Read Online A Deadly Love by Jannine Gallant - Free Book Online

grandfather. Jesse sat on a rotted log, his head tilled back, his face gray in the moonlight. A shotgun lay at his feet.
    “You okay, Grandpa?”
    “I’ve been better. It was a shock, coming upon that poor woman. I’ve never seen such a gruesome sight in all my eighty-five years, not even during the war.”
    “Can I take him home, Harley?”
    The sheriff snapped off several more pictures. “I suppose so, but I’ll need a complete statement when I finish here. The state police and coroner should be along shortly.”
    “You know where to find us.”
    He helped his grandfather to his feet, then moved back as several men emerged from the trail. The deputy in the lead let out a strangled cry and ran into the bushes to heave up his dinner.
    “Jesus, Dwayne, if your stomach is that weak, don’t come any closer.” Harley nodded to the other men. “You can see why I called for support. My department doesn’t have any experience dealing with the sort of sick pervert who did this.”
    Dillon touched Jesse’s arm, and they headed down the trail. His own stomach churned uneasily. Taking deep breaths of the moist night air, he struggled to control his nausea.
    “Must have been an escaped lunatic from the prison. I always said something like this would happen when they built that place.”
    Dillon glanced back. “There haven’t been any breakouts at Pelican Bay. If an escaped inmate was running loose in the area, the local news would be all over it.”
    “Well who else would do such a thing?”
    “I don’t know, Grandpa. Someone sick, that’s for certain.”
    The ferns beside the trail rustled, and Jesse cried out, swinging his shotgun into position. Dillon jumped out of the way and grabbed the gun.
    “Put that thing down! It’s just a raccoon.”
    His flashlight beam illuminated the creature as it scurried across the path and disappeared into the underbrush. The breeze stirred the tree branches overhead, crickets chirped, and somewhere in the night an owl hooted.
    “Sorry, I guess I’m a little jumpy.”
    “Then you shouldn’t be carrying a gun.”
    Jesse’s grip on the weapon tightened. “A man has a right to defend himself. No one’s taking my shotgun.”
    Dillon sighed. “Let’s get back to the cabin.”
    A lantern sat on the table, a beacon burning in the darkness. Its light shone through the window as they crossed the clearing in front of the cabin. Dillon turned off his flashlight and pushed open the door. His grandfather followed him inside. With trembling hands, Jesse placed the shotgun on the rack over the door.
    “Sit down, Grandpa.” Dillon opened the kitchen cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, poured a shot of amber liquid into the Mason jar his grandfather used as a drinking glass, and handed it to him.
    Jesse took a sip and coughed, but a little color returned to his face. He took a second sip and leaned back in his chair.
    “Do you want to tell me how you found that woman, or would you rather wait until Harley gets here?”
    “I’ll tell you now. I want to make sure I have it all straight in my head. I don’t want to forget anything important when I talk to the sheriff.”
    Dillon nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then poured a shot for himself. Looking into his grandfather’s frightened eyes, he had a feeling he would need it.
    Jesse finished his whiskey and set the glass on the table. “I’ve been hearing noises in the night for a few weeks now, not every night mind you, just once in a while. I’ve heard screams a couple of times and crashing noises, as if someone or something was running through the forest.”
    “Could it have been an animal?”
    “I suppose a bear out of hibernation might make that sort of racket in the bushes, and a rabbit or squirrel will squeal to wake the dead when it’s caught by an owl. I stood in the yard and called out, but no one ever answered.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
    Jesse shrugged. “I figured you’d think I was