Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Kenna took the corner seat in the coffee shop that put her back to the wall.
The ability to prevent someone approaching you from behind was worth its weight in gold when you never had any idea when the threat might come.
She didn’t know if Special Agent Herron was aware of her pregnancy, but she didn’t want to be bundled up in her coat with the heating in here cranked to the “Florida in August” setting.
The fed took a seat opposite her, and Jax came over with the drinks. Conversation had taken a hiatus between their walking the two blocks to get here and ordering beverages.
“Thanks.” She took the paper cup from Jax and sat with her elbows on the table so as not to draw Agent Herron’s attention to her baby bump.
He smiled and took the seat beside her, then faced Agent Herron. “Last time I saw you was the bank. You killed the Kenna lookalike.”
“And you weren’t surprised I was alive when you saw me just now?” Kenna lifted her brows, taking a sip of her drink.
Agent Herron took the lid off her drink and stirred it with the wooden stick, holding the tea bag with her fingers.
“That is the last time I saw you. Jax, at least.” She laid the stick down.
“Even after I shot her, I still wasn’t sure it was not Kenna.
Until the medical examiner took a look. They ran the fingerprints, and it didn’t come back as you.
” She glanced at Kenna. “It came back as the suspect in a suspicious death case in Anchorage.”
“Given the proximity, I’m not surprised.” Kenna set down her cup. That was close to where the platform had been, and after being rescued, she was taken to the nearest hospital which had been the trauma center in Anchorage.
“So we closed that case, and no one claimed the body that I know of.”
Jax shifted in his seat. “They probably did. Or ensured it was destroyed.”
Agent Herron shrugged.
Jax glanced at Kenna. “Given what I told you about the cemetery, you figure that’s right?”
She nodded, remembering what he’d told her about the Buzard killed in the silo in Phoenix. Kenna didn’t want to consider the life and demise of her murderous lookalike.
Other women in her position—six months pregnant—were taking classes, painting a room in their house, and putting together a crib.
Having a baby shower and receiving gifts.
Kenna figured most people didn’t need all of the things they amassed that were supposed to make having a newborn easier.
There were a few essentials, but they could get by on a whole lot less than baby fever dictated.
Although that was really only because it wouldn’t all fit in the RV.
She tuned back into the conversation Jax and Agent Herron were having.
“…outside the bar.” Jax waited for the fed to respond.
Agent Herron nodded, brushing back the dark whisps of hair at her temple. Giving herself time to think, or come up with a story. “I haven’t seen my family in months. That’s not a sob story. I don’t need your sympathy.”
“Because you believe you got yourself into this mess?”
“Either way, me being away doing my job is safer for Henry and the kids.”
“So you toe the line?”
Agent Herron shrugged. “I’m complying. For now, at least. What that looks like long term, I don’t know. Why they chose me out of all the FBI agents in the country, I have no idea.” She lifted one hand. “But my family is safe, and if I see a way to get out of this, I’ll take it.”
“They’re still sending you orders?”
“The last one came through my boss at the Phoenix office.” She winced a little saying that.
Jax shifted in his seat, not quite a shrug, but close. “I don’t regret walking away. The FBI I left wasn’t the one I joined years ago. And I have more important work to do.” He reached over and held Kenna’s hand.
“Going freelance?” Herron said. “Being a PI?”
As if Jax was going to openly admit they were working to take down the organization who had their boot on Herron’s family. Whatever they chose to do was family business, not information to be shared with people they didn’t trust.
“Working with Kenna,” Jax said. “What can you tell us about the bombing investigation?”
Agent Herron eyed them both. “Can I ask what your interest is in this?”
Kenna wasn’t about to reveal that either. “Most likely the same reason you were suddenly assigned to this taskforce.”
Herron didn’t like that answer, but said, “The powers that be figure it’s cut-and-dried. We’re finalizing the evidence collection. And later today, we’ll probably release the scene. It’s over.”
Kenna eyed her. “Because you’ve arrested all the suspects you uncovered—what?—hours after you assembled here?”
“The responding agents were thorough, so we had a lot to work with. I read the file on the plane on the way here, and the work was exemplary.” Apparently, Agent Herron didn’t seem to see anything amiss with that.
“It was clear from the outset who was responsible for the attempt on President Blazevic’s life. ”
“So you rounded them all up, and now it’s ‘case closed’?” Kenna couldn’t keep the tone from her words.
“You have evidence that we’re incorrect?” Agent Herron stared at her. “Because from what we’ve gathered, it’s overwhelming that Hann, Anthony & Associates were responsible.”
“Convince me,” Kenna shot back. It was a little impetuous, challenging a fed like that when Kenna and Jax had no right to the information, but she hoped that Herron’s innate sense of justice would win out.
“It is fast,” the agent admitted, “but the responding feds took statements and everyone described the same suspects watching the explosion.”
Kenna wasn’t convinced that was indication the truth was to be had. Witness testimony rarely ever matched. For a group to all say the same thing? Seemed suspicious to her.
Herron continued, “We backed that up with footage from surrounding businesses, and reports from President Blazevic that he was being followed since he landed in the US. They even went so far as to harass him.”
Kenna bit her lip.
Jax said, “If they intended to kill him, why harass him beforehand? Seems like no one would’ve tied them to the incident if they’d left him alone.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t the perpetrators,” Herron said. “It just means they left evidence and they have motive to want him dead. It’s just a tragedy that innocent people were harmed in the process. These women killed children.”
“That’s also a reason I don’t believe they did it.” Kenna couldn’t imagine risking that kind of collateral damage. “There are easier ways to take out a political player. As we all saw months ago.”
“You’re referring to the deaths of the president and the CIA director?” Herron glanced between them. “You believe this is connected to that incident?”
Kenna shrugged one shoulder.
“Everything is connected,” Jax said. “You. Us. Open cases on your boss’s desk. An unsolved murder in Boston. So many things that it would be impossible to piece it all together and come up with a master plan. You’d go crazy trying to figure out how it all connects.”
“Is this just a theory, or do you actually have evidence?”
Kenna figured it was a fair question. “Call it personal experience.”
Herron stared at her.
“Speaking of theories,” Kenna said, “what if this whole thing is a setup? The same people who threatened your family want these people shut down. They brought you in with the rest of the taskforce and set up Hann, Anthony & Associates as the scapegoats for an assassination attempt, but it was all orchestrated by someone else wanting to take out two birds with one stone, as it were.”
“Find me evidence to the contrary and I’ll look at it.” Agent Herron pulled out her phone. “I have to get back to work.” She leaned forward. “I’d like to say it was good to see you guys, but my life is generally a lot quieter if you’re not around.”
Agent Herron said her goodbyes and took off out of the coffee shop.
“Maizie should be in that package by now.” Kenna checked her phone but had no new notifications.
If she wanted to, she could look at an app on her home screen and see the location of everyone in their family, even Amara and Bruce.
That was the one thing she’d asked of them after her rescue.
She could look whenever she wanted to and see where Zeyla and Ramon, Maizie, or Stairns and his wife were.
Just an added peace of mind to help her try and keep it together.
Jax got up. “While we’re waiting for her to get through the packet, or figure out what that code meant, we have an appointment.”
She frowned, but followed him to the door of the coffee shop. “Where?”
“You’ll see.” He held her hand all the way down the busy sidewalk to the car. “I thought about a psychologist, but didn’t think you’d want to see a doctor you didn’t know.”
“You think I need therapy?”
“We all need therapy.” He smiled endearingly at her, as if he thought her objection was adorable, and parked the car. After driving a couple of miles, they’d reached the community outreach center.
She wasn’t mad, because he was right. She did need an impartial person to talk to. Someone she could be completely honest with. “What is it?”
“There’s a guy here that I trust, and you need some outside perspective. So I made us an appointment, even though he doesn’t usually do that kind of thing.”
Jax held the door for her, and she looked down the long hall.
The murmur of conversation got louder as they approached the main room of this center, passing a noticeboard on the way with a huge sign for free Thanksgiving dinner.
A group of young guys played pool at one of two tables. Several pairs of older men played chess or checkers at tables to one side. A long metal counter to the left was bare now, with people in white aprons and hairnets cleaning up behind the opening.
A man in a wheelchair backed up from the table where he’d been talking to someone and pushed on the wheels of his chair, heading toward them. He had a shaved head, a tattoo on the left side of his neck, as well as sleeves on both forearms, and no legs below his knees.
“Oliver!” The guy smiled wide.
Jax held out his hand.
They clasped each other’s forearm and followed up with a back-slapping hug.
“Good to see you, buddy.” Jax straightened. “Jesse Lee Peterson, this is my wife.” He grinned. “Kenna Banbury.”
“Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand. “How do you guys know each other?”
Jesse Lee’s eyebrows rose, humor in his expression. “Your husband arrested me.”