Holiday Homecoming Secrets

by Lynette Eason

  “Attacked,” she wheezed. Her throat ached, but at least she could breathe. He grabbed whatever it was the attacker had wrapped around her throat and tugged it away.

  “What in the world?” She recognized Clay’s voice. He ran toward her, the beam of the flashlight bouncing along the muddy snow. “What happened? Are you okay?” he asked when he reached her.

  Bryce told him in clipped sentences what had happened.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Call an ambulance,” Bryce said, running his hands up and down her arms, then tilting her head to examine her throat.

  “No, don’t need an ambulance. It’s okay,” Jade said. “It’s getting better.” She heard the harsh rasp in her voice and understood Bryce’s doubtful look.

  “If you don’t need me,” Clay said, “I’m going to see if I can get the lights back on.”

  “Yeah, that would be good.” Bryce turned back to Jade. “You could have serious damage to your throat.” The mixture of terror and fury in his words stilled her. Touched her.

  “Possibly,” she croaked, “but I don’t think so. I managed to get my hand up there and pull against it, minimizing the harm.” She hoped. “Man, that was scary.” Tears gathered and she shoved them away, coughing once more. “I just want to go home and crawl into bed.” The minute the words left her mouth, she wished she could haul them back in. She sounded helpless and weak. But she’d just been attacked, so maybe she should cut herself a break.

  “Come on,” Bryce said, “I’ll help you to the car.”

  “I’ve got to write all this up.”

  “Then I’ll wait on you.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t remember you being this bossy.”

  He huffed a laugh that did nothing to erase the worry in his eyes. “It’s not bossy, it’s common sense.”

  The lights came on and she blinked against the sudden brightness—and recognized her attacker’s weapon. “I was almost strangled with a strand of Christmas lights? You’ve got to be kidding.” She gave a humorless bark of laughter that sent pain racing through her throat. She immediately cut it short and coughed once more.

  “Jade, I really think you should see someone.”

  “No. I just need to get some ice on it, take some more ibuprofen, and rest.”

  “So stubborn.”

  “Exactly. So, let’s go,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder at this point.

  With Bryce’s help, she stood, gathered her purse and started walking toward the office. She noted him favoring his left leg, but before she could ask him about it, Clay spotted them and hurried toward them. “Are you sure you’re okay, ma’am? I went ahead and called the cops to report it, but I can still call an ambulance.”

  “I’ll be sore for a while, but I’m all right, I think. Thank you.” What was one more sore place on her already bruised and battered body?

  “Well, it’s not much, but the tree is on us. And your friend can come back and get one, too.”

  “That’s very kind of you, thank you.”

  Three police cruisers pulled into the parking lot. She recognized Dylan. Abby Jones climbed out of the second car, and Tom Williams bolted from the third.

  “Jade!” Abby rushed toward her. “You okay?”

  “I’m alive. That probably wasn’t on the agenda for my attacker. The strand of lights is back there. Can you bag it and see if there are any prints other than mine and Bryce’s on there?”

  “Of course. What happened?”

  Her head pounded and her throat hurt. She seriously didn’t want to deal with this tonight.

  “Save your voice,” Bryce said. He gave the woman the short version.

  “I’ll sit in my vehicle and write up the report,” Jade whispered. “It won’t take me long.” A thought hit her. She turned to Clay. “Do you have a closed-circuit television? Security footage?”

  “Absolutely, but I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to see in the dark.”

  Jade nodded, then wished she hadn’t. She pressed a hand to her head. “We’ll want to try anyway. See if it picked up anything before the lights went out. Abby, can you get a copy of it so we can take a look at who was around?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks.”

  Bryce joined her while she worked on the report. When she was done, she hit Send. “Nice job on strapping the tree down.”

  “The credit goes mostly to Clay, but thanks.” He reached for her hand, then lightly touched her throat. “That was scary, Jade,” he whispered.

  She swallowed, and his eyes followed the movement, then lifted to her eyes. She cleared her throat and grimaced. “Yeah, it was. But I’m okay.”

  “But you were hurt once again.” His hand lifted to cup her chin. “I don’t handle it well when you get hurt.”

  The look in his eyes had changed. While caring and concern were still there, something else had crept in. A warmth and awareness she’d not seen quite as strong before. “I...well... I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not exactly sure how to explain it.”

  “Okay then.” She glanced away then back. “I noticed you were limping. Are you all right?”

  A small smile flickered, then faded, and she let out a small relieved breath when he dropped his hand from her cheek to lean back. “I’ve just been on my leg too long. As soon as I get off of it, I’ll be all right.”

  She raised a brow, finally able to breathe now that he’d put some space between them. “What’s wrong with your leg?”

  He shot her a funny look. “Kristy didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “I lost the lower part of my left leg in that IED blast. I have a prosthetic.”

  She gaped. Then snapped her mouth shut. “I had no idea. You can’t tell. Frank didn’t say anything about it, either.” Frank hadn’t said much of anything, apparently. “I’m so sorry. I’m...wow.”

  He shrugged. “It took me a while to come to grips with it, but I have a buddy who lost an arm, and he’s been a big help.”

  “I’m glad.” Very glad. The more insights into his life over the past six years that he revealed, the more her long-held anger started to fade.

  “So, are we ready to do this?” he asked.

  She studied him a moment longer, then nodded, wincing slightly. “Sure, but I’m hoping I can convince the kids to put off decorating the tree until tomorrow night.” It was a wimpy way to end the day, but her body was done.

  “I understand. I’ll help you get it in the house, and Sasha and I’ll join you tomorrow, if that’s all right.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Her phone rang, and she activated the vehicle’s Bluetooth to answer it. “Hi, Captain. Just to let you know, I’m driving and you’re on Speaker. Bryce Kingsley is with me.”

  “Got it. First, how are you doing? Are you all right? You’ve sure been having a tough couple of days.”

  “It’s been rough for sure. I’m heading home now.”

  “Take some time off. You need to heal. I’ve got two of our best detectives on this, so you can rest easy. I’ve also told them to keep you updated on anything they find out.”

  Bryce kept his mouth shut at the words but nodded his agreement and made sure she saw him do it. She rolled her eyes at him. “Captain, can we just see how I feel in the morning? I’m not ready to quit looking for Frank just yet.”

  “That’s up to you. I did want to let you know that I’ve got the shooting range security footage.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “I know you wanted to look at it, but in light of this recent attack on you, don’t worry about it for now. I’ll watch it and let you know what we find out—if anything.”

  “I can come in and watch—”

  “Hold on a second. Got a c
all coming in from the cadaver dog handler.”

  Jade’s breath lodged in her throat. She drove in silence, every nerve on alert. Bryce had stilled, his only movement to curl his fingers into fists.

  Two minutes later, the captain came back on the line. “You there?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Jade, I...”

  “Sir? Just say it, please.”

  “I hate it, but they’ve found a body out in the woods behind the mill,” he said, his voice rough with compassion. “According to the wallet next to the body, it’s Frank Shipman.”

  SIX

  Bryce’s whole body went still. A tear tracked down Jade’s cheek and she sniffed.

  “Jade?” The captain’s voice broke through the shock.

  “Yes, sir,” she said. “Give me a moment to regroup and I’ll be right there.”

  “You don’t—” Captain Colson sighed. “Of course you’ll go. I understand. Be careful.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jade. I was really hoping for a different outcome.”

  “Thank you, sir. We all were.” She hung up, pulled into a grocery store parking lot and put the vehicle in Park.

  A sob slipped out. Bryce reached for her, and she gripped his hand then leaned her head against the steering wheel to cry. Her grief mingled with his, and he settled his head back against the seat, closed his eyes, and tried to keep his composure even though his heartbeat pounded in his ears. Not Frank. Please not Frank. But if he’d learned anything from his bout of depression, denial didn’t work.

  God, why Frank?

  “How am I going to tell Heather?” Jade whispered. She touched her throat and grimaced.

  “Sore?”

  She nodded. “Hurts worse when I cry.” She sniffed and swiped her eyes. “I need to call my mom. The kids will be so disappointed about putting off the tree again, but it can’t be helped.”

  “They’ll understand when you explain.”

  “Yes. At least, I hope so.” With another squeeze to his hand, she released him. He wanted to grab her hand back and tell her not to make the call just yet, but he kept silent. The first call to her mother didn’t take long. He heard the woman’s sharp cry, and more tears squeezed out from Jade’s closed eyes. After she hung up, she grabbed several tissues from the center console and wiped her face. “The captain said his wallet was on him. That’s why they believe it’s him.”

  “Doesn’t mean someone couldn’t have stolen it and gotten killed and buried with it.”

  She shot him a sidelong glance and he sighed, pressed his fingers to his eyes and swallowed hard. “I know, I know. Not likely. Are you up to driving?”

  Jade nodded. “Guess I have to be. You can’t drive my vehicle.” She pulled a bottle of ibuprofen out of the glove compartment and popped four.

  He held out a hand, and she gave him the bottle. He took four, too, replaced the cap and returned it to the compartment. “All right, then.”

  “All right, then,” she echoed.

  Ten minutes later found them on an active scene. Floodlights had been set up, and the medical examiner was on site. Bryce limped behind Jade as she ducked under the tape and flashed her badge. She signed the crime scene log and motioned for him to follow her. His eyes landed on the medical examiner, who was bent over a body.

  Jade stopped, and Bryce heard her breath hitch. He gripped her elbow, not sure if it was to comfort her or steady himself. Maybe both.

  “Hi, Neal,” Jade said to the medical examiner as she pulled the scarf tighter around her neck. He figured she was hiding the marks left by her attacker more than trying to block out the cold.

  Neal nodded. “Jade.”

  “Is it Frank?”

  The man stepped back to give them a better view, and Bryce shuddered.

  “Yeah,” she whispered. “It’s him.”

  “You were friends?”

  She nodded, and Bryce looked away.

  “Can you tell the cause of death?” she asked.

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Lift his shirt up, will you?” she said. “Please?”

  Neal raised a brow, but did as Jade requested. His eyes went wide and jerked back to Jade. “Whoa. I guess we know what killed him.”

  Two bullet holes in his chest, and Bryce had no doubt they’d line up with the jersey they’d found.

  “Someone changed his shirt?” Neal asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But why?”

  “When I find his killer, I’ll be sure to ask,” Jade said. Her voice had gone cold with determination. “I guess we have to tell Heather and his family now.”

  Bryce grimaced, and dread filled him. Frank’s sister, Lisa, would be devastated. And Heather—

  His hands curled into fists and he forced himself to breathe slow, even breaths as his heart thundered in his chest with grief—and the need to do something.

  He waited and watched as Jade spoke to the officers. Finally, she joined him while they loaded Frank’s body into the black bag and placed him in the back of the coroner’s red Yukon.

  “Frank!”

  He spun to see Heather slam her car door and race toward them.

  Bryce stepped forward and caught her before she could pass him.

  “Heather, stop.”

  “I heard it on the police scanner. Is it him?”

  “Yes, it’s him. I’m so sorry.”

  “No!” Sobs ripped from her and he felt her knees give out. Holding her nearly rocked him off balance, but then Jade was there, taking her friend and partner into her arms and lowering her to the ground—an action that Bryce would have found very difficult to do. Gratitude and resentment shot through him. He tried to focus on the first and ignore the second. The woman had just lost her fiancé. He and Jade had just lost a friend. Now wasn’t the time to let self-pity rear its head.

  “I’m so sorry, Heather,” he said. “So very sorry.” Jade’s dark eyes met his, and his heart lurched at the agony reflected there. “We’ll find who did this,” he said. “We will.”

  Heather didn’t seem to hear him, but Jade nodded. “Yes, oh, yes, we will.”

  * * *

  In the back of her cruiser, Jade held Heather while her friend cried, then helped her get herself together. Heather took two deep breaths and let them out slowly. “I want to go with him to the morgue.”

  Jade didn’t even bother to try to talk her out of it. “I’ll ride with you.”

  “There’s no reason for you to. You need to go home.”

  “Right. Like I’d leave you. The kids have my parents there.” She paused. “Should I call your mom?”

  Heather’s parents had divorced when she and Jade were still teens, but Heather was very close to her mother—or at least she had been, up until she’d ignored the woman’s warnings about marrying the man who’d wound up leaving her at the altar. “We haven’t talked in forever, but she was happy for me. Glad I’d found Frank and was over the jerk.”

  “Of course she was.” Heather had told her all of this months ago. “You want me to call her?”

  “I’ll do it.” She hiccupped but made no move to reach for her phone. “I don’t want to go home,” she whispered. “I can’t.”

  “I understand. I’ll go by your house and pack a bag for you.”

  “No!”

  Jade jerked. “Okay.”

  Heather sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that all of those clothes... Ugh. Frank and I went shopping a lot. He bought me a lot of them and every single stitch will remind me of him. I think I’ll go to a hotel and tell Mom to bring me something to wear for now. I have a few outfits at her house.”

  “Okay, whatever you want to do.”

  “That’s what I want.”

  Two hours
later, Jade stepped inside her home and shut the door behind her with a heavy sigh while biting back the tears that wanted to flow. Crying wouldn’t bring Frank back—nor find his killer. And it simply hurt her throat too much to cry anymore. The kitchen nightlight was on and the house smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies. Bless her mother. She snagged a cookie from the plate someone had thoughtfully set on the foyer table and took a bite. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her weapon from her holster, checked to make sure the safety was engaged, then locked it in the box next to the cookies.

  “Hi, Mommy.” Jade looked up to find Mia lying on the couch, blanket pulled to her chin. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

  “Little bear, what are you doing up so late?”

  “She couldn’t sleep,” Jade’s father said from the kitchen door. “She kept waking Jessica up, so I brought her over here.”

  “Couldn’t sleep? Why not?”

  Mia patted the couch, and Jade understood that she was to sit next to her daughter. “Lolly told me about your friend. I was sad for you.”

  In spite of her resolution not to cry, Jade’s throat tightened once more, and she slid her arm around her child to pull her snug against her side. Mia rested her head on Jade’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Jade said. “I’m sad, too. And I’m sorry I broke my promise to decorate the tree tonight.”

  “It’s okay. We can do it tomorrow.”

  “You’re the best, kiddo.”

  “I know.”

  Jade almost smiled at the child’s uncomplicated self-esteem. “But you need to go to bed.”

  “I don’t have school tomorrow, you know.”

  “That’s a good thing, because you’d fall asleep and bruise your head on your math book.”

  “We don’t have math books, silly. We have papers.” Mia yawned. “Jessica’s mad at you, though.”

  “Why? Because of the Christmas tree?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’ll talk to Jessica. She’ll be all right.”

  “’Kay.”

  The girl was almost asleep, her little body relaxing into Jade’s with each passing second. With effort, ignoring her aches and pains, Jade carried Mia to her room and tucked her in with a kiss to her forehead. Then she sighed.