Under the Lawman's Protection

by Laura Scott

  Ben and Isaac were waiting by the door when she returned, and they left together to walk down to the parking lot. The sky was overcast, but it wasn’t raining, at least not yet, but it was windy. Tree branches swayed wildly as Isaac led the way to their car, which was good, since she couldn’t remember much after they’d left the church. She made a mental note of the sedan’s color and tag number.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back after I check out,” Isaac instructed.

  She nodded, glad the car’s heater was turned on high. Maybe it was the howling wind that made her feel chilled. Certainly there was no reason to be afraid.

  “Where’s Mr. Isaac?” Ben asked after two minutes had passed. “We need to hurry up and buy my game.”

  “He’s paying for the room, and don’t worry. We’ll get to the store soon enough.” Leah didn’t like having to buy a video game for Ben, but clearly, the poor kid needed something to do in the endless string of hotel rooms.

  She made a mental note to make sure the next place they stayed was near some playground equipment. Granted, the weather wasn’t great, but it would still be good for Ben to spend some time outdoors.

  There was a loud thud that caused her heart to leap into her throat. It took a minute for her to realize that a tree branch had broken loose and hit the side of the building.

  Isaac returned, sliding into the driver’s seat. As he glanced over at her, flashing a reassuring grin, she realized just how nice it was to have him beside her.

  And she wondered if God had brought Isaac into her life for more than one reason. To keep her safe, yes, but maybe also to show him the way to faith and God?

  If so, that was a mission she couldn’t ignore.

  * * *

  Isaac wasn’t fond of shopping, but he had to admit that poring over the various handheld video games with Ben was kind of fun. Isaac didn’t know much about the various games, but it was clear the boy did.

  Spending time like this was what he missed the most after losing Jeremy. Isaac treasured the memories he had and grieved for the ones he’d never have again.

  While he and Ben spent time in the games department, Leah went off to find the clothing and toiletries she wanted. When she came back, he was surprised to find that she’d tossed in a few items for him, too.

  “These might not be the correct size, so if you want to go try them on that’s fine,” she said, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

  He glanced at the tags and lifted a brow. “Good eye. These should fit fine.”

  She ducked her head and shrugged. “I simply bought the size that Shane wears,” she murmured. “Did you find the video game you wanted?” she asked Ben.

  “Yep. Me and Mr. Isaac picked this one,” he said, waving it in front of her face. “But can I have the dinosaurs, too? Please?”

  Isaac pulled the box of plastic dinosaurs off the shelf. “Sure you can,” he said, placing it into the already-filled cart. He tried to figure out how much their bill would be and wondered if he should have hit Declan up for a loan.

  Leah sent him an exasperated glance, but nodded. “Sure. Anything else? How about the toy cars?”

  “Okay!” Ben’s eyes were wide with excitement and Isaac couldn’t help but grin in response. He barely remembered ever being as happy as Ben was, but then again, his home life hadn’t been anything close to Ben’s, either.

  His dad had taken off when he was thirteen, and his mother had trailed a series of men through their apartment for the next few years. Isaac had often avoided going home, hanging out with his friends instead. Of course, that was exactly how he’d managed to get in trouble. And then arrested for selling drugs. It was a bad choice to make, doing something as drastic as selling drugs to get money for food, but at least he’d been given the chance to get back on track.

  He shook off his thoughts, knowing this was hardly the time to take a stroll down memory lane. He wasn’t the only kid with a rough upbringing, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. And every year he made an anonymous donation to the Saint Jermaine boys’ school, so that other kids would have the same chance to turn their lives around that he and Hawk had had.

  Leah headed for the checkout line, and he followed more slowly, pulling out his wallet and counting how much cash he had. They couldn’t afford to use everything, since they’d need to save some for the hotel they’d need to find later that night.

  “Wait—what are you doing?” he asked when Leah drew a stack of bills from the depths of her purse.

  “Most of this is for me and Ben,” she said, handing her money to the clerk.

  “Don’t spend all of it,” Isaac protested. “Here, I’ll pay for my stuff.”

  She reluctantly accepted his money, and he planned to call Deck for additional cash as soon as possible. Isaac had no idea how long they’d be on the run, but he knew it could easily be days, if not up to a week.

  He grabbed the bags before she could and followed her and Ben back to the car. He stashed their purchases in the trunk, except for the video game, and then slid behind the wheel.

  Leah opened the package and inserted the batteries before handing the game back to Ben. At least having it would give the poor kid something to do.

  “Are we going to drive over to Trey’s now?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Yeah, we’ll check things out,” Isaac agreed. It was still early, just past one o’clock in the afternoon. Even if he wanted to get another hotel room, they wouldn’t be able to check in for a couple of hours yet. Surely it couldn’t hurt to drive over to Trey’s apartment building and scope the place out?

  He had the address plugged into the GPS on his phone, and Leah gave him directions.

  “I think that’s the place,” she said excitedly after verifying with the GPS. “The middle white-and-black brick building.”

  He nodded. The four-family apartment building was nestled between two other similar ones. “We’re looking for a dark blue Ford Taurus,” he said as he pulled into the parking lot behind the place.

  “I don’t see it,” Leah murmured.

  He didn’t, either, and the lot wasn’t all that big, so he turned around and drove back out to the street, making another loop around the block.

  “Now what?” Leah asked. “Should we wait here for a while?”

  Isaac pulled over to the side of the road and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I don’t know,” he said in a low voice. “We could be wasting our time. For all we know, Trey is out of town.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Leah murmured in a dejected tone. “But what else can we do to help Shane?”

  Good question. Too bad he didn’t have an equally good idea. They could sit here all day without seeing Trey at all. Was Trey helping Hawk? Or busy trying to set him up? Either way, Trey was really the only lead they had.

  Isaac should have insisted that Hawk give him more to go on. He could try getting in touch with that ATF agent, Cameron Walker, but Hawk had specifically asked him not to do that.

  Isaac was just about to pull away from the curb when he saw a dark blue car approaching. He straightened in his seat, peering through the windshield at the driver.

  “Is that Trey?” Leah whispered.

  “I think so.” Sure enough, the car turned into the driveway of the apartment building. Isaac couldn’t afford to let this opportunity to talk to Hawk’s partner slide through his fingers, so he glanced at Leah. “Get behind the wheel and keep the car idling,” he instructed. “I’m going to see if I can talk to Trey, but if anything happens, I want you to drive away, okay? Don’t worry about me. Just make sure that you and Ben stay safe.”

  Her blue eyes were wide, but she nodded. “I understand.”

  He glanced up and down the street, making sure that no one was obviously watching him, before he slid out of the driver’s-sid
e door and ducked his head against the wind.

  He’d parked down the street, hoping to blend in with some of the other cars that were parked there. He forced himself to adopt a leisurely pace as he headed toward the apartments. Isaac walked up the driveway, then paused by a large evergreen tree that towered next to the building.

  Now that he was here, he tried to formulate in his mind exactly what he was going to say to Trey Birchwood. Hawk had told him not to trust anyone, but Isaac had to believe that Trey knew something about what his partner’s undercover operation involved. He’d just have to play it by ear and hope Hawk’s partner let something slip.

  Not the best plan in the world, but good enough for now.

  Isaac was about to make his way around the tree and down the driveway when a man came striding past, wearing a black leather jacket and a black ball cap pulled low over his face.

  There was something familiar about the way the guy moved, and for a moment the image of the masked man lurking outside Leah and Ben’s house flashed in Isaac’s mind. He quickly lifted his phone and snapped a picture, even though he knew he wouldn’t get a good view of the man’s face. Isaac eased himself farther into the narrow space between the tree and the building, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed hiding there.

  But Isaac needn’t have worried; the guy never looked back. Instead, he jumped into an SUV and drove away, thankfully in the opposite direction from where Leah and Ben were waiting.

  Isaac had a bad feeling about what had just happened, and he quickly rounded the tree and jogged to the parking lot. He saw Trey’s vehicle in the back corner, and for a moment he thought the car was empty.

  But as he drew closer, he realized that a figure was slumped over the steering wheel.

  Isaac’s gut tightened as he quickened his pace. Within moments he reached the driver’s-side window of the blue car and peered inside.

  A bullet hole in Trey’s temple confirmed his worst suspicions.

  Hawk’s partner was dead.

  And Isaac was pretty sure the guy in the black leather jacket, the same guy who’d tried to kidnap Leah and Ben, had killed him.

  SIX

  Leah gripped the steering wheel, craning her neck so that she could watch Isaac’s progress as he crossed the street and then huddled behind the pine tree.

  What on earth was he waiting for?

  The tiny hairs on the nape of her neck lifted when she saw a man with a black leather jacket and cap stride down the driveway of the apartment building. She ducked her head, but he climbed into an SUV that was parked on the other side of the road.

  As he drove away, she stared at his license plate, but caught only the first three letters, CXF. She repeated them over and over in her mind so that she wouldn’t forget.

  When she glanced at the pine tree, her stomach dropped when she realized Isaac wasn’t there. She gripped the steering wheel harder, hoping nothing was wrong. Was she overreacting about seeing the man in the black jacket? Could it be that he lived in the building and for some reason hadn’t bothered to park in the lot?

  Behind her, Ben played his video game, oblivious to her racing thoughts. She toyed with the idea of driving off, the way Isaac had told her to. Except that nothing dangerous had happened, right?

  So why did she feel this weird, impending sense of doom?

  She craned her neck so that she had a good view of the driveway, but there was still no sign of Isaac. Leah gnawed her lower lip, worried about him. Surely he was safe in broad daylight?

  It seemed like an hour later, but it was really only eight minutes before she caught a glimpse of him coming down the driveway. As he jogged toward the car, she pried her hands from the steering wheel and awkwardly crawled over the center console to the passenger seat.

  He slid behind the wheel, his jaw set and his expression grim.

  “What happened?” she asked as he put the car in gear and drove away. He didn’t rush, but seemed to take his time as he made his way around the block.

  Isaac glanced in the rearview mirror and she couldn’t help swiveling in her seat to see for herself if someone was behind them. As far as she could tell, they weren’t being followed.

  “Did you get to talk to Trey?” she asked after several minutes had passed.

  “No. Unfortunately, Trey Birchwood is dead.”

  “What?” Leah’s jaw dropped in horror and she wondered if she’d heard him wrong. “But we saw him drive into the parking lot.”

  “The guy in the black jacket must have been waiting for him,” Isaac murmured. “I should have flagged Trey down before he pulled in....”

  “Wait a minute. That guy in the black leather jacket? The one who jumped into the SUV? That guy?”

  Isaac glanced at her in surprise. “You saw him?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I saw him. I tried to get his license number, but only caught the first three letters, CXF. But I noticed what kind of car he was driving.” She told him the brand.

  Isaac raised his eyebrows and whistled. “Expensive car, but at least knowing that along with the first three letters of the plate number should help us track down the owner.”

  “Unless it’s stolen,” Leah said in a wry tone. “Then we’re back to square one.”

  “Not exactly. I did find one other clue,” Isaac said as he headed onto the interstate. She wanted to ask where they were going, but suspected he didn’t have a specific destination in mind.

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “There was blood on the asphalt, likely seeping out from the driver’s-side door, so I looked under the car and found a shell casing. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

  Leah frowned. “What can a shell casing tell us?”

  For the first time since he’d come back to the car, Isaac smiled. “Believe me, a single shell casing can tell us more than you think. It can reflect the killer’s signature, so to speak. Although having the bullet would be even better.”

  She’d take his word for it. “Shouldn’t we call the police about Trey?”

  “Yes, but we’re not using our personal cell phones,” Isaac said in a firm tone. “We can’t risk anyone tracing us to the call. We’ll find another of those big-box stores and buy a couple of prepaid cell phones, just in case.”

  Leah couldn’t argue with his logic, and it wasn’t as if a short delay would cause more harm to Trey. “Why do you think he was killed?”

  Isaac let out a heavy sigh. “I wish I knew. Could be that Trey did set up your brother and had to be silenced because he was a loose end. Or it could be the exact opposite—that Trey was actually innocent and was killed because he wouldn’t turn on his partner. Based on how they tried to get to you, I’m inclined to believe the latter.”

  Leah shivered and sent up a quick prayer for Trey Birchwood, just in case he was nothing more than an innocent bystander.

  She didn’t say anything more until Isaac pulled into the parking lot of another big store. “We can wait here,” she offered.

  He nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

  She watched him stride into the entrance and then leaned her forehead on the passenger-side window. It was two o’clock in the afternoon and she was already exhausted. How did Isaac do this sort of thing on a regular basis?

  She had no idea, but it was clear she wasn’t cut out for it. She refused to open her heart, only to get hurt again.

  This wasn’t the life she wanted. Not for herself and certainly not for Ben.

  * * *

  Isaac quickly purchased the prepaid phones and then made his way back to the car. As much as he wanted to make the call to the Fifth District police station right away, he needed to power up the devices and activate them before he could use them.

  He slid behind the wheel and handed the bag containing the phones to Leah.
/>   “Where should we go now?” she asked.

  “It’s just past two-thirty, but we might be able to find a place that will let us check in early.” At least, he hoped so. The sooner he could call in Trey’s murder, the better.

  “Okay. We should probably pick up something to eat, too, since I’m sure Ben will be hungry.”

  Isaac nodded, having the same thought. It had been a long time since he’d had to worry about keeping on a schedule for the sake of a child. He headed west on the interstate, keeping a keen eye out for a suitable hotel, not caring that he was going farther and farther out of town. As far as he was concerned, the farther away from Trey’s dead body, the better.

  When he came across another hotel that offered suites, he exited the freeway and pulled into the parking lot.

  The clerk was nice enough to give them the room right away. Isaac hauled in their shopping bags and then quickly charged up the prepaid phones.

  Leah and Ben took their time going through all the purchases, and soon the boy had the dinosaurs spread out on the living room table. Isaac stared for a minute, remembering how much Jeremy had loved dinosaurs. The ache in his heart wasn’t as bad as it used to be. He tore his gaze away with an effort and quickly activated the phones.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the process to work, and he went out in the hallway to make his call to the police station.

  It wasn’t easy. The dispatcher pressed him for details, and eventually he simply hung up, knowing that while they might think he was some sort of crazy man, they’d still investigate the information he’d given them.

  It bothered him that he’d taken the shell casing from the crime scene. Obviously, it was a key piece of evidence, one that the police would need to solve Trey Birchwood’s murder. But if someone inside the Fifth District was dirty, Isaac couldn’t afford to give up the only clue they had. At least not until he’d had a chance to put the information into their database.

  He sat down in the stairwell for a moment, staring at the phone. Resolutely, he punched in Hawk’s number, wishing he could talk to his friend about Trey’s death. But he wasn’t surprised to get a message saying the number was out of service.