by Dale Mayer
“Yeah, I hear you.” The cop turned back. “We came here to pick up a gun. Where is it?”
Using the flashlight, Flynn pointed to it on the ground. It looked like it was even more covered in mud now. The cop reached down and with what looked like a pencil, collected it and put it in an evidence bag. He held it up in the concentrated light and said, “This could be the murder weapon.”
“That’s why I called you.”
“Any chance it has your fingerprints on it?” The cop studied Flynn’s face intently.
Because of that, Flynn kept his expression easy, natural. “If it’s Brendan’s, anything is possible. We were in the military together. We often would target practice in the woods. Not only did we need to keep that up for our jobs but it was fun. A great way to pass the time with the guys.”
The cop stared from the gun to Flynn.
Flynn felt he had to add, “It’s not mine.”
“Good enough. You weren’t driving the truck just now, so I’ll take that as a sign of faith that you’re not the guy who did this.” He put the evidence in his jacket pocket as another car turned into the alleyway. “Here’s my ride. We’ll be in touch.”
The second cop car pulled up beside them. The cop got into the vehicle, and they drove off. Flynn watched as they disappeared into the night. Good luck catching Brendan. That wouldn’t be so easy. In his heart, he knew this guy would get away.
Chapter 13
Flynn had sent her inside when the police arrived. “Anna?”
“I’m in the office,” she called out.
He stopped at the doorway. “What are you doing?”
“Going through the videos for the hours we were gone tonight,” she said. “I just want to make sure nothing was touched.” She glanced at him and smiled. “Thanks for fixing it again.”
“Good idea.” He smiled. “And you’re welcome.”
He was kind of pissed for not having thought of it himself. It just proved when he was personally involved in any case, it would throw him off his game. And he was in this deep, in two different ways—what with avoiding a murder charge, plus, not letting Anna get shot or worse. At the compound they had everything running through video cameras at over a dozen locations. Somebody was always going through them, making sure nothing happened they needed to know about. He should have done the same as soon as they arrived home from the police station.
“I saw him.”
She raised her head and studied him. “You saw who?” she asked cautiously.
“Brendan. He was the one driving the big truck.”
She bolted to her feet and threw her arms around Flynn. He hugged her close. “I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.
“I am too, but at the same time, I’m relieved. We have the right bad guy. There’s no one else out there doing this to us.”
“Did the cop see him?”
“The first cop was there with me. The second took off after him. The one seemed to think they’d have no trouble catching Brendan in a roadblock. But I highly doubt it. Chances are he’s already long gone.”
She pulled back and stared up at him in horror. “Really?”
He nodded.
Just then the doorbell rang. She clung to him instead of stepping away so he could answer.
“Maybe it’s Logan.”
She gave him a questioning look but pulled back, following him. He opened the door with her standing right behind him.
Sure enough it was Logan.
And he was bearing gifts.
The smell of pizza filled the hallway. She laughed. “Perfect timing. I’m starving again.”
He handed her the pizzas and she took them into the kitchen. Thank God he was okay. She had no idea if he just ran off to get the food and hadn’t told them, meaning for it to be a surprise, or if something else happened. She brought out plates and poured Logan a cup of coffee, topped hers off, and filled Flynn’s also.
Still talking, the men came into the kitchen, laughing and joking.
“I guess he didn’t see it then?” Anna asked.
Flynn shook his head. “He followed us just out to the freeway, but since I took the most direct way home to miss all the irritating lights, he actually went into town and ordered pizza.”
“Then that was a very slow delivery,” she muttered. “We parted ways over an hour ago.”
“True enough,” Logan said. “But I also stopped at the liquor store and picked up some beer. I figured Flynn could use a little bit of downtime on that whole stress-level thing.”
Flynn grabbed a beer, popping off the top. “You’re damn right I could. You haven’t heard the latest.”
When Flynn filled him in, Logan stared at him, his jaw dropping. “You’re saying that, if I’d followed behind you, I would have seen the goddamn asshole? Might’ve been able to run his plates?”
“Yeah. Instead the police are chasing him down. But I highly doubt they’ll catch him.”
“Hell, Brendan was in the same evasive driving-maneuver training we were. He’ll shake that off easily.”
Flynn nodded. “I know. I’m expecting him to return. Possibly tonight.”
*
He expected some kind of response from Anna. When there was none, he turned to study her face. It was white, like ice that had set too long in a freezer. He reached across and grabbed her hands. “I don’t want you lulled into thinking this is over. Brendan’s actions have escalated. There’s almost no time between his various little attacks now. He’ll come for the jugular, and we’re ready.”
She stared back at him mutely.
He squeezed her fingers and reassured her. “Remember, this is what we do.”
She shook her head. “It’s what you do, not me.”
“And that’s fine. You just have to trust us.”
Logan chimed in. “We have to be on alert and prepared for an attack.”
“What kind of an attack?”
“That’s the big question. Your security system is back up and running, which is good. But we can’t count on that. He took it out the first time. He’ll do it again. I did set an alarm for that eventuality. So if the system goes offline, an alarm will sound,” Flynn said.
“You can do that?”
“Absolutely. Security systems are way too easy to knock out.”
“So we just sit here and wait?” Her voice rose at the end. She pulled her hands free and reached up, giving her face a good scrub. “This is just too unbelievable.”
“I think Katina would say that same thing. She went through hell too.”
Anna shook her head. “Sure, but she’d seen and done something. I haven’t and the animals don’t deserve this.”
“It doesn’t matter who deserves it. This is what’s happening, it’s what’s on the table right now. Don’t compare the situation to anyone or anything else. We have to deal with what we have to deal with.” Logan’s voice was hard. Determined.
Flynn agreed. But he also knew Anna didn’t live in the same world they did. Cloak-and-dagger stuff was foreign to her. She dealt with puppies and kittens, and her biggest problem was paying vet bills and getting enough food to feed the animals she looked after. A far cry from his world.
On the other hand, it was a good balance. He saw the world in a much nicer light when he was around her. Sure, people were often assholes to animals, and for those he’d cheerfully take them out in a dark alley and give them a lesson about how hard the world could really be. But Anna was all heart. She’d spent her life saving animals. She just needed a hand. And as he considered her words from earlier, maybe a move wasn’t a bad idea. A little farther out of town would be good. He could see the neighbors not being impressed when she was full with thirty or forty barking dogs. There had to be noise ordinances. She had a business license, but if the city officials ever found a reason to cancel that, or change the scope of the license, he figured they would do it in a heartbeat.
Particularly after this session, her place would be
deemed trouble. It wasn’t her fault; but his. And for that he was terribly sorry. However, the only thing he could do was get her through this and keep her alive.
Chapter 14
After finishing a piece of pizza, she picked up her coffee and walked to her office. “I’ll update the website for the other two dogs. See if we can get some interest on Jimbo and his buddy, Duggy.”
In truth, she just wanted to return to something resembling a normal life. She turned on her computer and brought up the website. She quickly made the changes, then put Jimbo and Duggy’s photos up front and center. She lowered the adoption fee, hoping to trigger some interest from anybody. As soon as she was done, she reached for the phone and called the Rabbit Rescue. She’d been hoping to hand off her rabbit to someone as a family pet. But after a certain number of days, it wasn’t fair to keep him in the cage. He’d be much better off at the rescue. There were many acres of land so the rabbits were free to run, and the food was supplemented.
She knew they wouldn’t be open at this hour, but she could leave a message. Knowing it was a small business like hers, she was surprised when somebody answered. She explained who she was and what she had.
“My husband’s actually in town right now. You want him to run by and pick him up?”
Anna gasped in surprise. “Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you. By the way, do you happen to know anybody who would want a hamster?” she asked in a half-joking manner.
“Well, my daughter is looking for one. I’ll tell my husband to take a look while he’s there.”
At the end of that very happy phone call, Anna got up from her chair and raced out to the kitchen where the men were having a conversation. “Hey, Flynn. A man’ll be coming by to pick up the rabbit. He runs a big rabbit rescue outside of town. They’re happy to take him.”
“Nice. I’m sure the rabbit would much prefer to be free than in a cage.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier,” she said. “I was trying to find a family for him, but you’re right, free is better.”
“It’s definitely better,” Logan said.
“Also, he’ll take a look at the hamster for his daughter.”
“So it’s possible that, after tonight, it would be down to the two dogs?”
She stared at him in wonder. “Plus, the snake and four cats.”
He laughed. “Four is not bad.”
Logan laughed too. “I better not tell my dad that you’ve got cats here. He’s quite a feline lover.”
She rounded on him. “Tell him. Tell him. Maybe he’ll take one or two.”
“What’s the deal here with the animals anyway?”
She explained how she got them all fixed and kept trying to find homes for them.
“But when you have no animals, then what?”
“I’m wondering if I should sell and move the shelter somewhere else. A place where the dogs would have more room.” She winced. “I can’t exactly say I’m terribly happy here after Jonas’s murder. It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
“It’s not a bad idea. But a move like that will cost money.”
“I know. But the property values here have gone up, and if I move out of town, I might be able to get into a better financial position.”
“Did you say this place is paid for?”
She nodded. “That is the one good thing. But all the pens would need to be moved or rebuilt. I’d need a place like this, but better. I’d have to find something within my budget.”
The two men looked at each other. She walked to the coffeepot and filled her cup. Money was such a pain in her existence. It wasn’t fair. All she wanted to do was to save animals.
She stared out the back. “I’m thinking of bringing the rabbit and hamster inside. I do have traveling cages for them.”
On that note, she put down her cup and headed outside. She quickly shifted the rabbit into her arms, giving him a heartfelt cuddle, loving its soft texture and gentle personality. Then she moved him into a smaller cage and gave him a few little treats. The hamster was still in a big cage, and she thought the whole cage could just go with him. She picked both up and carried them in the kitchen, setting them on the table beside the men. “I need to find a home for the snake too.”
Logan looked at her with interest. “You have a snake?”
She nodded. “He really should go to a reptile rescue.”
“Is there one in Houston?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to look. I just got him the day before Jonas was killed.”
“That’s right. He wasn’t here when I was, was he?”
She shook her head. “No.” She glanced down at the rabbit and hamster. “But with all the successive moving of animals, I’m thinking maybe the snake—with its big slow-healing back injury—would be in a much better place at the reptile rescue.”
She gave the men a bright smile, grabbed her coffee and said, “I’ll go take a look.”
She walked back to her office. She didn’t know what had happened to the snake—the first she had had here—but if it had been somebody’s pet, she’d want to make sure it went to a better home this time. And a reptile rescue might be the best place for it. If she was lucky enough to have one close by.
She made several phone calls, realizing she was pushing the limit for her good luck, but it was hard to let go of an idea once she sunk her teeth into it.
Her research paid off. She found a reptile rescue and several reptile clubs, and they often kept unwanted animals. She found a couple email addresses and darted off emails, sending a description and photos of the snake.
She’d be hesitant to take in reptiles again without having any idea what to do with them. They would be hard to sell to families. Still, if she could find a place for one or knew who to call when she was given another, that was a different story.
Satisfied she’d done what she could, she stood up just as the front doorbell rang. That should be the man for the rabbit. As she walked to the front door, she found both men waiting on her. Logan was in the corner of the living room. Flynn stood at her side as she opened the door to find a middle-aged man smiling down at her.
“I hear there’s a rabbit and hamster.”
She welcomed him inside and led the way back to the kitchen. “I’ve had the rabbit for a couple weeks. It’s time for him to find a better place. I haven’t had any luck getting him adopted.”
“It’s one of the reasons we set up the rescue. So often they are just released and become dog food.”
She gave him a long look. “I know. It’s so hard.” She motioned at the big rabbit. “There he is, and he’s very healthy.”
“Perfect.” The man looked over at the hamster and smiled. “Apparently I know a little girl looking for one.” Because he was taking the rabbit off her hands to put him in the rescue, there’d be no money exchanged. She smiled. “Well, outside of the hamster’s vet fees, he hasn’t cost very much, so if you just want to take him for your daughter, I’m happy with that.”
The man looked at her, a question in his eyes. “You don’t have adoption fees?”
She nodded. “Usually, but hamsters aren’t very much to handle anyway.”
He pulled out his wallet and gave her twenty bucks. “Buy a bag of dog food.”
She accepted it gratefully. “You want a receipt?”
He shook his head. “Not an issue. You okay with me keeping the cages?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thanks for looking after the rabbit. We need more rescues in this world.”
He carried both pets out the front door. The whole transaction had taken less than twenty minutes. She’d moved out two more animals. As soon as he got in the vehicle and drove away, she turned to walk back toward the house, Flynn at her side.
“That’s two more animals getting homes.”
“You’ve had a great day,” Flynn admitted. “I’m so happy for you.”
She grinned. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but instead hooked her
arm through his and said, “I’m delighted.”
He put his foot on the first step, and she jumped quickly onto the step above, intent on turning to give him a quick kiss, when an odd sound came and a harsh burn ran across her arm. She cried out in pain. What just happened?
“Stay down.”
She had no intention of going anywhere. But now her arm stung something awful. Lifting her hand, which hid the extent of the wound, she studied it, cataloguing what had just happened. The huge black truck that had tried to run them off the road drove past the house, the driver holding a handgun and spraying gunfire onto the property.
She cried out in shock as bullets rained over them. She crunched up into as small a ball as she could. Dimly in the background, she heard Flynn call out, “Look after Anna.”
The big truck roared, its brakes squealing when it picked up speed as it went around the corner. Then a second vehicle raced behind.
Just as suddenly as it had begun, there was silence.
She lay on the porch, controlling her breathing and the urge to scream.
“Are you okay, Anna?”
She turned toward Logan’s voice behind her head. He was just inside the house. In a daze she answered, “I think so. Is he gone?”
“Yes, and Flynn went after him.”
With Logan’s help, she made it into a sitting position. She gasped when he touched her arm.
“You shot?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Up on her feet and inside the kitchen, she stumbled to the table and sat down heavily. With the light she saw blood streaming between her fingers, dripping down her arm. And of course, the minute she saw it, she felt faint. And then the pain hit. She lowered her head to the table and focused on deep breaths. She didn’t think the bullet had gone through, but had no way of knowing because she couldn’t even see her hand.
“Let me take a look,” Logan said.
This will hurt like crap.