Lone Star Standoff

by Margaret Daley

  He’d been here before and knew the clerk behind the counter. He approached Betty, who had been in the records department for thirty-five years. “I need to know if there is any property in Port Bliss owned by the Bravo family.”

  “Anything for you. Is this about a case?”

  “You know I can’t tell you anything, Betty.” He winked at her.

  She laughed while she went to her desk and sat at her computer. He came around the counter and stood by her. While he waited, several others entered the office, and Betty’s assistant helped the first one.

  He kept his eye on the people around him while Betty searched. Time dragged by. The door opened again, and a woman with a toddler positioned herself at the end of the small line forming.

  “I’ve got something,” Betty said.

  As Sean looked down at the computer, a loud boom shook the building, and all the lights went out. The screen went black.

  TEN

  Aubrey sat in her courtroom, watching the jury’s faces as the defense asked yet another question about Mrs. Fields’s eyesight. She was about to tell Villa’s lawyer to move on when a loud sound reverberated through the room while it rocked. The glass in two windows toward the front where she presided over the trial blew out.

  A bomb?

  Two deputy sheriffs assigned to this court closed in on her from each side. All she could think about was that one or both of them could be a mole like Samuel talked about in his notebook. They had no idea who it was and if it extended into the sheriff’s department.

  The overhead lights flickered off.

  Everyone rallied from their dazed state and began a charge for the double doors. Several US Marshals took Mrs. Fields under their care while one of them got on his mic, probably trying to figure out what was happening. The sheriff’s detail surrounded Villa.

  “Judge, you need to leave here now,” Deputy Simpson said.

  His words drew her attention back to the two officers, one on each side of her. She rose.

  Deputy Worth was in the lead as they moved to the door that connected the hallway to her chambers. She glanced back at the people still trying to exit the courtroom. “What are we going to do?”

  “Our job. Get you to a safe place,” Simpson said behind her. “It’ll be less crowded going out of your office.”

  Where was Sean? She wished he was here. As she entered her chambers, Simpson was on his radio, trying to find out which way would be better to leave the building. The nearest exit was the front.

  After he turned off the radio, he opened the door. “The rear exit isn’t as crowded. I’ll take the lead. Worth, you follow.”

  While she and the two deputies headed toward the stairs to the first floor, she peered back at the crowd trying to go down the large, wide staircase that went all the way to the third level. At the moment it was crammed with people trying to get out of the building.

  Simpson turned left, then right and walked down the corridor to the end, where steps led to the bottom floor. Aubrey and the two officers melted into the flow of the few others making their way to a door that opened not far from the rear exit.

  Simpson worked his way to the front and held up his hand for everybody to wait while he cracked the door open. The sound of rapid-fire gunshots resonated through the air. The deputy sheriff slammed the door shut. “We can’t get out this way. Back up the stairs.”

  Aubrey spun around on the third step and followed Deputy Worth upward. Her heart thumped against her chest. As he reached for the knob on the second floor, another burst of bullets blasted the hallway on this level.

  They were trapped!

  * * *

  What light remained in the records office came through the one window facing the front of the courthouse. Sean hurried around the counter as people started for the door. “Let me check the lobby first.” He forged his way through the staff and customers who had been standing in line.

  He eased the door open. The lights were off in the lobby, but with the large double front doors and floor-to-ceiling windows on each side of them, everything seemed all right—except for a flood of bodies racing toward the exit in their panic, some shoving others out of the way.

  He turned from the entrance and said, “People are panicking. You need to hurry. This office is close to the exit, and only a handful are at the door right now.”

  Sean stood to the side, glimpsing the chaos descending on the lobby as the customers and staff of the records office dived into the mob. He made a call to Sheriff Bailey to report the situation, then left the records office last, going in the opposite direction, trying to stay on the edge of the throng. He needed to make sure Aubrey got out of the building all right. After glancing at the main staircase jammed with people, he decided to use the set of steps Aubrey usually took to get to her office from the rear entrance. As he neared the corridor that led to the back, the sound of gunfire riddled the air.

  Several people ran toward him, fear stamped on their faces. One passed him, then pointed in the direction he’d come from. “Men with guns are coming into the building.”

  Behind Sean, more gunshots went off across the lobby. He turned toward the noise. The somewhat orderly crowd became a frightened mob with one goal—get out of the building. The shooters, dressed all in black with masks over their faces, released a barrage of gunfire over the heads of the people still on the main staircase, as though the goal was to cause a stampede. A few jumped over the railing in order to get away. The rest fled as fast as they could.

  “Get into a room with a window, lock the door and try to get out that way.” Sean removed his weapon from his holster, intending to take as many gunmen out as he could without endangering innocents. He positioned himself behind a column and aimed at a man all in black rushing toward the stairs, waving his gun at the crowd as though he was saying, “Get out of my way or I’ll shoot.”

  But every time he had a chance to fire his gun, a civilian was in the way. The men in black made their way to the stairs. The steps were clearing, but not the people between Sean and the staircase. The invaders used the crowd as a shield and disappeared from his view. Sean rushed after them as backup waded through the crowd toward him. A spurt of gunfire sounded above him, coming from the east, then a barrage of bullets came from the west.

  They were going after Villa, and Sean needed to stop them and find Aubrey. He headed up to the second floor with four deputy sheriffs right behind him. Although he didn’t think anyone was in Aubrey’s courtroom, he had to check. No guards stood at the double doors into the room. He reached the entrance and opened it. Empty. He quickly assessed the place—windows blown out, no bullet holes visible and no blood.

  As he turned away from the double doors, the four deputies approached. The escape plan the US Marshals had developed was the stairs on the west side of the building and out the third door, while Aubrey would leave through her office and use the steps on the east side to go out the rear door to the parking lot.

  Sean pointed to one of the deputies. “You come with me. The rest of you go to the west stairs. The marshals may need your help.”

  As he and Deputy Garcia ran toward the hallway that led to the east exit, Sean prayed Aubrey was unhurt. Both Simpson and Worth were dedicated to their job. But as he turned the corner, a doubt niggled at his mind. What if one of them was working for the cartel?

  * * *

  Aubrey’s breaths came out in short gasps, her heart beating so rapidly that she felt a little light-headed. The door below them slammed shut while they were coming up the stairs.

  Simpson pointed upward, then started up the steps to the top level. Worth took up the rear. The sound of footfalls heightened the urgency to get out of the stairwell.

  As they neared the third floor, sweat rolled down her face. She stumbled on a step and nearly went down. Worth caught her and steadied her, helping her up the last few stairs and thr
ough the doorway into a deserted hallway.

  Aubrey leaned against the wall, catching her breath while Simpson grabbed a fire ax and blocked the door from opening. Worth went to the end of the corridor to check out the situation. He waved for her and Simpson to come to him.

  Worth looked left then right. “This floor is deserted. We need to find a room to hole up in and call for backup. I’m sure by now more help has arrived. Hopefully the building will be secured soon.”

  As the two deputies searched for the best place to wait for help, all Aubrey could think of was what had caused the explosion. A bomb? Could there be another?

  * * *

  Sean sneaked up to where two corridors intersected. He’d heard shots coming from this direction. He peeked around the corner. The area in front of the east staircase was deserted. He signaled to Deputy Garcia to check the offices on the left while he did the ones on the right. No one was inside any room, including Aubrey’s.

  When they reached the door to the stairwell, Sean went first. He leaned over the banister and scanned the first-floor area he could see. Nothing. Then he looked upward and didn’t see anything there, either. In the distance he heard gunfire, but nothing close by. He hoped the backup was able to catch all of the members of the assault team on the courthouse. He started down the stairs to the bottom level. When he pushed the door open, he peered out into the hallway and noticed a couple of the raiding party were shot and down on the ground, as were two deputy sheriffs.

  “Make sure they’re secure,” Sean said and waved toward the assailants while he went to check the officers.

  Deputy Lockhart groaned and struggled to get up, blood running down his arm.

  “Stay still. I’ll call for help.” Sean knelt and felt the pulse on the other deputy sheriff. Nothing.

  He quickly called for an ambulance as the sheriff, along with a couple of deputies, rounded the building and rushed toward them.

  Sean stood, glancing toward three members of the assault team down on the floor. Worth had everything under control as Sheriff Bailey pushed through the door, his jawline set in anger, his look dark and intense when his gaze fell onto the prone deputy.

  “He’s dead.” Sean glanced at Lockhart, who sat against the wall, an ashen tint to his face. “Did Judge Madison leave out this door?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. I was hit over the head and passed out for—” Lockhart closed his eyes for a few seconds “—I don’t know how long.”

  “I didn’t see her outside, but Simpson called and told me that he, Deputy Worth and the judge were in a room on the third floor. Number 316.”

  “Are they okay?”

  The sheriff nodded. “But that was five minutes ago. I’ll take care of this. Go look for her. So far the first floor and part of the second are secured.”

  “Let them know I’m on the way, but to stay put in case there are still members of the assault team up there.” Sean paused. “What caused the explosion?”

  “The courthouse’s transformer was sabotaged. The fire department is handling it, but they want the building evacuated in case the fire spreads to the structure. Take Deputy Garcia with you.”

  Sean signaled Garcia to join him, and he entered the stairwell, praying that Aubrey was all right.

  * * *

  Aubrey stood to the side of the window overlooking the front of the courthouse. She no longer heard shots. From her vantage point, she didn’t have any idea where the explosion had come from or what caused it. People left the building and mostly kept going, with a few onlookers stopping across the street. She’d seen the fire trucks arrive on the other side of this place. From what Deputy Simpson heard from the sheriff, the transformer had exploded. Obviously, all of this had been orchestrated by the cartel. Did it work? Had Villa escaped? Was Mrs. Fields okay? How many were killed or hurt? Was Sean all right?

  With each minute that ticked away, her worry amplified. This was a perfect example of why she didn’t want to care about Sean. It would just end like it had with Samuel. He would leave one day and never come back.

  Simpson’s phone rang.

  She slanted a look at the two deputies, but Simpson’s voice was too low to hear. She turned back toward the window, not wanting to know what was going on. She’d find out soon enough.

  “Judge, help is on the way,” Simpson finally said as he ended the call.

  “How bad is it?”

  “Sheriff Bailey didn’t say, other than that the situation is now under control.”

  “Thank You, Lord,” she whispered, but she felt drained and empty. She didn’t know where she’d get the emotional energy to finish the trial. All she wanted to do was make sure Sean was alive and see her children.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  She pivoted, holding herself tense, as Worth let in Sean and a deputy sheriff. In relief, she collapsed back against the wall by the window. All she’d been able to do until now was relive waiting to hear about her husband two years ago.

  Sean crossed the room to her, a grin leaking through his somber expression. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  She needed to respond, but her mind went blank. She’d pictured him dead or wounded and wasn’t able to get that image out of her mind. She swallowed the tightness in her throat and tried to force a smile to her lips. Instead tears began to flow from her eyes the closer he came to her.

  Sean looked over his shoulder and said to the two deputies, “Sheriff Bailey is downstairs by the rear door. Judge Madison and I will be down in a minute.”

  They left and quietly closed the door.

  Sean shifted his full attention to her. Heat singed her cheeks. She hadn’t intended to release the emotions churning her stomach, but she couldn’t stop her tears. So much had happened in the past week and a half.

  Sean enveloped her in his embrace. “Let it go. A lot has been going down lately. Keeping it inside only makes it worse. Take it from me. I’ve experienced it. When Jack went missing, I blamed myself for him leaving Amarillo and for putting my brother in danger. I’m realizing today I didn’t put Jack in danger, but circumstances that were out of my control did. He had a roommate go missing. That led Jack to your husband. That was Jack’s choice to try to figure out what happened to his roommate. We can’t control a lot of things, and we shouldn’t blame ourselves for those things.”

  “I wish I could control it—then this wouldn’t be happening.” She swiped her tears away only to have others replace them.

  “Life doesn’t work that way. Some people think it can, but they’re only fooling themselves. There will come times when I’ll feel I can and will try to. It’s called being human.”

  She leaned against him and closed her eyes, drawing strength from the comfort of his arms around her. She wasn’t fighting this alone. Sean was by her side. She’d missed that, but she couldn’t become too complacent. When this was over with, she would have to pick up the pieces of her life as she’d done two years ago and move on.

  After relishing the safety of his arms for a few minutes, Aubrey pulled back and stared up into his face. “Thanks for being here.” She took a step away. “But now we need to go find out what the fallout is from today’s raid.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised the sheriff hasn’t sent someone to check on us.” Sean moved to the closed door and inched it open. After surveying the hallway, he took her hand and stepped out into the corridor, then headed for the stairwell.

  No more sounds of gunshots.

  In fact, the emptiness of the third floor unnerved her.

  When they reached the first level, the paramedics were working on Bill, lying on the gurney. Aubrey wove her way through the crowd, mostly law enforcement and EMTs, and stopped next to Bill. “What happened? Are you going to be all right?”

  “Just a flesh wound on my arm. I’ll be fine and back to work in no time.”
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br />   It looked like more than a flesh wound. “How about the lump on your head?”

  Bill winced. “I have to admit it hurts.”

  “I’ll be praying for you and the others.”

  “Appreciate it,” he murmured as the paramedics rolled him out the rear door.

  Aubrey scanned the hallway where three victims were covered by a sheet, although she glimpsed black clothing under one of them. A shudder rippled down her body.

  She stepped next to Sean, who was talking with Sheriff Bailey. “Is Mrs. Fields all right?”

  The sheriff nodded. “She’s under heavy security.”

  “If I want to talk to her, who do I go through?”

  Sheriff Bailey tapped his chest. “Me. Call me, and I’ll arrange it.”

  “What happened to Villa?”

  “He’s safe in a jail cell.”

  “Good. There can’t be a repeat of what happened here today. I understand the transformer exploded.”

  “It was sabotaged. The fire department has the fire, generated from a small explosion, under control. The transformer has to be replaced.”

  “This trial needs to end as soon as possible for the safety of everyone involved.”

  “I see someone I need to talk to. I’ll be right back.” Sean strode down the hall to talk with Deputy Simpson.

  The sheriff moved off to the side, away from others in the area. “I’ll look for a safe venue for the last part of the trial. How many days do you need?”

  Aubrey thought about what was left. “The prosecution has presented its case. And from what I’ve seen of the defense’s case, it shouldn’t last more than a day, then closing arguments. So I’m thinking two, maybe three days, then the jury will have to deliberate, which could be hours or days.”

  “I’ll get back with you as soon as I find something.”