by Sharon Dunn
He grabbed the investigation folder. He flipped through the pages of the file, reliving each step forward in the investigation. Growing angry each time he thought of the legal roadblock Mason’s lawyer had put in the way. Mason was a business owner known for making large donations to various community causes. He had the air of respectability and way too much money to spend on an unscrupulous legal team.
The real blow to the case was the disappearance of their key witness, a young Mexican woman named Eva who had been promised citizenship and a job. Instead, she had been moved from one factory job to another, locked in a room with dozens of other people every night. She escaped once she was moved to Montana and had come forward to the authorities. Bryan was pretty sure that Eva was dead, though they hadn’t found the body.
The thick file slid off his lap and fell on the floor. He kneeled and gathered the papers back into a pile. Sarah stirred on the couch. She rolled so her face was away from him.
One of the papers caught his eyes. In preparation for the trial, they had subpoenaed all of Mason’s financial records. The page he held was a list of Mason’s assets. Mason owned houses in other states. He traveled out of the country often. And he was a mostly silent partner in several different businesses. His eyes scanned the list, resting on the words part owner, Crazy Ray’s used car dealership.
Still clutching the paper, Bryan sat down on the carpet. So there was a connection between Mason and the man who approached Sarah at the fairgrounds. Excited, he paged through a phone book until he found the number for the car dealership. When he dialed, a message machine informed him that Ray had closed the shop and left for vacation as of today. Bryan clenched his teeth. How convenient and suspicious.
Through two sets of glass doors, Chief Sandoval made his way into the station.
Sandoval stopped as he passed the break room, his gaze resting momentarily on Sarah. “I heard you had quite a night.”
Bryan stood up from the floor. “That’s not half of it.” He stepped outside the break room. Feeling a rising sense of anticipation, he placed the papers from the messed up file on his desk. “I think her missing brother connects back to the Mason case.”
The chief drew his eyebrows together. “Keyes, you’ve got to let that Mason case go.”
“No, listen to me. One of the men who tried to abduct her in the forest worked for Mason.” Bryan stepped toward Sandoval. “And last night, the guy who approached her, probably to threaten her, when we were out looking for Crew is one of Mason’s business partners, a man named Ray Mitchell—he owns a used car place.”
“Those are tenuous connections. Have you contacted this Ray Mitchell?”
“His message machine says that he left for a vacation.” Bryan stepped closer to the chief. “Reinstate me.”
The chief pressed his lips together. “I’m not so sure you can see clearly where this case is concerned.”
“Give me seventy-two hours. I’ll make the case against him.” And he’d make sure Sarah was safe. As important as it was to Bryan to see Mason brought to justice, it was also crucial to make sure Mason and his thugs would leave Sarah and her brother alone once and for all.
“And if you can’t, you’ll come back and be the good detective you’ve always been.” The chief leaned toward him and looked him square in the eye. “Don’t let your life be defined by this investigation.”
Bryan nodded. “Just three days, that’s all I need.”
Sandoval rubbed his chin. “I’ll put the paperwork through for your reinstatement.”
Bryan slumped back down in his chair. He stared at the pile of papers, the sum total of the case against Mason. He’d have to call the Ranger Station and let them know he couldn’t go back up in the tower. Once again, this case would be his focus.
Now that he was seeing connections, he wondered if this woman Crew was with might be Eva. Eva had dark hair, but she might be wearing a wig to disguise her appearance. Maybe he’d been too hasty in assuming she’d been killed. It would definitely explain why Crew’s roommate said she was scared. But how would she have met Crew?
Sarah stirred and rolled back over. She opened her eyes.
Bryan leaned against the doorway that separated his office from the break room. “Hey, did you get rested up?”
“Guess I was pretty worn out.” She sat up and ran her fingers through her curly hair. “So am I going to be able to go back to my house?”
She must have heard some of the conversation between him and Sandoval. “I don’t know about that. I think it would be better if you stayed close to me.”
“What about work? I’m supposed to go in today.”
“Where do you work?”
“A place called Loving Hearts. It’s a church-affiliated adoption service. Our office is downtown.”
“Maybe you should ask for time off until we have assurance that we can keep you safe.” Really the only guarantee she had for safety was if Mason was behind bars and his hired henchmen went with him.
“They need me at the office. I want to go in to work. I want my life back.” She looked off to one side and let out a heavy breath.
“Sarah, you saw how serious these guys are.”
She swiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. “I guess if that’s how it has to be.” She turned to face him. “So what do I do now?”
“You’re safe in the station. I’ll go with you if you need to go out.”
“But you’re going to be working on the case that has you so upset. This Tyler Mason guy.” Her words carried traces of hurt.
“You heard what I said to Sandoval?”
“Is that the only reason you stayed with me? Because you thought there might be some connection between what Crew has gotten himself into and your big case?”
“Sarah, you have to know that that isn’t true. After all we’ve been through in the last twenty hours you trust me more than that, don’t you?”
Old insecurities plagued him. If she still saw their relationship in terms of what had happened ten years ago, the answer to that question would be no.
She stared at him, her eyes glazing. “I want to believe you.”
Moved by her sadness, he leaned toward her, reaching out and covering her hand with his.
She pulled her hand away. “Your boss seems to think you don’t see too clearly where this case is concerned, as if you’re obsessed.”
He felt the sting of her rejection. She couldn’t receive the comfort he offered. “I just want Mason taken down. I don’t like it when a bad guy gets away with acting like some sort of good citizen. If that makes me obsessed, then I guess I am.”
“But that’s your focus—arresting Mason. Not helping me, or finding Crew.”
He could feel the wedge being driven between them. The unresolved pain that was always there would make it impossible for her to trust his motives. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
She studied him for a long moment and then stared at the ceiling. “I’m hungry and I need to brush my teeth.”
“I can have some takeout brought over. I’ve got a tube of toothpaste in my locker you can use. Problem solved.”
Sarah smiled. “Like camping, right? You brush your teeth with your fingers.”
He laughed. “I’ll have one of the officers run across the street to the drugstore.” He appreciated her sense of humor. This couldn’t be easy for her. “Maybe we can get you back in your house before the day is over.”
A take-out meal waited for Sarah when she returned from freshening up. Though a little big on her, the blue button-down shirt brought out the color in her eyes. The years had only enhanced her natural beauty.
He shuffled the papers he’d been poring over. “You look good.”
Sarah blushed. “Thanks.”
At least she could receive his compliment.
Bryan worked through the afternoon while Sarah rested and read a book she borrowed from one of the other officers.
Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out. Her forehead wrinkled when she looked at the number. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end of the line sounded frantic.
Sarah leaned forward, her expression pensive. “Crew, is that you?”
* * *
Sarah could feel panic taking over, invading her mind and tensing her muscles as Crew spat out his words.
“I never meant for you to be hurt. I didn’t know they would do something like this.”
Anxiety built up inside her. Her brother was desperately afraid and not making much sense. “What’s going on? Who are you in trouble with?”
“It’s not me. I was only trying to do the right thing. I was only trying to help her.”
Bryan stepped toward Sarah, leaning in so he could hear the conversation.
Sarah struggled to remain calm. “Who were you trying to help?”
“I wanted to do the right thing and it ended up getting you hurt. I’m so sorry.”
“Crew, it’s all right. Just tell me where you are. I can come and get you. The police will help protect you.”
“I have to keep moving. There are spies everywhere.”
Spies? What did Crew mean by that? “Tell me where you are now. Are you in town?” Sarah took in a breath. “I can be there in five minutes.”
Sarah could hear Crew’s breathing on the other end of the line.
“Crew, please. Where are you?”
“I can’t stay here long.” His voice trembled.
“Please tell me. I want to help.”
“Lewis and Clark Park.”
The line went dead.
Sarah pulled her phone away from her ear and turned to face Bryan. “He says he’s at Lewis and Clark Park.”
“I’ll bring him in.” Bryan headed toward the interior of the station. “I’ll see if I can get some backup.”
She grabbed his arm as he swept past. “I’m going with you.”
“Sarah, I can’t risk it.”
She squeezed his arm. “He’s my brother.”
“I don’t want you out in the open like that.”
“I’m the one he trusts. If he sees a bunch of cops coming toward him, he might bolt.”
Bryan studied Sarah for moment. “All right, you can come, but you stay close to me at all times.”
Bryan led Sarah to the parking lot behind the station where the patrol cars were. They jumped in and sped through downtown and several residential neighborhoods. Bryan grabbed the radio. “This is Unit Fourteen. I’m headed toward Lewis and Clark and requesting backup in bringing in a witness who may be in danger.”
The dispatcher responded. “Unit Fourteen, Unit Nine is on the corner of Eighteenth and Grand. ETA is about five minutes.”
“No sirens,” Bryan commanded. “The man is approximately thirty years of age, dark curly hair, six feet tall.” He clicked off his radio and glanced toward Sarah. “How does he dress?”
“I haven’t seen him in months, but he has this pair of red high-tops that I gave him. I replace them whenever his current pair wears out. Oh, and he usually has a bandanna around his neck.”
Bryan relayed the information to the other officers through the dispatcher.
A second patrol car responded saying they could be there in seven minutes.
Bryan pulled into the lot that surrounded Lewis and Clark Park. Sarah jumped out and surveyed the area. The park spread over five acres. A playground and a pavilion were close to the road. Beyond the rolling hills where college students sat under trees and played Frisbee was a second access road. The park had a river flowing through it, a natural amphitheater, and it connected to hiking trails.
Not all the park was visible from this vantage point. To the south the park connected with a cemetery and at the base of the rolling hills to the west was the public library, a popular hangout for some of Discovery’s homeless. Would Crew be there? She should have gotten him to give her a more specific answer.
Another patrol car rolled by on the other road that bordered the park.
Bryan scanned the park. “This is a lot of acreage to cover. He didn’t say where he’d be?”
“He said he had to keep moving.” Sarah’s fast walk turned into a jog as she searched for her brother. The more she searched without seeing him, the harder it was to breathe, as if her torso was wrapped in a tight cloth.
The beautiful, sunny afternoon brought an abundance of people out to the park. A group picnicked in the pavilion. Several bunches of children ran through the park or played on the slides and swings.
“He may have gone to the cemetery. Plenty of places to hide up there,” Bryan suggested.
The other two police officers got out of their car. They waved in Bryan’s direction and then proceeded to split off.
“He could be hiding behind a tree or down by the creek bed.” She let out a breath. “I think he’ll come out if he sees me.”
“Why don’t you try calling the number he phoned from?”
“He doesn’t have a cell. It was probably a pay phone or the free phone in the library.” Anxiety settled in her stomach like a rock. What if Crew had gotten scared and run away already?
“Hey, those guys look familiar.” Bryan pointed across the park to three men headed down the hill toward the library.
“Yeah, from the shelter.” Sarah took off at a dead run. “Hey, Eddie.”
Eddie turned at the sound of his name. His eyes grew wide with recognition. The other two men continued on down the hill, giving nervous glances over their shoulders. Sarah’s feet pounded across the lush grass of the park.
Sarah and Bryan were within twenty feet of Eddie when the sound of screeching tires on the road by the cemetery entrance drew their attention.
Two men, one of them Acne Scars, held a third man by his shoulders despite his attempts to struggle away. A van screeched to a halt. The sliding doors opened and the struggling man was tossed in. His abductors piled in behind him.
“That was Crew.” Sarah took off running.
Bryan kept up with her as they sprinted up the hill. The van rolled toward the cemetery, not going fast enough to draw attention to itself.
They were out of breath by the time they made it to the top of the hill. The other two officers were not in sight and the third patrol car still had not arrived.
“They can’t get out by way of the cemetery. They will have to circle around and come out another way. We might be able to cut them off at the park entrance.”
They ran to the patrol car and jumped in. Bryan pulled away from the street.
Sarah scanned the landscape. Trees partially blocked her view of the entrance. “There it is.”
The van rolled into view. It pulled out onto the street just as Bryan gained speed and slipped in behind it.
He grabbed the radio. “Our target has been taken in a dark van heading east on Babcock.”
The van continued to move at a normal speed.
Sarah leaned close to the windshield. “Maybe we can sneak up on him.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. We’re in a patrol car,” said Bryan.
Traffic grew thicker the closer they got to the shopping district with four-lane through streets, fewer lights and big box stores.
The light up ahead turned yellow. The van sped up and raced through it.
Bryan hit the sirens. “He’s on to us.”
Cars pulled to the side of the street to get out of their way. Bryan pressed the accelerator and zigzagged around the vehicles that were slow in reacting. The van sped through a red light. Two cars crashed into each other. Bryan swerved to avoid them.
He looked up ahe
ad. “Where did it go?”
Sarah leaned forward, peering through the windshield.
Please, God, don’t say we’ve lost them.
Desperation settled in. She glanced up and down the street and at the side streets as they sped past. Sirens still flashing, Bryan slowed down.
She spotted the van rolling through the parking lot that connected with a home improvement store.
“There.” She pointed.
The light turned green. Bryan zoomed toward the side street that connected with the parking lot. He radioed the other patrol cars advising them of his position. “You might want to get over here and see if we can block off the entrances.”
Bryan rolled past the row of parked cars. None of them looked even remotely like the van. He turned and drove up the next row.
“Maybe we lost them,” she whispered as a sense of despair overtook her. What would those men do to her brother? “We have to find him.”
Bryan turned down another row. He pressed the brakes. Four car lengths from them stood the dark van.
Bryan picked up the radio and explained where he was. “Be advised. I have located the vehicle. I will wait for your arrival as suspects are likely armed and dangerous.” He clicked off the radio and turned to Sarah. “You stay in this car.”
Bryan slipped out of the driver’s seat, crouching behind his open door. He drew his gun.
The other patrol car came to a stop on the opposite side of the van. Two officers got out, weapons drawn. Bryan lifted his chin, pointed toward the van and then held up two fingers. One officer remained behind his car door while the other moved forward to assist Bryan, who ran toward the van from the opposite direction.
With his gun drawn, he approached the driver’s-side window. His arms slackened. He moved to the back of the vehicle when the officer appeared, shaking his head.
Fear twisted through Sarah. The men weren’t in the front seat. What if they had gotten away? Bryan held up his gun. The other officer knocked on the van doors. He backed up without taking his eyes off the doors.
