Alana turned to Jaydn with an air of confusion.
“I don’t know why Shirley’s acting so strange. I’ve never seen her be rude to anyone before. Please don’t blame her. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation.” She looked at Jaydn, silently pleading for understanding.
He smiled his reassurance and helped her gather the group of kids together again. When all the children were lined up, they once more headed toward the cafeteria—on the alert for more surprises.
SIXTY-THREE
JAYDN SAT WITH HIS ARMS
hung over the back of a chair in the cafeteria, watching Alana pose a small black girl into the right angle for the picture. She patted the girl’s head affectionately before stepping off the platform and behind the camera tripod.
His feelings for Alana, whatever they were, grew stronger with each loving touch she gave to the kids. Seeing her interact with them pollinated an emotional seed he didn’t know what to do with.
Later, Alana helped the kids make pizza for lunch. Jaydn watched her laugh with them and giggle at silly little jokes they told. All the activity tired him out, but he was elated at the insight he’d gained into Alana’s character. She was excellent when handling children. The day was a complete success, thanks to her spontaneous love for helping each one enjoy the day. His feelings for her escalated into something bigger than he could define. Knowing there might not be a future for them only made the knowledge that much more painful.
After Alana had loaded her camera equipment into the car, she started on her goodbyes to the children. Jaydn stood by and watched. A glance out the side window told him Bo was parked outside the orphanage. After chasing Martin down a side street and through a couple of traffic jams, both cars had lost him. Brad had called and said he’d instructed Bo and Kent to return to the orphanage and watch over Alana. He wanted to make sure Martin didn’t return to cause more problems.
Jaydn opened the side door and walked out to the unmarked police car where Bo sat behind the wheel. Kent was outside—slouched against the bricks at the corner of the building. Jaydn lifted a hand to Kent and shook hands with Bo through the open window.
“Thanks for hanging around, Bo. I know Brad appreciates your being close by today.”
“No trouble, man. We’re glad to do it.” Bo covered his eyes to block the sun. “Kent said Brad suggested we tag along behind you after you leave here . . . just to make sure no one follows.”
Jaydn looked down at the ground. He remembered Brad’s last warning: “Don’t tell anyone where she’s staying. No one!”
Could he trust Bo and Kent to keep quiet? Did Brad really ask Bo and his shadow to follow behind—maybe to keep an eye out for Martin? He was unsure what to do. These thoughts flew through his head in the two seconds it took him to make a decision.
Kent walked over to join the conversation.
“That’s okay, guys. We’re not going straight home. Thanks for the help, though.”
Jaydn could see the look of indecision on the face of the police detective. Bo didn’t like his refusal. Jaydn waited as Bo’s gaze bore into him, but when Bo realized Jaydn wasn’t backing down, he turned with a huff.
“If you’re not going straight home, don’t you need us to tag along and keep an eye out for trouble? Brad’s not gonna like it if something happens to his sister.”
Jaydn looked around the area as he contemplated his options. “I think I’ve got it covered. Thanks, though.”
Bo turned red and turned to Kent. “Well, Kent. I guess Brad doesn’t trust us after all. We’ve been dismissed.” Bo’s anger bled through his words.
Without saying another word, Bo cranked up the car. Kent’s expression was unreadable as he slid into the passenger’s seat and touched his hand to his head in a mock salute.
Bo gave an exasperated sigh and, with a twist of the key, he jerked the car in gear and screeched out of the parking lot.
“What was that all about?” Alana asked when she came out of the building to join Jaydn.
“Nothing,” grunted Jaydn.
What if something happened and he
couldn’t
protect Alana? What if Martin followed them back to the cabin?
After Alana was settled in the car, he pulled out his phone and dialed Brad’s number. Busy! He’d made his decision. Now, it was too late.
Maybe Brad
had
asked Bo and Kent to tag along. If he did, Jaydn knew Brad wouldn’t appreciate his interference. And if something happened to Alana . . .
I’ll just have to make sure it doesn’t.
SIXTY-FOUR
ON THE WAY BACK TO
the cabin, Jaydn made several unnecessary turns that seemed to take them around in circles. Alana knew what the evasive turns were for—he was making sure no one followed them from the orphanage. She saw his clenched jaw and felt the worry radiating from him. That tension reflected the uncertainty of the situation, and regret for insisting on this trip resurfaced to taunt her.
“Jaydn, I’m really sorry for—”
The vibration of Jaydn’s phone interrupted her, and the sound pulsed through her bones. Turning toward him, she saw his eyebrows meet as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.
“You’re kidding. Yeah, I’ll tell her. We’ll be careful.”
Jaydn turned to her. “That was Brad. He said they have an APB out for the hotel manager. His DNA matched the DNA sample taken from the last murder victim’s ring. That means he’s probably involved with the sheet murders. Brad thinks he might be part of the same group that murdered Chet. After checking the FBI files, they found a connection between the hotel manager and Chet’s neighbor—they’re cousins.”
“Did they arrest Chet’s neighbor?”
Jaydn shook his head. “A few days ago, they found him floating in Lake Morgan with a bullet hole in his head. Brad found evidence at Chet’s house implicating him, so they’re pretty sure he was involved—especially since his
friends
made positively certain he wouldn’t snitch on them. He was probably murdered right after he killed Chet. The hotel manager’s missing, and who knows? He might be dead too.”
Silence in the car gave Alana time to think about Chet, and she slumped down in her seat. Poor Chet.
Jaydn sat silent, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. Alana’s intuition told her there was something more. “There’s something you’re not telling me, Jaydn. What is it?”
“They can’t find Martin. They said he just vanished into thin air. He hasn’t shown up at his house, and his cars are still in the garage.”
“Does Brad think Martin’s the one who tried to drown me in my car?”
Jaydn shook his head but kept his eyes on the road. “He didn’t say. He did say that Martin’s still a suspect but maybe not the one in charge. Brad thinks Martin is too cocky to have pulled these murders off without making mistakes. He would have been caught before this. That doesn’t mean he’s not in it up to his eyeballs. Brad said there
is
one person he suspects, but he has to check out a few more things. He’s a little worried there might be a security breach in the department.”
“A breach? You mean a leak?”
“They always seem to be one step ahead of him. That’s why he couldn’t come with you today. He plans on being at the cabin tonight, though.”
Alana blew out a frustrated breath. The word “breach” haunted her. She knew how much it took for Brad to admit there might be a dirty cop among his men—even to her and Jaydn.
If he could plug the leak, maybe he would get a break. At least Brad was making progress. Maybe this nightmare would soon be over.
“Do they have any idea where Martin is now?”
Before he could answer, he glanced into the rear view mirror. What he saw there caused an involuntary sharp intake of breath. His sudden death grip on the steering wheel turned his knuckles white.
“What’s wrong?” Alana’s voice sounded thready.
Carefully watching the rear view mirror, Jaydn made a wrong turn onto a road leading away from the cabin. A brown sedan several hundred feet back made the same turn. The feeling in his gut was confirmed.
“We’re being followed.”
The simple statement sent shivers up her spine. Icy cold waves of fear traveled back down again. She turned to look behind them. “Can you lose them?”
“I don’t know, but, I’m gonna try.”
“Should we call 9-1-1?”
“Hold off for a minute.”
With the last statement, he made a sharp right hand turn into the parking lot of a gas station. Twisting through the cars waiting their turn at the pumps, he made his way around to the back of the station and charged over the culvert covering the back driveway.
The car jerked up and down, protesting the rough treatment, and leveled out onto the back road. Alana held onto the door handle and gritted her teeth as she slid from side to side. She glanced back and saw a brown car plow through the gas station and turn in their direction. Saying she was scared was not strong enough of a word. She was petrified.
After screaming through several turns and down a long stretch of highway, Jaydn relaxed a little in the seat. He quickly made an unexpected turn into the circle of a new subdivision.
“I think we lost them.”
Construction crews were putting finishing touches on one of the new houses they were building. Two of the homes had cars in the driveways and curtains in the windows. Jaydn careened down one of the side streets, and turned sharply onto another. He said nothing, but pushed the gas to the floor until he reached the end of the residential street, then slid the back tires into the driveway of a newly built home. The windows were bare, and the house looked empty.
He pulled the Buick up close to the doors of the garage and sat watching the road they’d just traveled. After several minutes of silence, he finally spoke. “I think we lost them, but I’m not taking any chances.” He reached into his glove compartment and pulled out another cell phone.
Alana leaned back in the seat and tried to control her shaky nerves. Even her fingertips tingled with emotion. Her mouth opened in surprise when she heard Jaydn barking orders for another car to be driven to their location. Where would he get another car?
Her mouth snapped shut when he turned to look at her. “What’s the name on the street sign at the corner? Can you tell?”
Alana leaned over until she could just make out the words. “Chase Street.” As she said the words, she looked at Jaydn, and they gave each other a pointed look.
How appropriate!
SIXTY-FIVE
THE INTERROGATION ROOM WAS HUMID
, hot, and stuffy, and Martin’s shirt revealed fresh armpit stains and a ring around the collar. Without his father’s protection, he was a bundle of nerves and bluster. He leaned forward and banged his fist on the table.
“I told you, Candler, I was with somebody the whole evening.”
“Yeah, you told me—Sandra Temple. What does her cat look like, Strands?”
“Her cat? How in the world am I supposed to know? I don’t even think she has a cat.”
Brad looked at Vernon who stepped forward. “Sandra said you and her cat didn’t get along.”
Martin slumped against his seat. “Oh, yeah . . . uh . . . she’s right. The stupid cat bit me.”
From the sidelines, Brad watched Vernon lean in until he was sure Vernon could smell the sweat on Martin’s face. “He bit you, but you can’t remember what he looks like?”
Martin became agitated and twisted in his seat. “Look man. I told you, we just had a beer . . . then we watched a movie. I don’t care about the stupid cat.”
Brad stepped forward. “Sandra said
you
had a Coke, and
she
had a beer.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. She had a Coke, and I had a beer. . .I mean, I had a Coke and she had a beer. Just like she said. What does it matter, man? I already told you, I was with her the whole night until about midnight.”
“Yeah, you told us. Only Sandra Temple said you and she shared a different set of
activities
than the one you described. We also have several witnesses that say she waited on them at the Roadster Café that night. So how could she be in two places at one time?”
Sweat dripped off Martin’s face and fell with a plop on the table. He leaned back in the chair and mumbled under his breath. “Stupid broad . . .”
Brad tried to hide a grin. He glanced at Vernon. They were thinking the same thing; Strands should have asked Sandra if she’d been home that night before using her as an alibi, and he was helpless while his father was away.
“Okay, Candler. Here’s the truth. I was with somebody else—all night long—that’s why I lied. Alana wouldn’t understand. I was trying to protect Alana.”
Brad felt his ears burn with fire—in disgust. Sarcasm colored every word. “Yeah, right. I’m sure it was
Alana
you were trying to protect. I think you were trying to protect your own hide, you bum. You didn’t want Alana to know you were cheating with someone else when you were trying to get her back.”