by Dover, L. P.
“Fuck me, we got him,” I said. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body. This was what we needed, the break I’d been desperate to find.
Ian typed away on his computer. “I’m running his pic through the database. It’ll take a couple of minutes, but we’ll find him.” All we had to do was wait. Breathing a sigh of relief, I leaned back in my chair. Everything was about to change. “Should we call Kennedy?” Ian asked. “She’ll want to know we found him.”
Shaking my head, I turned to him. “Not yet. I’ll tell her tonight. Right now, I want her to enjoy the day with Faith and Grace.”
He nodded in understanding. Until we knew more about this asshole, I didn’t want her involved. She was just beginning to enjoy life again and I didn’t want to bring her down not knowing all of what we needed to know.
Then Ian voiced exactly what my concerns were. “Do you think she’ll get sucked back in? I saw what the past two weeks was doing to her.”
I looked up at the screen, at the man who I was almost certain was the one who killed Kennedy’s mother and all those other women. There was a vacant look in his eyes, the look of a killer. I’d come face to face with many.
“I don’t know how she’s going to take it,” I admitted honestly. “All I know is that once I find out who he is, I’m going after him.”
“Are you going to let her go with you?” That made me laugh, but there was no humor in it. I wouldn’t be able to keep her away if I tried. I met Ian’s gaze and he nodded. “Yeah, I think I get it. I wouldn’t be able to keep Grace away either.”
A few minutes later, there was still no match. Ian and I watched the screen as countless profiles popped up, one after the other. With all the people in the world, it took time. For the first time in my FBI career, I was a little hesitant to find out who he actually was. Something in my gut told me it wasn’t going to be as simple as just hunting a normal killer. I’ve never had this foreboding feeling before.
Ian placed a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
Still keeping my focus on the screen, I shrugged. “Don’t know, man. For Kennedy’s sake, I’m ready for this to be over. She deserves to be able to live her life. With this fucker on the loose, she can’t.”
About thirty minutes passed and a familiar ding echoed throughout the room. When I looked up at the screen, a set of dark eyes stared back at me. It was him. Jude Hoffner. A thirty-eight-year-old man with blond hair and brown eyes from North Carolina. What really caught my attention was his address.
“What the fuck,” I growled.
Ian glanced back and forth at the picture of Jude’s license and then over to me. “What is it?”
I typed in Jude’s address into my computer and the map appeared on the right-hand screen with a dot, pinpointing Jude’s house … in Belmont, North Carolina. The same street that Kennedy and her mother lived on. “That’s where Jude lives,” I said, pointing at the dot. I slid my finger three houses to the left. “That’s Kennedy’s house, and right down the road, four houses past Jude’s is where Kennedy’s mother lived.”
Ian’s mouth gaped. “No fucking way. That’s insane. He was right there the whole time.”
The thought sickened me. There was no telling how long he’d watched them, plotting out his plans. “I need to find the motive. Why he targeted them and the other women,” I said, typing in Jude’s name in our database. His whole life history displayed across the screen, but there was no criminal record whatsoever.
Ian and I read each line carefully. He was adopted as a baby by Shirley and Henry Hoffner who lived in Charlotte. After they died, he lived on his own in an apartment in Belmont, before he bought the house on Kennedy and Martha’s street five years ago. According to his job history, the only place he’s worked at was a gym close by in Charlotte.
“I wonder if his adopted parents are still alive,” Ian pointed out. “Or if he killed them too.”
I typed in their names and they both came up deceased. Shirley died of cancer and Henry of suicide only a year after her death. He had hung himself. Ian and I both glanced at each other, clearly thinking the same thing. “Something tells me that might not have been suicide,” I said.
He nodded. “Agreed. Unfortunately, it was twenty years ago.” There was no telling what had truly happened. To others, it probably looked as if he was grief stricken over his wife’s death.
After we read through everything, I printed each page and placed the papers in a folder. The search was over. I knew where to find him. My phone beeped, signaling that someone was in the vicinity. Looking at the clock, it was time for Kennedy to be back. I looked at the video feed and saw Ian’s truck coming down the driveway.
“They’re back,” I said, picking the folder up off the desk.
Ian squeezed my shoulder. “When you’re ready to leave, I’ll fly you and Kennedy to North Carolina. Just let me know.”
I nodded. “Plan on tomorrow. Now that I know who the killer is, we can’t let him roam free.”
It was time to end Kennedy’s nightmare.
Chapter Sixteen
Kennedy
“Oh my God, thank you for showing me around the resort today. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Faith’s wedding is going to look amazing.”
Grace held onto my arm as we walked up the stairs to the front porch. “You’re welcome. I knew you’d have a blast.” We’d already dropped Faith off at her house. Tomorrow, she wanted me to be a taste tester for some of the dishes on her menu. I couldn’t say no to that.
All day, Grace and Faith had walked me around the hotel grounds, and I got to tour all the different rooms the resort offered which wasn’t that many since most were already booked. There were people everywhere and it was fun to meet and talk with them. I met an older couple from Ireland who were in their sixties and in Wyoming for their anniversary. They were my favorite. I even ate lunch with them and got them to recommend everything I needed to see when I go to Ireland one day.
Until now, I hadn’t even given a thought to what Reed and Ian were doing. Of course, I knew what they were up to but I didn’t let it all consume me. It’s not that I’d forgotten my purpose here, why I was in Wyoming in the first place, but after last night and today, I was finally able to relax and live life again. I could never thank Reed and his family enough for that.
I opened the front door and Grace and I walked in. Everything was quiet. “Do you think the boys are still downstairs?” Grace asked.
About that time, we could hear footsteps coming up from the basement. Ian appeared first, followed by Reed and Buttercup. Buttercup raced to my side, wagging her tail excitedly.
“How’s my baby girl,” I said, talking to her in my baby voice. Her tongue lolled out to the side, giving her that goofy dog look. I loved it.
Grace walked over to Ian and kissed him. “Been busy?”
Ian put his arm around her shoulders. “You know it.” There was tension in the air; I could feel it. Judging by the harrowing look on Reed’s face, it only confirmed it. Ian cleared his throat and walked with Grace to the door. “Let’s get home, sweetcheeks. I’m ready to grill some steaks.”
Grace smiled at me. “Want to come over for dinner?”
Ian’s gaze shot over to Reed and Reed lifted his brows at me. With the weird vibe, I didn’t know what to say. Reed forced a smile and sighed. “I’ll call you and let you know. I have to talk to Kennedy.”
Ian exchanged a look with Grace and it was as if she could read his mind. She nodded and smiled sadly over at me. “Hopefully, we’ll see you later.”
I nodded. “Hope so.”
Once they left, Reed watched them until they disappeared from the driveway. Buttercup whimpered at the door so he let her out. In his hand was a file that I hadn’t noticed until now. “Reed, what’s going on?”
Keeping his back to me, he shut the front door. “How was your day?”
“It was great actually,” I answered cautiously. “I got to see the whole resort and walk the gardens
where Faith and Dominic are going to be married.”
Reed slowly turned to face me, his emerald eyes staring at me with concern. “I’m glad you had a good day.”
“I’m beginning to think you didn’t,” I added. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong, Kennedy.” With a heavy sigh, he closed the distance between us. “I found him.”
Gasping, I stared up at him, frozen in place. It felt like I’ve waited an eternity to hear those words. Tears filled my eyes, but there were so many emotions charging through me I didn’t know how to feel.
“Who is he?” I asked, feeling my knees weaken. In just a matter of seconds, I was about to find out who killed my mother. And soon, I’d be face to face with him. Reed gently took my arm and led me over to the couch. “What’s in the file, Reed?”
I sat down and he handed it to me. “Everything. There are still some questions I have, but we’ll get them answered when we head to North Carolina tomorrow.” He sat down next to me and placed his arm over my shoulders. “I’m assuming you’ll want to leave tomorrow.”
There was no doubt about it. “The sooner we end this, the better,” I murmured. The file was right there in my hands, but I couldn’t open it. I wanted to know the truth, but at the same time it was like something was going to end too. It was such an odd feeling, one I’d felt over the last weeks wondering what would happen after this all ended for good. The dreams I’d had fizzled out after Reed and I became close. Having him there warded off the evil that had haunted me.
But now it was time. The answers were here. It would all end soon, justice would be served. I needed this for myself and my mom. “Just tell me everything, Reed.” He set the folder on the coffee table and turned me around to face him. My heart beat so loudly I was sure he could hear it too.
“His name is Jude Hoffner,” he began. “He’s thirty-eight-years-old, adopted when he was just an infant to Shirley and Frank Hoffner.” The names didn’t sound familiar at all. Brows furrowed, he cocked his head to the side. “Don’t recognize their names?”
I shook my head. “No. Never heard of him or his parents.”
Reed’s eyes darkened. “This is where it gets fucked up. He lived on the same street as you and your mother. Three houses down from you, in fact.”
It felt like I’d been sucker punched in the gut. “Oh my God,” I cried, holding a hand over my mouth. “How long?”
Reed nodded. “Five years. He moved to Belmont when he was sixteen after emancipating from his adoptive parents.”
Nothing made sense to me. I didn’t know the man, but that didn’t mean my mother didn’t. “Do you think my mother knew him?” I wondered. “She never mentioned a guy named Jude.”
Reed shrugged. “Don’t know. It’s possible she knew him. This guy could be a total nutjob. I’ve seen people get shot because they blew their horn at somebody. Road rage is a real thing. The world’s a fucked-up place.” He lowered his gaze to the folder. “But even if your mother did piss this guy off somehow, I don’t see how it could trigger the things he’s done.”
My tears felt like hot lava pouring down my cheeks. “Neither can I,” I cried. “My mother was the most unconfrontational woman I’ve ever met. There wasn’t a mean bone in her body.”
Reed pulled me into his arms. “We’ll figure it out, sunshine. When we get to North Carolina tomorrow, I’m going to go to the gym Jude works at. We’ll figure out our game plan and go from there.”
I looked over at the folder on the coffee table. “Is there a picture of him in there?”
Reed squeezed my hand. “Yes.”
Swallowing hard, I reached for the file. “I need to see him.”
Reed sat back and the room fell silent. I stared at the folder, listening to my heart beat in my ears. It didn’t even feel like I was in my body. I couldn’t feel my fingers as I skimmed them across the top of the file. It was almost as if I was in a dream and couldn’t control my movements.
Closing my eyes, I flipped the file open and sucked in a breath. “Can you see him?” I asked, squeezing my eyes shut harder.
“Yes,” Reed growled, his voice low and dark.
I wanted to see him, but would the vengeance come back full force? Maybe it was a good thing if it did. I needed the anger to complete the mission. If I was going to kill him myself, I wanted to feel every ounce of rage I could muster. He needed to feel it. He needed to suffer.
But I didn’t want — for the first time in a long time — to risk losing what I had now. Could I keep my sanity, this new life I’ve found and kill someone? Or would I change because of it?
For two weeks, I let the revenge consume me to the point I couldn’t even recognize myself. With Reed by my side, I felt stronger, like I could do anything.
“I can do this,” I whispered to myself.
Reed gently touched my chin and turned me toward him. I opened my eyes and he kissed me. “Yes, you can. I’m right here with you.”
Slowly letting out my breath, I looked down at the first page in the file. Heart pounding against my chest, I finally saw the man who had killed my mother. It was the same man who’d tried to kill me. I’d dreamed about him for months, his voice still echoing in my mind.
What really terrorized my soul was that I recognized him. “He looks so familiar.”
Reed placed a hand soothingly on my leg. “You probably saw him around the neighborhood.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not it.” I couldn’t place where I’d seen him. He had light brown hair that could almost be considered blond, and his eyes were the same color as mine. I know I’d seen his face before.
Closing my eyes, I tried to think of his face and where I’d seen him before. The answer was close by; I could feel it.
“Kennedy? What’s on your mind?”
I held up a hand. “I’m so close to figuring this out. I know I’ve seen him before.”
It was as if my whole past flashed quickly before my eyes, waiting for the big reveal. I saw it all the time in movies, but I never expected my life to turn into one. I was so close. My head hurt from everything jumbling together. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.
Then, out of nowhere, it hit me.
“Oh, my dear fucking God,” I cried, slamming a hand over my mouth. I jumped off the couch, the folder spilling its contents on the floor. I ran so fast to the bathroom, my head started to spin. Everything I’d eaten came up and it felt like all of my insides were coming up too.
Collapsing onto the cold, tile floor, I wanted to forget everything I saw. Reed rushed in and knelt down beside me, pulling me into his arms. “I’m sorry, Kennedy. I know it wasn’t easy seeing him.”
“No,” I replied, not recognizing the sound of my voice. “That’s not why I got sick.”
Brows furrowed, he tilted my chin up and wiped my tears away. “What is it?”
I felt like I was going to be sick again. “I know why I recognize Jude.”
Reed’s jaw clenched. “How?”
Swallowing back the bile, I couldn’t even believe what I was about to say. Could it be true? Or was it my imagination playing tricks on me. Either way, we needed more answers. I held out my hand. “Help me up, please. There’s something I need to show you.”
Taking my hand, he pulled me up and followed me down to my bedroom. I opened up the drawer that held several keepsakes that reminded me of home. There was a small picture my mother had painted when she was in college. It was a landscape of the mountains from when she went to Appalachian State University. I had an old hat of my dad’s that I remembered him wearing when we’d go fishing together. The rest was some of my parents’ jewelry: my dad’s watch, both my mother and father’s wedding bands, a locket my mother used to wear, and several other pieces of jewelry.
“Kennedy,” Reed murmured. “What’s going on?”
Reaching into the drawer, I pulled out my family’s photo album. It was nothing but old pictures of my parents from the days they
started dating to the time they got married. I opened the album to the first picture; it was of my parents when they were nineteen years old, posing at the fire tower up in Boone. They used to hike to it all the time and have picnics.
I showed the picture to Reed and his face paled. He looked at me and then back to the picture. “Holy fuck, Kennedy.”
I nodded. “I know. You said he was adopted. That leaves so many possibilities.” The thought terrified me. “He looks exactly like my father, Reed. That can’t be coincidence.” The words left my lips, but what could it all mean? I had the strangest feeling I’d always known. The connection between the killer and me and my mother was right there in front of me. If what I assumed was true, then there were secrets that’d been kept from me— dark secrets that had cost my mother her life.
Reed set the photo album down and grabbed my shoulders. “Kennedy, listen. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can tell you it’s not going to be anything good. Are you ready for this?”
Was I? No.
But I had to be. I needed to know the truth … all of it.
“I’m ready,” I said, “I have to be.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kennedy
“Do you really think he’s your brother, or half-brother for that matter?” Grace asked.
Just the thought made me sick. “I don’t know,” I whispered, zipping up my luggage. Reed and I were leaving for North Carolina as soon as he and Ian were done in the media room. I sat down on the bed and looked right into her honey hazel eyes. Over the past couple of days, we’d grown really close.
She sat beside me and draped her arm over my shoulders. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. Now that I think about it, there are things my mom and dad have said over the years that makes sense now. All this stuff about mistakes in college and how they wished they could go back and change things.”
