Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1

by Margaret Daley

  Jonah brushed away the heaviness and set his hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Your dad loved this bike the minute he saw it.”

  Nathan looked up then, a world of hope in his eyes. “Really?”

  Jonah nodded. “Martin and I planned to work on it together.” He paused then, wondering if the kid was feeling one iota of what he was. Maybe the kid didn’t think this was a big deal, but something nagged at him to believe otherwise. To trust. “Maybe, if you want, you could help me work on it.”

  The light in Nathan’s eyes spread to his whole face. “I—” His voice cracked with emotion and he cleared his throat. “That would be cool.”

  Jonah squeezed Nathan’s shoulder. “Great.”

  *

  Elise backed up from the barn door. This whole experience was a bizarre mesh of not wanting to let go of her son just yet and being ecstatic that Nathan was bonding with his uncle because she loved him and wanted good things for him. It was like being pulled in two different directions, but one thing was clear. If Jonah hurt Nathan he’d see how fast she could go “mama bear.”

  The dog sat patiently beside her. Elise looked out over Jonah’s land. She could see the neighboring ranch, and the drive that stretched out at least half a mile to the road. A car pulled up by the mailbox and deposited a newspaper in the holder below Jonah’s mailbox before it drove off, disappearing between the trees.

  Elise wrapped Jonah’s coat tighter around her. She didn’t want to face the awkwardness of having to produce small talk with a man who was essentially a stranger.

  She clicked her fingers and the dog fell into step beside her. Elise soaked in the brisk morning air as she walked the drive, reveling in the stretching of her muscles. The world was quiet but for the brush of wind on branches and the distant sounds of traffic. The valley where the town was located sat to the north, down a tall hill.

  What had made Jonah want to live so removed from everything? She could understand not wanting work to intrude on his personal life. He probably wanted to keep his home life separate from the fugitives he was chasing—one of whom was her own brother.

  If she had her phone she’d try and call Fix, but she had no idea what her brother’s phone number was now. Even if she did, it’d been on the floor in the office when Jonah carried her out and the building exploded. Too bad she couldn’t even afford another one. Not when her salary would go toward their basic expenses and every extra dollar matched Nathan’s car savings. She’d have to see if she could get an inexpensive replacement phone online.

  Elise pulled out the newspaper and unrolled it. The headline read Local Source Uncovers Exotic Animal Trade.

  Under the bold type was Elise’s picture. Her breath caught in her throat at the image that had been posted online by the sanctuary she’d worked for previously. It was from their annual fund-raiser, and she was dressed up with her hair fixed in a complicated updo so tight it had made her head ache all night. They’d given her a commendation that day for all her work with a pair of tiger cubs found when the ATF raided a compound of activists and impounded their stockpile of weapons.

  Elise scanned the article—all about the explosion that had further destroyed the zoo. The reporter knew all about her having been hired back to rebuild. But imbedded in the lines of text was the implication the zoo had previously had ties to local exotic animal trading.

  The reporter even claimed to have evidence directly linking the zoo to local traders.

  It was the last thing they needed. Now the reopening, and Elise’s position, would be marred by these accusations. Couldn’t he have just stuck to talking about the incident last night? Didn’t the reporter know she would be as concerned about the animals’ well-being as he seemed to be?

  Instead he made it sound like she was involved in something huge—and incredibly wrong.

  Growing up, she’d had a reputation for being the kid who always talked about animals, who brought them home to take care of. She’d spent countless hours at the zoo as a kid, watching the previous zookeeper—Zane Ford—do his work. She’d learned so much from him. Could he really have been involved in exotic animal trading? It was almost unconscionable. He’d loved the animals. Yes, he’d also been concerned about money, but she’d thought that was because he needed it to feed and care for the animals adequately.

  She’d grieved when she heard he’d been lost in the flood. Could he really have been deceiving everyone? Selling animals?

  Sam barked once. Elise turned back to the house. She needed to tell Jonah about the newspaper article.

  The mailbox clanged. She looked back to find it had imploded, struck with something small that had torn through the metal. The sound of a gunshot echoed across the hill.

  Sam’s paws collided with her before she even realized someone was shooting at her.

  FIVE

  “Stay in the barn.” Jonah yelled the command to Nathan over his shoulder and flew out the barn door. It wasn’t the gunshot that propelled him down the drive. Those were common enough in his line of work—though not usually this close to his house. It was Elise’s scream.

  He pulled his gun as he ran, glad he hadn’t decided to forgo wearing it at home because of Nathan and Elise. Their possible discomfort at his having a gun on his person was less important than the danger they were in.

  Danger that had now visited his doorstep.

  Sam barked but didn’t move. It looked like he was sitting on something at the mailbox. Or someone.

  Jonah slipped his phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. “Call emergency dispatch.”

  The phone rang and immediately connected. “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”

  “Shots fired.” He gave his credentials and his address.

  “Units are on their way.”

  Jonah hung up and stowed the phone. He was close enough he could see the person on the ground under Sam was Elise. “Sam, stay.”

  Elise lifted her head. “Jonah!”

  She shifted to get up, so Jonah yelled again, “Stay down.”

  Elise stilled, and Sam lowered his head, his ears still pricked. Jonah could see in the dog’s eyes that he was fully alert. “Don’t move.” This time the command was for both of them.

  Jonah crouched beside her, checking her visually for injuries.

  Eyes full of fear, Elise looked up at him. “Where’s Nathan?”

  “In the barn. What happened?”

  “Someone shot at me and Sam tackled me to the ground.”

  Jonah surveyed the area, his gaze lighting on the destroyed mailbox. Large caliber, a rifle round most likely. He took in the tree line, and his neighbor’s house and barn. The shooter could be waiting in any of the spots that would’ve provided cover. If he’d even stuck around after firing.

  He rubbed Sam’s neck. “Good dog.” The old army dog nuzzled his hand.

  “Can I get up? The ground is kind of hard.”

  Jonah looked around again. He could hear police sirens in the distance, so he stowed his weapon in the holster on his hip.

  The shots had ceased after that first burst, but it didn’t mean they shouldn’t be cautious. He needed to get Elise inside.

  Jonah directed Sam with a command to get off Elise and at least give her some relief from the dog’s weight. Two sheriff’s cars pulled up on the blacktop, and the deputies climbed out, drawing their weapons.

  “Anyone hurt?”

  Jonah shook his head. Satisfied the danger was no longer imminent, he helped Elise up. Dirt was smeared down the front of the clothes he’d left out for her. The sight of her in his favorite T-shirt struck a pang in him that he’d been unprepared for.

  The sheriff’s car pulled up behind the other cars. Two more cars, local police from town, came into view also. This was turning out to be a regular circus.

  When the deputies strode over, he said, “These officers will take you inside.” He glanced at them. “Ask your questions there.”

  They strode away, and Sam’s head shifted. Na
than was peeking out of the barn, so Jonah waved him toward Elise and the officers. When they were level with the barn, he emerged to walk with them inside.

  The reality that Elise had been fired upon hit Jonah then, the feeling so profound he rubbed the flat of his hand across his chest. She’d only been back in his life since yesterday, and he could have lost her.

  He strode to his house, Sam in tow.

  Elise was just about to settle herself on the couch, and the detectives hadn’t asked her anything yet. One was bringing her a cup of water.

  Jonah stopped just inside the living room. “Why did you walk to the mailbox?”

  Elise turned to him then, eyes wide. He should regret being sharp with her, but she should have had more care with her safety. “I was getting the paper. There’s an article about—”

  “You didn’t know that. You walked out in the open and put yourself in serious danger. Why didn’t you stay inside, Elise?”

  Nathan shifted like he was readying himself to protect his mom. The cops just held their ground. They knew Jonah well enough to know he didn’t lose his temper easily—or for no reason. In the close-knit community of local law enforcement, news about Elise’s arrival was going to get around fast.

  Elise stuck her hands on her hips. “I didn’t know I was going to get shot at! How could I have?”

  “You knew you were in danger.”

  “Yeah, but in your driveway?” She blew out a breath and put her arm around her waist, hugging herself. Her face twisted as angry tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know I would get shot at.”

  Jonah blew out a breath, trying not to let her emotions prick his conscience. “I have to go talk to the Sheriff.”

  *

  Elise stared out Jonah’s living room window, trying to purge the feeling of having been thoroughly dismissed. She knew why he’d yelled. He’d always gotten loud when he was scared, always. How loud he got was directly related to how scared he was. Which meant Jonah had been really, really worried about her getting hurt. A fact that comforted her, even as she was angry he’d basically blamed her for almost getting hurt.

  “Ms. Tanner?”

  She turned to the cop, Detective William Manners, but she didn’t sit when he motioned her to. The man was older, probably in his sixties, and had gray stubble on his jaw. “You want to tell me why you think you’re being targeted all of a sudden?”

  She’d filled him in on the zoo, and her brother. It wouldn’t have looked good if the sheriff’s department found out later she was Fix Tanner’s sister—even if they’d had no contact. But now, looking at the sheriff’s deputy and the disapproving look on his face, all the decades-old shame over the trailer where she’d lived, the state her mom lived in and her brother’s antics welled up in her.

  Jonah and Martin had repeatedly told her it didn’t matter what she’d grown up with, that it didn’t stain her. But a lifetime of people looking down on where she’d come from had affected her. She wasn’t naive enough to think otherwise.

  “No, I don’t know why I’m being targeted. The only thing I can think of is that whoever stole the files thinks I can identify him, and so he tried to kill me today.”

  Could it have something to do with the newspaper article? How did the reporter know all that about the zookeeper? Zane Ford couldn’t have been caught up in exotic animal trading, could he? She found it hard to believe he would do that to animals he’d dedicated his life to taking care of.

  If the man wasn’t dead, she’d have been able to ask him.

  “We’d like you to come in to the station today and look at mug shots, to see if you can identify the man who bombed the office.”

  Elise nodded. “The police asked me the same thing, I’ll make sure to do that. Do you think it was the same man in the office who set the bomb?” She wasn’t convinced, but what did she know? She wasn’t a cop.

  The cop said, “We’re looking for conclusive evidence that will prove one way or another.”

  The cops excused themselves, and Elise turned again to the window. Nathan stood talking with the US marshals who had tried to arrest him last night. Jonah looked like he was coordinating a search-and-rescue operation that was going to encompass the entire area while she was closeted in the house. All because she wanted fresh air and to read the newspaper.

  Jonah might still care about her, but only to make sure his friend, the girl he considered his little sister, was okay. That was all. She didn’t blame him for wanting to get to know Nathan, and to keep her safe for her son’s sake. But the ache in her chest was because he didn’t seem to want to be around her. Her younger self had suffered a debilitating crush on Jonah. He’d been so strong in her eyes, the perfect answer to her childhood dream of being rescued from her life. Too bad that dream was over now.

  After Jonah had left for the marines, never even responding to her letters or the packages she sent, Elise had allowed that dream to die. Despite his assertions of how much he cared for her, Jonah had obviously been content to let their friendship languish.

  In the end, it had been Martin who offered her everything she’d ever wanted. But now he was gone, too. All she had left was Nathan.

  Elise needed to remember that.

  *

  Deputy Marshal Hailey Shelder motioned to the house using Jonah’s newspaper. “The deputies left. They want your girl to look at mug shots before lunch.”

  “Thanks.” The mug-shot binder was more like multiple thick folders, so Jonah figured that would take the rest of the day. He’d have to find cover to watch Nathan and Elise before and after then. He couldn’t blow off a whole day of work, even if it was related to a case. Fix Tanner was one of many open cases he had right now, and the stuff going on with Elise wasn’t conclusively related.

  “What do you make of the article?”

  Shelder’s mouth moved side to side while she thought. She never did go completely still, not even when most people would freeze. “I think the reporter either got the information himself or got it from whoever was in the office.”

  “Find a picture of the reporter—”

  “And show it to Elise.” Shelder stepped away, pulling out her phone. “Good idea.”

  Jonah glanced at the house as Shelder strode down the drive. He ignored the fact that his house looked weathered, badly in need of fixing up, and saw Elise at the window. Looking at him.

  She was like a magnet, drawing him to her. Elise had always been like that, and Jonah had given up fighting the pull of her a long time ago and left town instead. She’d been far too young to consider a relationship with, and when he returned the next time she’d been married to Martin. But just because her presence had the same effect on him even all these years later didn’t mean he had to do something about it. She was his weakness. He’d known that the minute he found out she’d left, and it was as if his heart had been removed from his chest. She’d walked away with it…to Idaho of all places. So near, all these years, and yet she might as well have been on another planet.

  If she could identify the man from the zoo it would go a ways toward wrapping this up. He didn’t like the idea of her being in danger.

  Nathan glanced over and gave Jonah a tentative smile, like the kid was waiting for something else to go wrong. Or explode. He knew how Nathan felt, but Jonah was going to figure this out.

  All he had to do was convince Elise to listen—and actually follow instructions. He didn’t blame her for doing something as innocuous as going to the mailbox, but he would have felt a whole lot better if he’d gone with her. Although if he’d done that, Nathan would have wound up in the middle of sniper fire along with the rest of them.

  “Quite the hoo-hah this morning. Eh, Rivers?” Jonah’s elderly neighbor strode up to him, holding his hand out. The man was late seventies easily, but walked his land every day and ate fresh from his garden. He was probably healthier than Jonah would ever be.

  “You could say that, Tucker.” Jonah motioned Nathan over. When the teenager reac
hed them, Jonah said, “Tucker, this is my nephew, Nathan. Nathan, this is my neighbor. Tucker was army, like your dad.”

  Nathan brightened up, shaking the old man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Making the connection aloud, it dawned on Jonah—Tucker had the skills to have shot Jonah’s mailbox. And the hardware. The man had more guns in his house than Jonah had seen in his life, but Tucker’s prize possession was his old sniper rifle.

  “What have you been up to this morning, Tucker?” He often made small talk with the vet when they crossed paths. Hopefully he wouldn’t know that today Jonah’s question was not so innocuous.

  “Not much. Manny’s laid up, so I only made a short walk this morning.”

  Tucker’s dog was a husky, and an old one at that. Manny had a lot of health problems Tucker had told him about—in depth. If the dog was having a bad morning, Jonah believed Tucker would stay close to home.

  Jonah didn’t know why he felt that Tucker could have been involved. There wasn’t evidence to justify his assertion, but the theory wouldn’t leave him alone, and Jonah had learned to trust his instincts. It was only when he ignored his gut that bad things happened. Like getting shot in the middle of a manhunt.

  He rubbed a hand across his flat stomach where the ache seemed to ebb and flow for no reason. “Nathan and I should be getting inside. I was showing him my bike, so we didn’t have breakfast.”

  Tucker’s eyes lit up. “You keep me posted when that thing’s finished.”

  “Sure, Tucker.” Like Jonah was actually contemplating parting with it when it was done. Not likely. The last hold he had on Martin’s memory wasn’t something he could put a monetary value on.

  Tucker walked away and Nathan turned to him. “You’re going to sell the bike?”

  “No way.” Jonah eyed the kid. “I’d give the thing to you before I sold it to anyone else.”