Dangerous Memories

by Intrigue Romance

  Pawn or loving daughter, she’d play her part. There was no other choice if she wanted her life back.

  Levi looked at her as if she was crazy for asking. She didn’t want to go out there. Staying another minute in that house pretending to be a psychic wasn’t the perfect choice, either. But how could she make him understand? She was never coming back to this place again. Ever.

  Somehow Sadie Colter sensed that quiet was needed or warranted. Or Jo had just learned to block out the woman’s very southern drawl. Either thing worked as they passed by the kitchen. Jolene kept her head turned to the opposite wall so she wouldn’t see any part of it. Not yet. She knew it was coming, but if the dreams mixed with reality again, she wanted it to be the last thing that happened.

  Mrs. Colter remained quiet, and once in the background, she raised her finger pointing toward a well-kept building in the far corner of the yard. The entire effect of archways, vines and flowers was magical. The trees were tall, strong oaks. One branch had a rope swing. The rope and wood were new, obviously not from the time she’d lived in the house, but she remembered them.

  And LuLu.

  A young blonde in her early twenties. Her eyes went from the swing to Mrs. Colter. It couldn’t be. But the feeling of recognition swept over her like a warm, relaxing shower. She watched Sadie Colter retreat into the kitchen.

  “Annabel,” Levi called to her. “This birdhouse must have been huge. You’ll have to come inside to get a look at the pieces. You sure you’re up for this?”

  “Yes. I’m not coming back here a second time.”

  He accepted her statement in stride, and opened the door to a very well organized workshop and storage area.

  “Before we go any further...” She hadn’t asked for details before they’d arrived, but the image of LuLu was quickly becoming Sadie Colter in her mind. “Is she real? You’ve checked her out, right?”

  “Who? Mrs. Colter? My contact at the Service said she bought the house in an estate auction. I assumed it was the estate of your family, not another murder victim. We’ll check into that later. Let’s speed things up, been here way too long.”

  “I agree. I just need to see the kitchen after this and—”

  “A look at the birdhouse and then we’re out of here. It’s almost sick how she’s kept everything the same. This woman is certifiably weird.” Levi turned his back to Jo and stood at the entrance. He was just behind the door, out of sight to anyone who might threaten them.

  He was trying so hard to protect her. She knew that. This situation wasn’t his fault. He blamed himself for leading her mother’s client to the funeral and thought she blamed him. The truth was she was glad he’d come.

  Just knowing he’d been on the hill behind her brought her comfort. Someone who knew her dad. Someone to share the grief other than the couple of her mother’s distant relations who had attended out of curiosity. She hadn’t been allowed to tell them it was her father in the casket.

  The beautiful garden looked better than she remembered from her childhood. Her father had taken so much time planting the flowers into half circles. He’d built the flowerbeds himself. She remembered the piles and piles of dirt and the countless times he’d pushed her tricycle over the top.

  Her head hurt with all the memories rushing in. She dabbed at her cheeks, hiding the tears from Levi. She remembered things so vividly she was scared to go into the kitchen or see the birdhouse.

  But she had to hold it together and get through this.

  “Where did you see the pieces?”

  He didn’t need to point or answer. As soon as she’d asked, the faded paint caught her attention.

  Weathered boards stacked neatly at the back of the work table blended into the wood until she noticed the design she’d help create. Touching the washed-out colors on the rainbow took as much courage as seeing her father prepared for his burial.

  The flying birds and butterflies made her heart skip a beat. Her daddy had built the birdhouse in this very room. He used the tools that still hung on the wall, now covered with layers of rust. He’d held her hand steady as they’d painted each arch of color, drawn the outline of each bird she’d help obscure by blobbing on the blue paint.

  Her fingers slid over the battered spot of yellow she’d added on her own. It represented the giant bird on TV. Her father had been surprised, but laughed so hard his eyes watered. She’d been so proud to make him happy.

  “I miss you so much, Daddy.”

  “Come on, Jo. We’ve got to go.” Levi took her hand and led her to the door.

  “But...what about the kitchen?”

  “There’s no time. This feels... For someone so curious, our hostess has been strangely absent. Something’s not right.”

  “It’s that woman.”

  He stopped and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I know this sounds off the wall, but I think she’s LuLu.”

  “Damn it, Jolene, why didn’t you tell me? How do we get out of here?” He spun in a three-sixty, getting his bearings and pulled his gun. “Driveway’s that way.”

  He yanked her through the wooden gate just in time to see two men walk around the corner of the house, guns drawn. The longer barrels were equipped with silencers.

  “Run, Jo. And don’t look back.”

  “You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone. I’m keeping you to that.” She grabbed his belt loop under his jacket.

  “Don’t argue with me about this.” He broke free from her hold. “I can’t protect you unless you leave first. I’m right behind you. Now go.”

  He didn’t point out a direction, but there seemed to be only one available—a small open space between the shed and fence. Odd things were piled on top of each other. She climbed them, hearing a couple of shots from Levi’s gun. She hopped over the fence, using a cross piece to help her down onto the grass.

  The house backed up to some sort of wooded area. Each direction looked exactly the same—uncut grass and trees. More gunfire. She heard the wood splinter as the silenced bullets hit the shed. She ran. Hard. Fast. Slipping in the new shoes they’d bought earlier that day.

  “Keep running. Don’t look back.”

  She did, worried he wasn’t behind her. She darted behind a tree to catch her breath.

  Circle back to the car? She could see another house ahead of them. Which way was the best choice? Her heart was in her throat and her mind raced faster than she could comprehend the information it released.

  “Which way?”

  “Right!” Levi yelled from just behind her. He closed the distance, passed her and continued left toward another fence. She ran next to him along the fence until they came to another yard and slipped between the houses, around a corner and onto a porch.

  He pressed his back to her chest, flattening them against the brick of the house. Levi didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. She could feel his heart pounding through his shirt. Feel his muscles tensed under her hands.

  Thinking was more difficult while hiding from men attempting to kill you. She wanted to gulp air. Shout. Beat down the door to one of these homes. Get help. Call for the police. She didn’t do any of those things.

  “Let’s go,” Levi commanded. He’d inched away from her, looking back the way they’d come, slipping his hand to her hip, keeping her in place.

  “I’ve got to rest.” After the scorching her lungs had taken with the smoke the previous day, breathing was hard work.

  “Get moving, Jolene. You run farther than this every day.”

  She did jog almost every morning, but... “How do you know I run?”

  Chapter Eight

  “We’ve got to get moving. They’re right on our tails.”

  He’d screwed up. First by assuming the men at the train wouldn’t find them this quickly, and second by letting it slip he’d kept tabs on Jolene while she was in Georgia. He’d never intended to inform Jo her father had asked him to make certain she was safe after she’d moved away. By the time he’d
been asked by Joseph, he’d already called in a couple of favors from friends assigned in the area to check up on Jolene.

  Yeah, he knew she ran every morning. He also knew why. Freedom. Her father had never allowed it. As soon as she’d moved to Georgia, she’d begun jogging outdoors.

  It drove him insane to think about her in the open, unprotected. Sort of like now. He had never told Joseph.

  The buzz acted like an electric shock to Levi. He spun around on the confined porch. His brain delayed recognition of the sound until he saw Jolene’s face. She’d pressed the doorbell. Deliberately.

  It was a big risk to holster their only defense, but he put the gun away and pulled his badge.

  “Can I help you?” an older woman asked as she cracked the door open.

  Still no one rounding the corner, no running footsteps, no yelling, no cars. He pressed his ID to the screen. “U.S. Marshal Cooper, ma’am. May we come inside? This is an emergency.”

  The woman placed her glasses on her nose, squinted and disappeared. The door swung open and Jolene went inside. Levi took another look around the corner of the house—still nothing.

  They’d lost them? Too easy. Nothing was that easy.

  “I understand you’re a bit afraid right now, ma’am,” Jo reassured her, “but I think we should ask Marshal Cooper if he wants the police called.”

  “Rebecca Mossing, dear. As old as I am, I still shudder at being referred to as ma’am.”

  Levi had missed the first part of the conversation, but he caught up to speed quick enough. And as much as he didn’t want the Plano PD involved, there wasn’t a way to avoid it.

  “Feel free, ma’am. Let them know shots were fired at 1936 Briarcreek Lane.” Now he’d endangered a grandmother. One glance around the room let him know she had four grandchildren—their pictures were everywhere.

  “Oh, my, guns?”

  “If you’d like me to speak with them, just point me to the phone.”

  The silver-haired woman held her hand in the air. “No, no. I did away with the land line a couple of years ago. I’m all digital, but I left my cell in the car.”

  “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way—”

  “I’ll be fine. The garage is connected to the kitchen. The back door’s already secure. Throw the dead bolt on the front, Marshal, and catch your breath. I’ll be right back.”

  “Jo, can you get the door and see if our friends are following from the window?” Levi followed the granny from the room. She left the door open behind her, dug in a purse she grabbed from the front seat and pressed buttons. She nodded and told the emergency operator her name and address.

  He left their hostess to check on the kitchen door. No fence, no dog, no cover. Easy to see if someone followed them through the woods.

  “She’s a surprise,” Jo said, letting the front curtains fall back into place.

  “That was a gutsy move, ringing the bell. You should have asked.” As he approached, Jo stepped aside, avoiding contact as he took his place beside her. Safer for her on an interior wall. From his vantage point he could keep watch on both the front of the house and the backyard.

  Still nothing.

  “I know you’re in charge, Marshal Cooper. You don’t have to remind me at every turn.”

  “Come on, Jo, don’t be this way.”

  “The police said there’s an officer on his way and that you should stay put.” Mrs. Mossing sat on the small sofa. “Here’s my cell if you need to call anyone.”

  “Thanks for your help, Mrs. Mossing,” Jolene said without a hint of the sarcasm she’d been using with him.

  “Not a problem, dear. Don’t hesitate.” She handed Jolene the phone. “I have unlimited air time.”

  Jo held the phone. He wasn’t worried she’d use it. Who would she call? He continued watching through the blinds for any sign they’d been followed or the police to show.

  “Should I stay here or go sit in my bedroom anxiously awaiting my interview with the police?” Rebecca Mossing asked. “I assume you aren’t going to tell me why someone was firing at you. It seems that house really is cursed.”

  “You know about the murders?” Jo asked.

  “I’ve lived here a long time, dear. Robert Frasier designed my yard. Their little girl was truly adorable. They loved her so much. All those pretty dresses she wore.”

  “You knew them? The...the Frasiers?”

  “Oh, yes.” Mrs. Mossing patted Jo’s knee. “Robert was a wonderful landscaper. And these houses were so bleak back then. He took care of most of the homes in this edition. Wonderful man, so sad. The landscaping around here just hasn’t been the same.”

  This discussion was dangerous ground. What if Mrs. Mossing recognized Jo, or should he say Emaline, all grown up? The resemblance to her mother was uncanny. If Jo had four more inches, she could have been a clone. How could he stop her from pursuing information about her parents?

  “When Robert married a Dallas attorney, I knew several divorced women who were more than a little surprised and so very disappointed.”

  Jolene had done so well all day, he hated to risk anything else and needed to get her out of here. The mention of her father brought a soft smile to her face and relaxed her shoulders.

  Cop sirens.

  “Our ride’s here,” he said.

  “What should I tell the police?” their hostess asked.

  “The truth, Mrs. Mossing. Just the truth. We appreciate your help, ma’am.” Jo joined him at the door. “Wait here. I’ll be back to get you. If things go wrong...”

  “They won’t.”

  “Still playing the psychic?” He tried to make her smile at him. No luck.

  Levi met the car at the curb, badge in hand, jacket open showing his weapon, waving off the officer’s potential questions. “Your ID?” The officer complied. “I have a witness that needs immediate transportation no questions asked, no radio. Do you have a vest?”

  Levi had spent time serving warrants and transporting criminals. After moving to WITSEC he’d taken his share of witnesses into protective custody—cooperating or against their will, alone or with a partner. This ride was their only way out. He had no choice and knew whoever was after Jolene, still watched.

  Jo waited with Mrs. Mossing at the door. He headed back with the vest and the women hugged. Jo nodded in agreement of something.

  “What was that about?” he asked.

  “She wished me luck. I think we need it.”

  He had a feeling that wasn’t all the grandmother had said.

  With the help of the officer, Jolene was transferred to a local police department. In silence. Levi admired her. No matter how he strived to treat her just like another witness, it wasn’t going to happen. He appreciated her calm, her restraint, her trust that he knew what he was doing.

  A crappy feeling churned in the pit of his stomach. Doubt in his ability, his judgment. What made him think he could handle the organization that took out Jo’s parents alone?

  Didn’t matter. They were here. It was happening. Time to focus on protecting his witness. Thirty minutes later, there had been limited explanations and agreement to use an unmarked car to return to their hotel.

  “Phone call.” The sergeant who’d been helping them pointed toward a room. “You can use this office.”

  Levi knew who was on the phone. Any good cop would have checked out his credentials and called Denver. He’d wanted to avoid getting his butt chewed in front of Jo, hoping to make the call when it wasn’t necessary to keep her directly next to him. They both entered the room and shut the door.

  Jo had said three words: coffee, cream and please. That’s it. Now she sat next to the phone.

  “Cooper.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are? I want explanations for abusing your status as a United States Marshal.” Sherry spoke loud enough to be heard without a speaker. There wasn’t a way to turn down the volume or walk away from the extension.

  “I identified myself in Texarkan
a and helped with the search. Nothing more.”

  “Don’t insult my intelligence. A train was set on fire and you absconded with a victim, crossing state lines. You’re currently in Dallas working a twenty-year-old murder. Shots have been fired.”

  “You knew I was escorting Jolene—”

  “You aren’t escorting a witness, Cooper. There. Is. No. Witness. Period. Did you hear me that time?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Loud and clear.”

  As could Jolene.

  “You’ll be lucky if you can keep your job over this incident. How long have you been having an affair with her?”

  “You checked my files?”

  “Of course we checked your files. I have a rogue marshal flashing his badge around in two different states. Of course I gave the order. All the favors you’ve asked from fellow marshals in the Atlanta area, switching with others to pull duty in the area yourself. This goes way beyond stalking, Cooper.”

  The shocked expression on Jo’s face verified that she’d heard, too.

  “If you found the files, then you know there was no affair. I was watching my witness. Joseph Atkins knew his daughter would be in danger. I have his statements—”

  “Atkins’s death is an unfortunate accident. He and his family are no longer the responsibility of the Marshals Service.”

  “I led the people trying to kill her straight to the funeral. Hell, I practically bought their plane tickets.”

  “Don’t push this any further, Levi. Walk away.”

  “Not happening. I gave my word.”

  “Then I have no choice. You’re officially suspended.”

  * * *

  “WELL THAT didn’t go as planned,” Levi said, coming through the hotel door just behind her.

  Jolene toed her shoes off, leaving each directly in Levi’s path and totally not caring. Let him trip. She hadn’t spoken. Not a word. She hadn’t known what to say at the police station. Since the phone call from Levi’s supervisor suspending him, she hadn’t been capable of forming a coherent sentence.

  How could she be furious, terrified, mortified and betrayed all at the same time? The desire to let loose a blood-curdling scream of frustration had never been as strong as it was finding out he’d been spying on her.