Maddie threw down the phone and bolted out the door. Erik was just walking out of the shop and Zach had one foot on the four-wheeler, ready to start it.
Running for all she was worth toward Zach, she screamed, “Zach! No, get back!”
He took a step back, startled, and bumped the ignition. The four-wheeler exploded, knocking Zach on his back several feet away. Maddie and Erik both rushed to him. He had burns and cuts, but he was still breathing. Maddie called John.
“John, he just tried to kill Zach. I want him to think he’s dead. Can you get an ambulance out here and make it look good?”
“I’m on my way, sit tight,” John said.
Leaning over Zach, Maddie didn’t want to move him in case he had broken bones or internal injuries. Looking at Erik she whispered, “I want Zeus to think Zach is dead. I’m going to send him to Seattle, but as far as anyone knows, Zach died today. So we are going to make this look good. I’m going to fall all to pieces in a minute and you are going to comfort me until John shows up. We’ll have them take Zach to the hospital and get him out of here. We’ve got to convince Zeus that he’s dead. Okay?”
“Okay,” Erik said, not convinced Maddie wasn’t far from the mark. Zach was still breathing, but he looked to be in pretty bad shape.
Maddie leaned farther over Zach, careful not to touch him, but close enough she could whisper in his ear. “Zach, you are going to be just fine. Help is on the way. I won’t let him hurt you anymore, but you’ve got to pretend to be dead. Can you do that?”
Zach didn’t respond.
“Zach, can you hear me? Please let me know you can hear me,” Maddie begged. Zach wiggled one of his pinky fingers and Maddie kissed his cheek. “Good job, big brother. I’m about to get all hysterical, so you just rest until John gets here.”
Flinging herself away from Zach, Maddie started sobbing and crying, screaming Zach’s name over and over. Danny and Aubrey arrived on the other four-wheeler and took in the scene quickly. Rushing over to Zach, Danny started to call out something but Erik shook his head. Aubrey walked up to where Erik held Maddie and put her hand on Maddie’s back. While Maddie continued to sob, Erik quietly whispered what they were doing and why. Aubrey nodded and knelt beside Danny and repeated the information. In just a few moments, John pulled up, and the ambulance wasn’t far behind.
Danny walked up to John. “We’ve got to make this look good. Zeus has to believe without a doubt that Zach is dead.”
“We’ll convince him. I’ve got two deputies in the ambulance, one used to be an EMT. Zach will be in good hands.”
When the supposed EMTs arrived and went to Zach, they went through the motions of checking for a pulse, shaking their heads and offering their condolences before pulling a sheet over his head and loading him onto a gurney.
“He’ll be flown to Seattle and admitted to the hospital there under a false name,” John said as the ambulance pulled away. “I’ll keep you all posted, but I better get moving.”
Maddie wondered how Zeus managed to sneak past the officer who kept an eye on the place at night. Come to think of it, he usually let them know when he was leaving in the morning and no one had seen him yet today.
“Where’s Greg?” Maddie suddenly whispered. “He should have seen Zeus tampering with the four-wheeler last night.
“Now that you mention it, I didn’t see his car when we were out earlier,” Danny said. “I think I better go look for him.”
“Not by yourself, you’re not,” Aubrey said, climbing on behind Danny.
While they took off to look for the missing officer, Erik walked Maddie back to the house. “That was close. Do you think Zach will be okay?”
“Yes, I do.” Maddie looked at the smoldering heap of four-wheeler. “The force of the explosion carried him more than the explosives. I think he’s probably got mostly surface wounds, but we’ll know for sure when he gets to the hospital. He’ll be fine, though.”
Erik and Maddie went back in the house where she called Tom and asked him to meet Zach and his entourage at the hospital. Tom said they were making more strides in capturing Zeus. With the passports, Tom had been able to get a few people to identify some of Zeus’ many personalities. He had tracked down several business listings under false names. It was just a matter of time until they had all the info they needed to finally identify Zeus and put him away once and for all. Maddie knew she was going to be the bait that drew him out of hiding when they did.
“What do we do now?” Erik asked, watching Maddie as she carefully went through the files on the table again. “I’m not too good at the sit and wait game.”
“So I noticed,” Maddie said, shooting him a grin. “You’ve nearly worn a groove into the kitchen floor from your pacing.”
“Sorry,” Erik said, sinking down into a chair and running his hand through his hair. “I just don’t like to feel useless or helpless.”
“Of which you are neither,” Maddie said, pulling out a file and reading the contents intently. She laid it down on the table and sat back, thinking. Picking it up again, she repeated the process.
“What is it? What are you thinking?”
Maddie sighed. “It may be nothing, but I keep wondering how Zeus knows things about me no one else knows. Personal things. How did he find out about them?”
“What kind of things?” Erik asked, reaching for the file only to have Maddie snatch it out of his hand. Her cheeks blushed pink.
“Personal things.”
Erik held out his hand and raised an eyebrow her direction. “Seriously, Maddie? Come on, hand it over. You know Tom and everyone in your department studied these in detail.”
“I know, and that doesn’t make it any better or easier.”
“Let me see.”
Reluctantly, Maddie handed over the file. Erik took a moment to read through it. When he finished he handed it back to her then turned to the fridge and got out a pitcher of tea. He poured them both a glass without saying a word, handed her the drink, and leaned back against the counter studying her.
“Well, say something,” Maddie finally said, squirming under his perusal.
Erik grinned. “What do you want me to say?”
“Something,” Maddie said, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. She didn’t know why Erik knowing what half the Seattle police force probably knew by now bothered her so, but it did.
“Come here,” Erik said, pulling her to him and kissing her on top of the head. She could feel a chuckle rumble in his chest, where her cheek rested. “Do you really sing show tunes in the shower?”
Maddie sighed. This was going to be torturous. “Sometimes. Maybe.”
“And you always paint your toenails the same shade of pink? What was it? Cotton Candy?”
“Hmph.” Maddie wouldn’t even dignify that question, no matter how accurate the information, with a reply.
“And the birthmark,” Erik said, pushing her back so he could look down into her face. “That one, I admit, has me quite curious. Want to let me see it?”
“Absolutely not!” Maddie jerked away from him and stepped back into the opposite counter. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”
Erik crossed the space in one step and had her back in his arms. He leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear. “A very strong, very beautiful, very desirable one.”
Maddie shivered in response. Erik stirred her feelings in a way she was fairly certain were better left alone right now. It made it too hard to concentrate, to focus, to breathe.
“Are you sure I can’t see that birthmark?” Erik growled in her ear.
“No,” Maddie whispered.
“No you aren’t sure, or no I can’t see it?”
“No viewing,” Maddie said, tugging on her shirt in an unconscious effort at hiding the little tear-drop shaped spot that rested low on her back. So low, in fact, she couldn’t fathom how Zeus would even know it was there. No one did except her family and none of them would have made it public knowledge. As Maddie’
s face took on a contemplative look, Erik placed a hand on her arm.
“Maddie, I’m sorry. I was just teasing you, but I know how much this bothers you. I just don’t understand how he could know so many intimate things about you. Things I certainly don’t know and I…” Erik cut himself off before he said more than he meant to.
“You what?” Maddie said, wondering what Erik didn’t say.
“I would like to.”
“Erik,” Maddie breathed his name like it was a prayer, leaning into the warmth and love he offered.
“Madelyn, I...”
Erik didn’t get to finish his thought as Danny and Aubrey burst through the kitchen door.
“We found Greg,” Danny said, looking pale, nearly as white as Aubrey.
“From the looks on your faces, I don’t’ know if I want to hear what comes next,” Maddie said, stepping away from Erik. She felt the need to brace herself for the news Danny was about to share.
“He was out at the wind machines,” Danny said, unable to make eye contact with her, his jaw clenched.
“And?” Maddie asked.
“He was tied to one of the machines, throat cut. How Zeus got him up there, I don’t know,” Danny said, squeezing Aubrey’s hand. “I called John and Tom. John will be back out here soon. In the meantime, I’m going to take Aubrey to the airport. I don’t want her in the middle of this when she doesn’t need to be.”
“I could stay,” Aubrey said. “I want to stay, but someone is being rather stubborn about what I will and won’t do.”
Maddie hugged her and gave her back a pat. “I don’t want to worry about what he could do to you, too, Aubrey. Go home and be safe. Hopefully this will all be over soon and you’ll have Danny back where he belongs.”
“I hope so,” Aubrey said, letting a sparkle of humor light her pale gray eyes. “It is somewhat challenging to plan a wedding with an absentee future-groom.”
“Go on, Danny, we’ll be fine until you get back.”
Danny helped Aubrey pack her bag then the women exchanged another round of hugs. Erik shook her hand and extended his pleasure in meeting her.
“It’s nice to know Tex, here, has a fine lady waiting for him to come home. Be safe,” Erik said as he walked them to the door.
Once they left, Maddie sat back down at the table, methodically looking at each photo and scrap of information trying to find the missing piece that would pull this puzzle together. Something kept tugging at the corners of her mind, but she couldn’t snatch it before it flew away. The nagging sensation that there was some major clue she was overlooking wouldn’t let her rest.
Erik made them sandwiches and they ate quietly, each contemplating what Zeus would possibly do next.
They were just rinsing off their dishes when Maddie’s new phone rang.
“Hey, Tom. How’s Zach? Is he doing okay?”
“He’s going to be just fine. He’s got a few burns that are going to leave scars, but he’s going to be fine in no time at all. I’d say if you survive an explosion with just a few cracked ribs and a little singed spot or two, it’s a good day.”
“That’s great news. Is he resting comfortably? Do you have a guard stationed with him?”
“Yes, Maddie. We are keeping a close watch over him and they should release him tomorrow. I’ll take him to stay with Lena until this thing is finished.”
Letting out a relieved sigh, Maddie smiled. “I’m sure Lena will take great care of him. Zach won’t know what to do with her undivided attention.”
“Probably not. She’s been about to climb the walls and told me to tell you city life is not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Maddie laughed. “That sounds like Aunt Lena. You think she could just sit back and relax. Enjoy her luxurious exile.”
“You Webers just don’t seem to have a ‘relax and be pampered gene’ in your DNA.”
“Well, there are worse things,” Maddie said. “Speaking of worse things, I’ve gone through all this information until I can’t see straight and something keeps hounding me, but I can’t figure out what. I’m missing something, Tom. Something major.”
“Just keep mulling it over, Maddie. It will come to you. Ask Erik to help. He’s clever and might have a different perspective,” Tom said, offering encouragement.
“That hasn’t worked so well,” Maddie said, looking at Erik who was wiping down the counters and sink. “So far he’s managed to tease me mercilessly about my birthmark and asked to visually verify its existence.”
Tom laughed. “Told you he was smart.”
“Joking aside, I just can’t figure out how Zeus knows me. Knows so much about me. Wouldn’t I have noticed someone watching me that close. Or if he had a camera stashed in my apartment. It just doesn’t make any sense at all. And all the photos taken at my apartment were before Devin died. If he had the apartment bugged, or was watching me, wouldn’t there be a series of photos with some that were more current? Why would he take so many photos and then suddenly stop?”
“Keep digging, Maddie. I think you are heading down the right path with those questions. Things just don’t jive. We are hoping to have a breakthrough soon with his phone number, so hang in there. If possible, you guys stay close to the house today. I don’t want him to have any open targets. Just stay on guard and be ready.”
“Believe me, we are. Danny took Aubrey back to the airport so we are just sitting tight.”
“Good. I’ll call as soon as I have anything new,” Tom said, disconnecting the call.
Going into the pantry, Maddie returned with a roll of butcher paper and taped a large piece to the back of the cupboards facing the table. She started taping up photos and snippets of paper with key information in groupings. When she was done, she and Erik stood staring at it for a while.
“I keep coming back to why all the photos in your apartment and the personal info were gathered a couple years ago. He still kept stalking you, just not at such an intimate level,” Erik said running thoughts through his head. “What was the difference? Why did he suddenly stay out of your apartment?”
“That’s the question I keep juggling around in my head. It just doesn’t flow. Why? Why? Why?”
Running his hand through his already tousled hair, Erik blew out his breath. “Let’s go through this from start to end one more time.”
Chapter Thirteen
Danny arrived at the same time John did, so the two of them went out to where the officer met his untimely death at the hand of Zeus.
Maddie and Erik kept taking apart the information they knew piece-by-piece and examining it in excruciating detail.
“Why the name Zeus?” Erik asked, studying the name he had written multiple times across a notebook page.
“What?” Maddie asked, looking up from the papers in her hand. She was mad, frustrated and weary. They were no closer to an answer than they had been hours ago. The sense of loss and agony that threatened to suck her into her grief and not let her go was hovering closer than ever. They had to catch Zeus. Soon.
“Why Zeus? Of all the names he could choose, why did he pick that one?”
“I assume it is because Zeus, in a mythological sense, is referred to as the Father of all Gods. He fancies himself above all others, as the one who controls everyone else.”
“So what drove our Zeus to that place? Normal people don’t think in terms of being above others or playing God. What made him decide to become Zeus, do you suppose? And how do you play into it?”
“All I know is that three years ago, when his name first started circulating in the crime scene, it was a name that created a mixture of terror and awe among the other drug dealers. They are all frightened of him, and yet most of them have never come face to face with him. They treat him like a fearsome deity.”
“Interesting,” Erik said. “But still, what made him come after you?”
“I guess because I was the one tracking him down, trying to blow his cover and bring justice. I guess I got too close one too ma
ny times. That’s when he started sending me the QR codes.”
“But the last few warnings have been verbal instead of with a code. Why do you think he resorted to calls? You’ve said he uses a fake accent and it slipped in the last call. Why take the chance?”
“I think he’s getting desperate and sloppy because we are so close to exposing his true identity and nailing his slimy hide to the wall.”
“Then what?” Erik asked.
“Pardon?” Maddie said, caught off guard by the question.
“Then what? What do you do when you catch him? When he’s dead, or sentenced to life in prison with no hope of release, or facing the death penalty, then what do you do? You’ve spent more than three years consumed by this case. How do you focus on something else? What will you focus on?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said honestly. “I can’t think beyond catching him. Once that happens, I’ll decide what to do. But I might put in for some real time off. My supposed leave to heal from my wound hasn’t exactly been peaceful or relaxing.”
Erik put his hand on top of Maddie’s and gave it a squeeze. “I’d like to spend some of that time with you, if you are interested.”
Maddie felt her heart melt and gazed up into Erik’s eyes, molten like warm honey. “I think I might like that, too. But first, I have to keep focused and finish this.”
<><><>
John and Danny returned to the house looking grim and tired. The coroner took the body to the morgue and John secured the area. He planned to return in the morning and he and Danny would make sure no clue had been missed.
Refusing an offer to stay for dinner, John decided to go home to his wife, hoping to shake the visions of what this day had wrought from his head.
Danny and Erik went out and fed the animals, then brought Boone and Rose back in the house with them when they returned. The dogs seemed to pick up on their tension and had a hard time settling down. They both finally crawled under the kitchen table and lay with their heads on their front paws, watchful.
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