by Aimée Thurlo
Chapter Eleven
Daniel told her what he’d learned at the station and, to her credit, she took it with the same courage she’d shown since the first day he’d met her.
“I looked through several books filled with mug shots, but I never found the guy,” she said. “Well, it doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to use another approach.”
She was trying to be tough, but he could sense her fear. There was little she could hide from him now. Mistake or not, something that went beyond the physical had happened between them last night. He’d seen her soul, as she’d seen his. He could feel the connection between them now as tangibly as he could the cool breeze coming through the window.
He swore softly under his breath. Since when had he become such a romantic jackass? He was as hard-nosed a P.I. as they came, one who only believed the cold hard facts and his own hunting instincts. And he liked himself that way. How could he have allowed any woman to screw up his thinking like this?
If he wanted to get out of this alive, he’d have to draw back into himself. Retreat had never come easy to him, but this time it was the only option.
As Hannah reached back to pet Wolf, her hand was shaking slightly. Seeing it tore at his gut.
“If the man they found dead had my photo in his pocket, he must have been either my kidnapper or one of the others after me,” she said somberly. “But I didn’t kill anyone. I did punch the guy who kidnapped me right in the face using the handcuffs as brass knuckles, but he was running after the car when I drove off.”
“Think hard. When you were racing away, is it possible that you may have struck him with the car?”
“No way. I remember looking in the rearview mirror and seeing him chasing the car. The only way I could have hit him was if I’d stopped, put the car in reverse and gone back. And, trust me, that’s the last thing I would have done. I wanted out of there as fast as possible. I’d never been so scared in my life.”
“You were fighting for your life, Hannah. Things get blurry in situations like that. But think really hard now. Is it possible that someone else was also there—that there were two men, not just one?”
She considered it carefully. “Maybe, but I didn’t see anyone else. What seems more likely is that he was dazed and maybe dizzy from being punched so hard. He might have wandered out into the highway looking for me, and got hit by a passing car. If that’s the case, then I’m still responsible for his death, though I didn’t kill him.”
“If the guy wandered out into the road and got hit, it wasn’t your fault. You acted in self-defense,” he said. “But until we can make that abundantly clear to the police, you’re going to have to lay low. They only want you for questioning now, but they won’t back off. They’ll keep turning up the pressure until they get results.”
“My life was so simple once… I wonder if it will ever be that way again,” she said in a shaky voice.
Hatred for the men who were terrorizing her filled him. He’d always held special contempt for any man who harmed a woman, but it was even more so now. They were going after his woman. Although he realized he didn’t have any right to think of her as his, after what they’d shared, he couldn’t see it any other way.
He wouldn’t lose this fight. She needed him to come through for her, and that’s exactly what he intended to do.
“Facing this much danger has one benefit. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself as we get through this, Hannah, and it’ll make you stronger than you ever dreamed you could be.”
“If we survive,” she answered.
“We’ll make it through this in one piece. And we’ll beat these people, because we’ll fight until we do.”
Hannah said nothing for several minutes. Worried, he glanced over at her. Their eyes met for an instant and he felt the gentle feminine power of the woman behind those hazel eyes.
“I have an idea I’d like us to try,” Hannah said, taking a deep, steadying breath. “I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I believe that the men staking out Reverend Brown’s home were there hoping I’d show up asking for help. It’s the only logical reason I can think of for them to have been there. If I’m right, then it’s also likely that they’re watching other places, like where my clients work, my uncle’s home and maybe even my own home, hoping to catch me. Let’s go by those last two places and see if I’m right. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get a closer look at these men and maybe follow them and figure out who they’re working for.”
“The police are looking for your car, and they’ll also be keeping an eye on your place now that you’re wanted for questioning. I could drive by, but taking you with me is just asking for trouble.”
“I’m not hiding away while you do the work. I’ll duck down and stay out of sight, but this is my mess, and I’m going.”
He wouldn’t be able to talk her out of this. He could feel it in his bones. “All right. We’ll go, but we need to take a few precautions first.” He took the cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed Silentman’s number.
WITH HANNAH’S HELP, Daniel gave the SUV a face-lift. Thanks to the removal of the back seat, a stick-on sign and big sealed boxes in the back, it now could pass for a delivery vehicle. The rear windows were blocked now, too, giving Hannah additional cover.
Daniel entered Hannah’s neighborhood, keeping a close watch on parked cars and anyone who seemed to be hanging around.
“Stay low back there,” he said. “There’s an unmarked police car on stakeout. I recognize the detective from the Farmington PD. We’ve worked together before.”
“Which also means he’s sure to recognize you,” Hannah warned him.
“True, but if I speed up now, it’ll just raise questions in his mind, and he’ll come after us. Hang tight and stay hidden behind the boxes.”
As Daniel drove past the parked sedan, the towheaded detective behind the wheel glanced over and waved at him. “I’m going to pull up beside him and keep it friendly,” Daniel told Hannah in a soft voice. “Stay out of sight,” he repeated, stopping the SUV.
Daniel backed up even with the unmarked police unit, rolled the driver’s side window down, and leaned out to talk. “How’s it going, Ryan?”
“It’s one of those days, Daniel. You know the ones that bounce back and forth from boring to really boring. How about you?” He gestured to the van’s sign that read You Pack It, We Ship It. “Are you moonlighting? I thought you were a hotshot P.I. these days.”
Daniel laughed. “Your definition, not mine.”
“Let me take a wild guess. You’re doing surveillance work in this neighborhood.”
“No, not really. I’ve been following someone around all day trying to establish his routines and patterns for a case, but the guy’s home now doing yard work, so it’s time for me to call it quits and go buy myself a beer.”
“So you just happened to be passing by, huh?” Ryan got out of the sedan and walked to the back of the SUV. Huge boxes covered his view of the interior. “What the heck are you carrying back there?”
“Mostly empty boxes. They provide my cover as a delivery guy.”
Daniel saw the slight narrowing in the detective’s eyes and knew that he wasn’t going to let it go.
“Satisfy my curiosity. Open up the back and let me take a look,” Ryan said.
“You think I’m smuggling cardboard, or maybe boxing up city air and moving it to the Reservation?”
“Let’s just say I find it hard to believe anyone needs that many boxes to establish a cover,” he answered. “But why are you sweating it? You’ve got nothing to hide, right?”
It was said with a smile, but Daniel recognized the challenge. He knew that Ryan’s cop instincts had gone into hyperdrive. He was clearly one detective who didn’t believe in coincidences.
Daniel quickly considered his options. If he insisted on him getting a search warrant first, Ryan would only detain him on one excuse or another until he got what he wanted. But there was another way.
&n
bsp; “Okay. I’ll open up the back for you, but I better warn you. I’ve got my cousin’s idiot dog lying back there. I picked him up at the vet’s earlier, and the beast’s surly as hell.”
Ryan laughed. “Hey, you’ve always been a wuss around dogs. You didn’t even like the beagle the Department of Agriculture guys brought in once.”
“This is no beagle, trust me. But okay. Have it your way. It’s your funeral.”
Daniel climbed out of the SUV, flipped Ryan the keys, then stood to one side as the detective went to the back and opened the hatch.
Ryan had the hatch halfway up when suddenly Wolf pushed his way between two empty boxes and came muzzle to nose with the cop, blocking his way. The oversize shepherd growled, a deep menacing tone that was made even more effective when he bared his teeth, saliva dripping from his mouth.
Ryan didn’t move a muscle. “Holy crud,” he managed. “Good boy, good boy!”
“Just step back slowly. He probably won’t attack unless he smells fear.” Daniel came forward and closed the hatch back down. “Like I said. He’s a little upset right now.”
“Upset? What’s he like when he’s really ticked off?” Ryan stepped away from the SUV. “You’d better get him home before he gets hungry and starts eyeing your leg.”
“Good advice. I’ll be seeing you, Ryan.”
Daniel slipped behind the wheel and started the engine. As soon as they were a half block away, he turned around for a quick glance. “You okay, Hannah?”
She started laughing, shifting the boxes enough so she and Wolf could look out from her hiding place. “His voice went from bass to soprano when Wolf started growling. I wish I’d have seen his face.”
“One good thing came out of this,” Daniel said chuckling. “He’ll never tell anyone that he saw me here today. That whole episode did some serious erosion to his ego.”
“If it hadn’t been for you, that might have turned into a complete disaster,” Hannah said, petting the dog.
“Good job, Wolf,” Daniel said. “But don’t let it go to your head, furball. The job’s not done.”
Wolf yawned, wiped his muzzle with an enormous paw, then sneezed, spraying Daniel.
Hannah laughed.
Daniel scowled at the dog. Sometimes he had the feeling that Wolf did things like that on purpose, just to be annoying. He stared at the dog, but Wolf stared back blankly.
Daniel gathered his thoughts. “Things are closing in, Hannah. We’ve got to do something and I’ve got an idea,” he said, growing serious. He glanced over at her, a worried expression on his face. “But it may be tough on you.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’d like to go find the car you used to get away from your kidnapper. Admittedly, the police may still be in the area searching for evidence, but we’ll have two advantages. First, you know where you left the car and they don’t, and, in a wooded area, it’ll be easy for us to stay out of sight.”
“Let’s go then.”
He gave her an approving nod. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
As soon as they were out of the city, he pulled over and she climbed back into the front seat. She sat there stiffly, not speaking.
“Are you still okay with this? Going back to a place where you were forced to fight for your life won’t be easy.”
“I’ll have you with me this time. That’ll help,” she said with a shaky smile.
The way she looked at him touched his soul. Tossing caution aside, he pulled Hannah to him and held her against his chest for a moment. She fit in his arms as if she’d been made for him. Daniel fought the urge to tell her how he felt about her, that he would protect her with his life, not because it was his job to do so, but because he cared deeply for her.
Yet, as long as there was the possibility that he could get killed, there was no way he could speak freely to her. She’d suffered too many losses in her life already. Certain admissions would draw them even closer as man and woman and should something happen to him then, she’d be left feeling more alone than ever. He’d do far more for her by remaining silent and just doing his job.
Hannah gently pulled away from him, then buckled her seat belt. “I’m all right,” she said softly. “Let’s go on with your plan. It’s a good one.”
His cell phone rang, and he flipped it open. It was Silentman.
“I just got a call from the doctor at the clinic. Hannah’s blood tests came out clean and her CBC is normal.”
“I expected that,” Daniel said.
When Silentman said nothing for a long moment, Daniel knew that it wasn’t a good sign.
“Something wrong?” he prodded, growing impatient.
“Lightning, this woman’s history is littered with gaps. From what I’ve been able to piece together, I know she’s also savvy enough to manipulate people. Be careful with her. I have no way of knowing how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants from you.”
“Understood.” He saw no point in arguing with Silentman. He knew in his gut that Hannah hadn’t tried to manipulate him. He would have seen through it, if that’s what had happened. But Silentman had stumbled on one thing that really did worry him. Hannah needed him now, and ties made during a time of crisis seldom lasted. Emotionally, she’d pulled back, just as he’d done, to focus on the case, but he was man enough to know when a woman cared for him, and he could sense that her feelings for him ran deep.
Yet, despite that, the chances were good that once the case was over and she was free to go, Hannah would walk away. He’d be part of a dark time in her life, and memories she’d rather forget. So she’d reluctantly move on, putting him behind her. And the better he was at his job, the sooner that moment would come.
The worst part of it was that he had no one to blame but himself. He’d walked into this one, eyes wide open. Now all he could do was try not to think about the hole she’d leave inside him when she walked away with his heart.
Chapter Twelve
After approaching Narbona Pass on the Navajo Nation southwest of Shiprock and seeing police cars still there, they’d decided to return to the safe house and wait until the following morning.
Shortly after seven, as the sun rose in the clear blue sky, they set out again. Daniel was dressed in jeans and a brown leather jacket. Hannah glanced at him and felt her pulse quicken. He was tough and all male and everything about him resonated with masculine power.
He gave her an infuriating grin that told her he’d sensed her reaction and she looked away quickly. She had to close the door to thoughts like those. Daniel would never be hers. Lightning never stayed in one place for long. She had to accept that and concentrate on the present. They had work to do together before she could go back to her own life.
The drive took about an hour and, as they drew near Narbona Pass, small rivulets of perspiration began to run down her spine, chilling her to the bone. Almost simultaneously, her mouth went as dry as the desert and she wished she had some chewing gum to relieve the discomfort in her throat.
Determined not to let Daniel see how badly this place frightened her, she forced herself to sit still and kept her expression as neutral as she could manage.
“There’s no sign of the police today, and we didn’t see any officers along the way,” Daniel said. “My guess is that they’ve finished their search of the vicinity. Let’s go see if the car you left behind is still in the area.” He glanced over at her. “I’ll need you to guide me from here,” he said. “Where did you leave it?”
“It’s quite a ways ahead.” She directed him around a curve in the road. “Why is it so important to you that we try to find it now?”
“I need to go over the car myself—preferably before anyone else does. I want to see if there’s any evidence we can use.”
Hannah took a deep breath and steeled herself. “Are you trying to verify that it wasn’t the car used in the hit-and-run?” She rubbed her palms on her jeans, wiping the perspiration away.
“I’ll check it
over for that, sure, but this has nothing to do with trust, Hannah. All my years as a cop and as an investigator have shown me how people’s perceptions can become muddled when they’re in the middle of a life-and-death crisis.” He paused, then continued. “But just so you know, what I’m really hoping to find is some evidence that will point to the people who are after you. The car’s probably stolen—ones used for a crime often are, but it’s worth a shot. We need all the breaks we can get.”
She indicated that he should drive several miles farther up the road. Somewhere ahead was the spot where the tire had blown and she’d been forced to abandon the vehicle. Memories came crowding back. She tried to push back the fear and retain the rest, searching her mind for more clues, but a cold dread filled her.
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked as he drove slowly up the graveled road.
“I can handle it.” Aware she’d been trembling, she tried to will her body to grow still, but it was a losing battle.
It took a few more minutes for them to find where she’d left the vehicle. It was hard to pinpoint the location because there were no markers and all the piñon trees and rocks seemed to look pretty much the same.
“Okay, stop. It’s over there,” she said, pointing to a spot ahead. He pulled to the side, and they got out of the SUV.
“It’s down in that low spot in the middle of all that scrub brush. If you look hard, you can just about see it from here,” Hannah said.
“I can understand why the cops didn’t spot it. Their search area was a little over ten miles back and the car was well hidden. It appears that our John Doe made it quite a ways before he was killed.”
Daniel walked ahead of her and Wolf, cautioning her and guiding the dog over hard ground so they wouldn’t leave their own footprints behind and mislead the police once he called it in and they came out to investigate. Choosing a suitable spot for Wolf, he ordered the dog to stay before they actually reached the car.