Page 49 of Scent of Peril

The scared-out-of-her-mind clerk had straightened now and looked as if she might argue. Logan shot her a withering look. “Those earbuds prevented you from hearing the gunfire. What if that guy had come in through the front door, huh? You’d be dead.”

The blood drained from her face. “I—I didn’t know!”

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Of course, you didn’t know. If I had known a gunman would show up, I would have called the cops earlier. My point is you made yourself a vulnerable target. Next time, read a book without music.”

The clerk covered her face with her hands, making him feel bad for being so blunt. It wasn’t right to take his anger and frustration out on her. Then she abruptly glared at him accusingly. “You used different names.”

“Yeah. And now you know why.” Logan wasn’t about to apologize.

Officer Norman returned a few minutes later, his expression grim. “I’m glad you were able to get out without being hurt. There’s no sign of the gunman now. My partner, Heath Anderson, is outside checking the area. I also notified Sergeant Carter. He wanted me to tell you he’s on his way.”

“Thanks.” Logan felt better at hearing there was no sign of the gunman. Yet he wished he could have gotten a better look at the guy. He turned to the desk clerk. “Do you have a camera outside? One pointing at the front door?”

“Yes.” She sniffed and wiped away her tears. Clearly still badly shaken, she stepped up and logged into the computer. A moment later, she pulled up the camera screen. “Just the one. The owner had it put in a few months ago.”

“Probably after Doug and Maya had been targeted by gunfire outside,” Jess murmured. “Although the owner could have sprung for more than one.”

Logan privately agreed. He watched the screen as the clerk backed up the video. She cued it up, then stepped back to give him room. “Just press the play button.”

“Thanks.” He was about to use the mouse to click the screen, then glanced at her expectantly. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Debra. Debra Walworth.”

“Thanks, Debra.” He slowed the speed of the video so that he wouldn’t miss anything. There was no movement outside the door for several long minutes, then he saw the figure in black step from the shadows. Narrowing his gaze, he watched as the guy dressed in black, complete with a black face mask, reach forward as if to open the door, then abruptly stop. There was no sound to accompany the video, but Logan assumed that was when the gunman heard the police sirens.

Two seconds later, the guy was gone. Logan backed it up and played the video again. Other than a pair of dark eyes and pale skin around the face mask, the gunman didn’t have any identifying features. He watched the video two more times, it was barely six seconds total, then stopped.

He’d hoped to recognize something about him. But that proved impossible. The mask covered his face to the point it could have been anyone standing out there.

“Do you see anyone else nearby?” Jess peered at the screen over his shoulder. “Could this be the same guy who fired at us?”

“He appears to be alone.” He had to admit that was strange. If there was a large drug operation going on, then why not send several bad guys after them? He turned his head, keenly aware that she was close enough to kiss.An inappropriate thought at an equally inappropriate time, he silently chided. He needed tostay focused. “Based on the time frame between the gunfire and his showing up at the front door, I believe he was working alone. If there had been two of them, they’d have approached from both sides at the same time. The window and the main doorway.” The idea was chilling. They would have been sitting ducks in that hotel room.

“I guess that was good for us, huh?” She briefly rested her forehead on his shoulder, then straightened. “Teddy must have heard something. He woke me from a sound sleep.”

“Me too. That dog of yours is the hero of the day.” Logan stepped back as Wayne Carter arrived. The sergeant wasn’t in uniform, his hair sticking out of his head as if the guy had rolled straight from his bed to respond. “Wayne.”

“What happened?” Wayne demanded.

Logan briefed him on the shooting. Debra looked upset when he mentioned she was wearing earbuds and hadn’t heard anything. Ignoring her, he finished the update. “There’s a camera out front, and we’ve already reviewed the corresponding video. Unfortunately, the guy is dressed in black and wearing a face mask, so it’s not very helpful. All I can say for sure is that he’s white and appears to be of average height and weight.”Much like Craig Benton, he silently added.

“Play it again for me.” Wayne crowded in behind the counter to see for himself. Logan hit the triangle button to start the video clip. Wayne sighed as he straightened. “You’re right. It’s about as helpful as an eleventh toe.”

That made Logan grin. “You’re right about that. However, there are bullets embedded in the drywall of our room. They may provide some information.”

“I’ll need a copy of this video,” Wayne told Debra. “And obviously the room that was targeted by gunfire is off-limits until we’ve processed it.”

“Of course.” Debra looked pale. “I should probably call my boss to let him know about this.”

“That reminds me,” Jess interrupted. “I’ll take Teddy outside so we can search for shell casings.”

Wayne considered that for a moment, then shook his head. “No need. By the time I arrived, Heath mentioned he’d found a couple of casings in the parking lot out back. This guy isn’t smart enough to pick up his brass, so I’m sure the others aren’t far.”

Logan nodded. “Two casings are about right. I only heard two shots.” That, too, struck him as odd. Why not open fire, showering the room with bullets?

Who were these guys anyway?

“Same,” Jess said. “Two shots. By God’s grace and Teddy’s growling, we were warned ahead of time that something was wrong. We were out of our beds, Logan off to the side of the window while I was near the main door. Miraculously, the bullets whizzed right past both of us, striking the opposite wall.”

---