Sweet Tea and Secrets (43 page)

Clyde laid down and whimpered.

Garrett flashed the light around the yard.

Dew covered the ground. There were no footprints except for the path that Clyde had just made toward the trees. Garrett held his gun steady.

When he got close to Clyde, he saw what all the fuss was about and lowered his gun.

A tiny orange kitten huddled between the dog’s large paws. The kitten’s hair spiked from the slobber of Clyde’s greeting like a bad hair day. Garrett lifted the soggy kitten into his arms. Clyde jumped and kept his nose up under Garrett’s arm where he held the kitten. Another scan of the yard proved there was nothing else to worry about.

“It’s okay, Jill,” Garrett called, as he walked back into the house with Clyde at his heels. He flipped on the light switch. Jill was still huddled on the floor.

“Look. We have a visitor. A welcome one.” He stooped next to her and transferred the tiny kitten to her hands.

Her heart raced, but she could at least stop holding her breath. She snuggled the tiny kitten to her chin.

“I’ll get a towel,” Garrett said.

Jill dried the kitten with her nightshirt. “You
are
too cute.”

Clyde dropped to the floor next to Jill and put his chin on her knee next to his new friend. “You like the kitty, kitty, Clyde?”

Clyde licked the back of the tiny kitten, soaking it again.

Garrett tossed the towel to Jill and held out his hand to help her up. “Come on. I think we’ve had enough excitement for tonight.”

They walked back to the bedroom and crawled into bed. Jill held the kitten between them. It purred loudly, content.

“What are we going to name the little guy?” Garrett wiggled a finger across the kitten that lay snuggled between him and Jill.

Jill tilted her head as she pondered a name. “How about Pearl? She’s about the color of some of those pearls and it’s a special name.”

“I like it,” he agreed.

The kitten got up, scampered down the comforter to the floor and snuggled between Clyde’s huge paws.

Garrett propped himself on his elbow and looked over the side of the bed. “He looks pretty pleased about the new addition to the family.”

Jill moaned an agreement and tried to relax in Garrett’s arms. She worried that until Bradley Kase was apprehended, she’d never feel safe. Bradley was angry and willing to kill her over the treasure he believed was rightfully his. She prayed that they could keep the pearls a secret, but keeping that kind of news quiet in this town would be a challenge. Everyone trusted everyone, and word raced through the population like wildfire—especially if it was a secret.

“Quit worrying. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

She turned in his arms to face him.

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. His hands swept over her shoulder and down her back. The warmth of his touch stole her breath.

She lifted her chin and their lips met. Though she’d promised herself they’d take it slow, she was happily powerless against the familiar passion in his kiss.

Garrett swept the covers back, cradling her head as he kissed her again, slower. His cool hands ran over her body, warming her in the heat of his embrace. He slowly worked her nightshirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. Flesh on flesh, he clung to her like he was afraid to let go.

Her instinctive response to his touch rekindled the old feelings. When he whispered her name into the nape of her neck, a tingle soared through every one of her nerve-endings. Emotion and fulfillment flowed between them that surpassed anything she’d ever known.

She released all of her worries into his hands, and let her own yearnings meet his.

Out of breath, they turned back onto the pillows still holding hands.

“I’ll always keep you safe, Jill,” he said between breaths. “Please believe me.”

Her breathing began to settle into a more even pace. “I do. I trust you with all my heart.”

The little kitten, Pearl, meowed loudly from the side of the bed.

Garrett kissed Jill’s tummy as he leaned across her and swept the orphan kitty up onto the bed between them.

Chapter Twenty-Four

There weren’t a lot of businesses in Adams Grove, but the town made up for the lack of tax revenue with fines from traffic tickets—mostly out-of-town speeders. Not a speed trap, just a strictly enforced speed limit to keep their residents safe.

Too bad Bradley Kase hadn’t remembered that little piece of trivia about Adams Grove, because he was pulled over for speeding on August 8th. The eighth day of the eighth month. Eight had always been Jill’s lucky number.

At the time, the state trooper writing the simple speeding ticket had no idea that he was getting ready to tie up a whole lot of loose ends with this arrest.

The high-tech equipment in his patrol car spit out a list of several outstanding warrants for the speeder, including the ones that Jill and Garrett had recently filed. If Bradley Kase, aka Carl J. Townsend, thought for a second he was going to slick talk his way out of this one, he was wrong. Today wasn’t his lucky day. The trooper glanced at the report printing across his console and called for a backup unit.

Just as he completed his radio in to dispatch, a local sheriff vehicle pulled in front of the black Lexus.

Deputy Dan swaggered out of the cruiser toward Kase. He saw the flash of panic cross Kase’s face, but he wasn’t worried. He’d pulled in tight enough that Kase couldn’t get his car out from between the cruisers no matter how good a driver he was.

Deputy Dan leaned into the open driver’s window. “Hey there, FBI Agent Kase.”

Kase flashed his perfect smile, looking relaxed, although his fingers were drumming the steering wheel nervously. “Deputy,” he nodded.

“What seems to be the problem here?” Deputy Dan put his elbow casually on the roof of Kase’s car. “You in our area working undercover again?”

The trooper sauntered up from behind the car. “Good timing, Dan. I just called for backup.”

The trooper ordered Kase out of the vehicle.

In two seconds, Kase was leaning across the trunk of the vehicle, legs spread and hands cuffed. “For my safety, and yours, until we sort this out,” the trooper said.

Kase looked to Deputy Dan. “Tell him. Don’t just stand there. Tell him who I am.” Kase struggled to turn toward the trooper. “I’m an FBI Agent. My badge is in the glove box. I’m in deep cover.”

“Oh, you’re in deep, alright.” Deputy Dan walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. He popped open the glove box and then the center console. “Look what we have here,” he called to the trooper.

Deputy Dan fanned several ids and credit cards. “Brandon Casini, FBI. Bradley Kase, Savannah, Georgia. Bob Townsend from Houston, Texas. Carl J. Townsend from Key Largo. Oh, I like this one, Tom Cruise, Sr. from Los Angeles, California. I bet that’s a chick getter.” He continued to flip through the assortment of photo IDs. “And look. He has friends. Annie, Jean, Corey, Louanne. They must be quadruplets. All the same birthday and they look so much alike.” Deputy Dan reached down next to the driver’s seat and hit the trunk release.

Bradley rolled his head back as the trooper moved him away from the car.

Deputy Dan peered into the trunk. “Yep, in deep. Deep doo-doo.” He pointed to the suitcase in the trunk. “We had a report of a suitcase being stolen a few weeks back.”

“Shit,” Kase said.

Deputy Dan said, “Don’t bother thinking about how you’ll talk your way out this time.”

“You know. I just got an APB out on a car just like this. Suspected arson.” Deputy Dan nodded to the trooper. “I believe this man fits the description of our suspect.”

“Let’s take him in,” the trooper said. “Just made my day.”

Three other police cars had joined the others. Two gray-uniformed state troopers searched Kase’s car as the other escorted Bradley to the back of the cruiser for the short trip into town.

Scott Calvin was sitting at his desk when the state guys came in to turn Kase over to him.

When Jill and Garrett had filed the reports on the incidents, including the assault and arson, Scott feared it would be next to impossible to locate Bradley Kase. He figured Kase would be at least two states away by now if not on some island in the Caribbean. Guess Kase wasn’t quite as smart as Scott had thought. He was going to take great pleasure processing this one.

Scott walked out to where the officers were holding Kase. He remembered Jill’s recount of the day on the porch when Clyde had attacked Bradley. With a smirk, Scott grabbed Kase by the left arm where Clyde had reportedly left his mark.

Bradley howled and twisted in pain.

“Sorry man.” Scott squeezed one more time as he pushed him toward the lockup. Catching the bad guys and helping the good ones, that’s why he loved his job.

Blood seeped through Kase’s sleeve.

Scott had one of his men process Kase and went back into his office and dialed Garrett.

“You won’t believe who I just put in a cell.”

“Kase?”

“Yep, and let Jill know that Carl J. Townsend is Bradley Kase. That solves the Clatterbuck connection. They were married. Partners in crime.”

“Now doing time,” Garrett said.

“Well, we haven’t located her, and he’s not talking,” Scott said.

Garrett hung up the phone. “That was Scott.”

“What did he say?” Jill hoped for good news.”

“They’ve got him,” he said.

“Bradley?” she squeaked out.

“Call him Bradley, or call him Carl, whatever. They’ve got him.”

Jill blinked and tilted her head. The words didn’t make sense. “Well, who do they have?”

Garrett cleared his throat. “They’re one and the same.”

Jill sat, feeling a bit stunned. “Bradley is Carl Townsend? He was married to Annie, whatever her name is?”

“Looks that way,” Garrett said.

“What about Annie? Do they have her, too?”

“I guess Kase figures Annie can live on the money they scammed. He’s not telling where she is.”

“Still protecting her. Figures. Where do they have him?” she asked.

“In town.”

“I can’t believe he came back here. Won’t he be surprised when he finds out I had Josh move those funds around. He thought he’d duped the Foundation out of that money, but I messed up that plan. Those dollars are still safe and need my signature to be released. I’ve got to get down to the jail.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“Wait, Jill. What are you doing?”

She turned to face Garrett. “I’m going to talk to Bradley. I want to know why he did this to me.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know why he targeted me.”
She’d always been good at reading people and seeing through liars, but this man had taken her for a complete ride. “I need to know.”

“Does it matter? What could he possibly say that would explain what he did?”

“I lived with that man for a year. He was married to someone who was posing as the cook in our house.”

“Quit reminding me.” Garrett’s jaw grew tight.

“I don’t like it any more than you, but he conned me. I can’t just forget about that. I wish I could.” Her eyes pleaded, hoping he’d understand.

“Can’t we just move on? I don’t even want to know the rest.”

“What kind of person has their wife pretend to be the cook while he sleeps with another woman right in the same house? What kind of person can convince you they care about you for a year on the chance that a myth about a treasure might be true?”

“A master manipulator.”

“What kind of person can pretend to care for someone then leave them to die?”

“Bradley Kase,” Garrett said.

“Townsend. I didn’t even know his real name.”

“Don’t expect it to make sense. The guy is a con. He doesn’t operate like we do.” Garrett held her close. “But do what you have to do.”