Chapter 6

Another bomb! Eve stared at what was left of the Jeep in horror. Even a police station parking lot wasn't safe.

"Get back inside," Rhy said in a tense tone that she could barely hear beyond the ringing in her ears. "Hurry."

When she didn't move fast enough, Grayson took her arm and helped her up. "Let's go, Eve."

The bomb was meant for her and would have killed Grayson too. The thought brought a flash of anger. Enough was enough! This violence had to stop!

"You need to let me go somewhere on my own," she told Grayson as they sought shelter inside the precinct. "Give me a vehicle to use and I'll disappear for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Grayson didn't release her arm. "Going off alone is only asking for trouble."

"I'm supposed to let them kill you too?" She tried to tug her arm from him but couldn't. She couldn't hide her desperation. "And what about other innocent people who could be harmed because they happen to be standing close to me? I can't be responsible for that, Grayson. I just can't."

"This isn't your fault." He tugged her close, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I promise we'll get to the bottom of these attacks. And I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

She shook her head, unwilling to accept that. "I would rather go somewhere by myself. I'll stay off the internet; I won't do any research. No one will know where I am." Even you, she silently added.

"I'm not leaving you." Grayson's dark eyes bored into hers. "We don't know how we were found here. Maybe this perp was able to track your phone."

Her phone? A shiver rippled down her spine. "I never thought of that. It's paid for by the research institute."

"Give it to me." Rhy held out his hand. "I'll get rid of it."

She dug in her oversized bag for the device and handed it over. He shut it down, then dropped it on the floor and crushed it beneath his heel.

"I called Zeke. He has a spare vehicle you can use for a few days," Rhy said as he tossed her damaged phone in the closest garbage can.

"The old Ford sedan?" Grayson wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "That's nice of him to offer, but I'd rather have something more reliable."

"Zeke said he'd use the sedan, so you can borrow his truck." Rhy's expression was serious. "I've asked Gabe to log in from home to check the security cameras too. Maybe he'll get a decent photo of the bomber."

She brightened at that.

"I shouldn't have parked the Jeep along the back row," Grayson said. "It never occurred to me that someone would find it and plant a bomb."

Rhy sighed. "I don't think we'll be able to repair the Jeep this time. It's gone for good, and Michaels will have a fit." He shook his head. "I don't like this, Grayson. Maybe the cell phone was tracked, or maybe the word went out that we picked up Jones for an interview."

It took a moment for her to follow his train of thought. "You believe the animal rights group is involved? That they knew you were speaking with Michael Harold Jones and came out here to plant the bomb?" It made sense to a point. "Okay, say they did manage to pull that off. How could they have discovered we were using the Jeep? That was hardly common knowledge to anyone outside the precinct."

"That's a good question. I don't have all the answers, but I'm not ruling anything out. I don't like coincidences." Rhy gestured toward one of the desks. "Have a seat. I need to make a few calls."

She sank into the closest chair, her mind whirling. It dawned on her that if this bomber had the ability to track her phone, they could have been found at the City Central Hotel.

She wondered if she'd ever be safe. Then she felt ashamed of the depressing thought. Enough wallowing in self-pity. She needed to be grateful that God had been watching over them.

She closed her eyes. Thank You, Lord. Please continue to keep Grayson and the others safe in Your care. Amen.

"Eve? Please don't go off on your own," Grayson said in a low voice.

She looked at him and reluctantly nodded. "I won't, but I still don't like exposing you and the others to danger."

"Protecting the public is our job," he said. "That's what the city pays me to do."

She sighed. "I know that, but I care about you, Grayson. I don't want anything to happen to you or the other members of your team. Rhy has a wife and a baby. What if he'd been hurt or killed?"

"I feel the same way about you and Rhy too." He reached for her hand. "We have leads to follow, so don't give up hope yet."

"I haven't given up hope. We have been blessed by God watching over us. Shielding us from danger."

Grayson nodded slowly. "You may be right about that."

It warmed her heart to hear him speak of faith. Yet their situation was still troubling. Before she could say anything more, Rhy returned.

"Gabe is looking at the camera, but it looks like the front of the Jeep may be out of range." He grimaced. "He's going to see if there are any other businesses nearby that have cameras pointing toward the parking lot."

Nothing on the cameras? She swallowed her disappointment.

"Zeke and Jina are on their way in two cars so they can leave the truck here for you to use." Rhy rubbed the back of his neck. "I have the rest of the team heading over to sweep the area surrounding the police station to make sure there aren't other devices nearby."

She caught her breath. More devices? She remembered how Grayson had checked her bright-blue SUV in the parking lot of the research institute and wondered how long something like that would take.

"You can't go back to the City Central Hotel," Rhy continued. "I arranged for a room at the Timberland Falls Suites. The reservation is under the MPD account, so hopefully that will offer enough protection for you."

"Michaels approved it?" Grayson asked, sounding surprised.

"The Jeep blew up here in our parking lot, so yeah, he didn't argue." Rhy scowled. "We need to get this guy and soon."

"We will." Grayson sounded confident. "Thanks for arranging the room. We'll head there as soon as Zeke and Jina arrive."

"They're going to call when they get here and meet you outside the main entrance." Rhy glanced toward the side door. "I need to speak with the team and Mitch Callahan. We know these attempts are connected, and I'm hoping Mitch can gather enough information on the devices to prove it."

"Be careful," she said, not hiding her concern.

Rhy's smile was brief. "Don't worry. I have a feeling this guy is long gone. The device was triggered by Grayson using the key fob to start the Jeep's engine. If our perp planned to detonate the device via some sort of remote control, he would have waited for you and Grayson to get inside."

Her eyes widened in horror. His theory was hardly reassuring.

"Go, Rhy. Then head home to your family." Grayson looked at Rhy with concern. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You and Eve too." Rhy gave a small nod, then headed outside through the side door. "Call me if anything changes."

"Always," Grayson promised. There was a long silence after Rhy left before he spoke again. "I feel like I should be out there helping," Grayson said.

She tightened her grip on his hand, hoping he wouldn't leave. "I'm glad you're here. And that you're safe."

"Ditto," he murmured. Then he released her to check his phone. She realized he'd gotten an incoming text. "Zeke and Jina will be here in five minutes."

"Okay." She glanced around the police station, which was unusually quiet. "I hope they don't find any more devices."

"I don't think they will. This guy is fixated on you." Grayson frowned when his gaze landed on her bag. "I guess it's a good thing you brought your computer and notes with you. I'll need to grab another laptop."

She nodded, realizing he was right. Thank goodness she hadn't lost her notes. The delay in her ability to work was bad enough.

And that only made her realize again how important it was to find this guy as soon as possible. With every delay, thousands of people's lives continued to be ruled by their disease, checking their blood sugar and injecting themselves with insulin or taking other medications every single day.

Deep down, she knew her mother's disease had spiraled out of control in part due to her lack of compliance. But even those who were really good about keeping track of their numbers suffered detrimental side effects of their high blood sugar. By the time her mother had died, she was almost completely blind and suffered severe neuropathy in her feet.

She hoped this new technique she was working on to rejuvenate the pancreatic hormonal secretion cells would work. The pancreas was a gland, like the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, among others. The impact of her research was potentially far-reaching, beyond just treating diabetes. There were other diseases that may also be able to be cured.

It was extremely difficult to sit back doing nothing while Grayson and the rest of the team searched for the man responsible for these attacks. And as Grayson had pointed out, that may be the goal. One she did not understand.

"They're here," Grayson said, breaking into her thoughts. He had a laptop case slung over his shoulder, a replacement for the one he'd left at the City Central Hotel.

She rose to her feet and lifted her bag onto her shoulder. "Maybe I should place my notes in a safe deposit box," she said, mostly to herself. "At least then I'd know they would be safe from harm."

"That's not the worst idea, but we can't do that until morning." Grayson rested his hand on the small of her back. "I'm going to head outside first. I want you to stay behind me."

"I understand." She didn't like it but knew arguing was useless. Grayson would protect her no matter what.

She couldn't see beyond Grayson's broad shoulders as they left the building. She heard him call out, "Hey, Zeke. Thanks for the ride. I owe you one."

"Nah, we're all in this together," a male voice responded. "I can't believe the Jeep was blown to bits."

"Yeah, thankfully without us being inside." Grayson reached the sidewalk, then opened the door to a black truck. "Slide in, Eve."

She did so, placing her bag on the floor first, before scrambling inside. Zeke eyed her curiously but then tossed the keys to Grayson. "Try not to get my truck blown up."

"That's the goal," Grayson said. He waved at Jina, a beautiful blonde who sat behind the wheel of a four-door sedan. "Take care and I'll be in touch."

"You got it. We're heading out back to help sweep the area." Zeke nodded at Jina. "It's not likely we'll find anything, but you know Rhy wants us to be sure. Based on how close this one hit to home, I don't blame him."

"I hear you." Grayson slid in behind the wheel. "Good luck."

She buckled herself in as Grayson pulled away from the curb. She tried not to show her nerves as he headed toward the interstate. "Timberland Falls is outside your jurisdiction, isn't it?"

"That's true." He shrugged. "Although our team has been called in to help support the suburbs of Milwaukee and the eastern part of Waukesha because of our close proximity." He reached over to squeeze her hand. "We'll be safe in Timberland Falls. We have to make a stop along the way, though, to pick up replacement phones."

"Okay." She didn't much care about the phone, and there was no point in telling him she didn't feel safe anywhere. That was her problem, not his. The man who had targeted her was flesh and blood, not someone with superhuman powers. People made mistakes.

And she firmly believed Grayson would find him.

It was only a matter of time.

And she could only pray that it would happen sooner rather than later.

* * *

His stomach was rumbling loudlyby the time they reached the Timberland Falls Suites. Picking up disposable phones was quick and painless. Eve had seemed interested in the way they worked, having never used one before. He explained the technology along the way.

Their room was ready, and it didn't take long for them to get settled inside. He preferred having a suite rather than using connecting rooms. They would still have privacy while sharing a central living space. He grabbed the room service menu, hoping it wouldn't take too long for the food to be delivered.

"Lots of options here." He scanned the menu, decided on a cheeseburger, and handed it to Eve. "Let me know what you'd like. There are soft drinks too."

"I'll have the grilled chicken and water. I don't like all the chemicals in soft drinks." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know why, but it seems wrong to be hungry at a time like this."

"It's not wrong." He frowned. "Our bodies need fuel to fight this attacker. It's important that we stay hydrated too." He reached for the phone and placed their order, opting for water as well. He'd never worried about the chemicals in soft drinks before, but if Eve said they were a problem, he was inclined to believe her.

That was her field of expertise after all.

He quickly placed the computer on the table and booted it up, then took a few minutes to deal with the new phones. When they were charging up, he turned back to the computer. He needed to start looking into the names Gabe had provided for the rest of the people who were in the animal rights group photo. If Mike Jones was the tech guy who somehow traced Eve by her computer and her phone, one of the others was likely the bomber.

Even one of the women, he reminded himself. He'd been a cop long enough to know that gender didn't mean much when it came to committing crimes.

Then again, he could be on the wrong path altogether. Jones didn't come across as overly bright and capable of doing something like this.

He was working through the second name when a knock at the door startled him. He was so intent on his work that he'd almost forgotten about the food. He closed the laptop, shot to his feet, and double-checked through the peephole before opening the door.

"Thanks." He gave the server a tip, then took the tray. "Eve, will you take a moment to lock the door?"

"Sure." She did so, then joined him at the table. "Smells great."

"I know, please excuse any drool," he joked. He uncovered the plates and sat down, then belatedly remembered Eve would want to pray.

She glanced at him, then seemed to realize he was waiting for her. "Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this wonderful food you've provided for us. We ask that You continue to keep us all safe in Your care, especially Grayson and the members of the tactical team. Amen."

"Amen." He was touched by her sweet prayer. "Thanks for including the team."

"Of course. I wouldn't be here if not for you and the others." Her brow furrowed as she picked up a french fry. "I still can't believe someone is trying to kill me."

He could understand that. As a cop, he was used to being hated on principal, thanks to the handful of bad apples. Yet he could say with certainty that he didn't know of anyone who hated him on a personal level.

Even Monica hadn't hated him. Just the opposite. He quickly pushed that memory aside.

Taking a big bite of his cheeseburger, he focused on the two names he'd managed to investigate so far. What else could he do if he made it through the entire list and still had nothing to go on? They needed something. Anything to break this case open.

Hopefully, Mitch Callahan would come through on the bomb fragments. It was sometimes possible to get fingerprints off them, but he wasn't going to bank on that. From what he saw beneath Eve's desk, it was a basic pipe bomb with a trigger device. That particular bomb had been built with C4, but he had no way of knowing if they all were built the same.

And what about the gunman at the American Lodge? That seemed to be an aberration from the killer's MO.

"Grayson?" He glanced at Eve. "Do you think a police officer could be involved?"

"What? No way." He was surprised she'd mentioned that possibility. "Why would a cop care about your research?"

"No reason, it just seems strange to plant a bomb outside a police station. And that he managed to escape being caught on the security cameras." She flushed and shrugged. "Ignore me, I wouldn't make a very good cop."

"No, you're right to ask those types of questions." He couldn't blame her for being suspicious. "I can't imagine any cop wanting to stop your research, but I promise to keep my mind open to all possibilities, okay?"

She nodded and took another bite of her sandwich. They ate in silence for long moments. He wanted to reassure her everything would work out fine, but so far, they'd barely escaped with their lives, not once but several times.

He couldn't help but think Rhy, Joe, and the other believers on the team were right about how God was protecting them.

Even Raelyn had gotten engaged to Pastor Isaiah Washington last week. If anyone had predicted something like that, he'd have laughed in their face.

When they'd finished eating, he placed their dirty dishes on the tray and set it in the hallway outside their door. Time to get back to work.

Eve wandered around the suite, obviously unable to settle down. After a few minutes, he glanced at her. "You can watch something on television if you'd like. It won't bother me."

Her cheeks went pink. "I so rarely watch TV I have no idea what's on these days."

"Use the TV guide function. I'm sure you'll find something familiar."

"No thanks." She returned to the sofa and dug in her bag for her endless supply of sticky notes.

It took him an hour to get through the list, and all he had to show for it was a woman named Marlene who had a minor assault and battery charge. Rather than bothering Gabe Melrose for the police report, he did a search on her name and found an article in a local paper. Turned out, her assault and battery charge was related to hitting a pedestrian on the head with her sign, which resulted in the pedestrian getting a couple of stitches.

"That's it," he said with a sigh of disappointment. "I didn't find anything else that would indicate the group is responsible."

"Maybe they are but so far have managed to avoid being caught," she said.

"Yeah." It was the same argument he'd used earlier, but in truth, criminals didn't just wake up one day and decide to set bombs to blow people up. Normally those prone to violence had other brushes with the law.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. It wasn't that late, but the long day was catching up to him. Glancing at Eve, he noticed she was yawning too.

"We should get some sleep." He closed the computer and stood. "Things will look better in the morning."

"You think so?" She frowned, clearly doubting him. "Would Rhy or the others call you if they found something?"

"They would, but I'll check in if that makes you feel better." He thumbed his phone to find Zeke's number. His teammate answered on the second ring. "Hey, how did the search go?"

"We didn't find anything, so Joe called it a night," Zeke said. "Mitch Callahan was there, too, but he said he couldn't do much with what was left of the Jeep until the morning."

"Yeah, I get it." He masked his disappointment. "I just went through the list of names Gabe sent on the local animal rights group. I didn't find anything to work with."

"That reminds me, Mitch was asking about Eve's former boyfriend," Zeke said. "Some guy who works in the hospital, right?"

"That's right. Andrew Thomas. Joe ran him through the system, but nothing popped from a criminal perspective." He glanced at Eve, who was listening to his side of the conversation with interest. "Why did Mitch ask about him?"

"He mentioned stopping by the guy's condo, but he wasn't there. Sounds like Mitch wants to interview the guy."

"I'd like to be there for that," Grayson said.

"Talk to Rhy and Joe," Zeke suggested. "I'm just filling you in on the conversation outside the precinct."

"I will. Anything else?" Grayson asked.

"Just that there was a body found at the research institute," Zeke said. "Mitch said the person was buried under some heavy lab equipment, so they didn't find her right away."

Her? He glanced cautiously at Eve, knowing this would hit her hard. "Do you have an ID?"

"Yeah, hang on a minute." There was a brief pause as Zeke searched for the information. "Pauline Klug. My understanding is that she's a lab tech of some sort."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. Get some sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow." Grayson lowered the phone.

"What is it?" Eve stepped closer, searching his gaze. "I can tell by the look on your face something is wrong."

"You might want to sit down." He couldn't lie to her even though he'd rather wait until morning to give her this latest news.

"Who died?" She sat on the edge of the sofa.

He nodded slowly, sinking down beside her. "Do you know a lab tech by the name of Pauline Klug?"

She sucked in a harsh breath. "Yes. Pauline is a very skilled tech. Was she hurt in the blast?"

"She's dead, Eve." He reached for her hand. "I'm sorry, but they didn't find her body right away because it was buried under some heavy equipment."

She gripped his hand tightly and bowed her head. "Pauline didn't deserve this."

"No. And neither do you." He scooted closer so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. Eve abruptly turned toward him, burying her face against his chest.

He held her as her slender shoulders shook with her sobs, her tears soaking his shirt. He gathered her closer still, wishing he could think of something that would offer her some measure of comfort.

But words of wisdom failed him. Selfishly, his main thought was to be grateful that Eve's life was spared.

Thank You, Lord, he silently whispered, cradling her in his arms. Thank You!