Chapter 4
4
W hat in the world was going on? Doug’s heart thundered in his chest as he stared at the bullet-ridden door.
This time, the shooter had gotten far too close.
“Are you hit?” Maya asked, her voice tense.
“No, you?” He glanced over his shoulder to where Maya and Zion were huddled behind the kitchen table, the only source of protection nearby. Zion was under the table, but Maya had her weapon in hand. He was impressed that her cop instincts had kicked in. From what he could tell, they weren’t hurt. But seeing three small dark bullet holes in the cabinets behind her shook him to the core.
Way too close.
“We’re fine. I’ll call the police.” She reached for her phone.
“No, don’t bother.” He shook his head. “We can’t stay here. I’ll provide cover so we can get out of here long enough for you and Zion to head back to your ranch.”
She shot him an exasperated glance and proceeded with her call. “Yes, this is Maya Sullivan reporting several rounds of gunfire at the residence of Emily Sanders, on Baker Street. Send officers to the scene ASAP.”
He swallowed hard against a wave of frustration. This was ridiculous. Just because she carried a gun and once worked in law enforcement didn’t mean he wanted her caught in the cross fire of whatever danger surrounded him and Emily.
Mostly him. This second attempt to shoot him sealed his belief that whoever had taken Emily had done so to get to him. He was surprised he hadn’t gotten some sort of ransom call by now. These guys must want something. If the goal was to kill him, the way they seemed to be trying to do, then why take Emily in the first place?
It didn’t make any sense. Yet the danger had escalated to a point where he needed to get Maya and Zion out of there.
“We need to move,” he said again. “Let’s go out the back. We can skirt the edge of the house and make sure the coast is clear before we make a run for the car.”
“We’re staying until the local police arrive,” she corrected. “And from there, I’ll see if Zion can find more shell casings. You need to check your camera video again to see if the shooter came by in the Silverado truck.”
Her calm attitude under pressure was admirable. And since he could already hear the wail of sirens, he gave up trying to argue. She had a valid point about the video.
Moving toward the window overlooking the street, he waited until the two squads pulled up in front of the house before heading over to open the bullet-ridden front door. Two different officers headed toward him, and he wondered if the city of ten thousand residents had just four cops on duty on each shift. A level of staffing difficult to comprehend.
The officer closest to him had a name tag identifying him as Rotterdam. He whistled when he saw the damaged door. “Who did this?”
“Probably the same shooter that fired at us from the Crooked Wheel.” He stepped back to give them room to enter. “I was just going to check the security video.”
“Hey, Frank, Wayne,” Maya greeted the two officers. “This is federal agent Doug Bridges; his sister Emily Sanders went missing early this morning. We’ve identified a black Chevy Silverado as belonging to the perps, but the license plate has been covered with mud.”
“Yeah, we got the BOLO on that.” Doug noticed Wayne’s name tag read Carter. “Did you see anything?”
Doug shook his head. “No, the bullets started flying the minute I opened the door.” He turned to head back to Emily’s office. He quickly logged into his sister’s computer, then pulled up the recent video from outside the front door.
Maya came up behind him. He scowled when he saw what appeared to be the same black Silverado roll into view. The passenger-side window lowered revealing a man dressed in black with a ski mask covering his face. He leaned out and fired repeatedly toward the house. Then the vehicle took off, disappearing down the street.
“I guess that proves our theory,” Maya said. “Looks like the same vehicle to me.”
“Me too.” He quickly copied the video and sent it to his personal email. He briefly considered taking the time to install Emily’s doorbell camera software on his phone but decided against it.
There was no reason for these guys to return. They’d expect him to go on the run again.
It occurred to him that their goal may not necessarily be to outright kill him, but to keep him preoccupied with running for cover so he couldn’t find Emily.
Although the six bullets poked a few holes in that thought. One bullet could be viewed as a distraction. Not six.
“What did you find?” Frank asked, entering the room.
Doug slammed the computer and stood. “Give me your email address, I’ll send both videos to you. Unfortunately, the camera angle is such that the license plate can’t be seen. Not even to confirm that it’s covered in mud.”
Frank and Wayne exchanged a grim look. “We’ll take whatever you have.”
Doug pulled up his email. After punching in Frank’s email address with the Cody police department, he sent the two videos, then pocketed his phone. He was back in work mode. “I know your two crime scene techs, Cindy and Bart, are tied up at the Wild Bill Motel, so I’ll retrieve the slugs.” He glanced at Maya. “If you and Zion can search for the additional shell casings, that would be great. I’m still planning to head to Cheyenne with the evidence.”
Again, the officers looked at each other. “Not sure why you called us,” Wayne Carter drawled.
“We’re counting on the Cody police to find that black Silverado truck,” Maya said in a placating tone. “I know there’s only four of you on duty, but we believe this truck was used to kidnap Emily Sanders. Finding it will be the best way to resolve this case.”
Doug nodded, understanding they needed the cops on their side. “Please, keep an eye out for it,” he said. “The only reason I’m taking the bullet fragments and shell casings to the state lab is to put a rush on the ballistics to see if they pop in the system. I can’t help but think these guys are related to one of my previous cases. Likely one of the crooks I put away has come to seek revenge.”
That seemed to mollify the officers. “Okay, we’ll help you get those slugs.”
“No need, I’d rather you both head outside to watch over Maya and Zion in case those gunmen come back.” He edged past them toward the kitchen. “This won’t take long.”
Maya rolled her eyes at his comment but didn’t argue as she shrugged into her winter coat. “Come, Zion. Are you ready? It’s time to search for gold.”
The K9 wagged her tail and eagerly followed Maya outside. Frank and Wayne stayed close, giving Doug plenty of room to pull a steak knife from Emily’s drawer and go to work extracting bullets. Agents didn’t often retrieve their own evidence, but he knew enough not to get too close to the slugs themselves. Instead, he carved a half inch around them until he had three chunks of cabinet wood on the table.
He hunted for the other three slugs. One was embedded deep in the wall; the other two were halfway across the living room. As he went to work on those, his heart flared with hope when he realized they weren’t as badly mangled as the others.
“We only found two casings,” Maya said, coming back inside with the brass in the palm of her hand. “I was glad to find them. The perp shot from inside the car, so I figure most of them are still inside the vehicle.”
“Great.” He rummaged through Emily’s kitchen drawers to find plastic bags. He held it open for Maya to drop those two shell casings inside. Then he grabbed another bag for the casing still in his pocket. Better to keep them separated in case they were dealing with more than one firearm.
Then he used a larger bag for the bullet fragments. Once he had all the evidence in one large bag, he stood for a moment surveying the kitchen. He felt awful about how much damage had been done. Then he turned away, making a silent promise to reimburse Emily for the repairs. Not that she’d care.
Property damage was nothing compared to the fact that his sister was still missing.
And for the second time in a matter of hours, he found himself praying that God would keep Emily safe until he could find and rescue her.
* * *
After Maya had rewarded Zion for her find, she mentally replayed this most recent gunfire incident over and over in her mind. Had the shooter intended to take out Doug? Or had he targeted her?
Logically, she felt certain the shooting was related to Emily’s kidnapping. But what bothered her about both shooting attempts was that she and Doug had been near her well-marked-for-everyone-to-see Sullivan K9 SUV. Granted, the first shooting was at Doug’s hotel, and this was at Emily’s home, but in both instances, her SUV had been sitting out in plain view.
Were they wrong about the shooter’s motive? Doug seemed to believe one of the perps he’d put away was seeking revenge. But really, it could just as easily have been one of the bad guys she had put away who was responsible for doing the same thing.
She hadn’t imagined the guy popping up behind her for the past two weeks. Not on the ranch, but she’d noticed him in town. Every time she’d turned intending to confront him, he’d slink away.
Initially, she’d wondered if her ex-husband, Blaine Walter, had moved to Cody from Cheyenne where they’d lived together, but a call to the manufacturing company confirmed Blaine was still working in the area. It was such a long drive from Cheyenne to Cody, she doubted he’d have gone back and forth.
If not Blaine, though, then maybe someone she’d arrested. It wouldn’t be impossible for one of the criminals she’d put away to find her here. The crime rate in Cody was low, but Cheyenne as the largest city in the state, plus the state capital had more criminal activity. She and her former K9 partner Ranger had put away several bad actors who’d committed crimes up to and including murder.
That had been a solid five to ten years ago, but for some people, prison could make a perceived wound fester.
“Maya? Something wrong?” Doug asked. She belatedly realized he was staring at her intently, as if trying to read her thoughts.
Giving herself a mental shake, she forced a smile. “No. I’m fine. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, although I changed my mind about going to Cheyenne. Emily was taken from Cody. I think it’s better to send the evidence to Cheyenne.” He eyed her thoughtfully. “You mentioned a plane. Can I hire one to deliver a package?”
She nodded. “Sure, if you’re willing to pay.”
“Great. Let’s go that route, then.”
“I know a guy who flies charter planes in Greybull,” she said. It was not the same owner of the plane that had crashed with her parents on board, as he’d died in the crash too. “Should only take an hour to get there.”
“That works for me.” He moved toward the damaged front door. “I hope your SUV wasn’t hit.”
“It wasn’t.” She had checked that out after Zion had found the shell casings. That had sparked the question as to whether she was the real target. She opened the back hatch, and Zion nimbly jumped in. “Interesting that this time the shooter’s aim was better. All six shots hit the front door.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” He scowled as he slid into the passenger seat. After she’d started the car, he added, “I can’t figure out what their endgame is. If they want to kill me, then why kidnap Emily?”
She had to wait for the police cruisers to move before she could back out of the driveway. Only once they were on the road heading toward the highway that would take them east to Greybull did she glance at him. “You know, I was a cop, too, so it could be that these shooters are after me.”
“You?” He looked puzzled. “I don’t understand what brought you to that conclusion.”
She suppressed a sigh. She hadn’t mentioned the guy she’d caught lurking behind her to her brother Chase. Or any of her other siblings. “I’ve noticed someone following me over the past two weeks. He’s never shown up on the ranch, but he often materializes when I’m in town. We tend to use Cody for groceries and such because it’s bigger and slightly closer than Greybull.”
“So you’ve only seen this guy in Cody? Nowhere else?” He seemed genuinely concerned. “Do you have a description of him? Does he look like the shooter?”
“He’s not Hispanic,” she admitted. “But everyone is bundled up in the winter, so it’s not easy to see facial features and body structure. And we know there were two men in the Silverado, one driver and one passenger who fired the shots.”
“We’ll need to go through your old case files along with mine,” he said. “I still think that the shooter is related to Emily’s disappearance, but we’ll need to find this stalker dude of yours too.”
“I’m fine. The guy slinking around me has never done anything—well, until now. If the shooter is the same guy.” The more she considered the possibility, the less she liked it. Why had she even brought it up? She waved a hand. “Never mind. I think we should focus on your drug dealers and cartel members.”
“I have put several cartel members away,” Doug said thoughtfully. “They weren’t all Hispanic, but some were. Milwaukee isn’t close to the border, but the Great Lakes has been used to move drugs from one city to the next, the major hub being Chicago.”
“I had no idea. Although it makes sense.” She glanced at the majestic mountains looming up ahead. “I can’t imagine living in a city as large as Milwaukee. I don’t miss Cheyenne at all. And that’s small in comparison.”
“It’s very different than here, that’s for sure,” he said with a wry smile. “What made you leave your job as a cop to do search and rescue?”
“My parents died in a plane crash five years ago.” She didn’t really like talking about it, but considering the hour-long drive ahead of them, there was no way to avoid it. “I moved home first, and my brother Chase followed. Soon, the rest of the siblings returned too.” She hesitated, then said, “Chase is a year younger than I am. Then there’s my sister Jessica, my brother Shane, sister Alexis, the twins, Joel and Justin, Trevor, and then Kendra, the youngest. She was only seventeen when our parents died, and we wanted to support her.”
“Wow. And does each of your siblings have a dog too?”
“Yep. Chase is partnered with Rocky, Jess has Teddy, Shane works with Bryce, Alexis has Denali, Joel has Royal, Justin has Stone, Trevor works with Archie, and Kendra is partnered with Smoky.”
“I’m sensing a national park theme,” he said with a smile. “Is Stone short for Yellowstone?”
“It is, yes. The park theme was my idea, and training our dogs gave us something to work on together as a family in the aftermath of losing our folks.” Her smile faded. “It’s been hard but rewarding work.”
“Humbling to know your entire family has focused on search and rescue.” He reached over to touch her sleeve. “You did great, Maya.”
His kind words made tears prick at her eyes, although she quickly blinked them away. She wasn’t a crier, unless it came to the dogs. Ridiculous to let Doug’s admiration get to her.
He was very different from Blaine. Maybe it was partially because he worked in law enforcement too. Or maybe Blaine was just that much of a jerk. Looking back, she could see now that her ex-husband hadn’t been very supportive even at the beginning of their marriage. Why he’d proposed was a mystery, but then again, she’d been stupid enough to believe he was committed to her. And to having a family.
Wrong on both counts.
Whatever. Blaine was old news, and she had bigger issues to deal with. First and foremost, finding Emily.
The sound of Doug’s stomach growling made her smile. She arched a brow. “Hungry?”
“Starved,” he admitted. “Lunch is on me, remember?”
“That’s not necessary,” she said, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“I insist.” He gazed out at the frozen landscape. “You know this area better than I do. How long before we reach civilization where we can get a meal? I’m not too picky, even fast food will do.”
“We’ll reach the next town soon,” she said, glancing at the fuel gauge. “It’s about the halfway point. I’ll fill up with gas then too.”
“I’ll do that,” Doug said. “It’s my fault we’re driving out here in the first place.”
She suppressed a sigh. “Thanks, but I can handle it. I already told you; the fee is a bag of dog food. I failed to mention we prefer a high-end natural dog food, so it’s rather pricey.”
He shot her an exasperated look. “I could give you ten bags of the highest priced dog food on the planet, and it wouldn’t be enough. You’ve been shot at twice. I don’t like knowing you and Zion are in danger because of me.”
“Ten bags are too many,” she said, trying to change the subject. “I’ll settle on nine. That’s one bag for each of our dogs.”
“Then I’ll make it eighty-one bags,” he shot back. “I’m being serious here. I feel like I’m keeping you from doing real work.” He stared out the window for a moment. “I doubt we’ll find Emily along the highway, although you did mention those remote cabins and places to hide out.”
“It’s possible she was taken to Greybull,” she said. “We should keep an eye out for that black Silverado.”
“I have been.” His expression turned somber. “I wish you and Zion weren’t in the line of fire, though.”
“Doug, I’m a trained cop turned search and rescue responder,” she said calmly. “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have offered to drive you. The reason I use my vehicle is because we have specially built-in safety measures. The car will start automatically if the temperature gets too low or too high. I can release Zion from the back from a distance if needed. And there’s a water reservoir in the back for long trips, not to mention other search and rescue gear stashed under the back crate area.” She glanced at him. “My car, my dog, my responsibility.”
He didn’t look happy, but the information about her SUV seemed to intrigue him. “This vehicle can really do all of that?”
“Yes. And the other nine SUVs we have on the ranch are equipped the same way. We have four-wheelers and snow machines, too, but they don’t have these amenities. Zion isn’t a huge fan of the snow machines, but she’ll ride in front of me if I ask her to.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to see,” he teased. Then he frowned. “Nine specialty vehicles, nine dogs, a big ranch. Sounds like it takes a lot of financial capital to keep your operation going.”
“We manage.” She was not going to discuss the ranch’s financials with him.
He looked as if he might pursue the subject, then abruptly straightened when he saw the road sign indicating they were five miles from the next town. “Is that where we’re getting lunch?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “They have a restaurant/truck stop named the Rolling Stone. The name is in reference to rocks that fall down the mountain, not the music group.”
He chuckled, and she was almost annoyed to note that Doug was even more handsome when he laughed. Why she was so aware of him, she had no clue. It wasn’t like her to be distracted by a guy. “Of course, it’s not related to the music group. Seems country western is the only type of music anyone listens to out here.”
“You’ve got that right.” She slowed the SUV to turn off the highway.
Five minutes later, she pulled up in front of the Rolling Stone restaurant. There were three other vehicles parked in the lot; none were a black Silverado. She’d kept an eye on the rearview mirror after leaving Cody and was confident they weren’t followed.
Out here in the middle of no man’s land, it was generally easy to spot a tail.
She opened the back hatch. Having been asleep, Zion opened her blue eyes, then popped her head up to see where they were. Maybe it was Maya’s imagination, but the K9 looked sad they weren’t home on the ranch. Having nine dogs meant lots of playtime.
Sometimes too much playtime.
“Come, Zion,” she said. The dog didn’t hesitate to jump down and stretch.
“You’re taking her inside with you?” Doug looked almost disappointed, and she realized he’d wanted to see the K9-equipped SUV in action.
“Yes. Trust me, the owners won’t mind.” She didn’t know them personally, but her brother Joel had done some work for them about eighteen months ago, when a kid had gone missing. Small towns loved to talk, and she knew the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue name was widely recognized in the entire state, even as far as Idaho and Montana.
Entering the restaurant, they were greeted by a woman with brassy blond hair. “Welcome. Have a seat, I’ll be over in a few.”
Zion sniffed the area with interest, her tail wagging. The few customers inside smiled and nodded. She pretended not to hear how some of them whispered her last name, likely because Zion’s vest had Sullivan K9 embossed on the side.
They shrugged out of their winter coats, took off their hats and gloves, then settled in a booth with Zion stretched out on the floor at her feet. The husky promptly went back to sleep with an ease Maya sorely envied.
The brassy blonde’s name was Joyce, and she quickly came to get their order. Doug barely glanced at the menu, and she suspected he may have made up his mind long before they got there. Ever the gentleman, he gestured for her to go first.
“I’ll have the chicken sandwich,” she said. “With fries.”
“That sounds good, except I want a cheeseburger with my fries,” he said with a smile. “And coffee, please.”
“For me too,” she agreed.
Joyce nodded. “I’ll have those meals out soon,” she promised.
They were silent while Joyce returned with their coffee. As the hour was now past noon, Maya figured she might need to call Anna, their housekeeper, to let her know it wasn’t likely she would be home in time for dinner. By the time they got back to Cody, she’d need to figure out a place for Doug to stay.
Someplace that was not on the Sullivan K9 ranch.
When she picked up her coffee cup, Doug reached over to lightly grasp her hand. “Thank you, Maya,” he said.
“Ah, you’re welcome.” She avoided his gaze, far too aware of the tingling awareness that shot through her at his touch.
Not good. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to a man who was going to leave the moment they found his sister.
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong man. And the sooner she could convince her brain to ignore her attraction to him, the better.