Page 104 of Target Acquired
“You can do it with or without a bullet in you. And trust me, I know where to put one so you won’t die quickly. The without-bullet route will be much less painful for you. For a little while anyway.”
Cole debated, then decided he’d have a much better chance of escape without the bullet wound. And this guy sounded like he didn’t care one way or another. Cole sat in the chair and began to strap himself in.
His captor moved closer, and Cole noted the slight limp, but the man made quick work of rendering him helpless. “What now?”
“Now we get to work.” He pulled a phone from his pocket, and for a moment Cole had hope that if he could get it, he could call for help. Another phone dinged and the man cursed, then dug in his other pocket, pulled out a smartphone, and looked at it. Another curse and he shoved the phone away, then tucked the first device into the other pocket. “Well, we’re going to be a bit delayed. I have an emergency appointment to get to, then I’ll be back.”
“Why Kenzie? Why do you hate her so much? Want her off the team? Or dead?”
“Because she doesn’t deserve the spot. For years, her family has taken what doesn’t belong to them. I’m putting a stop to it once and for all.”
Her family? “If Kenzie doesn’t deserve it, who does?”
“You’ll find out when I get back, but get ready to make some calls. It’s time to make what I want to happen . . . happen.”
He pulled out his phone to snap a picture of Cole, then he was gone. Cole leaned his head back, thankful for the headrest—and that the man hadn’t pulled that strap around him, forcing him to stay in a position that didn’t allow him to move his head.
He pulled on his arms, then his legs, but the restraints held tight. He was well and truly trapped.
TWENTY-EIGHT
They’d found footage of Cole being transferred into the back of a long black car. A hearse. Kenzie shuddered. Once it had turned out of the hospital parking lot, they followed it with traffic cams, then lost it when it turned down a back road. They’d called in reinforcements, got Cole’s name and face on the news with pleas from the family to bring him back safely. Cole’s parents and family had blown up the phones and rallied people to look for him.
Now it was early Thursday morning and she hadn’t slept a wink. With whoever was after her being occupied with Cole, Kenzie felt confident the danger to her was minimal for the moment—not that there couldn’t be someone else after her, but hopefully she could handle that. She didn’t really have a choice. She paced the floor at HQ, thinking. Then grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the day and time of each incident that was considered an attempt on her life.
She passed the paper to Commander Hill, who was on the phone with the FBI. When he hung up, she said, “I want to know where Oscar Woodruff was during each of those times.”
“One thing we can do is cross-reference this with his work schedule.”
She nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. While you’re doing that, I’m going to call the assisted-living home where his father is and see if he was visiting him any of these times.”
“Good idea.” He shook his head. “I’ve known Woodruff and his father for years. I can’t see Oscar being involved in this.”
“I honestly can’t either. Our families go back decades, but I also don’t want to overlook the possibility. Let’s just clear him and move on.”
Hill pursed his lips, then nodded. “Harold was a pretty good chief of police.” He shot her a smile. “Your dad was a great one, though.”
A lump formed in her throat and she cleared it. “Sir, I’ve never asked you this before, but do you know anything about the night my mother was killed? Have you heard any rumors that my dad was drinking when he ran that stop sign?”
“Drinking? Your dad?” He scoffed. “No way. He never drank more than half a glass of wine at any social function we ever attended together. No matter how much they argued, he still loved your mom. He wouldn’t have put her at risk by drinking and driving.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “That’s what I thought too.”
“But?”
Should she tell him? Could she trust him? She looked into his eyes, saw nothing there but curiosity, compassion for her, and the desire to help. “But there was a cover-up.” She explained what her father had told her and watched Hill’s eyes widen with each word.
When she told him about the two reports—one describing failed brakes and one saying the brakes were fine—he nearly gaped. “Kenzie, we have to report this and figure out who was behind the cover-up—and who would benefit from your father stepping down as chief.”
She nodded. “I know. The only person that really came to mind was Harold Woodruff, but he refused the position when it was offered to him and only stepped in when Dad’s replacement was killed in that hunting accident.” She sighed. “I’ve been trying to work this all out by myself, and I just don’t know the people from back then. I mean, I can figure out their names and everything, but I don’t know them. I need people who do know them to be working on this with me.”
He blew out a low breath. “I knew Cliff Hamilton and his wife pretty well. It was a shock when he just up and left like he did. I always wondered if there was more behind that.”
“Well, now you know.”
The door opened and Buzz walked inside. Kenzie gasped. “What are you doing here? You should still be recovering.”
“Cole’s missing. I’m helping.” His flat tone brooked no argument. “And . . . I know you want to know what’s going on with Butler.”