Page 78 of In the Arms of a Hero

Sam added, “No one else in the area had any dealings with William that we can find. We’ve looked at his emails and phone and text records.”

“The Malroneys don’t fit the profile,” Hunter insisted, shaking his head.

Colt nodded but added, “Keep looking, even at them. Not everyone is what they seem.”

“Bergstrom,” Colby called out. “We’ve got your man!”

Aaron lifted his head and looked at Colby as a lance of adrenaline hit his chest. “Bellini?”

Colby nodded, a wide grin on his face. “Just got a call from a deputy on traffic patrol. Tried to pull over a speeder, but he took off.”

“Shit, did he evade them?”

“The sergeant radioed back that the car was now stopped, and two deputy cruisers had him pinned in. They ran his tags and Maryland license and up popped James Bellini. I’ve already told them to bring him in for questioning.”

Hunter twisted around. “I want his vehicle searched.”

Colby nodded and picked up his phone to give instructions.

As soon as James Bellini was brought in, Aaron headed down the hall with Sam at his side. “Go slow. Colby and Sheila have turned it over to Hunter and Brad. They’ll take the lead in case this does have anything to do with the attempt on Belinda’s life. Don’t mess up the county prosecutor’s case.”

Aaron forced his feet to slow, allowing Hunter and Brad to move ahead, but his blood fired as soon as he landed his gaze on the man. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Dark hoodie. “He looks a helluva lot like the man in the boat staring at Belinda,” he growled.

“Yeah,” Sam muttered, his voice hard.

The man protested but he was arrested for speeding and evading the police. It was the perfect charge to get him into the station. Walking up to the deputy, Aaron offered a clap on the back. “Good work, Marcus.”

“Car is registered to him. Name is James Bellini from Baltimore. I knew you were looking for him, and his lead foot brought him right to us.”

James was processed and put into a holding cell while the detectives checked his information.

Hunter looked at Sam. “We need to get George Haskins in. I want to see if he can identify this is the guy who shot at Belinda.”

Aaron called out to Marcus and his partner, Elizabeth. “Go pick up George Haskins. If he’s not sober, bring him in and start dumping coffee down him. If we’re lucky, he’ll be sober! I want to see if he can identify this guy.”

“You got it,” Elizabeth called out, and she and Marcus headed out the door.

Hunter, with the patience of a man who’d worked undercover for over a year, waited calmly while Aaron paced the halls. Brad and Sam looked at him with sympathy but managed to pull off a steady demeanor.

Just when he thought he would lose any semblance of professionalism, Elizabeth popped her head into the room. “We’ve got George Haskins with us, and you’re in luck. He’s sober.”

The other detectives chuckled, but Aaron simply let out a heavy sigh of relief. Standing, he looked at Colt. “I know, I know. I can’t even be behind the glass where George is.”

Hunter clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry. Sam will take care of him while Brad and I have a little chat with Bellini.”

Fifteen minutes later, while Hunter sat with James Bellini, who belligerently stayed silent until his attorney arrived, George stood behind the two-way mirror and nodded. “Yep, that’s the man. That’s the man I saw out in the boat. The one who fired his rifle into the wedding crowd.”

Aaron felt the air rush from his lungs as he watched on video from a camera in the room. Now they had Bellini… but who the hell hired him?

38

“Ms. Crowder?”

“Yes, this is Belinda Crowder.” Belinda hadn’t recognized the number calling but answered her phone anyway. She couldn’t afford not to be available for potential clients just because she was laid up at the moment.

“My name is Carol Winters. I stopped into the cute bakery that I believe is run by your sister. I saw your name in an advertisement and wondered if I could set up an appointment with you for photographs.”

“Perhaps you can look at the gallery I have on my website, and then we can talk about your needs so that I can work up an estimate.”

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