Chapter 11

SAWYER CIRCLED TOthe front of the building and stopped near his friend. “What do we have?” he asked Jesse.

“Trouble. No shipping label on the box. I hear nothing ticking, but I’m not willing to shake it to find out if I’m wrong.”

Didn’t blame him. Sawyer wouldn’t either. “Does Hartman have a bomb squad?”

“They do. Don’t know how good they are. We could call Logan.” Logan was their team’s explosive ordinance expert and would step in to examine and disarm a bomb if necessary.

Sawyer considered that option a moment, then shook his head. “Call the Hartman PD. We’ll let them look first. If there’s an explosive device inside the box that they can’t handle, we’ll call Logan.”

A nod from Jesse. “I know the head of the bomb squad. I’ll call him and report a suspicious package.”

“Do we need to lock our weapons in the SUVs?”

“I’ll tell Harmon we’re on the job and armed. If he has a problem with it, he won’t be shy about telling me. He’ll pass the word to his team so they’re prepared.”

“Good enough. I’ll escort Janie and her workers to my SUV and drive them farther away from the building.”

“Good idea. They’re too close if a bomb detonates at the front of the shop.” Jesse grabbed his phone and made the call. When he ended it a moment later, he said, “Harmon will be here in ten minutes with his crew.”

“Let’s clear out and make sure no civilians get close to the building while we wait for the bomb squad.”

Jesse snorted. “At this time of morning? Most people are rushing to work, not waiting to get into their favorite soap store.”

“We’ll have looky-loos soon. Any time they see first-responder lights, they slow down or stop to see what’s going on.” He jogged around the side of the building to the back, where Janie and the other two women waited. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Janie asked.

“To the SUV. I’m going to move the vehicle away from the building, just in case.”

“Is it a bomb?” Chelsea asked, her eyes wide.

“We don’t know. The bomb squad is on the way to examine it. If anything threatening is inside, they’ll take care of it.”

“This is terrifying,” Jada said as the women followed Sawyer to the vehicle.

“We’re taking every precaution. This may be a box of supplies for all we know, but we want you to be safe in case this is a threat.”

“Who would want to hurt us or put the store out of business?”

Janie sighed. “The people who hijacked my plane from Chile come to mind.”

Chelsea shivered. “I hope you’re wrong, and this is all an embarrassing incident the bomb squad will chalk up to overly anxious people.”

Sawyer hoped so, too, but he didn’t like the timing. Once the women settled in the vehicle, he drove around the building to the front of the shop and parked a suitable distance away. He opened the driver’s side door. “Stay inside the SUV. You’ll be safe in here.”

“What about you?” Janie asked.

“I’ll be close.”

She blew out a breath. “I don’t like you being exposed to danger, Sawyer.”

That made him pause for a moment. “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.” He closed the door and whistled, motioning for Jesse to join them.

The medic jogged toward him. Less than a minute later, he was beside Sawyer and stood watch with him. “Bomb squad is one minute out. They’re running lights without sirens. Don’t want to attract a lot of attention.”

The bomb squad arrived right on schedule and parked a short distance from the operatives. The leader of the squad approached Jesse. “What can you tell me?”

“Not much,” Jesse said. “This is my teammate, Sawyer. We’re protecting Janie Moran, the owner of Natural Bliss. One of her employees arrived for work about fifteen minutes ago, discovered the box at the front of the shop and reported it to us. We checked the outside of the box without disturbing it. No labels. Moran isn’t expecting any deliveries today.”

“Why do you suspect a threat?”

“Ms. Moran was the only survivor of the Chilean plane hijacking two days ago,” Sawyer said.

Harmon whistled. “Ugly situation.”

“We’re afraid Janie may still be a target.”

His eyebrows winged upward. “Keep us updated. We’ll be glad to help.”

Sawyer shook Harmon’s hand. “Appreciate it.”

With that, the bomb squad approached the box at the front of the shop with their equipment. After a few moments, one of the team members, dressed in full protective gear, slowly approached the box and stopped several feet away.

Sawyer and Jesse watched as the bomb tech scanned the box with a portable machine to X-ray the contents. After a few moments, the tech gave a thumbs up to his team leader. Immediately, the team relaxed.

“The box must not have an explosive device inside,” Jesse murmured.

“No way to know without opening the package. I’m curious about the contents. Who delivers packages this early in the morning? The sun’s not even up yet.”

“If I had to guess, I’d say Janie’s deliveries aren’t left at the front door, either.”

“Invitation to thieves, and Hartman isn’t immune to crime.”

Two members of the bomb squad unwrapped the brown paper surrounding the box and peered inside. They stared at each other for a moment, then the leader motioned to Sawyer and Jesse.

After asking Janie and the other two women to stay inside for a while longer, they crossed the parking lot to join Harmon. “What do we have?” Sawyer asked.

“Take a look.”

He peered inside the box and fisted his hands as he stared at the contents. A doll lay inside the box, dressed like Janie had been when the plane was hijacked. The hair was the same color and style as Janie’s. The person who packed the doll had plunged a knife into the chest of the toy, an obvious threat to Janie.

The question now was who left the box for her? One member of Vatos Locos or someone here in the states who had a grudge against Janie?

Sawyer and Jesse both took pictures of the box and its contents with their phones. “You’ll process the box and its contents?” Sawyer asked.

“Yeah. Want a report on our findings?”

“We’d appreciate it. Thanks for the quick response.”

“Sure.”

“Any chance you’ll be out of here before Natural Bliss is ready to open for business this morning?”

“Don’t see why not. We’ll take the box with us when we leave and hand it over to the lab. We need to have a chat with your principal, though.”

“Not out here.” Sawyer didn’t want Janie out in the open where she’d be an easy target.

“Where?”

“Janie has a workroom in the back of the shop. Should be plenty of room for an interview. You’ll also want to chat with Chelsea, one of Janie’s shop assistants. She’s the one who first saw the box at the front of the shop. Come to the back door of the shop when you’re finished. We’ll be waiting for you.”

“Copy that.”

Sawyer returned to the SUV and opened the passenger door as Jesse walked toward the shop.

“What happened?” Janie demanded. “Was it a bomb? Supplies? What?”

“Not a bomb or supplies.”

She blinked. “I want to see.”

“No, baby, you don’t.”

Janie looked surprised. “Is it bad?”

“It’s disturbing. Let’s go back to the shop, and I’ll talk to you about the box. In a few minutes, the leader of the bomb squad will talk to you and your employees.”

“Perhaps the box was delivered to my shop by mistake.”

Sawyer couldn’t help himself. He cupped her nape. “I don’t think so.” After brushing her cheek with his thumb, Sawyer shut her door and circled the hood to climb behind the wheel. He drove to the back of the shop and parked beside Jesse.

Sawyer exited the vehicle and scanned the area along with Jesse before helping the women to the pavement and inside the shop.

As soon as they were inside with the door closed, Janie rounded on Sawyer. “Tell me what’s going on.”

He clasped her hand and led her to one stool, keeping possession of her hand. “The box contained a doll.”

“A doll?”

“It’s dressed exactly like you were on the day of the hijacking. Same color hair and hairstyle. No question that it’s supposed to represent you.”

“Maybe it’s a gift from a customer or a friend,” Jada suggested.

“No.” Sawyer squeezed Janie’s hand. “It’s not.” Putting off telling her wouldn’t soften the blow. Just needed to tell it straight out and deal with the fallout. “The doll has a knife plunged to the hilt in its chest.”

Blood drained from her face. “I need to see it.”

“Janie….”

“Please, Sawyer. Not seeing the doll makes my imagination fill in the gaps, and it’s not pretty.”

“The real thing isn’t, either,” he warned.

“Please,” she murmured.

Sawyer didn’t blame her. He’d want to see the evidence himself if he was in her place. Grabbing his phone, he brought up the picture and showed it to her.

Janie gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth as she paled even further.

Jesse was on his feet in an instant. “Head down. Do you have a refrigerator in here, Jada?”

The woman pointed to a room next to the prep room.

The medic left only to return in seconds with a cold pack that he laid on the back of Janie’s neck. “Deep breaths, Janie. In through your nose and out through your mouth.”

She did as he ordered. Soon, her color had returned and Sawyer helped her sit up again. “Okay now?” he asked.

She nodded. “Sorry. I didn’t expect to react like that. I feel like a wuss.”

“You’re not. That isn’t a common sight, especially when the doll is meant as a threat.”

“Still, I feel stupid. I’m sorry, Sawyer. I should have trusted you and not insisted on seeing the doll for myself.”

He cupped her chin with his palm. “Stop,” he murmured. “If I was the target, I’d insist on seeing the evidence for myself.”

“Bet you wouldn’t have almost passed out,” she muttered.

“You’d be wrong. There have been plenty of times when I’ve reacted much the same while on the job.” The sight of his first dead body came to mind. He’d barely made it outside before he’d upchucked. They had all been green once. Now, he and his teammates were jaded. They’d seen and dealt with too much to remain innocent of the worst mankind could do to fellow members of humanity.

A quick, hard knock sounded on the door. Jesse palmed his weapon as Sawyer moved to stand in front of Janie, his own weapon in hand.

Jesse opened the door a crack, then swung it wide to admit Harmon and one of his team members.

The bomb squad leader focused on Sawyer, who stepped to Janie’s side and holstered his weapon. The teammate looked hard at him. Let him look. His job was to protect Janie. End of story.

“This is Janie Moran, Jada, and Chelsea.” Sawyer said. “Janie, this is Drake Harmon and Liam Kennedy of the Hartman PD. They need to ask you some questions.”

“Of course. I can’t guarantee I’ll have much useful information to share.”

“You might be surprised.” Harmon turned to the other women. “Nice to meet you, ladies. We’d also like to interview each of you.”

“Of course,” Jada said.

“No problem.” This from Chelsea.

“Would you like some coffee, Mr. Harmon, Mr. Kennedy?” Janie asked.

“Please call us Drake and Liam, and we’d love a cup. This rollout was so early, I didn’t drink my first cup of the day.”

“Same,” Kennedy said.

“I’ve got it,” Jada said.

Janie smiled. “Thanks.”

“Ms. Moran, tell me everything that happened this morning from the beginning,” Harmon said.

“It’s Janie.” She gave him a detailed accounting of the events of the morning, starting from when she woke and ending with Sawyer hustling her and her employees from the shop to wait for the bomb squad to arrive.

He took her through the events twice more, pulling more details from her each time, before turning his attention to Jada, who handed him a mug of steaming coffee.

The policemen nodded their thanks and took Jada through her morning and anything she’d noticed upon her arrival, then repeated the process with Chelsea.

Once he finished, he looked at his teammate and inclined his head toward the other room. “Take the two women in there and run them through events again.”

After Kennedy, Jada, and Chelsea left the room, Harmon returned his attention to Janie. “I understand you’re the only survivor of the Chilean airliner hijacking.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any reason to believe someone from the hijackers’ crew is out to finish the job?”

“That’s what Sawyer and Jesse believe.”

“But you don’t?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know why the hijackers would come after me again. I also don’t know why they spared my life, but murdered the other hostages.”

“Let’s assume the hijacking was intentional with you as the target. Why would anyone want to hurt you or take you as a hostage?”

“I do not know. I make soap for a living. This trip to Chile was my first time out of the country, and it might well be my last. I definitely don’t want a repeat in this lifetime. In short, I’m no one important.”

“Do you have an enemy, Janie?”

She hesitated.

“Say it,” he ordered. “Don’t think. Just say it.”

Janie smiled a little. “That’s what Sawyer and Brent told me.”

“Wise words. So, who wants to hurt you?”

“Probably no one.”

“But?” Harmon prompted.

She glanced at Sawyer, who gave her a nod, encouraging her to speak the truth. “My brother is angry with me.”

“What is his name, and where does he live?”

“David Moran. He lives in Chile. I was there visiting him at the invitation of his wife.” She grimaced. “I thought David knew and had invited me to his home to mend fences and meet his new bride. It turned out that his wife had issued the invitation on her own, hoping David and I would heal our relationship.”

“Did it work?”

“No.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Money. My brother is irresponsible with money, and our grandmother stipulated in her will that David was not to be given money from the estate aside from the cash bequest she’d left him. David objects to the terms of the will.”

“The estate is substantial?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, sir.”

“So, it’s possible the hijackers realized you are a wealthy woman and wanted to cash in on the ransom, is that it?”

She laughed. “If that was their goal, they were out of luck. I’m wealthy, yes, but I don’t have pots of money stashed in the bank, waiting to be taken out for a spending spree or a ransom demand. Besides, David doesn’t have access to my accounts. I can’t trust him with access to the funds.”

“That desperate for cash?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What happens to your accounts if you’re in a serious accident or die? Who has access to your funds?”

That question caught Sawyer’s attention. He’d yet to get around to that question himself.

“My friends, Rowan and Brent Maddox. They are my beneficiaries. If something happens to me, they’ll get everything.”

“Does your brother know that?” Sawyer asked.

“No.”

“You should tell him,” Harmon suggested.

She flinched. “I don’t believe my brother wishes me harm.”

“You mean you don’t want to believe it, but people have killed others for a few dollars, let alone a substantial amount of money.”

“The estate still is worth a good bit. I only took enough money from the estate to set up Natural Bliss. I’ve been living on the profits from the store.”

“Why does your brother need money?”

“I’m not sure. He insinuated he needed cash to get ready for their baby. Maria is due in six months.” She sighed. “I don’t understand his desperation. David works for an engineering firm. He makes good money and the cost of living is less in Chile than it is here. He should be fine.”

“Does he have any vices?”

Janie hesitated.

Sawyer wrapped his hand around her. “Sweetheart, you need to tell us everything. The danger won’t stop unless we track down the source and shut it down. Help us do that.”

“I don’t want to get my brother in trouble. He’s the only family I have left, Sawyer.”

“He’s a grown man, Janie,” Harmon said. “Protecting him could cost you your life. Don’t give him that kind of power over you. Besides, he may not be responsible for what happened on the plane or the doll. If he’s not responsible, how can answering a few questions hurt him?”

“He’ll see it as a betrayal. David already hates me.”

“Then what do you have to lose?”

After delaying a few more seconds, Janie sighed. “When he lived in the US, David got caught up in gambling.”

And there it was. The weakness Sawyer was looking for. Now the question was how deep was David in debt and to whom did he owe money?