Second Chance (8 page)

“Who’s your pick then?” Cole asked.

Jordan huffed a disgusted sigh. “Hell if I know. FBI profiler believes there’s someone out there who hates Keeley and seeing her suffer is their primary motive.”

Cole gave a slow nod. “Based on what I’ve read and heard so far, I agree that Elizabeth Fairchild is evil. However, I also agree that she’s too obvious. Sounds like she’s perfectly capable of doing something like this, though.”

“That’s what Keeley keeps saying,” Eden said. “She believes Elizabeth is vicious enough, but that she wouldn’t because of the publicity.”

“What are your thoughts about the two abductions being tied together?” Cole asked.

“Got to be related in some way,” Jordan said. “And it reinforces the idea that someone wants to see Keeley suffer.”

“It was Elizabeth who wanted Keeley charged with Stephen’s abduction,” Eden reminded them.

“True. But that could just be the woman being who she is. She’d want Keeley to pay whether she really believed she had anything to do with it or not,” Cole said.

Flipping to a clean piece of paper, he jotted Elizabeth’s name down. “So who are the closest people to Keeley? We’ll put them on the short list for the time being.” He shot Eden a glance. “Elizabeth’s at the top. But who else?”

“Mrs. Pickens … the housekeeper. She comes in once a week. Mary Thompkins, a woman who comes in
three or four times a week to cook. Miranda Fairchild, Keeley’s sister-in-law. And Keeley’s friend Jenna Banks.”

“What about the sister-in-law? Seems odd that Elizabeth hates Keeley but her daughter is one of Keeley’s closest friends.”

“Won’t seem strange when you meet mother and daughter,” Eden said. “They’re polar opposites.”

Cole grunted. From the sound of it, being the polar opposite of Elizabeth Fairchild would put a person in line for sainthood.

“What do you think about her friend Jenna?”

“Keeley and Jenna have been friends since grammar school,” Eden said. “It’s pretty obvious she adores Keeley and her daughters.”

Cole glanced down at the meager list of suspects. “Anyone else?”

“There’s the weekly yardman and the gardener. They’ve been questioned repeatedly, too.”

Cole’s gaze darted between the two LCR operatives across from him. “So has Keeley angered one of them so much they arranged for her husband’s abduction? And then, when that didn’t destroy her, they took her children, too?”

“FBI has questioned every one of them extensively, as have Eden and I. Elizabeth is openly hostile, but the others appear to be almost as devastated as Keeley.”

“What about someone in town? Someone from her past?”

Eden shook her head. “She keeps a very low profile, hardly ever goes into town. And if that woman has a past, it’s invisible. Other than going to Tahiti on her honeymoon, she’s rarely even been out of Fairview. Grew up here, went to the community college the next town over. Married the local golden boy. From what we can tell, this is all she’s ever known.”

Cole stretched his long legs out in front of him. “Any other terrible events in her life besides the kidnapping of her husband and now her children?”

“Nothing that would indicate someone has it in for her,” Eden said.

“So the real problems started after she’d been married to Stephen for several years. I understand he had several affairs. What about those women? Anyone talked with them?”

Jordan grimaced. “Yeah, I had the dubious pleasure of talking to the ones we know about. None of them live in Fairview, and from what I can tell, none of them had any real regret that Stephen Fairchild was dead. Sex was pretty much their only relationship.”

Cole had to agree with that assessment. Rarely did sex, even good sex, create the kind of hatred and need for revenge this person seemed to have toward Keeley.

He tapped his pen on the notepad as his mind searched for an answer. “It’s been over a year since Stephen was killed. Why would the children be taken now?”

“I think the saddest part is that Keeley was finally getting her life back together,” Eden said. “She was even in the process of putting this house on the market.”

Cole straightened in his chair. “She didn’t mention that.”

“She’d talked to a realtor a few weeks before. She said she wanted to get out of Fairview before the children got much older.”

His heart kicking up a beat, Cole stood and began to pace as he pieced his thoughts together. “So what if the knowledge that Keeley was thinking about leaving triggered this?”

Eden leaned forward. “You mean having Keeley leave Fairview was something this person didn’t want to see happen?”

“That,” Cole said. “Or seeing Keeley get her life back
together wasn’t something this person could tolerate. Leaving Fairview meant she was getting on with her life. Maybe he or she is only happy when Keeley is unhappy.”

“Now, that’s sick.”

Jordan nodded. “It’s a definite possibility. If that’s the case, then it’s someone close to her. Only someone she would’ve shared her deepest thoughts with.” He eyed Cole. “What’s our strategy?”

Not for the first time, Cole felt pride in working for an organization where being the lead dog didn’t mean shit. Egos were checked at the door when one became an LCR operative. The only thing that mattered was the mission. Getting credit never came into play.

Jordan and Eden had been first on the case. If this were any other organization, heads would be butting to determine who should be in charge. Jordan was indicating that if Cole wanted the lead dog position, he and Eden would back off and let him take over. Having control of this case wasn’t an issue with Cole either. Like everyone else, finding these children was his only motivation.

“Let’s proceed the way you and Eden have been going.” He looked at the slender blonde. “Eden, you stick with Keeley. Noah told me you’ve developed a good relationship with her. With her attempted abduction, we have to assume she’s still in danger.”

Eden raised a brow. “There’s a twist we haven’t discussed. If we go with the theory that someone just wanted to see her suffer, having her abducted, too, wouldn’t have accomplished this.”

“You’re right … that’s not consistent. Which means someone could want more than just seeing Keeley suffer emotionally. Let’s make sure she goes nowhere alone.” He eyed Jordan. “Sounds like you’ve made some good connections with our underground leads. Why don’t you continue with that?”

Jordan nodded. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to talk to the townspeople. This is a small town … everyone knows everyone’s business. Secrets are hard to keep. I’m betting someone out there is willing to tell us exactly who hates Keeley Fairchild so much and why.”

   Wes eased his way up the stairs to the second floor. Security system wasn’t worth a damn in this house. Imagine having all that money and not putting in a decent system. Damn rich were too damn arrogant. If he wanted to, he could kill the bitch and there’d be no one the wiser. How he wanted to do just that. She had betrayed him, and no one did that to Wes and got away with it.

The vacation he had indulged in hadn’t been as much fun as he hoped. Not getting what he wanted usually did that to him. He’d driven into Mexico after making the drop-off in California. Found himself a nice little tourist town. The tequila had been free-flowing and the women wild and horny … more than willing to do whatever he wanted. Still, he couldn’t forget about the one who got away … and the one responsible for letting her get away.

After several weeks, his dissatisfaction had grown and he’d left with only one thing on his mind—returning to Fairview and getting what had been denied him. It was time for the bitch to pay up.

He pushed the bedroom door open and stood there, watching the skinny bitch get ready for bed. The thin nightgown she wore made her look a little meatier than she actually was. An idea popped into his head, causing a certain body part that he rarely denied to stand up. Maybe he’d just have a little more fun than he had originally planned.

Why he was suddenly jonesing for the bitch he didn’t
bother to question. When he wanted it, he wanted it … the reason didn’t matter. Maybe it was because he knew she wouldn’t give it up without a fight. Her kind only gave it up when they wanted something in return. But she made no secret that she enjoyed a little rough play. In a few minutes, she’d be begging for it. Hell, who didn’t like a little violence with their sex?

“Bet you thought you’d never see me again.”

She jerked her head around and stifled the scream in her throat. Yeah, she wouldn’t want anyone to know she had a night visitor. There’d be questions she’d never be able to answer.

“How did you get in?”

Wes snorted. “Your security system sucks.”

She straightened and gave him that haughty stare he hated. “What are you doing here?”

“Like you don’t know. You double-crossed me. You think I was just going to go my merry way and forget about what you owe me?”

Her nose tilted up as if the stench of him was more than she could bear. Like she was a queen looking down on some lowly peasant.

“You’re the one that double-crossed me. You didn’t take them where you were supposed to.”

Wes shrugged. “You paid me to get rid of them. I fulfilled my end of the bargain … done my job.”

She glared for several seconds as if there was something else she wanted to say, but then, with an aristocratic sniff, turned away. “Then consider it over with. Get out.”

“Like hell.”

“You got what you wanted. I got what I want. We’re even.”

In a flash, Wes crossed the room and grabbed her arm, whipping her around. He heard the startled gasp and got harder. “We ain’t ever going to be even till I get
everything I want. I want the woman … that’s what we agreed to.”

Her eyes flashing contempt, she laughed in his face.

A fiery mist covered his vision. His hand tightening into a fist, he popped her one in the stomach. As she bent over, gagging, Wes ripped the flimsy nightgown from her body and pushed her face-first onto the bed. He was mad now, and whether she liked it or not, his pound of flesh was about to get a little rougher than what even she liked.

Unzipping his pants, he lifted her up and shoved inside before she caught her breath. He knew he was hurting her, but she muffled her cries of pain against the bedspread.

Though she was as dry as an August creekbed, he worked back and forth till he could ram all the way inside her. His hands wrapped around her neck, he bent over as he plunged and retreated. “You screwed me over, seems only fair that I screw you. Don’t it?”

When she didn’t immediately answer, he tightened his hands on her neck until she whispered hoarsely, “I won’t do it again.”

“You got that right. You’re going to bring the woman to me or I’ll come back and show you just how rough it can really get.”

Again, when she didn’t answer, his hand tightened just enough to cut off all air. When she started squirming and bucking under him, trying to knock him off, he finally got the ride he was looking for. Wes pumped deep and hard for a few seconds. He’d done it this way a few times before … though not with her. He knew how to time it just right … almost to the edge of unconsciousness. He didn’t want to kill the bitch … leastways not yet. He grunted and flooded inside her, finally letting go of her neck.

She lay gasping beneath him, her lungs rasping for breath like a chain-smoker with emphysema.

Wes pulled out and eased off the bed. “Find a way to get her to me, or I’ll be back.” He zipped up and swaggered out the door, more than a little pleased at how the night had gone down.

Minutes passed before she could move. Finally and with great effort, she rolled over and blew out a long shaky breath. She supposed she was lucky he hadn’t killed her. It infuriated her that she hadn’t anticipated the attack. He’d told her he’d be back and she had ignored his warning.

She should’ve been prepared and been able to do something to stop him. Not that she would’ve killed him in her own bedroom. She had her reputation to maintain. Having a sleaze like Wes anywhere near her, even if he’d broken in, wasn’t something she wanted known.

Wincing, she pulled herself from the bed. Every muscle in her body ached as she padded painfully to the door and peeked out into the hallway. Holding her breath, she listened intently … no sound.

The bastard’s threat was real. He would be back if she didn’t find a way to get Keeley alone so Wes could have her and get it out of his system. She wouldn’t let it get too rough … just painful enough for a much-needed lesson.

Wes had a way with lessons; she’d learned her own tonight. He had become a liability she couldn’t afford. They’d known each other a long time and their relationship had been useful and mutually beneficial. Sex and money were Wes’s motivators; power and revenge were hers. Whenever someone angered her, Wes had always been a reliable weapon. He was very good at getting his point across and not getting caught.

However, his usefulness had ended. The idiot apparently believed they had a partnership. Little did he
know he was being manipulated right along with everyone else in town.

A slow smile lifted her mouth as she considered exactly how she would manipulate Wesley one final time.

From his vague memory of Honor Stone, she looked just the way Cole thought she would. With shoulder-length strawberry blond hair, a hundred freckles on her face, golden-green eyes, and a warm friendly smile that invited secrets. He barely remembered the case they’d worked on together, but remembered enough to know that she was both professional and compassionate. They were damn lucky to have her working this case.

Cole held out his hand to her. “It’s good to see you again, Honor.”

She shook his hand, a small frown furrowing her brow. Somehow he got the feeling she was uncomfortable with him. Her warm words seemed to deny that. “It’s wonderful to see you as well, Cole. When I heard you’d been killed, I couldn’t believe it. Thank God it wasn’t true.”

Aware that Keeley was watching and listening to the exchange with great interest, he nodded his thanks and dropped into one of the chairs that had been set out for their meeting.