“And no sign of this Valerie Watkins?” Blake stated. “She has a family here in Grand Junction. Parents and a brother.”

  The chief nodded. “No one has heard from her. Her apartment is untouched. Her car is in the driveway. Her phone is off. The parents are worried and filed a missing person report. They had no idea she was sleeping with Mr. Cooper. They do not believe she would run off with him.”

  “So Nathan and Valerie could be together?” Jackson wondered out loud. “Well, we have a lot to do then.”

  Blake stood up and shook the chief’s hand. He kept the file in his other hand. “We’ll be in touch, Chief.”

  They left the police station and drove back to their office. Finally a good case to put his mind on and keep it off of a cute blonde nurse who had embedded herself in his heart whether he liked it or not.

  * * * *

  Samantha had agreed to meet Jackson at the local diner after work. He said it was business, but she wasn’t sure if he was just saying that to get her to meet him. It had been a busy day and she was exhausted. She agreed to at least hear him out. She had not stopped thinking of him in the last week since they ran into each other and he saved her from getting hit by a car.

  “I think you need more protein than that, Samantha. Maybe a steak to go with all that green food,” Jackson remarked, looking at her grilled chicken salad with suspicion. He was wearing a navy blue suit and looked very handsome. His brown hair looked like it had just been cut and she kind of missed the shagginess of his old style. He was also very clean-shaven but still handsome.

  “Why do women like rabbit food?” He made it sound like one of life’s unexplainable mysteries.

  She laughed and put a forkful of the grilled chicken into her mouth. When she was done chewing she answered him. “Since you offered to pay I might order dessert, too. Will that make you feel better?”

  He smiled and bit into his burger. After a few minutes of silence he looked straight at her. “I really do want to talk business, Sam. I have made no secret I am attracted to you, but I respect your wish to ignore that between us.”

  “Thanks. I think.” She ate a few more bites before asking, “So what is this all about? I don’t cheat on my taxes and I haven’t committed any crimes that I know of. Why have I caught the attention of the FBI?”

  “Nathan Cooper.” The name made her frown. Twice in the matter of a week. Damn Nathan for getting in trouble. She was doing her best to put that mess behind her. She didn’t need to be reminded at every turn of what a mistake she had made.

  She looked down at her plate, feeling her appetite disappear. She picked unenthusiastically at her salad. She told him about the phone call from Detective Williams. “I told the detective we did not part friends. I have no contact whatsoever with him.”

  “We’re investigating him for the embezzlement. Now we also have the suspicious matter of a missing secretary he was sleeping with. We don’t know if they are together or if he hurt her. The parents insist she would have called them even if she ran off with her boss. Valerie’s mom has a heart condition and she says Valerie would at least let her know she was alive and fine,” Jackson stated, sounding very calm and businesslike.

  “I know he embezzled money, but I haven’t seen him in over two months, Jackson. Maybe Valerie ran off with him but was ashamed to tell her family her boyfriend is a thief. He is really good at coming across nice and charming. I believed every line he fed me, too,” she said, knowing she sounded bitter. She felt a little disappointed Jackson really meant it when he said business. She had been yearning to see him again but not under these circumstances. Not to talk about her ex.

  “I guess he’s the reason you don’t like dating?” Jackson told her, looking into her eyes. “Do you still have feelings for him, Sam?”

  She told him no, feeling irritated with the subject. She wanted the past to stay in the past. “He is selfish and vain, but I can’t believe he would steal. That shocked me. He loved that bank job. It made him feel like he was such a big shot. He bragged about it all the time. And he hoped to move up the ladder. Why jeopardize that?”

  “I guess not getting the promotion he thought was a sure thing messed with his head.” Jackson shrugged his shoulder and kept eating. “He took eighty thousand dollars. That would soothe his bruised pride.”

  “What?” She gasped in shock, almost choking on her drink. “Shouldn’t you be looking on some sunny beach in the Bahamas for him? That’s where I’d be.”

  He smiled, dipping his fry into ketchup. “Maybe. Did you know Valerie well?”

  He handed her a fry and she shook her head. “Come on, Sam, live dangerously.”

  She laughed and took it. It tasted good. “You are a bad influence, Agent Rutherford.”

  “As for Valerie.” Samantha took a sip of her iced tea. She didn’t like thinking of Nathan’s younger secretary. She had the same blonde-colored hair as Samantha, but she was younger and thinner. Samantha had taken a hit to her self-esteem. “I barely spoke to her. I tried not to show up at the bank too often. Nathan said his boss didn’t like personal visitors during bank time. I think he didn’t want me to notice he was sleeping with his secretary. She looked young and impressionable. He probably made lots of promises to her. I don’t think he intended for me to ever find out about his late-night hobby.”

  “How did you find out?” Jackson asked. He was listening with interest but no judgment in his gaze.

  “Valerie texted me and said she was in love with Nathan. She was tired of waiting for him to tell me the truth.” Samantha hated telling him the story. She sounded so naive and foolish. She had fallen for all of Nathan’s smooth lines. She should have known the lines were too practiced. Why had she been so eager to believe in him? “I was hurt at the thought he had been lying to me all along. I confronted him. We had a bitter fight. Now that I look back with a clear mind I think I was lonely and wanted to believe what he was selling. When something is too good to be true it probably is.”

  Jackson gave her a sympathetic look. She tried to eat, but her stomach was twisted in knots. She gave up pretending and put her fork down. She let out a loud sigh.

  “I didn’t mean to ruin your dinner.” Jackson winced. “I can see it still a painful subject.”

  “Mostly I feel stupid,” she admitted honestly. “Was I so desperate to have someone in my life I let myself be fooled? If I asked questions about why he was the only one working after five he got angry. He made me feel like I was being unreasonable and jealous. He kept telling me he loved me and wanted a future with me. He was also telling another woman the same thing. When the truth came out I ended it, but I felt like such a fool. If Valerie had not told me he was cheating on me, how long would it have been before I found out? It bothers me that I could be so naive. And it scares me, too. Look at this mess he is in now. I can’t believe it. We talked about marriage and moving in together. Why say those type of things to a woman if you’re not going to take the relationship seriously?”

  “You’re not a fool, Samantha,” he said firmly. His lips thinned with anger. “Nathan was a fool for not seeing the treasure he had in you. That lies on his shoulders, not yours.”

  His eyes looked straight into hers and she felt the pull between them. She wanted to take another chance, but she was afraid. Her grandmother would have been disappointed in Samantha for letting fear rule over her. Her grandmother had pushed Samantha into joining clubs and making friends. Samantha had figured if her own mother didn’t want her who would? It was hard to wonder if she let Jackson in would she be able to put the pieces back once again after he left her or messed around with another Patsy.

  She looked away from him before she started blubbering. “Nathan swore he loved me and would end things with Valerie. He told me she meant nothing to him. He blamed her for seducing him. That’s what he does. Puts the blame on others. It was too late for me though. Without trust there was no point in going on.”

  “I’m sorry he put you through all that, Sam.” He sounded sincere. He reached across the table and held her hand. It was comforting and she didn’t pull away. It felt good. Jackson made it easy to talk to him.

  “I find it hard to think of him as a criminal, Jackson. He never even broke the speed limit. He was a very straitlaced kind of guy. Was I that blind?” she asked with honesty. “As for Valerie I am sure she ran off with him. Nathan probably promised her the world. Maybe she’s just ashamed to tell her parents she ran off with a criminal. I do hope you find them. Her parents must be frightened. I don’t think he would hurt her though.”

  “Let’s hope so. Thanks for giving me some insight on Nathan,” he said. “I know it’s hard to talk about painful subjects. When my dad left for a job in another country and never even made an effort to stay in touch with me I hated people asking me if I was okay. Everyone wanted to discuss my feelings and I just wanted to forget my dad existed. People finally got the hint and left me alone.”

  Samantha nodded, glad he understood how she felt. “Do you talk to him now?”

  “No.” Jackson frowned, looking down at his food. “I have no desire to. A man who walks out on his family to find himself is not someone I want in my life. Even when he lived with us he was too busy for his wife and child. I guess it did make me bitter. I vowed to not settle down while I was busy with my career.”

  Samantha’s chest felt heavy with emotions. Regret was the biggest. She had to tell him about the last time she saw Nathan. She had not told anyone else. “I am the last person Nathan would go to for help. We had a horrible argument when I discovered the truth about him and Valerie. She is young and pretty. I called him some horrible names. I was so hurt because I’ve had bad relationships in the past, but I gave Nathan all of my trust. I believed in him and I felt like such an idiot. He lost his temper when I refused to stay in the relationship. I have never seen him so angry that I refused to forgive him and just go on as if nothing happened. He ended up slapping me.”

  She saw Jackson’s mouth tighten with anger and he squeezed her hand in support. He let her talk without interruption. “I threw some dishes at him and he hightailed it out of there. I never heard from him again. I can’t see any reason he would want to contact me. I even closed my bank account there. He doesn’t know my new cell number.”

  Jackson smiled. “Good for you. If he does call you or you do see him let me know. I’d like to have a few words about him on how to treat ladies right before I throw his ass in a cell.”

  “I will but that’s unlikely to happen. I changed my cell number and stopped going to the places we frequented,” Samantha assured him. She didn’t want to run into any of his friends and see the pity on their faces. “He had a few friends from college he liked to hang out with. We went out with them a few times. Have you contacted them?”

  “Yeah. They all claim to have no idea what was going on and I believe them. A few said he had been preoccupied with work and hadn’t gone out with them much lately. They didn’t even know about Valerie. He never told them he was involved with her. He told them Valerie had a crush on him and wouldn’t leave him alone.”

  “Sad,” Samantha commented. “She must have really loved him to allow herself to be treated in that way.”

  The waitress came to clear their plates. Samantha leaned back against the booth. “I wish I could be more of a help, Jackson. I really don’t want any contact with him.”

  “That’s okay, Sam. You gave me some idea of who Nathan is,” he assured her. “Money changes people. If he felt wronged by not getting the promotion that could be a good motive. I’m sure he left the country. I just hope Valerie is okay. Her mother is ill and she’s taking this hard.”

  Jackson set some bills down on the table. “You ready? Unless you want dessert?”

  She told him she had been joking. She stood up, grabbing her purse. The more time she spent with Jackson the more she liked him. It was a scary feeling. She just wasn’t ready to take another risk. It was better she ignore the physical attraction.

  As they walked outside he kept his hand at the small of her back. She felt safe and warm with him. The evenings were still cool. She wrapped her sweater closer to her body. He pulled her close to his body and she felt warm right away. His big body blocked the wind.

  He walked with her to her car, which was parked down the block. She was reluctant to go home to her lonely apartment. She felt confused by her growing feelings for Jackson. She was afraid to take a chance again, yet she desired him. She wondered if his kiss would be soft and romantic or hard and wild. Her tummy did a few flip-flops just thinking about it.

  “I hope you find Valerie safe, Jackson,” she said in a low voice. She had to tear her eyes away from his lips before she did something foolish like grab him and kiss him.

  He pushed her bangs out of her eyes in a gentle matter. “Oh I will,” he said with confidence.

  “If I have more questions can I call you again?” He winked at her playfully. “You can be my source. I have to stay in contact with my source.”

  Samantha felt her cheeks warm up and was glad it was dim outside. This man was too tempting and too handsome. Too everything. “But, Agent Rutherford, I have no information on your suspect.” Her voice came out soft and low. Oh God, why was she flirting with him?

  “I would still like the excuse to see you again,” he said honestly. His eyes were warm and sexy.

  She tilted her head to the side. “Jackson…”

  He placed his fingers on her lips. “Don’t shatter my dreams. I will see you again, Sam. Soon you’ll stop resisting me.”

  He opened the car door for her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He closed it and walked off.

  She drove home feeling bemused and aroused. Was Jackson for real or just another illusion?

  Chapter 5

  “Want to go have a beer with us?” Blake asked, taking his tie off and throwing it in his desk. He unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt. It had been a long day of research and questioning neighbors of Nathan and the girlfriend. Nothing good had come out of it. Nathan had been a very private person, keeping to himself. It was frustrating. It was obvious from what they could find out that his feelings for Valerie had been shallow, so why would he take her with him? Did she refuse to be left behind? She had the gumption to tell Sam about Nathan’s affair, so maybe she was the one chasing Nathan.

  Jackson thought about having a few beers and relaxing, but his mind was not on socializing tonight. He had not stopped thinking of Samantha since their dinner last night. Maybe he should go check on her just to see her. That sounded lame even to him. Damn, she was driving him crazy. He could call Patsy or a few others and they would meet up with him in a heartbeat. So why Samantha Keller? His mood was lousy tonight.

  “Nah. I’m going to head home and become a couch potato for the rest of the night,” he told Blake. He had beers in his fridge.

  “You know where we’ll be if you change your mind.” Blake picked up his jacket and left.

  Jackson sat at his desk looking at the phone, trying to think of a reasonable excuse to call and make sure Sam was all right. He was staring at the phone so hard that he jumped when it rang.

  He picked it up. “Agent Rutherford.”

  “It’s Detective Williams. The chief told me to inform you if we ran across anything that might relate to the Nathan Cooper case,” the voice on the other line stated. “We have a homicide. Valerie Watkins’s body was found in the wooded area off Highway F.”

  “Be right there.” Jackson felt his adrenaline kick in. He hurried down the stairs and caught Blake getting out of the elevator.

  “Sorry, buddy. Duty calls,” Jackson informed him. Blake sighed and looked at Hank and Thomas, another agent. “Sorry, fellas. Raincheck.”

  They jumped in Jackson’s truck and headed to the area the detective had given him. It was just outside the city limits. The area was taped off and uniformed officers held the onlookers back. The news van was already there waiting for any chance to get the news of who it was. Jackson flashed his badge and they let him and Blake pass.

  An older man in his forties greeted them. He was wearing a black winter cap, but brown hair peeked out from underneath. “I’m Detective Louis Williams.”

  Jackson introduced himself and Blake as the man led them to a trail that led into the woods and off the highway. It was dark and cold. A young blonde woman was lying in the grass. She was wearing jeans and a green sweater. Her lips were blue and her skin also had a blue tinge to it. Other than that she looked to be asleep. Her blonde hair was tangled with leaves and twigs.

  “What do we know?” Blake asked, looking around. It was dark and eerie. No sounds could be heard in the wooded area.

  “Found by some college kids looking for a place to party,” Louis told them, staring down at Valerie with sadness. “We had her picture as missing, so I recognized her right away. I won’t know until the coroner arrives, but I’d say she’s been dead for most of the day. My guess is Cooper. She was thought to be with him last.”

  Blake looked at the detective. “Maybe Valerie didn’t like life on the run and wanted to contact her family. That could ruin Cooper’s big plans to run out of the country.”

  “Why were they still here? It’s been almost two weeks since the embezzlement,” Jackson asked. Nathan should have left the country or at least the state. With that much money and your girl wouldn’t you be headed for some beach?”

  “Makes sense to me,” the detective agreed. “Unless the girl was kicking her heels not wanting to leave town. Maybe she wanted to contact her mother and Cooper panicked.”

  A young man with a camera nodded to them politely. “All done taking the pictures of the crime scene, sir.”

  “Send everything to the FBI office in Grand Junction,” Louis informed him. The man nodded and walked off.

  Jackson shook his head sadly as he looked at the young girl lying in the cold grass. She had been part of a loving family. Why go on the run with a self- centered man like Cooper? What if it had been Samantha? It was obvious Nathan Cooper was a violent man who hid it well. Everyone they interviewed saw him as arrogant and full of himself but nonviolent. What changed? “What a waste of a life. Her poor family will be devastated.”

 

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