Coldhearted Page 14

  With his calls made, Rick picked up his pace on his walk back to the house. Jordan was standing on the back porch and when she saw him, she came running. Breathing hard and slightly winded, she stopped and looked at him, her eyes filled with questions.

  “Is it—?”

  “It’s Jane Anne,” Rick said.

  “Oh, God.”

  He watched helplessly as Jordan struggled to maintain control. She clenched her jaw tightly.

  “Holt and J.C. stayed at the scene to make sure nothing is disturbed. I called Sheriff Corbett. He’s calling one of the guards at the front gate to go directly to the scene and he’ll be here himself, along with the coroner within the hour.”

  “What happened to her? Could you tell how she died? Did she drown?” Jordan grabbed his arms.

  Rick pulled her hands off his arms, brought them together, and held them as he looked into her eyes. “I want you to take a few deep breaths and get hold of yourself completely. Do it now.”

  She did as he requested, all the while never breaking eye contact.

  “Good girl. Now, listen to me. I know you didn’t kill her. I’m your alibi. But once they find your check in her purse—”

  Jordan gasped. “Oh, dear God!”

  He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. “It’s going to be all right, but you have to prepare yourself for a few really rough days. The sheriff will have no choice but to question you and even if he goes easy on you, it still won’t be pleasant. He’s going to want to know why you gave Jane Anne Price a check for a hundred grand.”

  “I’ll think of some reason, something believable. Maybe it was a loan or maybe—”

  He shook her again. “How about telling him the truth?”

  She stared at Rick as if he should have known telling the truth was out of the question.

  “You’re going to need a topnotch lawyer. And I don’t mean Wallace McGee Airport. I mean a criminal defense lawyer.”

  “I’m sure Ryan will know of someone suitable.”

  “You know who Camden Hendrix is, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “He’s home-based in Chattanooga and is certified to practice in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. He’s a personal friend of Griffin Powell’s. Just say the word and—”

  “Yes.”

  Rick released a relieved breath. “I’ll talk to Ryan and see if he can’t persuade his good buddy the sheriff not to officially question you until tomorrow morning. We’ll use your being pregnant as a legit excuse to postpone things.”

  “People are going to think I killed Jane Anne, aren’t they?”

  “Some people will, just as some people think you killed Dan and possibly those other men, too.”

  “But you don’t believe I killed any of them, do you?”

  She looked at him as if his answer was the most important thing in the world to her, as if she would live or die depending on his response.

  “Don’t do this to yourself, honey,” Rick said. “You’re getting all worked up and it’s not good for you or the baby.”

  “You—you think I’m capable of murder.” Her voice quavered.

  He shook his head. “No. No, I don’t.”

  She shivered.

  “You’re cold.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “We need to get you inside so you can sit down and rest.”

  “The others are going to want to know what happened. We’ll need to get Dr. Carroll out here to sedate Tammy. And Darlene will need consoling. She’ll be worried sick about me. And Devon!”

  Rick tightened his hold on her shoulders as they walked toward the back porch. “You’re going into your study and staying there. I’ll have Vadonna bring you some hot tea and I will deal with everyone else, including Devon.”

  “I can’t ask you to—”

  “You didn’t ask,” he told her. “Once I get you situated in your study, I intend to stay with you and block the door while I call Ryan and then Griff. If anyone tries to get to you, they’ll have to go through me first.”

  Jordan sat in her favorite chair in her study, her feet propped on the matching ottoman. A half-empty teacup rested on a floral coaster on the tea table to her right. Sitting at her desk, Rick talked softly to someone on his cell phone. She closed her eyes and sighed.

  It hadn’t been easy to relinquish control to someone else, but Rick all but forced her to let him take care of everything. She didn’t know what he’d said or done, but no one had entered her study since Rick brought her in here. She had heard rumblings outside the door, but apparently no one had been brave enough to go against Rick’s orders.

  Her head throbbed with the tension created from stress. The day had started off with a bang and steadily gotten worse, ending with the horror of Jane Anne’s body being found in the pond. She hadn’t killed Dan’s ex-wife, but even Rick swearing he knew her whereabouts when Jane Anne was killed wouldn’t stop people from speculating about her. That alone was bad enough, but what worried Jordan far more was knowing that someone who had access to the estate grounds was the murderer. With the gates locked and guarded, it was highly unlikely that someone had breached the security. If no one had entered the estate unseen, that narrowed the list of possible suspects to those who were still here at the time of Jane Anne’s death.

  Claire and Ryan had gone home. Sheriff Corbett and Lt. McLain had been gone for quite some time. Other than Rick and the two Powell agents, that left only members of her family, which included Tobias and Vadonna. She simply couldn’t believe that any one of them had killed Jane Anne.

  Devon was a gentle soul, violence of any kind abhorrent to him. Rene would kill in self-defense, but for no other reason. J.C. was capable of just about anything, but what possible motive could he have had to kill Jane Anne? Tammy was mentally unstable and was prone to hissy fits, but Jordan refused to believe she was capable of murder. Roselynne would kill to protect those she loved and Darlene was incapable of cold-blooded murder.

  A sudden wave of nausea hit Jordan from out of the blue. Not now, please, not now. The last thing she needed to deal with was a bout of vomiting.

  She wasn’t aware that she had made a sound, but undoubtedly she had moaned because Rick paused in his private telephone conversation to ask her if she was all right.

  She started to say that she was okay except for being a little sick at her stomach, but before she could say anything, a piercing pain sliced through her lower body.

  Oh, God, no!

  She clutched her belly.

  Not the baby.

  “Jordan, what’s wrong?” Rick asked, then spoke to the person on the other end of the line. “Look, I’ll have to call you back later. Just get the ball rolling.”

  “Rick. Rick!”

  “I’m here,” he told her as he ran across the room. “What is it? Are you sick?”

  “Yes, but…but I’m cramping. Oh, Rick, I think something’s wrong with my baby.”

  Chapter 12

  When Jordan woke, she remembered very little after Rick had lifted her into his arms and carried her to the car. She vaguely recalled everyone talking all at once, their voices blending into one gigantic cry of concern. What had begun as mild nausea had quickly progressed into severe abdominal pain and culminated with vaginal bleeding. Rick had wasted no time with calling an ambulance or trying to soothe anyone else’s concerns. He probably broke the speed limit by twenty or thirty miles per hour getting her to the hospital. Apparently she’d lost consciousness soon thereafter because she remembered nothing else, except…

  The feel of Rick holding her hand. And the sound of his voice telling her that she was going to be all right.

  When she opened her eyes fully, she glanced around the sterile room and realized she was at the small clinic/hospital in downtown Priceville. The room was semi-dark, illuminated only by the light from the hallway and the security lights shining through the slats in the closed window blinds. Darlene sat in a chair beside the bed, her head bowed, her eyes clo
sed.

  She’s praying. Praying for me and my baby.

  My baby!

  Jordan’s soft moan interrupted Darlene’s prayer and brought Devon, who had been standing in the corner of the room, to Jordan’s side.

  Flanked by Darlene and Devon, she glanced from one to the other, but in the darkness she couldn’t see their expressions clearly.

  “The baby?” she asked.

  Darlene sniffled and turned away.

  Devon took Jordan’s hand. “There was nothing they could do. You miscarried in the emergency room only minutes after you arrived here.”

  “No, no…” Jordan jerked her hand out of Devon’s and turned over, burying her face in the pillow. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

  Devon rubbed her back. “I can’t bear to see you like this. Please, Jordan, please…”

  “Leave her alone,” Darlene said. “She needs time to grieve.”

  “Why did this have to happen?” Devon’s voice trembled. “Why did—?”

  “Come on, let’s go get some coffee and leave Jordan alone so she can rest,” Darlene told him, and then touched Jordan’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, we won’t go far. We’ll be back shortly.”

  She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. Emotional pain radiated through her, cutting her heart to ribbons. Knowing that her child was gone, lost to her forever, she felt horribly empty and so very alone. If Dan was alive, he would know what to do, what to say. He’d had such a way with words, always saying just the right thing. That was one of the things that had made him such a good politician.

  “Oh, Dan, I wish you were here to help us…”

  Losing track of time as she mourned the loss of her child, she hadn’t been aware that someone had entered her room, not until he reached out and brushed the damp tendrils of her hair off her cheek. Although his touch was soft and gentle, his fingertips were rough. Not Devon’s hand, not his manicured fingernails.

  “Rick?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “I lost my baby.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Without lifting her head from the pillow or turning to look at him, she reached for his hand that lay on her shoulder. He threaded his fingers through hers.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.

  “No, there’s nothing to be done now.” She had lost the child that she had waited a lifetime to have, a child who would have been greatly loved.

  “The nurse said you could probably go home tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Hmm…”

  “The entire bunch has been here,” he told her. “They’ve taken turns looking in on you. I think everyone has gone home except Devon and Darlene.”

  “How is Devon?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Would you take them home…please?” She turned over and looked up at Rick. “But first I need to see Devon again.”

  “Are you sure you want to be alone tonight? Devon could stay or I—”

  “No, there’s no need for anyone to stay. They’ll keep me doped up so I should be able to sleep. I just need to say good night to Devon.”

  “I’ll get him.”

  A few minutes later, Devon stood in the doorway and waited for her to motion to him. When she did, he came over and sat down on the bed; then he took both of her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “I’m so sorry. It’s not fair. We lost Dan. We shouldn’t have lost the baby, too.”

  Teardrops fell from his big blue eyes and spattered across their clasped hands. When he put his head down on her chest, she forked her fingers through his dark hair and petted him as a mother would comfort a child. “Hush, now. Hush.”

  “I had imagined what the baby would look like.” Devon told her. “I thought it was a girl and I knew she’d look just like you, only she’d have my dark hair and blue eyes. Dan would have loved her. He’d have spoiled her. All of us would have spoiled her.”

  She soothed him with her touch, hating to see him suffering so. “I thought our baby would be a boy. Dan would have loved having a son, and if he’d looked just like you, nothing would have made Dan happier.”

  Rick didn’t make a habit of eavesdropping and the only reason he had overheard Jordan and Devon’s conversation was because Devon had only partially closed the door. In a way, he wished he hadn’t heard a damn thing. But he couldn’t forget what he’d heard—Devon Markham had fathered Jordan’s baby and apparently Daniel Price had known.

  Something was screwy about this whole thing. It didn’t make sense. But there had to be some kind of logical explanation. A top secret explanation? Apparently Jane Anne Price had known the secret, and possessing that knowledge had gotten her killed.

  While Rick’s mind whirled with unanswered questions and tried to form scenarios that solved the puzzle, Devon came out of Jordan’s room.

  “There’s no need to tell her that Darlene is going to stay here tonight, just in case she needs her,” Devon said. “Jordan will probably be asleep before Darlene comes back from the snack bar.”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  “If Jordan didn’t insist that I go home, I’d stay.” Devon glanced at Rick. “Even now, after all she’s endured, she’s thinking of me.”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  As they walked down the corridor toward the elevator, Devon asked, “You don’t like me, do you, Mr. Carson?”

  “I figured the feeling was mutual,” Rick replied.

  “We’re very different types of men, aren’t we?”

  Rick punched the elevator’s DOWN button. “I’ve got nothing against your type—fancy dressing pretty boys who get manicures and pedicures and know more about choosing a good wine than they do about sports and cars. I don’t like you because I dislike men who have affairs with other men’s wives and I can’t stand to see a man lean on a woman when he should be taking care of her, not the other way around.”

  The elevator doors opened. Rick entered first, then Devon. Rick hit the GROUND LEVEL button.

  “I don’t like you because you actually think that Jordan is capable of murder,” Devon said. “You aren’t very perceptive about people, are you? You’ve misjudged Jordan terribly. And as for me…” Devon laughed. “You’re half right about me, the part about my getting manicures and pedicures and knowing more about good wine than sports. And you’re right about my leaning on Jordan. We’ve been friends since we were kids and she’s always taken care of me. Don’t let her looks fool you. Beneath that small, fragile façade, she’s a strong, powerful lioness. She takes care of those she loves.”

  The elevator hit the ground level; the doors opened. Devon exited first, then Rick.

  As they made their way to the parking lot, Rick asked, “So I’ve misjudged Jordan, but got you pegged, is that right?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you that, although Jordan and I love each other and have loved each other since we were seven years old, we didn’t have an affair?”

  Rick unlocked the Jeep and waited until they were both seated inside before he responded. “Answer one question for me.”

  “All right.”

  In the semi-darkness, Rick looked at Devon and asked, “Were you the father of Jordan’s baby?”

  Dead silence.

  “No.”

  “You’re lying,” Rick said.

  “There are things you don’t know, things you wouldn’t understand. Jordan and I have never been lovers.”

  “Whatever the big secret is, it’s only a matter of time before I find out. Secrets, no matter how well hidden or deeply buried have a way of coming out sooner or later.”

  “You’re right, but it’s not my place to…Only Jordan has the right to tell you.”

  “Whether you believe me or not, I really am on her side. I don’t want her to be hurt any more than she already has been.” Rick started the engine and backed out of the parking place.

  “If you mean that, then believe in her and help her. She’s beginning to trust you. Don’t betra
y that trust.”

  Keeping his gaze fixed on the dark road ahead, Rick didn’t continue their conversation. A strained silence developed between them. But oddly enough, Rick believed what Devon had told him—that he and Jordan had never been lovers.

  Their baby’s sweet little soul was in heaven now. Gone to be with the Lord. Perhaps it would also be with Dan and with Robby Joe and others in the family who had gone on before them. She knew for sure that that tiny, innocent spirit would never be alone or feel sorrow the way they did.

  Jordan’s heart was broken. Her heart was broken. But in time they would both heal. They would go on, as they had done time and time again. Together. And someday their lives would come full circle, back to the beginning. He was waiting for them, waiting for them to be reunited.

  She sat in the darkness, alone and sad, wishing she could rewind time and bring back their baby. Devon had thought it would be a girl, but they had known it was a boy.

  How many times had she dreamed of him, had al most been able to feel him in her arms? He would have been the center of their universe. They would have loved him, nurtured him, and protected him at all costs.

  God took away the baby to punish you.

  She jerked upright.

  Who said that?

  I did.

  Her heartbeat accelerated. “Where are you?” she asked aloud.

  I’m inside you. I’m your conscience.

  She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  Oh, is that all? Hush up then. Go away and leave me alone.

  She plumped the pillow behind her head and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

  God took the baby to punish you for killing all those people. You didn’t think you’d get away with all those murders, did you? You had to know that eventually you’d have to pay for your many crimes.

  I said hush up. That’s nonsense. The Lord knows that I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve to die.

  What about Dan? Did he deserve to die?

  No, maybe not, but the Lord had issued him a death sentence. All I did was send him to his Maker a little ahead of time. But the others deserved what they got. They would have hurt us. I couldn’t allow that to happen.