Crime Scene Connection

by Deena Alexander

  A slightly disheveled man, wearing slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar open, paused on the top step, turned and looked around. He lifted a hand as Jace approached. “Jace Montana?”

  “Yes.” He shook the proffered hand.

  “Austin Lowe.” He held the door open for Jace to precede him and spoke while he strode through the lobby. “Connor asked me to meet you. His cell phone service was bad, but he said you’d bring me up to date.”

  Austin dropped his briefcase onto the belt beside the metal detector, fished his keys from his pocket and tossed them behind the briefcase, then walked through the metal detector. Apparently, Connor had managed to convey the urgency of the situation, if nothing else.

  Jace followed him unimpeded, then waited while Austin surveyed the directory posted on the wall beside the elevators.

  “Second floor.” Instead of waiting for the elevator, he jogged up the stairs.

  Jace brought him up to speed as much as possible, relaying all of the information he had so far.

  The two deputies who’d transported Addison emerged from a doorway at the end of the hall and strolled toward them. The one who’d shoved Addison laughed at something the other said. “...Niagara Falls this weekend with Courtney and the kids.”

  Jace angled himself toward the offender. When he came within striking distance, Jace bumped him with his shoulder, hard.

  The deputy stepped back, met Jace’s harsh glare and tipped his hat. “Sorry, man, gotta look where I’m going.” He kept walking.

  Austin continued down the hallway without breaking stride and entered the doorway the two men had just left.

  Jace followed, catching the door before it could close all the way, then met Austin at the counter.

  The lawyer was already trying to get a woman’s attention. “Excuse me.”

  “Just a minute, please.” A harried-looking clerk rushed past, carrying a stack of folders, and disappeared through a doorway at the side of the room.

  Austin stroked a hand over his goatee, then rapped his knuckles against the bulletproof glass, craning his neck to see past the partitions dividing the office into cubicles.

  The clatter of fingers flying over a keyboard, music playing quietly and muffled voices assured Jace there were more people hiding back there than just the one clerk. He didn’t have the time or the patience to wait for her to come back. He turned the knob and shoved against the door that led to the work area. Nothing. Locked up tight.

  The clerk hurried back into the room and disappeared behind a maroon partition.

  Austin scrolled through his phone.

  Fed up, Jace fisted his hand and pounded against the window. “Hey.”

  When the woman poked her head around the corner, he gestured her forward.

  “Yes?” She approached the window tentatively, as if scared he’d launch himself through the glass. Her assessment wasn’t far off. “Can I help you gentlemen?”

  Stuffing the phone into his pocket, Austin smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Please. I’m Addison Keller’s attorney.”

  The woman’s frown only fueled Jace’s anger.

  “You’ll have to give me a minute.” She started to move away again.

  “Look, ma’am.” Austin pressed a hand against Jace’s chest, restraining any outburst, and leaned toward the woman. “My client was just brought in for questioning, and I must see her.”

  “Have a seat, and I’ll find out where she is.”

  He nodded and turned on Jace while the woman disappeared through the door once more. “I know you’re frustrated, but that woman has the power to make us wait a long time. Why don’t you step outside and calm down?”

  Confident the defense attorney would get to Addison, probably faster without Jace hindering him, Jace shoved through the doorway. Pacing the hallway, he kept a close eye on Austin. He’d call Connor and give the other man until he got off the phone to make it past the woman guarding the desk before he turned this place upside down in search of her.

  Connor picked up on the fourth ring. “Yeah.”

  “The lawyer’s here, but one of the clerks is blocking him.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’ll get in.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  Silence greeted him.

  “Fine.” Not wanting to waste the decent cell phone connection, he let it go. “Have you found out anything about the anonymous tip that led to them finding Addison?”

  “Yes and no.”

  The clerk came back, waving animatedly while Austin nodded.

  Fear for Addison’s safety shortened his temper. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “A call came in about forty minutes after we left the cabin.” He turned away or covered the phone to speak to someone in the background, his muffled voice coming through the receiver, but Jace couldn’t make out the words. “Just long enough for the killer to have followed us to the motel, then reach somewhere with decent cell phone service and make the call.”

  “You think Brandon Carlisle is involved?”

  “Either that, or the killer’s done his research and knows about Addison’s history with Brandon and the SCPD, and knows she wouldn’t receive a warm welcome.”

  Frustration tormented him. “Where are you?”

  “I’m headed out that way. At least I’m out of the mountains now, so my cell phone should work. I’ll call you back when I get closer.”

  As Jace turned to look at Austin, the lawyer placed both hands flat against the counter, leaning close enough to press his nose against the bulletproof glass, his posture rigid. All signs of the easygoing man with the ready smile had disappeared.

  “Gotta go.” He ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket, then went to see what the problem was.

  ELEVEN

  Addison kept her back rigid, careful not to slouch in the hard, metal chair, refusing to bend under Detective Marshall Brooks’s harsh stare. She worked to ignore the disapproval in his scowl and kept her voice calm. “I already told you. I wasn’t trying to evade the police. I was scared, and I wanted to get away for a little while. And that’s all I’m going to say without my attorney present.”

  The heavyset detective leaned forward, hands splayed on the table, anger turning his already ruddy complexion even redder.

  She would never turn her gaze away first. When they’d offered her a phone call, she’d declined, thinking Connor was already making arrangements. Maybe she shouldn’t have. But who would she have called anyway, a random attorney she chose from the yellow pages?

  “So you climbed out the window in the middle of the night?”

  Silence.

  “Why?”

  She could just explain, tell him she thought someone was in the house, but it probably wouldn’t matter anyway. The fact that Detective Brooks was still hammering her with questions after she’d requested her attorney told her all she needed to know about his association with Brandon. Better to wait until she spoke to a lawyer.

  “...pictures?”

  Uh-oh. What had he said? Lulled by the repetitive line of questioning, she hadn’t paid enough attention. “I’m sorry?”

  He lifted a brow with just the right amount of derision evident in the expression, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he practiced the skeptical look in front of the mirror. “I said, how do you explain the pictures?”

  “Pictures?” A line of sweat snaked its way down her back. “What pictures?”

  “The pictures of the crime scene on your computer.”

  Oh, no. She’d forgotten about the emails, forgotten her computer would have been sitting on her bed, open, when the police had come to search for her. Had they searched the house?

  Hopefully, Connor would come through with a lawyer in a hurry.

  The detective paced the small area in f
ront of the table, hands clasped behind his back, hard expression reflected in what she figured was a two-way mirror each time he turned, then changed tactics. “Sales of your book certainly have increased in the past couple of days.”

  A small glimmer of happiness tried to surface as it always did at the prospect people were enjoying her book, but it dimmed instantly when she realized why sales had increased.

  “Just in time for the second installment.” He stopped pacing and stood facing her, then leaned forward deliberately, flattening his hands against the table, caging her gaze with his. “That’s quite a coincidence.”

  The breath shot from her lungs as if she’d been sucker punched. He couldn’t possibly think... Of course, thinking he had evidence of her guilt would certainly explain his attitude. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”

  “As soon as we’re done here.”

  “No. Now.”

  He glanced pointedly at his watch. “You know, it’s still early enough to get you before a judge for arraignment if you talk now, tell us what’s really going on. Might keep you from spending the night in jail.”

  She pushed her chair back and stood, rubbing her wrists where the handcuffs had chafed. “It was a long trip, and I need to use the restroom.”

  The detective glanced at his partner, who’d remained quietly in his chair this whole time, and shrugged as if it didn’t matter. He opened the door. “Come with me.”

  The suspicion that he’d given in too easily rode her as he escorted her down the hallway, his partner falling into step on her other side. The detective pushed open the bathroom door and gestured her inside. He and his partner took up positions on either side of the door, their backs to the hallway wall.

  Addison let the door fall shut then turned and leaned against it, thankful for the moment of solitude. She’d become too used to being alone and was never quite comfortable in the presence of others, especially anyone wearing a uniform or carrying a badge. Any plan of escape fell flat in the windowless room. Probably for the best, anyway.

  What she really needed was a hot bubble bath and a cup of coffee, maybe a little something to eat.

  She scoffed. More likely she’d end up with a cot and a toilet in a five-by-eight cage.

  She shoved away from the door.

  She couldn’t imagine where Jace was. She’d been right to trust him. God had answered her prayers when He’d sent Jason Montana to save her. But one man could only do so much.

  How had she ended up in this mess? She stared into the mirror above the sinks and a stranger stared back at her. An older woman than she remembered, with disheveled hair, dark circles ringing her eyes and a pallid complexion. Fear. Fear had dictated every step she’d taken so far. From the day Maris had forced her to realize the truth of what a monster she’d married, fear had ruled her. Enough. It was time to stand up and face this instead of running away.

  A sob escaped, and she struggled to stifle the sound. No need for the detectives standing outside the door to know they’d upset her. She washed her hands, then tied her long hair back in a knot, closed her eyes and splashed blessedly cool water over her face. Keeping her head lowered, she let the water drip into the sink.

  Someone extended a wad of paper towels from the dispenser into her line of vision. Funny, she hadn’t heard anyone come in. Then again, she’d been so flustered she hadn’t bothered to check the stalls. She took the paper towels. “Thank y—”

  A strong hand clamped over her mouth and another gripped the back of her hair and yanked her upright, turning her toward him. Brandon pulled her face closer to his until they were almost nose to nose. “Hello, Addison.”

  She froze, too terrified to even struggle.

  His hushed laughter echoed through the empty room. He squeezed her face, the pressure of his fingers threatening to crush her cheekbones. “Imagine meeting you here.”

  Deliver me from evil. Stand with me. Lend me Your strength. Oh, Lord, help me.

  She heaved in a deep breath through her nose, the air thick with the stench of his overly sweet cologne, and schooled her features, knowing the flat expression was the least likely to provoke him.

  “When I remove my hand, you will not scream. Do you understand?”

  She nodded slowly, careful to keep her gaze averted.

  He released her slowly, hesitant, as if afraid she’d go back on her word. Maybe the two cops stationed outside the door didn’t know he was in here. The thought of screaming for help slipped quickly through her mind and right back out again. If the two detectives were in cahoots with him, she’d most likely disappear.

  Brandon looked perfect, as always. Not one slick black hair out of place, his suit impeccably pressed, his expression a mask of control. But she knew what lurked beneath the deceptive exterior. A monster, his temper quick and fierce.

  She kept her voice low. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

  Not that it mattered, but someone had to have told him where to find her, and very few people knew. The killer among them.

  “Really? With your nerves? As soon as I got word you’d been picked up, it was a given you’d end up in the bathroom blubbering like an idiot.”

  She ignored the dig. His opinion of her had stopped mattering long ago. “What do you want?”

  “Answers.”

  “Answers to what?”

  He turned at the sound of raised voices in the hallway.

  The bathroom door swung open, slamming into the wall behind it with enough force to rattle the mirror.

  * * *

  Jace left the lawyer in the hallway to battle it out with the two detectives and strode through the bathroom doorway ready for a fight. One quick glance assured him Addison was shaken but okay. Bruises on her cheekbones—amid the scabbed-over scratches and cuts from their flight through the woods—fueled his anger. When he turned on Brandon Carlisle, years of pent-up frustration and rage surged through him.

  He prayed for self-control. “What are you doing here?”

  Brandon grinned, a calculated look Jace had observed too many times for it to have any effect on him. “Well, hello there, Jace. What brings you here? Decided to join me after all?”

  Jace loosened his clenched fists and ignored the taunt.

  Brandon smoothed his jacket and ran a hand over his hair. Nervous gestures were unusual for the Brandon Jace remembered. “I can get you back on the force in a heartbeat, you know.”

  “I don’t want anything from you.” Though he desperately wanted to return to his former career, if God meant for him to be back on the force, he’d be there. Of course, the well of self-pity he’d fallen into would have kept that from happening even if it had been meant for him. Even God couldn’t help him if he refused to cooperate, refused to help himself.

  “Oh, that’s right. Well, if you don’t want anything from me, what are you doing here?” He stole a glance at Addison and frowned when he turned back to Jace. Twin spots of red flared on his cheeks. “Unless maybe there was something you wanted from me all along. Tell me, Jace, is that why you wouldn’t accept my offer, wouldn’t join me and my men? Did you have a thing for my wife?”

  Typical of Brandon, always believing there had to be an ulterior motive. He couldn’t accept that Jace had no interest in doing anything illegal, or even immoral. Everything this man did was self-serving, so he couldn’t understand how other people could put someone else ahead of themselves, could sacrifice their own needs or desires for those of others.

  Brandon turned on Addison. “Imagine finding my wife with my sworn enemy.”

  Addison averted her gaze as she shook her head. “I’m not your wife.”

  Brandon took a step toward her and lifted his hand.

  Jace intercepted him, catching Brandon’s arm midswing. He shoved Brandon back against the wall, willing him to stay there so he could get Addison to safety without having to
hurt him.

  Brandon’s head smacked against the tile with a resounding and satisfying thud. He hurled himself back at Jace, hitting him hard with a shoulder into his gut. He wrapped his arms around Jace’s waist and propelled him backward.

  Moving with the momentum, Jace backpedaled and turned, throttling Brandon’s head and shoulder into the tiled wall behind him.

  “Stop it!” Addison’s scream barely penetrated the haze of rage clouding his mind and judgment.

  But it penetrated enough to make him release his hold and step back.

  Brandon came again.

  “That’s enough. You’re drawing too much attention now.” The two detectives grabbed Brandon’s arms and wrestled him back across the room. One of them whirled on Jace. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Me?” As if the arrogant loser had every right to be standing in a women’s restroom tormenting his ex-wife.

  Jace surged toward him.

  Austin stepped into his path, barring the way. He blocked Jace and leaned close. “Let it go, man. Right now, he’s got a lot to answer for.”

  Jace swallowed hard, trying desperately to rein in the fear that had overtaken him when he’d found Brandon with Addison. While he might have some hope of controlling his anger, the fear threatened to consume him.

  The lawyer shoved Jace back and kept him pinned with his gaze. Keeping a firm hand against Jace’s chest, he gestured Addison toward the door. “Come on, Addison.”

  She hurried out.

  The two detectives had Brandon caged in the far corner, voices pitched low in what sounded like an argument.

  Jace shoved away from the wall, keeping his glare on Brandon, letting him know this wasn’t over by a long shot.

  When Brandon smiled, flashing his overly white teeth, Austin grabbed Jace none too gently by the arm and propelled him out the doorway. “Think about this, Jace. He doesn’t matter right now. What matters is getting Addison before a judge and out of here and somewhere safe. That’s your job, and you can’t do it from a cell.”