Chapter 29
29
L ina set her hand in Jackson’s as she stepped down from Roxanne’s plane. Her hips and thighs, not to mention her back, protested, and pain warmed her body. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through it, following Jackson to the side of the private hangar as the ground crew guided Roxanne in.
Turning her face to the sun, she closed her eyes, the warmth easing the tension in her body. Not even ten days ago, she’d been plugging away at work, her dad had been alive, and she wasn’t contemplating what to do about Jackson. She hadn’t even known his real name.
“You okay?” he asked, his fingers brushing her lower back. She nodded, although it wasn’t the truth. Or not the whole truth.
The enormity of everything she’d lost with her father’s death—the opportunities, a future different from the past—would hit her once she had the time to slow down and think about it. Once she solved this mystery he’d left her. For now, it lingered in the shadows of her mind, like a river waiting to be released through a dam.
She also hadn’t given her future with Jackson any thought. Although, not thinking about it—or overthinking it—felt right. Because there would be one. She couldn’t picture a scenario where either of them walked away from the other. Sure, the devil was in the details. And those details needed to be worked out. But they’d get there. At some point.
“Viper, Lina.” She opened her eyes to see Stone walking toward them, a huge puppy leashed at his side. Vibrating with excitement, the dog pranced and danced on his toes while gazing longingly at Viper. His long black and brown fur, and what resembled a mane around his head, shook and shimmied with him.
“Stone,” Viper said before dropping to his knees and holding out his arms. “Shermy!”
Stone rolled his eyes and let go of the leash. The puppy bounded forward, tumbling into Jackson as the two proceeded to alternate between loves and wrestling.
“Lina,” Stone said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “It’s good to see you again.” Sherman now had Jackson on his back and was standing on his chest, licking his face. “And that’s Sherman.”
“He’s a big boy,” she said.
“I think he’s grown in the few days I’ve been gone,” Jackson said, trying to avoid the direct licks to his lips. Sherman seemed to think the evasion techniques were a game and doubled down on his efforts.
“Hard to believe he was a stray not too long ago. He found Juliana and me after living in the woods alone for who knows how many weeks or months,” Stone said. “How are you?”
She lifted a shoulder. “A little sore, but nothing more than you’d expect.”
“After getting hit by a car,” Stone added, his mouth ticking into a smile.
“It only clipped me,” she corrected.
Stone rolled his eyes again as he dug into his pocket. “I brought Viper’s car.” He handed her the key fob. “It’s gassed and ready to go. Not that Murphys is that far, but it’s one less thing to worry about. Juliana also packed snacks, in case you get hungry.”
That was the second time in as many minutes that he’d mentioned his new—and she suspected last—woman. “Juliana, huh?” she said, nudging him playfully with her elbow.
Stone tried to fight a grin, failing miserably. “She’s working today, but you’ll meet her soon.”
The one and only other time she’d met Stone, he’d been bartending at Rita’s, then going after the shooter who’d attacked Leo. Neither situation encouraged playfulness.
She smiled back. “Happiness looks good on you.”
His grin widened. “It looks good on everyone, but thanks. We are happy.”
“Need a ride back?” Viper asked, rising and dusting off his jeans. Sherman sat at his feet, silently begging him to play again. “Later, Sherman,” he said, giving the dog’s head a good rub.
Stone shook his head. “Monk will be here in a minute. We’ll take Roxanne to the clubhouse so she can see everyone.”
“She staying with you and Juliana tonight?” Jackson asked.
Stone inclined his head. “So she’s informed us.” He glanced around, his gaze tracking a dually headed toward them. “There’s Monk. You two should head out.”
“Thank you,” Lina said, handing Jackson his keys. “I appreciate you lending me Jackson and for all the help.”
Stone snorted. “ Lending implies you’re giving him back. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Now, go find that last item so we can figure this shit out and move on to the good stuff.” He gave her another kiss on the cheek, wrapped Jackson in a bro hug, then took his puppy off to greet Roxanne.
She glanced at Jackson to check his reaction to Stone’s words, but his expression conveyed no concern as he held out his hand to her.
“It will take about three hours there and back. Ready?” he asked.
She smiled and slipped her hand into his. “More than ready.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, gazing out the car window.
Jackson smiled. “Yeah, we’re lucky chance brought us here. It’s got a little bit of everything—a big enough town to be interesting, but not have the problems of a city, all four seasons, places to hike and boat, but also a pretty good art and music scene.”
She swiveled her head. “You like art?”
“More of a music guy, but yeah, I like art. Not so much the realism stuff, but abstracts.”
That surprised her. In a good way. Not because she was any great lover of art but because it showed an openness to—a curiosity about—new things, new experiences. Based on what he’d told her, she was certain he hadn’t been exposed to it in childhood. Likely not in the military, either. Which meant he’d found his interest on his own and sometime after entering adulthood. In the grand scheme of things, it was neither here nor there, but she’d be lying if she said his openness to new things, to new experiences, wasn’t yet one more of his many attractive qualities.
For the rest of the drive, they chatted about museums they’d visited, favorite places they’d traveled, and their favorite cuisines. In no time, they were rounding a bend and entering a town almost too quaint to be real.
She craned her head as they passed rows of buildings, both stone and wood, fronted with large windows and lined by raised sidewalks. It looked similar to Mystery Lake, but much smaller.
“It was a gold rush town,” Jackson said. “Now it’s mostly wineries and boutiques, but it still has a bit of a rough-and-tumble feel to it.”
They passed an ice cream parlor beside what looked like a high-end jewelry store, followed by a winery. “I remember this,” she said. “My mom and I stopped here for lunch, like I said, but I’d forgotten that we went on a tour, too. I remember being fascinated by the dark history of the Wild West when the town was so cute. I spent months researching it afterward.” She paused, then added, “The shops may be different than when we were here, but the history is still written in every building.”
He made a sound of agreement as he pulled into a parking spot. She was looking at a cute sweater in the window of a boutique when he spoke.
“Are you ready?”
She whipped her head around.
“The post office,” he said, nodding to a building across the street. Her eyes drifted to the stone edifice. The charming architecture reminded her of an old bank, but sure enough, a sign stating “United States Post Office” spanned the width of it.
“Do you want to go in together?” he asked. All she had to do was find the last PO Box, grab whatever it contained, and leave. But they both knew the short trip meant more than that. This was the final clue her father left her. The final piece of information that might lead them to his killer.
She hesitated. “I’m good. I’ll be in and out in a flash, and we can head right back. Everything has been so piecemeal that meeting up with Leo and Kara, and pulling it all together, is what I want.”
He studied her, then slid his hand to the nape of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. “Go get the last thing, and we’ll turn around and head home. Dottie will have lunch ready for us.”
She smiled, leaning forward and dropping another kiss on his lips before hopping out of his SUV. She waited as a truck passed by, then darted across the street. A hot minute later, she climbed back in the car, envelope in hand. She fastened her seat belt as Jackson made a U-turn and began retracing their drive.
“Well?” he asked as she stared at the thin white envelope.
A flash of uncertainty hit her, and she hesitated.
“We will unravel this mystery, Lina,” he said, as if reading her mind. So absorbed in finding the pieces of the puzzle, she’d not focused on what would happen when she had them all. What if she still couldn’t decipher the message her dad had gone to so much trouble to leave her? She didn’t want to let him down. She hadn’t been the best of daughters, and there was no way to make up for that, but she could do this for him.
Unless she couldn’t.
“We will,” Jackson insisted. This time, he reached for her hand and gave hers a gentle, reassuring squeeze. The warmth and vitality of his fingers curling around hers pulled her out of her doubts. Whether they did or didn’t figure out the puzzle her dad left had yet to be determined. But what she could do was open the last envelope.
Releasing Jackson’s hand, she slid her finger under the flap and unsealed it. A slip of paper fluttered out. Catching it as it landed in her lap, she held it up. A single printed word occupied one side, and the other remained blank.
“Not another death certificate,” Jackson said.
She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the word. “‘Navios,’” she read. “Does that mean anything to you?”