Jackson motioned to her again. “Just listen and let them talk. If they ask questions you don’t want to answer, tell them you don’t know.”
She moved her head to indicate she understood. Jackson stood back, holding Duff by his collar. “It’s okay, boy.” But it wasn’t okay and the dog was smart enough to figure that out. Eloise was in trouble, serious trouble. A double threat wasn’t good right now. “Go,” he said.
She did as he told her, slowly opening the door but keeping the chain on the lock. “Yes?”
“Ellie Smith?”
She bobbed her head. “Yes.”
The two officers looked at each other then back to her. Jackson sized them up from his hidden position at the window. They were in plain clothes but they had that weary-eyed cop look. And Eloise hadn’t reacted overly much so he didn’t think the man she’d accused of murder was standing just outside her door.
“We need to talk to you, ma’am. About your friend Meredith Parker.”
“I heard. Verdie called me,” she said, her voice quivering.
Another glance between them. “Can we come in?”
She looked at Jackson. He pointed to the tiny downstairs bathroom then started toward the hallway. “Yes, of course. Let me just calm down my dog and put him away so we can talk.” Shutting the door, she turned to Jackson again, motioning for him to take Duff with him. “Duff, go,” she said loud enough for the officers to hear her through the door. Then she shooed the dog toward the powder room.
The dog did as she commanded and followed Jackson, but he stayed alert. “Good dog,” Jackson said on a low voice to the animal. He left the bathroom door cracked so he’d have a good view of the two men, then nodded to Eloise, his hand stroking Duff’s back to keep him inside the room.
Speaking into his radio, he said, “Roark, we have a problem. Listen to me and take notes.”
“Got it,” Roark shot back.
Eloise opened the front door and stood back, making sure she wasn’t in Jackson’s line of sight so he could see the two men. “Come in.”
The two officers swaggered into the hallway then glanced around. Through the narrow slit of the open powder room door, Jackson sized them up while Duff whined behind him. One was short and stout and the other one was tall and slender. And they both looked nervous. Interesting pair.
“Sorry, we hate to bother you at home but your coworker said you were sick today.”
Eloise lifted her head toward the beefy one. “I’m not feeling well. I’m upset about Meredith.”
Looking confused, one of the men said, “We’re sorry. We need to ask you some questions.”
Eloise didn’t have to fake the pale color washing over her face. Jackson could tell she was fighting to stay in control. So was he. Even though he was itching to question these two, based on what Eloise had told him about the husband being a cop, he couldn’t give away his cover right now. The last thing he needed was a rogue cop trying to cover his own tracks by coming after Eloise. This new wrinkle could mess up their whole operation.
“I’ll try to answer any questions,” Eloise said, not inviting the men to sit down.
“Meredith Parker was found dead this morning in the woods behind her apartment complex.”
They waited, the silence of expectancy filling the room with a palpable tension.
Eloise moved back, reaching out toward a nearby chair. She looked down at the floor, her shoulders hunched as she held tightly to the chair. She was clearly upset, maybe because she hadn’t allowed herself to be upset yet and now the reality of her friend’s death was hitting her full force.
And Jackson didn’t think it was an act.
Eloise closed her eyes, shuddered a breath. “Do you know what happened?”
“We’re still investigating that, but…an early-morning jogger found her lying just off the path by a stream. She lived in the complex so we think maybe she went out for a walk and fell and hit her head…or someone attacked her.”
“Attacked her? On the path?” Eloise gasped again. “Who would do that to Meredith?”
The way she stood up straight and almost shouted that question alerted Jackson to just how traumatized she really was. And here he’d just sprung the worst on her with all this mess from her past. And the fact that her daughter wanted to see her.
He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t cave. Then he whispered, “Police are here. Employee Meredith Parker. Dead. Husband is a suspect. Subject possible witness to the murder.”
Eloise clung to the chair, gulping deep breaths of air. “Do you have any suspects?”
Knowing that his whole team—Roark, Marcus and Thea—were taking down the facts he’d managed to feed to them, Jackson trusted his people would get right on the details of what the local cops had so far. Even though this was out of their hands technically, they’d have to watch this new development and try to figure a way around it.
The skinny one of the two gave Eloise the once-over, then said, “We’re still trying to piece things together so we’re not calling this a homicide yet. Her husband, Randall, is a member of the Snow Sky police force and he’s my partner, so of course, we’ve put a special priority on this.” He leaned close, his tone condescending. “You might know that Detective Parker is a lieutenant in the police department. And a well-respected man.”
Eloise nodded. “Yes, I’m aware of that. He came by the bakery a lot—to see her.”
Jackson read that as “to check up on her” and even from where he stood in another room, he felt the tension radiating off of Eloise’s body as she said the words. He didn’t like the way the patrol officer had informed her of Randall Parker’s rank—almost as if it was some kind of warning—or threat.
“What can I do to help?” Eloise said, still shocked, probably because even though she’d witnessed this murder she hadn’t wanted to believe it. Now it was very real. She couldn’t go back or run away.
“We just need to ask you some questions,” Beefy said. “When was the last time you saw Meredith Parker?”
Eloise let out a breath then inhaled again. “Yesterday when we left work.”
“You mean when you both left Ellie’s—the café and bakery where you both work?”
“Yes, I’m the owner. Meredith is—was—a waitress. She’s worked for me about two years. They moved here from Great Falls.”
Jackson took in that bit of information. Had someone come after the waitress thinking she was Eloise? And why did Eloise seem so sure the detective had killed his own wife? She’d said she was there, but could she be wrong? The body had been found in the woods. Keeping his eyes on the two men, he ignored the tension ripping through his neck and shoulders. This situation would bring unwanted scrutiny to Eloise. And the press could bring Vincent Martino into town.
“So you saw her leave?”
“We walked out together. She got in her car and I—I had my dog with me. He always comes to work with me. I walk to work and back since it’s not that far. I waved goodbye to her—” Her voice cracked. “That was the last time—”
“I know this is hard, but just think back and tell us anything you think might help,” Skinny said on a solicitous note.
She glanced up at him, obviously surprised at the sudden kindness. “I’m trying. I can’t imagine who would want to harm Meredith. She was so sweet, you know. All golden-haired and blue-eyed. The perfect California girl who moved to Montana to get away from the Los Angeles crowd.” She heaved a sob, her hand at her mouth. Her gaze swept over the two men. “And now…she’s dead.”
Jackson figured she’d given Meredith’s description and some background for his sake, so his team could get right on things. Smart woman. Too smart. The way she’d emphasized “she’s dead” when she’d looked at the officers didn’t bode well. If she didn’t end this soon, she’d accuse the whole police department of being in on this murder. And maybe she was right about that.
“Do you need to sit down?” the officer asked, his words still gentle. But the quick look he gave the other officer hadn’t been so kind.
“No,” she replied, sharp and clear. “I want to know what happened to my friend. Can you two tell me that?”
“We don’t know,” Skinny said. “That’s why we’re asking questions. Lieutenant Parker has been up half the night, interrogating anyone he can find, looking for witnesses. He wants to find out what happened to his wife.”
“That’s good,” Eloise said, her voice deadly calm now. “I hope he finds whoever did this.”
“Trust me, he will. If someone harmed his wife, that person will pay. He’s devastated. Just devastated.”
Eloise buried her head in her hands. Was she praying for guidance or plotting her own way to avenge this murder? Jackson couldn’t be sure.
“What else can I do?” she asked, her tone determined.
Beefy looked at Eloise for a few heartbeats. “Ms. Smith, is there anything else you can think of—say, someone who came in the bakery and had words with Meredith? Anybody who’d want to hurt her?”
Her head came up and Jackson knew she was very close to going ballistic. “Meredith Parker was one of the nicest, sweetest girls I’ve ever known. She went to church every Sunday and she was a favorite with all our customers, so no, I can’t think of anyone—” She stopped, her fingers holding on to the chair with an iron grip. “I can’t think why anyone would want to hurt her. She was a good person.”
Skinny finally stepped forward. “I think that’s enough for now. You’re in shock. We’ll give you some space and maybe you’ll remember something else later.”
Jackson didn’t like the way Skinny’s gaze darted around the room. What was he trying to hide? What did he already know? The kid was as nervous and jumpy as a squirrel.
Beefy looked skeptical but Skinny handed her a card. “Call us if you do remember anything. The captain’s got the whole team on this. Meredith was like one of our own, you know.”
“I understand that,” Eloise said with the same determined tone she’d used for most of the conversation. Then she lifted her head and glared at them. “Give my condolences to Lieutenant Parker, please.”
“We will, ma’am. Thanks for your time.”
She opened the door to let the men out. “Officers,” she called, causing both of them to glance around, “if someone did kill Meredith, I hope you do everything you can to find that person. Can you promise me that?”
Both men nodded. “We intend to do just that,” Skinny replied.
After she shut the door, Eloise hurried toward the couch then fell down on it, her head in her hands again.
Jackson came out of the bathroom, Duff close on his heels. He sat down beside her then pulled her into his arms to hold her close for a minute. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? You almost spilled the truth right then and there.”
“I want justice,” she said, her paleness turning to a rush of color as anger poured through her. The flush only emphasized the scar near her lips. “I’ve been running from crime for over half my life, Jackson. And I want justice, just this once, for Meredith. I know he killed her. I didn’t see him push her, but he was standing over her body and the only reason he’s out there searching for witnesses is to cover this murder. He moved her to the woods and just left her there. He’ll do anything to keep his dirty secret and to keep his standing in the department. But I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he gets what he deserves, even if it means I have to come out of hiding to do it.”
An hour later, Jackson sat across from her, waiting on a report from Roark. He’d sent the team back to the apartment they’d rented across the way. By now, Theresa Romaro would be doing a thorough background check on Randall and Meredith Parker. Theresa, or Thea, as Roark liked to call her, was a hotshot computer expert and an asset in the field. She’d find out anything they needed to know on Randall Parker. And she’d find out about who sent those roses, too, since he’d given her the rundown on that.
“So we just sit here?” Eloise asked, her gaze moving around the cozy, sparse den.
“For now. It’s okay. You’ve been through a horrible shock.”
She glared at him, her eyes saying what she couldn’t voice. Disbelief, shock, worry and regret. It was there.
“I should go to the café. I need to be with my employees.”
“They’re all safe at home now,” he said. “Roark made sure of that.”
“Did he—”
“He tailed Verdie and Frank and had Thea watch the kid home. They’re all okay. And no, you don’t need to go to the café. You don’t need to talk to the press or get your picture in the paper or on the evening news.”
She picked up a big blue tote bag then pulled out some knitting needles and yarn. “So I just sit here?”
“Until I decide what to do next, yes.”
She shot him a look full of doubt and anger. Then she lowered her gaze. “I should be glad you showed up. I was paralyzed with fear all night. I don’t like that feeling.” She shook her head. “I’d almost gotten too complacent here, thinking I was finally safe.”
He leaned forward. “I know it’s hard, having to go through this again. But I’m glad I’m here, too. And we’re going to take care of all of this.”
She didn’t look so sure, but she gave him a quiet nod.
Jackson looked away then took in the bright colors of the furniture. While there wasn’t much of it, what pieces she had arranged were bright and cheery. She liked reds and blues, apparently. And she’d incorporated some Native American and Wild West art into the mix. But she didn’t have any family pictures anywhere. None. That broke his heart. And he had to wonder if she had any real friends.
“What are you knitting?”
She looked up, her hands holding the yellow yarn against the big hooked needles. “Baby caps. We sponsor a children’s home at my church. They always need warm caps for the newborns and…for the babies that are adopted out.”
Her eyes held his for a minute then she went back to her knitting. Jackson didn’t know what to say. She grieved for her own child but she helped others with this small offering in order to assuage that grief. His heart felt too heavy inside his chest. Way too heavy.
So he focused on his job.
“As soon as I get more details, we’ll form a plan,” he said, taking a sip of his fourth cup of coffee. It was enough for now that he had her in his sights and he didn’t plan on letting her out of his sight until she was finally safe. “I should hear something soon.”
“So,” she said on a note of resignation, “tell me about this task force.”
He took out his phone to check messages. “I told you.”
“No, you told me about the women who’ve been murdered and you’ve brought me up to speed on the Martino case. You have a mysterious informant and you think you have a leak and you told me all of this because I’m the reason for those murders and you want me to take this seriously. But I need to know about these people you handpicked to help you. What if I can’t trust them?”
“You can or I wouldn’t have them here with me,” he replied, his pulse tripping into overdrive because of her distrust and her perpetual fear. He was going to end this so he could see her smile again. And even though he didn’t rely on anyone for much of anything, he did ask God to show him how to do that. Jackson didn’t know how to pray but maybe it was time he learned.
For her sake, at least.
“I’m waiting,” she said, impatience slicing through her words. Before he could respond, she said, “I see you haven’t changed much. Still don’t like to carry on a casual conversation.”
“I wouldn’t call this casual,” he retorted, concern for her making him edgy. “We have a big problem here, Eloise. You managed to leave your house on foot, right under the noses of my agents. You could have been killed, too.”
“Like I don’t get that.” She got up, moved around the room. “I can’t stand this. I should be with Verdie and Frank. They loved Meredith.”
“Sit down and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
She stilled but she didn’t sit. “Just talk to me, Jackson, just to keep me from falling apart, okay?”
“Okay.”
He told her about Roark’s habit of calling him Big Mac. And about the time Roark had pushed him into a garbage bin to keep him from getting shot. He told her about Marcus Powell’s penchant for fancy duds and how he got the name GQ because he always looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine.
“He was the one at the bakery, wasn’t he?” she asked, telling him what Verdie had said about the blue-eyed, blond-haired man hanging around. “Yes.”
“And Theresa? What’s she like?”
The question was so innocent, yet so telling. He was sure Eloise craved female friendship. And now, one of the few friends she had was dead. That seemed to be a pattern in her life—death all around her. And fear.
“Theresa is solid. She grew up in a bad neighborhood back in Chicago, but she was determined to become somebody. She made it out by the skin of her teeth, but not before she witnessed her brother’s murder. Drug dealers. She went to the authorities and gave them a statement that helped put the dealers away for a long time, then she left Chicago. She didn’t come back until the day she showed up in my office, fresh from the academy. She wants to get rid of all the bad guys and she’s good at her job. Plus, she comes in handy when I’m dealing with difficult women.”
Eloise’s head came up at that remark. But her lips twisted at his sarcasm. “Am I being difficult?”
“You have every reason to be difficult.”
“What are the odds, huh?”
“Something like that.” He glanced at his list of voice messages and saw his brother, Micah, had called. “I told you about Micah, right?”
“Your little brother,” she said. “I remember him.”
“What are the odds of him winding up on this task force, too,” he replied. “Small world, full of coincidences.”
“Maybe you two getting back together this way wasn’t a coincidence,” she said, her knitting needles never breaking stride.
His cell rang before he had time to analyze her words. “Talk to me,” he said.
Theresa’s cool voice lifted through the airwaves. “Your man Parker was apparently married once before, sir. And that wife went missing. They found her dead in a ravine just east of Great Falls. Her murder was never solved.”
“How long ago?”
“Five years. He got married again—to Meredith Grigsby, and they left that area and came here. Moved up in rank pretty quickly once he joined the Snow Sky Police Department.”
“Anything else?”
“Not much for now. He has a clean record but he’s been through some anger management training for roughing up suspects and perps.”
“Maybe we should add wives to that list, too.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Meredith is clean. Nothing there. Not even a speeding ticket. Oh, and I’m still trying to find out where the roses came from. So far, no luck there.”
“Good work, Thea. Keep me posted.”
He hung up to stare over at Eloise. “Did you know Parker had been married before?”
“No.” Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Meredith never mentioned it.”
“Probably because she didn’t know.”
“They’d only been married about three years.”
“His first wife was found dead in a ravine over in Great Falls.”
She sank back down, shock and rage causing her to start that back-and-forth rocking again. “I tried to get her away. She’d come to work with bruises, but she always had an excuse. She was so afraid of him.”
“Did he ever harass her at work?”
“No, never. But he came by every day to visit. She said he was making sure she was where she was supposed to be. At first, she thought that was considerate. Then she realized he was paranoid and controlling. He didn’t want her to work so he kept tabs on her all the time.”
“Does he know that you were aware of his abuse?”
“No. We were careful. I came close to telling him off a couple of times, but I stopped myself—to protect her.”
“Wise move. What was the plan?”
“You mean, about getting her away?”
Jackson nodded, drained his coffee.
“I was supposed to pick her up while he was on a stakeout last night. He rarely called her when he was on a late-night job. He just set the alarm and dared her to leave the house. We had everything arranged, though. She learned how to reset the alarm to make it look like she was home. I’d rented a car and hidden it in her apartment complex. I planned to walk to her apartment at midnight and get her, then drive her to the bus station so she could get to a shelter in Billings. By the time he figured things out, she’d be long gone. Only, he came home early. He got there before I did. And I guess they had words. She called me in a panic to come and help her. I ran out of my apartment and all the way to her house.”
“Do you have any idea why he came home?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he was onto us the whole time or maybe he got suspicious last night. Maybe he forgot something. He’s a smart man, Jackson. He won’t stop until he finds out who saw him last night.”
“We won’t let him get to you.”
“He knows everything about me. Or at least, he knows the ‘new’ me—Ellie Smith. But the man can dig up just about anything and he’d like nothing better than to use what he finds.”
“Such as—you being in the Witness Protection Program.”
She nodded. “If he finds that out—he’d sell me to the highest bidder. Then he could wash his hands of Meredith’s death…and me.”
Jackson got up to stand in front of her. “That’s why we’re going to get you out of here tonight.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to run again.”
“You’re not going to run. You’re going to take a vacation—with my team and me. You’re grieving your friend’s death.”
She glared at him, her eyes wide. “I am grieving. I want to go to her funeral. I have to. He’ll suspect something if I don’t. I have to, Jackson.”
“That won’t happen until we get the autopsy report and have the all clear. And I’ll be there with you, understand. That way I can protect you and watch him at the same time. For now, if anyone asks, my cover will be that I’m a good friend who’s helping you through your grief. Then you’ll make it known that you’re going to stay with some friends for a while, just to get away.”
She nodded, her arms crossed in a defensive gesture. “It will be hard to go back to work. I guess this could work for a while at least.”
“And in the meantime, we’ll find the evidence we need to get him.”
“You’re going to be one busy man, trying to protect me from him and the Mob.”
“I’ll manage.”
Another knock sounded at the door.
Since she’d put Duff in the fenced-in yard out back, no warning barks sounded through the quiet room. Jackson nodded toward the door. “See who it is.”
Eloise looked through the peephole then spun around toward Jackson, a hand to her throat. “It’s him. It’s Randall Parker.”
Adrenaline rushed through Jackson. “He probably just wants to talk to you, but—”
“But he might be here to make sure I never talk. Should I let him in?”
Before Jackson could answer, Randall Parker banged on the door again, this time in several rapid-fire beats followed by a message full of rage. “Open up, Ellie. I know you’re in there. I have some questions for you. And I’m not leaving until you answer them, you hear me?”
Jackson shook his head. “Don’t say a word.”
A fist hit the door again then Randall Parker spewed several expletives. “You think you can hide from me, Ms. Smith? You have no idea what I can do.” He hit the door again. “You know something about Meredith. I know you do. Let me in or I’ll tear this door down.”
Then Eloise did something that threw Jackson completely off guard. She found her purse on the coffee table and pulled out a gun. And she had that gun aimed toward the front door.
Moving behind her, Jackson put his fingers against his own gun, his eyes on Eloise. “Don’t do it,” he said on a hiss of a whisper. “Eloise, do you hear me?”
“I won’t let him kill anybody else,” she replied, resolve and determination in her own forced whisper.
Jackson touched a hand to her arm. “We’ll get him. But not this way. Do you hear me?”
She shuddered, her knuckles white against the gun. Then she slowly nodded. “What am I supposed to do, Jackson? Can you tell me that?”
“Let him go for now.”
From somewhere in the backyard, Duff’s loud barks pierced the late-morning air. Eloise whirled. “He must have gone around back!”
Jackson didn’t wait to find out. Quickly, he informed the team of the situation. Then he turned to Eloise.
“This is about to get ugly,” he told her. “Gather your things.”
“Why?”
“Change of plans. We’re getting you out of here today.”