Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(82)

“And why would Noah have problems?” Jack asked evenly.

Arnold laughed lightly and shook his head. “She’s using him and the job to get out of trouble. Penance. Ellie worked in a strip joint. She was hooking. She’s a whore. Selling her body and who knows what else. I kicked her out when I figured out what she was doing.” He sipped his cola. “I’m divorcing her, of course, but for now I just have to keep the kids away from her. Who knows what all she’s into.”

The door to the bar opened with a ripple of friendly male laughter, and Noah and his friend George walked in. Without looking at his watch, Jack knew it was time for Lucy’s dinner and knew she was leashed out on the porch. Noah and George said a few hellos, and didn’t seem to notice that it was morgue quiet in the bar as they grabbed a couple of stools. Noah said, “Hi, Jack,” and George said, “My God, something from the kitchen smells incredible.”

Noah slowly became aware of the unusual silence that surrounded him and after looking around a little, he spotted Arnold. And, Jack noticed, Arnold smiled and narrowed his eyes.

“What a coincidence,” Jack said. “This man here was just explaining, in great detail, why he should warn you off that nice girl Ellie, who’s been painting the church and helping Vanni with the babies. Noah, this is—”

“I know who he is,” Noah said with deadly calm. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking out this town,” he said with an air of innocence. “Seeing where Ellie got her job.”

“And making sure everyone in the bar heard him accuse her of some very unsavory things,” a female voice said from behind them. It was Brie, and she looked furious. “Untrue things, by the way.”

“Is that so?” Arnold said with a laugh. “You married to her? You live with her? I’m telling you, the girl knows how to put on a real good show. You’ll believe what she wants you to believe. I have personal knowledge.”

“You’re not married to her, Mr. Gunterson,” Brie said easily. “You should probably go now, before you dig your hole any deeper.”

And with a voice as smooth as silk, a half smile on his lips, he faced Brie down and said, “And just who do you think you are, ordering me out?”

Jack’s hand came down on the bar hard, clamping over Arnold’s wrist, and he glared into the man’s eyes. Jack’s eyes glittered. Jack hated this kind of cheap, sissy maneuver—trashing the girl to the town behind her back. He might not know exactly what was going on, but he knew this guy was wrong and Ellie was an okay kid. All he was lacking were the facts. “That’s my little sister, ass**le. And your fifteen minutes of fame are up. You’re leaving.”

Arnold started to laugh meanly. “Jesus, is she f**king all of you?”

Noah’s stool scraped back and fell, he stood so abruptly. As if choreographed, as slick as a football play, Dan stopped Noah from mixing it up with Arnold, Walt grabbed Arnold’s upper arm and held him firmly, while Jack and Mike came around the bar to escort him out.

Unfortunately, before they could remove him, the door opened and Ellie stood there. She saw Arnold and shock was etched on her features. “Arnie? What are you doing here? Where are the kids?”

“I just thought I should pay a visit, make sure your minister here, and your new friends, knew that they were cozying up to a prostitute. A stripper, a druggie, a whore.”

“What?” she said, stunned. “What on earth?”

Arnold just laughed. “Your stories are just getting worse and worse, Ellie. You shouldn’t have lied to all these good people.”

“But that’s not true, you know that’s not true. Arnie, who’s watching the kids?”

“I have them handled,” he said. “No thanks to you.”

“That’s all,” Jack said, gripping one arm while Mike grabbed the other. “You’re all done here.” They walked him out of the bar and down the porch steps. “Just in case you’re wondering, you shouldn’t show your face around here again,” Jack said. “It could be bad for you.”

“Are you threatening me?” Arnold asked.

“Nah,” Mike said. “Promising.”

In the bar, Ellie looked around and found all eyes on her. Panic immediately set in—would they believe what Arnie had told them? Brie said, “Ellie, come here. Right now.” Brie grabbed her hand, and with Ellie in tow, immediately bolted for the kitchen phone to call the police. “This is just a hunch, but from what you told me about Arnold’s isolationism, the kids might have been left alone, unsupervised. What’s the address?”

Ellie gasped. She put her hand over her open mouth.

“Ellie? The address?” Brie asked.

Ellie recited it and Brie reported the children as abandoned. She requested that the police check the house. “They’re four and eight,” Brie told the dispatcher. “I’m Brie Valenzuela, a friend of their mother’s.”

The second Brie hung up the phone, Ellie grabbed it and dialed Arnie’s house. There was no answer, but that meant nothing. Arnie could have demanded they not answer the phone, as he had when they all lived together. But what if it was something far worse? After letting it ring too many times, she hung up and fell into Brie’s arms, sobbing. “God, what has he done…what has he done?”