Deceptive Truth: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 4)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "From what?"

  "She didn't say. Just that it was important." Brett rubbed at the back of his neck. "Look, I told you before that Lori will be back soon. When she gets here, she'll explain everything."

  "Do you talk to Lori a lot?"

  "It's been a few weeks, I think...” Brett frowned and shook his head. "It's normally not that long but she said that she'd be back. I know she'll be back."

  Knox decided to try another path.

  "Tell me about your relationship with Lori," he invited. "What you two like to do when you're together. That sort of thing."

  Brett smiled, his eyes taking on a dreamy look. "We're both homebodies. We don't really like to go out or anything. We stay home. Cook. Watch television. We both like to read. We lead a quiet life, you could say, but we have fun too. We're talking about getting a dog."

  "Nothing better than man's best friend. I wouldn't mind having a dog but I'm not home enough to take care of a pet. It wouldn't be fair to the animal."

  "We're home all the time. I'd like a big dog, but Lori thinks that maybe we should get a smaller dog. Like a Corgi. I'd like a Golden Retriever."

  This was it. Brett had opened the door. Knox was going to walk through it.

  "It sucks that you don't agree. That has to be tough. Is there anything else that you and Lori don't agree about? Food, movies, books? Vacation destinations?"

  "Not too much," Brett said with a shrug. "Just the normal stuff."

  Knox rubbed his chin and stretched out his legs, sprawling casually on the hard wooden chair. "Do you ever argue about that normal stuff?"

  Brett went stiff, his eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "No, we don't argue."

  "Ever? Even the most devoted couples have arguments. There has to be something that you argue about. Maybe money? Family? My last girlfriend was always pissed off that I worked too much. She was always frustrated with me about that."

  Brett's gaze was focused on the table. "I don't work that much."

  "What about money? You said that you two were practically engaged. Did you have any differences in spending style? You seem like a saver to me. Did Lori like to shop a little too much?"

  "It was her money. I don't have any right to tell her what to do."

  "That sounds like something she said to you. Did she say that, Brett? That it was none of your business?"

  Shaking his head, Brett shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "No, we never talked about her spending. We didn't argue."

  "Not once, huh? That's great. What's your secret?"

  Brett shrugged again. "I don't know. We just...don't."

  "Not once. That's great."

  Knox noted Brett's body language. The other man had almost curled in on himself, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Knox sat up in his chair and leaned forward, his gaze on Brett. "I don't think that you're telling me the truth. I think that you're lying."

  Bret had stopped shaking but he immediately started again, wrapping his arms more tightly around himself. "I'm–I'm not. Really."

  Knox placed his hands palms down on the table between them as if he were reaching out to the other man. "It's okay to argue with your girlfriend, Brett. All couples have fights. They usually blow over and everything is fine."

  "We argued about her going away."

  Brett's voice could barely be heard, he'd spoken so softly. But he had spoken.

  "Was this a few weeks ago or longer than that?"

  "A few weeks ago. Maybe. I’m not sure when it was exactly. She said she was going away for awhile and I begged her not to. She said she had to. That she had things she needed to do. That's when she gave me her purse. She said that I needed to take care of it for when she came back."

  "But she didn't say why she left it?"

  "No, just that I needed to take care of it. And all of her things. I told her I would. She could count on me."

  "Did you yell? Did she yell, Brett? Were angry words exchanged?"

  Brett seemed to get smaller in the chair, his chin to his chest. "Maybe. I was...mad...and she was too. She said I wasn't listening to her."

  "Was she listening to you?"

  Brett shook his head. "No, she just kept saying that she had to go. I kept asking her why, but she wouldn't answer me."

  "And that you made you mad."

  "Yes–No–I–don't know. I guess it did."

  "And you yelled."

  "Yes."

  "And she yelled."

  "Yes."

  The response was barely audible.

  "You argued for awhile. You were both mad. What happened then, Brett?"

  Brett buried his face in his arms. "She started to leave."

  "What did you do?"

  "I don't remember."

  "I think that you do remember. What did you do when Lori started to leave?"

  "I–I grabbed her arm. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted her to listen to me."

  "What happened then? Did you hit her, Brett? She was making you so mad, wasn't she? She wouldn't listen to you. That had to make you angry."

  His head popped up, tears streaming down his cheeks, his eyes bloodshot and swollen. "No. No way. I would never, ever hit Lori. I grabbed her arm and tried to make her listen but she shook me off. She left after that. Nothing else happened. I love Lori. I wouldn't hurt her. I wouldn't. She's my whole world."

  Since Lori had been missing for months, not a few weeks, it was highly likely this entire scenario was completely made up in Brett Hedgcock's mind. There wasn't any real reason for Lori to have even been in the man's home. They'd been co-workers only, not lovers. They had no relationship beyond a casual acquaintance.

  But damn...Brett looked devastated, convinced that his recounting of that day was totally real. To him, it had happened and he was haunted by her leaving.

  He and Brett talked for a little longer, but the man's story never changed. Lori had been there a few weeks ago. She'd said she was leaving and he'd begged her not to go. He grabbed her arm but she'd shaken him off and left, leaving behind some of her personal effects. It didn't make a lick of sense. If Lori was going on a trip, wouldn't she want her purse and wallet? Her identification and credit cards? Even Brett agreed that it was strange but he was adamant that she'd left those items with him, telling him that he needed to keep them safe.

  Eventually, Knox had to give up. He was exhausted and Brett was in far worse shape, sobbing and rocking in his chair while repeating over and over about how much he loved Lori. He left Brett in the room and joined Jason, West, and the detective from Rocky River.

  "I don't think we're going to get anything more from him," Knox said. "He believes his story."

  Jason nodded in agreement. "He's completely convinced himself, that's for sure. I agree that any more questioning today is only going to stress him out far worse. He needs care and treatment for his delusions."

  "That's exactly what he'll get," the detective said. "We're going to take him to the hospital for a seventy-two hour hold for observation. I want him to get whatever help he needs. Maybe a psychiatrist can talk to him. Help him remember what happened. In the meantime, we're sending all of the evidence we collected to the state lab along with his car, which will be stripped down and searched. If there's a particle of blood there, we'll find out. We're also talking to any of his friends, neighbors, or co-workers to see where he was the day Lori Waters disappeared."

  The detective and West walked down the hall, leaving Jason with Knox.

  "You did good," Jason said, slapping Knox on the back. "Looks like you're close to getting your answers. A good doctor can work with Hedgcock and hopefully find out the truth."

  Knox glanced at the closed door to the interrogation room. Through the window he could see that Hedgcock had stopped crying and was now standing at the two-way mirror, looking back at Knox. He had to know he was being watched through the glass. "I just feel so badly for him. He seems to really love her."

  "It doesn't mean he didn't kill her," Jason replied
, his tone gentle. "I can name about half a dozen murderers off the top of my head who supposedly loved their victim."

  "He needs help."

  "And he's finally going to get it. He probably should have gotten it a long time ago. He'll be assessed at the hospital. The detective is going to notify his family." Jason's phone buzzed in his hand and he checked his screen. "That's Jared. He says that they were able to successfully triangulate where the texts to your girlfriend were sent from. Brett Hedgcock's home."

  "They didn't find Lori's phone."

  "Maybe it's hidden in his car. Maybe he destroyed it after he sent those texts. Either way, that's where they came from.”

  That pretty much sealed it. Brett Hedgcock had killed Lori Waters. Knox turned to look at the man staring back at him through the glass. Brett couldn't see him, of course; he didn't know that Knox was standing only a few inches away. Hedgcock didn't look sad or panicked anymore. He looked...exhausted, as if he'd spent all of his emotion and he didn't have any left.

  "What do you want me to do next?"

  "We're in a holding pattern until we can build more of a case," Jason replied. "It will take weeks to get the lab results back, and I'm guessing it could take even more time for a doctor to unwind whatever is going on in Hedgcock's mind. I think we put this one on hold until we get more information. Would it be a problem to head back home tomorrow?"

  Knox would need to talk to Jenna, but he hoped she'd be up for the trip. It was too soon to take a victory lap. They hadn't found Lori yet, but they'd made progress.

  Truth always showed itself in the end.

  29

  Knox scanned the refrigerator for something to make for dinner. Jenna had gone to visit Anita but she'd be back soon. They needed to eat and then pack so they could get on the road early in the morning. They had a long drive ahead of them.

  "Are you sure you don't want to drive back with us?" Knox asked Eli. "You're more than welcome to join us. I wouldn't mind an extra driver on the trip."

  Eli grimaced. "I do hate to fly but I don't want to intrude on your couple time. I'd be the third wheel, if you know what I mean."

  "I do and you wouldn't be that at all. It's just a drive. We're not planning to elope or anything," Knox chuckled. "Seriously, grab your bag and come with us."

  "Jenna might–"

  "She brought it up first," Knox said with a shake of his head. "So just pack your bag."

  "I don't like be all scrunched up in those airplane seats," Eli said. "Aw hell, I'll go with you. I'll call the office admin and have her cancel the ticket."

  "In a few months you'll have enough airline miles to upgrade your seat," Knox laughed. "I rarely fly coach anymore. And if the flight is over four hours then the firm will upgrade you automatically. Logan, Jared, and Jason don't like folding themselves up in those seats any more than we do."

  "They seem like good people to work for."

  Knox closed the refrigerator in frustration. They hadn't bought many groceries because they didn't know how long they'd stay. Now they only had remnants of food, nothing that would pull together as a meal. "They're the best. I've worked a lot of places and I can easily say that this is the best job I've ever had. Hands down. It's not even a close race."

  "Why don't we just order in?"

  "I won't argue that. I need to write myself a note so I remember to clean out the refrigerator in the morning before we go. I don't want to leave a mess behind. Jason said not to worry about cleaning. They'll get a service in here after we're gone, but I thought we might give them a hand and strip the beds. Take out the garbage. That sort of stuff."

  Eli held up his phone. "I'll make a note of it right now."

  Knox dug into a drawer for the takeout menus. "Maybe we should go ahead and order. Jenna's going to be starved when she gets here. I should probably call her brother Tom and see if he wants to join us. She'll want to see him before we leave in the morning."

  "He can't make it," Eli replied. "Jenna already asked him when he stopped by to see Jenna."

  Knox frowned. "Tom was here? I didn't realize. I thought he was at his office all day. That's what he told me when I asked if he wanted to be there when they executed the warrant."

  Eli shrugged. "Maybe his plans changed. He stopped by while you were still at the station. He and Jenna talked for a few minutes and she told him that she was going to see Anita. She asked him if he wanted to come for dinner but he said that he already had a commitment to his history club. Apparently, they have a meeting tonight. She teased him about being a World War II nerd. They hugged and cried a little - I tried to make myself scarce at that moment - and then he left."

  Knox's brain was buzzing, the back of his neck tingling, but he wasn't sure why. Tom had told him he had meetings all day long. So maybe they were cancelled. Meetings get cancelled all the time. Right?

  World War II nerd?

  Wait.

  "He said he was in a history club? Are you sure?"

  "That's what I heard." Eli frowned, rubbing his chin. "What are you thinking? Because you've got a strange look on your face."

  "I don't know what I'm thinking," Knox confessed. "It's just...Jason told me that Brett Hedgcock was in a history club. That he's also a World War II history buff. Don't you think that's...weird? I mean, what are the chances?"

  "Considering I've never in my life known anyone in a history club? Maybe that makes me uncultured, but now you've met two in the space of a week? That's some six degrees of separation shit."

  "I don't like it," Knox said slowly, trying to make sense of what he'd learned. "But I'm not sure what it means. If anything. Anyone can like World War II history. It's not a crime."

  Knox didn't like knots. He was going to tug on this string because he didn't like coincidences. It might be nothing. Or it might not.

  He grabbed his phone and punched in a number. "Jared? Remember you were telling me about Brett Hedgcock being involved in an online history club? I don't suppose you have or can get a list of members?"

  "I can get one pretty easily. Are you looking for someone in particular?"

  "Yes, Tom Waters."

  Because coincidences suck.

  He needed to talk to Jenna. Right away.

  Jenna pulled up in front of Anita's home. She'd managed to convince Knox that she didn't need a bodyguard to go see her mother, but it hadn't been easy. He'd wanted to go with her or send Eli but she'd dug in her heels and stood her ground. She needed to speak to her adopted mother privately. Jenna was going to tell Anita about Hedgcock and what the police had found in his home. Knox had argued that she couldn't go by herself but she'd pointed out that the threatening texts from Lori's phone had been sent from Hedgcock's house. He was the one that had been threatening them and now he was locked up for seventy-two hours.

  Knox had finally given in but he hadn't been happy about it. He’d had to concede that Brett Hedgcock looked like the person that had probably set the fire. She'd teased him that he simply wanted to be with her wherever she went. He'd laughed and admitted that was true but he understood that this was something that she needed to do herself.

  She rang Anita's doorbell and inwardly hoped that her mother would be having one of her good, lucid days. She had spoken with Michelle yesterday and they'd agreed that Anita needed to be told the truth as soon as possible.

  Anita answered the door, giving Jenna a huge smile and a hug. "Come in, come in. It's so wonderful to have both of you here to visit me."

  Both of us?

  To Jenna's shock, Michelle stuck her head around the corner of the kitchen. "I'm here too. I thought I'd surprise you."

  "You managed that. I thought you were in Miami."

  This was why every time she'd tried to call her sister it had gone to voicemail. Michelle must have been on an airplane.

  "I couldn't stay there forever. Give me a minute. I'm making some tea for us all and then I want a big hug from you. I've missed you so much."

  "I've missed you too."


  When Jenna thought about how Knox struggled with his family, she was even more grateful for what she'd found here with Anita, Michelle, and Tom. And Lori. Although she wasn't around anymore, Jenna could almost feel her presence in the room. Warm and cozy, full of love. That's how she'd remember her sister. Lori was someone who gave of herself selflessly, showing love and kindness to everyone.

  Especially to me. Thank you, Lori. I'll miss you every single day and I'll never forget you.

  Jenna sat next to Anita on the couch and they hugged again. Apparently, Michelle had listened to her voicemails because she'd already told Anita that Jenna was leaving today and heading back to the Seattle area. Jenna promised that she - and Knox - would visit soon. She just needed to get settled and figure out what she was going to do with her life going forward. She didn't have a job at the moment or a direction, and she didn't want Knox to think her plan was to mooch off of him. She could take care of herself financially, but she couldn't imagine herself sitting around bored all of the time. She needed something to do.

  "You bring that handsome young man with you next time," Anita said. "He seemed like a keeper."

  "He is," Jenna assured her mother. "And I will bring him, I promise. But today is nice, just the three of us."

  Michelle exited the kitchen carrying a large tray with three iced tea glasses and a plate of cookies. "It's hot out today, so this tea should really hit the spot."

  She set the tray out on the coffee table and picked up two glasses, handing one to Anita and then Jenna before picking up the third for herself. "I think we should toast to Lori and finding out the truth. What do you say?"

  It also appeared that Michelle had already had the talk with Anita. Jenna was slightly annoyed at her sister as this hadn't been the plan at all last night when they'd spoken. It was, however, just like Michelle to do. Since she was the older twin, she always thought she was in charge.

  I should be happy. Now I don't have to do it.

  They clinked glasses and Jenna sipped at the cool liquid. It was an unusually hot day out there and it felt wonderful sliding down her parched throat.