Imperfect Justice (19 page)

Jared had been so busy he hadn’t had much time off since she’d moved in. One of his deputies had been out sick and he’d had to work long hours to make sure all the shifts were covered. Luckily the fake calls had ceased and things were back to what passed for normal. Although she knew he was frustrated about the Boyd Hicks case. The SUV appeared to be set on fire because of a cigarette thrown into a pool of gas underneath the vehicle. The thrower of that cigarette had somehow managed to stay out of range of the cameras except for a shot of the man from the back. He had been too non-descript and Jared hadn’t been able to identify his suspect. She hoped things were calmed down for good, if only for Jared’s blood pressure.

She nibbled on the toast and took a sip of tea. Her stomach gurgled but in a few minutes it would settle down for the day.

“What did you have in mind? A movie? Lunch?”

She was almost used to going out in public with him. The town didn’t hide the fact that they pointed and stared but he was right. This was their problem, not hers. He’d apologized for how his sister had acted that first night but she’d waved it away. It wasn’t his fault his sister was a bitch. Besides, she was only saying what everyone else was thinking.

And he’d defended her. To his own flesh and blood. She’d never forget that and how much it meant.

“Sure, lunch.” His tone was deliberately casual and her attention perked up immediately. She was getting to know this take charge man more and more and there was one sure thing she’d learned. He liked to get his way and wasn’t above being a little sneaky about it. If that didn’t work he’d use his bull in a china shop strategy. “I was thinking we might do some shopping too.”

Even with him that sounded like hell. Misty hated to shop. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“I think I’d rather see a car chase shoot ’em up kind of movie.”

“Really? Which one?”

Misty shrugged and finished the last bite of her toast. “I have no idea but there’s always one around. Wouldn’t you rather do that? Or maybe you want to hunt or fish? Or wrestle a bear?”

“I wrestled a bear yesterday,” he teased with a grin. “Almost threw my back out so we’ll need to do something less active today. Like shopping.”

Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. “I don’t wanna go and I can’t believe that you do. Don’t men hate shopping?”

That brought a scowl to Jared’s face. “I don’t love it but it has to be done every now and then. And the fact is, young lady, you need clothes.” She started to protest but he raised his hand. “Don’t bother denying it. I’m sure you could go on wearing your too large clothes for the better part of your pregnancy, but honestly they need to be thrown out or burned. We couldn’t even give them to charity. You’re gorgeous and I want to show you off. We also need to get you a new phone while we’re out.”

She’d known her wardrobe left something to be desired but she didn’t go out much so it hadn’t mattered. But he had a point. Those clothes represented the repressed, scared woman she’d been before meeting him. It might be nice to have a few things that she actually looked nice in. Something to tempt Jared. Not that he needed much encouragement in that department. He was happy to make love to her every single night at least once if she was in the mood.

He’d also had a lawyer look at her Seattle lease and found a loophole. Her money had been returned to her so now she had a few dollars she could spend. A day at the mall with Jared might be fun. Or at least more tolerable than on her own.

“Let me call Rayne. We talked about meeting for lunch today.”

“Have her meet us at the mall,” he offered. “She’s your best friend and I barely know her.”

Jared had been working so much he hadn’t had time to get to know Rayne, but this might be a good opportunity for them to spend some time with each other. Misty hoped they would get along although Rayne’s tattoos and piercings might put Jared off.

“She’ll try and get you to fix her up with one of your handsome single friends,” Misty laughed. “She hasn’t had a boyfriend in a few months.”

“I’m not sure I have any handsome single friends unless you count Royce and Ty.”

“Ty’s spoken for and Royce isn’t here. Maybe you can think of someone else.”

Jared grinned wickedly. “There’s Dare Turner. He’s the grouchiest man I’ve ever met. I mean nothing makes that man smile.”

“That doesn’t sound very nice. Why is he so unhappy?”

It seemed sad that someone spent day after day that way.

“Who knows? Maybe his underwear is two sizes too small. Now…are we going shopping or not? And no is not an acceptable answer.”

Jared was wearing a charming smile on his face and he smelled absolutely wonderful. He seemed to know how to convince her to do things she didn’t want to do. In the last two weeks, she’d eaten Brussels sprouts, taken up walking on a treadmill, and drinking milk – albeit chocolate.

“Then I guess we’re going shopping. But don’t expect me to buy a bunch of stuff. I’m going to be growing for the next several months so I think it’s best to be conservative.”

He dropped a kiss on her nose and then stood, picking up the plate and cup. “Meet you downstairs in half an hour?”

She nodded and he left, giving her some privacy to get ready. Despite making love to him almost every night, she was a little shy when it came to showering and getting dressed. It seemed intimate and the way she was starting to feel that might not be a good idea.

Jared Monroe was a wonderful man who treated her with care and respect. How was she supposed to hold out against someone like that? If she wasn’t careful, she’d embarrass herself and fall for him.

“It’s not expensive, Misty,” Jared argued, keeping his voice down. “You need it and I want to get it for you.”

Misty’s lips were set in a mutinous line. She’d been like this all damn day, giving him a hard time whenever he wanted to buy her something. He’d lost more battles than he’d won but he had still managed to persuade her into three pairs of jeans, four sweaters, four blouses, new boots, and some very fetching satin and lace lingerie that he was planning to take off of her at the first opportunity.

Now they were at the phone store in the mall and she was insisting she didn’t need a new one.

“My phone works just fine,” she insisted. “I don’t need anything new.”

“Your phone barely holds a charge for an entire day. It’s not safe. What if the weather gets bad and you’re stranded somewhere? This phone has GPS and I’ll be able to find you.”

Misty sighed and regarded the smart phone dubiously. “It also has a million features I have no idea how to use. I don’t even know how to make a phone call. All I have to do with my nice flip phone is open it up.”

The salesman had drifted a discreet distance away when they’d started to disagree about her need for a new phone but Jared knew the man was listening in. “It’s easy. You just press a few buttons.”

Jared demonstrated but she didn’t look any more sold on the phone. She was regarding it a little like a poisonous snake. “You can put all sorts of apps on it too if you want. And you and Rayne will be able to text each other. Didn’t you say she wanted to do that?”

He’d said something right.

“She did say that.” Misty reached for the phone again and inspected it closely. “I guess I could get used to it. But I want to pay for it myself, Jared. You’ve paid for everything today and it’s not right.”

“You’re my woman and that’s my baby. Nothing is more right than taking care of you.” Jared had never had to argue with a female to get her to take something he’d purchased for her. They’d been more than happy to receive rather than give. Misty was the opposite. She was only comfortable when she was giving or caretaking for someone else. It was a nice and welcome change. He should have asked her out years ago except that she was only twenty-five to his thirty-nine.

“That’s one fancy phone.” An amused feminine voice made him turn around and watch Misty launch herself at the young woman. Dark-haired with several earrings in one ear and a small stud in her nose, the attractive woman had several tattoos. Misty had already warned him. This was Rayne.

They shook hands and he liked the woman right away. She was warm and friendly and she clearly adored Misty. The feeling was obviously mutual. Misty was smiling and relaxed and Jared couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She never looked quite that way with him. But then relaxed wasn’t how he felt around her either.

How he felt when she was near was becoming rather complicated. He liked her. He respected her. And damn if he didn’t want to get her naked as often as possible. She was an incredibly talented artist and a sweet, loyal woman who was fun to be with. She was going to make one terrific mother.

And a wonderful wife. Only if he could convince her of course, but lately he hadn’t even tried. She was so set about wanting a husband who loved her. The entire subject made him uncomfortable so he’d dropped it for the time being.

Rayne helped him convince Misty to let him buy the phone for her and they headed to lunch. Sitting in the restaurant, Rayne helped Misty learn to text while they all chatted about the latest news in town. She had a quirky sense of humor that meshed well with Misty’s quieter personality.

They were working on their entrees when Jared’s phone rang. “Excuse me for a minute?”

The ladies nodded and he checked the screen. Deputy Knox. “Hey, Knox. What’s up?”

“It’s Boyd Hicks, boss.”

In the last few weeks Boyd Hicks had become a non-issue. The fake callouts had ceased which was good for everyone. The only news had been when Jared had checked on the little girl, Tilly. It turned out Lindsey’s premonition was right. Boyd Hicks had requested visitation with his daughter but it was caught up in family court as to whether it would really happen. In the meantime Lindsey’s request for custody was looking like it was going to be granted at her upcoming hearing. That was good news for the mother.

“What’s he done?” Jared asked, bracing himself for the answer. Boyd had always been up to no good.

“That’s just it. He hasn’t done anything. He’s dead.” Knox paused as if waiting for Jared’s reaction but then continued. “His body was found in the pasture on the Hawkins place. Chris is already there.”

Knox recited the exact location and Jared jotted it down on the paper napkin. Rayne and Misty had stopped talking and were watching him closely, aware that something was going on.

The shock of hearing Hicks was dead was starting to wear off. In fact it hadn’t been that much of a surprise. Guys like Boyd Hicks lived dangerously and on the edge of regular society. Their lives were in precarious positions every day. Trust the wrong person. Double cross someone. Lose their life.

Jared didn’t like murder in his town and it was best to stamp it out before it spread like wildfire. It didn’t matter if the victim was a good guy or a bad guy. He needed to find out who killed Boyd Hicks and why.

Chapter Fifteen

B
y the time Jared arrived at the remote location, the coroner Dr. Ron James was already leaning over the body of Boyd Hicks. Chris was there as well, taking the statement of the two ranch hands who had found the body. A few days of above freezing temperature had melted a patch of the snow in the pasture and that’s where they’d found the body. Whoever had killed Hicks had probably assumed – or hoped – that his body wouldn’t be found for months. If ever.

“Hey, Ron. What do we got?” Jared asked, kneeling down next to the coroner. The body wasn’t a pretty sight but it was fairly well preserved thanks to the time of year.

“Looks like a couple of bullets to the chest,” the older man observed. “Although it’s hard to tell. I’ll need to get him on the table to be sure. There’s no blood pool so he was killed somewhere else and dumped here.”

“How long has he been dead?”

“That’s a good question. The snow and cold has preserved a great deal of the tissue but I’ll hazard a guess to say several days. Maybe more. I’ll know more once I open him up.” The coroner reached behind him and pulled out a clear plastic bag. “You’ll want this. I found it under the body.”

A cigarette. If luck was with Jared it belonged to the murderer. That was the good news. The bad news was that everyone in Boyd’s life appeared to smoke so it didn’t narrow the list of suspects.