Everything felt farther and farther away, as if she really wasn’t present. She wished she was still up on the sky deck, facing up so she could reach for the stars and Brando.
Was this how it felt to die? A peace that enveloped her like a bodysuit. She was cold. So cold, and at the same time, she didn’t care.
“Stay with me, Avery,” Jason said between breaths. “Look at me. I need you to stay awake.”
“I’m tired,” she tried to move her mouth. She didn’t want him to keep exerting himself. It didn’t matter much what happened next. She’d given Brando the tribute and honor he deserved.
“I need you to stay with me.” Jason caressed her face.
“Her lips are turning blue,” Kerry said. “Where’s the ambulance? What’s taking so long?”
“Is Joan okay?” Avery thought her mouth moved, but she wasn’t sure.
“Joan is fine. She’s worried about you, and she needs you to live.” Kerry’s voice sounded distorted, like it was coming from behind a wall of hair gel—not that she knew what that would do to sound. She was getting loopy, her brain shutting down, feeling light like a feather floating in the sea breeze.
Avery let her eyes close. It was too hard to keep them open. Her last glimpse in this world was her shining knight, Jason Burnett. She’d never forgot those mesmerizing eyes, the fierce look of a guy who never gave up, who’d resist cashing in his chips, and who’d keep on breathing for her. She had no doubt he would carry her wherever she wanted to go.
She relaxed, because there wasn’t anything to do, and soon, her ears picked up the sounds of sirens. Help had arrived.
Except help was already with her, and he was kissing her and shaking her. Was she in or out of her body? She couldn’t tell.
“Avery, don’t leave me, please. We have so much to live for. So much to do.”
She forced her eyelids open and let his blurred image fill her heart with the pang of what she was leaving. A challenging life with a man who’d run roughshod over her if she let him. A man who ran toward problems instead of hiding in a hole. A man who if you told him something was hard or challenging, he’d insist on tackling it right away. A man who still felt the failings of others as his own, and most importantly, a man with a one-track mind and a one-track heart aimed solely at her.
A man who triggered all her most extreme emotions—from abject terror to rapturous joy.
She nodded, ever so slightly, fixing her gaze fully on him while black spots dotted her visual field.
He breathed into her mouth, keeping her oxygenated, and right before she saw black, she thought she heard him say, “Avery, don’t leave me. I love you so much. Come back, wherever you are. Your home is with me. Love me back, Avery.”
A man who’d love the most impossible woman he could, and he’d win, by golly. He would.
“This is a fine mess you got us in,” Chief Grimes yelled at Jason. “None of the suspects admit to injecting Miss Cockburn with the poisonous quill, and the surveillance camera was blocked by Blade’s big fat ten-gallon hat. What made you tell him to go in disguise?”
“He was off duty, and it was a private affair,” Jason said. “Did we get prints off the quill?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s a freaking quill dipped in poison. No prints.”
“Let me question them,” Jason insisted. “One of them will crack.”
“You’re on leave. Psych disability, remember?” Grimes pointed to his own head with a twirling motion. “Camden is in charge since this happened literally under his nose. What a shitshow. Now, get out of here.”
There was no use arguing with the chief, especially if he was covering up for one of the scions of New York society, either the Leaches or the Overtons or even the Cockburns.
How well did he know Damon and Chase? Why was it they’d left their sister at her most vulnerable moment? Damon chose to stay behind and schmooze with Alida while Chase went to get the car.
Could the Cockburn brothers have closed rank behind their father and sacrificed their wayward sister, the one who could cause him to lose the election if her escapades with the Leaches were exposed?
Jason wanted to beat them until they talked. Hit them hard, but he didn’t even have his badge or the authority to make an arrest. Pissed off beyond belief, he marched out of the police station where Finn was waiting for him in his car.
“Did you get anything?” Finn asked. “Did Saul spill or Ivanna? What was Trent’s story?”
“No fingerprints on the quill and no evidence any of them stabbed Avery. The only person they’re holding is Saul for calling in a false bomb threat at The Garden.”
“What about his camera? Did Blade capture it for evidence?”
“Blade says the memory card wasn’t in the camera. Saul must have slipped it out and discarded it. They’re combing the elevator and the entire floor looking for it. Blade himself put the camera in the evidence bag, so the card went missing between the time Avery was stabbed and Saul was caught. Ivanna and Saul were both searched, and no memory card was found. Saul claims he left the card inside the camera.”
“He’s probably lying,” Finn said. “Whatever is on that card is probably blackmail material, and those two grifters want to use it.”
“Or they’re covering up for their own guilt,” Jason said. “How’s Avery?”
“Let’s go back to the hospital. Kerry says Avery is doing okay. They gave her a blood transfusion and an antidote to get rid of the toxin, and she’s breathing on her own.”
“That takes a load off my mind,” Jason said. “Means we don’t have to go to the hospital just yet. I’m sure she’s busy with her family.”
“You don’t want to see her?” Finn sounded surprised. “The doctor says your mouth-to-mouth kept her alive until the ambulance arrived.”
Jason knew that already, but he wasn’t in it to get credit. He’d failed by the very fact Avery was attacked. He had to be missing something important.
“Later. Glad she’s doing better.” He had to keep his mind solely focused on the danger. Avery would be okay in the hospital and under police guard.
“What’s more important than Avery?” Finn’s voice grated on Jason’s nerves.
“Catching the killer.” Jason’s throat was as tight as gravel. “It’s one of the people in the elevator.”
“Let’s go back to the apartment. Kerry’s back, and she can go over what she saw.”
“Okay, you drive while I work on my checklist.”
“I ain’t used to driving in city traffic,” Finn said, putting on his turn signal, which was exactly the wrong thing to do in New York where other drivers sped up to prevent someone from merging in.
“This is the classic locked room of suspects: Ivanna, Saul, Trent, Blade, Mrs. Bonet, and Kerry.” Jason ticked off the list.
“Kerry shouldn’t be included.”
“I don’t think she did it, but for now, we need to keep an open mind and go through each person,” Jason said.
“Then you have to add Avery,” Finn said. “She was in the elevator.”
“I’ve already thought of her, but she had no motive to kill Brando.”
“The two crimes don’t necessarily have to be connected,” Finn said. “Everything you did, changing the venue, changing out the fireworks show, removing the animal effects, changing out the repeat models, and adding me and Kerry, as well as relying on Secret Service knocked out whatever was planned. Avery is the only person who knew what we were doing.”
“She didn’t know about the removal of the porcupine quills. She wouldn’t have poisoned the quills, knowing how dangerous they would have been if I bumped into anyone.” Plus, he hated to think of her wanting to die and meet Brando on the anniversary of his death.
“True, but she could have collected one of the quills for a souvenir and accidentally stuck herself.”
“That’s too much of a stretch. You might as well blame Mrs. Bonet for feeling sick and asking to go home early. We should focus on
likely suspects and not wild conspiracy theories.”
“Which is why Kerry is not a suspect,” Finn defended his woman hotly.
Jason took what he hoped was a calming breath that sounded more like a snort. “Motive, means, opportunity. They all had opportunity, being in the elevator, so let’s start with means, the people who had access and knowledge of porcupine quills.”
“That would be Ivanna, for sure, and Saul if she stayed with him in hiding. Where were they hiding?”
“At Trent’s apartment,” Jason said. “So let’s add him in. Kerry and Mrs. Bonet had no knowledge of porcupine quills, so they’re off the hook. Neither did Blade.”
“Narrows it down, doesn’t it?”
“It’s the motive that troubles me with those three,” Jason said. “Ivanna works for Avery, and Avery has agreed to bring her on as co-designer—at least that’s what Ivanna claims. Her career is better served hitching her star to Avery than starting from scratch.”
“She could be working for someone else.”
“Agreed. We’ll get to that in a moment. Making the case for Saul, he has the vengeance angle for his brother’s death. He could blame Avery for using Garm as a model.”
“That’s a stretch,” Finn said. “Avery uses many models and most of them don’t end up dead. Just the guys in that Brooklyn Babes group. It has to do with them.”
“And Ernesto.” Jason flipped through his notes. “Saul told us about the mischief they were perpetrating against Alida, the pranks and Ernesto’s supposed fake gun, which hasn’t been located yet.”
“Either that, or he and Ivanna concocted that story to deflect suspicion.”
“Why volunteer it when Ernesto was identified as the shooter? The gun is still being held as evidence. Ballistics checked out.”
“What kind of gun was it?” Finn asked.
“Smith & Wesson M&P Shield semiautomatic.” Even as he said the words, Jason realized this was the first time anyone wondered about Ernesto’s gun.
“Did anyone trace where he got it?”
“Bought it off the street, serial numbers filed off,” Jason said.
“Where’s the serial number located?” Finn asked, as if an Army Ranger didn’t know. “My Glock has serial numbers in three places, frame toward the front, barrel at the ejection port, and the slide under the ejection port.”
“I carry one,” Jason said. “It’s on the frame only.”
“Essentially, it could have been your gun.”
“No way. I’ve never misplaced any of my guns.”
“Fine, fine, it’s a rumor Kerry heard.” Finn made a sharp turn to avoid mowing down a pedestrian. “Don’t they look before crossing?”
“New York pedestrians used to be more alert before cell phones,” Jason said. “What’s this rumor?”
“We’re almost there. I’ll let her tell you,” Finn said.
It had to be as bad as Tatiana’s baseless accusations that he was the one who hired Ernesto—except, he just got another link. Whoever had hired Ernesto knew Jason carried a Smith & Wesson Shield, or was it coincidence? If so, had he been the true target last year? Him or Alida, or even Larry Leach who was sitting behind them? And had they wanted to frame him, they could have claimed he gave Ernesto the gun—one of his, and filed off the serial number.
Yet, if Jason were the target, why did Avery get stabbed by the quill? It had to be her. She was keeping secrets, and someone was worried she’d tell. Only, they also knew she wouldn’t tell. She was being blackmailed. She would be too embarrassed, and she didn’t want to cast shame on her family—especially with her father running for office.
Finn hit the brakes hard, and Jason lunged forward, slapping his head against the side panel. It was like getting slapped by God.
Avery had told someone her secret.
It had to be Brando, because if he were Brando, he would have demanded it out of her in exchange for forgiving her.
Brando had evidently found out who raped Avery in front of Professor Leach. Brando had gone off and confronted this person during the hours Avery said he was incognito.
Brando was gunned down.
The killer made a crucial mistake trying to pin it on Jason.
“We’re here,” Finn announced. “I snagged that spot. Sorry about bumping your head.”
“Glad you did.” Jason said, slapping his newfound buddy on the shoulder. He now had a theory, and he was going to put it to a test. “Let’s see what Kerry says.”
“You’re not going to like it,” Finn said.
“Oh, I’m thinking I’m going to love it.”
Chapter Fifty-One
It was exactly what he thought.
Jason thanked Kerry for the rumor and told her to keep her ears to the ground. She told him Trent started the rumor, that he was playing detective and telling everyone Jason had commandeered the porcupine quills. He said Ivanna worked on the quills while staying with him, and they had all touched them without incident.
Kerry’s rumor checked out with Tatiana’s, both of which implicated Jason. Had the killer overplayed his hand? If this was about him, then it had to be someone who wanted to cause trouble for him. Kill two birds with one stone.
“Hope Avery will be okay for the Broadway show,” Kerry said after apologizing for listening to the Jason as perp rumor. “And the jet-skiing date we set up.”
“I think she’ll be fine,” Jason said. “Pufferfish toxin can leave a person disoriented, but the danger is over. She should be completely recovered in a few days.”
“I’m so relieved.” Kerry put her hands to her face. “I can’t tell you how awful I felt when I saw her go down. I was holding on to Mrs. Bonet who also slumped forward. I didn’t know if we’d been attacked by poisonous gas. I thought I’d faint, too.”
“But you didn’t,” Finn said. “You were great.”
“What did Saul and Ivanna do at that moment?” Jason asked. “Did you notice?”
“Saul was fiddling with his camera, and Ivanna bent over Avery, shaking her. Blade and Trent were also hovering over Avery.”
“So Saul was closer to you and Mrs. Bonet?” Jason asked sharply.
“Yes, he helped me with Mrs. Bonet, and then when the elevator stopped, he and Ivanna made a run for it. They didn’t get far.”
“Nope, they didn’t.” Jason tucked away that tidbit. “If you remember anything, write it down. I’m going to see if I can get Avery out of the hospital.”
“She’ll be going home with her family.”
“I don’t think it’ll be safe,” Jason said. “Her brothers are not in the clear and neither are her parents.”
“What are you getting at?” Finn asked.
“Motive, means, opportunity. Avery could be covering a family secret. Damon had access to her apartment and any projects she was working on.”
“They weren’t in the elevator,” Kerry protested.
“If they knew what was going to happen, they wouldn’t be there, but they could have slipped the quill to Avery. Maybe suggested to her it was the best way to go, in a blaze of glory. She could have been holding on to it. Maybe she was going to do it at her ‘I heart New York’ moment.”
“Avery isn’t suicidal.” Kerry’s face flushed. “I should know. Besides, her dress was too tight, and she had no hiding place for a quill.”
“Mrs. Bonet had a purse,” Jason pointed out.
“No way. I was there. Avery wasn’t digging in Mrs. Bonet’s purse.” Kerry narrowed her eyes. “Avery said you’re too paranoid. Maybe you should back off.”
Jason felt like telling her to back off, but that would be anger talking. Instead, he said, “I’m going to fetch Avery when she’s ready to check out, and she’ll come with me. I know it.”
“Not with that attitude toward her family,” Kerry said. “The Cockburns have her guarded like Fort Knox.”
“Then you’d better get some sleep,” Finn said, clapping a hand on Jason’s shoulder to diffuse the tension. “You’r
e going to need all your energy in the morning to get her away from her family.”
Jason yawned and waited for Kerry to retire to the bedroom. It was getting late, but he needed Finn to be aware of the gravity of the situation.
As soon as Kerry shut the door, he leaned forward and said to Finn, “This isn’t about the people in the elevator as much as who is pulling the strings. Someone is behind all of this, and they’d do anything to keep Avery from talking.”
“Why are you so sure Avery can’t keep her mouth shut?” Finn asked.
“Because men who love her won’t let it go,” Jason said.
Finn’s eyes widened, and he did a double take. “You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m pretty sure she told Brando.”
“And signed his death warrant,” Finn finished. “Whose secret do you think Brando knew?”
“Cockburn, Leach, or Overton.”
The next day, Avery sat in her hospital bed, surrounded by tubes, monitors, and her loving family—all except for Stone and Harper, her black sheep brother and sister.
Mom was especially effusive. She fluttered around the room rearranging the flowers, gift card baskets, and other well wishes people had sent.
“We’re so sorry we missed the show,” she said. “Damon shared the video. Let’s do something tonight to celebrate. Throw a party.”
“I’m still feeling woozy,” Avery said. “Maybe next weekend before I go to Hawaii?”
“You’re coming home with us, no questions,” Dad said. He covered her hand with his beefy one. “We’ve missed you, Princess, but now that your big show is over and a grand success, it’s time to put your grief behind you and start living again.”
“Dad, I missed all of you, too, but I need to do it on my timeline. I’m taking the first step, going to Hawaii with Kerry and Finn.”
“I’d tag along if I could,” Chase said, looking at Damon. “Can you spare the time?”
“We have a major software release we’re behind on.” Damon turned toward Alex, the real estate developer. “Don’t you have resorts in Hawaii you have to check on?”
Triggered by Love Page 37
