Laying Down the Law (12 page)

Ah, that. And here just minutes earlier they’d discussed having sex. Judging from that look in her eyes, she was thinking he’d meant for their theoretical lovemaking to be a one-night stand.

And hell, it might be.

But Cord wasn’t even ready to go there yet.

“I won’t be leaving the area,” he explained. “Well, I will be given a desk job somewhere, but I won’t be going back in the field.”

Karina stared at him, probably waiting for more. Or maybe she just wanted something else to fill her mind so she wouldn’t have to think about what was going on in the room behind them.

Willie Lee could be dying. Or already dead.

“I was a Joe,” Cord went on. “A deep cover operative. Once I stayed undercover on the same assignment for two years.” A drug-dealing operation that he wouldn’t discuss with her. Not with anyone. He’d been lucky not to get PTSD, but those were memories he didn’t want to poke, either.

“I just thought, well, I thought you’d want to be closer to Addie.”

“I do.” And he did. Close to his nephew, too. Heck, after this ordeal, he was starting to feel as if Jericho and he had forged some kind of peace treaty.

The door behind them opened, and after Cord got one glimpse of the doctor’s face, he figured it was time for him to put his arm around Karina again.

“This could take a while,” Dr. Kenney said, making some notes in a chart. “He had a grand mal seizure, and his blood pressure hasn’t stabilized. There’s a café just up the road next to a big gas station,” she added. “If you don’t want to drive home, you can wait there for a while, and I’ll call you if there’s any news. The guards have your cell phone number, I’m sure.”

Karina caught on to the doctor’s arm before she could leave. “How bad is it?” she asked.

“Bad,” Dr. Kenney admitted. “I hope you got everything you needed from him because Willie Lee might not make it.”

Chapter Thirteen

The chicken club sandwich tasted like dust, but Karina forced herself to eat it anyway. She couldn’t make herself sick with worry over Willie Lee. Even though that’s exactly what she was doing.

Cord wasn’t faring so well, either.

He was on the phone again, something he’d been doing practically since they’d left the jail and had driven to the diner the doctor had recommended. He had hardly more than a bite of his cheeseburger and fries before sliding his plate to Mack. The deputy had his own meal but had mumbled something about getting a to-go box.

Karina thought maybe Cord’s latest call was to Jericho, though she couldn’t tell much of what was going on since Cord was doing a lot more listening than talking. Of course, he had already told Jericho about the prison visit. Had then called Addie and told her what was going on. That had required him to talk his sister out of making a trip there.

Karina was glad he’d managed to do that.

Even though Addie wanted to see Willie Lee, that wasn’t going to happen until the doctor called them. It was best if Addie was at the ranch, safe with her son and husband. Karina had known from the start that just being out on the road had been a risk, and she didn’t want Addie taking that risk, too.

Cord was already dealing with enough without adding his sister’s safety to his worries.

“So, Willie Lee never made an actual confession?” Mack asked.

Mack didn’t just blurt it out, though. He sounded as if he’d chosen his words carefully and probably had. Had no doubt even debated asking it since they’d been at the diner for nearly a half hour, and he’d only listened to the summary she’d given him of their visit with Willie Lee.

“No confession about the Moonlight Strangler,” she confirmed. “But he did admit to being Cord and Addie’s father.”

Karina had purposely kept her voice to a whisper because the three of them were all together in a booth, but Cord likely heard her because he looked up from his phone conversation and caught her gaze.

“
Biological
father,” Karina amended as Cord had done at the hospital.

In her fantasy world, she’d hoped that Willie Lee could resolve everything for all of them. She’d hoped that he could somehow clear his name. Give them the identity of the real killer. And that the real killer could already be behind bars.

But it’d been just that—a fantasy.

Now, Willie Lee could be dead, and any information could die with him. Along with her losing a friend. A man she loved and thought of as family.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Mack patted her hand. “We’re going to work all of this out somehow.”

It took a moment for Karina to realize why Mack had done that. It was because she was crying. Again. She wiped away the tears, cursing them, and told herself that they wouldn’t return. Tears wouldn’t help Willie Lee.

Prayers might, though, and that’s why she’d said a few for him.

The fresh round of tears seemed to do the trick for getting Cord off the phone, and he handed her a paper napkin from the metal dispenser.

“No sign of Rocky yet,” Cord said right away, and while he kept his attention on her, he gulped down some more coffee. “Two of the reserve deputies are still looking, though.”

So, he had been talking to Jericho. “Anything on Taryn’s murder?”

He shook his head. “But there’s a connection between Rocky and DeWayne. Rocky’s father, Frank, and DeWayne were once in business together, and Frank apparently doesn’t have good things to say about DeWayne. He said DeWayne got drunk one night and rattled on about an old business deal gone bad with Willie Lee.” Cord lifted his shoulder. “It could mean nothing.”

And it could be connected to that money-laundering scheme. In fact, Karina wondered if they’d all been involved in some way—DeWayne, Harley. Heck, even Willie Lee. Maybe that’s what’d prompted Harley to break into Willie Lee’s cabin.

Cord drank some more coffee and downed a couple of ibuprofen that he’d bought at the counter.

Karina wanted to ask if it was his chest or head hurting. Maybe both. But she doubted he’d tell her the truth. Doubted even more that he’d want to discuss those scars on his chest.

However, they didn’t need to discuss it for her to know it was something she’d never forget. God. He’d been through so much. Being abandoned, the attacks, learning that his mother was almost certainly dead. And it wasn’t even over.

It might never be over.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Cord said.

Karina knew what he meant. She was feeling sorry for him, and it showed. She quickly tried to change her expression, but it was too late.

Mack picked up on it, too. “I got to take a trip to the men’s room. I won’t be long.”

But Mack probably would stay away from the booth to give Cord and her a chance to talk. However, Cord didn’t say anything. He clammed up after the deputy scurried away.

“I’m okay, really,” Cord insisted.

As Mack had done to her, she slid her hand over his. “Liar.” She’d hoped that would make him smile, but it didn’t work.

“I should have gotten right in Willie Lee’s face until he gave me a straight answer about being the Moonlight Strangler.” Cord cursed himself. “I’m a federal agent, and I know how to interrogate someone.”

“Willie Lee wasn’t just
someone
,” Karina reminded him. “And besides, even if you had repeated the question, he might not have been able to answer. Something was clearly wrong with him.”

Cord stayed quiet a moment, nodded. “Has he ever had a seizure before?”

“Not that I know of. But that doesn’t mean it never happened. Like I said, Willie Lee could be secretive.” She paused. “He did seem to love your mother, though.”

The muscles in his jaw went to war with each other. “Yeah. Maybe if he comes out of this, he can tell us where her body is. I’d like to give her a proper burial. And no, she wasn’t any of the other known victims. All of their DNA is in the system now, and it would have hit as a match to Addie and me.”

True. But there was also someone else in the DNA pool. Karina had never met him, but it was a man named Lonny Ogden, who was now confined to a psychiatric facility. Months ago, the cops had learned about Ogden, and since he was a match to Cord and Addie, it also meant he was a match to Willie Lee. That meant Willie Lee had three children.

Karina was about to bring that up to Cord, but she could see that he was shutting down again. Already looking at his phone for somebody to call so he wouldn’t have to discuss this with her. But his phone rang before he could punch in a number.

“Jericho,” he said, and he answered it immediately, probably because the sheriff had gotten some big news to call back so soon.

Cord didn’t put it on speaker. There were people eating nearby, but Karina moved closer to him so she could hear.

“The photo is a selfie,” Jericho said without even saying a greeting. “Or whatever they called them back when it was taken.”

It took Karina a moment to realize what he was talking about. The picture that’d been left in the diner and brought to the sheriff’s office.

The picture of Willie Lee.

“He took it himself,” Jericho went on. “I faxed the photos to the FBI lab, and they did a rush job. They enhanced the image, and Willie Lee is definitely holding the camera. And the knife. Of course, that doesn’t mean someone wasn’t there in the room forcing him to do it.”

No, but it didn’t make him look innocent, either.

“What about the other photos?” Cord asked.

She didn’t like Jericho’s hesitation that followed. “They did age progression for the one on the porch. It’s you and Addie all right, but there was a problem with the woman. They used some kind of facial composite program, and the woman’s features didn’t match yours and Addie’s.”

Karina hadn’t expected that. Judging from Cord’s deep breath, neither had he. “So, she’s not our mother?” Cord asked.

“Doesn’t appear to be. But of course, that leaves us with the question of who is she. You think Willie Lee could or would tell us?”

“Maybe,” Cord said as if going over that in his mind. He didn’t look relieved exactly, but he had to be. Because there was the possibility his mother was still alive. After all, Willie Lee didn’t seem as if he knew for sure.

“And as for the final one,” Jericho went on, “well, they’re pretty sure the woman in the photo—whoever she is—is dead, that it wasn’t faked. Are you okay?” he added a moment later.

“I’m fine,” Cord answered, after a short hesitation. “How would they know it wasn’t faked?”

“It hadn’t been doctored. They could tell that, too, because it was a Polaroid, and they’re hard to alter without leaving lots of signs. And the woman had classic petechia in her eyes, a sign of strangulation. Plus, she’d been strangled with some kind of wire that had apparently cut through her skin. A deep enough cut that her hyoid bone was likely broken.”

So, there it was, all spelled out for them. A woman who’d been in an earlier photo with them had been murdered.

“Still okay?” Jericho asked Cord.

“Does Addie know?” Cord obviously didn’t want to answer Jericho’s question.

“Not yet. Maybe you two can talk about it soon. I wasn’t sure if this would get up her hopes or not about your birth mother, and I thought you might want to wait to tell her until you knew for sure.”

Of course, they might never know for sure.

Cord’s phone beeped to indicate he had another call coming in. “The prison,” Cord said, glancing at the screen. “Jericho, I’ll have to call you back.”

Cord ended the call with Jericho and took the one from the prison. This time, he did put the call on speaker.

“This is Dr. Kenney,” the woman said when Cord greeted her. “Willie Lee’s stabilized for now.”

Karina’s breath rushed out. From the relief. However, Cord wasn’t sharing that relief with her. “Good. I need to finish the interrogation—”

“Sorry,” the doctor interrupted, “but I’m not allowing him any other visitors today.”

“I need to talk to him,” Cord snapped.

“I know. And I know he’s been accused of some horrible crimes, but he’s also my patient. I’m sorry, Agent Granger, but you’ll have to wait. I’ll give you a call in the morning.” The woman hung up so that Cord didn’t even get a chance to pressure her.

Cord immediately stood up, finishing off the rest of the coffee and dropping some money on the table. “I’ll get Mack,” he said.

But the words seemed to die on his lips, and Cord reached for his gun.

Karina whirled around to see what had caused him to do that. And her heart went to her knees.

No.

This couldn’t be happening again.

Mack was there all right, but standing behind him was a man wearing a ski mask. He had Mack in a choke hold and held a gun to the deputy’s head.

“Everybody out!” the man shouted. “Everybody but you two,” he added to Cord and her.

Karina didn’t recognize his voice, but there was something familiar about his size and stance. This was almost certainly one of the men who’d taken Rocky at gunpoint.

The diners immediately started to scatter, all running for the door. Cord moved, too, putting himself in front of her and taking aim at the man. However, he didn’t have a clean shot.

“I’m sorry,” Mack said. “I didn’t see him in the bathroom until it was too late. I think he came in through a window.”

Which meant he’d probably been watching them, waiting for the right time for this. Whatever
this
was. Did he want her dead?

Karina figured she’d soon find out.

The thug waited, his back against the wall so that no one could sneak up on him. And he watched as the last of the diners hurried out. At least one of them would call the cops if they hadn’t already. The thug must have known that so that meant he might start shooting.

“Stay down and behind me,” Cord told her without taking his attention off the man.

But Cord wouldn’t do that. Again, he would be the one in the direct line of fire. Maybe, just maybe, this snake hadn’t been sent there to kill him.

“This all has to happen fast,” the man finally said. “I leave with the woman, and both of you get to live.”

“No deal,” Cord answered without hesitating. “Who sent you to do this?”

The guy actually chuckled. “That kind of information is well above my pay grade. I just do what I’m told, and I expect you to do the same. Let’s go. Follow me.”

And he started dragging Mack toward the kitchen.

The diner wasn’t that large, and the staff had obviously fled. Good. Because Karina didn’t want anyone hit by friendly fire.

Especially since she was the target.

God, who wanted her? Maybe she’d find out before this jerk managed to hurt or kill her.

“Move faster,” the guy barked.

Cord and she did, and she stayed behind him, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one came in through the front. However, once they got into the kitchen, she saw something else she didn’t want to see.

Another hired gun in a ski mask.

He was by the back door and already had it open. She could see a car parked just outside, and that door was also open. They were ready for her.

Her heart was already pounding, but it raced even more. And her breath became so thin that it felt as if she was about to hyperventilate. But she couldn’t. If she did, Mack or Cord could die.

She didn’t have a weapon, but Karina glanced around for anything she could use. The only thing nearby was a paring knife, but she snatched it up, holding it by her side so that hopefully the thugs wouldn’t see it.

“Now, for the tricky part,” the first man said. “Karina, come here, and I’ll let the deputy go. Scout’s honor.”

She doubted she could believe anything he said, and Cord must have agreed because he kept in front of her.

“I’ll go with you instead,” Cord offered.

The guy shook his head. “Sorry, but I’ve heard about you. You’re a big-shot DEA agent. You could probably kick my butt into the next county with some fancy martial arts. No, thanks. If the woman doesn’t come over here now, the deputy gets a bullet.”

Karina only hesitated a second, but it was obviously too long because the shot blasted through the kitchen.