Zach gave Tara’s shoulders a gentle squeeze, then released his hold. “You get into dry clothes and then we’ll talk.” Even to his own ears, his voice sounded gravelly.
Rick’s scowl confirmed that Zach wasn’t the only one who had noticed.
Before the bedroom door closed behind Tara and her daughter, Rick pulled Zach out of their line of sight. “What do you think you’re doing? She’s your informant. That makes her off-limits in the romance department.”
Zach let out a snort that he hoped sounded more convincing to Rick than it did to his own ears.
“Don’t give me that,” Rick said. “I saw the way her little girl jumped into your arms like you’re her long-lost daddy.”
Zach shrugged. “We’ve bonded. What can I say?”
“Do you honestly think I’m buying this? You might do just about anything to solve a crime, but I know you wouldn’t stoop to messing with a child’s affections.”
Zach dropped his gaze to the toy farmyard in the middle of Tara’s living room, and smiled at the memory of Suzie’s “Pway wif me.” “My affection for Suzie is genuine.”
“Yeah, I know. I have eyes.”
Restraining a groan, Zach scrubbed his fingers over his forehead. Rick knew better than anyone that he didn’t need to do anything to persuade Tara to cooperate with the investigation, least of all befriend her little girl. But... “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand plenty. You’re falling for your informant.”
Zach’s conscience twinged. He couldn’t deny his attraction. But how could he love another woman the way he’d loved Carole? And how could he ask a woman to settle for anything less?
“Not that I blame you,” Rick went on. “She’s a beautiful woman with a cute kid. But look at this from her point of view. She’s starved for affection, a single mom struggling to raise her young daughter alone. You come on the scene to champion her cause, to be her protector. Of course she’s going to latch on to you.”
Zach clenched his fist, every inch of him wanting to take a swing at Rick for characterizing her as nothing more than a husband hunter. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know what I see. And I know you walked away from Kim out of some commitment phobia. All I’m saying is, do you really want to break that little girl’s heart when you walk away this time?”
Suzie scurried up the hallway, bundled in a fuzzy pink sleeper, her eyes bright. In one hand she clutched a bedraggled bunny, and in the other a favorite picture book.
His throat turned raw at the thought of disappointing this little girl.
Kelly’s arrival spared Zach from obliging Suzie’s request to read her a story, as Rick’s glare pierced his back.
Kelly tossed Zach a department-store bag. “You owe me forty bucks. I hope they fit.”
Zach excused himself, relieved at the chance to get out of the wet clothes that clung to him like the unbidden memories of the daughter he’d lost. Once in the washroom, he made short work of stripping out of his drenched things and pulling on the athletic wear Kelly had brought. He used his fingers to rake his wet hair into a semblance of neatness and studied his reflection. Drab gray didn’t exactly do much for his appearance, but he was here to do a job, nothing more.
By the time he returned to the living room, Kelly was playing with Suzie, and Rick was sitting at the table questioning Tara.
Tara dug her fingers into the tabletop. “I know Zach said Alice didn’t poison my coffee, but you must have enough evidence to arrest her now.”
“This wasn’t her handiwork. We’ve had her under surveillance since her shift ended.”
“She could have done it this morning!” she retorted.
“Based on the gas levels when the fire chief arrived, that seems unlikely.”
“I didn’t switch on the heat until I got home. Did you talk to my neighbors? They might have noticed someone sneaking around.”
Zach’s heart lurched at the desperation in Tara’s voice. He slid into the seat opposite her.
“Mrs. Thomas, next door, mentioned seeing your ex prowling around a few days ago,” Rick said, clearly intent on gauging Tara’s reaction to the implication her husband might be behind the attacks.
She shook her head. “Earl may be a jerk, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone. Certainly not his daughter.”
“I understand he’s having financial troubles. He might’ve figured he’d have a valid claim to the house if both you and your daughter succumbed to the gas.”
Tara’s face drained of color.
It was all Zach could do to stop himself from reaching out to her. He threw his buddy a caustic glare.
Rick thumbed the corner of his notepad, his eyes focused on a smudge in the middle of the table. “I’d like to move you to a safe house until we catch this guy.”
Zach watched helplessly as Tara wrestled with her emotions, her eyes turbulent.
When she didn’t protest, Rick waved Kelly over. “Call and make the arrangements.”
Kelly punched a number into her cell phone and leaned against the sideboard, but when she put the phone to her ear, a strange expression flitted across her face. She drew the phone down and back again, her attention fixed on the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Zach asked.
“Some kind of interference.”
Zach scanned the sideboard for electronics that might throw off a signal, and halted at the sight of Tara’s flowers. He’d checked them thoroughly for evidence of an explosive, but...not a listening device.
He circled the table and examined the blooms again. With how minuscule electronics were these days, he wasn’t sure he’d recognize a bug if he saw it.
“What are you looking for?” Rick asked.
Zach put a finger to his lips.
Instantly Rick’s expression tensed. He scrawled on his notepad and turned it in Zach’s direction. A bug?
Tara gasped. She pointed to the florist’s card on the sideboard. A ladybug pendant was pinned to the corner.
Zach moved it close to Kelly’s phone.
She gave him a strange look and then seemed to realize what he was doing and nodded. She finished the call quickly. “I’m sorry.” Her face flushed. “It never occurred to me to check....” Her voice trailed off at Rick’s silencing glare.
Zach pried the pendant from the card, but couldn’t see an easy way to examine its innards. That would have to wait for the tech guys. In the meantime, maybe they could use the bug to their advantage.
“You could try playing a radio to help Suzie fall asleep if she’s giving you trouble.” Zach winked at Tara and snatched up her portable radio.
“Oh, yeah,” Rick chimed in. “I have a buddy who does that for his kids all the time.”
Zach turned on the radio and set it along with the ladybug in the laundry room. Then he strode back to the dining area with a wide grin. “Looks like we might have our first big break.”
Confusion rippled Tara’s brow. “Mr. Calloway sent those flowers. How could he—?” She pressed curled fingers to her lips and shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Rick punched a number into his cell phone. “I’ll have the department run a background check on him.”
Zach waited for him to finish his call. “Whoever’s monitoring that device can’t be far away. The range of those things isn’t that great. Or he’s got repeaters set up somewhere. Either way, he must’ve overheard Tara and me talking about the investigation tonight and gotten scared we were getting too close. I suggest we keep the bug in play and use it to lure him into the open.”
“How?” Tara wrapped her arms around her middle, looking way too vulnerable for Zach’s peace of mind.
Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. He glanced to Rick, who was nodding, no dou
bt contemplating the same plan.
“We identify the location of the safe house where we’re moving you,” Rick said.
“But then we won’t be safe!”
“You won’t be there,” Zach explained. “We’ll send a decoy.”
Kelly leaned back against the cupboard and folded her arms. “Do you really think this guy’s stupid enough to try to take her out at a safe house?”
“If we make the opportunity impossible to resist, yeah, I’d say he’s desperate enough,” Zach replied.
“How are we going to do that?” Tara asked, finally sounding more like her usual, determined self.
“We name a location,” Rick jumped in. “We admit it doesn’t offer much protection, but say that’ll it be safer than here.”
“And that by tomorrow, we’ll be able to arrange a more secure location,” Zach added.
A this-could-work smile toyed with the corners of Rick’s lips. “We’ll detail exactly where she’s to sleep in the house and where the two-man security detail will be. Then we set up a perimeter to ambush the guy when he makes his move.”
“Sounds like we could pull this off,” Kelly admitted.
Rick thumbed through the address book on his phone. “I’ll make the arrangements. Zach, you get these two—” He glanced over his shoulder at Suzie asleep on the floor. “Get these three ready to move.”
Zach rubbed his hands together. “Okay, Tara, you’ll need to pack a couple of bags for you and Suzie. Kelly, you’ll be impersonating her, so arrange your hair in the same style. Borrow a coat and a suitcase. And bundle a couple of pillows in a blanket so it looks like you’re carrying a three-year-old. It’ll be too dark for anyone to see the difference.”
“If she’s pretending to be me, where are Suzie and I going?”
Rick clicked off his phone. “That’s where it gets tricky. We have to assume someone’s watching the house. Zach could pull his truck into the garage so the two of you can duck into the back, but it’ll look suspicious.”
“Not if Kelly sits in front pretending to be Tara,” Zach suggested. “I can drive her to the safe house while you follow. Once we’re there, Suzie can duck out of her car seat, and Kelly can carry what looks like Suzie wrapped in a blanket into the house.”
“That could work.” Rick looked to Kelly, who nodded agreement.
Zach turned his full attention to Tara. “Once I drop off Kelly, you’ll have to keep Suzie down until I’m sure we’re not being tailed. Then I’ll drive you to a secure location outside of town.”
Tara’s teeth dug into her bottom lip, but Zach could read the questions in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Tara. You’ll be safe. You have my word.” The promise stuck in his throat. He’d once made a similar pledge to his wife. He prayed this time God honored his promise.
TWELVE
Light from a streetlamp swept across the cab of Zach’s truck. Heart pounding, Tara adjusted the blanket meant to hide her from view. The truck rumbled over the uneven road, and with her cheek pressed to the seat, she felt every dip. She flexed her toes and tried to shift into a position that would relieve the pins and needles piercing her leg. Thank goodness, Suzie had slept through this crazy escapade.
“We’re almost there,” Zach said from the front seat.
A moment later, the truck came to an abrupt stop.
Tara jerked forward, causing the blanket to slip. Peering between the front seats, she could make out a small bungalow. Would Mr. Calloway really come after her here?
Tara couldn’t fathom how he’d be connected to the deaths at the hospital, or imagine any other reason he’d want her out of the way. Of course, if things went as Zach and Detective Gray hoped, they’d soon have their answers.
Zach and Kelly climbed out of the truck, and as rehearsed, Zach opened the rear door. He unlatched Suzie from her seat and tucked the slumbering child under the blanket with Tara. “Stay down,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.” Next, he lifted a bundle of blankets beside the seat and handed them to Kelly as if Suzie were wrapped inside.
Kelly adjusted her stance as though the bundle was heavy. In the dim light, cloaked in Tara’s hooded rain jacket, her face partially blocked by the blankets, Tara had to admit her own mother might mistake Kelly for her daughter.
Zach gently clicked the door shut, plunging her and Suzie into darkness. Tara tugged at the edges of the blanket to ensure they were fully hidden. Zach’s distinctive scent clung to the fleecy fabric, mingling comfortingly with the fragrance of Suzie’s baby shampoo. How many times had he bunked under this blanket on a stakeout?
Had he kept watch outside her house, too?
The possibility filled her with warmth.
When she was Suzie’s age, she used to imagine God watching out for her. If she could imagine Him caring about her with half the earnestness she’d heard in Zach’s promise to protect her, she might still believe God was paying attention. She wanted to. But what if Zach’s plan didn’t work?
Remembering something a patient had recently said—that worry is our way of trying to control God instead of allowing Him to guide our life—Tara closed her eyes and prayed.
An engine roared. The sound sped toward them.
Tara tensed. Where was Zach?
Shouts of “Down! Down!” pierced the air, followed by an explosion of gunfire.
Tara threw herself over Suzie. Terror shrieked through her body as shattered glass pummeled the blanket.
“Mommy!” Suzie cried.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetie. Mommy’s here.”
More engines roared to life. Brakes screeched. Then the crunch of metal against metal followed by shouts of “Drop your weapon!” ricocheted through the cab.
Cowering, as small as she could make herself, Tara clutched Suzie to her chest. “Shh, shh, shh,” she whispered.
A single gunshot split the air.
Biting back her own scream, Tara covered Suzie’s mouth. “It’s okay, baby girl. It’s okay.” Please, God, let it be okay.
The shouts died away. Emergency lights strobed across the cab, penetrating their cover. Was it safe to get out? Would Zach come for her?
She heard muffled voices, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Don’t make a sound,” she whispered to Suzie as she eased her hand from her daughter’s mouth and shifted to peek out the window.
Headlights crisscrossed the front yard. At their center, Kelly lay motionless.
Tara bit back a cry.
On his knees at Kelly’s side, Zach tore at her coat.
Tara’s medical training overruled the surge of panic. She edged higher and peered over the backseat. A man lay facedown on the street, his hands cuffed behind his back. Two police officers had guns trained on him. The remaining officers weren’t ducking behind cover, so it must be safe.
Tara cupped Suzie’s face. “Honey, I need you to stay right here. Someone’s hurt and Mommy needs to help. But then I’ll be right back. Okay?”
Suzie’s wide eyes filled with tears, but she clutched her bunny to her chest and nodded.
“Good girl. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” Rather than open the rear door and expose Suzie, Tara crawled between the front seats and slipped out the driver’s door. Before leaving the cover of the truck, she scanned the area one more time for signs of danger. Seeing none, she dashed toward Zach and Kelly.
Three steps from the porch, someone caught her arm and pulled her about-face. Rick. “What are you doing out here? Wait in the truck.”
“I’m a nurse. They need my help.” Not waiting for his response, she whirled back to Kelly and Zach. “Where was she hit?”
“The chest. Her vest should’ve taken the shot, but—” Zach ripped the Velcro, and Kelly’s eyes burst open.
She let out a gas
p, and frantically tore at her Kevlar vest. After prying it loose, she collapsed back with relief. She’d have a whale of a bruise, but the bullet hadn’t breached the vest.
Zach rose and immediately swayed on his feet.
Tara’s gaze locked on his bloodstained sleeve.
Rick must have seen it at the same time, because he pushed Zach down to sit on the porch step. “I’ll help Kelly. You let Tara take care of that arm until the paramedics get here.” He pressed a first-aid kit into her hands.
Zach’s relieved expression morphed into a dark scowl. “I told you to stay in the truck.”
Anger that he’d let himself get hurt ambushed her. “You also said you’d be right back.” She ripped away his torn sleeve. The bullet had only grazed his flesh, but it had left behind a nasty-looking gash. She poured a liberal amount of rubbing alcohol onto a wad of cotton. “This is going to sting.”
He caught her hand before she touched his arm. “Where’s Suzie?”
“In the truck.”
He snatched up one of Kelly’s blankets and rose to his feet. “Grab the kit. We’ll do this there.”
He flung the blanket over his shoulder, and at the sight of two bullet holes, Tara couldn’t muffle the cry that tore from her throat. Her daughter! That could have been her daughter!
Zach pulled her close. “I’m sorry. I never should have brought you here.”
Stricken by the anguish on his face, she looked away. In the street, two cops pulled the gunman to his feet.
“At least now we’ll get some answers,” Zach said gruffly, following the direction of her gaze. “Do you recognize him?”
In the darkness, she couldn’t make out his face, nor did she recognize the long, stringy hair or emaciated build. “No.” Tara shivered. He was an utter stranger. Why would he want her dead?
The man doubled over.
“We need a gurney over here,” an officer shouted.
Suzie’s face appeared in the side window of Zach’s truck cab, her thumb wedged in her mouth.
Tara rushed forward. Opening the door, she pulled Suzie into her arms. “I’m back, sweetie. It’s okay. See, Zach’s here, too.”
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