Plain Target

by Dana R. Lynn

  “Are the two of you up to coming to take a look, see if you can ID it?”

  Neither of them needed their arms to be twisted. Within minutes, they were tucked into the backseat of Miles’s cruiser. Seth sat beside Jess, aware of her hands clenched so tight in her lap, the knuckles were bone white. Her left leg bounced up and down in constant motion.

  Reaching out, he pried her hands apart and intertwined their fingers. She gripped onto his hand like it was a lifeline.

  Flashing lights in the distance warned them that they were approaching the scene. Seth and Jess both sat up as Miles slowed the cruiser, veering expertly onto the shoulder behind the small green car with dark tinted windows. Sergeant Jackson was waiting for them.

  Beside him, Jess’s breathing grew harsh, shallow. The hand in his grasp trembled. The need to comfort her in some way tugged at him. But he had nothing. Instead, he offered a prayer for her strength and endurance as she faced this new fear.

  Sliding across the seat to the door Miles held open, they emerged from the cruiser and shuffled toward the car. Jess shivered. He tucked her closer to his side.

  “No driver?” he murmured to Miles.

  “We haven’t found one yet. But the car is registered to a Keith Barnes.”

  “Keith!” Jess’s voice was strangled. “That’s Kim’s older brother. But there’s no way he was driving that car. He’s in the service. Deployed overseas. He won’t be home for months.”

  Seth’s mind made a connection he didn’t want it to make. But it was the logical explanation. “Jess, you said Kim never showed up for work. Is it possible she was driving the car, and that she was behind some of this?”

  Jess started backing away, shaking her head. She stumbled over a branch. He grabbed hold of her before she could fall. He was surprised she didn’t fight his hold, but seemed to melt into it.

  “I don’t want to believe it. But, Seth, she knew that I was going to be at your uncle’s house. When I went to my house to pack, I left her detailed instructions, including where she could reach me in case of an emergency. I never thought I’d be in danger. Not in a house full of people.”

  “Reasonable assumption.”

  Poor Jess. She looked shattered at the possible betrayal by one of her staff.

  “It’s just a hunch,” Miles called to Jackson. “But let’s check the trunk.”

  In horrified fascination, Seth and Jess watched as the trunk was opened. A large black sheet was draped over the contents. His pulse thudded in his chest as Miles reached his gloved hand out and gently pulled back the sheet.

  Black hair covering a pale oval face. A gunshot wound in the temple.

  It didn’t take a paramedic to know the young woman was dead.

  Kim Barnes had been found.

  * * *

  The shock went too deep for tears. One of her employees, dead. In the car that had been following her for weeks. It made no sense. Kim hadn’t even been in Pennsylvania when Cody had died. Her whole family was seeing her brother off in Texas.

  It made no sense. None at all.

  But then again, some of it did fit. Kim might not have killed Cody, but she did have access to Jess’s schedule. And to some of their client information. Suddenly, her employee appeared more like a snake that had been deliberately dropped into her life. Why?

  She didn’t know how much more she could take. Thankfully, she wasn’t alone. She had God. Her faith was being tested fiercely, but she wasn’t letting go. And she also had Seth with her, a tangible person to hold on to when she felt the need.

  But he was more than that, her mind whispered. She blocked out the murmurs. Her emotions were in too much turmoil to deal with her growing affection for the dark haired man sitting at her side.

  She had positively identified the car as the one that had been following her. And she had identified the body in the trunk as her employee. Former employee. Now she just wanted to go home. What was the hold up? What else could she do?

  “Here is your coffee, Miss McGrath.” Lieutenant Willis and Officer Olsen sat down across from her.

  “What are we waiting for? When can I go home?”

  “Ma’am, we need to wait for the certified interpreter to arrive. She’s traveling from Erie, and should be here within the next ten minutes.”

  “Where’s Seth?” Oh, she hated showing weakness, but she really wanted Seth with her. Part of her was tempted to tell them that she didn’t need an interpreter, but that was foolish. Of course she needed the interpreter. Lip reading could only work so far. And she only had one working ear, so to speak. This was too important not to understand everything to her fullest capability.

  For a tough man, Lieutenant Dan Willis had an amazingly gentle smile. “Don’t worry about Seth. He’s still here. But we can’t have him in the room while we talk to you.”

  A chill settled in her chest. Her heart stuttered.

  “Am I in trouble?”

  “No, ma’am. But we are looking at reopening your brother’s case. I need all the information you can provide.”

  She was ready to scream by the time the door opened and a tall woman with sleek blond hair entered. She introduced herself as the certified interpreter and the questioning began in earnest. At one point, she was surprised when Lieutenant Willis let on that they had found large deposits in Kim’s checking account. She was apparently being paid to spy on Jess. Hopefully spying was all she did. It would feel so much worse to know that the girl she had worked with and trusted had had a hand in the evil happenings.

  “We haven’t figured out Victor Horn’s part in all this yet,” the lieutenant explained. “He was fairly new to the area. He does have a record. Assault. Petty theft. We’ll keep looking.”

  “Right now, we are working on a list of all the women at the Taylors’ party this weekend,” Officer Olsen interjected. “There are a few who stand out.”

  She reared back. “All the women? Why? Bob Harvey was the one going through my room. I would have thought he and his wife would have been among the first people looked at.”

  “And we are looking at him. He, his wife and Willa Taylor are all suspects.” He slanted a frown toward his younger colleague. A frown that Olsen either ignored or didn’t see.

  “Besides,” Olsen piped in, “Seth was pretty sure that the person talking to Mr. Horn before he was shot was a woman.”

  Right. They had talked about that before.

  “And then there’s the fact that Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Harvey are both reputed to be the best shots of the whole party.”

  She couldn’t breathe. All the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving her gasping. Lights swirled before her eyes for an instant.

  Seth’s aunt knew how to shoot a gun. Was skilled, in fact.

  And he had never told her.

  So much for trusting her, for being honest with her.

  Lost in her feelings of betrayal, she barely heard the next sentence. Dimly, as if through a tunnel, she heard Lieutenant Willis offer to drive her home.

  Nodding, she grabbed her jacket and walked beside him, feeling like a sleepwalker. Seth’s face lit up with relief when he spotted her. Was it only an hour ago she was wishing for him by her side? What a joke. His smile faded to a puzzled frown as she stepped past him without acknowledging his presence. If she had opened her mouth, all the vitriol rising up inside her like a flood would spew out. Ignoring the hurt that slipped behind his eyes, she allowed Officer Olsen to hold the cruiser door open for her and slipped inside. She ignored Seth when he climbed in the backseat. Willis would follow in a second cruiser.

  The car ride back to her house was awkward. She didn’t care. She had nothing to say to Seth. Nothing.

  Of course she couldn’t keep silent forever. When the cruiser pulled up to her house, Seth started to climb out. Like he was goi
ng to stay with her.

  As if. She wasn’t having that.

  “You don’t have to stay with me. I’m not a baby.” Ice dripped from her voice. It wasn’t surprising. Her heart felt like it had been replaced with a chunk of ice. That was fine. It was when the ice began to thaw that she’d be in trouble.

  “It’s still not safe for you to be alone,” he protested.

  A shrug. “Officer Olsen can drop you off before returning.”

  Silence.

  “Jessie? Honey, why are you acting this way?”

  That did it. She advanced on him, fury pulsing through her veins like fire.

  “Honey? How dare you call me honey!” She could just spit, she was so mad. “When were you going to tell me about your aunt’s penchant for shooting guns, Seth? According to Officer Olsen, she shoots better than most of the men we know. Even while we were in danger, you were keeping vital information from me. And I can guess I know why. Because even as I thought we were becoming closer, that we might have found something special, you were choosing your aunt over me. Your vicious aunt who might have tried to kill me. Just like you picked your friends over me all those years ago. Every time I start to think I can trust you, you remind me just how little I mean to you, compared to the other people in your life.”

  His face lost every drop of blood.

  “Jess, baby, let me explain. That wasn’t it. I wasn’t choosing anyone over you!”

  She held up an imperious hand.

  “Whatever. I don’t want to hear it. Because I can’t fall in love with someone who can’t be honest with me. Someone who won’t put me first. I just can’t do it.”

  Whirling, she ran up the steps and into the house, slamming the door.

  The tears were spilling out of her eyes, blinding her, as she fumbled with the deadbolt.

  She had lied to him when she told him she couldn’t fall in love with him.

  She already had.

  SIXTEEN

  Jess opened her eyes the next morning with a groan. Her lids felt like sandpaper over her sensitive irises. It had taken her hours to fall asleep. She had soaked her pillowcase with tears before sheer exhaustion had won out. And when she did finally fall asleep, her sleep was restless, tormented by unsettling, disjointed dreams.

  Which was why, even though she was tired enough to sleep on, she dragged herself out of bed. No telling what kind of dreams would chase her if she went back to sleep.

  Wonder if Seth’s awake yet?

  No, no, no!

  She and Seth were done. She was not going to waste any more of her valuable time worrying about that man. His sad eyes had haunted her last night. No more. Needing to keep busy, she made a pot of strong black coffee and filled a travel mug with the bitter stuff, pouring in an ample amount of mocha creamer to soften the punch. Then she poured a second mug and carried it to a very sleepy Olsen. The man was almost pathetically grateful as he took a deep sip.

  Chores. Time to do chores.

  She hurried to feed and water the horses. As she did so, she had time to think. Maybe she should have given Seth a chance to explain? Her mind drifted back to the times he had thrown himself in harm’s way for her. And the way he had of holding her hand when she was frightened. She remembered his strength as he had climbed down the rocks without a rope. And his gradual acceptance of prayer.

  The more she thought about it, the more she felt ashamed of herself. For all her hurt over being judged and treated poorly, she had turned around and done the same to him.

  Maybe she could call him up later, and beg his forgiveness. She squirmed just thinking about it. What if he refused to talk with her? It would serve her right, but the idea of having egg on her face didn’t appeal to her. Neither did the idea of letting him go without a fight.

  If she had her cell phone, she could call him.

  A shadow fell across her, startling her. Someone had entered through the side door.

  Whirling, she found a familiar face. One she hadn’t expected to see.

  “Deborah! How did you get here? I didn’t hear you pull up.”

  “Hello, Jess. I rode my horse over through the back trails.” The other woman nodded stiffly. “I wanted to apologize.”

  Puzzled, she tilted her head and surveyed the blond. “What are you apologizing for?”

  Deborah raised a slim hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Oh, well, for starters, I wasn’t very nice to you at the Taylor house. I knew you had had a rough time. Everyone did. But I was worried about how everyone would talk if we were too chummy. It’s been hard, dealing with the scandal of my fiancé’s suicide and all.”

  Tightening her lips to keep the sarcastic words at bay, Jess merely nodded.

  “I need to talk with you, Jess. Can we go somewhere and talk? Please? It’s a great day for a trail ride. That would give us some privacy.”

  For some reason, Jess was reluctant to go. But that was ridiculous. She had known Deborah for years. Surely, it couldn’t hurt to spend half an hour with her. Maybe when all this was over. She wasn’t stupid enough to go anywhere with her while there was real danger lurking.

  A car horn honked.

  “Hold on, Deborah. I’ll be right back.”

  Wiping her dusty hands on her jeans, she strolled to the doorway. Officer Olsen had driven his cruiser down. His door was open, and he was standing behind it. When he saw her he waved. And began to sign to her across the distance. Wow, his ASL was flawless.

  “Bob and Lisa Harvey have just been arrested. The information you provided was enough for a warrant, and their house was searched this morning. They found evidence implicating them. I can’t say what. Only that it looks like you are out of danger.”

  “So soon? That’s great!” Doubt lingered in her mind. Even though he said she was safe, it felt too sudden.

  “I’m also supposed to tell you that they are being charged with your brother’s murder.”

  Stunned, she stared at the officer. Realizing her mouth was hanging open, she closed it with a snap.

  “Murder.” The word dropped from her lips like a rock. She had known it, deep inside. But to hear that Cody had been murdered, the feeling was indescribable. She felt joy knowing the black cloud hanging over the stables was being lifted...and yet the joy was tainted. Cody hadn’t killed himself, but he had been taken from her, just the same. And if what she knew of the Harveys was true, it was to protect themselves. What a senseless waste of a good man’s life.

  “What about the money that was stolen from the foundation? Did they take it?”

  Miles shook his head. “Sorry. We don’t know where the money is yet. But we’ll keep looking.”

  “So, I don’t need you to protect me, huh?”

  Officer Olsen sent her a boyish grin. “Nope. It’s been a pleasure ma’am, but I need to grab a shower before I head to the station.”

  “I understand.” She sighed. “Well, that frees me up.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Sorry,” she apologized. “Deborah—my brother’s fiancée—is inside. She wants to go for a trail ride. I hadn’t thought it was safe, but I guess it is.”

  Feeling pinned in, she returned to Deborah and accepted her offer. The last thing she wanted to do was go for a trail ride. But she supposed she owed it to Deborah to hear out what she had to say, for Cody’s sake if for no other reason. And anyway, riding her horse might lift her spirits. Maybe clear her head. If she stayed home, she’d probably dwell on Cody.

  That, and the mess she’d made out of whatever was developing between Seth and herself. Correction. Had been developing. Why would he want anything to do with her now after the way she’d rejected him?

  Saddling Misty, she pulled herself up on the horse and followed Deborah onto the familiar trails.

  “Let’s
go this way,” Deborah said, pointing to the trails on the right. “It’s prettier. The lookout point is amazing this time of year.”

  Since she agreed, Jess nodded. Clicking her tongue, she asked her horse to take the path.

  Something niggled at her. Something she couldn’t place.

  Then she knew.

  “That’s it!”

  Deborah pulled up beside her. “That’s what?”

  “Officer Olsen just told me that they have arrested someone for the attacks against me and for my brother’s murder.”

  “That’s fantastic!”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t sound convinced,” Deborah’s smile seemed forced.

  “I was at a conference the weekend he was murdered. So were the people the cops have arrested. So either they were working with someone else, or the evidence is wrong.”

  “Jessica, you should never try to play detective. It’s dangerous.”

  For the first time that morning, she really looked at Deborah. She still had the pretty girl-next-door face Jess had always known, but it seemed harder than she remembered. A horrible suspicion bloomed in her mind. Deborah was acting a little off. And she hadn’t seemed surprised to hear that Cody had been murdered even though everyone believed he’d committed suicide. When she, his sister, had only heard less than an hour ago.

  Just what was Deborah’s real purpose?

  Deborah edged her horse closer to Jess’s. Too close. Panicked, Misty backed up, tossing her head.

  That’s when Jess noticed two things. First, they were on a high ledge. Second, Deborah had pulled a gun from her boot. And pointed it at her.

  “Get off your horse.”

  Silently, Jess did as she asked. Keeping vigilant, she waited for a chance to make a move.

  “You are such a nuisance, Jess.” Keeping the gun steady, Deborah slid off her own horse. “All you had to do was accept your brother’s death was a suicide. Cry a few tears. Then move on. I never would have tried to hurt you if you had. But, no, you had to go and start asking questions.”