Protector - Laurel Dewey [185]
Dan bounced the baseball bat against the tip of his work boot. “When I drove by and saw those lights on, I thought . . .” Dan let out a tired sigh. “I know how this plays out, Jane.” Dan stared at Jane with a piercing gaze.
Dan’s shift in behavior made Jane feel very uneasy. “What do you mean?”
“Payback,” he replied, not taking his eyes off of her. Jane’s gut tightened at his response. Dan looked at Jane another few seconds before turning around and heading out the door.
Chapter 27
Was it possible?
Jane paced back and forth in the living room after Dan left. Of all the words he could have chosen, why did he choose payback? Was it some twisted coincidence that he used the same word that the killer wrote on that sheet of paper? Could Dan be the killer? Or was he a hired gun brought in to take care of Jane and Emily? Jane’s mind raced with various scenarios, each one becoming more complex and absurd. Dan was obviously a card-carrying member of Peachville’s tight-knit community. If Dan was the killer, what were the odds that DH would place Jane and Emily undercover in his hometown? Jane’s thoughts turned paranoid as she tossed the idea of the murders being an inside job between the DH and the mob and that Peachville was chosen on purpose because it was where Dan lived. As quickly as that idea filtered through her logical mind, Jane realized how patently ridiculous it was.
She considered Dan’s possible involvement with a clearer eye. Perhaps his “payback” reference had to do with Dan’s intense involvement with his sister’s abusive marital relationship and the possible outcome that he feared would be repeated if Jane didn’t seek help. After all, he preceded the payback comment by saying “I know how this plays out, Jane.” He knew, Jane supposed, because he had lived through the experience with his sister. As Jane paced, snippets of conversations with Dan filled her head. There was the conversation when Dan showed up at their house a couple week’s before with his brand-new truck.
“It didn’t set me back a penny. I do all the electrical maintenance for the Ford dealership over in Montrose. It’s one of my many side jobs. Anyway, instead of payin’ me, we worked out this agreement where they trade me a new dealer truck every summer. In the long run, I reckon I’m pullin’ the better end of the trade.”
Was that just a story, Jane wondered, her mind drifting back to the possibility of a more nefarious link with the mob. Was the truck really part of a payoff from someone else he worked for? Someone like the Texas mob? There was no immediate way to check out his story. It was close to midnight on the Saturday before Independence Day. Jane would have to wait until Monday to call the Ford dealership in Montrose to investigate Dan’s story.
Jane lit a cigarette and nervously walked in circles between the kitchen and the living room. Through her thick mental fog and confusion, she began to center on the concept of accepting a payoff in exchange for a job. Suddenly, payoff was dominating the importance of payback . When she focused on the word “payoff,” she felt as though the right key was opening the right lock. The more she considered all the logical angles in relationship to Dan’s possible involvement, the more she realized that Dan simply didn’t have what it took to be a cold-blooded killer. And yet, for whatever reason, he was the echoing reflection that tripped her thought process and the one person who might unknowingly lead her to the real killer.
Jane pressed her cigarette into the ashtray. Maybe, she thought, another review of the Lawrence crime scene documents would trigger a connection. She retrieved a flashlight from the kitchen and started