Page 23 of Cold Light of Day

Great. Autumn raised her voice as she informed the man in the cabin of her presence. “This is Shadow Gap Police Chief Autumn Long. I think we have a misunderstanding and nothing more. Please set your weapon down and come out of your cabin with your hands in the air.”

“I didn’t kill nobody’s dog.” The guy had the hint of a foreign accent, though he tried to hide it.

She eyed Hank. “Do you know if your dog is dead?”

“Bear is missing. Only thing to keep him from coming home is death.”

“What makes you think this guy killed him?”

“That doesn’t work for me.” The stranger shouted through the window in answer to Autumn’s request.

Seriously?

“You need to set your weapons—all of them—down and walk away,” he shouted again. “I’ll disappear. I haven’t committed a crime. Didn’t kill a dog.”

Autumn shared a look with Ross, then whispered to Hank. “Hank, put down your rifle. I’m not so sure you won’t be charged, especially if this thing escalates.”

“I was defending myself,” Hank said, raising his voice.

Ignoring Hank, she said to Ross, “You keep him talking and try to de-escalate. I’ll go around back.”

“Careful, Chief.” Ross cleared his throat, then shouted, “That isn’t how law enforcement works, friend. If you haven’t committed a crime, you have nothing to worry about. But westill need you to come out with your hands high so we can see you’re unarmed, and then we can clear this up.”

While Ross talked to the man, Autumn slipped between the trees and made her way around to the back of the dilapidated cabin. It wasn’t unusual for transients or squatters to take up residence when a place had been abandoned. She could hear Ross’s voice as she crept up to the back door. It didn’t sound like he was making any progress or that the stranger was going to give up, which led her to believe he was probably hiding. From what or whom, or if he feared the law, she didn’t know. But she intended to find out.

A gunshot echoed, loud and harsh and much too close, but where had it come from? Inside the cabin? Outside? Heart pounding, she peered through the dirty back-door window. She quietly opened the door and led with her pistol, clearing the spaces as she moved in case the man wasn’t alone and someone approached her from behind.

When she spotted him standing at the window, his back to her, she made her move and pointed her gun at him. “Police. Freeze.”

He remained stock-still, but his shoulders inched up—stiff and tense. He had the bearing of a trained fighter. Her gut tightened. She sensed he had every intention of turning on her.

“Toss your gun aside and lift your hands over your head now!”

“Or what? You going to shoot a man in the back?”

Hank’s shouts came through the open window. “Officer down. Officer down.”

“You shot a cop?” Before he could answer, she closed the distance, fury and panic blasting through her. Still, she didn’t get so close that he could disarm her. “Give me a reason. Just one reason to put a bullet in you!”

He tossed the gun to the side and lifted his hands above his head.

Her most dangerous task awaited—searching and cuffing.

“Place your hands behind your back.”

When he complied, she was honestly surprised. But she would remain vigilant, wary, not letting her guard down for a moment. After cuffing him, Autumn pushed the man through the front door, then forced him to the ground, facedown in the muddy loam. The area around the cabin was clear, so no trees blocked the drenching rain.

But she didn’t care.

Ross!

Her heart jackhammered when she eyed her officer on the ground, blood seeping into the earth, mingling with the puddles. Anger and grief surged in her chest. No! Disbelief shattered her.

This couldn’t be happening.

Lord ... save Ross!

Hank pressed his hands against Ross’s midsection, blood seeping through his fingers. “I got Tanya on his radio. She’s sending a life flight. I told her to hurry. She’s sending an ambulance too and said Atkins and Greenwood are on their way. I don’t want to move my hands, even to take off my jacket to use.”

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