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Nick scowled. “That’s impossible. He was terrified of her. Said she was a psychopath, and if she ever learned he was alive, she’d come after him until he was dead. No way would he come back here.”
James shook his head. “Okay, let me get this straight. According to the report, Adam and Ms. Jackson—Lainie—argued. Lainie got control of the gun and shot Adam in the base of the throat. She then called 911 and tried to stop the bleeding, but by the time the paramedics got there, he was thought to be dead.”
“Yes.”
“But then you’re saying the paramedics revived him in the ambulance.”
“Yes. According to Adam.”
“And you’re absolutely certain that it was Adam you were talking to.”
“Just because you ask me the same question over and over doesn’t mean my answer is going to change.” Nick laughed. “Yes, it was Adam. I think I would know my own brother. I mean, his voice was a little different, but hehadbeen shot in the throat. It was a wonder he could speak at all. So one would expect that, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
Nick clasped his hands between his knees. “At first, I’ll admit, I was skeptical and I brought up things that only Adam would know.” He shrugged. “It was Adam. No doubt about it.”
“Do you have a phone number for him?”
“He asked me not to give it out.”
“I’d still like it, please. It’d be a big help and save us a lot of trouble finding it. But rest assured, Mr. Williams, we’ll find it.”
The man sighed. “Fine.” He pulled out his phone and rattled off the number. “Honestly, I don’t even know if it’s still active. He hasn’t called and I haven’t called him.”
“Can you dial it?”
“What? Now?”
“Yes. Now. And put it on speaker.”
Nick pressed the number to dial it. It rang four times and went to voice mail. “This is Jason Haywood. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.” The voice was definitely raspy, almost a whisper.
James raised a brow at Nick. “Jason Haywood.”
“Well, he’s not going to use his real name if he’s trying to hide from the woman who wants him dead, is he?”
James shot a look at Cole, who pursed his lips and shook his head. “He would have needed all kinds of special care. The recovery time would have had to be months.”
“He was in a private hospital. The marshals arranged it. It was somewhere in New York. That’s all I know.”
“Okay, just one more thing,” James said. He pulled up the footage outside the humane shelter and turned it around for Nick to see. The man’s eyes widened, then narrowed, his attention completely focused on the screen.
When the video ended, Nick lifted his gaze to meet James’, then Cole’s, all the color leeched from his cheeks. “That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know why he would show up there, but he must have a reason.”
“Doesn’t look like a man afraid for his life.”
Nick raked a shaky hand over his head. “I don’t know. I don’t have an explanation for it. All I can tell you is what he told me.”
“Will you let us know if he contacts you?”
Nick frowned, his troubled expression saying they’d caught him off guard. “I don’t know that either. It will probably depend on what Adam wants.”
Carol Williams entered the room with four glasses of tea on a tray. James stood. “Thank you so much for going to the trouble of fixing that, but I think we’ve gotten what we came for.” Not that he had any intention of drinking anything the woman prepared. “We’ll just show ourselves out.”
Nine
Lainie hurried to slide into the back seat of the sedan and scrunched down so no one could see her from the front door.
