When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions)

by Lynette Eason

  Then Hunter’s comforting touch. His sweet kiss. The look in his eyes when he told her, “You’re worth it, Lex.”

  Her heartbeat slowed. Her tense muscles relaxed. She drifted.

  The house was quiet. Still. The light in the back bedroom went off.

  The cop had parked on the curb, back far enough from the house to allow him a view of the front and one of the sides. He would be doing his next perimeter check in about two minutes.

  The seconds ticked by. His door opened.

  Right on time. The cop vanished around the corner. There was less than a minute to act.

  The killer slunk to the back of the car, made quick work of the locked door, and slid into the backseat. The door closed with a soft click.

  The meds had kicked in, and complete calm settled like a cloak over the killer’s shoulders.

  A piercing sound jerked her awake, heart pounding. Sleep still fogged her brain and the thundering of her pulse blocked any other sound. Sitting up, she clicked on the bedside lamp. “Yoda? Officer Howell?”

  Where was the dog? Where was the cop?

  Stilling, she closed her eyes and forced herself to control her breathing. Her pulse slowed. She listened.

  All was silent.

  What had she heard? Had she been having a bad dream?

  She rose and walked to the window, the very edge, and pushed the curtain aside just enough to peek out. Hunter had drilled it into her that she was to stay away from windows and keep the lights low so as not to make herself a target for a sniper. She could see the back of the unmarked car from her angle at the window.

  “Yoda? Where are you? Officer Howell?”

  Uneasiness crawled through her. When she was in the house, the dog usually stayed nearby. And why didn’t Officer Howell respond? Of course if she were at the opposite end of the house, she wouldn’t have heard Alexia.

  The air conditioner clicked on and began to hum. The blast of cold air from the vent at her feet made her shiver. Turning from the window, she eyed the bed, wanting nothing more than to slip back between the covers.

  But something felt wrong. Yoda’s absence bothered her more than she wanted to admit. And Officer Howell hadn’t shown herself.

  She leaned toward the phone. “Hunter?” she whispered. “Are you there?”

  No answer. But the phone was still connected. Maybe he had walked out of the room for a minute. She picked up her phone—the battery was almost dead. She laid it back down and quickly plugged it into her charger, annoyed that she’d forgotten to do it earlier. She tugged a pair of sweatpants over her pajama shorts and padded barefoot from the bedroom into the hall. The nightlight spread enough light that she could see clearly. She looked left, then right.

  Nothing.

  When the alarm sounded for that brief second, the dog entered the kitchen and came over to investigate. The killer held out a hand. The doggie treats disappeared immediately.

  “Good boy. Have a nice nap.”

  Hurried footsteps sounded from the hall.

  The killer’s blood surged, excitement pounded. The anxiety was gone now, but anticipation made for slick palms and a fast heartbeat.

  “Alexia?” The one word whisper echoed in the foyer. The cop. Being cautious. Not sure who was lurking in the kitchen.

  “I’m in here,” the killer whispered.

  “Oh,” the officer said in a normal voice. “It’s pitch black in here. Let me find a light.” Rustling sounded. The officer was running her hand along the wall, looking for the switch. “I thought I heard the alarm—”

  The wire passed over the cop’s head and landed underneath her jaw, tightening immediately.

  After a brief, silent struggle, the officer surrendered and went slack.

  “Now, Alexia. Your turn.”

  Her stomach jumped and twisted.

  Alexia thought about her cell phone on the bedside table. She should have brought it with her anyway. Assuming Hunter was still on the other end. Somehow she knew he was. However, if someone was in the house with a gun, Hunter wouldn’t be much help. And she might need both hands.

  Alexia continued down the hall and into the den. Shadows danced, caused by the nightlights and the moon shining through the window blinds.

  And still no sign of Yoda or Officer Howell.

  Nerves humming, shoulders tensed, Alexia made her way to the kitchen where she found Chewie under the table. Now she felt the first stirrings of real fear. At night, Chewie liked the recliner in the den. And Officer Howell wasn’t responding. Her eyes fell to the counter where Serena’s phone should have been. The handset was missing from its cradle.

  Her breath caught in her lungs. Something was definitely wrong.

  As she hurried from the kitchen into the foyer, the green light on the alarm pad caught her eye.

  Green? It should be red. Meaning it was armed. She’d punched in the numbers before she’d walked to her room.

  And now it was green. Meaning it was unarmed.

  Full-blown panic exploded within her. She raced for the front door, her one thought to open it and get out of the house.

  “Hello, Alexia.”

  Her fingers froze on the doorknob.

  Slowly, she turned. And came face-to-face with her black masked intruder.

  Her breath stopped, terror seized her. Think. You have to think.

  But all she could process was that she was trapped. There was no way she’d be able to get a door open fast enough. Her only hope was the cell phone in the bedroom.

  “Where’s . . . Yoda?” she blurted. She almost asked about Officer Howell and stopped herself at the last minute. What if the woman was hiding somewhere, waiting for a chance to disarm the intruder? Over the pounding of her heart, the rushing of her blood, she strained to hear, to really listen to the voice.

  A low laugh came from the black form. “The dog? You’re worried about the dog? Don’t worry, the mutt’s just sleeping. I don’t kill animals.”

  But killing her wouldn’t be a problem. She got the unspoken message. Her eyes darted. Where was the officer?

  “What do you want? Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

  “Where’s Jillian?”

  “Why do you want to know where Jillian is?” Alexia inched away from the door.

  The knife in the intruder’s right hand lifted. “Where is she?”

  Unable to think of anything else that she could say that would save her, Alexia turned and darted down the hall, her goal the bedroom where she prayed Hunter was still on the line.

  Light footsteps followed behind her, the unhurried pace mocking her, chilling her with the knowledge that her attacker was very confident in how this night would end.

  Silence came from the phone. Was she asleep or just lying there thinking?

  “Lex?” he whispered.

  No answer.

  Asleep. He smiled and started to hang up. Then hesitated. If she woke up, she might want to know he was still there. With a shrug, he set the cell phone on the end table and turned back to finish writing out the plan he and Katie had come up with. He still didn’t like it, but it would definitely be effective.

  After using his home phone for three more calls to line everything up, he decided to call it a night.

  A resounding crash came from his cell phone still on speaker. A muffled scream froze him even as his adrenaline spiked.

  Alexia!

  “Hunter! Help me!”

  34

  Friday, 10:58 p.m.

  She had nowhere else to run. Her attacker had easily kicked the bedroom door in and made a beeline toward her. Alexia picked up the bedside lamp and swung it.

  She missed.

  Trapped. She was trapped. “Stop! Leave me alone!”

  Fear beat a steady rhythm within her as did a rage that began to consume her.

  The masked person lunged, grabbed at her as Alexia did her best to dodge the outstretched hand.

  The hand that snagged a chunk of hair.

  Whi
te pain streaked through her as she froze. “Please,” she whispered.

  A sickly sweet aroma wafted toward her and she turned her head from it. The knife flashed in front of her face, but it wasn’t aimed to cut her. Instead, it was held behind a cloth.

  The cloth that she instinctively knew was supposed to drug her.

  Terror shot through her as it closed in and slapped over her mouth and nose. She held her breath and jerked. But he was stronger than she was—and she was in good shape, strong enough to pass the rigorous training of a firefighter.

  She needed air.

  Another twist pulled her face free. The knife clattered to the floor. The cloth slipped away long enough for Alexia to draw breath.

  And then she heard his voice. “Lex! Are you there? What’s going on? I’m on my way!”

  The fingers gripped her hair, yanking. The pain seared through her.

  Lashing out, she avoided the cloth once more even as panic made her breath come in quick pants.

  Where was her help? Where was the detective watching her house?

  Her attacker moved once more, strong fingers never slacking. Alexia felt herself weakening. She wanted to cry out. Instead, she kicked, squirmed, resisted, and fought with everything in her.

  Until something slammed into her stomach, paralyzing her for a few seconds as her lungs emptied.

  The cloth slapped back over her face, she breathed in once, twice, and knew no more.

  Hunter snatched up his landline and called Jimmy, worry for Alexia eating at his gut.

  No answer.

  He grabbed his car keys and punched in dispatch’s number. He rattled off the address, gave her the short version of what was happening, and listened to the struggle going on over his cell phone.

  “Leave her alone!” he yelled into the device. He knew his order would do no good. A fact that was confirmed when a light chuckle rang out. It sounded distant. The person must be standing on the other side of the room from Alexia’s phone.

  In the car and heading down the road, he prayed.

  The cell phone sat in the cup holder in front of him, mocking him with its sudden silence.

  Ten seconds later, heavy breathing filtered to him. A grunt.

  “Who are you?” Hunter growled. “I’ve called for backup and I’m on my way to find you.” He kept his words low, controlled, not expecting an answer, but hoping the person had stopped to listen.

  Where were Jimmy and Marty? Why hadn’t either answered their phone?

  “Then I’ll just have to move a little faster, won’t I?” The hissing voice startled him and he almost froze.

  Then he gunned the car. “Hang on, Lex, I’m coming!”

  The next six minutes were the longest in his life. Finally, he rolled up to the curb to see that red and blue lights had taken over the neighborhood.

  At the sight of the ambulance, his stomach dropped.

  At the sight of the draped body on the gurney, he nearly lost his dinner.

  “Lex!” He bolted from his car.

  And skidded to a stop.

  Chad hovered over Alexia as the paramedics worked on her.

  Jerking from his stunned lethargy, Hunter raced to her and dropped to his knees. “What’s wrong with her?” he demanded. Then fixed his gaze on his brother. “What did you do to her?”

  Chad recoiled. “What?”

  “Every time something bad happens, you’re there.”

  His brother flinched, then drew back. Hunter told himself to shut up, but in his mind, he could clearly see his notes—as though he had them in front of him.

  Chad shows up.

  Not now, he told himself. Later. “Where’s Jimmy?”

  “He’s dead. So’s Marty.” Chad’s voice was tight, angry. But controlled. “Both Jimmy and Marty were strangled. The person was watching and ready to strike when the opportunity presented itself. Probably came in from the woods behind the house.”

  “Marty was supposed to be watching those woods.” Hunter wondered if Jimmy and Marty had died before or after Chad arrived on the scene, then shuddered at the thought. No, it was a coincidence. Chad wouldn’t . . .

  Focus on Alexia. Ignoring his sibling, Hunter looked down at the woman he was falling for. She looked pale, yet peaceful. And no blood that he could see. He looked at the paramedic who released the blood pressure cuff from around Alexia’s upper arm. Her name badge read Sheri Morris. He asked, “What is it? What’s wrong with her?”

  Ms. Morris’s eyes met his. “It’s like she’s in a really deep sleep. My guess is some kind of drug. Her vitals are slow, but nothing dangerous. We’ll get to the hospital and let a doctor check her out.”

  “And she was just lying out here in the yard when you arrived?”

  The paramedic helped her partner lift Alexia onto the second gurney. Thank goodness the sheet was only drawn to her chin.

  Ms. Morris grunted as she rolled the gurney toward the back of the ambulance. “No. That guy you were arguing with was carrying her toward his car. When he saw us, he waved us over to help.”

  Hunter whirled to face Chad. “Carrying her toward your car?”

  Chad exploded. “I was getting her to a hospital, man!”

  “What about Jimmy and Marty? Were you going to try to get them to a hospital too?” Hunter yelled back.

  Chad’s fingers curled into a fist and Hunter prepared himself for a blow.

  Instead, Chad took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, “They were dead when I got here. At least Jimmy was. Officer Cortez found Marty in the kitchen pantry. They couldn’t revive her.”

  Hunter swallowed a groan as Chad said, “I checked Jimmy, called it in, and then this person comes out of the house carrying Alexia like a sack of potatoes. I hollered at him and went after him. He dropped her and took off.” His brother swiped a hand down his face as though the action could get rid of the tension he obviously felt. “I had to either chase him or make sure Alexia was okay.” His eyes drilled into Hunter’s. “I checked on Alexia. When she wasn’t responsive, I picked her up and figured it might be faster to drive her to the hospital myself. Then these guys showed up.”

  “We were right around the block up at the diner. Took us less than a minute to get here,” Ms. Morris said. “Now, we’re ready to roll. Bye, guys.”

  She started to shut the door when Hunter stopped her. “I’m going with you.”

  “You can ride up front or meet us there.”

  Hunter debated for about three seconds. He might need his car. “I’ll meet you there.”

  “I’m right behind you,” Chad said.

  “No, you’re not.” Hunter held up a hand, halting his brother’s movement. “You’re the only one that saw the person trying to snatch Alexia. You need to write up an incident report.”

  “I can do that later.”

  Hunter felt his jaw go rigid. “Do it now, please. You want to help Alexia? The sooner we have all the details, the sooner we’ll catch the creep that did this.”

  It took all of his self-control not to plant his fist on Chad’s nose. Instead, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  Self-control.

  Right.

  He didn’t want to argue with Chad. He wanted to be with Alexia. But he was a professional and had an attempted kidnapping to investigate. With regret, he watched the ambulance pull out of the drive and head toward the subdivision’s exit.

  First things first. Protection for Alexia.

  He called his captain and filled the man in. Then asked who could be spared to cover Alexia. The captain promised to have someone meet the ambulance at the hospital, then ordered Hunter to solve this case yesterday.

  “I’m working on it, sir. Every cop within twenty miles is now on this scene ransacking the neighborhood looking for the perp and asking questions. We’re doing all we can do.”

  “Do more. This is getting ridiculous. This perp is making us all look like idiots. And now we have two more murders. Killing Jimmy and Marty was a
big mistake.” Grief filled the man’s voice. He’d lost two of his own tonight. They all had.

  “The media’s going to be all over this. In fact, I think I see a truck pulling up now.”

  “Use them. Get the word out. We don’t have a great description of the killer, but maybe something will filter in.”

  “I’ll put Chad on it if that’s all right.”

  “Do it. This woman, Alexia, she either knows something or has something this person wants. Find out what it is.”

  “Yes sir.” Relief filled him, glad he had his captain’s permission to pull out all the stops to protect Alexia. Although, short of using a safe house and hiding her away, there wasn’t much more that he could do.

  He pulled Chad aside. “All right. Run it by me again.”

  Chad did, leaving out no detail. And Hunter had to admit his brother was a good cop with great observation skills.

  Chad rubbed his head and frowned. “You know, there’s something about the way the perp moved.”

  Hunter lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”

  His brother shook his head. “I mean, the dude was strong to be able to carry Alexia the way he did. What do you think she weighs? A hundred twenty? Twenty-five, tops?”

  “Yeah. Probably.” He had a glimmer of where Chad was going with this. “So, our intruder was someone who works out a lot?”

  “Definitely. But not just that. It was the way he ran after he dropped Alexia to the ground. It was more like he was actually a she.”

  Hunter considered Chad’s little bombshell. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. In fact the more I think about it, the more I’m not liking it.”

  Because you’re the one who’s actually after Alexia and are trying to throw me? Or because you are truly on to something?

  Chad swallowed hard. “She . . . uh . . . kind of reminded me of . . . someone.”