Amish Christmas Emergency

by Dana R. Lynn

  “Jackson,” the chief greeted him, sitting back in his chair. “What can I do for you?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that the coroner’s office called. The man from the fire was Quinton.”

  Paul Kennedy stood and came around his desk. “Are you going to go to let Miss Grant know?”

  Staring into his chief’s eyes, Gavin knew that he hadn’t been able to hide his emotions from his boss. Sympathy shone brightly in his gaze. And a question.

  “Um, actually, sir, I thought you would call to let her know.”

  “Gavin, that’s not what I would have expected from you. She deserves to hear the news from you.”

  He thought the chief might mean more than just Quinton’s death. His chief was challenging him about his intentions toward her. Shifting his feet, he could not think of a suitable reply.

  “I know what you can do,” the chief said.

  “What?”

  Chief Kennedy clapped him on the shoulder. “I have two cats at my house that don’t belong to me,” he drawled. “I would be very much obliged if you would get them and take Miss Grant her cat. I’m sure the animal will be a very welcome surprise.”

  He really couldn’t say no. As he strode out of the station, there was a sense of eagerness in his steps. He had planned to go home without seeing her. But now, realizing that he had the chance to see her, even if it was for the last time, had anticipation zipping through his soul.

  When he arrived at the Kennedy house, he found that Irene had the cats already in their crates. “Paul told me you were coming,” she greeted him.

  “Hey, Irene. I hear congrats are in order.”

  She smiled so wide, he couldn’t help but grin back. “Yes, but the boys don’t know yet. We’re going to tell them soon. So don’t spill the beans, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Jackson gave Irene a mock salute. She laughed and made to move one of the crates. “Hey, none of that! I’ve got it.”

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t protest. Soon he had two cats stowed in the back of his cruiser. They tried to outdo each other with pitiful yowling meows. He grinned to himself. It would be an interesting drive.

  He got a call from Zee. “Hey, Jackson. I just dropped Alexa off at her house. Chief said that the coroner had IDed our perp.”

  “Good to know.” He hung up and gave the crates in the back a quick glance in the mirror. “Okay, Cinnamon. You’re on your way home.”

  He grew uneasy as he approached Alexa’s house. What would he say to her? Hey, it’s been a blast but I don’t do relationships?

  He snorted in disgust.

  All too soon, he was sitting in her driveway. Taking a deep breath, he opened his door and got out of the car. Grabbing Cinnamon’s crate, he sauntered to the front door, working to keep his expression neutral.

  He’d barely knocked when she swung open the door, pleasure illuminating her face when she saw him. Then she slid her gaze to the crate in his hand. The happy shriek she let out destroyed his neutral expression. The grin was on his face before he could stop it.

  She grabbed the crate and pulled it inside. Then she reached back and pulled him in by his hand and shut the door behind him. He could have resisted. He should have. But he didn’t.

  He wanted to be by her side so much, and he knew that he couldn’t.

  “I should—”

  “Gavin, thank you so much for bringing my baby home.”

  He blinked. Her baby. He glanced at the fat purring feline in her arms. “Big baby.”

  Then there was sudden silence. Awkward silence. They both knew he’d come to say goodbye, he realized. He could read the sorrow that suddenly darkened her face. And the hope that she held on to. The cat leaped down from his perch in her arms.

  It was no use. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t let her hope when there was none.

  She shifted. Moved to the side. He knew what would happen before it did. She lifted her right foot. And accidentally stepped on Cinnamon’s tail. The large cat yowled, and Lexie jumped. She nearly fell over. He made the mistake of catching hold of her, to steady her.

  For just a moment, he stopped resisting. The moment he leaned forward, she rose up on her toes. Their lips met. Held.

  He moved back. Her face glowed up at him. Unable to think why he wasn’t stopping, he kissed her again. It was a kiss that sparkled and glittered in his mind. In his soul. A kiss that he’d remember all his life.

  It was all he could ever have.

  He stepped back. He was letting her go.

  * * *

  Alexa opened her eyes, still dazzled by the kiss that had rocked her senses.

  The dazzled feeling lasted only until she caught the light of self-reproach on Gavin’s face. He was regretting kissing her. She knew he was, and it hurt. More than that, it made her angry.

  “That shouldn’t have happened,” Gavin muttered, confirming her suspicions. He stepped back from her. Her arms dropped from his shoulders and flapped to her sides. She wrapped them around herself. His sudden distance made her feel cold from the inside out.

  “Why shouldn’t it have happened, Gavin?” she challenged him, lifting her chin. “You can’t tell me that you don’t have feelings for me. I know you do.”

  He moved farther away, then he turned his back to her. His posture emanated frustration. He was completely shutting her out.

  “I’m not good for you, Lexie. I’m a cop. I live a dangerous life. A life that I chose, but I have no right forcing it on any woman.”

  “Isn’t it my choice if I can accept your job? Besides, I’m not asking you to marry me. Just for the chance for us to get to know each other better.”

  She knew immediately that she’d said the wrong thing.

  “I can’t do it, Lexie. Not again. The last time I let a woman get too close, she stayed until she found a better man. I won’t open myself up to that again.”

  “Don’t you dare compare me to your sister-in-law. I would never play with a man’s feelings that way.”

  He pivoted back to her, and his face softened slightly as his eyes scanned her face. Almost like he was memorizing what she looked at. He was really going to do it. He was actually going to walk away from her.

  “Of course, I know that you wouldn’t play with my feelings, Lexie. But I still don’t know if I can take the chance again. You can do better than me. I’m a good cop. And I have accepted that that will be my life.”

  Suddenly she gave up trying to reason with him. He had made her too mad. “Do you even believe the faith you profess?” she questioned.

  His jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

  She glared. “You say you believe, but isn’t this really still about your brother and your parents, and the fact that you can’t forgive them? That you won’t forgive them?”

  He stiffened, but she ignored him. She wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot.

  “You gave me that Bible, and I have been reading it. But now I wonder if you really read it. You know that your uncle had made notes in the Bible. Did you ever read them? I read them.” She ran to the table and picked up the book and flipped through to the Gospel of Matthew. She knew it was in here somewhere. She found his uncle’s now familiar scrawl. “Here. The Sermon on the Mount. The Lord’s Prayer. Right next to where it says, “‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’” Your uncle wrote, “‘Lord, please soften G.’s heart to forgive his brother.’”

  She shut the book and aimed a level stare at the man who aggravated her like no other. The man who held her heart in his hands and was so set on breaking it.

  “He was praying for you to forgive your brother, Gavin. Not for him. But for you. I have read other notes. Your inability to forgive is hurting him, but it’s hurting you more. Let it go.”

  She saw the vulnerable look on his face, and for a moment she th
ought she’d gotten through to him. Then his expression hardened, his eyes became shuttered. The invisible wall he had built between them was practically tangible. She’d given her best and failed.

  He shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lexie. I really am. But this is who I am. And my brother is who he is. He betrayed me once. How could I ever know that he wouldn’t do so again?”

  “Gavin, please. People can change, can’t they? Give him a chance.”

  He didn’t answer. He gave her one last sad glance then walked out the door. She listened as he started his car and drove away. He was gone. She slumped against the door, too broken to cry. Cinnamon wound around her legs, meowing mournfully. Even the cat knew something was wrong.

  The next day she waited, hoping he’d call. Admit he was wrong. But he didn’t.

  He was truly gone.

  The phone rang around six. She jumped up and ran to where she’d left it sitting on the counter. Maybe it was Gavin. She eagerly looked at the number. It was the LaMar Pond PD.

  She swiped a trembling finger across the screen to unlock it. “Hello?” She held her breath. Please be Gavin. Please be Gavin.

  “Alexa, Ryan Parker here.”

  She let her breath out, closing her eyes in disappointment.

  “Alexa? You there?”

  “Yes, hi. What’s up?” She straightened her shoulders. She was not some weak woman who couldn’t survive without a man. Get control of yourself, Alexa.

  “Hey, Jackson asked me to call you. The clinic’s all clear to reopen. You can go back to your normal activities.”

  Was it her imagination, or could she hear the question in his voice? Why wasn’t Gavin calling her himself?

  She shook her head. Forced a bright note into her voice she so wasn’t anywhere near feeling. “That’s great to know. Thanks so much for telling me!”

  “Sure, anytime.” There was a pause. “I shouldn’t say this, but I saw him today, and he looks miserable.”

  Tears that she promised herself she wouldn’t cry filled her eyes. “I can’t do anything about that, Ryan. He’s got to work through this. I did my best.”

  “Don’t give up on him. He’ll come around.”

  She gave a noncommittal response and hung up the phone.

  She had her life back. She could go to work, come home without fear and carry on as she had before her life collided with Gavin Jackson. She should be celebrating. Instead, she sat on the couch, holding her cat to her chest and burying her face in his fur, letting her agony and grief flow out of her in a tide of tears.

  It was awfully hard to celebrate when there was a hole in her chest in the shape of Gavin.

  FIFTEEN

  Would Gavin call today?

  Of course not. He’d been very clear that they could never be together. She couldn’t decide which emotion was stronger—anger at him for being so stubborn, or sadness that he was so determined to be alone.

  “Did you hear that Marvin King’s going to live?” Megan asked, setting a stack of files next to her computer.

  “I did hear that.” She had nearly cried tears of joy when she heard he was going to survive. They hadn’t heard anything on Eli Schwartz yet. Noah, however, was home and recovering nicely. She’d received a package from Naomi filled with a variety of home-baked cookies in thanksgiving. Alexa didn’t have the heart to tell the woman that she couldn’t eat them.

  She’d brought them in to the clinic to share. Between Sam, the janitor—Damien—and Megan, they’d been gone in under two days.

  The door to the clinic opened. Alexa looked up. A smile broke across her face.

  “Linda! We were just talking about your brother. I’m so glad he’s going to be all right!”

  The smile melted off her face as the Amish girl hurried over. She wasn’t just in a hurry. She was upset. Something was wrong.

  “Linda! What’s wrong? Is it Marvin?” Fear churned. What if he’d had a relapse?

  “He is gut.” Reaching the desk, Linda slapped a newspaper onto the desk. It was several days old. “This is the problem.”

  Alexa and Megan both flicked their eyes to where Linda was pointing. It was an article about Dr. Quinton, who hadn’t really been Dr. Quinton, but was a fugitive, after running to avoid the police, who were investigating him for the drowning death of his wife. The details of the stalking and his past crimes were all enumerated.

  “What do you mean this is wrong, Linda? What’s wrong about it?”

  Linda brushed her fingers over the picture of Dr. Quinton. “This is not the man I saw that day at my house. This was not the man who shot my brother.”

  Silence met her words. If the now deceased doctor hadn’t been the shooter, then who had been? Her eyes skimmed the waiting room. It was full today, being the first day open since the bombing a week ago. Plus, it was right before Christmas. The patients knew they’d have to wait until after the holiday to get seen if they waited. Word had obviously gotten around. They’d come in droves that morning.

  Now their lives might be at risk.

  A chill struck her heart. It had to be someone in the clinic. Someone who knew her schedule and her patients. There weren’t many men, here, though.

  She grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket. “I’ll call Gavin. He’s a cop. He’ll know what to do.”

  Her fingers began to tap in the number. Strong fingers plucked the phone from her hands. Startled, she looked up into the cold dark eyes of the janitor, Damien Alexander. She’d never noticed how hard his eyes were.

  It was him. He was the man who was stalking her. The man who had killed for her. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him before he started working at the clinic.

  Stay calm. Maybe you’re wrong. She knew she wasn’t though.

  “Damien.” She gave an uncomfortable laugh. “What are you doing? I need a phone to call my friend.”

  Damien shoved something into her side. She didn’t have to look to know it was a gun. Megan gasped.

  “You!” Linda said. “You were the one!”

  He sent an almost bored glance her way. “Yes, yes, I’m the one who shot your brother. It’s an unfortunate fact of growing up in the city that I’m not a very good shot. But I think I can manage at this close range. Now, if you would be so kind, I would hate to shoot your friend this way. Come around into the hallway. And don’t say anything.”

  Linda obeyed. Gesturing with his gun, he pushed the three women back into the farthest examination room. Dr. Jackson was there, finishing his dictation from his last patient.

  “What’s the meaning of this—” he began but ceased speaking when he saw the gun. Damien ignored him.

  The first thing the janitor did was to confiscate the rest of the cell phones.

  “I can’t have youse guys calling anyone, can I?” That’s when Alexa heard his Chicago accent for the first time.

  He turned to Megan. “Your keys.”

  Megan handed him the keys she had to the rooms. Ironically, Damien had the other set of keys. He moved to the door. “I’m going to get rid of our guests. If I hear any noise, one of them will die.”

  Seeing the chilling expression on his face, Alexa believed he would do exactly what he claimed. The others must have agreed, for once the door was shut and locked behind him, no one said a single word.

  Alexa had no hope that Gavin would discover the truth of the situation. As far as he and everyone else had been concerned, Dr. Quinton had been their stalker. She didn’t blame anyone for the wrong conclusion. She’d believed it herself.

  The lock rattled. Damien slipped back inside, an almost pleasant look on his face. “Now, isn’t this cozy?” His eyes settled on Alexa. “I must say, I never planned to have such a large crowd for our final meeting.”

  At the words final meeting, Alexa felt the blood rush from her head. Beside her, Megan sobbed out a soft breath.
Linda was silent. Oddly, Sam was quiet, too. She’d gotten used to his rather boastful personality. It surprised her that he wouldn’t have something to say at a time like this.

  Gavin would have, she thought. Not to hear himself talk. No, Gavin would have drawn all the attention to himself to keep Damien’s focus, and the gun, off everyone else. Well, she could do the same thing. He was after her, so maybe she’d be able to hold his attention until someone noticed something amiss and came to help.

  Which wasn’t likely; she knew that, but she had to try.

  “Damien, why? I don’t understand.”

  As she’d planned, his focus jerked to stare at her. He sneered. It was an ugly expression on what should have been a handsome face. She barely managed to hold back the shudder.

  “You don’t understand. That’s rich. This has all been for you. I came into the hospital after I’d had a chemical burn. You treated me, and I knew you were the one. But you couldn’t be faithful, could you?” He spat on the ground. She flinched. “You had to go and get engaged to that pitiful fellow. I poisoned him. It was so easy. But that didn’t work. He was found and rushed to the hospital. Then you showed up. You still didn’t understand that you were mine. I took care of him.”

  The shudder that she’d been suppressing worked its way through her. She kept her face blank with effort. He was talking in front of witnesses. If they survived this, there would be three people beside herself to testify against him.

  “I didn’t know you. Surely you knew that?”

  “You never gave me a second glance,” he shouted. “Then you moved. Away from me. I followed you. It was ridiculously easy to get a job here. The doctor never even checked my references.”

  Probably because he himself was illegally practicing.

  “I thought you’d see me in this joke of a town. Then I saw you flirting with all the men who came in. I had to step in. Don’t you see that? I had to save you from yourself. Then you started hanging out with that cop.”