Deadly Deception

by Marissa Garner

  The paramedic’s eyes examined the little girl for any sign of injury. “You’re right. She looks fine. Physically, at least. But I better take a look at your ‘scratch.’ It’s bleeding pretty bad.”

  “Callie, Callie!”

  Sean recognized Jess’s voice screaming above the din. He scanned the crowd until he spotted her on the perimeter of the crime scene being restrained by a uniformed deputy.

  “Ms. Hargrove, you can’t go over there,” the man yelled.

  “The hell I can’t. That’s my baby.” Jess shoved the man in the chest. “Get your fucking hands off me or I swear my knee will guarantee you never father children.”

  The shock on the deputy’s face was comical even from a distance.

  “Jesus Christ. Let the woman go to her kid,” called another deputy.

  The guy jerked his hands off Jess instantly. He looked relieved to still have his manhood intact.

  After giving him a ball-shriveling glare, Jess flew across the distance and landed on her knees beside Sean. “Callie, baby, Mommy’s here.”

  “M-Mommy?” the little girl breathed against Sean’s chest as if disbelieving of everyone and everything around her.

  Jess rubbed her back. “Come to Mommy, baby. You’re safe. Everything’s…okay.” Her eyes lifted to Sean’s, telling him everything was far from okay. She desperately needed to hold her daughter to convince herself that she was safe.

  “Callie, your mommy needs a hug,” Sean coaxed.

  She raised her head and looked up at him, fear and shock and confusion mirrored in her huge brown eyes. Then she turned and saw Jess. “Mommy!”

  Sobs burst from mother and daughter. Callie sprang off Sean’s lap and into Jess’s. The jolt was like shards of glass impaling his injured arm, but watching Jess smother the little girl with kisses and encircle her with a cocooning embrace eased the pain.

  A second EMT hurried up to the huddled group. “Ms. Hargrove, I need to do a quick exam and then get Callie to the hospital.”

  “Right. Of course,” Jess mumbled.

  The EMT wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her as she stood up with the crying four-year-old. Jess leaned into the paramedic for support as they walked away.

  “Mommy, stop. Stop!”

  Callie pushed and squirmed until she forced Jess to let her slip to the ground. The moment her feet landed, she raced back to where Sean still sat on the concrete. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a loud smooch on the lips.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sean. You’s my hero.” Then she whipped around and ran back to her mother.

  Jess lifted the little one into her arms again. She angled her face past the flurry of pink-highlighted blond curls to meet Sean’s gaze. A poignant moment froze time and blocked out the horrible scene around them. But then Jess blinked. Once. Twice. Her chest rose with a deep, shuddering breath. Offering a faint smile, she called, “Thank you.”

  Sean watched Jess walk away. Although he was sure he’d heard what she said, it felt an awful lot like good-bye.

  * * *

  After a few hours in the ER getting patched up, Sean made his way to the front desk. He wasn’t yet sure how he was getting back to Ramona since his truck was probably still parked at the crime scene. But a ride wasn’t his main focus.

  “Hi, I’m Sean Burke. I came in by ambulance about the same time Callie Hargrove was brought in. Can you tell me her status?” he said to the lady behind the desk.

  “Are you a relative?”

  “Uh, no, but I’m a very close friend.”

  She shook her head. “Sorry, privacy laws strictly prohibit the hospital from releasing patient information to the public without permission.”

  Sean knew that, but he didn’t give up. “The little girl and I were involved in the same…shooting incident. I just want to be sure she’s all right.”

  The woman stiffened, not appreciating his persistence. “Very noble, but still not okay.”

  “Can you at least tell me if Callie was admitted or if Jessica Hargrove is still here?”

  A head shake was her only answer.

  Anger flared. It’d been a really shitty day. And damn, even though he’d probably saved Callie’s life, this gatekeeper wouldn’t tell him anything. How fucked up was that? He considered flashing his LAPD identification and claiming to be a detective investigating the shooting, but he was already in enough trouble with his department, so he dropped the idea. “Look, lady, I just—”

  “Sean, over here.”

  He turned to find Chad Brown sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the ER waiting area. Jess’s uncle motioned him over. As he approached, the older man’s distraught appearance raised a red flag. Had Callie been injured without his knowing? That overwhelming protectiveness surfaced again. Concern escalating, he grasped Chad’s arm. “Is Callie okay? Where are they?”

  Chad stood and placed his hand on Sean’s uninjured shoulder. “Relax, son. They’re fine. Well, maybe not fine, but they’re not physically hurt. The ER doctor admitted Callie, and Jessie is stayin’ in the room with her. Tomorrow she’ll be transferred to Children’s Hospital in San Diego. This doctor recommended a kid’s shrink do an observation and evaluation. Jessie agreed to it. I just hope she’ll get help for herself, too. If not tomorrow, then soon.”

  “I want to see them,” Sean said, his heart in his throat.

  Chad nodded. “I understand, but they were fallin’ asleep when I left their room about thirty minutes ago. The doc gave them both a sedative.”

  “Are you waiting here until they wake up?”

  “Nope. I’m waitin’ for you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “You need a ride, and we need to talk.”

  Chapter 27

  Jessie lay on the separate pullout bed the nurses had made up for her. Because her eyes refused to close, her worried gaze roamed the dark hospital room as if on guard for dangers hiding in the shadows. The hospital was filled with muted noises, and she jumped at every sound. Shuddering frequently, she fought off the trauma of the day’s events.

  When Callie moaned in her sleep again, Jessie knew what she needed to do. She slid out of the guest bed and climbed into the hospital bed with her daughter. Since Callie didn’t have an IV or any other medical apparatus attached, Jessie didn’t think she could do any harm.

  Pulling the warm little body into her arms, she realized that holding Callie was the only way for her to believe she was safe. She snuggled closer and kissed her child’s forehead several times. Still asleep, Callie gripped her mother’s shirt, evidence that nearness was important to her also.

  Jessie shut her eyes and tried to shut down her mind. Not happening. Mental videos insisted on playing in her brain. There were several, beginning with finding her mother’s abandoned Buick and ending with watching Drake collapse onto the concrete. She sorted through the images until she found one that didn’t make her want to scream or cry: Sean making love to her.

  The memory flooded over her. Heat spread through her body, burning in strategic spots. Contentment covered her like a chenille blanket fresh from the dryer.

  Their mutual desire and need had been explosive, but instead of rushing to reach orgasm, Sean had given as much pleasure as possible. His tenderness and thoroughness touched her to the core. He made her feel special; she felt…loved. No other man had ever made her feel that way.

  She sighed heavily. Damn, I can’t let it happen again. It will only make it harder when I have to let him go. Sean would be returning to LA soon. He would go back to his normal life, and she would try to build a new one. Without him. Again. But this time, she wouldn’t make stupid choices like marrying Drake Hargrove. No, she’d focus on giving Callie the best life possible. How was still a big question mark. But she’d figure it out.

  Already she knew there wouldn’t be time for men, for dating, for love. She didn’t need the complications when her life was a million-piece puzzle needing to be put back together. Relationship
s would have to wait. And she was okay with that.

  “Mommy?” Callie mumbled.

  “Yes, munchkin.”

  “Is Mr. Sean okay?”

  She blinked. Of all the questions her daughter could’ve asked, why this one? She gulped. “Sure, sweetie.”

  Lifting her head, Callie glanced around the dark room. “Where is he?”

  “Uh, I don’t know. Why?”

  The little girl shrugged. “I thought he’d be here.”

  “Well, he might still be in the hospital.”

  “No, I means here. With us.”

  “Well…uh…why?”

  Callie pondered a moment. “’Cause he…likes us.”

  Jessie blinked again. “You think so?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Easy-peasy, Mommy. He treats us nice. Not…not like Daddy.” She shuddered in Jessie’s arms.

  “It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s not going to hurt us anymore.”

  “’Cause Mr. Sean’s gonna ’tect us?”

  “No. Because…Daddy’s gone. And Mr. Sean has to go back to LA where he lives.”

  Callie sniffed. “But I likes Mr. Sean now. I don’t wants him to leave.”

  Fighting tears, Jessie hugged her daughter tighter. “I understand, munchkin. Believe me, I do.”

  As Callie drifted off to sleep again, she pondered the child’s comment “he…likes us.” Specifically, the word us gave her pause. Of course, Jessie knew how Sean felt about her; he’d admitted his love the other night when she’d pretended to be asleep. But she’d never given much thought to how he felt about Callie. Instead, she lumped him in with most single guys, who didn’t give a damn about kids, simply because of his awkwardness and uncertainty in dealing with the munchkin.

  But Sean had saved Callie’s life. Jessie had watched him from inside the patrol car where the deputies had forced her to stay during the operation. He’d thrown himself over Callie and used his body as a shield. His actions were not part of the plan. Detective Harlan had wanted him to stay in the car with her, but Sean had told him where he could shove that idea. As a compromise, he was instructed to observe only, not to get involved. Thank God he’d disobeyed.

  Tears stung Jessie’s eyes. Sean had risked his own life to protect Callie. Exactly what a good parent would’ve done.

  * * *

  “Where are we going?” Sean asked when Chad pulled into a dark, littered alley instead of heading to the What Happens in Vegas bus station where Sean’s truck had been parked since the shooting. He frowned as the older man drove to the dead end and killed the engine. What the hell is going on?

  Tensing at the odd situation, he wished Luke hadn’t offered to take his gun before the ambulance hauled him off to the hospital. He felt naked without it, and now he didn’t have a weapon. But he figured Chad had a gun stashed somewhere in his truck, especially since his rifle was missing from the rack behind the seats. With his left arm bandaged and in a sling, Sean was definitely at a disadvantage, but he could still take the old man—if it came to that, which he hoped it didn’t. It would just hurt like hell. And be such a shitty way to end a super shitty day.

  “What the fuck are we doing here?” he asked.

  Chad sighed before he turned to Sean. “Like I said, we need to talk.”

  “About what?” Sean gave him a steely glare.

  Jess’s uncle chuckled. “Damn, you haven’t changed a bit. Don’t get your hackles up, son.”

  “Then explain why we’re here. This alley wasn’t a scheduled stop on the way to get my truck.”

  “I figure the crime scene might still have cops crawlin’ all over, so it’s better we talk here, where it’s…private.”

  His eyes narrowed. Private, secret, or hidden? “Why’s that?”

  “So no one can hear, and we won’t be interrupted.”

  “And that would be a problem because…?” He let the words dangle.

  Chad pushed a hand through his mop of graying hair. “’Cause I’m gonna tell you what really happened to Hal.”

  Sean eyed him warily. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Damn, I wish I had a stiff drink right about now. This ain’t gonna be easy.”

  Whatever Chad Brown had to say was weighing heavy. Even in the dark, Sean could see his defeated expression, his slumped shoulders, his exhausted demeanor. Sean’s anxiety eased; curiosity and concern replaced it.

  “Hey, man, just spit it out. Did you see where Hal went in San Ysidro? Did some drug goons grab him? I know it’s a dangerous part of town, so anything’s possible.”

  Chad shook his head. “It’s not that simple. I wish I didn’t have to tell you, but I do because you got a choice to make. So listen up good.”

  Sean waited while the guy scrubbed a calloused hand across his face and released another long sigh.

  Sounding like each word was painful, Chad began. “Jessie already told ya the part about us findin’ the asshole takin’ dirty pictures of Callie in the bomb shelter.”

  “I can’t even imagine what that did to Jess.”

  “It was horrible. I’ll never get it out of my head. She won’t either.”

  “I’d string him up by his balls for that even if he hadn’t killed Molly.”

  “Just listen, would ya?” Chad huffed. “After fightin’ us, Hal confessed to killin’ Molly. Jessie was so upset, she just grabbed Callie, who was asleep, and left. We told her not to call the cops until we got Hal into the house. I know it sounds stupid, but lookin’ back, I think Nate and me wanted more time to inflict our own punishment.” He paused, stared straight ahead, and seemed to go back in time. “The metal stairs in the shelter are really steep and only wide enough for one person. Nate went up first, Hal right behind him. I stayed down below so I could keep my gun trained on the bastard. Almost to the top, Hal grabbed the back of Nate’s shirt and tried to throw him down the stairs. He probably planned to scramble out and get away while I helped my nephew. But as Nate fell, he took Hal’s legs out from under him. The asshole practically dove headfirst to the concrete floor with Nate landin’ on top of him.”

  Silence filled the truck.

  Sean’s chest tightened with dread. “Hal broke his neck?”

  “Don’t rightly know. It was twisted funny, but his head also had a big dent like his skull was smashed in. There wasn’t a whole lot of blood, so I reckon that means he died real fast.”

  “Shit.” A lead weight settled in his stomach. All sorts of potential criminal charges crossed his mind. “Then what?”

  “Nate freaked out. He said we’d be charged with murder. Especially him, since you and Luke were already suspicious of him in connection with Molly. And only the three of us had heard Hal’s confession. We had no proof.” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “Me? I wasn’t so much afraid of a murder rap as I was Jessie and Callie havin’ to face the public learnin’ about the nasty picture stuff. Anyway, we decided to pretend Hal escaped.”

  “So Jess knows?”

  Chad’s head jerked around. “Hell no. She thinks the bastard got away. That’s part of the problem.”

  A ripple of relief rolled over him. At least Jess hadn’t been involved in Hal’s death or the cover-up. “Where’s…the body?”

  Chad exhaled frustration. “Still in the bomb shelter. I ’bout shit my pants when they were searchin’ the property.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “We gotta decide what to do with him…permanently.”

  “You do remember I’m a cop, right?”

  “Yeah, but everyone knows you’re also still in love with Jessie. And I don’t think you want to see her or Callie get hurt—more than they already are.”

  Great, just fucking great.

  “This is how I see it,” Chad continued. “Dead is dead. Hal could’ve got the death penalty if he’d been tried for Molly’s murder. You told us he was a convicted felon who escaped, so for sure he woulda been goin’ back
to jail for a long, long time. Maybe for the rest of his worthless life. I’m afraid the feds are gonna keep snoopin’ around and eventually find somethin’ that convinces them Hal Freeman was their Ronald Usborne.”

  “He was Ronald Usborne.”

  “Yeah, I know. But at this point, does it make any difference? They can’t put him back in jail. Isn’t it more important to protect Jessie and Callie from the humiliation of people learnin’ what that bastard did? Jessie’s already teeterin’ on the edge of a breakdown. I don’t want her to be unable to care for Callie. I mean, Hal killed Molly. Do you really want him to destroy the lives of all three generations of the family?”

  Sean bristled. “Of course not.”

  “And who knows? Nate might be right. They could stick him with murder or manslaughter and put him away. Imagine what that would do to Jessie. Besides, Nate’s battlin’ his own demons already.”

  “Agreed.” Sean studied the older man. Did he know the source of those demons?

  “And then we gotta consider Jessie’s concerns. I understand why she doesn’t want the pornography shit to hit the fan. But on the other hand, she can’t accept the idea that Hal would have a chance to hurt other kids as he did her and Callie. She also needs Hal to pay for killin’ her mama. Tellin’ her the asshole’s dead would solve all that, but it’d also make her part of…uh…you know.”

  “The cover-up?”

  “Yeah. See how complicated it is? What should we do?”

  “We? Holy shit, don’t even go there.” Sean shook his head in disbelief. Damn, he had to agree with Chad’s points, but that didn’t mean he could just ignore his badge. He was a cop who’d taken an oath. He believed in…justice.

  Justice. The word rolled around in the maze of his mind. Was there only one way or were there multiple paths to reach that goal? Did justice require all the i’s to be dotted and t’s crossed? Obviously he didn’t condone vigilantism. But if he believed Chad, Hal’s death had been an accident, not an execution.

  What would be gained by telling the feds or the local cops what had really happened? Would justice be better served or would the truth just ruin more lives? Nothing could erase the past. Nothing would bring Molly back. Was the best result they could hope for be protecting her family’s future?