by Lenora Worth
“They do look like full-blooded shepherds,” Emmett noted. “You might be right on that, Belle.”
“We think so,” Lani added. “Just need to get them in and let Doc Mazelli have a look.”
Behind her and Emmett, Lani stood trying to do her best to help, her blond messy bun even messier now. “Belle, do you want me to take over?”
“Nope. Let her get used to me,” Belle said. “Just keep Justice happy so he doesn’t scare her.”
Lani called to Justice and ruffled his fur. Her K-9 partner, Snapper, was nearby so she ordered Justice to stand with him. Belle’s partner seemed to take it all in stride. Emmett wished he could.
“She’s moving toward the bowl,” Belle said, handing him a short leash. “Emmett, as soon as she eats a bite or two, you’ll have to throw this leash like a lasso and hold her by her fur and tug her out so we can get her in a kennel.”
“I’m ready,” Emmett said, amazed at Belle’s dedication.
The mama dog finally took the bait and dove toward the waiting food. Belle let her eat several bites while she kept petting the hungry mama on the head and reassuring her. Then she moved the dish closer to the opening, allowing Emmett a chance to grab the dog and drag her out.
Emmett was careful to be gentle as he roped the soft fabric across the dog’s head and tugged on her middle. She growled and tried to nip at him, but he held her steady. “Got her.”
He passed the yelping dog off to Lani and Noelle, who got her into a kennel and gave her more water, all the while talking to her in soothing voices.
Belle went in and grabbed the first of the puppies and soon they had all of them out, one by one, until all five were accounted for. They were dirty and skinny but still alive, their big black eyes bright with fear.
By the time they’d finished up and had the puppies in a separate kennel in Lani’s vehicle, the sky had turned dark and big drops of rain hit their sweaty faces.
“Thank you for helping,” Belle said once they were headed back to the precinct. “I need a good shower and I’m sure you want to get on with your day.”
Emmett glanced over at her, his mind in turmoil with protecting her and needing to hunt down his cousin. “I do. You need to follow up on the connection between Lance Johnson and your ex.”
“Yes, that I will do.”
“I’m going home to get cleaned up,” Emmett said, watching as Lani and Noelle took Brooke and her puppies to the training center, where the vet would give them all examinations and clean them up. “Then I’m going to swing by the diner where my friend thought he saw Randall. How about I check back with you later and we can compare notes?”
“Okay,” Belle said. “I’ll be here, catching up on paperwork and calling around to find out what’s up with my ex and Lance Johnson. They had to have run into each other somewhere. I need to prove they’ve been seen together recently beyond what my sisters told me.”
“You’ll be careful, right?” Emmett asked. “Don’t go out alone. Take a buddy if I’m not back.”
Belle shook her head. “You tend to forget what I do for a living, Marshal.” Then she put her hands on her hips. “Let me rephrase that. You know exactly what I do for a living.”
“Yes,” he replied. “I haven’t forgotten that for a moment since I met you.” And now that she knew how he felt about things, she wouldn’t forget it, either.
She slanted her eyes at him as she bent her head to one side. “I get it now. We met under unusual circumstances and now we’re forced together until this ends. At least I know where I stand with you.”
“Nope, you have no clue where you stand with me, Belle.”
Emmett left the building, well aware that Belle’s coworkers were watching him like a hawk. If he didn’t produce something soon on Randall’s whereabouts, he might get asked to leave and never return. He was in too deep with Belle even after he’d tried to explain his stance.
He and Belle might not have a chance to finish what they’d started on a personal level. He should have been glad about that.
Since he didn’t plan on letting her go despite his stupid pledge, he decided he’d work double time to solve both of these cases.
And he’d stay close to Belle, no matter the outcome.
FOURTEEN
After Belle reported what her sisters had seen to Gavin, he suggested she stay put for today. “I’ll send someone else to ask around about your ex. Makes sense he might have hung around the same locations as Johnson and somehow, they started comparing notes.”
Belle wondered how, then a thought dropped into her brain. “This case, sir. The cold case.”
“What’s that got to do with this?” Gavin asked.
“It was all over the news, in all the local papers. We were on the news when the second set of murders happened. That’s probably how Lance found me again. If he was in a place with Percy, and the news report was on television, they could have compared notes again.”
Gavin nodded. “And not in a good way.”
“No, sir. They both have grudges against me.”
“Okay, you stay here. I’m sending someone to the storage warehouse and back to the gyms and bars around Johnson’s neighborhood. Let’s pull up a photo of both of them so they can show them around.”
Belle did as he asked, glad she could do her own checks and wait here for Emmett. Sarge was right. She’d been seen and recognized and now it was even more dangerous for her family.
She still had to talk to Joaquin, too. That would be the hardest part. But her sisters had reported that he was working with Papá today.
So she sat at her desk while Justice got in some practice with a handler in the training center. Going back over her time with Percy was like opening a jagged wound but Belle had changed and grown since then. No man would ever intimidate her again.
She thought of Emmett and how he’d helped her and Lani and Noelle today. He hadn’t complained much at all and he’d done his part in bringing Brooke and her pups to safety. Maybe they could name one of the pups after Emmett. Why did she want to be with him even when she was afraid to even try?
That made her smile.
He made her smile.
“You’re smiling.”
She looked up to find Brianne Hayes-Sutherland giving her an amused look. “Hi, Brianne,” she said, getting up to hug Gavin’s wife. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” Brianne said, her face splitting in a grin. “I’m supposed to be having lunch with my husband.”
“He’s in his office,” Belle said. “But Penny probably already told you that.”
“She did.” Brianne shrugged. “It’s my day off so I’m stealing him for an hour or so.”
“Good plan,” Belle said, noting Brianne’s street clothes and loose hair. “How’s Miss Stella?”
“Stella is amazing,” Brianne said, referring to her partner, a yellow Lab trained in bomb detection. Stella had been gifted to them pregnant, and Liberty, Noelle’s partner, was one of her now-grown pups. “Has the best instincts. I love working with her but lately, things have been quiet for us. Thankfully.”
They chatted a few more minutes, then Gavin came out and kissed his wife. “I need to talk to Belle a minute and then I’m yours for the next hour or so.”
“I like that,” Brianne said, her dark eyes sparkling.
After she moved on to visit with other officers, Gavin turned to Belle. “One of the officers I sent out said the gym owner you and Emmett talked to the other day recognized the photo of your ex. Said he came in with Johnson a few weeks ago.”
Belle’s stomach lurched as if she’d eaten something that had gone bad. Her skin became clammy and heated. “Then they do know each other.”
“Yes,” Gavin said. “He remembered snippets of their trash talk. Seems they met when Percy Carolo worked as a guard on a short stint at Rikers Isla
nd Prison. A very short stint from what I found after I verified that.”
Belle’s whole system buzzed, concern for her family and everyone she knew gnawing at her. “So they might have gotten to know each other there.”
“Yes. Seems that’s a good start. Carolo got fired after only a couple of weeks—for being a hothead and for associating with the inmates a little too much.”
“I can attest to the hothead part,” Belle said. “Apparently, that hasn’t improved since I left him. I think he belongs on the other side of those bars now.”
Gavin gave her a serious look, his brow puckering. “This is getting more and more dangerous. With two of them against you, you’re not safe anywhere.”
“I just want my family safe,” she said. “I need to find my brother and get him to talk to me.”
“Not alone,” Gavin replied. “Get someone to go with you or call Emmett back in if that makes you feel better.”
She stared at him in surprise. “Yes, sir. We’re supposed to meet up later to see if he spotted his cousin at the diner where he might have been seen this morning.”
“As long as you have a partner,” he said. “Now if I don’t get Brianne out of here, I’m going to be in the kennel with Tommy and Stella tonight.”
Belle nodded at that and watched as they walked away, laughing with each other. They were really in love.
When she looked up from the computer an hour later, Emmett was walking toward her in plain clothes. “I thought I’d check in.”
Her frustrations regarding this new development lifted like a mist. “Yes. I have an update on my situation.”
He listened as they headed to get Justice.
“Gage, why don’t you just apply and become a K-9 officer with us?” K-9 Detective Henry Roarke asked, his brown eyes full of a knowing gleam. “You’re in here about as much as I am these days.”
Henry was on modified duty due to a pending investigation regarding him possibly using excessive force when dealing with a twenty-year-old suspect. So he’d been stuck here filing papers, answering the phone and doing some training with the K-9s, waiting for internal affairs to send in a new investigator. The last one had recently had a heart attack.
Emmett grinned and shook Henry’s hand. “I just might do that before it’s all over. This is not a bad place to hang out.”
“You’d change that tune if you had to deal with what I’m dealing with.” Henry shot Belle a wry smile, shook his head and kept moving. Belle and he were good friends so he liked to rag on her about her love life. He’d been down lately so she tried to visit with him when she could.
“He’s going through a lot right now,” Belle told Emmett as they were leaving. She’d explained to him about Henry when she’d first introduced them. Now Henry kept a keen eye on her and Emmett.
Emmett’s silvery gaze moved over her face. “You all seem close. I like that.”
“How about you and your people?”
“Oh, we get along and work hard but we’re so scattered and always on the go. Hard to get too intimate.” Shrugging, he said, “Hard to get close to anyone.”
Belle heard that as, yet again, a warning to her. Was he really going to deny that kiss and how he felt for her? Well, she’d denied it over and over, so could she blame him?
“And that’s the thing,” she replied. “The work comes first and right now I have a lot to accomplish.”
He gave her an understanding glance, a dark longing in his eyes. “Agreed. So what’s the plan?”
“I want to see if I can talk to Joaquin before I do anything else. He was asleep when I left this morning and my dad had plans for him to help paint apartments all day. He’s supposed to stay at home tonight.”
She glanced at her watch. “It’s still early so I should catch him when they come home around four or so.”
“Okay. Meanwhile, I’ll catch up on some paperwork.”
“Sorry you came by. You could have called.”
“Maybe I wanted to see you.”
“Why, Emmett?” she asked, wishing he’d really open up to her.
“I don’t like how we left things last night.”
Belle shook her head. “Oh, you mean that kiss, after you’d told me in no uncertain terms that you have a steadfast aversion to dating anyone, especially another law enforcement person. This kind of work and all of that?”
“Yeah, that.”
“I’ll check in with you later,” she replied, determined to stay on track.
“Belle?”
She whirled to face him. “What?”
“Never mind. Just be safe, okay?”
Belle headed home, anxiety for her brother front and center in her mind. But getting used to having a man like Emmett around sure was tempting. After Percy, she’d concentrated on work and hanging out with her family and friends. Emmett made her realize that might not be enough. Funny, he’d made her see that but he couldn’t see he needed people in his life, too.
When she got home, her mother met her inside the entryway, her eyes red-rimmed, her hand clutching her blouse.
“I’m so relieved you’re home early, Belle. Your brother is missing again. You have to find him.”
* * *
Belle circled the park again, telling herself Joaquin had to be all right. He might have come here, but had he left with Percy and Lance?
When she saw a dark pickup, she let out a sigh of relief. She’d texted Emmett and he’d insisted on coming to help her. She’d also called in the patrols that had been watching her building.
“We didn’t see your brother exit your house,” one of the patrolmen told her. “But he could have gone out the back.”
It was impossible to keep someone on him 24/7, Belle knew. Her brother wasn’t stupid. He’d probably timed the rounds the patrolmen made and managed to sneak right by one of them.
She parked her vehicle and used her key fob to open the back door for Justice to jump out. He’d be needed on this search.
“Hey,” Emmett said, putting on his official cap while he scanned the deserted park. “Nothing?”
“Not yet. I have one of his shirts so I’m going to let Justice sniff it and hopefully we can locate him.” She lifted her head to the dark clouds that had dumped rain off and on all day. “We have to find him.”
“We will,” Emmett said. “How are your parents?”
“Frantic and angry. They didn’t raise him to turn into a hooligan.”
“He’s not there yet, but things could go bad if he’s listening to that duo harassing you.”
“That’s the part that driving me nuts,” she admitted. “I brought this on my family, Emmett.”
“Hey, now, you were doing your job and you also were wise to dump Percy. Don’t beat yourself up. These two aren’t wired the same way we are, Belle.”
“No, they’re not. That’s the scary part.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “We’re wired to do this and everything else is secondary.”
They started walking the perimeters of the rundown park. Belle let Justice smell the shirt she’d brought and then loosened the leash so Justice could get to work.
When she saw a cluster of teens, she flagged them down and showed them a recent picture of her brother. “Have you seen him today? And don’t try to bluff me. It won’t work.”
One of the boys gave her a confused stare, his sandy bangs falling over his eyes. “I think I saw him maybe two hours ago, talking to two men.”
Belle swallowed the bile in her throat and tried to breathe. “Did he leave with them?”
“No. They all walked that way.”
The boy pointed to an overgrown area of the park by a small dark pond.
Taking Justice back out, Belle tried to focus on her training and not the horrible thoughts running rampant through her mind. The trees were heavy with humidity, the w
ind hot on her clammy skin. Every twig that snapped set her senses on edge.
“Hang on,” Emmett said, his steady presence holding her together. “We’ll find him, Belle.”
His reassurances helped, but Belle’s worst fears pushed her like a hot breath on her skin. What would her parents do if something had happened to their only son?
“Justice, let’s go.”
The big dog sniffed the air and the ground, moving slowly at times and picking up the pace at other times, his ears up and his gait full of energy. They moved on a grid back and forth, past rusted-out swing sets and crooked piping hot metal slides. A wobbly merry-go-round moved eerily in the wind, whining a forlorn moan with each circle.
The desolate undergrowth of the heavily wooded corner of the park only added to Belle’s concerns. She looked for lurkers around the bushes and old trees. The swaying oaks hovered like sulking giants ready to attack. The wind hissed a hot warning that rasped at her soul. Remembering the feel of her attacker’s beefy hands on her neck, she closed her eyes and prayed for her brother.
God would protect Joaquin even if Joaquin seemed to scorn God these days.
I hope he calls out to You, Lord, she prayed.
They came up on an old shack—probably used for storage. Justice held up his head, his nose in the air, his body quivering with an intensity that had Belle’s hair standing on edge. Justice knew her brother’s scent as well as he knew her own and all of her family’s.
Belle glanced at Emmett, every fiber of her being dreading what she might discover in that shed. Bracing herself, she swallowed and breathed, determined to keep moving. Somewhere over the trees, lightning hit the tepid air. A roll of thunder boomed a shattered stomp of urgency.
“Find,” she said to Justice.
The German shepherd trotted to the shed and stood at alert, a soft whine whispering through his clenched teeth. Then he turned and looked back at Belle.
