Christmas K-9 Collection Volume 2 by Valerie Hansen

Author:Valerie Hansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THREE

“The girl’s awake.”

Nina rose from her chair, boots hitting the floor, and followed Dylan O’Leary, the agency’s tech expert, down the hallway. “Is she talking?”

Thomas saw them and came out of the chair he’d found in a corner of the big cubicle-filled room. “Identity?”

Dylan kept right on going, his glasses stuck to his nose as always. “Kelly Denton. Twenty-four years old. College student who grew up in Helena and worked for former State Senator Richard Slaton. She’d moved away from Helena this year but went home to visit her parents for Christmas. They’ve verified that and said she had left a message that she was spending the night with a friend. That was night before last. They’re on their way here.” Dylan hurried off and then turned back around. “Oh, and don’t mention the other girls to her yet. We’re still trying to establish if they’re connected. She could voluntarily fill in the blanks.”

“Got it. We’re on our way to investigate.” Nina turned to Thomas. “Ready to question our witness?”

“Been ready,” he said, grabbing his coat.

Soon, they were in Nina’s SUV headed east to the Billings Medical Center.

“How’d you sleep?” Nina asked, recalling how she’d tossed and turned and had nightmares the entire three hours she’d tried to sleep.

“Like a baby,” he quipped with a wry smile. “I was exhausted after that long drive from Texas.”

“Why’d you drive across the country in the dead of winter?”

“I like long drives. Helps me think. Plus I was trying to track Russo’s every step so I could establish that he drove here, too. Found some rental cars he’d used here and there, but nothing concrete. So you didn’t see or hear him leaving in a vehicle last night?”

Nina shook her head and merged into traffic. “Nope. He ran away, headed into the woods. I still don’t get it. He could have shot me, too.”

“Maybe Sam distracted him. Sam would have gone after him, don’t you think?”

“Possibly. I’m sure he’d have brought down the man. But I was worried that he’d shoot Sam and return to finish the job. Why do you think he ran like that?”

“He panicked. He wasn’t expecting anyone to stumble on the scene.”

“Yes. Sam and I did surprise him. I know the woods beyond that spot and across the stream are on private property. Someone owns a hunting lodge up there. He could have hidden in it, possibly, but until we find out who owns that place, we can’t get a warrant to look.”

“But he shot at you—shot at us—last night,” Thomas reminded her. “And missed. Russo’s trained never to miss. Something’s not right about this whole thing.”

“I’m kind of glad he missed,” Nina replied, wondering what was bugging Thomas. “So…we both think something’s off here, right?”

“He’s after Kelly. We’ll have to watch the hospital. He might be trying to distract us while he moves in on her.”

“We do have her surrounded,” Nina said. “Agents twenty-four/seven, guarding her room.”

“I hope that will keep Russo away.”

Thomas didn’t sound so confident, but they were dealing with a trained assassin.

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