Jina, p.17
Jina, page 17
part #1 of Oath of Honor Series
In hindsight, it seemed clear the assailant had planned to confront Jina at her place. And maybe Cole’s arrival had thrown a monkey wrench into that attempt too.
While they waited for Grayson to arrive, he went back to the list of gym members with law enforcement background that Mike had provided. While Jina hadn’t recognized any of the names aside from the two Timberland Falls cops, Oliver and Evan, it could easily be that one of the club members knew her.
And resented her for . . . what?
“Tell me about the team.” He eyed Rhy who was seated at one end of the table. “Do cops go through a vetting process to become members?”
Rhy nodded, clearly following his train of thought. “Not a tryout or anything, but I tend to be selective when adding members to the team.”
“Except for Roscoe, we’ve all been cops here in Milwaukee, prior to being transferred here,” Jina added.
“Yeah, Roscoe was highly recommended by his cousin Cameron who was also an MPD cop. Speaking for myself, I was a little surprised Rhy took him on,” Zeke said. “Why do you ask?”
“I was curious if Jina had gotten the job over someone else,” Cole said to clarify his thought process. “Some guys can’t stand being beaten out by a woman.”
“There was only one candidate I didn’t hire,” Rhy said. “But Jina was already a member of the team. If Jeff Klapper has anyone to be upset with, it’s Roscoe.”
“I see.” He shrugged. “I was hoping for another lead to follow up on.” Then he glanced down at the list of gym members on his screen and almost choked. “Wait a minute, are you sure about that? Because Jeff Klapper is on the list.” He lifted his head to scan the faces seated at the table around him. “Klapper belongs to Mike’s MMA gym.”
“He does?” Jina appeared surprised. “That’s strange. I don’t remember ever seeing him there.”
“You go late in the evening, though, right?” He flushed a little as she arched a brow at how closely he’d watched her prior to the night of the shooting. “Maybe Klapper is an early bird.”
“If he hasn’t seen me there, why try to shoot me?” She shook her head. “Not sure we can pin this on him.”
“Hold on, Jina,” Rhy said. “We need all possible suspects on the table.”
“Okay, but I had nothing to do with his not landing a spot on the team. That was all Roscoe.”
The conference room door opened, revealing Grayson and another guy who was tall and lean, with brown hair and thick glasses. Cole noticed the guy looked at Cassidy first, then turned to Jina.
“Come in. Gabe, do you have something for us?” Rhy asked.
“Yes.” Gabe pushed his glasses up on his nose in a nervous gesture. “I’ve been digging into that guy who assaulted Jina in college, Rory Glick. I just heard back from the Tulsa cop who agreed to go over to Glick’s last-known address to speak with him. He just let me know that Rory’s parents haven’t seen him in a few days.”
“You’re saying he could be here in Milwaukee.” Rhy drummed his fingers on the table. “That’s interesting.”
“They don’t know where he is, but yes, it’s possible,” Gabe said. “I’ve requested a search warrant to look at his recent debit and credit card purchases.”
“Do you have enough evidence for that?” Cole asked.
“I think so. The guy hasn’t shown up for his warehouse job and has a clear reason to hate Jina.” Gabe shrugged. “I think we’ll get it.”
“Good work, Gabe,” Rhy said. “Stay focused on Glick, we’re relying on your expertise to tease out key information from his credit and debit reports. We can start digging into Jeff Klapper. His middle name is Thomas, and I think he lives in West Angelo.”
As Rhy spoke, Cole used his computer to access Jeff Thomas Klapper’s DMV records. “He does live in a small house in West Angelo. But he doesn’t drive a black Honda.”
“Why don’t we head to the gym to see if he’s there?” Cassidy asked.
“I’d rather call Mike, the owner first. He knows his members better than anyone.” He pulled out his phone to make the call.
“This is Mike,” the owner answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Mike, it’s Cole. Do you know a guy named Jeff Klapper?”
“Sure, I know him, why?”
“Is he there, now?” Cole asked.
“Not that I noticed, he tends to come only on his days off work, but I can check.” There was a brief pause. “Why are you asking? I thought you and Jina didn’t think any of my members were responsible for the shooting?”
“To be honest, we’re running out of leads. We just need to cover all bases.” There was a long moment of silence, indicating Mike wasn’t buying that story. “Honestly, Mike, this is a guy we’d like to cross off our suspect list. Nothing for you to worry about.” He hoped.
Mike let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Lemme put you on hold for a moment.” There was nothing but silence for a full sixty seconds. “Cole? You’re in luck. Jeff is here.”
“He is?” He pinned Jina with a hopeful look. “Can you keep him there until we arrive?”
“I’ll try. But Jeff isn’t one for small talk. Get here soon.” Mike quickly ended the call.
“Let’s go.” Jina was already on her feet. “I’m sure a brief chat about where he’s been over the past twenty-four hours will clear him.”
“I’m coming with you,” Grayson said. She didn’t argue but tossed him the keys.
“Do you want more backup?” Zeke asked.
“I think three cops can handle it,” Rhy said. “But before you go, Cole, send us that list of gym members. We’ll keep looking at things from our end.”
As Rhy rattled off his email address, Cole typed it in and hit send. Then shut the computer, leaving it on the table. He doubted the conversation with Klapper would take long, and they’d be back here within the hour.
As they drove to the MMA gym, he thought about the possibility of Rory Glick coming to Milwaukee to confront Jina. While he had the biggest reason to resent Jina, it seemed unlikely that he’d be smart enough to set a bomb, a fire, track her phone, and shoot at her.
If not Glick, then who? Klapper? Or someone else?
“Take the next exit,” Jina told Grayson. The guy had pushed the speed limit so they wouldn’t miss him. “Then head south.”
“I’ve heard of the gym but never been inside,” Grayson said.
“I like it.” Jina frowned, then added, “At least I used to. Not sure after all of this.”
When Grayson pulled into the parking lot, there were only a handful of vehicles scattered around. The hour was closing in on eleven in the morning, which wasn’t peak gym hours for those who worked.
Grayson had barely stopped the car when Jina jumped out, eager to get inside. She moved to give him room when a crack of gunfire had them all dropping to the ground.
Another attempt in broad daylight! He glanced at Jina and could tell she was about to sprint toward the woods. Until more gunfire peppered the ground in front of them.
Pinning them in place with nowhere to hide.
Chapter Fourteen
What was with this guy? Jina was so over ducking from this perp’s gunfire. She pulled her weapon, wishing once again that she had her sniper’s rifle. Her scope would enable her to pinpoint this joker’s location.
Wishing for the situation to be different was useless. They had to outsmart this guy.
How, she wasn’t sure.
“Klapper?” Cole asked in a whisper.
“Must be. Mike may have tipped him off by mistake.”
As suddenly as it had started, the barrage of gunfire stopped. There was nothing but a prolonged silence for several long moments. She glanced at Cole crouched beside her, both using the open rear passenger door as cover, then tipped her head toward the woods. “You go left, I go right.”
“Not yet.” He grabbed her arm with his free hand. He’d pulled his weapon too and was also prepared to return fire. “Could be a trap.”
“This whole thing is a trap,” she hissed in a low voice. “We need to get him!”
“Jina? Cole? Anyone hurt?” Grayson asked from the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“Negative, we’re good,” she responded. Having a radio for communications would have been nice too. If the shooter was lingering nearby, he might be able to overhear their exchange. “You?”
“Fine here,” Grayson confirmed. “I think our perp is in the woods behind the building.”
“I’m sure he is,” Cole agreed. “They’re not deep but extend the length of the gym. A buffer of sorts between the back of the gym and the strip mall behind it.”
“Understood,” Grayson said. “What’s the plan?”
“We need you to provide cover,” Jina spoke up. “Cole and I will split up and try to find him.”
There was a long moment as Grayson considered her request. Finally, he said, “Okay. Give me a minute to get into a better position.”
Another long moment of silence hung between them. Jina battled a wave of frustration at the thought of this guy getting away yet again.
And now she felt certain their perp was Jeff Klapper. A fellow officer, a guy she barely knew wanted to kill her. It didn’t make any sense, especially after all this time, but her only goal now was to grab him.
“I’m ready,” Grayson said. “I’ll take three shots, then you can go.”
“Roger that.” She tensed, waiting for the gunfire. Grayson was close enough that the sound was deafening, but the moment he’d fired the third and final shot, she sprinted away from the SUV to the right, trusting Cole to do his part.
She ran quickly but not silently. Klapper must have known they’d come after him and was probably already trying to make his getaway in the black Honda. The urge to derail his escape was strong, but once she reached the sparse wooded area, she paused to regroup.
Using a tree for cover, she swept her gaze over the area. There were about five cars parked in front of the strip mall, but a quick glance proved none were a black Honda without plates. A minivan, a sedan, and a black Ford SUV with plates, which gave her pause.
Had the shooter changed vehicles? Or had he parked his SUV behind the strip mall the way he’d done that first night?
Was that just thirty-six hours ago? It seemed like a lifetime.
She couldn’t see Cole, so she made her way through the trees toward the front of the strip mall. Glancing down the tree line, she caught a glimpse of Cole about forty feet to her left.
The silence was nerve-racking. Had Mike called the police? Reports of gunfire, especially in the suburbs, usually garnered a quick response.
Catching Cole’s gaze, she gestured to her right, wordlessly telling him she was going around to the back side of the strip mall. He nodded and gestured to the opposite side. Much like the first night they’d gone after this guy, they would circle the building and meet in the middle.
Sweeping one last gaze over the area, she ran toward the right end of the strip mall. Pausing at the corner, she edged along the building, looking for anything unusual.
But she didn’t see anyone or a black SUV.
Upon reaching the opposite corner, she peered around it to scan the back. She’d expected to see the black Honda again, but there was nothing.
Not a car or a person. Absolutely nobody was back there. Except for Cole, mirroring her movements on the other side of the building.
Where had the perp gone? He couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.
She spun on her heel and ran quickly back to the front of the strip mall. The black Ford was still there, so she quickly approached, her weapon up and ready.
A door opened, and she swung around to face the person coming out. A woman screamed and threw up her hands, dropping her bag on the ground. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” she cried in alarm.
“I won’t. I’m police officer Jina Wheeler.” She lowered her weapon. “Did you see a man with a gun go past here?”
“What? No! A shooter?” The woman glanced around nervously.
“We’ve cleared the area, ma’am,” Jina assured her. “Which vehicle is yours?”
“Th-the SUV?” The woman still looked terrified. Glancing at the ground, Jina noticed cosmetics had spilled from her bag.
“Sorry to frighten you,” Jina said apologetically. “You’re free to go.”
The woman took a few steps to the car, then remembered her cosmetics. Jina suspected she had well over a hundred dollars’ worth of products there and quickly bent to help her retrieve them.
Cole came over to join her. “Any sign of him?”
“No.” She couldn’t help sounding disgusted. “I don’t get this Klapper dude. Why take shots at us in broad daylight?”
“A crime of opportunity.” Cole shrugged. “He knows we’re onto him. He waited here to pounce the minute we arrived.”
“Yeah.” She glanced around the strip mall area, then sighed. “Let’s go talk to Mike. Maybe he can shed some light on the sequence of events.”
“Agree.” Cole gestured for her to go ahead of him. “Keep your eyes peeled, though, in case we somehow missed him.”
Taking the lead, she cut through the narrow swath of woods, heading over to where Grayson was still stationed near his now bullet-ridden SUV. She felt a twinge of regret over the hit Rhy’s budget would take over this.
Again.
“He escaped?” Grayson asked.
“Seems that way.” She holstered her weapon as the screech of police sirens filled the air. “Oh boy. The Brookland cops won’t be happy to see us.”
“I’ve updated Rhy on the situation,” Grayson said. “He’s heading here with Cassidy and Zeke. Flynn is still drilling down into Jeff Klapper’s social media.”
“I’m surprised he’s on there, proves he’s not very smart.” She glanced at Cole. “Let’s go see Mike.”
“No need, he’s watching from the doorway.” Cole gestured to Mike, letting him know it was safe to come out. Mike left the sanctuary of the gym and hurried toward them.
“When did Klapper leave?” Jina demanded.
Mike looked surprised by her comment. “I asked him to stick around after he showered. Last I knew, he was still in the men’s locker room when the gunfire rang out.”
She turned back to the gym, eyeing the building thoughtfully. “Could he have left via the back without you seeing him?”
“Maybe. I can go back and check,” Mike offered. “When I heard the gunfire, I told all the patrons working out to seek cover in the locker rooms until I told them the coast was clear.”
“How many people total, aside from Klapper?” Jina asked.
“Only six or so,” Mike said. “This isn’t my peak time of the day.”
Three Brookland police cruisers with red and blue lights flashing were headed their way. Jina knew they’d get stuck giving statements if they didn’t get inside the gym. “Grayson, can you handle this while we find Klapper?”
“Go,” Grayson said with a nod.
She grabbed Mike’s arm and gestured to the main entrance. “We need to hurry.”
Mike didn’t hesitate to move toward the gym. She and Cole flanked him on either side. The MMA gym was nothing fancy, which was exactly what she liked the most about it.
“This way,” Mike said, heading straight toward the men’s locker room. He glanced at her, and added, “No women in here today.”
“Understood.” She knew she was one of the few female members. She let Mike go in first, but then crowded in behind him, not caring if some of the guys were half dressed or not. She didn’t care about that.
She needed to find Jeff Klapper.
“Where is he?” she asked as Mike frowned, glancing around in confusion. She didn’t trust her memory to recognize him.
“I guess he’s not here.” Mike lifted his hands in a helpless gesture. “I know he came this way, though.” The gym owner gave her a chagrined look. “I’m sorry I let you down.”
She managed a smile, even though she wanted to pound her fists on the lockers. “Not your fault.” She nodded at the six guys standing around looking concerned. “Sorry to interrupt. Obviously, there has been some gunfire outside, but the local police have arrived, and the shooter has left the area. You can head out if you’d like.”
“Man, this place is really going downhill,” a handsome arrogant guy muttered harshly as he brushed past her.
“Not true. None of this is Mike’s fault,” she said sharply. “It’s mine.”
Mr. Arrogant glanced back at her as if he wanted to say something more, then must have thought better of it. Without another word, he disappeared through the doorway. Her comment seemed to shut the rest of them up as they filed suit.
It burned to know Mike’s business would take a hit after this. Granted, two episodes of gunfire in two days was a lot. Even though many of the gym members were cops, they wouldn’t want to hang out at a place where random shootings were rampant.
Maybe she could convince the rest of the team to join the gym to make up for any memberships Mike might lose after this.
She followed Cole and Mike out of the locker room, then paused to glance over at the women’s locker room. After being inside the men’s, she could attest to how much smaller it was in comparison. Which was logical as there weren’t nearly as many female members from what she could tell.
In most of her recent visits, she’d had the locker room to herself. A far cry from other gyms she’d used to belong to.
Turning, she pushed the locker room door open and shouldn’t have been disappointed it appeared empty. Still, she went all the way inside to check the shower area too.
And found nothing.
Where in the world had Jeff Klapper gone?
Emerging from the locker room, she saw Mike and Cole talking in low voices near the front door. She turned to head back toward Mike’s small office area, determined to check the rear door.
Buildings were required by fire codes to have more than one exit. Maybe being a member of Rhy’s tactical team had made her overly paranoid, and the first time she’d toured the gym prior to paying for an annual membership, she’d asked Mike to show her the rear exit. Thankfully, he’d obliged.
