Accidental Target

by Theresa Hall

  Miles pulled a neck brace from a backboard. “No, we came here from the station in Stonewater. We didn’t see anything from that direction.”

  Jackson turned to Allison. He didn’t want to leave her until he was sure her life wasn’t in danger. Right now, he couldn’t take that chance. He punched the radio again. “Dispatch, send an officer to wait on me at the ER.”

  Jackson watched as the medics helped her. “I’m going to follow you to the emergency room. Once I know you’re safe, I’ll be heading out to the accident to see what we can find. Another officer will stay with you at the hospital until I get back. I’ll have more questions for you after you see the doctors.”

  “I’m sure you will. I just don’t know if I’ll have the answers you need.”

  He didn’t know if she would, either. Something about her story put him on edge. He doubted someone was a good enough marksman to shoot out her tire in the dark while she was driving away. Could be a fluke, but he wasn’t buying it. He walked to the back of her car and ran a finger across the bullet hole in her trunk.

  He wasn’t sure what to make of her story, but she obviously wasn’t lying about someone trying to kill her.

  TWO

  He wanted to believe her and had no reason not to. But her story seemed odd, even with an obvious bullet hole in her car. He didn’t doubt that it had rattled her, but there was something he couldn’t put a finger on. He normally had a gut feeling about shady stories. Right now, the hair standing on the back of his neck told him he was stepping into something serious. There was more to this than a scared woman running off the road. He’d left her in the emergency room as soon as an officer had arrived. Now he needed to find out what really happened to her.

  Jackson drove up the highway scanning the road to find the overturned truck. His thoughts began to wander as he looked for any signs of an accident. He recalled how Allison Moore looked up at him with fear in her eyes. She didn’t seem like a woman making things up. Something bad had happened, and he intended to find out what.

  His mind screeched to a halt. There it was. An overturned truck rested against a rocky embankment. Its headlights streaked across the highway.

  She wasn’t lying. Jackson parked his cruiser on the side of the road, keeping at a safe distance. Officers should’ve been here by now. He radioed dispatch again. His training told him to wait for backup. If there was a shooter, he could be anywhere right now. But his gut was telling him that whoever was shooting at her from the truck was nowhere in sight. Within minutes, two Stonewater cruisers pulled up behind him.

  Jackson opened his car door and stepped out, careful to keep his eye on the truck. He flipped on his flashlight. Bits of glass cracked under his boots.

  “Where have y’all been?”

  “We’re shorthanded tonight. Weekly and Rappaport went home with the flu. So, what do we have, Archer?”

  “It’s an odd story. A woman busted through Langley’s fence. Her car has a bullet hole in it. She said there was a man in this truck shooting at her. She also thinks there’s a dead body in a blue tarp lying on the ground somewhere.”

  He fanned the light around the truck. Nothing. With caution, he approached. The other two officers went to the opposite side. “Hello?”

  No one answered. “I’m Sergeant Archer with the Stonewater Police Department. I’m here to help you.”

  Jackson bent to shine the light into the cab of the truck. His breath hitched as he stumbled backward. He’d seen more than a few dead bodies during his career, but nothing prepared a cop for the shock of staring one in the face.

  He gave himself a few seconds to steady his nerves before looking back into the truck. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Blond hair. His heart seized and he turned away, sucking in a deep breath. Familiar faces flashed before his eyes. He squeezed them shut and did the same thing he always did when this happened. He waited a few seconds until his heartbeat slowed down to a normal pace, then opened his eyes and acted like nothing was wrong.

  “Oh, man!” Officer Lance O’Neil, a first-year rookie, threw a fist to his mouth and spun around. It was the first DOA the kid had seen. Jackson didn’t admit it out loud, but the years of experience he had on the new cop didn’t make it any easier. Staring at death was hard enough, but seeing a body a few days postmortem was indescribable.

  “I wonder who she is?” The rookie peered back into the truck. “Has she been dead for a few days?”

  Jackson didn’t answer. He scanned the area, then peered back inside the cab of the truck. Something wasn’t adding up with Miss Moore’s story. It was a fact that someone had shot at her. He’d seen the bullet hole in the back of her car. But who was this woman in the truck? If there’d been a man shooting at Miss Moore, then where was he? Had he killed this woman? He reached up and punched the radio pinned on his shoulder. “Nine-seven-six requesting additional backup at the scene on Highway 290. Send Fredricks with the K-9 unit and notify the coroner. We have a DOA.”

  Jackson moved away from the truck and waved the other two officers back into their squad cars. “We need to secure the scene. Don’t walk around too much or we’ll confuse the dog.”

  He didn’t flinch as he leaned against his frozen car door. While waiting for backup, he fanned his flashlight against the ground. A glimmer of something metal caught his eye. The freezing rain had eased up, but a thin coat of ice had already covered the rocks and ground. He grabbed a pen from his pocket and tapped at the shiny circle. It popped loose from the ground, and he realized it was a small silver hoop earring. Maybe it was Allison Moore’s. He left it for the detectives to bag as evidence.

  He had no clue what to think, but he knew it was going to be a long night. Detective Devon Sparks pulled up in a cruiser. It was a relief to see him so soon.

  Jackson and Devon had attended Texas A&M. They’d both pursued degrees in criminal justice. After graduation, they’d attended the police academy together. He loved working with Devon, but they were more than coworkers—they were brothers.

  “What’ve we got here?” Devon asked.

  “The victim is a white female, maybe late twenties or early thirties. There’s a woman up the highway who says this truck came in her lane and flipped when she swerved to miss it. She’s adamant that there was a body in a tarp on the ground. She says it looks like it could’ve been thrown from the truck when it flipped. And she claims a man inside the truck was shooting at her. She blew a tire out trying to get away and crashed into Langley’s fence. She’s at the hospital. I left her to check this out. Something isn’t adding up with her story.”

  “No sign of the man anywhere?”

  “No, none. I found an earring on the ground over there. You’ll need to bag it.”

  The K-9 unit pulled up, and Les Fredricks opened the door. He held a leash to a large German shepherd named Tito.

  “Hey, Fredricks. We’re looking for a male, not sure what he was wearing. The only physical description I could get is he has long hair and a beard.”

  “I’ll let the dog check the vehicle, and we’ll see what we can find.”

  “Deceased female is still inside.”

  “Got it,” Fredricks said. He led Tito toward the truck.

  Jackson turned to Devon. “Looks like you’ll have plenty of help here now. I’m heading to the hospital to question the woman again. I’ll meet you back at the station later. Let me know what you find as soon as you can.”

  “Bring me a pizza on your way back. I was heading home when I got called out.”

  Jackson gave Devon a pat on the shoulder. “Meet you back at the station. I’m not coming back out here. Pepperoni okay?”

  Devon nodded without saying another word. The two of them had an unspoken bond that had grown stronger over the past five years. He didn’t have to tell Devon why he wouldn’t come back to the scene. It was obvious to Devon and probably everyone else on the f
orce. Ever since he’d lost his wife and daughter, he did his best to stay away from vehicle accidents if he could. Most of the department supported him. The greatest amount of backlash had come from the captain.

  Jackson climbed back into his car and exhaled the breath he had been holding. Hope and Natalie had been gone for a long time. Sometimes, it felt like only yesterday. He pulled down his visor and stared at the picture of their faces. Matching blond curls, same blue eyes and sweet smile.

  He flipped the visor back up and headed toward town. He was thankful he had this job to keep him busy, but he despised it for making him remember.

  * * *

  Allison winced as the nurse cleaned her knee. The paramedics had bandaged it, but now it was bleeding again. The gash was too deep to simply cover. To her dismay, the doctor had insisted on stitches. The very thought caused her head to spin and her stomach to flip. She’d always hated hospitals and needles. Now she lay in the emergency room with her hands over her eyes waiting for the inevitable.

  “We’re about to stitch up her knee. Can you wait a few minutes?”

  Relief washed over her. She couldn’t wait to see her sister. “Maddie?” She called out from behind her hands, careful not to uncover her eyes for fear of seeing a needle.

  “Miss Moore?”

  Her heart sank that it wasn’t her sister. She moved her hands from her face and squinted as the light hit her eyes. His short brown hair was damp from melted sleet. He raked his hand through it, leaving it messy.

  “Miss Moore, do you mind if I talk to you again?”

  Allison swallowed and fought to find her voice. His green eyes bore into her.

  “Uh, yeah. I guess I can talk.” The doctor walked in with his suture tray, and her world began to spin. She covered her eyes with her hands again. “No, no, I’m sorry. We can’t talk right now.”

  “I’m going to numb your skin with a topical, Miss Moore. You shouldn’t feel much,” the doctor said. His voice lacked any bedside manner to ease her mind.

  “Here, give me your hand.” The officer reached for her.

  Before she knew what was happening, he’d wrapped his large hand around hers.

  Gentle. Strong. Protective.

  Her eyes flew open.

  “Squeeze my hand if you need to.” He smiled at her, then winked. “Just not too hard.”

  “Excuse me, please. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’d like to begin now. If that’s okay with you, Miss Moore.”

  Allison ignored the cranky doctor’s tone. She stared into the officer’s handsome face and noticed the warmth of his hand around hers. She was more than okay. She felt safe.

  “How about I ask you my questions while you get your stitches? It’ll take your mind off it.”

  She could only nod. His eyes sparkled under the lights as he smiled down at her.

  “Can you tell me again what you saw out there on the road tonight? Please try to give me all the details, even if you think it’s insignificant. It might not be to us.”

  She nodded. “I was driving and watching out for deer. One almost darted in front of me. Suddenly, there were lights coming at me. I swerved to miss them. When I looked back in my rearview mirror, the truck flipped and landed on its side. I called 911 and went back to check on whoever was in the truck. I saw something on the side of the road as I ran to help. I didn’t stop to check it out because I thought someone was injured in the truck. I figured whatever was in the tarp was some cargo from the truck’s bed. The weird thing was that when I walked past it, my instincts told me to look closer. I felt like something wasn’t right about its shape. I felt it, you know, but I can’t explain it.”

  She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand as the pain seared her knee. “Sorry,” she whispered.

  “It’s going to be all right. I know it hurts.” He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. “I’ve had my share of stitches.”

  The pain in her knee vanished as she focused on his touch. All she felt was the tickle of his skin on the back of her hand. She exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

  “When I bent down to look inside the truck, I saw a man. He told me to get out of there...and something else, but I don’t want to repeat the nasty words. That’s when I heard the gun go off. I didn’t even realize what I was hearing at first. It didn’t sound very loud, but I know nothing about guns. The first bullet hit the rocks behind me. I heard the crack. He shot again, and I think that’s when I realized what was happening. I tried to run back to my car but could hardly make it there. I’d slipped on some ice when I first pulled up. That’s how I hurt my knee. I finally got in, turned off the lights and started driving as fast as I could. I think he shot out my tire. I know I’d be dead if he had seen me in the dark. I drove as fast as I could, but my car slid off the road and I wrecked into a fence.”

  “Can you tell me how you know there was a body in the tarp?”

  “Like I told you before, I’m pretty sure I saw a hand sticking out from the blue tarp.” She waited for his reaction.

  He hesitated. “Was it attached or lying on the ground?”

  Her stomach lurched, and she stared at him for a few seconds. “What on earth did you find out there?”

  “Sorry, I need you to be specific. We have detectives on the scene, and they might have more questions for you soon.” He pulled his hand from hers and wrote something down in his notepad.

  “Honestly, I assume it was attached. I didn’t stop to pull the tarp back.”

  “Thank you for cooperating. I know this has been a terrible night for you,” he said.

  He didn’t know the half of it. She focused on the way his eyebrows furrowed as he scribbled in his notepad. She’d almost forgotten all about the doctor stitching up her knee.

  “All done. We’ll get you up to a private room as soon as one is open,” the doctor said.

  “Room? Oh, no. There’s a mistake here. I’m going home. I’m fine.”

  The doctor shook his head. “No, you have a concussion. You need to stay overnight. It’s not clear yet how you’ll be in twenty-four hours. If you have no further symptoms, we’ll release you tomorrow.”

  She covered her face with her hands. “What a horrible night this has turned out to be.”

  Just as the tears threatened to pour, she heard her sister’s voice.

  “Ally!” Her sister ran to her bedside and hugged her.

  “I’m fine. Really. It’s just a bump on the head and a cut on my knee. I’m all patched up now.”

  Maddie turned to the officer. “Thank you for calling me, Mr. Archer.”

  “No problem at all. I’ll leave you two alone now.” He turned and smiled. “I’ll be back to see you first thing in the morning. Hope you like doughnuts.”

  Allison smiled back. “I do.” She watched as he walked from the emergency room.

  Maddie looked at her with a smirk on her lips. “What was that all about? Do you two already know each other?”

  “Not before tonight. But I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot more of him. It’s like he doesn’t believe me or something.”

  “Really? Well, he’s probably just doing his job. He’s a good guy. Lots of baggage, though. He’s been through a lot, but a great man for the right woman.”

  “Well, I’m not her. He was only here on business. Besides, I want to put this horrible night behind me and hold my new niece.”

  Her words sounded nonchalant in her ears, but her body was anything but calm. It wasn’t just the questions he was asking but the way he’d smiled at her and held her hand. All of it was setting off alarms. She could blame it on the concussion, but she knew better.

  “Ms. Moore, we’re ready to take you up to your room now. We’re going to move you onto this other bed on the count of three.”

  Allison let the nurses help her and welcomed the soft pillow to ea
se the pounding in her head. As they moved her bed through the ER toward the elevators, she studied the faces of the people. Patients full of fear and family members full of worry. Most looked away as she passed by. Except for one.

  A man with a long beard sitting alone in the waiting room turned to watch her as she rolled past. His dark eyes bore into hers as if he wanted to see into her soul. His large frame rose from the chair.

  Was he heading straight for her?

  THREE

  “That’s him!”

  She grabbed Maddie’s arm and squeezed it tight. All eyes in the emergency room were on her now.

  “Allison, what is the matter with you?” Maddie whispered between clenched teeth.

  The nursed pushed her bed past the waiting area and eyed her with concern. The man walked to the receptionist’s desk, stopped to ask a question, then headed back to his seat. Allison felt like an idiot. Considering what she’d been through tonight, she didn’t care. “That man back there,” she whispered.

  “Mr. Morales?”

  She didn’t know who Mr. Morales was, but the man in the ER looked similar to the man in the truck. Only without blood on his forehead and stains in his beard. And the tattoos on his neck. Her cheeks grew warm.

  “You know him?”

  Maddie nodded and shot her the same look she’d seen a million times when they were kids. A look that meant for her to stop being dramatic.

  “I’m not overreacting, Maddie,” she hissed.

  “Allison, stop it. Mr. Morales is a sweet man. He looks a bit rough, but he’s nice. He owns the hardware store in town, and his wife owns the bakery on the highway.”

  “Do you know him personally?”

  “Well, no, he’s only an acquaintance, but I’ve met him through his business.”

  “Everything all right?”

  A deep voice sounded from behind her. The slight hint of his Texas drawl was starting to sound familiar to her.