MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) (34 page)

“Liz, you know him better than anyone. If you think something’s off, then it is. What’s giving you that feeling?”

Liz thought for a moment. “I guess it’s that he’s too passive. When Skip said to stay in the truck, he just accepted it. And not the way he usually would when someone makes sense, where he’d think about it for a moment and then nod. He just sat there and waited, like we were stuck in traffic.”

“Which definitely isn’t like him. But it could be a temporary thing.” Kate tried to sound reassuring as she patted Liz’s hand, but she was worried herself now. It sounded like Rob was dissociating. She downplayed this some to Liz. “He may be spacing out a little because it’s all too much. Let me know if you notice anything else that seems off, okay?”

“Okay. You too. Your eye is trained to pick up on this stuff better than mine.”

Rose came back into the room. “Basic pipe bomb. Similar materials to the remnants they found in your car, Kate, after…. Anyway, pretty crude. Hooked up to a simple timing device. Set to go off at midnight.”

Kate and Liz both gasped and grabbed for each other’s hands. At midnight, they would have all been in the house.

“Lou’s getting a bonus!” Liz said. “But how’d the killer know we were bringing Rob home today?”

Kate shook her head. “The assumption would be the doctors would keep him awhile longer. The perp may have been trying to take out the rest of us, so he or she’d have a clear shot at Rob when he got out of the hospital.”

“Lieutenant authorized more protection,” Rose said. “Two officers on you and two on Rob and Liz. Should be here soon.”

“Wait a minute,” Kate jumped up. “I haven’t heard from Ben in awhile. He’ll know if Cheryl’s been hanging around your house.” She pulled out her phone and dialed Ben’s cell number.

After several rings, a groggy voice said, “Hello.”

“Ben?”

No response.

After a few seconds, she said again, “Ben? Are you there?”

“Yeah. This Kate?” His voice sounded strange.

“Yes. Where are you?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I think I’m in a hospital, in one of those little cubicles in an ER.”

“Oh my God!” Kate sank back down onto the sofa, clutching the phone. “What happened?”

“Good question. Last thing I remember was seeing something moving around that lady’s slider to her patio. Thought she might have spotted me watching her place and was trying to sneak out that way through the bushes. So I went to investigate.”

“Are you okay?”

“Guess so. Got a big lump on the back of my head. One hell of a headache. But, don’t worry, I’ve got a thick skull.”

“What time did all this happen?” Kate asked.

“Just after three. I’ll head back over to her place now.”

“No. You stay put until the doctors have checked you over thoroughly. Then go to the Franklins’ house. Lou’s there by himself.” Kate told him about the bomb. “Keep me posted on what the press is doing, will you?”

She was telling Liz and Rose what had happened to Ben when the doorbell rang. Kate went to answer it, Rose trailing after her. Kate groaned as she looked through the peephole. “Our extra protection is here. The good news is, one of them is Officer Young. The bad news is the other’s Trudow.”

“I’ll talk to them.” Rose opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, motioning for Skip to take her place inside.

Kate filled Skip in. “Not like Ben to let a woman get the better of him,” he was saying when Rose came back inside.

Kate said, “Yeah, but he may have underestimated her
because
she’s a woman.”

“Timing’s a little tight,” Rose said. “But she could’ve gotten to the house and planted the bomb before your dad and Lou got there. All Phillips told Calvin and Trudow was the protection’s been beefed up. So I took the liberty of telling them the lieutenant no longer buys Phillips’ theory, and we’re to assume there’s a real threat out there.”

“Do you really think the lieutenant believes us now?” Liz asked.

“Probably, but don’t know for sure. But then neither does Trudow.” Rose flashed a small grin.

“Anybody but Trudow,” Kate said.

“May be a case of better the devil we know. He seems to think I outrank him. Guess that’s something else he doesn’t know, that I’ve only been on the job a few months longer than him.”

Mac arrived, getting past Trudow with a minimum of growling and posturing back and forth. Kate’s grumbling stomach reminded them that the burgers were getting cold.

As they started to eat, Rose said, “Seems to me our perp is doing that decomposing you were talking about the other day, Kate.”

Kate grinned. “Decompensating, but decomposing isn’t a bad way of describing it either. I agree. But you tell me your reasoning first, Rose.”

“This attempt with the bomb wasn’t very well thought out. And the method of attack keeps changing.”

“But that’s been the case all along,” Liz said.

“Rob’s escape might have made the killer more desperate,” Kate said. “And the attack on Ben definitely points toward Cheryl. The changing
modus operandi
would fit with her. There may be several alters involved, and they each have their own preferred method of attack. I think it’s time to set some kind of trap to see if she takes the bait.”

“What bait we gonna use?” Mac asked.

Kate took a deep breath. At least her father was out of earshot, so she could deal with one protective male at a time. “I think it has to be me.” Then she quickly added, “I know there’s some risk involved, but we can’t go on like this forever. We need to be more proactive, or eventually the killer’s going to get to one of us again.”

To her surprise, Mac didn’t argue. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Gonna need a surefire plan. We take this woman down before she gets anywhere near you.”

Kate nodded. That sounded like an excellent idea to her.

“You’re gonna need more shootin’ practice, sweet pea.”

She grimaced. “Why? I thought you just said I wasn’t going to be the one to take her down.”

“Just in case. You’re gonna have that .32 on you. And you’re gonna know how to use it.”

Rose said, “Amen.”

With another grimace, Kate shrugged her acceptance.

“Where do you shoot, Mac?” Rose asked.

“Out in the boonies. Northern part of the county. Took her once before. Lousy shot.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rose said.

Mac scowled at her. “Don’t remember invitin’ you.”

Kate reached over and punched him in the shoulder. “Stop trying to stick her pigtails in the inkwell, Mac. She’s coming.”

Rose’s eyebrow went up.

“
Anne of Green Gables
,” Kate prompted.

“Girl, you gotta learn how to read.” Mac’s tone was derisive.

“I know how to read. Just don’t have time.”

“Important. Make time.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that, right after I save Kate’s and Rob’s lives!”

Liz interrupted their spat. “May I suggest we
all
get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow morning we’ll plan how to set this trap.”

Kate groaned inside. So much for a day of normalcy. “I think you and Rob should stay here tonight,” she said. “Hopefully the press will have lost interest by tomorrow.”

“And tomorrow afternoon,” Rose said, “we take you target practicing, Kate.”

This time she groaned out loud.

CHAPTER THIRTY

As Kate had suspected it would be, the war council the next morning was long and intense.

She was relieved to see that, after a good night’s sleep, Rob seemed more grounded.

Skip made pancakes for everyone. Over breakfast around her kitchen table, Kate summarized their investigations for Rob’s benefit. “Recent events have made Cheryl our number one suspect,” she concluded. “So I think we need to set a trap for her. She’ll either step into it or not. And if she doesn’t, then we can investigate the others some more.”

Rob turned toward her. “I could work late again. See if we can lure her into taking another crack at me.”

Behind his back, Liz was emphatically shaking her head. Kate wholeheartedly agreed. No way were they putting Rob at risk again. “Well, I don’t know how realistic that would look. You’re in the hospital, and just a few days later you’re working overtime, and unguarded?”

Liz quickly added, “Cheryl would realize you aren’t that stupid and might catch on that it’s a trap.”

“Besides,” Rose said, “the perp hasn’t repeated him…herself yet. Used the same kind of weapon a couple times. But not in quite the same way. Not sure she’d come after Rob again at the office.”

“Could use meself again, to draw her out,” Dan said.

Rose shook her head. “Actually, I’m not sure our perp even realizes you’re related to Kate. After all the times we tossed you out there as bait, and never a bite.”

In response to Rob’s puzzled look, they told him about their efforts to find him, including trying to get the kidnapper to go after Dan.

By the time they had finished, Rob’s eyes were shiny. Voice rough with emotion, he said, “I’m the luckiest man on earth to have you all for friends.”

Rose rolled her eyes. Mac squirmed a little in his chair.

Kate hid a smile.
Yet another thing these two have in common–a low mush tolerance.

Rose pursed her lips and looked right at her. Kate nodded slightly.

Rose gave her the necessary opening. “So how
are
we going to bait the trap?”

Kate took a deep breath. “Guess it’s my turn to be the worm on the hook.” She was praying her father wouldn’t blow.

No such luck.

He jumped out of his chair. “No! Yer not doin’ that!”

“Dad, calm down.”

“The hell I’ll calm down, Kathleen!”

Kate stood up. “Dad, listen. We
can’t
continue to live like this. Rob and Liz can’t even let their daughters come home. We’ve got to stop this woman. This is the only way.”

Her father glared at her. “We almost lost Mary….” His voice broke.

“I know,” she said softly, “but think about this. I can’t visit Mary, or Ma, or my brothers, and they can’t come to see me because it isn’t safe.” Her chest tightened. She fought back the tears stinging her eyes. “I’ve lost my husband, Dad, and I need my family….” She lost the battle. The tears came.

Her father reached out and crushed her against him in a bear hug. “Tis okay, Katie girl, tis goin’ to be okay,” he murmured.

She allowed herself the luxury of sobbing softly against his sturdy chest for a minute, then she pulled back and looked up into his face. “Dad, without Eddie, I’m not sure it’s ever going to be totally okay for me. But if we can stop this woman, then I can get on with my life.”

And raise your grandchild in safety,
she thought but didn’t dare say out loud.

“Okay, you win.” He looked around at the others. “We’ll bait this trap with me daughter, but we ain’t lettin’ nothin’ happen to her!”

A chorus of “Amen.”

Kate found a tissue and blew her nose. She and her father resumed their seats, then she laid out the beginnings of a plan that she’d come up with. “I think it needs to be at the office. That’s the easiest place to set up the illusion that I’m alone while you all are actually nearby. And I’m scheduled to see Cheryl tomorrow so I can drop something into the conversation about how I have to work late the next couple nights to get caught up on paperwork after being out sick.”

“But how do we explain the sudden lack of police protection and bodyguards?” Rob asked.

“Yeah, she’s going to wonder why suddenly there aren’t any police cars outside,” Liz said. “And she may have caught on that Rose is one of your bodyguards. She’ll wonder why she’s gone.”

“Could make a case that the protection’s been switched to Rob,” Rose said, “because of the kidnapping.”

“Good idea,” Kate said. “And I think I know how to convey that information. I’ll call Pauline tonight and see if she’s willing to do some acting while Cheryl’s in the waiting room tomorrow. Pretend she’s talking to a friend and is nervous because the protection’s been pulled off of me.”

“You think she’ll go for that?” Rob asked.

“Probably. Pauline loves a little excitement now and again. The question is will she agree to not tell our boss. There’s no way Sally would go along with setting a trap for one of our clients right there in the center.”

“So assuming Pauline’s cooperative, how do we arrange folks to keep you safe?” Liz asked.

It was decided that the bodyguards would watch the outside entrances from discrete hiding places. Rose would be in the center’s ladies room, around the corner from Kate’s office, and Mac would be in the law firm’s reception area down the hall.

The tension rose again as both her father and Rob insisted on being part of the operation.

“Dad, just in case the perp does know you’re my father, you need to stay here, for the same reasons Liz and I couldn’t help look for Rob. Someone would have to be with you to protect you.”

“I’ll not be sittin’ cozy back here while me daughter’s in danger.”

“Dan stays with Liz,” Rob said, “but I’ll be with Mac!”

Kate was pleased to see a spark of his old gumption coming back. Unfortunately they were going to have to snuff it out. “Rob, dear, it killed Liz and me to sit and wait while you were in danger. But we would’ve been an encumbrance rather than a help. The others wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on finding you.”

Rob’s determined expression didn’t changed.

Rose shook her head. “If either of you are there, then we can’t focus on
keeping Kate safe.
We’d have to watch out for you as well.”

“She’s right,” Mac grumbled, his tone implying that he hated to have to agree with her.

Dan and Rob slumped back in their seats in defeat. It was an argument they couldn’t refute.

Liz took Rob’s hand. “How do you feel about jigsaw puzzles, hon?”

~~~~~~~~

In a clearing in the woods, Mac tacked a paper outline of a man to a tree, then worked with Kate on her stance and how to squeeze the trigger slowly. After a half hour of missing the target completely, she dropped her hands to her sides, pointing the gun at the ground as Mac had taught her. “This is hopeless.”