Midnight Exposure (23 page)

“Hmmm. Never thought of Hugh as
that
old, but you could be right,” Reed said.

“It’s a shame he never got a chance to enjoy his golden years.”

“How’s Doris holding up?”

At the mention of Hugh’s wife, Nathan’s expression turned stony. Reed would bet Doris had had a few choice words for the mayor. “She’s a tough old bird. She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.”

Typical Nathan. Only worried about what affected him.

“You’re not seriously considering Doug, are you?” Reed gave Nathan a pointed stare, which the mayor avoided.

“Well, he’s the only candidate so far.”

Jayne opened her mouth. Under the table, Reed covered her hand with his and squeezed lightly. She took the hint but pulled her hand out from under his palm. Reed’s fingers twitched. He missed both the contact with Jayne’s smooth skin and the deeper connection with the courageous woman. But it was better to keep his distance. Really.

“I have some serious objections to the way he treated Jayne during the interview. He was downright rude, Nathan.” Reed paused before dropping the bomb. “It’d be a real shame if she sued the town.”

Nathan’s gaze shot to Jayne. She met his stare with pure blue ice. “You should stick around. The reporters are going to want to talk to you. You could be famous.”

Jayne didn’t answer, but her fair skin blanched a shade paler. Reed stood, his hand under Jayne’s elbow lifting her with him.

“Well, we’d better go collect Jayne’s things from the inn.” Reed ushered Jayne from the booth, leaving Nathan to stew.

On the sidewalk, Jayne spun him around. “Why’d we run out of there? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Don’t worry. We gave the mayor a few things to think about. You can bet he’ll chew out Doug’s ass within the hour. Yelling at Nathan only gets his back up.” Reed turned her and steered her toward his truck. “What Nathan said about Hugh is a total crock, though. Hugh never forgot a thing. Something else is going on.”

Jayne’s arm brushed Reed’s. Heat radiated from the contact. Reed wanted to get closer. He wanted to bury his head in her hair and forget all about the fire and Hugh’s death. But if he took her in his arms, he’d never be able to let her go.

“Are you sure it wasn’t that you just didn’t see it because you liked him so much?” Jayne asked as she climbed into the vehicle.

Good question
. Another good reason to avoid personal relationships. They destroyed objectivity.

Reed stepped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Let’s go get your stuff.”

Moments later, wind blasted Reed’s back as he jumped out of the Yukon and followed Jayne up the steps of the Black Bear Inn. From the walkway that led to the rear parking area, a parka-clad
Bill stopped shoveling. His gaze fell on Jayne. He took a step back, dropped his shovel, and bolted around the corner of the house.

“Bill,” Jayne called after him.

Reed cupped her elbow and steered her toward the front door. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not you. He’s just like that around strangers.”

The lobby was as stifling as usual. “Mae?” He tapped the bell on the registration desk.

“Keep your pants on,” Mae yelled from the back room. She ducked through the doorway from the family quarters. Her puffy eyes, devoid of makeup, lit on Reed and went soft. “Reed, honey. Come sit down. I heard what happened this morning. Are you all right?” She embraced him in a fierce hug and led him to the sofa. The heat from the woodstove seared the burns on his face right through the bandage.

“I’m fine, Mae. Thanks.”

Mae turned her motherly charm on Jayne. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you alive and well. I told Hugh—” Her voice caught on a sob, quickly stifled with Yankee fortitude.

Reed patted her shoulder. “Hugh was a good man.”

“That he was. He served this town for thirty years.” Mae nodded and sniffed hard. She turned to Jayne. “You’ll want to collect your things.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jayne’s voice quivered. “But I don’t know what happened to the key.”

“Not a problem. I’ll get you the master.”

After Jayne retrieved her belongings, then what? She’d pick up her Jeep and drive off? Alone? That idea gave Reed an empty ache in the center of his chest. But what were her options? She couldn’t stay in town. Doug sure as hell wouldn’t protect her.

Christ, her kidnapper could be anybody. Doug and Nathan both had blue eyes. So did a quarter of the men in town.

Three minutes later, Reed unlocked the door to Jayne’s room. One lone piece of crime scene tape dangled from the jamb. Jayne tried to push ahead, but Reed held her back. “Let me go in first, please.”

She stepped back and gestured him forward, but she was only two steps behind him when he crossed the threshold. She stood in the corner and rocked back and forth on Scott’s big boots as Reed gave the room a quick sweep.

“OK.”

Jayne made a beeline for the armoire and threw it open. Her face paled. “My equipment’s not here. The compact camera was in my purse, but I left my digital SLR and all my lenses in here.”

“Get the rest of your stuff and we’ll talk to Mae again. Maybe she locked up the valuable things.”

Jayne took one minute to shove her clothes into a duffel bag. She opened the bathroom kit and emptied it on the counter.

“What are you doing?”

“I always keep emergency cash hidden in two places when I travel. In my car and in my makeup bag. Just in case something gets stolen.” She opened a cosmetic compact of some kind and lifted the mirror out. Underneath were folded bills. “I’m going to call Pat while I’m here. Now that I’ve given my statement to the police, I can leave, right? I mean, he can’t really make me stay here, can he?”

“No. He can’t.” But Reed wished
he
could.

Jayne began pushing buttons on the phone. After everything that had happened today, it was natural that she’d be anxious to get away from Huntsville. He should want her to go. It wasn’t safe here. But her stalker could easily follow her when she left. It
would be better if she waited for one of her brothers to come and get her. She couldn’t leave by herself. Not after Hugh had died. Not after someone had tried to abduct her a second time.

He had to find another way to get her home, even if it meant risking exposure.

Her mouth tightened as she held the receiver to her ear. “No answer at the bar.” She glanced at the digital clock on the night-stand. “I’ll try him at home.” Another series of numbers. She shook her head. “No connection there. The phone must be out. And the call won’t go through on his cell. The wireless company is saying the system is experiencing unusually heavy volume.”

They trooped downstairs. Mae had the local news on the TV in the small parlor off the lobby. Jayne’s eyes were riveted on the reporter as she detailed the impact of the storm on the Mid-Atlantic region. Nearly four feet of snow had accumulated back home. Airports were just opening. Millions were without power. Phone lines were down. Many major roads had yet to be plowed.

“You can try your brother again later,” Reed said. “Looks like it may take a day to get Philadelphia straightened out.”

Jayne nodded but concern was etched in her face. “We’re not used to this. We normally don’t get more than six inches or so a couple of times each winter.”

Reed turned to Mae. “Jayne’s camera equipment isn’t in her room. Any idea where it might be?”

Mae nodded. “Sure. Hugh took it. He was going to lock it up as possible evidence.”

“Thanks, Mae.” Reed accepted another hug before leading Jayne out the front door.

He climbed behind the wheel of the truck and closed his door. In the passenger seat, Jayne huddled against the cold.

Reed hesitated, key an inch from the ignition. “Jayne, tell me again what you did when you arrived in Huntsville on Thursday. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how trivial it seems.”

Jayne shivered. “You think the fire was set to destroy something in my bags?”

He started the engine and cranked on the heater. “Let’s just say I’m skeptical of coincidences.”

“OK. I stopped at the Quickie Mart for gas, and then took some pictures around town.” In the middle of changing Scott’s oversize boots for her own sneakers, she tapped her forehead. “Pictures. Could it be that simple?”

“I don’t know. It’s awfully convenient that everything in Hugh’s office was destroyed, including your camera equipment.” Reed gripped the wheel. “But if all he wanted was your pictures, why did he try to grab you today?”

Because there was another reason this man wanted Jayne. And Reed’s gut instinct told him the reason was personal.

Jayne jumped out of the Yukon and followed Reed into Huntsville Auto Repair. In her pocket was the new disposable cell phone Reed had just purchased for her at the drugstore. She scanned the garage. Her Jeep sat in the rear bay, ready to go.

Jayne’s freezing palms dampened with sweat as she contemplated heading out of town alone. But what was her choice? Staying in Huntsville?

Not gonna happen.

Her stalker had burned down the municipal building and killed Hugh because of her. The shock settled low in Jayne’s belly. Her insides turned icy.

Reed and Scott were in danger every second she was with them. Reed had probably realized the risk she brought to his son. Otherwise why would he be acting so strange, so distant? She couldn’t imagine he’d really be that upset about her juvie record. Jefferson Kimball maybe? Had one of Reed’s relatives done something bad? It wouldn’t matter to her. A man couldn’t pick his family. The chill spread to the center of her chest as she realized how deep her feelings ran for Reed.

But she’d let him go rather than risk his life or bring him more pain.

She had to get as far away from Huntsville as possible.

This guy could follow her to Philadelphia or grab her anywhere along the way. But that was a risk she had to take. She would not put other lives in danger to protect herself. She stuck her hands in her pockets to conceal the trembling of her fingers as she walked to her vehicle. She tried the door. It wasn’t locked. She bent down and reached under the driver’s seat. Yes! Her fingers encountered the plastic sandwich bag. She peeled the tape free and pulled out her second emergency stash. All in all, three hundred bucks would get her back to Philly.

A thin man in his twenties walked across the concrete garage floor. Wavy blond hair, parted in the middle, hung down to his shoulders, rock-star style.

“Put on two brand-new tires. Rotated the rest.” The mechanic stopped to degrease his hands with orange Zep. Then he led the way to his office in the corner of the garage. A metal desk and filing cabinet were the only furniture in the small but spotless room. “I’ll get the bill and your keys for you, ma’am.”

He handed her an invoice. The total would eat up most of her funds. “I’m sorry. My purse was stolen. I don’t even have a credit card. Is there any way I could send you a check?”

The mechanic sighed. “I can’t afford to let a few hundred bucks slide, especially since you’re out of state. I’m sorry.”

Jayne’s stomach clenched. She’d never get out of here. If something happened to Reed or Scott because of her…

Reed drew his wallet from his back pocket.

“I’ll cover it.” “I’ll send you a check,” Jayne promised. She would’ve promised him anything to get her Jeep back.

“Don’t worry about it.” Reed shot her a suspicious look and Jayne averted her eyes. She wasn’t telling him she was leaving until the last possible minute.

“I
will
send you a check.”

Jayne collected her keys. Outside, Reed stood oddly still while she transferred her duffel from his Yukon to the Jeep. “What are you doing?”

Jayne glanced at the display on her phone. “It’s only three o’clock. I can get as far as New Hampshire tonight.” She forced a smile on her stiff lips. The cold rose from the asphalt into her sneakers. The garage blocked the sun, and without its rays, the winter chill seeped right into her bones.

Reed’s expression was strained, the shadow of the building casting his chiseled features in stark relief. “You can’t just leave.”

Jayne took a step back. “I have to.”

“You’re alone and vulnerable. Someone is stalking you. You have no credit cards. No driver’s license. Three hundred bucks isn’t going to get you far if you factor in a hotel room. You haven’t been able to get in touch with your family.” Reed ticked the items off on his fingers. “What will you do if he follows you? There’s a lot of empty space between here and Philadelphia, and at the moment, much of it is buried under several feet of snow. You don’t even know that all the roads are clear.”

Jayne had no idea what she would do. But she had to break away from Reed before she drew the killer to his door.

“He still wants you.”

Her head ached with fatigue as she held back tears. She raised her chin. “We don’t know that. Maybe he destroyed everything important in the fire.”

“Then why did he try to grab you again? The fire had already been set.”

Good point.
Shit
. Moisture gathered hot in the corners of her eyes and she blinked away from Reed’s piercing gaze.