Scene of the Crime

by Carla Cassidy

  Was he their man? Was it possible he had seen the car outside and wondered if maybe she was inside here by herself? Alone and vulnerable?

  All the other murders had taken place on Diamond Cove property, but that didn’t mean the next one would. The killer could always change up his game. Maybe for him it was enough that she was a “guest” at the resort.

  Thankfully, Glen finished his beer fairly quickly and then left. It was only then that her muscles began to slowly unknot. “That was weird,” she said.

  “Maybe it wasn’t as weird as it felt. It’s possible he really did see the car and maybe thought he could charm you. I think he has a crush on you.”

  Jordon was somehow grateful that Gabriel’s thoughts about the situation hadn’t gone as dark as hers had. She sat up straighter in the seat and picked up some peanuts.

  “Tell me about your parents,” he said. “You’ve heard all about mine, but you never mention yours.”

  “That’s because we aren’t real close. My mother and father own a successful law firm back in Denver. They’re both defense lawyers who specialize in high-profile cases. They wanted me to follow in their footsteps and work at the firm, but that wasn’t the side of the law I wanted to work.”

  “They were unhappy with your decision to become an FBI agent?”

  An old pain attempted to grab hold of her, but she shoved it away. She’d long ago made peace with the fact that she hadn’t been the daughter her parents had wanted.

  “They weren’t happy about my career choice and they weren’t happy that I never had an interest to rub shoulders with their society friends.” She smiled at him wryly. “I think they were probably disappointed that I had curly dark hair instead of beautiful gleaming blond tresses, too.”

  “I love your hair,” he replied. “And I love that you’re an FBI agent and here with me right now.” His eyes gleamed in the low lighting.

  “Thanks.” She grabbed some of the peanuts, aware that his gaze was a little too soft and filled with a lot of inviting heat.

  “So, what are some other places where you hang out in your downtime?” she asked, determined to steer the conversation onto a lighter topic.

  “I occasionally go to the local animal shelter and play with the dogs.”

  “Why don’t you have one?” she asked curiously. “You know, man’s best friend and all that.”

  “My lifestyle wouldn’t be good for a dog. I work long hours and it wouldn’t be fair.”

  “Working long hours makes any kind of a relationship difficult,” she replied.

  He nodded. “People who aren’t in the life don’t understand the drive, the passion we feel for this work.” He cocked his head to the side and gazed at her curiously. “Was that an issue in your marriage?”

  “Not really. Jack loved the fact that I sometimes worked long hours. It gave him an opportunity to cheat with women who were better than me.” She looked down into her empty glass, shocked that she’d spilled this particular piece of her past.

  “Better than you? What in the hell does that mean?”

  She looked up to see his intense gaze boring into her. “Can I get another drink?”

  He held her gaze for another long moment and then got up from the booth and headed for the bar. Jeez, what had made her dredge up the failures of her marriage? With the arrival of Glen and now the conversation, this downtime definitely wasn’t as refreshing as she’d expected when they’d left the station.

  As she stared at Gabriel’s back, she knew the answer as to why she’d brought up her marriage. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t fit to be a wife, that she wasn’t good for any real relationship. Something about the way Gabriel watched her made her want to believe differently about herself, but she knew the truth and she had to cling to it.

  He returned to the booth with her drink. “Now, tell me all about this creep that you married.”

  She took a big swallow of her gin. “He wasn’t a creep,” she said as she set her glass down. “I met Jack at a charity function. He owned an insurance company and was a well-respected figure in the community. He was handsome and smart and charming, and I fell hard for him. We dated for eight months and then got married.”

  She’d been so happy, so certain that she’d found her soul mate. Even her parents, who had never been particularly pleased with anything she did, had approved of Jack.

  “We had a blissful couple of months before the cracks started to appear,” she said. “He thought I was messy, so I tried really hard to keep things neat and tidy. He didn’t like my jokes and so I tried to be more serious. The first year was definitely an adjustment for us. And then I heard from a mutual friend that he was seeing another woman.”

  It was an old hurt that had scabbed over long ago, but as she remembered that time, she was surprised to realize it still hurt just a little bit.

  “Did you confront him?” Gabriel asked softly.

  She nodded. “I did, and he confessed that he’d met her a few times for drinks and that was all there was to it. He swore he wouldn’t see her again, that he wanted our marriage to work, and I believed him.”

  “And so the marriage continued.”

  “I didn’t want another failure. Marrying Jack was the one thing I’d done that my parents approved of, so I was desperate to make it work. Then I found some sexy text messages on his phone that made it clear he was having an affair, and yes, I was snooping.”

  She took another big gulp of her drink and realized she was more than a little bit buzzed. She’d always been a lightweight when it came to hard liquor.

  She offered Gabriel a rueful smile. “The problem wasn’t Jack—it was me. I didn’t know how to make him happy. I didn’t know how to be a partner. I’m just not good wife material.”

  “That’s not true.” His eyes filled with a warmth that washed over her. “You just weren’t Jack’s wife material and I still think he’s a creep.”

  She laughed. “Partners are supposed to be loyal to each other. I promise I’ll hate anyone who breaks your heart, and now I think it’s time for me to get back to my room for the night.”

  They got up and pulled their coats on, and Jordon stood by the door while Gabriel paid the tab. When he ushered her outside, a deep scowl possessed his features.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him once they were in the car.

  He buckled his seat belt and then turned to look at her, his eyes so dark she fought against an inner shiver. “Joe just told me that he’d never seen Glen in the bar before tonight.”

  All the black thoughts she’d momentarily entertained when Glen had sat on the bar stool staring at her rushed back into her head.

  “He implied to us that he was a regular customer,” she said.

  Gabriel pulled out on the road to take her back to the bed-and-breakfast. “I don’t know if he’s a real threat or if he just really drove by and saw the patrol car like he said. We know for sure now that he’s a liar.”

  Jordon leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The travel back to her broken marriage, coupled with the new concern of a stalking Glen, swept away any pleasant buzz the alcohol might have given her.

  She turned in her seat and glanced behind them, but no cars shared the secondary road with them.

  “Don’t worry. I’m watching, too,” Gabriel said.

  “I just don’t understand these men. It’s like Kevin and Glen are intentionally doing things to make them look like suspects. Are they just stupid or are they that calculating and they’re trying to muddy things up for us?”

  “Neither of them are rocket-scientist material, but they are cunning. I’ll call Mark and have him assign somebody to keep an eye on Glen. I want to know what he’s doing and when he’s doing it.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she replied.

  “I’
m sorry the night ended up like this. I was hoping we’d both relax and kick back a bit.”

  “It’s not your fault Glen showed up and ruined the mood.”

  It took only minutes to arrive back at Diamond Cove. They both got out of the car and walked up the path to her room, guided through the dark night by the solar lights.

  Gabriel pulled his gun as she unlocked her door. This had become their routine since the night she’d been attacked.

  She opened the door and they both went inside fast. Immediately he went to the bathroom, where she knew he’d check to make sure nobody was hiding and that the window remained securely locked.

  She checked in the closet and under the bed, and when the room was cleared, he sat in the chair next to the fireplace and she sat on the edge of the bed facing him.

  “Looks like I’m good for another night,” she said.

  He nodded, his eyes holding a gleam of hunger. “Jordon, about your marriage... The only mistake you made was not marrying a man who loved your sense of humor, a man who didn’t care about housekeeping or cooking and such nonsense. You just need to be with a man who understands you and loves you just the way you are.”

  She jumped up from the bed, afraid that he was going to say something stupid, afraid that she would fall for his sweet words and ultimately he’d only wind up being another person she disappointed.

  “I’m tired, Gabriel. I don’t want to talk anymore about my past or Glen Rollings or murder or anything else.” She stood by the door. “I just need to get some sleep.”

  He got up from the chair and joined her at the door. “Then I guess I’ll just say good-night.” There was a wistfulness in his tone that held the promise of the warmth of his arms, the heat of his body against hers.

  She could have him if she wanted him for the night. All she had to do was ask him to stay and she knew he would. The idea was definitely tempting, but she steeled her heart.

  “Good night, Gabriel,” she said and opened the door.

  He stepped outside and then turned to look at her. “You know I’m more than just a little bit crazy over you.”

  Her heart squeezed tight. “Get over it,” she replied forcefully. “I’ve never lived up to anyone’s expectations, Gabriel, and I certainly wouldn’t live up to yours.”

  She closed the door before he could respond and leaned her head against the wood. She wished he’d never told her what he felt about her. She wished he was the antagonistic bonehead she’d initially thought he was going to be.

  Instead he was a man she could love, a man who could fill the empty spaces of her life. But she refused to love him. She cared about him too much to fall into a rosy glow with him that would only end in flames of regret.

  Chapter Eleven

  He’d wanted her tonight. He’d wanted to hold her in his arms and make love to her. He’d needed to somehow erase whatever insecurities her ex-husband had scarred into her soul. Although she hadn’t gone into great detail, she’d said enough to let Gabriel know that the marriage had wounded her in a way to make her believe she was unworthy.

  Instead of going home, Gabriel returned to the station, thoughts of the conversation they’d shared in the bar still haunting him. She had so much to offer a man who captured her heart, but she didn’t believe she had anything to give.

  There was no question that she’d rebuffed him tonight. She’d shoved him out of the door as if he was the devil himself. He didn’t know what to do with the feelings he had for her, but it was obvious she had no interest in them.

  He parked in front of the station and went inside, unsurprised to find Mark working at his desk. “You know we don’t pay overtime,” he said and sank in the chair across from Mark.

  Mark smiled. “Sheila flew out this morning to spend a couple of weeks with her parents. The house was so quiet without her I decided to come in and catch up on some paperwork. What are you doing here so late? I thought you and Agent James had knocked off for the day.”

  “We had,” Gabriel replied and then told Mark about Glen showing up at the bar. “I want a tail put on him. I don’t know what his game is, but I don’t like it. Him showing up at Joe’s just didn’t feel right.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Mark replied. “I’ll talk to Ben before I leave here. You know how good he and his team are at undercover surveillance.”

  Gabriel nodded and released a deep sigh. Ben Hammond ran a private investigation agency in town and was often tapped to help out the small police department.

  “This is a tough one,” Mark said.

  Gabriel didn’t have to ask him what he was talking about. Mark had been part of the team of officers working alongside Gabriel and Jordon on the cases.

  “I thought when I left Chicago behind I was also leaving behind these kind of tough cases,” Gabriel said.

  “You probably also thought you’d be working for a mayor who was a normal, rational human being,” Mark said wryly. “He’s thrown us all under the bus in his last couple of news conferences.”

  Gabriel leaned back. “We’re all busting our butts to solve this case and he’s whining about our lack of progress.” He shook his head ruefully.

  “How’s Agent James holding up?”

  “Like all the rest of us she’s frustrated and weary.” And she’d never lived up to anyone’s expectations. Gabriel frowned as her parting words played in his head. Something about the funny, brash Agent Jordon James broke his heart just a little bit.

  “She’s a tough one,” Mark said.

  “She is,” Gabriel agreed.

  “I heard from the grapevine that Ted Overton has been spending a lot of time alone in some local watering holes lately,” Mark said.

  Gabriel frowned thoughtfully. “Wish I knew if he’s trying to drown his guilt or just drinking his misery away.”

  “I don’t know, but from all my sources he’s definitely trying to drown something.”

  Gabriel stood abruptly and released a weary sigh. “Go home, Mark. Get a good night’s sleep.”

  “And you do the same,” Mark replied, although he made no move to get out of his chair.

  A few minutes later Gabriel was back in his car, but he wasn’t heading home. He wouldn’t rest easy unless he knew exactly where Glen Rollings was right now. He needed to make sure the man wasn’t parked down the street from Diamond Cove and potentially planning some sort of an attack on Jordon.

  Glen lived not too far from Ed, but unlike Ed’s small neat house, Glen’s place was a tiny cabin that appeared not to have enjoyed any outside maintenance for the last twenty years or so.

  The window shutters had either fallen off or hung by a single nail, and it was impossible to tell what color the cabin might have once been painted, for it had weathered to a dull gray.

  Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Glen’s car parked outside and lights beaming out from the windows. He pulled to a stop just past the house and called Mark.

  “I just wanted to let you know that Glen Rollings’s current location is his home. I thought you might want to tell Ben that when you speak to him.”

  “I already talked to him. I gave him Glen’s address and he’s going to have somebody in place within the next half hour.”

  “Thanks, Mark. I appreciate it.”

  The two men hung up and Gabriel left, this time heading for home. If he couldn’t put a man on Jordon, then this was the next best thing. He would have liked to put a tail on all their suspects, but it simply wasn’t financially feasible. Glen’s appearance in the bar had been odd and unsettling enough that he could justify the expense of a tail. Although he was certain that Mayor Donald Stoddard would bitch and moan about the use of the private agency.

  I’ve never lived up to anyone’s expectations.

  Jordon’s words haunted him as he entered hi
s house and as he undressed and got into bed. She’d far exceeded his expectations of her professionally, and she’d also exceeded his expectations of her as a desirable, exciting woman.

  He fell into a troubled sleep filled with images of a shadowy person with a wicked-looking knife chasing Jordon through the woods. He ran after them, desperate to help her, but the trees all came to life, their limbs grabbing at him to hold him back.

  It was just after seven the next morning when he walked into the Diamond Cove dining room, where Jordon and Joan were already seated at a table.

  Joan looked haggard and as if she hadn’t slept in days. The pleasant sparkle that normally lit her eyes was gone, replaced by the dark pall this case had cast over everyone involved.

  Joan and Jordon greeted him before Joan jumped up from the table and hurried into the kitchen. “Everything all right?” he asked after he’d poured a cup of coffee and sunk down in the chair opposite Jordon.

  After the conversation they’d had the night before, he wasn’t sure what kind of mood to expect from her this morning. “According to Joan, Ted is drinking too much, the kids are starting to act out and she feels like her entire world is falling apart.” Her eyes sparked with anger. “This case is really ticking me off.”

  “We can only chase what leads we get, and right now there aren’t any to chase,” Gabriel replied. “We’ve now got a tail on Glen, so if he’s our man and he makes a move, we’ll be on him before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “And if he isn’t our man?” She raised one of her eyebrows.

  Gabriel frowned. “Then we’ll find the person who is our man. I don’t know what else to say.” He still couldn’t quite gauge her mood.

  “I know you don’t. I’m just frustrated.” She released a deep sigh. “Maybe I just need to make myself a bigger target. I need to appear as more vulnerable bait. I could spend the nights sitting in a rocking chair outside of my room...or maybe...”

  “Stop.” Gabriel interrupted her in horror and leaned forward in his chair. “You aren’t going to do anything like that.”