Her mouth dropped open.
“It’s protocol, Darcie,” Skyler added.
“I know, but—”
“But you’re worried we might learn something about your past that you haven’t volunteered,” Skyler interrupted.
Darcie fiddled with her ball of yarn. “I don’t have anything to hide, but yeah. My past is my story to tell. Not something I want you to learn from some report.”
“There’s a solution to that.” Noah locked eyes with Darcie, waiting for her to capitulate and talk about her past.
She held his stare and returned it ounce for ounce. He felt the tension rolling off her, but she didn’t bat an eye. Didn’t say a word. Fine. She still didn’t plan on sharing her past with him. He deserved that. He hadn’t told her about Evan, either.
“I’m still working on Mayte,” Skyler went on as if he and Darcie weren’t engaged in a stare down.
Noah changed his focus to Skyler. “I suspect she has a long arrest record.”
Skyler nodded. “Which is why it’s taking longer to pull together. I’ve requested case files for each of her arrests to see if any of them are gang-related.”
“For Isabel’s and Pilar’s sake, I hope the answer is no,” Darcie said with grim certainty.
Noah wasn’t optimistic. He suspected Mayte’s habitual drug use brought her in contact with gangs, and he wouldn’t be surprised if they discovered a connection to Darcie’s attack.
* * *
Darcie took a breath before answering Noah’s request to spend the night at the firehouse to keep watch over her. He looked stubbornly set in his decision, but Darcie wasn’t ready to concede yet. She couldn’t. Just the thought of him staying close by all night sent unwanted emotions firing.
“Well?” he asked, looking hopeful.
“I’m not declining your help,” she said as firmly as she could without making him think she was ungrateful. “But I’m well protected with the team surrounding me. You don’t need to stay here tonight.”
“I get that, I honestly do, but for my own peace of mind I have to be close by.” He planted his hands on his waist and met her gaze. “If you say no, I’ll sleep in the car.”
“That’s not the answer. You’ll be uncomfortable and I’ll feel guilty all night.”
“Then the solution is to let me stay here.”
She sighed and knew it was time to give in. “I’m already sleeping on the couch in my condo so Pilar and Isabel can share my bed. You’ll have to make do down here.” She nodded at the large sofa in the family room. “Is that close enough for you?”
“Sure. As long as you promise not to leave the property via the back door.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“We’re ready, Darcie,” Isabel called out from the down the hall in the game room.
Her sweet little voice sounding so eager and ready for a simple game of Go Fish lightened Darcie’s mood and she vowed to forget the drama of her life to help provide Isabel with a tension-free atmosphere.
“Mind if I join you?” Noah asked.
“You seriously want to play Go Fish?”
“Are you kidding?” His lips tipped in a charming grin, sending her heart singing. “When I was growing up, I was the champion Go Fish player in all of Washington County.”
“They had tournaments, did they?” Darcie said snidely as they headed for the game room.
“What?” He gave her a look of mock surprise. “You’ve never heard of them?”
“I grew up in Florida. Though I’m sure the tournament was a momentous occasion, your wins didn’t make the national news.”
He tossed back his head and laughed. The joyful sound melted her heart. Just like that. Into a puddle. She loved seeing this lighter side of him. It was something she desperately needed in her own life. She’d survived the loss of Haley, the abandonment of Tom, but joy? She could honestly say she hadn’t found that again.
Lord, did You put Noah in my life to show me the way back?
It was thinking like this that was the very reason he shouldn’t be staying the night. She needed to make sure they weren’t ever alone together. She hurried ahead of him into the game room painted a cheerful yellow. Isabel and Pilar sat at a table in front of a wall of shelves filled with books and board games.
Pillar looked up. She looked weary and her shoulders sagged. Darcie stopped by the older woman and rested her hand on Pilar’s forehead before taking her pulse.
Pilar forced a smile. “You do not need to fuss.”
“Shh,” Noah said. “If you argue, it’ll just take longer, ’cause once she’s made up her mind...” He winked.
Darcie looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile. “You know me that well, do you, Noah Lockhart?”
His gaze darkened. “I guess as well as you’ll let anyone know you, yes.”
His serious response took her aback for a moment and she stared at him. She hadn’t expected an honest answer when they’d been joking. She wasn’t surprised that the good humor in the room had evaporated and tension took its place.
“Can we please start?” Isabel begged from her seat across the table.
Pilar cast a warning look at Isabel and shook her head.
Isabel’s happy expression crumpled and Darcie’s heart cracked. The child had been through so much. Pilar was trying to make up for it, but the years of neglect remained in Isabel’s eyes at times. Darcie had cherished Haley. Tried to be the mother Darcie had never had growing up. And when Darcie saw another child suffering, she couldn’t stand by and not get involved. Darcie could best help Isabel by keeping the mood light around here and making sure Pilar fully recovered.
Darcie turned back to Pilar. “I can tell you’re exhausted. You should go up to bed.”
“But Isabel...”
“Go Fish can be played with three people.” Noah stepped over to Pilar and helped her stand. “Darcie and I will take care of Isabel.”
“Absolutely.” Darcie ruffled Isabel’s curls. “It’s always a pleasure to spend time with this little munchkin.”
Isabel looked up at Darcie. “What’s a munchkin?”
“I’ll explain as we play Go Fish.” Darcie started to shuffle the cards and Noah escorted Pilar out of the room.
He cupped her good arm and moved slowly. Gently. Tenderly, as he’d done after Darcie’s attack. Of course, she’d been too freaked out to appreciate how considerate he’d been. And then, she’d added to his challenge by trying to fight him. By continuing to fight him. He didn’t deserve that. Plus her actions could be distracting when he needed to focus. She’d seen officers who’d let distractions get in the way—it often resulted in injury. One died of a gunshot to the chest. Right on her gurney.
She shuddered at the memory. She couldn’t cause the same thing to happen to Noah.
“I can deal the cards if you can’t,” Isabel proclaimed.
Darcie slid the cards to the precious little girl and her thoughts turned to games played with Haley. To the crisp, cool day in the fall when Haley buried herself in a pile of colorful maple leaves at the curb. To the senior citizen who’d lost control of his car. Jumped the curb.
Darcie had seen it happen right in front of her eyes, as if in slow motion. She hadn’t been able to stop the man from losing control of his car. She also couldn’t control the chances of something bad happening to Noah as they searched for her attacker.
She had to face facts. No matter how hard she tried, she had no control over life-and-death matters. That would never change, and unless it did, her recent thoughts of opening up to others didn’t matter one little bit.
NINE
Noah sat at the bar in the firehouse kitchen, his first morning cup of coffee on the countertop. He stretched and yawned. The sofa had been comfor
table. The sheets soft. The blanket warm. But no amount of comfort was going to make him forget about the danger surrounding Darcie and drop off to a restful sleep. He’d nod off for a few hours, then jerk awake. Over and over again. So what if he was dragging this morning. A few cups of coffee and he’d be alert and ready.
But first a call to Judson. Noah hoped that he’d catch Judson before he started his day and the guy would actually pick up his phone.
The phone rang four times and just as Noah prepared himself to get Judson’s voice mail, the detective answered. Noah stifled a hallelujah and identified himself.
“Yeah, right,” Judson said. “You wanted information on the Nuevo gang. Sorry I didn’t get back with you. Things have been crazy. In fact, I’ve only got a few minutes, so make this quick.”
Noah explained Darcie’s attack and Oleda’s connection to Darcie. “We’re looking for the boyfriend.”
“I know the guy. Name’s Elonzo Perez. He’s a Nuevo, all right. His rap sheet is about a mile long. Violent dude. Can’t tell you where to find him, though.”
Noah grabbed a pen and jotted down the name. “And Oleda? I know as a woman she wouldn’t have been allowed in the gang, but was her death connected to them?”
“Yeah. At least we suspect it was. She was killed in a drive-by meant to take down a rival gang member. To avoid prosecution on a drug charge, he’d cut a deal and snitched on the Nuevo leaders.”
“Which wouldn’t make him popular with the Nuevos or his own gang.”
“No one abides a snitch.”
The beep from a remote car entry filtered through the phone and it sounded like Judson was on the move.
“Was it a Nuevo or a member of the rival gang who took down the snitch?” Noah asked before Judson could end the call.
“We don’t have enough evidence to point a finger at either one of them. Since a Nuevo would have backed off once he saw Oleda, seems likely the rival gang was taking out one of their own. They were at a local festival and Oleda just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Noah thought back to all the briefings he’d attended on gangs and remembered something about family respect. “Gangs have that whole family thing going on, right?”
“Exactly. If a family member is present, all gang business ceases. Which on the one hand is odd, because in this case, the rival gang would have the same values and should have backed off when they saw Oleda. Plus you’d think they’d let the snitch live to testify and cripple the Nuevo gang before doing him in.”
“Was the snitch’s information damaging enough that the Nuevos would ignore their family rule?”
“Maybe. If the snitch hadn’t died, his testimony would have put the Nuevo leaders away for a long time.”
“Just exactly what did the snitch say?” Noah asked.
“Sorry, man. That information is on a need-to-know basis.”
“Then you can tell me because I need to know.”
“Nice try.” Judson chuckled. “Look man, I gotta go.”
“One more thing,” Noah said, hoping to keep him on the line. “The Nuevo gang leaders. Did you have enough to arrest them without the testimony?”
“Unfortunately, no. We’re hoping to get one of them to turn on the others, but we’re still looking for them. They went underground when the snitch died.”
“I don’t get it. The snitch is dead. Why go underground?”
“Who knows what motivates them to do what they do?” Judson said, sounding disgusted. “But maybe they think we have another snitch.”
“Could this be connected to the attack I’m investigating?”
Judson was silent for a moment. “Anything is possible.”
Not a helpful or very comforting response. Noah needed more. “I need to get a look at the information your snitch provided.”
“Sorry, man. Best I can do is ask my LT to let me read you in on the investigation.”
Noah stifled a sigh of frustration. “Do that and let me know ASAP what you learn.”
“Will do.” Judson paused for a moment and didn’t disconnect. “You know, it might not be a bad idea to leave your investigation alone for a while. The Nuevos are in turmoil and things are extremely volatile in their neighborhood. You don’t want to get in the middle of that. And you don’t want to mess with Perez. He’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t need much provocation to kill.”
Noah wasn’t about to be warned off if it meant finding the man who’d attacked Darcie. He thanked Judson for the information, then called dispatch to look up Elonzo Perez in the PPB’s database and email his rap sheet. The minute his face flashed on Noah’s phone, a long list of priors below, Noah knew this man was as dangerous as Judson had claimed.
Noah hated to think of showing the picture to Darcie, but if Perez had attacked her, she’d need to ID him. Noah found her still sitting on the patio, where he’d left her, a cup of coffee untouched on the table. He stepped outside. The sun spilled yellow rays over the garden, making all the colors richer—the warm chestnut of her hair, the coffee brown of her eyes, even the vibrant blue of her jacket. She peered up at him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her breath rising in little puffs of cold air around her face.
“I talked to Judson. Oleda’s boyfriend is Elonzo Perez.” He handed over his phone. “Recognize him?”
She studied the picture and Noah expected she’d react, but she didn’t move. She simply stared long and hard at the screen.
“Yeah,” she finally said, almost dispassionately. “He’s the guy who threatened me at the hospital.”
“And is he your attacker?”
“Could be, but I’m not positive.” She handed his phone back to him. “What happens now?”
“Now I get an arrest warrant and an alert issued for Perez and send someone by his last known address to serve the warrant.”
“Do you think they’ll find him at home?”
Noah thought back to his conversation with Judson. If Perez was caught up in the Nuevo turmoil, the odds of finding him at all were slim, but Darcie didn’t need to know that.
“Could be. Why don’t we let the police force concentrate on that while we head to Eugene to interview Detective Wilson about Leland King?”
She nodded, but it was halfhearted. “In other words, Perez will be hard to find.”
“You can read my mind now, huh?” He chuckled.
She didn’t respond. Something was troubling her this morning and, as usual, she didn’t want to talk about it. For once, he didn’t, either. Not after hearing Judson’s description of Perez and knowing the creep was in the wind and free to strike at a moment’s notice.
* * *
Detective Wilson was pretty much what Darcie expected of a detective. Broad-shouldered, serious, his focus intense as he offered them disposable booties to protect the crime scene before escorting them into Leland King’s house. Sky-high pines and maple trees surrounded the mid-century home with soaring ceilings and a wall of windows that overlooked a wooded ravine.
“Look,” Detective Wilson said as he stared at Noah in the entryway. “I’m not sure what you’re hoping to find here. I get that you’re a big-city detective, and we’re small-time to you, but our team was thorough.”
Noah held up a placating hand. “I’m not doubting your work. I’ve found over the years that in addition to searching a victim’s home, being there helps me get a better sense of who he is. That’s all I’m looking for here.”
Wilson nodded firmly.
From Darcie’s work with the FRS team and her interactions with the police as a paramedic, she was very familiar with the strong egos of law enforcement officers and she was pleased to see Noah keep this from becoming an issue.
“I’d also appreciate any details and opinions you’ve formed about th
e victim,” Noah said.
“Not sure we even have a victim yet, but if your hit-list theory is correct then I need to keep an open mind.” He held out his hand. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where we found the blood.” Wilson crossed the room, his feet encased in booties that whispered against gleaming hardwood as he walked. He stopped by the white sofa and pointed at a rusty red stain. “Lab tests confirm it matches King’s blood type.”
Noah stared at the sofa. “Not a large quantity of blood. Could be from a struggle, but it’s not enough to suggest murder.”
With King’s name scratched off the hit list, Darcie believed he’d been murdered, but to hear Noah’s blunt statement made her sick inside. She turned her attention to the room to keep her mind off the list.
If she didn’t already know King didn’t have young children, the room would have told her that. Spotless. Organized. Not a dust bunny in sight. White furniture—with the exception of the blood—was also spotless.
“The prime suspect in our investigation has gang affiliation,” Noah said. “Specifically the Nuevo gang. Any chance King is affiliated with a gang?”
Wilson shook his head. “But now that you mention it, I’ll be sure to keep a look out for anything related.”
“We’re also interested in a Ramon Flores. Has that name come up in your investigation?”
“No, should it?”
“His name appears on the hit list we located at our crime scene.”
“I see,” Wilson said. “So far we’ve focused on King’s personal life to find a possible suspect. Maybe this Flores worked with him, though records indicate this was a one-man operation. We suspect he worked with other designers in his business, but these were online collaborations only and they were paid as contracted staff. I’m working on running down a list of these designers and I’ll get the report to you as soon as I have it.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Noah said.
“It might take some time, though,” Wilson said. “Since we don’t even know if King met with foul play—he could be in Vegas having a high old time gambling and not taking his sister’s calls, for all we know—this investigation isn’t my top priority right now.”
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