Dangerous Passage (Southern Crimes Book #1): A Novel (4 page)

“Wait.” He squeezed her fingers gently, sending shivers up her arm. “I know this is personal, but I also don’t want you to feel as if you have to hide who you are for me. I’ve learned over the past few weeks what’s important to you. Your faith, your daughter, family, your job—these are the things that make you who you are. And I like that. I like the fact that you go rock climbing with your daughter, paint in your free time, and loved your brother enough to find out the truth about what happened to him.”

A fresh flood of tears burned her eyes. They’d buried Michael just a few months ago in the spring, and as much as she longed to go back and erase that moment, she knew she was going to
have to accept what had happened. And it wasn’t just the loss of Michael. Her mother’s slow spiral into depression after a difficult year of loss had triggered Avery’s need to make things right again. Finding Michael’s killer might not bring him back to life, but finding answers would help bring the closure they all needed.

Because while Michael Hunt might have been one of their own, sometimes she was convinced that the department had given up on finding his killer. Not that they would ever admit that. Even her father’s influence hadn’t been enough to bring the killer to justice. Which meant that unless she could discover the truth, her brother’s death would go unsolved. A murderer would go free. And her brother’s name would be marred forever.

J
ackson watched Avery’s expression flicker from grief to determination. Leading a murder investigation was one thing. Needing to find answers for the death of a family member had to have stretched her emotions to a whole other level.

She sat back down on the couch and drew her feet up underneath her. “How much have you heard about Michael’s case?”

He moved to sit down beside her. “I know that two officers were killed in an explosion in a warehouse. One of them was your brother.”

She fiddled with a loose thread on her hemline. “Michael and his partner, Blake Watson, had been working undercover for months, assigned to infiltrate a group suspected of dealing in arms and drugs in the area. They were making inroads, but then something went wrong. Michael’s handler got a distress signal from Michael about three in the afternoon. Thirty seconds later the building blew up. They found the remains of their bodies, but no evidence of the weapons or drugs they were there to buy.”

“Someone found out who they really were?”

“Presumably. The FBI was later able to match the bomb signature to a known terrorist bomb-maker. Which is why we believe Michael had stumbled onto something bigger than just a local
arms dealer. So not only did someone find out who they were, they clearly didn’t want them to dig any further.”

She leaned against the back of the couch, lips drawn tight, and let out a slow breath. “I don’t know what else you’ve heard, but there’s more to the story than just two decorated officers killed in the line of duty. While the case is still officially unsolved, Michael is suspected of being a department leak.”

Jackson gauged her expression. Clearly there was a lot of pain wrapped up in the accusations that to her must seem like betrayal by the department. He’d heard the rumors surrounding the case but had decided to ignore the media’s version and wait until she was ready to tell him herself. “I thought everything was still inconclusive.”

“The department knew someone was peddling lists of informants in return for large sums of cash. Some of it was intelligence gathered by Michael in several key undercover operations that had given him access to information that potentially could be worth something to the right person . . . if he’d wanted to sell it. ”

“So things point to your brother, and he is the one blamed for the leak.”

“They also found a laptop hidden in the apartment where he was living while undercover that contained what the department has only described as sensitive information. But evidence can be planted.”

Jackson caught the frustration in her voice. Fear of someone’s betrayal was often harder to accept than death. He’d experienced that firsthand. He pushed back his own cloudy memories of his mother’s infidelity. “I take it you have a theory?”

“Yes, though no one has bought into mine.”

“What do you believe?”

“If you go through all the evidence—and believe me, I have—there is one person who can be linked to almost every incident, but the department doesn’t agree.”

“Who is that?”

“Michael’s handler, Mason Taylor. I might have known Mason for a long time and thought of him once as a friend, but I knew my brother better. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Michael wasn’t the kind of man who would sell out for money.”

He sat quietly beside her and waited for her to continue. With the department on the “other side” and her family ready for closure, there weren’t a lot of people she could turn to.

“This list of accusations is another reason it’s been hard to let go of Michael. To listen to the rumors and the lies being spread about his character. Things that I know aren’t true.” She reached up to rub her temples. “Something about today made me relive Michael’s death all over again. I guess it’s because I’ve spent weeks on our last Jane Doe case, and all I ever came up with was a pile of dead ends with every suspect and every witness. Facing the same situation again with our latest victim just rubs it in, and reminds me of my brother’s case—another unsolved crime.”

“It’s hard when so many of the pieces are out of your control.”

“My family seems to think my determination to find the truth about Michael’s death has become more of a vice than a help. That it’s dragging out the grieving process for all of us, when instead it’s time we accept what has happened and simply let him go.”

“Something you’re not ready to do.”

“No.”

Jackson searched for something to say. “My grandfather would quote Lincoln right about now. ‘It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.’”

Avery’s smile surfaced again. “I like your grandfather already. Tell me about him.”

“He’s a Civil War buff who actually remembers stories
his
grandfather told him about fighting in the war,” he began, willing to let her guide the conversation. “He’s quirky, smart, and managed to raise me since I was twelve.”

“Your parents? Were they a part of the picture?”

Jackson paused. They’d talked briefly about their past over their first two dates, but he had enjoyed their slow pace of getting to know each other. Because while many of the scars from his childhood had—for the most part—healed, even time hadn’t completely erased the sting of his mother’s abandonment. “My mother decided early on that a family was too much responsibility, and she’d rather be out partying. Eventually she left us for good. My father loved my sister and me, but couldn’t handle being a single parent. He worked as a commercial fisherman, which meant lots of time at sea, so I can’t really blame him. It was the only thing he knew how to do. He eventually sent my sister and me off to Texas to live with our grandparents. Right after I started college, while my grandmother was still alive, my grandfather’s job transferred to Atlanta.”

“Do you ever get to see your father?”

“He came to visit every Christmas, and eventually we became close after college. He died in a fishing accident about five years ago.”

“I’m sorry. I’d like to meet your grandfather someday.”

“I’d like you to meet him. He was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which, as you know, is the reason I moved here to Atlanta.”

She caught his gaze, her eyes full of question. “You’d want to know the truth, wouldn’t you?”

Jackson only had to consider her question for a brief moment. “Yes. I’d say that your brother deserves more than an obituary in the newspaper. Your family deserves—you deserve—to know the truth.”

“That’s what I want to give him. I’m just looking for closure.
For proof he was innocent like I know he was. And for answers for my family and for me.” She shook her head and grinned. “How did we get so serious?”

“It’s been one of those days that reminds you just how vulnerable each of us really are.” He reached out and grasped her fingers. “Are you still hungry?”

“Yes, though a part of me is content just to sit and talk.”

“Me too.” He loved the blush that crept up her checks, the way she ducked her head as if in doing so she could hide her most intimate thoughts. The way she bit the edge of her lip when she finally looked back up at him.

He could get used to coming home to her every night. He loved his grandfather, but being with Avery beat listening to nightly tales of Abraham Lincoln and William Sherman by a long shot.

From the first time they met, he was drawn to her fiery spirit—and now her vulnerable side. He’d never met anyone so focused. She knew how to throw herself completely into an investigation while somehow still managing to not let the day-to-day tragedies of the job harden her.

He laced their fingers together and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. He was close enough that he could breathe in the sweet scent of her perfume. Close enough to kiss her. He tried to read her expression as he reached out to brush her hair from her face.

A moment before he leaned forward to act on his impulse, he felt her tense and pull back. Her gaze dropped.

“Avery, I’m . . .” He stopped short of saying he was sorry. He wasn’t sorry for wanting to kiss her. Or sorry for wanting her to be a part of his world.

She stood up and walked toward the basement window. “I wanted to be ready for this.” The setting sun filtered through the glass, casting a soft light across her face as she turned back
to him, but he couldn’t read her expression. “I thought I was ready for something more to develop between us.”

“And now?”

“Today, I missed lunch with my mom along with my daughter’s swim tryouts because of a murder investigation. I know you are looking for more than just a casual dating relationship, but the bottom line is that I don’t know if I have enough of me to give right now.”

“I know your life is full, and I’m certainly not trying to demand more of you.” How did he fight for her without pushing her away in the process? “But neither of us are walking into this blindly. We both know what it takes to make a relationship work. And while I realize it’s too early to know where our relationship will end up, all I know how to do is be honest with you. I miss coming home to someone. I miss someone to share my heart with, to wake up to, and snuggle with in front of the fireplace at night.”

“Which is exactly the problem. I’m not sure I can be that person you want.”

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not that person, but I had hoped we could at least see if it were possible.”

The heartache he’d experienced over losing Ellie resurfaced. There had been so much loss coupled with her death. Marrying his college sweetheart had seemed perfect. They’d planned to start a family, giving him a chance to become to his own children everything his parents had failed to be.

But none of that had ever happened. The January after their summer wedding Ellie was diagnosed with cancer. Nine months later he lost her forever.

He glanced back up at Avery. Tonight wasn’t about Ellie, or even his past. It was about the fact that he was falling in love with that woman standing in front of him. She was the complete opposite to Ellie in many ways, but maybe the real problem lay
in the fact that the two of them had reached different places in life. While he was ready to commit to a relationship, she clearly wasn’t.

“Maybe I’d better go.” Jackson took a step toward the basement stairs, hoping she’d say something to stop him, while not wanting to push her in a direction she wasn’t willing to take. “I’ll keep you updated on any new developments in the case from my end.”

“Thank you.” Avery wrapped her arms around her waist. The professional tinge in her voice was back. “I appreciate all your help.”

Jackson headed up the staircase, wishing he could take back the past few seconds. Wishing she’d say something—anything—to break the tension that had just settled between them. And hoping he hadn’t just managed to push away the best thing that had come into his life in a very, very long time.

A
very yawned, then snuggled closer against Tess’s shoulder. Jackson had been right. Somewhere between slices of cold pizza and Emily’s root beer floats, Tess had decided to forgive her for missing the swim tryout.

Forgiving herself for what had happened between her and Jackson had proven to be far harder.

Tess and Emily had talked her into watching one of their favorite renditions of the Cinderella story,
Ever After
. It was a movie she’d already watched a dozen times, but tonight it had taken the first half of the movie just to settle her mind. By the second half, she’d hardly been able to keep her eyes open.

Emily echoed her yawn from the other side of the couch as the final credits rolled. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m going to have to call it a night.”

“You’re not the only one.” Avery nudged Tess with her elbow. “You’ll never be able to get up for school if you don’t go to bed now. Six will be here before you know it.”

Tess groaned and took Avery’s hand, making her wish she could freeze the moment so she could hold on to it forever. It wouldn’t be too long before the boys started calling, independence completely set in, and her tween was ready to fly the coop. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready.

Avery squeezed Tess’s hand, then helped her off the couch. “Go get ready for bed. I’ll come say good night in a minute.”

Tess hugged her aunt and stumbled toward her bedroom, already half asleep.

Emily started helping Avery clear off the coffee table littered with the remains of microwave popcorn and lemonade cans. “Thanks for letting me hang out tonight.”

“You know how much Tess loves having you here, and so do I. And besides, I’m the one who should be thanking you. You saved me from having to help her clean out the mice cage. There aren’t very many things that really bother me, but mice . . .” She exaggerated a shudder.

“Those mice are adorable.” Emily dumped the cans into the recycling bin in the kitchen and laughed. “You know, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand you. You work at crime scenes and attend autopsies but can’t stand the sight of a harmless little mouse.”

“They’re not adorable, they’re creepy.” Avery grabbed a washcloth for the counter and got it wet. “She’s lucky to have you as an aunt, and not just because you’re willing to help clean out animal cages.”

“And she’s lucky to have you as a mom.”

Familiar pangs of guilt jabbed afresh. “I’m not sure how much credit I deserve. I’ve been working far too many hours.”

“Don’t even start with the guilt act. Besides, I hardly think you have to worry about that. It does her good to spend time with Mom and me. She loves it and so do we. And you’re always there when she needs you.”

Avery finished wiping down the counter. Being a single mom had always been someone else’s struggle until one day it had been thrust upon her and she’d had to deal with it head-on.

Emily picked up her purse. “You know I try not to be the nosey sister, but you never said anything about what happened with Jackson, or why you didn’t go out.”

Avery rubbed the back of her neck, trying to erase the lingering headache. She’d have to take a couple more aspirin before she went to bed. “We were going to, but my day didn’t exactly go as planned. I was given a new case, which meant I missed lunch with Mom, missed Tess’s tryouts. Trying to add a new relationship into the mix . . . I don’t know. I just don’t see how it’s going to work.”

“So you panicked?”

“I didn’t say that . . . I’m just not sure there’s going to be another date.”

“You’re not serious, are you? This guy is perfect for you. Smart, incredibly good-looking . . .”

Avery raised her brow. “Then why don’t you ask him out?”

“Very funny.” Emily crossed her arms, clearly not impressed with her excuses. “What happened tonight, Avery? What really happened?”

The last thing she wanted to talk about was Jackson. How he’d almost kissed her. And how she’d panicked. She looked down at the floor. There was a stain in the carpet. How long had it been since she’d had it cleaned? Six, eight months? She made a mental note to call the carpet cleaners.

“Avery? What happened?”

“You want to know what happened? A girl was murdered. We found her dead behind a Dumpster. No ID. She’s nothing more than another Jane Doe for now.”

“Wow. I’m sorry.”

“Some cases are tougher than others. This is one of them.”

“Listen, I really am sorry, but what does any of that have to do with Jackson? Because I also know how important it is for you to have a life of your own outside work.”

“I know, but I can’t lose focus on this case, and Jackson is turning into a distraction.”

“He’s become a distraction, so you’re not going out with
him anymore? You need a few distractions in your life. That’s a good thing, Avery.” Emily paused for a moment. “Sometimes . . . sometimes I wonder if you don’t use your work, your fixation with Michael’s case, and even Tess as an excuse to avoid getting involved in a serious relationship again.”

Avery swallowed hard. “What if I’m simply not ready for something serious? He tried to kiss me.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “You sent him home because he tried to kiss you. That makes a lot of sense.”

“He took me by surprise.”

“Which means what now?”

“I don’t know. We left things up in the air.”

“He left things up in the air, or you left things up in the air?”

“That’s not fair—”

“Just answer this. Is he really an unwanted distraction, or does he make you feel vulnerable?”

Avery rubbed her temples and sat down on the couch. The last thing she wanted right now was a heated discussion about Jackson. “Emily, it’s late—”

Emily sat down beside her. “You might be able to fool Tess, Mom, and even Jackson, but not me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you, Avery. Maybe better than you know yourself sometimes.”

“Oh, really? You know what it’s like to stand over the body of a girl who’s just been murdered, knowing she might be alive today if you’d closed a case and put a killer behind bars?”

“Stop using your work as an excuse to guard your heart. Besides, you’re the good guy, remember? This wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I have enough on my plate to deal with right now and today made that perfectly clear. Between my cases, Tess, Mom . . . being vulnerable, as you put it, isn’t an option.”

“And why not? What you feel over that girl’s death is normal.
And think of what you’ve lost over the past few years. You know what it’s like to lose both a husband and a brother. You’ve seen and experienced loss not just from a cop’s point of view, but from a family that’s lost a lot.” Emily reached over to give Avery’s hand a quick squeeze. “Which is why you’re good at what you do. But what about your own life? Every ounce of energy you have is poured into Tess, work, and the rest of your family. You deserve happiness again. I just don’t want you to give up on Jackson because you think you’re too busy, or even more importantly, because he makes your heart feel again.”

“This coming from the woman who just broke off her engagement?”

“I don’t regret for a minute breaking things off with Charlie. But he’s an entirely different story.”

“True.” Avery had agreed with her sister’s decision to call off the wedding, but that didn’t change anything about the way she felt about things between her and Jackson.

“What happened with Charlie doesn’t mean I’m going to run if I ever find the right guy, and neither should you.”

“I don’t know, Em. Even if I wanted to pursue a relationship, I honestly don’t know if I have the emotional energy for someone else in my life right now.”

Emily shook her head. “I don’t buy that. Call him tomorrow. Tell him you were wrong, and that you’re ready to cash in that rain check for a third date.”

“Emily.” Avery threw one of the pillows from the couch at her.

Emily grabbed it before it fell to the floor. “You better watch it, sis. I may be younger, but I can still take you on.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Seriously.” Emily threw the pillow back at her. “When’s the last time you worked on one of your paintings, went rock climbing with Tess, or went to the gym for a really hard workout?”

“I don’t know . . . a few days . . . a week.”

“That’s what I thought. I’m not a psychologist, but you know as well as I do that you work in a very high-stress job, which means you need something to help you relax when you come home, and I’m not talking about working on Michael’s case in the basement.”

Avery folded her arms across her chest. “Are you done?”

“Almost. Jackson makes you smile. I’ve seen you around him. And I just want you to be happy. Think about what I said. Promise?”

How could she argue against something part of her wanted so badly? “Promise.”

“Good. Then I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

A moment later, Avery shut the door behind her sister, then proceeded to make sure the house was locked. She shut the door to the basement and flipped off the rest of the lights in the house. No matter what she did, she couldn’t shake Emily’s words. The house was quiet, but snagging a few minutes of downtime never lasted long. Turning off her mind was impossible.

The stack of photo albums she’d put together over the years sat in their normal spot. Like painting, scrapbooking had become another way to indulge in her creative side.

She pulled out the top album and flipped through it. Even with Ethan gone, life had had its high moments and times of healing. She’d been assigned to a homicide team while Michael moved into the narcotics division. Tess had turned eleven, and they’d managed a family trip to Disney World.

She stopped at a photo of Michael and her father and carefully pulled it out of the album. She’d forgotten about this picture. They’d gone out to Bone’s to celebrate her father’s promotion. Michael had looked so much like Daddy. When he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps with the police force, no one had been surprised. Serving family and country was a Hunt tradition.

Until he decided to work undercover. Mama had hated it from the very beginning, especially the lack of communication. She couldn’t stand the hazards of the position. But Michael was good at what he did and never looked back. His last undercover assignment had been the worst. It had dragged on for months and been a strain on the entire family, but Michael kept insisting he was close to taking down his target.

That day never came.

Avery flipped the book shut, keeping out the photo of Michael and her father. She pulled a copy of the photo Jackson had given her out of her back pocket. The two girls smiled up at the camera, happy and carefree. There had to be a clue in the photo. An answer somewhere in the middle of the limited evidence they’d turned up.

“Mom?” Tess’s sleepy call broke through her thoughts from the other room.

Avery set the photos on the nightstand and went down the short hallway to Tess’s room.

The soft glow of the nightlight cast a shadow against Tess’s face. “You never came to say good night.”

She lay in her bed surrounded by pink ruffles and stuffed animals. She’d asked for a new bedspread for her next birthday. One that wasn’t so pink and frilly. The stuffed animals would no doubt be next to go.

“I thought you weren’t sleepy.”

Tess yawned. “Just a little.”

Avery sat down on the bed and ruffled her hair. “I really am sorry about missing your tryouts today.”

“I know.”

“Do you know how much I love you?”

“Not as much as I love you.” Tess reached up and gave her a big hug. At least she wasn’t too old for hugs and kisses. Not yet, anyway. “You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I thought you were going to go out on a date tonight.”

“I was, but I got a new case today and, well, . . . as you know, the day ended up being kind of crazy, so we called it off.” It was as close to the truth as she wanted to get.

“He’s nice. I introduced him to Freddie and Hammy and the mice.”

“He told me.”

“So do you like him?”

There was no use denying it. “Yes.”

“Then you should go out with him again.”

“Really?” Was she the only one resisting this relationship? “You sound like Emily.”

“She’s right.” Tess’s eyes were starting to droop. “If you like him, there’s no reason not to.”

Avery hesitated. Tess made it sound so simple. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love, they get married, live happily ever after. Maybe that did happen. Sometimes.

She searched for an excuse but came up empty again. Maybe they were right. Just because she felt pulled in different directions by all of her responsibilities didn’t mean she didn’t deserve to find happiness again. Still.

“Relationships aren’t always that simple, Tess.”

Tess shrugged, then closed her eyes as she lost the fight to stay awake.

“I’ll see you in the morning, sweetie. It’ll be here before you know it.”

Avery kissed her daughter on the forehead, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing while watching the rise and fall of her chest.

What if it were Tess lying on that cold morgue slab, tagged as Jane Doe?