“What’s wrong?”
She gestured with her arm. “A man. That way. Down the back stairs. Camo pants and a dark hoodie.”
Star was straining at her leash. Linc drew her in and hesitated only long enough to ask Zoe, “Are you okay?”
“Yes! Go! Don’t let him get away.”
He would have given Star a tracking command if he’d felt it was necessary. In this case, she was clearly on the fresh trail and needed no more encouragement. Had Zoe forgotten to lock her door after him? Worse, could he have overlooked someone hiding in the apartment? He’d checked it thoroughly.
Except for the room where Portia had been, Linc added, berating himself. Careless. Unprofessional at best. He had allowed himself to assume that the teenage girl was alone when she may have had company. She wouldn’t be the first babysitter to entertain friends when she should have been minding a child. The instant messaging beeps from her iPad and the absorbed look on her face had thrown him enough that he’d never thought of checking the room further.
But he’d surprised Portia. How would a friend have had time to hide? More important, where was the guy now? Star was still straining at her leash, but there was nobody in sight.
They reached the rear parking area just as a motorbike roared off. Star might have been able to keep up for a short distance if Linc chose to release her, but there was no use endangering the K-9’s welfare when he wouldn’t be there for the takedown and arrest.
Linc shaded his eyes, trying to make out details of the bike and its rider. But the sun was too bright.
“Star. Out,” he commanded forcefully.
Although she remained excited, acting eager to continue her pursuit, she obeyed. Linc knew that his primary task was watching and monitoring the actions of Sergeant Sullivan. Given the state she’d been in as he’d passed her door, he figured it was best to return for an explanation. Assuming she’d offer one.
It bothered him that he still doubted her, yet what choice did he have? She was who she was, the sister of a convicted murderer. Anything beyond that fact was only relevant to where it led them in locating Boyd Sullivan and halting his latest killing spree. Part of him felt sorry for Zoe and her little boy, while another part kept warning him to keep his distance, particularly emotionally. There was no room for sentiment in his job. No place for opinions not based on hard evidence.
And right now, the evidence kept indicating that Sergeant Sullivan was trouble with a capital T.
* * *
Zoe had kept watch at her door, just in case. Plus, she wanted to be ready to identify whomever the cop and his dog captured. When she saw them returning alone, her heart fell.
“He got away? How? You had to be right behind him.”
“Motorbike,” Linc replied. “Star could have kept up on foot for a short distance, but I couldn’t have.”
“You let him go? Just like that?” Wheeling in a huff, she reentered her apartment and scooped up Freddy, holding him close and murmuring words of comfort.
“What happened anyway? Where did the guy come from?” Linc asked.
“I don’t know. I’d locked the door like you told me to, so I guess he was inside all along.” Her eyes narrowed on Linc, and she grimaced. “I can’t believe you missed him when you checked.”
“Neither can I. Stay here a sec while I take a second look.”
“Better than the first time, I hope.” She knew she was being hypercritical, but someone had just threatened her child and her mother-tiger instincts were still strong.
As soon as Linc and Star returned to the living room, Zoe apologized. “Look. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but that guy was scary. He had a knife.”
“What? You didn’t tell me that.”
“You didn’t give me a chance. Besides, I wanted you to hurry up and catch him.”
“All right,” Linc said, sobering and pulling a small notebook and pen from a deep pocket on his ABU. “Start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
By the time she was finished relaying the basics of her scare, Zoe felt exhausted. She yawned. “Sorry. I guess the rush of adrenaline is wearing off.”
“You’re not on duty today?”
“No. I had planned to shop, as you already know, then do some housecleaning and relax with Freddy.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“We usually go to church on Sunday mornings. If you’re still assigned to watch me then, I think you’re allowed to bring the dog inside.”
“I am. I just don’t usually go to church.”
“Why not?” Zoe smiled. “Afraid the roof will cave in if you show up?”
“Something like that. I wouldn’t want to shock your pastor.”
“I think Pastor Harmon will be okay with it. He’s a seasoned preacher.” Sobering, she added, “I’m starting to appreciate your diligence more than I did before. I really would feel safer if you—or another officer—were with me. With us.”
Watching Linc nod, she wondered if the concern she was sensing was real or imaginary. His expression was hard to read when he was at ease. The way he had looked as he and K-9 Star had dashed past her in the hallway, however, was quite memorable. It would be a long time before she forgot his intensity or the way his courageous actions had made her feel. Being married to John Flint had not imparted that kind of cosseted feeling, although belonging to the air force had given her security and a stable place to call home. At least until her brother had been dishonorably discharged, arrested and convicted as a serial killer. Those events had changed everything.
Oh, her job had continued afterward and she’d managed to retain rank, but there had been a subtle shift in the way she was perceived by her fellow airmen. Her troubles had actually begun even earlier when she’d discovered that her late husband had been disclosing details of base operations to unnamed parties. Zoe had taken the proof of it to her superiors immediately. It had been the right thing to do, yet she’d been so mortified she’d almost resigned. If not for the assurances of her officers and thanks from the Department of Homeland Security, she just might have crawled off to lick her wounds and given up the career she loved.
And now Boyd was back.
Yes, she had her son and the best job in the world, but what would keep her brother from spoiling the life she’d hammered out for herself?
Listening to Linc as he reported the incident and requested a tech team to dust for fingerprints, Zoe shivered. Just when she’d thought things couldn’t get any worse, they had done just that. As one thing led to another, she felt surrounded by so many unknowns—it was mind-boggling. Being so beset by problems also made her dredge up past failures. Normally, she wasn’t so hard on herself, but these current circumstances were enough to cause her to question her choices the way she used to. That not only wasn’t good, it wasn’t fair to herself or to those around
