Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The rank scent of rotting garbage washed over them as they left the restaurant kitchen through the back door. Jina did her best to breathe through her mouth, despite the putrid odor emanating from a nearly overflowing dumpster. She eyed Cole. “What’s going on?”

“Cassidy picked up a tail.” Cole tugged her around the side of the dumpster. “She didn’t take this exit. We’re on our own until she or one of the others can get here.”

She hadn’t anticipated the shooter following one of her teammates. How would he even know about them? It wasn’t as if they were out there on social media.

Although they had gotten some press in the recent months. Had he done a search on her? And then found a picture of her with her team?

Not good.

“Use your map app to find a rendezvous location.” She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and gestured to his phone. “Someplace close enough that we can get there on foot. Not the gas station across the street. Something farther away. ”

“There’s not much around here aside from that gas station.” His expression held doubt, but he did as she asked. It was all she could do not to snatch the phone away to look for herself.

“Okay, there’s another gas station convenience store about a mile down the road.”

“Still too close. What about heading in the opposite direction?” She huddled near him so she could look at the screen too. “He wouldn’t expect us to cross the highway. We need a place that either Cass or one of the others can come back to meet us.”

He manipulated the screen until he found another building. But there was no label associated with the structure. “What do you think? I’m not sure what this is.”

“Maybe a restaurant or something else that went out of business. It’s rather isolated, which I like. Two miles from here is good too. Take a screenshot and send it to Cassidy, Zeke, and Flynn.”

While he did that, she moved away from the dumpster to the side of the restaurant that faced the highway. The early morning traffic was picking up, making it almost impossible to look for one black Honda, even without plates, as the cars were zooming past at well above posted speed limits.

Frustrating to be miles outside the city without a vehicle. She should have contacted Cass last night rather than letting her exhaustion overrule her common sense.

Hearing Cole’s phone ring, she turned toward him. He showed her the display. Recognizing Zeke’s number, she nodded and held out her hand.

“Zeke? Jina. Where are you? Cass was followed to this exit, so I need you to stay away for a while. ”

“How is that possible?” Zeke asked.

“Don’t know. We’ll swap theories later. Cole texted you a meeting point, but we need time to get there on foot. Say thirty minutes?”

“See you then.” Zeke ended the call.

She handed Cole the phone. “There’s not much coverage, so get ready to run.”

“Got it.” He pocketed the phone and hovered beside her at the side of the building. They waited until there was a break in traffic, then darted out. It wasn’t easy to run with a bag slung over her shoulder, but she ignored the way it banged against her hip with every step. No way was she leaving her computer behind.

She ended up in the lead, and it was only when Cole stayed close behind her that she realized he was covering her six on purpose. She had to admit it was nice having another cop backing her up. One that had and would continue to put his life on the line for her.

The same way her teammates would. Yet there was something different about her relationship with Cole. More than typical teammate camaraderie.

A deeper connection she didn’t have the time or inclination to name.

Upon reaching two large pine trees, she slowed her pace and ducked to use the evergreens as cover. Cole did the same. Moving more quietly now, she continued heading due south toward the building that had no name. Normally, she could run two miles without a problem. But not with a bag slung over her shoulder, and not when the goal was to stay out of sight.

This section of the road was relatively deserted. Whatever business had been housed in the seemingly empty building must have gone under a long time ago. Free map apps weren’t always up to date.

“Car,” Cole whispered.

She instantly dropped to the ground, spreading herself flat so to avoid being seen. Cole mirrored her movement beside her. Thankfully, their bags weren’t that large and were easily hidden. The grass—well, mostly weeds—along this stretch of the road was long enough to provide some cover. Especially with the overcast sky hiding the sun.

But they weren’t invisible. They needed to be prepared for the inevitable.

Easing her weapon from her holster, she found herself wishing, and not for the first time, that she had her sniper rifle with her.

Next time she was in trouble, she wasn’t going anywhere without it.

If she survived long enough for a next time.

“White sedan,” Cole murmured near her ear. “Probably not the shooter since Cassidy saw a black Honda.”

She nodded while keeping her head down. By unspoken agreement, they waited for several long minutes after the sedan passed them before getting back up on their feet. A quick glance revealed that several round prickly burrs were stuck to her bag, clothing, and likely her hair. Hiding a grimace, she ignored the discomfort of the sharp pricks and focused on getting to their designated meeting point.

“We still have a mile and a half to go,” Cole said as if reading her mind.

“Okay, let’s pick up the pace.” She broke into a jog, the bag once again slapping against her hip with every step. At this rate, they would be late for their meeting point, especially if they had to drop to the grass again for another car. That meant covering as much ground as possible while the street was empty.

As before, Cole maintained his position behind her. Imagining the map of their location, she watched the opposite side of the road, hoping to spot the building before they came too close. Better to approach with caution. They’d assumed the structure was empty or abandoned but had no way of knowing for certain.

“Another car,” Cole whispered. In unison, they dropped to the ground, hiding among the weeds, which were higher here. As much as she wanted to lift her head to look at the oncoming vehicle, she stayed down.

The car engine grew louder as it prepared to pass. Then the vehicle slowed, the engine dropping to a low idle.

Then the car engine went silent.

Her pulse kicked up. Maybe the shooter had spotted them. She almost hoped he had. Time to get rid of this guy once and for all.

Still holding her weapon, she slowly turned her head toward the road. Would she recognize the shooter? Or would he be a stranger? Her memory of the guys she’d taken on at the gym wasn’t that clear. Once she’d proved her point, she’d mostly forgotten them.

Cole tensed beside her. Neither of them moved as they waited for the shooter to show.

There was nothing but a strained silence. Finally, she heard the swish of tall grass and weeds as the driver of the car stepped closer.

“Jina? Are you out there?” Hearing Zeke’s voice made her relax. Lifting her head, she peered at her teammate.

“Yeah. We’re here.” She rose to her feet, holstered her weapon, then brushed at the prickly balls on her clothing as Cole did the same. She reached for her bag, scowling at her teammate. “Do you realize how close you came to being on the wrong end of my gun?”

“Oh, sorry.” Zeke’s grin was unrepentant. “You should be glad it’s me, though. It was easy to see the depression of your bodies in the long grass. If the perp had driven by, he’d have spotted you from a mile away.”

“Yeah, well, we didn’t have much choice.” She was irritated by his showing up like that, sending her blood pressure through the roof. “What was with the sneak attack anyway? Why didn’t you just keep going? We agreed to meet at the abandoned building.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the thing.” Zeke scratched the back of his neck. “The building is gone. It must have been bulldozed in the past few weeks; there are still ruts in the earth from a front loader.”

Hearing that, it made sense that Zeke had come to find them. She sighed. “I didn’t realize it had been destroyed. What about Cass and Flynn?”

“They’re waiting at the site. I offered to come find you.” Zeke gestured to a black SUV, not his truck, which had taken gunfire at the American Lodge, but likely another rental. She often wondered how much money Rhy paid in rental fees each year. Had to be more than what she paid for three months’ rent. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thanks.” She trudged toward the SUV, still picking burrs from her clothing. Cole was doing the same. Running a hand through her hair, she winced as she pulled several more burrs from the strands.

“I’ll get them,” Cole offered, pushing her hand out of the way.

“Climb inside the SUV first,” Zeke advised, glancing behind them. “Cassidy lost the black Honda, but we still need to keep you hidden. ”

Resigned, she dropped her bag onto the floor, then climbed into the back seat. Cole slid in beside her, setting his bag down between his feet too. With the patience of a saint, he gently tugged burrs from her hair. She held herself still, keenly aware of his closeness. His fingers pulling burrs from her hair shouldn’t have come across as intimate. Her ridiculous hormones were spiraling way out of control.

“You wouldn’t have shot me, Jina,” Zeke said. “You’re too good of a cop for that.”

“Don’t bet on it.” She held his gaze in the rearview mirror. “You should have announced yourself sooner. I truly thought you were the perp.”

“She was seconds from jumping to her feet to confront you,” Cole agreed, still pulling burrs from her hair. “And I would have joined her. Between the two of us, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

“I wish the shooter had found us.” She winced when Cole tugged on a particularly tangled burr. “Then this mess would be over.”

Zeke looked chagrined. “I hear you. I should have realized you’d be on edge. Next time I’ll call out to you sooner.” He gestured to an open area between some trees where two more vehicles were parked. “There’s the rest of the cavalry.”

“Just in time,” Cole murmured. One last tug, then he turned away. “I think I got them all.”

“Thanks.” She sent him a sideways glance, then turned her attention to her waiting teammates. This wasn’t the time to think about how much she wanted to kiss him again or how much she enjoyed hanging out with him. At least, when he wasn’t looking at her as the primary suspect in his cold case.

Yeah, better to stay focused on the upcoming mission.

They had a lot to accomplish before dusk.

As they gathered with the three members of her tactical team, Cole tried not to let his growing feelings for Jina show on his expression. From the way Zeke had narrowly eyeballed him in the rearview mirror, the feelings in question weren’t much of a secret to anyone but possibly Jina herself.

Their close call with Zeke only pressed the point home. He’d been seconds away from throwing himself into the line of fire to protect her. He cared for her, more than he should. She was messing with his mind to the point he didn’t even care if she had crushed Brad Crow’s skull in. The more he learned about the guy, the more he was convinced the creep had gotten what he’d deserved. The way he’d stalked Jina, climbing into her bedroom, and also staring at the other pretty young women at the pub was not something to be taken lightly.

But uncovering Crow’s killer wasn’t his focus for today. Which only reminded him that he still needed to call his boss to provide an update on the case. He’d do that soon, but in truth, his sole mission was to keep Jina safe.

This so-called plan of hers better go off without a glitch or he was going to be royally ticked.

“The best option so far is to use the property in Timberland Falls,” Jina said.

“Not Timberland Falls,” Zeke groaned. “They hate us. I mean really, really hate us.”

“Yeah, and I’m not sure how many more times they’ll let us off with a warning,” Cassidy added. The pretty redhead scowled. “Rhy had to work really hard to get us off the hook for that July shooting with Roscoe. I’m not sure he wants to face off with the Timberland Falls captain again. ”

“The second location isn’t nearly as attractive,” Jina said. “I’m sure Rhy would rather we have more coverage than worry about the Timberland Falls PD getting their undies in a bunch. Besides, if we do this right, no shots will need to be fired. Hence nothing for them to complain about.”

“Famous last words,” Flynn muttered.

Jina waved that off. “First, we need a place nearby to talk through some details. We found a GPS device on Cole’s SUV and have reason to believe my phone is being tracked by this guy. That’s why we needed a spare ride. Both the GPS and my phone will be useful in setting the trap, but we can’t head out to the property yet. Not until we make sure it will suit our needs and that we can get Rhy on board.”

“Where should we go?” Cassidy asked.

“How about that breakfast place? What was it?” Zeke frowned. “Oh yeah, the Pine Cone.”

“Nope. That’s too close to where we left my SUV,” Cole interjected. “We should either head west or south.”

“Hang on,” Cassidy said, staring at her phone. “Okay, there’s a chain restaurant four miles from here.”

“I’m starving,” Zeke announced. “Let’s do it.”

“Cole and I have eaten, but we can always drink more coffee,” Jina said. “Which one of these cars is for us?”

“The rental.” Zeke tossed the key fob high enough in the air for Jina to easily catch it. “I’ll ride with Flynn to breakfast.”

“Meet you there.” He nodded to Cassidy and then followed Jina back to the SUV.

“Do you mind if I call my boss?” He glanced at her as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Go ahead.” She frowned. “If you need me to drop you off in Peabody so you can work, that’s fine. I don’t want you to risk losing your job.”

If he was going to lose his job, it would be over his getting too close and personal with a suspect. “No need, I’ll stick with you.”

“If you’re sure.” She shrugged and pulled out into the road to follow Cassidy who was in the lead.

“Positive.” He was hoping he might have time to do more computer work on the cold case if there was some downtime. Glancing at his watch, he realized it was going on nine in the morning. He’d hoped to simply leave a message, but hearing his boss’s voice on the other end of the line proved that wasn’t the case.

“Roberts, where have you been?” Lieutenant Bell demanded. “I thought you’d be here this morning.”

“I had some car trouble.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, having the rear window shot out and finding a GPS tracker was troublesome. “But I’m happy to give you an update on the case.”

“Oh, so you are working.” Bell’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Let’s hear it.”

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “We’ll start with the ME’s report. He provided an ID on our victim. Young adult male with a dental match to Bradley Crow. As you know, Crow was reported missing roughly twelve years ago. He was twenty years old at the time of his going missing, and I suspect he was killed shortly after his disappearance.”

“That’s a good start,” Bell said with reluctant approval.

“Yes, sir. I interviewed his parents yesterday. They weren’t as forthcoming as I would have liked. Obviously, I read the report from the previous detective, since retired, prior to our meeting and tried to ask questions that might capture them in a lie. But they stuck to their same story.”

“And what story is that?”

“Per the detective’s notations, they didn’t report their son missing until three months after the fact, which in and of itself is suspicious. When I pressed them about why they’d waited so long, they informed me that Brad was an adult and could make his own decisions. Which is true, but not normal parent behavior on their part. I’d think most parents would be concerned if their twenty-year-old son dropped off the grid, especially in this day of cell phones. Apparently, they assumed he was either staying with a friend or had moved to Madison to find work. When I asked specifically about why Brad would head to Madison, they admitted he didn’t know anyone living there. I can’t help but wonder why they chose to believe he’d headed to Madison rather than Milwaukee or one of the other suburbs.”

“Is that why you don’t believe them? You think they made up the move to Madison to cover up their role in his disappearance?”

“Possibly,” Cole admitted. “I think Brad’s father is holding back. I sensed a strange vibe from him when it came to discussing his son. The old man owned and ran Peabody’s Pub. Brad dropped out of high school to work for them, but apparently, Henry Crow didn’t think much of his son’s work ethic. Brad allegedly made it clear he thought his being the owners’ son meant he should take over as bar manager, but the old man flat-out said that wouldn’t happen. Brad’s mom reluctantly confirmed they argued over that point the very last time they saw him alive.”

“You think they were in a physical fight?” Lieutenant Bell asked. “Maybe the kid fell and hit his head by accident.”

“Not sure about that, the old man doesn’t come across as being in good shape. I’d have to think the younger Crow would have the advantage in a physical scuffle. But as you know, anything is possible, his dad could have been in better shape twelve years ago. I also went to Peabody’s Pub to speak with Ian Muller, the former bar manager and current bar owner.”

“Wait, the Crows don’t own it anymore?”

“Nope, they sold it about eighteen months ago to Ian and Amy Muller. Ian remembers Brad very well. Claims the kid showed up late for his shifts or didn’t bother coming in at all. He also confirmed that Henry Crow assured him that Brad was no threat to his bar manager job. In fact, everything I heard from Muller echoed what the parents said.” He hesitated, then added, “Muller mentioned there was one time that Brad got in trouble with a bar patron. Seems Brad stared at one of the young daughters with such intensity he made the girl uncomfortable. The girl’s father stormed over to give Brad a piece of his mind and warned him about leaving his daughter alone.”

“Yeah, well, that’s interesting, but I don’t think it’s pertinent to the case. It’s a pretty weak motive,” Bell said. “It’s not like the vic touched the girl or made an obscene gesture. Can’t imagine why some father would bash his head in, then hide the body to cover it up.”

“True, but my thought was that Brad could have followed them home or maybe ran into them again at some other time.” Even as he made the statement, he realized that wasn’t likely. “Either way, Ian Muller doesn’t remember their names. He claims they weren’t locals, so I can’t exactly follow up on the incident. ”

“Hmm.” The progress he’d made on the case, minimal as it was, seemed to smooth Bell’s annoyance. “What’s your next step?”

“Um...” He had to think for a moment. “The parents gave me the name of Wade Adams. He was Brad’s friend at the time. I plan to track him down and interview him next.”

“Okay, but what if Wade doesn’t give you anything useful?” His boss was awfully persistent this morning. “What’s next?”

Somehow, he managed to avoid looking at Jina. She was the biggest clue yet, but he had purposefully kept her out of his report. He cleared his throat. “I’m sure Wade knows more of Brad’s friends. Sounds like the parents were busy with the bar and didn’t pay much attention to what their son did in his downtime. I was also thinking I’d find and interview some of Brad’s female classmates. If he paid an inordinate amount of attention to young women, maybe one of them can shed some light on who might want him dead.”

“Hrmph.” Bell grunted, then said, “Fine, but work fast and keep me informed. We’ve managed to keep the name of the dead body found in the new construction zone out of the news, but I don’t think that will last long. Especially now that you’ve interviewed his parents and that Muller guy. Word is going to leak out very soon. That could be a good or a bad thing.”

“I understand.” He understood how this sort of news worked. People would call and claim they saw something suspicious, even if they didn’t. He also knew that Lieutenant Bell’s definition of working fast did not include taking a day off to set up Jina’s sting operation. “I’ll follow up with you later.”

“Not too late. I want results, Roberts.” With that, his boss ended the call .

Jina had obviously heard his part of the conversation. She slowed the rental to pull into the restaurant parking lot. Sliding the gearshift into park, she glanced over at him. “You didn’t mention me.”

“No.” He held her gaze, then shrugged. “I may have to at some point.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I appreciate you giving me the benefit of doubt.”

He was giving her more than that. He was putting his entire career on the line for her. “I believe you didn’t kill him. I just need to figure out who did.”

Her eyes widened, then her expression softened. “Thanks for your support.”

Support? He’d call it more like going out on a very long, skinny, and about-to-snap tree limb for her. “Yeah, well, don’t forget you promised to help me solve this thing once we identify your shooter.”

“Gladly.” She killed the engine and was about to open her door when she paused, then turned to face him again. “Cole?”

“Yeah?”

She leaned toward him just as Zeke rapped sharply on the window. “Hey, hurry up. I’m hungry.”

“Never mind. We’ll talk later.” She turned away and pushed open her door. He wanted to hang onto the moment, but there was no point in wishing for a private moment with her teammates watching.

She took a moment to grab her bag from the back seat. He decided to grab his, too, in case they needed two computers, then quickly joined her.

Catching her hand, he said, “I’d like to talk later.” Since Zeke was already crossing the threshold with the others, he risked brushing a kiss across her cheek .

She blushed, then gently squeezed his hand before tugging it free.

The brief caress shouldn’t have made his pulse spike, but it did. And as he followed her to the round table the others had begun to gather at, he silently vowed to protect her.

No matter what the day might bring.