Chapter Twenty-One
As Jessie guided Lena over to an office chair, her friend covered her bloody lip with her hand.
“Sit down and tell me everything,” Jessie said grabbing a tissue box from her desk. “Here.”
“Lena?” Brian called through the cell bars. Concern and anger laced his tone, surprising Jessie at the hidden passion, until she remembered the abuse his brother suffered at his dad’s hand.
Lena looked up. “Brian? What are you doing here?” She dabbed her lip with the tissue, blew her nose, and then threw Jessie a questioning look.
Jessie would have thought Brian’s arrest would have reached her by now, but apparently Deputy Frank must not have spilled the beans.
Jessie pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. “He ran into a bit of trouble.” She didn’t need to go into the reason for Brian’s arrest and have Lena off track. “Now tell me what happened to you.”
She swallowed hard. “It was… ah, ah Seth,” she choked out.
Jessie wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “Seth? The dream man you were with in the bar on Saturday night?”
She nodded. “He thought I’d tell, but I swore I wouldn’t; only he didn’t believe me.” She looked up at Jessie with tears streaming down her face. “Why do men have to beat me?”
First her ex-husband, now Seth. Jessie didn’t want to say that some women attracted abusers like knick-knacks to dust. Thank God, the men she’d dated had all treated her with respect, though toting a gun might rein in the worst trait in a man.
In her most gentle tone, Jessie tried to coax Lena to tell her story. “Start at the beginning and leave out no details.”
“He, um, spent the night at my place last night, and it was wonderful.” Lena broke down again and Jessie wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Go on.”
“This afternoon we just hung out in the living room watching movies. I don’t think I’d ever been happier. Thursday’s my day off, and Seth didn’t have to be at work until five.” She hiccupped and wiped a strand of hair from her face.
Jessie worried Lena’s injuries might worsen without some medical help. “Hold that thought while I get an ice bag for that eye, okay?”
Lena nodded. Glad to have something to do with her hands, Jessie snatched a baggie from her drawer and filled it with ice from the small refrigerator. She wrapped it in a thin towel to make it less painful for Lena. “Put this on your eye. Do you know what set Seth off?”
She covered part of her face and winced. “Someone called him about an hour ago, so he went into the bedroom to talk because I thought he didn’t want to disturb me. Now I realize, he didn’t want me to hear what he had to say. I even turned down the sound on the TV so as not to bother him. When I didn’t hear his voice for a minute, I figured he was finished, so I went to the bedroom thinking I could entice him into an afternoon delight.”
Dax’s image flashed in Jessie’s mind, but she cut off the thought. She needed to concentrate on Lena—not on her own fantasy. “And then what happened?”
“As I reached the bedroom door, I realized he was still on the phone.” She glanced up, as though looking for some kind of affirmation, but Jessie couldn’t help but raise a brow. “Okay, so I listened. It’s not a crime since it’s my house.”
Jessie patted her hand. “You’re right.” Though the moment Seth closed the door, he was telling her he wanted privacy.
“I couldn’t hear real good through the closed door, but I thought he said something about a kidnapping and then something about hiding in the mine.”
Jessie’s mind went on high alert. “A kidnapping? Was he more specific? Did he say a name?”
She shook her head. “Like I told Seth, I really didn’t hear anything, but he didn’t believe me. That’s when he wailed on me.”
“Oh, Lena, I’m so sorry.” Jessie needed more information. “Could it have been Roberta he was talking about?”
“Roberta? I don’t know. He never said a name. That’s all I know, I swear.” Lena seemed to shrink back against the seat.
“That’s fine. You did good. Real good.” Jessie went over to her desk and pulled out a ring with a key attached for the second cell. “Why don’t you lie down on the cot?” She motioned toward the cell next to Brian’s. “I just changed the sheets.”
“You want to lock me up?”
A small smile lifted her lips. “No, silly.” She handed Lena the key to her cell. “You’ll be safe in there. I need to check something out.” She had to see if anyone was being held hostage in the mine. Then she’d bring in Seth. “You can get out anytime you want, but if Seth comes looking for you, he won’t be able to get you.”
Lena grabbed Jessie’s hands. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“There’s aspirin in the bathroom above the sink if you want something for the pain. Cherise will be here in a minute with two hamburgers, so eat.” Jessie dug out a twenty-dollar bill from her purse and handed it to Lena. “This is for the food.”
“What about you? You need to eat too.” Lena took the money and stuffed the bill in her jeans.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll eat a power bar. I live off them.”
Lena tried to smile, but the moment she did, her hand flew to her mouth. “Ouch.”
Jessie’s heart ached. “I won’t be gone too long. If there’s an emergency, call Bruno at the bar. I’m sure he can round up someone.”
“Thank you.”
If Seth had kidnapped anybody and took that person to the mine, he must have turned on the electricity since a mine elevator couldn’t move on its own. She doubted cheapskate, Catchman, would have paid for power after the mine closed. If Seth had trespassed on the man’s property to do harm, she had probable cause to cut off the lock and see for herself what was going on.
Jessie stepped to the back closet and pulled out a pair of lock clippers. Good ole Clinton. She remembered laughing the day he bought them. “We’ll never use these,” she’d said, and he’d wagged a finger at her. “Just you wait and see.”
Her throat clogged with tears. He was a wise man, and Jessie missed him already.
She didn’t like leaving her friend at the office, but Lena would be safe there. If Frank hadn’t said he had his card game tonight, she’d have asked him to come back and watch these two.
Time was of the essence, so she couldn’t ask around for someone else to keep an eye on them. Jessie would take a few minutes, however, to look for Dax before she went to the mine. Clinton always preached to take backup whenever possible.
She drove past Doc’s place, hoping his van and Dax would be there, but they weren’t. Not only did Jessie want him with her because of the added protection, she could use his extensive police experience.
Be honest. Dax was smart and she enjoyed being around him. She liked when they flirted and even enjoyed arguing about the best way to investigate.
Bottom line, he wasn’t around, and unless he was still at the farm digging up Clinton, she’d have to go solo. Jessie would have to accept that she would be on her own once Dax was gone anyway. At least for the next few weeks, she was sheriff, and relying on Dax wouldn’t do her career any good.
Once in the car, she radioed Amanda’s cruiser to see where she was, but her deputy didn’t respond. Jessie had little choice but to go it alone. A few minutes later, she turned down Orchard Avenue, refusing to count the number of times she’d been on this road in the last week.
When she spotted the turn off to Cyril Harper’s farm, she headed on up there, hoping to find Dax. She entered the property, and the car jostled and bounced on the uneven terrain, almost worse than the first time. If the son didn’t want the place, he should put it up for sale since the land was prime real estate. If he sold the property, maybe the new owner would pave the entrance.
When she reached the barn, it was apparent everyone had left. Only Roberta’s car remained. Maybe it was better that her grandmother wouldn’t learn about Clinton’s death until tomorrow.
Frustration filled her, yet if she hadn’t checked and Dax had been there, she’d have been angry with herself for not covering all her bases.
As Jessie made a U-turn to head back to the mine, a gust of wind threw open the barn door, and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Amanda’s cruiser.
The only reason she would have to be up here was to look for evidence of Clinton’s murder or Roberta’s disappearance, though Jessie hadn’t mentioned either event to her. Then again, Amanda could have passed Doc and Dax in town, and they could have told her. Jessie relaxed at that logical conclusion. Amanda was probably being her usual proactive self, trying to solve the crime, though how she’d do that, Jessie couldn’t guess.
She turned off her engine and got out. “Amanda?” she shouted.
She was surprised Amanda would step foot on the place since her friend never liked this farm any more than Jessie did. She remembered hearing that when Amanda was twelve, her dad had given her a good spanking when he learned she’d come to old man Harper’s property. As far as Jessie knew, Amanda had never returned.
Jessie called again, and when she heard nothing, she took a deep breath and walked inside the dark, dank barn. Holding a hand over her nose, she did a quick check in the tack room before looking inside the cruiser for a clue as to where Amanda might have gone. Wanting to be thorough, Jessie popped the trunk and found a pink and gray suitcase. This didn’t look good.
Jessie’s armpits dampened as a small ache began to grow in her belly. She clicked the case open and found women’s clothes and toiletries, which surprised her since Amanda hadn’t mentioned anything about needing to go somewhere. Jessie didn’t think her friend would consider leaving her seriously ill mother.
Trying to gather her thoughts, Jessie placed a hand on the hood and found it warm but not overly hot. She estimated Amanda had parked about a half an hour ago, and assuming the aliens hadn’t sucked her off the earth, the only place left for her to be was at the house.
As she headed out, the fact the cruiser was hidden in the barn still bugged her. Nothing was making sense, and she concluded the smell must have corrupted her brain cells. Then a new, more sinister scenario flitted through her mind. It was possible that Amanda had come here, and someone who didn’t want her snooping around had killed her. Shivers raced down her body at the possibility.
Clinton would tell her not to jump to conclusions, but two people were already dead and one was missing—no make that two people missing. Jessie whipped around to make sure she wasn’t the next target and hurried the best she could to the house. Inside, she performed another quick search. No matter how often she called Amanda’s name, her deputy didn’t answer, causing dread to pool in her belly.
Needles of fear stabbed her gut, urging her to get the hell out of there and find help.
Jessie would have driven straight to town to locate Dax, but someone could be trapped in the mine—someone who needed her help more. What she wouldn’t give for a clone.
Jessie slid into her cruiser and locked the doors, something she rarely did, but the world was off kilter, and she needed to take extra precautions.
At the turn off, she zipped through the forested lane until she hit the road to the mine, constantly checking her rear view mirror. The sun was setting, and the air had finally turned chilly, so she rolled up the windows to keep the warmth inside.
Several times, she’d questioned if she was doing the right thing, but each time, she came to the same conclusion. She’d check the mine to make sure no one was trapped below and then head straight back to the station to find Dax. Together, they’d figure out what happened to Amanda.
Jessie parked close to the entrance, grabbed the metal cutters from the trunk, and headed to the mine’s door.
As she raised her arms to cut off the lock, the click of a revolver sounded in her ear.
“Put down the clippers and raise your hands.”
Oh shit. No, make that double shit.