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“Steele and I were interviewing the parents of the ice skaters because we learned of a rivalry between those who were shot and another pair of skaters,” Joe explained. “I was taking Elly outside through the back after we’d finished when the shot rang out. She’s fine, no one was hurt.”
“Did you find him?” Rhy sounded extremely frustrated.
“Not yet.” Joe kept his gaze on the phone as if unable or unwilling to meet her gaze. “Steele and several other cops ran out to search the area but didn’t come up with anything. Steele paid extra attention to the trees across the street since we know he used a tree to shoot at the American Lodge but didn’t find anything. There is a row of houses that are directly across the street from the back side of the police station. They canvassed the area, but you know how that neighborhood is, Captain. The residents rarely cooperate with the police. No one admitted to seeing anything.”
“I can’t believe this guy had the gall to stake out a police station,” Rhy muttered harshly. “That took some nerve.”
“I know, but I’m fine,” Elly said. “Steele left to check out an abandoned truck a few blocks from the scene.”
“Oh yeah?” Her brother’s tone didn’t sound encouraging. “That may not mean much in that neighborhood either.”
“One witness came forward, saying a guy matching the description of Elly’s sketch got out of the truck,” Joe explained. “The vehicle will be processed ASAP. We can only hope the guy left some trace evidence behind.”
“I think we’ll all pray for that,” Rhy agreed. “I don’t like the way this guy keeps coming after Elly.”
“I’m wearing a bullet-resistant vest that Joe gave me from the precinct,” she said, before Joe could respond. “I promise he’s doing a good job of keeping me safe, Rhy.”
“I know, I know.” She could understand Rhy’s frustration. “I just don’t get this guy’s motives. I mean, shooting up the parade to get attention is one thing. Continuing to stalk and kill a witness is highly unusual.”
“We’re going to find him,” Joe said. “He’s made a few mistakes already; he’ll continue to make more. And we have Brady working with his tech guru on some AI software that will take Elly’s sketch and create a three-dimensional image to put through the bureau’s facial recognition program. We’ll find him,” Joe repeated. “Count on it.”
“I’m counting on you keeping Elly safe and on the rest of the team finding this perp,” Rhy said with a sigh. “I’m glad you’ve gotten Brady involved. We need all hands on deck for this.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Joe said.
“I spoke with Eloise, Kyle’s wife. She’s pretty broken up over his death. She’s in the anger phase of her grief, yelling at me to do something to find her husband’s killer.”
She winced. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Part of the job,” Rhy said. “I didn’t take her anger personally. All I could do was reassure her we were doing everything possible to find the perp.”
“Do you think some of the team members should stop out to check on her?” Joe asked.
“I offered that,” Rhy said. “But she told me she didn’t want to see anyone from the tactical team until the guy was either dead or in custody.”
There was a long silence as they digested that bit of information. Joe still hadn’t met her gaze, which irked her. They were two adults who’d shared a kiss. There was nothing wrong with that.
“Need anything else?” Joe asked.
“No.” Now Rhy sounded tired. In the background, they could hear Colleen crying.
“Take care of your family, Rhy,” Elly said. “Don’t worry about us.”
“I will. Keep me in the loop,” Rhy added, before ending the call.
Joe abruptly shot off the sofa, putting even more distance between them. She frowned, not liking his abrupt about-face. “I—uh, should apologize.”
“For me, kissing you?” She arched a brow. “Not necessary. I enjoyed every moment.”
Her blunt statement caught him off guard. Then he turned and scooped the laptop off the sofa. “Let me check the video. If I see someone who looks like our perp, I’ll let you know.”
She sighed as he returned to the table with the computer. Clearly, he regretted their kiss. Which was depressing since she didn’t.
This probably wasn’t the best time to talk about it, especially having just finished speaking to Rhy. Yet she cherished their all-too-brief embrace.
Maybe one day, when this nightmare was over, she could talk to Joe about the possibility of seeing him again. Not related to work.
“Elly?” She glanced over when he called her name. “Check this out.”
