Colton Manhunt

by Jane Godman

  He flicked through the pages of Kerry’s report, refreshing his memory.

  “That means there was no way to tell gender or age.”

  It also meant they couldn’t rule Ace Colton in or out of the list of suspects. It was frustrating, but typical of this investigation.

  “Joanne Bates, the cleaning woman, thinks she heard a man’s voice say ‘Mom,’ followed by the F word. Her vacuum was running, so she can’t be sure. And Dee Walton, Payne Colton’s administrative assistant, found an Arizona State Sun Devils pin in Payne’s office.”

  Kerry nodded. “That was weird because Payne had no affiliation with Arizona State, and he wasn’t much into football. There’s speculation in the family that the shooter could have dropped it.”

  “Speculation seems to be all we’ve got right now.” Frustration was a tight knot in Spencer’s gut as he placed the pages back in order. “Thank you. This is a detailed account of the investigation so far.”

  “It’s not much to work with, I know.” Kerry looked apologetic.

  “You can only report on what you’re given. This isn’t a murder case, so we don’t have the same resources. But the shooter obviously meant for Payne to die, and the doctors aren’t hopeful about his chances of recovery.” Spencer took a slug from the hour-old cup of coffee on his desk. “This has the feel of a case that’s going cold.”

  The case seemed to be bogged down in uncertainty and doubt. There was nothing which he could grasp and make a proper start. Used to being able to give his team direction, Spencer was irritated by the lack of activity. Determined to take back control, he had decided the forward momentum must come from him.

  “Is there anything we can do to change that?” It seemed that Kerry was equally unhappy at the slow progress.

  “As I said, the shooter wanted Payne dead. If he hears that his victim is showing signs of recovery, he may make another move.”

  “You’re planning to flush him out with false information?” Kerry said. “Isn’t that a risky strategy?”

  “Payne won’t be in any danger, and I’ve been working closely with the family on this plan. When I spread the word that his health is improving, I’ll have him moved to a safe place and put a cop in his old room as a decoy.”

  With no leads, a sting operation felt like the only logical move. If Payne defied the odds and did start to improve, his attacker might decide to come back for a second try. This way, the police would be one step ahead in an inquiry that otherwise felt like it was going nowhere.

  “I’ll let the family know the details when they are finalized,” he told Kerry. “For now, just keep me informed about any new developments.”

  When she’d gone, he glanced out of his office window, the bright afternoon sunlight catching him off guard. Maybe he should go out and get some lunch. A wry smile crossed his lips. Who was he kidding? When he had a caseload like his, lunch was usually a curled-up sandwich from the canteen and another cup of coffee that would grow cold by the time he got around to drinking it.

  Although he hadn’t said anything aloud, there was a grunt of agreement from under the desk. As far as Boris was concerned, the eating arrangements were never good enough. With a sigh, Spencer flipped over the Payne Colton report and opened another file.

  * * *

  The Affirmation Alliance Group Center was surrounded by beautiful Arizona countryside. There was nothing around for miles in any direction, just acres of unspoiled land, palm trees and a shimmering hint of mountains in the distance. Katrina, having set out in response to Suzie’s prompting, decided that, if this was isolation, she liked it.

  After leaving the highway, she drove along a half-mile, tree-lined dirt drive to the main ranch house. The building had a woodsy, fancy log-cabin exterior and a large triangular roof, and was two stories high. Large, hunter-green gates were pinned back, as though always open, while big potted plants in front added to the welcoming feel.

  Since the earthquake, she’d seen the AAG had been carrying out good work around the town, helping those affected. From handing out food parcels, to helping rebuild homes and offering accommodation to those worst affected, they had been highly visible in their efforts. Everyone Katrina had spoken to had been full of praise for the job they were doing.

  She didn’t know what she’d expected from their headquarters, but it wasn’t anything as warm and feel-good as this. Feeling slightly foolish now about her fears for Eliza, she parked her car next to a row of other vehicles. Her suspicions were the product of years of worrying about her sister. She should be glad Eliza had found this place. Even though she felt a bit reassured by the center’s ambience, she was still worried for her sister. She might as well go inside and see if there was anything her twin needed from her. That way, she could see for herself how Eliza was doing in these surroundings.

  At the same time that she crossed the parking lot, a man walked out of the building. As he strode across the porch and down the steps, his swagger and clothing drew Katrina’s attention to him. Skater dude. That’s how Eliza would have described him. He had handsome, rock-star features and shoulder-length hair peeking out from beneath a beanie. With his faded jeans and matching jacket, scuffed high-tops and graffiti-covered T-shirt, he was just the type her sister would have been drawn to. With a guy like him around, Eliza would never leave this place.

  Although she told herself it was wrong to judge on appearances, she knew from experience just how good Eliza was at picking the wrong kind of guy. It was an upsetting thought, one that triggered a series of memories of rescuing her sister from bad relationships with men who strutted just like the one she’d just seen. Despair washed over her again as she headed inside the building. She had to find Eliza and see if she needed help.

  The interior of the center was just as impressive as the outside. The wide porch led directly to a large, open lobby with wood-paneled walls, comfortable seating and a long table with complimentary beverages, muffins and fruit. Brass signs indicated the many guest and conference rooms. Beneath a long wooden desk, there was a large portrait of Micheline Anderson, AAG’s founder. Blonde, blue-eyed and attractive, she had a warm smile that, even in a picture, seemed to be welcoming. The group’s slogan—Be Your Best You!—was on display everywhere.

  “Hi, there.” The pretty young woman who approached Katrina was a blue-eyed blonde with a full-on smile. “I’m Leigh Dennings, the welcome manager here at the Affirmation Alliance Group Center. How may I help you today?”

  “I’d like to see my sister, Eliza Perry. She’s been living here since the earthquake destroyed her apartment.”

  There was a tiny pause before Leigh pursed her lips. “I’m not sure—”

  “I just need ten minutes of her time.” Now she had taken this step, it was important for Katrina to see it through. She needed to reassure herself that Eliza was okay. Perhaps they could even use this as a new start between them. Maybe next time she came, she would feel she could just call her sister instead of taking the formal step of going through the front desk. On this occasion, she wasn’t sure how Eliza would feel about her sudden arrival and didn’t feel comfortable with that approach.

  “Oh, please don’t think I would try to stop you from visiting with one of our guests.” Leigh lightly touched Katrina’s arm. “It’s just that I don’t recognize that name. But let me check our records.”

  She moved toward the reception desk. Katrina trailed in her footsteps, confusion clouding her thoughts. She had seen signs for about twenty guest rooms. Surely, the welcome manager should know the names of all the people who were staying at the center. There was always a possibility that Leigh wasn’t very good at her job. Or that Eliza had lied about where she was staying... It wouldn’t be the first time her sister, under the guise of maintaining her independence, had misled Katrina about her whereabouts. In the past, once she needed money, or got into trouble, she’d eventually been forced to tell the tru
th.

  After typing quickly on the keyboard of a desktop computer and then consulting the screen, Leigh looked up. Her smile remained in place, but her gaze shifted around instead of settling on Katrina’s face. “Let me just talk to my colleagues.”

  Before Katrina could protest, the other woman had crossed the lobby and was talking to two men who were positioned close to the door. As Leigh spoke to them, they both turned to stare at Katrina. It was probably a natural reaction, but something about the way they looked her up and down left her with a crawling sensation along her spine.

  Get a grip. Just because they look creepy, doesn’t mean they are creepy.

  It didn’t matter what she told herself; the men gave off an unpleasant vibe. After a few minutes of deep conversation, the three AAG members approached Katrina.

  “Hi, I’m Bart Akers.” In any other setting, Katrina would have figured Creep Number One was hired muscle. He was in his late twenties, big and brawny, with a blond crew cut. She sensed there wasn’t much going on behind those light hazel eyes. “This is my colleague, Randall Cook.”

  Katrina briefly took in the older, taller man at his side.

  “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I got messages from my sister saying this was where she was staying.” She still spoke directly to Leigh.

  “Maybe she meant another AAG ranch?” Leigh gave a slight giggle, as though inviting Katrina to share the joke.

  Clearly, like the fireflies that lived in the Mustang Valley Mountains, the welcome manager was good to look at but not very bright. Even so, Katrina’s instinct told her she was marginally more intelligent than the male AAG members.

  “This is the place she came to,” Katrina said.

  “Yes, of course. We’ve been so busy since the earthquake, it’s hard to keep track of everyone we’ve helped.” Leigh had regained her composure and her smile was back to hundred-watt capacity. “Your sister did stay with us for two nights back in April. I wanted to check with Bart and Randall in case they had any information about where she went after she left us.”

  “We don’t.” Bart’s smile was considerably less attractive than Leigh’s. “She said she was going. Didn’t say where.”

  For a moment, the solid tile floor beneath Katrina’s feet felt springy. Then she realized her knees had started to shake. It was June. If Eliza had left this place in April, she had been absent for two months. It wasn’t the first time her twin had gone missing. But it was the first time Katrina hadn’t known about it and been actively looking for her. If she’d known, she would have followed her usual routine and contacted Eliza’s friends, liaised with her counselors, and, if all else failed, reported her missing to the police.

  “I’m sorry we can’t help you.” Leigh’s gaze flicked toward the door.

  Fighting the fog of panic that was threatening to engulf her, Katrina sucked in a breath. “I don’t understand. Her apartment was destroyed. You offered her a safe place to stay. She had no money or belongings. Why would she leave? Where did she go?”

  “We don’t hold that sort of information on our database,” Leigh said. “People who spend time with us are free to come and go as they choose.”

  “But you were out and about in the town offering people your help after the earthquake. That means you had a responsibility to care for them.” Katrina wasn’t concerned that the volume of her voice was rising. “You must have known Eliza was homeless and vulnerable. How could you have let her walk out of here without making sure she was okay?”

  “Hey.” Bart stepped closer. “You’re clearly worried about your sister, but Leigh has explained the situation. There’s nothing more we can do for you.”

  If they thought she was letting this go, they were mistaken. Blank smiles and excuses weren’t going to work. Katrina would talk to every person in this place if that was what it took to find even a sliver of information about her sister. With no other family and addicted friends who drifted in and out when she was part of their dependent lifestyle, Katrina was all Eliza had.

  Just as she was about to tell Bart to take a step out of her personal space, a high-pitched yelp and the sound of claws scrabbling on tile made her turn her head. In a practiced move, she squatted in time to catch a squirming bundle of fur in her arms.

  “Dobby?”

  As she petted the excited dog and dodged the face kisses, her mind was whirling. How could her sister’s pet be here if Eliza left in April? Because...

  No. Just no.

  Ever since Eliza had rescued the pup—whose face was not his prettiest end—when he was eight weeks old, the pair had been inseparable. Whatever else was going on in her life, Eliza made sure Dobby was fed, clean and healthy. The little guy’s bed was always positioned alongside Eliza’s, he ate ethically sourced food and he had access to the best training at Look Who’s Walking, where, until Eliza had stopped coming around several months before the earthquake, he’d also attended play dates and gotten regular grooming.

  Tucking Dobby under her arm, Katrina got to her feet, her resolve hardening. “Since my sister left you two months ago, perhaps you’d care to explain why her dog is still here?”

  Dobby looked from Katrina to the two men as though he, too, was interested in the answer. For the first time, Leigh’s pleasant mask slipped and she appeared nervous. It was a momentary lapse and she recovered quickly, but it was enough to fire up Katrina’s suspicions.

  “I remember now.” The smile returned. “Your sister said she wouldn’t be able to keep a dog where she was going, so she left him with us. We’ve adopted him at the center. He’s become quite the AAG mascot, hasn’t he, guys?” She threw a help-me-out glance toward Bart and Randall.

  “Sure has. He’s found his best self here with us.” Bart reached out a hand to stroke Dobby’s head, but the dog ducked away from him and tucked his head into Katrina’s neck. The little guy always did have good taste.

  “When I walked in here, you told me you knew nothing about my sister.” Katrina kept her gaze on Leigh. “Now you’re saying she left her dog behind and he’s become your mascot? Call me skeptical, but I find it hard to believe you wouldn’t have remembered that detail as soon as I mentioned her name.”

  Leigh looked down at her computer screen without replying. Bart and Randall also remained silent.

  “I’m leaving now. Here’s my business card, in case anyone remembers anything more about my sister.” Anger stiffened Katrina’s spine as she started to walk away. “And I’m taking your mascot with me.”

  Chapter 2

  By the time Spencer made his way to the lobby, thoughts had moved on from lunch and he was already planning dinner in detail. His stomach, however, needed something fast and filling right now. Boris, ever hopeful of supplementing his carefully regulated diet with a few treats, trotted eagerly at his side.

  Although Spencer and his K-9 partner were trained in search-and-rescue techniques and worked as a team, the other MVPD officers could use Boris if they needed him. The dog went home with Spencer at the end of each day and, when off duty, he was a pet rather than a working animal.

  Spencer was crossing the lobby and heading for the canteen when a woman burst through the doors, barging straight into him. The impact had the effect of sending them both stumbling backward. She took the worst hit, however, and, for a moment, it looked like she was about to crash to the floor. But four years in the army had honed Spencer’s reflexes, and he grabbed her by the upper arms, steadying her against his body. As he did, his mind registered a few details.

  First of all, she was carrying some sort of exotic-looking rodent. Second, she was clearly distressed. And, finally, she was gorgeous.

  Tall, with a slender, toned figure, she had dark blond hair that waved to her shoulders with the shimmer of silk. But it wasn’t her flawless bone structure, her high cheekbones, or even her full lips that mesmerized him. It was her eyes. Huge and
set under delicately arched eyebrows, they were a shade that was somewhere between green, gold and brown, but the color seemed to shift constantly as it reflected the light around her. Spencer figured it was what his mom used to call “hazel” and realized he’d never really seen it up close until now.

  “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “No, I—”

  The creature she was holding that had been trapped between them when Spencer caught hold of her looked down at Boris and gave a friendly woof.

  “Is that a dog?”

  “Of course Dobby is a dog.” Indignation seemingly startled her out of her distress, and she pulled away from him. “What did you think he was?”

  “I was puzzled,” he confessed. “I figured it could be a mutant rat. Or maybe a groundhog that had fallen on hard times?”

  For a moment, he thought she was going to smile. He waited hopefully, but her expression clouded over. “I’m not here to talk about Dobby. I need to report a missing person.”

  Spencer thought about the mountain of paperwork on his desk. He didn’t have enough time in the day to get through his existing workload. Missing persons were below his pay grade...

  “I’m Sergeant Spencer Colton. If you wait here while I get us both a coffee, we’ll go to my office and you can give me the details.”

  His willingness to take on her case had nothing to do with the fact that she was possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. That was what he told himself as he dashed into the canteen. It had even less to do with the runt that was now skipping delightedly around Boris. No, this was about the troubled look in those amazing eyes.

  Just keep telling yourself that, Colton, and everything will be fine.

  Carrying the coffee and the last, sorrowful-looking sandwich, he led the way back along the corridor to his office. Boris, clearly startled by the antics of the overfriendly Dobby, but too well trained to show it, clung a little closer to his master’s heels than usual.