Page 7 of Finding Justice

"Jessie brought me one from Mylo."

"That was from Jimmy actually. Mylo felt something was off and did his own, which contained information Jimmy’s didn’t.”

“Such as?”

"There was oil commonly used for planes and gasoline on the victim’s clothing."

We only have one landing strip near here and there are storage units as well as empty hangars to keep bigger items. "Any chance it's a brand sold locally?"

"It's a special order,” Charlie replies. “So, if you have a suspect, we can match the purchase with their accounts."

"I'll check out the place,” I inform him. “Thanks, Charlie," I say sincerely before ending the connection. Busting a quick U-turn, my brain is trying to make sense of it all. Jimmy has always been meticulous since he started a year ago, so how could he miss such vital details?

Upon arriving, I see Naomi’s car and my gut clenches, painfully. This isn’t right. There’s no reason for her to be here. Inspecting it, I don’t see any damage to it. It appears as if she drove here on her own, but why? Picking the lock, I let myself in, drawing my gun and turning my flashlight on immediately. The moon helps a little with visibility, but not nearly enough. Later I’ll deal with the fact nothing I find will be admissible since I entered illegally. There are ways around that.

As my eyes adjust, I see the equipment and know I’ve finally found where it’s being made. I’m happy this is the end, sad and guilty it was too late to save Cole, and hopeful Naomi and I will be able to move forward. If I can find her, that is. And then I do and I roar in rage. She’s clearly been beaten and is slumped over in a chair, hands tied to the armrest on each side.

She struggle to open her eyes at my gentle prodding, the sight of her beautiful face dirty and bruised breaking my heart. Her expression is pure relief at seeing me, though it instantly changes to fear as she attempts to scream through her gag. The click of a gun a split second later being cocked behind me explains why.

"I don't know how you figured this out,” the voice begins, shocking the fuck outta me at the realization of who it is. “Just had to keep snooping, didn’t you, Woods?"

"You hurt Naomi," I seethe.

"She was trespassing," he replies with a shrug. "I won't let you two destroy all my hard work," Jimmy shouts, sounding completely unhinged, the calm guy I’m used to nowhere in sight.

"You had to know you’d get caught eventually,” I remind him. “Your drug is responsible for a lot of deaths.”

"Cole must have warned you before I killed him, huh?" I snap at his question, done with this fucker. I turn so fast he doesn’t have time to react, giving me the chance to yank the weapon from him and pistol whip him with it. He collapses, howling in pain. He has no idea his is just beginning as I repeatedly punch in, stopping only when Naomi calls my name, muffled as it is from the cloth in her mouth and the tears clogging her throat.

"I’m so sorry, baby," I apologize as I untie her, trying not to taint her with the bloody covering my knuckles.

She's sobbing now as she throws herself in my arms. "He injected Cole with the drugs. He killed him to shut him up." I hold her tightly as I kiss the top of her head, grief coursing through me. The killer will pay for what he did to Cole and so many others, I just wish I could’ve saved him. We have a hell of a mess to clean up, especially as this revelation could have far reaching consequences on previous cases. Plus, I have my own to deal with personally, if Naomi will let me.

Chapter 10

Naomi

Wrapped snugly in a blanket, I sip my hot coffee, still trying to stave off the chill in my bones as I sit in Clive’s office. Through his windows, I watch as numerous members of law enforcement move about. They’re happy they have the culprit, yet shocked at the person’s identity.

Clive made sure I was checked out by EMTs, and while Jimmy had no problem hitting me, none of the injuries are life-threatening. I think, due to the bruises, it looks worse than it is. Things moved at warp speed after Clive phoned it in, so I haven’t been able to tell him about Cole’s letter.

So much has happened it’s hard to believe it’s only been a matter of days since I met Clive. Even so, I want nothing more than to be in his arms right now. I see Caleb approach him and they hug, the affection between them clear, and they exchange words for a few minutes. Eventually, Clive makes his way toward me and closes the door behind him. He’s exhausted, yet he places a chair in front of me and asks how I’m feeling.

"I’ve been better,” I answer honestly, “but I’m okay."

He rubs his hands over his face, saying, "I'm so sorry, for everything."

Touching his cheek, I stop him. “Let’s just move forward. We need time together to heal." He leans into my palm and I ask, "Can we go home?"

"Yes,” he agrees. “There’s a shit ton that needs wrapped up, which can wait until tomorrow." He gives me a sweet kiss, his eyes landing on a couple spots where Jimmy inflicted some of his damage. "I should pay him a visit in that cell, do to him what he did to you." Not wanting him to get in trouble even if Jimmy deserves it, I promise him that I’m fine and we head out the door. At my place, he helps me get in bed, then turns to leave.

"Stay, please."

He smiles and admits, "I was going to." He strips to his boxers and climbs in, carefully easing me against him after he’s settled in. “I have to ask; how did you figure it all out?” Reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I retrieve the letter. Clive reads it, his eyes watering with each word and mutters, “That damn kid never could keep out of trouble.” He sighs, remorse oozing from him and states, “It’s my fault he’s dead.”

“It is not,” I say sharply, needing him to understand this. “You inspired him. He wanted to be just like you. He knew you cared about him as he did you. This is all on Jimmy,” I continue, his hands clutching mine in comfort. I know none of this will ease his pain, but it’s a start.

Setting the letter aside, we spend hours holding each other, crying when it gets to be too much, and talking about our future. Our relationship began in an unconventional way, taking us from strangers to soulmates almost instantly, so this time to ourselves to reconnect and just be is good for us.

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