“You’ve had a tough one.” Jonah had followed her into the kitchen, pouring the two of them coffee while she went about making Ridge a cup of tea. She’d found a box in the cupboard above the sugar packet bowl. “You’re going to have to heat up some water in the microwave first.”
Lily grabbed one of the dozen dark blue mugs that had the gold emblem of the police station printed on the side and filled it up with water. She couldn’t put it in the microwave quite yet, as someone appeared to be warming up their food. There was still around two minutes left on the timer. To wait out the one hundred and twenty-three remaining seconds, she leaned back against the counter and picked up the conversation where Jonah had left off.
“It’s too late, isn’t it?”
“Too late for what?” Lily asked, tilting her head in confusion when she couldn’t connect his question to their previous discussion.
“Me asking you to dinner when all this is over.” Jonah shrugged, as if he’d already accepted her answer. “My loss. I waited too long and allowed Mr. Killian to move in before me, and then I caused you to think that I might actually be The Widow Taker. I was batting a no hitting season, and I didn’t even realize it until an hour ago.”
The way Jonah was going about this conversation had Lily laughing at the way he described his day. He really was a sweet man. He was younger, though their age difference really didn’t factor in. She’d fallen head over heels for Ridge, and she wasn’t going to deny it. She had no idea of what the future held for them, but she certainly wanted to find out.
“Oops, sorry,” the woman who’d made herself a cup of tea earlier said as she walked back into the kitchen. “I like to melt all the layers in my lasagna. It’s better that way.”
“That’s because Joanne is one of those people who likes to take the full hour to eat their lunch,” Jonah quipped, ducking to the side when she would have smacked him in the shoulder. “Fine. I overexaggerated, but not by much.”
“Unlike all of you heathens, I like to actually enjoy my food and not wolf it down.” Joanne waited for the beep of the microwave before removing her meal with what looked like a homemade potholder. The steam was more than visible as she stuck a fork in what Lily assumed was some type of multilayer homemade dish. It was hard to tell what kind of meat sauce was used, but she would guess it was a combination of both ground Italian sausage and beef with a garlic and herb base from the overwhelming fragrance that had replaced the pleasant smell of coffee. “I’m covering the front desk for the rest of the afternoon. A call came in to 911. They found a body in one of the back alleyways of the hospital. The sheriff is heading over there now with Deputy Evans.”
Lily and Jonah hadn’t been gone from the conference room for more than three minutes tops, so the call must have just come in. She set the mug of water down on the counter and quickly left the kitchen with Jonah following close behind her. The bullpen seemed louder as they crossed through it, especially as the sheriff was barking out orders as he passed her in a rush. The plainclothes deputy who had walked in right behind Ridge earlier was the man’s shadow.
Paul and Teresa were still sitting at one of the desks looking a little lost, while Agent Malone had pulled one of the other deputies aside and was having a private conversation. Ridge was no longer sitting at the table as he waited for her to enter the conference room.
“What’s going on?” Lily asked when she finally reached him. The tension in the building had certainly stepped up, and Ridge seemed to have an edge to him that spoke volumes of the seriousness of the call that had just come in. “Joanne was in the kitchen and mentioned that someone found a body in one of the alleyways of the hospital. Was it another widow?”
“No. The caller said they stumbled over a male body that was hidden behind a dumpster.”
“A male…” Lily’s voice trailed off as what Ridge was suggesting registered in her mind. Shockwaves washed over her. “Are you saying that the body could be Alan Harrison?”
“Unknown,” Ridge replied with hesitation, and it was clear that he wouldn’t believe anything until he was given solid proof. “We still haven’t heard from the arson investigator or Linc, so I still think we should stay here until we have more news. Are you okay with that?”
“Do you mind if we join you?” Teresa asked hesitantly before Lily could give her answer. Jonah must have left their coffees in the kitchen, too. He was standing in the corner of the room, taking up his usual position. Lily turned just in time to see Teresa and Paul glance at the files on the table. There was also a large white board in the far corner, but it had been flipped over so that onlookers couldn’t see what was written on the panel. “We really don’t want to leave without knowing if it’s Alan who they found.”
Paul remained quiet as he took a seat at the far end of the table, his protective detail remaining just outside the conference room door. There must have been some silent communication between the officer and Jonah, because they had nodded in each other’s direction. Paul’s audible sigh brought her attention back to him.
Honestly, Lily thought he looked to be on death’s door. Not just physically, but emotionally, as well. She couldn’t blame him. She wished there was something that she could say to make him feel better, but she knew more than most that words were hollow at a certain point.
“How about we order a pizza?” Lily suggested, glancing toward Jonah to see if that was possible. She wasn’t sure that the sheriff or even Agent Malone would want four civilians eating lunch at the station, though. “Or do we need to leave and drive over to a restaurant?”
“It would actually be better here,” Jonah replied, glancing at the black and white standard clock on the wall. “It’s easier to protect the two of you here than it is in public. I’m sure that Agent Malone would agree, and I’ll contact your state police protective detail to let them know of your location and your plans.”
“Thank you,” Lily replied, ignoring the permanent frown that had set up residence on Ridge’s face. She didn’t understand his displeasure at her offer, especially considering that he was the one who’d wanted to stay to receive word regarding the identification of the body found at the hospital. “I’ll call and have two large pepperoni pizzas delivered to the station. Ridge, do you want to come with me into the kitchen? I forgot your tea.”
“Sure,” Ridge replied, gently placing a hand on her lower back as he escorted her from the room. She had no doubt that Jonah was on their heels. Ridge lowered his voice as they entered the bullpen. “Pizza?”
“Did you see Paul? He looked horrible, and it can’t be easy knowing that there’s a really good possibility that his half-brother is either dead or might soon end up that way.” Lily waited until they were in the kitchen to finish their discussion in private. “I hated Parker for what his addiction had done to our marriage, but I hated him even more for killing that young woman who had trusted him with her life on that table. You’d think that would be enough to have me relieved at the news of his death in prison, but it still had an impact.”
“They didn’t even grow up together, hazelnut. They’re basically strangers.”
They were now in the kitchen, where Ridge pulled her back into his embrace. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been cold until his warmth soaked into her body. Her life had changed so much in the last week and a half, but it seemed as if she was still being pulled in a million different directions.
The leftover aroma from Joanne’s pasta dish wasn’t helping the slight nausea that had set up residence in Lily’s stomach. She wanted to chalk up her queasiness to not eating a thing since last night, but it had everything to do with the events of today.
“You don’t like him, do you?” Lily asked against his sweater, her arms still around his waist. She wasn’t ready to let him go quite yet. “Paul, that is.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see what you’re trying to do for him. I’m not blind to the similarities between the two of you, but Paul’s half-brother is a cold-b
looded killer who has taken the lives of several women, assaulted you, and attempted to kill him.” Ridge sighed and ran his hands up and down her arms before leaning back so that he could see her face. “You aren’t going to like hearing this, but the best outcome for everyone is if that body ends up being the remains of Alan Harrison.”
Ridge’s words were harsh, but she completely understood why such an outcome would be good for everyone. The individuals who had been impacted by Alan Harrison would finally be able to move on after an odd sort of justice had been served.
Had Alan died from an infected wound? Had he tried to seek help for his stab wound at the hospital, only to bleed out before he made it inside? Had the blade of her knife nicked one of his arteries?
Karma had a way of meting out justice on her own, and she may very well have succeeded today.
The rage inside his soul wanted to consume him, but he couldn’t allow the hatred he felt for Lily Hudson to cloud his judgement. She’d ruined everything for him. He’d been prepared to end her suffering, and she thanked him by attacking him. She wasn’t like the others, and he no longer wanted to give her the peace that he initially thought she deserved.
He wanted to make her suffer.
It was a struggle for him to reconcile his emotions. It had been his mission to grant her serenity, and now all he wanted to do was send her straight to hell where the Devil’s agents belonged.
He’d used the fire at the parents’ residence of Ridge Killian as a distraction to lure him away from Lily Hudson, but one of the neighbors had seen the smoke before the flames had been able to fully engulf the house. The diversion was supposed to have kept Killian occupied for a longer period of time.
Another failure.
The fury that was constantly threatening to take over was close to winning. After all his hard work and dedication to fulfill his destiny, he might very well find himself accompanying Lily Hudson straight to hell where they would both burn for all eternity.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You’re going to want to hear this,” Dean said, gesturing toward his cell phone laying on the table. “Bud Makenhoff, I have Ridge Killian with me. You can go ahead with your preliminary report.”
Deputy Chen had alerted Ridge that Dean had wanted him in the conference room. Neither Ridge nor Lily had managed to get their tea or coffee, but those could wait. If the body in the back alleyway of the hospital turned out to be Alan Harrison, then it was probably doubtful that Bud had discovered any evidence of arson.
Lily reclaimed her seat and leaned forward in anticipation of what had been discovered at the scene. She seemed more relaxed now around Deputy Chen, for which Ridge was grateful. He’d thought through her recollection of why she’d been uncomfortable at the gym, and it had been more than understandable, given what she’d been through this last week. Her life had all but been turned upside down twice. It was a wonder that she trusted even him at this rate.
“Mr. Killian, I wish I had better news for you,” Bud announced, his deep voice booming through the small speaker on Dean’s phone. He sounded a bit out of breath, but that was probably due to the cold temperature outside that was no doubt falling as the stormfront arrived from the west. “I’ve given the go ahead to open up an official investigation. There were signs of a side window being jimmied open at the back side of the house. Whoever it was that set the fire only used enough accelerant to really get the blaze going in hopes that it continued throughout the home. There wasn’t enough accelerant for it to be obvious, but I found it on closer inspection of the metal kindling basket next to the fireplace. Whoever was involved, he or she has no understanding of how fire spreads. Either that or they were trying to delay the spread until he or she got away from the scene. Regardless, the smoke was spotted early on, and the metal basket contained the fire long enough for our people to get here and put it out with minimal damage. I’m sorry that I didn’t have better news for you. Honestly, it was most likely pure luck that the smoke drifted out of the side window or otherwise your parents could have lost the house.”
“I appreciate the information,” Ridge replied, straightening his form as he let Dean finish up the call. With the fire most likely tied in with his case, he’d likely want continuous updates on the arson investigation. “Lily?”
Ridge had called out her name, wanting to discuss some things in private. She didn’t hesitate. She moved the chair away from the table and stood, following him out the door and past the officer who was assigned to protect Paul and Teresa.
The couple had still been seated at the other end of the conference room table, having listened to the call along with everyone else. Teresa had basically been whispering her astonishment at the turn of events nonstop to her husband, who seemed to have turned a deaf ear to his wife as he listened to Dean finish up the call with Bud. The meaning behind the results of the preliminary arson investigation wasn’t lost on any of them.
It was now highly unlikely that the body discovered in the hospital alleyway was that of Alan Harrison.
“You’re not going back out, are you?” Lily asked, leading the way to the closest corner of the bullpen. She’d rolled a chair underneath a desk so that they had more room as she searched his gaze for an answer. “It feels as if this investigation is being pulled in several different directions that simply doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ridge promised, not liking that he’d been made a fool of once already. “The only point of setting my parents’ home on fire was to draw me away from you.”
“Nothing happened, though,” Lily replied with a frown. “Nothing. We went to the gym, and then came straight to the station.”
“Remember, you didn’t stay as long as you should have,” Ridge pointed out, despising the thought that Alan Harrison actually thought that he was the hunter in this scenario. He was nothing more than a sheep in wolf’s clothing. “In truth, we shouldn’t have even been in town. I didn’t even know about the truck being ready for pickup until the dealership called this morning. I should have gotten the phone call regarding the fire at home, and then left for my parents’ place. You would have been alone at the house with just Deputy Chen to cover you. I would have felt reasonably safe leaving you in the hands of Deputy Chen or the state police protective detail that’s taking over in an hour or two.”
Alan Harrison was simply a man who had mental issues. He wasn’t a monster created from the depths of hell, and he sure as hell wasn’t immune to making assumptions. He’d made one with Lily by underestimating her, and he sure as hell was underestimating Ridge.
“What’s the next step?” Lily asked, glancing over Ridge’s shoulder. He turned to find that Dean was standing in the doorway, motioning for them to come back inside the conference room. “What now? I feel as if this day has no brakes.”
“That might not be such a bad thing,” Ridge said, shifting so that Lily could go on ahead of him. “Alan Harrison is making more mistakes as time wears on, and that’s got to be eating away at him. We need to be ready for him to make a bold move soon.”
By the time that Ridge and Lily had taken their respective seats, Dean had already walked back around the conference room table to apparently give another update. Information was coming in quick, and it was only a matter of time before they had the answers that they’d sought all week. It had been months longer for the members of the task force assigned to this case, however.
Deputy Chen and the state police officer who had been posted outside the conference room had traded places, so it was the latter who was positioned in the corner closer to Paul and Teresa. She was leaning back in her chair with her hand on her stomach, looking a bit uncomfortable in her full-term pregnancy state. Ridge recalled a buddy’s wife who said she constantly had to elevate her feet due to swelling, but he didn’t get a chance to offer that option with one of the free chairs when Dean began to talk.
“While we were speaking with Captain Makenhoff, I received an update from Agent Roche,�
� Dean started off, locking eyes with Harrison. “He flew out to West Virginia to see if he could speak with your mother, Paul.”
“Why?” Paul asked with a frown, shifting slightly away from his wife when she attempted to lay her hand on his arm. “My mother has Alzheimer’s. Whatever Agent Roche needed for his profile, I would have gladly answered any questions.”
“I know, but there was a chance that she was in possession of information regarding your father’s second marriage that you weren’t privy to before her illness took hold.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck as he continued to explain exactly what he meant by that statement. “Alan was three years younger than you, and your father had basically gotten a whole new family in a short amount of time. We were hoping your mother still had enough of her memory to let us know the state of mind Alan’s mother was in before she left town. Did she keep in contact afterward? If so, what can she tell us about that time that might help us locate your half-brother? We’ve sent an agent to the compound in Ohio where Alan grew up, and we’ve discovered some things that line up with the profile, such as that he was physically abused with several other children by one of the founders who believed in corporal punishment to an extreme.”
Ridge understood more than most that the Alan Harrison they were dealing with today was beyond help. That didn’t mean that one couldn’t feel for the boy who had been taken from an ordinary childhood and thrown in with a group that had a completely different view of life and accountability.
“Alan’s mother basically abandoned him to those whose role it was determined would raise the children, giving her the ability to focus on tending medicinal herbs, which she found she was very good at during her time with the compound,” Dean continued, hammering home Ridge’s original opinion on what had occurred after the Harrisons’ move to Ohio. “The agent is still collecting information from those who remain at the compound. Interestingly enough, Alan was last seen on the grounds at the beginning of last year, just a couple of months before Tamara Johnson was killed in her home.”
The Reclusive Widow (The Widow Taker Book 3) Page 20