Читать книгу Always A Lawman - Delores Fossen, Delores Fossen - Страница 8

Chapter Two

Even before he saw the knife. Gabriel had already had a bad feeling. He’d gotten it the moment he laid eyes on Jodi because she should be nowhere near this place. Now, that bad feeling turned to something much worse.

Hell.

Just to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, he took another look at what someone had left on the porch just about two feet to the left side of the door. No tricks. It was the knife all right. Or rather, a knife.

“That blood on it isn’t dry,” Jodi pointed out. Her voice was trembling just a little, but Gabriel had to hand it to her because she was holding herself together.

On the outside anyway.

On the inside, he figured it was a whole different story. If it was indeed the knife that had killed his parents, then it was the same one the killer had used on Jodi.

“It could be fake blood,” Gabriel reminded her.

There was no way he would touch it to find out, though. Since the tip was missing, this was either the actual weapon that had killed his parents or else someone had broken off the end of the blade so that it would resemble it.

But there was a problem with that.

The missing tip that the surgeon had removed from Jodi’s body hadn’t been mentioned in any of the police reports. Nor was the fact that the killer had taken his father’s watch and his mother’s necklace. Those were just a few of the little details that the FBI had left out in case some nutjob tried to confess to the crime. So, either someone had hacked into those actual reports, or...

Gabriel didn’t want to speculate about an or just yet.

While keeping his attention on their surroundings, Gabriel took his phone from his pocket and texted Jameson. He told him that he needed his help and for him to call a CSI to come and take custody of this knife. Jameson was at his house and could be there in a couple of minutes.

Bringing in his brother was better than waiting for the deputies to come in from the sheriff’s office. Besides, Jameson was a Texas Ranger and the best backup Gabriel could have. Once Jameson arrived, maybe they could keep Jodi out of this. Of course, the problem was that she was here and therefore already in the middle of it.

Whatever it was.

This could still be a prank, and Gabriel was holding on to that hope. Over the years the house had become a magnet for daredevil kids, ghost hunters and pretty much anyone warped enough to want to see an old crime scene. That’s how the windows had gotten broken and the boards sprayed with graffiti.

Gabriel tested the doorknob. Locked, just as it should be, and he used his key to open it. He pushed open the door, had a look around and got an instant punch of the musty smell and the dust. An instant punch of the memories, too.

He hated this place.

Hated that it still felt like an open, raw wound. A cut so deep that it would never heal. It was no doubt the same for Jodi. Even though she hadn’t lost her parents that day, it had been just as costly for her.

In plenty of ways, she’d lost herself.

For just a moment he got a flash of another memory. Of the smiling nineteen-year-old who’d shown up at his house that night. She’d been wearing cutoff denim shorts, a snug red top and had looked far better than a girl had a right to look.

He pushed that memory aside, too. He’d lost himself that night, as well. Because he hadn’t protected her. He hadn’t saved his parents, and while Jodi had lived, he darn sure hadn’t saved her, either.

Gabriel didn’t see anyone in either of the two rooms just off the entry. Nor did he hear anyone. He ducked under the crisscross of boards, his back scraping against the rough wood. He moved just far enough inside for Jodi to step in behind him. Even though she didn’t say anything, he could hear her breathing. Which was too fast.

There were no signs of an intruder here. No footprints in the dust on the hardwood floors.

The furniture in the living and dining rooms was still draped with the sheets that his sisters had put on them years earlier. It hadn’t felt right to move anything after the CSIs had finished with it, so they’d covered everything, locked and boarded it up. Now, it was like some kind of sick time capsule.

“Anyone up there?” Gabriel called out.

He didn’t expect a response and didn’t get one. But what he did hear was something he didn’t want to hear.

A footstep.

Yeah, someone was definitely upstairs. And judging from the weight of the step, it wasn’t a raccoon or some other animal.

Jodi moved as if ready to barge right up there, but Gabriel leaned in front of her and shot her a scowl. “We’ll wait here for Jameson. Once he arrives, I’ll go upstairs. Alone.”

She huffed, clearly not pleased about that. Maybe because she wanted to confront the person who’d left the knife. Of course, she thought it was the same person who had attacked her, but Gabriel was sticking to his guns that her father had been responsible for that.

“We should at least check the back door,” she suggested. “That might be how he got in.”

Yes, either that or a window. The place wasn’t exactly a fortress, though the doors and windows should have at least all been locked. That wouldn’t have stopped someone from breaking one of the panes and getting inside, though.

Gabriel went to the center of the foyer, and he volleyed his attention around the rooms and the stairs. He still didn’t see anyone or anything out of place. Definitely no more blood to go along with what was on that knife, and if he had seen so much as a drop, he would have stopped and gotten out of there since this could potentially be a crime scene.

Again.

But thankfully there was nothing other than the bad feeling that continued to snake down his spine.

“Stay here,” he warned Jodi.

Whether she would or not was anyone’s guess, but Gabriel went into the adjacent family room so he could peer through to the kitchen. No one was there, but the rear door was open. The wind was causing it to sway just enough to make this whole ordeal even creepier than it already was.

Gabriel was about to lose patience with himself and whoever the hell had broken in, and he probably would have just charged upstairs if he hadn’t heard a sound that he actually wanted to hear.

“What the hell?” someone asked and then added a string of profanity.

Jameson.

He’d probably seen the knife. Or maybe the cussing was for Jodi. Not that Jameson had anything in particular against Jodi, but he would have known it wasn’t a good idea for her to be here.

“Someone’s upstairs,” Jodi said to his brother.

With his gun already drawn, Jameson came into the house, stepping around her, and his attention went straight to Gabriel. “Did the intruder leave the knife?”

“I’m not sure.” But Gabriel was about to find out. “Stay here with Jodi.”

“The CSIs are on the way,” Jameson told him as Gabriel started up the stairs. “I called Cameron, too.”

Cameron Doran. A deputy and family friend. Cameron would have been at his own house on the ranch grounds, and while Gabriel appreciated the double backup, he hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.

With his gun aimed, Gabriel went up the stairs, pausing after each step to listen for any footsteps or movement. He didn’t hear anything other than that damn creaky door downstairs.

At first anyway.

Then, there were definitely footsteps, and they appeared to be coming from his parents’ bedroom. No more pausing for him. Gabriel hurried up the stairs and to the landing so he could pivot in that direction.

No one was in the hall, so he went toward the bedroom, passing several others along the way. He kept watch around him. The doors were all closed, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t open one of them and start shooting. Or running anyway. He was still hoping this would turn out to be nothing.

By the time Gabriel made it the forty or so feet to his parents’ room, he’d worked up a sweat. And it wasn’t helping his temper. This was not how he wanted to spend his afternoon.

He kicked open the door, and he nearly fired when he saw the movement. But it was just the white gauzy curtains fluttering in the breeze.

“He’s out back, and he’s getting away!” Jodi shouted.

Hell.

Gabriel hurried to the window to look out, and the first thing he spotted was the ladder propped up against the back of the house. But there were no signs of the person who’d put it there.

However, there were signs of Jodi and Jameson.

He saw them run into the yard, such that it was. Once it’d been a manicured lawn, but now it was overgrown with weeds and underbrush.

“Stop or I’ll shoot,” Jameson called out.

Gabriel saw the guy then. He was dressed all in black, like some kind of ninja, and he was running into the woods. There were plenty of places to hide there and even some old ranch trails where the guy could have stashed a vehicle. Gabriel wanted to stop him because he had some answering to do about that knife.

Jameson and Jodi went after him, and that sent Gabriel hurrying, as well. He didn’t go down the ladder because that would have made him an easy target in case the intruder was armed. Instead, he barreled down the hall and stairs and hurried out the back door.

Jameson and Jodi had gotten way ahead of him by now and had disappeared into the woods. With any luck, they were on the intruder’s heels. Well, hopefully Jameson was. Gabriel didn’t like it that a civilian was in the mix of things. Especially this civilian. Despite Jodi’s attempt at trying to keep her composure when she saw the knife, Gabriel knew it caused her to have a slam of bad memories.

Once he was in the backyard, he had to hurdle over some of the underbrush, and it took him several long moments of hard running before he spotted Jameson and Jodi again. He’d hardly gotten a glimpse of them before Gabriel heard something else that caused his heart to jump into overdrive.

A cracking sound.

A shot being fired through a silencer.

Gabriel cursed again because neither Jodi’s nor Jameson’s guns were rigged that way. That meant the shot had come from the intruder. Well, that blew his theory that this was all some kind of sick prank. If the idiot had come here armed, then he meant business.

But what kind of business exactly?

If he’d wanted to kill them, he could have done that when Jodi and he had been talking earlier.

Jameson and Jodi thankfully ducked behind some trees, and using massive oaks as cover, Gabriel darted behind them as he made his way to Jodi. Jameson was only several yards away, and both of them had their guns and attention directed at a thick cluster of bushes and weeds.

Jodi was breathing through her mouth, but other than that, she was holding it together. And she looked like the trained security specialist that she was.

“Did you get a look at his face?” Gabriel wanted to know.

She shook her head and spared him a glance. Gabriel saw it then. The fear. But he also saw the determination to get her hands on this guy.

“Do you see him?” Jameson asked.

Gabriel peered around the tree for a glance. But he didn’t get much of a look. That’s because a bullet smacked into the bark just inches from his head. A second shot quickly followed.

He cursed and pulled Jodi to the ground. Gabriel hadn’t intended to land on her, but that’s what happened. The front of his body right on her back. They’d never been lovers, but being pressed against her gave Gabriel a jolt of attraction. A jolt he quickly shoved aside so he could adjust his position in case he got a chance to return fire.

The intruder fired again, and Gabriel tried to pinpoint the shot. Hard to do with the silencer, but he was pretty sure he knew the guy’s general area.

“Stop shooting and come out with your hands up,” Gabriel shouted out to him.

He didn’t expect the intruder to do that.

And was stunned when he did.

“I’m coming out,” the man said.

Jodi went stiff and practically shoved Gabriel off her so that she could get to her feet. Gabriel did the same, and he muscled her behind him just in case this was some kind of trick.

But it wasn’t.

The man stood, his hands raised in the air. In addition to the black clothes, he was also wearing a ski mask and gloves.

“Where’s your gun?” Gabriel snapped.

“On the ground near my feet.”

Gabriel didn’t want it anywhere near this fool. “Walk toward us. Slowly. Don’t make any sudden moves, and remember that part about keeping your hands in the air.”

The guy gave a shaky nod, and he started toward them. Jameson came out from cover, his gun trained on the guy. Gabriel and Jodi did the same, and the moment he was close enough to Jameson, his brother hurried to the man, put him facedown on the ground and frisked him.

“Keep watch around us,” Gabriel told Jodi.

Her eyes widened a moment, and she must have realized that this man might have brought a friend or two with him.

Gabriel went closer to the guy, too, and handed Jameson a pair of plastic cuffs that he took from his pocket. Jameson immediately put them on him.

“Who the hell are you?” Gabriel asked the man.

Gabriel stooped down and yanked off the ski mask. His head was shaved, and there were several homemade tattoos on his forehead and neck. Definitely not someone Gabriel recognized, and judging from the way Jameson shook his head, neither did his brother.

“I’m not saying nothing until I talk to my lawyer,” the guy answered. He sounded pretty defiant for someone who’d just surrendered.

But Jodi had some defiance of her own. She got right in the guy’s face. “Where did you get that knife?”

He smiled. A sick kind of smile that had Gabriel’s insides twisting. He wasn’t sure what the heck this was all about, but he intended to find out.

“I’ll take him to the sheriff’s office,” Gabriel said. “He can call his lawyer, and I’ll question him.” Then, he turned to the guy and hoped he could change his mind about clamming up. “Just so you know, you’re looking at three counts of attempted murder.”

The guy smiled again. Gabriel sure didn’t. He silently cursed. Because they could be dealing with someone who was mentally unstable. If so, they might never get answers. But Jodi clearly wasn’t giving up on that just yet.

She was right at the goon’s side as Jameson started leading him back to the house. “Tell me where you got the knife.”

Gabriel doubted the guy was about to blurt out anything, but just in case, he went ahead and read him his rights. Jodi waited, the impatience all over her face, and the moment Gabriel finished, she repeated her demand.

Nothing. Well, she got nothing other than the smile that Gabriel wished he could knock off the idiot’s face.

“He’s too young to have been part of your attack,” Gabriel reminded Jodi. This guy was barely twenty, maybe still in his teens. He would have been just a kid a decade ago.

“He could still know something about it,” she pointed out just as quickly.

“Yeah,” Gabriel admitted. “That’s why I’ll handle this. You should go home, and I’ll let you know if he says anything.”

That earned him a glare. He’d expected it. She wasn’t about to back away from this, but Gabriel had to keep her at bay because he didn’t want her compromising his investigation.

“Need some help?” someone called out.

Cameron. The deputy was hurrying around the side of the house toward them. He, too, had his weapon drawn.

“Did you come here in your cruiser?” Gabriel asked him.

Cameron nodded. “Who is this guy? And why is the knife on the porch?”

Good questions. “I’m hoping he’ll tell me once we’ve booked him.” Gabriel tipped his head to the woods. “This clown left a gun out there. Keep an eye on it until the CSIs get here to collect it, and then I’ll need Jameson and you to drive him to the sheriff’s office. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I’ve talked to the CSIs.”

And after he’d had a look around.

Something more than the obvious wasn’t right.

Jameson headed to the cruiser with the prisoner, and Cameron started for the woods. Jodi didn’t budge.

“I want to be there when you question him,” she insisted.

“No.” And he wasn’t going to compromise on that. At best he would allow her to watch from the observation room, but Gabriel was sure even that wasn’t a good idea.

Gabriel looked at her, and that’s when he saw that she was trembling. Jodi realized he’d noticed, too, and she cursed under her breath.

“I’m fine,” she snapped. Her blond hair was damp with sweat, and she pushed it from her face. Her face was beaded with sweat, as well.

They stared at each other, until Jodi glanced away. “Sometimes, I have panic attacks,” she said.

He figured she had to be close to one now to admit something like that. It didn’t go well with her tough Sentry employee image.

“The water is still on in the house since it comes from a well. I wouldn’t drink it because there might be rust in the pipes, but it might help if you splash some on your face.”

But the moment he made the offer, it occurred to him why he still had that niggling feeling in his gut. Gabriel’s attention zoomed to the back door.

“What?” Jodi asked when she followed his gaze.

“The ladder’s there, but the back door was open when I went into the house.”

She made a sound to indicate she was giving that some thought. “Well, the guy used the ladder to escape. Jameson and I saw him running from it when we got to the backyard.”

Yeah. So, maybe the open back door had nothing to do with their perp. Still, Gabriel intended to check it out. When he’d run through the house to go in pursuit, he hadn’t looked around to see if anything else had been...disturbed.

Gabriel started toward the porch with Jodi following along behind him. Part of him wanted to tell her to stay put while he checked it out, but it might not be safe for her to be out here alone. Of course, she would believe she could take care of herself, but if that idiot had indeed brought help, there could be more gunfire.

He didn’t slow down until he reached the back door, and then Gabriel paused just to take in the room. The gray tile didn’t show the dust, which meant it didn’t show any footprints, either. That didn’t mean some weren’t there, though, so he used his elbow to open the door as wide as it would go, and he stepped to the side.

Jodi stayed in the doorway, but they seemed to spot something at the same time. She made a slight gasping sound.

Because the thing they spotted appeared to be drops of blood.

Gabriel reminded himself that it could be fake. Just like the blood on the knife. But that didn’t stop the tightness in his chest.

“Come inside but stay back,” he told her. He definitely didn’t want her following what appeared to be a trail of blood drops. Drops that led right to the pantry.

The door to the pantry was ajar but not open enough for Gabriel to see if there was anyone or anything inside. With his gun ready, he went closer, and behind him he could hear Jodi shifting her position, as well. No doubt getting ready in case they were about to be attacked again.

As soon as he was close enough, Gabriel gave the door a kick with the toe of his boot. He took aim.

Then he cursed.

Hell.

There was more blood here, pooled on the floor amid the toppled cans. And in the middle of all that blood was what appeared to be a dead body.