Page 11 of Cassidy

“Do you know how to shoot?” She still looked dumbfounded by his request.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.” He was tired of saying those words. “Maybe I can’t hit what I’m aiming at, but I might be able to use the gun as a deterrent. I hate feeling naked and afraid.”

She sent him an exasperated glance. “I can’t give a gun to someone who doesn’t know how to use it.”

Maybe she was right to take that approach. What did he know? The wail of sirens indicated the police were on the way. Relief in knowing they would soon be safe washed over him.

Relatively speaking. He knew the danger would never be over until the black hole of his memory was filled in with colorful images of what had happened to him.

“Stay here for a while longer.” Cassidy abruptly stood and moved away. It was all Gabe could do not to follow.

“Anyone hurt?” a cop shouted.

“We’re fine. Any sign of the shooter?” Cassidy called back.

“Negative. We’ll search the perimeter,” the cop responded.

Gabe clenched his jaw, hating that the shooter or shooters had gotten away. Not to mention how they’d shot right through Cassidy’s window. It occurred to him that he should disappear on his own, find a place to stay, and hunker down until his memory returned.

But what if it didn’t? He had refused to get checked out at the hospital, so he didn’t really know what the doctor would say about the possibility of his memory returning.

“Clear!”

“Clear!”

“Clear!” The third voice was Cassidy’s. Feeling like an idiot, he crawled out from beneath the kitchen table and headed for the front door.

It opened before he could reach it. Two officers looked at him in confusion for a moment, until Cassidy came in through the back door.

“Thanks for responding so quickly.” She nodded to the officers. “This is the intended victim, Gabe Melrose. He’s a tech analyst for MPD and was recently assaulted and left for dead. The bullet missed him by inches.” She turned to gesture to the kitchen cabinet. Gabe was shocked to see a round hole where a bullet was lodged. “That’s the slug. There was a second shot, too, but I’m not sure where that one landed.”

Hearing the discussion surrounding the attempt on his life was surreal. He assumed in his position as tech analyst he wasn’t often the victim of a crime.

Until now.

“Okay, we’ll get this removed and processed as evidence,” the older of the two officers said.

“I would like to be updated about the progress of your investigation,” Cassidy said. “This is my condo, but there was also a break-in at Gabe’s home in White Gull Bay. Both crimes are in different jurisdictions, so the results need to be shared among those of us who are involved.”

The older cop grimaced but nodded. “Yeah, sure. We know how things work when Rhy Finnegan calls the shots.”

Maybe the comment wasn’t meant to be derogatory, but Gabe found himself stepping forward, leveling the cop with a grim stare. “Watch it. Rhy Finnegan is a great cop who has solved dozens of cases.”

“Yeah, he’s a glory hound all right,” the younger cop muttered. “Stealing the big cases right out from under us.”

“It’s not like that.” Cassidy put her hand on his arm, subtly tugging him back. “Rhy can’t help it when cases that involve members of our tactical team cross jurisdictions. If I lived in Milwaukee, this wouldn’t even be an issue.”

“But you don’t,” the older cop said. “You choose to live here in Greenland. In our jurisdiction.”

Gabe couldn’t explain why this sounded like a conversation that he’d heard before. There was a sense of familiarity about the argument over jurisdictions. Either way, he was annoyed by the inane comments. He glared at the officers. “All that matters is finding and arresting those responsible. Right?”

They all glanced at him in surprise. Finally, the older cop shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. That’s what counts.”

“Good.” Gabe glanced at Cassidy. “Is it too early to call Rhy?”

“I think we need to get you out of here first,” she said. “We’ll head to the precinct; it’s about the only place where I can keep you safe.”

“Hold on, we’d like to know more about the break-in at the victim’s home,” the older cop protested. “What happened? Was anything taken?”

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