Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (19 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Drago hung up the receiver and turned to Beaumont. “I need a car.”

“Whatever you need, Drago, but if Dade’s involved, it’s probably a trap,” Clifford answered, reaching inside his pockets for the keys.

Drago shook his head. “Not this time. There’s a bomb under Jenna James’s house.”

Clifford opened the desk drawer and pulled out a gun before hitting an alarm button.

“I’m going with you. We’ll take Travis too. What else do you need?”

Drago smiled, the scar on his face deepening. “I don’t suppose you’d have a good skinning knife?”

Clifford opened a second drawer in the desk. “Take a look at these.”

Drago looked inside the drawer and pulled out a long, serrated blade. He hefted it for feel. “This should work just fine.”

Travis entered the room, his hand on the gun strapped at his side. “Something up, Mr. Beaumont?”

Clifford nodded. “Beef up security, and put them on alert. I want you to go with me and Drago. He can fill us in on the way.”

Travis moved into action, pulling the radio from his belt and barking orders. In less than five minutes, he had a full security team organized around the perimeter of the house. “All ready, sir. I’ll get the Land Rover.”

Clifford pulled on a pair of gloves and grabbed his switchblade from the desk. Guns were good, but for quiet, close-up work, nothing was better than a sharp knife. “Let’s go.”

As Travis drove, Drago filled them in on what Dade had told him. “There’s someone close, watching the house. Dade figures they’re waiting until the cops get home to detonate.”

“Can you disarm it?” Clifford asked.

Drago shook his head. “Won’t know until I take a look. Gregory’s one of the best. If he couldn’t do it, odds are I can’t either without detonating it. You were probably right when you suspected Warner.”

“Who’s Warner?” Travis asked.

Drago glanced at Beaumont, who nodded. Drago continued, “One crazy mother is who he is. Government taught him to make bombs out of just about anything he found lying around. No telling how many places he blew up before they realized he was insane. They cut him loose, and now he’s up for hire for anybody with enough money to pay his price.”

“We need to find the guy holding the detonator.” Clifford sat back in the seat, his mind working quickly. “Travis, there’s a road that runs parallel to Monsanto. Take it. We’ll park the Rover and go in on foot. If someone’s out here watching, odds are we’ll run across him before we get there.”

Travis turned onto Miller’s Creek. “How far down do you think I should go?”

Clifford thought about it, judging the distance from the edge of Monsanto to Jenna’s house. “About a mile.”

They traveled in silence until Travis pulled the Land Rover off to the side of the road. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out three sets of binoculars. “We don’t have the dark to cover us, so we’ll need to keep a lookout ahead of us at all times. There’s always something, a movement or flash of light.” He grinned. “Hell, I don’t guess I have to tell you two that.”

Clifford took a pair of binoculars. “We’ll spread out. Stick to the trees as much as you can. Drago, you head for the house. If we don’t find this guy, defusing that bomb is the only chance we have.”

Drago took his pair of binoculars and scanned the countryside around them. “Even if you do find the guy with the detonator, these things can be unstable. An airplane flying over could detonate it.”

“Get her out.”

Drago nodded, started the car, and pulled back onto the highway.

Clifford felt his blood surging through his veins as he climbed a hill, binoculars scanning the area around him. A glint of silver flashed for a second. He marked the spot mentally and backtracked to come in from the west. He wanted the sun behind him when he approached.

He moved quickly for a big man, taking care to stay in the grass as much as possible to muffle his approach. He was less than thirty feet away when he spotted two men. Lifting the binoculars, he scanned the area again. There were only two.

He moved closer, slipping from tree to tree until he was less than ten feet away. He wouldn’t be able to move any closer without being seen. A bird whistled softly from his left, and he glanced that way. Travis gave him a thumbs-up. Clifford didn’t need him, but for Jenna’s sake, he was glad Travis was there. The day two men could take him down was the day he would finally retire.

Travis signaled and pointed toward the ground a few feet away from one of the guys. Clifford raised the binoculars again.
Dumb asses.
They’d left the detonator on the ground.

Another bird whistle sounded, and Travis raised his knife, holding up three fingers. Clifford flipped open his switchblade and watched as the fingers descended one at a time.

They rushed forward together, each grabbing an assailant and quickly slitting his throat.

Clifford wiped his knife in the grass while Travis took a look at the detonator. “Probably killed them too quick. Should have asked them how to disarm it.”

Travis shook his head. “Look at them, boss. I doubt either one of them has enough brains to put something like this together. We need to get Drago and Miss James out of that house.”

Clifford slipped the switchblade inside his pocket. “Let’s get going.”

~ ~ ~

Jake ran a hand through his dusty hair and quickly downed the bottle of water the medic handed him. “Will you be able to save his leg?”

The medic tossed Jake the car keys he’d taken from Harry’s pocket. “No way to know yet. We’ll do everything we can for him.” He climbed in the ambulance and reached for the door. “You sure you don’t want to ride in and get checked out?”

Jake shook his head. “There may be more of these out here. If he wakes up, tell him I’m on it.”

“Be careful,” the medic said before closing the ambulance door and pounding on the side to signal the driver to take off.

Jake reached for his cell and dialed Jenna’s number. He needed to check on Loki before he headed out to the country. Her phone rang twice before voice mail kicked in. “Jenna, it’s Jake. Get out of the house. Go to the Beaumonts or back to the office. Take Geno and Marko with you, and don’t get out of their sight. I’ve got one more place to go, and then I’ll check with you.”

He hit the End button and shoved the phone inside his pants pocket. Elkins must have arranged the bombings before he went to jail. He looked at the cruiser still sitting half on and half off the sidewalk. Clearing the debris from the streets would take hours. Dropping the keys into his shirt pocket, he set off at a quick pace.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Jenna closed her briefcase, grabbed the suitcase she’d packed, and raced down the stairs. “Drago, come on.”

“One more minute, Miss James. I may have figured it out. You go on out.”

Jenna grabbed the framed picture of her parents just as Geno and Marko came through the doorway. “Take these and go.”

She headed back to the washroom. “I’m not leaving without you, so you’d better know what you’re doing or climb out of that hole immediately.”

Drago took one last look at the bomb. “All right. I’m coming out.”

Jenna stood at the top waiting until his head appeared through the hole. “Come on.”

He climbed out and dusted off his hands and pants. “I could do it if you’d give me another half hour.”

Jenna shook her head, grabbed his arm, and headed for the front door. “And what if you’re wrong? Is it worth risking your life for?”

Drago huffed. “You sure are a pushy little thing to be so damned cute.”

Jenna glared up at him. “I am not little.”

A sound caught Drago’s attention, something out of place. Grabbing Jenna’s hand, he pulled her out the door and across the lawn. “Hit the deck, guys.”

Jenna grunted as Drago’s weight crashed down on her just as pieces of brick and wood fanned out across the lawn.

Geno and Marko ran to them and pulled Drago to his feet.

“You okay, Miss James?” Geno asked.

Jenna rolled over and stared at the burning rubble that had been her home. “I’m alive. I think, for the moment, that’s all I can ask for.”

Clifford and Travis jogged up. “What happened?”

Drago lifted a shoulder. “Must have been a timer in there somewhere as a backup in case the detonator failed. With this kind of bomb, it’s tricky.”

Jenna stood and glared at him. “And you wanted another half hour.”

“I was trying to save your house, ma’am.”

Jenna threw her arms up in the air. “Jesus, Drago, it’s just a damn house. Nothing made of brick and wood is worth risking your life for.”

Clifford walked over and put an arm around her. “If we stay, you’ll be tied up half the night with the cops giving a statement. Call it in, and let’s get back to my house. They won’t bother you there.”

Jenna picked up her purse and wiped at the grime covering it. “I need to check on Harry and Jake.”

Clifford took her arm and led her toward the Land Rover. “I talked with Jake about ten minutes ago. There was a bomb at the coroner’s office. Harry was injured. He’s in surgery.”

Jenna felt the color drain from her face. Losing the house hurt her, but the thought of losing Harry was devastating. “Take me to the hospital.”

~ ~ ~

Marcus cursed as he listened to the news of the bombing at the coroner’s office, followed by a picture of Jenna James’s house. “The son of a bitch is crazy.”

Gregory poured a glass of bourbon. “It’s just six o’clock. We could still finish this tonight. Once the Elkinses are out of the way, everything will die down. Much longer, and we might not be able to control it.”

Marcus picked up his phone and dialed Michael Elkins’s number. “Has he been on the pills long enough?”

“Hello.”

“Michael, it’s Marcus. I suppose you’ve seen the news?”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t know anything about it, Marcus. I swear I didn’t.”

“I believe you.” Marcus motioned for Gregory to pour him a drink. “How soon can you get to my office?”

“Be there in thirty minutes.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

Marcus ended the call and reached for his drink. He repeated his earlier question. “Do you think he’s been on the pills long enough?”

Gregory grinned. “With the added stress of what’s happened today, what you’re about to make him do, yeah, I’d say he’s had enough.” He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a syringe. “If he hasn’t, I’ll take care of it.”

Marcus sipped the bourbon and drummed his fingers on the desk. “Meet me at the house at ten.”

Gregory stood, placed his glass on the bar, and headed for the door. “I’ll be there.”

~ ~ ~

“You can’t be serious.” Michael stood up, pacing the office. “I can’t kill my father. I can’t shoot my father. Can’t one of your guys do it?”

Marcus pushed the Glock Gregory had brought him earlier closer to the edge of the desk. “You want this over, then this is your way out. I need to know I can trust you.”

Running a hand through his short blond hair, he ignored the minor chest pains that had been with him most of the day. “Ask something else of me. I don’t think I can do this.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair. “How much is your mother’s estate worth, Michael?”

“I don’t know. Fourteen, fifteen million. Maybe more.” He returned to the seat in front of the huge oak desk, his gaze falling on the Glock. “What difference does it make anyway? All that goes to Jordan.”

“You have killed before, Michael. It was all there in the package. And you killed Ben Andrews.”

Michael’s head snapped up. “You found the package?”

Marcus grinned. “Yes, but as long as your father is alive, I’m hanging on to it for my own safety.” He nodded toward the Glock. “You take care of him, and I’ll take care of you.”

Michael picked up the Glock. He could have his life back. Money for his campaign. Everything he’d ever wanted. And he’d be rid of the bastard. “All right. I’ll do it tonight.”

“Ten o’clock.”

Michael frowned. “Why ten?”

“I called your father and told him I would be stopping by at nine thirty and to give the maid the night off. You don’t want any witnesses, do you, Michael?”

Michael shook his head. “So, what’s my alibi?”

“I’m your alibi. I’ll say I came by at nine thirty, just like I told your father. You and I went out for drinks to talk about your case and grieve for the loss of your mother. Unfortunately, your father neglected to lock the door when we left. Someone came in and shot him.

“We’ll come back about midnight and find the body. I’ll call it in.”

Marcus pulled a deposition toward him and opened it, an unmistakable dismissal. Michael stood up, stored the Glock in his waistband, and covered it with his jacket before heading for the door. “God, that’s brilliant. You’ll see, Marcus—we’re going to make a really good team. Together, we can be more powerful than anyone in the state of Texas.”

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Jenna sat by Harry’s bed, her hand clasped around his as the clock over his bed ticked slowly. She was tired, her face covered in grime, yet she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him. Jake was still trying to locate Loki. Beaumont had headed home to make sure Elkins didn’t try anything there. A single tear slid down her face, and she raised her hand to swipe it away. She’d thought nothing but putting Michael Elkins away for what he’d done to her mattered. She’d been wrong. Ben was dead. David was dead. Loki and her brothers might be dead, and she’d almost lost Harry. No single criminal was worth that. She should never have gotten them involved. She should simply have driven to Michael’s apartment and blown his brains out.

“Jenna?” The hand she was holding squeezed hers lightly.

She stood up and leaned over the bed. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Harry coughed then groaned. “Like somebody blasted me into a wall and then toppled it on top of me.”

He struggled to sit up, and Jenna pushed him down gently. “Don’t.”

“My leg?”

“The doctors say it’s going to be fine, but you’re going to have to take it easy for a couple of months.”

“Where’s Jake?”

Jenna pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat. “He’s still out looking for Loki and her brothers. They weren’t at their office.”

Harry blinked rapidly and stared at her. “What happened to your face?”

Jenna bit her bottom lip. She could lie to him until he was better, but he’d only be upset with her later. Lies were never a good way to begin a relationship, and sitting there for the past hour had convinced her she wanted that with Harry. “My house blew up.”

He struggled to sit up again but fell back against the pillows. “Damn it. Are you okay?”

Jenna gave him what she hoped was a sexy smile. “Homeless. I was hoping maybe you might let me stay with you for a while.”

He hit the morphine button, and a silly grin crossed his face. “We’ll have to talk about your inten—”

Jenna stood as the sound of even breathing and light snoring filled the room. She picked up her purse and rummaged through it until she found her cell phone, walked outside the room, and closed the door. She smiled at Geno, propped against the wall and reading a book, as she dialed Jake’s number.

“Hello.”

“Hey, it’s me. Did you find them?”

“Yeah, just left. We also had the bomb squad go over Harry’s house and mine. Looks like we’re clear for the moment. How’s Harry?”

Jenna leaned against the wall, relief flooding through her. “He woke up long enough to ask about his leg, then you, then my face.”

Jake sighed. “You need to get some rest.”

“I’ve been trying to reach the judge. See if we can get an emergency order to put the Elkinses back in jail. His secretary said he and his wife left on a cruise right after the hearing. I guess he’s not used to people not following his orders.”

“He’s probably never dealt with anyone like the Elkinses,” Jake said. “I’m gonna swing by the hospital before I head home and crash. Anything you need?”

“Geno’s parked outside Harry’s room, and Marko is downstairs, probably frisking anyone who enters the hospital. I just need this to be over. I want to go back two weeks and still believe in the justice system.”

“Hang tight. I’ll see you soon.”

Jenna hit the End button. She really needed a hot cup of coffee, but she hated to disturb the nurses at the station. Every hospital she’d ever been in had a snack room. There was a machine downstairs. She rummaged through her purse again until she found a dollar in quarters. If the coffee cost more than a dollar, she’d do without.

The hospital corridors were quiet, and for once, the elevator was actually waiting on her floor. She pushed the button for the first floor and leaned back against the wall. She didn’t want to leave, but she was exhausted.

The elevator stopped on the first floor, and she went in search of the small room all hospitals seemed to have that housed machines offering stale coffee and syrupy sodas. A few even had sandwiches and chips. St. Mary’s had opted not to put those in, instead forcing visitors to eat in the dining room.

She plunked her money into the coffee machine and pressed Black. The cup fell down just as her cell phone rang, causing her to jump. Thank God she didn’t have the coffee already.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Jenna.” She recognized Dade’s smooth voice and heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. “I hope you’ll believe me when I say I didn’t know about the bombs until it was too late to do anything about the coroner.”

“Well, thank you for saving my life,” Jenna said, her voice not quite free of sarcasm. Drago had told her Dade was the one that had warned him about the bomb but hadn’t been overly concerned whether he disarmed it in time. He’d probably hoped they’d both be blown to bits.

“I’ve talked with my clients, and I’ve told Judge Elkins he’s going back to jail tomorrow whether he confesses or not. He’s ready to confess.”

Jenna pulled the coffee cup from the machine and sipped it. “Shit,” she grumbled after the hot liquid burned her lower lip.

“Jenna? Are you okay?”

She set the coffee on one of the small tables, pulled out a chair, and flopped into it. “When does he want to do this?”

“I told him I could be there by ten thirty tonight. We’ll get his confession on tape, call the police, and have them pick him up immediately after that.”

Jenna glanced at the clock over the coffee machine. Nine o’clock. “Tonight? Can’t we do this in the morning?”

“I’d rather not give him time to think about it. He might change his mind. And I’d really like to get him back behind bars before he can create any more trouble. Too many people have died already.”

His voice sounded sincere, but she didn’t trust him. She’d never trust him. “What if I bring Jake with me?”

Dade chuckled. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me. Bring him along. He can make the arrest after we get the confession. So, I’ll see you at ten thirty?”

“I’ll be there,” Jenna said, punching the End button.

Picking up her coffee, she went in search of a bathroom. She gasped when she actually saw her reflection in the mirror. Black soot covered her chin, her left cheek, and her forehead. No wonder the nurses had looked at her so oddly. She ran a hand through her hair and splashed water on her face. The soot smeared but didn’t come off. She hit the soap dispenser, closed her eyes, and lathered her face before scrubbing it with paper towels. The next splash of cold water revealed a slightly-paler-than-normal complexion accented by rosy cheeks from the towel scrub.

Should she take Jake with her? What if Dade had lied to her? What if this was a setup? She dried her face and stared into the mirror. Someone had once asked her why Lady Justice was blindfolded. She just figured out the answer: she had to be blindfolded to hide her from the corruption in the system, the same system that was supposed to serve and protect.

Jenna tossed the towels in the trash, opened her purse, and checked the derringer to make sure it was loaded. She could take a cab and leave Jake a note, letting him know what she was doing and that she would call him as soon as it was done. He’d follow her, of course, angry that she’d left without him. She dropped the derringer back into her purse as an image of Harry’s face flashed through her mind. He thought she was smart. Pulling out the phone, she dialed Jake’s number.

“Hello.”

“Hey, it’s me. Dade just called. He wants me to meet him at the Elkinses’. He said the judge is going to confess. I can take a cab, but I’ll wait if you want to pick me up.”

“Wait. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

~ ~ ~

Michael paced in front of his father’s desk, aware of the bulge in his waistline. The chest pains were getting worse. He glanced at the clock. Almost ten. Maybe he could get Dade to take him to the hospital. What better alibi could he have than another heart attack?

“Sit down, Michael, you’re driving me crazy,” Judge Elkins grumbled.

The doorbell rang, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to kill his father. He had to kill his father. Marcus had made him see that. He would have to do it quickly before he lost his nerve. He headed to the front door and opened it.

Marcus placed a finger to his lips and whispered. “Go on and do it. I’ll wait for you out here. Make it good, just like we planned. Accuse him of murdering your mother. Give him this.”

Marcus handed over the package. “Open it and toss the items to him one at a time, including the envelope. We need his fingerprints on it.”

Michael nodded and turned back toward the library, leaving the front door open. He’d show Marcus he could be a team player.

He swaggered back into the library, adrenalin pumping more blood, his heartbeat erratic, pain accelerating. Opening the package he tossed the pictures and tapes on the desk one at a time. “There it is, Dad. There’s what cost me my inheritance. All these years, I believed you, stood by your side. I should have listened to Jordan. He knew what was going on. You killed her, didn’t you?”

The old man reached for the items, picking them up, a sly grin lifting the corners of his mouth. “That was good work, son. Now we can both get what’s ours.”

Michael pulled the gun from his waistband and leveled it at his father’s chest. “You killed her, didn’t you?”

The judge looked up from the pictures, his eyes darkening. “What the hell’s wrong with you, Michael?”

Michael shook his head. He needed to make this quick. The pain was spreading down his right arm, cutting off his breath. “All my life, I’ve been afraid of you. I listened to your whining and paid off your whores when you hit them too hard. No more, Dad. I’m going to get what’s mine, and you’re going to get what’s coming to you—what I should have done a long time ago.”

He pulled the trigger, laughing at the surprised look on the old man’s face as a bright red stain spread across his chest. “Michael?”

He pulled the trigger again, and the bullet struck the neck, severing an artery. Blood spurted across the desk and against the wall.

He tried to pull the trigger again, but his arm was going numb. The pain in his chest crushed his lungs. His mouth opened to call out for help, but the words didn’t make it past his lips. Darkness was approaching quickly, but he smiled. Dade would find him any minute. In a few months, he’d be one of the richest, most powerful men in the world. Finally, he was going to get everything he deserved.

Gregory slipped out of the shadows. “You want me to check?”

Dade shook his head. “No need. If he’d had the strength, he would have called out. Go grab those pills, and let’s get out of here before Miss James arrives.”

Gregory slipped through the front door. “I’ll see you back at the office.”