Lost Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 1)

by T. E. Killian

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grant and Stan were sitting at their desks both doing reports on their computers when Grant’s cell phone rang. While he finished typing in his thoughts, it rang two more times. When he picked up the phone and saw that it was Kelly, he smiled and said, “Hi, Kelly, how are you doing today?”

  Stan’s head popped up and he gave Grant a knowing grin before turning back to his computer.

  When Kelly didn’t say anything, Grant was about to speak again when he heard a loud male voice coming from the cell phone, “I said get over there against the wall and don’t move or talk.” He heard a shuffling sound then silence.

  It took Grant a moment to process what must be happening. Then he jumped out of his chair, hit the speaker button then the mute button on the phone, and tapped Stan on the arm. When Stan looked up, Grant said, “Listen to this.”

  “Now, ladies, I’m only going to ask this once and then I’m going to get rather unpleasant.”

  Grant tried his best, but he couldn’t place that voice.

  “Where is that thumb drive?”

  That was all Grant needed to hear. He ran to Sonia’s office and barged in between two other detectives who were talking to her. She rose from her chair about to yell at him when he held out his free hand like a stop sign and held up the cell phone with the other. The man on the other end began talking again.

  “I said, where is that thumb drive?”

  A different male voice said, “There it is on that table.”

  Sonia’s face quickly went from puzzled to recognition and Grant said, “I punched the mute button.”

  Sonia said. “Where are they?”

  “At the Newcomb estate in the upstairs bedroom suite.”

  Sonia looked Grant in the eye. “Setup a command post at the entrance to the drive up to the estate.”

  Then she turned to one of the other detectives and said, “We’ve got a hostage situation. Go into dispatch and tell them to get everybody they can over there. Tell them not to put it out on the radio and for everyone to run silent. Also, tell them to call county for backup.”

  With that Grant, took off running for the door with Stan next to him. The other detectives were right behind them.

  As Grant ran through the compound to his car, he felt like his chest was going to cave in. He could barely breathe. Kelly was in danger, possibly even the other women too. He had to get there fast and he had to save her.

  A few minutes later, Grant turned his car onto the street that led to the area called Mountainside Estates. Mountainside Trail turned off of it and all the drives of the estates turned off it toward the mountaintop.

  Grant drove as fast as he dared without lights and siren. They didn’t need to get into an accident on the way. Kelly needed him there right now.

  Grant had placed his phone on the seat between them and they both listened as they traveled. The phone had been quiet for a few minutes after the men had found the thumb drive. There were at least three since they’d heard two more male voices. It sounded like the men had herded the women into Sarah’s bedroom and tied and gaged them. Grant still didn’t know who else was there, but he was fairly certain that Sybil and Sarah were there at least.

  When Grant parked the car in the gateway of the drive, he parked across the road thus blocking it from both directions. Several other cars pulled up behind him on both sides thus blocking the other road. One of the new units was from the county. Grant thought that he must have been close by to get there so fast. Great, experience told him that they’d probably need all the help they could get.

  Grant popped the trunk and he and Stan both strapped on their outer armored vests. Then they grabbed their ARs.

  Sonia was out of her vehicle already wearing her vest and carrying her own AR. She was now talking to the patrol commander who had just arrived right behind her. She seemed to be filling him in. The commander waved him over and Grant walked quickly over to the pair.

  Commander David Jessup was a tall man and towered above both Grant and Sonia. He was thin with brown eyes and a shaved head. It was always easy to pick him out among the force as one of the several former marines. Grant liked him because he was a no nonsense type of supervisor who always let you know exactly where you stood.

  “Grant, where is this room that you think they’re in?”

  Grant turned toward the large house and pointed to the front right corner of the second floor. “It’s on the second floor on the right and in the rear.”

  A patrol sergeant walked up in time to hear what Grant said. The commander greeted him then turned to Sonia and said, Sonia, take five officers and setup a perimeter on the south half of the estate.

  Grant thought of something. “Sir, see the garage door on the left?” When the commander nodded, Grant continued, “That door opens up into an open parking court about fifty feet by seventy feet with garages on this end and the other end as well. On the south side there, it’s just an eight foot wall.”

  “Thanks Grant. Are there any windows looking down on that parking court from the second floor?”

  “No, sir, there aren’t any windows on the south side of the main building at all.”

  “Good.” He looked around the area. There were close to twenty officers there now including five from the county and a couple from DPS. He turned back to the sergeant. “Sonia, change of plans. Go ahead and setup your perimeter, but take two more with you and see if you can get a couple of people inside that parking court without being seen.”

  Grant spoke up then. “Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like for the two going over the wall to be Becker and me. We know the layout of the place including the inside of the house, even the second floor.”

  “Good.” He turned to Sonia again and said. “Pick your other officers and go.” He turned to the other sergeant. “Steve, take another ten and spread them out in the desert around the north side. Be very careful, though. I can see windows on that side.”

  As Grant was walking away, he stopped and turned back to say, “Yes, sir, there are four windows on the north side and three of them are in the bedroom suite where we think they are.”

  He didn’t wait for acknowledgment but ran over to Stan motioning for him to follow as he joined the group that Sonia had just formed. He filled Stan in as they all ran across the desert landscape to the south side and the wall he and Stan were going to scale.

  * * *

  Kelly was quickly getting uncomfortable. She was sitting on the bedroom floor with the other three women against the wall under the windows. Their hands were tied behind their backs and strips cut off of bath towels were tied around their heads to gag them. She couldn’t get her ankle in a good position and it was beginning to hurt.

  Her purse was still in the other room next to the love seat she’d been sitting on earlier. She prayed that no one would look inside and find her cell phone. They apparently hadn’t yet, since that surely would have caused quite a commotion.

  One of the men came back inside the bedroom and checked each of their bindings before standing in front of one of the windows looking out for a short time. She sure hoped that if the police were out there that they were hidden well enough that this man wouldn’t see them.

  Kelly could hear the men’s voices in the other room. It sounded as if they were arguing about something. Soon, the one who had done all the talking before came into the room and motioned toward them with his gun.

  “You, the young one with black hair.” He came over and reached his hand down to grab her by the arm. He pulled her to her feet and she didn’t struggle because she was afraid of what he might do if she did. She didn’t want to cause trouble for the other women.

  When he turned her to face him, he said, “You come with us and if you’re a good girl, we’ll let you go as soon as we get away from this place.” He grasped her shoulder and shook her a little. “You understand.”

  Kelly nodded and tried to say yes, but the gag muffled the sound.

  “Go
.” He motioned toward the doorway and gave her a slight push. She stumbled and it was all she could do to keep from falling.

  When they entered the sitting room, the other two men were waiting for them. They left the room and started down the hallway toward the stairs. Stairs! There was no way she could maneuver down those stairs, especially with her hands tied behind her back.

  Her ankle was hurting and she was limping. The leader looked down at her brace and said, “Do you usually take the elevator?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you and I will take the elevator, but don’t make any unusual moves okay?”

  Grant was on her mind when she stepped into the elevator with the man whose gun was poking her in the back. She prayed that Grant wouldn’t get hurt in attempting to rescue her. Because she knew without a doubt that he would attempt to rescue her.

  It was at that precise moment that Kelly realized how strong her feelings for Grant had become. How had that happened, and so quickly?

  She didn’t have time for any more of those kinds of thoughts. The elevator door was about to open onto the ground floor.

  * * *

  It wasn’t too difficult for Grant and Stan to scale the eight foot high wall and land quietly on the other side. They lucked out in that the border along the wall was landscaped with gravel around small beds of cacti. They chose a gravel patch to land on which was near the corner where the garage met the wall.

  Grant flattened his body against the wall, took his AR off his shoulder, and checked the safety. He had begun moving toward the house when he heard another thud behind them. He turned back past Stan to see Sonia getting up from the crouch she had landed in to absorb her fall.

  He couldn’t say anything for fear of being heard, and thankfully she didn’t either. She simply waved him on as if meaning for him to lead. That surprised him but he didn’t have time to think about that right now. He had to get to Kelly and the others.

  He hoped Sonia would be able to help. Three might just be too many going in at once. He knew that Sonia wouldn’t obey his command, so when they made their way through the outer door and onto the patio, he motioned to Stan to guard their rear at the patio door and held up his hand then made a chopping motion followed by a come motion. He knew Stan would know that meant wait for them to get into position then come in to cover them.

  As Grant passed through the door into the family room he noticed the housekeeper, Maria, tied and gaged on one of the sofas there. Otherwise the room looked empty. He motioned with his finger to his lips for her to stay quiet and she nodded her head. He could see the fear in her eyes. He couldn’t take time to comfort her now. She was safe for the time being, and he had to keep moving.

  The stairway was to his right and he heard steps coming down it. Just as he stepped back, he also heard the elevator motor right next to him. Someone was coming down in it too. He motioned to Sonia to stick to her side of the room as he stepped up to be beside the elevator door when it opened.

  Grant felt Stan’s presence behind him and was relieved.

  Just as two pairs of men’s shoes appeared at the top of the stairway, a man stepped out of the foyer into the hallway on the other side of the family room. His eyes and his gun were on the elevator door as it began to open. Grant cringed. Sonia was exposed to the new guy if he happened to look that way, but so far his eyes were alternating between the two men descending the stairs and the elevator door.

  Grant had to think fast. Why would any of these guys be using the elevator? The answer sent new chills down his back. Kelly! There was probably one guy with her since the elevator was very small. He’d just have to take that guy out fast and hope Sonia and Stan could get the other three.

  Just as the guy from the foyer looked around and saw Sonia, Kelly stepped out of the elevator with another man holding a gun at her back. That was when the three detectives acted as one.

  Sonia stepped up behind the guy from the foyer sticking the muzzle of her AR in his back. Stan stepped in front of the other two with his AR pointed at them.

  Kelly and the man behind her with his gun pointed at her back were out of the elevator now.

  Grant intentionally made a sound as he dropped his AR to the floor causing the guy and his gun to begin turning toward him, away from Kelly. As Grant leaped through the air he pulled his handgun and landed on the guy taking him to the floor with him. The other guy’s gun hit the floor and slid out of his reach.

  The two men on the stairs pointed their guns at Stan and he fired off several rounds from his AR. They both dropped and rolled down the last couple of steps.

  Sonia’s man simply dropped his weapon and raised his hands with Sonia’s AR still pressed to his back. She quickly whipped out handcuffs and cuffed his hands behind his back.

  The guy Grant had tackled was swinging at him and connected once to Grant’s jaw before he was able to place the muzzle of his gun under the guy’s chin. He stopped struggling immediately. Sonia rushed over and quickly took Grant’s cuffs from his belt pouch and cuffed that one too.

  Meanwhile, Stan had disarmed and cuffed the two wounded men and was on his way up the stairs with his AR at the ready. He reappeared at the top of the stairs shortly and held up four fingers (for Code 4 meaning all is safe).

  Sonia grabbed her cell phone to call the commander giving the all clear inside and asking for medical. After being told they had been on standby and would be at the front door shortly, she walked down the hallway to the foyer to open the front door.

  Grant was finally able to reach Kelly who stood in the middle of the hallway with her hands still tied behind her back and the gag in her mouth. He quickly pulled out his pocketknife and cut her loose.

  When she almost leaped into his arms, Grant felt like he had struck it rich. It was the first time he had held Kelly in his arms and it not only felt terrific but he wasn’t about to let her go any time soon.

  Without even thinking about where they were or who was watching, he leaned into her and kissed her hard on the mouth. She responded eagerly turning it into a long kiss.

  When they pulled back a few inches, Kelly’s eyes lit up and she said, “Oh, I almost forgot about the others. Grandmother, Sarah, and Sybil are tied up in the bedroom upstairs.

  “Stan’s up there cutting them all loose right now. Are any of them hurt?”

  Kelly shook her head but remained in his arms. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave him, and he certainly didn’t want her to.”

  The sound of someone noisily clearing his throat close by penetrated Grant’s fog. He looked up and saw Commander Jessup standing there looking down on him with a frown on his face.

  “I can explain, sir.”

  Jessup shook his head and said, “I don’t think explanations are necessary Grant, carry on.”

  With that the commander walked over to where four paramedics were working to get the two wounded men ready to be transported to the hospital.

  With Kelly still in his arms, Grant looked up at a disturbance in the foyer. He saw Mr. Newcomb and Wayne striding toward them. On the way, Wayne stopped where Sonia was talking to a uniformed officer. The officer walked off and Wayne began talking to Sonia.

  Kelly turned her head to see what Grant was looking at. She smiled and said, “Well, it looks like Wayne finally got to talk to your sergeant.”

  They both laughed then Mr. Newcomb was upon them. He looked Kelly up and down, and then said, “Where is your grandmother?”

  Kelly looked toward the stairway where Beth, Sarah, and Sybil were slowly descending. He hurried over and met his wife at the foot of the stairway and drew her into his arms.

  Kelly giggled. “That’s so sweet. Do they act as if they’ve been married fifty years?”

  Grant just smiled down at her and hugged her tighter.

  A few minutes later, Grant could wait no longer. He tenderly released Kelly and walked over to where the man who had had a gun on Kelly was sitting. Without a word, he ripped off the man’s ski mask.
He wasn’t too surprised to see that it was Colonel Hatch who had been General Walker’s exec.

  Grant walked over to where Kelly now stood with the other women and Harold. Without looking at any of the others, he put his arm around Kelly’s waist and pulled her tight against his side.

  Sonia joined them with Wayne close behind her. She took one look at Grant holding Kelly and only shook her head then began questioning the women to make sure they were okay and that there weren’t any more masked men around.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kelly realized that she must be in a mild form of shock. Then when Grant tightened his arm around her waist, she admitted that if this was what shock was all about, then she wanted lots more of it.

  She looked around the group of people standing with her and Grant. Her grandparents were holding each other and both were smiling at her and Grant. Sarah and Sybil were close and they too were smiling at her and Grant.

  The other two standing there weren’t smiling or looking at her and Grant. They were looking at each other. Wayne was doing his best to get Grant’s sergeant to talk to him, and she seemed to be trying to get away from him.

  If Kelly didn’t know that Wayne was serious this time, she would have laughed at his almost comical, fruitless efforts. She took a moment to look at the two of them. Sonia Nordstrom was tall. In fact, she was several inches taller than Kelly. But that was no problem for her brother who was still three or four inches taller than the blond sergeant.

  Kelly was suddenly so tired that if Grant hadn’t been holding her, she might have crumpled to the floor. Her ankle was throbbing too.

  Grant seemed to realize that she was unsteady and as he tightened his hold on her, she turned to him and said, “Could you take me home, please?”

  Grant’s face showed concern, and she said, “I’ll be all right. I just need to rest.”

  Grant nodded and turned to his sergeant. “Sonia, I’m going to take Kelly home then I’ll go to the station to fill out my report.