Dark Deeds

by Jill S. Behe

  “It’s only an hour, dad.”

  “Maybe you should think about starting your own architect business here. I’m sure with the economy starting to swing upward, you’d get a lot of work. Plus, bandying your name about on the internet should generate some interest in your talents. You’d probably get some high class clients on referral from Boulder, or Denver. Maybe even Colorado Springs.”

  When Cade didn’t reply, Teal looked over, and squeezed Decker’s arm, again—whispering loudly, “I think he’s thinking about it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’d have to do a lot of research.” Cade was, indeed, thinking about it. “Get a feel for what the market’s like here.”

  Curious now, Teal leaned towards him. “Would the clients you have now be willing to come here for consults?”

  “Maybe.”

  She smiled. “The seed’s been planted.”

  “Huh.”

  Decker pulled up in front of the police station and turned off the engine. “Cade, just so you know, I’m not going to pressure you into, or out of, anything. It was a pure spur-of-the-moment idea. If it seems viable, let me know, I’m open to any conversation, BS session, throwing ideas around, and so on.”

  “Thanks, dad. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Decker looked at Teal. “You ready to do this?”

  “Yes. I brought the information about Jacqueline, too. Printed it out today.” She held up a hand. “She had a children’s group reading today. About fifteen kids showed up. She was too busy to pay attention to me.”

  He grabbed her hand and tugged her.

  “Hang on, dude. My seatbelt’s still fastened.”

  “Hurry it up, doll face.”

  The giggle slipped out as she unclipped the buckle and slid towards him. “Here I am. Catch me.”

  He held her close. “I think I already did.”

  “Mmm. Yeah.”

  Cade’s eyes rolled. “Okay, you two. We’re in public, ya know.”

  Laughing, the trio walked into the station house.

  Rosemarie Kurylo was at the dispatch desk, and grinned as they walked in. “Decker Brogan. I’ve seen more of your handsome face in the last few weeks, than in the whole time I’ve lived in this town. What’s goin’ on?”

  He snuck around behind the desk and gave her a hug. “Got a meeting with your boss. He in yet?”

  “Of course he is, and he already told me about the meeting. Teal, good to see you again, too. But, hey now.” She shook her finger in Cade’s direction. “Who is this gorgeous hunk of maleness you’ve got with you today?”

  Teal nodded, smiling.

  Decker laughed. “That’s my son.”

  She laughed. “Go on with ya. Levi’s in the conference room. He said to send ya’s back when ya’s got here.”

  “Thanks, Roe. Later.”

  “You’ll have to introduce me proper when you’re finished.”

  “Will do.” Decker gave the woman a mock salute. “Keep up the good work.”

  Laughing, again, she waved them away.

  They moved down the hall to the conference room at the end, and walked in.

  Levi looked up from writing notes on a yellow legal pad. “Thought we could use the extra room.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Cade.” The man got up, pulled him in for a hug. “Good to see you. You look well.”

  “I am. Thanks. Same here, Uncle Levi.”

  “Shit, kid. Aren’t we a little old for that?”

  “Hey, it’s how I grew up. Hard to break an ingrained habit.”

  “Don’t I know it? Well, sit yourself down. Teal, always a pleasure. Has my wife been to see you, yet?”

  She nodded, sitting across from Cade. “Yes, just the other day. She stopped at the library to pick up Sierra, and I was still on the desk.”

  “Good. Good. She—? You’re both okay with—?”

  Teal, a hand on his arm, smiled. “We’re good.”

  He patted her hand. “Okay. All right, then.” He waved towards a chair. “Deck? What’s going on?”

  “Need to discuss a few things. Cade agrees with our assessment…our opinion, as to the identity of the suspect.”

  “Do tell. Park it. Explain.”

  Decker laid out all he, Teal, and Cade had talked about the night before.

  Not surprised, but curious, Levi leaned back in his seat. “So, why her? I know you’ve given reasons, and we’ve talked about her before, but humor me. What clicked for you, initially, that it was her?”

  “To tell you the truth, I can’t really explain it. Just this odd, not normal, not comfortable feeling whenever she and I were in the same proximity. I haven’t seen her that much, though, only now and then when I’m at the library.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got to go on?”

  “That, and a few questions I should have asked years ago.”

  “Such as?”

  “Why it seemed like whenever we moved, she was already there, or showed up soon afterwards. I, at first, attributed it to her interest in us as a family—due to the fact that she’d never really had one, or so she told us.

  “Then I thought she had a crush on Cade. He flat out denied any interest.”

  “Still do deny. Actually, I subconsciously figured she had a crush on you, dad.”

  Side-tracked from his storyline, Decker stared at his son. “Me? You thought that, and didn’t mention it to anyone?”

  He shrugged. “Why would I? I was a kid. Lots of girls have crushes on their friend’s dads. I didn’t.… It didn’t seem that important, or strange, at the time. Figured she’d grow out of it when she hit puberty.”

  Decker, eyes closed, let the explanation sink in. “Okay. I guess I can see that.”

  “Was that it?”

  “What? No. No. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Then she’s here in Crescent Falls when Liz and I moved back. Why would she move all the way across country to take a job in the library here, when there are plenty available back on the East Coast?”

  “Think about it, Deck. You could ask the same of Roe out at the dispatch desk. That’s what she did.”

  “True. But, this is different.” Decker ran his hands through his hair. “All this time. All this blasted time I put my family at risk, and got my wife killed because I was oblivious.”

  Everyone started talking at once.

  Cade was the loudest: “What the hell do you mean, you got mom killed? What kind of crazy talk is that?”

  “Decker, it’s not your fault.” Teal’s voice was firm, but concerned. “As far as you were aware, this woman was your daughter’s best friend. No one would have cause to think otherwise.”

  “You’re wrong.” He was adamant. “I was getting paid to observe. Paid to keep a target in sight. It was my job. And I was good at it. At work, at least. At home? Around my family? Obviously, I was blind.”

  “Dad, stop. You’re going to make yourself crazy.”

  “He’s right, Deck man. This woman is a stalker. It’s what they do. That is what makes them so hard to catch. They’re damn chameleons. They blend in so well, ingratiate themselves into situations, and no one is any the wiser until it’s too late.”

  Decker looked at Teal. “Why didn’t we get an inkling? A nudge? Why didn’t Liz feel the animosity?”

  “We can’t, as I mentioned before. Not about things that are this close to us. We can’t predict our future mostly because it’s always changing, and our life experiences aren’t set in stone. Little things can change any outcome we think up.”

  “You felt something when she shot at you.”

  Cade went on alert. “Shot? She shot at Teal?”

  “We talked about this last night.”

  “I don’t remember hearing anything about her taking pot shots at Teal.”

  “She missed.”

  “Not the point. If I had any sympathy for her—which I didn’t…don’t—it’d be completely gone now.”

  Teal frowned. “I did feel someth
ing, but I think I had some help.”

  “Yeah? What kind of help?”

  “Like a nudge from your wife.”

  “My—? Why would she tag you, and not me?”

  “Because you weren’t the intended target, maybe?”

  “Teal—”

  She put up her hands. “That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.”

  “That’s not very comforting.”

  “It isn’t meant to be.”

  “All right.” Cade slapped his hands on the table, startling the others. “Enough. What’s the game plan for catching this creep? You do have one, don’t you?”

  “I wish we had more on her. I pretty much got squat when I ran her through the system.”

  Decker cleared his throat. “I asked Teal to do some research.”

  Levi looked across the table. “Well then, the info I got about the green goat, can wait until later.”

  Teal shook a sheaf of papers. “Hot off the press.”

  The cop rubbed his hands together. “Whatcha got?”

  “You weren’t the only one who didn’t find much. Not at first, and in actuality, not as a whole. But, what I did find is interesting. First, she was a foster child, but not because her parents were killed in a car accident. She was a habitual runaway, a troublemaker. Couldn’t stand her parents, or her foster families—of which she was placed in five different ones before she turned eighteen.

  “She especially hated her name, the one her parents gave her. Insisted on being called the name we know her as, Jacqueline Suzette Fontenot. Born as Sarah Jane Johnson, she had it legally changed as soon as she was able.

  “We know from you, Decker, that she made the acquaintance of your family by way of your daughter, Carin, her freshman year of high school, in Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to a couple different Websites I found, she always had aspirations of greatness, but never followed through with any of her endeavors. She would have been a great actress—always a drama queen. She has a degree in psychology, with a minor in library science.

  “On a Find-a-Person site, I could see where she’s lived, or stayed, over the years. Looks like you were right about that, Decker. She sort of followed your family, or somehow anticipated where you’d be moving next and made sure she was in the same town. Cherry Point, Philadelphia, a brief time in Tucson, Boulder, and then here to Crescent Falls.

  “She has never married. And of course, there’s no way, obviously, to know whether she’s actually dated anyone.” She put the papers down and folded her hands. “That’s it. That’s all I could find.”

  “More than I got. Although, I was looking more for criminal history. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “All right, Levi, what about the green goat?”

  “A goat? A green goat? Someone dyed an animal green?”

  “It’s a car, Cade.” Teal explained. “One of those muscle cars from the seventies.”

  “A Pontiac GTO,” Decker elaborated.

  “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them. Don’t know that I’d recognize one. Who has one?”

  “We think, the suspect.”

  “Why?”

  “It almost ran over Teal.”

  Cade’s eyes narrowed on his father. “For god’s sake, how many close calls has she had? And you didn’t mention that in our talk last night, either.”

  Decker opened his mouth, but Teal laid a hand on his arm.

  “She missed.”

  “Again, not the point.”

  “About the car,” Levi interrupted. “I got a bulletin from the DMV about it. Apparently, a dealer in Boulder had it stolen out of his garage the day after he’d acquired it from a junk yard. Why this loony librarian would steal a car, from Boulder, is beyond me. And how the hell did she know it was there? How the hell did she get it to run?” He shook his head. “The only other piece of information I could come up with was a trail of driver’s licenses from, actually…,” he looked at Teal. “The four states whose cities you just listed.” He paused. “We need to set a trap. We need a specific plan of action.”

  Decker blew out a breath. “And I suppose you’re going to want Teal to be the bait?” He wagged his head. “No. Nope. No way. This crazed person already took out someone I loved—possibly two someones. She’s not getting her hooks in you, too.”

  “We talked about this last Monday. I thought we were all in agreement that I’m the perfect lure, Decker,” she cajoled. “Besides, I have every confidence in you and Levi to keep me safe while we catch her in the act.”

  “I second that.”

  “You can’t vote, Cade.”

  “Why not? Teal’s right. Besides, Miss Bitch hasn’t come after you.”

  “I concur.”

  “Ah. And another country heard from. You…concur? Levi—”

  “It’s a good word. Conveys my sentiments. You used it recently, too. Besides, what better bait? If your cockamamie theory is correct, Teal is the only person preventing this lunatic from having you. Knock Teal out of the running, and she’s got a clear field.”

  “Cockamamie? Even after going over Gavin’s files, you think that?”

  “You have to admit, it does sound bizarre.”

  “Bizarre is exactly right. This one, and the one Gavin’s team closed.”

  Cade was frowning. “Gavin? Who’s Gavin?”

  “Granted. So…?”

  “Wait. Who is Gavin?”

  Levi glanced at Decker, then answered. “He’s your dad’s partner in that security firm.”

  “That’s present tense.” He stared at his dad. “You said you were semi-retired.”

  “I am, just—”

  “I have an idea.” This time, Teal slapped the table. “It’s a bit complicated, but you two…” she pointed at Decker and Levi, “…are used to pulling a team together, and laying out all the logistics that go with a plan of action. Shouldn’t be too difficult to pull off.”

  Levi glared at Decker. “Have you been sharing classified stories with her, again?”

  “Again? I never—”

  “Boys. Boys. Boys.” Teal waved her hands. “Can we please concentrate on the plan, here?”

  “We actually have a plan?”

  “If you’d all hush up for five minutes, I’ll try to explain what I have in mind.”

  The three men eyed each other, then focused—intently—on Teal.

  “Fire away, sweetheart.”

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, obviously I’m just an amateur at all this, but it seems to me that the best place for an ambush would be the nursery. I’m sure if we talked to the owners they could be persuaded to cooperate. We just need to come up with a way to lure her there after the team is all set up inside. Decker told me he’d been in there and scoped it out. I’ll bet he has a few ideas on how and where to strategically place his…er, your men to the best advantage.”

  “And?”

  “Then I waltz in, without my bodyguard because he’s been called out on a report about a suspicious person skulking around my house, or something believable to that effect. She may have access to a police scanner, too, for all we know.”

  “Plausible.” Cade nodded. But he’d been watching the warm pretty woman who had his dad’s heart. She wasn’t as gung-ho about this whole thing as she pretended. He had to admit, she had a good game-face, but under it, he saw anxiety. And, yeah. He glanced over. Dad’s a little green around the gills, too.

  Chapter 46

  “Okay. So we’re unanimous as to who we believe is the culprit, right?” Decker looked around the small circle.

  Teal leaned forward. “Actually…. Are we one hundred percent sure it’s her?”

  “Are you kidding me? After all this? Who else would it be?”

  A shrug.

  Levi nodded. “All right, let’s take a look at the other females at the library. Are there any of them you can think of who would be capable of what’s been done to the victims?”

  Teal frowned.

&nb
sp; Decker snorted. “That’s like asking if it could be one of the cashiers at the grocery store.”

  “How do we prove it isn’t one of them?”

  Decker shook his head. “I realize we have only circumstantial evidence. We know some about her background. And it’s entirely possible we’re wrong.” He held up his hands. “But we’re not.”

  Taking Levi seriously, Teal’s head tilted. “What about Emma Williams? She was getting pretty flirty with you there for a while.”

  “Seriously? I’m like, old enough to be her grandfather.”

  They laughed.

  “Besides that, she wasn’t flirty with me because she liked me as much as she was trying to make Camden jealous.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “Who’s Camden?”

  “I asked her what she thought she was going to accomplish. She said she hoped the lamebrain she was dating would take the hint.”

  Decker answered Cade. “Camden Frazier, star baseball pitcher for the high school, and her boyfriend.”

  Teal snickered. “Still is, for the moment.”

  “Anyone else in serious, even semi-serious contention?”

  Both Teal and Decker shook their heads.

  “Then we’re all in agreement that we believe Jacqueline Fontenot is our killer?”

  They all nodded.

  “Good. To continue: We have the rudiments of a plan. But, how do we go about proving it, and taking her into custody?”

  Cade spoke up. “If you plan and carry out the sting properly, you shouldn’t have to prove anything. Just make sure the rope is long and loose, and make it look like a mink stole or a diamond necklace. She’s bound to wrap it nice and thick and tight around her neck, all by herself.”

  “Excellent theory, but the tug needs to be enticing…irresistible enough, if she’s going to fall for it.”

  Though the thought of being the bait made her insides feel like melted Jell-O, Teal was determined not to chicken out. She was the essential piece of the puzzle. If she didn’t follow through, the whole plan fell apart. “I’m the only one left standing in the way, as Levi pointed out. Aren’t I enticing? And why wouldn’t she fall for it? Unless, of course, you’ve recently helped a svelte young thing across the street that we aren’t aware of.”