Noah flashes me a quick glance that’s easy to read. He’s both surprised and delighted to hear the news about Jess’s and my new relationship status.
They kick off their shoes, and we go into the living room. Jess is sitting on the couch with Bailey by her feet.
I introduce her to the FBI agent. Noah and Agent Knight take seats on the armchairs. I sit next to Jess and link my fingers with hers for moral support. And because I can.
“How are you doing, Jessica?” Agent Knight asks.
“I’ve been better. But I’ve also been a lot worse. I guess it’s all relative.” Jess gives the woman a fragile smile.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you. The abuse, the wrongful conviction, the kidnapping, and the events with the former Maple Ridge chief of police. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”
Jess nods but doesn’t say anything. I have no idea what her stance is regarding the FBI and how much she trusts them. From the sounds of it, she’s never had to deal with them, other than two months ago when she tried to save Violet from Cole Dunbar.
“I’ve been working on the case surrounding your late husband’s death,” Agent Knight continues.
Jess’s hand tenses in mine. I caress the side of her hand with my thumb, reminding her she’s not alone. Whatever this is about, I’m here for her.
“I’ve also been working on the case surrounding Alex Wilson, since the two are connected,” Agent Knight explains.
“You mean because I was involved with both of them?” Jess asks.
“No. That was just an unfortunate coincidence. I’ve been working for the past few years on cracking one of the largest crime rings in the U.S. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, your late husband, Lincoln Townsend, Scott Moore, Cole Dunbar, and Alex Wilson were working for the same crime organization—as were numerous other officers from different police jurisdictions all over the country.”
Agent Knight leans forward in the armchair. “Unfortunately, when the news story leaked information about your new name and location, Lincoln Townsend and Scott Moore were able to track you down. We had been preparing to arrest the two men after incriminating documentation was recently found in your grandmother’s old house, Jessica.”
Shock rounds Jess’s eyes. “It was? You mean like the insurance policy Lincoln had been going on about?”
“That’s right. I can’t give you details about what was in it, other than it was enough to incriminate a lot of individuals. One being Wayne’s former supervisor. It also incriminated Lincoln and Scott.”
“They never mentioned that part while they held me captive. Lincoln made it sound like it would’ve kept them out of trouble if anyone planned to double-cross them.”
“They might not have known about that part,” Agent Knight explains. “It looks like your late husband kept it as an insurance policy against anyone he thought might turn on him.”
None of this surprises me given what lengths he went through to get Jaxon out of the picture, after the man tried to reach out to Jess and help her. Wayne probably wasn’t the only one responsible for Jaxon’s arrest. Were Lincoln and Scott Moore also involved?
“Why is it you only recently found the documents?” I ask instead of the question in my head. “Hasn’t someone been living in Jess’s grandmother’s house for several years now?”
“We wouldn’t have known about them if the new homeowners hadn’t decided to do renovations. They pulled down a wall and found the memory stick behind the floorboards.”
Jess’s forehead crinkles into a shocked frown. “Wayne hid it in my grandmother’s house? He must have stolen the key from me after she died and then hid the documents. Maybe that’s why he never insisted I put the house on the market after I inherited it. It was another way to keep me from disappearing on him. He knew I would never just abandon the place. And as long as I didn’t sell the house, the documents were safe.”
Shit.If the FBI had figured out Wayne Townsend had been part of the crime ring sooner, they could have spared Jess from going to prison. They could have spared her from the nightmares that still affect her physically and emotionally.
“Why did Scott kill Wayne?” Jess asks Agent Knight. “Because he was worried Wayne would double-cross him?”
“We’re still figuring out all his motives, but yes, that’s a strong possibility. We believe he framed you because you were a convenient scapegoat. If you were found guilty of your husband’s death, the case would be closed and he would get away with it.”
“Please tell me the asshole will never get out of prison.” The snarl in my tone is aimed at the asshole in question and not at Noah or the FBI agent.
“That is our goal.” Determination tightens the agent’s jaw, steadies her voice.
“Lincoln was so sure I was the one who murdered his brother.” Jess shudders and the ghost of an emotion flickers on her face.
I take her hand and tap ILU on her palm. The reason for kidnapping and torturing Jess might’ve been because Lincoln and Scott thought she knew where the information was located, but I suspect revenge also fueled Lincoln’s motive.
“We’ve also been investigating the allegations of misconduct that took place while you were in Beckley State Correctional Institution,” Agent Knight goes on to add. “It looks like Lincoln had connections with several of the prison guards. We believe he might have been indirectly linked to the attacks on you, which explains why some of the ones you told Noah about were never entered into the incident logs.”
My fingers pause their tapping. “Because he thought Jess killed his brother?”
