Twisted Paths by Terri Reid Read Free Book Online Page B

collapsed.  Cal, the owner, hurried from the desk.
    “Mary, what’s wrong?” he asked.
    “Cal, call 911,” she breathed heavily. “Tell them Gary Copper’s in town. Tell them I lost him in the downtown area.”
    Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he punched in the numbers, while he led Mary over to one of his large recliners. “You sit down and rest,” he ordered.
    He relayed the information to the dispatcher and then got a bottle of water for Mary. “They’re sending someone over here,” he explained. “Are you okay?”
    Nodding, she leaned back in the chair. “Yeah, thanks,” she said. “And thanks for making the call.”
    “Hey, no problem,” he replied. “So that’s the guy who escaped in Sycamore, right?”
    “Yes, that’s him,” she said. “He killed his lawyer and somehow got out of the building.”
    “Sounds dangerous.”
    “He is,” Mary agreed.
    “Do we have a photo we can send around through the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation to all the downtown retailers?  So, they can make a call if they see him?”
    Smiling, she sat up. “That’s a brilliant idea,” she said. “Thanks, Cal, I’ll email one to you as soon as I get back to my office.”
    “Yeah, well, I don’t know if you’ll be going back to your office,” he said, his gaze going past her to the giant showcase windows in front of the store. “Looks like they called Chief Alden and I got a feeling he’s not going to let you go very far from his side until this guy is caught.”
    Mary flopped back in the recliner and watched as Bradley pushed open the front door and hurried towards her.
    “Mary, are you okay?” he asked.
    “That man’s whipped,’ Cal whispered.
    “Yeah, well I don’t think that’s love and kisses in his eyes right now,” she said to Cal and then she turned to Bradley to reassure him, “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little upset I lost him.”
    “What the hell were you thinking going after him by yourself?” he demanded.
    She sat up in the chair. “I was pursuing a fugitive,” she shot back.
    “What if he had a gun?”
    “He wouldn’t have run.”
    “Mary,” he growled.
    “Bradley,” she responded. “Don’t try to pull rank on me.”
    He exhaled slowly, ran his hand through his hair and squatted down next to her. “Okay, you’re right. But, damn it, I wouldn’t want any of my officers pursuing a man like Copper by themselves.  You should have called for back-up.”
    She took a deep breath too. “I acted on instinct,” she said. “But, you’re right, I should not have left my cell phone in the car.  And I should have called for back-up. I’m sorry.”
    He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “You’re okay? Really?”
    She smiled at him. “Yeah,” she said softly. “A little freaked out maybe.”
    Then her eyes widened. “Who’s with Clarissa?”
    “She’s at the station,” he said. “I left her there with Ashley Deutsch. She’s safe.”
    Mary nodded, her heart going back to a normal rate. “It’s different now,” she said. “Now it’s not just us we have to worry about.”
    Smiling, he squeezed her hand. “Yeah, but it’s a different I like.”
     

Chapter Eleven
    Clarissa was sitting in Bradley’s office chair and spinning in it behind the desk, when Mary and Bradley arrived at his office a little while later.  Mike was standing in the corner of the room, watching over Clarissa.  Officer Ashley Deutsch, sitting across the desk from her working on some reports and totally oblivious to Mike’s presence, looked up when they walked in.
    “How did it go?” she asked.
    “I lost him,” Mary replied, shaking her head. “He just disappeared near State and Exchange. I ended up running into Cal’s and asked him to phone in.”
    “Are you sure it was Copper?” Ashley questioned.
    Nodding, Mary walked into the room and sat down in a chair near Ashley. “Yeah, I won’t ever forget that face.”
    “So, we’ve got an APB out on him,”