Dead Heat (6 page)

“She’s the owner and operator of the Keeneston Journal. She’ll put in a nice story about how they died. She’s very good. Everyone reads the obits because of how well she treats them. Lots of papers just stick them in the back, but she puts them in the first section of the paper.”

“Thank you, Marianne. That would be a great help to my investigation. Also, can I ask you all to do me a favor?” Cole leaned toward the open window to get everyone’s attention. “It is crucial that no one knows they are alive. However, we also have the problem that Paige here saw the shooter and he saw her. He’ll be back to finish the job. I need you all to be on the lookout for a man in his forties, no visible tattoos, short brown hair, athletic, and around five ten. Call me immediately if you see anyone fitting that description. I don’t know when, but I would bet my life he’ll be around here again real soon trying to find out if the girls are dead and to tie up his one loose end, Paige.”

The crowd gasped and Paige was torn between rolling her eyes at his dramatic speech or running to hide under her bed in fear. She knew she was in a serious spot, and she was prepared to face it in the tough girl persona being raised with five brothers gave you. But, on some level, she knew this was different than walking the roof beam in the hay barn to prove she was just as good as the boys. This was her life. Cole must have noticed the shift in her because he placed his hand on her knee and gave it an encouraging squeeze. She looked down at his hand and groaned again. She hadn’t shaved yet this week and her legs were all prickly.

“It’ll be okay. Come on let’s get you home.” She and Cole waved by to the group whom the Rose sisters were already herding back into the cafe to formulate some kind of plan.

The second they got close enough to her store to see the cars lining the street, Paige knew she was in trouble. She recognized the Sheriff’s cruiser and four of her brother’s cars. But, what worried her more was the old white Volvo station wagon belonging to her mother parked right in front of the building.

“Looks like we have a full house tonight.” Cole said as he searched for a place to park.

“There’s private parking around back. Just turn into that alley there.” Paige pointed to the tiny alley between her store and the Keeneston Historical Society. Just moments ago, all she had wanted was to get home and climb into bed. Now, she was thinking the assassin might be the better option. Nothing, absolutely nothing could terrify her more than her mother. People often thought it was the loud and rowdy Davies men that ruled the house. But it was actually her mother, Marcy Davies, all five foot seven inches of strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was quiet, polite, and ruthless. She could screw you with a smile and you’d thank her, never realizing she had cut you down. She had once asked her mother how she could be so nice and tough at the same time. Her mother had told her to always be a lady, but when you raise five boys you learn to be tough, too.

Cole pulled into the alley and parked next to her cheery light yellow building. She was so proud of it. She had bought the building on the courthouse steps for next to nothing and spent months installing new windows, drywall, fixtures, and restoring the hundred year old original hardwood floors. She had sewn her own curtains made from a similarly colored yellow, cornflower blue, and white striped curtains trimmed in lace. She had built display tables and made matching tablecloths. She had turned an abandoned historic house into a rejuvenated shop and home. Her heart warmed every time she pushed open her navy blue door and walked into her shop. However, this time when she pushed open the door, instead of being met with the warm ambient light from her display cases, she was met with all of her lights on and most of her family sitting on the stairs and a group of sheriff’s deputies sitting behind the sales counter.

Before she could open her mouth, her family was up and talking at the same time. Her father, Jake Davies, and her brothers, Miles, Marshall, Cade, and Pierce all swarmed her with questions about what happened. Only her mother didn’t stand up and only her mother didn’t say a word.

“Where’s Cy?” Paige managed to ask before her brothers and father launched into some sort of side conversation or lecture. She didn’t know what direction they were heading and thought to cut them off.

“Before you start lecturing your sister, why don’t we have her introduce us to this nice young man she’s here with?” That was so typical of her mother. She made an FBI escort home sound like a high school date.

“Ma, this is FBI Agent Cole Parker. Cole, this is my mother, Marcy Davies.” Her mother and her stood at the same height, but that was where their similarities stopped. Her mother’s strawberry blonde hair was turning blonder with age. Only Cy had their mother’s strawberry blonde hair. Cade was dark blonde, but all of the other siblings had their father’s brown hair. Paige also inherited her father’s hazel eyes, as did all her brothers.

Paige watched her mother smile and shake hands with Cole. “It’s nice to meet you Ma’am.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. This is my husband, Jake Davies.” Cole shook his hand and they did the quick once over measuring each other up. This was her favorite part. Her brothers never behaved themselves when introduced to a man in Paige’s life, regardless of their relationship status. “And these are four of my five sons. I think you know the oldest, Miles, and then Marshall.”

Miles nodded from where he stood in front of Paige with his hands on his hips. Marshall uncoiled himself from where he was sitting on the stairs and held out his hand for Cole to shake.

“Good to see you both again,” Cole said as he shook Marshall’s hand. Paige saw him grimace and she smiled. Her brother was an intimidator. He separated the weak members of the suitor herd real fast with one of his bone crushing handshakes. Paige wouldn’t have believed what happened next it if she hadn’t seen it. Cole just smiled and adjusted his grip slightly and wiggled his fingers a bit. Marshall gave an involuntary grimace of his own and then the two smiled and thumped each other on the back.

“And this is Cade and my youngest, Pierce.” Her mother finished the introductions and moved to stand next to her father. Uh-oh, the united front. She felt them closing in. Sure enough her parents were off to her left, her brother Miles was in front of her, Marshall was flanking now that the introductions were done. Cade and Pierce moved to her right to block them in. It was solid military procedure to prevent escape.

“Cade, it’s good to see you again. Pierce, nice to meet you. I hear you are at UK getting your Masters. Good luck with that.” Cole shook each their hands and only became aware of their situation when he looked back to Paige. She could tell by the quick look of confusion on his face that he realized they were surrounded by a six foot wall.

“So Cole, our sister is in danger. What are you planning to do about it?” Miles kept his voice low, but his tone was hard as steel.

“I plan on staying by her side twenty-four seven and protecting her from getting herself shot. That’s what I plan to do.”

Even though she was not too fond of the plan, she had to give Cole props for not shrinking away like so many men before him had done when faced with the full force of the Davies family.

“That’s a plan for her immediate safety, but what about her permanent safety?” Marshall asked from behind him.

“That’s why those men are here.” Cole gestured to Red, Dinky, Noodle and some middle-aged man with thick black glasses, cargo shorts and a white polo shirt. Damn. She really didn’t want to be impressed, but she was. The whole time Cole talked, he stood still and kept eye contact with Miles, not turning around and around like her brothers wanted him to. “She’s going to give a description to the sketch artist and then I will take a copy of the sketch and run it through the FBI database. Red will run it through the Kentucky State Police database. Both runs will produce a flag, meaning it will be sent to every FBI agent in the area and every police officer in the State. The sooner you stop this little mock interrogation, the sooner I can get that sketch out to people who can find this guy.”

Paige felt her mouth drop open. No one had ever spoken to Miles like that before. Miles exuded fire and ice with every breath. He could freeze you out with a stare or blister you with words. Paige looked around the circle and found all the men had tensed their jaws at the obvious power play. However, her mother stood with a large smile on her face. She clapped her hands and the spell was broken.

“Come on, Jake. Let's get home. Paige and Cole have work to do. I think we can all say she is in safe hands now.” She stepped over to Paige and placed a motherly kiss on her cheek. “See you soon, sweetie.”

“Bye Ma. Bye Dad.”

“Bye-bye, sugar. You give us a call if you need anything, you hear?”

Paige nodded and watched her parents head for their car. “Aren’t you all leaving?” She asked her brothers who had pulled in rank again and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the staircase.

“Not yet,” Miles responded. That was it and that was all she was going to get out of him right now.

Forty-five minutes later Paige sat next to the sketch artist and stared at the man who had shot her best friends. Last time she had seen him, she didn’t know what had happened. Now, when she looked at him, she could see the cold depths of his eyes and the hard lines around his mouth.

“Thanks Pete,” Cole shook the sketch artist’s hand. “You have a scanner Paige?”

“Yes. In the back room, there is a computer, with a copier and scanner hooked up to it. Just go past the hat room and you’ll see the door on your left just under the staircase.” Paige watched as Red and Cole went in search of the room. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She didn’t think anything about doing the sketch, but having to focus on that time and stare at the man now trying to kill her had gotten her shook up.

“You okay, Paige?” Pierce had walked around the counter and now stood in front of her.

“It was harder than I thought it would be.” Pierce may have been younger by three years, but they felt things as if they were twins. Pierce was a nerdy kid growing up, tall and skinny with sharp elbows and knees. He was captain of the math team, played the trumpet in band, and was the president of the Future Farmers of America. Paige had always theorized that because he wasn’t chased after like her other brothers, Pierce could sit back and watch. He could read emotions and body language even better than her mother. Even after he grew into his body and became the most handsome of all the brothers, he still tried to stay out of the light. He was quiet, confident, and always stood up for others who either couldn’t or were too afraid to do it themselves.

“Okay. We got it sent out to all law enforcement. I have also printed off enough copies to take to the businesses around town so they can help keep a look out on you too,” Cole said as he walked out of the back room with Red.

“You look tired, Sis. How about you go on upstairs and climb into bed.” Pierce gave her a quick peck on the forehead and helped her up from her chair. Now that he mentioned it, she was tired. Her legs felt as if they were in quicksand, and her whole body pulsed with weariness.

“Sounds like a plan I can agree with. She walked past Pierce and got a kiss on the head from each brother as she passed them. She was halfway up the stairs when she remembered Cole. She turned around and found him surrounded by her brothers- again.

“Don’t worry, Sis. He’ll be up in a minute. We just need to have a quick chat with him.”

“Miles, you do realize I am not seventeen anymore, right? And you do realize that Cole isn’t my boyfriend, right?” She was too tired for this.

She turned back around and had almost made it to the landing when she heard Marshall mumble, “You may think he’s not your boyfriend, but I think he thinks differently.”

Paige somehow managed to make it up the stairs and unlock the door leading into her living area. The first room she entered was a large living room. She had painstakingly made it hers, buying furniture piece by piece until she had the whole set. The result was a large espresso colored couch that sat in front of the fireplace with a matching loveseat and chair finishing off the room. A slate table sat in front of the couch and a flat screen television hung over the fireplace. Bookshelves lined the wall on both sides of the fireplace and were full of pictures of her family, books, and magazines. If she walked straight through the room, she would go into the kitchen with the outdated appliances and oak cabinets. She had a small kitchen table that sat two and an island she used to try out some of her crafts. There was an old door that led out to a metal fire escape/back stairway. It was technically a walk up, but was made from the same durable, but ugly metal as fire escapes. She used it to take Chuck out at night since there was a small City park behind her house.

Instead of going to the kitchen, Paige turned left through the archway and went past her half bath before turning right down the main hallway. Back here, she had two bedrooms and a full bath between them. She had turned the smaller bedroom into her office and the large bedroom into the master. She had personally selected the chocolate and ivory theme. She had ivory walls with colorful pictures and paintings on the wall. The carpet was thick and chocolate colored. Her bedspread was ivory, while her sheets were chocolate. She had found all her furniture at the local antique stores and spent a month sanding it all down and finishing with a coat of varnish to let the natural glow of the wood come through.

As normal, her best friend was laying on top of her bed pillows. She had found Chuck on her parents’ farm one night. He was trying to crawl through the fence, but was too weak to make it all the way through. She had gone for a walk and seen him slumped over the bottom plank. At first she had thought he was dead. But when he opened his chocolate brown eyes and pleaded with her, she turned into superwoman. She ripped the board down and scooped him up. He was part chocolate lab and part Lord only knows. His ears were bleeding and his back end wasn’t working. She ran home with him in her arms.