by Sharon Dunn
“You.” Martin stomped across the deck. No doubt to snatch the gun from her.
Noah caught the railing as his feet skimmed the surface of the water. He attempted to pull himself back up on deck. He felt weak from fighting and from having been in the cold water. He managed to get back in the boat flopping like a caught fish.
Martin had yanked the gun from Lani and was aiming it at her. Noah summoned up all the strength he had and charged at Martin’s back. This time Martin’s stomach pressed against the railing. He heard the gun fall in the water.
Noah had had enough. He was weak and tired, but more than anything, he was tired of Martin tormenting Lani.
He let up pressure on Martin’s back. Martin swung around, ready to fight. This time Noah was prepared. His opponent tended to go for the stomach or the head. Noah blocked the punch and landed two to his head, which seemed to stun him.
Martin lunged at Noah, but he dodged out of the way and then brought his clenched fists down on Martin’s back. He fell on the deck. Noah landed a final blow to his head, which left him dazed but still conscious.
“That rope over there,” said Lani, who was trying to scoot toward some cording.
Noah kept his weight on Martin’s back while he struggled to get away and cursed at Noah, but his voice was weak from the struggle and having been hit in the head. Lani dragged the rope across the deck until Noah could reach it. He tied Martin’s hands and his feet with the single length of rope. He didn’t want any chance of him getting away. After Martin was secure, Noah drew his attention to the island. He saw light everywhere, searchlights and flashlights bobbing. A helicopter hovered over the debris and buildings.
“Why don’t I get this boat turned around and we can go get Scotty? Looks like there is plenty of help to deal with Martin,” said Noah.
“That sounds like a plan,” she said. “Noah, is Reed okay?” Her words were drenched in fear.
“Yes, he’s the one who was able to track Martin’s car to the dock.”
“I was so afraid that...you know.”
He could hear the fatigue in her voice as well. He moved across the deck so he could untie her hands. His fingers brushed over her palm as he worked the knots free. He clamped his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. “It’s over.”
She turned toward him, and he gathered her into his arms while she cried. He held her until she pulled away.
She took in a breath and brushed her hair off her face. “I’m okay.”
He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “You sure?”
She nodded.
He hated destroying the tender moment between them. He rose to his feet, restarted the boat and headed toward an open area where he could get turned around. Lani came and stood beside him, squeezing his arm and then leaning against him so their shoulders touched.
It was over. Together, they’d defeated Martin. He’d be locked up, unable to torment anyone anymore.
He liked being this close to Lani. He only wished it could last.
* * *
Once Noah got the boat turned around, Lani watched as they drew closer to the shore of North Brother Island. It looked like the NYPD had gone all out to catch Martin. As they docked, she could hear men shouting at each other and dogs barking. One bark though was distinct. Even before they docked, she saw Scotty bounding toward them. Once they were on the pier, Noah and Lani gathered Scotty into their arms. Scotty licked Noah’s face and then Lani’s. “Boy, am I glad to see you.”
Tony was the first to arrive at the boat with Rusty. He radioed that Noah and Lani had Martin in their custody. A swarm of other officers showed up to haul him away. The rope was taken off Martin and he was handcuffed and led away.
Lani and Noah stood beside Tony while Scotty and Rusty sat at attention.
“So I imagine he’s headed to the psych ward,” said Lani.
“For starters,” said Tony. “They will double lock the doors so he can’t hurt you or Katie. Yeah, I saw that photo album he made...weird.”
Lani crossed her arms. “I don’t think I’m the object of his obsession anymore. I shattered that fantasy when he actually got to spend time with me.”
“Well, we’ll make sure he can’t come near Katie. That guy will be locked up for a long time,” Tony said before stalking over to where some of the police officers were gathered.
Lani collapsed on the shore and Noah sat beside her. “I imagine that boat needs to be taken in for evidence.”
“I can take it in to dock and make sure the techs know where to find it.” Noah turned to face her. “That way I can give you a ride home in style.”
“I’d like that,” she said as a feeling she couldn’t quite name permeated her awareness. After Noah let the others know what he was doing, he and Lani loaded Scotty onto the boat.
The sun was coming up as they made their way along the East River past Rikers Island, the site of its namesake prison complex. Once they were docked and off the boat, Noah hailed a taxi. He held the door for her.
“For once, I don’t have to escort you all the way to your door and make sure Reed is home.”
“Not ever again,” she said. Her words caused a sadness to flood through her. With Martin in custody, she and Noah would have no reason to work together so closely.
As they stood there facing each other with the sun warming her skin, she wished he would kiss her. It was an unrealistic longing, she knew, but all the same, it was what she wanted.
He touched her cheek lightly. “Get some sleep. We’ll see you on duty later.”
She nodded and got into the car. She stared through the window at Noah as he spoke on his phone. He probably had hours of work left to wrap up everything related to Martin. As the taxi pulled out onto the street, Lani swiped at her eyes where tears were forming.
She rested her head against the back of the seat letting the sadness wash through her.
NINETEEN
Noah paged through the website that featured pets for adoption, a website different from the Queens shelter website that they had been checking. Lani had suggested it weeks ago, when Oscar had been missing, as a method to find Snapper, Jordan’s missing dog. With Martin in custody, Noah finally had a moment to do a search. He could have asked Sophie to do it, but he liked feeling like he was doing something to find Snapper.
They knew the dog was alive. Once in custody, Martin had confessed to Jordan’s murder and admitted to keeping Snapper for a while. The psychologist who had conducted the intake interview with Martin assured them that whatever obsession Martin had had with Lani had been broken. Katie had become Martin’s only focus.
Noah paged through the pictures. Almost all were mixed breeds or pit bulls. He stopped on a picture of a German shepherd. A double click provided more pictures and the story behind why the dog was available for adoption through a privately-run shelter.
The dog had been found wandering the streets. He was thin and dirty. The description said he had on a black collar, which is what Snapper wore. The shelter had cleaned him up. Noah clicked on the pictures hoping to see Snapper’s markings. His heart stopped when a headshot of the dog showed the distinctive horizontal black lines that came out from each of his eyes. This had to be Snapper.
Noah picked up the phone.
A woman with a chipper-sounding voice answered.
“I’m Chief Noah Jameson of the NYC K-9 Command Unit. I have some questions for you about one of the dogs you have on your website, the German shepherd with the dark lines by his eyes.”
“You’re not going to believe this, but he was adopted less than two hours ago. I handled the adoption myself.”
Noah’s heart sank. Though recovering Snapper would not bring his brother back, it would provide some healing for everyone affected by his death. “Can you give me the name of the person who adopted him?”
The wom
an did not respond right away. Such information was probably somewhat private.
“I think that dog might be a highly trained missing police dog,” Noah said.
“Oh, I understand. I can look up the information for you.” He heard computer keys clicking. “We tried to detect a chip in the dog’s shoulder but couldn’t find one. It must have migrated. I’m so sorry we couldn’t get him back to you. I have the information here on my screen.” She read the name and address slowly.
Noah wrote down the information the woman gave him. When he looked up, Lani was standing in his doorway.
After Martin had been taken into custody, she’d requested three days off. Though it was what Noah would have suggested, it seemed a break in character for Lani. She was all about working no matter what. She hadn’t returned any of his texts in the three days she’d been gone.
Today she was dressed in jeans and a kimono-style jacket. She still wasn’t ready for duty. With Martin finally locked away, he had assumed she would return to her training with a vengeance.
“You look like you’ve heard good news,” she said.
“Maybe, I got a lead on where Snapper might be.”
“That is good news.” There was something about her that was different. “Look, I’ve been busy with...some things. Sorry I didn’t return your texts. I was going to invite you out to coffee at Griffin’s but when I went by there, there was a sign on the door. It looks like Lou has finally given up trying to keep the place open.”
Noah put his hand over his heart. “That is a loss...a big loss.”
The phone rang. Noah picked it up. “Chief Jameson.”
“Noah, it’s Tony. I just got a call. Martin overpowered a guard at the mental hospital and escaped. I’m with Katie right now. We think he might come after her. I’m making sure she’s safe.”
Noah’s throat went dry and his chest felt like it was in a vise. “Any visual on him since his escape?”
“A patrol unit thought they spotted him back at Flushing Meadows. A BOLO has been issued and all patrol units are on alert.”
“I’ll head over there and have a look myself. This is personal at this point.” He hung up the phone.
Lani took a step toward Noah. “It’s Martin, isn’t it? He’s escaped. I’m going with you and Scotty. Let’s finish this.”
“You’re not in uniform.”
“You have an extra gun, don’t you?”
Noah knew it was an act of futility to argue with her. He unlocked his drawer and pulled out his Glock. His own gun was nestled in the leather shoulder holster he had hung on the coat tree. He grabbed it and commanded Scotty to follow.
“We’ll take my car,” said Noah.
With Scotty trotting alongside them, Lani and Noah raced out of headquarters to the parking garage where Noah had his car. They drove through Queens to the park. He and Lani circled the park and then took Scotty out on foot patrol to question people. Several people had seen a man matching Martin’s description.
After searching for another hour, they turned up nothing. Noah and Lani stood in the parking lot by his car.
Lani pointed toward a high-rise that was under construction. “I thought I saw a shadow in one of the windows.” It was Sunday, so no construction workers were around. “People tend to go toward places they are familiar with.”
Noah studied the dark building. “You think he’s hiding out in there?”
“He’s got to know there is an all-points bulletin out for him. He’s probably laying low until the heat is off,” she said.
Noah shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”
The building had three floors that looked like they were mostly complete and the fourth floor was only steel framing. The place was probably locked up. That didn’t mean Martin hadn’t found some way in.
There were signs posted on the fence that indicated which construction company was doing the building. Noah looked up their number and got a recording of where he could call in case of emergency. Noah phoned the number, identified himself and got permission to enter the premises.
“If Martin is hiding in here, he didn’t get through that locked door. He must have snuck in.” They circled the building with Scotty until they found a part of the fence that had been cut away.
It didn’t mean Martin was there for sure. Anyone could have slipped in there to hide out for any number of nefarious reasons. The only lead they had was that the last place Martin was spotted was the park next to this building under construction.
Both of them had their weapons drawn as they circled the outside of the building and Scotty followed them. They found a ladder propped against the back of the building leading up to the second floor where a hole for a window had been cut but no glass was in the window.
“Like old times, huh?” said Noah. “Climbing around.” So much had happened between them since the training exercise at Jamaica Bay and then climbing around the abandoned building chasing Martin.
Lani’s expression seemed to darken. She shook her head and smiled. “We’ve been through a lot together.” He had the feeling she wanted to say something more, but there was no time.
Noah stared up the ladder. “I’ll go first.” Just in case Martin was waiting for them. Entering the building this way was hardly from a position of strength. He called for backup before going up the ladder into a room that was framed but lacking drywall.
Lani’s excited voice from down below reached him. Scotty barked. “I see him, Noah. I see him.”
“What?” Noah poked his head out. Lani was already running across the construction site toward a backhoe parked by the other heavy equipment, with Scotty right behind her.
Martin’s head bobbed up and then back down in the cab of the backhoe.
Lani had drawn her weapon and was racing toward where Martin was hiding.
Noah swung his leg around to get down the ladder. The rumble of the backhoe starting up surrounded him. His heart stopped when he looked for where Lani was. She’d fallen into a hole that must have been covered with a tarp.
* * *
Dirt cascaded around Lani as she rolled over and stared up at the sky. The spitting and hum of the backhoe engine grew louder. Above her, Scotty ran back and forth barking.
She scrambled to find her gun and get to her feet. The hole was maybe seven feet deep, probably the start of a trench to lay some pipe that led to the building.
She clawed the dirt and struggled to get a foothold that would allow her to escape. She looked up to see the arm of the backhoe above her with a full bucket, lifting so it could release and open, dropping dirt on her. When that happened, she’d be buried.
She dug her fingers into the loose dirt and tried to climb.
Noah was above her. He shot at the backhoe which must have delayed Martin. He held his hand out to pull her free. She clamored to get on level ground even as the backhoe charged toward them. Noah pulled her to her feet just as the dirt filled the hole. Scotty turned and barked at the backhoe.
Martin turned the backhoe, so it was headed straight toward Scotty. The front windshield was shattered where Noah’s bullet must have hit. The dog stood his ground and continued to bark.
Noah drew his gun and shot at the cab of the backhoe. Martin kept the machine running but came to a halt. Noah stalked toward the backhoe with his gun drawn commanding Scotty to back down. The first shot had shattered but not broken the glass in the cab.
Scotty let out one more threatening bark before falling in place beside Noah.
Lani raised her own gun to back up Noah.
Martin swung the machine around and lumbered toward the edge of the construction site. She fired a shot that didn’t reach its target.
They raced after him as he crashed through the fence, flung the cab door open and jumped out. Martin bolted away with Lani, Noah and Scotty at his heels. Lani pushed harder to run fa
ster, closing the distance between her and Martin. Up ahead was a street bustling with people and cars.
Martin stepped onto the sidewalk and raced across the street while the light was still red. Cars honked and brakes squealed. Out of breath, Lani reached the sidewalk and stared across the street.
Martin’s head disappeared into the crowd.
Noah and Scotty caught up to her just as the walk sign flashed. They crossed the street searching the sidewalk for several blocks. No sign of Martin anywhere. Across the street, patrol officers were getting out of their cars. That must be their backup.
A heaviness like a weight on her chest caused Lani to sit down on a bench outside a shop. She continued to scan the sea of faces. Once again, Martin Fisher had eluded them. As if sensing her mood, Scotty pressed against her.
Hours ago, she had come into Noah’s office to tell him what she had been doing on her days off. Lani had made a decision to apply for a transfer when she heard that a spot had opened up in a new K-9 unit starting up in Brooklyn. With a newer unit, there was a better chance she’d get a dog sooner.
One of the officers radioed that there still was no sign of Martin.
“I think he got away.” Lani rested her elbows on her knees and placed her palms on her cheeks.
“At least you’re not a target anymore. I don’t think Martin will come after you now that he doesn’t associate you with Katie anymore.” Noah rose to his feet, placing his hands on his hips and staring out into the street. “I’m worried for Katie’s safety though.”
“It sounds like Tony is staying pretty close to her.”
Now with Martin still on the loose, the moment to tell Noah about the transfer felt awkward.
Noah sat back down. He pointed toward a coffee kiosk. “Weren’t you going to buy me a cup?”
“Won’t be as good as Griffin’s, but sure.” Noah must have sensed something was up. They bought their coffee and carried it back to the park. More news came via the radio that Martin was still at large.
