Witness Pursuit (15 page)

“Shouldn't we handle that?” Detective Vaughn said.

“We need to focus on the local angle. Let Agent Nance deal with the mob side of things.”

“If he ever shows up,” Vaughn shot back. “Oh, and I finally located Cassie's car.”

“Finally?” Nate asked.

“There was some confusion. It was towed the other day from Echo Mountain Rentals, but at first no one seemed to know where it ended up. Found it at Rutger's Garage in Lake Stevens, but I haven't had a chance to get down there yet.”

“That's half an hour away,” Cassie said. “Why did they take it there?”

“Not sure,” Detective Vaughn said. “Want me to head there first?”

“No, focus on the new laundry service,” Nate said. “See if Mr. Anderson will give you contact information. Agent Nance and I will check on Cassie's car.”

“Guys, I think I found something,” Cassie said, eyeing a laptop screen.

She was determined to contribute, so Nate had given her an assignment. He'd also given it to her to keep her busy so she wouldn't demand more conversation about their relationship. The time and place for that was after everyone involved in this smuggling operation was behind bars.

“What've you got?” Nate asked Cassie.

“Over the past three months, six men reserved cabins through Echo Mountain Rentals.” She glanced up. “But not together and not at the same time.”

“They've smuggled six perps out of the country?” Detective Vaughn said. “Were they all originally from the same city?”

“No, actually, different cities across the US, but three from Chicago.”

“We need to weed out which ones worked for the mob and which ones were innocent tourists,” Nate said.

“I'm on it,” Cassie said.

“How are you going to figure that out?” Detective Vaughn asked.

“I'll do searches to see if any of these guys went on hiking trips or local tours. I'm assuming the criminals wouldn't want to be seen in public so their names won't show up on those lists.”

“Good point,” Vaughn said, and glanced at Nate. “I'm off to talk to Mr. Anderson and track down the laundry service.”

“Maybe I should go with you. I can have Agent Nance check out the car.”

“No need, Chief,” Vaughn said. “I've got this.”

“You sure?”

“I'll call if I need backup, promise,” she said, and left.

“You're worried about Detective Vaughn,” Cassie said.

Nate sat across the table from her. “When I offered her the position of detective I thought she'd be dealing with teenage vandals, not mob criminals. I don't want anything to happen to her.”

“Because of Will and the girls?”

Nate nodded. Will had suffered enough after the loss of his wife, and then physical abuse at the hands of white-collar criminals. He'd survived an intense, dangerous situation, and ended up falling in love with Sara Vaughn, a former FBI agent who'd joined the Echo Mountain PD.

Will deserved a little peace. He deserved his happily-ever-after.

“She's a smart cop,” Cassie offered. “She'll be okay.”

A tap sounded at the door. “That's probably agent Nance.” Nate got up and eyed the peephole. He spotted Cassie's mom, sister and big brother Aiden in the hallway.

“You have company.” Nate swung the door wide. “Come on in.”

Cassie's mom and sister, holding the little dog, rushed to her side and bombarded Cassie with questions about the last twenty-four hours.

“How's it going?” Aiden asked Nate.

“We're good. Thank Quinn for letting us set up base here.”

“Will do. So, have you lost your mind yet?”

“Not yet, but another few days of these guys running around my town and I might.”

“I wasn't talking about the case. I was referring to my sister.” Aiden nodded toward Cassie. “Nonstop chatterbox, that one.”

“Doesn't bother me,” Nate said.

“No kidding?” Aiden raised a brow in question.

“She's your sister. You're supposed to get on each other's nerves,” Nate said, studying Cassie.

She wore a strained smile she'd never flashed at Nate, a smile that he suspected covered what she was truly feeling. Probably something along the lines of, “leave me alone, you're hovering again.”

Another knock sounded at the door and Nate let Officer Ryan McBride into the apartment.

“Whoa, family reunion,” McBride muttered.

“Actually, ladies, can I have your attention?” Nate said.

Cassie, her mom and her sister looked up.

“I'm sorry, but we need to keep this visit short. Cassie is doing some work for me on the case. Time is essential if we're going to catch these guys before they come after her again.”

“She's helping you?” Cassie's mom said. “Are you sure that's a good idea, Chief?”

“Mom, I'm doing research on the internet,” Cassie explained.

“I have to get back to work anyway,” Bree said, standing. “I have a strict boss.”

“Hey, I let you leave early yesterday for a special date with Scott,” Aiden countered.

“A special date?” their mother asked. “What kind of date?”

“Thanks a lot,” Bree shot at her brother. “Now she's going to expect us to announce a wedding date.”

“Well, shouldn't she?” Aiden pushed.

This is what family looked like, Nate realized. They didn't always agree on everything, and this particular family loved to tease one another. But the love they shared was obvious.

“Can we come back and visit Cassie later, Chief?” her mom asked.

“Yes, but call first. Please be as discreet as possible. These guys could be keeping an eye on your entire family in order to find Cassie. I've got Harvey assigned to you.” He nodded at Cassie's mom. “And Scott will stick with Bree when he's off shift.”

“Do you know what all this is about?” Bree asked Nate. “What they want from Cassie?”

“We have our suspicions, but I can't discuss details of the investigation at this time.”

“Come on, everyone out.” Aiden motioned and then eyed his younger cousin Ryan. “You're protecting her, right?”

Officer McBride nodded that he was.

Aiden jabbed a forefinger at Ryan's chest. “Don't mess up.”

Once family members had left, Ryan settled at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee.

“You'll be safe here with Ryan,” Nate said to Cassie.

She glanced up from the laptop. “You're leaving?”

“I need to retrieve the laundry from your car. Finding the fake passports will help us track down the suspects.”

“But those are new identities.”

“Agent Nance can run facial recognition. Speaking of which...” Nate called the agent.

“Nance,” he answered.

“It's Chief Walsh. I thought you'd be here by now.”

“Rental car broke down.”

“Need me to pick you up?”

“Nah, I got another one. Are you at the resort?”

“Yes, but I'm headed to Rutger's Garage in Lake Stevens. Cassie McBride's car is there and I suspect we'll find evidence inside.”

“I'll meet you there.”

Nate ended the call and glanced at Officer McBride. “I'll be back in a few hours. Keys?”

He handed Nate keys to the patrol car.

“Do not open the door to anyone,” Nate reiterated.

“Yes, sir.”

Cassie walked Nate to the door. “What else can I do to help?”

Nate hesitated. “Stay safe.”

“But is there other research I could do, like—”

Nate pressed his fingertips against her lips, so soft, so perfect. She stopped talking, and her blue eyes widened.

“I can do my job better if I know you're okay.” He smiled. “Okay?”

She nodded and gave him a quick hug.

“I'll see you later.” Nate glanced through the peephole to make sure the hallway was empty, opened the door and left the apartment.

The burn of worry simmered in his gut as he walked to the squad car. But he couldn't be in two places at once, and he had to trust that between Officer McBride and Aiden watching over her in the fortress apartment, Cassie would be safe, at least until he returned.

Besides, Nate hadn't been all that successful at keeping her safe. It had been one disaster after another up in the mountains, starting with him practically passing out in the car. What was that about? His gunshot wound wasn't that serious and Spence didn't think the bleeding had caused Nate to drift in and out of consciousness.

Well, he was feeling okay now, and ready to take on the men who were terrorizing Cassie. Hopefully he'd find the cash and passports in her car, and get the word out that she was no longer in possession of the items. Then, maybe, they'd leave her alone.

If only it were that easy.

* * *

When he arrived at Rutger's Garage, the place looked abandoned. He slowly approached the building, eyeing the closed sign. Closed in the middle of the day?

Nate withdrew his firearm, went to the front door and peered inside. No one was at the counter. He twisted the door handle and found it unlocked. Taking a step into the reception area, he quietly shut the door behind him. A muffled voice echoed from the other side of a closed door a few feet away.

Carefully crossing the small office, he flipped the bolt and flung open the door.

A man rushed out of the closet wielding a broom. Nate pinned him against the front counter.

“I'm a police officer,” Nate said, flashing his badge in the guy's face. “Okay?”

The guy nodded. Nate released him. “I'm Chief Walsh from Echo Mountain.”

“Cory Rutger,” the thirtysomething man said, running a nervous hand through thick red hair. “He had a gun and told us to get in the closet.”

“Us?”

“Megan, you can come out,” Cory said.

A young woman stepped out of the closet, arms wrapped around her midsection.

“How long ago did this happen?” Nate asked.

“It's hard to say. We were pretty freaked out,” Cory said. “Five minutes, maybe ten?”

“It felt like forever in there,” Megan whispered.

“Stay here and call 911,” Nate ordered.

Nate continued past the counter and looked into the shop where the mechanics worked on cars. It was a small operation, with only three bays. Two of them were occupied, while the third was empty.

And neither of the two cars was Cassie's bright red compact.

“Cory, was there a red VW back there?”

“Yeah, he took the keys to that one.”

“So you fixed it?”

“Yep, someone tampered with the ignition pins.”

“What did the man look like who took her car?”

“Twenties, black spiked hair.”

“Was he alone?” Nate questioned.

“Yes, sir.”

“No,” Megan said. “I remember seeing him drive up. There was a woman in the passenger seat.”

Nate studied the garage. He didn't holster his gun just in case, but suspected Tony got what he wanted: Cassie's car, along with the money and passports.

“You're the only ones here today?” Nate said.

“Yes, sir, my other mechanic is at lunch,” Cory said.

“Stay here, please.” Nate shouldered open the door into the bay area.

He glanced left, then right. Nothing seemed strange or out of place. Scanning the garage all the way to the back exit, he spotted the car Tony had been driving, and a sedan haphazardly parked, with the driver's door open.

Keeping his back close to the wall, Nate side-stepped tools and cords until he reached the other side of the shop.

Nate studied the sedan parked out back.

Smudges of blood smeared the trunk.

FIFTEEN

A
gent Nance was supposed to meet Nate, and the sedan with the open door looked like a rental.

Nate holstered his gun, grabbed a crowbar and rushed to the car.

“Steve,” Nate called, leveraging the crowbar against the trunk.

There was no response. Tony wasn't stupid enough to kill or mortally wound a federal agent, was he?

With a quick jerk, Nate opened the trunk.

Agent Steve Nance, bound and gagged, was looking up at him. Nate removed the gag.

“I can't believe that kid,” Nance said. “He's going away for a very long time.”

“Where are you hurt?”

“Besides my pride?”

“There's blood on the trunk.”

“Not mine. His. He was pretty beat up, and that girl looked terrified.”

Nate cut the agent free of the duct tape and helped him out of the trunk. “What happened?”

“The girl distracted me, said she needed my help and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground and he's tying me up.”

“They took Cassie's car?”

“Yeah, with the evidence.”

“At least you're okay.” Nate's cell rang. He ripped it off his belt. “Chief Walsh.”

“Detective Vaughn ran into trouble at the Echo Mountain Rentals office. I'm en route,” Officer Carrington said.

“Ten-four.” Nate looked at Agent Nance. “My detective's in trouble.”

“Go ahead. I'll give my statement to police and catch up to you.”

* * *

By the time Nate reached the rental office, an Echo Mountain cruiser, state patrol car and ambulance were parked in the lot.

Nate got out of his car. The trooper and Red approached him. “She's okay,” Red said. “Just a little banged up. She didn't see who hit her.”

Nate nodded at the trooper. “Thanks for the backup.”

“Sure.” The trooper went back to his vehicle.

“Should I hang around, Chief?” Red asked.

“No, go back to your patrol. I'd like to maintain a sense of normalcy in town.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nate went into the office where Detective Vaughn was being examined by Rocky, along with Cassie's cousin Madeline. Carol the office manager stood in the corner, eyes wide.

“Ma'am, I need to—”

“I'm fine,” Detective Vaughn interrupted Rocky, jerking away from him.

Blood dotted her shirt, matted her hair and stained her hands. She glanced at Nate and must have noticed his worried expression.

“Head wounds always bleed a lot. I'm okay, Chief. Thanks to this one.” She nodded at Carol who was wringing her hands. “She found me and called it in.”

“Carol?” Nate said.

She snapped her attention to him, obviously traumatized by all the blood.

“Thank you for taking care of my officer,” he said.

“Oh, uh, sure.”

“Why don't you check her for shock,” Vaughn ordered Rocky.

“Then you'll come with us?” Rocky said.

“If I have to.”

“Oh, she'll go,” Madeline said, stepping up to continue the examination of Vaughn's head wound.

Rocky led Carol outside.

“What do you remember?” Nate asked Detective Vaughn.

“Everything, well, until someone whacked me.”

Nate noticed a trophy with red smudges on the floor in the corner. He used a tissue to pick it up. “Maybe with this?”

“Probably that Tony punk.”

“Couldn't be Tony. He was in Lake Stevens stealing Cassie's car from the garage and tying up Agent Nance.”

“Unbelievable,” she said, then winced as Madeline tended to her head wound.

Madeline glanced at Nate. “We should take her to the ER.”

“Enough.” Vaughn batted Madeline's hand away. “I need to talk to the chief alone.”

“Give us a minute, Maddie?” he said.

“I'll be right outside.” Madeline packed up her supplies and left them alone.

“What did you find?” Nate asked.

“The name and address of the laundry service, Viceroy Laundry, Mount Vernon, plus—” she glanced out the window and back at Nate “—a connection between Mr. Anderson and a Chicago company called Wallingford Imports that I suspect is a front for the mob. I took pictures of email printouts. They're on my phone, but I can't find it.”

“We didn't have a warrant anyway. Couldn't use it in court.”

“Yeah, but at least we know where to look.”

“Speaking of which, how did you end up inside the office?” Nate asked.

“I thought I heard something and climbed in through an unlocked window.”

“Heard something?” he challenged.

“A man yelling.”

“And when you got inside?”

“No one was here, and the back office was locked. I guess that's where the guy was hiding. Anyway, I did a little, ya know, looking around.”

“Which is against procedure. You should have left once you realized no one was in trouble.”

“Chief—”

“Pushing the limits is what got you in trouble with the FBI. I told you when I offered you this job that that kind of behavior is not acceptable if you're going to work for me.”

She glanced down and sighed. “Sorry, Chief.”

Nate would have probably done the same thing if he thought it would give him insight into this case, insight to help him plan a strategy to put these guys away and keep Cassie safe. Still, he didn't want criminals to elude charges because his department hadn't followed proper procedure.

“Come on, you need to get your head looked at by a doctor,” he said.

She stood and went white. Nate grabbed her as her legs buckled.

“Madeline!” he called.

She glanced into the office, then called over her shoulder, “Rocky, we need the stretcher!”

Madeline rushed inside and checked Vaughn's vitals. Rocky brought in the stretcher and they secured her in place.

“I'm okay,” she said in a strained voice.

Nate fisted his hand in frustration. This had to end.

“Chief, find my phone,” Detective Vaughn said as they wheeled her out.

“I will.”

Shelving his concern, he refocused on finding the phone. He knelt on the floor and searched under tables and chairs and behind file cabinets. The phone seemed to have disappeared from the tidy office.

The attacker must have taken it with him.

“Chief?”

He stood and glanced at Carol, who hovered in the doorway.

“I was going to lock the office,” she said.

“Are you okay to drive?”

“I'm not sure, so I called a car service.”

“I could drive you home.”

“Thanks, but you've got more important things to do.”

“Give me a minute?” Nate searched for Vaughn's phone but with no success. He left the office and Carol locked the door.

“Do you know where Mr. Anderson is?” Nate asked.

“He went to lunch about half an hour ago.”

“Have any idea where?”

“No, I'm sorry.”

He handed her a business card. “Can you ask him to contact me when you speak with him next?”

“Sure.” Eyes downcast, she took the card and walked to a minivan in the parking lot.

Carol would be traumatized by today's events, and it struck him that no one was exempt from the brutality of these criminals, not innocents, not even law enforcement.

Marching to his cruiser, he wondered how he'd tell his friend Will Rankin about Sara's injuries. This was exactly what Nate had been trying to avoid.

He pulled out of the parking lot and called Will on speakerphone.

“Hey, Chief, got a SAR call?” he asked in cheerful voice.

“Actually, I'm calling about Sara.”

“What happened?” Will said, his voice suddenly flat.

“She was taken to the hospital with a head injury.”

“How serious?”

“She was coherent, but nearly passed out when she tried to stand up. She went into a situation alone—”

“Why didn't you order her to wait for backup? You know she thinks she's some kind of superwoman, but she's not. She's breakable like the rest of us.”

“Will, I—”

“I've gotta go.”

The line went dead. Okay, that went about as badly as expected.

Nate's next call was to Agent Nance. His voice mail picked up.

“It's Chief Walsh. I'm following a lead at Viceroy Laundry in Mount Vernon. This might be where it all started. Call me back and let me know if you can meet me there.”

Nate was about to call Cassie when his phone rang. He thought it might be the FBI agent calling him back. He hit the speakerphone button.

“Chief Walsh.”

“Hey, it's Cassie. I wanted to check in. How are you?”

“Frustrated.”

“What happened?”

“Tony assaulted the FBI agent and stole your car. Becca was with him.”

“What are they thinking?”

“And Detective Vaughn was assaulted.”

“Nate, I'm so sorry.”

“It's not your fault.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Cassie, let's not go there.”

Silence. Then, “I'd better go. Mom and Bree are on the way.”

“Be nice,” he teased.

“I'm always nice. That's my problem. Talk to you later.”

He wanted to call her back, but thought better of it. He knew she was feeling responsible for everything that was happening. Nothing he said could persuade her otherwise.

The best thing Nate could do was chase the Viceroy Laundry lead and gather evidence to end this thing.

* * *

“Why did you lie to the chief about your mom and Bree?” her cousin Ryan asked.

“I didn't lie,” she said, petting Dasher, who lay content in her lap. “They'll be back shortly, trust me.”

“Semantics, coz. What's the deal?”

“I hate putting Nate through this.”

Ryan leaned against the kitchen counter, his brows scrunched together. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind. You wouldn't get it.”

“Ya know, not all of the McBride men are thick-skulled, macho types like your brother.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Maybe I can help?”

“Thanks, but I need to be alone with my thoughts for a while.”

“That sounds ominous.”

Tapping sounded at the door.

Cassie sighed. “See? Mom and Bree.”

Ryan looked through the peephole. “Not quite. It's the FBI agent.”

He opened the door and let Agent Nance into the apartment.

“Officer, Cassie,” Agent Nance greeted. “Is the chief here?”

“No, he's following up on something. I heard you were assaulted by Tony. I'm so sorry.” She sighed and glanced down at the dog.

“Hey.” Agent Nance joined her at the dining table. “I'm okay, and we're close to solving this case.”

“Not close enough. I can't stand that people are getting hurt because of me.”

“Shut up, Cassie,” Ryan said.

Agent Nance shot Ryan a disapproving look.

“It's okay,” Cassie said to the agent. “He's my cousin.”

“Well, he's on duty and should act professionally.” Nance nodded at Ryan. “Why don't you take a break?”

“My orders are to stay here, sir.”

The agent redirected his attention to Cassie. “None of this is your fault.”

“That's what the chief says, too.”

Ryan's phone buzzed and he answered, walking into the other room.

“Then believe us,” Nance said. “We know what we're talking about.”

“I want this violence to end so things can go back to normal.”

“Did you feel like Becca was a willing participant, that she knew Tony was stealing money?”

“I'm not sure. I think she got in over her head.”

“That's a shame because these guys won't believe that. She's a target, like you. And trust me, Tony and Becca are not smart or resourceful enough to elude them for long.”

“You mean...?”

“Whether your friends have the money and passports or not, the mob will put a hit on them.”

Cassie closed her eyes.

“But if we bring them in first—”

“It's Bree,” Ryan said, rushing up to Cassie. “She's missing.”