Hidden Magic

by Daniels, Wynter

  She was crying, shaking and muttering unintelligibly as he pulled her into the kitchen. It killed him that he was partly to blame for this. He should have stayed the hell away from her when he felt those first stirrings of attraction.

  But just like his father had, he broke rules and someone almost paid the price. He shook off the thought. No time to dwell on all that shit now. “Officer Dumas is wounded outside. I need to check on him. Come on.” He couldn’t bear to leave her alone inside the house as he tended to the deputy.

  The officer was sitting up, trying to stand.

  “Don’t, Tommy,” Zander ordered. “You’re hurt.” By the time he’d ascertained that Dumas had a gash on the back of his head, the cavalry had arrived.

  “He’ll be fine,” an EMT assured him.

  Dumas scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Detective. I was doing a perimeter check. He hit me from behind. Must have knocked me out.”

  Zander couldn’t help but wonder if the officer was at fault, not paying attention as he should have been. He led Jilly away. “Was it your ex? God, this is all my fault. I should have turned the case over to someone else.”

  She smoothed her hair away from her face. “No, it isn’t Jamal.” Sobs racked her body. He’d seen this sort of thing before. He couldn’t press her to speak right now.

  Grabbing her hand, he took her inside despite her hesitation. The dead man was surround by cops and crime scene techs.

  Sheriff Van Horn crouched next to the body and peeled away the mask. “Well I’ll be damned.”

  A collective gasp filled the air as they all looked down at the face of Lee Saxon, Hannah’s father.

  Jilly grasped Zander’s sleeve. She leaned against him and he hung onto her, afraid she’d fall. “It was him. He came at Hannah and Ricardo that night. He killed him.”

  Zander helped her into a chair. He kneeled in front of her and cradled her cheek in his palm. “At least your nightmare is over. Thank God you’re okay.”

  She covered his hand with hers. “We still have to figure out where Hannah is, but you’re right. I don’t have to worry about that sicko coming after me.”

  “Did he say anything.”

  She wrapped her arms around her body. “He said I should have minded my own business. And that he had nothing to lose.”

  He wondered if the sick son of a bitch had killed Hannah as well as Ricardo. But if he had, where was she? They’d searched the area where they found Ricardo’s body but didn’t find any other graves.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Jilly spoke quietly enough that he was the only one who could hear.

  “Yeah? ”

  She nodded. “But you won’t find her body because she’s not dead.”

  A shiver rolled over his skin. “Then where is she?”

  “Maybe the cards will tell me more. After everyone leaves I’ll try that.”

  “No.” He pulled her up. “They’ll be here for a while. You’re coming to my place.”

  She squeezed his arm. “Thank you for everything you did. You saved my life, Zander. And I think I owe you something. I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  After everything they’d been through together, she was still keeping secrets from him? Son of a bitch.

  Jilly winced at Zander’s suddenly stiff demeanor. She wouldn’t allow him to push her away. Even though she’d made him really angry when she’d ditched the guard he’d stationed at her house, he’d come to her rescue, saved her life for heaven’s sake. No one had ever done anything even close to that heroic for her. Most of the men she’d known had sought to harm her, not protect her. She took a long look at him. If he walked away from her now it would kill her.

  The thought jolted her. She never got attached to men, never cared about them the way she was starting to care for Zander.

  Familiar fear started to surface but she brushed it off. He wasn’t like other men.

  He took a step back and rubbed his eyes. “What is it? What haven’t you told me?”

  “I was trying to get away, to start a new life. I went back for a photo of my mother, the only one I had. Jamal came home.”

  She shuddered at the memory. “I stabbed him. I had to.” She searched his face for understanding but he had it mostly hidden from her under his hand.

  “I was so afraid you’d find me in your computer network and learn I was wanted for assault or something.” She glanced around the room hoping no one had heard her. Thankfully all the officers were busily doing their jobs and not paying attention to her or Zander. “He was going to hurt me again. I was protecting myself. I just couldn’t let him hit me again. He knew I was going to leave. He was furious. You can understand that, can’t you?” She glanced at the spot where Hannah’s father had been. “Now that my stalker is…”

  She cleared her throat. “Now that he’s gone and I’m not in danger anymore, maybe we can—”

  “Zander,” Sheriff Van Horn called. “IA will take your statement at eight-thirty in the morning.” He approached them and grasped Zander’s shoulder. “Go get some rest. You deserve it.”

  Zander shook his head. “I still have a missing girl on my hands.”

  “I’m relieving you of the case. You know policy. You’re required to take forty hours off.”

  “Come on, Van, I’ve seen it this far, don’t yank it from me now.” His aura was lemon-yellow, reflecting his frustration.

  Jilly sent each man calming energy and saw the tension in both of them diffuse a little. No reason she couldn’t do a tarot reading about Hannah in the morning after she’d put a few hours between her and this awful night. Maybe they’d figure something out, a lead they could follow, despite Zander being off duty. “I’ll take you up on your offer to let me stay at your place.” As if she’d be able to stay alone at her place after what she’d been through there.

  Sheriff Van Horn lifted a dark eyebrow.

  “On the couch, of course,” she added. The sheriff knew better, she sensed it in his eyes.

  The two men exchanged a quick glance she couldn’t quite read then Zander took her outside. On the way to his place she told him all about that awful day, how she’d panicked and run away from her life, from her crime.

  Zander didn’t say much but she didn’t know if the reason was her confession.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she ventured as he parked in front of his house.

  He shut off the engine and stared straight ahead. “I don’t know. I wish you’d have completely leveled with me when you first told me about Jamal. I mean, I totally understand why you did what you did to him. You were acting in self-defense. But I don’t get why you didn’t tell me before now. Makes me wonder if there’s more you’re not saying.”

  “I’ve nothing left to hide.” She sighed. Now that Mr. Saxon couldn’t hurt her anymore and she’d told Zander everything, she was open to try a relationship with him. Wouldn’t it be her luck if he decided he didn’t want her?

  The possibility left her cold. She wished he’d look at her but he got out of the car and headed to his front door.

  He let her inside then sank onto the sofa.

  She stood perfectly still, eying him, wondering what he was thinking. “You seem…distant.”

  “It’s been a difficult night. I’ve never killed anyone before. And now the only person who could have told us what happened to Hannah is dead.”

  “You had no choice. I’m sure he was going to kill me.” She sat beside him and they held each other.

  When he kissed the top of her head, she allowed herself a sliver of relief. Maybe he didn’t want to end what they’d started.

  “When will you trust me completely?”

  His question caught her off guard. “That’s not something that comes easily to me. Everyone I’ve ever tried to trust let me down. I’m trying.”

  “Trying.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Eventually he got up and offered her a hand. “Let’s get some sleep.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
>
  “What is it?”

  He cupped her cheek. “You have a nasty bruise on your face.”

  She shuddered at the memory of Lee Saxon slapping her. “Yeah well, I’ve had worse.”

  He pulled her against his chest. “You’ve had it rough. I’m so sorry.”

  She eased out of his embrace. “Don’t feel sorry for me, please. I hate pity more than anything.”

  He gave her a half nod. “Let’s go to bed.”

  Spending the night in his arms would smooth some of the rough edges her ordeal had wrought and perhaps it would help him too. He’d had just as difficult a day as she.

  But the peaceful sleep she’d hoped for was interrupted by a dream about Hannah. She was running, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. In front of her loomed a big city skyline.

  Where are you, Hannah?

  But she didn’t answer, she just kept running.

  Jilly opened her eyes, suddenly wide awake.

  Zander groaned beside her. “You okay?”

  She snuggled against him. “Hannah’s in a city.”

  He stilled. “What city?”

  She concentrated on recapturing the image of the skyline but she couldn’t discern any noteworthy features. “I’m not sure.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her closer. “I hate to be a party pooper but that doesn’t narrow it down. We’ll talk to her mother tomorrow. If there’s someplace Hannah’s familiar with, she might have gone there. Now go back to sleep.”

  She tried to calm her brain but it was running on overdrive.

  Soon, Hannah. We’ll find you and bring you home.

  Chapter Seven

  Zander got into his car after leaving the Saxon home and faced Jilly.

  “Well?” She sat up straighter.

  “The possibilities have been greatly narrowed.” He motioned at her phone. “Google images of the skylines of Jacksonville, Florida and Atlanta. Tell me if either looks familiar from your dream. Mrs. Saxon told me those are the only large cities Hannah visited in the last few years.”

  She nodded as she touched the screen. “What if one does? Where do we go from there?”

  He steered out of the driveway. “Depends. We have several options, like circulating her photo to the local law enforcement there, checking on any Jane Does and inquiring at area hospitals. Her mother doesn’t think she knows anyone in either city so all bets are off about where she could be staying. Then again, her mother’s information may not be a hundred percent reliable. Looks like she’s on some sort of sedative.”

  “Is Sheriff Van Horn letting you remain on the case?”

  “Not exactly. I can’t do anything official, not yet. If he finds out I spoke to Mrs. Saxon he could fire me.” He loosened his collar. He was way past bending the rules. He’d flat broken a few by speaking to Hannah’s mother. This was nothing like what his father had done yet it still made him a little sick to his stomach.

  She settled her hand on his thigh and the warmth of her touch instantly dragged his mind places it had no business being, not now. “Zander, you can’t risk your job. There must be another way.”

  “I can’t just let this thing go. Not that the sheriff isn’t competent, he is. Very. But I’m more familiar with every detail of the case. Had to be either Hannah or her father who abandoned Ricardo’s car. Someone must have seen them when they did. People don’t just pull off the side of the road then vanish.”

  Jilly released a long sigh that reminded him of when they made love. Despite having her before the sun came up, he already wanted her again. Hell, he wanted her all the time.

  “I can’t tell if either of these skylines are the one I saw in my vision.” She stashed her phone in her purse. “Would you take me to the place where Ricardo’s car was found? Maybe I’ll pick up on something there.”

  Since he couldn’t very well bring her to the state crime lab—or even go there himself today—that had been his plan.

  When they got to the spot he wondered if he’d wasted more precious time though. Jilly walked the small clearing in the brush, her brow furrowed and her jaw tight.

  He leaned against his car, waiting. “Anything?”

  She crouched on the ground, closed her eyes and slid her hands over the patch of dead grass. “There’s residual energy here but I don’t know if it’s Hannah’s.”

  He closed the distance between them. “Keep trying.”

  She squeezed her eyes tightly for a minute but then opened them and shook her head. “Sorry. There’s definitely some female energy but that could have been a female officer working the scene.”

  He helped her up. “There’s a truck stop a mile or two up the road. Someone might have seen her there if she passed this way.” It was a stretch but so was much of his work. He phoned his office on the way to ask the unit secretary if she’d contact law enforcement in Jacksonville and Atlanta and get Hannah’s photo to them.

  “I thought you were on leave after your interview this morning,” Mary, the secretary said.

  “Course I am. I’m just pointing Van in the direction our psychic advised.” He pulled into the truck stop and parked near the building.

  “Yeah, right. Don’t let the sheriff catch you.”

  “Call me on my cell if you get any bites, would you? I owe you, Mary.”

  “Only for you.”

  He stuck his phone in his pocket and noticed Jilly frowning at him. “What is it?”

  She brightened but he sensed she was upset about something. “Who’s Mary?” Her tone betrayed her.

  He couldn’t hold back a grin. “Are you jealous?”

  Averting her gaze, she let out a false laugh. “Of course not.”

  It still bothered him that she hadn’t trusted him with the fact that she’d stabbed her abuser, but he had to admit—if only to himself—that her jealousy pleased him. She was coming around.

  He had her stay in the car while he went inside and showed each employee photos of Hannah, Ricardo and Lee Saxon. One of the clerks at the convenience store recognized Saxon.

  “Only reason I remember him is cause he acted so weird,” the man said. “Jittered like a crack head, but he wasn’t dressed like one.”

  “Was he alone?” Zander asked.

  The man nodded. “Pretty sure. Least he came in alone.”

  “You wouldn’t remember what he bought, would you?”

  The man gave him a smile. “Sure do. He bought a bucket, one we used for cleaning. He didn’t care that it was used, said he’d pay whatever for it. And he got a couple rolls of paper towels and some spray cleaner. Filled the bucket with water from the bathroom before he left and bought two gallons of spring water too. Must have had a big mess I told him.”

  Zander thanked the man then strode back to his car and shared the news with Jilly.

  “You think he was cleaning up the blood from the car?”

  “It’s a real possibility, but even if he scrubbed it clean, the lab will find evidence of blood if it was there.”

  “Now what?” Her lacy top stretched over her breasts and was low enough to give him a glimpse of her ample cleavage.

  The buzz of his phone interrupted his thoughts. It was his office. “Excuse me,” he told Jilly.

  “Zander, it’s Mary.” Her voice was hushed.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I thought you’d want to know.”

  His breath caught. “What is it?”

  “Mrs. Saxon just called. Hannah’s contacted her.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and offered up a prayer of thanks. “Where is she?”

  Next to him, Jilly moved closer and stared expectantly at him. He mated his fingers with hers and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “She’s in Tampa,” Mary said. “Told her mom she heard the news about Mr. Saxon. She’s on her way home, Zander.”

  His chest tightened with gratitude.

  Jilly had apparently heard what Mary said because she let out a joyful squeal.

/>   “I love you, Mary.”

  “You owe me two now.”

  After he hung up he pulled Jilly into a hug. They stayed that way, silent, absorbing the news for several minutes.

  Finally, she backed away and met his stare with glistening eyes. “I’m so happy she’s alive.”

  He nodded. “She should be able to fill in all the blanks for us. Then we can talk about what’s next for us.”

  Instead of responding, Jilly averted her gaze and he wondered if they even had a future.

  * * * * *

  Pacing the hallway outside Zander’s office, Jilly bit at her fingernails. Zander and Sheriff Van Horn had been in a room with Hannah for more than two hours. How much longer could this take? If she didn’t find out the details of what had happened soon, she’d go crazy.

  She checked her phone for the time but only a few minutes had passed since she’d last looked. She’d tried to catch the girl’s eye and did for a moment before Hannah had pulled the hood of her jacket over her face as she’d hurried inside city hall escorted by a police officer.

  Did the teen have something to hide? A reason to avoid eye contact? Hell, Hannah couldn’t possibly know who she was.

  The door to the sheriff’s office opened and Zander stepped out. He wiped a hand over his face as he strode toward her.

  Jilly glanced past him, wondering if Hannah would come out next, but the door swung shut. “What’s going on?”

  “The DA is arguing with Van and Hannah’s lawyer.” He sat beside her, leaned his head back and exhaled deeply. “DA is considering filing charges against Hannah and the sheriff is trying to convince her the kid’s been through enough.”

  He suddenly stood and offered her a hand up. “Let’s walk.”

  They’d gone more than a block from city hall before he said a word. “As we already figured, Lee Saxon killed Ricardo when he found him with Hannah. He put the kid’s body in the back of Hannah’s car and made her go with him to the spot where he buried the body. Then he realized he’d gotten blood in the trunk. He didn’t know if the cops would find the blood there or not but he wanted to be sure they didn’t discover the body anywhere near the car. He took Hannah back to Gideon’s Pond to push her car into the water. Plan was to send Ricardo’s in after it.”