Matt took a call from his DEA supervisor. While she waited, Claire realized she needed a textbook from her makeshift classroom. She wanted to have it to work out lesson plans tonight when she was certain sleep wouldn’t come. She tried to get Matt’s attention, motioning that she was going to run out to retrieve it, but he didn’t seem to notice and she didn’t want to disturb his phone call. Besides, she wouldn’t be but a minute. The auditorium wasn’t that far.
She walked the few doors down the hall, then noticed the crime scene tape had been pulled off the door of the lab. She heard raised voices coming from inside. Peering through the window on the door, she saw her fellow chemistry teacher Daryl Brown having a heated conversation with Ryan Summerhold. She was about to enter to ask them why they were there when Ryan’s words stopped her cold.
“I did a job for you,” she overheard him say. “I deserve to get paid what you promised me.”
“All you did was make more trouble for me,” Brown insisted. “I should have known better than to leave something so important up to a child.”
“I’m not a child,” Ryan told him, bitterness and anger coloring his tone, “and I can finish the job.”
A sudden image of Luke lying dead in her classroom flashed through her mind and Claire removed her hand from the knob and backed away. Matt’s words returned to her that Luke’s supplier would be looking to recruit someone else. Had that already happened? And what could be the job Ryan felt he deserved to be paid for? Had Daryl paid Ryan to murder Luke? She shook her head. No, Ryan had said he could get the job done. That implied whatever Daryl had hired him to do was unfinished.
She turned to leave but tripped over the janitor’s mop and bucket. The mop clattered to the floor.
“What was that?” Daryl demanded.
Claire heard footsteps approaching the door, but she couldn’t move fast enough. The door swung open and both teacher and student stared at her on the floor.
“Miss Kendall? What happened?”
She decided her only option was to just pretend she hadn’t overheard their conversation. “I was just walking by, but I tripped over the janitor’s mop.”
Daryl glanced up and down the hall, then reached to help her to her feet. “Why does he insist on leaving his equipment lying around? It’s becoming a hazard. I plan to mention this incident to Principal Spencer. I suggest you do the same.” He turned to Ryan. “We’ll discuss this later.”
The boy yanked up his backpack and stomped out of the room.
“Trouble?” Claire asked, referring to Ryan.
He waved it away. “Nothing I can’t handle.” He stepped back into the lab. “I was just looking for some microscope slides in the supply cabinet.”
“Aren’t you worried about contaminating the crime scene?”
He didn’t seem to care. “The police have come and gone and already collected their evidence. Besides, classes must go on.”
She nodded. “I believe there’s a new box of slides on the top shelf to the right.”
He made a show of looking at the cabinet, then nodded. “Yes, here they are.” He pulled out the box and showed it to Claire. “Thank you. Well, I’ll be going now. I have a pop quiz to prepare for my students tomorrow.” He started to walk out, then turned back. “I should have told you sooner how sorry I am about what happened with Luke. I guess I didn’t realize you two were so close.”
“Thank you,” Claire said, her mind still replaying the conversation she’d overheard. She didn’t want to believe that a teacher would be the one behind the drugs in the school, but she knew someone was. And Matt had told her the drugs had to be mixed and packaged. Who better to do so than a person trained in chemistry?
She hurried from the room to fill Matt in, certain that what she’d witnessed between Mr. Brown and Ryan was suspicious and worth investigating.
* * *
Matt’s heart dropped when he ended his call and saw Claire was gone. How could he protect her if she insisted on wandering off? His initial panic turned to agitation when he saw her in the hall in front of the lab.
“Claire, I thought we agreed it was safer for you to stay with me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to retrieve a textbook I needed. I thought I could do it quickly before you got off the phone, but I got distracted when I heard someone inside the lab.” She relayed the conversation she’d overheard between Daryl and Ryan. “It’s odd, don’t you think?”
His interest was piqued. He pulled his laptop from his bag and scrolled through his files.
“I’ve been running background checks on all school faculty. His just came back today. It says here he teaches Advanced Placement chemistry.”
“Yes, that’s right. And Ryan is in my chemistry class, so he’s definitely not one of Daryl’s students. He’s barely passing chemistry, but I’ve heard he’s developed a skill for rebuilding engines.”
Matt scrolled through the personnel file on Brown. “It looks like he worked for Mortan Pharmaceuticals for six years as a drug developer before coming to Lakeshore.”
“I knew he worked in the private sector. He was one of those people the schools have been anxious to recruit, especially for science and mathematics.”
“Mortan Pharmaceuticals? Where have I heard that name before?” He searched through his files again. “That’s the same company Paul Thompson works for.”
“Daryl and Luke’s father were coworkers? If his father was friends with Daryl Brown, wouldn’t he have pushed for Luke to get his old friend as a teacher?”
“Who said they were friends? Maybe Brown recruited Luke to get back at his father. We need to find out why Brown left Mortan Pharmaceuticals and how close he and Luke’s father really are.”
They had stopped walking in front of the wall of fame, a place near the office where framed photos of graduating classes were displayed. The school had class photos dating back thirty years, and they took up a large wall. Matt scanned the images, narrowing in on their graduation year, then on the faces until he found theirs. Their group picture had been taken two weeks before the wreck. In it, Matt’s arms were around Claire and their big smiles spoke of happier days.
“Were we really that young and naive once?” he asked, thinking of how rosy the future had seemed to him back then. They’d made plans to marry and spend their lives together, and even now he knew it would have been amazing to be married to Claire. She had grown from a beautiful young girl into a beautiful and caring woman.
“I guess we were. It seems like a lifetime ago.”
Her blue eyes gazed into his soul and he felt that old spark of electricity. He knew Claire felt it, too. He reached out and caressed her arm, and his heart kicked into high gear when he felt her shiver at his touch. He moved closer to her, ignoring every common-sense instinct he had to back away. Claire would never forgive him for leaving her no matter how great the attraction between them remained.
His phone rang, ending the debate with himself.
He backed away from her and glanced at the screen. “It’s one of the security guys.” He answered, then listened as the caller explained they’d found something he needed to see. “I’m on my way,” Matt responded, then hung up.
“What is it?”
“There’s something I need to check out on the back side of the parking lot.”
Claire followed behind him as he headed toward where a group of students had gathered along with one of the security officers. “What happened?” he demanded, his adrenaline pumping and his fear of losing another student intensifying.
Several of them pointed toward the ground and Matt saw they were motioning to a storm drain. He wondered if perhaps they had seen a snake, but that suspicion was quickly dispelled. Something silver and shiny grabbed his attention farther down inside the drain. He couldn’t see it fully but it looked like a knife
. Could this be the one used to kill Luke? The assailant could have tossed it as he ran away.
Not wanting to disrupt any fingerprints that might be on the knife, he used a handkerchief and reached for the handle. A collective gasp and rush of chatter lit through the crowd as he pulled out the knife—a simple, silver cooking knife that looked to be from a kitchen set. It still had congealed blood on the blade. That would have to be tested for verification, but Matt was sure they’d just found the murder weapon.
FIVE
It was after dark before the police had finished processing the scene where the knife was found. Matt had wanted to stick around to make certain all evidence was collected properly and to help with the interviews of the students who’d found it. He’d kept Claire close by him at all times.
Afterward, they stopped by a drive-through burger joint before heading back to the house. Claire was surprised to see it dark.
“Dad texted me earlier and said they and Alisa were going out to dinner with Alisa’s fiancé and future in-laws, so I guess we have the house to ourselves for a while.”
Truthfully, she was glad to have a few hours of peace and quiet. She slipped her feet beneath her and curled up on the couch while Matt unloaded the bags of food.
Claire only picked at her burger and fries, her appetite nonexistent. She knew she needed to eat something, but she just couldn’t bring herself to want it. Nothing in her life was going as planned and she was tired of not knowing whom she could or couldn’t trust.
“I know it’s disheartening,” Matt told her, “but we’ll figure this out. We’ll find out who is behind all of this and we’ll bring them to justice.”
She nodded absentmindedly, which seemed to bother him.
“You can count on me, Claire. You know that, don’t you?”
She was so tired she nearly assured him without thinking, but she stopped herself. Despite the ever-increasing attraction between them, she really wasn’t sure she could put her faith in this man who’d already let her down before.
His expression tightened at her hesitation. “I know I’ve let you down in the past,” he told her, “but I was just a kid back then. A dumb, frightened kid. I’m not that kid anymore and I’m not going anywhere as long as this threat is hanging over you.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand. “You can depend on me. I want you to know that.”
She wanted to believe him, and a part of her truly did. He was still the man she’d loved and trusted all those years ago, but her mind kept reminding her of the way her heart had been broken the last time she’d depended on him. “I want to trust you, Matt. I do. I just... I’m just so scared.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He thought she meant she was frightened of whoever was after her, and she was, but she was also scared of being betrayed again. She was scared of putting her trust in Matt and being disappointed. She might still be harboring unhealthy feelings for him, but she hadn’t forgotten the heartache he’d inflicted upon her. In the end, she knew there was only one she could truly trust, and that was God. He would protect her and watch over her. He would see her through this nightmare.
“You’re no longer the boy I used to know, but I don’t know the man you’ve become. I honestly don’t know if I can trust you or not. I want to. I need to, but I just don’t know if I do yet.”
He lowered his eyes, an injured expression on his face.
She reached out and touched his cheek, running her hand along the edge of his chin. His skin wasn’t as smooth as she remembered and sadness had permeated his eyes. They’d both been through so many trials in the years that separated them and her heart ached for all the wasted time. But she couldn’t focus on the past. She had to keep her eyes on the present, and for this moment in time, God had placed Matt Ross back in her life.
“But above all else, I’m a woman of faith and God has brought you back into my life at just the moment I needed someone, so I will try to trust you, Matt.”
He gave her a halfhearted smile and kissed her hand still pressed to his face. “I won’t let you down.”
* * *
Claire turned in early, but Matt stayed up and continued going through the background checks.
He focused his attention specifically on Daryl Brown. Searching through DMV records, he discovered Brown had applied for a tag a few months ago for a black Chevy truck with a description that matched the one that had tried to run down Claire in the parking lot. His financials also raised red flags for Matt. His bank account boasted more money than a school teacher should have on hand. Could it be drug money?
He closed the computer and rubbed his face, Claire’s words echoing through his brain. He tried not to think about her hesitation when he’d said she could trust him. She didn’t trust him and that was a problem he didn’t know how to undo. He couldn’t go back in time and change the way he’d behaved. If he could have, he would have done it a hundred times over the past years.
She believed God had sent him to be her protector. He was thankful for her faith, but how could he be when he didn’t want to see God’s hand in this? He wasn’t on good terms with God. Too much had happened, yet he couldn’t deny the urge inside him to pray for her safety. He wished he could trust God to watch out for her, to keep her safe, the way she trusted God. He longed for that assurance, that he was a part of God’s plan and God was on his side. But his anger was too great. He’d been let down too many times.
He put his face in his hands as reality hit him as it always did. He’d been the good Christian boy and Claire had been hurt. He’d tried to be a good soldier and his team had been ambushed. He’d tried to be the best agent he could be and Luke had been murdered. It seemed no matter what he did on his own, bad things happened.
But how could he trust a God who’d already let him down multiple times, to keep Claire safe?
* * *
“Where are we going?” Claire asked as Matt took a turn away from the school the next morning.
“I want to check something out. I was running Daryl Brown’s DMV records last night and found a black pickup registered to him.”
She sucked in a breath. “Like the one that tried to run me down?”
“Exactly. I’ve been scanning the school parking lot for the truck ever since it tried to run you down. I haven’t seen it on campus, so I thought we would drive by his house and see if he’s keeping it there.”
“You think Daryl is the one behind all this?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but his financials raised some doubts, as well. I plan to ask him some in-depth questions first thing today.”
Even after all these years, the names of streets and locations came rushing back to him. He’d driven many of these roads for years. He stopped in front of an average-looking house on a tree-lined street. The number on the mailbox told him this was Brown’s residence.
Claire leaned over and looked at the house. “It doesn’t look like a drug dealer’s home. I thought it would be bigger, grander.”
He had to agree. “I don’t see the truck.”
“It might be in the garage.”
As if on cue, the garage door opened and a car backed out. It wasn’t the truck they were searching for but a maroon sedan. Brown was behind the wheel. As the car exited the garage, Matt saw no other vehicles inside. Brown noticed them, too, as he drove by, obviously on his way to work at the school.
Matt didn’t flinch as Brown flashed them a curious glance. “He’s driving a rental,” he said as the car passed. “I saw the charge on his credit card statement.”
“Then where is the truck he owns?”
“That’s one question I intend on asking him.” He put the car in gear and headed for the school.
As they pulled into the school lot, Matt did another scan of the vehicles, looking for the truck in quest
ion. Still not finding it, he parked and they got out.
“Stay close to me today, but I don’t want you in the room when I interview Brown.”
As they walked through the courtyard, Claire heard someone call to her. Jessica Alvarez approached, her long hair covering her face and her eyes darting nervously around as if always on alert for someone watching. “Miss Kendall, can I talk to you?”
She knew it wasn’t a good time and almost told Jessica so. Matt wanted to get inside and question Daryl, but Claire couldn’t ignore a student in need. She flashed Matt a give-me-a-second look and he stepped away, allowing them privacy while still remaining close by.
Claire sat down on a bench and motioned for the girl to do the same. “What’s going on, Jessica?”
Jessica continued looking around anxiously. “I have to tell you something, but I’m scared. It’s about Luke.”
Claire’s heart kicked a beat faster. Was it possible they were closer friends than Claire had originally thought? Melissa had stated she thought Luke was seeing another girl. If that were true, was it Jessica? “What is it?”
The girl bit her lip and fidgeted. She was on the cusp of spilling her secret and Claire had to force herself not to push her. She made her voice remain calm and placed a steadying hand on Jessica’s arm. “Did Luke tell you who his supplier was?”
She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. He never told me that.”
“Then what is it?”
She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. “I saw—” She cut off abruptly and her eyes widened.
Claire squeezed the girl’s fingers. “What did you see?”
She lowered her head and let her long hair cover her face. “Never mind. I have to go,” she said, then jumped up and rushed away.
That was twice Jessica had tried to open up to Claire and both times something had stopped her. She saw in Jessica’s face the fear that the entire student body carried. A student, one of them, was dead and now no one felt safe. Claire looked at Matt, who was scanning the courtyard. He was determined and persistent. He was their hope...her only hope.
Reunion Mission (Rangers Under Fire) Page 9