“Never said I didn’t.” He fell into line next to her, sighing and shaking his head. “What I didn’t want to do was expose you to any more possible danger.”
“From who?” Nicki asked. “The bad guy is down in the woods. He has no idea we’re watching him.”
“He may not but that doesn’t mean he’s alone. If you’re going to play detective, you’ll need to learn to think outside the box. See threats behind every door. Assume the worst of everybody until you prove otherwise.”
“Is that how you see me?” she asked, lowering her voice now that they were approaching the open apartment door. In her heart of hearts, she hoped he was going to reassure her that he knew she was innocent because that would mean that Jackson probably felt the same.
“I think you’re a smart woman who’s too naive for her own good, among other things. I also think you’ve got more guts than half the men I know.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“You’re welcome.” He paused and held out his arm to block her path, reminding her of the way Jackson had also behaved. Without looking at her, he said, “Shush. Slowly now,” before he eased through the doorway.
Nicki followed. She was glad she was behind Harold when Jackson spun around and glared at them.
“Didn’t you tell him to wait?” the K-9 officer demanded.
“She did,” Harold answered for her. “I thought three pairs of eyes would be better than one, that’s all. Can you still see him?”
“No.” Jackson shook his head. “I lost him over that way, about ten o’clock.”
Nicki understood he was referring to the position of the numbers on a clock face and peered in that direction. “I don’t see a thing except trees.”
“Me, either,” Harold added. “How long ago did you lose sight of him?”
“Just a couple of minutes.”
“There’s nothing over that way except forest, is there?” Nicki asked.
“I seem to remember an old chapel and a graveyard,” Harold said thoughtfully. He looked to his nephew. “Am I right?”
“I think so. Keep looking.”
Nicki could tell from Jackson’s expression that he was formulating a plan. She stepped aside to give him room to pass as he reentered the apartment and made another call.
“This is Worth, K-9 unit 463 again,” he began.
As Nicki listened, he gave the dispatcher the information Harold had provided and suggested a dual approach to the woods.
“That’s right. Nobody uses the chapel anymore, but there are still new burials in the cemetery from time to time. I don’t have the GPS coordinates. Tell the units to take Lost Woods Road clear to the end, past the park, then make a right on the dirt road and keep going. The old church is sitting in a grove of trees and the graveyard is behind it.”
Nicki didn’t look away when Jackson’s gaze met hers. She knew he was upset with her, yet she also thought she sensed his grudging respect. Although it was beyond her fondest dreams that he might actually want her with him, she chose to believe that he had at least come to terms with having her there, probably because Harold had accompanied her.
That was okay with her. Almost anything was, as long as she was included as if she belonged.
No, she countered. That wasn’t entirely true. She had standards, principles, a newly enforced sense of right and wrong. From the moment she had truly become a Christian, she had understood that. She had not been a bad person before, she was simply a better one now.
A flash of light in the distant forest jarred her from her reverie. She shaded her eyes with one hand and tapped Jackson’s shoulder with the other, then pointed.
“Look. Over there! I just saw it for a second. It looked like a reflection of something shiny.”
“From what? Could you tell?” He bent over her, almost placing his cheek against hers to get the same perspective.
Nicki caught her breath, astounded by how acutely his nearness was affecting her. “I—I think it might have been from a mirror or something. It’s really hard to tell with the sun so low. I suppose I could have imagined it.”
“Could it have been reflecting from the chrome or windshield of a car?”
“I suppose so.” She strained to listen, to hear other sounds, in spite of her pounding pulse. “Do you hear a motor?”
“I’m not sure. Stay here with Harold.”
Jackson left her and raced for the door.
Nicki heard his boots thudding down the stairs. She turned to the older man. “Where is he going?”
“Best guess? I’d say he’s headed out there to chase whatever you saw,” he said with a shrug. “Uh-oh.”
“What?”
“Over there, where you thought you saw the flash of light. There’s a cloud of dust. See? It looks pinkish in the twilight.”
“Yes! The man with the dog is getting away, isn’t he?”
Harold huffed and his shoulders sagged. “Sure looks like it to me.”
Closing her eyes, Nicki prayed, Please, please, please, let Jackson be in time, then added, and keep him safe.
She knew, without actually forming the words, that she wanted to say, Because he is so very special to me.
Before she had time to take another breath, she realized that, whether she said so out loud or not, the Lord knew exactly what truths were hidden in her heart.
In the space of a mere couple of days, she had formed a ridiculous attachment to the handsome Texas cop.
She might be wiser than before because of what Bobby Lee had done, but apparently her heart hadn’t learned a thing.
NINE
Jackson had radioed his position as he drove into the woods on unmarked dirt roads. Chances had been slim from the outset that he’d arrive in time to overtake whoever had been working that German shepherd, but he’d had to try.
By the time his team had gathered at the place where he’d last spotted the shadowy figure, man and canine had disappeared. So had the sun.
“Titan won’t be much use to us in this case,” McNeal said, muttering unintelligibly and sounding more than disappointed. “Why don’t you head back to the apartment and see if Harold has anything to report?”
“Yes, sir.”
Returning to his car, Jackson dialed Nicki, wondering if she’d had the foresight to plug in her phone and let the apartment electricity power it. To his astonishment, she had.
“Hello?”
“I don’t believe it! You charged your phone.”
“Actually...I can’t take credit for that. It was your uncle’s idea. Where are you?”
“In the Lost Woods, moving west. Searchers are spreading out from my original sighting, but it looks like the guy got away. I’m going to check out the area where you saw the flash before I come in, just in case.”
“Why don’t you turn on your red lights? That will help us see you and maybe tell if you’re close.”
“Will do.” He reached down. “There. Can you see that?”
“Yes. It looks as if you’re a little west of the place. Harold and I both saw dust rising over there after you left us.”
“How much farther is it?”
There was a short pause before she answered, “Harold says maybe half to a quarter of a mile. He thinks it was near that old church he mentioned.”
“Okay. I’ll relay your information and keep going. The team is using the bloodhound. They won’t disturb him while he’s tracking, but I can have a look right now.”
“I wish I could be there, too. Any chance Harold and I could come? We’d stay out of the way. Honest.”
“You two need to go home and put the groceries away,” Jackson said, knowing what her reaction would be.
Nevertheless, it made him smile when she said, “Phooey. There’s nothing perishable and you know it.”
“Well, it was worth a try. Let me talk to my uncle.”
In an instant, Harold was clamoring for more information.
“Simmer down,” Jackson said calmly. “There’s
nothing either of you can do here except mess up the few clues we do have.”
“Like what?” the older man demanded.
“A few fresh footprints and some tire tracks from my original observation. Not a whole lot, I’m afraid.”
“What about the old church?”
“I’m almost there but I’m going to stage and wait—unless I see somebody. Austin is working Justice. I don’t want to get ahead of that team in case they end up coming this way.”
“Fine. We’ll take the food back to the ranch, pick up the ranch truck and meet you near the abandoned chapel. Should take us about an hour.” He exhaled sharply. “That ought to be long enough for the bloodhound to get his sniffing done.”
“No! I don’t want you to bring that woman into this.” Jackson knew there was too much emotion in his tone, but he couldn’t help himself.
He heard his uncle chortle. “Me bring her? It’s more like the other way around. I practically had to hog-tie her to keep her up here after you ran off.”
In the background, Nicki was loudly insisting otherwise.
“Okay, okay. I’ll meet you in the woods in an hour,” Jackson said. “You won’t have a reliable phone until Nicki’s is fully charged, but you can use the two-way radio in the truck. Meet me where the road forks just before you get to the turnoff for the chapel. Understand?”
What Jackson really wanted was a firm commitment from the retired deputy and was satisfied when Harold said, “Agreed. We’ll wait for you. Just don’t keep us cooling our heels for too long.” He paused to chuckle. “I don’t know whether I’m ever going to be able to convince our new cook that she belongs back in the kitchen instead of on a stakeout.”
The resulting racket in the background, compliments of Nicki, made Jackson smile as he ended the connection. As long as she was with Harold, he wasn’t too worried about her. The way he saw it, she’d probably be safer in his uncle’s company than she would be at the ranch by herself.
“And, we still need to keep a close eye on her, just like Captain McNeal said,” he muttered.
Could Nicki really be withholding evidence? Everything about her pointed to innocence, yet she was clearly a clever, determined person.
She’s also a new Christian, he reminded himself. That wasn’t proof of her truthfulness by itself, but it did tend to support her claims. The question was twofold; had she reformed enough for it to make a difference, and had she needed to do so in the first place? Yes, she had made a big mistake by getting pregnant, but that didn’t make her a bad person any more than any other sin did. It simply made her human, something they all were whether they happened to be believers or not.
Speaking of being human... Jackson mused. Against regulations he was losing his personal battle to keep from caring too much for a suspect, and there didn’t seem to be a thing he could do to stop himself.
Nicolette Johnson had gotten under his skin. Big-time.
* * *
Nicki grew more and more enthused as she and Harold drove toward the Lost Woods. He had insisted that they grab a quick bite while storing the groceries at the ranch house, and for that she was thankful. Her easily upset stomach seemed much happier when it wasn’t empty.
“I have to admit,” she began, “I feel a lot better since I ate. I had no idea that would help.”
“Always did wonders for my wife,” the older man said.
“You had a family?”
“Yes.” His smile was wistful. “Still do. My two kids moved to Florida with my ex and her second husband. Now that they’re grown they call or email pretty regularly so it’s not so bad.”
“Is that how you and Jackson got together?”
“Because we were both alone, you mean?” He smiled to soften the question. “Not exactly. I’d been living in Texas for years before he joined up and was sent overseas. When he asked me to look after his ranch for him, it was a perfect arrangement for us both. After he got home, he invited me to stay on. There’s no place I’d rather live so I agreed. I love to explore this country.”
“Is that how you learned about the abandoned chapel?”
“Matter of fact, it is. I saw a line of cars headed into the Lost Woods one day and decided to see where they were going. Turns out there was a funeral in the old church graveyard. Apparently, some families have large plots and mausoleums there and keep using them.”
“Makes sense. My cousin, Arianna, was buried in Dallas because that’s where her parents’ graves were. My folks’ graves are there, too.”
“Sorry for your loss. It’s hard being the last one left, isn’t it?”
Nicki nodded thoughtfully before she replied, “Yes. I was hit with that realization after I heard that Arianna was gone—although I do have a half sister somewhere back East. I know it’s silly, but I feel kind of like an orphan.”
She didn’t flinch when he reached over and patted her hand where it rested on the seat between them. His knuckles were enlarged and his skin calloused, yet his touch was gentle. “You’ll never be alone as long as you’re a member of God’s family. And if you ever want to add an old uncle like me, I’m available for adoption.”
“Thanks,” Nicki said. “I’ll keep that in mind. It’s been so long since I felt as if I was part of a real family that I don’t know how well I’d fit into one.”
“You’ll do just fine wherever the Lord sends you,” he said with a smile that crinkled the leathery skin at the corners of his brown eyes, and somehow reminded her of Jackson.
That reaction shouldn’t surprise me, Nicki reasoned. Pretty much everything, from police work to cowboy boots and Stetsons, reminded her of that man.
Worse, she could hardly wait until they met him at the planned rendezvous. The mere thought of seeing his face, standing near him, watching him smile, made her giddy with joy. It wasn’t the same kind of emotional tie she’d thought she’d shared with Bobby Lee. It was more. Much more.
Mutual? Maybe. Maybe not. She and Jackson hardly knew each other, and time would tell. She was already in plenty of trouble without falling for one of the cops who was investigating Arianna’s murder.
Nicki crossed her arms and stared through the truck windshield, realizing how foolish she was being to even dream of such a thing. No man was going to want her now. Not when she was carrying someone else’s baby. The chances she might have had for a normal life with a loving husband and children had disappeared when Bobby Lee Crawford had tricked her, used her and deserted her. It was over.
Still, it was not her unborn child’s fault that she’d made such a terrible mistake. The baby was as innocent of purposeful wrongdoing as she was.
A sidelong peek at the man behind the wheel of the pickup truck showed his concentration focused primarily on the road ahead. However, he also kept glancing in the side mirrors.
Nicki frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Probably nothing. Sit still. Don’t turn around.”
She started to do exactly that and had to stop herself. “Why? What do you see?”
“It’s possible we’ve picked up a tail.”
“You mean I have, don’t you?”
Harold’s bushy brows arched. “Okay. You have. Now do you see why I insisted you and I stick together no matter what?”
She huffed, “I guess so. I know Jackson wants you to watch me closely because he thinks I’m holding out on him. Hiding evidence. I wish I were. Believe me, if I knew anything that would get all these idiots out of my life and off my trail, I’d be delighted to reveal it.”
“You’re sure you don’t have even a clue? Anything at all? Did your cousin mail you anything or leave any messages? Think.”
“No!” she nearly shouted it. “I am exactly what you see, nothing more, nothing less. I’m a short-order cook with no home, a stack of bills that keep piling up and a bun in the oven that turned my life upside down. All I want is some peace and quiet.”
After a short pause Harold said, “I believe you. Pull your seat belt tighter
and hang on. I’m about to try to ditch this tail.”
He made a snap turn south off the highway and onto a bumpy dirt trail. The truck’s engine roared and its heavy-duty springs made the tires bounce like overinflated beach balls.
Nicki’s right hand grabbed the handhold mounted above the passenger door while her left clamped the edge of the seat.
“You okay?” Harold shouted.
“As good as can be expected. Have we lost him yet?”
“No. He’s still back there,” Harold yelled. “Grab the radio and warn Jackson.”
“What shall I tell him?” She let go of the seat and fisted the mic at the end of a spiral cord.
“That we’re being pursued by a black sedan with tinted windows and those new, bright headlights. If this guy is still with us when we get to the meeting place, there won’t be any question of mistaken identity.”
“Gotcha. What’s Jackson’s call sign?
“K-9 unit 463. It’s his number, four, plus the vehicle ID.”
Nicki triggered the radio and broadcast, “K-9 463, this is your ranch truck. We’re approaching the planned rendezvous and we have company. Advise.”
“How soon?” Jackson replied.
She looked to her companion. “Five to ten,” he said.
“Five to ten minutes,” she repeated. “The way Harold’s driving it may be even sooner.”
“Copy. Keep coming. Don’t stop where we had planned. I’ll be waiting for him.”
Nicki lowered the mic. “He said...”
“I heard him. This may get a little dicey. Hang on.”
“As if I’m not already,” she shouted over the roar of the engine and the squeaking of the truck as it bounced and twisted over the rough roadway.
Her eyes were wide and she was apprehensive, so filled with adrenaline she could hardly breathe, barely think. How did cops do this without making mistakes or overreacting? Most of the police work she had watched so far had been tedious and rather boring. Being involved in a car chase, however, changed everything. Demonstrated the seriousness of their plight.
And, knowing that Jackson was waiting to leap in to assist them made the situation even more nerve-racking.
Explosive Secrets (Texas K-9 Unit) Page 9
