Detection Mission (Texas K-9 Unit)

by Margaret Daley

  Slade jumped into the fray. “I’ve talked with the police chief. I want both of you to watch our mystery woman. Someone did go after her today. She may still be in danger, and until we know for sure, we need to protect her. I still think she knows something about what happened in the woods the day Brady was found.” He glanced at Lee. “Have you talked with Zoller yet?”

  “I’m going to after you all leave. I want the man to stew for a while. Maybe then he’ll be ready to talk. He wasn’t earlier.”

  His captain frowned. “I hope so. We don’t have many leads to follow.”

  * * *

  Later that evening, Heidi sat at Molly’s kitchen table. “Those cookies smell great. Are you sure I can’t do anything to help you?”

  “Nope, other than help me take this upstairs to the workers. I want you to rest and take it easy.” Molly used her metal spatula to remove the last batch of chocolate chip cookies from the baking sheet. “The pizzas should be here any minute. We should be ready. Are you hungry?”

  Heidi’s stomach gurgled. “I wasn’t until I started smelling the cookies. I might just go right to them and skip the pizza.”

  The landlady glanced toward her. “You must have a sweet tooth.”

  “I guess so.”

  “You wouldn’t know it from the looks of you. You’re thin and petite. Almost frail.”

  “I haven’t eaten much in weeks. A forced diet you could say.”

  Molly patted her rotund stomach. “I need something. The doctor says I should lose at least fifty pounds. I just don’t know how and when they crept up on me. But then you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

  Heidi looked down at herself. Was that the case? She concentrated on thinking about what she might like to eat. Chocolate chip cookies. That was a definite, but what else?

  The doorbell rang.

  “Will you get the pizzas and head on upstairs? I’ll follow with the tea and glasses.”

  “Sure,” Heidi said, but the thought of opening the front door to a stranger—and most everybody was one right now—constricted her chest as she made her way to the foyer. The pain from her healing rib cage intensified. She inhaled a series of shallow breaths, but her palms sweated as she reached for the handle and pulled the door toward her.

  “Don’t, Heidi,” Lee said from behind her.

  FOUR

  Heidi grasped the knob and started to push it closed when she glimpsed a young teenage boy, holding large boxes. She relaxed as Lee came up beside her.

  “Four large pizzas for Lee Calloway,” the delivery boy said, glancing back and forth between her and Lee.

  “I’ll take them.” Lee withdrew some money from his pocket and handed it to the guy. “Thanks.” After she shut the door, he continued, “I don’t want you to open the door for anyone you don’t know.”

  “That narrows it down to almost everyone besides the people here tonight.”

  “Exactly. You were attacked earlier today. We don’t know why. To be on the safe side I want you to stay close to this house and not go anywhere alone. If neither Mark nor I am here, I’ll have a patrol car drive by a few times an hour or park out front until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “I’m a prisoner?” she murmured more to herself, the idea not frightening her as much as not knowing what was going on and who was after her.

  “Not exactly. But you’ll need to use caution. We don’t know what’s going on.”

  We. That one word comforted her more than she thought possible. It also felt alien to her, as if she’d been alone in the world before Lee Calloway had taken an interest in helping her. From what Molly had said, Lee was a thorough, highly respected police officer. Thank You, Lord. The thought surprised her in how freely it came to mind. A natural response from her that was there in spite of her lost memory. She remembered asking the Lord’s help in the hospital room when she was attacked. Was her faith important to her?

  “Let’s take this upstairs. The crew is restless and hungry.” Lee started for the steps.

  Heidi watched him, his movements economical and full of self-assurance. She liked what she saw so far concerning Lee, but she wouldn’t kid herself. Their relationship was strictly professional. He thought she knew something and intended to keep her alive long enough to find out what.

  * * *

  Lee took the chair across from Gus Zoller in the interview room at the police station. Lee didn’t say anything for a long moment, but he stared at the man with a beard and gray eyes. For a few seconds Zoller kept his gaze trained on Lee, then he dropped his glance away from Lee and peered at the table between them. A tic twitched in the man’s lean cheek.

  “Why did you attack Jane Doe?” Lee asked, keeping the information about the name she was going by to himself.

  Zoller shifted in his chair but remained silent.

  “Who hired you?”

  Still nothing from the man.

  “You’ll be charged with attempted murder. It’ll be an open-and-shut case. We’ll also be looking into whether you pulled the plug on the life-support machine of the patient in Room 253 in order to create a diversion while you attacked Jane Doe. You can either make this hard on yourself or easy.”

  “I ain’t talking. Bad things happen to people who do.” The man lifted his gaze, stabbing it into Lee. “My mama didn’t raise no dummy.”

  “So you’re willing to go to prison for a long time rather than make a deal with us. We can protect you.”

  Zoller cackled, its sound almost desperate. “Sure you can.”

  “What does Jane Doe have to do with what’s happening in Sagebrush?”

  “I want a lawyer.” The suspect pressed his lips into a thin line.

  “Fine. You’re the one that’ll be rotting away in prison.” Lee shoved back his chair and rose. “Not smart.”

  As he left the interview room, questions bombarded him. Who had everyone so scared? Did someone want to quiet Heidi because she witnessed something in the woods? Or was she involved somehow? Again that didn’t feel right to him, but then Alexa had fooled him. Maybe he wasn’t the best person to read a woman’s motives.

  After telling an officer on duty about allowing Zoller to contact a lawyer, Lee hurried to his SUV with the warrant to search Zoller’s apartment in hand. Although Mark was at the house, Lee didn’t want to be gone too long, but it was important to check out Zoller’s place.

  Fifteen minutes later, Lee parked in front of a three-story apartment building in an area that was above a custodian’s pay scale—unless he was paid to take care of problems. Tomorrow he would dig into Zoller’s background and financial information. Maybe he could find out who hired him by following the money trail.

  The manager of the building took Lee up to Zoller’s apartment on the third floor and let him in. Lee waited until the older gentleman left before swinging the front door open and moving into the dark apartment. Letting the light from the hallway illuminate the entrance, he ran his hand along the wall by the door, found the switch and flipped it up. Nothing. He tried it again. Still nothing.

  The hairs on the nape of his neck stood up as Lee pivoted in the darkness while putting his hand on his gun. A split second later a large bulk slammed him back against the wall near the open door. His head jerked back then forward. The air swooshed from his lungs, and pain spread through his chest. The switch dug into his back as his assailant used his body to pen him down.

  The attacker’s face loomed inches away from Lee. The pressure on his torso trapped the breath in his lungs. The dim lighting from the hallway shone briefly on the man’s craggy face as Lee used all his strength to shove the large man away. Before Lee could reach his gun, his attacker slammed his fist into Lee’s gut, then brought up his right one and clipped his jaw, a ring packing an extra punch.

  The world spun before Lee’s eyes as the man raced from the apartment. He began to slump toward the floor, caught himself and staggered out into the hallway. The sound of a door shutting down the hall drew Lee’s
attention in that direction. An exit sign glowed. He stumbled forward. His vision blurred, and the corridor tilted at an odd angle. Lee reached out with his hand and touched the wall to steady himself.

  Taking in a deep, stabilizing breath, Lee made his way toward the exit at a more sedate pace than he would have liked. By the time he reached the door, he had his bearings back and increased his speed. But he kept his hand on the wall as he descended to the first floor and pushed through the door that led outside. To the left was the street. To the right the back of the building and the parking lot for the tenants. He hurried toward the front. An empty street with his lone SUV parked along the curb greeted him.

  Rotating around, Lee retraced his steps and continued toward the parking lot. As he rounded the apartment building, he spied a white Taurus making a left turn and speeding away. He couldn’t make out the license-plate number.

  He gritted his teeth and went farther into the parking lot to check it out in case that wasn’t the assailant fleeing the scene. A dozen cars sat before him. He walked around to verify no one was hiding.

  A dull throb pulsated in his head. His jaw ached. He grazed his fingertips over it and came away with blood. Probably the ring cut him. More irritated than anything, he trudged back into the building and found the manager’s apartment again.

  The older man’s eyes bulged when he peered at him. “What happened?”

  “There was someone in Zoller’s apartment. He attacked me and fled.”

  “We have a few cameras around the building. Maybe he was caught on tape.”

  “Where are they?” Lee demanded.

  “The stairwell on both sides of the building and the lobby.”

  “I’d like the tapes from all three.” Something good might come out of this.

  “It feeds into a room in the basement. I’ll go get them.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Lee wasn’t about to let anything happen to the one lead he might have to the perp in the apartment. “Then I need to go back up to Zoller’s apartment. The light is out in his place when you go in.”

  “The whole apartment?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “I’ll check the circuit breaker and see. It’s in the basement, too.”

  As Lee followed the manager, he placed a call to Molly. “I’ll be home later than I thought. How’s Heidi?”

  “She’s sleeping, finally.”

  “Mark’s still there?”

  Molly chuckled. “Yes. Don’t worry about us. I know how to take care of myself.”

  “Molly, these people mean business.”

  “I have a gun and I know how to use it.”

  “You do?” he asked in surprise.

  “Yes. My husband used to go to the shooting range. I went along and learned how to fire a gun. I got so good that I made more bull’s-eyes than he did the last couple of years before he died.” She blew out a breath. “And don’t forget, Kip’s keeping us company. A very good watchdog. What’s going on? Anything else besides Heidi being attacked today?”

  Lee stopped outside a small room in the basement and turned away from the manager. “Yes. I was jumped tonight when I arrived at Zoller’s apartment.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “What in the world is happening in Sagebrush?”

  “That’s what I’m determined to find out, and I feel Heidi knows something she doesn’t remember right now.”

  “The poor child. She’s all alone. Well, at least she has you and me. When she’s ready, hopefully she’ll remember.”

  “I hope that it is in time. Is your alarm system on?”

  “Yes, you and Mark have drilled it into me to set it every night. But you know it’s not state of the art. I might need to look into a better one. At least in the meantime, I have two cops and a couple of police dogs living here.”

  “I’ve got to go. I’ll stop by your apartment when I’m through here.” Lee stuck his cell back in his pocket and went into the room to retrieve the tapes.

  After getting the security videos he needed, Lee waited while the apartment manager checked the circuit breaker.

  The man frowned. “Someone flipped the breaker off for that apartment. I’m resetting it so you can see in there.”

  “Thanks.” Lee made his way up to Zoller’s place, and this time when he went into the apartment, he drew his gun, prepared, even though he felt the assailant was long gone. In the bright light from the small foyer, Lee surveyed the ransacked living area and called the station for assistance. This was going to take longer than he’d hoped.

  * * *

  Sleep evaded Heidi. She prowled the guest bedroom in Molly’s apartment. Lee was interrogating the man who attacked her. Did Gus Zoller know her? Why was he trying to kill her? Was he the man in the woods from her nightmare? Maybe Lee would have some answers to her questions. She hoped Zoller’s capture meant she wasn’t in any more danger. But the thought didn’t bring any comfort. Chilled, she rubbed her hands up and down her crossed arms.

  She looked around the room—unfamiliar like everything she looked at lately—and decided to see if Molly was still up. She had mentioned she didn’t usually turn in until eleven or twelve.

  Heidi found Molly in her living room, reading a thick black book. The older lady smiled at Heidi and set her Bible on the small table next to her on the couch.

  “Don’t stop because of me.” Heidi hung back in the entrance, not sure what to do.

  “I always have time for you. Couldn’t sleep?”

  Heidi moved to the other end of the sofa and sat. “I tried, but I kept thinking about Lee interrogating Zoller. There’s so much in my life I don’t know. At least I want to know what the man said to Lee.”

  “He should be back soon. He called a while ago and said he was checking out the man’s apartment and would be back after that.”

  Silence fell between them, and Heidi stared down at her lap, searching her mind for something she could talk about. Why did she remember who the Texas governor and the President of the United States were? The capital of Texas was Austin. The surrounding states are New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. And yet, she remembered nothing about her personal life.

  “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through, Heidi, but you will remember what you need to.”

  She lifted her gaze to Molly, the woman’s features set in a calm she wished she felt. “How can you say that?”

  “It’s just a feeling I have. I like to look at life in a positive light. I can’t control a lot of things, but I can control my attitude.”

  “I can’t even tell you what my attitude toward life is.” Heidi gestured toward the black book on the table. “I can’t tell you if I’ve ever read the Bible. What my favorite food is. But after this evening, I’ll say pizza is in my top five.”

  “True, you don’t know much about your past right now. That doesn’t mean you can’t decide how you want to approach your life now regardless of your past.”

  “What if I never remember?”

  “Then you have a chance to start over fresh,” Molly said. “There are people out there who would love to be able to do that. God placed you here for a reason.”

  “That’s what you think?”

  The older woman nodded. “I used to struggle against everything, then I started looking at what was happening to me from different perspectives and found things that were positive about every situation.”

  What in the world was positive about not remembering who she was? About having someone want to kill her, and not knowing why? About what caused her nightmare?

  Molly chuckled. “I know. I sound like Mary Sunshine, but I don’t stress like I used to. My blood pressure is manageable, and for years it wasn’t.”

  “But you know who you are.”

  “And you know who you are—” Molly touched her chest over her heart “—in here where it counts.”

  A beeping sound filled the air. Kip came to his feet near the
apartment door.

  Molly grinned. “That’s Lee.” She pushed to her feet. “But I’ll check just to make sure.”

  When she went to a table, pulled open a drawer and withdrew a gun, Heidi’s eyes grew round. She instinctively fisted her hands, poised and ready to fight or flee.

  Molly cracked her door open and peeked out, then glanced back at Heidi. “It’s him.” She stuffed the weapon into her dress pocket and stood to the side as Lee entered.

  Heidi’s gaze riveted on the cut along his jaw about two inches long with dried blood. “You’re hurt. What happened?”

  His mouth cocked up at one corner. “Let’s just say the welcome mat wasn’t laid out for me at Zoller’s apartment.”

  “I thought he was at the station.” The panic she’d experienced fighting the man earlier swamped Heidi. She flexed her hands then curled them into tight balls again.

  “He’s locked up. Someone ransacked his place, and I interrupted him. We fought. He fled before I could have a little chat with him.”

  “Who?” The one word came out in a breathless rush. There was another man involved in this mess she was caught up in.

  Lee eased into the chair across from Heidi. “Good question. Fortunately, I got a brief look at him. I’ll meet with the police sketch artist and see if I can come up with a picture. After I do, I want you to look at it. Maybe you’ll recognize the man.”

  “Me? I don’t see how.” Heidi gritted her teeth, wishing she could say something different.

  Kip parked himself next to Lee, who greeted him with a rubdown. “Still, it’s worth a shot. Besides, I want you to know what the man looks like.”

  “In case I run into him, too?” She shivered, thinking about another person out there targeting her. Why? What could she possible have locked in her mind to cause someone to want her dead? She massaged her temple as though that would bring the information to the surface and put an end to her terror.

  “Yes, he could be the person who hired Zoller.”

  “Sure, anything to find out what’s going on.”

  Lee glanced toward Molly putting her gun away in the drawer. “I want you to look at the picture, too.” A frown twisted his mouth. “You do have a permit for that?”