Perilous Pursuit

She had a point. Normally he would leave it to the local police to sort this out, but he couldn’t just drive away. Just then two local detectives arrived and started interviewing both Jake and Mackenzie. The entire time they were asking questions, Jake tried to tell himself it was the connection to his fugitive that had garnered his interest in this case, and by the end of the interviews, he almost believed it himself. Almost. After Jake and Mackenzie answered all the questions, Jake pulled aside the detective in charge.

“Look, she’s afraid to go stay with friends and she can’t stay here. How about I take her to a local hotel and then bring her in to the local US Marshals office tomorrow so she can sit with our sketch artist? I’ll share any leads she gives.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “You trying to take this case away from us, Riley?”

Jake held up his hands and smiled, his slow Southern drawl salting his words. “No way. You can have the case and the paperwork. One of the perps seems an awful lot like one of my fugitives. That’s all. I just think there might be some connections here, and if we share intel, we can help each other.” He pulled a business card out from his wallet and handed it to the officer. “Cooperation between agencies is one of our mandates. I won’t leave you out in the dark.”

The detective seemed to be weighing his words, but in the end he agreed. Jake had always done his best to keep a positive, friendly relationship with the other law enforcement agencies in Tallahassee, and tonight his efforts were paying off. Although he didn’t know this officer personally, he and his team had an excellent reputation with the local agencies. The way he figured it, law enforcement personnel were all on the same team—even though they served different functions. He went to Mackenzie’s side. “Go ahead and pack a bag. I’ll take you somewhere safe until we can figure out what’s going on here.”

She raised an eyebrow but then did as she was told, returning to the living room a few minutes later with a small rolling suitcase. She also grabbed a portfolio from her desk and added several papers and a couple of files from the filing cabinet. The fear was still radiating in her eyes, but he could see that she was determined to push forward and put this incident behind her as best she could. His admiration for her went up a notch. She really was tough. He liked that. It had been a long time since anyone outside of law enforcement had impressed him on any level. He was used to dealing with the dregs of society, and Mackenzie’s strength was a welcome ripple in a sea of viciousness he dealt with on a constant basis.

He started leading her out to his car. “So here’s the plan. I’ll take you to a hotel for the evening, one that our office uses a lot. We know we can trust the folks that run it. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up around eight a.m. and bring you to my workplace so you can describe those two men to our sketch artist and maybe look at some mug books. Will that work for you?”

She nodded. “That will do nicely. I actually already have a meeting scheduled there tomorrow anyway. I can do both in one fell swoop.”

Jake raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Really? Anything you care to share?”

“My new video project is about the working of the local US Marshals office. I’ve been hired to do a documentary for them. I was already scheduled to meet with Chief Deputy US Marshal J.T. Austin. He runs the unit I’ve been assigned to work with. Do you know him?”

Her words stopped Jake cold. He froze and turned slowly to meet her eyes. “J.T. Austin is my boss.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “You’re doing a movie about our office?” He could tell the gruffness of his voice shocked her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Surely she was mistaken. His boss wouldn’t really sanction this type of project, would he? A documentary would put his life and the lives of others who worked with him at risk. They didn’t need the exposure, and they didn’t certainly need to be worrying about the safety of someone who was following them around while they were doing a very dangerous job. Jake also had a full caseload and a heap of work on his desk. He didn’t have the time to push all of that aside to help with something as extraneous as a public service video.

“Yes, it’s all been arranged. They didn’t tell you I was coming?”

“No, they neglected to mention that.” Again, his voice was frosty, even to his own ears. “I’m sure we can sort it out tomorrow, though. There’s no way you’re making a documentary of my unit. That’s just not gonna happen.” He’d make sure of that. He’d set Mackenzie Weaver up with the mug shot books and then meet with J.T. and voice his concerns. Jake Riley wasn’t going to have any documentary made about him or the work he did, even though the videographer was an old family friend who had become a beautiful woman. He’d put a stop to the film the first thing in the morning.

TWO

Mackenzie dared another glance behind her and opened the door to the local office of the US Marshals. As she entered the building, she wasn’t sure if she was being watched or not. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had their eyes on her and was paying attention to her every move, despite the presence of Jake Riley, who followed just a few steps behind. Last night she had stayed at the hotel suggested by Jake, but she had been truly surprised at the change in his attitude, which seemed to have gotten distinctly frostier once she’d mentioned the documentary. He’d turned into an iceberg in two minutes flat, and arriving to pick her up this morning, he hadn’t said more than a handful of words to her or even met her eye.

She shouldn’t really have been surprised at his behavior. As a kid, she had done her best to garner Jake’s interest, but he had largely ignored her. Nothing had changed. Sure, they were both adults now, but it was painfully obvious that he still found her to be a nuisance. His distaste for her seemed even worse than when she had been following him around as a teenager. She didn’t know what she had done to offend him so, but at this point, she didn’t want to dwell on it. She had moved on years ago.

Maybe she was just being too sensitive. She hadn’t slept very well last night. The feel of the man’s gun under her chin was still too real, and the entire experience from yesterday still had her nerves on edge. But life had to go on, and she had two meetings in this office today—one with Jake Riley to look at mug shots, if he still wanted her to do so, and one with the chief to go over her action plan and start the wheels turning on her video project. As she expected, Jake Riley disappeared soon after their arrival at the building, so she asked for the chief at the front desk and was soon ushered back into a small conference room.

J.T. Austin, Chief Deputy US Marshal, came in with a warm smile and his hand out, ready to shake. He was a large man who exuded authority, with a tough-as-nails appearance. Yet his smile was genuine, and Mackenzie felt instantly at ease, incredibly glad that he was more receptive to her project than Jake Riley was. She stood to greet him and then sat back down and pulled out her portfolio.

“I’m so glad we’re going to be working together, Chief Austin. I’ve heard great things about your unit and its amazing closure rate. You must have a truly excellent team.”

“We do indeed,” Austin agreed.

The door opened and Jake Riley reappeared. Mackenzie smiled at him but was met with a scowl. He still refused to meet her eye.

“I believe you already know Deputy Marshal Riley,” Austin intoned.

Mackenzie was a bit flustered by Jake’s icy expression, but she took it in stride. “Yes, he actually saved my life last night. A couple of men broke into my apartment and held me at gunpoint, but Deputy Marshal Riley scared them off before they could do any serious damage.”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He leaned back as Jake took a seat at the conference table. “Looks like you were in the right place at the right time, Jake.” He smiled. “Mackenzie Weaver is the videographer we are working with to create our documentary. We’d been keeping the project under wraps until we worked out all the details, but now that we have a contract in place, we’re ready to move forward. Ms. Weaver is making a one-hour special that will be broadcast on one of the biggest networks in the country. It should bring the agency some wonderful exposure from a media standpoint and may even help us with our budget requests. The more the legislature knows about what we do and how we do it, the better likelihood we have of getting properly funded. This movie is really important to us and will make a big impact. It’s good to have her.” He turned to Mackenzie. “Ms. Weaver, I’ve assigned you to Jake and his team so you can make your documentary. He’ll be showing you the ropes and answering your questions as you go through the filming process.”

Mackenzie expelled a breath, hoping her disappointment didn’t show. She’d hoped Chief Austin had been planning to assist her personally, especially after Jake’s negative comments the night before. She dared another glance at Jake and was still surprised at his frigid expression. He obviously didn’t want to be working with her. The question was, why? Had she said or done something last night to turn him off or insult him? Did he still think of her as a lovesick tomboy from high school? She needed his cooperation for this film to become a success. She decided to put her best foot forward and let her professionalism shine. “I’m so pleased to be working with you, Deputy.”

Austin stood. “I’ll leave you two to get to work. Ms. Weaver, if you need anything, my office is just down the hall. Jake, I’ll trust you to take care of Ms. Weaver and help her get her work accomplished. I’m already anxious to get some popcorn and watch the final version!” He shook Mackenzie’s hand again, clapped Jake on the back and left the room.

Once they were alone, Jake sighed audibly. Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “So I take it this wasn’t your first choice of assignments.”

“Not even close,” Jake agreed in his southern drawl.

“Did you even know this project was in the works?”

“Nope. The chief must have known how I’d react. That’s why he played this one close to the vest. I didn’t even have an opportunity to talk to him about it this morning like I’d planned.” He leaned forward. “Look, you’re gonna get in our way. It’s that simple. You’re making my job a hundred times harder. I know the chief seems to have high hopes for this film of yours, but I sure wish you had chosen a different agency for your exposé.”

“Exposé?” Mackenzie said, hoping her frustration wasn’t showing. “That’s hardly what I’m doing. My film will be a positive documentary about the good work that you’re doing. It’s designed to make the US Marshals look good—not hurt you.” She shifted. “You should also know that this was your agency’s idea, not mine. They sent out a request for bids, and my proposal won the contract. If I wasn’t the one behind the camera, it would have just been someone else doing the work instead of me.”

He seemed to ponder her words, but in the end he didn’t change his expression. “Regardless, you’re still going to be in my way.”

“The more you cooperate, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair. That’s a promise,” Mackenzie said, hoping her frustration wasn’t coming across in her tone. There was no reason to antagonize the man, especially since he had come to her rescue just last night. Arguing with him was also a waste of time. She would just have to prove to him that her work would reflect well on his unit and the job he did. She pulled out her storyboard sheets and laid out her plans for the movie, going over the various scenes she hoped to film and giving him the narrator’s script, which would tie it all together.

“This is just my initial plan. I’d like for you to read over all of this and let me know your opinion. I want to create a realistic piece—not a work of fiction. Your input is vital.”

* * *

Jake gathered all the papers together in a stack but barely glanced at them. “Fine. I’ll take a look as soon as I get time, if I get time.” He grimaced, wanting to stay focused on doing his job and doing it well, not on making a video that he had no interest in. “For now, I would like for you to take a look at some mug shots. I think I recognized one of the guys from your attack last night, and if I’m right, he’s a mean, nasty character that I really want to get off the streets. Do you mind taking a look?”

He could tell that he’d offended her by not studying the papers she’d brought, but his focus was on catching criminals, not helping make a movie for publicity. When she nodded, he quickly led her out to the bull pen where the deputies had their desks. He seated her at a long table with three large books of pictures. He left her for about half an hour and then came back once he noticed she’d flipped through the last of them.

“Did you see anyone you recognized?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “Nope, sorry. I only saw one of them for a few seconds as he was leaving, and the other one didn’t look like any of the guys in these books.”

Jake was frustrated by the news but handed her a stack of flyers. Each page showed a fugitive’s picture and had a short description. “Try these. Maybe you’ll see him in there.”

She took the flyers and started thumbing through them. Suddenly, she became animated and held up a picture. “That’s him! That’s the hairy one that put the gun under my chin. I’ll never forget those eyes for the rest of my life.”

Jake took the paper, his suspicions confirmed. The photo was of Carter Beckett, a thief and murderer who had robbed a bank in Cairo, Georgia, and killed a convenience store clerk in Tallahassee. He had been on their local most-wanted list for almost two years. “Good work, Ms. Weaver.” He was so pleased he’d gotten a lead on Beckett that his negative attitude melted a bit. “Look, I’m glad you’re okay after everything you went through. I’ll call the local police that worked the scene last night and give them the update. Once we catch him, we’ll need you to come down again and pick him out of a lineup for us.”

“No problem. I’m glad I could help.” She smiled. “And don’t forget, I’ll be here anyway, working on the movie.”

He gave a small, humorless laugh. “Yeah, I guess you will.” His feelings warred within him. He still wasn’t happy about the movie, but by identifying Beckett, Mackenzie had given him the first big lead in the case, and he did need her help. He had to work with her if he was going to make any progress, whether he liked it or not. His cell phone rang, and he excused himself and answered.

“Riley.”

“Marshal, this is Kevin Bourdain with the Tallahassee Police. We met yesterday?”

“Sure, I remember. I was about to call you. Ms. Weaver just identified one of the perps who attacked her yesterday. He’s a local boy named Carter Beckett. I’ll send over his sheet in a minute or two.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take a look. In the meantime, I’m calling because we’ve had another incident at the Weaver apartment. Someone broke in and ransacked the place. They tried to torch the apartment, too, but thankfully, the entire building didn’t go up in flames. There isn’t much left in her living room. We’re here now and are looking for Ms. Weaver. It sounds like she’s okay and with you, but we just wanted to verify her safety.”

Jake glanced at Mackenzie. “Yes, she’s fine. We’re just finishing up with the mug shots. Do you want me to bring her over?”

“That would be great. We need her to take a look around and let us know what’s missing. Maybe she can give us some insight into these crimes, as well.”

“Sure thing. We’ll be right there.” He hung up and gestured at Mackenzie. “I’m sorry to say there was another break-in at your apartment and a fire.” He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort. “I’m really glad you didn’t stay there last night.”

Mackenzie’s face showed alarm, and she stood rapidly and started stowing her paperwork. “Was anybody hurt?”

“Thankfully, no. The perpetrators ransacked your apartment, though. I’m also guessing the guys that started the fire were only amateur arsonists, because the flames didn’t spread beyond your apartment. The fire department has everything under control, and police have secured the scene. They want me to take you over right now to let them know if anything was stolen.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“Yes, they wouldn’t ask me to bring you if it wasn’t.”

The answer didn’t seem to persuade her, and he could see her hands had started to shake like they had yesterday at the crime scene. He softened his tone. “The perpetrators are probably long gone, especially with all those police and fire department personnel walking around. And I’ll be with you the whole time. I promise.”

This answer seemed to help, and he noticed a grateful look in her eyes. “Was it the same guys that attacked me?”

“I don’t think they know yet, but we’ll find out for sure once we get there if they have any leads.”

He noticed her skin turn a shade paler, but to her credit, she gathered the last of her things and headed toward the door. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

As they rode over to her place almost in total silence, he couldn’t help observing that a wonderful smell wafted over from Mackenzie. It was again some sort of flowery perfume that Jake couldn’t identify, but it tantalized his senses and was sweet without being overwhelming. He tamped down his reaction and tried to focus on his driving.

When they pulled up into the parking lot of her complex, Jake kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but his years with the US Marshals had trained him to be a keen observer and to always expect the unexpected. He noticed a blue SUV parked about halfway down the block that seemed to have a driver sitting in the car, and he kept an eye on the vehicle to see if the man would stay inside or drive away. The driver could be harmless, or he could be involved. All of the other parked cars appeared to be empty. He noted the first three numbers of the SUV’s license tag, which was all he could see, just in case.

He did a fast parking job but turned to Mackenzie before getting out of the car. “Does anything look out of place to you here? It may be hard to tell, but it’s possible that whoever did this might still be hanging around. I want you to be careful and aware of your surroundings at all times.”

“I thought you said it was supposed to be safe to come back.”

“You’re right, I did, and with all these cops everywhere, I’m sure the perps are long gone. Still, you’re the one who lives here, so you would know better than anyone else if something strange is going on. All I’m saying is that I want you to keep your eyes open. If you see something that doesn’t sit right with you, then you need to share it immediately. Okay?”

She nodded just as the first bullet ripped into the seat by her shoulder. She screamed as the second bullet cracked the windshield. Jake didn’t wait for the third. He gunned the engine and flew out of the parking lot, the tires screeching against the pavement in protest as the back of the car fishtailed to the left. He heard other officers yelling and returning fire, but his primary concern was keeping Mackenzie safe. “Get down!” he yelled, pushing her lower on the seat. He stomped on the gas, feeling the surge of the engine as it roared and jolted him out of the parking lot and into the traffic on the main road. Another bullet shattered the rear window of the car just as he maneuvered around a large truck that would shield them temporarily from the onslaught. Somebody definitely wanted Mackenzie Weaver dead. But why?

THREE

Jake spun the steering wheel as the velocity from the swerve slammed his body against the car door. The tires screeched in protest, but he kept the car on the road. They darted ahead of two other cars and then swung back into their own lane. He checked the rearview mirror. The blue SUV was now a few cars behind them. It was slowly gaining on them but had gotten stuck behind an antique VW bug and a minivan. Jake couldn’t see who was driving, but he did note that there were two of them in the vehicle instead of just the one he had originally seen. He glanced over at Mackenzie, who was still scrunched against the seats, and he touched her shoulder lightly. “Hold on. I’m going to try to put some distance between us and the guys with the guns.” He punched the accelerator and felt the engine surge as the car ate up the pavement.

Mackenzie glanced up at him, and even though there was fear mirrored there, Jake also saw a level of trust. It bolstered him and made a warmth spread through him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He tamped the feelings down. He might decide to analyze them later, but right now, all he wanted to think about was getting away from that SUV. He called in on his radio and let his team know what was happening, but nobody was in the immediate area. He did hear sirens in the distance, however, so he was sure the local police who had been working the apartment building were giving chase. They had to have heard the gunshots and his reports on the radio.

Jake took another look in his rearview mirror. The blue SUV had finally passed the two slower vehicles and was moving closer. Jake swerved to pass a red sedan and barely missed a truck coming toward them in the other lane. Tires squealed, and the truck’s driver laid on his horn as Jake maneuvered back into their own lane just in the nick of time to avoid a head-on collision. He looked back again in his mirror and saw a hand holding a pistol come out of the passenger side of the SUV. The perp fired two more shots at them, and Jake swerved to miss the flying bullets. The car skidded on some gravel in response, but he kept control of the wheel. A plume of smoke rose near the asphalt as the tires protested. Despite his maneuvering, one bullet caught the back of the vehicle near the trunk, but the other went wild. The man fired another shot that missed and then pulled his arm back inside the window. Suddenly the SUV turned onto a side road, abandoning the chase. It didn’t take Jake long to figure out why—two police cars were coming up fast behind them, lights and sirens blazing.

“Need some help, Deputy, or should we follow the perps?” asked the deep male voice that came over the police radio.

“We’re good. Stay with the perps. We’ll rendezvous back at the Weaver apartment.”

Mackenzie’s eyes rounded. “Are you insane? You want to go back there?”

“Don’t you? The guys with the guns will be in custody soon, and we still need you to take a look around and see what’s missing.”

Mackenzie sat up. She turned to look behind her and then brushed some of the broken glass off her shirt. She paused before answering, apparently giving the idea a great deal of thought. Finally, she nodded. “I guess so, if you think it’s safe. I mean, I want to see what’s left of the place, but I’m not too anxious to get shot at again. Being shot at may happen to you every day, but it’s a new experience for me.” She was quiet for a moment but then gave him a smile that surprised him. “It’s too bad I didn’t have my camera. This would have made some great footage.”

Her comments made him smile in spite of himself. Spirit. That was what she had. A good dose of spirit. He admired that. She’d always had more than her fair share. Even though he found it appealing, however, her bravado wasn’t enough to change his mind about her video project. His smile disappeared. He was still adamantly opposed to her filming his team in action. He pushed thoughts of her movie to the back of his mind. Right now, all he wanted to do was focus on finding Carter Beckett and his cohorts and putting them behind bars. This lead had sent that case to the top of his list.

He slowed the car and made a U-turn, and a few minutes later, they were back in her apartment, stepping gingerly over the charred remains of her end tables. According to the fire inspector at the scene, the blaze had been started in the kitchen and had spread into the living room. Unfortunately, it had damaged her desk and everything on and near it. Jake looked over at Mackenzie, wondering how she was going to cope with the loss of so many of her belongings. It was bad enough to have someone break in and ransack your apartment, but the fire had ruined some very expensive-looking equipment, as well. He felt bad for her. He didn’t know how he would be handling this kind of loss if he were in her shoes.