was not a good man. The Jacoby family turned out to be wealthy and powerful, and headed by one hell of a bastard named Lou.
“Lou Jacoby had a second son. His name was Ben. A long time ago Ben Jacoby had been in love with my wife.”
“With Jo? How long ago?”
“Back in law school,” Cork replied. “As I began to uncover more and more truths about the incidents in Aurora, I became more and more convinced Ben Jacoby was responsible for the ambush on the rez.”
“He wanted Jo? And-what?-he was willing to kill you to get her?”
“That’s how it looked to me. Then someone planted a bomb in my car that could have killed me or anyone else in the family, so I sent Jo and the kids away. They went to Evanston, Illinois, to stay with Jo’s sister, Rose. Turned out that was just a hop, skip, and jump from Ben Jacoby’s home in Winnetka.”
“Coincidence?”
“I’ve never been a believer in coincidence.”
“So naturally you thought this Ben Jacoby was responsible for the bomb.”
“It seemed like a reasonable conclusion at the time. Then Jo disappeared. She went to meet Ben Jacoby and never came back. I drove to Evanston as fast as I could.”
“You found her?”
“Yes, but not before she was raped.”
“Oh Jesus, Cork. I’m sorry. Was it Ben Jacoby?”
“No. But I’m sure he had a hand in covering up for the son of a bitch who did it. He was murdered before I could talk to him.”
“And now you’re a suspect?”
“Mostly in the mind of Lou Jacoby.”
“Who hired the men who tried to kill you.”
“That’s it.”
“Do you know who killed Ben Jacoby?”
“I’m pretty sure it was the same people who murdered his brother, Eddie.”
“And that would be?”
“Eddie’s wife, a woman named Gabriella. And her brother, Tony Salguero. I think they killed Eddie because he was an abusive husband. He was also rich. And they killed Ben because he knew they did it.”
“How do you prove any of this?”
“I hope the police are pretty well on their way to doing that for me. If they do, I’m hoping it will bring Lou Jacoby to his senses. Until that happens- if it happens-I need to be careful. Lou’s probably got more than a few cops in his pocket, so it’s best I stay off the law enforcement radar, even up here. With this bounty on my head and Lou’s hired guns beating the bushes looking for me, it’s probably wisest just to lie low and let this leg mend.”
Jewell realized she’d been at the edge of her seat. She relaxed and sat back. “They found you in Kenosha. What makes you think they can’t find you here?”
“I made a mistake in Kenosha. I called Jo at her sister’s place. Jacoby’s people must have tapped the line. I won’t make that mistake again. Until this is over, I’m not contacting my family at all. I don’t want them dragged into this.”
“You’ll just leave them in the dark wondering whether you’re alive or lying dead somewhere?” She folded her arms as if she were cold. “You weren’t happy running a burger stand. You had to go and put on a badge again. And now look at you, lying there lucky to be alive while you’re family worries themselves sick over you. Men. You only think about yourselves.”
Cork spoke quietly. “Are you talking about me now, or about Daniel? He put himself at risk and died because of it. The hell with his family. Is that it?”
“He died because of bastard cops.”
“Like me? You think I’m that kind of cop? That kind of man?”
“I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m family, Jewell.”
“You lay a lot on that.”
“Family holds weight.”
“Don’t count on it.” She stood up, prepared to leave. “I’m on at the clinic today. Ren will be here if you need anything.”
“He doesn’t have to stay close. I’m feeling better.”
“You’re still in no shape to move.”
She started for the door.
“Jewell, there’s something else you should know. Someone’s coming here today, a woman named Dina Willner. A friend. To help me.”
She looked back at him, angry. “Someone knows you’re here?”
“I trust her. Twice in the last week she saved my life.”
Jewell shook her head fast. “I don’t care. Somebody knows where you are. I don’t like that. I don’t like any of this.”
“It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
She eyed him coldly. “That’s exactly what Daniel said the last time I saw him alive.”
“Jewell, I left my family because I knew they’d be in danger if I stayed. If I thought you or Ren were in danger, I wouldn’t be here, either.”
“If your thinking has been so good, how come you’re lying there with a bullet hole in your leg?”
“This woman who’s coming, I trust her with my life.”
“And mine. And Ren’s.”
“If you want me gone, I’ll leave now.”
“I should take you up on that, but with that leg you wouldn’t get far.” She’d talked enough, argued enough. She didn’t have the stomach for it anymore. Turning her back to him, she said, “I’ll have Ren bring you something to eat.”
She showered and dressed, got herself ready for the clinic. After that, she began bacon frying and pulled eggs from the refrigerator. She was mixing batter in a bowl when Ren appeared, coming from his room with his hair wild and his eyes still a little glazed.
“I thought I smelled food,” he said.
“Hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“Sit down. I’ll fix you something.” She watched him shuffle to the table, looking in so many ways like his father. “How about blueberry pancakes?”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“That’d be great.”
While she worked at the stove, she spoke to him over her shoulder. “I thought I heard you moving around last night.”
“Remember that cougar track I told you about? I thought I heard him outside.”
“The wind, probably.”
“Something scratched the cabin wall, Mom.”
She turned from the griddle where the pancake batter had just started to bubble. “And you went outside to check?”
“I was curious.”
She pointed her spatula at him. “Ren, I don’t know if that animal is a cougar or bobcat or what, but I don’t want you going out in the middle of the night to find out. At least, don’t do it alone. Wake me up if you’re really scared.”
“I wasn’t scared.”
“Okay, curious. But wake me up. We’ll go together. Promise?”
