by BJ Bourg
Amy hesitated. “Um, I don’t know. You said you didn’t make the order.”
“Right, but I think my buddy did. He’s done that before where he used my phone and paid for it, but didn’t tell me.”
“But you said you don’t live on Buffalo Lane.” Amy gave me a wink. She was in her element and feeling good about the direction of the conversation. I wasn’t so sure. I was sweating fully now and praying this wouldn’t go south. We needed him to provide his address or it was over. If he sensed a trap, he’d destroy the phone and we’d never get this close again.
“No, but that’s where my friend lives,” said the man convincingly enough. “I live at 9046 Ridgeway Road.”
“Where’s that?” Amy scrunched up her face. “I’ve been delivering pizza for over a year now and I’ve never heard of that road.”
“It’s in the Cool Ridge neighborhood,” he said. “I’m toward the back, on the right side the road, in a white house with brown shutters and a storefront. The place used to be an old bar before my mom bought it. There’s a red Trans Am and an old truck in the parking lot. The truck’s jacked up. You can’t miss it.”
“Well, it’ll take me a while to get there,” Amy said, doing what she had to do to buy us some time to get a team in place. “I’m on the south end of the parish, because your idiot friend gave the wrong address. The pizza might be a little cold by the time I get there.”
“That’s okay,” the man said. “I can heat it up in the microwave.”
Just as Amy was ending the call, I waved for Detective Lou Baker to join us. He had been standing near one of the sheriff’s office’s tactical vehicles with a group of SWAT officers, but he quickly headed in my direction.
Meanwhile, Amy stepped out of the undercover car and danced a jig in the parking lot. “I totally played that dude,” she said. “I should be undercover!”
“Let’s not get ahead of yourself,” Baylor said in that quiet voice of his. “I think the free pizza closed the deal.”
To my surprise, Amy didn’t even try to argue. She only laughed and said he was probably right.
“What’s up?” Lou asked when he reached me. His dark face glistened in the waning sunlight. “Did we get a location?”
I nodded and told him the address.
“That’s in the Cool Ridge Community.” His brow furrowed. “The cane’s cut and you can see for miles back there. There’s no way we’ll get these vehicles down Ridgeway without creating a stir. Hell, before the first car crosses the railroad tracks everyone at the end of the road’s gonna know about it. They don’t get a lot of outside visitors in that community.”
I’d worked a murder case back there once, but it had happened in early October, before the sugarcane had been harvested. Since the majority of the land back there consisted of sugarcane crops, I could only image how wide open it would be at this time of the year with the barren fields.
“What should we do?” I asked. “That man’s expecting a pizza.”
“I’ll just go back there and deliver it,” Amy said. “The dash cam will capture the house, the man, and any vehicles in the driveway. If I can get a plate number we can find out who this joker is and—”
“And what if he realizes you’re a cop?” I asked, interrupting her.
“I’ll cut him down from the back seat,” Baylor said.
I looked into his eyes and knew he meant it.
As for Amy, she stepped back and pointed down at her blue jean overalls and pink sneakers. She also wore a name tag from Pizza Bayou that had the name Peggy on it. “Do I look like a cop?”
“You always look like a cop.” I turned back to Lou. “Is there any way we can get some reinforcements back there? At least within striking range?”
Lou was thoughtful. Finally, he snapped his finger. “Yes! There’s a dirt road north of Ridgeway, and it’s separated by a patch of trees. The woods can conceal our approach.”
“Where’s the dirt road lead to?” I asked.
“It’s a private road that goes to the boat launch in the back of the community,” he explained. “The gate’s locked, but I’ll just cut the chain and apologize for it later. This way, we can reach the boat launch without being seen and we’ll only be two or three minutes away from the house. If we get out and walk, we can get even closer.”
I looked at Baylor. “How do you feel about that plan?”
“I’m good with it.”
I turned back to Lou. “I’ll wait near the highway for Amy and Baylor to return and tell me what they found. Can you set up surveillance on the house?”
He nodded. “That’s not a problem.”
“If this guy’s one of the killers and he’s alone, then that means the other killer is still out there somewhere,” I said. “I want eyes on that house until both killers are inside. If we can catch them together in one place, then we can end this thing right.”
“Got it.” Lou spun on his heels and returned to the SWAT deputies. After talking with them briefly, they scattered like ants, some jumping into unmarked vehicles and some in one of the tactical vehicles. Lou joined the officers in the tactical vehicle. Before pulling the door shut, he hollered at me to give him fifteen minutes to get in position.
I called Susan and Mallory and let them know what was going on. We all agreed they should hold their positions in the north and south just in case the killers weren’t inside the house. Once I was done with them, I turned to Baylor and Amy.
“I’ll follow y’all to Ridgeway and park on the shoulder of the road about two miles to the south.” I took a deep breath and exhaled softly, trying to allow the stress to leave my body. “For God’s sake, don’t get dead.”
CHAPTER 39
Twenty minutes later…
“I see the house up ahead,” Amy said out of the corner of her mouth to Baylor, who was lying in a supine position on the rear floorboard with an AR-15 cradled against his chest. “I’ll leave the door open so you can hear what’s going on.”
“Roger that,” Baylor said in a low voice. Amy could barely hear him over the wind blowing through a crack in the window of the old undercover car.
It was still light out, but it wouldn’t be for long. Sunset happened around five-thirty during this time of the year, which was much too early for Amy. She liked the longer days.
“I’m parking in the driveway,” she mumbled, “and someone’s opening the door.”
The house was white with brown shutters like the man had described, and there was, indeed, a storefront atop the home. As Amy climbed out of the car, she shot a casual glance toward the driveway. The front of a tan Ford pickup truck was suspended by a cheap-looking jack and it was missing both front tires. Next to the pickup was a red Trans Am, and Amy could immediately see that there was no license plate attached to the back of it. Instead, there was a note that read, Tag Applied For. Her back stiffened as she remembered Clint telling her about the murder of Deputy Daryl Winston from Georgia. Sure, there were many vehicles with such notes driving the roadways, but this didn’t seem like a coincidence.
“Ah-ha, my food is here,” said a man from the front porch. He wore khaki slacks, a white Polo shirt, and loafers. “It’s about time. I was starting to think you got lost.”
Amy flashed a pleasant smile and walked to the passenger’s side of the car. She opened the door and glanced in the back seat to make sure Baylor was concealed from view.
“Everything should still be warm,” she said as she grabbed the large insulated pouch that had Pizza Bayou printed across the top. Instead of walking the short distance across the grass to deliver the pizza, she headed for the concrete driveway. Once she reached it, she strode across it to the sidewalk that led to the porch. “Here you go, Mister…”
Amy allowed her words to trail off, hoping the man would take the bait. He did.
“Dwight,” he said, extending his hands as Amy removed the pizza boxes from the pouch and handed them to him. “I’m Dwight.”
Amy flashed another s
mile. “Nice to meet you, Dwight. I’ll be right back with your Dr. Pepper.”
Amy took in as much of the scene as she could as she walked to the undercover car and back to the house with the Dr. Pepper, but she didn’t see anything suspicious. It was when she was walking back to the undercover car again to leave that she noticed something on the driveway.
“Hey, Dwight,” she called out, “you need to see this.”
Dwight was just pushing his way inside the house when Amy called to him, and she saw him pause in the doorway. He twisted around to see where she was pointing.
“What is it?” he asked impatiently. “I need to get this food inside.”
“There’s a lot of oil on the ground.” Amy dropped to her hands and knees beside the Trans Am and glanced under the car. “Holy shit, you’ve got an oil leak!”
“I already know that,” Dwight said. “It’s been leaking for years.”
Amy realized Dwight didn’t seem one bit bothered that she had looked under his car, and that puzzled her. He appeared too relaxed to be someone who had recently gunned down three people and who was on the run from the law.
“Oh, I thought it was important.” She stood to her feet and openly studied the car. “This is a cool Trans Am. I can’t remember the last time I saw one like this. How long have you been having it?”
“She’s twenty-five.” Dwight shifted his feet. “Look, I need to get inside and eat this pizza before it gets cold. I appreciate you delivering it.”
Amy nodded. Taking one long, last look at the Trans Am, she headed for the undercover car and drove off.
“Anything?” Baylor asked from the back floorboard.
“The Trans Am has an oil leak and there’s a Tag Applied For note on the back of it,” she said. “I know it isn’t much, but it’s more than we had an hour ago.”
CHAPTER 40
I was still sitting on the shoulder of the highway in my Tahoe when I saw the undercover car approaching. I buzzed my window down as Amy parked beside me.
“The Trans Am has a Tag Applied For sign and an oil leak,” Amy said, shoving a hand in my direction. “I got a sample.”
I hurried out of my Tahoe and retrieved my crime scene kit. While I retrieved the motor oil that was smeared across Amy’s fingers, Baylor untwisted himself from the back seat and crawled to the front. When he was settled and I had finished recovering the motor oil, I returned to my seat and told Amy to follow me in her makeshift pizza delivery car.
I drove north for a mile and found a more secluded spot farther off the road. The sun was going down and it would be dark soon, but I didn’t want to take any chances. If one of the killers decided to visit the house in the Cool Ridge Community, he might become suspicious if he saw a blacked-out Tahoe parked on the shoulder of the road beside a Pizza Bayou delivery car.
“What gives?” I asked when we were parked door-to-door again. “Did you indentify the pizza thief? Are our killers there?”
“The guy’s name is Dwight—he didn’t give me a last name—and it looked like he was alone. I didn’t hear any other footsteps in the house and I didn’t see movement from the windows.” She paused and frowned. “I don’t know, Clint, I don’t think this Dwight fellow is our killer.”
“But the car has a sign on the back and an oil leak,” I said. “You brought back evidence. If it matches the oil we found out at Waxtuygi, then his goose is cooked.”
“True, but—”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the phone number from the burglary led us to a car with a handwritten tag and an oil leak,” I said. “This all fits. It’s circumstantial, at best, but this is definitely a real lead.”
“He just seemed way too relaxed to be someone who recently committed three murders.” She chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds. “I mean, I see those handwritten tags everywhere and I’m sure a lot of cars leak oil, right?”
“Not a lot of cars that are connected to that phone number.” I rubbed my face, wanting this to be real, but worried that she was right. She had an uncanny ability to read people, so I wasn’t about to dismiss her thoughts outright.
“I guess you’re right,” she said. “It does seem odd that the phone number leads us to a car with two other indicators. I tried to see inside the car, thinking there might be spent casings from the Buckheed County murder inside, but the windows were tinted.”
I nodded idly as I scrunched up my face, lost in thought. I was mentally reviewing each piece of evidence, attacking them at different angles, trying to fit each piece together, searching for that clear picture. Finally, it came to me.
“I don’t know, Amy.” I sat upright in my seat and leaned out the window to look down at her and Baylor. “There’s a good chance you’re right, but there’s also a good chance this Dwight dude is involved. If all we had was a call going to the house, then that could be the killers calling to make conversation. However, we’ve got spilt oil in Buckheed County, in Waxtuygi, and at Dwight’s house. That car had to be at all three locations. I think we need to make contact with him and see if he’ll talk.”
“I agree,” she said with a nod. “I think he definitely knows the killers. I just don’t know if he was involved or if he even knows they committed the murders.”
I got on my radio and asked Lou if he could have his officers tighten the net around the house.
“We’re going in and we need some over-watch protection,” I said. “I want to see if he’ll talk.”
“Ten-four,” Lou said. “We’re moving in now. Give us thirty.”
After waiting another thirty minutes for Lou and his team to get into position, I waved for Amy to follow me. I glanced at my AR-10 on the passenger seat as I whipped my Tahoe around and headed for the Cool Ridge Community. I didn’t want to alarm Dwight, but I also didn’t want to get gunned down like Jenny and Daryl, so I decided I would take it with me.
When I arrived at the house, I parked my Tahoe so that the engine block was positioned between me and the front door. I didn’t waste any time inside my SUV. Grabbing my AR-10, I rolled out of the driver’s seat and quickly moved to the right corner of the residence. It was dark now, but thanks to a nearby streetlight, I was able to catch a glimpse of Baylor and Amy as they sprinted from the road and took up positions behind the Trans Am.
I kept my rifle at the ready and crept along the house toward the entrance. I was still several feet away when I heard footsteps from inside approaching the front of the house. I paused and squatted near the porch. I glanced toward Baylor and Amy. Baylor was stretched out on the ground under the rear end of the Trans Am, his rifle pointing directly at the front door of the house.
Knowing Baylor would cut down any threat that appeared in the doorway, I stood and moved away from the wall of the house. I waited with my rifle hanging in the sling, my right hand on the pistol grip and my left hand on the hand guard. My right index finger was resting against the trigger guard.
“Hello?” mumbled the man Amy had described as Dwight. He had opened the door and was peering toward where Amy had parked the undercover car in the middle of the road. His mouth was stuffed and he held a piece of pizza in his left hand. “Peggy, is that you?”
“Dwight,” I said calmly, “I need you to keep your hands where I can see them and turn toward me.”
CHAPTER 41
Dwight froze in place, but turned his head slowly in response to my commands. His eyes widened when he saw me standing in his front yard with the AR-10 in my hands. I couldn’t see my own face, but I imagined I didn’t look pleasant.
“Whoa, bru, what’s going on?” He lifted his hands quickly into the air, but he didn’t let go of the pizza. “What’s this all about? Why do you have a gun pointed at me?”
“It’s not pointed at you,” I said calmly, “but if you make a wrong move, you will certainly be on the business end of this bad boy.”
There was movement from the driveway and Dwight turned to see Amy approaching, a badge in one hand and a pistol in the
other. He groaned audibly.
“You?” He spat the pizza from his mouth and dropped the piece that was in his hand. “Damn it! I knew this was a setup. I can’t believe you’re pulling a gun on me over a pizza.”
“It’s not about the pizzas,” I said evenly. “We’re here because two cops were killed and we have reason to believe your car was used in the murders.”
Dwight stumbled backward and reached for the porch railing to steady himself. “What?” he asked in a weak voice. “Are you serious right now?”
“Do I look like I’m playing around?” I fixed him with a hard gaze, and he nearly melted right there on his porch. “This is your one chance to help yourself. If you tell us what we need to know, I might be able to save your life.”
Dwight licked his lips. “Are you…what do you mean by save my life?”
“I mean if you’re arrested for principal to first degree murder, you could get the death penalty.” I stepped closer to the porch and glanced past Dwight into the open doorway. “Is anyone inside with you?”
“No, sir, I’m alone.” His entire body was trembling now and I noticed a wet spot on the front of his slacks. The spot slowly expanded downward to his left shoe. “I swear, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can we come inside?” I asked. “I trust you, but I’d like to verify what you’re telling me—just for safety’s sake.”
“Sure.” He swallowed hard. “Should I walk in first or do you want to walk in first?”
I joined him on the steps and nodded for him to turn and enter the house in front of me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Amy move to the right side of the porch where she could see into the house, and Baylor set up on the left side. I raised the muzzle of my rifle as I followed him into the small house. I found myself in a house that had an open floor plan. A bed and dresser were situated to the left in what was obviously the bedroom. A table, stove, and two chairs were situated to the right for the kitchen, and an open door along the far wall led into a bathroom. I could see the bathtub and toilet clearly. The room appeared empty.
