“My impression of him was he’d go to any length to protect that, to make sure he could still have that with you, be it here or in another city. I think you can believe he’s working right now to find you a new house where you can all live under his new name.”
Mrs. Benjamin seemed to undergo a moment of clarity. Her eyes cleared of hurt and she took a step away from Jaslene.
“I can’t do that,” she said, incredulous.
And that’s when Jaslene knew she’d cooperate with the police.
Chapter 18
After leaving Mrs. Benjamin, Cal walked with Jaslene up to Claypoole Medical Center. It was a narrow redbrick building with big white pillars marking the front entrance. Off Virginia Street East, it was a short walk to the Kanawha River. Under a pretty blue sky, the Charleston street oozed small-town charm, everything Cal loved about a place.
“If things go south in there, I want you to wait in the SUV,” Cal said, his long strides gobbling up Jaslene’s.
“I won’t run after him, if that’s what you mean.”
“I need you to be safe. There’s more than you we have to worry about.” He’d die if anything happened to her or the baby.
“You’re the one with the gun,” she said as he reached the door. “What about the police?”
“I will call them after we have Benjamin. I want this wrapped up.”
She went in first. The reception area wasn’t large but had new dark mosaic carpeting and wood-framed antique waiting room chairs. Very nice. Everything he’d expect from a man like Benjamin. Stiff and staged.
Cal waited for the receptionist to finish with a patient and then asked to see the doctor.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry, he’s seeing patients right now.”
Cal turned to Jaslene. “Call 911 and wait here.”
She nodded and then he pushed through the door to the back of the office and walked down a hallway.
“Sir?” The receptionist chased after him. “You can’t go back there.”
He shrugged off her hand when she put it on his biceps. Rather than intrude on innocent people behind closed doors, he stopped at each closed door to listen.
“Sir!”
He turned a corner and spotted Dr. Benjamin coming out of a room.
Benjamin saw him and stopped short, his eyes widening. Then he dropped the chart he held and ran the other way.
“Stop!” Cal ran after him.
The doctor slammed through double swinging doors. Cal banged into the break room after him, a nurse shrieking and jumping out of the way. Dr. Benjamin dashed through a back door, Cal just behind him.
The doctor was in really good shape. He sprinted through a parking lot behind the office building. Removing the white lab coat that flapped with his movements, he tossed it aside. Seeing he packed a gun in a holster, which had been hidden by the long medical jacket, Cal drew his own weapon.
The doctor twisted his body as he ran. Cal ducked behind a parked car as Benjamin fired. Then he resumed his chase. The doctor left the parking lot for an alley running between a row of old houses. Cal sprinted past narrow backyards. Some had detached one-car garages and others had attached garages. A dog barked and charged one fence.
Benjamin hopped the fence of a yard two houses down. Cal leaped it after him and gained a little ground until the doctor tipped over a grill to block his path.
Cal nearly tripped over the grill and managed to crouch before Benjamin fired his gun again. He disappeared through the back door of the house. His motion smooth, as though he’d planned this in case he needed to escape.
Cautiously, Cal entered the house. He heard Benjamin knocking something over in the kitchen. Aiming his pistol, Cal cleared the wall and spotted the doctor going into the garage. He rushed to the garage door as Benjamin slammed it shut.
Cal opened the door.
Dr. Benjamin got into a BMW.
Cal shot the front and rear tires out and then aimed at Benjamin’s head. “It’s over. Get your hands up.”
Raising his gun, Dr. Benjamin fired back as Cal went low. The garage door began to open. He was not making this easy on Cal.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Dr. Benjamin. We know all about you.”
“I’ll kill you!”
The doctor was determined to get away. He refused to acknowledge that he’d lost, that his crime had been exposed along with his fake identity.
Cal would have to act. He rose quickly, seeing the doctor still had his weapon aimed. He fired, true and fast, hitting the doctor’s hand.
Benjamin yelped and dropped the gun, giving Cal a chance to get to the door, which was still open, and haul the man out and drag Dr. Benjamin onto the concrete floor of the garage. He stumbled to his feet, holding his bleeding hand. Still slightly bent over, the doctor spat, “You son of a bitch!” as he rammed into Cal. Cal stepped back as the doctor straightened and took a swing with his good hand.
Cal easily blocked his arm and ended the attempted punch, then brought his gun-free fist up into his sternum. Benjamin grunted and struggled for breath, but still had some fight in him. He grabbed Cal’s legs and plowed forward. Cal went down but not for long. He used his legs to maneuver free of Benjamin’s hold, ending up on his knees, straddling the man. He hit his pistol against Benjamin’s head.
Dr. Benjamin collapsed back down, dazed and blinking unsteadily.
Rising to his feet, Cal kept his gun steady and said, “Get up.”
Looking up at him and the gun aimed between his eyes, a moment later defeat settled in. He climbed to his feet, hand dripping blood.
“Was it worth it?” Cal asked.
Dr. Benjamin said nothing.
“Hands behind your back.”
He did as ordered and Cal moved to cuff him. “You would have still made a decent living without the fraud. Why do it?”
“I wouldn’t have made enough to expand.”
“I wonder.” If he’d have given it more time, certainly he would have expanded his operation. He had the drive, the means and the business acumen.
Cal moved in front of him again. “Was this your escape if you needed it or did you just get your rocks off fooling everyone?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“The mind of a madman? No.” He grabbed the doctor’s shoulder and propelled him into a walk. “I just wanted to know if it was all worth it.”
The doctor walked without comment.
When they reached the parking lot, a flock of police cars surrounded the front entrance and blocked the street. Emergency vehicles waited farther down, at a safe distance.
“Why Payton?” Cal asked before they reached the throng. “She didn’t know anything.”
“What about Payton?”
“You can cut the bull now. We all know everything.” He spotted Jaslene standing among the police officers. She turned her head and saw them and her shoulders sunk in what must be relief.
Was she relieved to see him or to see that he had Dr. Benjamin?
Several policemen approached.
“We got word from the Chesterville Police Department that you were looking for their suspect,” the first to stop before them said. “He’ll be transported to that jurisdiction.”
“Thanks.”
Jaslene came to stand beside Cal, staring at Dr. Benjamin as the policeman took control of him and he faced her and Cal.
“Why?” she all but breathed.
Dr. Benjamin’s face didn’t change, as though he felt no remorse for all he’d done. It was clear that his only regret was getting caught.
She took a step forward, looked him straight in the eyes and then slapped him.
Dr. Benjamin’s head moved left and he turned back to her without flinching.
Wit
hout another word, she walked away.
* * *
Jaslene took a day to mourn Payton. It hadn’t really hit her that her friend was dead. For so long she’d hoped she wouldn’t be. And she’d been so busy with the investigation. Now everything had been turned over to police and they would take it from here. She had to face the reality: Payton was gone. Dead. Murdered by a no-good, greedy and evil secret lover. Incomprehension morphed into stark emotion and that led to anger. The urge to pound both fists on the table nearly got the better of her.
That gradually passed as Jaslene no longer denied her loss. Payton died and Jaslene could accept that now. She’d always be sad. She’d always miss her good friend. But she could hold on to the good memories.
What Dr. Benjamin had done would always anger her. She’d never understand why he had taken such a good soul. But he would never tarnish her memories.
Standing from the dining room chair, she left her steaming cup of herbal tea and walked through her kitchen, plagued by the truth gnawing at her core. Soul mate. She had never experienced that wonder before and didn’t know what to do with it now.
Embrace it? Him? Could she trust?
It all seemed so daunting.
Would he ever trust her? She didn’t want to be the one to try to fix him. She didn’t believe men who were that broken could be fixed. But maybe he wasn’t broken at all. Maybe he only needed to be shown the way. Maybe he’d already seen it.
Jaslene was ready to give love another try. Real love. She wouldn’t throw away an opportunity because she feared...something—Cal not reciprocating, failing again at marriage—losing another person she loved.
She didn’t go to college and get a difficult job because she was a quitter.
The absurd urge to be back in Cal’s house struck her. She wanted it refurbished. Her house was too functional. Not enough charm. Not that Cal’s had charm in the way of decor. The things that made a family—tokens, sentimental pieces—were missing.
“I have something to show you.”
Jaslene nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see Cal in the entry of the kitchen, in his jacket and holding keys.
“Let’s go.”
In black jeans and sturdy boots again, he gave her a whole-body tingle, especially those sexy, mischievous blue eyes.
Where did he plan to take her?
“Bring Rapunzel.”
* * *
Cal would never forget the way Jaslene looked when he’d come into her kitchen, ready to take her to his home. Peace had haloed her, peace from grief that had run its course and left bittersweet memories. And inner strength. Loss would not bring her down. Maybe she had just realized that. He hoped so. He also hoped she had forgiven herself for reacting to Ansel. And him, for doubting her.
After parking in the driveway of his house, Cal got out before Jaslene could voice her startled and questioning look. Rapunzel helped his cause by pawing her a couple of times.
He jogged around to her side and opened the door. Rapunzel pawed her again, lying half on her and half on the seat.
Cal leaned down, one hand on the top of the SUV. “That dog is getting too big for your lap.”
“No, she isn’t.”
“You’re going to ruin a good herding animal.”
Jaslene put one hand on his chest and pushed gently. He took the hint and moved back.
She stood and walked with the puppy by her side to the front door.
She reached the door and stopped, waiting for him, coy eyes and a soft smile. Rapunzel joined in with intermittent round-eyed innocence mixed with sleepy droops.
Cal opened the door, having to fight to hold on to trust.
She stepped inside, thrilled that he had made her wish come true. “You renovated quickly.”
He waited for her to notice all the changes. The main living area had suffered the most damage. Instead of going back to gray and white, he’d hired an interior decorator, who’d done the living room in teal and white. Eye-catching, color coordinated paintings now hung on the walls. Other accents made the room homey. The kitchen had been redone pretty much the same as it looked before, with gray cabinetry and white-topped stools. Fresh flowers were on the dining room table.
But this wasn’t what he wanted her to see.
“Nice,” she said.
“Come with me.” He led her up the stairs.
She followed him to one of the rooms he’d finished furnishing. Rapunzel trotted along behind them. At the room, Jaslene slowed as she entered, passing him. It contained a crib, dresser and diaper changing station.
“It needs to be painted and decorated,” he said. “After we know if we’re having a boy or a girl.” He figured the gesture would be enough to let her know his plans. He’d wrestled with it for a few days and finally came to the conclusion he’d be a fool to drive her away. She was genuine and honest. He had to believe that this time he would get it right.
“You really want to do this?” She faced him.
He understood what she asked. She needed the unvarnished truth. “I am sure. I’m also sure that I need to learn how to trust again. I know I can trust you.”
“You just need to convince your heart?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “It might seem silly but...”
“No.” She stepped closer and put her hands on his chest. “You were married to a woman who deceived you. You gave her your love and trust and she betrayed that. It’s like me losing Ryan. It took me a long time to stop overprotecting my heart from more pain. It might seem absurd to some but when someone close dies, you’re afraid of it happening again and you do all you can to prevent yourself from feeling that kind of pain again. That means not even contemplating marriage. I’ve come around, though. You did that for me.”
He had a feeling she’d be the one to drive away his inability to trust. That feeling compelled him to begin to make his house suitable for a family, and also the next action he planned to take.
“You did something for me, too, Jaslene. You made me believe that love is still possible, that I should give it a second chance.”
Reaching into his pocket, he knelt on one knee, looking up at her as he held a ring between his forefinger and his thumb. “Will you marry me?”
He expected her reaction to be one of shock. Her mouth opened with a sharp inhale and she stared at the round sapphire surrounded by several round diamonds. Since she was a geologist he didn’t think she’d want anything too gaudy and flashy.
“Cal...”
Lifting her left hand, he slid the ring on her finger. “Will you marry me?”
She lifted her hand to stare some more at the ring. “This is so beautiful.” She at last looked at him. “Are you sure about this?”
“No, and yes. I’m not sure I’m ready for marriage right now, but I am sure about you and the baby. I want to try and make this work.”
“For the baby?”
“For all three of us and any other children that come along. I want a family. It’s what I’ve always wanted. And... I love you.”
She stared at him, hearing the truth in his tone. “Me, too. And I love you, too.”
“Then you’ll marry me?” The floor was beginning to get pretty hard.
After several seconds, she finally nodded a few times. Then she smiled. “Yes.”
He stood up. She looped her arms over his shoulders and he pulled her close. Then he kissed her.
* * *
Don’t miss previous titles in
Jennifer Morey’s Cold Case Detective series:
Hometown Detective
Runaway Heiress
Taming Deputy Harlow
Cold Case Recruit
Justice Hunter
A Wanted Man
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Her Detective’s Secret Intent
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Chapter 1
Detective Tad Newberry—currently on leave from the police force in Charlotte, North Carolina—walked into the pediatric examining room in Santa Raquel, California, forcing a big smile. In addition to the exam table, some plastic chairs, a counter with drawers and glass containers of various cotton supplies, the room boasted zoo animal prints in shades of blue and green. The floor was gray tile, eight-inch squares, and the lights were ceiling-mounted fluorescent bulbs.
After giving his surroundings a quick glance, cataloging every aspect out of habit, he focused on the seven-year-old boy dressed in jeans and a yellow T-shirt sitting on the edge of the table, swinging one of his legs back and forth—a nervous gesture, Tad surmised, not a happy or excited one.
Cold Case Manhunt Page 21