“Ouch.” Karenna flinched as the bobby pin dug into her skull.
“Sorry. This needs to look real, though.” Ray’s sister was doing her best to attach the dark brunette wig onto Karenna’s head. Greta had already styled it into a braid since she’d apparently used it for a costume party the previous year. She adjusted the bangs and Karenna had to fight against blowing them off her forehead.
Officer Belle Montera supervised and glanced at her watch for the fifth time in a row. Everyone involved in this operation was anxious. “Looks good,” Belle said, her gaze on the wig. “Ray should be here soon. We need to be ready to go when he arrives, okay?”
Karenna’s stomach vibrated with energy as she nodded. The whole day had moved so fast.
Greta leaned over. “Almost done,” she told Belle. “Close your eyes,” she said to Karenna.
She obeyed as she felt something smeared on her eyelids. “Is this really necessary? I don’t normally wear much makeup.”
“My brother takes your safety very seriously. And I talked him into letting me give you a little disguise. You’re now in my very capable hands. I’ve watched all the YouTube videos of interviews from this former chief-of-disguise lady in the CIA. Subtle doesn’t get the job done unless you’re Clark Kent, so you need to look like a different person. Besides, this only makes your blue eyes more beautiful.”
Karenna had missed Greta’s vibrant personality, even if she pushed Karenna out of her comfort zone occasionally.
“A disguise can’t hurt.” Belle leaned over to examine Karenna’s new appearance and nodded. “And she’s right. Your eyes look amazing, but just in case the hair doesn’t get the job done, you’re going to keep those peepers hidden with these.” She opened a plastic bag to reveal a black cap with “Brooklyn” embroidered in all caps, aviator sunglasses and a beige spring jacket.
Belle’s phone rang. “Good to know,” she told the caller. “Okay. Meet you there.” She hung up. “We have a safe house—well, a hotel room—secured for you for after tonight, but hopefully you’re not going to need it, because it’s go time. We’ll meet Ray at the park.”
Greta practically attacked Karenna with lipstick before she hugged her. “I’ve missed spending time with you. Hope from now on it’s without a death threat on your head.”
“You and me both.” Though she didn’t know. Everything had happened so fast Karenna wasn’t sure if she and Ray really had a future or not. She desperately wanted one, but how did they know if they were really ready for another shot? She couldn’t handle opening her heart up once again only to have him drop her in a heartbeat.
She rode silently as Belle’s passenger until they reached the south side of the park. The day had gone by in a blur, but the clock was nearing eight at night. The sun’s rays dipped enough to light up the tall trees, reflecting off some of the leaves waving in the breeze. Belle found a spot in an alley and let the car run. Justice whined in the backseat.
“He’s anxious to get to work,” Belle said with a smile. “Aren’t you, boy?”
The dog barked in response.
“Sorry. I forget how loud he can be sometimes.” Her phone buzzed with a message from Ray. She looked in her rearview mirror for confirmation that he’d arrived. “Okay. We’re making the switch to Ray’s car.”
As Belle let her out, Ray exited his vehicle only to open the door for her. They didn’t speak until they were both back inside.
“I almost didn’t recognize you,” he said. He backed out of the alley as Belle drove forward and around a distant corner.
“Your sister outdid herself.”
“She would love to be contracted out by the police for undercover disguises. Too bad that’s not an official thing. There might be something to using her skills.” Ray attached an earpiece to his ear. “Ray here. Out.”
He listened for a while, touched the earpiece, presumably to mute his voice, and then weaved around cars, heading west. “Okay, the sting is in play. Officer Jameson says the suspect just texted and wants to meet at the panthers.” Ray frowned. “The panthers?”
“Oh, you know, those two statues on top of the limestone pillars. They’re like fifteen feet tall or so. They look like they’re surveying their kingdom.” She pointed ahead. “You’ll need to swing around. Third Street entrance to the park,” she blurted. “Park Slope side of Prospect. Anybody who grew up in Park Slope would know.”
Ray grinned. “Eden was relaying to the team the same thing. Now we have to secure a place to watch and wait.”
“There are two sets of walkways.” She held her hands out in a diagonal. “But from there they just keep splitting almost immediately. If an officer chooses the southernmost path to wait, there’s a hill in between, covered with trees.”
Ray smiled. “The perfect vantage point.” He drove past the panthers, despite the roadway only being for pedestrians, and found a place to park. “Belle is parking on the other side, and Vivienne is closing the playground, placing park maintenance signs. They’ll go in on foot and find a place to hide at the top of the hill. We’ll stay in the car, keeping you out of sight, watching the tablet.”
He pulled out the tablet and touched his ear again. “In place, Lani?” The screen Ray held showed black wavy lines but no picture. “Turn on the camera.”
He frowned. “No, it can’t be on because I don’t have any visual. Try again.” He grunted in frustration. “Understood. Over.” He touched his ear and turned to Karenna. “The unit we borrowed from another precinct is on the fritz.” He hesitated. “We’re trying to figure out another solution. Maybe we can get him on intent to sell drugs and, once we get him to the station, you can identify him.”
The statement sent shivers up her spine. She knew as well as he did that Haley had warned that Marcus would be on guard for undercover officers. “I’ve watched enough crime shows to know you don’t have enough evidence to bring him in. It’s weak and, even if you match his DNA after the fact, the arrest could be torn apart in court.”
If Lani didn’t convince Marcus to take a second meeting, they would lose him. Marcus would know Haley had betrayed him and they would never get another chance to draw him out into the open.
“Who knows how long I’ll be in hiding while all his clientele are on the hunt for me.” Karenna’s voice shook as she imagined coming this close to ending the nightmare only for it to continue indefinitely. “And what about Sarah? The longer we take to get him, the greater chance he has in murdering her.” She shook her head. “You need me to identify him. I’ve seen his face. You have tons of officers here. I know you’ll have my back.”
His face paled. “I agree with you, but I also need to make this decision for the right reasons. Your safety is my priority.”
Karenna pressed forward, encouraged. “Let me go up on the hill. You said yourself those officers are hiding. Look how thick the trees and weeds are. If we go now, we can hide, too. It’ll be easy.”
He stared at her, his expression wavering.
“Ray, you know it’s the best option.”
“It doesn’t mean I like it.” He spoke to the rest of the team and listened for a while. Half a minute later, Officer Vivienne Armstrong and her K-9 partner, a border collie named Hank, appeared at the passenger side door.
“We need to get in position fast,” he said, getting Abby from the back.
They hustled through the wooded area, hiking up the hill. Ray let Abby lead the way, sniffing, working. “She’ll give us a heads-up if he’s in the area.”
“But Haley said he wouldn’t have drugs on him.”
“If he’s the chemist of this fentanyl, like I think he is, there’ll be enough traces on him that she’ll alert. If he did any dealing at all today, she’ll alert. Besides, after her near-death experience, if this is the guy who put fentanyl in your apartment, I think she’ll be highly attuned to his smell.”
They reached the top of the hill and found a spot the officers all agreed would provide plenty of cover. Karenna bent over to remove the bits of twigs and leaves stuck to her canvas shoes. Some of the weeds in front of the bushes and trees were chest deep. They really were hidden well from view, but there were enough spots in between the vegetation to see below.
Ray tapped her shoulder and pointed to the opposite side of the hill. Belle stood guard with her German shepherd. Vivienne had moved and taken her station at the other end of the hill with the border collie at her side. Ray picked a spot behind some trees, holding a set of binoculars. “I’ve got visual of Lani and the entire area.” He handed Karenna her own set of military-grade binoculars.
“If you see him and he’s the guy, then we take him in. He left behind enough evidence these past few days that if his DNA is a match, we know he’s our guy.”
“Are you worried that if you take him down now, he won’t lead you back to his operation?”
“Karenna, getting a criminal who tried to kill you off the street is enough for me.”
“Is it?” She searched his eyes for signs of future resentment. The old Ray wouldn’t be satisfied with one guy behind bars. He’d want to make sure an entire drug operation was eliminated.
“You’ve helped me remember the purpose of this job. It’s to keep the streets safe so people can enjoy their lives. No guilt or revenge needed.” He flashed the same shy smile that had made her fall for him all those years ago.
She believed him, but she was too scared to say it aloud. He pointed down the hill. She experimented with the dials on the binoculars, zooming onto the cement path designed to look like cobblestone. She found the leather flats of the officer Ray called Lani.
Lani wore a fashionable green spring jacket that cinched just below the waist and a loose silk scarf around her neck. An elaborate jeweled clasp held her long blond hair up. She really looked the part of a dancer.
Ray put a hand on Karenna’s back. “Noelle just spotted someone matching his description approaching from the east.”
Karenna swung her binoculars to the left, searching the path for Noelle and her partner, Liberty, the yellow Lab with the dark patch on her ear. “What about people? Park-goers? Will they wander in?”
“It’s our job to consider all those angles, Karenna. We’ve got it covered. Our other officers are closing off the area behind him. Marcus will have no idea. Can you see up the path through the trees and bushes?”
She ducked slightly so she could peek through two groupings of tree branches. Expensive leather shoes came into view. She couldn’t claim he was the guy based on the shoes, though. If she could zoom in a little further she might see scratch marks on the leather from when she’d tried to fight his foot off her chest, but then again, he could be wearing different shoes.
Her neck tightened, remembering all too well what it felt like to be suffocating under water. She moved the binoculars up to see the man’s face. Then she’d know for sure. Something blocked her view. She dropped the binoculars.
Ray whispered into her ear. “Bradley jogged past him to get in place and to lessen suspicion that the pathways have been blocked. We’ve got confirmation the playground is empty. No civilians in the area. Officers from the 68th Precinct are on their way to assist with booking after we make the arrest.” His finger remained on the earpiece as he narrated the news he was receiving. He dropped his hand. “Karenna, can you see him? Is it the guy?”
“I haven’t had a chance yet.” She adjusted the dial to lessen the zoom. This time, she captured a bird’s-eye view of the park below. Three officers with their K-9s were hiding behind trees and shrubbery in various locations, but even though she could spot them from the high vantage point, she felt certain they’d be invisible to Lani and the approaching suspect. She found Noelle and her dog Liberty on a different path, but the other two were unknown officers. The strategic positions suddenly made sense. If Marcus decided to run, they had all three pathways blocked.
Detective Nate Slater, the one she’d met at the hospital, kicked his foot up on a bench around the corner from Lani. He wore gray sweatpants and stretched the back of his leg as if he were about to take a run. His yellow Lab, Murphy, waited patiently.
Karenna brought the binoculars back down to Lani and was finally able to zoom in on the man. He was already talking to Lani.
Ray stepped closer to Karenna. “He’s asking how she knows Haley, and she’s telling him about hurting her Achilles tendon,” he whispered. “Anything yet?”
With a shaky breath, she fixed the focus dial on the man’s face. The same sunglasses covered his eyes.
“Can she get him to take his sunglasses off?”
Ray relayed the request. “Make him think you can’t trust him without seeing his eyes.”
However Lani phrased the request had made Marcus straighten. The hair and the build and... He relaxed and smiled at whatever Officer Jameson had just said, his teeth flashing. He lowered his sunglasses just for a second to gaze at Lani before putting them back in place.
Karenna dropped the binoculars, letting them hit her chest with a thud. It was as if he’d just bared his teeth and was coming for her again. “It’s him. It’s him.”
“I thought so. Abby’s been doing a passive alert for the past thirty seconds, but I didn’t want any wiggle room in court.” Ray’s eyes hardened, and he lifted his finger to his ear. “Suspect’s identity confirmed. Take him down.”
Abby stood with her nose in a point as if she’d like nothing more than to arrest the man herself. But she remained still and quiet. Belle stood stock-still with Justice on the far side of the plateau they were on top of, while Vivienne offered a thumbs-up on the opposite side, the one closest to Third Street.
Ray watched her face. “Are you okay? They’re going in for the arrest.”
Karenna nodded and forced herself to lift the binoculars. While she didn’t want to look at Marcus for another moment, she wanted to watch his arrest. Finally, she could get her life back without worrying the next breath would be her last. She could visit Sarah at the hospital and tell her of this moment every day until she woke up. She wouldn’t have to worry that he’d target people she knew...
Two of the plainclothes detectives, Nate Slater and Bradley McGregor, began jogging in the direction of Marcus and Lani Jameson.
“Marcus is busy explaining to Lani his rules for drug drops. He’s not suspicious,” Ray told her.
Like a carefully choreographed routine, Nate ran on the path covered in wood chips while Bradley approached on the paved pathway. Without the binoculars, she never would’ve caught the way Nate moved his right hand to his back. Bradley mirrored the movement. Either going for their gun or handcuffs, she wasn’t sure. The other officers remained crouched and ready in their hiding spots.
“They’re really going to get him. It’s almost over,” she whispered.
“It really is,” Ray answered.
The bush and ground next to Noelle’s position exploded as the sound of a bullet echoed through the path. Noelle screamed and her dog, Liberty barked. Branches and leaves went everywhere.
The binoculars fell from Karenna’s face as Ray’s heavy weight plowed into her. They hit the ground, soggy old leaves barely cushioning their fall.
Ray covered her head with his arms. “Stay down.”
Ray’s elbows and right knee took the brunt of the landing, as he tried not to let his full weight crash on Karenna. His earpiece blasted with constant updates.
“Shooter! Active shooter!”
“Get Noelle to safety! Do we have Noelle?”
“I’ll secure the east path.”
Ray struggled to get his bearings. He wasn’t sure who was talking to him. Belle and Justice were sprinting down the far side of the hill, toward the playground. Ray looked over his shoulder. Vivienne ran toward them, Hank by her side. She slid into a one-kneed crouch. “Everyone okay?”
Ray rolled off Karenna who, other than looking stunned, didn’t seem to exhibit any gunshot wounds.
“Tell me we got him,” he said.
Vivienne held her finger on her ear and looked out over the park expanse. Not a single person was in sight anymore.
Ray raised the binoculars. “Where’s Lani? Bradley?”
Gavin’s distinct gruff voice came through the earpiece. “Gunshots seemed to be targeted at Noelle and Liberty. Trying to locate shooter. Stay secure until notified. Switch to radios. Over.”
“No.” Ray groaned. “No.” He zoomed the binoculars. In the farthest distance he finally spotted the majority of his team, including Noelle and Liberty. The hair on the back of Abby’s neck stood straight and she pointed to the opposite side of the hill.
Karenna sat up and searched his face. “I’m fine. Go get him. Just call for backup. Please!”
He hesitated. He couldn’t leave Karenna when Marcus and a shooter were out there.
“I’ve got her, Ray. I’ll get her to safety,” Vivienne said. “She’s right. Go end this while Abby still has a scent.”
He stood and looked between the officer and Karenna. Adrenaline rushed through his veins but this time it felt different. He wanted to be smart and get the guy instead of rushing off without a plan. “I’ll be back. Get to safety.”
Ray ran down the backside of the hill, half sliding, half jogging to keep up with Abby on the incline. She had her nose pointed toward a grove of trees ahead. The park may be a city treasure, but over thirty thousand trees made it easy to hide.
He almost passed by his SUV parked on the side of the road. He warred with an inner desire to dive right into the trees and stop at nothing to get Marcus. But even though there was a shooter at the southwest end, there were still park-goers throughout. He couldn’t risk their safety. He stopped, lifted a silent prayer that Abby would still find Marcus’s scent, and grabbed the beanbag rifle from his trunk.
All K-9 handlers kept such a rifle in the car to momentarily stun suspects that refused to surrender before the dog was sent in. It lessened the risk that the suspects would hurt the dog.
He swung the strap over his neck, the rifle at his back, and slammed the door. He’d just have to run faster and harder. “Time to go to work,” he said again.
Abby didn’t hesitate and bounded back onto a bark path across the street. They ran into the woods, off the main path. His lungs ached from the outright sprinting. Abby ran slightly ahead of him, with a loose leash, her white tail bouncing whenever there was a tree root or large rock Ray should jump over, too. The split-second warning was all he needed. They rounded a corner and Abby slid to a stop. Her nose strained toward a grouping of trees and bushes. She sat and did her front paw dance.
Ray struggled to gather his bearings and reached back for the beanbag rifle. He positioned it in front of his torso and pressed his shoulder radio. “I need backup at the most diagonal trail closest to West Drive.”
The radio squawked back that all available officers were in the process of locking down the park.
His phone buzzed and he read the text: Share location—Belle.
Ray didn’t hesitate to send her the coordinates, finding it ironic that the phone location feature Marcus used to scare and hurt his victims, Ray could use to make sure he didn’t get away.
We’re coming. Stay put, Belle texted back.
The seconds proved torturous, waiting, wondering if he was making the right decision. Would Karenna need to be locked up in some safe house without contact for months until they were able to set up another sting? By then Marcus would surely have other safeguards put into place.
He watched Abby to make sure she didn’t relax. She glanced up at him, strained her nose, and did the same little dance. Marcus had to be hiding in there. The thick section of trees and bushes led to West Drive. If Marcus reached the road, there was a large expanse of grass to cross before reaching another hiding area. He’d be out in the open and sunk.
So it might be beneficial to run in after him. That way he’d force the guy out into the open. His gut didn’t agree with the instinct that two days ago would’ve disregarded protocol to catch him. He took a deep breath and the peace from this morning returned.
The sound of footsteps ahead caught his attention. He spotted Gavin and Belle. He texted them, lest Marcus overhear their plans.
I’ll issue a warning that a dog is coming. If no surrender, I’m going in. The moment I spot Marcus, I’ll deploy the beanbag to stun and you send Justice to get him. Sarge, can we get cover on the green expanse?
The phone buzzed immediately. Affirmative.
He nodded and belted out, “This is the Brooklyn K-9 Unit, NYPD. Come out with your hands up or we’ll send the dog in and he will bite you.”
Abby looked up with a pronounced tilt of her face as if saying, “Who, me? You know I don’t bite.” Her tongue flopped to the side as she panted. Her nose wriggled then she pointed again, this time with a slight diagonal. So, Marcus was on the move.
Ray spotted Belle at the end of the path. He aimed the barrel of his rifle up in the air. She gave him a nod to pursue the plan.
Ray positioned the beanbag rifle and readied his finger on the outside of the trigger. “Stay,” he whispered and removed Abby’s leash. She still pointed but remained on the spot. He couldn’t risk her getting caught in the crosshairs. He stepped through the space between two hedges. The branches scratched against his belt, catching slightly, but bending to his will until he broke through a group of weeds surrounding the trees.
The last weak rays of sunlight fell on a pair of shoes moving. “Freeze! Police!”
Marcus burst out of his hiding place, heading in Gavin’s direction.
“On the run!” Ray yelled. “Heads up!”
He lifted the rifle, aimed and pressed the trigger. The beanbag pellets, outfitted inside a clear shotgun shell, deployed and hit Marcus’s lower back. He hollered, his arms flying up in the air as he tripped over a branch and fell to all fours.
“Clear!” Ray yelled.
“Seek!” Belle shouted. “Hold!”
The beanbag pellet had done the job of buying Justice time. The German shepherd burst through the far group of bushes.
Marcus was already up on one knee, clearly not ready to surrender. He raised an arm and Ray gasped. Marcus had a gun.
Ray dropped the beanbag rifle and moved to grab his weapon. Justice was already soaring in mid-jump. His jaws clamped on the man’s arm and whipped it around like a chew toy. Marcus hollered and the gun dropped to the ground.
Belle followed behind Justice. “Good dog.” She bent over and kicked the gun far away. Sarge stepped into the light from another set of shrubs and retrieved the handgun.
“Release,” Belle said and Justice sat, panting and happy as if that was the best game ever. Belle recited the Miranda rights as she secured Marcus with a set of handcuffs. She clipped the leash back on Justice and gave the nod to Ray that it was safe to approach. Marcus groaned but said nothing.
“Come,” Ray said. Abby bounded through the brush and appeared at his side. He attached her leash and crossed the distance to Marcus.
His insides shook a little, though, as he spotted the shine of the guy’s handgun in Gavin’s possession. If Ray hadn’t waited for backup and had entered through the bushes alone, would Marcus have shot him? Would he have shot Abby like he’d seemed intent to do to Justice?
A new sense of humility and thankfulness washed over him like never before. He wasn’t some super cop that knew every criminal’s move. He needed his teammates, and they needed him.
Sarge and Belle both kept watch until Marcus was secure in handcuffs. Ray took a second to investigate the man’s forearm. Justice had been gentle. There were minor scratches but Belle’s command to “hold” was a signal for Justice to use less teeth in her grab. Ray had worse bite marks from his time training the dogs, so this guy would be fine.
“They’ve found the park shooter,” Gavin said. “It wasn’t Marcus. It was someone after the bounty that gunrunner has out for Liberty. Word is he’s not talking, though. Too scared.”
Ray shook his head at what Noelle was going through with her partner. Gavin had thought the time of day and the location would make for a low-risk job for the top-notch tracker, but the bounty meant Liberty—and Noelle—would constantly be at risk. “I’m just thankful for the team. Couldn’t have made this arrest without you.”
Gavin took Marcus’s elbow. “I’ll deliver this package to the 68th Precinct to process. I believe you have a witness to thank, Ray.”
Ray nodded. One of his favorite perks of being a K-9 officer was that the presence of the high-tech kennel meant his vehicle had no way to transport criminals. He spun on his heel and rushed back to the trail. The exhaustion of the past few days hit him in waves. He exhaled. He couldn’t fully rest quite yet, though.
Now he really needed to lay his future on the line.