Chapter 14

14

The lumber fell. Crashing over them. Around them. Like giant pixie sticks. The concussive force as it hit Colin’s body pummeling into Brooklyn.

What had she done? Let her impulsive thoughts get to her, racing into an area that was off limits. Now she’d put Colin in danger. Maybe put his life on the line as he took the brunt of the damage.

Sooty dust rose up. She tried to cough. Couldn’t get a breath with Colin’s heavy weight pressing down on her. The wood continued to fall but slower. Nearer to the exterior wall.

Colin lifted up on his elbows and looked her in the eyes.

Thank you, God that he can move!

“Are you okay?” His voice was husky, and he studied her face, concern etched in his eyes.

“Me?” She got out between coughing fits. “I should be asking you that. You protected me and took the hit.”

He cleared his throat. “I’m good.”

“You were hit hard. We need to take you to the ER to be checked out.”

“Just a few bruises. I’ll be okay.” He brushed her face with his thumb. “Soot.”

“I’m sorry, Colin. I didn’t listen to you, and look what happened. You could’ve been killed or seriously injured protecting me. You shouldn’t have done that. I put myself in danger and didn’t deserve your rescue.”

“When I saw the ceiling coming down…” His voice broke, and he cupped the side of her face. “I don’t know why, but you get to me in a way I’ve never felt and can’t explain.”

Her heart lurched. “Me too. You, I mean. You get to me too.”

Footsteps pounded their direction and stopped next to them. Boards were lifted and tossed to the side, freeing up Colin’s back.

“You guys okay?” Dev asked.

“I’m fine, thanks to Colin,” she said. “But he took the brunt of the fall and needs to be checked out.”

“I’m good,” Colin said. “Honestly, if I wasn’t fine, I’d say so and make an ER trip.” He pushed off her, but he seemed to do so reluctantly.

She got it. She immediately felt the loss. Felt alone. Wished everyone else would go away, and he would return to her.

Seriously, what had become of her? Possessed her? A burned body lay half a building away. A lead that could find Kane was mere inches away in the crawl space, and she was thinking about romance. About her feelings for this fine man.

He offered his hand to her, but she shook her head and got to her knees to face the opening.

“Stop!” Sierra called out.

Brooklyn swiveled to look at her where she stood next to Dev.

“I need to retrieve any evidence you found.”

“But I…” She wanted to be the one to pull out the box, but knew she had to step back. “It’s a black metal box.”

“All of you back away so I can get a photo of the location and map it on my diagram.” She held a bright yellow plastic marker in one hand and her camera settled around her neck.

Colin offered his hand again and this time Brooklyn accepted it. Big. Strong. Chafed. He clutched hers and tugged her to her feet. Surprisingly, he didn’t let go, but helped her move out of the timbers.

“Ever see Tarver with a box like that?” Colin asked.

She nodded. “It’s fireproof, and he kept backup drives and flash drives with important information in it.”

“I don’t suppose he was kind enough to leave any of that in the box for us,” Colin said.

“You could be right,” Brooklyn said. “Just because the box is here doesn’t mean he didn’t empty it.”

“He might not have had time to get to it if he took off in a hurry,” Dev said.

“What might make him run like that?” Colin asked.

“The dead guy,” Dev said. “Say we’re right about wildlife trafficking, and this guy is part of an organized crime group that Tarver made mad. He ran because there was a second guy after him, and Tarver figured he could come back for the box later.”

“Not sure I buy that,” Colin said. “He had to know there was a chance law enforcement would find it before he got back.”

“Which means it had to be a life or death matter when he took off,” Brooklyn said. “No way he would leave it behind for any other reason.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Colin said. “Not if he had a big cat here. He would have to load it up and that would take longer than getting the box.”

“He could’ve already had the trailer hitched,” Dev said. “And then the second guy showed up.”

“Yeah, could be,” she said. “But trust me. For him to leave this, if it does contain his data, he would’ve had to think his life was on the line and that he could somehow come back for it.”

“Which means we need to get you out of here before he does.” Colin cupped her elbow. “Let’s go.”

She stared at the opening. “But the box.”

“Sierra can open it and tell us what it contains.”

“I can, but not here,” Sierra said. “It’s locked. No worries, though, I’m good at picking locks. It’s just going to take some time to do it. I’ll first want to swab for DNA and then print the box so any residual prints aren’t smudged in the process.”

“So there’s no reason for us to hang around here.” Colin gave Brooklyn a pointed look.

“Not unless Brooklyn has another idea of where Tarver might’ve hidden evidence,” Sierra said.

“I don’t,” she admitted even though she wanted to remain on scene to see what this super team recovered.

“Probably a good thing as I don’t think my back could take it.” Colin laughed.

She wrinkled her nose at him, then looked at Sierra. “Could you call us when you’re ready to open it? So we can be there when you do.”

“I hadn’t planned to process it until I got back to the lab. It’s a sterile environment with better lighting and equipment, and I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Oh, okay.” Brooklyn’s disappointment knew no bounds, and she was unable to hide it from her expression.

Sierra took a step closer. “You’re welcome to join me in the lab when I do open it.”

She spun to look at Colin. “Can we go there?”

“Maybe. If at the time we think it’s a safe thing to do. Then I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. She hadn’t considered her actions, especially in light of his confession earlier that she meant something to him, but now she did and clung longer than needed. He didn’t push her away, but suddenly cleared his throat.

She let go, but had to admit to herself that it was with great reluctance.

“We should go now.” He stepped back and pointed at the narrow area ahead of him.

She caught sight of the knowing look Dev cast at his brother, but ignored it for now to step gingerly through the newly piled debris and not make a further disturbance. Thankfully, Sierra hadn’t read her the riot act for messing up her crime scene. True, firefighters would’ve brought the ceiling down later, but maybe they had a way of doing so that wouldn’t have created such a mess. They would surely have done it without injuring anyone.

They reached the hallway, or what once was a hallway, then stepped into the foyer area. The smell of gasoline hit her, and she stopped to look at Sierra.

“Did you actually recover gasoline?” she called out. “Know that it was used as the accelerant or is it still iffy?”

Sierra stepped down to them. “Nothing is concrete.”

“But we can all smell it,” Brooklyn said.

Sierra nodded. “And the downward burning is producing a telltale signature of gasoline, too, but lab tests are needed to confirm. I took samples of the burned floor area and the undamaged flooring for comparison. Those plus additional material that appears to have absorbed gasoline at the edge of the burn pattern. All will be used in analysis back at my lab. I’ll treat the sample with a strong acid that destroys everything except the heavier metals I would expect to find in gasoline.”

“So these samples have to go back to the lab, too, then,” Brooklyn stated as she hoped she’d misunderstood, and Sierra could test it here.

“Yes, I need to use the equipment like my gas chromatograph to extract the results,” she said. “But my assistants and lab techs can process these samples. I’m kind of a control freak and would like to do them myself, but since you all want information fast, I’ll let them handle the floor samples while I process prints.”

“Thank you,” Brooklyn said. “I really will get out of your hair now.”

“No worries. I like it when people are interested.” Sierra’s expression softened.

Brooklyn left Sierra and stepped into the foyer area. She kept her gaze pinned away from the burned body, and the moment she hit the ground, Dev and Colin flanked her to the SUV like a protective sandwich.

She liked Colin’s protection but didn’t like the feeling of being smothered by it, but it could have saved her life a moment ago. And, after seeing what happened to the man in the house, she finally had to accept the fact that Kane might’ve ended someone’s life and probably had no qualms about murdering her too.

In his cabin, Colin rested on the arm of an overstuffed leather chair as Barbie got up from the sofa, leaving his mother and Brooklyn behind. Nick had remained at the crime scene with his partners to help them out so they could get back to Portland faster, but he would still monitor the internet and dark web.

Barbie’s long, granny-type dress—much like she must’ve worn in the hippie days of the sixties—whooshed as she passed Colin to head for the front door. She left a lingering scent of honey and vanilla. He often imagined the crazy life she’d lived in a commune back in the day, but she never shared much about those times, and he would never pry.

He glanced at his mom, whose dark circles under her eyes spoke to her exhaustion, then looked at Barbie. “Did Mom behave? Get some rest?”

“Hey,” his mother protested. “I’m not a kid who needs babysitting and reports at the end of shift.”

Barbie tsked and flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “In either event, I wouldn’t tell, so you’re safe with me, Sandy.”

“Thank goodness,” his mother said. “Someone he can’t pressure into reporting in like he and his brother do with each other.”

Heat of a blush rose up Colin’s neck. “I only mean to be helpful.”

“I know, son, but there’s helpful and then there’s helpful , in the Gladys Miller kind of way.” His mother chuckled over her reference to the town’s local gossip and all around busybody. “And you’re approaching full-on Gladys mode.”

“I concur, and your mom is too sweet to really call you out,” Barbie said, “I would’ve read my boys the riot act if they tried to baby me like you’ve been doing.”

“And they would’ve given it right back to you,” Colin said.

“No doubt.” Barbie chuckled. “But it wouldn’t stop me from trying. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have survived raising three boys. I gave birth to them, and I’m still the boss. End of story.”

His mom laughed, and he enjoyed the lighthearted sound stretching to the ceiling. She might still be in a major flare-up, but the good humor she somehow located within her no matter how badly she felt was a bonus. She’d always been that way. Able to find the positive and joy even when she was hurting. She relied on her faith. Dug deep when the days were especially difficult and told herself that there were others suffering far more than she was, and she lived a blessed life. Reminded herself that she had her family surrounding her. Not only her related family, but her church family too. Both she believed to be blessings far outweighing her struggles.

Heading to the door to let Barbie out, Colin wished he could be as optimistic as his mom was. She set the perfect example, but he often fell short. Maybe it was different to be the one suffering than to be the one watching someone you love suffering. Or maybe he was using that as an excuse, and he could do better. Much better.

“Thank you, Barbie,” he said. “We very much appreciate your help.”

“Anytime.” She looked over Colin’s shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. Good luck in keeping this guy in line. His strong-willed nature must be tough in a relationship.”

“Oh, I…I can’t…” Brooklyn shrugged. “It’s not like that. We aren’t…”

“It’s all business between us,” Colin said before Barbie got the wrong impression. “Nothing more.”

“Um-hm. Right. Funny business.” Barbie giggled like a little girl and swept out the door.

Colin watched until she got into her small pickup truck and drove off. He couldn’t even imagine what it must’ve been like to grow up with such an eccentric mother. His mom might’ve been different due to her illness, but she’d fit the normal school-volunteering, cookie-baking mother mode. Now here they were, mother and son, trying to navigate life as it had been thrown at them.

He glanced around for any sign of Kane. He searched the heavy tree line. The lake shore. Shrubs lining the driveway. The only movement were tree limbs and grasses gently swaying in the wind. He closed and secured the door, checking the lock twice.

He felt Brooklyn’s gaze on him as he returned but didn’t look at her to see if she was as uneasy with Barbie’s suggestion as he was. He sat in the sagging leather side chair and shifted to get comfortable over the almost protruding springs. The brothers really should up their furniture game here, but Colin wouldn’t complain about free housing. In fact, he would replace as much of the worn items as he could as a thank you to the guys.

His mother shifted to face Brooklyn, wincing as she moved. “So how did your visit to this awful man’s house go?”

“It was horrible seeing the victim,” she said, then shared details of their visit but nothing about the body. “The box will be brought back to the Veritas Center, and I hope we can be there when it’s opened.”

“If it’s safe to go,” Colin warned.

She flashed a hopeful gaze up to him. “Do you think it will be?”

“Yes, unless Tarver shows himself before then.”

“Of course you’ll go, then,” his mother said. “It’s too important to miss in case this Sierra person has questions.”

“It will likely be an overnight trip.” Colin met his mother’s gaze. “I can’t leave you alone, and I won’t let Brooklyn go without me.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less of you, son.” His mother smiled. “Barbie can probably come stay with me.”

Colin slid to the edge of his chair and focused on his mom. “We won’t go if she can’t.”

“I won’t be the one to stop Brooklyn from seeing this most important evidence.” She crossed her arms, and he knew he was in for a battle of the wills. “If Barbie can’t come, then I can find someone else. Maybe Mia or Megan are free.”

“They have children to care for,” Colin said.

“And they also have capable husbands. I’m sure Reid or Ryan could step up, or if not, then Russ’s Sydney might be able to do it. I’m sure one of them can. But let me start with asking Barbie.” She got up slowly, wincing as the pain settled into her joints, and grabbed her cane. “I’ll call her from my room so the two of you can keep on working on the investigation or whatever you might want to do.”

She winked and started toward her room, the clip-clop of the cane echoing in the house.

“That was about as subtle as a sonic boom,” Colin said.

Brooklyn looked down at her hands and started picking at a hangnail. “Guess we’re not doing a very good job of hiding our feelings.”

“Guess not.” He didn’t want to get into this discussion now. “I want to thank you for how well you’ve bonded with my mom.”

“It’s not hard to do. She’s one of the sweetest humans I’ve ever met.”

“Still, you somehow get her to do things that Dev and I only get a flash of irritation over.”

“Not sure what I’m doing differently, but I always wanted to be a nurse, so maybe that’s coming out in me.”

“A nurse?” He tried not to gape at the information. “That’s a far cry from being a hacker. How’d you end up in computers instead?”

“Long story.”

“We have time.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She grinned. “I had leukemia when I was a kid. Meant I spent a lot of time in the hospital and got to know the nurses pretty well. The doctors’ expertise was needed, but the nurses cared for me day in and day out. I wanted to be just like them and give back. So when I went to college I declared nursing as my major.”

“What changed that?”

She scowled. “I got into the nitty-gritty of the job and discovered that the sight of blood takes me out. Bam. I see it and hit the floor. Just like that. Not my own, but other people’s. Doesn’t make for a very good nurse.”

“I would guess not. That had to be disappointing.”

“It was. Very.”

“How did you move on to computers?”

“The long part of the story.” She took a deep breath. “I had plenty of time sitting around in the hospitals and spent a lot of it on a laptop my mom got me for playing games. After a while, that didn’t seem to keep my interest, so I decided to find out how a computer worked, and I took one apart.” She gave a wry smile. “I was home by then, and unfortunately, it was my dad’s computer. That didn’t go over so well, but I got it back together and it worked fine. So that led to me buying my own parts and building my own computer. And then I decided I needed to know how my games worked, so I learned some coding. I even designed a few video games and joined the computer club at school.”

Sounded like a full-fledged nerd to him. “But you didn’t want to do computers for a living?”

“Nope. The desire to be like the nurses that were taking care of me was too strong for that. I honestly thought it was my calling. But when I found out I couldn’t do it, I looked for a way to help others using computers. Not in traditional ways, like programming or repair. That led me to white-hat hacking. I see it as a way to prevent problems and even stop ones that could potentially be very harmful to people.”

“You do provide a valuable service, that’s for sure,” he said. “And your ability to hack into systems helps put security measures in place so real hackers can’t break in. Which is becoming all too common these days.”

“People like Kane have made millions on the backs of other people.” She gritted her teeth. “Sure, I really want him stopped so that I can go about my life. More, I want him stopped so he quits taking advantage of innocent people. Often times elderly people who are less computer savvy.”

“You have a very altruistic way of looking at life, and I find that admirable.” Attractive even, but he wouldn’t say that and take them down the wrong path.

“Just trying to do my part.” She nibbled on her lip. “Do you really think it will be safe to go to the Veritas Center?”

“The safest thing to do would be to keep you under wraps here behind fortified fences. But I have to respect the fact that I can’t wrap you in bubble wrap when you could be a valuable part of this investigation.”

He made eye contact and locked on, feeling as if he were locking in a mortar round. “Just know, if we leave to go there, I need to be certain you’ll follow my every direction every step of the way. No questioning. No fighting. No arguing. Just do as I say. Because, though I applaud your altruistic way at looking at making Tarver pay, your life means more to me than finding a hacker and bringing him to justice. Much more.”