Gabriel could be heard over the radio. “Requesting backup. Active shooter. At the edge of Nugget Alley and—”
Another round of bullets. Sirens pierced the air. The Nome police had to be on their way. Confident the open door served as a shield, he shifted to make sure Ivy wasn’t hurt. Her arms and legs trembled.
“I’m sorry I got out, Sean.”
She shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not to get out of a vehicle. He knew her heart. The poor husky, who was now huddled underneath a long extension of the barge, had been her focus. “It’s not your fault. Stay here while I take care of this guy.” He grabbed his radio. “Anyone get a visual on the shooter?”
Ivy leaned forward, her arm grazing over his shoulder. “Sean, look! Straight through the window. To the right. I saw his red hair.”
On the backside of the farthest dredge, closest to the alley, he caught sight of him as well before the head disappeared again. The bullets had stopped. The guy must be running for it. Sean clicked the radio. “At my seven o’clock. Any sign?”
“I thought I saw an elbow. There might be a ladder on the other side of that dredge. I’m switching to speaker,” Helena said. She meant that she was about to turn the SUV’s radio into a megaphone. “State Troopers! Drop your weapon and present yourself with hands up in five seconds or we will send the dog and she will bite.”
A man leaped off the backside of the dredge, dropping to the ground from a good ten feet up. His hair was no longer visible, a ski mask covering his head. The Nome PD pulled up behind his vehicle, lights flashing but sirens off. The suspect straightened and pumped his arms and legs in a sprint, heading for the alley between the two buildings. Sean groaned inwardly. Why’d they always have to run?
“You’ll be safe with the police here. Grace, protect Ivy.” He hated to leave his partner behind when he might need her, but she’d serve him best by protecting the woman he—No, he wouldn’t let feelings get in the mix at a time like this.
“Attack!” Helena yelled loud enough to be heard without a radio. Luna shot off like a rocket. Sean stepped out from his position of safety, then took off in a sprint right after the dog. Helena’s feet rapidly hitting the pavement behind him spurred him on. He pressed harder, faster. Luna was mere feet from snatching the man. Once she grabbed on, they’d have him. The nightmare was about to be over.
The man reached the shadowed alley. Sean moved his hand tentatively to his waist but kept running. He’d only draw his weapon if fired upon. Luna was almost there. Sean had maybe a hundred feet to go. Luna had twenty.
“Freeze!” Sean yelled, expecting any second for Luna to leap and clutch the gunman’s right arm.
The man spun to face them, only his eyes and mouth visible through the cutouts of the mask. Sean unlocked his holster to pull his weapon. The man lifted something resembling a shiny glass bauble—as if that’d stop Luna—and threw it down on the ground. Glass shattered before them. Smoke filled the spot in front of the man, obscuring Sean’s view.
Luna skittered to a stop just before entering the alley. Sean darted to the far right, lest the gunman could still see him and take aim. What was going on? Luna never hesitated to run through danger. Then the horrific smell hit him. Like rotten eggs and ammonia, except concentrated. An involuntary cough racked his lungs, and he hovered in a squat, trying to hack up the rest of the irritation.
“Luna,” Helena choked out. She also hit her knees, coughing.
Because they’d been running at a full steam, they couldn’t help but inhale deeply, only to breathe in more irritants. The sound of a metal door closing echoed from within the alley.
“Step away. Walk with your arms up. That will get fresh air in faster. And get Luna out of there.” Gabriel had caught up behind them with Bear. He clicked the radio on his shoulder. “We need immediate backup on other side of alley. Suspect is armed, wearing a ski mask. Over.” The smoke had dissipated, but the man hadn’t waited around in the long alley. Gabriel pointed at Luna. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a homemade stink bomb. Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are toxic together, but only dangerous in extreme amounts.”
Sean accepted his analysis without question. His teammate had a broader education in scent work, given Bear’s specialty.
“Which means?” Helena asked.
“Luna is safe to keep going as soon as she’s ready.” Gabriel leaned over just as Bear sneezed, and he offered his K-9 a scent cone. “The smoke bomb will only mess up their scent-tracking momentarily. Now that he’s had a good sneeze, Bear’s senses are going to be stronger than ever. Let’s get this guy.”
Sean didn’t need to be told twice. He ran through the alley, hand on his weapon. The smell still hung in the air. A nondescript metal door on the left building wasn’t fully closed. He pulled at the handle, and it opened easily into a hallway. “State Troopers!” he yelled. His voice echoed off the cinder-block walls.
Gabriel, Bear, Helena and Luna stepped behind him. The building held the musty smell of being abandoned. They froze for a moment, all straining to hear any sounds that might lead them in the right direction. Bear put his nose to the ground for a moment. His head popped up and his tail rose higher. Gabriel nodded. “He’s found something.” They ran after the dogs. So far, every room they’d passed had been empty.
Bear turned to the right. Gabriel nodded. “Looks like the suspect hit the stairs.”
Helena grabbed the stairway door and looked at Luna. “Feel well enough to get to work again, girl?” The dog wagged her tail in response. Unfortunately, they needed to make good and sure the building was actually empty before telling Luna to attack.
She sprinted up the stairs with her partner at her side. Once again, Sean was right behind Luna. If another smoke bomb was lobbed at them, he knew this time it wouldn’t hurt him. The dogs might not be able to run through, but he wouldn’t let the smoke stop him.
Except all the doors to the four landing areas were closed. Luna ran to the top of the building stairs and back again to the second floor, where Bear was still sniffing his way up the stairs. The Saint Bernard lifted his head again and pointed to the door. “He’s down this hallway,” Gabriel said.
Sean kicked at the door until it flung open. Luna charged like she’d been racing on slick floors her entire life. The dog knew what she was after but wouldn’t attack until given the word. Helena and Sean ran after her at full speed.
He’d be lying to say he didn’t want to be the one to bring the guy in, but the important thing was getting him. Luna darted in and out of each room, so far with no success. Years’ worth of dust and grime layered on the windows provided very little light streaming into the building. The back of his neck tingled with the possibility that maybe the man would be able to hide in a darkened corner. Bear, though, was still on the trail, albeit behind them. His sneeze echoed down the hallway, the second time in the last five minutes.
“Dust holds the smell. Don’t worry,” Gabriel said, his eyes focused on the K-9.
Luna ran up and down the hallway a second time, darting into every single open room, frustration evident by her whine. Helena said the word for her to relax and praised her for the try.
“No.” Sean shook his head. “He’s got to be here. Bear smelled him. Let’s start taking down the closed doors.”
“Judging by the names on the doors, this used to be an old mining company,” Gabriel said. “They must have had a lot of claims to manage back in the day.”
Bear alerted on a closed door on the right. Sean and Gabriel stood on either side of the door. Helena grabbed her Taser while Gabriel and Sean kept their hands on the handles of their guns. She would attempt to detain the suspect peacefully with the help of Luna, but if the man aimed a gun, they would be forced to shoot. Bear stood behind Gabriel, and Sean ticked his fingers off silently. One, two, three...
Sean twisted in front of the door and kicked it ope
n. Helena yelled, “Attack!”
Gabriel and Sean charged after Luna, instantly moving to opposite sides of the room to leave Helena space. The breeze hit Sean fully in the face. Luna rushed for the open window and dived through it, paws first, disappearing from view.
“No!” Helena yelled.
Sean gasped at the sight. The dog had jumped clean out the window. They raced forward, Helena leaning her torso over the window first. “She’s okay!” Sean peered over her shoulder to find Luna on the third stair, descending a rickety steel fire escape. “Stop, Luna.” The dog froze at Helena’s command and looked up. The suspect was nowhere to be seen.
Sirens blared from below. A local Nome police cruiser sped down the street. As the vehicle passed by the building, Sean spotted the source of the chase. At the end of the street, an ATV vaulted over the curb and hopped over rough hills in the tundra. The cruiser screeched to a stop. An officer hopped out of the vehicle and sprinted after him on foot, shouting.
“The suspect is too far away now,” Gabriel said. “No more roads out there.”
The ATV kept bouncing up and over hills, the light from the headlights appearing dimmer and smaller. The officer stopped after about thirty feet of running and turned to return back to the cruiser.
“What about planes?” Sean asked. “Do we have a pilot back in the area? What about a certified drone operator?”
“I’ll check, but I think the only ones that have those qualifications are still out on assignment,” Helena said. She patted the side of her leg and Luna jumped back through the window. She walked off, clicking the radio and asking questions of the Nome PD to see if they had any new leads.
Sean felt paralyzed, squinting in the distance. The man who was determined to kill Ivy had slipped through his fingers once again.
* * *
Ivy couldn’t keep her eyes off the alley the team had disappeared into, especially after seeing them run past a cloud of smoke. Whatever was happening, Sean was in danger. Was this a normal day’s work for him? Had it always been?
The Nome police officer blocked her view now, pacing back and forth in the parking lot while speaking into his radio and holding it up to his ear to hear the replies. He’d made the mistake of getting too close to Sean’s vehicle to ask Ivy if she needed medical care. Grace had stuck her face up to the window and released a warbled bark that almost sounded like, Back off, buddy. It startled the officer enough that he straightened and kept an eye on her from a distance. If Sean didn’t return soon, she didn’t know who Grace would allow to get near.
Something caught the cop’s eye and he turned sideways enough that Ivy could see past him to the three team members with Luna and Bear striding back together. Their shoulders hunched, their heads bent—looking down at the ground as they walked—instead of their usual jovial banter. They appeared weary. Which meant it was doubtful they’d already handed off a handcuffed murderer to the local cops. “I don’t think they have good news for us, Grace.”
A moment later, Sean beckoned her out of the car with a wave. She pushed open the unlocked door and Grace trotted to Sean’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Physically, yes. Emotionally, her insides were vibrating so hard she was going to come unglued. She fought against crying at his question. When the bullets had been firing, she hadn’t been able to think clearly. For all her training in survival, her brain had simply switched to panic mode. She looked up to the gray clouds gathering above her. “Unharmed,” she said simply.
Only then did she notice Sean seemed to be avoiding eye contact, as well. After having known each other so fully, she was taken off guard at how vulnerable she still felt in his presence. Like if they looked at each other too long, they might see everything they were trying so hard not to say. Maybe he felt the same way? That seemed unlikely. Sean had always told her he was a simple man. Sure, he’d said it most often when they were trying to figure out what to have for dinner, but he wasn’t one to gush.
“He got away, but you probably already figured that,” Sean said. “I know you’re eager to get Dylan. I’ll need to do a sweep of the area with Grace and then we can go.”
“With Grace? You think he might’ve hidden the victim here?” She didn’t bother to camouflage the surprise in her tone. Why would the man drag a deceased woman all the way to the shack only to bring her back to town to hide the body? Unless he had a new motive to frame someone.
“It’s precautionary,” Sean said. “In case he’s murdered someone else while here.”
Her jaw dropped. She wouldn’t have thought of that, though she’d heard that murderers found it easier to kill after the first time. An involuntary shudder worked up her spine. She quickly hugged herself, hoping Sean missed it.
“I hope that won’t be the case, but we need to be sure.” His eyes connected with hers. “I’m sorry.” Maybe she was right to fear he’d see more in her, because his apology wasn’t about not catching the guy. What exactly was he trying to say? He frowned and cleared his throat, and the moment was gone. “Grace and I won’t be long. You can either stay with us or wait with Helena or Gabriel.”
“I’d feel safer with you.” The thought slipped out before she could filter it with less emotion.
His eyebrows jumped, but he nodded and turned around. “Time to get to work.”
Grace’s spine straightened and her tail curled over her back. The transformation from normal dog to working partner always amazed her.
Gabriel and Bear also sniffed each dredge from the parking lot. “Helena is working on finding out who the owners are. We’ll start by asking their permission to search these—with warrants, if necessary. Grace shouldn’t need to get on the boats to let me know she smells something inside.”
His radio came to life. “Bear confirmed the man has recently been in the two largest dredges in the lot but none of the others,” Gabriel said.
Sean clicked the button. “So far Grace hasn’t alerted on anything.”
The moment they got close to the still-chained husky, Ivy ran forward. She’d been dying to check on her condition. The two-toned fur seemed matted compared to yesterday and her striking blue eyes had a hollow, lifeless stare. Her ears flattened, though, and she let Ivy approach with only one warbled bark.
“She’s stressed or anxious, huh?” Sean asked. “That’s usually when the colonel’s dog—also a Siberian husky—talks the most.”
Ivy gingerly touched the dog’s fur, watching for any signs that it might attack. So far, the dog was docile. Except her fingers touched something dried yet sticky. Her fingers pulled back the husky’s thick coat. “There’s blood.”
Ten minutes later, Ivy paced the vet’s lobby while Sean and Grace sat at ease in the chairs. She wanted to know if the husky was okay but simultaneously couldn’t wait to get to Dylan. The vet entered from a door labeled Employees Only, and Ivy caught a glimpse of a tech loving on the husky. Her shoulders relaxed slightly. The dog was in good hands.
The vet appeared to be in his late forties with thick dark hair. “I collected the sample of blood. Likely a day old and not from any injury to the dog.”
Ivy’s head spun. Not from the dog? Could it be from his owner?
“Should I send the sample to the state troopers?”
“That’d be great,” Sean said. “Any chip? Any identification of the dog’s owner?”
“None, I’m afraid.” The vet turned from Sean to Ivy. “I think she’ll be fine, but she’s underweight and very dehydrated. I’d like to keep her overnight for observation while I run a few tests. As long as she’s healthy, I can release her to you tomorrow.”
Ivy placed a hand on her chest. “To me?”
“Yes, since you brought her in. I know of no other owner. If you have no interest, animal control will be called. I have to warn you, though—they’ve been full and have been transferring stray dogs to Anchorage.”
Her heart ached at the thought of the sweet animal getting shipped off. She hesitated. “Can I think about it? It’s a big decision.”
“Of course. Let’s touch base tomorrow.”
Sean clenched his jaw, clearly trying not to make a face. Ivy ignored the apparent disapproval and smiled at the vet. “Thank you.”
They silently returned to the SUV. Grace turned and looked back at the building, as if she was concerned for the husky, as well. Inside the vehicle, Sean’s expression remained stony.
She sighed. “I take it you’re not happy I’m considering taking home the husky.”
“Ivy, I know I don’t have a right to make my opinion heard unless it directly pertains to this case.” He shrugged. “That said, I can’t help that it’s still my instinct to keep your best interest in mind. So, if you want my opinion, I trust you’ll ask for it. Right now, though, I’m guessing you want to pick up Dylan?”
Her mouth dropped open. It was a lovely speech, but she didn’t believe it. What she wanted was to ask him how deciding a year into their marriage, unilaterally, that they wouldn’t have kids could be in her best interest, but she knew that would only stir up the past and start a fight. “Yes, I’d like to go to Dylan,” she said instead.
He’d made it clear he was trying to keep professional boundaries, and yet Ivy’s curiosity would not be tamed. “Fine. I’m asking your opinion,” she said, before she could change her mind.
He glanced at her, wide-eyed, before composing his features and returning his attention to the road. “It might be nice if you were no longer in danger before deciding to adopt a dog. I mean, you’re committing to a forever home, right? In fact, I would think all major decisions would be off the table right now, considering that.”
Arctic Witness Page 8
