by Vella Day
He shook his head. “I didn’t speak with her long enough.”
“The ring leader lived in Kerry, and I’m betting your daughter is somewhere in town.” He glanced over at her. “Jessie, do you know where Amanda was living?”
“No, but I bet her mom knows.”
* * *
By the time Dax pulled into town, he’d gone over the incident on the sub a hundred times. As soon as they entered the ship, Jake had pushed ahead of him and the other Navy men, claiming he was the law officer. Even if Jake had worn a flak jacket, it wouldn’t have stopped the bullet to his leg. Dax sure hoped the injury wasn’t too serious.
“Take a left at the next street,” Jessie said jerking him out of his painful mental movie.
The road only had a few homes, all of which looked below poverty level. A strong ache twisted his gut. He used to live in a place just like one of these after his dad died.
“It’s the next house on the right,” she said, and Dax pulled over. “I think it would be better if I go alone. Amanda’s mom can be a little, ah…mean.”
Like mother like daughter, he supposed. “I’ll wait outside by the front just in case something happens.”
“The woman is sickly. She’s not going to attack me.”
“Suit yourself.”
He still didn’t want to be far from Jessie, so as soon as she disappeared, he piled out of the front seat. Avoiding the living room window, he rushed close to the porch. He didn’t think Amanda would stash a pregnant lady at her mom’s house, but one never could be sure.
When Jessie didn’t come out in a reasonable time, he snuck around the back and looked in the kitchen window. Past a doorway and down a hallway, Jessie and an older lady wrapped in a blanket were chatting in the living room. He guessed Jessie needed to make some small talk before extracting the information from Amanda’s mom. At some point, Jessie would have to tell Mrs. Simmons that her daughter was dead.
By the time he made it back to the front, Jessie was outside waving at the mom.
“Got it,” she said with more enthusiasm than he’d heard from her in a while.
“Did she say where Kendall is?” Mr. Jalbert asked as soon as they were inside the car.
“No, but she told me where Amanda had been staying.”
Jessie directed Dax to a paint chipped farmhouse in a part of town he hadn’t visited before. They passed acres and acres of fallow land, unloved by the human hands, and sadness colored every leaf and blade of grass. To say the place needed some repair was an understatement. An old blue car sat in the drive.
“What’s the plan?” she asked.
He appreciated Jessie was willing to let him help. Knowing how much she couldn’t stand to sit still, he decided to let her take the lead. “While you knock on the front door, I’ll go around back. And Mark? Care to be my backup?”
“Absolutely.” The man sounded willing and able.
Jessie eased out of the front seat. She unbuttoned her jacket most likely to give her easier access to her weapon. As she knocked on the front door, he and Mark jogged to the back, where Dax quietly tested the handle and found it locked.
“Psst.” Mark waved him over to the side of the house. He was smiling. “Kendall’s in there,” he mouthed.
Needing to assess the safety of the scene, Dax motioned Mark to move out of sight. He then chanced a look. The only occupant was a pregnant woman, tied up in a corner, seemingly unharmed, and he let out a long held breath.
She looked up and her eyes widened. He held a finger to his lips and she nodded.
Now that he knew Kendall’s location in the house, Dax used hand signals to indicate they needed to go in through the back, figuring the old farmhouse probably wouldn’t have state of the art locks. A quick swipe of his credit card between the jamb and the wall confirmed he was right. The back door eased opened without a sound. Had it not been for Jake’s injury, he’d say it was his lucky day.
The place smelled of hotdogs and sauerkraut, which made his nose wrinkle. He never could stand the stench of cooked cabbage. Jessie was already inside, her voice chatty but a little nervous. She must know the person keeping guard over Kendall.
Keep him talking, Jessie.
Dax pulled out his Glock from his holster then handed Mark the twenty-two he kept at his ankle, hoping Kendall’s dad wouldn’t need to use it.
Dax held up his hand for Mark to stay put, and thankfully the man nodded his assent. With the guard’s back to him, Dax slipped into the living room as quietly as he could. Jessie kept the kidnapper talking, never indicating anyone else was in the house. The man was small and would be easy to take down. From the back, he looked like a kid. Not wanting to use more force than necessary, Dax stepped behind him and wrapped his left arm around the kidnapper’s neck.
“Hey!” The man struggled, grabbing Dax’s arm with both hands, trying to pry his arm away. He failed. For effect more than anything, Dax shoved the gun to the kid’s temple.
“Jess, go get Kendall. She’s in the bedroom.” He yelled to Mark to help him secure Amanda’s assistant.
Footsteps pounded. “What do you want me to do?” Mark asked.
“Find some rope so we can tie him up.”
Jessie must have heard him, for she yelled from the bedroom. “There’s enough rope and duct tape in here to build a fort.”
Once Dax secured the kid, he asked him his name.
“What’s it to you?” Dax pressed the gun barrel against the captive’s neck this time. The kid groaned and Dax let up on some of the pressure.
Before he could ask him again, Jessie and Mark brought a shaking but smiling Kendall to the living room. Dax sure loved happy endings. When he used to work homicide, he rarely saw this kind of joy.
“He’s Hunter Ransom, Amanda’s cousin,” Jessie said.
“Where’s Amanda?” Hunter demanded, acting as though he wasn’t about to be taken into custody.
Sympathy was written all over Jessie’s face. “I’m afraid she’s dead.”
“You’re lying.”
“We aren’t.” Dax dragged him over to the sofa and made him sit down. “How old are you, kid?”
Hunter struck a pose of defiance. “Nineteen.”
“Too bad for you.” That meant prison instead of Juvie.
“What happened to the two people with her?” Hunter asked, suddenly sounding scared.
Jessie sat down on the sofa next to him. “Seth was shot, and I’m not sure if he’ll make it. The other man is in custody. It’s over Hunter.”
Amanda’s cousin closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. “So who blew it? Seth or George?”
Jessie stilled.
“What is it, Jess?” Dax asked.
“George who?”
Hunter opened his eyes and shrugged. Dax stepped forward waving the gun. Not that he’d ever shoot a helpless person, but Hunter didn’t know that.
“George Richards.”
Jess’s mouth dropped open. “Brian’s brother?”
“Yup.”
“Well, shit.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jessie awoke to the rich aroma of coffee, her head still pounding from all the stress. She couldn’t believe the nightmare was over—that Amanda, who’d admitted killing Clinton and Sadie, was dead. Her former friend also took credit for a lot of other crimes, but Jessie would just have to take her word she’d committed them.
Her visit to Judge Simmons seemed surreal even now. He looked almost proud when she told him the news of his daughter’s death, acting as if Amanda had done something heroic for the first time in her life. It disgusted Jessie to think that kind of man was an elected officer in her town. If she’d had proof that he’d assaulted his daughter, she would have hauled his ass into jail.
She sat up in bed and remembered there was a mass and then a closed casket service for both Sadie and Clinton at six tonight. When they’d bury Amanda was anyone’s guess.
Jessie shoved off the covers, shivered f
rom the cold, and rushed to get dressed. Dax had said he’d be leaving this morning, and she wanted to say goodbye. Actually, what she really wanted was to throw herself in his arms and beg him to stay, but deep in her heart, she knew he had to leave. Kerry offered nothing for him, and she’d never abandon Nana to work in Baltimore. His hometown might be nice, but big city life wasn’t for her.
Her cousin, Sky Nash, worked in New Mexico at the sheriff’s department and frequently suggested she check out her neck of the woods, but Jessie had always said no. She liked the Kerry people too much because for the most part, they were hard working, honest citizens. This town represented who she was—a small town girl.
Jessie pulled on the denim skirt and sweater Amanda bought for her. Amanda, Amanda. Jessie decided to remember the fun loving side of her, and not the woman who’d turned bad. Some memories should be kept, while others needed to be discarded.
Jessie went downstairs, holding onto the handrail. From all the activity yesterday, her leg was bothering her, but she wouldn’t let on. Dax would worry.
He and Nana were at the table talking softly. When he looked up then glanced away, her heart cracked. She couldn’t tell from that quick look if he was feeling guilty for leaving or excited to get back to his fast paced life.
“Sit down, dear. Let me get you some breakfast.”
“Thanks, Nana.”
Jessie rubbed her forehead, trying to make the throbbing go away. Stress, depression, and frustration were doing a real number on her head. She inhaled and painted on a semi-cheery smile “So when are you taking off?”
“After I finish eating.”
Say something. Tell him you’ve fallen in love with him. When she opened her mouth to speak her mind, the words wouldn’t form, and begging wasn’t her style.
Now that both murder cases had been cleared, the town would settle down and life would turn dull. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to stay.
Nana pushed open the kitchen door with her butt and carried in a feast. “I can’t eat all that food,” Jessie said.
“Do your best.”
Maybe if she ate slowly, Dax would stay a bit longer. Aw, hell, it would serve no purpose to delay the inevitable. Whether he left in ten minutes or an hour from now the pain would be equally as intense.
The smell of scrambled eggs and bacon made her mouth water, but when she took her first bite, her appetite disappeared. Not wanting Nana to notice her listlessness, Jessie chewed each tasteless bite, one after another. Finally, she set her fork on the plate. Dax Mitchell was about to walk out of her life and she wasn’t going to stop him. What a wimp.
“Dax, I have to get to the station, so why don’t I walk you out?” she said, her gaze focused on her coffee cup. Jessie couldn’t look at him, or rather wouldn’t look at him, because if she did, she might cry.
“Why, Jessie Nash,” Nana said. “Are you trying to get rid of your young man?”
“No, Nana, but the sooner he leaves—”
“The sooner you can get to work,” Dax and Nana said in unison.
Jessie shook her head and a small smile lifted her lips. “You two are a pair.”
Dax looked uncomfortable as he pushed back his chair. “Margaret, it was a pleasure meeting you. I wish it had been under better circumstances.” He hugged her and Jessie swore Nana’s eyes watered.
“Now, don’t talk like it’s so final. Maryland is but a hop, skip, and a jump away. Don’t be a stranger. You know you’ll always be welcome.”
“Thank you. I’ll try to stop by.”
Dax picked up his suitcase and Jessie followed him out, her heart breaking. He stuffed his gear in the front seat of his truck, turned back toward her, and ran a callused thumb down her cheek. Her pulse fluttered. Tell me how incredible I am and that you can’t live without me.
The breeze pushed her hair over her face, and Dax hooked a strand behind her ear. His touch sent shivers of delight through her.
Don’t cry, don’t cry. Be strong.
“Hope you get the sheriff’s position,” Dax said lowering his hand. He opened his mouth then shut it.
Was he about to tell her he loved her but couldn’t stay? He squeezed her arm and hopped in the driver’s side. Jessie remained in her drive, seeing her breath frost in the air, but feeling no cold.
When his truck was out of sight, she dragged herself inside, but the second she stepped in the door, she knew there was going to be trouble. Nana stood there with her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you tell him you loved him?”
“Nana, sometimes there are things better left unsaid. Can we discuss this later? I have to get to the station and tell Brian about his brother being back in town.”
“All right, but we are going to have that discussion whether you like it or not. Remember, the funeral’s at six.”
“I’ll be there.”
Nana ducked back into the kitchen.
Great. Now, even her grandmother was pissed off at her. Jessie grabbed her bag and Pea coat and headed to the cruiser. She should have been ecstatic that she’d solved all the crimes in the given time frame, only she wasn’t. She wanted to crawl in a hole and mourn the loss of her friend, mourn the loss of the one man she’d grown to love in such a short period, and mourn the loss of the town’s innocence.
She parked in her usual spot in front of the office, and as she trod up the steps, she frowned at the wilted flowers, once so pretty but now dried up. They were like her—the dried up part, not the once pretty part.
When she entered the office, the former deputy, Frank, had his feet propped up on the desk and Lena was pouring him coffee. The domestic scene almost made her smile.
As quickly as was possible for Frank, he dropped his feet to the floor. “Oh, hi, Jessie. Didn’t expect you in today after all that happened.”
“I have work to do.”
Hunter sat in one cell, Brian in the other, and both looked miserable.
She turned to Brian. “Did Hunter tell you about George coming back to town?” Jessie asked.
Brian looked sheepish. “Yeah, but Hunter didn’t let the cat out of the bag. I knew George was here. Hell, he’d already moved into the house before I arrived in town.”
“He had? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to get him into any more trouble. He was the one who created the meth lab. Not me. I wanted to tell you, Jess, I swear, but I couldn’t. He’s my brother.”
She stepped up to his cell. “Did you know he planned to sabotage the nuclear sub?” She couldn’t believe Brian would keep such a secret, especially when National Security was involved.
“No! I swear. George never breathed a word about why he was here. You’ve got to believe me.”
The desperation in his voice broke her heart.
“Jessie,” Lena said. “You’ve got to let Brian go. He’s innocent.”
“Innocent of making meth, perhaps, but not of harboring a criminal or knowing about the lab.”
“She’s right, Lena,” Brian said. “I’ll take whatever punishment is due.”
Jessie turned back to Brian. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d been arrested for stealing guns?”
“Brian?” Lena said. The softness in her tone implied she’d gone sweet on him.
“I was framed. I know you won’t believe me, but as God is my witness, it’s the truth.”
“We will have to wait for the new judge to decide.” First, she had to call the mayor and report what Amanda said about her father. With her death, it might be a case of he said, she said, but it would be a real shame if the man got off. While Judge Simmons was being investigated—by hopefully an unbiased sheriff from a different town—Kerry would need to bring in someone else to settle the disputes.
“Thanks.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Jessie turned, half expecting the loving duo of Kreplick and Lucas to prance into her office and tell her they didn’t care that she’d solved the crimes. They wanted a man to be sheriff.
Bu
t it wasn’t them. It was… “Roberta?” Joy raced through her. She couldn’t believe Nana’s friend was alive.
The sleeve of her dress was torn, her hair looked like rats had taken up residence, and her face was smudged with dirt. But damn if the woman wasn’t smiling and seemed to have more pep in her step than ever.
Lena and she rushed over to greet her. “Roberta? Are you okay?”
“Hi, Jess, Lena,” Roberta said in a rather dreamy way. She looked up at Frank. “Hi, Frank.” Roberta tugged on her blouse as if she were flirting with the old guy.
Jessie dragged over a chair. “Please, sit down. We’ve all been so worried about you.”
Roberta sat. “I don’t know why. I’ve had the most wonderful adventure.”
Jessie couldn’t fathom how something that left a person a mess could be so wonderful. “Tell me what happened.”
“I fell in love.”
“You did? So where is Mr. Wonderful?”
Roberta glanced upward. “He had to go back to his home planet.”
Home planet? She had to be kidding. All the joy drained out of Jessie. Someone had stolen the woman’s mind and replaced it with oatmeal. “Roberta, tell me what really happened,” she pleaded.
Roberta stood, and as if she were in a trance, walked over to Clinton’s desk. The bomb detector with its colorfully lit buttons sat on top, and Roberta picked it up. “Where did you get this?” Her eyes shone with excitement.
“We found it in Cyril Harper’s barn.” Amanda must have dropped it. “Why?”
“My alien used it on me. I can’t tell you how wonderful I felt afterwards.”
Refusing to dwell on the implications, Jessie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
* * *
With every mile Dax drove away from Kerry, his heart grew heavier. Yes, Jessie was the woman for him, but if he’d stayed, he’d only be in her way. She liked her space and liked to take control. He couldn’t ask her to change—for him.
Ask her, fool. Find out for sure what she wants.
Mile after mile, Dax ignored his conscience. He was doing what was best for both of them. As he neared home, he pulled into a gas station to fill up. When he was about to slide up to a vacant pump, a shiny, black Mercedes slipped in front of him and took his spot. Nerves frayed, anger blasted him. He bet that level of rudeness would never happen in Kerry.