Christmas Cover-Up

by Lynette Eason

  “Video footage?”

  “Yes. But my guess is he was familiar with the camera placements, because he kept his back to them as much as possible.”

  “And he paid in cash.”

  “At the pump. He never entered the store.”

  “Of course.” She sighed and watched the door leading into the house. No sign of Jordan. “So that’s another dead end.”

  “Maybe. I mean, we’re looking for a guy who’s about five feet eleven or six feet tall. He’s a little overweight and is Caucasian. Couldn’t get hair or eye color, of course, but this information might help.”

  “What about his hands? Could you do any close-ups?”

  “He was wearing black gloves.”

  Of course he was. “All right. Thanks. Let me know if you come up with anything else.”

  “Will do.”

  She hung up then dialed her mother’s number. Voice mail. She left a message about stopping by soon and hoped she was well. Katie avoided mentioning her stay in the hospital and her mother’s noticeable absence.

  And the hurt that it caused.

  She winced and glanced in the mirror. Nothing. Another look at the door to the house. Another nothing. Jordan sure was taking a long time.

  Even though it was Saturday, Katie knew Mariah was working. She called her roommate for an update on the diner evidence. Mariah said, “Bullet casings came from a semiautomatic .308 Winchester rifle. It’s not a hard weapon to get your hands on, and there’s nothing really special about it. Lots of hunters use it.”

  “Lovely. Anything else?”

  “Trace evidence such as hair and other fibers that don’t add up to anything right now, but will be available for comparison if you come up with a suspect.”

  “Okay.”

  “So what are you doing on your medical leave?”

  Katie glanced at the house and caught Jordan’s eye, staring at her from behind the window of the kitchen door. “Getting ready to walk into the lion’s den, I think.”

  * * *

  Jordan met Katie’s eyes through the glass and shook his head. He paced back to the table and sat again, wishing he could take out his agitation on the patterned linoleum floor. Instead, he shifted and cleared his throat. “Neil was into drugs. Not just using them, he was a mule.” He paused at his parents’ blank expressions. “Someone who transports drugs over the border for a lot of money by swallowing packets of drugs.”

  His mother blinked at him, her audible gasp making Jordan grasp her hand. She pulled away and stared at him as the color in her cheeks drained away.

  “How dare you?” His father jumped up, face red, eyes blazing. “She’s brainwashed you! How dare you come into this house and malign your brother’s memory? How dare you!” He strode from the kitchen.

  “Dad—” Jordan moved to follow. His mother’s hand on his arm stopped him. Her white, pinched face sent sorrow racing through him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” He shook his head.

  “No. It was time.”

  Her quiet response had him looking into her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  She wiped her hand on her apron and clasped them in front of her. “About six months before Neil died, I heard him being sick in the bathroom. I knocked on the door and he told me to go away, that he was fine. He was in there a really long time. I thought he might have the flu or something. I took a phone call and then came back to check on him later. He was unconscious in his room. I called nine-one-one and got him to the emergency room, where they said he’d overdosed.”

  “One of the packets had leaked. Or ruptured.”

  She nodded. “He almost died.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “You were working like crazy, your father was on a business trip and—” she held her hands up as though beseeching him to understand “—Neil swore me to secrecy. Said he’d never do it again. Begged me to think about Dad’s heart. Said if your dad died because I told him about the drugs, it would be on my head.”

  She gave a sad smile. “I didn’t let that last part sway me, but it did make me think.” She swallowed hard. “I was very worried what this information might do to Paul.” His mother twisted a napkin between her fingers, shredding it, piece by piece. “And Neil promised. Took my hands, looked me in the eye and promised.”

  “And you believed him?”

  She nodded. “He was scared. Truly terrified when he found out how close he came to dying. He said he was done with that and he’d stay away from the people he was involved with.”

  “People like that don’t just let you walk away.”

  She swiped a few stray tears. “I made him go to counseling. Told him I’d tell your dad if he didn’t. Neil didn’t like it, but he did it. I thought he was doing better.” She flicked a glance at him and shoved the napkin pieces away. “I searched his room every day and never found anything else. He had that good job at the construction company. He was going all over the city working and he seemed happy enough. Every once in a while he’d get an out-of-town job. He was doing well. I thought.”

  School had never been Neil’s strong point, and their parents hadn’t pushed the issue when he’d dropped out to work full-time. As long as he was working, they were happy to let him live with them until he saved enough to go out on his own.

  “Then one afternoon, he’d just come home from an out-of-town job. I checked the bathroom and found a little pouch of white powder. When I asked him about it, he took it and said it wasn’t what I thought. He was just holding it for a friend.” Tears clouded her blue eyes and she swallowed hard. “I’m not stupid, Jordan. I figured he was using again. He denied it, of course, but I knew.”

  “Oh, Mom, why didn’t you say something?”

  “I hadn’t said anything to your father the first time. This time I was going to say something, and Neil knew it. He stormed out and I never saw him again.” Her voice cracked on the last word. Jordan squeezed her fingers and she took a steadying breath. “He left to go on that trip to Mexico. I was trying to figure out how to tell your father before Neil came home. The next call we got was from Neil saying he was in jail, that he was being wrongly held. And then later, from the police saying he was dead.”

  “You kept that from me?”

  Jordan and his mother swiveled as one to see his father standing in the doorway, face pale. The sick look in his eyes shouted his betrayal. Jordan’s stomach sank.

  His mother sighed and nodded. “I did. And before you say anything, I thought long and hard about it before I did it. I was scared your heart couldn’t take it.”

  “Then we have a lot to talk about.”

  “I guess we do.”

  Jordan rose. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why did you decide to tell us this now?” his mother asked.

  Before Jordan could answer, his father asked, “It’s because of Katie Randall, isn’t it?”

  Jordan considered acting like he didn’t know what he was talking about, but couldn’t do it. “Part of it’s about her. I won’t lie, I’m interested in dating her and getting to know her better.” He paused and rubbed his eyes. “I’ve been debating whether to say anything to you since I read the autopsy report.”

  “Wish you’d said something before now,” his dad said.

  Jordan looked him in the eye. “No, you don’t.”

  Tears filled his father’s eyes, and he blinked them back. “I’m not sure I believe it.”

  “I know. It’s hard to swallow.” He glanced at his mother, who stared at her hands. “Talk to Mom. Work it out. Don’t let Neil’s death destroy you two. He may have been into some bad stuff, but he loved you guys.” A sob broke from his mother’s throat, but she nodded her agreement.

  Jordan hugged each parent, letting them cling a little longer than usual. �
�I’m sorry.” He couldn’t seem to stop apologizing. Because he really was sorry. Sorry Neil had gotten into drugs. Sorry his mother had carried such a burden. Sorry his dad was feeling betrayed by his new knowledge. And sorry Neil was dead.

  “Could we pray together?”

  His mother’s shaky question rattled him. Of course they needed to pray. He nodded and pulled his father to his feet. The man stood silent, refusing to say anything, but Jordan’s mother gripped his hand and he didn’t pull away. Jordan prayed from his heart, asking God’s divine intervention in this painful way. And forgiveness for all involved.

  “Amen.”

  “Amen,” his mother whispered.

  Jordan looked at his parents. “I was wondering if Katie could come in.”

  His mother looked startled. “What?”

  “She’s in the car.”

  “All this time, you’ve left her there?”

  Jordan felt heat rise from his neck. “I needed to talk to you first.”

  “No.” Jordan’s father took a deep breath. “I’m not ready to see her.”

  “But Dad, I told you what happened. It’s not Katie’s fault.”

  “She still arrested him and put him in that cage with those animals.” Stubborn pain glinted in the man’s eyes and Jordan knew it might be hopeless to argue, but he had to try.

  “Because Neil was driving drunk. He even took a swing at her. You’re still in denial, Dad. You’ve got to realize that continuing to blame Katie for Neil’s decisions isn’t going let you heal. It’s just going to keep your bitterness boiling until one day it’s out of control and you have nothing left except that bitterness.” Jordan knew he sounded harsh, but coddling his parents and handling them with kid gloves hadn’t helped them move on. Still, he took a deep breath and softened his tone. “Think about it, Dad. You’re going to grow into a bitter old man if you don’t let this go.”

  His father jerked as though Jordan had reached out and punched him. He turned on his heel and left the room.

  “Give us some time.” His mother took a deep breath. “I have a feeling we’re going to be talking a lot over the next several hours. Probably days.”

  Jordan nodded. Maybe she was right. Seeing Katie right now wouldn’t be good. They both needed to process what they’d just learned about their dead son.

  He gave his mom another hug. “Call me if you need to. I’ll check on you later.”

  She nodded and Jordan headed for the front door, hoping Katie wasn’t ready to kill him for making her wait so long.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Katie was ready to kill the man. She was sore all over and had a headache that wouldn’t quit. Thankfully he’d left the car running with the heat on, or she’d be freezing, too. It was only the fact that she was warm that kept her from biting his head off when he slipped into the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel.

  Then she got a glimpse of the pain on his face, and her anger melted like ice cream on a hot summer day. She reached over and placed a hand over his. “Are you going to be okay?”

  In one move he pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her neck. Stunned, she sat there, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders. A shudder went through him. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I’ll be all right. I just pray they will be, too.”

  The need to comfort him swept over her and she just let him cling to her in spite of the physical pain his embrace caused her.

  He shifted to place lips over hers. A light kiss at first, as though he was saying thank you. She felt his deep sorrow, the tightly leashed control on his grief—and his unspoken need for comfort. She kissed him back and let time stand still.

  When he lifted his head, he sighed and closed his eyes. “Thank you for being here.”

  Katie cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump of tears that had gathered. “Sure.”

  “They’re not ready to see you yet.”

  “So you don’t want me to go inside?”

  “No. I think it’s better if we let them digest everything I told them and try again another day.”

  She swallowed hard. “All right.”

  “Mom knew about Neil.” The words sounded forced, painful. Then they registered.

  “She knew?”

  He nodded. “And she kept it from my dad. He’s not happy with her.”

  “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. Are they going to be all right?”

  “I hope so.”

  He cranked the car and backed out of the carport. Katie touched his arm and pointed at his mother, who was walking toward them. He stopped the car in the driveway. “She’s got something.”

  Jordan’s mother approached the vehicle, carrying two cups with lids. Her smile was strained, but at least it was there. Jordan rolled the window down and she handed him the cups. “Hot apple cider.”

  Jordan passed one to Katie. Stunned, she took it. “Thank you, Mrs. Gray.”

  Jordan’s mother bit her lip, then sighed. “You’re welcome.” Then she leaned in and pressed a kiss to her son’s forehead. “Please be careful.” She flicked a glance to Katie and once more offered a wobbly smile. “Goodbye.”

  “Bye.”

  Then she was back in the house and Katie was left staring at the front door. “Wow. Didn’t expect that one.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jordan murmured. But Katie could see the hope in his eyes and for the first time since Neil’s death, she thought forgiveness might come from his parents.

  Katie’s phone rang as they pulled away from the house. She glanced at the number and did a double take. Her lieutenant. “This is Detective Randall.”

  “Katie, how are you feeling?”

  “I’m sore and banged up, but nothing that will keep me down for long.”

  “Good, good, I’m glad to hear it. I was wondering when you plan to come back to work.”

  Katie swallowed. She’d planned to take advantage of every minute of leave she could get to work on Lucy’s case, but… “I have four days of medical leave, but do you have something you need me to cover?”

  “We’re having a rash of crime here and I’m short staffed because of the flu. If you’re able to help at all, I’d appreciate it. I’ll give you some time off later. If the doc says no go, I understand. I don’t want you to push it.”

  She was going to push it, whether it was working on Lucy’s case or one he had for her. “Tell me what you need.”

  “I’ve got a dead body dumped off the highway along I-85 North. Gregory’s already on his way. Can you meet him there?”

  Katie bit her lip. She didn’t want to be interrupted, but she knew she needed to do this for her boss. “I can be there in ten minutes.”

  “Thanks, Katie. I owe you.”

  “Sure.” She hung up and looked at Jordan. “I need you to drop me off.”

  “Leave is up, huh?”

  “Yes. For now. If I was truly incapacitated, it wouldn’t be an issue, but I’m not.”

  “You’ll be with your partner and a whole slew of other law enforcement personnel, right?”

  “Right.”

  “It still may not be safe. I mean if he’s got a sniper rifle—”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ve got to do my job. I’m not going to let him take this from me, too. You can stay, if you want.”

  He narrowed his eyes as he thought, and at first she thought he might decide to stay. Then he shook his head. “You should be safe enough at the crime scene, and your buddies won’t want me hanging around.”

  “We’re not a territorial group.” He scoffed, and she laughed. “Okay, okay. I wouldn’t mind you there, but you might get a few looks from the others.”

  “I may go back to my office and look at the pictures from the neighborhood again.”r />
  “Call me if you come up with anything?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jordan dropped her at the crime scene, scoped out the area for the next twenty minutes, and when he didn’t find anything or anyone that posed a danger to Katie, he headed for the office. He had an idea he wanted to implement.

  Once in the office, he pulled Lucy’s file and went straight for the pictures. He studied them one by one and gave a grunt of satisfaction when he thought he found what he was looking for. He picked up the phone and called Danny Jackson.

  “Jackson here.”

  “Jordan Gray. I was wondering if you’d have a few minutes to talk about Lucy Randall.”

  A heavy sigh filtered through the line. “You still gnawing on that one like a dog with a bone, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I guess I am.”

  “Then all right. But you gotta come to me. I’m down at McGee’s Café.”

  Jordan grimaced. A thirty-minute drive. “All right. Don’t leave, it’ll take me half an hour to get there.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Got nowhere to go.”

  Jordan gathered the photos and slid them back into the file. Then he grabbed his phone and sent a text to Katie, letting her know what he was doing. And begged her to stay with someone in order to ensure her safety until he got back.

  She sent him a text assuring him she was surrounded by law enforcement and would let him know when she was finished. He tucked his phone into his pocket and sent up a prayer for her safety. And for God to bring closure to this search for Lucy—one way or another.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Katie did her best to keep her back from being exposed to any place she thought might be a good spot for a sniper to draw a bead on her. Out on the highway, trees lined the road for miles. Lots of hiding places. She noticed Gregory keeping an eye on her and the area around them, too. He said, “You all right?”

  “I’ve been better, but I’m making it.”

  “Mom wanted to have flowers delivered, but you’d already been released. I told her to send them on to the hospital, you’d probably be back tomorrow.”