Chapter 7 #2
She started the car and pulled out of the gas station parking lot.
“Losing my parents was difficult, but we always took heart in knowing they were together in heaven looking down on us. The truth is, they’re in a better place where there is no pain, fear, worry, or evil men with guns.
” Kendra grimaced. “I’m not explaining this well, but God put us here on earth to follow His word.
To help others, especially those in need.
And maybe He brought you and I together to find the bad guys who took my parents and your father, bringing them to justice. ”
He stared up at the dark sky. Maybe she was right, at least about their being together for justice.
Yet he also didn’t want anything bad to happen to Kendra. He opened his heart and prayed that whatever happened in the next day or two, that God would spare Kendra’s life.
No matter what happened to him.
Kendra wasn’t sure she’d convinced Dominic of God’s love and protection and hoped that maybe once this was over, she could bring Dominic to church with her family. Christmas was only a few weeks away, and she knew he didn’t have any other family to see over the holiday.
Did Dominic get lonely? She had never been alone in her entire life, having eight older siblings. Her life had always been full of chaos, but at the same time, she’d always known that any one of her siblings would have dropped everything to help her when needed.
Like now. As she drove through Cody, taking side streets to avoid the main thoroughfares, she knew it was time to call for reinforcements. She and Dom needed help, and heading to the ranch, putting pregnant women and children in danger, wasn’t an option.
She didn’t want to admit failure, yet she had promised Chase she’d ask for help if things got dicey. Seeing that truck on the gas station video slowing as it passed by the SUV where they’d been hiding was sobering.
“I don’t think we should return to the Hitching Post,” Dom said, breaking into her thoughts. “We need a different place to go.”
“I agree.” She forced a reassuring smile. “There’s a place called Sunny Side Up Café. I think they open early.”
“Works for me.” Dom glanced back to where Smoky sat in the crate area. “After we eat, we need to rent a fresh car. You’re right about the crate being noticeable.”
“I agree.” She glanced at him. “The only problem with renting a car is leaving a paper trail.”
“I know.” He shifted in the seat. “I was thinking I could contact my team lead, Jake. He can rent it under his name, listing me as the driver.”
Kendra frowned. “I’m not sure I want to drag other innocent people into this.”
“I don’t either, but if it helps keep us under the radar, then I’m willing to ask him.” Dominic peered out the window. “Is that the Sunny Side Up Café over there?”
“Yes.” She was relieved to see the lights were on inside. Still, she didn’t go directly to the café. Turning left, she headed into a well-established neighborhood. Considering how close they’d come to being found in the SUV earlier, she thought it better to park somewhere else and walk to the café.
Not that two people and a dog were invisible. She hoped Smoky’s light fur would blend in with the snow. And she doubted the gunmen would expect them to be on foot. She imagined they were still driving around, searching for the SUV.
Spying a familiar address, she quickly stopped.
“Do you know the family that lives here?” Dom frowned as she pulled up alongside the curb and backed into the driveway of a house that was completely dark.
“I do, yes. The owner is a friend of my brother Joel. His name is Grady McFarland.” She gnawed on her lower lip.
“I’m not sure if he’s home. I know he travels a lot for work.
” She wasn’t sure exactly what Grady did, but she knew he was rarely at home.
“I’m sure he won’t mind if we borrow his driveway.
” She parked well off to the side so she wouldn’t block him in.
As she threw the gearshift into park and killed the engine, she wondered if Grady would mind if they used the place as a hideout if he wasn’t home.
Joel had used it in the past, and Grady hadn’t minded.
She made a mental note to call Joel after breakfast to ask for Grady’s contact information.
For now, she figured Grady would recognize the SUV as belonging to one of the Sullivans. “We’ll walk to the café from here.”
“Okay.” Dom looked surprised by her decision but didn’t argue. “Whatever you think is best.”
She opened the back hatch for Smoky, then walked around to grab the backpack from the back seat. She had enough food for Smoky to last another day, but after that, she’d need to replenish her supplies.
Shoving that problem aside for the moment, she shut the car door and closed the back hatch. “Come, Smoky.”
Her K9 trotted to her side, appearing eager to get to work. Too bad she didn’t have a way to track the gunman. Her K9 would alert on gunpowder and gun oil, but it would be impossible to track the guy while he was driving around in the GMC truck.
If he was on foot, though, the way they were, that would be different. Kendra was certain Smoky would alert her to the scent of the gunman.
Dominic carried the laptop tucked under his arm as they made their way through the neighborhood. The café was farther than she’d anticipated. She shivered when the cold northerly wind slapped her in the face.
“Stick close to me.” Dom looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward his side. She noticed he’d shortened his stride so she could keep up with him. “We’ll be there soon.”
“I know.” She appreciated his efforts to warm her.
If things were different, she’d enjoy walking with Dom and Smoky.
Reminding herself that Dom lived in Billings, she pushed the thought of spending time with him once this was over, away.
“Once we reach the café, we’ll call the Cody police first to let them know the truck is for sure a dark GMC Sierra pickup truck. Then we’ll call my family.”
“Your family?” He frowned. “I thought you didn’t want to drag other innocent people into this?”
“I don’t, but we’re going to need help.” She sighed. “Especially since we don’t know how this guy keeps finding us.”
“I told you I have another plan to hide our internet connection. If we can find a place to stay, we should be safe.”
She didn’t respond as a few of the houses around them had lights on now, indicating the occupants were getting ready to start their day. There would be more cars on the roads too as people headed to work.
Would that help hide them? Or make it harder for her and Dom to spot the gunman? Both were distinct possibilities.
“Kendra, you mentioned several of your sisters and sisters-in-law are pregnant. And there are kids at the ranch too.” Dom frowned down at her. “It’s bad enough you’re in danger. I’d rather not drag any of your family members into the line of fire.”
“I know.” She was torn between wanting more support and keeping her family out of this. “We’ll start with the local police and go from there. Maybe Raine has additional information for us.”
“She’ll probably want me to meet with Marshal Andrew Levy,” Dom muttered. “Not sure I’m in agreement with that plan.”
“We’ll have to meet with him sooner or later. Our attempts to stay off the radar haven’t worked as well as we’d hoped.” She gestured to the lights ahead. “There’s the café. I’m starving.”
“Me too.” Dom didn’t say anything more as they cut through the back parking lot, then went to the front of the café to head inside.
Grateful for the warmth, she stood for a moment, then gestured toward a table in the back. “That’s a good spot.”
“Works for me.” He glanced at Smoky. “I hope they don’t mind your dog.”
“They won’t.” She wasn’t worried about that. She tossed the backpack in first, then slid into the booth. Dom dropped onto the bench seat across from her. Smoky crawled beneath the table, resting her head between her front paws.
“Good girl,” she praised, smoothing a hand over Smoky’s soft fur. “You’ll get to eat soon, too, okay?”
An older woman who already looked tired, despite the early hour, brought menus and water. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” she and Dom answered at the same time.
The woman cracked a smile, glanced at Smoky, then fetched their coffee. Kendra added cream to hers, before sipping gratefully.
Once they’d placed their orders, she pulled out her phone. “Time to call the Cody police.”
Dom arched a brow. “You have their nonemergency number memorized?”
She nodded. “What can I say? We talk to the local police on a regular basis. Especially over this past year.” She listened, waiting for the dispatcher to pick up.
“This is Kendra Sullivan. I’d like to speak with one of the officers on duty.
We’re safe now,” she quickly added. “But we have new information related to the gunman who took shots at us outside the Elk Lodge.”
“One moment please.” The dispatcher put Kendra on hold. Ten seconds later, another voice came over the line. “Kendra? This is Tom Howell. What’s this about a gunman?”
Swallowing a sigh, she filled Sergent Howell in on the events over the past twelve hours. “Burt Jones responded to the shooting outside the Elk Lodge. We now know for sure the gunman is driving a dark-colored GMC Sierra pickup truck. Unfortunately, we don’t have a license plate.”
“Where are you now?” Howell asked. “I’ve gotten a few interesting calls about you and Dominic Lakeland. Specifically from the US Marshals office.”
A chill that had nothing to do with the cold weather outside snaked down her spine. She caught Dominic’s gaze. “Who from the marshals office called you, and what did he or she want?”
“Andrew Levy and he wanted to know if you and Dominic Lakeland were here in Cody,” Howell explained.
“Andrew Levy?” She repeated the name for Dom’s benefit. “What did you tell him?”
“I answered honestly that I hadn’t seen you or a man by the name of Dominic Lakeland,” Tom assured her. “I tried your cell phone but didn’t get an answer.”
“That’s because we don’t have our regular phones.” Her mind whirled with possibilities. How had Andrew Levy narrowed his search for them to Cody, Wyoming? Why not assume they were in Billings, Montana? “Don’t tell Andrew Levy anything about us. We’re not sure we can trust him.”
“You don’t trust the US Marshals?” Tom’s voice rose incredulously. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
“We’re in danger, and whoever is after us has the resources to find us despite our efforts to stay off the grid.
” Dom’s expression turned grim as she spoke.
“This all started at the Redwood Motel in Greybull. From there, we were followed here to Cody. The man in the GMC Sierra truck has fired at us multiple times, and we have reason to believe he’s still out there searching for us. ”
Tom sighed loudly. “Do Maya and Chase know about this?”
“Yes, I spoke to Chase.” She didn’t mention that was hours ago or that their situation had changed for the worst since then. “Please don’t let Marshal Levy know we’re in the area. We’re waiting for Raine to give us some inside information on whether we can trust him or not.”
Tom didn’t know everything about what Raine and Justin had been through a few months ago, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “I won’t. You’ve got my word on that.”
“Thanks, Tom.” A wave of relief hit hard. “I appreciate that. Will you please ask your officers to be on the lookout for a dark GMC Sierra?”
“I will, but I’m running a list of GMC Sierra’s registered in the county and there are just over a dozen of them. Half are dark colors.” He was sounding testy again. “I can’t have all the drivers treated like suspects.”
She winced. “I know that. I highly doubt the driver of the truck is from this area. He’s likely from out of town.”
“Even worse, but I promise my officers will keep their eyes open for trouble.” There was a pause, then he asked, “Do you have anything else?”
“No, but thanks, Tom. We’ll be in touch.” She lowered the phone. “Sounds like narrowing the search to a GMC Sierra won’t help.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that,” Dom agreed. He set the laptop on the table and connected to the free internet. “I think we call the hospice nurse, Helen Gingrass, next.”
“It’s a little early,” she protested.
“She works day shift.” He glanced at the early hour, then shrugged. “Figure we might catch her before she heads to work.”
“Unless today is her day off.” Kendra sat back in the booth. “Worst case, you can leave a message.”
Of course, Helen didn’t answer, so he identified himself and then asked for a call back. Less than two minutes later, his phone rang.
“That was fast.” He grinned and answered. “Helen, is that you?” When the color leeched from his face, she leaned forward in concern. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” There was a pause, then he said, “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Know what?” She stared at him as he lowered the device. “What happened?”
“Helen Gingrass was killed in a car crash late last night.” Dom appeared stunned. “That was her daughter. It was a hit-and-run. The police are still investigating, but they don’t have many leads.”
A hit-and-run? Kendra shivered again as the news of Helen’s death sank deep. First Stuart Ramsey confessed to murder to Helen, then she notifies Dominic and the police. Now she’s dead?
Kendra wasn’t a cop, but she felt certain Helen’s death was no accident. It was far more likely that whoever had hired Stuart Ramsey six years ago was tying up loose ends.