Chapter 7
SEVEN
Kianna’s presence next to Cole kept him from barging in and demanding answers.
Instead, he rapped on the door. The situation that had brought them here was sobering.
The woman had almost lost her life. If he wanted Rainy’s cooperation, he needed to be tactful in his questions, not put her under duress.
No response came.
He jiggled the doorknob, then pushed the door open. The smell of alcohol and commercial-grade cleaner wafted to his nostrils. The bland beige walls added to the sterile feeling in the space.
In a moment, Cole was no longer here as a detective on a case. Instead, he was here as a son, unsure what to say to his dad, who lay in the bed. His father. His role model, unable to move his left side or speak complete thoughts.
Lights flashed in his vision, and Cole turned his focus to a TV on in the room, playing a home remodeling show. Rainy Athers muted the show and turned her attention to the two of them.
She sat up in the bed, an IV attached to her left arm and a blanket covering up to her torso.
Her appearance now, in her hospital gown, was a far cry from how she’d looked bundled up in a jacket in the snow.
She was thin, but her arm muscles were toned.
Her upper right arm was wrapped in a bandage.
Her face was pale, but at least there was more red in her lips now.
“Ms. Athers?” Cole stepped forward and pulled out his badge. “I’m Cole Stuart, K-9 officer, and this is paramedic Kianna Russell.” He extended his hand, and Kianna moved next to him and nodded.
Rainy’s brow furrowed, and she blinked several times.
“We’re the ones who found you on the mountain.” Kianna smiled at the woman.
Cole opened his mouth to ask his first question, but Kianna beat him to it. “How’re you feeling?” Her gaze turned to the monitor that tracked Rainy’s vitals.
Leave it to Kianna to make the woman feel seen and comfortable.
Right. He didn’t need to jump into the interrogation. Compassion would go a long way.
Rainy was probably still groggy from the surgery and pain meds. Which meant they couldn’t take too long to talk.
Lord, please guide this conversation. Give us direction on Mackey’s whereabouts so no more people get hurt. And bring healing to Rainy. Help her see how You spared her life.
“Doctor said I should make a full recovery.” Rainy yawned, then blinked again. “The bullet didn’t hit any arteries in my arm. I’ll need some PT, then I’ll be back to work.” She shifted to sit up higher in the bed and winced.
Kianna rushed over to the woman’s side and untangled the IV cord from the bedsheet. “Can we get you anything?”
“Water would be great.” The woman licked her lips. “Thank you.” Moisture built in her eyes. “For saving my life.”
Cole handed Rainy the Styrofoam cup on the bedside table. “My partner, Titan, did the work of finding you, ma’am. And God helped us save you.” Cole would give credit where it was due. Who knew how God could use this situation to work in her life?
“It was so cold. I figured I would die out there, and no one would find my body until the temperatures thawed.”
“What were you doing out there?” Cole pulled a pad of paper from his shirt pocket.
Kianna took a seat at the table next to the bed.
“It was a foolish move on my part.” Rainy frowned. “I did it to save my own skin. Thought maybe Mackey would really let me go and not kill me.”
“So you were with Mackey?” Cole raised a brow.
“With him, yeah. But not in cahoots with him.”
“Why should we be confident about that answer?” Cole crossed his arms. After the transport truck had crashed, officers had speculated whether Rainy had been in on the escape.
“After all, you were the only officer who got away unharmed, while Brighten was left for dead at the scene and died at the hospital. With your disappearance, it sure looks like you were involved.”
Rainy hung her head. A sign of guilt?
Kianna pinched her lips, her brow raised.
If Rainy had been in on the plan, a confession would be good, but it wouldn’t lessen her sentence. Not as an officer who’d sworn to uphold the law.
Rainy lifted her chin and made direct eye contact with him.
“The only motive I had was saving my life so I could see my family on Christmas.” She sighed.
“That was my last shift before the holiday. Transporting the convicts. And my first holiday ever off the clock. I was planning to go see my family in Montana. My brother’s been deployed, and he’s coming home Christmas Eve.
He clued me in on the surprise he has planned for my parents and his wife. ”
Cole’s lungs burned as if he’d been running out in the cold for an hour.
He made the mistake of shifting his focus to Kianna, whose eyes welled with tears.
That was not the answer he’d been expecting Rainy to give. His shoulders relaxed now that he knew she hadn’t helped stage an escape for the convicts. Sure, she’d been a patsy. Easily persuaded to do Mackey’s bidding. While he didn’t agree with her actions, he’d argue her case held validity.
This woman was more noble than he. She’d been willing to think about her family. She’d run toward them.
All he had ever shown was cowardice. He’d taken every opportunity to flee and hide from the reminders of his family. The circumstances too difficult to entertain. Who was he to hide when his dad was still living?
Kianna had been right. He still had a chance to show up and make the moments count. Still had a chance at helping his dad. All the years his dad had invested in their family, and Cole had thrown it all away.
“How long were you with Mackey before he left you?” Kianna’s question broke through Cole’s train of thought.
He could worry about how to make amends with his family later. Hopefully in time for Christmas. If they caught Mackey.
“After the truck crashed, Jason attacked Officer Brighten, and there was nothing I could do to help. It was terrible.” She pinched her eyes shut. “I tried to pin Mackey, but he got to my gun, and I knew I was outnumbered.” The beep on the hospital monitor by Rainy’s bedside quickened.
Kianna shifted in her chair to study the numbers. Cole didn’t want to send Rainy into a critical state because of the added stress of remembering the events of the last few days, but he also needed answers.
Rainy took a deep breath, and after a few seconds, Kianna leaned back in her seat.
Rainy opened her eyes and stared at the wall, then continued.
“I told Mackey he could turn his life around. That he didn’t have to add another killing to his rap sheet.
So he gave me an ultimatum.” The woman rubbed her forehead, then took another sip of water.
“It was either die now or help him navigate the woods.”
Cole scribbled the information on his paper.
Surely the woman had to know that Mackey was going to dispose of her either way.
The convict had made it clear—no one double-crossed him and lived.
When Jaxon had tried to go to the police with information, Mackey had gotten to him first. Captured the kid and left him in the woods to die.
Did Rainy think she would have been any different?
“I’ve been a hiker for years. I know those woods like the back of my hand and figured I could use that to my advantage. Find help, or lure him to you guys.” She waved her hand in Cole’s direction.
“So what happened?” Cole leaned against the wall.
“We started out for the tree line and spent a decent amount of time walking. We got to the overlook, past the embankment. He started fidgeting with the gun more. I told him we were coming up to a cave soon, when actually we were nearing the road again. But a car decided to drive by at that time, and it freaked him out.” Rainy shivered.
“He rounded on me and slammed me in the head with the gun. Next thing I know, I wake up, and he’s dragging me through the snow. ”
Rainy pulled in a shaky breath and clutched the white sheet in her fingers.
“That’s when I knew he was done with me.
I tried to take him by surprise and kick him, but he was too fast. Dropped me like dead weight, then pulled the trigger.
” She took another sip of water. “I was in and out of consciousness from the pain, but he was talking on the phone.”
“Someone’s helping him.” Kianna shot out of her chair, and the legs screeched against the floor. “Sorry.” She winced.
Cole pushed away from the wall and paced the short width of the room. Moving always helped him think better. “Do you know who he was talking with?”
Rainy shook her head. “No clue. I didn’t dare move a muscle. If he knew I wasn’t dead…” Her breath hitched.
Cole grimaced. He had studied Mackey’s case for years and even helped put him in jail the first time, but thinking about the man’s complete disregard for life never got easier. It was grotesque and left him repulsed by the state of humans in their depraved, sinful ways.
And yet, was Cole any better? Abandoning his father just to save his own skin. So he wouldn’t have to watch his dad live out the rest of his life confined to a chair in a nursing home. A shiver trailed down Cole’s spine.
“A few minutes passed, then he disappeared. But the cold had set in, and I was too weak to get up.” Rainy braced her hand over her bandaged arm.
“Did Mackey give any indication of where he was headed?” Cole rubbed his right temple to alleviate the tension building. He wanted concrete answers. Information that would nail the guy. He was tired of running in circles.
“He mentioned canine currency. Although what he meant by it beats me.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Cole turned around. His fingers closed around his weapon.
A nurse stepped in, and Cole dropped his hand to his side. “I’m here to check your vitals and give you a dose of medicine.” The woman walked over to the computer in the corner and logged in.
Cole closed his pad and tucked it back in his pocket. He had enough information to inform the other officers and start investigating this canine currency thread. “Thanks for answering my questions, Ms. Athers. We’ll be in touch. For your safety, I’ll get an officer stationed at your door.”
“Thank you both.” Rainy smiled.
Cole and Kianna stepped out into the hall and headed for the elevator.
Suddenly, Kianna’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O.
“Check this out.” Kianna handed him her phone while they rode to the ground floor.
“I got an email reminder from Tiny Paws Animal Shelter. About their adopt-a-pet event. What if canine currency has something to do with the shelter?”
“You’re thinking like a cop.” Cole winked. The speculation was brilliant. It gave him a lead.
Kianna shrugged, but he didn’t miss the added tint that warmed her cheeks at his compliment.
He’d fill the team in on what he and Kianna had discovered, and no doubt Sergeant Donaldson would get people to investigate.
They stepped off the elevator and headed to the parking garage. The cold air bombarded Cole’s face as they made their way to his car, thanks to the parking area not being enclosed.
He used his key fob to unlock the vehicle, and Titan barked.
Kianna slid into the passenger seat, and Cole pressed the ignition. “You were living the good life, soaking in the warmth here, Tite.” Cole turned down the climate control feature.
Titan barked in agreement, and Kianna laughed.
Cole pulled out onto the road and followed the on-ramp before merging. Flurries swirled around the windshield. Cole had just turned on the wipers when his phone vibrated. Seconds later, Kianna’s elicited a chorus of beeps.
She sucked in a breath. “Snow squall warning,” Kianna read.
Cole tightened his grip on the steering wheel. They had three-quarters of a mile before the next exit. He hoped those few minutes were enough time to get to safety.