Finding Kate Huntley

by Ragan, Theresa

  Jack stepped closer, too, and put the barrel of his gun to the other side of Conrad’s head. “Unfortunately for you, Conrad, I do have balls. I also have friends.”

  “What do you want to know?” Conrad asked through gritted teeth.

  “Whose idea was it to frame me?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Jack pushed his gun hard against Conrad’s head. “Who killed Dr. Forstin?”

  “I don’t know.”

  A.J. pulled the trigger back, making a loud click.

  “I d-don’t know,” Conrad said. “H-Harrison thinks all the answers to Forstin’s murder might be on a disc.”

  “What disc?”

  “Forstin’s wife said her husband bought a surveillance camera, but nothing turned up when the forensic team scoured the lab for evidence.”

  For the first time since Jack learned he was wanted for murder, he felt hope building inside his chest, honest to God hope that there might be some hard-core evidence out there proving that he was an innocent man. If Forstin had the foresight to install a camera, then there could be evidence that could clear Jack’s name.

  With a new plan in mind, Jack went to the table by the bed and picked up Conrad’s cell phone. “You’re going to tell Harrison I have the disc he wants and that in exchange for the disc I want a letter from him stating my innocence. Tell him he has thirty minutes to get to the phone booth at the bus station on Walnut Avenue in Glendale. Tell him I’ll be waiting inside the booth with the disc and that he better come alone. No letter, no disc.”

  Jack took a deep breath and began dialing.

  Holding the barrel of his gun to Conrad’s head, A.J. nodded, letting Jack know he was doing the right thing.

  “If you don’t do as I’ve instructed,” Jack told Conrad, “I’m going to walk out of here and leave you alone with my friend to figure things out.”

  Jack dialed Harrison’s private number, hit the green call button, and held the phone to Conrad’s ear.

  Chapter 14

  “Shit!” Harrison clicked his phone shut without bothering to say goodbye. The room was spinning. He rubbed his eyes.

  Sheila rolled over in bed and pulled her black silk eye cover to her forehead. “Who was that, honey?”

  Harrison slid his legs over the side of the bed and slipped his feet into the slippers on the floor. “Go back to sleep. I have to take care of a few things.”

  She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “It’s nearly four o’clock in the morning.”

  “I realize that, darling. It can’t be helped.” He headed for the bathroom where he placed his cell phone on the marble counter. He leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He straightened. His reflection stared back at him. He’d aged. In the past week alone, he’d added ten years’ worth of lines to his face. What the fuck was he doing?

  Exhausted, it took him another fifteen minutes just to get dressed. Harrison’s hands were shaking. He didn’t get nervous. Calm down, he told himself. It was Jack he was dealing with. Jack Coffey was nothing more than a rookie, a cyber-stalker who hid behind a computer screen on most days. The kid was green around the gills. Jack believed there were more good people in the world than bad; he spent most days looking through rose-colored glasses. Harrison shook his head. Nice guys finished last. End of story.

  From inside the walk-in closet, Harrison could see the bed and rumpled pillow where his head should be right now. He considered climbing back into bed and letting Conrad deal with Jack and his friend. Conrad was disposable. But Conrad had said over the phone that Jack had the disc Harrison wanted and that he was going to take it to the police if Harrison didn’t come for it personally. In return, Jack wanted a signed letter from Harrison stating his innocence.

  Why would Jack bring him the disc if it would prove his innocence? According to Patrick Monahan, the investigative team had thoroughly searched Forstin’s lab in San Diego. Henry Gates assured Monahan there was no surveillance camera...which meant there was no disc.

  But what if?

  Forstin’s wife had said her husband purchased a surveillance camera. Why would she say that if he hadn’t? And if Forstin had purchased a camera, wouldn’t he use it? None of this camera bullshit made any sense. And until he checked it out himself and knew for sure, he couldn’t take any chances. He had no choice but to drive to the bus station at the corner of Cerritos and Walnut and find out what Coffey was up to. He wanted nothing more than to call in the Crime Unit to cuff Coffey and bring him in...if only he could be sure of what Coffey had or didn’t have. If there was any chance at all that Jack Coffey had a video disc from the night of Forstin’s murder, then he had no choice but to meet with Jack.

  Tired of playing games, Harrison grabbed his Glock from inside its case next to his perfectly shined shoes and shoved the gun into the holster under his coat. Inflamed, he left the room without giving Sheila a second glance. If it weren’t for her extravagant spending, he wouldn’t be in this fucking mess.

  “You’re never going to get away with this Jack, so you might as well tell me who your friend is. You don’t want to spend all that time in prison alone, do you?”

  A.J. sat in the passenger seat and Conrad sat snug between the two of them. Ignoring Conrad’s irritating voice, Jack put the truck in park, then reached over and pulled the baseball cap lower over the duct tape covering Conrad’s eyes. Not that anybody would see him. It was five in the morning. It was still dark.

  A.J. ripped off another piece of duct tape and plastered it over Conrad’s big mouth before he stepped out of the truck and pulled Conrad out with him. Conrad had on a coat over his pajamas so if anyone happened to drive by he wouldn’t look suspicious. Just three guys heading for the bus stop a few hours early.

  Conrad’s hands were duct taped behind him as A.J. ushered him toward the telephone booth. There weren’t too many telephone booths in existence any longer. This one was in bad shape: cracked windows and the inside smelled like it had been used as a urinal.

  Jack shoved Conrad inside the booth and duct taped his legs together so he wouldn’t be able to get away. At least not until Harrison came for him.

  Beneath the tape covering his mouth, Conrad muttered a string of words until his face turned red. Jack removed part of the tape from his mouth so he could speak.

  “Where are we?” Conrad asked.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “You’re going to leave me here?”

  “Just be glad I didn’t throw you into the river. If Harrison wants that disc, he’ll come sooner rather than later and you’ll be back home in bed before you can recite the first few lines of the United States Constitution. You remember how that goes, right?”

  “You’re not going to get away with this, Coffey. If the director of the FBI doesn’t come after you himself, I will.”

  “Ah, back to being cocky, huh? Funny how things change when you don’t have a gun pointed at your head.”

  “Like I said before,” Conrad spit out, “You’re a fuck—”

  Jack slapped more tape across his mouth and shut the door to the phone booth. A.J. used the pick and wrench to wedge the door closed so Conrad couldn’t get out.

  For twenty minutes, they needed Conrad to stay right where he was. If Harrison showed up alone, that would tell Jack he was definitely involved in having Jack framed. If Harrison opted to bring an army of feds, then Harrison was likely innocent and truly believed Coffey was guilty of murder. Lastly, if Harrison didn’t show up at all, then he and A.J. would have to go back to square one and think of new ways to torture answers out of Conrad.

  “I wonder if there really is a disc,” A.J. said as they walked back to the truck.

  “No one wonders more than me,” Jack said. “If the video disc exists, I could be in the clear. Although I can’t imagine why the investigative team wouldn’t have located the camera if there was one.”

  “If Harrison does come for this disc, it doesn’t prove anything,” A.J
. said.

  “If Harrison comes alone, it’s because he’s afraid of what might be on that disc. If he wasn’t worried, he wouldn’t bother getting out of bed at all.”

  A.J. was sprawled across the back seat of the truck, his head propped high enough so he could use the rearview mirror to keep an eye on the phone booth.

  Jack sat in the driver’s seat, his body tucked down low as they waited. From where they watched, they could see Conrad twisting and banging his body against the glass booth.

  “He’s going to have bruises if he keeps that up,” A.J. said before he glanced at his watch. “If Harrison’s coming, he should have been here by now.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth when a dark sedan came around the corner. The windows were tinted, making it hard to see how many men were in the car.

  The passenger door shot open. A man dressed in black jumped out and made a beeline for the booth. He had the door open in under thirty seconds. Another man got out of the car and pat Conrad down, most likely looking for the disc.

  “Is that Harrison?” Jack asked.

  A.J. peered through a pair of pocket-size binoculars. “I can’t tell.”

  “How about the driver?”

  “I can’t see a thing through those tinted windows.”

  Conrad appeared to be putting up a fight. A muffled shot rang out. Conrad slumped forward. Both men ran back to the car, jumped inside, and the sedan took off. After the sedan sped by, A.J. sat up, the palms of his hands planted on the front seat. “Are you going to go after them?”

  “In this heap of scrap metal?” Jack stayed low and watched the car disappear around the bend. “We’d be better off running after them on foot.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. This didn’t go as planned. He hadn’t been able to see a damn thing, and he never intended for Conrad to get hurt.

  “I got the license plate,” A.J. told him. “We better get out of here.”

  Jack wasn’t listening. He was already out of the truck and heading for Conrad. The bottom half of Conrad’s body was still in the booth. The upper half was sprawled across the sidewalk. Jack leaned over Conrad and pulled the duct tape from his mouth.

  Blood oozed from his nose and from his abdomen onto the sidewalk. Jack placed a couple of fingers on Conrad’s neck and exerted some pressure on the artery. No pulse. Heading back for the truck, Jack climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

  Neither of them said a word.

  Kate. He needed to get back to Kate.

  Chapter 15

  Kate awoke the next morning to quiet. No voices, no birds, nothing. Back in Haiti, she woke early to the sounds of a mother calling her children, the smell of smoke and burning tortillas, the shouting of vendors selling their wares as they moved from hut to hut, or kids making music on anything made of tin. Those sharp sounds and pungent smells had become an integral part of her life.

  But quiet. She didn’t know what to do with quiet.

  She lifted her head. The dog followed suit. She smiled at Barney as he licked her hand and then rolled over so she would rub his pink smooth belly.

  “Not now, Barney.” She slid off the couch and picked him up, holding him in the crook of her arm. Her gaze traveled from the pillow to the blanket to the leather chair. The cushioned seat had an indent as if somebody had been there recently.

  Apparently, Jack had been watching over her last night while she slept. The idea of him watching over her warmed her insides. She headed past the kitchen and down the hall. He wasn’t in any of the rooms. Desire swept over her at the thought of seeing him last night in jeans and black T-shirt a size too small. The shirt had emphasized broad shoulders and well-defined biceps. But a girl could only take so much rejection, so she’d kept her distance.

  Barney wriggled in her arms, letting her know he needed to make a trip to the backyard. Making her way back to the family room, she opened the sliding glass door, figuring she’d run into Jack sooner rather than later.

  The morning air felt cool against her face, the fresh woodsy scent inviting. The lake sparkled in the morning sun. She looked around, taking it all in, soaking in the beauty and breathing in the pine-scented air. No neighbors as far as she could see. Only trees and a large expanse of water dotted with sailboats.

  Barney wriggled again and added a whimper for good measure.

  “Okay, okay,” she said as she placed him on the ground. Barney trotted off across the lawn and beyond, heading toward the lake and disappearing within a copse of pine trees. When Barney failed to reappear after a few moments, she followed the same path. “Come on, Barney,” she called, clapping her hands.

  Within moments of stepping into the shadows of the tall trees, she heard someone shouting from the house where she and Jack were staying. She glanced over her shoulder, peering through the maze of pine trees. Jack ran by in a blur. He ran down the middle of the narrow dock and peered into the water. He looked frantic, raking his hands through his hair and cursing, of all things.

  Kate followed his gaze. Nothing. No boats. No people. Her heart beat a little faster. What was going on?

  She headed his way, watching as he yanked off his boots, pulled his shirt over his head, and dove into the water. The hairs at the back of her neck stirred. Was he crazy? That water had to be freezing. What was he doing?

  Seconds became minutes. Kate ran to the edge of the lake and tried not to panic as she gazed into dark, unmoving water.

  It seemed like forever before Jack came up for air.

  Thank God.

  He shook wet hair from his face and looked ready to take another dive.

  “What are you doing? What are you looking for?”

  He whipped about so fast he startled her. She jumped back.

  He spotted her and his expression changed from frantic horror to annoyance. God, he looked like he’d been to hell and back. Suddenly it struck her, and she put a hand to her chest. “You didn’t think—” she gestured toward the water “—that I was in there, did you?”

  He didn’t answer; he didn’t have to. She could see the answer in his scowl as water dripped between his eyes and dribbled down his nose. It took some effort not to laugh.

  “You left the door open,” he ground out as he swam toward her. “The dog was gone, you were gone, and when I looked into the water I saw bubbles.”

  “Bubbles?”

  His deepening scowl stopped her from pressing him. He was doing it again...worrying.

  Plunking down on the grassy shore, she shook her head and took a calming breath. “I can’t figure you out.”

  He swam toward her, the water becoming shallower and shallower until she could see tiny droplets glistening within the golden hairs fanning across his chest.

  “What can’t you figure out?” he asked, irritation lining his voice, as if she had deliberately set out to make a fool of him. She plucked a blade of grass from the ground and brushed it across her chin. “I can’t figure out why you would worry about me, especially after you made it clear in Las Vegas that you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “If that’s the message you got, I guess I wasn’t clear at all.” He pulled himself out of the water. “I like you just fine.”

  His jeans were wet, snug around the thighs. He needed only to take a few steps before he towered over her. Water dripped from his shoulders and down his lean hard stomach. Her fingers itched to touch him. A droplet splattered across her arm.

  She had to crook her neck to meet his gaze. “Like you said, you hardly know me.”

  “I know plenty. You like animals,” he said with a gesture toward Barney as the dog ran toward her and plopped onto her lap. “You’re strong, physically and mentally, but despite the hell you’ve been through you’re still soft around the edges.”

  She lifted a brow.

  “You don’t like wearing bras,” he added smugly, “because they’re way too confining for a woman who doesn’t like to be tied down.”

  She laughed.

  “You’
re a woman who likes to be in control. And lastly,” he said, “I like you because I know you like me, too.”

  She snorted and threw a wad of grass at him. “You’re all wet.”

  He plopped down beside her. “Do me a favor and don’t run off like that again. I’ve had a rough night.”

  She was about to argue with him. She didn’t have to report to him every time she set foot outside. Ridiculous. But the fear she’d seen on his face before he jumped into the water, prompted her lips to stay sealed...at least about the part about not running off again. “Did you go somewhere?”

  “Didn’t you see the note I left you?”

  She shook her head. “I just woke up. And Barney needed to take care of business, so I came outside. The next thing I knew, you were jumping into the lake. What happened? Where did you go?”

  Barney jumped out of her lap, went to Jack instead, and licked droplets of water from his arm. Lucky dog.

  “I met with A.J. and we went to see an old friend, see if he knew anything about who might have set me up.”

  “Any luck?”

  “Nope.” He leaned back on his elbows.

  She’d never seen him look so tired. Kate wondered about Jack’s obsession with keeping her safe. Then she remembered A.J. mentioning that Jack had a sister who disappeared about the same time she had. “Tell me about your sister,” she said. “What happened to her?”

  Jack’s gaze remained fixed on the lake as he spoke. “Her name was Annie. She was an amazing person...sensitive and kind, with a loving heart.” His mouth curved into a pain-filled smile. “Sounds sort of crazy coming from a big brother who was annoyed with his little sister more often than not. She liked to follow me around, all day long if she could get away with it. If I played baseball, she played baseball. If I was tired, she was tired. If I told her my favorite color was blue then that would become her new favorite color, too.”

  Kate smiled. “Sounds nice.”

  “Yeah, it was. Too bad I didn’t appreciate her until it was too late.”