Perilous Pursuit

by Kathleen Tailer

  Mackenzie stood, as well. “I’d like to set up in here and film your next meeting when you come back with what you’ve all learned. I’ll be careful during the editing process to make sure no actual names are mentioned of the suspects, but I want to show you meeting and collaborating. Will that work? We can even do a narration over the video if you’re worried about the audio leaking valuable information.”

  Jake knew that a look of discomfort had probably just swept across his face, but he finally nodded. “All right. It’s getting late. Let’s meet back here tomorrow morning at nine with whatever you’ve got.”

  He glanced at Mackenzie, whose cheeks were a vibrant pink. He could see the excitement in her eyes as well and knew that her success and his cooperation had put it there. He liked the feeling. He also had to admit that her research had paid off. Now they had a real lead into Beckett’s criminal enterprise. He didn’t know where it would take them, but he had a feeling they’d only scratched the surface. No wonder Beckett was intent on silencing Mackenzie and destroying her movie. If he hadn’t seen the video on homeless children that she had made, he would never have made the connection and found the copy machines in the first place. It could be the tip of the iceberg on a much larger criminal enterprise.

  * * *

  The next morning, the team reassembled around Jake’s coffee table. Mackenzie turned on the bright light and pointed it in his direction. Jake blinked. “Is that really necessary?”

  “It is,” Mackenzie answered as she stepped carefully around the tripod. “Lighting is everything. Without that light, you’d be surprised where the shadows end up.”

  He squinted and pushed back in his chair. He could come up with at least ten other places he’d rather be at this moment—maybe fifteen. He’d never even liked getting his picture taken, so being in a video made him acutely uncomfortable. Still, he had made a promise. “All right, let’s get this over with. We can film it once and be done, right?”

  “Right,” Mackenzie responded. She looked around at the deputies. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Whitney passed around a small packet of papers to everyone and started speaking. “Okay. Here’s what we know about Allied Incorporated. It’s a small title insurance company with connections to several real estate brokers and law firms here in Tallahassee. They rent that floor where the copiers were found and two other rooms that they apparently use as offices. The building has four other companies renting space, by the way, but none of them seem to have any ties to Allied. Anyway, three guesses as to who the president of Allied is.” Mackenzie looked around the room, but nobody ventured a guess. “Come on, guys. Think loan fraud,” Whitney added.

  “Derek Lager,” Jake said suddenly, as the name popped into his head.

  “Give that man a prize,” Whitney said. “Derek Lager is apparently back in business.”

  Dominic shook his head. “We’re going to have to call the FBI.”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah. Just what I wanted to do today.” In the past, Jake hadn’t minded working with the FBI, but ever since Chuck Holiday, a rogue FBI agent, had tried to kill a witness whom Jake and his team had been protecting, the thought of working with the FBI left a bitter taste in his mouth. Chuck had gone through a messy divorce and had a slew of financial problems, but in Jake’s mind, nothing justified attempted murder. The witness had ended up with a bullet in the lung, but one good thing had come out of the situation—Dominic had married that witness, and they were very happy together.

  “What else do you have?” Jake asked Whitney.

  “I haven’t found out who Lager’s working with this time around, but I’m chasing down some leads.”

  Jake turned to Dominic. “What did you and Chris find out?”

  “If there’s a connection between Beckett and Allied, or Beckett and Lager, we haven’t found it.” Dominic answered. “At least not yet.”

  “It could be that Beckett had other business in the building that wasn’t tied to the copiers,” Chris added. “Maybe it was just a coincidence that you discovered those copy machines during the arrest.”

  Jake nodded. “Could be. Beckett’s never had any fraud or identity theft on his rap sheet, but there still might be some sort of connection since he was in front of that building in Mackenzie’s movie and was back when we searched the building. He had some reason for being there on a regular basis. We need to find out why.” He turned back to Whitney. “Looks like our next move is to do some research on Beckett and then find Lager and do some surveillance. Any ideas where to start?”

  “I’ve already put out some feelers about Lager, but haven’t heard anything back yet,” Whitney confirmed.

  Jake looked up at Mackenzie, who gave him the thumbs-up sign. He was silently thankful that she had gotten what she wanted in only one take and they could turn the camera off. Authorized or not, he didn’t think he would ever feel comfortable in front of the camera. He turned his thoughts back to the case at hand. “All right. You know what to do. Let’s do it.” Once a suspect was identified, each member of the team had certain duties that they had all done several times before such as searching various databases, applying for warrants and other research. Everyone knew that time was of the essence, and they dispersed, heading off to perform their duties. They had to begin by developing enough probable cause to seize the copy machines before Derek Lager and the evidence disappeared forever.

  EIGHT

  A few moments later, Mackenzie and Jake were alone in the room.

  “Who is Derek Lager?” she asked, taking a chair across from Jake.

  “A criminal we’ve had our eyes on for a couple of years now. He’s got a lengthy rap sheet. Our team first got introduced to him when he jumped bail a few years ago in an interstate mortgage fraud case. We caught up to him over near Panama City and got him back in custody, but even though it was incredibly obvious that he was guilty, the legal case against him fell apart at the last minute. He only ended up spending a few months in jail for some minor charges. He’s the best forger I’ve ever seen.”

  “Does he counterfeit money?”

  “Nah. Lager’s thing is driver’s licenses, which is of particular interest since some of those machines you researched came from Highway Safety. I’m sure he’s in business again. The only question is what he’s using the fake licenses for this time. I think you had the right idea when you mentioned identity theft.”

  Mackenzie gave him a smile. “So when do you want to show me your horses?”

  “Once the threat against you is neutralized, we’ll be sure to take a walk through my barn.” He tilted his head. “Do you ride?”

  “I’ve always thought horses were beautiful, but I’ve never actually been on one before. To be honest, the thought is kind of scary to me. They’re pretty big animals.”

  Jake laughed and put up his hands. “What? Hold up a minute. You mean you’ll go charging into a building where bullets are flying, but you’re afraid of riding a horse?”

  Mackenzie shrugged. “Yep, that about sums it up.”

  Jake shook his head. “Riding a horse is the best thing out there. If you ever get an opportunity to do it, you should.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She rose to leave, but Jake motioned for her to sit back down.

  He wasn’t relishing the upcoming conversation, but it had to happen sooner or later. “Look, I need to teach you a few things so you don’t end up getting shot the next time we’re out in the field.”

  Mackenzie crossed her arms. “I already told you that I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “I know. I was thinking more along the lines of some basic safety training.”

  Mackenzie let her arms drop, and her stance was slightly less confrontational. “Like what?”

  “The firearms training I mentioned before is the best place to start, but there’s more to it than that.”

  “If that�
�s what you think, I trust your judgment, but I can’t imagine that I’ll ever actually use a gun while I’m with you...”

  “You might not have to,” Jake interrupted, “but if you do, I want you to know something about the weapon so you’ll have an idea of how it works. You’ll also have a better idea of what we do if you are familiar with the tools we use. There are some other basic things I’d like to go over with you, just so you’ll be safer out in the field the next time around.”

  He noticed Mackenzie’s glance at the shelves near his desk where he displayed the sharpshooter medals, trophies and plaques that he’d won over the years in various shooting contests. She didn’t look all that impressed, but to him, the assortment of awards represented one of the most successful aspects of his life. He had always enjoyed working with guns and was an incredibly talented marksman. When the agency needed someone to take a difficult shot, it was Jake they called.

  She turned back to face him, still not looking all that thrilled with the idea, but in the end, she finally agreed. “All right. When?”

  “How about now?” Jake was hesitant to spend more time with her, but at the same time, he felt a wave of protectiveness sweep over him whenever he looked in her direction. Mackenzie Weaver was in danger, and he wanted to do whatever it took to keep her safe. There was something odd about the way she made him feel—something that kept him off balance and drew him to her like a moth to a flame. His work left little time for socializing, and that was the way he liked it. Also, he wasn’t convinced there were too many decent people left in the world outside of the team he worked with at the US Marshals. Still, thoughts of Mackenzie swept through his mind at the oddest times, despite his resolve to remain alone. What he needed was distance, and that wasn’t going to happen until this movie of hers was finished and they neutralized the threat against her.

  Jake led Mackenzie into his kitchen then removed a 9 mm Beretta from a drawer by the sink. He took out the clip and handed her the weapon.

  “Wow, it’s heavier than it looks,” Mackenzie said, her voice revealing her surprise.

  “That’s a common reaction. It weighs about two and a half pounds fully loaded. Now, first things first. Never, and I mean never, point a weapon at someone unless you intend to use it, even if you know that the weapon is empty. Second rule—keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.” He made a motion with his hands. “This is a semiautomatic double-action pistol. It holds fifteen rounds fully loaded. You put the bullets in this clip, and once you insert the clip, you’re ready to go.” He showed her the bullets but didn’t insert them. Then he slid the empty clip into the weapon. “Most guns have a safety, so if you’re not going to be shooting the gun right away, you need to keep the safety on.” He showed her where the safety lever was and the red dot that appeared when the weapon was ready to fire. Then he showed her the button to push to release the clip.

  “Is this your service weapon?”

  Jake shook his head. “No. We carry a Glock 22 on the job, but I was introduced to the Beretta by a friend from the army, and I always liked them. This is my personal weapon.”

  Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “Was it Jonathan?”

  He heard a touch of pain in her voice. “No, a different friend. But Jonathan and I did like to shoot together. That’s one of the places we would run off to when we were in college.”

  “Really?” she asked as she handled the gun and released the clip. “Where else would you go?”

  He smiled. “Other places where younger kid sisters would get in the way.” She didn’t look up, so he pushed on. “Look, I know for a fact that Jonathan loved you. I’m sure of it. But you have to understand, we were in college and you were in high school. We were living a different kind of lifestyle, and unfortunately, we were a tad on the selfish side.”

  “And you didn’t have time for a bratty kid sister tagging along. I do understand now that I’m older. Believe me. And I have to admit I could be a pain sometimes. It’s just that now that he’s gone, I miss him more than ever, and I wish I had that time back, you know?” She shook her head, as if shaking off the melancholy. “Hey, didn’t we agree to leave the past in the past? Let’s go do some target practice.” She handed him back the weapon and stood, apparently ready for the next step.

  Jake took the gun from her, slid the clip out of the weapon and loaded it, checked the safety and then motioned for the door. He noticed that she’d changed the subject, but he didn’t push. “Shall we?”

  She followed him out the door and around the side of his barn. On the far end he had a huge mound of dirt as a backstop, and several targets of various sizes and colors set up. At the other end he had a small table that had several boxes of bullets and two sets of ear protectors. He used his phone to text the other deputies and notify them of their plans and then turned to her.

  “Ready to give it a try?”

  She looked up at him and seemed to be a bit self-conscious. “Tell me again why you think this is necessary?”

  “This is just a part of the lesson,” he reassured her. “I want you to have a good understanding of what we do. I can’t teach you everything in a few hours, of course, but I want you to know the basics so if something goes wrong out there, you’ll have at least a possibility of getting out alive.” He handed her the ear protectors. “I can’t stress enough how dangerous this job is.”

  She nodded, then put on the ear protectors and took the weapon when he handed it to her. She watched closely as he showed her how to slide the top of the weapon to insert a bullet into the chamber and how to aim the gun properly.

  “Okay. See the green target? Aim for the bull’s-eye, and let’s see how you do.”

  She pushed off the safety lever and wrapped her finger around the trigger. Her first shot went wild, as did her second shot. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “I guess this is harder than it looks.”

  Jake smiled. “Don’t worry. It takes a while to get the hang of it. Remember to squeeze the trigger gently. Don’t jerk or pull it.” He got closer and repositioned her hands, making sure she was supporting the weapon correctly. He was so close that he could smell her perfume and her hair tickled his cheek. He took a step back, unhappy with the thoughts that were suddenly swimming in his head. He did not need to be attracted to this woman, even if she did smell like sunshine and looked absolutely amazing, although just in her simple jeans and Florida State University T-shirt. Focus, he chided himself silently. Keep your eye on the ball here.

  She took another shot that also went wild, and before he even thought about it, Jake was behind her, his arms wrapped around her and supporting her hands. “This time, squeeze the trigger slowly, and don’t close your eyes. You’re still jerking the trigger just a little bit.” He tensed, trying to ignore how comfortable and sweet she felt in his arms. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. He didn’t want to be attracted to anyone. On the job, he had run across such monstrous and repulsive behavior that it was hard to imagine that inner beauty still existed. Still, there was something about Mackenzie...

  He thought back to the case that had crushed his spirit. About six months ago, a father on their most-wanted list had viciously murdered his two young children and then turned the gun on himself, rather than be arrested and face a return to prison. The more they had investigated the case, the more they discovered the incredible abuse and cruelty the children had been forced to endure. Watching the coroner zip the body bags on those two kids had almost been his undoing, and ever since then, his heart had hardened like a stone. The US Marshals had offered counseling, and he’d participated, but even that hadn’t been enough to erase the pain he felt. He had turned to God and found a measure of relief, but then he had slowly stopped praying and had been basically trying to handle everything on his own. Now he was coming to realize that his actions had been a mistake. He was definitely still a work in progress. He needed God in his life.
When he had prayed about Mackenzie, it had been like a breath of fresh air to his soul. God was using Mackenzie in many ways to affect him.

  She fired again, and his focus returned to his firearms lesson. This time, he could make out the hole on the target just shy of the bull’s-eye. He turned so he could see Mackenzie’s face, and their eyes locked. She looked both pleased and nervous at the same time. Had he ever seen eyes that color? They were such a pretty shade of blue. They made him think of tropical waters in the Caribbean. Could she see the hurt and pain inside of him? He didn’t think so, but he felt a sudden urge to share his thoughts. That idea scared him right down to his toes. He quickly released her and took a step back again, but he didn’t break the eye contact. Suddenly, his cell phone rang, and he took another step back and looked away, thankful for the distraction.

  “Riley,” he said brusquely.

  “Jake,” Dominic answered. “We’ve got a serious situation. We need you immediately.”

  Jake listened to the details, all the while securing the weapon Mackenzie had been holding. He then motioned for her to follow him to his car, which was parked in front of his house. Finally, he hung up. “We’ve got a lead on one of the fugitives we’ve been chasing, and local police think they have him cornered in a warehouse. We need to move quickly to get to the scene. It might even tie into the Beckett case.”

  Jake quickly opened the trunk so Mackenzie could verify that her camera and tripod, as well as the bulletproof vest she had been issued, were there. Then the two of them jumped in the front seat of the sedan and headed out. Another vehicle with the other deputies followed closely behind them. The trip across town took around thirty minutes, and when they arrived in the warehouse district, they were met by one of the local police captains. The man was clearly in charge and was communicating by radio with the other officers, who were staked out around the building. Jake focused on the job at hand and paid little attention to Mackenzie, even as she followed him around, pulled out her camera and started filming.