Michael was content to lie on top of Jenna; he wanted to do this for the rest of his life. He reached for the key to the handcuffs that he left on the bedside table; he unlocked the handcuffs and gently rubbed Jenna’s wrists. “I need to take a shower before I go to work, want to join me? I want to wash all your hard to reach places.
Jenna got off the bed and followed him into the shower. “I’ve always been partial to water sports.”
***
Justin barely left Jenna’s house and that damn detective was over there. What reason could he have for stopping by? It seemed as if every time he came to visit Jenna the detective was there. He was something that had nothing to do with working a case. Justin decided to see how long the detective stayed. If he stayed too long, Justin would speak to Jenna about the inappropriateness of her actions. He may even have to call the police station. Detective Johnson had no business stopping by at all hours of the day or night to ask questions. Especially questions that could have been asked over the phone.
He sat there for almost two hours waiting for Detective Johnson to leave; Justin isn’t a fool he knows what the detective and Jenna are doing behind his back. Just hours before, Jenna asked him so sweetly to give her more time. Well her time was up Jenna was going to pay for making a fool of him.
***
Chapter 9
Jenna woke up suddenly, she didn’t know what woke her, but something didn’t feel right. She got out of bed and put a clean sweat suit on before going downstairs. She looked at her bedside table damn it was four o’clock in the afternoon; she wasted most of her day in bed. Jenna had to admit the time she spent in bed with Michael was fantastic, he has excellent recovery skills too, the scene in the shower made her pussy quiver.
After her adventurous morning and afternoon nap, Jenna was hungry. She walked in the kitchen and suddenly she felt cold; her back door was open, she never left her doors open. Someone was in her house. Jenna ran for the back door, but before she could reach the door, something hit her in the head. Jenna felt the blackness overtaking her.
***
When Michael got to work later that afternoon, Mack was waiting for Michael on the precinct front steps. “What’s wrong Mack?”
Mack scowled at Michael, “what’s wrong is your wayward cock? I told you that fucking the victim’s sister was not good for our case. Well the captain doesn’t think so either, and he wants to see you as soon as you arrived. I just wanted to give you the heads up. It seems Jenna Tierney’s fiancé called our captain complaining about the amount of time you’re spending at her house.”
“What the fuck are you talking about Jenna doesn’t have a fiancé or boyfriend?
“Well according to the gentleman who called she does.”
“That bastard Pickard called the captain, I saw him leaving Jenna’s house this morning, when I went to see her. I caught him giving Jenna’s body the once over a couple of weeks ago.
"Who is this Justin Pickard?
“Justin Pickard, he’s Jenna’s boss, or ex-boss.” Michael went upstairs to face the music what he did on his own time is his business. Besides, he was still making progress with Laura’s case.
Mack followed Michael up the stairs, “hey what did your friend Derrick have to say.”
“He told me that I was an idiot, and I could have gotten the same information off the internet. I gained a lot of insight about how trusts work. I need to find out how the family trust was set up for Laura and Jenna. Jenna alluded to the fact that, upon death or incapacitation, the stock reverts to the family. So, when Laura was murdered Jim Tierney gained control of Laura’s stock.”
“Well wouldn’t Jenna be in the same position?”
“No, when Jenna was 18 she signed her voting rights over to her father. She used them as a bargaining chip so Laura could move in with her.”
“Jeez that’s some family”
“I meant to ask Jenna more questions about her family’s company, but I got sidetrack.”
“Let me guess, your little head got in the way again?”
“I need to find out if The Henderson Company is a publicly held corporation.”
“Hey I’ll get Ricky on that right away. What’s the name of Jenna’s boss again, I want to check that prick out as well?”
“His name is Justin Pickard, he’s just some punk trying to make a move on my woman and make things difficult for me at work. I’ll see you after I talk to the captain.”
Michael liked his captain, he was a good cop, most notable he was fair, he knew he was going to get his balls busted yet again, so there was no use putting it off any longer. Michael walked into his boss’s office, “Hey captain, Mack said you wanted to see me about my girlfriend.”
Captain Newman had been with OPD for 30 years, and he knew a bold face lie when he heard one. “So this Tierney dame is your girlfriend, huh.”
“Yes sir.”
“Did she become your girlfriend before or after her sister was murdered?”
“We began seeing each other several days after sir.”
“Your killing me Johnson, you started banging this broad right after her sister was murdered.”
“Yes sir, I have no excuse, but we couldn’t help ourselves. I plan on making her my wife, as soon as I solve her sister’s murder.”
Captain Newman sighed, pretending to read a report on his desk. “You’re a good cop Johnson, and this is the first time you brought your dick into a murder investigation. I hope for your sake you didn’t make Miss Tierney any promises you won’t be able to keep. Go on, get outta here; we got plenty of cases to solve.”
By the time Michael got back to his desk, Mack was preening. “What did you find out, you’re practically glowing?”
“Ricky came up with information on The Henderson Company he left it in that file. I also got some information on Jenna’s ex-boss Justin Pickard changed his name ten years ago. His name used to be Allen Taylor he’s clean as a baby’s butt on either name. Why does that name sound familiar?” Mack started looking through the case notes.
Michael frowned, that name sounded familiar to him too. “He wasn’t in Laura’s address book.”
“Found it, Allen Taylor is Jackson Turnball’s son, that’s no coincidence buddy, there’s a tie there. I’ll pick him up for questioning. We don’t want him making complaints against you to the captain. I’ll take a patrol car with me. You just sit tight, focus on the case, and work the puzzle for me until I get back. Call Jenna, we don’t want her getting antsy when you don’t show up tonight.”
Michael did just that he went through his notes looking for something he might have missed. He knew he was missing something; turns out The Henderson Company's stock went public three years ago. The stock price at that time was $95.00 as of yesterday the price was $32.48. Shit, that was almost a 66 percent loss; Jim Tierney would be desperate to make a deal to pull his ass out of the water. Did he expect Jackson Senior to bail him out again?
There was something Jenna said about the attack 14 years ago that might be the key. He went through his notes again until he found what he was looking for. Jenna said, “The older man was trying to hold Laura down, I swear there was another person there, but my thoughts get jumbled sometimes.” What if Jenna was right and there was a third person there? What if Justin Pickard is Jackson Turnball's younger son? “Fuck!”
Michael picked up his phone and dialed Jenna’s cell phone, when she didn’t pick up he called her home phone. “Baby where are you?” He called Mack’s cell phone.
“Yeah this is Mack.”
“Mack I think I found something in the notes, Jenna told me that she remembered a third person being in the room when she and Laura was attacked. What if she saw Justin Pickard?”
“Oh shit, he wasn’t home.”
“Mack get your ass to Jenna’s house right now! I tried to call her cell, and her home phone she’s not picking up; I think she might be in danger. I’m on my way Mack don’t wait for me; I’ll call the Bellevue polic
e and have them meet you at Jenna’s house.”
***
Jenna was being carried out of the kitchen; she felt wetness running down her face as the person carrying her took her into the guestroom. Jenna had to get away, she didn’t know if her assailant had a weapon or not, but she refused to be a victim. The man threw her on the bed and ignored her as he reached on the floor for something. Jenna felt dizzy, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. She reached for the small figurine on the bedside table before she could swing it: he took it out of her hand.
“Still trying to fight, when are you going to realize that it’s over? I gave you so many chances...”
“Justin!” Jenna kicked her legs and bit him on the arm. He was bigger than her, but if she could catch him off guard, she might have a chance.
Justin slapped her across the face. “You always were a fighter, but I’m not my father I won’t be taken down by a mere woman.” Justin grabbed both of Jenna’s arms and held them while he climbed onto her body.
Oh God no, Jenna felt his erection as he straddled her hips. “Justin, why are you doing this, I thought you were going to give me time?”
Justin sneered, “I was going to but you’re fucking that cop behind my back.”
She had to think quickly; in a small submissive voice, she answered him. “No I wasn’t. Detective Johnson came by this morning because he had some additional questions regarding Laura's murder. He thinks that my father may somehow be involved.” Justin released her wrists and moved away from her body towards the edge of the bed. He stared at Jenna for several moments; he almost seemed to be in a trance like state.
“Are you saying that there’s nothing going on between you and Detective Johnson?”
Forgive me Michael, “nothing but Laura’s murder. I haven’t been able to focus on anything else. We had the reading of the will and my parents let me down again. All they cared about was who was going to get Laura’s money.”
“You know the detective is smarter than he looks. If he’s looking at your father, he’s sort of on the right track.”
“What do you mean?” Jenna slowly eased her way to the head of the bed there was a pair of scissors near the lamp on the bedside table. Thank God, she never put anything away.
“I loved her. I used to watch her all the time when she read in the gazebo. I made the mistake of telling my brother and father about the girl I loved. Father promised me that I could have her, just me and no one else. That night fourteen years ago she was taken away from me; Father lied to me, he said that Junior would take her first to break her in for me.”
“You were in love with Laura?” Jenna was more frightened than ever, she was right about the third person in the room. Her fingers were reaching for the scissors she almost had them in her grasp.
“Junior took what was mine, and I made him pay, I pretended to forgive him, and he believed me. I fine tuned his engine, Junior liked the speed, and he lost control of his car and ran into a tree. His car was totaled; the police report said the accident was due to speed and drugs.”
“You killed Junior because he raped Laura?” Justin was crying now, Jenna had to keep him talking if she wanted to survive. When she made her move, she would have to be quick.
“Laura belonged to me! He had no right, no right to touch her. Father still mourns Junior; he hasn't forgiven me killing his precious son. He made me kill her; Father told me that I owed him for Junior. Laura was costing them a lot of money; I warned her repeatedly, but she refused to take my warnings seriously. I was going to marry her, and she would have been protected. Instead, she turned herself into a whore; she let two men fuck her at once. I was going give her one more chance, then I saw her doing those disgusting things with her body. I couldn’t marry her after that; I didn’t want a woman like that raising my children, so I had to put her out of her misery.
“You killed Laura!!” Jenna plunged the scissors in Justin’s back and ran for the back door. He yelled like a wounded animal, but he was hot on her trail. She made it out the back door and began screaming for help. Justin tackled her, and they fell down the stairs.
The fall winded both of them, Jenna tried to move, but Justin had a hold of her leg, she started screaming for help. Justin was on top of her now he was choking her with both hands: he was too strong to fight. Jenna took her fingers and tried to gouge out Justin’s eyes, immediately he released her go.
“You bitch what did you do to my eyes?”
Jenna was crawling away, trying to put some distance between her and Justin. “Help me, please help me!” Her voice sounded faint even to her own ears. She had to make it to the front of the house, and then maybe she can get a neighbor's attention. Jenna was on the side of the house when she saw the flashing lights and heard the police sirens. She was able to pull herself up and tried hopping the rest of the way.
“Freeze, this is the police, get on your knees and put your hands in the air.”
Jenna fell to the ground, she was safe, and Justin didn’t get her. She looked up to the officer in question he put his gun away and approached her. He patted her down, and then helped her off the ground before he began questioning her. “Thank you!”
“Ma’am could I have your name?”
“Jenna Tierney.”
“You’re safe now Ms. Tierney, we got a tip from OPD that you might be in danger.”
“He’s in the back yard.”
“I know. My partner got him when he tried to climb the fence.”
This was too much; now that she was safe, Jenna just leaned against the police officer. “Thank you for saving my life.”
“No thanks needed man you did most of the work yourself.”
***
Chapter 10
Jenna became alert in the ambulance, Michael was there holding her hand. “What happened?”
Michael could barely hear Jenna’s voice. In the faint light, in the ambulance, the bruises forming on her face and neck were beginning to show. The Bellevue Police beat Mack by seven minutes, he drove up five minutes after, thank God, he had the foresight to call them or Jenna might possibly be dead. “Baby you passed out, you’re okay they’re taking you to the hospital for observation.”
“It was Justin; he killed Laura because he loved her too much. He loved her too much!” Jenna couldn’t contain her tears any longer.
Michael tried to comfort her the best way he knew how, he was shaken himself, and he almost lost her tonight. They were going to make some serious plans about the future; almost losing someone you love makes everything crystal clear. “Bellevue police processed Justin and arranged his release to OPD custody. When you feel better, I need to ask you some questions for the police report. Justin Pickard a.k.a. Allen Taylor will be charged with your attempted murder and Laura’s murder.”
The ride to the hospital was short; Jenna kept fading in and out. Michael hoped that she didn’t have a concussion, or she may have to stay at the hospital overnight. She had blood on her hands and face. Michael didn’t know if it was her blood or not. Taking a cursory look at Jenna’s house she put up a fight, he was told by the first officer on the scene that Justin could lose one of his eyes. He wished he gotten their sooner because he would have killed the son of a bitch.
Jenna was taken straight back to an observation room. Michael stayed with her the whole time refusing to leave her side. A nurse came to help Jenna get undressed, she was giving him dirty looks before she pulled the curtain, but he didn’t give a damn. There was no way he was leaving, not before he could get someone to sit with her and put a man on the door. Jenna’s life my still be in danger, they were still under the assumption that Justin was working alone. Until Michael knew for sure, he wasn’t going to leave Jenna alone.
“Michael.”
Michael heard Jenna call his name it was just the faint whisper. “Yeah baby I’m here.”
“Justin wasn’t working alone he said that both of our fathers were in on Laura’s murder.”
Before Michae
l could question Jenna further, she faded out again. “Tierney and Turnball were in on it, what the hell was going on.” Michael's cell phone rang, “what’s going on Mack?”
“Bellevue police conceded to us, Justin Pickard is on his way to headquarters, I already spoke with the captain he wants me to do the questioning. How’s Jenna?’
Michael looked back at Jenna’s still form, “I don’t know man I think she has a concussion, I haven’t spoken with the doctor yet. I’m not leaving until I know she’s okay then I’m going to put a man on the door and call her friend to stay with her.”
“What did Jenna tell you?”
“She told me that Pickard confessed to killing Laura and that both of their fathers are conspirators.”
“Holy shit, I’ll see what I can get out of Pickard when they bring him in!”
“Okay Mack keep me posted, and I’ll get there as soon as I can.” Finally, the doctor came into examine Jenna.
“Are you related to the patient?”
“I’m her fiancé.” Michael didn’t blink; if the doctor thought for one moment that he didn’t belong in there, he’d be out on his ass.
“Ms. Tierney has a concussion, and we’re keeping her overnight for observation. Will you be staying with her tonight?”
“No I’ll have a friend stay with her; also a police officer will be posted at her door. My fiancée is a victim of attempted murder and her life may still be in danger.” After the doctor, left Michael made arrangements for a guard and called Samantha. “Come on pick up the damn phone Samantha.”
“Hello.”
“Samantha its Detective Mike Johnson…”
“What happened to Jenna? Where is she?”
Shit he couldn't get a word in edgewise. “Calm down Samantha she was attacked by Justin Pickard. Jenna’s at Midwest Hospital up on Cornhusker Rd I need you to come up and stay with her.”
“Mike I’ll be there in twenty minutes, then I expect more information.”
Shelter During the Storm Page 7