“Remember what I taught you,” Lucille said.
Caroline nodded. “Open-hand strike to the nose, followed by a hard kick to the groin.”
Jack winced, but Lucille smiled, clearly proud of her student. She brushed a kiss on Caroline’s cheek, whispered a goodbye and headed out with the deputy.
“Should I take Caroline’s statement now?” Gunnar asked.
This was another t-crossing and i-dotting moment. Since Jack had also been on the receiving end of that attack, he couldn’t question her. Heck, he shouldn’t even be in the room with her during the interview. That meant Caroline was about to be questioned by a male cop whom she maybe didn’t trust.
Jack was still mulling over the best way to handle that when he realized the interview and his own mulling were going to have to wait. That was because he saw a now familiar face had stepped into the squad room.
Kingston walked in, and he was wearing the same clothes he’d had on in the security footage. What the footage hadn’t captured was the cocky look on his face. It appeared to be a permanent expression.
“Caroline,” Kingston purred, his attention going straight to her. “So you’re still alive. Too bad that you won’t be that way for long.”
CAROLINEPULLEDBACKher shoulders. Considering Kingston had been friends with a serial killer, she hadn’t expected him to look, well, normal, but she also hadn’t believed he’d come waltzing into a sheriff’s office to dole out what sounded like a threat.
“I’m Kingston Morris,” he greeted as if this were a social call. He thrust out his hand for Jack to shake. “And you’re Marshal Slater. Good to meet you.”
Jack didn’t exchange handshakes, but he gave Kingston a look that could have frozen Hades. He caught onto Kingston, whirled him around and, despite the man’s howl of protest, frisked him. No weapon.
“So you’re still alive. Too bad that you won’t be that way for long,” Jack growled, repeating word for word what Kingston had just said. “Along with some other things, you’ll want to explain thatnow.”
Kingston was wise enough to drop the cocky smile and the protest over the pat down, but he didn’t appear as concerned as he should be, considering that Jack looked ready to tear him limb from limb.
“I said that because of the attack.” There wasn’t much concern in Kingston’s voice, either.Unflappablewas the word that came to Caroline’s mind. “Lots of gossip about it, and from what people are saying, someone wanted to kill Caroline and you.”
Now Kingston turned to her, their gazes connecting, and Caroline forced herself not to take a step back. Too bad that he spurred the old memories, and she got a burst of the flashbacks before she could stop them. The pain and the fear. She’d thought she was going to die, and the swarm of emotions that had come with that belief hit her now.
Jack must have noticed or else guessed about the flashbacks, because he moved closer to her, his arm brushing against her. It was surprising and unnerving how just a simple touch from him could soothe her. But Caroline would take it. She definitely didn’t want to collapse into a puddle from a panic attack when she needed to confront Kingston.
“You tried to kill Jack and me?” Caroline came out and asked, and she made sure she held eye contact with Kingston.
“No, of course not.” It sounded more mocking than genuine, but at least the man started to show some concern when Jack turned on a recorder and began to read him his rights.
“You’re arresting me?” Kingston demanded several times while he was Mirandized.
“Any reason I shouldn’t?” Jack countered after he’d finished. “You were at Caroline’s not long before she was attacked.”
Jack didn’t add more to that explanation, and Caroline thought she knew why. He was giving Kingston a chance to lie by denying it. If so, that would add weight to his arrest.
However, Kingston shrugged. “Yes, I was there,” he readily admitted. “I got a text, giving me the address and saying I should go there.”
Jack eased up on the glare to give the man a look of skepticism. Caroline felt the same way, and when Kingston obviously picked up on their disbelief, he huffed and took out his phone. After he’d pulled up a message, he handed Jack his phone.
There it was on the screen. No name of the person who’d sent the message, but there was the address of the safe house, along with the message, Want to get a look at the woman who helped kill your friend Eric Lang? You’ll find her here.
“I don’t know who sent it, and the number is no longer working,” Kingston explained. “My guess is he or she used a disposable cell and deactivated it.”
“Or else you used such a phone and sent the message to yourself,” Jack quickly countered.
Kingston didn’t exactly give him an eye roll, but it was close. “There’s no reason for me to do that.”
Jack didn’t waste any time arguing. “Sure there is. You might think a message like that would get you off the hook. It won’t. You were in the vicinity of Caroline’s house, and you have a motive to murder her.”
“A motive?” Kingston challenged. “You mean because of Eric?” He didn’t wait for Jack to confirm or deny that. “I wouldn’t kill because of him. Yes, I was intrigued by Eric. He was very interesting and charismatic, but I wouldn’t have done his bidding. Besides, he’s dead.”
Jack leveled his gaze on Kingston. “Yet you acted on what you’re saying was an anonymous tip to go to the house of a woman you blame for the death of this interesting and charismatic piece of dirt?”
