Chapter 5

Matt drove Jessie home. He didn’t want to leave. There were times he felt like the deck was stacked against them ever having a life together. She must have stirred up a hornet’s nest in New York. It wasn’t as if she was easy to ignore. He had given it his best shot and had no luck. He surrendered. He was just happy she liked him, too.

She wasn’t afraid to tackle anything. The old saying ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’ would fit her to a tee, but she was no fool. No wonder she wanted a quiet life. How had this happened again? What connected Jessie and Adriana? It had to be simple, but right now, it didn’t seem so. He figured out everything logically—eventually.

Think, Matt, think. He pulled into the garage, grabbed his phone, and made a call. If anyone could tell him, maybe Jeremy could.

“Jeremy, Matt here.”

“Hey, Matt, what’s up?”

“I need to ask you some questions about Jessie.”

“Are you two having trouble?”

Matt made a face. “No, it’s nothing like that. Jessie’s in the middle of something that has me concerned. I need you to do some thinking for me from your days in New York with her. And, some research if necessary.”

“Okay, fire away.”

Matt sat in his truck for the next ten minutes telling Jeremy about the case. He read the note that Jessie had received then got out of his truck and walked into his house. “Can you think of any case that Jessie was in on or anything that she did over the years where their lives might have intersected?”

“Not off the top of my head, but I’ll think about it. I’ll go through some of our old research together.”

“Thanks, Jeremy.”

“You know, Matt, your guy sounds a little squirrelly to me. Have you checked her store for a video camera or a bug?”

“I haven’t, but that sounds like a good idea to me. I’ll do that first thing next week. Maybe I should check her house, too.”

“I think it would be smart. How’s she dealing with it?”

“She’s working on a plan, which seems to calm her.”

“And you, how are you dealing with it?” Matt could hear the laughter in his voice.

Matt winced. “I’d like to lock her up and put a guard around her twenty-four seven, but since that will never happen, I’ll make a plan, too. Then maybe I’ll be able to smash a few faces. One good thing about it is she’s going away on a mini-vacation with Sadie and Katie for a week. So that will give us time to figure some of it out.”

“I’ll stay in touch, and I’ll start this as soon as I hang up. Is there anything else?”

Matt thought for a moment. “Jeremy, could you try to find some information about a Randy Wallis and a Jordon Daniels who work at Rocky Pointe Bank? Thanks, we’ll talk soon.”

Matt’s shoulders finally relaxed. He sank into his easy chair, grabbed the remote, and turned on ESPN.

He stared at the screen but his mind wasn’t on the show. All he could think about was some sick bastard out there that had grown to like killing the women he had chosen when they didn’t ‘measure up.’ What made a guy like this tick? He needed a criminal profiler to look over this note and tell him more about a possible suspect. He also wanted—no, he needed—Sadie to be aware of this and keep an eye on Jessie for him.

He smiled and wondered if Jess knew how often he called her grandmother. “Hi, Sadie, this is Matt.” He muted the TV.

“Is everything okay with Jessie?” He could hear the concern in her voice.

“She’s fine, but we have a little incident going on which has me concerned,” he explained it all to her.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Her voice was laced with concern. “I’m glad we are getting her out of there.”

“Me too. It will give me a chance to do a little snooping around while she’s gone.” He sat forward in his chair.

“She told me you apologized. That was a smart move. I told her I thought you were a keeper.”

“Having you on my side is good.” Matt grinned. “I know how much you mean to her. So I’ll try to live up to your faith in me.”

“You’d better!” Sadie said with a slight laugh. “You love her, don’t you?”

“I sure do.” The words had popped out before he had time to think about it.

“That’s all that matters. She’ll understand that soon enough.” Her words became firm. “Now, tell me what you are going to do about this guy.”

“I have a few ideas, but I wanted to make sure you keep an eye on her. Don’t let her go off by herself. If you get worried, call me, Sadie, and I’ll be on the next plane. Promise me!” He frowned and combed through his hair with his hand.

“I will, Matt. You sound concerned about this. Are you worried he’ll come after her?”

“I don’t know what he’ll do because I’m not sure what we’re dealing with. He may be toying with her to get her off Adriana’s trail, or he could be using Adriana as bait to get to her.” He stood up and paced. “I’ve got Jeremy, Jessie’s friend, checking to see if there’s something that connects the two of them from Jessie’s reporting days in New York. I hope to know more in the next few days. In the meantime, I know she’s looking forward to this trip.”

“So am I. I need to get away from her father. My son drives me nuts some days, but then, I’m not too easy to handle either.”

Matt chuckled. He imagined Sadie could be a handful. “Where are you headed?”

“I wanted to surprise them. I’m taking them to Palm Springs and the West Coast. I think they’ll love it.”

“I’m sure they will.”

“I never tell her much up front. She analyzes everything and it would ruin the surprise.” He heard Sadie laugh.

“Sadie, I like your style!” Matt laughed aloud.

“It’s difficult to pull anything over on her, so I do the best that I can.” She sounded pleased with herself.

“I’m not going to worry Jessie with any of this. I am asking you to be my eyes and ears while you’re with her, though. Like I said before, if you are concerned at all, call me, and I’ll get there.”

“I will, Matt. Before you hang up, I have a question for you.”

“What’s that?” He stopped pacing.

“How’s her store coming along? Will this trip set her back? She’ll do anything to please me even if it puts her out.”

“She’ll have plenty of help all weekend; it’ll be ready for opening day. I wish you could see how her face lights up every time she’s there. She loves it. She’s done an excellent job, and it looks terrific.” He smiled, picturing her standing there among her books.

“The store has always been her dream. If she’s happy, I’m happy.”

“You know, Sadie, I feel exactly the same way.”

Sadie chuckled. “That’s good to know. Stop agreeing with her dad and you should be okay.”

“Yes, ma’am. Call me if you need me.”

Sadie made him smile. Jessie was like her in so many ways. He would spend as much time with Jessie as he could over the next few days. Besides wanting to be with her, he needed to see if any new clues came out in their conversations.

Matt sat back down in the chair. They still had to unravel the facts of the case. One could only hope whoever it was would overplay his hand and give him something to go on. The note told Matt the man had a big ego. Their suspect wanted them to know he was watching them and that it was a game to him. Matt hoped he would keep it up.

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would brief Dylan, talk to Jeremy, and, of course, see Jess. He could picture her standing there among the boxes, smiling and happy. Content, his body relaxed, and sleep claimed him.

****

He could see her through the store window. The sunlight skimming across her hair made it look like spun gold. She waved when she saw him, her face lighting up with a smile. She walked over and unlocked the door, letting him in. “Hi, I wasn’t expecting you yet.”

“Are you about ready for a little break?” He came in carrying a pizza and placed it on the table. He put a paper bag there as well, slipped off his coat, and watched her, intrigued by this side of her.

“Yes,” She turned around in a circle gesturing with her hands. “It looks good, doesn’t it? I mean it looks really good.”

“You’ve done wonders with the place.” He walked toward her and pulled her into his arms, locking them around her. He leaned his chin down, resting it on the top of her head and breathed in the scent of her. Feelings exploded within him. He had to keep her safe and would do anything to do it. He nuzzled her ear. “We fit well together. I’m going to miss you, Jess. Do you know that?”

“I’ll miss you too!” She felt him shudder. “Are you okay? It’ll be fine, you wait and see.”

“I know,” he whispered in her ear. Slowly he lifted her face and gazed into her eyes. A heated looked passed between them, and he claimed her lips in a tender kiss.

“Anything else unusual happen today?” He rested his chin on her head once again.

“No.” She pulled back just enough to see his face. “Nothing unusual, but I’ve been wondering about that letter—that he’s been watching me. Do you think there’s a camera hidden in here somewhere?”

“We’re going to check it out while you’re gone.”

“I love how you’re always one step ahead of me.” She rested her head against his chest. “Thank you for thinking about me.”

“Like, I could stop.” He grinned at her. “Let’s eat before this gets cold. I’m yours for the rest of the night. Put me to work!” He unlocked his arms and gave her a playful push toward the table. “Dylan and Kip are going to help us on Saturday and Sunday.”

“That sounds good. I think I can get it all done with a little help.” She took the plates, napkins, and drinks from the bag. Matt pulled out her chair.

“By the way, tomorrow night you’ll have the night off, so I’m taking you out.” He noticed her shaking her head. “This topic isn’t open for discussion. You’ve been working hard the last several days, and you could use it. Okay?”

She grinned at him over her slice of pizza. “Okay, if you say so. I think I can live with it.”

“I say so.” He took a bite of his pizza. “I need it just as much as you do.”