Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (11 page)

THIRTEEN

B
rooke was ready to go by seven the next morning. Harland Jeffries had called to cancel, citing an emergency meeting. She wasn't happy with the man, but decided that worked with their schedule a little better. They planned to track down the missing aide. She'd checked in with Nicholas after a restless night's sleep, worrying about Felix and Jonas.

“Felix called his dad about three hours ago. He told him he was sorry for all the trouble, but he wasn't going to let his dad send him away and was sorry for causing all the trouble and worry.”

Brooke sighed. “He doesn't get it, does he?”

“Nope. But I'm glad he's just a runaway at the moment and not a pawn in this deadly game.”

“I'm glad, too. I just hope he either comes home or the good guys find him.”

“We had officers looking for him all night and no one reported any sign of him. Overall, it was a quiet night, but I'm not holding my breath that the calm is going to last.”

Brooke agreed. She just figured it meant the people after Jonas and Felix were busy plotting their next move. The idea set her nerves on edge.

She climbed into her vehicle and Mercy hopped in the back. Nicholas would leave Max behind with Jonas. She drove to Jonas's house, which was only about fifteen minutes from her own. When she pulled to the front curb, Nicholas was standing on the porch waiting. She rolled down the window. “Ready?”

“Yep. We have an extra passenger, though.”

Brooke frowned. “Who?”

“Jonas is going with us.”

She lifted a brow and felt a twinge of happiness race up her spine at the thought of just being in his presence for most of the day. “All right. Why?”

He walked out to stand next to her car. “I don't feel comfortable leaving him here.” He shook his head. “He didn't get much sleep last night. He's worried sick about his kid.”

“I don't blame him. I'm worried, too.”

“If he stays here, he's going to think and brood about it. Might even take it upon himself to do something stupid like go looking for him.”

“Thereby making himself a target,” Brooke murmured.

“Exactly.”

She nodded. “Can't hurt for him to come along. And we'll be one of the first to know if something happens with Felix.” Good or bad, but she left that part out. She glanced in the back. “There's room.”

“It's just an hour or so. Pull up tight to the garage and we'll get him in. He can ride in the front with you. I'll make myself at home in the back with the dogs.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I'm going to grab a nap on the way there. Chase is going to tail us to make sure we're not followed and there aren't any more incidents like yesterday's.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Brooke pulled to the garage. Jonas must have been watching. The electric door opened and she pulled all the way in as he had his car parked on the far side. Jonas slipped around to the passenger seat and Max and Nicholas settled themselves into the back with Mercy. “Good morning,” she said.

“Morning.”

He looked so tired. Her heart went out to him. “I won't ask if you slept.”

“I kept thinking the phone would ring. Or Felix would walk in the door.” He shook his head. “Or something.”

She wanted to hug him, to reassure him. “I'm sorry.”

“Thanks.”

She glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Nicholas's eyes. “Does he know we're coming?”

“No. Didn't want to give him a chance to run.”

Brooke nodded. With each passing mile, she was more and more aware of the presence of the man beside her. Nicholas dozed off about fifteen minutes into the drive and a silence fell between her and Jonas.

She noticed he kept looking at his phone and figured he was hoping for a call or a text either from Felix or
about
Felix. Chase stayed with them all the way, sometimes falling back, but never letting her lose sight of him. Her nerves stayed stretched tight. After everything that had already happened, she expected another attempt and stayed on guard, waiting for it to happen. She knew Nicholas would be awake and ready to act. All she would have to do is call his name. This case had them all learning to snag rest when the opportunity presented itself and to be ready to be alert and in action within the blink of an eye.

“We're almost there,” Jonas said.

“Yes. Not too much longer.” She glanced at him. “There are officers on your house. If Felix comes home, someone will be there to protect him.”

“I know. I feel a bit guilty that I'm not there myself. Or at the office. Or out looking for Felix. That's really what I should be doing.”

Nicholas had called it. “Your safety is our priority. You have to stay safe and be there for Felix when he comes home.”

“Right.”

Brooke pulled to an intersection with a four-way stop. Nicholas stirred in the backseat. “Guess nothing happened.”

“Not yet.”

He grimaced at her fatalistic response.

She checked the GPS and turned right, then the next left. The gas station sat tucked at the far end of the parking lot. Two people pumped gas. One car sat in front of the front door. “Kind of slow on this Tuesday morning, isn't it? Hope this guy is working,” Brooke said.

“He's working,” Nicholas said. “I called and said I had a package to deliver. I asked if someone would be there to sign it. The person said Jake would be.”

“I take it Jake is the former aide's new name?”

“Yep. According to Fiona.”

“God bless Fiona.”

Nicholas smiled.

Jonas nodded to the entrance. “You're right when you say it's pretty slow, but people are here.”

“Stay here, all right?” Brooke asked.

“I'll be a good boy.” He growled the words, making Brooke wonder at his sincerity. She frowned at him and his face softened. “I will. I won't do anything stupid, I promise. I'll just stare at my phone and pray Felix calls me.”

Brooke reached over and tucked his hand into hers for a squeeze. “I know it's hard, Jonas. Just don't give up or stop praying.”

“I'm not.”

Brooke nodded. Nicholas was already out of the car and waiting. “We'll leave the dogs here and be right back. Hopefully this won't take too long.”

* * *

Before Brooke shut the car off, Jonas rolled the window down. Brooke cut the engine, slipped out of the driver's seat and shut the door. He checked his phone and sighed at the screen. He knew wishing Felix would call wouldn't make it happen, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He looked up to see a young woman carrying a toddler come through the double glass doors. “Don't bother going in there,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Whoever's supposed to be working must have decided he didn't want to anymore. It's a shame leaving the store open like that. Stuff's going to get stolen if the owner doesn't do something fast.”

Brooke flashed her badge. “Do you know the owner?”

“No, I'm just passing through. I paid for my gas at the pump, but wanted to get a couple of drinks. I hollered for someone to let 'em know they had customers, but no one came out.” She shook her head and walked to her car.

Brooke frowned, not liking where this was going. She caught Nicholas's eye. “I'll check out the store.”

Jonas straightened, his attention on the three people, their words filtering through his mind. Where was Paul Harrison aka Jake?

Nicholas waved to Chase, who'd parked at the edge of the lot near the entrance.

“What's up?” he asked.

Brooke explained. Chase pulled his weapon. He and Nicholas entered the store. Over the next several seconds, two more customers filed out. Brooke talked into her phone. Jonas opened the car door, thought about getting out, then shut the door without moving. He'd promised to be a good boy.

“What's going on?” he called to Brooke.

She walked back over to the car. “They're doing a sweep of the store.”

Jonas nodded but frowned. “It seems like trouble is following too close or is one step ahead.”

“Yes,” she murmured. “It does.”

She opened the back door and let the dogs out. “Heel.”

They sat at her side, eyes on her face, waiting for the next order.

Jonas waited, too. Nicholas finally appeared, weapon holstered and shaking his head. “I didn't find a body. Found some blood on the wall and the floor.” Chase came out after him.

Brooke nodded. “Let the dogs search.”

Nicholas nodded and Jonas stepped out of the vehicle. Brooke shot him a frown. He leaned against the door and paused to see what would happen next. Brooke led Mercy to the door of the convenience store. The dog shifted impatiently, quivering with the excitement of the hunt that was about to begin. Brooke opened the door. “Seek.”

Mercy shot into the building. Jonas moved closer so he could see.

Nicholas let Max loose and also commanded the dog to seek. Nicholas followed him. Chase held his K-9 back. After a second of sniffing and getting his bearings, Max took off around the side of the building.

Jonas wanted to help, to do something besides just wait. He slipped around to watch Max, who went straight to the Dumpster at the back of the store.

Brooke kept an eye on Mercy, who was doing her best to find something. In the store's back room, Mercy sniffed the blood spatter on the floor, then the wall. She went to the exit and sat. Brooke opened the door and let the dog out. Mercy bounded into the sunshine, her nose quivering, hind end wagging.

Brooke spotted Nicholas at the Dumpster. Max sat and barked three times. Mercy stayed on her trail, straight to the Dumpster. She sat next to Max and barked.

Brooke's gaze met Nicholas's. “We need to look in there.”

“I'm afraid so.”

She grimaced. “I'll do it.” Jonas came around the corner and Brooke's heart clenched at the lines on his face. “You should have stayed in the car,” she told him.

“Maybe.” But he didn't move.

Brooke grabbed two wooden crates that had been set next to the Dumpster. She stacked one on top of the other and then climbed up.

“You want me to do that?” Nicholas asked.

“I've got it.” She'd been with the team long enough that she no longer felt she had to prove herself by taking on some of the more distasteful aspects, but Brooke had promised herself when she started, she'd never back down from doing whatever it was that needed to be done. She knew Nicholas would do the Dumpster diving if she asked. She also knew he knew she wouldn't ask.

“Be careful,” Jonas murmured.

Brooke shoved open the lid of the Dumpster. The smell hit her and she jerked back with a grimace. The crates wobbled and she grabbed the edge of the bin to steady herself. Jonas reached out and gripped the wooden piece, righting it and holding it. Nicholas did the same.

“What is it?” Nicholas asked.

She shot him a dark look. “It stinks. Hand me the gloves, will you please?”

She reached down to snag the gloves Nicholas held up to her. She snapped them on, then turned back to the trash. With one finger, she pushed aside the large piece of cardboard that covered the heap. And stilled. She looked down at the men. “I found Mr. Harrison,” she said.

Jonas sucked in a deep breath, but still didn't budge. “What happened to him?” he asked.

“Shot. Once in the chest, which probably explains the spatter on the wall and the floor inside. And, if the evidence beneath him is any indication, once in the head after they dumped him in here.” She grimaced and climbed down. “I'm guessing whoever killed him didn't want him found too quickly and this was a handy spot to stash the body.”

Nicholas shook his head and pulled out his phone. “Should have cleaned up the blood if they didn't want someone looking for him,” he muttered. “I'll get a crime scene unit here.”

“How did they know?” Jonas asked. “How did they know you'd come looking for him?”

“I don't know,” Brooke said, her heart aching for the loss of the life of the young aide. It was wrong. Needless. If only he'd asked for help, told someone what had him so scared. Instead, he'd run away and now he was dead. “However, what I do know is that it's time to catch a killer before someone else dies.”

She saw sheer fear sweep across Jonas's face and knew he was thinking of his son—a thirteen-year-old boy, out there by himself being chased by people who didn't hesitate to kill to get someone out of their way.

And Felix had definitely gotten in their way.

She pulled the gloves off and trashed them. “What now?” Jonas asked.

“Now we wait,” Brooke said as she pulled a bottle of hand sanitizer from her pocket and used it liberally.

Thirty minutes later, two black vans pulled into the parking lot. “The crime scene unit's here.”

“So is the medical examiner,” Nicholas said.

Brooke nodded. “We'll let them take over for now.”

“I think it's time to ask the congressman about his missing—and now murdered—aide,” Chase said.

Nicholas turned to Jonas. “I think it's time you got back in the car. We're going to be here awhile.”

Brooke shook her head. “We need to get this case solved or we're going to wind up with one crime scene after another.”

FOURTEEN

J
onas took the bag of groceries from Nicholas. “Thanks.” It had been a long day. He was wiped out from the fact that he'd been there when they'd found the aide, compounded by the worry that wanted to eat through his heart about Felix. He should have just crashed into the nearest bed. Instead, he found himself cooking dinner.

Nicholas shrugged out of his coat. “I didn't want you out and about going shopping. This is much safer.”

“Anything on Felix?” Nicholas took the bag into the kitchen and set it on the counter. He'd turned the fans off for the moment. He'd turn them back on when he didn't have to carry on a conversation.

“No, he's dropped off the radar.” Nicholas frowned.

Brooke stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a head of lettuce and a knife from the block near the sink. “I'd suggest that we put his face on the news and bring the public into it, but I'm afraid that would only alert the people after him.” She started chopping the lettuce and Jonas grabbed a bowl for her to put it in. “Let's see if the cops can locate him first.”

“I'm hoping he comes home,” Jonas muttered.

“Yeah.” She stopped her chopping and shot him a sympathetic look. He shook his head and looked at his phone. Something he'd been doing on a regular basis even though he had the ringer turned up to maximum volume.

Together they worked and soon had a good meal on the table. Nicholas joined them, but left to monitor the perimeter with Max after cleaning his plate. Mercy lay on the kitchen floor, ears flicking, nose twitching.

Jonas took his last swallow of tea and set the glass on the table. “Felix is upset, I get that, but to take off like this when he's in danger...” He shook his head.

“He's definitely upset,” Brooke said. She reached across the table and snagged his fingers.

He pulled his chair around next to hers. Close enough to allow their shoulders to touch. “I need a different topic of conversation.”

“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“Tell me what I did wrong. What made you just decide to quit seeing me?”

She stood, her agitation clear. “It wasn't you, Jonas, it was me. Me!” Mercy rolled to her feet, her eyes on her mistress. Jonas didn't move. Brooke paced from one end of the kitchen to the other. Mercy watched her and whined. Brooke stopped and dropped her head, her chin resting on her chest. She took in a deep breath.

Jonas blinked at her distress. “I'm sorry, Brooke, never mind. It's not important, I guess.”

“You're an amazing father. You have a depth of love in your heart for Felix that I can only imagine.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you want more children?”

“Of course. One day.” He paused. “Why?” Then his eyes went wide and before she could answer, blurted, “You don't want kids?”

“I want them, I just can't have them.”

He froze at her quiet whisper. “What?” She still didn't look at him. He went to her and placed a finger under her chin to lift her eyes to his. “You can't have children?”

“No.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I had a hysterectomy when I was eighteen. I was in the car wreck that killed my parents. I was bleeding, they had to do surgery and...” She shrugged away from him, crossing her arms across her stomach, turning her back to him. “I can't have children.”

“So you pushed me away because of that? Why didn't you just tell me?” Anger surged through him and he fought to control it, to keep his tongue from releasing the words trembling on the edge. “Do you know how I agonized over what I could have done to send you running?”

“Jonas—”

“I lay awake at night wondering.”

“I didn't—”

“I racked my brain trying to figure out how I'd offended you.” He stared at her. “Did you really think so little of me that I would reject you because you couldn't have kids?”

“Why not? That's what Carl did.”

He went quiet. Then sighed. “Who?”

“My boyfriend at the time of the accident. He was nineteen. I was eighteen. We were in love, you know, going to get married and have a houseful of kids.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I came to in the operating room to find out my parents were dead. My grandparents were devastated, but they assured me they would be there for me and we would all get through this.”

“I remember your grandparents and how close you were.”

“Are. We still are.”

“But?”

“But they didn't know that Carl was coming to visit me. He overheard them talking about my hysterectomy and how they were going to tell me that I would never have a child.”

Jonas closed his eyes. “And he told you.”

“Yeah.” She sniffed and swiped her eyes. “He tried to be gentle about it, of course, said he was sorry about my parents, sorry I'd been hurt, but he couldn't be my boyfriend anymore because who knows where we might end up. He wanted to be with someone who could have kids one day. He kissed my forehead and walked out.”

Jonas rubbed his eyes. “I'm so sorry, Brooke. But I wasn't Carl, not then and not now.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I know, but the hurt was just too deep, the scars too many. The day I walked out of that hospital, I swore off relationships. I loved dogs, I loved the law.” She glanced at Mercy, who'd dropped back to the floor. “I loved my job. I couldn't let you distract me. I'm sorry. When I realized how you felt—”

“You ran.”

“As hard and as fast as I could go.” She sighed. “A few months later, I almost worked up the courage to tell you.”

“But?”

“But when I came back to talk to you—”

“What? When? You never came back.”

“I didn't approach you. I was talking to your former partner and he told me a little about what you were doing. Like the fact that you were continuing to build your life and your career and raising a young son.” She shrugged. “I told myself you didn't need me upsetting your apple cart again. So I left before you got back to the office, threw myself into my job and told myself to forget about you.”

“And did you?”

She swallowed hard, but didn't look away. “No.”

“He never told me you were there.”

She shrugged. “I didn't tell him not to say anything. He probably just forgot.”

“Well I didn't forget about you. I loved my wife.” He frowned. “At least I thought I did. I did my best to be a good husband to her, a good father to Felix, but...” He sighed. “I don't know what went wrong, to be honest. I worked a lot of hours building the vet business. She got lonely and found someone else. After she left, I told myself no more relationships. No more falling in love.” He gave her a crooked smile. “But I couldn't seem to help it. I found myself thinking about you. How I'd let you go without too much of a fight and I regretted it.”

Her eyes bounced to his mouth then back up. A flush worked its way into her cheeks. He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. At her response, he moved to deepen the kiss.

And guilt hit him.

He stood and shoved his chair away. “I'm sorry.”

She blinked and looked away. “No. I am.”

“I need to focus on Felix. I can't—”

“I understand, Jonas. Stop. It's okay.”

He nodded and raked a hand through his hair.

Brooke buried her face in her hands and blew out a sigh. When she looked up, he tried to decipher the expression in her eyes, but couldn't figure it out. Anger? Sadness? Resignation? Regret? She stood. “All right. It's time for me to get out of here. There's an officer on the curb. Nicholas has done several sweeps and it's clear for now.”

“I feel like I should be out there looking for him. I don't know if I can handle sitting around and waiting.” When he caught himself looking at his watch again, he grimaced.

Brooke walked to the door. “You really don't have a choice, Jonas. I understand your conflict, but what if Felix comes looking for you?”

He nodded. “I know. I'll stay put.” For now.

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. She looked as though she might say something, then just gave him a weary smile. “Good night, Jonas.”

“'Night.”

She slipped out the door, her words now echoing in the stillness.
I can't have children.
He walked to the window and spotted the officer on the curb. Brooke pulled away and disappeared down the street. Jonas felt his heart go with her.