Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of EvidenceGone MissingLethal Exposure

by Lynette Eason

  “No.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I had a hysterectomy when I was eighteen. I was in the car wreck that killed my parents. I was bleeding, they had to do surgery and…” She shrugged away from him, crossing her arms across her stomach, turning her back to him. “I can’t have children.”

  “So you pushed me away because of that? Why didn’t you just tell me?” Anger surged through him and he fought to control it, to keep his tongue from releasing the words trembling on the edge. “Do you know how I agonized over what I could have done to send you running?”

  “Jonas—”

  “I lay awake at night wondering.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “I racked my brain trying to figure out how I’d offended you.” He stared at her. “Did you really think so little of me that I would reject you because you couldn’t have kids?”

  “Why not? That’s what Carl did.”

  He went quiet. Then sighed. “Who?”

  “My boyfriend at the time of the accident. He was nineteen. I was eighteen. We were in love, you know, going to get married and have a houseful of kids.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I came to in the operating room to find out my parents were dead. My grandparents were devastated, but they assured me they would be there for me and we would all get through this.”

  “I remember your grandparents and how close you were.”

  “Are. We still are.”

  “But?”

  “But they didn’t know that Carl was coming to visit me. He overheard them talking about my hysterectomy and how they were going to tell me that I would never have a child.”

  Jonas closed his eyes. “And he told you.”

  “Yeah.” She sniffed and swiped her eyes. “He tried to be gentle about it, of course, said he was sorry about my parents, sorry I’d been hurt, but he couldn’t be my boyfriend anymore because who knows where we might end up. He wanted to be with someone who could have kids one day. He kissed my forehead and walked out.”

  Jonas rubbed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Brooke. But I wasn’t Carl, not then and not now.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I know, but the hurt was just too deep, the scars too many. The day I walked out of that hospital, I swore off relationships. I loved dogs, I loved the law.” She glanced at Mercy, who’d dropped back to the floor. “I loved my job. I couldn’t let you distract me. I’m sorry. When I realized how you felt—”

  “You ran.”

  “As hard and as fast as I could go.” She sighed. “A few months later, I almost worked up the courage to tell you.”

  “But?”

  “But when I came back to talk to you—”

  “What? When? You never came back.”

  “I didn’t approach you. I was talking to your former partner and he told me a little about what you were doing. Like the fact that you were continuing to build your life and your career and raising a young son.” She shrugged. “I told myself you didn’t need me upsetting your apple cart again. So I left before you got back to the office, threw myself into my job and told myself to forget about you.”

  “And did you?”

  She swallowed hard, but didn’t look away. “No.”

  “He never told me you were there.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t tell him not to say anything. He probably just forgot.”

  “Well I didn’t forget about you. I loved my wife.” He frowned. “At least I thought I did. I did my best to be a good husband to her, a good father to Felix, but…” He sighed. “I don’t know what went wrong, to be honest. I worked a lot of hours building the vet business. She got lonely and found someone else. After she left, I told myself no more relationships. No more falling in love.” He gave her a crooked smile. “But I couldn’t seem to help it. I found myself thinking about you. How I’d let you go without too much of a fight and I regretted it.”

  Her eyes bounced to his mouth then back up. A flush worked its way into her cheeks. He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. At her response, he moved to deepen the kiss.

  And guilt hit him.

  He stood and shoved his chair away. “I’m sorry.”

  She blinked and looked away. “No. I am.”

  “I need to focus on Felix. I can’t—”

  “I understand, Jonas. Stop. It’s okay.”

  He nodded and raked a hand through his hair.

  Brooke buried her face in her hands and blew out a sigh. When she looked up, he tried to decipher the expression in her eyes, but couldn’t figure it out. Anger? Sadness? Resignation? Regret? She stood. “All right. It’s time for me to get out of here. There’s an officer on the curb. Nicholas has done several sweeps and it’s clear for now.”

  “I feel like I should be out there looking for him. I don’t know if I can handle sitting around and waiting.” When he caught himself looking at his watch again, he grimaced.

  Brooke walked to the door. “You really don’t have a choice, Jonas. I understand your conflict, but what if Felix comes looking for you?”

  He nodded. “I know. I’ll stay put.” For now.

  She hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. She looked as though she might say something, then just gave him a weary smile. “Good night, Jonas.”

  “’Night.”

  She slipped out the door, her words now echoing in the stillness. I can’t have children. He walked to the window and spotted the officer on the curb. Brooke pulled away and disappeared down the street. Jonas felt his heart go with her.

  FIFTEEN

  Brooke let Mercy into the house after a short run around the block. Her mind spun in an endless loop, replaying the “almost kiss” over and over until she wanted to bury her face in her pillow and scream. Why had he done that? What had he seen in her expression to indicate she wanted him to kiss her?

  She nearly laughed out loud at that last silent question. She knew exactly what he’d seen. She might as well have stamped Kiss Me written across her forehead.

  She groaned and dropped onto the couch. It was going to be a long night. She should have volunteered for Jonas’s guard duty. At least that would have given her something to do besides stare at her walls and wish she’d grabbed Jonas and given him the kiss of his lifetime. But she hadn’t done that.

  And frankly, she was glad she hadn’t. Sort of. She understood the guilt that he’d been feeling. His son was out there, angry, upset—and a target. He couldn’t be having a romantic moment while that was happening. She got that. Not only that, but she kept pushing him away. Only tonight they’d almost kissed. Well, they had kissed. A light kiss that could have been so much more.

  She rubbed her eyes. How confused he must be with her words and actions contradicting each other. She sighed. She wasn’t doing it on purpose, she was just as conflicted with herself as he probably was.

  Her gaze fell on her grandmother’s Bible. It sat in its usual spot in the center of the coffee table. Her grandparents had loved her. Had raised her to love God and to seek His will for her life. But every time the subject of her and marriage and children came up, bitterness accompanied it. Since she didn’t want to be bitter, she often just refused to think about it.

  But now she had to.

  She’d told Jonas why she’d pushed him away almost eight years ago and he’d been angry. Hurt. Betrayed. Had she been wrong to keep that to herself and not explain her actions?

  Definitely.

  She picked up the Bible and let it fall open. Her grandmother’s handwriting jumped out at her. Right before Brooke’s grandparents had moved to Florida to retire, her grandmother had placed the Bible in Brooke’s hands just before they’d pulled away from the closing at the lawyer’s office. “Read it, Brooke. Let God be your comfort.”

  Be my comfort, God. Show me how to lean on You and not be bitter.

  She closed the Bible, stood and walked to the window to glance into the yard. Mercy went to the door and whined. Brooke let her out and stepped onto the back porch steps to watch the
animal roam the yard, sniffing, tail wagging. She snagged something from the bushes and trotted to drop the neighbor kid’s baseball at her feet. “Thanks, Mercy. I think I’ve created a monster.” She picked it up and made a note to return it. One day, one was going to go through her window.

  Her phone buzzed. She snagged it and found a text from Gavin. This is what Tommy and the sketch artist came up with.

  Brooke zoomed in on the computerized composite and gave a disappointed sigh. She texted back. It could be Jeffries or not.

  I know. It’s inconclusive. I spoke with Tommy myself. He still says he never left the home that night.

  Still afraid he’ll be in trouble if he says it.

  Yes. So right now we have nothing on Jeffries.

  She was sure he was relieved over that. Brooke still wasn’t convinced Jeffries was innocent. Great. Thanks.

  Welcome.

  She shoved the phone into her back pocket. “Come on, Mercy, we’d better get some sleep while we can. No telling when the phone will ring again.”

  Mercy started to trot back toward Brooke, then turned and froze, her attention suddenly focused on the area behind her.

  The night air seemed to quiver, then go still. Brooke frowned and rose, rubbing her arms against the chill that was only partially due to the weather. “What is it, girl?”

  Mercy glanced back at Brooke then started toward the back of the fence. A low growl escaped her and Brooke’s adrenaline kicked into high gear. She reached for her weapon.

  The one that wasn’t there.

  She’d left it on the end table next to the recliner. “Mercy. Come!”

  The dog immediately stopped, but kept her focus on whatever had captured her attention. She whined and Brooke knew the dog wanted to obey, but also wanted to go after whatever was near the fence. “Mercy. Come.”

  Mercy barked, but obeyed. She came to Brooke’s side and sat, her entire body tense. Brooke looked toward the bushes and the trees that lined the other side of her fence. For the first time she worried that someone could climb one of the trees and drop into her backyard. “Come on, girl, I’m not liking this. Inside. Now.”

  Brooke forced the dog through the door, followed her inside and went to retrieve her weapon from the end table. She then spun on her heel and went back out the door, shutting the dog inside. Mercy barked at her, but Brooke wanted to know what was bothering the animal so much. And she wanted to make sure nothing happened to the dog. If someone had a weapon, they’d go for Mercy first, most likely, take her out of the picture. And since Mercy didn’t have her vest on, Brooke wouldn’t take the chance.

  She walked through her backyard to where the waist-high bushes met the back of the fence. “Is anyone there? Hello?” The tree rustled above her and she swung the weapon up. “Come down. Now.”

  A dark-clad figure slipped from the tree, landed on the other side of the wooden fence and ran.

  Mercy’s barking reached a frenzied pitch from inside the house.

  Brooke raced for the gate, threw open the latch and headed in the direction she thought her would-be intruder might have gone. Her shoulders itched. She didn’t have her vest on but knew if she took the time to get it the guy would be long gone.

  She exited onto the street and came to a stop. From the trees in her backyard, the only direction to go was over the neighbor’s fence directly opposite hers or through the small area of woods onto the main street.

  She figured he’d go for the street.

  Only she didn’t see him anywhere. The faint sound of a car starting straight ahead spurred her on. Her tennis shoes pounded the asphalt. Taillights blinked ahead and she stopped, knowing it was a futile chase. With a frustrated slap of her fist against her thigh, she turned and made her way back to her house. She moved back through the trees, walked through her gate and opened her back door. “Mercy, come.” The dog didn’t need to be told twice. Brooke swept her hand out toward the backyard. “Search.” Thirty minutes later, Mercy had come up empty and Brooke was exhausted. She led the way back into the house and called Gavin. “I just had an intruder at my house. Mercy let me know he was there in a tree just over my fence line. When I confronted him, he ran. I tried to chase him down, but I lost him.”

  “What? You went after him without calling for backup?”

  “I didn’t have time.”

  “That wasn’t a smart move, Brooke.”

  She sighed. “What would you have done in my place, Gavin?”

  He cleared his throat and didn’t speak for a moment. “I’m glad you’re all right. Lock your doors and I’ll let the local PD know they need to do some frequent drive-bys at your place tonight.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  “You sound tired.”

  She gave a small laugh. “There’s a reason for that. I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.”

  She hung up with Gavin and walked into her bedroom with Mercy at her heels. “’Night, Mercy. Wake me up if anyone tries anything, will you?”

  Mercy settled herself at the end of the bed. Brooke crawled beneath the covers and closed her eyes.

  Then opened them. Then got up and locked her bedroom door.

  *

  Jonas couldn’t sleep and it had nothing to do with the fans sounding like freight trains blowing though his home. Frustration nipped at him. He knew he needed to get some rest, but knowing that and shutting off his mind were two very different things. Hence his vigilance at the front window of his house. He’d left the porch light on in the front and turned on the back lights in case Felix wanted to come in that way. The officer was on the curb. Every so often, he’d get out of his car and do a perimeter scan.

  Under police escort, Claire had gone back to the office to take care of the animals. The officer had seen her safely home so at least he didn’t have to worry about her or work tonight.

  He just had to worry about Felix.

  Be anxious for nothing.

  The verse ran through his mind. “How do I do that, God? This is Felix we’re talking about,” he murmured. “Please take care of him, wherever he is.”

  He wouldn’t blame God for not listening, but Jonas figured Brooke was right and God wouldn’t hold his absenteeism against him. “Thank You for that,” he whispered. But it was time to change that and put God back where He belonged. As a priority. No matter what happened with Felix.

  He took another look out the living room window and noticed the police cruiser sitting empty. A shadow disappeared around the corner of the house and he figured the officer was doing another safety check. Jonas had to admit the man was thorough, attentive and alert. Jonas appreciated that.

  He glanced at his phone. Call me, Felix. At least let me know you’re all right. For the first time since his wife had walked out, Jonas felt like letting a few tears flow. He wondered if that made him weak.

  Then he wished Brooke were there with him. She wouldn’t find him weak; she’d probably offer him her shoulder. He blew out a sigh and shook his head. This was getting him nowhere, but he just couldn’t get away from the anxiety clawing at his throat.

  He turned away from the window, then stopped and looked back at the police car. The officer hadn’t returned yet. Jonas frowned. He’d been watching, hoping to catch Felix walking up the street and as a result, he’d seen the officer come and go over the past two hours.

  In all of his patrols around the perimeter of the house, it hadn’t taken him this long to return to his car. Uneasiness started to build. Jonas wanted to chalk it up to paranoia, but the events over the past two days wouldn’t let him. Had the officer run into trouble? Found something? He picked up his phone and dialed Brooke as he went through the house turning off the loud fans.

  “Hello?”

  The fact that she answered on the first ring said a lot about her own state of sleeplessness. “Hey, do you have the number for the officer outside my house?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I’ve been watching him for the past couple of hours. Wel
l, watching for Felix, but noticing the officer making his rounds around my property. He walked away from his car about ten minutes ago and hasn’t come back yet. He’s never taken this long.”

  “Sit tight. I’m on the way.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I’m concerned. I had an intruder—I think. A would-be one anyway. It’s possible he went straight from my house to yours. Make sure the doors are locked. I’m on my way and sending backup.”

  “I don’t know if that’s necess—” He stopped. A low creak from the front of the house reached his ears. “Wait a minute.”

  “What is it?” He heard rustling in the background like she was moving, getting ready to leave her house.

  “I think someone’s in my house,” he whispered.

  “Get out.”

  “It could be Felix trying to sneak in.” Hope flared. Caution ruled. He wouldn’t call out until he knew for sure. He slipped his feet into the loafers he’d left in front of the recliner, then moved to the foot of the stairs. The noise had come from the front of the house, maybe the stairs. Could Felix have crawled through a window? Not likely. Jonas had double-checked them and they’d been locked.

  “Jonas? You need to get out of the house until you know for sure who it is.”

  “What if that’s the purpose? Get me out of the house then kill me?” He lowered his voice and looked out at the squad car one more time. Still no sign of the officer. Should he leave? He could make it to the front door. Or should he hide? The feeling of having lived this once before swept over him.

  “Good point,” Brooke said. “What if you got in your car? Lock the doors and hunker down until help gets there?”

  The idea didn’t sit well with Jonas. He wanted to confront whoever had the audacity to break into his house with a police car sitting right outside. Then he thought about Felix. What would happen to Felix if Jonas did something stupid and got himself killed?

  He went to the back door and looked out into the garage. The moon filtered through the windows and he could make out the shape of his car. He heard Brooke talking in the background. Probably calling for help.

  Making up his mind, he opened the door and stepped into the darkness of the garage. He shut the door behind him and glanced back into his kitchen through the glass paned door. Nothing yet.