The Lake House Secret, A Romantic Suspense Novel (A Jenessa Jones Mystery) (25 page)

Jenessa peeked around Michael. Grey Alexander’s lips were drawn tight and he seemed so mad he could spit nails. She swore she saw steam coming out of Grey’s ears.

Grey spotted her, his angry gaze met hers and her face suddenly grew hot, as if heat was radiating from his stare.

She willed herself to straighten her shoulders, not wanting to cower in front of him, but it would take a lot for her to stand her ground with him again. In Charles’s office, it was all she could do to muster enough strength to give him the illusion that she had a backbone while in his presence. If he had stayed in Charles’s office a minute longer, he might have seen her dissolve.

Why did she let this man hold such power over her?

She stepped from behind Michael and faced him. “Don’t blame me, I didn’t instigate this search. I’m simply along as an observer. I’d appreciate it if you would stop blaming me for what’s happening to your family.”
That’s all on you, mister.
She wished she had the courage to say that.

Grey huffed at her. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers,” he said, directing his comment to Provenza. He turned and marched out the door. “Be sure to lock up when you leave,” he called over his shoulder.

“Have a nice day,” Provenza said with a half-hearted wave of his hand. “What a pompous jerk,” he muttered.

Michael chuckled.

“Tell you what,” Provenza said. “Let’s call this a potential crime scene and tape off the whole house. We’ll need a rotary saw to cut out these boards and take them back to the lab, take them apart, and look for more blood. I’ll show that SOB.”

Michael rested a hand on the older detective’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do that? Sounds borderline to me.”

“Michael’s right, George,” Jenessa said.

George grinned and his eyes twinkled. “I want to teach that man he can’t push us around while I still can. I’m running out of time, you know, but once I retire, then you can deal with him.”

“Gee, thanks.” Michael grimaced.

~*~

Not long after Grey Alexander stomped out of the lake house, Jenessa left too. She couldn’t take being in that house another minute.

As she flew down the road, her mind was a blur as she fought back the memories of that fateful night. She didn’t even remember the drive from Jonas Lake back to Hidden Valley. When she came to a stop, she found herself parked in front of The Sweet Spot.

Jenessa leaned her head against the headrest and shut her eyes.
In and out, come on, in and out.
The rhythm of her breathing calmed her. Through the glass storefront, she could see Ramey behind the counter waiting on a customer.

It was almost noon and a sandwich sounded heavenly right about now, so she slid out of her car and pushed open the door to the café. The jingle of the bells caught Ramey’s attention and she looked up, a smile lighting up her eyes when she saw it was Jenessa.

“I’ll be right with you,” she said.

Sara was wiping off a table. Jenessa’s stomach tightened, stiffening for another conflict.

“I want a word with you,” her sister said, her voice lined with anger. She took Jenessa by the arm and pushed her out the door to the sidewalk.

Jenessa yanked her arm away. “What’s going on?”

“I heard you got Logan arrested.”

“What do you mean? It wasn’t up to me. The cops obviously think they had enough evidence to place him under arrest. Why do you care anyway?” Jenessa knew why, but she wanted Sara to say it.

Sara crossed her arms defensively and her gaze dropped to her feet. “I just do.”

“Why do you think I had anything to do with it?” Jenessa asked.

“I heard you gave the cops his blood from the fight the other night at The Brass Razoo.”

“Who told you that?”

Sara turned her head toward the shop and her gaze went to Ramey.

Blabbermouth.

“After he told you he loved you, this is how you treat him?” Tears filled Sara’s eyes.

Just as Jenessa suspected, Sara had overheard him. “He’d been drinking, he didn’t know what he was saying,” Jenessa said, hoping to diffuse the situation.

The expression on Sara’s face said she didn’t believe that for a minute.

“We have to find out who killed Ramey’s mother,” Jenessa said, “for Ramey’s sake.”

“She was fine without her mom until the body was dug up. She’d moved on. Now she’s all upset all over again. I wish it had just stayed buried.”

“You can’t mean that,” Jenessa snapped.

“Logan would never do something like that. He’s not like his father. He’s kind and thoughtful. If he wasn’t carrying a torch for you all these years, he would have settled down with a nice girl and had a family of his own by now.”

A nice girl like you, Sara?
Jenessa wanted to say it, but she couldn’t bring herself to be that mean.

“If he’s innocent, I’m sure his father’s high-powered lawyers will find a way to get him off. But if he’s guilty, Sara, he’ll have to pay for what he’s done. You’ve got to stop spending your life pining for him.”

There it was—she said it, for better or worse.

“Pining for him?” Sara’s voice verged on a screech. “Where did you get that idea?”

“I’d rather not say.”

Sara’s gaze flew to Ramey once more and her eyes narrowed. “Blabbermouth.”

“Don’t blame her, someone should have told me a long time ago.”

“What difference would it have made?”

“Maybe if they had, we wouldn’t always have this animosity between us.”

“But I wanted him, and he wanted you.” The tears began to spill over and down Sara’s cheeks.

Jenessa calmed her voice and took a step closer to her sister, hoping she wouldn’t get her head bitten off. “Sis, you need to move on, for your own sake.”

Sara turned away and lowered her face, wiping her fingers over her cheeks.

A twinge of compassion pricked Jenessa and she put a hand lightly on her sister’s shoulder. “There’s someone else out there for you, I’m know there is—a great guy that’ll love you and want a family with you.” She was talking to herself as much as she was to Sara. “He’ll care about what you care about, love you for being you.”

Sara lifted her watery eyes to her sister. “But I can’t help myself, Jen. I love Logan. I’ve always loved him.”

Jenessa laced her arms around Sara and held her while she wept. She wanted to tell her sister that Logan wasn’t worth the tears, but there was a time she had loved him too—maybe still did.

“What am I supposed to do?” Sara cried.

“Let it go, baby sister. It’s the only way to move forward, just let it go.”

~*~

Later that afternoon, Jenessa stopped by the police station to see if the search of the lake house had garnered the detectives any new evidence. The receptionist called for Detective Provenza and he and Michael met Jenessa in the reception area.

“We didn’t find anything else of importance,” Provenza said. “Just the blood on the hardwood planks. Grey Alexander is going to be pissed when he sees we cut a section out of his floor.” He chuckled a little at the thought.

“Libby took it to the county lab to run it against Lucy St. John’s DNA,” Michael reported.

“But don’t put that in your story just yet, young lady,” George warned. “You can write about the fact we got a warrant and searched the premises, but not what we found—at least not yet. And nothing about the floor sample we took. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Jenessa gave him a mock salute. “But I can write about the arrest and the charges. They’re public record.”

“Well, yeah, of course,” Provenza replied.

“When is the arraignment?” she asked, her gaze moving from George to Michael.

“This afternoon.” Michael checked his watch. “In about an hour.”

Chapter 36

“I should head over to the courthouse then and get a good seat for the proceedings,” she said backing toward the main entrance of the police station. “See you later, boys.”

She pushed the door open with her backside. As she turned to walk out, she bumped smack into the ominous Grey Alexander, who was followed by a couple of well-dressed lawyers, all trying to come in.

“Jenessa Jones,” he grumbled with a scowl.

Her body immediately tensed and her mouth went dry. “So sorry.” She couldn’t get away fast enough.

She skittered down the steps to the sidewalk and rushed on foot toward the courthouse, a few blocks away. Logan’s father and attorneys must have been there to prep Logan before he was transported to court.

Running into Grey Alexander twice in one day was maddening. Jenessa breathed deeply as she slowed her gait. It wouldn’t do to show up in court sweaty and flustered.

She reached the courthouse and, after going through the security check, she pulled the heavy door to the courtroom open and entered. The room was teaming with reporters from around the valley, some maybe from even farther away, as well as curious townspeople.

Squeezing down the congested center aisle, she spotted Sara sitting in the second row on the defendant’s side. After pressing through the noisy crowd, and climbing over the people sitting on the end of Sara’s row, she reached her seat.

“Sara?”

Startled, she looked up at Jenessa and removed her purse from the space beside her without a word.

Jenessa dropped down on the hard wooden pew, next her sister. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I just thought Logan could use some support—you know?”

Jenessa nodded. “I understand.” She glanced around the room. The press, of which she was slightly embarrassed to say she was a member today, was acting like piranhas anxious to gorge on Logan’s flesh.

The townspeople, as well, many of whom she recognized, seemed to be there only to glean some juicy piece of gossip to spread around. The problem with living in a small town.

Jenessa and Sara sat quietly and waited for the arraignment to begin.

Eventually Lauren Alexander filed into the first row, not seeming to notice Jenessa in the next row back. She was followed by her husband and then Elizabeth, the ex-wife bringing up the rear, apparently wanting to show their family support. That had to be awkward for all three.

After an uncomfortably long wait, the bailiff entered and gestured toward the crowd, with his hands flying up and down in unison, to be quiet and take a seat. When order was achieved, he spoke. “All rise,” the bailiff commanded in a booming voice. “Judge Andrew McHenry presiding.”

While the judge walked in and took his place at the bench, Jenessa retrieved her micro-recorder from her purse, clicked it on, and held it out, ready to take in the proceedings.

An officer escorted Logan in from a side door. A rush of chatter erupted at the sight of him.

He glanced at his parents on the first row, then his gaze drifted beyond them, as if he had just noticed Jenessa and Sara in the next row back. A faint smile curved his lips for a brief moment, then it quickly faded into a somber expression.

“Did you see that?” Sara said in a low tone. “He saw we were here to support him.”

“I’m sure he was glad to see some friendly faces in the crowd,” Jenessa replied.

Was this how Sara was letting go of him?

Logan stood beside one of his attorneys at the defendant’s table, wearing the customary orange jumpsuit.

The judge banged his gavel several times. “I’ll have order or I’ll clear the court,” the white-haired justice shouted.

The crowd fell silent.

The Deputy District Attorney, a young man in a dark gray suit with closely cropped dark hair, who appeared to be in his early thirties, stood at the prosecution’s table. “Your Honor, Emilio Rodriguez for the State.” He proceeded to read the charges. “Logan Alexander is being charged with murder in the first degree.”

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

First degree?
Apparently the District Attorney was going to propose that Logan lured Lucy to the lake house to kill her.

“How do you plead?” the judge asked.

“Not guilty, Your Honor. Absolutely not guilty!” Logan shouted.

“Just a plain
not guilty
will suffice,” the judge instructed.

“Your Honor,” the DDA said, “the State respectfully requests that no bail be granted to this defendant, as we believe Mr. Alexander to be a serious flight risk. His father has considerable funds and could easily whisk his son out of the country to avoid standing trial.”

“I object, Your Honor,” Logan’s attorney declared. “Logan Alexander has lived in this town his whole life. He has deep ties to this community, both personally and professionally. He has never been in trouble with the law. He’s never had anything more than a few speeding tickets on his record. It would be grossly unfair to expect this upstanding young man to languish in the county jail until trial.”

The judge eyed Logan for a prolonged moment, pursing his lips in thought, before shifting his gaze to the DDA. “The thought that this young man would be stuck in jail for months pains me.”

Did that mean he’ll let Logan out on bail?

“However,” the judge continued, “I have known his father for several decades, and I would have to agree with Mr. Rodriguez that the potential exists that he could try to sneak his son out of the country to avoid prosecution. Bail is denied.” The sound of the gavel coming down hard broke the stillness in the courtroom and pandemonium erupted from the gallery.

The judge banged his gavel a few more times and the crowd quieted. “Next case!”

Grey Alexander shot out of his seat. Reaching over the railing, he put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’ll do whatever I have to, to get you out, Son.”

Jenessa held her recorder out as far, yet as inconspicuously, as she possibly could, hoping to catch something of the conversation.

Elizabeth stood as well and put her hand on her son’s arm. “Stay strong, dear,” she said in a strained, caring voice.

Grey leaned his head close to Logan’s ear and muttered something to him. Hopefully the recorder was sensitive enough to pick it up.

Lauren rose and positioned herself beside her husband but made no effort to console her stepson. It was probably just as well, for Elizabeth would likely have bitten her head off for trying to usurp her place as his mother.