Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (49 page)

“Sweetheart, youʼve made me happy since the second we met.”

“I mean it.” Sara locked her eyes with his. “Iʼm going to make you crazy happy.”

He smiled and ran a hand through her hair. “How on earth did I ever think I could live without you?”

“I donʼt know. But, Jack, if you were so sure you were doing the right thing by pushing me away, then why did you come back to Starville?”

He gave her a long look, then sighed. “Because I remembered the reason I came back six months ago, and I had to come back for it again.”

Saraʼs breath caught, but she kept her eyes fixed on his. “Something tells me Iʼd better get ready for another surprise.” At his shrug, she squinted her eyes and tried to get ready for the worst. “What did you find out? And how horrible is it, on a scale from one to ten?”

Jack chuckled. “Itʼs not a big deal, I promise. Just…an idea.”

“Does it have anything to do with the file you and Carrie were working on?”

“Yes and no.” A muscle pulsed in Jackʼs jaw, and his face hardened. “Iʼm afraid Carrie died for nothing, Sara. The file was nothing but a collection of facts and suppositions I gathered through the years, and I felt that it was getting nowhere. Sadly, the killer didnʼt know that.”

“So, what is it?”

“Remember that big amount of money that J.T. allegedly loaned to someone right before he died?”

“The one that seems to have vanished?” Sara nodded with a frown. “Yes, Nicky told us about it.”

“Yeah, well, what Nicky doesnʼt know is that the money did end up somewhere, after all. In Charleneʼs bank account.”

Her mouth fell open, and for several moments, all she could do was gape at him. “But… Why would J.T. give that money to Charlene? And why the secrecy?”

“I donʼt know how many times Iʼve asked myself the same questions. I mean, J.T. was notoriously a generous man. He didnʼt care much about his money and used to give it away pretty easily to his homeys in need. There was nothing strange or unusual about it, so why wouldn’t Charlene just come forward saying she got it?”

“Maybe because something
was
unusual with that loan.”

“Exactly.”

“Do you think she might have had gambling debts or something like that?”

“I thought of that, but no.” Jack shook his head. “The truth is, I donʼt think J.T. gave that money directly to Charlene. I think he gave it to somebody who later passed it on to her.”

Her frown deepened. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, for one, the money didnʼt appear in her account overnight but was deposited in small monthly payments for the duration of five years. For five years after J.T.’s death, she kept receiving payments for something, and the final amount equals exactly what vanished from J.T.’s account.”

“You think Charlene was…
blackmailing
whoever got that money from J.T.?”

“Yes, Sara.” He nodded. “I think she was blackmailing J.T.’s murderer.”

Crap
. Sara gave him a long stare. “So thatʼs why you came back, isnʼt it? To question Charlene about it?”

“Yes. I wanted to have her over a barrel. I wanted her to tell me once and for all what the hell happened. And I wanted revenge.”

His clipped tone made a cold shiver run up her spine. “R-revenge?”

“Yes.” Jack stood and ran both hands through his hair. “I have to be honest with you, Sara: had Max not stopped me the night I returned to Starville, I have no idea what could have happened. I was so mad, so full of resentment. I donʼt know what I could have done if Iʼd confronted Charlene and sheʼd lied to my face. Or even worse, if sheʼd told me the truth. I promised J.T. that I would avenge his death, and nothing could have kept me from doing it.”

Sara didnʼt comment. What could she say to that?

He risked a glance at her and gave her a little smile. “I was so fucked up I even turned down the invitation of the sweetest girl Iʼd ever met.”

“Oh, gosh.” She buried her face in her hands with a groan. “I cannot believe I actually asked you to get ice cream with me. It was so embarrassing.”

“It was adorable.” Jack chuckled. “And believe me, I was tempted. I didnʼt even remember the last time someone had looked at me like you did―like I was a hero or something.”

“My dark knight,” she mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

Sara took a deep breath and slowly raised her gaze to him. “That night you refused to tell me your name, so I named you my dark knight.” She waved a hand as he blinked at her in confusion. “Never mind. Tell me what the police thought of that strange money movement.”

A sarcastic grin came over his face. “The police didnʼt notice, because they didnʼt know what to look for; I doubt that checking the transactions of a seemingly perfect girl like Charlene would have ever crossed anybodyʼs mind.”

She frowned. “Jack, Iʼm almost afraid to ask you this, but how on earth were
you
able to access her bank account?”

He gave a casual shrug but had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Iʼm good with computers.”

Saraʼs breath hitched. “Youʼre a…
hacker!
” she shrieked, trying to look appalled even though she found it impossible not to return his smug smile.

“No, but I can become one if need be.”

She rolled her eyes but sobered instantly. “You should tell Brent and Nicky about this.”

“No.” Jackʼs mouth flattened into a hard line. “I found all this info illegally, so they wouldnʼt be able to use any of it even if they wanted to. Their hands are tied. Besides, I donʼt want anyone to know that I got my memory back yet. I need more time to try and figure everything out while Iʼm here in Starville, and the more people think Iʼm still in the dark, the better.”

Sara pondered his words. Nodded. “I still donʼt understand, though. You said you came back here six months ago because you wanted to corner Charlene, but sheʼs dead now. So why did you come back this time?” She saw his jaw tick then. “Tell me the truth, Jack.”

He stared into her eyes, as if battling with himself. Then he blew out a sigh. “Fine, there is something else. You see, J.T. might have always been generous with his money, but he was not a fool. And he was such a control freak that I found it strange that the police never found any notes on the money he lent, or the people he gave it to. I just
knew
he had to have written it down somewhere, but I had no idea where. Thatʼs when I thought that maybe J.T. had a special place where he stored all that info…and everything else.”

Her brows knitted. “What do you mean, everything else?”

“Well, for years Iʼve been wondering why anybody would want to hurt a wonderful man like him, so generous, so appreciated by everybody. It just made no sense to me. Then again, I thought that maybe J.T. might have been
too generous
with someone.”

“I donʼt understand.”

“Many people trusted J.T. with their private confidences, Sara. Some of them just because they needed money and knew heʼd never deny a loan to a friend in need. Many others simply because he truly was a good friend.” Jack crouched down in front of her and took her hand. “Now, letʼs say one of these people had a terrible secret and for some reason decided to reveal it to J.T.; what if this person at some point regretted that decision and wished that secret had never been shared, but it was too late to take it back? Unless—”

His voice broke, and Sara felt a cold shiver run down her spine. “Unless J.T. died,” she finished for him. When he nodded, she stood and strode to the window. She looked out quietly for a while, but without really seeing anything. Her heart was heavy, her mind struggled to put together all the thoughts racing through it.

“I knew youʼd think Iʼm crazy.” Jackʼs voice found its way through those racing thoughts, but only when he wrapped his arms around her waist did she realize heʼd been standing behind her the whole time.

Sara spun in his arms to look into his eyes. “I donʼt think youʼre crazy, Jack. If anything, what you just told me makes a lot of sense, and itʼs terrible. I hate to think that J.T. might have been killed just because he tried to help one of his so-called friends.”

He nodded again. “Iʼm almost positive about it. And I do believe he must have written it all down somewhere. Somewhere private. Personal.”

“Like…a
journal
?” Sara asked, frowning.

“Precisely. J.T. used to lock up in his study and write on this leather-like notebook every night. I never thought much of it, but I knew it had to be important to him, seeing as how careful he was not to ever leave it around. So careful that it was never found after his death.”

She ran a hand over her face. “And you think you may know where the journal might be?”

Jack drew a deep breath, his eyes glittering. “Yes, Sara. Iʼm pretty sure I do.”

Chapter 34

“Are you sure we can do this?” Sara whispered, standing in front of the huge rusty gate of Jordan Turnerʼs ranch.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I donʼt know, isnʼt it illegal or something?”

He shot her an amused look. “Sara, this is my property.”

“It
was
your property. The police confiscated it,” she reminded him.

“They
did
confiscate it,” he mocked her with a smile. “Iʼm clear of all accusations, remember? I was given everything back as I stepped out of jail. The ranch has been back in my possession for a long time now,” he added, because she kept staring at him in confusion.

“But I heard… I thought…”

His face hardened. “Is that what they say? That I have nothing left of my dad, not even his beloved ranch?”

She worried her lips and nodded contritely. “But, honey, if the ranch is still yours, then why have you been away for all these years?”

“I donʼt know.” Jack let out a deep sigh. “At first I was so furious that coming back to Starville didnʼt even cross my mind. I felt betrayed and resented everybody here because no one had believed in my innocence or taken my side during the trial or my long detention. Later on, it just felt too weird to come back here without J.T.―and it still does. In my mind, I can still see his lifeless body lying on the ground.”

His voice shook, and Sara wrapped him in a tight hug. “Iʼm sorry.”

“I havenʼt been at the ranch since that night. I tried coming yesterday, but I couldnʼt even bring myself to unlock the gate,” he whispered, burying his face in her hair. “I couldnʼt do this without you by my side, Sara. You are my strength, sweetheart.”

“Well.” She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “To tell you the truth, I would have come with you even if it was illegal,” she admitted with a mischievous smirk. Her braveness was rewarded with Jackʼs deep laughter.

“Brat.” He shook his head in exasperation, but amusement danced in his eyes. “Shall we go in?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Jack squeezed her hand before digging into the pocket of his leather jacket. He pulled out a big keychain Sara had never seen before, then slid one key into the rusty lock and pushed the gate open. The disquieting creak that followed sent a shiver up her spine. “So, you really are filthy rich, huh?” she asked, trying to lighten the tension as they walked through the gate.

Jack shot her a confused glance. “Why, are you after my money now?”

“I canʼt pretend itʼs not a nice bonus.”

“Well, hell. And here I thought youʼd love me even if I were penniless,” he joked, grinning when she jabbed her elbow into his ribs. “If you really must know, Ms. Nosey, J.T.ʼs entire patrimony is mine, as well as the company I own in Chicago. So, yes, I guess I could be considered a good catch—although my criminal record doesnʼt exactly make me the most eligible bachelor. And this place is so rotten that I doubt itʼs worth much anymore,” he added grimly, looking around.

Sara followed his gaze. He was right. She was sure the flowerbeds surrounding the house must have been beautiful in the past, perfectly neat and spruce, but now they looked like shapeless, weedy bushes; the tree-lined driveway leading to the ranch was dirty and covered with fallen branches and dry leaves. The overall gloomy and decadent atmosphere made her heart heavy. “It must have been beautiful.”

Jack sighed. “J.T. cared about the ranch so much; I should never have let it come to this.”

“You were in jail, hon, and the police had confiscated the entire property. What were you supposed to do?”

“I have so much damn money, I should have paid somebody to fix this place a long time ago. I canʼt believe I let it get to…
this!
”

Sara looked up, studying the impressive mansion before her. Although most windows were broken and darkened with dirt, and the walls that once must have been a bright white were now a dull gray, she thought that it was still incredibly beautiful. “Itʼs not too late, you know.”

Jack gave her a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“The ranch can still be beautiful and happy as it once was,” she said with enthusiasm, turning to him. “One day, weʼll put this whole ordeal behind us, and if you want—if you decide you want to stay in Starville—we can restore it and bring it back to its beauty!”

Jack stared at her for a long moment. Suddenly he cupped her face, stroking her cheek with so much tenderness that Saraʼs legs went weak as jelly. “Have I told you J.T. would have adored you?”

“I wouldʼve liked him, too,” she said sincerely. “So, what do you think?”

He smiled. “Itʼs a great idea. I donʼt know if Iʼll ever be able to stay in Starville all the time, since my companyʼs in Chicago and Iʼll probably have to go back and forth a lot, but I promise that once we put this nightmare behind us, weʼll resume this conversation,” he said. “Letʼs go now. We have a mission to accomplish.”

“But, Jack, the ranch is huge! How are we going to find―”

“Thatʼs the thing, babe. I believe I know exactly where the journal is.” He took her hand. “Come on, I gotta show you something.”

Sara studied the surroundings as they walked up a small hill overlooking the creek that ran through the property. When Jack stopped, she turned to him with questioning eyes, but he was staring at the enormous oak tree standing in front of them. “Here it is.”