Illegal Contact

by Becky Harmon

  Heather grimaced and turned toward the door. “I’ve got reports to write.”

  Jamison secured the deadbolt behind Heather as she swiped to accept Mel’s call. “Hey Carter.”

  “What’s going on James?”

  “He put a package in her team mailbox. She thought it was her new mouth guard left by the athletic trainer and carried it home. Flagler sent a bomb squad—”

  “Yeah, I heard that.”

  She sighed. “Which is why I sent you the text earlier.”

  “And I did appreciate it especially since I wasn’t able to call until now. So what was in the box?”

  “Explosives. But no wires connecting the blasting cap and no trigger or timer.” She hesitated. “And a note.”

  She hated to tell Mel she had fucked up but knew she didn’t have a choice. Jamison recited aloud the words from the note, which were now burned into her mind. “There was also a Polaroid picture.”

  “A Polaroid. What the fuck?” Mel exploded.

  “Shea and I walking together on campus.”

  “Could you tell where you were located on campus? Maybe you could pin him down to an area.”

  “Unfortunately the picture was too close to see much of anything around us. FBI took the original but claim they’ll send us copies.”

  “Really? That close, huh?” Mel hadn’t missed Jamison’s words.

  “Yeah, too damn close.” She listened to the silence on the other end for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, Mel. I won’t let it happen again.”

  Mel sighed. “I know you’re doing the best job possible. It’s hard because I want to be there. Just keep me in the loop. We’re still hoping to wrap this up and be out of here on Friday.”

  “I’m working closely with TPD and they’re following a few leads so hopefully something will hit soon.”

  She disconnected the call. She needed a game plan. She turned to grab her laptop and found Shea leaning against the kitchen table. How much of the conversation with Mel had she heard?

  “That was my sister?”

  “It was. She’s still hoping to be back by Saturday.”

  Jamison stepped around her and picked up her laptop. Flipping open the screen she sat down at the table. She logged into the camera surveillance from around the house and began reviewing the footage from earlier.

  “You can’t blame yourself for not seeing him. I was with you too.” Shea sat down beside her.

  Jamison was silent. Surely Shea didn’t believe that. This was her profession. Of course she should have seen someone that close to them taking pictures.

  Shea touched her arm. “Jamison.”

  Taking a deep breath, she finally looked at her. Shea’s face was etched with concern and she wasn’t sure if it was for her or their situation.

  “I haven’t taken any of this seriously but I will now. I’ll do whatever you tell me and I won’t try to do anything on my own.”

  Jamison nodded. “Okay.”

  Shea’s touch turned into a caress as she lightly stroked Jamison’s arm. Jamison stared into her eyes wishing this were another time or another place and that there wasn’t a crazed lunatic following them around. Shea tucked a strand of hair behind Jamison’s ear, stroking her cheek and then slid her hand behind Jamison’s neck. Gently she pulled Jamison’s face toward her.

  Jamison removed Shea’s hand from her neck and placed it back on the table. She turned her attention to the laptop. “I need to review this camera footage.”

  With resignation, Shea stood. “I’d like to go for a run in the morning.”

  “I’ll be ready by seven.”

  Shea turned and disappeared up the stairs.

  Jamison dropped her face in both hands. She had no choice. Her priority needed to be Shea’s safety and she couldn’t do that if all she could think about was the softness of her skin. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Flagler while she pulled up the camera locations inside the stadium. Time to concentrate on finding this lunatic. Of course there was only one camera in that area but it faced the elevator. Nothing on the team boxes or the stairs.

  Jamison recognized the female voice from previous calls to Flagler. “This is Jamison Krews. I sent some camera footage to be reviewed and I was wondering if there was a status.”

  “Right, Todd’s case. Hang on a second and I’ll get him.”

  Jamison frowned as elevator music played in her ear. She hadn’t expected Todd to be working this late.

  “Hey Krews.” Todd’s voice came on the line sounding chipper for the late hour.

  “What are you doing in the office now?”

  “Working, working, working,” Todd continued without giving her a chance to respond. “We’ve reviewed all of the footage and we didn’t catch a glimpse of his car.”

  “I was afraid of that. He was probably on foot when he approached the stadium. Easier to blend in as a student.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Todd paused. “Which is why I’m designing a program to look for duplicate faces. I should have it up and running by morning. I talked with Mr. Hammer on campus and he gave me access to the student ID database so I’ll be able to identify students.”

  “Wow. That’s some positive news. I needed that tonight. Thanks, Todd.”

  “No problem. I’d been thinking about writing this program anyway and now I have a reason to. I’ll let you know when I find something.”

  Jamison returned to her review of the camera footage. There wasn’t a lot, since foot traffic near the house was light. She watched Shea leaning on the porch railing as she talked to Lynnette on the phone earlier and she studied her face. She could see the concern and maybe a little fear as she realized Lynnette had not placed the package in her box. Movement over Shea’s shoulder caught Jamison’s eye. She tried to zoom in but everything out of the porch light range was fuzzy. It looked like a person and she grabbed her phone again. This time when the female voice answered she didn’t identify herself. “I need to talk with Todd.”

  “Sure.”

  Todd came instantly on the line. “Krews?”

  “Todd, have you looked at the footage from the house cameras today yet?”

  “No, I’ve been working on the program. Techs are going through it though.”

  “Skip to seven twenty-six. It looks like someone is standing in the shadows behind Shea.”

  “Doing it now. Give me a second.” She could hear Todd punching keys and muttering to himself. “Okay. I see it. I’ll try to blow it up and make it clearer but it’s going to take some time.”

  “Call me back.”

  He repeated, “It’s going to take some time, Krews. Go to bed and I’ll talk with you in the morning.”

  She sighed. “Okay.”

  She stared at the computer screen. Could he really be this stupid? Maybe this was the break they had been hoping for. She closed her laptop and went to bed.

  Chapter Ten

  Jamison was sitting at the kitchen table in the muted light from the hood above the stove when Shea came downstairs. Shea watched her wince as she gently pulled thick socks over bandages covering both heels. She knew the pain that blisters caused and wondered if she was responsible. Of course she was. She had been nothing but difficult since the day Jamison arrived and she would cancel this run if it would alleviate Jamison’s pain. Knowing Jamison’s determination though, she couldn’t let her know why she wanted to change her plans and unfortunately it was too late to come up with a believable excuse.

  In silence, she walked to the door and waited for Jamison to clear their exit. The sky was barely starting to glow with the morning sun. The day was cool but the sun would bring warmth and humidity within the hour. She watched Jamison pull the bottom of her sweatshirt over the pack at her waist. She knew Jamison wasn’t the queen of style but she wouldn’t wear something that unsightly unless there was a reason. The thought of the gun inside the pack made her feel a little safer after last night. Everything that had happened had kept her from sleeping a
nd this morning she was edgy and more than a little nervous. She felt better with Jamison at her side.

  She raised an eyebrow at Jamison’s pack but didn’t comment. “Ready?”

  “Lead the way.”

  “I always do.”

  Jamison chuckled and she gave her a grin. She wasn’t trying to be arrogant and she hoped it didn’t come across that way. She liked to make Jamison laugh and her favorite response seemed to do that every time.

  She had barely started when she realized the distance between them. She looked over her shoulder. “Are you going to stay way back there?”

  “I have a better view from here.” Jamison answered and then smiled. “I mean, I can see in all directions.”

  She shrugged and turned settling into a steady pace. She wished Jamison would run beside her but she had promised to be more understanding and cooperative so she concentrated on her run. Soon the sound of Jamison’s footsteps fell into rhythm with her own and she was able to block out all the extra crap from the last couple of weeks. The game on Saturday was going to be huge and she had a lot more hours of footage to watch tonight and tomorrow. Maybe Jamison would join her. She’d been surprised by Jamison’s knowledge of football and the Tigers. She hadn’t realized Jamison had been watching them all season.

  She wondered what Jamison thought about her chances to turn professional. She wondered why Jamison’s opinion mattered. If she were honest it was because she cared what Jamison thought. In only a few days, Jamison had become important to her. Last night when she was sitting on Jamison’s lap she realized how much more she wanted from her.

  “Shea!” Jamison shook her arm. “Did you even see that car back there?”

  She looked around and was surprised to find herself on the opposite side of the street. Traffic had increased while she had been daydreaming and she smiled shyly at Jamison. “What car?”

  Jamison shook her head. “Go, but please be careful.”

  She started to jog again but her muscles had already begun to tighten in the few seconds they had been stopped. Her heart wasn’t into resuming the run. All she wanted now was to be near Jamison. She slowed her pace and when Jamison didn’t appear beside her she slowed even more.

  “What are you doing?” Jamison asked softly. Her breath warm in Shea’s ear.

  “Helping your view.”

  “Seeing you hasn’t been a problem.” Silence stretched for a second. “On second thought seeing you has been a problem. A big problem.”

  She smiled, dropping back beside Jamison and they increased their pace together.

  “Why do you do this job?”

  “Because I love it,” Jamison answered quickly.

  “But that could have been a bomb last night.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That doesn’t worry you?” She glanced at her. “Wait. Have you been in worse situations?”

  Jamison smiled. “That’s confidential.”

  “You have been.” She knew her voice sounded incredulous but she had never really thought about what Mel or Jamison did at Flagler. “I was scared to death last night and it was just another day on the job for you.”

  Jamison shrugged.

  * * *

  Jamison liked to tease Shea but the truth was, words couldn’t describe what she had felt last night. She had been scared for Shea’s safety and angry at herself for allowing it to happen. Her interest in Shea had clouded her judgment and influenced what demands she placed on Shea. Despite her speech to Shea on Sunday about how things were going to work, her desire to keep Shea happy had influenced her actions.

  “Are you good at your job?” Shea asked, interrupting Jamison’s thoughts.

  She shrugged. “Normally. Not as good as your sister though.”

  “My sister is perfect at everything.” Shea shook her head. Her voice laced with sarcasm, she said, “Still in love with her, huh?”

  “There was never anything between me and Mel. She was my training officer and that’s it.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter.” She blocked Shea’s path. “It does matter.” She stared into Shea’s eyes. “It matters to me what you think.”

  Shea smiled and they both began walking again. When they turned the corner onto Shea’s street, her fingertips accidentally brushed Jamison’s arm, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Last night she had set the parameters and this morning they were blurred again.

  She followed Shea up the steps and into the duplex, securing the door behind them. Her breath caught as Shea’s body pushed her hard against the wall. The lines blurred even more as Shea placed her hands on the wall, trapping her in place. Her lips grazing Jamison’s ear as she whispered, “When are you going to stop running from me?”

  Jamison took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel Shea’s warm body pressed against her own. She clenched her fists and fought back against her own desires. “When this case is over,” she said with conviction.

  She felt Shea’s body relax against hers and she opened her eyes.

  Shea’s face was inches from her own. “Really?”

  She couldn’t find her voice so she nodded. She was relieved to finally admit her attraction to Shea and she stared longingly at Shea’s lips. Soft kissable lips. The memory of their kiss the night before flooded through her and she grasped Shea’s waist pulling her closer.

  She closed her eyes again bracing for the fire of Shea’s kiss but was shocked when she no longer felt the pressure from Shea’s body against her own. She opened her eyes in time to see Shea disappear up the stairs. She started to follow her. Shea’s voice ricocheted down the stairs.

  “Finish the job, Jamison.”

  Her words hit hard, quickly clearing the haze of desire. Dammit! Shea was right. She needed to keep Shea safe or there would be no future with her. She opted for a cold shower instead.

  She returned to the kitchen first and was waiting when Shea joined her.

  “I need you to go about your day as if I wasn’t there. I’m going to follow at a distance and see if I can spot anyone watching you.”

  Shea frowned. “I like it better when you walk with me.” She held up her hand to stop Jamison from responding. “But I understand and will do as you ask.”

  Jamison smiled and held the door open for her.

  “Can we meet back here for lunch?” Shea asked.

  “Sure. Do you want me to pick up something?”

  “Do we have anything here?” Shea grimaced. “That’s edible?”

  “Canned tuna?”

  “I can live with that.”

  She followed a good distance behind Shea, focusing her attention on the people around them. Students came in all shapes and sizes and they wore all kinds of clothing. The temperature would reach the high 60s or 70s so most wore shorts. Too long, too short and everything in between. Cargo, athletic and even plaid seemed to be in style. Jamison studied faces and tried to remember if she had noticed any of them before. She remembered Todd’s software and wondered if he was making any progress with it or the photo. She hung around outside Shea’s classroom until the class was well underway and then stepped outside into the sun. She dialed Todd as she walked toward Carlton’s office.

  “I’m sorry, Krews. The picture is really dark and grainy. Tech is going to work on it some more but I sent what I had to your email.”

  “At least it’s something. Can you run it through facial recognition?”

  “I’m trying. Nothing yet.”

  “What about your program?”

  “It started scanning about seven this morning.”

  “Thanks, Todd. Get some sleep and call me if anything hits.”

  “Roger that.”

  Jamison stepped into the security office and dropped into one of the chairs in front of Carlton’s desk. She quickly brought him up to date.

  “He probably took the stairs but let’s review the camera footage from the elevator anyway.”

  Carlton nodded and pressed a b
utton on his phone. “Margaret, can you pull the camera footage for level two elevator in the stadium.”

  “I’ll have it for you in five.” The phone beeped as she disconnected the line.

  Jamison said, “Flagler techs are working on a photo that might be our guy. It’s pretty dark because he was outside the light on Shea’s porch.” She opened her email and studied it for a second before handing it to Carlton.

  “Email that to me and I’ll show it around to the coaches. Maybe someone will remember him hanging around.”

  She nodded, sending the email from her phone. She copied Heather on the email too. “Todd called you about the program he wrote, right?”

  “Oh yeah. I set him up with a login for our network.”

  Margaret beeped to advise the footage was in the queue and Carlton was already running through the camera footage on the computer in front of him when Jamison stood up to leave.

  “I’ll see you at practice,” Jamison said and assumed his grunt was an agreement.

  A text buzzed her phone as Shea’s building came into view. She easily spotted Shea on the steps but slowed to read the text.

  Out of class. No u. Heading home.

  Right behind u.

  Shea came down the stairs and turned toward the duplex. Jamison followed, scanning the crowds around her. Students waved to Shea as she passed but no one’s gaze seemed to linger on her. As they approached the house, she picked up her pace and caught up with Shea. Since Shea didn’t normally come home at this time of day, she didn’t want her to encounter any surprises.

  Shea glanced at her in surprise but didn’t comment on her sudden appearance. Jamison waited while Shea unlocked the house and then followed her in giving the street one last scan. They dropped their bags on the floor and Jamison began pulling items from the cabinet and refrigerator.

  “Wow,” she exclaimed as she pulled a jar from the refrigerator. “You have jalapenos.”

  “I like them on my nachos.”

  “How is it that you manage to take every healthy item and turn it into trash?” Jamison asked her with a smile.