by Laura Scott
When he heard movement from upstairs, he headed into the kitchen to make coffee and start breakfast. He knew, deep in his bones, that Eva was the primary person in danger now. Mikey was safe, and he didn’t think there’d be another attempt on the child, not when they’d been able to find him so quickly. Yet Finn understood that until the missing package was recovered and the stinky guy with a twang had been captured, they had to be extremely careful.
“Good morning.” Eva’s husky voice had him turning toward the doorway. His breath caught in his chest at how beautiful she was, even after just waking up and without a bit of makeup. Her natural beauty needed no enhancements. The kiss they’d shared flashed into his mind, and he wished he had the right to greet her with a kiss.
She’d drawn a line in the sand last night, one he couldn’t bring himself to cross.
“Morning.” Had that croaky voice come from him? He cleared his throat, noticing Mikey scampering over to pet Abernathy, and tried again. “I’m making pancakes for breakfast if you’re hungry.”
“I’m very hungry,” Mikey said. The little boy gave Abernathy one last pat, then turned toward Finn, raising his arms in a way that silently indicated he wanted to be lifted up.
Finn obliged him by hauling the boy into his arms. The child wrapped his arms around his neck, resting his head on Finn’s shoulder.
“I miss my daddy.”
Finn’s gaze clashed with Eva’s, catching the hint of tears shimmering in her eyes. “I know, buddy. He’ll be home soon.” He rubbed the boy’s back reassuringly before setting Mikey into his booster seat.
“Thanks for making breakfast.” Eva brushed past him, and her citrusy scent made him forget what he was about to say.
“Uh...” He glanced around the kitchen, then remembered. “Oh, I have fresh coffee here if you’re interested.”
“I’d love some.” She looked tired, and he wondered if Mikey had suffered more nightmares during the night. He hadn’t heard crying but knew that didn’t mean the child hadn’t woken her up.
He poured a mug of coffee and pulled milk out of the fridge for her, too, knowing she preferred it that way. Turning back to the stove, he flipped the pancakes and then glanced at her.
“You’re staying here with Mikey today.”
She nodded. “With police guarding the house, right?”
“Yes. Any idea when Pete is getting in?”
“Not sure. He was hoping to get the first flight out of Atlanta.”
After watching the pancakes for another minute, he flipped them off the griddle and onto a plate. He set them on the table, then chose a seat between Mikey and Eva. “Let’s pray.”
“Pray?” Mikey echoed with confusion.
Finn took the boy’s hand and then held out his other hand toward Eva. She placed her small palm in his. “Yes, we need to pray before we eat.”
“But I’m hungry,” Mikey insisted.
“This will only take a minute.” Finn bent his head. “Dear Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We also thank You for keeping Mikey safe in Your care and for providing us the strength to find him. We ask that You continue to guide us on Your chosen path. Amen.”
“Amen,” Eva said, her voice clear and firm.
Finn glanced at Mikey. “You need to say ‘Amen,’ too,” he encouraged.
“Amen,” Mikey repeated. “Now can I eat?”
Finn chuckled and released the boy’s hand. “Yes, now you can eat.” He glanced at Eva and winked before releasing her hand.
She blushed. He found himself hoping that meant she was remembering their kiss and that soon the line she’d drawn would be wiped away. She avoided his gaze, taking a deep sip of her coffee.
Pulling himself together, he helped cut up Mikey’s pancakes and added a nice dollop of maple syrup. “I have to report in to work,” he told her. “There will be two officers in a squad car parked out front, keeping an eye on the place while I’m gone. I’ll head back here as soon as possible.”
“I appreciate that.” She helped herself to a pancake. “Hmm. This is delicious.”
“See? Told you I could cook,” he teased.
She blushed again, and his heart squeezed in his chest. This wasn’t good. He was getting far too emotionally attached to Eva. He forced himself to remember how his own mother couldn’t handle being a cop’s wife. How he’d been determined not to make the same mistake his father had.
He finished his breakfast quickly, then rose to carry his empty plate to the sink. “I’m sorry to leave you with the dishes, but I have to go.”
“It’s not a problem,” Eva insisted. “I need to clean the place up before Pete gets home anyway.”
Finn hesitated, then nodded. “Come, Abernathy.”
The yellow Lab came instantly to his side. Finn leaned over to rub his silky fur, then clipped on Abernathy’s vest and leash. He tucked the food and water dishes under his arm. “Call if you need something.”
“Okay. Let me know if you find anything.”
“I will.” Finn went over to press a kiss on the top of Mikey’s head. “See you later, buddy. Be good for your aunt Eva.”
“I will.” Mikey grinned, his face sticky with syrup.
The domestic scene was becoming a bit much, so Finn quickly left with Abernathy. It pained him to realize how much he suddenly wanted what he’d told himself he could never have.
A family.
* * *
Eva called Wade to let him know she wouldn’t be at work that day. Her boss was uncharacteristically upset with her decision.
“Eva, with Cocoa missing, it’s even more important that you work with George. He needs to have the basics in place so he’s ready to be fostered.”
“Finn is going to find Cocoa.” She truly believed in Finn and Abernathy. “And it’s only for one more day. Pete should be home later this afternoon.”
“Listen, Eva, I need your full attention on training these pups. I have owners who have paid a lot of money for guide dogs and they’re expecting results.”
“I know, I know.” She didn’t understand why Wade was getting upset over one additional day off. “I’ll be in tomorrow,” she repeated. Without giving Wade time to argue, she disconnected from the line. She understood this was all getting to her boss, but she was under even more stress than he was. Normally he didn’t mind when she adjusted her schedule as needed.
She hoped the guide dog training center wasn’t having financial difficulties. She decided to ask Wade about it tomorrow when she reported in for work.
By late morning, Mikey was getting bored. “I wanna go to preschool,” he whined. “I miss my friends.”
“Not today,” she said, glancing at her watch. How she’d keep Mikey occupied indoors for the rest of the day was beyond her. The rain from yesterday had moved on, leaving bright sunlight behind. “Tell you what? I’ll see if Officer Finn will take us to get your Father’s Day finger painting framed when he’s finished with work. How does that sound?”
The boy nodded eagerly. “Okay.”
Before she could call Finn, her phone rang. She answered immediately when she noticed Pete’s name on the screen. “Hi. Are you on your way home?”
“Just getting on a flight in the next thirty minutes,” her brother-in-law responded. “The earlier flight was overbooked, so I had to wait until this one that’s scheduled to go out at noon. The storm messed up a lot of flights, so I’m stuck with a layover in Chicago. I probably won’t get in until well after dinnertime.” There was a pause, then Pete asked, “How is Mikey?”
“He’s fine. Truly. I kept him home from preschool and we have a cop stationed outside. We’re safe, don’t worry. Do you want to talk to him?”
“Yeah.” Pete sounded choked up, and she could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to be in stuck in Atlanta while knowing his son
had been kidnapped.
“Mikey, say hi to your daddy.” She turned the phone so that the little boy could see his father’s face.
“Hi, Daddy!” Mikey waved at his father. “Are you coming home soon?”
“Yes, Mikey. Very soon. I’ll be there before you go to bed tonight.”
“I have a surprise for you,” Mikey said eagerly.
“Don’t tell him,” Eva cautioned. “Remember? It’s a secret for Father’s Day.”
“I can’t wait to see your surprise, Mikey.” Pete’s voice grew husky. “I love you and will see you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Daddy!” Mikey waved again, and this time Eva could see Pete’s eyes were moist.
“Bye, son. I’ll call you when I land, Eva,” Pete added.
“I’ll talk to you then.” She disconnected from the call, knowing that once Pete returned she’d have to go back to her place. After the rock incident, she’d convinced her friends to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights.
She could stay at a hotel, too, but didn’t like being in a strange place overnight. Her night vision wasn’t great, and she always ended up walking into furniture in the dark. She preferred being at home, among her own things and where she was familiar with the layout of each and every room.
Something to worry about later. She called Finn, but he didn’t answer. She left a quick message related to Mikey’s request to get his painting framed, then chastised herself for bothering Finn while he was at work.
This attachment she’d formed with Finn couldn’t go anywhere. She knew it. He knew it. They might be attracted to each other, but that didn’t mean they needed to do anything about it.
Once they’d arrested the stinky guy with the Southern twang and got Cocoa back, she wouldn’t be seeing Finn any longer.
And that was exactly the way it should be.
* * *
Finn spent the morning getting caught up. He focused on writing up his report of Mikey’s kidnapping and subsequent rescue, a task that took longer than he’d anticipated. When he finished with that, he followed up on the other outstanding issues. The news related to the paper-covered rock that had sailed through Eva’s window wasn’t good. No fingerprints, nothing unusual about the paper or the color printer the photo had been printed from.
In other words, a dead end.
The lab didn’t have any DNA results back yet but was still checking the two cocaine samples to see if they were similar. Cocaine was often cut by other substances to dilute the drug, enabling the dealer to make more money. If the chemical composition of the two samples was exactly the same, it was likely they’d both come from the same batch. What that meant wasn’t clear, but he intended to cover every possible angle.
“Noah, I’m heading over to interview Roger Talmadge, aka Roach.” He glanced at Noah Jameson, who had recently been named the interim chief, filling his brother Jordan’s role in the wake of his murder, which had been staged to look like a suicide. Finn and the rest of the close-knit K-9 team did not for one minute believe their former chief killed himself. It bothered Finn that he hadn’t been able to get much done on Jordan’s case, and he made a silent promise to work on it later that afternoon. Once he’d got whatever information he could squeeze out of Roach.
“Don’t bother,” Zach Jameson said, walking toward him. “His lawyer has been delayed in court, so he’s still not talking.”
Finn let out an exasperated breath. “Great. Now what?”
“Now we wait.” Zach shrugged.
“Not happening.” Finn dragged his hands through his hair. “I’m going over the list of known associates again. One of them has to be the stinky guy with the Southern twang.”
“The stinky guy with the Southern twang?” Zach raised a brow.
“That’s how Eva describes him.” He abruptly remembered what Eva had mentioned last night. “Stinky with sweat, right? Maybe they originally met at the gym Malina used to go to. The Fitness Club.” He could barely contain his excitement. He’d planned on checking out the gym for the package anyway, but the idea that the stinky guy might have used the place as well only cemented the connection. “Come, Abernathy.”
“You need backup?” Zach asked.
He was about to refuse, then realized that Eddie’s drug-sniffing nose might come in handy. “Yeah, in fact, I think we need to check the place out, see if we can find any hint of drugs there.”
“We should get a search warrant,” Zach pointed out.
Finn hesitated, then nodded. “You’re right. I’ll write up the paper on that while you find a judge who will grant it.”
Writing up the request and finding a judge to sign off took another hour, and then they had exactly what they needed to access Malina’s locker—if she had one—at The Fitness Club.
They took separate cars because the K-9s needed to be safely transported in their own spaces. When they arrived at The Fitness Club, Finn and Zach led their respective dogs inside. Their agreement was that Finn would take the lead on asking questions and providing the warrant while Eddie searched the main area for the scent of drugs.
“I’m K-9 Officer Finn Gallagher and this is my search-and-rescue partner, Abernathy. I’d like to know if Malina Stallings had a membership here?”
“Uh, do you have a warrant?” The woman behind the desk had a name tag that identified her as Yasmine.
“Yes.” He handed her the paperwork.
“I need to call my boss,” Yasmine said. “This is above my pay grade.”
“No need to call your boss. Just tell us if Malina had a locker here. She died in a car crash that was deemed accidental, but I’m formally requesting to reopen the case. I believe she was murdered. If there’s no locker, then there’s nothing for us to search, right?”
“Oh, she’s the victim of a crime?” Yasmin’s expression softened. “That’s horrible. Let’s see what I have on file.” She tapped a few keys and then glanced up. “Yes, Malina Stallings has a membership here.”
“A current one?” Finn tried to keep the surprise out of his tone.
“Yes. Her membership is paid through June. She prepaid for six months.”
That was interesting and made him doubt Pete’s claims of innocence once again. “And what about a locker?”
“Yes, she paid for that, as well. Locker number twenty-six.” Yasmine glanced between Finn and Zach. “But it’s in the ladies’ locker room, and I think it would be best if I called my boss before I let you search the locker.”
“This warrant gives us permission, regardless of your boss says,” Finn pointed out. “You can either help us out, or we’ll just go back there on our own. Your choice.”
Yasmine looked indecisive for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay. I’ll get the master key and make sure the locker room is empty so you can go in.”
“Thanks for your cooperation, Yasmine.” Finn waited until she went to clear the locker room before glancing at Zach. “Eddie pick up anything?”
“Negative.”
“The contents of the locker might be exactly what we’re looking for,” Finn said in a low voice.
“I hope so,” Zach agreed.
“It’s all clear,” Yasmine announced. She held the locker-room door open and handed Finn a key. “I’ll keep everyone out until you’re finished.”
“Thanks.” He and Zach took their respective K-9s inside the women’s locker room. They found locker twenty-six without trouble, and Finn could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he opened the locker door.
But all he found were sweaty clothes, a bag of makeup and other toiletries. No package.
“Hey, what’s this?” Zach put his pinky finger against some white powder clinging to the corner of the locker.
Eddie alerted on the scent and Finn nodded grimly. “We’ll bag that as evidence, too, and compare it to the other samples.”
“Will do.”
The trace of cocaine wasn’t what he’d been hoping for; yet, knowing Malina had kept her gym membership was an interesting tidbit of information.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have any way to link Eva’s stinky guy to the gym. Finn began to despair they’d ever find Cocoa.
Or the man searching so desperately for the missing package.
TWELVE
Eva told herself to stop staring at her phone, waiting for Finn to return her call. He was busy working the case, which was the most important thing right now. Not getting Mikey’s finger painting framed.
When her phone rang, she pounced on it. Disappointment washed over her when she saw Pete’s name on the screen. “Hi, how was your flight?”
“I’m in Chicago, but there’s an engine problem with the plane so we have to wait for a replacement.” Sharp frustration laced his tone. “It’s as if everything is working against me this trip.”
“I’m sorry, Pete, but please know that things here are fine.” She found herself wishing Pete might find some solace in prayer, but she didn’t say anything. She was too new to the idea of praying. “I haven’t let Mikey out of my sight and we still have a squad car sitting in the driveway.”
“Yeah, I know.” Pete sighed heavily. “It’s just that I need to be there, to hold Mikey close. I never should have left him—” He broke off what he was about to say, but Eva could easily fill in the blank.
“With me,” she said.
“That’s not what I meant,” Pete interjected, backpedaling.
“No, it’s okay. I’d probably feel the same way if our situation was reversed. And Mikey was taken right under my nose. I never should have turned my back on him, even for a second.”
“Don’t, Eva, please?” The pent-up frustration left Pete’s tone. “If you blame yourself, then I have to take my share, too. This is all related to Malina stealing some package, which makes me culpable. I should have known something was seriously wrong between us. Should have figured out she might be involved in something criminal. The way she was going through money...” He didn’t finish his thought.