As Autumn threw clothes and toiletries into a small suitcase, she silently hoped she was up to the task. Both in finding Jenny’s killer and identifying the gunman who’d used her for target practice.
And silently prayed for God to give her the strength and wisdom she would need to accomplish her mission.
* * *
Jordan wasn’t sure why he’d thought having Autumn in his personal space was a good idea. He was far too aware of her, and practically bumping into her around every corner of his house wasn’t helping.
Yet, he also knew he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if she’d insisted on staying at her place alone. Not that she wasn’t strong, smart and capable.
But he couldn’t help but think that Autumn was the key to solving the mystery of Jenny’s disappearance and subsequent murder. Selfishly, he needed her to stay safe. At least, that’s what he was telling himself.
The fact that she was beautiful, kind and caring shouldn’t have factored into the equation.
He’d showed Autumn the guest room, the one Jenny used on those rare occasions when she’d stayed at the ranch. He puttered around in the kitchen, tripping over Cutie twice, while Autumn unpacked her things.
He scooped the dog into his arms. “I know you like to follow me, but you’re going to get hurt if you keep getting tangled around my feet.”
Cutie licked his chin in response. He sighed, hoping that talking to the dog wasn’t a bad sign.
“Come, Bear,” he heard Autumn say moments before she joined him in the kitchen.
“I, uh, have the text messages pulled up on my phone,” he said, trying to ease the sudden tension in the room. “If you’re up to going through them.”
“Of course.” She gestured to the living room. “Let’s sit on the sofa. That will make it easier for both of us to see the screen.”
More togetherness, he thought with a sigh, but didn’t say. This was his idea, after all.
Keeping Cutie in his lap, more so to keep the puppy from bothering Bear, he lowered himself onto the sofa. Autumn sat close beside him, leaning forward to see the small screen. A hint of her flowery perfume teased his senses, and he did his best to ignore it.
“I haven’t looked at these in a while,” he said, having second thoughts about the usefulness of the task. “There may be nothing here.”
“That’s okay, I plan to request a copy of her phone records, too. Detective Peters has them,” she hastily added. “He’s not happy about me taking over the case but will send them over along with his notes.”
He nodded and turned the screen so she could see it better. As he scrolled through the messages, memories washed over him. Some of the messages between him and Jenny had been tense, and he winced at his blunt responses.
“We didn’t grow up together,” he said to break the silence. “Jenny lived with her mother until she passed away of breast cancer. That’s when Jenny moved in with Sasha. But we got together during the holidays and other special occasions. After our dad died, though, there wasn’t as much glue holding us together.” He paused, then added, “Jenny kept telling me she could take care of herself and that I should butt out of her life.”
“I understand, Jordan. I don’t blame you.” Her green eyes were too close for comfort. “At nineteen, I can assure you I was just as stubborn as Jenny.”
He nodded, his throat too tight to speak. Maybe Autumn was right in that there wasn’t more he could have done. But it was hard not to wallow in guilt all the same.
Autumn looked back at the phone screen. He thumbed through the messages, hoping to notice something he might have missed. Unfortunately, there weren’t all that many messages to go through. To his shame, he hadn’t reached out to her as often as he should have.
Especially once she’d learned she was pregnant.
“Who’s Karen?” Autumn asked. “This message mentions needing to talk to her about rearranging her schedule for doctor’s appointments.”
“Her manager at the Dollar Store.” He frowned. “I’m not sure if anyone talked to her about Jenny. They weren’t friends, exactly, but Jenny could have mentioned something to her.”
“I’ll add her to my list.” Autumn gestured to the phone. “Keep scrolling.”
He did so, but all too soon they reached the end of the messages. “There may be more messages, but maybe my phone memory doesn’t go back any further.”
“The phone records should include everything else.” She didn’t sound concerned. “Thanks for doing this. You’ve given me a place to start.”
“Yeah.” He subtly edged away from her, needing some distance. Totally inappropriate for him to be distracted by a pretty face at a time like this. “Ah, do you need to take Bear out one last time? Because I should take Cutie out soon.”
“Yes.” She finally rose from the sofa, giving him the space he needed. Yet ironically, he missed her closeness. “Come, Bear.”
