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It sat like molten lead in my palm and I almost dropped it. The last time I’d seen the ringit had been on my mother’s finger.
Not a hallucination.
CHAPTER ONE
My name is J.J. Graves and I’m the coroner for King George County, Virginia. Since there isn’t a huge demand for coroners in a county that has a population of just over twenty thousand, I supplement my meager income through Graves Funeral Home, working for those who meet death the natural way.
I live in Bloody Mary—one of the four towns that makes up King George County—and despite the rather macabre name, most people manage to make a good life and live the American dream. I preferred not to dream. I’d found my dreams turned to nightmares much too easily. I’m fourth generation mortician. First generation law-abiding citizen. And either way, it’s a hell of a legacy.
Three A.M. had come and gone, but I had yet to close my eyes. Slivers of moonlight managed to find their way between the cracks and gnarls of tree limbs and shone into the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up an entire wall. The ceiling fan whirred overhead and I stared at it with utter concentration, hoping the repetitiveness would lull me to sleep. My eyes felt like they were weighted with sand, but every time I closed them I could see his face—my father’s—and I could feel the icy touch of his finger as it trailed down my cheek.
I hunkered farther into the mattress and pulled the down comforter up to my chin. I’d been chilled for hours and nothing could warm me. Not even Jack, who slept in peaceful ignorance beside me.
My life had changed irrevocably in the past couple of weeks. I’d somehow found myself living with the man I’d called my best friend since childhood. Our bond was solid—unbreakable even—and we had a lifetime of knowing and loving each other to anchor us. But that was before my dead father made an appearance.
The strength of our relationship was bound to be tested, and I could admit the reason I hadn’t found the courage to tell Jack about my father was that I was afraid it would be the excuse he’d need to walk away. I still didn’t understand why he loved me—why I deserved that love—and I kept waiting for him to tell me he’d changed his mind. That it had all been a terrible misunderstanding.
Jack believed in law and order, and as sheriff of King George County, he was elected to the office with those principles firmly in place. He was already skating on thin ice with the upcoming election because of his relationship with me. Sins of the fathers and all that nonsense. My father showing up now, of all times, would just add nails to the coffin. It was safe to say that my father had never met law and order.
The burning sensation in my gut was either an ulcer or the knowledge that I might not be the best thing for Jack, even though I knew with certainty he was the best thing that could ever happen to me. And the thought flitted through my mind, not for the first time, that maybe I should be the one to walk away. For his own good.
I shivered beneath the covers andfigured I might as well get up and start coffee. I didn’t have any dead to deal with at the moment, but I had unpacking to do. It was pitiful how few belongings I had to bring with me into my new life with Jack.
“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Jack asked, his voice husky with sleep. He rolled so he faced me and pulled me close against his body. He hissed out a breath when the ice of my skin made contact, but he didn’t let go. He just pulled the covers tighter around us and cocooned me with his warmth. “You’re thinking so loud that neither one of us is going to get much sleep if you don’t shut down.”
“I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” I couldn’t tell him. I was ashamed of where I’d come from.Afraid that Jack would be ashamed of me. And I wasn’t sure that was something I could face. “Can’t turn my brain off.”
I felt him tense behind me and he turned me so we were face to face. Jack liked to meet problems head on. I’d had enough problems in my life that I didn’t mindavoiding them whenever possible.
“Are you having regrets?” His touch was gentle as he brushed the hair back from my face, but I could see the tension in his jaw—the worry in his eyes. I realized he was talking about us.
“No, of course not.” I leaned in and kissed him on the base of the jaw, his morning whiskers prickly against my skin.“I never could. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I have no regrets about moving in with you, about sharing a home with you.”
His hand massaged the back of my neck and down to the tight musclesbetween my shoulder blades. “I should have gone with you inside the house. It wasn’t something you needed to face on your own. You’ve been upset ever since.”
I licked my lips and snuggled closer so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes when I lied. “It hit me harder than I thought it would. I’lljust be glad to get rid of it once and for all.”
“That’s fine. But I want to make sure you really feel like this is home and that you’re comfortable here. If you want to make changes to a room or buy new furniture just tell me.”
My lips twitched at the thought of spending time and money decorating a house that was already beautiful. I’d never been a typical girl growing up—just one of the boys playing sandlot baseball, building forts, and tromping through the woods. And then I’d gone on to medical school and my residency and I’d been so tired from lack of sleep that thinking of fixing my hair or putting on makeup and a nice outfit to attract the opposite sex had been the farthest thing from my mind.
“I don’t think I’m going to be very good at living together,” I said softly.
“You’re naked and in my bed. I think you’re doing a pretty damned good job so far.”
I rolled my eyes, but he couldn’t see it. “I mean I’ve never lived with anyone before. I don’t know how to cook or decorate for holidays, andI never remember to put seasonal wreaths on the door like every other woman in town.”
“Thank God for that,” Jack said dryly. “I’ve never been overly fond of seasonal wreaths.”
I smacked him in the arm. “I’m just saying I’ve spent most of my life focused on my career. I don’t want you to have these expectations and then have you disappointed when I don’t meet them.”
“Jaye, I’ve known you since we were barely walking. I know you can’t cook. Just like I know you have a competitive streak a mile long and you can gut a fish with a precision that makes me jealous.We both have our strengths. It’ll all work out okay.”
Welay wrapped in each other a few minutes—soft touches and comfort. “I’ve decided to put in for vacation time,” Jack said. “I have more days accumulated than I know what to do with, and I’ve got good men to cover for me.”
I pulled back in surprise. “What? Why? You’ll be bored out of your mind in a week.”
He sighed and rubbed slow, soothing circles on my back. “You know we have to goback and look. To see if the body is still there. And anyway, we’ve got to report it to the authorities whether the body is still there or not. It’s the right thing to do. The investigation will take some time, and it’ll also make your parents’ crimes and their deaths fresh again. I don’t want you to have to handle it all by yourself.”
