Cold Dawn

by Susan Sleeman

  “Oh, come on, now.” She swirled fingerprint powder over the door handle with a soft brush. “I know you would’ve drilled most every op down to the smallest of points.”

  “Yeah, but when we engaged, we didn’t stop to search for invisible evidence like this. Just ran the op. Secured the target and moved on.”

  “I guess that was the same for when I was on patrol, but now I’m the cleanup crew.”

  The conversation ended, and she turned her attention to her work, lifting prints in several locations. After finishing the entire vehicle, she stood back to look at the black swirls affixed to the cards. “You can’t ever generalize on sex from prints as finger size can vary, but some of these are small. Suggestive of a female.”

  “Goes along with the shoe prints.”

  “Exactly.” She stowed the cards and opened the door behind the driver’s seat.

  Griff opened the other one. They gave the seat a thorough search, digging deep into the crevices but coming up with only a few coins. She backed out, and popped the trunk release. She found it neat and tidy with only a tote filled with emergency road supplies.

  “It’s odd that his car is so organized, and his things in your room are such a mess,” she said. “If we didn’t find the dirt clods and phone, I’d think someone had cleaned the car.”

  “He used to be pretty neat, but maybe he was depressed. Would explain the mess in his room.”

  She stared at the flares and first aid kit resting on the top, Andy’s loss weighing heavy and those incessant tears trying to form again. “He was ready for any emergency except the one that took his life.”

  “Yeah.” One word, but it carried the same sadness as in her heart.

  She set the tote on the floor and lifted up the carpet over the spare tire area.

  “Let me get the tire,” Griff offered.

  He picked it up. Sam stood back in surprise.

  “A key.” Griff reached for the shiny brass key laying on the floor. He examined it closely. “Has Unit 8 engraved on it. Same number as his storage unit.”

  The thrill of discovery kicked Sam’s pulse up, and she locked gazes with Griff. “If Andy went to all this trouble to hide the key, there has to be something in the unit that he didn’t want others to see.”

  “So do we go there first, back to the compound, or to interview Nobles?”

  Sam gave it some thought. “We can go to the storage unit anytime, but we need to catch Nobles before he leaves work. Still, I think the phone might be our best lead right now.”

  Griff looked at his watch. “We should have time to drop it off and still get to Seaview Cove to catch Nobles before he goes home. Then we can come back to review the phone data and maybe even check the storage unit.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Let’s put everything back, and we can get out of here.”

  They returned the items to the trunk and covered the car again. After saying goodbye to Andy’s parents, Sam and Griff climbed into his truck.

  Sam dug out her phone. “I want to check on Emory.”

  Griff nodded but he was already focused on the road and checking mirrors. Sam knew he was worried the person who set the fire was going to come after her again, but she wasn’t as certain. At least there was no evidence that pointed in that direction. But it was just like Griff to be extra cautious when it came to her safety. He was a protector. Plain and simple. He watched over the people he cared for, and it was obvious that he still cared for her.

  “I’m not done if that’s why you’re calling,” Emory answered.

  Sam totally got not wanting to be disturbed in the middle of work. She did the same thing when recovering and processing forensics. It took real focus to do the job well, especially with all the commotion occurring at a crime scene. “I just wanted to see if you need anything.”

  “No, I’m good. Riley seems bored to death, but I’m good.” She chuckled. “FYI, I’m going to process Andy’s hands and arms, too. In case he struggled with his assailant.”

  Sam appreciated Emory’s thoroughness, but Sam had been in such a hurry to get Emory working that she’d failed to even ask how much the initial tests would cost. “I’m not sure we can afford all of those additional tests.”

  “What’s to afford? Andy was your friend. I’d never charge you for this.”

  Sam sighed her relief. “You’re the best, Emory.”

  “I know. That’s why you called me in to consult.” Emory laughed. “Now let me get back to it.”

  Sam hung up and relayed the information to Griff.

  “Some friend you’ve got there.” He glanced at her. “How long have you known her?”

  “Hmm, let’s see. We met when I first started at PPB. So that’s what?” She tapped her chin as she thought about the dates. “Nearly seven years now. She was working FBI evidence recovery back then and was called in to consult on a local murder. I was the responding officer. She immediately knew this was the third in a serial murder investigation. Really upset her, so I asked if she wanted to have dinner.”

  “That’s just like you.” He gave her a warm smile. “Your big heart. You’re this newbie on the job and you ask a fed to dinner.”

  “I try to be sensitive to what people are feeling.”

  His smile disappeared. “Except for when you dumped me.”

  He was right, but she wouldn’t go there. “Turns out Emory’s one of those brainiac kids. Earned her master’s degree by the time she turned twenty. She didn’t have much time for socializing so she still struggles with that, but she has a heart of gold.”

  “She seemed comfortable when I met her.”

  “Because we were talking business. Put her in a social setting, and she freezes up. She moved to Portland nine months ago, and I made a point of taking her out a few times. She really warmed to it, and we had a lot of fun.”

  “Then why the frown?”

  “What?”

  “You’re frowning?”

  “I didn’t realize I was.” The compound came into view, and her mind shifted back to the investigation. “Head straight for my lab so I can process the phone.”

  Griff got them through the security gate with a temporary password Gage had issued. Sam still couldn’t believe Gage gave Griff a code. Gage rarely, if ever, gave a non-team member a password. In fact, Blake was the only one as far as she knew. Such trust spoke volumes of Gage’s confidence in Griff.

  He turned onto the cabin drive and drove down the familiar street to the training facility. He parked, and she dug the phone and fingerprint cards from her kit while he came around to open her door. She had to admit to getting tired of waiting for his help all the time, but he really cared about being the considerate man he was raised to be, and she didn’t have the heart to disappoint him.

  She pointed at a sign mounted by the door. “Class is in session so we need to try not to disrupt things.”

  Inside, Griff came to a stop, and she saw him take in the series of walls about seven feet high dividing the large room. Four officers stood in a single line by a barricaded doorway.

  “Jackson’s doing close-quarters combat training,” she whispered.

  Griff watched them with great longing. He was wonderfully suited to be part of their team, and Sam could easily imagine him working with them. But she would never wish an injury on him. Plus, she would never be able to work alongside him either. Never.

  “Want to hang out here to watch while I work?” she asked.

  “Could I?” His eyes lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning.

  “Sure. But don’t be surprised if Jackson pulls you in to help.”

  “Wouldn’t be a hardship.” He grinned.

  Her heart soared at his boyish excitement, and that’s precisely the reason she bolted to her lab and got straight to work. She swabbed for DNA and lifted one set of prints from the phone, which she assumed belonged to Andy but submitted them to her PPB contact along with the others she’d lifted from his car. She left the DNA sample in her lab and
texted Emory to grab it when Riley brought her back to the compound.

  When Sam returned to the main room, she did indeed find Griff running a drill with the officers. He held an assault rifle and moved through the course with such precision that, one by one, the officers stopped to watch. She got it. He was all fluid muscles and penetrating force, something that shouldn’t go together but was a riveting sight.

  He reached the end, disappeared into the target room and came out with the dummy they were to rescue. He grinned at the other men and shot his fist up in victory.

  “And that, people,” Jackson said. “Is how it’s done. Now stack up, and we run it again.”

  Griff stepped her way, his eyes wide with adrenaline and excitement. He met her gaze, and she could honestly say she’d never felt such intensity in her life. She’d always known he was an amazing SEAL, but as Jackson fist-bumped him, she knew Griff was beyond amazing.

  Catching herself gazing at him in admiration, she marched toward the door to get some fresh air. She looked up at the darkening skies and gulped in breaths of the cool ocean breeze.

  “Something wrong?” Griff asked from behind.

  She shook her head. “Let’s drop the phone off with Eryn and get going.”

  In the truck he looked at her. “You’re not upset because I ran the drill instead of helping you, are you?”

  “Absolutely not. I’m glad you got to have some fun.”

  “It was fun.” He grinned again. “Remember I want a chance to try out the TrackingPoint, too.”

  “With the way your eyes lit up in the equipment room, how could I forget that?” She chuckled, enjoying the ease between them right now.

  He met her gaze and held it. “It’s totally amazing the way you not only understand what makes me tick but embrace it too.”

  She tried to look away, but got lost in the eyes she’d never been able to resist.

  He lifted a hand and cupped the side of her face. “Sam, I—”

  The training room door opened, and the officers spilled out, causing them to jump apart. Sam welcomed the interruption. Too bad she couldn’t take the officers along for the ride to Seaview Cove as it was bound to be fraught with similar tension.

  14

  Spring bulbs poked their heads through the soil in a small flower bed by the front door of Eryn’s cabin. On the walkway, Sam took in the details. Each year unfurling spring leaves reminded her of the chance people had to change through a sort of rebirth.

  Was this a sign for her? Did she have the power to change this year? To forget her father’s betrayal and trust again?

  Eryn answered the door and stepped back. “I thought you were headed to Seaview Cove to interview Nobles.”

  Sam entered, but she didn’t want to stay long, so she remained just inside the door. “We decided to search Andy’s car on the way. Found his phone.” She took the evidence bag from her pocket and handed it to Eryn. “We need you to image it.”

  “Who is it, Mommy?” Bekah called from the hallway.

  Eryn turned. “Sam and her friend Griff.”

  “Griff. That’s a funny name.”

  Eryn chuckled. “Come and say hello to the funny-named man.”

  Bekah bolted into the room. She wore jeans, a bright red-and-blue-striped top, and red sneakers. Her hair was the same rich black shade as Eryn’s and was pulled back into a bouncy ponytail. Her big round eyes peered up at Griff. She was the spitting image of her mother, even with her hands on her hips the way Eryn stood when she studied something of interest, which usually meant computer code.

  “My name’s Bekah,” she said still staring at Griff. “I’m five. Why is your name so funny? Did your mommy give you that name?”

  Griff knelt by her and smiled. “My real name is Matthew. Matthew Griffin. My dad’s name was Matthew, too, so everyone called me Griff to tell us apart.”

  “That’s funny that your mommy didn’t think of a different name for you. Was she too tired from having you?”

  Griff snorted.

  Eryn ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Sometimes parents name their children after them. So Matthew’s dad would be Matthew Griffin I and Griff is Matthew Griffin II.”

  She scrunched up her face and stared at her mother. “If you have more babies don’t do that, okay, Mommy? That’s just silly.”

  Eryn nodded solemnly but Sam could see she struggled not to laugh. “I won’t, sweetie.”

  “I have to go play now,” Bekah said. “I’m having a tea party with my dolls. You can’t come because we only have four chairs at our table. And you’re too big anyway. Just like Trey. He doesn’t fit in my chairs. But he kneels on the floor because he said my parties are the best and he can’t miss them.”

  She spun and ran out of the room.

  “She likes to talk,” Eryn said, her tone wry.

  Griff stood and grinned. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  Eryn laughed. “I’ll start right away on the phone image. Barring any problems, it’ll be done by the time you get back from Seaview Cove. Assuming you’re still going there.”

  “We are.” Sam smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Eryn, for dropping everything and doing this right now.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m glad to help.” Eryn grabbed Sam in a hug. “I’m so sorry about Andy.”

  Sam pushed back before those incessant tears threatened again. “I never thought I’d say that my injury was a good thing. Ever. But being here with all of you and having your support and help in this investigation proves God really does make lemonade out of lemons.”

  Eryn nodded. “Each member of the team is proof of that.”

  Griff looked between them like he wanted to ask a question or comment but pointed at the door instead. “You first.”

  Sam exited the house and went straight to the passenger side of the truck but waited for Griff to open her door.

  He reached for the handle but stood peering at her for a long time. “You really meant that, didn’t you? About your injury?”

  Ah, so that’s what his look was about. “Yeah, sure. I’m part of a family here, and it’s reinforced every day. My teammates and their significant others are so generous and kind.”

  “I get that. It was the same way with Bravo.” His forehead furrowed, belying his words.

  She thought to leave his comment and unease alone to get moving but maybe this was the time he would open up. “How could you leave the guys, then? I know how much their friendship meant to you.”

  “Stretch,” he answered quickly. “I thought he died because of me. Because of what I said to him.”

  She almost sighed her thanks for finally getting at least part of an answer, but she wanted to know more. “Thought?”

  He nodded. “Until I talked to Gage. Now I know no matter what I said to Stretch before he died, he made his own decision. I’m still not good with it all, but it’s getting better.” He took deep breaths, his broad chest rising and falling, pain marring his expression. “Let’s get going, and I’ll tell you about it on the road.”

  Griff suffered so much over Stretch’s death, and Sam’s heart constricted with his pain. If he gave her additional details, maybe she could help him. Much the same way her teammates helped her. As a friend. Nothing romantic.

  But she wouldn’t push and climbed into the truck. Even when mile after mile rolled by without a word from Griff, she sat patiently and waited. Maybe it wasn’t just out of respect for his feelings. Maybe she had ulterior motives, too. In exchange for the information, she would have to tell him about her parents, and that was bound to be painful. So what? It was about time he knew why she’d left him. Why she still couldn’t be with him. That was only fair.

  They were almost to Seaview Cove when he glanced at her. She’d have to be blind to miss the deep anguish still etched on his face. She wanted to reach out and take his hand, but that wasn’t a good idea, so she tucked her hands under her legs to keep them still.

  “About Stretch,” he said, sounding matter-of-fact
and in complete opposition to his expression. “A woman he was seeing broke up with him, and he was letting it get to him on a very dangerous mission. I needed him to have my back. Our backs. But he was distracted and falling behind.” He sighed as if the memory was extremely painful.

  “Sounds like he put you in a tough position,” she said, trying to make things easier for him.

  “He was jeopardizing the op and lives, yeah. And I told him so. Told him to shake it off. Get with the program. Even recited our creed to him.” He fell silent. This time the pause was tortured and painful, but she wouldn’t press him.

  “An insurgent tossed a grenade our way,” he continued. “Stretch took one look at all of us and threw himself on it. Died instantly.”

  “Oh, Griff, I’m so sorry.” She did take his hand then and held fast. “That must’ve been so horrible to see.”

  “I kept thinking he must have felt like he had something to prove…you know…because I called him on the carpet. But then Gage helped me see that any one of us would’ve done the same thing. When I was on the team, it was never about our own lives, but our teammates’ lives.”

  “I totally get that.” She watched him carefully, looking for any sign that he wanted to go on, but he clamped his mouth closed and worked his jaw muscles.

  “You’re still not forgiving yourself, though, are you?” Her other hand slipped of its own accord from under her leg and rested on his.

  “Not fully, no.”

  She sighed. “I get it. Sort of anyway. At least that’s how I feel about Andy.”

  “Yeah, me too. If only…” He shook his head. “I’d like a do-over, you know. A chance to change the outcome. For Stretch and Andy.”

  “So would I.” She released his hand and sat back to think about the tough situation he’d gone through. About losing Andy. About grief and life in general. “I remember one time my pastor said faith isn’t really about praying and God giving us what we want. It’s more about prayer giving us a way to be okay with whatever He sees fit to do or allow in our lives.”

  Griff tapped his thumb on the steering wheel, his expression pensive. “Sort of like the making lemonade out of lemons comment you made. See the positive in things.”