Claire shook free of Adam’s hold on her and clenched her fists at her side. “Can you believe that woman? She’s married to a murderer, and she acts like we’re the bad guys.”
Adam chuckled. “Get used to it, Claire. A lot of people have little respect for bounty hunters, but the job we do helps protect the innocent victims that these criminals will prey on if they’re not caught and returned to jail. If you’re going to work in this profession, you’re going to have to develop a thick skin.”
“I’m not sure I’m going to keep doing this after we find Peter. That librarian’s job is looking sweeter all the time. Coping with a school full of active adolescents who experience frequent mood swings is nothing compared to being shot at and almost killed in a hit-and-run.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I can see how your old life could be so attractive right now.” He leaned closer and grinned. “But just think of the fun you’d be missing if you weren’t on the trail of a fugitive.”
Claire inhaled the scent of Adam’s aftershave as he stepped closer to her, and she swallowed the longing that filled her. Once she had thought she’d never love anyone like she did him. Then that had all changed.
But we’ve gotten past that, she argued with herself. All she could do was what she had told him. She would be his friend. That would be it. Nothing more.
She smiled and inclined her head toward the car at the curb. “Speaking of fugitives, it’s time we got back to work. Where do we go from here?”
“Maybe it’s time we paid a visit to the Serenity Wellness Spa outside of town. What do you think?”
She shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
They headed toward the car but had only taken a few steps when Claire’s cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket. “Hello.”
“Miss Walker?”
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Barnes with the Memphis Police Department. I was one of the officers who spoke with you at Jessica Knight’s apartment after the break-in.”
She smiled. “Oh, yes, Detective Barnes. I remember you.”
“I thought I would let you know we found a car registered to James Lester.”
Her mouth gaped open in surprise. “You have? Where was it?”
“It was in the parking lot of an abandoned factory in North Memphis.”
“That’s wonderful. It’s probably the same car that tried to run Adam Knight and me down in a bank parking lot yesterday.”
“I saw that report, and this car has the same license plate number that the witness at the bank gave to police.”
She turned to Adam and whispered, “The police have found James Lester’s car.”
“That’s great,” he mouthed.
Claire spoke into the phone again. “Did you find anything in the car that might give a clue to James’s whereabouts?”
A long sigh came over the phone. “That’s what I wanted to let you know.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Oh, what is it?”
“I’m at the medical examiner’s office right now. There were two bodies inside the car.”
EIGHT
Out of the corner of her eye Claire watched Adam as he hunched over the steering wheel and maneuvered the car through the traffic on the bridge that linked Mud Island to downtown Memphis. He hadn’t said anything since they’d rushed off from the Willis home. She noticed the muscle in his jaw flex as he chewed on his bottom lip. She’d often seen that look when he was lost in thought about something. She’d found out years ago that it was better to leave him to his thoughts when he was like that. She turned her head and stared out the window.
He kept silent until he turned onto Poplar Avenue. “Are you okay?” he asked.
His unexpected question startled her, and she swiveled in her seat to stare at him. “I’m fine. How about you? You seemed like you were in another world.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just thinking about what Detective Barnes said. Didn’t he give you any idea who the two dead people are?”
“No, he said that he knew we were searching for James and Peter and that after the break-in at Jessica’s he thought we might want to come down to the medical examiner’s office to offer a positive identification. That makes me think it must be Peter and James. Who else could it be?”
“I don’t know. But at this point let’s not speculate until we get there.”
She nodded. “You’re right. It may be two unlucky people who happened to cross the pair’s path.” A bitter taste poured into her mouth at the thought of where they were headed, and she swallowed. “Have you ever been to the medical examiner’s office before?”
He nodded. “I’ve been there quite a few times.” He glanced at her. “What about you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Are you worried about going there?”
She fidgeted in her seat and pulled her seat belt tighter. “No. I just don’t know what to expect. But come to think of it, the past few days have been a big change from my normal everyday life. I just never expected to be making a trip to the medical examiner’s office.”
He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you.” He darted a glance at her and grinned. “And if I see you’re about to faint, I’ll try to catch you before you hit the floor.”
She pulled her hand free of his and swatted at him. “Try? Thanks, friend.”
He laughed and turned his attention back to the traffic, but a small smile still pulled at his mouth. This was the Adam she liked better, the teasing one who made her heart race. Not the brooding one who retreated into the places in his mind that he’d never revealed to anyone. He’d almost opened up to her that night six years ago, but never again until their conversation in the kitchen last night.
She dropped her gaze and stared at the floorboard. Even though they’d experienced some terrifying moments during the past few days, being with Adam had made her happier than she’d been in a long time. What she needed to do now was concentrate on what she’d come to realize. He wasn’t an enemy like she’d let herself believe for the past six years.
She had to admit that what she’d known in her heart all along was true, Adam was a good man. He loved his family, and he cared about his friends. And she realized that he didn’t dislike her as she had thought, but he really wanted to be her friend. If he could only learn to accept the love God wanted to give him, he would be on his way to learning how to live with the memories that still haunted him. She hoped he could come to see how wrong he was about God’s love for him.
The car turned into the parking lot of the new facility that housed the medical examiner’s office, and Adam pulled to a stop. He waved his hand in the direction of the brick building. “This is it. As you can see, there isn’t anything frightening about it.”
“No, there isn’t. Still, I’m glad you’re with me.”
He let his gaze drift over her face, and he smiled. “So am I.”
They climbed from the car and walked toward the building. They stepped to the front door, but before Adam could reach for the handle, the door opened. Detective Barnes stood in the hallway inside. “I was waiting for you. Thanks for coming.”
They stepped into the entry and stopped beside the policeman. Adam reached out and shook hands with him. “We were glad to come. Have you identified the bodies found in the car?”
He nodded and looked at Claire. “I’m sorry if I was evasive when I was on the phone, but I was trying to talk with you and catch what the medical examiner was saying to my partner.”
“I understand, but tell us about the bodies inside the car.”
Detective Barnes took a deep breath. “Two officers on patrol spotted the car in the parking lot at about five o’clock this morning. When they looked inside, they saw James Lester
slumped over the steering wheel. He’d died of a gunshot wound.”
Claire gasped and brought her hand to her throat. “Did he die from the wound he received when I shot him at Jessica’s apartment?”
“No. From what I understand, he did have a wound on his leg that had been bandaged. But he died after being shot in the head.”
Claire sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. Even if he did try to kill me, I wouldn’t want to be the cause of his death. But you said there were two bodies in the car.”
“Yes. After finding Lester, they opened the trunk, and there was another body in it. Since there was no identification on the victim, they didn’t know who he was.”
“So it wasn’t Peter Willis?” Adam asked.
Detective Barnes shook his head. “No. The bodies were brought here, and they started checking to see if there had been any reports of a missing person turned in overnight. It turned out there had been. A woman reported that her husband never came home after work. She said that he had never done anything like that before. So we called her, and she came down. She gave us a positive identification of her husband’s body a few minutes ago. I thought you might know him, but we have his name now.”
“What is the victim’s name?” Claire asked.
“Jonathan Fields.”
Claire gasped and looked at Adam, whose face had turned pale. “Jonathan Fields who worked at the bank with Peter Willis?”
A surprised look crossed the detective’s face. “How did you know him?”
“We talked to him at the bank right before James’s car tried to run us down. James must have seen Jonathan talking to us and decided to kill him. Jonathan told us he had information about some trouble between Peter and Lance Morgan, who was murdered.”
“That’s right,” Detective Barnes said. “He was a potential witness in the case.”
Claire closed her eyes and shook her head. “Oh, no. Was Jonathan murdered because he talked to us?”
Adam grabbed her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. “No, Claire,” he said. “Peter probably had him targeted from the very beginning of this case. He knew Jonathan was going to testify, and as we’ve found out in the past few days, Peter doesn’t want to leave any witnesses.”
“Mr. Knight’s right, Miss Walker,” Detective Barnes said. “We don’t have any evidence to support our theory yet, but we believe Peter probably killed James after they killed Jonathan. After all, James had botched the attempt on your life at Jessica’s apartment and then again at the bank. We may know for sure when the report comes back from ballistics. If the bullets from Lance Morgan’s body and James Lester’s are from the same gun, we have reasonable belief to charge Peter with both murders.”
“If my father was killed with the same gun, Willis could be linked to his murder, too,” Claire added.
Detective Barnes nodded. “We’ll check on that. If they are the same, we can charge Willis with all three murders.”
Adam exhaled a deep breath. “We have to find him first.”
Detective Barnes looked at him. “I thought you were hired to go after James Lester.”
“I was. Now that he’s dead I’m off that case. But I’ll continue to help Claire look for Peter Willis.”
Detective Barnes sighed. “All I can tell you two is to be careful. Peter Willis is a murderer, and if he killed Lester, he must not have any loyalty to his friends, much less his enemies.”
“We will,” Claire said. “But before we go, I wanted to ask you about Jonathan’s wife. Is she still here?”
He nodded. “Yes, she’s sitting in that room down the hall on the right. I think she’s waiting for someone to join her.”
“Would it be okay if I talked to her?”
“If you want to question her about her husband’s death, you won’t have any luck. We’ve already talked to her enough to know that she is completely in the dark about why anyone would want to kill her husband. Evidently he hadn’t told her he had talked to us about the argument he overheard between Lance and Peter.”
Claire shook her head. “No, I don’t want to ask her any questions. I only want to offer her my condolences.”
“Then go ahead. I have to get back to headquarters, but thanks for coming. If you two find out anything about Willis, let us know.”
Adam stuck out his hand. “We will.”
The detective shook Adam’s hand. “Tell Jessica hello for me. We still miss her at the station. I think my partner, Ryan, really does. He worked with her before she quit to work with you.”
Adam nodded. “I’ll tell her.”
Detective Barnes shook Claire’s hand and then walked out the front door. She watched him go before she took a deep breath. “I’ll be back in a minute. I want to see Mrs. Fields.”
“I’ll wait for you here.”
“I won’t be long,” she called over her shoulder as she strode toward the room the detective had pointed out.
As Claire stepped into the room, she spotted a young woman sitting alone on a couch. She leaned forward, her elbows propped on her knees. She clutched a tissue in her hands and pressed it against her eyes. Her shoulders shook, and a muffled sob seemed to echo in the silent room.
Claire stopped in front of her. “Mrs. Fields?”
The woman jerked upright in her seat and stared at Claire. “Yes?”
Claire’s heart sank at the sight of the woman’s grief-stricken face and her red eyes. “My name is Claire Walker. I wanted to come in and tell you how sorry I am about your husband’s death.”
The young woman dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “Are you with the police?”
“No. I’m really a school librarian, but right now I’m working on a case with a fugitive recovery agent to bring in two men who jumped bail. One of them was James Lester.”
Her eyebrows arched. “The other man who was in the car?”
“Yes.”
A puzzled look crossed her face. “This is all so confusing to me. Jonathan never mentioned anyone named James Lester to me. The police told me there’s a warrant out for his arrest on another charge.”
“Yes. That’s why my friend and I were trying to find him. I wish we had before he crossed paths with your husband.”
“I do, too.” The woman’s body shook as she choked back a sob. “So you were looking for this criminal. But did you know my husband?”
“I met him at the bank once. I thought he was a very nice young man. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about his death.”
Fresh tears ran down the woman’s face. “Thank you, Miss... I’m sorry. I’ve already forgotten your last name.”
“Walker, but just call me Claire. I understand you not remembering my name. You have your mind on other things right now.”
The woman scooted over and motioned for Claire to sit beside her. “My name is Molly. I appreciate your coming in here. I assume you want to ask me questions about the other man found in the car, but I’m at a loss to understand what Jonathan was doing with him.”
Claire shook her head. “No, I don’t want to ask you about him. I only wanted to check on you and see if there’s anything I can do for you. Can we drive you home? Call a family member or friend?”
“We don’t have family here. Jonathan and I moved here from Georgia where we grew up. Both of our families live there, as do most of our friends. But we do have a wonderful pastor here in Memphis, and I’ve called for him to come. He and his wife are on their way.”
“That’s good to hear. I live in Nashville, but I lost my father here recently. I don’t know what I would have done without his pastor to help me through those days. I’m glad to know that you’re a believer.”
Molly’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I am, and so was Jonathan.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “We found out a few weeks ago that we’re going to h
ave a baby, and Jonathan was so happy. He grew up in a faith-filled home, and that’s what he wanted for our child.” Suddenly her eyes darkened and filled with tears. “Now he’ll never know his child. How can I face raising our baby without him?”
Molly covered her eyes with her hands as the tears streamed down her face. Claire reached out and put her arm around her shoulders, and Molly collapsed against her. Claire sat there until Molly appeared spent from her tears.
“It’s going to be all right,” Claire whispered. “God will help you get through this.”
Molly straightened and looked at her. “I know that, but right now it’s hard to bear.”
“And it will be for a long time, but that doesn’t mean God’s forgotten you. He’s right there with you, taking every step alongside you. He’ll give you the strength to make it through each day. And as you do, you’ll find that each one will get easier.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
Claire took a deep breath. “And remember this, too. God has already blessed you in a special way. He’s given you Jonathan’s baby so that you’ll always have a part of him with you. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Molly’s eyes sparkled with tears, but she smiled. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” She reached out and grasped Claire’s hand. “Thank you for coming in to see me. You’ve helped me so much.”
Claire smiled and pushed to her feet. “I hope so. And I’ll be praying for you, Molly. I know God is going to bless you and your child beyond anything you can imagine at the moment.”
Molly stood and wrapped her arms around Claire in a hug. “I hope we meet again.”
“Maybe we will. Now I have to go. You take care of yourself.”
“You, too,” Molly said as she sank back onto the couch.
Claire turned to leave the room but paused at the sight of Adam standing in the doorway. He glanced from Molly to her before he whirled around and strode down the hall. Claire hurried from the room and into the hall just as he shoved the front door open with all his strength and stormed outside.
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