Two Reasons to Run

by Colleen Coble

  Reid shifted in the seat next to her to face her. “You sure you want to tell her tonight?”

  “Wouldn’t you want to know as soon as possible?”

  Reid sighed. “Yeah, I would. I’m worried about you. It’s been a rough day.”

  “It’s my job, and Ruby is a friend.”

  Silence fell until she navigated the boat to the Pelican Harbor dock. Strains of “Stolen Moments” carried to them from one of the jazz bars along the waterfront. The aroma of grilled shrimp and fish wafted to her nose from Billy’s Seafood. She should have been hungry, but the smells turned her stomach after what she’d seen today.

  Reid hopped onto the pier and tied off the boat, then held out his hand to help her out. His fingers warmed hers, and he didn’t release her hand once both feet were ashore.

  She took strength from the clasp of their hands, then pulled away and gazed up into his chocolate eyes. “You don’t have to go with me. Go home and check on Will.”

  “He’s fine. Megan stayed for dinner. I guess Olivia isn’t back from her doctor’s appointment in Mobile yet.”

  Jane glanced at her watch. “It’s eight o’clock. She should be back by now. Her appointment was at four.”

  “Will said there’d been an accident, and the traffic was backed up, so she stopped for dinner until it cleared out.”

  Jane exhaled. “Scared me for a second. I tried to arrange a ride for her, but she’s so stubborn. I wondered yesterday if she should still be driving.” She squared her shoulders. “Let’s go see Ruby before she hears a rumor.”

  The school principal lived about four blocks west of the harbor. On the sidewalk Jane broke into a jog to stretch out her aching muscles and to feel the sea wind in her hair. She felt soiled by the horror of finding that poor young man’s body.

  Why did people do such horrible things to other people? She’d never understand it, and sometimes she wondered why she’d chosen a field in law enforcement that highlighted the evil in men’s hearts.

  Reid jogged beside her in an easy lope. He didn’t even seem to be breathing hard, but then she wasn’t either. The exertion felt good and reminded her they were alive. She would find out who did this to Keith, and the killer would pay. Keith and Ruby would have justice.

  Light shone through the front windows at Ruby’s house, and Jane slowed to a walk as they approached the front door. Her heart was trying to jump out of her chest, and she swallowed hard before she pressed the doorbell.

  Steps came toward the door, and the porch light came on. Ruby opened the door and peered out. Her gaze landed on Jane’s face, and after a few moments, tears filled her eyes. “You found him, didn’t you?”

  “Can we come in?”

  Ruby stood aside, then shut the door behind them. Her miniature dachshund sniffed at Jane and wagged her tail. More to delay the inevitable, Jane knelt and rubbed the dog’s belly. She stood and wished she felt comfortable enough to embrace Ruby, who stood with her hands clenched in front of her.

  Ruby exhaled in a harsh sound. “Tell me.”

  “Reid is a diver and decided to go down to search for a body since we hadn’t found one. We found a male lashed to the girder.” She pulled out her phone and showed the picture of the necklace to Ruby. “Do you recognize this?”

  Ruby uttered a sob. “It’s Keith’s. He was lashed to a girder?”

  Jane didn’t want to tell her how they’d found the body, but Ruby needed closure so she gave the details about what they’d found. “He didn’t kill himself, Ruby. He was murdered.”

  Ruby sagged against the foyer wall and put her hands over her face. A ragged sob made her shoulders shudder. “I knew he wouldn’t kill himself.”

  Jane brushed her fingers across the woman’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Ruby.”

  Ruby put her hands down and revealed a pale, tear-streaked face. “Thank you for finding him. Who did this, Jane?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out.”

  “What about the terrorist attack?”

  “Homeland Security has found no evidence pointing to something like that. Maybe Keith misunderstood what he heard.”

  Ruby swiped the moisture from her face. “He was a smart guy. I think Homeland Security needs to look harder.”

  “I’ll talk to them again. In the meantime, do you know who this woman is?” She pulled out her phone and showed Ruby the picture of the woman lurking nearby when Reid had been on the platform. “You can’t see her face well, but I thought she might seem familiar to you.”

  Ruby took the phone and enlarged the photo, then nodded. “She came here with Keith last Thanksgiving because her family is on the West Coast. Her name is Sara, but I can’t remember her last name right now. Let me think on it.”

  “Even that much is helpful. If you can’t remember, I can go see Steve again and find out.”

  Ruby handed back the phone. “I’m sure it will come to me.” She took a step toward the door. “Thanks for telling me before I heard rumors about it. It will probably be all over town by morning.” Her eyes welled again. “I might stay home tomorrow. Please, please keep me in the loop, Jane.”

  Ruby opened the door, and Jane took her hand on the way out. “I’ll find out who did this, Ruby.”

  Ruby shut the door behind them without answering, but Jane had seen the hopelessness in her eyes. Wouldn’t she feel the same way if she’d lost Will? Love made you vulnerable—any kind of love. And it was too late now. Her love for Will knew no bounds.

  She slid a sideways glance at Reid. Was it really a lot more risk to open her heart a bit to him?

  * * *

  He focused his gun sight on the kid’s head.

  The boy was out of the bunker and on the porch with a girl. An older woman and man sat in rockers talking. An idyllic scene he could shatter if he wanted to. One twitch of his finger and there would be bloody confetti around. He imagined the horrified screams of the girl with him.

  He lay on a grassy knoll hidden by shrubs and vegetation. Gnats and flying bugs swarmed around his head, but he ignored them as he refocused the gun sight on the kid’s head. Dusk was falling, and he was well hidden here. He put down the gun and picked up a cigarette. Nothing was happening now, and he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. Not yet.

  Young love.

  He didn’t think he’d ever felt it. Luckily, a passing stab of lust or attraction was all he’d experienced. He’d seen too many stupid actions committed by lovesick people.

  He stubbed out his cigarette and picked up the binoculars. He let his gaze sweep over the teenagers. The girl with Will was hot. Long, dark hair, big blue eyes. His gaze dropped lower. Luscious. No wonder the kid was smitten. How would he feel if a bullet came zinging out of nowhere and plowed straight into that beauty?

  The man shook his head. Who was he kidding? For all his fantasies, he still had misgivings about this job. These two would soon be adults so that wasn’t the problem. The real issue was his boss was an idiot. He might think he was smart, but he was letting emotion dictate his behavior. That was a good way to get caught, and jail was no place to be.

  He’d even broken into Dixon’s house in New Orleans in case there were traces of the videos there, but he’d found nothing. As far as he knew, no one had noticed the break-in yet. Or seen the message he’d left, which was a shame.

  He didn’t consider what he’d done with the McDonald man murder. Someone else had tipped him over the edge. He would never have survived for long in the water since no one knew he’d gone overboard. He had hidden the evidence. That was all.

  And he wanted to keep it that way. If he had to take out the kid, he’d do it to attain his goals.

  An SUV turned in the drive, and he ducked down. That pesky police chief. It would be a lot easier to take her out than to try to scare her. She didn’t seem to frighten easily. But the Boss said no. It would bring in the state police and more scrutiny of her cases. Including this one.

  He picked up his rif
le and sighted it again. Maybe a slug into the doorjamb would send them all scurrying like rats.

  Fifteen

  Reid’s pulse kicked at the sight of his son out in clear sight of a potential shooter. “Will shouldn’t be out of the bunker.”

  He stared off to his left for a moment. Had there been a flash of movement? He didn’t see anything, but a shudder ran up his back. Maybe it was his imagination. Olivia’s car was parked outside the farmhouse, and Megan and Will were under the porch light beside Olivia.

  “No, he shouldn’t.” Jane shoved open her door and got out.

  Reid jumped out and grabbed her arm before she could stalk to the porch. “Don’t embarrass him in front of Megan. He wouldn’t want her to think he’s weak.”

  She started to pull away from his grasp before she relaxed. She stared up at him. “I have a lot to learn, don’t I?”

  “You’re making leaps and bounds, but teenage guys hate to be made to look small in the eyes of a girl they’re interested in. I remember . . .” He released her arm. “Let’s go see what’s shaking here.”

  At least she didn’t ask him what he was about to say. He let her go ahead of him up the steps.

  She hugged her friend. “Olivia, what did you find out at the doctor’s?”

  Olivia stared down at her hands. “He tested me for Lyme disease, but I could tell he doesn’t think that’s it.” She spoke softly with a glance at the two teenagers who were deep in a discussion about a science project.

  Jane hoped they weren’t listening. She didn’t want Megan to hear the sadness in Olivia’s voice.

  She clasped her hands together and tried not to show her dismay. “When will you get the results?”

  “Several weeks, but he suggested I see an ALS doctor. I already burned my bridges with the one, so I’ll find another.”

  “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Olivia took her hand. “It was worth a try, Jane. I love your fierce determination to change my circumstances, but really, I’m at peace. I don’t want to leave Megan or you, of course. But I-I think I’m getting worse. It was all I could do to drive the car here. I nearly steered it off the road several times.”

  Jane fought the tears burning her eyes. “Do you need to quit work?”

  “I-I hate to do that. It’s been such a big part of my life. Mornings seem to be good for me, at least so far. I can have Megan drop me, and if someone could run me home at lunchtime, I could try working for a while. But if that’s too much, if you don’t think I’m doing a good job, please tell me.”

  “You’re a wonderful dispatcher, Olivia. People trust you. I want you to work as long as you’re able.”

  “Let’s stumble along a little longer for now then.” She turned and held out her hand to Megan. “We need to get you home for school tomorrow. I’m sorry it’s so late. That accident shut down the road forever.”

  Megan made a face but moved slowly away from Will to her mother’s side. “I’m not tired.”

  “You will be at six in the morning.”

  Megan glanced back at Will. “See you, Will.”

  He nodded and smiled. “See you.”

  Jane’s dad came down off the porch. “I’ll run you home. I’ll catch an Uber back.”

  “I can come get you,” Reid said.

  “Think I’ll grab a beer at Pelican Pizza so don’t bother. I’ll be home later.” Charles offered his arm to Olivia, and she took it with a smile. The three of them descended the steps to the car.

  Jane’s smile faded as the car pulled away and Reid returned. She punched Will lightly on the arm. “Inside, mister. You shouldn’t have been out of the bunker.” She pushed him toward the door.

  “Aw, Mom, I couldn’t look like I was scared when I’m not. You guys are freaking out over nothing.”

  Reid bit back a chuckle at the exchange between the two of them. Will’s grousing wasn’t directed at him this time, and he liked the way Jane handled him. Firm but loving. She was a fast learner.

  He followed them into the house and snatched a still-warm chocolate chip cookie on his way through the kitchen to the tunnel down to the bunker. “Good.”

  “Megan made them.” Will said it as if he’d just won the Nobel Prize.

  This relationship had moved along quickly. The boy was smitten—about like his old man was with his mother.

  Jane held up her hand. “Wait, are you telling me you were out of the bunker long enough to make cookies?”

  Will scowled. “So what? Nothing happened. I didn’t want her to see me cowering in the bunker like some kid.”

  “You’re not taking this seriously!” She waved her hands and took a step closer. “We found Keith’s body today—murdered and strapped to an iron girder under the oil platform. The killer has targeted you, and I couldn’t bear to find you in the same condition.” She choked on the words and a sob escaped.

  Will started toward her, then stopped and braced his hands on his hips. “I’m not a kid!” He spun on his heels and stalked off.

  Jane exchanged a glance with Reid as their son vanished through the door to the bunker stairs. She shook her head. “I didn’t know parenting would involve girlfriends so soon.”

  “You like Megan, right?”

  He followed her into the dimly lit stairwell, and they descended toward the sound of canned laughter on TV.

  “I love her. She’s a great girl. I don’t want him hurt though, and relationships at this age can be a flash in the pan.”

  “Like either of us would know.” He nearly ran into her when she stopped abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Neither of us is going to be any good at parenting a teenager.”

  He chuckled at the panic in her voice. “It takes the same love and boundaries as any other age. I think we’ll stumble through just fine.”

  “You might, but I’m not so sure I will. I feel very inadequate.”

  “I think it’s something every parent feels. He’s mad now, but Will knows we love him, and everything will turn out in the end.”

  She started back down, and he grinned in the dim light. Their joint love for Will just might draw them together.

  * * *

  What was she missing?

  Jane tossed and turned in the bamboo sheets and sighed when she caught sight of the clock. After one on Saturday morning, and she hadn’t slept a wink yet.

  Even though Homeland Security had taken over the case now that she’d found Keith’s body, she couldn’t let go of the murder. She tried to tell herself it was the case, but it was more than that. The more she was around Reid, the more she wanted to be around him.

  She rolled over again. At this rate she would still be awake when it was time to take over the watch from her dad, who had come back around ten.

  She might have been able to sleep with Parker in here, but the dog was enamored with Will. The last she’d seen of him had been him padding off to Will’s room.

  She flipped on the light and reached for her Kindle. Getting to know her son the past few weeks had pushed reading aside, and she hadn’t gotten any further with The Screwtape Letters. She read several pages before getting to a sentence that made her stop and think.

  “Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.”

  Love looks to the present. That’s what she needed to focus on. Not what she’d missed or what might come in the future, but today. The minute-by-minute experience with Will. Maybe even with Reid. Too often she focused on the future and found her ambition was what drove her on. It wasn’t pretty.

  She closed the cover on her e-reader and swung her legs out of bed. What would Reid think if she went to his door and told him she wanted to talk? He might assume more than she was willing to admit. A snack would be safer.

  She tiptoed to the door and eased it open, then stepped into the hall. Reid’s door was open when she went past, and somehow she managed not to peek in on him sleeping, though it took every
ounce of her strength.

  A light shone around the closed door to the control room where her dad was keeping watch. She didn’t bother him and went on toward the kitchen. She turned on the light and blinked at the figure turning toward her from the refrigerator. On autopilot, she reached for her gun. She didn’t have it—and she didn’t need it because Reid was the man smiling at her.

  She put her hand to her heart. “You scared the daylights out of me.”

  “Sorry.”

  He didn’t seem sorry—he looked inordinately pleased to see her. She resisted the impulse to flee back to her room. “What are you doing in the dark?”

  “The refrigerator light comes on, you know.” He held up a plate of cold chicken. “Neither of us got dinner, and I’m famished.”

  Her stomach rumbled. “Maybe that’s why I couldn’t sleep either. Anything in there but cold chicken? Like maybe chocolate?”

  He grinned. “That’s dessert, not dinner. There’s some gumbo. Want me to warm it up?”

  “I need carbs. It’s been a stressful day.” She brushed past him to peer into the fridge, but his nearness made her vision glaze over, and she found it hard to concentrate on her mission. Carbs, that’s what she was here for.

  He reached past her, his arm brushing hers. Her skin tingled at the contact, and she stepped back.

  He withdrew a half-eaten pie. “How about chocolate pie? Somehow that human garbage disposal we call Will didn’t eat it all.”

  “He probably didn’t want Megan to see him wolfing it down. You want half?”

  “Let’s just share it in the pie plate.” He slid out a drawer and took out two spoons, then carried the pie to the island and set it down.

  She hopped onto a bar stool and grabbed a spoon. The chocolaty goodness cheered her. “Yum, that’s good. My dad makes the best chocolate pie in the state.”

  “Where’d he get the recipe?”

  “He said it was my mom’s. If it was, she never made it at Mount Sinai. We never got dessert. Did you?”