Grayson, p.7
Grayson, page 7
part #1 of Oath of Honor Series
“Mike didn’t set those bombs or try to shoot at me.” She sounded deflated. “He’s not smart enough and doesn’t strike me as someone who is capable of killing in cold blood.”
“I agree with your assessment.” He tried to gauge where she was coming from. Did she see this as a waste of time? “However, we wouldn’t know that without talking to him face-to-face.”
She shrugged. “That’s true.” She abruptly frowned. “Is this what police work is like? Following up on various clues and suspects until you find something useful?”
“Pretty much.” He smiled. “It’s not glamorous or nonstop action. We tend to pay attention to every single detail. It’s often something small that breaks a case wide open.”
“That’s similar to my work,” she confided. “Sifting through details and possibilities like sand on the shores of the ocean until finally discovering something important.”
“Exactly.” He rested his hand on her back. “I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through all of this. Did Mike Jones look at all familiar to you? Do you remember seeing him outside the research institute that day?”
“He looks vaguely familiar, yes, but I could not swear he was there the day of the protest. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay much attention to any of them at the time. I knew we weren’t using animals in our research, so I didn’t really bother with them.”
“You heard what he said about bad intel?” Grayson asked. “That’s the concern I have about these groups. Not that they aren’t doing good work in general, but that they don’t have their facts straight.”
“I heard.” She shook her head. “I don’t know where the rumor of a secret lab with animals came from. We don’t have one.”
“Who knows?” He gestured toward the door. “Let’s get out of here. I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” she admitted, then paused. “Do you mind if I stop in the restroom first?”
“Go ahead.” He showed her where they were located. “I’ll start the car so the air-conditioning is revved up and ready to go.”
“Thanks.” She ducked inside.
“You’re still here?” Rhy came out of his office, heading toward him.
“We’re leaving.” He grimaced. “Sorry Jones didn’t pan out as a viable lead.”
“Like you said, he could be involved peripherally. But he looked really shocked to be considered a suspect for the bombing.” Rhy glanced at his watch. “I need to hit the road, Devon is waiting for me, and Colleen always greets me as if she hasn’t seen me in months.” Rhy grinned. “She’s kind of like a puppy that way. Now that I think about it, she scoots around on her hands and knees like one too.”
He chuckled at the image. And for the first time in his life, he found himself wondering what it would be like to have a wife and daughter waiting for you at home. Parenthood wasn’t something he’d thought about much, especially after Monica, until Rhy and Devon had Colleen. Their daughter was seven months old now, and there was a rumor going around that Rhy and Devon were already planning baby number two.
Considering Tarin’s wife, Joy, had given birth to a baby boy a few months ago, and Kyleigh had recently delivered a baby girl, the Finnegan family seemed anxious to populate the world with more Finnegans. Although in Kyleigh’s case, she was a Scala, having married ADA Bax Scala.
His parents had waited until he’d gone to college to split up, but he’d always known they weren’t happy. He figured that was one of the reasons he’d never been able to find a woman he cared enough about to settle down. That along with the incident with Monica had him shying away from commitment. He didn’t think it was fair to bring kids into the world only to end up divorced.
But he’d noticed the Finnegans had not only jumped into relationships with startling quickness, they rushed to the altar too.
He didn’t get it.
“You need anything else?” Rhy asked.
“Nope.” He smiled when Eve emerged from the restroom. “We’ll walk out with you.”
“Sure thing.” Rhy waited for them to catch up. Together, they headed for the side door. Grayson took a moment to double click the key fob to start the Jeep.
The sun was still warm, but there was a cool breeze coming in from the west. He figured it wouldn’t take long for the air-conditioning to kick in.
He and Eve had just joined Rhy when the Jeep exploded, the blast knocking them off their feet.
“Eve!” he shouted, searching for her. Had she been hit?
“Here.” Her voice was hoarse. “I’m here.”
Thank You, Lord! Even as the prayer formed in his mind, he stared dumbly at the wreckage.
Someone had planted another bomb. But who had known they would be here at the precinct at this time? Mike Jones had been brought in for questioning, but he couldn’t know that Grayson would be the one to talk to him.
Possibilities swirled in his mind as Rhy called 911 to report the blast. The only thing he knew with grim certainty is that if he hadn’t used the remote start, he and Eve would both be dead.
Chapter Six
Another bomb! Eve stared at what was left of the Jeep in horror. Even a police station parking lot wasn’t safe.
“Get back inside,” Rhy said in a tense tone that she could barely hear beyond the ringing in her ears. “Hurry.”
When she didn’t move fast enough, Grayson took her arm and helped her up. “Let’s go, Eve.”
The bomb was meant for her and would have killed Grayson too. The thought brought a flash of anger. Enough was enough! This violence had to stop!
“You need to let me go somewhere on my own,” she told Grayson as they sought shelter inside the precinct. “Give me a vehicle to use and I’ll disappear for a while.”
“What are you talking about?” Grayson didn’t release her arm. “Going off alone is only asking for trouble.”
“I’m supposed to let them kill you too?” She tried to tug her arm from him but couldn’t. She couldn’t hide her desperation. “And what about other innocent people who could be harmed because they happen to be standing close to me? I can’t be responsible for that, Grayson. I just can’t.”
“This isn’t your fault.” He tugged her close, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I promise we’ll get to the bottom of these attacks. And I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
She shook her head, unwilling to accept that. “I would rather go somewhere by myself. I’ll stay off the internet; I won’t do any research. No one will know where I am.” Even you, she silently added.
“I’m not leaving you.” Grayson’s dark eyes bored into hers. “We don’t know how we were found here. Maybe this perp was able to track your phone.”
Her phone? A shiver rippled down her spine. “I never thought of that. It’s paid for by the research institute.”
“Give it to me.” Rhy held out his hand. “I’ll get rid of it.”
She dug in her oversized bag for the device and handed it over. He shut it down, then dropped it on the floor and crushed it beneath his heel.
“I called Zeke. He has a spare vehicle you can use for a few days,” Rhy said as he tossed her damaged phone in the closest garbage can.
“The old Ford sedan?” Grayson wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “That’s nice of him to offer, but I’d rather have something more reliable.”
“Zeke said he’d use the sedan, so you can borrow his truck.” Rhy’s expression was serious. “I’ve asked Gabe to log in from home to check the security cameras too. Maybe he’ll get a decent photo of the bomber.”
She brightened at that.
“I shouldn’t have parked the Jeep along the back row,” Grayson said. “It never occurred to me that someone would find it and plant a bomb.”
Rhy sighed. “I don’t think we’ll be able to repair the Jeep this time. It’s gone for good, and Michaels will have a fit.” He shook his head. “I don’t like this, Grayson. Maybe the cell phone was tracked, or maybe the word went out that we picked up Jones for an interview.”
It took a moment for her to follow his train of thought. “You believe the animal rights group is involved? That they knew you were speaking with Michael Harold Jones and came out here to plant the bomb?” It made sense to a point. “Okay, say they did manage to pull that off. How could they have discovered we were using the Jeep? That was hardly common knowledge to anyone outside the precinct.”
“That’s a good question. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m not ruling anything out. I don’t like coincidences.” Rhy gestured toward one of the desks. “Have a seat. I need to make a few calls.”
She sank into the closest chair, her mind whirling. It dawned on her that if this bomber had the ability to track her phone, they could have been found at the City Central Hotel.
She wondered if she’d ever be safe. Then she felt ashamed of the depressing thought. Enough wallowing in self-pity. She needed to be grateful that God had been watching over them.
She closed her eyes. Thank You, Lord. Please continue to keep Grayson and the others safe in Your care. Amen.
“Eve? Please don’t go off on your own,” Grayson said in a low voice.
She looked at him and reluctantly nodded. “I won’t, but I still don’t like exposing you and the others to danger.”
“Protecting the public is our job,” he said. “That’s what the city pays me to do.”
She sighed. “I know that, but I care about you, Grayson. I don’t want anything to happen to you or the other members of your team. Rhy has a wife and a baby. What if he’d been hurt or killed?”
“I feel the same way about you and Rhy too.” He reached for her hand. “We have leads to follow, so don’t give up hope yet.”
“I haven’t given up hope. We have been blessed by God watching over us. Shielding us from danger.”
Grayson nodded slowly. “You may be right about that.”
It warmed her heart to hear him speak of faith. Yet their situation was still troubling. Before she could say anything more, Rhy returned.
“Gabe is looking at the camera, but it looks like the front of the Jeep may be out of range.” He grimaced. “He’s going to see if there are any other businesses nearby that have cameras pointing toward the parking lot.”
Nothing on the cameras? She swallowed her disappointment.
“Zeke and Jina are on their way in two cars so they can leave the truck here for you to use.” Rhy rubbed the back of his neck. “I have the rest of the team heading over to sweep the area surrounding the police station to make sure there aren’t other devices nearby.”
She caught her breath. More devices? She remembered how Grayson had checked her bright-blue SUV in the parking lot of the research institute and wondered how long something like that would take.
“You can’t go back to the City Central Hotel,” Rhy continued. “I arranged for a room at the Timberland Falls Suites. The reservation is under the MPD account, so hopefully that will offer enough protection for you.”
“Michaels approved it?” Grayson asked, sounding surprised.
“The Jeep blew up here in our parking lot, so yeah, he didn’t argue.” Rhy scowled. “We need to get this guy and soon.”
“We will.” Grayson sounded confident. “Thanks for arranging the room. We’ll head there as soon as Zeke and Jina arrive.”
“They’re going to call when they get here and meet you outside the main entrance.” Rhy glanced toward the side door. “I need to speak with the team and Mitch Callahan. We know these attempts are connected, and I’m hoping Mitch can gather enough information on the devices to prove it.”
“Be careful,” she said, not hiding her concern.
Rhy’s smile was brief. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling this guy is long gone. The device was triggered by Grayson using the key fob to start the Jeep’s engine. If our perp planned to detonate the device via some sort of remote control, he would have waited for you and Grayson to get inside.”
Her eyes widened in horror. His theory was hardly reassuring.
“Go, Rhy. Then head home to your family.” Grayson looked at Rhy with concern. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“You and Eve too.” Rhy gave a small nod, then headed outside through the side door. “Call me if anything changes.”
“Always,” Grayson promised. There was a long silence after Rhy left before he spoke again. “I feel like I should be out there helping,” Grayson said.
She tightened her grip on his hand, hoping he wouldn’t leave. “I’m glad you’re here. And that you’re safe.”
“Ditto,” he murmured. Then he released her to check his phone. She realized he’d gotten an incoming text. “Zeke and Jina will be here in five minutes.”
“Okay.” She glanced around the police station, which was unusually quiet. “I hope they don’t find any more devices.”
“I don’t think they will. This guy is fixated on you.” Grayson frowned when his gaze landed on her bag. “I guess it’s a good thing you brought your computer and notes with you. I’ll need to grab another laptop.”
She nodded, realizing he was right. Thank goodness she hadn’t lost her notes. The delay in her ability to work was bad enough.
And that only made her realize again how important it was to find this guy as soon as possible. With every delay, thousands of people’s lives continued to be ruled by their disease, checking their blood sugar and injecting themselves with insulin or taking other medications every single day.
Deep down, she knew her mother’s disease had spiraled out of control in part due to her lack of compliance. But even those who were really good about keeping track of their numbers suffered detrimental side effects of their high blood sugar. By the time her mother had died, she was almost completely blind and suffered severe neuropathy in her feet.
She hoped this new technique she was working on to rejuvenate the pancreatic hormonal secretion cells would work. The pancreas was a gland, like the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, among others. The impact of her research was potentially far-reaching, beyond just treating diabetes. There were other diseases that may also be able to be cured.
It was extremely difficult to sit back doing nothing while Grayson and the rest of the team searched for the man responsible for these attacks. And as Grayson had pointed out, that may be the goal. One she did not understand.
“They’re here,” Grayson said, breaking into her thoughts. He had a laptop case slung over his shoulder, a replacement for the one he’d left at the City Central Hotel.
She rose to her feet and lifted her bag onto her shoulder. “Maybe I should place my notes in a safe deposit box,” she said, mostly to herself. “At least then I’d know they would be safe from harm.”
“That’s not the worst idea, but we can’t do that until morning.” Grayson rested his hand on the small of her back. “I’m going to head outside first. I want you to stay behind me.”
“I understand.” She didn’t like it but knew arguing was useless. Grayson would protect her no matter what.
She couldn’t see beyond Grayson’s broad shoulders as they left the building. She heard him call out, “Hey, Zeke. Thanks for the ride. I owe you one.”
“Nah, we’re all in this together,” a male voice responded. “I can’t believe the Jeep was blown to bits.”
“Yeah, thankfully without us being inside.” Grayson reached the sidewalk, then opened the door to a black truck. “Slide in, Eve.”
She did so, placing her bag on the floor first, before scrambling inside. Zeke eyed her curiously but then tossed the keys to Grayson. “Try not to get my truck blown up.”
“That’s the goal,” Grayson said. He waved at Jina, a beautiful blonde who sat behind the wheel of a four-door sedan. “Take care and I’ll be in touch.”
“You got it. We’re heading out back to help sweep the area.” Zeke nodded at Jina. “It’s not likely we’ll find anything, but you know Rhy wants us to be sure. Based on how close this one hit to home, I don’t blame him.”
“I hear you.” Grayson slid in behind the wheel. “Good luck.”
She buckled herself in as Grayson pulled away from the curb. She tried not to show her nerves as he headed toward the interstate. “Timberland Falls is outside your jurisdiction, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.” He shrugged. “Although our team has been called in to help support the suburbs of Milwaukee and the eastern part of Waukesha because of our close proximity.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. “We’ll be safe in Timberland Falls. We have to make a stop along the way, though, to pick up replacement phones.”
“Okay.” She didn’t much care about the phone, and there was no point in telling him she didn’t feel safe anywhere. That was her problem, not his. The man who had targeted her was flesh and blood, not someone with superhuman powers. People made mistakes.
And she firmly believed Grayson would find him.
It was only a matter of time.
And she could only pray that it would happen sooner rather than later.
His stomach was rumbling loudly by the time they reached the Timberland Falls Suites. Picking up disposable phones was quick and painless. Eve had seemed interested in the way they worked, having never used one before. He explained the technology along the way.
Their room was ready, and it didn’t take long for them to get settled inside. He preferred having a suite rather than using connecting rooms. They would still have privacy while sharing a central living space. He grabbed the room service menu, hoping it wouldn’t take too long for the food to be delivered.
“Lots of options here.” He scanned the menu, decided on a cheeseburger, and handed it to Eve. “Let me know what you’d like. There are soft drinks too.”
“I’ll have the grilled chicken and water. I don’t like all the chemicals in soft drinks.” She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know why, but it seems wrong to be hungry at a time like this.”
“It’s not wrong.” He frowned. “Our bodies need fuel to fight this attacker. It’s important that we stay hydrated too.” He reached for the phone and placed their order, opting for water as well. He’d never worried about the chemicals in soft drinks before, but if Eve said they were a problem, he was inclined to believe her.
