She Who Watches (36 page)

“Of course. Are you OK? You sound like you're crying.”

“I was. But I . . . I don't know what to do!”

“Just talk to me, Jackie. Can you come over here?”

“N-no. You come here. To your office.” The voice seemed stronger now.

“Is Claire with you?”

“Why does that matter?”

“It does. If you and I have any hope of a future together, you mustn't harm Claire.” He hesitated. “Jackie?”

“I won't hurt her.”

Scott closed his eyes. “Let me talk to her, OK. I want to tell her it's over between us.”

“You don't need to, Scott. I'll tell her myself.” Jackie's tone had changed from whimpering to haughty. Mac hoped that was a good sign.

“OK. I'll be there in ten minutes max.”

Mac remembered to breathe as he turned off the recorder.

“Was that OK?” Scott lowered the phone and handed Mac the earpiece.

“You did fine, Scott.”

“I told her ten minutes. I assume you're coming with me.”

“You won't be going.” Mac read the determination in his brown eyes.

“Please. If you show up instead of me, there's no telling what she'll do.”

“It's too dangerous.”

“At least let me come. If you need me to talk to her, I can be there.” Scott seemed determined, and Mac had a hunch if they didn't bring him along, he'd follow them.

“All right, but you need to let us handle it.”

He nodded. “I will.”

Mac put in a call to Kevin on the way. Russ and Kevin would meet them there as well as the SWAT team if they were needed, although their ramp-up time would probably delay them for at least an hour.

Mac and Dana were waiting for backup when Scott bolted from the car and ran toward the building. “What the . . .” Mac took out after him, drawing his weapon. “Stop!”

“Scott, stop! We don't want to have to shoot you.” Mac still didn't know how involved Scott was in his wife's death. This whole thing could have been a setup to destroy evidence inside the business.

Mac wasn't sure how Scott had done it, but he'd managed to slip into the building and lock the outer door. “I knew I shouldn't have trusted him.” Mac stepped back and pumped two bullets into the heavy glass door.

Dana had kicked off her heels and was now screaming into the radio for backup. She gave their positions while waiting for Mac to kick out the shattered glass and unlock the door. “This way.” Mac bypassed the elevator, which was moving toward the third floor, and headed for the stairs. Guns drawn, they raced up the stairs. The lobby was empty when they pushed through the door. Watching their backs, they made their way down the wide hall. At Scott's office suite, they stopped at the open door.

The receptionist's office was empty, and the door to Scott's office was slightly ajar.

“You have to believe me, Jackie,” Scott pleaded.

Mac and Dana made their way to the office door, one on either side.

“Why, so you can lie to me again? I can't believe I actually thought having Sara killed would make a difference. I should have shot you instead.”

“Then shoot me and let Claire go.”

“Not a chance. Do you really think I could let either one of you live? I'm thinking a murder-suicide might make a great story for tomorrow's paper.”

Mac signaled Dana, fear rising in his chest. They had to move fast and hope none of them would end up dead.

Mac took the lead, opening the door and bursting into the room.

“Police! Put the gun down. Now!”

Dana shouted the same warning. She stood to his right, both hands holding her weapon straight out.

Jackie turned and took aim at Scott.

“Get down.” Dana's feet left the ground, tackling Scott to the floor seconds before Jackie's gun went off. At the same moment, Mac fired and got a hit, but not before she fired a second time. He felt and heard the bullet zing past his ear.

Mac's stomach felt like it had been turned inside out. By the time their reinforcements arrived, he had called the paramedics. Scott had taken a bullet in the shoulder, and Jackie had taken one in the chest. Claire was still alive, bound with duct tape and lying on the floor in the corner.

Dana removed the restraints, and Claire crawled over to where Scott lay.

“Jackie hired that guy to kill Sara.” Claire seemed surprisingly calm as she knelt beside Scott, holding pressure on his wound like Dana had showed her. “She wanted Scott and was willing to do whatever it took to get him. She's crazy. I just don't know why I never noticed before.”

Mac wasn't sure he'd call Jackie insane. Cunning, maybe. Scheming, dangerous, evil. Even now, lying on the stretcher, her eyes held contempt.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “You did good, partner,” Kevin said. “You, too, Dana. I'm proud of you both.”

The ordeal was over. “I just wish we'd had the information about Jackie's print being in that cabinet earlier. We might have taken a closer look. We might have kept her from abducting Claire.” Mac was going through the typical what-if scenarios all cops process after a deadly physical force incident. He would take his place alongside Philly on administrative leave until the case was investigated and the shooting was cleared by a grand jury. He handed his gun and magazines to Kevin and headed for the elevator. Dana put her hand on his shoulder. He had been there for her; now she would do the same. The two friends rode the elevator down without a word.

Dana, Kevin, Russ, and Mac met at a twenty-four-hour restaurant near the office and talked until after midnight. It had taken that long for their adrenaline rush and caffeine high to settle. He smiled at the easy camaraderie they'd had while enjoying their late-night desserts and coffee. During their debriefing, Russ filled them in on Philly's progress. The big guy had checked himself into an inpatient rehab program, where he'd spend the next six weeks getting his life back together again.

At around one, Mac took Dana home. A Vancouver police car reminded them of the stalker who'd been tormenting Dana. “They'll get him,” Mac said.

Dana nodded. “I hope so.”

MAC AND THE OTHERS WERE BACK TO WORK by eight. He would be grounded in administrative work until his shooting was cleared. He spent most of the day tying up loose ends in the Sara Watson case. Besides the paperwork, Mac had interviews with Internal Affairs and had his blood drawn to prove he wasn't under the influence of any intoxicants during the shooting. He felt bad about having to shoot Jackie, but he was relieved that she had lived through it and would be facing charges. She'd procured an attorney and wasn't telling them anything.

The investigation was over, and the D.A. would have no trouble proving their case against Jackie. They had testimony from Claire and Scott, and they'd even managed to dig up a witness who had seen Jackie talking to Sinnott at the construction site.

Though she hadn't confessed, they'd managed to put the pieces together. Jackie had used the Native American connection with the senator to her advantage, making the murder look like the Confederated Tribes were involved. She likely had given Sara's beaded pouch and stone to Sinnott and instructed him to stuff them in Sara's mouth and then bury her near the reservation. In a search of Jackie's apartment, they'd found articles about the casino dispute as well as a stamp bearing the Tsagagalal insignia, which clearly tied her to the second set of letters.

That night, after a grueling day, Mac steered his car toward Kristen's warm and comfortable home. Dinner the night before had been amazing. After the shooting episode last night, he was in great need of good food and comfort.

Mac felt like things were coming together for him all the way around. He could hardly wait to talk to Kristen about her trip to Florida. He wanted to know where he stood with her, but he wouldn't press it. He wasn't ready to commit to anyone just now anyway. The last thing he wanted to do was leave behind a widow, like Daniel had. And last night had proven once again just how tenuous life for a cop could be.

There was no little torpedo to greet him as he made his way up the walk to Kristen's front door, but then he knew there wouldn't be. Mac missed the little guy already, and it was just for the evening. Kristen had told him that Andrew would be staying with his grandmother so the two of them would have the evening to themselves. On one hand, he was looking forward to it; on the other, he felt like he was walking into a trap.

Kristen met him at the door. Her arms went around his waist as he pulled her close for a kiss.

“I take it we're back to seeing each other.” He could already feel the tension draining out of his shoulders.

She nodded. “If you think you can put up with a flake like me.”

“What about Brian?”

She stepped back. Head down she closed her eyes. “He died, Mac.”

“I'm sorry.”

She looked up at him, eyes shiny with tears. “Even if he hadn't, I wouldn't have gone back to him. While I was gone, I did a lot of thinking. I like the way I feel around you. I like the way you care about Andrew.”

Mac swallowed hard. “So you want to get married?” He hadn't meant to say that.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “No. At least not for a while. We have something special, Mac.” She leaned into him, driving his desire off the scale. “I still think we should take it slow.”

“OK.” Mac didn't want to take it slow. His earlier resolve not to make a commitment melted. Life was too short for slow. But he'd go along with her for now. “How slow?”

“Have you thought any more about your feelings for Dana?” she asked.

“Dana?”

“Your partner.” Kristen laughed.

“Not when I'm with you.” That much was true. Standing there kissing Kristen, Dana Bennett had been the furthest thing from his mind.

Taking his hand, she led him to the table, which she'd set and decorated with candles, flowers, cloth napkins, and everything they needed for a romantic dinner. A fire glowed in the living room fireplace. Kristen brought out seafood pasta with a lemon pepper cream sauce. She slipped into the chair beside him and took his hand, offering a prayer. After the amen, she placed a napkin on her lap.

“Now tell me about the Sara Watson case, and don't leave anything out.”

They talked for three hours between kissing sessions, and Mac couldn't remember ever enjoying an evening quite so much. Nana had told him to follow his heart, and it looked like that advice had led him straight to Kristen and Andrew.

Open up the first of
The McAllister Files

With his newly minted detective badge firmly in place, “Mac” McAllister reports for his first assignment with the Oregon State Police Department: a particularly gruesome homicide. It's a headline case, as the victim—Megan Tyson—was brutally murdered mere weeks before her wedding.

The investigation and autopsy turn up far too many suspects, and too little hard evidence. Why would the beautiful Megan, engaged to a wealthy businessman, be involved with the seedy lineup of characters who seem connected to her? With more questions than answers, Mac and his partner try to uncover the secrets Megan took to her grave and sort through the lies and alibis before Megan's murderer strikes again.

Not sure that he can trust his instincts, Mac depends heavily on the advice of his partner—a seasoned detective with a strong faith in God. A faith Mac has no use for until he must come to terms with his own past and the secrets that haunt him.

Fiction that reflects the grittiness of
real life . . . and the reality of faith.

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Mac Is Back!

It's been just three months since Detective “Mac” McAllister solved his first homicide case with the Oregon State Police. Now he's working the search for a ski instructor who has mysteriously disappeared. The man's parents claim their son wouldn't have committed suicide, but they suspect his girlfriend of something sinister.