Page 42 of Tough as Steele

They shared a tight look. He clung on for a moment, then continued. His route led to a kitchen with dirty dishes piled high in the sink, a small dining room holding an old Formica table and bright red vinyl chairs, and a mudroom with an ancient washer and dryer. A brisk gust of air rushed through the room that led to stairs and a door to the back yard. The door stood open, flapping in the wind, but the rooms were empty.

He walked back to the hallway and stopped at the entrance to the family room. He would normally call out clear to let others know the rooms were secure, but if Mimi was being held in another room, Londyn needed the element of surprise on her side.

He would hold until Londyn returned. He wanted to go after her, but he didn’t want to spook her. He saw her move in and out of a room then into a room at the end of the hallway. Not a sound. Not good. If Mimi were here, he suspected Londyn would speak.

She stepped back into the hallway and shook her head. He waited for her to come down the hall. As she got closer, he spotted a red welt darkening her beautiful skin, likely from their wild car ride.

“Your head.” He pointed. “Are you all right?”

“Just a little bump.” She waved off his concern.

“Clear here!” he called out for Bristol’s benefit, his heart sinking at not finding Mimi when they’d passed over the halfway mark on their latest goal.

Bristol entered from the porch to the family room and knelt to feel for the man’s pulse, though they all knew the result. She shook her head. “Backup and ambulance are still about ten minutes out, and two deputies are in hot pursuit of the truck.”

“Gives us time to look things over.” Nate put on his booties and gloves and gave the room a thorough visual search.

Bristol, gaze still pinned to the man, put hers on too. “Not a close up shot and, based on the entrance wound, he wouldn’t have fallen this way. He was turned over.”

Nate looked at the man’s position then around the room. A big picture window caught his attention, but it was completely intact. “No bullet holes in the window or walls. Had to come in through an open front door.”

“This was a perfect headshot,” Bristol said. “Not many people can successfully make them. We have to consider that our shooter could be a law enforcement officer or military. Or an avid hunter.”

Londyn looked at Nate. “Bristol is our family weapons expert. If it fires a bullet, she loves it.”

“Hey,” she said. “When you’re the baby in the family, you take a lot of hits and you want to be prepared to fire back.”

Londyn rolled her eyes. “You were spoiled rotten, and you know it.”

“Sure. By Mom and Dad, but not you and Peyton.” Bristol pointed at the man’s head. “Looks like we have a through-and-through here. Small hole in forehead, big one in the back.”

“Bullet could be lodged somewhere in this room.” Nate calculated the height of the man to be about five-nine, and Nate looked around the room for a bullet hole in the wall or furniture near that height. He located a hole by the fireplace and got close to study it. “Bullet’s here all right. Can’t remove it without doing damage.”

“Then leave it alone,” Bristol said. “I’ll do my best to get details from the detective and the forensic reports.”

Londyn squatted by the scarf. “It’s Hermès, which means silk and far too pricey for Wigg. Fits the description of Mimi’s scarf and smells like her perfume too.”

“Take a picture, and we can get Wendy to confirm.” Nate stepped to the body, his gut tight with worry for Mimi.

“Guy’s hand is bandaged,” Londyn said. “The print in the car might belong to Wigg, but doesn’t mean the blood did.”

“We need to get this guy’s blood to Emory to compare to the sample taken in the car. And we should test the blood on the door too,” Nate said. “I have swabs in the car.”

He bolted from the room before anyone disagreed with violating proper evidential procedures and paused out front to check the area. Though it was unlikely that the shooters would circle back, he had to take care. Seeing nothing, he jogged to his car, which was riddled with bullet holes.

He opened the trunk, but instead of grabbing the swabs, he dug out the jack. He hadn’t backed the vehicle in for a quick getaway like he’d learned in the military, but his military training wouldn’t let him remain here any longer without a means of escape, so he changed the tire.

He examined the damaged tire. The bullet penetrated completely through the tire, head-on at the treads. Explained how the tire deflated so quickly. The men in the truck meant business, and for the first time, he let himself wonder if they would get Mimi back alive.

Don’t think that way. Won’t help.

The code came back to his mind again.

The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me–my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail.

Teammates, in this case, Londyn and Bristol. Londyn was the reason he felt a need to step up his game, but she was a distraction too. Just like he’d predicted when they first met. So even if her safety had to be paramount, he had to approach it with a dispassionate mindset.

Tire secure and thoughts back in check, he cleaned his hands with a disposable wipe and dug in his trunk for swabs, water, and evidence bags. He shoved them into his pocket. Another look around the fields holding the appliances and junkers Bristol had mentioned, and he strode back to the front door, his senses on alert.

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