She watched nervously as the two men climbed into the boat and pushed off. When theyd cleared the bank, Jack started the engine and steered them across the channel to the shallow water on the other side. They sat with the motor idling as he angled the spotlight down through the lily pads.
It seemed to Olive they stayed out on the water for an awfully long time. What were they talking about?
Finally, they headed back. Jack tied off and they disembarked.
Tommy climbed up the bank to where Olive and the two deputies waited. Be easier to get her out from the other side, he said. Hope you boys brought your waders.
Jack came up the bank, too, and she found herself instinctively gravitating to his side even as she kept her focus on the sheriff. Who is she, Tommy?
He hesitated. I guess youll find out soon enough. Its Jamie Butaud.
Olive felt sick. Are you sure?
Pretty certain. The physical description matches up. And Jack here spotted a tattoo on her left arm. I remember seeing it on Jamie.
A mermaid, Olive murmured.
You knew her? Jack inquired gently.
She was in one of my classes a few years ago before she dropped out of school. I always worried about her. She seemed so lost.
She worked for Nathan, didnt she? Tommy asked.
Both men peered at Olive in the dark, but it was the fierceness of Jacks sudden concentration that took her by surprise. Yes, as a receptionist.
When was the last time you saw her? Tommy asked.
Olive shrugged. I dont remember specifically. I rarely go to Nathans office, but I would see Jamie in town from time to time, usually with her boyfriend.
She was still seeing the Waller kid?
Marc? Yes, as far as I know.
Bad news, that boy. Comes from a long line of bad news. Tommy ran a hand through his hair. Look, here, you two. I need you to keep quiet about this, at least until we can notify next of kin. And Id like the chance to speak with Waller before he tries to skip town.
Olive glanced from Tommy to Jack. You dont think her death was an accident, do you?
Thats safe to assume, Tommy said. Well know more after the autopsy, but the first thing we have to do is get her out of the water. You dont need to be here for that. Ill have Hank run you home while we wait for the coroner.
I can take her, Jack said.
Tommy didnt look too pleased by the offer. In your boat? Hows that going to work? Olive lives in town, last I heard.
Well go to my uncles cabin and get my car. Seems to me youll need all your manpower here, Sheriff.
Tommy scowled down at her. You okay with that arrangement, Olive?
She resisted the urge to inform him that shed much rather be alone with Jack King than any of the other men present. Instead, she nodded and turned to Jack. Thanks.
No problem.
Tommy was still frowning. Ill need to see each of you in my office first thing in the morning. And remember what I said about keeping this quiet.
Jack took Olives arm and helped her navigate the slippery bank. Once theyd cast off, she averted her gaze from the spot where hed taken Tommy to view the body. But she couldnt help glancing back at the bridge. She let her gaze travel up the iron braces to the very top of the truss. If Jack hadnt spotted her...if he hadnt climbed up there beside her...
Something came to Olive as the bridge receded in the distance. Now she understood why Jack had asked her if shed heard a loud noise or a car engine.
In all likelihood, shed been asleep on that beam when Jamie Butauds killer had thrown her body off the bridge.
* * *
A LITTLE WHILE later Jack pulled his car into Olives driveway and parked. Shed been very quiet on the ride into town, staring out the window until she needed to give him directions to her house.
Are you okay? he asked.
Yes, just lost in thought. Her voice had taken on a raspy edge, either from nerves or the night air.
Jack cut the engine and the headlights went out, but the street lamp on the corner cast a hazy glow inside the car. Her skin looked pale in that light, but her face was alive with colorthe copper of her freckles and the bright blue of her eyes framed by the deep russet of her hair. She peered at him so steadily he had to shift his gaze to the window, instinctively taking stock of their surroundings.
She lived on a quiet street in the oldest part of town. The houses on her block were small with wide front porches and tidy fenced yards. Jack had grown up only a few blocks over in a sturdy old Craftsman that his mother had loved. It had pained her to leave the house of her dreams, but after everything that had happened to their family, Pine Lake no longer seemed like home.
What an awful homecoming youve had, Olive murmured, echoing his thoughts. This night must bring back a lot of bad memories for you.
This town is nothing but a bad memory. He glanced in the rearview mirror, scanning the street behind them.
If you really feel that way, why did you come back?
My uncles estate has some loose ends that cant be tied up over the phone or in an email.
Oh, of course. I was so sorry to hear about his passing. He was a nice man. I always enjoyed his stories. Her regret sounded deep and genuine.
Jack turned in surprise. His stories?
He took classes at the community college where I sometimes teach at night. He was one of my favorite students.
Jack stared at her in astonishment. Leon went to night school? I never knew him to be interested in anything but fishing.
Then it may surprise you to learn that your uncle was a very gifted writer.
He cast her a doubtful glance. Are you sure were talking about the same Leon King?
She smiled. Yes, same man. He always spoke highly of you. He was very proud of the way youd turned things around after everything you went through. She paused thoughtfully. For the record, I never believed you did it.
Why?
His blunt challenge seemed to catch her off guard, but she recovered quickly. Because of the way you would look at Anna. Anyone could see you were crazy about her. And why wouldnt you be? She was a beautiful girl, inside and out.
She was, he said quietly.
And because it wasnt in you. You werent capable of hurting anyone. I doubt you are now unless someone backs you into a corner.
You deduced all that in the space of one car ride?
I deduced all that a long time ago. Youre a good guy. Just like your uncle. Why else would you have climbed to the top of that bridge to rescue me?
Her conviction caught him off guard. When Jack had decided to come back to Pine Lake, hed braced himself for the whispers and gossip. The lingering suspicions. But he hadnt prepared himself for Olive Belmont.
Ive been away from here for a long time, he said. I may not be the man you think I am.
I may not be the woman you think I am, she countered. If you think about me at all, she added sheepishly.
Hard to forget someone you meet on top of a bridge.
He saw a shiver go through her as she turned to stare out the windshield. She looked very enticing with her hair all mussed and her lips slightly parted. Another time, another place and Jack might have responded to the subtle invitation in her smile. But a hookup was the last thing he needed, particularly with Nathan Bolts cousin. Hed come to town to poke a hornets nest. Depending on what he found, things could get ugly. Sides might have to be chosen. After all was said and done, hed return to Houston while Olive would still have to live here. Jack knew only too well what it was like to be a pariah in Pine Lake.
He saw a shiver go through her as she turned to stare out the windshield. She looked very enticing with her hair all mussed and her lips slightly parted. Another time, another place and Jack might have responded to the subtle invitation in her smile. But a hookup was the last thing he needed, particularly with Nathan Bolts cousin. Hed come to town to poke a hornets nest. Depending on what he found, things could get ugly. Sides might have to be chosen. After all was said and done, hed return to Houston while Olive would still have to live here. Jack knew only too well what it was like to be a pariah in Pine Lake.
She gave him another tentative smile and he tamped down the urge to tuck back her hair as he studied her face in the dim light.
I know now why you told the sheriff I had just arrived at the lake, she said. I figured it out in the boat. You think I was on top of the bridge when the killer dumped Jamies body in the water.
Seems a safe bet. It couldnt have taken more than five minutes for me to get to the bridge after I first heard a splash and you were already up there.
So you wanted to place me on the road rather than the bridge.
He shifted his position, turning toward her as he relaxed his arm across the back of her seat. I heard that splash and then a few minutes later, a car engine. The vehicle drove away on the other side of the lake. Even if you really had been on the road at the same time the body was dumped from the bridge, you wouldnt have seen anything.
She gave him an anxious look. That explains why you asked if Id heard a car engine. But I told you beforeI never remember anything when I sleepwalk.
Jamies killer wouldnt know that, though. He or she might not want to take the chance that something would eventually come back to you.
That gave her pause. She cast an uneasy glance over her shoulder. Do you really think I could be in danger?
He wanted to reassure her that all would be well, but a false sense of security was never a good idea. She needed to watch her back. They werent out of the woods yet. The story theyd concocted for Tommy Driscoll was only a little more plausible than the actual truth. As long as we dont give the killer a reason to feel threatened, hell lay low. As far as anyone knows, I was the first to arrive on the scene. If he gets skittish, hell come after me.
That doesnt give me much comfort, she said with a frown.
It should. I know how to handle myself.
Leon told me that youd been a cop. And now youre some sort of security consultant. With all your experience, you must have some idea of how Jamie died.
Are you sure you want to know?
She swallowed. I wasnt. But now I think you have to tell me.
She has what appears to be a large exit wound between her eyes. Im guessing she was shot at close range in the back of the head.
In the back of the head... Olive repeated numbly.
Without a closer examination of the body or a look at the autopsy report, I can only speculate. But Ive seen the pattern of the wound before in execution-style murders.
Execution? She stared at him in shock. Who would do such a thing to poor Jamie?
You never heard talk about her involvement in any illegal activities?
She got into some trouble when she was younger. Drugs. Possession, I think. Her mother asked Nathan to represent her, but the family didnt have any money. He agreed to take the case pro bono if Jamie agreed to go to night school and get her GED.
What about her boyfriend?
I dont know him personally, but Tommy was right. Marc Waller is bad news. He was also arrested for possession but with the intent to sell. If convicted, he could have gone to prison for a very long time. But Nathan got the case dismissed because of an unlawful search. Needless to say, that didnt go over well with local law enforcement.
Nathan Bolt seems to be the go-to attorney for drug charges, Jack observed.
Well, there arent a lot of choices in the area and my cousin is very good at what he does. She sighed. The news about Jamie will devastate him. If it turns out that Marc Waller had anything to do with her death, Nathan will never forgive himself.
These revelations were all very interesting to Jack. On the night of his return, hed stumbled across a murder victim who happened to be a young woman that Nathan Bolt had taken under his wing. The timing was a little more than Jack could swallow as happenstance.
Its late, Olive said. And were both expected at the police station first thing in the morning so...
Right. Ill walk you to the door.
You dont need to do that. Im fine.
Jack reached for the door handle. For my own peace of mind, Id like to have a look around before I go.
To be honest, its probably best for my peace of mind, too.
They got out of the car and walked up the porch steps together. The front door stood ajar and Olive turned to him with a worried frown.
Im sure its nothing. I probably failed to close it earlier.
Jack brushed past her, glancing over his shoulder to scan the street and all the shadowy corners of the yard before toeing open the door. Wheres the light switch?
To your left.
Wait here. He eased through the quiet house, giving each room a thorough search before returning to the foyer. All clear.
Thanks for checking. Olive stepped inside and followed his gaze to the bolt at the top of the door. A precaution. Not that it did any good tonight.
You unlocked the deadbolt in your sleep?
Apparently.
You should get a security system, one with a loud enough alarm to wake you if a door or window is opened.
Yes, my mother had one put in when the episodes first started. As I said, I thought Id outgrown them, but after tonight, I wont take any chances. Ill arrange for an installation as soon as possible.
Jack took a last sweep of the small, but comfortable living area. The walls were white and the furniture gray, not unlike the nondescript color scheme in his apartment. But Olive had punctuated the space with pillows and throw rugs in bright shades of red and turquoise. He observed everything, not because her design aesthetic interested him, but because a house could reveal a lot about the person who lived there.
Olive Belmont seemed to be an open book. If her cousin was involved in something as shady as Tommy had implied, Jack doubted she knew anything about it. But then, he had been fooled before.
He stepped out on the porch and scoured the darkness. The breeze had picked up, fluttering through the trees in Olives front yard and unleashing the scent of jasmine from the bushes that grew up her fence. It was all very lush and homey and familiar and yet Jack felt strangely unmoored as if coming back here to his hometown had caused him to lose his bearings.
He turned back to Olive. Are you sure youll be all right for the rest of the night?
Ill be fine. If I sleep at all, it wont be deeply enough to leave my bed.
An image of that bed floated through Jacks headcrisp white linens and soft, soft pillows.
Well, good night, then. He bent impulsively to kiss her cheek. The action took both of them by surprise and she jerked her head just enough so that his mouth brushed hers.