Elly stared at the frozen video screen, wishing she’d paid more attention to where the guy had gone after they’d bumped into each other in those moments before the parade has started. It had been a chance encounter, but she’d experienced a flash of apprehension.
Even then, she’d known he was evil. And he’d proved it by opening fire and heedlessly killing and injuring innocent bystanders.
Rhy was always saying they should trust their gut instincts. Mostly in relation to police work. Yet obviously, she should have heeded his advice that fateful night.
“I wish I’d said something back then,” Elly murmured.
“That wouldn’t have changed anything.” Joe reached out to take her hand. “I told you that, remember? Telling me some guy concerned you wasn’t enough. Not when you didn’t see a gun or any sort of weapon.”
“I didn’t see anything resembling a gun. Especially not the semiautomatic weapon he lifted and aimed at you.” She lifted her gaze to his. “He must have had the weapon hidden within his long coat. I didn’t feel it when I bumped into him, but I wish I had.”
“He very likely hid it inside his coat,” Joe agreed. “Try not to think about it. There’s nothing to be gained from wishing we did things differently. All we can do is to move forward from here. Keep in mind, the purpose of reviewing the video isn’t to play Monday morning quarterback. It’s to search for clues, hints as to who he is and where he might be now.”
“I know.” She understood where he was coming from and turned her attention back to the screen. “Okay, so he was probably standing in the bed of the truck. Then he jumped down when you turned to fire at him, slid in behind the wheel, and took off.”
“That’s the theory.” Joe abruptly stood and paced. “They can test the soil in the truck bed, see if it matches a specific place, but I still think this guy has military or law enforcement background. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Maybe he also worked construction,” she suggested.
“It’s possible.” He raked his hand over his short hair. “I expected the BOLO to produce results by now.”
“Rhy always says police work can be slow and tedious,” she said, then immediately wished she hadn’t mentioned her oldest brother. She didn’t want to remind Joe that she was Rhy’s youngest sibling. She needed him to see her as an individual—a woman—not an extension of his boss.
Not that he was likely to forget, she silently admitted.
He turned and crossed over to stare out the window. They were on the first floor this time, probably per Joe’s request. For long moments, he didn’t move. She crossed over to see what had captured his attention.
A blue glow from the Christmas lights that lined the streets of Milwaukee could be seen in the distance. Ironically, the same lights she’d been entranced with when she’d accidentally bumped into the shooter.
“We’re going to be fine, Joe.” She sensed his despair. “We’re safe here.”
“Yeah.” He turned from the window, his expression seemingly carved from granite. “I promised to look after you, Elly. The shooter shouldn’t have been able to get close to you at all, much less this many times.”
“We’re alive because of you.” She subtly tugged on the uncomfortable vest. She was wearing it mostly for his peace of mind.
“I can’t lose—” He abruptly stopped himself, then moved back to the living room sofa. “Police work can be frustrating,” he said instead.
Can’t lose her? Is that what he’d been about to say? The thought warmed her heart. “What made you become a cop?” She sat on the sofa, taking care to put space between them. “Our dad was a cop; our mom was a nurse. Rhy wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps, and obviously, Tarin, Kyleigh, and even Brady did the same. My sister Alanna became a nurse, Colin a firefighter/paramedic. Quinn joined the Coast Guard, and Aiden the Army National Guard. Taking care of others seems to be a part of our DNA.” Genes we share with the Callahans, she silently added.
He stared at his hands for a long moment before looking at her. “My sister and I grew up in an abusive household. My dad—let’s just say he wasn’t anything like yours. He was a mean drunk and never hesitated to lash out at us for every minor transgression.”
She did her best not to look as horrified as she felt. “I’m so sorry, Joe. That’s awful.”
“My mom either couldn’t or wouldn’t leave. Not until the neighbor called the police during one of their physical fights, and they arrested him.” Joe grimaced. “I often intervened, getting punched when I put myself between my dad and my mom or sister. That night, I suffered a broken arm and a few cracked ribs. There was no hiding what had happened. I had to be taken to Children’s Memorial Hospital to be treated. To be honest, I was glad. And maybe a little angry with my mom for letting it come to that.”
She knew there were many factors that contributed to a woman staying in an abusive relationship. Fear of the unknown, of not being able to find work or a safe place to stay. Fear of retribution. A lack of self-confidence and self-worth.
Yet it made her shiver to know Joe had sustained a broken arm and cracked ribs. She could easily imagine a younger version of him standing up to his father. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. She blocked the image and pulled herself together with an effort. “I’m glad your mom left him. I’m sure that was scary for her.”
“Those first few months were rough. She almost went back to him, but the state stepped in and told her that she’d lose custody of us, sending me and Sarah into the foster care system if she did go back.” He sighed. “I guess she finally decided to keep us rather than going back to him.”
“It was the right thing to do, but not easy for her, I’m sure.”
“Maybe, although I can’t say I completely understand her reasoning.”
“Do you still see her?”
“No. She ended up dying of cancer when I was twenty.” He met her gaze. “My sister Sarah was eighteen. That was hard, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was convinced that her death was partially her own fault. I feel certain that she didn’t seek treatment earlier because she was still ingrained with that abusive mindset. That she wasn’t worth the time and effort.” He paused, then added, “I also think she blocked out the cancer symptoms the same way she blocked out the bruises and injures she sustained at my father’s hand.”
“I’m surprised you have any faith at all.” The minute the words popped out, she wished she could call them back.
He looked away. “We went to church before Dad started drinking, then stopped. But when we were in one of the group homes, a pastor came to visit regularly. He talked about God and faith. But I still wasn’t convinced, until I got to know Rhy.” A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Your brother is a man who lives his faith daily without trying to hide it.”
“He does,” she agreed. “And he made sure we continued attending church the way our parents taught us too.”
“Obviously my parents doing the church thing didn’t mean much.” He shook his head. “I’m sure my dad only attended to put on a show for everyone else. As if to prove he wasn’t a mean, abusive drunk.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated helplessly. No child should have to go through what Joe and his sister, Sarah, had. She reached across the gap between them to rest her hand on his knee.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” He shrugged as if he hadn’t just bared his soul. He covered her hand with his, his palm warm to the touch. “You asked why I became a cop, and that was to help others. People in similar situations that we were in. It was good for me to be able to take action, just like the officers who responded to our house the night the neighbor called.” He hesitated, then added, “Unfortunately, I’ve seen far worse cases of abuse than what Sarah and I suffered.”
Her stomach rolled at the images that flashed in her brain. There was probably a good reason she hadn’t made it through the police academy. She didn’t have the physical or emotional strength that was needed to face what Joe and the other cops were confronted with each day.
“You’re a great cop, Joe.” She managed a smile despite the heaviness in her heart. “Rhy values you as a member of his team.”
“We appreciate him too.” He removed his hand as if worried Rhy might drop in at any moment to catch them together. She tried not to take his withdrawal personally. “It’s late, time for you to get some sleep.”
“Just me?” She didn’t move from the sofa. “Pretty sure you need sleep too.”
“Yeah.” He stood and paced again, clearly on edge. This case was getting to him, and she didn’t know how to reassure him she was fine. “Soon. I need to wait to see if Steele or any of the other team members find anything helpful.”
“Joe.” She uncurled from the sofa and rose. “I don’t want you to stress about this. I love my life, but I’m not afraid to die.”
“Don’t say that.” His tone was sharp. “You’re not going to die.”
“Like I said, I love my life. I’m looking forward to our Christmas family reunion with the Callahans.” She took another step toward him. “But I also want to reassure you I’m at peace with the Lord.”
He shook his head again. “We’re not going down that path, okay? We’re not.”
It made her a little sad to realize how much he resisted having faith in life after death. She reached for his hand. “Trust me, I’m with you one hundred percent. We’re going to find this man, and you’re going to throw him behind bars for the rest of his life.”
He tugged her closer, his blue eyes holding hers. She eagerly stepped into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Elly.” His words were muffled against her hair.
“I trust you.”
He held her close for a long moment, then abruptly released her, stepping back and looking around the room, anywhere but at her. “Get some sleep. I—uh, need to make a call.”
He turned away and hurried into his room as if Rhy himself was chasing him. And maybe he was. At least in Joe’s mind.
She stood in the center of the room, feeling bereft. In that moment, it was clear to her that Joe would never act on their mutual attraction. That their one and only kiss was nothing but an aberration.
Joe would never allow a relationship to develop between them because of his dedication to his boss.
And there was nothing she could do to change his mind.
He needed out of this hotel room bad. Joe quietly closed the bedroom door behind him, then looked up at the ceiling as if seeking help from God.
Elly was messing with his mind in a way he’d never thought possible. He hadn’t told anyone about the abuse he and Sarah had suffered. Yet one simple look from Elly had him blabbing about everything.
He was drawn to her in a way he hadn’t experienced since—ever. Certainly not with Tina.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he scrolled through his recent call list to call Rhy. Then he stopped himself.
What exactly would he say? Oh, by the way, Rhy, I need you to have someone else from the team to stay here with Elly because I desperately want to kiss her.
He snorted. Yeah, that would not go over well. He shouldn’t be thinking of kissing Elly Finnegan in the first place. Something Rhy would no doubt point out in no uncertain terms.
Much less remembering the incredible kiss they’d already shared. And the warmth of her embrace.
See? He shoved his phone back into his pocket and began to pace again. This was exactly what Steele had warned him about. Keeping his mind on the game plan. Not allowing his personal feelings to interfere with their mission of finding and arresting this guy.
So why was he having so much trouble ignoring his attraction to her?
He didn’t know but needed to figure it out and fast. Before he made another colossal mistake.
Besides, even if Rhy called him right now to tell him to hand Elly over to another member of the team, he wouldn’t do it. Sure, the men and women he served with were highly trained professionals. They were the best of the best. He trusted them with his life on a regular basis.
But not with Elly’s.
Okay, enough. Time to stop thinking about Elly and get to work. The quickest way out of this mess was to find the shooter.
Before the guy found Elly.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Joe opened the bedroom door and stepped back into the living room. He’d hoped Elly would have taken his advice to get some rest, but she didn’t.
“I’m going to keep searching social media pages of our victims.” He sat down at the table and tapped the track screen to reengage the power.
“Can I help?” Elly asked.
“Not yet.” He glanced over his shoulder, grateful she was still on the sofa. “I’ll let you know if I find anyone matching your sketch. Besides, you should really get some sleep.”
“I will when you do.”
It was tempting to pretend to do just that to force her hand. But knowing Elly, she would hear him moving around and just join him anyway.
Turning his attention to the computer, he gave up on the skaters and went to the next victim he remembered. Not the eight-year-old boy, he couldn’t imagine he was the intended victim. Kyle? No, he didn’t have social media.
There was another young couple who’d been hit. He pulled up the list of victims, found the woman’s name, and typed it into the search engine. Before he could do anything more, his phone rang.
He expected the call to be from Rhy or one of Elly’s other siblings, but he didn’t recognize the number on the screen. He debated sending the call to voice mail, expecting a robo call letting him know his warranty is up, but given the circumstances, he answered it. “Kingsley.”
“Why haven’t you found him?” The shrill voice in his ear had him pulling the phone away with a wince.
“Ah, ma’am? Who are you?” He hadn’t recognized the voice, so he didn’t think this was Gabrielle’s or Henry’s mother.
“Kyle’s widow!” Her tone increased in volume. “I demand to know what you’re doing to find the man who shot my husband!”
He remembered how Rhy had mentioned getting an irate phone call from Kyle’s wife, Eloise. Rhy could have warned him that he’d given Kyle’s widow his number. Elly must have been able to hear the woman, too, as she came over to sit beside him.
“We’re doing everything possible,” he said in a calm, reassuring tone. “I promise, we will find him.”
“When?” She sounded slightly less antagonistic. “I don’t understand what’s taking so long. It’s been over twenty-four hours.”
“I know. We have a sketch of our perp circulating through every precinct in the city, and his face has been put out on all the news stations. He won’t be able to hide for long.”
“You have to find him!” Her voice rose again in agitation. “You owe Kyle that much, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course.” He wondered if that was part of the reason for Eloise acting out. Normally, when an officer was taken from them, they visited the widow. Providing support through a difficult time.
They hadn’t done that, their priority being to find this guy before he opened fire on other innocent people again. “Do you need anything? Is there something I can do for you?”
“Just find Kyle’s killer!” With that, she disconnected from the call.
He sat in silence for a long moment.
“She’s grieving,” Elly said. “If you like, I can try to talk to her once we have Kyle’s killer in custody. Maybe she needs another woman to talk to.”
“Maybe.” Logically, he knew everyone handled grief differently. And this was a highly unusual circumstance. “I need to let Assistant Chief Michaels know. A visit from the upper brass may be in order.”
“That’s a good idea,” Elly agreed. “She’s probably feeling lost amidst the media attention.”
The media attention was to help find this guy, but he let it go. He made the call to Assistant Chief Michaels. “Do you have something, Kingsley?” he asked.
He wished he did. “No, sir. Nothing concrete. I think the crime scene techs have been over the truck but haven’t found any prints or DNA.”
“Then why are you calling?” Michaels sounded irritated.
“I just got off the phone with Eloise Malaki, Kyle’s widow. She’s pretty upset, and I was thinking she may need a visit from you, or the chief of police, or even the mayor. I think she feels forgotten in this.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Michaels sounded tired. “I usually count on Finnegan to navigate this stuff. But I know he’s taking well deserved vacation time. And we haven’t followed our usual protocol either. I’ll make an appointment to see her first thing tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.” It was telling how their assistant chief depended on Rhy to keep things moving. Not that he planned to point that out to the older guy. He doubted Michaels would appreciate the comparison. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, hoping the assistant chief could smooth things over with Eloise Malaki.
As a cop, he’d seen all sorts of inappropriate angry outbursts. Many aimed at the cops either because they were there or because they hadn’t done enough.
He wasn’t sure why he was taking Eloise’s anger so personally. But he was irked that she didn’t believe they were doing everything in their power to get the guy who’d callously killed a cop. Along with nine other victims.
“Is Kyle on social media?” Elly asked, breaking into his thoughts.
He glanced at her, wishing she wasn’t so close. “No, none of us are active on any of those sites. But you bring up a good point. It’s possible Eloise is.”
“Can’t hurt to check.”
He did so, somewhat surprised to find she indeed had one. “Here she is.”
Elly leaned closer. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yeah. Kyle always mentioned how she won the Miss Wisconsin pageant a few years back.” He poked around on the page. “I see lots of sympathy comments here,” he said, scrolling through them. “Nothing unusual about that. But I can’t see all her posts because she has privacy settings in place. I’m glad she took that much of a precaution.” Maybe being a former Miss Wisconsin had taught her there were creeps out in the world.
More than one, he silently amended.
“You know, some people like to stay in touch with friends or family,” Elly said with a hint of defensiveness. “It’s not all about posting pictures of your recent meal at a nice restaurant or selfies on vacation.”
He let out a laugh. “I truly don’t get it. Especially the part where people tell the entire world they’re on vacation, announcing to the world their house is empty. That’s an open invitation to all criminals. But then again, in my line of work, I’ve seen social media used to trick women and kids into being trafficked.”
“That’s horrifying.” Elly shook her head. “I’m glad Rhy always made us stay off those sites.”
“He’s like a father to you,” He hoped that saying the words out loud would remind him to keep his distance.
“He held the family together and has always been supportive of me and the twins as we were the youngest of the bunch. But no, Joe, he never tried to take over the role of my father.” She held his gaze steadily. “Our parents died; he made sure we remembered them. And even as he was guiding us, he reminded us that this was what our parents would have wanted.”
He didn’t believe that, mostly because Rhy had warned him off the way a father would, but he let it go. Just because Elly didn’t see Rhy as a father figure didn’t mean her brother hadn’t taken on that role. Quite the opposite.
Joe was firmly convinced Rhy had.
He turned back to the computer, deciding to move on. Then he had an idea. He pulled out his phone again and sent Assistant Chief Michaels a text, asking him to check with Eloise for her permission to review all her social media posts.
Michaels responded with a brief, “Okay.”
It wasn’t a priority now, but he felt the need to check off all the boxes.
To search every single victim for a connection, no matter how remote, to the shooter.
“Maybe we should go back to the skaters’ profiles,” Elly mused. “They must have been the main target.”
“Sure.” He did as she’d asked, even though he desperately wished she’d try to get some sleep. Or go anywhere that was farther away from him.
Her scent was driving him crazy.
They were both silent as he made his way through their social media pages. Although several times he had to go through them twice.
Yeah, this wasn’t working. He needed to put an end to this forced togetherness for a while. He needed time to regroup. And maybe by morning the shooter will have been picked up by one of the thousands of cops searching for him.
“It’s no use, I don’t see anything new.” He made a show of glancing at his watch. “It’s getting late. We need to get some sleep.”
“I’m too wired to sleep.”
He hesitated, wondering if she was afraid of having more nightmares. But then she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I—uh,” he floundered, trying to come up with an excuse. “Need a break.” Gently disentangling himself from her, he rose and moved away from the computer.
She sighed loudly, without bothering to hide her exasperation. “Okay, okay. I’ll take the hint and leave you alone.”
He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but he would be much better off if she would leave. At least for a while. He stood awkwardly for a moment, debating taking the computer into his room and shutting the door.
Elly rose and walked over to the window, the one he’d stared out earlier.
“No. You know what?” She abruptly spun away from the window, heading toward him. “It’s not okay . . .”
The sharp crack of gunfire had him instinctively lunging toward her, taking her down to the ground like a linebacker sacking the quarterback. He heard the muted sound of a slug embedding itself in the sofa that was right next to them, followed by yet another retort of gunfire. “Stay down!” he shouted hoarsely.
He covered her body with his, mentally braced for the sharp, painful impact of being struck by a bullet.