Expired Cache

by Lisa Phillips

Her grandfather had understood her. He’d known what she needed, and he’d respected and trusted her enough with the darkest part of his life. The thing he had never been able to move on from.

  Jess hugged her.

  “Are you guys okay?”

  They pulled apart to find Ted beside them. “I’m good,” Ellie said. “Dean is still inside, though.”

  She took a moment to study him. Younger than her, his dark hair draped over his right temple. He shoved it back, and she saw the faint outline of a scar there. He’d been hurt before. The last thing she wanted was for him to suffer more now.

  Dean had a strong, protective streak with a radar for his brother. From her interactions with Jess, she also knew this wasn’t always well received. Ellie’s younger sister wouldn’t like it at all if she tried to stand between her and danger. Jess had forged her own path, and Ellie—for all intents and purposes—just had to get out of the way. Let her do what she was going to do.

  Even when she brought up her worry over her sister’s chosen career, Jess told her she knew the drill. They’d had a cop in the family before.

  But ever since Jess began working in Last Chance, Ellie had been less worried than when she was an NYPD officer.

  Though, given everything that had been happening, maybe she should be more concerned.

  To give Ted some peace of mind, she said, “I’m sure he’ll be fine. The firefighters had already caught up to him when Jess and I came out.”

  It occurred to her then that she had promised to stay with Dean. The second the situation changed, she’d ditched him. An injured man, in the middle of a fire.

  Did the firefighters know he’d hurt his shoulder?

  She looked around, trying to find the doctor. Maybe he’d told the first responders of Dean’s condition before they went in.

  Ellie broke away from her sister. She took two steps toward the door when Dean strode out. She was so relieved her legs nearly gave out. Could she ask him for a hug?

  He headed toward them, arms coming up for an embrace.

  Ellie took a step. Ted cut her off, moving to hug his brother. Of course. That made sense. They were family, and she was only the person he’d agreed to look out for—to put his life on the line for. Like a bodyguard, or private security. They didn’t hug the people they were protecting, right?

  He was all right.

  She took a deep breath, coughed most of it out, and reassured herself that he was fine. She hoped. If he wasn’t, he would recover. Like Mr. Holmford, her being targeted hadn’t cost him his life.

  She was simply putting everyone around her in danger.

  “Ellie, you—”

  She stepped back before Dean could finish. He was still hugging his little brother, their care for each other evident.

  “I need to go…look at the back yard.” She didn’t wait around to see how ridiculous they thought she was. Ellie got to the front corner of the house where the trash cans were stowed before she sensed someone following.

  Jess was right behind her. “I’m coming, too.”

  “Why? I’m just looking.”

  “Because it’s better than watching the two of them pretend that nothing happened. That everything is okay.”

  “Maybe it is.” Like in the moment, all the stress washed away, and all that mattered was they were both here. Alive. “Whatever their differences, they still care about each other.” She eyed her sister over her shoulder. “Like some other people I know.”

  Jess gave her a wry smile. “Be careful.”

  Ellie stopped at the back corner. There was no gate and no fence, which often fueled her sister’s frequent complaints about not being able to get a dog. Then she’d complain that she worked too many hours to leave a dog alone.

  Obviously she should just train as a K9 police officer, but Jess only complained how hard that was to get into and how long it took.

  Jess peered out over the dark of the back yard. “It’s probably trashed.”

  “Trashed isn’t destroyed. Maybe we should refer to it as ‘salvageable.’”

  Jess went first, and Ellie followed her. “You’re the last person I ever expect to be an optimist, and it still surprises me every time something hopeful comes out of your mouth.”

  “No one’s died yet.”

  Jess turned.

  “I’ve almost died. Holmford almost died. Dean almost died. You, and Stuart, almost died.” Ellie had a lot of reasons to be afraid, grieving the loss of more than just a man she’d adored. “But we’re alive. All of us. That’s a reason to be grateful.”

  “So go to church. Sing ‘Thank You, Jesus’ a few times. But you don’t need to try and convince me there’s anything to be grateful for.” Jess swung her arm out. “The house is destroyed. And it wasn’t an accident. You see that?”

  Ellie had noticed the broken window. “What about it?”

  “Someone threw a Molotov cocktail in the study window. They knew exactly where Grandfather’s belongings were, the ones you were searching through. They probably even tried to harm you in the process.”

  “I wasn’t in there.”

  Jess said, “They targeted you, specifically. Trying to keep you from finding out what Grandfather hid.”

  Her sister’s voice had hitched. Ellie said, “He didn’t do anything wrong. You think he did? We knew him, and he wasn’t the kind of man to be selfish or break the law.”

  “Maybe the man we knew was because of what he’d done. Because he felt so guilty, he had to live the rest of his life right. Now he’s dead, and you’re stuck digging it all up.” Tears rolled down Jess’s face.

  “I’ll figure it out.” She didn’t know how, and now all that her grandfather had left her was destroyed. “We’ll fix the house. Everything will be okay.”

  “You don’t know that.” Jess was about to say more when her phone rang. She answered it, taking a few steps away as she spoke with someone on the police force. Or so Ellie assumed.

  Her sister hurt deeply, and in response to that, she got angry. Because things were out of her control.

  In the same situation, Ellie denied her feelings. For years she’d hidden in books, deep in the past, pretending the present held no value to her. She’d become a renowned professor. Speaker. Teacher. Soon-to-be author. But at what cost?

  Her mom was a stranger to her.

  Jess seemed lonely, seeing everything in a negative light.

  She tried to find the good now, but it was hard. Ellie was sweat and soot stained. Standing in the scorched backyard of her childhood home.

  She let out a long sigh that hitched a couple of times in her scratchy throat. At the end of the breath, arms banded around her.

  She gasped but couldn’t inhale any air.

  He is so strong. I can’t get away. Terror rolled through her as he dragged her backward, into the dark of the trees.

  One hand clapped painfully over her mouth. She whimpered against it.

  His hot breath smelled of alcohol as he said, “Now for some real fun.”

  Twenty-Five

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  His brother’s expression was dark, giving off the same impression Dean often registered and had grown accustomed to when it came to matters with his brother. With it came the reminder that his brother had seen and done things Dean couldn’t even imagine. That life for him, after Dean left him home alone with their father, hadn’t been good at all.

  Ted made a face. “Don’t lie to me. I can tell when you’re lying, trying to placate me because you think I’m a little kid that can’t handle the truth.”

  Dean bit down on his molars. The same frustration that burned in him now because of the adverse events over the last couple of days that he’d had no control over—like the cabin, and now the house—raged hot. His brother had been vulnerable. The truth was, yes Dean did see him as that sad little boy he’d walked away from. But that wasn’t who Ted was now, and now Dean had to let it all go. The guilt would eat him alive.

&nb
sp; Dean slapped both hands down on Ted’s shoulders. His brother flinched and pain shot through Dean’s shoulder. Okay, bad idea. Still, he said, “I’m fine. Okay?”

  Ted sniffed, then nodded. He shoved his hair back like he always did. A nervous tick, not knowing what else to do.

  “It takes more than a tow truck to get rid of me.”

  Ted didn’t laugh. “You’re really doing this protection thing?”

  “It’s not a job. I’m a licensed counselor, not a security specialist.” He gave his brother a squeeze.

  “So you’re just doing it because of Ellie.”

  “Honestly?” Dean didn’t know why he was asking. They’d made a pact long ago to only tell each other the truth. “Yeah. She’s a special woman, and I wanted to get to know her better while she’s here.”

  “Why, if she’ll only leave again?” Deep hurt flashed in Ted’s eyes.

  Dean said, “Sometimes people don’t leave. Like me…the last few years.”

  “She does seem nice.”

  “I know she’s not your type. You don’t have to pretend you like her.”

  “She cares about Jess. Why wouldn’t I, just because she’s probably smarter than me?”

  “You think so?”

  Ted shrugged. “Jess told me about her, so I looked up some of the papers she’s written about World War 1. She is really smart. I’m surprised she doesn’t have a Ph.D. yet.”

  “Huh.” A woman who appreciated military history? He should look them up himself. Get to know her professional side as well as her personal side. Before Ellie and Jessica showed back up, he had to ask his brother a question. “Is everything okay with you and Jess?”

  Ted started to roll his eyes.

  “You need to talk to me.”

  “Sure, counselor.”

  “I’m not a prosecutor. And I don’t want to be your therapist, Ted.” Dean sighed. “I just want you to open up to someone.”

  He needed to be Ted’s brother, not his shrink. Dean wanted their relationship to be normal and not fraught with minefields he was trying to work around.

  How’s that working for you?

  Ted pushed out a breath. “She and I… I thought it was going somewhere, but maybe I was wrong. We have to work together, so there’s no point making things harder for both of us by complicating it. Now isn’t the time to get personal.”

  It seemed like the whole police department was working on the case to take down a local bad guy who went by the name, “West.” He’d only put those two things together recently, from what Stuart had told him. The dead biker had been working for West. Maybe even trying to get out from under his thumb.

  A bad guy.

  One who had connections with whoever was targeting Ellie.

  Dean said, “Conroy and Mia seem to have managed to find a balance between work and their personal lives.”

  “Sure, because everything is going fine for their relationship.”

  “Ah. So you do want a relationship with Jess.” Dean grinned like he wasn’t taking any of this seriously.

  “I’m not Conroy. And Jess is definitely not Mia.” Ted shrugged.

  “It’ll work out.” He didn’t want to ask this question. “Anything on Dad?”

  The skin around his brother’s eyes flexed. An involuntary wince. “I found an arrest warrant in Nevada. If we see him, we need to tell Conroy.”

  He almost seemed relieved. And scared of their father—which Dean had known. He figured Ted had been strong armed into working one of the old man’s schemes. Or many. Who knew how young he’d recruited Ted?

  Yet, every email Dean had sent home to check in with him, Ted had replied that it was all fine. Everything was good. Nothing to worry about. As though that was all supposed to convince him not to worry.

  Their father didn’t have the first clue about email. So why had Ted lied to him? Unless he was ashamed. Or he thought Dean didn’t know what their father was. Was it worse than I even knew?

  Ted’s attention snagged on something else. They watched Jess walk over, hanging up the phone. She said, “The arson inspector is on his way.”

  Dean nodded. “The blaze got seriously hot very quickly.” Not to mention the broken window, and the smell. “I’m thinking it’d been deliberate. Where’s Ellie?” He turned and scanned. There were so many people all over the front yard. Cops, spectators. First responders who’d wanted to see to him.

  Dean was fine.

  Or he would be if he knew where she was.

  “Ellie didn’t come back around the house?” Jess twisted to look around as he’d done. “I didn’t see her. I assumed she ditched me while I was on the phone and came back over—”

  Dean took a deep breath and yelled, “Sergeant Basuto!”

  Ted and Jessica both flinched. The sergeant trotted over. “What is it?”

  “I need everyone to look for Eleanor Ridgeman.” Dean didn’t waste any time heading for the side of the house.

  Until someone grabbed his elbow. Dean swung around to find the doctor.

  “What is it?”

  “We just need to find Ellie. That’s all.”

  The doctor gasped. “She’s missing?” Not the first time Dean had seen him overact. What was his deal here?

  “Let me go so I can find her, doc.” This man was his mentor. Yet Dean had begun to sour toward the man recently. Or at least feel like things were…off. “Unless you’d care to share something pertinent?”

  Jess skidded to a stop beside him. “What was that?”

  “Nothing.” Doctor Gilane shook his head. “You’re right. You should find her, because the last thing she needs is a repeat of what happened to her before.”

  Ted said, “What do you mean doc?”

  The older man blinked. “Nothing. It’s just… being assaulted and all…”

  Dean shot him one last look, then sprinted around the house to the back yard. He’d been out here before. The boundary line for the end of Chief Ridgeman’s yard was beyond the trees surrounding his land. In the dark of night, there was nothing but black.

  Dean cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ellie!”

  Her sister called out to her.

  Ted did the same.

  Jess said, “Here.”

  He grasped what she held out. A flashlight. “Thanks. Spread out?”

  “Copy that.”

  Being assaulted and all… Dean wanted to be sick. Ellie had been assaulted before? It had to have been years ago when she’d still lived here. Of course she would move away with her mother after a traumatic incident.

  He’d seen in her eyes several times an edgy tension of someone unsure of the risk they were under. Wondering if she could trust him. Judging whether or not she was safe.

  Beyond this open land there was a side road. Had she been taken? All these attempts to scare her off from finding what her grandfather had buried. And now the perpetrator had switched it up by destroying her grandfather’s belongings.

  This was an escalation.

  Could be that after the success of the fire, the person who’d thrown that Molotov cocktail was high on adrenaline. He might’ve seen her, and she’d wandered closer to him but farther from her sister. Wrong place at the wrong. He’d grabbed her from the yard and hauled her back into the trees.

  Dean shuddered and realized he’d palmed his gun.

  He swept the beam of his flashlight across the grass and pine needles, considering the temperature. Weather conditions. She would be okay for a while out here. Exposure came at much lower temperatures and, last time he checked, there was no storm forecasted.

  If she got away from whoever had grabbed her, she could sit tight somewhere until he found her.

  But she would have to wait there knowing he’d failed her. Dean hadn’t protected her this time the way he’d protected her before—the time he’d been hurt himself. This time it was Jess who had been with her.

  Dean ground his teeth together. He called out, “Anything?”

  From his
left, Jessica replied, “Nothing!”

  “Me either.” That was Ted, to his right. “Where is she?”

  I don’t know. Was Ellie even still alive? Nausea threatened to overwhelm him, just thinking about it. Kill Ellie, and no one was left with a vested interest and the skillset to find out what her grandfather wanted unearthed.

  And yet, in hurting her, this guy would set an entire police department—and one angry former SEAL—on his path. There was no way they would allow whoever did this to get away with it. They would hunt him down like he’d hurt one of their own.

  Because that was who Ellie was.

  A strong, intelligent woman who had lived through an assault and still had the courage to trust him to take care of her. A Last Chance native. Someone he wanted to get to know better each time he was with her, and when he wasn’t with her, missed her. Wondered what she was doing.

  Face it, you’ve got it bad for her.

  That was all well and good, as far as realizations went. But if he was going to do anything about it—starting with asking her to forgive him for falling down on his job—then he had to first find her.

  Jessica let out a frustrated sound. “Ellie!”

  Ted called out, “Ellie, where are you?”

  Dean kept going. Scanning the ground, he prayed with everything in him that he would find her. Assaulted. He asked God to protect her from the same trauma she’d already been through—or worse. She’d protected herself all these years. And now, because of him and Jessica, she was vulnerable again.

  Dean heard the smallest of sounds. He tucked the flashlight and lifted one arm, making a fist in the air.

  Right. They didn’t know what that meant.

  “Ellie!”

  He yelled, “Quiet for a minute.” Not meaning to come across that harsh, but it was the night that made sound seem louder. And the trees. Ellie. “I thought I heard something.”

  Ted crashed through the pine needles on the ground to his side. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. Be quiet for a second, yeah?”

  His brother fell silent.

  Dean listened. Nothing.

  He moved forward again, sliding the beam of the light across the ground in front of him.

  Until he saw it. A shoe. Dean raced for her. “Ellie!”