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“No,” Gabriel finally said. “He’s too young. Plus, I believe the man who attacked her has already been caught and is in prison.”
Hector made a quick sound of agreement. He always did when it came to her father. It was the one thing he had in common with the Becketts—they thought her father was guilty.
“Several other people got threats,” Hector went on. “Apparently, all of you did.” He glanced at Gabriel, Jameson and then her. “But so did Russell Laney and August Canton.”
Judging from the soft grunt of agreement Gabriel made, he was already aware of those last two. Jodi certainly wasn’t, and she looked at Gabriel for him to provide some details.
“There are probably others who got the emails, too,” Gabriel said as Cameron stepped away to take a call. “The FBI figures some folks just deleted them as a hoax. But, yes, I suspect anyone connected to the initial investigation was on the receiving end of the threats. Russell and August got theirs the same day I did.”
Jodi knew both Russell and August, of course. Both had been suspects in the Beckett murders and her attack.
Them, and Jodi’s own brother, Theo.
It was public knowledge that the police and then the FBI had questioned all three. Theo, because he’d been a hothead at the time and had a run-in that day with Gabriel’s father, Sherman, over some horses that’d broken fence. Russell had gotten caught up in it simply because Jodi had ended her short relationship with him the week before the attack. August was her dad’s half brother and had been just as much of a hothead as Theo.
And the cops excluded them all as suspects.
After they’d found her father passed out drunk with Gabriel’s father’s blood on him.
“August thinks the threatening emails prove that Travis is innocent,” Hector went on. “In fact, he’s already taking all of this to Travis’s lawyers in the hopes that it’ll help with his last-ditch appeal.”
August was probably the only other person in Texas who believed her father was innocent. Despite that, it never had felt as if August and she were on the same side. That’s because August had never approved of her friendship with the Becketts. It didn’t matter that the friendship had ended the night of the attack. It was a drop in the bucket, though, to what August held against Jameson. Because Jameson had been the most vocal of the Becketts in professing her father’s guilt.
“Theo might have gotten a threatening email, too. Have you been in touch with him?” Hector asked her.
“No. I haven’t spoken to him in over a year. I don’t even have a phone number for him.”
Nor did she know who to contact to get one. As a DEA agent, Theo spent a lot of time on deep-cover assignments, and if the copycat/killer had managed to send Theo an email, then he or she was well connected with insider Justice Department information.
Not exactly a comforting thought if it was true.
“We have an ID on our young suspect,” Cameron announced as soon as he finished his latest call. “We got a match on his prints because he’s a missing person. His name is Billy Coleman.”
Jodi repeated that a couple of times to see if she recognized it. She didn’t.
“He’s a runaway,” Cameron continued. “His parents filed a missing person report about a year ago. Not for the first time, either. He’s run away at least two other times. He’s seventeen, and judging from his juvie record, he’s paranoid schizophrenic. My guess is he’s probably off his meds.”
Gabriel cursed. And Jodi knew why. Billy was no doubt going to plead mental incompetence, and they might never get answers as to why he’d committed this horrible crime.
But something about that didn’t sound right.
“Billy called a lawyer,” Jodi pointed out.
“Yeah,” Gabriel agreed, and he cursed again. “And he had the name and phone number of the attorney when he got here to the sheriff’s office. Not something a runaway teen would necessarily have.”
“Especially since he’s not from a wealthy family,” Cameron supplied. “His parents both work at blue-collar jobs.”
So, that confirmed that someone had likely put Billy up to doing this, and if so, that meant he was just another victim of this tangled mess.
“What about the dead guy?” Gabriel asked Cameron. “Any ID on him yet?”
“No. His prints weren’t in the system, so we’ll have to try to get an ID by searching through missing person reports and getting his picture out to the press.”
That might take a while. Especially if the man was homeless and no one was looking for him.
“I really think you should let me take you home,” Hector said, turning back to her. “Gabriel can fill you in on anything that happens, including whatever the suspect says in the interview.”
She was shaking her head before Hector even finished. “I’m staying here.” And she didn’t leave any room for argument in her tone.
Hector gave a heavy sigh and looked at Gabriel as if he expected him to force her to leave. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for Jodi to be out anywhere right now,” Gabriel answered. “She’ll be safer here.”
Jodi was more than a little surprised that Gabriel had backed her up. Then she realized why he’d done that. Because she was almost certainly in danger from the person who was manipulating Billy. Gabriel probably didn’t want to be a part of another attack that could leave her dead.
“Just go,” Jodi told Hector. “I’ll be fine.”
He obviously knew that “fine” part was a lie. Was also obviously not happy about being dismissed. But he didn’t get a chance to voice that unhappiness. That’s because Jameson finished his phone call, and he got up from his desk, making a beeline toward them.
“There were prints on the knife,” Jameson said, “and the CSIs got an immediate hit.” He snapped toward Jodi, and that definitely wasn’t a friendly expression he was sporting. “Is there something you want to tell us?” he demanded.
Jodi shook her head, not understanding why Gabriel’s brother looked ready to blast her to smithereens.
But she soon found out.
Jameson turned to his brother to finish delivering the news. “It’s Jodi’s prints on the knife.”
Chapter Four (#ubed458c7-832f-5a4b-b3a4-4cd72a0208c9)
Gabriel had hoped there wouldn’t be any more surprises today, but this was a huge one. Since Billy had been wearing gloves, Gabriel hadn’t expected there to be any prints at all on the knife.
Especially not Jodi’s.
Judging from the stunned look on her face, Jodi hadn’t expected it, either. Her attention slashed from Jameson to Gabriel, and she shook her head. She also opened her mouth as if ready to blurt out some kind of denial, but the denial and anything else she might have said died on her lips because she groaned and sank down into the nearest chair.
“Jodi was obviously set up,” Hector jumped to say.
Gabriel hated to give the man even a slight benefit of doubt, but Hector could be right. Of course, there was another possibility. One that wasn’t going to help ease that stark expression on Jodi’s already too pale face.
Gabriel moved closer to her, lifting her chin so they could make eye contact. Like the other time he’d touched her, she tensed, making him wonder just how many “scars” she had from the attack a decade ago. Probably plenty that she wouldn’t want to discuss with him.
“Do you remember ever touching the knife?” Gabriel asked. He’d chosen his words carefully. No need to say aloud that he wanted to know if she’d taken hold of the handle when her attacker had been trying to end her life.
Jodi ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.” She shifted her attention to Jameson, and even though the paleness and nerves were still there, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath. “Is the fingerprint pattern consistent with me having grabbed it while I was being stabbed?”
Jameson lifted his shoulder. “There are two clear prints. Your right index finger and thumb. The other prints are smeared.”
“That means nothing. Her attacker could have been wearing gloves.” Hector again.
It riled Gabriel that Jodi’s boss had taken on the role of defending her. Then again, plenty of things riled him about Hector. Including the fact that Jodi had turned to him and not Gabriel after the nightmare ten years ago. Hector considered himself some kind of victim’s recovery advocate and had come to visit Jodi in the hospital shortly after the attack. She’d allowed him into her life—while excluding Gabriel.
“Does Jodi need a lawyer?” Hector asked, glancing at both Jameson and Gabriel. “Are you accusing her of something? Because it certainly seems to me that’s what you’re doing.”
Well, it hadn’t been certain to Jodi. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head again.
“I know you didn’t stab yourself,” Gabriel said before she could speak. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. There was another component to this situation.
The most recent murder.
Jodi seemed to understand that even before Gabriel could bring it up. “I also didn’t kill that man and plant the knife on the doorstep so I could clear my father’s name.” Jodi’s voice was stronger now, and she got to her feet to face him. She repeated the part about not killing the man.
Gabriel believed her. Yeah, it was stupid to take her word at face value, especially since he’d hardly seen her in years. He wasn’t sure of the woman she’d become. But he seriously doubted that Jodi had become a killer.
“The FBI wants to talk to you,” Jameson told her. “They’re sending an agent from their San Antonio office.”
Which meant the agent would be there soon, since San Antonio was less than an hour’s drive away. That might not be enough time, though, for Gabriel to get answers from their suspect. He hoped that didn’t mean the agent would take her into custody.
“If this is a copycat killing,” Gabriel volunteered, “then the FBI doesn’t have jurisdiction. I do.” That was splitting legal hairs, but it might stop Jodi from being whisked away and put through what would no doubt be grueling interrogations.
Hell.
Gabriel frowned, then silently cursed himself. He wasn’t thinking with his head now. He was thinking like the twenty-four-year-old deputy who had turned Jodi away that night.
He was also thinking like a man.
One who was still attracted to a woman who shouldn’t be on his attraction radar. But she was. And there didn’t seem to be anything he could do about it.
“I’ll get you a lawyer,” Hector told her, already taking out his phone.
“No, don’t. Not yet anyway.” She turned back to Gabriel. “Any idea when Billy’s attorney will be here?”
Gabriel had to shake his head. “But it should be soon. We’ve already bagged his clothes and tested his hands for gunshot residue. There’s residue, by the way, and coupled with the fact that he attacked us, that’ll be enough to charge him. Well, at least it’s enough to charge him for shooting at us.”
Jodi continued to stare at him. “You doubt that he killed that man in the house?”
Gabriel really didn’t want to get into the specifics of what he thought or didn’t think. Not with Hector right there. Not before he’d had a chance to try to work it all out in his head.
But there was a problem.
And Gabriel didn’t believe it was his imagination that Jodi wanted to keep Hector out of this, too. Partially out of it anyway, since she’d refused to go with him and had even asked her boss to leave.
“Come with me a minute,” Gabriel told her. He motioned for Jodi to follow him and headed toward the hall. He wanted her in the observation room next to where they were holding Billy.
However, Jodi didn’t get far because Hector stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “You’re not questioning her,” Hector snapped, his glare on Gabriel.
The man knew how to test every rileable bone in Gabriel’s body. “I can and I will.” He tapped his badge in case Hector had forgotten that he was the one in charge here. Of course, Gabriel didn’t have an interrogation in mind, but he didn’t intend to tell Hector that.
“I’ll be all right,” Jodi told the man, and she stepped around him.
That put some fire in Hector’s eyes. “It’s not a good idea for you to talk to the sheriff without your lawyer present. He’s abusing your childhood friendship. Hell, you might not even be able to trust him. Remember, he’s the one who helped convict your father.”
That stopped Jodi, and for several moments Gabriel thought she might change her mind about going with him. She took in more of those deep breaths. The kind a person took while trying to fight off a panic attack. Or a fit of temper.
“Go home,” Jodi finally said to Hector. Her voice was as tight as the muscles in her face. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”
Oh, that didn’t please Hector. That fire in his eyes turned to a full blaze. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be waiting right here when you’re finished.”
In addition to being a pain, the guy was also mule-headed. Normally, Gabriel would have been pleased that Jodi had someone like that on her side, but this wasn’t a normal situation. And Hector wasn’t just an ordinary boss. He was someone who cut legal corners to suit his needs.
“Sorry about that,” Jodi mumbled as Gabriel ushered her into the observation room.
There was a two-way mirror, and Gabriel immediately spotted Billy seated at the table in the interview room. He appeared to be asleep, his head resting on his folded arms.
Gabriel shut the door just in case Hector decided to follow them. Of course, Jameson and Cameron likely wouldn’t allow that to happen. They both knew about Gabriel’s low opinion of the man, and they had equally low opinions of Jodi’s boss.
“Hector’s protective of me,” Jodi volunteered.
“Yeah, I can see that.” He hadn’t intended to make that sound like some kind of question, but it did. And that question was—why?
“I owe Hector,” she said, answering that unspoken question. “He was there for me after, well, after.”
“Only because you didn’t let any of us be there for you,” Gabriel pointed out.
She didn’t disagree with that. Couldn’t. Because she’d refused to see him, Jameson or his sisters, Ivy or Lauren, when she was home from the hospital. After that, she’d disappeared and hadn’t resurfaced until eight months later at her father’s trial. By then, she’d already started her association with Hector. Just how deep that association went, Gabriel didn’t know.
It was possible they were or had been lovers.
Jodi didn’t look away. She met his gaze head-on. “I’m stating the obvious here, but when I was recovering from my injuries, my father was charged with murdering your parents. For a while, my brother was a suspect as well, and you and Jameson were looking to put someone—anyone—behind bars for what happened. It didn’t seem like a good idea to see you and cry on your shoulder. Plus, you had your hands full with the investigation.”
“So, you cried on Hector’s instead.” Gabriel didn’t bother cursing himself that time, but it was definitely something he shouldn’t have thrown out there. He hadn’t brought her in here to dig up the past, but they were certainly doing just that.
“I cried but not on anyone’s shoulder,” she informed him. “Wait. You’re not thinking I turned to Hector because of some romantic feelings?” She cursed, made a face and didn’t wait for him to respond. “It’s not like that between Hector and me. Or any other man.”
Her mouth tightened as if she also had said too much. Now, she looked away, dodging his gaze, and everything in her body language signaled to him that this part of the conversation was over.
Good. It was time to move on, and he tipped his head toward Billy. “There was no blood on his clothes. Nor any visible on any part of his body.”
It didn’t take her long to process that. “That’s why you don’t believe he killed the man.”
Gabriel nodded. “There was blood everywhere in that pantry, and the guy had been stabbed multiple times. An organized killer could have possibly avoided spatter, but I’m not sure Billy’s anywhere near organized.”
She stared at the teenager on the other side of the glass. “He could have changed his clothes and cleaned himself up after the murder.” But Jodi quickly waved that off. She huffed, but it wasn’t exactly a sound of frustration. There was something else mixed with it, too. “You really do know that I wouldn’t do something like kill a man, don’t you?”
“I know.” There was something else mixed with his response, too. Empathy. Hell. More than that. Sympathy. Something that she darn sure wouldn’t want him to feel. “And you do know if I’d had any suspicions ten years ago about what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have let you leave my house?”
She nodded, sighed. Jodi looked up, their gazes connecting, and for just a split second, it seemed as if the last decade melted away. He caught a glimpse of the girl. The very one who’d had a thing for him. That thing was still there; Gabriel could feel it, but it was buried beneath the scars and the pain.
He got another flood of memories then. The heat in his own body. He’d never told Jodi that he’d wanted her that night. Wouldn’t tell her, either. Because it wouldn’t help. In fact, it could make things worse with them going through the “what could have been” scenarios.
Their eye contact continued, and Gabriel could feel that old attraction becoming a simmer again. Thankfully, the simmer turned chilly when he heard voices in the hall.
