A Toy for Christmas

by Mary Jane Forbes

  “Any sight of Charley?”

  “No. Manny, when you get up on the road stay back so Rachel and Vasquez don’t know we’re on to them. WAIT FOR BACKUP. Charley must be in Rachel’s vehicle. She can ID them so she’s in grave danger.”

  “Got it Janet, we’ll wait for SWAT,” Liz said.

  Manny’s car squealed around a corner, sped up the rural road. In less than the projected ten minutes, Manny turned onto Forrest Road, doused his lights and slowed to a stop on the narrow shoulder.

  “Stitch, something’s wrong,” Manny said, the palm of his hand striking the steering wheel.

  Liz pushed back her shoulders. When he called her Stitch in that hushed tone he meant business, investigator business. “Something? I’d say there’s a lot wrong. I don’t like sitting here knowing Charley’s—”

  “No, no. I dropped by the department yesterday…shooting the breeze with some of the guys. We discussed Frank and his drone company. That he was ramping up. Hiring. One new hire was a woman retired from the military, Janet Scott, and he had two partners, Michael Rich and GK. I keep forgetting what his initials stand for, but you know who I mean.”

  “So, what’s wrong?”

  “Well, for starters, no one said they knew a Janet Scott, no one picked up on the name. Hang on, let me call Fred. He wasn’t there when I was talking to the guys.”

  “Your top detective before you retired? I remember him. He’s so nice,” Liz said.

  “Hey, Fred, Manny here. I need your help. Have you heard of a woman by the name of Janet Scott…ex-military, now with the Feds in Miami?”

  Manny hit the steering wheel again. Can you check with the Captain? She says she has a contact with DBPD, and is calling for SWAT on Forrest Road, I-95. Yes, I’ll hold.”

  Liz squirmed around in her seat, brows scrunched together looking at her husband.

  “Thanks, Fred. Fill you in later.” Manny stared out the windshield. “Fred never heard of Janet Scott. He checked with the Captain and he’d never heard the name. AND, there’s no call for SWAT.”

  “Manny, what’s going on?” Liz said.

  “I don’t know,” he said, tapping a number on his cell.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling Fred back. Janet Scott, if she’s with the Miami Feds or whoever she is, has gone rogue.”

  ────

  “We have to get closer. Do you have your gun?” Manny said.

  “Yes.”

  “Stay in the shadows. Those palmetto bushes will give us cover. Let’s go.”

  Manny led the way, Liz a step behind. They crept several yards toward what they believed to be Rachel’s car, close enough to get a visual if she got out.

  “Oh, my God,” Manny whispered.

  “What?” Liz said, leaning her head next to Manny’s trying to get his sight line.

  “Enrique Vasquez just got out of the car,” Manny said, tapping a number on his cell. “Fred send SWAT 4, Forrest Road, a half mile west of I-95. Pick up the coordinates from my phone. Same location I gave you a few minutes ago. I have Enrique Vasquez in sight, here, a few yards in front of me.”

  “Manny, Vasquez is the head of the Venezuelan cartel in Miami.”

  “I know. Get SWAT on the road then I’ll fill you in. Tell SWAT it’s imperative they block the road in both directions, box Vasquez in. When SWAT is in route have the lead—”

  “That will be me, Manny. I’ve been trying to track Vasquez for months.” Fred said.

  “Perfect. Fred, there are two civilians in the line of fire. Charley Kingman and Tavis Hunter. Rachel Ramirez is, or was, driving the car with Vasquez. We suspect Charley is in that car. She could be tied up. There’s an old pickup truck between my car and the Ramirez car. Tavis Hunter is the driver and Janet Scott is in the passenger seat piloting a drone overhead. Synch up communications with me and your team as soon as you can. And, Fred—”

  “Yes.”

  “Make it fast.”

  “Ten minutes. We’re lucky. Team 4 is returning to base from a situation in Jacksonville,” Fred said.

  The line went dead.

  “Manny, is Vasquez really who Janet said he is?” Liz said.

  “Yep. That piece is true. He’s the man the department has been looking for. He’s the big boss, heads up a cartel in Venezuela smuggling drugs to Miami. DBPD was on the lookout. The Feds alerted us that he was taking over an operation in Daytona Beach but DBPD has never been able to verify it…until now.”

  “I wish we knew for sure if Charley’s in that car,” Liz said. “Manny, look. It’s hard to see, but is that Rachel Ramirez? Janet said it was Rachel’s car. I’ve never met her…it’s not Charley. Even in the dark I’d recognize her.” Liz said.

  “Whoever she is, I see her. She’s walking around to the other side,” Manny said. “Opening the passenger door, looking in. Now she’s walking into the bushes. Why would she do that?”

  “She’s going to take potty break, silly,” Liz said.

  Chapter 52

  ────

  IT WASN’T LATE, ONLY nine-thirty, but clouds lingered blocking out the moon and the stars. The windows of the truck were rolled down, letting in the night air. Bentley was sprawled on the back seat his muzzle resting on top of the driver’s seat. His ears up. His eyes glued to the windshield.

  Janet held the remote like it was a gold bar. Her fingers occasionally tapping a button, moving a lever to correct Hawk’s position. Her eyes never wavered from the remote’s display watching what Hawk was recording with his camera eye.

  She grinned, her eyes remaining on the screen.

  “Tavis can you get me a bottle of water? There’s a couple in my tote I tossed on the floor of the back seat.”

  Tavis sighed. “Sure, I’ll let Bentley out a minute. Yell if you see Charley.”

  Tavis hooked Bentley’s collar to the leash. This was not a time to be chasing him in the woods. Bentley stopped to relieve himself in the grass, scratched a few times, and then trotted happily by his playmate’s side.

  Tavis was far enough away to see Rachel’s vehicle but his truck was tucked in a curve in the road so Rachel and Vasquez wouldn’t notice it unless they really looked. He tucked a bottle of water in his pants pocket and carried one for Janet. He stood a moment behind Janet’s open window watching Hawk on the large display attached to the remote balanced on her lap.

  What was that? Janet mumbled something?

  The drone was turning away from the woods, hovering over Rachel’s car. It seemed to be descending… slowly.

  Vasquez opened the car door. He slid in. Hawk hovered closer but still high so he wasn’t detected. Something dropped from the drone.

  “STOP, STOP, STOP,” Tavis screamed. Dropping the water bottle, the leash, he yanked the door open, grabbed Janet in strangle hold as he reached for the remote that tumbled out of the car. Janet kicked and screamed trying to break his hold. Tavis jabbed the button on the remote. RETURN HOME! Hit it again. RETURN HOME!

  He was too late.

  The grenade hit the SUV dead center.

  It exploded sending flames and debris in all directions.

  Janet struggled to break his hold, yelling at him to let her go.

  “Shut up, shut up, what have you done?” Tavis yelled.

  Bentley rushed around in circles howling, his leash whipping freely.

  “Manny. Manny. Help,” Tavis shouted ripping off his belt, wrapping it around Janet’s wrists.

  Hawk returned home to the remote, hovered overhead then gently landed on the asphalt by the truck, his propellers slowing to a stop as Tavis raced toward the shooting flames.

  Chapter 53

  ────

  SIRENS GREW LOUDER. TWIRLING red lights painted trees and underbrush as the fire engines passed by. SWAT 4 setting up roadblocks waved the two fire engines through. Flames flared on a nearby pine tree as another fire truck approached from the opposite direction and again was waved through by SWAT.

  Mann
y and Liz ran to Tavis’s truck. Janet was on her feet struggling unsuccessfully with the restraints around her wrists. Liz continued to run seeing Tavis on his knees silhouetted against the flames.

  Fred hustled up to Manny as he cuffed Janet removing Tavis’s belt. Fred arrested her on the spot—suspicion of murder and impersonating a Federal Agent. A member of SWAT hauled her away.

  Manny glanced at the fire consuming the pine tree. The firemen almost had the flames contained and were dousing the nearby trees. He continued running to Liz as she helped Tavis to his feet.

  “Manny, look. Geoff Kingman…over there coming out of the bushes. You stay with Tavis, I’ll take care of Geoff. Call for the medics,” Liz shouted over the noise of fire incinerating Rachel’s vehicle and the firemen yelling instructions to each other. She ran across the road. “Geoff, Geoff, you’re safe,” she said wrapping his arm around her shoulders to ease his limp. “Thank God you’re safe. Your ankle, can you walk?”

  “Where’s Charley? Liz, where’s my daughter?” Geoff struggled to talk through tears streaming down his face.

  “Geoff…I…she was in the car,” she said looking over at the flames.

  Geoff slumped down on the road his legs collapsing. “No, Liz, No. She went for help.”

  “She tried Geoff. Come on, let me help you up. Take you to our car. We’ll get you home.”

  “No. I’m not leaving,” Geoff said, struggling to his feet.

  “Fine, but come sit in the car.”

  His arm around her shoulders, Liz helped him to the car his full weight on her as he limped.

  Liz left him sitting in the car, door open, one foot on the ground. His shoulders slumped overtaken with the loss of his daughter in the car explosion.

  “Enrique, Enrique,” Rachel screamed stumbling out of the bushes. An officer intercepted her, sat her on the ground as she collapsed in his arms.

  Suddenly the truck parked in front of the burned out pieces of metal, flames licking at the hood, ground to life, Hector pushed his foot hard on the gas pedal, swung wide of the blazing car, sped through the flames trying to escape only to slam on the brakes coming within a hair of smashing into SWAT’s barricade. He was immediately swarmed by officers pulling him from the truck, marching him to the back of their armored vehicle pending questioning at the DB Police Department.

  With Geoff in the car, Liz joined Manny and Tavis. The three stood mesmerized, staring at the flames gutting the metal skeleton several yards away.

  Bentley was in a frenzy terrified by the fire and the noise. He ran back and forth from the steep incline that bordered the road to Tavis. He never stopped barking, his deep bark booming from his mammoth chest. He ran to Tavis nudging his hand, pulling at his pant legs then dashed down the embankment. Barking. Barking. Tavis tried to pet him, calm him down, but Bentley would have none of it.

  “Manny, that dog is trying to tell Tavis something,” Liz yelled as she took off after the frenzied animal, slipping, stumbling down the embankment where Bentley stood his ground. Barking. Barking.

  Liz came to an abrupt halt in front of Charley’s body.

  “Oh my God! TAVIS! MANNY! COME QUICK! IT’S CHARLEY.”

  Tavis was first, stumbling down the steep slope to Charley’s body. Her mouth was taped, hands and feet tied, but her eyes told him she was very much alive—open wide, pleading for help.

  Manny cut the rope around her ankles then from her wrists.

  Liz held her friend’s face and looked into her eyes. “I’m going to take the tape off your face…it’s going to hurt. But just for a minute. I’m sorry.

  Charley nodded, clenched her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut.

  Liz freed a corner then pulled hard and fast.

  Charley’s body flinched but she didn’t call out.

  Tavis moved in, cradled her, tears erupting from his eyes. Rocking Charley as she choked gasping for air. “You’re alive. You’re alive,” was all he could manage to mumble. He removed the small bottle of water he had taken from Janet’s tote, opened it, held it to her lips. She took a sip, then another.

  Charley looked at Liz. “My Dad. My Dad. We have to find him,” her voice barely a whisper.

  “We have him, Charley. He’s in our car, worried sick about you but he will be fine.”

  Bentley squirmed on his belly up to Charley licking her salty tears away. “Yes, good boy. You found me,” she whispered.

  Tavis gently moved Charley so he could stand then slid his arms under her body lifting her, holding her next to him he stumbled up to the road. He felt her tears dropping on his hands as he sank to his knees on the black asphalt. He cradled her head under his chin, her side to his chest. I love you, baby,” he whispered in her ear.

  Manny waved to the medics. “Over here.”

  Tears of relief streamed down Charley’s face. The terror was over. She was alive. She was alive in Tavis’s arms who moments before said he loved her.

  Continuing to hold Charley, Tavis looked up at Liz and Manny. “Janet’s a traitor.”

  “We know. And the Miami Feds are on it,” Manny said patting his shoulder.

  “Stitch, where are you going?” Manny shouted.

  “To get Geoff.”

  Liz ran down the road to their car calling out to Geoff. “Geoff, Geoff, we found her. We found Charley.”

  Geoff was sitting on the road, leaning against the car. The pain in his ankle was acute. He had slithered out of the car hoping to ease the throbbing if he stretched out his leg.

  Liz ran up to him. “Geoff, we found her. Come on—”

  "I can’t walk, Liz. The pain …Charley? Is she…is Charley alive?”

  “You bet she is. Hang tight. The Medics just arrived.”

  “Wait, I have to see her…see—” He couldn’t finish his sentence as he tried to stand but collapsed with the stabbing pain.

  “Hey, Mr. Kingman, I said to sit tight. I’m getting help. Charley will be in the medical van. Capiche?” Liz said.

  “Yes, I capiche,” Geoff said with a grin turning into a grimace. “Hurry.”

  “Yes, sir, I will,” Liz said. Turning, she ran back up the road, calling for Manny.

  “Manny, Manny, Geoff needs help. He can’t walk…his ankle.”

  “Liz, my dad,” Charley called from the van. She was sitting in the van next to Tavis with a grip on her hand as a medic swabbed a cut on her leg.

  Liz ran back up the slope to the open van. “We’re getting him, Charley. His ankle is giving him fits. He thinks it’s broken.” Liz glanced over her shoulder. The forensic team had pulled a charred body from the car—Enrique Vasquez without a doubt.

  Holding Bentley’s leash, Manny told the van driver where Charley’s dad was—a few yards back. The driver closed the doors and slowly backed down to the car, Manny motioning to stop. The driver opened the back doors as the other two medics tended to Geoffrey lifting him onto a gurney and into the van.

  Charley shot to her feet, wrapping her arms around her dad’s shoulders fresh tears cascading down her face over her bruised red lips.

  “Charley, let me look at you,” Geoff said leaning away, searching his daughter’s face. “You’re hurt, your face, wrists. What happened?”

  “Long story, Daddy,” Charley said resting her forehead against his chest. “Wait ‘til we get home.”

  “Charley, you have never called me Daddy before.”

  “Sorry, I…well, you are my Daddy aren’t you,” she said with a smile.

  He pulled her into a warm embrace. “Oh, child, I love you.”

  “And I love you, Daddy.” Another smile with the eruption of a giggle.

  Tavis knelt before father and daughter. “Charley, I have to take Bentley back to the Springers. I’ll meet you and your dad at the hospital—”

  “You don’t have to—” Charley started to say.

  “Yes, I have to. If you think I’m leaving you—”

  “OK, OK. Sounds good. Dad, we have to call Mom and Frankie—”

&nb
sp; “I already did. See! You need me,” Tavis said. He kissed her cheek, whispering, “I meant what I said…you know?”

  Gripping her dad’s hand, Charley nodded to Tavis.

  Yes, she knew.

  Chapter 54

  ────

  FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS started early on the east coast of Florida. Beach strollers filled the air with laughter as they ran into the surf enjoying the holiday. There was much for the Kingman family to celebrate along with the birth of the country. Bernard Kingman raised the American flag on the pole in the front yard as the sun breached the horizon. His family had survived horror, blood, and death over the past week.

  Smiles spread across everyone’s face. Hugs, quiet conversations held sway, almost like they were afraid to upset the apple cart. Charley and Geoff came through relatively unscathed. Geoff wore a boot to allow his ankle to heal. Charley finally slept. A gash in her arm from being thrown about in the truck was dressed and wrapped in gauze and tape.

  The biggest miracle was the love that shined between father and daughter. Except for Tavis, Charley remained by her father’s side seeing he didn’t lack for anything—a dish of melon balls, another mimosa, or a slice of Hildy’s signature dish, Quiche Lorraine.

  They were all anxious for Manny and Liz to open up with their detectives’ side of the story concerning the players on the road that fateful night. Bentley was also in attendance loving all the attention as he sat by Tavis like a Roman sphinx with his eyes fixed on the sparkling blue ocean and a random pelican diving for a fish.

  Bernard couldn’t stand it another minute. “Come on, Liz, everyone is here. Your Aunt Jane and I want to know what happened. And don’t leave out any of the good parts. We can take it, can’t we Janie?”