pulled up a stool and gestured for Tess to take a seat. “We’re going to start at the beginning, and I want you to let me know if you see the guy you spotted just a few minutes ago.”
Tess nodded, blinking to help her eyes adjust to the darker interior of the van. She leaned close, staring at the video screen full of dozens of people standing around the perimeter of the school parking lot, and tried to catch a glimpse of either the green ball cap or the guy’s brown shirt. Of course he wore colors that blended in with the crowd and the trees.
For several long minutes no one said anything, and as much as she tried to stay focused on the videotape playing in front of her, she was far too conscious of Declan crouched beside her.
Ignore him, she told herself, keeping her eyes glued to the video screen. They were mere acquaintances, nothing more, a fact that suited her just fine.
She was so preoccupied she almost missed the brief flash of green. “There!” she said excitedly. “That might be him.”
Nate fiddled with the controls, going backward to capture the image and then moving forward in slow motion. He froze the image. “Is this the guy?” he asked.
She gnawed on her lower lip, staring at the blurry figure. “Maybe, but the way he’s looking down at the ground, I can’t be positive.”
“I can’t seem to get a good image of this guy’s face,” his tech-savvy teammate muttered, going through several frames. “It’s almost as if he knows we’re videotaping the crowd.”
“I think it’s him, but maybe we should keep looking,” Tess said, biting her lip.
“You’re doing great,” Declan murmured encouragingly. “Take your time.”
She was glad he’d dropped the demanding tone. She continued watching the videotape but was disappointed when she didn’t see the strange guy.
But then, just as the camera switched direction, she saw him. “There he is,” she said urgently. “That’s exactly when I saw him, too, as he was walking away from the area.”
“Got him,” Nate declared, freezing the image. “Too bad it’s not his face, though. And it’s hard to tell what color his hair is beneath that baseball cap.”
“I know,” Declan agreed.
“I’ll see if I can keep working the images to make them sharper,” his colleague said.
She glanced over her shoulder at Declan. “I remember thinking at the time that one of the cops must have told him to get lost,” she admitted. “Do you think it’s possible someone spoke to him?”
Declan shrugged. “We can ask,” he murmured. “Although I don’t know if anyone would remember him.”
“How about if I print off a copy of the image?” Nate offered. “It’s better than nothing at the moment.”
“Sounds good.”
Tess stared again at the indistinguishable figure, wishing she could pinpoint what seemed so familiar about the guy. Without seeing his face, it was impossible to guess his age. Was he one of Bobby’s friends? Or a neighbor? Maybe Allan Gray, the rather odd neighbor who was always overly anxious to help her?
“Let’s give this printout to Griff,” Declan said. “He can ask all the cops here on the scene whether anyone else recognizes him.”
Tess took Declan’s offered hand to step down from the van, letting go as soon as she was on solid ground. Despite the jolt of awareness that had just sparked between them, she refused to give in to the schoolgirl crush she’d once had on him. Because, just as they had been back in high school, they were still two completely different people.
She couldn’t afford a relationship, even if she wanted one, which she didn’t. Maybe all men weren’t as controlling as Jeff and her father, but Declan certainly seemed to be. Besides, she needed to stay focused on keeping her brother out of trouble. And that was truly a full-time job.
Declan walked up to his boss and handed over the photo. The two men spoke briefly, and Griff passed Declan a set of keys, before Declan turned back toward her. “Okay, we’re clear to leave.”
She smiled in relief. “Good.”
“It’s that SUV over there,” Declan said, gesturing at the police vehicle that was parked closest to her car.
“You don’t have assigned cars?” she asked as they headed across the parking lot.
“Yes, we do, and that’s the one I normally drive, although today Sam Irving drove it here. Caleb agreed to give Sam a lift back.”
“Are you sure all this is really necessary?” Tess asked.
Before Declan could respond, a ball of fire exploded in front of them, sending her stumbling backward. She hit the ground hard, moments before everything went black.
The force of the blast sent Declan flying backward against the pavement. The breath was knocked from his lungs and for a moment he couldn’t draw in any air. Smoke filled the area around them, and pain reverberated through his body. After a few seconds his military survival instincts, along with a healthy dose of adrenaline, kicked in and he rolled over and belly crawled toward Tess, who was sprawled on the ground just a few feet away.
“Tess! Are you all right?”
She let out a low moan and lifted a hand to her head. “Hurts,” she whispered.
“Stay down,” he ordered, covering her body with his as much as possible. He had no way of knowing if the explosion was only a precursor to more violence or not, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
Not when Tess’s life was at stake.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Another bomb,” he said grimly, watching the SWAT members that were still on the scene disperse and cover the area, rifles held ready. He craned his neck in order to see behind him. A small fire still burned near the maple tree where Tess had seen the guy in the green ball cap.
Had that dude been the perp who’d set the bomb? Most likely, although Declan couldn’t afford to ignore the possibility of the guy being nothing more than a curious onlooker, either. He’d try to keep an open mind even though the stranger was currently the best lead they had.
“I can’t breathe,” Tess gasped, pushing against his chest.
“Sorry.” He shifted a bit so that he wasn’t quite crushing her, but he wasn’t willing to move away completely until he knew the area was clear.
“Deck, are you and Tess all right?” Caleb asked, coming over to kneel beside them.
“I think we’re okay. Are you sure the area is secure?” He was only slightly reassured that he hadn’t heard the sound of gunfire.
“So far there’s no sign of anyone
