by Cameron Dane
“Right.” Fascinated, Sarah pushed her empty plate to the edge of the table. “But you won't do it unless you can get Michaels and Sandavow to each sell you their property too?”
“Correct.”
“See?” Sarah poked her index finger into the table surface, as if to say aha. “That's what I don't understand. Mr. Compton's property is by far the largest of the three, and it's not as if he's in between the other two ranches. You wouldn't be stuck with houses surrounded by cattle if you were just to buy and build on his land.”
Alex shifted forward and a spark lit his deep green eyes. “You really want to talk about this in greater detail?”
“Of course,” Sarah replied. “I don't know anything about what you do. I find it all very exciting.”
His mouth lifting with half a smile, Alex said, “I get the feeling you find everything very exciting.”
“Most things, you're right. So tell me about your plan.”
“All right.” Alex reached into his jacket and pulled out a pen; with his other hand, he grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser. “Your town is smack in the center of ranching land.” He clicked his pen, drew an oval in the center of the napkin, and put a Q in the middle. “Most of your neighborhoods draw out from the north and south points of Quinten.” Alex created Ushaped lines that jutted from the top and bottom of the oval. “And then one more borders the west side.” He slashed a half dozen lines on the left side of the oval. “There is a state road behind that, and then everything beyond belongs to Hawkins Ranch.” Two more lines were added to the napkin with S.R. inked between them. “Hawkins is huge, and they're not gonna sell.”
“Why do you care about them?”
“Hawkins Ranch success is important to me because that means they're not going anywhere. That's good for Quinten. It means security for the town, and that is peace of mind for someone who wants to come in and start a huge construction project. You also have a large call center between Quinten and the next county over that employs a decent number of people, and based on the research I've done, they're not going anywhere either.”
“Okay. I get that. What's next?”
Alex flashed another fast smile. “So Compton's land breaks like this”—he cut a diagonal on the napkin that represented the east side of town, also behind a state road—“and then Michaels and Sandavow break down like this.” He drew two more areas on the napkin and initialed them with M and S, which, when looked at together, created a large square of land. “So you can see where, if I had all three properties, I could slice the land in a way that makes better sense.”
Sarah pulled back and studied the man sitting across from her. “You seem to know the entire area pretty well.”
“I know it on paper. I do my research in every area I want to build before I ever arrive in person. When Compton's land showed up on my radar, I immediately started checking out the whole town.”
“So why did you need me to show you around?”
“You grew up here, you're a friendly face, people are easy around you. Once Ty recommended you, I looked into who you are in this town too. It doesn't hurt that you work with the local law enforcement. The residents of Quinten respect your sheriff and deputies. If I'm seen with you, that's not a bad thing. On a subconscious level, that's going to make the people of this town feel better about me.”
The wheels in Sarah's mind turned as she replayed snippets of the conversations she'd shared with Alex today. “Then you already knew that Ty was Sheriff Boone's son. You also probably knew who Jace and Jasper were before they ever introduced themselves this morning.”
Still not blinking or sweating, Alex answered, “I knew who Jace was, but not Jasper.”
Sarah stared, openly, searching for some twitch or trickle of sweat in this man that might raise the hairs on the back of her neck. She looked him in the eyes, and everything inside her remained steady. “Okay,” she finally told him. “I appreciate your honesty.”
“I'm glad you do. I like how direct you are too.”
She beamed. “Thanks.” Rewinding, Sarah picked up her place of interest in learning about Alex's business. “Let me see if I have this right, then. You see Michaels's and Sandavow's land as an opportunity, not a fight. You plan to approach them, make them a good offer, and are of the belief that they'll look at their situations and see the benefit of selling. But if they don't, you're willing to wipe your hands and walk away from it without any hostility or remorse.”
“Correct. I don't need to build here.” Alex folded his makeshift map and slipped it into his jacket pocket, along with his pen. “Make no mistake. I'd like to, but I don't need it.”
“Fair enough.” Sarah cocked her head and furrowed a serious brow Alex's way. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Well, I don't have professional people doing research for me like I'm sure you do, but I know how to Google, so I know you're on a lot of those 'most wealthy people' lists.” Sarah could barely fathom the fortune Alex possessed. “So tell me the truth: how rich did you get before you just couldn't help it and had to roll around naked in a big old pile of your own money?”
From a deadly serious stare, Alex threw back his head and barked with laughter.
* * * *
Across the street, Jace missed a step in his stride, his mind too focused on the cozy picture Sarah and Mr. Alexander Quick made through the diner's picture window.
Damn bastard. Talk with her all you want. You won't get her. Not from Jasper, nor from me.
Alex tilted his head back right then, and Jace swore he could hear the man laughing all the way across the road. Jace gnashed his teeth and walked away, entering the station before the urge to go into the diner and put his fist in Mr. Quick's face got the better of him.
Sweat broke out under Jace's uniform shirt, having nothing to do with the warmth outdoors. His skin itched, and his mind started beating with one thought: fuck, I want a drink. He knew there wasn't a drop of alcohol in this building, but he could get back in his truck and be at a liquor store in less than ten minutes. Jace knew right where the nearest one was. He should; he had frequented it with his mom often enough as a kid.
Shaking the memories out of his head, Jace went to his desk, logged on to his computer, and quickly checked his personal e-mail. He needed something, just one small note, to be there. He clicked, scanned the short list, and found nothing but junk mail. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Damn it, Hunter, where are you?
Jace pulled his keyboard to the center of his desk and typed a few short sentences to Hunter's last known e-mail address, his fingers jamming every key with aggression as he did it. Contact me and let me know you're alive, you jackass jerk, or I'm going to tell your sister
everything… I miss you and could use a friend right now. Love, Jace
Jace clicked Send and forcibly put Hunter out of his mind. There wasn't a damn thing he
could do about his troubled friend right now anyway. The whole mess just added to Jace's hunger
for a drink to take the jagged edge off his mood.
Grabbing a notepad, Jace stuffed down everything but work and strode to the small office
that was serving as war room for Ginger's case. Entering, he found Cade and Max already inside. “Any luck?” Max asked.
Jace shook his head as he took a seat. “A lot of strong personalities, but nobody stood out
as too cool or too nervous.” Jace had just come from interviewing the men Jasper had listed for
him. “One guy is out of town for a few days, but they expect him back at work tomorrow. I'll go
talk to him then.”
“He just so happens to be on vacation when a murder takes place on the land where he
works, and he just so happens to have had intimate relations with the victim?” Max's mouth
twisted with skepticism. “That's awfully convenient. Might be someone worth looking at twice.” “Jake checked his records and says the kid put the request in a
month ago,” Jace shared.
“We'll see if he shows up before we get too excited,” Cade added without looking up from a stack of papers. “It's not suspicious enough to put a BOLO out for him yet.” “Where's the boss?” Jace asked.
“With the family again,” Max answered. “They're totally wrecked.”
“And they would be more so if they read this stuff.” Cade lifted the stack of papers in front
of him, his face grim, well beyond the scars. “Thank God we got to that house first.” Jace and Max both dropped the photos they sifted through and stared at Cade. “What's there?” Jace asked. “Anything useful?”
“It's gonna make this case a whole lot more complicated. There are entries in a folder on Ginger's computer that are very similar to a case I worked on back in Texas.” Cade turned the papers around and pushed them to the center of the table so Jace and Max could see them. “There are lots of abbreviations and shorthand, but from what I can gather, Ginger had a passion for traveling.” Lifting his dark stare, he added, “When I pair these dates with some of the travel entries in those journals we found, it seems Ginger earned the extra money to see the country by hooking.”
Chapter Eight
The deceased worked as a prostitute?
Jace ran his hand through his hair and fought a bizarre mix of horror and excitement. If Ginger led a double life, and she documented it, she might lead them right to her killer. “Holy shit,” Max said, voicing Jace's next thought. “Are you sure about that?”
“I think so.” Cade pushed two pieces of paper Jace and Max's way. “See here?” He pointed about halfway down one of the sheets with his pen. “See these lines with initials and numbers?” Jace took in the information Cade pointed out but didn't process its meaning. “And now look here.” Cade circled a passage on the second sheet of paper, a photocopy of a page from one of the journals discovered in Ginger's home.
The passage read, Woohoo! Last job for a few weeks, can finally take that trip to Nashville I've been planning for so long. I bet the cowboys are sweet there. I can't wait to dance a two-step with one to the sounds of a famous band in one of those honky-tonk bars. Beth doesn't want me to go, but I have to. I think she needs to go out on a few dates of her own. Maybe I'll hint to Heath that she's a great girl and that he could have a lot of fun with her. Heath is starting to get a little too serious anyway, and I'm not ready to settle down and have babies. That's why I like BG so much; he understands we can mix a little business with pleasure. He's cute too. Wish I could say that for all of them…
“See how she refers to the last job for a few weeks and mixing business with pleasure?” Cade said. “So far, I've been able to take a dozen entries mentioning upcoming vacations and match them up with a cluster of lines on the computer file. On the computer file, I think the first number in each line is a date and a time. Then the first series of initials are those of a motel where she's going. Like here, I think all the RSMs are Rest Stop Motel, and CM, Comfort Motel, both off the interstate. Those are the two I can think of right away, but I'd bet these other three sets of initials will match other motels within, say, a twenty-mile radius of town.”
“QI,” Max said. “That's Quality Inn, south of here.” Cade looked up and nodded. “Okay, good. Here's why I'm thinking what I'm thinking. If my idea that these first numbers are dates is correct, then this group of ten lines on the computer file takes place just before that journal entry about going to Nashville. Then the next cluster of numbers and initials doesn't start up again for two weeks, which also matches what she wrote about taking a break. That repeats time and again. Now, my theory is the second initials are those of her johns' names; then there are some initials I haven't broken down yet, but I'm thinking have to do with what the guy wants sexually, and then the last number is what she gets paid for the date.” Darkness edged Cade's voice. “This is a customer log. I bet if we go through this list and match the recent dates with motels, and get lucky enough to acquire surveillance from these motels on the nights she worked, then we might just identify her clients. When we do, we're going to open up a shit storm that has the potential to destroy a lot of lives.”
Jace closed his eyes for a moment and breathed, searching for calm within. Christ. If possible, they needed to contain this. Jace remembered his warning to Jasper that nobody was entirely what he or she appeared. He couldn't help wondering the things people would whisper about him were someone to cut his life down and bring it to a tragic end that required investigation. Did anything exist in his home that would tip off a sharp guy like Cade to Davis and Alanna?
No. That's long over. Nobody except the two of them ever knew. You contacted them the first time through e-mail, the cop in Jace's head reminded him. It was a long time ago, but the impression could still live in the memory of his computer.
“Jace?” Max touched his arm. “Are you all right?”
Jace nodded and kept a bland expression, although his muscles screamed with the desire to get up and move. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said. “We need to get the boss here to decide how to proceed with this, ASAP.”
“Give me the other initials for the motels”—Max jotted three more pairs of letters on a scrap of paper—“and I'll get on the computer to see what I can find. Shouldn't take me more than a few minutes to figure out matches to local places. Then we make a list of dates and get cracking talking to managers as soon as the sheriff gives us the okay.” She stood and moved to the door. “Be right back.”
After Max left, Cade continued to study Jace. Closely. “Are you really all right?”
Opening his mouth to proclaim exhaustion, Jace spewed something else entirely. “I want something I can't have.” Like a shot of whiskey and a beer. Or more, my fiery yet innocent roommate and her upstanding, sexy boyfriend. Jace shook his head, trying to disperse the demons. “But I'll figure out how to live without it. Let's just focus on this case.” He stared at the brutal photos and shoved sobriety down his throat. “I want this bastard caught.”
“I hear you.” Cade returned to Ginger's log list and started taking some notes. “This has the potential to turn into an even uglier case than we originally thought. Carson and Juan are over at Ginger's day job right now, talking with ownership. We'll spend the day tomorrow interviewing her coworkers.” The service center had a very regimented schedule, so none of the people working the weekend had ever worked with the victim during the week. Rubbing his fingers over his scars, Cade spoke without looking up from his work. “A lot of people are employed by that service center. God knows how many Ginger had everyday contact with, or who among them might be a client or even just another boyfriend.”
“This Beth person would be a place to start,” Jace said. “We should be able to identify her easily enough through the employer.” He mentally tracked through the information the sheriff had returned from the family with last night. “I'm surprised her parents and sister didn't know anything about Beth, considering how often she mentions the woman in her journals. Jasper said he thought Ginger was very close to her family. It's one thing to hide selling yourself; that makes sense. But why never speak about a friend?”
“Hopefully we'll find out soon enough,” Cade answered. “Carson knows to ask about her. I want to talk to her. Today, if possible.” He paused, his lip pulling down where one of his scars cut across the edge. “That's assuming Beth is still in town and didn't do the deed herself, or have a part in it. Maybe she was jealous of her best friend's boyfriends and travels.” Cade threw the information out there, although they had already briefly discussed that it seemed highly unlikely a lone female would possess the strength needed to create that crime scene.
“If we're able to talk to her,” Jace said, “we'll see it in her soon enough.”
Cade gave a small nod. “It's a path to follow, but for some reason my gut isn't feeling jealousy or revenge as motives for this crime.”
“Me either.” Jace flipped through the photocopied pages of Ginger's journal, skimming through
to the passages highlighting her travels. “Might be worth making some calls to these cities she visited and seeing if the locals have anything in their case files that match our crime scene.” Jace unearthed his pen and jotted down Nashville, to start. “Our girl might have picked up a fan who followed her home.”
“Good thought.”
Jace worked his way backward, scanning the most recent entries and going back in Ginger's journal one year. A companionable silence reigned, with only the sounds of rustling and pens scratching on paper.
The list of cities grew, and Jace whistled. “Man, this is quite an itinerary. Los Angeles, Aspen, Boston, Austin, New York City, Sonoma, Nashville, Las Vegas. She had weekend getaways better than every other month.”
“I know.” Cade stopped working and gave Jace his full attention. “Could you afford that? Even without having a mortgage payment like she had?”
Shit, Jace wanted to redo the kitchen and bathroom for Sarah but could never find enough extra to set aside for such a large renovation. “Nope.”
He and Cade shared a knowing look.
“She had a second line of income,” Cade said.
Jace pushed aside the crime-scene photos and unearthed the ones her family had given to the sheriff last night. A pretty girl with a big smile and light shining in her pure blue eyes stared up at him. “Might be something other than selling herself.” Goddamn, Jace didn't want Ginger's parents and teenage sister finding out about a secret life that would forever change how they viewed her. Not if he could help it. Fuck. Ginger had a younger brother too. “We should be careful how we explore this.”
“Absolutely,” Cade said. “We have to find out, though.” He held Jace's gaze in the dark hold of his. “I don't want to trash this young woman's life any more than you do, but we also can't turn a blind eye to the truth.”
