Military Working Dogs didn’t go home with their handlers, but base commander Lieutenant General Nathan Hall had given them special permission to keep the seasoned K-9s with them because of the brutal murders on base. Over the last few months, she’d gotten used to having Roscoe around. And so had several of the base restaurants. Because he was trained in search and rescue, Roscoe was more acclimated socially than the German shepherds and Belgian Malinois that did heavy battle duty, but he still had to be handled carefully in social situations.
Checking Roscoe’s uniform, a vest that identified him as a Military Working Dog so people would use caution when approaching him, Ava knew Roscoe would be on his best behavior.
But she wasn’t so sure about the intense man waiting for her in a corner booth. Taking a breath after spotting Oliver Davison through the window, she stared at the giant white coffee mug mural on the front of the building in an effort to stall this meeting.
Flanked by two wings that were lit up with red, white and blue lights, the cup showcased a chevron emblem. Above the cup, the café’s name was done in black. The Winged Java. Inside, the walls were covered with photos and posters lauding the pride this area held for the base and the air force, some of those photos capturing shots of the Military Working Dog handlers and their dogs in training and on the job.
After sitting there for five minutes, dread weighing her down because she didn’t want this man interfering in her job or her life, Ava went in and faced Oliver Davison.
* * *
“I ordered two coffees,” he said, the scent of something clean and tropical hitting the air as she settled into the booth across from him. “I’ve seen you inhaling it in the break room.”
That comment garnered him a concentrated stare. “Spying on me?”
“No, just part of the job to stay on the alert and observe people. I mean, we’ve never been officially introduced but you are always around.”
She’d whizz through the break room with a dare to anybody who messed with her, but she’d stop on a dime to pet a dog or talk to a fellow handler. And when she smiled...
She was not smiling now, he noticed. “Does that bother you? Me always being around, that is?”
“Should it?”
She didn’t look at the menu when the waitress showed up with their coffee and asked for their orders. “Cheeseburger, medium rare, with fries on the side. No mayo but loaded down.”
“A woman who knows her own mind,” the waitress said through a chuckle. “And for you, sir?”
Oliver glanced at the menu and looked up at Ava. “I’ll have what she’s having and hope I can eat the whole thing.”
“Try to keep up,” the freckled older woman said. Then she greeted Roscoe where he lay beside the booth with a “Hey, boy,” before she walked away with a smile.
“They seem to know you here,” Oliver said.
Ava’s brown eyes turned a warm honey pecan. “I come here a lot.”
“I’ve been in a few times,” he offered. “But I just get a lot of stares.”
“I wonder why that is,” she quipped, obviously enjoying making him squirm a bit.
“Maybe they know I’m an outsider, or, worse, a dreaded Yankee from New York. Took the San Antonio Bureau a while to adjust to my accent and my bluntness.”
“We don’t judge that way,” she said through a wry grin. “But they might wonder about the suit thing in the heat of summer. Here we go with jeans, T-shirts and boots when we have downtime.”
“Hey, I left my coat and tie in the car, and I have a pair of boots.”
“I’m guessing you’ve never taken ’em out of the box.”
Feeling sheepish, he lowered his head. “Once...maybe.”
After their food came, he leaned back and stared at the table. “What a day. Sorry you didn’t find the boy.”
Ava stared down at the table and then checked the parking lot. Like him, she probably never let her guard down. “I talked to Marilyn Johnson when we got back to base. The poor woman is distraught. Their only child. She’s afraid Turner could have been taken but he has gone into the woods beyond their yard without permission before.”
“We couldn’t be sure he was still around,” Oliver reminded her. “And now the killer has gone to ground. If he has the kid, this goes from bad to worse.”
“We have people still looking but, like you, they had to slow things until this storm passes.” Staring out into the light drizzle, she added, “I don’t want to think about that little boy out in the woods in the rain and dark.”
“Same with the Red Rose Killer,” Oliver replied. “I sure don’t want to think about him out there with the boy. He could use the boy for leverage or as a way out of here. I’m going back out first thing tomorrow.”
“Me, too.”
“He’s left way too many threatening notes and now he’s back to make good on them,” Oliver said. “He’s getting onto the base with other people’s IDs and, just as we’ve suspected, he obviously has an accomplice, based on what happened today. He has to have found a way from the reserve to the base, which is probably how he got away again this time. I’m praying the boy isn’t with him.”
“I’m hoping the boy had the good sense to hide,” Ava replied, her tone full of worry. “We couldn’t get a bead on Sullivan. The chopper couldn’t land in that dense area, but they did a good job of dropping us,” she said. “I hope the night crew can make some headway since I didn’t get anywhere.”
“You’re good at your job,” Oliver said. “That’s obvious.” Then he made a snap decision. “Save the air force some money and let me give you a ride tomorrow. Unless, of course, you really do want to rappel down a rope dangling from a hovering forty-million-dollar chopper again.”
“Hmm.” Surprise on her pretty face, she held her hands up in the air and moved them up and down as if weighing something. “Those are my only choices?”
He laughed at that. She had a quick wit and a no-nonsense attitude that was refreshing. “You don’t give an inch, do you?”
“Should I?”
“I’m trying to figure that out,” he said, his eyes holding hers again. “And...while we’re at it, tell me why you wanted to have this conversation away from the office, and maybe tell me a little bit about you, too.”
She matched his gaze and shook her head. “I’m not sure myself why I decided to hold this meeting here, but you know how things go. Prying eyes and listening ears. I’m working to move up a rank. Right now, it’s hard to trust anyone. My team is solid but we’ve had some major leaks with the so-called Anonymous Blogger. But one thing I can tell you—I’m here to discuss the investigation, not share the intimate details of my life. Especially with a man who seems to read people with an ease that leaves them floundering.”
“Me?”
