Much.
She frowned, rubbing the knot in the back of her neck.
She wasn’t disappointed at all.
As a matter of fact, she was relieved.
The last thing she needed was one more complication in her already complicated life. She glanced at the flashing light on the answering machine. Dozens of friends had called since Brady’s release from the hospital. So many that she’d begun screening her calls and letting most go to voice mail. She appreciated her friend’s concern, but she and Brady both needed some quiet time if they were ever going to begin to heal.
“They will come, Momma. Austin said they would.”
“Sometimes things come up. Emergency things.”
“Austin will come,” he insisted.
“Right. It’s lunchtime. How about we make some macaroni?”
“I’m still building my doghouse. Hey, you know what?”
“What?”
“If Justice can’t fit in it, we can use it when we get our puppy.”
“I never said we were going to get a puppy.”
“But you like Justice. We could get one just like him.”
“Sweetie—”
“I’d take care of him. I’d feed him and take him for walks—”
The doorbell rang and he jumped up, nearly stumbling in his haste to get to the door.
Eva pulled him up short. “Wait.”
“It’s Austin. I know it is!”
“We always look before we open the door.” She glanced through the peephole, saw Daniel Heppner standing on the porch. Letter carrier and a deacon at Eva’s church, he’d been working the same route for three decades, his grizzled face and bright smile a comforting sight.
So why did she feel slightly disappointed?
She opened the door. “Daniel! How are you?”
“I was just going to ask you the same thing. Quite a to-do you’ve had around here.”
“It’s definitely been a long couple of days.”
“Sounds like it. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the story on the news the night Brady was kidnapped. Went out to the woods and joined one of them search parties.”
“That means the world to me, Daniel.”
“Shouldn’t. We didn’t find him. You and that detective did that all by yourselves.”
“It was Austin’s dog who found me. Justice is the best dog ever!” Brady exclaimed, and Daniel smiled down at the boy.
“A bloodhound, right? Saw him on the news, too. You know, when I was your age, I had myself a bloodhound. Me and my dad used to use him for hunting. Name was Mule ’cause he was a stubborn old dog, but I sure did love him.”
“Momma is thinking about letting me get a bloodhound in the summer.”
“I never said that, Brady.”
“Every boy needs a dog, Eva, and a bloodhound is as good a dog as any.”
“See, Momma?” Brady beamed, and Eva didn’t have the heart to tell him to forget his dream. What was the harm in it? Besides, maybe they would get a puppy in the summer. A little bloodhound with Justice’s hangdog face.
“We’ll talk about it.”
“That’s good news, young man. When a mother is open to talking, it means she’s almost convinced. Now, I’ve got to give you what I came with and get back to my route.” He held a package out to Brady.
“It’s for me?”
“Your name is right on it, son, and I don’t know any other Brady Billows.”
“Thanks!” Brady took it. “Can I open it, Momma?”
“After Daniel leaves.” She took the package from her son’s hands, frowning at Brady’s name scribbled across white wrapping paper. “I wonder who it’s from.”
“Can’t say, but I can tell you that it was sent overnight from San Antonio yesterday.”
“Strange. We don’t know anyone from there.”
“Lots of people know you, though. At least they know of you and your son. Stories have been running on the news all over Texas. Even had a cousin in Houston call to ask if I knew your boy. Wanted to know how he could pray for you.” He glanced at his watch. “Now, I really do have to be on my way. It’s me and Agatha’s thirty-fifth anniversary, and if I’m late for lunch, it might be our last.”
“I don’t think she’ll kick you to the curb for being a few minutes later.” Eva laughed.
“Not when she sees the diamond ring I bought her. Seeing as how she’s put up with me for so long, I figured she deserved it. Hope she likes it. Took me nearly a month to find the perfect one.”
“She’s going to love it.” Eva smiled, her heart giving a little twinge of longing. She’d once dreamed of having the kind of relationship that Daniel and his wife had. She’d thought she could find someone she could love wholeheartedly and who would love her the same way. A friend, a lover, an ally during the good times and the bad. When Rick had walked into Arianna’s Café, smiled into her eyes and told her she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, she was sure that he was the answer to those dreams.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
“You make sure you ask her about the ring on Sunday, okay? She’ll want to show it off. One carat of sparkling diamond and a pretty gold band. Of course, it can’t compare to the beauty of the woman who will be wearing it.” Daniel winked, and the little ache of longing in Eva’s heart became a full-blown throb. “Enjoy your package, little Brady. See you tomorrow!”
“See you, Big Daniel,” Brady replied.
Eva closed the front door, slid the bolt home and carried the package into the kitchen, studying the scrawled name and address for several minutes. Nothing out of the ordinary except that she and Brady didn’t get packages in the mail; they had no family or friends in San Antonio and...
Nothing.
But unease snaked its way around her heart and squeezed tight.
“Can I open it, Momma?” Brady reached for the package.
“Not yet,” she said, grabbing his hand, reluctant to even have him touch it.
“But Daniel said it’s for me.”
“It’s addressed to you, that’s for sure, but we don’t know who it’s from.”
“Maybe they put a note in the box.”
“Maybe.”
“If we open it, we’ll know.”
“Right.” She held the box to her ear, feeling like a fool, but unable to make herself remove the tape that held the paper in place.
“What are you trying to hear?”
“Nothing. I’m just being silly.” She pulled at the tape, slowly peeling back the paper and revealing a shoe box.
Nothing remarkable about that.
The lid was taped closed, and she slid her finger under the edge, ran her fingernail through one piece, her heart racing, her mouth dry with fear.
Over a shoe box wrapped in white paper.
“Is it shoes?” Brady edged in closer as she cut through another piece of tape.
“If it is, they’re not your size.” She slid her fingernail through a third piece of tape, and Brady frowned.
“The bottom of the box is all messy, Momma.”
“Is it? She turned the box, saw an oily stain there.
“Do you think there’s food in it?”
“I don’t know, but I think maybe we should have that police officer who’s sitting outside come in and take a look.”
“Why? Do you think there’s something bad in there?” Brady’s eyes widened, and he stepped back.
“Not really.” But she could not make herself break through the last few pieces of tape and remove the lid. “Come on. You can work on that doghouse while the police officer checks things out.”
She led Brady into the living room and opened the front door.
* * *
“One. Two. Three.” Austin slapped the hundred-dollar bills into Pauly Keevers’s hand, doing his best to avoid looking into the snitch’s triumphant face. If he looked too long, he might be tempted to do something he’d regret. Like shove a fist into Pauly’s smiling mo
uth. Much as he wanted the information, he hated using a criminal to get it.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Detective.” Pauly’s gleeful tone did nothing to improve Austin’s mood.
“I wish I could say the same.”
“I guess you being a police officer makes it tough to pay a guy like me. Think of it this way, though. You got what you needed and saved the city time and money in the process.”
“Always a businessman. Right, Pauly?”
“Exactly. And if you think about it even more, you might even agree that we’re in the same business. We both bring bad guys down. I just happen to—”
“Be one of them?”
Pauly’s laughter scared several blackbirds from a nearby tree. “Man, you kill me, Detective! Now, you’ve got your information, and I’ve got a little spending money. I guess it’s time to say goodbye.”
“Not so fast.” Austin grabbed Pauly’s arm. “You said you had some other information for sale.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Too bad. My captain says we may be willing to pay. It all depends on the information.”
“Like I said. I changed my mind,” Pauly insisted, but there was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes. The greed. It gleamed dark and sharp, and Austin had every intention of taking advantage of it.
“Ten thousand is a lot of cash, Pauly. Way more than the three hundred you’re clutching.”
“True.” Pauly glanced at the three bills and frowned.
“A guy like you could do a lot with ten thousand dollars, and it’s not like anyone would know that you were the one who provided the information.” Austin pressed the advantage, Pauly’s reluctance making him more interested than ever in finding out what he had to offer.
“You know how to make a guy think, that’s for sure. But there’s only one thing I like more than money.”
“What’s that?”
“Me.”
“You’re scared.” Not a question, but Pauly sniffed, his dark eyes flashing.
“Cautious. So how about you give me a little time to decide how much information I want to share? I’ll get back to you in a few days.”
“Sorry. We either do the deal now, or we don’t do it at all.”
Pauly scowled, but he didn’t refuse. “Tell you what. I’ll give the captain something to think about. After we’ve all had some time to mull things over, I’ll give you a call. Just warning you, though. If I decide to talk, it’s going to cost a couple of thousand more than the price I already named.”
“You’re getting greedy, Pauly.”
“I’ve always been greedy.” Keevers grinned, but his shoulders were tense, his hands fisted.
“What do you want me to tell the captain?”
“You tell him there’s been stuff going on in Sagebrush for years. Little things, but they’re all connected to something way bigger.”
“That’s too vague. Give me something more or the deal’s off.”
“We haven’t agreed to a deal, Detective,” Pauly said, but the bait had been set, and he was already in the trap. They both knew it. Keevers might love himself, but he would never turn down the kind of money that they were talking about.
“Enjoy your three hundred, Pauly.” Austin started walking away, knowing before the other man called out that he would.
“You want to give him something to really sink his teeth into? Tell him that the Billows murder, the two bank heists last year and the O’Reilly missing-persons case are all related,” Pauly said as Austin opened the door of the SUV.
“You have proof of that?” Austin knew about the cases Pauly was referring to. He’d actually worked the O’Reilly case. A high school football coach who’d been accused of dealing drugs, Mitch O’Reilly had disappeared two days before he was scheduled to appear in court. Austin and Justice had been called in, but they’d never found the coach or his body.
“I’ve heard talk.”
“From who?”
“I can’t tell you that, Detective. Bad for business. As for proof, that’s more your expertise than mine.”
“We’re not paying ten thousand for speculation.” Austin’s cell phone rang. He ignored it. Didn’t want to lose the thread of the conversation or give Keevers a reason to walk away.
Pauly shrugged, his eyes filled with hunger again, his gaze sharp and just slightly amused. “You asked for a list of Jeb Rinehart’s recent associates. You’ve got it. Now I’m heading out. I’ve got things to do. Money to spend. I’ll give you a call when I have time.”
“Give me a call in the next twenty-four hours or don’t bother calling at all.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pauly swaggered away, and Austin let him, his mind humming with possibilities. He was on the scent of something big, and he didn’t want to let it go. Wouldn’t let it go. First, Brady’s information about The Boss. Now, Pauly’s assertion that several major crimes were connected.
A puppet master pulling strings.
He’d thought it before.
Knew it now.
All he had to do was find exactly what he’d told Keevers that he needed—proof.
He checked his cell phone as he climbed into the SUV, frowning as he read Captain McNeal’s number.
He hit redial, waiting impatiently while the phone rang.
“It’s about time,” Slade growled.
“I was in the middle of my meeting with Keevers. What’s up?”
“I just arrived at the Billows’s house. Jackson and Titan have been called in.”
“A bomb?” There’d be no reason to call in Jackson and his black lab otherwise, and Austin’s blood ran cold at the thought.
“We’re not sure. Brady received a package in the mail. Something about it made Eva nervous. She called in the patrol officer who’s outside her house. He was concerned enough to call dispatch and ask for backup.”
“I’m on my way.” He sped from the entrance of the woods, branches of low-hanging trees brushing the top of the SUV as it bounced over the rutted road. Justice whined impatiently, sensing Austin’s tension and adrenaline. Probably hoping they were going to work.
“Sorry, boy, it’s Titan’s turn,” he said, keeping his tone easy and neutral. Justice picked up on body language and vocal cues, and Austin kept that in mind when working with the bloodhound. Still, he couldn’t control his body’s reaction to stress, his rapid heartbeat and wildly racing pulse. After the kidnapping, they’d been expecting another overt attempt on Brady’s life and had planned accordingly. Police patrol. Twenty-four-hour guard.
It hadn’t been enough.
Brady could have died.
Eva could have, as well.
He scowled, pressing on the gas and shooting onto the highway, sirens blaring, nerves humming, everything inside shouting for him to hurry.
It took twenty minutes to get to Eva’s neighborhood. Oak Street had been cordoned off, and a patrol officer checked Austin’s ID and waved him through the barricade.
Several police cars were parked in Eva’s driveway, and curious neighbors stood in a yard three houses up.
Austin grabbed Justice’s leash and opened the hatchback. “Want to go visit Brady?”
Justice whined, his nose twitching with enthusiasm as he jumped to the pavement. No orange vest, so he knew he wasn’t on the job, but he seemed to recognize Eva’s house, his tail wagging rapidly as they walked up the porch stairs.
“I’m glad you made it, Austin. The captain has been asking for you.” Valerie walked toward him, her coppery-red hair in a high ponytail, her uniform pressed and crisp.
“I got here as quickly as I could. Any response from Titan?”
“He alerted. Slade called in the bomb squad and escorted the Billowses to his place. He should be back in a couple of minutes. I’m clearing the block. You want to give me a hand?”
“Sure.” But what he really wanted to do was head over to Slade’s, make sure that Eva and Brady were okay.
“Thanks. I’ll take the eas
t end of the street. You handle the west,” Eva suggested.
“What about Jackson? Is he still inside?”
“He’s already gone back to the station. He’s calling San Antonio P.D. Wants to see if they’ll send a man out to the post office that the package was mailed from. The Feds will be involved, too, of course. We’d better get moving. The captain wants these houses cleared before the bomb squad arrives.” Valerie smoothed a hand over her hair and shoved her hat back on as she hurried toward a group huddled in a neighbor’s yard.
Austin led Justice in the opposite direction, the truth of what had almost happened pulsing through his blood. A bomb mailed to a seven-year-old child? What kind of person did something like that? Then again, what kind of person climbed into a kid’s window during the dead of night and kidnapped him? Not the kind Austin wanted out on the street. That was for sure.
He’d already been feeling the pressure of time passing, the quick tick of the clock marking the minutes since Rio was stolen and Brady kidnapped. It seemed louder now, the beat of his heart echoing the passing moments, reminding him that each second that went by without a perp in jail was another second that Brady remained in danger and that Slade and his son remained separated from the German shepherd that they considered part of their family.
He knocked on the door of Eva’s neighbor, his gaze flickering to a spot up the street. Slade’s house. Eva and Brady tucked safely away inside of it.
Only no one could be safe if bombs were being used.
Explosives could destroy houses, buildings, cars.
Take out an entire block if enough of them were used.
“Yes?” The door opened a couple of inches, and he turned his attention to the elderly woman who peered out from the crack in the door, her blue eyes wide behind thick lenses.
“Detective Austin Black with the Sagebrush Police Department. Are you the only one home?” he asked as he flashed his badge and tried to refocus his energy and thoughts.
He would find the person responsible for the bomb.
First, though, he needed to clear the block.
THIRTEEN
A bomb.
A real bomb that could have exploded. One that might have killed Brady. The thought made Eva dizzy, terrified her in the same guttural way that finding Brady’s empty bed had.
Tracking Justice (Texas K-9 Unit) Page 11