EIGHTEEN

Jesslyn’s mind was on Nathan when they walked into the conference room of the Lake City Police Department. He’d offered comfort and, when she’d accepted it, had pulled away. Of course, she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything other than a friendship, but still...

No. There was no “still.”

He was doing exactly what she’d not so subtly asked him to do. Picked up on her wishes and was honoring them. Because that’s the kind of man he was. She needed to be less confusing, stop sending mixed signals.

Not that she meant to. It just seemed like her heart wanted to stray from a lifetime of focus while her head was telling her she needed to stay on track to do what it took to find the person who killed her family. The arsonist she might very well be chasing even now.

Letting romance enter into the picture wasn’t part of the plan. She ignored the disappointment that swept through her at the thought, but acknowledged the fear too. The question that she’d not been brave enough to ask herself. Was it possible for her to simply be Jesslyn? A woman in love? Could she leave what had become her mission? Her very identity?

A cold hand squeezed her heart. She had no idea.

Which meant she couldn’t have a relationship with anyone until she had time to figure that out. It really was that simple.

Kenzie and Cole entered and settled on the other side of the table, leaving the side closest to the door for her and Nathan.

Chief Badami stepped inside the conference room and Jesslyn forced her personal issues to the back burner.

“Good to see you guys here,” the chief said. “Let me know if you need anything. Water bottles are in the mini fridge. Think there are some protein bars, chips, and crackers in the cabinet next to the fridge.”

“Thanks,” Jesslyn said. “Hopefully this won’t take too long and we can clear all this out.”

His dark eyes were kind, and his skin glowed with good health. She often saw him at the gym with his wife and two children. He played well with other agencies, and while everyone liked him because of his personality, the fact that he excelled at his job made it easy to respect him. Even when he had to let suspects like Kenny go. It wasn’t his fault the evidence wasn’t there to hold Kenny. It was on the officers and agents to find the evidence.

“It’s not a problem,” he said. “We don’t have any meetings scheduled for a couple of days.”

Her phone buzzed with a text from Lainie.

Mr. Christie is awake. Sort of. He’s in and out. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to talk yet, but his daughter said if he could identify the person who set the fire, he’d want to try. Give him a couple of hours to see if he becomes more alert then stop by if you want.

Jesslyn tapped back a thanks, then read the message aloud for everyone else. Nathan’s brow rose. “Well, that’s good news.”

“Indeed. In the meantime...” She passed out hard-copy pictures of the three pieces of jewelry. “This is what we’re looking for. Isabelle said her father took a picture of each piece sold and stapled it to the receipt.” She pulled the first box of files labeled “A–B” toward her. “Let’s see what we can find.”

It didn’t take her long to go through the first few boxes, even though she had to force herself not to stare at the exquisite, handcrafted pieces. Mr. McElroy had been an incredibly talented man.

Nathan moved quickly as well, flipping through the pictures and setting boxes to the side. Kenzie and Cole started at the other end of the alphabet and worked backward.

“Man, this place did a lot of business,” Cole said. “I recognize a lot of wealthy Lake City citizens. Some of these pieces are worth a fortune. Like more than my car.” He glanced at Nathan with a smirk. “Not more than yours, though.”

“It’s not mine.”

“Right.”

“Shut up.”

Jesslyn chuckled. Then they fell silent and continued to work until Kenzie gasped. They all looked at her as one. “What?” Jesslyn asked. Kenzie’s face had lost some color and her wide dark eyes were on the paper in front of her. “Kenzie?”

Cole touched her hand, and she swallowed, then met Jesslyn’s gaze. “I found the buyer.”

“Who?”

She pushed three photos with receipts attached across the table toward Jesslyn. “Your father.”

NATHAN WANTED TO OFFER comfort at the shock that froze Jesslyn for a brief moment, but she reached for the papers, her brow furrowed. “My father.”

“Owen McCormick, right?”

“Yes.”

Nathan looked over her shoulder, breathing in the scent that was only hers, and focused on the receipt and photos. Photos that matched the jewelry pieces from the fires, just as Kenzie said.

Jesslyn rubbed a hand down her face and stood, causing Nathan to shift back so she didn’t knock into him. She paced from one end of the conference room to the other. Then again. Nathan glanced at Kenzie and she shook her head. In other words, Be quiet . He nodded.

Finally, Jesslyn stopped. “My father is the one who bought the pieces that have shown up at fires?”

Kenzie nodded.

“I’m so confused. Bumfuzzled. That’s a word, right?” No one said anything. “All right then,” she finally said, tapping her lips, “that opens up a whole new Pandora’s box, doesn’t it?” She held up an index finger. “Who did he buy them for? My mother? I don’t think so or else they would have been in the safe deposit box with all the other pieces he bought her. So, who? Obviously, the woman he was with at some point. So, again, who was that?”

“Wait a minute,” Kenzie said, “what are you talking about?”

Nathan wondered too.

Jesslyn hesitated, then seemed to make up her mind about something. “My father cheated on my mother,” she said. “Whenever he was feeling guilty, he bought her a custom piece of jewelry, which she never wore because of what it represented.”

Kenzie’s face dropped into compassion and Cole’s jaw tightened. “I’m so sorry, Jess,” Kenzie said.

“I am too. I realize this is old history, but it’s new to me, so I’m just going to have to process all of this.”

“Of course,” Cole murmured.

“At a later time. Right now, we need to figure out the next step in all of this. My father bought pieces of custom jewelry over twenty years ago. Those pieces have shown up at various fires connected to me.”

“Except for the bank,” Nathan said. “How’s that fire connected to you?”

“I have no idea, but a piece of jewelry was there, so I’m sure if we dig deep enough, we’ll figure it out.”

He nodded and Kenzie pursed her lips.

Jesslyn leaned forward and put her palms on the table. “But I’ve got another question. Why is he buying another woman the same kind of jewelry he bought my mother? For the same reason? How many women did he have on the side? Is there even a way to figure that out?”

She was asking the same questions Nathan was thinking when his phone buzzed again. He checked the screen. A text from Eli.

Can you stop by later? I really need to talk to you. Or I can come to your place.

Nathan hesitated, then tapped,

Yes, I’ll let you know when I’m on the way.

It was time to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Eli. But he’d go to Eli. If things went south, he didn’t want to have to kick his brother out of his house. He wanted to be able to walk away.

Where are you?

Mom and Dad’s.

Fine. See you in a bit.

It just dawned on him that he might have Jesslyn with him. Well, he’d just have to leave her with his parents while he and Eli had a chat. Because this whole thing was getting ridiculous.

“Everything okay?” Jesslyn asked him.

He just noted she’d stopped talking and everyone was looking at him. “Fine. Sort of. I can explain later. Right now, I’m thinking we need to figure out who your father’s friends were, people he may have confided in, and see if they recognize these pieces.”

She nodded. “I’ll talk to my aunt about that.” She rubbed her head and winced.

“What is it?” Kenzie asked.

“Nothing. Just where I got conked. It’s still sensitive.”

He frowned, wishing she would take it easy, but was quite sure his suggestion wouldn’t be welcomed. Not that she would ignore him, but after a moment of consideration, she’d politely decline.

So he kept his mouth shut. At least she wasn’t coughing and her hands didn’t seem to be bothering her. If her leg was, it didn’t show. Maybe she wasn’t as uncomfortable as he would have thought.

Or she was just good at hiding that kind of thing. Probably that. “So, the next steps are for Jesslyn to talk to her aunt about her father’s friends and see if she actually knows any of the women he might have been seeing. I need to go see my brother and take a moment to deal with some family stuff.”

“Brad’s funeral is Wednesday,” Cole said. “I think we should plan to attend and see who else is there.”

“Agreed,” Jesslyn said and Kenzie nodded. Jesslyn’s phone rang and she grabbed it. “Hello?” She listened without expression, then said, “Thanks,” and hung up. “Well, all of the investigations into my past cases have turned up empty. Every single person has some kind of alibi. Either they’re dead, in prison, or have witnesses who are willing to testify where they were. And no, it’s not just family willing to say so.”

“Okay,” Kenzie said, “that’s not a bad thing. It saves us time chasing a dead end. Knowing your father bought this jewelry allows us to turn our focus in a different direction.”

Nathan nodded. “Now, I’ve got two places I need to hit. The hospital to see Mr. Christie, then my parents’ home to talk to Eli. Jesslyn, you want to come with me? If you feel like it. Or Kenzie and Cole can take you home.”

Kenzie’s phone went off.

And so did Cole’s. “Got a call,” he said. “We’ve got to go.”

Jesslyn looked at Nathan. “I guess that answers that question. I just have to change the bandage on my leg and the Band-Aids on my hands and I’ll be ready. I’ll be very interested in what Mr. Christie has to say.”

“You and me both.”

Cole and Kenzie left, and after she emerged from the bathroom, Nathan escorted Jesslyn to the car, noting she did favor her leg slightly. “I can take you home if you want and fill you in on what Mr. Christie tells me. Could be a wasted trip.”

She shook her head. “I want to see him. My leg is just sore because of me cleaning it and changing the bandage. It’ll be fine. I’ll just go with you, unless you don’t want me to.”

“Wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you with me.” It was much easier to keep an eye on her when she was within reach. Obviously. “I won’t worry about you if I can see you.”

She snorted, then huffed a laugh. “Wow. Okay then. How can I refuse?” Just as quickly, her humor faded and she lasered him with a narrow-eyed look. “But when you need to talk to your brother, I’m vanishing, okay?”

“Unless you want to run interference.”

“Um. I think James said something to that effect to Lainie a while back. He wanted her presence while he faced off with his father. Thought she would have a calming influence on him.”

“Did it work?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and started the car. “Good to know.”