Page 80 of Tacos & Toboggans
Gabe flicked the picture to the left, where another appeared. “These are photos they took before his release,” he explained.
This time, the man was standing to the side, like a mug shot, but in full length. His right side faced me, and I leaned in when I noticed something. Enlarging the screen and focusing on his hand, I glanced up at Gabe. “That tattoo. I remember itnow. The way he was holding the knife partially covered the tattoo, but seeing his hand jogged my memory. This is him.”
Gabe took the phone back with a smile. “Excellent, thank you for confirming that.”
“Who is he?” Ivy asked. “Those looked like mug shots.”
“Parole shots,” he confirmed. “Luke West is his name. He was in for, this will shock you, armed robbery.”
“Didn’t see that coming,” I muttered with an eye roll, to which Gabe laughed.
“Unfortunately, he was released to a halfway house in Lakewood. He went MIA the night of your attack and hasn’t returned.”
Lakewood was a small town next to Bells Pass on the northern border. “Maybe he was just passing through and needed money to continue running?”
“That’s our thought as well, but until he’s caught, don’t walk around alone. Ivy, I don’t want you walking from the diner to home or with the kids alone in the dark. No employees should be approaching or leaving the diner alone in the dark either.”
Ivy glanced at him sharply. “Gabe, that’s going to be impossible. Between opening and closing, someone is always the first to arrive.”
“Then you make it clear that the first person to arrive waits in their vehicle until the second person arrives. I’m serious about this. We don’t believe he’s still in town, but until he’s caught, we can’t know that for sure. Stay alert. He’s officially a fugitive now, so treat him as such.”
“Could he walk in and try to rob a place?” I asked, to which Gabe nodded with a shrug.
“If he’s desperate enough, anything is possible. Again, I don’t believe he’s still in Bells Pass, but better safe than sorry. Our community connection officer spoke with the unhoused, and they said they hadn't seen anyone new hanging around. Since there aren’t abandoned buildings or anywhere to squat, I’m not sure where he would go other than to Saginaw to blend in.”
“I’ll keep everyone safe here,” Ivy said. “Thanks for working hard to protect the community, Gabe.”
“It’s what I do,” he said with a shrug. “Where’s your other half, Jaelyn?”
“My other half?” I asked in confusion. “Oh! Major? He’s finishing surgery. I was taking food home for him.”
“Better do it or it will be cold,” Ivy said, accepting another hug and a thank you from me for all she’d done.
“I’ll walk you out,” Gabe said with a wave to Ivy.
He walked me to my car and held the bag while I unlocked the door. “I mean it about being careful. With all this snow, my guess is he’s bedded down somewhere, so we’re following leads on his family and friends from before his incarceration. Until we have him, don’t be reckless.”
“You think I do way more exciting stuff than I do, Gabe,” I said with a chuckle. “But I promise to be careful, and I’ll let Major know about the developments.”
“Thanks. Now that we have confirmation that he’s our guy, I’ll speak with the hospital admin and ensure that people are being escorted to their vehicles by security.”
“Chances are Major's going to lock me in his house and throw away the key until you catch the guy, so tick tock,” I teased, setting the food on the front seat.
Gabe’s laughter filled the night. “So, you’re saying that kiss at the gazebo was more than a one-off event?”
“You could say that.” It was the only answer I could give, since we hadn’t made it past theI love youstage to define our relationship. Did we need to? Probably, since people were asking. I didn’t know what word to use for who he was to me. Calling him my boyfriend felt like I was assuming without both of us making that commitment. Soulmate was more accurate, but few would accept that answer without an eyeroll and a snicker.
“He’s treating you right?” he asked, holding the door while I climbed in and got situated.
“Better than right, Gabe. He’s been nothing but kind since the day I met him. That hasn’t changed even if the rest of our relationship has.”
“Good,” he said with a nod as he closed the door. I turned the ignition over and put the window down since I could tell he wasn’t done speaking. “I’ll keep you posted on the hunt forLuke. He doesn’t know who you are, so I don’t believe he has any reason to seek you out, but stay aware of your surroundings.”
“You got it, Detective Dennison,” I said with a salute.
He tapped my door and stood up, walking away singing, “Jaelyn and Major, standing in the gazebo, K I S S I N G—”
Laughing, I closed the window and headed toward the man I would be more than happy to stand under the gazebo with again. First comes love, then comes…well, that is the question I needed answered by the man himself.
