was following her. She had to keep her cool!
At the sheriff ’s building, on a side street from the highway, Cari leaped out, running for the front door. She almost slammed into Dan, who was hurrying out, several of his deputies behind him.
“Dan!” she cried. “It’s my stepbrother, Dirk Bannock! He’s in Olive Oyle’s with another man!”
Dan hauled her into the large waiting room. “Okay, did you get a photo of him?”
“Y-yes,” she said, taking her iPhone out of her pocket. She quickly got to the photo, handing it to him, trembling.
“Let me run identification on both of them,” he said. “Come with me. You’re safe here, Cari. Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I need to call Chase.”
“You can call him from my command center. Follow me.”
She wanted to cry with relief. She’d escaped! Her knees felt so shaky that she grabbed at Dan’s upper arm.
“I-I’m feeling weak, like I’m going to fall,” she whispered raggedly, utterly embarrassed.
One of the other deputies, Pepper Warner, gripped her by the arm. “I got you, Ms. Taylor. Just lean on me. We need to get to the command room ASAP.”
“Th-thanks,” Cari whispered, leaning against the tall woman deputy who seemed as solid as a rock compared to her. Dan had trotted ahead and disappeared around a corner, down another hall. Pepper led Cari that way, to a door that had a number pad on it. After punching in the code, it clicked open.
Dan was standing over his computer operator, who was running the app on identification. He looked up. “Hang in there, Cari. Sit her down, Pepper, and get her some water, will you?”
“Sure thing,” Pepper answered, giving Cari a gentle look as she guided her to a chair. “Just sit. I’ll be right back. The worst is over . . .”
How she wanted to call Chase! But her phone was on the console of the computer, Dan leaning over his geek’s shoulder, gaze riveted on the large computer screen.
“Bingo!” Dan crowed, giving Cari a look of admiration. “That’s your stepbrother, Dirk Bannock, all right. The guy with him is a very well-known white supremacist who has been trying set up shop in the nearby mountain range outside of Silver Creek. His name is Brock Hauptman. Good work, Cari!”
She felt faint, covering her face with her hands and leaning back against the chair, a sob wanting to tear out of her, but she struggled to control it.
“Cari?” Pepper returned with the water, placing one hand on Cari’s slumped shoulder. “You okay? Do you feel like you’re going to faint?” Pepper placed the glass on a nearby table, both her hands resting on Cari’s shoulders to steady her. “Look at me. Talk to me?”
Gulping, Cari squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control her surge of feelings. She felt Pepper’s strong but firm hands on her shoulders holding her, in case she did faint. “I-I’ll be okay . . . just give me a minute, Pepper?”
“No hurry,” Pepper said, her voice husky with concern. “You’re safe here. You know that, don’t you?”
Opening her eyes, she saw Dan on his radio that was attached to his left shoulder, giving a lot of orders she couldn’t hear. “Y-yes . . . just such a shock. I-I thought Dirk would recognize me . . . kill me like he killed his girlfriend.”
Pepper groaned and sat on the chair next to hers, a hand still on her shoulder. “You poor thing. No wonder you’re having this kind of a reaction. What can I get you?’
“My phone.” She pointed to it. “Please? I have to call Chase. It’s so important. What if he and any of his wranglers are coming into town? What is Dan going to do about this?”
Dan straightened and walked over, giving Cari her phone. “Pepper, stay with Cari. Keep her here. I’ll be in touch.” And he was gone.
“What is Dan going to do?” Cari asked the deputy.
“I’ll be listening on my radio and keep you in the loop,” she said, and tapped the earbud in her left ear.
“Is he going to shoot up the restaurant and arrest Dirk and that other guy? Won’t people get killed?”
“Nah, Dan doesn’t work that way. He knows if these two dudes are in there, he’s not going in to arrest them. They’ve probably got weapons on them. Dan doesn’t want collateral damage.”
“What’s that?”
Pepper smiled a little. “Friendly fire or killing innocent bystanders and civilians. He won’t do that, Cari. Chances are, he’s going to order our helicopter up,