Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (3 page)

Jonas stepped up beside her. “See anything?”

“No. Do you see anyone who shouldn't be here? Anyone you don't recognize?”

“I'm...um...probably not the best person to ask.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm a lousy neighbor.” He gave an embarrassed shrug. “I work and I spend time with Felix—when he lets me anyway. I hate yard maintenance so I hire someone to do it.”

“Which means you're not working in the yard and talking with people out for an evening or weekend walk.”

“Exactly.”

She nodded and approached the fire captain. “We were in that house. We're fine. There's no one else inside.”

The man turned, his concerned gaze landing on the two of them. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

One of the firemen stepped out the front door and motioned to one of his buddies. “Captain?”

“Yeah.”

Jonas and Brooke moved closer. Mercy stayed by her side. Brooke wanted to hear what was said.

“It was a Molotov cocktail. When it was tossed through the window, it landed in the fireplace.” The man shook his head. “Never seen anything like it. There's a lot of smoke, but not any fire damage to speak of. Looks like it wasn't meant to burn, just cause a lot of smoke.”

Jonas breathed out. Brooke laid a hand on his forearm. He looked at her. “You're right,” he said. “They came back.”

Brooke pulled the cell phone Jonas had found from her pocket. “I think it's time to ask Felix where he got this phone and who knows he has it.” She switched to her business phone. “And we're going to get someone to watch your house tonight. I don't think we were smoked out by accident. Whoever threw that in there knew what they were doing. It's possible they plan to come back and search the place.”

“So then I'm not sleeping here.”

“Not with the smoke and the danger. You're going someplace safe.”

THREE

B
rooke sat in the SUV next to Nicholas Cole, a fellow Capitol K-9 member, and kept her eyes on Jonas's house. It looked empty and deserted. Just the way they wanted it to look. If someone planned to return to the scene of the crime, she and Nicholas would be waiting. “What time is it?”

“Five minutes later than the last time you asked,” he said.

“You sound like my grandfather.”

“You sound like a five-year-old. It's 4:45 a.m. An hour of the night that should have me in bed dreaming of a vacation on the beach, not conducting a stakeout.”

She snorted and swung her gaze back to the area around the house, looking for movement, a flash of light. Anything. And got nothing.

She could hear the dogs breathing behind her. They were suited up, their protective vests on and ready to go. And so was Brooke. She itched for a break, a chance to go after someone who could give them a break in this case.

Instead of going after Felix to question him about the phone, they'd simply sent an officer to watch the house where he was staying. Felix was safe for now and if the person who wanted the phone came back and they caught him, Felix would never have to know how fortunate it was he chose to spend the night away from home. Talking to the boy could wait until morning. Catching the person who wanted the phone was priority. The sun would be up in a couple of hours, but Brooke just had a feeling something was going to happen.

Her heart, protected by the Kevlar vest she'd donned earlier, thumped a heavy rhythm. Anticipation swept through her. It was about time something good happened.

General Margaret Meyer apparently thought so, too. The Capitol K-9 Unit existed because of her. Her current position as the White House Special In-House Security Chief gave her a lot of power and leeway. Gavin reported straight to her and she expected top-notch results from her team. Which they gave her. When Gavin had presented her with the need for some manpower due to a possible break in the case, she'd been more than happy to spare Nicholas from his current duties at the White House to help Brooke track down the lead.

“So who is this guy?” Nicholas asked. He sipped on a drink they'd picked up from the local gas station.

“What guy?” Brooke knew exactly who he meant, but she needed to buy some time to figure out just how much she wanted to reveal about Jonas. Then again, it wasn't like there was that much to say. Nicholas simply lifted a brow and she shrugged. “We met about eight years ago. He was doing an internship and I was a rookie K-9 cop.”

“And you hit it off?”

“We did.”

“Was it serious?”

She hesitated. It had been serious. Too serious. “We were friends. We had a lot in common and spent some time together, but—” she shrugged “—it just didn't work out.”

“It just didn't work out, huh? Let me guess. He wanted more and you ran away.” She sucked in a deep breath and shot him a sharp look. Nicholas shrugged. “Sorry if I struck a nerve, it's just what you do to every guy who shows interest in you.”

“I do not.”

“Do too.”

Brooke snapped her lips shut. She would not get into some juvenile argument with him. Because they both knew he was right.

Her phone rang. She lifted it to the ear that didn't have the earpiece she'd use to communicate with Nicholas should they get separated. “Hello?”

“Hi,” Jonas said.

“Hi.” Did she hear footsteps? “Are you pacing the floor?”

A short, humorless laugh filtered through the line. “Yes.”

“Well, you can stop. Nothing's happening—” A shadow to her left caught her attention. She nudged Nicholas who nodded. He was already watching him, tracking him with his eyes. The dark SUV blended into the nighttime surroundings. If they opened the doors, the interior lights would stay off. Even her cell phone was on the dimmest setting. There was no way the guy now approaching the back of Jonas's house would know they were watching him. “Gotta go. Someone showed up. I'll call you in a bit.” She hung up on his protest and opened the passenger door. Nicholas was already approaching the house, his weapon drawn, his dog, Max, at his side.

Brooke pulled her own gun, let Mercy out of the back and went in the opposite direction of Nicholas. She rounded the corner of the house just behind Mercy. The dog barked and made a beeline for the figure at the back door.

“Police! Freeze!” Brooke called.

Nicholas started to close the gap. “Don't move!” The man turned, raised his hands. Instead of deciding he was caught, he spun and darted for the back fence that separated Jonas's house from the neighbor behind him. The dark-clad figure scaled the fence and dropped to the other side. Nicholas went after him. Brooke called to Mercy and together, she and the dog went another route.

Back around the side of the house, Brooke was just in time to see the would-be intruder bolt down the street. Nicholas let Max go with the command to stop the fleeing fugitive, so Brooke kept Mercy beside her. Max cut loose with a low woof and loped off in pursuit, his strides long and even. Brooke lost sight of him as she and Nicholas raced to catch up. The guy was fast.

Brooke figured Max was faster.

Until she and Nicholas almost slammed into the tall chain-link fence when they turned the next corner.

* * *

She'd hung up on him. Jonas glared at the phone as though the blame lay with the device. He growled and stomped out of his temporary bedroom at the veterinary office.

Brooke had hung up on him because someone was near his house and probably trying to break in. Their surveillance plan worked, but would she be in danger now? He paced to the door. Two officers sat in the parking lot. He knew another one was parked at the back. And one was at the Fuller household where Felix was spending the night.

Not that he expected that someone would be able to figure out where Felix was if they were looking for him, but he had to admit knowing an officer was watching out for his son made him feel better. He and Brooke had discussed picking Felix up and bringing him back to the office for the night, but they decided not to. Brooke argued that he was probably safer where he was at this point. It wasn't the Fuller house that had been bombed or the Fuller house that had been broken into. They'd come looking for the phone, not Felix.

He appreciated the fact that no one was taking any chances with his safety, but now Brooke might be in danger.

But that was her job. She was probably in dangerous situations all the time. That was what she did, right?

Yes, but it didn't make it any easier for him to deal with. Not when she was in danger because his son had taken a phone that didn't belong to him and the wrong people had tracked him down.

He had to know she was all right. He walked to the front desk and grabbed his keys. His car was in the first parking spot. He paused for a second. What if he went to find her and just got in the way?

But he wouldn't. He'd drive past his house and see if anything was happening, make sure everything was under control. Jonas headed out the door and walked over to the police officer who was exiting his vehicle.

“Sir? You need to go back inside.”

“I'm going to run an errand.” He switched directions and headed for his car, his worry pushing him and spurring him to move faster. “I'll be back shortly.”

“I don't advise you leaving on your own.”

“I wouldn't if it wasn't an emergency.”

“Let me call it in and see if they want someone to tail you then.”

“I don't have time to wait, but I'm going to my house for a few minutes. You can send someone there.” He slid into the driver's seat, cranked the car and backed from the parking spot. As he pulled to a stop at the edge of the lot, he glanced in his rearview mirror to see the officer speaking into his radio and heading for his car.

He was probably going to follow him anyway, but Jonas didn't care. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone to figure out what to do with him.

Brooke was at his house and might be headed into danger. He couldn't just sit around twiddling his thumbs waiting to hear that she was okay.

* * *

Brooke hauled herself over the fence of the old textile office building. Backup was on the way, but there was no time to wait. The man they were chasing would be gone. And he was a link to the case. A case she very much wanted to solve. She'd beat Nicholas to the fence so he'd just have to stay with the dogs unless he could find another way in.

Her feet pounded against the crumbling asphalt parking lot. The building had been up for sale for years and each year it seemed to erode even more than the last. She caught sight of movement around the side of the building and took off after it, whispering her location to Nicholas.

She rounded the corner with caution, weapon held in front of her. Nothing. Except an open door.

Had he gone in or simply opened the door to head around the building? She pressed her finger against the earpiece. “Are you inside the fence?”

“Just now. Had to cut my way through. You get him?”

“Not yet.” She kept her voice low, her back to the side of the building.

A screech came from inside the building. Guess that answered that question. “He's inside. I think he pushed open one of the steel doors at the back. I'm going after him.”

“Backup will be right behind you. Max and I are on the way.”

Brooke gave him her location and slipped through the door into the dark. She stopped just inside to the right, making sure she didn't make herself a target in the open doorway. She let her eyes adjust, but she still had trouble seeing anything. Too dark. Easy for someone to sneak up behind her. She needed a light, but didn't dare take the flashlight from her belt.

The good thing was if it was dark for her, it was dark for him. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out shapes so it wasn't pitch-black. She had to be careful to stay in the shadows. Again, if she could see a little, so could he.

She moved softly, her steps cautious, her ears tuned to the area around her. Her neck and back tingled. She expected a bullet to slam into her at any moment. The vest she wore would offer some protection for her torso, but nothing for her head. She hadn't seen a weapon on the man running from Jonas's house, but until she saw otherwise, she'd treat him as armed. And dangerous.

“Where are you?” she whispered.

“Max, Mercy and I are coming inside.”

She heard a scrape to her left and spun, her weapon ready, hands steady in spite of the adrenaline pumping through her.

A light flashed then disappeared. Footsteps on stairs. The sound still coming from her left. Brooke moved toward the noise, still cautious, but determined to stop him. Shadows danced around her, light from the half moon filtering through the dirty windows. And the blue lights now flashing, offered even more light. “Up the stairs,” she whispered. “To the left of the door about twenty feet.” She placed her foot on the first step, then started up.

“Got it. Backup's outside.”

“Saw the lights.”

A loud scrape from the top of the stairs made her pause. The windows along the second floor offered very little light. She could make out shapes, but nothing moving. She took another step, which put her about halfway up the staircase.

A large shadow appeared at the top of the stairs. An object teetered on the edge of the highest step. She blinked, her brain trying to discern the image.

Then the thing wobbled once again. A head appeared around the edge. A grunt reached her ears.

Brooke finally registered what was happening and turned to flee as a loud rumble came from behind her and whatever was at the top of the step slid toward her. She gasped as her foot turned on the last step and she fell to the floor. She rolled and looked up to see a large upside-down desk a split second away from crushing her.

FOUR

J
onas's drive past his house resulted in nothing. But the police cruiser that zipped past him as he turned back on the main highway caught his attention and he followed it to the old textile office building. Police tape ran the length of the fence. The K-9s and their handlers were out and the air crackled with law enforcement energy.

He couldn't get to the fence due to all of the emergency vehicles so he parked and stood on the hood of the vehicle. He scanned the faces, looking for the one that he most wanted to see. Not there. One of the officers to his right on the other side of the fence pointed to the building and said something into his phone.

Was Brooke inside the building? Or was she just lost in the crowded chaos?

Gawkers from the nearby neighborhoods had come to the line to see what was going on and officers held them back. Jonas could go no farther either. He would have to wait. His fingers curled into fists. He forced them to relax.
Don't get anxious until you have something to be anxious about.
The order didn't work. He scanned the fence line and looked for a way in.

Hopelessness coursed through him as he realized he was in for a wait. There was no going through and no going around.

A car pulled up beside him. The vehicle had the Capitol K-9 logo on the side. The officer climbed from the vehicle, a frown on his face. He flashed his badge at Jonas. “Are you Jonas Parker?”

“I am.”

“I'm Chase Zachary. I got a call you went AWOL.”

“Something like that,” he muttered. “Brooke called me and had to hang up because she was on surveillance and someone showed up. I had to make sure she was okay.”

“You might want to leave that to us. Now would you please get back in your vehicle? I'll follow you home.”

Jonas had great respect for law enforcement, for the officers who put their lives on the line every day for him. If it had been anyone else in that building besides Brooke, he might have followed the order. Instead he shook his head. “I'm waiting right here until I know she's safe.”

Chase lifted a brow. Then he narrowed his eyes and gave Jonas a closer once-over. Whatever he saw must have convinced him arguing would be futile. “She means something to you?”

“Yes.” Jonas didn't feel the need to elaborate.

“Right. Then sit in my vehicle at least. We don't need some sniper trying to take you out while you wait.”

Jonas blinked. “Sniper?”

“You've had two incidents tonight. A break-in and a Molotov cocktail through your window. Seems someone's after you.”

Jonas nodded. Without another word, he opened the passenger door to the K-9 vehicle and climbed in. He slammed the door, his gaze on the building. “Can you get us through?”

“Of course I can. No reason to, though. It's being handled.” A dog nudged his ear and without thought, Jonas reached back to scratch his ears. “Who's this?”

“Valor.”

“He's beautiful.” The Belgian Malinois butted up under Jonas's hand again. Jonas complied with another ear rub.

“He's a great partner.”

Jonas looked at the building again. He knew the situation was being handled but that knowledge didn't stop him from wanting to be closer. “She's in there, isn't she? She went in after him.”

Chase nodded. “She and Nicholas Cole, another K-9 team member. And the dogs. They'll get him. There's no way he can get out of there without someone grabbing him.”

“What if he decides not to come out? What if he decides he wants to make one last stand?”

“Then it could get ugly. But Brooke and Nicholas are trained. They can handle him. They'll get him.”

“Of course they will.” Because if
they
didn't get him, whoever they'd chased inside might get
them
and Jonas didn't think he would survive that.
Don't let her die because of me, God, please.

* * *

Brooke clasped Nicholas's hand and rose to her feet with a grunt. She swayed and took a moment to get her footing and catch her breath. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” he asked. He looked pale and a little shaken himself.

“Yeah.” She looked at the mangled pile of wood and steel. Nicholas had pulled her away at the last possible second. “How much do you think that weighs?”

“More than you want slamming on top of you.” She shuddered and Nicholas patted her shoulder. “Don't think about it.”

“I'm not.” But she was. If he hadn't pulled her out of the way, she would be dead or seriously injured. “This guy is playing hardball,” she muttered. She maneuvered around the part of the desk that blocked the stairs and started up. Nicholas stayed right with her. Barking reached her ears.

“I hear Max,” Nicholas said.

“Yeah, I do, too. He's already up there?”

“I sent him up as soon as I pulled you out of the way. Mercy's just inside the door downstairs waiting like a good girl.” He radioed in that they were still in pursuit. Brooke led the way down the hall, her footsteps echoing on the bare concrete that once had probably been covered in carpet.

The barking continued. “He's got someone cornered.”

“Or he's trapped and can't get to the person,” Brooke agreed.

Brooke and Nicholas came to the end of a hall. And a closed door. Nicholas gave the command for Max to sit and be quiet. Brooke held her weapon ready. Nicholas reached around her and opened the door. Brooke swung in. Max darted ahead and up another set of stairs. She followed him to the next level.

“Roof access door,” Nicholas said.

They played the same dance and she breathed a bit easier when no gunshots came her way. Max pushed through and out onto the roof. Nose to the ground then in the air, he darted to the side of the building. And sat.

Brooke rushed over. “Fire escape.”

“The guys would have seen him. Where did he go?” He tapped into his earpiece. “Did you see him come down the north side of the building? Down the fire escape?”

Brooke heard the negative response and took in the area. She stepped out on the fire escape and tried to think like a desperately fleeing fugitive. “He didn't go down.”

“What?”

“He went over.” She nodded to the overgrown trees lining the back of the building, just on the other side of the fence. “He grabbed that limb and shimmied down that tree. Or even crossed over to the next one. They're so close together, he could have been three or four trees in before he climbed down.”

Nicholas shook his head. “You've got to be right. He never set foot on the ground or our guys would have nabbed him.”

She slapped a hand against the wall. “Which means he got away.”

And would live to come back and strike again.

* * *

Jonas breathed a sigh of relief when Brooke walked out of the building, Mercy trotting at her heels. She was a good distance away, but he'd recognize her and her dog anywhere. “Where's the guy who tried to break in my house?”

Chase shook his head. “I'm guessing he got away. We'll find out soon enough.”

Jonas frowned and reached for the door handle as several law enforcement vehicles spun out of the parking lot. Nicholas and Max went with them. “Where are they going?”

“The suspect may have been seen in a different location and they're going after him,” Chase said. “Nicholas will see if Max can pick up his scent.”

For the next several minutes, Jonas watched the organized chaos. Brooke and Mercy disappeared back into the building. “Where's she going now?”

“To see if Mercy can find anything.”

A short time later, Brooke and Mercy appeared once again. She moved closer to the fence. Closer to Jonas. He could finally see her clearly. “I'm going to guess by the look on her face she and Mercy didn't have much success.”

Chase sighed. “I'd say that's a good guess.”

“Yeah.” Jonas's sigh echoed Chase's. “May I go talk to her now?”

Chase nodded. “She'll have a bit of paperwork to do for this one.”

Jonas stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the edge of the fence then along the perimeter until he came to the gate. Brooke spotted him and her brow rose. She clicked to Mercy and walked toward him. “What are you doing here?”

He drank in the sight of her. Safe, whole, alive. “You hung up on me.”

That brow rose higher. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. You scared me.”

Brooke's jaw dangled slightly before she snapped it shut. “Sorry about that.”

“I know it's your job, Brooke,” he said softly. “It's just going to take a bit of getting used to when you're called into a dangerous situation.”

“Getting used to?” she repeated.

He supposed that statement did make it sound like he planned to be around for a while. Then realized that was exactly what he planned. Now if he could just convince her.

Her expression softened. “I get it, but you really should have stayed put. You're going to have to trust that I can do my job. That I'm good at it and I take precautions, not risks.”

He nodded. “I'll remember that.”

“Good.”

A man in khakis and a blue polo shirt headed toward them. He held a hand out to Brooke. “Officer Clark. You want to tell me why the Capitol K-9 Unit is involved in this one?”

Brooke shook the man's hand. “Detective David Delvecchio of the DC police department, meet Jonas Parker. It was his house the guy was trying to break into. We had a stakeout going on, but unfortunately, as you can see, he got away.”

The detective eyed Jonas, then turned his gaze back on Brooke. “You want to tell me a little more?”

“Jonas's son found some evidence linking to the Rosa Gomez case, which of course is also related to the Jeffries shooting.”

“I see.” His eyes flicked back and forth amongst the three, Brooke, Chase and Jonas. He finally settled back on Brooke. “How did he get away from you?”

She rubbed her forehead. “He went out onto the fire escape on the second floor, jumped into one of the large trees across the fence line and climbed down. At least that's what we think.”

“So it's time to expand the search.” Chase finally broke his silence.

“Yes.”

Jonas pulled his keys from his pocket. “I guess I'll head back home...er...to my office, I mean.”

“I'll take you to your car then follow you,” Brooke said.

Chase nodded. “I'm going to check in with Gavin and Nicholas and see what I can do to help.”

Detective Delvecchio nodded. “I'll fill my officers in. Keep me updated, will you?”

“Of course,” Brooke said.

Brooke said her goodbyes and motioned for Jonas to go ahead of her. She'd parked not too far from his own vehicle, just outside the fence. He turned to her. “I'm glad you're all right.”

“I'm sorry you were worried.”

He shrugged. “Maybe it was stupid of me to come out here, but I just couldn't sit at the office. I'm the one who should be sorry.”

“It wasn't exactly smart after the fact there have been two violent incidents against you tonight, but I get it.”

“So you're not mad?”

“No. I'm frustrated. I wanted to catch that guy.”

He nodded. “I wanted you to catch him, too.”

She patted his arm. “It's not over yet.”

He had a feeling truer words were never spoken. “Meaning he'll be back?”

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Probably.”

* * *

Sunday morning, Jonas slipped from the cot he'd spent the past couple of hours tossing and turning on. It wasn't the cot's fault. It was actually pretty comfortable. He just couldn't shut his mind off. He stepped into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, gave a grimace and averted his eyes. He'd definitely had better mornings.

In the early days of his divorce, he'd often slept at his office. He'd finally had the bathroom installed when things had lagged in the courts and he'd gotten tired of showering at the YMCA. When the dust had settled she'd gotten the house, he'd gotten five-year-old Felix, and his practice. And Jonas was fine with that.

He'd purchased the house he and Felix lived in now and they'd made a good life together. At least he'd thought so. Over the past several years, each time he ran into Brooke stirred his restlessness, though. She made him long for things he'd thought he'd left in the past. Things he'd refused to allow himself to hope for.

Now he found himself looking forward to the day simply because he was going to see Brooke again. The only thing that marred that sweet anticipation was the fact that someone had bombed his house last night. Okay, that and the fact that Felix was still having issues no matter how hard Jonas tried to help him. If it wasn't a fight, it was grades.

He sighed and mentally recited his to-do list. Call his home owners insurance company was number two. Find out where Felix had gotten the phone was definitely number one.

And learning if anyone had managed to capture the guy who'd returned to his house last night. Brooke had followed him to his office, and they'd planned their next move. Get Felix from his friend's house and find out where he got the phone. Usually, he and Felix attended the local community church. He wasn't that active, but he couldn't seem to completely tear himself away from his faith. In fact, at this point in his life, he knew he should be reaching out for it with both hands. So today would be a different kind of Sunday. He paused. “I guess I should be mending my fences with You, shouldn't I, God?”

Silence echoed through the bathroom and Jonas sighed and went back to his morning routine. Maybe God was tired of listening.

He'd just finished brushing his teeth when he heard his assistant arrive. Then voices reached him. He stepped into the lobby to find Claire Simpson and Brooke introducing themselves. Brooke hadn't wasted any time getting back to his office this morning. “Good morning,” he said.