When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions) (28 page)

Alexia just wanted to go home—to Serena’s house—curl up in bed, and pull the covers over her head.

She eyed the dress and firmed her jaw.

So her caller didn’t think she’d have a chance to wear it, huh?

The bubbling anger seethed. “Oh yes I will,” she whispered to her unknown harasser. “You’re always watching? Then watch this.”

She hung it back on the hanger and belatedly checked the price tag. After a wince, she shrugged. She liked it and hadn’t bought anything like it since . . . well, she couldn’t remember when.

And if the person determined to get her
was
successful, at least she’d die looking her best.

32

Friday, 5:58 p.m.

Senator Hoffman stared at the latest note as he took deep breaths in a futile attempt to lower his blood pressure.

TELL WHAT YOU DID AND I MIGHT GO AWAY.

Tell? “Not likely.”

“Talking to yourself, dear?”

Frank jerked, the paper rattling in his already shaky hand. Elizabeth stood in the doorway. “Just trying to figure something out.” He laid the note on the desk, not attempting to hide it. Elizabeth would catch on and demand to see it. Then what would he do? He could feel his blood pressure rising with each passing second.

As long as she stood in the doorway, she couldn’t see what was on the paper.

“Any luck?”

“Not a bit.” At least he could tell the truth about something.

Elizabeth waved a hand. “I have no doubt you’ll succeed. You have the Midas touch, don’t you?”

“Did you need something?”

Her eyes cooled. “I just came to tell you that I’m going out to look for a birthday present for Carmen. I’d like Ian to drive me so I don’t have to worry about parking. You don’t need him, do you?”

“No. I’m fine. You go on. If I need to head into the office, I’ll take the Beamer.”

Carmen. Their daughter. He looked at the calendar. She’d be twenty-four next week. The one thing in his life that he felt good about right now.

Elizabeth left without another word.

Working at home was becoming a habit. He felt like he needed to be on guard, to be the first to get to the mailbox. What if he wasn’t here and Elizabeth or one of the hired help decided to open the mail? It had happened before. And he sure didn’t want to bring the subject up and ask them
not
to get the mail. That would just incite questions he wasn’t interested in answering. Then again he might need to come up with something, a good reason to keep Elizabeth from getting the mail.

He glanced back at the note.

Telling wasn’t an option.

Alexia didn’t want to go home and she didn’t want to go to Serena’s. She would have to go later to feed the animals. For now, she forced herself to face another necessary task.

Visiting her mother.

She’d left the little boutique on Main Street with Katie Isaacs right behind her. Of all people to volunteer to protect her, it had to be Katie. Frankly, Alexia thought the woman looked sick and needed to be in bed, but Hunter said she’d insisted on helping.

Alexia headed east for about two miles. Then pulled over into a fast-food restaurant parking lot. She needed to make a phone call.

He answered on the fourth ring, just when she was about to give up. “Hello?”

“Hello, Pastor Stewart, this is Alexia Allen, Hannah’s daughter.”

A slight pause echoed over the line before he said, “What can I do for you, Ms. Allen?”

“Please, call me Alexia.”

“All right. Why don’t you call me Michael? I’m very informal with my congregation.”

But she wasn’t part of his congregation. “I’m on my way to see my mother. You seem to be . . . close . . . to her. I just . . .” This was harder than she’d thought it would be. “I just wanted to know . . .” Again, she faltered.

A light laugh came over the line. “Are you calling to ask what my intentions are toward your mother?”

She flushed, grateful he couldn’t see her discomfort. “Maybe.” Yes. “I mean I know it’s not really my place, I don’t have the right, but I just—”

“You do have the right. You’re Hannah’s daughter.”

“Michael, I haven’t been her daughter for ten years.” She couldn’t seem to find her filters. The words tumbled from her lips and she waited to see what this man would say. How could he not lambast her for being a lousy daughter? She hadn’t even made regular trips to the hospital to see her mother.

But he didn’t. He simply said, “To Hannah, you’ve always been in her heart. You and Dominic, both. She’s prayed every day for your return and the return of your brother.”

Alexia drew in a deep breath and shuddered.

A car pulled up beside her and she jerked, ready to throw the vehicle in gear and speed off. However, it was just her shadow. Katie Isaacs. She rolled her window down and motioned to her phone.

Katie rolled her eyes, but nodded and backed off. Alexia grimaced her dislike of the woman but figured she’d do her job. If she let Alexia die on her watch, Hunter would point the finger right in Katie’s face.

Small comfort. She’d still be dead.

“Ms. Allen? Alexia?”

Alexia blinked. “Sorry, I was . . . distracted.”

“My intentions toward your mother are honorable. My wife died six years ago. Since then, I’ve carried on, but it’s been lonely. Then your mother joined the church and she just brought a whole new dimension of joy to my life.”

“My father was an abusive man,” she blurted. “A horrible, selfish, awful man.”

“I know.”

“She told you? Everything?”

“Everything. At least I think so.”

Alexia swallowed hard. “She sent me away. Practically pushed me out the door.”

What was she saying? She didn’t want to do this on the phone.

“You were in danger.” His voice was soft. “Ask her.”

“What? In danger? How?” But she knew. “From my father.” The words came out flat.

“Just talk to her. Really talk to her. And listen.”

The compassion in his voice made her want to weep. And it made her want to see her mother. “All right. I’ll try.”

“Right now, your mother’s having a few more tests run. I’m not telling you not to come to the hospital, but you might have quite a long wait. They came and got her about fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh. I think I’ll go on home then. Will you call me when she’s finished?”

“I’d be happy to.”

“Thank you.”

She was scared. No doubt about it. But she couldn’t stay at the Grahams’ tonight, not after finding out they would be home early tomorrow morning. Seeing Hunter’s father at the dinner was one thing; facing him in their home was another. Hunter hadn’t liked it, but had given in to her stubbornness with the understanding that she would have someone on guard and he would check in with her on a regular basis. She didn’t argue with him on those points.

Alexia peered out the window and felt her tense shoulders tighten even more. Katie had followed her home and waited for her replacement before leaving, and Chad had called twice to check on her. The unmarked car sat at the curb. The pretty black dress hung on the hook on the door of Serena’s closet. Everything was as it should be.

The female officer, Marty Howell, had been assigned to her inside the house. She spent her time pacing between the French doors leading to the deck and the back door leading to the garage, and on her radio with her partner on the curb.

Walking into the den, Alexia turned on the TV, settled in the recliner, and stared at the flickering screen. Annoyed with it, she flipped the television off.

Chewie jumped in her lap and Alexia grunted. “You’re a heavy thing, aren’t you?”

The cat kneaded Alexia’s right thigh before perching to wash a front paw. Yoda’s nails clicked on the hardwoods as she joined them. With a weary groan, Alexia leaned her head back against the chair and gazed at the ceiling. Her thoughts ran wild. Fear was now her constant companion.

The other human body in the house helped, especially since she knew how to use a gun. But Alexia’s nerves jumped and her heart thudded.

“Are you all right?” Officer Howell asked from the kitchen doorway.

Alexia nodded and forced a stiff smile. “I’m fine.”

“Okay.” The woman flashed a friendly smile. “Just checking. I’m going to walk to the back of the house and look out those windows, all right?”

“Sure.”

Alexia glanced to her right.

The Bible lay on the end table where she’d put it. More pieces of paper stuck out from the end. She reached around Chewie to pick up the Bible and flipped to one of the pieces of paper and read the note aloud.

Hey Alexia, I’m so glad you’re reading this. Just know that I’m praying for you. Praying for you to come to terms with your past. Praying that you find the God you’re searching for. (Hint: He’s not hard to find. It’s not like he’s hiding.) And I’m praying that things work out for you and Hunter if that’s what God’s got in mind. (Don’t think I didn’t notice the way he looked at you.) He’s always been a little in love with you. Yeah. I noticed. Anyway, keep reading, Lex. Sending you hugs from China. Serena.

The lump in her throat grew. Serena. The one person who’d stood beside her through everything. The one person who hadn’t given up on her or tossed her aside.

Serena loved God and wanted Alexia to understand why. For that reason, Alexia would read every word Serena left her. She’d read the Bible cover to cover if that’s what Serena wanted.

It was the least she could do.

She opened the Bible. And paused.

It was awfully quiet.

Yoda paced to the front door then back. To the window, then in the kitchen.

“Yoda? Come on, girl, what’s wrong?”

The dog came to her side and sat, cocked her ears. Turned back to the front door.

Uneasy, Alexia set the Bible back on the end table and stood. Chewie meowed in protest, but Alexia ignore her. She walked to the window, pushed aside the curtain. Her watchdog was still there.

So what was her problem?

She checked the alarm. Armed and ready. Cop on the prowl inside, cop on guard outside.

Alexia sighed and looked at Yoda, who had followed her every step. “I need to relax.”

If only.

Her cell phone rang and she jumped. Heart thudding, she wondered again how her stalker had found her number. She glanced at the caller ID and felt her pulse slow.

Hunter.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

His warm voice flowed over her, soothing her agitated nerves with that one word. “Hi there.”

“Are you settled in for the night?”

“I think so. You?”

“Hmm. Not really. Working on this case is keeping me wide awake.” He paused. “Is Jimmy outside?”

“Is that the cop in the car on my curb?”

He chuckled. “That’s the one.”

“Then yep, he’s there. And Officer Howell is doing her job prowling the house,” she said before he could ask. She settled back into the recliner. Yoda had made herself at home on her bed in front of the fireplace.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow night,” Hunter said.

Alexia smiled, her earlier nerves calming as she talked to this man she was coming to really care about. She yawned, then said, “I am too.”

“The dinner starts at seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up at six thirty. Is that all right?”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Great. Here’s the other thing. I’m off tomorrow. What would you say to spending the morning on the lake? Just you and me and a couple of bodyguards in a separate boat.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely.” She frowned. “But you have to get me back here in time to get ready for the evening.”

He laughed. “I can handle that.”

“Then sure, I’d love to.”

“Great, I’ll see you in the morning around eight?”

“Okay. See you then.”

The conversation lagged, seemed stilted. Because neither of them wanted to hang up? Possibly. “Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m . . . scared.”

She could almost see him sobering. “I know, Lex. I promise I’m working hard to find the person doing this to you.”

“I know you are.” She sighed. “I just . . . I’m afraid.”

“Can I give you a verse?”