Yuletide Defender

by Sandra Robbins

  Only silence greeted her question.

  “Are you there?”

  No answer.

  She counted to ten before she turned around. No one stood behind her. If he was watching her from the forest behind, the trees guarded his whereabouts. She clutched her purse against her body, jumped up from the bench and ran as fast as she could toward her car.

  The car sat alone in the parking lot underneath a streetlight. The thought of Matt waiting inside spurred her to run, and she raced toward safety. Rachel mentally counted the steps as her feet skimmed the surface of the asphalt—ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.

  Just a few more steps and she’d be with Matt. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. With a sigh of relief she reached out, grabbed the door handle and tugged.

  Her heart pounded in her ears and a scream froze in her throat as strong fingers wrapped around her wrist.

  Rachel clenched her fist and whirled to strike at her attacker. Then she sagged against the car in relief. “Matt, what are you doing? You were supposed to stay in the car.”

  He released her arm. “I know, but I got worried about you. You’ve been gone too long.”

  Rachel placed her hand on her chest and felt the thump of her heart through her coat. “He was late.” She glanced past Matt and frowned. “But where were you? I didn’t see you near us.”

  “I stayed in the trees. I couldn’t get close enough to see his face. He was wearing a coat with a hood that hid most of his body.” He chuckled under his breath. “I’m sorry I scared you. When I saw you running back to the car, I thought something had happened.”

  She shook her head. “No, I was in a hurry because I was cold.”

  In the beam from the streetlight, she watched a skeptical look spread across Matt’s face. “And you sure you weren’t a little frightened?”

  Rachel started to deny it but she knew it was no use. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin. “Well, maybe a little, but I thought there was a policeman waiting in my car to protect me.”

  He laughed. “Don’t worry. I had your back.” He pointed to the car. “Do you want me to drive?”

  “No, thank you. I’m quite able to drive, even if you did scare the life out of me.”

  She climbed into the car and waited for Matt to get in the passenger seat. When he was settled, he buckled his seat belt and glanced at her. “Well, are you going to tell me what happened?”

  As she guided the car into the street, she related what had taken place at the park bench and waited for his reaction. He stared ahead through the windshield, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  She took a deep breath. “So, what do we need to do about tomorrow night?”

  He directed a wide-eyed stare at her. “What do you mean we? This is a matter for the police.”

  She shook her head. “Why? My source said they were going to meet to talk. That’s not against the law. What would you tell the police—that there are gang members sitting together in a bar? No. I think it would be better if we checked this out ourselves.”

  Matt sat silent for a moment before he responded, “I see your point. If anything happens, I can call for backup.” He swiveled in his seat to face her. “But there’s no need for you to be there.”

  She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Oh, yes there is. This is my story and you’re not going to cheat me out of it. You wouldn’t even know about the meeting if it wasn’t for me.”

  He sighed. “Okay, have it your way. We’ll stake out the bar together.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

  “As if I had a choice. If I said no, you’d just show up anyway. At least this way I can keep an eye on you.”

  Rachel smiled and concentrated on her driving. Matt didn’t speak again until they arrived at the police station. When she stopped, he climbed from the car and bent over to peer inside at her. “Thanks for driving. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “That sounds good.”

  Rachel watched Matt disappear around the corner of the building before she pulled away from the curb and drove toward home. Her thoughts drifted to the Santa Claus who’d stolen her purse. So far there had been no other victims of a rogue Santa in Lake City. Even though she thought it unlikely, she couldn’t help but wonder if the incident had something to do with her stories about the gangs.

  Goose bumps raced up her arms at a sudden thought. Whoever took her purse now knew where she lived from the information on her driver’s license. Could it be possible that the Santa was the vigilante? If so, maybe she needed to take Matt’s concerns more seriously.

  Matt pulled into his assigned parking space at the police station and turned off the ignition. His cell phone lay on the seat next to him and he stared at it, unsure of what to do. He remembered the flash of fear he’d seen in Rachel’s eyes the night before when he grasped her wrist. At that moment, a protective feeling had swept through him and he had wanted to tell her she could depend on him to take care of her. Instead he’d masked his feelings as he always did.

  Now, in the light of a new day, he wanted to hear her voice. He needed to make sure she was all right after her meeting last night, but he hesitated. The thing he’d cautioned himself about was happening—he was becoming too interested in Rachel.

  He needed to slow down. He still knew very little about Rachel. She didn’t give the impression of a woman whose head could be swayed by wealth, but she had made that statement the night before that had sent warnings flashing in his mind.

  A job that pays me a lot is important to me, she’d said.

  Perhaps she was like other women he’d dated, only interested in money. If that was the case, the sooner he found out the better off he’d be. His lips thinned into a straight line and he reached for the cell phone.

  She answered on the first ring. “Good morning, Matt.”

  His breath caught in his throat at the sultry tone of her voice. “How did you know it was me?”

  Rachel laughed and he thought of how her eyes crinkled at the corners. He wished he could see what she looked like at that moment. “I’m not psychic. Caller ID told me.”

  He chuckled. “Of course. I just called to see how you’re doing this morning.”

  “I’m fine. In fact, I was just thinking about how you scared me when you grabbed my arm last night. I thought the source had followed me back to my car.”

  “You should have seen your face. But I really didn’t mean to scare you. I was afraid something had happened.”

  “Well, I’m fine this morning. I’ve been thinking about what he told me and I’m looking forward to tonight.”

  Matt let out a long breath. “Don’t get your hopes up, Rachel. As far as we know, this meeting between the Rangers and the Vipers may not tell us anything. It may be the beginning of a truce between the groups.”

  “If my source is right and there is a vigilante, maybe they can come to some kind of understanding. I’d sure like to see the crime rate go down.”

  “That’s what I’ve been hoping ever since I became a policeman.”

  “Then maybe we’ll see something positive happen at Pepper’s Bar tonight.”

  “Maybe so. I’ll pick you up at your apartment about ten o’clock. That should give us time to get in position. I’ll be in my undercover car at the front entrance.”

  “I’ll see you then. Bye.”

  The call disconnected and Matt stared at the phone in his hand. Why hadn’t he asked her to dinner again? He started to punch in her number again, but then he shook his head. Slipping the phone in his pocket, he climbed from the car. He was taking her to dinner and the ballet tomorrow night. He needed to remember he was a policeman going to a stakeout like he’d done so many times in the past. The only difference was that this time the woman accompanying him could prove to be a distraction. He had to make sure that didn’t happen.

  His cell phone, still hooked to the charger, lay on the dresser where he’d placed it the night before. He picked it up and smiled
. The icon on his BlackBerry alerted him that Rachel Long had some phone messages he hadn’t heard.

  He carried the phone into the kitchen, poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. So far the messages he’d retrieved from her cell phone had been to David Foreman, the man she called her second father, one to her mother and one to Matt Franklin about picking him up for dinner. Nothing of much interest. Although he did wonder what was up between Matt and Rachel.

  His eyes grew wide as he heard Rachel and Matt discussing a meeting she’d had with a source last night and how Matt had scared her when she returned to the car. He sat up straight when they mentioned the meeting at Pepper’s Bar tonight.

  Rage filled him and he pounded his fist on the table. They knew! And he’d gone to such lengths to get the fake message to the Vipers that the Rangers wanted to meet with them.

  He took a deep breath and willed himself to think. If Rachel’s source had told her about the meeting, then he must be a Viper. According to Rachel’s conversation, the Vipers had no clue that the Rangers wouldn’t be there.

  The anger he’d felt a moment ago dissolved and he began to laugh. So the Beacon’s star reporter and Lake City P.D.’s golden boy detective were going to be watching what happened at Pepper’s Bar tonight. He’d try to give them a show they wouldn’t forget.

  SEVEN

  Rachel and Matt scrunched into the dark recesses of a deserted apartment building’s doorway. A sign across the entrance stated that the building had been condemned and wasn’t suitable for habitation. Boards covered the windows on either side of the door, just as Rachel had seen on many of the buildings a few nights earlier when she’d watched two murders take place. What would she see tonight?

  Across the street, a light from inside Pepper’s Bar lit the sidewalk in front and revealed a small room with tables and chairs scattered about. A string of multicolored Christmas lights, the only attempt at a holiday decoration evident in the neighborhood, cast a garish glow around the two sides and top of the entrance.

  Rachel strained to see if anyone was in the bar but she could see no customers. A man she assumed to be the owner sat on a stool at the bar with his attention directed to a television on the wall. This was either a slow night for business or the regulars had been warned to stay away.

  At the far end of the street, lights burned in the windows of two apartment buildings that looked like they’d fallen on hard times. The people who lived there were probably much like the mother Rachel had interviewed at the last gang murder—locked inside with the shades drawn until morning.

  Rachel’s legs ached from standing in one spot and she shifted her weight. Matt leaned over and whispered, “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly eleven. We should see something soon.”

  As if on command, a car pulled to the curb in front of the bar. Rachel held her breath and pushed back into the darkness. Matt’s arm circled her shoulder. “Shhh,” he whispered. “We don’t want them to see us.”

  The pounding in her ears echoed through her body. She pressed her hand against her heart in an effort to slow the beating but it was useless. The memory of two lifeless bodies on the sidewalk flashed through her mind.

  The car door on the driver’s side opened and a tall man climbed out. His gaze swept the street as he buttoned his leather jacket. The back door opened and a second muscular man stepped to the curb. The two, who appeared to be in their late twenties, spoke a few words before they turned and walked into the bar.

  A tingling raced up Rachel’s spine and she trembled. Matt’s arm tightened around her shoulders. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His forehead furrowed as he studied the scene across the street. In the dim light, she could see the outline of his jaw and the muscle that twitched in the side of his face. Was he feeling fear like her, or excitement at what they were witnessing?

  “Do you know either of them?” Rachel whispered.

  “The second one is Big T, the head of the Vipers.”

  Rachel leaned closer. “They weren’t what I expected. I thought most of them were teenagers.”

  Matt shook his head. “The gangs are getting older. Some members are well into their thirties.”

  Before Rachel could respond, a door slammed. A man exited the bar. It had to be the owner leaving, just like her source said. Pulling his jacket on, he hunched his shoulders against the cold and strode down the street without a backward glance. Maybe he’d seen the gangs in action too many times to argue with them about taking over his business for a short time.

  Silently, Matt and Rachel watched. Inside the bar, the two Vipers sat at a table near the window. From time to time, the first man they’d seen exit the car would walk to the door and peer outside.

  After fifteen minutes, Matt leaned down and whispered, “Something must have gone wrong. You stay here. I’m going to get a closer look.”

  Rachel clutched at his sleeve. “No, Matt. You need to stay hidden.”

  He pulled away. “Don’t worry. I’m just going to get the license plate number of the car. If I hear anybody coming, I’ll duck into one of those buildings.”

  Before she could voice another objection, Matt slipped from their hiding place. He flattened himself against the side of the building and eased down the street until he stood on the sidewalk directly across from the car.

  Bending over, he ran across the pavement and ducked behind the car. Rachel couldn’t tell if he was writing down the number. Maybe he was committing it to memory.

  She cast a nervous glance up the street. He had to get away from there. The Rangers might arrive any minute and demand to know why he was snooping around.

  “Come on, come on,” she whispered.

  The door to the bar opened and the driver stepped out. Rachel clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as he walked to the car. Matt, who still crouched by the back bumper, didn’t move. The man opened the car door and pulled out a bag. Glancing around once more, he returned to the bar.

  A ragged breath escaped her lips as Matt pushed into a slumped position and began to ease into the street. His eyes trained on the bar, he slowly retreated. Without warning, he stopped and flattened himself against the pavement. Rachel strained to see what was happening.

  A man turned the corner and headed down the street in front of the bar. Rachel’s pulse raced. Was this one of the Rangers coming to join the meeting?

  The man walked slowly, as if he was out for an evening stroll. He glanced at the bar but didn’t enter. The light from inside illuminated a lunch box swinging from his hand. Rachel relaxed. He must be a worker returning home after getting off second shift.

  Matt evidently had decided the same. He pushed up in the crouching position again and turned toward where Rachel waited. He’d only taken two steps when the stillness of the night exploded with a deafening roar.

  Propelled by the giant fireball engulfing the bar, lethal shards of glass flew in all directions. Rachel dropped to her knees and covered her face as jagged slivers rained down.

  When the sound of flying debris stopped, she opened her eyes and pushed to her feet. Fire leaped through the shattered windows and the door of the bar toward the sidewalk. The men inside couldn’t have survived the impact and the flames. The car, now blackened from the blast, resembled a salvage yard rusty shell.

  “Matt! Matt! Where are you?”

  No answer.

  She rushed from her hiding place toward the last spot where she’d seen him. Glass crunched under her shoes. She jerked to a stop and shook her head in denial.

  “No,” she moaned.

  Matt lay motionless in the street, the lunch box she’d seen in the man’s hand beside him.

  Rachel rushed toward Matt and dropped to her knees. He lay on his stomach, his legs spread-eagled and the right side of his face on the pavement. Above his left eye, blood gushed from a cut.

  Pulling her cell phone from her purse, sh
e punched the buttons.

  “911. What’s your emergency?”

  “There’s been an explosion at Pepper’s Bar on Locust Street. There are people inside and there’s an injured man in the street.” Her gaze locked on the lunch box next to Matt and she swallowed back the nausea rising in her throat. “I think another man who was walking by the bar when it exploded may be hurt, too.”

  “Responders are on the way. Are you near the injured person?”

  “Yes.” She knew she screamed the word but she couldn’t control her voice.

  “Can you describe his injuries?”

  “He’s unconscious. There’s a cut on his head. And there’s lots of…” She choked on the word.

  “What?”

  She swallowed. “Blood.”

  “Is he breathing?”

  Rachel leaned closer and placed her hand on his neck. “I can feel a pulse.”

  “Good. Stay with him until help gets there. Are you hurt?”

  Rachel touched her face but there were no cuts. She examined her arms and legs but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “No, I’m okay. I wasn’t close to the explosion.”

  “Then just stay calm. I’ll stay on the line with you until someone arrives.”

  In the distance sirens wailed. “I hear them. They should be here any minute.”

  Flashing lights appeared down the street. Within moments fire engines, police cars and ambulances converged on the area. Rachel stood and waved at two paramedics as they jumped from their vehicle.

  “Over here!”

  She backed away as the men knelt over Matt.

  “Are you still there?”

  The voice reminded her she still held the phone to her ear. “They’re here. Thank you for your help.”

  “They’ll take care of you. I hope everything turns out all right for the victims.”

  Rachel closed the phone and stared down at the men giving aid to Matt. He still hadn’t moved.

  She pulled her attention to the firemen who were already training high-powered streams of water on the raging blaze. Giant flames licked at the roof and the surrounding buildings and cast a kaleidoscope of bright colors on the deserted storefronts.