Fugitive Hunt, page 12
Soon the four of them were huddled in a booth at Rhonda’s Café. Morganne put the news of Goldberg aside as her stomach rumbled with hunger.
“Do you have the menu memorized, Colt?” Tanner asked with a grin. “Tell us what’s good.”
“The butter burger is to die for,” Colt said with a straight face.
The two marshals burst out laughing. Morganne found herself joining in.
Maybe it was silly to find release in a pathetic joke, but after being thwarted by Blaine at every turn, she couldn’t deny feeling relieved that she and Colt weren’t the only ones looking for her cousin.
The sooner they arrested Blaine, the better.
Yet at the same time, she knew it wouldn’t be easy to watch Colt depart Jackson, leaving her to return to being a street cop once this nightmare was over.
Colt had proven to be an amazing partner.
One she’d deeply miss when he was gone.
* * *
Once they’d ordered their meals, Colt leaned forward and dropped his tone. “Listen, we really need to find a guy by the name of Owen Plumber. We have reason to believe he’s the key to finding Winston.”
“They were rodeo buddies before Blaine got arrested for killing those women and almost killing me,” Morganne added. “Owen was a semitruck driver, and a semi crashed into the ambulance that allowed Blaine to escape nine months ago. The driver wasn’t Owen, but we believe he’s the key.”
“How so?” Tanner asked.
“Blaine’s lawyer may have played a part, but we can’t question him because he died two months ago,” Morganne admitted.
There was a moment of silence as his fellow marshals digested this.
“We’re here to help. Crane told us to stick around for as long as you need us,” Slade said.
“Yeah, so what’s the plan?” Tanner asked.
“I thought maybe you could stake out Owen’s apartment.” His suggestion was greeted by matching scowls.
“I doubt the guy is stupid enough to return to his apartment,” Tanner said logically. “We need to figure out where they’re hanging out between shooting attempts.”
His buddy made a good point. He glanced at Morganne. “Any thoughts on that angle?”
She pursed her lips. “I think Silas’s place is too far, so that’s probably out. Maybe Owen has family in the area.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m an idiot for not thinking of that earlier.”
“Well, now, cut yourself some slack. The two of you have been running from this guy’s attempts to kill you since the beginning,” Slade said kindly.
“Yeah, and trust me, we’ve both been there,” Tanner added, jerking his thumb between himself and Slade. “You and Colt are still alive, and that’s all that matters.”
Colt was glad his buddies had shown their support. “We will find him and put him away for the rest of his life.”
“Hear, hear,” Slade said, lifting his water glass in a toast. They all clinked their water glasses together.
“Looks like Owen’s parents live in Montana,” Morganne said with a sigh. “That’s out.”
“We’ll find him,” Colt said encouragingly.
When their meals arrived, Colt bowed his head. Morganne slipped her hand into his beneath the table, and a rush of warmth washed over him. “Dear Lord, we thank You for continuing to keep us safe in Your care. Bless this food we are about to eat, and continue guiding us on Your path. Amen.”
“Amen,” Slade, Tanner and Morganne echoed. It was a long moment before she released his hand.
“You’ve been checking Plumber’s social media, right?” Tanner asked Morganne. “Any siblings? A current or former girlfriend, perhaps?”
The girlfriend angle reminded Colt of Kay Fisher. It was disturbing to realize another innocent woman might be in harm’s way because of Winston’s thirst for revenge.
“I haven’t found one yet,” Morganne said between bites. She continued scrolling through her phone. “Hey, wait a minute. Here’s a picture of a woman standing beside Owen. I think it must be a friend of his. Romantic or strictly friendship, I can’t say for sure.”
Colt leaned closer to see the image. “Either way, she’s a possibility. Can you find out her name?”
“Sally Birch.” Morganne’s expression turned grim. “We’d better find Sally before it’s too late.”
“We will.” He strove to sound confident. After taking a bite of his butter burger, he called Crane. “I need everything you have on a Sally Birch.”
“Okay, okay, give me a minute.” There was a long silence before Crane came back on the line. “I’ve got her address and a description of her car.”
“Send them to me,” Colt said. “We’re heading there as soon as possible.” He slipped his phone in his pocket and took another bite of his burger. When the email came in, he scanned it quickly. “Okay, Sally lives in a small house, not far from where Morganne lives, actually.” Was that a coincidence? Maybe, as Jackson wasn’t that big. He eyed Tanner and Slade. “We should split up and approach her house from the front and the back.”
“And pray we find Sally alive and unharmed,” Morganne added.
“Yes,” he agreed. His buddies nodded solemnly.
They quickly finished their meal and paid the tab. Outside, he pulled up the location of Sally’s home on his phone to show the others. “Tanner and Slade, I want you to go up to the front door, because Winston won’t recognize you. Morganne and I will cover the back.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tanner drawled.
Colt glanced at Morganne as he drove the short distance to Sally’s house. “This is a good lead, Morganne.”
“I hope so.” Her smile was lopsided. “I really hope she’s okay.”
He did, too. Driving around the block, he pulled over at the side of the road. “Let’s do this.”
Weapons held ready, Colt and Morganne took two different paths through the neighbors’ yards so they could keep an eye on the back door.
Colt knelt near the base of a tree. Morganne was positioned within view behind a low bush. He watched the back door of Sally’s house, hoping they’d catch Winston in the act of fleeing from the scene.
At this point, he’d gladly take Plumber, instead. Anyone with knowledge of Winston’s whereabouts would be helpful.
He strained to listen but was too far back to hear anything going on at the front of the house. Thinking about how Slade and Tanner were both happily married now made him feel a little guilty about dragging them over to help.
Dear Lord, please watch over us all!
The whispered prayer helped steady his nerves. Then he heard the sound of gunfire.
No! He leaped to his feet just as a man came barreling out of the back door of the house, holding a gun. Without hesitation, he lifted his weapon. “US marshal! Drop your gun and put your hands on your head!”
The man didn’t listen. Instead the gun swung in Colt’s direction. He recognized Owen Plumber the moment before the guy aimed at him and pulled the trigger.
TWELVE
Operating on pure instinct, Morganne fired at the man who ignored the order to drop his gun and who turned to shoot at Colt. The man stumbled backward beneath the force of the bullet. He finally dropped his gun as he fell to the ground.
“Colt!” She didn’t dare take her gaze off the gunman as she rushed forward to kick his weapon far out of reach.
“I’m okay.” Colt quickly joined her near the fallen man. “Owen? Can you hear me?”
The sense of relief that Colt was unharmed was staggering, but she managed to stay focused on the issue at hand. She knelt at Owen’s side, opposite Colt, and gathered up his shirt to press it against the wound in his right upper chest.
“Owen,” Colt said loudly. “Where’s Blaine Winston?”
The injured man tried to open his eyes, but his gaze wasn’t focused. She noticed he was taking rapid shallow breaths and understood he likely had sustained a lung injury.
“Where’s Blaine?” Morganne asked, leaning her weight on the wound in an effort to stop the bleeding. “Please, we need to find him.”
Owen turned to look at her, his gaze finally beginning to focus. “Ro-rodeo...”
She frowned. “Rodeo? I know you both worked the circuit together. Or are you referring to a restaurant? Or a place? A house?” She could barely contain her frustration. “This will go easier for you if you tell us where we can find Blaine.”
Owen didn’t respond. His eyelids closed and his face went slack as he lost consciousness.
“Everyone okay?” Slade and Tanner came out through the back door of Sally’s house. “We called 911. Ambulance should be here any minute.”
“We’re good. Did you find anyone else inside?” Colt asked. “Any sign Winston was there?”
“We didn’t find Sally or Winston. And no sign of a car for either of them. I can’t say if the convict has been there recently or not—we’ll need crime scene techs to dust for prints to know for sure,” Slade answered. He gazed at the injured man. “I take it this is Owen Plumber?”
“Yeah,” Colt said grimly. “And we need him to survive so he can help lead us to Winston.”
“I had to shoot him,” she said defensively. “He fired his gun at you, Colt.”
“I know,” he assured her. “I’m not being critical, just don’t want to lose our best lead.”
She understood what he meant—she wanted to find Blaine as much as Colt did.
Maybe more.
Sirens shrieked as a squad and ambulance approached. Their location in the back of the house made it difficult to see the vehicles, but Slade and Tanner went out front to show the officers and EMTs the way.
Morganne tried not to groan when her lieutenant approached with a scowl on his face. “What on earth happened?”
She continued applying pressure to Owen’s wound as the EMTs crouched beside her, rummaging through their supplies. Only when the closest EMT nudged her aside did she relinquish her position. The same female EMT offered her wipes to clean the blood off her hands.
She used them and faced her boss. “US Deputy Marshal Nelson identified himself and instructed Owen Plumber to drop his gun. Owen didn’t comply and turned to shoot at Colt. I was forced to shoot him first.”
“Owen’s bullet grazed my arm,” Colt added. She whipped around to look more closely. Sure enough, his left sleeve was bloody. “Officer Kimball saved my life.”
“You told me you weren’t hit,” she said, moving over to examine his wound more closely.
“It’s nothing, just a graze.” Colt kept his gaze on her boss. “We wouldn’t have shot at Plumber if he’d cooperated with us. We need him to find Winston.”
Lieutenant Graves let out an exasperated sigh. “The chief is going to force me to call the FBI for more manpower. We can’t keep up with the crime scenes Winston is leaving in his wake.”
Morganne bit back a protest, because her boss was right. These attempts against her were over-the-top and unrelenting. Honestly, they needed all the manpower they could get. As things stood, they had too many officers tied up at various crime scenes and not enough out searching for Blaine.
Her boss glanced down at Owen. The EMTs had placed an IV and were giving fluids as well as packing his wound. The beeping on the heart monitor was somewhat reassuring, and she found herself silently praying that Owen would survive.
She had never killed someone in the line of duty. Not that she wouldn’t shoot again under the same circumstances, but she didn’t like being in the position of taking a life.
As if sensing her distress, Colt moved closer, taking her hand in his. “He’s going to make it.”
“I hope so.” She glanced again at his wound. “You need the EMTs to take a look at that.”
“Who’s hurt?” the female EMT asked with a frown.
“This man is more critical.” Colt waved his hand toward Owen.
“We have him stabilized,” the male EMT said. “We’re about to lift him onto the gurney so we can get him to the hospital.”
“Let me see your injury.” The female EMT stripped off her gloves and donned new ones. She moistened gauze and cleaned Colt’s wound. “It’s not as bad as the blood made it look, but you probably need to head over to the clinic for antibiotics.”
“I will, later.” Colt didn’t so much as grimace as she took care of his injury.
When the wound was clean, the EMT wrapped fresh gauze around it. “That should hold you until you get to the clinic, but don’t wait too long. You don’t want to risk the wound getting infected.”
“He won’t,” Morganne assured her as she sent Colt a warning glare. “I’ll make sure he goes in.”
“Good.” The EMT turned back to Owen, helping lift him onto the gurney. Seconds later, they were wheeling him away.
“I’d like to check out the house,” Colt said, changing the subject. “Maybe there’s something inside that will help us find Winston.”
Morganne was on board with that plan. Thankfully, her lieutenant was talking on the phone and didn’t notice the four of them going back inside.
“Rodeo,” she murmured as she and Colt entered the kitchen area. “Do you think Owen was telling us where Blaine was? Or just how he knew the guy?”
“I wish I knew,” Colt said wryly.
She opened drawers, looked into cupboards but didn’t find anything remotely useful. They moved into the living room, then upstairs to the bedrooms.
Standing in the hallway, she could see into both bedrooms. “Both beds have been used,” she observed. “Could be Blaine was here.”
“Or it could mean that Sally made Owen sleep alone,” Colt argued. “Especially if they were just friends and not dating.”
She hated to admit he was right. The first bedroom revealed nothing of interest. In the second bedroom, there was a matchbook from the Bucking Bronc. “Colt? Come take a look.”
He peered over her shoulder at the matchbook. “We already know Owen was a frequent customer there. Could be this was where he was staying.”
“Rodeo,” she repeated. “Do you think Owen meant the Bucking Bronc?”
“We’ve already been there,” Colt reminded her. “And there wasn’t any living space above the restaurant and bar.”
“Maybe he was trying to tell us that Blaine was the one who took the shot at us from the rodeo store,” she mused. “Or maybe the store owner lied to us and Blaine was living in that loft space. Although I didn’t see a sleeping bag or anything to indicate that.”
“Let’s go,” Colt said, waving toward the steps leading to the main level. “We need to meet with Tanner and Slade to figure out our next move.”
She nodded and led the way downstairs. Glancing at her bloodstained shirt made her grimace. “My house is three blocks away. Let’s stop there for a minute so I can get a change of clothes.”
“I have a spare shirt for you, Colt,” Slade offered. “I think stopping at Morganne’s place is a good idea.”
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Lieutenant Graves asked, coming up to stand in front of them.
“We need to keep searching for Blaine,” Morganne said.
“You know the rule, Kimball. All officers in a shooting need to be placed on administrative leave,” he protested.
“Under normal circumstances, yes,” Morganne replied. “But you said yourself, sir, that we’re undermanned. I have Colt as a witness the shooting was justified. He was injured by Owen’s gunfire. If you take me off this case, Blaine could escape, wait a month, then return. I’m respectfully asking that you waive the mandatory administrative suspension due to exigent circumstances.”
There was a long moment of silence as her boss digested this. Finally he nodded. “Fine. Consider your suspension waived. But we need results, and soon, or neither one of us will have a job.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Lieutenant Graves said. “We finally interviewed Kay Fisher’s boyfriend, Doug Levine. Once he’d sobered up, he informed us he had an alibi for the time frame of Kay’s murder that has checked out so far. He’s still on the suspect list, but frankly it’s looking more like your cousin is the one responsible for her death.”
She winced, hating the reminder that she and Blaine were related, and watched as her boss stomped off.
“We need to get out of here before he changes his mind.” Colt placed a hand at the small of her back.
The four of them headed to their respective SUVs, one in the back of the house and one out front. Colt texted Slade directions, and less than five minutes later, they met up again in her driveway.
“This is where it all started?” Tanner asked, sweeping his gaze over the area. “Winston’s first attempt to shoot you?”
“Yeah.” She unlocked the front door and was immediately hit by a terrible smell. She instinctively reared back, barreling into Colt, who was behind her.
“Stay back,” Colt said, drawing his weapon. “Slade and Tanner, we need to clear the house and the property.”
“I’ll help you clear the house,” Morganne said curtly. “Slade and Tanner can go around back. Just be careful. Blaine has taken refuge in the woods along the rear of the property before.”
The two marshals nodded and moved away. She and Colt cleared the living room and kitchen, then moved to the bedrooms, each taking one. When she entered her bedroom, she stopped abruptly, the smell hitting hard as she saw the body lying on her bed.
Her uncle, Silas Winston. And written in blood above the headboard were the words You’re next.
* * *
Hearing Morganne’s muffled cry, Colt raced over from the second bedroom she used as an office. When he saw the dead body on her bed and the bloody message written on the wall above it, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rose in alarm.
