The pool is closed, p.8
Deadly Revenge, page 8
“I know what you mean,” Marge said with a wry grin.
Jenna turned to Max just as his phone rang. He held up a finger. “I need to get this.”
“Why don’t you meet me at my house?”
“That sounds good. Text me the address,” he said and punched the answer button.
She would as soon as she got her phone. Instead she wrote it on a sticky note and handed it to him.
Ten minutes later, Jenna parked her SUV in her drive and climbed out. She glanced up the road, figuring Max would be right behind her, but he wasn’t. Hopefully he would arrive by the time she grabbed her phone. Jenna jogged to her front porch and skidded to a stop, her heart flying to her throat.
The front door was cracked a couple of inches. Sweat formed on her palms, and she swiped them down her pants. Jenna could’ve sworn she shut the front door and locked it.
She unsnapped the strap over her gun and hesitated. Backup. The last time she hadn’t waited for backup, she’d almost died. But her phone was inside the house, and this wasn’t Chattanooga where break-ins happened every day. Pearl Springs was relatively safe.
Tell that to the two men who died yesterday.
Footsteps inside the house kicked her into action. She yanked her gun from the holster and kicked the door wide open as she entered. “Police!”
Jenna whipped to the side and swept the gun around the living room. Empty. The back door slammed.
She raced down the hall through the small dining area and burst into the kitchen, her nerve endings screaming something was off.
The back door was open. No! She’d heard it slam.
The intruder was in the kitchen. It was a trap.
She turned, and pain to the base of her neck sent Jenna crumpling to the floor and fighting to stay conscious.
A voice penetrated the haze, the words garbled. The voice . . . she’d heard it before . . . Sebastian? Her world turned dark as unconsciousness claimed her.
15
Max followed the GPS out of Pearl Springs to the county road in the address Jenna had given him. The conversation with the assistant director in Nashville had taken longer than he expected. She’d wanted to discuss with him that someone had leaked the information that Harrison Carter had received a threatening letter to the press. From her questions, he judged she was trying to make sure he hadn’t been the one to leak the information.
He hadn’t. The bureau would probably start receiving messages from some of the loonies out there confessing they were responsible. Crazy or not, someone would have to investigate every tip, but thankfully it wouldn’t be him.
Max glanced at the numbers on the mailboxes. Jenna’s house should be coming up soon. He spotted her SUV before the voice coming from his GPS told him he’d reached his destination and pulled in behind it.
He frowned at the open front door as he climbed the steps to the porch. Even though she knew he was coming, he hadn’t expected the door to be open. Max pulled his Glock and stepped inside. He cocked his head, listening. No sound anywhere. Methodically, he cleared the house room by room until he came to the kitchen. Jenna lay face down on the floor. His heart stuttered.
Max dialed 911 while he made sure no one hid in the pantry, then he checked the back door. Shut and locked. Once he was assured an ambulance was on the way, he holstered his gun and texted Alex before he knelt beside Jenna.
The small rise and fall of her back assured him she was alive. Max gently turned her over. She didn’t appear to have been shot, but he didn’t like how pale she was. “Jenna! Can you hear me?”
No response. He felt her wrist for a pulse. A little fast, but strong. Gently he probed her head. Only a slight bump on her forehead where she’d hit the floor. Had she just fainted?
Her eyes fluttered open, and he’d never been so happy to see those blue eyes. Especially since both pupils were the same size, although slightly dilated. Her gaze connected with his, and she stiffened.
“You’re okay,” he said. “What happened?”
“Max?” She blinked a couple of times, and color returned to her face.
“Yep. Do you remember what happened?” Jenna struggled to get up, and he put his hand on her shoulder. “Be still—an ambulance is on the way.”
She pushed his hand away. “I don’t need an ambulance. I’m fine.”
As if to prove it, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. “Ohhh.” She swayed and grabbed her head as she turned pale again with a greenish tint. “Not a good idea, but give me a minute.”
“Told you. Do you need a pan in case you throw up?”
Jenna sucked in a few deep breaths and released them. “I think I’ll be all right. At least I will be when I figure out what happened.”
“What do you remember?”
Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose. “I remember the door was open, and I wasn’t going to go in because I didn’t have backup. But then I heard someone inside the house . . . guess I thought I could catch them. Next thing I know, I’m looking up into your eyes.”
She winced as sirens announced the arrival of emergency vehicles. Minutes later paramedics rushed into the kitchen, and Max stepped out of the way and explained how he found Jenna.
The lead paramedic, Terry Conner, turned to her. “Were you hit over the head?”
Jenna shook her head. “No. I remember coming into the kitchen and then nothing until Max was bending over me.”
“So, you fainted?”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “Whenever I’ve fainted before, I was lightheaded and knew I was going out—that didn’t happen this time.”
“Mind if I examine you?”
“I’m fine, but go ahead.”
After examining her, Terry said, “Good. Pupils are the same. How do you feel? Any double vision?”
“No. Just a little achy—not really pain, but my head doesn’t feel quite right, probably from smacking the floor.”
“Can you stand?”
“Let’s see.” She climbed to her feet without assistance. “I’m good.”
“Sit down and let me ask you a few questions,” Terry said. “Can you give me the date?”
Jenna sat in a kitchen chair and quickly rattled off the date.
“What day is it?”
“Tuesday.”
“How about counting to ten backwards.”
When Jenna did that successfully, he added, “And the months in reverse order.”
She frowned. “Really?”
He grinned and nodded. “Unless you want to go to the ER.”
Jenna started with December and ended with January. “Is that enough?”
“Yeah, but if anything changes, and I mean anything, get to the ER.”
“I’ll see to it that she does,” Max said.
“See to it that she does what?” Alex’s firm voice came from the doorway as she entered the kitchen.
The paramedic explained the circumstances. “I don’t think she needs a CT scan—she doesn’t exhibit any signs of a concussion. I think she simply fainted.”
“Hey, guys, don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Alex laughed. “She sounds normal.”
“Ha-ha.” Jenna made a face. “There was someone in the house. I heard them walking, then the back door slammed.”
Her hair had fallen loose around her shoulders, and she finger combed it. Max liked it down, with her black hair softly curling toward her face, framing it.
Alex took out a notepad. “Tell me what happened.”
Jenna repeated what she’d told him, and he added what he’d found when he arrived. “The back door was shut and deadbolted.”
Jenna jerked her head toward the door. “That doesn’t make sense. I know I heard someone . . . and I heard the back door slam . . . but how could the door be deadbolted? It takes a key like this one to open both the front and back doors.” She pulled a house key from her pocket.
“You said you didn’t remember coming in here, but evidently you did,” Alex said gently. “So maybe you locked the door and don’t remember.”
“Maybe . . .” She didn’t sound at all convinced.
Alex frowned. “What I want to know is why you didn’t call for backup when the door was open?”
“I didn’t have my phone.”
“You had your radio . . .”
Jenna groaned. “I didn’t think of that.”
Neither had Max.
“When I heard someone running, I rushed in,” Jenna said, “and that’s the last thing I remember. It’s like my mind won’t lock on to anything.”
“It’ll come back to you,” Alex said. “And maybe you simply fainted—last night was traumatic, and you were up really late.”
“I’m feeling fine now.”
“Your color is better,” Max said. “It’s not green.”
“I turned green?”
He waved his right hand, indicating so-so.
Alex tapped the pad. “I’ll get Dylan or Taylor over here to dust for prints—just in case someone broke in, but if that’s what happened, it’ll probably be like the other break-ins we’ve had lately. Nada.”
“Someone was in the house when I got here,” Jenna insisted.
“You’ve had other break-ins in broad daylight?” Max asked.
“Five or six in the last couple of months,” Jenna said. “Same MO. The perps seem to know when the owners leave and how long they’ll be gone. I must have surprised them by returning home before I was supposed to. I need to check and see if they got my phone.”
“Where is it?” Max asked. “I’ll grab it for you.”
“It’s probably on my night table, but I’ll get it.”
While Jenna went to retrieve her phone, Alex put away her notebook. “Did you see anyone when you arrived?”
“No. And the house didn’t look as though anyone had searched through it—everything looked neat . . .”
Worry crossed her face. “I’ll get Wayne and a couple of deputies to knock on a few doors around here, see if anyone saw anything.”
“There aren’t many houses around here,” Max said. “If there was anyone here, a person would have to be driving by at just the right time to see anything.”
Alex cocked her head. “So, you’re thinking Jenna may have experienced some type of PTSD?”
He shrugged. “All I’m saying is that I didn’t see any signs that anyone had been here.”
They both turned as Jenna’s footsteps neared.
“I found it,” Jenna said joining them. “And I’m ready to go to Joe Slater’s house if you are.”
Max eyed her. “You sure you’re up to it?”
“Why don’t you stay here?” Alex said. “I’ll pull Dylan and Taylor to process your house. That’ll give you time to recover, and then you can help with the Slater house.”
“I’m good. They’re slammed with two crime scenes to work. I can process my own house.”
“I have a kit and can help as well,” Max said.
“If you’re sure.” Alex glanced around the kitchen. “Are you planning on staying here tonight?”
Jenna nodded. “There’s no reason not to—so far the break-ins haven’t happened at night. Besides, I’m a deputy—I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t think staying here by yourself is a good idea,” Max said. While he hadn’t seen evidence of anyone being in the house, that didn’t mean there hadn’t been an intruder. “I’m sticking around a few days. I can stay here as easily as the hotel.”
“I can’t ask you to do that . . .”
Before he could tell her that she wasn’t asking, Alex said, “That would be a great solution. I’d offer for you to stay at our house if Gram hadn’t hired someone to redo their bathroom while they’re in Kentucky with Dani Collins and Mark and Gem.”
“I don’t know . . .” Jenna shook her head.
“Look, I won’t be able to sleep anyway, worrying about you.” Max held up his hand. “I know, you’re a deputy and can handle yourself, but two is better than one, and you have two bedrooms.”
“No” was still written all over her face.
“It would work,” Alex said. “At least for the time being.”
“We’ll see,” Jenna said.
Which sounded like a no. Max didn’t remember her being so independent when they worked together.
Once everyone cleared the kitchen, she gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks for offering to stay tonight, but it won’t be necessary.”
“We’ll see,” he said mimicking her. “Are you sure you’re up to going to the Slater house?”
“Yes, but can you give me a second to freshen up a bit?”
“Sure.”
After five minutes passed, Max frowned. “Jenna?” he called. “You okay?”
When she didn’t answer, he eased down the hall and checked the bathroom. It was empty. “Jenna?”
A slight noise came from the bedroom next to it, and he looked inside. At first he thought it was empty as well, then he saw movement reflected in the mirror. He looked closer. Jenna knelt between the bed and the wall with a screwdriver in her hand.
Max stepped inside the room, his footsteps sounding on the hardwood floor. She gave an audible gasp and jerked upright.
“I called and you didn’t answer.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t hear you.”
“What are you doing with a screwdriver?”
Jenna looked down at her hand and back up at him. “I, ah, dropped it, and it rolled under the bed.”
He leveled a hard gaze at her, and her cheeks flamed. “Don’t ever play poker.”
Jenna’s shoulders sagged. “I was checking on something.”
“And . . . ?”
“Everything seems fine.” Relief sounded in her voice.
He eyed her with raised eyebrows, waiting for her to explain. When she didn’t respond, he said, “You can trust me, Jenna.”
“I’m ready to leave,” she said.
She ought to know evasive tactics never worked with him.
“Have I ever let you down?” When she still hesitated, he said, “Come on, tell me when did I ever not have your back?”
16
“Did you find them?” Anxiety laced the cop’s voice. Good.
“No.” Rick Sebastian turned on the road that led to the remote cabin he’d rented. He’d been listening to the conversation from the bugging devices he’d planted in the kitchen and Hart’s office when Ross’s call came in. Her boss and probably the man who’d burst into the house seemed to think she had fainted. Good. “Are you certain she has photos of us together?”
“Yes,” Ross said.
“You’ve seen them?”
“Yes. I deleted them from her phone, but something she said the last time we talked makes me believe she has copies somewhere. I searched her apartment before she moved but never found them.”
“Maybe because she doesn’t have any.” He hadn’t heard her mention any photos.
“Oh, she has them all right. She practically bragged about it.”
“Then why hasn’t she used them?”
Heavy breathing came through the phone. “I don’t know. Maybe to torment me for ending our engagement.”
Give me a break. But it was plain the narcissistic cop believed what he said. “I still don’t understand why you can’t claim you were working undercover that night.”
“It’s not that simple. I’ve never worked undercover, and to claim it would look suspicious. It’s better if the photos never show up. For both of us.”
Sebastian smiled. It was no skin off his nose—he’d paid his so-called debt to society—but if Phillip Ross wanted to think it was, so be it. Then his smile faded. While he was in prison, his lieutenant had taken over the Scorpions, and Viper had made it plain he wasn’t giving up the position.
He narrowed his eyes. Jenna Hart was to blame for all of this—prison, the loss of his organization . . . maybe his hatred of the cop bordered on obsession. But it was what had gotten him through the long nights in the noisy cell block.
Getting his position back was his main priority . . . and taking her out was a close second. Unfortunately Ross had other ideas for the former Chattanooga cop, but Ross’s determination to find the photographs fit in his plans. Sebastian could keep the detective happy while making Jenna Hart’s life miserable.
“She interrupted me, so I’ll go back and search again.” Sebastian turned into the gravel drive and parked. It would be an opportunity to make sure she knew someone had been in her house.
“Did she see you?”
“No.” And she wouldn’t see him the next time, either. He fingered the key he’d taken from her kitchen cabinet after he’d picked the lock to her door. He would have a copy made at a nearby town and then return this one where he found it.
“Did you plant the drugs?”
“I didn’t have time—I wasn’t expecting Hart to come back.” Not that he intended to, anyway. If he’d been caught and the cops found drugs on him, it would have been his ticket back to prison. He wasn’t taking that chance.
“Well, did you at least find something you can leave at the farmhouse implicating her in the drug operation?”
He pulled a gold chain with a cross on it from his pocket. “I did, but I don’t know why you think we’ll need it.” Hart wouldn’t live long enough to reap the repercussion of being framed, anyway.
“You never can tell in this business. It’ll be insurance. I want those photos, or short of that, to make sure no one will believe her if they do surface.”
“Gotcha. I have things to do, and I’ll call you once I have the photos.”
“Hey—this conversation isn’t over until I say it’s over. I’m the reason you’re out of prison.”
Sebastian clenched his jaw then forced himself to relax. For now, he’d let Ross believe whatever he wanted to believe. “What do you want me to do?”
“Find a way to make everyone lose confidence in her.”
“Seems like you did that in Chattanooga when you spread those rumors that she set up a meeting with me that night. You never said how you got that other cop to alibi you.”
“I didn’t, did I?”
Sebastian waited, knowing Ross wasn’t going to explain.
