Betrayed (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 2)

by Becky Durfee

  “I’ve lived in Georgia lot longer than you. If he’s somebody important, maybe I’ll recognize him. Can you send me the picture?”

  “Absolutely. I’d love it if you could tell me who he is.”

  “Maybe it’s a senator,” Susan said in a gossipy tone.

  “Nah, too young to be a senator.”

  “Alright, well, why don’t you send me that picture and I’ll call you back.”

  “Great.” Jenny pulled over into a parking lot and photographed her picture, sending it to Susan. Within a minute the phone rang. “Recognize him?”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t. He can’t be that important.”

  “Okay, well, thanks anyway.” Jenny’s brief optimism faded. “If I get any more details I’ll let you know.”

  “Sounds good. And good luck with this, Jenny. I know how frustrating it can be. Just do me a favor and don’t do anything stupid, okay? You’re dealing with a lunatic, here.”

  “I won’t,” Jenny replied. “I promise.”

  Chapter 3

  “We should go to the vigil tonight,” Zack said. “I’ve seen on TV that killers will often show up at those things. I think that’s our best bet for getting a glimpse of this guy in person.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. Do you happen to know how to get to Monroe High School?”

  “Yeah, I played more than one baseball game there back in the day.”

  Jenny cringed at the mention of high school baseball. All three of her brothers had played, and her father had always treated them like they walked on water because of it. Quickly dismissing such a trivial notion, she added, “I’d like to get there good and early. That way we are sure to see everyone who comes.”

  “Agreed. How about we plan to get there at six?”

  “Six is perfect. I’ll let my husband know he’s fixing his own supper tonight.”

  “Good luck with that,” Zack replied.

  “Yeah,” Jenny snorted. “I’ll add that to the long list of things I do wrong in his eyes.”

  “Now that you bring it up,” Zack began, “I’ve been wondering how he’s been taking it now that you’ve gotten another contact.”

  “To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure. I tried to bring it up to him, but he essentially ignored me. He just changed the subject.”

  “Huh,” Zack replied. “Is he upset that you’re not helping him with the renovation?”

  Jenny shrugged, although Zack couldn’t see that through the phone. “I can tell he’s not thrilled with it, but he hasn’t actually complained. I don’t think he can, really. He hasn’t been shy about spending the money Elanor left me, and I think he realizes he can’t have it both ways.”

  “Fair enough.” Zack paused awkwardly. “Okay, then, I guess I’ll get you at five thirty?”

  “Sounds good. Thanks Zack.” Jenny hung up the phone and sought out Greg, who was still upstairs struggling with the crown molding.

  “Hey,” she began, realizing she should probably offer to help but choosing not to. “I’m going to a vigil for Morgan Caldwell tonight. I’m hoping her killer will be there and I can recognize him.”

  “Okay,” he replied, not missing a beat of his hammering. Jenny waited for elaboration that would have shown he cared, but as usual it never came.

  “I’m not going to be able to fix dinner tonight. You’ll have to fend for yourself.”

  “I’m used to that.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes and left the room, shaking her head. She wasn’t sure why she was even bothering with marriage counseling. She was ninety-nine percent sure she wanted a divorce; she just couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Every time Greg acted like this, however, the words inched closer to her lips.

  As usual, Zack was late picking Jenny up. When he finally arrived, she hopped into his car quickly, hoping they could still get to the vigil early enough to see everyone in attendance. Once they were on their way, Jenny posed the question that had occurred to her while she was waiting for him.

  “Hey Zack…how is it that you have the day off again? I thought you had once said that October is your busy season at work.”

  Zack bit his lip. “Umm…” He pretended to cough a few times. “I’ve been really sick?”

  “No,” Jenny said with wide eyes. “Did you really call in sick?”

  “Kind of.”

  “What do you mean, kind of?”

  “I mean I didn’t call.”

  “You just didn’t show up?”

  Zack made a face, indicating she was right.

  Jenny was dumbfounded. “Won’t your father be furious?”

  “Yup.”

  “I thought you had said you would be disowned if you didn’t work for the family business.”

  “I most likely will be.”

  Jenny was still shocked. “But how are you going to get by?”

  “On my looks?” Zack flashed Jenny a cheesy smile.

  At that moment Jenny realized what was happening. Old Jenny was coming out—old, practical Jenny who always followed the rules and always did everything she was supposed to.

  She hated old Jenny.

  Her first client Elanor had taught her that people are in charge of their own happiness, and sometimes people have to step on some toes if they are going to be true to themselves. Jenny knew how much Zack hated his job, so she should have been happy for him that he’d quit. Instead, she couldn’t get beyond the fact that he’d broken the rules.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess I was just surprised by your answer. I’m actually glad to hear you’re playing hooky. I hate the idea of you working a job you don’t like.”

  He smiled genuinely. “Thanks.” After a pause, he added, “Although, I am quite sure I’m screwed. I have been living paycheck to paycheck, so I’ll be homeless in no time.” He let out a laugh. “I guess I haven’t thought this through very well.”

  Jenny thought for a moment about the ridiculously huge inheritance Elanor had left her with the promise that she’d use the money to help others. “You know,” she began, “if we are going to be partners in this crime-fighting arrangement we have, it seems to me you should probably be on a payroll or something…”

  Zack was silent.

  “What do you think is a fair salary?” Jenny continued, smiling at the flabbergasted look on his face. “How about if I match what you’re making now, plus an extra ten grand a year for insurance?”

  Looking close to tears, Zack said, “You’d do that for me?”

  “Of course,” Jenny replied. “I couldn’t do any of this without you. We’re a team, remember?”

  Zack remained quiet for another moment, and when he did speak his voice reflected his shock. “I’ve always hated my job, but honestly—ever since our last adventure I’ve barely been able to tolerate it. I had so much fun working on Elanor’s case, it was almost impossible to go back to designing houses after that.” He wiped his hand down his face. “If I could do this…for a living. As my job…It’d be awesome.”

  Jenny understood completely; her marriage had been equally as difficult to return to after Elanor’s case. “Well, you’re hired. Effective immediately. You can go ahead and officially quit your other job if you’d like.”

  Zack’s easygoing smile returned. “And search for another family while I’m at it.”

  “I hired you. You’re pushing it if you think I’m going to adopt you.”

  Zack laughed. “Fair enough.”

  When they arrived at the vigil, a handful of people was already there. Jenny and Zack were greeted by a woman who handed them candles surrounded in paper cups to catch the wax. After a brief and solemn thank you they joined the small crowd.

  “See anything?” Zack asked.

  “No. You?”

  “Not yet. We should position ourselves so we can see who comes in.”

  Without another word they moved to a strategic location in the crowd. As the start time of the vigil approached, however, people began to arrive
in droves, making it impossible for them to see every face. “We’ll need to circulate,” Jenny proposed.

  “Come on,” Zack said, loosely guiding Jenny by the elbow. “Keep your eyes peeled.” They walked through the masses of people to no avail, and then someone called for the crowd’s attention.

  “Thank you all for coming out tonight.” The woman who had handed them the candles spoke first. “As you are all probably aware…” she had to pause due to being choked up. Sniffles and cries from the people in attendance bombarded Jenny’s senses, making it difficult for her to remain unaffected.

  You’re here on business, Jenny thought to herself. Stay strong. Do this for Morgan. She needs you.

  The woman speaking regained her composure and continued. “Morgan’s remains were found in an orchard in Trent early yesterday morning.” Quiet cries turned into sobs from the crowd. Jenny could hardly stand it. “We can take comfort in knowing she is with the Lord now, free from pain, shining her light down on us…”

  Stop listening, start looking. Jenny bowed her head but scanned the crowd with her eyes, tuning out the sounds of mourning that stood to compromise her concentration. She noticed police officers around the perimeter doing the same, obviously looking for suspects as well. Seeing them provided her with an odd feeling of tranquility; she was actually at an advantage over them. At least she knew who she was looking for.

  With that break in her uneasiness, Jenny felt a pull. She gently touched Zack’s arm, indicating that she wanted him to follow her. She maneuvered through the tearful crowd, feeling disrespectful but knowing that she was being guided by Morgan herself. As she neared the outskirts of the group she felt compelled to look up. What she saw was horrifying.

  She turned to Zack with wide eyes, gesturing her head in the direction she had just been looking, prompting him to do the same. After what seemed like an eternity, Zack zeroed in on what Jenny wanted him to see.

  “Holy shit,” Zack whispered. “He’s a cop.”

  Chapter 4

  “No wonder that detective reacted the way he did,” Jenny said excitedly as soon as they got into the car. “I was accusing a cop of murder.”

  “You do realize this is going to make our job about a million times harder,” Zack replied. “The police aren’t going to want to help us target one of their own. We’re going to need some pretty serious evidence if we’re going to get them to believe us.”

  “Yeah, they’re definitely not going to want to work with us, that’s for sure.” Jenny shook her head, wishing she had more control over when she got contacted. “Dammit! This is so frustrating.”

  “Well, maybe the evidence will lead the cops to him,” Zack reasoned. “Just because one cop is crooked doesn’t mean the rest are incompetent.”

  “True, but my concern is that there isn’t going to be much evidence. Between the condom and the gloves, there may not be much to link him to the crime. He clearly knew what he was doing.”

  “Yeah, he’s definitely an expert.”

  “Holy crap,” Jenny proclaimed. “He’s done this before.”

  Zack didn’t reply, but the look on his face showed he wanted her to elaborate.

  “Oh my God, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this earlier.” Jenny turned her body toward Zack. “This can’t be his first time. He was too good at it.”

  “Unless his experience as a cop taught him how not to get caught,” Zack countered.

  “Don’t rain on my parade,” Jenny said flatly. “Even if he never killed before, he probably offended before. I don’t think people just wake up one morning and decide to murder someone. I imagine there must be some kind of progression.”

  “So what do we do? Look for similar unsolved crimes in the area?”

  “I guess that’s a start. We should be able to do that pretty easily from the comfort of home. Thank God for the Internet, huh?”

  “No kidding.”

  Jenny began thinking about the Caldwell case. “But here’s something I don’t get…how did Morgan go from being asleep in her bedroom to being strangled in an orchard by a cop? Do you think he broke into her house?”

  “Doesn’t seem likely,” Zack reasoned. “You did say something happened on Armistead Lane…maybe Morgan was there when she got accosted.”

  “But she was asleep in her house,” Jenny replied.

  “You were a really good kid, weren’t you?” Zack surmised. “She was fifteen. She probably snuck out.”

  Indeed, Jenny had been an ideal child. “On a school night?”

  Zack slapped his forehead with his hand, smiling. “Yes, on a school night. It happens.”

  “Where could she have been going?”

  “Now that I don’t know,” Zack replied. “It might be worth looking into.”

  Jenny reasoned silently. “Do you think the cops are investigating that angle? That it wasn’t a home invasion but rather a kid who snuck out?”

  “Hopefully,” Zack said. “I would like to think they’d be open to anything.”

  Jenny contemplated the Caldwell case some more before switching gears in her own head, suddenly feeling inadequate for all of the rebellious acts she’d never done. “Did you ever sneak out of your house as a kid?”

  “Once or twice. But I’m reaching the age where I wish I hadn’t.”

  Jenny laughed. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s just such a stupid thing to do. Look at what happened to Morgan; it just as easily could have been me. I’m beginning to realize I did a lot of stupid shit when I was young—shit that could have gotten me killed. If I ever have kids, I would definitely not want them doing the same crap I did. That’s for sure.”

  “Do you want kids?” Jenny asked.

  “Sure,” Zack replied. “I don’t see why not. Although, I’ll have to get a second date with a woman first. I haven’t had one of those in a while.”

  “Technically, it only takes one date.”

  Zack laughed. “Actually, it doesn’t even require a date. But that’s not how I want to become a father. So what about you? Do you want kids?”

  “Most definitely,” Jenny replied, thinking to herself that she wished she’d had them already. “In fact, I believe that’s why I married Greg. I hadn’t had many boyfriends before him…well, none really to speak of. He came along and seemed interested in me, and my head went straight to weddings and babies. I may have wanted the life more than the guy.”

  Even though Jenny’s confession made her feel almost naked, she viewed Zack’s silence as an invitation to continue.

  “If I’m going to be completely honest, I think that’s why I’m afraid to say I want a divorce.” Jenny physically felt the vulnerability growing under her skin; she hoped Zack wouldn’t abuse it. “What if I divorce Greg and no other guys come along? What if this is my only chance at having a baby and I blow it?”

  “Are you really worried about that?”

  Jenny paused. “Well…yeah.”

  “Well, let me put your mind at ease. I can assure you that if you leave your husband, you won’t stay single for very long. In fact, I’d be willing to bet guys will be lining up at your door.”

  Jenny felt a tingle of excitement grow within her, provided he was speaking the truth. “What makes you think that?”

  Zack shrugged, clearly a little embarrassed. “Well, you’re just a great girl. You’re really easy to talk to. You’re nice, funny, attractive…so many women out there are such high-maintenance bitches, but you’re very down to earth. You are the kind of woman most guys my age are looking for.”

  Jenny was grateful for the darkness because it hid her reddened face. “That wasn’t true before,” she confessed. “I couldn’t buy a date when I was younger.”

  “Well that’s because boys are stupid.”

  Jenny laughed, but Zack added, “No, I’m serious. Twenty year old boys have no idea what they’re doing. At all.”

  Jenny continued to giggle, but she took solace in his words. In the past she had tri
ed to convince herself that notion was true, but she wasn’t sure if she had just been fooling herself. To hear a guy actually voice it was very comforting. She also had to admit she was even more excited to hear those words coming from Zack. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him, although she couldn’t pinpoint why she felt it, either. He was a far cry from marriage material.

  Perhaps that was his appeal.

  Realizing their conversation was heading down a dangerous path, Jenny decided to bring it back to more innocuous topics. “So what were you doing when you snuck out?”

  “That’s just it,” Zack replied. “Nothing spectacular. I was just sneaking out for the sake of sneaking out.” He shook his head. “Stupid.”

  Jenny thought for a moment. “Do you think that’s what Morgan was doing?”

  “I wish I knew.” Zack flashed a glance at Jenny. “Maybe she can tell you.”

  “I can’t find anything,” Jenny told Zack after hours of fruitless Internet searching. “I keep expanding the radius of my search, going further and further out from Braddock, looking for cases similar to Morgan’s, but so far I’ve gotten zero results.” She pinned her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she pulled some food out of the pantry. “You?”

  “I’m having about as much luck as you are.”

  “Damn.” Jenny closed the pantry door with her foot as she balanced crackers and peanut butter in her hands. “Maybe you were right. Maybe he learned all of his tricks from being a police officer.”

  “Or he could be new to the area,” Zack surmised. “He could have a history, just somewhere else.”

  Jenny hadn’t thought of that. “Boy, you’re good.”

  “Currently I’m looking through recent articles about Braddock’s police force, trying to see if there’s a picture of him anywhere. I would think they’d put his name in the caption if they had his face in a photo. Unfortunately I haven’t found many pictures of anybody. I’m beginning to think there are only a handful of officers that have contact with the press because I keep seeing the same people over and over again.”