Chapter Seven
“Let me get you a towel. You’re dripping wet,” Jessie said.
She didn’t care if the water puddled on the floor, Dax would catch cold if he didn’t dry off. From the file cabinet against the wall, she retrieved a towel that was used for when she, Clinton, or someone else were ever caught in the rain. Without thinking, she stepped in front of him and placed it over his shoulders, and then began to rub him dry.
When he smiled, she realized that she was leaning over, her breasts in his face. She stood. “Sorry.”
His smile broadened. “Don’t be.”
The man did something to her insides. He made her feel warm, cozy, and feminine. But now wasn’t the time to let down her guard. If she allowed his good looks to get to her, she’d be crawling into his bed and forgetting all about finding Sadie or Clinton’s killer. “Ah, would you like some aspirin or anything?”
When he had rushed in, his limp had seemed worse than usual. Before he could answer, she dashed back to her desk and pulled open the drawer. From inside, she found her bottle and extracted two pills. Just like Nana used to do, she strode over and held open her palm. “Take these.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dax swallowed both pills. “You were telling me about the gas station heist?”
Happy to be on more familiar ground, Jessie told him about the camera lens being shot out at Barton’s gas station, along with the fact that there had been no evidence of a shooter. When she went to take a sip of coffee, her cup was dry.
He looked off to the right, as if putting the pieces together. “I think we may have stepped into something bigger than the disappearance of your grandmother’s friend and the death of the sheriff.”
“Bigger?” She didn’t buy his theory. “This is Kerry, West Virginia, with a population of under a thousand. It’s not Baltimore.” Jessie fixed herself another cup of hot coffee. Dax hadn’t finished his yet.
“Watch it, sis. Don’t start knocking my town, now,” Dax said with humor in his voice.
Normally, she would have smiled at his attempt at levity, but her mind was racing faster than a spun barrel on a revolver. Jessie took a few sips of the bitter brew. “How could something sinister be going on right under our noses? I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, but I don’t think it involves a mega plot to take over the world.”
Dax stared at her for a moment then took another drink. His hands still shook from the cold. “Maybe not.”
They didn’t need to be discussing Armageddon while Dax caught pneumonia. “Right now, you need to get out of those wet clothes.” The quick flash of a naked Dax materialized, and she had to push the lust away. “Come on, I’m finished here for tonight. Let me drive you home.”
He smiled and she didn’t like that every time he looked at her, her hormones did the happy dance. Other men paid attention to her, like Bruno and Brian, yet she didn’t sit up and take notice of them.
Dax stood. “Does your plan include food?”
He looked so forlorn she had to smile. “Food I got. Let’s go.”
* * *
The hot shower ranked up there with a cold brew on a summer day. The throbbing in Dax’s thigh had calmed a bit, but he’d be sore tomorrow. After he changed into something warm, he followed his nose downstairs where a feast lay before him. God bless Margaret.
Without any fanfare, he dug in and enjoyed the dinner. They’d already agreed that Jessie would wait until later before chastising her grandmother about driving out to the mine. “I have to say that was one fine meal, Margaret.”
“Why, thank you.” The light in the dining room was a bit too dim to be sure, but he thought she blushed.
Jessie wiped her delicate mouth with a napkin and threw it on top of her empty plate. “It was wonderful, Nana. Thank you, but now I have to do my rounds at the cement plant. I’ll be back in less than an hour.” She scooted her chair from the table and stood.
“I’ll go with you.” He wasn’t about to let Jessie wander around alone until he figured out who’d shot at him.
A defensive look flared again—lips in a thin line and shoulders back. “You don’t need to. I imagine you’re tired and exhausted. Why don’t you rest? You can help me best by looking for Sadie tomorrow.”
Dax laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. You act as though I’m trying to take over your job; trust me, I’m not. Think of me as a tiger, always on alert, always on the move.” He curled his fingers and pretended to claw at her, needing to convince her to take him along. “Sitting still, waiting for you to come back, is not my style.”
She looked hopeful. “You sure?”
“Yes. I’ve been in a lot worse shape and survived.”
She hesitated then did that cute thing where she looked up at the ceiling. “Fine, but we do as I say.”
From the way her lips quirked up for a moment, she was fighting a smile. “No problem. You’re the boss.” He gave her his best salute. “Give me a sec while I grab my gun.”
Margaret sucked in a breath. “You plan to shoot someone?”
Jessie stepped over to where Margaret was seated and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. “Only if we have to.”
“I do feel better with Dax along. Besides, I’m paying him, so you might as well use him.”
Dax wasn’t sure if he liked the word use, but hell, if it got Jessie to let him tag along, she could say what she wished. Something about being around Jessie calmed his inner demons.
When Jessie looked up at him and smiled, Dax thought he’d never seen anything prettier. He dashed up to his bedroom, retrieved his gun, and then returned.
She faced him. “Did you bring anything else warm to wear? Your sweater’s still wet.”
“Aw, you care.” He hoped that was true.
She lightly punched him. “Never said that.”
“Uh-huh.”
Margaret waved a hand. “I thought you two were heading to the cement plant.”
“We are!” Jessie said.
“If you’re going, I better lend Dax one of your granddaddy’s sweaters. Just you wait a minute and I’ll get one.”
Dax was about to protest, but she seemed so set on helping, he didn’t have the heart to tell her he could have snatched the heavy jacket he’d brought.
A moment later she returned with something that looked like it belonged to a Harvard professor. Margaret held up a brown, button-down cardigan with leather patches at the elbows. He glanced at Jessie who was obviously trying not to laugh.
It looked warm, and warm was what counted. Dax slipped his arms into the heavy wool sweater that smelled of mothballs and whose sleeves didn’t reach his wrists by a good two inches, but he could tell his wearing it meant the world to Margaret. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
She beamed. “You look so much like Charley, I swear.” She sniffed. “Don’t you two stay out late.”
“Nana, this isn’t a date. We’ll be back in an hour.”
Margaret made a shooing motion. “Remember, the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be home.”
Dax smiled then turned to Jessie. “My flashlight broke while I was in the woods. Do you still have the one I lent you yesterday?” He held his breath.
“Sure.” She shot him a puzzled look, but he didn’t intend to discuss his deep-seated issues with her—not now, not ever.
Jessie dug through her carry all and pulled out his lifesaver. After making sure it worked, he followed her out.
He didn’t quite understand why she needed to inspect the plant every night, but he’d follow her wherever she went. She might not think danger was lurking, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
The drive out to the plant took them through town and past a small housing development. He’d seen the construction project when he’d first arrived but hadn’t realized how far away it actually was.
Once the town’s light disappeared from view, they headed down a dark, narrow road where trees were holding hands across the pavement. It might be pretty in the daytime, but right now, the scene was making him queasy—like right before a panic attack started.
God, he didn’t need this. He refused to break down in front of Jessie, not wanting her to see what a mess he really was. It would kill him if she saw him drop to his knees and fight for his next breath for no apparent reason. His rational side knew his claustrophobia was all in his head, and he wished like hell he could just get over his fear.
He coughed to cover his unease. “So, do you know of a good repair shop that can fix a gas tank?”
She glanced over at him, looking as if she wanted to ask him about why he seemed so nervous. “Walter’s Repair Shop is the only place in town that does any kind of body work.”
A body shop. Good. He needed to think about getting his truck fixed and not on how dark the sky had grown. “How long do you think he’ll take?” He prayed she’d say less than a week.
“If Walter has to order a part, there’s no telling when you’ll get your truck back. It could take a few weeks.”
He dropped his head against the seat, and as she rounded a corner, the plant loomed in front of them. Dax clasped the heavy light in his hands as Jessie pulled to a stop. The place looked bigger close up. “You ever find any problems on your rounds?” He didn’t need to be here any longer than necessary.
“Other than a bunch of mischievous kids, no.” She pushed open the driver’s side door. “Come on. If you take the south side, I’ll take the north. We can be finished in no time.”
Dax inhaled, trying to act casual, but he feared he wouldn’t be successful. He slipped out of the cruiser and into the night. Fortunately, he was able to keep his back to her to ensure she wouldn’t notice the panic that was surely crossing his face. He gripped the flashlight, determined not to drop the damned thing again.
Wind whistled through the trees and leaves rustled along the ground. Out of habit, he blew out a breath to test for the cold. Yup, frost was in the air tonight. Dax swept his light along the building’s perimeter, careful to avoid the cement bricks and lumber carelessly strewn on the ground.
First, he checked inside the cranes’ cabs before working his way to the back of the building. As he scoped out the area, his light caught something red—a color that didn’t belong among the gray walls and brown wooden beams.
As he approached the tractor, a piece of fabric that looked like silk, flapped in the wind, partly attached to the seat. “Hey, Jessie. I think I found something,” he shouted.
A moment later, her light rounded the corner, and he was surprised by his sense of relief that no evil spirit had whisked her away. You’re an idiot, Mitchell. Crazy thoughts coming out of nowhere are not a good sign. No one was out there but them.
“What did you find?”
He fingered the soft material. “What do you make of this?”
She aimed her light on the fabric. “Not exactly something a man would wear, or a woman in construction for that matter.”
Dax didn’t like it. “Why don’t you bag the evidence while I take another look around.”
“Like I carry forensic stuff with me?” She held up a hand. “Never mind. I’ll store the scrap someplace safe.”
Dax appreciated her helpful attitude. He then mentally marked off the surrounding area in a grid pattern and began looking for signs of a struggle or a woman’s footprint, anything to indicate a female had been there.
As he scoped out the place, his mind jumped to Sadie, even though the mine was miles from there. If only he had some idea what happened to her, he’d know how to better proceed.
Twenty minutes later, he’d covered every inch of the place but found nothing else. The only area left to search was the forest bordering the building site, and the dark woods was the last place he wanted to go.
Bats, snakes, and rabid animals didn’t bother him, nor did jumping out of a perfectly good airplane or disarming a bomb, but standing around in the dark haunted him.
Jessie slipped next to him. “I checked inside, and nothing’s been disturbed. You find anything else?”
“No, but tomorrow morning we should look in the woods.”
She smiled, grabbed his arm, and dragged him forward. “No time like the present.”
He dug his heels in. “We can’t see anything at night with only a quarter moon to light the way.”
“The moon’s practically full.” She waved her flashlight. “Besides, that’s what God made these puppies for.” She took off. “I just want to take a quick look,” she called over her shoulder.
Dax raced after her—or at least he did his best imitation of racing, given his leg was acting up again. “There must be hundreds of acres in there. We could get lost.”
She spun around and flashed her light on his chest. “Why, Dax Mitchell. Are you afraid of the dark?”
His chest constricted at being caught. Shit. “Certainly not. Let’s go.” Those were the hardest words he’d said in a long time.
He tried to convince himself he could do this. The last thing he wanted was to look like a fool when his imaginary demons were ripping the air from his lungs. His ego pushed him forward, but he let Jessie lead. Her light, together with his, helped ease the pressure on his chest.
A few minutes later, Jessie stopped and ran a finger along a broken branch. “See here? Something caused this to break. The ends are still green.”
Given the break was shoulder height he doubted a deer had caused the crack. Most likely, the offender had been human.
They moved farther into the black forest, and with each step, Dax’s breaths became more labored. He was about to swallow his pride and tell her he couldn’t go on when his light caught something peeking out from under a leaf. He knelt down and wiped away the detritus. “Jessie?”
She turned and rushed back. “What is it?”
He picked up the metal object and rubbed off the dirt with his thumb. “A woman’s button, and from the looks of its ornateness, if that’s a word, I’m guessing it belonged to someone older.”
She knelt beside him. “No rust on it either, which means it must be a recent addition. Good find. Let’s keep going.”
Dax was surprised her words of praise brought more air into his body. He might as well follow her since he was already in hell.
When something rustled off to his left, he swung his light in a large arc, and shot his beam in the direction of the sound. “Psst.”
She paused and joined her light with his. A raccoon and two babies froze in their combined beams, and he almost laughed at his relief.
“They’re adorable,” Jessie said, “but hardly the hardcore criminal we’re looking for.”
“Let’s hope we don’t meet anyone sinister tonight.” Not that he couldn’t handle himself in a fight, but he wanted to do battle under better conditions—like when the sun was up.
Jessie continued along the path that was full of small rocks and roots until they came to their umpteenth fork. “Which way do you think we should go?” she asked, looking around.
“You’re the boss.”
She nodded and chose the path to the right. They’d traveled a good ten minutes when she stepped off to the side and ducked under a large rhododendron tree whose branches cascaded to the ground. “Ah, Dax?”
“What is it?”
“I might have found a body.”