Dead Ringer

Eli held out a hand. “I’m Eli Hawkins. Lucy’s new renter.”

Nelson nodded. “Nelson Thane. I am an old friend of Lucy’s.”

Lucy placed a hand on Nelson’s shoulder. “We lost touch when Nelson got a job out of state after high school graduation.”

“I missed Mountain Springs and the people.” Nelson lifted some boards out of the back of his truck. “So now I’m back, teaching English to high school students.”

Eli lifted a can of stain from the back of the truck. “I’d love to give you a hand.”

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Nelson responded. “Jump in. The more hands, the faster it goes. Right, Lucy?”

Eli offered Lucy a victorious lift of his eyebrow in response to her scowl.

Talk about pushy. Lucy pressed her lips together, but resisted rolling her eyes. “You’re probably right,” she relented.

They moved the supplies to the back of the house and started by tearing up floorboards. Eli worked at an impressive pace, stopping only when Lucy offered him a drink of water.

Sweat glistened on his forehead as he gulped from the glass.

“So would this repair work have anything to do with your date?” Nelson gathered the damaged wood and placed it in a pile.

Lucy put her hand on her hips. “You’ve been talking to Heather. She says I need to give Greg more of a chance. Fixing the porch isn’t to impress him. We made plans to go into town.”

Eli cleared his throat.

Nelson hammered on a warped board with a vicious intensity. He stopped to catch his breath, waving the hammer in the air. “I don’t know if online is the best place to find true love anyway.”

“I’m just doing this as a favor to Heather.”

Eli handed the glass back to Lucy. “Is this the guy you were in the café with the other day?”

Lucy met Eli’s gaze. A hint of anxiety lay beneath his question despite his attempt at casualness. “Yes, Eli, it is. He’s a nice guy.”

“I’m with Nelson. I don’t think an online service is the best way to go. It’s too easy for people, especially guys, to be deceptive.”

Lucy’s spine stiffened. What business was it of his who she dated? If anyone knew about being deceptive, it was him. He was the one who had moved into his place with almost nothing and had decided to take it before he’d even seen it. What was he up to, anyway?

She tried to keep her tone friendly. “Really, guys, I appreciate the feedback. I can take care of myself.” She was just doing this to prove to Heather that no matter how much of a chance she gave Greg, nothing would spark between them. If she went on one more date with Greg and there was still nothing but friendly feelings, maybe Heather would quit matchmaking altogether.

Besides, Greg was a sweet man, and she wanted to find a way to tell him she wasn’t interested without hurting his feelings. As Lucy placed the claw end of her hammer under a nail and rocked it back and forth, her irritation grew. Why was everyone trying to run her love life?

She pulled out several nails and tossed them in the coffee can they were using for waste. Then she pounded on the rotted boards to break them up and loosen them.

When she looked up, breathless from the exertion, both men were staring at her. She readjusted the baseball hat she’d been using to hold her hair out of her eyes. “What?”

Eli grinned. “I would hate to be one of those boards.”

When he smiled, his eyes sparkled. A laugh escaped her lips. She’d let herself get way too worked up. “Guess I was being a little mean to the wood.”

Eli surveyed the area around her house. “Where are the tools to cut and place the new boards?”

Lucy sat up straight and massaged the small of her back. “Over in the shed. Why don’t you guys go get them, since I’ve been doing all the hard work?” she joked.

Eli glanced back at Lucy as he and Nelson walked toward the shed. She had taken the baseball cap off to wipe her brow. The thought of her being alone with Greg terrified him. The more time she spent with him, the more danger she might be in. Was it worth blowing the secrecy of the investigation to tell her that Greg was a suspect? Given her distrust of cops, she probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Nelson opened the shed door and clicked on the light. The shed had a concrete floor. A kayak and a variety of fishing poles lined one wall. Saws, drills and other assorted tools cluttered a table in a far corner.

Dust danced in the cylinders of light created by two small windows. Eli’s eyes adjusted to the dimness. He whistled. “Lucy has some pretty nice tools.”

“I think she got most of these from her brother.” Nelson grabbed a piece of plywood leaning against a wall.

“Her brother?”

The scraping of wood against concrete drowned out Eli’s question. Nelson pointed toward a corner of the shed. “If you want to grab the sawhorses, we can set up the tables.”

Eli picked up a sawhorse in each hand. “So you don’t like the idea of Lucy doing this online thing?” Maybe he could get Nelson to talk Lucy out of seeing Greg.

Nelson shrugged. “Lucy does what Lucy wants to do. I don’t think we have much to worry about. After a few dates, she’ll just decide she wants to be friends. That’s her usual pattern. It started with me in high school.”

“You dated Lucy?”

“All water under the bridge. She became a Christian a little before her mom died. We didn’t share the same faith. She didn’t want to date anymore.”

Eli detected just a hint of hurt in Nelson’s comments. They stepped back out into the sunlight. Lucy had gathered the rotting wood into a pile and was in the process of backing Nelson’s truck up to it.

They worked through the afternoon. Lucy loaded the old wood to be hauled away. Nelson cut and measured boards. Lucy brought the boards to Eli and helped put them in place so he could drive the nails in.

It was late in the day when they all stood back to admire their handiwork.

“You guys did a good job.” As she stood between them, Lucy wrapped an arm around each man. “I’ll just have to stain it tomorrow.”

Eli’s cell rang. William’s voice came on the other end of the line. “Hawkins, I got a little info you might be interested in.”

“Just a second.” Eli stepped away so Lucy and Nelson wouldn’t be able to hear the call. He ambled toward his side of the duplex. “Whatcha got?”

“The other day in the café, Greg Jackson mentioned the name of the small town where he grew up in Colorado. I remembered I had a P.I. buddy down there who owed me a favor. He tracked down a childhood friend of Jackson’s.”

Eli tensed. “Is the probing going to get back to Jackson? That could blow everything.” The last thing they needed was for any of the suspects to know they were looking into their lives.

“Relax, this isn’t my first day at camp. The friend hasn’t had contact with Greg in years. They were in the same FFA club in high school. My detective friend didn’t put up any flags. He just followed the guy into a bar and struck up a conversation with him. We are being very careful.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you.” If there was anyone he trusted to maintain the integrity of the investigation, it was William. Lucy’s resistance to his advice about Greg had made him tense. “What did you find out?”

“Greg had a troubled childhood. Mom was repeatedly treated for ‘injuries’ until she finally divorced Dad. As we already knew, most of Greg’s crimes fall into the under-eighteen sealed category, except for that one assault charge when he was nineteen. The high school friend said that after that, Greg supposedly found God and got his life straightened out.”

Eli turned to watch as Lucy hugged Nelson goodbye. Nelson climbed into his truck. He waved at Eli and drove around to the other side of the house. “People do find healing in their faith, William.”

“And sometimes that stuff lies just beneath the surface waiting to erupt.”

He couldn’t argue with that. Christ could transform lives, but religion could also mask unresolved issues. “Is there anything else?”

“While I was briefing all the small police departments who are going to help us, one of the highway patrol officers recognized Jackson’s picture. Couple of weeks back, Jackson had a little bit of a run-in with this highway patrol officer for speeding.”

“Who hasn’t?”

“The officer was female, and he put his hands on her neck. A court date is pending.”

A shiver ran down Eli’s back. Lucy stopped picking up debris and tools long enough to shade her eyes and look in Eli’s direction. He had to keep her away from Greg.

“Eli, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

Eli’s pulse rate skyrocketed. He watched Lucy gather the lighter tools. He fought to maintain the objectivity required of his job, to keep his emotions at bay. Where Lucy’s safety was concerned, that was hard to do.

William broke into his thoughts. “We are still trying to dig stuff up on the other three suspects. See you tonight for the surveillance in Three Dot.”

“Keep me posted.” Eli clicked off his phone and strode over to where Lucy was attempting to lift the heavy saw. “Let me help you with that.”

She set the saw back down and faced him. “Long phone call.”

She was close enough for him to smell the floral scent of her perfume. Even in a ratty T-shirt and jeans, she looked radiant. “Yeah.”

“Not going to tell me more?” She picked up a bucket of nails.

“Just some police stuff.” He bent over and lifted the saw. He carried the saw while she trailed behind with the bucket.

They entered the shed. He heaved the saw onto a counter. He had to try one more time.

“Listen, Lucy, I know you have the right to make your own choices, but I got a creepy vibe from Greg Jackson when we were in the restaurant the other day.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “I know you don’t like people interfering. I grew up with two sisters, and I had like a ninety-percent success rate with predicting when a guy was bad news.”

Her expression hardened, and he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

“We have to get the rest of these tools put away.” She stalked toward the door. “By the way, if you are trying to succeed on your mission to convince me that cops are okay, this hyperprotective thing is not how to do it.”

He darted toward her and grabbed her arm. “Please Lucy, I am just asking you to trust me. I can’t explain why, but please just trust me.”

She studied him for a moment. “You barely know me. I don’t understand why you would even care.”

“It’s in my cop DNA. Though my partner says I have an overdeveloped need to protect people.”

“Your partner might be right.” The resolve he saw in her eyes was unwavering.

He let go of her arm. “I had a good time this afternoon helping you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” It was the truest thing he could say to her.

Her stiff posture softened. “I had a good time, too.” She patted him on the arm. “We make a good team.” She checked her watch. “I have to get cleaned up for my date.” She walked out of the shed.

As he followed her outside, panic spread through him. A lump swelled in his throat. He steadied his voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interfere. Your business is your business.”

She lifted her chin. Her skin looked translucent in the early evening sun. “Thank you. I think we will get along fine if you keep that in mind.”

He wanted to know if she was going to be alone with Jackson. Would she be in a safe place, a public place? But it was obvious that probing her about the date would be fruitless.

Eli said goodbye and went back into his house. He showered, unpacked his minimal belongings and then spent some time making a list of what he needed to get in town for his new home. He flipped open his laptop and opened the investigation folder. Some surveillance photos and reports were already coming in.

He came across a photo of a woman with dark hair leaving a movie theater with suspect number two. His stomach tightened. He couldn’t leave Lucy alone with Greg. He had to do something.

He checked the schedule for where he had put his surveillance team. None were assigned to keep an eye on Jackson, and he was supposed to drive out to a small town called Three Dot, where an undercover female officer had set up a date with one of the other suspects.

Even as he dialed William’s cell, he kept one ear tuned to the road, waiting to hear Greg Jackson’s approaching car.

“Yup.” William answered on the fourth ring. “Calling back so soon?”

Eli moved the curtain back from the window, thinking he had heard something. The only vehicles in the driveway were his own and Lucy’s. “Listen, I was looking at the schedule. We don’t have anyone on Jackson tonight.” The silence on the other end of the line told him that William was probably clenching his jaw.

“It was your idea that with the limited manpower the rotating surveillance was what would work best.”

Eli pressed the phone harder against his ear. “I just found out Jackson has a date tonight.”

“It didn’t come up on the phone taps or through e-mail. He must have made the date in person.”

“I know we can’t be everywhere at once, but—” Even as he spoke, he knew that what he was suggesting was unrealistic. “I’m just concerned about Lucy.”

“Lucy isn’t the only potential victim. We got a undercover female officer who has made contact with two of the other suspects.”

Eli closed his eyes. William was right. From an investigative standpoint, they were more likely to get information that could lead to warrants and arrests from a trained officer probing the suspect than from watching a suspect on a date. “It’s just that Lucy looks so much like the others. I’m afraid for her.”

“I don’t want to risk another life, either.”

Eli paced through the bare kitchen of his new home, his resolve growing. “O’Bannon and Peterson here in Mountain Springs don’t have lots of surveillance experience. I could use this as a training exercise.”

On the other end of the line papers fluttered. William must have been looking through notes. “We do have an officer in Three Dot who’s been briefed and is dying to learn. I could pull him in.”

“Thanks, Springer.”

“If we catch this guy, we don’t have to worry about anyone dying.”

“Five women have lost their lives already.” Eli pressed the phone a little harder against his ear. “I just don’t want anyone to die on my watch.”

Eli hung up the phone and stared out the window, rubbing his chin. Now he just needed to keep Lucy safe tonight.

Lucy took out her agitation on the vegetables she was chopping for salad. Eli Hawkins was nosy. What business of his was it where she was going and who she was dating? Who appointed him the goodwill ambassador for all cops?

She placed the tomatoes she had been chopping into the plastic container she planned on taking to her picnic with Greg. Heather was right. She did turn potential suitors into friends pretty quickly. At the same time, it was wrong to lead men on. If there was no chemistry, there was no chemistry.

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a cucumber. Her hair was still wet from her shower, and she needed to put some makeup on.

There was a park in Mountain Springs that had several gazebos where they could eat their picnic. It wouldn’t be too crowded this time of night. Lucy peeled the cucumber.

Maybe it was a good thing that she rented the duplex month-to-month. If Eli continued to be such a pain, she would have to tell him to find a different place.

She smiled. It had been nice of him to help with the deck repairs, she did need the money from rent and having someone next door did make her feel safer.

She brought the knife down on the cucumber and sliced through. The blade hit the cutting board with a regular rhythm.

She had no desire to explain to Eli why there was antagonism between her and the local police. He’d probably take their side anyway. Cops always stuck together, always defended each other.

As much as she appreciated Eli’s help this afternoon, the best arrangement would be for him to keep his distance. There was no law that said neighbors had to be friends; they just had to be cordial.

Lucy pulled two bottled iced teas from the refrigerator, as well as the containers that held the sandwiches she had made earlier. She placed everything in a picnic basket and then went into her bedroom to change into the sundress she had picked out.

She ran a comb through her hair and put on some liner and lipstick. She glanced at herself in the mirror. The cornflower-blue sundress made her eyes look even bluer. Maybe she should change into something dowdier. If this was the date where she told Greg she just wanted to be friends, maybe she shouldn’t overdo it with dressing up. She opted to keep the dress on, but toned down her makeup.

Once back in the living room, Lucy grabbed her cell phone off the counter to check the time. Ten more minutes until Greg got here. Heather had sent her a text message: U promised.

Lucy shook her head. What were best friends for but to turn your plans upside down? Heather was doing this because she cared. Her perceptive friend saw something lacking in Lucy’s life. She would give Greg another chance.

She dug through her living-room closet in search of something that would work for a light summer cover-up. Maybe that magic electrical attraction thing happened after you’d known each other awhile. She laughed. And maybe it was just something people read about in books.

She pulled a silk wrap off a hanger. What did she know about serious relationships anyway? She and Nelson had been pretty serious in high school, but she had only been seventeen. The only other serious relationship had been with Matthew. She’d broken off her engagement with him when her brother, Dawson, had his accident and she’d had to put her energy into caring for him. After that, she had lost all interest in dating.

Lucy flung the wrap over her shoulder and peered out the window. No sign of Greg. She hadn’t thought about Matthew in years. Matthew had been a sweet, supportive man. She had taken a premarriage class at church and, along with the other students, had come up with a list of character qualities they’d wanted in a mate. Matthew had fit the criteria. In retrospect, she hadn’t really loved him.

Lucy stroked the smooth silk of the wrap where it rested on her arms. Somehow she didn’t think that love should be as clinical as a checklist. Sure, she’d had friends act on their emotions and end up in bad marriages, but it shouldn’t be like choosing a health insurance plan, either.

She wandered over to the picnic basket. She rearranged what she had packed and decided to grab some cookies out of the cookie jar. She opened a cupboard, searching for a container for the cookies.

Maybe that was the problem with this online dating thing. You gave a list of the criteria you thought you wanted in a mate, but none of that factored in attraction. Sometimes people could be attracted to someone who didn’t meet any of their criteria. Sometimes, what you thought you wanted wasn’t what you needed.

Lucy pulled out a container. Really, it was possible to like someone who was so obviously wrong for you. Someone like Eli Hawkins, for instance. She shook her head as she stacked the containers on top of each other. What on earth had made her think of that?

She placed the cookies in the container and slammed on the lid.

Outside, tires crunched on gravel.

Lucy walked the few steps to look out the window. Greg had just gotten out of his car. He was holding a large bouquet of tulips. How sweet. There was something poignant about the look of hopeful expectation on his face.

Lucy drew back from the window. Heather was right. She needed to open her heart up to the possibility that there could be something between them.

FOUR

Eli pulled the curtain back to check the front yard. Greg’s car sat in the driveway.

If he could find out the location of their date, O’Bannon and Peterson could get set up ahead of time. Lucy certainly wasn’t going to give him that information. Greg got out of the car; Eli flung the door open and stepped down the stairs.

Greg cocked his head as though surprised to see Eli. “Who are you?”

Eli held out his hand. “I’m Eli Hawkins, Lucy’s new renter.”

Greg’s lips flattened and wrinkles appeared in his forehead as he extended his own hand. “Lucy never said anything about a renter.”

“I moved in earlier today.” Eli studied the man in front of him. Had he just shaken hands with a killer?

“Oh, well, that explains it.” Greg crossed his arms over his chest. His stare had an unnerving intensity to it, like he was picking Eli apart with his eyes.

Eli nodded for several seconds. The guy wasn’t exactly Mr. Friendly.

Greg glanced at Lucy’s door and then continued with his inch-by-inch scrutiny of Eli. “So what made you decide to rent Lucy’s place?”

“Just answered an ad.” Certainly, Greg didn’t see him as some kind of romantic competition. Maybe he was one of those guys who was so controlling, he didn’t want his date even talking to any other men. “You and Lucy are going out somewhere tonight?”

Greg’s head jerked up in response to the question. “Lucy picked out the place. Some little park in town.”

“Sounds like fun. Which park is that?” When Greg drew his eyebrows together as though suspicious of the question, Eli added, “I’m new in town. Just trying to get to know the area.”

“I don’t know the name. I’m not from here. I live in Jacob’s Corner, about sixty miles from here.” Greg angled his head toward the sky. “I don’t know if a picnic is such a good idea. Those clouds look kind of dark and foreboding.”

Lucy’s door opened and she appeared, holding a picnic basket. Eli’s breath caught. She looked stunning in her blue sundress. Her long hair flowed freely.

Lucy’s stride slowed when she saw Eli. She sauntered over to Greg’s car. “So you’ve met Greg?”

Eli pointed to his car. “I was headed out to do some work-related things. Just thought I would introduce myself.” Eli excused himself.

Even as he ambled toward his car, Eli’s muscles tensed. So much pointed to Greg Jackson in terms of past behavior. His instant suspicion of Eli was just one more personality indicator. Would he be able to keep Lucy safe? Eli started his engine and shifted into Reverse. Greg and Lucy were just getting into the car as Eli pulled onto the gravel road.

When he phoned into the Mountain Springs police station, Officer O’Bannon answered. He had met O’Bannon only briefly. He was an older officer who was probably a few years from retirement. Since his arrival from Spokane, he had spent most of his time briefing all the small-town police departments and figuring out how he was going to shift manpower around to keep eyes on the suspects for the maximum amount of time.

After Eli explained the circumstances of the surveillance to O’Bannon, he added, “I don’t know the name of the park.”

“There are only two parks in town.” O’Bannon’s husky voice hinted of a longtime smoking habit. “Chances are they’re headed to Memorial Park. It’s got gazebos and borders the river. The other one is more of a kid park with swings and stuff.”

“You can check the file to see a picture of Greg Jackson. He’s driving a gold Buick LeSabre, late eighties model. First two digits of the license are 67. You go ahead and get into position. Tell Peterson I will meet him at the station. Jackson might recognize my car so I need to switch.”

“And who is the lady he is with? I’ve lived here some twenty years. I know most everyone. Is she a local gal?”

Eli hesitated. Lucy had implied that she didn’t have a lot of faith in the Mountain Springs police. “Lucy Kimbol.”

Eli listened to phone static while he turned onto a paved road. So the ill feelings between Lucy and the department were mutual.