Jordan led Zach into the family room, where he was surprised to see that Courtney had finished off the bowl of soup and eaten more than half of the crackers. The tray was sitting on the coffee table and Kitty—it was the name given the feral cat who kept showing up for meals and eventually wormed its way inside the house—was curled up in Courtney’s lap as she absently stroked its fur. Courtney glanced at him with a look of apology, which he acknowledged with a nod and half a smile.
One great thing about being around someone he had history with, someone like Courtney, was that words weren’t always necessary to communicate. A look, a nod could say so much between two people who were tuned in to each other.
“What’s going on, Zach?” She turned her attention to her boss, who took a seat on the chair next to the leather couch.
Jordan took a seat on the matching couch opposite Courtney.
“The initial evidence is pointing to this being a separate crime,” Zach started. “Rhonda Keller was home for an extended stay after filing for divorce from her new husband. She’d been communicating with her boyfriend from high school, Hughey Brown.”
“I remember him. Wasn’t he the captain of the basketball team?” Courtney asked, and Jordan rocked his head.
“The two decided to meet up and party, which they did in the field. Hughey says they kissed, but as things started to get hot and heavy she ‘freaked out’ and started hitting him for breaking up with her in high school to go out with Susan Wells,” Zach continued.
This was like a blast from the past. Jordan remembered hearing about it during football practice when he was in school.
“The two argued, and Hughey says he decided he didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes he’d made in high school, so he left. He said she might’ve been on something other than the tequila shots they did,” Zach continued.
“So, he just left her there?” Courtney’s shock was evident in her voice.
“She drove away from their meet-up spot but ended up with a flat tire.” Zach rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Hughey claims he didn’t know about it. He says the field is where it ended between the two of them. He told her to grow up and then took off. He says her car was there so he didn’t worry about her getting home.”
“What was his reaction to hearing she was murdered?” Courtney asked.
“He broke down and started crying. His demeanor changed almost immediately. He said he thought she’d filed assault charges or asked for a restraining order to get him back for leaving her again.” Zach’s brow arched. “But when we told him the news, he seemed genuinely shocked.”
“He was a jerk in high school, and he still sounds like a jerk, though,” Courtney said. “What kind of person gets drunk with someone and then leaves them to fend for themselves instead of seeing them home and especially with a killer on the loose?”
“Not anyone I want my sister or cousins to know,” Zach stated.
“Everyone is on high alert right now. That was a jerk move.” Courtney stroked Kitty a little faster.
“He left her vulnerable.” Zach paused a beat. “But there are no witnesses to corroborate his story.”
“Does that mean you think Hughey might be the killer?” Courtney’s hands trembled.
“He’s being detained while we decide on whether or not we’re going to file criminal charges against him. We’re looking at public intoxication for one and, of course, more serious charges if that’s what the evidence dictates,” Zach informed. “Rhonda had a flat tire, and the pickup you saw might’ve stopped to render aid. If Hughey’s story holds water, Rhonda might’ve trusted the wrong person.”
“It’s happened before. Ted Bundy comes to mind, but there were plenty of others. This guy might’ve walked with a limp or a cane. He could’ve disguised himself to look older and maybe even a little feeble in order to lower her defenses. She’d had a little too much to drink, so her judgment wasn’t the best,” Courtney speculated.
“He could’ve offered her a ride into town,” Zach added.
“Once she’s inside his vehicle, he thinks he has it made—and he probably does.” Courtney worked the corner of the pillow in between her thumb and forefinger. “Except this has to be related to the Jacobstown Hacker. We’d assumed that he’s an opportunistic killer based on Breanna’s murder. Maybe he cruises around looking for targets.”
“That’s a good point. The odds of him driving up at the exact moment she needs help are slim, though,” Zach pointed out.
“And the fact that Rhonda got a flat tire in the first place bugs me. I mean, it happens, but right at the moment she gets into a fight with her ex from high school? And then an opportunistic killer happens upon her?” Courtney issued a sharp breath.
“The killer could’ve wandered upon the fight without either of them knowing. He might’ve been scouting a location. That property backs up to the Kent Ranch and we all know Rushing Creek meanders nearby,” Zach said.
“It’s possible that’s how he’s been accessing the land all along,” Jordan agreed. “I don’t think we have any cameras on that side of the fencing.”
“If he was watching the fight and realized she’d be a good mark, maybe he put a hole in her tire or created a slow leak,” Courtney said.
“All of which makes sense,” Zach concluded.
“And then there’s the idea that Rhonda’s argument got heated with Hughey and his temper flew out of control. The words turned physical and he killed her,” Courtney said.
“Mike said there were multiple blows to the head with something that resembled the blade of an ax.” Zach’s face twisted in disgust at the coroner’s finding. The thought that any human being was sick enough to do that to another person was mind-boggling.
“The killer might not have been planning on targeting anyone tonight. Maybe he came upon the scene and figured this was the time to act,” Courtney offered.
“In which case he might’ve made his first mistake,” Zach said. “We’ll check her system for ketamine.”
“I interrupted him. It could be the reason for the change in MO.” There was so much sadness in Courtney’s voice when she spoke those words aloud.
Jordan knew the guy they were looking for was calculating. This crime didn’t fit the MO of the Jacobstown Hacker. He didn’t normally strike the head. In fact, there was normally no evidence he’d been at a crime scene. Zach was still trying to figure out if the victims were killed ahead of time and taken to the spot where he’d cut off their foot or if the victim was drugged and carried to the spot. Someone who’d been bludgeoned in the head with an ax multiple times as opposed to one clean whack on the left ankle right above the foot didn’t fit the bill. The date-rape drug ketamine had been found in Breanna’s system, which could’ve explained why she didn’t put up a fight. And Courtney made a good point about interrupting the killer.
Then there was Hughey to consider. He’d always been known for his bad temper. In high school he’d pushed a kid down the stairs for cutting him off. Being a star on the basketball team had gotten him out of suspension. The coach had smoothed things over with the dean of students. Athletes in Texas high schools were treated too much like rock stars.
Someone angry, who’d just been in a heated argument with an ex, might whack her the minute she turned around. But why would there be an ax anywhere near them? How would that have happened, exactly? Did the two take the ax into the woods to their love nest? And where was this supposed love nest to begin with? It had to be in the field somewhere. Only an idiot went into the trees and underbrush after dark. It was cold outside, so they wouldn’t be eaten by mosquitoes, but there were plenty of opportunistic animals lurking around. Animals that would no doubt pick an easy meal.
There were a lot of unanswered questions in this case that would leave the town spinning. Half the folks were out on neighborhood watches, trying to protect each other and keep each other safe. That could also explain the killer’s change in MO. Maybe he was starting to act out of desperation.
“Any word on the Barstock sighting?” Courtney asked Zach.
“No one else has seen him. Just Liesel at the diner.” Zach’s phone started dinging.
“Any chance she confused him with someone else?” Courtney asked.
“No.” Zach checked his screen and then glanced over at Jordan. “Would you mind if I spoke to Courtney alone for a minute?”
Jordan instinctively checked with Courtney, who nodded.
“Not a problem. I’ll be in the next room if you need me,” Jordan said. He left the room quickly. Although he wasn’t eager for the conversation to happen.
If he had to guess, Zach was telling Courtney to take leave. Not because of the pregnancy but because of what had happened earlier that night and the signs of PTSD. After what she’d seen and experienced, Zach would want a full evaluation on her mental fitness before allowing her back on the job. Being put on desk duty had been difficult. He feared this news would set her back even more.
Jordan busied himself in the kitchen.
Much to his surprise, Zach strolled in a couple of minutes later.
“Everything okay?” he asked his cousin.
“She asked for you,” Zach informed. “I can see myself out.”
Jordan said goodbye before excusing himself and walking into the family room. Courtney sat there, feet tucked underneath her legs, looking more at home than he’d seen her in days.
“I have to take a few days leave,” she said, and she sounded resigned to the fact.
“Would it make a difference if I talked to Zach?” He wanted to do something to help.
“It’s protocol, but I suspect there’s more to it than that if I’m being honest.” She issued a sharp breath and fixed her gaze on a spot on the wall across from her. “I can see it in his face. He’s worried about me.”
Jordan took a seat next to her. “I’m sorry.”
“He’s right. I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m fine, but I’m not and the truth just keeps stalking me,” she said. “It’s not going away unless I face it head-on. That’s been made painfully clear to me.”
“Is this about what happened last year?” He didn’t want to push her, but he knew she hadn’t honestly spoken about the incident in Dallas with anyone.
“What do you know about it?” She didn’t look at him, and that was good. His heart went out to her for everything she’d been through, and he had a feeling her pain might be present in her eyes.
“Only what was in the news,” he admitted. This was the time she normally shut down on him and quit talking. Usually he could almost feel the walls going up between them. She’d been through even more tonight, and he saw her strength and bravery. But how much more could one person take? Bottle everything up, shake the bottle and eventually the cap would come shooting off in a massive explosion. Zach could handle the stress that came with the job because he didn’t bottle up his emotions.
Zach also had an amazing support network. He talked about what bothered him, and Jordan knew his cousin encouraged his deputies to take good care of themselves.
Looking at Courtney and not seeing her as fragile but someone who was trying to be too strong, Jordan couldn’t help wondering whom she had to lean on. She’d been honest about that earlier.
“Eight officers killed that day in Dallas were friends or associates of mine. One of them, Decks, was my boyfriend.” The words, spoken slow and deliberate, reminded him of the way she used to talk in high school when she was holding in emotion. “One of the officers killed, the one who was my boyfriend, had a nine-year-old son, Joey.”
Jordan didn’t want to hear about Courtney’s love life, but he had no claim on her and no right to be jealous.
“Were you close with Joey?” As a girlfriend and not a spouse, Courtney would have no legal right to visit the child.
“No.” She shrugged. “I’ve never even met him.”
Jordan couldn’t say he understood. His brow must’ve shot up because she went on to explain.
“A pension isn’t enough to bring up a child, let alone send him to college if he wants to go, so I give half of my salary to his mother through a blind trust fund that I set up. She doesn’t deserve to have to bring her child up alone with almost no support.” Courtney paused a beat. “Now that I’m pregnant, I have another little one to think about.”
“If you’re worried about money, don’t. I can help with anything you need,” he said quickly.
“I have to pay my own way through life, Jordan.” Her tone left no room for argument, so he figured he’d shelve the conversation for now. There’d be plenty of time to figure out finances, and he hadn’t meant to offend her.
“I keep asking one question. Why me? Why am I still alive?” It wasn’t like Courtney to feel sorry for herself, and he didn’t think she was looking for an answer from him, so he waited for her to finish. “Why did I get to live and not them?”
Those words spoken aloud seemed to carry the weight of the world.
“I don’t know, Courtney. But I, for one, am grateful you’re here,” he said.
She turned to him, climbed on his lap and kissed him.
COURTNEY KNEW THIS was dangerous territory, but she couldn’t care about that right now. Kissing Jordan seemed like the most natural thing to do under the circumstances. She couldn’t deny that she’d missed him over the last six weeks. She had.
She expected him to pull back and set her straight again. He didn’t.
Instead he looped his arms around her waist and crushed her against his muscled chest.
His tongue in her mouth, his hands roaming her back sent electric impulses flaring through her body, warming places where his fingers trailed. His hands were big, and it felt like one could cover half her back.
She tunneled her fingers in his thick hair and deepened the kiss—a kiss she’d wanted to repeat ever since the other night.
Courtney couldn’t help it. Her pull to him was the strongest she’d ever felt with anyone. She’d tried to convince herself that it was shared history, but there was so much more to it than that. It’s also what scared the hell out of her. This wasn’t the time to get inside her head. This was the time to feel her way through her next steps.
And the most logical next step that came to mind was to really feel Jordan, to feel his bare, naked skin against hers. To feel his weight on top of her pushing her into the mattress. To feel his hands roam all over her body.
No one had ever made her feel sexier or more alive and in the moment than Jordan.
Courtney’s hands flew to the buttons on his shirt on autopilot. Her fingers trembled with need, so she fumbled a little bit.
There was a moment of hesitation on his part, and she feared this was the point when he’d stop her. But Jordan covered her hands with his, paused for a beat and then helped her finish.
A few seconds later, he shrugged out of his shirt while their lips pressed together.
Courtney wanted this more than anything. Still, a nagging question tugged at the back of her mind.
Was this a mistake?