“Stay there. Don’t come out yet,” the male police officer said.
She heard rustling just outside the door and what sounded like a click. Handcuffs?
“Take him outside,” the voice said. There was a pause. “Ma’am? You can come out now. I’m Officer Ryan from the Ridgeview Police Department. We have the suspect in custody. It’s safe.”
She grabbed onto Maverick, worried he’d see the police as a threat. “Okay. I’m coming out now. Please step back. My dog’s upset, and he’s a Marine K-9 service dog. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She petted his head. “Va bene, Maverick.” She reached for the door handle, unlocked, and slowly turned it.
Maverick lunged forward, but she held onto him. “Va bene, Maverick.”
“It’s okay, ma’am.” The young police office looked intimidated by the Malinois. He retreated several steps, obviously wary. “Have you got him?”
“Yes. He’ll be fine. “Maverick, sit. Calma.”
The dog dropped into a sit, and relaxed a bit, although he was still watchful.
“He’s a good guard dog,” said Officer Ryan.
“Yes. He’s the best, although I never thought I’d need him to protect me.”
“Can you turn off the alarm?”
“Yes.” She walked to the front hallway, her steps shadowed by both the dog and the police officer. She tapped in her code and the alarm quieted. “Whew. That’s a relief,” she said into the sudden silence. Her heart still pounded, but she felt better now that the noise had stopped.
She heard the squeal of tires, and a few moments later her brother rushed through the front door. “MJ! Are you okay?”
She fell into his arms, and tears filled her eyes. “Nick, how did you know?”
“Rob called me from Knoxville. He said the alarm went off. That someone got inside the house. He figured I could get here before he could.”
She sobbed as he rubbed her back. “I called 9-1-1. The police caught him right outside the bathroom door, but Maverick would have protected me.”
“Damn it, he shouldn’t have to. God, I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought I’d lose my mind getting here. If something happened to you…” He buried his face in her hair. “Jesus, MJ. I was so scared I wouldn’t get here in time.”
“She’s fine. Smart woman. She locked herself in the bathroom and had the dog with her. He was ready to protect her,” Officer Ryan offered.
“Hey, Bill,” Nick said as he recognized the officer. “This is my sister, Mary Jane. She goes by MJ.” He reached out and shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for getting here in time.”
“No problem, Nick. That’s why we’re here. I’m not sure what this guy wanted, but he was obviously a threat. I need to take your sister’s statement, and then we’ll take him down and book him.”
“Okay if she gets dressed first?” Nick asked.
“Sure, no problem,” said Officer Ryan.
“Why don’t we wait for her in the kitchen. I’ll put on some coffee for us all.” Nick led the officer into the kitchen, followed closely by Maverick.
MJ turned to the bedroom to put on yoga pants and a sweatshirt. She shuddered, chill bumps rising on her arms as she thought about her close call. She sniffled. Would she ever feel safe again?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rob entered the front door of VA Outpatient Clinic and looked around for the meeting room for the PTSD Support Group. He felt apprehensive, but he knew this was his next step in recovery. Would he be able to talk about his demons in front of a bunch of strangers? Members of the armed services, no matter what branch, didn’t admit to weakness, and as far as he knew, PTSD showed a big-time weakness. His mind had betrayed him and left him feeling like a vulnerable kid, not a seasoned Marine, a gunnery sergeant.
He followed several guys into a large room filled with chairs arranged in a horseshoe. Some men sat in a bunch of the chairs while others stood at a table in the back of the room, helping themselves to coffee. He walked over, grabbed a cup, and filled it up. If this turned out to be terrible, at least he’d have something to hold. He nodded to the guy in front of him and got a chin raise.
An older man at the front of the room cleared his throat and yelled above the buzz of multiple conversations. “Time to call this meeting to order. Please take a seat so we can get started.”
Rob headed toward a chair at the base of the horseshoe, close to the left wall. He felt his stomach vibrate with nerves. Here goes nothing.
“Welcome, veterans. This is the PTSD Support Group, and I’m Joe Glentree, the leader this quarter. I’m a Vietnam vet. Army. I was in Nam during the Tet offensive. I survived that hellhole, but I came home with PTSD. I waited thirty-five years to get treatment for it. I live in Green Oak, and I’m divorced with two kids who are both grown. I learned the hard way just how toxic PTSD can be for relationships, so I’m committed to recovery and helping other vets recover.”
He cleared his throat, banishing the emotion that had been plain when he mentioned his divorce. “As we usually do, we’ll go around the room and ask you to introduce yourselves. Tell where you served, what branch you served in, and where you live. This is a support group, so we hope you’ll make some friends from your area. For those of you who are new to this group, you’ll find it’ll get easier to talk about things you’re going through. We ask that you don’t share information you hear in this group with anyone outside the group. It’s important for all of us to build trust with each other. This group is full of people who know what war is like, and the devastating impact it can have on us. We want you to be comfortable enough to share your shit with your comrades. Any questions?”
Joe looked around the room, and no one raised a hand. “Okay then, let’s start up here on my right.”
One after the other, each man stood and turned to look at the nearly fifty others in the room. They introduced themselves, told where they’d served, and where they now lived. There were men from all branches of the service, and a variety of conflicts, with Iraq and Afghanistan overrepresented in numbers.
Rob heard several men say they were from Ridgeview, but he had difficulty remembering their names or the details they’d shared.
When it was his turn, he stood up and faced the group, looking around at the sea of faces. He took a deep breath. “I’m Rob Michelini, and I’m a Marine. They deployed me both to Iraq and Afghanistan, and recently, I received a medical discharge. I live in Ridgeview. I suffer from PTSD, but I’m committed to my recovery because I’ve met someone, and she deserves a man who is whole.”
He saw several people nod. This must be a familiar story. He sat down, feeling relieved. He’d taken the first step.
They worked their way around the room until everyone had taken part.
“Does anyone have anything they want to work on tonight,” Joe asked the group. Three hands went up. “Jim, why don’t you go first, then Mick, and then Andrew.”
The man named Jim stood and told about bouts of anger he struggled with. “I’ve got two teenage boys, and I know I need to have patience with them, but when they cop an attitude with me, I see red. I just want to throttle them. I’m worried I might act on it and hurt them.”
“Has anybody else faced that issue? If so, how have you handled it?” asked Joe.
Several men spoke up. “When I feel myself losing it, I leave,” said one man.
“Usually I drive around for a few hours, or go someplace where I can get my shit together,” said another.
“I’ve given discipline over to my wife. I don’t trust myself to discipline my kids yet.”
The men who’d had this same problem all talked about needing to take a break so they didn’t overreact.
“I know they’re just kids. I keep reminding myself of it until I’m able to talk myself down. My wife can see it building, so she sends my son to his room. It’s like we both need to go to neutral corners until we can calm down.”
“The important thing is to get back together
and talk it out when you’re both calm. I learned that you can’t resolve conflict when you’re angry. Sometimes you need to take a time-out from each other, but then you need to get back together and resolve whatever caused the conflict. I learned that from my folks. My dad explained to me that’s how they stayed happily married for so many years.”
Rob listened with interest as the men involved in the discussion problem-solved and shared ideas with each other. At least his situation didn’t seem as complicated and didn’t involve kids.
After an hour, the group took a break, and several of the members stood near the coffee urn and talked about their own situations. Rob stood, ill at ease, listening, but not saying much.
A man of about thirty approached him and introduced himself. “I’m Tyler Mathews. I’m also a Marine and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard you say you’re in Ridgeview. Me, too. I have a horse farm out in the county.”
“Really? I’ve moved here from Colorado. I worked on my parents’ ranch out there and want to get involved in doing that again, but I’m still getting the lay of the land around here.”
“I’d be happy to have you come out and see my place sometime.”
“That sounds great. I’d appreciate that. It’d be nice to be around horses again.” They exchanged numbers, and Rob promised to call him later in the week.
Just before the break was over, Rob’s phone blared with the alarm from their security system. Somebody had breached the fence. He peered at the small screen and saw a dark-clad figure in a ski mask heading for the house.
“That’s my alarm system,” he told Tyler. “I’ve got to go.”
Tyler encouraged him to take off and promised they’d get together soon.
Rob sprinted to his truck in the parking lot and called MJ’s brother as soon as he’d climbed into the cab. “Nick, is MJ with you?” he asked as soon as Nick answered.
“No, she wanted to go home and relax. I figured with the alarm system, she’d be fine.”
“The alarm just triggered, and somebody breached the fence. It looks like he means business. He’s wearing a ski mask. I’m still in Knoxville, but I’m headed home.”
“I’m on my way. Do you want to call the police, or do you want me to?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll see you there.” His heart pounded in his chest as the alarm alerted that the intruder had breached the back door. He called 9-1-1 and explained the situation.
“The police are on their way, sir. The homeowner called and is on the line with another dispatcher. The alarm company also notified us.”
“I’m coming from Knoxville, but her brother is on his way to the house. He’s about fifteen minutes out. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He panicked and forced himself to take a deep breath to keep the fear at bay. Please, God, keep her safe. Maverick would protect her, but what if the guy was armed?
He hit the accelerator and moved down the highway toward Ridgeview as fast as he could. “Please, keep her safe,” he prayed. The police were on their way, but what if they didn’t get there in time? Who was this guy who was so determined to mess with them?
“Watch over her, Trevor. Keep her safe, please. I need you to be her guardian angel,” he said out loud.
After getting to Ridgeview in twenty minutes instead of the thirty it usually took, Rob drove backstreets. He wouldn’t have the patience to sit through some of the endless stoplights on the main streets near the courthouse. Not while MJ was in danger.
He turned the corner near MJ’s house and saw blue lights flashing. He pulled into the driveway, and ran from the car through the back door, into the kitchen. MJ sat at the kitchen table with Nick by her side. Dressed in her yoga pants and a sweatshirt, she sat across from a police officer, who was writing in a notebook. She looked up with a tear-streaked face as he rushed toward her, pulling her up into his arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked searching her face and looking for signs that she’d been hurt.
She burst into tears, and he cradled her body against him. “I was so scared, Rob. He got into the house.”
“I know. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard the alarm signal that he’d breached the back door.”
He stroked her hair and gazed into her eyes. This woman meant everything to him. Pulling her against him, he turned and studied the police officer. “Did you catch him?”
“Yes. He was trying to break into the bathroom where she and the dog were hiding.”
He looked down at Maverick who lay at MJ’s feet. “Good boy, Maverick.” The dog’s tail thumped against the kitchen floor.
“Do you know who it was?” Rob asked the police officer.
“He’s not talking, but we have a good idea of who he is, even though he’s refusing to give his name. My partner recognized him. He’s already had some other problems with the law, and we’re verifying his identity through his fingerprints. They’re on file, so we should know shortly.”
“Is it Kent Barnard?”
The police officer looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“He’s been harassing us, and somebody tried to poison our dog by leaving poisoned hamburger meat under a bush near the back fence. That’s what led us to get the alarm system.”
“Well, he seems to have an issue with your dog, but this goes way beyond that. He had a knife and tried to get to Ms. Van Buren. I’m glad she locked them both in the bathroom. It slowed him down long enough to allow us to get here.”
Rob exchanged looks with Nick over MJ’s head and pulled her in tighter, stroking her back. “You’re okay, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re safe.”
They heard the front door open, and Sheriff Daniels joined them in the kitchen. He leaned in toward MJ. “Are you okay? I heard on the scanner you had some excitement tonight.”
She peered up at him and nodded. “Yeah. Kent Barnard broke in.” She took a wobbly breath. “I don’t understand it. Why would he target us?”
“I suspect he blames Rob and Maverick for calling the police when he approached his ex-wife and daughter in the park.”
“Yeah, he thinks we interfered with his relationship, even though she had a restraining order against him.”
“He’s obviously not playing with a full deck,” Nick offered.
“Yeah well, diagnosing him is above my pay grade,” Bo replied, sharing a look with the Ridgeview police officer. “I suspect he’ll be doing some real jail time now.”
“I hope so,” MJ sniffed. “He scared us to death.”
Rob agreed. He would do whatever they needed to do to keep Barnard away from them.
***
MJ stifled a yawn. Bo’s friendly face had left a half-hour ago. Officer Ryan asked her once again to go through her statement, but frankly, she was sick of telling the story and watching Nick and Rob share furtive glances. Rob’s tight-lipped, tense facial expression matched her brother’s and underscored what a close call she’d had.
Rob sat next to her and held her hand, occasionally squeezing it to give her moral support. It comforted her, but she was ready for this to be over so they could get some sleep.
She glanced at the kitchen clock. After eleven. She had work in the morning. A huge yawn escaped before she could swallow it.
Rob noticed. “Officer, MJ’s exhausted. Can we finish this tomorrow?”
Officer Ryan studied MJ’s face as if she’d grown an extra nose or something. “I guess so. You look pale, Ms. Van Buren. It would probably do you good to get some rest. I need you to come down to the station and sign your statement sometime tomorrow.”
“Can it wait until after work? I’m the librarian at the Ridgeview Public Library. I have to open up in the morning by eight, and there isn’t anybody who can cover for me during the day. It’s term-paper time, and I’m needed there.”
Officer Ryan nodded. As a graduate of Ridgeview High several years behind her, he knew what that meant. “Sure, that’s fine.” He gave her his card. “If I’m not there, ask for Detective
Bailey. He’ll be handling the investigation from now on. If you remember anything more, please call me at the number on my card.”
He smiled tentatively at her, as if he was afraid she’d crumble in front of his very eyes. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t. This had been a scary and very emotional evening.
Nick walked him out and then joined them in the kitchen again. Rob pulled her into his arms as soon as the officer left the room.
“Thanks, Nick,” he said. “I’m glad you got here as quickly as you did.” He let out a sigh. “I owe you.”
“Hell, MJ is my sister. I’ll be here for her. I should have had her at my place tonight.”
“Excuse me, guys,” she interrupted their male bonding moment. “I’m glad you both got here in time to lend me moral support, but I’m not some child either of you needs to babysit.” She huffed and shook her head.
Rob pulled her closer. “We know you’re capable, MJ. You proved that tonight, but we worry about you. We both love you.”
Slightly mollified, she nodded. “I know. I just don’t want either of you to treat me like some helpless child. Nick, you wouldn’t treat Tess that way, would you?”
“You bet I would if she was in danger.” He looked back at her smugly.
Her brother was so damn stubborn. She lifted her head and stole a peek at Rob. “I am not, repeat not, some damsel in distress.”
“Okay,” answered both men, looking chastened.
Good. She yawned wide and loud. She needed sleep. “Thank you both for everything you did. I’ve got to get some sleep.” She looked up at Rob. “Lock up after him and turn on the alarm system again,” she instructed.
She pulled away from Rob and headed down the hallway to the bedroom. Nick could see himself out. Maybe being so exhausted would keep her from nightmares about tonight’s break-in.
MJ was already in her nightshirt with her face washed and teeth brushed when Rob finally joined her. She leaned over and let the water out of the tub. She’d forgotten it with all that had happened.
Rob came up behind her. “Are you okay, honey?”
“I think so. It terrified me, Rob. Maverick was ready to protect me, though. He stood next to the bathroom door, ready to attack. When Kent turned the knob to get in, though, I really wasn’t sure we’d make it. Thank God, the police got here in time.”
Saved by a Warrior Dog Page 21
