The Kent family ranch was so much more beautiful and grand than Leah had expected. Warmth radiated from the main house, which was one of those two-story brick Colonials with white columns on a front porch that went on for days. The place looked like something out of a Southern-living style magazine and the lands surrounding it were even more stunning. The air smelled cleaner in Jacobstown, Leah noticed as she breathed in a lungful.
Connor beamed as he took in the scenery. As soon as she let him out of his car seat, he bolted toward the house and toward a black cat that was lounging on the porch.
“Gretchen won’t mind the company,” Deacon said, motioning toward the animal who was stretched out on her side. Connor dropped to his knees beside her and scratched her belly. “Looks like she found a new friend.”
“He loves pretty much all animals,” Leah said, just out of earshot of Connor. “He’d love a dog but we’re not home enough. It hardly seems fair.”
“We have a few to choose from on the ranch if you change your mind. People come out to the country and leave behind all manner of animals,” he said with disgust.
“That’s awful.” Leah couldn’t believe it but then she’d seen even crueler sides to people.
“A dog could go on your nightly run with you. Bring some peace of mind,” he offered.
“I’ve thought about that, actually. But I’m never home. I feel badly enough that Connor attends his preschool’s aftercare program. I barely get to see him, let alone an animal.” If her schedule ever slowed down or she changed careers someday, getting a dog would be high on her list.
“Let’s go inside, buddy,” she said to Connor.
He frowned until Deacon told him there were more animals inside the house.
“What’s her name?” Connor asked. To him, every animal was female because of Pickles.
“Gretchen,” Deacon supplied.
The smile on Connor’s face would have melted a glacier. And that’s exactly what the temperature felt like. It might have been cold outside but there was a fire crackling in the main house’s fireplace and the smell of cookies baking in the oven. Heaven? Leah couldn’t think of a more beautiful family home to grow up in.
The place was grand, even by Leah’s standards. The house she’d grown up in might’ve been large and well-appointed but it lacked the warmth of the Kent home. Leah was a little nervous that Connor wouldn’t take to the place and a lot nervous that he would. She would never be able to give him this or anything in this hemisphere. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that all a kid really needed was love. It was true. Love and maybe a dog. She smiled at the thought. Someday.
Leah picked up her son and he hugged her around the neck. “Sweet boy.”
Deacon introduced her to his four brothers, one sister and two cousins. One by one each family member welcomed her. Then came the little ones. They were the twins, Aaron and Rea. The second he saw them he tried to wiggle out of Leah’s arms so he could get down and play. The next thing she knew he was racing past on a tricycle, showing off to the twins.
“Connor, slow down,” she warned.
Deacon waited until her son got out of earshot before he leaned in and said, “It’s okay with us if you want to let him go at it full force. Our folks brought us up allowing play inside. They said they didn’t want to live in a museum and loved the sound of children’s laughter. Since we grew up that way, we never think twice about letting a kid be a kid. Of course, we always brought our best manners to the supper table. That was nonnegotiable.”
“We’re like that at home. I guess you already know that because of the state of my house.” She figured it was as good a time as any to explain the chaos of toys all over as if he hadn’t already noticed.
“I reckon the two of you will fit in just fine here.” He chuckled. It was a low rumble in his chest. This wasn’t the time to notice how that chuckle was a light feather roaming her exposed skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps.
Leah needed to cool it right there. Being in Deacon’s home with his family around for protection was one thing. She didn’t need to mistake his hospitality for anything more serious. Especially with how much her heart protested. She liked his family. They were down to earth and not pretentious like her own parents. She’d always been an only child so she had no idea what it was like to have siblings. After seeing the Kents, she was starting to realize just what she’d missed out on.
Would Connor miss out on a father figure and siblings, too?
“I better call Susan and see if there are any updates on the case.” Leah excused herself to call her colleague. The two had hit it off immediately when Leah had made detective. The occasional lunch was as far as their relationship went, though, because Susan was married with four kids under the age of eight. She had no free time outside of work.
Leah found a quiet spot on the back porch. The days were getting shorter by a minute or two every few days this time of year and she missed the extra sunlight. She pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and focused on the screen. She scrolled through the names in her contact list, allowing her finger to hover over Wyatt’s name. She probably should’ve deleted it a long time ago. Someone else had to have been assigned that number by now. A strange slap of reality struck. It would be incredibly strange to call this number and hear someone else’s voice.
She had so many wonderful memories of Wyatt. He might not have been the man of her dreams but he’d cared about her and made her want to care about someone else again in the process. Their relationship might not have been perfect or even for the right reasons but she got an amazing kid out of the deal. And that wasn’t half bad. In Connor, she would always see Wyatt. He would always be with her. It was time to let go. Leah plucked up the courage to delete the number before calling her friend.
Susan picked up on the second ring. “Hey, girl. I’ve been worried about you. I’d ask where you’ve been but I heard the story of what happened last night near your house from five people already.”
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Leah admitted.
“How’re you holding up?” Susan lowered her voice and Leah realized her friend was most likely trying to sneak away from ears that might be listening. Susan was used to seeking privacy. She’d joked dozens of times that she couldn’t even go to the bathroom by herself after having the fourth child.
“What’s the word on Elijah Henry?” Leah figured she might as well get straight to the point of the call.
“No one can find him to ask where he’s been the past few days. In fact, he’s completely fallen off the radar ever since his release,” Susan said.
Leah’s gut braided. “You really think it’s him?”
“Me? I’m still following the evidence trail. It’s too early to determine his guilt or innocence. I don’t like his connection to you, though.” Susan paused a beat. “You don’t remember him, do you?”
“Elijah? No. Why would I?” Leah asked.
“I was talking to Keeve yesterday or the day before and he said you arrested Henry like five years ago,” Susan supplied.
“Wait. Hold on a minute. I have a history with Elijah Henry?” she asked.
“Yeah. According to Keeve you do.” The news had the effect of a bullet through the chest.
“What else did he say?” Leah couldn’t wait to hear this. Why didn’t she remember Elijah? Maybe if she’d been the one to talk to him instead of sending in Deacon to see him face-to-face, she’d have remembered. After the pregnancy she’d pretty much lost half her memory due to the onslaught of hormones.
“Guess the guy had it out for you after the arrest. It caused him to lose his job and then his ex got full custody of their kid. He had supervised visitation after... You don’t remember any of this?” Susan sounded surprised.
“Not a bit. That’s a familiar sob story, though,” Leah countered. “And I can’t count the number of people who’ve threatened me after arresting them. Pretty much every drunk and lowlife I came into contact with.”
“True. This guy seemed to have it out for you in particular.” She paused another beat. “How many times do we ask ourselves about this? If one of our old arrests came back for us, which one would it be?”
“You’d think it would be someone I remember, at least.”
Susan blew out a breath. “Seriously.”
“I need a favor,” Leah hedged.
“What is it?” Susan’s voice quieted again.
“The names of the witnesses who saw Henry in the area.” She knew she was asking a lot. And she would never put her friend in a bad position if it weren’t life or death. “But if you’re not comfortable—”
“I’ll give the names to you right now,” Susan said.
“Are you saying you already have the names?” Leah was stunned and very grateful.
“I’ve been expecting your call. I have names, addresses and phone numbers. I would be asking the same thing if the situation were reversed. I mean, I’m not saying Dougherty is a bad detective but he’s gone a little bonkers with everything he’s been through. He’s not in his right mind and I don’t think he’s doing his job,” Susan said. Almost the exact same words Deacon had used to express his doubts.
“You won’t get an argument from me.” Leah felt the same. Dougherty was being sloppy and her life might depend on getting this right. At the very least her professional career hung in the balance.
“Dougherty has been saying that Elijah is close to confessing but he couldn’t hold him and they had to release him,” Susan said.
“Elijah?”
“According to Dougherty, the man all but claimed responsibility.” Susan sounded worried.
“Do you believe him?” Leah could trust Susan with an honest answer.
“I want to.” She issued a grunt. “Mostly, I want this to stop. This is creepy. You know? And not just because I feel like it could’ve been you and now with your sitter. The whole thing gives me a bad feeling.”
“Me, too.” Leah didn’t like any of this whether she was ultimately the target or not. None of it felt good and people were dying. “The families of those murdered women deserve answers. They deserve to know what really happened and who did this.”
“I know.” Susan’s tone was quiet now, like they were in church.
Leah got the names before ending the call. She typed them into the notepad feature of her smartphone. She heard the door open to the screened-in porch and knew Deacon was behind her. A moment of panic seized her as she turned to face him. “Is Connor all right?”
“Connor’s great. He’s laughing and rolling around on the floor with Aaron. Rea moved on to her dolls. The little guy fits right in here and even though there’s an age difference I think Aaron likes having another boy around,” Deacon said. She picked up on something in his voice that didn’t match his words.
Did he regret bringing them home to the ranch?
“I have news,” she said.
“I ARRESTED ELIJAH HENRY five years ago and he says his life went downhill after.” Leah was wringing her hands.
Deacon took her hands in his. “Your friend Susan told you this?”
She nodded, looking straight into his eyes. For the first time, he saw confusion.
“What else did she say?” he asked.
“That everyone thinks Dougherty’s too distracted by his personal issues to do a good job on the case. And that he swears Elijah was about to write a formal confession.” The guy Deacon visited hadn’t seemed anywhere close to admitting murder.
“Elijah flat out told me he was innocent. I can’t believe he’d change his tune,” Deacon pointed out.
“Did you mention my name to him?” she asked.
“Not specifically.” Deacon thought about it for a minute. “I’m not an investigator but I do have a decent gauge of whether or not someone’s lying to me. I got the impression that Elijah was scared and that he believed he was being set up.”
“He’s a drunk,” she said.
“He’d be the first to admit it,” he added. “He seemed truly scared, like something big was going down and he was knee-deep in it.”
She studied him. “You’re sure that wasn’t just him being afraid because he’d done horrible things? I’ve seen a lot during my years as a cop and now detective. People make all kinds of crazy statements and then recant later. People aren’t always as they seem.”
“It’s best to let the evidence lead us,” he said. “I’m interested in seeing what those witnesses have to say.”
“So am I.” She produced a text from Susan with names, addresses and phone numbers. “We have a twenty-year-old musician as a witness.” She made air quotes when she said musician.
“None of his bandmates saw anything?” Deacon asked.
“He’s a street musician. Plays drums for dollars and change. I’ve seen him before. He plays at a different spot every night. He’s also been picked up multiple times for disorderly conduct and being under the influence of drugs,” she supplied.
“It’s four o’clock,” Deacon said. “Probably too early to catch him out.”
“We can head downtown. He likes to play next to a taco shop.”
Deacon checked the map feature on his phone. “Who else? Anyone on that list seem respectable?”
“There’s a bouncer, a vagrant by the name of George Washington, and a married father of two. Nick Chester works in some kind of marketing job and lives in Frisco,” she supplied.
“The dad sounds like the most credible source,” Deacon said. “Him and the bouncer.”
“Jax Hanks is twenty-four years old. He’s the doorman at The Sloppy Pig, which is a place we watch constantly for drug traffic.” She caught Deacon’s gaze. “The suburban father is our best bet. We’ll still interview the others. You never know what will break a case open.”
He’d heard that before from Zach.
“Are you sure about us staying here?” Leah asked. “Stepping in to help a stranger is one thing, but this is above and beyond. Taking us in and volunteering to help with Connor. I can’t remember the last time I saw him this happy. He’s a happy kid, don’t get me wrong, but this is...”
“My family can be overwhelming but they’re good people. Last I checked on them, Connor was happily sharing his brontosaurus with Aaron, who was in absolute awe,” he said, and he couldn’t help but smile. He liked that she and Connor fit in so well with his family.
“Kids are so in the moment,” she said on a sigh. “I always wonder if that’s the key to their happiness. I mean, if they’re upset, they throw a temper tantrum. Granted, I could do with less of those all-out throw-himself-on-the-floor tantrums that he used to have and seems to have thankfully outgrown but there’s something smart about not stuffing emotions deep down.”
She looked at Deacon who could relate.
“When they’re happy, they just let it all loose. You can see it radiating from them,” he agreed.
“There was one time Connor’s body literally vibrated with happiness. It was a couple of weeks ago and we were waiting in line to see Santa. Connor was so exuberant it was like he couldn’t contain it,” she continued.
Could he live life in the moment? Not worry about tomorrow? Just enjoy being?
Her smile made him wish he could because it was sexy as hell and he wanted to spend more time in the moment with her.
“Your family has been amazing, by the way,” she said as he brought his hand up to her chin. He tilted her face toward his and looked into her eyes.
“Good. Because from the looks of it, they’re enjoying having you both here,” he said. He was happy.
For how long?