Chapter 56

Aaron watched Hope walk into the backyard and into the arms of another man. A tiny kernel of hope that maybe they could figure something out had started to grow inside him—if he was willing to take another chance with his heart. Hope had said she liked the fact he was smart, and he knew she liked his body. Maybe rather than diminishing one aspect of himself, he should start embracing the whole.

But what if she was only looking for a little fun? Who could blame her after what she'd been through?

He wanted more.

Brendan wrapped his arm around his former sister-in-law and hurried her away. Aaron squashed the petty jealousy that squirmed free of its shackles.

Lewis Janelli stood and glared after the two of them.

"You're letting her leave with that guy?" Seth Hopper stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"I can't abandon the scene?—"

"Yeah, you can. Fill in the FD 302s on the flight home. In the meantime, go claim your woman."

Aaron crossed his arms. "I'm not sure Hope would appreciate being ‘claimed.'" But the thought of her being his woman made something primitive rear up inside him.

Seth grinned. "You won't know until you try, will you? What d'you have to lose?"

"My self-respect. My pride. The chance to maybe grow on her over time?'

"She is gone on you, you idiot."

Aaron shot his friend a curious look. He'd thought he'd hidden his feelings pretty well this last week. "What makes you say that?"

"You see her hugging or kissing the rest of us?"

Aaron pulled a face. "She's been through a traumatic experience?—"

Seth slapped the back of his head. "For a smart guy, you're being dense as a rock."

Aaron rubbed his head. "Hey."

"Go after her. We're out of here anyway. Gotta clear the crime scene. ME's en route, and Boston FO agents are five minutes away."

Aaron held Seth's eyes. "She's too good for me."

Seth's eyes widened, and he grabbed Aaron's hair and brought their heads together. "You are one of the best men I know. Don't let me hear that bullshit pass your lips ever again."

Aaron shook his head and laughed.

"She's been through a lot. She deserves someone like you, Professor." Seth scrubbed his head with his knuckles and released him.

Aaron checked his watch. "Okay, I'll drive her Beemer back to her place. Hopefully, the brass doesn't want us to fly back tonight. Once Colin Leighton is transported, leave two guys behind until the locals get here. Everyone else can head back to Hope's place to pack up."

"Understood. Air ambulance is almost here. Demarco will ride with Leighton."

"Good. Let me know his status and where he's taken." Aaron strode off and tried to stop himself from grinning.

"Hey," Janelli hurried toward him. "Can I catch a ride with you?"

He paused. "Your partner left you behind?"

Janelli sniffed. "He said he wanted a private conversation with Hope and knew she wouldn't be comfortable if I was there."

"Sure. I can drop you back." Aaron headed to Hope's Beemer which was parked in the driveway, key in the console.

"Leech really tell Hope Harper he didn't do Danny or their kid?" Janelli asked. "I heard some agents talking."

Aaron nodded. Placed his flak jacket and carbine, safety on, in the footwell behind the driver's seat. Got in.

Janelli climbed in the passenger side and admired the butter soft leather of the seats. "Nice ride."

Aaron reversed out and headed south back to Beantown.

Janelli pulled a face. "I guess I owe you an apology."

"Not me. Hope."

Janelli grimaced. "I was a prick." The furrows in his brow were deep enough to plant corn.

"Something on your mind?"

Janelli ran his tongue around his teeth. "No."

He wasn't a very good liar for a detective.

"But I got to thinking, after our conversation."

Aaron's lips twitched. "After I had you thrown out of the courthouse."

Janelli rolled his eyes. "I'm trying not to remember that asshole move—did you really think I'd attack a woman? Especially one who could get me thrown off the force?"

Aaron pulled his lips to one side. "You threatened her. I was doing my job."

Janelli moved his head to one side and rubbed his neck. "I guess. I'm used to running my mouth without anyone calling me on it, ya know?"

Aaron scowled at the guy. "You have to know Hope was only doing her job back then. Like the judge. Why pile all the blame for what happened on her?"

Rather than looking annoyed Janelli pulled his lips back thoughtfully. "I've hated her for so long. Pauly was such a good guy, a mentor to me when I never really had one before…" He shook his head. "It was hard to lose him that way."

Aaron thought about losing Montana and knew exactly how challenging it was. "Time to let it go, at least in relation to making Hope responsible for the mistakes Pauly Monroe made."

Janelli pursed his lips. "I guess. Leech getting out got me thinking about a lot of things from back then."

Aaron frowned. "Like what?"

"Stuff that didn't add up the way it should with the benefit of hindsight and more years on the job." Janelli sank into his seat and looked uncomfortable. "I checked logs for the night Pauly Monroe died." He sucked in his lips. "Brendan was lying about being on a stakeout."

Aaron frowned. "Why would he lie?"

"I dunno." Janelli picked at a loose thread on his jacket. "Maybe it was an unofficial investigation or something he knew the captain wouldn't approve of."

"Brendan Harper doesn't strike me as the type of cop to put in unpaid overtime." Suddenly things clicked into place for Aaron and fear flooded every neuron in his body. "Could Brendan have killed Monroe?"

Janelli huffed out a disbelieving gasp. "No way."

Aaron's heart beat too hard. "It makes sense. He's Johnny on the spot the next day. Makes a point of seeking you out, and the two of you head to Monroe's house together so he can be there when you find him and check he didn't forget anything. He can also explain away any of his DNA being found at the scene."

"Why?" Janelli shifted uneasily. "They were partners for years. They were pals."

The full implications hit Aaron. "Shit. Could Brendan have killed his own brother and niece?" He pressed his foot hard on the accelerator. Brendan had Hope.

Janelli held out his hands toward the dash, clearly reading Aaron's mind. "Whoa. Slow down. Brendan's not gonna hurt her. He's obsessed with her. He wasn't very happy when he spotted her giving you that peck on the cheek back there though."

Great.

Aaron's head was going to explode. He thought they'd rescued Hope, but he'd allowed her to walk right into another predator's arms.

He shifted and pulled his cell out of a side pocket. "Call Frazer. Put it on speaker."

Frazer answered, but rather than let the guy congratulate him on a job well done, Aaron interrupted. "Listen. I have Lewis Janelli in the vehicle, and we're heading back to town, following Hope, who caught a ride with Brendan. The thing is, I got to wondering, what if Leech really didn't kill Danny and Paige Harper? What if Brendan did?" The wheels in his brain were spinning at full speed now. "What if Brendan was the detective who took and planted that material at the third crime scene?"

"He was the first detective on scene at the third double-murder," Frazer confirmed. "He'd only recently switched partners and, as he'd worked the previous murders, both he and Monroe got the call even though it was officially Monroe's case."

"Perhaps Monroe was involved or maybe he wasn't, but suddenly he's overwhelmed with guilt and threatens to tell someone, his captain?—"

"His priest," Janelli interrupted. "If he started to feel guilty, he'd want to confess to his priest. Brendan often says he doesn't trust priests to keep confessions secret, and that's from a man who takes his mother to mass every Sunday."

"So Brendan kills Monroe and maybe his brother figures it out—and the only way Brendan can be sure Danny doesn't tell anyone, especially his wife who's defending the guy Brendan tried to set up, is by killing his brother?"

"I'd say it was possible," said Frazer. "And if Brendan figures out we're onto him before they get out of that car, Hope's dead because Brendan has more than an unhealthy obsession with her. He'll drive them off a bridge if he believes he's been found out."

Aaron refused to think about that. "What can we charge him with?" Leech had already been convicted of the murders.

"Leech's conviction would be overturned, which would be extremely ironic, and Brendan prosecuted." Frazer sounded as if he was typing something into a computer.

"We get him on Monroe," Janelli said angrily. "We get him for killing one of his own and getting away with it for so many years." He reached for his phone. "I'll talk to my captain?—"

"No." Aaron shook his head. "What if he calls Brendan or someone overhears at the precinct? They'll warn him."

Janelli opened his mouth to argue, but Aaron raised his voice so loud it boomed off the interior. "If you touch your cell, I will handcuff you and put you in the backseat! I'm not putting Hope's life in danger. Don't you think she's been through enough?"

"Order your squad back to Hope's place, and make sure they arrive before Brendan gets there," Frazer ordered. "We'll take him down before they go inside the building. Do not spook him. I'll meet you there."

Aaron ignored the fear that wanted to trample his training and made the call. Suddenly, all his fears about having his heart broken again seemed petty and inconsequential. He'd joined HRT to prove himself, and yet all that really mattered was the same thing that had mattered when he'd been that geeky biologist. Love. His issue all along wasn't that he wasn't good enough, it was simply that he hadn't found the right person. And now he had, and the thought of losing her before they really had a chance together cut him into a million pieces.

"We'll get her." Janelli awkwardly tried to comfort him.

"We better," Aaron said grimly.