Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(53)

Jayne didn’t answer, but her fair skin blanched a shade paler. Reed stood, his hand under Jayne’s elbow lifting her with him.

“Well, we’d better go collect Jayne’s things from the inn.” Reed ushered Jayne from the booth, leaving Nathan to stew.

On the sidewalk, Jayne spun him around. “Why’d we run out of there? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Don’t worry. We gave the mayor a few things to think about. You can bet he’ll chew out Doug’s ass within the hour. Yelling at Nathan only gets his back up.” Reed turned her and steered her toward his truck. “What Nathan said about Hugh is a total crock, though. Hugh never forgot a thing. Something else is going on.”

Jayne’s arm brushed Reed’s. Heat radiated from the contact. Reed wanted to get closer. He wanted to bury his head in her hair and forget all about the fire and Hugh’s death. But if he took her in his arms, he’d never be able to let her go.

“Are you sure it wasn’t that you just didn’t see it because you liked him so much?” Jayne asked as she climbed into the vehicle.

Good question. Another good reason to avoid personal relationships. They destroyed objectivity.

Reed stepped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Let’s go get your stuff.”

Moments later, wind blasted Reed’s back as he jumped out of the Yukon and followed Jayne up the steps of the Black Bear Inn. From the walkway that led to the rear parking area, a parka-clad Bill stopped shoveling. His gaze fell on Jayne. He took a step back, dropped his shovel, and bolted around the corner of the house.

“Bill,” Jayne called after him.

Reed cupped her elbow and steered her toward the front door. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not you. He’s just like that around strangers.”

The lobby was as stifling as usual. “Mae?” He tapped the bell on the registration desk.

“Keep your pants on,” Mae yelled from the back room. She ducked through the doorway from the family quarters. Her puffy eyes, devoid of makeup, lit on Reed and went soft. “Reed, honey. Come sit down. I heard what happened this morning. Are you all right?” She embraced him in a fierce hug and led him to the sofa. The heat from the woodstove seared the burns on his face right through the bandage.

“I’m fine, Mae. Thanks.”

Mae turned her motherly charm on Jayne. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you alive and well. I told Hugh—” Her voice caught on a sob, quickly stifled with Yankee fortitude.

Reed patted her shoulder. “Hugh was a good man.”

“That he was. He served this town for thirty years.” Mae nodded and sniffed hard. She turned to Jayne. “You’ll want to collect your things.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jayne’s voice quivered. “But I don’t know what happened to the key.”

“Not a problem. I’ll get you the master.”

After Jayne retrieved her belongings, then what? She’d pick up her Jeep and drive off? Alone? That idea gave Reed an empty ache in the center of his chest. But what were her options? She couldn’t stay in town. Doug sure as hell wouldn’t protect her.

Christ, her kidnapper could be anybody. Doug and Nathan both had blue eyes. So did a quarter of the men in town.

Three minutes later, Reed unlocked the door to Jayne’s room. One lone piece of crime scene tape dangled from the jamb. Jayne tried to push ahead, but Reed held her back. “Let me go in first, please.”

She stepped back and gestured him forward, but she was only two steps behind him when he crossed the threshold. She stood in the corner and rocked back and forth on Scott’s big boots as Reed gave the room a quick sweep.

“OK.”

Jayne made a beeline for the armoire and threw it open. Her face paled. “My equipment’s not here. The compact camera was in my purse, but I left my digital SLR and all my lenses in here.”

“Get the rest of your stuff and we’ll talk to Mae again. Maybe she locked up the valuable things.”

Jayne took one minute to shove her clothes into a duffel bag. She opened the bathroom kit and emptied it on the counter.

“What are you doing?”

“I always keep emergency cash hidden in two places when I travel. In my car and in my makeup bag. Just in case something gets stolen.” She opened a cosmetic compact of some kind and lifted the mirror out. Underneath were folded bills. “I’m going to call Pat while I’m here. Now that I’ve given my statement to the police, I can leave, right? I mean, he can’t really make me stay here, can he?”

“No. He can’t.” But Reed wished he could.

Jayne began pushing buttons on the phone. After everything that had happened today, it was natural that she’d be anxious to get away from Huntsville. He should want her to go. It wasn’t safe here. But her stalker could easily follow her when she left. It would be better if she waited for one of her brothers to come and get her. She couldn’t leave by herself. Not after Hugh had died. Not after someone had tried to abduct her a second time.

He had to find another way to get her home, even if it meant risking exposure.

Her mouth tightened as she held the receiver to her ear. “No answer at the bar.” She glanced at the digital clock on the night-stand. “I’ll try him at home.” Another series of numbers. She shook her head. “No connection there. The phone must be out. And the call won’t go through on his cell. The wireless company is saying the system is experiencing unusually heavy volume.”