“He just brought that up out of thin air?”
“Yup. Thin air.”
“Shit.” I mumbled it, but from the look he gave me, not quietly enough. “I’ll have to run it by the prosecutor’s office, but it sure would help to hear what they’re up to ahead of time.”
“Think that’d be a right good idea. Did some door-to-door canvassing—”
“Dad! I told you—”
“I was careful, Sarah Anne. Collectin’ for the Blue Otters—”
“Blue Otters?” Win asked. “A sports team?”
Dad grinned. “Reestablishing otters here. Started on the Little Blue River, now we’re workin’ on the Big Blue. Folk know I’m a volunteer. Don’t raise no suspicions. Anyways, finally tracked down Bucky Boone, old snoop worse ’n me.”
“Bucky Boone?” Win said. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Buckminster St. Clair Boone. I didn’t name him, so stop lookin’ at me like that. Sure as the devil it’s hard to deliver a report in this here office.”
“Sorry,” Win said, trying to wipe the grin off her face. “Continue, Deputy.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Bucky is the kinda man who hears all the gossip in the county. The one interestin’ item he heard was that the old Messinger farm been bought an’ turned into a facility for paintball nuts. Also said he don’t think paintball requires explosions or real rifle fire.”
“Explosions? Rifle fire?” I thought I hadn’t heard Dad right.
“Training camp?” Win asked.
Dad looked at Win and nodded. “That’s what I reckon. Bucky did too. Thought it was some dang fool militia playin’ brave.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Win, let Bill know. See if we can get regular satellite images. I’ll call Kay and have her pull the plat map and deed. It’ll be interesting to see who bought the place. Anything else?”
Dad shook his head.
“Good work. I doubt if Bucky would’ve talked to us, even if I’d thought to question him.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Win
We stopped to eat on the way home because we’d left the station late. While I was out with Des, she’d started a fire.
“Isn’t there a TV series called The Walking Dead?” I asked as I sat next to her on the couch with two beers. “’Cause I think you’ve been watching it too much.”
“Very funny,” she said. “I’m so tired I’m afraid to go to bed because I won’t be able to get up in the morning.”
I put an arm around her. Drew her to my shoulder. “At least we made some progress today. Thanks to Micah.”
“Yeah. Thanks to MCIA and Nathan, we’ve got satellite images, safe com links and a bunch of other stuff—and one old man with a gift of gab hands us two solid leads. Go figure.”
“Make you feel like a failure?” I asked.
Sarah stiffened, stayed quiet for a long time. “Yeah.”
“Don’t. You’re the one who sent him out with the assignment because you knew he had the contacts to get answers the rest of your investigators couldn’t. Smart thinking, Sarah.”
“How long can I rely on getting answers because Dad’s out in the field? I should be able to do it myself.”
“Fuck the ‘should.’ Let go of the perfect sheriff image.” I rubbed her shoulder. “The perfect law enforcement officer doesn’t exist. I bet Micah would be the first to tell you that.”
“Dad was pretty damn close when he held the office.”
“As much as I love your dad, I wish he’d never been sheriff. Then you wouldn’t have anything to live up to.”
“That’s not right. He gave me an example to follow.”
“Shit.” I looked her in the eye. “Quit. Before you know it, you’ll expect me to be perfect too.”
“You are.”
I laughed. “Wrong. No matter how hard I tried to be the perfect command officer, I wasn’t. What I learned is, nobody is. The smart officers learned from their mistakes.”
“I’m just so tired, Win.”
I put both arms around her, pulled her head to my chest. “I could say things will look brighter in the morning, but you’d probably hit me. It will, Sarah. You just need some sleep.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“Can I help you get ready for bed?”
“Not if you want me to sleep. I wish we had a Jacuzzi.”
“Me too. But when I was building, I thought it was a luxury item.” I ran my hand through her soft, fine hair. “I love you, Sarah. It tears me up to see you like this. Not be able to wave a magic wand and make the bad stuff go away.”
She raised her sleepy gaze, put a hand on my cheek. “I know that and I can’t tell you how much your support means to me. But I feel like I’ve turned into a whiner and I can’t tell you how much I hate that.”
“Yeah, me too.” I grinned.
Sarah burrowed into my chest. “I’ve been trying to delegate.”
“Delegate the worry. When it gets to be too much, hand it off. To me. To Caleb, to John, to Micah.”
“That’s easier to say than actually do,” Sarah mumbled.
“Emily’s back at work. Go see her. Ask her to teach you some meditation techniques.”
I thought she nodded, but her head was still pressed to me.
“I wish you didn’t have to go to Bloomington this week,” she said as she raised her head. “It scares me.”
“This is the last week before spring break.”
“Spring break? In the midst of winter?”
“We can celebrate the hope of spring.”
* * *
In the morning, I let Sarah sleep in, called the station and put the coffee on. Took Des out for a good romp because she had so much excess energy. Cabin fever. Maybe today would be a good day to bring her with us, more stimuli with more people instead of being alone in the house. I’d have to trust Nathan’s security setup.
I had a cup of coffee while I went through the week’s tapes my system provided. Nothing but a couple of deer had disturbed our bastion. I hated living this way, in another war zone right here at home. But Sarah’s safety was worth a trip to the paranoid side.
Around eight thirty, I took a mug of coffee in to Sarah.
She sat up, still groggy. “It’s light out. What time is it?”
“Um, I called the station, told them we’d be late.” I sat on the bed, felt the desire I hadn’t expressed last night. “Drink your coffee.”
She got hold of the mug, took a deep drink. Looked at me over the lip. “What time did you tell them we’d be in?”
“I didn’t.” I arched an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m awake now. I wasn’t last night—I don’t even remember hitting the bed.”
“Do you remember scattering your uniform behind you on the way in here?”
Sarah blushed. “No. Everything?”
“Yep. Take a look.”
She peeked under the covers. “Should we take advantage of my nakedness before I shower and get dressed?”
“That was my plan.” I stripped off my sweatshirt and pants. Climbed under the covers. I held her close. “Are you sure you’re awake?”
“If I wasn’t, I am now.” She demonstrated by pushing me on my back. Stretched out on top of me. “I love you. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me sane.”
We walked into the station at ten, Des stopping to greet each deputy. Once in her office, Sarah turned to me. “I don’t mind working late today since we’ve got the next two days together. Do you?”
“You better believe it, Sarah. I want to pick up where we left off.”
She laughed. A slight blush crept above her turtleneck. “We’ll see.” She turned to her in-box. Lifted a bunch of files and opened the first.
I hadn’t touched base with Nathan in a while so I called him. “Anything new?”
“Did you get that packet I sent about the Reconstrustionists?”
“No. When did you send it?”
“Yesterday afternoon. Guess you haven’t been online. Okay, here’s a summary. Three small churches are spouting the same rhetoric. I managed to find my way into their membership lists, then ran them through a bunch of databases. A number of their members had arrest jackets and those are awaiting your attention.”
“I’ll pull them up as soon as we get home. Anything on the shots I sent you from Bloomington? The guy who was leaving?”
“Not a good shot, Win. I got four possible hits and one of them is the guy calling himself Leatherby. I discounted two more since they’re incarcerated. The last was John Louis Underwood.”
“Underwood. Related to Leatherby, AKA William Robert Underwood?”
“Younger brother. I sent you his jacket too. He’s not a pleasant character—violent and just plain mean.”
My heart sank. We didn’t need another violent player. “Thanks, Nathan. You must be working on this full-time. We’d be lost without you.”
“I just set the parameters and let the computers play. Besides, Sarah’s my sister. I love her too.”
“Thanks brother-in-law. You’re one swell guy.”
When Sarah got through her pile and looked up, I told her the news.
“I’d like to take a look through all of that. You think Leatherby’s younger brother is the ringleader of those sonofabutts at the LGBT center? It’s looking like one ugly conspiracy to me. You get the same read?”
“Seems possible. We need more data. What’s the status of the bug at Dog’s?”
“Won’t know until tomorrow. Courthouse is closed on weekends, if you haven’t noticed. I’ll submit the paperwork tomorrow—ah, no I won’t. I’ll leave it for Caleb.” She leaned back, closed the first file. “Kay’s out of town, so we can’t check the deed on Messinger’s farm until tomorrow either.”
“Does that mean we can go home now?”
“No. It just means I get to turn my full attention to all of the other misdemeanors and felonies in McCrumb County. Take a nap, Win.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Sarah
It was almost five and already dark when we were finally ready to leave. I could see it was still snowing, not a blizzard but a steady wall of white that had begun around noon. I wondered if the plows had been out yet. If not, it was going to be a long drive home.
The dispatcher waved me over. “Sarah, we got fender-benders all over. You’re gonna have to wait ’til Unit Five clears this one up and comes in for your escort.”
“How long?” I asked.
“Forty, fifty minutes.”
Win sighed behind me.
“I think we’ll go on. With the snow coming down, we should be close to invisible.”
“Ma’am, I can’t in good conscience let you go. We have standing orders.”
Which I gave. I glanced at Win and she was watching the snow, hands shoved in her pockets and shoulders slumped. She and Des had been patient all day. “Patch me through to Unit Five, please.”
I talked with the deputy and he described a smash-up of three cars and a truck, all with angry drivers. I knew he’d be there until the tow trucks had pulled apart the mangled vehicles and their drivers. “Skip the escort assignment and concentrate on getting that mess cleared up.”
I hung up. “Nobody else close?”
“Nope.”
“Then we’re going. If we wait a couple of hours, driving’s going to be more dangerous than a sniper out there.”
“I don’t know, Sarah,” Win said. “It’s the least likely times that are the best to strike.”
“Thanks, Win. You want to camp out here tonight?”
She shrugged and zipped up her parka. Des woofed. I turned to dispatch. “As soon as we get out of town, I’ll call and keep an open line with you. Okay?”
He gave me a disapproving look, then nodded.
We walked out the back of the station, Win checked the truck for GPS trackers and I fastened Des into her seat belt in the backseat. With Win driving, as soon as we hit city limits, I dutifully called dispatch. “I’m just going to keep this line open. Is that going to screw up your incoming?”
“No ma’am. I’ll keep an ear open too.”
The plows hadn’t been out and although Win had engaged four-wheel drive, she kept her speed slow and approached curves even more slowly. The windshield wipers thumped and squeaked at a slow rhythm.
“Shit driving,” she said, her eyes scanning the terrain on either side of the road. “Though I like the way this car handles.”
“Truck,” I said.
She said something under her breath, but I thought it was best to ignore her muttering. My Escape was a small SUV with all the advantages of Win’s truck and much better gas mileage. The wheel jerked in Win’s hands and a fraction of second later, I heard the retort of a rifle.
“Fuck it,” Win said. “Least likely time.”
She held the truck to a controlled skid that kept us in the middle of the road.
“Shot fired, shot fired. We’re—”
I heard another shot and the back of the truck flipped out to the side. We began to fishtail. “Another shot. We’re heading off the—”
We hit something at the side of the road. The airbags deployed. The force of it slapped my head back. I couldn’t see, just felt the truck tilt, then slam into the ground on its side.
When my airbag deflated, I tried to focus. I was hanging by my seat belt. I could hear Des whining in back. I still clutched the phone. “You still there?”
“Got help on the way. You okay?”
“Yeah. Win’s not moving. I see blood. Get an ambulance out here. We’re on—”
“Know where you are, ma’am. EMTs are on the way. Was this our shooter?”
“Somebody shot, twice. Win had us in a controlled slide…”
“Stay put and keep the line open. Understand?”
I looked around my seat. Des hung from her seat belt, unable to find purchase on the seat. I reached my left arm back to help her and felt a fierce pain in my wrist. I kept pushing on Des’s chest until she found a way to sit on her own. I heard a door slam outside and drew my weapon. The shooter come to finish the job? The hell if I was going to go quietly.
“Sarah?”
It sounded like Caleb’s voice. “Identify yourself.”
“Chief Deputy, Sarah. I’m coming down. Hold on.”
* * *
Muzzy from pain meds and lack of sleep I sat beside Win’s bed. A cast replaced my watch so I watched the second hand on the wall clock. Win’s surgery had ended hours ago and she should be awake by now. Her forehead was bandaged where her head had broken the driver’s side window. She looked so pale. I held her hand fiercely, sending her love and what energy I had left. Dad called for hourly updates, frustrated that the snow kept him confined on the farm. Nurses had been in and out, taking vitals and giving me kind words.
“How’s Des?” Win asked.
I stopped breathing and looked at her. Her eyes were open and focused. I squeezed her hand. “She’s okay, a little sore around her ribs.”
Des had risen and most gently put her paws on the edge of the bed. She licked our entwined hands, then stepped back with her paws still held up until she was away from the bed.
“What’s my damage?” Win asked.
“Broken fibula in your left leg and a hell of a whack on your head. Gwen got the plastic surgeon in to stitch you up. Again.” I hit the call button with my free hand.
“Your arm?”
“Wrist got broken somehow. How do you feel, Win?”
“Somewhere between shit and euphoria. They give me pain meds?”
“Yeah, you should float for a while. Caleb said we were lucky to get out alive. Haven’t heard from the crash team yet, but I heard two shots. Did you?”
Win closed her eyes. “I remember the controlled skid—shit, I was in the groove and we would’ve been fine. After that, it gets fuzzy. Did I lose control?”
“There was a second shot and my g
uess is he hit another tire.”
The door opened and Dr. Gwen Cody strode in. “You finally end your beauty nap?”
Win gave her a glare. “When can I get out of here?”
“When I sign you out.” Gwen turned to me. “Is she making sense?”
“As much as she ever does,” I said as I squeezed Win’s hand again. “Yes, she seems lucid. Doesn’t remember much after the second shot.”
“That’s to be expected.” She checked Win’s chart and nodded. “Your MRI doesn’t show major damage to your thick head, but we’re keeping you for observation. You’ve had head injuries before and we need to look for a cumulative effect.” She went through a list of questions and a few neurological tests.
I could tell Win was getting rebellious, which was a good sign. “You think we’ll be able to go home tomorrow?”
“We’ll see,” Gwen answered. “If she starts to look like a raccoon, don’t worry. But if she starts experiencing blurry vision or slurred speech, give me a buzz right away. You both need some sleep.” She walked to Win’s side. “Your night’s going to be interrupted by pushy nurses who will want to assess whether you still have a functioning brain. Be kind to them and don’t throw anything.”
Win muttered. I assured Gwen we’d be nice. I found it was easier said than done as a parade of nurses walked in the door every hour.
Win slipped into disturbed dreams during the nursing interims. This shooting had the power to shove Win back into her PTSD and I desperately didn’t want that to happen.
I blamed myself. I should’ve waited or had a plow truck lead us home. Why did I have to be so fucking impatient? My fault. Win had warned me. All my fault.
Once, during the long night, Win wakened and squeezed my hand. “I love you. I always will, Jaaneman.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Win
To execute our escape from the hospital, Micah borrowed an Explorer. He’d rigged the truck so the nurses could prop me up in the back. Caleb and another deputy were in a patrol unit in front of us. Leslie and Vincente followed us. Damn big production.
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