After the last cartridge has been fired, the slide remains open on the slide stop. The slide stop release lever is located on the left side of the frame directly beneath the slide and can be manipulated by the thumb of the right-handed shooter.
As a police officer, Alex knew all of that technical information. Running down the hall, fully-loaded Glock in hand, Alex knew the second scream had come from Alyson’s room. Trying the door knob first, Alex cursed when it was locked. Behind the door, he could hear Alyson screaming for help. He heard Buddy bark and then yelp, just as a crashing noise radiated from the room. Near him, Brandy was going ballistic, desperate to get into the room herself.
Instinct kicking in, Alex stepped back, thrust a bare foot into the door facing once, twice – narrowly missing Brandy, who jumped back, moving out of the way, steadily barking. Finally on the third kick, the door gave way. A throb of pain surged through Alex’s leg as his big toe smacked the door knob with the final thrust.
Ignoring the pain, Alex stepped through. Behind him, Brandy’s bark turned to a low growl as she leapt forward. Another yelp and a smattering of blood on Alex’s face.
“No!” he shouted, before a kick between the legs silenced his scream. Stunned, Alex dropped the Glock, his face smacking Alyson’s door frame.
Just before blacking out, he saw her…
“Oh God!”
A dark figure knelt over Alex. His vision swimming, Alex focused long enough to see it. His face had changed a little, but it was him.
Calloway.
“I’m going to kill you, Alex. I’m going to kill everyone you love. And there’s nothing you or your God can do about it.”
The glint of the knife shown bloody.
He wet himself. Or was that blood. The knife hung in the air for just a moment. With his right hand, he struggled to reach the Glock, which rested just at the tip of his middle finger.
The knife fell toward him…
***
Alex grabbed his chest upon waking.
“Alex! Alex! Wake up! Alex!”
“Alyson!”
Speaking her name, Alex heard the echo of the screams that followed him out of the nightmare. The barking, the yelps. The horrific human cries for help.
“Alex! What happened? It was just a dream. It’s okay, Alex!”
Rubbing his eyes, Alex took two deep breaths.
“Geez!” He said, shrugging his shoulders, rolling his neck. “Alyson, that sucked.”
“What was it?”
His face flushed. A weird, nervous tingle surged through his body as if a thousand tiny spiders were scratching their way across his bones causing him to shudder, both at the sensation and the thought it elicited.
“Want me to call your mommy?” Alyson asked, tickling his chin as if he were five years old.
Forcing a smile, he shook his head, licked his dry lips, smacked, tried willing his dry mouth to moisten.
“Okay,” Alyson said, standing up, “If you’re not going to tell me, then come with me into the kitchen. I’m making us hot cocoa.”
“I don’t want any,” he mumbled.
“Well I do. And you woke me up. So you’re joining me.”
“Wait, aren’t I the superior officer here?”
“Mmm-hmm” Alyson nodded, heading toward the door.
“And your older cousin is my wife?” Alex asked.
“Correct again, sir.”
“I’m going back to bed,” he insisted.
“Nope. I am woman. Hear me roar. I’m making cocoa. And you’re going to sit with me until I am done. Unless I can convince you to join me in consuming mass amounts of a warm beverage on this cold winter’s night.”
“You’re too much,” Alex chuckled, rising from the bed. “Okay, but I want marshmallows in mine.”
“Duh!” Alyson said, “As if there’s any other way to do it?”
“The Force is strong with this one,” Alex said, feigning his best Darth Vader.
“Hey, you don’t have a shiner.”
“Wha-?” Alex grabbed his face, suddenly remembering the punch he’d taken earlier in the evening. “Oh yeah, your boyfriend hits hard.”
“Yeah, um, sorry about that. Glad you’re not marked up though. If Danny found out, he and Kellan would probably turn my boyfriend into a girlfriend.”
“Don’t give me any ideas,” Alex laughed, “I’m still a little sore about it. In more ways than one. And, don’t you forget I know his uncle.” He rubbed his jaw as he finished.
“Cocoa,” Alyson said, walking into the hallway. “Cocoa fixes everything.”
Alex sighed. A gentle smile filled his lips.
“Wow,” he laughed to himself. “The father has become the child.”
Chapter 19
“So, you’re telling me that the prints we pulled lead us back to a dead soldier?”
Alex was absolutely fuming. Few around the office had seen him this upset in quite some time. In truth, Alex hadn’t been this upset in some time. Danny and Kellan were used to it. They didn’t flinch. The young officer who had brought the reports to Alex was another story all together.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he whispered, hanging his head, not unlike Christina when she is in trouble.
“It’s not your fault, Officer,” Alex assured him, in a moment of clarity, “But, geez!” He slammed his fist on the desk, as if it were possible to beat the truth out of the closed manila file folder.
Excusing himself, the contrite officer backed out of the office, closing the door behind him.
“Alex, we can’t just assume—”
“It’s Calloway,” Alex insisted, completely cutting Danny off in mid-sentence.
“But, Alex,” Kellan interjected.
“It’s…Calloway!”
“Prove it!” Danny said, blatantly challenging Alex’s affront to his own authority. A red tinge rose from Danny’s neck to his ears.
“I’ll prove it over his dead body,” Alex whispered, his teeth gritting, jaws clinched tight. “Danny, you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that, within hours of his release, Calloway assumed another identity, completely disappeared off our radar, allowing him to kill Whit and Escalante? And for whatever reason, now you want to assume he attacked Alyson? Alex, if he wanted to leave you a message, he wouldn’t have injured Alyson. If he’s angry. He wouldn’t have left her alive!”
“You don’t know that!” Alex’s shouts echoed throughout the enclosed office. “Danny, we know somebody killed Whit. We know that somebody killed Escalante.”
“The man that attacked Alyson had red hair! She said so! Alex, maybe Escalante saw Whit get shot and pursued the shooter. You ever think of that? Maybe he died chasing the guy. You rushed to the conclusion that—”
“I’m telling you, I’m right!” Alex shouted again. “This is Calloway! He killed Whit because he was there. He blamed Whit, He blamed me and he blamed you!”
“So, why hasn’t he come after me?” Danny asked. “If you’re so sure, why hasn’t he come after me?”
“I dunno,” Alex admitted.
“The man who attacked Alyson had red hair, Alex.”
“May have had red hair, Danny! She said she couldn’t be certain. She said herself she might have imagined it!”
“So why hasn’t he come after me? Huh? Answer me! Why hasn’t he come after me? Heck you were a tagalong on that arrest! All you did was put him in the car! The dots don’t connect, Alex. No matter how badly you want to make them connect. Alyson was the victim of a random home invasion. But let’s walk down this road. Let’s just humor Alex’s gut feeling or whatever. Why did he attack somebody that wasn’t even there, but he hasn’t he come after me? Does that make sense to anyone in this room?”
“Opportunity? I don’t know. All I do know is—”
“You know where I was last night, Alex?”
“I don’t.”
“I was at Pizza Hut on Third. I was by myself, eating Pizza H
ut pizza and flirting with a waitress young enough to be my daughter for two whole hours. My protection had no clue I’d even slipped out of my house. I walked two blocks. Ate. Walked two blocks home. They had no clue.”
“Danny?” Kellan interrupted him. “Are you stupid?”
“Hey, I wanted to prove a point and I proved it. Alex, I don’t know who killed Whit or Escalante. I don’t know if it was the same guy or just two very coincidental random acts of violence, although the evidence suggests they are connected. I don’t know who attacked Alyson. But Calloway is probably sitting on a beach somewhere drinking Mai Tai’s thanking God he doesn’t have to shower with 50 other guys anymore!”
Alex took a beat of silence to comprehend what he might say next. Rubbing his face, he fought to clear his mind of every Junior High insult and insubordinate retort.
“Danny,” Alex said, turning his back toward his boss. Staring out the window, Alex fought to take in the serenity outside. Despite the looming winter chill, the sunlight falling on the grass outside gave Alex the impression of a warm, spring day. “We’ll play it your way.” He spun his chair back around. “But, one, you don’t leave your house without your protection anymore. Kellan, tell the chief to double security on Danny.”
“You can’t just—”
“Done.” Kellan interrupted.
“Now wait a—”
“Second,” Alex interrupted, “When I am right, you owe me a big apology.”
“And third?” Danny said, glaring at Alex.
“What makes you think there’s a third?”
“I know you.”
Alex nodded.
“Third, if he gets me, take care of my family.”
“Don’t even talk like that.” Danny said, leaning forward, resting his hands on Alex’s desk. “Don’t even joke like that. That’s not going to happen. Like I said, Calloway is probably sitting on a random beach, miles away from here, soaking up the rays and enjoying his new freedom.”
Leaning back in his chair, Alex stared at the ceiling. Resting his head in his interlocked fingers, he sighed. “When my family left, I felt like I’d done something. I felt like I’d taking a necessary precaution, given Calloway’s recent release. Now—”
“Now you wanna be with ‘em,” Danny answered.
With a look of confirmation, Alex pursed his lips and cocked his head to the side.
“I’ll put you on leave anytime, Alex. Just say the word.”
“No,” Alex nearly growled, more to himself than to Danny. “This guy killed Whit. He killed Escalante. Whether it’s Calloway or not, I want to see the look in his eyes as the life drains from them.”
“Alex, whoever did this, we want justice for Escalante and Whit. We want—”
“Jail time?” Alex asked, indignant. “Is that what you want? Is that justice for Whit? For Escalante? To let this scum-sucking cop killer live?”
“It’s the way the system works, Alex. Every criminal is entitled to his day in court. You sure have a way of leaving that Christianity at the door, don’t you, Alex?” Danny sneered. “What happened to forgive your enemy? Judge not lest you be judged and all that? Or Vengeance is mine sayeth The Lord?”
“And you sure know a lot of bullet listed Bible verses for a guy that never goes to church,” Alex retorted. “You want to bring my faith into this? Danny, I have never claimed to be perfect. God isn’t finished with me and I think he understands that I’ll probably have to take most of His tests more than once. I’m just a C student. But if you think that Christians aren’t allowed to get mad, you’re mistaken. If there’s one thing I have learned in Bible study, it’s that Christians are supposed to be passionate as our Lord was passionate. Why else do they call it Christ’s Passion? We’re also supposed to speak the truth with boldness. When anyone wonders how Christians are supposed to handle injustice, I like to remind them that flipping over tables and chasing people with a large stick is not out of the question.”
Chapter 20
Meetings behind him and his morning phone call with Lisa and the kids having gone smoothly, Alex settled in to the more mundane task of busy work assigned to him earlier in the week. Whether he liked it or not, the request was official, so he had work to do. Kellan and Danny’s work, but work nevertheless.
When he found himself reading the same passage several times, Alex checked the time. He’d been at it straight through lunch.
Reaching for his desk phone, he dialed home.
“Hey Alyson,” he said, when she picked up on the second ring. “I didn’t disturb you or anything did I?”
“Nah, actually I’m glad you called. Cable’s out. I’m gonna have to call the cable office They don’t charge to send anyone out do they?”
“Don’t think so,” Alex said, “But if they do, There’s a spare checkbook in Lisa’s bedside table.”
“Woohoo!” Alyson said, “Party at Casa de Mendez!”
Alex laughed.
“Yeah let’s not.”
“Aw, you’re no fun!” She pouted.
“Wow, I’ve been told that before, but it sounds different not coming from Lisa’s voice,” he joked.
“Okay, no parties. Just cable. Got it.”
“You need any lunch or anything?”
“Nah I’ll just make something here. Shoulder is okay really. Sore, but nothing like I expected to be sure.”
“Taken anything for it?”
“Some Ibuprofen earlier. I’m sure that has helped.”
“Hang on a second, Aly. Someone’s at my door,” he said when a soft rap intruded on his conversation. “Come in!”
“Oh, Alex, I’m sorry. I’ll come back later.”
“No, Chief. It’s okay. I’m talking to Alyson. Aly, here. Daddy Tom wants to say hello to you.” Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Alex held the phone out to the suddenly awkward Chief Steelman. After a brief conversation of mostly “Uh-huhs” and “Alrights” on the chief’s part, he handed the phone back to Alex.
“Okay, kid. I gotta get to work. I’ll call you later and make sure everything’s kosher.”
Hanging up, Alex smiled at the chief.
“What’s up, Chief?”
“Alex, we have another body.”
***
“His ID says his name was Raul Escobar from Colombia. His face reminds me of a small-time local hood named Arturo Mendoza.”
Kellan appeared to be right. Mendoza may have been small-time compared to others, but Alex knew him well. He was slick. Careful. Whoever had done this had either been very good or very lucky. Or Mendoza had made the unusual mistake of underestimating them.
“Fingerprints will probably not do any good,” Alex said. “Wasn’t a professional hit. This guy still has his teeth. Tabby should be able to get a good dental impression for the guys in forensics.”
“Why a graveyard?” Steelman asked, walking up on them.
“Quiet,” Alex said. “Secluded. Drug deal gone wrong maybe? Something gone wrong of course.”
“Wasn’t robbery. Gold watch. Rings. All still there,” Kellan said, bending down. Flipping the body to one side, he reached in the back pocket. Nothing. Laying the body back down, he reached into an inner jacket pocket. “Wallet,” he said, producing an expensive looking folded hunk of leather. He had been struck by one of the bullets, but only nicked on the outer edge. Powder burns on the jacket and outer casing seemed to match perfectly.
“Bag it,” Alex said. Turning toward the second body, Alex shouted to the investigating officers. “Check for ID, Jewelry and such. This one doesn’t look like robbery. Need to confirm.”
“Confirmed, sir,” the older detective shouted back, “Nothing appears missing!”
“Something’s missing,” Alex said, more to himself than anyone.
“What?” Kellan asked
“Well, these two didn’t drive here. There’s no car, which suggests that two people likely confronted them. One drove off in the car they came in. The other maybe in our friend’s car.”
“Maybe they walked,” Kellan suggested. “A couple cars parked immediately outside a grave yard might attract attention, even if temporary. A couple people standing or kneeling near a grave is just mourners, or would appear as such.”
“Okay, good thinking,” Alex admitted. Looking around, he found two uniformed officers that didn’t appear to know exactly what to do next. “You two!” Alex said, snapping his fingers. “Here! Now!”
Trotting, though not in a full on run that might disturb the crime scene, the two young officers approached Alex. When they were close enough, but still walking toward him, he said, “I want you two to start canvassing the area. Look for any cars that are unattended in the area. Focus on cars that don’t look like they belong here. Wealthy-looking cars. But if you see any unattended cars, I want to know about it. Two block radius for now. We’ll get more manpower out here to spread out as soon as we can.”
“Yes, sir” they said, turning toward the road.
“I’d better go with them,” Kellan said. “Those kids don’t look old enough to shave.”
“Thanks, Kel,”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, groaning as he stood. “But when I’m hurting later, you can rub my feet.”
“We’ll let Danny do it. Punishment for eating pizza without us.”
“Deal,” he winked, before turning to catch up with the uniformed officers.
“We have five dead bodies, Chief,” Alex said, as Steelman started to say something. “And Alyson was injured. Danny doesn’t believe me but I—”
“You believe that this Derrick Calloway is somehow behind it.” The chief finished. When Alex nodded, the chief continued. “Alex, we all know it was before my time. So I don’t know what this boy was like. But it was twelve years ago, so even you don’t know what he is like today.”
Target: Mendez: An Alex Mendez Tale Page 7
