More scrambling ahead. Dakota gave chase. The darkness pressed in on him. The streetlights didn’t reach into the backyards and the lights on the houses couldn’t probe the wooded area farther out.
Which was where the guy was headed.
He just hoped Jamie didn’t hear the activity going on outside her house and decide to come investigate. He heard the sirens in the distance, caught a flash of movement up ahead. Taking cover behind a tree, he yelled, “Freeze, I said!”
The guy ignored him and darted farther into the woods. Dakota grunted and continued the chase, nearly tripping over the dense undergrowth. He stopped and listened.
Nothing.
Silence except for the sound of the sirens that grew closer. He grimaced as he got on the phone with the dispatcher and in a low voice, identified himself and said, “Tell them to shut off the sirens, I can’t hear.”
Within seconds, the noise ceased.
He crept forward, eyes straining in the darkness. He didn’t dare use a light.
Dakota sucked in a deep breath and willed himself to hear every sound, to notice and dismiss the ones that belonged but focus on the ones that didn’t.
He heard nothing. A shiver chased itself up his spine. His eyes probed the area in front of him, then he turned to look over his right shoulder, feeling a spot between his shoulder blades tingle.
Come on, he silently shouted to the trespasser, move, give me a hint as to where you are.
A rustle behind him alerted him and he whirled only to catch a brief glimpse of a black mask before pain cracked through his head and blackness descended.
Jamie gripped the paintbrush and stared at the half-finished project. Painting had been her outlet, one of her coping mechanisms when the panic attacks threatened. When she picked up a brush, the outside world faded.
After Dakota had left, she’d returned to her work and immersed herself in creativity.
So when she heard the sirens on her street, it took a moment to register. When they went silent, curiosity prompted her to investigate. Lifting the lid from the can of turpentine, she cleaned the brush, then looked out her window. Flashing blue and red lights pulled up near her house.
“What in the world?” she whispered. Her eyes searched and found the car that belonged to Jessica, the policewoman who’d been assigned to watch her house.
But she couldn’t tell if anyone occupied it. Jamie went to the door and her hand hovered above the knob. Anxiety clawed at her and she snatched her hand back. The panic ebbed only to return when she once again touched the doorknob.
Anger at herself swelled. “You beat this, remember?”
Swallowing, pulling in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and swung the door open. Jessica stood on her porch, fist raised as though to knock.
Relief nearly buckled her knees. “Jessica, what’s going on?” “Dakota rode back by here after he dropped you off and spotted someone around your window. He went after him. I’m here to stay with you.”
Dread crawled through her. “Oh no.”
“Let’s get inside.”
Jamie backed up and let the woman in. “What about Dakota?” “I’ve got backup on the way.”
Jamie could tell the woman was torn between going after Dakota to make sure he was all right and doing the duty she’d been assigned: keep Jamie safe.
A knock on the door had Jamie reaching to open it, but Jessica nudged her aside and took over. She looked through the peephole, then out the side window. Turning to Jamie, she said, “It’s your sister, Samantha.”
Samantha came through the door like a whirlwind. “Are you okay? What’s going on? I saw the police outside your house and nearly panicked.”
“You didn’t have your scanner on?”
Samantha grimaced. “No.”
“Dakota saw someone outside my window and went after him.”
Sam’s eyes sharpened. “Where’s Dakota now?”
Jessica shifted and headed for the door. “I can’t raise him on his radio. He’s either not answering because he’s busy or because … he can’t.” She disappeared into the night.
Horror caused waves of shivers to rock through Jamie. “Sam?”
“I’ll find him. You stay put, okay?”
She left, gun in hand. Officers flooded her yard.
Jamie resisted the urge to go after them, but she knew she would just be in the way. Instead, she paced and stayed away from the windows.
Please, God, keep them safe.
9
Dakota groaned and shifted on the ground. Pain clawed at his head and he lifted a hand to the source. Wetness covered his palm even as his brain clicked through what had just happened. Branches crackled to his left and he grabbed for his weapon only to find it gone.
He rolled to his left and nausea threatened to undo him. Couldn’t worry about that now.
“Dakota?”
The soft whisper reached through the ringing in his ears. “Jessica?”
“Yeah.” He felt her kneel down beside him. “You’re hurt.”
“He came out of nowhere.”
“I’ve got an ambulance on the way.”
“You see my gun anywhere?”
“Yeah, here.”
She pressed it into his hand and he curled his fingers around it, immediately taking comfort in the familiar feel.
He stood, weaving his way to the edge of the trees. His head felt like it might explode any second.
Jessica clutched his arm. “You need some medical attention.”
“What I need is to catch that guy.”
“He’s long gone by now. Come on, we need to let – ”
“Dakota!”
The frantic shout turned his attention to Samantha who’d come around the corner, gun ready. He waved at her and immediately regretted the action. “I’m okay.”
She lowered the gun a fraction. “I take it you didn’t get him?”
“Unfortunately, no. He got me.”
Jessica intervened. “I’ve got the dogs on the way. Let’s get you over to the hospital. You need that head looked at.”
“I’ll be fine. Is Jamie all right?”
“She’s worried about you.”
“Then let’s go show her I’m okay.”
The trio made their way back to the house, Dakota moving slowly with Samantha and Jessica staked on either side of him just in case he keeled over. “Guys, relax. I’m fine.”
“Right,” Samantha agreed. But she didn’t move either.
He sighed and stepped through the door to find Jamie pacing the den floor. When she saw him, the relief that coated her face nearly did him in.
“I’m fine,” he insisted for what felt like the millionth time since he’d been conked.
Then his heart tripped over itself as she walked over, slipped her arms around his waist, and laid her head against his shoulder.
Samantha’s jaw dropped.
Dakota let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around Jamie’s shoulders. He held her until an officer stepped inside and insisted on speaking to him.
“I’ll be down to file a police report.”
“We’ve got the dogs out and they picked up a scent beyond the woods, but it dead-ended where he must have had a car parked.”
Dakota nodded. “He couldn’t take a chance parking on this street. He knows we’re watching her house. Did you find any prints under the window?”
“Nothing significant. It hasn’t rained in a couple of days, so the ground is pretty hard.”
“All right.” Jamie stepped away from him and headed into the kitchen.
He missed the feel of her wrapped up next to him and wondered when he’d get to hold her again. The thought took his mind off his throbbing head.
The officer motioned to Dakota’s still seeping head wound. “You want to get that taken care of?”
“It’s …” He broke off, refusing to use the word “fine” again. “Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
Samantha had followed her sister into the k
itchen. She was still behind her when Jamie came back out carrying a first aid kit. In her soft, sweet voice, she said, “Sit down and let me help.”
Dakota sat, Samantha stared, and Jamie got busy cleaning and bandaging his wound. “You need a couple of stitches, if you ask me.”
“Can you do it?”
She shrugged and bit her lip. “Sure I know how, but – ”
“I’m not going to the hospital, Jamie. If you don’t want to sew it up, just slap a couple of butterfly bandages on it.”
She blew out a sigh and pursed her lips. “Stubborn, aren’t you?”
“I’ve been hanging around you for a while now. It must have rubbed off on me.”
Her eyes glinted. “I think I have some extra suture thread left over from an autopsy class. I’ll have to sterilize it.”
He closed his eyes and grunted. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jamie went to get the required materials while Samantha trailed along behind her once again. Exasperated, Jamie turned. “What is it, Sam?”
“You sure are handling this well.”
“Thank you. Now quit dogging my steps, will you?”
Samantha flushed. “I’m sorry, I guess I keep expecting you to fall apart or something.”
“Sam!”
“I know, I know! I’m sorry. I’ll just go back and check on Dakota.”
“Actually, boil me some water, will you?” Jamie turned on her heel and thought about Samantha’s expectations. So, she was supposed to fall apart and lose it. She looked at her hands. They shook, a fine tremor passing through them. And yet, Jamie felt in control. Stronger than she had in weeks. And so grateful for the people the Lord had put in her life at this very moment.
Yes, she was scared. Terrified. But she would get through this. She would trust God to get her through it one way or another. Either way, this side of heaven or the other, Jamie knew she’d be fine.
But she really wanted to live.
Taking a deep breath, she found the items she needed, sterilized everything, and found a pair of sterile surgical gloves she’d never thrown out. Another leftover from one of her classes. She didn’t actually know why she kept them but at the moment was glad she had.
Returning to the den area where Dakota half sat, half reclined, she arranged her materials on the coffee table. “This is going to hurt.”
“I’ll live.”
She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “All right then.” And grabbed the iodine, a box of Q-tips, and some bandages.
First she cleaned his wound, inside and out. He flinched several times and the color drained from his face, but he didn’t say a word. Samantha grimaced and looked the other way.
A knock on the door jerked Jessica’s attention from Dakota and Jamie. She placed a hand on her weapon as she went to answer it. Jamie registered Jessica’s movements but didn’t look up from her work. In less than two minutes she had a neat row of three stitches just above Dakota’s left eyebrow. A nice bruise had already started to form. “I suggest you duck next time.”
Dakota eyed her with a dangerous glint. “I’ll try to remember that.”
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Jamie couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her lips. Oh how she loved to banter with him. When she let herself. “You probably need an antibiotic and that’s out of my realm.”
“I’ll call my doc and get some.”
“He’s used to it, huh?”
“Something like that.”
“Um, guys?”
Jamie looked up to find Samantha looking at her with an expression that bordered somewhere between amused and annoyed. Jamie raised a brow. “Yes?”
“Can we focus on the fact that someone tried to break in tonight and figure out who that could be?”
Sobering, Jamie busied herself with cleaning up the mess she’d made while doctoring Dakota. “It was him.”
“Did you see him?”
“No. I didn’t have to.”
Jessica intervened. “I’m going back out to the car. Let me know if you guys need anything else.”
Jamie nodded. “Thanks so much, Jessica.”
“No problem.”
She left and Dakota spoke up. “He had a black mask on. The only thing showing were his eyes, but it was too dark for me to get a good look at them. Plus,” he raised a hand to his wound, “he was faster than I was.”
Jamie dropped three ibuprofen tablets into his palm, then walked over to the window. She stood to the side and pushed the blinds slightly apart so she could look out.
“What are you doing?” Samantha walked over and placed a hand on Jamie’s shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter, you know.”
“What doesn’t?”
“How much protection I have. Eventually, we’ll slip up or I’ll do something stupid.”
“You’re not going to do anything stupid. We’re going to take precautions and be careful.”
“I know. But I just have this feeling – ”
“Stop!”
Jamie jerked at Samantha’s sharp command. “What?”
“You sound like you’re giving up. Like you just want to walk out there and say, ‘Here I am. Take me.’”
Jamie blinked. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying …” She stopped. She didn’t know what she meant. At least not in a way that she could put into words.
Dakota gave a grunt and pulled himself to his feet. “It’s late, we’ve found nothing, so I’m going home.”
Jamie walked over and placed two fingers in the center of his chest to push him gently back onto the couch. He obeyed with a questioning look.
She asked, “You have a concussion. Do you have someone you can call to check on you? Wake you up every two hours?”
Regret flashed across his face in a micro-expression that she almost missed. He shook his head. “No, you know my family is in Texas.”
“Right.”
“Connor can stay with him while I stay here,” Samantha volunteered.
“What about Jenna?” Jamie was concerned about Connor’s eighteen-year-old daughter. Not that the girl couldn’t stay by herself, but Jamie knew she didn’t like to do it.
Sam pulled out her cell. “I’ve got that covered. She can go stay with her grandparents tonight. She loves visiting them at the retirement home. Then I’ll call Connor and let him know he’s got babysitting duties.” She smirked at Dakota who rolled his eyes.
“Jenna just loves going there for the food.”
“And the neighbor’s cat.”
Samantha walked off to make the arrangements and Jamie sat on the edge of the couch next to Dakota. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”
Softness replaced the edge that normally lurked just under the surface of his eyes. “Thanks. I’m just sorry he got away.”
“You’re going to have to take some time to heal, you know?”
The softness disappeared and his gaze narrowed. “Don’t try to sweet talk me into taking some time off of this.”
“You’re neglecting your ‘real’ cases to protect me.”
“Not really, Connor and I were assigned to find out who the dead bodies are. We can’t do that without your input.”
She sighed. “I know. I just feel like I’m taking you away from … something.”
He smiled. “I promise you, you’re not. And even if you were, it wouldn’t be near as important as keeping you safe anyway. Understand?”
Feeling the tears threaten right beneath the surface, she nodded, stood and said, “All right.”
Sam came back into the den. “Connor said he’s on his way to pick you up. Assuming you live through the night, he’ll bring you back to get your car in the morning.”
“Good.” He looked at Jamie. “That means we get to have breakfast together.”
She threw a pillow at him. Gently.
Having to park one street over was a pain, but worth it in order to watch Jamie’s house. He couldn’t see her from the car, of
course, but he’d found the perfect little spot where he could sit on the edge of the woods and see each individual window. When the lights were on, occasionally he could make out the faint outline of her shadow as she moved from room to room. The Hero lowered the binoculars.
Because of the blinds, he couldn’t see anything going on inside the house, but he knew they were scared. They’d close in even tighter around Jamie now. But that was fine. He gave a low laugh. It didn’t matter how much they watched her, when he was ready, he’d take her and rescue her once more. This time for good.
Stilling, he listened for the voice. Today, it was quiet. But he knew it would be back. For now, he would enjoy the silence.
Starting the car, he wove his way from the neighborhood.
He hadn’t planned on the narrow escape he’d had a couple hours earlier. That had been a lucky break on the part of the cop. The Hero still wasn’t sure how the man had spotted him, but when he’d realized he was so close to being caught, he had to think – and run – fast.
Thankfully, the sirens had given him enough sound cover to double back and catch the cop by surprise. He’d tried to hit him with enough force to kill him, but the branch hadn’t been big enough. Just big enough to knock him out.
Maybe next time.
10
Thursday
Jamie looked up from placing the last bone in the body. She now had a pretty complete skeleton. The medical examiner would officially confirm what Jamie already knew. The cause of death. She touched the area where the girl’s throat would have been. Her throat had been slashed all the way to the bone. The gouge in the third cervical vertebra left no doubt in her mind.
Jamie swallowed hard and focused.
She’d extracted the mitochondrial DNA from one of the bones and sent it off to be examined and possibly matched with a missing person or a missing person’s relative.
A whistle sounded, announcing Dakota’s imminent arrival. Jamie smiled to herself and realized how much she appreciated the man. How she wished …
“Hey there, Jamie. You making any progress?”
“Yes.” Then she frowned at him. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be home resting.”
“I’ve got a whopper of a headache, but no other concussion symptoms. I’m good.”
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