by Terri Reed
“Good idea.” He liked that she problem-solved. Taking out his cell phone, he went about the task of photographing the whiteboard.
“I’ll see if I can find some boxes to throw everything into and then I can organize it later.”
“That’s fine. But you also need to pack your clothes.”
She hesitated. “If it’s not safe for me here, then it’s not safe for Grace or Roxanne.”
He appreciated her concern for her roommates. “You’re right. They are going to need to leave, as well. Can you text or call them to let them know? They should find other accommodations for the time being.”
Shoulders slumped, she nodded. “I can’t believe we’re having to do this.”
“If you or your family can spring for a security team, then you could stay. I’m willing to wait until they arrive.”
Straightening, she shook her head. “I’m not calling my family. I’ll text the girls. I’m sure we can all find somewhere else to crash for a few days.” She looked at him steadily. “It won’t be more than a few days, will it?”
“I can’t honestly say. I don’t think you’ll be safe coming back here to the apartment or the building. But maybe in a day or so, they can. But they can’t know where you’ve gone.”
She shuddered and dug out her cell phone from her purse. After she sent several texts, she went into the living room, where a set of dresser drawers was pushed up against the bookcase.
“Why don’t you want to call your family?” For him, family was everything. He didn’t know what he would do without them.
She opened some doors and stared at her clothes. “I left Georgia to be out from under their control. I’m not going to invite it back into my life.”
He wasn’t sure what to say. He ached for her because she obviously didn’t feel supported by her family.
Turning away from the dresser, she moved to the sofa bed and knelt down on the floor to drag out a suitcase from beneath. She pulled out a couple of flat boxes, as well. He rushed over to help her.
Standing, she held out a roll of tape. “Do you mind taking care of these?”
“Not at all.” He took the tape from her hand, and the boxes.
While she packed, he put together the boxes and filled them with everything on the table.
“I’ve taken several pictures of the whiteboard,” he told her. “You need to erase it.”
Leaving her suitcase by the front door, she grabbed her own phone and snapped off several images before taking a black felt eraser and wiping the board clean. “There.” She set the eraser down and picked up her cell phone. “Now to find a hotel.”
As Carter watched her searching the internet, Ellie’s words reverberated through his head. You better help her some more, Daddy.
His daughter was right. He couldn’t in good conscience send her off alone. And though he didn’t want to do this, he knew there was only one option. “Forget the hotel. You’re coming home with me.”
* * *
Rachelle froze. Stunned, she lifted her gaze to meet Carter’s. Surely she’d misunderstood him. He wanted to take her home? To his home? That couldn’t be right. “What did you say?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair, leaving behind grooves from his strong, capable fingers. She had the craziest urge to touch his hair, to smooth down the ruffled strands. She tightened her hold on the phone.
“Listen, whatever you’ve stumbled on could be the break we need in solving my brother’s murder. I can’t leave you alone again. My family home has plenty of rooms. It’s a temporary solution until we can find a secure safe house.”
Her mouth dropped open. She snapped her lips together as a protest gathered on her tongue. But then her mind latched on to the fact she’d be staying with the Jamesons. Inside the family home, where she could gather more insight into Jordan’s life and death.
Carter’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t even think about continuing with your investigation or your story.”
She drew back. Had she been that transparent? “How can I stop when I’ve gathered more intel than the police? If you let me work with you...we could accomplish much more as a team.”
He barked out a laugh. “Really? A team.” Then he seemed to give it some thought. “Okay. We’ll team up to go through your notes once we get back to my house.”
That wasn’t exactly what she meant but she’d take it for now. “Deal.”
They left the apartment with Carter balancing two full cardboard boxes filled with her notes in his arms. Frosty trailed along at his side while she dragged her suitcase behind her. She appreciated that Carter had her wait to exit the elevator until after he and his partner were satisfied there were no visible threats. Her throat still burned where the man had pressed his arm against her neck and squeezed. An involuntary shudder racked her.
As if sensing the tremor racing through her, both Frosty and Carter stopped and looked at her.
“You okay?” he asked, concern darkening his blue eyes.
She swallowed past the soreness. “Yeah. Of course,” she hedged, unwilling to show any weakness. She lifted a quick prayer asking for the strength to see her through this ordeal.
Carter set the boxes on the sidewalk beside his blue-and-white K-9 Unit vehicle. Using the fob on his key chain, he popped open the back hatch.
“Load up,” he said.
Frosty jumped into the back compartment without hesitation.
Impressed, Rachelle said, “Wow, he really is well trained.”
“We work eight to ten hours a week at the training center and then more intense specific training with others in the K-9 transit unit once a month.”
“I’d really love to see the training center and witness some training. Will you be doing any drills for the upcoming K-9 trials?”
He nodded as he picked up the boxes. He gestured with his chin toward the rear passenger door. “Can you get the door?”
She opened the side back passenger door and he set the boxes on the seat, then hefted her suitcase inside, as well. He turned to look at her. “I still owe you a tour of the station house. That would include the training center. Frosty and I need to run through our obstacle courses before next Saturday.”
“May I watch?” She couldn’t wait to see the two in action.
He shut the back door and opened the front passenger door and leaned on the frame. “Yes. In fact, it would probably be a really good idea for you to walk the course so you can get an idea of what it’s like out there.”
She slid into the passenger seat, catching a whiff of his aftershave. She’d noticed the spicy, masculine scent earlier in the day. She liked the way he smelled. “That sounds fun.”
“It will be.” He winked and then shut the door, leaving her to wonder what he meant.
As he started the SUV, she fingered a pink scrunchie stuck in the cup holder. Ellie’s, no doubt. She had to admit she was looking forward to seeing the little girl again. She was charming, just like her dad. Rachelle didn’t have much experience around children. She’d never babysat like some of her friends had done during high school. Her after-school job had been office work in her father’s law firm. Not that he’d paid her, saying she needed to earn her keep. She shook off the memory and paid attention to where they were going.
Carter drove them out of Forest Hills and into Rego Park. They passed the popular four-floor shopping center with its multilevel parking garage, then wound their way through the neighborhoods of tall apartment buildings that gave way to detached homes.
He brought the vehicle to a halt in front of a three-story house with a nice front yard and beautiful full tree providing some shade.
She stared at the three-story, multifamily building. “Are the upper floors apartments?”
“Yes. Ellie, Noah and I share the top floor. Jordan and—” His voice faltered. “Katie lives on th
e second floor.”
He climbed out before she could offer sympathy. She couldn’t imagine how hard it had to be for the family to have Jordan gone and his murder unsolved.
Carter let Frosty out, then he came around to her side as she stepped out of the vehicle. He retrieved her suitcase and placed it on the paved walkway. Then he grabbed the boxes and led the way up the porch stairs to the front door.
Nerves suddenly fluttered in her stomach. “Are you sure about this?”
There was just the briefest hesitation before he said, “It’ll be fine.”
She wondered if he was hoping to reassure her or himself. “Did you let your family know I was coming?”
He set the boxes down and faced her. “No. My parents aren’t terribly fond of reporters. The press has been less than kind to our family since Jordan’s death.”
She grimaced. Remembering some of the headlines. Especially in the beginning when the death at first had appeared to be a suicide. She wanted to tell him it was nothing personal. The reporters and the newspapers had a job to do. But she understood there were some who acted carelessly. She tried not to be biased one way or another in her reporting. But then again, there wasn’t much to be biased about in giving an account of a new doughnut shop opening up or what a celebrity was wearing at one of the many gala events that she was assigned.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
“Too late. Besides, this is the best option.” He opened the door and ushered her inside.
As she stepped into the house, she wondered why he was adamant that he and his family provide her shelter and security. Why not pawn her off to someone else like he’d done earlier? Guilt, she decided. He felt guilty for not having been there when she was attacked in her apartment building. “You don’t have to do this.”
He cocked his head. “Do what?”
“Take me in like this. It wasn’t your fault I was attacked.”
His mouth twisted in a rueful way that had her pulse skipping. “You caught me. I do feel guilt for not seeing you home. But bringing you here is also selfish. I want the information in these boxes.”
“Ah.” She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. She looked away and took in the house.
The living room was cozy with well-worn leather furniture, a large-scale TV on a wood stand, shelves filled with books and magazines on the coffee table. A colorful afghan lay folded across the back of the couch. To her left was a dining room with a large dining table and enough chairs to accommodate the whole Jameson clan.
Carter set the boxes on the dining table. “You can leave your suitcase over there.” He pointed to the mouth of the hallway. “Your room will be down that way. I’ll show you to it after I introduce you to my parents. They’re out back.”
He walked through the doorway into the kitchen. With trepidation making her nerves jumpy, she followed him. Carter opened the back door and they stepped out onto a patio overlooking a grassy yard. There was a dog run and a couple of kennels. Frosty trotted straight out to the grass where two puppies, one black and one yellow with a black smudge on one ear, were chasing each other. For a moment, Rachelle watched the rambunctious pair, enraptured by the cuteness.
“Daddy!” Ellie exclaimed, scrambling out of her chair and drawing Rachelle’s gaze.
An older couple and a pretty blonde also sat at the patio table, their curious gazes raking over Rachelle. Subconsciously, she smoothed her hand over her skirt wishing she’d taken the time to change into some clean clothes.
Ellie wrapped her arms around her father’s waist and held him tight, and then she turned her bright blue eyes onto Rachelle. “Are you doing better now? Are you hungry?”
Disarmed, as she was earlier by the cute kid, Rachelle nodded. She was safe and famished. “Yes and yes.”
Ellie released her father and slipped her hand into Rachelle’s, tugging her toward the table. “Come on.”
Sending Carter a questioning glance, to which he shrugged, Rachelle allowed herself to be pulled toward the table.
The elder Jameson, wearing cargo shorts and a T-shirt with the logo of the Mets emblazoned across the front, stood, his gaze locking with Carter’s. He was tall, handsome and formidable. She decided the Jameson men took after their father. “Are you going to introduce your friend?”
Moving to stand beside Rachelle, Carter said, “Mom, Dad, Katie, this is Rachelle Clark.” He gestured with his hand. “My sister-in-law, Katie, and my parents, Alex and Ivy.”
“Hello,” Rachelle said with her best smile.
She could tell from the disgruntled look on his mother’s face that her presence definitely wasn’t a pleasant surprise. Her blue eyes, so like her son Carter’s, were wary. Her dark hair was swept up in a topknot and she wore a skort and polo top, looking comfortable and sporty at the same time. An outfit Rachelle’s mother would have curled a lip at.
“Rachelle needs a safe place to stay tonight,” Carter said.
“She can stay with us!” Ellie piped up.
“Actually, honey,” Carter said. “I’m hoping Grandpa and Grandma can put her up in their spare bedroom.”
Rachelle’s gaze snapped to him. He was putting his parents on the spot. Totally uncomfortable, she said, “That’s okay. I can find a hotel.”
“But I want her to stay with us,” Ellie protested. “She could have Uncle Zach’s old room.”
Carter shook his head. “No, honey, that’s not going to happen.” He looked to his parents. “Mom, Dad?” There was steel in his tone that made Rachelle shiver.
She didn’t want to cause a rift between Carter and his family.
Carter’s mother gave her a tight smile. “Of course. I’ll make up the bed after dinner.” She gestured toward an empty seat. “Please, join us.”
Feeling as welcome as a swamp breeze, she debated turning tail and sprinting for the door. The heat of Carter’s hand at the small of her back jolted through her. His gaze locked with hers. The message clear in his blue eyes said she wasn’t going anywhere.
And for some reason she suddenly didn’t want to leave. Which was as scary as facing down her attacker in the stairwell.
SIX
After excusing herself to take a few moments to clean up and change out of her soiled clothing into jean capris and a blue, cap sleeve shirt, Rachelle hesitated at the back door before joining the Jameson family on the patio. What am I doing here?
Maybe she should go home to Georgia. At least there, she knew what to expect—her parents’ disapproval and assertion that she shouldn’t have left in the first place. Here, she wasn’t sure the Jamesons would accept her, despite the invitation to join them.
But she wasn’t a quitter. And running home wasn’t something she could stomach. So she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and stepped out onto the patio.
Carter rose from his seat and held out the chair between him and Ellie. She wasn’t sure what to think of that but smiled her thanks and caught Katie Jameson’s curious gaze.
Rachelle’s own curiosity surged. She wanted to ask Jordan’s widow some questions about her husband and about their whirlwind romance, but this definitely wasn’t the time or place.
“What can I get you? Hot dog or hamburger?”
Redirecting her focus, Rachelle said to Alex Jameson, “I’ll take a hamburger, thank you.”
Carter resumed his seat next to her, so close his knee bumped against hers. The little jolt of awareness that raced up her leg made her bounce a bit in her seat.
He looked at her, his eyebrow hitched ever so slightly, then turned to his father. “The same. With cheddar.” Looking back to her he asked, “Cheese?”
Not about to tell the family she was lactose intolerant, she shook her head and simply said, “No, thank you.”
For several awkward moments, there was silence so thick she could have cut it with a butt
er knife. Then Ellie started chattering about ponies. And the two puppies raced around beneath their feet, making everyone laugh. Rachelle began to relax, enjoying the novelty of a loud and boisterous family dinner. Her hamburger was tasty and satisfying. Much better than the salad she’d planned on having tonight.
“Miss Clark, where do you come from?” Ivy asked. “There’s just a little bit of an accent in your voice.”
Ugh. The stress of the day had her slipping and rendering her diction practice useless. She tried to modulate her voice as she answered, “I’m from Georgia.”
“Ah. We haven’t ventured much to the southern states. New York must be a whole different way of life to you,” Ivy commented.
She inadvertently caught Carter’s gaze. She didn’t know how but she was certain he was thinking of her sprawled flat on the sharp gravel between the tracks of a subway train, waiting in terror for what might be a horrible death. She blinked away the awful image and gave him, then his mother, a toothy smile. “Yes, but I’m getting used to it. I like the fast-paced lifestyle. Much different from the small town where I grew up.”
“Your family must miss you,” Ivy said.
Rachelle figured they hardly noticed her absence. They barely paid attention when she was around except to find fault with her. For the way she dressed, the way she wore her hair or talked. She never was able to live up to their expectations.
“She doesn’t have contact with her family,” Carter interjected.
Slanting him a glance, Rachelle inhaled sharply. She didn’t appreciate him answering for her.
Carter lifted an eyebrow.
“We aren’t speaking at the moment,” she said. She didn’t tell him that she’d uncovered a secret that had not only explained many things for her but also caused a rip through the fabric of their family.
Thankfully, the subject matter changed to the Jamesons’ recent visit to Fire Island and the upcoming K-9 trials. Rachelle soaked it all in, deciding she would have to take a trip to see the lighthouse at the tip of Long Island. And the more she heard about the K-9 trials the more excited she was to write about the event.
