by Aimée Thurlo
Chapter Seventeen
Travis followed. As he turned the corner, he found Peter waiting for him.
“Relax, man, it’s cool,” Peter said quickly, holding up his hands, palms out. “I just ducked away to make it look good. There are eyes up and down this street.”
Travis resisted the urge to look back. He’d already registered the presence of a dry-cleaning shop, the martial-arts dojo and a dog-grooming place. “Who are you worried about, Peter?”
“The martial-arts school is legit and all that, but the guy who runs it is a real head case.”
“How so?” Travis pressed.
“He’s really high-pressure when it comes to drumming up business. He tried to sign me up, I said no, so now he mad dogs me every time I walk by. The dude gives me the creeps.”
“What else can you tell me about him?”
“His name’s Harry something and he’s like one of those nightclub doormen. He lets the good-looking chicks in for free, or just about, so he can lure the guys in. I’ve heard the sales pitch he gives the ladies, too—free introductory lessons, or what he calls scholarship rates. He’s a real smooth talker and that’s why it works—most of the time, anyway.”
“And when it doesn’t?” Travis pressed.
“Things can blow up, big-time,” he said. “I guess you haven’t heard. Harry came on strong to one of the ladies he wanted to sign up. She was a real babe, and when he was showing her some moves he got a little too friendly. That ticked her off, and she ran straight to her big brother—Sergeant Trujillo.”
Travis knew Jerry. The man was built like a tank, and one blow from those sledgehammer fists could drop an ox. “Trujillo didn’t bust him. I would have heard about it.”
“No, they took it out back. I heard they beat the crap out of each other.”
“Tell me more about Harry,” Travis prodded.
“He’s not that big but he’s as tough as it gets. I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.”
“Thanks for the info.”
“Are you thinking of paying him a visit?” Seeing Travis nod, he added, “Watch out for sucker punches. He’s probably got it in for the cops right now.” Peter turned and hurried down the alley.
When Travis came back out to the sidewalk, he saw Laura going into the dojo. Cursing under his breath, he jogged to the SUV. Leaving Crusher in the shade of a tall elm, he hurried across the street to the martial-arts school.
She couldn’t have waited five more minutes? What sense did it make to go into a place like that half-cocked? Travis moved his handgun and cuffs to the small of his back to conceal them, then went inside.
Laura was halfway down the hall past the small reception area, talking to Harry Roberts. The description Peter Sanchez had given him fit to a tee. The guy was solid and his stance reeked of confidence.
“I know a little about self-defense, but I’m interested in krav maga,” Travis heard Laura say. That cinched it. She was going in blind, just to see how far she could get.
Laura smiled at Travis and waved. “That’s a friend of mine,” Travis heard her saying. “He’s not into martial arts, but he’s strong and we sometimes train together.”
Harry laughed, gave Travis a dismissive glance, then focused back on Laura. “So let’s see how well you move. I might be able to give you a free lesson or two.”
“Hey, great! Just give me a sec. I don’t want my friend to feel he has to wait around. I’ll be right back.”
Laura went over to where Travis was standing and spoke to him softly. “He’s the same height as our suspect but that’s all I can say for sure. Go take a look around while I keep him occupied.”
“I don’t have a search warrant. I can’t do much.”
“You don’t have to search, just look around closely and see if anything catches your eye. His office is down the hall.”
“You should have waited,” he growled. “I just found out that this guy can get pushy, especially with women.”
Her eyes hardened and she gave him a mirthless smile. “Go do what you need to do. I’ll handle no-neck.”
Laura walked back to where Harry waited. “I’m ready,” she said and followed him into a small gym. Laura removed her shoes, then proceeded to the center of the mats with the instructor.
Travis saw Laura bow to her opponent, then take a defensive stance. Harry rushed her, but his moves seemed much slower than that of the lightning-fast assailant they’d faced. Of course it was possible he was holding back. If this was their suspect, he knew who they were and wouldn’t reveal himself so easily.
Travis watched Laura for a moment longer, wondering if she’d really be able to handle an opponent who outweighed her by over a hundred pounds. As Harry kicked, she deflected the blow with her forearm, then spun and countered, sending him sprawling back.
“Nice move,” Harry managed, regaining his position, hands up, krav maga style, ready to block.
Travis smiled. Laura would be fine. Slipping out the door way, he made his way down the long hall. Posters of martial-arts celebrities covered the walls. There were also photos of Harry in his martial-arts uniform taken at various competitions.
Travis went past a closed door labeled Locker Room. At the far end, he could see an open doorway and a sign that read Office.
He’d almost reached it when four high-school-aged girls came inside the building and headed down the hall. Giggling, one of them smiled and waved at him before they all ducked into the locker room.
Alone again, Travis took advantage of the moment and went into the office. It was sparse, just a desk and a chair, a gray file cabinet and a big mirror on the wall.
As he walked around the desk toward the window, he heard the faint sound of female voices. Travis looked outside but the sidewalk was empty. Puzzled, but curious, he stood completely still and listened.
The voices seemed to be coming from inside the wall, not the hallway. Moving toward the sound, he took a closer look at the mirror. It was hanging from a wire and stood out an inch or more from the wall.
Standing to one side, he glanced into the gap between it and the wall. There was something else back there. Taking great care, he pulled the mirror out slightly and saw that recessed into the wallboard was a flat video camera with a rear LCD screen. The green light indicated the camera was operating.
A security camera? But aimed at what? Travis took a quick look down the hall. Seeing that it was still empty, he stepped over to the wall and lifted the mirror from the big hook.
After studying the camera for a second, Travis hit the button labeled Display. The locker room came into sharp focus, revealing the girls he’d seen before, now in various stages of undress as they changed into their martial-arts uniforms.
He turned off the screen quickly, realizing what Harry had been filming. Sexual predators came in all shapes and sizes, but this one wore a black belt.
Travis rehung the mirror on its hook, then walked back to the school’s gym. He had to do something, but without probable cause and a search warrant, what he’d found would be inadmissible.
Wording…that was the key. If his bluff worked, the pervert would damn himself.
“Harry Roberts, I’m Detective Blacksheep,” he said, pulling his badge from his belt and holding it up. “I’d like to have a word with you about your…photography.”
Harry brushed aside Laura’s kick, then took a step toward Travis. “What do you mean, photography?”
“You know precisely what I’m talking about. How do you think the parents of those underage girls who use your locker room are going to react when they hear the news?” Travis said, holding his ground. “Or see the images?”
Harry took a step back. As Laura narrowed the gap between them, he spun and raced out the emergency exit, setting off an alarm.
Laura and Travis ran down the alley after him. Hoping to slow them down, Harry knocked over every trash can he passed. Then, out of trash cans, he slipped between two buildings less than three feet apar
t and disappeared from view.
“Circle the building,” Travis yelled at her, racing into the gap. It was narrow and he had to sidestep and turn his body to avoid bumping the walls with his shoulders.
Travis saw the man reach the end of the gap, then duck to the right. He followed, thinking Harry was circling back to the dojo.
“No, go straight!” Laura called out to him, coming around the far corner. “He just crossed the street and is going into the next alley.”
They went after him and narrowed the gap quickly as they approached the next street.
Harry looked back and saw they were getting close. In a last-ditch effort to escape he jumped across the trunk of a parked car and ran out into the street. Brakes squealed and there was a sickening thud as a truck smashed into Harry, throwing his body high into the air.
Laura saw the martial-arts instructor fall to the pavement, his arms and legs flayed out at unnatural angles. Almost immediately, blood began pooling around his head.
Swallowing hard, she turned away. She knew death when she saw it.
Travis checked the victim for signs of life, then called for assistance. A minute later he hurried to talk to the startled truck driver. “Stay in your vehicle, please,” Travis said, holding up his badge.
Remaining in the street, Travis redirected traffic until a police cruiser pulled up. He quickly turned the scene over to the officer, than glanced around for Laura. He found her crouched down next to Crusher, her face pale.
He jogged over to her. “Are you going to be sick?”
“No, I’m okay. Crusher’s good medicine,” she said, standing.
A minute later Detective Koval pulled up in his unmarked car and stepped out to join them.
“What is it with you guys? Every time I’m on a case, you guys are right there in the middle of things.” He glanced over at the body. “We just started checking Roberts out yesterday. The mother of one of the girls he teaches filed a complaint. She told us she’d spoken to Roberts after his daughter’s class and he’d mentioned the bruise on her kid’s thigh. Later, she realized that the only way he could have known about that was if he’d seen her in her underwear. I was asked to check it out.”
“You might want to search his office wall,” Travis said.
“Did you see something there?” Koval asked, giving Travis a hard look.
“Just take a look for yourself, okay?” Travis said with a shrug. “Call it a hunch.” Koval nodded, then looked at Laura. “Ma’am, if you’re going to toss your cookies, be careful where you aim.”
Laura gave him a cold glare. Though her stomach was tied into a painful knot and her hands were clammy, she answered him in a steady voice. “I’m fine. Thanks for your empathy.”
As Koval walked off, Travis looked at her. “You still look two shades paler than pale.”
She swallowed hard, determined to keep it together. “I’ve been involved in firefights and seen my share of crime scenes, but I have a tough time dealing with traffic accidents. They’re senseless. Death is inescapable but it shouldn’t be so…random,” she said at last, shaking her head.
He started to place his arm over her shoulders but she stepped back. “No, don’t. Sympathy only makes things worse.”
He understood. Sometimes all that did was bring emotions even closer to the surface.
They waited as the body was covered with a plastic drop cloth and the scene secured. After making sure they wouldn’t be needed there, they headed back to the SUV.
“We have to go to the station,” he said. “We’ll need to debrief.”
“Let’s go then,” she answered, her voice steadier now.
They walked inside the station a short time later. According to procedure, they were taken into two separate rooms to be questioned.
For the better part of an hour Travis had to fight to keep his temper in check. The investigator pressed him hard, approaching Travis’s account of the events leading to Robert’s death from various angles to see if his story changed. It was a way to elicit truth, and Travis was well aware of the technique, but he was tired. More to the point, he was worried about Laura.
When it was finally over, Travis went to look for her. He walked to his desk first. Crusher was asleep on the floor, but no Laura. Next, he went down the hall to talk to the duty officer at the front.
“Ms. Perry didn’t stick around after she finished her interview with the detective. She left a note for you here somewhere,” he said, searching his desk.
Travis bit back his impatience. Laura’s car wasn’t at the station and taxis took forever, so unless someone had given her a ride, she couldn’t have gone far.
“Here it is,” the young officer said at last.
Travis unfolded the small sheet of notepaper. It read, “I’m going for a walk. Need time alone. I’ll be back at the station in an hour or so.”
Travis stared at the note, lost in thought. This was out of character for Laura. Everything about her was goal oriented. She didn’t just go for walks—she always had a destination in mind.
Travis walked back to his desk. Crusher was awake now, looking around, but still lying in his usual spot.
After greeting the dog, Travis sat down and tried to figure things out. As his gaze fell on the painting of the river walk hung on the opposite wall, he smiled. He knew exactly where she’d gone.
Chapter Eighteen
Travis drove three blocks down Main Street, then turned onto River Walk Drive, which led to the bosk. Leaving the SUV in the lot adjacent to the public park, he walked toward the river, Crusher at his side.
The main paths of the popular hiking trails led east and west, but he chose the third direction, across a narrow footbridge then along a dirt trail. A creek flowed into the La Plata River just west of here. He’d shown her the place many years back, long before the county had expanded the common area beyond the river trail.
It had become their special place. He remembered the gift he’d given her there and, more importantly, the reason behind it. In his gut, he knew she’d be there.
The hike took about twenty minutes. It was near sunset by the time he and Crusher entered the narrow canyon, now mostly in shadow. He’d almost reached the place he’d had in mind when he heard a faint rustle directly ahead.
“I had a feeling you’d find me,” she called out.
Laura was sitting on a patch of sandy earth staring at something in the palm of her hand. As he drew closer and saw what it was, he smiled. “You kept it after all these years?”
“Of course. It was the perfect gift and meant the world to me. It symbolized everything I’d hoped to become someday.”
He looked down at the small, crudely carved fetish and smiled. If you didn’t know it was a cougar, you wouldn’t have been able to identify it. It was easy to mistake for a cow or even some sort of misshapen buffalo. He’d never been much of a carver, but wanting to give her something special, he’d made it himself.
“You’d just turned seventeen and your whole world was upside down,” he recalled, sitting next to her. “Your mother had broken up with Marty and was packing up to move to Denver. You were fighting her every step of the way because you wanted to finish senior year here on familiar ground.”
She nodded, lost in thought. “But there was more to it than that. I didn’t want to leave you. Our friendship was everything to me. It gave me courage when I needed it most.” She looked down at the fetish. “This gift was perfect and just what I needed at the time.”
“The qualities of cougar fit you now more than ever. You go after what you want and won’t let anything stop you. Cougar, too, leads whether or not anyone follows. He has the strength and the skill to see things through to the end.” He looked down at the crude fetish. “I just wish I could have done a better job of carving.”
“That’s not what mattered. What made this gift so special was that it came from the heart. And my heart accepted it—and you.”
Laura leaned over to kiss him. The gestur
e had only been meant as an acknowledgment of the past but the second their lips met everything changed. Needs suppressed for far too long came crashing to the surface.
Travis pushed her back onto the sandy earth and Laura moaned softly as he pressed his lips to the base of her throat, then lower, tasting and teasing the softness above her breasts.
Surrender. It became an imperative command that drummed through her with each beat of her heart. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her, softness meeting hardness.
“If we don’t stop now, I’m going to take you right here.” His dark eyes gleamed in the shadows of twilight. “And once we do that…”
“There’ll be no turning back,” she finished for him breathlessly. Yet instead of moving away, she tugged open his shirt and caressed the hard flesh she exposed. “Over these past few months, death has been one step behind me. Help me celebrate life…here, now…with you.”
As she trailed her hands down his chest in a slow, burning caress, he knew there was no turning back. “Then let this be our time.”
Crusher, as if sensing what was needed, lay down, staring at the path they’d come down so recently.
Travis knew they’d be safe. No one would draw near without their knowledge. He lifted Laura into his arms and carried her to the soft grass beneath the old cottonwood tree. Standing over her, his eyes never leaving hers, he stripped off his shirt and unfastened his belt.
Laura rose to her knees and helped him draw down his jeans, kissing the exposed areas.
He sucked in his breath. “Slow down,” Travis said, pulling her up. “I want tonight to burn into your soul. Remember the heat…and the man who took you into that fire and kept you safe.”
He stripped off her clothing and tasted the skin he bared, building the fires smoldering inside her. He was relentless, covering her softness with intimate kisses until she cried out, wild and desperate for release.
When she couldn’t take any more, he guided her over that edge and, afterward, held her against him until her breathing evened.