Chapter 2
Squashed between Cam and Bruno, Evie tried to understand what had just happened. Had that really been gunfire? Had someone purposefully fired a gun at her?
“Stay down,” Cam ordered, as he pressed to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait, where are you going?” Evie shifted her weight off Bruno. The dog scrambled to his feet, as if determined to join Cam in hunting the person responsible.
Before she could protest again, Cam headed out the back door. Bruno stood glancing at her, as if asking permission to go along with him. Swallowing hard, she put a hand on his head. “Stay, boy.”
Bruno sat but continued to stare intently at the back door. She wanted to believe her German shepherd was smart enough to understand Cam was protecting her, yet there was no denying the dog wanted to chase the bad guy.
Picking up her phone from the kitchen table, she called 911. Placing the phone on speaker, she grabbed a broom and swept the glass fragments out of the way to protect Bruno’s paws.
The dispatcher answered on the third ring. “Please state your name and the nature of your emergency.”
“I’m Evie Tobin, and I’m calling from my mother’s place, 112 Hiawatha Drive. Someone fired a shot at me, breaking my kitchen window.”
“Are you safe?” Evie could hear the clacking of fingers on a keyboard. “I’ll dispatch an officer to your location.”
“I’m safe. Oh, and I’m not alone, my friend Cameron Walker is outside searching for the shooter.” It was difficult to comprehend what she was saying. Someone had fired a gun at her window! If she hadn’t tripped over Bruno, she might have been hit.
Or worse, killed.
Was this because she’d found Skye’s remains? It’s the only explanation that made any sense, but if that was true, did that mean Skye’s killer was still around?
Had he been living in Grand Haven for the past fourteen years?
“I have a unit responding to your location,” the dispatcher said. “Please stay on the line.”
Waiting, she continued to finish sweeping the glass fragments from the floor. Her movements were jerky, and if not for the concern she had for Bruno getting glass in his paws, she’d have given in to the tears that threatened.
Gunfire. Aimed at her.
The shrill wail of police sirens filled the night air. She reached over to end the phone call, then set the broom aside. Crossing the living room, she opened the front door.
One uniformed police officer emerged from behind the wheel. He rested his hand on the butt of his weapon as he approached. She saw his name tag identified him as Officer Linder. “Ma’am, did you report gunfire?”
She didn’t recognize him, but that was probably because he was young. Maybe mid-twenties? The name Linder didn’t ring a bell. “Yes. I’m Evie Tobin. My friend Cameron Walker is out back, searching for the shooter.”
That made Linder scowl. “He should have stayed with you. This is a matter for the police.”
She stepped aside, giving him room to enter. Officer Linder abruptly stopped when he saw Bruno. “Call off your dog.”
“He won’t hurt you.” She rested her hand on Bruno’s head. “Stay, Bruno. Sit.”
Bruno sat. Still, Officer Linder gave the dog a wide berth as he walked past to the kitchen. Seeing the broken window, he scanned the floor, then continued down the short hall to the back door.
Evie was reassured knowing the police officer had joined Cam outside.
If Cam ended up hurt because of this, she’d only feel more guilty for calling him about finding Skye’s remains.
They’d been friends back in high school, and now Cameron seemed bigger, stronger, and more confident than she remembered.
He was a soldier, capable of anything, yet Cam wasn’t armed. Even the strongest muscles could be pierced by a bullet.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Bruno stood and nudged the back door, indicating he wanted to go out. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the door and accompanied him outside.
A flashlight bobbed in the woods. She heard the low rumble of voices. Bruno trotted toward the woods, and she hastened to join him. “Cam? Is everything okay?”
“I haven’t found him yet but stay where you are. We’re coming back.” Cam’s deep voice made her relax.
Moments later, the light grew brighter as Cam and Officer Linder emerged from the nature preserve. A wave of relief washed over her.
Bruno sniffed both men, then stood beside Cam. If not for the threat of danger, she might have been irked. She’d rescued Bruno three years ago as a five-month-old puppy when she’d found him abandoned at the side of the road. Normally, he stuck to her like glue.
Now Bruno was suddenly Cam’s best friend.
“I’ll call this in.” Linder reached up to the radio clipped to his collar. “We won’t be able to canvass the area until morning, though. We only have four officers working evenings and three officers overnight.”
“Canvass the area?” She looked at Cam. “Did you find something?”
He shrugged. “Could be nothing, but I found a piece of fleece fabric stuck to a bush. I heard the gunman running away and gave chase but then lost him. Can’t be sure if he found a place to hide or if he had a vehicle stashed close by.”
She shivered. “Did you hear a car?”
“No.” Cam shrugged again. “I haven’t been in the nature preserve in years. The gunman probably knows the area far better than I do.”
Especially if he’s been living here for the past fourteen years, she thought. Was that even possible? Surely the gunman couldn’t have been the one hanging around Skye’s gravesite, drawing Bruno’s attention.
Unless he did that on a regular basis to relive the night he’d killed her.
Her stomach knotted, and she told herself she really needed to stop watching crime shows. She was letting her imagination run wild.
“Hey, where’s Bruno going?” Cam’s voice had her glancing over in time to see Bruno darting into the woods. She caught Cam’s gaze, then they both quickly followed, leaving Officer Linder in the backyard.
Cam was faster and had the added benefit of being in the woods just a few minutes ago. She followed, trying to keep her gaze on Cam’s broad back and the light green T-shirt he wore.
“Hey, boy, I see you found it too, huh? Good boy.” Cam’s voice rang with admiration. “You could be a police K9 officer.”
She slowed to a stop when she saw the pricker branch that had been broken off at the tip. She frowned, looking over at him. “What is this?”
“That’s where we found the bit of fleece,” Cam explained. “Officer Linder broke it off and placed it in an evidence bag.”
She stared at him. “You really think it belongs to the gunman?”
“Not sure, but I don’t think we can afford to ignore it.” Cam nodded at Bruno who sat near the pricker branch, staring up at them. “Bruno came straight here. I believe he recognized the gunman’s scent.”
“He’s not a trained K9,” she protested weakly.
“Maybe not, but he has good instincts.” Cam’s gaze held hers. “You mentioned Bruno brought you a bone early this morning. Could be he scented the guy then too. And after this, he’ll have that guy’s scent imprinted on his brain.”
She frowned as the realization sank deep. Bruno was a very intelligent dog. Sometimes he stared at her so intently it was as if he was willing her to read his mind. “Why would the person who killed Skye come back here? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know.” Cam put his hand on her arm. “Let’s head back to the house. We’ll finish up with the police, then we’ll need to find another place to stay.”
“We?” she echoed, falling into step beside him.
“I want you to be safe,” Cam said. “And I’m trained to protect innocent people from harm.”
She remembered his comment about being between assignments for Grayson’s Guardians, a private security firm. “I don’t know if I can afford you.”
“I would never charge a friend.” He frowned. “But I’m not leaving you alone either. Not after this.”
She managed a nod as they walked into her mother’s backyard. If she were honest, Evie would admit to being relieved that Cam insisted on staying close. Yet at the same time, she was unnerved by his presence.
The easy camaraderie that had existed between them as fellow lifeguards was a lifetime ago. Their earlier meeting had seemed awkward. Stilted. Probably because they were different people now. They’d grown up, gone their separate ways.
And yet by some strange twist of fate, they were back in their hometown, having landed smack in the middle of danger. At least, she had. Cam had only come because she’d called him. Yet she was grateful for his support.
Which made her realize this had to be part of God’s plan. And if that was the case, all she could do was hope and pray for the best.
That the truth about what had happened to Skye fourteen years ago would finally be revealed and that the person responsible arrested and convicted.
Sweeping his gaze over the area, Cam mentally kicked himself for leaving his weapon locked in the glove box of his Jeep.
Thankfully, he hadn’t needed it. Yet the gunfire blasting through the kitchen window had caught him off guard.
Enough to silently vow to keep his weapon on his hip from that point forward.
That episode of gunfire had been way too close for comfort.
There was no doubt in his mind that the past had collided with the present. How and why, he wasn’t sure. But clearly, Skye’s murder was at the heart of the danger.
As he’d headed into the woods, chasing the gunman, he’d caught a glimpse of the area where the bones had been found.
Yellow crime scene tape had been strung from one tree to the next, forming a large square.
He’d wanted to go back and check it out but felt certain the police had already taken the bones and other evidence away.
How long would it take for the cops to reach out to him for questioning? DNA testing took time, not days the way it was on television. It was weeks, often months before DNA was completely processed.