Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1 (7 page)

Lydia knelt on the floor and peeked under it. Two sets of eyes stared at her from the dimness. “Charlie is with Cheri. I didn't put them in the bedroom. The intruder must have.” She pulled Cheri out and Charlie followed until he spied Jesse with Brutus and then he dashed out of the room.

Lydia rose with Cheri in her arms and sank onto her bed. “Thank God he didn't kill them. I don't know what...” Her voice quavered, making the rest of the sentence difficult to finish. She hugged Cheri against her, her eyes watering. What could have happened hit her like an avalanche, and this time she couldn't contain the emotions overwhelming her.

Jesse sat next to her, his side pressed against hers as though to let her know he was there for her. She wasn't alone. She buried her face in Cheri's long fur as she struggled to stop the tears slipping down her cheeks. She appreciated Jesse's silence because he knew how she felt about crying in front of others. She'd always fought not to, even when she attended her father's funeral and Kate had bawled in her arms. As the older sibling with a grieving father, Lydia had learned to shut her sorrow down quickly after her mother left.

Cheri's purrs calmed her, and she drew in deep breaths to compose herself. “I start thinking about what could have happened to my animals or Mitch if circumstances had been different.”

“And you. I want you to pack your clothes. After Officer Williams checks the perimeter, he's going to pick up Kate from school a little early. I'll need you to call the school and let them know. Then she'll need to pack, and we'll get out of here. I'm not sure they'll find anything, but I'm going to have the crime scene techs here to check. Do you remember if he had on gloves?”

The vision of the knife in the intruder's hand materialized in her mind. “Yes, black ones. Not thick winter ones.”

“I'll still have them go through and take latent prints where they can.” His gaze latched on to the revolver on the bedside table. “Also go over the gun. See if there are other prints beside yours on it. And if he was here before you came home from the hospital maybe he left something or took something that would give us a clue.”

“So you think he took the bullets?”

“Unless Kate did. Probably.”

“I'll ask Kate about that, but I don't think she'd have done it.”

“Which means you might have had an intruder before today who went through your possessions.”

So she hadn't overreacted. “Why?”

“I can only speculate.” Jesse twisted toward her and framed her face with his large hands. “Why would he be going around bombing different places in Anchorage? Or, why would he go through your belongings? Maybe to get a sense of you. We may never know. Not all people think in a normal, logical way. Their reasoning won't make sense to us.”

“Is there any way the person in my house was a robber and had nothing to do with the bombings?”

“Have there been any break-ins around here?”

“Not that I've heard of.”

“It's possible, but usually when they break in, we can tell. This person didn't. We need to proceed as if the guy behind the bombings either came himself or sent someone.”

“To kill me,” she finally said aloud.

Frowning, Jesse nodded.

A shudder rippled down her body. “Then I'd better remember what he thinks I know. Somehow I must have seen him, but there were a lot of people there that day in the bistro, coming and going.”

“You will.”

“How can you say that? You don't know for sure.”

“Yes, I do. I've been praying you will.”

She twisted around, leaning back as she looked at Jesse. “When you were in high school, you never went to church. What happened?”

“I blame Thomas. After you left, he dragged me to his church. At first I didn't pay much attention to what Pastor Paul was saying, but slowly the words began to sink in. My faith has helped me make sense of all the evil I see in this world. If I didn't have the Lord to fall back on, I'm not sure I could be a police officer.”

“And I did the opposite. I went to church all the time here, but when I left Anchorage, I grew further away from my faith. After losing my baby and Aaron's betrayal, I was struggling just to get through each day. Working a full-time job and going to college took all my time. I'd come home and collapse on the bed.”

“I'm sorry you went through that.”

She tilted her head to the side and tried to read the true meaning behind those words. “Do you really feel that way? You have every right to say, you made your bed and now you have to sleep in it.”

Jesse looked away from her. “I'm not going to tell you I wasn't angry. I was. I felt betrayed. It took a long time to get beyond those feelings.”

“I'm sorry.” She touched his arm, needing the tactile contact with him.

“You should come to church. Pastor Paul is such an inspiration.”

“I might, but wasn't your church the one that was bombed?”

“Yes, but that won't stop Pastor Paul. We'll have service in the part that still remains. If you want I'll take you this Sunday.”

The invitation took her by surprise—a reversal of roles from when they were teenagers. “I'd like that.”

“Good.”

His smile warmed her and gave her a seed of hope that they would at least become friends again. “You never said what happened when you and Brutus went after the intruder. Did Brutus find his scent?”

“Yes, but we were a minute or so too late. I saw a man dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans riding away on a motorcycle. I only got a glimpse before he went around a curve on the trail in the woods. Brutus went after him, but the intruder had a good head start. I ran after Brutus and had to call him back. I think he would have raced after the bike until he dropped.”

“Sounds like you had a good workout.”

“You could say that.” Jesse pushed off the bed and faced her. “I'm walking through the house with Brutus while you pack. Don't forget to call the school. Williams should be through and on his way to pick up Kate.”

Lydia watched the pair walk from her room with Cheri hot on their trail. She was a busybody, always wanting to know what everyone was doing in the house while Charlie hid.

After calling the school, she retrieved a piece of luggage and began filling it with clothes. She wanted to take her dad's gun, and she needed some ammunition, which was in the hall closet. The door was ajar—no doubt Charlie's handiwork. He was a master at opening them if they weren't totally latched. As she swung it wide, Charlie darted out of another one of his favorite hiding places and charged toward the living room.

As she reached for the box of ammo on the top shelf, a loud crash filled the air.

SEVEN

C
harlie raced from the living room and down the hallway. Lydia grabbed the box of ammunition, then strode to the entrance of the room, almost afraid to see what happened. A ceramic lamp lay on the wooden floor, shattered into several pieces. Mitch sat by the mess with Cheri next to him. Jesse came from the dining area with Brutus.

Jesse kneaded his nape. “Maybe I should have left Mitch in the kitchen, but Cheri kept whining and scratching on the door. I gave in when Mitch began whining, too.”

“Who did this? Did you see?” Lydia moved toward the busted lamp.

“Charlie. I think Mitch was trying to be friendly and Charlie jumped up on the table to get away.” Jesse joined her and stooped to pick up the pieces.

“He tries to go to high ground.”

When Jesse reached for a second shard, his hand paused for a few seconds. “Here take this one.” He passed her the first chunk, then took the second one and examined it. “This is a bug. And not the kind that crawl around.”

Lydia stared at the small device on the underside of the lamp, too shocked to say anything.

“I'll get a bug detector out here and see if there are more. Do you have a paper sack?”

She nodded and hurried into the kitchen to grab one.

When she returned, Jesse had on latex gloves. He carefully put the sections of the lamp into the bag. “There might be latent prints on this that aren't mine or yours.”

The events of the day caught up with her. She collapsed on the couch nearby, trying to assimilate what was going on. It had been bad enough an intruder was in her house, but to have someone listening to what she had said unnerved her even more. “If Charlie hadn't knocked it over, we would never have known.”

Jesse set the sack on the coffee table and sat next to Lydia. “The crime scene techs would probably have found it.”

“When will they be here?”

“Half an hour. Kate should be here soon, then we'll leave when they show up.”

“Will Kate be allowed to go to school?”

Jesse rose and pulled her to her feet and headed for the porch. “We don't know how many bugs he planted or where.”

“I didn't think about that.”

“To answer your question, Kate isn't the target. I'll discuss it with Thomas, and if he thinks it's okay, I don't see why not. Over the years schools have become more secure because of school shootings.” He cocked a grin. “And I have a feeling Kate wouldn't want to be locked in a house indefinitely. She'll have to have an escort, though, to and from.”

“Where will we be?”

“My house. I told Thomas if I'm going to be the lead on your detail I want a place I know has a top-notch alarm system and neighbors who are vigilant. Several other police officers live on my street.”

“You're the lead on my detail? You didn't even want me to call you a few days ago if I remember correctly.”

“Can't a guy change his mind?”

“Well, yes, but—”

Officer Williams pulled into the driveway. Kate stalked toward them, zeroed in on Lydia and headed for her with Officer Williams right behind her. The poor man must have gotten an earful because Lydia knew that thunderous look on Kate's face.

Kate tossed her backpack onto a porch chair. “We're leaving here? Why?”

Stay calm. Losing my temper won't make the situation any better
. “Because someone was in our house today when I returned home from the animal hospital. He had a knife, but I managed to get into my bedroom and lock the door.” Lydia slanted a look at Jesse. “The autopsy of the waitress indicates she was murdered. Jesse was already on his way here, and Thomas dispatched a patrol car until Jesse could arrive. If they hadn't, I don't know what would have happened.” Her voice remained even, but her stomach roiled and the muscles in her back and neck tensed as she thought of her near miss.

Color drained from her sister's face, and her mouth hung open. “In our house? How?”

“We think he had a key. Where is yours?” Jesse rose from the couch.

Kate moved to her backpack and dug into a side pocket, then held the key up. “It's a new lock. We haven't had these long.”

Lydia shoved to her feet and closed the space between her and Kate. “There's a chance he had access to the one that Bree brought me at the hospital.”

“But you had yours when you came home.”

“He could have had it copied.” Jesse indicated for Officer Williams to follow him.

When they were gone, Lydia faced Kate. “I don't like this any more than you do. You'll be escorted to and from school until this guy is found.”

Kate stomped toward the front door and went inside. “You're kidding! When can I see Connor?”

“Never” almost slipped from Lydia's mouth, but she knew that would make the teen even more attractive to Kate. She followed her sister into the house. “We'll see. I'll have to talk to Jesse about that, but in the meantime, don't let anyone know where we're staying. If someone asks you, just say a safe house.”

Kate huffed. “I didn't even witness anything. I'm not the one the bomber is after. Why am I being restricted?”

“Because I would worry. We don't know what this maniac is thinking. By what he's done so far, he certainly isn't rational and sane.” She didn't care if he'd bugged her house and heard what she thought about him.

“Go on TV and make a statement that you have no memory of the bombing. Then he'll leave you alone.”

“Again, we don't know that.” Lydia wanted to hug her sister. In all her bluster, she could tell Kate was worried, because she was twirling her long, sandy-colored hair. She did that when she was nervous or upset. “We can talk more after we move. You need to pack a bag. I'll feel better when we're at...our safe place.” She surveyed the living room, her gaze pausing on where the lamp had been. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to come back even after the man was caught. He was in her house, possibly twice, and obviously got in easily.

“Okay.” Kate started to turn toward the foyer, stopped and swung back around. She threw her arms around Lydia, then hurried toward her room.

The hug brought tears to Lydia's eyes and gave her hope that somehow their sisterly bond could be renewed. Their relationship had been strained, especially ever since Connor came into Kate's life three months ago.

* * *

Later that evening, Thomas sat with Lydia and Jesse at Jesse's kitchen table while Lydia's sister was in the bedroom they shared, probably video-chatting with Connor. The other police officer who would be guarding them through the night would be arriving in the next hour.

“So how is this going to work?” Lydia shifted her attention from Jesse to Thomas. “I'm going to have to tell Kate something. Thankfully other than that initial outburst, she has been quiet. I told her she would be escorted to and from school, but otherwise she needed to be here. She wasn't happy about that. She wanted to know how she was going to see Connor.”

“Young love. They tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to each other. All they want is to be together, no matter what.” Thomas put his notepad on the table.

“You've described Kate and Connor's relationship accurately. But she'll get to see him at least at school.” Lydia could remember how she'd felt about Jesse when she was her sister's age. She'd always wanted to be with him. Those feelings could be intense, whether they lasted or not.

Thomas's lips set in a tight line. “I do have one stipulation. Since tomorrow is Saturday, I'll be meeting with the principal and going through their security precautions. I know they have more in place since the second bomb went off. But Kate will have to agree to have the officer escort her to and from the building.”

“She won't like that. Is it possible to have a young female officer and not have her dressed in a uniform?” Lydia could already imagine what Kate would say.

“That can be arranged, but I like the idea of a uniformed cop with you at all times. I want to make this as painless as possible, but I want that guy to know you are being protected. If you go to work, there'll be two with you. The person taking Kate to school will join you at the animal hospital and be in the reception area. All outside doors except the main one will be locked, and you'll also have a police officer by your side at all times.”

“Even when I operate on an animal?”

Thomas nodded.

“Who?” Lydia looked toward Jesse. “You?”

“No, I'm going to be investigating the case while you're at work, then take over after that. We're doing two twelve-hour shifts.”

“When are you going to sleep?”

Jesse's golden-brown gaze gleamed, totally directed at her as if Thomas weren't even in the room. “Don't worry. I'll get my sleep. The department can only spare four officers right now. Although the cooks haven't been threatened like you, we have to give them protection, too. The bombings have really taxed our resources. We're asking for some help from the state police because I'd like to have two-person teams on eight-hour shifts. I'm hoping one of them is Chance O'Malley. You're familiar with him since he's involved in search and rescue. Hopefully that can be arranged by the time you go to work on Monday.”

She was
not
going to melt at that look that made her feel so special. In high school he'd do that in the one class they'd shared. She didn't even know how she made an A in the subject. “Good. The more people I know around me the better.”

“You're taking this awfully calm,” Thomas interjected.

“You should have seen me when Officer Williams and Jesse first showed up. There was nothing calm about me. Will Officer Williams be one of my guards?”

“Yes. He requested it.” Thomas leaned forward and looked at his pad. “Here's what we know. The fragments of the bomb found at the bistro are similar to the other two that went off at the church and hardware store. C-4 plastic explosives were used, but the one difference between the first two and the bistro is the amount. The bomb was more powerful at the bistro.”

“We finally have an array of photos of all the victims,” Jesse said. “We thought if you take a look at them, you might remember something—someone you saw who isn't among the pictures. Then you can describe the person to our artist. We have some other leads that we're developing into sketches. Bree is doing what she can. We're trying to track down people who left before the bomb went off.”

Lydia closed her eyes and tried to visualize the bistro before she went to the restroom. Who was there? Anyone who left at that time? But all she saw was Melinda's look when the laughing track sounded. She couldn't seem to get past that. “I'll do what I can, but I don't know if I'm ever going to be a help to you.”

Jesse began lining up the photos of the victims on the table. “Relax. If you can't, then you can't. Look at each one. Do you remember seeing them?”

Relax? The first picture she homed in on was of Melinda, smiling as she so often did while greeting customers. Everything else vanished. Her vision blurred, and she looked away. Flashes of the explosion like a strobe light raced through her mind.

Jesse put his hand over hers. “It's okay. You take all the time you need. If you want, we can do this tomorrow morning before we go see Jake at the hospital.”

“You two are going to see him?” Thomas asked.

Until he had said that, Lydia again felt just she and Jesse were the only two in the room. His comforting touch centered her in the here and now. “Yes, now that he's stable, I want to take Mitch so he can see he'll be all right.”

“Good. He needs something to cheer him up. I know what a special bond an officer and his K-9 develop.” Thomas closed his notepad. “We have a few leads we're running down, Lydia. You aren't the only one. The C-4 is homemade so we're looking at the ingredients and places that sell them. We're going through all the videos at the hospital, trying to find a better photo of the orderly. We're looking for a vehicle that might have been the getaway car from the last bomb site.”

“When is Melinda's funeral?” Lydia needed to say goodbye to her friend.

“The family is planning a memorial service at the end of next week. We're going to be there filming it to see if people who go are on some of the surveillance tapes we have.” Thomas rose. “But we're hoping we catch the guy before that.”

Lydia latched on to Melinda's photo again. “I need to go to the service.”

“I think it'll be all right. They're holding it at a park, and we're covering each service for the victims, even staking the place out beforehand and having a bomb dog go through before it starts. Now, I'd better go. I know it's been a long day for you.”

Lydia started to stand, but Jesse clasped her shoulder. “I'll see Thomas out and be right back.”

While she waited for Jesse to return, she picked up the nearest picture and studied it. She knew the woman. She was one of the regulars. By the time he came into the kitchen and refreshed his coffee, she'd singled out a few more familiar faces, all regulars like the woman.

“Would you like another cup of tea?” Jesse placed his mug on the table.

She shook her head.

He sat next to her. “Who are these people?”

“The ones I don't know or remember seeing.” She waved toward the group segregated off to the side. “These people I know, but honestly I don't necessarily remember them there that day except for Melinda.” She stared into his warm, kind eyes. “What's wrong with me? I should be able to identify more than Melinda.”

“When you go through a trauma, you often shut the incident out. You don't want to relive it.”

“No, but I've been trying. I need to. The more I think about it, I believe I saw something.” Lydia massaged her temples. “But my mind isn't cooperating.”