by Laura Scott
“Great.” Margie glanced at him, so he stepped forward.
“Captain Isaac Goddard,” he said, introducing himself.
“First Lieutenant Margie Campbell,” the blonde returned. “Vanessa and I work together. Nice to meet you, Captain,” Margie said with a smile. She turned toward Vanessa. “I’m supposed to meet Tristen here. Have you seen him?”
“Not yet. But you can hang with us for a while,” Vanessa offered.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.” Margie glanced around, then stood up on her tiptoes. “I think I see Tristen over there. See you later, okay?”
“Sure thing.” Vanessa looked a little embarrassed when her friend left. “Don’t let Margie make you uncomfortable. She’s a ridiculous matchmaker.”
Isaac cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “I’m never uncomfortable around you, Vanessa. Quite the opposite.”
“Oh.” She blushed and looked away.
“I would have called to formally invite you to attend this with me, but didn’t have your number.”
She arched a brow. “Why would you want it? After all, you’re the one who told me you weren’t relationship material.”
“I’m not,” he agreed. “You know, more than anyone else, how I’ve been struggling since returning stateside.”
Her dark gaze filled with compassion. “Oh, Isaac, struggling with an illness doesn’t prevent you from having a relationship.”
“It does,” he insisted. “Especially when I have more questions than answers about my future.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “I see. Okay, then why did you change your mind and ask me to come?”
He hesitated, shrugged. “I couldn’t stay away.”
She muttered something that sounded like men under her breath, then wrapped her arm around his waist in a brief hug. He returned the embrace, enjoying the sweet, calming honeysuckle scent that clung to her.
Someone jostled them from behind, forcing him to release her. He lightly grasped her hand, cherishing the connection. “I can’t believe how many people showed up for this.”
“I know. Any reason to celebrate, right?”
“You got it.”
“There’s the plane,” someone shouted.
Isaac lifted his gaze to the sky, momentarily overwhelmed with a sense of loss. Would he ever make it back up in the pilot’s seat? Or was he doomed to be grounded forever?
The C-130 Hercules aircraft slowly grew larger as it approached the runway. The sound of the dual engines was incredibly loud, but that didn’t keep him from smiling with appreciation as the pilot leveled the plane, bringing the aircraft in for a smooth landing.
“Nice,” he said.
“If you say so.” Vanessa shrugged. “I wouldn’t know a good landing from a bad one.”
“Trust me, you would if you were a passenger inside,” he joked.
The plane taxied in toward the hangar. The crowd waited patiently for the plane to stop and for the returning airmen to disembark.
The crowd surrounding them seemed to be holding its collective breath. The C-130 came to a stop and the hatch opened up, dropping to the ground with a loud clang.
After another long moment, the five returning airmen appeared from within the depths of the plane, waving as they descended.
“Hey! There’s Boyd Sullivan!”
Just like when Beacon arrived on base, chaos erupted. Some people screamed, others pushed and shoved as if attempting to escape, while others dropped to the ground as if afraid of impending gunfire.
“Stay down,” Isaac commanded, pulling Vanessa close. He thought for sure this was nothing more than a ruse to get at Vanessa.
“No! Look. I think I see him over there!” Vanessa pulled away from him and took off running in the direction from where the shout had come from.
“Wait! Vanessa!” Isaac kept pace with her, weaving through people with Tango close to his side. He desperately searched the male faces for Sullivan’s familiar features.
Vanessa slowed and stopped, looking around in confusion. “He was here, Isaac. But now he’s gone.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so.” A hint of doubt invaded her tone.
“Let’s join the search.” He kept close to her side as they joined other Security Forces officers combing the area for a sign of the Red Rose Killer.
But after frantic searching, they came up empty-handed.
If Boyd Sullivan had in fact been there, he was gone now.
Evading capture once again.
ELEVEN
Hours later, after fruitless searching, they were gathered at Base Command. “Are you absolutely sure you saw Sullivan?” Captain Blackwood was frowning at Vanessa as if she’d personally allowed Boyd to escape.
She glanced around the group seated around the table. Several of the members of the task force assigned to catching the Red Rose Killer were in attendance, including Tech Sergeant Linc Colson, First Lieutenant Ethan Webb and Master Sergeant Westley James, none of whom appeared antagonistic, but Yvette Crenville, the base nutritionist, was staring at her suspiciously.
Because Yvette still believed she was guilty of the false claims the anonymous blogger had made about her helping Boyd?
Or because Yvette had noticed Vanessa keeping a close eye on her recently? Justin Blackwood had asked her to watch Yvette while they were both at work, so she had. But the woman had yet to do anything the least bit suspicious.
“No, I can’t be absolutely sure I saw him.” Vanessa tried to keep her impatience from showing. “Everyone heard the shout and when I looked in that direction, I caught a glimpse of dark hair and narrow eyes. In that brief moment, I thought the man was Boyd.”
“Anyone else see him?” Justin asked.
A strained silence fell over the group and those around her all shook their heads.
“We may not have, but someone did,” Isaac pointed out. “Someone shouted his name, causing instant pandemonium.”
Vanessa wished she’d kept the flash of recognition to herself. The glimpse had been so fleeting, and looking back, she could admit the dark-haired, narrow-eyed man could have been anyone.
Justin blew out a frustrated breath. “Great. This is just perfect. What I’m hearing is that we don’t know if Sullivan was really there or not,” he said. “In fact, it’s highly likely the person who shouted Sullivan’s name saw the same guy Vanessa spotted.”
Once again, all eyes turned toward her. She really, really wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “But haven’t there been other sightings of Boyd on base? Why is it so hard to believe he was in the crowd this evening?”
“Because if he was smart, he’d stay hidden,” Westley James said. “And while Boyd may not be the most brilliant criminal we’ve come across, he’s had us chasing our tails for months now. We’ve seriously underestimated him.”
She couldn’t argue with the master sergeant. “But if Boyd is on base, then there must be a methodical way to find him. Have we gone through all the videos and checked out every possible person who might be helping him? I promise it’s not me.” Her voice came out more vehemently than she intended.
“No one suspects you, Vanessa,” Isaac said. “You were attacked at the hospital and have the bruises to prove it, not to mention being shot at several times.”
While she appreciated Isaac’s support, the collar of her dress uniform hid the bruises from view. Justin had seen her bruises that first night, but no one else had. And so far, no one could prove that the gunshots had been directed at her.
Deep down, she could understand some of the skepticism. Being targeted by Boyd didn’t make any sense. She’d helped him that night in the alley all those years ago. There was no reason for him to come after her now.
“Now that you mention other helpers, I have noticed something odd,” Gretchen Hill said.
Vanessa was relieved when all eyes turned toward the female cop.
“Like what?” Justin demanded.
Gretchen tipped her chin and met Justin’s direct gaze. “One night I worked late with our newest dog, Abby. After returning her to the kennel, I found one of the trainers, a guy named Rusty Morton, acting very strangely. He was pacing and texting, looking worried. The night was cool but he was sweating and appeared nervous. When he saw me, he tucked his phone away and left the training facility.” Gretchen shrugged. “I thought it was odd.”
Justin’s gaze was skeptical, but then Westley James nodded. “You know, I’ve noticed him acting weird, too. I found him sitting outside the other day, his head in his hands as if he didn’t know what to do. I asked if he was okay, and he admitted he wasn’t feeling well, told me he’d caught a bug of some kind. Then he hurried away.”
Justin looked thoughtful. “It’s strange behavior, but have you considered the possibility that he was just trying to hide his illness?”
“Why would he hide something like that?” Gretchen asked.
“As a nurse, I know many people don’t like admitting they’re sick,” Vanessa said slowly. “And one conclusion could be that he’s afraid Westley will take away his position as a trainer. But all of that aside, I don’t think we can ignore the possibility that Morton might be helping Boyd. After all, someone let all the dogs out of their kennels as a diversion.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Rusty loves those dogs,” Westley said. “But I’ve had the same concern.”
Justin swept his gaze over the room. “Since we don’t have any other leads, I’ll assign a cop to keep an eye on Morton for the next few days.” Justin paused, then asked, “Anything else going on that I should know about?”
More silence, then a round of no sirs echoed from the group.
“Good. Dismissed.” Justin rose to his feet.
Vanessa happened to be seated closest to the door, so she gratefully slipped out ahead of the group.
“Vanessa, wait!” Isaac’s voice rose above the din of departing airmen.
She slowed down enough to let Isaac catch up, but continued making her way outside the building, breathing the fresh autumn air.
“Vanessa, you can’t go off on your own.” Isaac’s voice was tense with alarm.
“I know, I’m sorry.”
He stood beside her for a moment, Tango at his side. She greeted the dog with a quick rub, glad to see him, considering she’d left Eagle at home.
But hearing Boyd’s name and the subsequent chaos had made her wish she’d brought her protective K-9 along.
“What’s wrong? You seem upset.” Isaac’s gaze searched hers intently.
She sighed. “It’s difficult feeling like I have to constantly profess my innocence.”
“You’re not a suspect,” Isaac assured her.
“I am,” she insisted. “And being the only one who claims to have seen Boyd at the landing strip doesn’t help my case. I know Justin has told me I’m not a suspect, but that’s just words. I won’t feel truly vindicated until Boyd is caught and arrested.”
“You may be right to some extent,” Isaac agreed. “But I know you’re innocent.”
She was touched by his show of trust. “Thank you.”
“Let’s walk back to your car.”
She nodded and he fell into step beside her, keeping Tango between them. He grimaced. “I should have made you bring Eagle along.”
“I know, but after the scare with the intruder, I didn’t feel right leaving Aiden home alone with the puppies.”
“Justin still has a cop posted at your door,” Isaac said.
“Yes, but that didn’t help last time, did it?”
“No.”
“Exactly.” Vanessa shrugged. “I figured being with you would be enough and that Eagle was needed more at home.”
“Boyd sent that rose to you, Vanessa. Not to your brother.”
She knew that, but the break-in had shaken her confidence. No way was she going to allow Aiden to be hurt because of her.
“You really think Rusty Morton might be involved?” she asked.
“His behavior is off. Could be he’s in some kind of trouble,” Isaac said. “Makes sense to me that it could be Boyd.”
“Maybe he is guilty of something. If he was the one who let the dogs loose, maybe that was only the start and now Boyd is holding that over his head.”
“Justin will keep an eye on Rusty. If the trainer is guilty, we’ll find out soon enough.”
They walked for a while in silence and she wondered if Isaac had put Tango between them on purpose, to keep space between them. But if he wanted distance, why had he showed up at her doorstep to take her to the homecoming? It confused her.
When they reached her SUV, they exchanged mobile phone numbers.
“Does this mean that you’re still attending church services with me and Aiden on Sunday?”
She didn’t imagine the slight hesitation before he said, “Yes, of course.”
There was no of course about it, but she didn’t push. Just because Isaac wasn’t interested in a relationship, she still wanted him to find a way back to his faith.
Believing in God and leaning on His grace and wisdom was important. Far more precious than anything else.
They were both silent on the ride back to her place. He walked with her up to the sidewalk, then stopped. She glanced over her shoulder questioningly.
“I’d like to spend the night on your sofa.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said with a nod to the cop at the door. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Besides, I have to work a twelve-hour shift tomorrow, so I’ll be up super early.”
“Please.” Isaac took a step closer. “Humor me. I promised to keep you safe and after the possible sighting of Boyd, I can’t stand the thought of leaving you.”
“If it makes you feel better, why not?” She saluted the cop at the door, then went inside, Isaac and Tango right behind her.
Aiden was sitting on the kitchen floor, surrounded by the puppies. “Hi. How was the party?”
“Nothing special.” Vanessa didn’t want her brother to worry about Boyd. “Isaac is going to bunk on the sofa if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure. I’ll keep the puppies in my room tonight.” Aiden’s expression turned grim. “I’m not going to risk letting anything happen to them.”
“Good idea.” Vanessa couldn’t help but smile when Tango went over to sniff the pups, making Aiden laugh.
It had been so long since her brother had laughed.
She stood awkwardly for a moment, secretly wishing for an opportunity to be alone with Isaac. But it was probably better to give Aiden and Isaac some time alone, in case they wanted to talk. “Well, good night, then. Don’t forget, I’m working a full twelve tomorrow.”
“I know.” Her brother’s voice held a note of annoyance. She needed to remember that despite everything he’d gone through, he wasn’t a little kid anymore. At twenty, he was far from the boy she’d helped raise with their aunt Millie after their parents had died.
She left the two men alone, hoping and praying that Aiden was truly on the road to recovery.
* * *
Isaac wasn’t sure why he was torturing himself by sleeping on Vanessa’s sofa, surrounding himself with her honeysuckle scent. Wasn’t one night of no sleep enough?
Or maybe he was hoping that he wouldn’t suffer another nightmare if he was here at her place, rather than alone in his house.
He made a mental note to seek out Jacey Burke again to at least apologize for his role in her brother’s death. If she couldn’t forgive him, that was fine, but he at least needed to let her know he held himself responsible.
The way any good pilot would.
He sat with Aiden for a whi
le. They didn’t talk about their respective nightmares, but he sensed the young man was beginning to trust him. Maybe over time, Aiden would feel comfortable opening up to Isaac.
Ironic that the only person he’d opened up to was Vanessa.
Eventually, Isaac slept better than he’d hoped. When he woke, it was to the tantalizing scent of coffee. He pried open one eye and peered into the kitchen.
Vanessa looked lovely, her golden skin glowing from her shower, her dark hair pulled away from her face in a ponytail that made her look years younger. His heart stumbled in his chest and he had to force himself to stay where he was or risk kissing her again.
“Hey,” he said, drawing her attention. “Let me know when you’re ready to go. I’ll walk with you to work.”
“I have about five minutes, but that’s not enough time to walk, so I’ll drive.” She finished her cup of coffee and then set it in the sink. “Actually, now that I think about it, maybe you should drive me to work? That way I can keep Eagle here with Aiden.”
“You need Eagle more than Aiden does.” He shot to his feet.
“He can’t stay in the ICU all day and besides, Aiden needs protection, too.”
He recognized the stubborn glint in her eyes. “Please?”
“Not happening.” She narrowed her gaze and thrust out her chin. “Will you drive with me or not?”
“Okay.” He sensed arguing wasn’t going to get him anywhere and felt a twinge of resentment that she was pushing the issue of driving after he’d already told her about his concern of triggering a flashback. “But I’m going to leave your car at the hospital. Kyle is going to release Beacon today, so I’ll hang around the Winged Java for a while until the clinic opens.”
“Okay.” She picked up her purse and her stethoscope. “Let’s go.”
“Will you stop in and check on Aiden later today?” she asked as she glanced at him. “I’d feel better knowing he has someone around while I’m working.”
“I can do that.” He cleared his throat and cast a look at Tango in the rear. “Maybe I’ll leave Tango, see if he’ll bond with him.”