Her Last Day (Jessie Cole Book 1)

by T. R. Ragan

  Although the Heartless Killer’s MO was not well defined, his signature was. Torture and mutilation had occurred with every victim connected to him thus far. As far as Colin could tell, the Heartless Killer’s fantasies had developed over the years. The first two bodies connected to the killer had been dumped, as if the killer was in a hurry or afraid he might be seen. But his confidence had grown, and he’d begun to stage his victims, propping the corpse against a tree or a wagon wheel in the middle of a pumpkin patch. He often removed the heart and placed it on or near the body. This staging was most likely done to shock authorities and show them he was all-powerful and in control.

  “I’m not stupid, you know,” Olivia said from the kitchen, pulling him from his thoughts.

  Baffled, Colin caught her gaze through the doorway. “I never said you were.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on with Jessie? She usually texts if she can’t pick me up from school. And she always calls when she’s going to be late. But it’s almost nine, and she never called.”

  “Speaking of which, why didn’t you answer my calls earlier?”

  “I have a new number.” She picked up her phone and pushed some buttons. “There. I sent you a text. Now you have my new number.” She was still giving him the same sort of look Piper often gave him.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “You still haven’t answered my question. Where’s Jessie?”

  Colin scratched the side of his neck.

  “And why were you the one who picked me up today?”

  “Why—is that a problem?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t mind. It’s just that Andriana or Bella’s mom are usually the people who pick me up when Jessie can’t.” She sighed. “I thought you were done with Jessie dragging her feet when it came to the two of you.”

  “Is that what Jessie told you?”

  “No, that’s what Andriana said when I asked why I hadn’t seen you lately.”

  That sounded like Andriana. Colin could tell by the tone of her voice that Olivia was upset with him. “I never should have disappeared from your life without talking to you first. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t care about that.”

  He knew it wasn’t true. He could see the hurt in her eyes. But he let it go for now.

  “So where is she?” Olivia asked again.

  He had hoped there might be an off chance that Jessie would be released before nightfall. But it wasn’t looking good. Time to come clean. “Jessie was working a case today when the man she was following fired a shot at her, forcing her to shoot back.”

  Olivia jumped to her feet. “Was Jessie hit?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Okay.” She sank slowly back into her seat. “Is the man dead?”

  “He’s in critical condition.”

  “That’s not good—is it?”

  “No. It’s not good.”

  “How much trouble is she in? Is she in jail?”

  “Yes, she’s in jail. Andriana was there when I left. The two of them will get it all straightened out, and Jessie will be home in no time.”

  He didn’t like the worry he saw scrawled across Olivia’s young face. She was a good kid and had a big heart. Before he could say anything more to ease her mind, his cell buzzed. He picked up the call, listened for a minute, said thanks, and disconnected.

  Olivia was on her feet again. “Was that about Higgins?”

  He nodded. “He’s doing better than expected. We can pick him up in the morning.”

  “Thank goodness!”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Thank goodness.” Now he needed to figure out how he was going to come up with the money to pay for the surgery, which was going to cost him more than they had originally quoted. After he got that problem settled, he would need to figure out how to break the news to Jessie that she was now the proud owner of an injured dog she didn’t have time for.

  SEVEN

  Jessie was jolted awake by a bloodcurdling scream.

  It took her a second to remember she’d slept in jail. The cot was lopsided, and the place smelled of vomit that someone had tried to cover up with bleach. Detective Roth had been kind enough to make sure she was put in her own holding cell, far enough away from the shit disturbers to get a few hours of sleep.

  She sat up and pushed tangled hair out of her face. This wasn’t the first time she’d been thrown in jail, but it was the first time she’d ever spent the night there. There were no windows, and she had no idea what time it was. She wondered about Olivia. Was she okay? Had Colin made sure she’d gotten something to eat? Did he take her to school?

  Feeling dizzy, Jessie lowered her head close to her knees and took deep breaths. She’d never done well in small enclosures, and the strong smell of disinfectant wasn’t helping.

  A few minutes later, footfalls sounded. Down the corridor she saw a guard coming her way. Following close behind was Andriana. Thank God. Keys rattled, and the iron door slid open.

  “How are you doing?” Andriana asked.

  “Never been better,” Jessie said. She looked at the guard and waited for him to cuff her, but that didn’t happen.

  “Bail has been posted,” the guard said. “You can collect your things at the front desk.”

  Jessie looked at Andriana. “They set bail?”

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get your things, and I’ll take you home. We’ll talk on the way.”

  Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they walked down a long corridor leading to the front of the building. Through a maze of cubicles, she could see a group of patrol officers taking roll call before their shifts. The moment Jessie stepped outside, she took giant gulps of air, filling her lungs. One night inside the six-by-eight cell had felt like twenty. It was morning, but it was already warm. The heat wave was expected to last another day or two. In an hour the air would be stifling hot.

  Side by side, she and Andriana walked across the parking lot. “What’s the deal with bail? Why wasn’t I notified?”

  “You were lucky to get bail. We have a problem.”

  Jessie stopped in her tracks. “Let’s start with who bailed me out?”

  “Your father did.”

  “Seriously? How?”

  “He pledged his property.”

  “How would he even know what had happened? And why would he do that?”

  “Because I asked him to.”

  Jessie scratched her forehead. “That’s insane.”

  “I’m not just your lawyer—I’m your friend. Nobody had enough money for a cash bail, and unfortunately it took the bail-bond agent two minutes to see that you had exactly zero assets. The only way he could help you was if someone could post a property bond. The agent will keep a stiff fee. If you don’t show up for your court appearance, your dad loses everything.”

  Arms crossed, Jessie looked the other way. She hardly ever spoke to her dad. After her mother ran off years ago, her father had started drinking. Too many DUIs later, he’d spent eighteen months in prison. It was a downhill spiral from there. Her younger sister got pregnant, and Jessie knew she had to get her sister and niece away from Dad. Sophie’s disappearance didn’t help his drinking problem. Whenever Jessie paid him a visit, he’d swear he’d given up drinking, but he was only lying to himself. She did her best to stay away from him.

  “Come on,” Andriana said, walking ahead. “Get in the car. Your dad is the least of your worries. We need to talk.”

  Jessie climbed into Andriana’s black Prius and buckled herself in. “I’m listening. What’s going on?”

  “It’s about Parker Koontz.”

  Jessie didn’t like the worry lining Andriana’s voice, especially since her lawyer wasn’t a worrier by nature. “What about him?”

  “Koontz is a criminal defense lawyer—”

  “And?”

  “And his partner is saying Koontz had been carrying a gun because he was afraid f
or his life. For the past week a woman was stalking him. A woman who fits your description.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “This is not a joke.”

  Jessie unclenched her jaw. “What else?”

  “His partner, David Roche, wants justice. He wants you behind bars. His firm has clout. He knows people. And at this point, it’s your word against his.”

  Jessie was tired, and her neck hurt from sleeping on the flimsy cot. “This is bullshit. You know that, right?” Jessie started searching through her purse. “I don’t have my gun or the GoPro. I need to go back inside.”

  “The police are keeping your gun for now. I have the GoPro. I’ll upload the video and then give it back to you.” Andriana backed out of the parking space and merged onto the main road. “We have a little less than four weeks to prepare for court.”

  Jessie frowned. “You know I can’t afford to pay you. I’ll have to let the court roll the dice, appoint me an attorney, and call it a day.”

  “Don’t be silly. We’ll barter.”

  Jessie stared out the window and watched the other cars go by in a blur. “I have nothing you could possibly want.”

  “You can babysit my kid once a month.”

  “For the next ten years?”

  “Yeah,” Andriana said with a smile. “That would work.”

  Twenty minutes later, Andriana dropped Jessie off on Nineteenth Street in front of the old purple house in Midtown she rented. Surprised to find the front door unlocked, she walked inside. For the next few seconds, she stood on the landing and listened to the noises floating down from above. The house was small. There was no downstairs per se, only a straight-and-narrow set of wooden stairs leading up to the living area above, which consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a family room.

  She made her way quietly up the stairs until she saw the back of Olivia’s head. She was sitting on the couch, watching TV. “What’s going on here?”

  Olivia shot to her feet. “You’re home!”

  Jessie made her way to the TV and turned it off. “Yes, I’m home. And so are you. You should be in school.” Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie saw something move. Lying on a blanket near the large-paned window overlooking the street was a dog with a cast on its back leg. She looked at Olivia and raised both hands in the air. “Seriously? Do you really think this is what I need right now?”

  “No,” Olivia said, “but what was I supposed to do? Nobody was there to pick me up, so I started walking home. And then bam!” Olivia waved a hand toward the dog. “That poor animal flew through the air. The car that hit him just kept right on going. It was horrible.” Olivia’s eyes watered. “Was I supposed to leave him in the middle of the road to die?”

  “No. Of course not.” Jessie raked a hand through her unkempt hair.

  Colin stepped out from the kitchen. He was drying his hands on a dish towel. “The dog’s name is Higgins,” he told her.

  Jessie sighed.

  “Higgins needed surgery, so we weren’t able to pick him up from the vet until this morning.”

  Olivia snuck off to her room, leaving Jessie alone to deal with Colin and the dog. Jessie decided to start with the dog. When she bent down close, a low growl erupted from the animal’s chest. He lifted his head high enough for her to see a curled lip and sharp teeth. Jessie pushed herself upright and took a step back.

  “First time he’s growled at anyone,” Colin told her. “He must not like you.”

  “Story of my life.”

  “Oh, that can’t be true,” he said, his tone patronizing. “I like you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “The problem is, I like you too much. It’s been that way since the first time I ever saw you.”

  “And yet you didn’t bother to call me after your divorce was final.”

  He looked baffled. “Is that what this is all about? That’s why you’ve been pushing me away?”

  She shook her head, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “It’s complicated.”

  “Try me.”

  “This isn’t a good time.” She lifted her hands in frustration. “I shot a man, Colin. He could die.”

  “Yeah. You’ve had a rough night. We’ll talk about this some other time.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “For everything. Even the dog.”

  He kneeled at the dog’s side and stroked the animal’s midsection as he looked up at her. “So, we’re friends again?”

  “We always were.” She cared about Colin more than he knew, but she was hurt that he hadn’t contacted her after his divorce. And hurt again when she’d told him she wasn’t ready to date only to watch him walk out of her life. “So, what’s the deal with Higgins?” she asked, changing the subject. “He’s so thin. Is he going to make it?”

  “No telling how long he was roaming the streets before he was hit. He’s drugged up right now, but once he wakes up, he’ll need to move around. The cast will protect his injured leg.”

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “Never mind.”

  “No. You’ve got enough problems. How much?”

  “Nada. It’s bad enough you’re the one who’s going to have to take care of him.” He looked up at her. “What’s the deal with the Koontz guy? Did they drop the charges against you?”

  She shook her head. “It turns out Koontz spent the past week telling his partner at his law firm that he was being stalked by a woman who looks like me. Apparently he was afraid for his life and made sure everyone knew about it.”

  Colin gave the dog one more stroke across the ribs before he stood. “What was the deal with this guy? I mean, why were you following him?”

  “My client needed proof he was stalking her so she could get a restraining order.”

  Colin rubbed his chin. “And Koontz is an attorney?”

  She nodded. “I knew that when I took the case, but it gets worse. According to Andriana, his partner is upset, and he wants justice. Her words, not mine.”

  “If Koontz knew you were following him, why didn’t he confront you instead of pulling out a gun?”

  “Good question,” Jessie said. “The whole thing makes no sense.” She paused, thinking. “To want me dead, he must have been extremely worried about others finding out about his extracurricular activities. Assuming he’d done his homework,” she continued, “he would have known I was a private investigator with a license to carry. He would have known what happened three years ago.”

  “Don’t go there,” Colin said. “You were protecting a police officer. You did the right thing.”

  Jessie had been doing surveillance on a man whose wife suspected he was cheating on her. Her plan had been to follow the husband and report back to his wife. But a fight had broken out inside the house. Neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. An officer arrived within minutes, and as he walked toward the house, Jessie saw the husband approaching the officer from behind, gun aimed and ready to fire. Jessie got out of the car, told him to stop or she would shoot. He fired and missed. She fired and hit her target. He died instantly. The scene still haunted her, but it hadn’t stopped her from pulling out her gun and firing in a public park.

  She paced the room. “Why would Koontz shoot blanks? It makes no sense.”

  “Maybe he didn’t know the gun was loaded with blanks. Either that or he was suicidal.”

  It was quiet for a moment while they thought about different scenarios of what might have happened.

  “How much time do you have before your court appearance?”

  “Less than a month.”

  “Sounds like we have our work cut out for us.”

  “I can’t ask you to help me, especially when you’re so entrenched in finding the Heartless Killer.”

  “You need to dig deeper into Parker Koontz’s life. The woman who hired you can’t be the first woman he’s harassed. Maybe you should have a chat with his partner.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

&n
bsp; Jessie met his gaze. “I’m sorry, you know, about everything. I didn’t mean to push you away. You surprised me. That’s all.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. One of these days you’re going to wake up and realize you can’t live without me. Let’s just hope it’s not too late when that happens.”

  His phone buzzed, breaking into her thoughts. After reading his text, he said, “I’ve got to go,” then grabbed his things from the coffee table and started down the stairs to the front door.

  “Colin,” Jessie called, worried she might not see him again.

  He turned back to look at her and waited.

  “Thanks for being there for me,” she told him. “It means a lot.”

  “Sure. I’ll call you later. You know—to check on Higgins.”

  “Thanks.”

  There was nothing wrong with Colin Grayson, she thought as he walked away. It was all her. She was confused. He’d broken her heart before, and the thought of allowing him in again only for him to realize she wasn’t the one scared her to death.

  The sound of the door opening and closing brought her back to the moment. Colin was gone. And she had work to do.

  EIGHT

  Erin awoke to the sound of chattering teeth. It took her a second to realize she was the one making the noise. She wondered how long she’d dozed off for. She was freezing, and it was pitch-dark.

  As her gaze darted around the cell, she rubbed the chill from her arms. “Garrett?”

  No answer.

  Pushing herself to her feet, she hoped her eyes would adjust to the dark. No such luck. She held both arms straight and stiff in front of her like a mummy in an old black-and-white movie and walked slowly across the small space. A few seconds passed before her hand came into contact with something cold and fleshy. She yanked her arm back. “Garrett,” she said again. “Is that you?”

  Still no answer.

  She swallowed as she reached out again and forced herself to touch whatever it was in front of her. It was definitely a human form, bony, skeletal. She held back a cry. Standing on the tips of her toes, she felt the cloth around his neck, and realized then what he’d been doing with the backpack. He’d spent hours ripping it to shreds. She’d thought he’d wanted to ruin something that belonged to the man upstairs. But she’d been wrong. Garrett had seen the backpack as his chance out of here once and for all. He’d made a rope and noose to hang himself with.