He touched his forehead to hers and spoke genuinely. “That’s a relief, my love.” He turned and grabbed his gun and holster off the dresser.
Angie listened to the sound of him leaving through the front door, stomping down the steps, and starting the police cruiser. After a few seconds, he backed out of the driveway and roared down the street.
Angie settled back under the covers, but she couldn’t sleep. She dreaded the thought of Jeremy shivering in the cold inside the Jacobsons’ shed.
What was he doing there in the first place? The last time she’d spoken to him, he’d said he had a mattress on the floor in his parents’ garage. What could have happened?
CHAPTER 12
Rain pelted the windshield of the police cruiser, and the wipers snapped noisily back and forth.
“Does the shed have a window or a back door?” Officer Edwards asked as Joe drove to the Jacobsons’ property, three miles outside of town.
“It has two windows,” Joe replied. “One on each side and a double door at the front. Be ready to jump out as soon as I pull in, because Jeremy will try to make a run for it. He’s a slippery little rascal.”
Joe pulled into the Jacobsons’ yard, skidded to a halt on the gravel with both headlights trained on the shed. He shifted into park, and he and Edwards got out with their batons.
The rain was coming down sideways, and the blustery wind whipped at Joe’s heavy black slicker. The car headlights beamed straight at the front door of the shed, where the padlock was hanging open on the bracket. Joe wrenched the door open and shone his flashlight into the dark space.
Sure enough, there was Jeremy, huddled on the floor under a wide shelf containing automotive supplies. He was wrapped in an old carpet and held his hand up in front of his face to block the blinding glare from the flashlight.
“Didn’t your mother teach you how to knock?” Jeremy asked, frowning at them.
“What are you doing in here, Jeremy?” Edwards asked. “You know you can’t be breaking into people’s sheds in the middle of the night.”
“I didn’t break in,” he explained. “Mr.Jacobson never remembers to lock his door, so you can’t charge me with anything.”
Joe’s gut rolled over with frustration, and he strode forward to grab Jeremy by his coat collar. “I can charge you with trespassing. Let’s go.” He wrenched him to his feet.
Jeremy stumbled as he was pushed toward the open door. “I appreciate this, Joe. You’re actually doing me a favor. Winter’s coming, and I’d be grateful for a warm bed and three square meals a day until spring.”
Exasperation singed the corners of Joe’s self-control. All he wanted to do was shake Jeremy until his teeth rattled, but he resisted the urge and squeezed Jeremy’s coat collar in his fist, thrusting him outside. Jeremy fell onto his hands and knees in the driving rain while Joe reached for his handcuffs.
Jeremy coughed and sputtered. “Okay, okay,” he blubbered, rolling onto his back. “I’ll go with you this time.” He held his hands up while he blinked into the rain that was striking his face. “How’s Angie, anyway?”
The question was clearly meant to taunt Joe, but Joe had been down that road with Jeremy before, and he couldn’t let himself get all riled up. That never ended well, so he clenched his jaw and didn’t respond.
He glanced at Edwards. “Close the shed door, and lock it behind you.”
Edwards fumbled with the padlock, which wasn’t coming free of the bracket.
Before Joe had a chance to slap the cuffs on Jeremy, he leaped to his feet and shoved Joe backward, causing him to lose his balance. Then he darted across the grass toward the woods.
“Get him!” Joe shouted.
Joe and Edwards took off across the wet field. They swung their flashlight beams in all directions through the driving rain, searching for Jeremy. They splashed through puddles, and Edwards slipped on his heel. His feet went up, and he fell onto his backside.
Joe didn’t stop to help him. He kept running toward the tree line with no idea which direction Jeremy had gone. It was pitch black in the dense, dripping forest. He stopped, breathing heavily, and shone the light left, right, and then left again. He stood still and listened ...
Nothing. Only Edwards approaching from behind him.
“Be quiet!” Joe whispered. “Where did he go?”
They both stood motionless in the rain while the wind howled through the treetops.
“I don’t hear anything,” Edwards said.
“Shh. You go that way. He couldn’t have gotten far.”
