“She’s worried about you, and frankly, I am, too.”
Jessie sat up straight. “I can take care of myself. You aren’t my keeper. Now leave. I’m gonna see if Heather’s home.”
Josh didn’t budge. In fact, he leaned against the door, as though that would stop her.
She glared at him, wishing she had the same menacing look he did. Obviously not. He grinned at her. Fuming, she yanked the keys out of the ignition then slid from behind the steering wheel and toward the passenger door. With the door open and one leg out of the cab, Jessie stood as Josh set his muscular body in front of her, trapping her against the truck and him.
“You are the most stubborn woman I know.”
“As I’ve told you, this isn’t any of your business.” Jessie shoved at his chest.
“What are you going to do?”
“Ring the doorbell again.” She quickly skirted around him and hurried toward the porch.
Josh was a few steps behind her. She didn’t have to look at him to know he wasn’t happy with her. He was used to people following his orders.
After ringing the bell then pounding on the door, Jessie moved to the window she’d peeked through the previous night and found the curtains totally closed. She charged past Josh and headed for the side of the house.
“What are you doing?” he asked, hurrying to keep up with her.
“Looking into every window. If Heather isn’t here or at school, then where is she?” Something deep inside her drove her forward. She couldn’t shake the feeling Heather was in danger. By the time Jessie reached the back of the house, frustration coiled tightly in her stomach. All the windows on the right side were pulled shut. Like a tomb.
At the back stoop, there was a sectioned pane of glass in the upper part of the door covered with a set of blinds. She mounted the steps and leaned forward, hoping she could peek through the slit and see inside. Her narrow view allowed her to see half of the kitchen. If she moved slightly to the left, maybe she could get a better look.
When she sidled in that direction, her gaze fell upon a woman’s body—Mrs. Williams—dangling from the ceiling fan, a step stool knocked over nearby.
Chapter Six
Josh rested against the hood of his car, his arms and legs crossed as he watched the parade of law enforcement personnel come and go from Mrs. Williams’s house. Now Jessie had his full attention concerning Heather, and he would make sure that Bill felt the same way. The police chief was in his position because of the Morgan family’s influence. There was a second-in-command, Captain Doyle, capable of taking over.
He slid a glance at Jessie next to him. “You okay?”
“What’s going on in Pinecrest? First the serial killer last year and now this.”
“That’s why you need to let the police do their job.”
Jessie curled her lips. “Like they did last year?”
“Definitely not. I have a friend who’s with the state police. I’m going to contact him.”
“And you think the chief will like that? He certainly didn’t want any help with the serial killer.” Jessie pushed away from his car and paced in front of him.
“No, but if he wants to keep his job, he’ll accept help this time. Not just from the sheriff.”
She stopped in front of him, studying his face. “He’s a proud man. I don’t think he knows how to accept assistance.”
“Do you?”
Her gaze scorched a path across his features. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you so sure Heather’s in trouble and it has something to do with drugs?”
Jessie looked over her shoulder. “Chief Shaffer’s coming.”
Josh straightened. “Fine for now but later, I expect an answer. No more secrets.”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. When she pressed her lips together, she turned away from him.
Josh bent close to her ear and whispered, “I’m not the enemy.” He straightened and moved away from Jessie. “Was it murder or suicide?” he asked the police chief.
“Murder. There were marks on her wrists that indicated she was tied up, and there were signs she struggled.”
After calling 9-1-1, Josh had entered the kitchen to see if Mrs. Williams was still alive. When he discovered she wasn’t, he’d backed out. “I didn’t notice the marks on her wrists, but she was wearing a long sleeve blouse.”
“Whoever did this must have waited until she was dead then removed the rope from around her wrists.”
Jessie sucked in a deep breath. “He watched her die?”
The police chief shifted his attention to her. “Probably.”
Her mouth firmed into a tight line. “If you’d believed me last night, this might not have happened. So what are you going to do now? Look for Heather who wasn’t at school today?”
Bill shuffled closer to Jessie. “Stay out of this, or I’ll arrest you for interfering in a police investigation.”
Josh wedged himself between the two. “She asked you a good question. Are you going to look for Heather?”
Bill’s cheeks reddened. “Of course. She may know what happened here or might even be involved.” He backed away. “Why did you come here today? Who arrived first?” Again he looked directly at Jessie.
She raised her chin. “I returned here when I found out Heather wasn’t at school. I still think she was on the floor last night, possibly hurt.”
“Then where did she go? Why did her aunt insist she was at a friend’s?” Bill pulled out a pad and pen from his front shirt pocket. “I’m ready for any insight you have, Miss Michaels.”
Before Josh could put Bill in his place, Jessie stepped between the two, much like Josh had earlier. “I don’t know who did this or what I saw last night, but then the safety of this town isn’t my job. It’s yours. Just so I don’t keep you any longer than necessary, when I pulled up this afternoon, I saw no one around the house. Nor did I hear the back door shutting. I’m sorry I can’t be more help like last night.”
Bright red flushed the police chief’s face. “What connection do you have to Heather?”
“I volunteered at the community center to take over mentoring Heather. She lost her mentor when Mary Lou was murdered.”
“I can confirm what Jessie just said. I pulled up right behind her before she even had a chance to get out of her truck.”
“If I have any more questions for either one of you, I know how to contact you.”
As the police chief stalked away, Josh turned to Jessie. “Let’s go get some coffee while you tell me what’s going on. How about Al’s Diner?”
Jessie frowned. “Fine.”
“I’ll follow you.” He wasn’t sure she wouldn’t try to shake him once she got into her truck, but she didn’t.
He parked next to her at Al’s Diner and waited until they had ordered their drinks before asking, “What’s going on? Maybe I can help.”
“Why? It has nothing to do with Abbey.”
Why do I want to help Jessie? Good question. Why am I insisting when she wants nothing to do with me? “Can’t a person want to help because it’s the right thing to do?”
“We aren’t even friends.”
“Maybe that should change.”
One of her delicate eyebrows shot up. “Because of Abbey?”
“Partially. Although my mother would never admit this, the Morgan family is responsible for a lot of your heartache. We wanted to believe the evidence Bill collected against Gabriel. From our viewpoint, it made sense.”
Her frown returned full-fledged. “Sense? Because Gabriel was your sister’s husband?”
He nodded, wanting to smooth the creases in her forehead and somehow add a sparkle to her eyes, something she reserved for her friends, and Abbey and Gabriel. When had he become so focused on the family business and his civic duties as part of the city council that he’d neglected having any meaningful relationships? Since college, he rarely even dated. He was turning into his mother, who was a master at keeping barr
iers up between herself and others, and he didn’t want that for himself.
“Yesterday…I can’t believe all this stuff with Heather started only yesterday.”
“A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours.”
“Mary Lou’s mom asked me to pack up her daughter’s belongings. She just couldn’t. It was hard enough for me. I can only imagine how it would make a mother feel.”
Would his mother even shed a tear if he died? When Marcie was murdered, she had gotten angry, not sad.
“As I went through Mary Lou’s closet, I remembered her secret hiding place. I thought there could be something in it that her mom would want to keep. Instead, there was a letter from Mary Lou to me.”
“Nothing for her mom?”
“No.”
“Did you show it to Mary Lou’s mother?”
“No. It was written right before she was murdered. I gave it to Kira to keep. Earlier I thought Kira had shown you the letter.”
He shook his head. “She didn’t even mention a letter. Just her concerns for you. So why didn’t you show Mary Lou’s mother, but you gave it to Kira?”
“Rebecca is moving away from Pinecrest, and I think that might be the best thing for her to do. Even more so now that Mrs. Williams has been killed.”
“Because of what was in the letter?”
“Yes. Mary Lou’s brother died from an overdose of cocaine, and her letter to me indicated she thought Heather was mixed up in drugs. She was looking into it. I don’t know if it was legal or illegal drugs Mary Lou was talking about, but I think that’s what got her killed. She found out something.”
Josh blew out a long breath. He instantly thought about Aaron. Was he involved? Did his attack have anything to do with drugs? The thought chilled him. “I’m not surprised this is going on in Pinecrest. Illegal drug use is everywhere. Not long ago I had to fire an executive at Morgan Industries in Oklahoma City. He became addicted after being on prescription painkillers. He embezzled money from the company. Thankfully he’s getting the help he needs.”
“In jail?”
“No, rehab. He was an excellent employee for years, but after he was injured in a car wreck, everything started to change.”
“The police didn’t arrest him?”
“I didn’t press charges. We handled it internally.”
Surprise fluttered across her face. “Why?”
“He had a family with several children. They had already gone through enough.”
“Gabriel had a family—part of yours.”
“That was different. Murder isn’t the same as embezzlement. That crime was basically victimless.”
“You were a victim of it. Why didn’t you want to make an example of the executive?”
When he first discovered the fifty-thousand-dollar embezzlement, he had wanted to immediately get the police involved. But after sleeping on it, he awoke with an idea to help the man, especially when he heard how the executive got hooked on painkillers. “I’m discovering the addiction to prescription drugs is as bad as illegal ones.”
“Why are so many drugs legally given to people that can turn a person into an addict?”
“I wish I could answer that.” Josh took a sip of his coffee, glancing around the diner at the early dinner crowd. He’d learned Jessie was passionate about certain things. Friends and family were at the top of the list. “I’m not going to be able to persuade you to forget the letter, am I?”
“You know me better than I thought. But I need to be smart about it.”
“Then I suggest we meet with Kira about it since she has the letter and can come up with a game plan.”
“I trust Kira. I don’t want the police chief involved.”
“You think he’s behind it?”
“Maybe.”
“I know Bill has faults, but what makes you think that?”
“I guess because of what happened to my brother. The chief ignored evidence that didn’t fit his theory of who killed your sister. He might not be involved, but he only sees what he wants. I like your idea of talking with Kira.”
He grinned. “You like something I suggested. We need to mark this day.”
“I can always take it back.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
He chuckled. “And you would. Do you think she’s still at her office?”
“I’ll call and see.” Jessie pulled out her cell phone and connected with Kira.
While Jessie talked, Josh panned the diner. Al, the owner, stood behind the counter, staring at them. Even when their gazes locked, Al didn’t turn away. His stare changed into a glare, making Josh wonder why. He didn’t come into the diner, so what was Al’s problem? Did he have a thing for Jessie? He hadn’t heard they were dating. He could certainly see why the man would be interested in her. She was attractive, and the more he was around her, the more intriguing she became.
“Kira said,” Jessie’s husky voice cut into his thoughts, “she was heading home and to meet her at her grandmother’s where she’s staying.”
“I heard she put her house up for sale.”
“After the shootout at her place in December, she never wanted to return.”
“Sure can’t blame her. You ready to leave?”
She nodded, finished the last of her coffee, and rose. “Her grandmother’s gone to a church meeting, so we’ll be able to talk freely.”
“Good. I have some ideas of what we can do.” Josh escorted Jessie from the diner, glancing back once to note Al was still watching them.
* * *
Sitting in Kira’s grandmother’s living room with Josh, Jessie couldn’t believe he wanted to help her. Their past had been rocky at best. At first, she’d thought to reject his assistance, but after Mrs. Williams’s death, she knew she couldn’t figure out alone what was going on. Walking away from what she suspected wasn’t an option. Two people had been killed that she knew of, and Heather was missing.
After reading Mary Lou’s letter, Josh peered up. “If only we knew what she found out or even where she began to look.”
“I might have known if I’d been here.” A part of her couldn’t shake the feeling she could have saved her best friend if she’d been here instead of in Florida. She and Mary Lou had shared everything since elementary school.
Josh’s mouth firmed into a straight line. “And done what? Gotten killed, too?”
“I could have talked her out of investigating what was going on with Heather.”
“Would that have worked?” Kira took the letter Josh handed her.
“Probably not. She could be stubborn.”
“Sounds like you.” Kira sat back on the couch and crossed her legs.
Jessie smiled. “Since you’re gonna be my sister-in-law in a couple of weeks, I’m gonna ignore that.”
“I have a friend who’s part of the investigative branch of the state police. He has worked in the southeast part of Oklahoma for a year, so Bill shouldn’t be familiar with him. I’m going to contact him about coming here to investigate a possible drug ring. Is that okay with you, Kira?”
“Who is it?”
“Scott Collins. We went to the University of Oklahoma together my first two years of college. I’ll have him stay with me.”
“So Bill won’t know about him?” Jessie asked.
“That’s my intention.”
“Good.”
Kira shifted her attention from Jessie to Josh. “Why are we keeping it from our police chief, especially in light of what happened to Mrs. Williams?”
The corners of Jessie’s mouth turned down. “The less people who know we suspect a drug ring the better.”
Josh sat forward. “Also, Kira, if you haven’t heard of this drug ring in Pinecrest, then I’d say they’ve done an excellent job of keeping it under the radar. Often the law enforcement authorities know about a criminal enterprise but not who or where they are. Has Bill ever said anything about a drug ring operating in this town?”
“Not a drug ring although there hav
e been cases of drug possession. We had that cattle-rustling ring working the area last year, and there was a problem with an employee stealing medication from a nursing home a while back. Nothing like when I worked in the DA’s office in Tulsa.” Kira sighed. “I want to make sure Pinecrest is safe. I want to raise a family here.”
With her brother. Gabriel used to talk about having several children until Marcie began to change. Obviously, he and Kira had discussed having kids. Where was she going to fit into their family? After Kira and Gabriel married, they would live at the ranch. She didn’t want to get in their way or make the situation awkward. Other than taking care of Abbey and helping on the ranch, she didn’t have any other work skills. Everything happened so fast that she hadn’t even thought about it until recently.
“So how’s your friend going to investigate?” Kira asked.
“Since Mrs. Williams worked at the grocery store pharmacy, Scott could go undercover and apply for her job. I know the owner and could put in a good word for Scott. He’s done that sort of thing before.”
Kira shook her head. “I wouldn’t mention anything to the owner. See if he can get the job on his own. They’re cracking down on security at pharmacies, hospitals, and places that frequently handle drugs, especially the narcotics.”
“If Scott doesn’t get the job, I’ll apply,” Jessie said before really thinking about what she was saying. But maybe it was a good idea for her to look for a job and a place of her own when Gabriel remarried or shortly thereafter.
“No,” both Josh and Kira said at the same time.
“Why not? All I would do was gather information. See if there was a way Mrs. Williams could have been involved in the drug ring.”
Josh clasped his hands tightly together. “What if she was murdered because Heather told her something or she knew what happened to her niece? The pharmacy could be a dead end. Let me see what Scott thinks is best.”
While Kira and Josh worked out the details of Scott going undercover in Pinecrest, Jessie tried to think how Mary Lou acted the last few times Jessie saw her before she left town. The only thing her best friend had said to her was about taking a second job. Quinn was thinking about hiring an assistant to take some of the load off him. The community center had really grown in the past year. Maybe that would be better for her, if the job was still available. One of Heather’s friends at the center might let something slip that could help the investigation. A lot of teens hung out there. If not Heather’s friends, someone else might give them a lead.
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