Page 6 of Forged By Fire (Danger in Destiny #9)

Chapter Six

O n his way back to the precinct, Clint had gone through a drive-through for a soda.

He wanted to stick around the station and see how the investigation was going and knew he’d need a sugar pick-me-up.

He’d just pulled into the police station’s parking lot and was getting out of his car when his phone rang.

He didn’t hesitate to answer, even though it showed it was from an unknown caller.

He handed out business cards to a lot of people he didn’t know.

“This is Officer Clint Baker.”

“Clint? It’s Leslie.”

She was about the last person he expected to hear from, especially considering he’d just seen her half an hour ago. The urgent tone in her voice had him instantly on alert.

“Leslie? What’s wrong?”

“I just got home, and the front door isn’t latched shut. I always, always lock the door behind me when I leave.”

“What’s your address?” He got back into his car and rushed to put his seat belt on .

She told him, and he entered it into his GPS.

“I’m on my way. Is it possible your sister might have gone in for something and forgotten to close the door?”

“No. At least, I can’t imagine she would have. She has a key, but she’s never used it, not without telling me.”

“Don’t enter the house until I get there. I’m only three minutes away.” He didn’t realize she lived so close and sent up a silent prayer of thanks that was the case.

If someone had broken into her place, the last thing he wanted was for her to unwillingly step into the middle of things and get hurt. Or worse.

“I went back to my car and locked the door. No one’s come out of the house, and I don’t see any shadows moving inside.”

“Good thinking. Just let me know if you see any movement. Whatever you do, don’t leave the car until I get there.

I need to call this in.” He kept her on the line and used his radio to speak to dispatch.

“This is unit seven. Show me responding to a possible residential break-in.” He gave the address.

“I’m en route now, with an ETA of less than three minutes. ”

“Understood, unit seven. Sending an additional unit to meet you there.”

“Copy that.” He returned his focus to his phone call with Leslie.

“I’m approaching your house now.” He’d chosen to make a silent approach as he turned onto her street.

He didn’t want to spook anyone who might still be inside the house.

He parked right behind her car, then got out and strode to her driver’s side window.

She rolled it down. “Backup will be here in a minute. We’ll go inside and clear the house.

Once we’ve done that, you can come inside and see if anything’s missing. ”

“Yeah. Okay.” She looked over at her house, then back with a nod. Worry had created small creases near the corners of her mouth and deepened the lines between her brows.

Clint hated that she was going through this. Especially after everything else she’d dealt with today.

The second police vehicle to arrive was a Suburban, and Clint knew immediately that it was Officer Gabe Harrison and his K-9 partner, Loki. Even better. If someone were hiding in the house, they wouldn’t stay hidden long with the talented dog on the scene.

Clint rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Please be careful.”

He waited long enough to see that she’d rolled her window back up before jogging to where Gabe was preparing Loki.

The dog barely registered Clint’s presence as he focused on his trainer and friend.

Once Loki had on the correct collar and lead, Gabe allowed him to exit the kennel in the back of the vehicle.

Together, the three of them approached the front of the house. It was a single-story building, which would make it easier to search. Just like Leslie had told him, the door was open just enough to see the light from inside. Cautiously, Clint pushed it open with his foot.

Gabe raised his voice as he spoke, “This is the Destiny Police Department. We’re coming in with a K-9 officer. If there’s anyone in here, I need you to announce your presence for your safety.”

Silence.

Clint led the way into the house with Gabe on his six. One by one, they searched each room, closets included, until both officers were satisfied that no one was inside.

Gabe got a ball out and tossed it to Loki, praising him for a job well done.

He patted the dog’s rump. “There was glass on the floor of the second bedroom right beneath the window. I bet that’s how they gained access.

If it weren’t for that and the open door, I never would’ve known someone broke in. ”

“Agreed.” Clint went back to inspect the front door. “I’m going to take a closer look at that window and the back door.”

The back door was still locked. So were all the windows except for the one in the second bedroom.

His boot crunched on the broken bits of glass beneath the open window.

He moved the curtains aside with his flashlight to reveal a hole in the bottom pane.

No doubt someone had busted the hole and reached through to unlock the window.

He made his way back to the living room where Gabe and Loki were waiting.

“Looks like you were right. The intruder came in through the spare bedroom window and must have left through the front door.”

Gabe frowned. “Well, if anything was stolen, it’s not obvious. The TV and DVD players are still here. I’m pretty sure I noticed a laptop in the bedroom. Nothing looks disturbed or damaged.”

They reached out to dispatch and gave an update on the situation and requested a forensics team.

Clint jabbed a thumb at the front door. “I’m going to let Leslie know and have her come in and look around. We’ll need forensics for that window. See if there are any fingerprints left behind. Same with the front door.”

“Sounds like a plan. If you’re good here, Loki and I will get back out on patrol. ”

“Yep. Thanks, man.” They shook hands, and Clint gave Loki’s ear a rub.

Outside, the streetlight cast just enough of a glow on Leslie’s car to illuminate her face. She rolled the window down as he approached.

“You did the right thing calling. Someone did break into your house. They were likely long gone before you got home.” He hated the look of fear that flashed across her face.

Her home was supposed to be her safe space, and it’d been violated.

It was likely a random hit, but he knew she’d be worried about it until the intruder was caught.

“Aside from the window they broke to gain entry, nothing else looks like it’s destroyed or obviously missing.

If you’re up to it, it’d be helpful if you came inside and had a look around. ”

“Yeah. Of course.” She followed him inside, her arms crossed tightly across her chest as though she were cold.

It was the beginning of November, and the evenings were finally starting to cool off after an unusually hot summer.

No doubt that contributed to the chill Leslie was experiencing, but most of her response was likely related to the events of the day.

The poor woman had to be exhausted after everything she’d been through.

“Go through the house, check any hidden valuables you might have as well, and let me know if there’s anything missing or out of place.”

She gave a distracted nod, her attention already on her surroundings. As much as Clint wanted to stay close by in case she needed anything, he waited in the living room to give her space.

While she was looking around, it gave him a chance to really take in the look and feel of the house.

It wasn’t fancy, but the simple style resulted in a place that was comfortable.

Welcoming. Colors were pretty neutral, but it was clear her favorite color was a light purple because accent pillows, candles, and pictures all sported the same shade.

The most impressive area of the house, however, was the far side of the living room.

The wall was lined with bookcases except for the very center, where an oversized accent chair and matching ottoman sat.

It was the perfect reading nook. He imagined Leslie curled up there well into the night with the floor lamp nearby, casting just enough light to read by.

Along with more books than he could count, there was also an extensive Funko Pop! figure collection. They were organized by sets or type and set up between or in front of books, whichever seemed to fit the best.

The cast from Lord of the Rings was arranged together on one side of a shelf next to the books, while characters from the show Friends were set up in another location.

A shelf with adventure books held many of the cartoon characters from Disney’s Robin Hood movie.

After glancing at the entire collection, there wasn’t a single figure that Clint didn’t recognize.

“I know. I’ve got a bit of an addiction.

” Leslie’s soft voice, tinged with humor, came from his left.

“In my defense, I’ve been collecting them for years.

I’m still looking for Robin Hood to finish that set.

” She pointed to the empty spot between Maid Marian and Little John. “I’ll find it one of these days.”

“I think it’s awesome. I only have three, and all given to me by my brother. One of them looks like me dressed as a cop.” He chuckled. “Then I’ve got a Batman and Robin duo. I like them, but there are so many. I guess I had a hard time narrowing down my choices.”

“I get that.” She slipped her hands into her pockets.

“If anything was stolen from the house, it’s not obvious.

They didn’t touch the jewelry or electronics.

Or even these.” She swept a hand in front of the bookcase before burying it in her pocket again.

“I have several that are hard to find and worth something if they went to the trouble of listing them on eBay.”

“I don’t know why someone broke into your place.

I suspect they went out the front door, and that’s why it wasn’t closed all the way.

I suppose it’s possible that they were going to leave that way when you pulled into the driveway, forcing them to go back out the window.

Maybe they didn’t have a chance to go through your house or steal anything before you returned? ”

It was a good theory. Once the forensics team arrived, Clint had every intention of knocking on the doors of the homes across the street to see if they’d noticed anything. With any luck, someone would have a doorbell camera pointed this way.

“Yeah. Maybe.” She shivered. Her lips parted as though she were going to ask a question, but a moment later, she pressed them together again.

Clint turned to face her. “What is it?”

She continued to hesitate, and a pink flush filled her cheeks.

“I know I’ve watched way too many true crime documentaries, but what if someone broke in here just to set up a camera or microphone?

Is there a way to search for something like that?

I’d rather seem neurotic than find out later that some perv was watching me. ”

“That’s not neurotic. That’s smart. And forensics should have a device we can use to sweep for bugs. If there’s anything transmitting a signal, we’ll find it.”

Her shoulders dropped noticeably with relief. “Thank you.”

Clint had responded to plenty of break-ins and burglaries in the past, and none of them looked like this. Usually, the motives were immediately apparent. That wasn’t the case here.

Frustrated, he prayed they’d be able to give Leslie some answers soon.