Terri Reed - Duty Bound Guardian

“What?” Her stunned gaze bounced between him and David. She took a step back. Ace rose to all fours, alert to her obvious tension. Adam gave him a hand signal to sit. Slowly, Ace sat but his gaze stayed intently focused on Lana.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Her voice held a quiver of uncertainty. “He had the arrow in his hand. He used it to hit me and knocked me unconscious.”

“Did the man have gloves on?” David asked.

She blinked. “Yes, he did. White gloves that matched his clothes.”

Her version of the event wasn’t lining up with the facts. Hopefully, the security guard would shed some light on the murky situation.

“Can I speak with Brad?” she asked.

David gave a sharp nod. “This way.”

Adam tugged on Ace’s lead when the dog wouldn’t leave Lana’s side.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” she asked before he had taken two steps.

“I’m reserving judgment,” he offered. It would be bad police work to let her in on what he was thinking.

There was no mistaking the hurt in her expression as she walked past him down the same hall in which David had disappeared. She was much easier to read today than the first time they’d met, but even so, Adam wasn’t sure what to make of her story. The woman was an enigma. Calm and collected to the point of unemotional one minute, then impulsive and expressive the next.

At the end of the hall, Lana headed through an open door. “Brad, I was so worried about you!”

Adam stepped inside, stopping next to David to watch Lana hug a white-haired man of at least seventy and wearing a red uniform with the museum emblem on the breast pocket.

The man patted her back awkwardly. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“I am.” She pulled back.

Brad grimaced. “Your poor head.”

David stepped forward and made the introductions. “Brad Givens, this is Officer Donovan, with the Capitol K-9 Unit. He’ll be working with the DC police on the investigation.”

Lana slipped out of the way. The guard nodded and extended his hand.

After shaking Brad’s hand, Adam asked, “Did you get a look at the guy, hear anything that might give a clue what he was after?”

“Show Officer Donovan the security video,” David instructed.

Adam arched an eyebrow at David. Apparently the answer to Adam’s question would appear on the video feed.

Brad sat in front of a blank monitor on the table, pressed a few keys and the screen sprang to life.

The images on the display showed Brad stroll into view, apparently doing his rounds. A moment later a figure, dressed all in white and wearing aviator-style sunglasses, just as Lana had described, stepped out of the wall behind Brad. A convincing optical illusion.

The choke hold he used on the unsuspecting guard had been efficient, practiced, lending support to Adam’s earlier thought that the intruder had been trained. Military? Law enforcement? Or a garden-variety thug with skills?

Once the guard was down, the intruder ripped the cord on the security camera and the screen went black.

Brad swiveled in his chair to face Adam. “As you saw in humiliating Technicolor, the guy took me down, quick and easy.” Bitter anger reverberated in Brad’s voice. “He was strong and big and knew what he was doing. He disabled all the cameras. When I came to, my first thought was for Miss Gomez. She’s the sweetest lady.”

Brad’s jaw tightened as he continued. “When I saw her laying on the ground all bloodied I...” His voice cracked with emotion. “I thought she was dead.” He visibly collected himself and glanced toward the door with a smile. “Thankfully I was wrong.”

Lana had been hit and knocked out. But what happened in those moments while they were both unconscious? What had the intruder been after?

Lana shimmied past Adam to take Brad’s hand.

“Did you see the intruder after you awoke?” Adam couldn’t picture how the perp got away without being seen if the guard had come from the direction of the museum entrance where he’d pulled the alarm.

Brad gave a negative shake of his head. “No. I saw Miss Gomez and I ran for the alarm.”

Had the guard spooked the perp, forcing him to blend back into the walls to wait until the coast was clear and he could take the arrow? Adam turned to David. “Have you searched the whole premises?”

David gave him a keen look. “I had that same thought. We searched and found an open window in the employee break room and the main storage room’s back door was unlocked. The intruder is gone. No way to tell which was the point of entrance or exit.”

What had caused the assailant to leave the arrow behind?

A commotion in the outer body of the museum drew Ace’s attention. The dog barked to alert Adam. “I hear it, boy. Let’s go see what all the racket is about.”

They all filed out of the security office and hurried to the main hall. A rotund middle-aged man wearing a suit that appeared haphazardly donned stood mopping his brow with a white handkerchief. His wet shoes tracked dirt across the gleaming floor to where an officer had the man corralled a few paces away from the empty display.

“Sir, you have to stay back,” the officer said.

“Who would do this?” the man demanded.

David gave the officer a nod, allowing the younger officer to step away. “Sir, I’m Detective Delvecchio. This is Officer Donovan. You are?”

Curious, Adam stepped forward. Ace sniffed the man, then lost interest and sat.

“My name is Fred Floyd, I’m the head curator of the museum.” He shifted his feet, his agitation clear in the hike of his shoulders and the red flush to his round face. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Lana rushed forward. “Mr. Floyd, I’m so sorry you had to come home from your vacation.”

The man blinked at her. “You’re hurt.”

She waved away his concern. “It’s nothing. The thief got away, but didn’t take anything.”

Relief seemed to deflate Fred. His shoulders sagged, his chin dipped to his chest. “Wonderful news.”

“Has there been trouble here before?” Adam asked. “Other break-ins?”

“No break-ins.” Fred lifted his head. “We paid a mighty steep price for the security system that seems to have failed.” His eyebrows pinched together as he threw a furtive glance at Lana. “She has had some personal issues. The police were called, but I stay out of my employees’ business.”

Lana let out a small gasp.

Adam raised his eyebrows at her. “What trouble?” Could this have anything to do with the break-in? With Rosa’s murder? Michael Jeffries’s?

“My ex-husband. It was handled.”

Fred’s gaze shifted to the destroyed display case. “At least the Golden Arrow is safe. Where is it?”

“The crime scene techs have it,” David answered.

Fred’s mouth twisted. “Please tell your people to be careful. It is old and very fragile.”

“They are being very careful,” David assured him. “Mr. Floyd, we’ll need you to inventory the museum to be sure that nothing is missing. I will also require a list of employees and their contact info.”

Adam wanted to see that list, as well.

Fred nodded vigorously. “Of course. Whatever I can do to help you find the person who did this.”

David tipped his chin at the crime scene tech making his way toward them. “Ah, here’s the arrow.”

Adam and Ace moved out of the way so the tech could hand Floyd the artifact. Once Floyd had the arrow in his hands, his frown deepened. He inspected all aspects of the gold piece.

Vehemently shaking his head, he held the arrow out like a deadly snake about to strike. “This is a fake. A collectible that we sell in the gift shop.” He pointed to a stamped imprint on the fletching. “See?”