by Laura Scott
Declan left Tess’s room, battling a wave of frustration. He didn’t like having Tess be upset with him, but he didn’t understand how she could be so convinced her brother was innocent after all the circumstantial proof that was stacked against him.
He leaned against the wall just outside her room, waiting while the doctor went in to talk to Tess. There was nothing he could do to stop Tess from leaving, and he hated feeling helpless. Why couldn’t she do as he’d asked and stay one more night?
Nothing was more important than keeping her safe, other than finding the perp who’d set the bombs. Unfortunately, so far his investigation was nothing more than one big dead end.
Granted, he’d been mostly focused on Bobby and Allan Gray, but maybe it was time to look into that Jeff guy who used to date Tess. He needed to cover his bases, and clearing Jeff Berg would give him more time to focus on the people closer to home.
Declan straightened when the doctor came back out of the room. “Are you keeping her another night?” he asked.
The doctor shook his head. “No, she’s stable and can do the rest of her healing at home. Although she should take it easy for a while.”
Declan signed, thinking that task was easier said than done. “Okay, I’ll wait until she’s ready to leave.”
The doctor turned away, presumably to write the necessary discharge orders. Declan entered Tess’s room to find her rummaging in the small closet. “Sit down, Tess, I’ll get your things for you.”
“I’m not an invalid,” she said, gathering her clothes to her chest and then turning to face him. “Are you going to drive me back to the hotel? Or do I need to call a cab?”
Okay, she was obviously still upset with him. So why was he still incredibly drawn to her? “Of course I’ll drive you back to the hotel. Nothing has changed. I still intend to keep you safe.”
She stared at him for a long moment, as if she wanted to say something more, but she simply turned and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door with a loud click.
He lowered himself into an empty chair to wait for her. His phone rang, and he quickly answered it when he saw Isaac’s phone number. “Hey, buddy, what’s up? Have you found Bobby?”
“Not yet, which is a little odd considering we have everyone on alert. But I wanted you to know that I talked to Allan Gray this morning—he apparently works as a security guard at Trinity.”
“Yeah, Tess informed me of that, as well. But did he explain why he took off running when I yelled out at him?”
“Claims he was worried he’d get arrested for some kind of privacy breach.”
Declan shook his head, thinking Gray’s excuse sounded pretty lame. “Did you ask him where he was yesterday afternoon?”
“Yeah, claims he wasn’t anywhere near the corner where Tess hit the light pole, but I did get a good look at his car. He’s driving a beige Chevy, so he could have been the guy you saw.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t do me any good if I can’t prove it.” Declan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “At this rate, we’ll never nail this guy.”
“Deck, it’s not like you to have a defeatist attitude,” Isaac pointed out. “We’ll keep poking at the clues and eventually something will turn up.”
“I think we need to broaden our search,” Declan muttered. “I’m going to look into that Jeff Berg who used to date Tess.”
“Isn’t he some sort of principal now?” Isaac asked. “Not a likely candidate for a bomber.”
“I know, but there was something in Tess’s expression when she mentioned him that sent up a red flag. I get the feeling there’s more to that story.” The bathroom door opened and Tess appeared, looking pale and drawn. “I have to go, but keep me posted with any updates.”
“Will do.”
He disconnected from the call and rose to his feet. “Are you ready to go? Do you need to sign paperwork or something?”
“I’ll check with the nurse.” She pushed her call light and within moments the nurse came in with the discharge papers. After a few minutes Tess was ready to leave, although she flatly refused to use the wheelchair.
Declan walked beside her, ready to catch her if she fell, but it seemed she was truly fine as they made their way down to the lobby. “Wait here,” he suggested. “I’ll bring the car around.”
“All right.”
It didn’t take long to drive the car up to the entrance where Tess was already walking outside to meet him.
“Are we going back to the same hotel as before?” she asked as they drove away from the hospital.
He nodded. “At this point there’s no reason to move locations—the perp likely set up the meeting at the park because he didn’t know where you were. I think we’ll stay at least one more night, before moving on.” He didn’t add that the main reason he wanted to stay was so that Tess could get some much-needed rest.
“Good,” she murmured. “I’d like to go to church tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday,” he said, wondering if the bonk on her head caused her to be confused.
“I know, but there’s usually an early morning service every day.”
Okay, so she wasn’t confused. “That’s fine if you want to go, but I’ll go with you.”
She slanted him a curious glance. “I’m glad. You might find out that you really like it.”
He didn’t want to burst her bubble. The fact that he’d prayed while he worked on the bomb beneath the picnic table didn’t mean that he planned to start attending church every week.
He steered the subject away from faith and church. “I need to know about your relationship with Jeff Berg.”
Tess crossed her arms across her chest, immediately going on the defensive. “Why? I told you that he’s not involved in this.”
“How can you be so sure?”
She turned and stared out her window for several long moments. “We dated, and then he took a new job. That’s all there is to it.”
He was convinced she was holding back. “Tess, please. I’m sorry if you think I’m poking my nose in your personal business, but I really need to understand what went wrong between the two of you. If he’s innocent, that’s fine, because right now I’d like nothing more than to cross at least one suspect off the list.”
Tess sighed and shook her head. “There isn’t anything to tell.”
He’d interviewed enough suspects to know that wasn’t true. “If a guy is happy and thinking of spending the rest of his life with a woman, he’s not about to look for a new job in another state. Which means that something wasn’t right between the two of you.”
“We weren’t serious,” Tess protested. “And Jeff was very ambitious. I knew he wanted a principal position.”
She wasn’t making this easy. “How was his relationship with Bobby?”
Her flinch was so subtle that he almost missed it. “They didn’t get along,” she admitted frankly. “But understand that Bobby’s attitude didn’t help much.”
“I’m sure your brother was very protective of you.”
She nodded grimly. “Yes, that much is true. But Jeff repeatedly told me that I was too soft on Bobby and that I needed to be stricter with him.”
He sensed he was treading on dangerous ground. “Maybe that’s just the way he was raised.”
“No, that’s the way I was raised,” she admitted. “My father was strict to the point I used to feel sick to my stomach every time he got angry with me.”
He scowled at that. “Did your father abuse you?”
“Not physically, but he was a total control freak. And he didn’t hesitate to yell and scream if I stepped out of line. I spent most of my spare time in the library since it was the only safe haven I had to escape the tense atmosphere at home.”
Suddenly Tess’s reaction to his commands
yesterday made sense. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “That must have been rough.”
She lifted her shoulder in a careless shrug. “Maybe I was too lenient with Bobby, but I didn’t appreciate the way Jeff used to yell at him, either.”
Declan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Did Jeff do more than yell?” he asked carefully.
Tess pursed her lips together and reluctantly nodded. “I think so,” she said in a low voice. “One day I was late coming home and Jeff was already at the house when I arrived. Bobby was sporting a black eye. Jeff denied hitting him but admitted that they’d argued. Bobby wouldn’t say anything one way or the other.” She released a shuddering breath. “I refused to go out with him that night and Jeff told me that was fine because he’d only come to tell me that he’d accepted a principal position in St. Louis.”
Declan found it hard to believe that a man who’d dedicated his life to leading teachers had actually hit a teenager. “Did you report him? Or call the police?”
Tess shook her head. “No, Bobby convinced me not to. He admitted that he’d instigated the argument. I guess I was worried that somehow Jeff’s story would change and Bobby would be the one thrown in jail.”
Declan nodded, understanding her logic. He remembered several times he’d gotten in trouble just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once the cops tagged you as a troublemaker, it was difficult to recover.
But this new information swirled around in his head. Was it possible that Jeff was worried Tess had the power to ruin his career? Would he take drastic steps to keep her from talking about what had happened with Bobby? It seemed like a long shot, but he couldn’t afford to totally discount the possibility.
He pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and then turned to face her. “Maybe I should pay Berg a visit?”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Tess said with a frown. “I don’t trust him not to turn everything back to Bobby. Right now it’s the word of a principal against that of a troubled teenager. Besides, as much as Jeff turned out to be a jerk, I still can’t imagine him running around the city planting bombs as a way to get back at me.”
Declan sighed. “You could be right...it does seem to be a bit of a stretch. But someone is trying to hurt you, Tess, and we need to figure out who that could be before he succeeds.”
“How do we know that I’m the target?” she asked. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and you’re in as much danger as I am. Maybe more, since you’re the one who ends up dealing with the actual bombs.”
He scoffed at the idea. “I doubt it. The other members of the SWAT team are just as much at risk as I am.”
“I heard Caleb and Isaac talking about the fact that you’re the main bomb guy. And didn’t you work at the minimart when you were in high school?”
He stared at her in surprise. “Yes, but you worked at the custard stand.”
“You used to come to the custard stand all the time, even though you didn’t buy anything.”
Declan swallowed hard. He didn’t want to admit that he’d gone there to get a glimpse of Tess.
“Think about it, Declan. What better way to get back at you than to keep planting bombs? And you said yourself, your sister was at the minimart when the bomb went off. Maybe we should be looking at someone who’s holding a grudge against you.”
Declan didn’t know what to say, because he couldn’t deny the possibility she was right. All the bomb sites were places where he’d hung out as a teenager.
His gut clenched with dread. What if the only reason Tess was in danger was him?
ELEVEN
Tess glanced at Declan, who was staring intently through the windshield, clearly deep in thought. She was glad his focus had shifted away from Jeff Berg.
She couldn’t believe she’d been stupid enough to go out with Jeff in the first place. Even in the beginning, she hadn’t appreciated his stringent attitude toward Bobby. Just thinking of the way Jeff had hit Bobby made her furious all over again. A wave of helpless guilt washed over her. She knew she should have called the police while the bruise darkening her brother’s eye was still visible, proof that Jeff had punched him. Even if Bobby had started the fight, she should have defended him.
At the time, she’d been afraid that Jeff would claim Bobby hit him first, somewhere a bruise wouldn’t show. And considering the two disorderly conduct citations Bobby had already racked up, she suspected the police would side with Jeff, a respected assistant principal of the local middle school, rather than believe her brother.
Was that the real reason Bobby had skipped school and then disappeared? Because she hadn’t done a better job of protecting him last summer? Her cheeks burned with shame at the thought of Bobby blaming her.
It was too late to go back and fix the past; all she could do was to focus on the future. She sent up another silent prayer. Please, Lord, please keep Bobby safe and show him the way home. Amen.
“Let’s get inside,” Declan said, finally breaking the silence.
She nodded and pushed her car door open. She knew she needed to keep looking for her brother, but she was out of ideas as to where to search next.
Had Bobby gone to the church to find her note? She really wanted to go and check, but she worried that going to church tonight as well as going in the morning might cause Declan to be suspicious as to her true motive.
Yet at the same time, she had to know one way or the other. Somehow, she just knew that if Bobby was in trouble, he’d go to the church they’d attended together.
Using her magnetic card key, she opened her door and went inside. Declan surprised her by following her into the room.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “We can go out for something to eat.”
“Not really, I had a late lunch. But you go ahead... I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“No, I’m not leaving you here alone,” he said stubbornly. “We’ll order in when you’re ready.”
Tess sank down on the edge of her bed, trying to ignore the ache in her head. Sitting here doing nothing didn’t suit her.
“I changed my mind,” she said abruptly. “I’d like to go back to church tonight, instead of waiting until the morning.”
His eyebrows rose. “Okay,” he said. “But I’d like to eat something first if that’s all right with you. And you should probably take more pain meds, but not on an empty stomach.”
She felt bad making him skip a meal, so she gave in. “All right, but all I need is some soup.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but he shrugged. “Okay, rest for a few minutes while I find somewhere that delivers.”
She stretched out on the bed, intending to just close her eyes for a few minutes, but the next thing she knew almost an hour had passed. She had no idea that having a head injury would cause her to feel so exhausted.
“Declan?” she called as she swung upright on the edge of the bed. The connecting door was open, but she couldn’t hear anything.
“I’m here,” he said quickly. He strode through the doorway with a tray of food. “I ordered you some chicken noodle soup and scrambled eggs.”
“Thanks.” She stood and met him over by the small table in the corner of the room. “Did you already eat? Is that pizza I smell?”
“Yeah, I ate already,” he said, ducking his head as if embarrassed. “Sorry about the pizza fumes...I hope they don’t make you sick.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. She ate the lukewarm soup and eggs while Declan surfed the internet. Her brief nap had restored her appetite.
“Are you sure you’re up to a walk to the church?” he asked when she’d finished. “We can wait until tomorrow. I still have some research to do on my laptop and you look as if you could use more sleep.”
Tess had to admit it was tempting, but she forced herself to shake
her head. “I’d like to go tonight, but you don’t have to come along. I’m sure I’ll be fine—the church is only a few blocks away.”
“I don’t want you to go alone, so I’ll come with you,” Declan said, although she could see the flash of disappointment in his eyes. “Just give me a few minutes to shut down.”
“Sure.” Tess used the time to freshen up in the bathroom, splashing water on her cheeks in a vain attempt to bring some color to her pale face. Her headache had eased a bit, which she hoped was a good sign.
Declan had carried his computer into his room, returning less than five minutes later. He took her hand as they left the hotel. She told herself that this gesture didn’t mean anything other than the fact that he was likely worried that she’d fall flat on her face. But despite her efforts to convince herself otherwise, the warmth of his hand surrounding hers was very distracting as they walked to the church.
“Why is it so dark?” she asked, glancing up at the clouds hovering in the sky.
“Supposed to rain, but not until later.”
Tess couldn’t help wondering if she was crazy to think Bobby had come to church to find her note. It could be that this was nothing more than a wild-goose chase. Although enjoying the fresh air was nice and refreshing.
If nothing else, sitting in church would help her feel closer to God, at least for a short time.
“Let’s try not to stay too long,” Declan cautioned as she walked up the stairs to the main doors. “I’d rather not get caught in the rain.”
“Are you going to wait in the back?” she asked.
“No, I’m coming up front with you.”
To her chagrin, Declan followed her all the way to the front of the church, and she wondered if he would have done this if they had been sitting through a regular service. Somehow she doubted it. As she went into the pew, she brushed her fingers in the corner where she’d left the note, but it wasn’t there.
Because the cleaning staff had found it? Or because Bobby had? The possibilities swirled around in her mind and she wanted more than anything to believe the latter.
* * *