Enigma, Maine, Bundle Three

by Iris Abbott

  Craig stepped back to let the nurse do her job. She rushed around the patient, checking vitals, feeling for broken bones, and calling in a report to the hospital. Craig remembered the fear in the woman’s eyes and voice when she told him that her fall wasn’t an accident but attempted murder instead. Sighing, he resigned himself to a trip to the hospital.

  The vulnerability of the stranger brought out all of his protective instincts. The thought of leaving her while she was in danger made the eagle inside him bristle. He turned to the flight nurse that seemed to be in charge. “She’s in protective custody. I need to stay with her. Is there room in the helicopter for one more?”

  The nurse, who Craig recognized as Adam Landis’ sister-in-law, gave him a big smile. “Welcome aboard,” the nurse greeted. “Your team’s search and rescue skills are phenomenal. This woman probably owes you her life.”

  Craig brushed aside the gushing compliment. “We get lucky every once in a while.”

  “Regardless, I can’t turn away a genuine hero.”

  “Just doing my job, Ma’am. Now I’ll get out of your way and let you do yours.”

  She gave him a grateful smile and got right to work. She gave the word for takeoff to the pilot. The chopper lifted off the ground and began its speedy journey toward the hospital.

  While in flight, Craig radioed EPD to update them on the situation. He was none too happy when he was informed that Scott West already left the police department and no one knew where he was. “Until I can sort all this out,” he told the police chief, “West is under suspicion for murder.”

  Craig broke the connection just as the helicopter landed on the helipad atop of Enigma General Hospital. A team of medical workers rushed out of the double doors to greet the occupants of the medical chopper. Craig marveled at their efficiency, but then again with Lucian Petrakos chairing the hospital board, they couldn’t afford to be anything else.

  Jenna was removed from the medical helicopter. Craig stopped thinking about the guardian in charge and turned all of his attention to the pale woman he helped rescue. For some reason, the sense of responsibility he felt for her went above and beyond the call of duty.

  He pulled aside the flight nurse, Hannah, as she rushed by, trying to keep up with the gurney. “I’ll be in the waiting area,” he informed her.

  She nodded, “I’ll let someone know you’re there,” she promised before rushing off.

  Now it was nothing more than a waiting game. If there was one thing Craig hated, it was waiting. He went straight to the nurses’ station in the intensive care unit. Lucky for him the on-duty nurse was an acquaintance. “Lori,” he greeted with a big smile.

  The motherly woman gave him a dimpled grin. “Detective Aquila, it’s good to see you again. What can I do for you this fine day?”

  “I’m doing just fine, Lori.” Pleasantries out of the way he got down to business. “The medical helicopter just brought in a rescue victim, Jenna Byrd.”

  “Yes. I heard she fell off one of the cliffs near Acadia.”

  Craig shrugged. “She told me she was pushed.” He was nonchalant in the way he spoke, but he didn’t doubt Jenna’s allegation.

  The nurse’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my word!” she exclaimed. “That’s horrible.”

  “It is what it is,” Craig said to gloss over the hideousness of attempted murder.

  The nurse shook her head. “There’s just no understanding some people. I’m sure you meet all kinds of callous people in your job. I don’t see how you do it!” The woman expressed her disgust.

  Craig nodded his agreement. “A man named Scott West filed the accident report. He says he’s the victim’s boyfriend. She claims he’s the one that pushed her over the edge. Needless to say, I don’t want him anywhere near Jenna, until I’ve sorted out this mess. If he shows up at the hospital, let me know immediately.”

  The nurse raised her eyebrow at the familiar use of the patient’s first name. “I’ll be sure to do that. I’ll make a note for the next shift right now.”

  “I knew I could count on you, Lori. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. If you want to stay in the waiting area, I’ll have the doctor give you an update as soon as he’s able.”

  Craig smiled his appreciation. “I plan to do just that. I don’t want to compromise Jenna’s care, but if the doctor would put a rush on it, I’d appreciate it.”

  “I’ll see what I can do to speed things along for you,” the nurse promised as Craig walked away.

  He fished the disposable phone that was stashed with his hidden gear out of his pocket. He needed a little help, and only another mystical creature would understand his predicament. He recently made friends with the Enigma wolf pack when Rose Gannon, now mated to the pack’s second, was targeted for murder.

  He called Justin Gannon and breathed a silent sigh of relief when the shifter answered. “Gannon, Aquila here. I was on a search and rescue mission, and now I’m stuck at the hospital on guard duty of sorts.”

  “What can I do for you, Aquila?”

  “I rode the medical chopper to the hospital. I need my vehicle delivered to me by someone I can trust, and who won’t be asking any questions.”

  “Say no more, man. I’ll have two of our on-duty security personnel pick it up and drop it off in the hospital parking lot. Where can they find it?”

  My black sports car is parked in the back of the Enigma Police Department, right off Main Street.”

  “Okay, they’re on their way already,” Justin assured him.

  “The vehicle’s locked. I keep a spare key at EPD. The desk sergeant will know where it is. I’ll call there next, and let him know someone from Gannon Security is stopping by for my stuff. Thanks, Gannon.”

  “No problem. Take care, and watch your back.”

  “I intend to, you do the same. And say hello to that pretty Rose of yours for me.” A growl was Justin’s only response. Craig laughed and broke off the connection. Wolves were so easy to tease. They always came through in a crisis, however.

  THREE

  It felt like every muscle in Jenna’s battered body was sore. She moaned and tried to lift her heavy eyelids. Finally, after what felt like forever, they opened a tiny crack. Bright light filtered through the window and bothered her sensitive eyes. She’d never been a fan of bright lights.

  A tall, dark, and brooding figure stood by the window. At first, she thought it was Scott. A whimper escaped before she could silence it.

  The man quickly spun around to face her. Relief swamped Jenna when she saw it wasn’t her boyfriend. Make that ex-boyfriend. After all, he tried to murder her. It was pure luck, and nothing short of a miracle that he hadn’t succeeded.

  She recognized the detective who rescued her. The planes of his face were sharp and angular. Most people would probably describe him as harsh instead of handsome. Despite the pain, and horrific circumstances that caused their paths to cross, Jenna still found him attractive.

  “Hi,” she said in a strangled whisper.

  The dark and mysterious detective slowly strolled toward her. “Welcome back,” he finally said in the deep, rough voice she remembered from the rescue.

  “I don’t feel as though I’m back,” she confessed. “My mind is foggy, and my body aches all over,” she admitted. “But at least I’m alive. I’m not stupid. I know that fall could have turned out a lot worse.”

  The man walked closer until he was right next to the bed. He filled her line of sight. The detective was the only thing Jenna could see. He seemed larger than life, but his overwhelming presence didn’t intimidate her. Instead, he unexplainably put her at ease.

  He was tall and lean. He wasn’t muscular like a weightlifter, but she knew looks could be deceiving. He was strong, inside and out. Jenna had no doubt of that, and it made her feel safe.

  Safe was something she hadn’t felt in months, thanks to Scott West. She shivered as the fear and damage caused by her sinister boyfriend whispered through her mind.
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br />   The detective took a step back. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “You didn’t,” she was quick to assure him. “I remembered why I’m in this bed. I’m scared my boyfriend, umm make that ex-boyfriend, isn’t going to give up until he gets what he wants.”

  “And what is that?” Detective Aquila asked with keen interest.

  “I think that’s obvious,” she said in a harsh, grating voice. “He wants me dead.”

  “Why?”

  The question was asked so sharply and quickly, Jenna rapidly blinked. She wasn’t one to trust easily, especially after everything that happened to her since she moved in with Scott West. Jenna felt she could trust Detective Aquila. Besides, he was already involved in the mess. He deserved to know the truth, and she needed his help.

  “Scott West is a charmer, and I had the misfortune to fall for his act and his lies.”

  Aquila frowned, and his deceptively harmless-looking slouch disappeared when the man stiffened his spine and stood ramrod straight. “Has he tried to hurt you before?” the man demanded. He was all business now.

  Jenna shrugged. “Not really, but the more I got to know him the less I liked him. I thought about walking away a couple of times,” she admitted with an anguished sigh. “But I didn’t.”

  “What stopped you?”

  Detective Craig Aquila was a man of few words, Jenna decided. His abrupt manner should be discouraging, but for whatever reason, it wasn’t.

  She shrugged. “It’s just my sister and me. Our parents died four years ago, Jillian’s senior year of high school.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents,” Craig offered his condolences. “It must have been hard on both of you.”

  “It was. I am five years older, so I had to keep it together for both of us. I petitioned the state of Maryland for custody and won.”

  “Of course,” Craig interjected.

  Taking a deep breath, Jenna rushed on with the sorry summary of the past few years of her life.

  “I already graduated from college and worked for a large company as a certified accountant. Jillian moved in with me until she graduated then I sent her off to college. Everything was going well until the president of the company noticed me.”

  “West?”

  “Yes,” Jenna agreed. “In the beginning, he flattered me with compliments, flowers, and glitzy nights out on the town. He turned my head, and I fell hard.”

  “Things didn’t stay so rosy I take it?”

  “No. He started monopolizing all my time, coworkers ignored me because they knew I was dating the boss, and my other friends eventually faded away when I didn’t do enough to maintain the relationships.”

  “He isolated you,” Craig observed.

  “Yes, but I was too stupid to see it until it was too late.”

  “He sounds like a master manipulator. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Jenna. I’m sure he knew what he was doing. Something happened to make you see the real man. What was it?”

  Jenna laughed a bitter laugh. “I noticed a discrepancy in the company’s accounts. I carefully tracked it for almost a month.”

  “Why so long?” His crisp tone and conciseness denoted he was in detective mode.

  She sighed. “I didn’t want to believe it at first. And I couldn’t make a serious accusation without proof. It would have been a career killer.”

  “Makes sense,” Craig agreed with a frown.

  “I thought so too, so I did what I had to do.” Jenna protectively wrapped her arms around her middle. She dug deep and became lost in thought as she continued with the story.

  “I spent extra hours at work every day trying to unravel the mystery. I thought my boss, the head of the accounting department, was the one cooking the books. It was the only solution that added up. I thought he must be keeping a second set of numbers for the public record that overinflated the company’s value. Since the company has future plans to go public, this was more than just a workplace betrayal.”

  “Yes, it’s a federal crime,” the detective pointed out.

  “I know. My professional and personal ethics wouldn’t let me overlook it. I went to Scott with pages and pages of meticulous accounting as proof there was a problem. He refused to discuss it, but he promised to take care of the problem.”

  “West was in on the whole thing,” the detective stated in a matter of fact voice that made Jenna cringe.

  She nodded. “I never even suspected him,” she said in a disgusted voice. “My boss disappeared. I assumed he was fired and rotting in jail somewhere waiting for a trial.”

  “What clued you in on West’s involvement?”

  “A week later I rode by work after running a few errands. It was really late, and Scott’s car was still in the parking lot. I stopped by to see if he needed anything. I wanted the exercise, so I took the stairs instead of the elevator. They didn’t hear me coming, but I certainly heard them.”

  She took a deep breath and pushed ahead with her story. “My boss and Scott were sharing a bottle of scotch while they calmly discussed what to do about me. I was no longer an employee and girlfriend. I was a liability that had to be dealt with before I ruined their plans, sent them to jail, and let the company go down in flames.”

  Craig uttered a harsh word of profanity that Jenna hadn’t expected to hear. She paused. When he didn’t say anything else, she continued.

  “I slipped out as quietly as I could. My heart hammered away in my chest. I was positive they could hear it and would chase after me. They didn’t, and somehow I made it out of the building and to my car.”

  “You do seem to live a charmed life.”

  He seemed to be talking to himself, but Jenna answered anyway. “Doesn’t feel that way to me, especially right now.”

  “I beg to differ. You had a lucky escape that night. And I’ve been doing search and rescue a long time. That fall would have killed ninety-nine out of a hundred people.”

  A speculative gleam filled his eyes. He looked like he struggled to figure something out. Jenna gave an inner shrug and continued.

  “I went straight home grabbed a few essentials, got in my car, and drove straight to Enigma.”

  A light sob escaped as her composure finally began to slip. “Scott must have followed me. I don’t know how he found me. I never mentioned Enigma to him or anyone else. And I was careful to make sure I wasn’t followed out of Baltimore.”

  “More and likely he had someone put a trace on your cell phone, or he gained access to your credit card transactions.”

  “The cell phone is a possibility, but not the card. I withdrew the maximum amount on my way out of Baltimore, and I’ve used cash ever since.”

  “Smart lady. What happened leading up to Scott’s attack on you?”

  I drove straight to Enigma. I only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. I got in late last night and checked into the inn on Main Street.”

  “Small but clean and safe,” Craig remarked. “A good choice for a woman traveling alone.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe I should have stayed there. Instead, I went for a hike to clear my head.” Her fingers twisted together.

  “I didn’t know what to do or who to trust. I needed time to think, figure out my next move. Scott ambushed me at the top of the cliff. He overpowered me, dragged me to the edge, and pushed me off.” Jenna shuddered.

  “I really thought I was going to die.” Another sob escaped. “I think I willed myself to live because I can’t leave Jillian alone in this big, mean world.”

  ****

  Craig intently listened to everything Jenna said. Any detail no matter how small might help him make a case against Scott West for attempted murder. He was going to make sure the bastard never hurt anyone else. He was most especially going to make sure West’s darkness, greed, and ugliness never touched Jenna ever again.

  His internal senses screamed for him to solve the mystery that was Jenna Byrd. His brows furrowed, and his frown deepened. “Why Enigma? Are you from here
originally?” He didn’t recognize her or the family name.

  “My mom grew up in Enigma.” Jenna shrugged. “She moved away for college and met my dad. They fell in love, married after graduation, and settled in Baltimore.”

  Craig’s internal alarm buzzed. Not everyone in Enigma was paranormal. The fact that Jenna ran to the town when she was in trouble might be a coincidence. Her miraculous survival of the horrendous fall was another matter altogether. It could have been luck, but Craig was beginning to think it had little to do with luck and a lot to do with magic.

  “Do you still have relatives in Enigma? Is that why you thought you’d be safe here?”

  “I don’t know,” Jenna admitted. “I think my mom’s family disowned her when she married my dad. She hardly talked about them, and I never met them.”

  Craig’s senses screamed at him. “Do you know your mother’s maiden name?”

  “Yes, I was going to try to find them while I’m here. Her maiden name was Harlow. Do you know anyone with that surname?” She gave him an anxious look with hope-filled eyes.

  All the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. There was a big wrinkle in Jenna’s story, and she didn’t even know it. From the look and sound of things, she had no idea that she came from a family of witches with a long history in Enigma. The Harlow line itself was not very powerful. They were distantly related to the Sheldon family, however, the most powerful line of witches in Enigma, maybe even the country.

  He let a clear mask slip over his face to hide the turmoil of emotions that rumbled inside him. He had to talk to Lucian. The head of the guardian council had to be notified of Jenna’s presence in Enigma and the threat to her life. Witch blood ran through her veins whether she knew it or not, and that put her under the protection of the guardians.

  “I don’t know them personally, but I’m fairly certain your grandparents still live in Enigma.”

  Jenna shifted in the hospital bed and gave him a worried look. “Now that I know they’re here, I don’t know if I should seek them out. After all, they’ve never been a part of my life.”