Targeted (Callahan & McLane Book 4) (14 page)

“How long ago did he quit doing that?”

“The last time he was paired up with a child was three years ago. I see he was assigned to fifteen different children over two decades. That’s a lot of wonderful service.”

“What about Louis Samuelson?” she asked.

Scott studied his second sheet. “Trooper Samuelson helped in one of the after-school homework clubs. Looks like he’s good with middle school math.”

“No, thank you,” said Ava.

“Me neither,” added Scott. “He also did mentoring. Looks like he was currently working with a fifteen-year-old boy.” His mouth turned down. “I wonder if the boy has heard of his death yet. I think I better reach out to the mom and see what kind of support they need. Fifteen is a tough age for boys.”

“Girls, too. All those teen years can really be difficult,” Ava said. She was impressed with the director’s level of personal involvement and hoped it was genuine. “You don’t have Vance Weldon in your database as a volunteer?”

“I don’t. That name doesn’t come up anywhere. But it doesn’t mean he hasn’t helped out. There’ve been plenty of events where officers recruit their friends to come help. We don’t care who shows up at the fund-raising events . . . the goal is to get out the word about our organization to struggling families. The more helpers the better. We keep precise records for the mentoring. We’re very particular when we link an adult with a child.”

“As you should be,” Ava said. “I’ll ask Vance’s wife if he ever helped out. We’re searching for a common thread between the three men, but this seems to only include two of them.”

“I think over half the cops in the state have donated their time or money to us,” said Scott. “I’m not surprised that there’s a connection. Even you’ve helped out.”

Ava nodded, mildly surprised he’d checked her out.

She stood and shook his hand. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Heuser. You have a good organization here.”

“Only because of people like you.” He smiled and Ava realized he’d make a good politician. She was glad he used his talent to help kids instead. She had a small flash of guilt that she gave too little of her time to his worthy cause. But everyone has a personal gift with which to help the world. Working with kids was not in her comfort zone. Her gift was the determination to stop a cop killer.

18

A
fter leaving her interview with Scott Heuser, Ava headed southwest toward Oregon’s “wine country.” She’d promised to meet Mason and Cheryl at a winery in Yamhill County. Cheryl had twisted Ava’s arm to convince her to drive the extra hour out to the venue. “It’s perfect for you two. It’s small and intimate and offers stunning views. And there’s wine. Lots of wine.” Cheryl had winked.

Ava wondered if Cheryl counted the number of wine bottles in their curbside glass recycling bin every other week. Or maybe she’d winked because Ava offered her a glass of wine every time she came over. Their backyard had been perfect for a quiet glass in the evenings this summer. She and Cheryl had spent many evenings sitting outside, enjoying the warm summer nights when Mason had to work late. Ava had been recovering from her injury and infection. Cheryl had proved herself to be a good listener. Other times she’d simply sat in companionable silence when Ava didn’t want to talk.

Today the gray skies had burned off in the afternoon, and Ava put on her sunglasses as she sped through one of the smaller cities that dotted the highway out to the country. Suddenly golden fields and filbert orchards spread out on each side of the highway, and she relaxed for the first time in days.

It was stunning outside the metropolitan area. Rolling hills. Blue skies with fluffy clouds. Dozens of informational signs that directed visitors to wineries. If not for the fall nip in the air, she would have believed it was the middle of summer. She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and was pleased to see she’d be on time. The days were getting shorter. She would be driving back to the other side of Portland in the dark.

She took a few turns, following the directions of her GPS and enjoying the winding roads. The road straightened and she spotted a wooden sign with the name of the winery. She looked to her right and caught her breath at the Tuscan-style building at the top of the hill. She turned at the sign and drove between the fields of grapes. Butterflies danced in her stomach.

Cheryl might have found it.

At the top of the hill, she parked next to Mason’s car and looked around, the butterflies growing stronger. Mason stepped out from the double doors of the winery, a big grin on his face. “What do you think?” He had a glass of red wine in his hand. Ava turned in a circle, taking in the views.

“It’s stunning.”

“And you’re still in the parking lot. Come inside.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the doors. Inside, Cheryl was talking to a man with a man-bun and neatly trimmed beard in a long room. The ceiling was lined with rustic beams, and huge windows looked to the west. Outside the windows was a patio with iron tables and chairs that begged her to sit and relax with a glass of wine. It looked out over the vineyards. In the distance the Coast Range separated the green fields from the blue sky.

“It’s perfect,” she mumbled to Mason. One of her eyes burned and she rubbed it. “It’s perfectly perfect.”

He pulled her tightly into his arms and held her. “I thought so, too.”

Over Mason’s shoulder she saw Cheryl hold up her glass of wine in a silent toast, her grin stating she knew she’d hit a home run.

Ava took a deep breath and moved out of Mason’s bear hug. “It feels right. It’s not pretentious. It’s real and down-to-earth, and I could sit on that patio and stare at the mountains all day long,” she told him, watching his eyes. He looked happy, and she realized it was the first time she’d seen him excited since he’d packed to go to fishing at the coast.

“But we have to do it on a sunny day,” Ava said. “It wouldn’t be the same if it was raining and we couldn’t see ten feet past the patio.”

His face fell, but he nodded. “I know. That crossed my mind. The wow factor won’t be the same without the right weather.”

She held his gaze. “Then we’re talking about next summer. Can you wait that long? I wouldn’t trust May for good weather. June is almost as iffy. July or August would be a safe bet.”

“Is that what you want?”

I don’t know.

Doubt must have shown on her face because worry filled his expression and he took her hands. “Do you want to wait that long?” he asked firmly.

“No,” she whispered.

“But this is the right location?”

“Yes.” She hated the dilemma she’d just brought to the table. “It feels right, doesn’t it? And I
know
that I don’t want to look at any more locations. I’m done. We found it.”

“What about doing it at Christmastime?” Mason looked around the long but cozy room with its couches arranged in snug groups to facilitate conversations. It was charmingly decorated in a country Italian theme. “I’m sure it’s gorgeous here at Christmas even if the weather isn’t great.”

Ava pressed her lips together. Nine times out of ten it rained on Christmas. She couldn’t count on the weather’s being clear. Snow was rarely in the holiday forecast, which was a good thing considering the winding roads and hills she’d traveled to get to the location. “I don’t know. A lot of people aren’t in town during Christmas.”

She wanted sunshine. Blue skies and warmth. Views. Cheryl joined them and took a close look at Ava’s expression. “You want it on a sunny day, don’t you?”

Ava nodded, her frustration stealing her ability to speak. She wanted to marry Mason
soon
.

Cheryl patted her arm. “At least we made some progress.”

Micah wondered where the man was going. He’d definitely broken his usual habits this afternoon by taking a long drive out of the city. Micah followed, a small ball of excitement growing in his stomach. The last few times the man had done something different, they’d been the most fascinating nights of Micah’s life. He sat in his car and waited for the man to come out of the shop, fighting the urge to wander in and pretend to bump into him.

They hadn’t talked for several months. Every now and then he got a polite email from the man, asking how things were going, but it felt forced and disinterested. Not like the caring and personal contact of the past. It’d been one of the reasons Micah had started his surveillance. Something had changed with the man and he wanted to know what.

Since he’d started following him, Micah had been stunned by the big changes in the man’s life. His life had grown complicated. He’d always been dedicated and worked hard, but now he seemed preoccupied. He was more concerned with fixing something that Micah wasn’t sure was broken.

He still didn’t know why the man acted as he did. Watching every unusual move made Micah wonder if the man was heading for a breakdown. No one could continue as he had and not crack. He’d need someone there for him when that time came.

Micah stuck close, knowing the opportunity would come.

The man had helped him so much. He had a feeling his time to reciprocate was getting very close.

Ava’s phone rang as she followed Mason’s vehicle back toward Portland. She hit the button on her steering wheel without taking her gaze from the road. Zander’s voice greeted her.

“Can you come back to the office tonight?”

“Ours or the task force office?” she asked.

“Task force. We’ve got some things back from trace and Nora wants everyone to take a look. Euzent is also in town. He’s spent the last twenty-four hours reading what I sent him and would like to meet.”

Ava wanted to swear. She’d been looking forward to a quiet evening at home. Mason had bought a bottle of wine at the winery, and she wanted to sit on the sofa and figure out how to solve their wedding dilemma together.

“Yes, I can be there in half an hour.”

“What did you think of the winery?” Zander asked.

“Cheryl nailed it. You should have come along. It would have been the perfect time to meet her.”

“You found the right place? Did you reserve a date?”

“Lord, no. We’ve hit another wall as far as dates go. The problem is that this place is only perfect on a beautiful sunny day.”

“Not many of those in the forecast for the next six months,” said Zander.

“Probably longer,” she admitted. Zander’s voice sounded odd. “What’s up with the evidence? Something big?”
Is he holding out until I get there?

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned Cheryl.

She ended the call and dialed Mason to let him know she was headed back to work instead of home. “Don’t you think Cheryl would get along well with Zander?” she asked him.

“Are you playing matchmaker?”

“Maybe.”

“They don’t seem like the same type.”

“They aren’t, but maybe that’s why it would work. She’s outgoing and he’s reserved. Sometimes reserved people appreciate being around people who bring them out.”

“Or they find them annoying as hell.”

“I still think it’s worth an introduction.”

“Zander doesn’t seem to be the type who’s looking for a girlfriend. He’s all about work,” Mason pointed out.

“He needs something in his life besides his work,” Ava argued. “If anyone knows that, it’s you. I don’t know how his wife died—do you?”

“No, he’s never brought it up. I wouldn’t have known he was previously married if you hadn’t said something.”

“He goes silent and I can feel his defenses shoot up when he thinks our conversation is going in that direction,” Ava said slowly. “It must have been very hard on him. I don’t know who he has to talk to about it. I think he talks to me more than anyone else at work.”

“You’re lucky I’m not the jealous type.”

“You’re totally the jealous type,” Ava stated. “You practically growl if someone talks to me in a bar.”

“But I’m not worried about Zander. I know he’ll respect what we have.”

Ava frowned. Mason had told her he believed Zander had feelings for her, but she’d never seen him as anything but a friend. “Of course he will.” Her phone did a double beep through the car’s speakers. Zander was calling back.

“Zander’s calling again. I’ll let you know what he says.” She ended their call and switched over.

“It looks like we’ve got another mask murder,” Zander said as she answered. “It just happened. We’ve got an eyewitness on the scene. Put this into your GPS.” Ava pulled over to the shoulder of the road and tapped in the address as he rattled it off. “I’ll see you there in fifteen minutes.” He ended the call.

Heart racing, Ava pulled a U-turn and headed toward an on-ramp.