Page 35 of Deadly Revenge

“I remember him.”

Max’s tone indicated he didn’t particularly like him.

“He was supposed to be parked two streets over. If I observed a drug deal going down, I was to radio him so he could pull the subject over and arrest him. That way my position wouldn’t be compromised. Creasy didn’t arrive on the scene until after I was shot and Sebastian had disappeared, so he never saw him.” She rubbed her shoulder. “I never said anything about Phillip to my supervisor because I didn’t think Billingsley would believe me—Phillip had pretty well convinced everyone I was a hysterical woman out for revenge because he broke off our engagement.”

“It’s hard to fight something like that,” Max said.

“You’re not kidding, and what I have on the data drive wouldn’t hold up in court, but he doesn’t know that.”

Max was quiet a minute. “You said Sebastian is in prison, but if he got away that night—”

“He was out on bond after I arrested him on the possession of cocaine charge. He probably thought the charges would be dropped after I was shot, but I was well enough to testify in court—he got five years.”

“So he couldn’t have been the one who broke into your house. Do you think it was Phillip?”

Her face clouded. “I don’t know. This isn’t the first time someone has broken into my house—it happened before I left Chattanooga.I never knew who it was, but since Phillip was tight with Sebastian, I figured it was Sebastian or one of the Scorpions. Or maybe even Phillip himself.”

Jenna rubbed her temple. Sifting through the memories took a mental toll. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes, shifting her thoughts to the break-in. Why couldn’t she remember going into the kitchen? Could she have seen the intruder’s face?

Max’s GPS broke the silence in the truck, telling him to turn onto the road that led to Eagle Ridge. When they came to a fork, it directed him to the left.

“Go right,” Jenna said, opening her eyes. “For some reason GPS always sends you the long way around here.”

He did as she directed and wound around the other side of the mountain. “Who lives on the other road?”

“There are a few rental cabins. Mark Lassiter lives almost to the top ... and Mae Richmond and her granddaughter, Dani. I figure Mark and Dani will be the next to announce a wedding.”

It wasn’t long before they came to the spot where Slater’s Hummer had plunged off the road.

“I don’t know which is worse,” Max said. “This being an accident or someone having it in for the man.”

Jenna had been thinking the same thing. “Murder times two is always worse.”

“You’re right. And now this Paul Nelson. If these are linked, what if the murderer isn’t done?”

That’s what Jenna was afraid of. “What could the two men have done for someone to hate them this much? It’s bad enough killing Slater, but why kill his wife as well?”

Max slowed as they came to Slater’s drive. “Maybe we’ll get the answer to that at his house.”

18

“Dylan and Taylor are here,” Jenna said, nodding at the Ford Interceptor identical to her own. Her phone rang, and she glanced at the screen. “It’s Alex.”

Max parked beside the Interceptor. “I’ll see you inside.”

She nodded and punched the answer button. “Hart.”

“How do you feel?”

Surely her boss hadn’t called just to check on her. “A little off-balance, but nothing major.”

“Good. Have you remembered what happened?”

Jenna shook her head even though Alex couldn’t see her.

“Nothing other than what I heard. I didn’t see anyone.” She rubbed her neck, and winced when her fingers found a tender spot at the base of her skull on the right side. Why was her neck sore?

“Are you certain you didn’t faint?”

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