Dangerous Lies (Badge of Honor #2)

Chapter 8

EIGHT

Hours later, Megan said goodbye to the last client of the day and then dropped into her desk chair. The building was quiet, since most of the staff had left thirty minutes ago. Weariness sank into her. The constant string of appointments had kept her mind away from the latest threatening emails, but now that the hustle of the day had faded, worry crept in. She opened her laptop and a string of new messages loaded. Thankfully, none were from her stalker.

Megan pulled a tattered Bible from her desk drawer. Page markers and bookmarks littered the pages. She opened to one of her favorite verses and read aloud, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The words soothed her. She touched the handwritten note in the margin, feeling the indentation of the words on the page. You are never alone. God is always with you. The message had been written decades ago by her father. Megan had never known him. He’d died before she was born in a military training accident, but having his Bible, reading his handwritten notes in the margins, provided a connection she cherished.

A knock on her open doorframe jerked her head up. Jax stood in the doorway. A tan blazer hugged his broad shoulders and his jaw was clean-shaven, but his slacks were wrinkled, as if he’d been wearing them for hours. His badge hung from his belt. Exhaustion and stress had added worry lines to the corners of his mouth, and shadows lingered under his piercing blue eyes.

“Sorry to intrude.” His gaze dropped to the Bible in her hands. “The receptionist said I could come straight back.” He hesitated. “I could wait if you need a few minutes.”

“No, it’s okay.” She waved him in. Nerves jittered her insides. She’d reported the latest emails to Noah this morning but hadn’t heard anything back yet. To her knowledge, Wesley was still missing. “I was just…” Megan touched her father’s note in the margin of the Bible. “Reminding myself that God is always watching over me.”

“Noah told me about the latest emails.”

Megan nodded. “Has there been any progress in finding out who sent them?”

“Penelope, our cyber specialist, tried tracing the origin, but whoever sent the emails was smart enough to filter them through a virtual private network. We can’t identify who sent them or where they were sent from.”

Jax crossed to the window and gazed out on Main Street. It was bustling with traffic, despite the gloomy weather and frigid temperatures. “Technicians are still going through your Toyota, but so far, they’ve come up empty-handed. No fingerprints. No DNA other than yours. We haven’t found any witnesses who saw someone breaking into your vehicle. None of the cameras on Main Street capture a view of your workplace parking lot. We can’t identify the boat the attacker used to escape. The only lead we have at the moment is the photograph dropped during the tussle with you.”

The photograph of Oliver with his brothers. Megan had spent a fair share of time over the weekend thinking about that too. “Were you able to trace when the picture was taken?”

He turned to face her. “I went through my mom’s photo albums. As best I can tell, it was during my last trip home before graduating from college. I’ve been racking my brain trying to pinpoint the day, but the timeline doesn’t match any of the weekend games Oliver played. It’s probably from an after-school practice.”

“Then it was definitely taken before I knew Oliver. When I met him, he had already stopped playing football.” She paused, then gently asked, “Have you spoken to Wesley?”

“No one knows where he is. My parents are calling up family members and soldiers he served with, but I doubt anything will come of it. Wesley goes off the grid from time to time.” Jax circled the chair and pointed to the Bible, still resting open on her desk. “May I?”

Surprised, she handed it to him. He read the highlighted verse she’d been reading and then flipped through the pages. “I’ve always been fond of Ephesians 4:25.” Jax set the Bible on the desk, turned toward her, and tapped on the page. “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood, and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all one body.”

Megan’s gaze lifted to his. His expression was hard and unyielding, nothing like the man who’d been so kind to her in the hospital after the assault. This was the Jax she was familiar with—untrusting and wary.

Her heart skipped a beat. “What’s going on, Jax?”

“I need you to be honest with me.”

She straightened to her full height, letting conviction bleed into her voice. “I have been.”

He didn’t bat an eyelash, didn’t look away. “Someone ran you and Oliver off the road on the night of the accident?” He tapped the Bible again with his finger. “You swear it. As a Christian. As Oliver’s friend.”

“Yes.” Megan held his gaze, praying he was open-minded enough to listen this time. “I’ve made mistakes, Jax. Lots of them. Not telling the truth about what happened that night right away was one of them. I was scared. Oliver was high and paranoid, and a lot of what he said didn’t make sense, but he was convinced someone was out to kill him. Then we were run off the road. I was terrified whoever was after Oliver would come for me next. It took days for me to share what had happened to Pops and my sponsor. They convinced me to revise my statement, but by then, no one believed me. I?—”

Tears lodged in her throat, and it took a second to swallow them back down. “I cared about Oliver. It haunts me that my mistakes—my falsehoods—are the reason his killer is still out there. I’m deeply sorry for everything that happened. I wish…”

She wished for a lot of things. The what-ifs were difficult to live with. She should’ve worked harder to convince Oliver to get clean. Or ignored the speed limit that night and arrived five minutes earlier to pick him up. Or somehow been a better driver when they were rammed.

Most of all, she wished Oliver was still alive.

Her chin trembled. “I’d do anything to change what happened.”

Jax’s gaze scanned her face, as if searching for any sign of deception. Then the hard mask hiding his emotions disappeared and a pain she’d never seen before darkened his eyes. “Me too.”

Her heart shattered at the devastation in his voice, and for the first time, Megan understood she wasn’t the only who blamed themselves for Oliver’s death. She struggled to find any words that might bring him comfort. “Jax…”

“I need your help.” He turned away and paced the length of the office. “Chief Garcia believes my brother is responsible for the threatening emails and the attack on you, but Wesley wouldn’t do this. Yes, he’s struggled since being discharged from the military. He’s more secretive now. More reclusive. But he’s not a murderer.”

Megan wasn’t sure whether to argue with Jax. She also wanted to believe Wesley was innocent, but the photograph found at the scene of the attack, along with his disappearance, was concerning. “It’s not uncommon for soldiers to suffer from PTSD or have issues readjusting to civilian life.”

She’d counseled several former military members who’d abused drugs or alcohol to cope with trauma. “Wesley may not be thinking clearly. Oliver was his twin. They loved each other deeply, and it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Wesley blames me for his brother’s death. Anger and grief can twist into a need for vengeance.”

Jax stopped his pacing and faced her. “I know, but it still doesn’t add up, Megan. Wesley’s a trained Navy SEAL. Logistically, he would’ve planned for every contingency. He would’ve struck without warning. Wesley wouldn’t have sent dozens of threatening emails beforehand. He certainly wouldn’t have been sloppy enough to drop an incriminating photograph.”

Megan turned that over in her mind and realized there was logic in his arguments. “What are you suggesting? That someone is framing your brother?”

“It sounds farfetched, but it’s the only reasonable explanation.” He planted his hands on the back of her visitor’s chair. “Oliver told you someone was trying to kill him. Then you were run off the road. Right after the accident, when you came clean about what happened, no one believed you. That may have saved your life.”

Goosebumps rose on her arms. She’d had nightmares about Oliver’s killer coming after her. That fear had been a large part of the reason she’d fled Knoxville ten years ago. Still, it didn’t seem reasonable for the killer to come after her now. “I’ve already told the police everything I know. Why send threatening emails and try to kill me ten years later?”

Jax met her gaze. “Because I insisted the case be reopened. As the lead investigator, Noah has been reviewing the evidence. He believed your version of events and wanted to pursue new suspects.”

Shock rendered her speechless. She’d prayed someone in law enforcement would believe her, that Oliver’s actual killer would be caught, but it never seemed likely. Coupled with the gossip and rumors running through town about her… well, Megan hadn’t been sure she’d had any friends at all. Emotion clogged her throat. “Noah believed me?”

Jax nodded. “He argued with me the night you came to the police station to tell us about the emails.” His gaze dropped from hers and landed on the Bible, still sitting on her desk. “He vouched for you as a friend. Said you were honorable and good. He also told me that if you’d caused Oliver’s death, you would’ve taken responsibility for it. Even if it meant prison time.”

Megan was almost struck dumb by the knowledge that Noah had defended her. She’d left that night thinking no one cared. She’d been wrong. And it was a relief to realize her own assessment of Noah as a person and a law enforcement officer had been right.

Maybe she could trust her instincts after all.

“He’s right.” Megan waited until Jax’s gaze lifted to hers and then continued, “I would’ve taken responsibility. I know it’s not hard evidence or solid proof, but I hope you believe me.”

Once again, he studied her expression and then he nodded. “I do. And I’m sorry. If I hadn’t insisted that you were guilty of negligent homicide, Noah might’ve figured out you were telling the truth earlier and expanded the investigation. If I’d been more open-minded… shoot, if I’d just stayed out of Noah’s way and let him do his job…” Heat crept into his cheeks. “We wouldn’t be here now.”

Megan couldn’t let him take all the blame. He was stubborn, yes, but he was also grieving the loss of his brother. And her initial lies had made her an unreliable witness. She shook her head. “No, Jax. We both made mistakes. The question is how do we move forward from here? Do you really think Oliver’s killer is coming after me now?”

“You’re a witness, Megan. A loose end. And like I said, Noah was prepared to pursue new leads. I don’t know if the killer knows that, or if he was just scared. But I think Oliver’s murderer will do anything to ensure he stays out of prison.” His jaw hardened. “And whoever it is hates my family enough to frame Wesley for the crime.”

“So the emails… the photograph…”

“They’re a ruse designed to send the police on a wild goose chase after my brother.”

Megan’s mind whirled. She didn’t want to believe that someone could be diabolical enough to create such an elaborate scheme, but the man who’d attacked her was smart and daring. Could Jax be right? A chill raced down her spine.

She fought against her emotions, approaching the situation from a logical perspective. “Whoever is behind this would have to know Wesley was planning a trip.” She paused. “Unless you think…” She didn’t want to put words to the horrifying notion that’d popped into her mind.

Jax shook his head. “No, I don’t think the killer has attacked Wesley. A few people in town knew he was taking a trip, and there’s no sign of a struggle in his house. Clothes, camping equipment, fishing gear, and his rifle are missing from his house. His truck and boat are also gone. More than likely, he’s in the wilderness somewhere, completely unaware that someone is framing him for murder.”

Megan let out the breath she’d been holding. “Well, that’s a relief. Wesley doesn’t have a cell?”

“He has a satellite phone, which he left turned off and sitting in his house.” He scraped a hand through his hair. “Wesley is used to being out of touch with our family for extended periods of time while on deployment. This isn’t the first time he’s gone dark since returning home. Before it was always an annoyance. Now, it’s a serious problem.”

Worry radiated from him. Megan circled the desk, the natural need to comfort a hurting person instinctive. “He’ll come back. And once he talks to Chief Garcia, this whole thing will be cleared up.”

“Not necessarily. Wesley is in the middle of nowhere by himself. He won’t have a verifiable alibi.” Jax breathed out. “That’s why I need your help.”

“What can I do?”

Before Jax could answer, Megan’s cell phone rang. The special ringtone for her grandfather was exceedingly loud in the quiet office. “Excuse me.” She crossed back to the desk, snatching up the device right before the call went to voicemail. “Hi, Pops.”

“Thank God! Where are you, Megan?”

“I’m still at the office.” Her heart rate jumped at the controlled panic in her grandfather’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Hold on.”

His voice was muffled as he covered the phone and exchanged words with someone else. Megan could hear Nana speaking in the background. It sounded like they were coordinating something. “Pops, what’s going on? Is Nana okay?” Her grandmother’s health had been fragile since her bout with pneumonia a few months ago. “Pops?”

Her voice must’ve betrayed her growing sense of urgency, because Jax rose. He crossed the room on long strides. She met his questioning gaze and shook her head to show she didn’t know what was happening. He placed a reassuring hand on her arm. His touch was warm and grounding.

“Pops, answer me.” Her tone was sharp, so unlike the normal way she spoke to her grandfather, but Megan was struggling to keep the panic at bay.

“Your grandmother’s fine,” Pops finally said. “But… never mind, I’ll explain when I see you. Don’t move from your office. Chief Garcia will send a patrol unit to pick you up.”

She went cold. “What happened?”

“You got another message from your stalker.”