She Belongs to Me (39 page)

Lorraine answered on the first ring, no pleasantries; she simply started speaking. “Jaynee, I need to talk to you. I’m down the street.”

“Oh…okay, Lorraine, come around back. I’m on the porch.”

Jaynee looked out at the starlit sky; it was beautiful. What a strange request for Lorraine to want to speak to her, especially at this hour.

Minutes later, Lorraine stepped onto the porch. She just looked at her for a second.

Jaynee tucked the gun under her arm and gestured for Lorraine to sit on the bench. “Well, this is unusual,” she started.

Lorrain sat down and sighed. “Yeah, but I have to ask you a question. I planned on asking Jordan but then realized you might know, and I had a second question anyway.”

Thoroughly confused, Jaynee waited.

Lorraine turned to her. “Jaynee, you know I do the bookkeeping so I am privy to everything you spend, right?’

“Yeah, so…?” Jaynee asked, already peeved. She did know that, and it bothered her. She’d always asked Jordan to get a personal card, but he put everything through the business.

The woman fidgeted in her seat some more as if she wasn’t sure. “Well, you have always spent the exact amount on your credit card; you visit the salon every other month, you go to the coffee shop almost every day and you drive about the same distance every month. So, I was surprised when your credit-card bill began to escalate.”

Jaynee was miffed. One, this woman knew everything she did or lack thereof and two…she was clearly accusing her of something. “What’s your point, Lorraine?” She didn’t have time to play games. She shouldn’t even be here; she belonged upstairs with her husband.

“I’m going to skip to my second question first, because the first doesn’t matter depending on what you answer to the second.”

“You’re not making any sense, Lorraine,” Jaynee said brusquely.

“Oh it will, Jaynee. Do you love Jordan?” she asked, no hesitation and with deep inference.

Jaynee’s intuition flickered again. It was as she had suspected all along. “I love Jordan more than life itself.”

“Well, that’s what I am afraid of, and quite frankly if I didn’t believe you, I wouldn’t even be relaying this. I would like nothing better than to see you out of the picture, but I know it would kill Jordan.”

Jaynee stared at Lorraine, shocked by the candidness of her statement.

“Jaynee, I don’t need to ask you. I know the charges aren’t from you. They are automatic drafts against your credit card by one of our life insurance companies. It’s a different policy but from the same company we use for our other policies, so it was certain to go unnoticed, because Jordan would never question your statement. He authorized you to spend thousands a month, and your account barely reaches a few hundred. So you could imagine my surprise when your bill suddenly increased.” Lorraine paused a second then stared at her. “I thought I had you. I thought for sure I could prove you were cheating on Jordan. Instead, I found something much more shocking.”

Jaynee shook her head. “What does life insurance have to do with me?”

“I checked into it. Someone took out a huge policy for the company on both you and Jordan. Let me explain. We already have a partner’s insurance policy on Jordan; it’s a common practice. If something were to happen to
Jordan, we’d all suffer; the company would suffer. But every one of the partners has a policy that will go back to the company if something happens to them. This is a separate policy though, and since no one knows about it, he—I say he, because it has to be one of his partners, could find a way to sift the money through the company if something happened to you or Jordan.”

“Sorry, Lorraine, I’m afraid I’m still lost.”

Lorraine exhaled, exasperated. “Jaynee, there’s no other way to say this, except spit it out. I think someone might try—” She took in a deep breath, and her eyes actually looked concerned. “I think you might be in danger. The only reason someone would take out that large of a policy is if they planned to kill you. I know Jordan didn’t do it; he doesn’t do any paperwork
without me looking it over. And
if Jordan died before you, the company would automatically go to you, but if you die
d
first…”

“Then they would kill Jordan next you think?” Jaynee finally understood
what Lorrain was implying. “And
why didn’t you tell Jordan?” she asked incredulously, amazed at how calmly she could discuss the possibility of her own death. But the thought of someone trying to murder Jordan enraged her.

Lorraine released an awkward huff. “That’s very interesting.”

“What is?” Jaynee insisted
,
feeling perturbed at Lorraine’s insinuations but then acting so lax.

“You.
You said nothing about your own impending death, but the concept of something happening to Jordan, infuriates you. I can see you do love him.”
Lorraine took a moment to collect her thoughts and then answered Jaynee’s question. “The reason I didn’t say anything, is because I
wanted
you to leave. But I never wanted you to die. That’s why I realized I was wrong in not telling Jordan the moment I discovered the policy. He loves you, Jaynee. I see the pain he’s been in these last few weeks and truly wonder if I couldn’t kill you myself.” Lorraine chuckled nervously.

Jaynee nodded her head. “I feel the same way, Lorraine. But I made it right tonight, and I
will
explain
everything
to Jordan tomorrow. But he’s fine I assure you.” She thought about his eyes when he kissed her earlier. She’d caused him so much pain. She didn’t realize how much until last night. She should’ve just gone to him then, but she wanted to make certain.

Lorraine stood up. “That’s all I want. I know Jordan could never love me.” Lorraine took another deep breath and then her voice was a whisper. “I attempted to approach Jordan before dropping him off earlier. I’m sorry, but you should know…even drunk he had no interest, and Jordan has never been a good drunk. He loves you
,
Jaynee, and I do want him to be happy.”

Jaynee stood up too. “I understand.”

“Are we okay then, or are you going to have him dismiss me in the morning?” she asked straightforwardly.

“We’re okay, Lorraine.” She reached out to Lorraine, careful of the revolver still tucked under her arm. She couldn’t bring herself to be angry with her when she knew Lorraine only wanted the best for Jordan. She
wasn’t sure how she’d feel tomorrow, however, when the shock registered.

Lorraine leaned back and smiled. “You know, Jaynee, I always liked you, despite the fact you took the man-of-my-dreams.”

Jaynee crinkled her nose. “Thanks, I think.”

Lorraine turned and walked toward the front porch but turned back before she rounded the corner. “Call me in the morning and let me know if you change your mind. I’d rather Jordan not be involved with my leaving. I’ll go if it is what you want but only after we figure out this situation.”

Jaynee nodded her head solemnly in reply. Someone was still trying to murder her husband. She would wait until morning, but then, Jordan and she needed to have a long conversation about numerous things. He would just have to
call off work;
they could handle a Saturday without him.

***

Brian saw the woman approach Caycee on the deck. Strange time of night to be making house calls, but who was he to judge?

He was camping out in her backyard hoping to get an opportunity to talk again. He had seen her cleaning up the kitchen and
had
hoped she’d come outside. She always stayed up later than her husband and sometimes walked their dog. But then, the woman walked around the side of the house, so he would have to wait to talk
with Caycee. He actually dozed off waiting for the woman to leave.

***

Lorraine was such a busybody. He would deal with her later. Right now, Jaynee was the important one. He’d come too far to stop now. Everything was in place.

Lorraine had stepped around the side of the house and down the front stairs when he crawled from under the deck and strolled up behind Jaynee before she entered the house.

His intention was to strangle her, a victim of her old boyfriend that had been sniffing around. He saw them conversing at the coffee shop earlier today, everything had worked out perfect. He knew she had been up to something.

He startled her when he came up behind her, quickly pulling her in a headlock and proceeding to choke her out. Her arms flailed as she struggled to escape but he had a perfect grip and the jacket he wore was plenty thick that her clawing hand gained no purchase. She was such a tiny thing. For a second he felt a twinge of remorse, but he squashed those feelings. It had to be done, it was the only way to make everything right again. He hadn’t seen the gun she was holding until it discharged. He dropped his grip as she fell lifeless to the deck. He bent over her to assess the damage. She’d ended up shooting herself. He couldn’t have planned it any better.

Slinking back down the steps, he was careful not to tread in any of North Carolina’s famous red clay. It would be like leaving a plastered footprint behind.

***

Brian jumped when he heard a gunshot but couldn’t see anything unusual.

Jaynee was gone and so was the woman. He waited, assuming the shot had come from somewhere else, but he was certain it had been nearby. He wondered if he should check on
her,
confront her
as he’d originally planned. But
if it was a gunshot, her husband would hear and come out to investigate—he
was
a cop after all. How ironic, that she would marry a cop. Brian decided he would wait until morning when her husband left. He would talk to her then, insist she listen to him and prove to her that he’d changed.

***

Lorraine jumped at the sound. Was it a gunshot?

Jaynee had been holding a pistol…would she have done something stupid? She hadn’t seemed too upset about the news.

It was probably some redneck neighbor shooting at squirrels. Gunfire wasn’t uncommon in the country. She jumped in her car and drove off, hoping Jaynee wouldn’t have Jordan dismiss her in the morning.

63

Chapter
Thirty

Jordan bounded downstairs again to the cafeteria. He needed to find out all Brian knew about the night someone shot his wife.

He could see Williams and
Powe
through the glass, Brian’s back was to the window. They were all sitting there, leaning back as if they were old friends.

Jordan entered the room, smacking the door open so hard it hit the wall, threatening to slam back against him. “So what’s the story?”

“Well,” Williams began. “It seems your wife’s lover has turned into a regular stalker.” Jordan glared at the detective, and he quickly substituted his words. “Sorry, ex-lover.”

Powe
must have discerned his countenance. “Uh…Jordan…why don’t you sit down? Brian’s been cooperating so far
;
he wants to expose who’s responsible as much as you.”

Jordan seriously doubted that, but he pulled out a chair and sat down on it backward. “I’m listening.”

Williams leaned back in the chair again and pulled his leg up on his knee. “Evidently Brian spoke to your wife on Friday morning, and according to him, she wouldn’t give him the time of day. But he noticed she stayed up later than you and decided he would attempt
to talk with her, convince her he changed—that kind of nonsense.”

Jordan gripped the table in an effort to remain seated. He wanted to pummel the man but was also irritated with Jaynee. For one, not telling him about her interaction with him and two….how many times had he told her to close those damn blinds? It didn’t matter that they lived in the country; perverts were everywhere. All they needed was an invitation as simple as an open window to delude them into thinking a woman was interested.

Williams eyed Jordan and continued, “According to Brian, Jaynee was on the phone and then a woman appeared on the porch and they talked awhile. He didn’t hear anything they said and actually dozed off but said he awoke the same way you did, when he heard the gunshot. Of course, we already knew Jaynee had spoken with
someone—your secretary Lorraine.
Jaynee
had
received a text from her and had returned her call. We investigated, but her account checked out. She drove you home earlier in the evening and just wanted to confirm you were okay. Lorraine had no motive to hurt Jaynee, so we didn’t pursue her as a suspect.

Jordan rolled his eyes. “So, he didn’t see a woman shoot Jaynee?” He shoved his chair back from the table.

“No,” Brian interjected. “But who else could have, she
was the only person there.
I didn’t hurt her, and you certainly weren’t there to protect her.”