Fugitive at Large

Something in the way he said the words made her uneasy, and she narrowed her eyes. “It was nothing, really. I’m glad I was here to prevent it from happening.”

He shook his head. “You’re wrong. It wasn’t nothing. Not to me anyway.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

He pointed toward the young customer. “That college kid you just kept from being murdered is Jamie Spencer. He’s my brother.”

* * *

Ryan felt a quick stab of disappointment. Jessica’s startled look told him she’d had no idea Jamie was his brother.

Her eyebrows arched, and she glanced toward his brother, who had a big smile on his face. “Th-that’s your Jamie?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I guess you never got to meet him when we were working together.”

The surprise he’d seen on her face moments ago vanished at his reference to their former relationship. “Working together?” she muttered. “I guess you could call it that.”

He started to say something else, but Jamie called out to him. “Ryan, how did you know about this?”

Ryan glanced past her and smiled at his brother. “Sally Douglas took the 911 call, and she notified me. I was only a block away.”

He glanced back at Jessica, and a slight smile pulled at her lips. “Sally’s still taking care of everybody, huh?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, and she likes Jamie. I guess I’d forgotten that you never did meet my brother. He was fifteen when he came to live with me.”

She darted a glance at Jamie and then back to him. “Of course I knew about him, but I never saw him. At the time, you said he was going through a rebellious phase, and you thought I might want to wait to meet him. And then we...” She hesitated. “We...”

“We ended our partnership,” he finished for her.

Her eyes clouded, and she pursed her lips in a look of distaste. “Not we. You.” The words hit him like barbs. “You were the one who ended it.”

She still couldn’t see the truth. Or maybe she’d never wanted to see the truth. At any rate, what difference did it make now? He took a deep breath.

“I guess we still have differing opinions on that,” he said. “But that happened four years ago. We’ve both come out of that bad time no worse for wear. At least you look like you have.” He glanced over her, then back at Jamie. “At any rate, I still want to thank you for saving my brother’s life. I’m sure he’s very appreciative, too.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “I’m just glad he wasn’t hurt. Now, why don’t you go tell him how glad you are he’s okay. I’ll wait for the officers to arrive and give them my statement. I’m sure they’ll let me know if I’m needed later on.”

She whirled around and strode to the back of the store. The potato chips that covered the floor crunched under her feet as she disappeared down one of the aisles. He stared after her for a moment, and then he sighed and turned toward his brother.

Jamie straightened from leaning against the cash register as he approached, and Ryan enveloped him in a big bear hug. “Are you okay?”

Jessica reappeared, a soft drink in her hand, and walked past them toward the front door. She didn’t glance at them as she passed, but Ryan couldn’t tear his eyes off her.

Jamie drew his attention when he spoke. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to Jessica. I saw you talking to her. Did you thank her for helping me today?”

“I did. You’re lucky to be alive. These convenience-store robberies don’t always end this well.”

Jamie grinned and glanced in the direction Jessica had gone. “It might go better if there were more customers like her in the stores. Did you know she’s a bounty hunter?”

Ryan nodded. “Yeah. She was a police officer before that.”

“I know. She told us. Did you know her then, Ryan?”

He hesitated before he answered. He’d thought he’d known her then. But could anyone say with certainty they knew another person? He thought she would understand why he did what he did, but he’d been wrong.

Ryan debated the question for a moment before he responded. “She was my partner.”

A shocked look washed across Jamie’s face. “Your partner? You never said anything to me about having a woman partner.”

Ryan shrugged. “It was a long time ago. You were a teenager and had other things on your mind instead of who my partner at the time happened to be.”

At that moment the front door opened, and two Memphis PD officers stepped inside. He watched as they stopped next to Jessica. “I want to hear what Jessica has to say to the officers. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He walked over to her and nodded at Officer Jimmy Austin, who stood facing her. “Hi, Jimmy. I thought I’d listen to Jessica’s statement if that’s okay.”

The officer nodded. “Sure, Ryan. Sally said your brother was here when the robbery occurred. Is that right?”

“Yeah, he’s standing over there by the cash register.”

“Then I’ll get his statement after I talk to Jessica.” He turned to his partner and nodded toward her. “This is Jessica Knight,” he explained. “She used to work out of our precinct. One of the best detectives I’ve ever seen. She—” He stopped himself and his mouth formed a small O as a thought must have hit him. He wagged his finger first at Ryan and then Jessica. “Didn’t the two of you used to be partners?”

Jessica stiffened. “Yes, but that was a long time ago.”

The air seemed to have taken on a frost, but Jimmy’s face flushed. “Oh, right.” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Well, let’s get this over with. Are there any other witnesses besides you and Ryan’s brother?” he asked Jessica.

She pointed to the clerk. “Richard. He works here. Just the three of us.”

Jimmy glanced at his partner and jerked his head in Jamie and the clerk’s direction. “Why don’t you get their statements. I’ll take Jessica’s.”

The other officer nodded and looked at Jessica. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’ve heard a lot about you. The guys said you’re working with your brothers over at the Knight Agency now. Is that right?”

“It is. I decided I’d let you guys catch the criminals, and I’ll go after them if they skip bail.”

Jimmy laughed. “Don’t be fooled by this lady. She’s tough as nails, just like her two brothers. In fact, her twin brother, Lucas, is a friend of mine. We ride motorcycles together a lot. I don’t know how many times he’s told me about the bounty-hunter business his great-grandfather started and the slogan he lived by.”

Jessica smiled. “‘A man must answer for the crimes laid against him,’” she said. “We still believe that.”

Ryan wondered how many times during the years he and Jessica worked together he had heard her say those words. “So do we cops,” he said.

She jerked her head around and glared at him before she turned back to Jimmy. “Okay, let’s get this over with. I remember the drill. So let me tell you what happened.”

For the next few minutes she gave her account of what had happened as well as a detailed description of the robber. Ryan concentrated on the details and watched as Jimmy took notes from time to time. When she finished, Ryan spoke up. “And you got the car license number?”

“I did.” She pulled her notepad from her pocket and read off the numbers to him.

Jimmy looked up from the notes he’d been writing. “Could you come down to the station tomorrow and look at some mug shots to see if you recognize the holdup guy?”

“Sure,” Jessica said. “Whatever you need me to do.”