Arrest of the Heart

by Judy Kentrus

  “Ah, shit. Alexis is at their house helping Danni. I’ll call her. Do you know when it happened and where?”

  “That’s all I can tell you other than Nate’s partner, who was also hurt, is Treig Taylor, Jessie’s brother.”

  “Double shit. This just gets better and better. Does Jessie know that you and her brother have reunited?”

  “No, and that’s another secret I’ve been keeping.” Link pulled on his black pearl earring in frustration. “Russ, I’m sick of all this secrecy. Jessie is going to hate me when she finds out everything.” Linc heard Jessie coming down the stairs. ‘I’ve got to go. Text me as soon as you’ve made contact with Alexis.” Linc hoped to God things didn’t get any worse.

  Chapter 15

  Tuesday afternoon, Linc sat at Sallie Mae’s desk and nursed a glass of iced sweet tea. The café was uncommonly quiet, having closed for the day. He’d arrived early for his appointment with Margaret Taylor and Chief Charles. Last evening, when the women had returned from the hospital, Margaret had discretely passed him a note, agreeing to the meeting. Jessie had to be at the elementary school for an emergency meeting of the fishing derby committee, something about a large donation. That told him Cindi had made the call to Jeff Wayne.

  He was anxious to get this over with. Samantha had volunteered to stay for the meeting, but he wanted to keep her undercover status a secret for as long as possible. Once everyone found out what he did for a living, Samantha’s covert presence would be that much more valuable. He wasn’t too worried about telling the chief of police what was going on. It was finally confessing the truth to Jessie that had his stomach in knots.

  She had texted him once during the evening. Treig was in and out of consciousness and the break had been a lot more serious than they’d anticipated. Treig’s knee cap had also been shattered and he was facing months of therapy. Linc spoke with Danni Snow. The CSI contacted a friend in the state police to get the particulars on the accident. According to fellow truckers who witnessed the accident, the Peterbuilt was going down a steep hill and it appeared they were unable to stop. Linc remembered Nate saying he felt their cover was blown. Apparently, the FBI agent had been correct.

  Margaret and Chief Charles walked in together. The judge’s salmon pink blouse was tucked into the waist of her dark navy dress slacks. The chief still had on his uniform, but he’d removed his tie. Linc wasn’t the least bit surprised when Sallie Mae walked in behind them, minus her ever-present apron.

  “I’m here to protect my boy. I know what you are going to talk about, and I don’t want anyone ganging up on him. Have a seat on the couch.” Sallie Mae sat in the wooden chair beside the desk, guarding her charge.

  Linc shook hands with the chief. “Thank you for meeting us here on the QT. There’s been a lot going on that Margaret and I have been withholding from you. Due to a shortage of time, we’ll cut through any and all bullshit. Judge, why don’t you begin.”

  Margaret twisted her hands together in a nervous gesture. “Joe, I hope you’ll understand why I hesitated to bring this to your attention.” She started with Lincoln’s inheritance and the request to drill for natural gas, and concluded with the threats she’d received, stipulating she was to vote against the proposal or she and her family would get hurt or worse. If any other members of the council received threats, she was unaware.

  “Here are copies of what the judge sent to me,” Linc said, but held on to the one he received. He sensed the angry vibes rising from the chief when he read the emails.

  Chief Charles set the sheets on couch and turned a furious stare at Margaret. “Are you out of your mind keeping this from me? I should have been notified the moment you received the first one! It’s against the law to threaten someone via email. The FBI has a cyber crime unit that handles just such issues.”

  “I told her the same thing, but she didn’t want the town crawling with FBI agents,” Lincoln interjected, and received a warning scowl from Margaret.

  “Have you told Jessie?” When Margaret avoided all eye contact, Joe got his answer. “How could you withhold this from your daughter, a sworn police officer?”

  “That’s right, my daughter!” Margaret shot out. “I didn’t want any of this brought into my home. I respect who she is, but in my heart I have to draw the line. You and I deal with scum who don’t give any thought to who they hurt, maim, or kill!” Margaret grasped the string of pearls on the front of her blouse, a gift from her late husband. How she missed Norman and wished he were here. Margaret lowered her voice. “My family is everything to me.”

  Joe realized, from a personal standpoint, what it had taken for Margaret Taylor to finally bring the life-threatening situation to his attention. “I understand what you are going through, but you are wrong. Jessie is a competent police officer and would move mountains to protect you and her daughter.” The chief turned to Lincoln. “Where do you come into this, other than handing over half of your inheritance to the town?”

  Linc passed the chief one of his cards.

  The weathered police officer stared at the black card embossed with raised silver lettering listing Lincoln Adams, owner of Adams Security and Investigations and their locations throughout the country.

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” A grin slowly blossomed on his mature face. “So, the kid I made clean toilets has done well for himself. When you lit out of here on that jury rigged motorcycle with the giant chip on your shoulder, I was worried you would get into trouble, but you proved me wrong. I’m proud of you, son. Now that I’ve sung your praises, tell me how the hell the judge got you involved in all this.”

  “She was surprised to learn, like everyone else, that I was still alive, and contacted me to fulfill a promise I made eighteen years ago. According to her instructions, I couldn’t tell anyone who I was or about my company. I was supposed to be a carefree playboy, but things got a little out of hand the night I returned to Laurel Heights.”

  “I’ll say. Frankly, I can’t blame Jessie for harboring so much resentment toward you.”

  “I’ve apologized, believe me. The judge informed me of my inheritance and Buford’s stipulation that I reside in Laurel Heights for a year or everything would go to charity. Then she showed me the emails.” Linc passed him a copy of the note that had been stuck under his windshield wiper. “Now, I’ve become a target. Someone else knows about the conditions in Buford’s will. In addition to their love note, they took pop shots at my truck in the vicinity of the Last Chance Motel the other morning.” Linc kept to himself the identity of the fingerprints found on the paper. This was something he wanted to discuss directly with Jessie, since the prints were connected to her former husband.

  “Shots, threats, my God! Why didn’t you tell me?” Margaret demanded, shocked at what Lincoln had just revealed. “It was never my intention for you to become a target. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” She shifted toward the chief. “If I’d known about this, I’d have come to you a lot sooner.”

  “That’s why I’ve been trying to meet with you. My cyber unit was successful in tracking the origin of the emails.” Linc stared directly at the chief. “They originated from a computer in town hall. We are still digging to determine which unit was used to send the messages.”

  “Ah, shit.” The chief closed his eyes momentarily, trying to absorb everything the judge and Lincoln had just disclosed. “All this has been going on under my nose and neither of you bothered to tell me. I should throw you both in jail for obstruction of justice!”

  “That’s not all,” Linc continued, ignoring the chief’s half-hearted threat. “I had my computer tech do a deep financial check on the members of the town council, and three have unexplained incomes; Leon Price, Harvey Thornton, and Mayor Humperdinck.”

  “I knew that rascal mayor was up to something,” Sallie Mae added. “He probably needed extra money to buy all those fancy ladies’ unmentionables.”

  “How did you find out?” Linc wasn’t the least bit surpris
ed she knew about the mayor’s private fantasy.

  “A friend of mine goes to the same AA meeting as our late mayor. Said he had a special friend he’d meet for coffee after the meeting. One thing led to another.”

  “How long has he been going to AA?” Joe asked. The mayor had been a recovering alcoholic and liked women’s underwear. What else was going on in the town he was sworn to protect?

  “A few years,” Sallie Mae replied.

  Joe switched his gaze to Margaret. “Did you know this about our illustrious mayor?”

  She just nodded.

  “I feel like I’ve been walking around with blinders on.” The chief stood up and stated in a no nonsense tone, “As of right now, this investigation is in the hands of the Laurel Heights police. Margaret, I would order additional police surveillance on your block, but you’ve got a damn good cop in residence. If you get any more threats, I want to know about it, immediately.”

  He turned to Lincoln. “It’s obvious you have valuable resources that I would be a fool to ignore. Continue your financial analysis of the members of the town council, including the deceased mayor. I’ll expect a copy of everything you’ve already uncovered and all future disclosures. Since all the computers in town hall are on the same network, send all information to my personal email. Detective Catcher and Lieutenant McCarthy will be brought into the loop.” The chief gave the judge a direct order. “You will no longer keep this from Sergeant Taylor. Whoever tells her what’s going on better be prepared to run for cover.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Linc volunteered. “I’ve got a great pair of running shoes, but more importantly, full disclosure is the only way I’ll earn her trust.”

  Margaret opened the filigree clasp on her slim purse with a shaking hand. There were more secrets that needed to be disclosed before Lincoln talked to Jessie. Her daughter would probably hate her, but it was something that had to be done. Avoiding the truth had gone on long enough. “When do you plan to tell her?”

  “As soon as possible. Why?”

  Margaret darted a glance at Sallie Mae and received a tear-laced nod of understanding. The judge withdrew a ring that held four keys and wrapped them tightly in her hand. “There are things you have to know. My stipulation is you go to Buford’s residence before you talk to Jessie. There is a wall safe behind his desk covered by a picture of President Lincoln giving his Gettysburg address. The combination is your birthday and your sister Jennie’s.”

  “Again, I ask, why?

  “That’s all I can tell you. The house, the contents are all yours, but it’s important you review the items in the safe.”

  Linc’s patience with Margaret’s rules had reached its limit. “I never had any intention of entering that house again. I don’t want anything of Buford’s.” It was no one’s business he was filtering his inheritance back into the town a little at a time. Linc stood up and leaned his clenched hands on the desk. “Judge, every day you determine the fate of people who stand before you in a court of law, but I refuse to have my life further manipulated by your judicial whims. I’ve done everything you asked of me since I drove into town, no, since you made the initial phone call. I’ve changed my life, kept secrets from Jessie, but entering Buford’s residence isn’t part of the deal.” Lincoln leaned in a bit closer. “Margaret, you are one classy woman, but you’re a manipulative bitch.”

  Sallie Mae gasped in shock at Lincoln’s rude insult and stood up. “Lincoln Adams! That was uncalled for. She’s been trying to deal with the town’s problems, the safety of her family, and hiding the identity of her so-called handyman. Now she’s got to worry about Treig.” Sallie Mae covered his hand. “Just look in the safe. There are things you have to know. Think of doing it for Jessie.”

  Linc had never been taken to task by Sallie Mae. Hell, maybe he had gone too far. “Margaret, I apologize for the crass remark. I’ll do this for Jessie and no one else.” He held out his hand for the keys. Each was clearly marked; the front door, Buford’s study, basement, and the secret room. He fingered the black pearl in his ear. This time he wouldn’t have Jessie beside him to face the ghosts from his past.

  “I’ll go there tomorrow morning, but these are my terms. I’ll no longer conceal my background. You will allow the installation of an alarm system in the house, courtesy of Adams Security and Alarms, a division of my company. I’ll work hand in hand with the police to find the person responsible for sending these threats, and possibly solve the mayor’s murder. I’ll adhere to Buford’s stipulation that I complete a one-year residency so the town gets their money. My personal time will be divided between here and handling business affairs in New York and all my other locations. In other words, no more rules or cockamamie restrictions. If Jessie forgives me, I don’t want you to interfere in our lives or try to keep us apart. I’d like your permission to court her.”

  The last stipulation came out before Lincoln realized what he’d said. The request had come from his heart. He expected a murderous stare from Margaret Taylor, but she was smiling and a watery film covered her eyes. She wasn’t alone in her sentiment. Sallie Mae was dabbing at her cheeks with a frilly handkerchief. Linc realized he’d been had by two conniving females. Having him fall for Jessie had been their plan all along.

  Joe Charles was laughing. “I wouldn’t try to back out now or the judge will throw the book at you for breach of promise.”

  “Lincoln Adams, I forgive you for calling me a manipulative bitch, because, at times, I can be. In your case, it’s true. You are everything I’ve ever wanted for Jessie and have my permission to court her, but tread softly. She’s been hurt, not just physically, but in her heart.” Margaret stepped forward and put a hand to his cheek. “There are secrets you’ve both been keeping, but I hope you can overcome the hurt they will cause.”

  Linc dipped his head to the side. “You mean things will get worse before they get better?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  On the other side of town, Jessie, Jeff Wayne, and two other parents sat around a table in the school library, discussing the fishing derby and anti-bullying campaign. Jessie wondered what was keeping Lisa Kay. Her friend was never late for meetings. She glanced across the row of study tables. Edie and Peter had their heads down and their soft laughter was a sure sign they were doing more than studying. She wished she’d had time to go home to change out of her uniform, but she left headquarters forty-five minutes after her shift and arrived at the school just as Edie was finishing up soccer practice. Before coming into the meeting, she’d called the nurse in charge of Treig’s care and was told he was doing as well as could be expected and was resting comfortably.

  When the door opened, Lisa Kay rushed in and took the seat next to Jessie. She still had on her work smock. “Sorry, everyone. Had a last minute emergency. Schatzie got sprayed by a skunk and Mrs. Schmidt had a panic attack.”

  “No problem, we’re just getting started,” Jeff said. “Yesterday, I received a phone call from the assistant of an anonymous donor offering shirts for the entire school, staff included, and a banner for our fishing derby and anti-bullying campaign. The only stipulation is we have a small ceremony when we hang the banner. The entire school should wear their shirts to show support of the campaign, and of course, be worn during the fishing derby.” Jeff paused to add a laugh. “She had the funniest squeaky voice and was popping bubbles with her chewing gum.”

  Jess raised a questioning brow at the mention of a squeaky voice and gum. “Did she tell you the name of the company?”

  “No, just that everything is to be kept confidential. I am to email the number of shirts and sizes that we need, attach a logo and slogan, and send our order to Star Designs in Chicago. Within twenty four hours of the time we submit our order to the company, she will send in payment. Confirmation will be sent to us and everything will be delivered directly to the school a few days before the derby. I already contacted Star Designs, and they have been made aware of our impending order. The sales representative men
tioned they are a reliable firm and very good customers.”

  “If you ask me, the entire thing sounds fishy, pardon the pun.” Jessie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. “How did they find out about the event?”

  “I asked the woman, but all she could say was she was following our benefactor’s orders. I think we’d be foolish not to take advantage of the gift. It’s exactly what our campaign needs. It will reinforce togetherness among the students, parents, and staff. If we’re going to do this, we have to get the order into the company the day after tomorrow. Let’s decide on the color of the shirt and logo. We already have our slogan.”

  “I brought the number of derby entrants, broken down by adults, children, and judges. You will have to add the additional number of shirts we’ll need.” Lisa Kay withdrew a list from the large pocket of her smock, purposely using her left hand.

  Jessie’s eyes widened at the ring on her finger, and wondered what Lisa Kay had gone and done, getting engaged to a guy she hardly knew.

  It was almost five o’clock when the meeting was over. The moment they walked out to the almost deserted parking lot, Edie ran to the back of the school. She wanted to see if the wildflowers in the vacant field were attracting butterflies. Jess had patiently bided her time and confronted Lisa Kay. “Tell me that’s not an engagement ring.”

  “It’s not an engagement ring. It’s a promise ring,” Lisa Kay gushed. “Sam said I was his soul mate and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. We haven’t known each other very long, but he wants me to be sure. He’s never married because he never found that special someone, so this will be the first and only for both of us.”

  Jess lifted Lisa Kay’s hand and studied the ring. It was beautiful and unique. “What is the stone in the middle?”