Chapter Twenty-Six #2
She tucked the food and two pieces of pie into a bag and handed it to me just as the bell rang over the door. We both turned to see Gabe walking toward us, his badge around his neck, indicating that he was on duty. He rarely wore a uniform now that he was a detective.
“Hey, Gabe,” Ivy said. “Want some coffee?”
If you work for Bells Pass Protective Services, coffee and pie are on the house whenever you stop at the diner during your shift. Just another thing to love about Ivy Lund.
“Thanks, but I’m good. Headed home, but I noticed Jaelyn’s car and wanted to stop in and talk to her about the robbery a few weeks ago.”
“Did you catch him?” I asked, swiveling on the stool to give him all my attention.
“Not yet, but we may know who he is. I know you didn’t see his face, but if I show you a picture, can you give me your impression on height and weight?”
“Sure, I’ll try,” I said with a shrug, waiting while he opened a picture on his phone.
He held it out, and I took the phone, surprised to see a much older man than I had expected.
“Considering how thin and wiry the robber was, I had him pegged as much younger. This guy must be forty if he’s a day, but the rest fits,” I said. “He’s the right height and weight.”
Gabe flicked the picture to the left, where another appeared. “These are photos they took before his release,” he explained.
This time, the man was standing to the side, like a mug shot, but in full length.
His right side faced me, and I leaned in when I noticed something.
Enlarging the screen and focusing on his hand, I glanced up at Gabe.
“That tattoo. I remember it now. The way he was holding the knife partially covered the tattoo, but seeing his hand jogged my memory. This is him.”
Gabe took the phone back with a smile. “Excellent, thank you for confirming that.”
“Who is he?” Ivy asked. “Those looked like mug shots.”
“Parole shots,” he confirmed. “Luke West is his name. He was in for, this will shock you, armed robbery.”
“Didn’t see that coming,” I muttered with an eye roll, to which Gabe laughed.
“Unfortunately, he was released to a halfway house in Lakewood. He went MIA the night of your attack and hasn’t returned.”
Lakewood was a small town next to Bells Pass on the northern border. “Maybe he was just passing through and needed money to continue running?”
“That’s our thought as well, but until he’s caught, don’t walk around alone. Ivy, I don’t want you walking from the diner to home or with the kids alone in the dark. No employees should be approaching or leaving the diner alone in the dark either.”
Ivy glanced at him sharply. “Gabe, that’s going to be impossible. Between opening and closing, someone is always the first to arrive.”
“Then you make it clear that the first person to arrive waits in their vehicle until the second person arrives. I’m serious about this. We don’t believe he’s still in town, but until he’s caught, we can’t know that for sure. Stay alert. He’s officially a fugitive now, so treat him as such.”
“Could he walk in and try to rob a place?” I asked, to which Gabe nodded with a shrug.
“If he’s desperate enough, anything is possible.
Again, I don’t believe he’s still in Bells Pass, but better safe than sorry.
Our community connection officer spoke with the unhoused, and they said they hadn't seen anyone new hanging around. Since there aren’t abandoned buildings or anywhere to squat, I’m not sure where he would go other than to Saginaw to blend in. ”
“I’ll keep everyone safe here,” Ivy said. “Thanks for working hard to protect the community, Gabe.”
“It’s what I do,” he said with a shrug. “Where’s your other half, Jaelyn?”
“My other half?” I asked in confusion. “Oh! Major? He’s finishing surgery. I was taking food home for him.”
“Better do it or it will be cold,” Ivy said, accepting another hug and a thank you from me for all she’d done.
“I’ll walk you out,” Gabe said with a wave to Ivy.
He walked me to my car and held the bag while I unlocked the door. “I mean it about being careful. With all this snow, my guess is he’s bedded down somewhere, so we’re following leads on his family and friends from before his incarceration. Until we have him, don’t be reckless.”
“You think I do way more exciting stuff than I do, Gabe,” I said with a chuckle. “But I promise to be careful, and I’ll let Major know about the developments.”
“Thanks. Now that we have confirmation that he’s our guy, I’ll speak with the hospital admin and ensure that people are being escorted to their vehicles by security.”
“Chances are Major's going to lock me in his house and throw away the key until you catch the guy, so tick tock,” I teased, setting the food on the front seat.
Gabe’s laughter filled the night. “So, you’re saying that kiss at the gazebo was more than a one-off event?”
“You could say that.” It was the only answer I could give, since we hadn’t made it past the I love you stage to define our relationship.
Did we need to? Probably, since people were asking.
I didn’t know what word to use for who he was to me.
Calling him my boyfriend felt like I was assuming without both of us making that commitment.
Soulmate was more accurate, but few would accept that answer without an eyeroll and a snicker.
“He’s treating you right?” he asked, holding the door while I climbed in and got situated.
“Better than right, Gabe. He’s been nothing but kind since the day I met him. That hasn’t changed even if the rest of our relationship has.”
“Good,” he said with a nod as he closed the door.
I turned the ignition over and put the window down since I could tell he wasn’t done speaking.
“I’ll keep you posted on the hunt for Luke.
He doesn’t know who you are, so I don’t believe he has any reason to seek you out, but stay aware of your surroundings. ”
“You got it, Detective Dennison,” I said with a salute.
He tapped my door and stood up, walking away singing, “Jaelyn and Major, standing in the gazebo, K I S S I N G—”
Laughing, I closed the window and headed toward the man I would be more than happy to stand under the gazebo with again. First comes love, then comes…well, that is the question I needed answered by the man himself.
“Everything okay?” Jaelyn asked as I set my fork down and leaned back on the chair, exhaustion heavy after a long day. “I was surprised you had surgery so late.”
“I didn’t,” I admitted, rubbing my temples as I finished off my eggnog.
Rather than ask more questions, Jaelyn stood and cleaned up our dinner, then took my hand and walked with me into the living room.
Without a word, she pulled me down to the couch and wrapped me in a hug.
I grabbed her and held her to me, her warmth the balm I needed after the day I’d had.
The scent of apples, cinnamon, and evergreen filled my senses, and peace washed over me again for just a moment as I held her in my arms.
“Something bad happened?” she asked, to which I nodded against the top of her head.
“I did have surgery today, but the last three hours were spent meeting with the lawyer and admin about a case that didn’t go as planned.
It was the first case of the day, but I had to continue with the rest of the scheduled surgeries, so there was no choice but to postpone the meeting until I’d finished. ”
“Is the hospital in trouble?” she asked, gazing up at me.
“Thank you for not asking if I was in trouble,” I said, trailing a finger down her cheek.
“It would never cross my mind,” she promised. “You’re a good man and a good doctor. If something bad happened, it was out of your control.”
“It sure was,” I agreed. “To a degree, anyway. I should have insisted they do a better preoperative evaluation, but I didn’t, and the patient died on my table in the middle of a knee replacement.”
“Major, I’m sorry,” she whispered, cupping my cheek tenderly. “Heart attack?”
“Blood disorder that we didn’t know about,” I said. “I can’t say more than that.”
“Understood,” she said. “But if it was a condition the patient didn’t know they had and wasn’t detected on common tests, then even a more extensive evaluation may not have produced the result.”
“I agree, as does the admin, but I still feel horrible. I’ll be adding some other bloodwork to my surgical requirements now. Had I known, there were things we could have done to protect the patient.”
“With knowledge comes power,” she whispered, and I nodded. “Now you know, so you can use it to empower.”
“Empower, yes. That’s a better word than power. I love you.” I dipped my head for a kiss that instantly made me feel better. That’s what she did for me every time, and I’d be a lucky man to have the opportunity to kiss her until the day I took my last breath.
“How was your day?” I asked, rubbing her arm as she snuggled into my side. “Busy?”
“As always,” she chuckled. “Ran into Gabe at the diner, and they have the name of the guy who robbed us.”
“What?” I asked, leaning back to meet her gaze. She was serious. “Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”
“You looked like you needed dinner and a drink without any drama, so I bided my time,” she answered with a shrug. “You’re going to hear about it at the hospital tomorrow, so I was planning to tell you before bed.”
“Tell me now,” I ordered as she sat up and ran her hands through her hair to straighten it.
Now, when she wasn’t working, she left her hair down because she knew how much I loved to run my fingers through it.
I hadn’t asked her to do that and never would, but she told me it made her feel sexy and powerful when my fingers wound into her hair on a moan.
Now is not the time for those kinds of thoughts, dude.
“He brought in a photo of the guy to see if I recognized his weight and height, but instead, I recognized a tattoo on his hand that was visible in the photo.”
“The guy had a tattoo?” I asked, shocked. “You never mentioned it.”