“Unless we know what the numbers mean, they’re useless.”
She stuffed it back into her pocket. “You’re right. Why couldn’t it have been a phone or license plate number?”
Josh pulled into the last parking space for Al’s Diner. “It’s crowded.”
“Before we go inside, what do you think about the autopsy report? Kira called and told me the findings right before I went to work.”
“Heather had drugs in her system, and she didn’t drown. No water in her lungs. As we thought, she was dumped there, but she wasn’t supposed to be found. It didn’t look like she fought her assailant, no obvious bruises or wounds to indicate that. If she’d killed herself, then why try to hide the body?”
“And why the pond?”
“Someone who has a grudge against your family? First Mary Lou then Heather.”
Jessie scanned the parking lot, wondering if they were being watched right now. “Your mother is the only one I can think of.”
“You’re no longer considering me?” Josh opened his car door.
A month ago, she might have said yes but not now. “No, I’ve gotten to know you better. Also, you’d never do anything to hurt Abbey.”
“My mother has done many things I haven’t approved of, but she wouldn’t hurt Abbey.”
“I miss my mom every day.” Jessie climbed out of the sports car and waited for Josh to round the hood.
When they entered the restaurant, she immediately saw Gabriel and Kira in the last booth with Scott in the one adjacent, having dinner alone. How did her brother and Kira manage the most secluded table in the place? Scott’s presence helped, though.
Gabriel stood and shook Josh’s hand while Jessie slid across the booth seat to sit opposite Kira. Josh settled beside Jessie.
As the waitress approached, Kira smiled. “I’m so glad you both could join us for dinner.” Her voice was a shade louder than usual.
After the young lady took their orders, Jessie whispered, “What’s going on?”
Gabriel slipped his arm around Kira and relaxed back as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “Kira found a bug in her office. The kind that listens in on conversations.”
“Where? How long has it been there? Did you call the police?”
Kira’s grin widened. “No, I can use this to our advantage, but we can’t say anything there. I’m leaving the bug in place for the time being. We’ll have to assume they know about Mary Lou’s letter. So we’ll need to be careful where we talk.”
“Then why here?” Jessie glanced behind her. “There must be twenty-five to thirty people in the diner.”
“Harder to bug if we pick a random place. After Heather’s body was found at the ranch, the old barn wouldn’t be a good place to meet. Nothing in secret. Since you two have been seeing each other lately, I thought we could use the cover of two couples dating.” Kira slanted her eyes at Gabriel. “He isn’t too sure about your dating, but I figured y’all would go along with it.”
“Sure.” Josh put his arm along the back of the booth. “Could the bug be a carryover from the serial killer investigation?”
“Maybe, but we have to assume otherwise.”
While they waited for their dinners, Kira laid out what little they knew concerning Mary Lou’s, Mrs. Williams’s, and Heather’s deaths. “I’ve put a rush on the lab reports for both of them. Hopefully, we’ll know about Mrs. Williams’s toxicology soon thanks to Scott, who also put in a request for a speedy turnaround.”
“From what Mary Lou indicated in her letter to Jessie,” Josh glanced at her, “everything that’s been going on has to do with a drug ring. Heather’s involvement and death are indications that lead me to believe this ring is most likely selling and recruiting our young people.”
“Which means middle and high school kids. I’ll approach the principals of both schools with my concerns, especially since Heather’s screening came back with opiates in her system at the time of death.” Kira peered beyond the booth. “The waitress is coming with our food.”
After the waitress placed their dinners in front of them, they spent the next few minutes eating.
“I don’t want a repeat of last December. I’m going to be the voice of caution in this group.” Gabriel sipped his tea, his gaze shifting around the table. “Kira almost died then. We need to let Scott and the police do their job. Last night watching Heather being pulled out of the water, I revisited all the stress of that previous event. Isn’t that why Scott was brought in?”
“How can you say that after the bungling of the serial killer case by the police?”
“Easy, Jessie. You weren’t here to know what Kira and I went through. Only by the grace of God are we alive today. Besides, I have Abbey to be concerned about.”
Her brother was right. She couldn’t put her niece in jeopardy. The three deaths made it obvious that whoever was behind the drug ring wouldn’t think twice about killing someone who crossed him, even kids.
“Mother wants her to stay with us at the estate. I’m not saying that’s the best thing for Abbey, but I wanted you to know she went to the lawyer this morning to press that agenda.”
Gabriel frowned. “She won’t win. All this will do is stress Abbey.”
“I know, and I’m going to try and talk her out of it.”
“I thought your mother had accepted the situation.” Jessie could feel the strain pulsating off her brother.
“So did I.” Josh covered Jessie’s hand on the seat between them. “She’s strong-willed. That’s why I’m warning you.”
Kira wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Thanks, Josh. I’ll make sure Gabriel is covered legally if she wants a fight.”
“And I’ll pay for the legal fees.”
Gabriel leaned toward Josh. “No, you won’t. Kira and I will take care of it.”
The tension skyrocketed. Jessie laid her hand on Josh’s arm, his muscles bunched beneath her fingers. This fake date could quickly turn into a fight if she didn’t do something fast. “Thanks for the offer. Let’s hope it doesn’t go that far.” She looked at Josh. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this time together, I’m tired.” To emphasize that, she leaned against Josh and would have batted her eyes if that would have defused the moment.
Josh withdrew his wallet and put the money on the table to pay for their dinners. “My treat.” He stood and held his hand out for Jessie. “It was nice seeing y’all.”
As if they were really dating, he didn’t release his grasp until they were halfway to the parking lot but then only to nestle her against his side.
I’m playing the part of his girlfriend. But she couldn’t quite convince herself that his arm along her shoulder didn’t make her heart beat faster.
On the drive back to the community center, Jessie asked, “Are you really going to go against your mother concerning Abbey?”
“If I said it, I mean it. I don’t agree with my mother. This morning wasn’t the time to say anything to her because Abbey was there. I’m hoping her lawyer will discourage her or good sense will finally overcome her.”
“I suppose anything can happen.”
When Josh pulled up beside her truck, he parked and opened his door.
“I think I’ll be okay walking the two feet to my pickup and hopping in.”
“Humor me.”
She waited for him to open her door, feeling like she had gone on her first date with the football captain and prom king all in one. For the last few years, she hadn’t gone out with anyone. She’d been too busy helping her brother with Abbey and the ranch. Now Kira would take her place and stand next to Gabriel. He no longer needed her help. Jessie needed to make a life for herself.
Josh held out his hand, and when she clasped it, he tugged her to her feet, flat up against him. He steadied her. “I’m going to follow you home.”
“You don’t need to.”
“After all that’s been going on, I’d feel better if I did. Or you can come stay at the estate.”
; “I can’t stop you from following me home, but I’m staying at the ranch, not your estate.”
“Okay, for now.” He plucked her keys from her hand, unlocked her truck, and swung the door wide. “Your carriage awaits.” When she sat behind the steering wheel, Josh bent toward her and kissed her on the mouth. “Sweet dreams.”
The urge to pull him back to her was strong. Instead of doing that, she gripped the steering wheel and remembered the past between the Michaels and Morgan families. When Josh returned to his car, she started her pickup and left the parking lot. As she drove out of town, Josh was behind her. There were so many obstacles to a relationship with him, not that she really cared.
Her headlights sliced through the darkness on the road. A throbbing ache pulsated against her skull while her stomach roiled. Maybe she ate something that didn’t agree with her. She pressed her foot on the accelerator. The faster she went the quicker she would get to the ranch.
The white line down the center began to oscillate like a snake slithering along the road. As she stared out the windshield, what landscape she could see spun. Bile rose into her throat. Her eyelids slid down halfway. She tried to blink, but all she wanted to do was sleep. She glanced at the seat next to her, beckoning her to lie down.
Chapter Ten
Josh gripped his steering wheel. Something was wrong with Jessie.
Her truck swayed from one side of the road to the other. She sped up, the erratic driving increasing. Then suddenly her vehicle slowed but still swerved all over the road. If Josh didn’t know better, he would think she was drunk.
He laid his hand on his horn, hoping that would get her attention. Instead, she slumped to the right while the pickup headed for the side of the highway.
Helpless, he could only watch the truck fly off the road.
Bounce over the rough terrain.
Hit a tree.
His heart sank into his stomach.
Josh slammed his car to a stop and parked on the side of the highway, put on his flashing lights, and scrambled from his sports car. Did she even have an airbag?
He raced toward the truck. Please, Lord, help Jessie. Protect her.
His heartbeat thundered against his chest. His breath shortened.
He wrenched open the driver’s side door, and the light popped on. White powder from the airbag floated in the air. Jessie slumped to the right, her seatbelt holding her halfway up. Her eyes were closed.
Hopping up on the running board, he shoved the airbag out of the way as much as he could and leaned over Jessie while he felt for her pulse. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until it whooshed out as he felt the faint beat of her heart beneath his fingertips.
After unhooking her seatbelt, he checked for any visible wound. He couldn’t feel a head injury. So why had she passed out?
Her eyelids fluttered.
“Jessie, wake up.”
She moaned, opened her eyes, then shut them.
While he called 9-1-1, he saw smoke billowing from the crushed hood. He needed to get her away from the truck in case there was a fire. He slipped her legs toward him then pulled her close until he slid her into his arms. As he trudged toward his car, in the illumination of his headlights, Jessie looked up at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, struggling to open his car’s passenger door without putting her down.
“Wh—what—hap—pened?” Again her eyes closed.
“Your truck went off the road and crashed into a tree. Are you hurt anywhere?” He placed her into his car.
She shoved at him. “Sick.”
He held her while she bent over and threw up on the ground by his car.
Again if he hadn’t been with her for the past hour, he would think she was drunk. Something else was going on.
She straightened and cradled her head in her palm. “My head’s pounding.”
“I’m not waiting for help. I’m driving you to the hospital. Now.” He shut the door and hurried around his car.
As he drove toward Pinecrest, Jessie slumped against his door. A patrol vehicle passed him as well as an ambulance. He continued toward the hospital, calling ahead to let them know he was bringing in Jessie.
“I don’t—know—what—happened.” Each of her words were forced out as though she struggled to put them into a coherent sentence.
When he pulled up to the ER’s entrance, a nurse and an orderly with a gurney met him. They quickly transferred Jessie to the stretcher and rushed her inside. Josh followed, calling Gabriel as he did.
“Kira and I will be there,” Gabriel said as a doctor went into Jessie’s room.
After Josh disconnected, he called the police chief to let him know why no one was at the wreck. “I’m at the hospital with Jessie. She’s awake now but groggy.”
“What caused the accident?”
“Don’t know. I think she passed out and went off the road.”
“Drinking or taking drugs?”
“No, absolutely not. I was with her up until the crash. We had tea at dinner.”
Chief Shaffer snorted. “I’ll send the officer to the hospital.”
The urge to yell at Bill inundated Josh, but it wouldn’t do any good. The police chief did things a certain way, and Josh didn’t see him changing. Instead, he ended the call.
Josh began to pace. He should go and give the lady at the desk Jessie’s information, but he didn’t want to leave. He wished he could be inside with her. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on.
When the doctor emerged from the room, Josh approached the man. “What’s wrong with Jessie?”
“Don’t know. She is responsive but doesn’t have any memory of the crash. One second she was driving to her ranch and the next you were carrying her to your car. What did she have to drink? Do you know if she took any kind of drug?”
“She didn’t have alcohol, and I didn’t see her take a pill. I was probably with her for about ninety minutes before the wreck. Before that, she was at the community center where she works.”
“I’m running a blood test. I’ll get results back soon. Have you contacted her next of kin?”
“Yes. Her brother is on his way.”
“Good.” He returned to the room, and a couple of minutes later, a nurse hurried inside with a piece of paper.
The blood test?
When he spied Gabriel with Kira entering the ER, he met them halfway. “The last I talked with the doctor, he didn’t know what caused Jessie to pass out in the truck.”
“You said you were behind her. What happened?”
Josh described Jessie swerving on the highway then heading off the road into a tree.
Her brother’s face paled. “My sister doesn’t drink nor is she on any medication.”
The lady behind the desk came toward them.
Kira clutched Gabriel’s arm. “I’ll talk with her while y’all wait for the doctor’s report.”
When Kira left, a nerve twitched in Gabriel’s jaw. He moved close to Josh. “Why were you following Jessie?”
He narrowed his eyes. “To make sure she got home all right. She knew I was. Do you have a problem with that?”
Gabriel shook his head, blowing out a long breath. “I can’t lose my little sister. Besides Abbey, she’s all the family I have.”
“I can relate to that.”
“I suppose you can.” Gabriel looked at the closed door to her room. “All I know is that you’d better treat my sister right.”
Josh stared at him a few seconds. “As well as you treated mine?”
“Actually, yes. I wasn’t the one who wanted the divorce. I would have done anything for Marcie. I loved her.”
The door to Jessie’s room opened, and the doctor came into the hallway, saw them, and walked to them. “Jessie should be all right. She had a good dose of carbon monoxide in her system.” The man peered at Josh. “If you hadn’t gotten her out of the vehicle when you did, she would have died. I’m treating her with oxygen. She should recover.”
Should? Josh needed one hundred percent assurances.
“Can I see my sister?” Gabriel asked before Josh could voice his concerns.
“I’d like to see her, too.”
“One at a time.”
As much as Josh wanted to see her first, Gabriel was family. Josh stepped back.
Gabriel moved forward, stopped, and turned. “You can see her now. She’s alive because of you.”
“Thanks,” Josh said and trailed after the doctor into the room.
The doctor paused at the door. “She has a mask over her mouth and nose. She shouldn’t talk but rest and remain calm, but you may talk to her for a few minutes.
“Are you admitting her to the hospital?”
“Yes, at least overnight to assess her progress.”
“I’ll take care of any bills she accrues that her insurance won’t cover. I want the best care for her, and I don’t want this common knowledge.”
“Yes, Mr. Morgan. I’ll give you a few minutes alone.”
He didn’t know the doctor, but he wasn’t surprise he knew his name. The small hospital was named Morgan Medical Center. Josh was throwing around his influence and wealth, but he needed to make sure Jessie would be all right.
When he entered, her eyes were closed while she lay on the bed. The ashen cast to her skin stood out against the white sheets. He moved closer, not wanting to disturb her, just to see that she was okay. Her chest gently rose and fell. At her bed, he resisted the urge to hold her hand. As the doctor said, she needed the rest.
“I’ll find who did this to you. I promise,” he whispered.
Her eyelids slid up, and their gazes connected. She smiled beneath the mask, her hand searching for his.
He cradled hers between his palms. “I’m not staying. Your brother’s out in the hall, and he wants to see you. I’ll be back later.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I’ll be outside watching over you.”
Her eyes flared.
He gently placed her arm down by her side.
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