by Leann Harris
“Who are you calling now?” J.D. asked.
“Mike. I hope he isn’t on the evening shift tonight. If he is, it might take a little longer to find someone to come over here.”
Hands on her hips, J.D. scowled at him. “McGill, I don’t need a baby-sitter. By the time it takes you to locate someone, you could be there and back. And in the meantime, Allen is running loose doing heaven knows what.”
He picked up the telephone receiver, but she put her hand over the buttons. “Trust me, Luke. I can take care of myself.” He hesitated. “If it will make you feel any better, I’ll keep the gun you have in the kitchen by my side.”
It didn’t make him feel any better. Against his better judgment, he let her have her way. “Okay, J.D. Just make sure you know what you’re aiming at before you fire.”
She kissed him. “Thanks, Luke.”
He gathered up the pictures and Gwen’s diary and placed them in the mailer.
“What are you doing?”
He paused. “I’m surprised at you, Counselor. I’ll need to show this evidence to my captain to assure him we have enough concrete proof for these arrests.” He pointed to the videos and other photos. “Why don’t you put those back in the box and hide them in my closet.”
She nodded. “Be sure and tell the Austin district attorney to request these suspects be denied bail. They’ll run if given the slightest chance.”
“Yes, Mother.”
His sarcasm cut through her worry. Luke had done this thing a thousand times before and knew what he was doing. He didn’t need her telling him how to arrest suspects. She moved to his side and touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Luke. It’s just kind of odd to find myself on this side of the law enforcement game. I know you’ll do a thorough job.”
He kissed her with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Lock the door after I leave.” He cupped her face. “Just think, tomorrow at this time we should have the killer behind bars and you’ll be free to go wherever you want.”
It was what she wanted, an end to her confinement in this house. Yet somehow the thought was dark and depressing.
* * *
At the end of the block, parked between two small cars, was the blue Ford. The driver watched the cop get into his vehicle and drive off. He waited patiently for several minutes to make sure the man was actually gone. Satisfied the way was clear, the driver got out of his car. A cold smile, full of venom and revenge, transformed the handsome face into a hideous mask as he walked toward the house.
* * *
When the doorbell sounded five minutes later, J.D. smiled, thinking that Luke had forgotten something. She flung open the door. “What did you—”
She cursed herself for being an idiot and not checking who was at the door before she opened it. She also cursed herself for forgetting Luke’s gun, which was still sitting in the kitchen drawer.
Allen’s smile made her sick.
Gathering her scattered thoughts, she demanded, “What are you doing here?”
Slowly Allen raised his right hand, and J.D. saw the gun. “I’ve come for the things Gwen gave you.” He motioned her back into the living room. His gaze moved around the room. “Where are they, J.D.? I saw you and your new cop husband retrieve them from the bank. By the way, that wasn’t very nice of you, failing to mention Luke McGill was a cop.”
J.D. was grateful she’d listened to Luke and hidden the box. “I imagine it came as a big surprise to you.”
Allen’s eyes darkened dangerously. “It’s a minor annoyance, but nothing I can’t handle.”
J.D. sat on the couch. “Do the others know that you killed Gwen?”
His fingers tightened around the handle of the gun. “Who says I killed Gwen?”
She glanced down at Allen’s feet. Her heart raced when she saw the Western boots he wore. Here was the evidence they were looking for. He walked around the end of the couch and sat down. The gun was pointed at her heart.
“Did Hal and Gail know that Gwen was going to turn state’s evidence?”
He gave her a who-cares shrug. “Gwen was a nervous ninny. She never was comfortable with the setup. I introduced her to Hal. He was the one who seduced her and got her involved. After a while, she started harping about the situation, getting nervous about being caught. She even started spouting stuff about our moral corruption. Hal promised he could keep her in line, but when she moved out of his apartment, I knew he’d lost his hold over her.”
He crossed his legs, resting his booted ankle on the opposite knee. J.D.’s heart pounded. As casually as she could, she looked at the heel. Adrenaline raced through her system when she saw the outline of the state of Texas carved into the rubber.
“It was just a matter of time until she broke,” Allen continued, oblivious to the direction of J.D.’s gaze. “The moment she saw your dad at that damn reception, I knew we were in trouble. And I was right. She ran straight to J.D. Anderson, defense lawyer, champion of the underdog,” he snarled in contempt. “Do you know how many people I run into from Midland who sing your praises and tell me what a wonderful human being you are? They obviously haven’t tried to live with you. And they certainly don’t know what a cold fish you are in bed, do they? I’ve been tempted to tell, but—” He waved away the thought.
“I’m drifting from my point. I followed Gwen here to Dallas. She must’ve sensed it because she put the evidence she had in the bank. Then I saw her mail something in the bank lobby. I guessed it was the key to the safe-deposit box. I thought she’d mailed it to you. She certainly didn’t have it on her later.”
J.D. prayed he didn’t realize that he had just inadvertently admitted killing Gwen. “So you’re the one responsible for the burglaries and the bombing of my house.”
He grinned, seemingly pleased with the destruction of her home. Anger exploded in her head. Allen was still a first-class bastard. If he hadn’t been holding a gun, she would have launched herself at him.
“Why don’t you move a little farther down the couch, J.D. I wouldn’t want you to get too close. Remember, I know you have a brown belt in judo.”
Her thoughts must’ve shown on her face. She knew she’d better get control of her emotions quickly. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the end of the cushions. “You didn’t answer my question, Allen. Were you responsible for what happened to my house?”
Narrowing his eyes, Allen studied her. “Yeah, I was responsible.”
“You intended to kill me with that bomb.” She said the words calmly, carefully, as if questioning a witness in court.
“You and that new hubby of yours. Too bad your flight was late getting back to Dallas. My problems would’ve been solved.”
Keep control, she told herself. “Wrong. You see Gwen was smarter than you gave her credit for. She mailed the key and her diary, which detailed all the deals you made, to my dad’s Midland office. He would’ve opened it and discovered who murdered three people.”
Allen leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Which brings me back to my reason for being here—to get the evidence. Where is it, J.D.?” He glanced around the room.
There was no way in creation she’d tell him that part of the evidence was hidden down the hall in a closet. “It’s not here. When Luke left, he took it with him to show his captain.”
Leaping to his feet, Allen motioned with his gun for her to do the same. “Where’s the phone?”
She pointed behind her. “In the kitchen.”
“Call McGill. I don’t care how you do it, but get him back here with the evidence or you’re a dead woman.”
“I don’t know the number.”
Allen cocked the gun. “Call information.”
It took several minutes for her to get the right number. Then she was transferred from one desk to another. Finally, on the third try, she got Captain York.
“Is Luke there, Captain?”
“No.”
“When he gets there will you have hi
m call home immediately? It’s important.”
J.D.’s heart nearly failed when silence was the only answer to her request.
“Is something wrong?” Captain York asked in a low, steady voice.
This was her chance to warn Luke. She racked her brain for something that would alert Luke but keep Allen thinking that everything was going according to his plan. “This is kind of embarrassing, but Luke and I had a fight. I want to tell him he was right and apologize. You know how newlyweds are.”
“I’ll give him your message.”
J.D.’s hand shook when she hung up the phone. She couldn’t tell whether York had picked up on her signals. “He’ll call when he gets there.”
“Then why don’t we sit down and wait for him?” Allen motioned with his gun. She preceded him into the living room and sat where he indicated. Her only hope now was that Luke would understand her warning.
* * *
Al York frowned at the phone on his desk. Although J.D. had sounded perfectly normal, and what she said perfectly innocent, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t have called unless something was seriously wrong.
He stood, intending to go down to dispatch to contact Luke, when Luke walked into his office.
“Al, I’ve got something here you need to see.”
“Wait,” Al said, holding up his hand. “J.D. just called.”
The mailer fell from Luke’s nerveless fingers onto the desk. His sixth sense, which had been hammering him all the way over here, kicked into overdrive. “What did she say?”
“She said she called to apologize for the fight you two had before you left.”
That didn’t make sense. They had almost made love, but under no circumstances would she construe that as a fight. Unless she deliberately wanted to tell him something. “What exactly did she say?”
Al closed his eyes, fighting for the exact words. “She said, ‘I want to tell him—you—he was right and apologize.’”
Luke recalled their conversation. Separating it from the sexual innuendoes and loving touches was hard. “We were talking about getting a court order to search Allen Danford’s residence for the boots—” He let out a string of vivid, harsh curses. “What if he’s there at my house with J.D.?” Luke ran his fingers through his hair. “Why didn’t I listen to that little voice telling me something was wrong.”
“Call her,” Al ordered.
With each number he punched in, the muscles of Luke’s stomach tightened. J.D. answered on the second ring. “Hello.” Her voice had a breathy quality.
Keep it light, McGill, he cautioned himself just in case Allen was listening. “Hi, sweetheart. Captain York said you called.”
“I need you to come home, Luke, right away. And bring that envelope Dad brought me from Midland.” Luke also heard the underlying message. Allen’s here and going to hurt me if he doesn’t get his hands on the evidence.
“No problem. I’m leaving now. Sit tight.”
Her sigh of relief came across the wire clearly. “Hurry.” She hung up.
Luke looked at Al. “He’s there and wants the evidence I brought.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to play along with him until I can get J.D. safely away. Then he’d better pray the backup has shown up, because he’ll need the police to protect him from me.”
* * *
Allen settled himself comfortably against the cushions of the couch. From his smile, J.D. knew he was enjoying his power over her. She eyed the gun. If she could just get it away from him, she could easily disable him.
“You’re having naughty thoughts, J.D. Don’t do that,” he admonished, wiggling the barrel of the gun toward her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped back, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice.
“You’re plotting to get this.” He tapped his pistol. “Well, forget it. I won’t let you get close enough.”
She threw up her hands and looked away. “Think what you like.”
“Tell me something. Were you really shocked when you found me in bed with that teenager? Or had you figured out by then that I only married you for your money?”
“No, I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised that you were so sloppy about your lady friends that you didn’t notice the girl was underage.”
“Oh, I knew and found it exciting.”
J.D. closed her eyes. The man made her sick.
“What I didn’t count on was what a bitch you’d be about the divorce.”
The bitter laugh tumbled out of her. “I may have been naive, but I was never stupid, Allen.”
“Yeah, I’ll give you that. A bitter, dried-up prune, but never stupid.”
The knock on the door made her jump. Luke’s voice calling her name followed quickly.
“Open it,” Allen snapped.
Heart racing, she obeyed him. The reassurance of Luke’s presence wrapped around her like a blanket, comforting her. His eyes searched hers. She gave him a small smile.
“Come inside, McGill,” Allen called out, “or I’ll shoot her.”
Luke’s head turned and his eyes clashed with Allen’s. The air around Luke vibrated with his rage as he stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. He reached for J.D., but Allen shook his head.
“No, you don’t. I don’t want you two close together. Detective, you take one end of the couch. J.D. the other.” He backed up and watched them comply. “Now, McGill, open that packet of evidence so I can make sure you brought the right stuff.”
With his eyes never leaving Allen’s face, Luke opened the mailer and shook the contents onto the coffee table. The pictures scattered around the potted cactus and across the wood surface.
“Is that all?” Allen questioned.
“Yes,” Luke answered.
Allen looked unconvinced until he glanced down at the incriminating shots, then seemed to forget his doubts. “That stupid broad.” He edged closer and picked up the diary. He backed away until he bumped into the chair on the other side of the room, then sat. Allen kept the gun pointed at them while he tried to flip through the diary. His eyes bulged and his lips compressed into a small line as he read several entries.
“Fool,” Allen yelled, hurling the book across the room. Luke and J.D. ducked as it flew over their heads and hit the wall behind them.
“I ought to kill Hal for being so stupid. He’s responsible for this mess. If he hadn’t gotten Gwen involved, everything would still be running smoothly.”
J.D. saw her opportunity. Allen was upset. If she could push him harder, he might get careless and they could disarm him. “You mean you could still be blackmailing officials in Austin and no one would be the wiser?”
With jerky movements, Allen stood and pointed the gun at her. “You always had a smart mouth, J.D. Too bad that’s all it was good for.”
J.D. felt her cheeks go red-hot. The man was such an incredible jerk. Luke came off the couch but froze when Allen pulled back the gun’s hammer and pointed it at J.D. “Try it and I’ll kill her.”
Luke slowly sank back down.
“That’s good. Now, J.D., why don’t you pick up Gwen’s diary and these pictures and put them in the envelope.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I have the gun.”
She walked around the couch and picked up the diary. “Is it getting easier to kill, Allen? After all, Luke and I will be your second and third victims. Or will we be your third and fourth?”
Allen cocked his head. “Yeah, it gets easier. So easy, in fact, that if you don’t stop stalling, I’m going to kill your brand-new husband, saving him the misery of going through a honeymoon with you.”
J.D. thrust the book into the mailer, then the pictures.
“Slide it over to the edge of the table.”
She glanced at Luke. If they didn’t stop Allen, he was going to murder them. And she wasn’t going to let him do it. She loved Luke and wanted an opportunity to t
ell him.
“Quit looking at him. Do what I said.”
Luke’s pulses were pounding so loud that he barely heard what Allen said. He had this sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that J.D. was going to do something foolish, like get herself killed. She was deliberately pushing Allen, hoping that he would respond recklessly. If she’d just wait, the captain would arrive with the backup.
“Do what he says, J.D.,” Luke muttered.
“That’s a smart cop,” Allen told Luke. “Now, let’s see if the attorney can be as smart.”
The expression on J.D.’s face chilled Luke. The lady had taken all she could. She was going to act, which scared him to death. He prepared himself mentally for her actions, whatever they might be.
J.D. slid the packet to the edge of the coffee table to where it teetered precariously, half on, half off the surface.
Allen lunged for the envelope. At the same instant, J.D. sprang forward and shoved the cactus into Allen’s face. He screamed and pulled the trigger. Luke tackled J.D., sending her into the cushions of the couch, out of the line of fire. The shot slammed into the wall above their heads.
Instantly Luke was off the couch and plunging across the coffee table. He caught Allen around the waist and wrestled him to the floor, but not before another shot slammed into the wall.
The front and back doors burst open, and uniformed policemen poured into the room. Allen was quickly subdued.
“Is anyone hurt?” York asked, looking at J.D., then Luke.
“I’m fine,” J.D. said in an unsteady voice. “Are you okay, Luke?”
“No,” he yelled. “I nearly died of cardiac arrest when I saw you shove the cactus into that maniac. Whatever possessed you to do something so stupid?”
J.D. stared at him in shock.
“Why did you do it?” he demanded harshly.
Here it was, the opportunity to tell him how she felt. She had prayed during those minutes alone with Allen that she’d have this chance. It was a gamble, and if she lost, half the Dallas police force would witness her humiliation. But in spite of that daunting fact, J.D. knew she had to risk it. “I did it because I love you, Luke, and didn’t want you to get hurt.”