by Hope White
“You didn’t find her...body, did you?”
He snapped his attention to her. “No, why?”
“You’re stalling. That means you don’t want to tell me something. As long as you didn’t find my friend’s dead body, I can handle whatever you’ve got. Come on, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter, we didn’t find her.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
He glanced at Romeo, who lay next to him on the floor. “Someone shot at us.”
“At the dog?”
“Sounded like it. Romeo was way ahead of us and we heard shots. But he’s okay, aren’t ya, buddy?” His tone seemed lighter than she’d heard before.
Romeo wagged his tail, excited about Jack’s attention.
“I think it was a diversion, a way to keep law enforcement occupied while they came for you again.”
“Wow.”
“I’ve contacted the community center and they’re fine with us looking through video feed. They keep twenty-one days at a time, so there’s a chance we’ll see the drug exchange.”
“It’s not Shannon.”
“You should eat your sandwich and raise your blood sugar so we can work.”
“Okay, Doctor Jack.”
She thought a slight smile curved the corner of his lips, but couldn’t be sure.
As they ate, Zoe mused how comfortable it was to share a meal with this unusual man. The silence between them was pleasant, not stressful. She didn’t feel silently judged like when her ex would take her to a fancy restaurant and then wrinkle his nose when she chose to order French fries instead of rice as her side dish with salmon. It was like Tim was always worried about impressing people around him, whereas Zoe’s priority was feeling at ease and comfortable in her environment.
She’d grown up walking on eggshells, never knowing when an argument would be triggered by financial strain or a medical diagnosis. Her parents and Zoe were stressed out because they loved Ryan so much and didn’t want to lose him. But even after he recovered, the family didn’t seem to heal. The stress had taken its toll, and her parents had never been the same.
Shannon’s family had always been there for her.
“The video feed,” Zoe said. “Can we go back to the community center and take a look after we stop by the sheriff’s office?”
“We don’t have to go to the community center. I received permission to access their server, so we can do that now.”
Zoe nodded. She was both anxious to prove her friend’s innocence and nervous about the possibility she was a drug dealer.
“Unless you want to wait?” Jack offered.
“No, let’s do it.” Zoe moved her chair to sit beside him, and he opened his laptop. After a few minutes, he had access to the community center’s video. They focused on the hours Shan volunteered for Angie’s Youth Club.
“Jeanie said the drugs appeared in her backpack on Fridays,” Zoe said.
Jack fast-forwarded to the appropriate date. The first Friday they watched showed nothing, at least nothing featuring Shannon Banks.
“Maybe I’m being unrealistic,” Zoe said.
“Hang on, let me see if I can find another camera.” Jack tapped at the keyboard. A few seconds later another shot appeared, this one focused on the entry to the building. Teens entered and dropped their backpacks in a room on the right side of the hallway. “This could be promising.”
Wendy Yost shut the door.
Jack fast-forwarded the video at the perfect speed so as not to miss anyone entering the room with the backpacks.
They watched.
They waited.
Tension coiled in Zoe’s shoulders.
“Wait,” Jack said, slowing the video to normal speed. A blonde woman, about Shannon’s height and build, hesitated at the door.
Zoe sat straight. “I can’t tell if it’s her.”
“We’ll get a better look once she leaves the office.”
A few minutes passed. Zoe reminded herself to breathe.
When the woman finally exited, she had flipped her hood over her head and backed out.
“It’s like she knows where the camera is,” Jack said softly.
“I don’t think it’s her.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Her hoodie.”
“What about it?”
“It’s black.”
“And...?”
“Shannon does not wear black. Ever. Trust me, I’ve seen her closet. She’s a bright pink, lime green, tangerine kind of girl. Can you back it up?”
They watched the video again, Zoe hoping to discern more evidence proving it wasn’t Shan.
“Interesting,” Jack said.
“What?”
“That patch on her sleeve.” He pointed to the screen, froze the image and zoomed in. “It looks like a bald eagle.”
“I’ve never seen her wear animals on her clothes.”
Head lowered, the hood blocking her profile, the woman turned and disappeared down the hall.
“Are there any other cameras?” Zoe said.
“The back parking lot. But let’s keep an eye on this camera to see if the woman returns and we can get a better look.”
They focused on the screen, but the woman did not reappear. Wendy Yost opened the office to let the kids in and when Jeanie got her backpack, she held it close and peeked inside. With a satisfied nod, she shouldered her pack and left.
“Looks like she got the product,” Jack said.
“I’m not convinced it was Shannon who delivered it.”
“I can see how you wouldn’t be.”
“What about you? What do you think?”
“I think we should examine more video.”
Someone knocked on the door. “It’s Detective Perry,” a muffled voice said.
Jack put out his hand for Zoe to remain seated and he went to open the door.
Perry stepped inside. “When you’re done with breakfast, I’ll take you to identify the man we have in custody,” he said to Zoe, ignoring Jack.
“I can finish this on the way.” Zoe stood and closed the foam box. “Thanks for breakfast, Jack. You’ll be here when I get back?”
“I’m coming with.”
“You sure? You can stay here and finish your breakfast.”
“I’ll follow you.”
“Okay.”
She sensed the detective’s displeasure as she accompanied him to his car. She’d offered Jack a pass by giving him permission to stay back. The man had a life, and since she was in police custody, she would be safe. Jack surely had work commitments to deal with, if not a search-and-rescue mission to join. She glanced at the clear sky.
“The weather’s cleared up, so they’ll be able to search for Shannon again, right?” she asked Detective Perry.
“Unfortunately the weather can be sunny down here, and completely opposite a thousand feet up. SAR Command decides if it’s safe to send out teams.”
She and Perry got into his dark sedan and pulled away. She noticed Jack’s SUV following them in the side view mirror.
“Although we haven’t identified her yet, the victim they recovered from the mountain had drugs in her system and on her person,” Detective Perry said. “We suspect she got high, went for a hike and fell, sustaining life threatening injuries.”
Zoe shook her head. “Tragic. But why did she have Shannon’s number?”
He didn’t respond, probably expecting Zoe to fill in the blanks. The most obvious answer? The victim had her number because Shan was her drug supplier. Zoe still wouldn’t accept that possibility.
“How do you and Jack Monroe know each other?”
She turned to him. “He’s the one who rescued me off Mt. Stevens.”
“You didn’t know him before that?�
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“No, why?”
“It seems like... Never mind.”
“What?”
“It seems like you’re awfully dependent on him considering you barely know the guy.”
I know enough, she wanted to say. She realized how ridiculous that would sound, especially to a man like Detective Perry.
“He’s been a good friend in the short time we’ve known each other.”
“If you say so.”
“Hey, why the attitude?” she challenged.
“I’m trying to solve a case here, while keeping you safe, and figure out what your friend got herself into.”
“Nothing criminal.”
He sighed. “I don’t know who took her, but now someone’s after you, and whoever it is knows where you’re going to be before you even get there. Only four people knew you were staying at the inn—me, you, Sergeant Peterson and Jack Monroe.”
“Let me understand this. First you accuse my best friend of being a drug dealer, and now you’re accusing Jack of being involved in the kidnapping?”
“Being suspicious comes with the job.”
“What about gut instinct? Isn’t that part of the job?”
“You don’t wanna know what my instinct says about Jack Monroe.”
“Why, because he comes off as rude and arrogant?”
“He is rude and arrogant.”
She realized Detective Perry was unable to look past his own perception to see another side of things.
“I don’t see him that way,” she said.
“Well, you should know his arrogance got Angie Adams killed.”
“Hold on a second, you’re blaming Jack for—”
“He tried to save her using basic first aid skills when he should have called for a chopper to evac her out of there.”
“What about the other members of Jack’s team? Couldn’t any of them call for help?”
“He was the team leader.”
“And he jumped into action to save a girl’s life.”
“You weren’t there.”
“But you were?” she snapped.
He clenched his jaw.
She’d pushed back too hard but still, she didn’t like the man maligning Jack’s character for trying to save a girl’s life.
“Okay, let’s try again,” she said, putting on her counselor’s hat. “Angie’s death is tragic, especially considering her friends abandoned her.”
Perry snapped his attention to Zoe.
“Yes, Jack told me. How about you clue me in about what else is going on here.”
“I’m a cop. I’m supposed to protect people, especially my own family members,” he paused. “She shouldn’t have died.”
“Agreed. And Jack did everything he could to save her.”
“If Monroe had called for a helicopter, they would have gotten her to the hospital that much sooner, and my niece would be alive today.”
His niece? Whoa. Zoe let that one digest for a minute. Okay, it was making sense: why he was so angry at Jack, why Perry wanted to protect Zoe, why he didn’t trust Jack.
“Detective, I am so sorry,” she said.
“Now you know why you can’t trust Jack Monroe.”
“I understand why you feel you can’t trust him. That has nothing to do with my situation.”
“Be smart, and distance yourself from the guy.”
“I appreciate your concern.”
“But mind my own business.”
“I didn’t say that. The more people I have on my team protecting me, the better. Make no mistake, Jack is and will continue to be a member of that team.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes in silence, Zoe considering the detective’s words and then saying a prayer for his healing and his guilt. She could feel it oozing off him when he confessed that as a cop, he was committed to protecting his family. It had to be horrible to lose his niece the way he had, especially given the circumstances Jack had shared about the girl being abandoned by her friends.
Detective Perry pulled into the police department’s parking lot.
“Sometimes it helps to talk about things,” Zoe offered. “With a professional.”
“What?” Perry turned off the engine.
“Your grief.”
“Talking about it isn’t going to change anything. Let’s go.”
He quickly got out of the car and she felt saddened by the shield of pain encasing the detective’s heart. He’d never heal from the loss unless he walked straight into the fire of grief and came out the other side.
Jack joined her and Detective Perry, who led them into the police station. As they walked through the main office, Zoe noticed it was empty. Of course, their personnel were on the street patrolling neighborhoods.
“Wait here,” Detective Perry said, motioning Zoe and Jack into a tidy office. “I’ll bring you back when the lineup is ready.”
Zoe sat in a chair opposite the walnut desk, but Jack remained standing, looking out the window.
Zoe’s gaze drifted to a few framed photos of what she assumed were the detective’s family. She understood his anger at Jack. Perry had to be angry with someone, and it was an act of self-defense to be upset with someone else, rather than look too closely at one’s own guilt. It wasn’t the detective’s fault any more than it was Jack’s.
“We talked about Angie in the car,” she said.
Jack snapped around to look at her. “Why?”
“It just came up.”
“You shouldn’t talk about it, especially with him.”
“Why not?”
“You just shouldn’t.” Jack looked back out the window.
“I don’t suppose you’ve talked about it with anyone else either, have you?”
He didn’t answer.
“Jack—”
“Don’t involve yourself in this, Zoe. It’s none of your business.”
Again, someone else might consider his response rude. Zoe simply felt his pain.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He turned again and studied her. “Why? It’s not your fault.”
“Jack, me saying I’m sorry is me holding space for you, like before.”
“Why would you do that?”
“What, hold space?”
He nodded.
“Because I can imagine the kind of pain you felt when you couldn’t save Angie, and I want to be here for you so you won’t feel so alone.”
He shook his head.
“Still not computing, huh?” she said.
“I don’t know.”
Which was better than no.
Sudden, loud pops made Zoe shriek and she dove under the desk.
TEN
It was an automatic response on Zoe’s part, having trained for the possibility of an active shooter event at school. She’d hoped, she’d prayed she’d never have to use her training.
Jack reached down and took her hand. “Get up. We’re leaving.”
Just like that. Without an edge of fear or concern or anything resembling the panic that hummed in her body.
She mimicked his affect and did as ordered.
As he guided her into the hallway, a door opened behind them and Detective Perry stumbled down the hall. Blood stained his shirt.
Jack froze and positioned Zoe behind him.
“Get her out of here,” Perry said.
“You’re wounded,” Jack said.
“Out!” Perry ordered.
Jack hesitated a second, as if he didn’t want to leave the man behind, but then turned and led Zoe away.
Silence rang in her ears. The shooting had stopped.
Her panic hadn’t.
They approached the exit and Jack put his hand up to signal they should wait.
He listened.
She wondered what he heard that she didn’t, and what was going on in that mind of his.
He looked at Zoe and nodded. He guided them to his SUV, and the doors unlocked with a click.
“Get in the back,” he said.
She climbed in beside Romeo and wrapped her arms around the dog for comfort.
Jack got behind the wheel and they pulled away. “Call 911.”
“Wouldn’t they already know?” Zoe asked.
“Please, call 911,” he repeated.
Good. Fine. He obviously had his wits about him, whereas Zoe was about to unravel. Again. Considering she thought herself a strong woman, she was certainly falling apart a lot lately. Of course she was—someone had opened fire in a police station.
Zoe made the call and reported shots fired at the sheriff’s office.
“At the Mt. Stevens sheriff’s office?” the operator repeated. “And with whom and I speaking?”
“Zoe Pratt. I was there for a lineup and someone opened fire and we escaped.”
“Who’s we?”
“Me and—”
Jack reached back and touched her knee.
She froze.
“No,” Jack said.
“Ma’am?” the operator prompted.
She trusted that Jack knew what he was doing. “Please send help. Call other police departments, send whoever you can.” Zoe ended the call. “Why didn’t you want me to say I’m with you?”
“I don’t want them tracking my car, not right away.”
“The police?”
“The shooters might have access to the frequency. I want to make sure you’re safe, then I need time to think.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet, maybe back to Portland.”
“No, Jack, I need to stay in the area.”
“That’s not sensible.”
“And you need to stay in the area to join the next search.”
“There are plenty of other volunteers.”
“But I have faith in you. Please, let’s not run away from this.”
“I do not want to see you hurt.”
“Back at ya.”
He glanced into the rearview mirror.
“We’ll protect each other,” she said.
* * *
We’ll protect each other.
