Guardian Of Justice. Carol Steward

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СКАЧАТЬ but he didn’t see anything out of line or he’d have said something.”

      “He obviously didn’t check the basement, or he’d have found Betsy. Right?”

      Dallas face reddened. “What are you talking about? If you’re still upset about me telling you to stay in the car, we followed policy for your protection, and ours.”

      “I know police policy, Officer. I grew up with it every day. I’m talking about something odd in the basement. Betsy said she locked the secret door.”

      “What?”

      “When I was trying to get Betsy to come out of the basement, I saw an odd glow in the next room. Through a doorway.”

      Dallas raised an eyebrow. “Glow? Such as?”

      “Fluorescent lights. Not the normal glow of table lamps.” He wasn’t catching her hints. “They have a really large garden in the basement.”

      “I get it, Kira. You think they’re growing illegal drugs. I’m trying to stay in chronological order, so, you tried to get her to come out? You instigated it?”

      Kira shook her head. “I was standing next to the car, as instructed, when I looked up to see if you were around. Betsy peeked out of the window well and was ready to escape, so I went to talk to her.”

      Dallas was taking notes. “That’s it?”

      “No, that’s not it. I didn’t know if you were coming after her, and if so, if you’d be able to find her if she got out before you caught up with—”

      “I’m not questioning your decision, Miss Matthews,” he said impatiently. “I’m trying to determine if the suspicious plants were in plain sight or if you went looking for some reason to take the kids away from their mother….”

      “Social Services doesn’t go looking for reasons to take children from their families.” She placed her hands on her hips. “How dare you think such a thing. This is a perfect example of why—”

      “Let’s stick to this case, if we could.” He stared at her with a slight smile as he radioed the other officer. “Officer 138 to PD. Pete, stay with the family.”

      “I have jurisdiction with the children, you know,” Kira said.

      Dallas nodded, then took a step toward the house and checked out the basement windows.

      “We’re not leaving the children here.” She felt her blood pressure rise.

      “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Miss Matthews. I’m on your side. I just want to be sure we do it by the book so the charges stick. Was the window open when you got there to help the girl, or did you open it?” He started walking, shining his flashlight along the foundation. “Let’s go back to the window Betsy was in.”

      “Around the corner, kind of behind that lilac bush, in the shadows…” Kira extended her right arm in that direction as he followed.

      “Now, just to clarify, you didn’t touch the window at all, and the little girl climbed out on her own?”

      “Yes, I knelt down when I got here. I startled her, and she disappeared back into the house. That’s when I bent down to look for her. It just looked dark at first, but then I noticed the glow, and a sort of greenhouse in the other room.”

      Dallas leaned down to peer inside, shining his flashlight in the open window. He turned his light in each direction, and froze. “Whoa,” he said with obvious shock.

      “What? It’s marijuana, right?”

      He stood and pulled out his cell phone and dialed immediately. Dallas took several steps away from her and talked so quietly she couldn’t hear.

      When he returned, he took her by the elbow and led her to the house.

      She shook her arm loose. “What’s wrong?”

      Dallas’s mood had turned 180 degrees. “Get the kids ready to get out of here.”

      “Dallas,” Kira said impatiently. “Is it meth?”

      He walked closer to her and hurried her along. “Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration have been watching the guy, Mickey Zelanski, waiting for the chance to bust him and his dealers. We shouldn’t have been sent here. They’ve searched his house half a dozen times and can’t find the stash.” He motioned to the other officers. “Don’t let anyone near that window,” he said to them. “The DEA is sending agents over to take over the investigation. Stay out of sight until they arrive.” He instructed them where to stand before he returned his attention to Kira. “We need to take care of business as quickly as possible, but first, I need to talk to Betsy, find out how she’s getting in there.”

      “You think that lunatic is watching?”

      “With a stash like this, there’s no doubt he will be, if he’s not already. We need to get out of here.”

      Kira looked right at him. “A stakeout? Here in Antelope Springs, Colorado?” She fought the urge to glance at the closest neighbor’s windows.

      “You don’t need to know that. Mickey will definitely be back, and when he arrives, he’ll have a greeting committee.”

      Kira still couldn’t believe the Drug Enforcement Administration was watching a house here in the middle of rural Colorado. She knew meth labs were common here, but they didn’t usually reach the level of the DEA. “Why is the DEA involved?”

      “Didn’t you notice the bags of meth and bricks of coke in the corner?” he asked quietly.

      “Cocaine?” As soon as she said it, she popped her hand over her mouth.

      “Who knows what all we’re going to find.”

      Kira looked around. “You’re kidding, right?”

      “I think you need to get the children out of here as soon as possible.”

      FIVE

      As Kira walked toward the home, she took a deep breath, saying a quick prayer for God to give her wisdom to help this family. She paused before going inside, wondered which foster home, if any, had space available for two kids tonight. “Lord, would you prepare a home for these children while I go through the paperwork? I know the system is full, but I need a miracle, again.”

      “So, that necklace is more than just a decoration, huh?” Dallas said as he rejoined her again.

      “Definitely. I couldn’t get through a day without God. Some days we have a lot of talks. What about you?” Kira glanced quickly at the attractive officer, trying not to stare into his touch but tender gaze. He’s nice looking, she thought.

      “We have an on-again off-again relationship, it seems,” he said quietly as they reached the door. “In this line of work, you can’t survive without God to cover your back, but the attendance records in any church are pretty dismal.”

      “That’s the nature of the job, unfortunately.” Kira didn’t СКАЧАТЬ