Behind the Badge

by Susan Sleeman

  Sydney sighed out her anxiety. At least her sister was safe for now. She’d arrived in Portland and gone straight to bed. And Kate was safe, too. She’d called to say she was still in the hospital. During the night she started seeing double, so they were keeping her to determine if this was due to the head injury or an MS flare-up.

  “Everything okay in here?” Russ asked from behind, startling her.

  She pivoted. He held a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He fixed his eyes on hers and she felt the resolve to stay away from him instantly slip.

  “Everything’s fine.” She looked at the fire snapping in the hearth.

  “Really? Claudia said you’re feeling a little claustrophobic.”

  “It’ll pass.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not planning anything foolish, are you?”

  “No. I’ll sit tight for now.”

  His cell rang and he set his cup on the table before lifting the phone. “What is it, Garber?” He listened intently. “When? Where?” A spark of energy flared in his eyes as he cupped his hand over the mouthpiece. “We may have the murder weapon.”

  Excitement propelled Sydney to her feet. She listened to Russ discuss ballistics with Garber. He smiled at her, and she caught his enthusiasm. This could be the big break they needed.

  “Are you sure?” Russ asked, his expression turning sour. “Fine. Get the weapon to ballistics. I’ll be there as soon as I work the logistics out here.” He shoved his phone into the belt holder with excessive force. “They found a gun down by the lake. Looks like the murder weapon.” He ended with a scowl.

  “That’s good news.” She smiled. “So why are you so mad?”

  “Why?” his voice shot up an octave. “I’ll tell you why. The gun is registered to you. Your service weapon, to be exact.”

  “What?” She felt the blood rush from her face and her knees go weak. She laid a hand on the fireplace mantel to steady herself and process the news.

  “Care to fill me in on how it ended up by the lake?” Russ continued to glare at her.

  She didn’t like the look one bit. True, she’d sidestepped his questions about her gun, but that had been under her boss’s direction. She’d never imagined someone would use it to commit murder.

  “I didn’t take it there, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “So how did it get down by the lake?” His voice was low, his eyes watchful.

  “I don’t know, Russ.”

  “I asked you twice if you’d lost your duty weapon. You blew me off. Now I find out it could be our murder weapon.” He assessed her coldly. “You better start talking and fast.”

  The officer in her sent out a defiant stare, hoping it came out much like Nikki’s often did, but the woman in her grieved over how the man she cared about could so easily believe the worst about her.

  She let the officer win and pulled back her shoulders. “As I told you at the murder scene, I took off my duty belt and put it in my backpack.”

  He held up a hand. “Let’s cut to the part that you didn’t tell me.”

  “Fine. When I got home, Nikki put the backpack on my bed. After she took off, I went to get the gun. Discovered it was missing. I thought she’d taken it to get back at me.”

  “That explains why you patted her down,” he clarified.

  “Not my finest moment, but I couldn’t let her get caught carrying. Turns out someone must have broken into my car while I was at the lake.”

  “And you didn’t think this was important to tell me when I asked about it?” Disbelief laced his words.

  “I had a responsibility to tell Sarge first, so I couldn’t tell you then.”

  He leveled his gaze at her. “And did you report it to Krueger?”

  “That’s why I had to stop at the office first thing the other day.”

  “So when I asked you about it again, why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “Sarge ordered me to keep it quiet,” she admitted. “He didn’t want my careless actions to damage our department’s good name.”

  He shook his head and marched toward the door where he paused. “You better hope the ballistics don’t come back as a match. Even I can’t stop the fallout that will cause.”

  She leaned against the mantel and watched him leave. She’d disappointed him again. More than disappointed. His final look told her he might never trust her again. Maybe never want to see her again, either.

  A knife of pain, much like the one she’d felt when her father had left, sliced into her stomach. This pain only came from hurting someone you cared about. Flashes of their time together flitted through her brain. She recalled all the wonderful, caring things Russ had done for her.

  He’d demonstrated his dependability. Shown how fiercely he protected those in need. How much he cared about doing the right thing and behaving honorably. How tough, yet gentle he could be.

  How had she let a man who clearly didn’t want the responsibility of raising a teenager get to her when she’d sworn not to?

  It really didn’t matter. Not in the long run. He was so mad at her for not telling him about the loss of her gun that she doubted she’d see him again unless he came back to arrest her. She’d simply followed Sarge’s orders. Now it looked as if she’d take the fall for killing Dixon.

  Weary, Russ swiveled his chair away from his desk. As the chief of police, he was in a precarious position. He owed it to the townspeople to keep an eye on Sydney in case she took off, but personally, he was more concerned for her safety. As mad as he was at her for not telling him about her gun, when she fixed her pain-filled gaze on him, it was all he could do to keep walking.

  He knew she didn’t kill Dixon and shouldn’t have been so rough on her. The only thing she was guilty of was leaving her gun in the car. Not something worthy of arrest.

  Oh, but he knew from experience it was something she could catch blame for. Blame that could ruin her life if she let it. Like he had his. Instead of helping her deal with the gut-wrenching pain he’d yelled at her, making things worse.

  He slammed a fist on the arm of his chair. Sure, he was miffed that she hadn’t told him about the missing weapon, but that wasn’t reason to go off on her like that. What he should’ve done was shout at himself for daring to care about a woman again. After all, that was why he was so mad, wasn’t it? He’d opened his heart to her only to find out it didn’t pay off.

  What he wouldn’t give right now to go back to the way things were before he’d dared to hope. Maybe she was thinking the same thing. Wishing she’d never run into him again. Feeling the same turmoil.

  At least she had God to turn to. He did, too, if he’d only try.

  He closed his eyes and fought for the words he needed to convey his thoughts to God, but they tangled. He couldn’t think clearly. The pressure to ask for the right thing was nearly palpable. Then he remembered what Reid had once taught him. When you don’t know what to pray for, God still knows your needs.

  Well, then, God. If Reid is right, You know what I need. Please bring it to pass, because I’m at the end of my rope and the killer is inching closer to Sydney.

  “Ah, Chief?” Garber said from the door of the office, drawing Russ’s head up.

  “What is it?” Russ couldn’t believe how weary his voice sounded.

  “Got the info back from the building inspector. He says the invoices on Dixon’s computer don’t match the materials in the photos. Looks like Johnson installed substandard products and turned in invoices to the construction company for higher-grade items, then pocketed the difference.”

  Maybe they finally had a real suspect. “We need to get Johnson’s bank statements.”

  “Way ahead of you. He’s been making regular cash deposits well above his salary. A few months ago, he also started taking hefty withdrawals. I figure that money was paying off Dixon.”

  “And then he got tired of being blackmailed and killed him.”

  Garber nodded. “He probably knew Deputy Tucker stopped at the to
wn houses every night and had heard she’d threatened Dixon. He swiped her gun and killed Dixon, then was going to kill her, making it look like a murder-suicide, but you showed up.”

  “Makes sense. But how does that explain the texts?”

  “Could be plan B. When he didn’t take Tucker out, he decided to make it look like she took this mystery item to make us question if she was involved with Dixon. Then all he had to do was leave her gun for us to find and hope circumstantial evidence convicted her.”

  “Sounds possible,” Russ said. “Let’s bring Johnson in and start tracking down his whereabouts at the time of the murder and the other incidents.”

  Baker poked his head in the door and handed Russ a sheet of paper. “Ballistics.”

  Russ took the page, but before looking at it he dismissed his men. No way he’d let them see his reaction to the report’s contents.

  When both officers exited, Russ laid the paper on top of his desk. Though he believed with all his heart in Sydney’s innocence, he couldn’t bring himself to look at the report. He sat staring, but unseeing as time passed.

  “Chief,” Garber said from the door. “We’ve located Johnson. Should have him here within thirty minutes.”

  “Let me know when he gets here.”

  “You okay, boss?”

  “Fine,” he answered.

  “Was it Deputy Tucker’s gun?”

  Russ couldn’t put off looking any longer or Garber would start to question his tactics. He peered at the report. What he’d dreaded had come to pass. Sydney’s gun killed Dixon.

  “Yeah, it’s hers.”

  “Want me to bring her in?”

  Should he? If the report confirmed a gun belonging to anyone other than Sydney or maybe other than another law-enforcement officer, he’d be out the door and on his way to get an arrest warrant. But this was Sydney. A fellow officer of the law.

  So how did he handle this? He could call Reid for advice, but this was Russ’s responsibility. He needed to step up and decide what to do on his own.

  “Chief?”

  “I’m really not liking her for this, Garber. Let’s wait to do anything until after we talk with Johnson.”

  “You got it. I’ll let you know when Johnson arrives.” Garber departed and Russ went to the window.

  The overcast sky blocking the sunlight reflected his mood. Was he doing the right thing here? Or was he letting feelings for Sydney obscure his judgment just like the thick clouds blocked the sun?

  “I’m surprised to find you standing here when there’s an arrest to be made,” Windsor said from behind.

  Russ turned, spotting the councilman leaning on the door-jamb, his thick arms crossed. How Windsor had heard the news so fast was beyond Russ.

  “We just got the report. Give me time to process the news.”

  “Why? Because she’s a deputy and law-enforcement officers stick together?” Windsor pushed off the door and came into the room.

  “No, because I think we have other suspects to consider first.”

  “That may be the case, but there’s sufficient evidence to arrest her and we don’t want her fleeing while you dawdle,” Windsor said curtly.

  “Circumstantial evidence that I’m not sure a judge will issue a warrant for.”

  “I’m way ahead of you there. You do the paperwork…I’ll make sure it gets signed.”

  Russ clamped his hand on his gun and looked at Windsor. “No one is going to push me into this.”

  “You like your job, don’t you?” Windsor adopted a haughty look.

  “You know I do.”

  “Then I suggest you make the arrest or you’ll find yourself unemployed and without a reference to find another job.” He walked to the door and looked at his watch. “I’ll give you until ten o’clock to bring me the paperwork. If you don’t want to comply, start packing your things.”

  Russ fumed inside but kept his expression blank so Windsor didn’t find any satisfaction over riling him. When the councilman was out of sight, Russ dropped onto his chair. He wouldn’t let anyone push him around. He was an officer of the law. He’d abide by the oath he’d sworn to uphold.

  Trouble was, he didn’t know if he could make the right move here. This job was everything to him. If he disobeyed this direct order from Windsor, with his past problem with alcohol, he’d never find another job in law enforcement. But that wasn’t reason enough to arrest Sydney. Not if he wasn’t convinced of her guilt.

  His head felt as if it would explode from indecision. For the first time in his professional career, he felt paralyzed. If he didn’t find a way to work through it, the paralysis could cost someone their life.

  SIXTEEN

  Sydney didn’t think she could handle another person disappointed in her, but she didn’t want Sarge to hear the news about her gun from someone else so she’d phoned him. He exploded, letting his voice travel through the line and reverberate around the cabin.

  She stood by, letting him get it all out. She deserved every bit of his wrath.

  “I’m coming out there,” he said, his tone calm and measured. “We need to figure out a way to spin this before your carelessness tarnishes every member of the sheriff’s department. I’m just down the road and will be there in a few minutes.” He disconnected before she could argue.

  Before she could stow her phone, it rang. Expecting a return call from Sarge saying something had come up and he couldn’t make it, she dug out the phone and glanced at caller ID.

  Not Sarge, but Reid.

  Was there a security breach? Or maybe this was about Nikki.

  Sydney clicked talk. “What’s wrong, Reid?”

  “I hate to tell you this.” He paused, the silence long and painful. “Nikki’s missing.”

  “Missing? What do you mean missing?” Distress brought a lump to her throat.

  “Before you panic, there’s no sign of forced entry or a struggle, so we don’t think she’s been abducted. My men thought she was sleeping, but when she didn’t come out, they were worried and checked on her. Found the window unlocked and her gone. Looks like she simply decided to split.”

  “She doesn’t know anyone in Portland. So where would she go?”

  “Maybe she met someone online.”

  “Possible.” Sydney tried to get inside Nikki’s head, a challenge to do with a teenager. “Since it’s Saturday, she might’ve called her friend Emily to give her a ride back home.”

  “Can you check with Emily and get back to me?”

  “Sure.” She disconnected and made a quick call to Nikki first, just in case she answered.

  Five rings. Voice mail. She left a message to call ASAP, then dialed Emily. No answer. Sydney located Emily’s home number in her phone book.

  When Emily’s mother answered, Sydney explained her problem, minus all of the details about the killer. Ann went to see if Emily was in her room. As Sydney waited for her to return, she tapped her foot on the floor.

  If Nikki wasn’t with Emily, Sydney would need to go look for her. But where did she start? She didn’t have a clue where her sister would go in Portland. But the killer might. He could’ve followed her. Or Reid could be wrong and the killer had already abducted Nikki.

  In that case, baiting the killer to draw him away from Nikki was Sydney’s best option. Actually, the best option in either case. The very thing Russ and Reid warned her not to do. Too bad, because Nikki came first. She always came first.

  “Sydney.” Ann’s soft voice came over the phone. “Emily’s here like I thought. She says she hasn’t heard from Nikki since that dreadful party the other night.”

  “Thanks, Ann.”

  “Can I—”

  Sydney clicked off before Ann asked for details Sydney wasn’t willing or able to share.

  Trying to come up with a plan, she paced the room until she heard Claudia’s phone ring from the porch. Maybe something else was going down. Something Reid didn’t want to tell her about. Could be news on Nikki.

  Sydney
went to the door and stepped into the cold. Her breath fanned out in airy wisps as she crossed the porch to Claudia.

  “Everything okay?” the other woman asked.

  “Was that call about Nikki?”

  “It was Reid telling me your sergeant is on his way up here.” She nodded toward his cruiser creeping up the far end of the driveway. “You’re not planning on leaving with him, are you?”

  “What?”

  “I know you’re itching to get out of here, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving,” she said, her expression concerned. “In fact, I’m dead set against it.”

  Claudia’s warning gave Sydney an idea. She would convince Sarge to let her leave with him and help her find Nikki.

  “I don’t like that look, Deputy,” Claudia said. “Don’t do something stupid or I’ll have to come after you.” She smiled as if this was a joke, but her serious tone told Sydney that if she left the woman would track her down. But that wouldn’t stop Sydney.

  Trying to figure out how to get Sarge on her side, she waited for him to join them, then introduced him to Claudia.

  He gave the former agent a clipped nod and jerked his head at the door. “Inside, Tucker. Now!”

  “Remember what I said, Deputy,” Claudia called after them.

  Sarge raised an eyebrow in her direction but didn’t stop his long strides into the house. Sydney followed him into the living room, where he jabbed a finger at the club chair. She sat. He paced. He always paced. Probably why he resembled a human string bean.

  She didn’t wait for him to launch into his tirade, but preempted it. “Before we talk about my gun, I have a pressing issue that I need your help with.” She explained Nikki’s disappearance to Sarge, imbuing her voice with the urgency she felt. “I was hoping you’d take me out of here so I can find her.”

  He appraised her, his dark eyes settling on her face. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Tucker.”

  “What if one of your family members was missing and a killer was on the loose? What would you do?”

  “I’d bust outta here.” His lips tipped in a half smile.

  “And you’d want some help if it was available, right?”