Chapter 2
TWO
The gunfire ceased as the Barren Valley County Sheriff’s Department descended on scene outside the clinic. Colt stood and held out his hand for the woman beside him.
She swatted away his offered limb and cautiously rose, keeping her gaze on the brick building across the street.
“There!” Maren pointed to a tall figure emerging from the side of the building where the shots had originated. The person was dressed all in black with a baseball cap pulled low over their head, shielding their face.
Jolted into action, he and Rusk gave chase, aware of Maren and her Doberman hot on their heels.
“Halt, Police!” Colt yelled.
The suspect swung an automatic rifle in their direction and sprayed the sidewalk with bullets.
Colt scooped Rusk up with one arm, twisted away from the shooter to shield Maren and her dog, who dove to the side between two cars.
The pounding of feet had his gaze jerking back in time to see the shooter running away and rounding the corner. He clenched his jaw with frustration.
Focusing back on the officer, he studied her face. High cheek bones, soft blue eyes and honey brown hair highlighted with golden streaks. She wore dark pants, a navy blazer and a white blouse. He recognized the bulk of a bulletproof vest beneath the top. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, though there was a definite tremor to her voice. She stood. “You?”
He shook his head as his gaze snagged on a small cross necklace around her neck glinting in the sunlight. Apparently, the simple symbol of her faith was the only jewelry she wore. Not that he was looking at her ring finger.
But still, he noted the lack of a wedding band.
Her dog sat at her side, dark eyes watching him and Rusk. To Rusk’s credit, the pointer, usually high-strung and raring to go, remained calm though poised to take off at any second.
“Look, I’m sorry if I offended you earlier,” Colt said. “Help me understand what’s happening here. You’re the spitting image of the woman who just entered the clinic.”
Ignoring him, the K-9 officer and her partner hurried back the way they’d come and went straight to the sheriff, a big man wearing a brown uniform and cowboy hat.
Colt and Rusk trailed after them but kept a distance so she could give the sheriff her account of what happened.
The sheriff sent deputies into the building across the street.
Colt doubted they would find the perpetrator. But hopefully the sniper would have left behind brass to give them a clue.
The sheriff, whose name tag read Wallen, and the K-9 officer turned toward him as he and Rusk halted at the woman’s side.
“Sheriff Wallen.” Colt held out his hand. “DEA. Colt Dawson.”
The sheriff’s handshake was firm. “Maren here was telling me you showed up seconds after the shots were fired.”
“Yes, sir. I was down the street surveilling a suspect,” Colt said.
Maren. He liked that name. Strong. Stubborn. Like the woman who bore the name.
“What’s the DEA’s involvement here?” Maren demanded to know.
Arching an eyebrow, he said, “I received a tip-off that an associate of a drug kingpin who I’m trying to bring down was lying low in this fair town.”
“I wasn’t informed of your presence,” Wallen huffed.
“It was a last-minute operation,” Colt explained.
Though he’d had time to reach out to the local law enforcement, he wasn’t sure whom to trust. Colt had been on the case tracking Shadow for nearly a year, and the suspect, yet to be identified, always seemed to be one step ahead of the authorities.
Because he had moles within the justice system?
“You mentioned my sister by name,” Maren said. “What makes you think my twin is still alive?”
Surprise washed through him. Sisters. Twins. That explained the resemblance. “You saw her with your own eyes. Opal Anderson is not dead despite reports saying otherwise. She’s the girlfriend of an associate of one of the DEA’s most wanted criminals.”
Maren’s brow wrinkled as she digested this information. Colt’s gaze dropped to her bow-shaped mouth, tracing her full lips. Then he jerked his gaze up and met her blue eyes.
There was no way he was going to let a pretty face and an interesting personality infiltrate the barriers he’d erected around his heart. The last time he’d dropped his defenses, he’d paid the price.
Disconcerted by the unwelcome direction of his thoughts, he turned to the sheriff. “If you need anything else from me, give me a call.” He handed the sheriff one of his business cards. “I’ve a job to do. I need to find my suspect.”
Colt and Rusk strode away while he ticked off the seconds in his head. How long would it take for Officer Maren Anderson to catch up?
* * *
Seething, Maren watched the arrogant and irritating DEA agent heading for the clinic door, which now was just a metal frame with broken glass littering the sidewalk. The man stopped, patted his chest and the shorthaired pointer jumped into his arms.
If the agent thought he was going into the clinic without her, he was horribly mistaken.
“Sheriff, do you mind?” She gestured toward the clinic, the urgency and need to discover the truth returning. “I have to find out if Opal is alive. I need to see her.”
Empathy darkened his gaze. “Not at all. I know where to find you if I need you.”
“Come, Haven, we have a job to do.”
As she approached the door, from inside the clinic lobby, the DEA agent called out, “Watch your step. The glass is tricky.”
Making a face at his retreating back, she called back, “I’m aware.”
No way would she admit that she’d been distracted by her annoyance and might have charged into the building with Haven at her side without considering the danger to her dog’s paws until it was too late.
She needed to do better. Be better.
Taking a breath to prepare, she picked Haven up and carried her across the broken glass.
With each step, Maren tried to ignore the fact that the handsome and irritating agent had been looking out for her partner.
She didn’t need him or any man looking out for her or Haven. They were doing just fine on their own.
Her heart thudded within her chest at the possibility of finding her presumed dead sister inside this clinic. If it even was Opal, was she okay?
* * *
Colt stepped inside the clinic that appeared empty.
No one manned the reception desk, no patients sat in the waiting area.
Most likely everyone had taken care and found safe places to lie low, fearing the gunman would come inside.
Empathy spread through his chest. His gaze went to the back door of the clinic, which stood open.
Had someone fled out the back? Had Opal?
Maren, carrying her Doberman, entered the lobby. He was impressed by her strength since he had no doubt that dog was heavy.
When it was safe, she set the dog down and they moved to stand beside him.
“Everyone must be hiding,” she said and turned to walk down the hallway leading to empty exam rooms and offices.
He had to admit to himself, as they fell into step, that he was intrigued by the K-9 officer and her connection to the suspect. Sisters. No, twins.
Why hadn’t he known there was a sibling? A twin, no less.
A twin who was a cop.
He’d been too focused on finding Shadow to do a deep dive on Opal, even when he’d arrested her for drug possession on numerous occasions.
He wouldn’t admit, however, that he’d been upset to see Maren in danger. Not her specifically, he told himself. Anyone in danger. It scratched at an old scar. Reminded him of the one life he hadn’t been able to save.
They found a group of staff and patients huddled behind an overturned round table in the break room.
“It’s safe,” he said, using a gentle tone. “The shooter is gone.”
Several pregnant women were helped to their feet by nurses and doctors.
“What happened?” A formidable woman strode forward.
“Dr. Newton,” Maren said. “We’re not sure why someone was shooting at the clinic.”
Colt gave the officer a sidelong glance. “Or who the intended target was. It could have been Opal, but she’d already entered the building by the time the shooting started.”
The displeased glare Maren shot at him made him press his lips together to keep from allowing a snarky remark to pass. Maren obviously didn’t want to think of herself as being the target. But what other explanation could there be for the shooting?
“Excuse me, Doctor, we’re looking for a woman who looks like her—” He pointed a thumb at Maren. “Do you know where she is?”
The doctor shook her head. “Fran?”
An older woman with trendy glasses and the sides of her dark, salted hair shaved, stepped forward and stared at Maren. “Weren’t you here earlier?”
“I was,” Maren confirmed.
She was?
Curiosity piqued, Colt wanted to know what had brought the K-9 officer to the clinic. It hadn’t been pure coincidence that Maren and her sister were at the same place.
More questions bubbled in his mind. Was Maren at the clinic on police business as she’d claimed? Or was it more personal? Was she expecting? Just a checkup?
Or to meet her sister?
Suspicion reared. Was the officer telling him the truth about not knowing her twin was alive?
Shaking her head, Fran said, “Can’t say that I’ve seen anyone else who looks like you.”
Maren huffed out a breath. “We saw her enter the clinic just before the shooting.”
“I was getting coffee when I heard the gunfire,” Fran said with a shrug.
“Several people ran out the back door,” a nurse said in passing, confirming Colt’s earlier thought.
Frustrated that he’d missed his opportunity to corner Opal, Colt asked, “Can you check to see if you have any no-show appointments for the past half hour.”
Fran nodded and they followed her back to the reception desk. She checked her records. “As a matter of fact,” the receptionist said, “we have one. Anna Parker didn’t show. Or at least, she didn’t get checked in before the shooting started.”
Anna Parker. Must be the phony name Opal had given when she’d made the appointment.
Maren’s hands fisted on the reception counter. “What was she going to be seen for?”
Fran’s eyebrows hitched upward. The overhead light reflected off the silver-studded piercing in her left brow. “I can’t divulge that information. HIPAA and all that.”
Colt knew that without a warrant they wouldn’t obtain information on Anna Parker. But he could have a warrant within hours. If it meant bringing down Shadow, he would do whatever it took.
Though his goal of flipping his suspect was going to be delayed, Colt trusted that God would see justice done.
But at least he was one step closer by learning the alias his suspect was going by.
When he ran Anna Parker through the databases, what would surface?
And would the information lead him to Shadow?
Without another word, Maren headed for the lobby.
Clicking his tongue for Rusk to follow, they jogged to keep up, stopping at the edge of the scattered, broken glass. Going any farther would be dangerous for the canines.
“What are you really doing here?” he asked Maren.
She frowned as she picked up her dog. The Doberman looked heavy in her arms. “It’s a need-to-know matter, and you don’t need to know.”
Reining in his frustration, he patted his chest. Rusk sprang up and he easily wrapped him in his arms.
Maren walked out of the building.
Colt stayed close. “Look, we’re both working toward justice. Whatever it is you’re investigating has made you a target.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” Her eyes narrowed, the shade of blue deepening. “I have people who will watch my back.”
As they moved away from the clinic toward the parking lot, he asked, “And where are they?”
Irritation marched across her face. The woman was so easy to read.
She set the dog down. Her gaze swept the parking lot. “This was supposed to be a simple interview,” she said softly. “I didn’t think I would require—”
Taking pity on her, he gentled his tone. “Look, let’s just work together while we’re here. I told you why I’m at this clinic. The least you can do is quid pro quo.”
Maren heaved a sigh. “I can tell you that I’m investigating an illegal adoption scheme where three young mothers have been murdered and a pregnant teenager is missing. One of the suspects we believe to be involved may have worked at the clinic, which I confirmed.”
Shock reverberated through him. A violent baby smuggling ring? Who would do such a thing? Disgust filled his chest. He’d always considered the drug trade a deplorable industry, but the illegal buying and selling of babies…murder…?
No wonder someone was trying to keep the officer from her quest. His respect for Maren ratcheted up.
He decided, then and there, that sticking close to the K-9 officer was the right thing to do, because she needed somebody watching her back here and now.
She’d mentioned she had backup but they weren’t on scene at the moment.
Part of him looked forward to sparring with the pretty officer.
Not good, Dawson.
The last thing he needed was to let emotions of any sort cloud his judgment. He’d faltered on that score before, receiving a deep, scalding wound that had yet to heal. When it came to women, he didn’t seem to have any common sense. Best to just bolster his barriers so they couldn’t be breached.
He would keep things professional between them. He couldn’t forget his own agenda. Sticking close to Maren would lead him to Opal and to his ultimate goal of taking down Shadow.
He didn’t want to think about Maren and her twin getting caught in the cross fire.