Deceptive Truth: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 4) by Olivia Jaymes (reading women .txt) 📕

able to join them and they'd timed it almost perfectly. The delicious-smelling meatloaf was just being taken out of the oven when he turned in to the driveway.

They all sat down for dinner, although Jenna was dying to hear what Knox had to say about questioning Cal. While she felt that Hedgcock was the number one suspect, Cal still had been the last one to see Lori alive as far as anyone knew. He might have information that could help if he stopped lying about seeing her that day.

"So I punched him."

They were halfway through their meal when Knox made the announcement. Eli was trying to hide his laughter, and Jenna wanted to hear more.

But she was kind of glad that Knox had punched his brother. Violence was never the answer but Cal Owens didn't sound like a good person at all. Not from Lori, and certainly not from his own sibling.

"Before or after you talked to him?" she asked.

"Before. He opened the door and I was really pissed...so I just punched him. It was a sucker punch and I don't feel all that good about that. I should have given him a warning before I did it. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I did it, and I'd do it again, but I should have told him I was going to do it. That would have been fair."

Eli's brow quirked. "Would he have been fair to you?"

"No," Knox admitted. "He fights dirty. Always has. But I'd like to think that I'm better than him. I'm probably not, but I like to think that way."

"I think that you're probably head and shoulders above your brother," she replied.

"You might be biased," he said with a playful wink.

"Not that biased."

"What happened after you punched him?" Eli asked, getting the conversation back on track. "Did he hit you back?"

"No, but only because he knew I'd pound him into the ground. He's really let himself go these last few years. There was a time in our lives when we were evenly matched."

She adored Knox, but he was taking too long to get to the meat of the story.

"So what did he say? Did he admit that he saw Lori that day?"

"He did. He also said that he walked her to her car and she drove away. That's the last he saw of her. He also says that he has an alibi for yesterday and early this morning. I haven't had a chance to check those out yet but I will."

Jenna exchanged a glance with Eli. "And do you believe him?"

Knox took his time answering, wiping his mouth with a napkin and taking a drink from his glass. "I do. And not because he's my brother. Because I think he was telling the truth. I don't think he had anything to do with Lori's disappearance. He was nervous but not because of that. He wasn't sure what I was going to do and that kept him off balance."

Eli sat back in his chair, patting his stomach. "You're thinking that Hedgcock is our best bet?"

"Let's just say that he definitely has my attention. Logan and Jason are trying to get law enforcement to issue a warrant for the house and grounds. In the meantime, we're going to make sure that there aren't any additional heat signatures on the property that can't be accounted for."

Jenna's heart lurched in her chest and her fingers wrapped around her napkin until the knuckles turned white. "You think Lori could be alive? A prisoner?"

It had crossed her mind briefly but Knox hadn't mentioned it, so she'd put it out of her head. She didn't want to think about it. It was far too horrifying.

Knox reached out and placed his hand over hers. "I think it's a small possibility but we need to make sure."

Jenna wasn't sure she could finish her dinner now. The thought of her sister being held all these months was too awful to comprehend.

But she'd be alive.

When Jenna had held out hope that her sister was alive, she hadn't really thought through the details. She'd sort of assumed that Lori would have actually gone off somewhere, although that would have a remote chance of happening.

"That would explain the text I received while we were cooking dinner," Eli said with a short laugh. "A few of Jason's old buddies from the DEA are going to meet me a few blocks from Hedgcock's house tonight. We'll check the property out and report back."

"Wouldn't that be illegal?" Jenna asked.

"Are you planning to tell on me?" Eli said, a wicked smile on his face. "With the tools that the DEA have we won't even have to go onto his property. No laws will be broken tonight. I promise."

"It's all a little much to take in," Jenna said. "Of course, I want Lori to be alive..."

Knox squeezed her hand, their fingers tangling together. "Don't let your imagination run away with you. We don't know anything for sure."

Already images were crowding her brain and none of them were good. She'd always had a vivid imagination and she'd thought it was a good thing. Maybe not so much this time.

"I just wish this were all over."

She couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth, but it was the bare truth. When she'd pictured having a real investigation done, she hadn't thought about what it would mean. Knox had said he would find the truth, no matter what it was. He was fulfilling that promise. Yet, she wasn't sure she was ready for it. He had warned her.

"We're getting closer," Knox replied. "I can feel it. People are getting shaken up, secrets are going to be revealed.