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He had questions about tonight.
He wasn't stupid. That caller had known Major Crimes had taken a day off to go to the barbecue. Why wouldn't tonight have been the perfect time to strike?
That caller had mentioned Jarrod being wrapped up around his redhead. That told him something he was going to run by Gunnar.
Jarrod had only been wrapped up around his redhead once at that barbecue. After they’d watched Kimball leading Miguel’s SUV out of the driveway, along with one of the Colesons’ cars. The sirens and flashers had gotten attention. That caller had been nearby enough to watch Jarrod and Haldyn instead of those handful of cars. If they could figure out where that caller had been—they might be able to isolate who he was.
And just what exactly the man knew. Hell, it was a start.
41
There was always a particular look in a cop's eyes when they had seen the darkest sides of humanity. Forensic scientists, too. That look had been in her own eyes far too often since she'd taken on the job of director. Before, she'd been almost hidden in computer forensics—there had always been the screen, that shield, between her and the cases before.
Haldyn knew with one look at Jarrod's face and at the blood on Gunnar's shirt that tonight had been bad.
She just knew.
"Is everyone on our..." What? Side? Like they were in a battle? A war? Maybe they were. Maybe they were. "Are all of our people okay?"
There were other people around her. Powell was there. She'd been restless since Jarrod and Gunnar had left. A restlessness Haldyn had felt, too.
As she'd watched Jarrod and Gunnar leave to meet the rest of Major Crimes they could gather quickly, it had struck her again—the risks they faced.
There had been no guarantee that those infuriating male pains in the ass would have both returned. There just hadn’t.
Zoey and her kids had stayed with the Barratts tonight, too. Murdoch had insisted on it. Shelby and her baby as well. A.J. and Daryn and both women’s children. Rory and her twin babies.
The wives of the Major Crimes boys. Staying behind guarded walls where they were safe. Just in case. No one had forgotten what had happened before. Daniel had insisted a patrol car stay outside Heather's house tonight. Watching over her family, too.
"Is everyone okay?" Haldyn asked again.
Jarrod nodded. "Heather ended up needing stitches, but she's good now. I took her home."
"How badly was she hurt?" Zoey asked tightly. Haldyn looked at her, struck again by how much she resembled the woman in question. They looked more like sisters than aunt and niece.
"Just a graze," Gunnar said. "But she took the shots. Driver is in critical at County. He probably won’t pull through. The other guy—died instantly.”
"It was close. Damned close. For Heather...and Gun," Jarrod said quietly. "But we stopped a shipment. I just don't know if it's going to matter much."
Haldyn knew what he meant. They'd stopped a dozen shipments now—but more came after. They had to find a way to get to the head of the beast. It kept regrowing tentacles every time Major Crimes cut one off.
"We need to get on that caller," Gunnar said. "The rest of the guys are coming. We're going to meet up here, and...work, first thing in the morning."
“Where you able to question the driver?” Zoey asked. She was still with the governor’s task force, but as a consultant now. When it was needed.
Jarrod shook his head. “Unconscious after shooting at Heather and Gunnar. She was able to get to cover and take the shot.”
“Heather is a damned fine shot,” Gunnar said. “Thankfully. I was a bit too slow.”
"I've uploaded my recording of the caller to the server." Haldyn couldn't think of anything else to say. The look on the two men's faces...sometimes she wondered why she did this job in the first place. The almost defeat in their faces was something she’d not forget any time soon. "It just seems like we never win. Never get anywhere."
"I know." That same pain was in Jarrod’s eyes. "Ladies, the rest of the guys are going to be a few hours. They are back at the post, filling out their reports. Gun and I will do that in the morning. But now, I am taking a shower and sleeping. I'll see you in the morning."
Then he headed to the stairs, without even looking back, Gunnar next to him. Not saying a word.
Haldyn waited until Powell and Zoey and the rest headed upstairs, too. Then when she was alone...
She went to the suite next door.
