Dangerous Secrets (Tall, Dark & Deadly #2)(18)

***

They pulled up to the cemetery only twenty minutes later, and that was because of bad traffic, the wind gusting, and the sky gray and threatening. Julie had never been to a cemetery before. She hadn’t even been to a funeral. She had no real family, so it was one dark spot in life she’d really never faced. Dread clawed in her stomach at the sight of the tombstones.

Luke pulled the truck to a stop behind a line of parked cars and Julie could see the tent across the terrain. Guilt twisted in her gut. Why hadn’t she called the police? Because you had nothing to offer them, she reminded herself.

“You aren’t responsible,” he said, accurately reading her thoughts. “There was no way you could have foreseen such a thing.”

“I appreciate you saying that more than you know,” she said, running her suddenly clammy hands down the fabric of her dress.

“We can–”

“I’m staying,” she finished before he could.

He sighed. “I’ll come around and help you out.”

She waited on him gladly, feeling out of sorts. Uneasy and wobbly. Luke being here helped, and while on a personal level that might scare her, it also made her stronger.

Luke opened the door, and she turned to let him help her down, and blurted, before she could lose her nerve. “Thank you. I’m glad you came.”

He stared at her for a long, moment, his face unreadable, before he gave her one of those sexy smiles that made even the dread in her stomach fade for a moment. With the ease of lifting a grocery bag, he lifted her and set her on her feet, running his hand down her hair. He did that a lot and she liked it way too much.

“Let’s go get this over with so we can happily marry off Royce and Lauren.”

“Yes,” she said. “Please. I want to go back to Lauren’s fairytale land. It’s nicer there.”

He slid his hand down her arm and surprised her by twining his fingers with hers. Silently, they fell into step and for the second time in her life, she had a sense of being part of something good, something right, something that was at odds with what she believed was in her future and even the grim, bitter cold of a day at the cemetery.

Droplets began to fall and Luke quickly pulled them into the back of the surprisingly large tent, a good fifty-plus people in seats. Sobs filled the air, and the rain picked up, the wind splattering it against the tent fabric. The judge sat in the front row, but she didn’t recognize those close to him. What got to Julie the most was the absence of a casket. There was a much smaller finely etched wooden box that she assumed held what was left of the beautiful, too young to die, Elizabeth Moore.

It wasn’t long before a man in a robe stepped forward to a podium and began to speak. Wind seemed to howl at the same moment, as if Elizabeth herself was protesting her demise. The darkness of the event, the sadness surrounding her, tightened Julie’s throat, and she felt the prickle of tears.

Luke pulled her under his arm, and she happily took the shelter he offered. The next fifteen minutes was a blur that felt endless.

When the final prayer ended, the crowd scattered. People went to the flowers in a center display for Elizabeth, while Julie clung to Luke’s arm, just staring at them.

“You okay?” he whispered in her ear.

She swallowed and nodded, turning to him, tears burning in the back of her eyes. “I’m fine. I’ve never gone to a funeral before.”

He covered her hand where it had landed on his chest. “It’s not a good experience. Ready to go?”

“More than ready.” They started to turn and Julie paused. “Should I say something to Judge Moore?”

Luke stared down at her, his eyes heavy with concern. “If you want to, we will.”

We. She liked that ‘we’ right now. She shouldn’t. It was dangerous but she just couldn’t get herself to care. Her gaze lifted to where the judge still sat in his seat, unmoving like stone. Giving her condolences seemed appropriate, but she suddenly realized she wasn’t here for Judge Moore. She was here for his dead wife and she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t go off the deep end and confront him. That would be bad. Very bad.

Decision made, Julie shook her head. “I want to go.”

Approval lit his eyes and he took her hand to lead her out of the tent. Julie collided with someone. She pulled back, started by the impact, only to find herself sucking in a breath at the sight of Elizabeth Moore.





Chapter Seven


The woman who was Elizabeth Moore, but wasn’t Elizabeth Moore, slid her hand into Julie’s. “Thank you for coming to pay respect to my sister,” she said, and then she was gone. Stunned, Julie realized the woman had pressed a piece of paper in her hand.

Discreetly, Julie turned to face Luke. She reached down and put her hand in her coat pocket. “Let’s go now, please.”

“It’s raining hard,” he warned.

Her gaze swept the terrain outside the tent and indeed, it was pouring rain. “I don’t care.”

He gave her a keen look and took her hand. “I’m in for cold and wet if you are.”

They darted into the rain and he helped her into the truck. When he finally climbed in, her teeth were chattering.

“My heater is a furnace,” he said, cranking the engine. “It’ll be warm in a minute.” He glanced at her. “I didn’t know Elizabeth had a twin.”