Shaw had a habit of getting straight to the point.
“There’s been no time for a debriefing, Shaw. We’ve been on the move or with other people ever since Jake Richards found us in the basement.”
Shaw scratched the side of his face. The man needed a shave. Jordan rubbed his cheek. Actually, he needed to have a meeting with a razor as well.
“You’re gonna have to talk to her soon, or I’m not going to be able to convince the prosecutor that she needs our protection. It doesn’t look too good for her that she was found in a house with seven dead bodies.”
Jordan didn’t like the tone of Shaw’s voice. “I was found in the same house.”
“Don’t even get me started on that.”
Jordan smacked him with his irritation. “Who do you think you are?”
“I’m the guy that’s trying to keep you and your new girlfriend out of trouble.”
Jordan stepped back from Shaw’s raw suggestion. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Oh yeah. Courtney says she saw—”
“Courtney should mind her own business.” He tossed the toothpick he’d been chewing on into the bushes on the edge of the deck. “I’ve had enough of this conversation. I’m going to get some sleep.”
“Fine. I’m staying up awhile longer.”
Jordan had to wonder if Courtney had kicked Shaw out of her bedroom. The man was even grumpier than usual. Just how close were the two of them?
He had turned toward the cabin door when Shaw’s cell phone buzzed. Before he could open the door, Shaw grabbed his elbow, indicating that he should wait a moment. Jordan paused with his hand on the doorknob. Shaw’s end of the conversation was intriguing and confusing.
After Shaw punched the off button, Jordan hit him with his question. “So what was that all about?”
“That was the county coroner, Epps. He wants me to get Jeremy’s bones out of his morgue. I told him that was out of my hands now. That’s a Hill County cold case. Epps reminded me that I was the acting Sheriff of Hill County.”
Jordan loosened his grip on the doorknob. “So he’s made a positive ID?”
Shaw nodded. “Epps says there’s been some strange things happening ever since the skeleton was brought there. His clerk won’t step foot inside the autopsy room anymore. I told him to collect what evidence he can, take some pictures, and release the remains to the family. Epps called me a few rough names.”
Jordan understood. “The sooner Haskins buries Jeremy the better off we’ll all be.”
“I’m not sure burying his bones is going to be enough to stop him. Maybe Courtney’s right. Maybe he should be cremated.” For the first time since Jordan had met Shaw Bennett, the man seemed uncertain as to the proper course of action.
No sooner had the words left Shaw’s mouth than Brett had yanked the door open and pushed past Jordan to step out onto the deck. He rubbed his hands on his jeans before he turned to face them. Anxiety seemed to bubble out of the man’s pores. “She’s finally asleep. I gave her something. No, don’t look at me like that. I think that’s the only way she was going to get any rest. From what she just told me…she’s been through hell.” His stare drilled a hole in Shaw’s forehead. “Just give me a few minutes with Fred Haskins.”
“Why? What did she tell you?”
“Cooley supplied the meth for Haskins’s buyers. Without Haskins’s connections, Cooley would have had nowhere to sell his stuff.”
“How does she know that?”
“That’s not what she said, but it wasn’t hard to fill in the missing pieces. She overheard Jake Richards and those two guys that we rescued the women from…she heard them talking. They were looking for Cooley’s workers because Haskins has a buyer and desperately needs someone to cook the stuff. Richards didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t want to tell Haskins he didn’t have anyone to cook for him, so he and his boys were going to make those women do it. I bet they wouldn’t have known what they were doing without Cooley. Richards probably would have blown up half the state of Arkansas. I’m telling you Haskins is behind the whole operation.”
Jordan moved a step closer to Brett. “Do you still want to go inside his operation for us?”
Brett screwed his mouth into an odd shape before speaking. “I will if it will help put him out of business.”
Shaw erupted. “Are you crazy—”
“Just listen for a minute, Bennett.” Jordan had no time for Shaw’s bossy, authoritarian stance. Jordan had an idea, and it was a good one. “Brett should offer his services. He’s cooked the stuff before. He could sell Haskins on the idea that he wants to take Cooley’s place. That way we can keep Chelsea in the background of this.”
“How can we possibly keep her out of this?”
“She’s verified there is a connection between Halsey and Cooley and Richards and Haskins. Isn’t that enough? If we get solid evidence on him, then she won’t need to testify. Maybe Haskins has no idea there’s still a witness in the wind. Maybe he has no idea we have her. What if he has no idea she’s Brett’s sister? If he finds out she knows anything about him or his business and she’s been in our custody, she’s marked.”
What if he could keep Chelsea totally out of it? Everyone who knew she was connected to Cooley was either dead or in jail. She could start over without a mark on her. A fresh start. No need for protection.
Shaw didn’t seem like he was buying Jordan’s argument yet, so he pushed a little harder. “We’d have two men on the inside, and you wouldn’t have to involve Courtney or Chelsea.”
“Courtney wants to be involved.” Shaw sounded as if that thought made him sick to his stomach.
“What if we could make this all happen before Courtney has to get involved?”
Brett pushed his hands in front of him. “Hold up. Who else is going inside Haskins’s operation?”
Shaw hesitated a moment. “Grayson.”
“How is he going to convince Haskins he’s for real and not just trying to set him up? Everyone knows Grayson is super cop.”
Jordan and Shaw connected for a moment, nonverbal communication passing between them. Yeah, they had to let Brett in on the plan. Jordan spoke for both of them. “Grayson is Haskins’s son. He’s already offered him the position of right hand man in his operation. Wants to leave behind his legacy.”
“His son? Is that the big secret Halsey was hiding for Haskins?”
Obviously Brett had heard enough local news to know why Grayson had left the Sheriff’s Department in disgrace and Halsey had been on the hot seat defending himself to his constituents.
“Part of it.”
Shaw’s short answer didn’t seem to settle well with Brett. Chelsea’s brother apparently wanted answers, as did most of the inhabitants of Hill County. Shaw had controlled how much information leaked.
“Why would Courtney want to get into that?” Brett might as well have added, “She’s just a girl.”
“She’s his daughter.”
Brett let out a low whistle. “Maybe it’s time the two of you filled me in on everything. Start at the beginning.”
A skeptical look appeared on Shaw’s face.
Jordan pushed Brett’s argument further. “If he’s going to work on the inside for us, he needs to know what he’s getting into.”
For once Shaw agreed without arguing, and he began his briefing with the haunting of Laurel Heights.
Chapter Eleven
Chelsea hung her head over the side of the top bunk and peeked at her brother below. He lay on his back, head tilted, mouth wide open, snoring loud enough to wake their dead ancestors.
She stretched and then eased over the side of the bed, trying hard to keep from waking him. Ever since he’d shown up at the cabin the previous evening, he’d hovered around her so much she couldn’t breathe without him noticing. Would she ever be able to go to the bathroom without him asking her if she was all right?
Slipping across the wood floor, she noticed the rain had ceased and the
sun pushed streaks through the trees, splashing bits of light into the corners of the room, chasing away the shadows. She pushed open the door and peered into the kitchen/living area. Empty. A few more steps brought her to the coffeemaker. The aroma of fresh coffee hit her nose. She drew in the scent and exhaled slowly.
After filling a mug, she wandered across the living area and out the door. Jordan leaned against the rail, gazing down the drive toward the highway. It seemed that was his position when she had said goodnight to him.
She cleared her throat so as not to startle him. When he spun around, a smile brightened his features. It was as if the sun had risen in his eyes.
“Good morning.”
She managed a smile in return and leaned on the rail beside him. “It looks like a gorgeous day. Are you the first one up?”
“Shaw’s already gone to town. Being the acting sheriff is keeping him busy. Last night he grumbled so much about the job, I thought he was going to punch something.”
She grinned at the mental picture. “He looks like he could do someone some damage.”
“Military training. I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of his fist.”
She shifted a bit and took a sip of the coffee. “My brother missed me.” She gathered her fuzzy thoughts together. “I thought I could go home and live with him awhile, but…”
“He’s driving you nuts?”
“I think he’s afraid something else is going to happen to me, and he doesn’t want me out of his sight.”
Jordan’s face twisted into a weird expression. “That could get old quick.” His eyes told her he was thinking something different from what he said.
She took another sip. The hot brew burned all the way down. She coughed and then spoke to what was bothering her. “Ummm…about what happened last night.”
His serious expression mellowed. “I’m not going to apologize for kissing you.”
He’d gotten good at reading her mind. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Were they in sync? Did she want that kind of relationship with someone? Living with James, she’d gotten used to keeping her thoughts to herself. Speaking her mind usually got her into more trouble than it was worth. Fear settled into the bottom of her gut. She licked her dry lips. “I’m not asking you to. I just want to know…what it means.”
She had no experience with the real emotions of decent men. Actually, she wasn’t sure if she could determine if a man was decent or not.
He wrapped his arm around her. “Me too.”
It made her feel a little better to know that he didn’t have a clue what was happening between them either. At least that meant he didn’t have a premeditated plan to… She wasn’t sure where that thought was going.
“How can you look at me without thinking about my part in your sister’s death?” There, she’d blurted the big ugly obstacle between them.
He ran his palm across his jaw. “That’s not something either of us will ever be able to forget.”
“Doesn’t it make things…weird for us?”
He remained quiet, but kept his eyes locked on hers.
She cleared her throat. Such an uncomfortable conversation. When they were busy, on the move, they could forget they had such things that needed to be discussed. “I want to help Kristie.”
Jordan’s half-smile curved into a frown. “How are you going to do that?”
“Courtney said that she could help a lost soul go to the light.”
“Yeah, she’s done that before.” He moved away from the rail and pointed toward the door. “Let’s go sit down. Before we can go anywhere and do anything, you need to give me a statement.”
She pushed the hair from her eyes.
“It’s time.” He opened the door for her and she entered the cabin.
Based on the noise emanating from the bedroom where Brett slept, he was still out of it. Courtney and Shaw had shared the cabin across the deck, and as far as she knew, Courtney was still asleep. As long as Brett remained dead to the world, she could tell Jordan what he wanted to know without interruption.
It took them a solid hour to detail everything. Jordan took notes in a sloppy script. Chelsea leaned to see what he’d just written.
He glanced up at her. “I’ll have to decipher my writing and type it all out for you to sign.” He put his pen down. “I want you to read the typed statement carefully. Make sure I didn’t misinterpret anything you said.” His eyes reflected deep concern. “Understand?”
She nodded, but didn’t quite get why his expression seemed so solemn. She’d already at least hinted at everything she’d just told him. He shouldn’t be surprised or shocked by any new revelations.
Just as she was about to quiz him on his attitude, Courtney pushed open the outside door and bounced into the room. “Got any coffee?”
Jordan pointed toward the counter where a fresh pot had just been made.
“What are we doing today?”
Jordan leaned back in his chair and studied Courtney for a long moment, long enough it made her fidget with the tail of her shirt.
“Let’s go to the house on Chelsea Lane.”
Courtney’s eyes brightened. The first time Chelsea had seen any real animation on her countenance. The woman actually appeared…excited. “Are we going to call the ghost of your sister?”
Jordan flinched.
Chelsea placed a hand on his shoulder. “Shaw told her about Kristie.”
Courtney circled the table to stand behind Chelsea. “Please let me help, Jordan. I can’t stand the thought of her being stuck here.”
Jordan’s eyes clouded with pain. “What if she doesn’t want to leave?”
“We can’t know what she wants until we ask her, can we?” Courtney sounded like the voice of reason.
Chelsea wrapped her arms around her middle. “There are others there. They aren’t happy with me. What if they want to hurt me?”
Courtney set her fresh cup of coffee on the kitchen table and placed a warm hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. “Maybe you need to tell them you’re sorry.”
She was sorry, real sorry, but she had a gut feeling satisfying an angry ghost wasn’t that simple.
Jordan rose from his seat and tore the full yellow legal pages off the pad before stuffing them into his jacket pocket. “We shouldn’t do this without Shaw.”
Courtney smiled at Jordan with apparent appreciation. “Isn’t it better if those kind of things are done at night?”
Brett’s voice boomed from the bedroom door. “What are we doing tonight?”
“Ghost hunting.” Courtney beamed with delight.
Chelsea didn’t get Courtney’s enthusiasm. Confronting the ghost of Kristie? That was something she needed to do, not something she wanted to do.
****
Years of hunting had provided Brett with some awesome surveillance skills. He perched in the middle branches of a tall oak with his binoculars raised to his eyes. The waning afternoon sun gave him enough light to stare across the open pasture below at Haskins’s patio door. The shadows prevented anyone on the ground from spotting him in his camo gear.
He’d been in the tree for hours watching the back of Haskins’s house. So far no one had come and gone from the residence. Jake Richards had been released pending a trial, but Brett hadn’t seen him back at Haskins’s house. It made sense for Richards to lay low and avoid his boss. It was possible that Richards had distanced himself from his former employer. Richards’s mother had posted bail.
Bennett had balked at a civilian on the surveillance detail, but he needed guys that could provide tactical support and there were few people Bennett trusted enough to bring into the plan.
The two-way radio in his hand squawked. “Report.”
Two male voices checked in. “Clear.”
Brett added his report. “Clear”.
Grayson’s voice broke over the static. “Going in.” It had been agreed that Grayson would go in silent, turning off his two-way and leaving it under the seat of his car.<
br />
Haskins had summonsed him and demanded that he come alone. Grayson had countered that Haskins wasn’t his boss and had stalled for two days while Haskins stewed. The meeting was going to be contentious because Grayson was going to make it so. That meant the meet was also dangerous for Grayson. If Haskins got the hint Grayson was playing him, Grayson would be a dead man. Maybe not that day, but soon. No doubt, Haskins still had access to certain resources unavailable to the average man.
Brett followed Grayson’s vehicle as it turned into the drive that led to Haskins’s house. Moments later, the former deputy exited his vehicle and pushed open the gate of the fence that surrounded the pool area. Brett’s breath stalled when the sliding glass door opened and Haskins appeared. He dropped the binoculars that hung around his neck by a cord and lifted his rifle, peering through the scope and focusing his aim on the center of Haskins’s forehead. One squeeze would end any danger that still exited for Brett’s sister. But that wasn’t the plan and he had agreed to stick to it. From a distance, it seemed that Grayson and his biological father had frozen. Haskins waved a hand toward the house and then the two men seemed to relax.
To Brett’s surprise, no one showed up to pat Grayson down and make sure he wasn’t packing a gun. Perhaps the old man’s organization had been decimated just as they had hoped it had. Haskins was probably trying to rebuild before his connections turned on him.
It seemed Grayson and Haskins were tossing rough words at each other. The point had not been for them to bond on this first meeting. Grayson was still playing hard to get, not wanting his infiltration into Haskins’s organization to seem too easy for either of them.
Brett’s two-way came to life again. “Move in.”
That was his cue to jump out of the tree and make his way downhill to the spot he’d scouted earlier in the day. His job was to rush Haskins’s house at a moment’s notice should the meeting between Grayson and Haskins go down badly.
Bennett’s plan was long-range, an ultimate goal with a permanent result. Haskins would go to jail for a long, long time. Bennett wanted to connect Haskins to the deaths of the women who had worked in Cooley’s meth labs. Drying up the meth distribution in north Arkansas was a special added bonus.
Chelsea Lane (Haunted Hearts Series Book 5) Page 13