Shielding the Baby
Author
Laura Scott
Reads
16.9K
Chapters
19
ONE
“Shots fired. Two victims near the Longmire Suspension Bridge. PNK9 response requested.” The dispatcher’s voice came through Pacific Northwest K-9 officer Danica Hayes’s radio. She was in the Mount Rainier National Park with her K-9 partner, Hutch, accompanied by her colleague Colt Maxwell and his K-9, Sampson.
“Colt and I are on it.” She disconnected from the call. “Let’s go. But we’ll need to take the SUVs—the bridge is five miles from here.”
“Race you,” Colt said with a cheeky smile.
They’d been about to leave the park after successfully apprehending the man responsible for assaulting a hiker. She jogged to her SUV, quickly putting her male German shepherd in the back crate area. Sliding behind the wheel, she made a sharp U-turn toward the Longmire Suspension Bridge. Colt was hot on her heels in his SUV.
Why hadn’t they heard the shots? Five miles wasn’t that far, and out here the sound would carry, especially in mid-April, when the park wasn’t busy. She frowned, pulled over, then quickly retrieved Hutch.
From here she could see two people lying on the ground not far from the bridge entryway. Before Colt and Sampson could cross over to join her, more gunfire echoed, louder this time.
“Take cover!” Colt shouted.
Danica lunged toward the thick cluster of trees, Hutch at her side. Colt went in the opposite direction. She dropped to her knees in the brush, her arm protectively around Hutch’s neck, scanning the area. There was nothing up ahead, so she turned around. A flash of movement caught her eye. She narrowed her gaze as a woman with dark hair and wearing a dark blue parka moved through the trees. The woman glanced furtively over her shoulder. Their gazes clashed, and the flash of recognition was unmistakable.
The woman was Mara Gilmore, the PNK9’s newest crime scene investigator. For a moment, Danica was confused. How had Mara gotten here so quickly? Then she realized Mara wasn’t working today. Dropping her gaze to Mara’s hands, she half expected to see a gun, but the tech had already disappeared through the brush.
She blinked, momentarily frozen. What was Mara doing here? Was she running away from the shooter? Had she seen something? Mara’s expression flashed in her mind. Guilt? Fear? A combination of both? Either way, she needed to find the team’s tech, to discover what, if anything, she might know. She jumped out from the trees. “I’m going after a witness,” she called to Colt. “Let’s go, Hutch!”
Hutch immediately bounded forward, anxious to be on the move. “No, Hutch, this way.” Danica used his leash to correct his path so that he was following Mara. Danica ran with her ninety-pound black-and-tan partner, her gaze searching for Mara. The more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that Mara was involved in the shooting. The look on her face must have been fear. Still, she wanted to reassure the newest member of their team there was no reason to be afraid.
Shame on her for thinking the worst. Blame it on her tumultuous childhood.
Hutch slowed down, sniffing the ground, then lifting his snout to the air as if trying to capture Mara’s scent. It wasn’t easy, as she hadn’t provided him with a specific scent to find. Yet she trusted Hutch to do his best.
Her K-9 shifted, heading off at a diagonal direction from the area where she’d seen Mara. Keeping pace with her partner wasn’t easy; her feet slipped on the areas of snow and ice.
They covered roughly two miles before Hutch stopped, sniffing along the side of the road. The same road she and Colt had come up just fifteen minutes ago. Her K-9 sat and looked up at her, signaling this was the end of the trail.
“Good boy, Hutch.” She lavishly praised her partner, pulling the tattered bunny from her coat pocket. She tossed it to him. He caught it midair and pranced around like he was king of the world. Normally the routine made her smile.
Not today.
Mara must have left the park in a vehicle she’d parked nearby. The time it had taken her and Hutch to get here made it unlikely they’d be able to find her. The good news was, Mara hadn’t been lost. The tech had found her way to the road. Yet it was still strange that Mara had run away rather than sticking around to offer her statement.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she called Hutch over, took his bunny and headed back down the road to the bridge.
Colt, tall and blond, and his bloodhound K-9 Sampson were there, examining the two bodies. He looked at her when she approached. “One male and one female victim, both in their late twenties, and both shot in the back.”
“I saw Mara Gilmore running from the scene. It’s possible she may have witnessed something and took off in fear.”
“I saw Mara, too,” Colt agreed with a frown. “It’s odd she was here. And that she left the scene.”
She stared down at the two bodies for a moment. “We need to alert the chief.” Chief Donovan Fanelli was their boss, and he’d want to know that one of their own was a possible witness.
“I already called him.” Colt grimaced. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I thought it was strange how Mara ran off like that. I figured Hutch would have a better chance of tracking her, so I stayed here with the bodies.”
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, either, but I know she saw and recognized me.” Danica managed a wry smile. “She’s a tech, not a cop. Being in the line of fire must have scared her. Hopefully she’ll return very soon to let us know what she saw.”
Colt rose to his feet. “I hope so. By the way, the National Park Service crime scene techs are on their way back.”
It made sense that he’d stayed with the bodies, as Sampson’s specialty was cadaver recovery. “What’s going on, Colt?” She stared at the two victims. “Why would anyone kill them?”
Before he could respond, the crime scene van pulled up on beside their SUVs. Danica and Colt stepped back to give them access to the bodies. They watched as the techs went to work.
“We have an ID here on both vics.” Trent Ward, the taller park ranger tech, looked over at them. “Male is Jonas Digby and female is Stacey Stark.”
The names didn’t ring any bells for her. At Colt’s shrug, she assumed the same was true for him.
Overhead, a yellow-and-black chopper came in flying low. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she watched it descend. “Is that the chief?”
“Yes. He’s bringing Willow Bates, too. They were both at headquarters when I called.”
Their PNK9 headquarters located in Olympia, Washington, was roughly a ninety-minute drive from Mount Rainier. She watched as the chopper set down in a large open field not far from the bridge. Donovan and Willow both jumped out, along with Willow’s K-9, a German short-haired pointer named Star. Their chief was tall, with broad shoulders, salt-and-pepper hair, and piercing blue eyes. He strode purposefully toward them, Willow and Star trailing behind him.
Minutes later, they were huddled together near the crime scene. “We heard that a witness reported a woman with dark hair wearing a navy blue parka shot the vics,” Willow said.
What? Danica swallowed hard, the similarities too much to ignore. “I saw Mara Gilmore wearing a dark blue parka and running from the scene.” Danica met Donovan’s serious gaze. “I know she saw me, too. Hutch and I tried to catch up to her—we assumed she was afraid of the gunfire—but we lost her near the road.”
Their boss grimaced. “I don’t like this. I wouldn’t want anyone from our team to be considered a possible suspect. Although the description is vague. Lots of people have blue parkas and dark hair.”
“I didn’t see her with a gun,” Danica quickly pointed out.
“And neither of us saw her shooting,” Colt added.
“I’ll call Mara.” Donovan lifted his phone to his ear. After several long moments, he grimaced and shoved it back in his pocket. “No answer. The call went straight to voice mail.”
That didn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t Mara talk to their boss?
“What do you know so far?” Donovan asked.
“Colt and I didn’t hear the original gunfire, although there were additional shots fired once we arrived on scene. It’s possible the killer used a silencer with the first shots.” Danica waved a hand. “It would sure help to interview that witness. I find it strange that we didn’t see anyone other than Mara, and we’ve been in this general area of the park for a couple of hours. The only thing I can come up with is that the shooter had a vehicle stashed nearby.”
Willow had gone over to check on the victims. Her gaze was somber when she returned. “Look, I know Mara pretty well—we’ve gotten close since she joined the team. The male vic, Jonas Digby? He’s Mara’s former boyfriend. And the woman, Stacey Stark, is Digby’s new girlfriend. I know it looks bad, especially because the witness’s description matches Mara as the shooter, but I know she couldn’t have done this. Mara isn’t a killer.”
“Yeah, right,” Trent muttered from behind them as he removed something from the van. “Protecting your own as usual.”
Chief Donovan’s face reddened at the accusation. Danica didn’t want to believe Mara was guilty, yet the crime scene tech certainly hadn’t come forward proclaiming her innocence, either.
“Let’s get somewhere private.” Donovan gestured for the team to step farther away from the scene.
“The Longmire welcome center isn’t far,” Colt said. “We can go there for warmth and privacy.”
“Officers?” A female crime scene tech rushed over. “I thought you’d want to see this. We found it in the snow near the two victims.”
She held up a plastic evidence bag containing a thin gold bracelet, a charm engraved with the letter M.
Willow gasped. “That’s Mara’s bracelet. Her father gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday.”
Donovan’s expression turned even more grim. “Thanks for letting us know,” he told the crime scene tech. The woman nodded, then hurried back to place the evidence in the van.
No one said anything for a long moment. Donovan’s expression was grave. “If Mara is a suspect, we’ll need to make sure to have all evidence handled by the park ranger crime scene techs to avoid any conflict of interest.” Donovan turned to Colt. “You mentioned the visitor center?”
“Yeah, let’s go. You can ride with me, Chief.” Normally Colt liked to crack jokes, but the somber situation put a damper on the normal camaraderie the team shared.
“Willow, why don’t you ride with me?” Danica said. “Star can take the back seat.”
“Okay,” Willow agreed. As soon as they were settled in the SUV, she added, “I’m telling you, Danica, Mara didn’t do this.”
Danica glanced at her. “I know it’s hard to believe, Willow. And I honestly didn’t see her shoot anyone, or even have a gun. What bothers me is that she didn’t come forward when she recognized me. Even if she was afraid and hiding, wouldn’t she answer Donovan’s call?”
Willow closed her eyes for a moment. “There has to be a good reason. Something more going on than we know.”
“Like what? And why was Mara here at Mount Rainier, where her ex-boyfriend was with his new girlfriend?”
Willow shook her head grimly. “I wish I knew.”
The trip to the welcome center didn’t take long. Soon they were huddled inside the center, which was thankfully empty of visitors.
“Thanks for meeting me here.” Donovan brought the impromptu meeting to order. “I wish the entire team could participate, but we’ll have to make do.”
The Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit had been founded ten years ago, primarily funded through a generous federal grant bankrolled by Roland Evans, a philanthropist who strongly believed in their core mission of solving the most difficult crimes that transpired throughout several police jurisdictions in Washington State, including the three national parks. Danica was proud to be one of twelve federal law enforcement K-9 officers reporting to Chief Donovan Fanelli. Their team also had two dedicated crime scene techs, Mara Gilmore and Bartholomew Davis. With Mara as a potential suspect, Bart wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the case, either. And really, thinking about the team made Danica realize that Mara’s half brother, PNK9 officer Asher Gilmore, might need to keep his distance, too.
She glanced at her fellow officers, Colt and Willow. They had investigated many difficult cases, but she sensed this would be their toughest yet.
“We need intel.” Donovan pulled out his phone. “Jasmin must have something by now.”
Jasmin Eastwood was the PNK9 team’s technical expert and always ready to assist.
Donovan placed the call on speaker so they could all hear. “Jasmin? What do you have on the witness who reported seeing a dark-haired woman shoot the victims?”
“Chief, the call came in via a burner phone,” Jasmin informed them. “What I found interesting is that the caller’s voice was distorted by a mechanical device. I listened twice, and honestly can’t say if the caller was a man or woman. Because it was a burner phone, there’s no way to get a trace.”
Donovan’s brow furrowed as he digested this information. Already the puzzle pieces didn’t fit. In Danica’s experience, an untraceable witness was very suspicious. Was it possible the mechanical-voice witness was really the killer?
“We have two victims, Jonas Digby and Stacey Stark,” Donovan said. “Run their names through the system.”
There was a brief silence as Jasmin did the search. Each team member’s face was grim as they waited. “Chief? No criminal records for either vic. Stacey Stark is from Ashford, which is only a few miles from where you are now. She owns three luxe yet charmingly rustic Stark Lodges, each near a national park, with a business partner, Eli Ballard. One of their properties is between Rainier and the small town of Ashford. That’s her last known address. The other two lodges are located near the other National Parks, Olympic and North Cascades.”
“We need info on Eli Ballard, her business partner. What about the vics’ families?” Donovan asked.
“Digby is an only child, parents deceased. Stacey’s brother, Luke Stark, lives at the Stark Lodge near Mount Rainier. He may have motive, as he’s the only family member Stacey has and logically stands to inherit the properties now that she’s gone.”
“That’s motive, and his location being near the park provides opportunity,” Willow said eagerly.
Danica didn’t mention that Mara had the similar motive and opportunity, as she’d been here at the crime scene. Willow’s dedication to Mara was admirable, but the rookie CSI had only been with them for a few months. What did they really know about her? Had Mara snapped after the breakup with her boyfriend?
“We’ll investigate all angles,” Donovan said, caution underlying his tone. “We must keep an open mind on any and all possibilities.”
Danica nodded, as did Colt and Willow.
“Anything else, Jasmin?” Donovan asked.
“Not yet, but I’ll keep digging.”
“Thanks.” Donovan cleared his throat. “You should all know, that from this point forward all evidence must be handled by the National Park Service to preserve the integrity of the investigation. However, we will continue to work the case. Danica, I’d like you to talk to Luke Stark. Give him the news of his sister’s death and ask where he’s been during the time frame of the murders. I’ll look into Digby’s background. We’ll also need to search both victims’ living quarters for clues. If there’s anything resembling evidence, make sure to call in a park service crime scene tech.”
“I’m on it,” Danica said.
“Colt, when Jasmin has info on Eli Ballard, I’d like you to interview him.”
“Will do,” Colt agreed.
Donovan gave a terse nod. “Stay in touch.”
Danica stepped back from the group. “Come, Hutch.” She was anxious to talk to Luke Stark.
As much as she didn’t want one of their own to be complicit in this crime, Danica was determined to uncover the truth.
No matter what.
Jiggling his nine-month old son, Caden, on his hip, Luke Stark tried to tidy the kitchen. The baby was being unusually clingy.
Or maybe this was normal. What did he know? He was still fumbling through this whole being-a-dad thing. Having a baby hadn’t been part of the plan, and now that his wife, Annette, was dead, he was all the kid had.
He loved Caden, more than he’d thought was possible to love anyone. But that alone didn’t make this situation easy.
“We’ll figure it out together, right, kiddo?”
Caden babbled something incomprehensible and grabbed Luke’s nose, making him laugh.
“Does that mean you’re ready to sit down for a bit?” Luke bent to set Caden on the floor, but the little boy began to cry.
“Okay, okay.” He lifted him back up into his arms. The dishes could wait until Caden fell asleep.
A knock at the door made him frown. The hour was going on seven thirty, the sun making its descent behind the horizon. Shifting Caden to his other hip, he went over to peer through the peephole.
A blond-haired woman wearing a light green uniform covered in a dark green winter jacket stood there. The jacket was open, giving him a glimpse of the patch above her left pocket embroidered with PNK9 Unit.
Cautiously, he opened the door to greet her. The K-9 part registered when he took note of the large black-and-tan German shepherd wearing a black K-9 vest sitting beside her. “Ah, can I help you?”
“Luke Stark?”
“Yes.” He still didn’t understand, even after the pretty blonde flashed a badge. “Is something wrong? Did one of the lodge guests report a crime?”
“I’m Officer Danica Hayes, and this is my K-9 partner, Hutch.” She lowered her badge. “May we come in?”
His army medic instincts went on full alert. He’d been on enough battlefields to know when something was wrong, but he couldn’t imagine what had brought the K-9 cop to his door. “Yes, of course.”
“Doggy.” Caden said the word clear as day, which was disconcerting, as his son hadn’t mastered daddy. The little boy leaned forward, extending his hand toward the K-9.
“No, Caden.” The warning came out sharper than intended. “He’s not a pet.”
Officer Hayes stepped inside, then put a hand on the German shepherd’s head. “Friend, Hutch.” She rested her hand on his arm, making it tingle, then repeated the gesture with Caden. “Friends.”
The shepherd sniffed at them for long moments before his tail wagged.
“Mr. Stark,” she began.
“Call me Luke.” He gestured for her to come farther into the room, while keeping his distance. Not because of the dog, but the weird reaction elicited by her touch. “Have a seat.”
She seemed a bit uncomfortable but did as he asked. When they were both seated, she met his gaze directly. “I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your sister, Stacey, is dead.”
His jaw dropped in shock. “What? How? Why? What happened?”
“She was found in Mount Rainier National Park, near the Longmire Suspension Bridge.” The K-9 officer’s light brown eyes bored into his. “Do you know why your sister went there?”
“I—no. I don’t.” For a moment he was transported back to three months earlier, when he’d been notified that Annette had died. Leaving him an unexpectedly single father. A wave of grief hit hard, and he struggled to hold it together. “D-did she fall off the bridge?”
The light brown eyes continued to hold his. “I’m sorry, Luke, but I need to ask where you were between five and five thirty this evening.”
It took a moment for him to understand what this was about. Pushing aside his sorrow, he straightened in his seat. There was no mistaking the fact she considered him a possible suspect. “I was in the kitchen with Vera, the lodge cook. She was helping me with Caden—he’s teething.”
“You were with Vera the whole time?” she pressed. “I’ll need her last name and to talk to her to verify that.”
“Yeah, I was with her the whole time. Vera Johnson. She put a water ring thingy in the freezer so Caden could gnaw on it. Then she gave me a book to read him.” His mind whirled as he pulled the boy farther into his lap, to stop him from leaning over to pet the dog. “I stayed in the kitchen, because it was close to dinnertime anyway.”
“When can I speak with her?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s gone for the day by now, but she’ll be back in the morning.” He narrowed his gaze. “Based on your questions, you must believe Stacey was murdered.”
His blunt statement seemed to catch the female officer off guard. After spending the past ten years in the army, he wasn’t accustomed to sugarcoating the truth.
Instead of responding, she took a moment to look around his suite. The area was spacious, yet cozy, with an amazing view of Mount Rainier from his balcony. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking, and he bit back a flash of anger.
“Yes, this is a nice place, but I also pay rent to live here with Caden.” He didn’t mince words. “I had no reason to hurt Stacey, especially now that we’ve been reconnecting after my discharge from the army. I’m not sure why she was in the park, but that doesn’t seem unusual. It’s so close by.”
Officer Hayes’s gaze returned to his. “Army? For how long?”
“Yes, medic for ten years.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Do you know a man by the name of Jonas Digby?”
“Um...” He searched his memory. His days and nights had been centered around his son. “The name is familiar, yes. Stacey mentioned they’d started seeing each other, but I haven’t met him yet. His job required him to travel on a regular basis.”
“He was found dead, too. Next to your sister.”
The news was like a one-two punch. Not only had Stacey been murdered, but so had the new man in her life. His sister was a sweet woman, had been wonderful to Caden. Why would they be a target? It just didn’t make any sense. Unless this Jonas guy was somehow responsible? Knowing his sister, he felt sure that must be the case. “Do you have any leads?”
“I can’t discuss the investigation. I know this must be hard for you, losing your sister like this. I’m sorry for your loss.” Was it his imagination or did her gaze soften? “The ME will do an autopsy in a few days, and you’ll be notified when they’re finished so you can make funeral arrangements. Did your sister live here?”
“Ah, yes, but not with me.” It wasn’t easy to concentrate while knowing his sister was gone forever. “There’s a small living space off the back side of the lodge. But she often traveled to the other two properties, too.”
“I see. Do you have a key to her living quarters?”
He nodded. “I haven’t been in there without her permission. We mostly ate together in the dining room, or she came here to help with Caden.” He rose and grabbed a key card from the counter, remembering how Stacey had trusted him.
She took it, then handed him a small, square business card and rose to her feet. “Thanks. We’ll check it out. Please call if you can think of anything else.”
“I—Wait.” He stood, too, once again moving Caden to his other arm. “This is a lot to process, but I want to see where she was found.” He should put a small bouquet of flowers there in Stacey’s memory.
Then realized he wasn’t sure what his sister’s favorite flowers were. She’d liked daisies as a girl, but now? No clue. He hadn’t made time for many visits home during the past ten years he’d been in the army. Annette had preferred living in Seattle. He should have done better, and the guilt, on top of the load he already carried over Annette’s death, nearly sent him to his knees.
He’d failed Stacey, just like he’d failed his wife.
“Not tonight, sorry. You can go after the crime scene has been fully processed. Come, Hutch.” The officer and the large German shepherd headed for the door.
He followed, feeling sick at the realization his sister had been brutally murdered. First Annette’s car crash and now Stacey. Waves of grief washed over him, but his army training helped him stay upright, to soldier forward. He walked Officer Hayes all the way to the elevator. “Please find the person who did this.”
“We will.” Her confidence was reassuring. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself, Luke. And Caden, too.”
The elevator door opened, and she stepped inside. As the doors closed, he turned away, his thoughts mired in sorrow. And guilt. A flash of movement came at him from the left. He instinctively lifted his arm in self-defense, taking the brunt of the blow against his forearm, even as he curled his body around his son. Pain zinged through him, and he caught a glimpse of what looked like a baseball bat.
“Umph,” he groaned, hitting the wall with a jarring thud. For a moment his vision blurred, then he caught sight of a dark figure disappearing down the stairs. That spurred him into action. He straightened. “Stop! Hey, stop!”
He wanted to give chase, but having Caden in his arms gave him pause. What if the assailant was armed with something else? A knife?
A gun?
His mind whirled. Was this assault related to his sister’s murder?
And if so, why?
