Detection Mission (Texas K-9 Unit)

by Margaret Daley

  “Did the cable guy fix your problem?”

  “Yes, he said one of the lines to the house was faulty. He replaced it.”

  Could that have been deliberately done in order to get someone into the house? Or was her assailant watching and waiting for an opportunity?

  Molly lounged back, drinking her tea. “You said something about remembering some of what happened in the woods the day you were found?”

  “Yes, I was wandering in the woods, dazed, when I came upon a man—the one who attacked me—burying a dead body. I tried to sneak away, but I stepped on a twig. He heard, looked up and saw me. I ran. He came after me.”

  “What happened then?”

  Heidi closed her eyes and pictured the scene. Visions of vegetation all around popped into her mind but nothing else. It was like she’d hit a green wall. “I don’t know.”

  “Why were you dazed?” Molly asked.

  “My head was bleeding. I had blood on my hand when I touched my forehead.”

  “How did it happen?”

  Heidi shook her head. “I guess I was driving that car Lee found in the woods. It must have been from the wreck, but I don’t remember.” Her voice rose several levels as frustration pounded at her. She needed to remember. God, please help. I know I’ve turned to You before, that You’ve been there for me.

  Molly laid her hand on her arm. “Honey, it will come to you. Look at how much you’ve remembered since you came out of your coma. Forcing it doesn’t help.”

  Calmness descended over Heidi as though a cloak of peace encased her. “I hope Kip is okay.”

  “Lee will make sure of that. He didn’t think his leg was broken, but an X-ray will show one way or another.”

  “So many people have been hurt because of this man.” She wouldn’t be safe until he was caught.

  “Lee was going to join the search once he took Kip to the vet. I’ve never seen Lee so determined to put an end to what’s been going on.”

  The last look Lee had given her before departing had radiated his fierce resolve to see justice done. If anyone could help her it would be Lee.

  * * *

  Listening to his police radio, Lee drove the streets of Sagebrush, trying to figure out where the assailant would go to hide. The police and sheriff had moved fast to shut down all roads leading out of town. He’d identified the man as Keith West from his DMV photo. His mistake was driving his own car to kill Heidi.

  At an intersection, Lee glanced at Kip stretched out on the backseat. The vet had given his dog a clean bill of health as far as anything broken. No fractures showed on the X-ray, but his leg was bruised and swollen a little. According to the doc, Kip would be better soon. The vet gave his partner something to help that along.

  Recalling his conversation earlier today with Heidi about the criminal activity in the Lost Woods, especially in the past few years, Lee directed his SUV toward them. He would canvas the east side while he called it in to have some other officers check the other ways into the woods. There were a handful.

  An hour later, after going down one dirt road after another, he made a hundred-eighty-degree turn at another dead end. As he did, his headlights shone briefly on something white. A surge of adrenaline zipped through Lee as he called in his location, asking for backup. When he started to climb from his SUV, Kip perked up, his tail wagging.

  “No, boy. You have to stay here. I’m not taking a chance of making your injury worse. I’ll wait for reinforcements.”

  Ten minutes later as Lee stood at his car, scanning his surroundings and listening, the sound of a car coming down the road toward him bounced off the trees around him. Valerie parked next to his vehicle and both she and her dog joined him.

  Lee pointed toward the white vehicle about ten yards off the road, hidden partially by the dense woods. “That’s got to be West’s car. Since he couldn’t drive out of town, he must’ve decided to find a place to hide until we give up the search.”

  “And these woods are a perfect place to do that. How’s Kip? I heard about him getting injured.”

  “He’ll be all right. The medicine the vet gave him and some rest will help. That’ll be the hardest part of all of this—trying to get him to rest.”

  Valerie chuckled as she peered at the back window where Kip looked out. “He’s a workhorse. All our dogs are. Let’s put Lexi to work. We’ll start at the car and see if we get a scent she can follow.”

  “I wonder if he’s holed up in the cave system where Brady was found. West was in the woods that day and may have a connection to the kidnapping besides the other two men we know of. I want to catch him alive and get him to talk.”

  Wearing his night-vision goggles, standard equipment for the K-9 Unit for cases like this, Lee led the way to the vehicle. At the car, Valerie opened the driver’s door and let Lexi smell the seat. She snatched a jacket thrown across the front seat, lying against the passenger’s door. Lexi sniffed it and then went to work. Lee followed the pair as the Rottweiler, nose down, hurried through the underbrush. The trail stopped at the mouth of the cave. Lexi sniffed the ground, picked up the scent and headed away from the entrance. Toward the road where Lee and Valerie had parked their cars.

  Barking pierced the night quiet. Ferocious sounding. Kip. Lee flat-out ran toward his SUV, his gun drawn. Keith West would not hurt his dog again. He broke through the brush onto the road. A man fled down it toward the edge of the woods.

  Over Kip’s yelping, Lee called, “Valerie, make sure Kip is all right. I’m going after West. He isn’t getting away.”

  “Go. I’ll follow in a sec.”

  Sprinting after West, Lee spied the man plunge into the thick vegetation, more like a tangle of bare branches. Lee stayed right on him, gaining slowly. The limbs scratched at him as he went after West. The man stumbled through the brush into a small clearing. Pivoting he pointed a gun at Lee and pulled the trigger.

  His quick reflexes took over. As the gun blasted the air, Lee lunged to the side and rolled on the ground. He came up, aimed his gun and shot West in the arm. The attacker’s gun dropped to the earth while he clutched his injured limb.

  “Lee, are you okay?” Valerie asked, coming up behind him.

  “Fine.” Lee rushed West and kicked his gun out of his reach, then stood over the man with his weapon fixed on his chest. “Don’t even think of moving.” As much as he needed West alive, fury rampaged through Lee, urging him to shoot if the man dared to move.

  As Lee stared down at West through the eerie green of his night-vision goggles, West’s hate-filled eyes focused on him as though his glare could drill a hole right through Lee. At least with this man’s capture, Heidi would be safe.

  * * *

  Heidi prowled Molly’s living room, trying to ignore the worried look on her landlady’s face. She would feel much better when Lee was back safe. Remembering the huge size of the attacker, goose bumps rose on her skin. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

  “He’ll call when he has news,” Molly said, peering up from working on a section of a quilt. “Why don’t you try lying down in my spare bedroom? I’ll wake you up when I hear from Lee.”

  “No, I can’t sleep. I don’t care how tired I am.”

  “The nice police officer out in the hall told me they put up roadblocks all around Sagebrush. He won’t be leaving unless he walks out of here. His information and photo have been put out on the T.V. and radio. They’ll catch him soon.”

  “What if they don’t? I’m scared to even close my eyes.”

  “Sit down here—” Molly patted the couch next to her “—and rest. You haven’t been out of the hospital long. You need to heal.”

  “I know, but I feel like I have a large bull’s-eye on my back. At least now I know why that man was after me.”

  “Yes, and because of you, he won’t be getting out on bail like Gus Zoller. I can’t see a judge letting a murderer walk the streets, especially since the ballistics also matched the bullet that killed Keevers and Adams. Th
at’s two murders Keith West was involved in.”

  Because exhaustion seeped through her, Heidi sank onto the couch and collapsed back against the cushion. “I don’t know what I would have done without you and Lee. I feel so alone.” She hated the pity party she was throwing for herself, but vast unanswered questions still plagued her, even though she had remembered a few things from her past.

  Molly covered her hand with hers. “Dear Heavenly Father, please show Heidi she is never alone with You in her life. That You walk beside her through the difficult times as well as the good ones. You’re there to shoulder her burden and help her through her troubles. Amen.”

  Tears crowded Heidi’s eyes as she listened to Molly’s prayer for her. Each word soothed her anxiety. “Thanks. I feel in my other life I believed in the Lord. What you said comforts me. When I think of God it seems natural, like something I did a lot.” Her hand beneath Molly’s curled into a ball. “But I have to even piece together my faith.”

  Her friend cocked her head and examined Heidi. “Do you really? Don’t you know everything you need is in here?” She touched the place over her heart. “When you have time, borrow my Bible and read it. It’ll come back to you.” She picked up her copy on the coffee table and placed it in Heidi’s lap. “Keep that.”

  “I can’t. You read it all the time.”

  “I have others.”

  As she ran her fingertips across the bumpy surface of the black cover, that peace she’d glimpsed earlier surrounded her. “Thanks. This means a lot to me.”

  “Then you’ve made this old lady happy.”

  “Old? Since when?” Heidi murmured.

  “My arthritis is acting up. Must be some weather system going through.”

  “Where I live they need rain badly.”

  “Where’s that?”

  Heidi delved into the depths of her thoughts, but a name of a town wouldn’t materialize. “I can picture a small adobe house, but I don’t know if that is where I live.”

  “That could be anywhere in this part of Texas. And this state is a big one. But you remember another bit of information. That’s a good sign.”

  But was it real or wishful thinking on her part? Was it something she wanted, not had? Heidi started to say something when a knock sounded.

  Molly gasped. Rising, she hurried to the door and inched it open, then flung it wide. “We’ve been waiting for you to return. Tell us what’s happened.”

  The sight of Lee entering the apartment accelerated Heidi’s heartbeat. Tired lines grooved his forehead, but he was in one piece. Before he shut the door, Kip limped into the room, immediately making his way to Molly then Heidi.

  Heidi scratched him behind his ear and on his neck. His tail moved from side to side. “It’s so good to see you, Kip.” She rubbed her cheek against his fur. “What did the vet say?”

  “He should be good as new in a day or so.”

  “Praise the Lord,” Molly said, taking her seat again. “Did you catch Keith West?”

  “Yes. Valerie was my backup and is taking him to the emergency room so I could come by and tell you two what happened.”

  “He was hurt?” Recalling how he hurt her should make her ecstatic the man was suffering, but she wasn’t. “Will he be able to talk, help you with the case?”

  “One of my earlier bullets in the alley grazed him across the cheek. That should be patched up in no time, but I had to shoot him in the arm. They may keep him overnight. As soon as I can, I’ll be interviewing him. Probably tomorrow morning.” He released a wary breath. “I’m going to the hospital to see to securing the man. I want you to identify him as your attacker tomorrow. I don’t want to see him out on bail. He assaulted a police officer, which should make the case even stronger.”

  “You need some coffee to take with you. That stuff at the hospital isn’t good.” Molly stood. “Heidi might be able to help strengthen your case against Keith West. I’ll leave, and she can tell you what she remembered in the woods.”

  Lee’s gaze linked with hers. “You remember?”

  “Some things. Seeing Keith West again helped.” Heidi went on to describe what she saw in the woods the month before. “Maybe that can help you get him on murder.”

  “Did you get a good look at the person he was burying?”

  “No. All I thought about was getting out of there.”

  “Will you be able to show me where you were? Or the general location? Pauly Keevers wasn’t killed until recently so West couldn’t have been burying him. But if it was the place where I found Ned Adams, great. If it wasn’t, that means there’s another one out there that we haven’t found.”

  Heidi crinkled her forehead. “But wouldn’t Kip have found all the graves?”

  “Only if I had him in the right vicinity. The woods are a thousand acres. Although I did a grid-by-grid search, it’s possible there were some areas I missed.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help this investigation,” Heidi promised. “I don’t want Keith West out of jail.”

  “Then in the next couple of days, we’ll work to nail him.”

  Molly returned with a travel mug that she gave to Lee. “Are the police officers going to leave?”

  “Until we figure out what’s going on, I’m leaving one in the foyer and one patrolling the grounds. At least for tonight. Also Kip will stay with you two.”

  “Great. I’ll go get some coffee for the offenders. I made a whole potful. It’ll probably take me a good ten minutes or so.”

  Lee chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. “Subtlety isn’t one of your strong suits.”

  Molly waved her hand in the air. “Carry on.”

  His gaze bound to Heidi’s, Lee waited half a minute after the door closing sounded in the living room before shortening the distance between them to almost nothing. His arms entwined about her and tugged her near.

  “Tell me what happened upstairs.”

  For a few seconds, his softly spoken command didn’t register on her brain because she responded to his cozy proximity with an opposite reaction than she’d displayed with her assailant. There was no desire to fight for her freedom. Instead, she nestled against him, drawing in his scent, his warmth.

  “He was hiding in my closet. I went to put my jacket up, and he came at me. His presence totally took me off guard, but something deep inside me kicked in and I wasn’t going down without a fight. He tried to smother me with his hand.”

  “He was in your closet?” His mouth twisted into a thoughtful look. “I wonder how he got in without being noticed.”

  “The television was giving Molly some problems so a cable man came out to fix it this afternoon. Maybe then?”

  “I’ll take a look around before I go to the hospital, but I think the threat is over. I’ll also check with the cable company to make sure they actually sent a guy to repair Molly’s T.V. reception.”

  “She knew the man who came to fix the problem. He’d been here before.”

  He shrugged. “But West might have snuck in while the cable repairman went in and out of the house.”

  “Will this end everything?”

  “It should. I’ll make it known you’ve already talked to me about identifying West in the woods burying a body. After I check on him, we’ll go through his place. I need to find the gun used on the men found dead in the woods and Zoller. It wasn’t the one on him. That will cinch the case against West.”

  “Good.” A long sigh escaped her lips. “I want this over with so I can focus on getting my life back.”

  “Will you stay here?”

  The question surprised her but shouldn’t have. She hadn’t thought much about what she would do next. “I don’t have anywhere to go. Do you think Molly would mind? I could get a job and finally start paying rent.”

  “Ask Molly, but knowing her, I have a feeling she would insist you stay here. She’s taken a liking to you.”

  The prospects of looking for a job and facing the world without her memory restored shoul
d concern her, but for some reason, cuddled in his embrace, it didn’t. “I’m remembering some. I think I’ll recall more with time.” She hoped, because how could she totally move on with her life with her mind like Swiss cheese.

  “I’d better go, but tomorrow I want you to ID West, then, if Kip is up for it, go with me to the woods either in the afternoon or the next day.”

  She smiled. “Whatever works for you. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Good, because I’d like to get to know you when you aren’t running for your life.”

  The words sent her heart soaring. “That’ll be nice,” she whispered right before Lee planted a kiss on her mouth, quick but mind shattering.

  When he parted and strode toward the door to the hallway, she wanted to go after him, insist he stay. But he needed to work on the case against West. Her gazed remained fixed on the entrance a long moment after he left. Again, she wondered if it was a good thing for her to remember her old life. Something deep inside her kept shouting no.

  * * *

  The next morning, Lee sat across from Keith West in the interview room at the police station, the suspect’s shoulder bandaged, his arm in a sling. A police officer stood behind West to prevent him from moving if he tried. So far the man hadn’t asked for a lawyer. Why?

  “We’ve got you connected to three murders, the last being Zoller. The gun used in those murders was found at your house under a floorboard. You should have gotten rid of it, but frankly, I’m glad you didn’t. Its presence at your place only strengthens the case against you. I have a witness that puts you in the woods with a shovel and a dead body, digging a grave. The person you tried to kill last night will testify to that. And let’s not forget that when I chased you from the crime scene yesterday, you tried to run me down with your car.” His lips flattened. “The list just goes on and on. You won’t be getting out of prison until you’re an old man if you live that long. A lot of people connected to this case have ended up dead.”