Daddy's Toy-Box (A Daddy's Best Friend Romance) Page 17

  He glanced up at me. “I know you. Jackson Barker,” he said, one eyebrow arched. “Never thought I’d see you in my shop. I’ve seen your election campaigns. Not exactly a gun enthusiast, are you?”

  I smiled and held my hands up. “You got me. But listen, I’m not here to buy anything. I’m here to ask some questions about a firearm you sold a few years back. I know it’s probably a long shot—pun not intended—but I…”

  Gill cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Mr. Barker, I remember literally every single customer that walks through these doors, and I remember every firearm I’ve ever sold. I’ve got one of them memories, y’know?”

  “Eidetic?”

  “Yeah, somethin’ like that. So tell me what you need to know.”

  I doubted he actually had a photographic memory—it was a claim many people made which usually turned out to be inaccurate—but I set my briefcase down on the counter and showed him the pistol Lily found in my attic last night.

  “Ruger LCP,” he said, leaning down to look. “Let me see…” He squinted at the serial number, then stood back up. “Yep, I remember now. I sold this to a woman. Few years back like you said.”

  I wasn’t convinced of his memory yet. The pistol was a lightweight one, so it could simply be an educated guess that a woman might’ve picked it over a heavier one, seeing as women were generally smaller than men.

  I decided to test him, see if he was full of shit. I grabbed my phone and pulled up a photo of Lily from her Facebook page.

  “Was this the woman?” I asked, keeping my face neutral.

  If the guy was full of shit, he might just say, ‘yep, could’ve been her’ just to appease me. But if his memory was as good as he said it was, he’d instantly know that this wasn’t the woman he sold the Ruger to six years ago.

  Gill leaned forward and frowned. “No. That looks nothing like her. She was older than that. Thirty, maybe.”

  So far, so good. I reached into the briefcase and pulled out an old photo that I’d located in a desk drawer in my home office before I left the house earlier. It was a group picture taken at one of my summer barbecues years ago. Everyone was there, including Jenna, who was standing in the middle of the frame with her arm around Karen. It was taken back when they were still friends, obviously.

  “Anyone in this picture look like the woman you sold the gun to?” I asked.

  Gill nodded and immediately tapped his finger on Jenna. “That’s her.”

  “Shit. You weren’t lying. Your memory really is that good.”

  “Told you so, man,” he said. “So what do you want to know about her?”

  “Do you happen to remember what she was like when she came in? Did she seem frightened, and did she tell you anything about why she was purchasing a gun? Tell you about a person she was scared of, perhaps?”

  He nodded slowly. “She seemed nervy, yeah. Didn’t say why, though, and it ain’t none of my business to ask.”

  My shoulders drooped with disappointment. I’d honestly hoped he would be able to tell me more, even though it was such a long shot.

  “You know,” Gill went on in his slow drawl. “She ain’t the only person in that photo I’ve served in here before.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “You recognize someone else? This woman here?” I asked, pointing to Karen.

  He shook his head and grunted. “Nah. Not her,” he said, finger coming to rest on another person in the picture. “Her.”

  I frowned and leaned over to see who he meant, and my breath caught in my throat. He was pointing at Kaye, who was standing on the edge of the group in the photo. I’d almost forgotten she was even in it.

  “You sure?”

  Gill nodded. “Told ya, man—I don’t forget. Anyway, she’s been in here more than once. Nice lady. Seems a bit desperate, maybe, but yeah….nice.”

  “More than once?” I said. “What for?”

  “First time was years ago, to buy a gun. Next few visits were to stock up on bullets. She’s come in a few times over the years. Said she likes to shoot sometimes. Target practice, that kinda shit. But not very often. Too busy with work most of the time, apparently.”

  “I see,” I said. I had no idea Kaye was such a gun nut. None at all. She’d always made herself out to be totally on board with all my stances. This was all very interesting….very interesting indeed.

  I’d already been planning on having a little chat with Kaye this week anyway, about the lurid gossip and rumors which had been circulating about Lily and me, but this new development only sped my timeline up.

  Kaye was hiding dark secrets…and I intended to get them all out of her before the day was over.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lily

  The frother on Jackson’s coffee machine hummed away as it heated the milk for my morning coffee, and I yawned and re-read the note he’d left for me. It’s seven-thirty – didn’t want to wake you. Have to go sort some stuff out. I’ll be home around nine-thirty or so. Sleep well, angel.

  I frowned and checked the wall clock on the other side of the kitchen. It was already five past nine; I’d slept in very late. Not surprising given the hectic nature of the previous day, but it was good to get it all out of my system and relax myself.

  The doorbell chimed, and I glanced over at the foyer, wrinkling my forehead with confusion. It was a Sunday, and usually the mailman didn’t come out to this area on weekends, so it couldn’t be a letter or package getting delivered. We weren’t expecting anyone either, unless there was something Jackson forgot to mention to me, so I had no idea who might be at the door. My father, perhaps?

  I walked over and tentatively turned the handle just as someone sharply rapped on the door again, making me jump. A familiar face stood on the other side, but it wasn’t my dad. I instantly regretted opening the door.

  “Hello, Lily,” Kaye said calmly, giving me an expectant look.

  Shit.

  There were already rumors floating around about me and Jackson, so what the hell made me think it was a good idea to open his front door on a Sunday morning wearing nothing but pajamas? It was obvious to anyone with half a brain cell that I’d slept here.

  Maybe I’d lost all my brain cells overnight.

  “Kaye…I…the wiring at my dad’s house is being worked on, and we have no power, so Jackson offered to let us stay for the—”

  As I stumbled over my terrible excuse, Kaye snorted and rolled her eyes. “Save it, Lily. I know about you and Jackson sleeping together. I have for weeks.”

  I swallowed hard. “Oh.”

  “Yes, oh. Don’t worry, I haven’t told a soul. It’s still just a rumor at the office and at the gossip columns. I certainly haven’t confirmed it for anyone.”

  “Well, thanks, I guess. Anyway, Jackson isn’t here,” I said.

  “I know. I saw him leave over an hour ago. I came to see you, because I think it’s high time we had a little chat.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “You’ve just been sitting outside the house for an hour?”

  “I had to make sure he was really gone. For all I knew, he might’ve realized he forgot something halfway up the road and popped back after two minutes.”

  “Uh…right. So why did you want to see me?”

  She pulled a flash drive out of her handbag and dangled it in front of me. “I have a feeling you'll want to see this. So are you going to invite me in?”

  I hesitated. She was Jackson’s executive assistant and therefore trustworthy according to him, but I’d never been sure about her. She’d never been anything but bitchy to me at work, and I’d always gotten the impression she wanted Jackson to herself and saw any other women as obstacles in her path. Then again, she’d just admitted to knowing for sure that Jackson and I were together, and she hadn’t told anyone as far as I knew, so perhaps she was more trustworthy than I thought.

  “Okay. Come in. I just made coffee,” I said, standing aside.

  She gave me a smug smile and sauntered in, quickly taking a seat
at the kitchen table. “Do you have a laptop, Lily?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Go and get it.”

  I did as she said, and when I had it all set up on the table, Kaye plugged the flash drive in and opened a folder on the screen.

  “As I said, I’ve known about you and Jackson for weeks. This is how,” she said, her voice syrupy sweet. She clicked into a video within the folder, and I squinted as I watched, my heart thumping as recognition dawned on me. It appeared to be Jackson’s private office at the campaign headquarters, and the video showed me in there with him a couple of months ago. It showed everything.

  Me stepping so close to Jackson that we were practically nose-to-nose, save for the height difference.

  Me slowly touching my breasts and slipping my hand into my skirt as I licked my lips and gazed at Jackson.

  Me sliding my panties off.

  Jackson’s hands stroking my arm.

  My heart began to pound even faster, and my blood ran ice cold. “How did you get this video?” I asked.

  “That’s irrelevant. What matters is that I have it, and I’ve been sitting on it for quite some time,” she replied coldly, pausing the video.

  “It’s not what it looks like. Really! Jackson actually rejected me that day. If there was sound on the video, you’d hear that,” I said.

  Kaye arched an eyebrow. “But there is no sound, is there? So it’s your word against anyone else who watches it. And it looks like there’s definitely something going on between the two of you in this video,” she replied, pointing to me and Jackson on the screen before rewinding it to the part where I slowly slid my panties off, looking into Jackson’s eyes the whole time.

  I stood up. “Why did you show this to me, Kaye?”

  She stood up too, trying to assert her dominance by towering over me. “Like I said earlier, I haven’t told a soul about you two. Well, I may have leaked a rumor or two around the office, and I may have made an anonymous tip to the gossip columns to make you and Jackson nervous about your little relationship…” she said, putting the word ‘relationship’ in sarcastic air quotes. “But as I said, I haven’t given anyone any direct proof. Haven’t confirmed anything.”

  I looked at her, aghast. “It was you behind all the gossip this whole time?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I was hoping the rumors alone would be enough to make you two stop your silly affair, but it didn’t,” she said. “But anyway, just because I haven’t given anyone any proof yet doesn’t mean I won’t. Because believe me…I will. This video was my insurance policy in case you didn’t do what I wanted before now. So I’m cashing it in.”

  I crossed my arms. I knew what she was getting at now. “Right. So let me guess. I have to give you something to stop this video from being sent to the news sites, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I doubt many people will vote for a man who is clearly having a torrid affair with a teenager, so unless you want to see Jackson’s campaign destroyed, you’ll do as I say.”

  “What do you want me to do, Kaye?” I asked stiffly, although I already knew exactly what she was about to say. She’d made that pretty damn clear.

  “I want you to dump him. I don’t care how, just do it. And don’t tell him why.”

  “Why? What will that achieve?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer to that as well.

  “He’ll be alone again. Just how I want him,” she replied airily. “And I’ll be there to comfort him. Then, finally, he’ll see what he’s missed all these years. He’ll see what’s been under his nose this whole time.”

  I scoffed. “What, you?” I said. “That’s just sad, Kaye. You’ve worked for him for nearly a decade. If he was ever attracted to you, he’d have done something by now. So take a hint.”

  Anger flashed in her blue eyes, and she yanked the USB stick out of the computer. “Remember this, little girl,” she said, waving it in my face again. “This isn’t the only copy I have, either. So end things with Jackson right now or I’ll send it straight to the media. You think Jackson will be happy with you then? You think he’ll be happy to stay with the girl who wrecked his political career and reputation?”

  I took a faltering step back. “You’re insane. Seriously. I can’t believe you’d do something like this to try and get Jackson. It’s pathetic. I bet you even think it’s romantic.”

  She glared. “Oh, you have no idea just how far I’d go to get him!” she snarled, her eyes glinting dangerously.

  I shrank back even farther. “How far?” I asked. Then I blurted something out before I could stop myself; before I could realize what a stupid thing it was to say. “Did you help my mom kill Jenna Potter? Did you help her run away and hide afterwards?”

  Her smirk changed to a look of utter confusion. “What?”

  “You said you’d do anything. You said I had no idea just how far you’d go to get Jackson. Maybe that involves convincing a mentally unstable woman like my mom to knock off his girlfriend back then. I just found out last night that Jenna was scared of someone before she died—someone who might not have been my mom—and my dad also told me he saw you fighting with her a few months before she was killed. And Jenna was screaming ‘K, don’t’ before she died. I thought it was K for Karen, because that was my mom’s nickname. But maybe Jenna was saying ‘Kaye’?”

  Kaye snorted. “Even I wouldn’t go so far as collaborating with a psychotic murderer like your mother, you stupid little girl. That was all her. So sorry, sweetie, you’re still probably the craziest one in this room, given those crazy killer genes you inherited from mommy dearest.”

  I narrowed my eyes and stepped forward. “Get out, Kaye. I’m not breaking up with Jackson, no matter what you do. No matter what you threaten me with.”

  “That’s my girl,” said a familiar masculine voice. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  Kaye and I whirled round to see Jackson standing nearby, watching us with interest.

  “I…how long have you been standing there?” Kaye asked, her eyes bug-wide.

  “Long enough,” he said calmly, stepping closer. “I’m glad you’re here, actually. I was going to try and see you today anyway, because we have very important matters to discuss. Sit.”

  “Jackson, I—”

  “I said sit,” he commanded.

  Kaye did as he said, shrinking back into one of the kitchen chairs. Her bony hands were trembling, but I didn’t feel even remotely sorry for her.

  Jackson put his briefcase down, removed his coat and hung it over the back of another chair, and then he sat down too. “I’ve found out some very interesting things about you recently, Kaye,” he said. His tone was still cool and composed, but there was a deadly edge to it. It reminded me of the calm before a storm. “For instance, who knew you were such a gun nut? Frequent flier at Gill’s Guns in Piedmont, apparently.”

  “I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Kaye replied stiffly.

  Jackson waved his hand. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the reason I was going to see you today. But it does speak to your character. It shows me that you’re the kind of person who presents herself as being one thing while actually being another. Two-faced and filled with deep dark secrets. And that is part of the reason I was going to see you today. All your secrets, Kaye.”

  “Jackson, what’s going on?” I asked in a small voice.

  He smiled at me. “Oh, you’ll see, baby girl. Take a seat. You’ll want to see this too.”

  I did as he said, and he pulled something out of the briefcase he’d set on the floor before he sat down. “You’re not the only one with a flash drive, Kaye,” he said, giving her a genial grin as he held up a black USB stick.

  “What’s that?” she asked, her eyes flashing with suspicion.

  “Well, as you told me weeks ago, someone has been spreading rumors about me and Lily,” he said. “For weeks now. It had the potential to get serious, so I started mulling over who it could be. And then a few days ago,
I had a breakthrough. I suddenly recalled something from months ago. I remembered that I went into my office one morning, and things seemed to have been rearranged. I also remembered smelling something faintly for a second. Something floral. Violet. It went away before I recognized it, but when it all came back to me the other day, I could only think of one person. You, Kaye.”

  Kaye’s face was impassive, but she was turning pale.

  “You wear violet perfume, don’t you?” Jackson went on. “So I had to ask myself—what was Kaye doing sneaking around my office when I wasn’t there? Spying, perhaps? And so I looked. I found the little camera you must’ve stuck on the light fixture when you sneaked in. I guess you looked around first, moved a few things around while you searched for the perfect spot, and that’s why I vaguely noticed something was amiss that morning. I have to admit, though, the light fixture was a good place. I had no idea you were secretly watching me for so long. But now I do.”

  “How long have you known?” Kaye asked, her voice quiet.

  “A few days now.”

  My eyebrows shot up. This must’ve been what Jackson was talking about yesterday, when he said he had an idea of who was behind all the office and gossip column drama.

  “Then why didn’t you say anything?” she asked. “Why didn’t you take the camera down? The feed is still transmitting to my computer at home. I just checked two hours ago.”

  I rolled my eyes. She was seriously insane if that’s what she was asking in this moment.

  “I had to wait before I confronted you. Didn’t want you to know that I knew what you were up to just yet,” Jackson replied, his face breaking into an inexplicable grin. “Because I was waiting to get something from a certain someone.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  He patted my hand, but his gaze remained on Kaye. “Our office IT guy, Jerome. He’s always been good to me. Discreet, trustworthy, reliable. I asked him what was possible, technologically-speaking, in this situation. He gave me an idea. He said he could piggyback onto the feed so that we could also access all the footage that’s been stored in it and transmitted out. So for the past couple of days, I’ve had him going through it all, just to see what it was you thought you had on me. I know what’s on the video you brought to show Lily today. In fact, I just saw it myself half an hour ago. I figured you were planning on using it to try and break us up, just like you’ve been trying to break us up with all these rumors over the last several weeks. But there’s other stuff on that footage too, isn’t there, Kaye? Stuff you probably wouldn’t want to get out.”