Line of Duty

by Christy Barritt

  I’d gone to his place to taunt him this evening, and I might go back later. Whatever I could do to get in Jaxon’s head. To send messages. To let people know who was in control.

  Me, of course.

  I shoved my hands down into my pockets and let the nighttime work for me, concealing my presence. Nature knew what I needed and complied with my wishes. That’s why I was staying in the woods. Off a little road where the trees could protect me. It worked perfectly for what I needed it for.

  By now, people in this town were keeping an eye open for me. It wasn’t my fault. But, last night, I’d had to do what I had to do.

  My muscles tightened as I thought about it.

  That woman had come on to me. She was impure and willing to do things that no single woman should be willing to do. I’d tried to put her in her place, but she wouldn’t listen. Instead, she’d gotten offended. Then she stopped respecting me.

  That was when I knew I had to take action. Because no one disrespected me—especially not floozies like that brunette.

  The rage inside me had surprised even me. It felt so good to get my frustrations out. Someone had to pay, and I was the one who wanted to make a statement.

  People needed to act like they had virtues. Especially women. They’d grown accustomed to using their feminine charms to get what they wanted, not caring who might be hurt in the process.

  I fisted my hands as I thought about it. Stay calm, I told myself. In control. I sucked in a deep breath and then another and another.

  As I did, a car pulled up to the lake. I watched carefully and saw a man and woman inside. They were too old to be teenagers. If I had to guess, based on the make of the car and the out-of-state license plate, they were here with one of the corporate getaways.

  Those people. Snooty. Privileged. Thought they were better than everyone else. I couldn’t stand them.

  My gaze went back to the car that had pulled into the little gravel lot off the beaten path. I imagined this was probably a pretty popular spot for couples to get away and get frisky. There had been a few spots like this in the area where I’d grown up also. I knew all about them.

  I remained in the shadows and watched.

  I’d seen that woman earlier talking with some of her girlfriends while they were in a local coffee shop. She’d mentioned her husband back home.

  But the man she kissed right now was not her husband.

  A new round of anger built up in me until I felt like a volcano that was about to erupt.

  Why did people think they could act like this? It boggled my mind.

  The items on my to-do list seemed to grow. First, I needed to get Jaxon Wilder out of the way. He needed to pay—but not in the way that Abby Brennan needed to pay. She needed to suffer. Jaxon, on the other hand, just needed to disappear.

  I looked back at the car. It looked like another task had been handed to me. These things seemed to drop in my lap, these situations that needed to be handled.

  Justice needed to be quick, and it needed to be obvious.

  This woman was doing something she should not be doing.

  It was a good thing I was patient. I would wait. At the right opportunity, I would give her the chance to repent. If she didn’t, she’d have to pay the price.

  And I would enjoy every minute of it.

  At the thought of it, I began whistling again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jaxon woke up early the next morning—if he’d even call it waking up. He’d hardly gotten any sleep last night as he’d waited to hear someone outside his house. He’d been on guard, ready to spring into action if necessary.

  To be on the safe side, Jaxon had decided to sleep on the couch and let Abby have his room. He felt better knowing that she was close. The upstairs apartment had its own entrance and felt too secluded right now.

  After he started the coffee pot, Jaxon paced over to his bedroom doorway. It was cracked. Pushing aside any guilt at invading Abby’s privacy, Jaxon peered inside. Abby’s sleeping figure lay in his bed. The sound of her breathing offered proof of life.

  He looked away. Good. She was okay. That was all he needed to know.

  More at ease, he went to his front door and stepped outside. A bitterly cold wind greeted him and a light layer of snow had been left on his doorstep.

  Normally, Jaxon loved this time of year in the mountains. There was nothing like seeing the glistening white slopes. But, right now, he wasn’t in the position to enjoy anything. He just wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on with Abby.

  Before he stepped back inside, something in the dusting of snow caught his eye. There, on the wooden planks of his deck. Were those . . .?

  Footprints. They were definitely footprints, and large ones at that.

  Jaxon bristled and reached for the gun in his waistband. He scanned the area around him. His driveway. The woods. The lake.

  Was the man here right now?

  Jaxon saw nothing out of the ordinary. Saw no one. Heard only silence.

  But that didn’t mean he was safe.

  Carefully, he followed the footprints around the perimeter of the cabin and saw that the tracks stopped at each window.

  The Executioner had been here last night. He’d come and peered inside, probably trying to see if Abby was here or not. Thank goodness, they’d pulled all the curtains and shades shut.

  But Jaxon didn’t like this. How could he not have heard the man on his porch?

  Unless the man was stealthy, just as Abby had said. Maybe he hadn’t wanted Jaxon to hear. Maybe he hadn’t even wanted to get inside. Maybe he had just wanted to send a message. Jaxon’s muscles tightened at the thought.

  With one last glance around his property, Jaxon went back inside and locked the door again. He slipped his gun back into his waistband, but his muscles felt poised to grab it at the first indication he would need it.

  He glanced at his watch. It was already eight o’clock. Certainly, Luke was at the station by now. Good. Because Jaxon wanted to talk with him.

  He dialed his brother’s number, and Luke answered on the first ring. Something about his voice made him sound tired, indicated he hadn’t gotten much sleep again last night. Jaxon didn’t envy his brother’s job.

  “You don’t sound too hot.” Jaxon still watched the front door, almost as if his subconscious expected the Executioner to show up at any minute.

  “I’m not. It was another long night.”

  Jaxon’s back muscles tensed, and he poured some coffee. “Did something else happen?”

  “Another woman is missing.”

  Jaxon sucked in a breath. Certainly he hadn’t heard correctly. “What?”

  “Her name is Marissa Wilcox. She’s twenty-seven. From Virginia. Here on a corporate retreat. She never came back to her hotel last night. According to her roommate, she went to meet someone and never returned. We found her car in a lot near the lake, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”

  His heart pounded in his ears. “Any blood?”

  “No, not this time. But we’re pulling the dogs out, hoping we can track her.”

  Jaxon set his coffee down on the table. “Do you think it’s the same guy?”

  “If I had to bet on it, I’d say yes. I’m not sure how he’s targeting his victims, but I do know that this woman was last seen with one of her coworkers.”

  “Okay . . .” Jaxon sensed there was something his brother wasn’t saying.

  “Her coworker was a man, and she’s married to somebody else.”

  Realization spread through Jaxon. The Judge, Jury, and Executioner suddenly made more sense. This man had deemed himself a moral authority and was punishing those he saw as sinners.

  “I see,” Jaxon finally said.

  “Is that why you were calling?”

  Jaxon told him about the footprints on his porch.

  “So you think this guy was at your place again last night?” Luke asked.

  “That’s my guess. I don’t know what his game plan
is, but I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t like it either.”

  “Listen, did you call Abby’s friend Renee?” Jaxon was anxious to hear confirmation on Abby’s story. Anxious to know the truth. To quell his doubts.

  “I tried to last night, but neither she nor her husband answered.”

  More unease sloshed inside of Jaxon. “I see.”

  “I’ll let you know when I hear from her. We’re still looking for other similar cases throughout the country—starting in Minnesota. Nothing yet. In the meantime, be careful.”

  “I will.”

  “Do you want me to send a deputy to sit outside the house?”

  “No, not yet,” Jaxon said. “I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

  “I’ll send someone over to take some pictures. And, I know this is bad timing, but don’t forget, Harper’s birthday party this evening.”

  “Is it still on?”

  “She deserves to be celebrated,” Luke said. “I want to do everything I can to make it happen. Do you think you can still make it?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  The scent of coffee jostled Abby from her sleep. She’d rested surprisingly well considering everything that had happened. It had nothing to do with the leather scent of Jaxon that seemed to permeate his room.

  That thought was ridiculous. Sure, the man was handsome and chivalrous, but that didn’t mean Abby was attracted to him. Still, she couldn’t deny she found something very comforting about his presence.

  She pushed herself up in bed. What would today bring? Did she really even want to know?

  Sometimes, Abby thought she didn’t. Sometimes it would be nice just to freeze this very moment, this instant where nothing else had gone wrong. She knew when she got out of bed, she would face more problems, more questions, and probably more danger.

  Maybe she should leave. Get out of town. Leave this area behind.

  Then she remembered Luke’s words to her—that she had to stay here because of the investigation.

  She ran a hand through her hair. She just needed to get ready. To stop sitting here thinking things over again and again.

  Twenty minutes later, when she stepped out into the living room, she saw a cup of coffee waiting for her on the counter. Jaxon sat on the sofa, looking at his computer screen.

  She sucked in a breath. The man was a sight to behold.

  The fire blazed behind him and a light dusting of snow feathered the windowpanes. His red-and-black flannel shirt nicely displayed his muscles. But it was his eyes that got to her. They showed his kind yet honorable soul.

  Abby picked up the coffee and sat across from him. “Morning.”

  He closed the laptop and offered a quick smile. “Good morning.”

  “Thanks for the coffee.” She held it beneath her nose. “It smells great.”

  Jaxon’s eyes lit as he turned toward her. “Good news. I just found out that somebody requested a coffee order for a shop in Gatlinburg.”

  “That’s great news. I didn’t know that you were shopping it around.”

  “I wasn’t shopping it around, but my two sisters-in-law decided to take matters into their own hands.”

  Abby smiled. “They sound like smart women.”

  He shrugged good-naturedly. “I like them.”

  “So what does this mean for you?” Abby pulled a blanket around her legs, trying to ward away the morning chill.

  “The buyer wants to come out tomorrow to talk to me.”

  “I am really happy for you, Jaxon. Maybe you have found your new calling in life.”

  He offered a boyish shrug again.

  As soon as his laid-back response disappeared, he straightened. “Listen, Abby, there’s something I need to tell you. Another woman has gone missing.”

  The blood drained from Abby’s face. Certainly she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What?”

  “I just talked to Luke about thirty minutes ago. They’re still looking for her.”

  She shook her head, wishing this was all a nightmare. But it wasn’t, was it? The danger around her grew more serious by the moment. Nothing she did could stop that. “Why does this guy keep doing this? I just don’t understand it.”

  “If he’s doing it here, there’s a good chance he’s done it somewhere else. Luke is looking into other similar cases outside this area right now. I just wanted you to know that.”

  Abby nodded and ran a hand through her hair. “I appreciate the update. I wonder if he ever talked to Renee.”

  “I asked him, and he said he hasn’t been able to get up with her yet.”

  “She usually has that phone attached to her. Then again, who knows what she has going on right now.” Abby tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

  She knew that danger didn’t encompass every area of her life, but her mind was programmed to think the worst at this point. Certainly, the lack of communication was a coincidence. In an hour or two, Renee would call the sheriff back, and everyone would know Abby couldn’t have killed Theresa Finnegan.

  Abby craved that vindication, that validation. She needed people to know she would never hurt someone else, especially out of spite.

  She cleared her throat, trying to push her grim thoughts aside as she turned back to Jaxon. “Do you have anything on your agenda today? I don’t want to keep you from anything.”

  “Actually, I was just going to roast a little more coffee,” Jaxon said. “Tonight is Harper’s birthday party. You can come.”

  “I hate to intrude.”

  “You’re not intruding. I’m inviting you.”

  Abby stared at him. Jaxon seemed sincere. And if she didn’t go, she knew Jaxon wasn’t going to leave her alone. He’d miss the party first.

  Finally, she nodded. “Okay, then. The least I can do is to make some cookies.”

  “Let’s see what I have.”

  Abby nodded. She wanted to pretend that today would be happy and normal. But she knew that wouldn’t be the case—not with the Executioner still out there. Still, maybe just for a little while she could forget her troubles.

  Yet she had no doubt they would still be there, waiting to pounce at the first opportunity.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Two hours later, Abby glanced at one of her sweet creations as they cooled on the kitchen counter.

  She and Jaxon had a surprisingly great time baking together. Michael Bublé played on some Bluetooth speakers, the scent of vanilla floated in the area, and a light snow had begun falling outside.

  Jaxon had shown her how he took raw coffee beans and roasted them there in his kitchen. He’d have to invest in some larger roasters if he ever decided to make a business out of his coffee. The whole process was fascinating.

  Jaxon nodded at Abby’s cookies. “They look really great.”

  “Decorating is my specialty.” She held up a sugar cookie that had been expertly iced to look like a birthday cake. “I know I told you that I worked in a restaurant, but I don’t. I’m sorry I didn’t tell the truth. I actually own a bakery called Sprinkles.”

  “I like that name.” Jaxon nodded as if he were impressed. “It looks like you obviously have the talent for doing this kind of thing.”

  “It’s what I’ve always loved doing. However, after everything that happened, I had to shut it down. Messages were being spray-painted on my front windows. The glass door was broken once. People were trying to organize boycotts. It got really ugly.” Her hand trembled, causing the icing to veer off the side of the cookie. Abby paused and shook her head at her mistake.

  “It’s sad what people do when they feel like they’re threatened, isn’t it?”

  “You hit the nail on the head. That’s what it boils down to. People think that I’m guilty, and they think that if they can punish me for what I supposedly did, that it will make a statement. But, the fact is, I didn’t do the things that they’re accusing me of doing.” Ignoring the tension in her shoulders, she used a toothpick to clean up
the edge of the cookie. Too bad it wasn’t that easy to clean up the mistakes made in life.

  “I’m sorry you’re having to go through all this.” Jaxon’s hand came down softly on her shoulder.

  “Me too.” Her frown disappeared, and she sucked in a deep breath, trying to compose herself. Finally, she held up a cookie. “Here you go. Try one.”

  Jaxon took a bite. The buttery sweetness of the cookie washed over his senses, and he nodded in approval. “This is really good.”

  Abby grinned. “Thank you.”

  “Your cookies and my coffee . . . they could make a good team, I think.”

  “Maybe they could.”

  For a moment, Abby forgot that her life was back in Georgia. The only thing that really tied her to the area was her best friend, Renee. Sure, her dad was there, but Abby had been so utterly disappointed in his reaction over what had happened, that Abby feared it would drive a wedge between them.

  The two of them had never been particularly close, especially after her mother died. He’d recently gotten remarried and now had a new insta-family that he showered all his time and attention on.

  In fact, maybe that’s why he seemed so upset over the accusations leveled against Abby. It painted his new family in a bad light. His wife didn’t like the bad press that came with the accusations.

  Abby had so much fun baking this morning, she’d almost forgotten about everything else that was going on in her life. But she couldn’t afford to do that. Instead, she needed to wait—to prepare—for the next shoe to drop.

  A knock sounded at the door. Jaxon instantly tensed and put his cookie down, all signs of the fun they’d been having gone.

  “Stay here.” Jaxon withdrew his gun and paced to the door.

  Abby held her breath, waiting to see who was going to be on the other side.

  Jaxon paused as a voice sounded on the other side of the door. “Jaxon, it’s me. Luke. Open up.”

  He released his breath and put his gun back into his waistband before opening the door. His brother stood on the porch, along with a deputy.