Page 4

FOUR

W est sprinted after the masked man with Peanut at his side. He would rather the beagle stay back by the SUV where it was safe but knew the dog wouldn’t leave him. His K-9 had turned and alerted to the scent of gunpowder bare seconds after he caught a glimpse of the guy rushing Trish, smacking into her and grabbing the stroller.

On instinct, he pulled his weapon. He wanted nothing more than to take this guy down but couldn’t risk firing and possibly hitting the baby. Especially since shooting on the run was notoriously inaccurate.

Braced for the perp to turn and fire at him, he shouted, “Stop! Police!”

Gabriel wailed as the perp ran haphazardly down the street. The little boy seemed to know the situation was dangerous. West put on a burst of speed, determined to catch up.

As West grew closer, the masked man suddenly let go of the stroller, giving it a shove as he whirled and darted to the left. The stroller teetered on two wheels for a moment at the abrupt movement. West lunged forward, grabbing the handle in time to prevent the stroller from toppling over and dumping Gabriel onto the street.

He knelt in front of the crying baby, reaching out to smooth the palm of hand over his fine hair. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to appease the little boy or himself.

“Gabriel!” Trisha came running toward them, limping badly as she favored her left leg. “I’ll take him. Go after the perp!”

“Peanut, stay!” He didn’t want his K-9 to be in the line of fire as he took up the chase. Leaving the baby and the stroller with Trish, he turned, sweeping his gaze over the area. He searched for the masked man, thinking he couldn’t have possibly gotten far.

But there was no sign of him.

Where had he gone? West kept moving, slower now, peering around one house and then another, checking backyards. But it was no use. The perp must have cased this neighborhood well enough to know how to get around without being seen.

As much as he didn’t want to give up the search, he was concerned about leaving Trisha and Gabriel behind. Regret burned as he turned and jogged back to where Trish, Gabriel and Peanut waited.

“I’m sorry, I lost him.” He frowned as she rubbed her knee. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Just a bruise. Nothing a little ice won’t fix.” She had Gabriel in her arms, holding him tight against her body. “Thank you for saving my son.”

“I can’t believe that guy went after the baby while we were both in plain sight.” The kidnapping attempt was sloppy at best, since he grabbed the stroller instead of quickly getting Gabriel out to make running off with him easier. “I don’t think he’s a professional. At least, not when it comes to abducting kids.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Trisha murmured. “But you’re right. He also could have waited and followed us to a different location before making his move. Either he’s desperate, impulsive or both.”

He nodded in agreement, crouching down to pet Peanut. “Good girl, Pea. You’re a very good girl.” The dog wiggled and licked his face. He needed to reward her for alerting to the scent of gunpowder, but not until he had Trisha and Gabriel safe. Trisha was a cop and a good one, but with a dangerous perp on her and her baby son’s trail and that injured knee... He rose to his feet. “Let’s go talk to the locksmith, then we need to get out of here.”

“Agree.” Trisha tried to set Gabriel back in his stroller but hesitated when he whined and clung to her. “Okay, it’s okay. You’re fine, big guy.” She pushed the stroller with one hand, limping back toward the house.

“I’ll take it.” He reached for the handle of the stroller. “Did you get a good look at him?”

“Not as much as I’d have liked,” she groused. “He’s roughly six feet tall, slim yet muscular, maybe weighing around one hundred eighty to one hundred ninety pounds. He’s Caucasian. I could see the white skin around his eyes and the back of his neck. But the ski mask covered his facial features.” She shook her head. “I can’t even say what color his eyes were. Maybe dark like brown or black.”

“Yeah, I agree with your height and weight assessment.” He glanced down at Peanut. “I believe he was armed. Peanut alerted right as this guy rushed you.”

“I should have expected something to happen,” Trisha murmured. “This guy knows where I live. I shouldn’t have returned here with Gabriel.”

“We’ll get him.” He injected confidence in his tone. This kidnapping attempt probably wasn’t related to the gun running venture, but it was possible the perp had gotten his weapon illegally.

If so, they’d need to convince him to talk. Once they’d arrested him.

“Why don’t you and Gabriel wait in the SUV while I speak to the locksmith,” he suggested.

“My house. I’ll talk to the locksmith,” she said curtly. “But if you could stick close, I’d appreciate it.”

He wanted to argue, but she was a trained patrol officer and this was her home. “Will do.”

She shifted Gabriel in her arms, and they headed up to where the locksmith was waiting. Trisha asked, “Did you see that masked man grab my son’s stroller?”

“I—uh, not really.” The locksmith looked sheepish. “I was looking at my notes. Then I saw you both chasing him, but I can’t give you an ID or anything like that.”

“Okay.” She looked resigned, but then turned to the issue at hand. “I need all the locks changed to a type of lock that is difficult to break into. Someone picked the lock on my back door to gain access, and that cannot happen again.”

The guy looked surprised at that. “I would recommend a keyless entry. Nothing is absolutely burglar proof, but the higher-end model can be set up with a fingerprint and key code.”

“Let’s do that,” she said without hesitation. “Cost is not as important as safety.”

“Understood. I have plenty of these in stock.” The locksmith gestured to her modest home. “You should consider adding motion lights and cameras, too.”

“Yes, of course. That makes sense.” Trisha glanced at West. “What do you think?”

“I agree with all of his suggestions.” West knew it would take time to get everything installed. “Why don’t we let this guy get to work on the locks. We can call a security company once you’re safe.” He was careful not to say anything about where they’d be staying.

“Okay. Thanks.” She gave the locksmith her credit card information and the key code. “It’s not my birthday or Gabriel’s birthday,” she said when he opened his mouth to argue. “It’s my father’s birthday month and my mother’s birthday year, with the numbers of his month in the middle of her year. I don’t think anyone will guess it. Especially since they’ve been gone since Raina and I were in our late teens.”

“That should work fine.” He was glad she understood the importance of using good password security. He turned to look back at his SUV. “Ready to get out of here?”

“Yes.” She smoothed a hand down Gabriel’s back. The baby had quieted down now, likely understanding the danger was over. He hadn’t realized small kids could sense things the way K-9's did.

Sticking close to Trish, he escorted her and Gabriel down to the car. He worked on collapsing the stroller as she buckled him in his car seat. After storing the stroller behind the front seat, he scooped Peanut up, nuzzled her soft fur for a moment, before setting her in the back. She was smaller in size than his previous K-9 partner, Willa, but just as plucky and talented when it came to scent tracking and sniffing out guns.

He quickly joined Trish, sliding behind the wheel. As they left the neighborhood, he glanced at her. “I hope you’ll continue staying at my place.”

With a grimace, she nodded. “I will, thanks for the offer. I know you’ll be busy with the new task force, but it will be easier for Gabriel to stay with you. And for me,” she added.

Despite his earlier reluctance to share his personal space, he was relieved to hear it. “There isn’t much to do yet with the task force. We’re hoping to get more information related to the guns that were found in the van you pulled over.”

“Hopefully the BOLO for Petey Pawners will bring results, too,” she agreed. “I can’t imagine he and his accomplice can hide for long.”

“That depends on how much help they have from other members of the organization running these guns.” It was depressing to realize Pawners had gotten away, just like the masked perp had.

It made him feel as if he was losing his touch. Which was not reassuring.

“Hey. You’ll find him.” Trisha surprised him by putting her hand on his arm. “I’m glad a task force has been created. It’s better to have more than our Plains City PD working the case.”

“True.” He managed a smile. “I’m glad the ATF didn’t take over the way feds usually do.” His smile faded. “Getting these guns off the street is critical. Gun violence is already out of control. Arresting these guys might help bring it down.”

“Yeah.” She turned to look back at Gabriel, who had started babbling again. “What I can’t figure out is why the masked man tried to grab Gabriel in the first place? Last night, when he broke into my home, he searched for something. Now he’s attempting to kidnap my son?”

“I’ve been concerned about that, too,” he acknowledged. “It could be that he was hoping to hold the baby hostage in exchange for the key he was looking for.”

“Hostage,” she echoed, her voice a low agonized whisper. “That’s horrible.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but we’re not going to let that happen.” It took him a minute to realize he’d identified himself as the baby’s protector.

Yet he couldn’t very well ignore the danger to the little guy.

“I appreciate your support, West.” Her tone was subdued, as he navigated the streets back to his place. “It’s nice to know I’m not alone in this.”

“You’re not.” He glanced at her again, then added, “We need to discuss your ex-husband.”

“Bryan isn’t six feet tall. He’s only two inches taller than my five feet seven inches. And I think I would have recognized his blue eyes, if that man was him.” She shrugged. “I honestly don’t understand why Bryan would be searching my house for a key. A key to what? We didn’t have a storage unit, a post office box or a bank safety deposit box.”

Knowing the perp wanted a key was perplexing. Then he had a thought. “Did Bryan belong to a gym?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Yes! He went to the one located not far from Raina’s place. It’s called—Fitness Guru Gym.”

He stopped at the next intersection and turned right. “Okay, that’s our first stop.”

“I should have thought of that before,” she admitted. “But it was his gym membership, not mine. Why would he believe I have the key to his locker? Especially since it has been a year and two months since he left me?”

“I don’t know, but there’s only one way to find out.” He hoped his badge would be enough to convince the gym manager to let him search the locker.

They needed something to steer them in the right direction to find this guy.

Before he could strike out at Trisha or her son again.

Trisha inwardly railed at herself for not thinking of Bryan’s old gym membership sooner. It should have clicked in her mind last night, but the shooting event, then finding Laurel tied up and bleeding, had clouded her mind.

Sitting back in her seat, she tried to imagine Bryan as the masked man who’d roughly shoved her to the ground and then took off with Gabriel’s stroller. Was she wrong about the guy’s height?

No, West had agreed with her assessment. And that fact alone convinced her the kidnapper wasn’t Bryan.

One of Bryan’s friends? She tried to think of who her ex-husband used to hang out with. Their wedding had been small and without the usual best man or maid of honor. Her sister had been there, and she thought there was someone there for Bryan, too.

Seth Blakemore? Yes, that was it. She seemed to remember Seth was friendly with Bryan. Yet she only met him twice that she could remember. He wasn’t overly tall, and he had been huskier than Bryan and the perp who’d tried to take Gabriel.

“There’s one name we should look into,” she said, breaking the silence. “A friend of Bryan’s named Seth Blakemore.”

“That’s good to know. We’ll dig into his background, see what we come up with.” He glanced at her. “Keep thinking of anyone else your ex knows or maybe worked with. It doesn’t make sense that a total stranger would break into your house to search for a key.”

“I know. The problem is that we weren’t married for very long, and then got divorced barely five months after our wedding.” She flushed, embarrassed that she’d made such an enormous mistake in judgment. “I don’t know why I rushed into marrying him. I guess I was looking for the loving relationship my parents had, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” His blue eyes reflected a level of compassion that warmed her heart. “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you being a single mom.”

“I don’t mind.” She would rather be single than married to a man who didn’t love her or want their child. Then she leaned forward in her seat. “There’s the gym.”

“I see it.” He turned right at the next intersection, then drove the three blocks to the gym. After pulling into a parking space, he killed the engine. “I’d like to take Peanut inside with me, see if she alerts on anything in the locker if we find one. You and Gabriel should come inside, too. I don’t want you to be out here alone.”

“Okay.” That plan suited her just fine. She wouldn’t have considered the possibility of Bryan keeping a gun in his locker. It would be good to have Peanut’s keen nose to give an idea of what they were dealing with. “By the way, Bryan’s last name is Little. Bryan Little.”

“Got it.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I bet he hated that last name.”

She couldn’t help but return his smile. “He did. He was shorter than a lot of guys and got teased about it.” She didn’t bother with the stroller this time. Hauling her son around was one way to build up her strength without going to the gym. Oh, she still did some running and went to the firing range, but being a single working mother didn’t allow for much spare time. Not that she minded keeping busy. Bryan’s leaving so abruptly had her guarding her heart. She wouldn’t risk being hurt like that again.

West put Peanut on leash. The sweet beagle lifted her nose to the air, eager to take in the various scents.

She followed West and Peanut inside, allowing him to take the lead. West held up his badge, then asked to speak to someone in charge.

“I’ll, uh, get Stewie for you.” The young kid made a beeline toward the back office. A few minutes later, an older man, maybe in his late forties, came over to meet with him. The guy had muscles upon muscles, and eyed West’s badge with suspicion.

“Whaddya want?” Stewie growled.

“We need to know if a member by the name of Bryan Little has a locker here. And if so, I want to see what’s inside.”

Stewie chomped hard on a piece of gum, seeming to weigh his options. She stepped forward, trying to ascertain if he smelled like cigarettes and was disappointed when he didn’t.

“Don’t you need a warrant?” Stewie asked.

“I can get one,” West said. He glanced around the gym. “But I would hate to shut the place down for the time it would take to do that.”

“Shut it down?” Stewie scowled. Then he heaved a sigh. “I don’t think Bryan has been here in months. He had his membership paid for a year, though, so I didn’t clean out his locker yet.”

So Bryan did have a locker there. She felt a surge of anticipation at the news. “When does his membership expire?” she asked.

Stewie glanced at her, then turned back to West. “I gotta look it up.”

“Go ahead.” West didn’t move. “We’ll wait.”

Stewie stepped over to a computer and hit a few keys. “Looks like his membership ran out last month.”

“Perfect. Looks like I don’t need a warrant after all,” West said. “Lead the way to the locker.”

Stewie nodded at her. “She can’t come into the men’s locker room.”

“Yes, she can. She’s a cop. Just get everyone out of there,” West directed.

She was surprised at West’s determination to have her come along, but then again, she might recognize Bryan’s personal items.

If he’d left any behind.

Less than ten minutes later, Stewie had emptied the men’s locker room and was leading them inside, carrying a large bolt cutter with him to use on the lock. The place reeked of old socks and sweat, but that was hardly surprising.

“This one,” Stewie said, using the bolt cutter to point to the locker tucked in a corner. “Number 105.”

West bent to take Peanut off leash. “Find tools,” he said, spreading his arms wide to encompass the entire locker room. “Find tools!”

She remembered tools was the key word for weapon detection. Better to say tools in an airport for example, than the word gun .

Peanut eagerly went to work, lifting her nose to the air, then moving along the lockers. She headed away from locker 105, which surprised her.

Not that Trisha thought Bryan had stashed a gun in his gym locker. That seemed over the top. However, she would rather be safe than sorry.

Peanut abruptly sat, her nose pointed upward at a locker that was roughly a foot above her head. Trisha frowned and glanced at West.

“Who is using this locker?” West asked, crossing over to where Peanut sat waiting. He pointed to the locker that Peanut seemed to be indicating. “Number 322.”

“I have no idea. It might be a general use locker.” Stewie scowled again. “You said you wanted to look inside this one.” In a quick movement, he lifted the bolt cutters and sliced through the lock on Bryan Little’s locker. Then he reached down and opened the door.

It was empty. She hid a flash of disappointment.

“That was what we wanted initially, but now I need to know who uses this locker. Three twenty-two.” West’s firm tone brooked no room for argument. When Stewie didn’t answer, he lifted his phone and thumbed the screen. “Hey, Jack, it’s West. I need a search warrant ASAP for the Fitness Guru Gym. Peanut alerted on locker 322.”

“Okay, okay!” Stewie’s face grew red. “I’ll open it for you and let you know if anyone has been using it. Cut me a break, will ya?”

She met West’s gaze as he gave her a slight nod. “Good. But why don’t you get me the paperwork, first?”

Stewie muttered something about how they were trying to ruin his business as he left the locker room to get the information West had requested.

“You think there’s a gun in there?” She asked in a low whisper.

“Peanut says there is. And she’s rarely wrong.” His expression was grim. “I’m disappointed we didn’t find anything in your ex-husband’s locker, though.”

“I guess that’s kind of a good thing.” She hoped the masked perp wasn’t terrorizing her and Gabriel for nothing.

“But having a clue would have been nice.” West fell silent as Stewie returned, holding a sheaf of papers. “Just like I thought, that’s one of the general lockers,” he said. “It isn’t assigned to anyone specific. There’s a bunch of them that are just left open for people to use.”

“Good, that means it’s your property and you can remove the lock,” West said.

Stewie stuffed the papers in his back pocket, hefted the bolt cutter again and clipped through the lock. West had donned a pair of gloves from his pocket and put them on to remove the lock, then opened the door.

Inside was a Glock 19. Nothing else, no personal items or anything remotely related to working out. Just the gun. Using an evidence bag as a glove, West picked it up and examined it more closely. “No serial number.”

“That’s interesting.” Was the gym a hot drop for illegal weapons? Or was this a one-off scenario?

After being nearly shot and killed last night by Petey Pawners and his accomplice, she hoped and prayed this weapon would lead West and the task force to the gun traffickers.