In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2)

by Carolyn LaRoche

  “Should I leave you two alone?” Carter asked with a teasing grin.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you should.” She ate a little more, rolled her eyes, and threw her head back in mock ecstasy.

  Carter burst out in laughter. “Diana!” he managed to say between guffaws. “Massey didn’t do you justice. He made you out to be pretty great, but you are plain amazing.”

  “What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”

  “It’s about time I had that effect on a woman. My ex was, well, she didn’t have much of a sense of humor. Might be part of where our marriage went wrong. There’s no way to relax with someone if you have to constantly be on your guard.”

  “I can’t even imagine living like that. Donnie and I were always comfortable with each other. Ever since we were sixteen years old.”

  “Geez, you were just babies when you met.”

  “I know, and I never expected it to last beyond high school. He was a good man.”

  “One of the best,” Carter agreed. “I will have a tough act to follow, trying to win you over.”

  “Maybe. You keep kissing me the way you do, and I think you will do fine,” she said with a smile she hoped was at least a little sexy.

  He turned a nice shade of pink—a good sign.

  “Hopefully we will figure all this stuff out with Massey and the drugs soon. Then we can spend some time really getting to know each other.”

  “I’d like that. I would also really like to know the truth about Donnie’s death. I know my husband would never screw anything up so badly without good reason. Are you going to call in back-up?”

  “I don’t know if I should. I’m not sure who to trust right now. I’m thinking maybe we will sit on the guys tonight, do a little recon, and see where they move their stash. I’d like to know if it’s only the three of them. The bleach smell has also bothered me, and Louie said he smelled blood and heard a man screaming,” Carter said.

  “Oh, right. I forgot about that. Do you think they killed someone?”

  “I’d like to say no, but, at this point, I’m not sure what to believe anymore. If these guys are involved in cooking and selling meth, and they somehow arranged for Massey’s death, then there is no telling what they’re capable of.”

  “I still can’t figure out why they would want to kill Donnie. I know he wasn’t involved.”

  “Definitely not. I think he figured out something was going on, and they caught on to him. Did Massey keep notebooks or cards or anything of the cases he worked on?” Carter asked.

  “There’s a file cabinet out in the garage, but I honestly have no idea what he kept in it. I didn’t get involved in his work stuff. I liked to subscribe to the ‘innocence is bliss’ theory. It’s how I managed what little sleep I got when he was at work at night.”

  Carter nodded as he ate the last bit of hot roast beef from his plate. “Yeah, I can understand that. Would you mind if I took a look in that cabinet? See if there is anything that might help us?”

  “I guess it would be okay. After we finish up here, we can head back to the house, if you want.”

  “If you don’t mind. Knowing Massey, I doubt he wrote much down, but you never know. I don’t expect he would have had a very high tolerance for dirty cops.”

  “I can tell you right now, he hated them. Said it made everyone who wore the uniform look bad.”

  “It can be a tough gig. Low pay, crappy hours, and hard to maintain any semblance of a normal relationship, but when you choose the job, you get into it knowing these things.”

  “Then there is the constant worry that someone will target your family. Donnie always worried about having us ‘living in the shadow of his shield,’ as he put it,” Diana replied.

  “I can’t imagine raising a family on this job. He did it well.”

  “Thank you. Donnie was really a great father and husband. I am sure you would be too, had your wife given you the chance.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I didn’t exactly have an excellent role model for what a father or husband should be.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Carter. You are every bit as good a man as Donnie was. He trained you, so I know you’re a good cop.”

  “I hope that training allows me to find him justice.”

  “Me too.”

  The waitress brought the check, and Carter insisted on paying the bill. She waited while he ran to the restroom, and then they headed back to her house. Secretly pleased that Jackson wasn’t home, she breathed a tiny sigh of relief. It’s not that she felt she had to explain herself to her son—it was simply easier not to.

  Diana unlocked the front door and they entered the house. “Let me get your jacket, I’ll hang it up.”

  Carter took off his coat and handed it to her. “I’m going to grab a glass of water in the kitchen.”

  “No problem. The glasses are in the cabinet to the left of the sink.”

  “I remember.” Carter headed off to the kitchen while she tended to their jackets. There was no denying how much she enjoyed doing mundane tasks, like hanging up a man’s jacket. She met Carter in the kitchen, where he was placing a dirty glass in the dishwasher.

  “Everything in your house is so homey and comfortable.” Carter draped an arm across her shoulders and hugged her. “Jackson is lucky. I would have loved growing up in a place like this.”

  “Thank you. He is a good boy, but there are days I am not so sure he appreciates the good life that he has been given.”

  “Typical for any teenage boy.”

  “I guess.” She shrugged. “Are you ready to go out to the garage?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Diana led the way to where Donnie stored all of his important papers. Digging the key out of its hiding place in a toolbox, she opened the cabinet and pulled out the top drawer. Neatly labeled folders hung inside, a different month and year written on each one in Donnie’s square print. Moisture wet her eyelashes as she ran a finger over one of the file folders.

  “Are you okay?” Carter asked softly from behind her.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stepped to the side. “Go ahead. See if there is anything in here that will help.”

  Carter stepped forward and began shuffling through folders. “Massey was very organized. These are all of the court cases he attended, summonses, and tickets he wrote, and pretty much every legal document to pass through his hands—all in chronological order. Impressive. I’m lucky if I have the week’s cases in front of me.”

  “Yeah, he was real organized when it came to work. Just not so much with anything else.” She motioned to the cluttered garage. Carter closed the top drawer and moved to the one below it. After inspecting each folder, he switched to the third drawer, with no luck. Finally, he dropped to a knee and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside was a handgun she had never seen before, an ankle holster, and a large manila envelope.

  “What is all that?” she asked.

  “You’ve never been in this drawer?”

  “Never had reason to. I have no idea where or when he got that gun.”

  Carter pulled out the manila envelope and peeked inside.

  “What is it?” Diana asked.

  “A notebook.” He pulled out a small, leather-bound book and placed the envelope back in the drawer. He opened the book and started flipping through the pages.

  “What’s in it?”

  “Dates, times, and initials. Here, look.”

  Diana moved next to Carter and looked at the page he held open. At the top of the page it said:

  January 2/13. 2300 hours. A.S.L.W.

  “A.S.L.W.? What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I am not completely sure,” Carter replied.

  The rest of the page had similar entries, as did several pages after that one. As best as she could tell, the dates spanned almost a year, ending a week before Donnie died. “Carter. Look at that last date.”

  “I know
. It’s a week before Massey’s death.”

  “What are we looking at? Was he stalking someone?”

  Carter chuckled. “It’s not called stalking when you’re a cop. It’s surveillance. And, yes, I think he was watching someone. Or several someones. Look, here, at these letters. What were the names we heard today?”

  “Um, Schmidt, and Wilkins.”

  “A.S. is Adam Schmidt, and L.W. could be Luke Wilkins.”

  “Oh, no,” she whispered. “They are dirty, and he was onto them. Now Donnie is dead, and they are about to make a ton of money off of their dirty laundry.”

  “I’m afraid so. This little book is a record of their whereabouts for nearly a year. I bet he sat on that house nearly every night.”

  “And here I thought he was working.”

  “He was. That house is in Donnie’s old patrol area. Easy enough for him to make several passes a night.”

  “And no one would notice, except the bad guys who were supposed to be the good guys. Donnie must have been absolutely furious when he discovered what they were up to,” Diana said.

  “They set him up, I’m sure of it now. We just need to prove it. I wish I knew who I could trust.”

  “So, you think there are more officers involved?” Diana asked.

  “I think we should go tonight, and see what we can find out, before I let anyone at the precinct know what’s going on. The more I have to back me, the more likely I will be able to convince someone to believe me. Cops are very protective over their own.”

  “Obviously not that protective. Who was watching out for my husband?”

  Carter reached over and patted her hand. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you must feel, knowing that your husband was likely murdered by one of his brothers in blue.”

  “Now I want to bring them down even more. Let’s go get those bastards.”

  “Now, hold on there, Di. We are going to get them; it just might take a little bit of time. We have to do things the right way,” Carter said.

  Diana reached into the drawer and pulled out the ankle holster and handgun. “I wonder why he kept this gun out here?”

  “Most cops have a few different firearms. Maybe there is something you don’t remember?”

  “I’d remember, if he had told me about it.”

  Diana pushed the door closed, locked the cabinet, and led the way out of the garage to the kitchen. “What time should we head out?”

  “I want to be there by nine. Maybe we can poke around the house again before they get there.”

  Diana glanced at the clock on the microwave. “It’s only five now. What should we do to pass the time?”

  “I’d love to pass it with you, but I have a couple of errands to run before we set up our stakeout.”

  “Okay. If you must.” She tried to hide her disappointment with a smile.

  “I must. But I will be back here to pick you up at eight. I promise.” He reached out and pulled her close, planting a kiss to the top of her head. “We are going to get these guys. That’s another promise.”

  His words had so much passion, she knew she could believe him. “I just want this to be over.”

  “Me too. I’m ready to move on to other things.” He gave her another quick kiss, and then strode toward the front door. He pulled his jacket from the coat closet, put it on, and left.

  Diana watched through the window as he pulled out of the driveway, then headed upstairs for a nap. They were going to be out late, and she didn’t want to fall asleep and miss anything.

  She was out within minutes, dreams of Donnie screaming for help as he ran blindly through dark, smoke-filled rooms filling her sleep.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When she woke two hours later, the house was quiet. After a quick trip to the restroom, she padded down to the kitchen, stopping to check in Jackson’s room, but there was no sign of her son. In the kitchen she found a note. Jackson was leaving her a lot of notes lately.

  Hi, Mom,

  Went out with Caleb and Hunter. I’ll be home by eleven. Didn’t want to wake you.

  Love, J.

  At least she didn’t have to explain where she was going. She would leave a note, like he had.

  Jackson,

  Went out with a friend. Won’t be late. Love you too,

  Mom.

  After throwing together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she put on her shoes and jacket and waited for Carter to return. The chill outside worked its way into the house, prompting her to grab a knit hat and a pair of gloves. At eight on the dot, headlights shone through the living room window. She ran out the door to meet Carter.

  “I would have come to the door,” he said as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “I know. I just didn’t want to waste any time.”

  “This your first stakeout?” Carter grinned at her as he backed out of the drive.

  “Yes. I never did a ride along or anything with Donnie. It was better for me not to know what he did at work.”

  In that moment, her words rang true. The only reason she and Jackson had stayed safe was because she stayed out of her husband’s work life. Well, she was done staying out of things now. No more Mrs. Nice Guy. Someone was going down for taking her husband away, and she would happily be the one to do it. Or, at least, help Carter make it happen.

  It took ten minutes to get to Lynnhaven, and another five to find an inconspicuous place to leave the truck. Carter finally settled on a strip mall parking lot. The hibachi restaurant had a pretty steady crowd, and the truck would fit right in.

  They walked the three blocks into the neighborhood where the house was and stood at the corner where they'd found Louie earlier in the day. Carter stopped and turned to face her. “If something goes wrong, or if we get separated, return to the truck. I’ll meet you there. Do you have your phone on you?”

  Diana nodded and pulled it from her pocket. “Right here.”

  “Put it on silent.” She did as she was told. “Let me see the time.” He took her phone and checked it against his. “Okay, we are synchronized.” Carter reached into his pocket and took out a tiny little white bit of plastic.

  “What’s that?”

  “A tiny microphone. Put this in your ear.” He handed it to her, and she placed it in her right ear. He reached into his other pocket and took out a small black piece. “Let me clip this inside your collar. This is the mic you can speak into.”

  Diana stepped forward and pulled on the neckline of her sweatshirt. Carter reached in and attached the tiny piece. She really hoped he couldn’t hear—or worse, feel—the pounding of her heart in her chest when he was so close.

  He popped his own earpiece in, snapped a mic into the collar of his shirt, and said, “Testing. Can you hear me?”

  “I hear you loud and clear,” she yelled into the mic.

  Carter grasped his ear, pain in his eyes. “There’s no need to yell. You can whisper and I will hear it perfectly.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered this time.

  “That’s better. You ready to do this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They started toward the house. When they were half a block away, Carter slipped into some hedges that led them behind a house. Diana followed as he made his way to the same place they had hid behind earlier in the day.

  “Do you see anything?” she whispered.

  “Nope. We are early, though.”

  “Do you still want to look in the house?”

  “Stay here, and I will check the door. If it’s open, we will go in. I’ll let you know. Don’t move from this spot.”

  “Yes, sir!” She couldn’t resist a quick salute.

  Carter stepped forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  “Keep dreaming, buddy.” Diana laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck for one more kiss. “I like to be in charge. I am older than you, remember.”

  “If you didn’t keep reminding me, I might forget. Now, seriously, stay r
ight here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I won’t budge an inch.”

  A few seconds later, she heard Carter’s voice in her ear. “The place is locked up tight. I’m going to swing around to the windows on the side and see what I can see.”

  “All right. Be careful. I’ll be right here.”

  As she stood there waiting for Carter, a slight rustle of branches caught her ear. “Carter? That you?” she whispered.

  “What’s wrong, Di? I’m out front of the house.”

  “Someone’s here. I’m heading your way.”

  “Move slow, and stay in the shadows. I’m working my way around the house on the other side. I’ll meet you.”

  “Okay,” Diana said. She started walking slowly up against the hedges, stopping every few steps to listen. A branch snapped. She turned to run, but a strong arm wrapped around her from behind, while another covered her mouth. She lashed out with her fists, but only hit tree branches. She tried biting her attacker, but he held her so tight she couldn’t even open her lips to get her teeth out.

  “Stop strugglin’.” Hot, rancid breath on her ear made her want to vomit. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Just didna’ want you to scream! I’ll move my hand, but you canna’ scream. They’ll hear ya.”

  She nodded, and as soon as she was free she whipped around to face her attacker. “What the hell, Louie?” she whispered harshly. “Carter told you to stay away.”

  “Couldn’t do it. Ya’ll are gonna need me.”

  “Diana!” Carter barked in her ear. “What the hell is that junkie doing here?”

  “If you would be quiet, I’m trying to find out.”

  “Who ya talkin’ to?” Louie asked.

  “Why are you here?” Diana asked, ignoring Louie’s question.

  “I thought you might need me, if somethin’ big went down.”

  “We don’t need your help,” Carter snapped, stepping out of the shadows. “You’re supposed to be in a motel somewhere, eating pizza and watching porn on pay-per-view.”