Page 63 of Jina

Sweeping one last gaze over the area, she ran toward the right end of the strip mall. Pausing at the corner, she edged along the building, looking for anything unusual.

But she didn’t see anyone or a black SUV.

Upon reaching the opposite corner, she peered around it to scan the back. She’d expected to see the black Honda again, but there was nothing.

Not a car or a person. Absolutely nobody was back there. Except for Cole, mirroring her movements on the other side of the building.

Where had the perp gone? He couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.

She spun on her heel and ran quickly back to the front of the strip mall. The black Ford was still there, so she quickly approached, her weapon up and ready.

A door opened, and she swung around to face the person coming out. A woman screamed and threw up her hands, dropping her bag on the ground. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” she cried in alarm.

“I won’t. I’m police officer Jina Wheeler.” She lowered her weapon. “Did you see a man with a gun go past here?”

“What? No! A shooter?” The woman glanced around nervously.

“We’ve cleared the area, ma’am,” Jina assured her. “Which vehicle is yours?”

“Th-the SUV?” The woman still looked terrified. Glancing at the ground, Jina noticed cosmetics had spilled from her bag.

“Sorry to frighten you,” Jina said apologetically. “You’re free to go.”

The woman took a few steps to the car, then remembered her cosmetics. Jina suspected she had well over a hundred dollars’ worth of products there and quickly bent to help her retrieve them.

Cole came over to join her. “Any sign of him?”

“No.” She couldn’t help sounding disgusted. “I don’t get this Klapper dude. Why take shots at us in broad daylight?”

“A crime of opportunity.” Cole shrugged. “He knows we’re onto him. He waited here to pounce the minute we arrived.”

“Yeah.” She glanced around the strip mall area, then sighed. “Let’s go talk to Mike. Maybe he can shed some light on the sequence of events.”

“Agree.” Cole gestured for her to go ahead of him. “Keep your eyes peeled, though, in case we somehow missed him.”

Taking the lead, she cut through the narrow swath of woods, heading over to where Grayson was still stationed near his now bullet-ridden SUV. She felt a twinge of regret over the hit Rhy’s budget would take over this.

Again.

“He escaped?” Grayson asked.

“Seems that way.” She holstered her weapon as the screech of police sirens filled the air. “Oh boy. The Brookland cops won’t be happy to see us.”

“I’ve updated Rhy on the situation,” Grayson said. “He’s heading here with Cassidy and Zeke. Flynn is still drilling down into Jeff Klapper’s social media.”

“I’m surprised he’s on there, proves he’s not very smart.” She glanced at Cole. “Let’s go see Mike.”

“No need, he’s watching from the doorway.” Cole gestured to Mike, letting him know it was safe to come out. Mike left the sanctuary of the gym and hurried toward them.

“When did Klapper leave?” Jina demanded.

Mike looked surprised by her comment. “I asked him to stick around after he showered. Last I knew, he was still in the men’s locker room when the gunfire rang out.”

She turned back to the gym, eyeing the building thoughtfully. “Could he have left via the back without you seeing him?”

“Maybe. I can go back and check,” Mike offered. “When I heard the gunfire, I told all the patrons working out to seek cover in the locker rooms until I told them the coast was clear.”

“How many people total, aside from Klapper?” Jina asked.

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