The same white sedan Chase had seen leaving the parking lot at the Remington Nature Reserve sat nestled in brush in the woods outside of town. Was the greenery around the vehicle an attempt to disguise its location? A stiff wind had exposed the car or they might not have discovered it.
The officer guarding the scene disconnected his cell phone and met Chase and Todd partway on one of the paths not heavily used. “Two kids found it about an hour ago.”
“Did they disturb it in any way, Officer Brown?” Chase asked, continuing toward the sedan.
“Yes, they moved some of the branches.” The young man pointed to limbs tossed to the left.
Todd circled the area. “Did you call for a tow truck?”
“Yes,” Officer Brown said. “Now that you’re here, I’ll go to the highway and make sure the guy knows where to turn.”
After donning gloves, Chase pulled the greenery off the car until he could open the driver’s door and lean in to examine the front. On the passenger side floor lay a black ski mask. Before he went around to take a closer look, he squatted to check around the driver’s side more thoroughly. He spied a white slip of paper and carefully withdrew it from between the console and the cushion.
He read the words scribbled down on the note then he’d put it in a plastic bag, “Turn left at the big B, go three miles, make a right then almost immediately another one.”
Todd lifted the trunk while Chase skirted the vehicle. “Must be directions somewhere.”
“Yeah, but where? A big B? What in the world does that mean?” Chase continued to the passenger’s front door.
“When we leave, we may have to look in the area for a big B. Maybe it’s the name of a business.”
Chase bagged the ski mask. “Or a wild goose chase.”
Todd held up a length of rope. “You think his plan was to use this to tie someone up with?”
The twine dangling from his partner’s hand stirred the anger he was trying to keep suppressed. Rope for Jamie or Kate or both? He shuddered at the thought of either one tied up. Good thing Hammer wasn’t there right now.
By the time they finished investigating, taking fingerprints off various surfaces and bagging evidence, the tow truck appeared and began hooking the car up to haul to the police compound.
Chase stood back while the tow truck left the scene. “From what I’ve seen, it only looks like one set of prints inside the car. They have to be Hammer’s. We can verify them with the ones found in his house.” Some of the fingerprints were smudged but that was to be expected.
“Another piece of the evidence to nail the guy.” His partner slid a look at him. “I can see why you’ve taken a personal interest in making sure Kate and her son are safe.”
“And why’s that?”
“Well, I could say she’s an attractive, single lady in trouble, which is true, but I’ve seen how you are with my kid. You’re a natural to be a dad. Not to mention, you could use a good woman in your life.”
Chase pivoted toward Todd. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s not good being a loner, especially being a cop. We need that connection to family and someone we love. It keeps us grounded in what’s worth fighting for. I know between your brother’s and my families you get a taste of it, but believe me, it’s not the same thing as the real deal.”
Chase wanted to put an end to this conversation, but what Todd had said was partially true. He did yearn for a family and a wife at times, but he never wanted to cause grief like T.J. had when he’d left his wife behind. His death had crippled her. She’d tried to commit suicide. If Chase hadn’t found her, she would have left her kids without a mother or father. And although he wasn’t in a war zone like before, his job was dangerous. No, it was better if he yearned from afar.
“Let’s go find what the big B means.” Chase took out his cell phone to let Chad know what he was doing.
* * *
After putting Jamie down for a nap, Kate locked the gate on the second floor, then started down the stairs. Chase’s brother’s voice caught her attention.
“Nothing has happened here. You can stop worrying.” Chad walked from the back of house into the foyer. He glanced up at her as he ended the call.
“Was that Chase? Did they find Hammer’s car?”
“Yeah. He’s following a clue he found at the scene.”
Chase must be all right then—at least so far. She wanted him to find her attacker, and yet she didn’t want anything to happen to him. “What clue?”
“Something about a sign with a big letter B on it. It might lead to the suspect.”
A big B? By the woods and lake? She should know it. She grew up in Cimarron City and often stayed at the lake in the summer, especially as a child. But the mention of a big B didn’t ring any bells. “I hope it does. I want him caught and my life back.” She continued toward the kitchen, trying to remember what she knew about a big B.
As she chopped up the potatoes then carrots for the beef stew she was making, she decided to bake some honey-glazed biscuits to go on the side. Jamie loved the biscuits just like his dad had. It was the closest thing she came to preparing a dessert.
When it was time for her to get the ingredients for her biscuits out, she grabbed the honey from her pantry and suddenly remembered what the big B sign meant. Not the singular letter but a picture of a large bee smiling on a sign. When she was a child, her mother had bought her honey from the couple who had bees near the lake on the other side from where Chase had found the car.
Grabbing her phone, she called Chase.
When he answered the first thing he said was, “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. We’re fine. Have you found the sign?”
“Not yet. When we left the scene, Todd went one way on the road and I went the opposite. So far nothing with a big B.”
“That’s because you’re looking on the wrong part of the lake. Go to the west side. There is a couple who has bees and sells their honey. I haven’t been out there in a few years, but there was a big sign with a bee on it. Actually, it used to scare me as a little girl. It’s about in the middle of Lake Road.”
“I’ll let Todd know, and we’ll go over there.”
“Be safe,” she said before she could censor herself. She cared about Chase, more than she should. He was only helping her because she was a judge.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
She didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“Okay, Kate?”
“Yes.” If I can just stop worrying. “See you later.”
When she hung up, she stared down at her phone, tempted to call him back just to hear his voice.
Suddenly the memory of the time her doorbell rang that changed her life flooded her mind. The highway patrol officer who had been on her porch hated to inform her that James had been in a small plane crash and the ambulance was taking him to the hospital. Before she had had a chance to go to James, the patrol officer called her to say he died en route to the emergency room. His voice had held sympathy and concern, but she hadn’t remembered anything after she heard the word died.
When she answered the phone, she’d never thought she would hear those words. James and she had had such plans—all of them falling apart with that call. Could she ever put herself in a position to be hurt like that again?
* * *
As Chase approached the cabin, he observed a motorcycle parked out front. He hid behind some brush to case the area with his binoculars. The blinds were all pulled closed. Except for the bike, he saw no evidence that anyone was home. His partner should be there shortly. They needed to decide how they would handle what to do next.
A few minutes later, Todd arrived. His partner crouched next to Chase. “Do you think Hammer is in there?”
“I’m not even sure anyone is, but we can’t peek in the windows to find out. One of us needs to go up to the cabin and knock.”
“It can’t be you. He’s seen you. I’ll do it.”
“And I’ll go around to the back in case he tries to escape that way.”
Todd frowned. “What if he doesn’t come to the door?”
“Then we sit out here until we get a warrant or someone returns here.”
“Okay. I’ll wait until you get around to the back.”
At the rear of the cabin, Chase positioned himself behind a large cottonwood then waited. It didn’t take long before he spied the blinds being lifted then Hammer raising the window. When the suspect was on the ground, he ran toward the woods in Chase’s direction. Perfect. As Hammer neared, Chase stepped out from behind the tree with his gun pointed at Kate’s attacker.
Hammer froze.
“Hands up in the air,” Chase said as he moved closer.
Hammer did as he was instructed.
After Chase snapped the handcuffs on the suspect’s wrist, he stared at the man who probably had threatened Kate and Jamie. Chase’s protective instincts rose to the surface. “Let’s go to the police station.”
“Why?” Hammer pivoted toward Chase. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“We’ve got some evidence that says otherwise.”
“Evidence? From what, my car? It was stolen a few days ago. You should be out there looking for the real criminal.”
“Then why didn’t you report your car stolen?”
“I know the police. You wouldn’t listen to my side of things.”
“Tell you what,” Chase said, grasping the man’s arm and guiding him toward the front of the cabin, “you can tell me your story at the station.”
When Chase, Todd and their suspect arrived at the police station, Hammer was arrested and read his rights. Then Hammer demanded a phone to call his lawyer. While Chase waited for the attorney, he and his partner would fill out the paperwork.
Sitting at his desk, Chase called Kate to let her know they found Hammer and he’d been arrested.
When she answered, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“Yes, but I have Hammer sitting in an interrogation room. We’ll interview him, but since he lawyered up, he might not talk. Hopefully his lawyer will convince him to cooperate when he is faced with the evidence against him. Afterward, Todd and I are going to the cabin to see what we can find that might help your case.”
“Do you want me to tell your brother he doesn’t have to stay?”
“Let me interview Hammer and check the cabin before you cut Chad loose. Wait until I get to your house.” He also wanted to review the evidence against the suspect.
“See you later. Another Walker has won over my son.”
Chase said goodbye then started sorting through what had been gathered against Hammer so far.
Todd stopped by his desk, grinning. “I pushed the lab about processing the ski mask for any hair samples and there are red hairs about the length of Hammer’s hair inside it. If he doesn’t cooperate, we’ll get a court order for a sample from him to see if it matches.”
“Good. I’m going to show Kate a photo of the ski mask. It was the same color, but she got a better look than I did. If she can’t tell with the picture, we’ll do a lineup for her.”
“Now that’s a first. Ski mask lineup.”
“I don’t want any doubts that Hammer did it.” Chase always tried to do his best but with Kate and Jamie even more so. They were special to him.
* * *
After Kate received a call that Chase was on the way to her house, she double-checked the beef stew then hurried upstairs to change. As she stood in her closet reviewing her options of what she could wear, she couldn’t make up her mind—casual, a pair of slacks and blouse, or more formal, a soft, silk red dress with a scooped neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves.
She finally picked the dress and donned it. When she viewed herself in the mirror on her closet door, she realized she hadn’t dressed up since James died. She ran her hand over the red silk and loved the feel of it against her palm. She didn’t want to give the wrong message, but the outfit made her feel feminine, and she hadn’t experienced that in a couple of years.
She slipped on the matching red shoes and headed into the hallway. Sounds of two men talking in the foyer floated up to her, and she hurried her pace, looking forward to seeing Chase, safe with Zed Hammer locked up in jail.
When she spotted Chase, her heart skipped a beat. He held a sleepy Jamie in his arms and looked so natural with her son. Jamie had played hard today with Mac and Chad, and although her son had taken a nap, he would go to bed early tonight. He’d never had this much company and action at the house before. Since James’s death, she’d lived a quiet and sedate life.
As she descended the stairs, she smiled at that last thought. She certainly didn’t condone being attacked and fighting off a kidnapper to add spice to anyone’s routine.
Chase caught sight of her and twisted in her direction, his eyes sparkling as he slowly tracked his gaze down her. “I’d give you a wolf whistle, but I wouldn’t want to scare Jamie.”
“I decided to celebrate Hammer’s arrest tonight,” she said as her son nestled his head on Chase’s shoulder, his eyelids sliding close.
“I’m all for that.” Chase’s grin slowly encompassed his whole face and reached deep into his eyes.
He drank her in—as though they were totally alone.
Chad cleared his throat. “That’s my cue to leave. It sounds like you aren’t gonna need me again.”
She reached the first floor. “I thought you were going to stay for dinner.”
“Your son wore me out. I didn’t know a young boy could have so much energy.”
Chase laughed. “I was there when you were that age and believe me you could have beaten Jamie. You hardly took a nap most days.”
Chad laughed. “I had to keep up with you, bro.”
After Chase’s brother left, Rachel came into the foyer. Surprise flashed into her eyes at the sight of Kate’s fancy dress. “I’ve got the table set although now I wish I had in the dining room.”
Heat flooded Kate’s cheeks. “The kitchen is fine.”
“I’ll take Jamie upstairs and put him to bed. There’s a TV show I want to watch, so I’ll grab something later.” Rachel slid her a small smile. “If I don’t see you when you leave, Chase, I want to thank you for being here. I’m thrilled you’ve caught the man.”
“So am I, Rachel.” He passed Kate’s son to the nanny, Jamie snuggling up against her.
“Good night, hon.” Kate kissed Jamie. “I’ll check on you later.”
While Rachel headed up the stairs with Jamie, Kate turned to Chase.
“So it went well with Hammer?” She started toward the kitchen, starving for food and information about her attacker—and for the chance to get to know Chase better.
“Short of him confessing, we got everything I could have wanted. Todd and I found more evidence to place him at the scene. Today, we discovered the ski mask he used.” Chase retrieved his cell phone and showed her several photos of it from different angles. “Is that the type of mask he wore?”
“It looks like it is, but to be sure I would need to see it in person. That was about all I saw when I was struggling with him—that and his dark brown eyes.” Kate trembled at the memory of his face thrust close to hers. It had smelled like…cigarettes. “Does Hammer smoke?”
“I saw ashtrays full of butts at the cabin and come to think of it, at his house, too, so I would say yes.”
“I can’t believe I’d forgotten that was the smell that nauseated me.”
After assisting Kate to sit, Chase took the chair catercorner from her. “Lots of victims forget things and then slowly remember details after the trauma. I’ve had people forgot almost everything, the event a blur for them. I’ll show you the ski mask tomorrow. How about lunch time? I’ll pick you up, bring you to the station and set a lineup with black ski masks. Hammer says he doesn’t own a ski mask. He gave us a sample of his hair to rule him out. I’ll know the results hopefully tomorrow, so until then I’d like to remain here with Mac. That’ll be the piece of evidence that will nail the case.”
“Not to mention the photos found at his house, his vehicle being the getaway car, his threats against me, his build being the same as my attacker and the fact he tried to escape the police.” As she listed the evidence, a peace settled over her. She would have her life back after tomorrow.
He covered her hand on the table between them. “I hope we’ll continue to see each other.”
“I’d like that very much.” Whenever she was in Chase’s presence, she was torn between wanting to pull away so she could stay in the safe, isolated world she’d constructed for herself—protected from being vulnerable or getting hurt again—and thinking that it was time to put her life back together and move forward. Could Chase be part of that? She hoped—at least as a friend.
But what about more?
Even if the time came when they both were ready to accept that was what they wanted, would it be possible? She remembered their conversation about having children. Children she could never give him.
Warmth spread across her face. She was attracted to the police detective, and she thought he was to her, but that didn’t mean getting married. Could she open herself up to the pain she’d experienced when her husband had died? Maybe it would be better to be content to be a mother.
They would never eat if she continued this train of thinking. “We’d better dig in before it gets cold.”
“I agree. And let’s not talk about the case anymore tonight.”
She lifted her glass of tea. “Agreed.”
As she passed the food to Chase, she asked, “Chad told me that when your dad left you became the man of the house.”
“I was the oldest and Mom needed help. Now she’s remarried and has a man who treats her right. My father never hit her, but he put her down all the time. When my dad left, it was like a pall had been lifted from the house.”
“Were you the one who taught Chad to play ball?”
“Yes. I never did nearly as well as he did.”
“Do you know that he joined the police force because you had?”
Chase plucked a roll out of the bread basket. “He’s never told me that, but I figured as much. He used to follow me around everywhere, and when I was with a girl, he would downright embarrass me. But I’ve gotten him back a few times since he started seeing the receptionist at the station.”
Chase described how he’d hung a sign at the baseball field announcing to the crowd that the coach was dating Bailey the first time Chad’s girlfriend came to a game. Kate couldn’t stop laughing as Chase detailed the many tricks his younger brother had tried to get back at Chase until Chad finally gave up. “I could always top him and a few weeks ago he decided to surrender.”
“Are you sure he has?”
“What did he say to you?”
“Nothing, but Chad doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to say uncle.”
Chase used the roll to clean up the last of the beef stew on his plate. “You know, you’re right. No telling what he’s planning.”
As they cleaned up the dinner dishes, Chase tried to find out everything Chad had asked her. She finally threw up her hands and said, “I can’t help you. He never said a word, it’s just a gut feeling I have.”
“Did he put you up to saying that?”
She chuckled. “No, but obviously he should have tried that. It’s working.”
Chase put the last plate into the dishwasher. “Yeah, you have a point.”
“Maybe let him win one.”
“You’re probably right. But I always thought the big brother should get the upper hand.”
“I can’t answer that. I don’t have siblings, although listening to you two talk makes me wish I did.” She went to the refrigerator and removed a chocolate pie. “Chad told me you love chocolate. Would you like a slice with decaf coffee?”
“Yes to both. I’m going to check the house first.”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring this into the den. That’s where Mac is. Jamie and Chad wore him out. He’s sleeping on the couch.”
He moved closer toward her. “If he gets up, I’ll put him outside then he can go back to sleep.”
“You know, Mac has spoiled us. We’re going to have to get a dog. What do you think about getting one from the pound?”
“If you want, I’ll go with you. I’m not an expert, but I’ve had a few in the past. Maybe I can steer you in the right direction.”
She turned to look at him, and smiled. “Careful,” she teased. “You’ll get us used to having you around to look out for us, too.”
He took another step closer before reaching out to run his fingers through her hair and hook some behind her ear.
She tilted her chin up, leaning her head into his touch. His mouth was inches away. In that moment she wanted him to kiss her. Every fiber of her being screamed for him to.