valuable K-9s.”
Special Agent Davison spoke up. “Some of my people participated in a ground search for your dogs, as you know. Senior Airman Ava Esposito helped organize the grid and worked with her search-and-rescue K-9, Roscoe. One of the others said he was the survivor of a chopper crash.”
Linc nodded. “Probably Senior Airman Isaac Goddard. He’s trying to bring a heroic German shepherd home from Afghanistan and adopt him, so I know he has a heart for dogs.”
“Anything else?” Blackwood asked, scanning his team in the conference room.
Linc cleared his throat. “Well, sir, it’s not directly related to the missing dogs, but there is something odd Sergeant Sullivan said recently. I checked her file again and didn’t find much about John Flint, her late husband. What’s the deal on him? Could he have had any connection to her brother?”
Hesitating long enough to make Linc uneasy, the captain said, “Some of her personal information has been redacted. It’s my understanding it was done as a reward for actions she took on behalf of Homeland Security, but there’s no way I can access their sealed files. If you want to know more, I suggest you ask her directly.”
“Do you think she’ll tell me?”
“If you get closer to her, she might,” Sergeant James interjected. “I hear she’s already beginning to rely on you and Star. That’s good.”
Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Linc cleared his throat. “Are you ordering me to make this personal?”
“I can’t do that, Sergeant. But I can tell you it’s important that we put an end to the Red Rose Killer’s actions both on and off the base. If Zoe Sullivan holds the key to doing that, I expect you to take every advantage offered, even if it means sacrificing some personal comfort.”
“She seems good at heart,” Linc argued.
“Then it won’t hurt you to befriend her, will it? I’ll make it easy for you. Except for required days off, she’ll be your only assignment. Make the most of it. Since you two already seem to have a slight bond, I’m going to rotate your relief so she concentrates more on you. The new duty schedule will be posted this afternoon.”
“Yes, Master Sergeant. I’ll do my best.”
And he would. Linc wasn’t thrilled with the suggestion that he pretend to become personally involved with Zoe and her son; he was simply resigned to the need for it. As assignments went, it wasn’t bad as long as he kept a tight grip on his feelings and guarded his heart well enough. He’d do it for the air force, for his country. The way he viewed it, he wouldn’t be doing anything wrong as long as he didn’t lead Zoe on or let her believe he was romantically interested in her.
The trick was going to be convincing himself that subterfuge was a necessity and that he wasn’t becoming the kind of lowlife his father had been. He’d spent most of his adult life living down that odious man’s sins, and any inkling that his own honor might be at risk gave him a sense of foreboding. Linc knew he was as human as anyone, but he had long ago vowed that he would never display even the slightest hint of dishonesty. He would not follow in his thieving, lying father’s footsteps. Ever. Neither would his loyalty ever come into question. Not if maintaining it literally killed him.
* * *
Zoe had Freddy up and dressed for Sunday services in plenty of time. She had seen a dark-colored SUV parked in the street below her apartment and assumed it belonged to the Security Forces. Was Linc in it? Part of her yearned to see him again, while another part of her worried that she might be starting to get too dependent upon him—and his K-9 partner.
Freddy had no such qualms. “Is the doggy going to church with us?” he asked, bouncing on his tiptoes with excitement.
“I don’t know, honey. It’s possible.”
“You asked. I heard. So he’s going, right?”
Zoe had to smile at the child’s expectations of the perfect day. “The Security Forces man may bring Star if they’re on duty today. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“They could come anyway.”
“I know. I know.” But the chances of that were probably slim, she added to herself. No telling why Linc had acted so put off when she’d suggested he accompany them to church, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with her or Freddy. No, it was something else. Something deeper. He wouldn’t be the first soldier to turn from God after experiencing combat, although oftentimes the reverse was true. Strong Christians could be formed in the trenches, too. It all depended on the man or woman and their willingness to trust in a higher power rather than relying only upon themselves. Bowing a knee could be tough for someone who had always felt totally self-reliant.
Or for someone who simply chose evil over good, as her brother had. Sadly, she was beginning to lose hope that Boyd would ever repent. At this point, the most she could hope for was that he’d stop hurting others and be brought to justice. As much as she’d loved the boy he’d been when they were growing up, she could not accept his adult self. Whatever goodness was still inside him had been masked by a blackness that encompassed his heart and made him a different person. Someone who had to be stopped. In that regard, she almost wished he would contact her, because she wouldn’t hesitate to turn him in.
A small head ducked beneath her hand and she felt Freddy’s silky hair. “Don’t be sad, Mommy. If the doggy doesn’t come, you can pet me. See?”
Laughing, Zoe gave his hair a gentle tousle. “Okay. But you have to promise to behave in church and not bark.”
The child’s eager “Ruff, ruff” made her chuckle more.
“Careful or you’ll be eating kibble instead of cookies.”
He giggled, eyes sparkling. “I’m not really a dog. Little boys need cookies.”
“Okay.” She smoothed the skirt of her dress and patted her knot of hair that she’d twisted neatly and clipped at her nape. “You ready?”
“Uh-huh.” Freddy grasped her hand.
“Then let’s go.”
The closer Zoe got to the street, the more butterflies there were cavorting in her stomach. Would Linc be waiting? Would he go to church with them? She kept telling herself he wouldn’t, but in the back of her mind was the hope he would. Why it mattered, she wasn’t sure, but she desperately wanted him with her. Going to services was a step in the right direction, and perhaps she was meant to be the catalyst that led him back to the fold.
Yeah, right. Some Christian disciple I am when all I can think about is how safe he will make me feel, she countered. That was the basic truth. She wanted Linc and Star with her for protection far more than for altruistic reasons, and it was just as well to admit it. Matter of fact, she was going to tell him the same thing the first chance she got.
Which was about to be...later, Zoe realized as an unfamiliar enlisted man got out of the SUV and greeted her.
“Good morning, Sergeant Sullivan,” the younger airman said with a broad grin. He gestured at the car. “I’m here to give you a ride to church.”
“No, thanks. We usually walk.”
