Search And Rescue: In Safe Hands Part 37

"Whoa," was all Ty said. Jules knew he had to have been terrified for him to be robbed of words. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw Tio adding Dez's backpack to the three already in the trunk. He slammed it closed, and the two of them hustled into the backseat. Jules did a quick headcount before backing away from the hybrid. Her whole body was still shaking, and she tightened her hands on the steering wheel in an attempt to hide it.

She turned out of the school parking lot, glanced at Sam, and checked the rearview mirror again. Giddiness rose in her, sweeping away the vestiges of her earlier fear.

"Y'all?" All four of her siblings looked at her. "We did it." Her laugh was half-hysterical, and she quickly sucked it back in before she scared the kids. "You have officially been kidnapped."

Ty's cheer was joined by Dez and even Tio. Grinning-and possibly hyperventilating a bit-Jules looked at Sam. His head was tipped down, but his mouth curled the tiniest bit at the corners. That hint of a smile was the happiest she'd seen Sam in years. It made everything worth it.

Jules was a full-fledged criminal now, and it felt good.

Chapter 5.

Present Day The call came through just as Theo was about to wrap up his shift. He pivoted away from the locker room door, turning up his portable radio as a surge of relief spread through him. This meant that he could delay going home for a few hours. Since his K-9 partner, Goose, had died of cancer a year ago, Theo's apartment seemed echoing and empty. And now, after Don...

His head jerked back as the reminder took him unaware, and he immediately shoved the thought from his mind, forcing himself to concentrate on the dispatcher's words.

"...repeat, officer requesting a.s.sistance at 4278 Green Willow Lane."

Booted feet hurried to catch up with him, and Theo turned just as Hugh pa.s.sed him, thumping Theo on the shoulder as he went.

"What's up?" Theo asked, increasing his pace to keep up with the other officer.

"Wilson spotted a vehicle parked outside the Schwartz compound. Said it looks a lot like the description of the van used by the Golden Sun Restaurant robbery suspect. He wants some backup before ringing the doorbell."

Theo snorted as they both descended the stairs to the underground garage where the squad cars were parked. "Don't blame him."

"Grab Vig before you head to the call. You know how Gordon Schwartz likes to stockpile things that go boom."

Resisting a wince, Theo turned toward the kennel on the opposite side of the garage. He took in Viggy's flattened ears and sighed. This wasn't going to go well.

As Theo put on the dog's protective vest and harness, Viggy stood listlessly, his tail tucked. A memory hit Theo like a punch to the belly, a flash of Don prepping Viggy the same way six months ago, laughing at something Theo had said. For that call, Viggy had been vibrating with excitement, ready to work, so confident and eager and just so f.u.c.king happy. The pa.s.sive, dull-eyed dog standing in front of Theo now was just a shadow of that K-9 officer. That was Theo, too-a shadow of the person he'd been a few months ago.

Theo gave a rough, humorless laugh. "We're a pair, aren't we, Vig?"

The dog didn't react, didn't even glance at him, and Theo swallowed a bitter surge of grief, gathering the numbness around him like a security blanket.

"C'mon, Viggy." The weary resignation in his voice would've worried him if he'd managed to care. "Let's get this over with."

With a reluctant Viggy in the back of his squad car, Theo pressed the accelerator, flying past vehicles that had pulled over in response to his overhead lights and siren. That low burn of antic.i.p.ation he usually got when heading to a call wasn't happening, though. There was no surge of adrenaline, no bouncing nerves. He didn't feel anything.

Viggy shifted, drawing his attention for a split second before Theo returned his gaze to the road. It was strange having a dog in the back of his squad again. After Goose died, Theo had successfully managed to put off getting a new dog for more than ten months. He didn't think he'd have the same connection with another K-9 that he'd had with Goose, not ever again. Ever since Theo had picked up Goose from the training facility, the two of them had clicked. Goose had been an amazing partner-a once-in-a-lifetime K-9 officer.

His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again as guilt burned in his chest. Viggy had been a good dog, too-was a good dog. They just weren't right for each other. Vig was Don's partner. At least, he had been.

A dull pain throbbed in his stomach, and Theo tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened.

As they left quaint downtown Monroe and headed toward the west edge of town, Theo slowed. The twists and turns of the narrow mountain road were treacherous even at normal speeds, and Theo didn't want to plow into one of the vertical rock faces that bracketed the pavement. Monroe was just west enough of the Front Range to be considered a mountain town, rather than in the foothills. Nestled in a valley, the town could be accessed by only two roads-one to the east and one to the west.

As he approached the turnoff to Blank Hill Road, the squirrelly waitress popped into his head...again. For some reason, he was thinking of Jules with unsettling frequency. Theo pictured her smile after he'd told the shady stranger at the diner to back off. It had transformed her face, turning her from pretty to flat-out beautiful.

He realized that he'd been slowing down, as if he was going to turn toward Jules's house, and he made an annoyed sound as he pressed harder on the accelerator. This preoccupation with Jules had to stop. Despite his resolution, though, he couldn't help but glance in the side-view mirror to catch the last glimpse of the Blank Hill Road sign.

Maybe he should swing by her place after the call was over. After all, he'd be driving right past again. The house she was renting was isolated, and it was obvious that she was running from something-or someone. He'd do a quick check on her place and then leave. Jules wouldn't even know he'd been there.

His breath came out in a huff as he got close to the scene. He needed to stop obsessing. Her suspicious behavior just screamed that she'd be trouble, and his life was enough of a mess right now. If only she hadn't smiled at him like that...

Theo cut his siren as he turned onto the road leading to Green Willow Lane but left his overhead lights flashing until he pulled up behind Hugh's squad car. The September sun was starkly bright and warm. Theo automatically checked to make sure the window fan ventilating the backseat was on and then froze. How many times had he done the same for Goose? Shaking off the nostalgia and grief, Theo strode toward Lieutenant Blessard, the incident commander. As he pa.s.sed Hugh's squad car, Lexie, Hugh's K-9 partner, barked twice.

"Bosco!" The lieutenant strode over to meet Theo. "You got Don Baker's dog with you? The search warrant just came through."

With a tight nod, Theo turned and returned to his squad car. Lexie stayed silent that time when he pa.s.sed Hugh's car. As Theo opened the back door and reached to attach the lead to the dog's harness, Viggy flattened his belly against the floor. Taking a step back, Theo eyed the dog. Vig was the picture of misery.

"I know, buddy," Theo said softly. Every time he looked at Viggy, Theo was. .h.i.t with a stab of grief. The dog acted exactly how Theo felt. There wasn't time to wallow in their mutual sadness, though. They had a job to do. Their fellow cops' lives depended on him and Viggy doing what they were trained to do, even if their hearts weren't in it.

"Let's go to work." Although he tried to infuse his voice with excitement, his tone remained flat, as did the dog. "C'mon, Vig. Out."

Theo pulled on the lead, but Viggy resisted for so long that Theo began to worry he'd have to lift the seventy-pound dog and carry him to the scene.

"Viggy..." He hauled on the leash again, and the dog reluctantly climbed out of the car.

"What's wrong with him?" Blessard asked from just a few feet away. Theo stiffened. He'd been so occupied with getting Viggy out of the car that he didn't even notice the lieutenant approaching.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Theo kept a tight grip on the leash to prevent Viggy from slinking underneath the car to hide. "He's been this way ever since Don..." Theo had to stop when Don's name caught in his throat.

"Yeah." Blessard eyed the dog with sympathy. "Think we were all knocked sideways by that."

Clearing his throat didn't seem to help move the impediment. "Ready?" he asked gruffly, wanting-no, needing-to change the subject.

"Let's do this."

Theo squared his shoulders and walked up the weed-choked two-track that led to the compound gates. The sun lit the ever-present mountain peaks towering over the trees, turning the whole scene into a postcard. Holding back a cynical snort, Theo glanced behind at a plodding Viggy. The two of them were as far from a picture-perfect pair as they could get.

With a sharp shake of his head, Theo tried to refocus. They just needed to pull themselves together long enough to go in, find the explosives-if there were any-and get out. But he couldn't stop himself from glancing back at the lackl.u.s.ter dog again, feeling an echoing pang of emptiness.

Yeah, this is going to be bad.

"Schwartz is on the phone with one of our negotiators. Said he's trying to convince Romanowski-our robbery suspect-to voluntarily come out and talk to us." Blessard spoke quietly, his usual carry-through-the-crowd voice muted. "Glad Schwartz didn't manage to talk him into that yet, though. We've been waiting awhile for a way to get a look inside of that place, see what kind of toys our buddy Gordon and his minions have been collecting."

Theo grunted acknowledgment before asking, "Any idea what kind of weapons he's got in there?"

"No." Lines of displeasure creased the skin between Blessard's bushy gray brows. "We've gotten some unreliable witness accounts that claim his collection is anywhere from a couple of shotguns all the way to a fully stocked armory. Best guess is that it's somewhere in the middle-to-a.r.s.enal range. We've been trying to find a way in for months. Schwartz is teetering on the edge of crazy, and I'd rather know what he's got stockpiled before we're involved in a standoff."

Theo made a wordless sound of agreement as they approached the closed compound gates.

"You're not coming in!" yelled a short, stocky man on the inside of the gate. Theo had seen him enough times to recognize the man as Gordon Schwartz. "This is my home! You can't come inside my house without my consent. If you try to break in here, you fascist b.a.s.t.a.r.ds will be trampling my const.i.tutional rights!"

Hugh, the closest officer to the fence, raised a hand in a placating gesture even as his posture stayed alert. "You're not in trouble, Gordon. We just need to come inside to talk to Romanowski."

"He's coming out." Schwartz glanced over his shoulder, the tension on his face belying the certainty in his voice. "Give me a little more time. I'll keep talking to him, and he'll come out."

Blessard strode forward until he was standing next to Hugh. As Theo stopped well back from the gates, Viggy slunk to the end of his leash and sat as far from the compound as he could get, his ears flat and unhappy.

"f.u.c.k your warrant!" The yell from Schwartz drew Theo's full attention, and a tense readiness rippled through the crowd of cops. With a whine, Viggy leaned against Theo's hold on the leash, his tail curled between his hind legs. Theo knew that if Viggy wasn't restrained, he'd be running back to the safety of the car. It hurt to see how timid the formerly confident dog had become. "It's nothing! It's a piece of paper. You know what piece of paper trumps your search warrant? The Const.i.tution of the United States! And that const.i.tution states that I have the right to protect my home."

A year ago-h.e.l.l, even two months ago-Theo would've been buzzing with adrenaline, alert and ready for whatever was going to happen. Now, he just felt a heavy wave of weariness press down on him. It was just another day, another call, another rotation of the hamster wheel, another chance for one of his fellow cops to get hurt or killed or messed up in the head. His muscles ached with the pressure of his resignation.

"Gordon," Hugh soothed, shifting so he blocked an impatient-looking Blessard from Schwartz's view. Theo marveled at Hugh's seemingly endless supply of patience. "We don't want to step on your rights. All we need to do is to go in, get Romanowski, and then we'll be off your property. Mrs. Lee was injured in that robbery. Now, with the suspect walking free, she's terrified all the time. We need to bring in the guy who hurt her, so she can sleep at night. Don't you think Mrs. Lee deserves that?"

Schwartz's rigid posture softened slightly, and Theo felt everyone's tension ease. "Yeah," Schwartz mumbled. "I barely know the guy. I'd never hurt an innocent like that, not for money."

"We know, Gordon." Hugh reached through the gate and squeezed Schwartz's rounded shoulder. "We're on the same side-the side of justice."

Theo clenched his jaw, holding back a sardonic snort at the cheesy graphic-novel dialogue. "The side of justice?" He was going to give Hugh so much s.h.i.t for that later.

"You're just going to go in, grab Romanowski, and leave?" Schwartz repeated, still sounding wary but much more compliant than he had just a few short minutes before. Cheesy or not, Hugh's superhero speech was working.

"That's it." With a solemn nod, Hugh held Schwartz's gaze steadily. "First, though, would you agree to us letting our explosives dog take a sniff around, just for the safety of our officers?"

His shoulders jerking back into his earlier tense posture, Schwartz shot a furious glare toward Viggy and snarled, "No dog. No way. I know how you people work. You'll come in here, into my house, and plant evidence against me. No one's coming in." His hand jerked slightly, and Theo had his gun holster unsnapped before he even paused to think. He wasn't the only one who'd noticed the threat. Theo saw that Blessard had his TASER drawn, holding it behind his left hip, out of Schwartz's view.

Hugh hadn't made a move toward his weapon. "How about this, Gordon. Why don't we let the dog go first? At the entrance to each room, we'll have the dog check things out, but we won't go in until we get an all-clear. That way, we couldn't plant anything, even if we wanted to, and our guys will be safe from any explosions. Romanowski doesn't want us to bring him in. Who knows what he's doing right now. I need to keep my friends safe, just like you want to keep your friends safe. Sound like a plan?"

Even before Schwartz gave a grudging nod, Theo knew that Hugh had succeeded in talking Gordon into letting them onto his property. Giving a cowering Viggy a sideways glance, Theo's stomach burned. Everyone's safety depended on their ragtag team of two.

They were so screwed.

Chapter 6.

Five Days Earlier The boys looked startling enough with their buzz cuts, like junior military recruits, but Dez was the real shocker. Jules kept glancing in the rearview mirror of their new-to-them SUV, unable to keep her eyes off of the mini-stranger in the backseat. Dez had the same problem. At the garage-slash-beauty shop-slash-car exchange-slash-new-ident.i.ty-pickup-place, disappearance expert Dennis had given Dez a pocket mirror, and her eyes had been fixed on her reflection ever since.

"You okay, Dez?" Jules asked, starting to get uneasy about the mesmerized silence behind her.

"Yes." Her eyes didn't move from the mirror.

"Do you like your new look?"

"I love it," Dez breathed. "I look so...different."

She did. Her long, blond curls were now a dark brown, cut in a pixie that made her blue eyes look huge. The fake pageant glamour was gone, replaced by a normal, cute little girl. She'd changed out of her school uniform into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

"We look like real sisters now, too."

Jules shifted so she could see part of her own face in the rearview mirror. Her hair was the same color as Dez's, but Dennis had cut it so it went just past her shoulders. He'd also given her cute bangs. Except for the way Jules' blue eyes were narrow and tilted up at the corners rather than round, she and Dez did look a lot alike.

"We've always been real sisters, D," Jules said teasingly as she pa.s.sed a semi.

"I know," Dez said to her mirror. "But now we really look like sisters."

"J-Ju." Sam's abrupt tone made her tense. "C-c-c..."

Glancing behind her, she knew what he was going to say even before he could force it out.

"C-cops."

The highway patrol car was right behind her. Even though she knew the cruise control was set at two miles per hour below the speed limit, she still had to resist the urge to slam on the brakes.

"Don't be an idiot, Jules," she muttered. "Just stay calm." Without touching the brake pedal, she signaled and moved into the right lane in front of the semi. The patrol car moved over as well, staying behind them.

As if he'd sensed the tension in the car, Ty woke from his doze with a snort. "What's going on?"

"Cops behind us," Tio said tightly.

"s.h.i.t."

"Language," Jules snapped.

"Seriously?" Ty gave a short laugh. "I think cops following us deserves a 's.h.i.t' or two. Maybe even a 'f.u.c.k.'"

"Swearing is a bad habit." Realizing that she had a death grip on the wheel, Jules forced her fingers to relax. Her siblings couldn't know how close to blind panic Jules was. "Especially when your little sister is sitting right next to you."

"Sorry, Dez," Ty muttered.

"It's okay. Courtney swears a lot more than you do."

Choking back a mostly hysterical laugh, Jules asked, "Why do you call her Courtney?"

"You're seriously asking that now?" Tio interjected before Dez could answer. "When there's a law enforcement officer following our getaway car? Especially since Courtney most likely knows by now that you took us out of school, so it's highly probable that there is a warrant out for your arrest on multiple kidnapping charges." Each word was precisely enunciated, which was typical for Tio when he was scared.

"If I don't relax," Jules said through her teeth, "then I'm going to do something stupid, like hit the brakes or jerk the wheel or, I don't know, roll down the window and flip off the nice cop behind us. I need you to cut me some slack right now."

"Sorry." He sounded young and subdued, and guilt rose in Jules for snapping at him. "Go ahead, Dez."