Luke nodded. “Yes, but you look like you have someone specific in mind.”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I just…Jimmy’s ex. We should check her.”
“His ex-wife? I checked into her. Nothing came up to link her.”
“You checked only one?”
“How many does he have?” Easton asked.
“Two. Evelyn is his most recent wife, but there was one before her. He was new to the department, a patrol cop when they got married. Her name is Jane. She still goes by Pearce. I don’t know why I didn’t think of her before.”
“Checking.” Luke’s laser focus returned to his laptop.
Bailee felt Easton’s hand on her arm, and she turned to face him. “What do you know about her?”
“She’s a bitch.” The words were matter-of-fact and blunt, and it wasn’t until after she uttered them that she realized how they sounded. “Sorry, but she is. She cornered me in the parking lot at the precinct not long after the Chief assigned me as Jimmy’s partner. She threatened to come after me if I tried to hook upwith Jimmy. Another cop had to restrain her. They detained her in an interview room until Jimmy had a chance to talk to her. It was weird because they’d been divorced a while. I remember how you could hear them arguing all through the precinct. I don’t remember what they said, but Jimmy stormed out of the room and had a patrol officer escort her home. I never saw her again after that. Jimmy and I never talked about it. It was bizarre because they’d been divorced a while by the time I was promoted to detective.”
“What made you think of her?” Jackson asked.
“She comes from a family of law enforcement. Her father, brother, sisters, cousins, uncle. Their dog is probably a K-9 officer. Melvin could be connected to one of them.”
“What else do you know?” Easton asked.
“Not much. I don’t think she worked outside the home. One or both of them cheated while they were married, and that’s why they divorced. No kids that I know of. Her family isn’t from Louisville, so I think everyone would assume she’d move back home after the divorce. I don’t know where home is, but she ended up staying in Louisville. She’s a jealous sort. Kind of crazy. That’s about the extent of what I know.”
“Got it,” Luke announced. “I found the divorce papers. Irreconcilable differences is listed as the reason for divorce. Her name is Jane Lauren Stein Pearce, and she’s originally from Rockford, Illinois. According to a narrative, she alleges that her husband, James Harold Pearce, had an affair with his then partner that resulted in a pregnancy. Jane stated that the affair was one of many. According to her, he slept with other cops, informants, and even witnesses in cases he worked.The mistress’ pregnancy was evidently the straw that broke the camel’s back for her.”
“Does the records show his side of the story?” Ben questioned.
Luke studied his screen for a moment. “He didn’t contest the divorce. The judge granted the divorce, and…well, this is interesting. He ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Jane.”
Bailee nodded. “I told you. She was crazy.”
She stood, a surge of nervous energy fueling her need to move. She paced the small space behind the dining table where they all sat. Her mind thought through the theory, but even with Jane’s connection to Jimmy, her jealousy, and her ties to law enforcement, the lead was far-fetched.
Other than the confrontation outside the precinct, she’d never crossed paths again with Jane, not even at the time or Jimmy’s arrest or his bail hearing. As far as she knew, Jane was out of Jimmy’s life now.
Luke got their attention. “Looks like Jane is back in Illinois. She’s engaged to John Webb, a real estate agent. I’ll keep digging, but it’s going to take a while.”
Ben caught Jackson’s eye. “Maybe we should have a talk with Ms. Pearce in person.”
Bailee stopped pacing, whirling on the brothers. “If anyone is going to talk to her, it’ll be me.”
“It’s not a good idea,” Easton told her. “Melvin is out there looking for you. If Jimmy’s ex is the one to send him, you’re a sitting duck by talking to her.”
“She won’t expect to see me. The surprise could be enough to get a reaction from her. Then we’ll know if something is up.”
Jackson nodded. “She’s not wrong. Easton and Ben, you go with her. Ben, take your SUV. The windows are tinted, and Melvin’s going to be looking for Easton’s Jeep or Bailee’s car. Luke, can you set up some false trails to throw Melvin off track in case he figures out where they’re going? It’ll be late before they make it to Illinois, so they won’t be able to see the ex until tomorrow.”
“On it.”
Jackson nodded. “Good. I’m ready to get this guy and end this.”
“You and me both.” Bailee wrapped her arms across her chest. “I need to take care of Roxy before we go. She needs some food and essentials if she stays with Becky while we’re gone.”
“Don’t worry about her.” Jackson grinned. “I’ll have Gish bring her here. We have more room than Becky does, and Jax will love having a dog around to play with.”
“You understand that Roxy is more like a small horse than a dog, right?”
