“He says you’ve got good ideas,” Katie said.
A grin split Dee’s face. She wouldn’t call Jack one of her biggest fans, but he had been fair and up front. “I think he liked some of them,” she agreed.
With little prompting, Katie had Dee explaining in detail her plans for Just One Moore. The two women wound up in the front bedroom, Dee’s office, pouring over Dee’s rough sketches, her outlines.
Dee chewed on her lower lip. “You’re going to tell me Jack’s the best, aren’t you?”
A rush of laughter escaped Katie. “He is. But don’t take my word for it. Let me show you some of his work. Our work. I promise to show you some of the competitions’ work, too.”
“When?”
“Now.” Katie said. “The guys will be a while sniffing around.”
Did she dare? If Carl saw them out, he wouldn’t think twice about hurting Katie if she got in the way.
“Of course, if you’re not interested in using Jack…” Katie started.
“I’m not interested in exposing you to any danger,” she clarified.
Katie gave the comment a second’s consideration. “I’m not interested in letting this guy dictate my life. Are you?”
Jared had pretty much said the same thing when he argued against her running. But he didn’t understand. Curiosity had taken Dee to the cemetery after Tessa Gates’ visit. She’d stood over the graves of his mother, his fiancée.
Katie was so full of life, so easy to like.
Jared, with those dark eyes, that sharp-angled, glorious face that made her pulse throb thick and slow.
Neither of them understood like she did. Death was pretty damn final.
Katie’s brown eyes sparked with challenge. “I’m not afraid of him.”
Dee waffled between what she wanted and what was best.
Katie pulled keys out of her pocket and dangled them in front of Dee.
“Okay,” Dee said. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Let me get the layout of the house,” Mike said as he climbed the deck steps and entered the kitchen. “It might come in handy if we ever have to get in here fast.”
If. For only two letters, it was a big word. Finding clues to the person behind Dee’s accident and this attempted break-in would be difficult. Almost as difficult as watching her get in Katie’s beat up truck and drive off. Katie could handle herself. The perp only struck at Dee when she was alone or there was no threat of direct confrontation. They should be safe enough as long as they stayed together.
Mike leaned through the arched doorway into the living room. “This Dee’s?” He nodded toward the doily-covered furniture.
“Hell no. It came with the house.”
“She’s renting from Ed Trumble, right?”
Jared took in the room. “Yeah.”
Mike shook his head. “I’d never have believed it.”
“I know what you mean.” It was impossible to imagine the crusty farmer ever coming in contact with any of the girly contents of this room. “The house belonged to Ed’s son and his wife. Ex-wife. Girlfriend.” He shrugged. “Whatever.”
Mike shuffled down the hall, opening and examining a closet and a utility room. Jared followed. They looked at Dee’s office then her bedroom. Mike glanced pointedly at the bed where sheets hung askew and draped to the floor. Both pillows sat wrinkled and at odd angles.
Heat curled through Jared’s body. Taste, touch, smell—memories of Dee assaulted his senses.
He didn’t want to talk about it, and Mike would definitely have something to say.
Leaving him to check the bathroom alone, Jared stalked down the hall and out the door. He stood on the deck and pulled in a long, slow breath of fresh air. Air that carried a pine scent and not potent reminders of Dee Quinn. He needed to find his balance, a little peace.
Lucky scratched insistently at the door. With a sigh, Jared attached the leash and let out the pup. The dog sniffed furiously, straining against Jared’s hold as he zigzagged through the grass.
Mike stepped onto the deck and bent to study the lock before joining Jared.
“This door is the only place that shows signs of attempted entry.”
Jared gave a short nod. “Whoever he is, he’s good and careful. You have to look hard to see the damage.” Cops would understand the importance of being that careful, but few had actual talent to be that good. Was Carl Ormsby one of them? There was no way, so far, to stick this on him.
“The front door is intact. No tracks around it.”
“Nope.”
Mike reached down and ruffled the dog’s ears. “She was damn lucky.”
“Yeah.” Jared lifted the dog and rubbed his bristly chin over the small, furry head. The dog had, once again, earned his name.
Mike squinted against the midday sunlight, studying the grassy land surrounding Dee’s house. “You know, with all the rain we had yesterday, there should be some prints somewhere. He had to approach the house from some point.”
Their eyes met in instant understanding.
Setting the dog down, Jared and Mike began systematically searching the ground around the house in ever-widening circles.
At the back corner of the house, Jared went down on one knee examining the mix of wet grass and mud. Mike joined him. “Anything?”
Jared blew out a frustrated breath. “There’re too many tracks here to distinguish any one.” He lifted his gaze to his black sports car sitting a hundred yards from the house. The mud and grass splattered down the side was baking to a hard crust in the growing heat. “He had to park somewhere.”
Mike nodded. “I’d bet it wasn’t near the road. It would be risky to leave a vehicle down there. Too much traffic. Too far away for a quick exit.”
Jared grimaced as he stood. “I don’t know if there’d be anything left to find, but it’s worth a look.”
“I didn’t think about that last night,” Mike said with disgust.
Lucky pulled left and right, feasting on a smorgasbord of scents as they approached the driveway. “None of us did,” Jared said. At the time, getting to Dee had been his only priority.
The graded rocks on the driveway held no clues. Careful examination along the sides of the drive from Jared’s car to the road and back yielded no tracks.
Jared unleashed the dog, then leaned against the sun-warmed fender of his car and stared at the house.
“What are you thinking?” Mike asked.
Jared turned a hard stare on his friend. “How likely is it that someone from Columbus spent the time and energy to track Dee to central Kentucky to eliminate her and then walked away without finishing the job?”
Mike hitched a hip on the car. “You’re still thinking of Ormsby. Frank’s going to be steamed.”
Jared didn’t like the idea much himself, but he didn’t comment.
“The guy’s practically a saint. Frank is taking the accusations personally.”
Jared glanced at Mike.
“Sorry,” Mike said. “You’ve got to do whatever’s necessary to protect her. I understand. Just be careful in that direction.”
Jared tracked the pup moving toward the woods. “He’s right, though. Ormsby doesn’t fit.”
“So what are you thinking?”
Jared swiped a hand down his face as he sighed. Mike was a solid cop. There were few people he trusted more. “I found a lug nut in a patch of thorns outside Moore’s yesterday. No rust, no dirt. The others are out there.”
Mike folded his arms over his chest and nodded.
“I keep coming back to the risk factors of discovery there. The parking lot is open, sitting along a highway where traffic and witnesses are unpredictable and likely. Not to mention the movement of customers.”
“Again”—Mike filled in—“not a professional hit. But it shows a confidence.”
Jared nodded. “Like he knows us, our movements. What he can and can’t get away with. There were five of us there Thursday: Dee, Frank, Ray, Jack, a
nd me.”
Mike tensed, his eyes snapped to Jared.
“He was arguing with Ray and Dee,” Jared said, following Mike’s thoughts exactly. There was no love lost between Mike and Jack. “He was trying to cut in on her, get the work for himself.”
Mike’s chest rose in a controlled breath. “Doesn’t make him guilty.”
“I keep telling myself that,” Jared said. “But there was a period of time when he was outside by himself.”
“Opportunity.”
“Yeah. He was at Moore’s last night.”
Their eyes met.
“He and Ray were at it again when I got there.” Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “He asked about Dee. They both did. I told them she had just taken pain pills, and was home alone.”
Silence hung around the two cops, the hot and heavy air stagnant.
“Jack left,” Jared finally said, “and minutes later, someone was at Dee’s door.”
“Dammit,” Mike muttered. “Katie’s never going to speak to me again.”
Jared nodded. “I’ll talk to him,” Jared offered. “Feel him out. You don’t need to go.”
Mike snorted. “She’ll accuse me of some involvement, even if it’s just being aware that you talked to him, so I may as well go.”
Frowning, Jared swept his gaze toward the house. “Where’d that dog go?”
Mike sat up and scanned the area. “He’s up there, messing in the trees.
“What’s his motive?” Mike wondered. “Is there enough money involved to make this worth it?”
Jared shrugged. “First, let me say that I’m not accusing Jack. But when you look at opportunity, he’s had it both times.” He explained about Jack and Ray’s arguments over the remodel job, and how Dee was in the middle of those arguments. “Their arguments have been about money.”
“Everybody knows how Ray’s ex cleaned him out a few years ago.”
“Yeah. But he never complains. I’ve assumed that he’s doing okay.”
“Most of us do.”
“Is Jack hard up? Would Katie know?”
Mike turned narrow eyes on Jared. “She wouldn’t tell me if she did. Jack’s business is bound to get a boost if he does the job.”
“So we’ve got that great motivator—money.”
“And prestige,” Mike said. “Everyone in the area knows Ray’s place. The work he wants done will get notice, and business, for whatever contractor is hired.”
“He’d benefit from the recognition.”
Mike nodded. “Seems like they’re always busy, but who doesn’t want more?”
Jared raised his brows.
“Believe me,” Mike said, “work is the last thing Katie and I talk about. When she’s even talking to me.
“Katie’s going to hit the roof.”
“I’ve been trying to keep this quiet until I get some solid evidence. I don’t want to stir up any wild accusations.”
“You’re back off leave?” Mike asked.
“No. I’m doing this on my own. Frank’s being hard-core and won’t let me come back, even for desk duty, until the doc says I’m fit.”
“So you suddenly decide to involve me. Thanks a lot.”
A grin tugged at Jared’s mouth. “Stay here. You’ll be out of it completely.”
Mike pushed away from the car. “No point in it. C’mon, maybe we can get this done and be back before the ladies come home.”
“All right. But let me do the talking. I don’t want Jack to suspect a thing. I can be more subtle than you.”
“Fine. But we agree here and now that neither of us says a word to anyone about this. That means you can’t tell Dee.”
Jared lifted his hands, palms out. “Whatever you say.”
Mike nodded.
“Come on, Lucky,” Jared hollered.
The dog stopped sniffing long enough to lift his head and wag his tale before resuming his foraging among the pine needles.
“Lucky!” The dog turned his back and wondered a few steps farther up the drive. “He’s got a thing or two to learn,” Jared said.
When he started after Lucky, the pup bounced further away as if daring him to give chase. But whatever held his interest among the pine quickly lured the curious dog back and Jared was able to get his hands on him.
“What are you doing, pup? Hmmm?” He stroked the silky head as he lifted the dog into his arms. He took one step toward the house, his gaze sweeping the ground. He cocked his head and looked more closely.
It had rained a lot yesterday. The ground under the thick pine trees was wet and soft. In the bed of pine needles ran a faint set of parallel indentations, like a car or truck had been there since the rain. The blanket of reddish-brown needles would obscure tracks, but they couldn’t mask the effects of the heavy weight on the waterlogged soil.
“Hey Mike,” Jared called, the first drops of adrenaline hitting his system.
“Are we going today?”
Mike’s irritation didn’t faze Jared. If he was seeing right, they just might have their first big break. Someone had been careless enough to park under the pine trees.
He held out a restraining arm as Mike approached. “Look at the ground,” Jared instructed.
Mike gave the area a quick glance. “Can we go now?”
“Look at it.”
Pursing his lips, Mike gave the ground a more thorough examination before he eased into a squat. “Is that what I think it is?” Mike tilted his head back and studied the graceful sweep of pine branches overhead. “What an idiot.”
“It could have been Ed’s truck,” Jared cautioned.
Why would Ed park here after all the rain we had yesterday? Hmmm? He sure didn’t go in that tobacco field.”
“I still want to go up and check with him first.”
“Then we’ll go to Jack’s and take a look at his truck,” Mike said. “A drive-by might be all we need.”
Jared nodded. Drops of pine resin would glisten in the bright sunlight and be easy to spot on a vehicle’s paint job. Feeling lighter than he had all week, Jared secured Lucky in the house, and climbed into Mike’s truck.
‘Gravel driveway’ was a generous term to describe the roadway that led to Ed Trumble’s house. In truth, it was a long, rutted, muddy path.
“What excuse are you going to use for visiting Ed?” Mike asked.
“I promised to build a lean-to yesterday for Dee’s Jeep. I need to talk to Ed about that.”
Mike’s mouth hardened and tiny lines bracketed his eyes. The sucker was trying hard not to laugh. Smart man.
“Maybe he’ll help.”
Jared snorted. “Maybe it’s a cold day in hell.”
A broad grin creased Mike’s face. “I don’t know. He did work on the drive from the road to Dee’s house, and he did it pretty quick. You never know.”
“We both know he’ll say, ‘You can do it yourself.’”
“Would he be right? Can you do it yourself?”
Thick silence filled the truck for a heartbeat. Was he in good enough shape to do something so pathetically simple for a normal man as stand on a ladder, lift a board, and hammer a nail?
“Yes,” he announced, determined to make it true.
Shaking his head, Mike grinned as they navigated the rough path. “Ah, the healing power of love.”
“Shut up.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jared trudged up the steps and into Dee’s house. The past two hours had not gone as planned. Not even close. Lucky’s enthusiastic greeting only accentuated his misery.
What kind of demon had overtaken Ed Trumble? Instead of grouching that Jared build the lean-to himself, Ed offered to help. He even claimed to have enough spare lumber around the place to build something nicer. He went on about pouring footers and putting up sides and insulating the thing. Jared had had to argue just to help.
Which kept Mike in stitches all the way to Jack’s house.
Jared eased his aching hip against the kitchen counter, his arms fo
lded tight over his chest. The soft sound of Dee’s humming drifted down the hall, making him feel isolated, hard and heartless.
How had things gotten to be such a mess? It had taken Jack all of two minutes to figure out what they wanted. Two seconds for him to erupt in fury. Two nanoseconds before Katie called to check on Jack.
How had she known?
Jack was washing his truck when they arrived, something he claimed to do every Saturday. Gotta keep up the professional image, he’d said.
He supposed he was aware Jack’s truck was always clean, but why did he have to get out and wash it so early? It would have been so simple drive up and look at the truck. The absence of resin stains would have cleared him instantly and this whole fiasco avoided.
But no, Jack had to wash his truck. And there in the drive were products to remove oily tar and resins. “I work in construction areas,” he’d defended. “I get tar on my truck almost every day.”
A point Katie loudly reiterated right before she hung up on Mike.
The bright sound of Dee’s voice faltered then vanished when she reached the kitchen.
Had Katie’s anger rubbed off on Dee? Had they still been together when Katie called? Did Dee understand he had no personal prejudices against Jack but was only trying to protect her?
She took a cautious step closer. “Is something wrong?”
Her hesitancy stabbed his heart like a knife. Ten kinds of sympathy for Mike rolled through him. The thought of Dee being upset with him was unbearable.
She edged closer. “Jared?” The soothing expression of her voice washed over him. A balm; a forgiveness that eased everything inside him.
Dee stepped into his embrace and settled her head under his chin. Her arms sliding around his waist offered strength. Her soft body pressed against him, warmth.
Her response held no sexual intent, yet it was the sweetest gift he’d ever been given.
Mike’s “Why are you washing your truck?” had escalated into a heated exchange that ended in a thunderstruck moment of understanding for Jack. Disbelief, pain, grief—they’d flickered across his face in rapid order. His past would haunt him forever.
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