Twisted Paths (6 page)

She dropped her purse and slipped out the car.  She kept low, behind the parked cars, as she tried to make her way to the corner without being caught.  The traffic was light and no one was walking down the street.  She knew surprise was her best defense because even if he had a weapon, he would have to react quickly in order to use it.

Linda Sterling, the County Clerk left her office to run down the street to the Post Office.  She walked out into the brisk, sunny day with a smile on her face and when she saw her good friend, Mary, her smile widened.  She hadn’t seen Mary since the day she was married, when Mary stopped her abusive step-father from ruining her wedding.

She watched Mary walking behind the cars and shook her head.  Mary was always doing something a little weird, but her heart was good.  She wondered if Mary had time to stop in at Nine East, the local coffee shop, for a few moments.

Mary was nearly directly across from Gary when Linda called out.

“Mary,” she yelled, waving her arm. “Mary over here, do you have a minute?”

Gary’s head snapped to attention and he quickly glanced around the area.  Mary tried to duck, but their eyes met in the reflection of an SUV. Gary’s eyes narrowed and then he turned and ran down the street.

Not wanting to lose him, Mary took off after him. “Linda, call the police,” she yelled.

Mary dashed around the corner just in time to see Gary cut through the parking lot and head towards Debate Square. 

“Hey, coward, why don’t you face me?” she called after him, before she hurried down the steps and dashed between the parked cars.  She wished she had her running shoes on, instead of heels, but she was still making pretty good time.  She ran across the street, into the small park and through the parking lot behind it.  She was only twenty yards behind him.

Turning, he glanced back at her before slipping between two brownstone apartment buildings, knocking trash cans down behind him.  Mary leapt over the cans, nearly tumbling when her heel slipped on some garbage, but righted herself and continued the pursuit. 

She paused for a moment at the end of the gangway, breathing heavily and looking up and down the alley to see where he’d gone. She saw him turning the corner and heading back to the downtown retail district.  Mary continued to run after him, praying that police would get Linda’s call and respond immediately, because he could easily get lost in the stores.

Running up State Street, she looked into store windows as she passed them. 
Crap! I can’t lose him
, she thought. 

She ran faster, her lungs nearly exploding as she pushed herself. Finally, on the corner of State and Stephenson, she had to admit that she’d lost him.  Jogging down the block to Rite-Way Furniture, she pushed open the door and nearly collapsed.  Cal, the owner, hurried from the desk.

“Mary, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Cal, call 911,” she breathed heavily. “Tell them Gary Copper’s in town. Tell them I lost him in the downtown area.”

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he punched in the numbers, while he led Mary over to one of his large recliners. “You sit down and rest,” he ordered.

He relayed the information to the dispatcher and then got a bottle of water for Mary. “They’re sending someone over here,” he explained. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, she leaned back in the chair. “Yeah, thanks,” she said. “And thanks for making the call.”

“Hey, no problem,” he replied. “So that’s the guy who escaped in Sycamore, right?”

“Yes, that’s him,” she said. “He killed his lawyer and somehow got out of the building.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“He is,” Mary agreed.

“Do we have a photo we can send around through the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation to all the downtown retailers?  So, they can make a call if they see him?”

Smiling, she sat up. “That’s a brilliant idea,” she said. “Thanks, Cal, I’ll email one to you as soon as I get back to my office.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know if you’ll be going back to your office,” he said, his gaze going past her to the giant showcase windows in front of the store. “Looks like they called Chief Alden and I got a feeling he’s not going to let you go very far from his side until this guy is caught.”

Mary flopped back in the recliner and watched as Bradley pushed open the front door and hurried towards her.

“Mary, are you okay?” he asked.

“That man’s whipped,’ Cal whispered.

“Yeah, well I don’t think that’s love and kisses in his eyes right now,” she said to Cal and then she turned to Bradley to reassure him, “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little upset I lost him.”

“What the hell were you thinking going after him by yourself?” he demanded.

She sat up in the chair. “I was pursuing a fugitive,” she shot back.

“What if he had a gun?”

“He wouldn’t have run.”

“Mary,” he growled.

“Bradley,” she responded. “Don’t try to pull rank on me.”

He exhaled slowly, ran his hand through his hair and squatted down next to her. “Okay, you’re right. But, damn it, I wouldn’t want any of my officers pursuing a man like Copper by themselves.  You should have called for back-up.”

She took a deep breath too. “I acted on instinct,” she said. “But, you’re right, I should not have left my cell phone in the car.  And I should have called for back-up. I’m sorry.”

He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “You’re okay? Really?”

She smiled at him. “Yeah,” she said softly. “A little freaked out maybe.”

Then her eyes widened. “Who’s with Clarissa?”

“She’s at the station,” he said. “I left her there with Ashley Deutsch. She’s safe.”

Mary nodded, her heart going back to a normal rate. “It’s different now,” she said. “Now it’s not just us we have to worry about.”

Smiling, he squeezed her hand. “Yeah, but it’s a different I like.”

Chapter Eleven

Clarissa was sitting in Bradley’s office chair and spinning in it behind the desk, when Mary and Bradley arrived at his office a little while later.  Mike was standing in the corner of the room, watching over Clarissa.  Officer Ashley Deutsch, sitting across the desk from her working on some reports and totally oblivious to Mike’s presence, looked up when they walked in.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“I lost him,” Mary replied, shaking her head. “He just disappeared near State and Exchange. I ended up running into Cal’s and asked him to phone in.”

“Are you sure it was Copper?” Ashley questioned.

Nodding, Mary walked into the room and sat down in a chair near Ashley. “Yeah, I won’t ever forget that face.”

“So, we’ve got an APB out on him,” Bradley said to Ashley. “But I’d like you to canvas the downtown area with his photo and let the community know this guy is very dangerous.”

“Do we need any school lockdowns?” she asked.

“No, I don’t think he’s a threat to the public at large,” Bradley said. “But it wouldn’t hurt to send an email to the school district and have them circulate the photo too.”

“Cal suggested we send it through the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation and they could send it on to some of the retailers,” Mary added. “But, you should probably follow up because many of the small mom and pop stores don’t have email.”

Ashley nodded, gathered up her reports and turned to Clarissa. “So, remember what I told you,” she said.

Clarissa grinned and nodded. “I will,” she agreed.

“Excellent,” Ashley said with a smile and she winked at Clarissa before leaving the room.

“Told you?” Bradley asked, taking Ashley’s chair.

“Ashley said if I ever need a babysitter who can shoot a gun, I should call her,” Clarissa replied. “She’s nice. And brave. But she didn’t even know Mike was here.”

“That’s our little secret,” Mike said, coming to join them at the desk. “And you were an exceptional young lady while you waited.”

“That’s good to hear,” Bradley said, stroking Clarissa’s head.

“So, how are you doing?” Mike asked Mary.

Clarissa moved her chair so it faced Mary.  “Were you chasing the bad man?” she asked.

Mary nodded. “Yes, I was. But, unfortunately, he got away.”

“But he ran away, so he was scared of you, right?”

“Right,” Mike agreed.

“Well, I don’t think he wanted to get caught,” she answered. “So, I suppose he was afraid of me.”

“So, you’re brave, right?”

“Mary is very brave,” Bradley inserted, turning to smile at Mary and whispering softly so only she could hear, “and very stubborn.”

Clarissa slid off the chair and walked over to Mary. “Maggie said you can see things like she does.  Like the sad lady. Did you ever see my birth mommy?”

Nodding, Mary bent at her waist to lean closer to Clarissa. “Yes, I saw your mommy,” she replied. “She and I became very good friends and she asked me to help your daddy find you.”

The phone rang on Bradley’s desk and the conversation halted as Bradley stood up and reached over to pick it up. “Chief Alden.”

He paused for a moment. “Hey, Bernie, it’s good to hear from you too,” he said, looking over to Mary. “Yeah, she’s right here. We’ve had a busy morning.”

He listened for a moment, his face sobering and he nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “Yes, please send her here to Freeport. I’ll take care of the arrangements.”

Sighing deeply, he hung up the phone and walked around the desk in front of Clarissa.  Squatting down in front of her, he took both of her hands in his. “Clarissa, sweetheart, the man that called is a friend of mine from Chicago,” he said. “He called to tell me that…”

He stopped and exhaled sharply. “Sweetheart, they found your mother, Becca.”

“At the bus station?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “A policeman found her at the bus station.”

“Did he know she was dead?” she asked innocently.

Surprised, Bradley paused for a moment, and then asked, “You knew she was dead?”

Clarissa nodded. “Yes, when I woke up from my nap, she was already dead,” she explained. “She wasn’t breathing and I knew she went to live with God, just like my daddy Henry.”

Mary bit her lip to hold back her tears. “Were you frightened?” she asked.

“Well, I was a little ‘cause I looked up and saw a man. I thought it was the bad man,” she said. “But it was Mike saving me just like my daddy Henry said he would.”

Mike looked down at her. “What did he say?” he asked.

She smiled up at him. “He said God always sends angels just when you need them.”

“Yes, he does,” Mary said, looking up at Mike with gratitude. “Just when you need them.”

Clarissa looked at Bradley. “What is the policeman going to do with my mommy?”

“He’s going to send her here,” Bradley said. “And we’ll have a funeral for her and bury her next to your daddy Henry.”

She smiled at him. “She’ll like that,” she said. “She missed him lots.”

Mary ran her hand over her eyes to wipe away any stray tears. “Well, I know just the man who can help us plan a nice funeral for her. His name is Mr. Turner,” she said. “Should we go over and see him and pick out the flowers for her?”

Nodding, Clarissa turned to Bradley. “Can I?”

He leaned over, picked up her coat from the back of her chair and handed it to her. “Yes, I think that’s a great idea and I think we all should go over there,” he said.

Chapter Twelve

“Ach, no, you can’t do this to me,” Ian groaned from the living room. “Please darling, have a little mercy.”

Clarissa giggled. “No, I jumped three of your checkers. Now you have to crown me.”

“You’re naught but a wee grown-up here to fleece me out of my chocolate chip cookies,” he replied.

“I’m not a grown-up,” she said. “I’m just a little girl. But I would like another cookie.”

“Aye, but don’t let on that I’m giving you another,” he said.

Mary pulled the last dish out of the sink and handed it to Bradley to put in the dishwasher. “Should we let him know we can hear him?” she asked.

Shaking his head, he quickly slipped the dish into the place and closed the door. Then he grabbed Mary’s hand and pulled her towards the back door. “No,” he whispered. “Let’s just pretend we’re still busy cleaning things up.”

He opened the door and ushered her out onto the back porch.

“Why do you want to pretend...,” Mary began, but her words and her thoughts were cut off as Bradley’s lips covered hers. 

He pulled her to him, angled his head so he had greater access and deepened the kiss. He inhaled the fragrance of her shampoo as he skimmed his lips over her forehead.  The scent was uniquely Mary; cinnamon, vanilla and something spicy. 
Delectable,
he thought as he lowered his head to cover her lips again,
perfectly delectable
.

Mary’s insides were engaged in a slow steady meltdown and her heart was running a marathon.  How did he do this to her with only a kiss? Whatever spell he wove, she was bewitched.  Wrapping her arms around him, she slid her hands across the broad planes of his back, feeling the flex of his muscles as he held her and relishing the strength in his arms and the gentleness of his embrace.  Had any other woman ever felt so cherished?

The slight stubble on his face rubbed against her cheek and sent a small explosion through her center.  His hot breath against her neck caused another. And the way he murmured her name before he crushed his lips against hers took her breath away.  She was burning inside, her body tightening to a fevered pitch and she knew he burned just as passionately for her.

Finally, he slipped his lips from hers and just held her, his cheek on the top of her head, his breathing labored. She slid her hands down and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder.  The sound of his racing heart reassuring her that he was just as disturbed as she.

“I can’t wait,” she whispered.

He was silent for a moment, and then kissed the top of her head. “For what?” he asked quietly.

“For the day we don’t have to stop at kissing,” she admitted.

He tightened his hold for a moment, and then released her. His hands slid slowly down her arms as he stepped back and looked down at her, meeting her eyes. She could see the desire, the passion and the hunger. The intensity almost frightened her, but her body shivered in response.