Colton 911: Family Under Fire
The only thing she knew for sure was that Kennedy needed her and she wouldn’t let the little girl down. Oh, and she would be doing this with Everett. The man who was now striding across the parking lot ahead of her with a pink-elephant bag slung over one broad shoulder and a car seat in his other hand.
“Wait,” she called out. “Where are we going?”
“My car is over here.” He jerked a thumb, indicating the dark-colored sedan parked nearby.
“And mine is in the opposite direction.” Her footsteps faltered. “But that’s not what I meant.”
He retraced his steps, halting at her side. “I’ve been working on a case here in Cactus Creek and I’m staying in a rented apartment on Main Street. I’ll drive us there and we can talk some more. I’ll get someone to pick up your vehicle later.”
The suggestion made sense. Although the sun was shining, a few clouds scuttled across the sky and the December air was cool. Kennedy wore only a lightweight sweater, leggings and socks, and the breeze ruffled her fluffy blond curls. Although she clung tightly to the front of Alyssa’s blouse, she showed no signs of distress at being with two strangers.
“Let’s do that, sweetie, head back to Everett’s place, where we can be cozy.” She bounced the little girl on her hip while they waited for Everett to fit the car seat.
“I may have misled you if you got the impression the apartment I rented is cozy. Think bland and basic.” Once the seat was in place, he held out his hands for Kennedy. “And small.”
“It will be cozy for her once her own stuff is delivered,” Alyssa said.
“I guess so… What is this all about?” He stared in exasperation at Kennedy, who, having allowed him to place her in the seat, was now waving her arms wildly each time he tried to fasten the straps. “It’s like trying to restrain an octopus.”
“Do you want me to try?”
“No. I mean how hard can it be?” Each time he tried, the baby twisted in his grasp, laughing as she thwarted his attempts.
Alyssa leaned closer into the vehicle, watching over his shoulder. “Maybe it was a game she played with her mom and dad?”
Everett turned his head to look at her and she saw the pain in his eyes. She knew how Sean had hurt him when he encouraged Georgia to ditch Casey at the altar, but surely his fondness for his one-time friend hadn’t completely gone away.
“Where was Kennedy the night her parents died?”
“She was staying at Georgia’s place.” A shadow crossed his features as he said Sean’s sister’s name.
“Oh.” Alyssa took a moment to consider that information. “Sean and Delilah didn’t want Georgia to have custody of their daughter, but they were happy for her to care for her overnight? That seems strange.”
“Most things about this case are strange.” Everett took a step back. “Your turn to see what you can do with squirmy baby.”
“Kennedy, there’s only one way to do this…” Using one hand to tickle the little girl’s belly, she deftly hooked the restraints together and closed the clasp. As she did, Kennedy dissolved into helpless giggles.
“How did you know that would work?” Everett shook his head in disbelief.
“I interned in a day-care center before I got my teaching degree, remember? Delilah knew that, so I guess it could have influenced her decision about the will.” Backing out of the car, she closed the door. “But just because I know about babies, it doesn’t mean I get all the diapers.”
“Diapers.” He gave her a look of horror. “We can negotiate on that, right?”
The drive to Main Street took less than fifteen minutes. Alyssa spent most of it alternating between looking over her shoulder to check on Kennedy and studying Everett’s hometown. Cactus Creek was gearing up for the holidays. All along their route, the stores were lit up with stars and bells; palm trees were decorated with red, green and gold lights. When they swung right onto Main Street, she saw the saguaro cactus plants flanking the entrance to Hoyles’ Department Store had been turned into candy canes. A wide pedestrian area ran down the center of the street, from which Santa waved from the carriage of a rickety wooden train.
Everett pulled up in the parking lot of a modern block. The apartment building looked like it had been added as an afterthought at the end of a traditional row that included Pizza Paradise and the Sports Bar.
“I see you didn’t stray too far from the essentials.”
Pretending to be hurt, he placed a hand over his heart. “You know I can’t cook. Am I supposed to starve while I’m in town?”
“Let’s get this baby inside.” She shook her head. “That’s a sentence I didn’t picture myself saying when I left home this morning.”
Located on the second floor, Everett’s apartment was reached by a set of stairs that led directly from the parking lot. It was one of four apartments with front doors leading off a single walkway. His was closest to the outside staircase.
Although he hadn’t left her with high hopes about his rental, once Alyssa was inside, she was relieved to see that it was clean, and the furniture appeared comfortable. He was right about one thing, though. It was small.
From the front door, she could see a square lounge area with two small sofas and a TV, a round dining table with four chairs and a narrow kitchen that looked just about large enough for one person.
A sudden thought occurred to her. “How many bedrooms are there?”
“Two.” The slight curve of his lips told her he was reading her mind. “Although one of them is more like a closet.”
She thought of her comfortable apartment in Phoenix. The one she’d spent so long decorating and furnishing with carefully chosen pieces. The one from which she would need to get her clothes and other essential belongings. Then she smoothed down the sparse curls of the little girl who had no one else to care for her.
“I guess we should talk about how we’re going to make this work.”
Chapter 2
Everett didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when, before he and Alyssa could sit down to talk, they were disturbed by the security buzzer.
“The Department of Child Safety sure moves fast around here.” He headed toward the front door while Alyssa took Kennedy to explore the bedrooms. “Although, when you think about it, that’s a good thing. We don’t even have a crib or a high chair.”
Although the apartment had a speaker system, it was low-tech and didn’t have the luxury of cameras. Everett could talk to the person at the front door, but he couldn’t see them.
“Delivery for Miss K. Dodd.”
It seemed like an unnecessarily formal way of confirming the arrival of Kennedy’s belongings.
“Do you need help to carry anything up the stairs?”
“Uh. I’m good.”
Shrugging, he held open the door. A few moments later, a guy in uniform with a badge that had a sprig of holly above his name tag appeared. Accustomed to checking people out, Everett registered the name first.
Joe Meyer.
Then he noticed that Joe was carrying a large, gift-wrapped box topped with a giant bow.
“That’s it?” Everett peered around him. “I was expecting more.”
“I just get a list of jobs each day, then I go where they send me. This time it was to pick this up from Hoyles’ toy department and bring it here.”
Everett had always considered himself to be reasonably intelligent. His excellent grades throughout school and college meant others had shared that opinion. Prior to joining the FBI, he’d even been headhunted into a high-flying career in corporate law. He had certainly never thought of himself as slow-witted. Even so, he was having trouble processing what was going on.
“Hoyles’? Toy department?”
“Yeah. This time of year, they’re one of our best customers.” Joe held out a pad and pen. “If you’ll just sign here…?”
“Not until I know what I’m signing for.” Everett held out his hands for the brightly packaged box. There was a gift tag attached and he turned it over to read the message:
Happy holidays, sweet girl. I’m coming for you.
A cold, bony finger of fear jabbed at his spine. He’d recently returned to Cactus Creek and had been working on a murder investigation when he’d gotten news of the Dodds’ deaths. The suicide story had never felt right to him. He knew Sean. The guy was an adventurer, always looking for the next opportunity. He’d seen his arrest as the next challenge. And he had genuinely loved Delilah. Even if he’d taken his own life, Everett couldn’t picture him killing his wife. Add in the fact that the suicide note wasn’t in either Sean’s or Delilah’s handwriting and things got even more suspicious.
This message heightened Everett’s distrust. Even attached to a holiday package, it felt wrong, even threatening. Who was coming for Kennedy? And what was in that box? It could be anything. Explosives? Acid? Poison?
“You said you just got this from the store? Was it already wrapped when you collected it?”
“Hey, I just—”
Everett reached into his pocket and withdrew his badge. “I need you to wait here.”
The authority in his voice was enough to secure obedience. As Everett stepped back inside the apartment and closed the door behind him, Joe Meyer and his suspicious delivery were pushed to the back of his mind. How was he supposed to explain this to Alyssa?
Four years ago, his job had been the reason she’d walked away from him. Now, within hours of being reunited, she would be forced to face the reality of what he did all over again. And this time they weren’t even involved.
Except…we are. Not the way they had been in the past, but if being the new mom and dad to a six-month-old baby girl wasn’t involved, he sure as hell didn’t know what was.
For some reason, Sean had left Kennedy in their care. Everett might not be able to understand his former friend’s motive, and he might not know anything about being a dad, but he knew what was expected of him. He would protect his new family. No matter what.
Alyssa stepped out of the bedroom. “This little lady is sleepy. I think we should set her crib up first. Oh.” She regarded him steadily, her gaze going to the closed front door and his empty hands. “Is something wrong?”
She had always been able to read him like a book. Which was why there was no point in trying to hide anything from her.
“You trust me, don’t you?”
“You know I do.” That, at least, had never been in question.
“I don’t have time to explain right now, but I have to go out. I want you to stay inside with the door locked until I get back.”
“But—” Although she didn’t question what he was saying, her brow furrowed. Her hand moved to the back of the baby’s head, cradling the little girl closer. “I really need to get Kennedy settled. If I can’t open the door, how will I get to her stuff when it arrives?”
Resisting the urge to curse, Everett drew his cell phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and opened the address book. His brother’s number was at the top of his favorites list. And, unless he was out on an emergency call, his twin could always be relied on to answer.
“Are you busy?”
“I have this thing called a job.” From the background noise, it sounded like Casey was in his office at the Sur County Sheriff’s Department. “It takes up most of my time.”
“How fast can you be at my apartment?”
Everett had no frame of reference. Maybe it was the same with all brothers. Possibly it was more intense for them because they were twins. All he knew for sure was that whenever he needed help, Casey was there for him.
“I’m on my way.”
Everett breathed a sigh of relief. The sheriff’s office was close by and it would take Casey less than ten minutes to get there. He ended the call, aware of Alyssa’s steady scrutiny. She was the strongest person he knew, except for one blind spot. She was terrified that anyone close to her would be snatched away violently.
Given what had happened in her early life, he figured it was natural. Throughout their relationship, he’d tried hard to help her overcome her fears. In the end, her intense vulnerability, together with his own emotional detachment, had defeated them both.
“I do trust you, but if there’s something going on…”
“I just need to check a few things out.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s probably nothing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everett, I know you. Remember?”
“How could I forget?” The words were out before he could stop them, carrying a world of meaning in their wake.
Timing, Colton. It never was your thing.
For a moment they gazed at each other, then an unmistakable, and very stinky, aroma filled the air.
“Oh, my goodness.” Alyssa wrinkled her nose. “Where did you put the pink-elephant bag with the spare diapers?”
Everett started to laugh. “It’s on the table.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “I need to go. Casey is on his way. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”
“Promise me—” Her lower lip trembled.
It was like stepping back in time four years.
“I’ll be careful.”
Alyssa was left with a dilemma. It seemed like explaining their startling new situation to Everett’s twin should be something they did together. Answering the door to Casey with a sleepy baby in her arms meant he inevitably gave her a look that was both startled and questioning.
“This is Sean and Delilah Dodd’s daughter, Kennedy. Following their deaths, Everett and I have accepted joint custody of her.”
Casey’s frown betrayed his shock, and he remained silent for a moment or two.
Although she knew and liked Everett’s brother, they’d never had a chance to get really close. His deputy-sheriff job kept him in Cactus Creek and, during the time that she and Everett had been dating, their lives had been in Phoenix. The two had made an effort to meet up, and family occasions with their parents had been important to them, but their busy jobs had often gotten in the way.
Casey stepped into the apartment and Alyssa locked the door behind him.
He looked around in confusion. “Where is Everett?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, I get it.” The twins were fraternal, but when they smiled, the similarities between them were remarkable. “This is like the time he bet me he could beat me in a race to a bar. We both set off, then this hot girl in denim shorts distracted me by asking for my help to find her dog. It was over a year later I found out she was one of his college classmates and they split the winnings. Is he hiding in the bedroom?”
“Seriously. He said he had to go out and that you would stay with me until he got back. You now know as much as I do.”
The smile disappeared as he looked around. Before either of them could say anything else, the security buzzer made Alyssa jump. If she and Kennedy were to stay here, that thing would have to go.
“I’m expecting a delivery.” She hesitated, not wishing to sound overdramatic. “But Everett told me to keep the door locked.”
He went to the window and twitched back the drapes. “There’s a flatbed truck parked outside. It’s piled high with boxes.”
Piled high? With a sinking feeling, Alyssa went to stand beside him. The truck was small, but there were a lot of boxes. And she recognized the woman who was exiting from the passenger side of the vehicle.
“That’s Patty Griffiths. She’s from the Department of Child Safety.” She looked down at the baby, who had fallen asleep in her arms. “She promised to deliver Kennedy’s things.”
“I’ll get the door,” Casey said.
Sure enough, the guy at the door was one of Patty’s colleagues. By way of a greeting, he handed Casey a high chair. “I could do with some help getting the rest of the stuff up the stairs.”
Ten minutes later, the two men had made several trips from the van to the apartment. There were now several tall stacks of boxes in the small bedroom and the floor space in the living room was rapidly disappearing.
“We only brought the essentials,” Patty explained to Alyssa. “The rest of it is at her parents’ home.”
“Rest of it? How much stuff can one small person have?”
“I’ve been doing this job a long time and I’ve never seen so many toys and clothes.” Patty pursed her lips. “They must have spent a fortune on her.” She handed Alyssa a framed picture. “I know you’ll want to remind her of her birth parents. This was taken recently.”
It showed Kennedy sitting on a rug. Sean was lying on one side and Delilah was on the other. They were smiling as, propped on their elbows, each moved in to kiss one of their daughter’s chubby cheeks.
Alyssa stared at it for a moment or two. It was hard to believe such a happy family had been torn apart so tragically. Some might say the Dodds had brought what happened on themselves, but Kennedy was an innocent victim in all of this.
“I’ll make sure to put it somewhere so she can see it all the time.”
When Patty and her colleague had gone, Alyssa eased Kennedy onto the sofa and sat next to her.
“If you’re really doing this, you may need to get a bigger place.” Casey looked down at the sleeping baby. “Are you doing this?”
“We just found out about the custody request in Sean and Delilah’s will a few hours ago. We were about to talk about what it meant for the future when your brother took off. It’s so sad. This little girl’s parents must have loved her so much…” She shook her head. “Patty mentioned their home. I guess it’s part of the estate Kennedy will inherit.”
“Sean may have made his money on the wrong side of the law, but Delilah was a clever accountant. She invested it wisely and legally. The Dodds had a very neat property just outside of Cactus Creek. Kennedy will be a wealthy little girl.”
“I didn’t know them well, and I understand that they were in trouble with the law before they died, but Sean is the last person I could imagine taking his own life,” Alyssa said. “And killing Delilah, as well? It seems totally out of character.”
“He left a suicide note stating that he would rather die than face prison.” Casey’s grim expression reminded her of the hurt that Sean had caused him in the past.
Kennedy murmured in her sleep and Alyssa soothed her by gently rubbing her shoulders. Her responsibility to the child hit her all over again. “What a dreadful start for her. It will take a lot of hard work to make sure this doesn’t permanently damage her.”
“If anyone can give her a normal life, you and Everett are the ones to do it,” Casey said. “I guess that’s why Sean and Delilah chose you. They finally got something right.”
Sean Dodd was a cattle rustler who had been implicated in a murder. Delilah was a skilled accountant who cooked the books to make it look like his investments were honest. They had chosen a life on the wrong side of the law, but could they have foreseen that they would die this way? It felt like a step too far for a couple who had always struck her as overconfident.
And they chose us. Not Everett or Alyssa, but the two of them. It was a bittersweet reminder of how good they’d once been together. So good that the Dodds had seen something in them that they wanted for their daughter if there came a time when they were no longer around.
Her relationship with Everett might have ended, but the feelings it had been built on hadn’t gone away. Their shared past was one of the things that would make this new role hard.
She wished she could say she didn’t walk away from a challenge. But wasn’t that what she’d done four years ago? She shook away the thought. Times had changed. And this wasn’t about her and Everett.
It was about working together to make a future out of a tragedy.
The expression on Joe Meyer’s face as he accompanied Everett into Hoyles’ toy department could hardly have been described as cheery. Dodging between sales assistants dressed as elves and forest animals, Everett marched determinedly to the cash desk at the far end of the store. “FBI? You don’t seriously think this place is pushing drugs or selling guns, do you?”
Everett couldn’t blame Joe Meyer for his sarcastic comment. Hoyles’ was a Cactus Creek institution and stepping through the doors brought back memories of his own childhood holidays. Ignoring the fact that white Christmases were unusual in Sur County, the toy department was decked out like an icy winter wonderland. With lavishly decorated trees, gingerbread houses, traditional dollhouses and train sets, it was guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of every kid, as well as most adults.
“I need to speak to the manager.” The young cashier started to protest but was silenced when Everett held up his badge. It didn’t usually see this much daylight when he was on duty. “Now.”
“Wait here.” After giving him a nervous look, she headed toward a nearby office and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, a tall man emerged.
“I’m Paul Denmore, toy-department manager. What can I do for you?”
Because of his suspicions about the possible contents of the package, Everett had decided not to bring it into the busy store. Instead, he had left it in Joe’s delivery van, which was parked on an empty parking lot a block away. He held up his cell phone, displaying a photograph he had taken of the brightly colored package.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about this.”
Denmore looked from Everett to the picture, his startled gaze taking in Joe along the way. “It looks like one of our home-delivery gifts.”
Don’t water an angry seed. That had always been one of Maribelle Colton’s favorite phrases. Everett could almost hear his mom saying it now as he bit back an irritated response.
“I’m aware of the appearance of this item, Mr. Denmore. What I require from you is confirmation that it did originate in your store. Once I have that, I will be able to safely open the box and check its contents.” Although, having checked it over carefully, he felt confident, based on its weight and size that it wasn’t a bomb, he wasn’t prepared to take any chances. “Finally, I’ll need details of who placed the order.” A doubtful look crossed the other man’s face. “I can get a warrant. Even close the store, if that’s what it takes…”
“No, no.” Denmore held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I’m happy to cooperate. Please come through to my office.”
Everett entered the room in the manager’s wake, with Joe trailing behind.
“If the package is one of ours, there will be a reference number on the gift label, under the recipient’s address,” Denmore said.
Everett swiped through his photographs until he found a close-up of the gift label. “Does this provide the information you need?”
“Yes.” Denmore went to his desktop computer and tapped on a few keys. After a moment or two, he leaned closer to the screen. “This item was ordered and paid for online three days ago.” He looked up. “It’s a teddy bear. The largest and most expensive soft toy we stock.”
“Is there any possibility it could have been tampered with during the packing process?” He wanted to be absolutely sure it would be safe to open that box.
Denmore pursed his lips. “I can’t give a hundred-percent guarantee, but I can offer you something that comes close.” He pointed to his screen, showing Everett a spreadsheet. “From the moment an order is placed to when it leaves the store, each person who handles the item records the date and time on the system. I can’t see any issues with this one.”
Everett released the pent-up breath that had been tightening his chest. In one sense, the confirmation that the delivery had come from Hoyles’ was good news. It meant the package was unlikely to contain anything sinister. On the other hand, it provided him with only half an answer. And it raised a whole lot of unwelcome questions.