What Echoes Render Page 28

  David reached for her hand and held it in his against his thigh as James took the mug, filled it, and brought her the coffee.

  “How’s the game?” she asked, taking a sip.

  “Your son is a card counter. I just thought you should know.” David said with a nod toward her younger son.

  James tried for a look of innocence but couldn’t quite pull it off when a grin spread across his face. “How did you know?”

  “We play a lot of poker in the firehouse.”

  “Are you going to tell Matt?” James asked.

  “Matt doesn’t know?” Jesse asked. It didn’t come as a shock to her that she didn’t know, but the fact that he’d been able to keep it from his brother was surprising.

  “Nah,” James answered. “I lose enough on purpose that he hasn’t figured it out yet.”

  “And his brain is wired a little more straightforward than yours would be my guess,” David interjected.

  She thought about being offended at his insinuation of James’s deviousness, but since he was right, and because it was, in general, good-hearted deviousness, she just let out a small laugh.

  “Ian and Vivi are on their way over,” David said, changing the subject. She glanced at James, knowing what Ian would want to talk about and thinking it might be better to have her younger son upstairs.

  “Mom, I’m fifteen. I think I can handle it considering everything we’ve already been through.”

  His tone was lighthearted, but she didn’t miss the undercurrent of weariness and wisdom in it.

  “You’re right,” she said, clearly surprising him. “If you want to stay when Ian updates us, you’re welcome to. But I’m not sure what he’ll have to say, and if it’s not public knowledge it will be up to him whether you stay or not.”

  James considered her for a moment then nodded.

  “Good, then how about another game while we wait. A fair game, James,” she added with a wink.

  James smiled, shuffled, and dealt the cards.

  Two games later, they heard Ian’s truck pulling up the drive, and within minutes Jesse and Vivi were hugging each other, each shedding tears for their friend. Even Ian looked like he had shed a few.

  “So, do we know anything more than what I knew when I left the hospital a few hours ago?” Jesse asked as they all took a seat in the family room. Ian wasn’t officially on the investigation but knew the chief of the Riverside police well.

  Ian cast a glance at James, then looked back at Jesse. David reached for Jesse’s hand and tugged her against him as she answered Ian’s unspoken question. “He’s old enough, Ian, and unless you’re going to tell us things that aren’t public, I’ve told him he can stay.”

  Ian took another look at James, whose earnest expression made him look much more like Mark than usual, then started filling them in.

  “You know they found Gabby, who wasn’t able to tell the police much more than what you knew when you left. Her brother was mentally impaired but always harmless. He took medication and had someone who came by and helped him during the day when his sister was at work. He didn’t need twenty-four-hour care, which was why he was living with her, but he did need some help every now and then.

  “She doesn’t know what did or could have set him off. She doesn’t even know where he would have picked up a gun. She didn’t have one in the house, and as far as she knew, they didn’t even know anyone who would have that type of gun. Rifles, sure, but not a handgun.”

  “I assume the police are tracing it?” David asked.

  Ian nodded. “They are. Sameer, at the state lab, is running the ballistics tonight; he might know something tomorrow. We do know it wasn’t registered, which sets the detectives back a little, but we’ll see what the ballistics say.”

  “I know where Gabby lives. If her brother needed assistance, how did he even get to the hospital? She doesn’t live close enough to walk,” Jesse asked.

  Ian shot a glance at Vivi before answering. “We aren’t sure, but we’re checking local traffic and security cameras to see if we can find anything.”

  “What aren’t you telling us, MacAllister,” David asked, his protective tone earning him a curious look from James.

  Again Ian looked at Vivi, but this time Vivi answered. “Two of the tapes show a large blue SUV around the time we think the shooter was dropped off.”

  Jesse blinked. David straightened beside her.

  “What the hell?” David said.

  “Mom?”

  “What did it show? Did you get a license?” David demanded.

  “Mom?” James asked again, sensing the change in dynamic. For a moment she felt frozen. It couldn’t be possible that the person who ran her off the road all those months ago could have been involved in the shooting at her hospital. It was too much of a stretch. But looking at Ian and Vivi’s faces, it looked like maybe she should consider it.

  And then the guilt crashed down on her. If her friend was killed because of something to do with her, how would she ever face Joe or Danielle?

  “It’s not your fault,” David said, rubbing her hand in his, obviously sensing her train of thought.

  “No, it’s not,” both Vivi and Ian said.

  “Will someone please tell me what the hell the blue SUV means and why it’s freaked you all out!” James’s outburst brought all their attention back to the here and now.

  Jesse frowned. “James, your language.”

  Her son shot her the kind of you-must-be-kidding-me look that only a teenager can.

  Beside her, David spoke in a measured tone and told James just what he wanted to know, including why the blue SUV was important.

  “But that doesn’t make any sense. How could it possibly all be connected?” James said when David was done speaking.

  The three other adults looked at each other, then settled their gazes on Jesse; David gave her hand a squeeze. They meant to convey to her that what she told her son about what had happened over the summer was up to her. She looked into James’ face, a face full of worry, and accepted that he wasn’t a baby anymore. The more she held back from him, the more he would worry, the more his imagination would take hold. She didn’t like the idea of telling him everything that had happened and their suspicions that someone wanted to hurt her, and he would worry once he knew, but it would be better to have the truth out there than not. So she told him.

  When she was finished his face was pale and his fists were clenched in his lap. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he demanded, trying to sound angry, but the fear came through.

  “Because it’s still conjecture,” Ian answered. “We don’t have anything solid, and we certainly don’t have any motive for why someone would want to hurt your mother.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with her. You said everything started when you met David, maybe it has something to do with him!” James said, with an angry glare at the man.

  Jesse glanced David’s way, but Ian answered, his tone soothing but confident. “It’s possible. We’re looking into that option, too. We’re also looking into the possibility that maybe it has something to do with your father.”

  That was as much of a surprise to Jesse as it was to James and both gawked at Ian.

  “Again, we don’t have any proof of anything, but we have to look. If we can’t find a reason for someone to be after your mom or David, the only other adult in the equation is your father, so we’re looking into him, too.”

  Remembering her talk with her lawyer and her subsequent search of Mark’s office, she avoided Ian and David’s gaze. She didn’t think what was happening now had anything to do with Mark, but he had been acting differently before his death, and the fact that she was looking into him, too, and hadn’t told anyone made her feel just a tad guilty.

  When no one spoke for a while, she looked up. Worried about how James was taking this, she stole a look at his face and then stared. He seemed to actually be considering what Ian had said. He didn’t look convinced eit
her way, but he didn’t seem angry that his father was being brought into a situation in which he couldn’t defend or explain himself.

  “I don’t see how he could have anything to do with it, but since he’s not here to answer for himself the way my mom and David are, have you looked through his things?” James asked.

  Ian gave her a look, silently asking permission to continue this discussion with her son. She nodded.

  “We haven’t gotten that far. Do you have any suggestions?”

  “His papers are in the office and I have his old computer.”

  Jesse frowned. She’d forgotten about that. James had taken Mark’s laptop after he died. “There isn’t much on it and I haven’t looked at it in a while, but I have it upstairs if you want it.”

  Ian looked at her again, then nodded. “That would be good, thank you, James.”

  James got up and went upstairs. When he was out of earshot she spoke.

  “It’s a longer story that I don’t want to get into right now,” she said, gesturing with her head toward the stairs. “But I went through Mark’s papers this summer. My reasons were not related to what happened to me, which is why I haven’t said anything, and I can explain them later, but there was nothing unusual in them.”

  All three sets of eyes stared at her. Ian and Vivi stared in curiosity. David’s expression was somewhat different. Not jealous, but maybe confused or a little bit hurt that she hadn’t told him about this before.

  James came bounding back down the stairs again and she hoped everyone would let it drop now that her son was back.

  “Here,” he said, handing the computer to Ian. “I had it under my bed and had mostly forgotten about it. It’s a little dusty, but it should work.”

  Ian thanked him, and he and Vivi rose to leave.

  As Jesse and David walked the couple to the door, Jesse spoke. “James leaves for school at seven thirty, I can be a little late to work tomorrow, so come by then if you can and I can tell you the rest. Matt will likely still be asleep or back at the Martinezes’,” she added.

  Her friends nodded, gave Jesse a hug, then left.

  When the sound of Ian’s truck had faded away, they all returned to the living room.

  “Are you staying tonight?” James asked.

  Jesse swallowed and fought the urge to jump in. David took a strong grip on her hand.

  “I’d like to.”

  James studied the man. “But you won’t if I don’t want you to?”

  She couldn’t help it, her hand tightened on David’s. She didn’t want to be alone tonight, but she didn’t want her son to feel alienated either.

  “Maybe, maybe not. Jesse and I would need to discuss it.”

  James didn’t look belligerent or even particularly upset. He did look a little confused and unsure about how to handle the situation. So she was grateful when David continued.

  “Look, James. I don’t want to cause any more problems for this family than you’ve already had, and now you’re all dealing with yet another crisis. But the thing is, I love your mom and I want to be here for her in a way that, as her child, you can’t—or she won’t let you because she feels the need to be strong and protect you. So I need you to be honest with yourself and with us. If you don’t mind me staying, I’ll stay. But if you do mind, I expect you to tell us, so that we can deal with it. Because what I don’t want to happen is for you to lie to me and your mother and tell us you don’t mind when you really do.”

  She watched as James’ eyes searched David’s face for a long, long moment. Her heart was thudding in her chest and even as she recognized the truth in David’s words, that James needed to be honest, she wanted her son to say it was fine. She wanted James to be okay with her and David.

  Finally, James gave a little nod. “I’m not going to lie and say it’s not going to be weird to have a guy other than my father in our house with us. But after everything that’s gone on, more than anything, my mom deserves something or someone that makes her happy and makes her feel safe.”

  Her eyes welled with tears. “So you’re okay with it?” she clarified.

  His eyes came to hers and she saw a hint of a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay with it. But you know, since you’ve been sneaking around all this time, I think that maybe next time I, uh, push the boundaries,” he said euphemistically, “maybe you should be a little more lenient?”

  She arched a brow at him in the way only a mother can.

  He laughed. “Yeah, that was what David said, too.”

  ***

  She crawled into bed a short time later, exhausted but knowing from experience that sleep would be hard to come by. David slid in and lay on his side, facing her.

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” he said again, tracing a line down her cheek.

  His sincerity touched her. He was a good man in so many ways and she realized she’d never told him that.

  “Thank you, David.”

  He tucked his hand under his head and looked at her. “For what?”

  “For being you, for being there for me, for handling my boys with respect and honesty.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I know. That’s kind of my point. You’re a good man and I do love you.”

  He took the palm of her hand and pressed it to his lips. Then he smiled.

  “What?”

  “I just realized that I’m thirty-seven years old and I’ve never been in love with anyone before. Except for my daughter, of course, but that’s different.”

  She smiled back. “Does it freak you out? Worry you or scare you?”

  “No, not at all.” His answer was immediate. “Now isn’t the time for me to show you how it makes me feel, but I promise I will soon.”

  She pressed up against him and knew exactly how it made him feel. Taking the initiative, she pushed him onto his back and slid her legs on either side of him. Lowering her head she feathered kisses along his cheek, then down his neck and back up to his ear. Nipping at his earlobe, she whispered, “Show me how much you love me, David.”

  She felt his body tense in reaction and then she was on her back.

  “That’s about the best thing I’ve been asked to do in a long time.”

  She grinned up at him, wrapping her legs around his thighs. “We’ll have to be quiet,” she said gesturing her eyes toward the floor above them where James slept.

  “Not a problem. I love a good challenge.”

  CHAPTER 21

  DAVID COULD SEE THAT JESSE WAS JUMPY. No two ways about it. After a late-night phone call home, Matt had decided to spend the night in the Martinezes’ guest room, and just ten minutes ago, James had headed off to school with a friend. Now, he and Jesse were just waiting for Ian and Vivi to arrive. And if her face was anything to go by, she looked to be waiting for the grim reaper rather than her friends.

  “Here,” he said as he walked out onto the porch. Stopping beside her, he handed her a cup of coffee, then wrapped a blanket around her. The day was bright and sunny, but fall was definitely moving in and there was a distinct Northeast chill to it. It even smelled crisper than the lazy, humid days of summer.

  He was about to offer her a platitude when Ian’s truck pulled up the drive. Followed by a black Land Rover. He groaned internally.

  “Caleb’s here, too.” She sounded as confused as he was annoyed.

  Not that he thought the guy was bad news, but his intensity wasn’t going to do anything to calm Jesse down. Regardless, there was nothing he could do and within a few minutes they were all seated in her living room, Caleb and his sister Kit, who David met for the first time, and Ian and Vivi. Judging by the introductions, it was the first time Vivi and Caleb had met, too.

  “DeMarco,” Caleb said. “Any relation to Jeff DeMarco?”

  Vivi drew back and Ian put a hand on her shoulder. “He was my brother,” she managed to say.

  Caleb gave her a sad look. “He was a good man. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Vivi thr
ew a glance at Ian before answering. “Thank you.”

  Caleb gave a curt nod then sat down next to his sister, who seemed to be studying him like he was some sort of rare species.

  “Let’s get started.” Ian called everyone to attention. “I just want to mention why Caleb is here. He and I did some work together when I was a Ranger. I trust him—his brain and his skill—and I think he can be an asset to us even if he never lifts a finger. Vivienne is here, well, because she’s Vivienne, but she’s also officially a consultant on this case.”

  “And Kit?” Jesse asked.

  Her friend stuck her tongue out at her and grinned. “I’m here because I threatened to castrate both of them if I wasn’t invited,” Kit said, pointing her finger at her brother and then Ian. “Vivi took exception, of course, and lobbied to include me.”

  Ian rolled his eyes.

  Vivi gave a soft laugh and said, “So let’s get started.”

  “Okay, what about the computer?” David asked. “Have you had a chance to go over it?”

  Ian bobbed his head. “We took a look last night. Couldn’t find many files and what we did find was fairly benign.”

  “Fairly?” Jesse asked.

  “Some e-mails and some paperwork that, without any context, could be interesting. But it could also be nothing if we knew the context around it,” he explained.

  “So, what now?” she pressed. David reached for her hand and wrapped it in both of his.

  “Well, it actually looks like some files were either deleted or hidden, but neither Vivienne nor I are computer savvy enough to tell. Do you know if James would have done something like that?” Ian asked.

  She shook her head, then, seeming to change her mind, shrugged. “I don’t think so, but I can’t say for certain.”

  “Okay, fair enough. Naomi and Brian are coming tonight and we thought we might have them take a look. With their skills, we should be able to get a better idea if there is anything on the laptop worth looking at. Do we have your permission to let them have a look?” Ian inquired.

  She looked at David before turning back to Ian and nodding.

  “Good, thanks. Now, last night you said you had gone through some of his papers. Do you want to tell us what that was about?”