Relieved, J.D. headed upstairs for a quick shower and a change of clothing. Pulling on a sweater, he looked toward the window. The sky grew darker even as he watched. He hadn’t meant to leave Jackie alone this long.
J.D. smelled the stew Aunt Dottie had cooking on the stove before he reached the kitchen. “I’m going to pick up Jackie and the kids. Do you need anything?”
“Nope. Dinner’ll be ready in an hour.”
“We’ll be here.”
Full dark descended even as he kissed her wrinkled cheek. According to his watch it was only four-thirty. He hoped that didn’t mean another storm rolling in. Although, a storm might make it easier to convince Jackie to spend the night at his place. He couldn’t leave Dottie and the kids tonight, and he wasn’t about to leave Jackie, either.
He mulled over his best approach as he pulled into the shopping center.
A police car was parked right in front of the store.
Chapter Twelve
Fear tightened his gut He shouldn’t have left her. Not even for a few minutes. The kids were in there. If something had happened…
He drew every eye as he burst inside. Thompkins sat at a table near the door. Angel looked up from behind the counter where she was taking money from a customer. Jackie and the kids were nowhere in sight.
“Heather? Todd?”
Thompkins came out of his seat. “What’s the matter?”
“Where are Jackie and the kids?”
“In the office on the computer. What is it? What’s wrong?”
Tension drained from him, leaving him feeling foolish. “I saw the police car and thought…”
“Sorry.” Ben Thompkins shook his head and slowly sat back down. “I came to give Jackie her new house keys.”
Jackie appeared from the office, pleasure softening her face when she spotted him. She came around the counter quickly and crossed to them. J.D. pulled out a chair and waited for her to sit down.
“I’m glad you’re both here. I have some information.”
J.D. sank onto the nearest chair. “Now what?”
“We just got the report back on Ms. Neeley’s exhusband.”
J.D. unbuttoned his coat. “What is it, Ben?”
“Zalewoski’s in-laws haven’t been able to reach their daughter in a couple of weeks. According to neighbors, he claimed they were leaving on vacation, but no one saw them go.”
J.D. tensed.
“They found the wife in the bathroom—beaten to death.”
Jackie gasped, her face going deathly white.
“It gets worse,” he told them apologetically. “The second wife? She’s a dead ringer for Ms. Neeley.”
J.D. felt like he’d been sucker punched. “The wedding picture,” he muttered.
“Exactly. The picture in Ms. Neeley’s bedroom puts Zalewoski right here in town.”
“It puts him in her bedroom!”
JACKIE SAT QUIETLY, imagining the young woman in the picture, bloody and dead on a bathroom floor. A woman who could have been her. Her fears and insecurities bubbled to the surface. Then J.D. reached out and captured her hand. His touch imparted more than warmth. Comfort and a strange sense of security came with the gentle squeeze of her fingers.
Only hours ago, she’d made passionate love to this man, discovering a sensuality she’d never suspected. Larry couldn’t take that from her. No one could.
A stream of customers entered the store just then. Jackie excused herself to help Angel with the crowd, aware of J.D.’s worried gaze but thankful to have something to take her mind from the horror of this living nightmare. She forced a smile and chatted with customers. Eventually, she saw J.D. walk Thompkins outside.
“Jackie, can you come here a minute?” Heather asked.
The child stood beside the counter looking puzzled but faintly excited. Since there were only two people left in line, Angel immediately waved Jackie off.
“What is it, Heather?”
“Todd found some hidden files on your computer.”
“Hidden files?” Jackie followed her back toward the office. “What are they?”
“You know, ones that don’t show on the directory.”
The children’s knowledge amazed her. Just turning on a computer intimidated Jackie. “Why would anyone want a file that doesn’t show?” she asked.
Todd looked up, his face glowing with excitement. “It’s sort of a game,” he explained. “No one can see your files, but you can call them up as long as you know what you called them. Only, these files are dumb. Mostly just numbers and stuff, see?”
He hopped out of the desk chair so she could sit behind the terminal. On the screen was a file with a series of numbers and letters.
“L(3)107R(2)64L(1)4RtoS. What does that mean?”
“Beats me.” The small shoulders shrugged expressively.
Jackie frowned. “Is that all there is?”
“Yeah, in that file. But there’s a whole list in this other one.”
Todd reached around her and tapped away at the keyboard, disclosing another file. Jackie scanned the entries. Obviously, an inventory of some sort. Most items were abbreviated, but words like CD and TV appeared several times, along with numbers. Periodically, initials and dates interrupted the list. The dates, if that’s what they were, all fell within the past four months. The exact length of time the thieves had been striking.
“Show me how you found this,” Jackie requested trying to keep her voice calm.
Todd obliged, chatting away as he went through the steps, almost too quickly for her to follow.
“That’s impressive, Todd. How did you learn this?”
“Jerry showed me.”
“He’s our friend Billy’s older brother,” Heather explained.
“Is there anything else hidden?” Jackie asked.
“Just some—”
Angel burst into the office. “Jackie! Someone’s in the parking lot shooting a gun!”
Heather and Todd leaped to their feet. So did Jackie. “No! Sit down! Both of you!”
The children halted.
“Angel, get in here and close the door!”
“But—” Todd began.
Jackie stared hard at him. “Listen to me. You stay right here. Do not go near that door.”
“But Dad’s out there,” Heather protested, wide-eyed with fright.
“And he’ll skin you alive if you move from this room.” Panic gripped her, but she had to protect them. “Angel, call the police. Heather, lock this door behind me.”
“How come we can’t come, too?” Todd demanded as fear warred with excitement on his small face.
Jackie fell back on the quickest reason she could think of. “Because I’m the boss,” she told them sternly. “Don’t step one foot out of this room until I tell you it’s safe.”
Maybe they’d be safe if Larry didn’t see them.
A quick glance showed the shop was empty. Jackie limped to the back room to check that the rear door was secured. J.D. and Ben Thompkins were out front in the parking lot. Assuming Larry got past them, he’d have to come in through the front door.
As she came around the counter, a tall, dark figure filled the front entrance. Instinctively, she grabbed for the ice pick.
J.D. stepped inside and Jackie’s heart stopped trying to climb out her throat. The ice pick clattered back on the counter. He strode swiftly up the aisle like the sleek predator he had reminded her of the first time she ever saw him.
“Where are the kids?” he asked.
“I had Angel lock them in the office with her.”
“Good thinking.”
“Larry?”
J.D. shook his head. “No, love. I was afraid you’d think that. Some idiot tried to hold up a man using the money machine two doors down despite Ben’s cruiser parked right out front”
Stunned, she stared at him, her lips parted in shock. “Not Larry?” For just a second, she knew what it meant to go weak-kneed with relief. J.D. reached for her and she p
ressed herself against him, seeking the comfort of his arms.
“I’m sorry you were scared, Jackie. This was just some punk kid with a handgun that went off and shattered the plate-glass window at the furniture store. The idiot was so shocked he dropped the gun and ran straight toward Ben. It was all over in seconds.”
J.D. rubbed her back with his cold hands.
“You’re shaking.”
She couldn’t respond, her relief was so great.
“Come on. We’ve had enough excitement for one day. Let’s get the kids and go home.”
She met his eyes. “I can’t go home with you.”
J.D. tilted his head to one side. “Why not?”
“Because Larry’s out there somewhere, and he’s already killed once.”
J.D.’s look of gentle concern nearly undid her completely. “And the last place he’ll look for you is my house. Zalewoski will expect you to go home or to Bessie’s or to a hotel. Ben says police are covering your house and mine. You’ll be safe with me.”
You’ll be safe with me.
How was it he could impart such certainty in those words? Was it desperation that made her want to believe him?
“J.D….” Words of protest faltered on her lips.
“It’ll be all right, Jackie. I promise.” He released her and headed for the office. “Angel, it’s J.D. Open the door.”
Jackie didn’t listen to the excited questions or J.D.’s calm explanations. She was still pondering her options when J.D. helped her on with her coat.
“Angel, would you like me to follow you home?” J.D. offered.
“No, I’ll stay. Juan’s here.” She pointed and Jackie saw Angel’s boyfriend standing on the fringes of the crowd gathered outside. “We’ll probably do a lot more business after all the excitement dies down.”
J.D. nodded “Okay, if you’re sure.”
Jackie suddenly snapped out of the stupor that seemed to be holding her. “Excuse me, but I think this is still my shop,” she reminded them gently. Angel blinked in surprise. J.D. stared at her.
“I’m not sure your staying here is a good idea,” she told Angel. “I think we should close the store for a few days.”
“You can’t do that, Jackie. The holiday promotion on those ice-cream cakes starts Sunday. The shipment comes in tomorrow, remember?”
No. She could barely remember her own name at the moment.
“The ads start in the local papers tomorrow. But don’t worry. Juan’s finals are over. If it’s okay, he can stay here with me. I can really use the money, and we’ll be careful—I promise.”
Jackie hesitated. Was it safe?
“Oh, and Bessie’s called here at least four times today. She sounded upset. We were so busy I forgot to tell you earlier.”
Bessie.
Friend or foe?
“I’ll call her tonight,” she promised.
“Are you ready to leave?” J.D. questioned.
Everyone stared at her expectantly. “Yes. I’ll call you in the morning,” she told Angel. “But don’t take any chances and be sure the bolt is on the back door when you leave.”
Angel’s head bobbed in obvious relief. “No problem. See you tomorrow. Bye, kids.”
“Bye, Angel,” they chorused.
The children chatted all the way home, excited and disappointed to be so close to a real, live burglary attempt and not see anything. They did, of course, take childish delight in ogling the shattered window of the furniture store as J.D. drove past. And they regaled Aunt Dottie with the tale as soon as they hit the front door.
The comforting hubbub of family life swirled around Jackie all evening, until J.D. insisted the children head for bed. They put up only token resistance, tired after a hard day’s play in the snow.
While J.D. supervised bedtime, Jackie said good-night to Aunt Dottie and entered J.D.’s messy office. The phone sat half buried under a pile of papers that she lifted carefully. Bessie answered on the second ring.
“Oh, child, I’ve been so worried,” her friend chided. “Where have you been? The police were here and they told us the most outrageous stories. Why did you disappear like that? I’ve been worried sick.”
Bessie as a foe? How could she have thought Bessie was anything other than the kind, supportive friend she’d always been? Jackie felt ashamed. “I was afraid I might be putting you in jeopardy by staying,” she fibbed.
“Good heavens. This building has so much security you couldn’t be safer. Where are you? We’ll come and get you.”
“That’s okay, Bessie. I took a hotel room in Frederick.”
Now why had she said that? Why hadn’t she told her friend the truth?
There was a low-pitched rumble as someone else spoke to Bessie. Frank, Jackie surmised.
“She’s in a hotel up in Frederick,” Bessie related. “Frank wants to know if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. A little scared, but otherwise okay.”
“What’s that?” Bessie asked another voice at her end. “No. I don’t think so.” She spoke to Jackie again. “Seth just reminded me to tell you that settlement has been postponed again.”
Settlement. Jackie gripped the receiver tightly and twisted around to stare at the computer terminal on the work table behind J.D.’s desk. She couldn’t go through with the purchase of the house. Not now. “Bessie, about the settlement,” she began.
“Hush. I don’t even want you to think about that right now. With that maniac ex-husband of yours on the loose, that house is absolutely the last thing you need to be thinking about. Besides, as Seth pointed out, I’m not so sure you should buy the place, after all.”
Relief coursed through her.
“Now you just hush, Frank. We aren’t moving to Florida until the spring. We can find another buyer. Jackie, you tell me which hotel you’re in and I’ll send Frank and Seth to bring you back here.”
“Thanks, Bessie, but I’d just as soon stay where I am.”
Bessie’s immediate silence conveyed her surprise and hurt. Jackie hurried to soothe away the unintentional wound.
“I’m pretty sure Larry has been stalking me,” she explained. “If so, he knows about my relationship with you and Frank and that’s the first place he’ll look for me. I couldn’t stand to put you at risk.”
“But—”
“The police are guarding me, so I think it’s best if I stay here tonight. By the way,” she added quickly, “I want to tell you what just happened.”
As intended, Bessie was quickly diverted by the tale of the foiled robbery attempt.
“So Angel’s going to open the store in the morning,” she concluded. “I’ll join her to get the stock checked in and the signs up for the sale.”
J.D. entered the den, his quiet presence immediately soothing some of the jangled tension knotting the back of her neck.
“Do you think that’s wise, Jackie?” Bessie asked. “I mean, Larry can find you if you go to the store.”
“Don’t worry. I have police protection now.”
J.D. came forward and bent to kiss her hair. “And me,” he whispered against her hair.
“I know,” Bessie protested, “but I worry about you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she promised rashly.
J.D. smiled, a slow, sexy smile that started a tingle down low in her body. “I’ll see to it, personally,” he murmured.
“I could send Frank over to give you and Angel a hand tomorrow,” Bessie offered.
J.D. carelessly pushed aside the stack of papers so he could perch on the edge of the desk. He ran a knuckle lightly down her cheek. Dark promise glinted in his eyes and Jackie struggled against an arousing sense of excitement. What had Bessie just said? Something about Frank coming over?
“Jackie, are you still there?”
Jackie forced her attention back to the telephone. “Yes, I’m sorry, Bessie. I’m so tired I think I’m falling asleep sitting here.” She faked a yawn and J.D. gave her his little-boy naughty grin, which exposed
both dimples.
“Will you promise to call me tomorrow?” Bessie asked.
“Absolutely.”
“If you need anything, anything at all, you just call me, you hear?”
“I will, Bessie. And thanks.”
Unable to maintain a conversation with J.D. tracing paths up and down the hand holding the phone, Jackie said a quick good-night and hung up.
“Stop that,” she told him.
“Stop what?”
“Touching me.”
His smile deepened. “You like it when I touch you.”
“Arrogant male. Not when I’m on the phone.”
“You aren’t on the phone any more,” he pointed out. “What did Bessie want?” His hand began to knead her shoulder.
“She invited me to stay with Frank and her.”
“Turn around.” Before she could ask why, he spun the chair so her back was to him. His strong fingers began to knead the muscles at the back of her neck.
“Oh. That feels wonderful. Where did you learn how to do that?”
“My mother used to get tense when she sewed for long periods of time. She used to say I had magic fingers.”
“Ohh, yes. I agree. That’s marvelous. Yes, right there. Ohh.”
“Have you forgotten what else I can do with these fingers?” he murmured, nipping at her ear.
Jackie stiffened. “J.D., I can’t sleep with you tonight.”
His fingers stilled.
“I wouldn’t feel right with your aunt and the children here in the house.”
J.D. rotated the chair. “I already made up the spare room,” he told her, unperturbed. His eyes sparkled with sudden mischief. “But how do you feel about a quickie on the desk?”
“J.D.!” Desire flooded her. His lips were feathery soft as they captured hers in a kiss of sweet yearning.
Her hands clasped his neck, pulling him closer. “J.D….”
“Is that a yes?” he growled in her ear.
A light tapping at the door caused them to pull apart only seconds before Heather appeared. “Daddy?”
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