Chapter 31

By the time he got to the kitchen, Katie and Sadie had left to do some shopping. Jeremy and Jessie were at the table drinking their coffee and talking.

“Your breakfast is warming in the microwave,” Jeremy told him. “Sadie made me promise to tell you to eat it or else you’ll have to deal with her.” He grinned at Matt. “My job is done.”

“This seems like the perfect time for us to talk. We still have a suspect on the loose, so it’s not a time to let down our guard.” Matt took a bite of his egg.

“I’ll get my computer.” Jeremy walked out of the kitchen.

“I know we need to talk, but it makes me feel sad.” The smile on Jessie’s face faded.

“It will make you feel that way for a while, probably. You have to deal with last night, and it won’t be easy. I’m sorry.” He reached for her hand. “Why don’t you start by telling me what you said to Mallory?”

She told him what she remembered. “He said he was sorry, and he looked at me strangely, and that was all.”

“Can I tell you what I saw?” He smiled when she nodded at him. “I saw a man who was dying in the lap of a woman he had obsessed over. Whatever you said gave him hope—so much so, that before he died he looked like he had seen an angel. You helped him in his last moments in life.”

“Thanks, words failed me last night. How do you thank someone who just gave their life to save you?” She looked away. “No words seemed adequate.”

“From my vantage point it looked to me like they were working.”

“Do they know where Irwin is?” She sipped her coffee, gazing into his eyes.

“No, he got away. Even Frank was a little shocked by that. I think we’ll need to keep a real close eye on you. No more being a target. If Henderson wants to play target, he can do it. He’s tall enough and blond. All he needs are the right clothes and some padding.”

Jessie laughed. “I doubt that he’ll go for it. I think I’m sensing a little vengeance on your part.”

“Who me? Not at all.” He saw her skeptical look. “Okay, well, maybe a little.”

“I don’t trust Irwin. He doesn’t play fair.” Jessie tapped her cheek.

“Sweetheart, no bad guy plays fair.” He saw her frown. “I’m game, what do you mean?”

“In most of the cases I’ve been a part of, here and in New York, there are some predictable patterns. Mallory was a little hard to figure out because of his imbalance. I thought I had it figured out, and then he threw us a huge curve last night. Irwin, on the other hand, is almost too cocky and sure. He was willing to kill me in front of witnesses. What’s to stop him from doing almost anything to get back at me? He’s a manipulator. He saw the weakness in Mallory and took advantage of it. Can he see a weakness in me to exploit?” She scrunched her face. “The other thing is Adriana never saw her stalker, but she knew when he was there and she was afraid of him. He’s the dark shadowy figure that I’ve been seeing.”

“Damn, Jess, you’re right. I knew I was missing something.” He looked on his phone at the email from Dylan again. “Do you remember when we interviewed Randy, and he told us to check out the strange man that came into the bank who was always looking at Adriana?”

“I remember, but then Jayla told us he was harmless and shifted the guilt toward Randy.”

“That’s right. Randy was pointing us in the direction of Irwin. Randy didn’t like him and was afraid of him. He thought something was off with the prof. He went into the bank where he was very visible. Adriana saw him but didn’t know him as her stalker. She could feel the darkness, but she still couldn’t stop him from getting to her if he had wanted to.”

“That’s why she said what she did to Jayla, about death finding her again.”

“Do you remember what you said to me at the time? You wondered if Jayla was such a good friend, how come she didn’t show more emotion about Adriana when she went missing.”

“Sure I remember.”

“You were spot on in your thinking. I think Jayla is involved in this somehow.” He glanced again at his phone. “Dylan is trying to make a connection now. You’re right about it not following a particular course. I think three different crimes have merged, and they are playing off each other. I have no idea what we’re dealing with. It is all muddled together and unclear. First, it was Mallory; you were to be his prize if he got Adriana for Irwin. Irwin manipulated Randy and Jordon, who set Adriana up, unwittingly or not, for Mallory. I think Irwin knew when he told Mallory he was going to kill you that Mallory would try to protect you or kill you himself. Irwin forced Mallory to react out of his obsession for you. That much we know for sure. Jayla was trying to throw us off Irwin’s track. Why? There’s something bigger here than Irwin, although he is the one we have to deal with now.”

Jeremy walked in, carrying his computer. “I was searching the old Harvest Club site to see if it had been taken down. Low and behold, see what I found.” He set the laptop down on the table. “It’s a new site that is recruiting civic-minded people wanting to make a difference in the world. It reads suspiciously like the old Harvest Club site. They call themselves The Collector’s Club. It’s set up the same way with lots of protections. It’s hard to maneuver around in it unless you’re a club member or me.” He grinned at them. “This is just my thought. I’m attempting to trace the origin of the site now. It isn’t in Blue Cove. I know that for sure.”

“The picture is getting a little clearer.” Matt wrote a few names on a piece of paper. “Could you check and see if any of these folks have an offshore account with recently added money in them?”

“I would be happy to.” Jeremy picked up the paper Matt pushed toward him.

“I’ll call Tom Maxwell as soon as we have a location or a little more evidence. For now, I have to stay clear-headed so I can deal with Irwin. It’s not easy to figure out what his next move will be. You’re awfully quiet.” He looked at Jessie. “What’s up?”

“Irwin is active. I can feel it.”

“What do you mean by active?”

“He’s planning his next action. Unlike Mallory, he won’t announce it. He wants to keep us guessing and off our game. It’s like a chess match—we have to see the big picture and anticipate his next move. For whatever it’s worth, he has shifted his attention.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that. What do you mean?” Matt frowned.

“I was someone to keep Mallory under control. Irwin will do whatever he needs to do to walk away from this mess unscathed. He’ll use whatever situation presents itself. The thing is a guy like him would be a premium to a group that needed to recruit new members and keep its people in line.”

“Jess, you’re an angel—” Matt’s phone interrupted his thought. Jessie’s phone rang next.

“Hi, Grams, is everything all right?” Jessie’s voice rose. “Stay calm, we’ll be right there. Remain in the car with the doors locked where he can’t see you. Did you call the police? We’re on our way.”

“Jess?” He looked at her.

“Irwin kidnapped Katie and some others at gunpoint.” She started running toward the door.

“Wait a second. I’m right behind you.” Matt grabbed his gun and badge off the table as he raced after her.

“I’m going with you guys. Don’t even think of leaving me behind.” Jeremy followed them out.

“Katie is in the middle of a hostage situation. The police are on the scene.” Matt grabbed her arm. “Slow down, Jess, remember we’re a team. We do this together.”