Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 1 of 2: Undercover Marriage\Collateral Damage\Forgotten Past (45 page)

She didn't move. “You're hurt. Let me drive for a while. At least until you've had a chance to rest.”

JT nodded slowly. “That's a good idea. Once we're on the road and I've rested, I'll be fine.”

“You're not fine, JT. You almost died...” Her voice cracked with emotion.

JT gathered her close, his chin resting against her head. “I know you're feeling overwhelmed right now, but I'm okay. You've made the right choice, Faith. The only way to end this is to stand up and fight him with everything you have inside you.”

More than anything, he wanted to protect her from what lay ahead. Instead, all he could do was help her find the courage to get through each difficult day as they came.

“I'm not sure I can fight anymore,” she whispered against his chest.

“You can, because if you don't, you'll be running for the rest of your life. You're not a quitter, Faith. You can do this.”

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. Something from his past, a long-forgotten feeling, closed in around him, making it impossible to draw air into his lungs.

She saw it, too. “What is it?”

He exhaled slowly and pulled her back against him. As much as he wanted to give in to those feelings, explore where they might lead, the timing was wrong. He had to find a way to separate his attraction for Faith from the task at hand because if he didn't, they both might not make it through this ordeal alive.

NINE

F
aith drove through the early-morning streets of Hope Island with a patrol car in front of them and another behind.

When they were safely off the island, the lead car pulled over and flashed his lights. A moment later, the second did the same.

It was as if they'd become trapped in a bad dream that wouldn't end. “It's eerie, isn't it? Do you think people have already started to leave the island?”

“No doubt. Most of the fishing fleet will have secured their vessels by now. It's way too risky to fish in these conditions. The ocean can become volatile.”

JT's phone rang and he answered it without speaking, listened for a second, and then said, “Good.” Once he disconnected the call, he dropped the phone on the console next to him.

“Will's team finished canvassing the house. They didn't find anything else. The good news is we weren't followed off the island, so we should be safe.”

She tried to see the positive in what JT said, yet she couldn't believe someone who had killed four people would give up so easily.

JT clasped his hand in hers. “Hey, for the first time we actually have something to go on. We'll get him.”

She turned to him and nodded. “You should try to get some rest. I'll be okay for a while and it will give me something to do to take my mind off what's happening in my life right now.”

JT leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes as the lights of Hope Island disappeared behind them and the coastline along the highway took their place.

If they were truly safe, then why did JT seem so worried? He was good at what he did. If he was concerned about their chances of surviving, then she was terrified at the possibility of what might lay ahead of them.

* * *

They had been driving for hours when his phone rang again. He pulled over on the side of the road and stopped the truck. It was a little past three in the morning. They'd stopped only once to eat the sandwiches Faith had prepared and to switch drivers. He'd managed to get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep that had worked wonders to restore his strength. With the exception of the pain throbbing in his side and his injured arm, he almost felt like himself again.

JT glanced over at Faith. She'd fallen asleep. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful and peaceful she looked.

JT snapped Ollie's leash on and quietly got out. Ollie could use a bathroom break and JT didn't want to wake Faith.

“I have the Austin police report,” Will announced without preamble.

“That's great...isn't it?” Something didn't sound right in Will's tone.

“I hope so. I told the detective what happened here and he expedited it.”

JT had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like what his friend had to say. “What do you mean you hope?”

Will hesitated and then said, “I spoke in depth to the detective now handling the case.”

“Now handling the case?” JT interrupted. “What happened to the original detectives?”

“One's retired and has since moved to Nome. The other is a sheriff in a small town north of Amarillo.”

Man this wasn't what they needed. “That's not good. We could have used their insight.”

“Yes. Detective Riley is going to try to reach out to them and see if he can get them to call me...”

Was Will stalling? JT's uneasiness kicked up another level.

“What aren't you telling me, Will? You found something in the report.”

The other man sighed. “It's not what I found in the report. With everything happening, I've just begun reading it. I'm going to email you a copy of it along with Teddy and Derek.”

“Okay. What else? Just say it.”

“Detective Riley is very current on the case. He told me in the beginning, the detectives were definitely working under the assumption the murders were part of a home invasion gone wrong.”

“So what changed their minds?”

The length of time it took Will to answer did little to reassure JT.

“Faith changed their minds. Especially when she reported the calls. Something about them didn't sit right with the detectives. Riley told me it all seemed a little contrived.”

Contrived.
The word stuck in JT's head. Faith had obviously been telling the truth because the same thing had happened here. So why hadn't the police believed her? “What do they mean by that?”

“They said something about the calls didn't seem genuine, so they did a little digging into her life. Turns out, Faith had started working for Carl as his business accountant about three months before the murders.”

Surprise rendered JT speechless for a moment. How could this possibly be true? She'd never said a word to him about working for Carl Jennings. “So what does any of this have to do with the murders?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. After the homicides and once Faith was no longer the accountant for Carl Jennings's business, the person who took over for her found some...discrepancies in her record keeping.”

“What kind of discrepancies?” JT asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Something along the lines of a half-million-dollar discrepancy.”

He glanced back at the truck to make sure Faith was still sleeping. “Are you saying they believe Faith took the money?”

“I'm not saying that at all. In fact, no one can seem to pin down when the money went missing. I'm just saying it's an interesting fact.”

Not the word JT would have used. “I don't think Faith took the money and I certainly don't think she's tied up in those murders. Think about what has happened since she left Austin. There's no way she had anything to do with this.” JT knew he sounded defensive, but he couldn't help it. After everything she'd been through, he wasn't about to let them pin a murder charge on her.

“I'm not saying I think she's guilty. I'm just giving you the facts.”

JT took a second to calm down. He reminded himself that Will was just doing his job. “I realize that. What about the cousin? Did the police check into him? With no other living relative, it stands to reason he'd be the one to inherit the bulk of the estate.”

“You'd think, but according to Riley, the family attorney told them something else. Rachel would have been the next in line to inherit. With her dying at the same time as her father, the estate went into a trust. Apparently, Carl left everything to a list of charities he supported. There's a board of directors appointed to disburse the funds. And besides, the police ruled Ben out early on. He was at a party across town. He couldn't have committed the murders.”

JT ran a hand across the back of his neck. “This case just keeps getting better and better.”

“You've got that right. Riley is sending over the list of names of the board members, but according to him, the detectives who handled the case checked them out pretty thoroughly and didn't find anything unusual.”

JT struggled to keep his thoughts in focus.

“Oh, by the way, I heard from Teddy.”

JT realized he'd forgotten to tell his partners what had happened. “How'd they take the news of the attack?”

Will chuckled. “They were both mad as all get-out but once they learned you and Faith were safe, they were okay. Teddy told me he read Faith's medical records twice to be sure he didn't miss it, but there was no mention of the doctor prescribing her anything other than pain meds.”

This confirmed JT's suspicions. “I'm not surprised. There is no way any reputable doctor would have prescribed a drug like this for someone with amnesia, which leads me to my next question. Where'd the meds come from if not from the doctor who treated her?”

“I don't know. I'm still trying to track down the doctor to find out what he remembers. It may take some finagling.”

“Let's hope you locate him fast. The sooner we figure this out the better. It's been a crazy couple of days and I don't see it ending anytime soon.”

“That's for sure. Where are you two anyway?” Will asked.

“Not too far out of Whaler's Point. We'll be there soon.”

“Good. The sooner you have her away from all this the better. My friend has assigned four of his best men to meet you over at Mark's place. They'll be stationed outside for as long as he can spare them.”

JT said a silent prayer of thanks. “I owe you for that, Will.” He hesitated. “Have you heard any damage reports from Hatton Island yet?”

Will blew out a sigh. “I'm afraid it's bad. The hurricane slammed into the island at a category 3. Most of the communications have been down for hours, but from the sketchy bits of information that have been coming out, it looks like half the island may be gone. Thankfully, everyone got off in time. I can't even imagine how difficult starting over from nothing will be. They're going to need all our prayers to rebuild.” There was a long pause. “Stay safe, JT. Hopefully something will jump out in the report, and we'll have some answers for you soon.”

“Let's hope.”

JT ended the call and stared gloomily at the lonely stretch of road. It seemed the more they uncovered about the case the more confusing it became, and he had a feeling they hadn't even come close to scratching the surface of what happened that hot August night two years earlier.

* * *

Faith opened her eyes. Since it was still dark out, she had no idea how long she'd been sleeping in that awkward, scrunched-up position.

Last night had seemed like a dream or, more to the point, a nightmare. Yet here she was running for her life. Proof positive
he'd
found her again.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” JT glanced over at her. Even from the truck's interior lighting she could see that lack of sleep had left its imprint around his eyes.

“I'm fine.” The kinks in her shoulder and neck told a different story. Ollie had positioned himself on the center console next to JT. When he realized Faith was awake, he hopped into her lap and licked her nose.

Faith reached over and touched JT's face. “How are you? You look tired.”

He smiled wearily. “I'm fine. I think Ollie's glad you're awake. He's been stuck with only me for company. We made a pit stop a little while back. I'm sure the little guy could use another one.”

She stroked the dog's ears. “Thanks for taking such good care of him. Where are we anyway?” The truck's clock said it was just past four in the morning.

“Almost to Whaler's Point. I took some back roads to make sure we weren't followed.”

She peered back over her shoulder but the only thing she could see was pitch black. “And were we?”

JT was quick to reassure her. “No. I haven't seen another soul on this road for hours.”

“Has there been any news about...last night?”

He didn't answer right away. Something
had
happened. She could see it in his eyes.

“We have the police report from Austin. Will spoke with one of the detectives who agreed to send the files over once he found out what happened here.”

Fear slithered deep into her stomach like a familiar yet unwelcome guest. There was something in his tone. “And?”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “And we don't know anything yet. Will is stretched pretty thin with the murder investigation and the hurricane so he's only given the report a cursory review. I'll get Teddy and Derek to read through it as well. I'm hoping they'll find something.”

He hadn't told her everything. Had he found out something about her involvement and didn't know how to tell her? “Okay,” she said slowly.

“We have your medical records as well. Just as we suspected, there never was a prescription ordered for Zyban.”

Her gaze shot to his. None of it made any sense. “Then how did I end up with one...and who's been keeping it active all this time?”

“I don't know. Will is still trying to reach the doctor who treated you to see if he remembers anything unusual happening the night of the attack.”

Faith glanced out the passenger window at the darkness. She couldn't dispel the uneasiness growing inside. Everything they'd uncovered so far hinted that what she believed happened that night was an illusion. Had her brain simply created its own version of events to protect her from the reality?

The sky had just begun to turn pink when JT pulled into the parking lot of a retro diner with bright neon lights. The sign flashed, “Mel's Place. Open seven days a week. Best burgers in town.”

“It's been hours since we've eaten. Let's have breakfast, then we'll stop at the store to get some supplies. With Mark out of town, I doubt his fridge is well stocked.”

He was trying hard to take her mind off things and she was so grateful.

She got out and stretched. Off in the distance, she could see the boat docks where a handful of fishing vessels were anchored.

JT followed her gaze. “In its day, this locale used to be a huge port of call for merchant ships and whaling vessels, thus the name, Whaler's Point. When the ships disappeared, the town almost did as well. Still, there are several generations of fishermen who make their living at sea. Mark has tons of books on the history of the area.” When he saw her curious expression, he added, “As you can see, I'm a bit of a history buff myself.”

Faith noticed he wasn't wearing the sling anymore. “Where's your contraption?”

“I took it off. It made it impossible for me to drive comfortably. The arm's fine as long as I don't bump into anything.” The shadows beneath his eyes told a different story. So did the grooves around his mouth.

“JT...”

He took her hand and tugged her closer. “To tell you the truth, it hurts like crazy, but I really am okay.”

His smile sent her heart slamming against her chest. “We should probably change the bandage,” she whispered, a little unsteady.