Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jina sprinted toward the disappearing car, despite knowing it was a useless endeavor. The black Honda careened around the corner at a dangerously fast rate of speed, and while she cut through lawns, it was no use.

The Honda disappeared from her line of sight.

Swallowing a curse—giving up swearing had never been so difficult—she bent at the waist to catch her breath. What was up with this guy? Why risk driving by Cole’s house in broad daylight?

Then she straightened, realizing the shooter shouldn’t have known where Cole lived in the first place. Not good. She turned to jog back as Cole headed toward her.

“Did you get a look at him?”

“No. Although Gabe was right about the ball cap.” She hurried forward. “I’d like to know how he found your address.”

“Me too.” He scowled. “Let’s go. We can’t stay here.”

She hated to admit he was right. Using Cole’s home to set herself up as bait wouldn’t work. Mr. Glen’s duplex had already been damaged, she didn’t want to add Cole’s house to the mix. Especially since he had neighbors on each side.

Besides, the shooter should know they wouldn’t stay now that they’d seen him.

“Fine, let me get my phone.” She wasn’t leaving it behind this time.

Cole disappeared into his bedroom, likely to pack a bag. She was glad she still had hers in his vehicle. Tucking the phone into her pocket, she watched the street out front to make sure the black Honda didn’t double back.

This perp was not acting like the typical shooter. Not just because he’d set fire to Mr. Glen’s duplex, but all this driving around, firing at them in the middle of the day? It was almost as if this guy had a sense of urgency driving him to violence.

Why, she couldn’t imagine. Criminal profiling was not her strong suit. She preferred to aim and shoot.

She’d been tempted to fire at the SUV but had held back. Mostly because shooting a moving vehicle wasn’t as easy as it looked on TV. And neither was shooting and hitting what you were aiming at while running.

The most important reason, though, was not having probable cause. The driver had only gone past the house twice. That wasn’t a crime. She couldn’t take out a perp’s vehicle because he might commit a crime. No matter how much she wanted to.

Cole joined her in the kitchen. He grabbed the laptop from the table and stuck that into his duffel bag. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She grimaced. “I hate to say it, but your vehicle has been compromised. We need a rental.”

“I agree.” He tossed his bag into the back seat beside hers. “I’d like to know how he found us here. ”

She shared his concern. “There’s a car rental place in Brookland that Rhy has used on several occasions.”

He shot her a curious look. “Why would a police captain need to rent cars?”

“Oh, for some reason our team seems to attract trouble, and our vehicles often sustain damage.” She slid into the passenger seat. “It’s almost funny if you think about it.”

Cole shot her a look that clearly said he wasn’t laughing. Understandable since she was the target of this mess. One he’d inadvertently gotten himself mixed up in.

“You know, you can drop me off at the car rental. No need for you to be involved moving forward.” She should have cut him loose before now. “I’ll get my teammates to help me out. You should return to your cold case investigation.”

“No.” His blunt response surprised her. “I’ve been fired upon too. He knows where I live. I’m part of this whether you like it or not.”

“I’m sorry. I know this is my fault.” She felt bad for dragging him into her—whatever this was. “All the more reason we need to set up a sting operation using me as bait to draw this guy out.”

“Give it up, Jina.” He sounded weary. “Let’s focus on getting a rental. After that, we need to find a place to stay and get something to eat. Not necessarily in that order.”

Her stomach was rumbling, so she wasn’t going to argue about grabbing something for dinner. And she knew of a few places where they could stay.

“Can you call your fellow Peabody police officers to have them swing by to keep an eye on your place?”

He shrugged. “I could, but that’s not a good use of resources. We don’t know the shooter will return.”

“I know, but I’ll feel bad if he sets your house on fire.”

“He won’ t.” He shot her a quick glance. “The only reason he did that at the duplex was because he thought you were home.”

That was probably true. Yet it didn’t make her feel any better. “The longer you stick with me, the more likely you’ll get hurt.” Oddly, she didn’t like the idea of Cole being in danger because of her. Normally, she considered cops as equals, perfectly capable of holding their own in tight spots and keeping themselves safe.

So why this strange desire to protect Cole? He didn’t need her protection, and vice versa.

Too much togetherness . They’d spent most of the day together, and that was highly unusual for her. She gave herself a mental shake as he pulled into the parking lot of the car rental facility.

They were working a case, not dating.

Fifteen minutes later, they were in a black Ford Bronco. She’d been able to use Rhy’s name to get a discount, but the fee was still staggering.

“There’s a motel in Brookland called the American Lodge,” she said as Cole pulled out of the parking lot. “Gary, the owner, is a former firefighter who gives discounts to police and firefighters. They don’t have room service, though, so we’ll need to stop to pick up a pizza on the way.”

“Sounds good.” He glanced at her, then said, “You’ve stayed at the American Lodge before?”

“Not me, but just about everyone else on the team has.” That wasn’t entirely true, but the place had seen more than its fair share of action from the group over the past year. “Gary put in security cameras a while back, so that gives us an added advantage. Not that we should need to watch for the Honda now that we have new wheels.”

“One motel is as good as another,” he said with a shrug .

“The American Lodge is nice.” She gestured to the right. “Head that way.”

He followed her instructions. “There’s a pizza place along the way, if that works.”

“Perfect.” She thumbed through her contacts to find Gary Campbell’s number. Thankfully, he answered right away. “Hi, Gary, it’s Jina from Rhy’s tactical team.”

“Hey, Jina, what’s up? You need a room?”

“Yes, connecting rooms if you have them.” She felt Cole’s curious gaze but ignored it. She wasn’t afraid he’d try anything hinky, Cole had been nothing but professional and was likely still in love with his dead wife, but she valued her privacy.

“You’re in luck, the first floor connecting rooms are available.”

“Thanks, Gary. We’ll be there soon.” She ended the call. “We’re set.”

“Okay.” He shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a motel putting in security cameras.”

“Yeah, well, they’ve come in handy.” She only hoped they wouldn’t need to use Gary’s cameras this time.

The way the shooter found them at Cole’s house in Peabody nagged at her. This puzzle had too many missing pieces.

Once they’d eaten dinner, she’d reach out to Zeke, Flynn, and Cassidy for ideas on how to approach the strip mall as a location to draw the perp out.

Waiting around for the shooter to find them yet again wasn’t an option.

Cole paid for the pizzas, then carried them out to the rental. He thought it was odd that a police tactical unit used a local motel often enough to know the owner by name and get a discount, then realized he may have underestimated what her team did on a regular basis.

“That smells amazing,” Jina said when they were back on the road. “Maybe we should have gotten two of them.”

He chuckled. “I did. Figured we could always eat cold pizza for breakfast if necessary.”

There was a brief pause, before she replied, “Works for me.”

A few minutes later, they reached the American Lodge, a long white two-story building not far from a church. It looked nicer than he’d expected.

“I’ll get our rooms.” Without waiting for a reply, she jumped out of the passenger seat. Since she knew the guy, he followed more slowly, letting her take the lead.

“The last two rooms on the ground floor.” Gary slid two keys across the desk, eyeing him curiously. “I’m Gary.”

“Cole Roberts. It’s nice to meet you.” He’d noticed Jina had paid with cash, which was also unusual. “We appreciate you accommodating our last-minute request.”

“Any time.” Gary waved that off. “My business has been booming between the Callahans, the Finnegans, and the rest of the tactical team. The only downside is when you guys draw danger that results in my building being damaged.”

“Thanks, Gary, we won’t let that happen.” Jina flashed the motel owner a warm smile. “You’re the best.”

The tips of Gary’s ears turned bright red at the compliment. “I’ll keep an eye on the security cameras for you.”

“Sounds good.” She turned away to look at Cole. “Ready? ”

“Yep.” He held the door for her. “I was thinking we should park behind the building.”

“I was going to suggest that too.” She glanced at him. “You didn’t see the black Honda behind us, right?”

“Correct.” In truth, there were plenty of black Honda SUVs on the road, but all the ones he’d noticed had license plates.

Hopefully, their perp hadn’t stolen a set to use. There hadn’t been a front or rear plate when he’d driven past his house less than an hour ago, but the way things were going, he wouldn’t put anything past the guy.

Jina opened one room, then propped the door open to unlock the other since he was carrying the two pizzas. “Open the connecting door on your side, okay?”

“Sure.” He set the pizzas down on the small table, then did as she’d asked. Her side opened a second later.

“Let’s eat if you don’t mind.” She brushed past him and opened the top box. “I don’t mind cold pizza for breakfast, but it tastes better hot.”

“I’d like to say grace.” He squeezed past her to sit at the table beside her. “We have a lot to be thankful for.”

“Ah, okay.” She flushed and bowed her head.

On impulse, he took her hand in his. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We also thank You for keeping us safe in Your care. Amen.”

“Amen.” He was surprised she’d echoed the prayer. She sent him a wry glance, then gently tugged her hand from his to reach for the pizza. “As Roscoe would say, dig in.”

He chuckled and helped himself to a slice of the pie loaded with the works. For long minutes, they ate in silence, enjoying the gooey cheese and zesty sauce.

All too soon, she ruined the companionable mood. “ Let’s talk about the strip mall. I really think this perp will expect us to show up there tonight.”

Which was a good reason to stay away, but he didn’t voice his thought. “I don’t see how we can safely set you up as bait in an area that’s wide open.”

“It can work if my teammates get out there first to get in position.” She tapped on her phone screen while eating. “We’ll talk to Zeke, see what he thinks.”

He didn’t doubt her teammates’ skills as cops, but sacrificing Jina’s safety was not happening. “Maybe you should ask Zeke and the others to check the place out first to see if it’s a reasonable location. If not, there may be another angle to approach this.”

She glanced at him, then nodded. “Okay, I can go along with that. But if they like the strip mall, no complaining.”

“Fine.” He didn’t like it and silently prayed that these teammates of hers would agree with him that the strip mall wasn’t a viable option.

Not that he could come up with a better one. And that was the crux of the matter. She was right in that they needed a place where this guy would try to come find them.

Preferably not a well-populated location like the neighborhood he lived in.

Her phone dinged. She smiled slightly as she texted back. “Zeke and Flynn will head over in about thirty minutes.”

“Great.” He would be happy to meet these guys in person. Hopefully, he could speak privately with one of them to voice his opinion that this was a lousy idea.

They polished off the first pizza by the time Jina’s teammates arrived. The two guys eyed the second one with obvious longing, so he gestured to it. “Help yourselves. ”

“Hey, that was supposed to be our breakfast,” Jina protested.

“Too bad,” Zeke said, opening the box. “We haven’t eaten all day thanks to a hostage situation that took hours to resolve.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Flynn added, his reddish hair a stark contrast to Zeke’s black hair. “I wanted to stop on the way, but Zeke seemed to think you needed us right away.”

“Fine.” Jina threw up her hands. “Eat first, then we’ll talk.”

“Jesus, thank You for this food. Amen,” Flynn said. It was the shortest prayer Cole had ever heard, and it made him smile at how the two men fell on the pizza like starving dogs.

“You might want to breathe,” he said dryly. “Helps the digestion.”

“Overrated,” Zeke joked. Then he finished off the last slice and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Okay, Jina, what’s going on? Rhy said you’ve been targeted by gunfire and arson.”

“Yep.” She filled her teammates on the events of the past twenty-four hours. All hint of humor faded from their expressions as she described the recent danger. “We’re not sure how they found us at Cole’s place in Peabody. At first, we were thinking along the lines of perps I’ve put away who might be seeking revenge, but now I’m wondering if this guy has law enforcement background. He showed up at the gas station as if he’d suspected we would go there to view the video.”

“If he’s law enforcement, I’d think he’d be smart enough to avoid going to a place so close to the gym in the first place.” Flynn looked at Cole. “Any chance you were followed from the gas station to your home? ”

“I watched for a tail, but it’s possible I missed one in the steady stream of traffic. And really, if this guy is a member of the gym, maybe he recognized me and figured out where I lived from some other source.” Cole shrugged, then added, “Unfortunately, we have more suspects than not.”

“The gym attack brings us to the strip mall,” Jina said, picking up the thread. “That area behind the strip mall is where he tried to run me over.”

“This guy is a menace,” Zeke said with a dark frown.

“Tell me about it,” Cole agreed. “But here’s the part where Jina and I are not on the same page. She wants to head back to that strip mall later tonight to see if the shooter returns.”

“I can see why,” Flynn said.

That was not what Cole wanted to hear. “It’s dangerous, not to mention there aren’t that many places for those of you backing her up to hide. This guy might hit her this time.”

“I have extra tactical gear in my trunk,” Zeke offered. “It won’t be specifically fitted for you, Jina, but it should work well enough.”

What was wrong with these two? Did they really think having Jina expose herself to this nutcase was a good idea? He fought to keep his tone level. “I think you need to head out to look at this strip mall before you move forward with any sort of plan.”

“We can do that,” Flynn agreed. He stood and bent the empty pizza box in half. “Come on, Zeke. Let’s check it out.”

“I have a list of Mike’s gym members that we need to look at,” Cole said, mostly to prevent Jina from tagging along with the guys. “I’d like your opinion on them.”

“Okay.” She walked with Zeke and Flynn to the door. “ Let me know what you guys think after you scope the place out.”

“Will do.” Zeke headed outside with Flynn following behind him.

Over Jina’s shoulder, he swept his gaze over the parking lot. Everything looked quiet and serene. For now.

“Let’s check the list of names.” Jina was all business after the guys left. “I’d like to get that finished before we head out to the strip mall.”

He found himself grinding his molars together at her assumption. Without saying anything, he wiped the table with a napkin, then set up his laptop. She sat right next to him to see the screen.

Close enough to kiss, not that he’d be stupid enough to consider such a thing.

After bringing up his email program, he clicked on the attachment Mike sent. The list of names was shorter than he’d anticipated.

“Ten names, huh?” Jina mused, her eyes on the screen.

“Yeah.” He turned the laptop so she could see it better. “Any of them look familiar?”

She took her time, then nodded. “Oliver Norman. He was one of the guys who hit on me. I only know his name because his buddy egged him on by saying, ‘Yeah, Oliver, go for it.’” She turned to look at him. “I don’t know his buddy’s name, but both of them stayed far away from me after I put Oliver down.”

“Looks like Oliver is a cop.” Mike had helpfully added an occupation to each name as he knew it. “Any other names seem familiar? If not, we’ll start with our good friend Ollie.”

She chuckled at the nickname, then looked back at the screen. “No. Most of the guys I sparred with didn’t tell me their names. It’s probably best to start with Ollie and go from there.”

The first thing he did was check Oliver Norman’s criminal record. Finding nothing there, he switched gears. “Let’s hope Oliver Norman has a social media presence.”

“I don’t get why he would,” Jina murmured. “Not only is it a total waste of time, but why would you make it easier for people to find you?”

“I don’t get it either.” Renee had been on social media to keep in touch with her numerous cousins scattered across the country, but it had been a nightmare for him to get the account closed after her passing. “Huh. Here’s an Oliver Norman who lives in Timberland Falls.”

“He drives out of his way to go to Mike’s,” Jina said, leaning forward to see better. “Yep, that’s him. Except he wasn’t smiling like that when I saw him last.”

“You enjoyed every minute of putting him down, didn’t you?”

“I can’t lie, it was satisfying.” Her smile faded. “It’s not that I wanted to be confrontational, but what is it about a woman working out alone at a gym that makes men think she’s there to be picked up? I mean, seriously, I couldn’t have looked any worse all hot, red-faced, and sweaty.”

“You’re beautiful no matter what. And men are simple creatures. I could tell those guys couldn’t seem to resist trying to impress a pretty girl.”

“Idiots,” she muttered half under her breath. She gave him a sideways glance. “You never tried.”

“Nope.” He had to tear his gaze away from her mouth. Despite his attempt to remain professional, it seemed he was a simple creature too.

Pretty girl plus attraction equals kiss.

Yeah, he was an idiot all right. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand. He scrolled through Oliver’s social media page. “I don’t see any postings related to Mike’s gym.”

“Why would he? He’s too arrogant to put something like that out there into the world for all to see. Hold on, see that guy?” She tapped her index finger on the picture. “That’s his buddy.”

“Evan Wilde,” he read out loud. He toggled back to the document Mike had sent. “Wilde is on here. He’s a cop.”

“Great, I guess that was my lucky day,” she groused.

Evan Wilde also came up clean as far as a criminal record, and he lived in Timberland Falls too. That gave him another idea. “Let’s see if either of these guys has a black Honda registered to their name.”

Jina’s phone pinged with an incoming text. As he accessed the DMV database, she read it out loud. “Strip mall is deserted. Not sure this will work. Be back soon.”

He refrained from saying I told you so. He felt certain they were onto something with Oliver, but that thought was short-lived.

“Neither guy drives a black Honda SUV.” He scowled, wondering if they’d borrowed or stolen the car. “We have their addresses. It might be worth it to head over in the morning to meet with them face-to-face.”

“I still think we should try the strip mall.” Her expression was stubborn. “It’s not completely dark yet, so there’s time for the guys to get in position before the main event.” She waved at the screen. “I’m not sure either of these guys is the shooter. They are obviously friends who hang out together. If one was angry enough to fire a weapon at me, I feel the other would be right there with him, riding shotgun. They come across like pack animals where I see our shooter as a loner. We’ll have better luck with the strip mall. ”

Their shooter being a loner was a valid point. But going to the strip mall was foolish. He strove to keep his tone even. “If Zeke and Flynn aren’t sold on the location, it’s a no-go.”

“They didn’t say no, they said they’d come back here to talk about it.” She sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Come on, Cole. I’d think you’d want to get this over and done with so you can get back to your cold case.”

As if on cue, his phone rang. Seeing the ME’s name on the screen, he quickly answered. “This is Detective Roberts.”

“Detective, you’ll be glad to know I have verified the dental records on the skeletal remains of your victim,” Dr. Swain said. “I’m glad you asked us to check the skull X-rays with the dental records of your missing person.”

He straightened in his chair, unable to look at Jina. “They’re a match?”

“Indeed, they are. We have positively identified the skeletal remains as Bradley Crow.”

The news shouldn’t have been a shock, but it was. He’d been so distracted by the current gunman attacking Jina that he’d pushed all thoughts of Crow to the back of his mind. “That’s great work.”

“Thanks, but that is my job,” Dr. Swain said modestly. “And you pointed us in the right direction. That being said, I assume you’ll be notifying Mr. Crow’s parents?”

“Yes, I’ll do the death notification.” He glanced at his watch, realizing it wasn’t too late to head out to do that now. It would be one way of getting around Jina’s plan to head to the strip mall.

Yet he also knew she’d simply go without him.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” Dr. Swain was saying. “I highly doubt they’ll want to view his remains.”

“Probably not, but I’ll let you know. Oh, one more thing,” he said, before the ME could end the call. “Did you verify how long the bones had been buried?”

“Yes, I would estimate eleven to twelve years.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” He lowered his phone and looked at Jina. From the stricken expression on her face, he could tell she had overheard the news.

News that changed everything. Whether he liked it or not, Jina had to be considered a suspect in Bradley Crow’s murder.