Holding Out for a Hero (Baytown Heroes #9)

Chapter 28

28

“Did you see what Lowenski pulled over last night?”

Brad looked up at Mark. “No, why? Was he on patrol?”

“Yeah, I just saw the overnight report.”

Brad stood and moved around their desks to peer over Mark’s shoulder. Luanne and Hunter soon joined him.

Mark said, “Male. Early twenties. Maryland driver’s license. Going eighty in a forty. Name is Robert Tedum. Tattoo across his chest says Bobby Tee?—”

Looking at the tattoos, Brad grimaced. “Fuckin’ Bloods.”

“Knew they were coming down from the Baltimore area. Hate like fuck they’ve made it this far,” Hunter growled. “Don’t want that shit down here.”

“It’s coming whether we like it or not,” Luanne said, her mouth pinched tight.

“The car he was in was a Dodge minivan… stolen from a yard on the outside of Easton. Owners didn’t realize it was stolen until they got a call this morning. What the fuck is up with the thefts of vans?” Brad said, his thoughts jumping to Bess’s new small van. The need for her to be in a place with a garage was now first on his mind. And since that didn’t include his apartment building, his thoughts flew to a rental house… one together.

“Parts. Re-fit them out for drug transport. Sometimes nothing more than joyriding and stealing for the hell of it,” Luanne said.

“Is he talking?” Mark asked.

“Hell, no,” Hunter said. “He knows he’ll be in jail, causing problems, and then get a light sentence and still causing fuckin’ problems. This is a badge of fuckin’ honor for him.”

“Shit, he’ll probably recruit while in jail,” Brad said, thinking of the problems just one Blood in their local jail would cause.

“He’d be a flight risk if they let him out on bail,” Mark said.

“Wouldn’t mind him hitting the road and not coming back,” Brad grumbled. Standing, he rubbed his chin as he thought about the tattoos on Bobby Tee’s arms and chest. Looking down at Mark, he said, “Let’s take a trip back to Williams’s Auto. I want to ask Artie if he’s noticed if those guys working for him have any gang insignia tattoos.”

They started out of the room when one of the receptionists rushed in. Catching Brad’s eyes, she hurried over. “Hate to tell you, but a 911 call just came in on a stolen vehicle. VW Beetle. The call came from your sister. She’s at the bakery with?—”

“Bess! Shit!” Brad cursed, not looking to see who was coming after him as his shoes pounded the tiled floor on his way to the door. “Tell the deputies I’m on my way. Put a BOLO on the vehicle, and we’re heading to the bakery.”

By the time he got to their vehicle, Mark headed to the driver’s side, leaving Brad climbing into the passenger seat. He pulled the video from the back and front cameras he’d placed over her doors. The front showed nothing out of the ordinary, but the back showed a dark sedan, the license plates darkened out driving down the alley. As it slowed, a passenger dressed in dark clothing and a hood jumped out and raced to Bess’s VW. The driver’s door was still open. Within a few seconds, it fired to life and raced toward the end of the alley after the sedan. Bess came running out, looking at the fleeing vehicles, and then started running after them until finally stopping and turning back to run inside.

They made it to the bakery in record time, his gaze noting the two patrol cars parked in front, along with other clients, customers, and the van she’d bought. Of course, her Volkswagen was missing, but even though he knew that, it was still shocking to see it gone and know it was stolen. And knowing the history of it, he knew she’d be distraught.

“Go down to the back alley,” he said.

The back door to the bakery stood open, with one deputy standing guard. Mark had barely parked when Brad leaped out, slamming the door with more force than necessary. Stalking forward, he nodded at the deputy, then walked inside the back of the bakery, uncertain what would greet him.

Finding Bess and Carol standing in the kitchen, furious and spitting mad, he walked straight toward them. Carol spied him first but remained in place, letting Bess rush forward.

“They took BeBe! They fucking took BeBe! How can anyone get away with that? She’s so easy to spot! Do you think we’ll find her?”

He glanced at the young deputy at the door who wore a slightly awed expression plastered on his face. He was new, and his female partner had more experience and stepped forward. “They can’t have much of a headstart, considering the vehicle is so unique, and the BOLO was issued as soon as the call came in.”

“What happened?” Brad asked, glancing between Bess and Carol. He lifted his arm so his sister could also slide in for a hug.

“I had to run to the grocery store because one of our vendors is a piece of shit and didn’t get the whole delivery here?—”

“And we’re not going to use them any-more, as soon as I can lo-cate an al-ternate ven-dor,” Carol said.

Brad realized Carol was doing everything she could to help with the business and had no doubt she was also helping with today’s events.

Bess turned to Carol and reached out to clasp her hand. “Absolutely. I trust you, Carol.”

She looked back at Brad and continued, “I ran to the grocery store in BeBe. When I got back, I parked in the alley so it would be easier to bring the heavier bags straight into the kitchen. I had the back door open and wasn’t away from BeBe for more than a few minutes. I heard a noise that sounded like an engine, and I thought that sounded strange coming from the alley. I went out and saw a dark car speeding away, and right behind it was BeBe. I shouted and ran after them, but of course they were way too far for me to catch up. I yelled for Carol to call 911 and report it.”

“I watched the camera view and saw you chase it.” His chin lowered as he looked down and held her gaze.

She threw her arms out to the side. “Yes! I mean, I don’t know what I thought I’d do when I caught the car, but then, since there was no way I was actually going to catch the car, it’s really a moot point, so stop glaring at me!”

The deputy at the door continued to stare, wide eyed. Brad closed his eyes slowly, then counted to ten as he shook his head, wondering how he could be irritated, terrified, and amused at the same time. He would talk to her later about the foolishness of running after someone who had just stolen her car, knowing this wasn’t the time or the place.

“I scanned the video from the camera I installed, but at first glance, I couldn’t tell who the driver was,” he said to Mark.

“We’ll take a look at it,” Mark said. “If you want, you can send it to me, too.”

Mark made the suggestion since Brad was intimately involved with the victim and his judgment might be off. Nodding, Brad didn’t care about that—he just wanted as many eyes on the situation as possible.

He asked Carol, “Is there anything you can add?”

“No, I’m sorry. I was in the office and didn’t see any-thing. Bess heard the car and star-ted ye-lling out in the alley.”

“I didn’t want to upset the customers,” Bess said, dragging her hands through her hair, which had fallen out of the ponytail. Her gaze darted around the kitchen as though an answer to what had happened would suddenly appear.

As if on cue, Lottie stuck her head through the doorway to the kitchen. “Everything’s fine up here, honey. Can I get you anything?”

“No, no. Thank you,” Bess replied, then looked at the industrial clock on the wall. “Go ahead and lock the door since it’s almost closing. The last of the customers will get the hint and leave.”

“And you didn’t see anything?” Mark asked Lottie.

“No, sorry. I didn’t know anything was wrong until Carol came to tell me.”

Nodding, Brad said, “You’ll need to give your formal statements to Mark.” Bess nodded, but the adrenaline coursing through her body must have waned because her shoulders slumped, and he felt her body shiver. “Come on, let’s get you seated.”

One of the deputies carried the two chairs from the office into the kitchen, and Brad ushered Carol and Bess over to them. Carol’s gaze was on Bess, and she wrapped her arm around her boss. Brad witnessed the strength in his sister and wished it was under different circumstances.

Hunter had arrived and moved to interview Carol. Brad watched for a moment, fearful for her being with the serious detective, but Hunter put her at ease and didn’t appear fazed by her speech pattern.

Brad turned his attention to Bess as Mark interviewed her. She gave full details on what she saw, but her eyewitness offered little information other than what was seen on the camera.

“Bess, when you were at the grocery store, did you notice anyone watching you? Paying extra attention to you?”

Her chin jerked back, and a crinkle formed between her brows. “No… I mean, I didn’t notice. I was shopping and in a hurry.”

“What about when you were driving here? That took almost ten minutes, right? Think back. Did you notice anything about who might have followed you?”

Her crinkle deepened as she shook her head. “No. I just drove. To be honest, my mind was on what I needed to do when I got back here and how much of a pain it would be to find a new vendor for the one who’d screwed up the order again. I barely remember the drive, which, I realize, doesn’t make me sound like a very safe driver. But why are you asking?”

“And you’re sure the keys were in your pocket?” Hunter asked.

“Yes! I needed them to open the back door. I unlocked the door, shoved the keys into my pocket, and started hauling the groceries in. It took two trips, and the back door closed behind me each time. I wanted to put away the cold items and the others into the right place in the pantry before going back out to drive my car around to the front. I thought it was safe there.” She growled, “Why wasn’t it safe there?”

“How long were you inside?” Mark continued.

She let out a breath and looked at Carol, then spoke in a calmer voice. “What do you think? Maybe five or six minutes?”

Carol nodded, and Bess moaned, “I can’t understand how they could have done that so quickly.” She dropped her head to her hands.

Brad knew a professional could perform that task easily, especially since her car was old and not protected with newer anti-theft devices.

She finally lifted her gaze to him, and for the first time since he’d arrived, her chin quivered as her eyes filled with tears. “She’s gone, isn’t she? My car… the car my granddad gave to me.” Swallowing deeply, she battled unsuccessfully to keep the tears from falling.

He knelt next to her and gently wiped away a tear. “We don’t know that, sweetheart. We’ve got North Heron deputies, state police, and the Accawmacke’s Sheriff’s Department looking for your car. She’s easily identifiable— not many light blue VW bugs around.” It dawned on him that he referred to her car as a she , but then to Bess, her car was like a member of her family.

When the questions were finished, Brad called his mom to pick up Carol early, explaining what had happened. As soon as he’d told her, she was concerned about Bess. Assuring her that Bess was fine… or would be since he’d decided she wouldn’t spend the night alone. But he’d broach that subject with Bess later in private.

While Bess, Carol, and Lottie cleaned the kitchen and did the bare minimum prep for the next day, he stood to the side with Mark, Hunter, Luanne, and Aaron, who had come as soon as he heard about Bess.

“It’s been almost forty-five minutes since the vehicle was taken, and no sighting,” Brad grumbled, his body tight with tension. Looking at the others, he added, “That tells me they’ve got someplace nearby. It’s not on the highway now.”

“Maybe a storage place, and then it’ll hit the road north once it’s dark? Patrols will be out, but if it’s not speeding, it would be hard for anyone to notice what vehicles are on the road,” Mark said, gaining the nods of the others.

“Could be a storage facility, but they have cameras,” Hunter said. “These people want somewhere they can get it into a garage or shed and then take it out at night.”

“What about the one thing no one is mentioning,” Aaron asked, his voice quiet as his gaze jumped over to the women at the sink. “Someone followed her.”

Brad knew what Aaron meant—Belinda was targeted. And his gut clenched. “Two someones,” he clarified. “The driver of the black sedan and then the one who jacked her car. And they’ve got to have a local place to hide it.”

“There’s got to be a nearby chop shop we haven’t found,” Mark added.

“They might not chop up that vehicle,” Hunter said, his hard gaze looking at the other detectives. “Vintage Volkswagon Beetle. A sixty-seven. Could be worth twenty to forty thousand. But then, the parts might go for more.”

“Fuck,” Brad cursed, scrubbing his hand over his face, then he speared the others with a hard stare. “I’m more concerned about why she was targeted.”

“Probably not her… just her vehicle. They were cruising parking lots, saw a sweet VW Beetle, and followed her. They got lucky when she parked in an alley, and they made the grab,” Luanne said.

He nodded, but something still felt personal about the theft. Sighing, he dropped his chin and stared at the floor for a moment.

He heard Carol’s distinctive gait as she approached, and her light hand came to rest on his back. Turning, he smiled down at her and slid his arm around her shoulders, seeing the worry in her eyes.

“Mom’s here, so I’ll leave now if that’s o-kay.”

He twisted around to see his mom walk into the kitchen and envelop Bess in her arms, offering a warm hug. After greeting his mom, he watched as his mom, Carol, and Lottie left through the front door, and Bess locked up behind them.

She approached and said, “Detectives, I hate to ask anyone to leave, but I need to mop the floor since we’ve had so many people in the kitchen today.”

The gathering nodded, and each offered their condolences and promised to do everything they could to find the thieves. Brad noticed they didn’t promise to get BeBe back to her. As he stared at Bess’s face, it was obvious she noticed the same thing. Her facial muscles were taut, but she managed to offer a tight smile as the others left.

She walked wordlessly to the utility closet and filled her bucket with an industrial cleaner when he stepped closer and pulled the mop from her hands. “I’ve got this, babe. You’re exhausted, and since you’re the only one who can finish the prep for tomorrow, you can do that while I mop.”

Bess nodded, not offering any argument. They worked slowly and methodically, and finally, she turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. “I think we’re done. At least, I know I am. I’m exhausted.”

Once upstairs, he watched Bess walk into her living room and just stood, slowly glancing around as though she had no idea what to do.

“Pack a bag, Bessie. We’re going to my place. You can drive your van so it won’t be here alone, but I want you with me.”

“Okay.” The word came out easily but with little feeling.

One brow arched as he stared. “Okay? You’re agreeing?”

Nodding, she lifted her gaze to him. “I’m mad and don’t want anyone chasing me away. But I won’t be able to sleep tonight, and I’d rather be with you.”

He was relieved but angry for the reason. He would’ve rather known that she was coming to him because she wanted to be with him and not because she was scared. But whatever the reason, he wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, then released her so that she could go pack.

Vowing to take care of her, he also vowed to find whoever had dared to steal from her… not just her beloved car but her sense of safety.