Guardian

by Terri Reed

  Jarrett stood. “Alicia, Agent Gallagher will be taking the lead on this case. Come on, Charlie. Let’s take a walk.”

  Alicia bit her bottom lip to keep from protesting. She didn’t like having Charlie out of her sight. But she could hardly protest given that the chief would protect her son. Not only because it was his job, but also because they were a close-knit community. The folks of Settler’s Valley took care of one another. The adage that it took a village was true for this small town.

  After her mother’s death, the citizens had rallied around her father and made sure he’d had everything he needed. Alicia regretted she hadn’t been here at the time. But she was now, and she had every intention of making up for lost time.

  When the chief and Charlie were gone, the agent hitched a hip on the edge of the desk. “Now, start from the beginning.”

  The dog took his cue from his handler and lay down with his head on his paws.

  “Fine.” Though the two officers might be relaxed, an anxious quiver ran through her. She fought to keep her voice even as she described what she’d witnessed on the river, the killer chasing after her and Charlie, the gunshots assailing them, and finally ending up at the police station.

  The agent’s stoic expression never wavered. “The truck was reported stolen from the marina a half hour ago.”

  “That makes sense,” she said. “He’d come from upriver.”

  “If you sat with a forensic artist, would you be able to give a detailed description of the suspect?”

  Acid churned in her tummy as she recalled the man’s face. “Oh, yes. I doubt I’ll forget his image anytime soon.” She shuddered. “Dark, cold eyes. He had a shaved head. Not tall, but bulky.”

  “I’ll send for an artist. Did your son see the man as well?”

  “No, thankfully.”

  “That’s a blessing,” the agent murmured.

  Was this man a believer or was he using the word as a nicety as some people did? “It is a blessing from God. A huge one.”

  Something flickered in his eyes before his expression turned all-business again. “The woman you saw go into the water... Did you get a look at her face?”

  “No. I only saw her long red hair and her limp body.” She shivered at the horrible memory.

  “Would you be able to pinpoint where the body went into the water?”

  “Of course, Agent Gallagher. I’m surprised the police haven’t already gone out to drag the river.”

  “Call me Leo. Settler’s Valley isn’t necessarily equipped for that. A diver is on his way from Sheridan. I’d like you to go with us to the scene of the crime. My partner and I will find the body so the diver can bring her up. True’s a trained water-search dog.”

  Doubt made her voice quiver. “But it’s been hours. The woman is at the bottom of the river. It’s deep in the canyon.”

  “The woman’s body will give off gases and liquids that True will pick up.”

  She swallowed back the bile rising up. This was one of the many ugly sides of police work. “I can’t leave Charlie.”

  “He seems to be in good hands with the chief.”

  “Wouldn’t the chief want to be at the river when they bring up the victim?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “You heard the chief—I’m taking the lead on this case.”

  Not liking his superior tone, she lifted her chin. “Why? What does a small-town murder have to do with the feds?”

  He pressed his lips together and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I can’t divulge the details of the case, Ms. Duncan.” He held open the door. “Shall we?”

  She hated being left in the dark. Irritation spread through her chest. She preceded the agent out of the office, determined to get this over with so she and her son could resume their quiet life without murder, mayhem and too-handsome federal agents with secrets to muddy the waters.

  * * *

  Leo brought his vehicle to a halt in the gravel parking lot behind the Blackthorn River marina. He glanced at the woman beside him as she stared straight ahead in stony silence. Alicia Duncan had a nice profile, a straight nose, with high cheekbones. Her long, wavy dark hair hung over her slim shoulders. She wore a light pink tank top and jean capris with hiking boots. Very earthy.

  Nothing like any of the schoolteachers he’d had as a kid. From the dossier he’d read, he knew she’d grown up in Settler’s Valley but had lived in Tacoma, Washington, for the better part of a decade.

  She popped open the passenger door, but before she could step out, he laid a hand on her arm. “Wait for me and True.”

  She met his gaze and blinked, the pupils of her bright blue eyes a bit too large, indicating she hadn’t fully recovered from her earlier ordeal. Leo would imagine the pretty single mom had never been shot at before, nor ever had to run for her life.

  Leo hated that she and her son had had to witness such evil and be put in danger. But while he was on the case, he wouldn’t let anything happen to them.

  He gave her arm what he hoped would be a reassuring pat before he climbed out of his SUV and released True from the compartment in the back. The Lab sniffed the air, his tail stiffening, his ears forward and his mouth closed—all signs that he was detecting something of interest to him, but not yet a threat.

  No doubt he could smell or hear the rushing of the river, which told him they were about to go to work.

  Leo walked around to the passenger side and opened Alicia’s door. She gave him a tight smile as she slipped out of the vehicle. A police cruiser parked beside them and two officers stepped out.

  “I’m Officer Jenkins and this is Officer Reynolds,” the older of the two officers said, introducing himself and his partner. “The chief said we’re to stick close to Ms. Duncan.”

  Leo nodded and shook the men’s hands. “Much appreciated.”

  Alicia hung back with her arms down at her sides, but there was no mistaking the tension pinching the corners of her mouth.

  They didn’t have to wait long before a white truck with the Sheridan police department logo on the side turned into the parking lot. It was towing an aluminum flat-bow boat sporting an electric trolling motor to allow them to move slowly through the water while True searched the surface for scents.

  The driver pulled next to their vehicles and rolled down his window. He had a craggy face that had spent a lot of time in the sun. Dark eyes regarded them beneath black winged brows. He wore a cowboy hat pulled low over his ears. “Agent Gallagher?”

  Leo stepped over. “I’m Gallagher. You’re Craig Sampson?”

  “Yep, that’s me.” His gaze shifted to True. “He’s a handsome fellow.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll put in and then you and your dog can come aboard.”

  “My witness will show us where she saw the body go in.”

  Craig glanced over at Alicia. “I don’t have room for the pretty lady and the officers.”

  “They’ll stay on land. She was upriver fishing from shore, so she’ll lead the officers through the woods to the spot.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Craig rolled up the window and drove to the ramp, where he made a wide arc and then backed the boat into the water.

  Leo turned to Alicia and the officers. “Ms. Duncan, I’ll need you to lead Officers Jenkins and Reynolds to where you and Charlie were fishing. We’ll head upstream with our diver and meet you there.”

  “I can do that,” she said. She squared her shoulders. “This way, gentlemen.”

  She strode away, forcing the two officers to hustle to keep up. Leo couldn’t stop the slight smile curving his lips. The woman may have been rattled and afraid earlier, but she was doing a bang-up job of pushing through to get the job done. He admired grit like that.

  True started after Alicia. Leo whistled, bringing the dog to heel. �
��We’re taking to the water, boy.” He grabbed the necessary equipment from the back of the SUV and they headed to the boat ramp.

  Once they were settled in the boat, True took his position standing at the bow, his official FBI K-9 life vest around his torso and Leo, with matching life vest, sitting on the middle transom. Craig fired up the boat. He’d pulled on a dry dive suit that covered him from head to toe, leaving only an oval for his face.

  They puttered away from the marina and headed upstream. Anticipation and dread twisted in Leo’s chest. He didn’t want the body to be Esme Dupree. She’d witnessed her brother murdering one of his associates and had agreed to testify against him. And since the other Dupree sister, Violetta, who was clean as far as they could discover, had refused to cooperate, the FBI’s case against Reginald Dupree hinged on Esme’s testimony.

  But whoever the poor woman was at the bottom of the river, her loved ones deserved justice for her murder.

  They rounded a bend in the river, where the landscape on the right side of the river changed abruptly from wooded terrain to towering cliffs of sediment and stone. On the left side, the woods thinned and gave way to boulders that gradually rose to another steep cliff.

  Leo shaded his eyes and scanned the shore, immediately spotting Alicia and the two officers standing on a smooth outcropping of rocks.

  “Head over there,” Leo instructed Craig.

  When they were within shouting distance of the rocks, Leo noticed fishing poles and a tackle box. This must have been where Alicia and her son had been when they’d seen the killer.

  Alicia pointed upstream and yelled, “He came from that direction and stopped about three hundred and sixty feet straight out from here.” She gestured to the rocks beneath her feet.

  “That’s helpful and gives us a place to start.” Leo stared, admiring the pretty lady. Her hair lifted slightly in the wind that had kicked up. Sunlight reflected in her piercing blue eyes. “You and the officers can head back to the station.” He didn’t want her here to see the body when they found the victim.

  Alicia shook her head. “I want to make sure she’s found. Someone has to stand up for her.”

  Respecting her decision, he saluted her then turned to Craig. “You heard the lady.”

  Craig slowly turned the boat toward the middle of the river. True stood on the bow, his head up, gaze alert. Leo tuned in to the dog’s nuances the farther away from shore they traveled. He documented the time and distance from land on the notepad he carried. They circled the area where Alicia had pointed. True showed no signs of alerting.

  “Head downstream,” Leo instructed Craig.

  Since the body hadn’t been weighted down, it most likely had been swept along by the river’s current. Craig zigzagged the boat from one shore to the other, moving farther and farther away from the spot. Leo wondered if maybe the suspect had come back and removed the woman’s body. Frustration curled in his stomach.

  Then True shifted. He licked his lips and shuffled his paws, clear signs he was picking up a scent. Leo’s pulse jumped. The dog’s tail went down as he craned his neck, dipping his nose toward the water. He pivoted, and then leaned over the starboard side. Keeping his snout at the surface of the water, True walked the length of the boat and stepped easily over the bench seat.

  Anticipation revving through him, Leo gestured for Craig to make a slow turn. True retraced his steps, barking an alert. He scratched and nipped at the water. Knowing the animal had scent glands in the roof of his mouth, Leo interpreted these actions as the sign this was the spot.

  “Good boy.” Leo grasped True’s life vest to keep the dog from jumping in.

  Leo nodded at Craig, who shut off the motor, then strapped on a buoyance compensator, his mask and oxygen tank. The man sat on the side of the boat and fell backward into the water. True barked and lunged for the water. Leo continued to hold him back.

  “No, boy,” Leo said, adjusting his grip on True. “We’re staying here.”

  Leo and True both watched the surface of the river. Leo pulled on latex gloves in anticipation of handling the body and prepared the large, waterproof plastic body bag. His gaze darted back to the shore, where Alicia stood sentinel on the rocks, flanked by the two officers.

  She held her head up and her shoulders back like a fierce warrior. She was tall and so very appealing. He admired her commitment to being a voice for the victim. Most people would want to bail the second they could. Not Alicia. He liked that about her.

  Bubbles rose as Craig broke through the surface. In his arms he held a red-haired woman. Anxiety curled through Leo. He gave True the command to lie down so he could help Craig bring the woman’s inert body onto the boat and into the body bag. Smoothing back a chunk of matted hair, Leo inhaled sharply then let out his breath in a swoosh.

  It wasn’t Esme. They still had their prime witness in the Dupree case. But there was enough of a resemblance that for a moment he’d thought the worst. And though Esme was still alive, sorrow welled within him because this woman wasn’t.

  Now he had the difficult task of identifying the victim and informing the family.

  He took his cell phone from his pocket and called Chief Jarrett, who promised to send the coroner to meet them at the marina. The coroner would take possession of the body and then call in a forensic pathologist to do an autopsy.

  Leo then called headquarters. The team’s general assistant immediately answered. “FBI Tactical K-9 Unit, Christy Burton speaking.”

  “It’s Leo. Is Max available?”

  “Good afternoon, Leo. He’s on another line talking to the US Marshals. Is this urgent or can he call you back?”

  There wasn’t much Max could do from headquarters, so not urgent. “Tell him to call me. I found what we were looking for.”

  “I’ll tell him.” Christy signed off and Leo tucked his phone back in his pocket.

  Before he could zip the bag closed, Craig murmured, “There’s something pinned to her clothes.”

  A baggie had indeed been pinned to the collar of her shirt. Leo had missed it at first because of her hair. And inside the baggie was a note, the words clearly visible through the plastic.

  It’s not sisterly to snitch, Esme.

  THREE

  Alicia stood on the outcropping of rocks, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst from her chest. This spot held so many fun and cherished memories, but now...

  Out on the river, Leo and the diver had pulled the victim from the water. Averting her gaze, Alicia sent up a prayer for the woman’s family. They would need God’s peace and comfort when they learned of their loved one’s demise. She hoped justice would be served. For both this woman’s sake, as well as for Alicia and Charlie’s safety. She couldn’t forget the man who’d done this, the one who’d shot at and chased after them and was still out there.

  The boat carrying Leo, the diver and True motored downstream. Alicia watched them for a moment. Thoughts raced through her head. A feeling of uncertainty flowed through her.

  Agent Gallagher glanced back and waved. She automatically raised her hand in response, signaling what, she wasn’t sure. See you later? A job well done?

  They’d found the victim and would be able to give the woman’s family closure. That had to be worth something in the grand scheme of things. It hurt Alicia’s heart that anyone should have to die at the hands of another.

  Her thoughts turned to her late husband, Jeff. Had he realized in those moments after being shot while on duty that he was leaving this world? Had he found himself regretting the less honorable things in his life? Of the sweet little boy they’d made together, Charlie? Had he thought of her?

  She closed her eyes and willed the hurt and pain to dissipate.

  “We should meet Agent Gallagher at the marina,” Officer Jenkins said in a gentle tone, forcing her to
focus on the here and now.

  “Will you grab the tackle box?” Alicia picked up her and Charlie’s fishing poles. She had half expected them to be gone, taken by someone either hoping to add to their own collection, or who would turn them into the marina’s lost and found. Lots of people used the rocks to fish, but apparently not today.

  A part of her wished she and Charlie hadn’t been there. She couldn’t quiet the unease inside her, but if that had been the case, no one would have known about the woman. Sighing, she knew she would have to trust God that she was where she was supposed to be today. He’d seen her through so much. She couldn’t forget that now.

  Ever so slowly, she and the two officers made their way through the trees and underbrush. She stopped by the tree where the killer’s bullet had taken out a chunk of the bark and shivered. Pointing at the hole, she said, “The killer shot at us here.”

  Officer Reynolds took a picture of the hole in the tree with his phone. He did some pointing of his own. “See these gouges?”

  She nodded.

  “The assailant must have come back and dug out the bullet,” he observed. “But we have the one from your car, which unfortunately didn’t yield any clue to the suspect’s identity.”

  They continued onward.

  A careful killer. Would he see her as a detail to be eliminated?

  Fear scratched at her mind, making her stumble over a root in the ground. She had to stay focused. The last thing she needed was to twist an ankle or worse.

  She sent up a grateful prayer that Charlie hadn’t seen the man. However, the killer couldn’t know that. She hoped, prayed, the man wouldn’t consider Charlie a threat. A three-year-old wouldn’t make for a reliable witness.

  Alicia led the way toward the gravel parking lot. They were only a few feet from clearing the forest when a noise sounded to the right that made the hairs on her arms rise. She darted behind a tree, trying to make herself as invisible as possible.

  Officer Jenkins withdrew his sidearm. “It could be anything. A bear or an elk.”

  Or a killer tracking her movements.