Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1 (13 page)

The FBI agent opened the door for her to go into the hall first. As she emerged, she found Thomas and Jesse with Brutus waiting for her.

“Anything?” Thomas asked.

She shook her head. “I didn't know he was having an affair, and I'm glad he confirmed that Melinda and a man were arguing, but other than that I didn't get anything new.”

“Technically, according to Keats, he and Miss Prince were just friends.” Jesse smiled at her. “Ready to take Calvin for a ride?”

The warmth in his gaze shored up her flagging spirits. He used to do that when they were dating. Make her feel better. That was one of the many reasons why she fell in love with him. “I'd like to find the man who left Calvin, not only because he's probably the bomber but he poisoned the dog. I hope Calvin is the one who leads us to him. That would be apropos.”

Jesse placed his hand at the small of her back and made his way toward the rear exit. As Lydia emerged from the police station, a cool breeze blew, adding a chill to the air. Jesse continued toward her car, surveying the parking lot.

As she unlocked the driver's door, she paused while Jesse had Brutus circle her vehicle and sniff for a bomb and put him in the backseat. She panned the area, goose bumps streaking up her spine as if someone was watching her. Or was it just the fact Brutus had searched for a bomb in her car? She quickly slipped behind the steering wheel. The feeling made her want to lock herself in Jesse's house and never leave until this man was apprehended.

While she started the car, Jesse climbed into the passenger seat. “Is something wrong? You're pale. Did you remember something?”

“Do you always have Brutus do that when you get into a car?”

“Lately, since we began working on the bombing case.”

“He's valuable to have around.” She pulled out of the parking lot and chalked up the feeling to watching Brutus checking for a bomb.

“Yes. He saved my life yesterday. When I was waiting with Brutus for the ambulance, I thought of Jake Nichols and Mitch. They were both injured critically, but worse, their partnership has come to an end. I've been thinking about that a lot. That could have happened to me and Brutus.”

“What would you have done? Have you prepared yourself for that? You've been a partner for six years. Brutus is eight years old.”

Jesse blew a long breath out. “I don't think I want to talk about that. The very idea unsettles me, and I need to be sharp to catch this bomber. The idea of losing...” His voice faded into silence.

Lydia slanted a look toward Jesse. “The idea of losing anyone in your life is hard. I've had my share of losses. My mother and dad. My baby daughter.” She coated her dry throat. “And I'm afraid I'm losing my sister.”

“How have you gotten through it, especially with your child?”

How? And with no support from Aaron
. “I used to think the Lord had abandoned me after what happened between Aaron and me. My father certainly let me think that. But now, looking back, I've seen God's hand in my healing. It didn't happen overnight. It's been a long journey, but nothing is forever except for His love. I hope one day to have another child. Actually I hope two.”

“Two?”

She decided to be bold. “Do you want to have children?” As teenagers they had never talked about it.

Silence lengthened into minutes.

She should have realized that would shut down their conversation. She turned onto his street.

“Yes. Before I lost my parents, I had a good home life. I want to give that to my child.”

She wished he'd said
our
child, but of course he didn't. As a teenager it had taken him a long time to admit he loved her. Once he did, that was all he would share—the words, not the feelings behind them.

“What happened? Why didn't you ever marry?” She pulled into his garage.

* * *

Jesse sat in Lydia's car, staring out the windshield at his wall of tools. He grasped for the words to tell her how he felt as a child and especially after she left Anchorage with Aaron. It went beyond anger and betrayal. He didn't know if he could describe the emptiness he'd experienced.

He angled toward her. “I never found anyone to replace you.”

“I've regretted my impulsive actions so much. I've paid for that mistake tenfold. I still love you, Jesse. I don't think I ever stopped loving you.”

“And yet, you became pregnant with Aaron's child. It should have been mine.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could censor them. In that moment, he realized he hadn't forgiven her as he thought.

Her gaze wide, she sucked in a breath.

“I loved you so much. I thought you would be my family. The one I always wanted. Instead you left with Aaron. I... I...” The loneliness he'd fought all his life swamped him.

Tears shone in her eyes. “I'm sorry.”

“I know that, and I'm trying to let go of the hurt I felt. So much has been happening lately, I feel like our lives are caught up in a whirlwind and we can't get out of it.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

He needed her to understand. She had always accused him of keeping his emotions bottled up and she was right. “When my father went missing in the wilderness, my mother left me with our nearest neighbor who lived a few miles away and went out looking for him. It had been snowing some but nothing bad. The neighbor notified the closest town, and they were going to form a search party, but the weather turned and a blizzard came through. Later they found my mother dead. I still had hope my dad was alive. They both knew how to survive in the wilderness. A week later, his body was discovered, mauled by animals. I was eight and lost everything—home, family and friends. My grandmother wasn't well at all and couldn't take me in. I went into foster care in Anchorage.”

She touched his hand. “When my mother walked out on the family, at least my father was there.”

He clasped her fingers, needing the connection. “I was supposed to be adopted until the couple found a younger child. After that, I stopped dreaming about a new family. I began to rely on myself only. Then you came into my life, and I started to have hope again.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

His cell phone sounded, and he quickly answered it when he saw it was Thomas.

“The tail I had following Phillip Keats lost him. He didn't show up back at work.”

TWELVE

“T
hanks for letting me know,” Jesse replied and looked at Lydia. He lifted his hand and ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe the tear away.

The gesture sent her pulse racing. “Who was that?”

“Thomas. The detail following Keats lost him.”

Again she ran through the scene of seeing him at the table with a woman. She tried to remember when he got up. Did she see him leave?
Please
,
Lord
,
I need Your help. What am I forgetting
? “What are we going to do?”

“What we planned. If it's Keats, we need evidence to bring him in. Thomas has a BOLO out on his car as well as staking out the drugstore and his house. Meanwhile Thomas is digging into the man's life.” He caressed her cheek one more time. “When this is over with, we'll figure things out.”

“I want that.” She started to get out of her car.

“Wait. I'll get Calvin. Last night we bonded.” He threw her a grin and slid from the front seat.

While he was inside retrieving the American Eskimo, she turned to Brutus and petted him. “How are you doing?”

He barked.

Lydia had assumed he would put Brutus in the house when they came to pick up Calvin, but she realized with Phillip's location unknown he wanted him to check her car each time they returned to it. After Calvin was settled in the backseat with Brutus, she backed out of the garage and drove toward their first destination.

* * *

By the fourth one, Lydia tried to keep from being disappointed that no one at the shelters recognized Calvin nor had there been an adoption of an American Eskimo in the past six months. With a sigh, she parked near the entrance.

“I hope this produces a lead, but not all trails we follow lead anywhere. We have to rule this possibility out. For all we know the man had Calvin a long time.”

“That makes it even worse that he would give his dog chocolate in order to send the police on a wild-goose chase.”

“Let's go. We still have a few more to check. I told Williams to be at the house by one.”

“Where are you going after you drop me off?”

“Wherever Thomas sends me. He might have something on Keats by then or the lead on the Chevy behind the appliance store might give us some information.”

“What lead?”

“They found the car and Thomas is going to pay the man who owns it a visit. He looks like the sketch of the guy who was in the appliance store. At least his license picture does.”

“Who is it?”

“Shane Taylor. Do you know him?”

“No, but I'm glad the police have found him. One of these leads will pan out.”

They entered the shelter with both dogs on leashes. Jesse showed his badge and asked to talk to the staff members.

The silver-haired woman came forward. “What's this about?”

“It has to do with an investigation.”

Lydia walked a few steps toward the woman. “Have you seen this dog? We believe he was at a shelter, and we need to find his owner.”

“He looks a lot like Calvin. He was adopted a few weeks ago.” The American Eskimo started wagging his tail and moving toward the older woman. She bent over and stroked him. “Where did you find him? The man who adopted him seemed glad to get him. He wanted a medium-sized dog, and Calvin fit what he was looking for. Calvin's original owner died, and I was hoping he'd find a home, especially because of the owner's sudden death in the church's bombing.”

“Was that owner Ed Brown?” Jesse asked.

Surprise lit the manager's eyes. “How did you know?”

“I attend that church, and I knew the people who were killed. Do you have any security tapes of the person who adopted Calvin?”

She shook her head. “This is a small operation. Myself, DJ and a few volunteers are the only ones here usually.”

“Can you describe the man?”

The woman tilted her head to the left and tapped the side of her jaw. “Let me see. About six feet. He wore a hoodie, but I believe his hair was blond, not too long.”

Lydia recalled the man leaving the bistro had a hoodie on. “What color hoodie?”

“Dark. I think navy blue or black. I'm not sure. I did notice he had beautiful gray eyes though.”

“How old do you think he was?” Lydia asked.

The woman lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I guess thirty or forty.”

Jesse pulled up on his cell phone the sketch of the person Lydia ran into going into the bistro. “Does this look like the man who adopted Calvin?”

Her forehead crinkled. “Maybe. I don't know for sure.”

Jesse went through the rest of the sketches or photos he had. “Does anyone look familiar to you?”

“No, not really, but I'm not good with faces.”

“Did this DJ see the man?” Jesse stuck his phone in his pocket.

“No, he was at lunch. It was only me. The man came just minutes after DJ left.”

“Do you have his paperwork? Did he use a credit card or write a check for the adoption fees?”

The older woman shook her head. “Cash. Wait right here. I'll get the paperwork and make a copy of it for you.”

“Wait. I need to handle the paper. It's evidence now.”

The manager's eyes grew round as she headed into her office. “What did this man do?”

“He's a person of interest in a case.”

She pulled out a file cabinet and found what she was looking for.

“I'll need to take your fingerprints to rule out yours on the paper.”

“Sure.” She passed him the document.

“Did DJ ever handle this?”

“No. He has nothing to do with the paperwork.”

While Jesse went to the car to get his fingerprinting kit, Lydia looked around. “How many animals can you take in?”

“Not nearly enough. I have room for thirty and often need to turn away animals.”

“Do you work with a vet?”

“Yes, but he's only here from May to September. I need to find another one.”

“I'd like to volunteer.” Lydia dug her business card from her purse and handed it to the woman. “I can fill in from October to April.”

“Bless you. You are an answer to a prayer. Our vet just informed me he was going to start going to Arizona for winters.” She stuck out her hand. “By the way, I'm Nadine.”

“I'm Lydia.”

Nadine glanced at the business card. “Are you related to Robert McKenzie? He was a vet who died last year.”

“Yes. He was my father.”

“He used to help us out. It's like it's come full circle.”

Jesse reentered the office, bagged the adoption paper and fingerprinted Nadine. When they left the shelter, Jesse again had Brutus sniff for a bomb as though it were an everyday routine. But to Lydia, it drove home what was happening.

Lydia put the car in Reverse as he lifted the paper out of the evidence bag by pinching one corner with his gloved fingers. “Guess who adopted Calvin? Sam Alexander.”

“The guy you found already dead in the house that exploded.”

“Yes. Let's drop the evidence off before going home. We'll have to dig into Alexander's life. He can't be the bomber because he was dead from a drug overdose about two weeks before the bomb went off in his house.”

“He could have bombed the hardware store.”

“But that would mean someone killed him and continued bombing. Maybe he had a partner and they had a falling-out.”

“But why?” Lydia massaged her temples, trying to make sense of what was going on. The Sam Alexander who adopted Calvin had to be wearing a disguise, so he could have been working with the bomber.

“I wish I had an answer to that. Then I would know who was behind all this.”

By the time they arrived at the police station, Lydia's head throbbed. Before Kate came home from school she needed to lie down and catch up on the sleep she'd been missing. She wished she could stay in the car while Jesse went inside, but the memory of that feeling of being watched earlier reinforced her fear of being alone.

* * *

Lydia lay on the bed at Jesse's house, but no matter how much she wanted and tried to take a nap, she couldn't. It was good to get out for a while today, but she couldn't shake the feeling she was a target with a big, red bull's-eye on her. After listening to Phillip talking with Thomas and Jesse, she'd felt she was missing something. It was inside her mind, locked away, and she couldn't find the key to open it.

Maybe it was the fact she told Jesse she loved him and still everything was unsettled. What had she thought he would do—declare his love back?

She stared at the white ceiling, silence surrounding her. Jesse and Don were in the kitchen the last time she saw them going through the evidence, hoping something would jump out at them. Thomas had come back with the results of the fingerprints on the adoption paper.

No match in the database but Sam Alexander didn't have a record. Thomas had discovered Sam would have had access to the C-4 at his construction job. So it was possible he was tied to the bomber in some way, but sorting through the rubble of his house after the bomb would take a while.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and suddenly the door burst open. Kate charged into the room and flounced onto the bed, letting her backpack slip to the floor.

“Did something go wrong at school?” Lydia prepared herself for an onslaught of anger.

“Connor. When I left today, I saw him talking to Mandy and they disappeared down the hallway.” Kate twisted toward her. “He gets tired of me telling him I can't do anything. He can't even come over here. You've made it plain he isn't welcome.”

Here, it comes. It's all my fault
.

Kate chewed on her bottom lip. “I don't think he cares about me as much as he says he does. We had a big fight about me not being able to see him after school. Why would he go with Mandy? I tried calling him. He didn't answer.” Tears began streaming down her sister's face.

Lydia sat up and scooted toward Kate. “I'm sorry. If he can't understand why you can't be there right now after school, then maybe he isn't the boy for you.”

“He should know. He was here the other day and knows what's happening to you.”

“It can be hard to put yourself in another's shoes. Maybe he knows on some level, but doesn't really get it.”

Kate pulled out her phone. “All I can say is he better text me. Soon.” She knuckled the tears away and rose, heading for the hallway.

There was a part of Lydia that would love to relive her senior year, so she could undo what had gone wrong. But there was a part that was so glad she wasn't a teenager anymore, especially as she saw what Kate was going through.

She reclined back on the bed. Thoughts of Connor and Kate arguing morphed into visions of the dream she'd had about Melinda arguing with her boyfriend
. It was her boyfriend, I remember that now. But why can't I see what he looks like? What did Melinda tell me after they talked?

Then a faded image materialized in her mind. Shadowy. Down at the end of the hall at the bistro, hand on doorknob. He glanced back at her and she met his—cold, gray eyes. That was all she could see. What did he look like? Why was he leaving the restaurant that way?

She lay there for a while longer, but nothing else appeared—a vague person with gray eyes. Was it the man she ran into as she came into the bistro? If so, why was he in the hallway?

Exasperated, she pushed to a sitting position. She felt as though she were going crazy. Bits and pieces of information floating around in her mind, but nothing came together into a whole picture. People's lives depended on her remembering.

A dark screen fell over her thoughts and shut everything out.

Frustrated, she stood and decided to find Jesse. She needed a distraction.

As she walked through the living room, Kate sat on the couch talking to Connor. She lowered her voice as Lydia made her way into the kitchen.

Jesse looked up at her and grinned. “Thomas discovered that Sam Alexander had an older man visit him several times in the past month and that Alexander did get a dog but it hasn't been seen in a while.”

“Who? How did he find out?” Lydia sat across from Jesse with Don next to her.

“From the neighbor who wasn't home. This morning Thomas was able to talk to the couple before they left for work.”

“What did the older man look like?” Lydia hoped this would lead to the bomber.

Jesse's smile grew. “That's the best part. The husband identified him from the sketch of the man with Calvin at the animal hospital, except according to the neighbor, this ‘Mr. Jacobs' didn't have a limp and could get around with no problem.”

Moving like a younger man. Lydia could see why Jesse was excited. They were getting closer to the bomber and his true identity. “So he called him Mr. Jacobs?”

“No. He didn't know the man's name. Thomas checked with some of the other neighbors and another said they had seen an older man come and go from Alexander's house. This past month or so.”

“So do you two think the bomber got his C-4 from Sam?” Lydia looked from Don to Jesse.

“Maybe. Thomas is coming over to fill us in on a couple of other developments.” Jesse studied her for a few seconds. “Leads are starting to produce some results.”

The doorbell rang, and Don hurried to answer it.

“You okay?” Jesse held her hand. “Mary told Williams when she escorted Kate to the house that she was extremely upset when Mary picked her up at school.”

“Boyfriend problems. Connor wants her to spend more time with him.”

“Since he's been here already, he could come over after school, on the weekends, if you think that will make things easier.”

The more she saw of Connor the more Lydia likened him to Aaron. She prayed her sister didn't do something stupid like she had. When she'd tried to have a conversation with her sister about sex, Kate shut her down. Dad had already given her the talk, and she didn't intend to go through that embarrassing subject again.