Zoey wanted to get to that crossing before the shooter. Driving as fast as she dared on the dirt road, she dodged the worst of the ruts and subsidence until finally reaching the paved section. Now able to go faster, she sped around the curve of the mountain, Lucy bracing her front legs against the motion. There it was: the sign marking the trail crossing and a turnout big enough for one vehicle. The vehicle that was parked there was a smallish, silver Ford SUV.
Zoey hit the brakes and brought the truck to a fast stop. She rolled down her window, but before she could use her cell phone to snap a picture of the license plate, a shot rang out. She let out a startled yelp and threw down her phone while stomping on the accelerator.
Another rifle crack, this time followed by the solid thud of impact on metal. The truck had been hit. She spun around a curve in the road and without braking took a quick survey. No blood from her or Lucy, no blown tires, no exploding gas tanks.
She was good.
Chapter Eighteen
“You did what? What the hell were you thinking?” Levi stood with hands on hips, looking way too official in his uniform, eyes blazing.
“I slowed down to get a picture of the license plate.”
The twin blazes burned hotter. “You should have gotten out of there as fast as you could. What if you’d been hit? What if Lucy had been hit? Would it have been worth getting the picture then?”
“Lucy and I are fine.” Zoey decided now wasn’t the best time to bring up that her truck had a bullet hole in its side. Instead of returning to the Forest Service office and picking up her car, she’d driven straight to the Hangman’s Loss police department.
They stood in Brad’s office where he leaned back against a cabinet that held a coffeemaker, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze moving back and forth between Levi and Zoey like he was watching a ping-pong match. Lucy had decided all the action had worn her out and lay stretched at Brad’s feet, her rumbling snores filling the air.
“You took a careless risk,” Levi growled.
Zoey was getting a little tired of being chastised like she was incapable of rational thought. She stepped up to Levi, her own eyes narrowed. “I absolutely was not careless. I’m not a careless person. Someone was shooting at me and I didn’t want them to get away with it. I also don’t want to worry every time I step outside of my home that there is some crazy person waiting for me with a rifle. So, yeah, I calculated that I could get a photo to help identify the person before the shooter could make it to the road.”
Levi tipped back his head, closing his eyes as he seemed to be willing himself to calm down. He leveled his gaze on her again. “Fine, it’s done. The Forest Service has jurisdiction in the location where the shots were fired, but we will investigate because it’s part of an open case. Do you have any idea of the type of weapon used?”
She shook her head. “Too far away. I can’t give you a description other than it was a rifle. I don’t know guns so I don’t think I’d be able to tell you anything about it even if I held it in my hand.”
“Damn. Okay. Send Brad and me the photo of the plate and we’ll run it.”
“I didn’t get the photo.”
“What? You said you slowed to take a picture.”
Zoey eyed him cautiously. He was probably going to go totally crazy about the next part. “Um, you could probably get some evidence from my truck.”
“Meaning?”
“There’s a bullet hole at the back of my truck. I slowed, rolled down my window, then I heard more two shots. One hit my truck and I floored it. That’s why I didn’t get a picture.”
Levi clenched his fists, the muscle in his jaw working overtime, but he didn’t say a word. Brad moved to his desk and picked up the phone. “Monica, can you meet me in the parking lot?” He thanked her, then hung up.
“Monica and I will look at the hit to the truck.”
Brad paused on his way out the door, glancing from Levi to Zoey like he was afraid they’d come to blows. “Glad you’re safe, Zoey. You two going to be okay if I step out?”
“We’re fine,” Levi growled. Again.
Zoey wasn’t so sure, but Brad must have trusted his brother because he disappeared down the hall.
The minute he was gone, Levi went to the door and shut it. Turning back, slowly, he stalked toward Zoey, making her think of a blue-eyed cougar on the prowl. He stopped in front of her, grasped her by her elbows, and hefted her onto tiptoes as he brought his lips down on hers.
There was nothing tentative about this kiss. Anger, hunger, and possession tangled together, signifying something deeper. Her lips parted and he took the kiss deeper and hotter. She felt a shudder run through his body, and an answering trembling in hers, then his hands loosened as his lips gentled.
She broke the kiss and settled back on her heels, reaching up to place a hand on his cheek. “It’s okay.” She wasn’t sure who she was reassuring, herself or Levi. “I’m safe. Lucy is safe. We’re fine.”
“I’m not. You could have been killed.”
She shook her head and repeated, “I’m fine.”
A quick rapping sounded on the door before it was pushed open. Monica popped her head through the door. “I recovered a round.”
“Where did it hit the truck?” Levi asked.
“The rear. It passed through the fender above the back tire well and lodged in the bed liner on the other side. I’m going to send the slug to the lab.”
Levi nodded, then Brad entered the room, a couple sheets of paper in his hand. He nodded to Zoey. “Got a call from Logan. Sheriff’s deputies went up the trail where you say the shots came from and recovered shell casings. They’re thirty-thirty center fire.”
“Really?” Levi raised a brow.
“Why is that surprising?”
Brad turned to her. “Thirty-thirty rifles were fairly common for deer hunting in the first half of the twentieth century, but they’re not used that often anymore.”
“Does that make it easier or more difficult to catch the shooter?”
Brad shrugged. “That’ll depend.” He looked to his brother. “Warrant finally came through to search Clauson’s self-storage unit. Let’s go see what we find.”
***
Zoey maneuvered her Prius into a parking space on Main Street, a half block down from Hangman’s Best Café and Bakery, the closest spot she could find. Maddy’s business operated as a popular gathering place for the town and did a steady breakfast and lunch business. Zoey had left Lucy at the cottage, then returned to town to pick up dog food.
She pushed open the door of the café and was greeted by the mouthwatering smells of cinnamon and coffee. Maddy stood behind the counter, her sunny smile shifting to a look of concern when she saw Zoey. “Honey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The small-town grapevine beats social media, hands down, for spreading news. Are you closing?”
“Soon. We close at three, so we still have twenty minutes. I’ll take your order, then I want to know what happened today. What can I get for you?”
“I texted Eva and she said you still haven’t sold out of your delicious broccoli cheddar soup. I’d like a tub of that to take home.” Zoey perused the bins of fresh-baked bread. “I’ll also take a small round of the French to go with it.”
“You got it.”
Eva stepped through the swinging door. “Hey, there, bestie. I thought I heard your voice.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “I had to hear you’d been shot at today from Maddy. Something you neglected to mention in your text.”
“I kinda figured better to deliver that news face-to-face.”
“True, so you’re forgiven.”
“You both go sit at a booth.” Maddy gestured to the dining room. “I’ll get us all tea and a pastry we can split between us, on the house. I want to hear what happened too.”
Zoey was happy to comply. She was leaning back against a cushioned seat and sipping citrus chamomile tea while Maddy used a knife to divide up a French apple tart. Fo
r the first time since the shooting she felt the tension ease in her shoulders.
Eva looked at her expectantly. “Spill.”
With another sip of tea to fortify her, Zoey related the details of the incident that was already taking on a surreal quality. She concluded with Levi’s response at the police station.
“Oh, I love hot and bothered boyfriend kisses,” Eva sighed.
“Levi is not exactly my boyfriend. I’m not sure what we are, but boyfriend and girlfriend scares me, so we’re not using that.”
Maddy pushed a small plate with apple tart in front of each of them. “I get what you’re saying, but be honest with him. Levi has had a rough time since the shooting in Oakland, and he deserves that you be up front with him if you can’t return his feelings.”
“He hasn’t told me about the shooting in Oakland.”
“You might have heard about it in the news. That’s what led to him coming back home.”
Zoey stared at Maddy, a sinking sensation in her stomach. “I’ve asked what led him to leave the Oakland PD, and even mentioned I’d heard about a shooting, but he deflected and told me he wanted to come home to be close to family.”
Maddy shrugged. “Family was a big part of his decision, but the rest is his story to tell, so ask him about it. He’s still dealing with what happened and I worry about him.”
Zoey nodded, her mind spinning.
Eva set down her tea mug. “I’m so glad you’re safe. It sounds like Levi and Brad are following all leads. They’ll figure out who’s been threatening you.”
“I hope so. This whole thing scares the pants off me.”
Twenty minutes later, Zoey returned home, carrying the cute paper bag from the café. She didn’t like feeling wary as she approached the cottage. None of her porch furniture had been overturned, there was no disgusting meat dumped in front of her door, and while it would have made her feel more secure if Levi’s motorcycle were parked in front of his cabin, she shouldn’t bank her safety on him.
She took a bracing breath and told herself she was holding it together. Except for when thoughts of what could have happened on that mountainside slipped through. She closed the door and keyed in the disarm code on the new alarm system, another unhappy reminder of the danger she faced.
Lucy greeted her with a tail wag. “So glad you’re safe, big girl,” she told Lucy as she gave her a rub. The dog followed her into the kitchen where the soup went into the refrigerator to be heated later. Zoey pulled out a bottle of Chablis, uncorked it, went to pour, but had to set down the bottle when her hand shook so badly it rattled against the wineglass.
She gripped the countertop. Delayed reaction, that’s all. Who wouldn’t be frazzled after what had happened? It wasn’t every day that she got shot at, and then on top of that to learn the guy she was kind of in a relationship with had been involved in a serious police shooting and he hadn’t told her.
Her iPad was on the counter. Curiosity overrode her good sense and had her typing out search parameters. A long list of articles came up. She tapped on one, read it to the end, then the next. After two articles, she was sick to her stomach, and clicked off the tablet.
Mind reeling, she dug out her softest flannel pajamas, found her fuzzy socks, and took them to the bathroom. She’d planned to take a quick shower, but instead opted for something she rarely did, twisting the taps to fill the tub with hot water.
After dumping in lavender bath salts she’d had for years and had used only once, she caught her hair up in a messy bun, undressed, and stepped into the tub. She slid into the frothy water, and with her head tipped back against the edge of the tub, closed her eyes as the heat and fragrance engulfed her.
Images and sounds echoed through her mind. The crack of gunfire, the realization the bullets were meant for her, racing for cover while waiting for the shot that would find its target and rip through her body or Lucy’s.
She wondered how the young black man Levi had shot had felt. She should have known better than to get involved with someone in law enforcement. Her chest felt constricted and her breath started coming in gulps.
Zoey brought her trembling hands to her face. Her throat tightened and the tears she hated refused to be held back, so she let them come. She was safe now. She needed to remember that. When someone had shot at her, she’d gotten herself out of the situation, and despite what Levi had said, had been smart about it.
Getting out of a relationship with Levi with her heart intact was an entirely different matter. Her shoulders shook and she pressed a washcloth to her eyes. When the sobs finally petered out, she splashed water over her face, then leaned her head back against the rim of the tub again.
The crying jag had exhausted her, but maybe letting go for even those few minutes was cathartic, because by the time the water had cooled and she’d drained the tub, then took a quick shower to rinse, she felt calmer and better able to cope with whatever came next.
She was scooping dog food into Lucy’s dish when she heard a knock on the door. Levi. Dread formed a knot of tension in the middle of her chest. She had no idea how to deal with the chaotic emotions he dragged from her.
She’d been worried she might be falling in love with him, but now heaped on top of that was the keen disappointment he’d been involved in a shooting he’d told her nothing about, even after she’d asked.
Love hurt, and she wanted nothing to do with it.
A loud rapping sounded again. She set the dog dish on the floor, said “crickets” to the expectant Lucy, and, despite her confidence that it was Levi, peeked through the curtains over the front windows before unlatching the deadbolt and opening the door.
He stood in the glow of the porch light wearing a dark flannel shirt open over a white t-shirt. He had the brooding scowl down perfect.
“Hey.”
His gaze searched her face and his brows came down in a frown. “You’ve been crying.”
She could never accuse him of being oblivious. She hitched a shoulder.
“Can I come in?”
She paused, then pulled the door open wider.
He walked in, and when he raised a hand as if to touch her, she stepped back.
He dropped his hand. “What’s going on?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’m a mess. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
“You’re not a mess. You’re dealing with a lot, so cut yourself some slack.”
And here he was acting all understanding.
With another shrug, because that was about all she could come up with, she turned to the kitchen where she put the kettle on to heat water for tea and set the container from the café in the microwave. She retrieved two bowls from the cupboard. Lucy rested her chin on the counter.
Zoey glanced at the dog dish. It looked like it had been sucked clean by a vacuum. “Out, Lucy.” Zoey pointed to the living room. “Go lie down.” When Lucy trudged to her spot in front of the fireplace, Zoey turned to Levi. “I’m heating soup, which I’ll share with you, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t want you reading anything into it.”
There was that hand through the hair thing that he did whenever he was agitated. He’d be an awful poker player. “Jesus, Zoey. I have no idea where I stand with you, and I’m not a playing games kind of guy.”
“Are you a shooting an unarmed black man kind of guy?” She slapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that. She’d meant to ask him what had happened, to let him explain.
He jerked back, then his face went carefully blank. “What do you think you know about it?”
“Not what you told me, because I’ve asked you why you left Oakland, and you didn’t share anything about a shooting.”
“And you’ve jumped to conclusions.”
“Which I wouldn’t have done if you’d told me yourself. What happened?”
“It sounds like you’ve already got that figured out. Who to
ld you about it?”
“Maddy, but she didn’t explain what happened. She said I should talk to you.”
He narrowed his gaze. “But that’s not what you did. You search it online? Did you read reports about me shooting an unarmed man and decide I was guilty of murder? These things are tried in the court of social media, truth be damned.” The words came out in a staccato burst of sound.
“If you had told me, I wouldn’t have had to search online.”
“So there’s nothing more to be said, is there?” His eyes turned an ice blue. “I came by to tell you that we searched Clauson’s self-storage unit in Bishop this afternoon.”
Zoey wrapped her arms around herself as a chill skittered down her spine. She tried to focus on Levi’s words, and not that she’d made a big mistake. “And?”
“He’d been there ahead of us. The security camera from Saturday morning showed him carrying out two long guns in cases.”
“So it was him shooting at me today.”
“Could have been. Did he ever spout off, vow revenge against you, complain that you’d ruined his life, or some such crap?” He might have been any cop requesting information in a dispassionate tone, emotional distance clearly marked.
“Not to me, but you can talk with my mom. He might have said something to her. If he did, she didn’t pass it on to me. Are you going to arrest him again?”
“When we find him. He wasn’t at his house and is in violation of the conditions of his bond. Do you remember if he had friends he hung out with when he lived here, someone who might give him a place to hide out?”
She shook her head. “From what I remember, his friends were all cops.”
“Can you stay with someone else tonight? If it was Clauson who shot at you, he failed, and he’ll try again.” She saw the brief flash of emotion, but it was gone before she could identify it. A muscle in his jaw tightened.
She was already shaking her head. “I’m fine. I have Lucy, plus a new alarm system.”
Break Away Page 19