The Sharpest Edge (10 page)

“Good. I’m going to arrange for another officer to guard you while I’m gone.” He moved his hand as though he was going to ruffle her hair, but he dropped his arm before touching her.

They were like strangers again, not touching, not getting personal.

“I’ll stay with Alan at the office until you get back.”

“Fine. But I’m going to have another cop here, too.” He stood up. “Billy trusts the man he’s sending over, so I think you’ll be okay with him.”

“You
think?
”

“Someone is helping Jimmy and until we know who it is, the only person I trust with you is me. So stay in the office
and keep as many people around you as possible until I get back.”

“Okay.” She pressed her lips together and tried not to gawk at the people milling around as they left the boathouse and went back up to the office. Was one of them Jimmy’s accomplice? Was the sweet couple with the baby a front for a pair of killers?

Stop it!
Jimmy was possibly dead and he was still ripping away at her sanity, at her feeling of safety, invading it until she cracked.

A part of her wanted to curl into a ball and give up.

Sean glanced at her and gave her a half smile.

And the other part of her was pissed. She was ready to take her life back. This was her home and she wasn’t going to let Jimmy take it away from her.

N
IGHT HAD FALLEN
and the office felt too small for Alan, Kim and the cop who’d been sent to guard her. She and Alan had been going over the camp financials while the cop loitered in the shadows, playing up his bodyguard assignment.

Alan had been on her case all afternoon and evening about Sean, wanting to know all the details of their past together and why he had taken the case when he was personally involved. She was just about ready to throw Alan out of the room, and she threatened to do so three times. All that did was shut him up for about five minutes before he went off on Sean again.

They were both on edge, and the cramped office wasn’t helping. Alan even scoffed at the notion that Jimmy’s body was in Portland. He claimed it was a cover-up by dirty cops out to help a fellow officer.

Frankly, Kim was getting sick of him, regardless of how helpful he was being with the files.

The only one who didn’t seem to be feeling the stress was her new bodyguard. His name was Garth McKeen, and he was pretty pumped about his assignment. He hadn’t stopped
moving since he’d arrived. Checking the window, the door, taking a stroll around the main lodge, watching who came and who went and which cars had sat too long in the parking lot. She’d report back to Sean about Garth’s enthusiasm. She was pretty sure he was on her side.

Alan leaned back in the chair and stretched. “I’m fried, Kim. I can’t read these financial documents anymore tonight.”

Kim perched on the edge of the desk. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked exhausted. “I can’t believe we didn’t find anything. We’ve been working on this for hours.” She so wanted to uncover information that revealed that the dire state of the camp had nothing to do with Jimmy. Or that handed them the name of his accomplice. Either one would have been all right with her.

“No, but there’s a lot more to go through.” He glanced at Officer McKeen, who was peering out at the parking lot, shining his flashlight to augment the floodlights on the side of the building. “Why don’t we get something to eat?”

She didn’t want to eat with Alan. All she wanted was to get back to Sean’s cabin with a pizza and forget all this crap. But how could she turn Alan down when he was out here to help her? She had no choice.

She was just about to accept when a light knock sounded at the door. Officer McKeen spun around, his hand on his holster. “I’ll get that.”

He sidestepped toward the door, leaning against it. “Who’s there?”

“Didi Smith.”

Officer McKeen looked at Kim. “You know her?”

“Yes. Tell her we’ll be right out.” Yahoo! She’d forgotten about Didi coming to dinner with them. It was the perfect excuse to ditch Alan and get some alone time. “Didi was supposed to come out with us tonight.”

A glimmer of energy came into Alan’s eyes. “I forgot about her.”

“I’m too beat to go out. Why don’t you two go?”

He shook his head. “I’ll skip dinner with her. You need me.”

“No. You need to go.” She was sick of everyone coddling her. She simply needed a break. “I have Officer McKeen here and Sean will be back soon.” But hopefully not too soon. She really needed some time to think about what had happened between them this morning.

“I don’t want to leave you. It makes no sense, me going out with Didi while you’re alone.”

She caught his arm. “Listen, Alan. You’d be doing me a huge favor if you went with her. She was so bummed earlier, and if we ditch her, she’ll be sad again. If you won’t take her, then I’ll have to go and I’m too tired. Please? For me?” She grinned. “Besides, you think she’s cute.”

He scowled, but he couldn’t keep the hint of anticipation out of his eyes. “Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not going to be out long.”

She pulled a spare key from her pocket and handed it to Alan. “You can stay at my house tonight.”

Alan took the key, still frowning. “I’ll call before I come in so I don’t scare you.”

She hesitated. “I don’t think I’ll be staying there tonight.”

“Where are you going to stay?”

With Sean? What would they say? Yes, they needed to talk, but not yet. First, she needed to figure out what she was feeling, what was going on. Besides, if Alan was at her house with her, would Jimmy, or whoever, really come after her? “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll stay at my place.” Besides, she could always get Officer McKeen to stay there. Why did it have to be Sean protecting her anyway? It didn’t. She looked at Officer McKeen. “You’ll stay at my house tonight?”

“I’ll be wherever you are until Sean gets back.”

Between Alan, Officer McKeen and her alarm, her place
would be fine. Thank heavens. Somehow, now that she thought about it, hunkering down with Sean tonight didn’t appeal to her. She was still reeling from his admission that he’d never loved her.
He’d never loved her.
He hadn’t actually said it, but the look on his face had been enough.

But what about her? Had she loved him? How could she have been so miserable thinking about him for the past ten years if she hadn’t? And last night at his house was the first time she’d felt at home since she left town a decade ago. Sure, L.A. was great, but that feeling of rightness deep in her soul had been missing. Was it Sean who made her feel that way? Was it simply being back in town? Or was it her need to seek out the familiar when being stalked by at least one violent psychopath?

She didn’t know. And did it make a difference? It wasn’t as if she could walk up to Sean, announce that she loved him and expect all to be well. His primary love was for her dad. For the camp.

She wanted more than leftover love.

Alan shut down the computer. “I hope Jimmy shows up tonight. I’d love for him to try to take us.”

It took her a moment to recall what they’d been talking about, to remember that Alan was sitting across from her. “You really don’t think that’s Jimmy’s body in Portland?”

“No way. He wouldn’t make it that easy. Besides, who else would know about the knife?” Alan stood. “Cops protect one another. It’s the way. He’s not gone, Kim, and if Sean’s any good, he’ll realize that when he goes down there. It’s not over.”

She knew it wasn’t over. The only question was, who was playing the game now?

Sean called while she was on her way back to her house, Officer McKeen following her in his cruiser. He wasted no time on preambles. “It was Jimmy. He’s dead.”

She gripped the steering wheel and felt relief wash over her. “You swear? He’s dead?”

“Yep. It’s him.” He was quiet for a minute, the line humming. “He’s been dead for four days.”

Oh,
crud.
“You’re certain?”

“Uh-huh. He didn’t leave the knife in your bed.”

Crap.
“So what now?”

“We look into Jimmy’s life and find out who he was close to. Family, friends, partners.”

“You mean cops?”

“Everyone.”

“That’s a long list, isn’t it?” She turned right onto the dirt road that wound up to her house. “That’ll take forever.”

“But we’re also going to investigate everyone at the camp. With the stuff that happened to your dad, I’m betting that Jimmy’s accomplice is working at the camp. If we cross-reference the lists, we’ll have our man.”

Kim frowned. “It would probably be someone who recently joined the staff. I’ll go back to the office and pull up all the personnel files and document everyone who started working here eighteen months ago or less.”

“Start with May, when the summer staff reported in. That’s when your dad first met with Gibbs.”

She pulled into her driveway and paused in front of the house. “I’m going back to the office to get the files. Where are you?”

“I’m still an hour and a half away. I’ll meet you back at my place?”

She hesitated. “I was thinking of staying at my house tonight. Alan and Officer McKeen will be here, plus there’s the alarm. It’ll be safe enough.” She shifted into reverse and began to turn around.

Sean was quiet for too long.

“Sean?”

“Maybe that’s best. I need to go to the station anyway.”

“Oh.” Now how ridiculous was it that she was bummed that he hadn’t argued with her? That he wasn’t desperate for some alone time with her? Obviously, he hadn’t spent the evening obsessing about their relationship the way she had. “Okay.”

“Keep your cell phone on and let me know where you are at all times. Call me when you leave the office to head back to your place.”

“Fine.” She hung up and tossed the phone onto her seat. Then she rolled down the window and waved to Officer McKeen. “I have to go back to the office.”

He nodded and turned around to follow her out of her driveway and back toward the camp.

H
E SCOWLED AS
he watched her drive away. This was supposed to be his chance. The cop was out of the way and no one was around except that incompetent rookie. No one to stop him.

But she’d left without getting out of the car. He knew he should have brought the gun. She’d be dead already.

He slammed the knife into the tree trunk, then wiped his
prints off it. Let her find it. Let her know how close she’d been tonight.

Because tonight wasn’t his last chance.

He’d get what he wanted, and he wanted her.

His feet made no sound as he slipped through the woods, his black clothes disappearing into the night without a trace.

K
IM CALLED
A
LAN
on the way to the office. He answered on the third ring. “What’s up?”

“Jimmy’s dead. Sean confirmed it.”

Alan was silent.

“Alan?”

“He’s dead? Are you positive?”

Kim frowned. “What’s wrong? You sound weird. Why aren’t you excited?”

“I just can’t believe it’s over.” Alan took a deep breath. “Do they need someone to go down there and identify the body?”

“I don’t think so. They seem to have it covered.” She hesitated. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just…strange that after all this time, he’s gone. Just like that, gone. I kinda had visions of being the one to kill him.”

Typical guy. Wanting to be the hero. “Yeah, well, he died before the knife-in-the-bed incident, so don’t get too comfortable. There’s still a bad guy out there somewhere. I’m hoping it has nothing to do with Jimmy, but it might.”

“So you want me to keep going through the files?”

“Uh-huh. I’m heading back there now to pick up some personnel files so we can check those out.”

“Why do you need the personnel files at this hour?”

“Because we think maybe someone working at the camp is behind this. Sean thinks Jimmy had a partner on the outside.”

Alan cursed and Kim smiled grimly. “Yeah, that’s how I feel, too.”

“Is this ever going to end?”

“It has to, Alan. I can’t take much more.”

“You and me both.”

K
IM FOUND THE FILES
she needed and hit Print, then leaned back in her chair and waited for the documents. Officer McKeen was pacing the grounds, leaving her alone in the office for the moment.

The reception desk out front had been empty when they came in, with a sign posted indicating the attendant was unavailable and a number to call if help was needed. It was early for that sign to be out, seeing as it was only ten o’clock. They always tried to keep the desk attended until midnight. Kim checked the schedule and Will was supposed to be on tonight. Where was he? Just because he’d broken up with Didi didn’t mean he could blow off work.

Not that it mattered. She had more important things to deal with, such as the fact that someone other than Jimmy had put a knife in her bed. Who could be after her other than Jimmy? Did it really have anything to do with him, or had someone merely tried to use the knife to throw them off? Yeah, sure, the knife had been an exact match, but the trial had been all over the news at the time. Well-decorated cop goes mental and tries to kill two women? It wouldn’t have taken a huge amount of effort to guess that the weapon had been some big, badass knife.

So if the incident wasn’t related to Jimmy, then what was it? Could Eddie be right? That it all came down to Helen and her desire to get away from this life?

Headlights flashed through the office and she started. Officer McKeen came racing into the office, his hand on his gun. “Are you expecting anyone?”

It had been almost two hours since Sean’s call, proving that he’d done as he said and returned directly to the station. Why did that bother her? She had to accept that it was over between
them. He hadn’t loved her enough then, and he didn’t love her at all now. That should make her happy. It was what she wanted. Instead, the thought left a gnawing emptiness inside her. “It could be Sean.” She frowned at the wishful tone in her voice.

“It’s not a cruiser.”

“Maybe it’s the front-desk attendant.”

“Maybe.” He stood next to the window, his gun held next to his shoulder, ready to fire.

The headlights shut off and Kim heard a car door close. “Who is it?”

“A woman.”

She sidled over to the window and peered out through the glass. “I don’t recognize her.”

The front door opened and shut. Footsteps thudded across the wood floor and stopped outside the office door.

That’s when Kim realized that the door wasn’t locked.

A sharp rap made them both jump. “Kim? It’s Helen Collins. Sean told me you’d be here.”

Helen?
She swallowed hard and the officer looked at her, his gun ready.

“You want to let her in?”

“I guess so, but don’t leave.”

“Wouldn’t think of it.” He kept his gun out and opened the door. “Come in.”

It was the first time Kim had ever met her dad’s wife and she wasn’t anything like Kim had thought. No horns, no tail, no pitchfork. Her skin wasn’t even red. She was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and hiking boots and she had her hair in a ponytail. In fact, she looked as though she belonged at the Loon’s Nest. She stood in the doorway and studied Kim.

Kim shifted and couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands.

“So we finally meet,” Helen said.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been avoiding me. I asked Sean to bring you by the house.”

“He mentioned it.”

Helen nodded toward an empty chair. “May I?”

Kim shrugged. “It’s your place.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s yours.” Helen sat down. “You and your sister are joint owners with your father. I have no interest in it at all.”

“So I hear.”

Helen lifted an eyebrow and Kim saw a strength in her that she’d never seen in her mom. “I’m not here to take grief from you. I’m here because I love your father. Personally, after seeing how you’ve torn out his heart for the past ten years, I’d prefer to send you back to the West Coast and pretend you don’t exist.”

Ouch. Such a warm and fuzzy woman.

“However,” Helen continued, “your father loves you and he won’t move on.”

“Why should he? We’re his real family.”

Helen’s eyes darkened as she leaned forward. “No, Kim. We are all his real family. You are his first family, we’re his second. But whether you like it or not, we’re all real.”

Kim pressed her lips together and decided she hadn’t spent enough energy hating Helen Collins over the past few years.

“Your father needs you, so I want you to get over to the hospital and talk to him. Visit him. Give him a reason to live.”

Kim narrowed her eyes. “He didn’t do that favor for my mother, did he?”

Helen looked shocked. “You blame him for your mother’s death?”

“Of course I do. She was miserable married to him and he wouldn’t let her go, so she killed herself. If he’d let her go, she would have lived.”

Helen waved her hand over her eyes and looked shaken. “Have you ever talked to him about what happened with your mother?”

“No.”

“Oh, wow.” She leaned back in her chair. “I hadn’t realized that.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?”

Helen sat up again. “It’s not my place to tell you. It’ll have to be your dad when he wakes up.”

“Tell me what? If you know something about my mom’s death, you have to tell me.” Her heart began to beat faster. “What don’t I know?”

Helen hesitated. “There are circumstances around your mother’s death that complicate things. It’s…” She gave Kim an imploring look. “Listen, I really don’t feel it’s my place to tell you. Ask your dad when he wakes up.” Her voice trembled slightly. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll tell you myself. You can’t go home without learning the truth. But it would be better if you heard it from him.”

Kim wet her lips, her head ringing. What was Helen talking about? “You married my dad three weeks after my mom killed herself. What’s there to find out about? And I heard that you hate this camp and you’re trying to destroy it. It’s on the verge of bankruptcy and you don’t care.”

Helen jumped to her feet and slapped her hands down on the desk. “You’re damn right I don’t care if we lose this place. You want to know why? Because it’s killing your father! He lives in the past, yearning for the daughters who rejected him, and it’s destroying him! Until he comes to grips with his past, he’ll never be able to live. I’ve been praying for years for something to set him free so he can live again, and if losing this camp will force him to look toward the future, then I’m all for it.”

She drew in a ragged breath and, for the first time, Kim realized how exhausted she looked. Worn-out and haggard,
but brimming with strength and courage. “You blame your father for killing your mother? Well, if you don’t go visit him, then you’ll kill him the same way. Can you live with that? Can you handle knowing that the man who loves you so much is dying without you?” Helen shoved off the desk, knocking a stapler and a stack of files to the floor. “Grow up, Kim, or get out.”

Helen stalked out of the office and slammed the door behind her, making the picture next to it bounce on the wall.

Officer McKeen cleared his throat and moved to the window to watch her leave.

Holy cow. Kim raised her hand to brush her hair off her face and realized that her hand was trembling. She dropped it down to her lap.

Headlights filled the room and then disappeared as Helen drove away. Guess Kim had another person who might want her dead. And Helen certainly hated the camp.

Kim turned back to the computer and began a search for Helen. Then the door opened and Sean walked into the office. He walked in and slammed a huge knife into the desk so hard that the desk shook and a pencil rolled off it.

The three of them stared at it, stuck blade down into the wood, fingerprint powder all over it.

Kim began to shake again and sweat trickled down her temple. She pressed her hand to her scarred thigh and dragged her eyes off the knife to look at Sean.

She didn’t even have time to form a question before he snapped out his terse statement. “You’re staying with me.” It wasn’t an option.

“What happened?”

He walked over to the window. “That knife was in the trunk of the tree right outside your front door. He was waiting for you tonight.” He turned to face her, his voice accusing. “And you were going to go home.”

She stared at him. “I did go home. I was in the driveway
when you called and I decided to come back.” She couldn’t stop the trembling. What if she’d gotten out of the car? She looked at her bodyguard, who appeared rather shocked. What if Alan was right about cops on the take and Officer McKeen was one of them? What if he’d set her up? What if he was going to let her get out of the car and drive away? Or worse, what if he’d been planning to help kill her? She stared at his young face and felt terrified.

Who was she supposed to trust?

Sean glared at Officer McKeen. “You’re relieved of this assignment. Take the knife back to the station for processing. It’s already been fingerprinted.”

“Yes, sir.”

She could trust Sean. Maybe not with her heart but with her life. He was the one man who could keep her alive. Who
would
keep her alive. And maybe, just maybe, his anger meant something more than a cop being protective of a civilian.

Officer McKeen grabbed the weapon and ducked out of the office, leaving Sean and Kim alone. She stared at him, at the rage rolling off him. “Get your stuff,” he said. “We’re leaving. Now.”

She took another glance at the gouge the knife had left in the desk and decided not to argue.