Page 5

FIVE

“G ood girl, Pea. Good girl!” West praised his K-9, pulling out the squeaky ducky she loved to play with. He tossed it in the air, and she agilely caught it in her mouth. The way she shook her head from side to side, then romped in the small space made him smile.

If not for Trish’s ex having a locker here in the gym, Peanut wouldn’t have found the gun. The filed off serial number convinced him this was one of the illegal handguns that had been brought through the Dakotas. This Glock could be one of them. He carefully set it down, unwilling to smudge any potential prints.

“We don’t allow guns in here,” Stewie was saying, obviously shocked by the sight of the weapon. “I don’t have any idea how that got there!”

“Someone placed it there,” Trisha said dryly. She was rocking from side to side, as Gabriel was growing fussy. “You’re absolutely sure you don’t know who is using that locker?”

“It’s available to anyone with a membership!” Stewie looked scared to death, as if fearing he was about to be arrested. “I don’t come in here to cut locks off unless they’ve been on for over a month or two. And those instances are rare.”

“I need a list of all your gym members,” West said calmly, leaning toward believing the guy. Stewie’s shock in seeing the gun was too real to be faked. Yet he also highly doubted the gym owner checked for lockers that were taken for extended lengths of time.

Stewie just didn’t come across as highly organized. He was a lot of brawn and muscle, but shy on brains.

“I’ll get that list,” Stewie quickly agreed.

“Thanks. This room is off-limits until the crime scene techs have checked for prints.” He turned away and used his thumb to call Jack Donadio. “Jack? We found a Glock 19 in the Fitness Guru Gym. I need someone here to check for prints, ASAP.” He was hoping the lock had been on long enough that only the perp’s fingerprints would be on the outside of the locker and on the gun.

“Understood,” Jack agreed. “They should be there in less than ten minutes.”

“Great. I’ll be waiting.” He pocketed his phone, glancing at Trish, who was still trying to keep Gabriel calm. He wished now that he’d have dropped her and Gabriel at his place prior to coming here. It was never smart to take a baby to a potential crime scene.

“I’m going to need to feed and change him soon,” Trisha said almost apologetically. “I could head over to my sister’s place. Raina only lives two blocks from here.”

“Can you hang on for another ten minutes?” After the near miss outside her home, he wasn’t keen on leaving her alone. “As soon as the crime scene techs are here, I’ll drive you over.” He knelt to take Peanut’s ducky, tucking it back in his pocket and stroking the dog’s soft fur. “The twins will enjoy seeing Peanut again.”

“Okay.” She turned and bounced up and down with Gabriel, talking to the boy to keep him distracted. He almost offered to take the baby, but then caught himself.

His role here was to find gun traffickers while keeping Trisha and her son safe. Playing dad to the little boy was not part of the plan.

Thankfully, the techs arrived sooner than expected. He instructed them on what he wanted dusted for prints, and they quickly complied. It didn’t take long, as the lockers weren’t overly large. When they’d finished and had bagged the gun to take to the lab, he scooped Peanut into his arms and headed through the gym.

“Here’s the list,” Stewie said from behind the reception desk. He handed West two sheets of paper. “All my current gym memberships.”

“I’d like former gym memberships, too, going back at least six months. A year would be better.” He held Stewie’s gaze.

The guy looked like he wanted to argue but returned to the computer to print out more names. West knew Stewie’s cooperation was solely to get them all out of his gym as soon as possible.

“Anything else?” Stewie asked impatiently.

“That should do it.” He glanced over to where the techs had emerged from the locker room. “The place is yours.”

“It’s about time.” Stewie didn’t try to hide his snide tone. West didn’t care. He’d gotten what he’d wanted.

He escorted Trisha and Gabriel out to the SUV. He stayed close as she placed her son in the car seat. After giving Peanut some water, he set her in the crated area and shut the hatch.

Gabriel began to cry in earnest. Trisha looked a bit harried as she tucked her red hair behind her ear. “You know where Raina lives, right? In Kenyon’s house.”

“Yes, I know.” He eyed the car seat in his rearview mirror. He couldn’t see the baby’s face but smiled at how Gabriel’s tiny fists waved around.

“I’ll call to let her know we’re on the way.” Trisha spoke to her sister as he drove the two blocks to Raina’s. When he pulled into the driveway, two small boys with dark hair came out of the house with the beagle puppy, Chewy, on their heels.

“Unca West! Unca West!” Austin hopped from one foot to the other as West slid out from behind the wheel. Austin was the more outgoing of the two boys, while Beacon hung back in his usual quiet and shy way. Seeing the twins smiling faces was bittersweet. He was glad they were adjusting to their new life with Raina, but watching them only reminded him of the loss of their dad. “Where’s Peanut?”

“Right here.” He opened the hatch with a click of his key fob. Peanut nimbly jumped down and hurried over to greet the boys.

Watching the twins play with Peanut made his chest tighten with grief over Kenyon’s passing. The boys seemed to be adjusting well from what he could see. Raina was doing a great job of caring for them. He had to give Kenyon credit in naming Raina, his childhood best friend, as the boys’ guardian after losing his wife and knowing his job as a cop was dangerous. It still burned to know the gun traffickers had set that explosion, killing Kenyon and their female informant, Erica Rodgers.

“Let’s all go inside,” Raina said.

Feeling a bit like an outsider, West followed them in the house. Trisha took Gabriel into the kids’ room to change the baby. He noticed Raina looked tired as he made sure Peanut and Chewy had water.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Yes, of course.” Raina shrugged and looked toward the boys. “I love them both as if they’re my own flesh and blood. But it’s hard knowing Kenyon is gone.”

“Yeah. That’s been difficult for all of us.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, grateful when Trisha returned with Gabriel. She set the boy on the floor by the other kids, then quickly fixed him a bottle.

“Sorry to drop in at the last minute,” Trisha said, when she was able to feed Gabriel. “Gabriel was getting antsy.”

“I know how that goes,” Raina said with a smile. “You’re always welcome.”

A shadow clouded Trish’s gaze, and she shot him a quick look. “Actually, there’s been some trouble at my place. A masked intruder broke in, tied Laurel up and searched the house, apparently looking for some sort of key.”

“What?” Raina’s eyes widened in alarm. “That’s terrible. Are you and Gabriel, okay? And what about Laurel? What are you going to do?”

“Laurel is fine. She’s in the hospital until tomorrow, as the thug hit her hard in the kidney.” Trisha looked down at her son for a moment, then added. “I—we’re staying with West for a couple of days until this guy has been caught.”

“That’s a relief,” Raina murmured. “I know you’re a cop, Trish, but I’m glad you’re not staying at your place.”

“I would never put Gabriel’s life in danger,” Trisha said. “West has been very kind.”

“West is right here,” he said dryly. He understood why Trisha hadn’t mentioned the kidnapping attempt. No point in worrying Raina when she already had so much on her plate. “And it’s no trouble. I hate the way this guy has lashed out at you and Gabriel.”

Peanut frolicked with Chewy and Austin. Beacon was off on the side, coloring in a picture book. The little boy appeared very intent on his task, reminding him of how focused Kenyon could be when he was faced with a problem.

Once Gabriel had been fed, Trisha repacked the diaper bag. “Thanks for allowing us to drop by. We’ll get out of your hair now.”

“It’s truly no problem,” Raina assured her. A frown furrowed her brow. “Be careful, okay?”

“Always.” She gave her sister a hug, hoisted the diaper bag over one shoulder then picked up Gabriel. “Take care.”

“Come, Peanut,” he said firmly. The beagle instantly turned from Chewy and followed him outside. As he lifted his K-9 into the back, his phone rang. Seeing his captain’s name on the screen, he quickly answered. “What’s going on, Captain?”

“I heard you found a gun at the Fitness Guru Gym,” Ross said without preamble.

“Peanut did, yes.” He quickly explained about why they’d been at the gym in the first place. “I have the list of members. I’ll scan them to you and the rest of the task force as soon as I get to my place.”

“It’s our first break in the case,” Ross agreed. “Unfortunately, there were no useable prints found on the locker. It appears to have been wiped clean after the Glock was placed inside.”

“What about on the Glock itself?” West asked, sliding into the SUV and transferring the call to the speakers. It was only right that Trisha be up to speed on the case, too.

“No prints on the gun, but Dan Slater is working with a ballistics expert from the ATF to see if they can raise the serial number, and to test the gun to see if it’s been used in other crimes. Our new task force is fast tracking the evidence, which is helpful.”

“That sounds promising.” Bullets fired from a gun and retrieved from crime scenes could be matched to the weapon if the slugs were uploaded into the system. “I’ll touch base with Dan, too.”

“Later.” His boss ended the call. With Trisha and the baby settled into their seats, West backed out of Raina’s driveway, then turned toward his place.

Between the Glock and the list of gym members, he felt as if they were finally on the right track in finding these guys. The fact that Trish’s ex had a locker at the gym so close to where they’d found the weapon, made him wonder if the cases were connected in some way.

It would be interesting if they were, although he wasn’t sure how. Things were getting complicated, that was for sure. He needed to keep Trisha and Gabriel safe, while seeking justice for Kenyon’s murder.

It would be icing on the cake to accomplish both missions.

Relieved Gabriel had quieted down with a full belly and a lulling car ride, Trisha glanced at West. “I wish we knew more about the masked kidnapper, but I’m glad you and the task force have something to investigate related to the gun trafficking case.”

“Me, too.” He flashed a rare smile. “And we’ll keep digging into this ski mask guy, as well.”

“Thanks.” She understood how the task force felt about nailing these gun runners. After the way they’d lost Kenyon in that explosion, she couldn’t blame them.

Yet the incidents surrounding the masked man nagged at her. She decided to begin with digging into Seth Blakemore as a possible suspect. Even if he wasn’t involved, Seth may know more about what Bryan had been up to.

“Do you mind if I borrow your computer? Once you’re finished scanning the names of the gym members?”

“Sure.” He nodded thoughtfully. “I remember we discussed looking into Seth Blakemore. As a friend of your ex-husband, he’s our best lead as to what Bryan may have been up to.”

“Agreed.” She glanced at Gabriel, who was happily babbling in his car seat. “I can work on Seth Blakemore, to free you up to deal with task force stuff.”

“We’re in this together.” West waved a hand. “I’ll help with Seth, although I may have to head out to follow up on other leads, as they arise.”

“Okay, thanks.” She was secretly thrilled to hear West say they were in this together. As a patrol officer, her job was to keep the highways and roadways safe. Their police department wasn’t big enough that she had a partner to ride with, which meant she was alone most of the time.

Every time she pulled someone over, much like the truck last night, she knew she was walking into a potentially dangerous situation. And unlike last night, she normally had nothing more than her gut instincts and training to keep her safe.

Being teamed up with West, even on a temporary basis, was nice. Yet she told herself not to get used to it.

As soon as the masked kidnapper was caught and arrested, she’d be back home and on her own. Normally she thrived on being independent. Yet there was no denying that being a single mother was challenging. She and Raina had that in common. And had agreed that trying to date was an unnecessary complication.

So why was she suddenly thinking about how lonely her life was?

Enough. She shook off the depressing thought and pulled out her phone to check if Seth Blakemore was on social media. She had a profile that didn’t use her last name, and didn’t list her as a cop on several sites. She’d prefer not to be on social media at all, but there were times, like this, that she needed to use them in an investigation.

And that was impossible to do without a profile. Even one with a cartoon picture and her name being listed as Patricia, rather than just Trisha.

“What are you looking at?” West asked curiously.

“Checking Seth Blakemore on social media.” She frowned as she scrolled down the list of Seth Blakemores. “I can barely remember what he looks like, so it may not be as easy as I’d hoped.”

“We can ask Cheyenne to get his driver’s license photo.” He shrugged. “They’re only updated every eight years, but it still may help.”

“That would be good.” She continued to scroll, trying to narrow her search to Seth Blakemore living in South Dakota.

They could issue a BOLO for Blakemore. Not to arrest him, as he hadn’t done anything wrong but to get him to the precinct for an interview. She wanted to be there as he was questioned, so she could read his facial expressions and body language for herself.

If Seth was involved in whatever this key was that the masked man was looking for, she hoped they could pressure him into cooperating.

The sound of a ringing phone broke into her thoughts. The dashboard communication screen lit up with an incoming call, the name on the display reading Dan Slater. She knew Slater was with the ATF. That had come out during the explosion that had taken Kenyon’s life.

West didn’t hesitate to answer. “Hey, Dan, what’s up?”

“Where are you?” Dan asked, his voice tense with urgency.

“I’m on the road heading to my house, why?” West asked. He gave the ATF agent the street signs as they drove by. “Is something wrong?”

“Can you detour to the gas station located near the shoot-out that took place last night?” Dan asked. “We just received a call about two bodies being found stuffed in the dumpster behind the building. You’re closest to that location, and since you were at the shooting, I’m hoping you can recognize them.”

West met her gaze, as if silently asking her opinion. She nodded. If those bodies were related to the shoot-out last night, she wanted to know what had happened, too.

“Yes, I’ll head there now, I’m with Patrol Officer Trisha McCord, who was also at the scene of the shooting last night.”

“Good. Get there as soon as you can,” Dan said. “I’ve asked the manager not to touch anything and to stay away from the dumpsters until we can get the crime scene techs out there to process the scene.” There was a pause, then Dan added, “I’ll head over too, but call me the moment you know something.”

“Roger that.” West ended the call with a click of a button. His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, then to her. “I’m not sure it’s wise to bring a baby to a crime scene.”

She winced, glancing back at Gabriel. Lifting herself up out of her seat and craning her neck, she could see he’d fallen asleep, which was a good thing. “At least he’s napping. A quick stop shouldn’t be dangerous. Besides, this is important. I agree with Dan. We can’t allow anything to mess up the crime scene.”

“Yeah.” He scowled at the pickup truck that pulled out in front of him. “I have a bad feeling about these dead bodies.”

She nodded in agreement. Finding dead bodies crammed into dumpsters was rarely good news. During one of her patrols a few months ago she’d stumbled across a man who’d committed suicide in his car by shooting himself in the head.

That had not been a nice discovery.

And she knew what they were about to face would be as bad if not worse.

Mentally preparing herself, she kept an eye on the cars around them as West headed to the gas station. It was one she used often enough while out on patrol, stopping for snacks and to use the restroom facilities.

Yeah, maybe it was time to find a different place. One that wasn’t used as a dumping ground for dead bodies.

West slowed as they approached the gas station. Looking up at the sky outside her passenger window, she saw a couple of birds circling above the facility.

Scavengers looking for food.

She swallowed hard, trying not to let her imagination run wild. Maybe the dumpster had been closed until now, leaving the bodies relatively intact.

One could hope.

“I’ll keep the vehicle running. Stay inside with Gabriel and Peanut,” West said, as he braked to a stop along the side of the building.

She wanted to protest, but after the recent attempt to snatch Gabriel, she nodded. Then rolled down her window, despite the chilly temps. “Please let me know what you find.”

“Trust me. You’ll know.” He pushed open his door and slid out. Then he raised his gold shield for the guy coming out of the gas station to see. “I’m Detective West Cole from the PCPD. Please stay back.”

“You got here fast,” the guy said with obvious relief.

“Has anyone disturbed the bodies?” West asked, as he pulled gloves from his coat pocket. “Touched or moved them in any way?”

“No way.” The guy looked horrified at the thought. “Eli threatened to quit after finding them. No one wants to be around that kind of violence.”

“Okay, thanks.” West caught her gaze, then headed to the back of the gas station. To his credit, he approached the dumpster cautiously, scanning the ground around it. A few feet from the dumpster, he went down on his haunches, clearly searching for clues or other evidence that may have been left behind by the person or persons responsible for dumping the bodies there.

She silently prayed he’d find something.

After what seemed like forever, West rose back to a standing position and stepped closer to the dumpster. The edge of the dumpster came up to his chest, which indicated to her that there would have had to be at least two people involved in the body dump. Hoisting one dead body up and over the edge would be difficult for one man.

Unless he was a body builder, like Stewie at the gym.

West stared over the edge of the dumpster, using a gloved hand to move something aside. Then he stepped away, glancing at her.

“Who is it?” she asked in a low voice so as not to wake Gabriel.

“Petey Pawners. He was one of the gunmen from last night. It’s likely the other dead guy is his accomplice.” West stripped off his gloves and reached for his phone. “I’ll call the captain.”

Her thoughts whirled. Whoever had killed Petey and his accomplice had either done so to send a message to other gun runners not to lose precious merchandise...

Or because they were tying up loose ends.

Most likely, both.