Deadly Noel Read online

  Bill opened and closed his hands then pivoted and stalked to the door. It slammed so hard a couple of pictures on the wall in the foyer shook.

  Kira slowly rotated toward Gabriel. “I’ll talk to him later when he cools down. The killer is escalating. If I have to run a separate investigation, I will. I’m going to talk to the sheriff about utilizing a few deputies to help if I need it.”

  “I wish now I had read what was in her journals. Then maybe we wouldn’t have women being murdered in Pinecrest.” Gabriel sank onto the couch and reclined, his head resting on the back cushion. “I still have two more to read. I want to finish. Then we can talk. After that honestly, I never want to see these journals again.”

  Kira sat next to him and laid her hand over his, the warmth of her touch a gentle reminder she was on his side now. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through reading all of these.”

  “I wish Marcie had talked to me rather than write everything in a journal. I saw a time where we could have made it if she’d shared her feelings, especially concerning her mother. That woman did a number on her daughter. I don’t want Abbey to ever see these. After we catch the killer, I want to burn every one of them.”

  “I’ll see that it’s done. If Ruth Morgan read these, she would agree. This doesn’t paint her in a good light.” Kira squeezed his hand then rose. “While you’re reading, I’ll fix some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.”

  When Kira left the room, Gabriel pushed forward and grabbed one of Marcie’s freshman year journals. It was worse reading these older journals from high school, especially her sophomore and freshman years, than reviewing the ones written during their marriage. Ruth had an ironclad hold on her daughter. Marcie was to fit into a certain mold, and Ruth wasn’t going to accept anything less. Any anger he’d felt toward his deceased wife was gone. She might have come from a wealthy family, but at least he’d grown up knowing how much his mother had loved him no matter what.

  There’s a dance at school. Craig asked me to go with him. I didn’t really want to, but if Mom had let me, I would have. I’d thought she would be happy with him. His dad is a doctor. But she told me no one in Pinecrest was acceptable. I can’t even go with my girlfriends.

  That had been one of many entries in the journals where Marcie tried to fit in at school, but her mother wouldn’t let her. She couldn’t join any clubs or play sports. Ruth had only let her be part of the church youth group. By her sophomore year, she’d begun to count down the days until she was eighteen. Not long after she turned that age, Marcie had started dating him.

  Gabriel sighed and forced himself to read the rest. Then he never wanted to again—even for the case.

  * * *

  Later that afternoon in her office, the words on the pages began to blur together for Kira. Gabriel wasn’t picking her up for another half an hour, and she’d run out of steam. At least tonight she shouldn’t have any trouble falling asleep. She used her folded arms on her desk as a pillow while she laid her head on them and closed her eyes.

  But her mind wouldn’t shut down. She kept thinking about different passages from Marcie’s journals. He was rough today. I kinda liked it.

  Who was he? This morning, Gabriel said that was one of the passages that didn’t refer to him. It had been written right after she’d come home from visiting her friend in Oklahoma City. Kira had to leave a message on Hannah Waters’ voicemail, asking her to call as soon as possible. She hoped Hannah could help the investigation.

  I let him tie me up. It was exciting. He’s different. Not anything like I thought.

  When she and Gabriel had discussed that entry at breakfast, his hurt tangled with his anger. The more they talked about the journals, the more they decided the mysterious “he” was the most likely candidate for the killer. Last winter when she’d read those passages, she’d assumed it was Gabriel, and the behavior hadn’t surprised her because she was sure he was the murderer.

  Her new perception of what was written in the journals changed the list of suspects from one man to all the other men in the area. Although for Marcie to be involved with him, the suspect had to be a certain type. The problem was Kira hadn’t known her friend as well as she’d thought. What type of man had Marcie liked? When Marcie turned eighteen, she dated whoever was forbidden before she’d become a legal adult and had inherited her grandmother’s trust money—enough to live on her own.

  A knock at the door sounded.

  Kira lifted her head. “Come in.”

  Bill entered her office, tired lines grooved deep into his tanned face. He took a seat in front of her desk, removing his Stetson and laying it on the empty chair next to him. “We went back to the original burial site of the first three women and looked for a fresh grave. We worked out from there and didn’t find anything. I even used a cadaver dog. I let it sniff one of Mary Lou’s jackets. Nothing. No one has seen her. Her car was found abandoned on Tyler Road.”

  “Any evidence of foul play?”

  “No. Her car wouldn’t start. It must have stalled. We canvassed that area, too. No sign of her, and no one saw her.”

  “I’ve been thinking about the victims. I figured out one thing everyone had in common besides going to Pinecrest High School.”

  Bill sat forward. “What?”

  “We were all members of the youth group for teenagers at Pinecrest Community Church. That leaves an age range of five to six years. Even Mary Lou fits in although she is younger than Marcie, Shirley, and Rebecca.”

  “Okay.” A doubtful look clouded his eyes. “I’ll stop by and see the pastor. He might have a list of people from the youth group back then. I’ve requested help from the state police. One of them is already here, and a couple more are coming in tomorrow. We’ll be widening our search for Mary Lou. Larry will be assigned to you during the daytime. Wally will take over at night. That’s all I can spare.”

  “If you need either one or both for the search, Gabriel is—”

  “No, the killer has already come after you once at his ranch.”

  Kira rose. “I know I was part of that youth group with the others. I’ll try to remember everyone who was in it in case Pastor Dunkin can’t find a list of members. At its height it had up to twenty-five teenagers.”

  “Are you listening to me about Gabriel? He isn’t to be trusted.”

  She came from around behind her desk and crossed to the window overlooking Main Street. Gabriel pulled into a parking space in front of the courthouse. He was probably more exhausted than she was because he had to go home and work at the ranch with Hank. As he headed toward the building, his strides were shorter, slower. Maybe she should avail herself of the two police officers not because of Bill and his opinion, but because Gabriel needed to run his ranch and get some rest. They could still work on the case together in the evenings. She’d been fine today with Larry on duty in the reception area of her office.

  “I’m fine with those two officers, but what I do on my time isn’t to be questioned by you or them. We discovered information last night that may help in finding the killer, especially if we find who Marcie was seeing at that time.” She turned away from the window as Gabriel disappeared inside the courthouse.

  “You’re not an investigator. You’re a prosecutor. Do your job, and I’ll do mine.” Bill surged to his feet and left her office.

  She hoped Gabriel and Bill missed each other in the hall, but when Gabriel arrived in her office, his stoic expression and rigid set of his shoulders told her otherwise.

  He shut the door so Larry and Penny in the outer office didn’t hear their conversation. “The police chief crossed the lobby so he could let me know he would have an officer available to guard you 24/7. He’s using two right now, but after the search for Mary Lou ends, there will be another one. He wasn’t too happy when I asked who would protect all the other females in Pinecrest who were between the ages of twenty-five to forty years old.”

  “You didn’t?” She was surprised she hadn’t heard Bil
l shouting at Gabriel from two floors away.

  He cocked a grin and pushed his cowboy hat back. “Well, not exactly but I was thinking it. I’m already on the bad side of our police chief. I think I know why Bill is so mad at me. He wanted to be the one who married Marcie. He has a wife now, but not until five years ago. He’s a few years older than Marcie, but even when she was a teenager, he was always around her, doing her biding. Not just Ruth’s.”

  “Marcie had a lot of guys ‘in love’ with her. She was the unattainable gal everyone wanted.”

  He blew out a long breath. “If only they had known…”

  How many times had he regretted marrying Marcie?

  “I hope you’re hungry, because I’m fixing dinner tonight. But first you have to take me by the grocery store. I need a few supplies.” Kira grabbed her purse and coat while Gabriel opened the door. When she spied Larry, she told him her plans, then left with Gabriel, aware the officer trailed them.

  As she shopped, she tried to forget the last time she’d been there. Mary Lou had been alive, and Kira had come face to face with Gabriel after his release. Now she actually was looking forward to cooking for him. She enjoyed trying different recipes, but tonight she planned something simple and delicious. A man’s meal—steak, baked potatoes, and green beans with a slice of Grams’ peach cobbler.

  By the time she sat catty-cornered from Gabriel at her kitchen table two hours later, she’d be happy if she could make it through the meal without falling asleep. Even drinking a caffeine-charged drink wasn’t doing much to help keep her awake.

  Kira played with her baked potato. “My brain feels like this. Crumbling into pieces, but I do think we’ve made some progress in the investigation.”

  Gabriel put his forefinger against his lips and said, “Shh. Larry might hear, or is Wally here now?”

  In spite of her weariness, she laughed. “Larry had his chance to eat dinner with us.”

  “But Wally was relieving him at seven.”

  “I should have asked Wally if he wanted to join us.”

  “And give him a heart attack after your exchange with him last night. He wasn’t too happy with either of us. He feels my presence at your house was the reason he was stuck outside yesterday, and now he gets to do it over. At least he doesn’t have to worry that I’m killing you. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

  “What I want is my life back. I don’t like people watching over me. We both need a good night’s sleep. I hope to go to Oklahoma City and interview Hannah. Anything she can tell us about this mysterious lover will help. I thought we could go tomorrow afternoon. I know you need time to work at your ranch, so if you can’t, I’m dragging Larry along with me.”

  “Poor guy. I’ll go with you instead. Give him some time off.”

  “If Bill doesn’t insist he accompany us.”

  Kira tried to stifle a yawn but couldn’t. “I’d rather Larry join in the search for Mary Lou.”

  “Have you ever wondered why the killer has contacted you?”

  “Every day. I have a feeling I know him, but then if it is someone in Pinecrest, I know a lot of men who live here so that doesn’t narrow the list down.” Kira finally took a bite of her baked potato and washed it down with a swig of lukewarm coffee. “I’m finding myself suspecting all the men—even the ones I’ve known a long time. What if it’s somehow connected to the youth group I was part of?”

  Gabriel’s forehead furrowed. “You think a guy that was in the group with you is the killer?”

  “Maybe, but it could just as well be someone who was on the outside.” Kira shook her head. “I don’t know what to think anymore. The males in the group were people like Al, Craig, Larry, my mechanic, Jeremy, the mayor, my secretary’s nephew, as well as Josh. He was there to keep an eye on his younger sister. Marcie used to complain all the time about that.” Who was she leaving out? “Oh, and even Kenny was for a short time. I see him every day at the courthouse.” She scooped up green beans, cold now, and ate them. “Why weren’t you in the youth group? Jessie was.”

  “I was mad at God. My dad left us. One day he was there, the next gone. He didn’t even leave a note.”

  “You never heard from him again?”

  “Yes, when his lawyer contacted my mother for a divorce.”

  “I begged God to change my dad’s mind. My mother’s health was going downhill. She pined for him.”

  “And then you were found guilty of a crime you didn’t commit.”

  “Yeah, but that is actually what brought me back to the Lord. I don’t think I’d have made it in prison without Him. He gave me the strength to wake up each day and hope people would discover the truth that I didn’t kill Marcie.”

  “And He answered your prayer.”

  “I think He answered my prayer the first time. We were better off without my father. I just didn’t know it at that time.”

  All this talk about fathers prodded Kira’s memories. Her mother divorced, returned to Pinecrest, and lived with Grams. Dad sent a birthday card and a Christmas gift every year, but that was all. “I didn’t know mine at all. He divorced my mom when I was three. I don’t have any memories of him.”

  It was Gabriel’s turn to reach out and clasp her hand. “I didn’t want that for my marriage. I hung on as long as I could. Being a father is the most important job I have. Abbey means everything to me. I’m not going to let Ruth ruin her life like she did Marcie’s. If I have to sell the ranch to fight Ruth, I will.”

  “You have me on your side. There’s got to be a way to keep this from becoming a battle between you and Ruth.”

  “I hope so. I don’t want to hurt Abbey in the process.”

  Through the weariness pressing down on Kira, she smiled at Gabriel, cupping her hand over his. “Abbey is lucky to have you as her dad.”

  His smoldering look sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyelids slid halfway closed. She wished they weren’t in the middle of a murder case. She wished she’d never prosecuted him in the first place. She wished she believed in marriage and happily ever after.

  She slipped her arm away before she succumbed to the newfound sensations rampaging through her. He could make her forget her ex-husband’s domineering and demeaning behavior. To believe not all men were like Jonathan and her father.

  As much as she wished she could spend time with Gabriel without the case standing between them and talking about something that wasn’t about the murders, sleepiness nipped at her. She yawned.

  He grinned. “Go to bed, Kira. I’ll clean up then make sure everything is locked before I leave.”

  As she pushed to her feet, he did, too. “I’ll call you tomorrow about the trip to see Hannah.” She leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night.”

  She headed for her bedroom, paused, and glanced back. He stacked the dishes on the kitchen table, stopped, and peered at her. His smile reached deep inside her and gave her hope that at least one day he would forgive her for her part in his imprisonment.

  She turned away and walked to her bedroom. One look at her bed, and she made her way to it, set the alarm on her cell phone, and put it on the nightstand then laid down, not even taking time to undress. Sleep descended quickly, whisking her into blackness…

  Through the dark, a persistent ringing sounded, pulling her awake. She didn’t want to leave the comfort of nothingness, but the noise started grating against her nerves. She blinked her eyes open and fumbled for her nearby phone.

  As she brought it to her, she pushed the accept button and cupped it to her ear, murmuring, “Hello.”

  “You’re looking in the wrong place for Mary Lou,” a mechanical voice said.

  “Where?” Kira struggled to sit up.

  “Jessie knows where they used to love spending time in the summer. Stop me.”

  Chapter Seven

  Gabriel stared at the pond on the south section of his ranch. The frigid wind from the north pierced through his heavy coat and buried deep into him. If his sis
ter had been in town, this could have been Jessie the authorities were searching for. Instead the divers were scouring the cold waters for her best friend. This was the last place Jessie could think of that she and Mary Lou had spent their time in the summer, especially the past one when he’d been in prison.

  A diver popped up to the surface. “Found a body.”

  Gabriel squeezed his eyes closed. Why here, Lord?

  Kira grasped his gloved hand. “Why did he change his MO?”

  The physical link to Kira, her familiar scent of lilacs, and the soft sound of her voice warmed Gabriel in spite of the cold wind. “More importantly, why did he dump the body here? Why did he contact you last night? As much as I wish this were a stranger passing through town, it isn’t. It’s someone who knows you. Maybe even watching your house. He called you not five minutes after I left.”

  “When he said ‘stop me’ at the end, it was different.” She shuddered.

  “How?”

  “There was a time I thought the words stop me was a desperate plea, but I’m not sure it wasn’t a challenge instead.”

  Ignoring the police chief staring at him as if he were guilty, Gabriel released her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulders then pressed her against him. “We’re going to get him. Mary Lou will be his last victim. I’m staying with you at all times. I don’t care what the police chief says or does. Hank can take care of what absolutely needs to be done at the ranch. The rest will have to wait.”

  “You think I’m next.”

  “I’m not taking the chance. He’s fixated on you in a different way, but that could change in an instant.”

  As Mary Lou’s body was carried from the pond, Hank joined Gabriel and Kira, “This is where Jessie came with Mary Lou to get away from all the things happening in town and at the ranch. They met here every hot afternoon to swim and talk. How did she take it when you told her Mary Lou was missing and might be the next victim?”