Fatal Encounter (A Counterstrike Novel Book 1)

by Jannine Gallant

  Eli grabbed her arm. “Go hide. I’ll play stupid and head him off.”

  She shook loose and ran across the deck toward the house. “I have a better idea.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eli’s heart pounded as he ran down the steps and hurried around the house toward the driveway. Watson kept pace, his leash trailing behind him. He couldn’t imagine why the killer had returned, unless it was to face him in a harmless capacity to see what he could ferret out from a casual conversation. Pretending to be a lost tourist or a salesman. The possibilities segued through his brain while he tried to ignore an overwhelming fear that the man would simply shoot him on sight.

  What terrified him even more was the thought of Jaimee going after his grandfather’s shotgun, because he was damn sure that was her intention.

  A midsized sedan with a rental sticker on the bumper was parked in the driveway, not the gray truck he’d been expecting. As he hesitated, the car door opened and a petite woman with the same molasses-colored hair as his own, cut in some sort of asymmetrical bob, stepped out onto the concrete. A smile formed crinkle lines around blue eyes as she held out her arms. Dressed in blue capri pants and a matching top with a ruffled hem, his mother looked more like a pre-teen girl than a middle-aged woman.

  “Eli, it’s wonderful to see you.” Her smile grew even broader. “I told you I was coming. Why the stunned expression? Close your mouth and come give me a hug.”

  He covered the distance between them in a few steps and swept her off her feet in a bear hug. “Hi, Mom. It’s been way too long.”

  Above his head, a window slid open. He caught a glimpse of a shotgun barrel before it disappeared. When Jaimee stepped into view and raised a brow, he released his mother and gestured for her to come down.

  “Thanksgiving, which seems like an eternity. I’m sorry I was on that cruise and couldn’t make it to your grandfather’s funeral. I’m even more sorry we’re here now to lay Maureen to rest.” She glanced toward his feet. “Isn’t that Watson?”

  The dog wiggled in excitement when she bent to pet him.

  “Yes, I sort of acquired him. Come inside. How was your trip?”

  “Tiring. Let me grab my suitcase.”

  “I’ll get it.” Eli lifted her carry-on from the backseat and wheeled it toward the front door. “You didn’t pack much.”

  “Unfortunately, I can’t stay long. I catch a flight home on Monday. There’s a huge wedding scheduled at the vineyard next weekend, and I have a lot of last-minute details to attend to.” She gave him a critical onceover. “Speaking of weddings, are you dating anyone seriously yet or still playing the field? You aren’t getting any younger, you know.”

  He pushed open the front door and met Jaimee’s wide-eyed gaze as she paused at the bottom of the stairs. He was pretty sure she’d overheard his mother’s question and was ready to bolt. Releasing the suitcase, he stepped forward and gripped her arm. “Mom, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Jaimee Fleming. Jaimee, this is my mom, Maisie Bradburn.”

  Jaimee flashed a smile that looked forced and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bradburn.”

  “Maisie, please. I dumped my second husband not long after the ink was dry on our marriage certificate. He wasn’t half the man Eli’s father was, but I’m too lazy to change my name back.” Ignoring her hand, his mother went in for a hug. “Any friend of Eli’s gets more than a handshake from me. You have the most beautiful hair. Pretty as a picture, too.”

  “Thank you. Uh, I was just leaving. I’m sure you two have lots of catching up to do.”

  “Nonsense.” His mother spoke up before Eli could react. “I’d love to get to know you better. Let’s have an early lunch and chat. I took a redeye from California into Manchester, and I’m ravenous since all I had to eat on the plane was a bag of peanuts.”

  “I’ll make sandwiches. Come on into the kitchen.” Eli took hold of Jaimee’s arm again. “Both of you.”

  His mother sat at the bar counter and patted the stool beside her. “Have a seat, Jaimee. You can tell me about yourself while Eli puts a meal together. After all the years of waiting hand and foot on that boy, I enjoy a little role reversal.”

  Jaimee did as she was told, but her eyes were shadowed with worry.

  “We’ll eat before we have that discussion,” he said firmly. “I doubt an hour will make a difference.”

  “Am I interrupting something?” His mom started to slide off her stool. “I can go unpack first if you need a few minutes.”

  “You aren’t interrupting anything. Stay where you are.” Eli opened the refrigerator door. “Do you want turkey or ham? We have both.”

  “I’ll have a little of each. Pile it on. You always make the best sandwiches.” She turned to face Jaimee. “I hope there isn’t a problem.”

  “Just a . . . minor situation.”

  Eli dropped a packet of cheese on the counter. “Jaimee saw the person who murdered Maureen. She’s been hiding out here because the killer has tried more than once to silence her for good.” When his mother let out a gasp, he continued, “At the memorial tomorrow, you can’t mention you’ve seen her, or it could prove deadly.”

  His mom pressed a hand to her chest. “If that’s a joke, Eli, it’s in very poor taste.”

  “Unfortunately, it isn’t.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. We’ll eat like normal people and talk about something else. After lunch, we’ll work out a solution.”

  Jaimee gave him a disbelieving look, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she smiled at his mom. “Eli mentioned you live in Napa.”

  She raised both hands in the air. “Fine. We’ll have a normal conversation, even though I may perish from morbid curiosity. Why did you bring up the subject if you don’t want to discuss it?”

  “Because I didn’t want Jaimee making some excuse to leave the room and sneak away. She’s afraid her presence here might put us in danger.” When Watson plopped down in front of him and barked sharply, he tossed him a strip of ham. “Everyone tells me what to do, including the damn dog. For once, we’ll handle this my way.”

  “Don’t get your shorts in a knot, Eli. You’re the boss.” His mom laid a hand on Jaimee’s arm. “I work at a winery, organizing events. I’m currently dating three very nice men, since I haven’t decided which one I prefer yet, and I have a Siamese cat named Cleo. Now let’s hear about you. What do you do?”

  Jaimee laughed, a rich sound that filled the kitchen and warmed Eli’s heart.

  “Your son said I’d like you. He was right.” She glanced over at him, and her eyes sparkled. “I walk dogs for a living. I also train them. Watson knows better than to beg, but he does it all the time.”

  “What an interesting career choice. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “It is. My last line of work was stressful, and I needed a complete change. Obviously, I didn’t anticipate the current problem.”

  “So, Maureen was one of your clients?”

  “Yes. That’s how I met Eli. We actually attended Dartmouth together, but we didn’t know each other back then.”

  “Jaimee was an Olympic biathlete.” Eli layered pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce on the sandwiches.

  “My goodness. You seem to have a lot of unique talents.”

  “She’s a unique lady.” He plated the sandwiches and set them in front of the women. After tossing Watson a scrap of turkey, he pulled up a stool at the end of the counter to face them both. “Three men, huh? Way to go, Mom.”

  “I’m getting a little tired of juggling them. Maybe it’s time we both quit playing the field and settled down.” She smiled at Jaimee. “Do you intend to stay in Hawthorne after the current . . . situation is worked out?”

  “I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “Dog walking is something you can do anywhere, right? Say, on Cape Cod or in New York. Eli’s schedule is pretty erratic, but hopefully you’ll be able to spend plenty of time
together.”

  “Uh, we aren’t—”

  “Eat your sandwich, Mom, and quit trying to organize my social life.”

  She grinned broadly. “You can’t fault a mother for trying.”

  When a soft chime sounded, Jaimee pulled her phone from her pocket. “It’s Luna. I’m sorry to be rude, but I need to take this call.”

  Eli sat up straighter as hope flared. “Maybe she has some answers for us.”

  Jaimee nodded and swiped to connect. Abandoning her sandwich, she hurried out of the kitchen.

  “Now seems like a good time to explain what’s going on, dear.”

  Eli tore his attention away from Jaimee’s retreating back. “Honestly, we don’t know much more than I already told you. Jaimee walked into the house right after Maureen had been killed and saw the hitman. She’s been on the run ever since, and we’re trying to figure out who hired him.”

  “What do the police have to say?”

  “Not much. They brought in a detective to work the case since Sheriff Frank was completely out of his element. I don’t think O’Leary has any solid leads yet.” When the dog put his paw on Eli’s leg, he broke off a piece of his sandwich and held it out to him. “Jaimee has friends from that stressful job she mentioned who are doing what they can to help us. That’s what the call is about.”

  “Are we really in danger here?”

  “If I feel there’s a possibility someone could get hurt, we’ll rent hotel rooms.”

  She reached over and gripped his hand. “This madman knows Jaimee’s with you?”

  He squeezed back. “Not necessarily. Even though he has reason to be suspicious, I think we may have fooled him. At least that’s what I’m hoping. What I really want to know is who paid him to murder Maureen. Which of my relatives hated or feared her enough to want her dead?”

  His mom jerked back. “One of the Crofts is involved?”

  “That’s what the police believe, and I’m pretty certain they’re right.”

  “But you don’t have any idea who it might be?”

  “A few of them have possible motives, but nothing concrete. Right now, the only one I’m certain isn’t guilty is Reba.”

  “I always liked your cousin. Her mother, not so much. Vanna never believed I was classy enough to be a Croft.”

  He scowled. “She has no room to act superior when her son is a drunk who can barely hold a job.”

  “Webb hasn’t pulled his act together?”

  “Not that I’ve noticed. However, a few of the others also have issues.”

  “I honestly don’t know how your father shared a single drop of blood with Stephen. Pardon my language, but that man was always a dick.”

  Eli nearly choked on the last bite of his sandwich. “I’ve missed your candor. You don’t hesitate to speak your mind, that’s for sure.”

  “I’m past caring what other people think. They can accept me for who I am or take a hike.” She pushed away her empty plate. “I think I’ll go upstairs and shower. After hours spent in stuffy planes and nasty terminals, I feel disgusting. You and Jaimee can have that heart to heart while I’m occupied. I’m fine with whatever you decide is best.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” When she hopped down from her stool, he stood up and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too. Maybe you should both join me in Napa after the memorial is over, at least until the police make an arrest.”

  “That’s a decent idea, but I have commitments here. Honestly, my main concern is for Jaimee. She’s the target, not me.”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” She patted his cheek. “I already like that girl. In case you were wondering.”

  He smiled. “Good to know.” After his mother left the kitchen, he headed into the living room and sat on the end of the couch.

  Jaimee gave him a quick look. “Thanks, Luna. Tell Wolf I’ll be in touch if I need some help, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. You bet. Bye.” After setting her phone on the coffee table, she turned to face him. “Where’s your mom?”

  “Showering. What did Luna have to say?”

  “Quite a bit, actually. That woman must be a whiz at hacking.” Jaimee drew one knee up and wrapped her arms around it. “Gilles Legrand disappeared off the grid fifteen years ago. At the time, the feds suspected he was part of forgery ring, but they never tracked him down.”

  “Sounds like he could be the contract killer then.”

  She nodded. “Luna thought so, too. Remember the third boy who drowned, Scott Fisher? His name was associated with a hit by the assassin known as The Closer five years ago.”

  “Let me guess, Fisher also vanished without a trace. I bet that’s when the killer switched to the Mark Johnson identity.”

  “It could be. Luna found a single report from a couple of months ago, mentioning Johnson’s name in conjunction with the assassination of a foreign dignitary. Somehow it got buried. But that may be why Legrand ordered docs in the name of Robert Brown if he knew the Johnson identity was compromised.”

  “The asshole must be wondering what the hell happened to those documents.” Eli smacked a hand down on his thigh. “Good.”

  “This is what I found most interesting, however.”

  His pulse quickened. “A tie between Legrand and one of my relatives?”

  “I’m afraid not, but on a hunch, Luna ran a search on the second boy who survived the boating accident at the camp that summer, Dalton Monroe. The guy is an FBI agent who works out of D.C.”

  “Holy shit. We know Legrand has a source in law enforcement, and wasn’t the package we picked up post marked in D.C.? I bet Monroe would come in awfully handy for passing along information.”

  “It seems like quite a coincidence, but it could be just that. From what Luna could find, which she admitted wasn’t much, even with her superior skills, Monroe seems clean.”

  “Doesn’t mean he is.” Eli rose to his feet and paced to the windows and back. “She didn’t discover a connection, no matter how remote, between one of my relatives and Legrand or any of his aliases?”

  “Not yet, but she’s still looking.”

  “So how does this information help us?”

  “It tells us Legrand is almost certainly the hitman. At this point, we should take what we know to the police. Or, rather you need to have another talk with O’Leary. I feel like I should make myself scarce for a while. This guy isn’t going to quit looking for me, and you’re one of the only leads he has. That could be a deadly combo.”

  Eli stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes. “So, we’re back to this, are we?”

  “I’m a liability to you and your mother. You know it’s true.”

  “Even if I agreed with you, where would you go? You’re injured and no match for a trained killer, for Christ’s sake.”

  Her eyes darkened, and she drew in a breath. “I told you I can take care of myself, but at this point, I don’t seem to be accomplishing anything by sticking around. Leaving the area might be my smartest move. At least until Legrand is convinced you aren’t hiding me in your home. The only problem is, I don’t have my car.”

  He had to admit her plan had merit, but he wasn’t ready to let her walk out of his life. “Stay at my house on Cape Cod. I can meet you there after Maureen’s service. My mom has a rental car. You could drive that, and I’ll drop her off at the airport on my way down.”

  “That would work, if you’re sure your mom won’t mind. Right now, I want to be as far away from you and Maisie as possible.”

  “She’ll be fine with it.” He sat back down beside her and cupped the side of her face in one hand. “You promise you’ll leave town? You won’t stick around and do anything stupid to draw that bastard out?”

  She shook her head. “Luna didn’t find any recent transactions under either of his aliases that would indicate where he’s staying. I have no way of locating him, but the police have men on the ground who can look for his truck. I didn’t get a license plate number, but
you can give them a description. Maybe they’ll find him by simply being vigilant if he’s stupid enough to still be driving the same vehicle.”

  “I’ll call O’Leary and tell him I have news. I’m sure he’ll want to see me right away.” Eli let his hand drift down her smooth neck. “When do you intend to leave?”

  “As soon as I get my clothes out of the dryer and pack them.”

  He pulled her up against his chest to kiss her. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too. Other than being shot, these last few days have been . . . great. I like having someone around I care about.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “Someone with feet instead of paws, anyway.”

  He laughed softly. “Good to know.” When Watson wandered over and whined, he released her. “I think the dog is jealous.”

  “Do you want me to take him with me?”

  “I’ll keep him here. One less thing for you to deal with, and I’m kind of used to his company. Take care of those bullet wounds and go easy on your ribs, okay.”

  “I will.” After ruffling Watson’s ears, she pushed up off the couch. “I’ll go get my bag. The sooner I’m out of here, the better.”

  A minute later, voices sounded upstairs, and Eli assumed Jaimee was asking his mother about taking her rental car. When she ran back down and turned toward the laundry room, he stood and stepped over Watson then headed to the front door. Outside, a blue jay let out a raucous shriek from his perch high up in a maple tree, and a warm breeze stirred the air. He breathed in the scent of lilac from the big bush near the garage door and squinted against the sun, searching the surrounding woods for movement. Nothing appeared to be out of place, but what the hell did he know?

  “All clear?” Jaimee asked from behind him.

  He turned around. She was so damned pretty with her bright hair falling over one shoulder. Standing just inside the doorway, her sharp gaze focused on the stretch of trees between the edge of the lawn and the road.

  “I haven’t seen anything move.”

  “I’ll have to risk being seen. Let’s hope he’s nowhere around here.”