Sealed with Justice, page 2
He felt compelled to agree with her on that front. Eagle had never been a hotbed of crime, outside of the usual drugs, alcohol abuse, petty theft kind of thing. Zoey’s murder had been huge, and Police Chief George Barkley had sworn to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Only he never had.
Not that the guy hadn’t tried everything possible to convince Hudson to confess to the crime. The chief had kept Hudson in the box for hours on end, forcing him to repeat his story over and over. Until Hudson wised up and asked for a lawyer.
Still, Barkley had kept him in jail overnight claiming it was too late to get a lawyer. By the morning, though, the police had reluctantly let him go.
The only alibi he had at the time was his mother who’d been drunk as usual. Which wouldn’t have held up in a court of law if there had been any other evidence to tie him to the crime.
Thankfully, there wasn’t.
Hudd knew that was because he didn’t kill Zoey. Although he’d kept expecting to get arrested again, despite the lack of evidence. And after he’d finally graduated from high school, he’d gone to the Boise armed services office and signed up to join the navy. He’d told the recruiter that he wanted to be a Navy SEAL, and the guy had smiled and nodded.
That’s a fine goal, son, but you gotta understand only the toughest men of the bunch get through BUD/S training.
The recruiter had been right about that. Getting through BUD/S training had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. Kaleb was his swim buddy, the two of them leaning on each other to get through the program.
Hudd had given twenty years of his life to the navy. Unlike Kaleb, he hadn’t tried to sustain a marriage throughout his deployments overseas. Being alone had suited him just fine. He didn’t regret the path he’d chosen except maybe that last op that had claimed the life of their teammate, Jaydon Rampart.
“If you didn’t kill Zoey, then who did?” Kendra’s question broke into his thoughts.
“Beats me.” He didn’t bother to reiterate his innocence. “I’ve often wondered if it wasn’t one of the football players. Maybe one of the guys who wanted Zoey but couldn’t have her.”
“Come on, really? I can’t believe you’re accusing my old boyfriend or one of his close friends of killing Zoey. That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” He’d personally never cared for any of the guys, they’d always acted as if they were better than everyone else.
Especially him.
Coach Donahue had tried to convince him to play, as he could run fast, but Hudd had declined. Not just because of the way the other guys treated him but because he had to work two jobs after school. Heaven knew his mother couldn’t hold a job.
“I know they weren’t always nice to you, Hudson,” she admitted. “But they weren’t bad guys. Just a little too cocky for their own good.”
That was putting it mildly. “And they were also the least likely to be considered a serious suspect by Chief Barkley as his son was part of the group. They were all at some party from what I remember.”
She didn’t have a quick response to that, and they walked in silence for a few moments. Then she asked, “Where are you staying?”
“Does it matter?”
She stopped and turned to look at him. They were in the residential neighborhood now, and the streetlights illuminated her features. He had to admit, Kendra was even more beautiful than she had been twenty years ago. Her blond hair wasn’t as long, she wore it in a chin-length bob, but the style suited her. Her dark eyes seemed to draw him into their depths. “I’m just making polite conversation. Are you always so prickly?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at Echo who was looking up at him as if trying to figure out what was going on. “I’m staying at the shack out in the woods. Believe it or not, it’s still there even though my mom passed away ten years ago.”
“Your old house? But it’s . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Barely standing? Doesn’t have electricity or running water? I know, but it’s not as bad as some places I’ve stayed in.” He’d take the old shack over the desert of Afghanistan any day.
“But—why? Do you need money? I can loan you some.”
The rusty croaking sound coming from his throat was laughter. It surprised him more than it did her. “No, I have money.”
Kendra was staring at him oddly, not unlike Echo, then she shook her head and shrugged. He could tell she was thinking he had more than a few screws loose in the old noggin.
And maybe he did.
“How long are you staying?” she asked.
It was a good question. One of the many reasons he’d gone to the old shack rather than getting a motel room was that he preferred to come and go as he pleased. Especially important when a bad migraine hit.
He wasn’t sure why he’d come back to Eagle in the first place. To face the memories of his mother? To prove to Barkley that he’d made something of himself?
To clear his name?
None of that really mattered. He could have easily left town early the next morning without anyone even realizing he was there.
It occurred to him that whoever had taken that shot at Kendra may have caught a glimpse of his face. If so, there was no reason to skulk around.
And more reason for him to stay, especially if Kendra was in danger.
“Hudson?” Kendra prodded.
“Three weeks.” He glanced at her. “That’s how long you’re planning to stay, right?”
She looked taken aback. “Why does that matter?”
“You poked the sleeping bear, Kendra. You asked questions about Zoey’s murder and made it clear you were going to search for answers.” He wanted to shake some sense into her. “Haven’t you figured out yet that you’re in danger? The gunfire was intentional. I’m staying until I can figure out what is going on.”
She gaped at him, then shivered again. As if on cue, bright headlights came out of the darkness, heading straight toward them. “Go, Echo!” Thankfully, the dog lurched to the side. Hudson grabbed Kendra, swinging her out of harm’s way just as the edge of the car’s bumper clipped his left knee, sending pain zinging through him. He managed to stay on his feet, but just barely.
His stupid peripheral vision sucked, or he could have avoided the car all together. Unfortunately, by the time he spun around to find the vehicle responsible, the taillights were gone.
Two attempts to hurt or kill Kendra in less than two hours?
Not good.
Chapter Two
Somehow, Kendra managed to stay on her feet after Hudson swung her out of the way of the car. She was stunned at the realization he was right about someone trying to hurt her.
If not for Hudson’s lightning-fast reflexes, she’d be lying on the ground right now.
“Are you okay?” Hudson’s tense tone had her dragging her gaze to his. Echo had returned to his side. He rested his hand on the shepherd’s head as if to reassure him. She found it a bit odd that the dog rarely barked and wondered if that was the way Hudson had trained him. “You’re holding your shoulder, did I hurt you?”
“I—had surgery on my shoulder about four weeks ago.” She dropped her hand. Granted, he had grabbed her arm, which had put pressure on the tender joint, but her injuries could have been so much worse.
He winced. “I didn’t realize.”
“How could you? Besides, knowing wouldn’t have changed anything. You yanked me out of the way to save my life.” She shivered, and he stepped closer. “I guess you were right about me poking the sleeping bear.”
He didn’t gloat or point out how silly she’d been to think otherwise. “Yeah. You should call the police.”
“And tell them what? That a bullet whizzed past me and a car nearly ran me off the road, but I have no idea who might be responsible?”
“Exactly. At least get the attempts on record.”
She shook her head, feeling as if doing such a thing would be useless. She could just imagine the look on Officer Roger’s face. “I’ll think about it.”
There was a pause before Hudson said, “Okay, then let’s get you home.”
As they continued walking, she couldn’t help but glance constantly over her shoulder. “Do you think I’ll be safe at my dad’s house?”
“I hope so.” His response wasn’t exactly reassuring. “What happened to your shoulder?”
“I was lifting a heavy patient, and the nurse helping me tripped over a cord and let go of her side. I tore my rotator cuff.”
“You’re a nurse?”
“Yes. I work in the Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit in Portland’s largest hospital.”
“Impressive. I have a lot of respect for nurses.”
His comment surprised her and not just because he apparently had firsthand knowledge of being cared for by a nurse. Hudson seemed so different now than he had been twenty years ago. Then again, she’d grown and changed too. Still, she didn’t think a person’s basic personality changed that much.
Had she misjudged him twenty years ago? Her cheeks burned with embarrassment remembering how she’d accused him of killing Zoey. Back when they’d first found Zoey’s body and again tonight.
“I’m sorry. I never should have accused you of killing Zoey.”
He nodded but remained silent.
“What branch of service did you join?” She had no idea why she was making small talk, other than it was a good way to ignore the fact that someone had just tried to kill her, twice.
“Navy.”
She eyed his large physique. “Really? I’d have taken you for some sort of Green Beret or Army Ranger. I can’t see you wearing a sailor’s cap.”
The corner of his mouth quirked in what might have been a pathetic attempt at a smile. “I was a Navy SEAL.”
Of course, he was. “That’s more impressive than being a nurse.”
“No. You save people’s lives. That’s very important.”
She was pretty sure he’d saved lives by getting rid of the enemy, but it was obvious he didn’t really care to talk about it. “You’re still a SEAL?”
“Retired.”
She wanted to ask more, but her father’s house was up ahead. Kendra really hoped she wasn’t putting her father in danger by staying there. Should she head over to the motel?
“Echo, stay.”
The dog dropped into a sitting position, looking up at Hudson as if waiting for his next command. She didn’t have personal experience with dogs, her mother had been allergic, but this one was extremely well trained.
“Thanks for walking me home.” She tried to smile. “Be careful heading back to the shack. There’s still a possibility you’re the target.”
“I’ll stick around here, make sure no one bothers you.”
“What?” She frowned. “You can’t do that. It’s freezing out.”
He held her gaze. “Good night, Kendra.”
She looked from Hudson to her father’s house and back. Somehow, she just knew that Hudson would in fact stay outside all night to watch over her. To be fair, it probably wasn’t that much different from sleeping in the shack he’d grown up in. The place didn’t have any heat, although it did have an old wood-burning stove. Unless someone had ripped it off.
Either way, it didn’t matter. She’d never be able to sleep knowing he was out there. “Do you want to sleep on the sofa? My dad is probably already in bed. He tends to go to bed early because he gets up at the crack of dawn to go to work.”
“Does he still work at the power plant?”
“Yes.” She was impressed he’d remembered. “Echo is welcome too.”
He hesitated, then finally nodded. “Okay.”
“Thanks.” She couldn’t help feeling relieved. “Dad may have some questions for you in the morning.”
“I’ll leave before he wakes up to find me here.” Hudson glanced at Echo. “Give me a minute to walk him around the block. That way he’ll know it’s time to do his business.”
“Ah, okay.” She used her key to unlock the front door. Once inside, she quickly confirmed her father was indeed in his room with the door shut. She grabbed a pillow and blanket out of the hallway closet and carried them to the sofa. It was a normal size but probably still too short for Hudson.
When she saw him approach the front door, she hurried over to let him in, gesturing toward the living room. “The sofa is a bit short,” she said apologetically.
“It’s fine. Thanks.” He didn’t look concerned. It made her wonder what he was sleeping on in the shack. Was there furniture in the place? Or was he sleeping on the floor?
Not her problem. Now that she could see him clearly with the living room lamp on, she noticed he had a left eye prosthesis, along with a small white scar along the corner of that same eye. Apparently, something had gone wrong during one of his SEAL missions. Was that why he’d mentioned having respect for nurses? The fact that he hadn’t mentioned his disability and that he hadn’t let it stop him from shielding her with his own body when danger was near was humbling. The man had more integrity in his pinkie finger than Don had in his whole body. Something she should have figured out sooner rather than later.
With an effort, she put her past mistakes behind her. “Um, the bathroom is down the hall. Don’t worry about waking my dad, he sleeps like a rock.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me know if you need anything.” She was starting to babble now and tried her best to stop. “Good night, Hudson.”
“Good night.”
His husky voice sent tingles down her spine. Kendra mentally rolled her eyes at her foolishness as she went to her room. Ridiculous to put Hudson on some sort of pedestal. Hadn’t she been impressed with Don’s skill as a doctor when they’d first met? He’d only been a resident at the time, but even then, he’d had a great bedside manner with his patients.
Kendra had married him, supported him financially and emotionally throughout his five-year residency program, until he’d become a full-fledged trauma surgeon.
That was when he’d grown arrogant, especially when they were at work. At first, she thought it was his way of not giving her special treatment, but when he reamed her out one day in front of a patient’s family, she’d confronted him. He’d had the nerve to laugh it off as if it didn’t matter.
Then she found out she was pregnant. So she’d done her best to make things work.
Until she realized his bedside manner had included bedding her fellow nursing colleagues, women far younger than her. She’d kicked him out six weeks before Olivia was diagnosed with cancer. They’d come together, for the sake of their daughter, but Olivia had died before her fifth birthday.
And the night Olivia had gone home to God, Don was supposedly on call. Only the truth was that he was staying overnight with his new woman.
She punched the pillow and sighed. There was no reason to compare Don to Hudson. They were as different as night and day. One man who’d used his hands to save trauma victims’ lives, the other who’d used his hands to fire a weapon in defense of his country.
Kendra tossed and turned, unable to stop her racing thoughts. It seemed clear that Hudson hadn’t killed Zoey. After the way he’d saved her life twice tonight, it was impossible to imagine him choking her best friend.
Was he right about the real killer being one of the football players? Anything was possible. But maybe Zoey’s killer wasn’t a fellow student at all. There were too many possible suspects to count. Which was why everyone had focused on Hudson Foster, Zoey’s former boyfriend and son of the town drunk.
What bothered her more was that the killer must still be living in the area. Otherwise, why come after her? She grimaced as she stared up at the ceiling.
She never should have opened her big fat mouth.
Kendra must have slept at some point because she blinked in the darkness when she heard the sound of a door closing. Instantly wide awake, she threw off the covers and ran her fingers through her tangled hair as she headed out to check on Hudson.
The man and his dog were gone. Not only that, but the pillow and blanket had been returned to the linen closet, the living room appearing as if the pair had never been there at all.
She blew out a breath, ignoring the stab of disappointment. Hudson had said he’d leave early, before her dad woke up.
Apparently, the guy meant what he said. A trait she should have appreciated twenty years ago when he’d claimed he was innocent of killing Zoey.
“Kendra? What are you doing up so early?” She turned to see her dad standing in the hallway. “Your shoulder bothering you?”
“A little.” She managed a smile. “Would you like me to make breakfast before you head out?”
“Nah, you know I like to stop and have my usual breakfast sandwich on the way to work.” It was a bad habit her dad had fallen into since her mother had passed away. She’d tried to convince him the fast-food sandwiches weren’t healthy, but he didn’t care. “Don’t trouble yourself. Go back to bed, get some sleep.”
“Okay.” She padded back to her room, knowing getting more sleep was impossible. Now that she was up, her shoulder ached worse than ever. Hitting the ground twice yesterday hadn’t helped. After taking a shower, she sat down to do the exercise routine recommended by her physical therapist.
Yet her mind wandered as she went through the various stretches and movements. Maybe Hudson was right about reporting the incidents to the police. It couldn’t hurt to have the attempts on record.
But then what? She’d started the whole thing by poking her nose into Zoey’s murder. Silly, really, as she was a critical care nurse, not a detective.
For a nanosecond, she considered packing her suitcase and heading back to Portland. Then she stiffened her resolve. No way. What if the killer followed her there to finish the job?
Running wasn’t the answer. Getting to the truth was the only way she’d really be safe.
And for that, she’d need Hudson’s help.
Hudd hadn’t slept great, despite the cushy sofa that was a hundred times more comfortable than sleeping on the floor in the shack. His goal had been to listen for any sign the gunman had returned. Deep down, he’d also been afraid of suffering a wicked migraine headache, which was normally accompanied by nightmares of their last op.
