Like she was special.
Lifting her foot, he pressed his lips to the toes and then the instep, drawing a moan as frissons of electricity ran straight up her leg to her clit and honey spilled from her pussy. He continued kissing a wet path from her calves to her inner thigh and she wound her fingers into his silky dark hair, needing his tongue in her slit so desperately.
When his tongue finally touched her clit she cried out his name even as he lapped at the button, torturing it until she was on the edge of orgasm. Her legs shook and her fingers clawed at the sheets as he expertly kept her on the precipice, not letting her go over.
Closing her eyes, she let the pleasure flow through her like water as he kissed his way inch by inch up her torso, stopping to nibble on sensitive, delicate spots now and again. By the time he captured her lips again his cock pressed against her entrance. With a moan of need she lifted her hips so his cock slid in further. He pulled back and then surged forward, filling her completely and taking her breath away.
Each stroke rubbed her G-spot and she wrapped her legs around him as his thrusts sped up. He rode her hard and fast, just the way she liked it, each stroke building her arousal. His breath was hot against her neck as he whispered naughty things he wanted to do.
“Honey, I can’t–” Jared’s voice broke and he groaned with the effort of holding back. Misty anchored her hands on his wide shoulders and pressed a kiss to his chest, the tang of salt on her tongue.
“Yes, Jared,” she exhorted. “Now.”
He reached between them and touched her swollen clit, sending her into heaven. The room tilted and the stars rocketed around the ceiling, spun in circles, and then dissolved into a golden haze. Jared reached his own pinnacle, his body growing taut. His cock swelled inside of her and the heat of his seed flooded her pussy.
When it was over he held her close, running his fingers through her long hair and tickling her nose with the strands until she giggled. She’d never felt closer to anyone than she did to this man at this moment.
She was in love with Jared Monroe.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Boss?” Deputy Knox asked, cradling the phone between his neck and his shoulder as Jared strode into the station house. “I need to speak to you right away. It’s the Hicks case.”
Jared headed straight for the coffee machine. He and Misty had stayed up half the night making love and he was ass dragging today. In the last three weeks not only had the sex become off the charts amazing, but their relationship had grown closer. He was working hard to take her thoughts and opinions into account and they’d managed to compromise several times, including on the nursery decor. They’d decided on a zoo animal theme fit for boy or girl. Secretly Jared was leaning toward wanting a girl who looked like Misty.
“I’m listening,” Jared replied as Knox hung up the phone. “What do you have for me? We could use some good news.”
“We got the traffic camera footage from the road heading into the Hawkins place.” Knox was wearing his usual grin but his enthusiasm was infectious. Jared found himself smiling with excitement at the thought they might get a break in the case. Finally.
“Damn, it took long enough,” Jared groused. “Have you looked at it yet?”
“Just got it.” Knox shook his head. “It’s going to take time to look through it. They sent us two weeks’ worth of footage since we don’t know time of death. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Except that road is rarely traveled,” Jared observed. “I would imagine we can fast forward through hours of nothing to get to a part where a truck shows up. We already know we’re not looking for a regular car.”
“Then I guess I better refill my coffee cup and get to work.” Knox grabbed his mug from his desk and made a beeline for the coffeepot. Jared settled at his own desk and opened one of the files. He might as well give Knox a hand. He was all about not asking his deputies to do shit work he wasn’t willing to do himself.
“I’ll let you know if I see anything suspicious,” Jared said to Knox. “I’ll start with the first week of video.”
The morning dragged on as Jared went through each day of twenty-four hour footage. Whenever any vehicle appeared he’d slow the file down to take a closer look. His eyes were tired and his stomach was growling when a large truck came into view. He stopped the tape and then rewound, starting again at normal speed. The road was dark and deserted and Jared couldn’t see the driver, but the truck was oversized just as the tire tracks indicated.
“Knox,” Jared yelled. “I want you to see this. I think we’ve got something.”
His deputy abandoned his own laptop and came around to Jared’s desk, peering down at the screen. “What am I looking for?” Knox asked as Jared restarted the tape. “Never mind, I see it. Damn, it’s too dark to see who’s driving it or the license plate.”
Jared chuckled at his deputy’s naiveté. “I can zero in on the back of the truck and hopefully see the plate or at least a partial. Give me a minute.”
Tapping at the keys, Jared isolated the part of the picture he wanted enlarged. The software zoomed in and Jared could clearly see that the truck was a dark color with some sort of pin striping on the tailgate. The last part of the plate was shadowed but he could make out HJ345.
“All we have to do is run this partial with the search criteria of only trucks and that should narrow our list down significantly. If we’re lucky there will only be a couple of vehicles that match.”
Jared input the partial plate and waited as the system began its search. Knox perched on the edge of Jared’s desk. “What are you thinking, boss? Is it Dale? Or someone completely different? Someone we don’t even know yet?”
That very question had been bugging Jared for days, since they’d been forced to let Dale go. When Jared had interrogated Dale a second time he’d felt there was something going on there. Something not quite right. Jared’s gut was telling him Clyde wasn’t completely innocent but what he’d actually done was a mystery yet to be solved.
Jared’s laptop beeped as the search came to a halt. Three names met the criteria. One looked damn familiar.
David Jackson. Lindsey Jackson’s husband.
Looks like they needed to have a chat with him. Now.
Jared took a few quick photos of David Jackson’s truck sitting in his driveway before they knocked on the door. Lindsey had a smile on her face when she answered but it quickly disappeared when she saw who it was and this time Jared had Knox with him. Although Knox wouldn’t be going into the house to question David Jackson. He had a job to do outside. Meanwhile Chris was also nearby, just a radio call away if they needed him.
“Sheriff Monroe, what can I do for you this evening?”
Her tone was short and unwelcoming but he’d heard worse. Jared tipped his hat, determined to be polite. What Lindsey’s role in all this was he didn’t know. Victim or willing accomplice?
“Ma’am, I’d like to speak with your husband if I may.”
Lindsey’s eyes went wide. “Why on earth would you want to talk to David?”
Before Jared could answer a deep voice sounded from somewhere inside the house. “Lindsey, let them in. I’ll talk to them.”
“Fine, come in then.” She stepped back but looked unhappy about it. The door swung shut behind him and David Jackson stood in the middle of the living room. “Have a seat. What do you want to talk to me about?”
Jared sat down on the sofa while David sat in a chair across from them. Lindsey sat on the arm of his chair, her hand on his shoulder, the knuckles white.
“Sorry we stopped in without calling but I’d like to ask you a few questions. Have you loaned your truck to anyone recently, Mr. Jackson?”
The man frowned and shook his head. “No. No one drives that truck except me.”
Lindsey smiled and patted his arm. “It was his birthday present to himself. He doesn’t even let me drive it, not that I would want to. It’s too big for me. I prefer my Accord.”
“Does anyone else have keys to your truck?” Jared watched David’s expression carefully. The man’s shoulders were stiff and his complexion had turned pale.
“No. What is this about, Sheriff? I told you no one drives my truck but me.”
Jared pulled a photo from his pocket and set it on the coffee table between them. It had been made from the footage and showed the partial plate clearly. “This photo was made from footage taken on the road to the Hawkins pasture. It’s the only road in or out so the killer would have had to drive on it.”
David picked up the photo and quickly scanned it before setting it back on the table. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me about this. Is this picture supposed to mean something to me?”
Jared had to hand it to David Jackson. He was holding himself together pretty well but Jared could see the tells – a sweaty forehead, a darting gaze. The man was nervous. It could be because the cops were questioning him. It could also be because he’d done something illegal…and was now being questioned by the cops.
“That appears to be your license plate, Mr. Jackson. Are you saying that it’s not?”
David picked up the photo again, this time his hands shaking slightly. “I don’t think it is. I mean, you can’t really tell in this picture. So no, I don’t think it’s mine. Sorry I couldn’t help you.”
“So you’ve never driven on High Cross Road, Mr. Jackson?”
David Jackson sat back in his chair and reached for Lindsey’s hand. “No, I can’t say I have. It’s not really near any place I would go. Are we finished here?”
“Not quite. I need to talk to my deputy for a moment.” Jared rose from the couch and walked to the door where Knox was waiting. Letting him into the house, Jared knew instantly what Knox had found by the look on his face. Knox held out two pieces of paper with tire tracks on them.
“Thanks, Knox.” Jared walked back and sat down again. “Mr. Jackson, what would you say if I told you that your tires match the tire tracks at the spot where we found Boyd Hicks?”
The once pale face turned bright red. “There are lots of trucks with those tires, Sheriff.”
“That’s true, except all those other trucks didn’t drive on the road to that location.” Jared leaned forward and looked the man in the eye. “Don’t make this difficult, Mr. Jackson. I’m getting a warrant for your truck right now. We’ll impound it and go over it with a fine tooth comb. I’m thinking we’ll find evidence that Boyd Hicks was in the back of your truck and you transported him to the Hawkins pasture from wherever you killed him. Am I right?”
David Jackson opened and closed his mouth several times and then his shoulders began to shake. Lindsey fell to her knees next to him. “David, what’s wrong?”
He buried his face in his hands and the sound of sobs filled the room. “I did it to protect my wife. I wasn’t going to let that low-life hurt her or Tilly again.”
The words were choked but Jared could make out the confession. Exultation at finding the killer mixed with dismay that it was David Jackson. Lindsey wore a stricken expression at her husband’s statement of guilt. She kept shaking her head and trying to pull his hands from his eyes but he was whispering over and over, “I did it for you. I did it for you.”
“Mr. Jackson, are you confessing to the murder of Boyd Hicks?”
David Jackson still didn’t look up but he nodded his head, sobs still wracking his body. “I did it to protect Lindsey and Tilly.”
“Mr. Jackson, did you act alone? Was anyone else involved in the commission of this crime? Did your wife know about this?”
Jackson shook his head again. “No. I didn’t want her to know. I killed Hicks so he would never come near her again.”
“She didn’t know? She wasn’t there?” Jared asked sharply, watching the reactions of both man and wife. Lindsey Jackson appeared to be in shock but Jared needed to be sure.
He wasn’t unsympathetic to the couple’s plight. If Boyd Hicks had been threatening and harassing them Jackson may have felt he had no choice. But he should have gone to the police and not taken things into his own hands. Unless it was truly a case of self-defense where Boyd was ready to kill Lindsey. And that wasn’t out of the question.
“I tell you she had no idea. I went to see Hicks to confront him. That’s when I killed him.”
Satisfied at least for the time being, Jared reluctantly nodded to Knox who helped the man to his feet before snapping cuffs on his wrists. Lindsey cried and tugged frantically at her husband’s arm.
“Tell the sheriff this is all a mistake, Dave. Tell him you’re just kidding.”
“I love you, Lindsey. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
Sobs wracked the woman’s body and she pulled at her husband’s shirt. “Don’t do this, Dave. Don’t do it.”
“I love you, baby. I love you.”
Lindsey turned to Jared, her hands together as if in prayer. “Sheriff, Dave doesn’t mean it. He couldn’t do something like this. Don’t take him. Please don’t take him away!”
With each sentence her voice had become increasingly desperate and ragged. Her ashen skin was streaked with mascara as her tears continued to fall. Jared felt a twist of sympathy for what this woman had endured first with Boyd and now with David Jackson.
“Ma’am, I have to take your husband in. But I suggest you call a good lawyer, especially if he was simply protecting you from harm.”
Lindsey was shaking but she nodded her head. “Can I kiss him before you take him away?”
Jared nodded to Knox again and the deputy stepped away from Jackson. Lindsey pressed her palms to her husband’s chest and looked up at him with a pleading expression.
“I’ll get a good attorney. Don’t make any statements until he gets there, okay? Don’t say a word.”
It was actually good advice. Lindsey kissed her husband before Knox led him out of the house and into the truck. They’d take him to the station, get him booked, and then wait for his attorney to show. Jared had many questions for the man including how, when, and where the whole thing happened.
“He’ll be arraigned in the morning, Mrs. Jackson. At that time the judge will set bail,” Jared explained as the stricken woman watched her husband being led away in cuffs.
“He only did this because he loves me,” she whispered, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her torso as if in comfort. “No one has loved me until now. Dear God, he loves me.”
Digging in his wallet, Jared pulled out a card from a social services group that worked in the area. They helped the families of the incarcerated with a multitude of programs, not the least of which was counseling.
“Mrs. Jackson, this group may be able to help you. They can recommend a lawyer or help you fill out forms for aid. They also offer counseling to prisoner’s families.” Jared held out the card and she reached up to take it with shaking fingers. “We need to take your husband to the station now. Is there anyone I can call to come stay with you?”
The crying had stopped and her eyes were glazed over as if she was in some sort of trance. “There’s no one.”
Jared pointed to the card he’d given her. “Then you should call them. They’ll send someone here to be with you.”
She looked down at the card and then at Jared. “I will.”
“Good. I’m sorry about this,” Jared said awkwardly. He wasn’t sorry about arresting a killer but he was sorry that this woman had experienced way too much trauma in her life. She needed someone – preferably a professional – to help her through the days and weeks to come. It was going to get worse before it got better.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“So the case is closed?” Misty asked as she and Jared sat down in a booth at the diner. She’d been working all day, so by the time he arrived at home they’d decided to eat out.
“Well, the prosecuting attorney will evaluate the evidence and decide if it’s enough to
indict. I’m still waiting on DNA from the crime lab and information from Hicks’s prison stay, although that’s a moot point now since Jackson confessed.”
Jared handed Misty a menu and began perusing his own.
“So sad that things got to the point that David Jackson felt he had no choice but to do what he did. Has he made a statement yet?”
The waitress interrupted and Jared ordered a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for Misty. Their server moved to the next table quickly, the diner filled with patrons.
“He did when his attorney arrived. He says Hicks was harassing Lindsey about seeing Tilly and threatening Lindsey’s life if she wasn’t supportive of his petition for visitation. Things came to a head when he went to see Boyd at his house and tell him to leave Lindsey alone. Things got hairy and Boyd pulled a gun on Jackson but Jackson shot first, firing two bullets into Hicks’s chest. Then he got scared and dumped the body in the Hawkins’s pasture. He admitted that he’d worked there several years ago as a ranch hand and knew the layout well.”
The harried waitress slapped down their drinks and pulled out an order pad. “Are you ready to order?”
“I’ll have the pot roast with potatoes and carrots.” Misty closed the menu and set it on the edge of the table. The waitress scrawled on her pad and looked at Jared.
“I’ll have the pot roast as well,” he decided. Since the night of their argument he’d stopped nagging her about vegetables and milk, which in turn made her want to be sure she ate her veggies and drank her milk. Chocolate milk. Hot or cold.
The waitress shoved her pencil in her pocket. “Pot roast for the sheriff and for Man Trap Misty. Coming right up.”
The words were muttered under her breath but Misty easily heard them. She assumed she was meant to. Sucking in a shocked breath, her first instinct was to ignore the woman. Hadn’t Annette Foster always said to turn the other cheek? But look where that had gotten her. A town that treated her like dirt and a man who for awhile only thought about his needs.
Imperfect Justice Page 19
