Deceived (Unlikely Heroes Book 3) Read online

  She lifted slender shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. “If you want. What happened? Did a prisoner escape?”

  “I’m not sure what happened yet,” he admitted. “But it’s nothing you need to be concerned about.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she mumbled, turning away to set a glass on the countertop. “Official police business, I know. Whatever. I don’t know why you can’t tell me anything.”

  Zach sighed. “I’m sorry, Kristen. This really is police business. And I wasn’t planning on leaving you alone. This was supposed to be a family weekend.”

  She raised an eyebrow. Zach wished she didn’t wear so much makeup—she was only fourteen!—but he didn’t know how to broach the subject with her, so he’d said nothing so far.

  “We’re not a family. You’re just the guy who knocked my mother up. I wouldn’t be here if I had somewhere else to go.”

  The girl had a mouth on her that needed cleaning up. But Zach had no idea how or where to start on that, either. So he just ignored it.

  “We are a family,” he said. “I’m doing the best I can here. You can cut me a little slack.”

  She slammed a cup down on the countertop. Zach winced, surprised it didn’t break.

  “We are not a family. You can’t just come into my life after fourteen years and expect to be my dad.”

  Zach held her gaze. “I am your dad, whether you like it or not. I would have been a part of your life sooner if I’d known about you. You know that.”

  She glared at him for a long moment, then bent to yank another glass from the box. “I’m nothing but a nuisance to you, a responsibility. I’m cramping your style, messing up your life.”

  Zach stepped in front of her, waiting until she lifted her gaze to his. “You’re definitely messing up my life,” he said, “but in a good way. My life was pretty mundane until you came along. I do care about you, Kristen, whether you believe it or not. ”

  Something flickered in her eyes. Longing? Hope? She jerked her gaze away, continued unwrapping the glass. The poor kid needed to know she was wanted, that she was loved. But Zach knew she wouldn’t believe professions of love right now. He barely knew the girl. But he believed in time he would come to love her. He hoped someday she’d come to love him as her father.

  “I’ll bring back dinner.” He headed for the door. “If you want, we can watch a movie when I get back.”

  Kristen didn’t respond.

  As Zach headed down the highway toward town several minutes later, he wondered if his daughter would still be there when he got back.

  Or if she’d slip out of his grasp, just like his next door neighbor had done.

  * * *

  Larry glared as the young cop opened his eyes and stared up at him in confusion. The man clutched his head and slowly sat up. He glanced around, took in the empty alleyway and the large garbage dumpster near his feet.

  “Where am I? What happened?”

  Larry scowled down at him. “Where’s the woman?”

  “Woman?” The guy’s eyes widened. “Shit,” he muttered. “I don’t know what happened to her. One minute I was stepping out of the car and the next thing I knew, some guy jumped out at me, grabbed my Taser, and shot me with it. Dammit! She must have got away.”

  The young cop swore again. “I’ll get her,” he promised, pushing himself to his feet. “I’ll find her and bring her back. I will.”

  “Damn straight you will.” Larry grunted, his gaze never leaving the man’s face.

  The man’s arm twitched and he let out another soft groan.

  Larry headed for a door at the rear of the alley. This guy was an idiot. He doubted the fool would be able to find Meg and bring her back.

  “Hey,” the young man called. “How am I going to get back to Sandpoint? They took my car!”

  Larry paused when he reached the door. He slowly turned around and shot an icy stare at the moron. “That’s your problem. If you were any kind of cop, you wouldn’t have let that guy take your Taser or steal your car.” He snorted out a laugh. Larry had a good idea who had jumped the dumbass cop outside the building. He hadn’t thought Curtis had it in him. Very rarely was Larry surprised by someone’s actions. Curtis was a fool if he thought he could cross Larry. It might be smart to put a bounty out on Curtis too. “You know what? I just figured out who it was.” He chortled. “The guy who stole your car and knocked you on your ass is a drug addict. If you find the woman, you’ll find him too. I tell you what, I’ll add in a little bonus if you bring me him too.”

  “Yes, sir.” The young cop looked up. “Why do you want her so badly? What did she do?”

  Larry pulled open the door. Without turning around, he said softly, “She thought she could outsmart me.” But no one outsmarts me.

  It was time to end this game.

  Meg would never win.

  Larry entered the building and let the door slam shut behind him.

  * * *

  Zach reviewed the security cameras with his deputy. Though he’d wanted to blame “Kim,” it was apparent she hadn’t done anything wrong, that Deputy Bailey had taken her against her will. She hadn’t fought the deputy, but Deputy Bailey had held his Taser on her, so Zach didn’t blame her. He wasn’t able to get a close up of her face from the cameras, but he didn’t think she looked scared. Which made him wonder…had she and the deputy planned it to look like the deputy had taken her against her will so Zach wouldn’t suspect her?

  Zach immediately dismissed that idea. But why would the deputy put his job in jeopardy for her? It didn’t make sense. Yet for some reason, the deputy had taken the woman out of the jail. And no one knew where he was.

  Zach’s radio went off.

  “We got a location on Bailey’s car, Sheriff. It’s parked at Wal-Mart and the keys are in the ignition.”

  Zach leaned back in the chair. He eyed Deputy Carlson across the table.

  “Any sign of Bailey?” he asked.

  “No sir. We checked the store and the parking lot. No sign of him or the woman.”

  Zach ran a hand over his face. What the hell was going on?

  “Okay, bring the vehicle back. Thanks.”

  Zach glanced at Deputy Carlson again. “So the jail was empty when you got here, right?”

  The deputy nodded. “The prisoners were angry, because they didn’t get lunch.”

  One of the disadvantages of working in a small town was the lack of help. As a general rule, Zach had only one deputy on duty at the jail at a time. He didn’t have enough staff to have any more than that. But there generally weren’t any more than two or three prisoners in the jail at any given time, so there’d never been the need for more than one deputy to be on duty at the jail.

  “Did you order them dinner?”

  Deputy Carlson nodded. “Already fed them. Gave them a little extra for the inconvenience.”

  Zach nodded. “Thanks Carlson. You can go back to your rounds now.”

  Zach needed to stop and get a pizza and head home. He didn’t like leaving Kristen alone for very long.

  With a sigh, he headed for the exit. His questions would just have to wait a little longer.

  He had a feeling it would be a long night. Hell, he wondered if he’d ever be able to sleep again.

  He couldn’t seem to get his mysterious new neighbor out of his mind.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Dad, it looks like there’s someone home at that house next door now.”

  Zach jerked his head toward Kristen where she stood looking out the kitchen window. It was the first time she’d called him “Dad.” Deciding not to make a big deal out of it, he focused instead on what she’d said. Someone was home next door. He stepped up to the window next to her. Indeed, he could see a light through the trees in the general direction of Kim Johnson’s house. So she had come back. Should he go question her right now before she decided to flee again?

  “Who lives there?” Kristen asked, eyeing him curiously. “You’ve been glancing out the window ov
er there every few minutes since you got home.”

  He had? Zach looked away. “No one you need to know. I’ll be back in a while. I have to go over there for a minute.”

  Kristen followed him to the door. “I’m coming too.”

  Zach turned on her. “No. You’re staying here. Lock the door after I leave. And don’t open it for anyone except me.”

  She stomped her foot and glared up at him. “If I lock anyone out, it’s going to be you, you arrogant asshole!” Turning on her heel, she stalked up the staircase to her room. Moments later the door slammed.

  Zach squeezed the bridge of his nose. He sucked at parenthood. Would he ever be able to connect with the girl? It was always one step forward, two steps back. He never seemed to get anywhere with her.

  He strode for the door. It was time to see what his neighbor had been up to all day.

  The walk across the forest helped calm him. By the time he reached Kim’s back door, which was about a hundred yards from his house, he wasn’t quite so upset. He and Kristen would work things out, he vowed. He’d be a good dad. He just needed some more practice at it.

  Zach knocked on the back door. He stepped back to wait.

  Several moments passed before the porch light came on and the door opened a crack. A rough-looking hippie with scraggly blond hair peered out at him. Zach’s pulse skyrocketed. Instantly alert, he took a wary step back, wishing he’d brought his gun. Was this the long lost husband?

  “Well, lookie who’s here! If it ain’t Johnny Law himself!” The man smirked as he opened the door wider and stared out at Zach. Zach wasn’t wearing his uniform, so how had the guy known who he was?

  The potent smell of marijuana floated out the door and into Zach’s face, leaving him momentarily speechless with shock.

  “You’re looking for Kim, right?” The guy looked down at Zach with hazy blue eyes. Zach was six foot two and rarely had to look up at anyone, but this guy was taller than he was by a couple of inches, plus Zach stood down on the porch while the guy stood in the house, several inches higher.

  Zach nodded, tilting his head back and holding the hippie’s gaze. “You must be the husband. Is she home?”

  “Husband?” The guy cocked his head. “I ain’t married to no one, dude. But yeah, she’s home. She’s not feeling well though. She had a rough day, you know, and went to bed early.”

  Zach studied the guy closely. If he wasn’t her husband, then who was he? Tall, thin, lean faced, long-haired…the guy looked exactly like a drug addict.

  Zach straightened, his protective instincts kicking in. “And why isn’t she feeling well? What did you do to her, you skinny punk?”

  “Did you just call me skinny?” The man narrowed his eyes at Zach. “What makes you think I did anything to her?” His head tilted to the side in rapid jerks. Four or five times. He blinked repeatedly, too many times for Zach to count. He shrugged his left shoulder, five or six times. The actions seemed involuntary. Drug induced?

  Zach stared. This guy really was high. What other shit was he smoking besides pot?

  Hell, what type of people did his neighbor hang around? Zach forced himself to stay calm. He hadn’t come here to arrest anyone. Or to get into a fight with an addict. Who was this guy? For all he knew, the man could be Kim’s lover. Though Zach couldn’t picture her with this guy that way. Or maybe he just didn’t want to picture that.

  Where the hell had that come from? It wasn’t as if he was attracted to the woman. She could be a criminal for all he knew. And she was married. Supposedly. Had that been a lie as well? Hell, there was so much mystery surrounding her. Too much mystery.

  Another thought struck him. What if the guy was holding her prisoner in her own home? What if he’d broken in and taken her hostage?

  Hell, what if she was in there smoking pot with him? Or methamphetamines?

  Zach knew next to nothing about the woman, because she didn’t exist in any database. She was a phantom.

  “I just wanted to ask her a few questions.”

  The straggly haired hippie started to close the door, then paused. “Like I said, she had a rough day, and she’s not up for company right now. Who should I tell her stopped by?”

  Zach’s blood boiled when the hippie said “rough day” again. What was the man implying? Fighting the urge to yank the skinny punk out onto the porch and demand some answers, Zach forced himself to be polite.

  “Tell her Sheriff—” He broke off. She might be more willing to talk to him if he didn’t appear so intimidating. He knew he scared her and he didn’t like it. He wanted her to be comfortable around him. He wanted her to trust him. “Tell her Zach Sullivan stopped by and that I’ll return later.”

  The man’s gaze skewered Zach. “Show me your I.D., Sheriff, your official I.D.”

  Zach hesitated, then removed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out his badge.

  “Yep,” the guy said, nodding. “You’re the one.”

  His head tilted to the side again in rapid jerks. Four or five times. He shrugged his left shoulder again. Two…three times.

  Zach’s wariness returned. This dude was wasted. Messed up.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m the one what?” What was this guy talking about?

  “The one she told me about. But I knew who you were the moment I saw you standing on the porch. You’ve got that cop look. You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”

  Zach let out an exasperated snort. “No, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m a cop.”

  The man quirked a brow. “Uh huh. Exactly. She knows not to trust cops, but you, she said you’re different, that you might be a good guy. I think she trusts you—or wants to anyway—which is very unusual for her. She doesn’t trust anyone.”

  An emotion Zach couldn’t name and didn’t want to dwell on slithered into his chest. She thought he was a good guy? She trusted him? He didn’t know why, but that made him feel good. Really damn good. Shit. The woman was starting to get to him.

  “You’ll just have to come back tomorrow. Later dude!” The man slammed the door in Zach’s face.

  Zach stared at the closed door for a long moment. The porch light went out.

  “Kim” was in there somewhere with that pot-smoking hippie. But Zach didn’t get the vibe that she was hurt or that the man had done anything to her. He got the impression the guy cared about her, that he was her friend, though he wasn’t sure why. The guy was obviously higher than a kite. Who was he? Her lover? Uncomfortable with that thought, Zach turned and trotted down the porch steps. He headed back across the dark forest to his house.

  It didn’t look like he’d be asking any more questions of his neighbor today. But he’d be back.

  At first daylight.

  * * *

  Zach’s doorbell chimed at 7:30 Saturday morning. Since he was an early riser, he was already up and had drunk two cups of coffee and unpacked several boxes and put items away. He wasn’t surprised to see Victoria Anderson, the short, rotund lady with purple hair who’d sold him the house, standing on his front porch. Vicky just happened to be the town gossip and he imagined she’d come to fill him in on what she knew about his new neighbors out here. There was one neighbor in particular he was curious about. He wondered if Vicky knew anything about “Kim Johnson.”

  “Welcome to your new home, Sheriff,” she said cheerfully, holding out a large fruit basket.

  “Thank you.” Zach accepted the basket from her. “I know you live in town, Vicky, so what brings you clear out here?”

  “Gossip,” she said in all seriousness. “What else?”

  Zach chuckled. What else indeed? Remembering his manners, he asked, “Would you like to come in?”

  Vicky glanced around, her gaze settling in the general direction of Kim Johnson’s house that was just visible through the pines. She turned back to him. “No need to go indoors on a nice spring day like this. I heard there was a murder over there yesterday. I know you can’t tell me the details, but I’m guessing you’
ve met your new neighbor by now. What do you think about her? She’s quite attractive, isn’t she? Did she do it?”

  Ah, now they were getting to the reason for her visit. Zach hid a smile by glancing down at the basket of fruit and rubbing a hand over his mouth. “If you’re referring to Kim Johnson, then yes, I’ve met her and no, I can’t comment on any crime that may or may not have occurred over there. The case is still under investigation.” Zach had received a call from the county coroner late last night about his findings and conclusions regarding the death of the man on Kim’s porch. But he couldn’t reveal any of that information to the town busybody.

  He stepped out onto the porch with Vicky and closed the door. Kristen wasn’t up yet, but Vicky had a voice that carried. Zach didn’t want Kristen to be awakened by the realtor’s loud voice. He’d rather his daughter not be privy to the town’s gossip.

  Vicky looked disappointed, then she perked up and nodded. “Figured as much. No one else wanted to buy that cabin because of its history, but she didn’t seem to care.”

  Zach snorted. “You didn’t tell her about the cabin’s history, did you?” When he had mentioned to Kim that another crime had occurred on her property before she’d purchased it, she’d appeared horrified. He’d known Vicky had withheld that information from her.

  A sheepish look flickered across Vicky’s face. “No. I was afraid she wouldn’t buy it if I told her the truth about what had happened there and I was getting desperate to get the property off my hands.”

  Zach didn’t comment on that statement. He was, however, curious about “Kim.” And since the town’s biggest gossip was standing on his porch, he might as well take advantage of the situation and get whatever information he could out of her.

  “What can you tell me about her?” he asked, trying not to act too interested. Maybe Vicky knew something about his mysterious neighbor. Like her real name.

  Vicky’s eyes lit with excitement. “You don’t know who she really is, do you?”

  Zach’s breath caught. No way. She couldn’t know, could she?

  He cleared his throat. “A bank robber? A murderer? A drug lord?”