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Christmas Under Fire

Page 40

by Jessica Ashley

“Gram.” She said slowly, the word feeling strange on her tongue. The older woman’s eyes lit up. She tried again. “Gram. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jenna.”

“Jenna. Come, sit, and let’s talk.”

Claudia had reserved what could only be called a suite. There was a bathroom, a room with two beds, and a sitting room area with a small kitchenette, a couch and a stuffed chair, a large television and a few tables and a desk.

Jenna had never stayed in such a luxurious place before. She brushed her hair behind her ears.

“I see you still wear hearing aids.” Gram nodded. “I was the one who first suspected you had a hearing loss.”

“I’ve worn them all my life,” Jenna admitted, “Although I had a rebellious period in my teens where I was embarrassed and tried to pretend I didn’t need them. It was disastrous.”

Gram chuckled. “I can imagine. I want to know everything. Tell me about your family.”

For the next hour, Jenna talked about her parents and her brother. When she mentioned how she’d lost her mom and dad in an accident, Gram caught her breath.

“Almost the same time that John and Amanda were killed.”

Jenna hesitated but then forced herself to continue. This elegant woman had lost much and deserved the truth. “I know. Brody believes whoever took me killed all of them. He probably meant for me to die as well, but for some reason didn’t know where I was until now.”

Gram wiped her eyes. “I know we’ve been blessed financially, but no amount of money is worth losing your family.”

How did she ask? It felt so intrusive. “I agree. But I don’t know anything about the money.”

Gram sighed. “You are my only living relative. You are a substantial heiress. But I can’t figure how someone thought killing you would gain them the fortune. If we all are gone, the money is already tagged for charities. No one unrelated can claim it.”

Gram shook her head. “Enough of this sad stuff. I brought a few items.”

She went to a suitcase and pulled out a gingham clad doll.

“Betsy!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Indeed.” Gram beamed and handed her the doll. “I made you that doll myself when you turned one. You carried it everywhere. On the night you disappeared from your crib, that was left behind. So were your hearing aids, so your parents must have had you tested at some point.”

Having that doll in her arms felt like a true connection to her past. She clung to it as they talked, barely aware of the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Brody sat at the table in his room and made a list of all the facts they knew so far. Everything pointed to Andy. But he felt he was missing part of the puzzle. He grabbed his phone off the charging cable and called Sergeant Dawson.

“Brody. I assume you made it safely to your final destination?” The sergeant’s deep voice said in place of a greeting.

Brody hadn’t let the police officer know where they were headed. The fewer people who knew the exact coordinates, the safer they would all be.

“We did.” He responded.

“I thought you should know, Mason isn’t angry about the damage to the house. He said he’d known that something might happen to it. As long as we fix it, no problem.” Sergeant Dawson assured him.

Brody had nearly forgotten about that, but he was relieved to hear it. “That’s good to know. Listen, I left Jenna with her grandmother. While I’m alone, I have a few questions for you.”

“Go ahead. Shoot.”

Brody looked down at his list. “Were you able to figure out who our two shooters were?”

“I was. Both of them were already in the database. Our sniper is former military.” He spat out a name that seemed vaguely familiar.

Brody typed it into his phone. “Also a known hitman. I figured.”

“Yeah. I knew that when Officer Green told me about the shot that got him.” Dawson mused.

“I’m happy he seems to be healing fine.” Brody commented on hearing the officer’s name. “And the other guy? The one who seemed less skilled.”