Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (9 page)

When Brooke had hugged little Tommy and let him rest his head against her, a fierce longing had gripped Jonas. He wanted Brooke. Not just as a casual friend, but as a lifelong partner, someone to walk through the ups and downs of life with him. Someone to share more children with. Jonas headed down the hall to the room where she and Nicholas had taken their conversation.

Her low voice drew him to the door. “Yes, he's sure. White hair.” She listened then shrugged. “I know the congressman has gray hair, and not white, but combine the other factors of a moon and it being at night, maybe his gray hair looked white to Tommy. I'm not trying to put words in his mouth, but maybe he's just not using the word
gray
, but that's what he means.” She paused and her gaze met his even as she listened. He started to leave, not wanting to butt in where he shouldn't, but she held up a hand to stall his departure. “I get that, Gavin, but it's still possible Tommy is describing Jeffries. Could you set it up with Cassie to have a sketch artist work with him?” More silence, more pacing. “All right. Any word on Erin Eagleton? I still think she may be the key to solving this thing.” A heavy sigh slipped from her. “Okay. Thanks.” She hung up and turned to Jonas. “Well, we'll see what happens.”

“Is he going to send a sketch artist?” Jonas asked.

She nodded. “As soon as he can set it up.”

“You really think you'll get an accurate picture of the man Tommy saw that night?”

“I don't know, but I think it's worth a try.”

The clamor of laughter and children's high-pitched voices reached them. “They're coming back in,” Jonas said.

Felix held the two puppies. “It looks like it's going to rain.”

Brooke nodded. “It's time for us to leave.” Tommy raced forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. Brooke seemed startled for a split second before she dropped to her knees to hug him. “I'll come back soon, all right?”

Tommy nodded and Jonas thought Brooke might break down and cry. He took a step forward, but she blinked a few times then smiled at Cassie. “Thanks for letting us come.”

“Of course. Anytime. Stay safe.”

Tommy went to Cassie and she picked him up and planted a kiss on his cheek. Tommy smiled and leaned his head against her shoulder.

Brooke led the way out.

Felix climbed into the back of the vehicle, the box clutched closely to him, the playful puppies worn out and sound asleep. Brooke let Mercy out to take care of business. In short order, she was back at the vehicle. She jumped into her special spot and lay down, her head between her paws.

Jonas glanced at the clock. He'd been gone from the clinic a good while. “I'm going to check in with Claire.”

“Sure. Just put your blindfold back on. I'll let you know when you can take it off.” She glanced into the backseat at Felix, who rolled his eyes, but complied with a small smile. She didn't think he was terribly annoyed. Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the text. “Nicholas and Chase are going to escort us back to your office. They're working in conjunction with the local police to set up a 24/7 guard.”

He nodded. “All right. I'm not going to fight the idea. Felix might not like, it, but I'll do whatever I've got to do to keep him safe.”

A groan came from the backseat. They ignored him. “And yourself,” she said.

“Right.” Jonas dialed his office's number and got Claire on the second ring as Brooke aimed the vehicle down the long drive.

“All is fine here,” Claire assured him. “Slow, but fine. We had a couple of people who wanted to come in, but I explained you had an emergency.”

He sighed. “I'm going to have to find someone to help out.”

“Do you want me to put a call out for resumes?”

“Yes. And then start checking references. I need someone fast.”

“What about Graham Brown? He called last week asking about an interview.”

Jonas pictured the son of his father's best friend. “Is he back in town?”

“He is.” Claire went on to list a few other possibilities and Jonas listened with half an ear. His mind kept circling back to the side mirror and wondering who could be behind the attacks on them. “Jonas?”

“Right. Sorry. I'm here. Just...call whoever you think best and set up interviews with me. I'll take it from there.”

“All right, I can do that.”

Jonas hung up, and peeked through the bottom edge of his blindfold to see the screen and dialed his home to check his voice mails. Three hang-ups. One from his mother who lived in Richmond, Virginia. Two from his sister who wanted to know what happened to his house.

He deleted those and went to the next message.

“Give me the phone or your kid is dead.”

Click.

ELEVEN

B
rooke heard Jonas's indrawn breath and looked over to see the part of his face beneath the blindfold drain of color. “What is it?”

He shook his head and hung up the phone. “Nothing. Not here,” he said in almost a whisper. She glanced in the backseat. Felix had his head against the window, the blindfold covering his eyes. He gave all appearances of being asleep, but that didn't mean he was. She nodded. Whatever Jonas had heard on the phone he didn't want to repeat in front of Felix.

Nicholas and Chase had fallen in with her about ten minutes ago as she'd pulled onto the highway. One in front and one behind.

“Are the police going to be waiting when we get to the office?” Jonas asked, his voice low.

“Yes.”

He nodded and she saw his Adam's apple bob. “Good.”

“You checked your messages?”

“I did.”

She looked in the rearview mirror. She thought maybe Felix really was asleep. “Felix?” He didn't move. “You can take off your blindfold now.” Still no response. “You can take yours off, too, Jonas.” He did. She glanced at his phone. “Do I need to take a listen?”

“Yes.”

“Pull it up for me and hand me your Bluetooth.” She put the device against her ear and Jonas played the message. “Give me the phone or your kid is dead.”

She blinked. “Is that the only one?”

“Yes. There were some hang-ups before that.”

“We'll see if we can trace the number,” she said. She handed him her phone and his Bluetooth device, replacing it with hers. “Dial number 1 on speed dial.” He followed her instructions, then handed the phone back to her. “Gavin. I need you to get a subpoena for the Parker residence phone records.” In a low voice, with frequent glances at Felix in the backseat, she explained the threatening phone call.

“I'll get Fiona on it. What else?” Fiona Fargo, a whiz with any kind of technology, would have what they needed within a few hours. If that long.

“That's it for now.” She started to hang up. “No wait, Gavin?”

“Yes?”

“I think we need to wear our Kevlar vests 24/7, Jonas and Felix included.” She ignored Jonas's sharp look.

“It's come to that, has it?”

“I just want to be prepared.”

“I'll have some waiting for you when you get to the office. We'll pass them in and they can put them on before they get out of the vehicle.”

Sounded like a good plan to her. “Our ETA is about five minutes.”

“Slow down and take your time. It'll be a little longer than that before I can deliver the vests.”

“Got it.” She lifted her foot from the gas. “See you soon.” She hung up and told Jonas the plan.

“Vests?” he asked quietly.

“I think it's a needed precaution.”

A sigh slipped from him and she couldn't help reaching out and patting his hand. “I'm sorry, I know it's an imposition.”

He grasped her fingers before she could pull them back. “Yes, it is, but we'll manage. I just want Felix safe. That's the most important thing.”

“You're a good dad, Jonas.”

He tilted his head then turned to look in the backseat. “He's really in a deep sleep.”

“Yes. He zonked out a few minutes after we left the children's home.”

“I don't think he's been sleeping well. I hear him get up at night sometimes. If I ask him if he's all right, he says he's fine and gets back in bed, but I don't know. I don't know what to do for him.”

“It's a tough time right now.”

“Very.” He paused. Then, “As for me being a good dad, I'm not so sure about that.”

“I am.”

He fell silent as he studied her. She resisted squirming and concentrated on driving.

Ten minutes later, Brooke followed Nicholas as he turned into the parking lot of the veterinary office. Chase swung in behind her. In the rearview mirror, she noticed Felix rubbing his eyes and looking around. Two squad cars took up two spaces. Jonas tensed and rubbed a hand down his face. “I guess this is where it all begins?”

She nodded. “You'll have full coverage from this point on.”

“Oh man,” Felix said. “Say hello to Big Brother.”

“Stop,” Jonas said mildly.

Another car pulled in beside them. Brooke tensed as the officers threw open their doors and walked toward the new vehicle. An arm extended out the window. The hand attached to the arm held a badge. Brooke relaxed a fraction. The badge disappeared back into the vehicle and two vests appeared. One of the officers took the vests and brought them over to Brooke. She passed them to Jonas and Felix. “Put these on.”

“Seriously?” Felix uttered a disgusted sigh, but complied. “This is getting totally out of control, you know.”

“Yeah,” Brooke said. “I agree.” She looked at the officer. “Any sign of unwanted visitors?”

“No. We've been canvassing the area and the property, doing perimeter searches and everything. It's been quiet.”

“Well, we're here now so that's liable to change.”

He lifted a brow. “Yes, ma'am. And we're ready.”

Jonas and Felix had the vests on. Felix settled the puppies in his lap. He tapped the vest. “These are really going to help with that head shot. I'm impressed.”

Jonas shot his son a frown. Brooke would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. She caught Felix's eye in the rearview mirror and realized he was using sarcasm to deal with the stress. “You'd make a great cop, Felix. You're a natural.”

He rolled his eyes, but not before she caught a flash of surprised pleasure.

With the other officers surrounding them, the vests not as much protection as she would have liked, they escorted Jonas and Felix into the building. Claire's eyes went wide and her mouth formed a silent O. Jonas gave her a sheepish look. “Hi, Claire.”

“What is going on?”

“It's a long story.”

“Obviously.”

Brooke stepped forward. “Have you had any trouble while Jonas has been gone?”

“No, not a bit.” She paused. “Then again, what do you mean by trouble?”

“Anything out of the ordinary? People coming in who shouldn't be here?” She glanced at Jonas then back to Claire. “People calling and leaving messages that make you uneasy?”

Claire frowned and shook her head. “No, nothing like that.” Another pause. “Except maybe the guy who came in right after lunch.”

“What about him?”

“He said he was an old friend of Jonas's and wanted to talk to him.”

“What was weird about that?”

“When I told him Jonas wasn't here, but he could leave his name and number, he waved me off and said he'd find him later.”

Brooke leaned in. “Can you describe him for me?”

She shrugged. “Around six feet tall, dark hair, dark eyes. Nothing that really stood out to me. Just an average-looking nice guy.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and he had on one of those muscle shirts. He had a tattoo on his right shoulder.”

“A muscle shirt in March?”

“The cold didn't seem to bother him.”

“Do you have security cameras in here?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Let's look at the footage.”

Ten minutes later, Jonas worked the mouse and brought up the video of a man entering the front door. He walked up to the desk and Claire greeted him. They talked for less than a minute, then he turned and left. She looked at Jonas. “Do you recognize him?”

“No.”

“I do,” Felix said. She turned to find him staring at the monitor. He looked up and caught her gaze. “That's the guy that was out at the cliffs the day I found the phone.”

Jonas shook his head. “This is getting beyond crazy.”

Brooke nodded. “I won't argue that statement. Can you zoom in a little more on him?”

Jonas did and she stepped back. “Nicholas, take a look. Do you recognize him?”

“No. You?”

“No.”

Nicholas and Chase both moved closer. Nicholas narrowed his eyes. “So the guy on the cliffs and the guy who came in here are one and the same,” he said.

Jonas turned to look at Claire. “You didn't recognize him from anywhere? Ever seen him before?”

She paled. “No.”

“Did he see the flyers on the desk?”

Her eyes shot to the stack of flyers still stacked. “I don't think so.” She swallowed and gave a nervous groan. “I got so busy answering the phones, I never put the posters up.”

“It's all right,” Brooke soothed. “It's probably a good thing. If he'd seen the poster in the window and recognized the man in the picture, he might not have been so cordial.” She pursed her lips and looked at Nicholas and Chase. “I think we need to really up the security around here.”

“Or move them to a safe house,” Nicholas said.

“No,” Felix said. “I don't want to move to some safe house. I've got school.” Felix flashed them all a hard look and turned to head to the back of the office. Probably to their temporary room to sulk.

Jonas pressed his fingers against his eyes. Moving to a safe house would severely hamper his business—although being dead wouldn't do it much good either. And Felix's safety came first, of course.

He sighed. He didn't have a partner. He'd have to close down and that would put Claire out of work for however long it took to solve this. “Is there any way you can just keep us safe here? I think Felix would be all right at school, especially if he stays on campus and doesn't go anywhere alone.” He shot his son a questioning look. Felix nodded, his expression earnest.

Brooke and her two coworkers exchanged glances. “It's possible,” she said. “It would just be easier at a safe house.”

“I understand that, but...”

“But?” Brooke asked.

“Ah! I don't know.” Jonas ran a hand through his hair. If he made the wrong decision his son could be killed. “Give me a bit to think about it.”

Brooke nodded. “Fine, just don't take too long.”

Jonas paced, his thoughts swirling. He wanted to do the right thing by Felix. Had to do the right thing. As hard as it might be. Ten minutes was all it took to figure out what he needed to do. While he thought and paced, Brooke and Nicholas discussed the case and outlined several alternatives that might work to keep him and his son safe. For now...

Fine. A safe house. Or... He looked at Brooke. “Excuse me. I'm going to talk to Felix. I'll be right back.” He walked to the back and found Felix sitting on the cot, eyes glued on the screen in front of him. “Felix?”

His son didn't hear him. Or was ignoring him. Jonas gave him the benefit of the doubt and walked over to tap the kid's tennis shoe. Felix pulled the earbuds down. “What?”

“Sir?”

“Sir?” Felix dutifully repeated with a miniature roll of his eyes. Jonas thought about snatching the Kindle from his hands and demanding an apology. But that would only add fuel to the fire. He controlled his impulse. He didn't have time to get into a power struggle with his son. “We need to make a decision and I want your input.”

“I already gave my input. I'm not going to a safe house.”

“Even if it means keeping you alive? Keeping me alive?”

That seemed to catch his attention. “Are you in danger because of me?”

“No. No, I...well, I don't know. It doesn't matter the reason behind the danger as far as this decision is concerned. What matters is keeping us safe.” He sighed. “Will you think about it for a few minutes? And I mean put aside what you want and think about the danger, about being willing to do whatever it takes to stay safe.”

Felix shook his head. “I'm not going to some dumb safe house. I'll run away.”

Jonas wanted to hit something. Sometimes Felix's stubborn streak was enough to send him over the edge. “Think about it, Felix.” Jonas got up to give his son some space. Give himself some space.

He returned to the front office to find Brooke and Nicholas still talking. When he stepped into the area, she lifted a brow at him. He shrugged and pinched the bridge of his nose. An idea formed. “What if I sent Felix to live with my parents for a while? What if we just removed him from the equation?”

“No way!” Felix said from behind him. Jonas spun to see that his son had come into the room. Now Felix moved backward, toward the door again. “I'm not doing that.”

“Felix, your life is at stake here!” Jonas couldn't help the shout. He drew in another deep breath and closed his eyes, praying for some control. “You don't want to go to a safe house, I get that. This might be the best alternative. And it would get you out of the area.”

“But—”

“I don't like it either, but we may not have a choice.”

Felix glared. “You just want to get rid of me. Abandon me the same way Mom did.”

The words stabbed dagger sized holes in his heart. His son knew exactly how to push the buttons that hurt the most. He stared at Felix, refused to let his son look away. “You know that's not true.”

“All I know is that you want to send me away. I'm not going.” He pushed open the door that led to the back, where the exam rooms and their temporary living quarters were. “Something good finally happened today and I felt—” He continued his backward walk and shook his head. “No. I'm not going. Why can't we just go home? I want to go home.”

“We can't—”

“I know that.” Felix's fingers curled into tight fists. “I know.” He disappeared and Jonas bit his tongue on the words he wanted to fling at his son's back. Not words of anger, words of love, promises to never abandon him. But now wasn't the time. Not with the silent onlookers.

He sighed. “I'll talk to him again.” As soon as his blood pressure settled down. “If we go into a safe house, how long would we be there?”