Page 121 of Diamonds in the Mud

Jameson shifted, then the light flickered on beside the bed and he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me in a protective embrace. “It’s a lot to explain,” he murmured, his voice soft. “Those numbers on your phone, the note, the receipt.” He ran his hands through my hair. “They all lead to proof that Jackson Pennington used to be called Jack Wheeler, a kid who at the age of thirteen was already skinning live animals.” I tensed as Jameson stopped.

“Skinning?” I asked.

He nodded. “The receipt was for an old police report.”

“Sharon Taylor. The Dupont brothers,” I said softly.

“I’d wager a whole lot more, now that we know where to look.” He shifted slightly. “Someone like that doesn’t just stop once they’ve started.”

“The bank account,” I said. “It must belong to him.”

“What bank account?” Jameson asked.

“The numbers. The first one is a bank account. The second⁠—”

“Jackson’s cell number. I called it and heard fighting and a gunshot,” Jameson said.

“I’d just woken up as he was dragging me into the cabin. The phone distracted him long enough for me to make my move. I pulled my gun out. He must not have known I carry one when I am off duty. After a brief struggle, I managed to shoot him in the leg.” I turned to look up at him. “I don’t even know if he is alive still.”

Jameson shook his head. “Owen shot him through the heart when he aimed your weapon at him, after he shot your dad.”

“Good,” I said, meaning it.

“Owen texted me what they found. They spent the time while your dad was in surgery tossing his place. They believe the cabin held most of the clues, but they did manage to find evidence to pin all the embezzling on him instead of Sharon Taylor. They had proof he was blackmailing more than a dozen city workers, including several cops.”

“Quincy?” I asked, feeling my heart drop.

Jameson nodded.

“They also tied his car to Evelyn’s hit-and-run. Apparently, Declan and Evelyn had gone over to Jackson’s place one night for a”—he cleared his throat—“threesome of sorts, and Evelyn had found proof of his involvement with the Reapers.”

“He was the head of the snake,” I said. Suddenly everything fell into place. The four-wheeler he’d used to take me to the cabin, that had been the motorcycle sound the Bobbys had heard. I’d been surprised at how close the cabin was to the Taylor’s residence as we’d followed the ambulance carrying my dad out of there. Then I realized that the message Faye had given me from Evelyn made perfect sense now.

“You have rats in your house and the king rat is more powerful than you think. Aim high, Detective Rayne. Thanks for sticking up for me. -Evie P.S. I swear on my son’s life that it wasn’t Declan that attacked me.”

“I failed her. I failed Quincy,” I said, tears welling in my eyes as I leaned into his embrace, grateful for his comforting presence.

“You couldn’t have known,” he said, stroking my hair.

I knew that what he was saying was the truth. Still, guilt weighed heavy on my heart.

“I know,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

“There was enough evidence to prove that Jackson was blackmailing Henry Taylor. Which is why they used his place for the meetups after Sharon’s death. Henry didn’t like it much, but he had his own debts to pay off,” Jameson explained. “I’m sure the list of Jackson’s victims is very long. We’ll get through this together.” Jameson kissed the top of my head, his words a promise. “I won’t let anything like that ever happen to you again.”

“I know it’s probably late, but I’d like to head back in to see my dad,” I said, shifting away.

“Sure. We can bring your mom some dinner,” he suggested as we dressed.

Half an hour later, we walked into my dad’s hospital room, a bouquet of flowers from the gift shop downstairs in Jameson’s hands and a bag with a box of chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob in mine.

“Dinner?” I asked after seeing my dad sitting up and smiling at my mom. “You’re looking better,” I said, glancing at Mom. She looked rested.

“I feel better,” Dad said with a chuckle. “We got him.”

“We did?” Jameson asked as he set the flowers down.

“Yup,” Dad said with a grin.