Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(75)

She turned the laptop around to get a better view of the screen. “Ewww. His skull was crushed, he was strangled, and his throat was cut. Overkill, I think.”

“Apparently, the Celts thought they’d get the favor of three gods if they killed him three times,” Reed said.

“Interesting logic.”

“Efficient anyway. I guess they didn’t want to knock off all the noblemen.”

“What do you think it means?” Jayne yanked the toothpicks out of her club sandwich. “To my kidnapper, I mean.”

“I don’t know. Mrs. Dean said mistletoe and bannock were used in a lot of ceremonies. Could be something as simple as a gift to the object of his obsession.”

“Well that creeps me out just as much.” Jayne picked at her potato chips.

“Me too.”

Reed’s phone buzzed and skittered across the speckled Formica. He flipped it open. The digital readout told him that school was just letting out. “Just Scott reminding me to pick him up at the Youth Center tonight at six. He’s finishing his community service for his college applications.” Reed texted back. R the apps done?

Scott’s answer came back in the blink of an eye. Yeah :)

“They need to get mailed out this week.” Reed crossed mental fingers and set the phone on the table. He tried a bite of the sandwich. Being empty wasn’t going make his stomach feel any better. “I don’t understand why he waits until the last minute for everything.”

Jayne laughed. “At least he’s doin’ it.”

“Good point.” Scott’s college applications were the least of his worries at the moment. A killer was loose in Huntsville. At least his son was safe with the crowd that would be at the Youth Center today. But the ham and rye bread still landed in Reed’s stomach like a cannonball. “Any e-mails from your photo-magical friend?”

Jayne clicked the e-mail icon. “No. Not yet.”

Reed reached up and scratched the tingle riding up the back of his neck. Jayne was with him. She was fine. So why the impending-doom itch? Whatever the reason, he was too twitchy to sit still.

Jayne’s plate was nearly clean.

Reed signaled for the waitress. “Let’s head back.”

The bad feeling stuck with him, and it wasn’t just all this strange Celtic stuff Jayne’s assailant was apparently into. Reed’s gut had been very reliable during his years on the force. No matter how he rearranged the clues in his head, the puzzle wouldn’t take shape. Something was missing. Something vital. Something that meant the difference between life and death.

If only Reed could figure out what it was before it was too late.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN


Jayne grabbed the armrest as the truck careened into a sharp turn on the outskirts of town. “Where’re we going?”

“We’re going to make a stop at Jed Garrett’s place on the way home.” Reed slowed the Yukon and stopped at a four-way intersection. “I want to show him where I picked you up. If anyone can tell us every landmark in the area, it’s Jed. I don’t know why I didn’t think of Jed before.”

Jayne’s gaze lingered on his chiseled profile. Probably he hadn’t thought to tap Jed as a resource because he’d been busy keeping her alive. And while Jed seemed to be the town’s go-to man for tracking game and other wildernessrelated stuff, no one would sculpt him out of bronze deep in thought.

The bisecting road was clear, but Reed didn’t depress the gas pedal. “Unless Jed was the one who kidnapped you. He lives alone. He’s single. Jed knows his way around the woods. He’s young and strong. But I’m not sure he has the gray matter or the malice to pull all this off.”

Jayne closed her eyes for two seconds, trying to summon up an image of her attacker’s eyes. Her glimpse had been so brief. With her adrenaline roaring like a raging river, she’d barely taken note of blazing blue tightly framed by the black knit of a balaclava. Not enough to ID anybody. Her assailant could be sitting right next to her and she’d never know it. “What color are his eyes?”

“Brown. Right, it wasn’t Jed.” His relief was tangible in the confines of the truck. “Good. I’d hate to think Jed would hurt anyone. And if Jed had taken a shot at you this morning, he wouldn’t have missed.”

That thought should’ve been more comforting than it was.

A mile down the rutted dirt road, Reed pulled off into a gravel parking area. Jed’s cabin sat in the center of a large clearing. Next to the house, half a dozen dogs barked and wagged feathered tails from the runs of their chain-link kennels.

Jed was standing on the porch in jeans and a wool sweater. A yellow Lab sat at his feet. The dog leaned on his legs.

“Hey, Reed. You looking for another dog?” Jed extended a hand.

Reed shook his hand. “No, but if I were, this is where I’d come.” He gave the dog a pat on the head. “Good morning, Honey.”

The dog shuffled forward to sit in front of Jayne with a paw raised. Her tail thumped on the porch floorboards. Jayne sank to her knees and stroked the pale head. Soft brown eyes gazed up at her as she dropped her hand to scratch Honey’s chest.

“I was wondering if you’d do me a big favor, Jed.” Reed’s voice drew her gaze to his face. He might have been talking to Jed, but his eyes were locked on Jayne as her fingers threaded through the dog’s soft fur. Concern shone in his gaze, and warmth settled deep in Jayne’s belly.