Retribution (Otter Creek Book 8)

by Rebecca Deel

  “There’s a camel in Otter Creek?” Heidi asked.

  “Old farmer named Lawrence bought two for his granddaughter. Named them Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde’s a homebody. Bonnie, on the other hand, hates to be penned up. She’s the town troublemaker.”

  “How do you catch a camel?”

  “I don’t know how other people catch them, but Bonnie loves potato chips. She’ll follow you anywhere if you have her favorite treat. We all carry a potato chip supply in our cruisers.”

  The coffeemaker signaled the end of the brew cycle. “Where are your coffee mugs?” Quinn asked Heidi.

  “Cabinet to the right of the sink.”

  “I’ll bring the coffee. Want anything added to yours?”

  She shook her head as she dropped onto a chair across from Nick. Heidi opened the cookie container and pushed it closer to Nick.

  “Thanks,” he murmured and selected two cookies.

  Quinn placed a mug each in front of Nick and Heidi before returning to pour his own steaming liquid. At the table, he sat next to Heidi and chose his own cookies. He wolfed one down in a couple of bites. He saw the wisdom of cookies this time of morning. They were tastier than the MREs he’d downed in the field over the years. On ops, you ate whenever you could. A five-course breakfast hadn’t been on the menu.

  “I’ll have to take Madison muffins or donuts when I go off shift. I can’t eat cookies for breakfast without providing my wife with something as good.” Nick waited until Heidi finished her coffee before pushing his empty mug aside and grabbing a small notebook and pen. “Tell me what happened tonight, Heidi.”

  Her hands clenched around her mug. “Starting from when?”

  “I understand you arrived in town yesterday. Start there.”

  Heidi recounted the time line for her interview and drive to her rental home. “Quinn followed me. My other bosses and their wives helped me unload the truck. Sometime after we unloaded the truck, Detective Kelter arrived. We fed him, then he checked Quinn’s damaged SUV.”

  “Tell me about the gas cans.” Nick’s quiet voice sounded non-threatening, but Quinn suspected he was circling for the kill. The detective knew something about the fire and was slowly cinching the rope around Heidi’s neck. Guess Quinn’s initial assessment of the conversation between Nick and the fire chief was right. The fire which destroyed the garage must have been set, and the detective thought Heidi was responsible.

  “Detective Kelter mentioned them, said I should put my gas cans away.” When Heidi’s dog laid his head on her thigh, she dropped her hand to rub his ears.

  Nick’s hand slipped under his jacket.

  Crap. Quinn hated the suspicion he saw in his friend’s eyes. “Nick,” he murmured. When the police detective glanced his way, Quinn gave a slight head shake to tell him Heidi didn’t have a gun pointed at his midsection under the table.

  “I don’t have gas cans,” she continued, unaware of the byplay between Quinn and Nick. “I hate cutting grass so I hire a lawn mowing service to take care of the yard for me. I don’t need gas cans.”

  He motioned for her to continue.

  “The others left soon after Detective Kelter.”

  “I stayed for another two hours,” Quinn added, holding Nick’s gaze with his own. “We unpacked the living room.” He smiled. “Heidi has quite a collection of books so it took a while.”

  Heidi shrugged. “So I like my books in a particular order. Sue me.”

  “And after Quinn left?”

  “I hung curtains in each room. Couldn’t stand the thought of someone peering into the house.”

  “Your nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Quinn insisted. “Anyone would want curtains up for privacy, including you, Nick.”

  His lips curved. “Got me there. What did you do after you hung curtains, Heidi?”

  “Prepped the coffeemaker and climbed into bed. Charlie woke me at three o’clock.”

  “Charlie?” Nick frowned.

  “My dog. He was growling. I thought someone was outside.”

  “Did you call the police to investigate?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t want to call before I knew someone was outside. We’re in a new place. I wasn’t sure what Charlie was hearing.”

  Quinn kept his expression blank although he knew Heidi was holding something back. From the way Nick sat unmoving, he suspected the same thing.

  “Did you look outside?”

  Heidi grimaced. “I did, not that it helped much. It’s dark out here. I’ll have to talk to the landlord about a security light.”

  Fat chance of him doing anything about it. Quinn had asked Zane to research Heidi’s landlord. The quick response from the Fortress tech expert revealed a man who wouldn’t spend more than necessary on his rental properties. Any improvements came out of his renters’ pockets. Maybe Quinn could work out security upgrades with Maddox.

  “What happened after Charlie woke you?” Nick asked.

  “I grabbed my Glock and put on my shoes and sweater. I walked into the living room, hoping to see more from this end of the house.”

  The detective’s pen hovered over the pad. “You have a Glock? Where is the weapon, Heidi?”

  “I have a table with a drawer in the entryway. I left the gun there when Josh made me leave the house. I knew the police would respond to the fire and I didn’t want anyone to look at me the way you are. I’m not a threat to you.”

  “You have a permit?”

  “I do. You want to see it?”

  “In a minute. You took the time to put on your shoes and sweater? Why is that, Heidi?”

  “In case I had to run.”

  “Go on.”

  “As Charlie and I arrived in the living room, Josh Cahill pounded on the door to tell me there was a fire and I had to leave the house.”

  “What happened to the gas cans Rod found on your porch?”

  Heidi blinked. “I suppose Detective Kelter took them. He was talking to Josh and Quinn when I went inside last night.”

  “He took them,” Quinn confirmed. “I watched him put the cans in his SUV. What’s going on, Nick? Why all the questions about the gas cans?”

  Nick stared at Heidi. “I want permission to search your house, Heidi. I’d rather have your cooperation than have to get a search warrant, but I’ll go after the warrant if I need to.”

  Quinn’s gut twisted. “Why, Nick?”

  “The fire in the garage wasn’t an accident. Someone set the fire using gasoline as an accelerant.” Nick’s gaze focused on Heidi. “I think you know a lot more than you’re telling me. Don’t lie to me, Heidi. Did you set the fire?”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Heidi’s stomach pitched, making her wish she’d passed on the cookies and coffee. She pushed back from the table, took her mug to the sink to give herself time to craft an answer Nick Santana’s question. How much could she safely tell him?

  She must be honest with the Otter Creek detective. Heidi couldn’t divulge her cousin’s location. Maddox had been careful not to say where Levi was living.

  She didn’t want Quinn to hear her explanation. The day of reckoning had arrived sooner than she anticipated. Heidi couldn’t answer Nick’s questions without spilling everything. Quinn would hate her. Heidi regretted the lost opportunity to work with her childhood crush. She’d looked forward to knowing the man he’d grown into. Now Heidi would never know the truth about him.

  Heidi returned to the table and faced the detective who watched her every move. “I didn’t set the fire. Search the house. Some of my belongings are still in boxes. If you open them, you won’t find candles, matches, or lighters. I don’t like open flames, not even a grill, indoor or outdoor. One of my requirements in renting was electric heat and air, water heater, and stove. No gas of any kind.”

  Nick tilted his head. “Let’s hear the story behind that, Heidi. Afterward, I will search the house, including every box in your possession. If I find anything tha
t raises my suspicions, I will take you to the station for more questions.”

  Not surprising. Didn’t like it. Again, nothing different than what she’d faced before except she’d had Levi in her corner. Now, she had no one. Not even Quinn once he learned the truth. Would he believe her when he heard her story? Probably not. No one else had. “When I was ten, my eight-year-old sister and I were kidnapped.”

  Beside her, Quinn stiffened.

  Heidi had planned to tell him who she was when no one else was around. She hated hurting Quinn. Then again, it wasn’t her doing. The blame belonged to her father. Would Quinn recognize the distinction?

  Nick frowned, straightened in his seat. “The cops catch the perps?”

  “One of them died in prison.” Exactly where he deserved to be for a long, miserable life. He’d cost her everything. Her home, what was left of her family, her life. Another prisoner had ended his life three years into his prison sentence. “The other one escaped and was never caught.”

  “Did they want money?”

  If only the answer was that easy. The initial kidnapping was about money, but Heidi didn’t know why she survived and Moira hadn’t. Her father never said. Now it was too late to ask. “A ransom demand was paid.”

  The scheme had caused Quinn’s family so much pain. She focused her gaze on Nick though she felt Quinn’s hot gaze locked on her. “Detective Santana, my father was one of the kidnappers. He was captured and died in prison.”

  Quinn shoved away from the table and crossed the kitchen to stand with his hands braced on the counter, his back to Heidi and Nick. Anger practically radiated from his body.

  Hurt twined through Heidi even though she knew it wasn’t rational. Quinn Gallagher had every right to put distance between them. Her father’s selfishness had changed Quinn’s life and not in a good way.

  “You or your family members never asked your father why he participated in kidnapping his own children?” Nick sounded skeptical. “I find that hard to believe, Heidi.”

  Yeah, he wouldn’t be the first law enforcement officer with that reaction when hearing her story for the first time. If she hadn’t lived the nightmare, Heidi wouldn’t believe it either. “I couldn’t ask him or my mother.”

  “Explain.”

  “My family was traumatized.” So was she, but in the grand view of things, Heidi’s trauma was minor. “The second kidnapper murdered my little sister.” She tried to blink away the tears gathering in her eyes, but a slow trickle of moisture escaped despite her best efforts.

  “I’m sorry,” Nick murmured. “Did your mother offer any explanation or speculation as to the reason behind the kidnapping aside from money?”

  One of her hands clenched in Charlie’s fur. With her free hand, Heidi swiped the tears from her face. “No. By the time I could ask questions, she was gone, too.”

  “You have no other family?”

  She refused to answer. Essentially, Nick was correct. She had no family members left except for one. Levi. She had to protect him.

  Nick tried again. “How long ago did you lose your mother, Heidi?”

  “Twenty years.”

  Nick scrawled a few notes on his notepad. “I know it’s bad form to ask a woman her age, but I need to know how old are you now.”

  Man, this was going to be bad. “Thirty.”

  “Your mother died not long after you were kidnapped?”

  “I lost my baby sister, then my mother, and an older sister a week later.”

  “How did they die?”

  Heidi swallowed hard. She already knew what kind of reaction her answer would generate. She stole a quick glance at Quinn. “House fire.” Quinn’s hands fisted on the counter.

  Nick’s head snapped up, his laser gaze focused on her. “You were too young to live on your own. Where did you go? Foster care system?”

  “I moved in with an aunt and uncle who lived in a neighboring town.”

  “Their names?”

  “I can’t tell you their names, Nick.” Quinn’s head whipped her direction, his eyes full of suspicion.

  “Why not? It’s not a secret.”

  “No, but it’s safer for everyone involved if I don’t divulge their names.”

  The detective studied her a moment. “Are you in witness protection, Heidi?”

  “Sort of.”

  He said nothing, but his eyebrows rose.

  Yeah, didn’t figure that vague explanation would fly. What could she do? Heidi had to protect Levi. She also didn’t want to land behind bars. Who would take care of Charlie? Being arrested would lead to exposure in the press. Talk about waving a flag at the other kidnapper if he hadn’t already found her. Besides that, Levi would leave his protection to verify her story, putting him in the heart of danger again. Not something she wanted to contemplate. “The Marshals are not providing protection.”

  Nick’s gaze immediately shifted to Quinn. “Fortress?”

  He turned around though Quinn focused on the detective. “You know we can’t confirm or deny without permission from higher up the food chain.”

  Heidi flinched. Quinn’s tone was clipped, cold.

  “I’ll take that as a positive response to my question.” He looked back at Heidi. “I assume your name is not Heidi Thompson.”

  She shook her head. “I like this name better than the others I’ve had.”

  “What’s going on here, Heidi?” Quinn asked, finally looking at her. “Now is the time to come clean. We want to help you.”

  “You don’t know what’s happening here?” Nick asked, his voice rising. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I thought you were protecting her.”

  Quinn held up his hand, his gaze locked with Heidi’s. “Talk to me.”

  “My aunt, uncle, and one cousin were murdered just like my mother and older sister.”

  “Another house fire,” he said, voice flat.

  “I know it seems suspicious.”

  Nick snorted. “You think? We don’t believe in coincidence in our business, Heidi.”

  “That’s because it’s not a coincidence, is it?” Quinn said. “The fires are connected to your past. That’s why you freaked when you saw the gas cans on your porch last night.”

  “They are the same kind used in the other fires.” She glanced at the detective. “I don’t know what Detective Kelter found on the gas cans, but I can guess. Nothing. No prints, no smudges, no fibers. Am I right?”

  Nick’s eyes glittered. “Yes, ma’am.”

  No question any more. The kidnapper had found her again. But how? How had he broken the security Maddox established for her? She dropped her face into her hands. Levi. She had to warn her cousin. If her security had been breached, his had most likely been compromised as well. Heidi raised her head. “I need to make a phone call right now. It’s a matter of life or death.”

  Quinn crossed the kitchen in three strides and captured her chin in the palm of his hand and turned her to face him. “Who are you protecting?” he demanded. “Tell me. My teammates and I can help you if you let us.”

  He couldn’t be serious. It sounded like he meant to put their murky past aside and protect her no matter what. She wanted to believe but was afraid to trust. Quinn had no reason to help her and every reason not to. “My cousin. He’s under protection as well. If the kidnapper found me again, my cousin’s security might have been compromised.” She turned to the detective. “Please. I have to warn him.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Quinn pulled out his phone.

  “How? You don’t know who I’m talking about.” Or did he? Had Maddox shared more than she realized with the leaders of PSI? That couldn’t be the case. Quinn hadn’t faked the anger and hurt when she revealed enough of her background to confirm her identity. “I have a way to contact him, one approved by Maddox.”

  “I have a friend who will notify his security detail in less than a minute.” He tapped his screen and placed the call. “Hey, Z. Need a favor. Heidi’s security has been compromised. She’s
worried about her cousin. You need to warn his security team. Thanks, man.” He ended the call, glanced at Heidi. “Done.”

  She blinked. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  Heidi sat back with a sigh. “Thank you.” At least Levi had a chance to defend himself if he and his team were attacked. Even if Quinn and his friends sent her back to Maddox for another identity change and relocation, at least Levi would have enough warning to protect himself.

  Quinn’s phone signaled an incoming message. He glanced at the screen. “Your cousin’s security detail has been notified. They’ll take appropriate measures to ensure his safety.” He captured her chin again, his touch gentle. “Just as we’ll do for you. You have some decisions to make.”

  Nick closed his notebook and slid it and his pen into the pocket of his jacket. “While you and Gallagher discuss a few things, I’m starting the house search.”

  Heidi waited until the Otter Creek detective left the room before beginning her last discussion with Quinn. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t know you were working with PSI or I would have asked Maddox to send me somewhere else. I never meant to hurt you, Quinn.”

  “Did you recognize me?”

  She nodded, her lips curving. “It was obvious you didn’t know who I was.”

  “You’re no longer ten.” He glanced around to be sure Nick was out of earshot before he leaned close and whispered, “What happened to you, Katie Henderson? You used to be a sweet, painfully honest kid. Now it seems you’re an accomplished liar. Taking after your sorry excuse for a father?”

  Stung, she glared at the man staring daggers at her. “That’s not fair. I was following Maddox’s instructions.”

  “Maddox has some explaining to do. He should have told me before letting my past blindside me.”

  Heidi sighed. “I’ll ask him to reassign me.”

  “Did you lie to him, too?”

  “No! My cousin and I told him the truth about everything.”

  “So he knows about our connection.”

  “I assume he does. I never talked about you by name.”

  “Didn’t have to, sweetheart. The boss researches every prospective client before taking them on. Trust me, he knew who you were before he sent you to me.”