A female officer joined them. “I’m Samantha Taylor, the victim’s advocate officer. Do you have someone who can pick you up after you’re done tonight?”
Amber shook her head. “I’m not sure, depends on how long this takes.”
“I’d guess at least another hour,” Samantha said, pulling a card from her pocket.
“No, most of my friends are at a wedding shower.”
“Well then, have one of the officers give me a call when you’re done and I’ll take you home. And here’s my card.”
“Thanks.”
“Officer Taylor, could you come with us to the scene please?” The lieutenant gave instructions to another officer and led Amber to his squad car.
The female officer stepped into pace with them, easing Amber’s concerns about being alone with the grumpy officer. The two officers sat in the front seats of the squad car and put Amber in the back.
“So, where’d this incident take place?”
She directed him to the Victorian Inn, going through the incident as he drove. After they got out, she showed him where she’d parked, and where the police car had been. “This is the yellow SUV that the woman was driving, well, not literally driving, but she was inside it. It was in this same place.”
The officers took a quick look around it, using a gloved hand to try to open any of the doors. They were all locked.
“When I came out from finishing the cake, I saw the unmarked police car parked in the street behind the yellow SUV, but sort of pulled in at an angle. There, where that black Suburban is now. That’s where I was parked. The cop was parked…” She looked around, pictured herself walking out of the inn, thinking about the scene. “About here.” Amber pointed to the right. “There was a small car between the yellow SUV and me. The door to the SUV was open when I drove off after him, though.”
“Run the plates on it, Taylor,” the lieutenant ordered while he shone a flashlight both directions along the ground. “You sure this is where it happened?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I parked in the 15-minute zone because I wasn’t staying much longer than to assemble a two-tier anniversary cake. This space was the only one available, because I thought it was too bad I couldn’t have had the closer spot, so I wouldn’t have to go around the van carrying the heavy cake. When I came out, the spot I wanted,” she pointed to it, “was open. Then next to it was a red Mustang.”
“I thought you told Officer Matthews you don’t know cars,” he said, interrupting her thought process.
“I always wanted a Mustang, so I noticed it, candy-apple red. That’s when I heard the man telling her to get out of her truck. I was putting my cake kit into the van and rearranged it a little because I didn’t want the cake to be damaged, since it didn’t fit into a covered box. I thought of asking him to move, but I don’t…I didn’t have a good feeling about him.”
Amber continued to explain, feeling as if she was repeating herself for nothing, while the officers both took notes and asked more questions.
Lieutenant Chavez put his flashlight back into his belt. “Did they see or hear you?”
Amber shrugged, tired of going through all of this. “Not that I’m aware of. Once I realized this wasn’t really a cop, I got in the van and started looking for my phone. I was so scared. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I keep thinking I should have honked the horn or something. I couldn’t think.” She felt her heart sink and tears stung her eyes. “I didn’t know what to do.
Then all of a sudden, she went limp, and he forced her into the backseat of the car. And I just panicked. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did exactly what you should have done,” the lieutenant said gently. He paused to let her compose herself before continuing the questioning. “And you have no idea if he stabbed her, or what caused her to go limp?”
“I couldn’t see that well. There were shadows from the trees. It was getting dark. The guy was in the way.” Amber closed her eyes and focused. “She jerked, like someone in pain. Maybe he did stab her?”
“There’s no sign of a scuffle, no blood, no evidence that I can see.” The female officer raised an eyebrow. “What made you think it was a police car in the first place?”
“It had one of those little bubble lights on top, like on cop shows, where they stick it up on the roof from out their window.”
“We don’t use any of those, even on unmarked cars,” the lieutenant explained.
“I’ve only seen them on television, but I’m convinced that he was an imposter. I recognize the piping on the costume. I bought some of them for my shop.”
“We’ll need to see them, and who has rented them. And if anyone returns one, don’t launder it until we’ve run some tests on it.”
“No problem, but I haven’t seen this guy in my store. The costume could have been ordered online,” Amber said as the officers scoured the street for any sign of a struggle.
The lieutenant approached while the female officer continued searching for any sign of a scuffle. “I’m going to need a physical description of each of them.”
Amber thought a minute or two before confessing, “I’m not sure how much I saw. The sun was going down, and the shadows…”
After coming up with nothing, Officer Taylor said, “Stand where you were this evening.” The officers both moved next to the yellow vehicle. “Is this about how tall the guy was?”
Amber compared their height to the yellow vehicle. “I think the guy was shorter than you, Lieutenant Chavez, about Officer Taylor’s height, I’d guess, and the girl was about the same.”
“Good,” the woman said. “What else do you remember?”
“He was stocky, but not fat, a long buzz cut, and probably Hispanic. She was Caucasian, long brown or dark reddish hair maybe, for some reason, red sticks in my mind, tall, but not too thin.”
“Any tattoos or jewelry on either of them?” Officer Taylor asked.
Amber shrugged, closed her eyes and tried to see the image again. “I couldn’t see them that clearly.”
“Any indication he might have had gang affiliations?”
She shook her head, trying to understand how someone wearing a cop uniform could also look like a gang member. “No. He was wearing a police uniform. My first impression was it was legit.”
“And her?” the lieutenant asked.
“I can’t be sure. She was wearing a blue tight-fitting top with a hood, but she looked like the athletes that come into my shop for their sugar fix.”
“I don’t see anything here. It’s almost unheard of for a victim not to drop something during an abduction. I thought maybe she’d left her purse or backpack in the vehicle, but I can’t be sure without getting inside. We can’t do that without a warrant. Did the suspect stop for any length of time after he closed her in the police car?” Officer Taylor asked.
“It all seemed to happen so fast at the time,” Amber said as she closed her eyes and walked herself through the incident again, step by step, whispering to herself.
The lieutenant took a slow walk around the area again, shaking his head.
“This doesn’t seem like a sexual assault, and it definitely doesn’t fit the MO of the guy we got,” Officer Taylor said as she returned to Amber’s side. The radio interrupted their conversation, and Samantha focused on it. “Looks like the vehicle is registered to a twenty-five-year-old male, Marcus Smith. I can check on him later.”
Amber struggled to recall what the suspect looked like, relieved that Officer Taylor seemed to believe her. “Wait a minute. It’s possible she had something hanging from her shoulder. She broke away once when they were almost to the car, she swung at him, and he threw her against the side of the trunk. She could have dropped something there. After he got the second cuff on her and stuffed her in the car, he stumbled when he was going around the car, but maybe he didn’t stumble, maybe he stooped to pick something up.”
“Are you sure about that?” the lieutenant
asked.
Amber shrugged. “Pretty sure.” She just realized something she hadn’t noticed before. “It was a Rocky Mountain University top. I saw it as she was being pushed into the car.”
“You’re sure?” he said again.
She leveled a glare at the lieutenant. She hadn’t realized how comfortable she’d been answering Officer Matthews’s questions. She was quickly realizing he wasn’t like other cops. “I’m not making this up as I go along. I simply didn’t remember every little detail before.”
The female officer held out her hand. “It’s normal to remember additional facts as the adrenaline wears off. Just keep writing everything down as you remember it. Someone from FCPD will be in touch if we need more information.”
The lieutenant moved toward the squad car and directed them to do the same.
She was taken to the police station, where they asked her to write out her report of the incident leading up to the accident, then gave her information about contacting the towing company to schedule her transport to the repair shop. She added it to the careless driving and speeding ticket in her bag.
“Have you heard how Officer Matthews is doing?”
“No, we can’t give out that information.” The records clerk took the report form and turned away.
When Amber was released she assured the officer that she’d reached a friend to give her a ride. She left the station, tears stinging her eyes. She walked to the nearest bus stop, and got off at the hospital she’d overheard mentioned on the police radio. She hoped she wasn’t too late to check in on Officer Matthews.
FOUR
Garrett Matthews opened his eyes and fought the nausea back with more ice chips. “The police force is already shorthanded, Doc. I can at least do something in the office, can’t I?”
“The CT scan looks good, but you’ll need to take a few days off from full duty, make sure this concussion is fully gone before you’re back out on the streets. You’re going to be pretty sore for a while.”
“Nothing a few over-the-counter painkillers won’t cure, right?”
“Maybe. The symptoms of whiplash very often don’t show up for several days. You’re not to push it. And I mean it, Garrett.”
It was just his luck that their family doctor happened to be in the ER with another patient when the ambulance arrived. There was no hope of fooling Dr. Call.
“Can you arrange to have someone stay with you tonight?” the doctor asked as he wrote on Garrett’s chart.
Garrett rolled his eyes and shifted on the too-short bed trying to find a comfortable position. “I’m sure you’ve already called Mom and Dad. And yes, they’d be happy to watch out for me.”
“I couldn’t reach them. Maybe one of your brothers could stay with you. I suspect Kira and her new husband might even take you in for the night if we called them.”
“I’m not calling the newlyweds. Nick is working tonight, and Mom and Dad will probably be home any time. They never leave their cell phone on. Kent and Renee have gone to Mexico on vacation.” Garrett felt the weight of his head smoosh the pillow.
“You rest here then until we reach someone. Headache starting?”
His eyes drifted closed. “No.”
“You can’t go to sleep, Garrett. And it won’t do you any good to deny the headache. You’re not going back to work, in any case,” Dr. Call informed him. “I want to check you out in a week to clear you for full duty.”
“A week?”
“Not one foot in the car, Garrett Matthews….” Dr. Call demanded as much respect now as he had when Garrett was a kid.
“But…”
“Not one. I’ve fought with your father when he was still on duty, and won then, too. Just because I’m old, doesn’t mean you can pull a fast one over me. Your eyes are glazed over, one pupil is dilated. You have a concussion and in that condition, you’re more danger to the community than you are a help. I’m going to go find a nurse or hospital volunteer to sit with you and make sure you don’t fall asleep. We want to keep you awake for a while longer.”
“I just want to help in the office,” he said lamely as the doctor left his room.
Garrett heard a gentle knock and turned, surprised to see the woman who’d run into him walk meekly into the room.
“I just had to make sure you’re okay.”
He looked at her, reassured that she was just as pretty in the light. “I’m going to be fine,” he said, eyeing his uniform laying across the chair. “How’d you get in here?”
She shrugged, though a pretty pink tinge colored her delicate skin. “I slipped in the exit as someone was leaving. Things get kind of hectic in an ER.” She smiled softly, and Garrett felt the pain in his head ease up considerably. “The police wouldn’t tell me anything. I’ll leave as soon as I know you’re okay, I promise. You didn’t look good when they took you in the ambulance. I’ve been worried.”
Garrett laughed. “Sit down. The doctor says I have a concussion and has gone to pull someone off the streets to keep me from going to sleep. Care to volunteer?”
“Really?” she asked, a smile brightening her face. “You’re not mad at me?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, teasing her. “In my business, I’m well aware that accidents happen. I know you weren’t out to harm anyone.”
She shook her head, a tired smile on her full lips.
“Everyone is busy,” Dr. Call said as he walked through the door. His scowl disappeared immediately when he saw Amber. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had a…visitor. Good. That takes care of that. Should I keep calling your folks, or will your girlfriend be able to stay with you?”
Garrett didn’t want to get Amber into more trouble. “Yes, please. Amber has had a long day.”
The doctor gave her instructions on when to call the nurse and left the room. “You didn’t have to…” She bit her lip, and leaned her head to one side, as if trying to avoid the attraction.
He reached out his hand, hoping she’d take it. “Maybe I’m the one who should be apologizing, for selfishly committing you to staying awhile longer to keep me from falling asleep.”
“It’s me that owes you. You kept me from getting into more trouble more than once tonight, and don’t try to deny that.” She took a hesitant step closer and took hold of his hand momentarily. “I can’t tell you how much I regret the accident, Officer.”
“If you’re going to sneak in here under the pretense of my girlfriend and make sure I don’t fall asleep, I think you’d better call me Garrett. Otherwise I’ll have to call security, and neither of us needs to fill out any more reports tonight, do we?” He smiled, though he really wanted to go to sleep, despite the beautiful woman God had sent tonight to interrupt his life.
“I feel so foolish,” she said quietly. She blinked away tears, and he could see these weren’t her first of the evening. Her mascara was already smudged. “I should have done something to scare the guy away. Maybe the girl would be safe and sound in her dorm room now.”
“No, you shouldn’t have done any more. You definitely shouldn’t. You could’ve been hurt. We don’t know what the suspect’s motive was. It might have been much worse. Don’t blame yourself, Amber.” He listened carefully for the next half hour as she talked through the incident, including the feeling that no one believed what she’d seen.
When the doctor came back into the emergency exam room a while later, he had Garrett’s shift supervisor and his brother Nick with him.
Nick spoke first. “You okay?”
“Apparently not enough to get out of here.”
The lieutenant looked at Amber and his smile faded. “How did you get in here?”
That look of fear returned instantly to Amber’s face.
“It’s okay, I approved her visit. In fact, I asked her to stay to keep me company until they could reach my folks to come take me home,” Garrett confessed, hoping it wasn’t going to cost him more than a little razzing from the guys. “It’s my fault.”
His
brother studied Amber. “You own the bakery in Old Town, don’t you? I think we met during the Harvest Festival, a few weeks ago.”
“Yes, I own it, but it’s not just a bakery, it’s now Parties Galore, with party supplies and planning services, and costumes…” She studied his brother, then smiled as she apparently remembered meeting him. “Oh, yes,” she said, looking at Garrett, then back to Nick. “You and a female officer made sure I got into the shop safely, didn’t you? And then your partner came in and rented that chicken costume.”
“That’s right.” He nodded, hiding a smile. “Things going okay?”
“Yes, it’s been very quiet lately, since the festival anyway. Thanks for watching out for all of us downtown.” She looked sheepishly at him. “Garrett, since you have company, I’ll say good-night,” Amber said as she stood. “Stop in the shop sometime. Coffee and pastries are on me.”
“Oh, wait,” Garrett said. “Nick, Amber’s a…party planner. He’s the one who might need help…with a party.”
Nick looked at Garrett as if he’d lost his mind.
“Sure….” She pulled a business card from her bag. “Give me a call. I guarantee I can give you a deal.”
She made a quick exit, and Garrett hated to admit he didn’t want to see her go.
The lieutenant glanced out of the ER room and waited a few minutes before speaking. “You let the woman who turtled you keep you company in the hospital?” he asked in disbelief.
“Someone had to do it. The doctor was looking for volunteers,” Garrett replied, hoping Chavez was in a better mood than he looked. “I’m not kidding. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time twice tonight.”
Nick glanced at their supervisor then back to Garrett. “Sounds like you’ll heal, you’re cranky enough to scare any real damage away,” his brother said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
Shield of Refuge Page 3
