Page 42 of Chasing a Kidnapper

“I’m Officer Trisha McCord. You must be on the new task force,” she said by way of introduction.

“Yes, Lucy Lopez.” The woman’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m from Fargo, North Dakota, and am about to head home. My daughter...” Her voice trailed off as she flushed. “Never mind. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I have a six-month-old named Gabriel,” Trisha offered, sensing Lucy was struggling with something. “My husband left me when I discovered I was pregnant. I know how difficult it is to juggle work responsibilities while being a mom.”

“Yes, exactly.” Lucy’s gaze warmed. “I’ve never been married and it’s not easy. My daughter, Annalise, is four years old, but she has some anxiety issues.” Lucy bit her lip. “I’m honored to be included in this task force but hate leaving her for long periods of time. My mother watches her for me, so that’s helpful. Still...” Her voice trailed off.

“I understand,” Trisha assured her. “I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s anxiety problems. That must be difficult.”

“I’ve reached out to a man named Micah Landon who trains anxiety dogs.” Her brown eyes brightened. “I love my K-9 partner, Piper, but Annalise having her own therapy dog would be good for her, too.”

“Absolutely.” Trisha placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “I truly wish you all the best. And I will keep you and Annalise in my prayers.”

“Thanks so much.” Lucy smiled. “It’s always reassuring to talk to other single moms working in law enforcement, and I will gladly take all the prayers I can get. Come, Piper.” Lucy turned and headed to the elevator.

Trisha sent up a silent prayer for Lucy, then headed for the closest cubicle. She may as well begin searching for a connection between Nick Cutter and her ex-husband.

After logging on, she found Nick Cutter on social medial and began scanning his photos. Bryan had taken himself off social media, but if he and Nick Cutter knew each other, Bryan might appear in some of Nick’s pictures. Especially if Nick hadn’t tagged him.

“What brings you in on your day off?” Captain Ross asked.

She smiled wryly at his comment. Investigating with West didn’t feel like a day off. “You may not have heard that West and I were targeted by gunfire at the apartment building where my ex used to live. Worse, the shooter got away.”

“Gunfire?” Ross scowled. “I had heard the report come in, but I didn’t realize you and West were the ones involved. What can I do to help?”

“We issued a BOLO for the vehicle the shooter used to escape. And we’re trying to find a nexus between our current suspect, Nick Cutter, and my ex.” She paused, then added, “Oh, yeah. West found a couple of shell casings, too. At this point all we can do is wait for something to pop from the scant bit of evidence that’s been collected to date.”

“I’ll make sure the lab puts a rush on that,” Ross said. The lab was housed on the third floor of the building. “I was hoping you’d be in the safe house.”

“Former police officer Laurel Newton is staying there with my son. I couldn’t just sit by while West did all the legwork on this case. Besides, I know my ex better than anyone.” Even as she said the words, she realized that wasn’t exactly true.

She didn’t know the man who’d turned criminal. The fact that the shooter may have staked out the apartment building only confirmed that Bryan had gotten wrapped up in something bad.

She just wished she knew what this was about. And where the key was that someone wanted badly enough to kill for.

“I understand.” Ross turned to answer his mobile phone. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.” He headed back to his office without saying anything more.

Trisha went back to her search, which was painstakingly slow work. She knew she’d recognize Bryan when she saw him, but he was not in a single photograph on Nick Cutter’s profile page.

Another dead end.

She tried to come up with another avenue to search when she heard footsteps behind her, along with the telltale click of dog paws on linoleum.

She turned to see West and Peanut crossing toward her. West’s expression was serious, so she jumped up from her seat, mentally preparing herself for bad news. “How did it go?”

“Doc confirmed cause of death as gunshot wounds to the head for both Petey Pawners and Greg Zillow,” he said somberly. “I need you to come with me, though.”

“Okay, what’s going on?” She searched his gaze. “You look upset.”

“Not upset, just concerned.” He took her hand in his. “Let’s go.”

She accompanied him outside to his K-9 SUV. After he placed Peanut in the back, she reached for his arm. “Spill it, West. What is this about?”

He cupped her shoulders with his broad hands. “The ME has a John Doe that we believe is your ex-husband, Bryan Little. She would like you to confirm his identity since his fingerprints aren’t in the system.”

Bryan was dead? She had suspected that, but hearing about a John Doe matching his description was a shock. She leaned against West, her mind whirling. Bryan had walked away, had refused to be a part of her son’s life.

But forever was a long time. She’d always wondered if Bryan would change his mind at some point. Would decide to meet Gabriel when he was older.

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