Unspoken Bundle - Box Set Books 1-6

by Danes, Ellie

  “Jennifer, what’s wrong?” Brice’s wide eyes met mine with a panicked look.

  “The Black Hellebore, also known as the Christmas Rose.” I spun the laptop around to show the picture of the flower to Reese.

  Brice wrinkled his nose and scratched his head. “I don’t get it? What’s going on?”

  “Louise Harritan is growing this plant in her greenhouse.” Reese grimaced.

  “Jacob was trying to poison Macie, not John.” I chimed in.

  “I ordered Macie’s blood work as soon as she signed on with me. Hers should be here soon.”

  I looked at Reese and I knew he could read my mind as I he nodded his head. “I know. We can’t close this case.”

  “No, we can’t. I’ll let him know.” I knew Dad wasn’t going to be happy.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  We spent the morning reviewing all of our files and helping Brice lay out a solid strategy. He was granted a continuance and he had hoped he would be able to present evidence that John and Macie had been affected by something out of their control. This new report showed exactly that. All that was left was to tie Jacob to the poison and prove he had access and the ability to give it to them. I felt good about everything we had found.

  I nervously sat in my office, waiting for Dad to arrive. I decided that I needed to have the upper hand during this conversation and working from behind my desk provided that advantage. I had all of the files, notes and evidence we had presented to Brice within arm’s reach. I had replayed exactly what I was going to say and I had planned to stick with the facts and not let emotion play a party. That was something that he couldn’t deny.

  My foot tapped anxiously as shifted my gaze from the clock on my desk to the door and back to my desk. It had only been ten minutes since I had called and asked him to come down, but I wanted to get the conversation over with. I understood that anything to do with the Harritans bothered my father, as it did me, but my focus was on this case; at least for now.

  Dad made small talk with Aimee as he crossed the threshold of my office. The look on his face shifted from a slightly playful conversationalist to that of the stern father figure I knew growing up. His tight, pursed lips only parted long enough to say hello as he took a seat opposite me on the other side of the desk. “Don’t think I don’t know what this is about, Jennifer.” Dad’s matter-of-fact voice sent shivers down my spine and reminded me of being reprimanded when I was younger.

  “No, I don’t think you do, Dad.” I sat up in my seat, tall and straight, and locked my eyes on his.

  “This is about Brice Pennington’s case. I told you to close that. You’ve uncovered enough information for his client. There’s no need to bother the Harritans any more than you have already.” Dad’s expression didn’t waver; his speech wasn’t a request, it was an order.

  “There’s been some…developments.” I reached over and pulled out a copy the toxicology report Brice had provided earlier. “John Doll was poisoned. He wasn’t drunk, Dad.”

  Dad’s focused moved from my eyes to the report and then darted back to me. “And…?”

  “And the poison that was in John’s system is from a very rare plant that we saw in the Harritans’ greenhouse. John had motive and access. We need to look into this further. We need to notify—”

  Aimee knocked at the door, holding a large manila envelop with my name scribbled across the front. “I’m sorry to interrupt but this just arrived. I thought it might be important.” Aimee quickly scooted past my father and handed me the envelope.

  “Thank you.” I broke the seal on the envelope and looked at Dad. “This is probably the toxicology report for Macie Hicks; it’ll show the same thing—that she was poisoned. Brice said it should be arriving soon.” I pulled out the folder and flipped it open reading the pink note on top.

  “Jennifer, none of this is going to make a difference for us. It’s great work that you uncovered all of this and, as I think you were about to say, we should turn this over to the police. Let them investigate.”

  I voraciously flipped through the pages of the report in my hand and scanned the details. I looked at my hands as they shook. I looked up at my father. “Complaints of vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, dizziness.”

  “I know, Jennifer, I’ve heard all the details before.” Dad held up his hand to tell me to stop.

  My eyes began to water slightly as I continued to read and remember the details from what I read online. “You know that the poison takes effect within thirty minutes? When they ingest the toxins, the person starts showing symptoms that quickly.”

  Dad kept his focus on me and started to get up. “Jennifer-”

  “This poison used to be used to cause miscarriages, Dad. That’s awful.” I slammed the open folder down on my desk as tears streamed down my face.

  Dad looked down at the folder and back up at me. “What is this, Jennifer? Why do you have this?”

  “You knew, didn’t you? Did they know? Did they? Tell me? Who else knew that Mom was pregnant when she died?”

  I looked down at the pink note sitting on the desk.

  Hope you find what you’re looking for. E. Lee.

  Chapter Forty

  I wasn’t sure how she knew, or why she sent it, but Dr. Erica Lee, the chief medical examiner, had delivered a bomb to my office, via courier. The autopsy report for my mother, Samantha Dunning, sat opened on my desk across from my father. His red face was mixed with anger and sadness.

  “Jennifer, Why do you have this?” Dad reached down and picked up the report, flipping through the details I had just read aloud. His hands shook and the man of steel I knew began to crumble before my eyes. Dad crumpled in the chair as he stared at the folder.

  “You didn’t…” I felt my stomach sink as I wiped the tears from my eyes, but they kept streaming. “You didn’t know.” The feeling was overwhelming as the news set in.

  “No. I never even looked at the report. I could have, but didn’t. They did one because your mother’s death seemed suspicious, but…” Dad took a long shuddering breath as he recalled the difficult details. “They said it wasn’t. It was ruled natural causes. She was sick and the strain on her body caused her to go into cardiac arrest. It was so sudden, and the loss was so much, that I just wanted it to all go away.”

  Dad and I stared at each other. I didn’t know what to say to comfort him, or whether I should even try. There was no bright side to this scenario, only more questions that I was scared to ask. “Dad, I’m sorry. If I had just left things alone…if I had just—”

  “Jennifer, don’t do that to yourself. It’s done. It’s the same thing I’ve done to myself for the last thirteen years. I ask myself what if, almost every day.” Dad slowly regained his composure and placed the folder back on my desk. “I’m not sure how you came across this file, and I don’t want to know. It would be better that way.”

  “No! You wouldn’t be dealing with this if I hadn’t kept pushing.” I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. “There’s was just so many similarities between this case with John Doll and Jacob Harritan, and Mom’s death.” I looked at Dad and watched him slowly nod in agreement. “Dad, do you think…” I didn’t have to finish my sentence. I could see from his expression he knew what I was thinking.

  “Jennifer, can you keep all of this between us for now? I need to think about all of this. Let it set in. I don’t want anyone—Reese, Cynthia, Aimee, even Cain—knowing about this. No one.”

  I nodded slowly. I watched as Dad sat and thought to himself. “What are you going to do?”

  “Nothing, at least not right now. Just keep working the case. Slow things down a little, until I can figure this out. Can you do that?”

  “I…I can. I’ll think of something. I can tell Brice that I need to look into a few other things.”

  “And Reese too. Tell him you fought with me about it. It will seem more believable.” Dad stood up and appeared a little shaky. I walked around the desk and hugged him. I closed
my eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of his cologne hadn’t changed in twenty years. Stetson. It took me back to being a kid, and I remembered how Mom and I used to buy it for his birthday or Christmas.

  I squeezed him tight and Dad wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. It had been a long time since we had embraced like this. Too long. He and I had our differences, and as much as I hated him at times, I knew I loved him more than anything.

  “Dad, we’ll figure this out. I promise.” My voice was muffled as I held my face close to his chest. He was comforting me as much I was trying to comfort him. It felt good, natural. I hadn’t realized how much I missed my father and our closeness. After Mom died, Dad changed. He became distant and stricter. Before she died, Dad and I spent weekends and evenings together, just playing games or reading. Even though he worked a lot, he always seemed to make time for me, no matter what.

  I kept my eyes closed and remembered those times as I continued to hug him, not wanting to let go. Dad’s strong hand rubbed my back. “Jennifer, we’ll do this together. We’ll make it through.” We finally ended our embrace and Dad walked slowly to the door. He took one final deep breath and turned toward me. “Jennifer, I don’t say it enough. I love you.”

  He looked at me with his steely blue eyes and I felt like I was that thirteen-year-old girl again. I smiled from ear to ear as I replied with the words I hadn’t said to him in a very long time: “I love you too.” It felt good, but it was strange that so much hurt at revisiting such a tragedy in our lives may have breached the gap between us and brought us back together.

  Chapter Forty-One

  It had been a few days since the autopsy report arrived on my desk. Every time I looked at the folder I felt a cold shiver down my back and thought about Dad. The big red stamp labeled ‘Medical Examiner’s Office” stood out on the manila folder. I wondered how the news was affecting him. I knew it was all I could think about; the good thoughts and the bad. I shrugged off the shivers and tried to focus.

  I had broken the news to Reese that we were going to keep the Doll case open and explained how I had convinced Dad. I told Reese I had promised to find more proof in the next week and that he should focus on some other cases while I put everything together. Reese seemed relieved that he was going to get a break from this case but I knew that wouldn’t last. He liked to wrap things up and move along, and besides, we had a meeting with Brice and Macie scheduled.

  Macie Hick’s toxicology report had arrived yesterday morning and sat on top of the stack of folders on my desk. I hadn’t taken the time to really review the details, but I knew Brice and I were going to need to speak with Macie and get her side of the story. I had Aimee schedule the meeting so I wouldn’t have to speak with Brice. The less contact I had with him, the easier it would be to buy some additional time on the case. I grabbed the folder and thumbed through the report, surprised at what I discovered. Only trace amounts of the plant toxin had been found in Macie’s system; far less than in John’s.

  I scribbled a few notes and closed the folder just as Aimee approached the doorway. Her big smile silently announced who had arrived. “Ms. Hicks and Brice—er, Mr. Pennington—are here. Should I show them to the conference room?”

  “Really, Aimee? Mr. Pennington?” I smiled back at her. Her playful demeanor seemed to be one of the only things that could bring a smile to my face. “Actually, we’ll just meet here in my office. Can you please have Reese join us as well?”

  “Sure thing.” Aimee left in hurry and returned with Brice and Macie close behind. “Reese said he would be over in a moment. He was wrapping up a call.”

  Macie Hicks slinked into the office in the shadow of Brice Pennington. Her small frame was beginning to show her baby bump, and she seemed out of place without her boyfriend, John Doll, close by. I hoped today I would see more of the helpful Macie Hicks instead of the antagonistic girl I had seen during our previous meeting.

  “Good morning. Please, take a seat and make yourself confortable.” I pointed to the couch and chairs at the desk. I hoped that a more comfortable and less formal environment would help Macie open up.

  A chorus of “Good Morning,” came from the both of them as Brice took a seat on the couch next to Macie.

  “Macie, how are you feeling?” I shot a pointed look toward her growing stomach and smiled. “Any morning sickness?”

  “Yes. It was a lot worse in the very beginning. Morning, noon and night. I’m doing much better now. Everyone’s told me to expect to be sick because of my size. I guess I didn’t think it would be that bad.” Macie slowly rubbed her belly with her hand and clutched her purse with the other.

  “Well, that’s really good news. I’m glad things are going well.” I grabbed the toxicology report and flipped it open and placed it on top of my yellow legal pad. I stared at the notes and looked up at Brice. “I think we can get started if you’re ready. Reese should be in momentarily.”

  Brice nodded and gave Macie the overview that everything we discussed would remain between us. He tried to instill how important it was to be honest and forthcoming when answering questions. Macie quietly sat on the couch and nodded, still rubbing her stomach.

  “Brice, if you don’t mind, I’ll start.” I gave Brice a slight smile as Reese quietly slipped into the room. “Macie, we’ve had a bit of a break in your case.” I smiled at her, making good eye contact. “It’s really good news. It means that there is a solid chance that both you and John can likely have all of this go away.”

  “Mostly,” Brice piped in. “I don’t want to misrepresent anything here.”

  “Yes. Thank you, Brice. Mostly go away.” I added. “John told us that Jacob wanted to meet with only you at LaBerge that evening and he insisted that he come. Is that accurate?”

  “Yes. John kept pushing. He said he didn’t trust Jacob.” Macie shook her head as she explained. “I told him there was nothing to worry about.”

  “So the two of you arrive together to meet Jacob. Any ideas why Jacob wanted to meet with you?” I slipped a little smile toward Macie, as if to indicate I may already know.

  Macie nodded her head in agreement. “Yes. He wanted to talk about the baby and us.”

  “So Jacob knew about the baby? I had thought that you and John were keeping it a secret? At least that seems to be what you both indicated during our first meeting together.”

  Macie hesitated and looked toward Brice. “Um, well… We hadn’t told our parents and friends yet. I told Jacob.” Macie’s eyes grew slightly bigger.

  I leaned in toward Macie. “You told him because you think he’s the father?”

  Macie’s mouth dropped open slightly. “No! I mean…I don’t really know. I told him because I thought if he knew I was pregnant and it was John’s baby he would leave me alone. He would leave us alone.”

  “But you don’t know if it really is John’s baby, do you?” I kept my gaze on Macie as I waited for her response.

  “No. I just know I don’t want anything to do with Jacob’s crazy family. Telling him actually had the opposite effect. He started calling me all the time. He wanted to get back together with me.” A tear formed in the corner of her eye. “I was meeting with him that night to tell him once and for all to stay away, or else.”

  “Or else what?” Brice asked. “Did you or John threaten Jacob?”

  “No way! We barely talked. We got there and took a seat in one of the booths. I told the waitress to get Jacob, to tell him I was there. He came out a few minutes later.”

  “So Jacob comes out, orders you a beer and then…?” I flipped back through my notes looking for the other details.

  “No, he had the beer with him. He gave it to me and said he wasn’t expecting him, and pointed to John. I told Jacob I couldn’t drink, that pregnant women aren’t supposed to drink. He told me he made the effort to bring the beer out, so I should at least take a sip. So I did.”

  “Well, that explains these results then.” I held up the toxicology repor
t. “The beer you drank that night, you gave the rest to John?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because that’s likely what made the two of you sick. You’re significantly smaller than John, so the little sip you had was all it took. And you haven’t had any problems with the baby?” I tried to force my smile to look casual, despite my concern.

  “No, everything was great at the checkup the other day. Why? You’re scaring me.” Macie’s petite face began to flush as a tear trickled down her face. “Is there something I need to know?”

  “Macie, the drug that was found in your system has been known to…” I searched for the right way to break the news. “It’s been known to make people very sick and, in the right doses, it can actually have a fatal affect on a pregnancy.”

  “Oh…well, I guess it’s a good thing that I only had a sip.”

  Brice stared at me for a minute and then chimed in. “I think what Jennifer is trying to say is, is there is a chance that you were deliberately given that beer? We believe that Jacob was intentionally trying to poison you.”

  “No, he wouldn’t! He thinks the baby could be his, why would he do that?” Macie wiped the tears from her face. “I don’t believe you.”

  My wide stare met Brice’s. “Macie, what else can you tell us about that night? How was Jacob acting? Was he nervous? Did he say anything else?”

  “He seemed angry that John was there. He doesn’t like John. John has tried to keep his distance, but Jacob always instigates things.” Macie continued to sniffle.

  “So John and Jacob have been aggressive toward each other?”

  “Only when they see each other, which has only been a few times. Jacob never used to be that way. He used to be so laid back and nice. Then after I had been to his parents’ house a few times, things seemed to change. She obviously didn’t like me.”

  “Who didn’t?”

  “His mother. She always made rude comments toward me. Jacob would buy clothes for me. He always wanted me to dress a certain way, especially around her. About four or five months after we started dating, Jacob got a job as a bartender. He said his mother cut him off.”