Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1

by Margaret Daley

  *

  “Wait until I get Mitch out of the back.” Jesse climbed from his SUV at the hospital, and once he had the K-9 harnessed, he came around to Lydia’s passenger door and opened it.

  He held out his hand to help her down, and she fit hers in his. He wished he could say her touch meant nothing to him, but he couldn’t. Having Lydia in his home had affected him more than he thought it would. For years, he’d fooled himself into thinking he was over Lydia. But this morning, seeing her in his kitchen, he realized he wasn’t. He cared, and he didn’t want to. Every close tie he’d allowed himself to have had ended badly. He wasn’t going through that again.

  “I hope this helps Jake recover faster.” Lydia’s soft voice pulled him from his dilemma.

  Its sound flowed through him, sparking a need he’d kept buried for years and making a mockery of his earlier declaration to keep his distance. When she was safe, he would stay away from her, but right now he was responsible for protecting her and hoped she could remember enough to catch this bomber before he struck again. Then he could get back to the way things were before.

  “I know if I were in his shoes, I’d want to see Brutus. Jake and Mitch have been partners for years.”

  “How long have you and Brutus worked together?”

  “Six.” Jesse opened the hospital door and waited for Lydia to go inside first.

  “No wonder you two are such a good team. Like an old married couple.”

  “Yeah, I’m married to my job.”

  Lydia pushed the elevator button. “Is that why you don’t have a wife?”

  The doors swished open, and Jesse entered the elevator after Lydia, relieved another couple got on, too. It gave him time to try and figure out what to reply. When they exited on Jake’s floor, he started down the corridor, hoping Lydia would forget the question.

  But as she walked beside him, she slanted a look at him. “You have so much to offer a woman.”

  “It’s not like I’m a hermit, but between being a K-9 officer and taking part in search and rescues, my time has been limited.” He stopped outside Jake’s room and faced her. “Why haven’t you remarried? You and Aaron have been divorced for years.”

  “Two reasons, my schooling and then work took so much of my time, and I’m gun-shy.”

  “Sounds like we have that in common.”

  “All-consuming work or being gun-shy?”

  “Both.” Jesse knocked on the door, then pushed it open.

  Jake’s grandfather shook hands with Jesse who introduced Lydia to him.

  “I’m going to the cafeteria to get something to eat.” Mr. Nichols bent to pet Mitch, and then he left.

  His head wrapped in a white bandage, Jake sat partway up in his bed, his leg in a cast and suspended in the air. “This has been difficult for him. He’s hardly left this room since the accident. I’ve told him I’m getting better and to go to my home and get a good night’s rest, but my grandfather can be stubborn.” Jake’s gaze fell on Mitch. “Come, boy.”

  The German shepherd hobbled toward Jake and managed to lean his front legs on the bed while supporting himself with his hind one. Jake leaned forward and rubbed his K-9, tears shining in his eyes. He buried his face against Mitch. “Thanks for bringing him here.” Jake’s thickened voice underscored the emotional tie he had with his partner.

  Jesse could identify with that. What would he do if something happened to Brutus? Until this moment he’d refused to think about that.

  Lydia approached the other side of the bed. “I did what I could. I’d hoped I could save his leg, but it wasn’t possible.”

  Jake swung his attention to her. “I knew he was in good hands with you. You remind me of your dad. He’d do anything to save an animal and give it the best life possible. Mitch can’t be a police K-9 dog, but he can do other things with his training.”

  Lydia glanced at Mitch “He’s amazed me how fast he’s adapted to having three legs.”

  “Yeah, he’s always been a quick learner and has a streak of determination a mile wide.” Jake turned to Jesse. “He reminds me of your Brutus. Everything okay with them together?”

  “Brutus has a playmate. You should see them in my backyard.”

  “And Mitch is guarding me and Kate at night in our bedroom.”

  “He’s a good guard dog and tracker. But he’s also cross-trained to detect drugs. His career isn’t over. It’ll just be different.” Jake sank back against his pillows but kept his hand on Mitch’s paw. “Tell me what’s going on with the investigation. My grandfather won’t tell me anything.”

  Jesse went through what they knew, but toward the end, Jake’s eyelids slid closed. “Jake?” He looked at all the machines his friend was hooked up to, and everything seemed all right.

  “We wore him out.” Lydia rounded the end of the bed. “I know how exhausted you can get from even carrying on a conversation when you’ve been injured.”

  “We accomplished what we wanted to do. I think he’ll rest better after seeing Mitch. Let’s go.”

  Seeing Jake with Mitch touched a deep chord in Jesse. He loaded the German shepherd into the back of his SUV and slipped behind the steering wheel, but he didn’t start the car. Remembering the tears in Jake’s eyes when he greeted Mitch made Jesse confront a concern that he’d refused to acknowledge until he’d seen Jake.

  Finally Jesse started the SUV and grasped the steering wheel. What was he going to do if he lost Brutus? His Rottweiler was eight, and his years as a K-9 partner were limited. He would have to break in a new dog, but worse he would have to deal with the loss of Brutus eventually.

  “What’s wrong?” Lydia’s question penetrated the fear he’d been holding at bay for years—having to handle yet another loss. He should be used to it by now—after his family and Lydia, but…

  “Jesse?”

  He blinked and glanced toward her.

  “What happened? You’re pale.”

  “Seeing Jake and Mitch was hard. That could be me and Brutus at any time. In fact, we’ve had a few narrow escapes in the years we’ve worked together. I should be used to death, to goodbyes.”

  “I don’t think anyone totally is immune to them. I think instead we ignore the emotions generated as if they don’t exist, but one day they’ll come to the surface. When my baby died, I refused to talk about her death, after all I never got to hold her. I tried to convince myself she didn’t really exist. Then one day I was holding a friend’s two-month-old girl and everything crashed down on me. That’s when I really began to mourn her.”

  He squeezed his hands around the steering wheel and gritted his teeth. “I don’t think I ever mourned my parents’ deaths.”

  “You went to a service for them, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. My foster mother at that time took me, and people from my dad’s work paid tribute to him. The caskets were closed. For the longest time I didn’t understand why, but then I became involved in search and rescue and found my first body in the wilderness left to the elements and animals. Then I realized why no one would let me see them.”

  “You never told me how they died.”

  “They were park rangers who got caught in a sudden blizzard early in the season. Everything changed after that. Fear became part of my life until I just shut it all down.”

  Lydia laid her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

  Her touch pulled him away from the past, and he shook his head. “Everyone suffers losses. Life goes on.” He never talked about his parents, and he realized the reason why. It opened up too many memories. He pried his hand from the steering wheel and flexed his fingers, then put his SUV in Reverse. “We need to get home. Chance is coming to take my place while I track down some leads. The sooner we find this man, the quicker we can get back to our normal lives.” And then he could put Lydia in proper perspective.

  When they arrived at his house Chance’s state trooper car was out front. “I’m glad we’ve gotten some assistance from the state police. The sketches fro
m this morning are being circulated and will be on the news. Maybe someone will recognize the person in either of the drawings.”

  Lydia slid from his SUV in his garage. Before she opened the door to the house, she turned toward him. “I’m a good listener if you ever want to talk about your parents. I joined a support group after my baby died, and it really helped.”

  “They died twenty-five years ago. I’m fine.”

  “Are you? You were left alone at a vulnerable age.”

  Jesse reached around her and shoved his door open. “I have work to do.”

  As he retrieved Brutus from the backyard, the hurt that flashed into Lydia’s eyes niggled his conscience and made him regret his abrupt end to their conversation. She was getting to him again, and he needed to keep his focus on finding the bomber and keeping her alive. Then he could move on with no regrets.

  *

  “I thought Officer Williams would be guarding me at work today,” Lydia said as she climbed into Jesse’s SUV on Monday.

  Jesse pulled out of the garage and headed toward the animal hospital. “He will be there. He’s meeting us. I’ll take you to and from work. Officer Williams will be out in the reception area while Officer Collins will drop Kate at school, then come and relieve me as your guard. Then I’ll relieve her later, so she can pick up Kate from school. She’ll take her to my house and stay with her until you leave work with me.”

  “You’ve changed things around.”

  “With work and school the schedule needed to be adjusted. Chance has agreed to be one of the guards at night. During the day I’ll be helping Thomas run down leads, but if for any reason you need to talk to me, call me.”

  She tried to relax, but tension knotted her neck and shoulder muscles. She wanted—needed—to get back to work. Sitting around resting was driving her crazy because she couldn’t remember anything to help the police. Maybe getting back to work would help her. “I think I’m trying too hard to remember and nothing is coming.”

  “Probably. Have you ever forgotten a name or some tidbit of info, and as long as you try to concentrate on the answer, nothing comes to mind, but hours or even days later you remember?”

  “Sure, but we don’t have days.”

  “I want you to know we’re making some progress. There are several names connected to both the hardware store and church.”

  Lydia angled toward Jesse, taking in his strong profile, remembering the times she’d freely touched his face, kissed him. No, she had to forget those times. Too much had happened since then. Staring out the windshield, she brought her thoughts back to their conversation. “How about the bistro?”

  “That’s a bit harder, but there is a waitress who’s been on vacation and we’re trying to get in touch with her. She may be able to help us with some of the names on the list at the other two bomb sites. Did someone frequent all three or even two of the places?”

  “How about me? I go—went to the bistro at least once a week. I know some names, but I mostly remember faces. If you have a picture with a name, I could take a look.”

  “I’ll have that for you tonight.” Jesse pulled into the parking lot next to the animal hospital.

  As he and Brutus escorted her into the building, Jesse scanned his surroundings, his gaze lingering on where the bistro used to be. His mouth firmed into a fierce look. Lydia followed the direction he stared and shivered. Every time she came to work, she would remember what happened that day the bomb went off. She would never forget it.

  “I wish this place wasn’t on the same street,” she said as Jesse reached around her and opened the door.

  Inside, some of the stress of seeing the bomb site faded as she saw familiar faces and surroundings. She greeted the staff as she made her way to her office with Jesse and Brutus. She put her purse in the drawer of her desk while Brutus and Jesse walked around the room.

  “Everything all right?” she asked, slipping into the white coat she wore over her clothes.

  After he completed his inspection, Jesse looked at her. “It seems to be. I wish I could leave Brutus with you, but the people I’m interviewing are people who have ties to the hardware store and the church. If one of them worked with the bombing materials, the scent could be on him, and Brutus will be able to alert me.”

  The idea that he would offer to do that touched her. “It wouldn’t work anyway. Brutus is well trained, but I can’t take him into an exam room when I have a patient. Some animals aren’t well trained like he is, and there could be a problem.” She could imagine the chaos it would cause with certain pets, especially cats and high-strung dogs.

  “We’ll at least walk through the whole building each morning and when I come back in the afternoon. I know Williams will be out in reception so that should be enough, but you can’t be too cautious.”

  “We’re going to be fine with two officers and an alert staff. I want you out there tracking down this man.”

  Jesse stopped in front of her. “I wish we had enough dogs trained to search for bombs. I’ve heard some businesses are shutting down or only letting people in they know. The thing about a bomb is it doesn’t have to be left in a building to do damage. It can be placed anywhere nearby.”

  “All we can do then is pray the person is found quickly, and put our safety in the Lord’s hands. And be as vigilant as we can.” Even more lately she’d come to realize she couldn’t control the actions of others and what happened around her. But she couldn’t stay in her house and never leave it. The bomber found her at her home. God was the only one who could protect her ultimately.

  “If anyone finds something left unattended, we’re asking them to report it. That has kept our officers even busier because we’re getting a ton of calls and each one has to be checked out.”

  “While the bomber is sitting back enjoying the fear he’s caused in the city.” Lydia balled her hands, her fingernails digging into her palms. “I’ve got to remember.”

  Jesse clasped her upper arms. “Listen to me. This isn’t all on your shoulders. We are going to find this guy.”

  She nodded, trying not to put pressure on herself. It wasn’t easy, though. The urge to press herself against Jesse and wrap her arms around him flooded her. He made her feel safe as though the Lord had sent him to guard over her.

  “Good. Now give me a tour of the hospital.”

  Jesse followed her into the hallway, Lydia very aware of him behind her. She walked him through the examination rooms and Matt’s office. They ended up in the break room where she fixed him a coffee to go.

  JoAnn appeared in the doorway. “We have an emergency. Are you ready to see an American Eskimo dog?”

  “What kind of emergency?”

  “He’s alive but hardly responding. His master just carried him inside. And Officer Collins is here.”

  “Put the owner and dog in exam room one, and show Officer Collins back here.”

  “I already did.” JoAnn smiled.

  “I’m leaving. See you this afternoon.” Jesse smiled at her and headed for the hallway as the female police officer came into the break room.

  Lydia snatched an extra white coat from a hanger and gave it to Mary. “Put this on over your uniform. I’m going to introduce you as an intern, here observing. I don’t want to frighten people any more than they already are with what’s been happening.”

  Mary slipped into the white coat that came to her knees and hid her gun belt, then removed her hat.

  “I have an emergency patient.” Lydia left the break room at a brisk pace with the police officer right behind her.

  Once she stepped into the exam room one, she went into professional mode, her gaze falling on a white furry dog on the table, lying listlessly. Then his legs twitched, and he tried to get up.

  JoAnn moved in to calm the animal while Lydia turned to the owner, an older gentleman, with gray hair and beard, his shoulders slumped forward. “What happened?”

  “I had a box of candy on the counter, and he somehow knocked it onto
the floor and ate some chocolate.” The man’s eyes misted. “I thought it was out of reach.”

  “How much chocolate?”

  “A lot. Most of the box.” The man closed his eyes and rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Fifteen, twenty pieces maybe. He started vomiting and having seizures. He could barely walk. I grabbed him and put him in the car, then came here. You were the nearest vet. Can you help him?”

  This wasn’t the first time she’d seen a dog poisoned by chocolate, which could be lethal to them. “Was it white, milk or dark chocolate?” She positioned herself on the other side of the table from JoAnn and listened to the animal’s rapid heartbeat.

  “I’m not sure. No white. A mix of milk and dark. I’m never gonna have any chocolate in my house again. Please help Calvin.”

  “We will. You’ll need to leave him here at least overnight. Okay?”

  “Anything.”

  “I’ll try to counteract the theobromine which is making him sick, and give him some medication to control his heart rate and seizures. My assistant will show you to the front to fill out the paperwork. Is this the first time you’ve come here?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll need your contact information, and I’ll keep you updated.” She walked the older gentleman, who limped, to the door. “JoAnn, we’re moving Calvin to the treatment room.”

  The second the owner left, Lydia released a long breath. As she picked up the dog to move him, he began another seizure as Mary hurried around to open the door.

  “Calvin, I’m going to make you better,” Lydia said in her soothing voice, praying she could save him.

  *

  Jesse had worked his way through two-thirds of the people—many of whom had stopped at the hardware store and attended his church. There had been a few visitors that Pastor Paul couldn’t recognize. Nothing jumped out in the interviews and Brutus hadn’t alerted him to the scent of C-4 or any kind of bombing material. But there had been a few on the list of twenty who weren’t home. He had to ask their whereabouts the days of the explosions, but he’d run out of time. He had six more to question tomorrow. There were times he felt like he was chasing his tail.