Critical Response, page 12
part #1 of Finnegan First Responders Series
“Yeah, well, who knows?” Brady sighed. “The shooter stayed in the car, so we didn’t get a clear view of his face.”
A bull’s-eye shot made from the front seat of a car? The thought lifted the hairs on the back of his neck. “The shooter has to be another cop.”
“That’s our working theory,” Brady agreed. “I can send you the pictures we have, but I don’t have high hopes you’ll be able to identify him. The sun glinted off the windshield interfering with the ability to see the guy’s face clearly. We have techs working to sharpen the image, but I don’t have the improved version yet.”
“Send me what you have, along with any better pictures your techs are able to create,” Reed said. “What about Tate’s phone and his car? Find anything interesting there?”
“The crime scene techs are processing the car for prints. We’re hoping the snitch was in the vehicle at some point and that he’s in the system. There are several calls on Tate’s phone. It’s going to take us some time to find out who the numbers belong to.”
He frowned. “I’m sure the snitch used a burner phone.”
“Agreed. But if we can get the snitch’s prints, we’ll be able to track him down regardless of the phone number he’s been using.”
Feds could often be territorial, unwilling to share their information with local authorities. Brady seemed to be the exact opposite, and a wave of admiration for Alanna’s brother washed over him. “Thanks for the update, I appreciate everything you’re doing. I wish I could be there to help track down leads.”
“I’d rather you stay focused on protecting Alanna,” Brady said. “I nearly had a heart attack when she rushed over to tend to Tate.”
“You and me both.” He was not happy at how she’d managed to wiggle away. She flashed him a knowing look as if she knew they were talking about her. “I tried to tell her that he was already dead, but she wouldn’t listen. I guess she needed to see for herself.”
“Sounds like Alanna.” Brady chuckled. “She’s stubborn.”
Wasn’t that a trait all the Finnegans shared? He’d only met a handful of them, but yeah, he was pretty sure it was. “Will you continue to update us on your progress?”
“Yes.” Brady’s voice turned solemn. “We’ve never had a shooting outside the bureau, especially not a cop. Donovan, our special agent in charge, is pretty upset and is demanding I work the case with Doug.”
“Okay.” Reed knew there wasn’t anything else he could do from the hotel. “Don’t forget to send me the photo of the shooter.” Remembering he didn’t have a smart phone, he added, “Use my email, okay?” He quickly gave him the email address.
“Sending the pictures now. Later, Reed.” Brady ended the call.
“I suppose Brady is mad at me too.”
“He’s not.” Reed cast her a sideways glance as he turned on the laptop. “He called you stubborn.”
“Like he should talk,” she groused.
Reed had a response from his email to his former partner, Nate Jackson, but left it unopened in favor of looking at the email from Brady. When it popped into his box, he noticed it was from Brady’s private email, not his official one within the bureau. Did that mean he was helping Reed without his boss’s approval? He found himself hoping the fed didn’t get himself in hot water over this.
When he opened the attachments, he inwardly groaned at the blurry images that bloomed on the screen.
“What did Brady send you?” Alanna leaned over his shoulder to see the computer screen and the two photographs he’d pulled up so they were side by side. “Really? That’s the best they could do?”
“They have a tech working on sharpening the image.” He stared at the pictures, trying to place the blurred features with a cop from his precinct.
It was no use. He shook his head, swallowing his frustration. “I can’t place this guy as a fellow cop or anyone else that I know.”
“Me either.” She straightened, giving him some breathing room. Why was she so close? Her flowery-scented shampoo was messing with his head.
“I, uh, expect the food will be here soon.” He tried to edge past her.
“Reed.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm. Oddly, he could feel the warmth of her fingers radiating through his long sleeve.
“What?” He swallowed hard at the way her brown eyes searched his.
“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.” Her smile brightened her face. “Not just keeping me safe, but you’ve been really sweet in showing concern for my family.”
He stared at her, having no clue how to respond. He didn’t want to admit how much he’d come to care about her siblings. It seemed as if they’d been working together forever rather than less than twenty-four hours. “Anyone else would do the same,” he finally said.
“No, they wouldn’t.” She stepped closer. Alarm bells jangled in his mind. “You’re special, Reed. I hope you know that.”
“I’m not special, I’m just a street cop.” Why wasn’t the food here yet? He cleared his throat. “Not to mention I’m also the guy who put you in danger.”
“Pretty sure the Blood Kings did that when Garcia took me hostage, forcing you to shoot him. I owe you so much.” She lifted up onto her tiptoes to brush a kiss across his mouth. In the back of his mind, he understood she only meant to thank him, but the brief kiss instantly morphed into something more.
His arms betrayed him by circling her waist and drawing her close. He angled his mouth over hers, kissing her the way he’d wanted to for months now. Not just the past few hours, but way back to their first meeting early in the summer. The day he’d brought a patient in his custody to the ED for medical care.
Alanna kissed him back, sending wave after wave of sizzling heat washing over him. He pulled her even closer still until some strange sound intruded.
She broke off their kiss, leaning back to laugh up at him. “I think our food’s here.”
What food? Oh yeah. Their room service lunch.
He managed to pull himself together long enough to look through the peephole. A man stood there with a tray of food.
See, this was why kissing Alanna was a bad idea. What if a gunman had shown up instead?
Getting emotionally involved with Alanna wasn’t smart. He needed to keep his head screwed on straight.
Before the Blood Kings took advantage of his weakness.
Chapter Ten
The bemused expression in Reed’s eyes made her smile. He was so handsome, even if he was more stubborn than anyone in her entire family. Kissing him had been better than she’d imagined, but reality was beginning to sink in. She knew any sort of relationship between them was ill-timed. They had bigger things to worry about. It would have been much better if they’d had a chance to get to know each other under normal circumstances.
Instead of being thrust together by danger.
Reed was determined to protect her, which meant she needed to take their situation at face value. Reed might care about her, but that didn’t mean he wanted more.
She’d kissed him, not the other way around.
He brought in the food tray and set it on the small table near the kitchenette.
“Smells good.” She’d ordered a wrap with fries. She’d go back to the gym once this was over. For now, after being barraged by gunfire, she decided to live in the moment. And that included eating French fries.
He removed the metal covers, setting them aside.
Once they were seated, she reached for his hand. He looked surprised, then bowed his head when he realized she wanted to say grace. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for protecting us today. Please continue guiding us on Your path to seeking those who wish us harm. Amen.”
“And please keep all the Finnegans safe in Your care.” Reed’s voice was low and husky. “Amen.”
“That was nice of you to include my family.” Her smile faded as she remembered Rhy and Devon. “I’d like to check in with Rhy later to see how Devon is doing.”
“Of course.” He picked up his BLT sandwich and took a bite. He looked lost in thought, no doubt about the case.
Sobering to know their only lead had been murdered right in front of their eyes. Were all the members of the joint task force at risk? The thought made her shiver.
“Are you cold?” Reed’s keen blue gaze didn’t miss a thing.
“No, just thinking about the task force.” She picked up a fry. “I’m worried that other members are at risk.”
“I had the same thought.” Reed scowled at his sandwich. “That only makes me more convinced that a cop is involved. Someone on the inside who knows about the task force and possibly the name of the snitch.”
Selfishly, she was secretly relieved her brothers weren’t involved in the task force. But then she understood that it didn’t matter. Tarin, Rhy, and Brady had inserted themselves into the case. They were as involved now as anyone else. Maybe more so.
Her previous hunger faded at the dark thoughts. She caught Reed’s gaze. “What can we do while we’re waiting? I don’t want to sit around doing nothing.”
“Me either. We have the computer, maybe there’s something to be learned by looking into Tate Brown’s social media posts. Oh, and I have an email from my former partner. Maybe he has some insight.”
“Social media?” She nibbled on another fry. “My cop siblings aren’t on any social media sites. Working a task force on gang violence, you’d think Tate would stay off too.”
“That’s true.” Reed’s expression turned thoughtful. “But maybe that theory doesn’t hold true for gang members.”
“Why on earth would gang members be on social media?” She couldn’t imagine it.
“For one thing, these kids grew up in a world that used social media more so than we did. For them, it’s natural. Not to mention, it’s a way to communicate with others. I’m sure they’re using privacy settings, but if we find something interesting, maybe Brady can help us cut through red tape to get access into their accounts.”
“If Brady can, he will.” The idea of having something productive to do helped spark her appetite.
“I know.” Reed grinned. “He’s not like most feds who are stingy with intel.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Have you worked with federal agents often?”
“Just one big case two years ago.” All mirth faded from his features. “There was a prostitution ring involving teenage sex-trafficked victims that we raided. I don’t think your brother was a part of that.”
“Working in the emergency department, we’re always on alert for possible victims of sex trafficking.” She sighed. “It’s a struggle because they’re so afraid that they rarely cooperate.”
“I know.” He waved a hand. “Let’s not focus on all the depressing criminal activity that goes on in a city our size. We need to concentrate on the Blood Kings.”
“Okay.” She did her best to shake off the sense of helplessness. Every day she went to work she was determined to take good care of her patients. But some days were more difficult than others.
They ate in silence for several moments. Her thoughts kept going back to her patient. “Did you notice Ivan Garcia’s teardrop tattoos?”
“Yeah.” He eyed her over the rim of his water bottle. “The Latino Hombres use them too. I think that practice has carried over from the gangs in Chicago.”
“Garcia told me he wasn’t going back to jail.” Pushing away her empty plate, she propped her elbows on the table and laced her hands together. “He was twenty-three years old and had three teardrop tattoos colored with red ink. I assume those were three people he murdered, but there’s no way he could have been released from jail for murder after only a year or so, right? I wonder why he was arrested?”
“We can look that up.” Reed finished the last of his fries, then stood to lift their empty tray. He set it outside their room, then reached for the computer. He set it on the table. She inched her chair closer so she could see the screen.
“I forgot about the Wisconsin case search,” she murmured as he brought the website up.
“Do you use it to check on your patients?” He looked surprised.
She laughed. “No, only potential dates.” She tapped the screen. “Marriages and divorces are listed in here too. This is how I found out the guy I was dating wasn’t divorced the way he’d claimed. So much for a doctor being honorable.”
“That’s true.” He sent her a curious look. “I’m sorry about the idiot who lied to you. I’m sure your brothers taught you to research all potential boyfriends.”
“They did.” It had been incredibly annoying at the time, but she appreciated their protectiveness now that she was older. “When I was in high school, the guy who asked me to prom had an underage drinking ticket. Rhy hit the roof and refused to let me go.”
“I’m sure your date wasn’t the only kid in school with an underage drinking ticket,” Reed said.
“He was with a group of basketball players who had been caught at a local party. Aiden came to my defense, and in the end, Rhy let me go as long as we double-dated with Aiden and his girlfriend.” She smiled at the memory. “Justin wasn’t thrilled, but he was a perfect gentleman. Mostly because Rhy sat in the living room cleaning his service weapon when he picked me up.”
Reed chuckled. “I can picture that so very clearly.”
“Right? It’s no wonder Justin disappeared from my life shortly afterward.”
“Any decent guy would respect your family.” He arched a brow. “If having a cop as an older brother scared him off, he wasn’t worth your time.”
“Funny, that’s what Aiden said too.” She shrugged. “That next week, I discovered I’d been accepted into the nursing program at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee as a direct entry student. They didn’t offer those positions to everyone, so that was a really big deal. I decided Justin wasn’t part of my future. His loss, not mine.”
“Smart girl.” Reed grinned. “I couldn’t agree more.”
She felt herself flush and decided it was time to change the subject. “Let’s see what we can find out about Ivan Garcia. Oh, and I need to call Rhy too.”
Reed turned his attention back to the computer while she made the call.
“Are you okay?” Rhy asked in lieu of a greeting.
“Yes, I’m calling to check on Devon and the baby.”
“Oh, she’s fine. The contractions are still irregular and not very strong, according to the staff here. And they gave her fluids, thinking she was dehydrated.” Rhy hesitated, then asked, “Are you and Reed okay? Do you need anything? I hate that I had to leave you there without more support.”
“We’re fine, Rhy. Perfectly safe.” She decided this wasn’t the time to fill him in on the shooting outside the FBI building. Better for him to hear that news from Brady. “Do you think they’re going to keep Devon overnight?”
“It looks that way. But if her condition is unchanged by morning, they’ll allow her to go home on bedrest.”
Bedrest? She winced. “Guess it’s a good thing you saved up all your personal days after all, huh?”
“Yeah. Listen, the doctor is making rounds, so I need to run. Take care.”
“We will. You do the same.” She disconnected from the call, feeling better about Devon’s condition, even if she’d need to stay on bedrest for a while.
She turned her attention to Reed who was working on the computer. “Everything okay?” he asked without looking away from the screen.
“Yes. Devon and the baby are stable. Did you get into the case site?”
“Yep. Looks like Ivan Garcia was charged for reckless endangerment while operating a motor vehicle and for illegal possession of a firearm.” Reed grimaced. “He only did eighteen months before being placed on probation.”
“Eighteen months?” She shook her head. “Doesn’t seem right.”
“I know. It’s frustrating.” He searched for a bit longer, then opened a popular social media account.
She leaned forward to get a better look. “How can you see anything if you’re not on there?”
“I have a page, but it doesn’t have any personal information about me, and it’s under my middle name.” He tapped the screen. “Paul R. Carr is really me.”
“And you have a cartoon profile picture too.” She glanced over at him. “I’m surprised this hasn’t been flagged as a fake account.”
“There are hundreds of thousands of fake accounts.” Reed waved off her concern. “Mine is more innocuous than most. Let’s see if we can locate Ivan Garcia.”
He poked around a bit. “I think I may have found him.” He turned the laptop so she could see it better. “What do you think? Is this our guy?”
“Yes, that’s him.” She knew Ivan’s face would be imprinted on her memory forever. Then she leaned forward. “Hey, in this picture he only has two red teardrops inked on his face, not three.”
Reed turned the computer to see the discrepancy for himself. “That’s interesting. The tattoo on his face didn’t look fresh or new.”
She agreed with his assessment. “It also means he killed someone between the time this picture was taken and the time he was brought to the hospital.” A chill snaked down her spine.
“There was another guy arrested that same day,” Reed said. He clicked through several screens to get back to the circuit court database. “Looks like Javier Patron is a known associate of Garcia. Let’s see if we can find his mug shot or if he’s on social media too.”
“Maybe he was one of the guys who came through the ambulance bay doors to help Ivan escape?”
“It’s possible.” Reed shook his head. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good look at them. I was focused on taking out Garcia.”
The image of a young man’s face bloomed on the screen when Reed went back to the social media platform where he’d found Garcia. “Is that him?”
“Yeah.” Reed tapped the screen. “See that?”
She peered closer to see Javier’s face. “It looks like a teardrop that has been colored in blue rather than red.”
“Yeah.” Reed’s expression turned grim. “Blue means he killed a cop.”
