Perilous Pursuit

by Kathleen Tailer

  “I was trying to find the key to my door, but my hands were full. I ended up dropping some of my groceries, and when I bent down to pick them up, the bullets hit the door frame above me. Then the man in the blue jeans grabbed me and pulled me into the apartment.”

  “Did you recognize either of them?”

  “No. I’ve never seen them before.”

  “Okay. Then what happened?”

  “The guy in jeans held me, and the hairy one put a gun under my chin and said he wanted to know where I kept my movies.”

  “Your movies?”

  “Yes. I’m a videographer. I make documentaries, commercials, training videos—that kind of thing.”

  That surprised him, but he couldn’t really remember much about Mackenzie’s plans when she had been in high school, and they had barely talked at Jonathan’s funeral. “Did he say which of your movies he was interested in?”

  “No. We didn’t get that far. He started going through my desk, but I don’t know if he took anything except my laptop. He grabbed that on the way out.”

  Jake put his hands on his hips. “Did you have anything important on that laptop?”

  “I do some work on it, but most of the footage and movies are stored on portable hard drives. That seems to be what they were looking for. I guess they figured I had the files on my laptop.” She paused, and Jake could see that her hands were still trembling. “I can’t figure this out. I don’t understand what they wanted. Nothing I’ve worked on has ever been controversial.”

  Jake heard the distant sound of sirens and knew local law enforcement would be there soon. This case probably wouldn’t fall under the local US Marshals unit’s jurisdiction, but it intrigued him nonetheless, especially since he knew the victim. One of the criminals also looked like an escaped fugitive he had been hunting recently, and he hoped he could get Mackenzie to come down to the office to check out some mug shots, just in case the perpetrator was his man after all.

  He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He was relieved he’d gotten there just in time and realized he had probably saved her life. The two criminals had meant business, but since he had interrupted them, he doubted they had gotten what they were looking for. Once thing was certain in his mind—sooner or later, they would be back.

  “Look, I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay here tonight. Once the local law enforcement team interviews you, you’ll need to find a new place for a few days, at least until we have more information. Do you have friends you can stay with until this is over?”

  Mackenzie shrugged. “I guess so, but if these men didn’t get what they wanted, won’t they just come after me again and put my friends in danger, too, when they return? I don’t want anybody else’s life disrupted because of me.”

  She had a point. Normally he would leave it to the local police to sort this out, but he couldn’t just drive away. Just then two local detectives arrived and started interviewing both Jake and Mackenzie. The entire time they were asking questions, Jake tried to tell himself it was the connection to his fugitive that had garnered his interest in this case, and by the end of the interviews, he almost believed it himself. Almost. After Jake and Mackenzie answered all the questions, Jake pulled aside the detective in charge.

  “Look, she’s afraid to go stay with friends and she can’t stay here. How about I take her to a local hotel and then bring her in to the local US Marshals office tomorrow so she can sit with our sketch artist? I’ll share any leads she gives.”

  The man raised an eyebrow. “You trying to take this case away from us, Riley?”

  Jake held up his hands and smiled, his slow Southern drawl salting his words. “No way. You can have the case and the paperwork. One of the perps seems an awful lot like one of my fugitives. That’s all. I just think there might be some connections here, and if we share intel, we can help each other.” He pulled a business card out from his wallet and handed it to the officer. “Cooperation between agencies is one of our mandates. I won’t leave you out in the dark.”

  The detective seemed to be weighing his words, but in the end he agreed. Jake had always done his best to keep a positive, friendly relationship with the other law enforcement agencies in Tallahassee, and tonight his efforts were paying off. Although he didn’t know this officer personally, he and his team had an excellent reputation with the local agencies. The way he figured it, law enforcement personnel were all on the same team—even though they served different functions. He went to Mackenzie’s side. “Go ahead and pack a bag. I’ll take you somewhere safe until we can figure out what’s going on here.”

  She raised an eyebrow but then did as she was told, returning to the living room a few minutes later with a small rolling suitcase. She also grabbed a portfolio from her desk and added several papers and a couple of files from the filing cabinet. The fear was still radiating in her eyes, but he could see that she was determined to push forward and put this incident behind her as best she could. His admiration for her went up a notch. She really was tough. He liked that. It had been a long time since anyone outside of law enforcement had impressed him on any level. He was used to dealing with the dregs of society, and Mackenzie’s strength was a welcome ripple in a sea of viciousness he dealt with on a constant basis.

  He started leading her out to his car. “So here’s the plan. I’ll take you to a hotel for the evening, one that our office uses a lot. We know we can trust the folks that run it. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up around eight a.m. and bring you to my workplace so you can describe those two men to our sketch artist and maybe look at some mug books. Will that work for you?”

  She nodded. “That will do nicely. I actually already have a meeting scheduled there tomorrow anyway. I can do both in one fell swoop.”

  Jake raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Really? Anything you care to share?”

  “My new video project is about the working of the local US Marshals office. I’ve been hired to do a documentary for them. I was already scheduled to meet with Chief Deputy US Marshal J.T. Austin. He runs the unit I’ve been assigned to work with. Do you know him?”

  Her words stopped Jake cold. He froze and turned slowly to meet her eyes. “J.T. Austin is my boss.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “You’re doing a movie about our office?” He could tell the gruffness of his voice shocked her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Surely she was mistaken. His boss wouldn’t really sanction this type of project, would he? A documentary would put his life and the lives of others who worked with him at risk. They didn’t need the exposure, and they didn’t certainly need to be worrying about the safety of someone who was following them around while they were doing a very dangerous job. Jake also had a full caseload and a heap of work on his desk. He didn’t have the time to push all of that aside to help with something as extraneous as a public service video.

  “Yes, it’s all been arranged. They didn’t tell you I was coming?”

  “No, they neglected to mention that.” Again, his voice was frosty, even to his own ears. “I’m sure we can sort it out tomorrow, though. There’s no way you’re making a documentary of my unit. That’s just not gonna happen.” He’d make sure of that. He’d set Mackenzie Weaver up with the mug shot books and then meet with J.T. and voice his concerns. Jake Riley wasn’t going to have any documentary made about him or the work he did, even though the videographer was an old family friend who had become a beautiful woman. He’d put a stop to the film the first thing in the morning.

  TWO

  Mackenzie dared another glance behind her and opened the door to the local office of the US Marshals. As she entered the building, she wasn’t sure if she was being watched or not. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had their eyes on her and was paying attention to her every move, despite the presence of Jake Riley, who followed just a few steps behind. Last night she had stayed at the hotel suggested by Jake, b
ut she had been truly surprised at the change in his attitude, which seemed to have gotten distinctly frostier once she’d mentioned the documentary. He’d turned into an iceberg in two minutes flat, and arriving to pick her up this morning, he hadn’t said more than a handful of words to her or even met her eye.

  She shouldn’t really have been surprised at his behavior. As a kid, she had done her best to garner Jake’s interest, but he had largely ignored her. Nothing had changed. Sure, they were both adults now, but it was painfully obvious that he still found her to be a nuisance. His distaste for her seemed even worse than when she had been following him around as a teenager. She didn’t know what she had done to offend him so, but at this point, she didn’t want to dwell on it. She had moved on years ago.

  Maybe she was just being too sensitive. She hadn’t slept very well last night. The feel of the man’s gun under her chin was still too real, and the entire experience from yesterday still had her nerves on edge. But life had to go on, and she had two meetings in this office today—one with Jake Riley to look at mug shots, if he still wanted her to do so, and one with the chief to go over her action plan and start the wheels turning on her video project. As she expected, Jake Riley disappeared soon after their arrival at the building, so she asked for the chief at the front desk and was soon ushered back into a small conference room.

  J.T. Austin, Chief Deputy US Marshal, came in with a warm smile and his hand out, ready to shake. He was a large man who exuded authority, with a tough-as-nails appearance. Yet his smile was genuine, and Mackenzie felt instantly at ease, incredibly glad that he was more receptive to her project than Jake Riley was. She stood to greet him and then sat back down and pulled out her portfolio.

  “I’m so glad we’re going to be working together, Chief Austin. I’ve heard great things about your unit and its amazing closure rate. You must have a truly excellent team.”

  “We do indeed,” Austin agreed.

  The door opened and Jake Riley reappeared. Mackenzie smiled at him but was met with a scowl. He still refused to meet her eye.

  “I believe you already know Deputy Marshal Riley,” Austin intoned.

  Mackenzie was a bit flustered by Jake’s icy expression, but she took it in stride. “Yes, he actually saved my life last night. A couple of men broke into my apartment and held me at gunpoint, but Deputy Marshal Riley scared them off before they could do any serious damage.”

  Austin raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  He leaned back as Jake took a seat at the conference table. “Looks like you were in the right place at the right time, Jake.” He smiled. “Mackenzie Weaver is the videographer we are working with to create our documentary. We’d been keeping the project under wraps until we worked out all the details, but now that we have a contract in place, we’re ready to move forward. Ms. Weaver is making a one-hour special that will be broadcast on one of the biggest networks in the country. It should bring the agency some wonderful exposure from a media standpoint and may even help us with our budget requests. The more the legislature knows about what we do and how we do it, the better likelihood we have of getting properly funded. This movie is really important to us and will make a big impact. It’s good to have her.” He turned to Mackenzie. “Ms. Weaver, I’ve assigned you to Jake and his team so you can make your documentary. He’ll be showing you the ropes and answering your questions as you go through the filming process.”

  Mackenzie expelled a breath, hoping her disappointment didn’t show. She’d hoped Chief Austin had been planning to assist her personally, especially after Jake’s negative comments the night before. She dared another glance at Jake and was still surprised at his frigid expression. He obviously didn’t want to be working with her. The question was, why? Had she said or done something last night to turn him off or insult him? Did he still think of her as a lovesick tomboy from high school? She needed his cooperation for this film to become a success. She decided to put her best foot forward and let her professionalism shine. “I’m so pleased to be working with you, Deputy.”

  Austin stood. “I’ll leave you two to get to work. Ms. Weaver, if you need anything, my office is just down the hall. Jake, I’ll trust you to take care of Ms. Weaver and help her get her work accomplished. I’m already anxious to get some popcorn and watch the final version!” He shook Mackenzie’s hand again, clapped Jake on the back and left the room.

  Once they were alone, Jake sighed audibly. Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “So I take it this wasn’t your first choice of assignments.”

  “Not even close,” Jake agreed in his southern drawl.

  “Did you even know this project was in the works?”

  “Nope. The chief must have known how I’d react. That’s why he played this one close to the vest. I didn’t even have an opportunity to talk to him about it this morning like I’d planned.” He leaned forward. “Look, you’re gonna get in our way. It’s that simple. You’re making my job a hundred times harder. I know the chief seems to have high hopes for this film of yours, but I sure wish you had chosen a different agency for your exposé.”

  “Exposé?” Mackenzie said, hoping her frustration wasn’t showing. “That’s hardly what I’m doing. My film will be a positive documentary about the good work that you’re doing. It’s designed to make the US Marshals look good—not hurt you.” She shifted. “You should also know that this was your agency’s idea, not mine. They sent out a request for bids, and my proposal won the contract. If I wasn’t the one behind the camera, it would have just been someone else doing the work instead of me.”

  He seemed to ponder her words, but in the end he didn’t change his expression. “Regardless, you’re still going to be in my way.”

  “The more you cooperate, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair. That’s a promise,” Mackenzie said, hoping her frustration wasn’t coming across in her tone. There was no reason to antagonize the man, especially since he had come to her rescue just last night. Arguing with him was also a waste of time. She would just have to prove to him that her work would reflect well on his unit and the job he did. She pulled out her storyboard sheets and laid out her plans for the movie, going over the various scenes she hoped to film and giving him the narrator’s script, which would tie it all together.

  “This is just my initial plan. I’d like for you to read over all of this and let me know your opinion. I want to create a realistic piece—not a work of fiction. Your input is vital.”

  * * *

  Jake gathered all the papers together in a stack but barely glanced at them. “Fine. I’ll take a look as soon as I get time, if I get time.” He grimaced, wanting to stay focused on doing his job and doing it well, not on making a video that he had no interest in. “For now, I would like for you to take a look at some mug shots. I think I recognized one of the guys from your attack last night, and if I’m right, he’s a mean, nasty character that I really want to get off the streets. Do you mind taking a look?”

  He could tell that he’d offended her by not studying the papers she’d brought, but his focus was on catching criminals, not helping make a movie for publicity. When she nodded, he quickly led her out to the bull pen where the deputies had their desks. He seated her at a long table with three large books of pictures. He left her for about half an hour and then came back once he noticed she’d flipped through the last of them.

  “Did you see anyone you recognized?”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “Nope, sorry. I only saw one of them for a few seconds as he was leaving, and the other one didn’t look like any of the guys in these books.”

  Jake was frustrated by the news but handed her a stack of flyers. Each page showed a fugitive’s picture and had a short description. “Try these. Maybe you’ll see him in there.”

  She took the flyers and started thumbing through them. Suddenly, she became animated and held up a picture. “That’s him! That’s the hairy one th
at put the gun under my chin. I’ll never forget those eyes for the rest of my life.”

  Jake took the paper, his suspicions confirmed. The photo was of Carter Beckett, a thief and murderer who had robbed a bank in Cairo, Georgia, and killed a convenience store clerk in Tallahassee. He had been on their local most-wanted list for almost two years. “Good work, Ms. Weaver.” He was so pleased he’d gotten a lead on Beckett that his negative attitude melted a bit. “Look, I’m glad you’re okay after everything you went through. I’ll call the local police that worked the scene last night and give them the update. Once we catch him, we’ll need you to come down again and pick him out of a lineup for us.”

  “No problem. I’m glad I could help.” She smiled. “And don’t forget, I’ll be here anyway, working on the movie.”

  He gave a small, humorless laugh. “Yeah, I guess you will.” His feelings warred within him. He still wasn’t happy about the movie, but by identifying Beckett, Mackenzie had given him the first big lead in the case, and he did need her help. He had to work with her if he was going to make any progress, whether he liked it or not. His cell phone rang, and he excused himself and answered.

  “Riley.”

  “Marshal, this is Kevin Bourdain with the Tallahassee Police. We met yesterday?”

  “Sure, I remember. I was about to call you. Ms. Weaver just identified one of the perps who attacked her yesterday. He’s a local boy named Carter Beckett. I’ll send over his sheet in a minute or two.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll take a look. In the meantime, I’m calling because we’ve had another incident at the Weaver apartment. Someone broke in and ransacked the place. They tried to torch the apartment, too, but thankfully, the entire building didn’t go up in flames. There isn’t much left in her living room. We’re here now and are looking for Ms. Weaver. It sounds like she’s okay and with you, but we just wanted to verify her safety.”