by Laura Scott
Deep down, she knew they hadn’t intentionally neglected Lucy. Despite Alex’s being two years her senior, he was immature and irresponsible.
“Willow?”
Nate’s deep voice startled her. “Yes?”
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure.” She peeked at the pizza through the glass oven door before hurrying to her master bedroom. “What is it?”
He gestured to a small slip of paper lying on the floor tucked beneath the open closet door. “That appears to be a cash receipt for gas. Is it yours?”
“Gas?” She dropped to her knees to see the receipt more clearly. “No.” She glanced up at him. “I don’t own a car. Why would I buy gas?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He pulled an evidence bag from the pocket of his uniform and used the plastic bag to cover his fingers as he carefully picked the receipt off the floor. The gas had been paid for with cash, and the identifying number across the top was smudged, but he thought Eden might be able to find the station. Maybe they’d discover there were cameras nearby.
Then he had another idea. After he had the slip of paper tucked inside the evidence bag, he called Murphy over and opened the bag for the K-9. “Seek, Murphy.”
The yellow Lab buried his nose in the evidence bag, sniffing for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time.
“Seek,” Nate repeated in a commanding tone.
Murphy put his snout to the floor and sniffed, breaking into a lope as he tracked the scent across the hardwood floor of her bedroom, through the doorway into the open-concept kitchen and living area. Then the dog headed for the door.
“Wait. Are you leaving us here alone?” She couldn’t hide the underlying panic in her tone.
“No. Heel, Murphy.” He paused and used his radio to call the two officers. “I need one or both of you to return to the apartment.”
“Ten-four. We’re on our way. The video isn’t helpful anyway.”
Once again, she tried to tell herself that the two cops were just as capable of protecting her and Lucy as Nate and Murphy.
But when they arrived and Nate took off with Murphy, she couldn’t help feeling starkly alone.
* * *
Pumped with adrenaline at finally having a solid clue, Nate followed Murphy as the dog tracked the scent of the intruder down the hall toward the elevator. His partner made several twists and turns, but then pressed his nose against the narrow crack between the floor and the closed elevator doors.
Murphy stayed there for a long moment, then made a circle in front of the elevator, returning to the closed doors for the second time. He sat, then gazed up at Nate with what he perceived as an imploring gaze.
“It’s okay, boy. We’re going to get him.” Nate quickly clipped Murphy’s leash to his collar, then pushed the button to summon the elevators. The one on the right opened first, and he held the door open. “Seek, Murphy.”
The dog put his nose to the ground and took his time, but never alerted. Nate squelched a flash of concern. He decided since there were only two elevators, he’d head down to the lobby to see if Murphy could pick up the scent there.
Once they were in the lobby, it took another several minutes of sniffing and searching for Murphy to pick up the scent, near the second elevator. “Good boy,” he praised, giving Murphy a good rub. “Seek!”
His partner gamely went back to work, sniffing and alerting again near the doorway heading outside. Nate knew that once they were out in the elements the scent may be more difficult to track. About a year and a half ago, the NYC K-9 Command Unit in Queens had been gifted a Labrador retriever named Stella from the Czech Republic. Stella had delivered eight puppies shortly upon her arrival to the US. Stella currently worked as a bomb-sniffing dog, and several of her puppies had turned into equally talented K-9 cops. Murphy was one of Stella’s pups, earning a reputation for being one of the best trackers their Brooklyn unit had working for them. Still, there were a lot of people walking around, moving up and down the sidewalks, back and forth from subways and other buildings. Murphy was good, but it wouldn’t be easy to pick out one specific scent against all others.
“Heel.” He waited for Murphy to sit at his side before offering the evidence bag again. This time, he pulled out the orange ball he carried with him. Like most of their K-9s, Murphy was trained with a reward system that involved playing. Murphy’s tail wagged with excitement when he saw the ball, and he quickly sniffed at the evidence bag, eager to get to work.
“Seek, Murphy.” Nate slipped the ball back into his pocket.
Murphy put his nose to the ground, going back and forth as he searched for the scent. Nate stayed close, keeping the leash short so that they wouldn’t trip any of the pedestrians passing by.
Murphy picked up the scent a few minutes later, alerting near the corner of the apartment building. Nate could imagine the guy pausing there for a moment, sweeping his gaze over the area to see if anyone noticed him.
“Good boy,” he praised again. “Seek.”
Murphy put his nose back to the sidewalk and took off in an eastern direction, which made sense as Bay Ridge overlooked the upper and lower bays of the Atlantic Ocean and connected to Staten Island via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to the west.
Murphy took a winding path as he tracked the perp’s scent. His K-9 paused at the intersection, then alerted again, staring north.
When the light changed, they crossed the street and Murphy picked up the scent once again. As they approached the entrance to the subway, Nate’s hopes deflated. If the perp had taken one of the trains, they’d never find him. Sure, there were cameras, but he didn’t have a clue who they were looking for or even a time frame of the vandalism.
Thankfully, Murphy alerted at the next intersection, too. Trying to quell the sense of excitement, Nate glanced around, taking note of their surroundings. There was a single long building housing a few shops and small restaurants with apartments located up above.
Was Murphy still on point? He trusted his K-9, but the streets were busy, and he knew the endless multitude of scents, from people, food and the ocean, could be confusing.
His stomach rumbled with hunger as he caught a whiff of hamburger grease, followed closely by the scent of hot dogs. He and Murphy crossed the street, and soon his partner once again alerted, indicating he’d picked up the scent.
“Good boy!” Nate knew he’d have to throw the ball for a long time once they were finished. The K-9 deserved a nice reward.
His partner alerted again, and then kept going, making Nate break into a jog to keep up. For whatever reason, it seemed the scent Murphy was following was stronger here. They turned right at the next corner, then Murphy abruptly came to a halt right outside the door to a small restaurant. The animal stared straight ahead as if he could see through the glass door to the inside where his potential quarry may be hiding in wait.
Nate took a step back to get a better look at the building. The sign above the door was done in bright red against a white background.
The Burgerteria.
In smaller letters beneath were the words Gourmet Burgers Served Daily.
Unfortunately, the place was closed for the day. Peering at the sign, it appeared the burger place closed early on Sundays, at 5:00 p.m. rather than the usual 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Murphy continued sitting and staring at the door, his nostrils quivering. Nate stepped up beside him and cupped his hands around his face so he could see inside without the glare from the light.
The place was empty and amazingly clean. There were several small square tables surrounded by four chairs as well as a long counter against the farthest wall.
He tried to imagine why the perp had come here so soon after ransacking Willow’s apartment. Simply because he was hungry?
No, more likely because he was meeting someone. Ma
ybe the perp had been paid to do the job by someone else. Nate couldn’t imagine why the same person who’d searched Willow’s apartment would want her brother and sister-in-law dead. Murder was a far cry from simple burglary.
Other than the timing, there was nothing else to indicate the two crimes were related. Especially considering the Emery murders had followed the same MO as the twenty-year-old McGregor murders, which he knew had hung like a black cloud over Bradley and Penny McGregor.
His gut told him these two events couldn’t possibly be connected. As he was about to turn away, he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye.
Someone was still inside!
FOUR
“Hey!” Nate rapped on the door, trying to get the guy’s attention. “Police!”
Nothing.
“Open up! I want to talk to you!”
Still nothing. Peering through the window, Nate couldn’t see the person inside any longer. Had he gone out the back?
“Come, Murphy.” Nate whirled away from the glass door and quickly walked along the sidewalk, looking for the quickest way to get to the back of the long building.
When he found a narrow walkway between the one structure and the next, he didn’t hesitate to enter. There was just enough room for Murphy to walk alongside him. As they approached the back of the building, he slowed, straining to listen.
He didn’t hear anything above the routine traffic, subway train and pedestrian noise.
Murphy stood beside him, nose in the air as if still seeking the scent from the gas receipt. His partner didn’t alert, so Nate crept around the corner, keeping his back pressed against the wall.
The alley was long, stretching the entire length of the building. Several dumpsters were stationed at intervals along the way. He moved from dumpster to dumpster, wrinkling his nose at the pungent scent, searching for signs of someone hiding out.
He found what appeared to be the back door to the Burgerteria, but it was locked. He looked down at Murphy. “What do you think?”
The K-9 gazed up at him, waiting for the next command.
Nate offered the evidence bag to Murphy. “Seek.”
Murphy eagerly sniffed the inside of the bag, then went to work along the alley. Nate kept one eye on Murphy, the other sweeping the area for any sign of danger.
Murphy scouted the area for several long minutes, but never alerted. Fifteen minutes later, Nate called him off.
“Heel, Murphy. Good boy.” He rubbed the Lab’s sleek coat, smiling as Murphy wiggled with joy and reminded himself he needed to take time to throw the K-9’s orange ball.
“Come.” He shortened Murphy’s leash and returned through the narrow walkway to the street where the dog had last alerted on the intruder’s scent. The Burgerteria was the only clue he had so far, other than the gas receipt itself, and he didn’t like the fact that so far, both had led to a dead end. Maybe Eden could get more info from the receipt.
He headed back toward Willow’s apartment building, wondering again if the perp had gone to the restaurant for a meal or to meet someone?
And if it was the latter, why? What could they have possibly been looking for inside Willow’s apartment?
Nate always liked a puzzle, but this one bothered him more than most. Maybe because Willow was a beautiful woman alone caring for her young niece.
Before he reached Willow’s apartment building, his phone rang. “Hey, Gavin, what’s up?”
“Emergency staff meeting. Can you get here ASAP?”
He thought about the cops he had watching over Willow and Lucy. “Yeah, sure. I’m only a few minutes away.”
The Brooklyn K-9 Unit headquarters was housed in a three-story limestone building that was a former police precinct until the unit merged with another precinct. Their new K-9 unit gladly took the abandoned space, making it their new home. A K-9 center with an outdoor training yard was located right next door, perfectly fitting in with room to grow.
Nate and Murphy made it to headquarters in record time. After entering the building, he nodded at Penelope McGregor, their desk clerk. Tall and slender with long red hair and dark brown eyes, Penny was only twenty-four, and the entire unit was protective of her. No one as much as her brother, Detective Bradley McGregor. “Hey, Penny, how are you holding up?”
She shrugged and grimaced. “It’s been horrible. I’m still reeling from this latest murder. Sarge asked me to attend the staff meeting with the rest of you.”
“Good.” Nate waved his hand toward the hallway. “Let’s go.”
He placed Murphy in one of the kennels kept in the precinct for just this reason, then followed Penny into the large conference room. The rest of the team was already assembled. The four female K-9 officers—Lani Jameson, who’d transferred from the NYC K-9 Command Unit after Gavin’s promotion, Belle Montera, Vivienne Armstrong and their newest rookie, Noelle Orton—were seated in a cluster, leaving the guys, Ray Morrow, Jackson Davison, Tyler Walker, Maxwell Santelli, Henry Roarke and Bradley McGregor, to fill in the other seats. Nate slid in next to Henry, while Penny took a seat beside her brother.
“Thanks for coming together late in the day on short notice.” Gavin Sutherland swept a serious gaze over his team. “As you may have heard, a married couple in East Flatbush, Alex and Debra Emery, were murdered earlier today. Thankfully, their three-year-old daughter, Lucy, a witness, was spared.”
“Just like me,” Penny whispered.
Gavin nodded. “Yes. The MO of the Emery murders is far too similar to your parents’ case.”
“The murderer, wearing a clown face with blue hair on top, entered the front yard, gave a stuffed monkey to Lucy, then shot both the Emerys in the back.” Nate glanced at his colleagues. “Every detail the same as the McGregor murders twenty years ago, down to the exact same date.”
“We’ve always known my parents’ murderer is still out there, but why would he strike again now, after all these years?” Brad asked.
“We have to keep an open mind,” Gavin cautioned. “But it’s possible the perp was locked up at some point, for some other crime, and recently got out. Once the forensic specialist gets through the evidence, we may have more to go on.” Gavin looked at his whole team. “I need all of you to work together on this. To back each other up in every way possible.”
“We will.” Nate infused confidence in his tone, and several of the other team members nodded their heads in agreement.
“Any news on Liberty?” Noelle Orton was paired with the beautiful yellow Lab, who they recently learned had a ten grand price placed on her head from a high-ranking gun runner. Liberty had foiled two military weapon smuggling operations in the past two months, so the kingpin wanted her and her skills out of the police business. The talented Lab was costing the gun runners way too much. Unfortunately, the dark smudge on Liberty’s left ear made her far too easy to spot, so Gavin asked them all to be vigilant about watching for any strike against the K-9.
“No, unfortunately Liberty remains a target with a bounty on her head,” Gavin said grimly. “You and Liberty need to continue keeping a low profile.”
“Yes, sir.” Noelle tried to hide her dejection, but everyone knew the rookie couldn’t very well prove herself if she and her K-9 partner weren’t allowed to work big cases.
Nate subtly glanced at his watch. Willow would be wondering where he was if they didn’t finish up soon.
As if on cue, Gavin waved a hand. “That’s all I have for now. Just be careful out there, okay?”
A chorus of “We will” echoed from the team members around the room.
Normally Nate would have lingered to chat with the rest of the team, heading over to the 646 Diner where they often went for a quick meal after work. But he needed to get back to Willow and Lucy, so he released Murphy from his kennel and left.
As he entered Willow’s apartment building, he though
t about Gavin’s staff meeting and what he’d seen at the Burgerteria. He made a silent promise to get to the bottom of what was going on with Willow, even while continuing to investigate the Emery murders and the obvious link to the twenty-year-old McGregor case.
* * *
Willow tried to ignore her discomfort with the two uniformed officers standing outside her broken apartment door as she watched Lucy eat.
Voices from the hallway caught her attention.
“Thanks for staying.” Nate’s deep tone rippled through her, instantly relaxing her tense muscles. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Call if you need anything. We’ll be on duty until eleven.”
“I will.”
Turning toward the doorway, she met Nate’s gaze. “Well? You were gone for a long time. Did you and Murphy find anything?”
“Maybe.” He entered the apartment, two silver dog dishes tucked under one arm and a container of kibble in hand. He closed the door behind Murphy, even though it didn’t latch because the handle was broken. The yellow Lab took a seat in the center of her small kitchen, waiting as Nate filled one of the bowls with water, the other with dog food.
Murphy lapped up the water, then began to eat.
Nate watched his partner for a few minutes before turning toward her. “Murphy followed the scent from here all the way to the Burgerteria restaurant. Could be a simple coincidence, but my gut tells me the person who did this—” he waved a hand to indicate the mostly cleaned-up apartment “—was meeting someone there.”
“The Burgerteria?” She drew her gaze from Murphy, grappling with the idea of the vandal going to the restaurant. “That’s where I work as a line cook.”
Nate’s gaze sharpened. “For how long?”
“Three years, since I moved into this apartment.” She thought it was strange that the vandal would go there. “Are you sure Murphy didn’t follow my scent instead of the receipt?”
Nate’s eyes darkened. “I’m positive. He’s one of the best trackers we have.”