The Pregnant Colton Witness

by Geri Krotow

  He grunted and she couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You’re going to be a wonderful father. I get that you are the forever bachelor, and trust me, I’m not looking for anything permanent with a man.” Liar. She hadn’t been, but being with Nash all these hours and days had added up. Her heart was getting too used to him. “But we’ve created these babies together, and I think between the two of us we’ll work it out. Lots of people co-parent.”

  “Are you done?”

  She let out a sigh. “Yes.”

  He got on his knees in front of her and cupped her face with his hands. “I never want to feel the terror I did driving up this mountain again. Ever. I thought... I thought I’d lost you, Patience.” Nash didn’t finesse his move; he crushed his mouth to hers.

  Patience kissed him back, hoping her lips conveyed her belief in him.

  But it wasn’t Nash she was worried about. Tonight’s intruder was tame compared to what still lurked out there. The Lake Killer. She knew he’d never give up until she was dead.

  Chapter 17

  Nash mentally fought against leaving Patience the next day. His only conciliation was that they’d made love until midnight, after which he’d been able to hold her through the predawn hours.

  He leaned back in his desk chair at work and appreciated the creaking that usually annoyed him. It grounded his spirit, reminded him that nothing had hurt Patience or the babies last night.

  They’d agreed to table the discussion on what they were going to do about their relationship, at least until the Lake Killer was captured. As single parents, working as a parenting team, or as more. The “more” part had him stymied.

  He was afraid to approach Patience with what he wanted, what he thought might be best. She should move in with him and the kids. It made the most sense. His house was equipped for a family, and would easily incorporate the twins.

  “Maddox, I need to you go over to Hamlin Harrington’s house with Officer Walsh.” Chief Finn Colton stood over him. Jeez, he hadn’t even heard his boss approach. Nash stood.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Hamlin says he caught Demi Colton red-handed after she broke into his house. She took off before he could catch her.”

  “‘Catch her’?”

  “Yeah, I feel the same as you. It’s a good thing that woman can run. If she was indeed the person who was there. He’s positive she’ll show up on his security camera’s footage, so head on out there and find out what you can.”

  “Sir, I understand that catching the Groom Killer is our top priority, but I’m working the Lake Killer case at the moment.” He never questioned an order, but there was no way he’d take his focus off the Lake Killer case unless absolutely necessary. Although he couldn’t defend his motives fully, not until Finn knew that Patience carried Nash’s kids.

  “I know you’re providing protection for Patience, and that’s a standing requirement of the Lake Killer case. But our good K9 vet is safe at the clinic and I’m shorthanded. I need to you to interview Hamlin, and then corroborate it with a statement from his son, Devlin.”

  Finn must have seen the stress on his face and interpreted it as friendly concern for Patience. Not too long ago Nash would have had no problem convincing himself the same. But after making love to her with such frequency and need over the past weeks, seeing those two babies on the ultrasound screen, hearing their heartbeats, Nash knew he couldn’t dismiss his bond with Patience as merely friendly.

  But what was it?

  “Devlin’s easy enough to pin down,” Nash said. Harrington’s billionaire status meant all of Red Ridge knew his family, too. His son, Devlin, ran his portion of the business in town. “I can catch up with him in his office.”

  “I knew I could count on you, Nash. If you need to break away to help Patience or the other case, do so.”

  “I’m on it, Chief.”

  “You and Juliette be careful out there, Nash. There’s no telling what that man is thinking half the time. And we need to find out what Demi’s looking for. Why would she risk her life to break into Harrington’s mansion? It’s practically a fortress.” The chief shook his head. “He’s convinced she was trying to kill him.”

  Nash knew this couldn’t be easy on the chief; Demi was his cousin. But Finn Colton was always professional.

  “Hamlin Harrington’s always been a little off-kilter.” He didn’t want to come right out and say he thought the dude lived in a bubble that a lot of money bought.

  “That’s not our job, Nash.” The chief didn’t argue with his assessment of the senior Harrington, though. The RRPD received its share of house calls out to his home. Harrington seemed haunted by the possibility of being kidnapped or killed for his fortune.

  “Got it, Chief.” When his boss left, Nash signaled to Greta. She stood up from her resting spot and came to his side.

  “You’re ready to work again, aren’t you, partner?”

  Her large Newfie tail thumped in agreement.

  * * *

  Patience pulled into the K9 clinic parking lot and saw no handlers or dogs in the training center’s large fenced area. There hadn’t been more training scheduled for her since Saturday, a good thing, meaning all injured K9s were back on duty.

  She grabbed the caramel decaf latte she’d bought for herself and the dozen doughnuts for the training center and clinic staff. After the shock of the attempted break-in, plus absorbing the fact she was having not one but two babies, she’d needed something fun to distract herself. Treating the employees to a sweet seemed to be the perfect choice.

  Balancing her bag, coffee and doughnuts, she closed the car door with her hip.

  “Patience.”

  The female voice came out of nowhere and startled her. She turned on her heel to face a woman dressed entirely in black, with a hooded jacket. Only after she pushed back her hood did Patience identify her.

  “Demi!” Her cousin, wanted for questioning in relation to the murders of several would-have-been grooms in the Red Ridge area, stood in front of her.

  Demi didn’t look like a killer. Her pallor and shadowed eyes reflected the burden of accusation without evidence, the constant stress of life on the run.

  “Patience. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. It seems I have this effect on people lately.”

  Patience put the box, purse and coffee on the hood of her car. “I’m not afraid of you, Demi. I know you better than most, and I’ve never thought of you as anything but a sweet person.” They hadn’t grown up together, since they came from opposite ends of town and the Colton family tree. But she would never forget how Demi had brought in that injured stray dog right before she’d fled. In Patience’s mind, a woman capable of cold-blooded murder wouldn’t be so concerned about a poor animal.

  A ghost of a smile crossed Demi’s pretty features. “The rest of Red Ridge doesn’t agree with you.”

  “Who cares?” As Patience spoke, her gaze caught on Demi’s black sweatshirt. A bounty hunter, Demi never appeared anything less than fully capable of the athletic feats her work often required of her. Fugitives weren’t always the acquiescent type. Demi’s stomach protruded under her zippered hoodie as if she’d been indulging in the doughnuts on the car hood. But her bump moved.

  “Before you ask, yes, this is my baby.” Demi hadn’t missed Patience’s observation. She turned and unzipped her jacket far enough that Patience could see the tiny face. The baby was cocooned in a sling up against her mom, covered by the jacket.

  “How old?”

  Demi stood up straight. “Four months. Don’t ask me more—I’m not going to tell you.”

  Patience studied the baby. Demi had been jilted by Bo Gage right after they’d gotten engaged. He’d dumped her for Hayley Patton, a not-so-nice local girl. It must have been humiliating for Demi. But no way had she killed Bo or the other victims, as many accused her of do
ing. “You know I don’t think you’re the Groom Killer, Demi.”

  “Yet you don’t know, do you? I certainly have motive. First, I’m left practically at the altar, then my ex-fiancé shows up dead. What I want to know is why no one’s looking at other potential suspects.”

  “I’m sure the RRPD is looking at a lot of people. But it’s not that simple. You’ve heard about the murder here—” she motioned toward the lake “—about a month ago?”

  Demi nodded. “Yes. I heard that you’re the only witness.”

  “Word sure gets around in Red Ridge.” She didn’t confirm or deny Demi’s comment. “You know you’re wanted for questioning, right?” Patience didn’t have authority to arrest or even compel Demi to report to the police. But she hated seeing her cousin, a new mother, so torn up, obviously being accused of something she hadn’t done.

  Demi nodded. “I know. If you need to call the police on me, go ahead. To be honest, the running gets old. But I have to gather information no one else is willing to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She held up her hand. “Sorry. I’m thinking out loud. I came by for two reasons. First, to see how the dog that I brought by is.”

  “He’s fine. He made it and was placed with a family soon after you dropped him off. That was a kind thing you did, Demi.”

  “My other motive for seeking you out is that I need you to tell your father to back off. I’m not the Groom Killer, and by funneling everyone’s attention on me he’s keeping us all from finding the real murderer. That’s why I’m so reluctant to walk into the RRPD on my own. Chances of me being held are high, with the town gossip stirred up and your father’s pull. I don’t want to be apart from my baby.”

  Patience couldn’t argue with her, on any of it. Fenwick used his weight as mayor to influence everything from the usual local politics to business deals. He saw no shame in playing judge and jury when the town was in such an uproar. There’d been no official weddings in Red Ridge since the Groom Killer struck. It was bad for local business, especially the bakery, florists and dress designers. But more, it damaged morale. Fenwick Colton counted on a happy town to be reelected.

  “My daddy might only have his mayor position when it all is said and done. His energy business is floundering.”

  “Yeah, that’s been going on for a good while now. Hamlin Harrington hasn’t helped—he’s done everything to undermine your father’s corporation.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Doesn’t Layla fill you in? Colton Energy has been bleeding funds for over two years. Harrington was helping that, in the hopes he’d be able to buy the entire company out. Looks like it’s going to happen, from what I read on the stock pages. My research into trying to clear my name has brought me down some interesting roads.”

  An icy chill ran across Patience’s skin. She’d been overwhelmed by her own pregnancy and so busy since the Lake Killer that she’d not seen the writing on the ledger books. Her sister was planning to marry a very bad man.

  “Thanks for sharing that with me, Demi. I don’t suppose you want to come inside, get warm, have a cup of coffee?”

  Demi shook her head decisively. “No, not possible, I’m afraid. I’ll take a rain check, though. For sooner than later, if the RRPD figures out who the real killer is.”

  “I have faith that they will.”

  “I hope you’re right.” She turned to leave, then paused. “I’m okay, Patience. I have a solid place to live, and I’m keeping myself and my baby safe. It’s what matters right now. Being a mother has taught me to value the most basic necessities.”

  “I understand.” And she did, much more than Demi realized.

  Her cousin’s assessment of her form was quick, exacting. “I see that you do. How far along are you?”

  Her hand instinctively went to her midsection. “Four months.”

  “You’re slimmer than me, usually. Are you sure you’re only four months along?”

  Patience nodded. She didn’t want to tell Demi it was twins.

  “Well, congrats to you, too.”

  “If you need anything, Demi—”

  “I know I can contact you, thanks. That’s what I’m doing now. Please talk to your father for me. The resolution of the Groom Killer case depends upon it.”

  “I will.”

  Demi put her hood back on, ducked her head and hurried to a nondescript dark, beat-up truck. Patience was torn—she worked for the county and her clinic served the RRPD. No doubt many would say she should immediately call in Demi’s location. But she trusted her gut, which told her her cousin wasn’t the Groom Killer. But with all the evidence pointing that way, if Demi was innocent, then who was the Groom Killer?

  Just as she’d witnessed the Lake Killer dumping a body, certainly someone in all of Red Ridge must have witnessed the Groom Killer in one capacity or another. The murders hadn’t happened in a vacuum.

  She looked at her latte, now cold, and the box of doughnuts on the hood of her car. It wouldn’t make a difference if she delayed going into the clinic long enough to make a phone call. She pulled out her cell and hit the speed dial for Nash. He’d know what to do.

  And she trusted him implicitly.

  Chapter 18

  “I’m telling you both, Demi Colton stood right where you two are with a gun in her hand, ready to kill me.” Hamlin Harrington spoke to Nash and Juliette, the massive river-stone fireplace in his great room a backdrop to his dramatic retelling of Demi’s break-in.

  “We aren’t doubting how you felt, Mr. Harrington.” Juliette spoke up as Nash took Greta around the room, sniffing for anything unusual. The security camera revealed that Demi had indeed entered the mansion via a back sliding door. But unlike how Harrington described it, she hadn’t broken any glass or picked a lock—she’d opened an unlocked door.

  “Then why do I get the impression that none of you at the Red Ridge Police Department are taking me seriously?” Harrington’s face reddened, which Nash would have thought impossible on his perpetually ruddy skin.

  “Of course, we’re taking you seriously, Mr. Harrington. It’s why Officer Walsh and I came out as soon as we could, and why Sasha and Greta are with us. We aren’t going to miss a thing with their noses, trust me.”

  “What is she sniffing for, exactly?” Harrington wanted to channel his anger onto someone, and his annoyed expression focused on Greta.

  Nash fought back a sarcastic response. Hamlin Harrington was a man of means who didn’t take “no” for an answer, but Nash would be damned if he’d let the man take aim at his K9. At the end of the day, Harrington was a civilian and had no jurisdiction over the RRPD or its K9 officers.

  “Come, Greta.”

  The dog trotted to his side and sat.

  “Greta’s been looking for any signs of drugs or other illegal substances that the intruder may have left behind.”

  “You mean like explosives?”

  “Among many other things.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me that a woman like that brought in a lot of illegal substances with her.”

  “Well, our K9 doesn’t agree with you. There’s no sign of anything other than what you’ve shared and what your security footage reveals. Demi Colton was here, but she left without harming you or apparently taking anything. You’re certain nothing is missing?”

  “No, I’m not certain. Have a look at this place, will you? It’ll take me a few days to figure out what she took.” Harrington waved his arms at the heavily decorated interior, chock-full of what were probably expensive paintings and sculptures. Nash wasn’t into art, and had no idea what the various pieces were worth. He looked at Juliette, in an easy stance by Harrington’s massive carved desk. The piece of furniture clearly came from another century, but the state-of-the-art computer and monitor atop it showed it had plenty of twenty-first-century use. Whatever Demi had co
me in here for, she’d either gotten it before Harrington intercepted her or she’d given up before she bolted. Nash doubted she had tried to harm Harrington. So far, every time the woman showed up anywhere she hadn’t hurt anyone. The town chatter pointed toward her as the Groom Killer, but absolutely no evidence did.

  And there was Patience’s opinion to consider. Demi was her cousin, and while the two weren’t close, it was clear that Patience trusted her. Patience made it clear that she thought Demi an innocent victim of town gossip.

  “We’ll take a few last photographs before we leave, if that’s okay with you, sir.” Juliette played the good cop very well, and Nash swallowed a snicker. He and Juliette had plenty to discuss on the ride back into town.

  * * *

  “You don’t think Demi’s guilty, do you?” Juliette spoke from the passenger seat as Nash drove them back to the station. She had another case to work and Nash could handle Devlin Harrington on his own. Nash hated that he wasn’t the one splitting off and heading to the K9 clinic. To Patience.

  “Honestly, no, I don’t. But I’m not a detective and we don’t have all the facts yet. It would make things a lot less complicated if we were able to question her.”

  “We have to find her first.”

  Nash let out a long sigh. “Yeah, I know. And we will. She’s right here in town.” He frowned. “What’s with Red Ridge lately? Everything is being turned upside down. Our quiet part of paradise is definitely on troubled waters.”

  “We’ve got two killers on the loose, maybe more if one or both of them are part of a larger crime ring. It’s daunting.” Juliette stared out the windshield and Nash thought she looked as frustrated as he felt.

  “But not impossible to solve.” Nash valued looking at the big picture, then narrowing down to specifics. “Let’s pull ourselves up to an eagle-eye view. Hamlin Harrington is involved in what local business at the moment?”