Flaw-Abiding Citizen (The Worst Detective Ever Book 6)

by Christy Barritt

  “Everyone else gets out of the water when a storm is sitting off the coast, and surfers are clamoring to go in deeper,” I muttered, watching a few guys in the water trying to catch the big one.

  “It’s kind of nice here,” Zane said, his hand stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. “It’s partially nice because I don’t know anyone. Getting a fresh start is a tempting idea.”

  I’d gotten my fresh start in Nags Head, hadn’t I? And look at me now. I was buried in the past.

  Funny how life worked out that way sometimes.

  I jammed my hands into the pockets of my jean shorts. Was my dad looking at this same view right now? Was he staring in awe? In worry?

  What if my mom had found him? She wouldn’t hurt him . . . would she?

  The fact that I couldn’t definitively answer that question made my stomach churn with unease.

  “I guess we should get back now,” I finally said.

  The sand blowing in the wind gave me a facial and made my hair feel like straw. Plus, I was surprisingly tired. Maybe everything was catching up with me.

  “Sure thing.” Zane put his hand on my back and led me toward the bed-and-breakfast.

  The studious-looking innkeeper called to us as we came in. “Any luck finding your long-lost relative?”

  I shook my head. “Unfortunately, no.”

  “The good news is this is a pretty small place. Your odds are better here than in, let’s say, New York City.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I said. “Thank you.”

  Zane and I walked upstairs and paused outside my door. As we did, Zane hovered in front of me, that strange look in his eyes again.

  All my instincts were on alert, telling me to proceed with caution.

  Did Zane think there was more to this trip than what I’d promised? Did he see my falling out with Jackson as an opportunity to move in, as Phoebe had said?

  I hoped not, because I hated awkward conversations like that. Like, I really hated them.

  “Thanks for all your help today, Zane.” I leaned against my door, putting some space between us. I tried to make sure my body language didn’t give him the wrong signals. I’d taken a whole class on this. I needed to look closed off and uninterested.

  At the last minute, I threw an arm over my chest, trying to look casual and natural while creating a barrier. My other hand remained on the doorknob.

  “No problem.” Zane scooted closer and lowered his voice. “You know, I think you and I make a great team, Joey.”

  Oh no. Awkward conversation here we come . . . “We do make a great team, Zane.”

  And we did. We always had so much fun together. He made me laugh and forget about my problems.

  Except right now. Right now this conversation seemed like a problem, and a huge one at that.

  “Jackson was never right for you.” Zane’s voice sounded husky and intimate.

  Oh yes. The conversation was going there. Beyond the awkward to the awkward and heartbreaking.

  Great.

  I swallowed hard, and my fingers brushed the wood door behind me. I wished I could disappear into the structure and avoid this whole talk. But I couldn’t, which meant I needed to face this head on.

  I licked my lips. “Zane, I don’t know what’s going on with Jackson and me.”

  A flicker of a frown crossed Zane’s face, and he continued to lean in to me. “He’s been lying to you, Joey.”

  A weight pressed on my heart at his words. Why did I feel like it was okay for me to say stuff like that about Jackson, but no one else could? I knew why. Because I still cared about him.

  “I’m not in a great place right now to decide the fate of my love life.” My voice sounded hoarse and scratchy. I pleaded with Zane with my eyes, begging him to understand. To not press this. To get the hint before I had to say something heartbreaking. I wasn’t sure our friendship could survive a tough conversation.

  The light left his gaze, and he took a step back. “I see. I’m not good enough for you, am I?”

  “It’s not like that, Zane.” How could I make him realize that? I wasn’t sure. As a friend, he was important to me. But bringing up the F word seemed cliché and trite right now.

  “Jackson always wins.” The light in Zane’s gaze continued to cloud and shadow.

  My heart hammered into my chest, but some of my compassion disappeared. I didn’t like the turn this conversation was taking, and internal warning bells went off on so many levels.

  The softness left my voice. “It’s not about winning, Zane. This isn’t a competition. This is . . . it’s my life.”

  He ducked his head, ran a hand through his hair, and let out a long sigh. “You’re right, Joey. I just . . . I don’t know. I know what I want in my future. It’s you. It’s someone who sees the best in me, who’ll go out on a limb to help me in times of need. Whom I can laugh with. You stood up for me when everyone else turned their backs, and that only proved to me how much I cared about you.”

  I started to reach for him but stopped, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. His words touched me, and at the same time brought on a wave of guilt. “Zane, you’re a good friend to me. But you have some things in your life that you need to work out and get straight before you’re ready for a relationship.”

  “And you don’t?”

  My cheeks heated so quickly that I felt like I’d been slapped. “Of course I do.”

  Zane had put me in my place, hadn’t he? Reminded me of my own inadequacies. I knew I had plenty. More than plenty.

  But I didn’t need a guy reminding me or trying to make me feel small because of them. I’d been there and done that. I had the scars to prove it.

  “I should go to bed,” I muttered, my guilt replaced with anger. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’m sorry, Joey.”

  Maybe he was. But it was a little too little, a little too late.

  And I wasn’t in the mood to hear it.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I sat on my bed at the B&B and closed my eyes. Today had not gone anything like I’d planned. Jackson and me. Zane and me. My parents.

  I’d cracked the window open earlier and let the fresh breeze come in from outside.

  Actually, the fresh breeze was a superstrong breeze, thanks to the storm offshore that was just lingering there and building up strength. But the wind cooled my warm cheeks and helped me clear my head.

  I ran my hand across the white coverlet and closed my eyes. This was such a beautiful bed-and-breakfast. I imagined myself coming here under different circumstances. As a part of a romantic getaway one day.

  The thought made me smile—but only for a minute.

  Then I remembered the events from earlier this week, and all my good feelings disappeared like a kid chasing a butterfly—right off a cliff.

  My love life was in limbo, as was everything else in my life.

  As heaviness consumed me, I grabbed my phone and turned it back on. Jackson had texted me several times. He’d left two voicemails. I wasn’t really surprised.

  I supposed the good news was that he was still trying to stay in touch. What was worse was silence and apathy.

  But wasn’t that what I was doing to Jackson?

  Before I could even check the messages and figure out my next plan of action, the phone rang.

  It was computer-genius Adam. I’d barely said hello, when he rushed forward with information.

  “Something weird has happened, Joey.” There was a frantic edge to his voice.

  I sat up in bed, preparing myself for whatever he was about to say. “What’s going on, Adam?”

  “You know that company that hired me that’s paying the big bucks?”

  “I remember you mentioning that,” I said. He was quite proud of the accomplishment.

  “Well, they have several companies under their corporate name,” he said. “For example, they run some websites that host a support network for people with terminal illnesses.”

&nbs
p; “That sounds nice.”

  “It is,” he said. “But something in one of their internal memos caught my eye today. They’re calling it Operation Making Waves.”

  My stomach clenched. “You mean you’re working for the Barracudas?”

  “I don’t know, Joey. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m freaked out.”

  My thoughts churned at a frantic pace. What did this mean exactly? The start of the truth was there on the edge of my mind, but I still couldn’t quite make it out.

  “Keep digging, Adam,” I said. “See if you can find out anything else.”

  “I will.”

  “What was the name of the company?”

  “The EM Corporation.”

  EM? Earth Mother? I stored away that information. As soon as I ended the call, my phone rang again. Jackson.

  Maybe it wasn’t a smart move, but I answered. I couldn’t avoid talking to him forever. I knew he was worried, and I was deeply confused, not to mention frantic and flustered.

  “Joey?” He asked the question as if he couldn’t believe I’d actually answered.

  Part of me couldn’t believe it either.

  “Hi, Jackson.” I leaned against the iron bed frame behind me, trying to ignore the sounds in the hallway. Someone was checking in for the night, if I had to guess. Instead, I watched the breeze ruffle the white curtains and felt the charged air around me cooling me down.

  “Joey, where are you?” His voice was laced with urgency and concern.

  “I’d prefer not to say.” If I told him where I was, he’d come here and find me. I wasn’t ready for that.

  “Joey, I don’t think you realize what’s at stake here.”

  “Does it have to do with the EM Corporation?”

  “You’ve heard of them?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Then you know what we’re dealing with.”

  Wasn’t that my problem? That there were things I didn’t realize and that no one would share?

  “Why don’t you tell me more, and I’ll confirm?” I was fishing for information and not trying to hide it.

  “You know I can’t do that. I would if I could, Joey. You know that.” He paused. “You know how much you mean to me, Joey. I don’t take any of this lightly.”

  His words caused tears to press at my eyes. “I don’t know anything anymore, Jackson.”

  “Don’t say that, Joey. Let me meet you. Let’s talk in person.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Where are you, Joey?”

  I glanced around my room. “I’d prefer not to say.”

  He let out a sigh. “I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”

  “I’ve got to protect my heart right now, Jackson.”

  “Joey . . .”

  I closed my eyes. “Let me sleep on it. I’ll call you in the morning. Right now I don’t know what to think. I just need to rest.”

  “Please be careful . . . wherever you are.”

  “I will be.”

  “There was another attempt on my life, Joey,” Jackson said.

  I sucked in a quick breath. “What?”

  “Someone rigged my car, and the brakes went out.”

  My heart raced at his words. At the scenarios playing out in my head—each ending with Jackson dead. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I was able to coast to a stop in a parking lot. Thankfully, it was late, so not many people were out.”

  I released the pent-up air in my lungs, and my heart slowed. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Why would someone target you, Jackson?”

  “Because I know your dad’s alias.”

  Everything around me faded except this conversation. “What?”

  “That’s all I know, Joey. He asked me to help him get another identity. Said it was an emergency, and I couldn’t tell anyone. So that’s what I did.”

  Jackson was sharing something with me. I knew this was a big deal and another piece of the puzzle. “You didn’t ask any questions?”

  “Of course I did. But your father didn’t give up any information. He said if he told anyone, it would put them in danger.”

  “So you didn’t even tell me?”

  “He said especially don’t tell you.” Jackson paused. “Wherever you are, be careful. Not only are there a lot of dangerous people out there, but there’s a storm headed toward the Outer Banks. You don’t know how scary they can be.”

  “I’ve been through plenty of storms.”

  “You haven’t been through a big storm, and you haven’t been through one on the Outer Banks.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” A shiver ran down my spine. Maybe I should tell him where I was, just in case this place got wiped off the face of the earth or something. “Jackson, I’m in Lantern Beach.”

  Silence responded.

  “Jackson?”

  Silence again.

  I glanced at my phone. What? It appeared I’d lost my cell service.

  I let out a long sigh. So much for that conversation.

  I might have had a full-fledged pity fest right then and there. But when I heard something beneath me, I paused.

  I peered down at the floor in time to see an arm and leg emerge from under my bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Don’t scream,” someone said.

  And I’d been just about to scream. Except I couldn’t find my voice. I could only recoil in horror at the intruder.

  Leonard Shepherd.

  My stalker.

  The man who’d escaped from jail and who’d been eluding authorities.

  And he was under my bed. In my room. Listening to my conversations.

  My gaze went to his hands. They were empty and raised, as if saying, I come in peace.

  Yeah, that was what that alien in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still had said. He’d lied.

  People who hid under your bed usually didn’t do it for peaceful reasons.

  “What are you doing here? How’d you get in my room?” I drew back farther, wishing I’d run when I’d had the chance. Now he stood between me and the door.

  “I got another room down the hall and did a simple lock pick.” He brushed the dust off his pants as if this were a normal conversation and not at all weird.

  My hand gripped my phone. Could I call the police without him stopping me?

  I wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter, did it? I’d lost cell service.

  I stared at him. Observed his dirty exercise shorts and stained T-shirt advertising a restaurant in Hatteras. The fifty-something man was squirrelly and thin with greasy skin and a few random zits. But it was his eyes that always bothered me. There were shifty and untrustworthy.

  “Why are you here?” I repeated, scooting farther away.

  And had he followed me onto two ferries today? And I hadn’t noticed? So much for my keen powers of observation.

  Raven was rolling over in her TV-series grave, known as a hiatus.

  “I needed to talk to you. Alone. That’s not easy to do. You always have people surrounding you.” He rolled his eyes. “They make it very difficult to get a moment with you.”

  Why did he make this sound so normal? It wasn’t. Normal people didn’t hide under beds. “You escaped from jail, Leonard. You have people searching for you.”

  I glanced around, looking for a potential weapon. The only thing I saw was a lamp, but it was thick and too heavy to grab.

  “You mean the police? Let them look. It’s kind of fun, like a grown-up version of hide-and-seek.”

  He wasn’t right in the head. I needed to move this conversation along, especially since our ideas of fun didn’t match. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

  “Everything.”

  I knew I should feel fear, but I suddenly didn’t. My gut told me that Leonard wouldn’t hurt me. He’d had plenty of opportunities before and he hadn’t. But I needed to remain on guard. Besides, I sensed he had information I wanted.

  “You know wh
at’s going on, don’t you?” My voice sounded strained, even to my own ears.

  “I know more than you do.” His eyes sparkled with pride.

  “How?”

  “It’s one of the joys of not being noticed. I can listen in and people have no clue. You’d be amazed at some of the things I’ve seen and heard.”

  “Do you know where my dad is?” I held my breath as I waited for his answer.

  He shrugged, but the glimmer in his eyes remained. “Not exactly.”

  “Did you send me to that address in Hatteras?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  What? Then who had? Or maybe this was all a trap on his part. Then again, maybe I was following red herrings this whole time. That fact would have delighted Jackson. Chasing red herrings meant I was chasing something other than trouble.

  “Are you sure you didn’t leave that evidence there?” I still expected Leonard to yell Psych! “It sounds like something you and your friends would do.”

  He crossed his arms, obviously amused. “It sounds to me like someone is playing games with you.”

  “You mean, someone other than you and your friends?” Yes, I was rephrasing because his revelation left me off balance.

  “No. Well, yes. Depending on how you look at it. But certainly you know by now that someone you know is a part of the Barracudas.”

  My blood went ice cold as I considered his words. “You mean my mom?”

  “No, someone else. These people—they have their little guppies everywhere.”

  A chill washed over me again. “What are you getting at, Leonard?”

  He grinned, looking completely too satisfied. “Have you ever wondered if your friend Jackson might be working for them?”

  My blood went from ice cold to subzero. “He would never do that.”

  “Just think about it. He always wants to know where you are.”

  “That’s because he’s concerned.”

  “He’s always there at just the right time.”

  “He’s a cop.”

  “He keeps secrets from you.”

  Far be it for me to defend Jackson’s actions but . . . “That’s just part of his job.”

  Leonard stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Someone knows that you’re an important bargaining tool for the organization. Consider that.”