Christmas K-9 Protectors, page 17
“What? You were holding out!”
Koko’s head came up. He obviously felt the same way.
“It’s oatmeal raisin, from your favorite place up the street.”
“Did you sneak out?”
“No, I had it delivered.”
“Do you have any more surprises?” she asked after taking a bite of the cookie. Eli somehow always knew what she liked.
“I have information from the colonel. Will that count?”
“Yes.” Back to business. “What is it?”
“The DNA from Poker-face Man,” he said, pulling out his phone. “You took down Tree, Mallory. With a skillet.”
She dropped her cookie. “What?”
“Yes. Frederick Turner, aka Tree. You nabbed him.”
Mallory sat stunned. Then she smiled. “Can we tie him to the boss?”
“I’m thinking yes,” Eli said, giving her that dark-spy look that made her turn all soft and mushy. “His rap sheet reads petty stuff and grand theft and felonies, of course. He and the man from the woods—John Rockmore, aka Johnny Rock, were tight and...they are on Mitchell Matson’s payroll. Bodyguards.”
“Not very smart ones,” she retorted. “One dead and one in jail.”
“The dead one can’t talk, but Tree was singing like a talent show contestant.”
She shook her head. “That bad, huh?”
“Worse. He’s not happy about taking the fall. Matson headed straight to the Cayman Islands—without him.”
“Really? Offshore accounts?”
“Probably, and fencing whatever he’s managed to sneak out of the country. But Tree says most of the goods head straight in the other direction—the Bering Sea. You know—Japan, China and Russia.” He bit into his cookie. “There’s more, but he’s lawyered up, and suddenly, he’s not wanting to talk much anymore.”
“Unbelievable,” Mallory said, her heart hurting for Aidan. “What if they’d taken him, Eli? They could have easily put your little brother on a freighter and we’d have never seen him again.”
“I know,” he said, his jawline tight. Mallory could see a distinct pulse beating there. “Lorenza’s watching the kid like a hawk. She knows if they get to him, he’ll disappear forever.” He gripped his coffee cup. “I intend to stop them for good.”
Remembering Lena Matson’s death, Mallory asked, “So, what happens now?”
“Lorenza’s put out the word on Matson. His daughter is dead, his wife is missing and he’s gone AWOL. Tree says the wife was devastated that their daughter had been killed. Supposedly, she left him.”
“Or so Tree says.”
“Yes.” He finished his coffee. “Lena was shot. Ballistics matched the bullet to the same type bullets they found around the lake. Tree swears it wasn’t him. That is, before he shut down.”
“I should talk to him,” she said.
“He’s fighting for a plea bargain now. So yeah, he knows more.” Eli shrugged. “But he thinks someone higher up got to Lena. Tree is claiming that Matson double-crossed the boss. They didn’t like him bringing his daughter into things. He’s given us a lot, but Tree knows more than he’s telling.”
“Well, yes, but we want him to open up and give us specifics.” Mallory stood. “Let’s get permission to question him.”
* * *
“No.” Lorenza’s stance remained firm. She held a hand on Denali, her K-9 partner, who stayed by her side and had become the team’s mascot. “Mallory, you can question him about his feelings, get a read on what motivates him and hope his issues make him squeal the truth. I’ll go with that. But, Eli, you don’t need to be in the middle of that. You can observe and take any information to help with your searches. But Aidan is your brother which makes you way too close to the situation.”
“Okay,” Eli replied, knowing when to let go. Mallory mumbled in agreement. “Can we also talk to Scrawny Kid, the one we found on Aidan’s social media—David Joiner. If we locate him?”
Lorenza’s gaze told him she didn’t like that idea, either.
“No.”
“I’ll assign someone closer to Fairbanks on that. I need you two here, doing what you do best. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Eli replied. Lorenza was right, of course.
“You need to find out more about this teenager. Aidan was a bit cryptic on how they know each other, but it’s not through college. David Joiner dropped out. So do one of your searches and see if you can locate him before going down a snowy rabbit hole.”
“Got it,” Eli replied. “If he’s been coming and going for a while, he might have run into Lena Matson here or there. He might have mentioned Aidan to her—to get them together.”
“And she could have singled Aidan out,” Mallory added. “Aidan is the perfect profile they look for. New to school, lonely, shy, confused. Needing to prove something to someone, hoping to find a close-knit group to fit in with. And a bit awkward.”
“That’s Aidan.” Lorenza sat staring at her desk pad, her fingers rapping against the wood. “Okay, let’s try locating this kid first—I’ll talk to the Fairbank authorities and you keep digging here.”
Then she held up a finger. “Wait.” She stood and wiped her hands down her suit. “I think it’s time I tell Aidan the truth about Lena.” Glancing at Mallory, she said, “You can help in that area. He might need you.”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” she replied softly.
Eli nodded. “Thanks, Colonel. We’ll get online and dig a little more.”
“Good,” she said. “Meantime, work up your report and keep building our case. Matson will mess up sooner or later. He’s desperate and he’s grieving. He has nothing to lose at this point.”
“Got it. He’s dangerous. We’ll find all of them, including his boss.”
“That would be a good Christmas present,” Lorenza replied. “And, Eli, take Koko with you whenever you leave this building. He’s officially cleared to work.”
Eli hurried with Mallory through the building toward the interrogation room, then watched her go inside. She looked as cool as river rocks and she was just as tough. He, on the other hand, worried that Tree would do something to harm her. Ridiculous, since he was handcuffed to the table.
Eli remembered that quick kiss he’d given her, right on the lips. A stupid move, but the feeling of kissing her hadn’t left him. He’d like to try again and keep his lips on her just a little longer. Mallory didn’t seem so sure about that.
Her ex had obviously done a real number on her. She’d always been reserved and quiet, but now she gave Eli the kind of distant glances that told him she wasn’t sure about him.
He’d have to show her she could trust him. The woman had saved his life, after all. That meant she cared a little bit.
Eli would win her over. They’d been coworkers for a long time. Now he wanted more. Maybe he’d always wanted more, but he’d never acted on those feelings. But almost dying in a freezing lake could do that to a person.
He stood behind the two-way mirror and enjoyed watching her do her thing. Mallory could decipher feelings, emotions and minds, while he could decipher biometrics, Wi-Fi codes and cell phone technology.
They made a perfect pair.
But someone needed to convince Mallory of that.
FIFTEEN
Mallory came out of the interrogation room, her mind whirling with the tidbits she’d drawn out of this criminal. Tree had been tough to crack, considering she’d been the one to bash his head in, but she had found a tear in his nervous evasiveness.
“He used to live in Fairbanks,” she told Eli. “That’s when he got involved in this gang. Bad home life and he needed some quick cash to get away. NWS gave him a home and a purpose.”
Eli scoffed. “Yes, I heard. His purpose is to snatch and grab, rob and loot. A familiar story.”
Mallory’s eyes blinked and refocused. “He inadvertently slipped up. He called the leader a name that stayed with me. Big Wolf.”
“Big Wolf,” Eli checked his notes. “Got it. Let’s go to the lab and I’ll do some digging.”
“What time is it?” she asked, panic settling over her. She avoided the basement where the lab was set up. No windows, no light.
“Late,” Eli replied. His phone dinged, as if on cue. He put it on speaker. “Lorenza?”
“Eli, Aidan says the boy is in and out of school and likes to party a lot. He’s in some pictures with Aidan online, but your brother doesn’t think he’s connected to Lena.”
“Thanks,” Eli said. “How’s Aidan?”
“He was shocked and a bit angry that I kept Lena’s death from him, but he’s a strong kid. I ordered pizza and Denali is comforting him. He also said he can contact David and feel him out, but I’m debating that since any contact could be tracked.”
“Tell him we’ll see him soon,” Eli said. He glanced at Mallory after the call ended. “Aidan’s been through so much. We can’t let him down.”
“We have to find a connection to David Joiner, Lena’s dad and this Big Wolf.”
“That’s our assignment,” he said. After they took Koko from a handler, they headed down the elevator to the lab. “She’d rather we surf the web instead of trek through the wilderness. Considering how well that went the first night and all.”
“Good point,” Mallory said, her expression filled with apprehension.
Eli shot her a worried frown. “You don’t like the lab, do you?”
She held her hand tight on Koko’s leash. “I don’t like the dark. You don’t have windows down here.”
“I’ll give you light,” he said, turning on switches. “Is that better?”
Mallory stopped and held a hand to her throat. Those words—I’ll give you light—got to her. No one had ever said that to her before. She knew Eli meant them literally, but her heart took them in the Biblical way. She needed light in her life. Eli gave her that. He made her laugh. He listened to her drone on about criminals and their minds. He cooked her chili and brought her favorite cookies and coffee.
He was a friend. But standing here now, watching him turn on light switches with an indulgent smile, made her see he was more than a friend. Could she trust him on that?
“We can go back upstairs,” Eli said, jarring her mind back to work.
“No, no,” she said, shifting on her boots. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “When my lady asks for light, I produce it.”
She giggled. Really giggled. No one had ever said that to her, either. “You’re a clown and a prince.”
Koko watched her and then looked at Eli. This dog could sense the tiniest of shifts in the mood.
Eli bowed, his blue eyes shining with a brightness that left her breathless. “At your service.” Then his eyes went dark. “I’m always here, Mallory. You should know that.”
Mallory’s giggles evaporated, to be replaced with something she couldn’t define. “I do now,” she whispered. “I see you, Eli.”
He let that settle over him, a questioning look moving like slow water through his eyes, then said, “Let’s get to work.”
Leaving Mallory to wonder if he saw her in the same way. Or if she’d just embarrassed herself by saying silly proclamations to him.
How would things feel after the adrenaline rush of being chased by horrible, deadly criminals faded away? She suspected they’d go back to normal. Passing in the halls, comparing notes, having quick lunches together with others, arguing over epic movies and active cases. The friends-at-work type things.
But now she wanted more.
Mallory sighed. There was too much going on. Her mind clearly wasn’t working on all cylinders.
“I’m in,” he said, pulling her a chair up to his many computers and contraptions. “Let’s get this done.”
“I’m ready,” she replied, seating herself in the tall chair beside him after she’d told Koko to stay. Eli had easily slipped back into work mode. She should do the same. But she wasn’t ready for all these new feelings dancing through her brain.
* * *
Eli stared at the screens blinking in front of him. “It’s like a maze,” he told Mallory.
She sat calmly going through all the twists and turns, taking her own notes. Koko slept at her feet.
Who would have thought brave, confident Mallory didn’t like the dark? Maybe that explained why she’d sat at the very edge of the cave they’d found the other night. Another thing about her he’d catalog. That and how she’d said, I see you, Eli. What did that mean? That she’d never noticed him before, or that she saw him as more than a friend now? Maybe he could ask her that, later, when they weren’t trying to save the world.
Mallory studied the screens. “It’s the usual criminal pattern. A cultlike following, getting recruits off the streets, through word of mouth, and going after messed-up teens and disillusioned young adults. They brainwash these needy humans into doing their dirty work. Aidan was smart to get away.”
“Except he knows things, thanks to Lena. They have to eliminate him.”
“And us,” she replied. “Let’s go over the details.”
“Well, these images I found after checking Aidan’s online accounts do show David Joiner. He’s in a picture with Aidan from a few months back. If I go to David’s page, he’s also friends with Lena. Several pictures of them together, but not at school.” He pointed to an image on the big screen. “And look at the tattoo on his arm.”
Mallory pushed up her glasses and stared at the screen. “A wolf—Amarok.” She looked over at Eli. “That’s the local word for wolf, or one of the many variances. That could connect us to Big Wolf.” Then she gasped. “Eli, the man Aidan and I knocked out—the one who didn’t make it—he kept mentioning a wolf! I thought he was hallucinating, but he tried to give me a name. Wolf. Big Wolf.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Eli said, tapping the keys. “Let’s go back to NWS—Northworld SĢán. We know SĢán is a variance of red snapper. So we have wolf and fish.”
“And Amarok could be the name for the leader,” Mallory added. “Let’s switch to what you found in Fairbanks.”
Eli brought up another screen. “No surnames to bring us to that.” He kept typing. “I’ll look for any organization or business names connected to that.”
Mallory waited, a yawn sneaking through her lips. They’d been at this awhile, comparing everything, but she wouldn’t stop now.
“Look,” Eli said, pointing to a name. “NW Contractors. Owned and operated by Red Graystone.”
“Northworld Contractors? Big Wolf?” Mallory asked. “Or Red Snapper. Anything? Wolves are gray.”
“Either way, this is the closest we’ve come to finding the head honcho.” Eli grabbed his hair and tugged at it. “He’s a prominent member of Fairbanks. Philanthropist, married with a family and he owns contracting businesses all over Alaska.”
“One in Anchorage,” Mallory said, pointing to the screen. Then she pulled up the medical examiner’s notes on Lena. “Look, Eli.”
He read the notes. “Small tattooed name on left shoulder. Amarok.” Then he went back to the report on her father. “He worked for NW Contractors—Manager of the Anchorage branch.”
Eli hit keys and turned to Mallory. “I just sent it all to the colonel. We’ll need to locate David Joiner, and we still need to build our case on Red Graystone, but it’s a start. We’ve connected some dots between Mitchell Matson, Tree, and Red Graystone, plus David Joiner and Lena Matson. But Mitchell and her mother are still missing.”
“We could end this soon,” Mallory said, glee in her words.
“Yes.” He hugged her. “We do make a good team.”
She held him close and then pulled back, her dark eyes full of mysteries. “You’re amazing, Eli.”
Eli gazed into her eyes and then he kissed her, this time in a soft, sweet, lingering way, to ensure she wouldn’t bolt. Then he stepped back. “And you’re the best.” She looked so surprised he panicked. “I’ll go find some coffee and chocolate to celebrate.”
* * *
When he came back, he found Mallory asleep, curled up on the small futon he used whenever he needed a nap. Koko lay on the floor, guarding her. The dog had a crush on her, too. She looked like a beautiful doll, lying there with her hair curling over her cheekbone.
He grabbed an old superhero afghan and carefully placed it over her. He stopped for a moment to take in the woman who’d been forced to hang with him for the last few days. Through shootings and a fire, then ice and snow and now back to work. They’d been through every emotion imaginable in a short time, and they’d come close to death. But we survived. Eli thanked God for that.
God’s time, Eli. Bettina’s words floated through his mind. If you’re patient and stay true, God will give you what you need, not always what you think you want or need, but what He knows you’ll need.
“I need you, Mallory,” he whispered.
Mallory sighed in her sleep. Peaceful.
With the light shining down on her.
He sat and watched her sleep, thinking they’d learned a lot about each other these last few days. He wanted her in his life. All the time.
Eli read over some notes while he kept an eye on her.
Tired, he leaned his head back against the chair and drifted to sleep, his mind on Mallory. Then he came awake. Overhead, an explosion boomed, causing the building to shake. Screams echoed. Footsteps hit the street above them.
Mallory sat straight up, her eyes wide. “What’s going on, Eli?” Koko stood and barked, his ears up, his nose twitching.
His phone buzzed. “Colonel?”
“Eli, get out of the lab. Aidan called me. He got in touch with David Joiner—against my orders—and learned they’ve set bombs at headquarters. We’ve taken David into custody. They’re coming after you and Mallory. Go now! I read your report, and we’ve located Mrs. Matson. I’ll explain the rest later.”
