“Trouble seems to follow you all the time.” Katie looked accusingly at Jessie. “If my new dress is ruined, you’ll have to buy me a new one.” Jessie couldn’t believe Katie had said it. Leave it to her to joke at an inopportune time.
“You’re lucky you still have a dress on considering the force of the blast.” Matt’s voice sounded strained.
Katie’s kidding stopped when she looked at Matt. “Do you realize that you’re bleeding?” Her voice had a shrill pitch. He nodded and winced.
People peered out from under the tables. Dazed, some of them injured, they emerged from hiding as the club’s staff went to work helping those who were hurt.
Matt saw Dylan coming toward them. “Where’s Murphy?” Matt tried to support his arm while he struggled to sit up.
“He’s dead.” Dylan looked around the room. “What a mess. A bullet hit the senator’s wife. It looks serious to me. Maxwell is outside, working the perimeter. So far, no sign of the shooter yet. The FBI is checking the grounds to make sure there are no more devices planted, and an explosives unit is on the way.”
“Get out there and secure the perimeter.” Matt pulled at his collar. “Help me get this damn thing off.” Matt grabbed at his bow tie with his good arm. Dylan helped him out of his jacket. Matt swore under his breath while Dylan tore his shirtsleeve to see the damage the bullet had done.
“How bad is it?” Matt’s brows furrowed.
“It’s not pretty, but I think you’ll live,” Dylan said grimly. “It looks like it grazed you, but I’m no expert. There is no way I’ll probe it to make sure. You would deck me. I’ll let these guys take over.” Dylan pointed at the paramedics who were rushing in.
The lobby of the club had become a makeshift triage area as a team of paramedics moved people into waiting ambulances. Matt gave orders to Kip and several others who had come rushing into the club as the pair of paramedics helped him out to the lobby. His vitals were steady. They cleaned and dressed his wound after he refused to go to the hospital. The young paramedic shook his head, put a sling on him, and told him to go to the ER when he was done at the crime scene.
“I think you’ll need a couple of stitches.” The paramedic looked over at Jessie. “Are you all right, ma’am? You have pretty big knot on the side of your head.”
“I didn’t even notice.” She winced when she reached up and felt it.
He examined it. “Were you hit by something?”
“Yes!” She smiled at him. “I was hit by a falling chief of police and the ground that rose up to meet us.”
“I can see that might be a problem.” He chuckled. “I mean it, Chief; you need to have that arm looked at sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll make sure he does.” Jessie smiled at the young man. “I’ll wait here and take him myself.”
“You’ll do no such thing. I want you where you’re safe.” Matt was scowling. “This was meant for you. I just got in the way.”
Her chin edged up. “I will take you there and you’re going to have to live with it, Mr. Parker. This is my first date with you, and it will end when I say it will end.”
He grinned at her and lifted his good arm. “All right. I give up. If it hadn’t been for you, we’d both probably be dead.”
“Why’s that?” Dylan asked.
“She had one of those feelings. We moved out of the trajectory of the first bullet.”
“That’s our Jessie.” Dylan smiled.
****
Jessie sat on a chair in the ballroom with her bag holding the gun in her lap. What an awful night this had turned out to be. Steve Murphy was dead, and Mrs. Brinkman was in serious condition. There had been numerous injuries from flying glass to people near the front windows. She had been standing there only a few hours earlier, looking out. Had he been out there then, watching her? A shiver ran down her back. What kind of monster would want to hurt so many people? At this point, no one knew the numbers or the condition of the injured. There were a couple of fatalities and that number could still grow through the night. She watched Matt work, scribbling notes on a napkin.
Matt was looking tired and pale. He was still barking out orders. It was time for her to intervene. With Dylan’s help, Matt was convinced it was time for his arm to get attention. She held out her hands for his keys. “I’m driving you. You need to put your head back and relax.”
“I can drive.”
She shook her head no, and he dropped the keys into her hand. A few minutes later, she pulled into the ER at the hospital. There were many people in the waiting area still. The hospital was busy—so busy they’d had to call all their staff in. Several doctors from neighboring towns had come in voluntarily when they heard the news.
Jessie checked Matt in and went out to move her car. He was in with the doctor by the time she got back in the waiting room. It helps to be the chief of police! She read a few articles, watched the news showing the blast repeatedly on the TV in the waiting area. She stood up when he walked out, complete with six stitches, and a prescription for painkillers. A nurse followed on his heels with paperwork and instructions from the attending physician, which she handed to Jessie. Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. “Mr. Parker,” the nurse called after him. “The doctor wants you to keep that sling on for a few days. Try to keep your arm somewhat immobile.”
Jessie drove him to his house. She put it in park and turned to face him. “Here’s the deal, Mr. Parker. If you want a second date with me, you are going to have to follow my instructions. We’re here to get a few things. You’ll stay at my house tonight so Jeremy can help you. I thought about it earlier while you were being stitched up. Jeremy already knows you’re coming.” She smiled sweetly at him. “That’s my deal, take it or leave it.”
“I just have to have a sleepover at your house to have a second date?” He grinned, which didn’t quite erase the lines of pain around his eyes. “I think I can live with it. I hope you can, sweetheart.”
“Tonight, I think I’m a little stronger than you. Yeah, I can live with it.”
****
Jeremy helped Matt get his clothes off, and left the room, Jessie found him sitting up in her bed when she walked in with a glass of water for him. “I’m going to watch you take this pill.” She handed it to him and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Even a tough guy needs rest and time to heal.”
“Can I tell you what I need?” He pushed her hair away from the bump. “Sorry about this.” He surprised her with his strength as he pulled her forward against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head. “I need you. I need you near me. I want to see your face smiling back at me. It makes feel like I can conquer anything. I want you, and I’m willing to wait a reasonable length of time for you to want me too.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now, scoot before I forget that I’m willing to wait.”
She gave him a quick kiss as she started to stand. “I’ll say this for you, Mr. Parker, you promised me a first date I would never forget, and you delivered.” She grinned to hide the sudden surge of confusing feelings that filled her and left the room.
The sun would be rising soon. Jessie made a bed on the couch. At least she didn’t have to work today, unless of course, Matt needed her. Matt. What was she going to do with him? He was getting to her heart. She stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes.
Locked in her mind were the sights and the sounds of the night. It had been awful. Who was to blame for all of it? Could only one person have orchestrated all of this? She had her doubts. Who else was out there besides Jed? The next thought came several hours later as she struggled to wake up. Someone was watching her, and she could feel it. Matt was sitting in the chair across from her with his eyes fixed on her when she awakened.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up.” He studied her face. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll tell you in minute after I see if everything is in working order.” She groaned as she sat up. “You were like a dead weight falling
on me.”
“Sorry about that.” He leaned forward in the chair.
She waved him off. “It’s not your fault!”
“It bothers me that whoever is responsible is still out there. The bomb was crude, made to be a smoke screen for the sniper who was picking off people, but the placement of it was bad news. There were a lot of injuries from the glass.”
“I keep thinking there’s something important I’m forgetting to tell you.” She thought for a minute. “Now I remember what it was. I saw a boat coming into the cove right before the evening began. It lined up with some of the other boats near the dock. I went out to look later on, and it was gone. So was a speedboat that had been at the dock. It could be coincidental, but I thought at one point the large boat was signaling someone on shore.”
“Do you remember what the boat looked like?” He sat forward in the chair.
“It was too dark to see anything clearly, but I remember it had a little tower type thing on it. That’s where I thought I had seen a signal, but maybe it was just a light on the boat. Then Katie came up to me and I stopped watching it.” She scrunched her face.
“That tower would have been a great place to be sitting with a semi-automatic rifle fitted with a night scope. Between that and the bomb it sounds exactly like the calling card of one Travis Ray Booker, which has me wondering about something.” He looked at her. “I’m going to step outside and make a call. Get dressed. I need you to do something for me.”
Chapter 27
Matt made several calls and came in to find Jessie sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea, eating a piece of toast. He handed her a short list of things he wanted her to check out for him.
“Could I have my keys? I need to get to the station.” He filled a glass with water and swallowed a pill.
“I’ll take you.” She pulled his keys out of her purse. “Are you hurting today?”
“I’ve felt better, but I need to get to work. There’s a lot going on. The senator’s wife died in the night. We have lots of security footage to go through from the Yacht Club.”
“I’m going to take you. The doctor told you to keep it immobile through the weekend. Normally, you wouldn’t even be working today.”
“I’ll be fine.” He shook his head. “You were up late last night, too. Besides, I want you to get on this for me.” He drank the rest of the water and set the glass in the sink.
“I don’t mind, and I’ll work on this all day. I’m not taking no for an answer.” Her chin nudged up, her lips pressed together. “You’ll be putting in long hours and doing plenty without driving a car on top of it. I can be stubborn when I want to be.”
“Okay.” He raised his hand in surrender. “I’ll let you boss me around this time.” He smiled at her, grabbing for the keys in her hand. She slapped at his hand. “How about we go for a quiet dinner tonight?” He followed her toward the door.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll come ready when I pick you up. I have a feeling it’ll be late.” She held the door open for him.
“I’ll call you when I’m free to leave. We have several press updates today.” He scowled. “Not my favorite thing to do.”
“You’ll do fine.” She smiled at him, unlocking the car door.
He turned in the seat toward her. “Thank you, Jess, for everything. I’m glad you stayed with me and made me go to the ER.” He reached up and touched her cheek. “Hmm, so soft…and thanks for letting me stay here last night. It’s nice to have someone who cares.”
****
After Jessie got back home, she put a load of laundry in and poured herself a glass of iced tea. Then she sat down at her computer to research the questions that Matt had written down for her. She was learning some interesting things about Travis Booker. She wondered what Matt’s line of thinking was. Maybe she had a good idea!
Halfway through the day, Katie knocked at the door. “Jessie, it’s me, can I come in?”
“Of course you can!” Jessie opened the door for her.
“I needed to talk to someone. Last night freaked me out. It’s all that everyone in town is talking about. Remind me never to go to the hospital’s Autumn Ball again.” She made her way to one of the chairs and sat down. “So many people were hurt. All that blood. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to close my eyes without seeing it.” Tears filled her eyes.
“I know. It was awful.” Jessie started to sit across from her. “Can I get you something?” She handed her the box of tissues.
“I’m fine for now.” She shook her head. “What’s happening to our town? I guess there is really no place that’s completely safe, but I always felt Blue Cove was. Now…” She frowned. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again.”
“I know.” Jessie stared out the window. “After the Harvest Club, I was afraid to close my eyes. And, now with the people talking in my head—well, let us just say I can have empathy for you. Believe me!” She paused. “You could talk to Dr. Gilbert. She’s helped me to deal with the nightmares and the fear from the last case. I’m sure I’ll be talking to her to get through this.” Jessie grabbed Katie’s hand. “I know she can help you too. I wouldn’t have made it through the nightmares without her.”
“I’ll think about it. I think it’s even harder because I talked to Steve Murphy’s wife several times today. Someone is going to come and pick up all his stuff including a computer later today.” Jessie stared at her. “I know, I know, weird, huh? I tried to set you up with a married man.”
“He called at the church and asked me to go with him to the ball. Did you know that?” Katie shook her head no. “I should have left well enough alone.”
“Yes, you should have!” Jessie noticed Katie’s troubled look and softened her voice. “It doesn’t matter now, besides, I told him no.”
“His wife is in a state of shock, I feel bad for her. Men can be such jerks.” Katie frowned.
“I know that he donated a lot of money to the hospital for the new pediatric ward.” Jessie paused. “I just thought of something you said about them coming for his stuff. I’m sure the police will hold it as a part of the investigation. Let me give Matt a call.” She talked to Matt for a minute. “Katie, what’s Mrs. Murphy’s number? They’ll contact her.” Jessie handed the phone to Katie.
When Katie finished, she handed the phone back to Jessie. “Gary is going to come by to collect Steve’s things. He already has a search warrant.” She stood up. “I guess I’d better be there when Gary gets here to pick it up. I don’t want the guests more upset than they already are.” Katie paused and looked back at Jessie with a frown. “I think after this I’m going to try not to interfere in your life. No more matchmaking for me. I learned my lesson with Steve. It would have been awful if you’d fallen for him.” She shuddered. “I love you, friend.” Katie gave her a big hug and headed back to the Inn.
Jessie couldn’t believe that Steve had been married. Not that she had been in any danger of falling for him. Still she got mad when she thought about it. Marriage meant so little to some people; you had to wonder why they even bothered. She sat back down at her computer more determined than ever to find out a few answers. She wrote her findings out so she could go over them with Matt at dinner.
****
The station was bustling with activity. There was hardly a clear path to walk down the hall much less a place to think. Between the FBI and other agencies there to help, they used every available desk and table. There was enough red tape represented with all the agencies involved they could cover the whole town with it. Matt smiled. He had called a meeting for tomorrow morning. For the moment, he sat back in his chair enjoying the quiet of his office, turning his chair so he could look out the window. He hated having to stop work for all the news updates, but it came with the job. That darn bomb had changed everything, including the number of Federal agencies now involved. He wasn’t complaining, he needed the help, but he was tired of tripping over them. After this evening’s update, he was appointing Dylan as the local
spokesperson.
Matt wondered what was going through Jed’s mind now. Ballistics confirmed that Jed had an accomplice, and Matt was sure he knew who it was. Things were starting to come together in his mind. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was whether the kids were still in his jurisdiction. After last night he had no clue where they were and with whom.
Dylan popped his head in the door. “I have the latest numbers for you.” He set the paper on Matt’s desk and sat down in the empty chair. “Besides Murphy and the senator’s wife, a woman named Mary Wentworth died a few hours ago. She was near the front windows when they blew in. Twenty-five remain hospitalized, two in critical condition, three are serious, and the rest are in fair condition. Thirty were treated for minor injuries at the scene.” Dylan shifted in the chair.
“How’s Jason Fredrick?”
“He’s on the critical list but making some headway.” Dylan started to stand.
“After the four o’clock news update, you’ll be the local spokesman for Blue Cove. I’ll tell the reporters to direct questions to you.”
“Ah geez, Matt, how can I ever thank you?” Dylan grinned and leaned against the doorframe.
“Just do a good job and keep them out of my hair. The pain in my arm has me feeling a little testy. I don’t want to go off on some reporter. We need your finesse at the microphone. You will have to have a prepared summary of the case updates. You know the routine—what we’ll take, what we won’t…I’d like to turn it over to Maxwell as soon as possible.”
“How long will they hang around, do you think?”
“The reporters?” Matt asked and Dylan nodded at him. “The fact that the senator’s wife was killed may keep them interested a little longer. I’d say at least until the next big story comes along to draw them off.” Matt picked up a pencil and scribbled a note.
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