Chapter 3
THREE
Piper hated to feel like she was begging for anything, but in this instance, she’d swallow her pride. For Elena. She deserved justice, and whoever had murdered the young woman was a vicious predator. He needed to be taken off the streets. Piper wasn’t good at much, but she was an excellent detective. Passionate. Dedicated. Persistent. She poured her heart into her job and took pride in standing up for those who couldn’t—either because they were too scared to or, as in Elena’s case, had been silenced.
Jackson was quiet for a long moment. His expression carefully hid whatever he was thinking, but Piper knew him well enough to guess. He didn’t want to work with her. Irritation flared. Their romance was ancient history. Surely, as adults, they could put that aside and work together to catch a killer.
“Let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Jackson said diplomatically. “I need your statement. ”
A stall tactic. It wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no. She’d take it.
Jackson pulled a notepad from the inside pocket of his blazer. Time had chiseled his features, sharpening his jaw line and deepening the cleft in his chin. His mother’s Italian heritage was evident in the tawny color of his skin and prominent cheekbones. The slope of his nose was slightly crooked. That was new. As was the faint scar along the curve of his upper lip. His hair was the color of rich walnut, left slightly long on top, and styled in its natural curls.
A lock fell across his forehead. Piper had the insane urge to brush it back. Instead, she tightened her hold on Moxie’s leash and shifted her feet.
“Take me through what happened from the beginning.”
Jackson’s question snapped her mind into focus. Piper sucked in a breath and then explained everything that’d transpired since first hearing Elena’s scream. Her words were clipped. Efficient. Flat. She’d learned long ago to lock up her emotions. “I sensed the attacker in the woods but didn’t glimpse him. Sirens from approaching patrol cars scared him off. I didn’t go in pursuit because Elena needed first aid.”
Sympathy shone in Jackson’s expression. “You did the right thing.”
Had she? Elena had died anyway, and the killer had gotten away. Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. Her life was full of them. Piper shoved the thought aside. “Have you been to the field where she was beaten and shot?”
“Not yet.”
“Come on. I’ll take you.”
She led him to a deer trail. It was narrow, and she let Moxie surge in front. His tail bobbed in the flashlight beam from her cell phone. Branches tugged at her clothing and hair. Piper didn’t want to think about how she must look. Sweaty from her run, blood on her hands, messy hair and dirty clothing. It was a silly and vain train of thought, considering a woman had lost her life tonight, but seeing Jackson highlighted all her old insecurities. He was strikingly handsome. And she was so… plain.
“How often do you run along the creek?” Jackson asked, his voice carrying on the light wind.
“Every Wednesday. It’s my only free evening.” Piper waved away a mosquito. “My sister had a car accident about seven months ago. Broke her knee and shattered her pelvis. She's doing better, but the recovery has been slow. I moved home to help take care of the kids. Finn is eight. Emma is five. As you can imagine, the kids, along with my job as a detective, keep me busy. I don’t have as much time for myself these days.”
“I suppose not. What about Ava’s husband?”
“They’re divorced.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Piper’s nose wrinkled. “It’s for the better. Rob is useless and did nothing except bring my sister down.” She stepped over a large tree root. “Ava moved back to Rock Fort after her divorce to live closer to Grandma Mary a few years ago.”
Grandma Mary wasn’t biologically related to them, but was family all the same. She’d been their foster mother. Whenever Piper and her sister were removed from their mother’s home, it was Grandma Mary who took them in. They’d bounced between her home and their mother’s for most of their childhoods. She’d been the stable adult in their lives.
“Anyway, Ava is doing much better since the accident, but the doctors don’t want her to overdo it. She still hasn’t been cleared to drive and does physical therapy three times a week.”
“I imagine it’s a full-time job keeping Ava off her feet.”
Piper laughed. “You know my sister well. She’s as stubborn as they come.”
Her tone was full of affection. Ava and Piper were incredibly close and loved each other deeply. They’d supported each other through everything: a difficult childhood, Piper’s assault, and Ava’s divorce. Neither of the women had known their fathers, and with their mother unreliable in life and now deceased, they depended on each other.
“Thank goodness for Grandma Mary,” Piper said. “She’s a tremendous help. We couldn’t have gotten through this without her, but she’s in her seventies now, and it’s not fair to send her all over town doing drop-offs and pickups.”
“You’re gonna be in trouble if I tell her what you just said.”
She laughed. “I know. Don’t get me wrong, Grandma Mary is spry, and I would never count her out. But these are her retirement years. She’s already dedicated so much of her time to us. I want her to put her feet up without feeling guilty about it.” Piper ducked under a tree branch and held it up for Jackson. “Speaking of family, how’s your dad?”
“Fantastic. He moved to Hawaii shortly before I graduated from college and loves it.” Jackson took the branch from her and deftly bent at the waist to avoid knocking his head. “He says the sea and the sand are good for his soul, although I think it’s his new wife that really makes the difference.”
“Your dad remarried?” Piper’s brows arched. “That’s…”
“Surprising? Yeah, I know. No one was more shocked than Dad. But Grandad had been talking to him about opening his heart and second chances and all that, so maybe it wasn’t as unexpected as it seemed. His wife, Kirstina, is kind and open. I like her a lot, and more importantly, she makes Dad happy. He put his life on hold to raise me after Mom left. It’s nice to see he’s finally got a bit of happiness.”
“I’m glad.” Piper had always liked Jackson’s dad. Richard was kind and empathetic. It’d been nearly everyone else in town who’d disapproved of the relationship between Jackson and Piper that’d eaten away at her. Jackson’s family was wealthy and well-respected. Hers was poor and dysfunctional. It’d been an opposites-attract romance, which only worked in story books and fairy tales. In real life, it always failed.
Up ahead, light filtered onto the path. Spotlights had been placed in the field to aid the technicians while they gathered evidence. Piper stepped free of the tree line and held tight to Moxie’s leash. The field was a riot of flowers. Gorgeous bluebonnets and daffodils and pink ladies. This had once been her sanctuary as a teen. Her place to escape when the house became too loud and confrontational.
Piper gestured with her phone toward the dark blood staining the tamped-down grass a short distance away. “That’s where he shot her.”
“Did you hear gunshots?”
“No, but I was next to the creek, and it’s possible the killer used a silencer.”
Jackson studied the field for a long moment. “So, he lures her here somehow. Beats her. Shoots her. And then… what? She ran?”
“Probably. My guess is the killer thought Elena was dead. She surprised him by running off. He gave chase, but things got complicated when Elena ran into me.”
A shudder rippled down her spine. Piper could envision the pain and terror Elena must’ve felt all too clearly. She remembered lying on the kitchen floor of her childhood home, her broken arm aching, staring up at the masked man pointing a gun at her. In the end, her life had only been spared by the unexpected arrival of her mother.
She shoved the memories aside. “I’ll show you the parking lot.” Piper waved to the crime scene technicians working in the area before heading down another path. This one was wider. Jackson kept pace beside her. Moxie trailed behind them now. He was getting tired. Piper could sympathize. The adrenaline had faded from her system and exhaustion was seeping into her muscles.
Jackson must’ve noticed because he slanted a glance in her direction. “I’m sorry. You’re tired, and it’s been a long night. Derek can escort me.”
“No, it’s fine.” She wanted to work this case. The more he asked for her help, the better.
She glanced at him. In the darkness, it was hard to see his expression, but the badge pinned to his chest glimmered in the light from his phone. “How long have you been with the Rangers?”
“A few years. I started as a state trooper and waited for an opening.”
“Do you like it?”
“I do. My boss, Lieutenant Rodriguez, runs a tight ship but values camaraderie. We get together as a group as much as possible and are very supportive of one another. It’s like a family.” His lips curved up into a smile. “A growing one. I’ve attended more weddings in the last three years than I have in all my life. And some of those couples have kids or are expecting. Our monthly BBQs are quickly becoming overrun with ankle biters.”
Piper laughed. “It sounds nice.” She grew quiet for a moment. There wasn’t a wedding ring on his left hand, but that didn’t mean anything. Some members of law enforcement didn’t wear jewelry for safety reasons. “And what about you? Dating anyone special these days?”
“No.” His tone was even, but she sensed the tension coming from him. This was wading too close to sour feelings. “You?”
She shook her head. “Too many complications in my life.” Piper tossed him a wry smile. “Between my sister, the kids, and my job, I’m barely keeping my head above water. I can’t remember the last time I had a vacation. Have you visited your dad in Hawaii?”
“I went to his wedding last year. It’s beautiful. Granddad…” His voice trailed off as a flash of grief creased his features. “He loved it.”
Piper’s heart clenched. Jackson’s grandfather had helped raise him after his mother left. “I was sorry to hear of your grandfather’s passing. You must miss him terribly.”
“I do, but Granddad was ninety. Can’t ask for much more time than that.” He blew out a breath. “He left me his house. I don’t have the foggiest notion what to do with it. The idea of selling it hurts too much, and with so much of my life consumed with work, it’s hard to find time to properly take care of it.”
“Would you ever move back?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Right now, it’s not an option. My assigned area as a ranger is three counties over, so the commute would be rough. I’m only filling in on this case because my colleague was shot in the line of duty.”
“Shot?” She inhaled. “Will he be okay?”
“Oh yeah. Cole’s as tough as they come.”
They exited the forest onto an asphalt parking lot. A country lane weaved its way through the woods toward the highway. Piper slapped a mosquito on her neck. She would need to bathe in calamine lotion tonight. “This parking lot isn’t used often. No cameras.” She gestured to the rusted sedan under a lone spotlight. “That’s registered to Elena. Derek will have it towed and searched, but it’s likely the killer came in his own vehicle.”
The hair on the back of Piper’s neck stood on end. She turned, peering into the woods. Shadows shifted in the trees as a cloud passed over the moon.
Jackson joined her. “What is it?”
“I don’t know.” Goosebumps peddled her skin. An owl hooted somewhere in the trees. Piper had the sense they were being watched, but… was she imagining it?
She scanned the tree line again.
Nothing stirred.
Then Moxie tugged on his leash. The scruff on his neck grew larger and he growled.
Unease roiled Piper’s insides. She instinctively reached for her handgun. “I think someone’s out there.”