Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
“Zeke!” Sienna had dropped to the stage floor, then began crawling toward him, her ears ringing from the crack of gunfire. The acoustics in the theater were such that noises were amplified. “Are you hurt?”
“Stay back!” His sharp tone made her freeze. Then he quickly closed the gap between them, both taking refuge behind the long black curtain. “I’m fine. But the gunman is up in the front catwalk!”
“How did he get up there?” The door to the theater had been locked. Sure, the stagehands knew the code, but how could anyone working with Josh have uncovered that information so quickly?
“I don’t know. Stay behind me,” Zeke instructed as he rose to his feet. “We’re going to find a way up there.”
“Okay.” She swallowed the urge to run away without looking back. But that was impossible. She was under contract to perform. Gripping the back of Zeke’s shirt, she stayed close behind him as he made his way through the curtained area.
There was a loud clatter from the other side of the stage. Zeke swung around so fast she lost her grip on his shirt. She gaped when she saw he held a gun in his hand. He quickly but gently pushed her behind him before moving toward the other side. Upon hearing the pounding footsteps, he quickened his pace.
The sound of a door slamming shut made her think the shooter had left the building. But Zeke continued moving forward, peering carefully around the curtains as he traversed the stage. It occurred to her that he wasn’t taking anything for granted.
Especially if there was more than one person involved.
Clearing the stage took time, and when they reached the door, she could see it hadn’t closed all the way. Zeke pushed it open and glanced around. Then he pulled the door shut and turned to face her. “Let’s take the stairs to check out the upper level.”
“Okay.” This probably wasn’t the time to tell him she was afraid of heights. Swallowing her fear, she stayed close as he approached the metal stairs. Soon they were up in the rafters of the theater. She felt okay as long as she didn’t look down.
“The shooter must have come this way,” Zeke muttered. “He took advantage of me heading off on the opposite side of the stage.”
She glanced that way, then quickly averted her gaze. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Zeke walked along the side of the rafter to the front catwalk. The area was wider up there, with two seats for whoever was manning the lights. A hint of vertigo hit when she saw how far down below the stage was located.
Don’t look! Don’t look!
“We can try to get crime scene techs up here,” Zeke was saying. “The shooter may have left fingerprints behind.”
“Uh-huh.” She couldn’t seem to force words past her tight throat.
“Are you okay?” Zeke peered at her, as if noticing her fear. “You should have told me you don’t like heights. Hold on to me as we head back down.”
She made another sound that hopefully sounded like agreement. She alternated between watching her feet and Zeke, without looking at the stage below, as they made their way back down.
“Okay, I think he’s gone,” Zeke said. “I need to check the stage. That bullet ended up somewhere.”
A wave of dread washed over her. Obviously, they should call the police. Zeke was a cop, but this latest threat was serious. Especially as he was the one targeted this time.
Yet she knew that a shooting within the theater would roll through the news outlets faster than wildfire.
What should she do? Was it wrong to avoid getting these incidents on record? It seemed as if the shooter was amping up his attacks to force her into doing just that.
Lord Jesus, guide me! Show me the way!
The prayer brought a bit of peace. Until she saw how methodically Zeke was walking the stage, searching for evidence.
Of a bullet!
She didn’t know how things had spiraled so far out of control. One minute she was dealing with threatening notes, the next dodging bullets.
“I don’t know what to do.” She hadn’t realized she’d spoken the words out loud until Zeke glanced at her.
“We’re going to talk to my boss about these recent events, while keeping them off the record for now.” He came over to stand beside her. “But we really need to think through our next steps. The shooter is escalating. Two attempts in a few hours is not good. And he could easily make another attempt against you during one of your shows.”
“Except you’re the one he fired at this time. Not me.” A shudder rippled over her. “I don’t think you should keep protecting me. Maybe I can hire some other bodyguard. Someone...” She couldn’t finish the thought.
“No, Sienna. I’m staying. Besides, I know you well enough to understand you won’t take anyone being hurt on your behalf lightly. Not even a total stranger.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a brotherly hug. “I’m fine. And I honestly don’t think this guy would have killed me.”
She wasn’t convinced. “Maybe Josh thinks that getting you out of the way will help his case against me.”
“Josh doesn’t even know I’m involved,” Zeke said. “And the cold-blooded murder of a cop would bring the entire police force raining down on the bad guys. However, you make a good point. Josh will know about me as soon as we announce our engagement.” He scanned the stage. “I don’t see the bullet, but everything behind the stage is black, which makes it hard to identify the path of the bullet.”
He kept talking about the shooting as if it was an everyday occurrence. Then again, for him, it probably was. She hadn’t considered that asking for Zeke’s help would put him in harm’s way. The notes had been threatening but otherwise harmless.
Gunfire was not.
“I don’t know what to do,” she repeated. “If we go to the police, the word will get out about the threats. It may even scare people off from coming to the show. If we don’t, this guy may keep trying.” If she canceled her contract, she doubted anyone would ever take another chance on her. She was still new in the Christian music scene and needed to keep the momentum going.
And really, how else could she support herself and Bailey? God had granted her this gift of singing. She didn’t have many other skills.
“Hey, don’t worry. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Zeke said, his expression reassuring. “Don’t give up hope. Let’s head back to the precinct. Maybe Rhy or Joe have another idea.”
“Okay. Should I still call Dirk?” She was so badly rattled she couldn’t remember why she’d planned on calling him in the first place.
“I was thinking you should announce our engagement during the morning show interview,” Zeke said. “And you don’t have to worry about the tickets.”
Oh yes, that was it. She had planned to tell Dirk about the engagement and get complimentary tickets. “I... guess I could do that. It would give me something to talk about other than my singing career.” Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to the morning show interview, but public appearances were part of the deal.
Especially when she needed to convince the public to come out to see her.
“Let’s get out of here.” Zeke drew her toward the rear door. Then he abruptly stopped to look at her. “Who’s your contact for the theater? We need to get the entry code changed.”
“Those arrangements went through Dirk.” She took her phone from her pocket and took a moment to power it up.
“Don’t tell him about the gunfire,” Zeke warned. “Just mention that some stranger accessed the building, and you want the code changed.”
“I can do that.” She did her best to sound calm when Dirk answered her call.
“Sienna, where have you been? I’ve left several messages.” Dirk sounded upset.
“Sorry about that.” She evaded the question. “I’m here at the music venue, and some stranger got inside. I need you to contact the tour company to let them know I need the access code changed ASAP.”
Dirk sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll make the call. But you can’t be too demanding, Sienna. I need you to come across as easy to work with.”
“I am easy to work with, but as a single mother, safety will always be a concern. I’m sure the tour company will understand as long as you frame it properly.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fine. But there are other interview requests coming in. Did you listen to my messages?”
“Not yet, but I will. I wanted you to also know that I’m engaged to be married.”
“Engaged?” He sounded shocked. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Zeke Hawthorne, a very close friend of mine. I’ll announce my engagement during the TV interview. I’ll be in touch later, Dirk. Bye.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she ended the call and quickly powered down the phone.
“I’m not sure we can trust him,” Zeke said with a frown. “He’s coming across very demanding, almost as if he resents you going off-grid.”
“He probably does resent it, but he’ll get over it.” She didn’t know what to think about Dirk or anyone else associated with this tour.
Zeke was the only man she could trust.
The shooter showing up at the theater was concerning, and frankly, Zeke wasn’t sure what to do about it. He was more than willing to act as Sienna’s bodyguard, but having Flynn as backup wouldn’t be enough.
At this point, he wasn’t sure that having the entire team surrounding Sienna and Bailey would be enough.
Plus, he wasn’t sure how long they’d be able to keep the news of these attempts against her under wraps.
The main problem was that they’d been playing defense since last night. Reacting to the note, the brick through the window, and the two recent shooting attempts. Other than getting their replacement phones, a computer, and his mother’s engagement ring for Sienna, he hadn’t made any headway on the case.
Specifically digging up dirt on Josh Allenton.
“Stay back for a moment.” He tucked Sienna behind him to peer out the back door. Sweeping his gaze over the people milling about and the cars driving back and forth, he didn’t see anyone suspicious.
Not that he’d recognize the shooter if he saw him.
Spying a group of college students coming down the street in their direction, he decided to use them as cover. “Let’s go.” He reached for Sienna’s hand and quickly escorted her to the car. The students barely glanced at them as they walked by.
Less than a minute later, they were on the road heading toward the precinct. Using his phone, he called Gabe. “Have either Rhy or Joe come back yet?”
“They’re five minutes out. Sounds like Cassidy found our escaped perp.” Zeke picked up on the hint of pride in Gabe’s voice. Their tech guru had a not-so-secret crush on Cassidy Sommer. “Do you want me to tell Rhy you’re on the way?”
“Yes. We’ll be there in ten.” Zeke was glad to hear the tactical team had come through again. Over the past few years, they’d made several significant arrests. Still, Rhy was always under pressure from Assistant Chief Michaels to rein in their budget. “Gabe, I may need your help to dig in to a guy by the name of Josh Allenton. It’s complicated because he’s a current resident of California, in the LA area.”
Gabe whistled. “Sounds like a challenge. If Rhy’s okay with it, I’m happy to see what I can come up with.”
“I’ll talk to Rhy. I’m sure he’ll go along with the plan.” At least, he hoped so. He glanced at Sienna. “Do you have Josh’s phone number?”
“Yes, I have it memorized.” Without hesitation, she rattled off the ten digits. The area code was that of Milwaukee, which surprised him.
“Why does Josh have a Wisconsin number?”
“He grew up here too. Up in Green Bay, but we met here in Milwaukee at the university. We were in the same choir group.” She shrugged. “Neither of us was really keen on getting a four-year degree in business or communications. Our blended voices garnered us a fair amount of attention. We decided to head to LA where we sang at various clubs. From there...” Her voice trailed off, and it took her a minute to continue. “Well, you know the rest. We ended up getting married. Less than two years later, our relationship slid downhill.”
“I see. I’m sorry to bring up a painful subject, but it’s important for me to know these things. I didn’t realize Josh would know his way around the city.”
“Yes, but I’m telling you, he’s not here,” she repeated stubbornly. “He’s in LA where he’ll bend over backward to make sure at least a dozen people can vouch for his whereabouts during the time frame of the shooting.”
“But that doesn’t mean he didn’t find someone else here in Milwaukee to do his dirty work,” he said calmly. “Maybe even someone he went to school with.”
Her jaw dropped. “You think so?”
“Yep.” The more he considered the possibility, the more he warmed to the idea. “I’ll need the names of Josh’s known associates from back then. His college roommate, the guys he hung out with.”
She blew out a breath. “I’ll try, but that was a long time ago.”
“Your life and Bailey’s depend on that information.” He didn’t want to scare her more than she already was, but he needed those names. “It wouldn’t be easy for anyone from LA, for example, to find their way around the city. And vice versa.”
“I’ll make a list.” She sounded more confident now. “I remember his college roommate was Brett Voss. I don’t know if Brett and Josh stayed in touch, though.”
“It’s a place to start.” He was thrilled to be able to give Gabe another name to work with. “Keep thinking back to those early days of your relationship,” he encouraged. “Maybe something else will come to you.”
“I know his old girlfriend was Analise. Analise Waverly.” She shrugged. “They were dating when we first started out. “
“Oh yeah? And how did it end?” he asked.
“Josh broke things off. I remember Analise wasn’t happy about it; she accused me of stealing her man.” Her expression turned grim. “She should consider herself fortunate to have escaped him.”
“Maybe you’ll get a chance to tell her that.” Analise was another person of interest to investigate. His earlier despair had been replaced with a cautious confidence.
Today was Tuesday. They had three days before Sienna would be standing on that stage performing in front of a crowd of strangers.
Three days to find the shooter and get the evidence needed to convict Josh of hiring a stalker to get custody of his daughter.
Sure , he thought sourly, piece of cake .
He pulled into the parking lot located along the side of the precinct. He covered Sienna as best he could, making a mental note to pick up more body armor while they were there.
At the rate things were going, he’d need it.
Too bad he couldn’t cover Sienna in Kevlar from head to toe while she performed. Or better yet, put up a bullet-resistant plate of glass to separate her from the rest of the crowd.
As they entered the building, he was glad to see Rhy stood near one of the desks talking to Joe. He took Sienna’s hand the way he would if they were truly engaged and headed toward them.
“Rhy, Joe, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Sienna Reynolds.” Zeke hoped he looked like a happy groom to be. “Sienna, these are my bosses, Captain Rhy Finnegan and Lieutenant Joe Kingsley.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Sienna said, her voice smooth as silk. “Zeke has told me so much about you.”
“Funny, we haven’t heard nearly as much about you,” Rhy drawled as he shook her hand.
“Yeah, congrats,” Joe said, when it was his turn to reciprocate.
“Oh, please don’t be angry with him. It’s my fault that Zeke has kept our relationship secret.” Sienna’s smile faded a bit. “I asked him to wait to say anything until all the details for my opening tour were set. I, uh, plan to announce the exciting news during my Thursday morning interview on the Milwaukee Morning show.”
“Is that so?” Rhy’s skeptical brown eyes latched onto his.
“Yes, it’s true.” He lifted their clasped hands. “I gave Sienna my mother’s engagement ring. She would be thrilled to know that Sienna and I have rekindled our love. Sorry to have kept you both in the dark.”
“Does this mean you’re leaving the team?” Joe asked.
“Oh no, absolutely not,” Sienna said, before he could respond. “Zeke and I both love the area. You know we grew up in Greenland, right?” Her laugh sounded genuine. “I’ve always had a crush on Zeke, and it turns out he felt the same way. It’s thrilling to know that we’ll start our new life together right here where it all began.”
Again, Rhy’s piercing gaze bored into his. He held his ground, hopefully hiding his true thoughts. He knew he could trust Rhy and Joe with the truth, but it seemed easier to go along with the engagement story.
At least, for now. He honestly wasn’t sure how long he could continue evading the truth, though. Having a fake engagement was a lot more difficult than he’d anticipated.
After a long moment, Rhy nodded. “That’s wonderful news, then. Congrats on your upcoming wedding.”
“Yes, absolutely,” Joe agreed. “When’s the big day?”
“Oh, ah, we’re waiting until Sienna has finished her tour.” He wished he’d taken more time to look at her schedule for future shows. He had no idea how long her tour was for.
“Yes, I finish up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with a Christmas program.” Sienna tightened her fingers around his. “We’re thinking maybe early next year.”
“Oh, wait! You’re that Sienna?” Joe’s expression lit up with recognition. “My wife, Elly, and I have been listening to your songs! Absolutely amazing.”
“That’s so sweet, thank you.” Sienna blushed, as if she wasn’t accustomed to hearing praise. “The glory goes to God, though, right? I have complimentary tickets to the show on Sunday if anyone is interested.”
“I am,” Joe said, raising his hand. “We’ll find a babysitter.”
“We are too,” Rhy echoed. “I know Devon would love to attend. Although, we’ll also need to find a sitter.”
Zeke wasn’t surprised the guys from were jumping on the chance to see Sienna’s show. “I’ll make sure everyone gets tickets,” he said. “But in the meantime, we could use a little help. Sienna’s ex-husband is causing some trouble. And we can’t go through the usual channels to get answers.”
Instantly, Rhy’s and Joe’s expressions hardened. “What’s going on?” Rhy asked.
“Please don’t let this information get out into the media,” Sienna said, still clinging to his hand. “I would like to keep this quiet unless there’s absolutely no other option.”
Joe and Rhy exchanged a look. “Fine with me,” Joe said. “Fill us in so we know what we’re up against.”
Zeke was humbled by how quickly Joe and Rhy jumped on board. It made him feel a little guilty for lying about their engagement. He did his best to push the regret aside. “The guy in question is Josh Allenton. He’s currently residing in LA but grew up in Wisconsin the same way we did. Sienna filed for divorce after he physically abused her, and she was granted sole custody of their daughter, Bailey.”
“Josh is now fighting for co-custody,” Sienna said. “And I think he’s behind several attacks on me. If he can convince the judge that some stalker is after me and Bailey would be safer with him, then I’ll lose the custody case. And that cannot happen. Josh doesn’t really care about Bailey or anyone but himself. He’s only doing this to hurt me.” There was a brief pause, before she added, “And it’s working. I’m worried sick over this.”
“Okay, first thing we need is to have Gabe begin digging into your ex-husband’s background,” Rhy said. “I doubt you’re the first woman he’s abused. If we can find others, that will help solidify your case against him.”
“I actually asked Gabe to do that on our way here.” Zeke quickly filled them in on various threatening notes along with the most recent shooting incidents. “Part of the problem is that Allenton comes from money. We believe he’s hired someone else to do his dirty work. I would like to think this guy he hired is just trying to scare us, but the gunfire at the Sinatra Music Center was a little too close for comfort.”
“Don’t suppose we can change the venue?” Joe asked.
“No, I’m under contract, and the first two shows are already sold out,” Sienna said.
“The good news is that her first show is Friday night, so we have a couple of days to find this guy,” Zeke said. “If we can get him into custody, I’m sure we can convince him to cooperate. He’ll face significant charges unless he tells us who hired him.”
“Yeah, I can see how that could work. But we could use more intel to go on,” Rhy said.
“I have a few more names to give Gabe,” he said. “And once we’re settled in the City Central Hotel, we’ll try to come up with additional leads.”
“Who’s watching your daughter now?” Joe asked, his gaze full of concern.
“Flynn agreed to come out to stay at the hotel with Bailey and my live-in nanny, Taylor,” Sienna said. “I truly can’t thank each of you enough for helping me through this. I—well, I obviously made a mistake in marrying Josh. The minute Zeke and I reconnected I realized how I never truly loved Josh. Marrying him was the worst decision of my life.” Her blue eyes reflected her sorrow. “But God graced me with the gift of a beautiful child. I can’t bear the thought of my daughter suffering because of my mistake.”
“Bailey is going to be fine,” Zeke hastened to reassure her. “Flynn won’t let anyone hurt her. Or your nanny.”
“Maybe we should check the nanny out too,” Rhy said.
“I did a quick background check, and she is a professional nanny, but I agree that Gabe should work his magic on Taylor Templeton,” Zeke said. Then he frowned at Rhy. “I hope you don’t get in trouble over this. We don’t have an official case file to show for Gabe’s time, and I know Michaels is always asking you to watch the budget.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Rhy waved off his concern. “We may eventually have to submit a case file, but for now, we’ll keep Gabe’s work on this under wraps.”
“Thank you very much.” Sienna’s voice was low and husky with emotion. “Zeke told me you wouldn’t hesitate to help. I appreciate your support more than I can say.”
“Hey, you’re marrying this guy.” Rhy slapped him on the back. “That makes you family. And in here, family trumps everything.”
“Yep,” Joe agreed. “We’ve got your back.”
“Thanks, guys.” Zeke smiled through his guilt. “I’ll get these names to Gabe, then we’ll head back to the hotel.”
“I’ll let Gabe know he can work on this for the rest of the day,” Rhy said.
Zeke nodded, then turned toward Sienna. Before he could lead the way to Gabe’s cubicle, she stepped into his arms and brushed a light kiss across his lips. “I love your family, Zeke.”
For the life of him, he couldn’t find his voice. In some remote part of his mind, he assumed Sienna was playing the role of his doting fiancée, sealing the deal for Rhy and Joe’s benefit.
But the potency of her kiss had fried his brain cells.
Making him wonder what it would be like if their engagement was for real.