Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1

by Margaret Daley

  He cocked a grin. “Besides, it’ll take a day for the windows to be replaced in my SUV. I was hoping you would let me borrow your car to use.”

  She chuckled. “You’re sneaky but thanks for letting me help with Calvin. Now that I know that the guy who brought him in is the bomber, I could see him getting a dog from the pound and then poisoning him. But I have an argument about coming to see you with the pharmacist. Seeing him might jar my memory.”

  “I’ve got a way for you to watch him from a safe distance. I’ll have him come into the station for questioning. He won’t see you, but you can see him.”

  “Thanks.” She put the footrest down and stood. “I was going to stay up with you, but obviously I need my sleep. And you should get some, too.”

  Jesse glanced at his watch. “I have an hour. It’ll give me time to think about what we do know so far in this case.”

  Lydia knelt by the two dogs and reassured herself they were doing well. When she rose, she noticed Jesse had moved back to the couch. After Jesse’s response concerning the kiss, she didn’t think he was capable of sharing himself with anyone. She had to accept that and quit dreaming they might have a chance after all.

  At least she finally had hope that she might recall what she saw in the bistro that would cause the bomber to target her. It had to be that she could identify him. Unlike her relationship with Jesse, which seemed hopeless, it was starting to seem likely that she’d remember…but would it be soon enough?

  *

  Lydia sat next to an FBI agent working on the Laughing Bomber Task Force while Thomas and Jesse interviewed Phillip Keats, the pharmacist. Thomas sat across from Phillip, but Jesse was right next to him with Brutus on the man’s other side, as if the man were boxed in. When the pharmacist had come into the interrogation room, the dog had sniffed him but didn’t indicate anything. Jesse crowded Phillip who leaned as far from Jesse as he could get without getting up and moving his chair.

  “I understand you were in the bistro not long before it was bombed. Why didn’t you come forward to help us with identifying the people who could be victims?” Thomas asked.

  Phillip slid a look toward Jesse, then Brutus. “Am I safe with him not on a leash?”

  “He would only attack if I gave the command. You didn’t answer the detective’s question. Why didn’t you come forward?” The fierce expression on Jesse’s face even gave Lydia pause.

  Phillip swallowed hard. “I don’t go in there much and didn’t know anyone.”

  “Ah, that’s interesting when you were seen talking to a woman. And from what I understand that woman didn’t survive the blast. Didn’t you think the police needed to know she was in there?” Thomas’s calm voice held only curiosity, not blame.

  Sweat coated Phillip’s forehead and began rolling down his face. He lowered his head.

  Jesse hit his palm against the table. “It’s a simple yes or no question.”

  The pharmacist jumped and leaned even farther away from Jesse. “I couldn’t come forward,” the man mumbled.

  “Why not? You left before her. Why?” Again Thomas’s soft tone was meant to calm the man down.

  While Phillip wiped his hand across his brow, the FBI agent asked, “Do you remember anything else? Anything that would help with the questions to ask Mr. Keats?”

  She shook her head. Something nagged at her, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.

  Finally Phillip looked right at Thomas. “Okay. I was there with Miss Prince. You knew she was in there. Her name was listed as one of the victims, so what was I going to tell you that you didn’t already know?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe who else you remember being there? Don’t you want us to find the bomber? What if you saw him?” Jesse’s taunts made the man wince.

  “I don’t remember anyone. I was there to see—my friend. That was all. I had limited time before I had to be back at work. I’m not a criminal because I didn’t say anything.”

  “So why didn’t you?” Jesse asked.

  The pharmacist’s eyes grew narrow. “Because I’m a married man.”

  Thomas wrote something on a pad. “Ah, are you saying you were having an affair with Miss Prince?”

  “She was a friend, but someone might mistake us eating lunch together as something more.”

  “While you were there, did you see anything suspicious?” Jesse snapped his fingers, and Brutus came to his side.

  “I saw a man storm out of the bistro after talking to the owner.”

  Then her dream last night was true. Lydia felt it was but couldn’t be sure until now.

  Thomas cleared his throat. “I thought you didn’t go to the bistro much. How do you know who the owner is?”

  “I saw her picture on the news. That bombing was plastered all over the place. Kind of hard to avoid.”

  “What did the man look like? Is he one of these?” Thomas laid an array of pictures on the table.

  “Nope, I don’t think so. I never saw his face. I just heard him say something to the owner. I wasn’t sitting too far from them.”

  Lydia leaned forward as Thomas asked, “What?”

  “You’re going to pay for this.”

  She’d known the man was angry, but this was a whole new level.

  “When did you leave the restaurant?” Jesse asked, pulling the man’s attention to him.

  The pharmacist shrugged. “I don’t remember. I do know I was back at the drugstore when the bomb went off.”

  “How long?” Jesse fired back.

  Phillip sighed. “I… I guess maybe a minute.”

  “Did you see him leaving?” the FBI agent asked Lydia.

  “No. Maybe he left while I was in the bathroom.”

  “How long were you in the restroom?”

  “A few minutes.”

  When she turned back to the screen, Phillip Keats was on his feet, looking at his watch. “I have to get to work.”

  Both Jesse and Thomas rose at the same time and Thomas passed a card to the pharmacist. “If you remember anything later, please call me no matter how unimportant you think it is.”

  Phillip pocketed it. “Sure. I want this guy caught like everyone else in Anchorage.”

  Lydia stared at the screen, watching the three leave the interview room. It hadn’t triggered her memory, but it had given her an uneasy feeling as though something he said should have sparked a memory of that day. What did the man with Melinda look like?

  The FBI agent stood. “Did you remember anything else?”

  “No.” The answer was just out of her reach. She knew something but couldn’t access it. Every time she tried to, her mind shut down. Jesse was right. Forcing her to remember wasn’t helping. Other than a nagging feeling, she hadn’t gotten anything from the interview.

  The FBI agent opened the door for her to go into the hall first. As she emerged, she found Thomas and Jesse with Brutus waiting for her.

  “Anything?” Thomas asked.

  She shook her head. “I didn’t know he was having an affair, and I’m glad he confirmed that Melinda and a man were arguing, but other than that I didn’t get anything new.”

  “Technically, according to Keats, he and Miss Prince were just friends.” Jesse smiled at her. “Ready to take Calvin for a ride?”

  The warmth in his gaze shored up her flagging spirits. He used to do that when they were dating. Make her feel better. That was one of the many reasons why she fell in love with him. “I’d like to find the man who left Calvin, not only because he’s probably the bomber but he poisoned the dog. I hope Calvin is the one who leads us to him. That would be apropos.”

  Jesse placed his hand at the small of her back and made his way toward the rear exit. As Lydia emerged from the police station, a cool breeze blew, adding a chill to the air. Jesse continued toward her car, surveying the parking lot.

  As she unlocked the driver’s door, she paused while Jesse had Brutus circle her vehicle and sniff for a bomb and put him in the backseat. She panned the area, g
oose bumps streaking up her spine as if someone was watching her. Or was it just the fact Brutus had searched for a bomb in her car? She quickly slipped behind the steering wheel. The feeling made her want to lock herself in Jesse’s house and never leave until this man was apprehended.

  While she started the car, Jesse climbed into the passenger seat. “Is something wrong? You’re pale. Did you remember something?”

  “Do you always have Brutus do that when you get into a car?”

  “Lately, since we began working on the bombing case.”

  “He’s valuable to have around.” She pulled out of the parking lot and chalked up the feeling to watching Brutus checking for a bomb.

  “Yes. He saved my life yesterday. When I was waiting with Brutus for the ambulance, I thought of Jake Nichols and Mitch. They were both injured critically, but worse, their partnership has come to an end. I’ve been thinking about that a lot. That could have happened to me and Brutus.”

  “What would you have done? Have you prepared yourself for that? You’ve been a partner for six years. Brutus is eight years old.”

  Jesse blew a long breath out. “I don’t think I want to talk about that. The very idea unsettles me, and I need to be sharp to catch this bomber. The idea of losing…” His voice faded into silence.

  Lydia slanted a look toward Jesse. “The idea of losing anyone in your life is hard. I’ve had my share of losses. My mother and dad. My baby daughter.” She coated her dry throat. “And I’m afraid I’m losing my sister.”

  “How have you gotten through it, especially with your child?”

  How? And with no support from Aaron. “I used to think the Lord had abandoned me after what happened between Aaron and me. My father certainly let me think that. But now, looking back, I’ve seen God’s hand in my healing. It didn’t happen overnight. It’s been a long journey, but nothing is forever except for His love. I hope one day to have another child. Actually I hope two.”

  “Two?”

  She decided to be bold. “Do you want to have children?” As teenagers they had never talked about it.

  Silence lengthened into minutes.

  She should have realized that would shut down their conversation. She turned onto his street.

  “Yes. Before I lost my parents, I had a good home life. I want to give that to my child.”

  She wished he’d said our child, but of course he didn’t. As a teenager it had taken him a long time to admit he loved her. Once he did, that was all he would share—the words, not the feelings behind them.

  “What happened? Why didn’t you ever marry?” She pulled into his garage.

  *

  Jesse sat in Lydia’s car, staring out the windshield at his wall of tools. He grasped for the words to tell her how he felt as a child and especially after she left Anchorage with Aaron. It went beyond anger and betrayal. He didn’t know if he could describe the emptiness he’d experienced.

  He angled toward her. “I never found anyone to replace you.”

  “I’ve regretted my impulsive actions so much. I’ve paid for that mistake tenfold. I still love you, Jesse. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.”

  “And yet, you became pregnant with Aaron’s child. It should have been mine.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could censor them. In that moment, he realized he hadn’t forgiven her as he thought.

  Her gaze wide, she sucked in a breath.

  “I loved you so much. I thought you would be my family. The one I always wanted. Instead you left with Aaron. I… I…” The loneliness he’d fought all his life swamped him.

  Tears shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know that, and I’m trying to let go of the hurt I felt. So much has been happening lately, I feel like our lives are caught up in a whirlwind and we can’t get out of it.”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  He needed her to understand. She had always accused him of keeping his emotions bottled up and she was right. “When my father went missing in the wilderness, my mother left me with our nearest neighbor who lived a few miles away and went out looking for him. It had been snowing some but nothing bad. The neighbor notified the closest town, and they were going to form a search party, but the weather turned and a blizzard came through. Later they found my mother dead. I still had hope my dad was alive. They both knew how to survive in the wilderness. A week later, his body was discovered, mauled by animals. I was eight and lost everything—home, family and friends. My grandmother wasn’t well at all and couldn’t take me in. I went into foster care in Anchorage.”

  She touched his hand. “When my mother walked out on the family, at least my father was there.”

  He clasped her fingers, needing the connection. “I was supposed to be adopted until the couple found a younger child. After that, I stopped dreaming about a new family. I began to rely on myself only. Then you came into my life, and I started to have hope again.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek.

  His cell phone sounded, and he quickly answered it when he saw it was Thomas.

  “The tail I had following Phillip Keats lost him. He didn’t show up back at work.”

  TWELVE

  “Thanks for letting me know,” Jesse replied and looked at Lydia. He lifted his hand and ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe the tear away.

  The gesture sent her pulse racing. “Who was that?”

  “Thomas. The detail following Keats lost him.”

  Again she ran through the scene of seeing him at the table with a woman. She tried to remember when he got up. Did she see him leave? Please, Lord, I need Your help. What am I forgetting? “What are we going to do?”

  “What we planned. If it’s Keats, we need evidence to bring him in. Thomas has a BOLO out on his car as well as staking out the drugstore and his house. Meanwhile Thomas is digging into the man’s life.” He caressed her cheek one more time. “When this is over with, we’ll figure things out.”

  “I want that.” She started to get out of her car.

  “Wait. I’ll get Calvin. Last night we bonded.” He threw her a grin and slid from the front seat.

  While he was inside retrieving the American Eskimo, she turned to Brutus and petted him. “How are you doing?”

  He barked.

  Lydia had assumed he would put Brutus in the house when they came to pick up Calvin, but she realized with Phillip’s location unknown he wanted him to check her car each time they returned to it. After Calvin was settled in the backseat with Brutus, she backed out of the garage and drove toward their first destination.

  *

  By the fourth one, Lydia tried to keep from being disappointed that no one at the shelters recognized Calvin nor had there been an adoption of an American Eskimo in the past six months. With a sigh, she parked near the entrance.

  “I hope this produces a lead, but not all trails we follow lead anywhere. We have to rule this possibility out. For all we know the man had Calvin a long time.”

  “That makes it even worse that he would give his dog chocolate in order to send the police on a wild-goose chase.”

  “Let’s go. We still have a few more to check. I told Williams to be at the house by one.”

  “Where are you going after you drop me off?”

  “Wherever Thomas sends me. He might have something on Keats by then or the lead on the Chevy behind the appliance store might give us some information.”

  “What lead?”

  “They found the car and Thomas is going to pay the man who owns it a visit. He looks like the sketch of the guy who was in the appliance store. At least his license picture does.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Shane Taylor. Do you know him?”

  “No, but I’m glad the police have found him. One of these leads will pan out.”

  They entered the shelter with both dogs on leashes. Jesse showed his badge and asked to talk to the staff members.

  The silver-haired woman came forward. “What’s this ab
out?”

  “It has to do with an investigation.”

  Lydia walked a few steps toward the woman. “Have you seen this dog? We believe he was at a shelter, and we need to find his owner.”

  “He looks a lot like Calvin. He was adopted a few weeks ago.” The American Eskimo started wagging his tail and moving toward the older woman. She bent over and stroked him. “Where did you find him? The man who adopted him seemed glad to get him. He wanted a medium-sized dog, and Calvin fit what he was looking for. Calvin’s original owner died, and I was hoping he’d find a home, especially because of the owner’s sudden death in the church’s bombing.”

  “Was that owner Ed Brown?” Jesse asked.

  Surprise lit the manager’s eyes. “How did you know?”

  “I attend that church, and I knew the people who were killed. Do you have any security tapes of the person who adopted Calvin?”

  She shook her head. “This is a small operation. Myself, DJ and a few volunteers are the only ones here usually.”

  “Can you describe the man?”

  The woman tilted her head to the left and tapped the side of her jaw. “Let me see. About six feet. He wore a hoodie, but I believe his hair was blond, not too long.”

  Lydia recalled the man leaving the bistro had a hoodie on. “What color hoodie?”

  “Dark. I think navy blue or black. I’m not sure. I did notice he had beautiful gray eyes though.”

  “How old do you think he was?” Lydia asked.

  The woman lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I guess thirty or forty.”

  Jesse pulled up on his cell phone the sketch of the person Lydia ran into going into the bistro. “Does this look like the man who adopted Calvin?”

  Her forehead crinkled. “Maybe. I don’t know for sure.”

  Jesse went through the rest of the sketches or photos he had. “Does anyone look familiar to you?”

  “No, not really, but I’m not good with faces.”

  “Did this DJ see the man?” Jesse stuck his phone in his pocket.

  “No, he was at lunch. It was only me. The man came just minutes after DJ left.”

  “Do you have his paperwork? Did he use a credit card or write a check for the adoption fees?”