on guard duty tonight?”
“Yeah, Larry Wellman. How’d you know that?”
“Somebody strung him up in the basement of the house and then stole his ride.”
Her face collapsed. “Larry’s dead?”
“Afraid so.”
“You said there might be a shooter?”
He touched his optics. “Saw a flash of movement through a window of the house when I heard you pulling up.”
“From where?”
“The woods behind the house.”
“You think they…?”
“I don’t presume. Why I grabbed you. Already killed one cop, so what’s another to them?”
She gave him a searching glance. “I appreciate that. But I can’t believe Larry’s dead. No wonder he didn’t answer my call.” She paused. “He’s got a wife and a new baby.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You sure he’s dead?”
“If I weren’t I would’ve cut him down and tried to resuscitate him. But trust me, it would’ve been pointless. He hasn’t been dead long, though. Body’s still warm.”
“Shit,” she said again, her voice shaky.
He drew in her scent. Her breath smelled of mints with the tobacco lapping right underneath. No perfume. She hadn’t taken time to wash her hair. He glanced at his watch. She had gotten here two minutes ahead of her own deadline.
He saw her eyes start to glisten; a wobbly tear freed itself and slid down her cheek.
“You want to call it in?” he asked.
She answered in a dull, tired voice, “What? Oh, right.” She hastily wiped her eyes and pulled out her phone. She drilled in the numbers. She spoke fast but clearly, also putting out a BOLO on the missing police cruiser. The woman had gone from emotionally paralyzed to professional in a few seconds. Puller was impressed.
She closed the phone.
“How many officers do you have available?” he asked.
“We’re a rural county, Puller. Lot of space, not a lot of dollars. Budget cuts have wrecked us; cut our force by a third. And three of my guys are reservists who are currently in Afghanistan. So that translates into us having a total of twenty-one uniforms to cover about four hundred square miles. And two of them are banged up from a car crash last week.”
“So nineteen. Including you?”
“Including me.”
“How many are coming now?”
“Three. And that’s a stretch. And it won’t be fast. They’re nowhere near here.”
Puller looked toward the woods. “Why don’t you stay here and wait for them and I’ll go check out whatever it was I saw in the woods.”
“Why would I stay here? I’m armed. Two’s better than one.”
“Suit yourself.” He eyed the woods, did the run-through logistics in his mind. It was so ingrained in him that he thought about it thoroughly without seeming to think about it at all.
“You ever been in the military?” he asked.
She shook her head. “State police for four years before I came back here. For the record, I’m a hell of a shot. Got the ribbons and trophies to prove it.”
“Okay, but you mind if I take the lead on this search?”
She looked out at the dark woods and then at his large, muscular physique.
“Works for me.”
CHAPTER
10
A FEW MINUTES LATER Puller glanced behind him to see Sam Cole struggling to keep up with him in the dense brush. He stopped and held up his hand. Cole froze. He swept the area in front of him with his night-vision optics. Trees, brush, the dart of a deer. Nothing that was looking to kill them.
He still didn’t move. He thought back to what he’d seen in the woods through the window. A shape, not an animal. A man. Didn’t necessarily have to be connected to the case, but probably was.
“Puller?”
He didn’t look back at her but simply waved Cole forward. She crouched next to him a few seconds later.
“You catch anything with that fancy gear of yours?”
“Just a deer and a whole lot of trees.”
“I don’t hear anything either.”
He eyed the lightening sky. “There was a searchlight on when I arrived. To the east, couple of miles away.”
“Probably mining
“Yeah, Larry Wellman. How’d you know that?”
“Somebody strung him up in the basement of the house and then stole his ride.”
Her face collapsed. “Larry’s dead?”
“Afraid so.”
“You said there might be a shooter?”
He touched his optics. “Saw a flash of movement through a window of the house when I heard you pulling up.”
“From where?”
“The woods behind the house.”
“You think they…?”
“I don’t presume. Why I grabbed you. Already killed one cop, so what’s another to them?”
She gave him a searching glance. “I appreciate that. But I can’t believe Larry’s dead. No wonder he didn’t answer my call.” She paused. “He’s got a wife and a new baby.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You sure he’s dead?”
“If I weren’t I would’ve cut him down and tried to resuscitate him. But trust me, it would’ve been pointless. He hasn’t been dead long, though. Body’s still warm.”
“Shit,” she said again, her voice shaky.
He drew in her scent. Her breath smelled of mints with the tobacco lapping right underneath. No perfume. She hadn’t taken time to wash her hair. He glanced at his watch. She had gotten here two minutes ahead of her own deadline.
He saw her eyes start to glisten; a wobbly tear freed itself and slid down her cheek.
“You want to call it in?” he asked.
She answered in a dull, tired voice, “What? Oh, right.” She hastily wiped her eyes and pulled out her phone. She drilled in the numbers. She spoke fast but clearly, also putting out a BOLO on the missing police cruiser. The woman had gone from emotionally paralyzed to professional in a few seconds. Puller was impressed.
She closed the phone.
“How many officers do you have available?” he asked.
“We’re a rural county, Puller. Lot of space, not a lot of dollars. Budget cuts have wrecked us; cut our force by a third. And three of my guys are reservists who are currently in Afghanistan. So that translates into us having a total of twenty-one uniforms to cover about four hundred square miles. And two of them are banged up from a car crash last week.”
“So nineteen. Including you?”
“Including me.”
“How many are coming now?”
“Three. And that’s a stretch. And it won’t be fast. They’re nowhere near here.”
Puller looked toward the woods. “Why don’t you stay here and wait for them and I’ll go check out whatever it was I saw in the woods.”
“Why would I stay here? I’m armed. Two’s better than one.”
“Suit yourself.” He eyed the woods, did the run-through logistics in his mind. It was so ingrained in him that he thought about it thoroughly without seeming to think about it at all.
“You ever been in the military?” he asked.
She shook her head. “State police for four years before I came back here. For the record, I’m a hell of a shot. Got the ribbons and trophies to prove it.”
“Okay, but you mind if I take the lead on this search?”
She looked out at the dark woods and then at his large, muscular physique.
“Works for me.”
CHAPTER
10
A FEW MINUTES LATER Puller glanced behind him to see Sam Cole struggling to keep up with him in the dense brush. He stopped and held up his hand. Cole froze. He swept the area in front of him with his night-vision optics. Trees, brush, the dart of a deer. Nothing that was looking to kill them.
He still didn’t move. He thought back to what he’d seen in the woods through the window. A shape, not an animal. A man. Didn’t necessarily have to be connected to the case, but probably was.
“Puller?”
He didn’t look back at her but simply waved Cole forward. She crouched next to him a few seconds later.
“You catch anything with that fancy gear of yours?”
“Just a deer and a whole lot of trees.”
“I don’t hear anything either.”
He eyed the lightening sky. “There was a searchlight on when I arrived. To the east, couple of miles away.”
“Probably mining
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