The minute she and Alex walked through the door at the law offices of Jefferson, Brooks and Dunbar the next morning Grace knew their old schoolmate Sam had done all right for himself. The waiting area resonated with the unspoken message one needed a fat bank account to afford this firm’s high retainers and huge billing hours.
Grace slowed her steps as she followed Alex into the room and let her gaze drift over the large, framed photographs of breathtaking scenes hanging on the walls. The huge pictures offered a panoramic view of some of the most famous places in the world, places she’d always wanted to visit. Leather couches and chairs with tables beside them were scattered across the area where several people who Grace assumed to be clients sat reading newspapers or magazines.
A huge Christmas tree, its white lights twinkling like tiny diamonds and ornaments dangling from every branch, took up a whole corner of the massive room. The halo of the angel at the top touched the ceiling, and packages wrapped in gold paper sat underneath. A cart next to the tree was loaded with coffee carafes, Christmas cookies, pastries and fruit.
The receptionist smiled at them as she and Alex approached her desk. “May I help you?”
Alex pulled out his badge and showed it to the young woman. “I’m Detective Crowne with the Memphis Police. This is Grace Kincaid from WKIZ. I called earlier this morning. Mr. Jefferson is expecting us.”
The woman’s smile grew larger. “Mr. Jefferson told me you were coming. He’s with a client right now, but I’ll let you know when he’s available. In the meantime, help yourself to the food on the cart.”
Alex nodded and headed to the coffee cart, but Grace stepped closer to the receptionist’s desk. “I couldn’t help but notice all these beautiful framed photographs on the wall. I’d love to have some for my home. Would you mind telling me where you bought them?”
The woman laughed and shook her head. “I’m afraid you can’t buy them anywhere. They’re all Mr. Jefferson’s work.”
“Really? Sam shot all those pictures?”
“Yes. He’s quite the photographer, and he loves to travel. He took them all while he was on trips.”
“I’ll have to tell him how beautiful they are,” Grace murmured. She glanced around at Alex who balanced a cup of coffee in one hand and a Christmas cookie with thick icing in the other as he eased onto a sofa.
He glanced up as she sat down beside him. “This cookie is good. Want one?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
“They have eggnog, too.”
“I’ll wait. It’s almost lunchtime.”
“I know, but I didn’t have time for breakfast this morning. I need something to tide me over until we go to lunch.”
His words left a question in her mind. Did he mean they would eat together or go their separate ways after seeing Sam? She directed her eyes to her hands clenched in her lap. “You’ve done so much for me over the past few days, I’d like to take you to lunch.”
He washed a bite of cookie down with a swig of coffee and nodded. “Okay. Where would you like to go?”
She thought for a moment before she answered. “A new tea room just opened down on Madison. Laura and I had lunch there the other day, and the food was delicious. They have all kinds of salads and sandwiches.”
He swallowed another sip of coffee. “Do they have barbecue?”
She frowned. “Barbecue? I don’t think so.”
“So they don’t have all kinds of sandwiches. Just chick food that’s on some kind of bread I can’t pronounce and a veggie substitute inside instead of meat.”
Her face grew warm, and she leaned closer. “Well, pardon me. I forgot you live and breathe barbecue. Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you there.”
He laughed, and several people in the waiting area turned to look at them. “I’m sorry, Grace. I couldn’t resist teasing you a bit. You always wanted to introduce me to the culinary delights of Memphis as you called them, but I’m still a meat and potatoes kind of guy. And there’s nothing better to me than Memphis barbecue.”
She burst out laughing at the twinkle in his eye. “I know, Alex, and I won’t try to change you. Since I’m treating you, we’ll go wherever you want. Where will it be?”
He studied her for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face. “I think I’d like to try the tea room on Madison. Maybe it’s time for some changes in my life.”
His gaze caressed her face as it traveled from her eyes to her lips, where it lingered for a moment before he took a quick breath and settled back on the sofa. Grace eased back into the cushions, picked up a magazine from the table next to the couch and held it in front of her face. What had just happened between her and Alex? Just now they’d laughed and joked together as they had years ago. Was it possible they could become friends again?
Before she could dwell any longer on the relationship changes she and Alex appeared to be experiencing, the receptionist rose from her desk and motioned for them. “Mr. Jefferson will see you now.”
Alex drained the last drop of coffee from his cup and rose to follow Grace. When they reached the desk, the young woman took the cup and set it on a tray beside the door before she led them down a long hallway. They stopped in front of a mahogany door, and she knocked.
“Come in.” The muffled voice came from inside.
She opened the door, stepped aside and motioned for them to enter. Grace eased into the room with Alex right behind her. Sam Jefferson rose from the chair behind his desk and held out his hand. “Alex, Grace. It’s good to see you again.” He shook both their hands and motioned them to the chairs in front of his desk, then he sat down.
Alex propped his elbows on the arms of his chair and leaned forward. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Sam. From the looks of people waiting, it must be a busy day around here.”
Sam shook his head. “No more than usual. But I always have time for old friends. I don’t think I’ve seen you since we graduated.” He glanced at Grace. “Of course I see you on the news every day, but that’s not the same. How have you been doing?”
Grace smiled. “I’m fine.”
He leaned back in his chair. “And how’s your father doing? I heard about the drive-by shooting. I hope he’s recovered and doing all right.”
“He lived, but he’ll spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. That’s been difficult for him to accept, but I think he has now.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide. “I had no idea.” He stared at her for a moment before he cleared his throat and turned to Alex. “And I read in the paper you’re heading up a new unit at the police department with Brad Austin and another detective.”
Alex nodded. “A Cold Case Unit. Seth Dawtry is the other officer who works with Brad and me. In fact, Grace and I are here today about a case the police have never closed.”
“Oh? Which one?”
“Landon Mitchell’s death.”
Sam’s face paled, and he clasped his hands on top of his desk. “I thought Landon’s death was ruled a suicide.”
Alex shook his head. “Suicide was suspected but never proved. If you saw Grace’s coverage earlier this week, you know Landon’s father jumped from the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. Before he did, he made some accusations we’re looking into.”
Sam shifted in his chair and narrowed his eyes. “What kind of accusations?”
“He said he suspected Landon was involved with a secret group of some kind before his death. Mr. Mitchell found lots of money hidden in his son’s room, and he also saw a wolf tattooed on his shoulder.” Alex paused and took a breath. “We thought you might know something about these things.”
Sam regarded Alex with an aloof expression and shrugged. “Why would I know anything? I barely knew Landon.”
Grace sat up straight and gasped. “Sam, how can you say that? Our senior year you were with him all the time.”
Sam directed a frosty glare in her direction, and a shiver went up Grace’s spine. “I had a lot of friends. Landon was one of them, but we didn’t hang out together after school. In fact, I found him rather boring.”
“So these other friends you had,” Alex interrupted. “Would they have been Jeremy Baker, Billy Warren, Clay Mercer and Dustin Shelton?”
Sam picked up a pencil from the desk and began to roll it in his fingers. “Yes, they were friends of mine.”
“Did you know that Jeremy, Billy and Dustin are all dead, too?”
“Yes. I was sad when I heard about each of them.”
Alex leaned forward. “Don’t you think it’s strange that four boys you were friends with in school have all died.”
Sam shook his head. “Not necessarily. Everybody dies, Alex. Some sooner than others.”
“Do you know if any of them had a wolf tattooed on their shoulders?” Alex’s stare didn’t waver from Sam’s face.
Sam didn’t flinch but returned an icy glare. “I have no idea.”
Alex let his gaze drop to Sam’s shoulder. “What about you? Do you have a wolf tattooed on yours?”
Sam rose to his feet, tossed the pencil he held to the desk, and glanced at his watch. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut our visit short. I have paying clients waiting to see me.”
Alex and Grace rose as Sam walked over to the door and opened it. “It was good seeing you two again. Maybe we’ll meet at the next reunion of our graduating class.”
Alex trailed Grace to the door and stopped in front of Sam. “I’m going to find out what happened to Landon, Sam. If you think of anything that might help, give me a call at the station.”
“I will.”
“Goodbye, Sam,” Grace said as she and Alex walked from the office.
They had only taken a few steps when Sam’s voice called out. “Oh, Alex.”
They stopped and turned to face him. “Yes?” Alex said.
“For your information I’ve always been afraid of needles. I have no tattoo.”
Before they could answer, he closed the door. They looked at the door then back to each other and walked from the office. They didn’t speak until they’d climbed into Alex’s car. Then Grace swiveled in her seat and faced him. “What did you make of our visit?”
Alex smiled and shook his head. “He knows something. He tried to hide it under his courtroom facade, but my question about the tattoo rattled him.”
“What will we do now?”
“Let’s give him a few days to stew over what we told him. Then we’ll come back. In the meantime, how would you like to take a trip to Nashville to see Clay?”
“That sounds like a great idea. When do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. With the holidays Clay may be back in Memphis. I’ll check tomorrow and let you know.” He turned the key in the ignition. “Now how about some lunch? I’m starved.”
Grace laughed and nodded. “You’re the chauffeur. Go wherever you like.”
He grinned, and Grace’s heart fluttered at the boyish teasing that sparkled in his eyes. From somewhere deep inside her a memory surfaced. She remembered how she used to run the tip of her index finger down his jawline, and how he would smile in contentment when she did. She couldn’t move for a moment, and then she blinked and took a deep breath. She couldn’t let herself think like that. Right now she needed to concentrate on finding the man whose attempts on her life had turned it into a living nightmare. Then she could go back to her peaceful life, and Alex could go to Florida.
* * *
Alex leaned back into the plush sofa cushions in the Kincaids’ den and stretched his legs out in front of him. Dinner at the Kincaid house had been delicious as he’d known it would be, and conversation with Harrison had proved interesting. He couldn’t believe he was actually beginning to like the man. Now as he waited for Grace to return from helping her mother put her father to bed he was glad for a few minutes alone to reflect on what was happening in his life.
A week ago he’d been content to go to work every day and search old files in the hopes some piece of overlooked information would leap off the page and send him in pursuit of someone who’d gotten away with murder years before. Then he’d been called to the bridge where a man was threatening suicide, and Grace had reentered his life.
Now he was beginning to feel comfortable around her again, and he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t believe for one minute that she’d stay in Memphis if her father’s condition improved. She’d be knocking at the networks’ doors again to get her old job back, and he really couldn’t blame her. She was the total package when it came to what the networks wanted in an anchor. She was beautiful, smart and had the ability to connect with viewers.
He jumped to his feet, strode to the window and looked outside. The question remained, what was he going to do? Did he really want to give up his job in Memphis to go to Florida? He really missed his father and would like to be with him again. He sighed and leaned against the window frame. It wouldn’t hurt to apply for the job down there. There was no guarantee he’d get it. Perhaps he should apply and see what happened.
“What are you doing?” Grace’s voice startled him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see her entering the room.
“Just looking outside. Did you get your father settled?”
She nodded. “He said to say good-night for him and tell you he was glad you came to dinner again. He’s enjoying getting to know you.”
“It’s good to see this side of him, too.” A glow lit her face, and he let his gaze drift over her. She’d never looked more beautiful. He swallowed and turned back to look outside. “The weatherman says we may get some more snow next week.”
She eased up beside him and looked out into the night. “I hope so. Do you remember how we used to wish for snow at Christmas when we were children?”
They stood so close he could smell her perfume, which gave off a fruity fragrance. “I remember, but we’re not children anymore, Grace.”
A sad look flickered in her eyes. “No, we’re not. I suppose going back to the school yesterday brought up a lot of old memories and a lot of unexplained reasons for why things turned out the way they did between us.”
His heart pounded, and he shook his head. “Grace, please, I don’t want to talk about this.”
“There’s something I want to ask you. Did you ever wish you had gotten in touch with me after we broke up?”
He nodded. “I did. But then I could ask you the same question. Did you wish you had called me?”
“Yes.” The word was barely a whisper.
His eyebrows arched at her answer. What had made him wait so long? Pride? Anger? He had no answer, but it really didn’t matter. There was no going back and making everything right again.
He sighed. “Well, neither of us did, and we both survived. I have a great job here in Memphis, and you went on to New York and built a great career in television as an investigative reporter and then a news anchor. I imagine when your father improves you’ll be off to the networks to continue your career, and I’ll be happy for you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know if—”
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted what she was about to say, and he pulled the phone from his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned. “It’s our office phone.” He connected the call. “Hello.”
“Alex, it’s Seth.”
“Hey, man. Are you still at the office?”
“Yeah, I’ve been looking over the files from the Mitchell case.”
“Did you find anything?”
“No, I called to tell you something else. I know when you called in this morning you said you and Grace were going downtown to some lawyer’s office.”
“Yes. Sam Jefferson’s.”
“I thought Jefferson was the guy’s name.”
Alex frowned and glanced at Grace. “What makes you ask about Sam?”
“One of the homicide detectives I used to work with dropped by the office a few minutes ago and told me they found Sam Jefferson’s body earlier tonight in the parking lot at his office building. He said it looked like he’d been shot execution-style in the back of the head when he was getting in his car.”
The breath exploded from Alex’s body in a rush, and he clamped his hand over his eyes. “No, no. This can’t be true.”
“I’m afraid it is, buddy. Sorry I have to tell you.”
Alex took a deep breath. “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at Grace. “The police found Sam Jefferson shot to death.” Her mouth dropped open, and she sank onto the couch. Alex turned his attention back to Seth. “Are the police still at the scene?”
“I think the crime scene investigators are there now. The medical examiner has the body.”
“Thanks for calling, Seth. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He ended the call and sat down beside Grace on the couch. “What happened?” she asked.
Alex related what Seth had told him and took a deep breath. “I need to make another call.” He punched in the number he’d called so many times in his years on the force. Dr. Harvey answered on the first ring.
“Medical examiner’s office. Dr. Harvey speaking.”
“Dr. Harvey, this is Alex Crowne. I understand you’ve brought Sam Jefferson’s body to your office.”
“Yes, Alex, but I haven’t done any work yet.”
“I realize that, but there’s something I’d like for you to check for me first. It may shed some light on a cold case I’m working.”
“What is it?”
“Would you check the victim’s shoulders and see if he has a wolf tattooed on either one?”
“Sure, Alex. Give me a minute.”
Alex drummed his fingers on the sofa cushion as he waited for Dr. Harvey to return. Within minutes his voice came over the phone. “Alex?”
“Yes?”
“I checked, and he does indeed have a wolf tattoo. Do you want me to take some pictures of it and email them to you?”
“I would appreciate it very much. Thanks, Doc.”
“No problem.”
Alex disconnected the call and nodded. “He has the same tattoo Landon had. I think Mr. Mitchell must have been right. Those boys became involved in some kind of secret society and used the wolf as its symbol. And now five of the six are dead. We need to get to Clay as soon as possible. He may be next on the killer’s list.”
“I think you’re right,” Grace said.
“Or...” Alex paused. “As the only survivor, he may be the killer who’s trying to protect some secret.”
Grace only nodded, but he could tell his words concerned her. She hadn’t forgotten, and neither had he, that someone out there had also tried to kill her. It had to be tied into whatever Landon Mitchell and his friends had done twelve years ago. He hoped he could find the answer before someone else was silenced.