by Lisa Harris
But none of that had ever happened. The January after their summer wedding Ellie was diagnosed with cancer. Nine months later he lost her forever.
He glanced back up at Avery. Tonight wasn’t about Ellie, or even his past. It was about the fact that he was falling in love with that woman standing in front of him. She was the complete opposite to Ellie in many ways, but maybe the real problem lay in the fact that the two of them had reached different places in life. While he was ready to commit to a relationship, she clearly wasn’t.
“Maybe I’d better go.” Jackson took a step toward the basement stairs, hoping she’d say something to stop him, while not wanting to push her in a direction she wasn’t willing to take. “I’ll keep you updated on any new developments in the case from my end.”
“Thank you.” Avery wrapped her arms around her waist. The professional tinge in her voice was back. “I appreciate all your help.”
Jackson headed up the staircase, wishing he could take back the past few seconds. Wishing she’d say something—anything—to break the tension that had just settled between them. And hoping he hadn’t just managed to push away the best thing that had come into his life in a very, very long time.
8
Avery yawned, then snuggled closer against Tess’s shoulder. Jackson had been right. Somewhere between slices of cold pizza and Emily’s root beer floats, Tess had decided to forgive her for missing the swim tryout.
Forgiving herself for what had happened between her and Jackson had proven to be far harder.
Tess and Emily had talked her into watching one of their favorite renditions of the Cinderella story, Ever After. It was a movie she’d already watched a dozen times, but tonight it had taken the first half of the movie just to settle her mind. By the second half, she’d hardly been able to keep her eyes open.
Emily echoed her yawn from the other side of the couch as the final credits rolled. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m going to have to call it a night.”
“You’re not the only one.” Avery nudged Tess with her elbow. “You’ll never be able to get up for school if you don’t go to bed now. Six will be here before you know it.”
Tess groaned and took Avery’s hand, making her wish she could freeze the moment so she could hold on to it forever. It wouldn’t be too long before the boys started calling, independence completely set in, and her tween was ready to fly the coop. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready.
Avery squeezed Tess’s hand, then helped her off the couch. “Go get ready for bed. I’ll come say good night in a minute.”
Tess hugged her aunt and stumbled toward her bedroom, already half asleep.
Emily started helping Avery clear off the coffee table littered with the remains of microwave popcorn and lemonade cans. “Thanks for letting me hang out tonight.”
“You know how much Tess loves having you here, and so do I. And besides, I’m the one who should be thanking you. You saved me from having to help her clean out the mice cage. There aren’t very many things that really bother me, but mice . . .” She exaggerated a shudder.
“Those mice are adorable.” Emily dumped the cans into the recycling bin in the kitchen and laughed. “You know, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand you. You work at crime scenes and attend autopsies but can’t stand the sight of a harmless little mouse.”
“They’re not adorable, they’re creepy.” Avery grabbed a washcloth for the counter and got it wet. “She’s lucky to have you as an aunt, and not just because you’re willing to help clean out animal cages.”
“And she’s lucky to have you as a mom.”
Familiar pangs of guilt jabbed afresh. “I’m not sure how much credit I deserve. I’ve been working far too many hours.”
“Don’t even start with the guilt act. Besides, I hardly think you have to worry about that. It does her good to spend time with Mom and me. She loves it and so do we. And you’re always there when she needs you.”
Avery finished wiping down the counter. Being a single mom had always been someone else’s struggle until one day it had been thrust upon her and she’d had to deal with it head-on.
Emily picked up her purse. “You know I try not to be the nosey sister, but you never said anything about what happened with Jackson, or why you didn’t go out.”
Avery rubbed the back of her neck, trying to erase the lingering headache. She’d have to take a couple more aspirin before she went to bed. “We were going to, but my day didn’t exactly go as planned. I was given a new case, which meant I missed lunch with Mom, missed Tess’s tryouts. Trying to add a new relationship into the mix . . . I don’t know. I just don’t see how it’s going to work.”
“So you panicked?”
“I didn’t say that . . . I’m just not sure there’s going to be another date.”
“You’re not serious, are you? This guy is perfect for you. Smart, incredibly good-looking . . .”
Avery raised her brow. “Then why don’t you ask him out?”
“Very funny.” Emily crossed her arms, clearly not impressed with her excuses. “What happened tonight, Avery? What really happened?”
The last thing she wanted to talk about was Jackson. How he’d almost kissed her. And how she’d panicked. She looked down at the floor. There was a stain in the carpet. How long had it been since she’d had it cleaned? Six, eight months? She made a mental note to call the carpet cleaners.
“Avery? What happened?”
“You want to know what happened? A girl was murdered. We found her dead behind a Dumpster. No ID. She’s nothing more than another Jane Doe for now.”
“Wow. I’m sorry.”
“Some cases are tougher than others. This is one of them.”
“Listen, I really am sorry, but what does any of that have to do with Jackson? Because I also know how important it is for you to have a life of your own outside work.”
“I know, but I can’t lose focus on this case, and Jackson is turning into a distraction.”
“He’s become a distraction, so you’re not going out with him anymore? You need a few distractions in your life. That’s a good thing, Avery.” Emily paused for a moment. “Sometimes . . . sometimes I wonder if you don’t use your work, your fixation with Michael’s case, and even Tess as an excuse to avoid getting involved in a serious relationship again.”
Avery swallowed hard. “What if I’m simply not ready for something serious? He tried to kiss me.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “You sent him home because he tried to kiss you. That makes a lot of sense.”
“He took me by surprise.”
“Which means what now?”
“I don’t know. We left things up in the air.”
“He left things up in the air, or you left things up in the air?”
“That’s not fair—”
“Just answer this. Is he really an unwanted distraction, or does he make you feel vulnerable?”
Avery rubbed her temples and sat down on the couch. The last thing she wanted right now was a heated discussion about Jackson. “Emily, it’s late—”
Emily sat down beside her. “You might be able to fool Tess, Mom, and even Jackson, but not me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know you, Avery. Maybe better than you know yourself sometimes.”
“Oh, really? You know what it’s like to stand over the body of a girl who’s just been murdered, knowing she might be alive today if you’d closed a case and put a killer behind bars?”
“Stop using your work as an excuse to guard your heart. Besides, you’re the good guy, remember? This wasn’t your fault.”
“Maybe not, but I have enough on my plate to deal with right now and today made that perfectly clear. Between my cases, Tess, Mom . . . being vulnerable, as you put it, isn’t an option.”
“And why not? What you feel over that girl’s death is normal. And think of what you’ve lost over the past few years. You know what it’s like to lose both a husband
and a brother. You’ve seen and experienced loss not just from a cop’s point of view, but from a family that’s lost a lot.” Emily reached over to give Avery’s hand a quick squeeze. “Which is why you’re good at what you do. But what about your own life? Every ounce of energy you have is poured into Tess, work, and the rest of your family. You deserve happiness again. I just don’t want you to give up on Jackson because you think you’re too busy, or even more importantly, because he makes your heart feel again.”
“This coming from the woman who just broke off her engagement?”
“I don’t regret for a minute breaking things off with Charlie. But he’s an entirely different story.”
“True.” Avery had agreed with her sister’s decision to call off the wedding, but that didn’t change anything about the way she felt about things between her and Jackson.
“What happened with Charlie doesn’t mean I’m going to run if I ever find the right guy, and neither should you.”
“I don’t know, Em. Even if I wanted to pursue a relationship, I honestly don’t know if I have the emotional energy for someone else in my life right now.”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t buy that. Call him tomorrow. Tell him you were wrong, and that you’re ready to cash in that rain check for a third date.”
“Emily.” Avery threw one of the pillows from the couch at her.
Emily grabbed it before it fell to the floor. “You better watch it, sis. I may be younger, but I can still take you on.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
“Seriously.” Emily threw the pillow back at her. “When’s the last time you worked on one of your paintings, went rock climbing with Tess, or went to the gym for a really hard workout?”
“I don’t know . . . a few days . . . a week.”
“That’s what I thought. I’m not a psychologist, but you know as well as I do that you work in a very high-stress job, which means you need something to help you relax when you come home, and I’m not talking about working on Michael’s case in the basement.”
Avery folded her arms across her chest. “Are you done?”
“Almost. Jackson makes you smile. I’ve seen you around him. And I just want you to be happy. Think about what I said. Promise?”
How could she argue against something part of her wanted so badly? “Promise.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
A moment later, Avery shut the door behind her sister, then proceeded to make sure the house was locked. She shut the door to the basement and flipped off the rest of the lights in the house. No matter what she did, she couldn’t shake Emily’s words. The house was quiet, but snagging a few minutes of downtime never lasted long. Turning off her mind was impossible.
The stack of photo albums she’d put together over the years sat in their normal spot. Like painting, scrapbooking had become another way to indulge in her creative side.
She pulled out the top album and flipped through it. Even with Ethan gone, life had had its high moments and times of healing. She’d been assigned to a homicide team while Michael moved into the narcotics division. Tess had turned eleven, and they’d managed a family trip to Disney World.
She stopped at a photo of Michael and her father and carefully pulled it out of the album. She’d forgotten about this picture. They’d gone out to Bone’s to celebrate her father’s promotion. Michael had looked so much like Daddy. When he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps with the police force, no one had been surprised. Serving family and country was a Hunt tradition.
Until he decided to work undercover. Mama had hated it from the very beginning, especially the lack of communication. She couldn’t stand the hazards of the position. But Michael was good at what he did and never looked back. His last undercover assignment had been the worst. It had dragged on for months and been a strain on the entire family, but Michael kept insisting he was close to taking down his target.
That day never came.
Avery flipped the book shut, keeping out the photo of Michael and her father. She pulled a copy of the photo Jackson had given her out of her back pocket. The two girls smiled up at the camera, happy and carefree. There had to be a clue in the photo. An answer somewhere in the middle of the limited evidence they’d turned up.
“Mom?” Tess’s sleepy call broke through her thoughts from the other room.
Avery set the photos on the nightstand and went down the short hallway to Tess’s room.
The soft glow of the nightlight cast a shadow against Tess’s face. “You never came to say good night.”
She lay in her bed surrounded by pink ruffles and stuffed animals. She’d asked for a new bedspread for her next birthday. One that wasn’t so pink and frilly. The stuffed animals would no doubt be next to go.
“I thought you weren’t sleepy.”
Tess yawned. “Just a little.”
Avery sat down on the bed and ruffled her hair. “I really am sorry about missing your tryouts today.”
“I know.”
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“Not as much as I love you.” Tess reached up and gave her a big hug. At least she wasn’t too old for hugs and kisses. Not yet, anyway. “You okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I thought you were going to go out on a date tonight.”
“I was, but I got a new case today and, well, . . . as you know, the day ended up being kind of crazy, so we called it off.” It was as close to the truth as she wanted to get.
“He’s nice. I introduced him to Freddie and Hammy and the mice.”
“He told me.”
“So do you like him?”
There was no use denying it. “Yes.”
“Then you should go out with him again.”
“Really?” Was she the only one resisting this relationship? “You sound like Emily.”
“She’s right.” Tess’s eyes were starting to droop. “If you like him, there’s no reason not to.”
Avery hesitated. Tess made it sound so simple. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love, they get married, live happily ever after. Maybe that did happen. Sometimes.
She searched for an excuse but came up empty again. Maybe they were right. Just because she felt pulled in different directions by all of her responsibilities didn’t mean she didn’t deserve to find happiness again. Still.
“Relationships aren’t always that simple, Tess.”
Tess shrugged, then closed her eyes as she lost the fight to stay awake.
“I’ll see you in the morning, sweetie. It’ll be here before you know it.”
Avery kissed her daughter on the forehead, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing while watching the rise and fall of her chest.
What if it were Tess lying on that cold morgue slab, tagged as Jane Doe?
Unanswered questions swirled around her. Fatigue, both emotional and physical, settled in. Hidden photos meant secrets, but what? And what really happened that night when her Jane Doe took her final breath?
Avery switched off the bedside light on the nightstand, then curled up on the bed beside Tess. Time was ticking. She had to find out the truth before the killer struck again and another family was ripped apart.
9
By seven o’clock the next morning, Avery had already eaten blueberry waffles and fruit with Tess, dropped her off at school, and made it in to the office. By the time her team assembled, coffee was simmering beside a box of day-old pastries, and she’d already downed her second cup.
She stood in front of the crime board, whiteboard marker in hand, the urgency in the back of her mind all too real. The first twenty-four hours after a murder were always the most critical, but with a possible serial killer involved, they needed to find him before he struck again. Throwing a Jane Doe into the picture made their job even tougher.
Avery rested her hands on her hips. “Let’s start with our potential witness, Mr. Nomad.”
Mitch leaned back in his chair an
d stretched his long legs out in front of him. “We have confirmed statements from several witnesses that most nights he walks through the neighborhood, but there was no sign of him last night.”
“So at least we know our Mr. Nomad is real. Tory, anything on the magnolia tattoo?”
With her exotic model looks and part-Asian heritage, few people took Tory Lambert for a computer geek and white-collar crime expert. But it hadn’t taken long for Avery to notice that Tory was far more than just a pretty face. Which was why she’d requested Tory join her team. Smart, diligent, and always on top of things, in the past five months, she’d become an integral part of the homicide division.
“Carlos and I hit every tattoo parlor in the area.” Tory looked up from her computer. “Just like in the last case, the flower design is too generic and impossible to trace.”
“It could have been one of these do-it-yourself kits,” Carlos added.
“Carlos would know.”
Avery raised her brow at Mitch’s comment, then turned back to Carlos. “You have personal experience with do-it-yourself tattoo kits?”
“No. What I do know is that they’re pretty impossible to trace if you buy them off the internet.”
“Trust me, he has personal experience,” Mitch threw out. “Show them, Carlos, or if you don’t want to, I’ll be happy to.”
“Show us what?” Tory asked.
“Carlos has a Cars tattoo—a sparkly Cars tattoo at that—on his right ankle.”
Leave it to Mitch to always lighten the mood.
Avery pressed her lips together. “Isabella?”
Carlos nodded. “You try saying no to a three-year-old wearing a pink fairy costume and princess crown, armed with a bag of temporary tattoos.”
“Give the guy a break, Mitch.” Avery folded her arms across her chest. “Not only does Carlos have a sparkly tattoo on his ankle, he probably only had four hours of sleep last night.”
“Three hours to be exact. Chloe might have just turned four months, but she still doesn’t sleep more than three hours at a time. Funny how I thought detective work was tough. Parenthood is going to kill me.” Carlos rubbed his chin, then looked straight at Mitch. “Though I imagine when Kayleigh sees my copy of that little black book of yours, she’s going to want to kill you as well—”
