Читать книгу Guard Duty - Sharon Dunn - Страница 12

TWO

Valerie peered out the front window of her house. In the early-morning light, she could make out the outline of the police car parked outside. She drew her eighteen-month-old niece, Bethany, closer.

Would she ever get used to that sight? Would there ever be a time when her life wasn’t shrouded in danger?

Knowing that the car with the dark windows had been following her last night drove the point home. The syndicate wasn’t going to go away. They were just waiting for the right moment to get at her. Sagebrush police knew that one of the middle managers was a woman. That woman, whose street name was Serpent, was most likely the woman Valerie had seen. The Serpent had no way of knowing Valerie couldn’t identify her yet. She probably thought it was just a matter of time before she was picked up.

A chill skittered over Valerie’s skin when she thought of the woman’s eyes meeting hers on the street. Seemingly yellow in the lamplight, they bore right through Valerie. The memory still invaded her thoughts and sent a current of fear through her.

Bethany shifted in Valerie’s arms. She jerked her head back and blinked several times. She was all blue eyes and soft downy hair, just like her mother. Kathleen’s funeral had been more than a month ago, but it still felt so raw. While the cancer had slowly drained the vitality out of Valerie’s older sister, it had given her time to express that she wanted Valerie to take care of Bethany. The child’s father had never been in the picture and had signed away rights even before Bethany was born. Though she felt ill equipped for the job, Valerie intended to keep her promise to her beloved sister.

Valerie held Bethany close, absorbing her softness and that sweet baby smell. Over the months, Valerie had slowly been taking over mothering duties as Kathleen grew weaker. But since Kathleen’s death, Bethany had not slept through the night. Though the little girl couldn’t articulate it, Valerie knew she was mourning.

Even now, Bethany clung to the stuffed pink rabbit Kathleen had given her. She hardly ever let go of the toy. Valerie swayed back and forth. “I know, you miss your mama.” A lump formed in her throat. “I miss her, too.”

Bethany melted against Valerie. After a few minutes, the little girl relaxed and her breathing steadied, asleep at last. Valerie padded on stocking feet toward the stairs that led to the bedroom, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby. She glanced at the living room clock.

She stopped so suddenly that Bethany wiggled in her arms. Where had the time gone? She should have been ready for work by now. The sitter would be here any minute. It was easy enough to lose track of time when you got up four or five times in the night to deal with a fussy toddler.

A knock came at her door, loud and intense. Lexi sauntered out of her crate positioned by the sliding glass door. She raised her head and looked toward Valerie, expecting instructions.

Valerie turned toward the door. “Who is it?”

“Trevor Lewis.”

And she was still in her bathrobe. What had she been thinking when she had agreed to him swinging by before work? Now that she had Bethany, it took her twice as long to get ready in the morning. Valerie gave the Rottweiler a reassuring look. “Go back to sleep, Lexi. It’s okay.”

“Just a second.” After placing Bethany in her playpen, Valerie took a breath to calm her nerves. She hoped she hadn’t seemed too standoffish to Agent Lewis last night. McNeal had been looking out for her when he suggested she work with Trevor, and maybe she’d be able to help him. She probably needed the extra protection, but the partnership was a bitter reminder of how hard the syndicate was making it for her to do her job.

She swung open the door. Trevor looked fresh in a crisp, French blue button-down shirt. His dark curly hair was clipped close to his head and his brown eyes had an intensity she hadn’t noticed last night.

His gaze fell to her bathrobe, and heat rushed up her face. “My little one has me running behind schedule.” She turned slightly away from the door so Trevor had a view of Bethany shaking the sides of her playpen.

Barely acknowledging the child, Trevor lifted the computer tablet he had in his hand. “I’ve got Murke’s file.”

“Come in. I need just a minute to get ready,” she said.

Trevor glanced around the room. “Where’s the dog?”

“She’s resting in her crate.” Valerie sighed as she looked at the crate and then at the playpen not too far from it. Lexi had never shown any aggression toward Bethany, but the dog was keeping her distance. Though Lexi was protective of Valerie, it would be a shame if she didn’t bond with Bethany. The trainer at the K-9 facility had assured her that dogs were just like people—it took time for them to adjust to new situations.

“Take a seat, Mr. Lewis.”

“You can call me Trevor.”

Bethany babbled and held her hands up. Valerie gathered her into her arms and grabbed her bottle off the counter. When Valerie offered it to her, Bethany shook her head. She hadn’t eaten anything yet this morning. Valerie tried not to give in to worry. She bounced Bethany in her arms. “We don’t want you losing weight.”

She had fifteen minutes before her neighbor, Stella Witherspoon, came over to watch Bethany. Not enough time to get everything done. This motherhood thing was a juggling act and so far she had dropped all her balls.

She sat Bethany on the opposite side of the couch from Trevor. Valerie smoothed Bethany’s silky, soft hair and then handed Trevor the bottle. “If Bethany starts to fuss, see if she will take this.”

Trevor’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Give her the bottle?” His voice slipped up half an octave.

Valerie shook her head. “It would be a help.” You’d think she had asked him to split an atom.

Still flustered by all she had to get done in a short amount of time, Valerie went up the stairs to where her uniform was laid out.

* * *

Trevor Lewis shifted uneasily on the couch. The little girl stuck two fingers in her mouth and watched him. With her free hand, she held on to a stuffed pink bunny that had seen better days. One of its ears dangled by a thread. He didn’t know that much about kids, but she looked at him like he was a pinned insect.

“Is your name Bethany?”

She continued to stare and suck her fingers. Did kids this little talk?

Valerie seemed distracted. Did she even want to work with him? He stared down at the tablet where he had opened Derek Murke’s file. Trying to catch a fugitive without the cooperation of the local police department never went well. She was the most likely candidate to help him. McNeal had mentioned that Salgado was a rookie...just like Cory Smith had been. Icy pain stabbed at Trevor’s heart. Could he keep this rookie safe?

Trevor let out a heavy breath and looked at Bethany. And she had a kid.

He held up the bottle to Bethany. “You want this?”

Bethany popped her fingers out of her mouth. She pointed at something across the room and said, “Gaga.”

He had no idea what she was talking about. Being around babies made him feel awkward. They seemed so fragile. As if they would shatter like glass if you didn’t hold them right. Bethany flipped around to her belly and slid off the couch. She tottered over to him, blue eyes still assessing him.

Her hand rested on his leg with a touch that was barely heavier than air. He held the bottle toward her while she was still standing and fed her as though she were a newborn lamb. She looked up at him with eyes that were filled with trust. He felt a fluttering in his heart. How unexpected that this delicate child was okay with him feeding her.

When he glanced around the room, Valerie stood at the base of the stairs watching them. Without the utility belt, the uniform accentuated her curves. Her red hair had been pulled up into a ponytail, revealing the soft lines of her face and clear green eyes.

“You can hold her, you know.” There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

“We’re doing just fine,” Trevor muttered.

Bethany pulled away from him and tottered toward Valerie just as the doorbell rang. An older woman with white, fluffy hair that had a tint of blue to it stepped across the threshold when Valerie opened the door. Valerie introduced the babysitter as Stella Witherspoon.

“There’s my little Bethie.” Mrs. Witherspoon’s voice had a charming bell-like quality.

The little girl squealed with delight and kicked her legs while Valerie held her. “Thanks for coming, Stella.”

Bethany nestled against Valerie while she gave Stella instructions for the day. Valerie ran a finger down Bethany’s cheek and rubbed noses with her when the little girl tilted her head up. She seemed like a natural at being a mom. Where was the baby’s father in all this? He hadn’t noticed a wedding band on her finger.

After Valerie handed Bethany over, she turned toward Trevor. “Since I’m running late, I can look at the file on the way to the station.” She turned back toward the kitchen. “Lexi, come.”

The dog trotted out from her crate by the back door.

Valerie grabbed the leash and canine vest by the door and proceeded to put them on Lexi. She rose to her feet. “I hope you don’t mind. She goes everywhere with me while I’m on duty.”

Trevor nodded. “I understand.” He opened the door for her when she had clicked Lexi into her leash.

As they stepped out into the early morning, light shimmered across Valerie’s coppery hair. She stopped and stared at where the police car used to be.

“I sent him home since you’re with me,” Trevor said.

Her voice took on that soft, distant quality. “He usually follows me into the station in the morning.”

The inflection in her voice suggested weariness, as though the need for protection had taken its toll on her emotionally.

Trevor glanced around. Other than automated sprinklers turning on, he saw no movement anywhere on the quiet street. He sidled closer to Valerie.

She turned toward him, furling her brow. “You don’t need to stand quite so close. I’m a trained officer. I can handle myself.”

He had to remind himself that though her irritation was directed toward him, she was probably more upset about the loss of freedom the death threats had created. “I don’t doubt you can handle yourself.”

She opened the back door of Trevor’s sedan to let Lexi in.

On the drive toward the station, Trevor filled Valerie in on the investigation as she flipped through the file. “We knew that Sagebrush was one of the places Murke had ties to. He lived here during his teen years and has come back several times since. He’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, so his picture has been out there. We had an anonymous tip, someone who saw him in a store here in Sagebrush.”

Valerie stared at the photo of Murke on the tablet. “Sometimes people are mistaken about identities.” She flicked through the pages of the file.

“I know that. It makes sense, though, that Murke would come back here,” he said as doubt tapped at the corners of his awareness. Valerie had to find something that would give them a lead. The urgency to catch Murke was stronger than ever.

Valerie looked up from the tablet. Her eyes lit up as they passed a schoolyard just starting to fill with children. She really seemed to gravitate toward kids. Having kids, being married, none of that had ever been on his radar. His father had been a brute of a man, cruel beyond reason. If it hadn’t been for a youth pastor, who had turned his heart toward God, Trevor could have gone down that same road. The way he had it figured, he didn’t want to risk having those patterns of violence emerge in his own life. He was a better help to humanity as a lawman.

“So it’s just you and Bethany?” The question had spilled out. He had to admit, he was curious.

Valerie laced her fingers together and bent her head. “Bethany is my sister’s child. I recently became her guardian when Kathleen died.” Her voice trembled.

Trevor retreated, aware that he had stepped on an emotional land mine. “Well, you seem like a natural mom.”

Her face glowed, and her voice fused with warmth. “Thanks. It’s been an adjustment for both of us.”

He hadn’t counted on the compliment meaning so much to her. He took a quick sideways glance at her. Shorter hair that had escaped the ponytail framed her soft features, and her full mouth curled into a faint smile. Was she still thinking about what he had said?

Valerie looked back down at the tablet. “Murke robbed a pawn shop with a guy named Leroy Seville?”

Trevor’s spirits lifted. “Yeah, do you know him?”

“No, but I know an elderly lady named Linda Seville. I don’t think she ever said anything about a son, but they could be related.”

“It’s worth a shot.” This could be the lead he had hoped for.

She lifted her head and peered through the windshield. “We’re actually pretty close to where she lives. Let’s just go there now. Four blocks up and one over.” She paused. “I know the street, and I’ll remember the house when I see it.”

He caught a whiff of her floral perfume as she leaned closer to him to point through the windshield. He leaned toward her as his stomach tightened.

He pulled to the curb, scanning the area as he got out of the car. “This is the street?” The neighborhood consisted of older homes built close together and several apartment buildings.

She looked at him over the top of the car. “Yep, this is the neighborhood I patrol.” She spoke with affection as she lifted her chin and looked around. “If I remember correctly, I met Linda on a stolen television case.” She studied the line of houses as though she was trying to jar her memory about where Linda Seville lived.

A girl of about seven road by on a bike. “Hey, Officer Salgado.”

A trilling laugh escaped Valerie’s throat. “Hey, Jessie Lynn. I see you found a new chain for your bike.”

The kid was half a block away when she shouted, “Yes, ma’am, I did.”

She turned to face Trevor. “Jessie loves that bike. She always gets a ride in before school.”

Valerie cared about the people here. That much was clear, but sometimes emotions got in the way of the job. He hoped she could keep them in check.

Valerie came around the car and joined Trevor on the sidewalk. She looked up at him, expectation coloring her lovely features. She had a spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and her voice had a soft quality that made him think of lullabies. He shook himself free of the warm, fuzzy feeling he got when she stood close to him. Okay, she was attractive and smelled nice. So what? He had a job to do.

Valerie pointed to a bungalow-style house with flower beds that were overgrown with weeds. “That’s it, right there. Now I remember. It wasn’t a stolen television—it was a missing pet.”

It sounded like Valerie didn’t know Linda Seville all that well. They made their way up the sidewalk. Worry twisted into a hard knot at the base of his stomach. What if this lead didn’t pan out? Would they be back to square one?

As though she had read his mind, Valerie said, “We might be able to get a line on Murke some other way if this turns out to be nothing.”

He appreciated her optimism, but in his mind, there were no second shots. Murke had evaded him since Cory’s death, leaving whatever town he’d drifted into the second he got wind that the Bureau was onto him. The capture needed to be swift before Murke had a chance to run again.

He knocked on the door. Through the sheer curtain, he could see that all the lights had been turned off, and no one stirred inside. He could feel that tightening in his chest. That awful feeling that they’d missed their chance to get the jump on Murke. “Where would this Linda be if she wasn’t at home?” He couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice.

“I don’t know that much about her. She’s not one of the people in the neighborhood who talks to me. I just helped her find her poodle months ago.” She turned and looked at the other houses. “I’m sure we can ask around.”

Trevor tensed. Too much asking around meant a greater chance of Murke getting wind that the Bureau had found him. “I just want this lead to work out.”

She flinched as though he had hit her with his words. “You really want to get this guy, don’t you?”

Trevor softened his tone. She didn’t deserve to be the recipient of the frustration over his long history with Murke. “He shot an agent I was training. Cory was a rookie fresh out of the Academy, and I know rookies make rookie mistakes, but he didn’t deserve to die.”

“I’m sorry about the agent being shot.” An emotion flashed across her face that almost looked like hurt, though he couldn’t figure out why. “I don’t think she’s here.” Valerie turned away and stared up the street.

He’d heard the quiver in her voice. Something he had said had struck a nerve. Women made him crazy sometimes. He was always saying the wrong thing around them and never quite understanding why it had been the wrong thing. Trying to sort it out with her would just make things worse.

Just let it go and do your job.

Trevor scanned the windows of the apartment buildings. No doubt the neighborhood had eyes everywhere. They’d expect to see Officer Salgado around, but would wonder what he was doing here. And then they would start to talk. If Murke was in this neighborhood, how long before word got back to him?

When he turned toward Valerie, she still had her back to him. She let out a soft gasp as her shoulders stiffened and she reached for her gun. He followed the line of her gaze.

Derek Murke sidled up the street holding two plastic bags and a six-pack of beer.