The Military K-9 Unit Collection. Valerie Hansen
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* * *
Westley watched the play of sparks in Felicity’s eyes and pressed his lips together to keep from grinning. He’d surprised her with his comment. Good. He wanted to keep her on her toes. She needed to stay sharp if they were going up against two deadly threats.
Turning his attention away from the lovely staff sergeant, Westley greeted Captain Justin Blackwood and the OSI agent, Ian Steffen, with a salute. Two base-security policemen followed with crime-scene kits in hand.
“What happened?” Justin asked. “Did Boyd Sullivan break in?”
Westley exchanged a quick glance with Felicity. A red rose and ominous note this morning and now an intruder in her house. It made sense the captain would ask about Boyd.
“We don’t know, sir,” Westley said. “Someone broke in and ransacked the place. It’s obvious they were looking for something.”
Justin pinned Felicity with a questioning look. “Any ideas what they were searching for?”
Felicity’s gaze darted to Ian. Westley figured she was looking to the agent for permission to speak about their suspicions regarding her father’s death.
Ian gave a subtle nod before stepping forward. “I can answer that, but first, please direct your men to process the scene. This is for your ears only.”
Justin’s gaze narrowed, but he motioned for the two MPs to proceed into the house. When the two men were out of earshot, Justin said, “Explain.”
“Prior to OSI Agent Monroe’s death, he was working on several cases that are still open,” Ian said.
Justin swept a hand toward the house. “Then this isn’t related to the Red Rose Killer?”
Ian shrugged. “Hard to say. From what I’ve read on Boyd Sullivan, this isn’t part of his MO.”
“Neither is taking jewelry from his victims,” Felicity interjected.
All eyes turned to her.
“Maisy told me that her father’s cross, the one he always wore, was missing when she found him.”
Westley heard the subtle pain in her tone. She hurt for her friend. He told himself the sharp constriction in his chest was for both women’s losses.
“Captain Blackwood,” Ian said, “I suggest conferring with the sheriff’s deputy in Dill, Texas. The one who brought down Sullivan the first time around. She may have some insight into his psyche that might help us find him.”
“Good idea,” Justin said. His next comment was cut off when his cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” He stepped away to take the call.
“Better to keep the focus on Sullivan,” Ian said in a quiet tone.
Westley could only guess the OSI agent didn’t want to advertise the fact that Felicity’s father had been murdered.
If the killer thought he had gotten away with the break-in attributed to the Red Rose Killer, the more likely he, or she, would make a mistake. Westley sent up a silent prayer that God would let justice be done on earth for her father.
When Justin returned, his blue eyes were troubled. “We’ve got a missing cook. Airman Stephen Butler didn’t show up to his shift in the commissary today. But his car was found in the driveway of his base housing.”
“Are you thinking he’s another of Boyd’s victims?” Westley asked.
“We’ll see. I’m headed over to inspect the car.” To Westley, Justin said, “Keep in touch with me.” His gaze slid to Felicity as he turned. “We’ll see you both tomorrow morning back at base command.”
Once Justin’s vehicle disappeared from sight, Ian ushered them inside.
Westley kept Dakota at his side as the two crime-scene techs were packing up their equipment.
“Did you find anything worth noting?” Ian asked them.
“No, sir,” the older of the two said. “We’ve collected prints and will run them through the databases and compare them to Agent Monroe and his daughter.” He nodded at Felicity in deference.
She smiled back at him. “Thank you.”
If they found prints that didn’t belong to her or her father, then they could have a lead on the intruder. Westley hoped it would be that easy.
Once the two techs had left, the trio gathered in her father’s office. Westley released Dakota. The dog sniffed at the floor and moved around, inspecting the room. A large mahogany L-shaped desk took up half the space and a large black captain’s chair sat behind the desk. Filing cabinets and a bookshelf filled in the remaining space and more of Felicity’s photos decorated the wall.
The pictures were good. Ian had been right. She knew what she was doing with a camera.
“Felicity has explained to you my suspicions about Graham’s death?” Ian asked Westley as he hitched a hip on the edge of the desk.
“She has, sir.” Worry camped in his gut. “Why hasn’t there been an official investigation?”
Ian’s expression turned even more grim. “There’s no evidence to follow. Only my gut feeling that the case Graham was working on had turned deadly. I’ve tried to piece together what I can from the civilian police report.”
“Which is?” Westley asked.
“In a rather suspect neighborhood of San Antonio, a motorcycle struck a civilian and left the scene. The bike had a Canyon Air Force Base sticker on the back. The witness could only say the rider was dressed all in black to match his bike.”
“The victim?” Felicity asked.
“Broken back. Paralyzed from the waist down.”
Empathy dampened her eyes. “That’s horrible.”
Westley hated the thought that someone from the base would be so dishonorable as to leave the scene. Unless the hit wasn’t an accident. A foul taste rose from his stomach. “Was the victim targeted?”
“Not that I can tell,” Ian said. “It seems more like a bad case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’ on both sides. The roads were slick from a recent rain. The streetlights were out when the pedestrian stepped off the curb into the path of the bike.”
“Do we know what Agent Monroe’s case files look like?” Westley asked as he picked up a stack of file folders. “Were they in a notebook or in a folder like these?”
“Dad kept meticulous records,” Felicity said. “But I don’t know how he managed his work cases.” She looked to Ian. “Have you found my dad’s laptop?”
Ian shook his head.
Felicity frowned. “I haven’t seen his laptop here. I’ve been through his safe and nothing important was in there.”
“We need to find that computer,” Ian stated. “His notes and the lead he was working on will be on the hard drive.”
Westley’s blood pressure rose. “We’re going to have to work on the assumption that this guy didn’t find the computer based on the condition of the house. We need to keep her safe.”
“Which is why you’re here, Master Sergeant James.”
Westley pulled in a bracing breath and met Felicity’s gaze. She rolled her eyes in response. Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.
Ian headed toward the door. “I need to focus on the hunt for Boyd Sullivan. I trust you two will be circumspect in searching for Graham’s case notes and his computer. I hate to think someone in the OSI could be involved, but as far as I know Graham didn’t share with anyone that he had a lead that would break the hit-and-run case.”
“Yes, sir,” Westley assured him. “We’ll keep our investigation