Savannah suddenly froze when she saw a young man run through the playground past them and out of sight into a stand of trees. He looks like a scared rabbit, she thought. When she saw that the youth was being chased, she stopped the merry-go-round, swept Lily up into her arms, and ran with her toward Gladys, who sat next to Teddy on a nearby bench. Colbi also sprang into action, stopping Rosemary’s swing and holding onto the baby.

  When Savannah got a better look at the man who was taking chase, she hissed, “Colbi, I think he has a gun!” She grabbed Teddy’s car seat and put it on the ground behind the bench, then swept Lily up and shielded both children with her body.

  Pulling Rosemary from out of the swing, Colbi ran to where Savannah huddled with her children.

  “Get down, Mom,” Savannah whispered.

  Before Gladys could move, a shot rang out, then another.

  “Good God!” Colbi cried. “That bullet hit the bench right there.” She screeched, “Gladys, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, crawling on her hands and knees to where the others were crowded together. “What’s that guy think he’s doing, anyway?”

  “Good question,” Colbi said. She glanced around. “Looks like they’re gone. Was that a sheriff’s deputy chasing a thief?”

  “Probably. But why did he shoot in this direction?” Gladys murmured, her voice shaking.

  Colbi was livid. “I don’t know, but I’m sure going to report this to someone at the sheriff’s office.” She looked around the area again. “Hey, there’s the kid who was being chased.”

  Savannah raised up onto her knees and Gladys picked up Lily. Savannah checked on Teddy, who smiled up at her. She caressed his cheek, then looked out over the terrain. When she saw that the young man was walking toward them, she called out, “Hey, are you okay?” She lifted Teddy’s car seat and stood up, asking the boy, “What was that all about?”

  The teen approached them. “Did he shoot at you? Someone told me he was shooting at some women and kids.”

  Savannah placed the car seat on the bench and sat down next to it. She lifted Lily onto her lap. “I hope not. I think those were just wild shots—you know, ricochets.”

  Colbi gritted her teeth. “Nonetheless, I’m sure going to have someone’s behind for this. That’s absolutely unacceptable. An officer should not be shooting anywhere near citizens in a public place.” She faced the young man and asked more calmly, “Why was he chasing you, anyway?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I was just riding my skateboard when he came out of nowhere and started yelling at me. When I saw that he was coming right at me with a gun in his hand, I started running, man. I heard those shots and thought he was shooting at me. Next thing I know, everything gets quiet. I look back and he’s gone.”

  “Was he a cop,” Colbi asked, “or someone impersonating a cop?”

  The teen shook his head again. “I don’t know. That was just one crazy dude.” He straightened and said, “Hey, I’d better go see if my board’s still there. People steal things around here. But being chased with a gun…man, that’s not something I’ve ever seen around this place before.”

  The women watched as the kid trotted away. Colbi, who held her baby tightly in her arms, said quietly, “Savannah, I’d like to take Rosemary home.” She choked up. “Oh my God, that was close.” When she noticed that Savannah was staring off into space, she said, “Savannah!”

  Savannah jumped a little, looked at Colbi, and began to cry. “He could have killed us.” She kissed Lily on the cheek, then caressed Teddy’s head and whispered, “Yeah, let’s go home.”

  “Sure. Okay, honey,” Gladys said, taking Lily’s hand. Savannah picked up the car seat with Teddy in it and they all headed toward the parking lot.

  Savannah, Gladys, and the children had been home for just a little while when Colbi called. “According to the deputy I spoke to, that man who was shooting in the park was not an officer.” Colbi continued, “…at least not from this precinct. They got other calls about shots fired in that area and they’re looking for the guy. So far, they don’t know who he was or why he was shooting. They asked for a description. Did you see him at all?”

  “No. I was too busy getting the kids out of the way. All I saw was that gun in his hand. Did you look at him? Could you describe him?” Savannah asked hopefully.

  “Just that he was dressed in slacks and a jacket,” Colbi said. “I sure didn’t notice anything else. It all happened so fast. Ask your mom.”

  Savannah moved the phone from her ear. “Mom, could you identify that man who was shooting in the park today? Can you describe him?”

  Gladys shook her head.

  When Savannah went back to the phone, she told Colbi, “Mom didn’t get a good look at him, either.”

  “Well, thanks,” Colbi said. “Let’s hope someone who was there today can do better than we did.” She chuckled. “You know, I’ll bet we’ll read about this in the evening paper. It may even be on the six o’clock news.”

  ****

  Later that night after dinner, Michael called out, “Savannah!”

  “What?” she asked, joining him in the living room.

  “Weren’t you and the kids at the park with Colbi today?”

  She nodded.

  “There’s an article here in the paper about a shooting. You didn’t tell me about any shooting. Good lord, Colbi’s quoted here saying that a shot ricocheted off a bench near where she and a friend hid with their children.” He frowned up at her. “Savannah, was that you?” When he saw the look on her face, he asked, “What happened, for God’s sake? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  “Oh, I guess we just got busy, that’s all. I’m sorry.”

  He read further into the article, glancing at her briefly, “One witness says that, although the man seemed to be chasing a teenager, she saw him aim toward some women and children near the playground and shoot twice as he ran past them.”

  Savannah gasped. She put her hands over her mouth. “He was aiming at us?” Her voice a mere squeak, she said, “…at me? Oh my gosh, Michael, it’s Wayne. He’s still after me.” She rushed to the dining room where her phone was charging. “I’m going to call Craig.” When he answered, she said, “Craig, I think Wayne Morrison is here in Hammond. He shot at us today in the park.”

  The detective cleared his throat and took a breath. “Yeah, I heard about that and I just finished talking to Colbi.” He paused. “Honey, I’m sure things have been exaggerated. Listen, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Wayne Morrison’s in custody. They didn’t find anything in his home, but they believe they have enough evidence to hold him. So you can relax. You’re not in any danger. What happened today must have been a fluke—you know, unrelated.”

  “A witness said he aimed at us, Craig.”

  He laughed. “You’d be surprised what people will say to get their ten seconds of fame in the media. That witness is obviously wrong.”

  Savannah was quiet for a moment, then she said, “Craig, you know how you sometimes follow my instincts—my intuition? I can’t stop thinking that there’s something else we’re neglecting to consider in all this. Maybe Wayne’s parents are in on it with him. That could have been his dad shooting at us. Oh, and Craig, we saw a woman in a car parked close to the playground, just sitting there as if she were watching us.”

  “A woman, huh?”

  “Yes. Something’s not quite right. I don’t know what it is, but I’m afraid something is about to happen.”

  Craig took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Okay, what if I camp out at your place tonight? Would that help ease your nerves a little?”

  “Would you?” she asked. “That would sure make me feel better. We have an extra room, or you can bunk on the couch in the living room.”

  He chuckled. “Now that’s not how a stakeout’s done. Normally, you hide out and stay awake all night watching for the bad guy.” He yawned. “I think I’ll see if Ramon will join me so we can take turns getting a little shut-eye.”

  “Thank you, Craig,” Savannah whispered. “I feel better already.”

  Once she ended the call, Michael approached and took her hand.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as he led her away.

  Michael handed Savannah her jacket. “You’ll see. Here, put this on.”

  “Why are you taking me outside?”

  “I want to show you something.” He turned to her as they walked out into the yard. “You have a pretty good sense of smell, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “I’ve been told that I do. Why?”

  “I want you to tell me what my tool shed smells like.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, so you’ve taken to heart what Mom said, have you?”

  “Savannah, I never have sprayed anything out there except for lubricants and paint. I’ve never lit a candle.”

  “Okay, let me take a whiff,” she said. When he opened the door and turned on the light, she went inside and looked around. She sniffed the air and thought about what she was experiencing. “Smells like tools—sort of musty-like. You know, garagie, but without the rubber and gasoline smell.”

  He leaned against the tool bench, his ankles crossed in front of him. “No perfume, huh?”

  She wrinkled up her nose. “No. It’s far from perfumey.”

  “Okay, I just wanted you to know. Your mom was probably smelling her own perfume.”

  She grinned and nodded. “Most likely.”

  ****

  Several hours after everyone had gone to bed Savannah was awakened by a sound. A car door. She froze. Then she remembered. Oh, that’s probably Craig and Ramon. She lay back against her pillow, listening and hoping to hear nothing more. She closed her eyes and rolled to her side, then Rags jumped up onto the bed. She became aware that he was tense and she looked at him in the dim light. “What’s wrong, boy?” she asked, reaching out and ruffling his fur. She felt her stomach tighten. Something has him upset. She smiled. Oh, he probably hears Craig out there. “It’s okay, buddy,” she whispered. “It’s Uncle Craig. He’s here to protect us so we can get a good night’s sleep.”

  But Rags didn’t settle down. He continued to stare toward the window, his ears rotating like antennae. Suddenly, he lowered his head and growled low and steady. Before Savannah could react, their alarm system began to wail and she sat straight up in bed.

  Michael also sat up and looked around. “Good lord,” he muttered, leaping out of bed and quickly pulling on his jeans. “It’s probably malfunctioning again,” he complained as he trotted toward the control panel and quickly shut off the system. He looked around the living room and started to head back to bed, when he saw something. What’s that shining over there on the floor? he wondered. It didn’t take him long to figure it out. Someone has broken out the stained-glass panel next to the front door. Oh my gosh, did they come inside? He turned quickly and looked in all directions. Seeing nothing, he opened the door and looked out. Where’s Craig? Did he leave? What’s going on? Just then he heard Savannah scream. He ran down the hallway into the bedroom and found Savannah backed up against the wall; a masked man standing a few feet from her with a gun in his hand.

  “Where is it?” the man demanded. “Tell me where it is or…”

  Before Michael could react, Rags leaped from the bed toward the intruder and latched onto his arm.

  The man flailed, turned, and twisted, trying to break loose. “Damn cat!” he said as he fired a shot that went wild. Then there was another shot.

  Michael snatched the baby from his crib and ran with him into the living room. By then the intruder had moved away from Savannah and she ran after Michael. “Stay here!” he ordered, handing her the baby and picking up a fireplace poker.

  Savannah saw her husband head toward the bedroom and called out, “No, Michael! No!”

  But it was too late. He disappeared into the hallway. She could hear the man cry out and then there was a thud and the sound of a scuffle. She dropped behind the sofa with the baby and crouched out of sight. She could feel her heart beating wildly. Oh God, please don’t let Michael get hurt. Suddenly, she flinched. She looked down and saw Rags rubbing against her. “Rags,” she whispered when she saw him looking at her wild-eyed. He gazed toward the bedroom and swished his tail a couple of times before he began to frantically groom himself. “Are you all right, boy?” she asked, running one hand over his fur. He recoiled, sat back on his haunches, and stared at her.

  Just then Savannah heard someone rapping on the front door. She froze, her eyes wide and searching. Someone shouted, “Savannah, open the door!”

  “Craig,” she said, standing. Still holding tightly to the baby, she made her way cautiously to the door and opened it. “He’s in there…with…with Michael,” she managed. “Oh my God, this is awful.”

  Gun in hand, Craig moved gingerly into the hallway. Ramon followed with his gun drawn.

  “What’s going on?” Gladys asked seconds later from halfway up the staircase.

  “I don’t know,” Savannah said. She rushed to her mother and handed her the baby, then ran down the hallway and into Lily’s room. When she heard a shot, she snatched the child out of her bed and lay down on the floor with her, doing her best to comfort Lily when she began to cry. Within a few minutes all was quiet until she heard Michael’s voice.

  “Savannah!”

  “I’m here,” she called. “With Lily.”

  He stepped into Lily’s bedroom and kneeled next to Savannah and their daughter. He pulled Savannah to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around them, his voice cracking, “It’s over. They got him.”

  “He’s dead?” Savannah whispered.

  “No. But he is in custody,” Michael assured her. He stood, helped Savannah to her feet, and took Lily. He looked around the room and asked, panic in his voice, “Where’s Teddy?”

  “With Mom.”

  When they joined Gladys and the infant in the living room, Savannah rushed to them and enveloped them both in her arms. “Michael said it’s over, Mom. We’re safe.”

  Gladys looked wide-eyed at her daughter. “I didn’t know we ever weren’t safe.” She glanced from Savannah to Michael. “What’s going on?”

  Savannah smiled slyly at her mother. “Good. I’m glad you didn’t have to go through the terror I’ve been experiencing this last week or so.” She picked up her phone from the coffee table. “I need to call Holly and tell her Wayne Morrison’s back in custody.” But before she could call, Craig walked into the room and Savannah asked, “So Wayne Morrison escaped from custody? How’d that happen?” She glanced suspiciously toward the hallway. “…or is that his father?”

  “Nope,” Craig said. “Neither one of them.”

  Savannah stared at him. When he saw the fear in her eyes, he put his hand on her arm. “It’s not Morrison.” He cocked his head and asked, “Did you say that Rags attacked the man who held you and Holly hostage that night?”

  She nodded. “Yes, he jumped on his back and clawed his neck all up.” She glanced around the room. “Where is Rags?” She choked up. “You know, he saved my life. He grabbed that guy’s arm before he could shoot me. Oh, my gosh, he was going to shoot me.” She looked at Craig, wiping at her eyes. “So, who…who is it?” she asked hesitantly.

  Craig held up a wallet, opened it, and displayed a badge.

  Savannah gasped.

  “It was your Detective Milner,” he said quietly.

  “What? How? You mean he…?”

  “Yeah,” Craig said, “we had a little chat after we got him to calm down. It seems that when he heard about the unsolved jewelry heist as a young cop, he developed an obsession with solving the crime. After many years, he became disillusioned with his job and he fantasized about a way out. When your cat found jewelry, seemingly from that old robbery, his obsession with solving the old case became an obsession to abscond with the fortune. You girls got in the way of his dream and his craziness accelerated.”

  Michael ran his hand through his hair. “Good lord,” he muttered. “So it was a matter of a cop-gone-bad, was it?”

  “Yeah,” Craig said. He looked at Savannah. “And a case of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He glanced at his watch and pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’d better contact them in Colorado and tell them they can let Morrison go.”

  When Craig finished the call, Savannah asked him, “So you don’t think Wayne’s guilty of anything? He seems so weird.”

  Craig laughed. “Do you know how many more jail facilities we’d have to build if we arrested every weirdo in America?”

  Savannah looked sheepish, then, putting her phone up to her ear, she said, “I really do need to call Holly.”

  “This time of night?” Michael asked.

  “She’s probably not sleeping.” Into the phone, she said, “Hi, Holly. I know it’s late, but I figured you’d be awake.”

  “Yeah, I’m up with Bethany. She has an earache, poor baby.”

  “Awww. Sorry to hear it.”

  “Why are you calling so late, Savannah? What’s wrong?”

  “Hey, I just wanted to let you know they just arrested the guy who’s been causing us to lose sleep—the one who held us hostage.”

  “Wayne?” Holly said. She hesitated. “But he’s already in jail.”

  “No, Holly, it wasn’t Wayne Morrison or his father. It was that detective…Milner.” She choked up again. “He came here with a gun—he almost shot me, but Rags attacked him again, then our detective friend, Craig, came in with help and they’re taking him to jail as we speak.”

  “Oh my gosh, the detective?” Holly said. “I’m stunned.”

  “I know. But we’re safe now. It’s all over. Go back to sleep.”

  “As soon as my baby girl’s comfortable, I sure will. Thank you, Savannah.”

  “Yes. Hugs to you and sweet Bethany.”

  “Thanks, night-night.”

  When Savannah ended the call, Ramon walked into the room with Detective Milner in handcuffs. Craig looked out the window and reported, “Our backup’s here. Go ahead and let them do the transport.”