“Yeah, but we still have to find out who killed these women,” he said. “With Burke being Desiree’s ex and having a history of violence toward women, he’s a likely candidate. But Jade is another story. Her killing may have similarities, but my gut tells me this doesn’t add up. Something else is at work.”
Jess clenched her teeth. Ray’s hunch was spot on. Beladi and Pinzolo had seen her with Jade in front of Phat Jack’s. If the woman were perceived to be a loose end, Pinzolo would have no problem with cutting her out of the picture, literally.
Had she gotten Jade killed? Her stomach turned at the thought. It was one thing to put her life on the line, but taking Jade with her made her sick.
“So Harper might—and I stress the word ‘might’—have reasonable doubt in his favor for Desiree, but for Jade he’s got nothing. If anything, that killing might strengthen the DA’s case.” Alexa jumped in with the harsh reality of Seth’s situation and locked her gaze on Jess. “They turn up any of his prints at the scene?”
“No, but they’re still working evidence,” Ray admitted.
Jess knew Alexa was making a point to be careful and not expect too much—at least not until they had a chance to talk one-on-one. Beladi was a viable suspect, but she had nothing to go on except gut instinct. Although Alexa had promised a thorough background check on the man, all Jess had were theories and the bruises to go along with them.
But Ray was not happy with Alexa’s take on Harper’s predicament. She could see it on his face.
“It’s time for a little tough love, Jessie,” he said. “That’s why we both came, to plead our case.”
Sam reached for her hand and held it. She was straddling the line between being a friend and a cop, a familiar place.
“You gotta bring in your friend for his own good.” Ray’s usually somber expression softened, and he lowered his voice. “If you care for him, you gotta bring him in whether he wants to come or not. With him on the loose, whoever is framing him is racking up the charges and making it look easy. And the killing may not stop with Jade. Other lives could be at stake.”
Jess knew this was difficult for Ray, too. The guy was pretty cut-and-dried where the law was concerned. But for Sam, he was making an effort.
“I know this will be hard.” He fixed his gaze on her. “But the way I see it, it’s up to you now. Do what’s right, even if your friend can’t see it.”
Jessie gritted her teeth, fighting back nausea. Her loyalty to Seth Harper clashed with the sickening guilt over playing a part in Jade’s death. Her path and Seth’s had crossed when they were both kids, and it was happening again. And all the darkness lurking under her skin and wedged deep in her memory had been stirred awake. She’d have to deal whether she wanted to or not.
But in the end it might come down to one thing.
Could she track down a friend to stop a killer? She hoped Seth would understand.
After Ray and Sam left, Jess sat with Alexa in silence on her living-room sofa. Her appetite had bitten the dust. And to her credit, her new companion gave her plenty of time to think—an intuitive gesture she appreciated.
Finally, she spoke. “Did I get Jade killed?”
Jess stared across the room, unable to look the woman in the eye. She had only thought about finding Mandy’s killer so Harper would walk on the charges. Her sole focus had been on her friend. Had she known someone else would have been murdered, would she have acted differently? The fact that she had to think about the answer scared her.
“Jessie, look at me.” The blonde waited until she did. “You had nothing to do with that woman’s death. My theory is that she got picked because she knew her killer. Whoever did this knew she’d file charges against Harper and probably beat her up to make it look good. You can’t take credit for all the bad choices Jade made in her life. She became a loose end, and someone felt the need to eliminate the threat. You had nothing to do with that.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say I had nothing to do with it.” She shook her head and pulled a pillow to her chest. “My gut tells me Harper would be safer in police custody, like Ray said. But I’m not sure I can be the one who takes him in.”
Duping Harper and betraying his trust felt so wrong. Even though Ray and Sam made a good point that it was time for tough love, she found herself flogging her brain for another option.
“I can do it, if you want,” Alexa offered.
“No, that would only be a cheap shot. He’d know I had something to do with it anyway. No, I gotta do this or find another option.” She took a deep breath. “But I could still use your help. Get me those financials. Maybe we can find something to chase while I’m looking for Harper. Can you put a rush on that?”
“Yeah, I’m on it.” Alexa stood and headed for the door, but turned to add, “You’re not alone in this, Jessie. And neither is Harper. We’re gonna find the bastard who’s really to blame.”
“Thanks, Alexa.” She forced a smile until the woman shut the door, then her smile faded.
Before she devised a scheme to track down Harper, she had a stop to make that was long overdue. Thinking about it brought on a rush of nausea. And her heart ramped up to the rhythm of her shallow breaths, the start of a panic attack she’d experienced far too many times whenever her past threatened to erode the makeshift foundation of her present.
But she had a feeling that facing Detective Max Jenkins alone would be important, an ordeal that fate had set in her path to try out her courage, taking it for a test drive. Confronting the demons of her childhood had always been her destiny—her way of dealing with it. In the back of her mind, she had always known that. Surviving her ordeal and being rescued had only been the beginning.
The real test was yet to come.
CHAPTER 19
Golden Palms Villa
Late afternoon
In the back of her mind, Jess always suspected this day would come—and with it, a flood of mixed emotions gripped her. Driving up to the nursing home gave her a sense that her life was about to come full circle. And even though the prospect of that scared the hell out of her, she felt on the verge of change.
“Max Jenkins.”
She said his name aloud, a mantra that grounded her in the reality she’d soon be looking into the man’s eyes—the detective who had saved her life, taking her from darkness into the light. Seth’s father. She knew that seeing Max again would dredge up the ugliness of her childhood, but in order to confront her fears, she had to see him—to make him real and fix his face in her memory.
She owed him that much and more.
And for the first time, she felt strong enough to do it. This wasn’t about locating Seth. It was more about confronting her demons. Jess didn’t want to believe in fate. The concept was not only depressing, but she couldn’t fathom living in a world that had condemned her to the fate she had experienced as a once-innocent child. Yet how Seth’s life had crossed hers then and now had haunted her thoughts ever since she’d first learned of his connection to her past.
“Another puzzler from Harperworld.” She tried to smile but couldn’t summon one.
She parked her vehicle on the street facing the property, choosing to walk the rest of the way and work out the kinks in her sore muscles. The sunny afternoon carried a nice breeze, downright cheery. But she had serious doubts the good cheer would rub off.
“It’s now or never, Beckett.” She headed for the front door.
Located at the end of a street, the nursing home was set off the road, with a well-manicured front lawn and a wide, curved drive that led to the main entrance. A four-story building of red brick with a white column portico. Toward the back, a wall gave the residents privacy when they ventured outdoors onto the grounds. And a mix of commercial properties and older residences lined the street. The setting was modest but real homey. She’d seen fancier places. And if Anthony Salvatore had had more say in where Max lived, his accommodations might have been different. But she got the distinct impression that Seth had picked this place for his father.