Deadly Christmas Duty Page 12

  * * *

  “Gun!” Noah shouted, grabbing Melinda and pulling her to the floor before she could straighten up. Bending down to help her son had just saved her life. “Get down!”

  Ramey cried out at the commotion, and Noah saw fear on Melinda’s face. Two other customers in the bakery—and Beth behind the counter—had also hit the floor when the shots started. He stared at them now, huddled and frightened.

  “Is everyone okay?” Robin called, then screamed and ran back into the kitchen as another shot was fired through the front window.

  Noah pulled Melinda and Ramey beneath a table, then drew his gun and crawled to the window. It was immediately obvious there were too many people around for him to try to get off a return shot, even if he could figure out where the gunfire was coming from. His handgun didn’t have the accuracy of a rifle, and it was too great a risk of hitting someone besides his target. He had more powerful weapons in the trunk of his car, but he doubted he could get to them before this was all over.

  He tried to get a look at the shooter. He saw nothing for several moments, then another shot rang out and he saw where the gunfire was coming from. “He’s firing from across the street. Top of the building.”

  “That’s Mona Milburn’s boutique,” Melinda told him.

  “He probably crawled up the back of the building.” He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. “There’s a sniper on the roof of Mona Millburn’s shop. He’s shooting into the Danbars’ bakery.”

  The operator promised to relay the message and dispatch units to the scene. At least the gunfire had scattered the crowds on the street, clearing the way for the police to approach.

  “What should we do?” Melinda asked.

  He turned to look at her. Fear was lining her face as she hugged Ramey to her. He hated seeing that look of despair on her face. “Try to make it to the kitchen, but stay low.” He glanced at the others and told them the same thing. “Stay low so he can’t see you.”

  They all started crawling on the floor, Melinda pulling Ramey beside her while simultaneously pushing his head low. Once they reached the kitchen, she leaped to her feet and dragged Ramey along with her toward the back of the building.

  Noah followed their lead and crawled across the floor to the kitchen, which was windowless and blocked off by a large wall between the front area and the kitchen.

  He stood and dusted off. “Is everyone okay?” He counted heads as they all nodded and remarked they were unhurt. Melinda and Ramey were there, as were Robin and Beth and the two customers who’d been in the bakery when the shooting started. But someone was missing. “Where’s Trey?”

  Robin looked frazzled as Noah turned his attention toward her. “He left right after you two walked out.” She pulled at the chain around her neck holding a delicate cross. He’d noticed her playing with it before, when she’d seen the sketch, and suspected she was hiding something then. Now he knew she was.

  “Where did he go?”

  “I—I don’t know. He was furious at the questions you were asking and said he needed time to cool off.”

  The sound of sirens approaching was the only thing that prevented Noah from calling her out. It was much too coincidental that her husband had disappeared at exactly the moment someone had started shooting at them. And who else had known they were inside the bakery?

  His phone buzzed and he answered it. It was Peterson.

  “Is everyone okay in there?”

  “We’re all fine. No one was hit. What’s the status?”

  “Whoever it was is gone. I’ve got teams spreading out and forming a perimeter.”

  He glanced at Robin then turned around. “I have someone you can keep an eye out for. Trey Danbar.”

  “Trey? Why?”

  “He’s MIA from the bakery, but he was here just before the shooting started. I’m not sure he had time to get out and get on top of the building, but something is definitely weird with him.”

  “Will do,” Peterson stated. “For now, stay put inside until we’ve completed our sweep of the area.”

  He disconnected the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. His heart was starting to slow, but it broke to see Melinda and Ramey huddled together in fear. It had been a bad call to bring her out in the open, and he kicked himself for thinking he could keep her safe. He had to do better.

  His instinct was to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but each error in judgment he had made was because of his selfish desire to keep her by his side. He had to think smarter, and he couldn’t allow his feelings for this lady to cloud his rational thinking. There may be no future for them together, but he was determined to make certain she at least had a future.

  * * *

  Melinda rolled up her jacket and used it as a pillow for Ramey to lie on. It was way past his bedtime, and even with the noise of the police station, he was out like a light in a matter of minutes. She draped Noah’s jacket over him, then went to find out what was going on. All her energies for the past hour had been spent keeping her son calm. Now that he was asleep and they were safe at the station, she could truly focus on what was happening with the investigation.

  Trey Danbar had tried to shoot her.

  She couldn’t wrap her brain around it. Why would Trey want to harm her? She found Noah and Chief Peterson talking and interrupted their conversation.

  “How’s Ramey?” Noah asked, and she loved that his first thought was of her son.

  “He’s fine. What’s happening?”

  “We found Trey and swabbed his hands,” Peterson said. “There was no evidence of gunpowder, meaning he wasn’t the shooter.”

  Noah frowned. “Then where was he?”

  “He said he headed home, just like Robin said.”

  Noah shook his head. “No way he left that fast unless he had somewhere pressing to be.”

  “My officers found no weapons on him, but they did find he made a call minutes before the shooting started.”

  Noah turned to her. “Robin went into the office to get Trey. He could have made a phone call before he came out, alerting whoever would be shooting at us that we were there.”

  “Or anyone could have known because they saw us walk in. The streets were crowded with people.”

  Noah shook his head. “No, it would have taken too long for him to set up. He wouldn’t have any idea how long we would be inside. We could have come in and walked right back out.”

  “He was on top of a building. He could have shot at us anywhere on the street.” All the back and forth and speculation was exhausting. “What about the number Trey called? Who did it belong to?”

  Chief Peterson shook his head. “I had my guys run it, but it came back as a burner phone.”

  “I don’t understand why Trey would want to hurt me. Robin and I have been friends for years.”

  “Well, we’ve got both Trey and Robin detained separately. We’ll find out what’s going on.” He glanced at Melinda. “Do you mind if Noah and I speak privately for a moment?”

  She was curious what all the secrecy was about, then decided she didn’t really want to know. She had enough on her mind and was sure Noah would fill her in on whatever they were talking about. “Sure. I’ll go get a cup of coffee.”

  She watched them enter Chief Peterson’s office, where he handed Noah a file. She could guess what was in it. He was looking into Sean’s death. She supposed it had to be done, but she wanted no part of those memories. Seeing his cold, dark eyes had been enough to convince her he was alive.

  She walked into the small break room. Someone had made a fresh pot of coffee, and she helped herself to a cup. She was ready for this night to be over. Ramey needed to be in a bed, and she had to admit she was tired enough to crash herself.

  She turned and started, dropping her coffee as she spotted Wayne Lassiter blocking the doorway and trapping her insi
de the break room.

  Although she was fairly certain he wasn’t involved in the threats against her life, she still suspected he’d had a hand in Nikki’s disappearance. Either way, she wanted nothing to do with him.

  “What are you doing here, Wayne? I thought the police were questioning you.”

  “They had to let me go. I haven’t done anything. Someone stole my car and used it to attack you, Melinda. I’m completely innocent.”

  His blameless expression made her furious. “There is nothing innocent about you, Wayne.”

  “Are you still harping on the Nikki thing?”

  “You mean her disappearance and probable murder? Yes, I am.”

  “I had nothing to do with that, either. I wish someone would find her and bring her home.”

  She wanted to tell him about the blood evidence that had been found in his car, but she didn’t know what the investigators who’d questioned him had told him, and she didn’t want to jeopardize the case by making him aware of physical evidence against him if he didn’t already know. But she could not wait for the day that that smug grin was wiped from his face when she filed a murder indictment against him.

  “Why are you here, Wayne? I mean, what compelled you to stop and talk to me? We’re not friends.”

  “No, we’re not. Never have been. I know you’ve never liked me, but there’s something you should know about Noah Cason, and since you’re a former friend of my wife’s, I felt like it was my duty to tell you about it.”

  She didn’t miss the former friend part. Past tense. “I know everything I need to know about him.”

  He shook his finger at her in a condescending manner. “You’re too trusting, just as Nikki was. You have no idea what kind of man you’ve associated yourself with.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nikki thought he was a hero, but that wasn’t true. He’s a killer, Melinda.”

  She stared into his eyes, stunned by the irony of what he was saying. Who was Wayne Lassiter to call Noah a killer? “You know nothing. If he’s killed, it was in the line of duty.”

  “No, he was a killer before he even joined the navy. He murdered his and Nikki’s father when he was sixteen.”

  She gasped at the accusation. This man would go to any lengths to paint himself as the good guy.

  “Did he forget to tell you? Nikki told me all about it years ago. Lyle showed me the police report. Their mother came home to find her husband dead and Noah holding the bloody knife. His mother even testified against him at trial.”

  Melinda was stunned. Why would Wayne go to the trouble of telling her a lie he knew she could disprove by looking into it? “There was a trial?”

  “He apparently got off on a technicality and joined the navy soon afterward. You can look it up if you don’t believe me. It took place in Monroe County. You’ll see I’m right. You’re hanging around with a killer, Melinda. You’re pinning all your hopes and dreams on a murderer.”

  He turned and walked away, but his words left her reeling. Nikki had never had anything but good things to say about her brother, but then again, she’d had nothing but good words for her husband, too, until Melinda had confronted her about the abuse. But why did Wayne care about her knowing this? Was it just to hurt her? That was the most likely scenario. Perhaps he thought by distracting her, she would give up on pinning Nikki’s disappearance on him.

  She was cleaning up the spilled coffee when another figure appeared in the doorway. She glanced up to see Noah standing over her.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “I had a little accident.” She tossed the wet paper towels into the trash. “What’s going on? What was all that about?”

  “He wanted to give me some information about your husband. That, and he wanted to tell me they had to let Wayne go.”

  She folded her arms protectively against her chest, hating the doubt that Wayne had planted. She was sure that had been his sole intention. “I know. I saw him.”

  “You did?” He stepped closer to her and touched her shoulder. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He meant the gesture to be comforting, but to Melinda, his hand on her felt like a boulder she couldn’t shove off.

  “No, he didn’t hurt me.” But he had. He’d devastated her without ever laying a finger on her.

  “Good. Why don’t we go? It’s past time for Ramey to be in bed.”

  “Sure, but I need to talk to Chief Peterson privately for a moment, too. Can you wait?”

  “No problem. You want me to go ahead and load Ramey into the car?”

  “I’ll only be a minute.” She marched past him and into Peterson’s office, closing the door behind her.

  He looked up from his desk. “If this is about what Noah and I—”

  “This has nothing to do with that. How could you not tell me about Noah’s past? Your friend Wayne couldn’t wait to stop me in the break room and spill the beans. He said you knew Noah was arrested for killing his father?”

  “That was years ago, Melinda.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Have I allowed a dangerous man into my life? Around my son?”

  “Wayne told me about Noah after Nikki vanished. He wanted me to look into her brother as a possible suspect.”

  “He wasn’t even in the country when she vanished.”

  “I know. That’s what I discovered when I checked into him. But I had to look. Wayne suggested he was violent, and even told me about the incident Nikki had told him about. He claimed Nikki was scared of him, and the last time she’d spoken to him, he’d told her he was coming to town.”

  She shook her head at the absurdity of Wayne’s attempts to distract from his own actions. “You don’t really believe he was involved in Nikki’s disappearance, do you?”

  “No, I don’t. I called his lawyer, a public defender at the time. He told me the real story. Apparently, their father was abusive to them both growing up. When Noah was sixteen, he found him beating up Nikki. He tried to stop him and wound up stabbing him to get him to stop. Nikki was almost killed that night. He saved her life. She testified to the abuse at his trial, and he was acquitted.”

  “He was protecting her?” She glanced out the office window and saw Noah sitting protectively beside Ramey. She suddenly felt like a gigantic fool. “Wayne was trying to make me doubt him.”

  “I’ve been a police officer for sixteen years. During that time, I’ve had to pull my gun on multiple occasions, but I’ve only shot it three times. One of those three was fatal. It was a good shot, but it still haunts me to know I took someone’s life. I imagine Noah’s had to make that choice many times throughout his career, but I can’t imagine you become immune to it. Talk to him. You may be the only person who’s ever wanted to listen to his side of that terrible night.”

  It was good advice, and she appreciated it. Her fear and anger was dissipating at his reassurances. She thanked him, then walked back to the waiting area to tell Noah she was ready to leave. He picked up Ramey and carried him to the car, and she was struck by his gentleness with him. She wanted to believe Noah was a good person and wouldn’t have hurt anyone without provocation, and she hadn’t, until Wayne had placed doubts in her mind.

  But why had he never told her about this? Was he afraid of what she might think? She’d told him her deepest, darkest secret about killing her husband, and he’d said nothing to her in return about this. She was already wary about putting her heart out there, and she’d sworn she would never again fall for an abusive man.

  Was it possible Noah had fooled her the same way Sean had?

  And was it already too late for her to guard her heart against him?

  * * *

  Noah waited until Melinda tucked Ramey into bed, then disappeared into the bedroom herself before he opened the file on Sean Steele. Noah stared at the photographs of Melinda in the ca
se file, beaten and bruised. He felt sick. And angry. And disgusted.

  He’d known about the abuse, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things. If Sean wasn’t really dead, Noah couldn’t wait to get his hands on him and make him pay for how he’d treated Melinda.

  He read through the police report that documented Melinda’s tale of being taken out on a boat on the lake by her husband, then being thrown overboard and held under the water. The report was full of facts and reports, but few conclusions. Sean Steele was officially listed as missing, and the case was still technically open.

  She’d told him Sean had been declared legally deceased six months ago. That meant someone had checked to make certain his social security number hadn’t been used and his credit reports had been inactive for all that time. If he was alive and targeting Melinda, how was he surviving?

  There were ways of living off the grid, but why would Sean take that route if he didn’t have to? Had something else happened on that boat that Melinda hadn’t told him about? Something that would make him run? Given their history, Noah had a difficult time believing Sean would be worried about the attack on Melinda. He’d talked and threatened his way out of other violent incidents. There was no reason to suspect he couldn’t have this time, as well.

  He pulled a photograph of Sean Steele from the file. It was his mug shot, taken during one of his domestic violence arrests. He pulled up the image of the sketch he’d helped create and compared the two.

  The similarities were there, enough that he could understand why Melinda would think this man was her husband. But this mug shot was ten years old. It might be him, but Noah couldn’t tell for certain.

  Noah pushed away the file and rubbed his face. This was all starting to get to him, but protecting Melinda was his number-one priority. He knew Nikki wouldn’t mind. She would want him to take care of Melinda, especially when the odds of finding her alive were negligible.

  He opened his laptop and pulled up a map of the Southeast, calculating the distance between Daytonville and Lakewater, Tennessee, where Melinda had lived when Sean died. It was only a three-hour drive. He could go there and be back in a day, albeit a long one. He wanted to talk to the local sheriff’s office and get the real dish on what had happened and what kind of man Sean Steele had been. He knew from experience that not everything went into logs and reports.