by Lynsay Sands
Leaving the portable on the table, she grabbed the comforter and padded back out of the house. It wasn't until her feet hit the cold concrete on the step outside that she realized she'd shucked her running shoes. She'd probably done it while programming the computer: a habit of hers. Jane considered returning inside to put them on, but they were new and not all that comfortable. Besides, she could tuck her feet under the comforter to keep them warm.
Abel was still unconscious where'd she'd left him, but no night birds had nested in his hair or set up house in his lap--which according to the local sheriff was the only worry she might have out here in crime-free Sonora.
Jane settled the comforter over Abel, tucking it gently around his neck. She was just sitting in the seat next to him and pulling the extra material over herself to wait when a shout and the sudden squeal of rubber drew her eyes to the road. All she saw were bushes and trees. This little nook was blocked by the house on one side and trees and bushes on all others. It was lovely yet isolated.
Jane heard a car roar up the road; then there was the screech of tires. A hollow thudding filled the night, followed by silence. Jane started to move away from the chairs, thinking to investigate, but paused at the sound of a car door closing. The slamming of a second followed.
"Where is he?" a woman's voice asked.
"He ran up toward the Goodinov house." Jane hadn't needed the man's answer, she could hear someone stumbling through the woods in front of her. Growing closer. The skin on the nape of her neck prickled.
"Hello?" she called. "Is someone hurt?"
The night suffered a sudden pregnant silence. The rustling in the trees stopped, and so had any sound from the road beyond. Jane held her breath, waiting, then heard car doors close again. An engine revved, then tore off, heading away down the street toward the gate. Once it was gone there was quiet again.
"Hello?" Jane hissed into the darkness. After a moment the rustling started again, but it seemed slower this time, more labored. It was also no longer moving directly toward her, instead seemed to veer off to the side as if heading toward the Ensecksi house. Jane took a step forward, listening carefully and straining to see movement. "Hello?" She repeated.
There was a hopping, dragging sound now, as if a wounded animal were limping along, dragging a useless limb. And it was growing slower and slower with each passing moment. It also sounded as if it had turned back in her direction. Following her voice? she wondered. Or was the person in such desperate shape that he knew he wouldn't make it to the Ensecksi house?
"Hello!" Jane called firmly, refusing to run away as all her instincts were urging. She wouldn't leave Abel alone and helpless. Besides, this other person might need help. And if he didn't, and was a thief playing possum...well, she guessed she might get to use some of those martial arts she'd trained in for so long but never used. At least, if she was lucky and the person didn't have a gun or something and shot her before she could move.
"Too much TV," she muttered under her breath with disgust, then called out again.
This time there was an answering shout. But it came from the direction of Leigh Senchall's house. Jane recognized Officer Alkars's voice with relief.
"Over here," she shouted to both whoever was in the woods and to the sheriff. Whether Colin would listen and come over, she didn't know. The person in front of her was coming, though. Jane could hear breathing now, more a panting really: Labored gasps for breath that had an unhealthy wheeze. She couldn't see anything through the surrounding bushes and trees, however.
"Do you need help?" she asked the darkness.
Her only answer was the ragged panting and rustling drawing nearer.
"Ms. Goodinov? Jane?"
Jane turned to her right as Officer Alkars came into sight on the walkway along the front of the house. Relief coursed through her. The rustling in the trees stopped at once.
"What's going on? Is something wrong?" he asked. He was still dressed in a suit and had obviously just come from his sister's party. "I heard you shouting as I got in my car and thought you were saying hello to me."
"No. I think someone's been hurt," she told him. He stepped off the cobblestone walk and started toward her. "I heard a car's brakes squeal and a thud, then..." Jane broke off her explanation and swiveled back toward the trees. The rustling had begun again. It had sounded near, but Jane hadn't realized how near. Now she found herself staring at a dark shape that broke through the tall flowered bush in front of her. The figure paused there, staring, mouth open as he gasped for breath; then he fell forward and landed at her feet with an ominous thud.
Jane stood frozen, gaping at the body until Officer Alkars reached her side. He knelt to turn the fellow over.
"He's bleeding. Bad," Officer Alkars reported. He bent over the man, blocking her view. "He's been hit by a car."
"I'll call 911."
"Bring a towel or something too. Maybe a blanket to stave off shock," Colin instructed.
Nodding, Jane whirled away; then she whirled back and moved to where Abel still lay blissfully unconscious. She snatched the comforter off him and returned to throw it over the legs of the wounded man.
"What's wrong with him? Is he hurt too?" Colin asked with a frown. Her action had brought the unconscious Abel to his attention.
"No." She hesitated then lied, "Passed out. I'll make that call now." She hurried off before the sheriff could ask anything else.
She wasn't gone long, just enough time to make the call and run to the other end of the house to make a quick check on a peacefully sleeping Gran. On her return, she flicked on the home-office's lights, hoping they would splash out the windows and stretch to Colin. She nipped into the bathroom next, in search of first-aid-type things. All she found were bandages and Bactine. She grabbed both and snatched a towel off the rack. Jane hit the master bedroom at a run, but slid to a halt by the door to flick on all the light switches there as well. As she'd hoped, they illuminated the nook on the hill.
Colin was bent over the figure as she hurried outside, but over his shoulder Jane could now see the man's face. She froze at the sight. This was the fellow who had come to Leigh's to talk to Dirk! More disturbing than that, however, without the suspicious squint on his face, he looked familiar to Jane. She'd seen him somewhere else besides at Leigh's. Wracking her brain briefly, she found an image popping into her mind: She was in the car with Edie, dropping her neighbor off at work because Edie's car wouldn't start. This man was getting out of a vehicle next to them and smiling in greeting. Edie waved at him, then turned and said, "That's--"
"Joshua Parker."
Jane's attention dropped to Colin as he read the name off the driver's license he'd just pulled out of the man's wallet.
"Yes. Josh Parker," she murmured. Her gaze went back to the man. Edie had introduced them. He worked at Ensecksi Satellites. He was Dirk Ensecksi's assistant. And Jane was quite sure, as she recalled the expression on his face upon coming out of Will's office with his boss, that he'd recognized her. Had he told Dirk? Damn, this wasn't good.
"He's Canadian."
Jane glanced down again, but this time Colin wasn't leaning over him. Her gaze dropped over Josh Parker's chest. She frowned at the blood-soaked front of his shirt. "Is he...?"
"Yeah. He's dead."
Chapter Fourteen
Jane rubbed her arms and watched the ambulance attendants wheel Josh Parker's body away. They were going to have fun taking him down all those stairs, she thought vaguely.
"So, you didn't actually see what happened?" Colin asked again. He'd asked the very same question earlier when Jane had been telling his sister, Leigh, about the incident. Her next-door neighbor had heard the sirens and come out onto her porch with the rest of her guests to see what was happening. When she'd spotted her brother's car still in her driveway, but her brother himself nowhere in sight, she'd followed the EMTs up to the nook on the side of the Goodinov house. Jane had explained what had happened to her and Colin both; then Leigh had left.
>
"No." Jane shifted to stand on one foot, placing the other atop it to warm its bottom. The stone path seemed icy. "Can we sit down?"
"Oh, yes, of course." He followed her to the chairs on the hill. She settled in the one next to Abel and pulled her legs up onto the seat, crossing them.
"Maybe we should move inside," Colin suggested, noting the way she was rubbing her arms and shivering.
"I can't leave Abel out here alone. It's the reason I was out here to begin with."
"Yes." Colin's gaze drifted to Abel. "Are you sure he's all right? He hasn't stirred once, not even when the ambulance arrived."
"He's just had a little too much to drink," she lied, hoping Abel would forgive her. Or, even better, never hear about the lie.
"Hmm." Colin rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, maybe we should get him inside then."
"Could we?" Jane asked hopefully. She'd love to be indoors right now. She was freezing. Which was probably a reaction to someone dying at her feet.
"Of course we can." Standing, Officer Alkars moved in front of Abel, pulled him upright, then tucked his shoulder into the unconscious man's waist to heft him.
"Oh!" Jane had stood to help, but now she stepped quickly out of the way. There was nothing to do. Leaving the bloodstained comforter there to collect and dispose of tomorrow, she rushed around Colin and hurried to the house to pull open the door.
"Where to?" the sheriff asked, pausing just inside.
"Just put him on the bed," Jane instructed.
Colin laid Abel down, then straightened to survey him with a shake of the head. "You're sure he's all right?"
"Oh, yes," Jane swore. "He just doesn't handle booze well."
"Then he shouldn't drink," Officer Alkars said.
Jane winced at the reproval in his voice. "He doesn't usually. And he didn't really have much tonight, but he took an allergy tablet when we returned from Leigh's and the combination just..." She shrugged. "Knocked him out."
She thought it a good lie. After all, she didn't want Abel to look like some drunken lout just because she was a bad agent and had let him kiss her when she was wearing knockout lipstick. Unfortunately, Colin's sudden alarm told her she'd made a mistake.
"He mixed booze and medication? Maybe we should take him to the hospital to be checked out. He could be--"
"He's fine," Jane insisted. "I plan to keep an eye on him. That's why I was outside instead of already tucked in bed when Parker came."
She hoped he'd take that subtle hint and leave so she could get to work spying on her neighbors. He didn't.
"Oh, yes. Parker." Wiping one hand down his face, Colin glanced around then gestured toward the sofa and chairs at the opposite end of the master bedroom. "Can we sit over there and talk?"
Jane felt her heart sink. She'd already told him what had happened. Twice. It seemed she would tell him again.
"Sure." Jane led the way to the couch and sat down, then spotted the open laptop computer on the table with its four pictures of the Ensecksi house. She slammed it closed and cast a nervous smile at Colin as he reclined next to her.
He peered at the closed computer, curiosity clear in his eyes, but he didn't comment. Instead, he reached into his chest pocket, frowning when he found it empty. "Do you have a pen and some paper?"
Jane glanced around, relieved when she spotted a message pad and pen beside the phone on a nearby table. "Will this do?" She offered them to him.
"Yes. Thanks." He ripped off a page to write on the blank side. "Now, from what you said, you didn't actually see anything."
"No." Jane shook her head. "Abel and I were...er, talking on the hill. Then he fell asleep. I didn't want to leave him alone out there, but it was cold, so I fetched a comforter and covered him up. I was about to sit down beside him when I heard a car tearing up the road." She paused and closed her eyes, trying to remember. "Actually, I think I might have heard a shout first." She opened her eyes to be sure he was writing it all down this time. He was. She reclosed her eyes. "Yes. I'm positive I heard a yell, then a car hurrying up the road. Then I heard brakes squeal, then a bumping sound. A thud."
"You heard the brakes first, then the thud?" Colin asked.
"Yes," she said firmly.
He wrote something down, then said, "Go on."
"Well, then I heard two doors close. A woman asked 'Where is he?' or 'Where did he go?' Something like that. And a man answered 'Toward the Goodinov house' I..." She paused and opened her eyes again to point out, "They obviously knew whose house this was. That means it was likely someone from the community."
"Er, yes. Well, chances are good of that, aren't they? This is a gated community."
"Oh. Yes, of course." Jane's shoulders slumped. She'd been impressed by her deduction.
"It's late," he said by way of excuse, then asked, "Did you recognize the voices?"
Jane considered, then shook her head apologetically. "No."
"It's okay. That could be useful too. I know you met the Johnsons. Did either voice sound like one of theirs?"
Jane didn't hesitate. "No."
"What about Dirk or Lydia?"
She shook her head.
"Okay." He paused to make a note, then said, "See, that narrows it down already. There were four couples still at Leigh's when I came out. Seven couples had already left. And you just crossed two of them off the list."
"Oh." Jane smiled brightly. "Good."
"Now, what happened after the man said 'Toward the Goodinov house'?"
Jane closed her eyes again. "I could hear someone moving through the trees and I shouted 'Hello. Is anyone hurt?' Then it went quiet. The car doors slammed again and the car raced off. Then he--Josh--started to move through the trees again. I kept shouting 'Hello' and he kept moving closer. Then, you called out and came over and..." She shrugged. He knew the rest. There was no need for her to go any further.
He wrote down a few more things, then folded the papers he'd used to make notes and slipped them into his pocket.
"You don't look happy," Jane observed.
A faint smile touched his lips. "I'm not. We haven't had a suspicious death in Sonora in...well, not in my lifetime as far as I know. Like I told you at Perko's, there isn't a lot of crime here."
Jane was silent. There was more crime than the sheriff thought. A kidnapping for instance. "Why do you say suspicious death? You definitely don't think this was an accident?"
Colin shrugged. "Well, the braking before the thud suggests it might have been a hit-and-run," he admitted. "But the rest bothers me." He stood to pace in front of the couch, his expression troubled. "And why did Parker stumble away from the accident? He was hurt. He needed help. Why didn't he stay where he was and wait for help?"
Jane shook her head helplessly. She had no idea what had occurred, but she also found it hard to believe anyone had deliberately run the man down. Not someone from this community, at least. Didn't he work for the Ensecksis? Who would want to run him down?
"I suppose I should go and let you get some sleep." Colin sounded reluctant.
Jane walked him to the side door out into the nook, pausing when he did and smiling at him in question when he hesitated.
He said, "I'm sorry your first night here was like this. This kind of thing really never happens here."
"Oh." She waved his apology away. "It's hardly your fault."
"No." He stood there for another minute, then said, "You and Dirk? Are you...?"
Jane was silent for a minute, then simply answered, "Dirk and I just met tonight. I just got here today--remember?"
"Oh." He smiled. "Yes. You did."
His eyes dropped to her lips, and Jane had the sudden thought he was considering kissing her. Then she decided she must be wrong. Edie wasn't the only one whose love life had been barren, and to go from no one showing an interest in her, to three men trying to kiss Jane in one night was just a bit too much to believe. Unless it was the truth serum perfume, she thought suddenly. Maybe she really should consider red
ucing the amount of pheromone.
"Jane, I find you very attractive."
She gave a start as his fingers ran lightly over her cheek. Her eyes narrowed and she asked, "Have you been smelling my neck?"
"Excuse me?" He looked bewildered.
Jane bit her tongue. That was stupid. She had to learn to keep her thoughts to herself. All the solitary time she had while working really wasn't good if it meant she was going to blurt out everything she thought the moment she was in company.
"Never mind." She gave a quick embarrassed smile. "It's just that I've had three men...well, who seemed attracted to me tonight. I'm not used to it. I thought it might be my perfume or something."
Taking that as an invitation, Colin bent forward and sniffed her neck. Jane stiffened and almost groaned aloud.
"It's nice," he announced, then paused for another sniff. Straightening, he said, "Very sexy, but not as sexy as those silk pajamas on you. Or that dress tonight." He blew a silent whistle.
"Oh, dear," Jane murmured. She really didn't think she could handle another amorous man. Was it the perfume? Maybe Abel had only wanted to kiss her because the perfume had--
"I like you, Jane." She glanced up and he added, "I don't trust you, but I like you."
Jane wasn't sure who was more surprised by those words. Colin's eyes widened even as hers did, and he covered his mouth with one hand.
"I didn't mean that," he said quickly. "I meant that I think you're cute and smart and up to something." He looked even more horrified, and she wished he'd got more of a whiff of the perfume. He'd had just enough to tell the truth, but wouldn't be comfortable doing so. Abel and Dirk hadn't thought it at all odd to be spilling what they really thought--but then they'd both inhaled more.
"I have to go," Colin said through his hand.
"I understand," Jane said solemnly, and was sure she heard him mutter, "I wish I did" as he stepped out through the screen door. She watched him walk past the yellow police tape that had been set up around the trees surrounding the crime scene.
When Colin turned the corner of the house and moved out of sight, Jane went back to the couch. Opening her portable, she glanced at each of the four images as they popped up. She was about to sit back for a long night of surveillance when she thought of Gran. Leaving the woman way at the other end of the house by herself was a bad idea. Not that anyone would break in, but Gran couldn't get around by herself and if she needed something Jane would be too far away to hear. Her gaze fell on the bags in front of the couch. Opening the closer one, she pulled out the two-way radios.