Being with a Ranger. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.
“Has Jennifer Bell’s next of kin been notified?” Bragg said.
Winchester wrestled a grin from his face. “Her boyfriend is calling her parents who are in Europe right now.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. He fished through several pages. “His name is Adam Owens. He’d been contacted and he’s on his way to the hospital.”
“Good. I want to talk to him.”
“I’ll pull Jennifer’s phone records. Maybe the killer called her before she died. And I’ll get the uniforms going from door to door. They can hunt down security cameras and possible witnesses. Maybe somebody or a camera caught something.”
“Any word on Michael Sycamore?”
“Not yet. His secretary in Houston says he’s on vacation and won’t return for another week.”
“Does she know where he went?”
“No, but she’s trying to track him.”
“We need to find that guy as soon as possible.”
“Think he’s behind this?”
“If he’s not, he’s in danger.”
“So is Greer.”
“I know.”
Bragg drove to the hospital emergency room. The hum of machines mingled with the chatter of doctors, nurses, patients, and family. He went straight to the information desk and after showing his badge was directed to the curtained cubicle where the doctors had worked on Jennifer.
“Her boyfriend is in with her now,” the nurse said. “He asked the doctor for a moment.”
“Thanks.”
Bragg found Jennifer’s cubicle, arriving as Adam Owens stepped out from behind curtain dividers. His dark hair was slicked back as if he’d just gotten out of a shower, and he wore madras shorts, a white shirt, and deck shoes. The faint scent of aftershave drifted around him.
Adam glanced up at Bragg, red-rimmed eyes taking in the Ranger star, white hat, and gun. “You’re here for Jennifer?”
Bragg nodded. “Mr. Owens, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
He pressed the heel of his hand to his temple as if it pounded. “We were talking on the phone last night after she closed the shop. She was supposed to come by the house, and we were going to have dinner. She sounded excited and happy. I was going to grill steaks for us. And then she texted me and told me she wasn’t feeling well. Said she’d call in the morning. I texted her back and told her I loved her. She sent back a heart.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she’d overdose. That does not make sense.”
What made sense was that she’d been murdered. Three people now who’d lived together in the same pod at Shady Grove were dead. All that remained were Greer and Michael. “She gave you no indication there was a problem?”
“No. She was in a great mood.” He glanced back at the curtained walls that separated him from Jennifer’s body. “She was running late but it was because it had been a busy day at the store. Sales had been exceptional.”
Bragg frowned. “Did she say anything about those customers? Any one of them strike her as odd or out to make trouble?”
“No. Not a word. She was really happy. We were supposed to get married in the spring. She went to New York for her wedding-dress fitting last week. Both her parents came. She’s an only child and the sun rises and sets on her.”
Bragg searched for words to heal, but couldn’t find the right ones. Best he could do for this man was find Jennifer’s killer. “I’d like to have a look around her shop.”
Owens dug in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. His hands trembled as he tried to find the right one.
Bragg took pity on him, remembering how rattled he’d been when his sister had died. He took the keys. “Show me.”
Owens shoved out a sigh and handed Bragg the ring. “Third on the right. It’s gold.”
Bragg found the thick brass key. “Can I take this off the ring?”
Owens threaded long, lean fingers through his hair. “Sure. You can have the ring.”
“No, sir, you’re going to need your keys when you get home. Did you drive yourself here?”
“Yes.”
Bragg held on to the ring of keys. “Is there someone you can call to drive you home?”
Owens stared at the floor as if the enormity of the moment hit him like a truckload of bricks. “What?”
Bragg softened the edges of his voice. “Someone you can call to drive you home?”
Adam shook his head. “I just can’t believe she’s dead. She appears to be sleeping. She’s so beautiful. It makes no sense.”
Bragg pulled his cell phone and dialed DPS and ordered a patrol car. “Sir, I’m going to have an officer drive you home. I don’t want you driving.”
Adam shook his head. “I can drive.”
“No, sir.” Instead of handing the keys back to Owens he flagged a nurse and gave them to her with instructions to hold them until an officer arrived. He also told her to find the hospital chaplain.
A half hour later he opened the front door of Jennifer’s shop. He flipped on the lights. An eerie silence greeted him, making him feel as if the shop had died with its owner. Looking at the attention to detail in the displays and window dressings and the way the counter had been left clean and ready for business on Monday, he could tell she’d clearly loved and took pride in this store.
He went back to her office and turned on more lights. He checked receipts for the day neatly organized in a pile in the center of her desk. He noted five purchases. All over three thousand dollars. All cash. It was as if a parade of patrons had flocked to her door. Her most successful day had been her last.
It didn’t take much effort for Bragg to locate the church holding Rory’s funeral. It was in West Lake Hills, nestled in a small residential neighborhood. He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes before three. After parking, he scanned the area and spotted Greer’s truck parked under a tree. To his surprise she was still in the truck.
Out of his car, he moved closer and saw she’d brushed out her hair letting it flow over her shoulders. She wore a black dress, no jewelry except for the bracelets. In the big truck’s cab she looked small and vulnerable—both descriptions would no doubt make her angry.
When she saw him approaching, her frown deepened. She slid out of the truck. “Why did you want to meet me at the funeral?”
The sun beat on his back but the warmth building in him had to do with her. “I’m here for you.”
“Why? I can handle this.”
A slight breeze teased the hair framing her face. The urge to touch her was strong, undeniable.
When he didn’t answer, she glanced toward the church’s large wooden doors. “I should be going inside. The service starts soon.”
“Why haven’t you gone inside yet?”
Her brow furrowed. “I’ve been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes hoping to gather my courage. But now I really must leave.”
Without thought, he took ahold of her arm. The touch of her skin electrified, felt better than he imagined.
She glanced at his hand and when she raised her gaze back to his her cheeks were flushed. She made no move to pull away.
“I wanted to give you the news in person.” He paused. “Jennifer Bell is dead.” He studied her face, watching it transform from curiosity to shock to horror. The urge to comfort was so strong, but he shoved it aside.
She cleared her throat. “What happened?”
He wanted to tell her. “Tell me about Jennifer. Why was she at Shady Grove?” This close his height could intimidate, but she didn’t shy away.
She lifted a chin. “She never wanted anyone to know.”
He hesitated, feeling the weight of the words he needed to speak. “She’s dead.”
A sigh shuddered from her.
His fingers squeezed her arm gently, urgently. “Greer. Tell me.”
“She came to the camp about a week after I did.” Questions demanded answers but he held them at bay, giving her a moment to explain
. “At first, she wouldn’t tell us what she’d done. It had to be bad to land at Shady Grove.” A silence settled between them as if she had stumbled into the past.
“Greer. What did she do?”
“She took an overdose of her mother’s painkillers. Her mother found her barely in time. Her stomach was pumped, and she was sent to Shady Grove.”
“Why did she try to kill herself?”
“She and her brother were at the family lake house. She said she dove into the lake and then dared her brother to do the same. He didn’t want to, and she called him a coward. He got mad and dove. When he hit the water he struck a log and broke his neck. He died days later. She blamed herself.”
He thought about what Adam Owens had told him about Jennifer being an only child. Was she the only remaining child or had she lied to the group at camp? Lies seemed more common than not at that place. “Rory had been heard saying he wanted to see you again. Your picture was nailed to the tree where he was hung and his body was on your property. Sara wanted her mother’s forgiveness for an abortion. There was a tape of her mother’s voice playing over and over in the freezer. And we found a baby doll in her trash can. Jennifer was found dead of an overdose. This killer is re-creating past failures, granting last wishes, and then killing suicide survivors. What did Jennifer want?”
“I don’t know. I guess she wanted to wish away her brother’s accident.” Tears pooled in her eyes.
“Her fiancé said she was an only child.”
“That doesn’t make sense. I remember her telling me about her brother. It was a bond we shared.” Greer swiped away a tear, shaking her head. “Jennifer was a complicated girl. I always suspected there was so much she wasn’t saying. Sara picked up on it in camp. She pressed Jennifer one night to be truthful, but instead of talking, Jennifer left the circle.”
“She left her shop late yesterday afternoon. First, she spoke to her fiancé, Adam Owens, and then she said she was on her way home. Minutes later, she texted Owens and said she was sick. Twelve hours later she’s dead. Where was she? What happened?”