Detection Mission (Texas K-9 Unit) Read online

  West glared at him, but from the shudder that wracked the man’s body, Lee could tell his words had made the desired impact.

  “However, if you talk, we can protect you,” Lee continued. “We want the person behind what’s been happening in Sagebrush. We want The Boss.”

  “If I talk, I want the deal in writing from the DA. Not a word until then. I’m prepared to tell you who I’m working for. I’ll need to be protected from the get-go. You know what happens to people who talk. Most have ended up dead. I don’t want to be among them.”

  “Finally, a criminal who’s smart.”

  West shrugged. “I look out for number one above all. If I’m going down, so is the guy who pays me.”

  Loyalty obviously wasn’t in this man’s vocabulary, but Lee wasn’t complaining. “I’ll get back to you with the paperwork after the DA signs off on it. Until then you’ll be guarded.”

  Lee left the interrogation room to make arrangements to protect West and to let the captain know about the deal. Slade would work with the DA while Lee went to the Lost Woods with Heidi to check the location of where she saw West burying a body. If there was another in the forest, that might impact the deal the DA would make with West.

  Lee threw together a photo array for Heidi to make an ID of the man who attacked her, then headed to Molly’s, finally feeling they were progressing toward discovering who The Boss was. Was West one of the three middle managers in the organization? From Don Frist, one of the men who kidnapped Brady, they knew there were three of them. Charles Ritter, a crooked lawyer, who was jailed last month, was definitely one of them. He wasn’t talking, but he would be prosecuted for the murders of Eva Billows’s parents. Periodically Austin, as the arresting officer, would have a little chat with Ritter. But each time he had refused to talk.

  When Lee arrived at his Victorian boarding house, he parked behind Valerie’s car. She and Lexi were guarding Molly and Heidi. Both he and the captain thought that Heidi was safe now that West was sitting in jail. Although that didn’t mean Lee wouldn’t keep an eye on Heidi and be there to help her, she could start rebuilding her life with no worries someone else was coming after her.

  Lee found Molly, Heidi and Valerie talking in the kitchen while Molly was baking a cake for a ladies’ group. “I’ve come to the rescue, Heidi.” He signaled for Kip, sitting at Heidi’s feet, to come to him. As his dog made his way across the room, he was relieved Kip was no longer limping. “Captain wants us to check out the Lost Woods. See if we can find the place where you saw West.”

  A frown slashed her eyebrows downward. “Like I said last night—I’m happy to help. But my few memories of that place aren’t good.”

  He strode to her and offered her his hand. “Then it’s time to change that. It might help you remember everything that happened that day. If we can find the area, you might be able to recover more memories beyond the day in the woods. That will be a step toward recovering your old life.”

  She fit her hand in his. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Valerie rose. “I guess my services are no longer needed today.”

  “Thank you, Valerie, and I think I’ll take you up on the offer to go shopping with me since I’m not familiar with Sagebrush.”

  “Great. I can show you the best places to get some clothes for a reasonable price. How about this Monday? I’m off then.”

  “Sounds good. I’m going to be looking for a job soon.”

  As Valerie and her dog, Lexi, left, Molly opened the oven and took out the cake pans. “I have a friend who’s the head librarian at Sagebrush Public Library. She’s been complaining to me she’s losing one of her best workers at the end of next week. I’ll give her a shout-out about you. That is if you want a job at the library.”

  “What about the documents I’ll need to have a job?”

  “You can work that out. There are provisions for people who have amnesia.” Lee flicked a glance at his watch. “Ready to go?”

  She nodded.

  Lee started for the exit. “Good. The quicker we find the place you saw West digging a grave, the quicker this will all be over with.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Heidi followed him.

  At the front door Lee paused and shifted toward her. “We’ll start at the place where Peterson’s car was. Then we’ll head to the area where Ned Adams’s gravesite is. Hopefully it’ll be the one you remember and that will be the end of it.”

  “That’s a good plan. Maybe going the route I did that day will help me.”

  As Heidi strode toward his SUV, Lee’s cell rang. He opened the door for her, noting the caller was his captain. “What did the DA say?”

  “I haven’t talked with him yet. He’s unavailable until the end of the day. His wife said she would let him know the second he got home.”

  “I’ll be back at the station later, then. It’ll give me time to search with Heidi.”

  When he clicked off, she asked, “Is there a problem?”

  “No, just a delay. Happens all the time. Things don’t move as fast as I wish they would.”

  “That’s life,” she said with a chuckle.

  That laugh stayed with him as he put Kip in the back, then rounded the rear to the driver’s side. He wanted to hear that sound more. The circumstances of how she came into his life made him wonder how much she had laughed in the past.

  When he slid behind the steering wheel, he opened the folder he had with the photo array and passed it to Heidi. “Do you recognize the man who attacked you last night in any of these pictures?”

  Without any hesitation, she pointed to Keith West. “That’s him. I won’t forget him anytime soon—that is, barring any unexpected head traumas.”

  “Good. We have the right man. Later I’ll have you do a formal ID at the station. I just wanted to make sure. Making sure we cover all our bases with this case.”

  “Gladly. I don’t want to hear that he’s back out on the street like Zoller.”

  “That won’t be happening.” At least Lee hoped that was right. The way the past couple of months had been going, he wasn’t as sure as he used to be. Sagebrush was a medium-size city that, up until a few years ago, had been a nice place to live and raise a family. But with the rise in the crime rate, that wasn’t true anymore. He wanted his town back.

  * * *

  Heidi looked around the area on the edge of the Lost Woods where Peterson’s vehicle had been. “It doesn’t look familiar, but then the car isn’t here.”

  “Okay. It was worth a shot to see if you remembered anything. Let’s head to the gravesite.” Lee gave a signal to Kip to head into the woods.

  As Heidi walked behind Lee on the narrow path with Kip on a leash in the lead, she said, “I’m glad to see he’s back to normal. I don’t want anything happening to Kip. He’s special.”

  “I agree. He more than earns his keep. All the dogs in the K-9 Unit do. When we aren’t working a case here in Sagebrush, we are often working with some of the police forces or the sheriff around here. Our unit has a stellar reputation.” A shadow crossed his face. “The captain’s dog, Rio, was the best of the best.”

  “And he’s still missing?”

  “Yes, not a hint where he is. Pauly Keevers told us Rio was taken to locate something in these woods, but we haven’t found anything other than the two dead bodies and Peterson’s car. Those aren’t reasons to beat up an old man and steal the captain’s dog. Besides, those incidents happened after Rio was taken.”

  “I would think if you took a police dog, you’d better have a good reason.”

  “Exactly. We haven’t figured out what yet. It might make our jobs easier if we knew what the kidnapper wanted Rio to look for.” Lee veered off the path and delved deeper into the vegetation.

  Heidi’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. Sweat beaded her forehead and upper lip. She’d been in this area before—running, afraid, not sure if she would live or die. Breathlessness assailed her lungs. She stopped, putting her hand over her c
hest, and inhaled gulps of oxygen-rich air.

  “You okay?”

  She locked gazes with Lee a few feet in front of her. The kindness and caring in his expression eased the panic attack. She wasn’t alone. She had the Lord by her side. She had Lee. “I’m fine.” Taking a step then another, she advanced toward him until he clasped her hand.

  “I know this is hard. What went down that day in the woods had its impact on a lot of people in Sagebrush.”

  “Let’s do this and then get out of here.”

  He cupped her hand between his. “If this isn’t what you remember, we’ll come back out another day and see if you can help me find the location. Maybe when West talks, he’ll tell me and I can leave you out of it.”

  “If I can help, I will. I owe you.”

  “I could say the same thing. We’re where we are on the case because of you.”

  Her stomach flip-flopped at the smile he gave her. It encompassed his whole face and reached deep into his eyes.

  Lee led her the remaining fifty feet and pointed to the ground where the earth had been disturbed about seven feet by four. “Is this the place?”

  Heidi didn’t have to rotate completely around, but she did to make sure. “Yes.” She gestured at an area about fifteen feet away behind a large tree. “I stopped there to catch my breath and saw him with the shovel. I was thinking of asking for help until I got a little closer and stumbled upon the dead body.”

  “Good. At least there isn’t someone else out here buried.”

  She bit her lip. “We hope.”

  “Yeah, I’m being optimistic. Must be your influence.”

  “Mine?”

  “I’ve seen what you’ve been facing, and you’re determined to move forward and get your life back. I like that attitude.” He clutched her hand again. “Let’s go. I want to get something to eat before I go back to the station to have a little discussion with West.”

  “You know what sounds good right now? A thick juicy hamburger with lots of French fries.”

  “I’ve got the perfect place. I’ll call Molly and let her know we aren’t eating at the house tonight. You’ll love the food at Arianna’s.”

  “Sounds good.”

  By the time they reached the outskirts of the Lost Woods near where Lee had parked his SUV, the sun began its descent behind the tall trees, casting shadows. Heidi glanced back at the dimly lit forest. Goose bumps streaked down her body. Creepy, especially when she thought of what she had seen in the woods, what Lee had found.

  Out of the corner of her eye she caught a movement—a dog and a man. “Is someone else from your unit out here?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

  “I just saw a large German shepherd running through there—” she indicated the place to the left of the path they had used “—and a man was running after the dog. Probably just a jogger or something. Maybe they’re trying to get through before it gets dark.”

  He leaned toward her. “You say a German shepherd. What color?”

  “Mostly black with tan markings.”

  “Which way?”

  She pointed in the direction behind her to the left.

  “Get to the car, lock the door. Kip, go with her.” Thrusting his keys into her hands, he gave the command to Kip to guard Heidi, then dashed toward the area she’d indicated.

  He turned and backpedaled. “Go now, Heidi. That dog might be Rio. That man may be the one who had him stolen. Remember they were looking for something around here.”

  She hurried toward his SUV, Kip right beside her. After climbing into the backseat with the border collie, she locked the doors, then peered toward where Lee was going. He was gone and the dark shadows grew. She put her arm around Kip. “It’s you and me.” The quavering in her voice mirrored the trembling in her hands.

  * * *

  Lee chased after the man with the German shepherd. Although it was dimly lit in the woods, there was enough light for him to follow the guy’s trail. The medium-size man kept looking back then increasing his speed.

  Even though he was dressed in his uniform, Lee shouted Rio’s name several times and, “Police, stop!”

  The man, wearing dark pants and jacket, ignored him and darted to the left into the denser part of the forest. Slowly, Lee gained on the runner. He lost sight of him in a thick stand of trees with lots of underbrush on the ground.

  The few glimpses of the dog reinforced his thought the German shepherd might be Rio. Why else would the guy be running from him when he’d identified he was police? What was he hiding? Adrenaline fed him and spurred him even faster.

  Suddenly, Lee came out into a small clearing where the lighting was brighter and the man stood with his feet planted apart, his arms at his side stiff with hands fisted. Emitting a low growl, the German shepherd sat beside the runner.

  Lee slowed then came to a stop twenty feet from the pair. The closer he came to the dog the more he didn’t think it was Rio and opened his mouth to tell the guy he’d made a mistake.

  But before Lee could, the man said, “Sic him.”

  The German shepherd lunged to his feet and raced toward Lee, teeth bared, a low growl coming from the animal.

  NINE

  With few options and no time, Lee unhooked his police-issued canister of pepper spray and squirted a stream at the charging dog. It hit its mark and the German shepherd came to a halt. It began rubbing itself on the ground.

  The guy spun around and fled. Lee went after the man who commanded his dog to attack him, forcing Lee to protect himself. Anger fueled him. Within a few feet of the runner, Lee leaped forward, tackling the man to the ground. Before the perp had a chance to react and fight, Lee slapped handcuffs on him and yanked him to an upright position.

  “What were you thinking? It’s a good thing I didn’t pull my gun and shoot your dog. You’re under arrest.”

  “For what? I have a right to defend myself.”

  “I’m a cop. I’m dressed as one, and I identified myself to you. You don’t have a right to use a dog like that.”

  “You ran after me,” the man shouted, his face beet red.

  “If you’d stopped like I asked, I’d have explained why.” Frustration churned Lee’s stomach. “C’mon. I need to take care of your animal. You obviously couldn’t care less about your dog.”

  * * *

  Heidi bit her thumbnail and absently patted Kip while waiting for Lee. He’d been gone for close to half an hour. Worried, she kept her focus on the place where he’d disappeared into the stand of trees. What if that was the person who’d kidnapped Rio and he ambushed Lee? She hadn’t heard any gunshots. But there were other ways to take someone down.

  As Lee emerged from the woods with a man, a patrol car pulled into the parking area as well as a van with writing on the side that was hard to read. Heidi scrambled from the SUV, leaving the door open for the light to illuminate the area around the vehicle.

  In the dimness, she glimpsed the grim set to Lee’s jaw. He handed off the man to the police officer, said a few words to him then turned his attention to the man approaching him from the white van. Lee gestured toward the woods. While the guy dressed in a brown uniform pulled out his high-beam flashlight and a gallon jug of water then started toward the forest, the patrol car backed out of the parking area and Lee crossed to her.

  “Who’s that?” Heidi asked, nodding in the direction of the man trudging into the woods.

  “Robert Crane, the animal warden. He knows where the dog is and is getting him. I had the German shepherd’s owner, that bozo who the officer took away, put a leash on his dog and tie it to a tree. Robert will take care of the animal and rinse his face with water. That’ll help the dog.”

  “It wasn’t Rio?”

  “He has similar coloring, but no. The owner brings the dog out here to hunt for his food. I’m not sure the man feeds the animal other than what he gets for himself. On closer inspection the dog was too thin. He decided to sic the German shepherd on me to give hi
m a chance to escape. I’m having Robert Crane go to the man’s house and take a look around. He may have other abused animals there. I’ve got the feeling that poor dog isn’t the only one.”

  “You have a very interesting career. Finding dead bodies, chasing men, rescuing a dog.”

  Hr grimaced. “Not before I had to use pepper spray on the dog to stop him from attacking me. But Crane will take good care of the animal. In the meantime, I have a shop owner who’s looking for a watchdog at night. This one could be one with some retraining. I’m sure I can get Harry to do that.”

  “You’re going to find him a home?”

  “That’s the least I can do for the poor dog. He’s going to be much better off after tonight. I don’t understand why people have pets if they aren’t going to take care of them properly.” Lee shut the passenger door and made his way to the driver’s side. “I’ll drop Kip off at Molly’s, then one hamburger dinner coming up.”

  Heidi’s stomach gurgled. “I’m famished.”

  Lee chuckled. “That makes two of us.”

  * * *

  Later that evening, Lee faced West in the interrogation room as the man read through the paperwork on his deal. Interestingly, the suspect still didn’t have a lawyer to represent him. “Do you want your lawyer to look it over?’

  “No.”

  Lee lifted a brow. “Why not?”

  “It’s hard to tell who to trust in this town.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed that can be a side effect of crime.”

  West snorted and placed the paper on the table. “It seems in order.”

  “It’s only good if the information you give us is useful.”

  “It’s useful if you want to know who’s behind those two snitches’ deaths.” West signed the document.

  “And Zoller’s?”

  “I hired Zoller to do a job and he messed it up. Got himself caught. I don’t tolerate a job half-done.”

  “It seems to me you got yourself caught, too.”

  West curled his lips into a sneer. “Do you want the info or not?”