18
11:00 P.M.
Izzy paced the hospital room while she waited for Chloe to pick her up. Her chest ached from the smoke inhalation, but it wasn’t anything that would keep her in the hospital. Antibiotics, an inhaler, and rest were her marching orders and she was glad enough to get them. But she couldn’t go home.
Her home, her private sanctuary . . . gone . . .
Grief and fury flooded her and she wanted to cry.
No, she wouldn’t think about it. She was alive. Mrs. Spade and Mozart were fine. The officer had a massive headache, but no one had been seriously hurt.
And she had insurance. In the end, after she mourned the loss of some of her favorite things and went through the rebuilding process, she would be fine. It would all be fine.
It would.
It really would.
Maybe she’d eventually believe it.
Chloe had insisted Izzy come stay with her, but that didn’t sound like such a great idea to her. Would she be putting her sister in danger? The person who wanted Kevin’s phone didn’t seem all that concerned if he hurt anyone who stood in the way of his getting it.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Ryan peeking around the edge. “Come on in.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
Izzy huffed. “I said I’m fine!”
“You don’t sound fine.”
She crossed her arms. “What do I sound like?”
“Like a frog. An annoyed one that inhaled too much smoke.”
“Oh.” She touched her throat and grimaced, then dropped her arms. “Well, I’m that too. Annoyed, that is.”
“I’ve got some good news that might cheer you up.”
“Wonderful. I could use some good news.”
“We got an ID on your friend, the Hulk.”
She scowled. “Friend? Don’t even joke about that.”
He cleared his throat. “Right, sorry. His name is Lamar Young and he’s not a nice person.”
“I find that shocking.”
“Yeah. He’s affiliated with Tony Bianchi and has been suspected of several murders. Cop murders as well.”
“A cop killer. Lovely.” Izzy shivered. “I guess it wasn’t my time yet.”
Ryan moved closer. “I’ve checked with all the hospitals. If he shows up with a gunshot wound, we’ll know it. We’ve also got a BOLO out on him, so all the patrol officers are keeping their eyes open. Hopefully we’ll hear something soon.”
“Like we’ve heard something on the guy that killed Kevin?”
His jaw tightened. “Everyone’s looking, you know they are.”
“Yes, I know.”
“So . . . you do realize your entire family, except Chloe and Derek, is in the waiting room, don’t you?”
She coughed, several lung-wrenching hacks, then groaned and flopped back onto the bed. “Yes,” she croaked, “and they’ve all been back here. Every last one of them. I just kicked Brady out twenty minutes ago, claiming I needed to rest. Chloe said I could go home with her. I’m just waiting for her to get here.”
“You don’t want to go to your parents’ house?”
“Nope.”
Ryan sat beside her. “They love you.”
“I love them too.” She rubbed her eyes. “And it might be okay if we were all at work at the same time, but Mom said something about taking a couple of days off, then Dad jumped in and said he could take care of me. It’s sweet, but no thanks. I mean, they have to work. Staying home with me is not an option.”
The nurse bustled in and handed Izzy her walking papers. After a litany of instructions, she left with a hasty “Take care.”
Ryan stood and Izzy put a hand on his arm. “Hold on a second.”
He paused. “What is it?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I’m going to need a weapon. Mine is probably just a melted puddle of steel at this point.”
“We’ll get you one.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, I know this isn’t exactly a great time, but I got your text—I brought Kevin’s phone.”
He pulled it from his pocket and she nodded. “Try this date.” When he punched it in, the home screen came up. “It worked,” he said. He looked up to see tears streaming down her cheeks. “Where did you come up with that?”
“Our wedding day,” she choked out.
Ryan gaped. “Your what?”
Izzy grabbed several tissues from the box next to the bed. “It’s a joke.”
“Tell me.”
“Those pictures, the ones that you found in Kevin’s room. They were all the things Kevin and I were going to do on our ‘honeymoon.’” She put air quotes around the word.
“Iz, I think the smoke affected more than your lungs. Could you be a tad more clear?”
“Bungee jumping, water skiing, hiking, and seeing the world,” she whispered. “I would have turned fifty first.”
“What?”
“And then he would have turned fifty a year later.”
“Iz? You’re not making any sense.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”
“Izzy, please! You’re killing me.”
She finally looked up and met his gaze. And blinked rapidly, more tears falling. He handed her some tissues and she swiped her eyes. “Sorry. The pictures reminded me of a stupid pact Kevin and I made as teenagers. I’d forgotten all about it until you showed me those pictures and said you’d found them in his room. They were things we’d done that we said we’d do again as an old married couple.”
“Okay, you made a pact. Keep going. I’m still waiting for the clarity part.”
She gave a low laugh that held very little humor. “He asked me to marry him when he was fifteen and I was sixteen. I told him if I was still single when I turned fifty, I’d marry him.”
“Wait, I think I remember him telling me about that.”
Izzy shrugged. “It was so long ago, I . . .”
“Guess he still thought about it.”
“I know he did. He mentioned it the night he was killed. Wow,” she breathed.
“Yeah.” He tapped another sequence on the screen. “I’m going to look at videos and pictures first.”
“Check the last video he took. If he was filming, it should be right there.”
Ryan tapped again and drew in a breath. “And there it is.”
He held the phone where Izzy could see it. The picture wobbled, then steadied. The interior of the warehouse came into view and the camera zoomed in on the three men standing in front of the glass-encased office.
“Those are the three I saw,” Izzy said. “The one on the left is the one who shot Kevin.”
“The one who must have gone into hiding, since we’ve heard nothing about anyone spotting him,” Ryan said.
The camera panned upward and Izzy heard a gasp sound over the speaker. Kevin. “Derek?” he whispered.
Izzy gasped and Ryan paused the video to look at her. “Derek? Derek was there? This is what you’ve been struggling with, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“And you didn’t think you needed to mention it to me?”
She bit her lip and met his gaze. “I wanted to, but I promised I wouldn’t. I didn’t know he’d be on the video, but figured it was a possibility.”
“Izzy. He’s an eyewitness to Kevin’s death. We needed to be talking to him!”
She didn’t flinch at his accusatory tone. “Good luck with that. I can’t get him to answer my calls or texts. I doubt he’s going to answer yours.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Is he undercover?”
“He said he was, but I’m not sure.”
“When did you talk to him? I thought you said he wouldn’t answer your calls.”
“The night Kevin died, when I texted you about someone in the warehouse. That was Derek.”
“What was he doing there?”
“Looking for anything that might reveal he’d been there, I guess. I don’t really know.”
“No. He was looking for the cameras,” Ryan said. “He was checking to make sure he stayed out of sight of them.”
“Maybe.”
“You should have told me.”
“Maybe.”
“Why do you think he might not be undercover?”
“Because my mom didn’t seem to know anything about it.”
“Could she just be keeping it quiet?”
Izzy shrugged. “Of course, but I don’t think she is.” She coughed and drew in another ragged breath.
Ryan could tell she needed to rest, so he dropped the subject. For now. He looked down at the phone. “Let’s finish this,” he said.
He pressed play once more. Derek stood on the balcony, looking down, taking pictures. Then he turned, seemed to listen for a brief second, and disappeared again behind one of the stacks of crates. The door at the top opened and shut, and the guy Izzy recognized as the man Derek eventually shot stepped inside. He’d missed seeing Derek by a fraction of a second.
Then the camera panned back over to the office. “Look,” she said. “Someone’s in there.”
Ryan took the phone and squinted at the screen. “We need to zoom this.” He looked up with a frown. “I don’t remember anyone else being there. No one else was caught.”
Izzy leaned her head back against the pillow. “No, there were only the three on the main floor and the guy on the balcony with Derek. If someone else was in there, where did he go?”
They were at the point where the voice shouted, “You a cop?”
Then Ryan shut it off. “I don’t need to see him get shot again,” he said gruffly. “We’ll take it to David and let him see what he can pull off of it.”
“And zoom in on the person in the office. He must have slipped out as soon as the gunshot sounded,” Izzy said. “When I ran inside, I never saw anything but Kevin. Then Derek.” She rubbed her eyes. “Now what?”
“I want to know what Derek was doing at the warehouse and if he’s undercover,” Ryan said.
“Me too. I’ve been thinking about that.”
“And?”
“I have a plan.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, I thought about trying to hack into Derek’s computer to see if he had an ops plan on there somewhere, but I think it might just be easier to break into his office.”
Ryan started. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Izzy, we need to go to Captain Bonner with this.” Captain Pierce Bonner, Derek’s supervisor.
“After I see if there’s an ops plan. It’s not like I can just walk up to him and ask him.”
“Iz—”
She climbed down from the bed. “But for now, I’m going to face my family.”
Izzy slipped out of the room and down the hall toward the exit, bracing herself for the reunion with her family.
It went about how she expected. After being smothered with hugs and offers of a place to live until she could figure out what she was going to do about her burned-out home, she finally spotted Chloe rushing through the automatic doors.
Brady held her a bit longer than the others. “You scared me, sis.”
“I’m fine.” She hoped the rasp in her voice went away fast.
“Yeah. Now. And what’s this I heard about you getting tossed over the side of a parking garage?”
“Shh!” She shot a quick glance at her parents, who had moved back to give the others room to reassure themselves that she was still breathing. “That’s not for everyone to know about.”
“They’ve already heard about it. Mom forbade us to mention it to you, though.”
“And yet you did.”
Brady shrugged. “Just giving you a heads-up that you’re going to have to face the music soon.”
Izzy sighed. “I’ll cross that bridge later when I have more energy. And for your information, I was not thrown over. I was . . . dangled.” And it had been terrifying. She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Go back to work and stay safe.” She detached herself from the rest of her family and allowed Chloe one quick hug. “I’m exhausted. Please, take me to your place. I need a shower and some clothes and some sleep.”
“Roger that.”
“Where’s Hank?”
“In the truck.”
Hank had his own temperature-controlled area in Chloe’s vehicle and would be fine for as long as Chloe needed to be away from the truck.
“Where are Mozart and Mrs. Spade?”
“Her daughter came and picked her up. Mozart is at Mom and Dad’s house.”
“Okay, good.” A place he was familiar with. She often took him with her when she was going to be spending several hours there. He loved the big yard.
With that taken care of, Izzy was ready to go. “After you.”
Her mother hugged her one more time, then looked into her eyes. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“What?”
“Besides the fact that someone tried to throw you off a parking garage?”
Izzy winced. “He didn’t try to throw me over. He just—”
“I’ll come back to that,” her mother said. “Ryan said you called him and thought someone was trying to kill you.” She lifted a brow. “Again, apparently. And then the fire happened. I’m not speaking as your mother, I’m your chief. What’s going on?”
Izzy rubbed her head. The ache that had started at the base of her skull in the ambulance had now spread to her temples. “I’m honestly not sure what’s going on.” She sighed. “I had Kevin’s phone. He asked me to hide it the night he died.”
A low gasp left her mother’s lips. “And you didn’t bother to tell me that?”
“No. We just managed to get into it like fifteen minutes ago. There’s a video on there from the warehouse and everyone who was there. Ryan and I are going to take it to David and let him pull what he can off of it.” Izzy debated telling her about Derek’s involvement, but his urgent—almost desperate—plea for her to keep quiet stilled her tongue. “Can you give us some time to figure it out?”
Her mother stared at her, her jaw tight, eyes narrowing. “Yes, but only because I don’t feel like you’re simply putting me off. Let me know what David says. Come by my office tomorrow and we’ll talk.”
“Tomorrow?” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Seriously?”
The woman grimaced. “No, of course not. Take the day—or two or three—and see how you feel.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I think I’m in denial. You just lost your home and this is going to take some time to straighten out. I’ll contact your supervisor and let him know you’re going to be off for a bit. Rest and heal, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am. Got it.”
“But we will talk.”
“About the—”
“Yes. The parking garage. It’s all over the news.”
Izzy grimaced. “I figured it would be. People were recording it.”
“Fortunately, your face isn’t shown. What were you thinking?”
Izzy scowled. “You said we’d talk about it later.”
Her mother sighed. “Fine. I’m going to let you put me off for now, but don’t think it’s forever.”
“I know, Mom, but for now, I just really want to go to bed.”
Her mother’s features softened and she reached for Izzy one more time for a bone-crunching hug. “You scared me tonight.”
“I scared myself.” She paused. “I’m sorry.”
Her mother cleared her throat and nodded to Chloe. “Take care of her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Izzy rushed Chloe out of the hospital, desperate to get away from the questions and worry, even while she knew how blessed she was to have so many people who loved her. She did know that, and she was grateful, but she just wanted to be alone so she could think.
Ryan pulled Izzy to the side while Chloe went to get her vehicle. “You’re thinking of doing this tonight, aren’t you?”
She nodded.
“You’re not doing it alone.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
He raked a hand through his hair and saw the chief watching them, a speculative look in her eyes. He glanced back at Izzy. “What time?”
“Late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. Like 1:30. The office is busy, but not overrun.”
“All right. I’ll pick you up at 1:15.”
“Thanks, Ryan.”
“Of course.”
Chloe pulled to the door, and Ryan walked out with Izzy, staying right at her side.
“What are you doing?” Izzy asked.
“Making sure no one takes a shot at you while you’re walking to the car.”
She grimaced. “Thanks.” She opened the passenger door and climbed in, but left the door open so she could finish her thought. “But if this guy is after Kevin’s phone, then you’re the one in danger now.”
“Maybe, but he doesn’t know I’m the one who has it, so . . .”
“True.”
“Kevin’s phone?” Chloe asked.
Izzy fastened her seat belt. “It’s a long story.”
“You can tell me after you get a shower. Be sure to roll your window down, would you? I don’t want the smoky smell to linger.”
Izzy gave a low huff. “I almost died and you’re worried about me stinking up your truck? Thanks so much. I appreciate the love and concern.”
“Well, you didn’t die and I’m very glad for that. But roll down the window. Please.”
In sync with the roll of her eyes, Izzy let the window down and cool air rushed in.
Ryan shut the door, watching them. He’d always been slightly envious of the easy relationship the two of them shared. It had been that way as long as he remembered.
He’d been so much older than Kevin that, while they got along and hung out occasionally, they hadn’t had that deep sibling bond. Not like he and Chris had shared. Chris. How he missed him. He cleared his throat. “Be careful, will you?”
“Of course,” Chloe said. She cranked the SUV and Ryan watched them pull out of the hospital parking lot. Right behind them were two unmarked cars.
Breathing a bit easier knowing Izzy was in good hands, Ryan decided to head home and see if he could grab a little sleep before taking the video to David.
Kevin’s face swam before him and he pressed a hand to his eyes. God, I don’t like this new normal. Give us all strength to get through the next few days. And years.
Kevin’s death only made Chris’s memory that much more fresh, and Ryan tried to close his heart to the renewed pain. Two brothers gone. And now he had to find a way to get through another funeral.
After he helped Izzy break into her brother’s office.