Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5)

by Olivia Jaymes

  “I’m fine,” she protested, still confused. She hadn’t slept all that well last night, and the day had been awful. Was she slowly losing her mind? “I don’t need anything.”

  “I insist. A cool drink will make you feel better.”

  He stuck his head out of the door and she could hear him asking the woman to get Charlie a soda and a pack of crackers.

  “I don’t remember telling you anything about last night,” she said again, her brows pinched together. “What did I tell you?”

  “That someone was at the house. You didn’t give many details.”

  She reached up with her fingers and massaged her temples. A headache was beginning to bloom there. She didn’t have any recollection of them talking about last night. Julian had called with the news about Thom and that had thrown everything else out of her mind. Yet, Julian was standing in front of her saying she’d said it. So she must have. It was the only way that he could have known. This entire situation had clearly thrown her for a loop.

  The assistant returned with a can of soda, a paper cup, and a pack of saltine crackers before telling Julian she was going to take her break. Charlie didn’t need the crackers but she popped open the soda and poured a bit into the cup. A little caffeine might be just what she needed. Clearly, she hadn’t slept enough last night.

  Julian perched on the edge of the desk again, a smile on his face. “See? Isn’t that better? It’s a warm day and a cool drink is always welcome.”

  “It is good—“

  She broke off, her fingers tightening on the flimsy cup. She had to be careful not to crush it and spill the sticky liquid everywhere. Perched the way he was on the edge of the desk, Charlie had a front and center view of Julian’s footwear.

  Gucci loafers.

  They looked remarkably identical to the ones in the enlarged photo that Eli had sent to her phone.

  But do all Gucci loafers look alike? They probably do. And lots of people wear them too. Thousands. Millions, maybe. They look nice and are really comfortable.

  “Charlie, are you okay?”

  She raised her gaze to look into Julian’s eyes. He was still smiling but it wasn’t the easy grin he’d been wearing only a few minutes before. There was something else there…a questioning? She couldn’t name it but she could see it. A shiver ran up her spine, and her entire body seemed to stiffen. There was a little voice in the back of her head but she couldn’t quite make out what it was saying.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  She wasn’t, though. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck were standing straight up. She’d always been one to listen to her intuition, and right now it was telling her that something was wrong.

  Very wrong.

  She took another sip of her drink, her hand shaking slightly. That feeling of dread was beginning to take shape.

  Julian. He shouldn’t have known about last night. She was sure she hadn’t told him. She’d been emotional today but she hadn’t been forgetful. In fact, she remembered their conversation quite clearly. Because it had been emotional, it would be one she’d remember for a long time.

  I didn’t tell him. But he knew.

  There was only one way he would know it. Then the shoes as well.

  Julian had been the one walking around the rental house last night.

  Eli handed over the case file to Detective McCann along with his own notes. The officer would probably just toss them in the nearest garbage can, but this was Eli’s usual process when a case was closed out.

  “Thanks,” McCann said, tucking the file under a stack of other folders on his desk. “Everyone loves a closed case.”

  “Closed but still a lot of questions left unanswered,” Eli replied. “We don’t really know what happened between Thom and Kendra that day. Why did they argue? What made that day different?”

  Laughing, McCann shook his head. “You’ve got too much time on your hands if you’re still thinking about this case. Does it really matter why? Hell, they probably had a lover’s quarrel or something like that. Either way, he admitted he did it. Case closed. I’ve got plenty of other work to keep me busy. I’m not going to worry about why some guy killed his girlfriend.”

  Eli had to bite his tongue to keep from explaining to McCann that Kendra and Thom weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, but the detective probably didn’t care about the relationship nuances. He just wanted to close a case and be done with it. Remembering his own workload as a sheriff, Eli couldn’t blame him there.

  His phone vibrated with an unknown caller. He didn’t usually pick up calls from those he didn’t know when he was working, but technically he…wasn’t. Not after handing over the file so he decided to answer it.

  “I need to get this,” he said to the detective. “If you need anything let me know.”

  McCann was already turning back to his own work, not worried in the least that he might need information from Eli. Stepping out of the building, he quickly answered the call.

  “Eli Hammond.”

  “Uh…hello? This is Sofie Montrose. There was a message on my phone from you? I just got it as I’ve been out of the country. You’re asking about Kendra?”

  Hell of a time to finally get the call back. Still, it was nice of her to do it. He’d thought she’d blown them off.

  “Yes, I was working for Charlie Baker and Dana Danbury to reopen the investigation into Kendra Taylor’s death.”

  “You’ve reopened the investigation? Did you find new evidence?”

  “Well…yes. It turns out Thom Laramie killed Kendra. He said it was an accident. He…committed suicide last night.”

  There was a silence and then the sound of Sofie sucking in a breath.

  “Thom is…dead?”

  “Yes, carbon monoxide poisoning. I’m sorry to have to tell you the news.”

  “No, it’s okay. I haven’t seen him or anyone else for years. I’m just shocked. I never would have thought it would be Thom. He seemed like a good guy. Everyone liked him. Kendra liked him. They’d laugh together all the time.”

  “I think Charlie was shocked as well.”

  “Is she okay? Wow, it’s been so many years. Charlie was so nice to me, and so was Kendra. She was almost like a sister to me. She spent so much time with me when she was in town, talking and giving advice. I couldn’t talk to my mom. She wasn’t the type to be understanding. Kendra was so amazing.”

  There were still some unanswered questions. Since he had Sofie on the line…

  “Do you remember the day Kendra disappeared? Did you see her that day?”

  “That day? No, but I did see her the day before. She came over to the apartment and we talked a long time.”

  Eli remembered that Sofie and her mother lived down the hall from Charlie.

  “What did you talk about? Was Kendra upset about anything or anyone?”

  “Well…kind of. You see…this is so embarrassing. I…uh…I told her about me and Julian.”

  Julian?

  “You and Julian?” Eli echoed. “What about you two?”

  “We had a relationship of sorts. A…thing, you could say. I was so enamored that an older man was paying attention to me that I didn’t see it for what it was, which was kind of sleazy. Looking back, I can only cringe about the whole thing. If my mom had found out, she would have blown a gasket. Kendra told me that what Julian was doing was called ‘grooming’ and that it was wrong. She said she was going to talk to him about it, tell him to leave me alone. I asked her not to because I thought I was in love as only a thirteen-year-old girl can be. I really thought that he thought I was different and special. So mature for my age. Kendra said that’s what they all say and that I couldn’t believe it. So yes, she was kind of upset. She said she’d put a stop to it and I wasn’t to spend any more time alone with him.”

  Eli had a memory of Julian with his teenage intern that first day they’d met. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. Later, when Charlie had mentioned seeing Julian with his intern and ho
w close they’d looked, he still hadn’t thought there was anything to it. Now? It explained a lot. Julian liked them young. Too young. As in illegal.

  “And did she talk to him?”

  “She said she was going to the next day but I guess she never got to. They found Charlie’s car at the mall.”

  Or maybe Kendra had. Maybe Julian had an argument with her, not Thom. With Kendra’s probable sexual assault or abuse, she might have had a strong emotional reaction finding out that Julian was grooming Sofie. Strong enough to want to confront him.

  “Sofie, can I ask you one more question? Did you ever tell anyone about you and Julian? I mean, other than Kendra? Did the police ask about it?”

  “No one ever asked me, and the police never talked to me. I was just a kid, turning fourteen a few weeks afterward. They weren’t interested in me, plus I didn’t have anything to tell them. I didn’t know anything about Kendra’s death.”

  Eli wasn’t so sure about that. Sofie might know far more than she ever thought.

  And Charlie was with Julian.

  He thanked Sofie for calling him back before heading into McCann’s office again. The detective looked surprised when Eli walked in.

  “I need to ask you a question. You were helpful in the beginning, and then cold to me later. I assumed it was because the Taylors got to you. Was that the case? Or was it someone else?”

  McCann’s mouth fell open and he didn’t appear to know what to say.

  “Was it Julian Walker?”

  The man’s cheeks turned a ruddy shade. Scraping his fingers through his hair, McCann sighed.

  “Julian’s a friend of mine. I met him when he was working for the DA’s office. He asked me for a favor. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I never thought the case would get solved.”

  Just one more question.

  “Did Julian call you about Thom’s suicide? Did he find the body?”

  “Yes, he did. How did you know that?”

  That’s all Eli needed to know.

  He needed to get to Charlie. Right the hell now.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I didn’t tell you about last night.”

  The words had just popped out of Charlie’s mouth, no prior planning involved. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done.

  “Yes. Yes, you did.”

  No, Julian. Please not you.

  His voice wasn’t as sure this time when he replied, his gaze guarded. Tears burned the backs of her eyes as the enormity of what she was thinking unfolded.

  Julian was wearing the shoes. Julian was lying.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Her reply was barely a whisper but he heard her. She could tell. For a fleeting second - barely there - she’d seen panic cross his features. She’d only seen him like that a few times before. If she’d met him yesterday, she never would have seen it. But they were old friends.

  “You’re wrong, Charlie. You told me.”

  A tear slid down her cheek as she looked at Julian sadly. “No, I’m not. But I desperately wish that I was.”

  Julian stood from his perch on the desk, roaming around the office restlessly. “C’mon, Char Char. You did. You told me.”

  She just shook her head, the bile rising in her throat. She didn’t want it to be true.

  But it was.

  Julian was wearing the same shoes. Julian knew things he shouldn’t.

  She had a terrible feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that Julian killed Kendra. And what about Thom? Had it really been a suicide? Did they both carry responsibility for Kendra’s death?

  “Why?”

  Julian shook his head, his movements jerky. “What do you mean? I don’t know what you mean.”

  He did. He did know.

  “Why? Did you argue? What happened that day?”

  He came to stand in front of her, his shoulders rising and falling with his rapid breath.

  “What are you even talking about? You don’t know what you’re saying. You should lie down for a little while and rest.”

  She did need to rest but she wasn’t going to get it now. It would have to come later.

  “I don’t need to lie down.”

  She stood as well, taking a few steps toward the door. She needed to call Eli.

  “I think I need to go now.”

  Charlie wasn’t sure what Julian would do but he didn’t try and stop her. She calmly exited his office, walked down the hall, hoping that no one looking at her would be aware of the storm of emotions she was currently experiencing. It was so surreal. Her reality was forever changed.

  She stopped in front of the elevator and with trembling hands, she fumbled in her purse for her phone. She needed to let Eli know as soon as possible that Julian might be the killer. She’d managed to type in her code when a hand clamped down on her arm.

  “Put the phone away.”

  Julian. She should have been paying attention.

  My bad.

  She looked up into his face but he didn’t look the same as he had only moments ago. This was a man she barely recognized, his eyes dark and cold. His expression was almost blank, as if he wasn’t feeling any emotion at all.

  Now I’m scared.

  “Eli said he was going to come get me. He should be here any minute.”

  It was a big old lie. She had no idea when Eli would return for her. He’d said it would only take a few minutes, but he didn’t actually know. He might be sitting in Detective McCann’s office right this very minute chatting about past investigations and drinking coffee. She’d told Eli that if she was finished before him, she’d walk over to the detective’s office.

  The fingers on her arm tightened painfully.

  “I can’t let you leave.”

  “I have a plane to catch, but I’ll try and come back to visit soon. Maybe both me and Dana can come together. It will be just like old times.”

  “You know.”

  Before, Julian had been playing dumb. Now it was her turn.

  “Know about what?”

  She tried to extricate her arm from his grip but it only served to make him more determined not to let her go. His hand was like an iron band around her upper arm, and she’d surely have a nasty bruise tomorrow.

  If I live through this.

  “You know,” he repeated, his face still devoid of emotion. “I can’t let you leave.”

  He didn’t seem all that torn up about having to detain her, either. Or kill her, maybe. Playing dumb wasn’t working. She’d have to appeal to his logic. One thing that Julian had always prided himself on being was logical.

  “And then what?” she challenged, sounding far braver than she was currently feeling. She was shaking all over and her heart was beating so loudly in her ears it was amazing the entire downtown area couldn’t hear it like a band in a parade. “Eli is coming to get me soon. He’ll be worried if I’m not here.”

  Eli would get worried and suspicious. Maybe not in the next five minutes but eventually.

  There. There it was. Just the tiniest of breaks in Julian’s facade. For the briefest moment, he’d looked uncertain.

  “If I’m not here, Eli is going to raise hell and get every cop in this town looking for me. You don’t want that, Julian. He’ll never stop until he finds me. And by extension…you.”

  Julian huffed out a breath and then glanced over his right shoulder, then left. She could see a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was nervous. Unsure.

  I can work with that.

  “Forget about me,” she urged, her heart banging against her ribs. She could feel the sweat trickling down her back. “You don’t have much time. Get away while you can.”

  For a moment, she thought Julian was going to do just that but then he jerked her arm painfully as he reached with his other hand to pull a small handgun from his suit coat pocket. Using the butt of the gun, he pushed the elevator call button.

  “You’re going with me.”

  Not if I can help it.
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  A gun. She should have known that Julian would have one somewhere in his office. Back when they’d lived in the same building, he’d owned a gun. He’d said for protection. Now he had one pointed at her chest.

  Years ago she, Dana, and Kendra had taken a self-defense class. Dana’s parents had insisted as the girls were going to be living in the big, bad New York City, and were terrified that something was going to happen to their daughter.

  Rule one. Never let them take you anywhere.

  Rule two. If they try to take you somewhere, fight to the death.

  Wherever he wanted to take her might just be the place he’d taken Kendra all those years ago.

  “If anything happens to me you’re the first person they’ll look at, Julian. Eli knows that I’m here with you. So does your assistant.”

  Julian didn’t answer. The elevator dinged and the doors opened with a whoosh, but instead of entering the elevator he dragged her through the doorway that led to the stairwell. She tried to jerk her arm away and run, but he held on tight. Desperate, she kicked him hard in the shins and he cursed, briefly letting go of her arm. She lunged for the door, but this time he grabbed at her long hair, painfully jerking her back, his fingers winding around the strands until she thought she might faint from the pain.

  She clawed at his arm but he barely flinched, instead dragging her down the stairs as she desperately tried to pull against him. He was just too strong.

  “Stop it, bitch,” he growled, his face contorted with anger and yes, hatred. At that moment, he looked like he despised her. “I’m not going to let you ruin anything for me. I’ve worked too hard to let you smash it to pieces. I wasn’t going to let her do it, either. She would have ruined my life.”

  She? Did he mean Kendra?

  The sound of echoing footsteps gave her new hope and she screamed at the top of her lungs, the bloodcurdling sound bouncing off the walls and metal railings. To her complete and utter relief, she heard Eli’s familiar voice yell out her name from somewhere in the stairwell below.