Amish Christmas Emergency Read online

  There was a difference, though. A big one. She was growing comfortable with Gavin. Plus, he’d already proved that he was willing to take care of her.

  But she didn’t need any man to take care of her.

  Although right now she sure needed some protection. How do you fight an attacker when you have no idea what he looks like?

  Cinnamon let out a loud meow.

  “Oh! Sorry, Cinnamon! I didn’t realize I’d been squeezing you so tight.” She relaxed her arms, and the irritated cat crawled majestically off her lap. When he curled up on the driver’s seat, she bit her lip. Gavin wouldn’t be happy about the cat sitting in his seat. Or on the evidence bag.

  A knock on the window made her shriek.

  Whipping around, her hand at her throat, she saw Gavin staring in at her. Or rather at the cat on his seat.

  Grabbing the cat, she pulled him off the driver’s seat. Gavin opened the door and got in, moving the evidence bag out of his way as he sat.

  “Sorry!”

  He waved away her apology. “No big deal. I have a cat myself.”

  She blinked. She hadn’t pegged him as a cat owner. But thinking about it, it made sense. Cats were very independent animals. A loner like him would appreciate it. Why she thought he was loner, she couldn’t say. He just seemed to be someone who didn’t let too many people get close to him.

  She needed to get back on topic. “Did you find him?”

  “No. But I chased him quite a way. He was wearing dark clothes, but I could tell that he was shorter than me. Probably about five-five or five-six. I lost him when he crossed the train tracks. Seconds in front of an oncoming train. The man has no fear.”

  The drive to the station was quiet. Between the events of the night and her lack of sleep, Alexa was just too exhausted to hold a proper conversation. She looked over a couple of times at Gavin. His brows were furrowed in thought. Since he made no effort to talk, either, she figured he was thinking about the case.

  At the station, he held the door open for her and waited while she gathered the cat before walking inside with her.

  After making sure she checked her blood sugar and ate, Jackson sat down across from her. “Obviously, you can’t go back to work right now. And just as obvious, you can’t go back to your place. We have a safe house for you and Cinnamon there.” He jerked his thumb toward the cat seated under a table. “The visual artist, Tara, will be in this morning. In the meantime, we’ll just hang out here for her and the chief.”

  A while later, the visual artist arrived. She was pleasant and asked a lot of good questions designed to jog the memory. However, Alexa wasn’t able to tell her much. Both times she’d seen her stalker, he’d been in shadows and wearing a dark hood. His eyes were dark. That’s all she could remember. Well, she’d been able to tell that he had dark hair. But that could have been an illusion. The first night she’d caught a glimpse of dark eyebrows. She’d forgotten about that until Tara had jogged her memory.

  “I think that’s all we can do for now,” Tara said, closing her notebook computer with a click. If she was feeling frustrated, she hid it behind a professional smile. Alexa, on the other hand, wasn’t above admitting that she was feeling frustrated.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more,” she apologized. “Just a pair of eyes. That’s not much to go on.”

  “It’s more than we had yesterday.” The woman stood and exited the room. Gavin moved from his spot against the wall and sauntered over to her. She glanced up at him, frowning.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something. I know that I can’t go into the clinic today. But I do have a couple of Amish patients that I need to see at their homes. If you go with me, do you think we could do that?”

  It was his turn to frown. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Call the clinic and see if someone else can go.”

  “I don’t think there is anyone else—”

  He interrupted her, his expression drawing tight. Intense. “You have no idea what this man will do!” Gavin exclaimed. “He has already attacked you and one of your patients. He has sent threatening messages, and it is very likely that he has killed other people in Chicago. Including your fiancé.” Gavin’s face softened. He strode to her side. Tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear. The side of her face where his finger grazed tingled. “Lexie, you are in serious danger. And you’re not making my job of protecting you very easy.”

  It was the soft way he said her name that made her capitulate. For some reason, it was very important to him. And not just because it was his job.

  Grinding her teeth, she tapped out the number on her phone. He was right; she knew he was. But it galled her no end to let some stranger with an agenda have so much control over her life. She put the call on speakerphone. It would save her the time of having to reiterate everything for Gavin’s benefit.

  It’s not about you, Alexa. You have to do what’s best for the patients.

  Unfortunately, sending another nurse wasn’t an option.

  “You have to go!” Megan’s voice was uncharacteristically rushed, with just a hint of panic. “Our waiting room is full, and our schedule is booked solid today. There is no one else who can go. And you know that Marvin is depending on you.”

  Alexa groaned. There was nothing like a good case of guilt. She’d have to go. There was no other way. And she would have to convince Gavin to go with her. Disconnecting the call, she faced him again. As expected, he didn’t look happy. Actually, that was putting it lightly. He looked downright irritated.

  “Is there no way that this Marvin guy can come into the clinic? It would really save us a lot of trouble if you did not have to go on this visit.”

  “I wish it were possible. If he could, then I wouldn’t worry about it at all. However, Marvin has a weak immune system. There’s no way we can ask him to come into a waiting room filled with sick people, especially with that nasty influenza virus going around. That would be asking for trouble.”

  “Fine,” he bit out. “I hate this. You know that, right? I would hate to have that man die, though, because you couldn’t do your job. But this means you gotta let me do mine. I’m going with you, and if I tell you to do something, I need you to do it immediately, no questions. Got it?”

  He stared into her eyes. She nodded.

  Apparently satisfied, he stepped back and turned to the door.

  “I’ll notify the chief, and then we’ll get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back and find a way to keep you safe.”

  It turned out that convincing the chief was even harder than convincing Gavin. He was gone for a full ten minutes. It was ridiculous, she thought to herself, how nervous she was waiting in the police station. If she just walked outside the door, she was sure to run smack into somebody with a badge and gun. It was the safest place for her to be. And yet, she felt vulnerable.

  She was so nervous that when Gavin opened the door, she jumped. Picking up her coat from the rack standing in the corner, he handed it to her. Silently she shrugged into it.

  “The chief agreed, but I’m to keep in radio contact with him every step of the way.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Within a few minutes, they were in the car and heading out. Gavin kept up a steady stream of banter, to relax her and take her mind off things no doubt, but as much as she tried to focus on the conversation, she couldn’t. Instead, she kept finding herself looking into the side mirror.

  “Alexa, stop that.”

  “Stop what?”

  Gavin let out a laugh. It was low and warm, and actually held true amusement. Had she heard him really laugh before? Granted, there hadn’t been much to laugh about in the short time they’d known each other, but she found herself wanting to hear him laugh again.

  “You keep turning to look in the side
mirror. It’s making me nuts.” He threw her a sideways glance. Yep. Definitely amused.

  “I can’t help it. I keep thinking that this guy could be anyone! I’d never know it.”

  “You said that you thought his voice sounded familiar, right?”

  In her mind, she could hear the low whisper in her ear again. She shivered. The acid in her stomach churned.

  “Yeah, but I think he was deliberately trying to sound different. I couldn’t place where I thought I knew it from. Sorry.”

  He sighed. “Lexie, none of this is your fault. Everything that’s happened is because of your stalker’s choices. He’s responsible for his own actions.”

  “Turn left at the next intersection.” She sat straighter as they neared the junction where the two roads met. The cruiser smoothly turned onto the road. It was a state highway, which was a fancy way of saying it was a long, paved, two-lane road with lots of traffic. They passed multiple cars, trucks and several buggies. She grew tenser by the mile as they approached where Marvin King lived.

  She squinted as she stared through the front windshield. The sun was out, casting a glare where it reflected off the white snow.

  It was a quiet, peaceful morning.

  A peace that was shattered by a gunshot.

  SEVEN

  “Hold on.” Gavin pushed his foot on the gas, then hit the radio button to call in the gunshot.

  “This is Marvin’s place!” Alexa yelled, pointing at a long driveway leading up to a large white farmhouse.

  Gavin could just make out a brown, log cabin–styled barn jutting behind the house. The field next to the house was buried under more than a foot of snow. A buggy was parked in the barn. He could see a horse in the back field.

  Someone was home.

  Hopefully, he’d find them alive and well.

  Coming to a full stop beside the house, he unhooked his seat belt. “Stay here. I’m going to check this out.”

  Without waiting to see if she would obey him, he swung the driver’s door open and stepped outside the vehicle. Keeping low, he edged toward the house. His gaze made a full circle around the yard, searching for anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. Nothing. Nothing was good. He took a few more cautious steps toward the house.

  Still nothing.

  Knowing how the Amish felt about guns and violence, Gavin replaced his service weapon in his holster as he climbed the porch steps and stood at the front door. He kept his hand on the weapon, just in case. He knocked. Waited. Knocked again.

  After a minute, he moved away from the door and walked toward the back of the house. The porch was a wraparound. Peering around the corner, he squinted. No one was in sight.

  He had a bad feeling about this.

  Going back down to the cruiser, he motioned for Lexie to roll down the window. “I’m not getting a response, and no one’s in sight. Is it possible he isn’t here?”

  Her lips tilted down in a puzzled frown. “Not likely. This is a standing appointment with us. If he had an emergency, he would have found a way to call or let the clinic know to get in touch with me.”

  A fierce light kindled in her eyes. Without warning, she unlatched her seat belt and opened the door with enough force to make him jump back out of the way. She swung her long legs out of the car and stood, hands on her hips. Turning in a full circle, she searched the snow-covered property from the large white farmhouse, to the fields in front, to the woods that ran alongside the back and the north side.

  “Hey! Lexie, what are you doing? Get back in the car.”

  “Something horrible has happened, Gavin. I’m sure of it. Even if Marvin weren’t around, his sister Linda would have been here. Or at the very least, she’d have left a note on the front door.”

  Alexa knew these people. If she believed they were here or in trouble, he had to believe her. He needed to go around the corner and check things out. Leaving Alexa alone and unguarded in the cruiser wasn’t an option. He needed to move, though. His gut said that the gunshot they heard came from here, on the property.

  Drawing his service weapon again, he motioned for Alexa to step closer. Deliberately placing her between him and the building, he gave her instructions in a low voice.

  “Stay next to the house. And next to me. That gunshot was close to here. We need to find your patient. Now.”

  Eyes flaring wide, she nodded. The urge to reach out and squeeze her hand in encouragement almost shocked a snort out of him. Yeah, that would be real professional. Not to mention, if her stalker was out here, he’d probably not take too kindly to any evidence of overt friendliness. Not that he seemed to need a reason. A man entering a clinic for health care wasn’t exactly a romantic rendezvous.

  Now was not the time for conjecture. “Stay low,” he hissed at Alexa. She hunched her shoulders and bent her knees. Satisfied, he began to move forward, eyes busily scanning the horizon for any sign of movement.

  “What was that?” Alexa’s tight voice whispered beside him.

  They paused. Gavin held himself rigid, straining his ears to catch any stray sounds.

  There. He heard it. It sounded like a groan.

  The groan of someone in pain. The noise came from somewhere ahead of them.

  Picking up the pace, they reached the back of the house. Beside him, Alexa gasped. Gavin slid his eyes in Alexa’s direction. Catching his gaze on her, she raised a shaking arm and pointed to the left.

  Gavin’s view was obstructed by a large tree. Leaning toward her to see around it, he was able to make out a dark shape in the snow, half hidden by the corner of the barn.

  He saw something dark blue, like a pair of dark blue trousers worn by Amish men. And right beside it, a straw hat. The body moved, just a bit. Enough to let them know that he was still alive.

  They’d found Marvin King, but it appeared that the stalker had found him first. From this far away, it was impossible to tell how badly he was hurt.

  The only way to know for sure was to go over there and check. But the scene was not safe. Using his radio, he called in to check on the status of backup and to let the dispatcher know to send an ambulance.

  “Backup on the way, Sergeant,” the dispatcher reported. “It should arrive within five minutes.”

  Five minutes. He really hoped other officers would arrive on scene sooner than that.

  “You said his sister would be here somewhere, too?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  His gut clenched. Lord, please let her be safe.

  “What are we going to do?” Alexa whispered as he disconnected with the dispatcher.

  “Lexie, we can’t go over there to him right now. This scene is not safe. If we went over there, we’d be out in the open. You’d be out in the open. I don’t think whoever is out there would hesitate to take a shot at either one of us.”

  She sucked in a harsh breath. Although she had to know that what he said was true, she certainly didn’t like it. But she didn’t argue. It was a bit humbling to realize that she trusted his judgment so completely. Except for his fellow cops, who had ever trusted him that much?

  Leo had trusted him. But Leo was dead. And he had to accept some of the blame for that. He slammed down that train of thought. It would do no one any good. But would this beautiful, independent woman see him any differently if she knew how badly he’d failed his uncle?

  Suddenly his senses went into hyperdrive. The feeling of being watched slid over him. His shoulders twitched.

  “Get down!” he ordered “We’re being watched.”

  Without hesitation, Alexa hit the ground. Snow puffed up from the pile she’d landed on, then drifted down like tiny feathers, landing in her hair and on her clothes. He landed right beside her and raised himself a bit higher. Whoever went after her would have to get through him first.

  A chunk of the house shattered, spattering them with
debris. She flinched, hard. He could feel her trembling beside him. They’d been shot at sniper style.

  Could they survive out here long enough for help to arrive?

  * * *

  Alexa couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of her own blood in her ears. Every second she expected to feel a bullet hit her from any direction. Where was the shooter hiding?

  Next to her Gavin adjusted his position. Was he hurt? A burst of fear for him shot through her. Moving her head so that she could examine him, she saw that he wasn’t injured. His eyes met hers. She could see the question in them. Was she okay? She attempted a smile. All she could pull off was a slight quirk of her lips. She had to hold her mouth tight to still the tremble that wanted to show up.

  Apparently, it was enough to reassure Gavin. He moved again. This time to push the radio on his shoulder to call in the shooting.

  He’d just started speaking when another bullet hit the house, this one two inches closer.

  Biting back a shriek, Alexa ducked her head. She felt the snow on her chin. The cold was starting to seep into her bones. A third bullet struck the pole of the clothesline with a loud, hollow ping.

  “See where the bullet hit the clothesline?” Gavin asked. She looked where his finger pointed. There was a dent in the pole. “He must be shooting from those trees over there.” He gestured to the left behind them. “My cruiser is in his way. That’s why he can’t get a lock on us.”

  As if to prove his point, the back window of the cruiser shattered. The sound echoed in the winter stillness. Gavin winced.

  He lifted his gaze from her to sweep the area again. He was plotting something. Hopefully, it would work. He swung his piercing blue stare back to her. She held on to his eyes with her own, for strength and assurance. If he believed he could get them out of this, she’d believe it, too.