by Aimée Thurlo
“I knew, so did Captain Wright and the chief. It was also information I had to add to the department payment vouchers so we could cover your stay,” Koval said. “I set that in motion last night while I was outside on surveillance. But that’s all internal department business and is supposed to be secure.”
“We need new tactics,” Nick said. “But first, let’s work the scene and see what else we can find.”
“No. Wait for the team,” Koval ordered, turning as Joe appeared in the doorway.
“There’s no time to play things by the book, Koval. It’s possible that someone planted a bug on me or Drew. If that’s the case, we need to find the tracking device now. Otherwise, we’ll just lead them to our next location.”
Nick motioned toward her big handbag. “Would you do the honors?”
It hadn’t been a question, but at least he’d asked instead of ordered. She dumped the contents of the tote onto the table.
Nick checked her wallet, her hairbrush handle, and felt along the sides of her purse. “There’s nothing here.”
Koval, who’d been searching their trash, shook his head. “Nor here.”
Nick went through his own gear, and looked up at Joe. “Did you tell anyone that you’d seen me? Think hard before you answer.”
“I don’t have to, bro. I never told anyone who the food was for and I didn’t use your name on the register. I checked you in as Hosteen Shibuddy.”
Nick smiled. It was Nava-glish, a combination of Navajo and English that meant Mr. My Friend.
“My stuff is clean,” he said, zipping the gym bag shut.
“And my backpack, too,” Drew added, beginning to put her references back into the zippered compartments.
Once the crime scene team arrived, Drew took her book bag while Nick picked up his gear. Together they returned to his Jeep.
“Where are we going?” she asked, climbing in as he locked the shotgun back in place.
“To the station.”
She considered it for several moments. “You’re going to try and get permission to operate independently and not report our location to anyone. Am I right?”
“You read minds, too?”
“No, but it stands to reason. Something or someone gave our location away. Koval… Do you trust him? This happened after he left this morning, which suggests he could have given the intruder an all-clear signal to make his move.”
“I don’t like the man any more than he does me, but he’s a good cop, and I trust him to have my back in a tight spot.”
“So what’s the problem between you two?” she asked.
“The trouble between Koval and me isn’t the result of any one incident. We just have different ways of working, and we annoy the heck out of each other. I think Koval’s methods don’t leave any room for independent thought. He would probably tell you that I’m a loose cannon, and it’s a miracle my cases stack up in court.”
“You just have opposite ways of accomplishing the same thing.”
“We were lucky we didn’t pound each other’s faces into the ground,” he said.
A few minutes later, Nick pulled into the station’s underground garage. “Chief Franklin is going to fight the possibility that someone in his department is playing both sides of the fence. I expect they’ll put us in different rooms and grill us long and hard, looking for possible leads.”
“Let them,” she answered. “No one wants them to find answers more than I do. I want my life back.”
As they entered through the basement access, Koval and another officer met them in the hall. Koval took Nick aside as the other detective introduced himself to Drew. “I’m Detective Marty Sandoval. I’m going to need to search your purse, Ms. Simmons, and that backpack.”
“That’s already been done, Detective.”
“Not by me,” came his reply.
She’d just turned her purse and book bag over to Sandoval when Koval came over. “The chief is speaking to Blacksheep right now. While they’re busy, would you come with me?”
Moments later, Koval and Drew were in a room at the end of the hall. She was almost sure that the mirror, which ran the length of one wall, was one-way glass.
“I want you to catch this person, or people, who’ve been turning my life into a circus,” she said, before he could speak. “How can I help you do that?”
He smiled slowly. “You hate giving up control of your own life, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” she answered, honestly.
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “So let’s work together and see what we can come up with.”
NICK SAT ACROSS FROM Chief Franklin’s desk. “I know we weren’t followed, sir. There’s only one explanation for what happened. Someone gave away our location. We have a leak.”
“That can’t be right.” Franklin’s face hardened and his voice dropped almost an octave. “It looks to me like you screwed up again by failing to spot a tail.”
Nick shook his head. “Koval and me both? Not this time—and not before, either.”
“And you’re one hundred percent sure of that?” Chief Franklin demanded.
“Nothing’s impossible, but I’d stake my job on it. And if I’m right, there’s only one way to insure her safety. Give me complete autonomy. I don’t report my whereabouts to anyone, and I make my own decisions without having to go through channels.”
Chief Franklin leaned back and regarded him thoughtfully. “In the long run, that could end up leaving you more exposed than you are now. That could be fatal to Drew Simmons—and yourself.”
“My plan isn’t without risk, but I believe the woman and I will be safest that way.”
“Bring Ms. Simmons in here and let’s see what she’s got to say about it,” Chief Franklin said.
Nick hadn’t expected this response, but did as the chief asked. A few minutes later, he led Drew into the room. Koval accompanied them, having insisted on it.
The chief updated them on what he and Nick had discussed. “Ms. Simmons, I’d like you to consider all sides of this issue before telling us what you think. You’d be out there without backup, and as you’ve already seen, things can go wrong in a hurry.”
Drew gave Nick a worried look. “I could see you telling only one person where we’re at, but no one at all?” She shook her head. “That doesn’t seem like such a good idea either.”
“I’d hand-pick the ones I take into my confidence,” Nick said. “If there’s still a leak, I’ll know who it is.”
Koval cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. “There’s something else we need to consider. The suspect’s goal isn’t to kill Drew, not with the van, and not this morning. If it had been, he would have come armed with more than a Taser.”
“Maybe the Taser was meant to disable Nick,” Drew said, then taking a shaky breath, continued. “To kill me is one thing, but killing a cop is a whole different game. That brings every agency around down on the criminal.”
Chief Franklin nodded. “She’s got a point, Blacksheep. You assumed that the suspect knew you were out of the room and timed things just right. But that may not be the case.”
For several seconds, no one spoke. Finally, Nick broke the silence. “Drew should make a list of all the casual contacts she sees daily—everyone from the guy who bags her groceries to the one she says hello to when she picks up her mail. We may get a hit on someone with a record.”
“I can do that,” Drew said.
“I’d also like to do something a bit riskier before taking her back into hiding with me. Using backup, I want to go with her to the mall at the same time she normally does her shopping. Then I’ll tail her as she goes about her business. If we keep to her schedule, we’re going to encounter the staff and regular shoppers who are usually there at that time. Maybe we can push the guy who stalked her before into coming out into the open.”
“That’s not half bad, as far as plans go,” Koval said, grudgingly.
WORKING WITH NICK, DREW managed to compile t
he list he’d wanted of people she saw daily, though she didn’t know many of their names.
“The ones on that list are just ordinary people,” she said as Koval and Nick studied it. “Take the guy I buy the newspaper from, for example. He’s always outside the grocery store. He’s disabled and works harder than anyone else I know just to get by. Then there’s the guy who lives in the apartment across from mine. John something. He’s always trying to make small talk, but he’s far more interested in computers than in me. He and his buddy hang out together and spend most weekends and evenings playing video games, judging from what I’ve seen and heard. I’ve also been doing temp work at city hall, and there are a bunch of male employees who always say hello.” She paused, then with a scowl, added, “The only one who’s an all-out creep is Richard Beck.”
“Fire Marshal Beck?” Nick asked, recognizing the name.
“Yeah. He comes by city hall on occasion. The guy’s a jerk who won’t take no for an answer.”
“But none of the people on your list is the guy you saw at the mall?” Koval pressed.
“I don’t think so, but remember that I purposely avoided looking directly at him, and never got close.”
As Koval walked off, Nick stared at the list on the computer screen. “I’d like to do a little more work on these names and cross-reference them with our databases, especially the sex offender list.”
“You could have kept that part to yourself,” Drew muttered, then in a normal tone of voice, added, “This would be a good time for me to go talk to Beth,” she said, noting that Beth had chosen to remain on the ground floor rather than go to her private office.
As Nick focused on the computer search, Drew walked across the big room to the records department, situated behind a glass partition.
“Hi, Beth,” she greeted, pulling up a chair. “How are you feeling today?”
Beth gave her a weary smile. “It’s getting harder to hold a full-time job and take care of Charlie. But it’s worse for him.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Things will get better,” she said, forcing a smile. “Once I take a leave of absence, I’ll be able to concentrate on him full time.”
“I’m going to be here for a while. Is there anything I can do to help you today?”
“Why don’t you get started updating some of these records?” Beth asked, pointing to some file folders. “Now that we’ve switched to the new system, these old but still active files have to be reentered in a format that’s compatible with the new software.”
As Drew got down to work, she glanced over at Nick, but he seemed totally absorbed in the work he was doing at his terminal.
“Having Nick as a bodyguard probably rates as the number-one fantasy around here. A lot of women in this department are green with envy,” Beth whispered to Drew. “But be real careful around him, honey. He’s strictly a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy. You can forget anything beyond a few memorable evenings—so I’ve been told.”
Drew nodded. “Nick’s trouble, all right, and he’s definitely not for me. Corny as it sounds, I’m saving myself for that one special person. But I’m not ready to even think about settling down. I like being single and answering to no one but myself. And if I ever do marry, I can guarantee you that it won’t be to someone who’s always telling me what to do.”
“You and Nick have something in common, then. If there ever was a free spirit, it’s him.”
“He’s easy on the eyes, but wanting is often better than getting.” Drew stole a look at Nick, then focused back on the screen. If she kept that thought in mind, she’d do just fine.
AFTER RESEARCHING FORMER Chief Simmons, Nick looked Drew’s name up on Google and found several newspaper articles dating back to the death of her parents. She’d been left a sizable inheritance. Maybe she’d become a kidnap-for-ransom target. Yet, her lifestyle didn’t reflect great wealth. Case in point—her car. Maybe she’d lost most of her money in the recent stock market decline.
Nick leaned back in his chair and considered everything he’d learned. Drew’s independent streak was no doubt a product of her past, and wouldn’t make her easy to protect. But they had more in common than he’d realized. He knew what it was like to have everything that defined you suddenly taken away. When life dealt you a hand like that, lifelong scars remained. Like him, Drew had become a fighter to survive; but this time she was out of her league.
Nick felt the weight of the badge clipped to his belt. He was good at what he did. No one would touch her.
Almost as if sensing his gaze on her, Drew turned her head and gave him a tentative smile.
Nick stood and was about to walk over when Koval came into the room. Catching their attention, the detective gestured for them to join him.
“I’ve got things set up for your trip to the mall this evening.” Koval went over the details of his arrangement with mall security, then added, “Drew, I understand that for you this is personal, but stay calm tonight and don’t worry, you’ll have double coverage.”
She nodded, but “calm” was the last thing she felt.
“What time do you normally arrive at the mall?” Koval asked.
“Around seven.”
“When you’re set to arrive, give me a call, Blacksheep. I’ll keep an eye on both of you from a distance. In the meantime, the chief wants to meet with us one last time.”
Koval headed down the hall but Nick hung back and pulled her to one side. “I want you to know one thing. They’ll never get past me again,” he growled. “I’ll die first.”
Truth and determination rang through his words. “I believe you,” she whispered.
Chapter Seven
Chief Franklin waved them all to a seat. “Now that you’ve had a chance to review new information, have you come up with any new theories, detectives?”
“There’s a possible motive for the kidnaping attempts that we haven’t considered before,” Nick said. “A monetary one.”
“You’re referring to the life insurance money my father and mother left me. It was listed, incorrectly I might add, in a newspaper article that came out after their deaths,” Drew said. “The amount I got wasn’t in the midsix figures, not even close. What I got was a trust fund that gave me the ability to pay for college and help me weather rough patches. But that’s about it.”
“I read the article, too,” Koval said, with a nod. “Maybe someone else, who was misinformed, decided they want what’s left.”
“That’s a real old article,” Drew reminded them, “and my lifestyle isn’t opulent. I’m working two jobs.”
Nick looked at Drew and held her gaze. “If you were asked to come up with a theory for what’s going on, what would it be?”
Drew considered it for a long time. “I don’t think they want to kill me. Maybe it’s like you suggested. They just want me out of the way for some reason. But I can’t believe they’re going through all this trouble because they want the librarian post the city promised me, or my temp job here.”
“Stalkers don’t always act according to logic,” Koval said. “It could be someone who thought that the way you smiled and said good morning meant you’d be together forever. The way I figure it, none of this is going to make sense until we get a fix on whoever’s responsible and see the whole picture from his point of view.”
“But I encounter a lot of people throughout the course of a day, Detective Koval,” she protested.
“Which is why I’m going to start with your neighbors, and go down the list you gave us,” Koval said.
“So, when will I be able to go home?” Drew asked.
“Let us continue this investigation for the next twenty-four hours, then we’ll see where we stand,” Captain Wright said.
Moments later, Nick and Drew left the chief’s office and headed down the hall toward the parking garage. “We might get lucky tonight, and this whole thing could be over for you in a matter of hours.”
She saw his expression harden and fel
t his mood shift. “You’re hoping for a confrontation. That’s your kind of operation,” she said, knowing that she was reading him right.
“True. I’ve always preferred to face an enemy head-on.”
“I hope he comes after me this evening, too,” she admitted, in a whisper-thin voice. “I want this to be over. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”
DREW GLANCED AROUND THEM as they drove through downtown. “Where are we going?”
“How about if I take you to my house—well, my brother’s, too. It’s out in the sticks and almost impossible to approach without being seen. Neither of us likes surprises.”
Caution screamed at her to make Nick choose someplace else. Yet, the temptation to learn more about the man by her side was too strong to resist, and his home would tell her more about him than words ever could.
The drive took them west out of the city, then north up a narrow river valley flanked by tall mesas and steep canyons.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and warmth radiated off the rocky walls of the cliffs, as the valley narrowed. There was no sign of civilization here.
“I would have thought you would have chosen someplace more…populated. That way, if you got into trouble, your fellow officers would be nearby,” she said.
“I don’t live alone. So, basically I’ve got all the company I can stand,” he teased.
He soon turned off the road onto a small drive lined with gravel.
“The man you were investigating…this Coyote person. Do you think he would come after you even though you’re a police officer?”
“In a heartbeat,” he answered.
“How do you sleep, knowing that there are people out there who’d jump at the chance to get you? I’m having a hard time dealing with the fact that two men are after me. The fear never really goes away.”
“Maintaining the balance between good and evil takes work, but if good sits back, evil runs unchecked. That’s based on Navajo Way teachings, but it’s also common sense.”
