Czytaj książkę: «Plain Target»

ONE

“Fire!”

Jess McGrath tore the fire extinguisher off the wall before running back to the blaze in her brother’s office. For the first time in five weeks she entered the room where she had found Cody dead from his own hand. Behind her, her hearing aids caught the eruption of sound as her visitors, Rebecca and Levi Miller, scurried to help the two daytime workers release the horses into the pasture. Gratitude surged briefly. Rebecca was her oldest friend. No one else had stuck by her when the scandal started, leading to Cody’s disgrace and the near ruin of their training stables. Her Amish-raised friend didn’t even consider abandoning Jess. It was fortunate that Rebecca had persuaded her indulgent older brother to give her a ride in to visit Jess today on his buggy. With staff down to the bare-bones minimum, Jess needed all the help she could get.

Pulling the pin, Jess aimed the extinguisher at the flames consuming the exterior wall. Would it be enough?

Please Lord, let everyone and the horses be safe. The pictures on the wall connected to the stalls vibrated as the horses were led out. They would go directly to the pasture.

The flames died out and the extinguisher sputtered as it emptied. Jess stared at the destruction before her. Cody’s desk had taken the brunt of it, along with the wall. How had it started? The electrical systems had all been updated within the past three years. And no one had been in the office for weeks.

Not since the police had taken all Cody’s files when he came under suspicion for various charges of fraudulent practices. A third of the clientele to the stables and training facilities she owned with her brother had taken their business, and their horses, elsewhere. River Road Stables was facing bankruptcy if she didn’t find a way to improve business.

Her eyes landed on the still smoldering heap that had been a garbage can. It was unrecognizable. Only the fact that Jess knew what it should be helped her identify it. Her stomach turned. Trembling began from her toes up. Had the fire started there?

The floor vibrated, almost a heaving feeling. Jess spun around in time to see the large bookcase rock forward. The frame was anchored to the wall, but she could see the screws being ripped out. Even as she jumped out of its way, she knew she hadn’t jumped far enough. The heavy shelf toppled, knocking into her as it fell. She crashed to the ground. A sharp pain exploded in her head.

* * *

Jess struggled to open her eyes. The left side of her face ached. Her ears rang. With a groan, she lifted her head, only to drop it as nausea rolled over her.

A warm hand patted her shoulder. She risked opening her eyes again. A paramedic loomed over her, a concerned frown digging furrows in his forehead. He looked vaguely familiar. Her head ached too much to wonder where she had seen him before.

“Jessica? Jess, can you hear me?”

She blinked, incredulous. Who was this man? She had to have met him somewhere. Not only did he know her name, but he had also signed as he spoke. Of course, she was wearing her hearing aids, so it wasn’t fully necessary. It was appreciated all the same.

She moved her head. Oww.

“My head hurts,” she moaned.

He nodded, watching her carefully. “I think you may have a concussion. We’ll know better once a doctor examines you. I did check your vitals. They look good.” He continued to sign while he spoke.

“How did you know I’m deaf?”

His eyes widened, a surprised expression crossing his face. Followed immediately by a guilty one. His gaze shifted nervously before returning to rest on her face again.

“You don’t recognize me?” He seemed wary of her answer.

She shook her head slowly, wincing as her aching head protested. “No, but you look really familiar.”

He sighed. “High school.”

It couldn’t be.

Narrowing her eyes, she looked closer. It was. How had she not recognized him? But he had changed so much from the gangly sixteen-year-old boy she had known so briefly eleven years ago. His black curly hair was shorter, and his scrawny body had shot up in height and was well muscled. The nerdy glasses were gone. But the eyes...she did remember them. Deep brown eyes that she had crushed on for several months during her freshman year before realizing that the sweet boy she thought she knew didn’t exist. He had been a bad boy who was only interested in flaunting the rules and irritating his high-society parents.

“Seth Travis.” The words felt bitter on her tongue.

He nodded, then focused his attention off himself. “Do I need to sign, or can you hear me well enough if I just talk? I can help you faster if I don’t sign.”

“Yeah, as long as I have my hearing aids on and it’s quiet and I can see your face, I’m good.”

“I remember that.”

Of course he did. Seth had always been brilliant. On track to be the salutatorian. Not to mention his memory. She had been amazed at his ability to recall even the smallest of details. She didn’t remember him signing in high school, though. When had he learned? And why bother?

“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me. What with my dad being the senator and all.”

She shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I saw you and you’ve changed a lot. And I don’t pay attention to politics. Never have.”

“So you never saw my old man on television?” His mouth curled in a slight sneer. Problems with his dad, apparently. It was none of her business, but she couldn’t say she approved of his attitude. She would never have disrespected her parents that way.

“I don’t own a TV.” She didn’t add that she had better things to do with her time than to watch the drama of the spoiled rich kid she remembered play out before her.

Rebecca entered the stables, and Jess settled her attention on her dearest friend. Rebecca’s brother, Levi, followed her at a slower pace. It still looked odd to see Rebecca dressed Englisch when she stood next to her Amish brother. But it warmed her heart, too, knowing that Rebecca’s family supported her choices. Jess knew that Rebecca’s social circle was very small, due in part to her deafness. It could have been smaller. If she had left her community after she’d been baptized, she would have been shunned, even by her family. The fact that she had decided to leave her Amish community instead of being baptized had enabled her to keep her close ties to her family.

“Is everyone okay? The horses?” Jess signed to Rebecca, who was born profoundly deaf. Unlike Jess, Rebecca depended totally on American Sign Language, or ASL. People were always surprised to find out how little she could lip read. English was a difficult language to lip read well, with so many sounds looking the same on the lips. Add the fact that Rebecca’s family spoke Pennsylvania Dutch at home into the mix, it was no wonder she hadn’t bothered with it.

“Yes. We helped your two employees move them to the back pasture. How are you? I was scared when I found you unconscious.” Rebecca’s hands flew.

Jess looked at Seth. Did he need her to interpret? Her mouth fell open when he answered Rebecca in almost fluent ASL. That was a whole different skill set than putting signs to English grammar. She was impressed in spite of herself.

“My partner and I need to take her to the hospital,” he signed, indicating someone behind her.

Jess hadn’t even noticed the other paramedic. The woman walked their way, pushing a stretcher. She gave Jess a professional smile.

Jess turned her attention back to Rebecca and Levi. “Did anyone call the fire department?”

They both shook their heads. “We didn’t think it was necessary,” Levi answered her. “The fire was out. It was gut, jah?”

No surprise there. Calling for outside help would not enter Levi’s mind unless it was absolutely crucial.

She hesitated. Part of her was relieved not to have to handle the firefighters or police. She had dealt with so much scandal recently, she didn’t have the heart to face more. But the other part of her wondered if the fire was an accident. It just seemed odd that it started in Cody’s office for no apparent reason.

A stretcher halted on her left side. The female paramedic had reached their small group.

“I called the fire department a few minutes ago.” The blond woman leaned over to check something on the stretcher. “It’s not uncommon for a fire to restart hours after it’s put out. It’s pretty standard procedure to have the local fire department check it out.”

So there was no longer any choice. Jess sighed. She just wanted this day to be over. Quickly, she murmured a prayer for strength. Seth gave her a startled glance, but didn’t comment. Instead, he and his partner loaded her into the ambulance and whisked her off to the hospital.

Two hours later, she was receiving her release papers and, except for a lingering headache, a clean bill of health. What was unexpected was that Seth reappeared as she was getting ready to leave with Rebecca. And with him was a police officer. A very grim-faced officer.

“Jess, this is Sergeant Jackson from the LaMar Pond Police Department. He needs to speak with you for a minute.” He signed the introductions, then started to back away.

Without thought, her hand shot out and caught at his. “Stay. Please.”

He raised his eyebrows, but nodded. She closed her eyes, feeling some of the tension in her chest disintegrate. As little as she trusted Seth, he was someone she knew. Being alone with a police officer was a frightening prospect for her. All she could think of were the accusations of fraud and theft, not to mention the thorough searches she’d endured, that had happened both before and after Cody’s death. No matter how much she and Cody had protested that he hadn’t stolen money from his foundation or rigged horse races, no one believed them. And even knowing the police were just doing their job didn’t shake her feeling that they looked at her with suspicion.

Plus, she reasoned, Seth signed, which could help. As well as she read lips, she sometimes needed to see the words to be sure she understood them. And interpreters were hard to find. She could be here hours if she waited for one.

Sergeant Jackson cleared his throat. “Miss McGrath, the fire department investigated the fire at the stables. It’s their inspector’s opinion that the fire might have been deliberately set.”

A shiver worked its way up her spine. Her day had just gotten much worse.

* * *

Gravel crunched under the tires of Seth’s Ford pickup truck as he turned into the driveway of River Road Stables the next morning. Water splashed up on his tires. The heavy scent of wet hay slipped through the inch-wide crack in his window. It had stormed the night before, and puddles were everywhere. His front tire hit a particularly deep puddle, and he was jarred by the motion as his truck bounced. Man, they really needed to fix the potholes on this driveway.

A yawn crept up on him. He had barely been able to sleep last night. The image of Jess’s distraught face haunted him. A queasy sensation settled in his stomach as he realized that the only reason she wasn’t being investigated for possibly causing the fire was because of her injury. Yet. He had seen the look in Gavin Jackson’s eyes. And he had been around cops enough to know that often arson was committed for insurance fraud.

He expected to continue up the lane to find Jessica in her one-story ranch house where she should be resting, as per doctor’s orders. His plan shifted when he spotted her brown ponytail swaying as she walked into the barn. Pressing his lips together, he parked his truck in front of the barn. Frustration and worry mingled. As hard as it was to believe, she didn’t have a concussion from her accident yesterday. Still, he was sure she probably was feeling some aches and pains. Enough to convince most people to take it easy and rest. A sigh escaped. Not that he was surprised that she refused to slow down. She always had pushed herself harder than others around her. In his mind, he had always wondered if she felt that being deaf, she had to overachieve in order to prove herself.

To be fair, she had probably been right. He could remember the one class they had together—biology. The teacher had tried to convince her to drop the class, telling her in front of her peers that he didn’t have time to waste trying to keep her caught up.

But she had been stubborn. And the guidance counselor had asked Seth to tutor her, to ensure her success. He’d agreed, reluctantly, knowing it would look good to the teachers and guidance counselors who would eventually write him college recommendation letters. And soon found that they had all underestimated her. Had started to admire her, to like her—and that was where the trouble had begun.

He winced. Those were memories he didn’t want to relive.

Parking the truck, he grabbed the wallet he had found on his floorboard that morning. If she had noticed it missing, she might be panicking about now. It gave him the excuse he needed to pay her a visit, although he refused to think about why he was so anxious to see her again. He was a paramedic—it was his job to worry about people, particularly people who had just been injured. He had been skeptical when she had agreed to follow the doctor’s directives. Something told him that she wouldn’t be able to sit still. He had seen the stubborn look in her eyes.

Obviously he had been right.

Didn’t she know she needed to rest? He admitted to himself that he was concerned. Working alone in the barn was not safe for her. And she had said the day before that no one would be coming in until after lunch. It hadn’t struck him until he had dropped her off that someone—meaning her—would have to come out to take care of the horses in the morning. All alone like that, she would be an easy target if the person who’d attacked her stables came back. He shook off the thought. For all he knew, the fire was a random act by a group of kids. Yeah, right.

The stable door was standing open. He headed that way, pausing just inside it. Jessica stood outside the office door, her arms closed tight against her belly, her eyes squeezed shut. He started, ready to rush in and...what? Comfort her? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he didn’t like seeing her so vulnerable. Never had, even though their association had been so brief. Which made what had happened even more contemptible. When he had betrayed her trust, he had left her open to the cruelty of others. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t been a part of the actions they had taken against her. He knew what a soft heart she had. And that she had a crush on him. But instead of protecting her, he’d stepped back and allowed her to be hurt in a disaster which ended with her being pulled from the school.

He drew himself away from his painful memories. Then he noticed her lips were moving. She was praying. Okay, now he felt really uncomfortable. He wasn’t big on prayer. Not that he minded other people praying. He just hadn’t had much experience with it personally. And to be honest, he rather doubted it did any good.

A few seconds later she opened her eyes. They widened as she saw him poised in the doorway.

“Seth! What are you doing here?” Her voice was low and pleasant. Although her inflections were slightly irregular, most people probably wouldn’t even pick up on that.

“You left this in my truck.” He waved the bright pink wallet at her.

Jess’s hazel eyes widened. “Oh, no! I hadn’t even noticed it was missing.”

“No worries. It was safe. And I’m even a little glad ’cuz it gave me an excuse to check up on you. Make sure you were taking it easy.” He gave her a pointed look.

She bit her lip. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she scuffed the toe of her boot in the dirt. When she flicked her glance back up to his face, he was momentarily distracted by her wide hazel eyes. He hadn’t let himself feel attracted to a woman for a long time. His behavior in high school, and his poor judgment six years ago with his former fiancée, had taught him that he was not husband material. As bitter as it made him feel, he had been forced to acknowledge that he was too much like his father. Selfish and prone to hurt those close to him. Shaking himself out of it, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

He held his breath while he waited to see if she would answer. He wouldn’t blame her if she brushed him off. She had no reason to trust him. Past events would tell her not to. But he really hoped she would.

Finally, she sucked in a deep breath. Let it out slowly.

“You know that the police are toying with the idea that I started the fire?” She waited for him to nod before she continued. “What I couldn’t tell the officer last night was the fire wasn’t the first accident.”

“What?” He hadn’t meant to shout, but her words terrified him. He wanted to sweep her into his truck and drive her to a safe place. The feeling surprised him. And made him uncomfortable.

Jess squirmed. Then she lifted her chin and seemed to collect herself. “I didn’t realize at first that they were anything more than accidents. I put it down to carelessness. Until last week. A new ladder broke when I took it out to paint. That’s when I started to wonder if someone was behind the accidents. Then this happened.”

“How long has this been going on?” He kept his voice calm with an effort.

“About three weeks.”

“You should have mentioned it to Sergeant Jackson last night,” Seth admonished her.

Hazel eyes blazed up at him. “And you think he would believe me? Just when my barn suffers extensive fire damage and I’m a person of interest?”

She had a point. It would have looked like she was lying to cover her tracks.

“I think it started because I was asking too many questions.”

He wasn’t going to like this. “Asking questions about what?”

Those soft lips started to tremble. She squished them together. “I know that people think my brother was guilty of something, what with him dying the way he did and all. But I can’t believe that of him. He was the most gentle, sincere person I have ever known. I have been trying to find evidence to take to the police to clear his name.”

He knew something dicey had happened, although he was foggy on all the details.

“What is it that they think he’d done, exactly?”

For a long moment, she stood, jaw clenched. Clearly it wasn’t a topic she enjoyed discussing, and he felt a twinge of guilt for even bringing it up. But he needed to know what they were dealing with if he was going to help her.

“My brother had started a rescue foundation for abused racehorses. Several months ago, one of his volunteers noticed that money was being stolen. The police suspected Cody. The fact that he spent so much time at the race track was suspicious. I guess there was suspicion that he was using funds to support a gambling habit. They questioned him, and there was an investigation. It was never closed. Cody was never even officially charged—they didn’t have enough evidence against him. But when he took his own life, everyone seemed to take that as an admission of guilt. People who had contributed to the foundation felt hurt, betrayed. I can understand that,” she admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I’m all right with people continuing to say such horrible things about him when no one has been able to provide a scrap of evidence proving that he did anything wrong.”

“So you spoke up in his defense,” Seth concluded, “both when he was first questioned, and then later after his death. And that’s turned people against you?”

She nodded.

“Including the police?” he asked.

“Especially the police. Not only was I unable to convince them he was innocent, they made it clear that I was also on their radar, since I worked for the foundation in a minor role. They wouldn’t listen to me.”

Frustrated, he shoved a hand through his hair. “You have to let the police know about the other accidents, Jess. This is no joke.”

She started to shake head. “Don’t you understand? There is no way they will believe me! And the stables are already losing clients. If these things keep happening, then I will have to sell the horses and the stable.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Seth, owning a training stable has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I have already lost my brother. I can’t lose this, too.”

A constriction formed in his throat. It was necessary to swallow several times to ease the tightness. A sudden thought popped into his head.

“Wait a minute! Jess, my brother-in-law is a lieutenant in the LaMar Pond Police Department. You can talk to him.” Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? Dan was pretty easygoing. And he was head-over-heels ridiculously in love with Seth’s half sister Maggie, which meant he’d do just about anything Seth asked—including hearing Jess out, and giving her the benefit of the doubt.

“I didn’t know you had siblings.” There was that suspicious look on her face again. He was going to have to work hard to earn her trust.

“It’s a long story. But Maggie is my half sister. I met her almost a year ago for the first time, but we’ve gotten close. And her husband, Dan, is a good guy.”

A humorless laugh left her mouth. “I can’t believe I’m considering listening to you. Seth, we knew each other in high school, but that was eleven years ago. And you betrayed my trust back then. Why should I give it to you now?”

Why, indeed.