“For crying out loud, I feel like a school kid,” he muttered to himself.
“Geez, I was getting worried. Your thoughts are very unfocused. I guess she’s a real looker. I got a little warm flush going. ” Wyatt popped into his thoughts and broke the spell.
“It’s nothing, I was daydreaming for a bit,” Tristan said.
“Don’t, this is no time for daydreaming. Keep on task. You’re likely not alone.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m fine. I’ve located our target.”
“Good. Your only assignment is to keep tabs on her for now, don’t engage,” Wyatt said.
“Roger that.”
As quickly as Wyatt entered his mind, Tristan could feel his presence fade. All their lives they had been each others’ constant companions. It was a wonderful feeling, but sometimes, like now, having another person in his head was a real pain in the neck.
Whenever Victory was in an enclosed space or in a crowd of people, she would often get the feeling of being watched. She realized however that it was merely her ability to sense people’s emotions. Couple that with her sharper-than-average hearing and it could make anyone neurotic, she thought. Had she not taught herself years ago how to filter out the bombardment of noise and emotion encompassing her, she would have fallen to her knees from the deluge of sensations.
Victory felt a whisper of electricity run the length of her spine. She paused. She didn’t hear a specific conversation and yet she could feel a conversation; this was new- what kind of sensation was this? Slowing her pace she glanced around, surveying her surroundings. People seemed to be going about their business, grooming dogs, or talking with friends. For one brief instant she saw the back of a massively built man with jet black hair; her attention had been drawn to him, but in the blink of an eye he was gone out the door. “Geez, now I’m really getting jumpy,” she muttered to herself.
“Wyatt, she knows I’m here.” Tristan’s thoughts pushed to reach for his brother as he turned and left the building.
“She can’t possibly know you are there, you said no one was there when you found Jeffery. How would she even know to look for you?” Wyatt responded.
“I didn’t see anyone. She wasn’t there by the time I reached the scene. Nevertheless, when you and I first communicated I watched her pace visibly slow as she scanned the area.”
“Really. That’s interesting. Could be no more than women’s intuition.”
“I’m not so sure. It seemed like more than that. Get Jack to use those cyber skills of his and do some more digging, see if he can find anything more on Victory Winters. I think she may have telepathic skills.”
“I’ll get him right on it, but in the mean time watch yourself,” Wyatt warned.
FOUR
Payton stared at Victory in disbelief, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Poor Jeffery. Are you okay? I can’t believe it. I spoke to him about one of my research projects only last week.”
“Maybe I should have called the police. But seeing Detective Howard there really spooked me. I wouldn’t know who I could trust.” Victory said.
“No, Victory. You did the right thing. You have no idea who else might be involved in this, or how high up the ladder this goes. You left the scene. You could be a suspect as far as the police are concerned. No. Whoever these men are, they are dangerous. They didn’t see you, so you are safe. There’s nothing you can do for Jeffery now. Contact the police and you could find yourself in real trouble. Getting away for awhile and leaving town was the best idea.” Payton rambled on, trying to soothe her own mind.
“Detective Howard was the officer that interviewed all the department heads after my work colleague Lisa was found murdered in the company parking garage. That can’t be a coincidence. Somehow these two events must be connected.” Victory slumped in one corner of the sofa. Her big red Doberman Dax laid next to her, resting his head on her leg and staring up at her soulfully with his infinite dark chocolate eyes. She ran her hand down his head and neck then started rubbing his ears, his velvety soft coat flowing under her hand. This constant connection with him helped her to get through the horrors of the past few days.
“I keep playing out what you told me in my head, over and over again. I can’t believe Jeffery is gone,” Payton said.
“I know what you mean,” Victory said as tears again welled up in her eyes, making it difficult to focus on Dax’s ears. “I wish he would have given me more details on the phone, but I guess I’ll never know how I could have helped him. I can’t believe he would have willingly been involved in anything so dangerous. Associating with those men, that wasn’t the Jeffery I knew.” She wiped at her wet cheeks. “I realize it’s been five years since we last saw one another, but at one time I believed with all my heart that Jeffery was the one.”
”He hadn’t changed that much. He didn’t know how dangerous those men were,” Payton said. She sat quietly for a moment watching her sister stroke Dax. “Dax really missed you this time, Sis. He’s been sitting by the door for hours looking out at the yard and waiting for you to come home.” Payton whispered trying to ease the pain she saw shimmering in her sister’s eyes. “I’m glad you will be able to spend time with him. Maybe you should think about taking him on your next project.”
Victory’s job kept her moving around over the last year. Her home base was their family home, now owned by herself and her two sisters, Payton and Willow. She was currently working on a research project which required constant travel. Since Payton was able to stay at the family home she kept Dax, along with the three other family Dobermans and numerous canine guests. “Wow,” Victory remarked. “You really did a great job putting this all together,” she said, as if just noticing her surroundings in the motorhome.
“Yeah, it has everything I could ever need, my home away from home. I’m really glad that you decided to find me. I keep thinking about those two men in the woods. Do they know you were the one Jeffery was going to meet?”
“No, at least I don’t think so. They were questioning him about me, but he never revealed my name,” Victory said. She thought for a moment. “He was trying to keep me safe.” That revelation made the tears fall even harder.
“I wish I would have asked him what he was working on last week,” Payton said. “Since the two of you were out of touch for so long, I can only assume that he wanted your help with a current project.”
“Five years,” Victory repeated. “We didn’t see each other or speak to one another for five years. I’m not sure what Jeffery wanted. He phoned and basically asked me to meet him out at the picnic spot. He didn’t elaborate about what he wanted to talk about. I have no idea how our research projects would coincide with the other.”
From habit she stared down into Dax’s bottomless eyes. She could feel that he sensed her distress, it radiated off of him. She was born with the ability to read animals’ feelings. It was as natural as breathing to her.
While practicing veterinary medicine at a cutting-edge clinic in Seattle, she worked on an Australian Shepherd for a soft-spoken gentleman named Todd. No one had been able to diagnose the problem with his dog, Sassy; the only real symptoms Sassy presented were that she didn’t want to eat or play. Victory mentally connected with Sassy and discovered that she had two ribs stuck out of place. After only one chiropractic adjustment and a few acupuncture sessions, Sassy began acting like a puppy again, playing Frisbee and eating with gusto. Todd was very impressed with Victory and marveled at the fact that she diagnosed the problem so quickly. Todd had taken Sassy to three other vets, all did extensive tests and x-rays, but none of them could diagnose the problem.
“She told me,” was Victory’s only response when Todd asked how she diagnosed Sassy. He was amazed at her bluntness.
Over the next few months Todd and Victory became good friends. The two met every weekend at Green Lake Park to walk Dax and Sassy, who also became good friends. One afternoon Todd began telling her about his work. “I work for a private research firm. We
recently started this new division, basically it entails looking into the possibility of using dogs’ DNA.”
Victory’s face lost all color, as she stared at Todd. “What do you mean, you don’t hurt them, or do experiments on them, do you?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I guess I’m not explaining it quite right. We are trying to find a genetic link between the canine world and the human world. We are investigating the possibility of incorporating canine DNA with human DNA. We hope to discover a beneficial link to aid in curing diseases in humans. Along with this we are also trying to establish a baseline, looking into the possibility that some humans may possess heightened abilities, thereby already linking them to canine DNA. So far we haven’t been able to tap into any definite connection, and haven’t found anyone with the natural ability to really understand the dog behavior. Frankly, during our last board meeting I thought of you. I told the board how you cured Sassy. They would like to know if you would be interested in heading this research department,” Todd said.
That was eighteen months ago. Since then Victory’s life had become a whirlwind, but she loved it. She felt like this was the path she was born to walk, and enjoyed every minute, except for the need to leave Dax at the family home. She was going to change that situation.
“Victory,” Payton’s voice pushed into Victory’s thoughts, concern in her tone.
“Humm,” Victory looked up at Payton, bringing herself back to the present.
“I was asking about those men, the ones in the woods. You knew Detective Howard, but who was the guy that actually pulled the trigger? I can’t believe Jeffery would knowingly put you in danger.”
Victory could feel Payton’s panic. “I don’t know who the other man was. I couldn’t get a clear view of his face and his voice was unfamiliar. Jeffery didn’t mention anyone else meeting with us. I know he wouldn’t put me in danger intentionally.”
“And why in the woods? Jeffery was never the outdoors man. So you are really sure that they were not aware that you were there?” Payton kept repeating herself in hopes that any new fragments of the events would surface in Victory’s thoughts.
“No, I was too far away to be seen. I’m sure they had no idea I was there. But that’s why I came to you in California. So that no one could place me out in the forest.”
“Won’t they miss you at the lab? Call your condo looking for you?” Payton asked.
“No, even when I’m in town I work away from the facility quite often. I didn’t bring everything that I needed, but fortunately I left my laptop in the Jeep. I called in to the office when I arrived in San Francisco, and told my assistant that I had a lead on one of my projects and decided to follow it.”
Payton studied Victory; it was apparent that shock was finally setting in. Victory’s glassy eyes and ashen complexion concerned her. “You’re safe now. You look beat. Why don’t you go back and grab a nap? Take Dax.”
“I guess the events in the woods really drained me. I thought that I would help you finish loading first.”
“I’m pretty much done, at least until tomorrow. Are you sure that you want to stay for the show tomorrow?” Payton asked.
“Yes, I don’t want you changing plans at the last minute. That might look as if we have something to hide. We need to continue on as if nothing happened. If you really don’t need any help, I am feeling worn out.”
* * *
Dave Anderson and Jerry James sat in the coffee shop down the block from the fairgrounds. They had been there for over an hour, each on their third drink, waiting for Max to return from recon.
“You are absolutely positive that there was no one else out there when you shot Jeff?” Dave asked.
“Not another soul. Me, Ken, Jeff, and all the damn birds, that was it,” Jerry said.
Suddenly Max was standing beside their table.
“Jesus.” Jerry jumped, spilling his latte down his shirt front. “For Chrissakes, can’t you make some noise when you approach?” He spat at Max as he reached for the nearest napkin in an attempt to wipe some of the hot latte from his shirt.
“Damn Jerry, we can’t take you anywhere.” Dave laughed at the sight of Jerry, his crisp white shirt now covered in coffee.
“Sorry, I thought you saw me coming.” Max responded, knowing full well that he had not been seen.
“You know no one ever sees or hears you coming unless you want them too. That’s one of the reasons we hired you.” Dave attempted to stop his snickering at Jerry’s misfortune. “So, did you find her?”
“I took a couple of pictures on my phone and sent them back to the office to verify our target. So, what’s the next step if it is her?” Both Max and Jerry looked at Dave.
“We are supposed to keep tabs on her, to shadow her. We need to know if she really knows anything and if so, how much,” Dave said.
Forty-five minutes later Dave’s iPhone beeped and lit up with a message. “Got our answer, lab confirms her identity. The boss wants an update every day.”
“This would be a good down time for me.” Max stretched and rubbed his eyes. “I spoke with a couple of people while I was at the fairgrounds. Looks like this dog show will continue for the rest of the weekend.”
“Okay, then we’ll take shifts. I’ll go in first and keep an eye on her. You and Jerry head back to the hotel and get some rest. Jerry, you’re next up. Meet me at the Denny’s up the block at ten tonight,” Dave instructed.
Jerry glanced down at his watch, he had barely four hours to get some rest. “Great, night shift,” he grumbled.
“You got it, we need Max to get some rest. I want him at the top of his game when we need him.”
* * *
Tristan walked between the trailers and motorhomes, moving quietly and staying in the shadows. The place was so buttoned up he could hear the traffic a mile out on the highway. Amazing, two hours ago the place was a zoo, dogs barking, people laughing and talking, cars coming and going. Now there wasn’t a soul around and the dogs were all put to bed and quiet. He glanced down at his watch, it was only eleven o’clock. He walked toward space eighty-nine and found a large custom Prevost. There wasn’t a single light shining through the windows of the motor home, so he crept up closer to get a good look around. Suddenly he picked up a fresh scent approaching from the west, and given the wind, heading his way. It was a familiar scent, human and male, stale coffee and yeah, there it was–-Old Spice. He slid under the motorhome and laid flat on the ground behind the wheels.
Jerry was searching the fairgrounds looking for space eighty-nine. He knew that was where Victory was parked, but he was having a hell of a time finding it. There weren’t any clear markings around. The hell with it, he would look for a “big” motorhome, that’s what Dave said. Surveying the area around him he spotted a likely vehicle one row up. That had to be it, one of the largest motor homes on the fairgrounds and very custom looking.
He approached cautiously taking in the entire area around him. He could swear that he was being watched, but there wasn’t anyone in the area. Probably coffee jitters, he had spent hours in the local coffee shop today, and this wasn’t his type of gig. He was much more the in-your-face and conquer kind of guy. This type of work made his blood run alright, but not with the high he loved. He was standing in the shadow of the RV right next to Victory’s, when a light flicked on in her motorhome. “Damn,” he muttered as he flattened himself to the back of the vehicle.
Victory didn’t know what was troubling her, but something had woken her from her fitful sleep. The scenes in the forest kept playing through her dreams. There it was again, a sound, different from the ones she had grown used to since she arrived here. It was a whisper on the wind, a rustle of movement, maybe someone rubbing against something. Whatever it was it had woken her and she was going to get up and take a look around. She switched on the table lamp and got out of bed. Dax was awake and alert in the same instant. “You heard something too,” she said to Dax. “Let’s go take a quick look around; if I don
’t, I’ll lie here awake all night.”
Without turning on any other lights she padded down the dark hall toward the main door, unlocked it, and cracked it open. Dax thrust his nose in the opening and took a long sniff, trying to shove his way past Victory. “Easy Dax, you stay right here.” With his head pushing against her leg she could feel the vibration of a low, guttural growl coming from him. “Shhh, I can’t hear anything with you grumbling.” He stopped instantly and sniffed again.
Victory opened the door a little wider, at the same time giving Dax a hand signal to stay put. She softly stepped down the stairs. She could hear the gentle snores of numerous dogs and people, and a couple moving around inside their motorhome. Standing on the bottom stair Victory closed her eyes and blocked out all the familiar sounds around her. She was searching for a sound that was out of place: breathing, movement, anything that would signal impending danger. Then after a minute she turned and retreated back into the motorhome.
An instant later Tristan blew out the breath he was holding from the minute he saw the door open, and silently moved away from the motorhome. When he was sure that he was far enough away from Victory he reached out for his brother. “Wyatt…Wyatt.”
“What’s up? Do you know it’s after midnight? What are you still doing up? Don’t tell me that something happened to Victory,” Wyatt said.
“Yes and no. Did you find out any more information on her?”
“Not yet, but I’ve got Jack doing some digging to get more information on her current project.”
Chasing Victory (The Winters Sisters) Page 3