“I don’t know.” Flynn gazed down at the sleeping baby lying in the crook of his elbow. The poor kid had barely come into this world and was already an orphan. Then he glanced back at her. “But rest assured the police won’t stop until they find and arrest the man who did this.”
She gave a jerky nod. “Will you please turn around so I can change? Don’t leave,” she quickly added, “just turn around.”
Flynn did as she asked. He wanted to question her about what had transpired but reminded himself this wasn’t his case. He was a Milwaukee tactical team police officer out of the seventh district. He and his teammates didn’t have jurisdiction in Brookland.
However, the captain of their team, Rhyland Finnegan, happened to live in Brookland and knew many of the local police officers on a first-name basis. Rhy and their team lieutenant, Joe Kingsley—who happened to be married to Elly Finnegan, Rhy’s baby sister—had a penchant for getting information from other jurisdictions.
It was a little early to call Joe or Rhy, so Flynn figured he’d wait until after Taylor had given her statement to contact his boss. Maybe by then he’d know more about what had transpired here.
His humble opinion was that this was a professional hit. Striking each victim with two gunshots was overkill, but it also sent a grim message.
And clearly Taylor was in danger now too.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
He turned to find Taylor was dressed in a pair of snug blue jeans and a light-blue cable sweater. She had her blond hair pulled into a ponytail, her bright-blue eyes wide and fearful. She had a small suitcase on the floor beside her. He managed a smile. “You’re all set?”
“I, uh, need toiletries from the bathroom.” She swallowed hard, as if she were nervous about leaving the room. “Then I’ll grab some things for Max.”
“Let’s go.” He nudged the bedroom door open with his elbow. “You’re safe now,” he added.
“Am I?” She shook her head as she brushed past him. She darted in and out of the bathroom, shoving toiletries into her bag, then moved into the nursery. Five minutes later, she emerged with an overstuffed diaper bag.
Her suitcase and the diaper bag were stark reminders that traveling with a woman and a baby wasn’t simple or quick. His buddy Zeke Hawthorne had experienced this firsthand a few weeks ago when he’d played the role of fiancé and bodyguard to his best friend’s sister. Zeke had taken a bullet to the shoulder and was out on medical leave, or he’d have called him for backup.
Well, maybe not since Zeke and Sienna were engaged to be married for real and were also currently in Louisville for Sienna’s next Christian music concert. No, he couldn’t call Zeke, but there were seven other officers who would come to his aid if needed.
“We need to grab Max’s car seat.” Taylor’s voice broke into his thoughts as she headed down the stairs to the main floor. Still carrying Max, he followed.
“Ms. Templeton?” Another uniformed officer waited in the kitchen. “Are you ready to go with us to the Brookland PD?”
Flynn stepped forward. “I’ll bring Ms. Templeton and the baby to you. That way I can take her someplace else when you’re finished as she obviously can’t stay here.”
The officer frowned. “Who are you again?”
“MPD Officer Flynn Ryerson, I work for Rhy Finnegan’s tactical team.” Dropping his boss’s name had the desired effect. The officer straightened and nodded.
“Oh yes, of course. We’re familiar with Captain Finnegan. We’ll meet you at the Brookland PD.” The cop turned away, then paused to glance back at him. “You’re not going to call Finnegan, are you?”
“Not at this time,” Flynn said. “But depending on what happens next, I may have to.” He gestured to the large home. “You do realize he’s going to hear about this as we’re only ten blocks from where he lives. This isn’t the type of place where people are murdered in their beds.”
The cop made a face. “Tell me about it.”
Flynn noticed Taylor was shoving more items from the kitchen cupboard into the diaper bag. “Here, you take Max. I’ll do that.”
“No need. I have it.” She used all her weight to press down on the stuff inside. Then she dropped her chin to her chest, heaving a sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”
He moved closer. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this by taking one step at a time.”
She lifted her head and quickly brushed tears from her eyes. She drew in a shaky breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Do you have a coat?” There had been frost warnings in the news, which were not unusual for early November. “And where is the car seat?”
“My coat is in the mud room, and the infant seat is in the Millers’ car.” She gestured to the right. “They let me use their vehicle at times. Is it okay to go out there? I forgot I wasn’t supposed to touch anything.”
“You’ve been living here; your fingerprints are all over the place anyway.” He understood Rawson’s concern about preserving evidence, but if this was a professional hit, there wouldn’t be much of anything to find. “Besides, there’s no reason to believe he was in the mudroom or the garage. There’s a broken window in the office that faces the back of the house. That appears to be the point of entry.”
“Yes, I think so too. I heard the glass breaking.” She shivered. “If I hadn’t been awake and feeding Max...”