The Marine's Deadly Reunion
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Loretta Eidson
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ONE
Sergeant Daria Gordon cruised her hometown of Kimbleton, Missouri, one last time before she headed back to the police station to clock out. With temperatures dropping into the teens and the threat of a wintry mix, she could hardly wait to curl up by the fireplace in her new festive red pajamas. Just the thought of watching a Christmas movie and eating hot buttered popcorn made her mouth water.
The afternoon tourist traffic bottlenecked at the fork in the road in front of the Marketplace Grocery, which was nothing unusual for the Christmas season. A disturbance in the store’s parking lot caught her attention. Two men scuffled between parked cars.
“Checking a fight between two male suspects in the Marketplace parking lot,” Daria reported on the radio clipped to her uniform. She flipped on her flashing lights and siren, made a quick turn and pulled in behind a white SUV. Parking lots were private property, but she’d cruise by anyway to make sure no one got hurt.
A bearded man bolted and hopped into the passenger side of a waiting black Suburban. Tires squealed on the asphalt as they sped away. His opponent held a pistol, turned and stuck his head into the back seat of the white SUV. The one with the weapon was Daria’s top priority. She must secure the threat.
She opened the door with her weapon drawn and eased from her squad car. “Police. Put your gun on the ground and place your hands on your head where I can see them.” She readied herself for an abrupt reaction.
The suspect placed his pistol on the pavement and pushed it toward her with his foot. He lifted his hands in the air and stepped away from the SUV’s back door, sporting a busted lip. The sleeves of his camouflage T-shirt bulged over his muscular biceps. She maintained a watchful eye and studied him. He looked familiar. That squared chin and those deep brown eyes reminded her of someone she used to know.
“I’m not the one you want.” His warm breath fogged in the freezing temperatures. He glanced inside the vehicle and back at her. “You should’ve gone after those guys.”
“I’ll make that determination. You’re the one I saw with a gun. Don’t make any sudden moves.” She adjusted her stance. “Back up.” She eased forward and secured his weapon.
“That guy tried to take my baby. I had to protect her.” He let out a huff. “I’m Jake Fisher. Want my ID?”
“Yes. Take it slow. Why would someone want to take your baby?” A slight lean, to glance inside the vehicle, confirmed a baby was inside. A little girl about eighteen months old stared at her with tear-streaked cheeks and a red nose that proved she’d been crying. The icy December wind didn’t help matters. “Hello, little one.” Daria smiled.
Poor baby. She must be freezing.
The child’s eyebrows lowered. “No.” Her lips pooched out.
She clutched a small rubber bunny in one hand and slapped the air toward Daria. Most children didn’t like strangers getting too close, and her apprehension of Daria was a natural response.
“It was probably someone who works for whoever forced my sister’s car off the road and killed her and my brother-in-law. You should go after them right now.”
Daria reported the parking lot incident on the radio clipped to her shoulder. She gave a description of the black Suburban that had sped away. No license plate. Maybe the store’s security camera captured the incident. She holstered her weapon as Jake handed over his driver’s license, showing an out-of-town address.
“What’s the nature of your visit to the Ozarks? Kimbleton, Missouri, is a long way from California.” Jake Fisher? Could he be her scrawny best friend from middle school? If so, he’d grown some muscles. How many times had they talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up? He’d dreamed of becoming a professional football quarterback, and she’d thought about nursing. From the looks of his military attire, he’d changed his mind, as had she.
“I just returned from active duty after receiving word of my sister’s death. She left me everything she owned.” He pointed to the SUV. “She lived in the Ozark Mountains valley along the county line.”
“Who was your sister?” Daria’s curiosity stirred. Would he give the name she remembered?
“Amanda. Our family used to live here, but Dad moved us when he received a job transfer to California.” He shuffled his feet and looked around before returning his attention to her.
It was him. The first guy she’d ever had a crush on. He’d matured well and was more handsome than ever. She’d gone out with several of the local guys through the years, but they weren’t to her liking. Dating was the last thing on her agenda right now, although seeing Jake again might move it up the list. She couldn’t give in to her attraction. He had a baby, which meant he was already taken.
“I remember Mandy. Jake, I’m Daria, in case you didn’t recognize me.” Her heart thundered.
“I thought you looked familiar.” He rested his arm on the open car door. “Thought you wanted to be a nurse.”
“Well, I thought you were going to play football.”
With a mature and brawny Jake standing in front of her, memories of all the fun they’d had as kids resurfaced. Was he still the easygoing guy she remembered?
Didn’t matter. She had to focus on proving herself an efficient, well-trained cop. Especially after her supervisor’s warning to get control of her anger issues. That disruptive vacationer and his dad six months ago had gotten on her last nerve. Richard and Tony Schneider. She’d never forget their names. She’d scolded the belligerent son in front of a crowd. He became hostile, so she arrested him. His dad wasn’t much better, but she’d let his angry remarks slide. She’d worked hard to get this job and didn’t intend on losing it or being assigned to desk duty.
The child’s cry drew her back to the present. What was she thinking?
Stay focused on the incident.
Daria relayed Jake’s personal information to dispatch. “Officers are on the lookout for the vehicle,” she told Jake, then waited while the department looked him up. Once they confirmed Jake had an unblemished record, she handed his pistol back to him.
She’d been so focused on Jake that she hadn’t noticed Christmas music playing through the speakers of the shopping center across the street.
A gust of wind cut through her clothes and sent chills to her toes. She zipped up her police-issued jacket. The child had to be freezing, too. With sleet and snow in the forecast, the roads were sure to be treacherous after nightfall. How could he stand there in the cold wearing that short-sleeved T-shirt? And where was the baby’s mother?
“You might want to turn some heat on in your car. I’m sure your little girl is cold.” Daria observed his gentleness toward the child as he tightened a pink blanket around her legs, then started the vehicle, adjusted the temperature setting and turned the fan on high.
“Should’ve thought of that myself. Thanks.” He straightened and faced Daria, holding the door ajar. “No disrespect, but if you’d left me alone, I could’ve caught up with that car and taken care of the situation.” His lips tightened. “I was a sergeant in the Marine Corps, so I’ve had plenty of experience with enemy tactics.”
A woman wearing her heavy coat and carrying a bag of groceries hurried by them toward her car. She stared at them in passing. Daria nodded at her. “Hello, Caroline. I hope you and Mr. Hall are doing well.”
The lady wasn’t the social type and didn’t respond, but since she was the bank president’s wife, Daria wanted to acknowledge her presence. Caroline slid into her car and drove away.
Daria looked back at Jake.
“Excuse me? I’m glad you’re back in Kimbleton, and I appreciate your service to our country, but you’re not in Afghanistan anymore. I’m the authority in this town, and this is my jurisdiction. You cannot take the law into your own hands, regardless of your experience.” She stared into his determined eyes and bit back the agitation rising inside her. “Besides, if you had chased after them with this child in the car, I could charge you with endangerment to a minor.”
“Didn’t mean it like that, and you’re right. I’ve got to protect Emma.” His fingers swiped over his military haircut. “Someone is following us, and I wondered if he was the same person who murdered my sister and ransacked her house.”
“Murdered? I heard of an Amanda killed in an accident, but the last name wasn’t familiar. I never associated her with your family until now. I’m sorry for your loss, but there’s been no report of foul play.”
“Police report said they lost control of their pickup and crashed. They claimed it was an accident, but Amanda had been saying someone was after her. She was a cautious driver. I know my sister, and that wreck was not an accident.” He rubbed his arms and pulled a jacket out of the car. “It was murder.”
“You can’t go claiming murder unless you have proof.” He sounded so certain. The Jake she remembered never exaggerated; well, maybe when they were kids and he pretended to be a quarterback.
“I intend to prove someone killed her.” Jake’s jaw tightened.
She’d have to do some digging on her own to verify his story. “I’ll see what I can find out. In the meantime—”
Tires squealed. The Suburban was back, and it raced up the parking lot an aisle over from where they stood. The passenger window rolled down and the barrel of a shotgun stuck out.
Daria dived for Jake and slammed into his chest, which was like hitting a brick wall. His thick arms swung her around and they fell into the back seat, protecting Emma. Bullets thudded into the surrounding vehicles. Daria shot a quick glance at Emma and shimmied out of the car with her pistol in hand. How the two of them fell in through that door at the same time, she didn’t know.
She radioed for backup. “Shots fired. I repeat. Shots fired.” She located the black Suburban in the distance as it exited the large parking lot and disappeared down the street. “Black Suburban. No plates.”
Daria backed up closer to Jake. As an authority figure, she’d tried to protect both of them, but his strength had overpowered hers, landing them in the car. Should she be mad at Jake or thankful?
“Emma.” Jake pulled the screaming baby from her car seat and stepped out of the car. He held her firm against his chest. Her shrill cry made Daria want to hold and comfort her. He dangled Emma out in front of him. Daria checked her body and clothes for blood. “Are you hurt, baby?”
“Ma-ma.” Her fingers went to her mouth. Jake wrapped his arms around her again.
“She looks okay. The blast of the gun must have scared her.” Daria scanned the area for the car’s return. Sirens sounded. Help was on the way.
Emma reached for Daria. Surprised at the child’s interest in her after her earlier response, Daria holstered her weapon, took the baby and wrapped her arms around the trembling bundle. Her heart squeezed. It had been a while since she’d held a baby, and it felt good.
Jake tucked a pink fuzzy blanket around his baby’s body. She laid her head on Daria’s shoulder. Her cries grew silent. Daria didn’t need any more convincing. Someone was out to get Jake.
Or was it Emma they wanted?
Jake stood close to Emma while Daria held her. “Am I free to go? I’ve got to get her out of the elements and out of danger. They could come back with more weapons.”
He could still hear the fear in his sister’s voice over the phone as she begged him to take good care of her baby mere days before her death. She said if anything happened, he had sole custody of Emma, his niece. Two weeks later, they summoned him home. Police located his brother-in-law’s pickup bottom side up off the mountain road. Both were deceased at the scene.
Whoever killed them would pay. Seeing death in a war zone was one thing, but losing family cut deep, and it put him on edge and on high alert.
He chewed his lip as uncertainty boiled inside him. Wars he could handle—shooting guns, maneuvering stealthily and securing the enemy—but he knew nothing about taking care of a baby. His aging parents weren’t physically able to care for her on a day-to-day basis. Even though he was thankful Emma was with them when his sister’s accident happened.
Asking for help from his ex-fiancée wasn’t an option. The Dear John letter she’d sent him while he was deployed said it all loud and clear. How could she ditch him like that? He was on his own.
“Jake, are you listening?” Daria’s hand squeezed his forearm. His muscle tensed. “I said you’re free to go, but I’ll escort you and Emma home.” She handed the child back to him and walked toward her car.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m good. I know how to handle these guys.” Jake buckled Emma in her car seat. Those little fingers still gripped the small rubber bunny. Perfect size for her hands.
“I’m right behind you.” She got in her car and waited.
He started the car and headed home.
A huff escaped his lips. His rearview mirror revealed Daria’s squad car following close behind. He could defend himself. She’d been kind to him and looked all official in her uniform, but she was a cop, and the police didn’t help Amanda when she filed a report about the threats. No one took her seriously. Was Daria one of the guilty parties? Who could he trust? No one.
Trust was a rare commodity and an endangered trait. Jake had trusted too much, especially on the battlefield, and it got his buddy Nolan killed. Nolan had insisted he could crawl unnoticed from the bunker and throw a grenade across the enemy line because he was smaller in stature than Jake was.
“Trust me. I’ve got this,” he’d said. Jake had prayed for whatever good it did. The enemy shot him as he lifted his torso from the ground and threw the grenade. Successful throw, but seconds too late.
Jake wiped his hand across his mouth. Would he ever overcome the guilt of his friend’s death? He glanced back at Emma. She’d thrown diapers, clothes and more little rubber animals out of the diaper bag and found her pink-and-white cup. Smart and self-sufficient. They just might get along.
“You found your cup, didn’t you?” He smiled at her through the rearview mirror.
“Yes.” She shook her head up and down, making her short black curls dance. “Cup.” Her dark onyx eyes latched on to his eyes in the mirror and melted his heart.
There was no way around it. He had to take care of this tiny human and carry out his sister’s wishes. Failure wasn’t in his vocabulary. Somehow, he’d figure it out.
The shooter was another story. He preferred investigating on his own. Once he had proof, he’d present the evidence to the authorities. He’d begin by questioning Amanda’s coworkers at the bank.
Jake turned into the driveway and pressed the remote. The garage door opened. Daria parked midway on the drive. He pulled the car into the garage and closed the door. His thoughts drifted back to the disarray of the house when he’d first arrived this morning. He’d considered calling the police and reporting the incident, but what would they do? They didn’t protect his sister. At least he took pictures as proof the intruder had been there. Had he found what he was looking for? Jake didn’t know, but he was certain he and Emma were now in their crosshairs.
Jake rolled his shoulders and popped his neck before he got out of the car and opened the back door to get Emma. He scooped up the tossed contents of the diaper bag and stuffed them back inside the bag. With her cup in one hand, hanging by the handle, and the white rubber bunny in the other, Emma’s arms stretched out to him.
“Want you.” Her legs kicked as he picked her up and her dainty arms wrapped around his neck.
So, this is what the love of a child feels like.
“You’re the only one who does, kiddo.” He patted her back, went inside and set her down. “Guess I need to open the front door. It would be rude to leave Daria sitting outside in the cold.” He liked her, but he didn’t want her telling him what to do and how to do it. He had his own way of tracking down the enemy.
“Door.” Emma ran to the door and tapped it with one finger.
“Yep. You talk pretty good for one who’s so little.” He scooped her up with one arm, opened the wood door with the free hand and unlocked the security door. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.” Daria stepped inside, holding an iPad. “Brrr, it’s getting colder. No doubt bad weather will set in later. I hear we have a chance for sleet and snow tonight.”
“Don’t plan on getting out.” He fought the resentment welling up. If she’d gone after the guy who sped away when she’d first spotted him, there wouldn’t have been a shooting, and this whole mess could be over and done with.
“Nice house. But what happened in here?” She walked into the living room, obviously looking the place over. “From what I remember, Amanda loved to decorate. Didn’t matter what it was but this wasn’t her style.”
“I told you it got ransacked. Like I said, she left me everything. She’d always kept a clean house and fussed at me if I put my feet on her coffee table.” Jake pointed to the navy leather couch. “Have a seat if you can find a spot. I still have cleaning to do after the intruders tossed everything.”
“Ma-ma.” Emma toddled down the hall, pointing to the master bedroom. “Ma-ma. Bed.”
“Funny how the kid recognizes names.” He watched Emma waddle up and down the hallway, then into the living room. She set her cup on the leather ottoman and pounded the rubber bunny next to it. The chair and ottoman were navy, too, and everything matched.
“She’s so cute. I adore her dark hair and eyes.” Daria turned and looked at him. “I’d like to meet your wife. Is she here? She doesn’t need to be afraid. I’ll have a police presence outside your home for a while.”
Jake bit his tongue. He didn’t want to be rude to his childhood friend and cause more friction between them. “Let me reiterate. I am a marine. I understand the dangers of the enemy. No disrespect to you or your occupation, but your department didn’t help my sister, so I have a hard time trusting they will help me now. And for the record, I am not married, and I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Daria’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh. I just assumed.” She pointed to Emma.
“When I told you Amanda left me everything, she left me her only daughter, too. Emma is my niece.”
“I see.” Daria walked over to the fireplace and picked up a family photo from the mantel. “I’m still trying to figure out how I didn’t know Amanda lived in Kimbleton. I should have figured it out. Better yet, I should have seen her around town.” She put the photo back in place.
“You know, it shouldn’t matter who calls for help, whether the person is a friend or an unknown. They should follow up on every death threat.” Jake’s comment came out a little more cynical than he intended.
She spun and propped her hands at her waist. “We take our jobs seriously. You, of all people, should know that and understand the law of the land and police jurisdictions. You have protocol in the military, and you had to abide by them. Now that you are home, you must consider who will care for Emma if you take the law into your own hands and kill someone or get yourself killed. I really am sorry for your loss, but let the police handle it.”
Jake held back a smile. “You’ve gotten pretty feisty through the years.”
“Stop. I’m serious.” She shook her head.
“Why didn’t you go to nursing school like you’d dreamed?” Jake studied Daria. It was nice to have an old friend still in his hometown, even if she was a little bossy.
“You’re changing the subject.” Daria closed her iPad. “I almost finished my nursing degree, but once I started clinicals and saw the number of people wounded from fights, gunshots, knives, overdoses, etc., I opted for the police department in hopes I could help stop some of these needless crimes. Why didn’t you pursue football and become the quarterback you talked about? You were always good at sports.”
“Somehow, after the war broke out, playing football seemed irrelevant. The desire to join the military and serve my country took priority. Guess God didn’t want me to be involved with sports. Maybe I needed the discipline. I don’t know.” Jake pulled out his phone. “What’s your number? I’ll send you the pictures I took of the mess the intruders left. I’ve cleaned some of it up.”
“You shouldn’t have touched anything and called us immediately. Now you’ve contaminated the crime scene.” She gave him her number and lifted her cell. “I’ll take a few more pictures to add to the report.”
“Go ahead.” He scooped Emma into his arms and followed Daria through the house as she took pictures of the disarray in each room. “By the way, it’s nice to see you again.” He let his squirming niece slide from his arms to the floor.
“You, too, Jake.” Daria returned to the living room. “I’ll go finish my report in the car before I head back. If you need anything, you’ve got my number. I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Jake walked Daria toward the front door.
Bullets shattered the living room window. Emma screamed. Jake dived for Emma, pulled his weapon and covered her with his body. He held her like a football and inched back for better cover. “Are you okay?” he asked Daria.
She held her pistol in one hand and the radio clipped to her shoulder in the other as she rolled across the floor toward them. “Shots fired. Need backup.”
