Shattered Lullaby

So far, she was doing a lousy job of taking care of her young nephew. Not that she had much experience with babies. She taught fifth grade, not preschool.

“Shh, it’s okay, Rory. Auntie Lacy is here. You’re going to be fine. It’s okay,” she continued talking to the baby, who continued to wail. She glanced up at the officer, hoping he wasn’t the type to lose his temper over a crying infant.

What did she really know about him? Other than he cared about his dog?

She deftly changed Rory, then bundled him back up in the sling, hoping he would calm down enough to fall back asleep.

Not hardly.

“Maybe the kid is hungry?” the officer suggested.

She stifled a sigh. “I’m well aware of that fact. I have a can of powdered formula from the store, but it’s useless without water.”

“I have bottled water.” He rummaged beneath the passenger seat and pulled out a fresh bottle of water, handing it to her over his shoulder. “I always keep a case in the SUV for my dog, Duchess.”

“Thank you.” The water wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold, either. Hopefully, he’d take it without a problem.

She made Rory’s bottle, shaking the thing with enough force to make her teeth rattle in an effort to be sure the powder was completely dissolved. Then she shifted the baby in her arms so that she could feed him.

Rory latched onto the nipple with the strength of a linebacker. Apparently he was too hungry to care if the water bottle was warm or not.

With a sigh of relief, she gazed into Rory’s wide eyes. This poor baby was in danger for no reason other than his father was an abusive, controlling lunatic.

She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her mouth to press a kiss against the top of his downy head. He smelled like baby shampoo, and she had to fight against another wave of tears.

No child should have to grow up without his mother. Or with the knowledge that his father had killed his mother.

A sense of hopelessness hit hard, and she forced herself to shove it aside. Self-pity wasn’t going to help.

She needed to remain strong, for Rory’s sake.

Rory released his viselike grip on the bottle, so she lifted him up to her shoulder and lightly rubbed his back in slow circular motions. Duchess stuck her nose through the crate, pressing it along the back of Lacy’s neck, making her smile.

Rory let out a wet belch and she instantly praised him. “Good boy! Yes, you’re such a good boy!”

He lifted his head from her shoulder and smiled up at her with a toothless grin. She kissed him again, then turned him so that his head rested in the crook of her arm. As he finished the rest of the bottle, she glanced up and caught the officer staring at her through the rearview mirror.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To a twenty-four hour veterinary service,” he answered. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what took place tonight?”

“Look, Officer,” she began, but he quickly interrupted.

“Matt. My name is Matthew Callahan.”

Matt was a nice name, one that carried an inner strength. She shook her head quickly. She was acting irrational again. As if a name mattered. Wasn’t David the one in the Bible who took down Goliath with a slingshot? It didn’t mean her sister’s husband was a good man.

Quite the opposite.

She gave herself a mental shake. “Okay, Matt. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I’m Lacy Germaine, and this baby is Rory Williams. There’s an Amber Alert out on the baby and I understand we’re in your custody.”

“Is that why you chose to sit in the back seat?” he asked.

“No.” Not only had she wanted to change Rory, but she secretly preferred being closer to the dog than to him. She forced herself to stay on track. “I’ve been staying at my sister’s house for a few days to help her with Rory. I woke up to the sound of arguing and heard my sister begging not to be hurt. Before this happened, she had told me she was afraid of her husband, David Williams, because of his temper. In fact, she recently filed for divorce. He was clearly angry about that—I overheard him threaten to kill her and Rory, too, right before I heard two gunshots. And the biggest problem of all is that David Williams is a police officer working in the third district.”

“He’s a cop?” Matt demanded, his expression turning grim.

“Yes.” She could already tell that he didn’t want to believe her. “When I heard them arguing, I called 911 and gave the dispatcher my sister’s address. Then I took off with Rory.”

“So why the Amber Alert?”

Rory had fallen asleep, the bottle just about empty, so she pulled it away and set it aside. “I don’t know. I can only assume that David somehow convinced his cop buddies that I’m the one who killed Jill and took Rory. Which doesn’t make any sense.”

He snorted in derision. “I’ll say. Even a rookie would have a hard time buying that story. There has to be something else going on.”

She clenched her jaw. “I don’t know what else is going on. You saw that David had a gun, didn’t you? And he took a slice out of Duchess. What more do you want from me? I can’t tell you what I don’t know!”

Rory shifted restlessly in her arms, and she mentally berated herself for raising her voice. Rory shouldn’t have to listen to her arguing with a cop. He’d had enough exposure to violence in his short life.

She let out a sigh and stroked the tip of her finger over his plump cheek. Now that Jill was gone, it would be up to her to take care of Rory. To raise him as her own.

To love him.

She swallowed a sense of panic. Okay, she didn’t know much about babies, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take a crash course to learn.

Lacy silently promised to give Rory the stable life he deserved.

* * *

Matt didn’t understand why he was so captivated by Lacy taking care of Rory. He came from a large family, sure, but he wasn’t like his two eldest brothers, Marc and Miles, who’d both married women with children.

Truthfully, he’d gone down that path with devastating results. He’d begun dating a divorced woman named Debra who had a four-year-old daughter, Carly. He’d been about to propose when Carly had gotten sick and had been diagnosed with a rare form of lethal cancer. During the next few months, he’d been forced to watch the child he’d come to love die a horrible death. On top of that, the crisis had caused Debra and her ex-husband, Kyle, to grow close again. After Carly’s death, Debra had broken up with Matt, claiming she and Kyle were going to reunite.

Logically, he knew he should have been happy for them, but he’d felt Carly’s loss as keenly as they had. Losing a child, even one who wasn’t his by blood, had been the most painful thing he’d ever experienced. Debra’s rejection afterward hadn’t helped.

When Debra walked away, he’d decided it was easier to avoid romantic entanglements and to focus on his career. Dogs were better than people any day of the week. He’d loved K-9 training, and Duchess made the best partner he could have imagined. He still had the closeness he shared with his twin, Maddy, and was truly happy she’d found love with his former partner, Noah Sinclair.

Using the rearview mirror, he kept a close eye on his partner. If his gaze strayed on occasion to Lacy and the baby, he quickly caught himself and looked away. He didn’t need to keep an eye on his passengers, as Duchess seemed to be enthralled by the woman and the baby in the back seat.

Or maybe his partner instinctively knew to offer her protection.

He grappled with Lacy’s allegation that the dark-haired guy was a police officer. He could easily find out for sure, but he was loath to use his radio. He’d bought them a little time, but he couldn’t postpone the inevitable forever. Now that he knew about the Amber Alert, he would have to take Lacy and Rory into custody so she could provide her side of the story.

In his gut, he believed she was telling the truth. But he also knew that David’s being a cop would make things a lot more difficult.

Her word against that of a police officer.

He didn’t like it.

Even worse, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to continue investigating the case. In theory, once he handed her over, his role in this mess would be finished. The case would be given to one of the homicide detectives, not a K-9 officer.

The thought was depressing. Matt didn’t want to become attached to the little guy, but at the same time, he worried about what would happen to him. The kid was the real innocent victim here. Would he end up in foster care?

Maybe, but it was likely a whole lot better than ending up with his father.

The lights from the emergency veterinary clinic loomed up ahead, so he turned in that direction.

He and Duchess had only been there once before, and that was related to another on-the-job injury. Some perp had kicked Duchess in the head and he’d panicked, fearing she had suffered some sort of brain injury. She’d been fine, and he was determined she would get through this latest injury without complications as well.

After parking the SUV, he jumped out and went around to the back to get Duchess. She lifted her head, her tail thumping in greeting, but he could tell by the way she was acting that the wound along her side hurt.

“It’s okay, girl. I have you.” He scooped the animal into his arms—no small feat since she was a solid German shepherd weighing in at eighty pounds, hefty for a female.

She licked his face again and he used his elbow to close the back hatch. As he rounded the corner of the SUV, he realized that Lacy had gotten out of the vehicle with Rory swaddled against her. She held the door to the clinic open for him.

“Thanks,” he said, carrying Duchess inside.

“You’re welcome.” She surprised him again by following him into the building.

He supposed it was better for her to be inside the building since her brother-in-law was looking for her.It bothered him to think about her need to escape with Rory in the middle of the night.

He focused on Duchess. Blood was seeping through the dressings he’d applied, so he looked around for someone to talk to. “I need some help here,” he said in a loud tone.

The veterinary assistant came out of the back, then hurried over. “What happened?”

“This is my K-9 partner. She was cut by a sharp object,” he said. “The laceration is roughly six inches long.”

“This way.” The assistant led the way through a door into a small exam room.

He eased the dog down on the stainless steel table, disconcerted to realize that Lacy had followed him again. Why her actions distracted him, he had no idea. Maybe on some level, he expected her to take off with the baby. In fact, he couldn’t even say he would blame her if she did.

But she didn’t.

The vet, a tall man who appeared to be in his early fifties, entered the room. After washing his hands in the corner sink, he approached Duchess. “I’m Dr. Hogan. Do you have any idea what was used to cause the laceration?”

“No, it was dark. I assume a knife, but couldn’t say for sure.” Matt stayed near Duchess, holding her in place, stroking the soft fur between her ears reassuringly. “Her name is Duchess and she’s a K-9 officer.”

“Hi, Duchess.” The vet spoke in a soothing voice. He glanced at Matt. “I assume her shots are up to date?”

“Yes.” Matt watched as the vet cut through the gauze he’d wrapped around the dog’s torso.

“Well, I’m glad to see the cut isn’t too deep,” Dr. Hogan said. “I think we can close it up with glue. Hopefully, it won’t bother her too much.”

The huge wave of guilt rolled off his back. Duchess really would be okay.

“She’ll need some antibiotics, since we don’t know what cut her, along with some pain meds.” Dr. Hogan lifted his gaze to Matt’s. “First, we’ll get this cleaned up, okay?”

He nodded again, grateful that his partner wouldn’t need surgery. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks to God for watching over them.

Praying came natural to him. Growing up in the Callahan family meant they went to church every Sunday, followed by brunch at his mother’s home. His father, Max Callahan, the former Chief of Police, had died in the line of duty over two years ago, but in some ways it felt as if the event that had so dramatically changed their lives had happened yesterday.

The perp who’d shot his father had never been caught, a fact that nagged at him incessantly. And he knew it bothered the rest of his brothers and his twin sister, too. He’d spent some time trying to investigate the case but had gotten sidetracked when he’d been selected for K-9 training.

His father had instilled a sense of serving the community in all six of his children. Most of them had gone into some type of law enforcement work; Marc was an FBI agent, Miles a homicide detective, Mitch an arson investigator, and Matt’s twin, Maddy, a lawyer, working in the DA’s office. Only his middle brother, Mike, had defied his father’s wishes by becoming a private investigator.

“Matt?” Lacy’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m glad Duchess is going to be okay.”

“Thanks.” He forced a smile. “Me, too.”

She took the baby bottle she’d used to feed Rory and washed it out in the sink. He couldn’t help but admire how she managed to take care of an infant in less than optimal conditions.

The veterinary assistant came in with a razor and a bowl of soapy water. For the next five minutes, he held Duchess in place while the assistant first trimmed the dog’s fur from the area around the laceration, then used the soapy water to clean it. By the time they were finished, Matt’s uniform was almost as wet as Duchess’s coat.

“Dr. Hogan will be back shortly,” the assistant said, emptying the bowl of soapy water into the sink, then rinsing it out.

An hour later, Duchess was ready to go. She took her antibiotics and pain pills in a ball of peanut butter like a pro. Since the leash was out in the car and he didn’t want Duchess to pull on the glue the vet had used to close her incision, he once again scooped her into his arms.

Lacy went ahead to open the doors for him as they made their way back outside. The moon was high in the sky, and even though he was certain they hadn’t been followed, the tiny hairs along the back of his neck lifted and pricked in warning.

“Take the baby and get inside,” he said, once she’d opened the back hatch.

Lacy quickly scooted into the back seat. He closed the door behind Duchess, then hurried behind the wheel.

Twin headlights pierced the night, and he quickly started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. The headlights grew closer, and he couldn’t ignore a sliver of apprehension.

Should he call for backup? Or was he being paranoid? Probably the latter, so he headed away from the lights, in the opposite direction. At two in the morning, he didn’t expect there to be much traffic on the road.

The twin headlights followed.

He glanced in his rearview mirror at Lacy holding the baby and Duchess stretched out in the back. No way was he going to risk becoming involved in some sort of high-speed car chase.

Grabbing the radio, he quickly called it in. “Dispatch, this is Unit Twenty-one, requesting backup at my current location, about five miles away from the emergency veterinary clinic, heading westbound on interstate ninety-four.”

“Ten-four, what’s the problem?”

He wasn’t exactly sure how to phrase his concerns. “I appear to have picked up a tail, and my partner is temporarily out of commission.”

“Unit Five is only a few miles away. He should catch up with you shortly.”

“Thanks.” He disconnected from the radio, needing both hands on the wheel. The headlights grew brighter as the vehicle behind him began to close the gap.

Was it possible the guy dressed in black, David Williams, had come to finish what he’d started? Matt gave himself a mental kick. He shouldn’t have announced over the radio that he was taking Duchess to the emergency vet. As a cop, Williams likely had a radio in his vehicle. Process of elimination would have made finding him and Lacy way too easy. There were only two emergency veterinary hospitals offering services around the clock in the area.

Swallowing hard, Matt pushed the speed as high as he dared, considering his precious cargo. Even though Lacy was wearing her seat belt, she didn’t have the proper infant car seat for Rory, and he knew if they were hit hard enough, there was a chance she could lose her grip on the baby.

And Duchess wasn’t up to par, either, considering she’d been given antibiotics and pain meds.

The headlights grew impossibly brighter. Was Williams gaining ground?

Where was his backup?

The headlights abruptly shifted, going into the left lane, coming up on his driver’s side. Matt did his best not to panic. He decided to wait until the guy was almost upon him before he would abruptly slow down, hoping the guy would shoot past them.

“This is a good time to pray,” he told Lacy. She looked surprised by his comment. “I’m serious. I know God will watch over us, and we need all the help we can get.”

She gave a terse nod, then began reciting the “Our Father” prayer, which made him wonder if she wasn’t used to praying on the fly.

“Dear Lord, give me the strength to keep us all safe,” he murmured as the lights grew brighter and brighter.

Soon they were almost parallel to his rear bumper.

Now!

He took his foot off the gas and pressed gently on the brake. The vehicle flew past him, and he didn’t waste another moment. Wrenching the wheel to the left, he drove his SUV across the median, crossed the three lanes that were thankfully absent of traffic, and took the next exit he could find.

It was several miles before he could relax enough to breathe normally. But the close call bothered him.

At the moment, he didn’t feel confident enough to take Lacy and Rory to the police station. They would be far too vulnerable there. He didn’t want them anywhere near a place where the ex-husband who happened to be a cop could find them.

Nope. What he needed was a new plan.

There had to be some way to keep Lacy and Rory safe from harm while he tracked down the guy intent on killing them.

Three

Lacy clutched Rory close, determined to hang on to him no matter what happened. She closed her eyes, the scenery flashing past the window making her dizzy. Duchess didn’t much like the rocky ride, either, whining a bit and scrambling to regain her balance.

“Sorry, Duchess,” Matt muttered.

Once again, she was oddly reassured by how much Matt cared about his dog. Not to mention that he’d told her now was a good time to pray. And most important, how he’d looked so concerned when he’d carried the animal in and out of the emergency vet clinic.

Surely, a guy who loved dogs couldn’t be all bad.

After what seemed like forever but was probably less than twenty minutes, Matt spoke up from the front seat. “Sorry about the bumpy ride. Are you and the baby okay?”

“F-fine.” Her breath hitched in her chest and she fought the urge to break down sobbing. When would this nightmare end? Why was David doing this?

Nothing made any sense.

“I’ve lost him for now,” Matt continued. “You’re safe.”

She shook her head, knowing she and Rory wouldn’t be safe until somehow the authorities found David and arrested him. “He won’t stop,” she said in a low voice. “Jill told me that David is a terrible control freak. Who knows what horrible things he’s capable of.”

“I’m getting a pretty good idea,” Matt said, his tone grim. “Apparently he doesn’t mind taking out a fellow officer in his quest to get at his son.”

“Not just his son, but me, too.” She tried to think of a way to make him understand. “Not just because I’m Jill’s sister, but he caught a glimpse of me taking off in my car. So he knows I’m a witness to her murder. My testimony could put him away for the rest of his life.”

“I know and I believe you. I totally get that the guy is a serious head case. I need to call my lieutenant, but can’t risk using the radio just yet.”

The thought of Matt calling his boss made her stomach clench. “Please don’t. Don’t turn me into the authorities.”

His gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. “I have to. When I explain what I know, my boss will call off the Amber Alert and put a BOLO—Be On the Lookout—on David Williams instead. Trust me, they’ll find him and arrest him. You and the baby will be safe.”

Having David locked up in jail was something she wanted more than anything, but she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew he’d been apprehended.

“It’s so late. Can’t you give me a little time?” She tried not to sound as if she were begging, even though she would if necessary. “Rory needs some rest. He’s been through a lot over the past few hours.”

“I know.” Once again his gaze briefly met hers. “And so have you.”

She didn’t want to think about the fact that her sister was gone. Everything that had taken place seemed surreal. As if she might wake up in the morning to discover this was all nothing more than a bad dream.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Both of us could use some time to rest and regroup.”

There was a long silence before Matt spoke again. “Duchess could use a few hours off as well, so I’ll find someplace to rest for what’s left of the night. I’ll report in to my boss first thing tomorrow morning.”

Since it was already nearing 2:30 a.m., she didn’t find that too reassuring. How many hours of rest would he give her? Five or six at the most?

Not nearly enough, but at this point she told herself to take what she could get. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The vehicle slowed and made a right-hand turn. She noticed that he’d pulled up to a motel with a bright Vacancy sign. She sat up straighter, keeping one hand against Rory, wondering if they had a crib available.

“This place will take cash from cops and they’re pet-friendly,” he said as he threw the gearshift into Park. “Two of my brothers are cops and have used this place to keep people safe before.”

Brothers? Plural? A sense of unease niggled beneath her skin. What if one of them was friends with David Williams? What if they found a way to convince Matt that she was the guilty one, not David?

Why had she assumed she was safe with this particular cop? So what if he loved his dog? She still didn’t know anything about him.

Except for the fact that he’d told her it was a good time to pray.

She didn’t really know any men who actually prayed. Oh, sure, her father used to take them to church, but it was nothing more than an act. In private, he was anything but loving. Going to church had only been to make them look good in the community.

Sad to think that Jill had married a man who was exactly like their father.

Duchess pressed her nose against the back of Lacy’s neck again, as if sensing her distress. She liked the dog better than she liked the master. The adrenaline rush had faded, leaving a nagging headache in its wake. Maybe that’s why she was having trouble thinking clearly. Who could concentrate after witnessing a murder, being shot at and then followed?

“Stay inside for a moment,” Matt said. “I’ll see if I can get us adjoining rooms.”

“Ask for a crib,” she interjected before he could slam the door.

“Oh, yeah. Sure.”

She rested back against the seat cushion, shivering in the night. A blanket of exhaustion dropped over her, and she had almost drifted off to sleep when Matt returned.

“We’re all set.” Matt slid in behind the wheel. “We have two adjoining rooms, one with a crib. The crib should be set up by the time we get inside.”

“That’s great, thanks.” The fact that he’d gotten adjoining rooms was reassuring. Maybe his kindness wasn’t just an act.

Matt drove around the motel and pulled up in front of two rooms on the ground floor, which would make caring for Duchess much easier.

After parking, Matt jumped out and opened the door for her. He offered his hand to help her out, and she took it, all too aware of the warmth of his fingers against hers. She dropped his hand, feeling self-conscious.