Midnight Exposure

by Melinda Leigh

  “Get the rest of your stuff and we’ll talk to Mae again. Maybe she locked up the valuable things.”

  Jayne took one minute to shove her clothes into a duffel bag. She opened the bathroom kit and emptied it on the counter.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I always keep emergency cash hidden in two places when I travel. In my car and in my makeup bag. Just in case something gets stolen.” She opened a cosmetic compact of some kind and lifted the mirror out. Underneath were folded bills. “I’m going to call Pat while I’m here. Now that I’ve given my statement to the police, I can leave, right? I mean, he can’t really make me stay here, can he?”

  “No. He can’t.” But Reed wished he could.

  Jayne began pushing buttons on the phone. After everything that had happened today, it was natural that she’d be anxious to get away from Huntsville. He should want her to go. It wasn’t safe here. But her stalker could easily follow her when she left. It would be better if she waited for one of her brothers to come and get her. She couldn’t leave by herself. Not after Hugh had died. Not after someone had tried to abduct her a second time.

  He had to find another way to get her home, even if it meant risking exposure.

  Her mouth tightened as she held the receiver to her ear. “No answer at the bar.” She glanced at the digital clock on the night-stand. “I’ll try him at home.” Another series of numbers. She shook her head. “No connection there. The phone must be out. And the call won’t go through on his cell. The wireless company is saying the system is experiencing unusually heavy volume.”

  They trooped downstairs. Mae had the local news on the TV in the small parlor off the lobby. Jayne’s eyes were riveted on the reporter as she detailed the impact of the storm on the Mid-Atlantic region. Nearly four feet of snow had accumulated back home. Airports were just opening. Millions were without power. Phone lines were down. Many major roads had yet to be plowed.

  “You can try your brother again later,” Reed said. “Looks like it may take a day to get Philadelphia straightened out.”

  Jayne nodded but concern was etched in her face. “We’re not used to this. We normally don’t get more than six inches or so a couple of times each winter.”

  Reed turned to Mae. “Jayne’s camera equipment isn’t in her room. Any idea where it might be?”

  Mae nodded. “Sure. Hugh took it. He was going to lock it up as possible evidence.”

  “Thanks, Mae.” Reed accepted another hug before leading Jayne out the front door.

  He climbed behind the wheel of the truck and closed his door. In the passenger seat, Jayne huddled against the cold.

  Reed hesitated, key an inch from the ignition. “Jayne, tell me again what you did when you arrived in Huntsville on Thursday. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how trivial it seems.”

  Jayne shivered. “You think the fire was set to destroy something in my bags?”

  He started the engine and cranked on the heater. “Let’s just say I’m skeptical of coincidences.”

  “OK. I stopped at the Quickie Mart for gas, and then took some pictures around town.” In the middle of changing Scott’s oversize boots for her own sneakers, she tapped her forehead. “Pictures. Could it be that simple?”

  “I don’t know. It’s awfully convenient that everything in Hugh’s office was destroyed, including your camera equipment.” Reed gripped the wheel. “But if all he wanted was your pictures, why did he try to grab you today?”

  Because there was another reason this man wanted Jayne. And Reed’s gut instinct told him the reason was personal.

  Jayne jumped out of the Yukon and followed Reed into Huntsville Auto Repair. In her pocket was the new disposable cell phone Reed had just purchased for her at the drugstore. She scanned the garage. Her Jeep sat in the rear bay, ready to go.

  Jayne’s freezing palms dampened with sweat as she contemplated heading out of town alone. But what was her choice? Staying in Huntsville?

  Not gonna happen.

  Her stalker had burned down the municipal building and killed Hugh because of her. The shock settled low in Jayne’s belly. Her insides turned icy.

  Reed and Scott were in danger every second she was with them. Reed had probably realized the risk she brought to his son. Otherwise why would he be acting so strange, so distant? She couldn’t imagine he’d really be that upset about her juvie record. Jefferson Kimball maybe? Had one of Reed’s relatives done something bad? It wouldn’t matter to her. A man couldn’t pick his family. The chill spread to the center of her chest as she realized how deep her feelings ran for Reed.

  But she’d let him go rather than risk his life or bring him more pain.

  She had to get as far away from Huntsville as possible.

  This guy could follow her to Philadelphia or grab her anywhere along the way. But that was a risk she had to take. She would not put other lives in danger to protect herself. She stuck her hands in her pockets to conceal the trembling of her fingers as she walked to her vehicle. She tried the door. It wasn’t locked. She bent down and reached under the driver’s seat. Yes! Her fingers encountered the plastic sandwich bag. She peeled the tape free and pulled out her second emergency stash. All in all, three hundred bucks would get her back to Philly.

  A thin man in his twenties walked across the concrete garage floor. Wavy blond hair, parted in the middle, hung down to his shoulders, rock-star style.

  “Put on two brand-new tires. Rotated the rest.” The mechanic stopped to degrease his hands with orange Zep. Then he led the way to his office in the corner of the garage. A metal desk and filing cabinet were the only furniture in the small but spotless room. “I’ll get the bill and your keys for you, ma’am.”

  He handed her an invoice. The total would eat up most of her funds. “I’m sorry. My purse was stolen. I don’t even have a credit card. Is there any way I could send you a check?”

  The mechanic sighed. “I can’t afford to let a few hundred bucks slide, especially since you’re out of state. I’m sorry.”

  Jayne’s stomach clenched. She’d never get out of here. If something happened to Reed or Scott because of her…

  Reed drew his wallet from his back pocket.

  “I’ll cover it.” “I’ll send you a check,” Jayne promised. She would’ve promised him anything to get her Jeep back.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Reed shot her a suspicious look and Jayne averted her eyes. She wasn’t telling him she was leaving until the last possible minute.

  “I will send you a check.”

  Jayne collected her keys. Outside, Reed stood oddly still while she transferred her duffel from his Yukon to the Jeep. “What are you doing?”

  Jayne glanced at the display on her phone. “It’s only three o’clock. I can get as far as New Hampshire tonight.” She forced a smile on her stiff lips. The cold rose from the asphalt into her sneakers. The garage blocked the sun, and without its rays, the winter chill seeped right into her bones.

  Reed’s expression was strained, the shadow of the building casting his chiseled features in stark relief. “You can’t just leave.”

  Jayne took a step back. “I have to.”

  “You’re alone and vulnerable. Someone is stalking you. You have no credit cards. No driver’s license. Three hundred bucks isn’t going to get you far if you factor in a hotel room. You haven’t been able to get in touch with your family.” Reed ticked the items off on his fingers. “What will you do if he follows you? There’s a lot of empty space between here and Philadelphia, and at the moment, much of it is buried under several feet of snow. You don’t even know that all the roads are clear.”

  Jayne had no idea what she would do. But she had to break away from Reed before she drew the killer to his door.

  “He still wants you.”

  Her head ached with fatigue as she held back tears. She raised her chin. “We don’t know that. Maybe he destroyed everything important in the fire.”

  “Then why did he try to
grab you again? The fire had already been set.”

  Good point. Shit. Moisture gathered hot in the corners of her eyes and she blinked away from Reed’s piercing gaze.

  “I’ll be safer anywhere but here.” More accurately, she wasn’t going to be safe anywhere, but Reed and Scott wouldn’t be in danger once she was gone.

  “I can’t let you just drive away all alone.” Reed’s voice softened. “Let me call Becca Griffin. Get her to keep Scott for the night. Then I’ll drive you to the airport in Bangor. You can wait there for the next available seat on a flight to Philadelphia. With all the heightened security, you’ll be safe at the airport. Hopefully, we’ll able to contact your brothers by then. Surely one of them would come get your Jeep.”

  Jayne hesitated. It actually sounded like a rational plan.

  “OK.” Her eyes grew hot, filling with tears. She looked away from the man she’d grown to trust in a very short time. “I’ll start calling airlines. I’d have to borrow more money.”

  “Not a problem.” Reed pulled his cell from his pocket as he opened the door to the SUV. “May as well sit in here where it’s warm. I’ll start at the back of the alphabet. You take the front.”

  “All right.” Jayne climbed in the passenger seat. The leather was cold on the backs of her jeans-clad legs, but Reed switched the heat on full blast. Before she could dial, a tap on the window made her jump. Doug Lang stood outside the passenger side of Reed’s truck, breath fogging in the damp air. Jayne lowered the window.

  Doug’s face compressed into a piggish scowl. He handed Jayne a manila envelope. “Read this before you decide you’re safe with him.”

  Reed didn’t speak, but his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as Jayne opened the clasp and slid a few stapled pieces of paper from the envelope.

  Doug jerked his gaze to Reed. “Nathan won’t let me make this public. Thinks it makes the town look bad, but you and I both know it’s only a matter of time before the reporters figure out who you really are. And why you’re hiding behind your middle name. Your whole life here has been a lie, hasn’t it?”

  Jayne looked at a computer printout of a newspaper article. Reed’s picture stared back at her. The headline sent the blood rushing from her head. No. This couldn’t be. She couldn’t trust the wrong man twice.

  Did Atlanta Homicide Detective Jefferson Kimball Get Away with Murder?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Reed stared at Jayne’s back. His gut twisted. Pressure built inside his chest. “It’s not what you think.” He turned toward her. Jayne opened the door and jumped out of the truck. Reed climbed down from the cab and rounded the hood. As he stepped toward her, her posture went defensive, one hand extended in front of her, palm out.

  She backed away, turquoise eyes open wide and brimming with betrayal.

  Reed halted and lifted both hands in surrender. “Jayne, I didn’t kill my wife. The case dragged on, and the press wanted someone arrested so they skewered me. They wouldn’t leave us alone. Christ, they even parked outside Scott’s elementary school. That’s why we moved here. That’s why I use my middle name now. I can’t stomach the thought of Scott getting hammered by the media again.”

  No doubt Jayne was thinking about another man she’d once trusted, the fellow student who’d attacked her.

  “I’m sorry, Reed.” She slid behind the wheel of her Jeep. Her voice shook. “I need to think.”

  “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer as she slammed her door. The locks clicked with a finality that made the ache in Reed’s chest swell. She’d trusted him, and now she thought he was a killer.

  Reed’s raw throat clogged as she pulled away.

  “Better start packing, Kimball.” Doug’s mouth twisted as he spat out the words. “This town will turn on you once everyone finds out you’ve been lying all this time. But you’ll have to hang around for the investigation. I’m sure the state police detective will want to speak to—”

  Reed turned his back on the cop midthreat. The cop’s voice faded under the weight of Reed’s thoughts.

  Jayne was alone. Vulnerable.

  But what could he do? She’d left him. Because he’d hidden his past. Doug was an asshole, but he was right. Reed had been living a lie for years.

  He reached for his vehicle door handle and jerked it open. He drove away without a backward glance. His fingers were numb as he punched in the number for Jayne’s new cell. He’d programmed his cell number into the new phone. She’d know it was him. The sick, helpless feeling in his gut intensified as the line rang.

  Jayne didn’t answer.

  He ducked behind the dashboard of his vehicle as Jayne passed by. Her Jeep stopped at the corner, then pulled out onto Main Street.

  He glanced at the digital clock. He’d give her five minutes so he didn’t frighten her before she was out of town. Then he’d “happen upon” her and offer roadside assistance. The Taser was in the console, ready to subdue her if necessary. There was no reason to engage in a physical confrontation. No doubt Brigid had spiritual powers. She possessed unusual strength of body and soul befitting a Celtic goddess. His balls and jaw still ached from the blows she’d landed.

  His goddess had proven herself worthy once again.

  He bit his lip and checked the time. Her five minutes were up. By now her Jeep had likely died. He started his engine and turned onto Main. Jayne wouldn’t be able to drive more than a few miles before breaking down. Not with a load of bleach in her engine oil. She wouldn’t make it to the highway.

  He’d get her this time. He had to. The solstice approached.

  Time was running out.

  Jayne stopped at the last intersection on Main Street. Her Jeep coughed as she accelerated through the turn onto the country road that led to the highway. A thick mixture of loneliness and fear crushed her chest. Tears blurred her vision, and she swiped an angry hand across her eyes.

  Despite the half hour she’d sat in front of the park, stewing over Doug’s revelation and trying to get her head on straight, a course of action eluded her.

  She wasn’t sure whom she was angry with—Reed, Doug, or Ty Jennings. All three deserved a portion. Maybe she wasn’t meant to have a normal relationship. She could get a dog. Dogs were faithful. Dogs didn’t lie.

  But a dog couldn’t make her insides melt like Velveeta in the microwave.

  She checked her rearview mirror for the twentieth time as she left the town behind. Nothing but white, asphalt, and trees stretched out behind her. A sense of isolation crept up her spine.

  She was on her own.

  A shiver passed through her bones. She cranked the heat a notch higher and pushed the Jeep past the speed limit. The engine wheezed in protest, so she backed off the accelerator.

  Snow blanketed the countryside. Its frozen surface reflected sunlight like frosted glass. With the turbulence of her emotions, she expected dark clouds to gather overhead. But the sun shone with a vengeance, illuminating all that had been concealed by the storm in harsh, brilliant light.

  Had she been a fool? Was Reed really dangerous?

  Her instincts said she could trust him. He’d saved her life, hadn’t he? So he hadn’t told her everything about his past. They’d only been together for few days. Hardly enough time for complete soul-baring. But she’d trusted Ty and hadn’t seen any sign of his violent, angry side until it was too late.

  Jayne hadn’t exactly been honest about her job. The whole tabloid thing had failed to come up in a single conversation. She knew from her self-defense classes that stranger attacks were rare. Most women who suffered violence were assaulted by someone they knew.

  The landscape passed by in a white blur. Where was she going? She needed a plan. Something proactive to block out the grief wringing her insides dry.

  She slipped a hand into the pocket of the borrowed coat. The disposable cell phone Reed had bought her was heavy in her palm as she drew it out. There was only one person who’d have the real scoop on Jefferso
n Kimball’s story. She punched the numbers for the Daily Scoop, feeling slimy before the line even connected.

  A few minutes and a truckload of lies later, Jayne disconnected the call and crossed her fingers. Her plan was sketchy, but not bad considering she’d had all of five minutes to come up with it. Jason had agreed to wire her some money as soon as she hit the next town. He’d also spring for a hotel room. Apparently, her firsthand account of the kidnapping was worth serious coin. And the inquiry into Reed’s background had set off her editor’s vulturish instincts.

  Like a good scavenger, Jason had smelled blood.

  When Jayne was settled, safely hidden in a room under the corporate name, she’d wait for Jason to call with the information about Reed. She wasn’t making any decisions until she knew the truth.

  Had her request put Reed in danger of exposure? Yes, but with news crews already en route to Huntsville, that was a given regardless of what she did.

  She’d read the article the cop had given her. The piece was light on facts and heavy on speculation. Jayne knew that newspapers lied. The Daily Scoop twisted the truth into its evil stepsister every single day, which made Jason the perfect person to ferret out the real story.

  According to Jason, the next town was about thirty minutes down the interstate. Jayne was fishing in the center console for her GPS when the engine sputtered and the Jeep began to slow. Was that smoke coming from under the hood?

  Jayne eased off the gas pedal and scanned the dashboard. Her temperature gauge waved way into the red. A few agonizing seconds later, the engine died out with a final shudder and wheeze. Smoke and steam poured from the engine. With no power steering, Jayne hauled on the wheel to guide the Jeep as far to the side of the road as possible. The plows hadn’t cleared the entire shoulder. Her tires crunched on the icy snowpack.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Her forehead dropped onto the steering wheel, and she smacked a palm on the dashboard. “I know you’re old and I haven’t always treated you right. But did you have to die on me today?” Unless her car had been sabotaged. Could someone have broken into the garage and tampered with it?