Fugitive Chase

by Jenna Night

  Ramona sat on the couch. Harry sat in a nearby easy chair.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” Cassie asked Ramona.

  Some people in Cassie’s position—anxious to recover a fugitive so she wouldn’t lose her bond money—might be tempted to immediately press Ramona for information. But Cassie’s instincts were good and she knew they’d likely get more useful information from Ramona if they all stayed calm and took things slow.

  Ramona nodded. “Coffee sounds good.”

  “I’ll get some started,” Leon offered, then turned and disappeared down the hallway. A few seconds later Harry could hear water running in the office’s small kitchen.

  Ramona sank back into the sofa, sighed deeply and then reached up to run her hands through her hair. She looked startled as she plucked a few pine needles free. Her gaze dropped to her lap, and when she looked up, tears had collected in the corners of her eyes. She blinked, and they began to roll down her cheeks.

  “Hey, you’re okay,” Harry said, leaning toward her and nearly placing his hands atop hers. But then he caught himself. She didn’t know him and what he intended as a reassuring gesture might make her feel uncomfortable.

  “You’re safe here,” he said, leaning back.

  Cassie grabbed a box of tissues from a desk, handed it to Ramona and then sat down beside her, making small talk as Ramona dabbed at her eyes.

  A few minutes later Leon appeared with a coffeepot and some cups. Ramona took hers with sugar and a splash of cream, like Harry did. After a couple of sips, she started to breathe more calmly and the pinched expression on her face relaxed a little.

  “How can I help you find Darrin?” she eventually asked. “The cops are finally out actively looking for him. At least that’s one thing I accomplished tonight. What makes you think you can find him if they can’t?”

  “The police have access to technology, personnel and a mountain of data that we don’t have,” Cassie explained. “On the other hand, there are people who are afraid of cops or don’t like them. They won’t talk to the police but they will talk to us. And sometimes we just happen upon information that the authorities don’t have.”

  Ramona nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “Do you have any idea where Darrin Linder might be?” Harry asked. “Any thoughts on where he might hide out? Can you tell us who his friends are, where he likes to hang out, things like that?”

  She shook her head. “No. I wasn’t exactly friends with him. But Jasmine would know.”

  “You really do look like her,” Cassie interjected while looking at a photo of Jasmine on a tablet. “No wonder Harry thought you were her at first.” She shifted her gaze to Ramona. “How did your cousin get tied up with a jerk like Darrin Linder?”

  Ramona closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she opened her eyes and spoke, her voice was steady.

  “They were introduced to each other by someone Jasmine worked with. I was living with Jasmine at the time, so I was around him a little bit at the beginning of their relationship. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He had a job selling heavy equipment to farms and ranches all over the state. He made good money.

  “And then I had issues with a personal situation and had to move back in with my parents.”

  Ramona’s use of the word situation jumped out at Harry like a verbal red flag. What kind of situation was she talking about? Did it have anything to do with Darrin Linder? But he didn’t ask her any of the many questions popping into his mind right now. He didn’t want her to get defensive and withdraw her cooperation.

  “Very quickly, Darrin moved in with Jasmine,” Ramona continued. “I didn’t see much of her for a while. About three months later, when I finally did see her, things had changed.” She paused and shook her head. “Jasmine had trouble with depression for years, but she didn’t want to get professional help with it. And that made her vulnerable to a predator like Darrin.”

  While listening to her story, Harry saw events from his own life in his mind’s eye. He’d battled depression after finishing each of his combat tours overseas. The struggle was compounded by grief and sorrow after Willa passed away. His faith had saved him, but even so, it had been a tough experience and he was glad he’d taken his dad’s suggestion and seen a counselor.

  “Darrin had some friend who’d gotten him started on drugs, telling him they’d give him an edge in his job,” Ramona said in a flat tone, like she was trying to separate her emotions from the words she was saying. “They were supposed to help him make more sales, earn more money, get more done every day. And they seemed to work, making him feel more energetic and happier. And he convinced Jasmine that those drugs could help her, too.

  “For a while, they did make her feel better. And then they began to make her feel worse. But by then she couldn’t stop taking them. Meanwhile, Darrin had turned into a different person. He became aggressive and paranoid. He slapped Jasmine on several different occasions, but she refused to call the police. She refused to deal with the situation.

  “A little over a month ago, she hit bottom and finally opened up to me. She told me Darrin had started selling drugs and that he was earning so much money doing it that he quit his regular job. I finally got her to see a doctor and get help for her addiction. She went to church with me for the first time in a long while. She broke things off with Darrin and told him to move out. He slapped her again, hard enough to knock her to the ground, and this time she called the police and pressed charges. He was furious. He blamed our family for turning Jasmine against him.

  “Finally, he got caught selling drugs and was arrested. We were relieved until he got out on bail. He started stalking and harassing Jasmine. Told her he still loved her—but when she told him to leave, he switched to threatening her. Then he threatened my Aunt Valerie, and then my parents, and then me.”

  Her voice trembled and more tears broke free. Cassie handed her another tissue. Harry found himself impatiently tapping the heels of his boots on the floor, anxious to get out of the office and go hunting for the pathetic jerk who’d made the lives of Ramona and her family so miserable.

  Cassie gave Harry a pointed look. He realized what he was doing and stopped tapping.

  “Jasmine heard that he might be at the resort tonight. I figured out he was in that particular cabin because the cars parked outside the other cabins had out-of-state plates. I didn’t intend to confront Darrin,” Ramona said softly. “I just wanted to verify that he was there before I called the police.”

  “Sounds like we want to talk to the person who told Jasmine where to find Linder,” Leon said.

  Harry nodded in agreement.

  “How did you find Darrin?” Ramona asked Harry.

  “A paid informant saw a guy he thought might be Linder but he wasn’t sure. He followed him out to the resort and then called me. I’d just gotten there, hadn’t even had time to take pictures of the cars parked in front of the cabin, when I saw you running out the cabin door.”

  “Thank You, Lord, for putting someone there to help me,” Ramona said, hugging herself.

  “Amen,” Harry said. Cassie and Leon nodded in agreement.

  “Would you be willing to take me to talk to Jasmine?” Harry asked. “Tonight, if possible. She’s our best hope for solid information that could help us find Linder.”

  “I can do that.” Ramona reached toward the back pocket on her jeans and then suddenly stopped, dropping her hand back into her lap. “Darrin broke my phone.”

  “Use mine,” Harry said.

  Ramona tapped a number on the screen. The call apparently went to voice mail and she left a message. “I knew she wouldn’t answer because she wouldn’t recognize the number,” she said after disconnecting. And then her eyes widened as a look of alarm crossed her face.

  She got to her feet. “Let’s drive over to her condo right now.” She drew in a shaky breath.
“Darrin was furious. You saw that. You heard him threaten my family. I hope he hasn’t gone after Jasmine.”

  THREE

  Harry drove while Ramona gave him directions to Jasmine’s home, finally telling him to take a right turn onto a short street with a row of eight condos on one side. They were nice, new, two-story buildings conveniently located within walking distance of downtown.

  Harry had grown up on the outskirts of Stone River and he remembered when this stretch of land housed an old sawmill. Back when he was a kid, after the sawmill closed and the local economy tanked, he’d overheard his parents and grandparents fretting about young people moving away and the town dying out. But in the years since then, thanks to aggressive action by the city planners and city council, it had become a prime destination for retirees, outdoor enthusiasts and people who wanted a second home on the edge of the wilderness.

  Ramona directed him to the third condo from the end. Harry pulled to the curb on the opposite side of the street and parked. Immediately, she reached for her door handle. Harry quickly stuck out his arm to keep her from getting out of the truck.

  “What?” she asked sharply, turning to face him.

  In the faint light from a streetlight, he could see the anxiety etched on her face. She wanted to race inside and check on her cousin.

  “Just a precaution,” he said coolly. He shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror. “I want to make sure we’re not walking into a trap.” Harry wasn’t taking any chances. He’d considered having Leon come with them, but then decided that he didn’t want to draw too much attention to this visit. Especially if it might make Jasmine nervous. And Leon was just a call away if Harry needed him.

  The condos were the only structures currently on the street, though half of the block opposite the condos had been graded and leveled. A few tagged stakes were poking out of the ground, presumably marking future floor plans. There was no reason for there to be much traffic through here.

  Harry made sure they sat there for a full five minutes. Beside him, Ramona began to nervously chew on her bottom lip.

  There were no sounds of distress coming from inside the condo and nothing looked amiss. He had no indication that Jasmine was in imminent danger or needed his help. And right now, his priority was keeping Ramona safe.

  Again, unbidden, his thoughts turned back to Willa. He hadn’t been able to protect her from the death that had come so suddenly and unexpectedly. There’d been nothing he could do to save her. Accepting the fact that there were situations he couldn’t control, battles he wouldn’t win, and people that he couldn’t rescue was a struggle that he faced every single day. And if it weren’t for his faith, he would have lost that struggle a long time ago.

  As soon as he was reasonably certain they wouldn’t be walking into danger, he reached for his door handle. “Let’s go.”

  The large window on the first floor of Jasmine’s condo showed a little bit of light around the edges of the blinds. The rest of the windows were dark. The attached garage door was shut and it was hard to tell if anybody was home.

  Harry looked around for video cameras as they approached the front door but he couldn’t see any. “What kind of home security does she have?”

  “She’s got decent locks on the doors and windows,” Ramona answered. “But that’s it.”

  Harry knocked on the door.

  “Jasmine!” Ramona called out. “Are you okay?”

  The porch light flicked on and Harry stepped forward, putting himself between Ramona and the door just in case Linder was inside the condo with Jasmine.

  “Who is it?” a female voice called out. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s me!” Ramona hollered from behind Harry. “Are you okay? Open the door!”

  The wooden door swung open and Harry found himself facing a woman who looked a lot like Ramona. But her eyes were a little rounder than Ramona’s, her lips were thinner and her hair was a little bit shorter.

  Harry looked past her shoulder to see if there was anyone else with her. The living room was empty. Farther back he could see a family room where the TV was on. “Is anyone else here?” he asked.

  Jasmine stared wordlessly at him in response, obviously wondering who he was and what was happening.

  Ramona darted around him and grabbed her cousin in an embrace, exclaiming, “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “What’s going on?” Jasmine endured the hug for several seconds before gently prying herself free from Ramona. “I got your message from a strange number saying you wanted to come by. I called you back at your number, but you didn’t answer and I didn’t know what to think.” She stepped backward into her home as Ramona and Harry stepped forward.

  “So, is anyone else here?” Ramona asked.

  Jasmine shook her head. “No, it’s just me. Why? What’s going on?”

  Harry closed the door behind them and engaged the locks.

  Ramona introduced Harry to Jasmine. Then, as Ramona told her cousin about everything that had happened to her tonight, Harry tried to listen for the sounds of anyone walking around upstairs. He didn’t know Jasmine, so he couldn’t afford to believe what she said without question. Linder could be up there and she could be hiding him for some reason.

  Jasmine burst into tears when Ramona finished her story. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. You could have been killed.” She shook her head. “It’s all my fault.”

  “No, it’s not,” Ramona said firmly. “Darrin is responsible for his own behavior.”

  “But I’m the one who let him into my life,” she said in a wavering voice. “I introduced him to our family.”

  “Have you seen Darrin at all today?” Harry interjected, intent on keeping everyone on task. The task being to find Darrin Linder—plus his two cronies, if possible—and lock them up.

  Jasmine used the backs of her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes. “No. I haven’t seen him today. But he still finds ways to bump into me at the coffee shop or one of the restaurants near my work, even though I told him to stay away from me.”

  “Do you mind if I take a look around?” Harry asked. She sounded sincere—but that didn’t mean she was telling the truth. Maybe she’d actually decided she loved Linder after all and she was hiding him. Stranger things had happened. Or maybe Darrin had shown up and threatened to hurt her if she told anyone he was here.

  “You think I’m lying?” A stubborn expression crossed Jasmine’s face and she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Just let him look,” Ramona said.

  “Oh, all right.”

  Harry searched both floors of the condo and didn’t find anybody. When he came downstairs, both women were sitting on stools at the kitchen counter. Harry asked Jasmine if she had any idea where Darrin might be.

  “I don’t know where he moved to after I finally kicked him out,” she said. “Obviously he didn’t go far since I still see him around town.”

  “What about his family?” Fugitives often looked to family for help. “Where do his parents live?”

  “As far as I know, his entire family lives over around Seattle and Tacoma.”

  Harry worked his way through the standard list of questions. Within a half hour he had the names of Darrin’s employer and a few friends Jasmine had met, plus the name of the person who’d told Jasmine that Darrin might be at the cabins tonight. It was a decent start. And while he wanted to keep pursuing Linder, it was already late in the evening. He wasn’t a cop and couldn’t pound on people’s doors and demand they answer his questions without alienating them, so he would wait until a more suitable time tomorrow morning to question them.

  “You might consider getting some decent security installed,” he said to Jasmine. “Video cameras. Maybe a security monitoring company.”

  “Sounds expensive.” She turned to Ramona. “But then, I’ve already had a few things repair
ed around here because they weren’t done correctly in the first place. Maybe I can get Alex to install something at cost. The repairs were covered by the warranty that came with buying the place, but still, I think he owes me some kind of compensation for all the inconvenience it’s caused.”

  “Alex is the builder of these condos,” Ramona explained to Harry before turning back to Jasmine. “Getting this place more secure might take a while. Why don’t you come home with me? My parents would love it. Or we could take you to your mom’s house. I just don’t think you should stay here alone. Darrin was dangerous before, but he’s really dangerous now. And I’m afraid he’ll come after you.”

  Jasmine sighed heavily and fixed her gaze on Ramona. “You’re probably in more danger from him than I am. You’re a witness to the drugs and guns in his cabin. And he actually fired a gun at you and tried to kill you. If he gets captured, he’ll have to face new charges for all of that—which means he’d go to prison for a long time.”

  Harry’s concern for Ramona’s safety ratcheted up a couple of notches because there was no doubt in his mind that Jasmine was right.

  “I know how Darrin thinks,” Jasmine continued. “He’s not going to take responsibility for his actions tonight. He’s going to blame you.”

  “It sounds like he blames all of us,” Ramona said softly.

  “I’ll help you get your car back tomorrow,” Harry said to Ramona when the two of them walked out of the condo a short time later. Right now, he just wanted to get her home as quickly as possible. He needed to know she would be safe. And, honestly, he wouldn’t mind being around her for a few more minutes. Her fighting attitude and the tired smile she managed now and then despite all she’d been through tonight touched him.

  He would sort out his feelings about that later. Right now, he just wanted to stay close and make sure she got home safely.