Still he stood there, helpless, his feet rooted in place at the front of the church and his eyes locked on Grace’s face. She hesitated, as if looking for a seat. Then as he watched, Warren rose from the back of the church and walked over to her. Warren’s hand landed on Grace’s shoulder. They exchanged words, so hushed that even those in the back row of the church didn’t turn around, and although Jacob couldn’t make out their voices, there was no mistaking the look that crossed Grace’s face as Warren stepped closer to her side—fear.
She glanced back at Jacob. Helplessness pooled in her eyes, even as her chin rose. Then Warren half steered and half pushed her back through the door. They disappeared through the doorway.
“Do you, Trent Henry, take Chloe Brant to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold...”
The pastor’s words thrummed at the edge of Jacob’s mind. His heart thumped as his mind struggled to process what he’d seen. Grace had walked into his brother’s wedding and Warren had walked her out. Why? For disrupting the wedding? No. There was no mistaking the fear in her eyes.
“I definitely do,” Trent was saying behind him.
“And do you, Chloe Brant, take Trent Henry to be your lawfully wedded husband—”
Jacob’s phone buzzed and then began to ring in his pocket, the loud tinny sound filling the barn. Two hundred eyes turned and locked on his face. He reached for it and glanced at the screen.
Grace.
His eyes rose to the ceiling. The ringing grew louder in his hand.
Lord, I’d better be right about this. Because either way I’m never living this down.
He glanced at Trent. His brother’s eyes were on his face.
“I’m really, really sorry, bro,” Jacob said. “But I’ve got to take this.”
* * *
“Just keep walking,” Warren said. One large hand steered her by the shoulder. The other pressed into her side through the pocket of his suit jacket as he propelled her out of the building and across the field. “We’re just going to go have a little talk and sort this all out.”
Help me, Lord!
When Warren had approached her in the back of the church, she hadn’t thought twice about telling him why she was there. She’d whispered quickly that she had proof Turner hadn’t killed Faith Henry and had to let Jacob know as soon as the wedding was over. And the detective had pressed a gun into her side and told her she was coming with him.
She felt her phone ringing in her pocket as it tried to reach Jacob’s phone, if that was even the button she’d managed to push when she’d slid her hand into her pocket and tried to hit redial. Jacob hadn’t answered a single call or text since she’d found the deposit in her father’s account and realized someone had bribed him to take responsibility for Faith’s death. Jacob’s phone probably wasn’t even on.
She felt the vibration in her pocket stop. She prayed that the phone had clicked through to voice mail.
“What’s going on, Warren?” she asked loudly, pushing her voice through the fear. “Where are you taking me? Why are you pointing a gun at me? What does this have to do with the bank records I have, proving Hal Turner was paid for his fake confession? Let me go!”
“I can’t do that,” Warren muttered. He wasn’t even looking at her. “Not yet. Not until we go have a little talk.”
They were walking so fast she almost had to jog to keep up with his strides. His fingers dug deeper into her shoulder. She’d never really realized how big his hands were before. She glanced back. The barn door lay open behind her. They stepped into the parking lot and he propelled her between the cars to a large black SUV. “Get in.”
“No.” Her head shook. The pain in her shoulder was spreading down her back and up through her neck. The gun pressed deeper into her side.
“We’re just going to go for a ride.” Warren’s gray eyes were ice cold in his handsome face. “You were saying some wild stuff back there in the church, and I want to talk to you about it. You’re just going to tell me everything you know about Turner and the Henry girl. And then I’m going to let you go.”
Nah, she didn’t believe that last part. Not one little bit.
“Just so we’re clear, are you arresting me or kidnapping me?” she asked.
“This will all be a lot easier and more painless if you just cooperate.” His voice dropped. Menace moved through his tone. His hand moved from her shoulder to the back of her neck and she felt his grip tighten. His fingers pressed into the veins at the side of her throat, blocking off blood flow to her brain. Her head grew dizzy. Dark spots swam before her eyes. She heard the car door open. He pressed her down toward the open door. Help me, Lord!
“What’s going on?” Jacob’s voice boomed across the field toward them. Warren loosened his grip. Grace looked up. Jacob was striding toward them in his red RCMP dress uniform. He was coming for her. He’d left his brother’s wedding and come after her. “Where are you taking Grace?”
Warren’s hand dropped from her neck and she almost fell forward into the car. “Hey, Jacob! What are you doing out here? You should be in there! Your brother’s getting married!”
“Trust me, I know!” Jacob called. “But what are you doing? Because it looks like you’re arresting Grace!”
“Nah, go, go!” Warren said, and she was amazed how his voice turned from threatening to charming on a dime. “We’re just going to drive around and talk.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” Jacob jogged toward them. Another few steps and he stopped just in front of them. “Grace, why’re you here? Are you okay?”
Warren took a step away, but still she could feel the faint pressure of his gun move against her back. She braced her hands on the door frame and gasped a breath. I’m not really sure why I’m here. Her head shook. But her throat couldn’t even form a whisper. No. No, I’m not okay.
“Truth is, she seemed a bit off and I was worried she was going to disrupt the wedding.” Warren shrugged. “I’m really sorry, man. She walked in the back during the ceremony. I was pretty sure she wasn’t on the guest list. I went up to her and asked her why she was there. She said she had to come tell your family that Hal Turner had given a false confession and didn’t kill your sister. She’s not well. Maybe she’s sick, or drunk, or high, or having a bad reaction to medication. The last few days can’t exactly have been easy on her. Anyway, she was babbling, and wanted to talk to your family, and just didn’t seem in her right mind. I figured the smartest thing to do was walk her out and figure out what she was on about, before she further disrupted the wedding.”
Her head was still swimming from the choke. It was like she’d stepped off one of those flat disk playground merry-go-rounds and still couldn’t find her balance.
“Grace?” Jacob asked. “Are you okay?”
“Go back inside, man,” Warren said. “It’s all good. It’s fine. I’ve got this covered.”
No... No, please don’t go.
“Jacob...he’s...got...a...gun...” she gasped.
“Oh, yeah.” Warren blinked. He stepped way back, pulled the gun out and showed it to Jacob. “Was this supposed to be a no-weapons wedding? I am so sorry, man. It’s a habit. You know how it is.”
She stumbled back from the car. Blood was slowly returning to her brain, like she was waking up solely from a dream. She opened her mouth but her brain stalled. What could she say? Warren sounded reasonable. She’d sound ridiculous. She’d crashed a wedding! And why? To convince the best man not to tell his family they caught their sister’s killer? The police had a sworn confession and a car. All she had was her mother’s story and a screenshot of her bank account. Jacob had made it clear he didn’t trust her. He didn’t want her in his life. He didn’t want her.
But he’d run out of his brother’s wedding for her to make sure she was all right...
Do your job, be you, focus on what you’re g
ood at and the person you were made to be. Also, don’t stop praying.
“Grace?” Jacob took another step forward, wedging himself between her and Warren. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know who killed your sister, Jacob.” She turned her head and looked up at the soft green eyes and generous smile of the strongest man she’d ever known. “I wish I did. But I don’t.”
“Come on, let’s go,” Warren said. He stepped toward her. His hand reached out. “You gotta get back in there, Jacob, and she doesn’t know anything.”
“I don’t have the complete picture.” Grace stepped back. “But I have facts.”
“No,” Warren said, “you have a far-fetched theory—”
“Then here’s a fact. Turner has too severe nerve damage in his right hand to strangle someone,” Grace said. She turned to Jacob.
Jacob’s eyes were locked on her face. He was listening. As she watched, something moved through his face that went deeper than sheer compassion—trust. He was choosing to trust her. And everything inside her wanted to throw her arms around him and feel his arms around her.
“Do you have proof?” Jacob asked.
“I have a witness who will attest to that,” she said.
Warren sighed loudly. “Witnesses can be bribed...”
“And here’s another fact.” Grace spun toward Warren, feeling stronger by the moment. “Turner received a lump cash sum of fifty thousand dollars into a secret bank account within hours of his arrest.”
“Anyone could have access to that.” Warren’s neck and shoulders twitched like she’d just run her fingernails down a chalkboard. “You have access to that.”
“You’re not even trying to listen to me.” She took a step back. “In fact, unlike Jacob, you forced me out at gunpoint and choked me.”
“That true?” Fire flashed in the depths of Jacob’s eyes. “Warren, did you hurt her?”
“No!” Warren said. “Of course not! Jacob! I used reasonable force in escorting her out and encouraging her to get into the vehicle. She’s got some wild ideas.”
No, no, she had facts. Little pieces and scraps of information. Things she could take and build brick by brick. A cold chill spread slowly down her arms.
“Here’s another fact,” she said. “Turner only confessed to killing Faith after you and the other cops showed up. He could have been making sure that you heard him confess. You could have been the one who helped him escape prison the first time. He could’ve been counting on the fact you’d help him escape again. You could’ve been responsible for the mysterious poisoning illness at the Search and Rescue base. After all, you were there. You could’ve faked the helicopter crash and leap to safety. Maybe to keep the other helicopters grounded so no one would find us too quickly?”
Warren glanced to Jacob. “You going to jump in here? You going to stop this?”
Jacob paused. His eyes glanced from her face to Warren’s, then back to hers again.
“No,” Jacob said. “I don’t know where she’s going with this. But I want to hear her out.”
But where am I going with this, Lord? What do I already know? What do I need to see?
“You were fourteen when Faith died, weren’t you, Warren?” she said. “You lived in that area.”
“I was fourteen! I didn’t have a driver’s license!”
“That doesn’t mean you didn’t drive a car!” Grace said. “Lots of stupid kids drive around without a license, especially in farm country. You left Ontario shortly after that. You’re in the RCMP. You had the kind of access needed to destroy any trace of the DNA evidence found at Faith’s crime scene. You had the kind of reach to be able to help facilitate the prison break.”
“And made sure that you and I were the ones who searched that part of the woods,” Jacob said slowly. “And you transferred back to Ontario after an undercover cop started digging into missing cold case files. And you had the kind of access to know the undercover detective I was meeting with, who then got made and shot.”
Warren threw his hands up in the air. “Look, I don’t know where you’re going with this,” Warren said. “But she’s lying and because of whatever connection you have with her, you’re getting all swept up in her nonsense. When clearly you have somewhere far more important that you need to be.”
“Do I?” Jacob stepped closer, until she could feel him standing beside her. His shoulder brushed hers. The warmth of him filled her core. “Because the way I see it, I have a civilian claiming she was assaulted by a police officer who may have attempted an illegal arrest at best and at worst, false imprisonment.”
“Really?” Warren stepped toward him. His chest puffed out. “And what are you going to do about it? Arrest a colleague and buddy? Call in backup at your brother’s wedding?”
“If I have to,” Jacob said. Her hand brushed against the back of Jacob’s. His fingers reached for hers and squeezed them tight like a man who was afraid of tumbling over a cliff. She squeezed him back.
I got you. You’ve got me.
“Warren, did you have anything to do with my sister’s death?”
For a long moment, Warren just stood there, frozen with that wide charming grin stuck to his face like a wax figure. Then slowly, as she watched, his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace.
“No,” he snapped. “Of course not.”
“You look angry,” Grace said, slowly. She turned toward him. “Why is that?”
Come on, Warren, let me interview you. There’s a story there, and you’re just dying to tell it.
“Maybe because I’m standing here being accused of things I didn’t do!” he snapped.
No, it was more than that. There was something deeper there. Her reporter instincts knew without a doubt. She just had to find a way to dig it out.
Grace took a step toward him.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked. His face didn’t flicker. “At Jacob?”
No reaction.
Help me, Lord. What question do I need to ask? What do I need to see?
Then the words filled her mind as clearly as if she’d typed them on a screen.
“It’s Faith, isn’t it?” Grace asked. “You’re angry with Faith. Why? Do you blame her for fighting back against you? For the fact you killed her?”
Warren’s fist clenched at his side. His face went white. “Jacob, just turn around and go back into your brother’s wedding. Trust me, you don’t want to go down this road.”
“Why?” Jacob asked. Something hardened like steel in his voice. “Is Grace right? Do you have the gall to be mad at my baby sister?”
“Why?” Warren asked. “Because your little sister was perfect? Because your family, our school, our friends, the media and the entire world decided to mourn her as an angel? What if you’re wrong? What if twenty-four years ago, some foolish fourteen year-old boy went on a silly joyride in a stolen car. Maybe he was a nice guy, so when he spotted a girl he recognized, pulled over and offered her a ride. Then she went nuts and started attacking and scratching him. She was out of line. He defended himself and she accidentally died. He then left, put it all behind him, became a hero and dedicated his life to serve and protect. He got hundreds of the worst kind of criminals off the street...”
She could see it all, the tragic events, playing out in his mind.
“You’re confessing,” Grace said.
“No!” Warren snapped. “I’m just pointing out why Jacob shouldn’t believe you. You think I don’t know that Hal Turner is your father? Or that you’ve lied about your true identity for your entire life? Your criminal father is already serving two life sentences and is going to die in jail, anyway.” He turned to Jacob. His eyes narrowed. “But if I go down for your sister’s murder, hundreds of criminals are going to be able to appeal their arrests, including Cutter and Hunter, who I arrested yesterday. You know what happened when her fath
er was accused of corruption. Can you imagine how much bigger the scale will be if one of Canada’s top RCMP homicide detectives is accused of destroying police evidence to cover up a child’s murder? Crimes are going to be retried. Survivors and the families of victims are going to have to relive their worst traumas. Criminals are going to get out, and some are going to reoffend. People are going to get hurt. Now, do you really want all that on your conscience? Or are you going to do the smart thing, go back to where you’re supposed to be and just let Grace and I talk it out?”
The wind brushed the trees. Grace’s heart rose in prayer.
Lord, if Jacob’s the man I believe him to be, it’s not even a question...
Jacob slid his hand from hers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge.
“Detective Warren Scott,” he said. “I’m placing you under arrest under suspicion of assault, forcible confinement and murder, for starters.”
“Yeah, no! No, you’re not!” Warren leaped back. In an instant, his hands rose in front of him. His gun was in his right. A cell phone was in his left. “You think I haven’t been setting aside money for my retirement or have a place set up for me to go? I fought really hard to get to where I am in life right now and I’m not going to have you take that from me. That toxin that got everybody sick on base is concentrated, air born and can cause illness so bad it’s fatal to children, like your nephews and the elderly, like your parents. There’s a handful of canisters hidden around the wedding venue that I set up as an insurance policy. They will go off unless I personally input the code to stop them all. There’s no way you can evacuate the entire place before someone is infected. So, I’m going to get in this car with Grace. She’s my insurance policy against being followed. Plus, she and I still need to have a talk about who all she ran around telling stories about me to. We’re going to leave and go somewhere where you will never find us. When we’re clear and gone, I’ll deactivate the canisters and everyone will be just fine.”
He aimed the weapon between Grace’s eyes.
“You’ve got to decide who you’re going to save. Will it be your family? Or Grace?”
Cold Case Secrets Page 16