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“It’s true,” Leigh verified. No need to hold back on the news since it was obviously already the talk of the town, and the hospital.
Tears filled Jamie’s eyes. “Dead,” he repeated. “She’s really dead.”
Leigh gauged his reaction. His grief and shock seemed genuine enough, but for all she knew Jamie had been the one to kill Alexa. Of course, that didn’t explain how Jamie had then gotten hurt, and that’s why she had plenty of questions lined up for him. Apparently though, Jamie had some for her as well.
“Who killed Alexa?” Jamie demanded. “How did she die?”
“I don’t know who killed her,” Leigh admitted. “I’m hoping you can help with that.”
Jamie started to answer, but then he shifted his attention to the doctor. “Jamie insists on talking to the two of you alone,” Dr. Denton explained, and clearly the doctor wasn’t happy about that. “We have more tests that need to be done, and I don’t want him getting agitated or upset.”
Leigh didn’t fault the doctor for wanting to do what was best for his patient. But she had a job to do as well. “I think Jamie will be less agitated and upset if I’m able to arrest the person who hurt him and killed Alexa. This chat is important,” she added, purposely usingchatinstead ofinterview.
On a heavy breath and with a ton of obvious reluctance, Dr. Denton nodded, and with the tip of his head, he motioned for Amber to follow him. “Keep the visit short,” the doctor insisted as he left with Amber.
Leigh shut the door and went closer to the bed. She didn’t bother with greetings or niceties since Jamie did indeed look exhausted, and she figured she wouldn’t have much time with him. “Who attacked you?”
“I don’t know,” Jamie muttered. Groaning softly, he took a moment to gather his breath. “I heard footsteps, but before I could see who it was, someone bashed me on the side of the head.”
Leigh wanted to curse. Cullen probably did, too. It would have put a quick end to the investigation if Jamie had been able to give them a name. And he still might be able to do that. Sometimes witnesses and victims remembered plenty of details once they were questioned, and questioning him was exactly what Leigh planned to do.
“How did Alexa die?” Jamie pressed.
“Blunt force trauma,” Leigh explained. “I think once the ME has had a chance to examine her that he’ll say she had a wound similar to yours. Hers was just a lot worse.”
Jamie’s tears returned. “I brought Alexa to the Triple R,” he blurted out and looked at Cullen. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Why did you?” Cullen asked. His voice was steady, not a trace of judgment in it, but Leigh figured he wasn’t pleased about one of his hands bringing his ex to a party at the ranch.
Jamie groaned, squeezed his eyes shut a moment, and he eased his head back onto the pillow. Tears continued to slide down his cheeks. “She called me right about the time the party was starting, around seven, I guess, and said she was in town and that she wanted to know if I’d give her a ride out to the ranch. She said her car was acting up and that she didn’t want to risk driving it on the country road.”
“You came and got her?” Leigh pressed when Jamie didn’t continue.
He groaned again, nodded. “She talked me into it. I swear, I didn’t know she was gonna be killed.”
Cullen came closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “How’d Alexa talk you into driving her?”
Jamie’s eyes met Cullen’s, and a look passed between them. Leigh supposed it was a guys’ understanding thing, but she figured she got it, too.
“Alexa sweet-talked you,” Leigh concluded, and it had likely involved some flirting. Maybe even the hint that she’d be interested in being with Jamie in a romantic or sexual kind of way.
“At first I told her no,” Jamie went on, “that I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to crash the party, but she said she wouldn’t be crashing. She said she just needed a quick word with you, that she wanted you to know that she was ready to move on with her life and that she wouldn’t be bothering you anymore. She insisted she wouldn’t make a big scene or anything and that her chat with Cullen would be private.”
“And you didn’t think the party would be a bad place for her to do that?” Leigh questioned.
“Yeah, I did,” Jamie readily agreed. “That’s why I tried to convince her to wait, to try to see Cullen another time, but she...well, she convinced me to go get her and drive her there.”
Leigh reminded herself that Jamie was very young. And if Alexa was anything like her reputation, Jamie would have been putty in her hands.
“So, you picked her up and drove her to the Triple R,” Leigh summed up. “What happened next?”
His forehead bunched up. “I guess it must have been about eight o’clock by then. Some guests were still arriving so she had me drop her off at the side of the house because she said she was going to slip in and have someone on the kitchen staff go and get Cullen for her. That way, she wouldn’t have to go in where the party was going on.” Jamie shook his head, obviously disgusted with himself. “I know all of this sounds stupid, and I shouldn’t have let Alexa talk me into taking her there.”
Agreed. But Leigh had to wonder if the woman had told Jamie the truth. Had she truly just wanted to talk to Cullen? Or was there a lot more to it than that? Leigh was betting it was the latter.
“You dropped Alexa off at the side of the house where you were attacked?” Cullen asked.
Jamie nodded. “The driveway is only a couple of yards behind the trees and shrubs around the patio.”
