LITMIR.BIZ

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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

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