The Perfect Murder by Kat Martin

TWENTY-FOUR

Reese was dead asleep when the phone rang. His meeting had run longer than he’d expected and he’d gotten home late. With a weary sigh, he rolled over to grab his cell phone off the nightstand, read the digital numbers on the clock: 4:01 a.m.

Since nothing good happened at four o’clock in the morning, his heart rate jolted from sluggish into high gear. Recognizing Kenzie’s cell number sent his pulse rate up another notch. “Kenzie?”

“Reese, it...it’s Florence.” Her voice shook. “Kenzie’s hurt. Men took Griff and they told her not to call the police.” Florence sobbed into the phone. “I didn’t know who else to call. Please help us, Reese.”

But Reese was already up and moving, trying to wrap his head around another disaster, trying not to imagine what terrible thing might have happened to Kenzie. “Does she need an ambulance? How badly is she hurt?”

“She won’t go to the hospital. Please come, Reese.”

“Listen to me, Flo. I’m on my way right now. I’m calling a doctor. He’ll meet us there.”

“No police. She just keeps saying it over and over.”

“No police, Flo. This man is a friend. He’ll help her and there won’t be any police involved. Just tell her to hang on until I get there.” He swallowed, fought for control. “Both of you. Just hang on.”

Florence made a sound in her throat. Then she took a shaky breath. “We’ll be okay. I’ll take care of her till you get here. Thank you.”

Reese ended the call. He didn’t want thanks. Kenzie was hurt. He needed to get to her. It occurred to him that nothing in the world could stop him.

Dressing quickly, he made a brief pause in his study to retrieve the Nighthawk semiauto in his safe. He kept the gun for protection. His juvenile records were sealed, which allowed him to get a permit. He had learned the hard way there were bad people in the world.

Minutes later, he was behind the wheel of the Jaguar, roaring out of the garage. As the vehicle fishtailed onto the deserted street, Reese fought to steady himself. It was time to shut down his emotions and regain control.

He voice-dialed Dr. Charles Chandler, a longtime Garrett family friend, and the doctor agreed to meet him at Kenzie’s town house on Gilbert Street.

Reese stepped on the gas, sliding around corners, accelerating, rolling through stop signs at intersections. No police, he reminded himself, and slowed the Jag enough so he wouldn’t get stopped. Still, he made the trip in record time. As he got out of the car and raced up the sidewalk, Florence opened the door.

“Thank God,” she said.

“The doctor should be here any minute. Where’s Kenzie?”

“Upstairs in Griff’s room.”

Reese raced past her up the stairs, Florence hurrying to catch up. The door to the bedroom stood open. A lamp burned on the bedside table, casting shadowy light around the room. Aside from the nightstand, the room was in shambles, as if a bomb had exploded, curtains torn down, photos and trophies on top of the dresser broken and strewn all over the floor.

Kenzie sat on the edge of Griff’s bed, her head hanging forward, dark hair hiding her face. Bruises began to darken the back of her neck and her arms below the short sleeves of her pink cotton robe. Kenzie sobbed into Griff’s Dallas Cowboys jersey, which she hugged against her chest.

For an instant, Reese stood frozen, blinding rage pouring through him. Clamping down hard on his emotions, he crouched on the floor in front of Kenzie. Reaching out, he gently caught hold of her hand.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She looked up at him, her eyes stricken with fear and grief. Tears tracked down her cheeks. “Reese...oh, God.” She leaned forward, put her head on his shoulder, and kept sobbing. Reese gently held her that way, terrified he would hurt her. He didn’t know how badly she was injured. He didn’t want to make it worse.

Wiping tears from her cheeks, Kenzie sat up on the edge of the bed. “They took him, Reese. They took Griff. They came right...right into our home and kidnapped my little boy.”

He took her hand. It felt icy cold. He saw the bruises on her knuckles and pressed his lips there. “We’re going to get him back. I promise you. Right now, I need to see how badly you’re hurt.”

She didn’t protest when he opened her robe. His jaw tightened as he studied the darkening bruises on her pretty breasts and torso, did a quick check for broken bones, didn’t find any, but she sucked in a breath when he touched her ribs. Her eyes were puffy, her jaw bruised, her plump bottom lip cut and swollen. Fresh rage welled inside him. It took all his will to battle it down.

“I need you to tell me exactly what happened,” he said softly. “Can you do that, honey?”

Tear-filled eyes fixed on his face. She took a steadying breath and nodded. “It...it was late. I tried to sleep but I had too much on my mind. I was lying there, thinking about Lee’s murder, thinking about what the police might do, when I heard a noise. I wasn’t sure what it was, so I got...got up to check. I heard voices in Griff’s bedroom and when I opened the door, I saw... I saw a man carrying him over his shoulders toward the open window.” Her voice broke.

“It’s okay, baby, just take your time.” Where the hell is that doctor? He ground his teeth in frustration but kept his emotions locked down tight.

“Griff was...Griff was bound hand and foot and I...I realized he was unconscious. I tried to stop the man who was taking him. I didn’t see the second man until...until he hit me.”

Reese clamped down on a shot of fury, managed to hang on to his temper by a thread. “Go on.”

“We fought. I had my keys between my fingers like my dad taught me and I raked them down his face. He was bleeding and he was furious. That’s why he kept hitting me.” She glanced toward the window as if she thought Griff might reappear.

“What happened then?”

“The first man disappeared out the window with Griff over his shoulders, but the second man stayed to warn me not to call the police.” She covered her lips with a trembling hand and blood smeared her fingers. “He said...” She swallowed. “He said I would be hearing from them. He said to tell my...my boyfriend to keep his brothers out of it. Oh, God, Reese.”

He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold on tight, but he didn’t dare. Not until the doctor checked her injuries.

Instead, he held on to her trembling hand. “Listen to me, honey. Those men kidnapped Griff for a reason. They’re probably planning to ransom him back to you. If it’s money they want, I’ve got plenty. More than enough. We’ll get him back, no matter what it takes. I promise you.”

Her eyes met his, hers glazed with tears. He had no idea what she was thinking. But the fact that they knew who he was put an extra layer of intrigue over the abduction. He had to find out what the hell was going on.

“You said there were two men. Can you tell me what they looked like?”

She swallowed, sat up a little straighter, winced at the movement. “Everything happened so fast it’s all...it’s all kind of a blur.”

She closed her eyes, taking time to recall. “I don’t remember much about the first man. He was as tall as you, I guess, only thicker in the chest and shoulders. Not muscular, just bigger. The other man had curly black hair. He had kind of a homely, dish-shaped face and he was a lot shorter. I remember the first man handled Griff carefully while the other man... I...I think that man could have killed me and it wouldn’t have bothered him at all.”

Emotion seared Reese’s chest. He clamped down to stay in control.

A sound in the hall caught his attention. He glanced up to see an imposing silver-haired man standing in the doorway, medical bag in hand.

Reese pushed to his feet. “Charles. Thank you so much for coming.” He turned. “Kenzie, this is Dr. Chandler. He’s a friend. He’s going to take care of you.”

Her gaze went to the doctor and fear flashed in her eyes. “You won’t tell the police?”

“I’m here to help you. That’s all.” His gaze swung to Reese. “Give me a moment with my patient, will you, Reese?”

He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay in case Kenzie needed him. He forced a smile in her direction. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

Reese stepped into the hall and closed the door, careful to keep his emotions in check, trying to work out his next move. No police. That left out FBI agent Quinn Taggart, or Detective Heath Ford. But they needed help, needed information. Bran was in Colorado. He had to call Chase. No other choice but to take the risk.

Florence stood in the hall a few feet away, staring worriedly at the bedroom door.

“I need to borrow your cell phone, Flo. They might be tracking mine.”

Her eyes flashed to his, fresh worry in them. She pulled her phone out of the pocket of the robe she was wearing and handed it to Reese.

It occurred to him that Chase might see the kidnapping as another way of setting him up. He might think Kenzie was in on the abduction as a way to extort money from him. But the battered, devastated mother he had seen in the bedroom wasn’t pulling any kind of con.

Not recognizing the number, Chase didn’t pick up. Reese texted him, then dialed again, and his brother answered on the first ring.

“More trouble?” Chase asked.

“Big trouble. Two men broke into Kenzie’s town house and kidnapped her son. They warned her not to call the police or involve you or Bran, but I can’t do this alone. And don’t tell me this could be part of a setup because if you could see the beating Kenzie took trying to save her boy you would know she would never do anything to hurt him.”

Silence fell as Chase assessed the information. “She okay?”

“She refused to go to the hospital. Doc Chandler is with her now.”

“Charlie’s good. He’ll make sure she’s all right.”

“She must have put up a helluva fight. The room is completely destroyed and not all the blood in there is hers.”

Chase grunted. “It’s a wonder they didn’t kill her.”

His stomach knotted. He’d thought the same thing.

“We can’t let them know you’re involved,” Reese said. “We need to meet somewhere safe.”

“Where are you?”

“Her town house on Gilbert in Oaklawn.”

“How about that little place near Turtle Creek Park? Mel’s Diner. It opens at 6:00 a.m.”

“That’ll work. I’ll meet you there.”

“Try not to corrupt the crime scene,” Chase said. “Maybe we can get some fingerprints, something to help us run these guys down. I’ll bring a forensics kit, whatever else we need.”

Reese nodded. “Thanks.”

“Disable your phone and make sure you aren’t tailed.”

Advice he didn’t need. The hard lessons he’d learned as a member of a teenage gang were buried but not forgotten. What he hadn’t told Griff the day of his father’s funeral was that Bass Garrett’s constant absence and the lack of any parental guidance had resulted in a year in juvenile detention.

That and a deadly car accident not even his brothers knew about had changed Reese’s life. As bad as those days had been, there were occasions like this he was grateful for the skills he had learned.

Dr. Chandler finished examining Kenzie, gave Reese a rundown on her condition, and suggested she return to her own room to lie down. Kenzie refused.

“There’s no way I can sleep. Not when my son is in danger.” She sounded stronger, only a faint tremor remaining in her voice. “I’m sure Gran has coffee made. It’s almost daylight. I’m going to put on some clothes and go downstairs.”

Reese felt a rush of admiration. Kenzie was a strong woman. She had fought the men who took her son and she was ready to do it again. She swayed as she rose from the edge of the bed and Reese slid an arm around her waist to steady her.

“You’re in pretty rough shape. You sure about this?”

“My son has been kidnapped. Those men are going to call, and when they do, I need to be ready.”

He clenched his jaw. They’d taken Griff for a reason. They’d call—sooner or later. He needed to be prepared when they did.

Kenzie leaned against him as he guided her down the hall into her bedroom, helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.

“I’ve got to go out for a while,” he said. “I won’t be gone long and I’ll explain everything when I get back. Till then, just take it easy, okay?” He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth, where he was sure he wouldn’t hurt her. Even battered and bruised she looked beautiful. Reese felt a twinge of desire that under the circumstances embarrassed him.

“I don’t think they’ll call for a while. They’ll want to get everything in place. But if they do, just tell them we’ll pay whatever they ask, then we’ll figure out our next move. In the meantime, I’ll send your grandmother in to help you get dressed.”

In the hall, he stopped Florence as she approached. “You need to leave Griff’s room the way it is for now. There might be fingerprints, DNA, other clues that will tell us who these men are.”

“Kenzie said they were both wearing gloves. I guess I should have mentioned that before.”

“It’s all right. We still might find something. Take care of her till I get back. Lock the doors and don’t let anyone in except me.”

Florence nodded. Her short silver hair was unkempt and circles darkened the skin beneath her pale blue eyes. She looked ten years older than she had the last time he had seen her.

“We’ll get him back,” Reese told her, his voice a little gruff.

Florence said nothing. Reese prayed he could keep his word.