Guarded, p.28
Guarded, page 28
part #2 of Tidewater Series
Dev grimaced at the not-unexpected reprimand. “Yes, sir.”
“I have to get off the line. I’ll have one of my deputies contact you.” The phone disconnected.
* * *
ADAM BARELY MADE it back to the zoo. For his plan to be successful, he needed the final executions to take place here. No exceptions. Seemed only fitting, considering why he’d started his righteous path in the first place.
Something was wrong. The zoo was unusually silent. No owls hooted. The leaves didn’t rustle. Like the earth itself was waiting with bated breath, but for what?
A small snick of a twig snapping cut through the quiet.
Adam jerked his head to the right. Even in the dark, he could find his way around this place. He’d been doing it for years. Carefully, he moved through the woods, just to the right of the footpath leading to the tiger’s cage.
Another snick. This time, followed by the sound of a chain-link gate squeaking open.
Not again.
He hopped onto the trail and raced to the tigress. He had maybe twenty feet of ground to cover before he could get into the safety of the trees. Adam would not fail again. He would see justice served.
* * *
THROUGH MISTY EYES, Shelley watched Dev kick at a rock in the parking lot while he spoke on his cell. When the car broke down, she’d been distracted. Now reality sank in.
“Oh, God! Poor Dr. Kessler. Jacob said he was dead. Someone had attacked them. Why is this happening?”
“I don’t know, hon.” Jules came around and scooted into the booth beside Shelley, wrapping her arms around her. Jules smelled like Momma.
Funny, Shelley hadn’t thought of Momma’s scent in years. And maybe Jules didn’t so much smell like their mother as feel like her. Momma had held her just like this, the summer the baby birds fell out of the tree in the backyard during the thunderstorm. Shelley had wanted to run out in the middle of the lightning and hail, but Momma had stopped her and just held her until her tears were spent.
But Shelley wasn’t four anymore. Momma was gone. She couldn’t do this to herself. She mustn’t let herself need Jules, not even for temporary comfort.
Shelley pulled away from her sister’s embrace and swiped angrily at her tears. “Why would someone kill Dr. Kessler? Is it the same person who murdered Tomás? And why bother to try to frame me, only to go and kill my boss?”
“I don’t know, honey.” Jules stroked a hand down Shelley’s hair. “I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
“Your boss isn’t dead,” Ryan said in his deep, rumbling voice. He’d returned from fixing Seth’s car and squatted in front of them. Unlike Ian who made small talk an art form, Ryan hardly spoke. Despite his being a giant, there was a quiet grace about him. Soothing. Even squatting as he was now, he was so tall that he was eye level with Shelley.
“But Jacob said . . .” Angry tears burned behind her eyes. She’d already explained three times about the phone call from Jacob, she couldn’t do it again.
Ryan gave his head a slow shake. “No, someone tried. Dev spoke with the sheriff. Dr. Kessler is in the hospital.”
“Oh, thank God!” Relief made the tears she’d been fighting leak down her face. “What about Jacob? Is he all right?”
“The deputies found only the elderly doctor.”
Shelley scrubbed her cheeks and forced herself to calm down. “What now?”
“We wait for Dev and Seth to come back inside.”
Shelley opened her mouth to argue when Ian came to the table with six glasses of tea. Are we having dinner here too? Shelley’s question must have shown on her face because Ian flashed his trademark grin and said, “We’re taking up a booth, a table, and space in the parking lot. Least we can do is buy something. I ordered monster fries too.”
He set the drinks down in front of her, while Ryan pulled a small square table flush against the one in the booth. Ian and Ryan flipped chairs backward and sat, leaving one bench in the booth empty. Jules, seeming to recognize that Shelley was better, moved back to the opposite bench just before Dev and Seth joined them.
To Shelly’s surprise, she found she was still very thirsty.
“Ryan and I discovered some interesting facts in town today,” Ian said, spreading out photocopies of newspaper articles on the gray-laminate table.
“Talk fast, we’ve got a deputy headed this way,” Dev said, his face grim.
“This was in the Historical Museum,” Ryan said, pointing to a photocopy of an old newspaper article from the Elkridge Edition, dated May 10, 1989. In the center picture labeled DESCENDANTS OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS: ELKRIDGE, VA., three young men, smiling for the camera, stood with arms wrapped around one another’s shoulders. The one in the middle was familiar.
“That’s Eddy Jameson, the zoo owner. He’s wearing a deputy’s uniform. Was it Halloween or something?” Shelley scanned the page, but no one else appeared to be in costume. What she did see startled her. She pointed to a man at Eddy’s left. “Hey, I think that’s a young John Wallace.”
“And that’s Colbert Rush.” Seth pointed to another man several spaces over.
“McGivern’s dead partner,” Dev supplied.
“Wait, there’s more. This article was continued on the back page.” Ian slid over another sheet of the photocopied news article. “They were at their high school’s five-year reunion. Listen to this: ‘Best friends John Wallace, Colbert Rush, and Eddy Jameson are together celebrating the engagement of Jameson to the daughter of Elkridge veterinarian Dr. Herbert Kessler. Miss Rebecca Kessler and Mr. Edward Jameson are to be married on August 5, 1989.’”
“They were friends.” Ian pointed farther down the page. “The three of them are mentioned several more times over the years, but never together again.”
Recognition hit her like a bolt of lightning. “Oh, Frack! Colbert Rush. That’s the guy with the bite on his hand. Now I know why that wound seemed familiar.”
Ian and Ryan asked in unison, “Why?”
“It’s a tiger bite.” Shelley stared at the old image of Colbert Rush and tried to remember exactly what the bite had looked like. She couldn’t quite see it. “Dev, do you have the photo with you?”
“Files are in my car.” Dev started to rise, but Ryan was faster, saying, “Toss me your keys—keep going.” The key fob arced through the air. Ryan caught it easily and raced outside.
“Why didn’t you mention it sooner?” Dev asked, his hand covering hers gently.
“I only glanced at it briefly when the news came on about a body being found in my trunk. I did tell you that he was local though.”
“Fine,” Dev said at the same time Seth asked, “What else do we know?”
Shelley glanced at the news article. “Something’s not right.” She reread the passage. “Eddy’s wife wasn’t named Rebecca. Her name was Leticia. She died in a car accident last year. The whole town still talks about her. She’s the reason the zoo exists in the first place. Eddy built it for her.”
“Maybe he divorced Rebecca?” Jules asked. The blue smudges of exhaustion under her eyes were more pronounced.
“I don’t see how.” Shelley started to ask Jules if she was okay, but then Seth put an arm around her. Jules rested her head against his shoulder. “Uh, Cristos, Eddy’s son, told me that his parents fell in love at first sight and married just three months later. That was in 1989. How could Eddy have married Rebecca and Leticia the same year?”
“You know how,” Jules said, eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, but Eddy’s not like Daddy. Besides, something else is wrong. Dr. Kessler is my boss. He’s said time and again his only children were his dogs. So who was Rebecca? And what happened to her?”
“Here’s another article on Eddy marrying a Leticia Sandoval,” Ian said, pointing at another page. “Whoa, looks like Leticia’s family was the ruling class back in the day. How’d the owner of a broken-down zoo land her?”
“It wasn’t broken down then. Eddy’s family was well to do in their own right. From what I’ve heard, Eddy was devoted to Leticia. To this day, he hasn’t been able to go near the road where she was killed.”
Ian pulled out his cell phone and began to tap on it.
Ryan returned, dropped the files and key in front of Dev, reclaimed his seat, and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Searching for information on Rebecca Kessler.” Ian frowned.
“Can you look up obituaries?” Shelley suggested. When Ian cocked a brow at her in question, she added, “Dr. Kessler has never talked about having a daughter. And he’s the type that won’t talk about one of the dogs after it died. Could be the same thing for a daughter, couldn’t it?”
Ian gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Impressive. You ever consider getting into security? You could make a helluva detective.”
“Don’t try to recruit my girlfriend, Ian,” Dev said, putting an arm around Shelley’s shoulders. “Shells has an important job. One that usually doesn’t put her life in danger.” He frowned, then turned his stormy gray gaze on her. “It doesn’t, does it?”
“Um . . . no,” Shelley replied, still stunned that Dev had claimed her. They’d had sex one night. Okay, she’d come several times that one night, but she’d slept in her own bed. It was crazy to assume they were anything other than friends.
But how many friends do you sleep with? There was that. Before she could argue with herself further, Dev kissed her.
His lips found hers and she melted. Not melted exactly. More like they went nuclear. Dear God, the man could kiss. It was so incredible she almost forgot they were in a restaurant full of people.
Ian snickered. “I’d say get a room, but we don’t have that much time.”
Shells broke the kiss and reached a slightly shaky hand toward Dev’s file.
“Can I see the photo of the bite mark?”
“Romantic,” Ian said at the same time Dev said, “Yes.”
It only took a minute to find the picture she’d seen earlier. She pointed to it. “That’s a tiger bite.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, hope lighting his eyes.
“Definitely. Specifically, it’s Miah’s bite.” She pointed to the space in between two of the bite marks. “Miah is missing one of her incisors on the top. No one can tell me how she came to be like that. She’s been missing that tooth since before I came to Elkridge.”
“Shells, you’re brilliant!” Dev kissed her again. A fast, rough kiss that was both scintillating and intoxicating. She wanted to kiss him again. Really wanted to. She might have, but at that moment, every glass on the table exploded.
The men all jumped up, snatching at the files in an effort to save them.
Shelley jumped too, but not for the files, for Jules, who’d slid sideways out of the booth and onto the floor.
“What the hell was that?” Ian asked, stepping aside for the waitress who bustled over with a tub and a cloth.
Dev met Seth’s gaze and thought he knew. Last month, Seth had described a similar situation of lightbulbs exploding when Jules met with an angry ghost in the flower shop. But he couldn’t tell Ian that. Instead he shrugged and hurried to save the files on the table.
Seth and Shelley walked Jules to the bathroom. Dev would have preferred to help too, but that option became impossible when Deputy Payne Munro stepped through the front door.
“You are the police detective from Tidewater?” Payne said.
Fucking perfect.
“I am. Glad to see you.” Dev politely extended his hand. When Payne refused it, he said, “Sheriff Webber did send you to work with me?”
“Yes.” Payne propped his hands on his hips and glared at Ryan and Ian drying off a couple of their files with paper towels. “Do you normally go around talking about your cases with civilians?”
“These men run Tidewater Security Specialists. They’re private consultants here at my request.” Dev said, casually.
“Security specialists that you hired.” It wasn’t a question. More of an accusation. Payne glanced around the table with suspicion and eyed the waitress who had rushed over to help sop up the mess. She wiped away the last of the mess, then hurried away. “Detective Jones, why didn’t you identify yourself as an officer when we met on Wednesday?”
“It didn’t seem relevant at the time.” Dev shrugged. He didn’t miss the way Ian’s shoulders stiffened or Ryan’s head cocked. They were listening too. “I was on a date. Not on duty.”
“A date with a woman who turned out to be the prime suspect in multiple murders.” Payne strolled toward Ian, who straightened and handed Dev the damp manila folder. Payne glared at the exchange and said, “I’d say that’s very relevant.”
“If you spoke with the sheriff, then you know Dr. Morgan is alibied.” What was this guy’s problem? Dev stepped closer to Payne and lowered his voice, “So I ask you, why do you care if I was with Dr. Morgan at the zoo?”
* * *
SHELLEY HAD BEEN about to step out of the bathroom to ask for a glass of ice water for Jules when she heard the commotion out front. Payne’s nasal voice carried through the mostly empty diner.
Seth, who’d been cradling a semiconscious Jules, placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here,” he whispered.
Still, she opened the door a crack and listened.
“We have a witness placing Dr. Morgan at the clinic tonight.”
“That’s preposterous,” Ian replied at the same time Dev said, “They’re lying.”
“Really? We’ll see. I’d like to speak with Dr. Morgan regarding tonight’s attack on the clinic. You wouldn’t happen to know where to find her, would you, Detective?”
Payne used the word detective as if it were interchangeable with asshole. Jerk.
“That witness placing Dr. Morgan at the scene wouldn’t be one Reyna Jameson, would it?” Dev demanded.
Oh, Dev. No.
Dev had his back to the bathroom door, no doubt blocking the deputy from getting to it, but there was no missing the macho stance both men took. Dev’s wide muscular shoulders seemed to expand as he folded his arms over his chest. He had that wide-legged, don’t fuck with me stance that would make most men cower.
Not Payne. He might be thinner than Dev, and wiry, but he was just as tall. And Shelley had seen the deputy run a baseball diamond last summer. The man could put on some speed when he wanted.
“Are you claiming my fiancée would falsely accuse Dr. Morgan?” the deputy bellowed.
“Damn right, I am.” Dev’s voice was quieter, but no less menacing. “I’ve only met her once, but I’ve already caught her lying about Dr. Morgan in order to get her thrown out of the zoo. She was escorted out by you, as I recall.”
“I escorted you out too.” The deputy punctuated his words with a jab to Dev’s chest. “It would be wise to remember you’re a guest in my jurisdiction before you throw around more accusations.”
Ian and Ryan moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dev. Shelley wasn’t sure if it was to show solidarity or to keep their cousin from striking back.
Dev exhaled a snort of disgust. “First, we’re not on your turf yet. Elkridge is still thirty miles west. Second, your sheriff asked for my help with your cases. Third, Sheriff Webber told me himself, Dr. Morgan was alibied for all of the murders. I know she couldn’t have been at the scene of the attack on the clinic because she was in Tidewater when it happened. Now I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I won’t help you railroad an innocent woman.”
At those words, Seth stepped out of the bathroom and strode the short distance to stand by Dev. “What’s going on?”
“Did you get your car fixed, Seth?” Dev asked, as if he and Payne hadn’t just been doing the tough-guy standoff.
“Yes, it just needed coolant.” He paused, then introduced himself to Payne. “I’m Detective English.”
“Deputy Munro,” Payne said, anger still darkening his voice. “Where’d you come from?”
Seth hiked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the exit door across from the ladies room.
“Seth, it looks like we’re not needed in Elkridge. I’m just going to call Sheriff Webber and confirm that our assistance is not required.” He turned to Payne and asked, “Do you want to relay the information about the links between the murder cases?”
“Now, Detective Jones, don’t go getting your boxers in a twist.” Payne Munro’s voice carried clearly through the diner. “I never said your assistance wasn’t needed. What links?”
* * *
“SHELLEY,” JULES CALLED out, her voice weak. Jules had been resting on the bathroom floor with Seth’s suit jacket between her face and the cold white tile. She pushed to her knees.
Shelley rushed to her sister’s side. Outside the bathroom door, the men’s voices continued, but their words were garbled. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, touching Jules’s clammy cheek.
Jules seemed to have difficulty keeping her eyes open but said, “Yes, a little. So cold.”
Trying to warm Jules, Shelley zipped up her sister’s jacket. Jules hadn’t fully regained consciousness since the glasses had burst on the table. Was it normal for her to drift in and out this much?
“Seth?” Jules murmured.
“He’ll be right back,” Shelley said, stroking the damp hair away from her sister’s forehead. In truth, she liked it better when Jules was talking. At least, she was alive. “Come on, Jules. Talk to me. Do you need anything else? Water?”
Jules’s eyes flew open. Suddenly hyperalert, she grabbed Shelley’s arms with both hands and said, “Tomás said someone is letting all the animals out of their cages. Beau’s there too and he’s hiding. Tomás is stirring up the animals, trying to give Beau time to run, but I think he’s too scared.”
