A Murder In Milburn Book 2 Death Of A Deputy REVAMPED June 2016 SCRIVENER by Nancy McGovern Page B
Authors: Nancy McGovern
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us out of here before I tell you my side of the story?” he asked. “The last thing I want is to cause a scene here. I don’t want to disrespect Wallis.”
“Disrespect him?” Nora laughed. “That’s a hoot. Where did all this respect go when you were seeing his wife, Sean?”
Sean weaved his way through the cars that crowded the street and then gunned the engine. “Nora, you can think what you like, but I always respected him. Besides, they were already separated when I started seeing Karen.”
“Oh sure,” Nora scoffed. “Why did you get together with her, Sean? Were you insecure that he’d beat you in the elections? Was this your twisted way of getting back at him for standing against you?”
“It had nothing to do with the elections,” Sean burst out, his voice hoarse. “Nothing!”
“So what was it?” she asked.
“I fell in love with her, all right?” Sean said. “I fell in love with Karen. There, I said it.”
Nora didn’t know what to say. She’d been right. All along, Harvey had been jealous of Sean, and she’d defended herself, telling Harvey that she felt nothing for Sean, and he felt nothing for her. The entire town had been convinced that the two had a mild flirtation going on, but Nora had always felt… nothing. She’d had no right to, of course, but she’d begun to believe that Sean liked her after she broke up with Harvey. She’d actually been wary, wondering whether it was right that she was spending so much time around him, then, when Harvey had moved on she’d decided to move on too, even if her heart wasn’t in it.
“You hung around me all the time,” she said, out loud. “You came around to fix things in Mrs. Mullally’s house.”
“Nora,” Sean said. “If this is about us--”
“There is no us,” Nora said, decisively.
“Don’t say that,” Sean protested. “We are friends, aren’t we?”
“I’ll say what I please, Sean,” Nora said. “You used me, didn’t you? You didn’t want the town to ask questions about you and Karen, so you used me as a decoy. You fanned rumors all around town that you and I had a thing going. Just so that no one would suspect who you were really with.”
“All right,” Sean said. “All right, I’ll admit it. That’s exactly what I did. But so what? So what, Nora? You did the same thing. You used me. You hung out with me only to make Harvey jealous, and to stop people from thinking you were still broken hearted about him. Which you are.”
“That’s not true,” Nora said, stung.
“Oh please,” Sean said. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. I admit I used that too. I hate Harvey anyway for the way he treated my father. And I let people think that I hated him because I was jealous.”
“Harvey was your father’s son,” Nora said. “Your father refused to recognize him, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“We won’t talk about that,” Sean said, in a voice so cold that Nora shrank back in her seat. “You understand me, Nora? You won’t take my father’s name again, in connection with Harvey.”
Nora opened her mouth to say something, but Sean interrupted her. “I did like you, you know,” he said. “Initially. When you came back to town. When I was investigating Raquel’s murder. I felt protective of you. I became friends with you, even. I like to think I still am. I never promised you anything, Nora. I never did anything improper with you. Why can’t you and I go on being friends?”
“Because,” Nora didn’t know what to say. “Because I can’t be used as a decoy anymore.”
“All right,” Sean said. “But what does that mean anyway? Are you planning to tell the whole town about me and Karen?”
Nora didn’t know what to say.
“I know this sounds foolish,” Sean said. “But the truth is, everything I’ve done is to protect Karen. If you tell people now that we’re together, can’t you imagine how much pain that will put her through? She’s been through
“Disrespect him?” Nora laughed. “That’s a hoot. Where did all this respect go when you were seeing his wife, Sean?”
Sean weaved his way through the cars that crowded the street and then gunned the engine. “Nora, you can think what you like, but I always respected him. Besides, they were already separated when I started seeing Karen.”
“Oh sure,” Nora scoffed. “Why did you get together with her, Sean? Were you insecure that he’d beat you in the elections? Was this your twisted way of getting back at him for standing against you?”
“It had nothing to do with the elections,” Sean burst out, his voice hoarse. “Nothing!”
“So what was it?” she asked.
“I fell in love with her, all right?” Sean said. “I fell in love with Karen. There, I said it.”
Nora didn’t know what to say. She’d been right. All along, Harvey had been jealous of Sean, and she’d defended herself, telling Harvey that she felt nothing for Sean, and he felt nothing for her. The entire town had been convinced that the two had a mild flirtation going on, but Nora had always felt… nothing. She’d had no right to, of course, but she’d begun to believe that Sean liked her after she broke up with Harvey. She’d actually been wary, wondering whether it was right that she was spending so much time around him, then, when Harvey had moved on she’d decided to move on too, even if her heart wasn’t in it.
“You hung around me all the time,” she said, out loud. “You came around to fix things in Mrs. Mullally’s house.”
“Nora,” Sean said. “If this is about us--”
“There is no us,” Nora said, decisively.
“Don’t say that,” Sean protested. “We are friends, aren’t we?”
“I’ll say what I please, Sean,” Nora said. “You used me, didn’t you? You didn’t want the town to ask questions about you and Karen, so you used me as a decoy. You fanned rumors all around town that you and I had a thing going. Just so that no one would suspect who you were really with.”
“All right,” Sean said. “All right, I’ll admit it. That’s exactly what I did. But so what? So what, Nora? You did the same thing. You used me. You hung out with me only to make Harvey jealous, and to stop people from thinking you were still broken hearted about him. Which you are.”
“That’s not true,” Nora said, stung.
“Oh please,” Sean said. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. I admit I used that too. I hate Harvey anyway for the way he treated my father. And I let people think that I hated him because I was jealous.”
“Harvey was your father’s son,” Nora said. “Your father refused to recognize him, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“We won’t talk about that,” Sean said, in a voice so cold that Nora shrank back in her seat. “You understand me, Nora? You won’t take my father’s name again, in connection with Harvey.”
Nora opened her mouth to say something, but Sean interrupted her. “I did like you, you know,” he said. “Initially. When you came back to town. When I was investigating Raquel’s murder. I felt protective of you. I became friends with you, even. I like to think I still am. I never promised you anything, Nora. I never did anything improper with you. Why can’t you and I go on being friends?”
“Because,” Nora didn’t know what to say. “Because I can’t be used as a decoy anymore.”
“All right,” Sean said. “But what does that mean anyway? Are you planning to tell the whole town about me and Karen?”
Nora didn’t know what to say.
“I know this sounds foolish,” Sean said. “But the truth is, everything I’ve done is to protect Karen. If you tell people now that we’re together, can’t you imagine how much pain that will put her through? She’s been through
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