“Until then, I’m asking you to step aside, Logan.”
“You can ask me to step aside, but that doesn’t mean I will.”
She clenched her fists. “You have to, Logan.”
He didn’t respond as he pulled into his mom’s driveway, using the remote on the visor to open the garage door. Once they were inside, he told her he’d be right back. While he went into the house, she got into the Jeep. She was resolved. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to cut him loose. As soon as he dropped her at home, she would put her foot down and insist that he leave. She realized now how selfish she’d been by allowing him to help her. His only hope for safety would be to get away from her. Far, far away.
They were both silent as he drove out of town. Mallory pretended to be focused on her phone, but her mind was engaged in a battle. Part of her knew what had to be done—she needed to firmly tell Logan to get lost. The other part of her wanted to cling to him for dear life. She wasn’t even sure which side would win.
“Here we are,” he said as he pulled into her parents’ driveway.
“Thank you for everything,” she said in a businesslike tone. “I really appreciate it. But I can handle it on my own from here on out.”
“Really?” He turned to stare at her. “You honestly think you don’t need my help. What about this morning? You thought you’d be safe in the hotel, but how did that work out for you?”
She pressed her lips together. Of course, she needed his help. That wasn’t the point. “I appreciate your help. But I have a plan now,” she told him. “A plan that does not include you.”
Logan frowned.
“I’m going to see Deputy Griggs.” She opened the door. “If necessary, I’ll take refuge at their house. Thank you for all your help, Logan. But this is where we part ways. Okay?” She hurried to get out of the car, heading for the house. But by the time she reached the front door, he was right behind her.
“No,” he was saying, “that’s not okay.”
She turned to look at him, seeing the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “But I have to stick to my guns on this.”
“Look.” He grabbed her hand. “I get that you need to be safe. And maybe staying at the Griggs’s is a good plan. But cutting me loose, like you’re doing, isn’t.” He peered into her eyes. “I haven’t been sticking around just to be gallant, Mallory. I really do care about you.”
She felt her resolve dwindling. “I really care about you, too, Logan. But Trent is right—they all are—I am dangerous. Until I can expose Brock and somehow prove he’s been behind all of this, I will continue to be dangerous. Can’t you see that?”
He barely nodded. “Let’s make a deal, okay?”
“What kind of deal?”
“Let me go with you to talk to Deputy Griggs. If I’m convinced you’ll be safe at their house, I’ll back off. Okay?”
She considered this.
“I’ve got to keep my word to your dad, Mallory. I promised him I’d keep you safe. I can’t just abandon you now.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “You can follow me over to the Griggs place.”
As Mallory drove the couple of miles to the Griggs’s place, a property on ten acres and not too different from her parents’, she tried to remember the last time she’d been at their house. It’d probably been close to ten years, an anniversary party that she’d attended with her parents when she was a teen. But she knew that Gloria and Stan were completely trustworthy. They’d been good friends and neighbors of her parents for as long as she could remember. As she pulled into their driveway, she spotted Stan out in front. Dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, he was casually raking pine needles. But he set his rake aside and waved, greeting them both as they got out of their separate vehicles.
“Come on inside,” he told them. “I’m ready for a break.” He wiped his damp brow with the back of his hand as he opened the front. “Already getting hot out here.” He led them into the great room. “Sorry about the mess. I’ve been baching it the last few days. Gloria took Lucy to visit her mother and won’t be back until next week.” He moved some clutter off the couch, making room.
Logan tossed Mallory a questioning glance, but she ignored it. “Thanks for letting me come talk to you.” She sat down.
“Well, I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too. So this is handy.”
“Trent told us that Perez may have been murdered last night,” she began.
“His death looked pretty suspicious, and it’s under investigation.” Stan seemed to be studying her. “Did Deputy Fallows question you about it?”
She nodded. “He acted like I was a suspect.” She looked him directly in the eyes. “Is that true?”
“Well, everyone with any connection to Perez would be a suspect.” He pointed to Logan. “Including you.”
“I gathered that.” Logan leaned back, crossing his arms in front of him.
“But neither of us had anything to do with it,” Mallory told Stan.
“Well, actually, I did,” Logan admitted. “I mean, I did shoot the man last night.”
“Yes, but he didn’t die from a gunshot wound,” Mallory pointed out. “And that was self-defense.”
“My question is, why would someone be motivated to slip into the hospital and finish Perez off?” Stan asked.
“My question is, where was security when this happened?” Logan leaned forward. “I thought Perez was going to be under close surveillance last night. Seems to me that someone fell asleep on the job.”
Stan nodded. “Yeah, I had the same thought. But according to Deputy Zimmerman, Perez was so out of it that they didn’t have any concern about flight risk. As a result, the security probably wasn’t as tight as it should’ve been. To be fair, no one suspected that Perez’s life was in danger. We were all caught off guard.”
“You asked who would be motivated to kill Perez?” Mallory persisted. “I can tell you who.”
Stan’s bushy brows arched. “Yes?”
And so she began to pour out all the details of her story about Brock and Kestra and her theory that Perez was working for Brock. “I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said finally, “but if I could just get law enforcement to listen to me. To take me seriously. Someone besides my dad, that is. And he should be here by tomorrow morning.”
Stan rubbed his chin. “Wow, Mallory. That’s quite a story.”
“I know it sounds crazy,” she admitted. “But I’ve been researching Brock. He has a past history that he doesn’t want anyone to know about. When he thought I was going to expose him he went ballistic. The man comes across as Prince Charming on the air, but in real life he’s a narcissist and a bully. And I feel certain that he hired Perez to kill me. And I’m equally certain that Perez is the one who murdered Kestra.” She frowned. “The part of this I can’t explain yet is who killed Perez. But I’m guessing that whoever did it is connected to Brock.”
“And the guy who drove us off the road,” Logan added, “he’s got to be mixed up in this, too. Has anyone been able to get him to talk?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Stan told him. “But if what you’re saying is true—”
“It is true!” she insisted.
“In your mind, but it hasn’t been proven yet,” Stan pointed out. “But if you’re right. If Dennison is behind this whole thing, it stands to reason that he wouldn’t want Perez to talk. Whoever killed him may have been paid to shut Perez up.”
“Yes.” Mallory nodded eagerly. “That must be it.”
“So that means we still have a murderer around,” Logan added. “And Mallory is still in danger.”
Stan’s brow creased. “I think you’re right. I’m going to text Sheriff Lambert, suggesting he put a guard on Sean Forney.”
They waited for him to finish with his phone, then Logan spoke up.
“Mallory was hoping she could spend the night at your place,” he said. “I told her that I wasn’t going to leave her side unless I knew she was safe. Just like I promised Deputy Myers.”
“When’s he getting home, anyway?”
“Good question.” Mallory quickly explained the red-eye and standby flights.
“Might’ve been quicker to just drive.” Stan frowned. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here if you want, Mallory. But I’m working the night shift tonight so you’d be on your own.”
Logan gave her a concerned look.
“Oh.” She bit her lip.
“So maybe you don’t want to be too quick to get rid of me,” Logan said in a teasing tone.
“You better hang on to this guy,” Stan told her. “And you kids can stay here if you want, but it’s pretty isolated, too.”
“Where do you think the safest place for her to stay would be?” Logan asked eagerly. “I thought the firehouse was a good solution, but she ended up spending the night at the hotel when one of my firefighters insulted her.”
“I’m not sure that being in town is going to be any safer than her folks’ house.” Stan got a thoughtful look.
“Maybe you could just lock me up in jail,” Mallory suggested.
Stan laughed. “That seems a bit extreme.”
“But at least everyone would be safe,” she argued.
“What makes you think a jail is any safer than a hospital?” Logan asked her.
“Oh...good point.” She frowned.
“I’ve got an idea,” Stan said suddenly. “You go ahead and stay at your folks’ house again tonight. Park your car right out front like before. Make it look like you’re there by yourself. But we’ll be camped out all around the place. We’ll set up a trap.”
“But won’t that be dangerous?” Logan asked. “I mean, for Mallory.”
“We’ll be armed and ready, and if anyone tries to get into the house, we’ll get to him first.”
“Yes,” Mallory told him. “That might work.”
“If we do it right, it will work,” Stan assured her.
“What if no one shows?” she asked Stan. “And your stakeout is for nothing?”
“Better than the other way around.” Stan turned to Logan. “Do you mind staying with her tonight? I want her to appear to be alone, but I really don’t think she should be on her own. I know her daddy would agree with me on that.”
“No problem. I already told her I’m sticking around until this whole thing is wrapped up. Believe me, I’m not backing down.”
“You can leave your Jeep here,” Stan told him. “And keep a low profile over there. Maybe sneak into the house. Probably the sooner the better. And you kids stay in Jim’s office like you did before. It’s a good safe room. And don’t be worried. We’ll have deputies staked out all around. If a perpetrator shows up, we’ll nab him.”
“And this time you’ll keep him alive?” Mallory asked hopefully. “So he can talk?”
“That’s the plan. But don’t give up on Sean Forney. He still might talk.” Stan slowly stood, walking them to the front door. “Mostly I just want you to be careful, Mallory. Both of you.” He shook Logan’s hand. “And I’m sure Mallory’s dad will be relieved to know you’re still watching over his little girl.”
“I just don’t want to be the cause of anyone else getting hurt,” she said quietly.
“You’re not the cause,” Logan told her as they went outside.
She didn’t argue with him, but she knew better. If she had never been associated with Brock Dennison, if she had never dated him, never discovered his dark history...none of them would be in danger. But also, she reminded herself, she wouldn’t be spending all this time with Logan. That was worth something. As long as he didn’t get hurt. If Logan got hurt, she would never forgive herself.
NINETEEN
Logan got a phone call from Griggs shortly after lunch. “I just wanted you to know the findings on the break-in while Mallory was at the hotel. I just learned that it’s happened several times this summer. The sliding doors have been jimmied in the same manner. The intruder slips in, steals the guests’ purses or wallets while they’re sleeping then takes off. No one gets hurt.”
“So, that’s all it was.”
“Seems like it. Although I can’t give you any guarantees.”
“So we can breathe a little more easily?”
“I’m not saying that, either. Like I told you, we didn’t find signs of anyone else out there last night. And, as you know, we’ve had deputies scouting around there all day. We’re combing that whole section of the National Forest. So far, we haven’t found another vehicle. And the guy in lockdown, Sean Forney, isn’t talking, but I suspect he’s in cahoots with Perez. My thinking is that he dropped off Perez shortly after they ran you off the road yesterday. I’m guessing they set up some kind of hideout in the woods. We put a request to get some canine units in there to sniff around. But sounds like they won’t be available until tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s interesting to know,” Logan told him. “But until this thing is completely wrapped up, until we know who killed Perez, I don’t think we should let our guard down.”
“No, of course, not,” Griggs said firmly. “To be honest, I’m not sure it’s wise for you two to stay out there. I wish her old man was back.”
“Me, too. He’s still stuck in Chicago, but he thinks he has a seat on a late flight tonight. Hopefully he’ll be here by early morning.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re sticking by her, Logan. I’d hate to think of her being out there by herself.”
After they finished the call, Logan decided to take a nap. He suggested that Mallory do the same, just in case they had another long night ahead. But she seemed wide awake and energized, eager to do some work on her dad’s computer. As he felt himself dozing off in a guest room, he imagined her immersed in her research, pecking away on the keyboard, hopefully making some brilliant discoveries.
After a nice long nap, he woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Being holed up in the Myers’s house—in the middle of a hot summer’s day with the AC running—wasn’t half-bad. And, knowing the place was crawling with law enforcement and more on the way this evening, he felt relatively assured that they were out of harm’s way.
Logan tapped quietly on the bear cave door. “I don’t know the secret password,” he said as she opened it. “But I am glad you kept it locked.”
“And I’m glad you’re awake.” Mallory waved him in. “Wait until you hear what I’ve uncovered.”
“Fire away.” He opened the cooler and removed a soda, taking it with him to the sofa where he made himself comfortable.
“For starters, I got an email back from the news station that Brock worked for down in LA.” Her eyes were bright with enthusiasm. “A female member of their staff made a sexual harassment complaint against Brock. No charges were filed, but he was fired and never contested it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But that’s not all. I discovered where Brock went to high school. It’s this rural town in Wisconsin. I had no idea he’d ever lived there. But there was a lot he didn’t tell me. Anyway, I located a couple of his old high school classmates with social media. A woman named Anna remembered him well and was willing to talk.
“Turns out that Brock had a reputation with the ladies even back then—a reputation for being abusive. Anna told me about a good friend of hers named Jeanette who should’ve filed criminal charges against Brock, but she was too embarrassed to go public. And Anna suspected that Jeanette wasn’t the only one. She still lives in the same town and even offered to do some more investigating for me.”
“This is important information,” Logan told her. “But it still doesn’t prove that Brock’s guilty of murder—or more specifically of hiring someo
ne to kill you.”
“Maybe not, but it makes a good story.” She pointed to the computer screen. “I’ve been putting it all together. Almost done.”
“You plan to hand this off to your news writer friend in Portland?”
“I already sent Alex an email, sharing a few interesting tidbits—like how Brock’s college girlfriend mysteriously disappeared. And I told him there’s more coming.” She frowned. “But I haven’t heard back from him. Maybe I should give him a call just to make sure he got it.”
“And you’re sure you can’t be sued for libel or slander?”
“I’m only giving Alex the facts. I’m citing resources and dates and information that are available to the public. Just like a normal news story. And I’m sending the same document to Detective Janice Doyle, too. If they don’t start sniffing around Brock by Monday—well, I might just call the FBI. For all we know, they might already have Brock on one of their wanted lists.” Now she spun the chair back around and continued to type.
“You are a force to be reckoned with.”
“Kestra’s memorial service is probably just finishing up by now.”
“Wish you were there?”
“Not really. Not after I heard Brock was giving her eulogy. That is just so wrong.”
“It is pretty creepy.”
“But I do feel like I should’ve been there...she was my best friend...except that no one would’ve wanted me there.”
“Well, you can be with Kestra in your heart,” he said quietly. “That’s what really matters, huh?”
She nodded.
“I’m going to go peek around,” he told her. “I want to see if I can spot any of the deputies lurking about.”
“Are you going outside?” she asked with a look of alarm.
“Nah. I’ll just peek out the windows. We’re under Deputy Griggs’s orders now. To stay inside and out of sight.”
“And he said to avoid the windows,” she reminded him. “Be careful.”
“That’s my middle name.”
As he walked through the house, he wondered about Deputy Griggs’s plan. It had seemed to make sense earlier, but now he wasn’t so sure. Three deputies didn’t seem like a lot. He peeked through the crack in the drapes over the front window. It looked perfectly deserted out there. Just lots of trees and sunshine. And there, out in front of the garage, Mallory’s car was parked. Like a sitting duck.
Perfect Alibi Page 16
