Her Baby's Protector

TWO

The color drained from Kate’s face. She sat forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes. Is Zed Hammer my attacker?” Her voice quavered as she said his name.

“He owns the vehicle the man used to escape.”

“Has the car been found?”

“No. We haven’t been able to locate Mr. Hammer, either.”

Kate shot to her feet, her arms stiff at her sides. She balled her hands so tightly her knuckles whitened. “So he could try to kidnap my son again. He told me when the trial was over that I would regret my decision to only permit him supervised visitation with his children.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds and shuddered. “The look he gave me told me he meant every word he said.”

Her gaze flitted from the two windows in the den to the door as though she expected the man to rush into the room. When she hurried into the hallway, Chase followed her to the foyer where she set the alarm, checked that the front door was locked then hurried to the kitchen and did the same with the doors to the garage and the backyard. When she’d finished doing that, she spun toward him. “What else can I do to make sure Jamie is safe?”

She held herself so rigid he was afraid she would snap. He covered the distance between them and took a trembling hand, searching for a way to reassure her.

“I’ll stay as long as you need. Do you have any family nearby?”

“No. Both James and I were only children. His mother and father live in Australia, while my mother is widowed, too, and lives with my grandmother in Florida. She takes care of Nana, which is a full-time job. I don’t want her to even know about what’s going on. She has enough to deal with. I don’t want her worrying about Jamie and me.”

Chase drew her toward the nearest chair at the kitchen table. After she was seated, he sat next to her. “The police are looking for Zed Hammer. With his car being used in the attempted kidnapping and now that I know about his threat against you last month, I’m sure we’ll get a warrant to search his house.” He would call the station about Kate’s connection to Hammer. He wanted to be out there seeing to the details of the search, but at the moment he would be best utilized staying near Kate. She was right to be concerned the man might return and try again. “Tell me what he looks like.” Chase wanted to keep the conversation going to distract her from running every scenario of what could happen through her mind.

Kate stared at her lap for a long moment. “He could be the attacker. Mr. Hammer is about the same height and build. I think his eyes were dark like the man at the reserve, but I’m not sure. Oh, and he had a little girl about my son’s age.”

“Did you notice a white compact car following you anytime lately?”

“Seriously? White is the most common color for a vehicle, so in the last month I’m sure some have driven near me. But I don’t remember seeing the same car behind me for long.” She dropped her head and rubbed her hands together. “I’ve never really thought about the traffic around me unless there was a problem. Coming home from work, I’m usually decompressing. I don’t like bringing my problems home. I love my job, but it can be emotionally draining at times. I don’t want my child affected by that.”

“I know what you mean. I don’t have a family but if I did, I would feel the same way. Being a detective is challenging and rewarding when I can solve a crime, but I’ve seen things I wouldn’t want to share with my loved ones.” Not just as a detective but as a Marine, fighting in a war zone. Memories he’d tried to avoid leaked back into his thoughts. The sounds of gunfire all around him. The stench of death in the air. The agonizing pain streaking up his leg. The fight to keep that injured limb.

Rachel appeared in the entrance. “Jamie is asleep. I won’t be surprised if he slept until morning. Do you want me to put in one of the casseroles you made this weekend?”

“That would be fine. I need to change out of my jogging clothes. I’m going to check on Jamie, too.” Kate rose.

“And I’m going to check your house and make sure it’s secured.” Chase shoved his chair back and stood, trying to shake that last skirmish from his mind.

But as he left the kitchen with Kate, the memory stayed with him. He’d been the only one from his team who had survived. So many of his combat buddies had families. He hadn’t, but he’d lived while they’d died. That had challenged his faith through the months of recovery stateside.

“There are five bedrooms upstairs,” Kate said as she mounted the stairs.

“I’ll start there. Are your windows wired to your security system?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

“That room at the end of the hall—” Kate pointed to the left “—is Rachel’s. This one is Jamie’s.”

She turned and gestured to the door next to her son’s on the other side. “And mine is there. The rest are for guests, and that one in the middle opens onto the staircase to the attic. I keep it locked so my son doesn’t try to explore by himself. The steps are steep.”

Chase decided to start with her room. He expected Kate to leave him to check on Jamie, but instead she followed him through the door.

When he entered her tastefully decorated bedroom, he immediately saw her touches throughout, from the family photos on the dresser and nightstands, to a gavel attached to a plaque on the wall.

“That’s from my first case as a judge. My husband had it mounted and gave it to me as a surprise. He’d told me he was also going to do the gavel of my last trial, so I would have matching plaques. I intend to fulfill his wish.”

“Does this incident make you think twice about being a judge?”

She cocked her head. “I don’t think so. There are risks in a lot of people’s jobs. You should know that more than anyone. Have you ever considered giving up being a police officer because of the risks?”

He hadn’t thought about it, either, but now that he did, the answer that came to mind surprised him. “I’ve been the first person to go into a dangerous situation plenty of times—but better me than some of the other guys. I don’t have a family, and a lot of my fellow officers do. If something happened to me, it wouldn’t affect a wife or children.”

“So you never want to get married and have a family?”

Want? Want had nothing to do with it. What right did he have to build a family when so many good men had been forced to leave their loved ones behind forever? He’d walked away from an ambush alive while all the men with families had been killed. His friend who had taught him about God had died in that firefight and fallen on top of him. In the end, that was what had saved him. Later, he’d known the pain and grief his buddy’s wife had gone through, but he could do little to change that. He hated that feeling of impotency and had promised himself he would protect others at all costs.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. It isn’t in your job description.” She walked into her closet.

“I don’t mind. Starting a family’s just not in my plans right now.” He headed for the first window, checked it, then moved to the other one. “Both are locked. I’ll finish with the rest of the house.”

She emerged from her closet. “I hope you’ll have dinner with us. It’s nothing fancy. It’s a Mexican chicken dish. On Saturday and Sunday, I cook up a storm then we eat the meals throughout the week.” She grinned. “I’ve been accused of being highly organized.”

“Thanks. I skipped lunch today working a burglary case. I’ve been accused of being highly determined.”

“To the point of going without food?”

He nodded then left before he became distracted from his task. Kate could easily do that with one look or smile.

* * *

After she took a quick shower and dressed, she stopped by Jamie’s bedroom again. When she cracked the door open and looked inside, she found her son standing up in his crib and lifting his leg to try and climb out. He’d succeeded a couple of times. She crossed to him and swung him up into her arms.

“I should have known you wouldn’t sleep through to the morning.” She hugged him against her, wishing she could stay like this the whole night.

“Mama, me eat.”

“So you’re hungry. No wonder you woke up.” She headed for the hallway. “Let’s go get you something for dinner.”

“Down. Down.” He wiggled in her arms.

“Not until we get to the kitchen.” When Jamie was awake, they locked a gate across the bottom or top of the staircase. He was still a little shaky on the steps. She reached the first floor and put the barrier in place. She didn’t need to worry anymore about him than she already had today.

The second she entered the kitchen she put Jamie on the floor, expecting him to make a beeline for his high chair and climb up into his seat. When he was hungry, that was what he usually did. But he stopped after two steps and stared at Chase across the room. Then he struck out for him and threw his arms around his leg.

Jamie loved meeting new people, but after today, she’d thought that might be different. She hadn’t known he’d really been aware of the man who had saved them today, but he must have been because he raised his hands, opening and closing them.

“Up!”

Chase hoisted Jamie into his arms. “Sure, big guy. I’m Chase. I have a nephew not too much older than you.”

“Case.” Her son rubbed his hand across Chase’s day-old beard. He giggled and did it again.

Seeing Jamie with Chase made her realize her son didn’t have too many males in his life. She closed the space between the police detective and her. “C’mon, Jamie. Time to eat.” As Rachel put the food on the table, Kate took him from Chase and set her son in his high chair.

After everyone was seated, Kate bowed her head and said, “Lord, thank You for sending us Chase when we needed him. Bless this food and our soldiers protecting us. Amen.”

When she looked up, Chase was staring at her, and for a few seconds her son and Rachel faded into the background, the lure of his gaze making her forget who else was around. No wonder she’d remembered him from all the many people who frequented the county courthouse. It wasn’t just that he was handsome—there was also an intensity to him that drew her attention. When he’d described himself as determined, she understood why. There was something about the man that intrigued her.

A purring Boss rubbing against her leg pulled her attention back to the moment.

While Rachel was eating, Kate assisted Jamie with his meal, a mixture of baby food and the Mexican chicken, trying to minimize Jamie’s chances to play with it or fling it. Then her nanny would take over while Kate had her dinner. But her son kept getting distracted by Chase across the table from him—probably because he was the first man to sit at her table. She hadn’t realized how small her world had become since Jamie’s birth.

Her world centered around her child, the only one she would ever have. For ten years she and her husband had tried to have a baby. She had miscarried four times, and they’d given up the last year James was alive. Then her husband had died in a small plane crash. Not long after his death, she’d discovered she was pregnant. James would never know he had a son. A complication after Jamie’s birth had led to a hysterectomy. Jamie would be her only child, but she cherished him and thanked the Lord for her one baby.

Jamie flipped his spoon, causing his food to fly in several directions.

“Okay. That’s my sign you’re finished.” Kate took the utensil and bowl off the tray while Boss licked the food that landed on the tiled floor.

Then her son rubbed his eyes and tried to stand in his seat. Kate rose and picked him up. She noticed her nanny was finished with her meal and said, “After you wash him up, let’s try and put him to bed again.”

Rachel stood and took Jamie from Kate. “I’m surprised he even woke up after not sleeping much last night. I’ll take care of him. You need to eat.”

When the nanny left the kitchen with Jamie, Kate served several spoons of her Mexican chicken onto her plate. “Do you want anymore?”

“Yes. I don’t get a lot of home-cooked food. This is delicious.”

Kate passed the serving spoon to Chase. Their fingers briefly touched. For a few seconds she forgot to breathe. Sharing a meal with a man was something she hadn’t done in so long she didn’t know how to react anymore. She sternly reminded herself not to be silly. This wasn’t a date—he was just trying to keep her and her son safe. If an assailant wanted to hurt her, the most effective way would be to do something to Jamie. Zed Hammer’s anger the last day she saw him might have driven him to harm her son. The thought plunged fear deeper into her. She’d fought to have her son, and she would fight to keep him and protect him from any harm.

“Is the house secure?”

“All windows and doors are locked. You have a good security system, but vigilance is important, too.”

“Now I wish I had a big dog. Would it be good to get one tomorrow? I’ll do whatever I need to make sure Jamie is all right.”

“If you got a dog tomorrow, it would take some time to train him properly. Right now you need a guard dog. I could loan you Mac. He’s a German shepherd. When I got him, he’d been a guard dog. He’s well-trained, or I wouldn’t offer.”

A German shepherd she hadn’t raised? She didn’t know if that would be a good idea, and yet having him might be just what she needed at this time. “On one condition. Would you stay with us for the day after bringing him to make sure Mac is a fit for us? I know that’s asking a lot, but I need to be assured Mac won’t have any problems with Jamie, Rachel and me, not to mention my cat. Have you ever loaned him out before?”

“No, and that’s a good suggestion. Tomorrow is Saturday. I can bring him by in the morning and introduce you to Mac.”

“Good. I’d like that.” But this incident made her realize she needed a dog as a permanent pet. Jamie would love it.

Chase’s cell phone rang. “I need to answer this. It’s my partner.” He pushed to his feet and walked into the hallway.

Kate tried to eat a few bites of her dinner, but knots of tension riddled her stomach. She finally decided not to force it down. As she began taking the dishes to the sink, Chase reentered the kitchen.

“Was it about Zed Hammer?”

“Yes. We got a search warrant for his house. I’m meeting my partner over there. I’ll have a patrol car drive by your place at least once an hour. With the police force looking for the car and Hammer, hopefully we’ll find him soon. In the meantime, I hope we’ll get some useful data from his home. If he’s the attacker, then I want to have solid evidence against him.”

For a second, she wanted to ask him to stay, but he was right that his duty lay elsewhere. Her house was secured, and she wanted the person responsible in jail tonight, if possible.

She went to her desk and jotted her cell phone number on a piece of paper. “Call me if you find anything.”

He checked his watch. “It could be late.”

“I don’t care. I’d like to know.”

He pocketed the scrap of paper she gave him and offered her his business card in return. “Okay, I will.”

Kate walked with him to the foyer and turned off the alarm. “Thank you for all you’ve done today. I hate to think what could have happened if you hadn’t shown up.” A shudder rippled through her.

At the front door, Chase paused and turned. “You have my number. Call if you need me. Any time, day or night. I don’t live far from here. I can be here in ten minutes.”

“I appreciate it.” She gave him a smile.

When he left, she locked up and turned on the alarm again. Then she glanced around, realizing how big the house was. But Chase had checked it. If someone came in through a door or window, the alarm would go off. After cleaning the dishes, she headed upstairs.

Rachel backed out of Jamie’s room and quietly closed the door, then swung around. “I think he’s officially asleep this time. I waited awhile to make sure.”

“Thanks. I’m going to bed, too. Long day.”

“Don’t worry about Jamie. I have the monitor on, and if he wakes up, I’ll hear and check on him. Get some rest.”

That was easier said than done, Kate noted later as she stared up at her dark ceiling. She was exhausted but not sleepy. She was glad tomorrow was a day off. Maybe before the weekend was over, her attacker would be found, and she could make up for the sleep she’d lost. Her docket was full next week.

Finally her eyelids grew heavy. She hugged her pillow and began to drift off.

Until the sound of a siren penetrated her mind.

She sat up and listened, her heartbeat pounding. The noise faded into the distance, and she sighed. She was overreacting. This was ridiculous.

With a glance at the clock, she settled again under the covers. It was after midnight. Like her son, she’d gotten little rest last night. Centering her thoughts on the Lord watching over her, she finally fell asleep...

The high-pitched sound of her alarm jerked her awake.

THREE

Chase stood next to his partner, Todd Grayson, in Hammer’s living room and frowned. Nothing.

“We still have the garage, and the tech guys will go through his computer,” Todd said.

“Where is this guy if he isn’t guilty?”

“We’ll find him and ask him that question. He has a motive. His car, which wasn’t reported stolen, was the getaway vehicle. He has a lot of explaining.”

Chase started for the kitchen. “Let’s check the garage then go home. Tomorrow I’ll interview the couple of neighbors who weren’t home earlier. Maybe someone will know where he is.”

“I’ll interview Hammer’s ex-wife and boss. Something will turn up.”

In the meantime, Kate was scared for her child. He’d investigated a couple of kidnappings since he’d returned to the police force two years ago. He’d seen the terror and heartache the parents went through, especially with the one that ended tragically. He wished at times he could turn off his emotions totally. Usually he managed to push them down enough so he could work effectively on the case. He wasn’t so sure he could manage that this time.

There was something about Kate that pulled at him. When fighting the attacker, she’d been ferocious. But the second Jamie was safe, her tenderness had surged to the foreground as she comforted her son.

“I’ll take the left side,” Chase said and moved to a group of stacked boxes.

Kate had Rachel, but she didn’t have any family here. She was essentially alone. That thought knocked holes in the barrier he’d erected around his heart. His only mission, especially since he’d survived the ambush, had been to protect and serve others.

The blare of his cell phone cut through the silence in the garage. He saw it was Kate’s number, and his pulse picked up speed. Was Hammer there?

He punched the accept button. “Detective Walker here,” he said in his professional voice, trying to keep that wall between them.

“My alarm is going off. Someone must be in the house.”

“Did you call 9-1-1?” Chase headed for the garage door button to raise it.

“You are 9-1-1.”

“I’ll be right there. Get Jamie and Rachel and lock yourselves in the bathroom. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hit the opener.

“Hurry.”

“I will. Stay on the phone with me.” Then to his partner who held some photos he’d found, he said, “Judge Forster’s alarm went off.”

As Chase jogged to his car, Todd shouted, “I’m coming, right behind you. I’ll let the station know.”

“Do you have Jamie yet?” Chase asked Kate as he slipped behind his steering wheel.

“Yes,” she said in a breathless voice. “Rachel’s here, too. We’ll be in the main upstairs bathroom.” Fear dripped off each word.

The sound ripped through his heart. He dug deep to remain calm and remember what he’d learned in his hostage negotiation class. He started his car and floored it. “I’m coming. Get away from the door in the bathroom, if possible.”

Kate spoke to Rachel about what to do. “We’re in the tub.” He barely heard what she said over Jamie’s crying. A pause then she said, “Jamie, Chase is coming. We’re going to be all right, honey.”

Jamie’s crying quieted. Chase imagined Kate gently rocking her son as she’d done at the reserve.

“See Case?”

“Yes. You remember him from earlier tonight.”

A smile tugged at Chase’s mouth as he stopped at the gate and put in the number she’d given him earlier. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as the wrought-iron barricade slowly moved out of the way.

When he was inside, he texted the code to Todd then said to Kate, “I’m here. Still all right?”

“Yes. The alarm is still blaring, but that’s all I can hear.”

“Let’s hope it only malfunctioned.”

She chuckled, a bit shaky. “Better than someone here.”

As he hurried toward the large house, he said, “I need to pocket my phone to free up my hands, but I won’t disconnect.” He hated not to have that connection with her, but his focus had to be totally on what was going on.

As he approached the porch, he continually scanned the area around him. The noise from the alarm constantly reminded him that Kate, Jamie and Rachel were in danger. His gaze latched onto a broken windowpane at the far end of the long porch. Was that the only reason the alarm had gone off? As Todd and another patrol car pulled up to her house, he withdrew his phone.

“Someone broke a lower windowpane in the living room.”

After she told Rachel, she asked, “Do you want me to come downstairs and turn the alarm off then open the door?”

“Not until I have gone around the house and checked for any other attempts to get inside.”

“The alarm must have scared the person off.”

He hoped that was the case. “I don’t want to bust your door down unless necessary. Hang on. I’ll let you know what to do.”

“Actually I have a key hidden outside in the rock garden.” She described the exact location. “My security code is 6735.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep a key outside.”

“I know. Honestly, I forgot about it. After James died, I was forgetful and locked myself out of the house twice. I put a key in the garden so I didn’t need a locksmith to come to my house anymore. Strangely once I did, I never had to use it.”

“Good.” He walked to the spot and bent down to retrieve the key. “I’ve got it. I’m pocketing my cell phone. Don’t open the bathroom door unless it’s me.”

Todd joined him. “You think that’s it?”

“I hope so. But if someone wanted to break a window to get into the house, why the front porch with the security lights on in front?”

While Todd went to the left, Chase moved right, that question plaguing him.

* * *

Sitting in the dry bathtub facing Rachel, Kate gently rocked Jamie back and forth. He was fighting going to sleep. She began singing a soft lullaby. Jamie’s eyes finally slid all the way closed.

“I think he’s going back to sleep,” Kate whispered to Rachel while glancing at her watch. It had been ten minutes since Chase began checking out the rest of the house. Ten long minutes.

“Good.” Rachel looked at Jamie. “He has to be exhausted.”

“So am I, but I’ve got a feeling tonight won’t be a restful one.”