Page 29 of Chasing a Kidnapper

“I’m sure I’ll be safe here with Gabriel,” Trisha said, easily reading his thoughts. “You found the connection to Zillow and deserve to be involved.”

“It’s okay. The rest of the task force has it under control.” He was trying to reassure himself as much as her.

On cue, the hotel phone rang. He reached over to answer the landline. “Hello?”

“Food delivery here for you,” the front desk clerk said.

“I’ll be right there.” He hung up and patted his pocket to make sure he had his key. Their suite was on the first floor, per his request, to make it easier to take Peanut outside. He decided to bring her with him. “Our sandwiches and chips are here. I’ll be right back. Come, Peanut.”

Peanut eagerly jumped up when he reached for her leash. At his place, he didn’t need it. But here, there were too many people milling about. Peanut was very well-behaved.

Too bad many people weren’t.

He glanced back to see that Trisha had turned her attention back to her son. He abruptly realized the main reason she’d gotten a room here was so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by Gabriel’s fussing.

Oddly, the little boy hadn’t bothered him at all. It was almost scary how quickly and easily the mother and son pair had infiltrated his life. To the point his house was going to seem empty once they were gone.

He took Peanut outside first, scanning the area as she did her business. Satisfied there was nothing unusual or suspicious, he took the dog back in and grabbed the sandwiches. His stomach rumbled with hunger as the aroma of bacon from his BLT sub wafted toward him.

Back in the suite, he’d noticed Trisha had cleared the table to make room. Gabriel was sitting on the floor again, gnawing at his teething ring. Peanut went over to the little boy, as if knowing it was a part of her job to keep an eye on him.

“I’m hungry,” Trisha said.

“Me, too, but I need to feed Peanut, first.” He made it a habit to care for his partner before himself. He rummaged in the oversize bag he’d packed with her things, pulling out her food and water dishes. After filling them up, he set them on the floor in front of the minifridge. Peanut watched him with dark eyes, her nose sniffing the air but not moving until he gave her the okay.

“Come and get it,” he said, pointing at the bowls.

Peanut jumped up and ran to eat, her tail wagging with excitement. He stroked her soft fur. “You’re a good girl, Sweet Pea.”

“I love that nickname,” Trisha said with a smile. “I can’t get over how amazing K-9s are. I didn’t really appreciate them the way I do now.”

“I have to admit, it’s a blessing to be able to work with a K-9 partner.” He returned to the table, opened the bag of chips, then reached for his sandwich.

“I’d like to say grace,” Trisha said.

He flushed and dropped the sandwich he’d almost taken a bite out of. “Of course. Sorry.”

She smiled and reached for his hand. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this wonderful food we are about to eat. Please continue to keep the task force team members and my son safe in Your loving arms. Amen.”

“And keep Trisha safe from harm, too,” he quickly added. “Amen.”

“Thanks for including me.” She released his hand and waved at the food. “Now we can dig in.”

“We had pizza last night, or I’d have suggested it again,” he admitted. “The pizzeria smelled great.”

“It’s a fan favorite with me, too. But this turkey sub works just as well.” She took a small bite. “I hope you hear something from the task force soon.”

He eyed his watch. It was quarter past six o’clock. Had the lab gotten any results back on Petey Pawners’s dead accomplice? He’d hoped for something more to go on, but at this rate they may not learn anything until the morning.

He wondered if Gracie and Zach had spoken to Greg Zillow yet. He also wanted to attend the autopsies. Maybe he could convince one of the patrol officers to stand by here at the hotel while he was gone.

They were just finishing their meal when his phone rang. Surprised to see his captain’s name on the screen, he quickly answered. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“We have an ID on the dead accomplice found in the dumpster with Petey Pawners,” Ross said, his voice sounding resigned. “Greg Zillow. I heard you cross matched his name as belonging to the gym and being a former employee of the Plains City Pizzeria.”

“I did.” He sat back, letting out a low groan. “I can’t believe Zillow is dead.”

“Yeah, Gracie Fitzpatrick and Zach Kelcey had just gotten to his place to try to talk to him when word came in. They’re going to execute a search warrant for his apartment, and Pawners’s place, too. Just thought you should know.” His boss sounded tired.

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