Shield of Refuge

by Carol Steward

  She motioned her friend to pull up to the door, and waited to carry the boxes of costume accessories inside. “If it’s slow this morning, you could price these and hang them up out front.” Amber slipped the apron over her head, tossed it into the laundry hamper and ran up to change her clothes, then returned to finish telling her employees what needed to be done. “It seems like I’ll be gone most of the day, so don’t hesitate to call if you have questions.” She wished she could stay home and hide in bed, but that was out of the question. Especially with a vehicle to replace.

  “Where do you want me to put them? You’re running out of space…” she heard CiCi say as she stepped out of the bakery, determined to get her life straightened out. She didn’t have time to deal with insurance companies and police officers. Especially the one officer she couldn’t seem to forget.

  SIX

  After Amber picked up the rental car, she drove to the Victorian Inn to pick up the plastic cake plates and see if anyone else knew anything about the girl who drove the yellow SUV.

  She went from one business to the next, hoping someone would have seen something. “Do you know who drives the yellow SUV that’s parked out there?”

  “I’ve never seen it before. Who are you again?” People looked at her like she was crazy. The more she tried to explain, the crazier it sounded.

  “I witnessed an incident outside here. I’m hoping someone else could help identify the victim. Do you have a tall, thin college-age woman who works here? She might have come in around five-thirty yesterday.”

  “No, we don’t employ college students.”

  She had the same types of responses at every stop. Not one mentioned that the police had talked to them.

  Unfortunately no one had seen or heard anything, and no one seemed interested or overly concerned.

  She went from there to the police station and asked for Officer Matthews. She needed to find out why no one had questioned local shop owners and their staff.

  “He’s off today.” The uniformed officer behind the front desk looked like he was still in high school—fresh military haircut, clean-shaven face.

  She didn’t figure she’d have any luck, but asked anyway. “Do you know when he’ll be back on duty?”

  “I’m sorry, we can’t give out that information.”

  Amber looked around, uneasy being here. “Can I speak with Officer Chavez? He was the officer who took my report last night.”

  “He’s not on duty now, but if you’d like to leave your name and phone number, I’ll give him your message.”

  Two days later Garrett waited impatiently to talk to the chief. His supervisor had called to check on him earlier in the day and had broken the news that he would be required to take a few more days off.

  His soon-to-be sister-in-law, Sarah Roberts, walked by. “Sorry to hear about the accident, Garrett. How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m fine,” he replied, careful about what he said. He wanted to stay on duty, but he knew from Nick and his narcotics officer brother, Kent, that the chief didn’t like to be pushed with his back to a wall. “It’s amazing what a difference a day makes. Yesterday I woke with a headache. Today it’s gone. I feel great.”

  Sarah looked at him suspiciously. “It’s only been two days, Garrett….”

  The officer assigned to the front desk interrupted them, much to Garrett’s relief. “Officer Matthews?”

  “Yeah,” Garrett responded, eager to stop Sarah from saying that the pain hadn’t even reached its peak yet.

  “There’s a woman here to see you.”

  “Me?” Garrett glanced at the chief’s secretary, then to Sarah. “Did she say what she needs?”

  “Just said she needs to see you. She’s come in here the past two days asking to speak to you. I don’t know that she’ll take no for an answer again.”

  “I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Garrett said, hoping the chief would be available quickly. “Sarah, I’ll see you at Mom and Dad’s tomorrow for Sunday dinner. It’ll be the first time in a long time we’ve all been off at the same meal.”

  “That’s not to be taken for granted, then, is it? I’ll see you later, Garrett. Take it easy,” Sarah said.

  He looked at the secretary, and she seemed to know his silent plea.

  “He’s still on the phone, Officer Matthews. I’ll let him know that you’re waiting to see him if you want to take care of your other business.”

  He glanced at the red light on her phone and nodded. He may as well find out who was so desperate to talk to him. Though he was positive it was Amber. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I’m sure you will be,” the secretary said with a smile.

  He stepped through the door to the lobby, and immediately recognized the woman who had thrown a major kink in his plans. “Hello, Ms. Scott.”

  Worry lines dissipated from her face and he realized she was every bit as pretty as he’d remembered. She jumped to her feet. “Hi. You’re okay,” she said softly. “I was getting worried when they said you were off duty for a while. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Your brother. He and his girlfriend stopped by the shop this morning to talk about a wedding cake and to make sure I’m doing okay.”

  Figures, Garrett thought. “And are you?”

  “I’m just fine. That’s what I needed to find out about you.”

  “Good,” he said awkwardly. “I’m hoping to come back to work soon. I’m more than ready.”

  She smiled, her full lips quirked to one side. “That’s such a relief. I know you’re probably busy, but I wanted to see if they ever found the car, or if the girl…I can’t get any information from anyone else. Nick said it sometimes takes days for people to report someone missing. I’m just sure…”

  He shook his head, wishing it was easier to ignore the sincere concern in her brilliant blue eyes. “I haven’t heard anything about the case since I’m on mandatory leave.” Thanks to you. He tried not to think it. Tried not to blame her.

  He tried not to think of her, period. He had to get his career back on track as soon as possible. He had to get back in the game if he stood a chance of getting hired with the Drug Enforcement Administration or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He’d made it past the first cut for both.

  “I keep trying not to think about it, but once I get something in my head, I can’t get it out until I’ve done everything I can to solve it.”

  “It’s not your problem, though.”

  “It is when I’m the witness. And from the responses I received from the people who work near the Victorian Inn, I’m the only one who saw anything. My parents think I’m a little too driven. Giving up isn’t easy for me. And I keep seeing that poor woman….” She looked at him with her big blue eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

  He didn’t want to acknowledge the paradoxical feelings toward this woman and the guilt she was likely experiencing. She felt responsible. She wanted to help.

  How could he resent her and her following up on her concerns? She’d been following her convictions to help. Her convictions were no different than his reasons for going into law enforcement. Her intentions to help a victim of a crime were from the heart. He had to respect that, if nothing else.

  “If it were my sister, I wouldn’t want anyone to walk away without trying to help her…” she said, her voice softening. “Someone is missing her, I just know they are. Why aren’t the police looking for her?”

  That was all he needed to melt his resolve. He and his family had felt the same way when his sister had needed protection. Just like Kira, Amber wasn’t going to give up. And she was right. They couldn’t ignore a credible witness. “How do you know they aren’t?”

  “How do you know they are?”

  He didn’t, but her assumption that they weren’t doing anything stopped him cold. This wasn’t the place to argue with a witness. He wanted nothing more than to defend the department, but he had nothing to go on.
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br />   “I’m waiting to talk to the Chief of Police. I’ll see what I can find out.” He felt his pockets for something to write with, then looked around for a piece of paper, finding none. He hadn’t come prepared to work. His notebook was in his locker, two floors down. He glanced at her, wondering if she had any clue how difficult it was to concentrate with her around. “I presume your contact information is in the accident report.”

  She got a look of panic on her face. “Ummm, I’m sure it is, I mean, I gave it to the officer that night.” Amber Scott reached into the massive purse hanging from her shoulder. “Here, I’ll make it easy for you,” she said, handing him a business card with balloons and wedding bells on it.

  “Parties Galore? I’m not familiar with it.”

  “It’s the new name for my grandmother’s bakery, It was Candy and Confections…in Old Town….”

  “Oh, sure. Mom used to get cakes from there all the time…” Realizing he’d practically insulted her grandmother’s business. “For our birthday parties,” he said, digging a deeper hole for himself to get out of. She waited silently, not about to give him an easy out. “Birthday parties are pretty low-key these days….”

  “I could fix that, if you’d like,” she said with a smirk. “I am a party planner.”

  Garrett felt his skin warm up, and hoped it wasn’t obvious how embarrassed he was. He held up the card. “A party planner, when you’re not a private investigator, huh?”

  Amber shot him a coy smile. “I’ll have to see how this case pans out. A side business might be fun.” She smiled, completely knocking him off balance.

  The officer at the front window interrupted, his voice squawking through the speaker in the bulletproof glass. “Garrett, the chief is available now….”

  “Call me,” she said simply and turned to leave.

  “Yeah, I will. You be careful,” he said awkwardly, making a beeline up the stairs, trying to run from the unwelcome feelings he was fighting.

  His plans for the future left no room for complications. Women fit into the complication category. Amber Scott fit into the women category.

  He was in trouble.

  Amber Scott had already thrown a monkey wrench into his chances of joining the FBI or DEA. He didn’t need to make matters worse by getting emotionally involved with her, too.

  He needed to find answers to her suspicions right away so he could focus on his goals. Until then, he wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on anything but her. Her safety. That was all he needed to concern himself with.

  He’d find some logical explanation for what she saw that night. She’d be happy. He’d get on with his life and he’d be happy, too. He made a beeline for the chief’s office.

  “Garrett,” Chief Thomas said a minute later, offering his hand.

  Garrett knew it was going to hurt like crazy to shake the chief’s hand, but a man had to do what it took to get back to work. No pain, no gain. He wasn’t about to sit out of the action because of a stiff neck.

  He grasped the chief’s hand firmly, steeling himself.

  Chief Thomas shook his hand vigorously, then glanced at him suspiciously. “I wish I had more officers determined to get back to work like you are, Garrett.” He motioned him into his office and let the door close behind them. “You’re not going to do me much good out on the streets with less than one hundred percent mobility.”

  He’d failed again. “It’s not that bad,” Garrett said lamely. Seeing the look of contempt in the chief’s eyes, he dropped Plan A and moved on to Plan B. “I could help in the office or on the investigation, then.”

  “What investigation? Your accident…?”

  “The police impersonator, the missing girl—this isn’t the first…” Garrett said, as if it were the only investigation they had in the department. “What do we have on it so far?”

  “Not much. You focus on that shoulder, Matthews.”

  “My shoulders and neck and everything else are fine, sir.”

  The chief shook his head. “Even my hands are tied on this one, Garrett. No one has been reported missing. The car hasn’t turned up….”

  Garrett suspected as much. The case was essentially closed. “I believe Ms. Scott, Chief. She hasn’t changed the details, her story makes sense. This isn’t the first report we’ve had of suspicions police impersonators. They have to be tied to each other. Has any warning been issued to the public?”

  “The mayor won’t allow it. He feels we’ve just gained some of the community’s confidence again after the rapist was caught. Asking an open-ended question about a missing girl is opening Pandora’s box. And he doesn’t want to cast any more shadows over the police department by bringing up a police impersonator. It’s not going to happen.”

  Garrett thought about Plan C. He hadn’t thought he’d need Plan C. “So we’re just dropping the case?”

  The chief pulled a folder from the stack on his desk and opened it up, silently studying it. “I know you’re looking to move into a new career, Garrett, and I think you have an outstanding chance of being hired with any one of the federal agencies.”

  Garrett felt a “but” coming. “Yes, sir, I have. Thank you for your vote of confidence, but at this point, that’s nothing more than a pipedream. I have time on my hands, and I need to find this creep.”

  “I’m not going to let you back out on the streets before your neck has a chance to heal. You need to be one hundred percent ready when the DEA or FBI call you to test.”

  Garrett’s mind wandered. He hadn’t thought of how he’d test with a sore neck and shoulder. It was hurting more than yesterday and far more than he’d hoped it would be by today. He had been applying ice bags and heat alternately so he’d have no medications in his system. Maybe he’d look into some other treatments to speed things along.

  “I know you want to be working on this case, Garrett, but…it wouldn’t be in your best interest to pursue this investigation.”

  Garrett couldn’t believe what Chief Thomas had just said. Since when did they only investigate the cases that were interesting, or convenient? “Okay, if someone else is looking into it, let me do something to help. I could go through old files, whatever. Maybe one of our old applicants is holding a grudge. Even office work and phone calls would keep me from going stir crazy at home. Anything.”

  Chief Thomas stared at Garrett as if he’d said something wrong. He stood and looked out the window, muttering something like “Another hotshot Matthews.”

  “Excuse me, sir. Did you say something?”

  He shook his head. Finally he looked Garrett in the eye and spoke. “I do have something you can do. Ms. Scott has been very persistent about this missing girl. She arrived at the scene the next morning, started asking questions of every shop owner in the area. I want you to keep her quiet and out of our hair until she loses interest in the case.”

  Garrett couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What? I thought you said…”

  “I don’t doubt she saw something, but it has been just over forty-eight hours. I’m beginning to think that it was a boyfriend and girlfriend arguing or a college prank. We don’t have enough to go on right now. Business in the university area is just starting to recover.”

  While the chief said something about the newspapers, Garrett’s mind was spinning, desperate to come up with a Plan C. Anything to keep from facing those big blue eyes with a scheme to keep her quiet. He should say something to keep the chief from reading the wrong thing into his silence.

  “Amber Scott seems very defensive every time one of our uniformed officers talks to her, but I understand that night after the incident, she came to visit you at the hospital. Apparently she seems pretty comfortable talking to you.”

  Garrett’s brain had stopped registering after the chief ordered him to keep Amber out of their hair for a few days.

  “How well do you know her, Matthews?” the chief asked.

  The last thing he needed right now was to get to know her better. “I don’
t,” he said—not that he didn’t want to know Amber Scott. What he needed was to get back on duty where he could find out what was happening with the investigation. He needed to figure out why they were throwing this case out with the trash.

  The chief’s commanding voice broke into his thoughts. “Care to explain why she showed up at the hospital, if you’ve never met her before?”

  He came up with a response that the chief would want to hear. “She came to visit because she felt guilty, sir.”

  The chief nodded, erasing a smile as soon as it flashed on his mouth. “Good—that makes your job easier. What about her visit just now? Did she ask about the missing girl?” The chief was not happy with Amber Scott.

  Nothing was a secret around here. “Yes, apparently no one here would tell her anything about the case. So yes, she’s not only concerned about me, but the female victim. As we all should be, shouldn’t we?”

  The captain shot him a silent reprimand that instantly let Garrett know he’d pushed too far. Chief Thomas picked up a file and opened it. The quieter he got, the harder Garrett’s brain worked to figure out how he could survive this assignment. He hadn’t seen this coming.

  “We have investigators looking at the reports of police impersonators, Garrett. They will make any necessary inquiries. Your assignment right now is to keep Amber Scott quiet. She likes you and you’re our best chance to keep her out of the way so we can sort through this.”

  Nick had been set up by two fellow officers. Was Garrett next? But how could anyone have set this up? There’s no way someone could have planned for Amber to run him off the road. Besides, what could they be setting him up for? It didn’t make any sense. Not that the bad guys ever made sense.

  How was he supposed to ignore Amber Scott? She was gorgeous, had a strong conscience and she now had information that could frighten the wrong people. No matter what his own plans were, he couldn’t stand to let her face this alone. The chief was right about one thing: there had been some sort of connection between him and Amber that night.