"I'm sure I can." She hesitated before asking the question that had been bugging her since this morning. Did she even really want the answer? "How long do you think we'll be here?"
His expression softened and he set the bags down and pulled her into his arms. He was warm and solid, and she could hear his heartbeat under her cheek. This...right here. This is what she'd needed all day.
"Hopefully, not long. Whomever is doing this is getting brash and arrogant. That's when people get caught. They're getting nervous and scared."
That made two of them.
"You've said that before. I hope that it's true. Michelle can't stay in Miami forever, and I'm worried about Tom all alone in that house."
"The alarm system and cameras are going in as we speak, plus he knows how to use a gun."
That was news to Jenna. She'd never seen her brother with a firearm.
"I didn't know that. Does he own a gun?"
"He does," Knox confirmed. "He showed it to me before we left and he says he knows how to use it. Why are you so surprised? This is Montana."
"My family had guns, but Tom and Anita never showed any interest."
"They probably had them but didn't say anything to you."
"You're probably right." She looked around the home they'd be living in. Together. If her life had to be in danger, there was no one she'd rather be with than Knox. "So what happens now?"
"We unpack and then head to Douglas. There's still time to talk to Lori's stalker friend Brett. Then later I'm going to talk to Cal."
"Just you?"
"Just me. By that time, Eli will be here and he can watch over you while I'm gone."
I never thought that as an adult I'd need to be watched over. How...strange.
"You don't want me there when you talk to your brother."
"It's not that I don't want you there. It's just that it will be better if I'm on my own. I know Cal well and I'm on to his tricks. He might try a few new ones, though, and I need to be on my toes and focused. Don't worry, I'll tell you every word when I get back."
"Do you think he'll lie?"
"Without a doubt. He lies all the time."
"But you know when he's lying?"
Knox leaned down, rubbing his nose against hers. "I'm talented like that."
"I believe it."
"You betcha. Now let's get unpacked and get on the road. We have a lot of work to do today."
No fire was going to stop this investigation. That would be giving them what they wanted.
Back to work. If Knox was right, they were getting closer to the truth.
They just had to stay alive long enough to find it.
19
Knox had only received a small amount of background information on Brett Hedgcock so far. Jared was still digging but he'd sent over that Brett was an only child, thirty-three years old, and worked in the accounting department at a local company. He bought a lot of takeout food and liked to read historical biographies. He'd never been married or engaged. He had no pets.
He had a mortgage on a modest home, a midsize sedan paid off, and very little other debt. He seemed like a regular guy who spent his weekends cutting the grass and watching television. But serial killers probably mowed the lawn too.
Pulling up in front of Brett Hedgcock's home, Knox paused before getting out of the vehicle.
"Okay, we're going to go in there and just be friendly. We're talking to all of Lori's friends and hoping that he might be able to shed light on the last few days before she disappeared. I'm hoping to keep the conversation light and casual, if possible."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we'll go to Plan B."
"What's Plan B?"
"I don't know but I will by then."
As Logan always said, sometimes a man just had to depend on what his gut was telling him. Knox's brain sure as shit didn't have any ideas so his gut was up on deck.
The administrative assistant had called ahead, so Hedgcock must have been looking out the window waiting for them because the door opened as they were walking up the path. Brett was pretty much as he had been described by his former co-workers - medium weight, medium height, brown hair and eyes. Nothing about him stood out. He could have blended into any crowd without a doubt.
"You must be Knox Owens," Brett said pushing his front door open even farther. "And of course, I know you, Jenna. Lori talks about you constantly. I can't believe we've never met."
To her credit, Jenna didn't skip a beat. "I know. That's so weird. But it's nice to finally meet you, Brett. Thank you for talking to us."
"I'm happy to. Come on in. I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee."
Knox didn't usually drink coffee after ten in the morning but if it loosened Brett's tongue, he'd drink gallons of it. They entered into the home which had an open floor plan with a kitchen and living room combination. The steaming coffee pot sat on the rectangular island that "separated" the two rooms, along with three mugs and some cream and sugar.
"Let me pour you a cup," Brett said, a wide smile on his boyish face. "Now let me guess, Jenna. Lori takes hers with lots of cream and a little sugar. Do you do the same?"
"Uh no, I take mine with lots of sugar, just a little cream."
Brett quickly made up three mugs and invited them to relax on the sofa. He sat on a chair to Knox's right while Jenna sat to the left, also on the couch. Clearing his throat, Knox decided to jump right in and see how Brett would react.
"I'm investigating Lori's disappearance and we were hoping you would be able to help us. I'm told that you and Lori worked together at Atwater Marketing, and that you moved on to a new job a few weeks after she went missing."
Knox had been hoping that the man might react to the second part of his statement - about getting a job right after Lori disappeared, but he was disappointed. Hedgcock focused on Knox's first sentence.
"I'd love to be able to help in any way that I can," Brett exclaimed, the smile falling from his face. "You do think she's okay, right? She said she’d be back soon."
"We don't know if she's okay," Knox replied, keeping his tone even and his gaze intent on Hedgcock. He wanted to watch for any nervous tics or other body language. "We're concerned for her safety and we're trying to find out what happened. Can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Lori? Did you know her well?"
Color crept into Hedgcock's cheeks, and he squirmed in his chair.
"I know Lori very well. I mean, we're practically engaged."
Knox could feel Jenna stiffen next to him and he pressed his leg against hers, hoping she'd understand the message. She was dying to ask a question, but Knox needed her to back off just for a few minutes. He wanted Brett to run with this topic.
"Wow, engaged. That's fantastic. Congratulations. So all of this must be terrible for you, wondering and worrying when all you want to do is plan your wedding."
"It's awful. Some days it's all I can think of. But then I remember how much we love each other and how great our life is going to be and I figure that I can be a little bit patient while she works out whatever she needs to. We have our whole lives ahead of us, after all."
Knox was getting that feeling again...the one in his gut that was telling him that Brett might have a reality problem. In that, he wasn't participating in it.
"So you and Lori met at work?"
Brett smiled excitedly, placing his cup on the coffee table so he could clasp his hands together. "It was love at first sight for both of us. We just sort of knew that we'd found our person. It was really magical. Of course, we didn't let many people know since we worked together. They had rules about co-workers dating so we kept it quiet for awhile. That's why I was looking for another job. So we could be open about our relationship. Especially after we started talking about marriage and kids."
"Kids?" Jenna asked, her voice choked. "You were talking about kids?"
"We want three or four. We'll need a bigger house, of course, but this one will be okay for the f
irst two."
Jenna's leg pressed hard against his. She desperately wanted to speak but, thank goodness, she was going to let Brett keep going.
Knox leaned forward so he could look directly into Hedgcock's eyes. "I don't want to make this awkward, but did you two break up at all during your time together? I ask because we know for a fact that she dated Cal for awhile."
Brett was already shaking his head before Knox even finished speaking.
"No, that was just Lori being nice. They were only friends. She was in love with me." Hedgcock jumped up from his chair. "Let me show you some pictures of us together. You'll see that we are in love."
Hedgcock ran down a hallway and then came back, two large picture frames in his arms.
"Sorry, but I had to get one of them down from the wall. I keep this one on the table next to my bed."
This one was a gold-framed photo of Brett and Lori sitting next to one another at a conference table. The same conference table that Knox and Jenna had sat across from Lori's co-workers at the marketing company. Lori was smiling but looking away from Brett. He, on the other hand, was looking directly at her.
Hedgcock had a point. They did look happy, but for completely different reasons. When he looked at this photo, he had to see something that Knox didn't. This was a photo of two co-workers, not two people in love.
The other photo in a dark frame was a picture of Brett and Lori standing outdoors, smiling and laughing on a sunny day. Lori was holding a flower and looking at Brett. Except that Lori's shadow didn't match Brett's. The picture had been doctored.
Well, that's creepy as hell.
Knox wasn't going to bring it up, however. Clearly, Hedgcock was quite delusional about his relationship with Lori. Yet, he was obviously functioning as an adult at some level, keeping a job, paying his bills, and appearing to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, it looked like his personal life was mostly fantasy. He'd stuck on Lori and couldn't seem to move forward. He needed professional help.
Knox cleared his throat again. "Did you ever meet Cal Owens? Talk to him?"
A look of distaste crossed Hedgcock's features. "He came to the office a few times. I can't say that I liked him much. He seemed rather arrogant if you ask me. Lori didn't like that about him. In fact, no one in the office liked him much."
"When was the last time you saw Lori or talked to her?"
Hedgcock rubbed his chin in thought. "I guess it was a few weeks ago. Right before she left on her trip."
A few weeks?
"Can you remember the exact time? It's really important."
Jenna had reached out, her fingers curling around Knox's forearm. She was biting her lip, her face pale of color. Knox now regretted even bringing her here with him. This had to be fucking upsetting to hear. But if he'd tried to leave her at home, he knew he would have had an argument on his hands. Fuck, this was shit.
"She was here on my birthday," Hedgcock said. "June third. That's for sure. We rented a cabin by a lake for the weekend. She made steaks and baked potatoes for my birthday dinner. She got me a tie, too. Do you want to see it?"
"That's okay," Knox said. "So she was here at the beginning of June. Did you see her after your birthday?"
"Of course, she's my girlfriend. It was two weeks later that she left. She told me she had some work to do, and she'd be back."
"Do you have any emails or text messages from Lori?"
The other man shook his head. "She doesn’t like phones. She liked talking face to face."
They weren't going to get anywhere here. Brett Hedgcock's world only resembled the real one. What they needed was probable cause for a search warrant. Knox would love to see what the man had hidden around his home and yard.
"I think that's all I have," Knox said, turning his attention to Jenna. "Do you have anything?"
She shook her head, looking almost nauseous. "No. Nothing."
They'd need to have a long talk when they left here. This meeting hadn't been good for her at all. He'd buy her a strong drink and let her lean on him for as long as she needed to.
They stood to exit but Jenna stopped when they were at the door, frowning at the coat tree near the entrance.
"Is that Lori's cardigan?"
Brett smiled and plucked it from the tree. "It is. It will be here for her when she gets back. I know that it's one of her favorites."
Jenna grabbed onto Knox's arm again, her nails digging into the flesh. "I bought that for her for Christmas a few years ago. Lavender is her favorite color."
The way Hedgcock was clutching the sweater there was no way he was going to hand it over peacefully. Jenna looked like she wanted to grab it from him, but she didn't, simply bidding goodbye and hurrying out of the door. Knox thanked Hedgcock again and said that they'd be in touch if they had any more questions. When he walked outside, she was already in the vehicle waiting for him.
"I think I might be sick," she said when he pulled out into traffic. "Like really, really sick. That was...shit, I don't even know how to describe that. Was it even real? Did I imagine all of that? Because it was fucking weird. It was weird, right?"
"That was very weird," he replied, his tone grim. "Completely strange. I think we can safely say that Brett Hedgcock might need some professional help."
"He had a photo of them together," Jenna said, her voice going up. "But I've seen that picture of Lori before, Knox. Michelle took it one day when we were having a picnic and he wasn't there. He wasn't in that picture. It was me and Lori."
"It was doctored," Knox said, reaching across so he could hold her hand. Her fingers were icy and he lifted them to his lips to press a kiss on the knuckles. "He put himself in that photo. Shit, he probably stole it off her desk at work or something."
"They couldn't have talked about having kids," Jenna went on as if he hadn't spoken. "Lori couldn't have children. She had a hysterectomy about five years ago due to lots of medical issues. She was always in pain. She was okay with it, though, because she wasn't sure she even wanted kids."
Knox navigated into an empty parking lot and put the vehicle into park before turning to Jenna. Unclipping his seat belt, he scooted as close as the truck console would allow him to, smoothing her golden hair back from her pale face. She was shaking in his arms, her skin ashen.
"It doesn't matter what Hedgcock says. All of that wasn't reality, honey. That was all his fantasies. We know that Lori and Cal dated. For real. You also say that Lori told you about all her boyfriends and she never mentioned Brett. Not even in passing or a casual remark. This is something that he's built up in his head. It's not real."
Tears spilled from her eyes, her lashes spiky and wet. "He has her sweater. It doesn't belong to him. What else does he have? Did he stalk her? Does he have some sort of shrine to her in his house that we didn't see? My God, does he–"
Jenna broke off as she began to sob but Knox had a decent idea what she was about to say.
Does he have her body buried somewhere?
Hedgcock was a strong suspect. From what Knox could see, the sweater could be a "trophy" that helped Hedgcock relive Lori's death over and over.
Or it could be part of an elaborate fantasy on his part but it wasn't violent or deadly. It might be completely creepy but also innocent.
Knox was determined to find out which. In the meantime, he needed to be there for Jenna. All of this was simply too much. She'd been strong for so long. He picked her up and lifted her onto his lap, running his hand down her back in a soothing motion while she cried, her body wracked with sobs.
"Just let it all out, baby. Just cry all you want. You'll feel better afterward."
He wasn't the greatest at comforting a person. It wasn't his strong suit. But there was something that he was good at...something that might make her feel better.
Find the son of a bitch responsible. He could do that.
And he would. For Jenna.
20
After arriving back at the safe house and meeting up with his teammate Eli,
Knox excused himself and went out into the backyard to call Logan. The whole meeting with Hedgcock had been creepy as shit and Knox had some serious concerns.
"First and foremost, we need to somehow get a search warrant for his home and property," Knox said to Logan. "I have visions of Lori Waters being held against her will in a shed in the backyard, for fuck's sake. If I'm thinking it, then I bet Jenna is too. It's a grisly thought. Just as bad would be that he hid her body on the property, buried her under a flowerbed or something like that. This guy isn't dealing with any sort of reality at all."
"I'll talk to Jason," Logan assured him. "He can talk to his brother West and see if he knows the sheriff or chief of police in that town. If not, we can always do some covert operations of our own. We can at least make sure that there are no other heat signatures on the property."
If they couldn't get a warrant, it would have to do. It would at least confirm that Hedgcock wasn't holding Lori Waters at his home. But that's all it did.
"We'll dig into his background and see if he has any other properties," Logan said. "We'll also try and look into his family a little more. See if they've had any problems with his rejection of reality. We'll check the towns he's lived in, including where he went to school. See if they had an issue with disappearing girls or if he had any run-ins with the local police."
"I doubt this is his first fantasy about a female."
"It probably isn't but this could be the first time he's taken it to these extremes. Lori's disappearance could have sent him spiraling."
"I've got a bad feeling about him."
"Don't worry, we'll find out everything about him, including what laundry detergent he uses." There was a long pause before Logan continued. "We had an interesting phone call yesterday. I didn't mention it until now because so much was going on. A man saying he was your father called the office. He asked to leave a message."
Fuck. Knox had never thought his dad would call his workplace.
"What was the message?"
"He asked if you could call him back. He left a phone number, but I have a feeling that you already have it. Am I right?"
Deceptive Truth: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 4) Page 15
