by Terri Reed
They entered the Luna Park amusement area filled with rides for all ages, a variety of foods, games to play and shopping. All around them, people had gone back to their fun as if the exploding garbage can on the nearby boardwalk hadn’t happened. She didn’t understand it. “Don’t any of these people realize how close they came to disaster?”
Henry glanced at her, then away. “In my experience, most people view danger as something that happens to others. As long as it doesn’t interfere with their own lives, they ignore what could harm them. Besides, considering last week was the 4th of July, most of these people probably figured the noise was leftover fireworks.”
She supposed he was correct. Still, the danger had been real. Once again, the protective instinct to cover the child inside of her with a comforting hand on her abdomen flooded her veins, but she refrained.
Henry placed his hand to the small of her back and guided her around a line waiting for the roller coaster. Cody sniffed each person he passed. Henry’s gaze scanned the crowd. She was glad he wasn’t looking at her because she was sure her expression would give away her shock at his touch.
“Finally. There’s Riley.”
Following the line of his gaze to a pretty young woman with dark ringlets and a wide smile standing near the front of the line of the roller coaster with some friends, Coney Island Cyclone, Olivia smiled. The resemblance to Henry was unmistakable. They shared the same deep bronze skin, dark wide eyes and high cheekbones. Both were tall, though Riley still had the gangly look of a teen while Henry was all muscle and strength.
If Henry pulled Riley out of line now, the teenager would be both embarrassed and angry. Olivia turned to Henry. “Let her have her ride.”
Doubt clouded his eyes but then he sighed and nodded. After having Cody sniff the perimeter of the ride and those standing in line and seeing no sign of alert, Henry and Olivia moved to the shade of a tree to wait for his sister to come off the roller coaster. Cody sat at Henry’s feet as if waiting for his next command.
Seizing on the opportunity, she took her notebook out of her pocket and, with pen poised, said, “You were telling me about the night at Owl’s Head Park.”
Henry folded his arms over his chest, his gaze scanning the area as he spoke. “Cody alerted to a backpack sitting off to one side. The owner of the backpack tried to take the bag and leave. We detained him and he resisted. Then he made a grab for my sidearm.”
She scribbled as he talked. Glancing up from her notes, she said, “That is the point when Mr. Carrell sustained his injuries?”
“Allegedly,” Henry bit out. “I didn’t break that kid’s wrist.”
“Then can you explain how the injury happened?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea. If I was going to break something on the suspect I would have gone for his elbow. But I didn’t.”
A shudder at the image his words evoked rippled through her. Eying his muscular arms, she had no doubt he could snap a bone.
“He also sustained an injury to his neck,” she commented, forcing herself back on track. “I suppose you didn’t do that, either?”
His gaze flicked to her, hard and unyielding. “Olivia, I used a defensive tactic to prevent the suspect from relieving me of my duty weapon.”
“And Detective McGregor witnessed this altercation?”
The muscles in Henry’s neck tightened. “Bradley was managing the crowd.”
“Right. So he didn’t actually see Mr. Carrell grab for your weapon.”
“No. If Bradley had been able to corroborate my story, none of this would be happening.”
That was true. And unfortunate for Henry that Bradley McGregor hadn’t witnessed the altercation. “How did you secure your weapon?”
“The way I was trained,” he replied. “I grabbed his right hand, which held my weapon, while wedging my other forearm into the curve of his neck and pushing him backward until he released his hold on my sidearm. Would you like me to show you?”
She blinked, intrigued by the offer. Would a demonstration of this tactic support Henry’s version of the story? “Maybe that would be a good idea.”
His head jerked back and he stared at her. “Really?”
She suppressed a smile at his surprise. “Yes, really. But we will have to table that for another day. For now, we’ll stick with questions. You didn’t find an explosive device in the backpack, correct?”
He heaved a beleaguered sigh. “No, we did not.”
“But Cody alerted?” She’d witnessed the dog in action today. Both the dog and handler were competent. They worked well together. She could understand why his sergeant wanted him back on duty.
“He did.”
“A false alert?”
“No way. The NYPD’s forensic specialist found nonvisible trace amounts of particulates on the bag.”
“But you did not find a bomb.”
“No. However, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some sort of incendiary device inside the bag at one time. The department searched the residence of his parents where he said he was living. His parents seemed confused, but they corroborated that he was their son and that he had a room at their home.” He let out a scoff. “At least that was the report I heard from my coworkers. Since I was not allowed to question anyone or investigate the case.”
His frustration was palpable but couldn’t be helped. “Had you ever had a run-in with Mr. Carrell prior to this?”
“No, I had not.”
“Has Cody ever given you a false alert?”
The dog’s ears perked up as if he, too, waited to hear the answer.
Henry clenched his teeth together. “One time. During training.”
“Ah. He has a record of giving a false alert.” Surprising after what she’d seen today, but she made a note.
“Only the one time during training in the early days.”
His sharp tone had her lifting her eyebrows.
He dipped his chin, as if checking his attitude. “Sorry, Olivia.”
Abruptly, Henry shifted, taking a protective stance in front of her as his gaze swiveled and he slowly turned in all directions as if expecting a threat. Cody seemed to read his master’s mood because the beagle stood, his nose in the air.
Henry’s sudden anxiety caused a cascade of alarm to flush through Olivia. She placed her hand on her sidearm hidden beneath her suit jacket. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” His words came out measured, as if he were barely breathing.
“Something has you spooked.” She glanced around. Was the bomber here? Would another text come in telling them an additional bomb had been planted in the vicinity or somewhere else?
After several tense seconds, he grimaced. “Paranoia.”
“Or a cop’s instincts.” Olivia kept her own gaze vigilant.
He gestured to where Riley and her friends were exiting the roller coaster ride. “Here we go.”
They approached the trio of teens.
“Henry? What are you doing here?” Riley gasped. “What happened to your head?”
“We need to leave,” he barked.
Riley pulled a face. “Why?”
“I’ve been texting you,” he said.
“My phone’s in my bag. I haven’t checked it lately. What’s going on?” Riley’s gaze bounced to Olivia and back to her brother.
Henry told the girls about the bomb on the boardwalk. “For whatever reason, this bomber has decided to communicate with me. I would rather you were home safe so I don’t have to worry.”
“Henry,” the young woman’s voice rose with pleading. She glanced at her friends, clearly embarrassed by being brought to heel by her older sibling, yet there was no mistaking the concern in her dark eyes.
Olivia could appreciate the conflicting emotions warring through the young woman. Being the eldest girl, many tim
es the responsibility for her siblings landed on Olivia’s shoulders. A point of contention with her brothers and sisters. Moved by the need to diffuse the situation, Olivia stepped forward and extended her hand. “Hi Riley, I’m Olivia.”
The girl blinked then took her hand. “Olivia? Aren’t you the Internal Affairs officer investigating my brother?”
“I am,” she confirmed, sliding a glance at Henry. Obviously, he had talked about her. Probably disparagingly.
That was the way of it for most IA personnel. The rank and file weren’t fond of those who chose to police the police. And though she fought to not let the wariness and resentment directed toward Internal Affairs affect her, it did. The solitary nature of the job was beginning to grate on her nerves.
Stifling a sigh, she said, “I was with your brother when he received the threatening text. He was very concerned about you being in the vicinity of the bomb.”
Riley’s gaze darted to Henry and back to Olivia. Realization shined bright in the young woman’s dark eyes. “Were you hurt because of me?”
Shaking his head, Henry was quick to say, “No. This is not on you.”
Riley turned to her friends. “I’ll catch you all later.”
“You both should go home, as well,” Henry interjected. “If I had my way, the whole park would be shut down.”
Riley’s two friends exchanged a glance then said in unison, “Yes, sir.”
Henry nodded. “We’ll walk you to the subway.”
Riley turned to him eagerly. “Can I go home with them?”
He shook his head. “No. You’ll come with me.”
Disappointment flared in her eyes, but she didn’t argue. “Fine. But I’ll walk with my friends.”
After making sure Riley’s friends were safely on their way home on the subway, Henry hustled Olivia, Riley and Cody back to his vehicle where he secured Cody in his specially designed compartment and gave him some water.
“I can take the back seat,” Olivia said to Riley.
The girl shook her head. “Naw. It’s fine.” Riley sat in the space reserved for suspect transport and slumped down in the seat, putting her head back and closing her eyes.
Shrugging, Olivia climbed in front. “We should head to your doctor’s office.”
Starting the engine, Henry replied, “They’re closed by now.”
“You heard my sister,” she reminded him.
“I’ll follow up with the doc tomorrow,” he said.
Needing the reassurance that he would, she asked, “Do you promise?”
He met her gaze, confusion lighting the dark depths of his eyes. “Sure.”
Hoping he was a man of his word, she settled in. He no doubt wondered why she cared enough to elicit the promise. If they were truly colleagues instead of adversaries, would he be confused by her concern? Not likely. It aggravated her to no end that everyone in the police bureau treated her and the other IA officers as the enemy in every situation.
All she’d ever wanted to do was help. But she’d allowed herself to get caught up in the need to achieve and make her family proud. There were days she wasn’t sure the status was worth it.
The ride back to Bay Ridge was quiet inside the SUV. Henry brought the vehicle to a halt in front of the K-9 Unit headquarters, an attractive limestone, three-story building that once housed a police precinct that had outgrown the space.
Hunger pains gripped Olivia’s stomach in an audible symphony. Embarrassment heated her face.
“Hey, anyone want to grab a pizza?” Riley gestured toward Sal’s Pizzeria two doors down from the K-9 Unit.
“I shouldn’t.” Though Olivia’s mouth watered at the thought of gooey cheese, pepperoni and veggies.
Riley hopped out of the vehicle. “Why not? You have to eat, right? And I’m starving.”
“I can wait until I get home,” Olivia offered. Her stomach rumbled once again, denying her claim.
Henry’s mouth tipped up at the corners. “I’d appreciate it if you’d accompany Riley. I have to write a report and feed Cody. I really don’t want her to be alone.”
The congenial tone of his voice wrapped around Olivia. The baby inside of her wiggled as if affected by him, as well. Henry trusted her with his sister. She couldn’t deny the pleasant sensation sliding over her limbs. Telling herself it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get to know Riley and gain some more insight into Henry, Olivia threaded her arm around Riley’s. “I could eat a whole pizza by myself.”
“Me, too,” Riley said with a laugh.
* * *
Henry waited until Olivia and Riley entered the local pizza joint, known for being a favorite with the police officers in the area. Established by a retired officer and his wife long before the K-9 Unit landed nearby, Sal’s was as safe as the precinct as far as Henry was concerned. The men and women in blue would keep an eye on his baby sister. Though he questioned how Olivia would fare. IA officers were rarely popular.
He turned to go inside when the hair at the base of his neck prickled with apprehension. He glanced around, searching for the threat. No one seemed overly interested in him and Cody. Still, he couldn’t shake the unease prickling his skin.
Movement across the street caught his attention. A guy in a hoodie emerged from between two buildings. He was of medium height and wore dark sunglasses and jeans. The stranger paused and glanced Henry’s way before sauntering in the opposite direction.
Rubbing the back of his neck to dispel the unnerving sensation, he headed inside the building with Cody at his heels and went straight to tech guru Eden Chang’s desk.
She blinked up at him. “Henry, what is this I hear about a text and a bomber?”
He handed over his phone and explained the situation.
Eden scratched Cody behind the ears. “You’re a hero, boy.” She took the device from Henry and plugged it into her computer console. “I’ll do what I can. If the bomber used a burner phone to text you, then we won’t get too much information. Unless it’s still on, then I can ping it for a location. And I can definitely check the unique identifier number to learn where it was bought. And from there determine if we can find the person who made the purchase. But let’s hope it’s somebody’s personal phone and they’re too dumb to realize that the police can trace it.”
Henry chuckled. “I couldn’t be that fortunate.”
She grinned at him. “Well, it’s worth praying about.”
“This is true.” And he would be praying mightily. “Any breakthroughs on recovering anything off my body camera from the incident in Owl’s Head Park?” He appreciated all the extra time Eden had put in on that.
She frowned. “No. Nothing more than what I had before. There’s clear video of you walking into the park and clear video of you leaving the park. But the in-between is fuzzy.”
“That is interesting and disturbing.” The one piece of evidence that would clear him of the excessive abuse charge.
“Exactly my thought. I still maintain that if a strong enough electromagnet got close enough to your body cam, it could cause this issue.” Eden’s intense gaze met his. “I believe you’re being set up.”
His stomach clenched at the disturbing idea that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to orchestrate a setup like this. If only he could talk to Davey Carrell himself and coax the guy into being honest about what happened. But Henry was going to have to rely on Olivia to ferret out the truth. “I wish you would tell Lieutenant Vance that.”
Eden nodded once again, reaching to scratch Cody in his sweet spot. The dog leaned into her. “I told Lieutenant Jabboski and I will tell Lieutenant Vance when I talk with her. She left a message earlier today asking if we could meet.”
“Thank you.” It was good to have someone else on his side. “Hey, so about that bombing this afternoon... Can you pull up any video footage from around the entrance to Coney Island, Lun
a Park, along the boardwalk and the Joey Yums restaurant? At least two hours before the bomb detonated and maybe another two hours after. You know bombers, they tend to hang around to view their handiwork and the damage they’ve done.”
“I’ll work on it over the weekend,” she promised.
He hated that she was going to give up her personal time for this, but it was a priority. “I really appreciate that.”
“No sweat.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a salute. “I look forward to learning what you find out for me on Monday.”
“Have a good weekend, you two,” Eden said as she turned her attention to his phone.
Henry and Cody walked out of the tech room and into the station office. The place was pretty empty. There was a light on in Bradley McGregor’s cube. Henry made Cody stay on the dog bed at his cubicle before heading to see his friend. Bradley’s dog, King, a large Belgian Malinois, laid curled on a round bed. King lifted his head to watch as Henry stepped in to the cubicle. The tall, muscular detective swung around and smiled. “Heard you had an eventful day.”
“You could say that.”
“At least you, Riley and...Lieutenant Vance, are safe.”
Ignoring the subtle ribbing in Bradley’s tone, Henry said. “That’s true.” He’d never forget the relief that had flooded him when he’d realized Olivia was unharmed after the explosion. “What about you and Penny? How are you two holding up?”
The siblings had had a tragic childhood and there had been a recent double homicide that matched the modus operandi as the murders of their parents twenty years to the day. The brother and sister were understandably rattled.
Bradley took a breath. “Some days are better than others. I’m worried about Penny, though. She’s taking it hard. Especially with another little girl being left alive at the scene.”
Just as Penny had been left alive as a young child when her parents had been brutally murdered. The killer had dressed as a blue-haired clown and given each little girl a stuffed monkey in a plastic bag.
Bradley had been at a sleepover with friends at the time of his parents’ deaths. Back in the day, the police had considered Bradley a suspect and that he’d snuck home and killed his mother and father because the then fourteen-year-old had been outspoken about how negligent they’d been toward four-year-old Penny. That was never proven. Because it couldn’t be true. To Henry, Bradley was as solid as they came. The unit was investigating both murders now.
