I’LL BE WATCHING YOU Read online

  ‘No, nothing like that,’ Ella said. ‘It’s just that this has been a killer afternoon and I needed a shoulder to cry on. I had to sentence a seventy-year-old woman to thirty days in jail and I hated doing it, but she left me no choice.’

  ‘Mrs Sherer, right? You shouldn’t feel bad about locking up that nutcase. My God, her yard is an eyesore and she has refused to do anything to clean it up. This was her third time in criminal court. You simply did your duty.’

  ‘Yes, I know, but I rather like Mrs Sherer and admire her eccentricities. She’s certainly her own woman, willing to go to jail rather than give in.’

  ‘I call that being stubborn to the point of stupidity.’ Heather narrowed her gaze as she inspected Ella thoroughly. ‘Something else is going on here. More than your having a bad day in court. Come on. What gives?’

  ‘I’m swearing you to secrecy.’ Ella grabbed Heather’s arm, led her friend toward the leather sofa, then stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at the couch where she’d lain beneath Reed and experienced the most incredible sex of her life. Would she ever be able to sit on that sofa again?

  ‘You’re worrying me, you know that?’ Heather pulled loose from Ella’s tenacious hold and stared at her. ‘Want to tell me what the hell’s going on? You’re acting very peculiar.’

  ‘If you ever breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you, I’ll kill you, even if I have to hunt you down to do it.’ Ella inhaled, then exhaled slowly.

  Heather lifted her eyebrows and pursed her lips. ‘Uh-oh, I have a nasty little feeling that I’m going to regret being privy to this information. It’s about Reed Conway, isn’t it?’

  ‘How did you know?’

  ‘My God, it is. It is about Reed. What happened? Did he kiss you?’

  ‘Lower your voice.’ Ella felt the heated flush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks. ‘Yes, it’s about Reed.’

  ‘He did more than kiss you, didn’t he? And don’t you dare try to deny it. That bright pink blush on your face gives you away.’

  ‘My parents are home. They rushed back from the Gulf because of last night’s break-in. I called the house and left a message with Bessie to tell them I’d be running a little late because something had come up here at work. I feel as if the truth is written all over my face, and the minute I enter the house and they see me, they’ll know.’

  ‘They’ll know what?’ Heather asked.

  ‘That Reed and I … that we … today … here …’ she glanced meaningfully at the sofa. ‘I don’t know what happened.’ Ella shook her head frantically. ‘Scratch that! I do know what happened. I lost my mind. I did something so stupid, so incredibly stupid.’

  Heather fell into the nearest chair, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. ‘You and Reed … on the sofa?’ She gazed at the tufted-backed, burgundy leather couch. ‘Well, I’ll be damned.’

  ‘No,’ Ella corrected, ‘I’ll be damned. Lord help me, I am damned. I had sex with a convicted murderer, a man who hates my father – and vice versa – a man who is little more than a stranger to me, who has been out of prison only a few weeks and—’

  ‘So how was it?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘How was the sex?’

  ‘Oh, God!’

  ‘That good, huh?’ Heather grinned.

  ‘Unprotected sex,’ Ella said.

  Heather let out a long, low whistle. ‘Well, I’ll say this for you: when you decide to walk on the wild side, you don’t do it by half measures. You risked it all, didn’t you?’

  ‘I have never, in my entire life, done anything I’m ashamed of, nothing that was illogical or unreasonable or …’ Ella groaned. ‘What am I going to do? What if he tells someone? You know how men are about their conquests. He’s bound to tell his cousin Briley Joe and Lord only knows who else.’

  ‘You can always deny it,’ Heather suggested. ‘After all, who would believe him? The proper and dignified Judge Eleanor Porter doing the nasty with Reed Conway.’ Heather’s lips twitched as if she were on the verge of smiling. ‘Tell me something. Have you fallen in love with him?’

  ‘What? Heavens, no!’ How could Heather ask her such a thing. In love with Reed Conway? Ridiculous. She didn’t even like the guy.

  ‘Mm … So, are you going to see him again?’ Heather’s mouth finally burst into a smile. ‘I mean, if the sex was great and—’

  ‘I didn’t say the … No, I hope I never see him again, but since this is a small town, I’m sure we’ll see each other occasionally. When he left, he said that he’d see me around.’

  ‘You’re angry with him for that comment, aren’t you,’ Heather said. ‘When it was all over, he didn’t say or do anything romantic and you were offended.’

  ‘I was not offended,’ Ella said. ‘I’m glad he didn’t try to get all mushy and romantic on me. After all, it was just sex.’

  ‘Was it? Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure.’ But that was what bothered her the most – she wasn’t sure. Yes, it had been sex. Great sex. But it had been more, hadn’t it? At least for her. ‘Do you think I should contact him and ask him not to say anything about what happened?’

  ‘If you’re serious about not wanting more of what you got today, then you’d better stay the hell away from him.’ Heather rose from the chair, then went over and put her arm around Ella’s shoulders. ‘Remember that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. If you go talk to him, you’re liable to wind up flat on your back again.’

  ‘Ooh … If my father ever found out about what happened, he’d go ballistic.’

  ‘Let’s hope that Reed isn’t the type to kiss and tell.’

  The insistent ring of the doorbell buzzed through the house, alerting Mark, who’d just taken off his coat and tie, that someone was eager to see him. As he made his way from the bedroom, he undid the top two buttons of his shirt. He hoped whoever was so determined to disturb him wasn’t a client or business associate. He’d had a long, hard day, and all he wanted was to fix himself a bite of supper, watch some mindless show on TV and go to bed early.

  Through the sheer-curtained French door, he saw a woman’s outline, and by the time he reached for the doorknob he realized it was Regina. The minute he opened the door, she rushed toward him. He instinctively spread his arms wide and engulfed her in a tender embrace. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She quickly buried her face against his shoulder. He patted her on the back.

  ‘Regina, honey, what’s wrong?’

  She clung to him, and he had to admit he rather liked holding her. What he didn’t like was the way she kept crying. Something or someone had upset her.

  ‘Oh, Mark, I … I still can’t believe what I saw,’ she said.

  Continuing his comforting caresses, he asked, ‘What did you see?’

  She lifted her head and looked directly at him. Her face was blotchy from crying, her nose pink and her eyes slightly swollen. ‘Since I got off work early today, I went by the Carlisles’ house to surprise Mama with a ride home. But I’m the one who got the surprise. Oh, Mark …’ Regina burst into fresh tears.

  He wrapped his arm around her waist, kicked the door closed and led her down the hall to the living room. ‘Come on over here and sit down. Then I want you tell me what’s upset you so much.’

  She followed without protest, clinging to his hand and sitting as he instructed, but she never released her hold on him. ‘Mr Jeff Henry and I walked in on Mama and Senator Porter kissing. Right there in the Carlisles’ house.’

  Mark felt as if he should shake his head or pop his ears to improve his hearing. Surely he had misunderstood Regina. ‘Say that again, please.’

  Regina tilted her head to one side and glared at Mark. ‘Senator Porter and my mother were kissing. And I don’t mean a peck on the cheek. I mean a passionate man–woman kiss.’

  ‘What did they say when y’all walked in on them?’

  ‘Mama said she could explain. But she can’t. How could she ever explain kissing a married man?�
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  ‘I take it that you didn’t give her a chance to explain.’

  ‘No, I didn’t. I just got in my car and drove away. I came here, to you. I didn’t know where else to go or what to do.’

  Mark cupped her chin in the hollow between his thumb and forefinger. ‘I’m glad you came to me. I hope you know that you can always count on me. But honey, sooner or later you’re going to have to talk to your mother.’

  ‘I know, but just not now. Not tonight. I can’t.’

  He skimmed his fingertips over the side of her face. ‘Then stay here as long as you’d like. I’ll fix us some supper and then later, if you’d like, you can go home and see what your mother has to say.’

  She clasped Mark’s hand tightly in hers. ‘You know that I’m illegitimate, don’t you?’

  ‘Regina …’

  ‘I have no idea who my father is. My mother has refused to discuss the circumstances of my birth with me. I thought’ – Regina took a deep breath, then released it – ‘I thought that her affair with my father had been a one-time thing, that they had loved each other and for some reason simply couldn’t get married. But now, after seeing Mama with Senator Porter, I wonder how many men there have been. How many affairs has she had? Is she having an affair with Senator Porter?’

  ‘You won’t know the answers to these questions until you talk to Judy,’ Mark said. ‘But don’t assume the worst about your mother and don’t judge her so harshly. You don’t have all the facts.’

  ‘I don’t have any of the facts.’

  Mark brought Regina’s hand to his lips, kissed her and said, ‘Come into the kitchen with me. We’ll grill some chicken, toss a salad and spoon up some sherbet. Helping me with supper might take your mind off things, at least for a little while.’

  Regina nodded. A tentative smile played at the corners of her mouth. ‘You’re wonderful. Thank you for being so good to me.’

  How he loved this woman! This beautiful, emotionally fragile doll. ‘I’m glad you think I’m wonderful, but honey, you don’t ever have to thank me for being good to you.’

  Mark led her into the kitchen, removed her jacket, tied an apron around her waist and lined the ceramic tile counter with various items. ‘Why don’t you marinate the chicken while I run to the bedroom and change clothes?’

  She nodded and quickly set to work. Mark rushed to his bedroom, stripped off his suit trousers and starched white shirt and replaced them with a pair of khaki slacks and a navy blue cotton pullover shirt. Then he picked up the phone, dialed and waited.

  ‘Hello,’ the woman’s voice said.

  ‘Judy, this is Mark Leamon. I thought you’d want to know that Regina is here with me. She’s going to stay for dinner and then I’ll see that she gets home safely.’

  ‘Is she all right?’

  ‘Look, I’ll be honest with you. She told me what she saw this evening.’

  ‘Mark, I can explain.’

  ‘You don’t owe me any explanations,’ he said. ‘But you do need to be honest with Regina. I don’t know why you’ve never told her who her father is, but—’

  ‘I couldn’t tell her. I still can’t.’

  ‘Then I’m afraid you’re going to have a problem.’ Mark paused to consider what he was about to say. ‘Regina has suffered a great deal in her life and, although she’s a survivor, she isn’t emotionally strong. You know that probably better than anyone. From now on, I’m not going to let anyone hurt her again. Not even you.’

  Silence. A long, painful pause. ‘You love my daughter.’

  ‘More than anything.’

  ‘Then help her, Mark, because I can’t.’

  Ella had forced herself to eat a few bites of the delicious meal Bessie had prepared, but everything had tasted like cardboard. She was eaten alive with guilt. She never kept secrets from her father. Although she didn’t discuss her love life with him, he’d always been aware when there was someone special in her life. From the time she’d first started dating, she had turned to her father for his approval or disapproval of her boyfriends. A thumbs-down from Daddy had meant she didn’t see the guy again.

  You aren’t dating Reed Conway, she reminded herself. No, you skipped the dating stage and went straight to the … Stop this, right now! You’re driving yourself crazy. Act normal or Daddy will figure out that something is wrong.

  Since the dining room remained in utter chaos, the family had eaten dinner in the kitchen. Her mother had complained and her father had promised a speedy repair to the destruction in the dining and living rooms. Bessie had spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning up the kitchen, which had received only minor damage. Broken dishes, scattered items and spray paint on the back door.

  ‘Frank tells me that there’s nothing more he can do,’ Webb said as he paced the floor in the den, the one downstairs room that had been left unscathed by the intruder. ‘There is no evidence against Reed, so he can’t arrest him. And Frank has tried warning him, but that doesn’t seem to do any good.’

  ‘I’m afraid of that man.’ Carolyn wrung her hands ner-vously. ‘What if he doesn’t stop at just breaking into our home?’

  ‘Since there is no evidence against him, how can you be so sure that Reed Conway is the one who broke in and—’ Ella said.

  ‘How can there be any doubt?’ Carolyn glared at Ella. ‘When Jeff Henry came over to see me the moment I arrived home, we discussed this very thing and agreed that there is no one else it could be. No one has ever broken into our house. This family hasn’t had any problems – not until Reed Conway was released from prison. Jeff Henry said he didn’t think it was a coincidence, and neither do I.’

  ‘But you’re condemning a man without evidence,’ Ella said.

  ‘Why are you defending him?’ Webb demanded.

  ‘I’m not defending him,’ Ella replied. ‘I’m simply pointing out the facts, which y’all seem perfectly willing to overlook.’

  ‘There’s circumstantial evidence.’ Webb stomped across the room to the liquor cabinet, flung it open and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. ‘As a good lawyer and now a judge, you should know that sometimes circumstantial evidence is enough to convict.’

  ‘Only when the person’s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.’

  Carolyn clapped her hands together. ‘Enough. Enough. I hate it when the two of you argue.’ She looked beseechingly at Ella. ‘Dear, you mustn’t be fooled by any sob stories you hear about that young man from either his mother or his sister. Is that it, Ella? Have you been listening to Judy or Regina professing Reed’s innocence?’

  ‘No, Mother, I haven’t been listening to anyone,’ Ella said. ‘And I didn’t mean to argue with Daddy. I was simply pointing out what Frank Nelson had already explained – that he cannot arrest a man without evidence, and there is none in this case.’

  ‘Oh, dear me. All this talk of guilt and innocence is wearing me to a frazzle.’ Carolyn sighed dramatically. ‘Ella, call Viola to come take me upstairs. Then I want you and your father to kiss and make up. Do it for me.’

  Ella leaned down, placed her hand on her mother’s shoulder, kissed her on the cheek and said, ‘I’m sorry if I upset you.’

  Carolyn patted Ella’s hand. ‘You’re my good girl, aren’t you? You’ve always been so considerate of my feelings.’

  Carolyn gave Webb a meaningful glance and Ella understood that look. She’d seen it before, more times that she could count. When she’d been younger, that forlorn, melancholy look her mother often gave her father had puzzled Ella. But in her late teens, she had finally figured out the meaning. It was Carolyn’s subtle, nonverbal way of chastising her husband, of letting him know that he was not being considerate, understanding or attentive enough to suit her.

  Ignoring his wife’s silent reprimand, Webb poured himself a glass of bourbon. Ella released the catch on her mother’s wheelchair, grabbed the handles and pivoted her mother around toward the door.

  ‘I’ll call Viola for you,’ Ella said. ‘Of
course, if you’d like, I can come up with you and help you.’

  ‘No, dear, you stay and see if you can improve your father’s mood. He’s been a real bear ever since he heard about the break-in. He’s terribly worried about you.’ Carolyn choked back her tears. ‘And so am I. If anything ever happened to you …’

  ‘Nothing is going to happen to me.’

  Before Ella had the chance to say more or to give her mother a hug, Viola appeared at the top of the stairs. ‘Are you ready to come up for the night, Miss Carolyn?’

  ‘Yes, please, Viola. I’m weary after that long drive from the Gulf.’

  Viola descended the stairs with quick, heavy footsteps. Ella stood aside and watched while Viola lifted Carolyn from the wheelchair and placed her in the chairlift that had been built into the stairs shortly after Carolyn’s accident.

  As the lift began moving, Carolyn waved and smiled, then called out, ‘Go talk to your father.’

  Ella released a heavy breath. Now, to face Webb Porter’s displeasure.

  Just as she started to reenter the den, she met her father coming out the door. ‘Let’s take a walk, princess,’ Webb said. ‘I haven’t looked in on Beau and Stonewall and Lee since I got home. I want to take them some treats.’

  Ella nodded, a sense of relief inching its way through her body. Webb had given her a reprieve, perhaps deciding that Reed Conway wasn’t worth continuing the argument with her. Whatever the reason that her father had decided to cease and desist, she was grateful. She never seemed to win a battle with him.

  ‘There’s rain in the air.’ Webb took a deep breath upon entering the back porch, then reached down to a sack of dog treats he kept there, removed two handfuls and stuffed them in his pockets.

  Ella sighed contentedly when her father took her arm and draped it through his as they went down the steps that led to the patio. The aroma of honeysuckle wafted about them, mixing with the heady scent of roses from the garden.

  ‘Did you and Mother enjoy your vacation?’ Ella asked.

  ‘We had a pleasant time,’ Webb said. ‘Your mother always enjoys having my undivided attention.’

  ‘You two should get away together more often. I know Mother would like that.’