Page 428 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

They’d been friends for years, survivors of the same tragedy. Jacob had been blind to the truth beneath the surface all that time. He and Addie had considered themselves patient zero with the ripples affecting the entire community.

Maybe that wasn’t true.

It seemed as though the origin might lay with Hank and the truth Jacob hadn’t ever wanted to face. The thing right in front of him.

Hank shifted, then rammed his fist into Jacob’s stomach before Jacob could move out of the way. Or brace. Either would have been good. But Hank’s power hammered him.

Jacob cried out and doubled over. Pain eclipsed everything. Tears burned in his eyes.

This was wrong. So wrong. “Why are you?—”

Hank grabbed Jacob’s arm, pulled it behind his back, and slammed him on the floor.

Jacob roared out all the pain. “Mona, run!”

Handcuffs slapped on his wrists behind his back. But this was no arrest.

The pain overwhelmed him, and everything went black.

CHAPTER THIRTY

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave your weapon with us.” The bouncer—who was probably “Head of Security” in a place like this with its ballroom and full cocktail menu—wore a black shirt and black pants with an earbud in one ear.

“There’s no need to be afraid.” Addie flashed her badge. “And no, I’m not disarming myself. But I am going in there.”

She stepped around him into the crowded ballroom.

The mayor’s assistant had told her that he was here tonight. She’d been two blocks over at a barbecue restaurant with her boyfriend. Meanwhile this black-tie event had a full crowd of people, plenty of brass in uniform and Benson’s who’s who.

She hadn’t bothered changing, but since she wore her work clothes of pants and a white collared shirt under her wool coat, open so the fact she was armed was clear to everyone, she figured she could pull off not looking like a total slob.

She should’ve changed her shoes. Rich women always looked at the shoes first.

Then again, considering most of her shoes were at her condo, maybe that wasn’t an option.

Addie sighed and scanned the crowd for the mayor.

Zimmerman hadn’t called back, but he’d emailed her a copy of the request the FBI had. Whoever took down the details hadn’t passed along the person’s name who wanted an agent assigned to Benson. Multiple people had to have signed off on it, but she wasn’t likely to get to the bottom of this on that end until tomorrow.

So she was here to dig on this side.

She found the police chief and Captain McCauley first.

They both knew Celia’s father had turned himself in for stabbing Jacob. What else was there to do tonight except party with the big wigs? Certainly not drive to her uncle’s house and apologize to Jacob for their assumptions and how they’d treated him in light of him being a victim.

Then again, maybe they still thought Jacob killed Celia.

Addie was bringing her personal feelings into a case where she didn’t need that. She recognized that she was a human being—more so here than in Virginia. This place meant something to her, and so did the people who lived here.

She was probably going to battle this the entire time she was in her hometown. But she was also going to do her job, save lives. Bring those responsible to justice as best she could, with professionalism and integrity.

If she got a little wrapped up in it, so what?

Addie walked the periphery until she spotted the mayor and his wife.

She headed for them, and right as she stepped into his circle, she realized the police chief and McCauley had clocked her moving and done the same.Fine. It didn’t matter, did it? This was going to happen either way.

The mayor frowned.

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