Fractured Memories (Badge of Honor #1)

Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Knoxville Bank was located off Main Street, across from a pet store and next door to an ice cream shop. Traffic in town was heavier than normal, and Noah had to circle the block twice before finding a free parking spot at the end of the street. Signs boasted summer sales in the store windows. Despite the heat, residents were out and about. A group of teens, dressed for the pool in flip-flops and coverups, laughed as they crossed the street, heading for a fast-food joint in search of snacks.

Everything appeared normal. Still, Noah wouldn’t let his guard down for a moment. Not until Gene was in police custody. His gaze scanned the street once more before he allowed his muscles to relax. He tilted his face toward the sunshine, soaking in a bit of Vitamin D, in the hopes it would erase the last of his fatigue. After keeping watch on Felicity’s house for most of the night, he’d gone home to kiss his daughter good morning and catch a precious few hours of sleep. A strong dose of caffeine and a hearty meal from Aunt Imogene had gone a long way to bolstering his mood. So did being with Felicity.

“I hope you’re wearing sunscreen, cowboy.” She joined him on the sidewalk. Her hair was tucked into a low ponytail, her eyes cast in shadows under the brim of her hat. Felicity’s mouth twitched playfully. “It’s gonna be awfully hard to woo the single ladies around here if you’re wrinkly from too much sun exposure.”

He briefly touched the dent in her chin. “There’s only one lady I’m interested in wooing.”

The words flowed naturally. Last night’s kiss had opened the door to a new aspect of their relationship. Flirtation. Noah realized he’d been walking on eggshells around Felicity for months, desperately watching every word, fearful she’d uncover his hidden feelings. He didn’t have to do that anymore. It was a relief.

A pretty flush appeared on her cheeks, and Felicity’s smile widened. Noah’s heart skipped several beats. He grinned back. They hadn’t discussed the kiss or what it meant yet. Noah wasn’t ignorant about the issues facing a long-term relationship with Felicity. For starters, there was his daughter to consider. She needed his time and emotional energy. Then there was his job. It was demanding and often required long hours. Felicity’s did too. Both of them faced potential danger every time they went to work. Noah had already been through the death of his parents and his wife. The thought of losing someone else he cared about… it was enough to stall his breath and send his heart searching for the nearest exit off the freeway of emotional entanglement .

All of it was too much to sort out at the moment. Kissing Felicity last night hadn’t been the wisest course of action since they still had to work together. He didn’t regret it though. Nor did he know where it was leading. All he knew was that thinking too much allowed fear to grab hold, and that had been an issue in their relationship for far too long. For them both.

Noah’s phone rang, pulling his attention away from Felicity’s gorgeous smile. He removed it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Jax. I asked him to look for any connection between Kurtis and Gene first thing this morning.” He answered, stepping into the shade of an awning. “What ya got?”

“A big fat nothing.” Jax’s Southern drawl poured from the phone speaker. “Gene has never appeared in Kurtis’s court, nor can I find any connection between the two men. Kurtis has overseen cases involving the Triple 6 organization but hasn’t given them leniency. In fact, the exact opposite. He’s ordered the maximum sentencing for most of the offenders.”

“Okay, that probably means he’s not the leader of Triple 6 or connected to them.”

“Agreed. I also did a cursory glance at Melanie, to make sure she wasn’t connected to Gene, and came up empty-handed. I’ll look a bit more, but so far, the couple is squeaky clean.”

“Understood. Thanks.”

Noah hung up and relayed the information to Felicity.

She took the news with a stoic nod. “Based on what we know so far, I think we need to drop Kurtis and Melanie down on our suspect list. They alibied each other for the night of Brooke’s murder and we can’t connect them to Gene.” Her gaze drifted to the bank. “I think we need to use Melanie as a resource. Let’s question her about Gene, Brooke’s brother, Daniel, and her mysterious new boyfriend.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Noah fell into step beside Felicity, and moments later, they were escorted by a bank employee to Melanie Ferguson’s office overlooking the busy street. Large windows spilled sunshine across the plush carpet and mahogany desk. Enclosed bookcases lined one wall. The other held photographs of Melanie alongside several influential members of the state. Noah recognized the governor and a senator.

Melanie rose from her leather desk chair and greeted them each with a handshake. Today she wore a silk dress under a blazer that perfectly matched the rosy color of her painted lips. A blast of air-conditioning hit Noah on the back of his neck when he settled into the wingback chair across from Melanie’s desk. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Mrs. Ferguson.”

“Of course. Brooke’s death was so… shocking.” She reclaimed her seat behind the desk. “Were you able to speak to Jeremy? Kurtis explained he’d shared his concerns about the repairman to you yesterday.”

Noah wasn’t surprised that Kurtis and Melanie had discussed the case. They were married, and Brooke had been close to both of them. “We did, ma’am. Kurtis was helpful during our interview and we’re following up on all leads.” He removed a photograph of Gene Webb from the front pocket of his suit jacket and laid it on the desk. “Have you seen this man before?”

Melanie pulled the picture closer. Her expression was difficult to read, but no flash of recognition flickered across her features. She shook her head. “No. Who is he?”

“Someone we believe is connected to Brooke’s murder.” Noah tilted his head, studying the woman’s expression carefully. “We believe he’s connected to a criminal organization known as Triple 6. Have you ever heard of it?”

“In the news.” She shook her head, hair shimmering in the sun. “But I don’t understand what this has to do with Brooke.”

“We’re not sure either.” Felicity leaned forward. “Triple 6 is a shadowy criminal enterprise known for selling drugs and illegal guns. They operate throughout this area, as well as Houston and Dallas. Brooke may have crossed paths with someone from Triple 6. Can you think of anything that was going on in her life that would connect her to either Triple 6 or this man?” She pointed to the photograph of Gene.

Melanie stared at her for a long moment before pushing away from her desk. She rose on pinprick heels and went to the window, wrapped her arms around her midsection. Noah shared a glance with Felicity. Clearly, Melanie was struggling with the need to share some piece of information. The silence stretched out. Noah let it. Sometimes, it was better to let the witness lead the conversation.

Finally she turned to face them. “Daniel, Brooke’s brother, was trafficking drugs for several years. I don’t know if he was working for Triple 6 specifically, but if what you’re saying is true, and they operate in this area, then it’s possible.”

Noah’s muscles stiffened slightly, but he kept his tone professional. “How do you know Daniel was trafficking drugs?”

“Because Brooke uncovered paraphernalia in the shed at the rear of her property. She freaked out, threatened to turn her brother in. Daniel swore up and down that he’d only used her place as a temporary holding space because the police had recently arrested him on possession charges. He was on probation and worried they’d search his place. Daniel promised to keep her out of it. Brooke relented.”

“When did this happen?”

“About two months before her death.” Melanie chewed on her lip as tears filmed her eyes. “I didn’t tell the police at the time because Daniel was so distraught over Brooke’s death. He’s struggled with drug use for a long time and was having a lot of financial problems, which is how he got roped into trafficking. Considering he was using her shed as a backup hiding place, it made little sense for him to kill her.”

Not unless Brooke threatened to go to the police again. Daniel had several arrests for minor drug possession, but trafficking was a felony. A conviction would mean serious jail time. Noah chewed that over. “If Brooke found out Daniel had broken his promise and used the shed again, would she have turned him into the police?”

Melanie shrugged. “I don’t know. Brooke was smart, but she had a soft spot for her brother.” She removed a tissue from a box on the credenza and dabbed at her eyes. “I should’ve pushed her to go to the police from the beginning. Then maybe…”

She’d still be alive. Regret was a painful pill to swallow, and while Noah had sympathy for Melanie, he was also angry that she’d hid a vital piece of information about Brooke from law enforcement for so long. From the tightness bracketing Felicity’s mouth, she shared his feelings.

Sunshine winking off glass caught Noah’s attention. What on earth was that? It disappeared and then came back behind an oversized truck parked on the street. His heart skittered as the realization of what he was seeing slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer. Instinctively, his body rose to a crouch, ready to spring toward Felicity, even as a warning flew from his lips.

“Sniper!”