THE MARINE'S LAST DEFENSE (5 page)

Chapter Five

“Who’s that hunky man? Nice car, but he looks like he wallowed in the snow a couple of times today.” Julie brazenly ogled the detective while handing Dallas’s leash to Sabrina.

The detective from Brenda Ellen’s house? Here? She couldn’t turn to look. Maybe he hadn’t seen her.

Strong hands landed on her shoulders and long fingers locked her in place inches from his chest. “There you are, Bree. Sorry, I’m a little early.”

Oh, shoot. What should she do?

Sabrina hid her surprise as the detective came to her side, tugged her hand from her pocket and locked his fingers with hers. His fingers were warm and his grip secure. His nearness turned her inner thermostat up several degrees. At least he hadn’t shoved her face into the picnic table and slapped cuffs on her.

Detective Craig was being gracious and sparing her the embarrassment of an arrest in front of a friend and employer. Julie was just an employer. The only one home who could go pick up Dallas from the pound. And only after Bree had agreed to look after her dogs without charge once.

“Oh, hi, I’m Julie Butler,” she bubbled. “No wonder you didn’t mind the cold, Bree. Having such a nice guy to warm you back up.”

“Sorry to rush you two, but we should probably get going,” he said. “Got to run by my place for some different duds.”

Sabrina caught a glimpse of his free hand pointing at his mud-stained pants.

“You two are going out. That’s good. Bree shouldn’t be alone tonight. Did she tell you Brenda Ellen was murdered?”

“Yes, I was the first person she spoke to about it.” He patted her hand. “You’re like ice, Bree. We need to get you in front of the car heater.”

She’d let him know just how inappropriate he was behaving. Later. Right now, she was grateful not to say another word.

“I should get her home.” He kept her hand firmly sealed in his, anchoring her in place.

“Terrible about Brenda Ellen. I’ll never feel safe out here again. But Bree, dear, you promised to give me all the details if I picked up Dallas for you.” Julie emphasized her fright by dropping her hand across her rather large breasts.

“Another time,” the detective said.

“We’ll see you in two weeks to sit with the dogs. We’re gone four nights and you can bring Dallas with you to the house. If you need to, that is.”

“Thanks for picking her up, Julie.”

“Ta-ta for now.”

Another of her house-sitting jobs walked away. Sabrina acknowledged it would probably be the last time she saw her. If she got away from the police, she’d have to leave all the dogs she worked with.

“Should I thank you, Detective? Or demand a lawyer? Very clever of you to track me down through Dallas. How did you know I wouldn’t leave her in the pound?”

“I have to admit I was stuck the first couple of hours, thinking more about what would make you run from the police. But the forensics analyst said black dogs were less likely to be adopted. Then she mentioned the pup was blind in one eye—totally missed that. She seems normal enough.”

“She is,” she said, defending the puppy.

“I didn’t think you’d risk an adoption. Care to answer a couple of questions before we call a lawyer?”

“Well, as you can see, I’m extremely busy right now.” She pointed to Dallas, who was doing her best to get off the cold ground. Her scrambling included jumping and slapping her large front paws against Bree’s chest.

“Busy leaving?” He pointed to the suitcase just inside a row of bushes.

“Oh, I haven’t been home yet. I needed to wait close by for Julie.”

“And is home close, since you seem to be walking everywhere? Wait, you ran away five hours ago and haven’t made it home and couldn’t wait it out at the diner. They put an officer on the place. So you really are cold. I’ll be glad to give you a lift so we can chat where it’s warm or we could just head directly to see my captain.”

“I’m sure we can clear this up right here.” She sat at the picnic table, where she’d been waiting since Julie texted.

“I need to see your ID.” He extended a hand from the end of the table.

She felt like Jack facing the giant in the fairy tale. “I, um, I lost it about three weeks ago.”

“No driver’s license? Convenient. Can you remember the number? Or let’s try a simple question. One not too taxing on your elusive memory. What’s your real name?” He crossed his arms, acting as if he didn’t expect a real answer. “Think you can manage that?”

She had barely met him this morning, but she could already tell that the slight curve of the left side of his mouth meant trouble.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Beg all you want, but until I find out who you are—” he paused, digging into his back pocket and then swinging a pair of handcuffs on the tips of two fingers “—you’re under arrest.”

“For what?” Of course she knew, suspicion of murder, fleeing a crime scene, impeding an investigation. They’d pile on the charges and detain her. Then they’d find out that everyone she cared about in Amarillo thought she was dead. As soon as the police discovered she wasn’t, she’d be charged with the murder of whoever was in the clinic fire. And she shouldn’t forget about the embezzling and fraud charges that would be sure to follow.

Yes, she knew the answer to her own question...even if this cute detective didn’t.

“Fleeing the scene will get us started. I’m certain you’re wanted for something, since you’re pretty good at avoiding your real name.” He gestured for her to hold out her hands to be cuffed. “You know we’re going to find out from the prints. Right?”

She held both her hands in front of her, hoping they’d be loosely snapped over her thick gloves. No such luck. He pulled the black fur down, his thumb caressing her pulse.

Did he feel her heart racing?

He took the leash, put a hand on her head and guided her into the backseat of his car. He pulled the shoulder strap and buckled her inside, then gave Dallas a kiss-kiss sound and a gentle tug on her leash. The big, smiling Lab jumped across her, did a couple of turns and settled her head in Bree’s lap.

“I hate to ask, but could you get my suitcase? It’s on the other side of the bushes.”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

The door shut, the locks clicked and she was alone while the detective retrieved her stuff. As soon as his back was turned, she tried the door.

Childproof locks. She was stuck. Caught. Going to jail. She stroked Dallas’s soft fur, loving the comforting companionship. Somehow she just didn’t feel alone when the dog was around.

“Well, girl, I’m not certain what’s going to happen now. It breaks my heart to send you back to the pound.”

Dallas answered with a sweet sound just like she understood and was commiserating. Brenda Ellen had adopted Dallas four months ago and, honestly, probably never should have. The businesswoman traveled almost twice a month and was gone at least a week for each trip. “I’ve spent more time with you than she did. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

Sabrina dropped her cheek to the top of Dallas’s head. She was such a loving dog. The trunk opened and closed. It was time to explain everything to Detective Jake Craig. He was her last hope.

“Any chance you’re as hungry as I am?” she asked when he was inside the car and had adjusted the rearview mirror to see her.

“I grabbed a burger across the street from the pound while following your friend.”

“Oh.”

That new look crossing his face lifted one side of his tightly closed mouth, but it clearly indicated pity. She’d learned to recognize it very quickly, hating each time she’d received it over the past six months. But today, right this very minute, it seemed like a sign that her story may not fall on deaf ears.

“I’ve got some cold fries.” He held them out, his long arm extending over Dallas’s head.

“Thanks.” She shifted her position and held her hands out to take the carton. “Maybe this will keep my stomach from grumbling.”

“You should be glad I’ve got you in custody.”

“You think I should be glad to be on my way to jail?” She hated the prospect of being framed and having no one on her side trying to discover the truth.

“Who said anything about jail? Right now I just want some questions answered.”

When her family was notified she was alive, they’d be bombarded with questions and accusations, too. They’d only be happy for a moment, learning to hate her very quickly. They’d believe if she could lie about her death, she could lie about a murder.

They’d match her prints since they were on file with the state because of her business. He’d be questioning her right up until they discovered she was a dead woman. But she wasn’t—Brenda Ellen was. How had things gotten so out of control?

“Couldn’t I just answer your questions here?” she asked, hoping.

She gulped. The dry, cold fry didn’t want to go down.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He draped his arm across the seat and stared. Stared straight into her eyes without blinking, without darting those hypnotic deep brown spheres anywhere else. “See, I know your secret, Bree.”

This man did something to her. Stirred something she hadn’t ever experienced before and couldn’t name. Roughly along the lines of instant trust, because he was gaining intimate knowledge without any words. If he searched her inside as deeply as his stare indicated he would, what would he find? An innocent woman had died because of her, didn’t that make her guilty now?

She swallowed hard, needing to break the silent interrogation he’d begun. “So you know I love working as a dog walker and moonlight as a serial killer?”

“You’re a funny gal.” He turned the key and faced her again after putting the car in Reverse. “I know that Brenda Ellen Richardson wasn’t the intended victim. You were.”

Chapter Six

The silence in the backseat surprised him. Jake expected lots of tears from those magnificent amethyst eyes. Along with a healthy dose of denial and persuasive words attempting to get him to release her.

Dallas whined and nudged the fry container from Bree’s lap so she could drop her head there. A moment later Bree buried her face in the pup’s fur and he heard a few long intakes of breath as she slowed the tears to a stop.

“I probably shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that,” he admitted, but gauging her reaction had seemed important. Not so much now.

She wiped both her eyes with the edge of her coat sleeve. “Oh, my gosh, stop being so nice to me and let’s just get this done. Haul me to jail so I can tell them everything.”

Another unusual reaction.

“Why don’t we just start with your real name?”

“It’s Bree.”

“Do you know who’s after you?”

“Can’t we just go to the police station, Detective? I don’t think the man who killed Brenda Ellen is going to give up as easily as the rest of the police.”

“
You’re with me now and only ten minutes away from a holding cell. I think you’re safe enough.” Jake put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. “I’ve got a hunch you’re running from someone. I can help, Bree.”

“I know you think you can, Detective. But I seriously doubt you will. I don’t think anyone will believe me.”

Something twisted in Jake’s gut. How many times had he said those words to himself? Why bother explaining what had happened when no one was going to believe him. He’d been convicted without a trial by his family, but he hadn’t put up a defense, either.

“Why don’t you try me?”

Bree’s eyes came to life when they met his in the mirror. He could see the indecision and decided to listen. He turned off the main road and pulled into another parking lot north of the boat ramps, facing the water that was calm after the snowfall the night before.

“I don’t know how to start.”

“I’d say the beginning. We might need to go for the short version and who’s trying to kill you.”

She shook her head. “That’s just it. I don’t know who. They tried to kill me in Amarillo and instead I took something they want back.”

“Drugs?”

“No. At least I don’t think it’s about drugs. I grabbed a list of names and money.”

“Where is it now?”

“You see, they were trying to frame me for embezzlement. I don’t know how or why except that the man who ordered my death said there was no choice, that it was a direct order from the higher-ups. I grabbed the briefcase and ran.”

Still keeping him at arm’s length. He knew she’d deliberately not told him everything. He could hear the hesitation in her voice and recognized the deliberate selection of her words.

“How long ago was this?”

“Six very long months.” She sighed and looked out the window.

“And how come they haven’t found you before now? And why now?”

“I’ve been working as a house and pet sitter. Personal recommendations and referrals, so I don’t actually work for a company.”

“Off the grid. So how did they find you?”

“I’ve been trying to find the ‘higher-ups’ and have spent a lot of time searching on Brenda Ellen’s computer.”

Tears again. He was glad there was a seat between them. If there hadn’t been, he’d probably have an arm around her shoulders or he’d be patting her back, attempting to comfort. He could relate. He’d been there. Responsible. Blaming himself. Wondering what he could have done differently.

“I never intended for anyone else to get caught up in this mess. I can’t believe she’s gone.”

“Thing is, it
did
happen and the actions can’t be changed. But you can help catch the man who strangled the life from Brenda Ellen Richardson.”

“How? By going to jail? Who’ll clear my name then?”

“You need to tell us everything, Bree. How can I help when you won’t even trust me with your name?” He wanted to crack this case wide open. He couldn’t deny the anticipation of that happening and could really get into rubbing it in his partner’s face. At least for a minute or two.

Through the back window, a truck slowed and reversed. On a busy day at the lake, it might have been an innocent enough action. In the ice and snow, when the streets were basically deserted, a warning jump-started his adrenaline. It suddenly turned, speeding down the incline, and headed straight toward them.

“Hold on!” Jake threw the car into Reverse, trying to get out of the way.

Too late. The car’s tires spun, barely moving them while the truck grew into the size of a monster vehicle in his side mirrors. He braced himself for the collision.

The impact slammed them forward and the truck didn’t stop. Jake kept his foot on the brake, turned the wheel, pulled the emergency brake. Nothing stopped them.

“We’re going into the water. Unlock the doors!”

Bree was right. The truck had the power and traction to ram them a second time, jolting them forward. There was nothing between them and the water. He pushed the button, lowering the front windows.

Dallas barked. Bree yelled. Jake released his seat belt and pulled his weapon and cell. He tossed the phone in the back. “Call 911.”

Five more feet and they’d be in the lake. He released the wheel and got a firm grip on his Beretta. He turned, fired at the truck, connected. The car tipped into the water and he no longer had a shot.

“They’re going to kill us.”

“Stay calm. The safest place for you is here. The car’s not going any farther.”

“You don’t know that. Get me out of here.”

“Trust me, Bree. Stay here. I’ll be back. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” He tugged his heavy overcoat off. It would weigh him down in the water.

“You can’t—”

Jake didn’t hear the end of her sentence. The front seat was filling quickly and he had to secure the area before he got Bree out of the car. He launched himself through the passenger window and heard the gunfire before kicking hard and away from the car.

He surfaced and fired two rounds. The truck backed away. It didn’t make sense. They had the weapons to kill them. Could have rammed the car underwater completely. They were gone in seconds. No license tags to memorize and they’d probably ditch the truck a few miles away. He looked back to the car. Bree was in the front seat, calling to Dallas to come to her.

The frightened pup had crawled to the back window and wouldn’t budge.

“Get to shore, Bree. Come on.” He stuck his hands through the window and gently tugged on her arm.

“Oh, my gosh. She’s scared to death and won’t come to me.” She locked eyes with him. Pleading.

“I won’t leave the pup.”

Bree put her cuffed hands in his and he pulled her through the window while the car shifted, sinking a bit deeper into the lake. He steadied her slim figure on the slick rocks until she could stand on her own.

He shook his head, all the while knowing he had to get the traumatized puppy. He holstered his weapon. “They might come back, so stay close to the car. I don’t think it’s moving again.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll probably have to carry her.”

The doors were still locked, keys in the ignition. He tried the lock button, electrical was gone. “Dallas, come on, pup.” He tried coaxing her with kissy sounds, but like this morning at the body of Mrs. Richardson, nothing worked.

“She’s blind on her right side, Detective. I don’t think she can even see you.”

That might partially be the reason, but most likely, the animal was just scared. As scared as the woman climbing up the grassy shore? “I told you to stay put, Bree. You keep moving and I’m coming after you instead of the dog.”

“I’ll be freezing in the snow instead of freezing in the water. Trust me, Detective, I have nowhere to go.” She raised her cuffed wrists to him, emphasizing her captive status.

Restraints hadn’t dissuaded some of the men he’d captured before. He hoped she spoke the truth because, for the life of him, he couldn’t abandon the dog. He held his breath and climbed back inside the vehicle. This was the first time he’d been grateful to be issued a huge tank of a car, instead of a newer economy size.

Jake shrugged out of his suit jacket and took a couple of deep breaths to prepare for the icy submersion. He maneuvered his long body into the backseat almost as soon as his feet crossed through the window. He broke the water’s surface, grabbed Dallas and then lost her when her body hit the ice water. He spun in the water to get out and caught movement on the driver’s side of the car. The men who had run them into the lake were approaching through the bushes.

“Look out!” He slammed his hand against the roof, scaring the circling pup trying to get back to the dry rear window.

He pushed the dog under the water and she popped up outside the car. He followed as fast as his legs could push him through, hearing Bree’s screams under the water. When he came up for air, she was still yelling at the man who carried her across his shoulder up the small hill to the road.

“Watch out!” she screamed.

He turned away from Bree’s abductor and straight into something slamming into his ribs. He’d been a second too late all day, but not anymore.

The rocks were slippery under him, but he scrambled to get through the frozen reeds to the shore. He caught the piece of wood when his attacker tried to ram it in his gut. He shoved back, sending the man slipping backward on the ice.

Jake followed and got an uppercut under the man’s chin. A left. Another right. The man stumbled back with each hit. Jake tugged the mask at the top of his head, showing a chin that could barely grow hair. The kid couldn’t be more than twenty years old. He still held the branch in one hand while he yanked the ski mask back into place. Jake recognized the crazy, wide-eyed, out-of-his-element look.

The kid blinked, panted hard and dropped the branch.
He’s going to run.
Jake was ready to dive and knock the young man to the ground, but the kid pulled a gun. He began firing—wildly. Jake heard a bullet connect with metal, and one ricocheted off a rock. And the third...

Bright shards of light exploded, obscuring his view of anything else and sending him to his knees. He hit the water, plunging face-first into the icy lake. He fought to stay aware. Bree’s “no” echoed between his ears along with the thumping of his heart. There was a sharp shove against his ear. Was the floating a sensation or was he really on top of the water?

Shot. Conscious but unable to react. Was this it? Had he survived six years in a war zone to come home and drown in two feet of water?

Hell, no.