Chapter Fourteen
As the Huey lifted off, the patrol car skidded to a stop. The officer yelled over his loudspeaker. “Land immediately.”
Buck, the pilot and my Dad’s best buddy, laughed and flew low enough to kick up one hell of a dust storm.
The swirling red sand engulfed the patrol car.
Jana and I exchanged grins.
Shivering violently, Tinkerbell whimpered.
“The noise hurts your ears? Let me see if I can fix that.” Digging in my backpack, I pulled out my gloves and placed them over her ears. “Better?”
The Yorkie woofed.
“Good. I’ll buy you some ear muffs tomorrow.”
Tinkerbell yipped anxiously.
“No, this isn’t a monster. It’s a helicopter. My dad uses it to find lost people and sometimes he needs my help. Today we’re going to locate an elderly woman who disappeared in the mountains. If we can’t track her, the heat and lack of water will kill her.” I stroked Tinkerbell’s soft fur soothingly. “You’re my partner now. Our job is to find lost critters and people.”
Tinkerbell licked my face and barked.
“No, the silly alligator wasn’t lost. He ran away from home. My job was to catch him before he could eat a little dog like you.”
Arf? Arf?
“The critter police?”
Arf.
“I guess you could say that.”
Jana tapped my arm and handed me a headset.
I put it on and listened as an air traffic controller at Sky Harbor International Airport said, “November-nine-seven-eight-alpha-whiskey you are to land immediately on runway 22L and surrender your passengers to the police.”
Buck answered, “No can do. I’m inbound on a tactical rescue at the Superstition Mountains.”
The air traffic controller asked, “Are you advising this is a medical emergency?”
“I am,” Buck replied.
“Copy November-nine-seven-eight-alpha-whiskey. Phoenix Police Department will be advised.”
The Huey bucked and banged.
Jana hung on for dear life. “Holy shit! Are we going to crash?”
“No, we just hit a little air turbulence.”
“Oh. Ok.” Jana gave me a weak smile. “I’m not ready to walk into the light either.”
My cellphone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the text message from Dutch. Call me. Now!
Jana laughed. “He is persistent. Do you think Dutch will show up at the search site?”
I shrugged. “Depends on how long it takes him to testify and it’s a good ninety-minute drive.”
“If he used his lights and sirens he could make it in forty minutes.”
Jana had a point.
“Coming up on the command center,” Buck advised over the headsets.
“Copy.”
The helicopter landed in the south parking lot of the Lost Dutchman trailhead.
As soon as Jana and I climbed out, the Huey lifted off, heading for the second rescue site.
The Superstition Mountains are a 3,000-foot-high bastion of ghosts and legends. The tales of the Lost Dutchman’s mine and Peralta’s gold have lured many into the deep canyons and rocky spires. To this day hikers still find skeletal remains of the unlucky treasure hunters who got lost and ran out of water.
A white tent with Superstition Mountains Search and Rescue emblazoned on the side was surrounded by jeeps, trucks and three wheeled all-terrain vehicles.
Larry and Adam, my dad’s two medics, were packing up their gear. Adam was short, squat and covered in tattoos. Larry reminded me of a surfer dude, but in real life he was a history professor.
Dad stepped out of the tent holding a small black cocker spaniel. “Your police detective called again. He said he has a warrant for your arrest.”
Jana scowled. “For what?”
“For assaulting a police officer,” Dad replied.
I rolled my eyes. “Detective Callaghan is lying. There’s no warrant because he has no evidence.”
“You sure about that?” Anger laced my Dad’s voice.
The last thing I needed was for my dad to have a “talk” with Dutch. “Positive.”
The cocker spaniel whimpered.
Tinkerbell barked.
I frowned. “You sure?”
Arf.
“Does Bobo have any bee stings?”
Dad ran his hands over Bobo. “He’s covered in welts.” He motioned to Larry. “Do you have anything that would work on a dog?”
“I have some children’s antihistamine,” Larry said and dug in his pack. He handed me a pink and white pill. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” I linked with Bobo psychically. “Open your mouth, little guy, this will make you feel all better.”
Bobo obediently opened his mouth.
I poked the pill down his throat. “Swallow. That’s a good boy.” I placed my hand on Bobo’s head and concentrated. “Where’s your momma?” I felt his pain and fear as the bad things stung him again and again. “Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe now. Where’s your momma?”
I caught brief flashes of Bobo joyfully walking with an elderly woman. A swarm of bees suddenly attacking them. The woman’s horrified shrieks as she ran down the trail. Bobo frantic fear when the woman lost her balance, tumbled down a hill and slammed into a cactus.
Bobo whined.
“It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could do to stop the attack. We’re going to find your momma and help her.”
Bobo licked my hand.
“Harriet was attacked by a swarm of bees and fell down an incline. She’s lying by a large saguaro cactus covered in white flowers. Bobo tried to get to her, but the bees drove him off. That’s when the brave little guy went for help.”
“Does the cactus have a misshapen arm that resembles an erect penis?”
I grinned. “It does.”
“I know where she is. We’ll have to pack her out,” Dad handed Bobo to Jana. “Let’s go.”
The two medics grabbed their gear and followed my Dad. Jana and I fell in behind them.
“I had hoped we could use the all-terrain vehicles,” Jana said.
“Me too. There’s nothing like a strenuous hike when it’s 108 degrees in the shade.”
Cuddling Bobo against her chest, Jana retorted, “What shade?”
She had a point. There was none. Heat waves shimmered off the cactus spiked hills, adding to the feeling of being baked alive.
“Gak. My water is already hot,” Jana moaned. “Can you friggin’ believe it?”
“I can.” I wiped at the rivulets of sweat running down my face.
Tinkerbell barked.
“No. I’m not putting you down. The rocks will burn your feet.”
Arf.
“I know it’s hot. Lose the attitude or next time I’ll leave you home.”
Tinkerbell kissed my chin.
“Much better.”
The sun flashed off metal. I turned to look and noticed a bright red helicopter hovered over a nearby mesa.
“Is that a Pima County rescue chopper?”
Dad squinted at it. “Could be.”
Tinkerbell growled at the same time a rattling click sounded.
Bobo whimpered.
Jana petted the cocker spaniel. “It’s okay, Aunt Jana won’t let anything happen to you. What’s hissing?”
“Snake,” Adam warned and gestured at a rattlesnake coiled on the trail.
We all stopped.
“Go way,” I commanded the snake.
It slithered into the underbrush.
“Tinkerbell is a good girl for warning us.”
She gave me a doggie grin.
It took us thirty long, hot minutes of hiking down a rocky obstacle course called a path to reach the cactus. I was amazed that Harriet had made it as far as she had. The first thing that caught my attention was the hum of thousands of bees.
Jana looked around nervously. “You hear that?”
“Kinda hard to miss.” I sent up a silent prayer that they weren’t Africanized bees.
Larry shuddered. “Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Wuss,” Adam said.
“There.” Dad pointed at an enormous hive nestled under a ledge. “The little buggers are still a bit riled up.”
Bobo barked excitedly, jumped out of Jana’s arms and ran to his momma.
The bees surged out of their hive.
“Shit!” I put out calming psychic vibes. “Go get Harriet.”
Dad, Jana and the medics hurried down the slope.
The mass of bees swirled wildly. Insects of any kind were extremely hard to control, but bees were the worst. Drawing on every ounce of power I had, I formed a mental shield around me and projected peace, “Calm. Friends. Not enemy. Hive safe.”
To my amazement, Tinkerbell never moved a muscle or made a sound.
After what seemed like an eternity, the bees slowly returned to their hive.
I let out a shuddering breath.
“They’ve got her,” Dutch murmured in my ear.
I bit back a shriek. “Stop sneaking up on me.”
“Sneaking is in my job description.” Dutch said quietly and tugged on my backpack. “Slow and easy now, move away.”
I took a step back, then another and another. “How did you get here so fast?”
“Firebird 1.”
Duh. I gave myself a mental head smack. “You were in the red helicopter.”
“I was.”
A few bees buzzed around us.
Tinkerbell yapped.
“Shhh. Barking makes the bees angry. We don’t want them angry.” I stroked her head and whispered to Dutch, “I thought you had to testify?”
“The defense attorney asked the court for a continuance.”
“And Natasha?” I stumbled over a rock.
Dutch steadied me. “She’ll see a judge this afternoon.”
“Crap. Once the judge sets a bond, she’s gone.”
“All her bank accounts are frozen, and her car has been impounded,” Dutch said cheerfully.
“Color me impressed. How did you manage that?”
“My investigation revealed Natasha owes the IRS a cool million in back taxes. The agent in charge of her case faxed me an arrest warrant for tax evasion and placed the liens. The really good news is: I have evidence that she’s been laundering drug money for Vicente Guzman, the El Jefe of the local Mexican Mafia.”
Dutch kept a firm grip on my backpack. Was he afraid I’d make a run for it? “Could be just a weird coincidence, but Julio, Maria’s sister’s boyfriend, owed money to Guzman. Is there any chance Tomas Lopez is mixed up with El Jefe?”
“Without a doubt. Natasha left a paper trail a mile long. I’m taking them all down.”
“I do love stupid bad guys. They make the job so much easier.” I looked around for my dad and Jana.
“They’re about a thousand yards ahead of us. The woman’s badly dehydrated, covered in welts and has a broken leg. They have a medevac chopper coming for her,” Dutch said, then added, “Your father is an interesting man.”
“You have no idea.”
“He reminds you of Santa Claus until you look into his eyes.”
My stomach knotted in horror. “Really? When Dad’s working he isn’t so jolly.”
“Which branch of the military was he in?”
“Marines. He did a tour in Iraq during Desert Storm,” I answered. What I didn’t say was his comrade in arms was the heir to a Mafia crime family and Dad had been his bodyguard.
“Your father told me if I hurt you, he would kill me. I believed him,” Dutch said.
A hysterical giggle escaped me. I clamped a hand over my mouth. Oh, dear God. Gotta stay calm. Gotta stay calm. “Dad’s really just a big teddy bear.”
“With the eyes of a serial killer,” Dutch responded.
Holy crap! Time to change the subject. I carefully lowered my psychic shield. When no bees attacked, I dropped it completely. “Well, lookie. No swarm of mad bees. Hasn’t this been fun?”
“Fun? You were surrounded by thousands of bees.” Dutch stroked a finger over my cheek. “Yet, there’s not a mark on you. You’re one amazing woman.”
I gaped at him in astonishment. “You do know that was a compliment? Right?”
“It was, and I meant it.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Going up on my tiptoes, I placed my hand on his face. “Maybe you’re suffering from heatstroke.”
Tinkerbell woofed in agreement.
Dutch took my hand. “I’m not sick nor do I have a head injury. Do you know you’re the only person who didn’t believe Natasha’s lies?”
I did a mental happy dance. Yay! Dutch was no longer thinking about my father’s serial killer eyes. “That’s cause I’m psychic. One look at her muddy green aura and I knew she was lying.”
“What does my aura tell you?” Dutch stroked my hand with his thumb.
His touch sent a tsunami of sensations crashing through me. God, I wanted him so badly I ached. Why did he have to be a friggin’ cop? A very observant cop. I took a deep breath and studied Dutch’s aura. “You’re highly intelligent, intuitive, detailed oriented and honorable. Your sense of morality would never allow you to rape a woman. You are driven to protect, not harm. Once you start tracking your prey, you never stop until you bring him or her to justice.”
A grim smile curved Dutch’s mouth. “You know me better than my own family.”
“Your father’s still angry?”
“He moved to Alaska. What do you think?”
“He was getting as far away from Natasha as he could. He’s ashamed of his actions and doesn’t have the guts to face you.” Thank God, no matter what happened, my family would always be there for me. “You should call him,” I urged. Liam had been a fool, but he deserved a second chance. Family was forever.
Dutch shook his head. “My father took Natasha’s word over mine. He said I was dead to him and no longer part of the family. He made it crystal clear he never wanted to see me again.”
“That’s harsh, but once he calmed down and thought the whole situation through, he probably regretted saying that.”
Anger and pain flashed across Dutch’s face. “My father chose that psychotic bitch over his own son.”
“I know it’ll be difficult, but you can rebuild your relationship,” I reassured him.
“Can I? Dad was my best friend. Now, he’s a stranger. A stranger I can never trust again.”
“There have been times I wanted to divorce my mom. Her fascination with Christmas gets old.”
“What’s wrong with that? I like Christmas,” Dutch said.
“24/7? All year long?”
“It can’t be that bad?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Have you met my mother?”
“I have. She brought me Christmas cookies.” Dutch’s eyes widened slightly. “Does she always dress like an elf?”
“Every single day. Let’s just say she’s one of a kind.”
“So are you. I’ve been wanting to do this since you had those pigeons shit on Natasha.” Dutch bent down and took my mouth in a hot, open-mouth kiss. He made me feel like I was the last woman on Earth and priceless.
Pure arousal thrummed in my veins. Dutch tasted so good I never wanted to come up for air. I cradled his face and kissed him back.
Tinkerbell growled ferociously and snapped at the detective.
Dutch jumped back. “Protective little guy.”
“Girl. Tinkerbell is a girl.”
Dutch gave me his gotcha smile. “I knew that was Tinkerbell. You are the Ninja Nun.”
Reality smacked me in the face. “I admit nothing. Are you adding seduction to your interrogation techniques?”
“No,” Dutch said soberly. “I don’t want to arrest you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Look at my aura. It’s the truth,” Dutch said.
Using my inner eye, I examined his aura and found no hint of deception. “What do you really want?”
“You.”
“Why?”
Dutch chuckled. “Suspicious little thing, aren’t you?”
“Answer the question.”
“You’re loyal. Family means something to you. You fight for what you believe in and try to do the right thing, even when your actions aren’t quite legal. I like your spunk, the way you kiss and your ability to think outside the box. I think we would make one hell of a team,” Dutch said.
“You’re good, I’ll give you that. I think you’re only interested in my psychic abilities.”
“They’re an added bonus, but it’s you I want in my life and in my bed,” Dutch answered.
I wanted a relationship with Dutch too, but if he found out my father had been a mob enforcer, it would be bad. Very bad. I shook my head. “Not interested.”
“Liar.”
“Look. I’m hot, tired and in serious need of a shower. Can we continue this discussion later?”
Dutch glanced at his watch. “Yeah, my lieutenant got the search warrant for Lopez Meats about an hour ago and the tactical team is gearing up. Fire 1 will take us back to Phoenix.”
I groaned. “All I want is a cold shower and a big glass of iced tea.”
“How about a bottle of cold water and some wet wipes?”
“Wow. You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
“Tomorrow I’ll take you to Hilberto’s. Monday is all-you-can-eat fajitas,” Dutch said.
“Be still my heart. An all-you-can-eat feast at a fast-food joint.”
Dutch waggled his eyebrows. “It’s a date then.”
“Date? Like a date, date?”
“Yes. I’ll even walk you home and give you a goodnight kiss that will rock your world.”
My girly parts were jumping up and down with anticipation. I hadn’t dated since Grandma Hester died. “I do love their tamales.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
The helicopter landed in an old burn area.
Dutch grabbed my hand. “C’mon Dr. Doolittle, we have some bad guys to catch.”
Tinkerbell yipped in agreement.
We ran toward the chopper.