Valerie Hansen - Explosive Secrets

They pulled to the curb in front of the apartment building on Lost Woods Road, and stopped. Jackson barely had a chance to climb out when a slim, young woman in jeans and a pink T-shirt raced over and grasped his sleeve. Her wide eyes were as blue as a summer sky, and her coppery-brown hair fell softly around her face, its silky length brushing her shoulders.

“Are you the party who placed the call for police assistance?” Jackson asked.

“Y-yes. I thought they’d send the same officers who were here before.”

He politely touched the brim of his cap, then opened the rear door to leash Titan as he explained, “I’m Detective Worth, ma’am. You must have mentioned a bomb threat when you contacted the station or they wouldn’t have sent us.”

“I did. That’s really the only thing I can remember clearly. The man who called me said I should ask about a policeman’s wife getting blown up and then he hollered, ‘Boom!’ Just like that.” She tried to catch her breath. “I didn’t know what else to do so I called the number on the card those other officers left when they were here a few days ago.”

“You did the right thing by waiting outside, Ms...”

“Nicolette Johnson.” She pointed to the upper story of the poorly maintained apartment building. “That’s where I live. I was about to leave for work. After I got the threatening phone call, I didn’t know what to do.”

Jackson straightened with Titan at his side. “Okay. Let’s start from the beginning. Tell me your version of the trouble you had here recently.”

“Okay. A man broke into my apartment. I hid in the closet and called 911. When the other officers got here there was a fight and some shooting. That’s when a police dog was wounded. It was awful.”

Jackson nodded soberly. “I understand how upsetting that must have been. A fugitive named Derek Murke was arrested.”

“Right. He was an ex-boyfriend of my late cousin, Arianna Munson. That’s another reason I got scared. The man who called me today mentioned her. Only he called her a snake or something.”

“You mean Serpent?”

Nicolette nodded, her eyes wide. “That was it. Serpent. He said that he had killed her.”

“In those exact words?” Jackson knew that the Munson woman had died during a shoot-out with the police, so why would anyone claim murder as a threat? He had to make an effort to control his excitement. Any clues, no matter how obscure, that brought the department closer to finding the gang of killers and drug runners causing mayhem in and around Sagebrush were definitely top priority.

“I—I don’t know. I’m sorry. I can’t remember his exact words. I guess I was too scared.”

Or up to your eyeballs in the whole criminal mess, he thought, keeping that notion to himself for the time being. “Suppose we get off the street and go check your apartment before we do anything else?”

“Okay.” She was wringing her hands. “I feel silly causing such a fuss, but he sounded really serious about hurting me.”

“Did he say why?”

“Yes. He seemed to think I was withholding some kind of information. Murke said the same thing when he held me hostage the other night.”

“Are you?”

“Of course not. If I did know something, I’d have told the officers who arrested him.” She shivered. “He’s still in jail, isn’t he?”

“Yes, ma’am. And he will be for a long time if I’m any judge. You don’t need to worry about him coming back to bother you.”

“Oh, good! What about the wounded police dog? Is she going to make it?”

“Yes. The muscle in her hind leg was torn up pretty bad, but the vet says Lexi will be back on duty in due time.”

“That’s a relief.”

Nicolette was reaching for the outer door to the complex when Jackson stopped her. “You’d better wait while we check the premises. I’ll signal you to come and unlock your apartment when we’re sure the halls are clean.”

She seemed reluctant. “Okay, but...”

“Just stand where we can still see each other,” Jackson told her. “If Titan finds anything suspicious, he’ll sit down by it, and then I’ll call for backup and evacuate the building. If he doesn’t react, you’ll know everything is fine.”

“What a beautiful, intelligent animal,” she said softly as man and canine started to walk away.

Jackson watched Titan methodically check every corner and sniff at every door on the ground floor. Then they returned to Nicolette.

“Coast is clear down here. Where’s your apartment?”

“Second floor, far end of the hall.” She held up a key. “Do you need this?”

“Not yet. Let us take the lead. You can follow at a safe distance. When Titan is satisfied, you can come and unlock the door for us.”

It would have given Jackson a better feeling if he’d had at least one more officer with him to guard the young woman, although in this case it seemed unnecessary. Whoever had tried to frighten her had succeeded, yes, but that wasn’t proof of real danger. As long as Titan didn’t alert, he’d be satisfied that the place was free of explosives. That was the main thing.

Finished with the second phase of the sweep, he paused at apartment number 210 and motioned to Nicolette.

Watching her hurry to join them he was taken by her grace, her natural loveliness. So many women he’d known in the past seemed to think that painting themselves up was the key to beauty. As far as Jackson was concerned, a naturally pretty woman like Nicolette Johnson was far easier on the eyes.

You’re on the job. You’re not supposed to notice things like that, his conscience reminded him.

That made Jackson smile slightly. He might be working. And he was certainly not in the market for romance of any kind. But that did not mean he was unable to appreciate this kind of loveliness, any more than he could overlook a gorgeous Texas sunset or the shining, coppery coat on a special chestnut-colored mare out at his ranch.

His smile threatened to widen and he had to stifle it. He could just imagine what Ms. Nicolette Johnson would think of having her beauty compared to that of a fine horse, even if it was one of the nicest compliments he could have bestowed.

* * *

Nicki’s hands were trembling so badly she had trouble fitting the key into the lock. When she was finally successful, she stepped back and let the dog and his handler enter while she waited by the door.

It was interesting seeing how they worked as a team with the dog leading the way and the man indicating when he wanted him to proceed to another room.

If the apartment hadn’t been so small and sparsely furnished, she would have worried more when they both disappeared into the bedroom. Thankfully, there wasn’t much to see and their inspection was complete in a matter of minutes.

“You can come in and relax now,” Jackson called. “The place is clean. There’s no danger.”

Frowning, she poked her head in first. “You’re sure?”

“Titan is,” Jackson said with a smile. “You can trust him. I do.”

“Okay.” She took a few steps closer and eyed her tiny living room. “I suppose I’d notice if there was anything out of place. It’s just that the last few days have been so awful. The landlord repaired my front door after the female police officer forced it, but I thought I’d never get the stains out of my rug from where that poor dog was wounded.”

“I understand your concern.” He waited for her to sit in the only easy chair before taking a place across from her on the slipcovered sofa. Titan lay at his feet. “Now that we can take it easy, how about starting from the beginning and telling me what’s been going on?”

Sighing, she began. “I feel like I’ve just run a marathon instead of sleeping ’til noon. I work nights at The Truck Stop Diner out on Highway 20 so I don’t get up very early.” Her stomach fluttered, then settled, much to her relief. She didn’t think it was this officer’s business that she was expecting a baby so she kept that information to herself.