Chapter 27

"Diamonds are intrinsically worthless,

except for the deep psychological need they fill."

–Nicky Oppenheimer De Beers

Jameson

The moment we sat down in one of the seats on the Ferris wheel, my entire body seemed to freeze up. My hands gripped the bar in front of me as the ride slowly groaned and swayed into motion.

"Isn't this the best?" Rayne sighed beside me. "Hey, are you okay?"

The sound of worry in her tone shook me out of the temporary stupor. I wasn't afraid of heights, as I believed she was thinking now. My fears sprouted from the fact that I was about to ask the most important question of my life.

"Yeah, sure," I said, forcing myself to relax. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me, which had a calming effect.

"I love this, being able to look down on my town. On everyone I love." She sighed and rested her head against my shoulder. "They're like stars in the night sky." She motioned to the crowd below as we climbed higher. "Each and every person down there is mine. And I know that deep down they are all good people." She turned to me. "Every single one of them would give you the shirt off their backs. Their love for each other burns brighter than the stars, their kindness is stronger than diamonds." She laughed and I kissed her.

"Diamonds in the Louisiana mud," I said, feeling the same about the townspeople that I'd come to know and love.

"I like that. Diamonds in the mud." She smiled and then took a deep breath as she glanced over the crowd below us. "Oh look, there's Aria and Tobias," she said, pointing into the crowd below. The ride slowed and then stopped with us at the very top while they let someone else on the ride below us. Just then the couple below us looked up at us and we waved back down at them.

This was the time. Aria had asked if she could record the entire event from below and when Rayne spotted them, it was my time to act.

Trying not to fumble, I pulled the small jewelry box out of my pocket and held it out. I gripped it as tightly as I could, tighter than I had gripped the security bar in front of me moments ago.

"Rayne," I said softly, getting her attention. When she glanced over at me, I was holding the small jewelry box out in front of her.

Rayne gasped in surprise, and I watched a spark fill her eyes.

I hadn't planned on what to say. Not really. I figured when the moment came, I'd know the right words. Opening my mouth, I let how I felt about her flow out of me.

"You are the most wonderful thing that has happened to me. You changed everything I've ever wanted in life with just one kiss. I can't imagine not being with you, or growing old without seeing your smile, hearing your laughter, being with you. I'll do my damnedest to make your life as joyous as you make mine. Marry me?" I said and waited, unable to breath until I knew her answer.

Slowly, she reached out, laid her hand on my cheek. "I've never loved anyone like you before. Yes," she said with a smile. "Yes, I'll marry you." She laughed as I pulled her close and kissed her until we were both breathless.

"What did you say?" came a loud voice from below.

We both looked down to see Aria with a small toy bullhorn up to her lips and a phone with its camera pointed at us in the other hand.

Laughing, Rayne yelled down, "YES!"

"Put the ring on it then," Aria said back into the speaker.

Rayne turned to me and smiled as she held her hand out. "Yes, put a ring on it."

My fingers shook as I pulled the ring out of the case and slid it smoothly on her finger.

"It fits," I said softly with relief.

"It was meant for me," she said with a chuckle. She hugged me again just as the ride started to move.

"I had some help." I motioned towards Aria, who still had her phone camera pointed at us.

"Yeah, I figured," she said just before we kissed again.

By the time we climbed off the ride, there were a handful of people waiting for us at the bottom, including Rayne's parents, which made me realize I hadn't told my parents of my plans. We were engulfed in hugs and well wishes for a while and chatted with everyone.

I'd talked to my parents on my birthday and even had a video chat with each of them to introduce Rayne. Still, I'd been so focused and nervous about asking her that I'd forgotten to tell my own family my plans.

When the crowd around us died down, I pulled her into a quiet place and kissed her.

"I should call my folks," I said.

She smiled and nodded. "Do that while I run to the bathroom." She motioned towards the porta-potties near the fenced area that blocked the parking lot from the event.

I watched her walk away and pulled out my phone. I knew that my mother would be horrified if I called my father first, so I punched in her number.

After about ten minutes, I hung up the phone with my dad. Both of my parents' excited voices were still echoing in my ears. I couldn't contain the grin that spread across my face. It felt surreal, almost dreamlike, to have that conversation with them, to share the news that Rayne and I were engaged. It was a moment I had been waiting for, one that filled me with a sense of joy and anticipation for the future.

But as I looked around the bustling fairground, my smile faltered. Rayne hadn't come back yet and since there weren't any lines at the toilets, I doubted she had gotten caught up waiting.

I walked over there and glanced around, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I spotted Aria and Tobias at the fish ring game a few feet away and walked over to ask if they'd seen her.

"No," Aria said with a frown. "She may have gone to check up on her mother at the cakewalk booth."

We quickly rushed over to the cakewalk booth. When Randy spotted us, he made his way over.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Rayne went to the bathroom and now I can't find her," I said, realizing how stupid I sounded. I was unable to hide the worry that laced my voice.

Randy glanced around and then nodded. "I'll ask my men. Someone is bound to have seen her." He pulled out his phone.

After talking to Owen for a bit, he asked the man to contact everyone else currently on shift over the radio and keep him posted if they spotted her.

"Let's set out and scan the fairgrounds for her," he suggested. "Show me where you saw her last." He turned to Edith. "Stay put. She may come back here when she can't find Jameson," he said calmly.

Panic began to set in when I heard the calmness of his tone towards his wife. I knew it was just an act to keep her from worrying, which oddly made me worry more. A tight knot formed in the pit of my stomach and, half an hour later, when no one had spotted her yet, that feeling doubled. I scanned the crowd, my eyes darting from one face to another, searching for her familiar features amidst the sea of people.

By this time Randy had convinced everyone he knew to look for her. Almost a hundred people were calling her name, searching every ride, every booth, every stall and parked car for her. Yes, Rayne's diamonds had heeded the call.

"Rayne?" I called out, my voice lost amidst the laughter and chatter of the other fairgoers.

With each passing minute, my worry grew, gnawing at the edges of my mind like a relentless predator. I weaved my way through the throngs of people, most of which were calling her name, scanning every inch of the grounds, my heart pounding in my chest, my footsteps quickening with each frantic step.

I called out to anyone who would listen and asked them if they'd seen Rayne, holding up the photo that I'd taken on my phone shortly after we'd gotten engaged to anyone who didn't know her. I described what she was wearing, told those that knew her to keep an eye out for her. But no one had seen her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

I checked the bathrooms for the third time, the food stalls, even the Ferris wheel where we had just shared such a special moment. But there was no sign of her anywhere.

My mind raced with all the worst-case scenarios, each one more terrifying than the last. Where could she be? Was she hurt, lost, or worse?

As I continued to search, my thoughts were consumed by her absence. Every shadow seemed to hold a whisper of her presence, every passing stranger a potential clue to her whereabouts.

But despite my efforts, she remained hidden, her absence casting a shadow over what should have been a joyous occasion. And as the minutes stretched into hours, I couldn't shake the sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Her parents continued to call her cell phone while everyone else scanned the fairgrounds. Every officer on the force was called in to search. We'd ridden there together, and her Jeep was still parked in the same spot.

"Here," someone shouted. "I found her purse and her phone."

Sabrina rushed up to me, holding the bag Rayne had been carrying earlier. "I only found it because the phone was ringing," she said a little breathlessly. "I heard it over behind the toilets."

"Where?" I asked, and then followed Sabrina as we ran to the spot where she had found Rayne's bag and phone.

"There." She pointed to the muddy ground behind the toilets. There was a chain link fence behind the area, separating the parking lot from the row of porta-potties. Part of the fence was not connected, and the space was large enough for people to get through it.

"Fan out from here. Let's search the parking lots," I called out to the dozen or so people who had followed us there.

Spying Aria, I held up Rayne's phone. "Can you unlock it?"

Aria rushed over and punched in Rayne's four-digit code. I made note of the digits for future use. "I only know this because we made our codes up together. It's mine on my phone too," she said, handing me the phone.

"What are you looking for?" Sabrina asked as I opened the photo app.

"Anything," I said, grasping at straws.

I ran through all of the photos she'd taken of us in the past few hours. An image of us shortly after I'd proposed while we'd been at the top of the Ferris wheel. Another of us on the carousel before our engagement. Some of us with all the pies. One of Aria, Sabrina, and Rayne at the hair salon earlier today.

Then an odd image of a sheet of paper with numbers filled the screen and I frowned.

"What's this?" I asked Aria and Sabrina, who both frowned at the image and shook their heads.

"Not sure," they both said.

I sent a copy of the image to my own phone and scanned the images of us again.

I almost missed it, almost didn't see him, lurking there in the shadows. The first image that I saw of him, right there in the background, was when we were in the hall of mirrors. Rayne and I were smiling at duplicates images of ourselves, and he was in the background. It was the look on his face that caused me to pause.

Then I scanned the other images taken that evening and noticed him in at least four others that Rayne had taken of the night.

"You took a video of our proposal?" I turned to Aria. "Let me see it," I said, holding out my hand for her phone.

I watched as the video started and moved between the ground and far above. Aria's head was smashed up against mine as we watched the moments before Rayne had spotted her. In the video, the Ferris wheel had just stopped, and I'd just wrapped my arm around Rayne's shoulders.

Instead of focusing on the faraway images of us, I scanned the crowd below us. He was there, standing at the base of the wheel, watching, waiting.

"Shit," I growled and glanced around for Randy. Taking both phones with me, I sprinted across the grass to where Randy was standing.

"Do these numbers mean anything to you?" I asked a little breathless.

Randy took Rayne's phone and frowned down at them. "The last one is the number for the address to the city and county building." He flipped through the images. He instantly saw what I had. "Jackson Pennington," he said under his breath, then he glanced at me. "His office is in the city and county building."

I nodded. "What's his home address?"

"I'll drive," Randy said, taking off. "Aria, Tobias, please make sure that Edith gets home safe." He tossed the van keys to Aria.

As we entered the parking lot, Randy yelled at Owen, who was standing by his patrol car directing traffic as everyone left the event.

"We're taking this," Randy said, jumping into the driver's seat.

"Sure thing, boss," Owen said. "Did you find…" Owen's words were cut off as Randy shut the door and took off at full speed.

"That son of a bitch," Randy said as he drove through town. "If he lays one finger on my daughter…"

"I get a chance at him first," I warned.

"Why?" Randy said as we weaved around traffic.

"I'm guessing these numbers mean something to him. Guessing he found out she had them. Hell, maybe Rayne had even figured out what they meant. Somehow connected him to…" To what? I thought quickly. "The only thing left unsolved was the murders," I said, feeling a shiver race down my spine.

"Why in the hell would Jackson Pennington murder Sharon Taylor?" Randy asked, taking a corner at top speed.

I glanced down at Rayne's phone. "This could be a phone number?" I said, pulling out my phone and punching the digits in.

The phone rang. When someone answered, I could hear breathing, Rayne screaming, then a gun shot before the line went dead.

"Shit, that was her," I said, jerking the phone from my ear. I turned the Mobile Data Terminal screen towards me and punched the phone number in. It took a moment before the data came up. "It's his cell number all right." I looked down at the phone and swiped the screen to the photo before the image of the numbers. This image was a handwritten note. I read it out loud for Randy.

"You're falling into his trap. He's going to pin everything on you. We are going to take the blame for everything. Meet me tonight behind the bar in the alley. I have the proof you asked for."

"This must be from Evelyn. To…" I stilled as it hit me.

"Quincy," Randy finished for me as we slowed down.

Shit. I looked at the next image. "What's this?" I showed Randy the image of a receipt.

He frowned at it.

"That's an old-school receipt for an evidence locker and police file case that we used to give out. We haven't used those in years." I glanced up as he stopped the car and shut off the lights and siren as we paused at the end of a long driveway just out of sight of the house. "I doubt he's here," Randy said. "Jackson is too smart to bring her back here. We'll check." He glanced at me. "Tell me you're armed."

I nodded. "You take the left, I'll go right."

We climbed out of the patrol car and both darted in different directions.

I raced through the brush and trees, keeping out of sight of the house until I could approach it without the possibility of being seen. I glanced in a few dark windows, feeling defeated.

Randy was right. There wasn't a car in the driveway or in the detached carport area.

"What now?" Randy asked after we looked in a few more windows. "The place is empty."

I thought. "Think you can find the locker or file that this goes to?" I asked, holding up Rayne's phone.

We rushed back to the car. When we pulled into the station, Owen was there waiting with everyone else that was on duty.

"This way." Randy ran through the office and headed towards the evidence locker. He used his keys to unlock the doors and gate and then glanced down at Rayne's phone again.

"Nine thousand thirty-two. Shit." He closed his eyes. "Storage room." He turned and darted down the hallway. "We moved them a few years back. Anything older than ten thousand went back here." He opened another locked door and flipped on the lights. Rows and rows of file cabinets and stacked boxes on shelving filled the massive area.

It took him less than five minutes to find the box marked nine thousand thirty and when he pulled out the thick file marked thirty-two, I held my breath.

"It's an old arrest report for a teenager named Jack Wheeler. He was caught skinning a dog alive. They found several other skinned animals at his residence after an investigation. I don't remember this case. I think I'd just taken the chief job." Randy turned the page and we both gasped. There, in black and white, was an old image of a very young Jackson Pennington. "The Wheeler place is just outside of town on the bayou," Randy added, pointing to the address on the report. "Let's go."

This time more than half a dozen cop cars followed Randy and I out of town. We headed down a dirt road. When we came to a downed tree across the road, we parked.

"How would he get through this?" I asked as I climbed out and glanced around.

"There." Someone shined a flashlight on a large black SUV.

"That's his," Randy said, walking over to it.

"Four-wheeler tracks," someone else shouted.

"Block his car in," I called out as we all shot through the brush, following the tracks.

We made our way through the woods. It seemed to take us forever to hack our way through the thick brush and stay on the tracks.

When we spotted the lights from the cabin, we all stopped and gathered around the four-wheeler. Randy took the keys and pocketed them, then motioned to his men. Three of them headed to the right, three to the left. I went with Randy straight down the middle, directly towards the cabin's doors.

Everything was quiet. The moment we stepped up onto the porch, the steps made a loud creaking sound under our weight. Then I realized the lights coming from inside the cabin weren't candlelight. Dark smoke was streaming out from under the door and cracked windows.

I heard Rayne cough from somewhere inside the burning building and sprang into action.

Without thinking, I busted through the old wood door with Randy right on my heels. Flames licked at us and surrounded Rayne, who sat in the middle of the room, tied to a chair. There was blood trickling down her lip and from above her left eye, and her clothes were torn in places. The flames, thankfully, hadn't reached her yet.

"My god," I said, rushing to her. I knelt in front of her and cut the ropes with the knife that I kept in my boot.

"It was Jackson Pennington," Rayne said with a cough towards Randy as I gathered her up.

"Yeah," Randy said behind us, shielding himself from the growing flames. "Where is he?"

"He took off out back shortly before you got here, after he set the fire," she said with another cough. I lifted her gently into my arms and the three of us sprinted out of the flames onto the porch and into the dark night.

"I broke free and shot him in the leg before he overpowered me again. He knocked me out. I could have been out for a long time." She held onto me. "He was bleeding pretty badly. I doubt he could have gotten far on foot."

Just then another shot rang out, and Randy fell beside us. I fell to the ground, shielding Rayne's body with my own as more shots rang out in the night.

"Dad!" Rayne cried out, trying to push me off her so she could crawl to her father, who lay motionless a few feet from us. I could hear the fire behind us grow, consuming the old cabin, as the night suddenly grew oddly quiet.

"Clear!" someone shouted.

"Over here." Another shout.

"We've got him."

"Dad!" I let Rayne crawl to her father and moved over to his side. Blood trickled out of his left leg just above his knee.

"Damn it," Randy hissed.

"Officer down," I called out. "Get an ambulance out here."

"One's already on the way," Randy said with a sigh. "My boys called it in when we left." He coughed as he cupped Rayne's face. "I love you. If I don't make it through this, take good care of your ma." Then he passed out while Rayne cried.