Chapter 12
Evie would have had fun in Cam’s Jeep if not for the seriousness of their situation. She hated the idea of Cam setting a trap for the killer using himself to draw him out, but she wasn’t sure how to change his mind.
Logically, she knew she’d be safe enough with someone from Cam’s team protecting her. They were all trained army soldiers capable of taking down a killer. Yet irrationally, she wanted that person, whoever he was, to be the one used as bait.
Because she cared for Cam. A lot. Her feelings went deeper than the old high school crush she’d nursed for him. Easy enough to admire him from afar as Skye’s boyfriend, but now that she’d spent two long days with him, she knew this was different.
The trip to the rental car agency hadn’t taken long, but she felt as if Cam’s rag-top Jeep had a huge target emblazed on its back. Jeep was a popular brand here, and there were plenty of the SUV model around, but his was unique.
And she felt certain the killer would easily recognize it.
“You and Bruno are going to use the rental car,” Cam said as they headed inside the rental car company. “I’m going to take my Jeep to the Lighthouse Motel.”
Her stomach clenched. “I don’t want you to do that. Can’t we just leave your Jeep here for a while?”
He arched a brow. “For one thing, I don’t want it to get towed. For another, I need to have it parked somewhere the killer will find it.”
Biting her lip, she averted her gaze. Pleading with him apparently wasn’t going to change his mind. No matter how much she wanted it to.
Cam took the lead at the front desk, handing his driver’s license over, then gesturing for her to do the same. She tried not to look as panicked as she felt, but it wasn’t easy.
She’d grown accustomed to having Cam’s reassuring presence by her side. Bad enough that she had to stand at the riverfront while he snorkeled to find Skye’s car, but driving around alone, even with Bruno, made her feel vulnerable.
They weren’t bulletproof.
“Hey, nobody will know what you’re driving.” Cam slipped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring hug. “Trust me. It won’t take too long for me to drop the Jeep off at the Lighthouse Motel. We’ll find a place to meet so I can get a ride back to the rental house with you.”
“You’re coming back with me?” She couldn’t hide her relief. “Thank you, Cam. I really appreciate that.”
He nodded, watching as the clerk slid a set of keys across the counter. “I don’t even know who from the team will be able to help out. It will take them some time to get here.”
Her spirits plummeted, but she tried not to show it. Taking the key fob, she managed a smile before glancing down at Bruno. “Come, boy.”
Cam escorted her to the rental car, a black Honda CR-V. After snapping a picture of the license plate, he opened the driver’s side door for her. “You remember where the Lighthouse Motel is, right?”
“Yes.” She avoided his gaze as she waited for Bruno to jump into the car. “Where did you want to meet?”
“There’s a family restaurant catty-corner from the motel. Meet me there in a few minutes, okay? I need to rent a room first, then I’ll walk over to the restaurant. Park in the back, out of sight of the road.”
She nodded and started the car, turning up the air conditioning to cool off the interior. In the passenger seat beside her, Bruno curled into a ball and placed his head on the armrest. She gave him a pat before putting the car in gear and heading out of the parking lot.
To familiarize herself with the car, she took a long route back into town.
She also scanned traffic for a black truck with tinted windows but didn’t see one.
She frowned, thinking about their recent interview.
Would Detective Rueger search for potential owners of the black truck with tinted windows as Cam suggested?
She wished Rueger would call the FBI. Two murders, albeit fourteen years apart, was significant. Even if this wasn’t a serial killer—and she felt certain it was—the feds would have more resources than their small-town police department.
“You agree with me, right, Bruno?” He lifted his head to look at her, then lowered it again and closed his eyes. She suppressed a sigh and focused on the road.
Too bad she couldn’t sleep at the drop of a hat the way Bruno could.
There was no sign of Cam’s Jeep when she passed the Lighthouse Motel. Assuming he’d taken the scenic route, too, she wasn’t concerned. Knowing Cam, he would want to be sure someone saw him go inside to get a room at the motel.
As she pulled into the parking lot of the family restaurant, she was surprised at how packed the place was.
Granted, the hour was going on five o’clock in the early evening.
Bypassing the few empty spots, she quickly drove around to the back side of the parking lot.
There were plenty of vehicles back there, too, likely belonging to the employees.
Wrinkling her nose, she eyed the overflowing dumpster.
A skinny kid with a mop of red hair and freckles—she could relate to the red hair and freckles—opened the rear door and tossed a huge bag of garbage inside.
A fresh wave of rotting food wafted through the car vents. She had to laugh when Bruno lifted his head, sniffing the air intently as if to identify the source of the smell. Only a dog would find the stench of garbage interesting.
She hoped Cam wouldn’t take too long to get there. Breathing through her mouth, much like she did when working in the OR on traumatic abdominal cases, helped. But she didn’t want to stay there too long.
The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. Just when she was about to put the car in gear to drive out to find Cam, she caught a glimpse of him rounding the corner of the restaurant on foot. Breathing a sigh of relief, she motioned to the back seat.
“Go on, Bruno. Get in the back.”
Cam opened the passenger door and stood back to let Bruno out. He opened the back for the dog, tossing the backpack inside as well, then slid in beside her. “Wow, has it been this stinky the whole time you waited?”
“Yep.” She put the car in gear. “Those poor employees have to smell this every day, can you imagine?”
“I’m sure it’s worse in the heat of summer.” He shook his head, clicking his seat belt into place. “I have a room and left the Jeep parked behind the building. I didn’t want to make it too obvious that we were laying a trap.”
“Sounds good.” She glanced at him as she drove around to the front of the building. “You really think the killer will look for us there?”
“I hope so.” He frowned and pulled out his cell phone. “I want this guy behind bars as soon as possible.”
She wanted that, too, but not as much as she wanted Cam to be safe. As she continued driving through town, she listened as Cam spoke with someone named Doc.
“Hey, Doc, call me as soon as possible. If you’re available, I need backup in Grand Haven, Michigan.”
“Doc?” she echoed, when he lowered the phone. “As in he’s a physician?”
“No, as in our team medic,” Cam explained. “His legal name is Regan Harmon, but everyone knows him as Doc. He fought alongside the rest of us, but his main duties were all about providing emergency and often temporary medical care while under fire.”
“I see.” There were many days working trauma cases in the OR seemed chaotic at best, but at least she was providing care under a semi-controlled environment. Patching wounds in the middle of combat must have been challenging. “I’m sure he saved plenty of lives during his tours overseas.”
“Yeah. But it’s the ones you can’t save that haunt you.
” Cam’s grim expression betrayed his sorrow.
“And there were too many of those to count. Especially at the end of our tour when we were bugging out to come home. A surprise attack hit us hard, and we lost more than half our team because a group of pencil pushers were incompetent.”
“I’m sorry.” She reached out to touch his arm. “That must have been horrible.”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
As they passed a burger joint, she made an abrupt turn. When he looked at her in surprise, she flushed. “I don’t know why, but I’m starving.”
“Burgers work fine for me.” He glanced around the fast-food parking lot. “I haven’t seen the black truck anywhere, have you?”
“No, and I looked.” She took her place in line at the drive-through lane. “I’ll need to feed Bruno before we head out to do any more searches.”
“Understood.” He turned to scratch Bruno behind the ears. “I’ll have two of whatever you’re having.”
“Grilled chicken, fries, and a water?” She arched a brow as they edged closer to the speaker.
“Sure, why not? Only one water, though.” He grinned and pulled cash from his pocket. “My treat.”
Much like their earlier stop to get sub sandwiches for lunch, this felt a little too much like a date.
After placing their order, she drove up to the next window.
Feeling self-conscious, she took his money and paid for their meals.
A moment later, she passed the water bottles over first and then the bag of food.
The enticing aroma of french fries was a welcome change from the garbage.
“You remember how to get to the rental house?” Cam asked as she pulled out onto the highway.
“Yes.” She watched the rearview mirror closely as she left the downtown area of Grand Haven, relieved there was no sign of anyone following them or the black truck with tinted windows.
As she headed down the driveway to the rental house, a wave of exhaustion hit hard. It seemed like eons rather than hours since they’d been there. This constantly being on guard and looking over her shoulder was getting old.
And Cam still wanted to use Bruno to help search the nature preserve.
Swallowing a sigh, she parked in the driveway, as there was no garage associated with the place.
She killed the engine and pushed her door open.
Cam passed over the bag of food so that he could grab the backpack.
Bruno jumped down and stood for a moment sniffing the air before he followed her inside.