Jackson?”
“Yes. Have you met him?”
“No, sadly. Only heard of him, and of course, Joe told me about his abduction. I can assure you my good friend isn’t involved. But do let us know if there’s anything we can help with.” He clapped Stanley on the shoulder, leading him away like an unwilling child.
“That’s why the nurse checked my hands,” Jaymee said. “To find out if I set it myself. I was still half out of it, but she made a show of swabbing my hands. She bagged the swabs and said something about tests. I bet the police had her look for traces of gas or something.”
“Well, they won’t find anything,” Dani said. “So let’s not worry about it. I want to know why the CEO of Norton was schmoozing it up at Delta Correctional.”
“You’re forgetting something, remember? The guard said Booth’s an ex-senator, and he and Stanley go way back.” Jaymee quickly told Dani about the picture. “He’s not from Mississippi, but still, that’s why Asher’s up his ass. And why the man’s got so much power.”
In the southeast, the red flames danced higher, merging with the thick, black smoke unfurling across the sky and creeping into the thicket of trees beyond town. The threatened acreage contained swampland, and Jaymee hoped it would slow down the blaze. A thick haze consumed downtown, tinged with the smell of smoke and burnt wood. The sound of distant sirens continued as if on a loop.
Jaymee didn’t want the town to burn. She didn’t want the animals to die, and she didn’t want the damage to spread to Natchez. But she could barely muster more than cursory worry. Nick could be in the fire’s path, helpless.
Or he could be dead, dumped somewhere like Cage’s sister. It might take weeks to find him. And if the fire got to his body…
She wrapped her tired arms around her chest as if the pressure could stop the rapid palpitations of her heart. Anguish threaded its way through her making her limbs soft. She swayed against Dani.
“Let’s go get Mutt and head to Ironwood.” Dani’s arms steadied her.
“I should stay at Magnolia, in case Nick comes home.”
“Honey, he’ll know where to find you. And Ironwood is three miles farther away from the fire.”
“I need to get the box of fakes Nick left,” Jaymee said. “And some clothes. And any important paperwork.” For the first time, she realized Magnolia House might burn. “I should call the prison, get a message to Penn. Magnolia’s his family home. If there’s anything he wants me to save…” The words caught.
“We’ll do that.” Dani guided her to the car.
Jaymee’s movements were placid, her limbs numb with fear. In the parking lot, a sleek Mercedes glided past them. Wyatt Booth nodded, the gentlemanly gesture combating the stern set of his jaw and the hard look in his eyes. Joseph Stanley drove. He clenched the wheel and didn’t look Jaymee’s way.
“We need to find out about Wyatt Booth,” Jaymee said. “Something’s not right with that man.”
“He’s a rich politician.” Dani started the truck. “Of course there’s something wrong with him.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know. We’ll get word to Cage and Gina, let them see what they can do. You need to rest.”
“I can’t rest while Nick’s out there!” Jaymee’s voice rose to a shout. “How can I just pretend he’s not missing, and we really have no clue who took him?”
“You don’t. Let’s just get what we need from the house and then go to Ironwood. You rest for a few hours. Eat something. And then we’ll sit down and make a list of everything we know. Figure out a plan, okay?”
Jaymee clung to the idea. A plan was good. A plan meant some sort of control, a gauge to measure her emotions. An ambulance rushed out of the emergency bay followed by a police car. The fire climbed higher.
For the first time in a long time, Jaymee braced her elbows on her knees and steepled her hands. She pressed her lips against her fingers,
“Yes. Have you met him?”
“No, sadly. Only heard of him, and of course, Joe told me about his abduction. I can assure you my good friend isn’t involved. But do let us know if there’s anything we can help with.” He clapped Stanley on the shoulder, leading him away like an unwilling child.
“That’s why the nurse checked my hands,” Jaymee said. “To find out if I set it myself. I was still half out of it, but she made a show of swabbing my hands. She bagged the swabs and said something about tests. I bet the police had her look for traces of gas or something.”
“Well, they won’t find anything,” Dani said. “So let’s not worry about it. I want to know why the CEO of Norton was schmoozing it up at Delta Correctional.”
“You’re forgetting something, remember? The guard said Booth’s an ex-senator, and he and Stanley go way back.” Jaymee quickly told Dani about the picture. “He’s not from Mississippi, but still, that’s why Asher’s up his ass. And why the man’s got so much power.”
In the southeast, the red flames danced higher, merging with the thick, black smoke unfurling across the sky and creeping into the thicket of trees beyond town. The threatened acreage contained swampland, and Jaymee hoped it would slow down the blaze. A thick haze consumed downtown, tinged with the smell of smoke and burnt wood. The sound of distant sirens continued as if on a loop.
Jaymee didn’t want the town to burn. She didn’t want the animals to die, and she didn’t want the damage to spread to Natchez. But she could barely muster more than cursory worry. Nick could be in the fire’s path, helpless.
Or he could be dead, dumped somewhere like Cage’s sister. It might take weeks to find him. And if the fire got to his body…
She wrapped her tired arms around her chest as if the pressure could stop the rapid palpitations of her heart. Anguish threaded its way through her making her limbs soft. She swayed against Dani.
“Let’s go get Mutt and head to Ironwood.” Dani’s arms steadied her.
“I should stay at Magnolia, in case Nick comes home.”
“Honey, he’ll know where to find you. And Ironwood is three miles farther away from the fire.”
“I need to get the box of fakes Nick left,” Jaymee said. “And some clothes. And any important paperwork.” For the first time, she realized Magnolia House might burn. “I should call the prison, get a message to Penn. Magnolia’s his family home. If there’s anything he wants me to save…” The words caught.
“We’ll do that.” Dani guided her to the car.
Jaymee’s movements were placid, her limbs numb with fear. In the parking lot, a sleek Mercedes glided past them. Wyatt Booth nodded, the gentlemanly gesture combating the stern set of his jaw and the hard look in his eyes. Joseph Stanley drove. He clenched the wheel and didn’t look Jaymee’s way.
“We need to find out about Wyatt Booth,” Jaymee said. “Something’s not right with that man.”
“He’s a rich politician.” Dani started the truck. “Of course there’s something wrong with him.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know. We’ll get word to Cage and Gina, let them see what they can do. You need to rest.”
“I can’t rest while Nick’s out there!” Jaymee’s voice rose to a shout. “How can I just pretend he’s not missing, and we really have no clue who took him?”
“You don’t. Let’s just get what we need from the house and then go to Ironwood. You rest for a few hours. Eat something. And then we’ll sit down and make a list of everything we know. Figure out a plan, okay?”
Jaymee clung to the idea. A plan was good. A plan meant some sort of control, a gauge to measure her emotions. An ambulance rushed out of the emergency bay followed by a police car. The fire climbed higher.
For the first time in a long time, Jaymee braced her elbows on her knees and steepled her hands. She pressed her lips against her fingers,
Similar Books
