by Barb Han
“Does she live nearby?” Leah already knew the answer to the question.
“Yes.” The man’s face looked purely tortured.
“Is that where you witnessed the man you identified leaving the scene of a murder?” Leah pressed. “Did he have blood on his clothing when he emerged from the woods? Did you see Elijah standing over the body?”
Nick just stood there, mute. He looked like he was engaged in a serious mental debate. “Is he in jail?”
“He will be. Possibly for a very long time with your testimony.” There was a crack in Nick’s face that Leah needed to explore. “Why do you care? The man cut off a woman’s foot after murdering her. Doesn’t he deserve to be locked away?”
Nick issued a sharp breath. “Whoever did that should be given to his victim’s families for them to decide the punishment.”
“Are you saying the man you identified isn’t the killer?”
* * *
DEACON LISTENED AS Leah took apart the so-called witness. The picture playing out wasn’t a good one. It meant that Charles Dougherty had coerced a witness. Why?
“The detective threatened to tell my family what I’d been up to if I didn’t go along with what he said,” Nick stated. “I had no idea I was identifying a murderer.”
Nick’s wife stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening. She called for her eldest daughter to turn off the electronic device she’d been playing with and get ready for bed.
The little girl put up a protest but obeyed her mother in the end. Nick stood by, looking helpless and alone.
Deacon had no idea what Nick and Abby’s relationship was like. The only evident fact was that both of their lives were about to change. Nick’s secret was out. It would be up to the two of them what they wanted to do with it. Along with Nick’s anguish came a sense of what looked like relief. Secrets ate away at the person who held them.
“If you tell the detective that I’ve recanted, he won’t leave this alone. I threatened to tell my wife. Honestly, I was sick of leading a double life anyway. It’s been eating me up inside. I’m not making excuses for my actions. They’re wrong. But I wanted help and didn’t know how to ask for it. I didn’t know how to shatter my wife’s world when she found out that she’d married a jerk who had let her down.” Nick’s responses came off as genuine. He’d messed up big-time. Only Abby could decide if their relationship could overcome his mistakes.
The situation hit Deacon hard. How many times had he wished he could go back and change the past? How many times had he wished he would have asked Jackie to marry him? Losing her and Emery had knocked the wind out of Deacon.
Granted, he wouldn’t have cheated on Jackie. But would he have made her happy? He could be honest enough to realize that he’d fallen for the family, which was Jackie and Emery. He hadn’t necessarily fallen in love with Jackie herself. Deacon tabled the thought for now.
“I appreciate your honesty,” Leah said to Nick.
“Am I going to be arrested now?” he asked.
“Not if you recant your statement.” Leah looked at Nick with compassion. “I’ll make sure you don’t receive backlash from the detective who cornered you into your statement. It’s a criminal offense to provide false information in an investigation.”
Nick nodded.
From the stairwell, Abby said, “He’ll do the right thing. Won’t you, Nick?” It wasn’t really a question. She had a suitcase in her hands that she set at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m putting the girls to bed and I want you to be gone when I’m done.”
“Honey—”
“Don’t call me that.” Her voice was laced with controlled anger. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Tonight, I need to process what I’ve heard. In the meantime, you can show me that you’re serious about figuring us out by making sure an innocent man doesn’t go to jail for the rest of his life.”
Nick immediately turned to Leah. “I’ll change my statement and do whatever it takes.”
Was this enough evidence to prove Elijah Henry’s innocence? Speaking of which, the fact that he hadn’t turned up yet was gnawing at Deacon’s insides.
“I’ll be in touch with instructions of what to do next,” Leah said after exchanging information.
First things first, Deacon figured she’d want Nick to speak privately with the chief.
Deacon’s cell buzzed. The call was from his older brother, Mitch.
“What’s up?” Deacon asked, figuring Connor must be awake.
“Security caught a man on camera illegally hopping the fence on the east lawn of the ranch,” Mitch said. “Everything’s under control but I thought you and Leah would want to know.”
“Thanks for the information,” Deacon said to his brother. “Keep me posted if anything changes.”
“You know I will,” Mitch said.
Deacon said goodbye and ended the call. He looked at Leah. “A man tried to trespass on ranch property.”
“Was he caught?” Panic brought her voice up an octave.
“I’m afraid not. It could be nothing, but—”
“We need to get home,” she said.
Before he could respond, she was making a beeline toward the front door.
Chapter Twenty-One
Leah updated the chief on the situation with Dougherty while Deacon drove. Deacon feared that there might be blowback from Chief Dillinger for her inserting herself into Dougherty’s investigation but the chief seemed to listen, and based on her responses the man seemed to trust her.
The rest of the drive was quiet.
Leah pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned her head back as though staving off a headache.
Deacon would never forgive himself if someone got through security at the ranch and somehow got to Connor. Hell, if anyone on the ranch ended up hurt or worse because of Deacon’s plan, he’d never forgive himself.
“I’m sorry to put your family at risk because of me,” Leah said. “I should’ve thought this through better. At this point, Dougherty is either slipping as a detective or is a murderer. If it’s the latter, then he has nothing to lose.”
“It’s not your fault,” Deacon countered.
“Then it’s not yours, either,” she stated.
That was probably fair. Deacon still blamed himself. He pushed the gas pedal harder.
“I just wish we were there already.” Leah tapped her foot on the mat.
“We’d know if anything else happened. We have a solid security team on the ranch,” Deacon told her.
“It’s just hard to be away. I keep worrying about Riley or other women on the path. What good does it do for Dougherty to convict an innocent man?” And then it seemed to dawn on her what Deacon was thinking. “He’s been after me this whole time?”
“That’s my best guess,” Deacon stated.
“Why? What’s his motive?” She genuinely seemed stunned.
“You told me once that murders involving women are almost always solved—”
“Because the person who kills them is intimate with them,” she finished his sentence. “Why didn’t I connect those dots before?”
“You trusted him. He was one of your own and it’s unthinkable what he’s doing,” Deacon said.
“The women on that trail... That was supposed to be me,” she said.
“Best I can figure is that he had to act fast in order to surprise the victims. When he realized he had the wrong person the first time, he chopped off her foot to throw everyone off. I’m guessing he thought if it happened on the trail, the murder would seem random.”
Leah’s body visibly shuddered at the idea that Dougherty had planned to kill her all along.
“He was getting desperate after his mistakes. The heat was on, so he went for a direct attack,” Deacon continued.
“But he got Riley instead. She fought him and got away and that’s when his witnesses start
ed disappearing.” Leah relayed the timeline of events. “The chief said he’d call Keeve and see if he knew where Dougherty might be.”
Neither said the man at the ranch could be him but it was obvious that they’d thought it—thought it and feared it. A man with a gun, police training and a badge wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.
Deacon turned onto the two-lane highway leading to the ranch. There were no streetlights in this part of the country so he put his high beams on. An object rocketed toward them from the woods, crashing into his windshield.
The vehicle fishtailed as Deacon nailed his foot to the brake. There was enough momentum for the vehicle to spin out before landing in the ditch and wedging onto its side. Leah unhooked her seat belt at the same time as Deacon. Both jumped into action as the crack of a bullet split the air.
“Get out of the car before he blows it up,” Leah shouted.
“Roger that.” Deacon had the window down and helped her out the driver’s side in a matter of seconds. His military training kicked in and had him covering her as they moved toward the opposite side of the road. He stayed low and scanned the area for any signs of a flash or the next shot being fired.
“You have your cell on you?” he whispered to Leah. His was inside the vehicle.
“No. All I have is my gun,” she responded.
“Same.” He pulled his .38 caliber from his ankle holster. Backup would have been nice but between the two of them they had ex-military and current law enforcement against one man.
“You betrayed me,” came an angry voice from across the road. It belonged to Dougherty.
“We’re friends, Charles,” Leah responded.
“Can you keep him talking?” Deacon spoke barely above a whisper.
“I’ll try,” she promised.
“If you get a clear shot, take it,” he whispered.
“You do the same,” she said.
He kissed her before moving quietly through the underbrush away from her. Deacon didn’t want to split up but their chances improved if he tracked the voice. Was it possible that Dougherty didn’t know that Deacon was with her? He’d been driving her vehicle.
“We can still be friends, Charles,” she shouted, breaking the silence.
“You’re a liar, Leah.” Deacon tracked the voice about thirty feet east from Dougherty’s last location.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Charles. I never meant that,” she continued, and he could tell that she’d stayed put.
Keep at it, sweetheart. Keep him talking.
The wind whipped around and the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees since leaving Frisco. Forward progress was slow for Deacon. Patience won this kind of battle. Deacon had firsthand knowledge of the fact. But facing down an enemy while protecting the woman he loved was new. Loved?
Yeah. Deacon was in love with Leah. And when they got out of this mess—because he couldn’t allow himself to think it might end any other way—he’d tell her how he felt. For now, Deacon listened. The only thing that could be heard was the rustling of evergreen leaves.
“Charles? Let’s talk about this.” The fear in her voice shot through Deacon. He wanted—no, needed—to protect her.
“You’re a bad person, Leah. The department must be cleansed,” Dougherty finally said after several tense minutes. He’d changed positions and was about twenty feet away from Deacon based on the nearness of Dougherty’s voice.
Deacon froze. One wrong move and it was all over for him. The thought of Leah facing Dougherty alone pumped a shot of adrenaline through Deacon. He steadied his breathing and didn’t move an inch.
“I’ve made mistakes, Charles. Does that make me a bad person?” Leah asked.
The quiet was deafening. Deacon thought he saw movement to his right but it was just a branch dancing in the wind.
* * *
“I HAVE A son to think about, Charles.” Leah was fishing for Dougherty’s location. “Connor needs me. A young child needs his mother.”
It was a risky move, bringing up children. But she couldn’t stand the quiet and was trying to get a reaction from Charles so that Deacon could find him. Was he close?
More silence, save for the winds that were picking up. And then a commotion was made in the brush about twenty feet away from her. Leah reacted, bolting in the opposite direction. Leaves slapped her face as she pushed through the trees. She had no idea where Deacon was and she was making too much noise tromping through the underbrush.
She slowed her pace instead.
“Do you really think you’re punishing me by killing innocent women, Charles?” She was trying to get a response from Charles and also letting Deacon know her new location. She crouched low and moved as quietly as she could.
“They weren’t supposed to die. They got in the way.” His voice had no feeling. He was like a robot.
“You chopped off the wrong foot, you know,” she stated.
“That was my mistake,” he countered.
“And what about Elijah Henry? Did he get in the way, too?” She was goading him. If she kept him focused on her, then Deacon could get to him.
“They’ll never find his body.”
Leah gasped.
“Society is better off without one more leech on the system.” Charles had snapped. That was for sure. He’d been under duress but none of this sounded like the man she’d known, the man she’d tried to be a friend to. Could she remind him about his daughter? Somehow bring him back from the dark place he’d gone?
“Kiera wouldn’t want her father to hurt anyone, Charles. Have you thought of her?”
Silence.
She’d struck a chord. Was it the right one? Leah didn’t realize she was holding her breath or white-knuckling her Glock until the blow to her back came and air gushed out.
She fought for control of her Glock as the barrel of Charles’s weapon pressed into her forehead.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Deacon rammed into Charles and knocked him off balance. Leah scooted back until her backside slammed into a tree and felt around on the ground for the gun that had been knocked out of her grip.
Her eyes were still adjusting to the pitch-blackness of the countryside but she heard the struggle between the two men.
She popped onto all fours and felt around in the underbrush in order to locate her Glock. If anything happened to Deacon...
Leah couldn’t go there. A crack sound was followed by a flash of light. “Deacon!”
All she could hear was the sound of punches landing on body parts and grunts. The car wasn’t too far away. If she got to it, she could get help on the way. Nothing in her wanted to leave Deacon alone with Charles. Without her weapon, she felt defenseless.
Leah moved closer in order to get a better look and assess what was going on. Both men wore black and she couldn’t tell one from the other. The fight was real, though. It was still on. She raced toward her vehicle and located Deacon’s cell. They were close to the ranch and his family would be able to get there quicker.
She remembered that Mitch lived on the property and so she located him in the contacts and made the call.
Mitch answered on the first ring.
“This is Leah. We were ambushed after turning onto a two-lane road. Charles is here, he’s armed and we need help.” The words rushed out all at once. “Shots were fired but I don’t know if Deacon was hit.”
She could barely process those words.
“I know where you’re talking about. I’m on my way.” Sounds of rustling came through the line. “Wherever you are, stay put. Backup is coming.”
“I’ll call 9-1-1.” Mitch would be closer than a cruiser, which is why she’d made that call first. Her hands were shaking from another shot of adrenaline but she managed to make the call to dispatch and relayed the same information.
Within a few seconds she heard sirens i
n the distance.
Movement came from the tree line. Leah’s heart pounded her rib cage as she knelt beside her vehicle. “Deacon?”
It took another few seconds before she heard his voice—the voice that belonged to the man she’d fallen in love with.
“You’re safe, Leah,” he said.
She jumped up and ran toward him as he dragged an unconscious Charles out of the trees.
“You’re okay.” She threw her arms around his neck as he let go of the man he’d been pulling.
“I love you, Leah.”
And then Deacon collapsed.
“No. No. No.” She dropped to her knees and began checking him for signs of blood. It was too dark to see clearly so she felt around his body for anything that might be wet. His thigh was soaked and she prayed help would arrive as she rolled him onto his back, cleared his airway and prepared to administer CPR.
“Deacon. Talk to me.” She felt for a pulse. “No, Deacon. Please, come back to me.”
A vehicle roared up next to hers. Mitch and Will came rushing toward her.
“I can’t tell if he’s breathing,” she shouted.
Mitch was opposite her in a heartbeat. “Come on, brother. Wake up.”
The rest was a blur of lights and sirens. Zach showed up, as did an ambulance. Deacon’s brother Will reassured her that Deacon was breathing as they watched from the sidelines as EMTs went to work. At some point someone put a blanket around her shoulders. Charles was cuffed and placed in the back of the sheriff’s SUV.
And then Deacon was placed on a stretcher that was rolled into the back of the ambulance.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“The doctor said you should be in bed,” Leah said to Deacon. He’d convinced her to wheel him out to the back porch at the ranch. A couple of the windows were open and the air was warmer than the last time she was in this room a week ago.
Deacon had taken a bullet in the thigh and it had nicked an artery. He’d lost a lot of blood but, thanks to his physical condition, was already recovering. Dougherty had been charged with the murders after confessing to everything. Elijah was found alive and was recovering.