Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-UpForce of NatureYuletide JeopardyWilderness Peril

by Lynette Eason

  Her father exhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Very well then. I don’t like it, but I’ll feel better if Alex is with you. Please be careful. I don’t think your mother and I could stand it if anything happened to you.”

  Grace bent over her father and kissed his cheek, then stepped beside her mother and did the same thing. “Thank you. I love you both so much. I promise I’ll be careful.”

  Tears flooded her father’s eyes, and he glanced at Alex. “Promise me you’ll take care of my daughter, Alex.”

  Alex nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe, sir.”

  “Good.” He cleared his throat and glanced at her mother. “Now why don’t you help me to my room, and we can leave these two young people alone?”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Alex protested.

  Her father shook his head. “No, I’m tired. I had a rough day with my therapist. I’m ready to go to bed.” He smiled at them. “Good night, Alex. It was good to have you in our home, and, Grace, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Alex stood next to Grace as her mother followed the slowly moving wheelchair from the room. When the door closed, she turned back to Alex. “Thank you for supporting me.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “I don’t think I did you any favors. I’d feel better if you’d do what your father wanted and forget all about Landon Mitchell’s death.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  He studied her for a moment. “No, I guess you can’t. You always went after what you wanted, and it didn’t matter what anybody else said or if they got hurt as long as you got your way. You’d think after all these years I would have learned my lesson, but I guess I haven’t.” He exhaled and pulled the Sudoku puzzle from his pocket. “Why don’t we work on this now?”

  Before she could answer, he strode across the room, grabbed a chair and carried it to the desk by the window. After a moment she followed, and they sank down in the two chairs now at the desk.

  Neither of them spoke. Then Alex laid the paper he held on the desk, pulled a pencil from a cup that held a variety of writing instruments and began to study the puzzle. Beside him Grace crossed her arms and fidgeted as the minutes went by, but she didn’t say anything.

  Grace’s anger radiated out of her body like a blazing fire consuming everything in its path. Alex heard the intake of her breath and knew what that meant. He’d experienced enough of her lectures in the past to know. He dropped the pencil onto the desk and leaned back in the chair.

  “Okay, let’s have it.”

  She hesitated. “Have what?”

  “The lecture you’re about to deliver. What is it this time? I’m insensitive to your feelings, or I don’t understand you or your opinion is never important to me? Which one is it? I’ve heard them all.”

  He turned to her, and his heart pricked at the tears she tried unsuccessfully to blink from her eyes. Her mouth opened as if she meant to speak, but she said nothing. Her shoulders drooped, and her body appeared to deflate. She didn’t move but held her gaze steady on him. Finally, she frowned and slowly reached across until her hand rested on his arm.

  “Was I really that awful, Alex? Did I make you feel like I thought I was superior?”

  The sudden shift in her mood startled him, and he regretted the harsh tone he’d used with her. His skin grew warm where she touched him, and he had to force himself not to cover her hand with his. He swallowed as he stared at her. “Sometimes.”

  A tear escaped the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she reopened her eyes and looked at him with a sad expression that stabbed at his heart. “I guess old habits are hard to break. I admit when I turned toward you a few minutes ago I was going to let you know that I wasn’t the only one at fault when we broke up. We were young, and we wanted different things. We gave up too easily.”

  Alex pulled his arm toward him, and her hand released him. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Yeah, but we had a lot going against us, Grace. You wanted a life away from Memphis and I didn’t. Besides that, your family didn’t like me.” He sighed. “I guess it turned out all right in the end.”

  “It will turn out all right only if we can forgive each other and try to be friends again. Don’t you want us to be able to be together without reliving all the hurts of the past?”

  He didn’t know how to answer her. He wished they could go back and capture the childhood friendship they’d had, but he didn’t know if he could do that or not. However he felt, though, he had promised her father he would make sure nothing happened to her on her mission to find out the truth about Landon’s death. But could his battered heart survive letting Grace back into his life? Alex and Grace together again. This time as friends. Nothing more.

  Finally, he nodded. “I want to see if we can. I promise I’ll do my part, and I won’t bring up the past again.”

  She smiled, and the light from the room’s crystal chandelier reflected in the tears standing in her eyes. “I won’t, either. We’ll start anew tomorrow, and we’ll concentrate on finding the answer to Landon’s death. Maybe by working together we can achieve some kind of truce between the two of us.”

  He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Maybe so.” He picked up the puzzle from the desk and pushed to his feet. “I think I’d better go now. We both have a lot to think about. I’ll finish the puzzle and come by the TV station tomorrow.”

  She smiled and stood beside him. “That sounds good. Make it after lunch if possible. The mornings are hectic.”

  “I have no idea how long this will take me, but I won’t come in the morning.”

  “I’ll see you to the door.”

  They walked from the room with Alex right behind her. When Grace opened the front door, she smiled at him again. “Thank you for coming, Alex. You have eased my father’s mind a lot. He’s been so concerned that you wouldn’t forgive him.”

  “I’m glad I came, too. I’d like to come see your father again sometime if he’d like.”

  “He would be thrilled. He gets very lonely.”

  Alex stepped outside and turned back to face Grace. “Then tell him I’ll drop by from time to time to see how he’s doing. Tell your mother thank you for the wonderful meal, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

  “Good night, Alex.”

  He walked to his car, which he’d parked in the circle driveway in front of the house, and got in. Grace stood in the doorway as he headed back to the main gate. Just before he got there, it opened, and he drove out onto the road. She must have opened it for him.

  Alex settled back in his seat and glanced up at the bright Memphis skyline in the distance. He turned the car toward the city and smiled. All in all the evening had been a success, and he felt better than he had in a long time.

  He patted the right side of his chest, and the puzzle paper inside his pocket rustled. Maybe this clue would give them some answers to Landon Mitchell’s death. By tomorrow this time, he might be able to close a case that had been cold for twelve years. If they did solve the case, Alex had one regret—Landon’s father wouldn’t be there to know.

  FIVE

  With the noon newscast completed, Grace hurried off the set toward her office. She had almost reached her destination when she realized she wasn’t alone. She stopped and turned to face Todd, who had followed her.

  She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “Is there something I can do for you, Todd?”

  “I’ve been concerned about your injury and wanted to ask how you’re feeling.” He smiled, and she wondered why his trademark grin never quite reached his eyes. Perhaps it was because she’d seen him practicing the expression in front of a mirror from time to time. She wasn’t about to be fooled by his insincere interest in her well-being.

  Grace pasted a smile on her face. “I’m almost as good as new, but thanks for asking.”

  She turned to leave, but he too
k a step closer. “Any leads in the investigation of your friend’s death?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing yet, but don’t worry. If I learn anything, you’ll be the last person I tell.”

  His smile disappeared, and anger flashed in his eyes. “Don’t get smart with me. I simply asked you a question.”

  “A question?” She frowned at him and took his measure. “I thought you might know the answer already. I have a feeling you’re keeping a close watch on me.”

  His face turned red, and his eyes grew wide. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, come on, Todd. I know you’d like to get out of Memphis, and you’d do anything to make it happen, even snatch a story right out from under one of your colleagues. I’ve heard the stories about what you did to your last coanchor, and I don’t intend to let you do that to me.”

  He shook his head. “I could care less about your story. I can find my own without any help from you.” His angry voice echoed down the hall, and several cameramen who were standing at the other end turned and stared at them. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “You’re making a big mistake if you think you scare me. I intend to go somewhere else, and I won’t allow you or anybody else to stop me.”

  She studied him for a moment before she spoke. “I assure you I won’t stop you from going, but let this be a warning to you, Todd. You stay away from me and from my story. I’m going to be watching to make sure you do. If you want to get to the networks so badly, do it on your own. Don’t use my work as your stepping stone.”

  Before he could reply, she whirled and stormed down the hallway. When she rounded the corner leading toward her office, she came to an abrupt halt. Alex, his back to her and with his cell phone to his ear, leaned against the wall across from her office door. She drank in the familiar sight. A smile tugged at her lips when she noticed his hair touching his collar in the back. How many times in the past had she reminded him it was time to get a haircut?

  “I’ll check in with you later, Brad,” she heard him say, and she shook her head to rid it of those troubling thoughts from the past.

  Grace took a deep breath and stepped closer. “Hello, Alex. I wondered when you would come by.”

  He straightened to his full height and turned to face her. He smiled as he slipped his phone in his pocket. “Hi, Grace,” he said. “I arrived while you were doing the newscast. Some girl named Julie offered to let me sit in your office, but I told her I’d wait in the hall.”

  Grace rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open. “Julie is new here. We’re having a time training her in proper office procedures. She’s very naive.” She grinned at him and waved him to a chair as she sat down in her desk chair. “Of course I wouldn’t have minded you waiting in here.”

  “No problem.” He pulled the puzzle out of his pocket. “I finished this while I was having my coffee this morning. I have the coordinates.”

  She reached across the desk. “May I see it?”

  He hesitated a moment. “I suppose I’m hoping you’ll give up this search.” When she didn’t respond, he sighed and handed her the puzzle. “I’ve written the coordinates at the bottom of the page.”

  She nodded and studied the completed puzzle. “I’m glad you like to do these. I never can get the numbers right. Are you sure this is correct?”

  He nodded. “It has to be. All the lines across and all those going down have the numbers one through nine in them. You know you’re wrong when you get to a point that some line has two of the same numbers in it. Then you’ve made a mistake. I did this very carefully, and there are no mistakes showing up.”

  “I’m not questioning you, Alex, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I received that call and the puzzles started coming. Something popped into my mind this morning, and I wanted to ask your opinion.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  She took a deep breath. “Do you think Mr. Mitchell died in the fall from the bridge?”

  “Of course he did. Nobody could have survived that fall.”

  “How can you be sure? You never recovered a body.”

  Alex shook his head. “Don’t try to make this more complicated than it is. With the currents like they are in the river, his body is downstream somewhere. It may never be found. What made you start thinking about this anyway?”

  “I think it’s odd that a man called so soon after the newscast. What if it was Mr. Mitchell and he’s the one sending all the clues?”

  “It wasn’t Mitchell. Harbor patrol combed the water around the bridge and along the banks for hours. If he had surfaced and come ashore, they would have seen him. He didn’t survive the fall.” He walked to the door and opened it. “Now let’s go see what this next clue is going to tell us.”

  She started to protest, but she pursed her lips and nodded. Although she might wish Mr. Mitchell had survived that fall, Alex was right. It seemed highly unlikely. With a sigh, she reached into the drawer of her desk and pulled her purse out. “Then let’s go.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I didn’t realize the time. Would you like some lunch first?”

  “That sounds good. Where would you like to go?”

  “A new barbecue place opened a few blocks from here. Why don’t we give it a try?”

  She placed her purse strap over her shoulder and smiled. “Like we did every other barbecue place in the city? I don’t think you’d ever get tired of eating it.”

  Alex chuckled as he walked over and held the door open for her. “You got that right. I guess you know me well.”

  Grace glanced up as she walked past and smiled. “I guess I do.”

  She expected him to frown at the teasing tone of her voice, but he didn’t. Instead, he gave a small nod. “You’ve always known me better than anyone else.”

  She looked away from him and took a deep breath. For the first time in the past few days she felt Alex was more relaxed around her than he had been before. Perhaps dinner at her home last night and her father’s apology had been what he needed to see it was possible for them to be friends again. She hoped so, because she liked that he was more like the old Alex. She only hoped they could continue this comfortable truce.

  *

  Alex frowned as he pulled into the parking lot at the entrance to the Wolf River Greenway and glanced over at Grace. “Are you sure you’re following the coordinates correctly?”

  She nodded. “Yes. The next clue has to be hidden somewhere along the greenway.”

  He came to a stop in one of parking places and turned off the engine then turned toward her. “After what happened yesterday, there’s no way we’re going onto a path that runs through a forest and along the banks of the Wolf River. The guy who shot at us yesterday is probably out there somewhere waiting for us.”

  “I think you’re right,” she said. “What do you suggest we do?”

  He pulled his cell phone out. “I’m going to call for some help. We can get some officers in there to search the forest. If they don’t find anything, they can accompany us on the greenway when we go to find the spot. But we’re not taking a step into that area before it’s checked out first.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  Alex made the call, and within minutes two squad cars pulled into the parking lot. Alex stepped out of the car and met them. They listened as he explained the situation and then headed onto the path that led down to the river. He watched them go before he climbed back in the car with Grace.

  “Aren’t you going with them?” she asked.

  “No. I don’t want to leave you alone. That guy would probably love to find you all alone sitting in a car in a parking lot. It’s better that I stay behind and make sure nothing happens to you.”

  She smiled. “Thanks, Alex.”

  “No need to thank me. I really am a good cop, Grace.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced down at her clenched fists in her lap. “I know that.”

  He pulled his gaze away from her to look out
the window. “The temperature is dropping outside. If you get too cold, I can start the car and turn the heat on.”

  She shook her head and pulled her coat tighter around her. “There’s no need for that. How long do you think they’ll be?”

  “I don’t know. The length of the greenway at this point is over a mile long. They’ll have to search through the forest all along the path. It could take a while.”

  She yawned. “Then I think I’ll close my eyes for a few minutes. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll wake you when they get back.”

  She adjusted the seat to lean back and snuggled down in it. Within minutes a soft snore rippled from her throat. Alex sat still as long as he could before he opened the door and stepped out into the parking lot.

  He glanced at his watch and wondered where the officers were at that moment and if they had found anything. Even if they didn’t, he wasn’t sure he and Grace should follow through with the search for another clue. Every time he thought about the bullets that had flown past their heads the day before, he felt a moment of fear. It was astonishing that neither of them had been injured.

  So far he had helped Grace survive two attempts on her life. All it would take for the killer to succeed would be for him to let his guard down for one second. He had to make sure he didn’t do that.

  He began to pace up and down beside the car. Each time he passed the window, he looked inside at Grace who appeared to be sleeping as if she didn’t have a care in the world. He wished he could feel that way, but the promise he’d made her father weighed heavily on his mind.

  An hour later he was still pacing when the officers emerged from the greenway path. He stood still and waited as the officer in charge came toward him. “We didn’t find anything, Detective. There wasn’t a sign of anybody on the path or in the forest. We couldn’t find any evidence that anyone had been there recently.”

  Alex breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to know. As I told you, we have a note from a suspected killer. He claims he’s left a clue for us in the woods. We need to find it, and I’d like for your men to accompany us in case he decides to show up while we’re there.”