closed her eyes and reviewed again what she remembered in her mind. “Yes. I think this was personal. Why was the tree down over the path I usually use when I come to the reserve?”
“So a planned attack. Okay. Do you follow the same schedule every day?”
“Am I predictable?” She drew in a deep breath and thought about her routine. Usually, she got up every morning, spent some time with Jamie before she headed for the courthouse. She often had lunch in her office while she worked so she could spend more time with her son later. She frequently left for the day by four unless a court session ran longer. “Yes, especially during the weekdays. When I come home, I either jog for half an hour or longer, depending on how Jamie is. He likes to run with me. If the weather is bad, then I stay home and put music on and dance. My son loves to do that, too.”
“But if the weather permits, you run outside during the work week?”
“Yes. I’m indoors all day at the courthouse. My cases can get intense. Exercising helps relieve my stress.”
“That’s why I run, too.”
Her deceased husband would only swim, sometimes even in cool weather. He’d been talking about enclosing the pool in the backyard right before his death. Her world had ended that day, too. Her son had saved her from the abyss of sorrow she’d wallowed in right after James had died.
“So Rachel is your live-in nanny.”
It wasn’t a question, but she said, “Yes. I was going to stay home longer than six months after my son was born, but the person who was filling in while I was on maternity leave quit suddenly. Rachel was already working for me part-time, freeing me up for a few hours every day to run errands and get things done. When I needed her to switch to full-time, she was available to step right in, allowing me to get back to work. In the long run that had been a good decision.”
“Is there anyone who might have a grudge against you?” His gray eyes, the color of a thunderstorm brewing, locked with hers. “Who do you think would do this?”
Before she could answer, the detective’s cell phone rang.
He looked at the caller’s name. “Sorry. I need to take this.” He punched his answer button and put the phone to his ear. “Has the car been found?” Chase listened for a moment then disconnected.
“Do you have a lead on the attacker?”
He rose, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. “Yes, the car belongs to Zed Hammer. Do you know him?”
The name of a father who had threatened to make her pay last month for her judgment against him in court chilled her deep into her bones. Was the attack motivated by revenge?
The color drained from Kate’s face. She sat forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes. Is Zed Hammer my attacker?” Her voice quavered as she said his name.
“He owns the vehicle the man used to escape.”
“Has the car been found?”
“No. We haven’t been able to locate Mr. Hammer, either.”
Kate shot to her feet, her arms stiff at her sides. She balled her hands so tightly her knuckles whitened. “So he could try to kidnap my son again. He told me when the trial was over that I would regret my decision to only permit him supervised visitation with his children.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds and shuddered. “The look he gave me told me he meant every word he said.”
Her gaze flitted from the two windows in the den to the door as though she expected the man to rush into the room. When she hurried into the hallway, Chase followed her to the foyer where she set the alarm, checked that the front door was locked then hurried to the kitchen and did the same with the doors to the garage and the backyard. When she’d finished doing that, she spun toward him. “What else can I do to make sure Jamie is safe?”
She held herself so rigid he was afraid she would snap. He covered the distance between them and took a trembling hand, searching for a way to reassure her.
“I’ll stay as long as you need. Do you have any family nearby?”
“No. Both James and I were only children. His mother and father live in Australia, while my mother is widowed, too, and lives with my grandmother in Florida. She takes care of Nana, which is a full-time job. I don’t want her to even know about what’s going on. She has enough to deal with. I don’t want her worrying about Jamie and me.”
Chase drew her toward the nearest chair at the kitchen table. After she was seated, he sat next to her. “The police are looking for Zed Hammer. With his car being used in the attempted kidnapping and now that I know about his threat against you last month, I’m sure we’ll get a warrant to search his house.” He would call the station about Kate’s connection to Hammer. He wanted to be out there seeing to the details of the search, but at the moment he would be best utilized staying near Kate. She was right to be concerned the man might return and try again. “Tell me what he looks like.” Chase wanted to keep the conversation going to distract her from running every scenario of what could happen through her mind.
Kate stared at her lap for a long moment. “He could be the attacker. Mr. Hammer is about the same height and build. I think his eyes were dark like the man at the reserve, but I’m not sure. Oh, and he had a little girl about my son’s age.”
“Did you notice a white compact car following you anytime lately?”
“Seriously? White is the most common color for a vehicle, so in the last month I’m sure some have driven near me. But I don’t remember seeing the same car behind me for long.” She dropped her head and rubbed her hands together. “I’ve never really thought about the traffic around me unless there was a problem. Coming home from work, I’m usually decompressing. I don’t like bringing my problems home. I love my job, but it can be emotionally draining at times. I don’t want my child affected by that.”
“I know what you mean. I don’t have a family but if I did, I would feel the same way. Being a detective is challenging and rewarding when I can solve a crime, but I’ve seen things I wouldn’t want to share with my loved ones.” Not just as a detective but as a Marine, fighting in a war zone. Memories he’d tried to avoid leaked back into his thoughts. The sounds of gunfire all around him. The stench of death in the air. The agonizing pain streaking up his leg. The fight to keep that injured limb.
Rachel appeared in the entrance. “Jamie is asleep. I won’t be surprised if he slept until morning. Do you want me to put in one of the casseroles you made this weekend?”
“That would be fine. I need to change out of my jogging clothes. I’m going to check on Jamie, too.” Kate rose.
“And I’m going to check your house and make sure it’s secured.” Chase shoved his chair back and stood, trying to shake that last skirmish from his mind.
But as he left the kitchen with Kate, the memory stayed with him. He’d been the only one from his team who had survived. So many of his combat buddies had families. He hadn’t, but he’d lived while they’d died. That had challenged his faith through the months of recovery stateside.
“There
