Under the Midnight Stars (26 page)

“I woke up a few hours ago. It’s gonna take more than a burning barn falling on my head to keep me down.”

She smiled softly. “How do you feel? Are you in any pain?”

“My head hurts like a son of a bitch.” He felt the bandage on top of his head. “Guess I got a few stitches. What in the hell hit me anyway?”

“A bucket,” she replied.

“A
bucket?
I run into a burning building and nearly die from a
bucket?
” He chuckled slightly, then started to cough.

Brielle reached over to the bedside tray, poured him a cup of water, and handed it to him. “I don’t think it’s funny one bit.” She frowned.

“I suppose it isn’t.” He pinched a smirk between his lips and sat up before he drank heartily.

She bit her lower lip as she watched him drink. She’d hurt him badly and was intent on repairing the damage. “I’m so sorry about everything, Colt. I’m not mad that you have a son with Miranda. And I don’t want you to be with her. I want you to be with me. I want us to raise our baby together. To raise your son together.”

He grinned and placed both hands on either sides of her face. “I didn’t have any doubts otherwise. I knew you’d come around sooner or later.” He guided her lips to his and kissed her softly. Pulling away to gaze into her eyes, he whispered, “I love you, Brielle, and only you. Don’t you ever question that again. We belong together, baby, you and me. And we always will.”

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. “Oh, and I’m not Junior’s father,” he added casually.

She quickly pulled away and opened her mouth to speak.

Not giving her time to reply, Colt crushed his mouth to hers again and kissed her passionately.

She took a moment to relish his kiss — his love — before pulling away breathlessly. “He’s not your son?”

“No.” Colt grinned. “Apparently she’s the cheating kind.” He cupped his hand to the back of her neck and guided her lips back to his again.

“Good morning.” A chubby elderly nurse flipped on the lights and entered the room.

Colt and Brielle jerked away from each other and shielded their eyes from the blinding lights.

“I’m sorry.” She dimmed the lights. “I just came to take your vitals. The doctor will be in shortly to check on you. Oh, and Ms. Sinclair?” She looked at Brielle.

“Yes?” Brielle nodded.

“Sheriff Collins is here to question your brother. He’d like to question you too.”

“Why?” Brielle asked.

Colt flipped his blanket aside and stood, wearing only a hospital gown. “Let’s go find out.”

“Oh no,” the nurse interjected and placed a hand on Colt’s shoulder, easing him back onto the bed. “You have to stay in bed. You have a concussion. We don’t want to risk you falling or passing out and hitting your head.”

“Sorry, ma’am, but you’ll have to hog-tie me to keep me here,” Colt replied.

“You won’t have to do that.” Jack grinned as he entered the room, fully clothed in a white T-shirt, jeans, and boots. He headed straight for Colt.

Sheriff Richard Collins entered behind him.

“Glad to see you up and around.” Jack gave Colt a hearty hug. He pulled away and gave him a manly pat on the shoulder. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“Ah, it was nothing,” Colt replied. “I’m sure it’s not the first time someone’s had to rescue a fireman from a fire,” he teased.

Giggles and chuckles filled the room.

“Anyhow,” Colt continued. “I know you would’ve done the same for me. And thanks for finally talking some sense into your stubborn sister.” He grinned smugly.

Her jaw dropped in surprise. “How’d you know Jack talked to me?”

“Are you kidding?” Jack playfully pushed her shoulder. “That pea-sized brain of yours ain’t big enough to think logically. Someone’s gotta think for you.”

“Funnee!” she snapped.

Richard Collins cleared his throat. “Glad to see you’re all okay. I usually don’t perform questioning in a hospital room, but I’ve known y’all for a very long time and had to see for myself that you were all okay.”

Everyone remained silent as Richard spoke. The nurse left the room.

“Y’all are very lucky…” Richard said. “Jack, Gabby, sorry about what a rough time you two have had lately. I just don’t understand it. Doesn’t seem fair. But I imagine it can only get better from here. Anyway, I know y’all are recuperating, but I need to ask a few questions.” He opened his leather notepad and pulled a pen from his shirt pocket. “Jack, tell me what you remember before the fire.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” Jack scratched his head and placed both hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I was just cleaning the horse stall when everything went blank. Then I woke up in the hospital with one hell of a headache and four stitches to boot. I don’t know how it caught fire.”

Brielle studied Richard as he wrote. He reminded her of her father, right down to the gray-streaked black hair. It even looked as if his harsh life had drained the happiness from his spirit. But unlike her father, this man was not broken. He was strong and determined, as if he had unfinished business to attend to. As if his purpose here was not yet fulfilled.

“Gabby.” He looked her way. “What do you remember?”

“Uhhh, after my shower I went to my bedroom and when I opened the door, my room was filled with smoke — it was coming through my window. I looked out the window and saw the barn on fire. I ran out to the barn, and was gonna go in to get Jack, but Colt stopped me and he went in after him instead. Then as he was coming out of the barn with Jack in his arms, the doorway shifted and a bucket fell out of the upper window and hit Colt on the head. It knocked him out cold.” She closed her eyes and shook the horrifying image from her thoughts.

“Did the bucket hit both of them?” he asked calmly, writing diligently.

She thought for a moment. “No. Just Colt. By the way he was carrying Jack, I’d say Jack was already unconscious. Then I tried to pull them away, but they were too heavy. That’s when the firefighters came and carried us all to safety. I don’t remember after that. I guess I passed out from the smoke.”

“Colt, what’d you see?” Richard asked.

“I woke up from my couch around midnight when I saw a truck drive past my farm, coming from the direction of their property,” Colt motioned with a finger to Brielle and Jack. “I thought it was odd that someone was there so late. I stepped out onto the porch and saw an orange glow coming from their ranch. I rushed over and called the fire department on the way. When I got there Brielle was just about to run right into the fire to save her brother. I stopped her and went in myself. I found Jack unconscious and facedown in one of the horse stalls. The back of his head was bloody. Then I carried him out. That’s all I remember.”

“Did you see anything that might’ve been used as a weapon lying around?” Richard asked, continuing to write.

“A weapon?” Brielle interrupted. She started to worry.

“No, nothing,” Colt answered.

“All right.” Richard sighed. “Now tell me about this truck. Did you get the make or model? The color?”

Colt shook his head. “It was too dark. I only saw an outline of it. But from its rounded shape, I’m positive it was a newer model.”

“Jack, is there any reason why you would think someone was out to hurt you?”

“Why? Do you think someone tried to kill me?” Jack asked.

“You were definitely struck over the back of the head,” Richard said. “If you’d fallen and hit the back of your head, you would’ve been lying faceup. Something, or someone, hit you from behind. And the fire is still being investigated, but we’re sure it was arson.”

A chill ran down Brielle’s spine. She was horrified. Someone had violated their privacy, breached the security of their own home, and purposely tried to kill her brother. She instinctively reached out and took Jack’s hand into hers. “So someone tried to kill him? Who? Why?” She turned to her brother. “Jack, who’d you make enemies with?”

Just then the deputy who’d been standing guard outside the door brought Amy Johnson into the room. “Sheriff, I know you didn’t want to be interrupted, but Ms. Johnson claims to have information about last night.” The officer stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“Gabby, Jack, I’m so sorry about all this.” Amy’s eyes filled with tears. She pulled her necklace from under her blouse and began to nervously toy with it.

Brielle’s eyes widened as she focused in the white-gold necklace twirling around Amy’s fingers. “Where’d you get that necklace? My mom was buried with it!”

Amy shook her head and drew her brows together. “No, it was a gift.”

Jack turned his attention to the piece of jewelry. “Son of a bitch!” he boomed. In two strides he was standing in front of Amy, studying the charm shaped like the state of Texas with a heart-shaped pink diamond in the middle of it. He clenched his jaw and yanked it from her neck. “This was my
mom’s
necklace!”

“Wh … what?” Amy stepped back fearfully, clutching her throat. “I … I’m sure it wasn’t. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“My dad had it specially made for her!” Brielle snapped. She inspected the necklace lying in Jack’s hand. The pink diamond sparkled brilliantly under the lights. “It’s one of a kind. She was wearing it the day she died and was buried with it. How’d you get it?”

“It was a gift … from Billy,” she replied, cowering against the wall.

Everyone fell utterly silent, except for Brielle. “How in the hell did Billy get my mother’s necklace?” She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Amy. “What’d he do? Dig up her grave?”

Amy shook her head fearfully.

Brielle turned to Colt and Jack, confused.

Colt swiped a hand over his mouth and sighed heavily. His eyes filled with sorrow.

Tears rolled down Jack’s cheeks. He clenched his jaw, causing his temples to pulsate. “Because the bastard killed her! And now I’m gonna kill him!” He rushed for the door.

“No! Jack!” Richard shouted as he and the deputy grabbed him.

Jack struggled to break free. “Let me go, dammit!” he shouted angrily. “Get the hell off me!”

Brielle screamed and covered her mouth as she watched her brother struggle with the officers. “Jack! What’s going on? Please stop!” she cried. She took a step toward him.

Colt quickly grabbed her by the waist. “No, Brielle, stay back. They’ll arrest you too.”

“Jack!” Brielle watched helplessly as both Richard and the deputy tackled him, forcing him face first to the ground, and pinned his wrists behind him. They quickly snapped handcuffs around his wrists.

“That bastard raped and killed Mom!” Jack cried, enraged. “I’m gonna kill him! Ugh!” He rested his forehead on the cold hard floor and started to sob.

“Oh my God!” Brielle’s voice shook with horrified dread. “What do you mean? I thought she died of a heart attack? Is it true, Jack? Is it true? Why’d everyone lie to me?
Why?
Why’d Billy hurt her? Oh my God!” Uncontrolled tears streamed her cheeks. Her knees weakened. She felt as if she’d just lost her mother all over again.

Colt held her firmly to him. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he cried. “I’m so sorry.” Remaining on the edge of the bed, he pulled her into his lap and consoled her as her body shook with sobs.

“Jack,” the deputy spoke firmly, pinning him to the ground with his knee between his shoulder blades. “Don’t make me haul you in. Just stay calm and I’ll release you.”

Brielle lifted her head from Colt’s chest to look Richard in the eyes. “Why would he do this?
Why?
” She sucked in a ragged breath.

Richard stood and stepped away from Jack. His face was void of emotion. He looked like he was in shock. After a long pause, he spoke. “Amy, did Billy say where he got the necklace?”

“No,” Amy replied timidly. “But there’s something else … It’s the reason I came here … Billy came to me late last night. He had a shovel and a gas can. He wanted me to hide them for him. The shovel had blood on it. He told me to tell anyone who asked that he was with me all night.” She buried her face into her hands and cried. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Richard grew pale.

“Billy set the damn fire?” Jack shouted, staring wide-eyed at Richard. “He tried to kill
me
too? What in the hell does he have against us? It wasn’t enough that he raped and killed my mom? He had to go and try to rape my sister and kill me? What in the hell’s wrong with your son?”

Horrified, Richard turned to Brielle. “He tried to rape you?”

Brielle nodded as she continued to cry. She eased herself from Colt’s grasp and went to her brother. “Get off of him!” she ordered the deputy.

“Not until he promises to stay calm and stay put,” the deputy replied.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jack said bitterly.

“Where’s Billy now, Amy?” Richard asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. He was gone when I woke up this morning,” she replied.

Brielle helped her brother to his knees and embraced him tightly while the deputy unlocked the cuffs.

Jack started to cry again. “I’m sorry we lied to you, Brielle. Dad didn’t want you to know. The only reason I knew was because I overheard the dispatch and went to the scene that night … I saw her laying there dead!” As soon as his hands were free he threw his arms around Brielle.

“Oh, Jack,” Brielle cried as her heart broke for him … for herself … and for their mother.

Colt released tears of his own.

Jack stood and pulled Brielle to her feet. He snatched some tissues from the counter and handed them to her, before taking some for himself.

“That’s why Dad was so overprotective, isn’t it?” Brielle asked through a sniffle. She pressed a tissue to her nose.

Jack lowered his head. “Yeah. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

“Everything makes sense now,” she whispered sadly as she thought of the day her father had refused her the necklace. And when he’d insisted either he or Jack drive her wherever she needed to go. And how he would come out of the house with a shotgun in his hand if she was late returning home from her dates. She shook her head to clear the memories.

Richard took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed. When he spoke his voice was full of remorse. “Joe, I need a team at Amy Johnson’s trailer. We’ve found the person responsible for last night’s arson, the attempted murder of Jack Sinclair, the attempted rape of Gabrielle Sinclair…” Tears filled his eyes. “And for the rape and murder of Katherine Sinclair.” He ended the call and looked at the deputy. “Frank, take Amy down to the station to get a formal statement.” Then he looked at Jack, his eyes filled with warning. “You stay put.”