by Rebecca Deel
“I’ll keep that in mind. Harris told us you needed to ask some questions. We’ll help if we can.”
“What do you know about Milo Wall, Ken James, and Chris Turner?” Stella asked.
Natalie shuddered and leaned closer to her boyfriend. “They’re cruel, hateful men. We haven’t seen them since high school and I’m not sorry. Why are you asking about them?”
“They’re dead.” Deke leaned forward, forearms on the conference table. “All three of them were also in the witness protection program.”
“To be honest, I’m not sorry they’re gone. What happened to them?” Luke asked.
“Someone leaked their new identities and locations to the criminals they had testified against.”
“One of the marshals?”
“We think so,” Stella said. “Luke, we know the five of you went to school together. Do you have any connection aside from that?”
Natalie’s hand clenched into a fist. “Besides avoiding them whenever we were in the same vicinity, there’s only one incident that connects us all.”
“We need you to tell us about it,” Deke said.
“Why?” Luke asked. “It was years ago, our junior year of high school.”
“Look, we don’t want you to worry, but we think the attempt on your life is connected to the deaths of the other three men. We need to know everything that happened, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel.”
He shook his head. “I don’t see how it could be connected. It’s ancient history.”
“Do you want to risk Natalie’s life on that assumption?” Stella asked.
Luke wrapped his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. “We were all in several classes together. Milo, Ken, and Chris played on the football team.”
“No football for you?” Nate asked.
“I’m not an athlete. Besides, I was already dating Natalie and practices would have eaten into the time we had together, which wasn’t much. I also had a job after school. My family struggled to survive financially after my dad died. Mom worked two jobs and it wasn’t enough.”
“Go on,” Deke encouraged.
“Our junior year, the Ashworth family moved to Redding. The father was in prison for murder in Alabama. The mother cleaned houses to make ends meet. The two teenagers, Adele and Rick, enrolled in Redding High.” He stopped, glanced at Natalie.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Tell them everything. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Luke faced the camera again, his expression sad. “Adele was a nice girl. Funny, talented. She had a fantastic singing voice.”
All past tense, Stella noted. What had happened to Adele and did it have anything to do with the murders?
“Rick was like me, working long hours after school, so he couldn’t play sports with the high school teams. With his father in prison, Rick tried to fill his father’s shoes as man of the house. Man, he had it rough. He worked a full-time job after school, came home near midnight, and stayed up until two or three in the morning to finish his homework. On good nights, he slept three hours.”
“What about Adele?” Stella asked. “Did she work, too?”
“Grocery store clerk,” Natalie said. “She worked a few hours a day. Adele struggled with school and Rick didn’t want his sister to fail, so he wouldn’t let her work much. The highlight of Adele’s year was singing the solo during the school Christmas program.” A smile curved her lips. “She brought down the house. That girl could have been a superstar in the music world.”
Luke picked up the story. “Except for the fact that she was very overweight. She tried every diet. None of them worked. Natalie and I encouraged her to talk to a doctor. We thought she might have a hormonal problem or a genetic issue. We figured at least if the doctor put her on a diet, it wouldn’t be the latest fad which might hurt her. Rick worked extra hours on weekends for a month to pay for the appointment.”
“Did the mother have much to say about any of this?” Nate asked.
A snort from Luke. “Jane Ashworth didn’t say much of anything except to ask for her next beer. She drank more than she ate. She was lucky to keep her house cleaning jobs. I got the impression most people kept her on because they felt sorry for her. Anyway, Adele went to the doctor and he put her on a special diet.”
“It worked,” Natalie said. “She lost thirty pounds in three months. Adele had a lot of weight to lose, though. She probably weighed around three hundred pounds before the doctor put her on that diet. In the spring, Milo asked her to the prom. She was so excited. It was her first date and to be asked by one of the football players was a big deal. Again, Rick worked extra hours on the weekends for a month for her dress.” She smiled. “I helped her shop. This was also the first new outfit she’d bought since she started losing weight. The night of the prom, she looked so beautiful. Milo would have been stunned at her appearance.”
“He didn’t see her?” Nate asked.
“Milo never showed,” Luke said, “Instead, he escorted one of the prettiest girls in school. Adele thought something had happened to Milo. She called the hospitals and clinics in the area, afraid he’d been in an accident. Turned out he’d been bragging to his stupid buddies about how desperate she was for attention. He told her he’d never go out with someone who looked like her. Milo and his buddies talked trash about her at school after that. Adele was so devastated by the gossip and nasty comments that she killed herself.”
“Oh, no.” Stella dropped her face into her hands. How could those boys have been that cruel? And they’d grown up into the same type of men. A large, warm hand settled on her back. Nate. She looked up at the screen. “How were you connected to this, Luke?”
“Rick and I were friends as were Natalie and Adele. When Adele died, her brother wanted revenge. Milo always hung out with his buddies, Chris and Ken. He couldn’t take on all three of them at once. Rick asked me to help him. I couldn’t do it, Stella. What those boys did was wrong, but I couldn’t afford to be suspended from school. I had a scholarship on the line, as did Natalie. A suspension would have killed our chance to go to college. Neither one of us could afford school without that scholarship.”
“What did Rick do?” Deke asked.
“He went after them anyway and ended up in the hospital. They nearly killed him. He missed the rest of the school year. By the time school started again in the fall, he’d turned 18, taken his GED, and left town. I tried to talk to him several times after he was released from the hospital, but Rick didn’t want anything to do with me. I never saw him again after he left town.”
“What about the mother?”
“She died of liver failure a year later.”
“You never heard rumors of where Rick went, what he did after he left Redding?”
Natalie and Luke looked at each other a moment, then she said, “I can’t remember who, but somebody said he joined the military.”
Nate glanced at Zane. “Can you check?”
“Give me a minute.”
“Natalie, Luke, is there anything else you can think of to help us?” Deke asked. “If Rick is behind the murders, I understand why he might go after Luke. He blamed Luke for not helping him teach Milo, Chris, and Ken a lesson. But why come after you, Natalie?”
“I’m the one who encouraged Adele to go to the prom with Milo. I thought it would be good for her to go on a date. I never thought Milo would hurt her that way.”
“No Rick Ashworth or Richard Ashworth enlisted in the military,” Zane said.
“How can you be sure?” Deke demanded. “Those names are common enough.”
“Social security number.”
“Do I want to know how you gained access to that information?”
Zane just smiled.
“Never mind.”
“What else did you find, Zane?” Maddox asked.
“Rick Ashworth dropped off the grid ten years ago.”
“What does that mean?” This from Luke.
“No paper trail, no credit c
ards, no debit cards, no medical records, no taxes filed. Your buddy, Rick, might be dead.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“There’s another possibility.” Nate covered Stella’s hand with his own. “Rick might have bought another identity. It’s easy to obtain new documents.”
Natalie frowned. “I thought a new ID was impossible.” Her face colored. “Well, at least without being in the witness protection program.”
“Takes money and computer skills,” Maddox said. “Rick isn’t in the system after he left Redding. He didn’t generate a record under that name or a computer expert erased his tracks.”
“Even if he was arrested at some point?” Luke asked.
A smile from Nate’s boss. “We could do it. Not that we have.”
A snort from Deke. The marshal was smart. Fortress did what was necessary to protect clients. They didn’t, however, reinvent criminals. They completed extensive background checks before helping anyone disappear to avoid aiding the guilty.
“People take on the task for the right price,” Maddox continued. “If anybody can find him, it’d be Zane. Another possibility is Rick’s dead.”
Luke sighed. “If Rick is alive, Natalie and I will never be safe. He won’t stop until he makes us pay for what happened in high school.”
“And you know this, how?” Nate asked.
“Rick held grudges.”
“Enough to seek revenge against those who wronged his sister?”
“What is the old saying about revenge?”
“It’s a dish best served cold.”
Luke nodded. “That’s Rick. He would kill those who contributed to Adele’s death, no matter how long it took. Find the person who is targeting us. I don’t want to spend my life worrying about Natalie’s safety or our kids. If Rick is behind this, he’ll come after my children.”
Nate nodded. “Remember the rules. No social media or contact with your family.”
“I won’t risk Natalie’s life to talk to my mother or siblings.”
Natalie leaned closer to the screen. “Stella, how do you feel? You look better.” She smiled. “Or you improved enough to hide the bruises.”
“It’s a little of both.” She glanced at Nate, a question in her eyes.
Ah. His bride-to-be wanted to share news of their engagement. Might as well tell Natalie since the information would circulate through town before nightfall. Otter Creek’s grapevine was legendary. “Go ahead, baby.”
“What is it?” Natalie asked. “Something happened since we left?”
“Nate proposed.”
“That’s fantastic. Congratulations. When is the wedding?”
“Don’t know yet. We’re focused on keeping you and Luke alive and me out of jail.”
“No progress in the marshal’s murder?”
“Not much,” Nate said. The knowledge of Pete Kelly’s murder would add an unnecessary layer of worry. “We’re working on it.”
“Deke, Stella, other questions for these two?” Maddox asked. “I have a video conference starting in fifteen minutes in this room.” After receiving negative responses, he glanced at the screen. “Natalie, Luke, I’ll contact you tomorrow about relocation and new identities. Have your questions ready. I’ll lay out your options, which includes staying with the marshal service. In that case, we’ll continue protection until the marshals plug their leak.”
When the call ended, Maddox turned to Stella and Deke. “What’s your gut say?”
“Rick’s our guy.” Deke rubbed his face with his hands. “Stel’s attacker said she shouldn’t have interfered.”
“That statement makes sense if Stella and Deke interfered with his plans for revenge by protecting Milo, Ken, and Chris,” Maddox said. “You still have the leak in the marshal’s office, and though the attack centered on Stella, that doesn’t mean Deke is not a target.”
“That’s why my family is out of town,” Deke said. “I don’t want them used as pawns.”
“Where are they?”
Deke told him the name of the beach town where his in-laws lived. Maddox’s expression grew thoughtful. “I have an operative near there. Do you want him watch over your family? They won’t know he’s there. He won’t interact with them unless they’re threatened.”
“I appreciate the help.”
“I’ll search for Ashworth,” Zane said. “I’ll contact you as soon as I find anything.”
“Doesn’t matter what time it is, Z,” Nate said.
His friend’s gaze shifted to Stella. “I understand,” he said softly.
Yeah, he did. Zane Murphy had a soft spot for women in trouble. One day, the right woman would enter the former SEAL’s life.
He walked from the conference room with Stella and Deke to the garage. They climbed into his SUV and left the compound.
Back at the cabin, they were greeted by an enthusiastic Spenser.
“Hey, buddy.” Nate scratched around the dog’s ears and was rewarded with canine groans of contentment. Chuckling, he progressed to a full body rub. He turned to Stella. “We’ll bring our team up to date after we change.”
“Sounds good to me,” Deke said. “I’m ready to lose the suit.”
Stella frowned. “You work in one every day.”
“Because I have to. I’d rather not wear one.”
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Nate said. In his room, he ditched the suit and donned jeans and a shirt along with his combat boots.
He strode into the kitchen, grabbed a couple bottles of water from the refrigerator, and dropped onto a chair next to Josh. “Deke worked as part of a canine search and rescue team.”
“Now that’s interesting. Think we might entice him away from the marshals?”
“He seems open.”
“Stella?”
“I haven’t approached her with a job offer.” Perfect solution to their problem, though.
“She’s qualified to train bodyguards,” Josh pointed out. “She has invaluable experience that will raise the trainees to another level plus federal law enforcement training and connections.”
“If she wants to work for PSI, I won’t stand in her way. The offer must come from you or one of the others, though.”
“We’ll talk with the others.” A smile curved his mouth. “Unless Ethan contacts her first.”
Nate paused with the uncapped water bottle halfway to his mouth. “Ethan?”
“When he hears you and Stella are engaged, he’ll ask her to join the OCPD. He’s looking for another detective to add to the rotation, especially since Serena will be having the baby in a few months. He realized he spends too much time covering shifts for Nick and Rod when they’re tied up elsewhere on an investigation. A third detective will cut down on his load. Keep that to yourself, though. He’ll approach her when the time’s right.”
Stella working for the Otter Creek Police Department? He had to admit, he loved the idea. She would still be in law enforcement and able to come home every night. A win for both of them. After working for the marshals, would she view small town law enforcement as a step down? The decision to accept the job was hers. He promised not to stand in the way of her career and he’d keep that pledge. He loved her enough to make her decision work, whatever her choice.
“Where is everybody?” he asked.
“Alex is out back, talking to Ivy. Rio and Quinn went to the grocery store. They said we needed more food.”
Nate’s eyebrows rose. “There’s food in the refrigerator.”
“Not the kind they want to eat.”
“They want carbs with tons of preservatives and empty calories.”
Josh held up his hand. “Hey, I’m just reporting. I’m not the food police. That’s your job.”
“What’s your job?” Stella asked.
“Food. Rio and Quinn are on grocery store run. They have the food taste of teenagers.”
She sat beside him, frowning. “There’s plenty of food.”
“Fresh food, not junk food. Their g
rocery bags will be filled with a large variety of potato chips, crackers, and cookies.” He set an unopened water bottle in front of her.
The back door opened and Alex strolled inside, eyes sparkling. “You’re back. Good.” Spenser dashed into the room when he heard Alex’s voice. “Hey, buddy.” He bent down and loved on the dog for a minute. “Stella, Ivy said plan on a shopping trip when you come to Otter Creek. When she was hunting for her wedding dress, she saw one she says is perfect for you.”
“Great. Sounds like fun.”
Nate blinked. Shopping for a wedding dress. Man, that sounded good. Wonder how fast he might convince the beautiful lady marshal to marry him? He hated coming home to an empty house. When he was separated from Stella, his life was incomplete.
Deke strode into the kitchen as the front door slammed. Rio and Quinn each carried four bags filled with food. Nate helped unload the bags. He sent a pointed look at his grinning teammates. “Donuts. Five kinds of cookies. Six bags of chips. Four types of crackers. White bread. Peanut butter and jelly. Brownies and cupcakes. Really? This is your definition of food?”
“Hey,” Quinn protested. “We bought lunch meat, yogurt, and cottage cheese, too.”
“Where are the fresh fruits and vegetables?”
“At the grocery store,” Rio said. “Besides, we still have some of that stuff in the refrigerator.”
Stella grinned. “Can’t argue with that, Nate.”
“Right. Should I assume you want sandwiches for dinner? You have enough picnic fare to feed an army.”
Quinn punched him lightly on the arm. “Knew you’d get the hint.”
“You deserve a break from cooking,” Rio said. “We can’t prepare an edible meal, but we can’t go wrong with sandwiches.”
“Set everything out.” Josh shut down his computer and grabbed some paper plates from the pantry. “While we eat, Deke, Stella, and Nate will fill us in on their conversation with Luke and Natalie.”
They filled plates and passed around bottles of water and soft drinks. When everybody had eaten part of their meal, Josh motioned to Nate. “What did you learn from Natalie and Luke?”