Deadly Dose

by Margaret Daley

  “He wouldn’t tell me anything except that he’s quitting the football team and the community center.”

  The older woman sucked in a deep breath, laying her hand against her chest. “Football was his ride to college.”

  “I’ll make sure he gets to college if that’s what he wants to do. He needs to talk to a counselor, and I know one of the best in the state. I’ll pay for Aaron to see him. Dr. Conroy practices in Oklahoma City.”

  Wet tracks ran down her face. “I can’t accept your help. I can’t take the time off of work to take him to the city, or I’ll get fired. I need the job.”

  “I’ll find a job for you at Morgan Industries.”

  “I only graduated from high school.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. Take care of Aaron, and I’ll make sure you have a job and an appointment with Dr. Conroy. Okay?”

  “Why are you doing this?” She pulled out a tissue and dabbed her cheeks.

  “I’ve only been working with him six weeks, but Aaron is a good kid. There’s a lot of potential in him. And I don’t want to see somebody get away with what they did to him.”

  She rose and took his hand. “Thank you. God bless you.”

  As Josh walked away from the Coleman’s house, Aaron’s mother’s words echoed through his mind. God bless you. He usually attended church every week, but he was guilty of going through the motions of being a Christian although he rarely turned to the Lord for anything. He thought he was capable of taking care of anything that came his way.

  While sitting on Aaron’s bed, trying to get information, helplessness had blanketed Josh. The more he thought about the conversation, the more he felt Aaron knew something about his attackers. But he’d chosen to remain quiet. There were usually two reasons why someone would do that—fear and protecting another. It was probably because he was scared.

  Lord, please protect Aaron. Show me what You want me to do.

  * * *

  Jessie glanced around the room next to Quinn’s office, which he’d converted into her work space. Eight by ten feet with cinder block walls, no windows and one light hanging from the ceiling. The door was the only break in the dull beige cell.

  It was half an hour until the end of her first day at the community center, and she hadn’t left the room except to go to the restroom. She was at the end of a hall, and no one even passed her office. She was still working on her first task—getting acquainted with all the regulations, rules, and set up of the teen center. She hated paperwork and hoped tomorrow would be more active than sitting in the same chair for hours.

  Quinn poked his head into the open doorway. “I’ve come to rescue you. The center is about to shut down for the day. When you’re here during the weekdays, I’d like you to go through the center and make sure everyone is leaving when they should, and let me know if there’s anything wrong or damaged. I’ll show you what I do at the end of each day.”

  Jessie hopped to her feet. “Sure.”

  He laughed. “I promise you tomorrow you’ll be all over the place once the kids start coming in after school.”

  “I’ll take home the last folder about upcoming events and read it there. Otherwise, I’m finished with familiarizing myself with the teen center guidelines.”

  “Great. With your help, I’ll be spending more time on fundraising. I hope by summer we’ll have a swimming pool here. In fact, our first stop is the room off the gym. The first weight training class has ended, and I want to see how it went.” Quinn started down the hall. “You can decorate your office any way you want. I’ll be bringing in two more chairs in case you’re working with others.”

  “That’s about all the room I’ll have.”

  “I know it’s kinda small and sterile. I’ll be looking into getting you a desk instead of the table you have right now. The mayor told me there was one I could have at city hall. When you run on a small budget from Pinecrest and donations, you take what you can. It took me a year to turn my office into what it is today.”

  “Then I have hope for mine,” Jessie said with a chuckle, remembering Quinn’s office wasn’t that much better than what she had except for its bigger size and brighter walls.

  Quinn opened the door to the gym. “Before we leave here, we’ll need to go through the locker rooms.”

  As she followed Quinn across the floor, she caught a glimpse of Josh next to a weight bench, wiping it down with a towel. When they entered the room off the gym, he looked up, his gaze immediately connecting with hers as a slow smile graced his mouth. Goosebumps prickled her skin. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of days and her reaction to him surprised her.

  “How did the class go?” Quinn asked.

  “I had fifteen show up,” Josh said, his attention glued to Jessie.

  “That’s a good start. There probably won’t be as many in the younger class tomorrow.” Quinn’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and started walking toward the exit. “I have to take this. Be back in a minute.”

  Josh covered the space between them. “How was your first day?”

  With Josh dressed in a muscle man shirt, Jessie had trouble keeping her focus on his face, not his well-built physique. “Don’t tell Quinn, but it was boring. Reading pages and pages of rules and regulation almost put me to sleep.”

  His laughter resonated through the weight lifting room. “Almost. I’d say that staying awake was a well done feat.”

  “And you seem to be enjoying my boredom.”

  “At least you didn’t get into mischief.”

  Quinn leaned into the doorway. “I have to cut this short. Can you check the locker rooms for me, Jessie? I’ll lock the front doors and get the rest of the building later.”

  “Sure.”

  Quinn, still talking on his phone, hurried toward the exit across the gym.

  Josh stepped next to her. “Well, it’s just you and me left. C’mon. I’ll help you finish up. What are we looking for?”

  “Anybody still hanging around.”

  When they entered the men’s locker room, Josh tensed, his attention immediately straying toward the shower area.

  “Is that where Aaron was beat up?”

  He nodded. “I saw him today before coming over here. He wasn’t in a good place. I’m worried about him.”

  “At least you know where Aaron is. Heather is missing—now for at least five days. Tomorrow is Mrs. Williams’s funeral. I can’t image Heather coming to it.”

  “Not if she’s hiding, but why is she?”

  “She’s involved with drugs like Mary Lou suspected and is scared, especially with her aunt dead,” Jessie drew in a deep breath, “or she’s scared and running.”

  “Aaron is scared, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran.” Josh pointed to the last shower. “That’s where I found him.”

  Jessie folded her arms over her chest and stared at the small white tiles. “Poor kid, and if he doesn’t know who did it, he doesn’t know who to stay away from. That would be scary to me, too.”

  “I think he does.”

  “Then why doesn’t he say anything?”

  “Good question. If we knew that answer, we might have a pretty good idea who beat him up.”

  “The questions lead us in a circle. I’m gonna check the back door and make sure it’s locked on the outside.”

  “It was earlier when I was in here.”

  Clasping the handle, she glanced back at Josh. “Do you usually check that?”

  “Not before Aaron was hurt. Now I do.”

  While she made sure the door was secured, Josh received a call. He turned away and lowered his voice. After he disconnected, he faced Jessie. “You’re not going to like this.”

  “Heather was found?”

  “And she’s dead.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jessie trudged across the dark terrain, a flashlight illuminating her and Josh’s path toward the pond. Each step closer, her stomach constricted even more. “This was the same place w
here Mary Lou was found dead,” Jessie said in a quivering voice as she squeezed each word past a lump of emotions, as though she was experiencing her best friend’s death again.

  Josh clasped her hand close to him. “Yes.”

  “Were they tipped off about Heather being in the pond?”

  “No. Kira said the fish must have nibbled the rope until it broke and her body came to the surface. Gabriel found her right before the sun set.”

  “Where’s Abbey? Does she know?”

  “No, she’s with Mother. She’ll stay overnight with us.”

  “You aren’t going to whisk her away again, are you?”

  “No. This pond is the closest body of water to Pinecrest.”

  “But the lake isn’t that much farther and it’s a larger body of water.”

  “But not as isolated as here.”

  Jessie’s gaze zoomed in on the crowd at the pond, floodlights making the area almost as bright as dawn. “With Heather in the same place as Mary Lou, it has to mean there’s a connection between the two deaths. That the same person must have been involved.”

  “Maybe. But Heather wasn’t meant to be found. So everyone thought she ran away from home, possibly involved in her aunt’s death.”

  “They didn’t have a great relationship according to Mary Lou, but I don’t see Heather killing her aunt.” Jessie stopped at the edge of the cluster of police and deputies. She stiffened when she spied Chief Shaffer between Kira and the sheriff. “I wonder if Heather was killed before or after her aunt.”

  When Josh continued toward the group, Jessie remained still. He glanced back then returned, standing in front of her, blocking her view. “We don’t need to stay. I’ll walk with you back to your house.”

  “I can’t stay there.” By myself.

  “I won’t leave you until your brother and Kira return.”

  The sincerity and kindness in his expression and voice released the last vestige of anger she had toward Josh for what happened in the past. He’d lost his sister to a brutal killer. She knew what pain could do to a person. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  “I’ll go tell Gabriel and Kira what we’re doing.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Robinson left the small group of onlookers and spoke to Josh, then made their way toward Jessie.

  Mrs. Robinson paused near Jessie. “I’m so sorry about this happening at your ranch again.”

  “So am I. When do you have to vacate your house?”

  Both Mrs. Robinson and her husband smiled. She leaned close to Jessie. “We don’t. Someone paid off our loan at the bank and my bills for the doctor.”

  “You don’t know who did?”

  Mr. Robinson shook his head. “No one will tell us anything. But whoever did, we’re mighty thankful for their kindness.”

  “That’s great news.” As the couple continued toward their truck, Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been worried about them. They had been good neighbors, even throughout Gabriel’s ordeal last year.

  But who’s their benefactor? A suspicion took hold.

  Jessie searched for Josh in the crowd and found him with the police chief. When Josh said something to the police chief, Josh’s mouth firmed into a frown. Although she couldn’t hear what Josh said to Chief Shaffer, they weren’t exchanging pleasantries. If only the police had taken her seriously the other night. Heather might be alive—unless she’d been dead on her living room floor.

  As Josh approached her a couple of minutes later, his frown vanished and his expression evolved into a neutral one. Then their gazes linked. Again, her feelings shifted. She began to see him in a fresh light.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Robinson told me that their loan and medical bills have been paid. Do you know anything about it?”

  Josh glanced toward their truck leaving. “I’m glad that everything has worked out for them.”

  “You didn’t exactly answer my questions. Did you take care of their debt?”

  “Yes, but please don’t say a word.”

  A month ago she would have been surprised by this news, but the more she was getting to know Josh, the more she realized it made sense.

  “Ready?” he said, holding out his hand to her.

  Nodding, she turned and clasped it. “What did Chief Shaffer say?”

  “There are no obvious signs of how Heather died. He’s speculating she died of an overdose, but he won’t know anything until the toxicology report comes back.”

  “Why were you annoyed with him?”

  “It’s the way he said it. Like the girl was a drug addict and probably overdosed.”

  “He doesn’t think it’s murder? How could he think that after what I reported and the way she was found?”

  “He acknowledges that Heather probably wouldn’t tie a concrete slab to her foot and then jump into the water, but he suggested someone put Heather here to keep the way she died a secret.”

  “Who? Her drug dealer?”

  “That’s definitely a possibility. I just don’t care for his attitude. Like her death wasn’t important enough to investigate.”

  Drawing close to her home, she squinted her eyes and slowed her pace. Although the porch was dark, light shone through the windows, illuminating it a little. “Who’s that on the porch?”

  “Scott Collins. I called him on my way here to let him know about the latest development.”

  “Kira told me he got the job in the pharmacy.”

  “Yeah, today was his first day. I wanted you to meet him. Know what he looks like.” Josh stopped and shifted toward her. “I’m doing all I can to find out who killed Mary Lou, Mrs. Williams, and Heather.”

  “You think all three deaths are connected, too?”

  “Yes. And if I had any doubt earlier, it’s gone. Where the killer disposed of Heather clinches it for me.” Josh picked up his speed. “Scott can’t stay long.”

  With binoculars dangling from his neck, Josh’s friend who was a state police officer, met them at the bottom of the steps to the porch. Josh made the introduction. Then he told Scott the little he’d learned about Heather’s death. “Anything suspicious the first day in the pharmacy?”

  “Only that the other clerks didn’t care for Mrs. Williams.”

  “Why?” Knowing Josh’s friend was in place gave Jessie hope something would be done about the three deaths.

  “According to one clerk, the woman wasn’t a nice person. I’ll find out more tomorrow. Cindy loves to gossip. I need to leave before anyone else does from the pond.” Tall with sandy brown hair, Scott began walking toward his motorcycle. He looked like a biker, not a police officer.

  The house blocked Scott’s departure from the view of anyone coming from the pond area. As he rode away, Jessie mounted the steps to the porch.

  Tension settled along Jessie’s shoulders and streaked down her spine. “Lots of questions. Few answers.”

  “We’ll know more tomorrow after Heather’s autopsy. Kira is pushing to have it done right away.” Josh reached around her and grasped the front doorknob. “Let’s go inside. It’s been a long day.”

  Jessie entered first, the sense of this being her home evaporating the nearer she got to her brother’s wedding. She looked around and already found glimpses of Kira’s influence in the house. She’d been slowly bringing her possessions to the ranch. “I need to look for a place to live in town. Any suggestions?”

  “Yes, we have a large guest house that’s been empty for a long time. You could stay there until you find what you’re looking for.”

  Her jaw dropping, Jessie swung around. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

  “No. I have a place, and you need one.”

  For a few seconds, she was tempted to say yes, but she couldn’t. She needed to do this by herself. Make a home on her own, rather than depend on Gabriel and Kira or Josh. They would never ask her to leave, but they needed time alone to bond as a family. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll find somewhere to stay.”

  “The offer stands, but I’m no
t surprised by your answer.” He moved closer. “You’re a woman of strong opinions.”

  She grinned. “Is that your way of saying I’m stubborn?”

  “Those are your words, not mine, but I won’t argue with you.”

  When one corner of his mouth quirked, her stomach fell and warm tingles zipped through her. She tried to focus on his eyes, but his lips drew her. She wondered what they would taste like. The thought stunned her. She started to step back and take a deep breath, but Josh snagged her wrist and tugged her closer.

  His fingers delved into her hair, clasping her head still, while he slowly leaned toward her. “I’m going to kiss you,” he whispered, hovering just above her lips.

  She knew better.

  She shouldn’t.

  Kiss me.

  He planted his mouth against hers and wrapped her into his embrace, pressing her close as though they were one. His lime scent engulfed her while the feel of his lips on hers sent a myriad of sensations through her body. Overwhelmed and cherished at the same time.

  She didn’t hear the front door opening, but he must have. He pulled back, his hands clasping her upper arms as though she needed a few seconds to get her bearings. And she did. She felt as if she’d been caught up in a tornado then suddenly returned safely to the same place.

  Jessie kept her back to Gabriel and Kira as they entered the living room. Their words sounded far off, and yet they weren’t.

  Josh kissed me.

  Josh snared her gaze and held it for a few seconds before he looked over her shoulder and asked, “Have the police left?”

  “Bill and the sheriff did but some have stayed at the pond to finish processing the scene as much as they can in the dark. Captain Doyle is heading it up. They’ll come back tomorrow when its light and finish up.” Kira passed Jessie and sat on the couch. “It reminded me so much of what it was like two months ago. How are you doing, Jessie?”

  While her brother sat next to Kira, Jessie moved to a chair and eased down before her legs gave out. The full impact of what happened to Heather—and Mary Lou—came rushing back to the surface. For a moment, she’d been able to forget, but reality wouldn’t let her for long. “Numb, enraged, and determined, all at the same time. I should have broken into Heather’s house somehow. Maybe she wouldn’t be dead now.”