by V. K. Powell
But her job didn’t define her. The circumstances of her life from the beginning, her values and beliefs did. Her family had been close despite her father’s frequent absences. She and her siblings had enjoyed social and educational opportunities that shaped their paths and provided direction. But most important, their parents had loved and nurtured them. Exciting stories of challenge and survival of spirit filled her father’s visits home.
Why had she identified with and held on to the painful aspects of love and not with its abundance or potential? She’d focused on her father’s departures but not on his returns. Even those times, bittersweet with parting, had infused her with the possibilities of life. That had been her father’s legacy, not the lesson of caution and moderation. Greer was right—their family had grounded her father, been his anchor. They were what brought him back time after time.
She could modify her career to suit her life and curtail her foreign assignments to a more manageable schedule. She’d earned that privilege. And for the first time in her life, she wanted to stay in one place, in this place. She would gladly forgo the assignment in Kyrgyzstan for the opportunity to see where her relationship with Greer led.
Maybe now was the time for a change. But as Eva looked around the stark room where she was imprisoned, she didn’t see much hope or optimism.
Chapter Twenty
Greer paced the compact basement radio room, looking over the dispatcher’s shoulder every time a call came in. She smelled the anxiety and tension in the air. The chief had appeared on television and radio stations appealing for information about Eva’s kidnapping.
It was five in the afternoon—twelve hours since Eva was taken—and they hadn’t received any reliable leads. Greer and the rest of the force had been looking for her with no luck. Whoever had taken her hadn’t called with a ransom demand. Time wasn’t necessarily an ally in kidnapping cases. Greer’s nerves were on edge but she had no idea what to do next. Her helplessness had nearly debilitated her.
“New Hope nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.
Greer edged forward as if she could hear the caller.
“Yes, ma’am. She’s right here. Hold on.” The dispatcher handed the headset to Greer. “It’s a Brenda Wallace, says she has information for you.”
Greer held the headset to her ear and adjusted the mouthpiece. “Yes, Mrs. Wallace, this is Greer Ellis.”
“I can help you.” The woman’s voice was barely a whisper and Greer had to strain to understand her.
“Can you speak up, Mrs. Wallace?”
“Can’t, he might hear me. Listen. He brought that woman I saw on TV into my house. God knows what he’s doing to her.”
Greer’s heart raced as she pictured Eva captive in Brenda Wallace’s home with that psychopath Baron. “Have you seen her?”
“I peeped through the keyhole into his bedroom while he was in the shower. I told him not to come back here, ever. I want no part of this.”
“Can—” The words stuck in Greer’s throat but she had to ask. “Can you tell if Ms. Saldana is injured?”
“I didn’t get a good look, but there’s some blood on her face and—I got to go. He turned off the shower. Come and get him before he does something awful. But please don’t hurt him.”
The line went dead. Greer handed the headset back to the dispatcher and gave instructions as she sprinted to the door. “Notify my squad, all the search units, and the patrol watch commander to meet me at our office.”
Greer bolted up the two flights of stairs and sketched a floor plan of the Wallace home on the squad blackboard. From Brenda Wallace’s information, Eva was being held in Baron’s bedroom on the southeast corner of the residence. The shortest distance to her would be through the back door. That’s where Greer and JJ would enter. She positioned the other detectives around the residence with reinforcements from patrol. Brenda Wallace had been concerned about Eva’s safety, which was enough for entry without a warrant under exigent circumstances. Greer double-checked her plan and pulled her vest on over her T-shirt as the rest of the squad arrived.
“We’ve got a credible lead. Baron Wallace is holding Eva at his mother’s place. She said Eva is injured but she doesn’t know how badly. I thought you guys checked his mother’s house earlier.” She directed her comment to the patrol officers assigned to assist in the search. “I gave you a list of all his hangouts.”
“We did, ma’am. But his car wasn’t there and it was all quiet,” one of the officers said.
“You didn’t go in?” The officer shuffled his feet and couldn’t meet her gaze. Why didn’t I go myself, she wondered. If she’s badly injured, I’m to blame, only me. She shook her head in disbelief and continued the briefing.
“Here’s the layout of the house and your assignments.” Greer pointed to the blackboard to make each point, then addressed the watch commander. “Lieutenant, can you provide units to back us up on entry?” When he nodded, she indicated where they would be posted. “Let’s be ready to move in five minutes.”
When the other officers started suiting up, JJ put his hand on Greer’s shoulder. For the first time, she realized that she’d taken over what should’ve been his role with the squad. As acting sergeant, JJ should have reviewed raid plans and authorized warrantless entries. But she saw no sign of reproach in his eyes, only concern.
“Do you want me to take the lead?” he asked.
“No, I’ve got to do this.”
“I’m not asking you to stand down. Just let me give the entry order. We want to be sure we play it by the book.”
She considered his suggestion and knew he was right, but somehow relinquishing even a small part of this operation seemed like a failure.
“I’ll give the order and we’ll go in together, at the closest point. Agreed?”
“All right, but don’t get in my way, JJ.”
The look he gave her sealed the agreement. “Let’s move,” he ordered.
As they walked past the sergeant’s door, it opened and Sergeant Fluharty walked out. He looked like he’d been sick or drunk for weeks. He’d lost weight and his cheeks were hollow, his eyes lackluster.
Greer stopped, her mind a jumble of confusion about this man whom she’d considered a mentor. He had questions to answer, evidence to account for, but in her heart he was the man who’d saved her life. It would take more than a misunderstanding or a lab mistake to change her feelings about him. “Hey, Sarge, you okay?”
He looked back toward Agent Long, who was seated at his desk. “Sure, kid. Don’t worry. Where you going in such a hurry?”
“Baron Wallace has kidnapped Eva.”
The news seemed to make Fluharty’s appearance degenerate even more. His shoulders hunched forward as he placed a hand on Greer’s forearm. “You be careful. He’s gone off the deep end.”
“Will do, Sarge.”
Agent Long spoke from behind Fluharty. “I hate to do this, Greer, but Bastille won’t be going on the raid. I need him.”
Greer wanted to ask Long about the residue test and about Fluharty and Breeze’s involvement in this mess, but now wasn’t the time. She’d get the details and sort it out later. Right now Eva’s life was in her hands.
By the time the additional patrol officers joined them at the staging area near the Wallace residence, it was dark and their odds of a surprise approach increased greatly. JJ briefed the uniformed guys on their roles and everyone got into position. “Nobody move until I give the word,” JJ said into her earpiece as they snaked to the back of the house.
Greer flattened against the wood-frame building beside the window she’d identified as Baron Wallace’s bedroom, and the rough surface scraped her skin. She disregarded the slight pain and listened for any sound from the room. A tiny break in the heavy curtains allowed a dim stream of light to escape, and she edged closer and looked inside.
As Greer’s eyes adjusted, her breath caught in her throat. Eva was tied to a chair in the center of the room, he
r face covered with blood. Baron Wallace stood over her waving a gun like a madman. Greer couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she could see his lips move as he spoke to Eva. Then he backed away from her and lay across the bed with the gun on his chest. They needed to move quickly.
If Baron had expected an immediate response to Eva’s kidnapping, he was most certainly getting antsy. If he harmed her further, Greer would never forgive herself. She’d failed the woman she loved once before, but it wouldn’t happen again.
“JJ, get ready.” She raced back to JJ’s position at the rear of the house and nodded.
JJ announced, “All units, go, go, go!” Then his size-thirteen shoe shredded the flimsy back door.
Greer was at the bedroom before JJ disentangled his foot from the remnants of the door. Other officers forced their way in the front but she didn’t wait. She shouldered into the room, positioned herself between Eva and Baron, and drew down on him. He was still lying across the bed and rose only slightly when she entered, as if he’d been waiting for her. The chair Eva was in had toppled to the floor and she was lying on her side, facing away from the door.
“Drop the gun, Baron,” Greer ordered. “Do it!”
“Sure, sure, don’t shoot.” He eased the gun off his chest and placed it on the floor at his feet. “It’s about time you got here.”
Officers entered the room behind her and she motioned them toward Baron. “Cuff this piece of crap.” When she was certain Baron was under control, she turned toward Eva. She was very still but her eyes were wide. Greer removed the gag and righted the chair.
“Yeah, it’s about time you got here, Detective.”
Greer sighed with relief. If Eva could still tease her, she was probably okay. “Where are you hurt? You’re bleeding. What did he do to you?” she asked as she untied the ropes.
“When he broke the car window, the flying glass scraped my face and hands. It’s not serious.” Eva stroked the side of Greer’s face and her tension eased a bit. “When I heard you come in the back, I turned the chair over so he couldn’t use me as a shield. I might’ve bruised my shoulder, but it’ll be okay.”
“You’re pretty smart for a reporter,” Greer said as she helped Eva to her feet and walked her to the door.
“No harm intended, ma’am,” Baron said as Eva passed.
Greer turned and charged Baron. She shoved him into the wall and drove her forearm against his throat. “No harm intended? You kidnapped her, you sick fuck. How is that not harmful?” Baron’s face was bright red and his eyes bulged.
“Greer.” Somebody called her name. “Greer, he’s handcuffed,” JJ said.
At that moment Greer didn’t care about excessive force. She wanted to make Baron Wallace pay for touching Eva. He’d crossed the line and Greer had to make an example of him.
But then Eva’s soft, calming voice spoke from behind her. “Greer, let him go. I’m all right. He killed Paul and he needs to answer for it.”
Greer released her grip and Baron slumped down the wall, choking and sputtering for breath. “He admitted he killed Paul? He said that?”
“Ye—ah,” Baron coughed, “and I’ve got a lot more to say, but only to you.”
“We’ll see about that,” JJ said as he pulled Baron from the floor and escorted him outside.
Greer looped her arm through Eva’s, pulled her close, and led her toward the front of the house. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if—”
“I know, darling. I know.” She leaned into Greer’s side. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
The undercurrent of innuendo in Eva’s tone ignited a surge of emotional warmth through Greer. She wanted to pull Eva into her arms and kiss her, answering any question in her heart with a resounding physical yes. But this was neither the time nor place.
“Well, I guess you caught yourself a killer, didn’t you, Ms. Saldana? You believed that Paul was murdered. Now you have proof and an admission. That’s excellent work.”
“Don’t forget your part. You put yourself on the line to help me and I won’t forget that. But we’re not finished. Wallace implied that he had an accomplice, as we suspected. We have to find him, Greer. I won’t rest until we do. Any ideas?”
Greer didn’t want to tell Eva about the unexpected turn in Tom Merritt’s murder case—that Sergeant Fluharty or Breeze could be at least withholding information and, at worst, involved. But they’d come too far to keep secrets. “I have an idea. It’s not a pleasant one, but I have to look into it.”
Before Greer continued, one of the patrol officers called out. “What about her?” Greer turned to see Mrs. Wallace standing between two burly officers.
“We should probably give her a medal. Let her go and see if you can secure her doors before you leave. And file a claim to have them repaired at the city’s expense.” She waved to Mrs. Wallace and said, “Thank you.” When Greer returned her attention to Eva, it looked as if she might faint. The energy she’d displayed earlier had vanished, and the dried blood on her face and arms looked ghastly against her pale skin. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“I don’t need a hospital. Please, tell me about the lead, then we’ll go home.”
Home? The way Eva said the word made Greer’s heart pound with possibility. She hoped Eva meant it exactly the way it sounded—like she considered Greer’s home her own. But that seemed too much to wish for. “Bessie would rake me over the coals if I didn’t get you checked out first. You know how protective she is.”
“But isn’t Bessie there? Couldn’t she do the honors? She’s probably worried sick anyway, waiting to hear from you. Please.”
Eva’s deep brown eyes pleaded and Greer couldn’t say no. She helped Eva into the car and retrieved a first-aid kit from the trunk. “I have to clean you up a bit or you’ll scare her to death. She’s good with other people’s blood, but not when it’s someone she cares about.” Greer sat on the floorboard in front of Eva and wet a piece of gauze from a bottle of water. She gently wiped around the cuts on Eva’s face and flinched each time she saw a new injury. “Bastard,” she muttered. “I should’ve choked him to death.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Eva’s mouth and her gaze met Greer’s. “I’m all right. You don’t have to worry anymore. And, by the way, thanks for the rescue.”
Greer’s skin flushed and she looked away. “It’s what I do.”
“No, it’s who you are.” She cupped Greer’s cheek. “And I love it. Now tell me about our next move.”
“We don’t have a next move. I’m taking you home, then I’ll go back to the station and interview Baron Wallace. He can probably verify my suspicions.” The words she was about to say weren’t easy. “Sergeant Fluharty or Breeze or both could be involved in this, somehow.” The expression on Eva’s face froze and she started to speak, but someone came up behind them.
“Sorry to interrupt,” JJ said, “but this clown says he’s not talking to anybody but you. What do you want to do?”
Greer was torn. She wanted to take Eva home, put her to bed, and stay with her so no one could threaten or harm her again. She and Eva were reaching a tentative understanding, and even the shortest separation could scatter them in opposite directions. But the professional in her wanted the last pieces of this puzzle.
“Let’s go,” Eva said.
She wanted Eva with her more than anything, but she’d been in jeopardy since she came to New Hope, and Greer wanted her to finally be safe. “Please go home and let Bessie tend to your cuts. I want you out of this. I can’t let you come with me.”
“You can’t stop me, Greer. We’ve been in this investigation together from the beginning. I have to see it through as much as you do, maybe more because Paul was my brother.”
“You’re one stubborn woman. Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. We have to do this.”
Greer tried to be firm, but she lost all willpower where Eva was concerned. “You realize that you can’t be in the interview room with me
, don’t you? But you can watch from a viewing room.” Eva nodded and Greer turned to JJ. “You heard her. We’re going to the station.”
Thirty minutes later, Greer walked into the dingy interview room, having reread the entire Saldana and Merritt files. SBI Agent Long agreed to let Greer handle the questioning in both cases because of the obvious connections. She pulled out a chair across from Baron and placed her notepad on the table between them.
The small room reeked of unclean bodies and stale trash, and its walls displayed the random scratches and smears of many bored suspects. Greer let her gaze roam around the room, in no hurry to engage Baron Wallace. He had something to say, and her apparent lack of interest would only fuel his desire to talk. This man needed to make a deal. She could smell the desperation like sweat seeping from his pores.
Baron’s eyes were bloodshot. If her sources were correct, he’d been moving from place to place since the APB was broadcast. Few people could sleep with a bounty on their heads. He constantly scrubbed his knuckles over his shaved head and tried to make eye contact with Greer.
“Ain’t you got no questions?” he asked.
“I already have the facts. I know you killed Paul Saldana. Do you have anything to tell me that might help your case?” JJ had already advised Wallace of his rights, so Greer was comfortable letting him speak freely.
“Well, I didn’t kill him exactly.”
Greer felt a momentary rush of panic but it quickly passed. All suspects started out lying about their involvement in a crime, especially one as serious as murder. Baron needed to tell his story his way and then she’d have him cornered. “Why don’t you tell me about it?” Greer thought about Eva on the opposite side of the two-way mirror with Agent Long and JJ and wished she didn’t have to hear the horrible way her brother died. But she’d insisted on watching the interview, no matter how bad.
“He was at the old warehouse on Lewis Street taking pictures. We couldn’t chance that he might’ve got us in one of his shots. I was told to shut him up and get the camera. I didn’t actually kill him. He snorted too much cocaine, that’s all. Then I took the camera and left.”
