“I’ll tell you what you can do. You can leave your phone number with my assistant, and when I’ve finished interrogating my suspect, I’ll give you a call.” She addressed Nick. “Now go on and get out of my police station and let me get back to work.”
The suspect’s brother smiled at her. She thought he might start laughing. The possibility didn’t sit well.
“What are we gonna do about this situation?” Nick wanted to know.
Haden’s bravado ended abruptly. Noah started walking toward her. She stepped out of his way. If she hadn’t moved, he would have walked over her or through her. He didn’t leave any doubt about that.
Noah glanced over his shoulder at Nick and grinned.
Nick conceded, “Yeah, yeah, you’ve still got it.”
The “it” was spook tactics. Noah had always been able to freeze anyone, male or female, with one hard look. Nick, on the other hand, according to Noah, had still not perfected the art.
“You can get the key from her,” Noah said.
“You listen here. I’m not letting that woman out until she starts cooperating.” Haden’s voice was loud and surly.
On the other side of the wall Jordan patiently waited for someone to come and get her. She knew that Nick and Noah had arrived because she could hear the chief of police arguing. When she saw Noah, her shoulders sagged with relief. She was so happy to see him.
He was appalled by the sight of her. “What happened to you? You look godawful.”
“Thank you. It’s lovely to see you too.”
Noah ignored her sarcasm. Given the circumstances most women would have been a little upset, he thought, but Jordan wasn’t like most. As miserable as she looked, she could still give him attitude. He had to admire her spunk.
He leaned against the steel bars and smiled at her. “You want out of here?”
Exasperated, she replied, “What do you think?”
“Tell you what. You tell me what happened to that pretty face of yours, and I’ll let you out.”
She gingerly touched her cheek and winced. “A fist ran into it,” she said. “Is Nick still out there? I don’t hear him.”
“I can’t imagine you could hear anything over that woman’s screeching.”
“How did you get here so quickly? I thought you were going to send some agents from the district.”
“I was able to charter a small plane, so I didn’t need to call them.”
“Nick willingly got into a small plane? It takes a lot of coaxing to get him into a commercial jumbo jet. I can’t imagine he’d fly in a small one.”
“I didn’t say willingly, did I? I had to do some pushing and shoving.”
She was impressed. “Did he get sick?” she asked, smiling over the possibility. It was comical to see him turn green.
“Yeah, he did.”
She laughed. “I’m so happy you’re both here,” she admitted.
He shrugged. “You should be.”
His arrogance didn’t bother her so much today. She heard the chief’s raised voice again and asked, “What’s going on out there?”
“Nothing much. Your brother’s just having a little chat with the chief of police.”
“Chief Haden’s a real softie, isn’t she?”
Noah laughed. “She’s about as soft as a rattlesnake,” he said. “She’s trying to give my home state a bad name, but don’t you worry about her. Nick can handle her.”
Jordan stood and tried to brush the wrinkles out of her blouse. “Do you think you could find the key and get me out of this cell?” she asked sweetly.
“Sure enough,” he agreed. “Just as soon as you tell me whose fist ran into your face.”
At that moment Haden stormed around the corner, a sour look on her face, the key in her hand. She unlocked the cell door, muttered something under her breath that Jordan pretended not to hear, and said, “It’s been…suggested that we sit down and talk this out. You know…get to the bottom of this mystery.”
Nick was standing in the doorway. Jordan’s hair had fallen forward, partially covering her face, but when she brushed it back over her shoulder, he got a good look at her injury.
“What happened to you?” he demanded. “What son of a—”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly before he could finish his obscenity. “I’m fine, really.”
His eyes blazed with anger as he addressed the chief. “Are you responsible for this?”
“Of course I’m not responsible,” she snapped. “I wasn’t even there when the alleged incident occurred.”
“Alleged?” Noah spun around to confront Haden.
“Jordan, who hit you?” Nick asked.
The chief swung the door open as Nick posed the question. The woman wouldn’t move out of Jordan’s way, so Noah stepped forward, took hold of Jordan’s arm, and pulled her toward him.
“Jordan, answer me,” Nick demanded.
“His name is J. D. Dickey. I don’t know what the J and the D stand for. His brother Randy is the sheriff of Jessup County. The two of them were together in Sheriff Randy’s car. We’re in Grady County now,” she added.
“Why wasn’t the guy who assaulted you arrested?”
“I tried to press charges.”
“What do you mean, you tried?” Nick asked.
“I mean I tried. She wouldn’t let me.”
She’d rendered her brother and Noah speechless. They’d never encountered such incompetence.
They all filed into the outer office. Since there weren’t enough chairs to go around or the space to put them in, they ended up standing in a cluster near the assistant’s desk. Jordan noticed that Carrie was trying—without much success—to get Noah’s attention.
Maggie Haden made her way around the group to her office and sat on the edge of her desk tapping her foot impatiently while she listened to the conversation.
“We’ll get him in here,” Noah promised.
“Where exactly were you arrested?” Nick asked.
“Three or four blocks from here.”
“She was never arrested,” Haden called out.
“Then why was I locked in a cell? Remember what you told me? You weren’t going to give me anything to drink or eat until I answered your questions. You also said that you didn’t care if I starved to death.”
“I said no such thing.”
Carrie had been quietly content to stare up at Noah until she heard what the chief said. Her head snapped up, and for a second she stopped twirling her hair.
“Yes, you did. I heard you,” she said.
“I was bluffing,” the chief said.
“Bluffing?” Noah questioned. “Don’t we call that lying to a federal agent and obstructing justice, Nick?”
“That’s what we call it,” he agreed. “You want to arrest her or should I?”
“Now hold on.” Haden’s voice had risen an octave. “Your sister wouldn’t cooperate. I had to lock her up.”
“Jordan, is that true?” Nick asked.
“What do you think?”
“Just answer the question,” he demanded impatiently.
Nick was behaving more like a big brother than an FBI agent now, but she was still too thankful and happy that he was there to be bothered by his high-handed attitude.
“I requested an attorney,” she began, “and I also informed Chief Haden that I had called you. She then informed me that I wasn’t a suspect but that she was going to interrogate me with her tape recorder on, and when I wouldn’t answer her accusatory questions without an attorney, she changed her mind and decided I was a suspect after all.”
Turning to the sour-faced woman, she said, “I can’t remember. Was that before or after you threatened to hand me over to the Dickey brothers?”
All turned to stare at the chief, waiting for her explanation.
Haden’s chest heaved as she took a deep breath. “I did not threaten any such thing.”
“Yes, you did,” Carrie volunteered. “You said—”
&n
bsp; The chief cut her off with a scorching glare. “Put a cork in it, Carrie, and get back to that computer. You’re on work release, not a vacation.”
Carrie’s face turned bright red. She lowered her head and stared at the keyboard. Jordan could see that she was embarrassed that Nick and Noah had heard what the chief said.
“I can’t work the computer. The stupid thing’s broken.”
Jordan felt sorry for her and wondered which would be worse, working for the chief from hell or going back to prison to serve out the rest of her sentence.
Carrie sounded pitiful. “I don’t know what to do.”
As galling as it was to inadvertently help the chief of police, Jordan couldn’t stop herself from helping Carrie. With a sigh, she reached around Carrie, hit two buttons, waited half a second, then hit a couple of keys, and the computer screen lit up.
Carrie looked like she had just witnessed a miracle. Wide-eyed, she stared at Jordan and whispered, “How did you do that?”
As Jordan explained, Nick argued with the chief about jurisdiction. The chief liked the word and used it as an answer no matter what question was asked.
“Has the coroner given you an approximate time of death for the victim?” he asked.
“This is my jurisdiction and therefore my case. You don’t need to be butting your nose in.”
“Why haven’t you brought J. D. Dickey and his brother in?” he asked.
“What business do you have with the sheriff?”
“What business did he have in Grady County?”
“This is my jurisdiction,” Haden huffed.
“When are you going to arrest J. D. Dickey?” he asked.
Haden’s cell phone rang. She turned her back on the agents and stepped around her desk.
She covered her mouth. “I know who it is,” she snapped under her breath. “You listen here. They’re pressuring me to arrest you.” Several seconds passed, and then Haden said, “For socking the woman. What’d you think they wanted me to arrest you for?”
“Doesn’t she know we can hear every word she’s saying?” Noah asked Nick.
“Apparently she doesn’t.”
Haden’s voice had risen. “And I’m telling you my hands are tied here. I’m doing the best I can.”
She disconnected the call and tossed the cell phone onto her desk. Nick waited until she turned around before he asked the obvious.
“Were you just talking to J. D. Dickey?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“If you don’t bring him in, we will.”
“This is my jurisdiction.”
Nick asked her again if the coroner had given an approximate time of death for Professor MacKenna.
“I already answered the question. This is my jurisdiction and my case.” She folded her arms and began tapping her foot. “I want you to get out…”
“We are not going away,” Noah interjected.
“What was the cause of death?” Nick asked.
“My jurisdiction,” she repeated, dragging the word out.
And so it went. No matter what question was asked, jurisdiction was her answer.
Jordan felt as though she were watching a tennis match, her gaze bouncing back and forth between her brother and the chief.
Carrie touched her arm to get her attention. “How come I can’t get the printer to print?”
Jordan leaned over the desk and said, “Your printer isn’t hooked up to the computer.” Her attention returned to the ongoing argument.
Carrie distracted her again. “Can you fix it?” she pleaded.
“Yes, okay.”
“I found the manual for the computer,” she whispered. She was keeping her eye on the chief now, making sure she wasn’t listening. “But I haven’t read it. I told her I had but…you know. I got busy doing other stuff. I guess I should read it, huh?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Jordan said. She walked around the desk and began hooking up the cable while Carrie continued to whisper.
“Your brother’s really good-looking, but he’s got that wedding ring on. It is a wedding ring, isn’t it?”
Jordan smiled. “Yes, it is.”
“Is his wife alive? I mean, some guys keep on wearing their wedding rings for years after their wives die.”
“Yes, his wife is alive, and yes, they’re happily married. In fact, he and Laurant are expecting their second child in three months.”
Carrie’s voice dropped lower. “Jaffee’s really nice-looking too. I mean, he’s losing his hair and all, but that makes him kind of sexy. I was walking past his restaurant on my break yesterday, and he and his friends were standing there talking to you. That rich rancher…you know who I mean…his name’s Whitaker…now, he’s really hot. He’s on the lean side, but I can tell he’s got muscles, and I like muscles. I bet he works out, don’t you think?”
Jordan didn’t answer, but Carrie didn’t seem to mind. “That one there though”—she nodded in Noah’s direction—“he’s got to be the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”
Was there any man Carrie didn’t find appealing? Just how long had she been in prison? Jordan hoped the discussion had ended, but Carrie wasn’t going to let it go.
“I mean…don’t you think?”
“Yes, he is sexy,” Jordan replied.
“That’s what I thought.”
Jordan happened to glance up at Noah and realized he’d been watching her. Had he heard the conversation? She hoped not.
The chief was drawn away by another phone call, and Jordan seized the opportunity.
“Nick, what happens now?”
“We’re waiting for your attorney.”
“Who is he?” she asked.
“I haven’t met him, but he comes highly recommended.”
“Doctor Morganstern called him,” Noah told her.
Startled, she gasped and her hand went to her throat. “You told Doctor Morganstern about this? Why did you tell him?”
Dr. Morganstern was a brilliant man, and his opinion mattered to her. She didn’t want him to think less of her, or to think that she was somehow responsible for this mess.
“What’s the big deal?” Noah asked.
“You shouldn’t have bothered the doctor. He’s a busy man.”
Nick shook his head. “We work for him, remember? We can’t just take off without letting him know where we’re going. We had to tell him what we were doing and why.”
“Why does that bother you?” Noah asked.
“I just told you why. He’s a very busy man,” she said as she walked over to Noah and sat on the edge of the desk next to him. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I just didn’t want you to bother him. That’s all.”
He nudged her. “Yeah, it does bother you.” He leaned over and whispered, “You didn’t kill the guy, did you?”
“No, of course I didn’t,” she whispered back.
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Tell that to the chief.”
“She isn’t your problem any longer.”
Before she could ask him to explain, Nick’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the number and told Noah, “Chaddick’s calling back.”
He flipped the phone open and said, “What have you got?”
Jordan tapped Noah’s arm. “Who’s Chaddick?”
“An FBI agent making some calls for us and checking some things out. He’ll come in on this if we need him.”
“I appreciate it,” Nick said into his phone. “Right. I’ll meet you there. I’ll give you a call when I’m leaving Serenity. You’re going to set it up? That’s great. Thanks again.”
Jordan and Noah looked at him expectantly when he ended the call.
“Strangulation,” Nick said without preamble.
“So it was up close and personal,” Noah remarked.
“A crime of passion,” Nick said. “Rope was used. Chaddick said some fibers were found imbedded in the skin.”
“It takes a lot of strength to strangle someone
. I doubt Jordan has that kind of strength. Even coming up behind him, even with the element of surprise—”
“I didn’t strangle anyone.”
“Didn’t you notice his neck?” Nick asked. “Didn’t you see any bruising or discoloration?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Were you wearing your contacts? Could you see—”
“Yes, I was wearing my contacts. I could see just fine.”
“Then how could you have missed—”
She cut him off. “Look,” she said, her irritation growing, “I was too busy noticing he was wrapped up like a sandwich. Oh, God, I’ll never eat anything from a Ziploc bag again.”
“Jordan, get a grip,” Nick said. “This isn’t the time to get all emotional. I know this is upsetting—”
“Upsetting?” She pushed off the desk and took a step toward him. “The way I feel goes way past upset.”
He put his hand up. “Calm down. I’m just trying to get as much information as possible before your attorney gets here. I wish your powers of observation—”
She took another step in his direction. “You know what I wish? I wish I’d called Theo.”
Noah grabbed hold of Jordan’s arm and pulled her back. “But you didn’t call Theo. You called Nick. Take a deep breath, okay?”
He made her sit back on the desk. “What do you suggest we do about her?” he asked, motioning to the chief of police. The woman was pacing in her tiny office while she talked on the phone. “I think we should lock her up and throw away the key.”
“Jordan?” Carrie whispered her name.
“Yes, Carrie?”
“You shouldn’t get mad at your brother. I wish I had a brother who could have helped me when I got into trouble. I do have a brother,” she explained earnestly. “He drove the getaway car. He didn’t get away though. They caught him too.”