Nick returned to the car after searching for Cooper and slammed the door. “Another negative.” Annie nudged the back of his head from her spot behind him and he reached back to scratch her ears.
“Great.” Heidi sighed and rubbed her eyes. “And nothing from Justin?”
“Nope. They’ve got the MPs out in force looking for him and Gentry, but so far they don’t have any solid leads as to where either could be.”
“I get that Lance Gentry might be hard to find since he knows if he shows his face on base, he’ll be caught, but how is it that no one has seen Roger Cooper lately? It’s like he’s dropped off the face of the planet.”
They’d been tracking down Roger Cooper’s known associates, asking information. Nick figured the easiest way to keep Heidi safe was to go along with the hunt. He had hopes that Justin and the Security Forces would find the man first, but it looked like none of them were going to find him.
Now they had only a couple of hours of daylight left. Nick really wanted them to locate the man before the sun went down, but he wasn’t holding his breath.
“What did Captain Blackwood find after looking into Cooper’s background? Has he said when he’d have something?” she asked.
“Shortly.”
“Okay, what now, then?”
“Let’s grab something to eat. A drive-through.” The longer he could keep her in the car, the easier it was to keep her out of danger. Between Gentry and Cooper, things could get deadly fast. He shuddered at the thought.
His phone buzzed. “Hold on. Justin just texted. He said Senior Airman Cooper has a spotless record. Which is why no one’s thought twice about him being out with the flu the last four days.”
“Does he live on base?”
Nick texted the question to Justin. “No. And the officers sent to his home said he wasn’t there.”
“Then he’s hiding somewhere,” Heidi said. “Close by if he’s the one attacking Bobby at the hospital.”
Nick nodded. “I’d be inclined to agree with that statement.”
“Any local relatives?”
“No.” He scrolled the text. “According to Justin, he has a sister in El Paso and a brother who’s married with three kids, living in New Mexico.”
“So he’s not with them.”
“Nope. Local authorities have already checked just as a way to cover their bases. He’s here—somewhere. Justin’s put a BOLO out on him.” He stood. “I want to head to the kennels.”
“Why? Aren’t they already searching them?”
He shook his head. “I asked Justin if we could do it. With officers tied up searching for Gentry and Cooper, until I know for sure that Stevens is being straight with us, I’m not causing a scene or going on a wild-goose chase.”
“Yeah. I see what you mean.”
“So, let’s go see what we can find.”
With Annie in the back, Nick drove to the training center and parked close to the door.
He climbed out of the SUV and put on his backpack, then got Annie from her area and put her protective gear on. She sat and let him do what he needed to do with no protest. She knew she was going to work and her body quivered with excitement. Once they were ready, he scratched her ears, then looked at Heidi. “Stay behind us, okay? I don’t know how safe this place is.”
“Okay.”
With Heidi behind him and Annie beside him, he pushed aside the yellow crime scene tape and led the way to the warped steel door. “I think the opening is big enough to get through. I don’t know if you know the layout, but the door is higher than the ground floor. Once you’re inside, you have to walk down three steps, okay?”
“I’ve been in there before. I know what you’re talking about.”
“Good. Let me go in first, then Annie, then I’ll help you in if you need it.”
Placing one foot carefully on the door, Nick had to climb over it and stop. The steps down had been destroyed and lay in crumbles two feet below. He hopped down. “Annie, come. Jump.”
The dog scampered over the door and into his arms. He gave a grunt when she landed. “I think you’ve gained a few pounds, girl.” She swiped a tongue across his face.
As always, her absolute trust in him never ceased to send a pang through his heart. Nick set the sixty-pound animal on the dirty, sooty floor and wiped the slobber from his cheek. He then turned back to warn Heidi. “Watch it, the steps are gone.”
“Got it.”
With his hands holding her waist, he helped her through the opening. She placed her hand on his shoulders and he lowered her to the floor beside Annie.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No problem.” Even in the dim light of the broken building, she took his breath away. He didn’t remove his hands from her waist immediately.
And she didn’t step away from him.
“Heidi...”
“Yes?”
“I...uh...” What was he going to say? That he must be going crazy because he was crazy about her?
“Nick?”
“Yes, sorry.” He dropped his hands and stepped back. He took his flashlight from his belt and clicked it on. The small windows lining the top edge of the wall just beneath the ceiling let in the waning natural light, but they needed the flashlight to illuminate the damage.
“Wow,” she whispered as she looked around. “This is awful.”
“No kidding.”
“Why blow up this part of the kennel?” she asked. “I’m assuming Sullivan chose the location to bomb. Odd, I wouldn’t think he’d care if he set off a bomb that killed people. It’s almost like he picked an area that would cause damage, but wouldn’t kill anyone. Human or animal.”
“I don’t think he cared whether he killed anyone or not. He probably picked this area because it’s easy to get in and out of without being noticed and he could get the distraction he wanted.”
“True.”
They walked through the lobby and into the hall that would lead them to the large kennel area. “Where would you hide a bunch of medals if you were going to do so?” Nick asked.
“Someplace inconspicuous. Where no one would think to look—or accidentally stumble upon.”
“That sounds about right. So, where is a nice inconspicuous place in a training center? The kennel?” He flashed the beam over the walls and then along the floor, looking for a path. There were large pieces of concrete and rubble that made the going slow down the hallway, but they kept at it until they reached the kennels. The outer door stood open. “It’s not that bad back here. The bomb must have been set to go off near the entrance. It took the brunt of the blast. This is just soot from the smoke, and lots of standing water.”
“Did they say what the bomb was made from?”
“C-4,” he told her. “Annie found RDX, which is a common ingredient in the explosive.”
“Where do you think he got it?”
“No telling. It’s used with construction projects or demolition.” He shrugged. “Could be from anywhere. And it’s fairly stable. Like you have to set it off with a detonator.”
“But you can attach a timer to that detonator, right?”
“Sure.”
“Or use a remote to set it off?”
“Yes.”
A noise behind them stopped him. “Did you hear that?” he asked her.
“I did. You think someone else is in here, too?”
“Shouldn’t be,” he said. “Unless one of the other investigators decided to come check it out, too.”
“Or Roger Cooper’s been hiding out here the whole time.”
He nodded. “That was my next thought. Then again, it could just be the building shifting. It might not be safe. Hang back while I check it out, will you?”
“Not a chance.”
“Heidi—”
“Nope.”
He sighed. “Then at least stay behind me.”
“I can do that.”
* * *
Heidi did as he’d asked, but noted that Annie resisted the change in direction, pulling on her lead, wanting to go ahead.
“What is it, girl?” Nick muttered. “Go on. Show me what’s got your attention.”
A good handler always paid attention to his dog and Heidi realized that Nick wasn’t just good, he was incredible, always completely in tune with Annie when they were working. The animal darted ahead to the end of the leash, sniffed around a pile of crates and then sat. Nick froze.
“What is it?” Heidi asked.
“Head for the entrance where we came in.”
“Nick—”
“Just go! Now! Get out of here!”
One of the crates flew off and a figure rose from beneath it. “Don’t move,” he said.
Heidi stepped back and her heel caught against a piece of broken concrete. She fell back, landing hard on the debris, her phone skittering behind her. Her back protested the sudden stop and her palms scraped the floor, stinging. Gasping, she stared up at the man who held a weapon in one hand and something else in the other. A cardboard box sat beside his feet.
“Roger Cooper, I presume?” she asked, blindly reaching for her phone. She couldn’t find it.
Nick stepped in front of her, hands raised in the surrender position. “Put it down, Cooper. It’s all over for you.”
“It’s not over yet. At least not for me. But looks like you two showed up at the wrong time.”
“Or the exact right time,” Heidi said, ignoring the fear thrumming through her. Her fingers searched blindly for the phone, but she couldn’t land on it. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“I know. Everyone’s looking for me.”
“So you decided to hide out here?” Nick asked.
“Not exactly hiding.”
“You’re getting the medals so you can run, aren’t you?” Heidi asked.
“Smart girl.” His eyes flicked to Nick and Annie, then back to Heidi. “Only now, I’ve got to come up with a plan to get rid of you two.”
“What are you doing with the bombs?”
“Insurance. Looks like that’s going to pay off.”
“So you’re going to blow us up?” Heidi asked, hating the quiver in her voice.
“Not if you cooperate.”
Nick shifted more fully in front of her. “What do you want us to do?”
* * *
“Walk. That way.” Roger Cooper pointed with the hand he had clamped around the firing button, thumb hovering, ready to press it. Nick shuddered, his mind spinning for a way to get it away from the man. Tackling him might cause him to press the button.
Heidi moved, her foot catching on the rubble, and she stumbled against Nick. He caught her and pushed her behind him. Her hands landed on the small of his back, just under the Kevlar vest.
Her touch stirred his protective instincts in a way he didn’t think he’d be able to explain if he had to. But one thing was for sure. Cooper was going to have to go through him to get to Heidi.
Nick eyed the man. “Is that the button that’ll set that explosive off back there?”
“Yes, so don’t try anything funny.”
“Wouldn’t think of it. What is it? C-4?”
“Like you don’t know.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“I’m going to blow the place up. Some of those medals are worth a fortune, but it’s obvious things are heating up and the investigation is getting too close. It’s time for me to make my exit.” He waved the firing button device. “Thanks to the guy who blew this place up the first time, I can now blow it again and everyone will think the original bomber did it.”
“No, they won’t,” Heidi said.
Cooper frowned. “Why not?”
“Because the other bomber used a timer, not a firing button.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’ll confuse the issue for a while and I’ll be long gone.”
Heidi’s fingers trembled against his back and Nick couldn’t help wondering where his backup was. He’d give anything to use his radio. Thankfully, Cooper hadn’t told him to lose it yet.
“All right. New plan.” Cooper licked his lips and his eyes darted over the training center. They hardened when they landed back on Nick. “Go to the kennels.”
“What?”
“To the cages! Now!”
Annie gave a low growl and took a step forward. The man lowered the weapon to the dog and Nick placed a hand on her head. Annie calmed, but her fur still bristled. Nick took a step back and grasped Heidi’s upper arm. “Go on,” he said.
Heidi moved toward the kennels, making her way through the rubble once more. Nick stayed behind her, between her and the gunman. Would Cooper really do as he threatened? Maybe. He didn’t seem to have any hesitation when it came to trying to kill Stevens. He didn’t think the man wanted to die, but the uncertainty kept Nick from jumping him.
Once in the room with the kennel cages lining the walls, Cooper motioned to Nick. “Throw me your radio.”
When Nick hesitated, he lifted the weapon and aimed it at Heidi. Nick tossed him the radio. Cooper gave it a hard kick and it skittered across the floor and out of the room. “Now your phone.”
Nick complied.
Roger waved his hand with the firing button. “Get in.”
The doors hung open, the locks swinging from the hooks.
“What’s the plan once you lock us in the cage?” Nick asked, stopping just short of entering the chain-link kennel.
“I get out of here.”
“And blow us up,” Heidi whispered.
The sound of sirens caught Nick’s attention. And it caught Roger Cooper’s as well. He paused and flicked a glance over his shoulder. That was the distraction Nick needed. He struck, launching himself at the man’s hand and knocking the firing button to the floor.