by Regan Black
Chapter 13
Joe couldn’t get close to her. He’d kept his ear to the ground, but so far no opportunities had materialized for him to take out Pippa Colton and put this case to bed for good.
Not like when he’d been trailing Hicks.
Greed had made that slimeball easy picking. Or maybe it was a matter of focus. Admittedly, Joe had tunnel vision after the jerk dumped his little girl, breaking her heart, for a new moneybags lover.
A career on the force had taught him some cases resonated and when it came to family, they all pushed the envelope once in a while to see justice done. In his mind, if you took the right action, discreetly, the world was a better place. Wasn’t that the true goal?
The rumors at the GRPD were enough to convince him that Colton had sunk her teeth into something that could wreck everything. She wasn’t letting go. Far as he could tell, she hadn’t connected him to the gun or how Hicks had arrived at the Wentworth rose garden, but he figured at this point it was better to act first and wonder no more.
She’d visited with Leigh. Thankfully, his daughter was an excellent witness and provided him with a clear rundown of the conversation. She’d described Colton as friendly. Said she’d left disappointed after Leigh couldn’t point her to anyone who might’ve hassled Hicks while he and Leigh had been dating.
He still didn’t see what Leigh had found so endearing about that loser, but his baby girl had been in love, certain they were going to live happily ever after and build a franchise of fitness centers for the young and beautiful.
Instead, Hicks shifted his attention to other women, women with more money to spend on him, and left Joe’s daughter wondering what she’d done wrong.
* * *
On the evening of Pippa’s meeting with McRath, Emmanuel struggled to contain himself as they wired her so they could listen in. A war over her safety raged inside him. Revealing his concerns would only make matters worse, so he locked it down. She needed him to be confident in her and in the plan.
The rest of the backup team was already taking their positions, hours ahead of the expected meeting time. Emmanuel kept swallowing the advice he wanted to give. She knew what she was doing, and she knew the Wentworth case as well as he did.
Fortunately Lieutenant McKellar took the lead, reviewing the location and all possible approaches with her. He even insisted on reviewing two escape routes, all factors she would have resisted if Emmanuel had tried to make suggestions.
“Heritage Park is a favorite of mine, Lieutenant. I know it inside and out,” she assured him. “I’ll be fine.”
“Joe knows it too,” the lieutenant reminded her. “He chose it for a reason. If he is dirty, he will be on his guard and ready to do anything to save his ass.”
To Emmanuel’s relief, she was taking the advice well. They did a sound check and then let her head out in her personal vehicle when they had confirmation everyone was in place.
He and the lieutenant would be the last ones to reach the park. That made Emmanuel more nervous, but there was no way McRath would make a premature move on Pippa. She was too well-known in the community, her family too connected to take that kind of chance.
“If this goes sideways,” he said to McKellar once they were alone, “I’ll never forgive myself. Or you.”
“Iglesias, if you’re not good with this, you have to stay behind. I’m not risking two officers today.”
“I’m good,” Emmanuel lied. If McRath touched a hair on her head, he wouldn’t hesitate to intervene and protect her.
* * *
“Thank you for meeting with me tonight,” Pippa said when McRath finally joined her at the designated place within the park. “I do appreciate your time.”
The older man grunted. “I admit these conversations aren’t my favorite. Why are you even looking twice at Wentworth? She’s a nightmare. Always has been.”
“She has a daughter, Elizabeth, who’s my friend,” Pippa replied. After hours of debate, she thought appealing to him as a father was her best strategy.
“Stirring the pot for friendship?” he asked, incredulous. “Better uses of your time.”
She’d known this wouldn’t be easy, or straightforward. “I don’t think so. Although my friend is hurting.” She paused. “Hypothetically, without the overwhelming evidence against Mrs. Wentworth, who did you like for the crime?”
McRath shook his head, the light teasing his graying hair. “You lawyers play with hypotheticals. I play with reality. All of the evidence pointed to Mrs. Wentworth. She did the crime, and now she’s doing the time.”
“I just can’t agree with you.”
His lip curled in caustic judgement. “You know the prison system is full of innocent people, right?” He shook his head, gazing out over the park. “I got better things to do than cater to your feelings for a friend.”
If she could find the right angle to open him up, he’d have plenty of time to contemplate his hypotheticals in prison. “I guess I just find it all too convenient,” she began, trying another tack. “Hicks had run through several women. I know there has to be someone else involved, someone else who wanted him dead.”
“Really?” His gaze narrowed, and she smothered the urge to run. She’d seen those mean eyes through the holes of a ski mask not too long ago. “Like who?”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. Several women were angry with him and felt cheated. Do you think the killer might’ve been a different woman?” McGrath was a problem solver. He might well be a murderer, too, but that was just a bad way to solve a problem.
When he didn’t respond, she rambled on. “I noticed you questioned Elizabeth. She normally tells me everything, but I can’t help wondering if she was involved with Hicks?”
“All I learned about Hicks is that he charmed women into costly mistakes.” McRath pushed to his feet, and even in the fading light she could tell she’d hit a hot button. “I am sick and tired of your kind digging into closed cases. My partner and I did good work, and you are wasting my time. Stealing that girl’s money. All you damn attorneys want is a sound bite. A way to move up the political ladder. You make the job impossible for those of us out here taking calls and talking to witnesses and putting criminals behind bars to keep the city safe.
“The Wentworth case is done. Over. The bitch is in jail where she belongs.”
Pippa didn’t know what she’d expected, but it wasn’t this vitriol and sheer hatred. “Detective McRath, I don’t mean any disrespect. I only want justice. I know you don’t want an innocent woman wasting away in jail. And she is innocent. I’m sure of it.”
“That woman is not innocent,” he barked. “She was sleeping around on her husband and barely knew the names of her staff. They worked with her every day, and she didn’t bother to learn their names. Do you have any idea how many times she called the police with false complaints? Murderer or not, prison will do that woman and this city a world of good.”
Were they catching all of this? “Joe, you can’t mean that.”
McRath pulled a gun, and it was all she could do not to scream. Only knowing she’d hurt someone’s ears kept her quiet.
“Oh, I mean it.”
“What are you doing?”
“I respected your father,” McRath said. “But you, not so much. I’m sick of the whole damn mess. I’m sick of the lies and the deals and the cheats like Wentworth. You think you’ve got me?”
“No, Joe,” she said quietly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Bull. Get up,” he ordered.
“Why don’t you sit down and we’ll finish our conversation.”
“I’m done with you and everyone like you. Get up!”
She stood, intending to edge away and put the bench between them. It wasn’t much cover, but it might buy her a few seconds.
“This way.” He gestured with the gun. “Run
and I’ll kill your lover instead. I can’t believe Iglesias fell for you. What a sap.”
She froze, locked in a nightmare of losing Emmanuel. Her hands were cold as ice and her knees wanted to buckle. She needed him in her life to lean on, to love. Needed to be there for him at the end of the day, as his safe haven. Her fears about her feelings for him paled against the prospect of a future without him. She couldn’t let Joe steal the beautiful opportunity to share her life with him.
“Come on, girl.” He waved the gun. “You’re going to pay for not letting this rest.” He pushed the gun into her stomach, walking her backward toward the trees.
“Joe.” She sucked in a breath as he grabbed her, spun her around. She couldn’t resist too much. If he saw the wire, or dislodged it and broke the connection, it was over, and her efforts would be for nothing. “Whatever’s on your mind, the gun isn’t necessary.”
“It is. You’ll pay the same way that lying cheat Hicks paid. I put a bullet in his black, shriveled heart.” His hand was clammy and bruising on the back of her neck. “Hicks hurt my daughter. Stole her money and then tried to blackmail his wealthy lover. The world is better off without him. You didn’t heed my warnings, so it’s time to stop you too.”
If he got her into those trees, it was over. She wasn’t that much older than his daughter, and she tried one last appeal to his fatherly nature. “You don’t have to do this, Joe. I’m not going to say anything. I’ll leave it alone. I’ll stop.”
His laugh was bitter and sharp. “I can’t trust you to keep quiet. There’s only one solution.”
He was going to kill her. She could see it stamped in the unyielding lines of his face. She wouldn’t be his first kill, and if they didn’t stop him now, she probably wouldn’t be his last. Emmanuel and the lieutenant must be hearing every word. Where were they? Her head was spinning and her composure in tatters. That had to be enough of a confession. Enough to clear Anna.
“Joe, put down the gun,” she said. “Think about this.”
“I don’t have to put down a gun to think. That’s the difference between you and me. I can think on my feet. I can react in the blink of an eye and make a decision and know it’s the right one. You lawyers have to analyze and look for precedents.”
“Put the weapon down!” Emmanuel’s shout ripped through the evening.
McRath swiveled to fire, and she shoved him hard, hoping to throw off his aim. Gunfire erupted all around her, along with shouts for McRath to stand down.
McGrath hid behind her, using her as a shield between himself and the officers closing in. One of the officers called her name, urging her to duck down out of the line of fire. She was blocking the only clear shot.
It was like a scene from a classic Western movie, but she wasn’t about to faint or swoon. Dropping to all fours, she charged McGrath, knocking him out of his hiding place. He twisted around and aimed the gun at her, but the next shot flattened him.
Officers swarmed McRath, and she heard someone pronounce him dead as she was led back to the lighted path. Emmanuel rushed over, and her knees buckled. He caught her, holding her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and simply held on.
His heart pounded under her ear, his hand smoothing over her hair. He was whole. Safe. McRath would never hurt him.
“Pippa, you scared the life out of me.”
She’d scared the life out of herself. Nothing was guaranteed and she was done holding back. “I love you, Emmanuel.” She tipped her head up to study his face. “I’m in love with you. I should’ve said so long before now.”
He didn’t answer right away, kissing her instead. His lips fluttered over her hair, her eyelids, her nose and mouth.
When he paused, his warm gaze melted away the last of the chilling encounter. “I love you too, Pippa. I didn’t think I’d ever want to say those words again.”
“It’s a big step.” And nothing in her life had ever felt quite so right.
“A good one,” he agreed.
She wanted him to take her home, take her to bed and forget the rest of the world. Hard to do in the glare of the emergency lights. She’d come out here to wrest a confession out of McRath that they could use to save Anna and she wasn’t sure if they’d succeeded.
“Emmanuel.” She caught his face between her hands, his short whiskers rasping against her palms. “Did we get the confession?”
“Yes. You were brilliant.” He kissed her again. “Now don’t ever do anything this foolish again.”
But it wasn’t censure in his voice as much as affection. Respect. And yes, love.
“Never without backup,” she promised. She understood his reactions. She’d experienced a sharp and desperate fear when McRath had fired in Emmanuel’s direction. “Do you think it’s enough to free Anna?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “The lieutenant will send the information up the line as soon as we get back to the station.” He drew her back as an ambulance rolled up.
“Thank you,” she said. There were more words, better suited to a private moment. This wasn’t the right time for her personal declarations. They both had work to do. “I’ll call Elizabeth,” she said.
His thumb grazed the skin just above her collarbone. “Elizabeth can wait until after the ER,” he said.
“I don’t need the ER,” she protested as paramedics approached her. But she couldn’t stop trembling, even when Emmanuel was close.
“For me?” When she met his gaze, his eyes were warm and full of all that love and emotion she wanted to believe in. “Please.”
She supposed she might be in shock. A violent killer had nearly added her to his body count. With a nod, she let him lead her to the paramedics and didn’t protest as they loaded her for a trip to Grand Rapids Central.
* * *
Emmanuel had to follow protocol and handle the entire operation by the book. Man, he wanted to rush. Focused, he helped McKellar clean up the dead body at their feet. No way to keep this out of the papers; the department was going to take a hit.
The lieutenant pushed a hand through his hair and muttered an oath. “They’ll reopen every single one of his cases.”
“I know,” Emmanuel said. “For what it’s worth, I know I did my job the right way.”
“Still going to be sticky.”
Knowing his lieutenant was correct, Emmanuel kept quiet. There would be some uncomfortable days ahead, but they would get through it.
“Hell of a woman,” McKellar said.
Emmanuel couldn’t argue with that. And he couldn’t wait to share the praise with her as soon as possible.
“Go on to the hospital,” McKellar said. “That’s where your head’s at.”
With a quick thank you, Emmanuel bolted from the scene. He called Riley on the way to the hospital and filled him in on the sting operation and what a hero Pippa was. It didn’t surprise him that Pippa hadn’t made that call yet. More than likely she was still on the phone with Elizabeth.
“She’s okay,” he assured her brother. “They sent her to the hospital just as a precaution.”
“Then why do you sound panicked?” Riley asked.
“It’s been a wild night,” Emmanuel said. He wasn’t about to tell her brother just how dicey things had been out here. He wasn’t sure he could even discuss it coherently yet.
“Thanks for your help,” Riley said. “I’ll pass on the word, and we’ll be over to the hospital right away.”
“About that.” Emmanuel hesitated to make the request, but Pippa deserved his courage. “She probably won’t be happy if you all descend on her tonight.”
“We’re family.”
“Right. I get it. I’m just saying.” He wanted a few minutes to tell her everything he should’ve said before she was face-to-face with a killer. “You know Pippa,” he said. “If everyone’s there—”
“She’ll get belli
gerent,” Riley finished for him. “Yeah, we can keep our distance until tomorrow. Let me know if her situation changes.”
“You know I will.”
“Thanks. I really do owe you. Between this and the Capital X case, we’re all on edge. It helps knowing you’ve been watching her.”
More than watching, but those were words a brother wouldn’t take well. He was done pretending this was temporary, or convenient or simply a favor for a friend. “I’m sure Pippa will fill you in about Wentworth’s release. One more thing while I have you on the phone.” He paused to gather his courage. “I want to marry your sister.” Blurting it out might not have been the right approach, but he was pulling up to the hospital and running out of time. “I can’t ask your father, so I’m asking you.”
“Does she want to marry you?” Riley queried.
“That’s the big question,” he admitted on a half laugh. “I think so,” he said. “It may take some time for her to come around.”
“Must have been some night in the park,” Riley said. “If you’re looking for my blessing, you have it.”
“And your silence?” Emmanuel asked. “I don’t want her to feel rushed.”
“Wow. You really do know her.” Riley chuckled. “Good luck, man.”
The difficult part over, Emmanuel jogged into the ER. Thanks to his rapport with the staff, they allowed him back to see Pippa. They had her hooked up to an EKG, and his heart skipped.
“What’s all this?” he asked, trying for casual and missing by a mile.
She shook her head. “They tell me it’s a precaution. My vitals were a little ragged. It’s been a rough night.”
He was doubly glad now that he’d warned her family to stay away. He caught her hand in both of his, stroking some warmth and color back into her soft skin. “I called Riley and told him you were fine. That there was no reason to storm the hospital.”
That earned a chuckle, and he felt like a knight in shining armor.