Deadly Christmas Duty

“Which is why I really want to get to him.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you. Let’s take my car.” He turned and started walking away as she stared after him. Who was he to make decisions for her?

“I don’t need a chaperone,” she insisted.

“I think you just might. Besides, am I right in thinking my sister’s file was in that office, as well?” When she nodded, he continued. “All the information on her case is gone. You were her friend as well as the prosecuting attorney, and I’d stake my life that you know everything that was in that file. You’ve been over it time and time again, looking for some new piece of information that could break her case. That makes you my new best friend and my partner in finding her. Besides, your car isn’t actually operational.”

She looked at her car, the blown-out windows and the water raining down on it from the fire hoses. He was right. She couldn’t drive it, and she didn’t have time to wait around for a cab if she wanted to clean up before she picked up Ramey.

He opened the passenger’s door to his car, which she noticed he’d parked across the street. She reluctantly slipped inside. He was right. Despite her bravado, she was still scared. She’d convinced herself this bomb had nothing to do with her, but protecting Ramey still had to be her number-one priority. She would help Noah with his sister’s case and, in exchange, he would make sure her son was safe from harm. They needed one another. But as he got into the car and headed for her house, she blushed at how easily she’d given in to spending time with this handsome stranger.

He liked the look of Melinda’s house. It was a cottage-style home on a quiet cul-de-sac. The cozy porch and Christmas decorations on the lawn welcomed him, and as she unlocked the door, a large Labrador greeted her. She patted the dog’s head then motioned Noah inside. He grabbed his overnight bag from the trunk of his car and followed her. The dog seemed friendly, but he knew from experience that dogs were unpredictable. Thankfully, the Lab began rubbing on his leg. He scratched the dog’s ear then bent down and petted him, prompting a lick in the face.

Melinda laughed then called off the dog. “Ranger, get down.”

The dog did as he was told and hurried across the room to curl up in a doggie bed.

She motioned toward the bathroom down the hall. “You can use this one. I’ll use the one in the master bedroom.” She disappeared into a back room and closed the door behind her.

It felt good to wash the soot and grime from himself and change into clean clothes. It was like a renewing after the battle, and it always made him feel better. He only wished he could wash off the guilt and shame he felt over his sister’s disappearance the same way. His heart had broken when he’d received the news. He should have been here watching out for her instead of halfway around the world.

Again, the sting of failure pinched at him. Why, God? Why do You keep allowing such terrible things to happen? He’d been asking that question for most of his life and he still hadn’t received an answer.

Once he was finished cleaning up, he waited for Melinda in the living room. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with mostly handmade craft ornaments and strings of popcorn. Photographs lined the room of a little boy in different stages of growth, some taken with Melinda and many more without. This must be her son, Ramey. He couldn’t help noticing there were no pictures of a husband or father in any of these.

“That’s Ramey when he was four years old,” she stated from behind him, referring to the photo he was staring at of her son with a soccer ball.

“He’s a handsome boy. How old is he?”

“Thank you. He’s six now.”

“I notice there are no pictures of his father. Are you divorced?” That was the most likely reason a woman didn’t display photos.

“Actually, I’m a widow. My husband died in a boating accident before Ramey was born.”

That seemed odd. Widows generally had photographs of their husbands displayed, but Melinda didn’t have even one picture that he could see. Still, it wasn’t his business. “My condolences.”

“Thank you. It was a long time ago.” She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear then glanced at the clock. “I told Susan Campbell I would pick up Ramey by four o’clock.”

“We should go, then.” He led her outside and opened the passenger door for her. She directed him toward the Campbells’ home, where he parked at the curb. As she got out of the car, a blond boy rushed out the door and jumped into her outstretched arms.

He enjoyed watching them together. There was no hesitation in the boy’s face or actions, nothing like he or Nikki had felt at seeing their folks. They’d never known what mood they would find their mother and father in from day to day, or what imagined slight they might have done to them. On a good day, the yelling and hitting would be minimal, but on a bad day... He pushed away those memories, preferring to focus instead on how happy this child seemed to be to see his mother.

She walked to the door and spoke a few words with a woman—Susan Campbell, no doubt—who handed her a booster seat and a bag. She walked the boy to the car. “Ramey, I’d like you to meet Mr. Cason. He’s a friend who’s helping me with something. Can you say hello?”

The boy grinned up at Noah, again his face open and welcoming. “Hi, Mr. Cason.”

Noah knelt and shook the boy’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ramey. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Are you going to marry my mommy?”

“Ramey!” Her face flushed and she shushed him. “Don’t ask things like that.”

Noah found himself grinning at such an innocent exchange. “It’s okay. Your mom and I are friends, Ramey. That’s all.”

The boy shrugged and accepted that, then crawled into the back seat of the car as Melinda set up his booster seat and buckled him in.

“I’m sorry,” Melinda whispered once he was secured. “He shouldn’t be asking that. He’s just not used to seeing me with a man.”

“No problem,” he assured her. He wasn’t insulted. In fact, he liked that she didn’t parade men in front of her son. He’d been captivated by her beauty from the moment she’d glanced up at him and he’d taken in her narrow face and delicate neck framed by her long, dark hair. But it was the smile that played on her face as she watched him that he’d noticed first. She was quick to smile, and he liked that. Now his opinion of her was growing just from this small exchange. She was a good mom, and that said a lot about her in his eyes.

He stopped that line of thinking before it got out of hand. He couldn’t go down that road with Melinda. He’d been through too much, seen too much, to ever deserve a woman like her. What would anyone want with a washed-out Navy SEAL who’d gotten his teammates killed? He was glad Nikki had befriended her. They’d always dreamed of having a normal life, and it saddened him to know she never got that fairy-tale life she’d longed for. Instead, she’d married a man just like their father, and had paid the ultimate price for it.

Noah had buried himself in work, first as a SEAL and now as an operator for the Security Operations Abroad, acting as covert security for CIA agents in the field. If he could remain busy, he could forget what a tragedy his home life had been, and the dreams of normalcy that never came true.

Melinda met with Chief Peterson later that evening and answered as many questions as she could about finding the backpack containing the device beneath her desk. All she knew for certain was that it hadn’t been there before she’d gone to meet her friend Robin for lunch.

“How certain are you that it wasn’t under your desk before you left?” he asked her for what seemed like the fifth time.

“Very certain,” she reiterated. “I told you that I dropped a pen earlier in the day and it rolled under the desk. I had to crawl under there to retrieve it. The backpack wasn’t there.”

He jotted a note on his notepad. “What time was that?”

“I’d been at the office for about two hours, so around 11:00 a.m. I left at noon and when I returned, I noticed my door was closed, but the latch wasn’t pulled all the way shut. Dawn usually closes and locks it if she leaves the office and I’m not there. I assumed she’d just forgotten or had been in a rush.”

“So, Dawn was still at the office when you left it?”

“Yes.”

“But she was gone when you returned?”

“That’s right.”

He made another note then looked up at her. “Did she know where you were going or when you would return?”

“I told her before I left that I would be back by one.” She didn’t usually have Saturdays kid-free unless she was working, so she’d taken a rare opportunity to meet her friend for an extended girls’ lunch. In fact, Robin had been persistent that Melinda take the time to meet her. At first, she’d worried her friend had bad news to share, but their lunch had been about catching up.

“When was the last time you spoke to your assistant?”

She was about to say right after the bombing, then she realized she’d only left a message. “My phone was damaged in the explosion so I borrowed a phone and left her a voice mail telling her what had happened.”

“But you haven’t spoken to her since you left the office at eleven?”

“That’s right. I thought she might call me on my house phone, but I haven’t been there for much time since it happened.”

“How did she seem when you left her? Was she nervous? Anxious? Oddly quiet?”

She saw where this line of questioning was going, and she didn’t like it one bit. Dawn was a sweet young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Plus, she’d been a great assistant and a friend. Melinda trusted her with her most sensitive materials. “She was fine. Her normal self.”

“How often do you make her work on the weekends?”

“When we have a big case coming up. The city won’t pay for extra help, but Dawn likes the overtime and they will approve that. Are you suggesting she was the one who placed the bomb in my office?”

“Do you believe she’s capable of something like that?”

“Absolutely not. Why would she do something that might put her out of a job?” She couldn’t believe they were trying to pin this on Dawn when there was a more likely suspect out there. “Why on earth would you suspect her?”

“Calm down, Melinda. We’re not accusing anyone yet, only asking questions. We’re also looking at other suspects, such as people you’ve sent to prison. I have someone tracking down everyone you’ve prosecuted who was recently released. Do you have any enemies that you know of?”

She shifted in her chair, but hesitated in mentioning Sean. Everyone in town didn’t need to know her business. Besides, he was dead and had been for years. “None that I can think of,” she stated.

“What about from before you came to Daytonville? Any old boyfriends who might have a grudge against you?”

She shook her head. There had been no one since Sean. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, subject her heart to falling in love again. She’d done so with Sean and had been burned by his abuse and betrayal. Instead of being happy when she’d discovered she was pregnant, he’d been furious and demanded she end the pregnancy. His insistence had forced her to make a choice, and she’d chosen to give her child life. In response, Sean had tried to murder them both. How could she ever trust another man again after that?

The chief closed his notebook and stood, indicating the interview was over. “It’s a blessing no one was injured or killed, but this is still a very serious crime. If you think of anyone who comes to mind, let us know right away and we’ll look into him or her. In the meantime, we’ll pull the security tapes and continue canvassing the area.”

“Thank you, Chief.” Melinda walked out of the interview room with a weary feeling growing inside her. Her entire world had been turned upside down today and she didn’t know which direction to turn. She’d known her job could have its dangers, but she’d never witnessed anything more than angry words hurled at her before today.

She stepped into the waiting area and found Noah keeping Ramey occupied with a game of thumb wrestling. She watched Noah let the boy win and smiled as Ramey whooped with laughter.

“Are you done?” Noah asked her, standing to greet her.

“For now. I’m sure there will be more questions later but for now, I just want to go home.”

He picked up Ramey, and they were about to walk out when she spotted her boss, District Attorney Jay McAllister, approach her. He was dressed casually in slacks and tennis shoes instead of his usual business suit and tie, but he looked tired and she imagined he had been pulled from his easygoing Saturday afternoon with his kids to the news of the bombing at his office.

He rushed to her side. “Melinda, are you okay? I heard about the bomb.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “This is Noah Cason. He was there when I found the bomb. He saved my life.”

Jay reached for Noah’s hand and shook it briskly. “Thank you for what you did. I commend you. I’m glad no one was hurt. The police are saying the rest of the building was empty.”

“I tried to check all the rooms,” Noah told him. “I didn’t see or hear anyone else there.”

“What are we going to do now?” Melinda asked him.

“I spoke with Judge Nicholson. He’s going to postpone our cases for two weeks. That should give us time to put them back together. I’m also having someone go through to see what evidence we had present at our office. If I’m right, we had fourteen active cases with evidence stored at our building. We’ll know more once we’re finished going through the rubble. For now, go home and hug your kid. We’ll deal with all this tomorrow.”

“Jay, have you heard from Dawn Littlefield?”

“Your assistant, Dawn? No. Why?”

“I haven’t heard from her since she went to lunch. I’m sure she’s heard about the bomb by now.”

“I expect so. It’s been all over the news.”

“I just wish she would contact me.”

“You don’t think she was inside, do you? As far as I know, the fire marshal said no bodies have been found.”

“No.” Melinda felt silly for expecting Dawn to call her, but she thought she would have at least called to make sure Melinda was all right. It seemed out of character for her to be so aloof after such an occurrence. Of course, she didn’t have a phone any more. Maybe Dawn had tried but couldn’t get through. Melinda would try to phone her again later. I think you’re right. I’m ready to take Ramey home and get some rest.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll let you know when we’ve established a new place to work.”

“My cell phone was destroyed in the blast. I’ll have to buy a new one tomorrow.”

“No problem. If you don’t hear from me, I’ll leave a message for you here at the station.”

“Okay.”

She let Noah lead her outside as he walked to the car, carrying her son in his arms. Noah was good with Ramey, and she felt like she knew him after all the times she’d listened to Nikki rave about him. But now she wondered at herself. She’d allowed this man into her life and into Ramey’s life without hesitation or even checking him out. She’d trusted him completely after the way he’d jumped in to save her. But what did she really know about Noah Cason? And, most important, could she trust him?

Noah dropped Melinda and Ramey at their house and made certain all her locks were secured before he said good-night. He’d enjoyed spending time with Ramey, who seemed like a good kid with a happy disposition, but he was glad when her interview was over and he could drop them at home for the night so he could drive by his sister’s house. It was dark now and the lights were on inside. He parked and strolled past the house, observing every detail as surely as he was scouting out a target. In fact, he was. His target was inside at this very moment.

He could see the man between the curtains going about his evening, eating in front of the television, while Noah’s sister was out there somewhere in the darkness, alone and discarded. The idea that her supposedly loving husband was lounging on the sofa while watching some sporting event burned him.

Melinda had assured him there had been search parties and community efforts made to find Nikki, but it hadn’t been enough. His sister was still missing.

He had no illusions that she would be found alive. Too much time had passed for that, and he’d seen too much during his career to believe that she could have survived this long. Rage bit him, but he tamped back every instinct inside him to bust through that door and beat the truth from his brother-in-law. He hated that he still had the urges for violence, but he supposed it was in his DNA. His parents had been violent people, and he’d inherited their disposition. In his youth he’d embraced those instincts, taking out his frustrations on anyone who’d wronged him. But he’d always felt terrible afterward.

The SEALs had taught him to control that anger and filter it to help people, and it had been a service he’d enjoyed and was good at. He was still good at it even though he’d left the navy for private contract work with the Security Operations Abroad company. Now he used his skills to protect covert CIA operatives abroad. The pay was better, but he’d begun to miss the missions that had made a difference. Every time he’d been called to action in the SEALs, it was for a greater purpose. He’d begun to wonder why God had led him there, away from the SEALs and into private work.

He’d gotten his answer three months ago when the US embassy three miles from the covert CIA base where he was working was overrun by locals bent on death and destruction. He and the other SOA operators assigned there had taken action, rescuing eight American citizens from a brutal attack. But they’d also lost two teammates. He’d been in briefings about the incident when the news about Nikki had finally gotten to him.

He didn’t understand how a God he’d placed his love and faith in all those years ago could continue to allow such evil to win. Evil men like his brother-in-law, and the embassy attackers whose only aim had been to kill Americans, then continue to prosper and grow and be rewarded for their efforts. His own government was even sending aid to the very country who’d attacked them and crucifying Noah and his team for their response that night.

He was proud of his teammate Rizzo for his courage in speaking up and telling his story to the press, and he’d heard just as he’d arrived in town that Quinn, another teammate, was joining him in opening up about the attack and their SOA unit’s response to it. They’d been told to stand down that night by their supervisor, but how could they? How could anyone sit back and watch others get slaughtered without at least trying to help?

Noah spotted a black SUV with police markings stop in front of Wayne’s house. He saw Chief Peterson climb out and meet Wayne with a friendly handshake before walking into the house.

He couldn’t help but wonder how well the police department had done their jobs, given that the chief of police was good friends with Wayne. Had they done a thorough search? Had they checked all the boxes in the investigation? Given the determination he’d seen in Melinda’s face, he thought she would have made certain they did. At least Nikki had one person in this town on her side.

Daytonville reminded him of the place he and Nikki had grown up in, where the residents had turned their backs on the abuse the Casons had dished out to their children. His sister was innocent, the one innocent in their entire family. All she’d ever wanted was a normal, happy life, but this monster she’d married had ended her dreams. By all that was right and good, he wouldn’t allow this evil to win. He would fight it until Wayne Lassiter paid the price for what he’d done to Nikki.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.