Page 91
Story: My One and Only
“One of the techs processing the truck will get them,” he said. He studied her for a long moment. “You sure you’re okay? You don’t need to go to the ER and get checked out?”
“I’m fine,” she said. All she needed was Cam. “Not the first stressful situation I’ve been in, but it was the worst.”
“Yeah,” the cop said. “Having someone threaten to drive you into the river? The stuff of nightmares.”
“Yeah.” When Jo dropped her hands to her side, she felt the knife in her pants pocket. She pulled it out and showed it to the cop. “Forgot about this. Do you need to take it?”
“Did you use it at all?”the cop asked.
Jo shook her head. “No. It was in my pocket the whole time.”
“Then we don’t need it.”
He studied the technicians and the other police officers swarming over Don’s truck, then he turned to Jo. “C’mon. I’ll drive you to the station.”
Chapter 29
When Cam rushed into the Ogden Police Station, he stopped at the desk. The officer sitting there looked up. “Help you?”
“My… assistant was brought in here ten or fifteen minutes ago. She was abducted and involved in an accident near the river. Her name is Jo Hatch. Where would I find her?”
The officer glanced at something on his desk. “Detectives Miller and Peters were the responding officers. Their desks are in the bullpen.” He pointed to his right. “Down that hall.”
“Thank you,” Cam said, already hurrying in the direction the officer had indicated.
When he reached a large room filled with desks, he stopped and looked around. Didn’t spot Jo. So he stopped at the nearest desk, one bearing a name plate identifying the woman as Detective Owens. “My bodyguard was brought in a few minutes ago by Detectives Miller and Peters. Where would I find them?”
“They’re in interrogation room one.” She gestured toward the back of the room. “You can watch them questioning her through the one-way mirror. There’s a knob that’ll turn up the volume from the room.”
Cam clenched his fists together at his side. “It was an abduction, and Ms.Hatch was the victim,” he managed to say calmly. “Why is she being interrogated?”
Detective Owens sighed. “She was the victim of a crime. They need to get all the details, all the information while it’s fresh in her mind. That’ll be important when the perp goes on trial. And they use the interrogation rooms because they have an automatic recording system. If you don’t want to watch, you can take a seat next to Detective Peters’ desk.”
“I’ll watch,” Cam said, his mouth tight. He hurried over to the observation window and saw Jo sitting on one side of a table, her back to him. Two men sat on the other side. He turned up the volume and took a deep breath. Cam ignored the chairs at the window and remained on his feet.
“… Don Kincaid threatened to shoot three girls on the playground at the school if I didn’t go with him. I believed him, so I got into his truck.” She nudged the phone on the table, which Cam recognized as hers. “Listen to the audio. I recorded everything.”
One of the two men glanced at the phone. The other said, “We will. But we need to have your answers to our questions on tape, okay? Just bear with us while we ask our questions.”
Cam saw a muscle in Jo’s jaw twitch. But she nodded. “Ask away.”
As Cam listened to her describe how Don had forced her into his truck by threatening to shoot three girls on the playground, he sucked in a breath. Was she talking abouthisDon Kincaid? The man he loved like a brother? Everything she said about him was the complete antithesis of the man he’d known for almost twenty years.
When she told the detectives that Don had admitted to killing Ashley, and told them how he’d done it, Cam gasped. Dropped into one of the chairs. He wanted to see Jo’s face. Badly. Although he believed what she was saying, he couldn’t connect his partner Don with the man who’d killed his wife and tried to kill Jo.
The detectives listened to Jo’s recording, then questioned her for a long time, making her repeat her statements several times. Finally one of them stood up. “You’re free to go, Ms.Hatch. If you want to wait a while, I’ll make a copy of the recording on your phone so you can take the phone with you.”
“Yes, I’ll wait,” she said.
One of the men helped her stand up, and both detectives and Jo left the room. A few minutes later, they walked into the bullpen. Cam rushed over to Jo and swept her into his arms. “Jo,” he murmured into her hair. “Are you all right?”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. “I’m fine, Cam. Don didn’t hurt me.” Her arms gripped him as if she’d thought she’d never see him again. “I had to shoot him, though. Twice. To stop him from driving me into the river.” She swallowed, and her neck rippled against his. “He’ll survive, but he’ll have a long recovery.”
“Sounds like he’ll be recovering in prison.”
“I hope so,” she said. She sucked in a breath. “He wanted to kill both you and Fiona. To get control of PK Construction. So he could continue to use shoddy products and pocket the difference to pay off his gambling debts.”
Cam pulled away from her. “He promised me he’d stopped gambling.”
“I’m fine,” she said. All she needed was Cam. “Not the first stressful situation I’ve been in, but it was the worst.”
“Yeah,” the cop said. “Having someone threaten to drive you into the river? The stuff of nightmares.”
“Yeah.” When Jo dropped her hands to her side, she felt the knife in her pants pocket. She pulled it out and showed it to the cop. “Forgot about this. Do you need to take it?”
“Did you use it at all?”the cop asked.
Jo shook her head. “No. It was in my pocket the whole time.”
“Then we don’t need it.”
He studied the technicians and the other police officers swarming over Don’s truck, then he turned to Jo. “C’mon. I’ll drive you to the station.”
Chapter 29
When Cam rushed into the Ogden Police Station, he stopped at the desk. The officer sitting there looked up. “Help you?”
“My… assistant was brought in here ten or fifteen minutes ago. She was abducted and involved in an accident near the river. Her name is Jo Hatch. Where would I find her?”
The officer glanced at something on his desk. “Detectives Miller and Peters were the responding officers. Their desks are in the bullpen.” He pointed to his right. “Down that hall.”
“Thank you,” Cam said, already hurrying in the direction the officer had indicated.
When he reached a large room filled with desks, he stopped and looked around. Didn’t spot Jo. So he stopped at the nearest desk, one bearing a name plate identifying the woman as Detective Owens. “My bodyguard was brought in a few minutes ago by Detectives Miller and Peters. Where would I find them?”
“They’re in interrogation room one.” She gestured toward the back of the room. “You can watch them questioning her through the one-way mirror. There’s a knob that’ll turn up the volume from the room.”
Cam clenched his fists together at his side. “It was an abduction, and Ms.Hatch was the victim,” he managed to say calmly. “Why is she being interrogated?”
Detective Owens sighed. “She was the victim of a crime. They need to get all the details, all the information while it’s fresh in her mind. That’ll be important when the perp goes on trial. And they use the interrogation rooms because they have an automatic recording system. If you don’t want to watch, you can take a seat next to Detective Peters’ desk.”
“I’ll watch,” Cam said, his mouth tight. He hurried over to the observation window and saw Jo sitting on one side of a table, her back to him. Two men sat on the other side. He turned up the volume and took a deep breath. Cam ignored the chairs at the window and remained on his feet.
“… Don Kincaid threatened to shoot three girls on the playground at the school if I didn’t go with him. I believed him, so I got into his truck.” She nudged the phone on the table, which Cam recognized as hers. “Listen to the audio. I recorded everything.”
One of the two men glanced at the phone. The other said, “We will. But we need to have your answers to our questions on tape, okay? Just bear with us while we ask our questions.”
Cam saw a muscle in Jo’s jaw twitch. But she nodded. “Ask away.”
As Cam listened to her describe how Don had forced her into his truck by threatening to shoot three girls on the playground, he sucked in a breath. Was she talking abouthisDon Kincaid? The man he loved like a brother? Everything she said about him was the complete antithesis of the man he’d known for almost twenty years.
When she told the detectives that Don had admitted to killing Ashley, and told them how he’d done it, Cam gasped. Dropped into one of the chairs. He wanted to see Jo’s face. Badly. Although he believed what she was saying, he couldn’t connect his partner Don with the man who’d killed his wife and tried to kill Jo.
The detectives listened to Jo’s recording, then questioned her for a long time, making her repeat her statements several times. Finally one of them stood up. “You’re free to go, Ms.Hatch. If you want to wait a while, I’ll make a copy of the recording on your phone so you can take the phone with you.”
“Yes, I’ll wait,” she said.
One of the men helped her stand up, and both detectives and Jo left the room. A few minutes later, they walked into the bullpen. Cam rushed over to Jo and swept her into his arms. “Jo,” he murmured into her hair. “Are you all right?”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. “I’m fine, Cam. Don didn’t hurt me.” Her arms gripped him as if she’d thought she’d never see him again. “I had to shoot him, though. Twice. To stop him from driving me into the river.” She swallowed, and her neck rippled against his. “He’ll survive, but he’ll have a long recovery.”
“Sounds like he’ll be recovering in prison.”
“I hope so,” she said. She sucked in a breath. “He wanted to kill both you and Fiona. To get control of PK Construction. So he could continue to use shoddy products and pocket the difference to pay off his gambling debts.”
Cam pulled away from her. “He promised me he’d stopped gambling.”
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