by Laura Scott
Everett’s jaw dropped. “How on earth did she manage that?”
The other man shrugged. “She knows a lot of people around the state, I’m sure she leveraged the grand opening as a potential criminal magnet and demanded to have a police presence on the property.” Will hesitated then added, “Although she did mention she’s running out of favors, so this better be the last one.”
“It’s not our fault the safe houses have been compromised,” Helena protested.
“I know, but the colonel made it clear she’s running out of options,” Will said. “I brought my personal SUV because it sounds like we may be working undercover on this assignment. If we don’t find Helena’s sister before the grand opening, Lorenza wants us to attend as guests.”
“Guests?” Helena echoed with a frown. “I’ll need something to wear.”
That made Everett chuckle. “We all will, Helena. Right now, we couldn’t even pass as cops in these drenched and stained uniforms.”
“True,” Will agreed.
Everett’s phone rang and he quickly answered. “Hey, Trent, what’s your ETA?”
“Thirty minutes,” his buddy responded. “Where should I meet you?”
“The Denali Grand Chalet.” He explained about the suite the leader of the K-9 Unit had arranged for them. “Call me when you get here, and I’ll give you the room number.”
“Okay, that’s a plan.” There was a pause then Trent said, “Bad news on the warrant.”
He momentarily closed his eyes. “The judge shot it down.”
“Yep, said it was too broad. If we could narrow it down to one contract company, he’d reconsider.”
“Okay, thanks for trying.” Everett slipped his phone into his pocket, unable to hide his disappointment.
“No warrant?” Helena prompted.
“Nope.” He turned in his seat to glance at her. “We’ll have to find Zoe another way.”
She nodded, although he could see the despair in her eyes.
After running from three safe houses, they were right back where they’d started.
With no leads, other than the Denali Grand Chalet itself, on finding Zoe.
THIRTEEN
Helena knew the warrant had been a long shot, but she was still disappointed.
The only good news? She could use Luna to pick up Zoe’s trail within the hotel. Maybe that would give them a clue as to where her twin was working, as a maid or as a server in the restaurant.
Yet if the grand opening was the ultimate target, time was running out. They needed a break in the case, and soon.
Will parked his black SUV near the main lobby. “I need you to stay here while I secure the room keys.”
“What about the dogs?” Everett asked. “They’re not going to let them inside.”
Will flashed a grin. “We have a suite on the main level, so that we can easily take the dogs outside as needed. They’re well behaved enough that we should be okay.”
“We can always use the fact that we’re state troopers if necessary,” Helena added. “You’d think the owner would be grateful to have a police presence.”
“Not so sure about that.” Everett shrugged. “I’ll defer to your expertise.”
Scout whined when Will left the SUV. Luna and Scout had been sniffing each other nonstop during the short drive, even though they worked together on a regular basis.
“He’ll be back soon,” Helena assured the K-9, leaning over to check on Christine. “Hi, sweetie, looks like you’re awake.”
“She okay?” Everett asked.
“Yes. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem as if she’s been too traumatized by recent events.”
Everett reached up to massage his shoulder, his expression wry. “Probably felt like she was on a giant swing.”
“Thank you, Everett.” Oddly enough, now that they were safe, tears stung Helena’s eyes. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you.”
His sweet, dark brown gaze clung to hers for a long moment and she remembered the warmth of his kiss. “I’m glad to be here, Helena. I have to admit, we make a pretty good team.”
“We do.” A partnership that would end as soon as they busted up the criminal ring and likely arrested Zoe. Her gaze landed back on Christine, who was shaking her plastic key rattle before bringing them to her mouth.
This precious little girl didn’t deserve to be in the center of danger like this.
She looked back up at Everett. “Do you think I should hand the baby over to child protective services?”
He frowned. “Is that what you want?”
“No. Of course not. But we’ve been running from gunmen for several days now, and it’s probably not fair for me keep Christine with me.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Helena, but if Cantwell or his boss wants Christine, don’t you think we’re better prepared to keep her safe?”
Everett had a point. “I guess we’ve managed to do that so far.”
“Look, this is almost over. The grand opening celebration has to be the next target.” His gaze turned thoughtful. “Maybe catching them in the act is a better plan. Although I really wish I knew where they’d hidden the stolen goods.”
Helena thought about the cave they’d found, then instantly dismissed that idea. For one thing, the caves were four-plus hours from Anchorage, which is where most of the crimes had been committed. Would they have really driven the loot out there to hide it? Didn’t seem likely.
And even if they had, why would Gareth Cantwell or his boss risk leaving the stuff in a cave that could easily be inhabited by wild animals? Easy to imagine a wolf or a bear hanging out near the cave entrance, thwarting the bad guy’s ability to grab their stolen goods.
Will returned, holding up a set of four keycards. “We’re all set, although the clerk made a big deal of some movie star backing out at the last minute, which is how we were able to get the place.”
“I’m glad for our sake,” Everett said wryly.
The other man slid behind the wheel and drove to the north side of the building, which was directly opposite from where the employee entrance was located. There was additional parking available and he pulled into an empty space and shut down the SUV.
“We’re in a large two-bedroom suite,” Will said, handing over the keycards. “Our room number is 1004.”
“Got it.” Helena unbuckled Christine’s car seat then pushed open her door so Luna could jump down. Her wrinkled uniform was beyond repair. “We’ll need to check out the gift shop and adjacent boutique, see if we can find something casual and dressy to wear.”
Will nodded. “The colonel said we could charge everything to the room.”
Helena carried Christine’s infant seat, trailed by Luna as she followed Everett to their suite. Her teammate and Scout came to join them.
The suite was spacious enough, and each bedroom had its own bathroom. Both Luna and Scout sniffed around the entire suite, as if to make sure there was no hint of danger.
“You want to head to the boutique first?” Everett asked. “I’ll watch Christine.”
“Sure.” She couldn’t wait to get out of her damp uniform.
“Why don’t you both go?” Will suggested. “I’ll watch the kid.”
Helena eyed him curiously. “What do you know about babies?”
“Not much, but I’m pretty sure I can manage while you pick up new clothes.” He bent over the infant carrier and made a funny face. Christine smiled and reached up as if to grab his nose. “I’m also planning to order pizza from room service, if you’re hungry.”
“We’re famished.” Everett took her arm. “Come on, Helena. She’ll be fine. It’s not like we’ll be gone for long.”
The gift shop items were extremely pricey, far more than she would have paid in Anchorage. But this was the kind of place that ca
tered to the rich, so she swallowed her protest and bought a casual change of clothes along with a few personal items like a hairbrush, toothbrush and other sundries.
Everett did the same, and they added everything to the room tab. The amount was staggering.
“Wow, that’s outrageous,” Helena whispered as they walked down the hall to their suite. “Who are these people staying here, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Everett admitted. “But it’s easy to see why this hotel has become a target.”
Back in the room, she had enough time to shower and change before the pizza arrived. Will loaned them his phone cord so they could each charge their phone batteries. As they ate, they discussed their next steps.
“I can take Luna through the hotel, see if she alerts on Zoe’s scent,” Helena offered.
“That’s a place to start,” Everett agreed. “But we also need to think about how to cover the grand opening.”
Will eyed them both. “You could dress up and blend in as a wealthy couple. That way you’d both be on the inside, while Scout and I can cover the outer perimeter.”
“That’s a good idea, they had fancy clothes in the boutique.” Everett’s cell phone rang. “Trent? We’re in room 1004. A fellow officer,” he said in response to Will’s questioning look.
Helena inwardly groaned. “I despise wearing heels. Why couldn’t we infiltrate the place as servers? That would give us better access to the rest of the staff.”
“Another good idea,” Everett said before taking another slice of pizza.
She heartily preferred the role of being one of the staff members. It was also something that would likely get her closer to Zoe. “And what about Luna? And Christine?”
“Trent can watch Christine,” Everett announced with a grin. “He won’t like being assigned babysitting duty, but he’ll help out as needed.”
“That just leaves Luna.” At the sound of her name, Helena’s K-9 partner came over to sit beside her. She stroked the elkhound’s springy fur. “I could try to keep Luna somewhere close by, maybe as a support animal? Although that would probably bring unwanted attention.”
“We’ll check the layout, see if that’s a possibility,” Will said. “If not, we can leave her in the suite with Trent and the baby.”
She took another bite of her pizza, resigned to buying more clothing at the overpriced boutique.
In her mind, attending the party in any role was a last resort. If she could somehow find Zoe prior to the big event, they’d know exactly who they were searching for.
Information that would enable them to bust the criminal ring wide open.
* * *
Everett knew Helena wasn’t keen on the idea of attending the party as a couple and tried not to take her reluctance personally.
It was his problem that he’d been unable to forget their brief but powerful kiss. Why he’d suddenly become hyperaware of Helena after three years of keeping his focus on being a cop, was beyond reason.
He didn’t like it.
But couldn’t get her out of his mind, either.
Trent arrived and he quickly performed introductions. “Glad to have another set of hands,” Will said with a grin.
“Happy to help,” Trent assured them.
“Even if that means babysitting?” Helena teased.
Trent glanced at the baby. “I have a nephew about that age, so it’s not like I don’t know how, but I’d rather assist in bringing these guys down.”
Everett nodded. “I get that, but you need to know that our current theory is that the baby has somehow become a target. So you can understand that protecting Christine is a big deal for us.”
Trent scowled. “What kind of idiot targets a baby?”
“A bad one,” Everett responded.
After they’d devoured the pizza and Helena had fed and changed Christine, they decided to get some rest. Tomorrow would be a big day, and they needed to be sharp if they were going to catch Cantwell, his boss and Zoe in the act.
For Helena’s sake, he hoped she’d find Zoe before the big party. He wanted to give her twin a chance to come clean, to make a deal to avoid jail time.
Christine needed her mother.
Why did he care so much? The undeniable answer was that it wasn’t just Helena who’d gotten stuck in his mind, the baby had wiggled her way into his rock of a heart. Seeing the baby laugh, gaze around in wonder, or even sleep, made it impossible for him to remain distant.
Having a family of his own wasn’t part of his plan, but he wanted Zoe to have a chance to spend the rest of her life with her daughter.
And with Helena.
Exhaustion pulled him into slumber, a deep sleep that he hadn’t experienced since arriving in Denali. Maybe it was the presence of two more cops backing them up, but when he awoke at seven in the morning, he bolted upright in surprise.
Trent was sleeping in the twin bed on the other side of the room, but he heard voices from the main area of the suite and hurried out to join Helena and Will.
She had taken Christine into her room and was already giving her a bottle. Meanwhile, her teammate was scanning the room service menu, his K-9, Scout, next to him.
“What do you feel like for breakfast?” Will asked. The guy seemed obsessed with food. “Looks like they offer a wide variety.”
“Whatever is easiest,” Everett said with a shrug. He sat beside Helena. “How did she sleep?”
“Great.” She propped Christine up and rubbed her back. “Would you mind taking over for a bit? Will brought in dog food for Luna and Scout, but she needs to go out first.”
“Sure.” He readily took the baby. “Were you serious about having Luna track Zoe’s scent?”
“Yes, we’ll talk that through in a bit.” Helena grabbed Luna’s leash. “Come, Luna.”
Everett grinned when Christine let out a loud burp. “Atta girl,” he praised.
Will laughed. “That was a loud one.” Then his expression turned serious. “I’ve been thinking about the party tonight. From what I can find online, they’re expecting over a hundred guests. That’s not going to be easy to cover with just the three of us.”
“Do you think there are other team members that could get here in time to help out?” Everett gave Christine the rest of the bottle. “I wouldn’t mind additional help, but it sounded like your K-9 team was stretched pretty thin.”
The other man grimaced. “They are, but I’ll check in with the colonel again. This could be our last big chance to get these guys.”
“And to find Helena’s twin sister,” Everett added.
Trent joined them and, when Helena and Luna came back inside, they ordered breakfast.
“I’m going to walk the perimeter of the hotel with Scout this morning,” Will said. “Helena, I understand you and Everett are going to take Luna around, as well.”
“That leaves me with babysitting duty.” Trent looked at Christine. “Although I’d like to walk the building myself at some point, just in case we need to make a quick getaway.”
Everett nodded. “That’s fine, we’ll come back and relieve you in a couple of hours.”
“I can relieve him, too,” Will added. Then he frowned. “Not that I know much about caring for a baby.”
“It’s not hard,” Trent said dryly. He finished his breakfast and set the plate aside. “I don’t care who relieves me, I just want to be able to check the place out before the big event.”
Everett understood where his buddy was coming from. “Call me if you need anything.” He glanced at Helena. “Ready?”
She nodded and then disappeared into the bedroom to fetch the evidence bag containing Zoe’s scarf. Then he noticed she had a second, smaller bag, with a bit of black fabric in it.
They headed out into the hallway and Helena offered the bag to Luna, then gave the command.
&n
bsp; Her K-9 partner trotted down the hall, pausing on occasion to sniff at various hotel room doors, but never for long. The animal moved quickly and soon they were near the lobby.
“Heel,” Helena commanded, bringing Luna to her side. She lowered her voice. “We need to be in the area of the hotel the staff would be in.”
“Let’s go back toward the conference rooms,” he suggested. “That’s probably where they’re holding the party, maybe Luna will find something there.”
They took a different route to that section of the hotel, to give Luna an additional opportunity to pick up Zoe’s scent, but again the animal didn’t alert.
When they reached the grand ballroom, the area had been cordoned off. He could see several workers setting up dozens of round tables, along with three different serving stations.
“What do you think?” he asked in a low voice. “Could Zoe be in there, working?”
“Maybe.” Before he could stop her, Helena unclipped the rope baring their way, and took Luna through. He followed, prepared to be kicked out in short order.
But no one stopped them right away, although they did garner several curious glances.
Still, Luna didn’t alert. They’d made it about halfway through the room, when a tall man sporting a dark glower crossed over to them.
“You can’t be in here,” he snapped. “I need you to leave right now.”
“We were just curious as to the layout here,” Everett said in a meager attempt to give Luna more time to pick up Zoe’s scent. “Quite impressive.”
“Guests are not allowed,” the man repeated. His scowl deepened. “Especially not dogs.”
“This is a working dog,” Helena said. “Notice the K-9 logo on her vest? We’re part of the security team keeping an eye on things tonight.”
The man stiffened. “No one told me about any additional security.”
Everett shrugged. “Talk to your boss, we just do what we’re told.”