she answered gently. “Chester loved this place. He even worked on repairs after a storm. It was special to him, and….” She lowered her gaze. Hilliard didn’t want to push her. “I’ll stay here.”

He nodded and joined Brian outside the building. “Is this too hard?” Hilliard asked quietly.

“In some ways. It’s been like saying goodbye to Gramps all over again.” Hilliard got the feeling Brian hadn’t had much of a chance to grieve the loss of his grandfather. “But what am I going to do, fall to pieces right here?”

Hilliard tossed him the keys. “If you want, put the top up and sit with your grandmother.” He had an idea that this was affecting both of them more deeply than either wanted to admit.

“I’ll be okay. I need to do this.” Brian pressed the keys back into Hilliard’s hand. “Let’s go.” He led the way inside and began looking around while Hilliard paused near the door before approaching the lady at the register, who was about his age and with a name tag that read Bridget. “Excuse me, but that sign….” He pointed to the one regarding security camera in use. “Is that real?”

She smiled and indicated a camera in the corner before leaning slightly forward. “We had some people a few years ago who caused a lot of problems, so the board had a camera installed to deter them.” She sighed. “Not that they use the recordings for anything.”

“But I suppose they could if something happened,” Hilliard prompted.

“They could if they knew what they were doing. The problem is that no one used the information, and it just keeps building up on the system. I’ve been trying to help them put a retention system in place, but the most they did was have the cameras shut off when we’re closed.”

Hilliard smiled. “So you have multiple years of video?”

“They did some cleanup in the beginning, but yeah. It’s compressed on the server, but we have gobs of it. Why?”

Hilliard could barely breathe. “Would it be possible to see it? I have the date and approximate time.” He grinned because this was almost too good to be true and he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Why?” Bridget asked.

“I’m a lawyer, but not here in California yet. The thing is, a friend of mine was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. And the day of the crime, he was here with his grandfather, who passed away right afterwards. Your video could be the way we can prove he was here.”

“You’re serious?” she asked, and Hilliard nodded.

“Can you help me?”

“Let me get someone to take the register,” she said and called to the other lady in the shop, who took over. Then she got a laptop from under the counter and logged in.

“We should get out of her way.” Bridget led Hilliard to one of the shaded benches just outside. Hilliard signaled to Brian, who joined them. Hilliard gave her the date and approximate time. She brought up the file for that day and began scrolling through. She slowed the video.

“That’s me, and there’s Gramps. We must have just arrived.”

They continued forwarding the video as the lady at the register helped various visitors. About a half an hour after they first appeared, Brian and his grandfather appeared again, with his grandfather buying something and shoving the receipt into his pocket before taking the sweatshirt with him.

“He was a little cold, since the clouds were rolling in,” Brian said, glued to the images on the screen, while Hilliard checked the time. In the video, it was a little before two in the afternoon. Both Brian and his grandfather then left and made no additional appearances on camera.

“Is that what you needed?” Bridget asked. “Did it help?”

“Yes, a lot. Can we get a copy of this file?” Hilliard said with a grin. “Brian, go back in the gift shop and buy one of those turtle-shaped USB drives.” He opened his wallet and pulled out a couple of twenties. “And put these in the donation box.” He would do just about anything to make Bridget happy.

“When he gets back, I’ll give you a copy of the file,” she agreed. “And I’ll make an extra copy here so it will be available.” She typed some, and when Brian returned, she inserted the drive and added the file. “You have to promise to come back and let me know how things work out.”

“We will,” Brian said when she handed him the drive. “This could clear my name.” He was practically shaking.

“Thank you, Bridget. We really appreciate it.” Hilliard shook her hand as she got up from the bench and closed the laptop. Brian hurried back to the car, with Hilliard following.

“We got it,” Brian said. “They had old video.”

“Apparently they never cleared their camera system after they installed it.” Hilliard took the drive, made sure the cover was on it, and slipped it into his pocket.

“So you were here and you can prove it,” Beverly said.

“To a large degree, but don’t get your hopes up.” Dammit, Hilliard hated throwing cold water on their happiness, but technically it was still possible for Brian to have done it, at least as far as the timeline was concerned. “We have a long way to go.”