by Terri Reed
Ellie tapped her on the shoulder and leaned over. In a loud whisper, she said, “Will you come to the K-9 trials and sit with me? It’s so much fun to watch Daddy and Frosty. They do some funny things.”
“That’s my plan, Ellie.” Touched by the child’s requests, she added, “I’d love to sit with you. If it’s okay with your dad.”
Ellie grinned. “It’s okay, right, Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetie,” Carter answered, his gaze meeting Rachelle’s.
She couldn’t decipher what had him looking so intense.
“Daddy, may I be excused now?” Ellie asked. “I ate well.” There were just a few little remnants of her hot dog and potato salad on her plate.
“You did good,” Carter agreed. “You may be excused.”
Ellie raced down the porch stairs to play in the grass with the two little Labrador puppies, while Frosty watched from beneath the shade of an awning.
Katie stood, picking up her plate and her father-in-law’s, then started into the house.
Needing something to do, Rachelle followed suit, gathering the empty plates. “I’ll help you.”
She hesitated before taking Ivy’s plate.
The older woman gave her an assessing glance before lifting the plate to stack it on top of the others in Rachelle’s hands. “That’s very sweet of you, dear.”
“The least I can do,” Rachelle replied with a smile. “I need to earn my keep.”
Ivy smiled back, her features softening. “That is not necessary.”
Unsure how to respond, Rachelle followed Katie into the kitchen, where Katie set the plates in the sink. For a moment, she leaned against the counter rubbing her back.
Stacking her own pile of dishes in the sink, Rachelle eyed Katie with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I just battle with bouts of fatigue. It’s been a very emotional five months.”
Empathy spread through Rachelle’s chest. “I can imagine. I’m so sorry that you’re going through this.”
Katie turned on the water faucet and rinsed the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. “Not much I can do but pray Jordan’s killer is caught.”
“Here, let me do that.” Rachelle shooed Katie aside. She took over rinsing the plates and silverware and putting them into the dishwasher. “I’m sure something will break in the case soon.” She glanced out the window over the sink, making sure that Carter was still with his parents. She turned off the faucet and turned to Katie. “I’m actually working on a story about your husband’s death. That’s why I’m here.”
Katie frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Carter will probably get mad at me for telling you this, but the attempt on my life today must have something to do with my investigation into Chief Jameson’s murder.”
Katie put a hand on the counter as if the news had weakened her knees. “I don’t know what to say.”
Noticing that Katie’s face had lost its color, Rachelle dragged a chair in from the dining room. “You should sit.”
Katie sank onto the wooden chair. “I feel like I’ve let Jordan down. I promised myself I wouldn’t rest until they found out who killed him. But to be honest, these days, resting is about all I can do. I’m glad you’re investigating. But I don’t like the fact that your life is in danger.”
Rachelle felt better about her investigation knowing that Katie appreciated her efforts. “Thank you for saying that. Carter’s not terribly happy with me, but at least he’s willing to team up.”
Katie tilted her head, a speculative gleam in her eyes. “Team up, huh? That’s interesting. He must really like you.”
“I don’t think ‘like’ is the right word. He finds me an irritant. He’s only working with me for my notes. If he could read them without my help, I wouldn’t be here.”
“What do you mean?”
“A lot of my notes are written in my own form of shorthand. I’m the only one who can transcribe them.”
Katie nodded approvingly. “Clever girl. And I’m not sure you’re correct in thinking Carter finds you irritating,” she said with a smile. “He went all he-man with his parents over you. I’ve never seen him do that before.”
Hoping to change the subject, Rachelle asked, “Do you know if you’re having a boy or girl?”
Katie put her hand on her tummy. “A girl.” Tears gathered in Katie’s eyes. “Jordan so wanted to be a father.”
Aching for her, Rachelle said, “It’s really good that you have so much support from the Jameson family.”
Katie nodded and wiped her eyes. “Yes, they’ve been really great. My own parents are long gone. Everybody has been so kind to me. A couple of ex-boyfriends and several coworkers have all offered to help in some way or another. Even my college roommate, who I’d lost touch with when she moved to Europe, made contact and said I could go live with her if I needed.”
“Would you go?”
Katie shook her head. “No. This is my family now.” She rubbed her belly. “Our family.”
“You’re a teacher, correct?” Rachelle vaguely remembered something about Katie’s job in one of the articles she’d read after Jordan’s death.
“Yes, fifth grade at Rego Park Elementary School. Though I’d resigned for this coming school year as Jordan wanted me to be a stay-at-home mom.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ll go back to teaching once the baby is old enough. Ivy has offered to provide day care.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Jameson is looking forward to taking care of another grandchild.”
“Oh yes. I don’t know what I would do without Alex and Ivy. Of course, Carter and Ellie and Noah will be here to help out. Zach and his new wife, Violet, have offered to pitch in, as well. Like I said, family.”
“I have to confess I envy your close-knit family.”
“I married into it,” Katie said. “My parents died years ago.” She tilted her head. “Why are you not on speaking terms with your family?”
The ache and hurt from learning she was adopted reared up to clog her throat. She wasn’t ready to talk about learning the reason she was never accepted by the man and woman she’d called her mother and father. “It’s complicated.”
“Do you have siblings?” Katie asked.
“I’m an only child. I was a surprise that came along later in my parents’ life.” An unwanted guest that stayed too long. “They had chosen not to have children. But apparently, God had other plans.”
“There’s no arguing with God and His plans,” Katie said. “I’m sure He has great things in store for you.”
Liking Katie and appreciating her kind words, Rachelle smiled. “Thank you for that.”
“So, are you married? Dating anyone?”
“No, to both questions. I’m focusing on my career right now.”
“There’s no reason you can’t be married and have a career,” Katie pointed out.
“Maybe someday,” Rachelle said. “But not anytime soon.”
“What do you think of Carter?”
Oh no. She was trying to play matchmaker. Not happening. “Please don’t go there.” Remembering the wedding photo on his desk, she added, “I get the sense that he’s still mourning his late wife.”
“Perhaps. I never met Helen. But from what everybody has told me of her she was a wonderful person. It would take a special person to replace her.” Katie tilted her head, her gaze speculative. “I have a feeling you could be that person.”
The back door opened, and Carter stepped inside. His gaze bounced between Rachelle and Katie and back again. “What’s going on?”
Cheeks flaming, Rachelle quickly went back to the dishes. “Nothing.”
Rachelle reminded herself not to get attached to him or his beautiful little daughter. Because there was no way she could be special enough to fill the empty hole left by his wonderful wife.
* * *
The next day Carter packed the boxes back into his SUV and he and Rachelle and Frosty headed to the NYC K-9 Command Unit headquarters.
Rachelle had been quiet the rest of last evening and again this morning as they prepared to leave. He’d asked her to wear comfortable clothing for their trip to the training center. He tried not to notice how cute she looked in her loose-fitting pants and T-shirt with the words Hello Sunshine written across the front.
She had been a ray of sunshine last night. The way Ellie and Katie responded to her made his heart glad that he’d brought her home, despite his mother’s less than warm welcome. Mom could be a tough cookie, but he knew she’d warm up to Rachelle in time. Not that he needed her to for his sake. Far from it.
When he’d walked into the kitchen to find Rachelle and Katie talking, it was the first time in a long time that Katie hadn’t looked to be on the verge of tears.
Of course Ellie adored Rachelle. Too much, in fact. All Ellie could talk about as he was putting her to bed was Rachelle. Isn’t she pretty, Daddy? Isn’t she so nice, Daddy?
And when Ellie asked if Rachelle would come and sit with her at the K-9 trials, he had to fight the need to warn both of them not to get attached. He just hoped he could end the threat to Rachelle sooner rather than later so they could all go back to their normal, separate lives.
He pulled into the parking lot behind the brick building housing the NYC K-9 Command Unit.
After releasing Frosty from the vehicle and attaching his lead, Carter hefted the two cardboard boxes into his arms.
She reached for the top one. “I can carry that. You don’t have to do it all yourself.”
For the briefest moment he thought of protesting. But then decided she was right. And it would free him up just a bit in case he needed to drop the box if something were to happen between here and the precinct. He nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Her smile reached her eyes this time. He liked the way her brown eyes lit up and crinkled at the corners when she was genuinely smiling.
Frosty nudged his leg, drawing his attention. The dog no doubt wanted to know why they weren’t on the move. Because he was enjoying staring into Rachelle’s eyes. He mentally gave himself a shake and started walking.
Carter stopped at the training center to drop Frosty off with the lead trainer.
He could tell Rachelle wanted to linger. “We’ll come back here later.”
She nodded and followed him to Noah’s office. He’d come home late last night and left again before Carter had gotten up to get Ellie ready for an outing with his parents.
“I take it those are your case notes,” Noah said, eyeing the boxes they held as they entered the room.
“Yes, sir. As promised,” Rachelle responded.
Carter liked that she wasn’t a shrinking flower. She was bold and strong. She had to be if she was digging into his brother’s death. Acid churned in his gut. Something in one of these boxes would lead them to the truth.
“Take the conference room,” Noah instructed. “Shut the blinds. I don’t want anybody interfering.” He leveled Carter with a direct look. “This is for your eyes only. Not even Dad or Zach.”
Surprise washed through Carter. His brother’s confidence in him was pleasing. He gave Noah a sharp nod and led the way to the conference room. For the next several hours, he and Rachelle went about the task of laying all the notes out. Some of her writing was indecipherable to him.
“My shorthand,” she said. “I learned from my father’s law clerk.”
“Your father’s a lawyer.” Lawyers were right up there with reporters as far as he was concerned. Good when you needed them, but the rest of the time he wanted nothing to do with them.
“Can you un-shorthand them so I can read them?”
“Of course I can. It will take some time. Might be easier if I just read the notes to you.”
“Good idea. Let’s try that.” He grabbed his pad to take notes of his own.
She took a seat and picked up a ledger. “Recent releases from the jail system.” She read the list of names in her slightly accented voice that filled the room. She had a nice voice and he had to concentrate to stay focused on listening to the words and not just the warm, honeyed tone.
Partway down the list was Miles Landau. But there were other names he hadn’t heard before. He lifted a hand. “Hold up. All of those inmates had some connection to Jordan?”
“Yes. Going back through public records.” She put emphasis on the word public. “Jordan was involved in each of these cases in some way. In some he was the first responder to the scene. Those are from back when he was a rookie. Other cases as the arresting officer, while in many he was the officer in charge of the investigation.”
Carter tumbled that information through his head. Could Jordan’s death have something to do with a case from the past?
“Okay.” He decided to pursue this line of thought. “You’ve pulled case files on each of these ex-cons?”
“I have. Many of their files are very thick and some not so much. Several were a slam dunk, while others the state had to really dig deep to convict. I’ve also dug into various social media outlets to see what I could find about where they are now and what they are doing.”
She was a go-getter; he’d give her that. “Let’s start at the top and dig our way through all of the files.”
“You don’t want to start with Miles? He was released the day before your brother’s death. And I have the most information on him. Photos from before he was incarcerated and after.”
“We have no way of knowing if he’s the culprit. It could be any one of these guys.”
“My instincts tell me Miles is up to something,” she insisted. She handed him a photo of the man standing on the deck of what looked like a fancy boat, a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a pretty woman next to him.
Carter wasn’t sure he trusted her instincts. He stared at the photo. Was this man responsible for Jordan’s death? “Noah put a man on finding and trailing Landau. If he makes any strange moves, we’ll know.”
For a moment, he thought she’d continue to argue but instead she took the picture back and replaced it in the file.
“All right, then.” She read the top name again. “This guy was a pusher who beat his girlfriend. The state’s case against him put him away on drug charges as well as attempted murder. Your brother was the first officer on the scene.”
“Tell me everything you could find out about him.”
The ring of a cell phone echoed off the conference room walls.
“That’s me,” Rachelle said. “Sorry. I thought I turned the ringer off.” She hurried to where she’d hung her purse across the back of a chair and answered the phone. “Hello.”
At that exact moment, Noah opened the conference room door, his expression grim. “We have a situation.”
Carter went to his brother, while keeping his eyes on Rachelle. Her face had gone white at whatever was said on the other side of the cell phone conversation. He heard her exclaim, “Oh no! I’ll be right there.”
Carter’s gaze whipped to his brother as dread cramped his chest. “What’s going on?”
The hard set of Noah’s mouth sent unease sliding through Carter.
“There was a break-in at the NYC Weekly offices.” Noah tipped his chin toward Rachelle. “Her desk space specifically was targeted.”
Carter’s gut clenched. “Whoever was after her wanted these notes.”
“My thought exactly,” Noah said.
Rachelle rushed to the door with her purse slung over her shoulder. “I have to go. It’s the office.”
“I know,” Carter said. “Come with me to get Frosty and we’ll head over there.”
“I can’t wait!” She slipped past him and Noah and hurried toward the front staircase.
“Go get
your partner,” Noah instructed him. “I’ll keep her from leaving without you.”
Carter peeled away and headed down the back stairwell to the training center while Noah went after Rachelle.
Frosty was sleeping in a kennel but as soon as Carter stepped into the large space reserved for the dogs to have some downtime, Frosty rose and stretched. Carter let him out of the kennel. “Time to work, boy.”
Without a word, the lead trainer, Olivia King, handed him a lead.
“Thanks.” He leashed up and hustled out of the kennel room.
“Be safe,” Olivia called after him.
“From your lips to God’s ears,” he muttered beneath his breath.
When Carter and Frosty reached the lobby, Noah was talking to Rachelle, hopefully keeping her from acting impulsively. She tapped her foot as he approached.
Noah waved him on. “Go.”
With a nod, Carter led Rachelle and Frosty through the exit. Because her office building was only a few blocks away, they didn’t need to drive. The sidewalk was crowded as they joined the flow of pedestrians. They reached the intersection just as the Walk sign flashed.
Up ahead, the sidewalk was blocked by a hand truck stacked with aluminum kegs. He slowed, hoping to give the workers time to get the hand truck out of the way.
“We have to go around them,” Rachelle insisted and stepped off the curb, skirting past the parked cars.
Clenching his jaw, he and Frosty followed but were waylaid by pedestrians taking the same route in the opposite direction.
At the next corner, a white panel van pulled up in front of Rachelle, blocking her path. The side door opened and two men with ski masks covering their faces jumped out. She skidded to a halt and attempted to backpedal, but the men grabbed her by the arms to drag her into the van.
SEVEN
Carter’s heart jumped into his throat at the sight of the two men grabbing Rachelle. He surged forward, through the crowd. “Police. Move!” He dropped Frosty’s leash as he ran. “Attack!”