Out of Eden (24 page)

He refused to shut down, but he did need to get a handle on his emotions. There was a fine line between worrying and obsessing. If he constantly feared his loved ones were in danger, he’d drive them ape-shit by being overprotective.

Step one: uncover the identity of the person who’d broken into Jessie’s home.

Jack whistled for Shy to follow. He sensed tension the moment they entered the station house.

Deputy Ziffel sat at his desk, phone in hand. “I was just about to call you, Chief. Did some investigating on my own. Put two and two together.” Looking like the cat that ate the canary, he gestured to a man sitting in the adjacent chair. “This is Pete Unger. He’s here to make amends.”

A
FTER A BLOWOUT WITH
Dr. Aversi, Carmine had checked himself out of the hospital. The only way to stave off another attack, he’d told the man, was to take action. Exerting control helped him to keep control.

Wanting this business with his brother under wraps, he’d refrained from calling one of the boys for a ride. Instead, he’d relied on a cab to shuttle him and Dixie to the brownstone where Turk had delivered their previously packed suitcases.

For the sixth time in less than forty minutes, he tried calling his nephew, then Buddah. Again, no answer. “
Fuck!
”

“It’s a small town surrounded by cornfields and pig farms,” Dixie ventured softly as the cab navigated the traffic on Chestnut Street. “Maybe they ain’t getting any cell reception.”

Or maybe they were ignoring him. Carmine had read the McGraw broad’s e-mail twice. Either Turk and Buddah had taken control of the situation and whacked Tommy for breaking
omertà
or two other wiseguys had beaten them to it. Was it possible that computer geek who’d pinpointed Tommy’s location had leaked information to the Gambelli family?”

Tommy
.

Carmine hadn’t said his brother’s name out loud in seven years. Now he’d never say it, because, if Kylie McGraw saw what she said she saw, his brother was dead.

He blew out a breath and massaged his chest.

Dixie reached over and squeezed his thigh. She didn’t speak. Sometimes she was smarter than he gave her credit for.

His cell phone chirped. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Sorry, Chickie,” said Buddah. “We ducked into a bar and grill to grab a bite, thinking maybe we’d spy, uh, Travis, or maybe overhear something that would give us a clue. We heard something, all right. People think it’s a prank. They even laughed. But Turk and I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m leery to report this given your condition.”

“Give me the nut.” Carmine wanted to hear it from Buddah. His version.

It was almost identical to Kylie’s.

When the man finished, Carmine blew out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “So you didn’t do it.”

“What?”

Carmine told Buddah about the e-mail to Dixie from Kylie. “I thought maybe you and Turk disagreed with my order to bring my brother home—
alive
. Maybe you thought my judgment wasn’t so good given my bad heart and decided to make it easy on me by doing what I couldn’t do—for the good of the family.”

“You thought we betrayed you.” Buddah sounded insulted and hurt at the same time.

“Let’s just say I can see Turk losing his temper if someone spit on his shoe,” Carmine said. “Where is he now?”

“On his phone, digging. He thinks someone leaked information. Thinks the Gambellis might have sent someone to finish what they started seven years ago.”

“I had that thought, too.” Carmine passed a fifty to the driver after he pulled up to the curb. “Listen to me, Buddah. I want you to keep an eye on this Kylie McGraw. If they think she can identify them, they might be brazen enough to stick around and silence her. I want her safe. She befriended my brother. I owe her.”

“Will do, Chickie. And if we run into the Gambellis?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow. If I can’t make amends with my brother, I
will
avenge his death.
Capiche?
”

“Capiche.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“I
KNOW IT WAS WRONG
to break into your sister’s place, Chief Reynolds. But I wasn’t thinking straight. You have to understand. Mya’s my daughter. My only kid. She’s seventeen, for God’s sake. Frank’s in his thirties. Aside from the fact that he seduced an underage girl, he took pictures.” Pete Unger shoved both hands through his hair, then sagged back in the chair. “I didn’t know about the…affair. Didn’t even suspect. I’m a widower. I do my best, but I guess that’s not good enough, otherwise she wouldn’t have fallen for that perverted prick, right?”

Jack glanced at his office door, making sure it was closed. He didn’t give a flying fuck about Frank’s reputation. But he cared how the man’s exploits would affect Jessie and Maddie, and Unger’s kid, Mya. “Mr. Unger—”

“Mya locked herself in her room for three days. You don’t know what I went through to get her to confide in me. She thought he loved her. Thought he’d send for her. But of course he didn’t. Then she started fretting about the…” Pete turned away, worked his jaw. “About the compromising photos. She said Frank belonged to a racy social network. Worried that he might post those photos on the Internet now that he was through with her. I was in a red haze when I broke into your sister’s house. I wanted those pictures. I wanted to destroy Frank. Since he wasn’t there, I destroyed his office.”

“Did you find the photos?” Jack asked.

He nodded. “On his hard drive. Along with some other disgusting shit. I worried that maybe he’d seduced and photographed other teens in town. I extracted all the files.”

“You know how to do that?”

“I’m a trouble-shooter for a computer company. Allows me to work at home. After I got what I wanted, I smashed the hard drive and monitor and kept going. Couldn’t stop myself.”

Jack understood and said so.

Just then his office door swung open and Jessie blew in.

Well, hell.

“Someone said they saw Deputy Ziffel escorting you into the station house,” she said directly to Pete. “I just…something told me…it was you, wasn’t it?”

Pete stood and faced her. “I’m sorry, Jessica Lynn, but Frank, he…”

“I know.”

Jack stood as well. “You do?”

“I only recently heard and I…I guess I blocked it out. I didn’t want to believe…” She blushed head to toe. “I’m so sorry, Pete.”

“Not your fault,” he said.

“I’m not pressing charges,” she said to Jack.

“Okay.” Given the circumstances, he was glad about that. He also didn’t feel the need to lecture Pete on right and wrong. “You’re free to go, Mr. Unger.”

“I appreciate that, Chief Reynolds. About the damages, Jessica Lynn, I’ll make good.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” she said. “I’m glad you destroyed Frank’s things. And if you see him, feel free to—”

“Jessie,” Jack warned.

Pete turned to shake Jack’s hand, pressing a flash drive into his palm. “You need to see this,” he said softly, then turned to leave.

Jessie didn’t follow him out. She stood rigid.

Jack ached to hug her, but sensed it wasn’t the time. Discreetly, he slid the flash drive beneath a magazine on his desk. She knew about Frank’s affair with their babysitter, but she didn’t know about the salacious photos. From what Pete had said, Jack assumed he’d found incriminating evidence featuring other Eden teens. He wasn’t looking forward to reviewing those files.

“You okay?” Jack asked his sister.

“I will be when this is over. When I’m divorced.”

“Tomorrow.”

She nodded.

“Still think he’ll show?”

“He hasn’t called to say otherwise. So, yes. I’m glad, actually. I want a chance to give him hell.”

“I’ll be there.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

She licked her lips. “Okay.”

“Where’s Maddie?” he asked.

“With Mrs. Carmichael. She’s going to spend the night.”

“Why?”

“Wanda tracked me down and asked if I could work late tonight. I said, yes. I need to keep busy, Jack. And I…I want to shield Madeline from tomorrow. From me. I worry I’ll be a basket case tonight.”

“I’d be happy to look after Maddie.”

“I know, but you should pay attention to your own life, too. Kylie’s a nice girl, Jack. Don’t blow it.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Just because your marriage to Amanda failed, that doesn’t make you a failure at love, Jack.”

“Sounds like something Dad would’ve said.”

Cheeks flushing, she glanced away. “He had such high hopes for me and now look at my life.”

This time Jack acted on impulse. He walked over and pulled his sister into his arms. “You’ve got a sweet, beautiful daughter and you’re intent on being financially independent. You’re resourceful and strong. He’d be proud, Jessie. I’m proud.”

She hugged back. “That means a lot coming from my perfect brother.”

Oddly, the lack of sarcasm made him uneasy. “I’m not perfect.”

“Yes. You are. I always hated that about you.”

“And now?”

She eased out of his arms and quirked a small smile. “I think Dad was right. There’s more to you than meets the eye.”

Jack laughed, thinking how their dad had used the same observation on each of them. Vic Reynolds had never understood the rivalry between his son and daughter. Jack wished he could see them now.

Jessie tucked her sleek hair behind her ears, then motioned to his snoring dog. “I was wondering if I could borrow Shy. Madeline would feel better if—”

“Sure.” He coaxed Shy off her cushion and Jessie coaxed her out the door. He wasn’t surprised that the dog so easily abandoned him. She seemed to latch on to those who needed her most.

He started to see Jessie to her car, but midway through the administration area, his administrative assistant blew in.

“I need to talk to you,” Dorothy said, hooking his arm.

“Don’t wait up for me,” Jessie called as she and Shy hurried out.

“I was going through some of the papers I’d boxed up of Chief Burke’s,” said Dorothy.

“Isn’t this your day off?” asked Jack.

“Hope I didn’t step on your toes, Chief,” interrupted Ziffel. “But I’d heard some rumors and then I read your notes and—”

“You did good, Ed.” It was all Jack managed before Dorothy shoved him back in the office and slammed the door shut. “What the hell, Ms. Vine?”

She slapped a manila file folder onto his desk. “It’s about Travis Martin.”

RATHER THAN OBSESSING ON the characters who’d spooked her this morning or Faye and her injured dad or the whereabouts of Travis and the wonder of his gift, Kylie had plunged into work. No matter what else was going on in her life, she had a family business to run. Tomorrow she’d reopen the store and Eden would get its first peek at the renovations and her new merchandise. She clung to Travis’s prediction that McGraw’s Shoe Shoppe would be a hit. Increased sales would help to smooth things over with her family for not consulting them about major changes. It would also reinforce her confidence in her professional instincts.

As soon as she started unpacking the best of her previous inventory and the bulk of the new, ideas sparked and burned. Inspired, Kylie arranged cool displays for several different styles. Formal. Casual. Trendy. She was especially pleased that the new McGraw’s was so diversified. Practical, comfortable, yet trendy. Trendy, comfortable, but not-so-practical. Designer shoes, quality shoes—at a reasonable price. Shoes for men and women. Young and old. And after her
Bada-Bling!
imports arrived tomorrow—shoes for teens and tourists. Kylie had no idea if her dad would approve. She tried not to care. She focused on the future. On steady sales. Her gut told her quality, versatility and a low price point were key. She considered every factor. At this point, only time would tell. She was arranging a display meant to entice the ladies of the Eden Garden Club when someone banged on her door.

She bit back a yelp and ignored the shivers icing down her spine. Mobsters wouldn’t knock.

“We’re closed!” she yelled.

“It’s Jack. Open up.”

She nearly tripped over her feet racing to the door. They’d only been apart a couple of hours. It felt like two days. Plus, no one messed with Jack Reynolds. If those two goons were lurking outside, they’d think twice before trying to shut her up, not that anyone believed her story.

“Hi!” Normally, she wasn’t comfortable with public displays of affection. But normal, for Kylie, had flown out the window on her birthday. She launched herself into Jack’s arms and kissed him full on the mouth. Since making love, suppressing a lifetime of yearning was more difficult than ever. Fire shot through her system as he suckled her tongue and swept her inside. He kicked the door shut and her stomach fluttered with naughty anticipation. Was he going to ravish her against the wall? On the floor? Crazy thoughts, spurred by her adrenaline-charged day.

She was disappointed and dazed when he eased her away and asked, “Where’s Travis?”

“What?”

“You said you expected him later this afternoon. Is he here? Did he show?”

“No, and no.” Kylie bristled when Jack moved around the store, looking in the storage room, her office. She followed him, confused and insulted. “You don’t believe me?”

“I believe you.”

“Then why—”

“Just checking.”

“For what?”

Instead of answering directly, he grasped her hand and urged her to sit. Then he pulled up the only extra chair in the room and sat across from her, their knees touching. “I’m going to tell you something,” he said, still holding her hand, “and I need you to promise that you’ll keep it between us. For now.”

The hair on her arms prickled. “Okay. I mean, I promise.”

“Travis Martin isn’t who you think he is.”

“Okay.” She’d suspected Travis had led another life before Eden, but Jack, as the chief of police, confirming this didn’t bode well. “Who is he?”

“I don’t know. Yet. What I know is that he’s in the witness protection program. Travis Martin is an assumed identity. WITSEC gave him a new life and planted him in Eden.”

Kylie’s heart bumped to her throat. This was insane. But even as she questioned Jack’s news, she sensed it was true. A new identity would account for Travis’s dyed hair and suppressed designer skills. For his and Mona’s tendency to keep to themselves. Although Kylie was pleased to discover the reason for Travis’s aloofness, she worried Jack thought the worst. He’d always had a bug up his butt about the man.

Kylie scrambled to show her friend in the best light. “The program is designed to protect people, right? It means Travis did something good. Testified against bad guys, right?” She’d watched her share of cop shows and movies. She had a basic grip on the concept.

“Essentially,” Jack said. “Thing is, only forty percent of those in WITSEC are innocent citizens. The other sixty percent—”

“Travis is in the lower percentage,” Kylie blurted.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

You may hear some ugly truths in the future about my past….

No, she didn’t

“Bottom line,” Jack said, “if Travis was in the program, then he testified against major criminals as in drug traffickers, terrorists or organized crime members.”

Kylie noticed the subtle emphasis on the latter. She flashed back on this morning’s scary encounter.
Oh, no
. Pulse racing, she pulled away from Jack and pushed to her feet. “It wasn’t him. I know what I said I saw, and maybe you believe me now, which is great, but the stiff in the trunk was
not
Travis. First, he doesn’t wear Italian loafers.” Although, she supposed he could afford them. He’d gifted her with an expensive plane ticket and oodles of cash, plus he apparently had reserves.

“What did you used to do?”

“You don’t want to know.”

She shoved away nefarious thoughts and focused on:
I’m a good man at heart
.

“Second?” Jack prodded.

She started to say he’s not even here. He’s out of the country. But she didn’t know specific regulations pertaining to the witness protection program. Was he allowed to travel? Had he obtained permission? If not, had he broken a rule that would land him in hot water? If whoever he’d testified against learned he was out and about would his life be at risk? “It wasn’t him,” she repeated, glad she’d locked away his letter and money in the office safe. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Jack, but at the same time she felt compelled to protect a friend. It really bugged her that Jack wasn’t willing to give Travis the benefit of the doubt. Did his cynicism extend to believing the worst in anyone he didn’t know?

Jack moved in behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “I contacted County. I don’t have the resources to adequately investigate a compromised crime scene. Also, as you know, the forest and lake are in their jurisdiction.”

“Maybe it isn’t a crime scene at all.” Suddenly, she didn’t want to believe what she thought she’d seen. “Maybe you were right. A role-playing game. Two guys obsessed with
Omertà.
” It was possible. Probable, even. Just a bunch of crazy coincidences.

“Maybe,” Jack said.

Mollifying, Kylie thought.

“Regardless, I called the U.S. Marshals Service, left a message for the inspector assigned to Martin. Dorothy found a document buried in Chief Burke’s possessions. Dates back seven years. Notification alerting the local law of a witness’s presence. No mention of a criminal history or specific circumstances. Secrecy as a precautionary measure is common, but given recent developments, I need to know what I’m dealing with.”

Recent developments meaning her run in with the goons.

Jack tightened his hold, kissed the top of her head, then nuzzled her ear. “I want you safe, Kylie. I want my sister and niece safe. Along with every other citizen in Eden. It’s not just my job, it’s personal. It’s like breathing, this need to protect. Do or die.”

“An admirable quality,” Kylie said. Attractive, too. When she was eleven, she’d watched him take on three teens who were shooting BBs at a dog. It had been the first of many times she’d thought,
“My hero.”
Yet here she was withholding information that might make his job easier.