Page 40 of Shadow of Fear
Dev slowed to allow the vehicle to swing onto the road behind him and catch up. Reid’s headlights soon shone through the back window of Dev’s SUV. The added protection should help Dev relax, but he remained on full alert, driving and checking his mirrors.
“She should be good to sit up now,” Colin said.
“You think so?” Dev asked.
“We’ve gone what? Like twenty miles at this point with no tail? I can’t imagine our shooter hanging out this far away from the property in the event that we might leave in this direction.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He looked in the rearview mirror. “You can sit up now, Kinsley.”
He expected her to offer a sigh of relief or somehow indicate she was glad not to be lying down any longer, but when she got settled her expression was a dazed look of bewilderment.
Didn’t she think this was a good idea?
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She rubbed her hands over her arms. “I just feel so vulnerable when I’m sitting up.”
“Don’t worry,” Dev tried to sound convincing. “You’re fine until we approach your apartment. Then you’ll have to lie down again.”
She started rubbing more vigorously. “I don’t know how you guys can stay so calm during this. You’re in as much danger as I am. If he shoots at me he could easily shoot you.”
“We’re used to suspects with guns, and we know how to handle it.” Hah! Dev had only been fired on once in his days as a deputy, and he wasn’t as experienced as he was trying to make her believe. But he did have extensive training, and his competence in that one shooting and the two times Kinsley had come under fire proved that his training kicked in when the gunfire started.
They all fell silent, Dev and Colin keeping a good look around them as the miles rolled under the tires. Kinsley wrapped her arms around her stomach and didn’t seem to relax for even a moment, but she, too, kept looking out the windows as if she expected someone to attack them. There was nothing else he could say to comfort her, so he just did his job, making sure she stayed safe for the remaining drive.
As they approached the city, Colin’s phone chimed. He picked it up from the console, the screen’s glow lighting up his face and allowing Dev to catch his brother frowning.
He swiveled to face Dev. “My algorithm on Luongo has a hit. Looks like the DA who prosecuted him for his wife’s murder and failed is trying to bring him up on any charges he can find to make the guy’s life outside of prison a living hell.”
“Charges like what?”
“Patrol officers are targeting him for any kind of moving violation and any other misdemeanor they can get him on.”
Dev glanced in the mirror at Kinsley. “And you’re sure he hasn’t contacted you regarding your investigation into Luongo or to ask about any new investigation? Like maybe he called and left you a voicemail, but you forgot to call him back?”
She shook her head. “I would’ve dropped anything I was doing as soon as I saw a message from him and called him right back.”
Colin leaned over the seat. “What if he simply threatened to bring Luongo up on charges related to his concrete business, and Luongo believed you would get involved again?”
She lifted her hands and shrugged. “I suppose that could’ve happened. I honestly doubt he would buy a house on Boulder Lake based on that though. And besides, I don’t live there anymore. So wouldn’t he want to get back at me in Portland?”
“That makes a lot more sense,” Dev said, pinning his focus to the road now as they were coming closer to her apartment.
His phone rang through the vehicle infotainment system and the female voice announced a call from Russ. Dev tapped the button on his steering wheel to answer the call.
“Glad I caught you up so early,” Russ said. “I talked to Chief Gibson, and he spoke to the Realtor who’s working on the sale of the house Luongo is buying.”
“What did he find out?” Dev asked.
“He tried to get an alibi for Luongo without raising any red flags. He wasn’t so successful. The Realtor did confirm that Luongo was in town during the shooting. She wasn’t with him at the time and didn’t know what he was doing then.”
Dev shared a pointed look with his brother. “So he could be our shooter.”
“Could be,” Russ said. “Gibson also asked about the parking lot shooting time, and she couldn’t alibi him for that either. However, even though the chief didn’t mention the reason for his questions, that one caught her off guard and left her suspicious. So you should be aware that she might blab to Luongo that Gibson inquired about him.”
“So he’ll be on guard now.” Dev slammed his fist onto the steering wheel. “It’ll likely make it harder to investigate him, but we’ll just have to deal with it.”
“I don’t know,” Russ said. “I think he’s used to the police poking into his business and it’s possible he might not think twice about it. Since his trial, he’s been pulled in by PPB for various violations. Minimum things like speeding that they claim resulted in resisting arrest. But you and I both know he probably wasn’t resisting. They’re likely trying to punish him for killing his wife and getting away with it in the only way they know how.”
