Holding Out for a Hero (Baytown Heroes #9)

Chapter 14

14

Brad nodded toward Hunter as they walked with Aaron and Sam into Colt’s office. It wasn’t unusual for them to talk to their boss and friend, but being summoned all together felt strange. Hunter’s expression rarely changed, but Brad could tell from his partner’s face that he wasn’t expecting the call either.

Only three days had passed since the sheriff’s department had arrested those who’d shot Belinda in an attempt to keep her from discovering that she’d inadvertently photographed the murderers disposing of a body. Aaron had taken two days off and was now back, sure that Belinda was safely under the care of Bess and their friends in the community who always managed to pull together.

Brad hadn’t seen Bess since he’d left her in her bakery after managing to control his emotions. Seeing her rush at the woman with the gun, he could have sworn his heart had taken hours to stop pounding and even longer for his ire to ease. For someone he wasn’t involved with, Bess certainly resided in his mind. He had installed a security camera aimed at the alley behind the bakery. Even though Belinda was still staying with Aaron, it also protected the fire escape that could give someone access to Bess’s place through Belinda's apartment.

Now, walking into the conference room next to the sheriff’s office, Brad noted Colt sitting at the head of the table. “Come on in and get those fucking looks off your faces,” Colt ordered, shaking his head. “This isn’t some kind of group performance review.”

“Thank God for that,” Brad murmured before sitting next to Hunter as Aaron and Sam took opposite seats.

Colt chuckled, shaking his head before turning his attention to Aaron. “All good?”

Aaron nodded. “Yeah, thanks. Belinda is healing and getting stronger, and we have the ones responsible.”

“Can’t ask for better than that other than to wish it had never happened in the first place,” Colt said, gaining nods of agreement from everyone. Turning to Brad and Hunter, he said, “We need to make some headway into the rash of vehicle thefts in the county, so I’m putting you two on point, but we’ll have a shake-up. Before I announced it, I wanted to explain first. You two work efficiently together, but for the next several months, I’m changing the rotation to allow for training.”

Brad wasn’t always keen on change, especially since he and Hunter worked well together. In the past, he’d had several partners before he’d come to the county on the shore, but since arriving, he’d been paired with Hunter.

Colt continued, “As you know, Mark Robbins just passed his detective test. With years of being a decorated deputy behind him, we’re lucky he’s staying in the county. He’ll need a seasoned partner. Luanne Olson has just been hired. She’s out of Fairfax and has been a detective for several years. She’ll start next week, but I’ve asked her to come in today. She’s moved here from Alexandria, Virginia. Hunter, I’m assigning Luanne to you, and Brad, you’ll take over mentoring Mark. Effectively, the four of you will work together on the thefts. Sam and Aaron, you two will take on new cases as they come in after you finish all the details on the murder investigation.”

Brad breathed easier. He’d known Mark since he’d been in North Heron County and was proud to be able to welcome him in as a new detective, much like he had with Aaron last spring. He glanced to the side and hid a grin. No emotion showed on Hunter’s face, but then that was his partner. He only saw true emotion when he was with Belle and their two-year-old daughter.

“Sounds good, Colt,” Brad said, with the other chiming in agreement.

Colt walked to the door and opened it, calling for the new detectives to enter. Once inside, they were introduced to Luanne and offered congratulations to Mark. Colt reviewed the assignments, and then they pulled up the information about the car thefts. “What have you got so far?”

Brad scrubbed his hand over his face. “I’ve compared what’s happening here to trends across the United States, and while we lag behind certain crimes, probably because we’re rural and out of the way, we are seeing more and more of the urban crimes. Carjacking is one of them. In Washington, DC, car thefts have increased three hundred and fifty percent in the past five years. We’re not nearly at that level, but we went from a few in a year to six just last month.”

“They're hard to catch, and once they’re caught, there are little consequences,” Sam added. “Gangs often use juveniles, and they get lighter sentences.”

“We’re just lucky no one has been injured so far,” Hunter said. “I’ve looked at the gang activity coming from across the bay. Certainly, the Hampton Roads area is dealing with gangs, particularly in Norfolk and Newport News.”

Hunter then turned toward Luanne. “Liam Sullivan is the sheriff in the other Virginia county here on the shore, and while we’re separate counties and departments, we share information easily.” Luanne nodded, and Hunter continued, “I feel like more gang activity here comes from the north—the Baltimore area and then down through the Maryland Eastern Shore. Not many want to make that seventeen-mile trip over the CBBT in a stolen car.”

Brad nodded. “The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is well patrolled and has security cameras on the entire length. It’s more likely that once a vehicle is stolen, they go north.”

“Are they leaving the county or getting broken up closer to home?” Colt asked.

“Closer to home works best for the juveniles. Some of them don’t have driver's licenses, and statistically, they are more likely to get caught because they crash the cars they’ve stolen.”

The group shared hard expressions at the recent theft and subsequent law enforcement chase through several small towns in the county before the perpetrator crashed in a private resident’s yard in Baytown the previous month.

“It’s the thrill,” Luanne stated. “Many juveniles steal cars, not to take them to a chop shop for parts but for the excitement of the steal itself. In Alexandria, they would get more daring. Take them from someone who had just exited their car in the evening or even as someone was putting gas into their vehicle. And yes, some of those end up with assault or murder charges.”

“What have we got now?” Colt asked although Brad knew the sheriff’s finger was on the pulse of everything in their county.

“The thefts last month included an old Dodge pickup truck parked behind Tom Tolbert’s barn. Doors not locked, and keys left inside. A two-year-old Dodge Caravan parked at the Bay Wind apartments. Two older model Hondas—an Accord and an Odyssey—from the Parkside shopping center… on two different days. A new BMW from the Sea Breeze Bed-and-Breakfast in Baytown. And a ten-year-old Toyota minivan.” Brad read off his list. Looking up, he said, “Not a damn thing in common with the vehicles, their age, or where they were taken from.”

“Several vans in there,” Hunter mused aloud.

“So we’ve got a roving gang that’s looking for anything or, perhaps, something specific we haven’t identified yet,” Mark offered.

Colt sighed, his jaw tight. “Tough to fight an enemy we can’t identify or catch.” He held their gazes and added, “I’m making a public statement this afternoon to the board of supervisors, and the local paper will be there.”

“Tell people to keep valuables out of their cars, park near lights, keep their windows up, and don’t leave their keys in the vehicle,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “It’s not much, and it sure as hell isn’t new information.”

“Check with local body shops and see if anyone sees anything suspicious coming through, although I guess that gangs aren’t going to spend money to change something. They’ll just chop it up in parts,” Colt said.

Brad nodded. “We haven’t considered possible drug running with stolen vehicles. I read a report that stated some are not chopped up for resale but re-tooled to hold hidden compartments for drugs. But whether they’re doing that here or taking them into Maryland, we have no idea.”

Standing, Colt nodded. “Okay, go with the investigations you’ve got. Good work.”

Walking out of the room, they made their way into the detectives’ work room, a large area filled with desks pushed together in groups of two. Two empty desks were on the side of the room, and they moved them to abut his and Hunter’s desks. Looking at Luanne and Mark, he grinned. “Welcome aboard.”

As the two new detectives settled in, Aaron leaned over and, keeping his voice low, asked, “What’s going on with you and Bess?”

Brad chuckled, wondering when that question would arise. “Let’s just say she gets under my skin like no other woman.”

“The way you two have been acting the past few months, especially the past few weeks, has made me think that you took my advice to find out what happened last summer.”

Luanne and Hunter had left the room to get a box of her desk items from her vehicle, but now Sam, Aaron, and Mark seemed to have their attention focused on him. Sighing, he glanced at the others and said, “We met last summer, then parted ways after a misunderstanding. We recently talked, cleared the air, and have decided we can be friends.”

Aaron lifted his brow. “Friends? The way you yelled at each other the other day in the bakery didn’t exactly scream friendship. It sounded more like pissed-off lovers.”

“Your attention was focused on Belinda, and I get that. But I didn’t miss the way Bess jumped in to save her sister without seeming to realize she put herself in danger,” he argued, not hiding his frustration.

Aaron shook his head. “No, that didn’t miss my notice. And you were right to make sure she knew that even though we hope there’s no next time, she needs to step back and let us do our jobs.”

Sam's lips twitched upward. “Hayley mentioned she noticed the vibes between you two when she was at Aaron’s apartment helping out with Belinda. My woman likes to stay up on the latest gossip, so do you have anything for me? She’d be grateful, and I know just how she can show her gratitude to me.”

Aaron and Mark chuckled as Brad squeezed the back of his neck, tossing a glare their way. “A—I don’t need that visual of her gratitude to you. And B—you’re trying to throw Hayley under the gossip bus, but you’re into this as much as anyone. And C—just so you know… there’s nothing to report. At this time, Bess and I are simply friends. Hell, and D—considering I haven’t talked to her since the bakery incident, I can’t even say we’re close friends.”

Mark piped up. “But it sounds like you’d like to be.”

Brad swung his gaze around. “Don’t you start, too. If you’re going to be my new partner, that means you have my back in everything, including gossip!”

Laughter rang out all around, but they were interrupted as Luanne and Hunter arrived with her box of desk items.

When the others moved to their stations, Aaron hung back. “You know, Bess is a great woman. She might be Belinda’s younger sister, but she’s a fighter. She’s loyal, fierce, and a fucking fantastic baker.”

“You don’t have to sell me on her good qualities. I just don’t know if this is the right time.”

“You’ll never know unless you go for it.”

Brad snorted. “Says the detective love guru . How much time did you fuck around before trying to get back with Belinda?”

“Yeah, well, learn from my mistakes, bro.”

Brad laughed it off but wondered if Aaron’s words were true. Deciding that spending more time thinking about Bess wouldn’t get his job accomplished. Looking over at Mark, he said, “Let’s go check out some of the body shops in the area.”

With that, his mind settled onto his job and off the infatuation he held for the smart-mouthed redhead who seemed to fill his thoughts more than he realized.