by Becky Harmon
Heather answered on the first ring.
“What’s the news?” she asked, adding water to the coffeemaker.
“I’ve just spent the last five hours processing the McGomery’s house. Seems there was a shed out back where Georgie kept his bicycle that Mom forgot to mention the first or second time we were there.”
“Find anything good?”
“Oh yeah. Instruction manuals on everything from building a bomb to proper placement to bring down a building. We even found a manual on how to install new brakes on a bus.” Heather paused. “Oh yeah, and we brought his mother into the station for questioning. I don’t think she had anything to do with this but it’s her house and she had to hear or see something.”
Jamison moaned as strong arms wrapped around her waist and Shea’s lips grazed her neck. She turned and pulled Shea tight against her body, clearing her throat to cover the moan. “Okay then.”
Heather chuckled. “Guess I don’t have to ask what you did after we parted last night. Did you at least get out of bed before you called me?”
Jamison turned in Shea’s arms, ignoring Heather’s harassment. “What’s the plan now?”
“I’m headed back to the station to begin mounds of paperwork and then I’m going to make another run at Georgie. Maybe bringing his mother in will work something loose in him.”
Jamison moaned again when Shea’s fingers found a tight spot in her back.
“Hey lover girl. In case you forgot some of us have been up all night and are still working,” Heather teased. “Can you focus for a minute?”
“Sorry,” Jamison mumbled, stepping out of Shea’s reach.
“Can you have Todd send me the cell phone information he ran last night?”
“Sure. I’ll call him right now.”
“Yeah, right. Just before noon if you can. Oh, and you better move away from that woman when you make the call.”
Jamison laughed and pulled the phone from her ear. Heather had disconnected without a good-bye.
“Did she hang up on you?” Shea asked.
“Kind of. She’s not really into long good-byes.” Jamison dialed Flagler. She didn’t expect that Todd would still be on shift but they would get a message to him.
“He’s asleep in the briefing room but he said to wake him if you called.” Jamison was advised.
“No, just give him the message. It’s not urgent so he can call me when he wakes up.”
She tossed her cell phone on the counter and pulled Shea into her arms. “I hope last night is not going to affect your performance tomorrow.”
Shea kissed her nose. “You don’t need to worry about my performance.” She kissed both sides of Jamison’s mouth and then connected fully with her lips. She broke the kiss and sniffed the air. “Is that coffee?”
“Yep.”
Jamison scrambled eggs and they ate as they discussed their day. She was glad she had brought the truck back last night.
“We need to get going soon or you’ll be late for class.”
Shea wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to go to class.”
Jamison smiled. “Isn’t there a rule about skipping class and you can’t play tomorrow?”
“Argh.” Shea took a sip of her coffee. “Maybe Coach will clear me after the night I had.”
Jamison raised her eyebrows.
Shea lightly kicked her under the table. “I didn’t mean that. I’ll tell him about the break-in.”
“I should call Chief Hammer too.” Jamison released a breath. “Though I’m not sure what to say.”
Shea frowned. “You made an arrest, right? So, it’s over.”
“Heather made an arrest, yes, but it’s only over if he was working alone.”
“Well, crap.” Shea lightly kicked her again. “You don’t think he was, do you?”
Jamison grimaced and shook her head.
“What does Heather think?”
“She thinks sometimes you take what you can get.”
“What does that mean?”
Jamison lifted her mug of coffee and took a sip while she chose her words. She wished she hadn’t started this conversation with Shea. She wanted her focused on the game and not worried about what might be.
“It means as a cop sometimes she can’t get the person calling the shots so she settles for the case she can prove.”
“So you both think someone else is calling the shots here?”
Jamison shrugged and placed her cup on the table. “Let’s take one thing at a time.”
She picked up her phone and dialed Coach Sutton. She gave him a brief summary of the night’s activities and asked if he thought it would be okay if Shea skipped class today. He agreed to contact her professors and if there was a problem he would call back.
“He’s okay with you skipping class but wants you at practice. Just a walk-through and some stretching though.”
“Friday practices are normally pretty light.” Shea wrinkled her brow.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wish I had the DVD with my film footage from the house.”
Jamison smiled. “I’d have mentioned that I grabbed it last night if you hadn’t distracted me as soon as I got here.”
“That’s great! Thanks.” Shea stood. “So that’s what you older folks call it. A distraction?” She darted out of Jamison’s grasp and called over her shoulder. “I’m taking a shower. Distractions are welcome.”
She considered following Shea but picked up her phone instead. Unfortunately she still had people to update. She dialed the Tallahassee University security department. “Chief Hammer, please.”
“Hey Jamison. How’s our cub?”
Jamison smiled. In the beginning, Shea was his cub and now he was sharing her. She knew how much Shea meant to him and was pleased he seemed to think she was worthy of protecting Shea. “She’s doing okay. Did Coach already call you?”
“I just hung up with him.”
“I’m sorry, Chief. I should’ve called you first. Shea wanted to get cleared from her classes today and Coach has that magic power.”
“It’s no problem. Can I ask who the guy was though?”
“I’m surprised his arrest didn’t make the morning papers. George McGomery.”
Carlton was silent.
“Ring any bells?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say that it does. What do we know about him?”
“He’s a local boy. Works at Watson-Hughes, a small data processing company on Thomasville Road. Still lives at home with his mother and is an Atlanta Wildcats fan.”
Carlton groaned. “One of those guys. No wonder he hates the Tigers.”
“Is that a big rivalry?”
“Not in the past but it’s clear we have to go through them to get to the National Championship. They’ve won the last three years and it’s rumored their coach is about to take an NFL job.”
“Wow. Would a loss cost him the job?”
“Probably. Not too many make the jump from college ball to the pros.”
“That’s something to think about.”
“I’ll see you this afternoon?” Carlton asked.
“Yep. I’ll be there.”
Jamison dropped onto the couch and tossed her cell phone on the coffee table. She could make the leap from George McGomery through Charles Hughes to Clayton Thomas but not to the Atlanta Wildcats’ coach. George McGomery had all the makings of a white supremacist psychopath but he would need help and direction from someone with more power. Clayton Thomas definitely fit that bill. Did he love the Wildcats enough to jeopardize his law-abiding militia group, though?
“Hey.” Shea dropped onto the couch beside Jamison. “I thought you were going to join me?”
“Sorry.” She smiled and pulled Shea into her arms. “I got sidetracked.”
Shea kissed her neck and bit her shoulder. “Distractions and sidetracked. When will it just be about me?” she pouted.
Jamison gave her a quick kiss.
“It’s alw
ays about you, baby,” she said. “Now we’ll watch football. There’ll be no touching for the remainder of the day.”
“What?”
“I refuse to be the reason you can’t perform tomorrow.”
“Abstaining before a game is a hoax,” she heard Shea yell as she walked into the bedroom to dress for the day.
Chapter Seventeen
Jamison covered her gently with the soft blanket from the back of the couch. Shea stirred and opened her eyes. “How long was I asleep?”
“About an hour.”
Shea got up and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator, then dropped back down on the couch. “Do you have any tea? I’m a little chilled.”
Jamison put water on to boil and walked back into the living room. Shea was curled under the blanket. She touched her forehead and frowned. “You’re warm.”
“It’s probably lack of sleep. I sometimes run a fever when I’m tired.”
Jamison returned to the kitchen and switched tea bags to non-caffeinated. Shea needed rest, not caffeine. She returned to the living room with two ibuprofen and handed them to Shea. She was surprised when Shea didn’t question her and took the two pills. While she waited for the tea to steep, she placed the game footage disc in the player and grabbed another blanket from her bedroom closet. She handed Shea the remote control and her cup of tea, sliding in behind her on the couch. She wrapped both arms around her and cocooned their bodies with the blankets.
Shea hit play on the DVD player and they watched in silence. It wasn’t long before Shea drifted off to sleep again. Jamison watched the footage, making mental notes on what she wanted to mention to Shea when she woke up.
Jamison awoke several hours later when Shea began to stir. Shea sat up and turned to look at Jamison. “Were you sleeping too?”
She nodded and picked up her phone from the coffee table. Shea smiled when she ordered a large supreme pizza and a salad.
Thirty minutes later the downstairs door buzzed and Shea jumped to her feet. “Pizza!”
Jamison pushed her back on the couch and walked to the kitchen. “Stay there.” She pushed the intercom button. “Yes.”
“Pizza delivery.”
“Come on up.” Jamison pressed the door release and looked at Shea. “What the hell?”
“Was that Heather?”
Jamison nodded and opened the door checking the empty hall before walking to the glass elevator foyer. She glanced back at Shea who had followed her and pointed a finger at her. Without a word, Shea stepped back inside the apartment pushing the door partially closed but still looking out. Jamison smiled. Shea was still following her instructions without question where safety was concerned.
The elevator doors opened and Heather stepped out carrying their order.
“Take up a new part-time job?” Jamison asked, opening the foyer door allowing her to exit.
Heather gave her a half smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch but the delivery guy arrived at the same time. Can I come in for a second? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure. How’d you find us?” Jamison took the pizza from her arms and led the way into the apartment. Shea had retreated to the couch but Jamison knew she was still within hearing range. She dropped the pizza box on the table and leaned against the counter, facing Heather.
“Todd told me.” Heather surveyed the apartment, giving Shea a wave, and then dropped her voice. “I didn’t get to grill McGomery again.”
“Why not?”
Heather looked at Shea and then back at Jamison.
“Shea?” Jamison nodded toward the bedroom. Heather seemed uncomfortable continuing the conversation with Shea in the room.
Shea stood and faced them, but her eyes were on Jamison. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
Jamison stared into her face. She wanted her to be safe. No, she needed her to be safe but she knew that look of determination. This was not a battle she would win. She turned back to Heather. “What happened?”
“McGomery was released.”
“What?” she and Shea said in unison.
Jamison said to Heather, “Was it a mix-up? Someone screwed up?” She expected FBI interference but the last thing she imagined was McGomery back on the street.
“No, his bail was posted.” Heather sighed and sank into a chair at the table. “But he shouldn’t have even had bail set yet. I’d have held him a while longer before taking him in front of a judge, and with what we found at his house and the storage unit we probably could’ve gotten the judge to refuse bail.” She kicked her legs out in front of her and leaned back into the chair, exhaustion showing on her face. “I don’t understand. It feels like someone’s working behind our backs to undercut us. His bail was paid in cash and no one got a good look at the man that paid it.”
Shea pulled three beers from the refrigerator and set them on the table along with a stack of paper plates. She sat down across from Heather and twisted the cap off a bottle, taking a long drink. Jamison handed Heather a bottle of water and replaced Shea’s beer as well.
Grabbing a slice of pizza, Shea frowned at Jamison. “So, this idiot is back on the street now?”
Heather opened a beer and took a drink. “I’m afraid so.”
Jamison wanted more information but was hesitant to expose her thoughts in front of Shea. Trying to hide the anger and fear in her voice, she said. “With what was found in the storage unit and in his house on the second search can’t you arrest him on different charges?”
Nodding, Heather helped herself to two slices of pizza. “I got an arrest warrant but he didn’t go back to his house.”
“He probably went to the compound in Atlanta with his militia buddy that bailed him out.” Jamison shook her head.
Shea jumped on Jamison’s words. “Militia!”
Crap. Jamison placed a hand on Shea’s arm. She had forgotten Shea didn’t know any details from last night. “The explosives have been tied to a bombing in Atlanta from a couple of years ago. The FBI believe the Mountain Militia were responsible but they couldn’t connect them enough for any arrests.”
“So you think this McGomery guy is tied to the Mountain Militia?” Shea looked at Jamison and then Heather. Her dark eyes drilling both of them.
Heather finished her bite of pizza, then said, “We aren’t sure about anything yet, Ms. Carter. It’s still under investigation.”
“That’s the crappy line you give other people. I want to know what you guys think,” Shea demanded.
Heather shrugged at Jamison, allowing her to decide what information to share with Shea.
Jamison waited until Shea’s eyes found hers again. “Shea, you need to concentrate on the game and let us worry about what’s happening off the field.”
“Yeah, well, that’s kinda hard to do.” Shea stood up and went to the couch. She hit play on the DVD player but didn’t turn up the volume.
Jamison knew she was listening and couldn’t blame her. It was her life at risk and though Shea trusted her she still wanted to know what was going on. She leaned toward Heather. “What’s the FBI saying about this?”
“Wallace was gone when I returned to the station and he hasn’t returned my call yet. I was thinking about calling Barrett and see if she would talk to me.”
Jamison nodded. “Call her now. See if she’ll come here.”
Heather pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed.
Jamison walked over and sat beside Shea. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.
Shea shrugged and continue to watch the television screen.
“Shea?”
“What? What do you want me to say?” She looked at Jamison. “A lunatic is out to get me and I just found out he might be joined by a militia.”
Jamison touched her arm. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
Shea’s eyes softened as they searched Jamison’s face. “I believe that, Jamison. I do. I just don’t understand why he’s back on the street already.”
Jamiso
n glanced at Heather who was stuffing her phone back in her pocket. She squeezed Shea’s arm. “Neither do I but I’m going to find out. Okay?”
Shea nodded.
Heather ate the last bite of her pizza and tossed the empty box on the counter by the trash can. “Barrett’s on her way. She was her usual chatty self on the phone so I’m not sure what she’ll share with us.”
“Who’s Barrett?” Shea asked.
“FBI. She was with us last night when we searched McGomery’s house,” Jamison answered, motioning for Heather to join them on the couch. “Did she know McGomery had been released?”
Heather shrugged. “She didn’t say either way but I don’t think she did.”
Twenty minutes later when the doorbell buzzed Shea and Heather were deep in a discussion about game strategy. Jamison went to the intercom and buzzed Barrett into the building.
Barrett, dressed in her FBI-issued black suit, greeted Jamison with a handshake when she opened the elevator foyer door. Leading the way into the apartment, Jamison was surprised to see Heather waiting by the door. Removing her hand from her weapon, she gave Barrett a nod and then returned to her conversation with Shea. Jamison was pleased to see Heather’s reaction to protecting Shea even though she knew the glass doors surrounding the elevator were bulletproof. Her apartment had been used as a safe house for a period of time. Flagler had several around the city and once they were no longer usable they were rented out to employees.
“Cannon, you going to join us today?” Jamison interrupted Heather’s conversation with Shea.
“Shea Carter,” Shea said, stepping forward and offering her hand to Barrett.
“Sheldon Barrett. It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Carter. And please, it’s Sheldon,” she said, looking at all three women.
Jamison offered seats at the kitchen table and briefly stroked Shea’s back as she passed. She wouldn’t embarrass Shea again by asking her to leave the room, but hoped she would do it willingly. She saw Shea smile when she caught Sheldon watching their interaction. She studied Sheldon’s face but saw only curiosity in her reaction. She waited until Shea was settled on the couch, pretending to focus on the television, before turning to the women across from her.