Chapter 26

Qaletega turned down the seat warmer in Jill's SUV as she drove competently along the country road with trees flying by on either side. The clouds had parted to let the moon shine down, and the night could be considered romantic. In profile, she looked both strong and delicate at the same time. Her dark lashes were impossibly long, framing her pretty brown eyes.

"Stop staring at me," she said, her lips twitching. "We just met."

"I can't help it. You're beautiful." They'd met a week ago, and he'd instantly been smitten. He searched for a safe topic of conversation. "I have to tell you, I am sick of winter."

She looked out at the drilling rain. "Then you're in the wrong place. Winter could last for months yet."

"I read it's going to be an early spring. It's April. I imagine we'll have sun soon." He took vitamin D supplements as suggested by his doctor, but it wasn't the same as warm sunshine. He was fumbling this conversation, but he'd never been that smooth with the ladies. "We might have a long summer, too. Tons and tons of sun for us both." Now he was just babbling.

She chuckled, having taken off her Fish and Wildlife jacket. He tried not to notice the way she filled out her uniform.

"Why did you become a Fish and Wildlife officer?" he asked.

Her dark gaze flicked to him and then returned to the road. "To protect wildlife. I've always wanted to do so."

He liked that about her. "Same with me, and I always wanted to be a cop. So the two dreams combine in this job."

"I get it."

It had been a long time since he'd felt this comfortable around anybody. His last girlfriend had dumped him at least a year ago because he was too nice, according to her. What in the world did that mean? Too nice? Who could be too nice?

A loud bang echoed and the vehicle rocked. "What the hell?" They swerved on the ice, and Jill corrected, pulling over to the side as the rear end fishtailed. "I think we popped the front right tire."

Qaletaga glanced out at the icy rocks on the road. "More than likely. It happened to me just the other night. Stay here. I've got it."

"I can change my own tire," she protested.

"I know. Let me be a gentleman. All right?"

She sat back, her pretty face softening. "Of course, you can be a gentleman. If you want to change a tire, you go right ahead."

Freezing rain poured down out there, and if he could at least keep her warm, he would try. He smiled at her just as a man emerged from the trees, his face covered, a weapon pointed at them. The guy reached her window in no time and knocked on it.

"Open the window." Qaletaga kept his hands within sight. His heart beat wildly.

She slid it down, her other hand remaining on the steering wheel.

"I don't want to hurt anybody," the guy said. Dressed in all black, he wore a balaclava over his head that covered everything but his eyes.

"Not a problem," Qaletaga said easily, his hand nonchalantly dropping to the side of his thigh. He'd never shot anybody before, but he was prepared. Probably.

Bullets instantly pinged against the hood of the vehicle. Jill jumped and moved toward him.

"It's okay," he said, his hands up now. He angled his head but could only see the tree line.

"Yeah, I've got a sniper backing me up," the guy said.

Qaletaga knew that voice from watching videos of the man's interviews to prepare for this case. It was Jason Abbott. "What do you want?"

"I want the evidence in the back hatch. Open it, and keep in mind, my sniper can hit anything from this distance. We aimed for the tire, and then we aimed for your hood. We could take out your head easily."

"This is a bad idea," Qaletaga warned, his adrenaline flowing. "I know you're Jason Abbott." Who else would want the journals?

"I think this is a good idea. Now." Abbott pressed the gun to Jill's head. She gingerly leaned forward and clicked the button to open the back hatch. "I could shoot you from any position, and so can my sniper. Don't move," Abbott ordered, walking around to the rear of the vehicle and hefting out the evidence locker. He walked a small distance from the vehicle and set it down near the tree line.

Qaletaga looked up and down the road. So far nobody was coming.

"Get out of the vehicle," Abbott ordered, pulling off his face cover.

"You got what you wanted. Now leave," Qaletaga said.

Abbott pointed the gun at Jill. "Now."

"Listen, Abbott, you're not hiding yourself very well. We've already called it in," Qaletaga said.

"You haven't called anything in." Abbott jerked open Jill's door and yanked her out. She cried out and fell. He shoved her toward the trees and then pointed the weapon at her. She lifted her hands.

"Get out of the vehicle," Abbott snapped.

Qaletaga pushed himself out of her door and walked toward her, trying to put his body between Abbott and Jill.

"Sit next to her," Abbott snapped. "So you recognized me."

"It's a little bit obvious, Jason," Jill said.

Qaletaga had to admire her grit. Her voice didn't even shake.

Jason smiled, and Qaletaga could see the charm women had found in him. Even dressed in all black, committing multiple felonies, the guy looked at ease with his dark hair swept back and his eyes calm.

"Killing cops is a bad idea," Qaletaga said.

"No shit," Abbott replied, looking toward the tree line. "However, my sniper does like to see heads blow like watermelons."

Qaletaga had to think of a way to get Jill out of there. "Let her go. You can keep me."

Abbott chuckled. "I don't want either one of you." He kept his weapon pointed at Jill. "Throw your phones in my direction."

Qaletaga reached into his pocket as Jill did the same, and they tossed their phones at Abbott.

Abbott grabbed both of them and immediately turned them off, before shoving them in his pocket. "Now your weapons."

Qaletaga threw his gun toward Abbott, and Jill did the same. Abbott picked them up and placed them in his other pocket.

"And your other weapons."

"That's all I have," Jill said.

Abbott's chin lowered. "Don't make me shoot you."

"That's really all she has." Qaletaga reached into his boot for his Glock 43 and lobbed it over.

"Nice," Abbott said.

Qaletaga looked toward the tree line and still couldn't see anybody. "Who are you working with?"

"Nobody you know." Abbott winked.

Jill cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about Haylee Johnson. I know you were close."

"We were engaged," Jason said congenially. "She was a means to an end. I'm not surprised."

Qaletaga scooted closer to Jill. "So you know that Haylee's dead?"

"Yeppers," Abbott said. "It's already hit The Killing Hour . Rachel Raprenzi reported on it ten minutes ago."

So Jason had been in a vehicle just ten minutes ago, which meant that whatever vehicle he had now behind that tree line was close to the road. Were there roads out there? There had to be. Qaletaga made several notes in his head. They were going to find this asshole.

"Did you kill her?" Jill asked.

Abbott studied them for a moment. "Did I? All right, who has the handcuffs?" Neither moved. "Come on. You both have handcuffs. Right now, pull them out."

Qaletaga pulled his cuffs from the back of his waist as Jill did the same. Hope filled Qaletaga. Maybe Abbott didn't want to kill them. The guy probably didn't want the FBI and the Washington State Police all descending into Genesis Valley at once.

"This way." Abbott motioned them toward the vehicle, where he had Jill secure Qaletaga to the back passenger-side door handle with the cuffs. Abbott then did the same to Jill before he leaned in and fired his weapon several times.

Jill jumped. Qaletaga looked over his shoulder to see the demolished radio.

"I imagine somebody will be along eventually," Abbott said cheerfully. "I hope you don't freeze to death in the meantime."

With that, he turned and strode toward the locker, easily lifted it, and then continued his way into the woods. Qaletaga watched him go, squinting to see better between the trees. Several shots rang out, hitting the front tire and then the back.

Jill jumped. "Holy shit."

Qaletaga glared. "The sniper is a decent shot."

The wind whistled toward them, blowing snow. He looked up and down the road and then fought against the restraints, trying to break the handle. A truck sounded in the distance as Abbott must've reached his vehicle, which sounded like it wasn't that far away.

Sighing, Qaletaga studied Jill. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him, her cheeks red from the cold and fire in her eyes. "Yeah, but I'm really wishing we had tried to at least read a couple of those journals, even though they were frozen."

Shots rang out from the trees, and pain exploded in Qaletaga's leg. Darkness swam around his vision, but he focused long enough to see Jason Abbott, his face partially shrouded by darkness, as he fired a handgun at them.

Jill screamed.

* * *

Huck burst through the doors of the hospital, sliding on the wet floor as he caught sight of Laurel and Monty sitting in chairs in the waiting room. They were both too pale. "How are they?"

Laurel stood and moved toward him. "Officer Tso is out of surgery and breathing on his own, while Officer Jordan is still in surgery." She took his hand and led him over to the seating area. "They were both shot in the legs, and Officer Jordan in the chest."

Huck sat, fury roaring through his veins. "The evidence box?"

"Gone," Monty said wearily. "I should've taken it. Not had those two kids do it." His hands shook as he rubbed them down his face.

A white-haired doctor in blue scrubs emerged through the swinging doors. "Officer Tso wants to speak with a Captain Buckley."

Monty stood. "I'll be right back."

Huck's legs bunched.

Monty planted a hand on his shoulder. "You're off this case, remember? Stay here." He hitched across the waiting area and through the doors, appearing years older than he had yesterday.

Huck leaned his head back against the wall. "What do we know?"

Laurel shook her head. "Nothing. A passerby saw both officers cuffed to the door and bleeding. He called it in." She plucked at a string on her coat, her voice soft. "The man's name is Jorge Lewiston, and he checks out. We have CCTV of him leaving the Center Diner and then calling in the shooting, completely panicked."

Huck swallowed. "We know who did this."

"We're not making assumptions," she said, her blue-and-green eyes sparking.

Fair enough.

Monty soon emerged, his chin up. "Qaletaga identified Jason Abbott as the shooter. He had an accomplice who acted as a sharpshooter during the robbery but didn't hit anybody."

"An accomplice?" Huck looked down at Laurel's flushed face. "Who would want those journals as much as Jason Abbott?"

Laurel rubbed her right temple. "Abigail isn't that reckless. Is she?"

Huck couldn't figure out who else it could be. Jason Abbott didn't have money to hire anybody. "Is Abigail that crazy?" Was it possible? If so, she was probably dead right now as well. "How's Tso?"

Monty dropped into a chair as if his body weighed too much to remain upright. "He's going to be okay. Several gunshot wounds but nothing life threatening. Also, Officer Jordan is out of surgery. The doctor said the bullet in her chest actually hit the right side and damaged several ribs, but her prognosis is good as well."

Relief slammed through Huck. Yet he couldn't escape the thought that it could've been Laurel on the operating table.

There was a predator out there killing people, and he'd take the killer down even if that meant losing his own freedom.

He needed to find Jason Abbott. Now.