Читать книгу True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas - Laura Scott - Страница 16

Pete wanted to ask Faith about why she’d changed her mind but knew they couldn’t speak freely in front of the kids. Despite his conviction to stay single, to avoid getting into tangled relationships with women, he was secretly glad to spend more time with her.

Over the past few months, he’d done his best to create a family atmosphere for Mikey. Eva, Mikey’s aunt, still came over to offer assistance, but she also recently married K-9 officer Finn Gallagher. As a result, she’d been splitting her time between helping with Mikey, training future service dog Cocoa and enjoying time with her new husband. Pete didn’t blame Eva—she deserved to be happy—yet coming home to a silent house nagged at him. He wondered if Mikey noticed the emptiness, too. His son had wanted a dog from the moment he’d met Cocoa, but as the Christmas holiday approached, his son’s request had become more fervent.

Eyeing Ricci in the rearview mirror, he knew that this little get-together would only renew Mikey’s quest for a dog. And, really, he couldn’t blame the kid.

Pete made a mental note to check out dogs at the shelter for one that would be good with kids and was already housebroken.

“I want a pepperoni pizza,” Mikey announced.

“No. I want cheese,” Jane argued.

He glanced at Faith with a cocked eyebrow. “Half of each kind?”

“Works for me.” Faith didn’t smile and seemed preoccupied with whatever had caused her to change her mind about staying at her place.

The kids continued to argue in the back seat, so he reached over to put his hand on her arm. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She shrugged and glanced back to make sure the kids weren’t listening. “I saw a shadow, then found footprints in the snow beneath the front living room window. I believe someone was peering inside the house.”

His gut tightened. “You should report it.”

She nodded. “I will, don’t worry, as soon as I find out which K-9 officer will be assigned to Logan’s case. But at the moment there isn’t much more to do. With this weather, everyone is short staffed. Besides, there isn’t enough danger here to justify having a cop sit outside my house.”

He understood her perspective. Bad weather days like today made hospitals, cops and paramedics extra busy, jumping from one disaster to the next. He was fortunate to have been able to leave work during the snowstorm. After Malina’s passing, his boss had offered him a position as paramedic trainer, which enabled him to work days and pick up his son from day care.

A constant precarious balance between work and family life.

“I’ll mention it to Zimmerman, too,” Faith continued. “Although I have more faith in my unit than in him.”

Pete hadn’t been impressed with the detective, either, but kept his attention focused on the road. The Friday-evening traffic was especially horrible and it occurred to him that ordering pizza probably wouldn’t work. He had frozen ones on hand, but they were all pepperoni, Mikey’s favorite.

Thirty minutes later, he pulled into his driveway with a sense of relief. No sane person would voluntarily go out in this mess unless it was absolutely necessary.

“I have frozen pepperoni pizza,” he told Faith. “We’ll pull off some pepperoni and add more cheese for Jane.”

Faith nodded. “Better than waiting for a delivery to make it through this weather.”

“Yeah.” He slid from the car, his feet sinking into five inches of fresh snow. He opened the back passenger seat to get Mikey out, as Faith did the same with Jane. He led the way to the front door and unlocked it. He set Mikey inside, then took Jane from Faith’s arms so she could get Ricci.

He helped get the kids out of their winter gear while Faith took care of Ricci. When she came inside with the dog, the kids laughed with glee when Ricci shook the snow from his coat, spraying them with water. Faith took Ricci’s K-9 vest off and hung it up to dry.

Somehow, making a meal didn’t feel like a chore when he had help. He preheated the oven as Faith unwrapped the pizza, picking off pepperoni from one side and adding it to the other. The kids ran into the playroom located just around the corner from the kitchen, with Ricci hot on their heels.

Instantly the kitchen became quiet and Pete was hyperaware of Faith’s presence beside him. For a moment he thought he was losing his mind because he could pick up the scent of vanilla and cranberries from her.

He cleared his throat. “How long have you been a K-9 cop?”

“Four years, although I’m relatively new to the NYC K-9 Command Unit. I transferred over to the Queens office from Manhattan about a year or so ago.” She flashed a smile. “Much nicer commute, that’s for sure.”

“I can imagine.” He leaned against the counter. “Must be awesome to work with dogs.”

“I love it.” She hesitated, then added, “Although, I have to say I like the investigative side of being a cop, too. Search and rescue often provides both, but the way Zimmerman ridicules my skills bothers me. Ricci was following Logan’s scent when those shots were fired.”

“I know.” Pete remembered how things had gone down, all too clearly.

She filled a bowl of water for Ricci, then pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. He joined her. “You would think the lead detective would ask for our assistance in a case like this. But not the old stuck-in-the-mud guys like Zimmerman.”

“Listen, Faith, it might be best if you stay here for the night. You can sleep on the sofa. I’m off for the weekend, so the kids don’t have to be up early.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You know they’ll love having a sleepover.”

“I’m not sure what to do,” Faith confessed. “I need to call off work this weekend, too, now that I’m the sole parent caring for Jane. I should go to a hotel, but the idea of making you drive us there in this mess of a snowstorm seems selfish.”

He didn’t like the idea, either. “It’s your call and I understand your concern. We don’t know each other very well, except to say hi at the day-care center. But the kids will have fun. And you’ll be safe. That’s what matters, right?”

“Right.” Her tone lacked conviction. “And I’m fairly certain we weren’t followed, considering the snow.”

The momentary silence was broken by the oven timer. Pete jumped up to check the pizza. Golden-brown cheese indicated it was ready. “Tell the kids to wash up for dinner.”

“Will do.”

He found himself smiling as he pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on the cardboard backing to cut it. It had been a long time since he’d shared a meal with someone—okay, a woman—and it felt nice. But then he remembered how he’d once thought the same about Malina and look where that had ended up. She’d been murdered over secrets she’d kept from him.

Once everyone was situated, the kids sitting on pillows, Faith put her hands together and looked at him. “Shall we pray?”

He shouldn’t have been surprised. Earlier, Faith had mentioned getting support from her church. And his sister-in-law, Eva, was also a believer and had often prayed before meals.

Pete quickly folded his hands and stared down at them, giving Mikey a look that indicated he should follow suit. Thankfully Mikey copied Jane.

“Dear Lord, we thank You for keeping us safe in the snowstorm today. We also thank You for this food we are about to eat. We ask that you continue to guide us on Your chosen path. Amen.”

“Amen,” Pete echoed.

“Amen,” Mikey and Jane repeated.

The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, but Pete couldn’t help wondering about Faith and her beliefs about God and church.

Eva had tried to convince him to give attending church a try, but he’d resisted, his emotions too raw after learning of Malina’s drug abuse and subsequent involvement in a local drug-running operation.

Yet now he thought maybe there was something he was missing. Something that put a peaceful smile on Faith’s face, despite how her ex-husband had just been murdered and she had been shot at a short while ago.

Something that might make a difference in his and Mikey’s future if he had the courage to reach out and take it.

Faith could tell that praying before a meal didn’t come naturally to Pete, but she was touched by the fact that he went along with it, even encouraging his son to do the same.

She hadn’t dated anyone after her divorce. Between working and caring for Jane and Ricci, she didn’t have the time or energy to spare. Logan hadn’t been involved in the church. She’d joined shortly after moving to the NYC K-9 Command Unit because Brianne had encouraged her to attend. Two of her fellow female K-9 officers, Brianne and Lani, had welcomed her not just to the unit but as good friends. Lani had transferred to a new K-9 unit forming in Brooklyn, and Faith would miss her.

The sense of peace and rightness had cloaked her the moment she’d entered the congregation. It was refreshing to be with people who were so kind and caring. She’d instantly felt at home.

Of course, she was still learning, but feeling more confident in her faith every day. Brianne and her new husband, Gavin Sutherland, who’d be heading up the new Brooklyn K-9 unit, were both active members of the church. She’d often watched them together, thinking how wonderful it must be to have a relationship based on Christian beliefs.

“Can we play in the snow after supper?” Mikey asked.

“Yeah, can we?” Jane added.

“Not tonight, but guess what?” Faith injected enthusiasm into her tone. “We’re having a sleepover! Won’t that be fun?”

“A sleepover?” Mikey’s eyes widened. “Yay!”

“Where will we sleep?” Jane, the ever-practical one, asked.

“You could make a tent in the playroom,” Pete offered. “We’ll put sleeping bags and air mattresses on the floor so it will be comfortable.”

“Can Ricci sleep with us?” Mikey asked.

“Sure.” At this point, Faith knew there would be no way to prevent it. Besides, Ricci was a great watchdog. “And maybe tomorrow we can play outside and make a snowman.”

“Yay!” Jane shared Faith’s dark hair and blue eyes, but her mouth was all Logan. Her daughter’s smile reminded her of the earlier, happier days of their marriage.

Before it all fell apart.

It occurred to her that she might be using the sleepover as a way to put off telling Jane about her father’s death. It was hard to know how much a four-year-old would even understand. She glanced at Pete, knowing he’d had the same conversation with Mikey several months ago.

She made a note to get more advice from him, later.

When the kids finished eating, they ran back into the playroom.

Pete began cleaning the kitchen, shooing her off when she offered to help. “I’ve got it.”

“Okay, I’ll take Ricci outside then.” She put her K-9 on his leash.

Ricci took his time, sniffing all around the yard as if he’d picked up some other animal’s scent. She hunched her shoulders, keeping a wary eye on the road in front of Pete’s house.

The traffic had dissipated, leaving the occasional driver passing by. Nothing looked remotely suspicious or out of place.

Faith wondered if she’d overreacted. She was here at Pete’s just because of seeing the slight disturbance on the windowsills outside her home. The houses were close together; it was possible that someone had gotten an address confused. Or maybe they’d been left by kids who’d wanted to get a closer view of the Christmas tree.

A car slowly rolled down the street past Pete’s house. It was difficult to figure out what kind of car it was, since it was covered in snow.

As it went by she noticed the license plate was also obscured by snow. She rested her hand on her weapon and debated calling for reinforcements. There was a flash of brake lights, as the car stopped at the intersection for what seemed like an incredibly long time.

Ricci came over, his tail thumping against her, but she kept her eyes glued to the car. There was only one person in it. Why was the car just sitting there?

Finally, the brake lights disappeared and the car turned to the right. The suspicious part of her nature made her wonder if it was going to go around the block to end up in front of Pete’s house again.

She waited, holding her breath, but the car didn’t return.

“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath. She looked down at Ricci, who nudged her with his nose. “I’m losing it, Ricci.”

Ricci wagged his tail and she hoped he wasn’t agreeing with her.

After cleaning up after Ricci, she went back inside. Ricci did the shaking thing again, spraying her with water. Pete’s kitchen would need to be thoroughly cleaned once they were gone. No doubt he’d had no idea what he was getting into by inviting them to stay.

Her cell phone rang, a jarring noise in the silence of the kitchen. She quickly answered it. “Hello?”

“Officer Johnson?” a deep male voice asked.

It took her a moment to recognize the detective’s drawl. “Yes, this is Officer Johnson.”

“This is Detective Zimmerman and I have a few more questions for you.”

She sank into the kitchen chair, wondering if Chief Jameson had already reached out to assign someone from the NYC K-9 Command Unit to work with him. “I’m listening.”

“Do you know Claire Munch?”

“Yes. As I told you earlier today she’s engaged to my ex-husband, Logan. But I can’t say I know her personally. She never said much when I dropped Jane off on the weekends she spent with her father.”

“I see.” There was a brief pause. “Can you be more specific? When did you last see her?”

She straightened in her seat. What was Zimmerman leading up to? “It’s been at least three weeks. She wasn’t always around when I’d drop Jane off.”

There was another long silence as Zimmerman digested this bit of information.

“May I ask what this is about?” Faith finally asked. “Have you spoken to Claire?”

“Claire wasn’t at the apartment she shared with Logan and the neighbors claim there were loud voices and some sort of argument going on between them roughly an hour before his body was found on the parkway. One of the neighbors mentioned he left, alone.”

Faith felt her jaw drop. “They had an argument, and now she’s missing?”

“I can’t say that she’s missing. For all we know she’s been staying with friends or at a hotel since their argument.”

Faith’s mind whirled with possibilities. Then, as long as she had Zimmerman on the phone, she asked, “Did you find any evidence of gunfire at the crime scene?”

“Nope. Nothing hit by a bullet or any bullet fragments.” He paused then continued, “I looked into your guy, Trevor Wilson.”

“And?”

“He was released on bail a couple of days ago. You may want to watch your back, Officer Johnson.”

Released on bail? Faith couldn’t believe it. “I will,” she belatedly responded.

“Oh, one more thing.” She waited. “Apparently your chief called mine and there’s an officer from your unit who will be assigned to work with me and my partner.” His tone was level, but she sensed he was frowning. “I guess you know about that.”

She couldn’t lie. “I asked for someone from my team to be included. I don’t think you should discount the help a good K-9 cop can provide. My partner was able to track Logan’s scent from the side of the road to where he’d fallen, which tells us he walked from the vehicle to the spot where he was stabbed.”

“Yeah, well, that information doesn’t help us much at the moment, does it?”

She wasn’t going to argue the merits of her K-9 partner. “Anything else, detective?”

“That’s it for now. Remember, watch your back.”

She disconnected from the call and sat for a moment, ruminating on what Zimmerman had told her. Claire Munch was missing, and Trevor Wilson was out on bail.

What did it all mean?