Running for Cover (14 page)

“What did she say?”

“Simply that she wasn’t surprised to hear from me. That she knew I’d hear about Cody’s murder eventually. I offered my sympathy, then asked if he’d been acting okay during the days leading up to his death.”

“Had he?”

“She said that he’d been fine, happy even, and that it wasn’t just a mother’s wishful thinking that made her say that. His girlfriend of five years had thought the same.”

“Five years?”

“Whether or not it really was that long, I don’t know.”

“Did she give you a name?”

“Of course not. She wanted to hurt me. Not help me.” She sighed and dropped onto the edge of the bed.

“So, a dead end.”

“Not quite. I asked about the disk. Told her that finding it would help the police find the person who killed Cody. Mrs. Bradshaw told me that Cody had them send a box of things to someone a few weeks before he was arrested.”

At her words, Jackson’s heart leaped. “What was in it?”

“She didn’t know. Cody had it packaged and addressed. Apparently, he stopped by their house and asked his mother to overnight it to a female friend of his, someone who lived in the Spokane area. Those were her words, not mine.”

“So, he sent something to his girlfriend? The one he’d been with for five years?”

“It looks like it, but who knows? Mrs. Bradshaw is good at making up stories. Maybe that’s what she was doing.”

“Why would she?”

“To hurt me. For her, there wouldn’t have to be any other reason.”

“You should have waited for me to make the call, Morgan. Let me handle her,” he said, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed, sliding his arm around her shoulder. She stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

“I can’t keep counting on you to help me, Jackson.”

“Why not?” He cupped her jaw with his hand, barely touching the bruised flesh as he urged her to meet his eyes.

“Because…” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, pulling away and standing up, pacing across the room.

“I’m not your ex-husband, Morgan.”

“I know that.”

“Then why are you so afraid of what you feel when you’re with me?”

“Who said I feel anything?”

“The kiss we shared, for one.”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t mention that.” She turned to face him again, smiling sadly.

“Why? It happened. I’m not sorry it did. I hope you’re not either.”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I want it to happen again.”

“No?” He took a step toward her and she raised a hand, stopping him before he could prove her wrong.

“Even if I do, I won’t let it. I’ve been hurt too much, Jackson. I can’t be hurt again.”

There were a million things Jackson wanted to say in response. A million things he could say, but now wasn’t the time. “I can promise you I’ll never hurt you, but I don’t think you’ll believe me. Not now, anyway. So how about I just say good night? We’re both exhausted. A few hours of sleep will do us a world of good.”

“All right,” she said, a weary edge to her voice. She pushed strands of inky-black hair behind her ear, her hands trembling.

“We’ll get the answers we need, Morgan, and you’ll be able to go back to your life.”

“I know. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what
are
you worried about?”

“Finding out something I don’t want to know. Like who the woman was that Cody sent that package to.”

“You don’t want to know?”

“I haven’t decided yet. It was bad enough knowing my ex-husband was cheating on me. Knowing who he cheated with may just make things worse.”

“Is that possible?”

“It is if I know the woman,” she said, standing and stretching. “I’ve got to take that shower and get into bed. The sun will be up soon.”

“And you don’t want to disappoint Lauren by missing church,” he said, letting her change the subject.

“Right. Good night, Jackson.”

“Good night,” he said, walking out into the hall and closing the door, Morgan’s words echoing through his head.

It is if I know the woman.

Was that the reason Cody’s mother had been willing to share the information? Was the other woman someone Morgan knew?

One way or another, they had to find out.

Jackson hurried back to the den, ready to make his second early-morning phone call of the day, praying that whatever Sheriff Reed found out, it wouldn’t cause Morgan any more pain than she’d already experienced.

T
hree hours of sleep wasn’t nearly enough, and as Morgan downed her second cup of coffee and finished eating a slice of buttered toast, she wondered if she should pull off the soft jersey dress she wore, throw back on her pajamas and go back to sleep.

She frowned, setting a crumb-covered plate into the sink and washing her hands. She’d made a promise to Lauren, and she planned to keep it no matter how tired she felt.

How exhausted.

Frustrated.

Angry.

How could it be that after so many years, that even after his death, Cody could still make her feel this way?

So what if he’d sent a package to another woman? It
didn’t
matter. So why had she spent most of the hours before dawn trying to put a face and a name to the package’s recipient?

And why was she thinking about it now?

Frustrated, Morgan grabbed her purse, scrounged through the bookshelves in the living room until she found a Bible and started for the door.

“Going somewhere?” Jackson’s voice was so unexpected, Morgan jumped, her pulse leaping, her stomach churning with the
kind of anticipation she had no right to feel. If she could have ignored him and gotten away with it, she might have done just that.

Coward.

The word whispered through her mind as she turned, her breath catching as she met his eyes. She’d expected him to be sleeping soundly, but should have known better. If she’d learned anything about him during the past two days, it was that Jackson was dogged in his pursuit of a goal. And his goal was to keep her safe.

She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“I told you I was going to church this morning.”

“Maybe I should rephrase the question. Are you going somewhere
without me?
”

“We all had a late night. I didn’t want to wake you or Helen.” At least that was the excuse she’d given herself when she’d decided to get ready and go to church alone.

The truth was a little harder to swallow.

Jackson was getting under her skin and settling in. Putting some distance between them for a few hours seemed like a good idea.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. Obviously, he’d been up and getting ready for a while. He was dressed as he had been the previous day. Dark slacks. White dress shirt. Black loafers. All of it clean and pressed. Apparently, he’d found and made use of Helen’s laundry room. A tie hung loose around his neck and he’d managed to find a razor and had shaved the auburn stubble from his face. He looked good. Too good, and Morgan turned away. “I made coffee. You want a cup before we go?”

“That and some breakfast. Does your aunt keep the fridge stocked?”

“It’s slim pickings but there’s bread and eggs and milk.”

“Good enough. When do we need to leave?”

“Five minutes ago.”

“Then I guess I’d better hurry. Want to come in the kitchen? I’ve got some information that I want to go over with you.”

“Information?” Her stomach churned again, but for a different reason. As much as she wanted answers, as much as she wanted to face the past so that she could put it behind her, she didn’t really want to know who Cody had been having an affair with.

“Sheriff Reed spoke with the Bradshaws.”

“Did he?”

“He asked them about the package, but they denied any knowledge of it. Said you were lying.”

“That figures.”

“He didn’t push them. He figured there were other ways to get the information.” He poured a cup of coffee as he spoke, grabbing bread and dropping two slices into the toaster, moving as if he were as comfortable there as he was in his own place.

Maybe he was.

Maybe Jackson was that kind of person. The kind who fit in wherever he went, who easily made himself at home no matter where he was. The kind of person Morgan had often wished she could be.

“Are you going to keep me in suspense or tell me what he found out?”

“He told them he needed a list of Cody’s clients, and they sent an electronic file of his e-mail address book. Sheriff Reed sent it to me. He wants you to look it over and see if there’s anyone on it you know.”

“That could be hundreds of people.”

“It was. I’ve already narrowed it down,” he responded, topping off his coffee and liberally buttering both slices of toast.

“How?”

“I called in a few favors, had some investigators I work with help me do Internet searches on the names. We were able to pare the list down to seven people who live in Spokane and the surrounding areas.”

“You must have been up all night.”

“Most of it, but the results were worth the missed sleep.” He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, held it out.

Morgan took it, her heart beating a strange, sick rhythm. She knew the truth about her ex, but on most days, she preferred not to think about it.

Her hands trembled as she unfolded the paper, and she wondered if Jackson noticed.

It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was reading the list of names. Getting the answers they needed.

She scanned the list, looking at names, but not really seeing them.

“Do you recognize any of the names?”

She blinked, trying to bring the paper into focus. “Luke Sanders. He owns a golf resort on Newman Lake. We vacationed there a couple of times after we moved to New York.”

“Was he a client of Cody’s?”

“I think so.”

“Anyone else?”

“Daniel Wilfred was a friend of Cody’s during college. I think he’s a doctor in the area. Probably also a client of Cody’s. Shannon Mallory was an old friend of mine from college.” And she couldn’t think of any reason why Cody would have been e-mailing her. She didn’t say that. She didn’t have to.

Jackson frowned, placing his empty toast plate into the sink. “I don’t suppose Cody was planning a party for you? Birthday? Anniversary? Is it possible that he was contacting her via e-mail, trying to surprise you?”

“Too much effort. He believed in quick, easy things. Jewelry. Spa days. Theater tickets. A party wasn’t something he would ever have planned.”

“So, maybe we need to speak to Shannon. Find out why Cody was e-mailing her.”

“I guess so.”

“Do you have her contact information?”

“Yes.” She’d called Shannon a couple of weeks after she’d walked out on Cody and had left a message on her machine. She’d never gotten a response. That hadn’t surprised Morgan. She and Shannon had lost touch and reconnected several times since college. Now she wondered if there was more than a busy schedule responsible for the unreturned call. “I’ve got a phone number and an address. And, now, her e-mail address. I shouldn’t have any trouble getting in touch with her.”

“How about we tackle that after church? Fifteen minutes ago you said we should have left five minutes ago. Which makes us twenty minutes late.”

A reprieve, and Morgan was glad about it.

She and Shannon had shared a dorm room for four years, and when Morgan married it had seemed natural to ask her to be a bridesmaid. A year later, Shannon had gotten married and Morgan had been a bridesmaid at
her
wedding. When Shannon divorced, she’d spent two weeks with Morgan and Cody, getting her thoughts together, mourning the end of something she’d thought would last forever.

Was that all she’d done?

Morgan didn’t want to think about the possibility, didn’t want to imagine that her good friend and her husband had an affair. Didn’t want to, but couldn’t seem to stop the thought from circling through her head.

Shannon and Cody.

Cody and Shannon.

Was it possible?

When Morgan thought back, when she tried to pinpoint the moment when her friendship with Shannon had changed, that
would be it. After those two weeks, Shannon had been more distant and much more difficult to reach. Morgan had chalked it up to grief, had convinced herself that Shannon was just trying to put the past behind her.

She’d been burying her head in the sand, refusing to see what was right in front of her.

Would acknowledging it have changed the way things had played out? Would it have somehow led Morgan and Cody down different paths? Kept Sean alive? Prevented the nightmare that had been playing out over the past several days?

Morgan walked outside and took a deep breath of cold, crisp air. There were no answers to her questions. No way of knowing what might have been.

The rain had stopped and watery sunlight filtered through the trees. Birds sang. Leaves rustled. All was right with the world.

And everything was completely wrong.

Morgan knew the pain of betrayal. She’d felt it when she was a kid abandoned by her mother and again when she’d realized that Cody wasn’t faithful. She hadn’t ever wanted to feel it again.

Too bad she didn’t have any say in it.

“Ready?” Jackson opened the car door and Morgan climbed in, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

She’d call Shannon after church.

Or maybe she should call now.

After all, what was the sense in putting it off?

She pulled out her cell phone as Jackson got into the driver’s seat.

“Where are we heading?” he asked, and she quickly typed the church name and road into the GPS system.

“That should do it.” Her voice sounded raspy and old, and she swallowed hard, trying to clear her throat. “I’m going to call Shannon now.”

“It can wait.”

“It can’t, and we both know it. Besides, putting it off won’t change anything. If she and Cody were having an affair, it’s water under the bridge. Right now, all I care about is finding that disk.” That was partially the truth, and she clung to it as she dialed the familiar number.

One ring. Two. Maybe Shannon had gone to church, though Morgan had never known her to be the kind to attend regularly. Three rings. Four. Morgan expected the answering machine to pick up, and she took another deep breath, preparing to leave a message.

“Hello?” Shannon’s voice was such a surprise, Morgan’s voice caught in her throat and she couldn’t respond.

“Hello? Is someone there? If this is a crank call—”

“It’s me, Shannon. Morgan.”

There was a heartbeat of silence, and Morgan wondered if Shannon would hang up.

“Morgan…what a surprise. It’s been a while.”

“A few years.”

“I guess you went back to your maiden name. It’s on the caller ID and I didn’t recognize it.” Which was probably the only reason why she’d picked up.

“I thought it would be easier to use my maiden name. Too much publicity around Cody’s.”

“I’m sure it’s been tough.”

“It has been, but I wasn’t calling to discuss my relationship with Cody.”

“No?”

“I’m in town. Staying with my aunt. I was hoping I could stop by and see you.”

“I’m really busy right now, Morgan. Work has been crazy, and I—”

“Cody sent you a package before he went to prison.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do. Cody’s mother mailed it out for him.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Yes it is, but that’s not what I care about. I need to know what was in the box, Shannon.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Cody gave it to me in confidence, and I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone about it.”

“Don’t you think the fact that he’s dead relieves you of the obligation to keep that promise?”

“He’s dead?”

“You didn’t know?”

“That can’t be. I spoke to him.

“When?”

“Last Sunday. Right before I left on a business trip.”

“He was killed five days ago. Didn’t his parents tell you?”

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening, and Morgan’s hand tightened on the phone. “Shannon? Are you still there?”

“I’m here. His mom left two messages, but she didn’t say why she needed to speak to me, and I’ve been too busy to call her back.” Her voice sounded tinny and small, as if the news had stolen something from her. Maybe it had. Unlike Morgan, Shannon may have never accepted the truth about the man she thought she loved.

“I’ve got to know what’s in the box. It’s the only way we can find the person who killed him.”

“I’ve got it here, and you’re welcome to it. When do you want to come by?”

“Noon?”

“I’ll be here.” She hung up, and Morgan did the same, her stomach churning, her head pounding. She wanted to tell Jackson to turn the car around and go back to Helen’s place, but
what good would it do to hide away? She couldn’t hide from the truth and couldn’t avoid doing what needed to be done. In a few hours, she’d have to face Shannon. Whether she wanted to or not.

And she most definitely did not.

“I’m sorry.” Jackson squeezed her hand.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not, but you will be.”

“I know. Shannon says I can come by at noon. She’s going to let me have the box.”

“And we’ll have our answers.”

“I hope so. I’m ready to go back to Lakeview and get back to my life.”

“You’ve only been away for a day.”

“A day too long. I’m sure you feel the same way about your life.”

“Actually, I’m finding this trip a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be.”

“You’re not going to start that again, are you?” she asked, shooting a look in his direction.

“What?”

“The whole ‘attraction’ thing.”

“It’s better than the alternative.”

“Which would be what?”

“Letting you sit and mope about your jerk of an ex-husband and his unfortunate love interest.”

“I wasn’t moping.”

“Good, because the jerk wasn’t worth it.” He grinned, and Morgan found herself smiling in return.

He was right, of course. Cody wasn’t worth wasting emotion on. Not regret, not sorrow.

She needed to focus her energy on finding the disk, bringing it to the authorities and making sure that whatever secrets it contained were uncovered. It was the only way to stay alive, and
she had plenty to live for. Her family. Her dreams. The brother and sister she wanted so desperately to find.

She shifted in her seat, staring out the window, watching the landscape pass by. Pine trees and mountains, blue sky and white clouds. A simple kind of beauty that she’d missed during her years in New York. She’d said she was anxious to get back to Lakeview, but she wasn’t sure that was the truth. What she was really anxious for was resolution and an end to the nightmare it seemed she’d been living for much too long.