Never Giving Up (Never #3)(29)
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. As I alluded to over the phone, there have been some developments in your case.”
“What does that mean?” Ella’s voice shook as she asked the detective her question.
“Yesterday the Portland Swat Team took down a drug ring in the inner city. We took in a young man who is facing drug and weapon charges that are scaring him shitless. Pardon the language,” he said quickly, looking at Ella. She didn’t even blink at him so he continued on. “He’s young and it’s his first offense. Luckily for everyone involved, he’s scared and looking for a way out. He offered up some information that could possibly lead us to an arrest in your case.”
“What?” Ella said, disbelief and excitement evident in her voice.
“Yes. In exchange for information on a few cases we’re working on, he will be getting a lesser charge and stay out of jail. He claims to know of a man who was involved in a shooting about a year ago, in the area of your store, and the suspect matches the description of the man who shot you.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“So you have the bastard in custody?” My blood boiled at the thought of the person who shot Ella being in the same building as I was. I would rip him apart.
“Well, it’s not that simple. We have a name and a general area he was last seen. But he could be anywhere. We’ve put out an APB, and we’ve got our eyes out for him, but it might be a while before we find him.”
“So, what? You brought us here to tell us you kind of, sort of, have news about our case, maybe?” I was beginning to feel my rage take over. What were they playing at?
“Mr. Masters, listen, I’m trying to solve this case too. I want nothing more than to lock this guy up, but it’s going to take some time. I brought you in here to bring you up to speed and give you information. It’s very possible that this kid, and he is just a kid—nineteen-year-old boy—who shot you is long gone. He could be on the other side of the country by now. Or he could have gotten word of the arrests made today, that our suspect ratted him out, and he could be waiting outside to finish the job he messed up last year.”
I stood up and the chair I sat in scratched across the floor behind me with force. I leaned over the table and pointed my finger in the detective’s face. “You don’t bring my wife in here to tell her some half-assed news about the man who shot her and then try to scare the daylights out of her. Cop or not, I will kick your ass if you talk to her like that again.” Ella pulled on my arm, urging me to sit back down.
“Listen,” Dillard said, raising his hands in the air, “we’re all on the same page here. I want to catch this * just as much as you do. But if you threaten me again, you’ll be locked up faster than you can blink and you won’t do your wife any good behind bars.” He kept his hands up and looked at me until I finally exhaled loudly and righted my chair, sitting again. Dillard turned to Ella. “Again, I’m not trying to scare you, I’m trying to help you.”
“What’s going to happen now?” She asked quietly.
“Well, like I said, we have no real idea of where this kid is. He could be in town or he could be in another state. But I wanted to give you a heads up and offer what help we could.”
“What kind of help are you talking about?” I was still pissed and even I heard it in my voice.
“Well, we can put more patrols past the sight of the crime.”
“It’s a store. It’s called Poppy,” Ella said quietly.
“Right, we could have more cars making passes by the store, if you live inside the city limits we can have cars patrol by your house.”
“You think he knows where we live?” Ella asked, sounding scared all over again.
“Chances are, no. Most likely, this kid doesn’t even know your name. He was probably hired to show up at a spot and shoot a gun. He doesn’t know who you are, but he does know where you were. So, the store really is a place of interest.”
“We’ll hire private security again,” I said immediately. Ella looked at me with relief, no doubt worried about her sister and the girls who work there. “We live in Salem right now.”
Dillard nodded. “We’ll partner with the Salem PD and ask them to watch your house, just leave me your address.”
“Will that start immediately? We’re headed there tonight.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll call their captain myself.”
“So, we’re just supposed to sit here like ducks, waiting to be picked off?” I could hear the panic coming over her and it tore my heart open. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. I took her hand in mine and held on tight, trying to remind her that I was here to protect her.
“No. You’ve got the police looking out for you, but you need to be careful. Don’t go anywhere alone, report anything suspicious, and be smart. Trust your instincts. And call me whenever you think you have something to offer, anything at all. No piece of information is too small. And I’ll be doing my best to catch this kid before anything can happen. Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
Ella’s hand floated her belly and I saw the moment she really fell into the abyss of irrational thought. I turned to her, not a care in the world that the detective was with us, or who might be watching through the mirror, and pulled her forehead to meet mine.