Page 37 of Jasmine Street Blues

Finally he said, “Everyone lies. I know that. I’ve come to expect it, so a lie rarely surprises me.”

“Who lied to you?” she asked.

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “You told me you didn’t know how to change your name, that you would’ve done it if you just had the right connections. Criminal connections, I assume.”

“What are you talking about?” Her heart climbed into her throat. The way he was looking at her, the heat in his eyes that was nothing like the heat she’d seen there when they’d made love. No, when they’d had sex. Love wasn’t involved. Couldn’t be.

“I just escorted a man to the highway, to make sure he was gone. For now, at least. He saw the article online and came here looking for serial killer Loran Teller. I might’ve suggested that Helen was our Loran. He was very disappointed.”

Her knees wobbled. Henry had found her. He’d found her before, spread stories, lies, so that people she thought she knew looked at her the way Mac looked at her now.

“Are you here to arrest me?” She held out her hands, wrists together. “Go ahead, Chief. Lock me up. Nabbing a serial killer will look good on your resume.”

“You lied,” he whispered.

She dropped her hands. “Of course I lied! You’ve seen what I can do, you know why I have to lie to everyone I meet.”

“Even me.”

“Especially you!” She had to get out. The back of her neck itched. If Henry came back, if he asked around, he’d figure out she was here. “You lied to Henry,” she whispered. “You sent him on his way thinking Helen…”

Mac hesitated a few seconds before he answered. “Everybody lies.”

12

Mac knew damn well Loran wasn’t a killer of any kind. She had her faults, everyone did, but she wouldn’t knowingly harm a living thing, much less commit murder. He would’ve seen evil in her, if that was the case. He would’ve known.

Wouldn’t he?

Loran had a strange ability she hid from the world the same way Colt had hidden all those ghosts, before his talent had been discovered. Mac understood why. Still, she should’ve told him the truth. She shouldn’t have lied about changing her name and her look. The Loran he knew wasn’t a jeans and tie-dye woman. How many looks did she have? She might be a master of disguise, for all he knew. Which was the real her? Soft and feminine with her girly dresses and long hair, or a wannabe hippie? Who the hell was she?

Will the real Loran please stand up…

If he hadn’t seen Kylie’s ghost with his own eyes, if he hadn’t seen proof of Colt’s interaction with dead people, would he believe Loran now? He wanted to say yes, but if he was honest with himself the answer was probably a big, fat no.

She didn’t want to get in his patrol car, but she’d walked to work and she wanted to be exposed less than she wanted to be in an enclosed space with him. Stanton might’ve turned around and come back. He might not have believed that Helen was Seawolf Beach’s artist Loran. Maybe Henry had also learned that everybody lies.

As soon as the passenger door was closed behind her, she said. “Take me home.”

Mac tried to keep his anger in check. He really did try. “You can stay at my place, in case Stanton comes back and figures out where you live.”

He felt her glare, as he drove slowly down the street. “I’ll take my chances with Henry.”

“Really?” he snapped. “He thinks you’re a serial killer.”

After a moment of silence she said, “And you don’t?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he’d chosen them badly. “Of course you’re not.”

“We met a couple of weeks ago. How do you know I’m not everything Henry says I am?”

“I know.” He kept his eyes on the road. “You’re going to run again, aren’t you?”

“Why not? There’s nothing to hold me here.”

Nothing? You have me. He didn’t dare say that aloud. “You can’t keep disappearing whenever people show up with questions you don’t want to answer. What are you afraid of? Why don’t you just tell everyone the truth?”

She laughed harshly. “Yeah, that would help matters.”