Gustafson eyed Raines with obvious annoyance. He appeared to care for Raines about as much as he cared for her, but before he could let Raines have it, the Chief stepped in. “Cal’s right. Have the doctor give you the once over, and call me when you’re done.”
Holly nodded and started to walk toward the street.
“Wait, Jakes. Before you scamper off with your tail between your legs, I need your weapon,” Gustafson said, testily.
She turned to stare at him.
“It’s procedure. I have an investigation to wrap up. And you, your weapon and your boyfriend are smack dab in the middle of it.”
Holly could see that he tasted victory and was determined to enjoy every bit of it. She hesitated for just a moment before unholstering her Glock and handing it to him. Standing there without her service weapon made her feel vulnerable and naked. She’d never been on duty without it. Gustafson must have sensed this because he smirked as he walked off with the Chief.
Holly stared up at the night sky and let the rain run down her face. She heard Raines say her name, warm with concern. She turned to him. Their eyes met, and a jolt shot through her. It was as though he could see into her very being, like she had cracked wide open, and now he could witness all that she had been and all that she would never be again. She felt raw—exposed. She wanted to turn away and protect herself from his penetrating gaze, but she couldn’t. Her failures, her shame—everything was there for him to see.
Without saying a word, Raines reached for something behind his back. Then, taking her hand in his, he placed something in her palm and carefully folded her fingers around it.
Dazed, she stared down at her hand to find a Smith & Wesson M&P9c. It was smaller and lighter than her Glock, but it felt good in her hand. Cold, hard and unforgiving. And as fast as that, she didn’t feel so vulnerable anymore.
She cocked an eyebrow in question at him.
“You’re a cop, Jakes. And a cop needs a weapon. That’s my backup piece. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.” His voice was husky.
Next, he smiled that half smile she remembered so well from her teenage days. No judgment there. Just plain old Raines. Straightening her shoulders, she slipped his gun into her waistband at the small of her back, bumped his elbow with hers and said, “How about we go check on Fennis and the kids?” She paused before adding with a wink, “Partner.”
His grinned broadened.
Chapter Seventy-Two
Raines left Holly with Fennis while he went in search of Abbey. She was in Jesse’s hospital room, perched on his bed. He had to take a deep breath to control his emotions at the sight of the two teens. Abbey’s face was even more bruised now. Her lip was swollen, and her finger had been splinted. Jesse’s eyelids drooped sleepily from pain medication. His right arm was in a sling.
With a cry, Abbey jumped up from the bed and ran over to Raines. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held on tight.
Fearful of hurting her, Raines held his niece carefully.
Olivia sat in a chair next to Jesse. Over Abbey’s head, he asked, “How is he?”
“He was lucky. The bullet struck him just above the collarbone, and the surgeon was able to repair most of the damage. He’s going to need physical therapy, but he should make a full recovery.”
“That’s great.”
Jesse’s eyes fluttered open. He swallowed as if it was painful. “I can’t believe what that bastard did to Abbey.” His voice sounded hoarse.
“I told you I’m fine, Jesse. I’m not the one who got shot.”
She turned back to look up at Raines, eager anticipation emanating from her like an energy field.
When he said nothing, she said in a rush, “Did you catch him, Uncle Cal?”
“We got him.”
“And was it Scotty Pepper, after all?”
“No. It was Boonie Taylor. He’s from North Caxton.”
She gazed up at him, expectantly. “And he confessed to killing Mom, right?”
Raines shook his head. It tore him up to hear the hope in her voice. He wanted to lie, to tell her Boonie had killed her mother and that everything was going to work out just as she planned, but that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, he had to devastate her all over again. He wished like hell Boonie had done it. “No, honey. He didn’t admit to killing her.” His words sounded harsh in the sterile room.
She backed away from him. The hope softening her face vanished. Anger and bitterness that seemed so freakish in someone so young hardened her features. “You need to go back and question him some more. Get him to tell you the truth. It’s the only way to free Dad.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” She was slightly breathless from the anger.
Desperate to help her, he sought the right words to ease her pain, but there was no way to sugarcoat it. “Because he’s dead.”
Abbey took another step back and collapsed into the chair, her mouth open in a silent “No.” Blinking rapidly, her eyes transmitted her confusion and unwillingness to accept what he was telling her. “What does that mean?”
“It means that he can’t tell us anything more.”
“Who… who killed him?”
He tried to evade the question. “He resisted arrest.”
“Did you shoot him?”
He didn’t want to tell her, but it would be headline news tomorrow. “Holly shot him because he tried to kill us.”
Abbey clenched her fists and banged them down on the arms of the chair. Unable to contain her rage, she shouted so loudly they probably heard her at the nurses’ station. “What! Holly Jakes shot him?”
He said nothing.
“She killed him on purpose to cover up that they prosecuted an innocent man. I know that man must have killed Mom. Look at what he did to Jesse. What he did to me. To Mrs. Milbourne.” Tears filled her eyes. “And now Holly Jakes has stolen my dad’s last chance at freedom.”
“I was with Holly when it happened. Boonie lived long enough to admit killing Nancy Taggart and Mimi Milbourne, hurting Jimmy, Jesse and you, but he denied killing your mom. If he’d done it, he would have told us. He had no reason to lie about it and no motive to kill her.” He softened his tone even more. “And the crimes were so different. I’ve gone over and over the case files. Boonie Taylor was acting out of revenge over something that happened to his mother.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “But he must have done it. It couldn’t have been Dad.” Her voice was urgent, desperate. “Only a monster would do that to Mom. And I’m not the daughter of a monster.” Abbey clenched her fist and thumped her chest. “Dad’s blood runs in my veins, Uncle Cal. What would that make me capable of doing?”
He gently cupped her cheek with his hand and looked down into her wide, bright eyes. “It doesn’t matter who your father is. His actions don’t define you.”
She brought a shaky hand to her forehead and looked down at the floor. Her small shoulders drooped under the burden of finding a plausible scenario. He heard her mumble something he couldn’t understand. “I didn’t catch that, honey?”
She looked back up at him. “What about Pepper? Maybe he didn’t kill Mrs. Milbourne, but he could have killed Mom.” Hope flared in her again as she struggled to maintain her belief in Nate’s innocence.
He took a deep breath. “I wish I could tell you that he did it, but he didn’t. You have to trust me. It wasn’t Scotty, and it wasn’t Boonie. It was my brother. In the heat of the moment, something snapped in him. It happens. People do terrible things they don’t mean to do, and then, because what they’ve done is so awful, they can’t admit it—not even to themselves.”
She chewed her lip. “But Dad wouldn’t have lied to me, Uncle Cal. Would he? Not to me. Never to me. I’d be able to tell, wouldn’t I?” For the first time since her father had been arrested, doubt furrowed her brow, and she started to wring her hands. Her chin quivered. She pressed her hands against her face and took a deep breath. When she looked back up at him, h
er face was even paler, but she’d managed to stop herself from crying. “If I agree to talk to a therapist about what happened to Mom, will you promise to go see Dad?”
Watching the hope die in her eyes tore him up. In a desperate move to ease her suffering any way he could, he heard himself agreeing to do the last thing he wanted to do. “Yes. I’ll go, but I don’t want to give you false hope. I’m not going to change my mind.”
She grabbed his big hand and clutched it with her uninjured one. “All I want is for you to visit him.”
Raines glanced over to Olivia. Her eyes were warm with sympathy. They both knew that wasn’t all Abbey wanted. There was nothing Nate could say that would convince Raines of his innocence, which is what Abbey still hoped for—would always hope for. Still, if it helped her make it through the night, helped her sleep after all the awful events of the last few days, he’d visit his brother every week for the rest of his life. He’d do anything to ease her suffering, but he loathed his brother with a new level of intensity for what he continued to do to his children with his protestations of his innocence. One day, Abbey’s life was going to come crashing down when she realized what her father had done.
She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him.
Raines felt her body relax against him like the fight had finally gone out of her.
“He needs you,” she whispered. “Just like we all do.”
Raines kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go home.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Without my husband Joe’s love, support and kind encouragement, my journey with Holly Jakes and Cal Raines would have been a much rougher ride. He’s been in my corner since the day I met him, and I am forever grateful.
Many thanks to my family and friends. After listening to me talk about this book for years without seeing any evidence that I’d written a single word, they never showed a hint of impatience. My sister, Tracey, cheered me on when the going got tough. My mother and sister, Jacky—both diehard mystery fans—were enthusiastic readers and their critiques gave me hope.
A special thanks to my dear friend Joanna Caristi, a librarian and avid reader. She was intrepid enough to read an early draft and comment on my manuscript, proving just how brave hearted and wonderful she is.
There are times in life when you meet a person right when you need them the most. Thomas Hawthorne, a retired sergeant with the Plaistow Police Department in New Hampshire, was one of those people. Tom provided me with invaluable advice, spending hours answering all sorts of questions, and graciously offering information I didn’t even think to ask. Any mistakes in procedure are all mine.
As I prepare to publish Lonesome Lake, I realize the best part of this journey was not in telling the story so much as it was having wonderful people around me to share the ride. I am so lucky.
A Letter From Lesley
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my debut novel, Lonesome Lake. I really appreciate it! This is the first story in the Jakes and Raines murder mystery series, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
I grew up in England but now make New Hampshire my home. I’ve spent a lot of time in the White Mountains, skiing, camping and hiking. In the fall, there’s leaf peeping and outlet shopping. On a hot summer day, I love to paddle in the cool water of the Pemigewasset River or swim from the beach at Echo Lake in the heart of Franconia Notch. It’s not surprising then that I found this area the perfect setting for my series.
Although some of the locations in the book are real—like the Kancamagus Highway, Lincoln, and the Lafayette Campgrounds in Franconia Notch—many of the settings are figments of my imagination. Kearsarge County and the towns of Caxton and North Caxton are inspired by Conway and North Conway in Carroll County.
Fortunately, Lonesome Lake is not a fantasy. This beautiful, twelve-acre lake nestled high in the mountains can be reached from hiking trails in the Franconia Notch State Park, or by riding the Cannon Aerial Tramway and hiking down to it like Holly and Raines did in the story.
Right now, I’m busy working on the next Jakes and Raines adventure. If you’d like to hear when it’s released, please connect with me on my website or Facebook page listed below.
Finally, if you enjoyed spending time with Holly and Raines, please tell your mystery-loving friends about it, or write a review if you have the time. I would be forever grateful and love to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Lesley
www.lesleyappletonjones.com
www.facebook.com/lesleyappletonjones
Lonesome Lake Page 33